AN: I'm glad I'm still deserving of my title *smirks*. I actually kind of considered changing it to 'Evil Queen of Cliffies', but I can't keep on changing it, that would probably be confusifying :P.

Zelda Rules: Love you, too ^_^.

And Stefy, I'm sorry for crushing your happiness :'). Now I feel kind of guilty, because I've been sobbing a LOT over Come What May.

Also, for those of you who don't read Ocean's Daughter, I'm just going to do it again: I'm going to write another Frex Hunters fic. I'm going to post it on Halloween, which is still some time away, but I just wanted to start recruiting reviewers early, so... if you want to be in, just review or PM me. You can include preferred weapons and/or other information you want me to use, if you want to :).


Chapter 4. When You're Gone

When he ran into the room, still in his pyjama pants, he found her kneeling down next to Nessarose, who was on the floor in front of her wheelchair, seemingly unconscious. Elphaba was cradling her sister's head in her lap. 'Nessa?' she said gently. 'Nessie, can you hear me?'

Nessa moaned softly and her eyelids moved a little, then flickered open. Elphaba looked up at Fiyero, a strangely blank expression on her face.

'They took her.'

It took a moment for Fiyero to comprehend what she meant. 'Who?' he asked anxiously. 'Who took who? What do you mean? What in Oz happened?'

Elphaba just squeezed her sister a bit closer, an attempt to hold on to her own sanity. She drew in a deep, shaky breath. 'I knew it,' she said quietly. 'The moment I woke up, I knew it. I wish I'd known before…'

Now he was really growing worried. 'Know what? Fae…'

Galinda, Paro, Boq, and Fiyero's parents meanwhile rushed into the room, alarmed by Elphaba's cry. 'Elphie?' Galinda squeaked, and Boq's eyes widened when he saw his girlfriend on the floor. 'Nessa!'

'She'll be fine,' Elphaba assured him quickly, though her voice was trembling. 'She was knocked out, but she'll be fine.'

'Elphie?' Galinda said in a small voice. All heads turned towards her, and she swallowed, not really wanting to ask the question she was about to ask.

'Where is Elyssah?'

Elphaba closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to compose herself. She had already strongly suspected this, but Galinda's question confirmed the fact that Elyssah wasn't just with any of the others, and that realisation still came as a shock. It was true, then. They had really taken her away.

Nessa, meanwhile, slowly sat up with Boq's help and looked at her sister with wide eyes. 'Fabala…'

Elphaba opened her eyes, carefully keeping her face and voice neutral and emotionless. It would do no one any good if she panicked now. 'What happened, Nessa?'

The younger girl swallowed. 'I heard her, she was awake,' she said softly. 'I just wanted to go and play with her a little bit, so that you and Fiyero could sleep in.'

'I helped her upstairs with her chair,' Boq explained, looking pale, 'and then I left again. I had some letters from Munchkinland I needed to reply to, and I figured Ness and Elyssah would be fine on their own.'

Lori swiftly moved across the room to kneel down next to the green girl and her sister. 'Nessa?' she asked gently. 'Have you seen who it was?'

Nessa shook her head. 'I don't know,' she said, tears springing to her eyes. 'I didn't see. I heard something, and then I turned around… and suddenly my head hurt a lot and everything went black, and I don't remember anything after that until just now.'

'Are you okay?' asked Elphaba calmly, trying to handle the situation one step at a time, and Nessa nodded. 'I… I think so,' she replied faintly. 'My head hurts… but I suppose that's normal.'

'Paro,' Elphaba said firmly, rising to her feet and turning around to look at him. 'Could you and Boq take Nessa downstairs? Keep an eye on her and make sure to call a doctor to check up on her, just in case.'

The young man nodded and he and Boq took Nessa and her wheelchair out of the room.

Galinda just stared at her best friend with wide eyes filled with tears, not sure what to say or do. 'Oh, Elphie…' she choked out, but Elphaba shook her head violently. 'Don't. Galinda, don't.' She took a deep breath. 'Elyssah needs us more than ever now.'

A choked sound came from behind her, and when she turned around, she saw that it was Fiyero. His eyes were wide and his face was ashen – he looked about ready to faint.

'Yero?' Lori quickly moved over to where her son was standing, placing both hands on his shoulders and looking into his eyes. 'Breathe, Fiyero. Just listen to me – take a breath. Come on, you can do it.'

