Title: Witch of the East
Author: Aerohead
Email: in my profile
Website: In my profile
Pairing: Mention of Fiyero/Elphaba, Fiyero/Glinda, and Glinda/OC, also has Dorothy/OC
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer/Dedication: For L. Frank Baum, Gregory Maguire, Stephen Schwartz, and Winnie Holtzman who own this idea that I'm extending. Thank you for giving me the first part.
Warning: spoiler for the ending of the musical Wicked, but that's pretty much about it.
Genre: Romance, slight drama
Summary: What happened at Shiz University that made Dorothy Gale who she now is at twenty-eight years old.
Author's Notes: I was writing When Your Dreams Come True, and realized that, except for the passing remarks in Entertaining Destiny, I never really made any concrete ideas about why Dorothy turned out the way she did. So...here it is. This will be updated infrequently, since I'll only work on it when I have writer's block for When Your Dreams Come True. Though at the moment, that looks like it means this will be updated more frequently than I thought. And holiday bonus points for whomever can guess what classic novel I stole chapter one's title from.
Chapter One: Another View of Dorothy Gale
It had been seven years since the fateful day when Dorothy Gale's house fell on the Honorable Nessarose Thropp, Governor of Munchkin land. And on that very day since then, people prayed and honored the Unnamed One for sending them a hero. Then, after the three weeks it took for Dorothy to journey from the Emerald City to Kiamo Ko, the citizens of Oz would celebrate the deaths of both Wicked Witches.
Of course, not everyone celebrated, and it was understandable. The Winkies did not like the celebrations because they adored the Wicked Witch of the West, fondly calling her 'Auntie Witch', and remembering the affair between her and their beloved prince. Many people believed that was why the Vinkus seceded from Oz. However, no one was sure.
In the past seven years, many things had happened. The young princess Ozma had been miraculously found, and would be granted rule next to Glinda the Good after she graduated from Shiz University. Ozma had become like a daughter to Glinda, though the two looked nothing alike. Ozma was beautiful, as was Glinda, but that was where the unreal family appearance ended. Ozma had very long, very wavy light brown hair that she usually kept down, – she had allowed her hair to grow out and stay down once she had become a young adult – her eyes were brown, and she was tall, like most Gillikins.
Of course, Glinda, too, had changed. She was still small and airy, but there was more intelligence and love in those blue eyes than there had ever been during the Age of Wonder. She had birthed a child, who many believed was a gift from the Unnamed One for Glinda's wonderful virtues. Glinda had confided in her 'other children' that the baby was actually the Unnamed One's way of making her remember her late fiancée, Fiyero. The child was named Nissa, a name closely related to the former Witch of the East's. Many people were in an uproar about the name, but Glinda held fast and true and the child came to be loved.
Glinda had also become engaged again. This time it was to an older Gillikin lord named Bromley. He was a widower, whose wife, a Munchkin woman, had died giving birth to his son two years before Dorothy appeared. Glinda had promised to marry Bromley after he came back from an expedition to Merryland. The man's son was the boring sort, and a bookish one even at nine. It surprised everyone when he decided to go with his father for the two-year journey.
For the most part, Glinda had been a single mother, with benefits. As a ruler, she did not have much time for motherly things, as Lord Bromley always pointed out to her. She also ruled by herself, not allotting time to be a child-rearer. So the job had come down to the Tinman, a loyal member of Dorothy's party, who treated the child as his own. Of course, he and Ozma spoilt the child terribly, but no one seemed to notice nor care.
And in those seven years, Dorothy Gale had returned to them. She returned when she was eleven, and stayed with Glinda and Ozma, and was, like Ozma, promised a position next to Glinda once she finished school.
Dorothy had grown into a very pretty young girl. Her pigtails had been cast aside for a perfect, though loose, bun. Her hair was still its deep brown color, and her eyes were still dark, but her skin had become paler while in the Emerald City and away from farm work and her figure had become leaner, though she was still broad.
After seven years, seven years of being placed on a pedestal and waited upon, Dorothy Gale was now about to embark on her greatest adventure – university.
"Miss?" said a scared Munchkin servant as she cracked open the door to Dorothy's room.
"Yes?" Dorothy asked, looking up. Her room was plainer than usual, as she had packed most of the pretty things Glinda had given her away for Shiz.
