Glinda the Good lay in her bed at the age of 82. Her end was near and she knew it well. Though in all actuality, her light went out 44 years ago with the liquidation of her best friend. Glinda never truly believed that she had died. She always had a feeling that the green woman who had brought such joy to her life was still out there somewhere, liberating Animals in concealment of the shadows, never letting herself be seen by anyone.
Glinda understood why she would hide from the rest of Oz, but why her? She never understood why, on their final encounter that dreadful day, Elphaba had begged her not to clear her name to the citizens of Oz. She very easily could have, though. The Ozians loved Glinda, they would have believed whatever she told them. She could have told them the sky was purple and they would have taken her word for it; they wouldn't have even looked up to check.
It was because she was a coward.
Glinda the Good was coward.
She had the chance to be with Elphaba all along. That day in the Wizard's castle, she could have gone with her and supported her.
No.
She would have just been dead weight. Glinda had a way of getting in the way. She would just drag Elphaba down. There was nothing she could have done to help her Elphie.
Still, she was a coward.
The night that rotten Dorothy girl murdered her Elphaba, Glinda could have done so much more. That night at Kiama Ko, she wasn't the same scared teenage university girl that she had been. She was Glinda the Good. She had grown, matured. She had new skills, she had nearly mastered magic. Something, anything could have been done to save Elphaba.
Why didn't you do anything, Glinda?
Because I'm a coward.
Maybe that was why Glinda took that girl in all those years ago- to feel better about herself or maybe to let her Elphaba live on in the child. Liir's child, supposed son of Elphaba. It turned out to be true. That girl, Rain, she reminded Glinda so much of her Elphie. She was dumb as a broomstick when she knew her- Glinda chuckled lightly at that- but she turned out to be altogether brilliant. Glinda took pride in knowing that she helped in the girl's development, even if it was just in the slightest.
Elphaba would have been proud of her granddaughter. It was a shame she never got to know her.
I hope Rain knows how proud Elphaba would have been of her.
Whatever came of Rain, anyway?
A single tear rolled down Glinda's cheek. She didn't even bother wiping it away. It didn't matter. There was no one there to see it. Ever since Elphaba's death, there had never been anyone there to see the tears roll down her rosy cheeks. There was no longer anyone there to wipe them away.
There came a rapping at her bedroom door. Glinda was confused, she had dismissed her staff for the day. Her household should have been empty. Whoever was at the other side of the door slowly turned the knob. A beam of light shone into Glinda's dark room. It wasn't until then that Glinda had realized that she never bothered to light any candles as the sun set that day. Another trivial thing that didn't much matter anymore.
There was something in the ray of light- a glint of green, perhaps?- that took full hold of Glinda's attention.
"You wicked thing. You've taken your own sweet time, of course."
"I think you've held out long enough, my sweet."