Galinda noticed Elphaba staring at Elyssah's empty bed, a strange expression on her face, and the blonde tentatively moved closer and placed a hand on her arm. 'Elphie?'

The moment Galinda touched her, Elphaba jumped and spun around. 'I'm fine.'

Galinda shook her head slightly. 'Elphie…'

'I said I'm fine.' Elphaba jerked her arm from Galinda's grasp and turned to Hamold. 'I need your help,' she said grimly. 'We need to send out every military patrol out there. They know what she looks like – everyone knows her. We have to make sure that within a matter of hours, all of the Vinkus – no, all of Oz – will be looking for her. The more people are looking, the bigger the chance we find her as quickly as possible. Okay?'

Hamold nodded quickly. 'Come down to my study with me and we'll make the arrangements right away.'

She nodded brusquely and followed the King out of the room, leaving Galinda slightly baffled.

Fiyero, who had by then regained his composure just the tiniest bit, was also gaping after his wife, completely dumbstruck. 'What is she doing?' he demanded in a high voice. 'How can she stay calm like this? How can she still think right now? For Oz's sake, our daughter was kidnapped!' His voice went up even higher at the end, and Lori squeezed his arm. 'Calm down, Fiyero.'

'No!' He yanked his arm from her grip and started pacing the room. 'How can you even ask me that? Have you not been listening?'

'Fiyero,' Lori said gently. 'I realise what happened, and Elphaba does, too. You just feel a lot, and when something bad happens you're overwhelmed by emotions. Elphaba switches those emotions off and becomes practical. It's her way to deal with the situation, that's all.'

'But how can she?!' he screamed at his mother. 'Doesn't she care?!'

Smack.

Fiyero's hand flew up to his stinging cheek, where Galinda had slapped him, and he stared at the blonde.

'Fiyero Tiggular,' Galinda said in the lowest voice he had ever heard her use, and at the same time she also sounded more threatening than he had ever remembered her sounding. 'Don't you dare say such things. I know you're upset, but you have no right.' She paused and looked up at him. 'If anyone cares, it's Elphaba, and you know that,' she said coldly. 'And if you really think that she doesn't, then you don't deserve her.' She locked eyes with him, his wide, hers deadly. 'Or Elyssah.'

That did it. It started with a single sob, but within clock-ticks, he had buried his face in his mother's shoulder and was crying his heart out.

Lori tried to comfort him the best she could, tears in her own eyes as well. When he finally pulled away, his eyes red and puffy and tears stains still on his cheek, he looked at Galinda and choked out, 'I'm sorry.'

She nodded. 'I know.'

'I didn't mean it, I really didn't,' he pleaded, and she nodded again. 'I know, Fiyero. It's okay. You're upset.' She moved closer to him, looking up at him. 'But right now, I need you to pull yourself together.'

He started to splutter, but she cut him off by holding up her hand. 'Fiyero,' she said softly. 'I understand, I really do, but crying isn't going to get Elyssah back. She needs you right now, Fiyero. And Elphie does, too, even if she doesn't realise it yet.'

He took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm himself down, and nodded. 'Okay,' he said faintly, and she squeezed his hand. 'Good. Come on, let's see if we can help Elphie and Hamold.'


By the time dusk settled over the Vinkus that day, the entire Royal Military Force was out looking for Elyssah. Word had gotten out about her disappearance, and almost the entire Vinkus was now aware of the fact that their princess was missing. Elphaba and Fiyero had often taken Elyssah with them when performing royal duties, and Elyssah had soon become adored by the entire country, which was why the people were so shocked when they heard that she had been kidnapped. Villagers even set out to look for the little girl themselves.

Elphaba had spent all morning going over possible action plans with Hamold, but after that, he had told her gently that from that point on, there was nothing more they could do but wait. She had then locked herself in the library, refusing to come out.

Fiyero, Lori, and Hamold had sent out a public statement and Fiyero had spent the rest of the day leading one of the search patrols, looking for Elyssah in the area around Adurin Iir. Nessa felt guilty because she had been the one who was with Elyssah when it had happened, but the others had quickly reassured her, telling her that it was not her fault at all – it could have happened to anyone.

'And besides,' Galinda had added. 'If this was a planned abduction, then it would have happened anyway, whether you were there or not.'

