Escape from OZ
A wicked fanfic written by: tootie ragan
Chapter one
Celebration and mourning
The woods glowed with moonlight and sang with the chorus of night creature. As Fiyero and Elphaba walked through the woods they could hear the distant fireworks of the emerald city as the people of OZ celebrated the demise of the 'wicked witch of the west'. "Fiyero let us stop here, I'm tired of walking" said Elphaba letting go of his hand and collapsing on the on the forest floor.
"Elphie we have to get as far from the emerald city as we can we can't stop now" said Fiyero grabbing Elphaba's hand and trying to pull her up.
"Fiyero they think I'm dead, the witch hunters aren't going to come looking for me we can stop here" said Elphaba her voice sad.
"I'm sorry Elphie, I just don't want to lose you" said Fiyero kneeling beside her.
"Fiyero do you think we will ever be able to live without fear of being discovered?" asked Elphaba holding Fiyero's hand in hers.
"I don't know Elphie you did scare a lot of people and the wizard may never let his guard down again" said Fiyero caressing Elphaba's hand.
"I wish Glinda knew I was alive, I miss her so much already" said Elphaba tears welling in her eyes.
"I know Elphie I miss her too, but no one must know or we could be captured" said Fiyero hugging Elphaba tightly.
"Why did this have to happen? I tried to do good but everything always went wrong" said Elphaba through tears.
"They just didn't understand Elphie you seemed so strange to them" said Fiyero wiping the tears from her face.
"This is all the Wizards fault" said Elphaba turning away from Fiyero and looking in the direction of the emerald city. Elphaba could see the green glow of the emerald city through some of the trees; the glow grew brighter as the magnificent green fire works exploded over the city.
Glinda watched the celebrations through a high tower window and cried.
"Elphie, poor Elphie I'm so sorry this had to happen" she said to herself as she wiped the tears from her face. Glinda had sent the Wizard away in his balloon and put Madame Morible in jail now it was up to her to run OZ.
Glinda turned from the scenes of celebration and looked around at the depressing form of what used to be the Wizard's council room. The huge machine that the wizard had used to make himself seem great and powerful in front of the Ozians hung limp and shadowed on its great machinery. Glinda waved her wand and the room immediately lit up "Chizery" Glinda called her voice thick from crying. The flying monkey came scurrying into the room wings flapping wildly coming to a stop at Glinda's feet.
"Chizery, dear would you take that thing and get rid of it please" said Glinda looking at the giant head in disgust. Chizery nodded wildly and turned towards the giant head. "Chizery, you should try to keep speaking for… Elphie."
"Yes Miss Glinda" said Chizery bowing slightly. Chizery jumped on the giant head and screeched loudly calling the rest of the flying monkeys to help him remove the giant head from the palace. Glinda sat in a small rickety chair in the corner of the large room and began humming a song to herself.
"Elphie, oh Elphie, how I miss you already" she said to herself "If only I had made the wizard clear your name then you would still be here and none of this would have happened."
Glinda looked around the room again frowning at the dusty green bricks, they reminded her so much of Elphie. In the corner across from her Glinda saw a glimmer of something in the shadows, she stood and walked slowly to the small sparkle. When she reached it she found a small green bottle the side was cracked and the top was chipped but she recognized it as the bottle Elphie had kept with her all the time the one the Wizard had given her mother full of the strange green elixir that had given Elphaba her green skin. Glinda picked it up gingerly and dusted it off; she hugged it to herself tears streaming down her face. Poor Elphie she had hated the wizard when she found out he was the one forbidding the animals to speak, but he was her father something even he didn't know until she died. Now the Wizard was leaving in his wretched balloon never to be seen in OZ again.
Glinda looked out the window at the sky illuminated by the magnificent emerald fireworks and the glittering stars the wizard was flying out there in his balloon somewhere.
