I don't own any of the characters for Wicked, the musical or book; they are property of Gregory Maguire and Stephen Swartz.
Chapter One
Gone for Good?
Fiyero led a green and glowing Elphaba to the gate of the castle shining like a beacon on the shore. Never before had she felt so filled with wonder. A place to call home, the man she loved by her side, leading the way to paradise. But something was gnawing away at her heart and turning her emerald complexion to a deeper forest. A whole lifetime had seemed to pass since she last laid eyes on Shiz. School: a place for learning, a place for growing and experiencing. What had happened? Everything was just starting to go well for her; with Galinda's help she was becoming a social being and even started to think that people weren't all that bad. She thought that no one had been able to look past her vertigree, but then she realized that it was really just the chip she was carrying on her shoulder that kept her from making friends.
Galinda, the person she had loathed with all her might from the beginning, had turned out to be the first person to ever give her a chance. "Elphie" she had called her! The name she hated, so perky and cute, now sent a warmness coursing through her body. She would give all her magical powers just to hear Galinda call her that one more time. She laughed at the thought of Galinda changing her name to Glinda in honor of Dr. Dillamond, in her strange attempt to fit in with Elphaba.
Fiyero called her out of her daydream and drew her to him. "My love, this is the start of our lives together." She looked at him, his cloth covered face and straw limbs hurt her heart. Not because he was different, Oz knows that she can't have hang ups about being different, but she hurt for the cause of his degradation. The horrible prejudices and misunderstandings of people never ceased to amaze her. It was because of her that he was this way. If she could go back and change it, she would have given her life to save his. What hurt even more was that she and Glinda were not on good terms when she left that day, which was also her fault. What could she have said? She had run off with Glinda's love; it was like the unforgivable sin among friends. And then Glinda had come to reason with her, to warn her, to save her. All these thoughts ran through her head as she gazed into Fiyero's painted eyes. Finally a glistening tear ran down the side of her face as she said, "Fiyero I can't do this."