The Crumbling
Of Oz
Chapter 2
Funeral Pyre
AN: Thank you everyone who reviewed the first chapter of this story, and a very huge thank you to everyone who reviewed "Bullet Proof"! You guys rock! Thank you all so much for all the wonderful support! Seriously, I never imagined "Bullet Proof" to have garnered such a huge response! Huge, huge shoutouts go to: Maddy, Gentle Touch Ginger, Elphaba-WWW, elphiesglinda, artsoccer, ComingAndGoingByBubble, Elphaba'sGirl, BlueD, L8lzytwner, Guest, and snoozinghamster (still adorable) for all the wonderful reviews! Seriously you guys made me cry! Thank you so much!
The song used in this is called "Awakening" from Celtic Woman, an amazing song! If you guys get a chance, check it out on utube!
A huge shoutout and hug to Fae the Queen! Thank you for all the support! This story is dedicated to you! Thank you!
The dawn slowly crested below the horizon, hues of gold, twisted in oranges and fiery reds casted once last glimmer of hope, a wink over the Land of Oz, before fading beneath the canopy of darkness and stars. The Solstice Moon majestically rose high into the ebony night.
Silver rays poured over the land, casting away the shadows roaming unbidden upon the land of the living, seeking out the souls of the damned and depressed.
A touch of darkness, a splash of silver light, and the darkness fades, revealing a large funeral pyre erected at the center of a clearing, in the Great Gillikin Forest; the place where Fiyero and Elphaba first declared their love.
The soft flicker of the torches danced and swayed to an unheard melody, lithely tip toeing along the edge of the darkness, and twirling on the edge of the wick.
People the citizens of Oz, all draped in ebony cloaks, step lightly through the path cutting through the great Gillikin Forest, torches clutched tight in their hands.
A soft breeze wisps past them, making the edges of their cloaks to billow and sway around them. A few loose strands of hair twirl in the moonlight, cradling down upon the world.
No noise could be heart, save for the sound of their feet pounding the rocks below, an occasional crackle of the flames, then silence. Somewhere, off into the distance, an owl hooted, bellowing out a silent mourning cry to the parted.
Four men walked past a group of people each carrying an edge of a ebony casket; Fiyero's final resting place. Occasionally, the people would glance at the coffin, hiding the body of the former Captain of the Guard, and last heir to the Throne of the Vinkus.
A tear, crystal and shimmering in the moonlight crested at the edge of their eyes. Turning away, the people would gently wipe the tear away, before stepping further away into the darkness.
Glinda hung back, the ends of her ebony cloak swirled around her slim figure; the silver moonlight catching the small fragments of blues and silvers on the collar.
Stilling, she turned, her eyes shimmering in the silver light as she stared at a lone figure, stepping slowly towards her, her head bowed, a heavy ebony cloak hiding away her body. A hard shudder and a small tendril of raven hair slipped out from beneath the hood.
"Elphie" whispers Glinda. She wanted to run up to her friend and envelope her, kissing away her tears and stilling away the pain emanating within her heart. And yet, no matter how much the blonde wanted to, she couldn't.
Since the day of Fiyero's death, Elphaba had locked herself in her room, never leaving, not even to eat. Trays had been sent up to her, and yet she refused them, leaving the food to sit by her door.
Once the trays piled up, the Maids would come and clear them away, bringing with them, a fresh plate of food, and a silent plea. Silence followed. Sighing, the Maids would mutter a silent prayer, before turning, leaving the new Sovereign of Oz to mourn alone, in the darkness.
Not long after the battle, Elphaba had been declared the Sovereign of Oz, be it that she is the Wizard's daughter after all. Glinda had been given the position of Grand Vizier, and second in command, should anything happen to Elphaba and her most trusted Advisor.
The bands on the Animals slowly were lifted, and the rights of all were instilled. Some rejoiced the change, others made their contempt for it well known.
A day after Fiyero's death, Elphaba and Glinda were surprised by a sudden visit by Fiyero's parents. Enraged, they stormed into the Sovereigns, private quarters. The Queen, unafraid, stepped towards the emerald witch, and glaring, struck her hard across the face.
