Behind Closed Doors
Chapter 10
Elphaba, Chistery, and Faye all looked over the note that Faye was going to send to her friends Ella and Priscilla who were back at the Palace once more;
Ella and Priscilla,
In Lady Glinda's room there is something of importance, a book called The Grimmerie that she needs you to find and bring to me as quickly as you can. DO NOT tell anyone that you are doing this, and burn this note as soon as you are done reading this.
The fate of her, and many others are in your hands. Do not mess this up.
Faye
"I think it's good," said Elphaba approvingly, "Are you sure we can trust these girls?"
Faye nodded, and Elphaba handed her the note.
"Go to the General, and say that you got an urgent message for Cherrystone from Chistery saying that he will confess that the Wicked Witch of the West is alive, and that you personally must deliver it to him. If he asks why just say because she is in Southstairs, and you have personal information that he needs. If that doesn't work, then I will just have magick him."
Faye nodded, taking this all in and then started off towards the entrance to Southstairs.
Chistery looked to Elphaba with some doubt in his eyes, "Are you sure this will work?"
She nodded reverently, "It has to. For our sake and Glinda's."
Fiyero watched as Faye came down the passageway and near the front of Southstairs with a look of hope on his face. He knew of the plan since he and Elphaba had been hiding out at night when mostly everyone got to go home at the old Corn Exchange across town. She had told him everything, practically in tears while she did so, and Fiyero held her as he heard about the monkeys, and about Glinda. That hurt the most, hearing about Glinda and the screaming. He had told her what he had heard between Morrible and Cherrystone, and that had only made her more upset. But after she had calmed down she realized that whatever they were planning to do they had to do it fast. It seemed like there was little hope, and they both knew it. But as he watched Faye going down the hallway and a glimmer of hope shone in his eyes.
This could be it.
He saw Faye get stopped by General Teaville, put then she got past him and she walked out of Southstairs without anyone giving her a second glance at.
A joyous smile spread across his face, and he knew that in due time everything was going to be all right.
Back at the Palace, Cherrystone was mulling in his new office as to what to do about finding The Grimmerie. He knew that Glinda had to have it, but where did she keep it? It was a maddening chase just to get what he wanted and for Lurline's sake Oz wasn't even that big! Someone must know where the Grimmerie had gone…. Cherrystone had already talked to Morrible, and using her as a valuable aide was of great importance to him. But he knew her ways, Cherrystone could only use her for so long and then she will become power hungry, and he mustn't let that happen. No, he needed someone else. A thought crossed his mind, and he grinned devilishly while looking at a map of the territories of Oz.
"Chuffrey," he said out loud as he got up suddenly from the desk and strode into the hideaway room where Lord Chuffrey was being contained.
"Where is it?" demanded Cherrystone looking at the older man.
Chuffrey sat on the edge of the old dusty bed with a look of hatred on his face as he stared at the man who had captured his wife and was now blackmailing him to keep her alive.
"Where is what?" he asked his voice sharp, and was that a note of fear that Cherrystone detected in the deep tremors of his voice?
"You know exactly what I am talking about, Chuffrey," said Cherrystone in an even tone as he paced his steps as he walked over to the old man.
Chuffrey sighed, and he put his head in his hands in defeat.
"No, I don't," he protested, "I'm sick of your games. Want do you want, Cherrystone? You defied my wife, and you hold me as your prisoner! You have all of the cards stacked with you. Just tell me what it is you need…"
"The book, I need the book," said Cherrystone looking furious in his bright red Commander of the Gale Force uniform with black boots. Chuffrey saw a glimpse of a fear in Cherrystone's dark brown eyes that were half-masked by his uncut shaggy sandy hair.
"There are hundreds of books in Oz, do you know the title?" asked Chuffrey.
"It's called The Grimmerie. The last person rumored to have it was Glinda, and she must have told you about it, isn't that right?" snapped Cherrystone, finally loosing his patience.
Chuffrey however remained calm, "No, she did not. Glinda kept a lot of secrets from me, but then again what woman doesn't?"
"That's not the point!" shouted Cherrystone his face red with anger, "I need to know where the Ozdamned book is!"
"Well I don't know where it is," stated Chuffrey as he watched the new ruler of Oz kick at the wall in frustration, "Now I want to know what you did with Glinda?" Chuffrey's voice had gone lower, menacing and Cherrystone looked at him with amused eyes.
"Let's just say that if I don't find this book, she won't have a chance," threatened Cherrystone.
