AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Yet another of my whimsical nonsense fics. I wrote this hastily so it's very much subject to editing. But I'm tired now, so I'll do that later. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, places, objects, etc., mentioned in this story. They are property of Gregory Maguire, Steven Schwartz, and other respective copyrights.
"Someone Mourns the Wicked"
Fellow Ozians. Friends...we have been through a frightening time. There will be other times and other things that frighten us. But if you let me, I'd like to try to help. I'd like to try to be... Glinda the Good.
The words rang over and over in Glinda's head as she retreated into the Wizard's vacated palace. The Wizard's Head contraption stared down at her forebodingly, even though it sat dormant, it's master having vacated recently. Glinda told herself that she must have it removed in the morning. She had no interest in using it anyhow.
With a sigh, she locked herself in the Wizard's private study and sat at his desk. There was much to do, and little time to do it in. She must write to the new headmistress of Shiz, offering her help to minimize the press and gossip concerning the predecessor's unexpected trip to prison. Also, she needed to arrange a meeting with the Mayor of Munchkinland to discuss current government matters. And to top it off, the Gale Force needed a new Captain.
So many deaths, Glinda thought. How unpleasant this is.
Even several stories above and tons of stone between them, she could still hear the citizens' celebrations raging in the streets, the shrill cries of "She's dead!" echoing through the corridors. Glinda figured she might as well get used to it. The parties were still rampant in Munchkinland over Nessarose's untimely demise, so the end to the ones over Elphaba seemed almost out of sight completely.
Elphaba.
Glinda choked back a sob at the thought of her best friend. Everything's happened so quickly. Everything seemed surreal, and she was still struggling to grasp the changes that had happened in the last few hours. She'd sent the horrid Madame Morrible to prison, and she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore. Elphaba would be so proud of her if she knew. The Wizard had hurried out and now she, little Galinda Upland, was in charge of his abandoned agenda and duties. Elphie would surely have made a sarcastic remark about how all of Oz was doomed, and she'd be off to the Badlands the next day.
All this brought Glinda face to face with another change, one she was completely aware of but not quite ready to accept. Elphaba was dead. Elphaba was dead. Those three words ricocheted off the walls of her mind, finally colliding together into a mush of gibberish. This couldn't be true. She didn't want to believe it now, just as she hadn't wanted to believe it when she was standing over that ugly black hat she'd given her at the Ozdust Ballroom as a cruel practical joke.
Glinda laughed out loud as she thought about that hat. How brave her dear Elphie was to wear it that night, even in front of the judging eyes of their peers. Even braver still to wear it out in actual public, the day they'd first come to the Emerald City. It was nothing more than sheer gall that she still wore it, as she flew around Oz rescuing the Animals.
It was because you gave it to her. That's how special it was to her, a voice squeaked in the recesses of her mind. She wore it because she loved you.
A loud bang of fireworks brought her from her reverie. A pang of guilt shot through her abdomen and up her spine. "Glinda the Good, indeed," she spat out depreciatingly, "I can help strange little girls who fall from the sky, but I couldn't help poor Elphie. I'm definitely not Glinda the Good Friend..."
The guilt tore through her once more. She was an only child growing up, and her parents had doted on her lavishly. Elphaba had given Glinda the one thing her parents couldn't--a sister. Even though Elphaba had known what it was like to have a sibling, Glinda knew deep down Elphaba felt the same way, that Glinda was the sister she'd always wanted, the sister she wasn't condemned to care for. And how had Glinda spent this gift of a friend? She took her for granted. As the two stood in the attic of the palace, when Elphaba pleaded with her to come along, what had she done? She put her own selfish desires before her friend, and sent her off into the world with the label 'Wicked Witch' stamped right across her forehead. How lonely Elphie must have been in her quest to bring good back to Oz.
And then there was the occasion that Fiyero had announced he was leaving with Elphaba. She had handled that situation with less grace than she wished she could have. Elphaba was no doubt scared out of her wits, with the Gale Force preparing to take her away. Then Fiyero intervened. Of course, Glinda was unsuspecting, and she was hurt by Fiyero, but that wasn't Elphaba's fault. He even made that point to her. Still, in her childish fury, she did the lowest thing she'd ever done: she told the real enemy how to hurt her best friend. Glinda's guilt peaked. Elphie had every right to be furious with her when they confronted each other in Munchkinland.