The servant opened the door more, now slightly bolder. She curtseyed to Dorothy, and kept her eyes on the ground. "Miss Glinda told me to inform you that the train will be in the Emerald City within two hours, so you best finish packing and come downstairs." She said.
Dorothy nodded. "Of course; can you tell her that I'm almost done now? I'll just need to pack one more thing."
The Munchkin nodded, before fleeing the room, leaving the door ajar. Dorothy looked around the room, picking up a picture of her Aunt and Uncle. They were still in Kansas, with Toto – if her were still alive – and she was so far away from them. But she had chosen to go away. She put the picture down, before picking up a small broken piece of green glass. It was her memento of what had happened in Kiamo Ko; a piece of the Witch's crystal ball. She had made it into a necklace, and she placed it carefully in the small jewelry bag she had packed. She closed her bags and looked around the room again, before letting out a relieved sigh and collapsing onto her bed.
She heard the door creek, and didn't bother to get up. "I'm done, Miss, you can go tell Glinda I'll be down soon." She called.
"I'm not telling Glinda anything." Ozma said, leaning over the bags to look at Dorothy. "You can tell her yourself." She picked up a bag, and nearly toppled over. "They have their own rooms at Shiz, you know." She teased, weighing the bag.
Dorothy got up and picked up the other bag, shrugging as best she could with the load. "Well...we have a saying in Kansas: it's better to be safe than sorry."
Ozma shook her head as she started down the stairs towards the Main Hall of the Palace. Stumbling, she put the bag down, as did Dorothy.
"Girls!" called Glinda, coming down the stairs from her office. She smiled at them as she reached the two much taller young women, and hugged each of them. "It's going to be so quiet here without you. You'll come back for Lurlinemas and the Feasts of Saint Glinda and Aelphaba, oh, and of course the Festival Month, won't you?" she asked.
Dorothy hugged the small woman, laughing. "Of course we will!" She said.
"We'll try to." Ozma said, giving Dorothy a critical look. "But we may not be allowed out of school that much." She said as she hugged Glinda.
"Where're you going?" asked Nissa. She had come running into the room, followed closely by the Tinman, and had stopped dead at the sight of the baggage. Her big blue eyes started to well with tears, and she turned around towards Dorothy and Ozma. "Why are you leaving?" the seven-year-old asked.
Dorothy went over and picked Nissa up, looking at the miniature version of Glinda. She pushed a strand of blonde hair out of the girl's face, and kissed her forehead. "Ozma and I are going to school, but you can come visit us, and we'll come visit you."
"Will you be back before Tin and the Bad Man?" she asked.
Dorothy turned, slightly confused. "'Tin and the Bad Man?'" she repeated. "Who are they?"
Glinda sighed, slightly irritated, as she came over and took Nissa from Dorothy. "She means Destin and Bromley, don't you?" Glinda asked.
"No, I mean Tin and the Bad Man." Nissa said. "I heard the Tinman talking about them to the Gump, and he said that Bombily is a bad man." She said.
"That's Lord Bromley," Glinda corrected, before turning her gaze toward the Tinman. "And you think Bromley's a bad man?" she asked him.
The Tinman looked abashed. "I didn't think anyone was listening." He said to himself, before coming over to Glinda and taking Nissa from him. Nissa hugged his neck tightly. "And you don't need a man in your life, Glinda. Look, you're family's perfect without one!" He said. He and Nissa pouted for her, and Glinda shook her head. The Tinman hugged Nissa tighter and she giggled. He leaned over to her and whispered, "I never thought I'd say that to her," before putting Nissa down.
"I never thought you'd be one to say such a thing either, Tinman." Glinda reprimanded, before turning back to the girls sweetly. "But this isn't about all that. It's about these two girls going to Shiz and becoming wonderful scholars!" She hugged the girls again, and the Tinman followed suit. Nissa tugged on Ozma's skirt, and the brunette leaned down so that she was the same size as Nissa.
"What is it, Nissa?" she asked.
"Can you get me tons and tons of presents from Shiz?" She asked.
"I can get you some books." Ozma said.
Nissa made a face and pouted. "No books! Books are boring!" She yelled. Dorothy giggled and leaned down also.
"What if we get you some Vinkus silks?" she asked.
