Author's Note: -coughs- Well, so, it's been exactly two weeks! That's not so bad, is it?
OH MY GOSH!!! My choir trip was so my-goshin' fun. I can't even…ugh. It was just amazing. Perfect weather! I was just lying all the beach, you know, while other people were at school. Hehe. And I danced with a senior. ;) Too bad I got a nasty sunburn, though. Let's just say you shouldn't keep white toast in the toaster for too long. :P
If you were a participant in the Wicked Challenge, I'm just going to judge them (with Bomba, durh) and be done with it. I am kind of tired of it, really.
And…what else…lmao, I'm so used to writing humongoly long Author's Notes. But I don't have much to say, so…read, review, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: Last night…I had a dream. I found myself in a heaven – called WickedJelly-owns-Wicked Land. It was bliss, I was famous beyond my wildest dreamings and I was – happy. Then, out of the abyss, walked a Cow – reality. I asked if my profit from Wicked had increased in the last week.
She said, "Dream on."
…darn.
Title: Whatever Way Stories End
Rating: T
Summary: Boq has been having some strange dreams: Glinda goes missing. His best friends are...alive? Then one of his dreams comes true and he is forced to rely on the others to provide him with the help he needs. But with if that help isn't what he expected?
"Sir?"
At the sound of a voice, its tone filled with anxiety, Boq drifted back into consciousness. His eyelids fluttered open and he groaned as an intensely bright patch of sunlight greeted him. He lowered his eyelids again to soothe the throbbing in his skull that made him want to thump his head against a rock. If that made any sense or anything.
"Sir? Are you alright?"
Boq reopened his eyes, but this time placed a protective shield – in the form of his hand – over them. Lurline, he didn't recall ordering a menagerie of animals to romp around inside his head. But just then he jolted up, remembering. Everything. He looked around for…Glinda.
Glinda.
Shit.
"Sir, I-"
"Where is she?" Boq barked. "Where the hell is my wife?"
The guard looked down at him uneasily. "I don't know, sir. Something…someone…must have taken her. Or maybe she ran away to safety. You know what? I bet that's it. So why don't you just rest there for a minute or two and then we can-"
"You don't seem very concerned about this," Boq interrupted, blanching. "Help me out of here Lopcan, and go find her. Now."
"Yes, sir." Lopcan sent a hand down to the Munchkin who clamped onto it firmly (his anger gave him more physical strength than usual) and climbed out of the overturned carriage.
"Where were you when all of this happened?" he demanded furiously.
"I was unconscious – like you were – until just a few minutes ago. Sir."
"And the others?"
"Dead, sir, by rifle-shot," Lopcan returned.
"Ah, so you weren't unconscious then, were you? Why didn't you do something then?"
"I'm not sure what you would expect me to do in that type of situation, sir."
"Obviously not try and protect my wife's life," Boq said sarcastically. "After all: as a Gale Forcer, your employer comes last."
"Sir, I can't outrun a mad horse."
Boq didn't answer for awhile, because he didn't want to give in. But then it was all just too much for him and he crumpled to the ground miserably. "Oh…oh, Glinda," Boq cried. "I knew we shouldn't have gone, I knew it. It's all my fault, it's all my fault, I should've known, I-"
"Sir!" Lopcan interjected, becoming quite fearful of this side of Boq which he had never been exposed to before. For Oz's sake, he was acting like a woman during her menstrual cycle, which was pretty awful considering his fiancée's – and Boq's – reaction. "I don't mean to be rude but if you want to find Her Goodness, we must start searching now. We have no time for hysterics."
The Munchkin sighed sadly. "You're right; let's go." They turned to walk down the path and when they passed the second carriage, Boq nearly gagged at the sight of the bloodied bodies of the soldiers. The stench was unbearable. Lopcan only looked on grimly.
They continued on into the trees, hoping for a trace of Glinda; a footstep, a broken twig, a fragment of clothing…anything that would help determine her whereabouts. But after almost two hours of endless searching, they came up with nothing and while they didn't care to admit it, were exhausted.
"Sir, you look like you're about to collapse. Let's take a rest and when we get back, I'll dispatch some Forcers out here and then we'll resume our search tomorrow. Plus we really need to patch up that cut of yours."