Galinda, surprisingly, was the one who stayed calm in all of this. She had proved before that she could handle crises when there was no one else around to do so, and she did it again now. She reassured Nessa, comforted Fiyero, had long conversations with Lori and Hamold, and ordered Paro and Boq around to make sure that they were making themselves useful. She tried to coax Elphaba out of the library as well, but to no avail.

When Fiyero came back that night, he looked utterly exhausted and his face was crestfallen. 'Nothing,' he sighed when he came into the sitting room and everyone looked at him expectantly. 'Nothing at all. Not a trace, not a clue, not even a footstep.' He slumped down into a chair, suddenly seeming years older than his age.

Paro squeezed his arm comfortingly, but Fiyero couldn't even bring himself to give his friend a grateful smile. He felt utterly drained and helpless.

'Where is Fae?' he asked. The look that Galinda exchanged with Lori didn't escape him, and he sat up a little. 'Is she alright?'

Galinda snorted. 'We would know if she would open the door,' she said, and Fiyero frowned. 'She locked herself up?'

'Library,' Lori nodded. 'She went inside this morning and hasn't come out since.'

'Has she even eaten?' Hamold asked his wife, and Lori shook her head. 'I don't think so.'

Fiyero rose to his feet. 'I'll go and find her,' he said, leaving the room.

He made his way over to the library and knocked on the door. 'Fae?'

Immediately, there were hurried footsteps and the door opened right away. 'Did you find her?' Elphaba asked anxiously, and her face fell when he shook his head. 'I'm sorry, Fae.'

She turned around again, almost running back into the library, and he followed her. 'Fae?'

'Not now, Fiyero,' she said, sitting down at a desk and flipping through the pages of the book in front of her. He went to stand next to her, peering over her shoulder. 'What are you doing?'

She gritted her teeth. 'I'm trying to find a way to save my daughter.'

It was a spell book, he realised, and he exhaled audibly. 'Fae…'

'Don't give me that tone,' she snapped, gaze only flickering to his face for a clock-tick before returning to the book. 'I will find something.'

'Do you really think there is a spell that-'

'No.' She looked up at him, eyes flaming. 'No, I don't think there's a spell that could help me. But I have to do something!' She turned away from him again and stubbornly kept on looking through the book.

'Fae.' He grabbed her hands and held them, despite the fact that she tried to pull them away. 'Fae, listen to me.'

She looked up at him.

'I know you're hurting,' he said quietly. 'I am, too. But that's why I need you to talk to me. We have to stick together right now, a chroí. We'll find her. I know we will.'

She was shaking her head, and the moment he loosened his grip, she pulled away. 'No,' was all she said before turning back to her book.

He was stunned. 'Elphaba-'

'I said no!' she yelled, jumping to her feet. At the same time, several books suddenly flew from their shelves and crashed down onto the floor.

He stared at the books for a moment before looking back at her. He was completely stunned. It had been a long time since she had last caused a magical outburst, and it was only yet another sign of how upset she really was.

She was trembling now, and he moved closer to her. 'Fae…'

'Don't,' she whispered, and he realised she was on the verge of falling apart. She had kept herself from breaking down by burying herself in the spell books, so that at least she felt like she was doing something useful, but inside she was screaming.

'It's okay to cry,' he said gently, and as if that was her cue, her eyes filled with tears. He gathered her into his arms and held her as she cried.

'It's my fault!' she wept, and he pulled back to look at her. 'No, it's not,' he told her sternly. 'Do you hear me, Fae? It's not your fault. Not at all. I know you always blame yourself for everything, but you could never have prevented this from happening.'

'But I should have!' She wiped her nose with her sleeve. 'I should have, Fiyero! She's my daughter! It's my job to protect her and I failed!'

'If you failed,' he said quietly, 'then so did I.'

She fell silent at that.

'She's my daughter, too, Fae.' He cradled her in his arms again. 'And I know how you feel. I know you want to do something to help, but you suppressing your feelings and hiding away in the library to fruitlessly look for magic spells is not going to help Elyssah.'

He took her hands in his. 'Tomorrow, we'll go and look for her,' he promised. 'We're going to look for her, and we're going to find her. She'll be home soon, Fae. Everything is going to be alright, I promise.'

'You can't promise such a thing,' she whispered, and he held her a little bit tighter. 'I can,' he said determinedly.

'We won't stop until she's safely back with us.'