As it was asked, we are just over half way through this story based on word count, as the chapters are cut up as I go and they vary in length, I do not know how many chapters there will be exactly.
This chapter is on the short side. The next chapter will hopefully make up for this.
A low cawed made her heart jump. Startled, she almost fell out the door and back down the steps she had just climbed.
A hand to her chest, she breathed slowly and deeply in order to calm herself, before raising her eyes to the shadowed rafters and the many dark shapes that resided there.
Damnable crows.
Glinda scowled at them before turning her attention to the mess of a room.
Elphaba should not be staying there, it could not be healthy.
"What are you doing in here?"
Embarrassingly, she jumped at the voice, spotting Elphaba – The Witch in a 'corner' (as much as a circle could have a corner) of the room. Though really could she be blamed for being startled? Despite being so high up the room was awfully dark in places making it easy for The Witch and her dark clothes to blend in unseen.
"The door was unlocked." Something that was still a surprise to Glinda who admittedly had been almost certain it would, once again, be locked.
"Of course, how could I forget your habit of barging into places you have no place being?"
That brought back memories; the first time she had entered Elphaba's room, the thick document the woman had poured over sitting on her desk, the mountains of books all over.
Those images were swiftly followed by others coursing through her mind at a shockingly fast pace. Too quickly to be completely discerned, the emotions they invoked in her chest however, oh they were as clear as day, and intense in their impact upon her.
Her jaw tightened, her bottom lip wobbling for a moment as she visibly attempted to compose herself. If The Witch noticed, she said nothing, or perhaps she was too distracted by a strong gush of wind through the 'window' sending papers and Lurline knows what else flying about the room. The Witch cursed, not even bothering to lower her tone as she did so, pacing and gesturing vigorously in her fury.
Not that the additional mess truly made that much of a difference to the state of the room. In fact, Glinda was somewhat thankful for the broken window, the constant flow of air prevented the air from growing stagnant and heavy with the stench she was sure would permeate the air otherwise. Oh, how sad it was that this was what had become of Elphaba. It bore down heavily on her heart.
"How can you stay up here?" Glinda was honest in her concern, "Why does your servant boy not tidy up for you?"
The Witch's shoulders tensed; stark, sharp lines through the fabric of her threadbare dress.
"I suggest you leave before I throw you from the window."
Glinda sighed sadly, "You would never do that."
Whirling around The Witch snarled, her thin lips pressed into a tight line and eyes narrowed, "And what makes you so sure?"
Glinda's jaw tensed again, quickly enough that she caught the inside of her cheek doing so – not hard enough to cut the delicate skin, but enough to send a jolt of pain through her form. It sent her muscles jumping for an awkward second. Her own eyes narrowed back at The Witch, her natural stubbornness rearing up at the most inopportune time.
"Because beneath the bitterness and anger, you are still Elphaba."
The Witch gave a short, sharp burst of laughter, though much as before it lacked any genuine warmth or humour. It chilled Glinda far more than the weather possibly could.
"Elphaba, you can't stay here." Her anger fled as she found herself all out pleading now, spreading her arms to encompass as much of the room as she could, as if adding as much evidence to her words as she possibly could.
"I can stay wherever I please." The Witch replied haughtily, tilting her chin up as she did.
It was difficult for Glinda to try to hide her bubbling emotions, so much so that she visibly trembled with the effort. Her face felt icy, and to her horror she realised it was due to the tears that managed to slip from the corners of her eyes, the wind chilling the water tracks on her skin.
The Witch's lips curled down in distain, her eyes narrowing even further until her eyes were nothing but beady points.
"I am trying to help you!" Glinda stressed to no effect.
"I do not need any help."
"But you do!" She could feel tears rolling down her cheeks faster now. She had lost her point before, getting distracted by what she saw, she needed to focus on the meat of the matter. The most important fact. "There are people coming to hurt you, to kill you. You need to do something."
Unmoved by Glinda's words, The Witch barely reacted save from a slow blink, "And what do you suppose I do?"
"I – I don't know, but you must have some idea." Glinda felt some of the tension in her head fade, if only slightly, at the positive reaction. At the hope that she was finally getting through to the other woman.
It did not last for long.
"Give up my title to you?"
The vague hope that she was getting through to Elphaba wavered, beginning to fade rapidly.
"That is all you have been interested in. Pathetic."
Glinda's lips curled down, not with sorrow this time, but irritation, annoyance that she could not get through Elphaba's thick skull. How could someone so smart be so ridiculously closed minded?! So focused on one insignificant, ridiculous point?
Perhaps her decision to allow Elphaba to believe that she could and had claimed back the title of Eminent, when Glinda had not corrected her when she did so, was not the best decision she had ever made. What was it her Ama used to say, better late than never?
Pouring too much information into the situation could potentially make matters ever worse, but on the other hand The Witch did not believe her. She likely would never believe her, and even if she eventually did, it would surely be too much of a challenge to convince her of the truth, too much to get her to the point of believing her. Not to mention convincing her would likely take far too long, the assassins would no doubt be there before Glinda could manage that feat.
