Wrote this donkeys' years ago and forgot about it completely, have now decided it's time to post it. The ending's been giving me grief, but I think it's pretty decent now.

I seem to love me some angsty Flinda/Gliyero. Hm. This is a problem. I really need to go write myself a fluffy love scene or something, get back on track…till then, here's some more good old angst for you all to wallow in :)

Things are difficult for her, at first.

Neither the Wizard – and now, it does feel ever so strange to call him that, address him so…respectfully, this plump, comfortable, harmless looking old man who barely glances at her for the entirety of her and Elphie's audience with him – nor the Madam, appear at first to take the slightest interest in her. She waits outside the great Oz's audience chamber, curled on a plush emerald sofa, and sobs – still secured in the rough arms of the Gale Force soldiers who refuse to let her go until she has been questioned and Elphie's last words cried out to them all proved true…

"It's not her! Up here, you fools, I'm up HERE! I'm the one you want! She has nothing to do with it! It's me! Me! ME…!"

The tears stream thick and fast at the memory and she makes no move to stem them. Why should she? She knows Elphie would never approve of her blubbering so, but the thought of Elphie, any thought of Elphie only serves to increase the floods of salt-water streaming from her scarlet stained eyes. Elphie. Her poor, brave, powerful, wonderful Elphie…

They will catch her, she tells herself, as she waits for the Wizard to send for her, and judge her supposed innocence. They will catch her, of course they will, when the levitation spell runs out and she has to make her way on foot…make her way where? Where will she go? How will she even begin…what was she even planning to begin?

She is so confused. And alone, all alone, now that her Elphie is gone. The feeling is crushing. Suffocating. So she cries and cries, and waits for her sentence from the Wizard of Oz.

It comes sooner than she expects. He is kind to her, really – dismayed at the way the brutish guards have treated her, and laying a pudgy, comforting arm around her shoulders. He leads her back into his private quarters where the Madam waits, offering her a cup of strong hot tea and his own silken green hanky to dry her tears. The colour is so perfect, so beautiful, such an agonizing reminder, it only makes her sob all the harder. She worries that they will question her now, but not tonight, no. Thank Oz.

In fact, the Madam – Secretary Morrible, she supposes she should call her – is almost something along the lines of kind to her, leering over the Wizard's shoulder in a vain attempt at friendliness, and sending her off to the station for the train back to Shiz with promises of "Everything to be sorted out in the morning, dearie, after you've had a good night's rest back in your own room and all, don't you worry, now, it will all come right in the end…"

And off she goes. The Wizard's own hanky in her dirtied dress pocket, she returns to Shiz within the evening.

Her prince is waiting for her. And she tumbles into his arms and bursts into fresh tears all over again against his shoulder and tells herself that everything will be all right, now, everything go back to normal, and they will catch Elphie, maybe even by tomorrow, and send her straight back to Shiz and into Glinda's arms and everything, everything will go back to being just the way it should be.

She falls asleep dreaming of her Elphie's return, of tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow…

Deep down, she knows that this is not what is going to happen.

Elphie is not captured. Not even sighted – she vanishes, vanishes utterly, causing her prince almost as much stress as Glinda herself. She rises each morning at the crack of dawn to meet the paper boy and scan the headlines for news, but there is none. None.

Oh, there are numerous articles of what had happened, of the mad, green-skinned sorcery student exploited as a dangerous, militant Animal campaigner after her jealous attack of the Wizard during Glinda Upland's personal visit to him…

There are words about Glinda herself, too. About how brave and steadfast and loyal she was during her traumatic encounter, how even now, there were plans from the Wizard himself to take her on into his own personal household at the palace of the Emerald City…

Glinda tries, tries, tries not to let the lies get to her, even the tiniest bit…but every headline emblazed with her face is a warmth, a numbness around the gaping wound that is Elphie's absence; a little fire of pride and pleasure in place of Elphie's honest compliments and encouragement, a bubble of hope that even now, even after everything, she might, just might still have a chance to be what she has always wanted, what she still wants so very, very badly…

She tries to shut it out. She distracts herself obsessively – never letting Fiyero out of her sight, spending hour after hour with Pfanee and Shenshen and every other one of her so-called acquaintances on campus, going out for meals, attending every party and gathering she can, shopping till even Momsie begins to frown at her constantly empty allowance purse…till the day is spent and she cannot put it off any longer and she slips into Elphie's cold, empty dormitory bed and cries herself to sleep for the loss of her friend. Her Elphie. Her Elphie whom she misses more than she could ever put into words.

