Hearing a lazy snore, Glinda's Nanny entered the room with a quiet knock on the door. Not having expected an answer in the first place, she silently snuck inside. The old woman had to smile upon seeing her fosterling sound asleep, all limbs stretched far from her. Carefully, she placed the tray she had brought onto the small table in the right corner of the room and crossed over to the windows, pulling open the curtains.
Glinda stirred, the fingers of her hand which hung over the side of the bed twitching as she awoke. She gave an unladylike groan of disapproval as the morning sun's rays touched her face.
"It's time to get up, dear." Her Nanny called, walking back to the tray and turning a cup around to be filled. Glinda peaked one eye open, watching the woman pour the tea into her cup. Steam rose from the hot water, carrying warmth and a fruity aroma with it. Her Nanny knew her very well, choosing a sweet taste for the young woman, just as she liked it.
Groaning again, Glinda turned over, facing away and letting her hand limply flop onto the mattress in front of her. She could hear the cutlery cling against her cup, assuming her tea to have been sweetened with sugar by now.
"Now 'cmon on, honey, or don't you wanna travel back t'day?" Her Nanny had guessed right, leaving a long silence between them. Glinda let out a long sigh. She opened her eyes, but did not turn to face her Nanny, staring at the wall in front her instead.
She knew she should return, though she did not want to. Although, there was not much to do at her parent's house, and she would really like to avoid the awkward questions, going back meant a lot of work. Her lips curled when she frowned in displease. She opened her mouth, but it took her voice a moment to ring, coming quietly and hoarsely.
"Nanny?" She softly asked, unsure how to form her sentences. Without her knowing, her Nanny smiled warmly, knowing that the girl had a hard time telling her whatever it was that aggrieved her. She poured her own tea to give the young woman some more time to think.
"Yes, hon?" The old woman replied, calmly setting down the teapot. Glinda blinked slowly, a worried frown across her forehead. She was insecure, not knowing if the woman would understand her feelings. After all, everyone across all of Oz had the same, unshaken opinion about the topic. No one but her remained to fully understand the truth. Even those who knew parts of the 'Wicked Witch's' past and had been told the story through different eyes would not change their mind.
There was no way Glinda could share her feelings about her best friend. She remained the only one knowing and believing the truth, since she was the only one left of the three friends.
And yet, her Nanny always seemed to think differently than others. More understanding, less judging and far more open. She thought about things before making up her mind. She did not let her opinion be influenced by anyone, especially if she had not been there herself to gain proof. She had always tried to teach her fosterling that, however the young witch had never seemed to care about making it more complicated than it had to be. She just stuck with the majority, father or friends, since that was the easiest way to get the people around her to like her.
"Do you…" her voice broke. She could not get herself to speak the words. Was it so wrong to have a different opinion than everyone else? Would she be declared a criminal as well? Could she trust no one, not even her own Nanny?
She gave an involuntary, uncomfortable hum. Holding her breath, she hoped for the old woman not to have heard it. She gulped down the lump that slowly formed in her throat, trying to force it down. Breathing as silently as she could, the young witch listened as steps carefully neared her bed.
"Glinda, hon." The slightly croaking voice of her Nanny reached her ears. She felt the woman sit down on the side of her bed, placing a comforting hand on the girl's side. "Many things have happened lately." The old lady started in a low tone, which soothed Glinda and she managed to settle down a little, listening carefully. "I kno' you've been through a lot and non o' that was easy." She went on, slowly, as if having to pull the words out of her throat. They were not forced, more well thought out. "I personally think it was way too much fo' such a young lass like you, but you managed nonetheless." Her pace sped up, obviously having to set the record straight before starting on the 'but', Glinda knew would come soon.
The young witch smiled to herself, loving to hear her Nanny's speeches and realising how much she had missed hearing her appeasing voice, even though she always sounded so easy-going, leaving out some letters and having a flat 'I', she could not be mistaken for. Why had she not listened to her Nanny earlier? Would it have made things easier, or just more complicated?
"Y' kno' that no one can judge your actions but yourself." The old woman spoke up again. "At least not justifiable." She mumbled, still clear enough for the girl to hear. Glinda's Nanny sighed, giving a light pat on her fosterling's side. "There are many things, most people don't understand. That doesn' make 'em less true." She paused for a moment. Glinda slightly turned her head, seeing, out of the corner of her eye that her Nanny gazed out the window. "Y' have grown so much. An' I am proud of ya, dear, but remember that you should change, 'cause y' want to – not 'cause someone else tells ya to." She ended, still staring out at the sun, which slowly crawled its way up the sky.
Glinda turned on her back, watching the absent expression of her Nanny with a light frown. Did she know what secretly troubled her?
Glinda chewed on the inside of her lower lip, looking downwards over the side of her bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the sparkling gems on her tiara, bathing in the sun. They reminded her of her duties, making the young witch sigh through her nose. Yet more problems. Only this time, she would have to face them all alone.
With a determined frown, Glinda pressed her lips together. She would not let them get her down. With all the 'wickedness' gone and no wanna-be wizard in the way, what problems could possibly be there? She was Glinda the Good after all; she could do anything she wanted. The whole land of Oz was at her feet; she could have anyone as her friend, if she wanted to.
Then again, what would a friend be worth, whom only admired her from day to day? Had she not grown with the competition Elphaba had put before her? Was it not better to have an equal by one's side, instead of a mere follower?
Glancing up at her Nanny's face, Glinda watched the sun reflect in the old woman's eyes. No matter how old she was, the light in her eyes never faded. She always seemed wide awake, ready to take everything in that life put before her. She did not let anyone tell her how to think or how to feel. She decided not to be influenced that easily. She was exactly what Oz needed.
If she would only try hard enough, Glinda could be like that too, she thought. Smart, prudent and as popular as ever.
"Nan?" She raised her voice, coming out quieter than she had expected. The old lady blinked against the sunlight.
"Yes, honey?" She turned to the girl with a gentle smile. Glinda sat up, drawing her legs to her side. She warmly smiled back at her Nanny. Almost falling forward, the young woman hugged her counterpart tightly, throwing her arms around the old woman's neck.
"Thank you." She whispered. She could feel her Nanny exhale deeply, before arms enclosed her slim back. They stayed like that for almost a minute, taking in and enjoying each other's company. She might be as lonely as I am. Glinda thought, upon which she squeezed a little tighter. Both had their eyes closed and seemingly none of them wanted or rather dared to break up their precious moment.
"You're very welcome." The old woman finally spoke, releasing the girl in her arms and resting her hands on the witch's shoulders. "Glinda," she continued, her voice was filled with warmth and love as she looked deep into the girl's eyes, "I am very proud of you. And I kno' you'll do great." She ended. The young witch had placed her own hand on one of her Nanny's, leaning her head to the side and smiling.
