If you only clicked on this chapter because you're wondering why a story that has been completed for two years was updated, it's because I've rewritten this and there's now extra material. For more information see the new author's note at the beginning of the first chapter. Enjoy chapter ten:

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As the four travelers followed the Wizard out of the palace and into the courtyard, they were met with the sight of a huge hot air balloon. It loomed tall above a large crowd of disbelieving Ozians, who had gathered together to see if the appearance of the hot air balloon really meant that the Wizard was leaving. Some of the members of the crowd were actually weeping, which made Fiyero roll his eyes in exasperation.

Dorothy looked at the balloon for a moment, and then turned back to her friends, her expression torn. She hugged them all tightly, turning to Fiyero last. Giving him a tight squeeze, she whispered, "I think I'll miss you most of all."

Fiyero smiled despite himself at Dorothy's words. She was a very sweet young girl, even if she was hopelessly naïve. Fiyero thought it a bit ironic that she had grown friendliest with him, when he had really been a traitor in their midst all along. Still, he did hope the girl got home safely, and he hugged her back as he bid her farewell.

The Wizard helped Dorothy into the balloons large basket, and then turned to the waiting crowd of Ozians. He made a quick speech about how the 'strains of wizarding had become too much for him' or some other such nonsense. He also said that he was leaving Oz under the rule of the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tin Man. Fiyero doubted that was going to happen. Fiyero would be leaving in just a short while, the Lion wanted to return to the forest, and Boq showed no interest in anything political at all. Fiyero imagined that Glinda would probably take over in the wake of the Wizard's departure. After all, the Ozians lover her and she already had a pretty high political position.

However, Fiyero's train of thought was broken by a sudden commotion. Having spotted a cat a short distance away, Toto had leapt from Dorothy's arm in pursuit of it. Horrified at the prospect of leaving her beloved pet behind, Dorothy had bolted after him, and the balloon had lifted off the ground, leaving both of them behind.

"Wait for me!" Dorothy cried, scooping Toto up as she raced back toward the balloon. It was too late, the Wizard was already several feet off the ground, and he showed now sign of coming back down.

"I can't!" he replied, "I don't know how this thing works!" The balloon simply kept rising until it was just a speck in the sky, and the crowd of Ozians began cheer and wave, some even running after the balloon from below. Dorothy was completely forgotten in all of the excitement.

Dorothy looked after the balloon, her only chance of returning home, with tears in her eyes. Fiyero's heart went out to the poor girl. She'd been through so much, only to have the one thing she'd wanted pulled out from under her at the last minute. That had to hurt.

Dejectedly, Dorothy took a seat on one of the steps that led up to the palace, dropping her face into her hands, "Now what am I going to do?"

"Here's someone who can help you," came Boq's excited voice. Looking up, Fiyero spotted Glinda's pink bubble descending toward them. He assumed she was coming to see what the problem was. There was a large, and obviously fake, smile on her face as she joined the crowd of awestruck Ozians. Fiyero seemed to be the only one who picked up on the pain she was obviously masking.

Fiyero wondered if Glinda really could help Dorothy. The blond had no real magical ability after all, and Fiyero was pretty sure there were a limited number of ways one could travel to another world. But perhaps she really did have some sort of power. She could pull off that pink bubble trick couldn't she? Fiyero waited expectantly to hear what Glinda had to say.

"Oh Miss Glinda, could you please help me? I really need to get home, and the Wizard has left without me! I don't know what I'm going to do," said Dorothy worriedly, standing up as Glinda moved toward her.

"You've always had the power to get home Dorothy," Glinda said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Glinda's voice didn't sound normal, it was far too sugary, even for her. There was something fake about the tone she was using. Fiyero watched her curiously, waiting for her to elaborate on her rather vague explanation.

Dorothy seemed taken aback by this news. "What? Then why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked, and Fiyero thought she sounded a bit annoyed.

Glinda paused for a moment, as though trying to come up with a suitable response. After a moment she replied, "You had to find it out for yourself." Fiyero could tell that though Glinda appeared confident, she really had no clue what she was talking about. He assumed that the real reason she hadn't told Dorothy in the first place was because she hadn't known.

Glinda tried to cover up her pathetic excuse. "So what have you learned?" she asked quickly.

Dorothy looked thoughtful for a moment. "I've learned that if I ever go searching for my hearts desire again, I won't look farther than my own backyard, because if it's not there, I never truly lost it to begin with," she said cryptically, and Fiyero could tell Glinda had no clue what the girl had just said.