"You horrid aberration! It's your fault that he's dead! His blood is on your hands! You bewitched him away from Glinda!" screamed the Queen.
The King, however, could see the pain, the heartache shimmering within the broken woman's eyes, and though he did not care for her, his heart still went out to her, for she too, had lost the man she loved.
Gently, the King stepped towards his broken wife. His hands reached out and tenderly grasped onto her arms, stilling her.
"Hush my Queen…hush now…you know it not to be her fault"
"But it is!" shrieks the Queen. "If Fiyero had never gone with her!...If he had only stayed with Glinda" unable to speak, the Queen fell to the ground, dissolving into tears, her heartbreaking sobs filled the room.
Glinda looked towards Elphaba, who stood rigid, her face turned away from the others, an angry bruise splayed across her cheek. A few loose pieces of raven hair dangled and twirled around her.
Her heart went out to Elphaba, for in the back of her mind she knew that this, Fiyero's death, didn't squarely fall on her shoulders. For it was Fiyero's own decision to flee the comforts of the Emerald Palace, and her love, for a life of a fugitive, for a member of the Resistance.
He was brave, as she was weak and small minded. He stood up for what he believed in, for what Elphie believed in. He willingly risked his life for the life of others.
Slowly, Glinda stepped towards Elphaba.
Sensing her movement, Elphaba jerked away, her hand flew up, silently signaling to the blonde to step no further. Slowly, Elphaba turned and glided out of the room, leaving Glinda and Fiyero's parents alone.
"Good riddance" spits the Queen, still enveloped in her husband's arms.
Growling, Glinda whirled, her dark cerulean eyes glared back at the Queen. Inwardly, she shrunk back, for the ferocity glimmering within the blonde's eyes, scared her.
With trepid steps, Glinda glided toward the Queen the heat of rage flickering in her eyes. She didn't stop, until she stood toe to toe with the Queen and ruler of the Vinkus.
"You have no right…no right at all to condemn her!" roars Glinda.
"Glinda dear…what?"
"You have no idea the hell Elphaba has been through…is going through! Could you not see the pain, the heartache within her eyes!? She's dying! And you throwing the love of her life's death in her face didn't help!" continues Glinda, not giving the Queen a chance to interrupt.
"Why are you defending her!" screams back the Queen. "You out of anyone else should be condemning her…hating her! She stole your love away from you! She caused his death!"
"The one who caused his death were by the hands of the Gale Force…not by her or anyone else! It was Fiyero's decision to go with Elphaba that night, not hers. She never forced him to join her! He did. And you want to know why?" growls Glinda. Angrily, she steps closer to the now trembling Queen. "Because. He. Loved. Her. Not me…her"
"Glinda dear…your confused…perhaps you've-" starts the King.
"She's cast a spell on you! Quick! Find a Shaman! Anyone who can remove the curse placed over Glinda's mind!" interrupts the Queen. Enraged Glinda's hand rises and trembles a flash and her hand strikes the Queen of the Vinkus hard across the face.
"How dare you speak such blasphemy!" growls Glinda darkly. "For the first time….my eyes are open…and all I see is betrayal and darkness around me"
"Glinda dear" starts the King again.
"No…I will not hear of it" twirling, Glinda storms towards the doors and stops, her delicate hand clenched around the golden knob.
"Fiyero's funeral shall be tonight at dawn…your welcome to attend…but after, I suggest you leave…your presence is not wanted nor needed here"
"Glinda dear…can't you see what she's done?" asks the Queen softly.
"For so long…I thought I was a bubble-headed idiot…to self-absorbed and naive to understand the world around me…brainless" chuckles Glinda. "As one used to say" slowly, she turns, the same iciness shimmering in her eyes. "But I was wrong…the only brainless buffoons in this world is you and all those who can't look beyond their own lies"
Before the King and Queen could respond, Glinda throws open the door, and steps out, slamming the door behind her.
Fiyero's parents kept to their word, and stayed for the funeral, though they stayed a far distance away from neither Glinda and the raven haired witch. In their hearts, they knew that what Glinda had said that day, was the truth, and yet their minds refused to accept it, for it was far easier to blame the green skinned witch, then their own inadequacies.
