Disclaimer: Still isn't mine
A.N: Review count was a little dissapointing for me. As of me writing this Author's note now, only ONE person reviewed. To Cohen101, you are awesome! Since yours was the only opinion I got, I decided to just skip to the 15 years later. Also, this one moves at a much slower pace.
From the last chapter… … …
Just as she began to close the door she heard something issue from Elphaba's lips that sounded something like "Thank you."
15years later
High up in the tallest tower of the Emerald Palace sat a woman reading a book. No one else could read the Grimmerie like she could, simply reading it like nay other book and innately knowing what the runes said, even if they were in another, ancient language. It was late, or rather early as it was past midnight, but the green woman had found herself unable to sleep, haunted by dreams of a Goat, a certain Vinkus Prince and a nameless little baby girl. She was a fairly solitary creature, locking herself away in her little tower office. Her books were all here, as were her quill, papers and inks. Pushing a loose strand of hair from her face and throwing her long black braid over her shoulder she looked at the stack of reports that were neatly piled at the far corner of her desk. A pull at the skirt of her brown nightgown made her look down at the Old Winged monkey that was huddled by her side, a glass of milk in his hand. He straightened a little and handed her the glass.
"Thank you Chistery." She said. The monkey had found her three years after she had been taken to the Emerald City and had elected to stay with her and the other flying monkeys that had not been killed. The family of primates had altered considerably over the years as babies had been born and the older ones died. Chistery was currently the oldest of them, the only one left from her initial cast that had mutated them. Elphaba gave him a small, grateful smile as she accepted the drink from him and took a sip, setting it on the corner of the table by her candle. Her paper was liquid proof, so she wasn't worried about it tipping over. She looked back down at Chistery and pushed her chair back from her desk so that the old monkey could hop into her lap creakily and allowed him to hug her. He sometimes had fits of anxiety like this where he just needed reassurance, particularly after he had not been well. The monkeys were all under her protection, and no one dared go up against the Magical Grand Vizier. She had been defeated in almost every way in her opinion, but one thing she held onto fiercely was that any animal or Animal that sought her protection would not come to harm while in her presence. She had not been able to do much more.
She couldn't recall exactly when she had given up precisely. She had made two escape attempts with Liir over the years, one when he was a baby and one when he was barely more than a toddler, each foiled with precision and diligence. She had spent time in the dungeons after each. She had first been cowed into submission by subtle threats to her son's life from Morrible and the Wizard. She could have taken anything they could muster except that. After a few years she had just given up. Now she worked for the Wizard as his Magical Grand Vizier which was, ironically, what she had always wanted when she was a child and student at Shiz. They had never found her broom or hat at Kiamo Ko, and while she could have replaced either, she hadn't. She was still pretty much flying solo in her cause, but she was no longer flying free. Therefore she no longer flew, contenting herself with the view from her tower and watching her precious monkeys.
Setting Chistery down she sighed.
"What happened that day old friend? How did my daughter die?" she asked in a whisper, not expecting an answer. None of the monkeys had the vocabulary of Dr. Dillamond, but out of all of them, he was the only on who could no longer speak at all. A knock at the door brought her out of her musings. She ignored the knock, suspecting the identity of her visitor.
"Elphaba," said that irritatingly cheerful, smooth-talking voice "I know you're in there." How had she ever looked up to this man? Grinding her teeth she muttered a simple spell and flicked her wrist. The door opened and the seedy old man hobbled in.
After Liir had started to learn how to talk the Wizard had decided that he wanted to be able to spend time with his grandson and had spread the notion that he could take on many forms and faces, including that of an old man that was a fatherly figure to the people. He still used his machines and smoke to uphold his supernatural illusion though.
"Still up at this late-or should I say early hour?" he asked brightly
"I could ask you the same thing." She replied coldly.
"Oh I wasn't that tired." He said cheerfully. Why was he in such a good mood at this hour? It was ridiculous.
"Please go away, you're bothering the Monkeys." Elphaba said offhandedly as she read through a report, the Grimmerie now closed. "Why are you here anyway? You know that strenuous activity makes your joint-disease act up and it's nearly 7 flights."
"Can't a man come and check on his daughter?" the Wizard inquired. He had tried valiantly to form some kind of bond with her as well as Liir over the years, though his success with the boy was insurmountably greater than with his child. She refused to call him 'father' and while she seemed to have grudgingly grown to somewhat care about him, she still didn't particularly like him. Nothing could change the atrocities that he had condoned and/or committed in her eyes. Chistery was now huddled behind her chair, looking around it fearfully. He had never forgotten what it was to be in that cage before Elphaba had freed him.
"So," the Wizard began "Liir leaves for the Academy in a week." He said at an attempt at conversation with his somewhat prickly daughter.
"Yes."
"I know I'll miss him."
"As will I."
"Ah, but he'll be fine. He's a smart lad, and good-looking. He's got his grandfather's charm too…" Elphaba did not respond to that. Liir did not look like his grandfather in any way. Granted, the Wizard was quite old now, but Liir had never looked much like him. He had always taken after his father; he was the spitting image of Fiyero nowadays. That was a painful topic for the Vizier, one that she never spoke of, not even to her son, despite his constant questions. She continued to ignore her father and boss, answering his questions with short, straight forward, single statement answers. After a time he sighed. She was clearly not in the mood for conversation at the moment. Over the years he had gotten to know her as much as she had let him, or at least enough to know that it was no good to try and get a decent conversation with her when she was like this. Upon noticing him head for the door Elphaba muttered a spell and with a wave of her hand a carpet sped up the floors through the air for the old man to seat himself on to take him down the long flights within moments and get him out of her hair and space.
Once he was gone the woman got to her feet and walked to the large window, staring out at the starry sky, thinking about those she had loved and lost, and the one person left that she had to hold on for, even if she wasn't his favourite person in the world. She loved her son, but wasn't that good at expressing affection, having been shown so little of it in her own life. She also had little patience with his male teenage arrogance, particularly when it concerned Animals and the Principals his grandfather had always taught him. She had tried to teach him her way, but it was one voice against dozens, nay, hundreds, even if she was his mother. Looking at the full moon she sighed again, thinking about Fiyero and the others who had been hurt because of her; the Animal rebellion, Dr. Dillamond, Nessa, the nameless child of hers…
Little did she know that some of those she thought of were thinking of her too at that very same moment… … …
AN: Okay, so what do you guys think? Questions, comments, sugesstions, opinions; I love all those! Please press that lonely little review button... ... ... ... ...