(AN: [9.7.11] Originally posted as a one-off, I've decided to reinstate this portion as a full chapter of the story Another Journey.)
The Way Back
Many weeks had passed since the three had left the city of Minas Tirith on their voyage into the East. At the plains of Dagorlad, just east of the Dead Marshes, they found Elphaba's horse Nessarose, now free, who joined their company willingly.
After they passed the barren grasslands of the Dagorlad, the earth having long ago eaten up the dead there (though not in the Dead Marshes, the southern-most end of the Dagorlad), the land became grass-less and arid. It seemed that they were walking off into a desert that had no end.
On their first night in the desert of Rhovanion, the three Ozians had set up a small camp-fire in a dell that was somewhat protected from the wind and blowing sand. Nessa stood off to one side of their "camp", which was little more than two bed-rolls and their camp-fire. Elphaba sat on Fiyero's lap, while Glinda had her own bed-roll, closer to Nessarose. They were enjoying a little bit of their provisions which King Elessar had kindly given them. It was good, wholesome food, the best stuff they had had in many months.
Almost a year, in truth.
Fiyero was trying to get Elphaba to eat more.
"No, Yero. I'm fine." she said, for the tenth time.
"But you're too thin," he returned.
"He's right," Glinda added. "You looked like a skeleton when we rescued you from the Dark Tower. Besides, you're going to be a mother soon. You need to at least get your figure back."
Elphaba rolled her eyes, smiling, and conceded to Fiyero's request.
"So, where exactly are we going?" Fiyero asked Glinda.
"I'm not sure." she said. "The King gave me a map, but I can't make much of it."
"Mind if I take a look at it?" he asked.
She gave the leather map to Fiyero, who spread it out before the fire. Not too close that stray sparks could set it on fire, but close enough that it could be read in the darkness of the night that encroached about them.
"From what I see here," he said, after a few seconds of silence. "We found Nessa about here..." He pointed at a place where the 'Dead Marshes' became 'Dagorlad'. "It's been a week since then, so I'm guessing that we're probably..." His finger trailed from that location off into the middle of a big blank spot that was somewhere between Dagorlad and the mountains on the western shore of the Inland Sea of Rhun.
"I didn't know you were so good with maps, Yero." Elphaba said.
"I bet that's not the only thing you didn't know I was good at, Fae." he added with a smirk. She gave him a playful push.
Fiyero then gave out a deep sigh.
"I think I'll turn in for the night." he stretched himself out on the bed-roll that was actually two that served both Fiyero and Elphaba. Elphaba leaned down and began checking out the map, with Glinda at her side.
"So," the little blond said. "We're in the middle of nowhere-land Rhovanion, right?"
Elphaba nodded.
"How many more days until we reach the Sea?"
"Four days, I think." she said. "Two days to the mountains and another two to find a way across or around them."
Glinda nodded in understanding. She then saw Elphaba steal a glance southward, towards a line of distant mountains that, somewhere, far beyond the horizon, made a line of gray hills.
"I thought you were done with that Ring, Elphie." Glinda said.
"I am," she replied. "It's just...well, I've been thinking about what happened, that day on the Tower. He said that all evil comes to him, that I was just being a tool in his great scheme."
"Elphie..."
"What if he was right?" Elphaba asked. "In Oz, it was nothing but inaction. I ran from one problem to another, and when I disappeared, nothing changed. My life helped no one, nor did my 'death' do anything else."
"Elphie..."
"And then I come here and promise myself to do good, and what do I do? I end up walking into Mordor willingly, just being a pawn of evil."
"Elphie, stop saying that!" Glinda said a little sharply. "When you were unconscious, when we were in the Houses of Healing, I spoke a little with Gandalf and the King and the little Hobbits. They told me you were the greatest warrior they had in their army: they told me all about Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields. Elphie, to them, you're a hero."
"The Good Witch of the West." Elphaba said with sarcasm.
"Frungo said you kept Sauron's Eye away from Mount Doom when the Ring was destroyed." she added. "He didn't know anything until it was too late."
The little woman put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"See? You've done famously, Elphie. You should be proud of yourself."
The green woman smiled to her companion, though she did not feel very proud at the moment.
She was still pondering the penultimate words of the Dark Lord of Mordor.
"We could have ruled the worlds."
The journey through the desert was uneventful on the first day. But upon the second day, the land suddenly gave way, entering into what appeared to be a shallow canyon: more of a basin, a depression in the earth. Hither they went, carefully making their way down the slopes of the basin as slowly and safely as possible.
"Strange," Fiyero mused, once they had safely made their way down the walls of the basin. "This basin isn't on any of the maps I could find."
"I wonder why." Elphaba asked.
"Has nobody come this far?" Glinda asked.
"It is said the Blue Wizards came this way," Elphaba responded. "At least, that's what Gandalf told me."
"Did they ever come back?" was Fiyero's question.
"No."
An uneasy silence followed, as they stared across the eastern desert, which now seemed bleak and unfriendly: as if ready to swallow them up without a moment's notice or a second thought.
"We should go north-east now." Elphaba said at last.
"Why?"
"Just trust me."
The sun was not yet in the noon-day sky when the travelers saw a small group of mountains rising up out of the basin. Furthermore, the arid desert turned to a light scrub, similar to that upon the fields of Rohan. The hot, dry air, also became cooler and more moist.
"What did I tell you?" Elphaba said triumphantly.
All three of them then lept onto Nessa's back and took off towards the mountains.
They would be home before nightfall.
The day was now coming to an end. They reached the slopes of the nearest mountain, with the sounds of a giant lake splashing against the shore beyond. It was comforting to hear such a pleasant, peaceful sound after weeks of traveling through the desert.
"Now we need to find the gateway." Glinda said, as they started clambering up the side of the hill.
"Holler if you see anything." Fiyero suggested.
But there wasn't much in regards to gateways that was prevalent upon the surface. However, there was not one of them who thought that it would be otherwise.
"Hey!" Elphaba suddenly called out.
Fiyero and Glinda ran over to where Elphaba stood, Nessa standing behind her.
"Did you find it?" Glinda asked.
"Not exactly." was the response. "I found this cave." She indicated to a huge opening in the side of the cliff that stood before her. "It's magical, that's for sure. I can sense it: my magic is much closer here than usual."
"I feel it too." Glinda added.
Elphaba turned to look at her wee friend. "Since when have you been adept at magic?"
"Since I came here and saved Fifi from a fatal wound, Elphie." She sassed.
The green woman shook her head.
"So?" Fiyero asked at last. "Do we go in?"
It was somehow silently agreed among them all exactly what they would do.
The cave was just tall enough for Nessa to walk through unhindered. It was also just wide enough for all of them to walk roughly abreast with Nessa behind. They walked onward, through the deep, long cavern that soon engulfed them in darkness. The tunnel wound about, but it did not branch off in one direction, or split up or drop down or up. It was simply going forward.
Gradually they got the sensation that they were going downhill.
A soft, golden light was permeating from the end of the tunnel.
(AN: And THAT brings Another Journey to a semi-solid conclusion...oh, who am I kidding, its a cliffhanger if ever there was one! Maybe this will get you to reading The Witch's Saga. It's half-way decent, so maybe you should. lol)