"You know you don't have the title, don't you."
The Witch's face twisted, clearly intent on arguing that point, not that Glinda was about to let her do so any time soon.
"I am the Eminent, and I have been doing my best to fix the situation in Munchkinland. I have been trying so hard Elphie, to make a difference. Doing something positive for everyone." Her tears had dried, but their residue and the cold left her face feeling taut, "The Wizard is using Munchkinland as a scapegoat. I have seen what he is doing to the public with my own eyes. Burning books, I don't know why. Attacking the public when they protest. You are a target now, have been for a while, but…"
Glinda paused, thinking over Ella's words, for she was the only one to really talk to her about the topic in detail. The realisation came to her like a bolt of lightning.
"They are shaping you in the public's eye as the villain. The Villain. He has sent those people to dispose of you, to make a show of power to the public – to show that he will protect them from 'evil'. While also being a message to those that dare to oppose him."
The skin between The Witch's eyebrows furrowed, but there was no other sign of physical reaction.
Glinda's chest heaved, her lips parting rapidly as she tried to suck in breath. The cold air did not help matters, seeming to land heavily in her lungs, shortening her breath further.
The Witch spoke after a while, her voice low and measured, "Leave."
Stepping forward Glinda shook her head, her eyes wide, "Elphie please!"
"Leave my room now."
There was some odd sense of relief at that, for The Witch was only asking her to leave the tower, not the castle.
There was still a chance.
There was not long left now, she had been there too long. The group would surely be there soon, likely in a week or so.
This might just be her last chance, if The Witch was going to stand by and welcome her death then the least Glinda could do – if not convince her – was to tell her. Tell her what the Elphaba she knew meant to her.
And maybe, in the end, that would be enough.
"You are damaged, I don't know what you have been through, and I doubt I ever truly will." It was a struggle to keep her eyes on The Witch's relentless gaze. Glinda had once believed that Elphaba's eyes were like a mirror, reflecting what Elphaba felt inside despite how stoic she maybe be behaving, or how stern her expression or words were. Now, it concerned rather than frightened her that she could see nothing of woman's feelings in her eyes.
Glinda's hands curled into fists at her sides, the bite of her nails something to ground herself with as she forced herself to continue, "I know that beneath the damage, the things you have experienced and the things that have been done to you; that the woman I love is still in there."
The Witch's impassive features twitched, just for a moment, but her eyes remained hard, cold. But it was something.
Glinda's hands were fidgeting, to still them she folded her fingers together before her. Trying to remain steady when all she wanted to do was fall to her bed, curled into herself and forget everything if only for a moment.
"Our time may have been short, Elphaba." She said, targeting her words at the woman beneath the madness. The person she came her for, "But it was the most meaningful, fulfilling relationship of my life, it always will be. And do you know what the sad thing is Elphie, that no matter what you say or what you do I will always love you." Glinda's grip on her own hands tightened, nails cutting into her skin as she struggled to keep her hands steady.
"Why else would I be here? Why would I willingly have to deal with all…" Glinda gestured with her gaze, not trusting her to release her
grip on her hands, "… all of this? Please Elphie, I know you're in there still. At least take heed of my words. Remember them. As I remembered yours."
The madness swirling in dark eyes, eyes that once were so caring beneath their hard sheen, was a constant. Glinda could not let it consume Elphaba, could not let the Witch take complete control. Elphaba was there, just beneath the surface, she could not let her fall any deeper then she already had. She had to pull her back up, help her break the surface any way that she could.
She couldn't wait for a response, couldn't bear to in case she failed.
A muscle in her jaw ticked painfully.
She released her hands, reaching for the pocket on the inside of her travelling cloak, curling her fingers around the small, solid object there.
It was a whim. All of it.
Glinda still did not believe it, for the figure had appeared chewed by an animal. Not a child, no child had teeth that sharp. Yet something about what Nanny said triggered the thought, and there it remained, niggling at the back of her mind.
She had retrieved the figure on a whim.
Had it made on a whim too.
Whether the damage was made by Elphaba or not, that did not matter, Glinda was certain the figure that Frex seemed to treasure was Elphaba's. And childish as it may be, she hoped it would bring back some strength to the other woman, after all it could very well be her last gift to her. Her last chance to help clear the madness in Elphaba's eyes if only for a moment.
Elphaba watched her movements wearily, as if she suspected Glinda was about to draw a weapon rather than a gift.
She presented the small figure resting on her open palm, her gaze focused on the carefully carved bird and there she forced it to remain, even when the scratching of the very really birds above her grew louder.
Her breathing also appeared to be louder, while the wind outside seemed so much
It seemed an age before she saw Elphaba's fingers close around the figure.
As soon as they had, Glinda turned on her heel, heading straight to the door.
She did, however, spare one last glance over her shoulder, something she had not intended to do, and in fact had not realised she had done until she was already looking behind her. Elphaba's back was facing the door, her head bowed and her hands appeared to be cupped before her.
Glinda hoped that was a good sign.