Boq looked at the hand that had been previously rubbing his temple and was surprised to find it nearly coated in the red liquid. That was funny; he'd never been that concentrated on a task before, not even studying for those dreaded finals back at university. Ah, Shiz. It was where he met Glinda.
Glinda.
"We can't stop now," he said obstinately. "We've gone so far that there's no point in stopping now."
"Not only is there no point in collapsing due to an extreme state of exhaustion, we haven't accomplished much anyway."
"But at least now we know where not to look," Boq whined, "and I assure you that I am far from coll-"
Luckily enough for him, it was then that he tripped over a tree root. He so unprepared for this that he couldn't think quickly enough to break his fall, and landed on his left shoulder.
"Dammit," he groaned. Lopcan rushed over to the Munchkin to help him up and had to literally drag him over to a tree stump. Overcome by pain, both external and internal, Boq started to cry.
He had really messed up, really and truly and fully. He was a horrible husband. Horrible horrible horrible horrible. For the love of Oz, what kind of man would allow his wife to disappear in front of his very eyes? To go missing in his presence? Not a good one. Not an even remotely good one. No. No no no no, "No!"
Lopcan jumped back at the sudden noise. "Sir, I think it's time to head back, really. You're unwell."
"Okay," Boq responded sullenly. He stood up, assisted by the soldier's hand, and they made the twenty minute walk out of the forest in silence. Only problem was that home was a good half an hour away – by carriage. It didn't take long for Lopcan to realize this and as soon as he did, spoke up.
"There's no way we can walk all the way back right now in our condition."
"What are you talking about? It's just like you said; we'll take a quick little rest break and then we'll be off."
"No sir, that's not what I meant. We won't stay the night, but we do need to rest for at least an hour or two. Honestly; you won't regret it."
"Lopcan," Boq said seriously, "do you have a wife?"
"I'm engaged," the guard returned.
"What's her name, then?"
Lopcan smiled before saying, "Bellera."
"And do you love Bellera?"
"Oh yes, sir! Very much so."
"And so if – hypothetically – she was to go missing, you would be devastated?"
Lopcan was about to reply when he realized the whole point of this conversation. "Sir, I understand where you're coming from. But I was hired to ensure the wellbeing of Glinda the Good and, because you are her spouse, you. And if I allow you to continue walking for any longer, you would not be well. You would be unwell, really."
Boq emitted a small laugh, but he wasn't amused. "Oh, so now I'm Glinda's husband? When it's convenient?"
"I am deeply sorry about that little mix-up but you are only our second priority. Her Goodness being the first, of course," Lopcan said, blushing.
"Only?" Boq exclaimed, his sore feet only feeding his temper. "Only? Two only differs from one, you know, by…um, one. I think I'm pretty high up there."
"Sir-"
"Don't sir me," he spat.
"Well then, Boq, calm down. Please. I don't want you to completely wear yourself out."
"Just because I'm a little shorter than average doesn't mean I don't have enough energy as everyone else!"
"I wasn't implying that, s – Boq. But you need to calm down and stop blowing this out of proportion."
"I am not blowing this out of proportion!" Boq shrieked. "How do you expect me to calm down?"
"Don't yell at me," Lopcan responded, finding it hard to keep himself calm. After all, he was tired as well. "I'm only trying to sympathize with you. I can't imagine how you must be feeling, but I know that working yourself to a state of exhaustion can not be helping your case. So let's rest before either of us gets hurt."
Boq sighed dejectedly. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry for yelling at you because you're right; I'm tired. And I presume you must be as well."
"A little bit, thank you. Now we'll take our little rest – for two hours…three, maybe? – and then we'll head back."
The two men sat down on the grass and Lopcan removed the rifle from its holster, just in case. But it was then that Boq came upon a realization. "Wait," he said slowly. "Two are dead, but there are – were – four of you. That equals three. So where's the fourth?"
"Hillar? Missing in action," Lopcan replied uneasily.
"Oh, that's just lovely. The co-captain of the Gale Force is missing." Boq sighed. "Do you think there is any connection between the disappearance of Hillar and my wife?"
But Lopcan only placed a reassuring hand on the Munchkin's shoulder. "I don't know, but we'll find him. And most importantly, we're going to find your wife."
"We will?"
"We will. Promise."