The Wizard looked left and right searching for some sign to tell him where he was. "Lost, I'm lost" he said shrinking down into the basket of his hot air balloon. He hadn't meant for things to go this far, he just wanted Elphaba to help him he never wanted her dead. The pain that she was dead was intensified when he found out that he was her father. The whole thing had turned into a mess if only Elphaba hadn't run away none of it would have happened. The fire that kept his balloon up went out in a sudden fierce wind and the balloon began to plummet into the dark forest at an alarming speed. "No come on start" said the wizard as he vainly tried to start the fire to keep his balloon from crashing into the massive trees. He looked down at the quickly nearing trees and clutched the sides of the basket, accepting his fate the wizard crouched in his basket hugging his knees to his chest waiting for the balloon to collide with a tree.
Elphaba sat near the pile of wood that Fiyero was trying to make into a fire pit staring off into the dark woods. Fiyero pulled some hay from his chest and held it to Elphaba "Elphie would you light this for me" he asked.
Elphaba smiled and flicked her finger at the hay, it immediately burst into flames and Fiyero tucked it under the large pile of wood starting a fire. He sat down next to Elphaba and hugged her as they sat beside the fire.
"Fiyero you shouldn't sit so close to the fire you could burn" said Elphaba scooting back from the fire with Fiyero.
"Elphie you shouldn't worry so much, you could make you skin greener" said Fiyero smiling.
Elphaba laughed then suddenly there was a loud crash in the trees a few feet away from them. They looked up to se a large colorful hot air balloon tangled in the trees. "That's the Wizards balloon!!!" said Elphaba as she stood with Fiyero. There was a dull thud as something fell from the basket that hung sideways from a tree.
"The Wizard?" said Fiyero staring at the dark lump on the ground.
Elphaba ran towards whatever it was and discovered it was indeed the wizard. "He's not moving" said Elphaba picking up his wrist to feel for a pulse "but he's still alive." Fiyero joined Elphaba beside the wizard "Fiyero what do we do?" Elphie asked lifting the wizards head.
"I don't know" said Fiyero shaking his head "help me get him over to the fire". They picked the wizard up and carried him to the fire where they laid him down; Elphaba put her cape under his head.
Chapter two
Plans for a safe return
Slowly the wizard returned to consciousness. Looking around he saw two figures one looked like a living scarecrow and the other had green skin. GREEN SKIN!!! "Elphaba?!" he said sitting up quickly. His head throbbed.
"Don't sit up so fast you'll hurt yourself" said Elphaba lightly pushing him back down.
"They said you were dead!" said the wizard staring up at her in amazement.
"That was the goal" said Elphaba standing and brushing herself off.
"But why?" asked the wizard sitting up again with painful results.
"Why? why do you think? To escape from being the 'wicked witch of the west'." Said Elphaba angrily.
"Oh" said the wizard quietly "I hadn't thought of that."
"You didn't have to go through the torment of it" said Elphaba harshly.
"Elphie it's over now you don't have to think about it" said Fiyero soothingly.
"I know but it was such a large part of my life, it's hard not to think about it" said Elphaba sadly.
"I'm so sorry Elphaba. I never wanted it to get out of hand…" the wizard stammered in apology.
"Then you never should have started it" said Elphaba harshly "you should have let me go."
"But you took my book and I only wanted your help, Elphaba please there is no one who regrets what happened more than I do I thought I had lost you forever" said the wizard but Elphie cut him off.
"I'm sure Glinda has more remorse than you, and what do you care if I die nobody cares about me accept Fiyero and Glinda and it's your fault!" she shouted her voice ringing through the silent forest.
Fiyero rushed over to her and embraced her stroking her hair as she cried "Elphaba I care more than you can imagine I didn't know that you were my…"the wizard began but he stopped short seeing it wasn't a good time to tell her of his secret.
"I'm sorry," said Elphaba regaining her composure and kissing Fiyero on the cheek "now what happened to your balloon?" she asked her voice now serious.
The wizard frowned "The wind blew out the fire and I couldn't get it started again" he said embarrassedly.
"What were you doing in your balloon in the first place I thought you would be celebrating with the rest of OZ" said Fiyero curiously.