Chuffrey could only stare, "What did you do to her?" he roared and almost lunged at Cherrystone when he stopped himself and stood up teetering on his sanity. He knew that one false move and he and Glinda would be dead in a matter of seconds.
"Just tell me," he pleaded softly.
"I let the Gale Force go at her, but only after she refused to answer my questions about her being at Kiamo Ko that night when the Wicked Witch died, and that she knew that they were alive."
"They?" repeated Chuffrey with a touch of confusion in his voice.
"The Wicked Witch Of The West, and the Scarecrow who apparently is her ex-fiance in disguise, Fiyero Tiggular," answered Cherrystone.
"My wife never said anything about that," defended Chuffrey but he knew that that was Glinda had kept from him. That she knew the Wicked Witch Of The West, and that she knew a lot of other stuff about her fellow Ozians.
"Did she tell you that they all went to school together? Glinda, Elphaba, Fiyero, Nessarose, and Boq? They were all friends. How ironic is that, that these friends turn out to be the most influential, wickedest, brainless, feared, and heartless people in all of Oz?" expressed Cherrystone with a forced laugh.
"Why do you know so much about them?" asked Chuffrey stroking his beard slightly in order to stay calm.
"I like to know who my leaders are," answered Cherrystone simply, "And Glinda has a lot of secrets to be revealed. But then again so did our Glorious Wizard. Did you know that he is the father of the Wicked Witch Of The West?"
Chuffrey's mouth opened, and he stared shocked at Cherrystone.
"A scandal really! She was working against her own father, but apparently only Glinda knew that, well until a few days ago when I tortured it out of her."
"How did you torture her? I swear if you laid your filthy hands on her-" started Chuffrey losing his temper at the thought of his sweet Glinda being harmed by this sadistic Commander.
"I don't want to release the details of it, Lord Chuffrey. I have a reputation to uphold now don't I?" teased the ruler, and Chuffrey pursed his lips in order not to scream at him, "But I did lay my hands on her, and there's nothing that you can do about that. I told her it was for the lack of you not being there, and she seemed to agree with me…"
A wave of sickness passed through Chuffrey as he processed this, "You will never do that to her again, do you hear me? And I bet she hated every minute of it, you bastard!"
Cherrystone smirked, "Wrong choice of words, Chuffrey. Once I find The Grimmerie she will be disposed of as soon as I say so. But who says I won't have a little fun with her before she goes? It's not like you can stop me…"
Later that day, Priscilla and Ella were confronted by Faye who mysteriously gave them a note, and then fled very soon afterwards without so much as another word.
Ella slipped the note into the front of her apron, and hid it until the appropriate time where both she and Priscilla could read it without being under the watchful eye of the Gale Force. Finally nearing dusk, the two girls managed to get away and sneak into Lady Glinda's room to read the note since no one occupied that room anymore.
Ella took the note out from her apron and held it between her and Priscilla to read.
Ella and Priscilla,
In Lady Glinda's room there is something of importance, a book called The Grimmerie that she needs you to find and bring to me as quickly as you can. DO NOT tell anyone that you are doing this, and burn this note as soon as you are done reading this.
The fate of her, and many others are in your hands. Do not mess this up.
Faye
"The Grimmerie," mused Ella already looking at the numerous books in Lady Glinda's shelves while Priscilla quickly started a fire so that the note could be burned.
"Priscilla I can't find this book anywhere!" complained Ella rereading all of the titles of the books on the shelves until she came back to one that read Gone With The Wind. Curious and a bit annoyed with not finding The Grimmerie, Ella picked it up and looked through it. When she was done, she closed it and was amazed as the letters on the cover began to change and transform right before her eyes.
The title had been before, Gone With The Wind, but now it was as clear as day something else.
Ella felt Priscilla's presence to her side, and they both watched as the title appeared, as The Grimmerie and they knew that they had to get this to Faye as quickly as possible.
At Southstairs Elphaba, Chistery, and Fiyero all waited anxiously for Priscilla and Ella to come with The Grimmerie and give it to Faye as they all sat down near Chistery's cell. They were all in their disguises, Fiyero in his Gale Force uniform, and Elphaba in her maid attire.
Finally Faye opened the door to the hallway and came down it carrying the big large book in her arms.
Elphaba jumped up and immediately took it from her, already opening it up and franticly searching for some spell to change all of this.
Fiyero however remained calmer, and just put one hand on Elphaba's shoulders as she read through the Grimmerie, squinting and murmuring incantations as if to remind her that they all were still here.