Nonetheless, she responded, "That's exactly right!" clapping her hands together jovially and flashing another winning smile.

"That's it?" said Fiyero sarcastically, "Well I could have thought of that."

"I should have felt it in my heart," said Boq, clutching his gift from the Wizard close to his chest. Fiyero couldn't help but think that this was the weirdest and cheesiest thing he'd ever heard, especially from a grown man. It was made worse by the fact that Boq didn't even have a heart, he had a clock.

"So how do I get home then?" Dorothy asked, ignoring the comments from Boq and Fiyero as she looked expectantly at Glinda.

Fiyero could practically see the gears in the blonds head turning. However, when she spoke this time she seemed more sure of herself. "Just click your heels together three times and say 'There's no place like home'," she said, pointing her wand toward Dorothy's shoes. Fiyero knew she really had no clue how to use that wand, and so he wondered how Glinda was planning to pull this off.

Dorothy followed the orders, squeezing her eyes shut as she repeated the phrase and clicked her heels together. After a few moments she began to fade from sight, until finally she had disappeared altogether. Fiyero was shocked that the magic had actually worked. He wondered if Glinda had pulled it off herself or if she'd had any help. The crowd of Ozians stood staring at the spot where Dorothy had been standing only moments before.

Finally Glinda turned to the remaining three heroes. "So, it looks like you boys are going to be the new rulers of Oz," she said, clapping her hands together.

The Ozians cheered, but Fiyero shook his head. "I'm sorry; I'm going to have to decline. I'm not cut out for that. I'll probably just settle down somewhere quiet and forget this whole mess," he lied. His mind was on thoughts of Elphaba. They would be reunited so very soon….

As predicted, Boq declined the offer as well. "Me too. I'm just a simple guy, I'm not cut out to rule a country," he said. In truth he was scared that he would end up like Nessarose. He remembered all too clearly what had happened when she'd been placed in a position of power.

"And I'm going to return to the forest," the Lion stated, his voice sounding unusually confident, "With my new found courage, I'll be the king!"

"But who will rule us?" cried one of the Ozians in the crowd, looking horrified at the prospect of having no leader to hero worship.

"What about Glinda?" cried another, and immediately a din rose above the crowd. The Ozians seemed to take to this idea immediately.

Fiyero could tell that Glinda was overjoyed by this, though she tried to appear modest. Fiyero was suddenly reminded of the way she had been at Shiz as she replied, "No…stop! I couldn't…."

"Oh please Miss Glinda, we'd love to have you as our ruler," someone pleaded, and Glinda appeared to have been won over.

"Alright, I will take the position," she said, and she waited for the cheering to die down before she continued, "And I promise, I will do my very best to make decisions that will be beneficial to the future of Oz!" Fiyero could see a glimmer of something akin to determination in Glinda's eyes, and she was gripping her wand so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Fiyero wondered what he was missing. This was obviously more important to Glinda than she let on, and Fiyero could tell it was not just about the social status. Maybe Glinda really had changed somewhere along the way.

However, he did not think on it for long for, with a grand wave, Glinda ascended in her bubble and floated back toward the palace. Once she was gone the members of the crowd slowly dispersed, leaving only Fiyero, Boq and the Lion standing together in the square.

"Well…I guess I'll be seeing you guys around," Fiyero said awkwardly. He knew that in reality he would probably never see the two again. He had no plans of returning to the Emerald City, or to any populated area of Oz for that matter. He didn't know where he planned to go after he was reunited with Elphaba, but they were going to go somewhere far away; somewhere where no one would ever find them.

"Yeah…see you around," Boq responded with a lopsided smile, before he turned and began to walk in the opposite direction. The Lion followed after giving Fiyero a small nod and a wave, and soon Fiyero was the only one left standing in the empty square.

He began to walk away, when he suddenly had an idea and changed his direction. Moving quickly, he headed back toward the palace. The guards let him through immediately this time as well. After all, he was a revered hero now. He moved swiftly down the corridor and threw the door at the end open without any hesitation.

The main chambers looked dark and deserted in the absence of the Wizard. There were no lights on in the large room, and the giant mechanical head lay off to the side, motionless and deserted.

In one swift motion Fiyero swept across the room and retrieved Elphaba's broom from where it lay forgotten in the wake of the Wizard's departure. His task complete, Fiyero exited quickly, trying to seem inconspicuous as he left the palace with the Wicked Witch of the West's broom. He exited the building, and this time kept walking, his steps quickening in his excitement. He and Elphaba were going to be reunited so very soon.

Thanks for reading.

S.P.