"Yes well as I told you I wasn't in a celebratory mood, and Glinda sent me away she banished me from my own kingdom" said the wizard sadly.
"Glinda? How is she?" asked Elphaba urgently at the mention of her best friend.
"Glinda is fine, she sent me away almost immediately and she put Madame Morible in the dungeons" said the wizard.
Elphaba smiled slightly "So OZ no longer has their precious wizard to guide them?" she asked smugly.
"No, now they have Glinda the good witch" said the Wizard, then he realized what he had said "sorry I didn't mean to…".
"Glinda is running OZ now?" she asked suddenly cutting off the wizard's apology.
"Well yes, who else is going to do it?" said the Wizard confusedly.
"Fiyero do you know what this means? We can go ba..." began Elphaba excitedly but Fiyero cut her off sharply.
"No Elphie," he said sternly "Glinda may know your good but everyone else in OZ doesn't and they would kill you if they found you before Glinda"
Elphaba frowned "Fiyero I can defend myself, I can do magic after all."
"Yes and that magic is part of what caused all this" said Fiyero.
"No he's the one who caused all this trouble," said Elphaba pointing to the wizard "and if I can get back to Glinda she can clear my name and save us from having to make our own way in the wilderness."
"If you can get back" said Fiyero solemnly.
"I will get back, I know how to get into the palace without being noticed, I've done it before and when I find Glinda we can go back" said Elphaba defensively.
"It's to risky Elphie, first of all you have to get into the Emerald city without being noticed, then get to the castle and there's no telling what could happen in that period of time" said Fiyero calmly.
"You're just afraid of going back so everyone can see the great Fiyero as a weak little scare crow!" said Elphaba angrily. As soon as the words left her mouth she covered it in shock at what she had said to her beloved Fiyero "I'm so sorry…" she whispered tears coming to her eyes.
"It's all right Elphie you just got angry, and besides that's pretty much all I am, I can't get near fire and all someone has to do to stop me is take out my stuffing" he said wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly.
Elphie returned the hug gratefully "Fiyero I know your concerned for me and I appreciate it but please let me do this, as much pain as it has caused me I still call the emerald city home in my heart, I don't want to go if there is a chance I can stay."
During this whole conversation no one noticed that the wizard had sat up. "Umm sorry to interrupt but I think I may have an idea as to how you can get back Elphaba" he said tentatively.
Elphie and Fiyero broke apart and looked at him "You do?" asked Elphie curiously.
"Yes, you see Glinda probably hasn't told everyone I'm gone and if we can get back before she does then I could get you into the palace and clear your name without any trouble" said the wizard smiling slightly at the brilliance of his plan.
Elphaba thought about it for a second then scowled "Yes you clear my name and remain the great and powerful Wizard of OZ so no one knows how cowardly you really are and you can just pretend none of this ever happened".
"No, no, I clear your name and tell everyone the truth about how I was just blown here in my balloon and that I shouldn't be the wizard anymore".
"Why should we believe you?" asked Fiyero.
"Because…" the wizard thought, he really couldn't find any reason why they should believe him "because I feel extremely guilty for causing you all this trouble and I want to help" he said earnestly.
Elphaba stared at him trying to decide whether he was telling the truth, "Alright, we will trust, but if you betray us once…" she pointed a long green finger at him menacingly "I'll turn you into a pile of dust before you can say Oz."
The wizard gulped and nodded, he didn't doubt for a second that she could and would do it.
"Are you sure you want to do this Elphie?" Fiyero asked taking her hand.
"Yes, I may not like the emerald city but I can't live in hiding for the rest of my life" said Elphaba confidently.
The wizard stared at her; she was quite beautiful… just like her mother. How could he have missed it before? True his affair with Elphaba's mother had been just a short spring of passion when he was younger but, he had grown to love her. He would have taken her with him on his travels if he could but she was married and he may not have become the great and powerful Oz if he had. But now that he knew Elphaba was his daughter he would do whatever he could to help her, he had to.
"Well I guess we camp here for the night, tomorrow we can figure out what to do about getting back to Oz"