A/N: Um… hi everyone! Remember this story? .: complete and utter silence; cricket chirps :. .: sigh :. I figured as much. Once again, I can only offer the usual trite excuses of work, school, and life in general for my unacceptable lack of updating.
Okay, guys, this chapter is where things start to get ugly. And just to warn you, they're only going to get worse before they get better. I can't decide whether it's pathetic or merely amusing that I can't commence large-scale character torture without at least a little bit of fluff beforehand to appease my protesting conscience. But it's the last chance I'm going to have to write any for a long time, so I couldn't pass it up!
I managed to sneak in quotes from both the Wizard of Oz movie and Aida. The two WoO ones are pretty obvious, but whoever finds the Aida reference and tells me in their review or a PM gets the virtual dessert of their choice and a special mention in my next A/N, just for knowing Aida well enough to find the quote. (And if you care to mention the WoO ones too, go right ahead!) There's no limit to the number of people who can win, so happy hunting!
Disclaimer: I'm only borrowing the characters to play with for the entertainment of myself and my readership. I'll put them back relatively unscathed when I'm finished… maybe… .: shifty eyes :.
One afternoon a few days after Fiyero had found her up in her hideaway at the top of the mountain, Elphaba was taking a short break after a rather stressful morning full of work. She had just finished finalizing plans for another trip to Munchkinland later in the week. With the Governor dead and no heir to speak of, no one was quite sure what was going to be done regarding the leadership of the province, and she wanted to make certain that as many Animals as possible got out while they could, just in case whoever came to power next shared the Wizard's feelings about the sentient Beasts. Now the last details of the trip had been taken care of, and she was lounging outside beneath her favorite shade tree, determined to relax for a few minutes. With nothing else to do, her mind automatically wandered to the topic that had been occupying it during all her free moments recently, a topic that had nothing whatsoever to do with traveling or rescuing Animals.
Elphaba had never had occasion before to observe anyone who was truly in love, so she had no way to tell if what she was feeling was normal for someone in such a state. The way she couldn't seem to stop thinking about Fiyero, the way the mere sight of him was enough to bring a smile to her face, the way she wanted to spend every single moment with him, the way she somehow knew without a doubt that she could trust him completely, that he would never hurt her… it was all uncharted territory to her, and quite frankly, it was more than a little intimidating. She had never had any experiences that could have prepared her for something as enormous, as life-changing as this.
It wasn't the naive, infatuated sort of love that Glinda had giggled and blushed over back at Shiz. It didn't have the frenetic pace or tumultuous ups and downs of a college romance, for which she was exceedingly grateful. No, this was something far stronger and deeper, much calmer and more complex. Neither of them felt any need to rush things between them; they were both content to let their relationship progress at its own pace. Now that they were finally together, she wanted to slow down and take the time to savor every moment, and Fiyero seemed to feel the same way.
Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought that being in love would be so amazing, so… fulfilling. Being with him was like rediscovering a lost part of herself that she hadn't even realized she was missing. She had never known anything like the overwhelming sense of safety, of belonging, that she had found in his arms. After only a few days, he was already so much a part of her that she knew with astonishing certainty there could never be anyone else for her. She certainly didn't claim to know anything about love, but she did know that what she felt for him was the truest, most absolutely beautiful thing she'd ever experienced.
Her thoughts were interrupted when someone observed from above her, "You've got that 'thinking' look again." She looked up to see Fiyero standing there watching her.
" 'Thinking look'?" she echoed, raising an eyebrow. "My dear, how would you of all people possibly recognize such a thing?"
"Well, I may not use it much myself," he conceded with a chuckle. "But I know your thinking look. What's on your mind?"
"Do you really have to ask?" wondered Elphaba with a smile, reaching for his hand and tugging him down to sit next to her so she could cuddle against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed a loving kiss against his cheek.
Returning her smile with one of his own, he pulled her into his arms and bowed his head to find her lips with his. "No. But I like to hear you say it. And besides, you know me. Sometimes I need things explained."
She laughed out loud at that. "Pleading ignorance as an excuse won't work, my sweet," she informed him cheerfully. "I can see straight through that in a clock-tick. You're only trying to trick me into telling you yet again how amazing you are and how glad I am to have you here with me."
"Guilty as charged," he admitted with a grin. "But you can't blame me for trying."
"I suppose not. But haven't you ever heard that actions speak louder than words?" She shot him a sly look as she continued, "Although I suppose some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?"
Fiyero laughed, and clutched his chest dramatically as though her words had wounded him. "I think I've just been doubly insulted!" he exclaimed in greatly-overacted dismay.
"Well, there may be hope for you yet – at least you noticed," she smirked, earning herself a mock-offended look. "But it was very wicked of me. However can I make it up to you, my sweet?"
"Oh, I might be able to think of something…"
"Such as…?"
"Hmm, I don't know… maybe something like this." He pulled her closer, then leaned down and kissed her thoroughly.
"Mmm… apology accepted?" she asked rather breathlessly when they eased apart several decidedly long moments later.
Fiyero brushed his lips against her cheek and grinned down at her. "Well, it's a start."