"Will they be pretty?" The little girl asked, her bright blue eyes going wide.
"The prettiest you've ever seen!" promised Dorothy.
"Okay!" Nissa said, jumping up and down. "Mommy, Dorothy's getting me pretty silks from Winkie Country!" She sang as she hugged her mother's leg.
"That the Vinkus, Nissie. It's not nice to call it Winkie Country." Glinda said.
"Why?" asked Nissa.
"Because it hurts their feelings." Said Glinda.
"Why?"
"Because it's mean."
"Why?"
"Because I say so, Nissa!" said Glinda, on her last nerve.
"Okay."
A Munchkin came running into the Main Hall from the Entry Room, huffing and puffing as he came. The Tinman caught the man before he fell over, and held him up. "There's...there's...there's a...something at the door wishing to bid Misses Dorothy and Ozma good luck." He managed.
"Well, let him in." Glinda said.
"I, uh, let myself in if it's alright. I didn't know if he'd make it back." The Scarecrow said. Towed behind him was a small Winkie girl.
"Scarecrow!" yelled Dorothy, running over to him and hugging him tightly. "I've missed you." She said earnestly.
"I've missed you, too." He said, pulling away. His painted blue eyes looked Dorothy up and down, and he smiled at her. "You've become a beautiful young woman." He told her.
She blushed, before hugging him again. She looked behind him, and he looked behind her.
"Miss Glinda, you've become even more beautiful than I remember you." He told her.
"And who's this little thing?" Dorothy asked him, cutting him off.
He looked down. "Oh...she wanted to see the Emerald City, so her mother asked me to take her." He knelt down.
"My brother wasn't allowed to come." The little girl said. The Scarecrow let out a small sigh and pet the girl's long dark brown hair, before putting a straw hand on her shoulder. She clamped her mouth shut, but pouted.
"He was sick." The Scarecrow told them. Glinda moved over to the little girl, and knelt down near her. The little girl moved behind the Scarecrow's leg, looking up at her bashfully.
"Momma's told me about you, Miss Glinda." She said. Glinda smiled.
"Have I met your mother?" she asked.
"Probably not; she's just a young, naïve Winkie who wanted her child to see the Emerald City. She couldn't make the journey herself, with a sick son – he's two – so she asked me if I could take her, because she heard I was coming to see Dorothy before she went to Shiz." The Scarecrow looked up at Dorothy, and smiled at her. "I'm so proud of you." He said.
"You've been hiding from us all this time in the Vinkus?" Ozma asked politely. She had never met the Scarecrow, but had heard much about him and his kindness from Dorothy's stories.
He bowed to her. "That I have, Your Highness, working with the tribes to become united." He said.
Nissa, who had been hiding behind the Tinman at the newcomer, held herself tall as she made her way over to the little Winkie. "You're a Winkie?" she asked.
The little Winkie held herself erect also, and made herself taller than Nissa. "Yes."
"Is it mean to call where you live Winkie Country?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Oh, not this again!" said Glinda. She picked Nissa up as she stood. "Nissie, I've already told you why." She said.
"But I didn't like your answer." Nissa pouted.
The Scarecrow cocked his head. "Is she yours?" he asked.
Glinda nodded. "Seven years old, and a handful, believe me." She said.
"I'm seven, too." Said the small Winkie. "I was born in June."
"I was born in May. I'm older than you!" Nissa said, sticking her tongue out. Then she turned to her mother. "I'm older, right?" she asked.
Dorothy laughed. "Yes, you're older, Nissie." She said. The small blonde smiled triumphantly.
"She's seven...?" The Scarecrow asked, trying to do something out in his head.
"Oh, yes...she's seven and a hellion. But I love her." Glinda said, kissing Nissa. The Scarecrow shook his head, before picking up the small girl behind him.
"We should get going, I guess." He said. "I really am proud of you, Dorothy. Don't let me down." He started out, but Dorothy stopped him.
"Don't stay away for another seven years." She said, hugging him without suffocating the small child in his arms. She touched the girl's hair, playing with the dark curls. "And I'm sure you'll go to Shiz when you get older."
"If her mother can all...afford it." Said the Scarecrow, wincing. Dorothy mistook the expression, and looked at the Scarecrow.
