Glinda awoke on a thin straw pallet on the cold stone floor of what appeared to be a dungeon. The room was made of rough rock and its only door was barred with thick sheets of metal. Why do I always have to wake up in a dungeon? she asked herself, panic making her brain slow. Slowly the blonde flexed her muscles, ensuring that nothing was broken. Almost subconsciously a protective hand went to her still flat stomach. Though there was no bulge yet the petite woman could almost feel a small heartbeat. "Hello?" Glinda called, not really expecting an answer. There was, however, some shuffling from the other side of the metal door. A guard maybe?

Stale bread and water had been placed beside the entrance. Since she wasn't hungry yet the blonde ignored this. Instead she examined her prison for any clues as to the location. The walls looked thick but they were constructed from an odd sort of rock she didn't recognize. It was sandy colored, like something you'd find at Oz's far borders where the desert encroached…Something clicked; the desert. But no, scouts and explorers had reported no surface life anywhere in that inhospitable land. Acting on a whim Glinda took a small sip of the water offered. As she expected it tasted oddly metallic like something provided by an underground spring. So that was it; she was somewhere beneath the desert contained in a secret subterranean city. Legends of Southstair, the hellish underground prison, came to mind. Perhaps such stories were based in truth.

There was a sharp, grinding sound and a tiny slit in the door peeled its way open. A tiny shaft of light wriggled through to fall on Glinda's flinching eyes. Welcome to the Desert Palace, came a harsh voice in the blonde's head. It was an uncomfortable feeling to have someone else's thoughts echoing with in her mind.

"Why am I here?" Glinda demanded, trying to draw on Elphaba's strength. "What do you want from me?"

I want what you stole, the voice replied angrily. I want what is rightfully mine!

"I don't know who you are," the blonde witch insisted, voice trembling. "Whatever it is I stole I'd gladly give it back." There was a dark and menacing chuckle from the other side of the door.

The thing I seek is not an object. Now the petite woman was confused. Not an object? Than how had she stolen it?

"I don't understand."

You will, the voice growled. You will. The slit in the door was sealed again, leaving Glinda in darkness once more.

***

"Where is she?" Elphaba snarled, shoving open the door to the Wizard's suite. "Where is Glinda?"

"I don't know," Oscar stuttered, shocked to be interrupted during his breakfast. Despite the fire in her eyes he was ecstatic to see his long, lost daughter alive and well. "What's going on?"

"Glinda's been kidnapped," the green girl explained harshly. "And you're going to tell me where your men took her!"

"I've been living in solitude for longer than I care to remember," the Wizard insisted. "I have no men and I do not know where Lady Glinda is." The livid witch didn't look convinced. "After all those years working with Mrs. Upland I became quite fond of her. No matter what her opinion is of me I would never wish any harm upon that sweet young woman." Elphaba's furry lessened and she slumped into a chair opposite her father, totally spent. After hours (or was it days now?) of searching and interrogating there were still no signs of the blonde witch.

Though Oscar Greentown was the last person Elphaba wanted to cry in front of she couldn't stop the tears budding from her worried brown eyes. The Wizard placed a hand over hers and she didn't have the heart or the strength to move it away. Any comfort, even from a man she hated, was needed in this moment. Her best friend had vanished into thin air and there was nothing she could do about it. That was the worst part; the feeling of uselessness. There was nothing Elphaba hated more than to be powerless; to have no say in the fate of someone she cared about. In her book it was the worst feeling in the world.

"It's ok," Oscar told her softly, wary that he would be reprimanded. "You'll find Glinda. Things will turn out alright. You're an amazing person; there's no doubt in my mind that you have it within you to find her." The green witch offered her father a tentative smile.

"Thanks." Unwilling to dawdle any longer she got to her feet and left as abruptly as she had arrived.

***

Two burly men with tanned skin and cold, hardened faces entered Glinda's prison. They each seized and arm and dragged the struggling blonde into a chilly stone corridor. Without speaking a word the two fearsome guards led her into another room off the central hallway. Deep shadows tainted the corners of the space and in the center an enormous fire pit simmered with heat. Glinda was shoved towards this hissing mass of coals and flame by her captors. Again the voice entered her thoughts. Hello Glinda. I have a question to ask you. The blonde did not reply. What could she say? Where are the underground passages that lead to the Emerald Palace?

"I don't know," the petite woman answered truthfully. "I wasn't aware that there were any." The voice, or whatever being the voice belonged to, seemed to consider this.

I'm sorry to hear that. Silence flooded the room and Glinda got a distinct feeling of someone watching her from the dark corners of this cell. Before she could wonder any longer the guards entered again, perhaps summoned by a silent command from the voice. One of these strong men seized the blonde's hands in one meaty fist and pulled up the back of her stylish yellow jacket with another. The other man grasped the end of a long metal rod protruding from the fire pit. He jerked the pole out to reveal a red-hot brand at the end of it. Glinda struggled as her mind put these actions together into a horrifying picture.

"Stop!" she shrieked, trying to pull away from her captor. "Why are you doing this; I told you all I could. I said I'd give back whatever it is I stole!" She would do anything to keep that strip of hot metal from pressing against the skin of her exposed back.

This has nothing to do with your answers, the sadistic voice assured Glinda. This is just a petty act of revenge. A shudder carved its way down the petite woman's spine as the man with the brand disappeared behind her. She clenched her teeth and kicked out in a desperate attempt to escape. There was, however, nothing she could do. A sinister hiss twisted through the air of the dark room followed quickly by a blood curdling scream of agony.

***

Glinda was slumped on the floor, floating in a numb state of torment and emptiness. Her thoughts had been divided into two types of sensation; those that caused pain and those that didn't. She didn't dare think any further. Incomprehension was her only protection against the horrendous deeds inflicted on her weak body. That's enough, the voice commanded. It had been hours since the torture had first begun, but now it had finally come to an end. The blonde breathed out a ragged sigh of relief. Leave us. This message was meant for the guards who swiftly departed.

"Do you want to know who I am?" Glinda recognized the same tone as that of her tormentor, though it no longer resounded within her weary mind.

"It doesn't much matter now," the blonde whispered, trying to haul herself into a standing position.

"I think it does." Glinda's dim blue eyes flickered to the corner from where the words were coming.

"Tell me then," she challenged, ready to face whoever would emerge from the shadows. "Show yourself." Despite her arrogant assumptions Glinda was totally unprepared for the person that greeted her.

"Sweet Oz."

So who is Glinda's tormentor? I bet no one will guess…

Sorry for the dark torture scene but it was necessary (and come on I didn't exactly put much graphic description into it)…As always please let me know what you think…