After the Melting
Fanfiction by J. Thorne
Disclaimer - I don't own anything but the plot. Don't sue me!!!
Chapter 1
Elphaba wasn't sure how long she had been sitting on the floor of the cramped, dark room. Shivering slightly, she pulled her knees to her chin, but they brought no warmth. Her dress was still damp from that wretched little farm girl dousing her in water, but it had been the only way for her to escape. No one would hunt her if they believed she was dead.
"I should have thought to bring a blanket or something down here," she muttered to herself. She had nothing to do now, nothing but wait. If she had been successful in keeping Fiyero alive, he would come for her. If he were dead, then she would die, too. She would die, cold and alone, abandoned in this tiny room. If Glinda knew she was here, of course she would help – but Glinda could never know. She was too close to the Wizard, too involved in the happenings of Oz to save Elphaba without alerting everyone else to her presence. "Besides," Elphaba thought bitterly, "Life without Fiyero isn't worth living, anyway."
She stared into the blackness with nothing to occupy her except her thoughts. Her thoughts didn't help her mood any, though. All she could think of were her failures – Nessa was dead, Doctor Dillamond was worse than dead, and Fiyero...she wouldn't let herself think that he was gone, too. She hadn't even been able to teach Chistery to talk properly. Her whole life had been a failure.
She thought she heard a faint knocking on the door above, but dismissed it as the wind. But then it returned, sharper and clearer. Rising apprehensively, she took a few shaky steps towards the door as it began to creak open. Rushing over, she saw the smiling face of a scarecrow peering down at her. Extending his arm, the scarecrow pulled her out of the room and said, "It worked."
How long had she sat in that room? Hours? Days? None of it mattered anymore; nothing mattered except that she had heard Fiyero's voice from the scarecrow's mouth. Embracing him, she thanked Oz that she at least had this one victory in all of her failures. All the hopelessness she had felt, all the aching and doubting was gone, and replaced by pure elation. She looked over his new appearance – it was definitely different, but not altogether bad. Straw-filled burlap bags had taken the place of his once trim and handsome figure, and his face was covered by a coarse canvas. Even so, his arms could still hold her, his lips could still kiss her – all in all, she thought he was perfect.
"We can never come back to Oz," he told her sadly, smoothing her hair down her shoulders. "It'd be too dangerous, anyone could find you and they'd never stop searching for you, even if you did escape then. No one can know you're still alive."
"I know," Elphaba started, but was interrupted by the faint sounds of celebration her keen ears picked up coming from the Emerald City, "But it's not like anyone will miss me anyway. They're all celebrating that the 'Wicked Witch of the West' has finally been destroyed by that idiotic girl and her annoying dog. They're happy I'm gone."
"Glinda will miss you. I'm sure she already does."
"I'll miss her too. She was the best friend I ever had. I just wish that there were some way we could tell her that we're still alive. Yes, I know that she can't know...but I still wish that she could. But it's better this way, her believing I'm dead. At least she knows I'm happy, wherever I am."
Fiyero smiled, and gently took Elphaba's hand. They began walking south towards the Lesser Kells, leaving every place they called home behind them. They didn't know where they were going, but they didn't care. All that mattered was that they were together.
Fanfiction by J. Thorne
Disclaimer - I don't own anything but the plot. Don't sue me!!!
Chapter 1
Elphaba wasn't sure how long she had been sitting on the floor of the cramped, dark room. Shivering slightly, she pulled her knees to her chin, but they brought no warmth. Her dress was still damp from that wretched little farm girl dousing her in water, but it had been the only way for her to escape. No one would hunt her if they believed she was dead.
"I should have thought to bring a blanket or something down here," she muttered to herself. She had nothing to do now, nothing but wait. If she had been successful in keeping Fiyero alive, he would come for her. If he were dead, then she would die, too. She would die, cold and alone, abandoned in this tiny room. If Glinda knew she was here, of course she would help – but Glinda could never know. She was too close to the Wizard, too involved in the happenings of Oz to save Elphaba without alerting everyone else to her presence. "Besides," Elphaba thought bitterly, "Life without Fiyero isn't worth living, anyway."
She stared into the blackness with nothing to occupy her except her thoughts. Her thoughts didn't help her mood any, though. All she could think of were her failures – Nessa was dead, Doctor Dillamond was worse than dead, and Fiyero...she wouldn't let herself think that he was gone, too. She hadn't even been able to teach Chistery to talk properly. Her whole life had been a failure.
She thought she heard a faint knocking on the door above, but dismissed it as the wind. But then it returned, sharper and clearer. Rising apprehensively, she took a few shaky steps towards the door as it began to creak open. Rushing over, she saw the smiling face of a scarecrow peering down at her. Extending his arm, the scarecrow pulled her out of the room and said, "It worked."
How long had she sat in that room? Hours? Days? None of it mattered anymore; nothing mattered except that she had heard Fiyero's voice from the scarecrow's mouth. Embracing him, she thanked Oz that she at least had this one victory in all of her failures. All the hopelessness she had felt, all the aching and doubting was gone, and replaced by pure elation. She looked over his new appearance – it was definitely different, but not altogether bad. Straw-filled burlap bags had taken the place of his once trim and handsome figure, and his face was covered by a coarse canvas. Even so, his arms could still hold her, his lips could still kiss her – all in all, she thought he was perfect.
"We can never come back to Oz," he told her sadly, smoothing her hair down her shoulders. "It'd be too dangerous, anyone could find you and they'd never stop searching for you, even if you did escape then. No one can know you're still alive."
"I know," Elphaba started, but was interrupted by the faint sounds of celebration her keen ears picked up coming from the Emerald City, "But it's not like anyone will miss me anyway. They're all celebrating that the 'Wicked Witch of the West' has finally been destroyed by that idiotic girl and her annoying dog. They're happy I'm gone."
"Glinda will miss you. I'm sure she already does."
"I'll miss her too. She was the best friend I ever had. I just wish that there were some way we could tell her that we're still alive. Yes, I know that she can't know...but I still wish that she could. But it's better this way, her believing I'm dead. At least she knows I'm happy, wherever I am."
Fiyero smiled, and gently took Elphaba's hand. They began walking south towards the Lesser Kells, leaving every place they called home behind them. They didn't know where they were going, but they didn't care. All that mattered was that they were together.