Glinda was weeping uncontrollably now. Elphaba had always pulled through for her, and she never returned the favor. If only, if only, she could go back and change things. She would have hopped on that broomstick in a heartbeat, or, if she hadn't, she would have risked her reputation immediately to rid the city of the Wicked Witch propaganda that had been sent out. She was even willing to stand there by Elphaba's side as the little girl and her companions came to melt her.
This isn't what she would have wanted, the voice chimed in again. She would have wanted you to think back on the good times. Remember the secrets, the giggling fits, the lessons in their dorm room. Goodness, even the time she flung herself into a poor Quadling girl as she practiced her 'toss, toss' in the corridor on her way to class. Glinda made an unusual croaking sound between a laugh and a sob as she reminisced. She was thankful that Elphaba never cared whether or not she was laughed at. Glinda secretly envied her for this.
In a unexpected change of pace, Glinda began speculating what would have happened if Elphaba had been able to work on her 'Save the Animals' campaign publicly, as she'd wanted to in the first place. Or what would have happened if she'd managed to get enough people to sign on. Perhaps Elphaba would be sitting in this very office right now, that stupid black hat perched on her little green head, drawing up plans ensure Animals had equal pay like everyone else. Glinda herself might have been sitting next to her, designing the campaign badges and fussing over their coloring.
Now a new emotion came to Glinda: anger. This is what was supposed to happen. They were supposed to be partners in crime for the rest of their lives. They made plans to take the Emerald City by storm, and astound everyone with their amazing sorcery and such. Elphaba was to be the Grand Vizier to the Wizard, and Glinda was to be her assistant. That wasn't in the original plans, but it was inevitable all the same. And of course, Elphaba's hot blood clouded her judgment and ruined it, ruined it all.
Her eyes misted over with fresh hot tears, Glinda flung her tiara from her head at the wall opposite her, her lush blonde curls flying madly out of their neat arrangement. She stood and tossed her wand at the door, before picking back up again to swing it about at all the delicate objects lining the study's walls. For the first time, Glinda's grief poured out completely, more tears spilling over her eyes as she sank to her knees and pulled the rest of her hair out of place. With a howl to the heavens, Glinda threw her arms up pleadingly. "Damn it all, Elphaba!" she cried to no one in particular, "You ruined EVERYTHING! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! IT'S NOT FAIR, IT'S NOT FAIR! I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY!" Glinda's body was shaking as the rest of her body fell to the floor. A hiccough shook her even harder, and she pounded the floor as she bawled. "I'll never forgive you. I'll never forgive you..."
An hour or so later, Glinda had ceased her crying, her eyes still puffy as an after-effect. She was ashamed of her behavior. This was only to be expected with someone who's grieving. Glinda heaved her huge sequined and bejeweled dress above her feet and stood, shuffling meekly over to retrieve her tiara. After making a futile attempt to smooth out her hair, she replaced the shining crown on her golden locks. She must be strong. She had to be strong. Not just for herself, but for the citizens of Oz.
Sniffling, she wiped her cheeks and sat calmly down at the desk once again. Before she retired that evening, she wanted to at least draft her letter to the Shiz Headmaster. It was getting late, and the partying was still in full swing below. Glinda wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep tonight. Everything was far too hectic. Pushing any thought of Elphaba from her mind, she scribbled a few different drafts of her letter.
A while later, she was satisfied with the result. Figuring it was probably wise to fold it and seal it, she did so and neatly placed it in the drawer of the desk. She yawned and stretched her arms, another firework illuminating the room through a window to it's fullest extent. Glinda wandered idly over to the window and peered down at the group of people down below. She could see the Tin Woodsman haphazardly opening bottles of wine with his axe, and the contents splashed out on to indifferent celebrants.
Just as she was about to draw the drapes, Glinda noticed something unusual out of the corner of her eye. Blinking several times to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, she peered out into the night sky, her eyes focused on the anomaly. There, silhouetted against the stars, was a dot. A dot on a broom. Glinda couldn't believe her eyes. Blinking once more, she watched this dot intently until it was almost completely gone. She hoped the people hadn't noticed, and if they had, they probably assumed it was part of the fireworks.
Once the dot had disappeared, Glinda smiled. Suddenly, she was certain that everything would be alright. Everything was going to be just fine.
A/N: I'm fully aware that's not how the musical was intended to end, I just threw that in there because I liked it. Hope you liked it as well! Please remember to review!