My name is Kyre and I serve Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the Emerald Palace. I only started working here after the whole Dorothy fiasco. I finished university and needed a job, like every other student. I saw the listing at the Emerald Palace and couldn't be happier. I was afraid I'd have to take some rough and tumble sort of position at a restaurant or some backdoor retail job.
I interviewed while Dorothy was on her little mission. The details were kept from most citizens of Oz but I overheard some guards speaking at the palace. Apparently this alien would be the one to destroy the Wicked Witch of the West. I remember thinking how preposterous that was, that someone who didn't even know the terrors Oz faced the last four years would be able to eradicate the source of the problems. It was silly.
But I didn't really care after I got the job. Dorothy came back to the Emerald Palace and after the wizard granted her some sort of wish, she was gone. And so was he. I stopped seeing the Wizard around the palace and the old lady he was always with: Madame Morrible was it? She was gone as well. My main job was the serve Lady Glinda so their disappearances were not of importance to me. Lady Glinda assumed more responsibilities after Dorothy left. I think she had somewhat taken Dorothy under her wing and had a part in destroying the Wicked Witch. I mean, how else would that little girl be able to do it?
Lady Glinda was quite introverted after her return. I expected her to bubble with happy thoughts and gleeful conversation. That's all I saw in the news and at her speeches. Maybe it was all for show because when Lady Glinda took to her bedroom late at night, she would be completely silent.
I take that back. Lady Glinda talks to someone at night. But I don't know whom.
I tend to Lady Glinda after dinner. She usually doesn't do much after exiting the dining room; she just walks right back to her quarters. I follow a few paces behind her, in case she asks for anything. "Please, Kyre, I'm perfectly fine," she told me several times. But I was on strict orders to make sure Lady Glinda would eventually get to her room. It was like they didn't trust her on her own.
She takes different routes. I noticed she likes going through the gardens. "Anything that gets me out of the palace," she says with a smile. "It's just too stuffy in there, don't you think?"
The palace casts a particularly green glow on the garden at night, especially when the moon was bright. It gave all the flowers a strange tint that I could see even in the darkness. I always watch where I step in the garden. It hasn't been tended to like it was before. Some bricks on the walkway were chipping and many plants overgrew their fields. It was a miracle Lady Glinda could get around perfectly without a candle.
When she returned to the palace, the Time Dragon Clock would be close to resetting. The hallways of the palace were empty so it was just she and I. "Lady Glinda, would you like a hot towel?" I ask quietly. I don't like talking at night in the palace. Your voice echoes with the slightest whisper, like the palace is magnifying your disturbance.
"No, Kyre. I would just like to sleep," she says. She seems to have perfected speaking in the emptiness of the palace. Her voice never echoes.
"Yes, Lady Glinda. I will be right outside if you need anything."
"Thank you, Kyre."
I wait outside her door, standing guard. I suppose being the newest employee, I have been given the night shift. I stand at her door until the sun rises.
It's not necessarily a bad thing. Lady Glinda is somewhat restless during the night. It makes me alert.
It is silent for a long time but by the first hour of the Time Dragon Clock, she begins to speak. It's not nonsense, either. She has a conversation with someone named Elphaba although I'm sure there's no one in the room. Sometimes, Lady Glinda calls her "Elphie".
"Oh, Elphie. I can't believe how far we've come. Remember when you were worried about your paper for that Early Ozian Literature class? Like if you didn't get a good grade it would be the end of the world." Lady Glinda laughs and continues to reminisce.
I assume this person is an old schoolmate. From the way Lady Glinda talks of her, they seemed to be good friends. It's the only time I hear her laugh.
However, some nights the conversation would turn dark.
"Elphie, how could you? How could you do this to me? After all we've been through? How could you leave me? How?" she screams. Then she howls her sorrows at this Elphaba until tears overtake her.
These nights, I often hear her mutter, "I'm sorry" over and over again.
I'm afraid her friend might be long dead. The pain in Lady Glinda's voice sends chills down my spine. I'm glad there's no one else in this hall because sometimes, I cry along with her. It's just a few tears now and then.
Lady Glinda was an icon for my schoolmates and me. Her speeches gave us hope. Her presence was powerful and confident. She was a witch all students of magic looked up to. In times of crisis, Lady Glinda rose from the darkness.
Now, she is a broken woman. She still appears powerful in public. Her calm demeanor is still the same. Her joy still carries across the land and Ozians exalt her good deeds. But hearing her cry over this Elphaba person is heartbreaking.
I like when she talks to Elphaba about their time at school. Lady Glinda seems very happy. There is another name, Fiyero, that comes up in her conversations. "I'm so happy for you two, you know? I never said it, I never told you. Fiyero is a good man and you deserve him."
I don't think I can ever piece together Lady Glinda's musings at night. I don't know how long she's been talking to Elphaba but apparently, she's been looking for her for a long time. In fact, I think Lady Glinda is still looking for her.
I hope she finds her one day.