CHAPTER 8: Court of Miracles
Elphaba and Fiyero quickly made their way through the dark woods of Oz, though the green woman felt a thrill of fear at once more setting foot outside the Emerald City.
Creeping past the ghostly village beside which beggars slept. They ducked into the shadows to avoid being seen by a pair of women at the windows holding candles, which sputtered in the gathering fog. The curfew had sounded long ago and the streets were becoming blacker and more deserted every moment. They could distinguish nothing of the mass of buildings, except black roofs at strange acute angles. And the labyrinth of alleys and bridges like a ball of thread tangled by a cat.
"I think we're completely lost!" Elphaba whispered to Fiyero.
"Actually we're nearly there" Fiyero assured
"Nearly there? Where is this place? Where in Oz are we?" Elphaba asked.
"We're at Kiamo Ko" Fiyero answered.
The two then heads for an abandoned castle before Elphaba looks on in wonders and gasped:
"What is this place?"
"This was my family's castle; No one's been there for centuries expect those who watch over it. We have never lived in it" Fiyero replied
"Where did you live then?" Elphaba asked.
"The other castle in the east" Fiyero answered.
"Oh, of course" Elphaba nodded.
"It's the perfect hideout; secret passageways and tunnels; It's the perfect place for the rebels to hide" said Fiyero.
Soon the duo managed to make their way inside the abandoned castle away from the guards protecting it. Fiyero then leads Elphaba to the dungeons as he then said:
"Wait here, I'll go and get the Wizard"
"OK" Elphaba nodded.
Fiyero then manages to pull a skull on one of the skeletonise wall which opens a stone trap door before the rebel prince goes inside, closing the door behind him while Elphaba waits outside.
Fifteen minutes pass by while Elphaba is still waiting until she heard eerie footsteps echoing as she mutters out: "F-Fiyero?"
Suddenly out of the shadows, men in skull masks grabbed a alarmed Elphaba and ties her up before she was brought to a large tin man.
"Well, well, well...What do we have here?" The tin man sneered at Elphaba.
"Looks like an intruder or a spy to me, Boq" One of the men coldly laughs.
"I'm not an intruder nor am I spy" Elphaba cried.
"That's what they all say" Another man scoffed before he gags Elphaba's mouth with a cloth.
"Welcome the Court of Miracles! You're very clever to have found our hide away. Unfortunately you won't live to tell the tale" Boq the Tin Man chuckled
BOQ:
MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD
OF A TERRIBLE PLACE
WHERE THE SCOUNDRELS OF OZ
COLLECT IN A LAIR
MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD
OF THAT MYTHICAL PLACE
CALLED THE COURT OF MIRACLES
HELLO, YOU'RE THERE!
THE MEN:
WHERE THE LAME CAN WALK
AND THE BLIND CAN SEE
BUT THE DEAD CAN'T TALK
SO YOU WON'T BE AROUND
TO REVEAL WHAT YOU'VE FOUND!
BOQ:
WE HAVE A METHOD
FOR SPIES AND INTRUDERS
NOT TERRIBLY DIFFERENT
FROM BEES IN A HIVE
HERE IN THE COURT OF MIRACLES
WHERE IT'S A MIRACLE
IF YOU GET OUT ALIVE
"Take her to the podium" Boq ordered the men.
As they dragged a frightened Elphaba into the stone trap door, she sees a large cave filled with giant chandeliers that makes it look like the sun shining before the poor green woman is brought upon a podium where a crowd awaits them.
"Hello my follow rebels; we have found ourselves another spy and you all know what we do with spies" Boq gleefully greeted.
"HANG THEM!" The crowd bellowed out in union.
The men puts a rope around Elphaba's neck and places her near a trap door.
"Any last words?" Boq teased Elphaba who tries to cry out through the gag.
"I thought not" Boq mocked.
BOQ:
IT'S ALWAYS SAD
WHEN A LIFE'S AT ITS FINISH
I HAVE TO ADMIT
TO A BIT OF A PANG
BUT WE MUST PROTECT AT MOST OUR SECRET
IT'S OUR LIVES OR YOURS!
SO YOU'RE GOING TO HANG!
But when Boq was about to grab the lever to the trap door, Elphaba screams through the gag which triggers her magic to send the Tin Man flying away to the ground, causing the crowd to react in terror.
"She's a witch!" One of the men shouted.
"Hang her!" A woman yelled.