A silent tear glided down Glinda's soft cheek, leaving behind a sparkling trail of stardust in its wake. Gently, her finger rose and wiped the tear away. Casting one last glance at her friend, she turned and followed the rest of the caravan.
An hour later they arrived in the clearing, the very same spot where Elphaba and Fiyero declared their undying love, when two bodies melded into one, and the night air became thick with their passions.
A soft sob, slipped past her trembling lips, beholding the sight where she and Fiyero once laid. She could still see the groove, the place beneath the gentle shade of the Jupiter tree, where the two had slept, her head nestled on top of his chest, his arms wound protectively around her naked body.
Shuddering, she turned away. Her slender arms rose and wrapped tight around her trembling body. Tears crested along the edge of her eyes, tangling with her long, black lashes, yet she refused to let them fall.
She wouldn't, couldn't break down now. Not when she need to be strong, if not for the people, than for Glinda, who too lost her love to the Devil's grasp.
Slowly, the casket with Fiyero's body is lifted onto the pyre. The man carrying his body gently places the casket at the center of the pyre, and bowing their heads, muttered a Vinkun prayer, before turning and stepping down.
Glinda, who stood off to the side, stood tall, an ebony torch clenched tight in her hands. For a moment, her dark cerulean eyes stare absently at the coffin glowing before her in the moonlight.
For a moment, she wavered, and her body trembled. Could she do this? Could she be the one who sets the fires upon him? For Elphaba had asked Glinda to be the one who starts the fires, for it would be her way of helping to send the man she loved, up toward the Heavens' where Kumbricia awaited his soul.
This is for Elphie…and for Fiyero…
Stilling her emotions, Glinda slowly stepped toward the pyre. The flames danced and twirled in the darkness, illuminating her destined path.
The Animals and those of the rebellion watched with baited breath, their heads bowed in silent respect for their fallen brethren, the flames casted the darkness from their faces, revealing the pain, the sorrow within their eyes.
Elphaba stood tall, her dark chocolate eyes never leaving the sight of the casket. Slowly, she raised her head up towards the moon, the silver light reflecting within her eyes.
"Now…when the world is shadowed and cold" sang Elphaba.
Everyone stilled, for they had never heard the emerald witch sing. Her voice was haunting, yet beautiful, like silk, like that of the Seraphim Angels.
"Now…when the sky is empty of stars" continues Elphaba. She could see Glinda step past her, and for a moment, she faltered, her eyes on the flames. "Now when the world is wrapped in sleep...in the quiet endless and deep, in the silence of the night!"
Everyone's eyes closed listening the haunting lilt of Elphaba's voice rise high into the heavens. The trees above swayed, the branches bending and twisting, as if they were dancing to the melody the enchantment of her voice.
"Far off in the distance" A flash and Glinda sets the torch down upon the bonfire set below the casket. Within a blink of an eye, the entire funeral pyre becomes engulfed in flames, twisting and reaching high into the ebony night. "A fire comes to life…a flicker of a flame breaks through the dark"
Slowly, Elphaba closed her eyes, allowing the words to fill her heart. For not many knew, save for the Vinkun royals, that the song was normally song, when a Vinkun royal passed from this realm and into the next.
The Vinkun's mourned their dead, but focused more on celebrating their life. The song, which Fiyero had taught her during their time on the run, was written specifically for such.
"Burning soft and bright. Dancing with the light…awakening the heavens and the Earth!"
Slowly, the King and Queen turned to face the emerald witch, standing a few feet away her arms raise high towards the night's sky. Tears shimmered in her eyes, yet she refused to let them fall.
A hard sob, slipped past the Queen's lips. Turning, she buried her face into her husband's chest.
"How…how in Oz does she know this song?" sobs the Queen.
"Fiyero…must have taught her" sighs the King.
"Fi…Fiyero…but…why?" asks the Queen, lifting her head up, so her dark, sapphire eyes stare back into her husbands.
Gently, the King's hand rises and cups his wife's slender cheek. A soft smile, tugs on his lips. "Because he loved her"
"Far across the ocean…a flame is rising high…breaking through the shadows and the dark!" sings Elphaba.