"I'm sure she can get in on pure brains alone." She smiled lightly, before frowning. "Scarecrow, come with us to the station, and see me off, please? I know Lion's not here, but at least having you and Tinman can be there. You two are the most important people in my life when I was...well, a little older than her," Dorothy touched the girl's hair again, and she pulled away, moving her long hair onto her other shoulder so that Dorothy couldn't play with it. "and I want my family to be with me when I go, my whole family." She looked over at Glinda, who moved over.
"Yes, Scarecrow, please?" she asked. The Scarecrow nodded.
"But afterwards I must start back to the Vinkus." Glinda smiled.
"Of course; but come back here and we'll give you proper provisions." She said. The Scarecrow shook his head.
"Oh, I don't need to eat." The Scarecrow said. Glinda chuckled.
"For the child, Scarecrow."
"Oh...of...of course." He said, hugging the small girl closer to him. Dorothy smiled, before going over to her bags and picking them up. Ozma picked up her own bag, and they looked at each other.
"Ready?" Dorothy asked Ozma.
"Of course." She said. Then she turned to Dorothy, slightly uneasy. "And what about you?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." She said.
"I can feel it." Ozma whispered as they started out the door towards the station.
"Feel what?" Dorothy asked.
"Something's going to change this year; something...something good's going to happen." She said.
Dorothy looked up into the cloudy sky. She caught the little girl looking, too, and smiled. "I hope you're right, Ozma." She said, before excusing herself. She went over to the Scarecrow, and looked at the small girl in his arms. "You'd make a good father...I mean, if you could be a father."
"Yeah...I guess I could." The Scarecrow said, watching the little girl cuddle farther into his chest.
"She's cute." Dorothy said. "What's wrong with her brother?"
The Scarecrow lifted his eyes up to Dorothy, and shrugged. "Oh it's a...a skin thing...I'm not too good with skin problems, given my situation." He said, indicating his straw frame.
Dorothy nodded. "So, Nissa is Fiyero's?" he asked.
Dorothy looked over at him. "Yes, how did you know?" she asked.
"He was killed in my field." The Scarecrow explained, a little too hastily.
"I've always felt bad for him." The Tinman said, coming over to them as they neared the station. "He was a nice man."
"Really, you met him?" The Scarecrow asked. The Tinman nodded.
"When I was human." He explained. The Scarecrow smiled.
"He seemed a little selfish to me, but I never really got to know him, except as, well...it's not for little ears." He said, looking at the bundle in his arms.
The Tinman nodded, but shrugged, clanking slightly. "He was lucky though. I wish I knew a woman like Glinda."
"But you do." Dorothy pointed out.
"Who wasn't actually Glinda." The Tinman finished. They stopped, and he sighed. "We're here." Dorothy turned to him, and hugged him. Then she hugged the Scarecrow, before going over to Glinda.
"If you girls need anything, just send me a message and I'll send whatever you need right to you." Glinda promised as she hugged them.
"Don't forget the scarves." Nissa reminded, waving.
"How about if I wrap a book in a scarf?" asked Ozma.
"Nononono!" said Nissa, shaking her head wildly. "No books, Ozma!"
Ozma sighed, starting for the train. "Well, you can't say I didn't try." She said to Dorothy, who laughed.
"Nissa's just a little kid, still, Ozma. She'll like books eventually." Dorothy promised. Ozma cast a glance over toward the blonde child, before shaking her head.
"No, I don't think she will."
"Fine, Tip, gentlemen first." Teased Dorothy, allowing Ozma onto the train first.
Ozma hit Dorothy with one of her bags, before shaking her head. "Oh, no, isn't the Kansas way 'ladies first'?" she asked.
Dorothy shrugged. "Ozma, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." She pointed out. Ozma sighed before waving as well as she could before getting onto the train, Dorothy behind her. Dorothy stopped on the top step as the train started to move, and turned back to Glinda.
"What's wrong, did you forget something?" she asked.
"Yeah," Dorothy called, "I forgot to say thanks for everything! I'll see you at Lurlinemas!" She waved as she backed up into the train and the tik-tok doors closed. She went over to where Ozma had sat down and put her luggage away. She sat down next to the window and watched the Emerald City melt away. In less than two and a half hours, she'd be at Shiz. She shuddered, before silently prayer to God that Ozma's prophesy came true.