Then early one Monday morning, over breakfast, she receives a letter.

She knows at once that it is from the Wizard. If not him, then Secretary Morrible. She knows it instantly, with a sickening flip of the stomach – and a secret, treacherous little squirm of excitement – and excuses herself from breakfast to dash up to her suite and rip open the letter, curled on Elphie's coverlet with the blankets wrapped around her tight as they will go.

Then Glinda reads.

And reads.

And reads.

The letter is impossible. Unbelievable. Indescribable.

Everything she has ever hoped for. Ever dreamed of. Ever, ever wanted…

…and yet at the same time, everything she knows Elphie would burn the letter as soon as look at it for, maybe even rip it into shreds first, or curse it into oblivion for good measure, and for the terrible, terrible temptations it holds…

…those wonderful, wonderful temptations…

And she can't help it. She can't. The longing inside her threatens to burst, and she lets it, lets it fill her up; all the Wizard's kind, honeyed words scribbled upon the emerald green sheet of notepaper conjuring up the most wonderful of pictures for her, bright and happy pictures of opportunity, and little job alongside my dear Secretary, and own luxury private suite, of course, and handsome sway welcome to apply for the Gale Force, if he should wish to join you, and prospect and potential and made such an impression on me when I met you and could go so far and public audiences and beautiful and deserving and respected and loved and…

…and everything.

Her letter of acceptance is written, posted, sent off to the Emerald City and straight into the Wizard's wizened old hands within two days.

And of course, Fiyero is furious. At least at first – but he comes around to the idea, especially when she reminds him that as workers from the inside, they truly could do so much together for Elphie – perhaps even find her if he made any sort of impression with the Gale Force. He loosens up after a few weeks, and by the time their bags are packed and their train tickets booked, he truly seems almost eager about the idea…especially the Gale Force part.

She knows, deep down, that if Elphie should turn up now, she would not be able to look her in the face. Would not even be able to open her mouth to her without bursting into hot tears of shame.

But she shoves the thought away. She shoves the gaping hole of Elphie away; plugs it up desperately society and respected and private chambers and popularity and all else besides. She clamps her teeth over her lip and fights away the sting in her eyes and refuses to let herself stop, let herself think, let herself consider even for one moment what she might be getting herself in for…

Fiyero is still not entirely happy with this, she notes uncomfortably to herself during the train ride down, slumped on her prince's lap. Her arms wind tight around his neck, whilst his flop limp around her thin frame; she has lost weight steadily since her Elphie left her. Deserted her. Abandoned her.

So long ago it seems, now.

Her prince's face seems too far away, these days his lips too tight when he smiles – and too slow, sluggish when he kisses her.

She worries that maybe the reason for this is not anything to do with missing Elphie or worrying for her…but perhaps the fact that they have been together almost six months – six wonderful, wonderful months – now, without anything more scandalous occurring between them than a few late-evening visits to her room for some cuddles in her favourite rose-velvet armchair. She wonders about all those times her eyes would flicker to her bed. Was he as aware as she was of how huge it seemed? How…obvious? Looming like a monster, a cat waiting to pounce, an essay deadline over them both…

The very thought of it petrifies her.

And not to mention how her reputation would suffer if word were to get out of that before marriage had even been arranged…

…but wouldn't it be worth it, she reasons, if that truly is why he still continues to act so distant and distracted around me? After all, she knows only too well how many hundreds of other pretty girls had already been with him…that way…then, did he expect the same from her?

The thought nags, tugs, pulls. She shudders and nestles closer into her prince's arms, willing him to kiss her or stroke her hair or anything to show he is just as much himself as always and nothing, nothing has come or is beginning to come between them…

She wishes he would be honest with her, especially about the…bed situation. She wishes he would hold her tighter. Closer. Warmer. She wishes his arms were Elphie's.

And then the tears well up and before she knows it she is wishing, wishing, wishing more than anything that she had never accepted the Wizard's offer.

But it's too late, now.

At nightfall, she and her prince reach the Emerald City…and a new life begins for them both.

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