Any more 'apologizing' that Elphaba might have been inclined to do was put on hold as Midnight the Cat came rushing up, the Foxes Grace and Fly right on her heels. All three of the Animals were panting heavily, as though they had just run a long distance, and their eyes were wide with fear.
"What's the matter, you three?" Elphaba asked, pulling away from Fiyero. "What's going on?"
"There's a whole army of the Wizard's soldiers headed right for us!" reported Midnight anxiously.
"They've gotten through all the barriers and traps!" Fly added in despair.
The green girl sat up straighter. "All of them?" she frowned. "That's impossible. No one could make it through the spells I cast around this place."
Grace swallowed hard. "Unless they knew the counter-spells."
"Unless they knew the…" Elphaba stiffened at the implication of the Fox's words. Closing her eyes, she quickly focused her mind on the magical barriers she had put up, reaching out with her powers to see if they were still intact. To her shock and dismay, she found that the three Animals had been absolutely correct. She could sense no trace of the spells she had cast to protect the Animal hideout. In their place were remnants of a different magic that had undone them, a magic that felt uncomfortably familiar, but that she couldn't quite place.
Her eyes flew open and she was on her feet in an instant, muttering a curse under her breath. Turning to the three Animals, she directed, "All right, you all know what to do. Go and warn everyone. Hurry!" They ran off at once to obey her. The moment they were gone, she began to pace furiously. "How in Oz could this have happened?" she demanded of no one in particular.
Beside her, Fiyero had also gotten to his feet. "How isn't important right now," he told her matter-of-factly. "We can worry about that later. What's important is getting ready to defend ourselves against those soldiers."
She was rather startled and more than a little annoyed by his apparent calm, until she remembered that he had been Captain of the Guard. It surprised her to discover how easily and how willingly she had relegated that fact to the back of her mind. But now she was grateful for it. She couldn't think of anyone better to have at her side in a situation like this. "You're right," she conceded. "It won't do us any good to ask questions if we get ourselves killed before we can answer them."
"What can I do to help?"
"Go find Braeyn and Saryan and the others. They'll be able to tell you what needs to be done. I've got some things to see to here first, and then I'll be there."
"All right." He pulled her close and held her. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. You'll see."
Elphaba nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding her face in his shoulder for a moment to gather her strength. "Be careful, understand?"
"Of course," he assured her. "And don't you go doing anything stupid, either."
"I think that's your area of expertise, my sweet," she pointed out with a faint smile. "But I'll do my best." They shared one last kiss, and then she gently but firmly pushed him away. "Go on. The Animals will need all the advice you can give them about the Wizard's guards before they get here."
Fiyero nodded his assent, and after reaching out to touch her face one last time, he set off quickly in the direction that Midnight, Grace, and Fly had disappeared. Elphaba watched him go, trying to ignore the awful sinking feeling she had that if she let herself be separated from him now, she would never see him again. But after a few moments, she shook off her dread as best she could. She couldn't afford to panic now, not when there was nothing yet to panic about. Nodding firmly to herself, she turned and hurried into the cabin to collect her broom, hat, cape, and satchel. I'll show those blasted soldiers just who they're dealing with, she thought grimly. Let them try to tangle with me, and they'll see what happens!
A short time later, Elphaba stood with the others at the edge of the camp, ready to make their stand. All their preparations were complete; all that was left to do now was wait for the soldiers to arrive. And as it turned out, they weren't kept in suspense for very long. Soon they could make out the sound of many booted feet marching closer and closer. It was followed a minute later by the appearance of the soldiers of whom Grace, Fly, and Midnight had warned them. They were certainly intimidating. But it was not the sight of the guards that made Elphaba pale in shock. Striding along at the head of the troops was none other than Glinda the Good herself.
In another moment, the two armies were facing each other, lined up behind their respective leaders. Glinda and Elphaba came face-to-face for the first time since the scene of Nessa's death. And the green girl began to think that perhaps, by refusing to forgive her friend that day, she had allowed things to go a step too far.
For a long minute, everything seemed to stop as the two witches stood staring at each other. No one on either side moved. Even the wind seemed to die, and an eerie, almost otherworldly silence fell for a few seconds as the two groups stood poised precariously on the edge of battle. Finally, her eyes never leaving Elphaba's face, Glinda made a motion with her hand, signaling the men gathered behind her to charge. The guards surged forward, and all hell broke loose.
It was over in less time than Elphaba would have thought possible. The Animals had infinitely more to lose than the Wizard's troops, and so they had the advantage of fighting with the desperate fervor of those who are defending the only thing they have – their freedom. But they were grossly outnumbered, and even if the numbers had been more equal, they would never have stood a chance against the guards' superior weaponry. She incapacitated as many of the soldiers as she could with her magic (whether they were dead or simply knocked out she didn't know and didn't care), along with several others who were foolish enough to come within range of the handle of her broom, but for every man she felled, three more seemed to spring up out of nowhere to take his place. Still, she somehow managed to protect herself and anyone around her who she could see was in trouble.