"He…he loved her?" whispers the Queen. Slowly, she turns to face Elphaba, and for a moment, she could see the heartache, the pain shimmering within the raven haired witch's eyes. Torn, she turns away, unable to speak.
"Shining in the night, rising with the light. Here to wake the Heavens and the Earth!" continues Elphaba. Slowly, a strange warmth spread throughout her body, a familiar touch, stole the breath from her lungs. Instantly, her eyes opened and widened. For far off into the distance of the night, a strange golden glow shimmered down from the heavens above.
Fae…
Now…as the light starts to rise
Now as the day opens wide
Now as the dream slips away!
"Fi…Fiyero?" whispers Elphaba.
Slowly, the gold ethereal light swirls, taking on the form of a figure stepping out of the clouds, a soft smile, painted on its lips.
Elphaba's eyes widened as the figure took shape. Her heart stilled, pain rippled across its broken plain.
You wake to the day…you wake to the light!
Slowly, the light fades a man appears, his dark, sapphire eyes staring warmly down at the emerald witch. A soft wind billows around him, tussling his wheat gold hair.
"Fiyero" whispers Elphaba brokenly.
Here as the dream falls away
Feel as the dark turns to day
Leave the shadows behind
And the dream called in blind!
Turn into the light!
"Yero!" cries Elphaba. Tears sprang from the corners of her eyes, and yet she paid no heed to the burn. Desperate, her hand reaches high towards the heavens, the tips of her fingers yearning to touch her lovers one last time.
Far off in the distance
A fire comes to life
A flicker of a flame
Breaks through the dark!
Burning soft and bright
Dancing with the light
Awakening the Heavens and the Earth!
Fae…my heart…my treasure…my soul…do not weep for me
"Fiyero…please don't leave me" cries Elphaba.
I'm sorry Fae…but I must…it was my time…
"No! I can't…I can't live…without you by my side"
Your strong Fae…you always have been…the people need you…to guide Oz into the Light…into Peace…
"They don't need me" shakes Elphaba sadly. "I'm hated…I'm a freak…an abomination…who only brings death and destruction"
You must believe my love…you were destine for great things Fae…I believe in you…I always have and always will…
"I need you Yero" whispers Elphaba softly.
I'll always be with you…a handprint…on your heart and in your soul…when you need me…just look towards the Heaven's…I'll be there…watching over you…
Slowly, Fiyero's image fades away, dissipating into myst upon the night sky.
"Fiyero…Yero!" cries Elphaba.
I love you Fae…now and forever…never forget my love for you…for it's endless…
"Yero no!"
Timeless…I'll always be with you my love…always…
Closing her eyes, Elphaba lowers her head, allowing Fiyero's fading voice to wash over her. Desperately, she clung to his voice, for she knew, it would be the last time she would ever hear it again.
"Far across the ocean a flame is rising high…breaking through the shadows and the dark!" Growling, Elphaba lifts her head up towards the heaven's her arms rise, as she sings to her dead lover, dancing in the heaven's. "Shining in the night, rising with the light…Here to awaken the Heaven's and the Earth!"
Slowly, Glinda stepped next to Elphaba's side, her dark cerulean eyes gazing at the raven haired witch's trembling form. She did not know what had transpired, but she knew Fiyero had visited her, for she could feel it.
"Far off in the distance…a fire comes to life!" sings everyone surrounding the funeral pyre, the flames flickering and dancing in their eyes. "A flicker of a flame breaks through the dark...Burning soft and bright…dancing with the light"
"Here to awaken the Heaven's and the Earth!" sings Elphaba.
"Far across the ocean a flame is rising high" sings Glinda. Slowly, she turns to face Elphaba, and smiling, she threads her fingers with the emerald witch, staring back at her. Slowly, she lifts their joined hands high into the air. "Breaking through the shadows and the dark...shining in the night…rising with the light…"
"Here to awaken the Heavens and the Earth!" sings Glinda. Her lilting voice rising above the chorus of those surrounding her.
"Here to awaken the Heavens…and the Earth!...To the light!"