Faye watched, curiously as Elphaba flipped from one page to the next, trying the spell in her head, and then shake her head and flip the page, and she tried again.
"There has to be something in here!" she yelled in exasperation and in frustration after a full hour of pouring over that book for one meaningful spell.
Fiyero murmured words of comfort in her ear, and she seemed to relax for a moment.
"I just can't bear the thought of losing her after all this time," whispered Elphaba after a moment of silence, and then she went back to reading.
Faye watched out for more guards but she was sure that they were safe here because Fiyero being posed as a guard had told General Teaville that he would be guarding Chistery with some maids to tend to him, and the General hadn't questioned it. She was sure that nothing could ever get in their way now.
"Aha!" exclaimed Elphaba soon afterwards, and everyone looked on as she murmured the words to a spell.
"Aka Numen kaka nemun," finished off Elphaba with a satisfied look on her face. She got up from the stone floor, and ventured out into the different hallways of cells, looking for something.
"Fae, what are we looking for?" hissed Fiyero following her, leaving Chistery and Faye behind back near his cell.
"Shh!" she cautioned, putting her hand around his mouth softly but firmly.
Fiyero shushed, and kept still while Elphaba slowly moved from around the corner. He watched as she looked this way and that way, and finally she ran over to a steel door near the back of the jail.
Fiyero followed behind her, taking care to look around to make sure that no one else was there. He caught up with her, and they both listened to the voices that were talking from inside the room.
"Now where did you put it?" asked a man's voice and Fiyero recognized it as Cherrystone's voice.
Then came next was a weak, high pitched voice that rang out in many octaves, but could only be the voice of one person, "I'm not going to tell you," said Glinda bravely, "You'll have to kill me."
Cherrystone laughed at this, and Fiyero felt Elphaba flinched harshly.
"Don't worry I plan to. But I need the book, now tell me where it is or I'll get my guards to come back here again. Judging by your screams from last night, I figure that you don't want them to come back now do you?" questioned Cherrystone with amusement in his voice.
"No," Glinda said softly, "But I refuse to tell you where it is."
"You're not the brightest Glinda, are you? If you were smart, you would realize that refusing me is the worst thing you can do. Your time is running out, Glinda. I would pick and choose my battles wisely before I'd do anything that I'd regret."
Glinda laughed, and it sounded so broken to Elphaba and Fiyero that they both held their breath to make sure that Glinda would still live after this confrontation, "If I were you, Commander I would remember who I am dealing with. I was the ruler of Oz, and I was and still am Glinda the Good. I care to have that remembered, sir. But that's beside the point, I want my Chuffers out of harms way now Cherrystone. I mean it!"
"I'll think on it, but first," then both Fiyero and Elphaba heard a slapping sound that rang out through the whole jail causing Glinda to yelp out in pain, "I'll leave you to think on what your answer is for me about that book. You'll have tonight to decide, and then I will have to torture it out of you, do you understand?" threatened Cherrystone.
Glinda's voice turned icy, and hard, "Go to hell Cherrystone!" she commanded, and for that she got another slap to the face, but then he opened the door and left the room.
As soon as the door opened, Fiyero and Elphaba ran for the dark corner of the end of the hallway, and hid there in the shadows and watched as Cherrystone left the room, and walked across the hallway and into the other part of Southstairs.
As soon as they knew that he was gone, Fiyero and Elphaba looked to the door and saw a bright light floating in the air by the door.
"I knew it would lead us to her," whispered Elphaba happily, "I told you, Yero."
Then they both proceeded to open the steel door, which was surprisingly not locked, and went inside.
A gruesome sight of blood, clubs, knives, ropes, and a figure in a pretty pale yellow dress with golden locks of hair greeted them.
"Glinda?" called out Elphaba in a weak voice, scared that they were too late for some reason and that she was already dead.
The figure on the floor stirred, and Elphaba who was wrapped up in Fiyero's arms walked over to her, and put one hand on the blonde's shoulder.
"Glinda, it's me Elphaba. Glinda, come on now wake up!" pleaded Elphaba shaking her slightly.
Glinda moved slightly, and moaned in pain. Then she blinked a few times, and stared upwards into Elphaba and Fiyero's face with a look of confusion on her face.
"Elphie? Fiyero?"
So sorry for the wait, but I hoped this makes up for it. Yay, will the trio be happy forever? Um, no probably not. Not yet anyways. I was thinking about adding Dorothy into this. Any thoughts on that? Thanks to everyone who reviews!
Fiyero wants you to review! How can you ignore a scandalacious Winkie prince? You can't!
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