Elphaba magically releases herself from her ropes and with panic, she magically makes Boq's men fly away, landing them on the stone ground like cannon balls in agony.
Boq tries to attack Elphaba with his axe but the green woman magically hovers his axe away from the Tin Man and points it to him.
"P-Please, no!" Boq begged.
"What's going on here?!"
Elphaba then sees The Wizard rushing his way past the crowd and heading to the podium. Suddenly Elphaba felt someone touching him as she whips her gaze at the person with the axe swinging straight at the individual.
"Whoa! Elphaba! Stop!"
The green woman soon realized that Fiyero was beside her as Elphaba soon hugs and shivers within the embrace.
"It's alright, it's me" Fiyero comforted.
"What in Oz name's has happened?" The Wizard demanded.
"That green woman is a spy!" Boq accused.
"She's not a spy! She's with me" Fiyero snapped.
"He's right, Boq" The Wizard firmly agreed.
"Well why didn't she say so?" Boq shrugged.
"I did say so!" Elphaba cried.
"She attacked us with her magic!" Boq protested.
"They tried to hang me" Elphaba cried out loudly.
Fiyero and the Wizard angrily glared at Boq and his men before the Wizard coldly said: "I'll deal with you men later but right now...Away with you!"
Boq and his men quietly fled the crowd as the Wizard turns to Elphaba and softly said: "I'm very sorry for what happened, We, rebels, should remember that we are not barbarians"
The Wizard sternly gazed at the crowd who slowly went on their way before the old man adds: "I must thank you for all you've done for Fiyero"
"It was my pleasure to help out someone" Elphaba happily said.
"Yeah, thank you Elphaba" Fiyero thanked with a warm smile.
"So I'm guessing you're also the girl that has my Fiyero smitten?" The Wizard chuckled.
"Smitten? Fiyero? On me?" Elphaba gulped in confusion.
"Well..." Fiyero blushes as bit as Elphaba's heart races with joy that the man she is falling for could be falling for her too.
Suddenly Glinda appears within the scene as she then said:
"What is going on here? I thought I heard-?!"
At the sight of Fiyero, Glinda squealed out: "Fiyero! Oh thank Oz you're OK"
The blonde woman embraces her ex-boyfriend and kisses him in the lips much to the trio's confusion.
"Nice to see you too, Glinda but we're not a couple anymore remember?" Fiyero nervously chuckled.
"Fiyero, I know we did things in the past that separated us but we're rebels now, we're together fighting a cause for all of Oz! We can make things work like we used to be" Glinda hopefully explained.
"Glinda...I'm happy you're with us now and all but...I cannot be with you" Fiyero sadly explained as he lets go of Glinda and walks away from her.
"Fiyero, have you misplaced your mind?! What are you doing?!" Glinda asked in confusion.
The rebel prince goes to Elphaba and said:
"I'm so sorry Glinda but my heart belongs to someone else now; I'm with her"
"What?!" Glinda gasped in horror.
"What..." Elphaba mumbled softly.
"What are you saying? That the two of you… all this time behind my back?" Glinda sadly whimpered.
"No it wasn't like that!" Elphaba tried to explain.
"Well, it was. But it wasn't" Fiyero stuttered.
Glinda tearfully glared at Elphaba and cried:
"How could you do to me?! After you promised that you would just look after my Fiyero"
"I'm not your Fiyero, Glinda! Not anymore and this isn't Elphaba fault, It was my choice; I love Elphaba" Fiyero sternly said.
"Y-You do?" Elphaba gasped.
"Of course I do, I can't explain it but you got me seeing through different eyes and you make me feel like this land is a much better place with you around" Fiyero explained.
"Why Fiyero?! Why do you want me to lose you to that...that creature?!" Glinda cried loudly.
"And what's your problem with Elphaba?" Fiyero asked.
"Look at her, Fiyero! She's not normal! She's abnormal. She's-!" Glinda yelled.
"She is more normal to me than you ever are at the moment" Fiyero snapped.
Glinda gasped at that remark, feeling more heartbroken than ever before Fiyero sighed: "I'm sorry Glinda but this is who I'm with now..."
She then turns to the Wizard and Elphaba before he concludes with: "Let's go"
As they left the podium, Glinda watches on before she cries out in tears:
"Fine! Go! You deserve each other!"
GLINDA:
I knew I'd never know
That warm and loving glow
Though I might wish with all my might
No face as hideous as her face
Was ever meant for Heaven's light
What happens next?
Stay tuned to find out!