But she could not be everywhere at once, and although they put up a heroic fight, the Animals were gradually overcome. Their screams and roars blended with the shouts of the soldiers into a deafening cacophony as it became clear that all their best efforts had been in vain. Elphaba didn't know which was worse – the horrible chaos of noise, or the way it slowly died off as, one by one, the Animals were killed or captured.
Eventually the battle seemed to be coming to an end. As the adrenaline finally began to wear off and she became aware of her surroundings again, she realized there were no more soldiers around that she could see, and only faint noises coming from elsewhere in the camp. Glinda seemed to have disappeared, and she saw no sign of Fiyero anywhere, either. She found herself alone, or very nearly so, surrounded on all sides by the inert bodies of the guards she had magicked (and the ones she had hit) and many dead and dying Animals. She gaped in horror at the carnage around her, her heart wrenching as she saw the Beasts she had helped, who had been her only friends for so long, strewn all over the ground as though they were nothing but garbage.
She had promised them all that she would protect them, that she would never let them be hurt by the Wizard or anyone working for him. And they had believed her. They had trusted her. And just look where it had gotten them. Yet more proof, as if she had needed it, that she brought nothing but destruction and death to those she cared about the most. The guilt was nearly too much to bear.
Suddenly a low moan issued from somewhere nearby. Elphaba scanned the macabre scene until she pinpointed the source of the noise, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle a cry of dismay when she realized that it had come from none other than Braeyn. The Bear was curled on her side, groaning softly, her golden eyes nearly shut and glazed with pain. Her shaggy fur was matted with blood, and the sticky liquid still streamed from several ugly wounds in various places on her body.
Fighting down the urge to panic, Elphaba rushed to kneel beside her friend. "Braeyn? Braeyn, can you hear me?" she asked, laying a hand on the broad forehead.
At the sound of her voice, the Bear managed to open her eyes a bit wider. "Ah… little witch… is that you? Everything is… so dark… I can't… see you clearly."
"Yes, Braeyn, it's me," Elphaba confirmed.
"Are you… all right? You weren't… hurt, were you?"
"No, I'm not hurt. I'm fine. But you shouldn't be worrying about me right now. You're hurt, and badly, too, from the looks of it."
"Thank you… child… I hadn't… noticed."
Elphaba smiled through the tears that were gathering in her eyes. Even mortally injured, her friend couldn't resist a sarcastic remark. "I might be able to do something to help you. Here, just lie still…"
But the Bear cut her off with a quiet growl. "Do not… waste your power… trying to help me… little witch. It will… do no good."
"But Braeyn – "
"No. I'm… too badly injured. Nothing… you can do… can save me now."
"I am not going to just let you die!" protested Elphaba vehemently.
"Who are you… to decide… who lives… and who dies?" Braeyn demanded, quite severely for the condition she was in.
Properly chastened, Elphaba swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. "Well, then, at least let me do something to help you feel better."
"I suppose… I can allow… that much," the Bear acquiesced rather grudgingly.
Elphaba nodded. "All right. Just relax, this will only take a clock-tick." Laying both hands on Braeyn's chest, she bowed her head, closed her eyes, and began to chant a spell for the relief of pain that she had learned years before.
After a few moments, Braeyn's labored breathing seemed to ease somewhat, and she was able to open her eyes more. "That's much better," she murmured. "Thank you, child."
"You're more than welcome." The green girl paused for a moment before continuing, her voice laden with guilt, "Oh, Braeyn, I'm so, so sorry… this is all my fault…"
The Bear frowned at her. "What in Oz's name are you talking about?"
"If you hadn't been involved with me, none of this would have happened. You wouldn't be…" The green girl couldn't bring herself to complete the sentence.
"Elphaba, stop that," Braeyn ordered, shaking her head. "You know as well as I do that if it hadn't been for you, those soldiers would have killed my cubs that day. And it's been my privilege getting to know you since then."
"No, my friend. The privilege has been mine," contradicted Elphaba. She was having to fight desperately now to keep her tears at bay. "Braeyn, please… I'm sure there's some way I can heal you… if you'll just let me try and –"
But Braeyn cut her off. "I already told you, child, I'm too far gone. I appreciate the thought, but no amount of magic will do me any good now."
"Don't talk like that, Braeyn. Please."
"Elphaba, it's no use denying the truth." Braeyn shifted slightly, and although she did not feel any pain, it was clear that what little life she had left was quickly ebbing away. "I'll always be grateful for everything you've done for me."
"Shh. I know that," Elphaba assured her, managing a small smile for her friend's sake. "You don't need to thank me. Rest now."
The Bear closed her eyes, and was still for a few moments. Then the shallow but steady rise and fall of her chest ceased, her body went limp, and she was gone. Elphaba bowed her head and finally let the flood of tears come.
She was so immersed in her grief that she didn't register the sound of approaching footsteps until rough hands seized her by the shoulders. Shocked rudely back into the present moment, she looked up to find herself surrounded by some of the Wizard's guards. Having realized too late the danger she was in, she twisted and struggled, trying to free herself of their grasps, but to no avail.
"Well, well, well," a familiar female voice intoned from behind her, sounding quite pleased with the situation. She froze. "So the Wicked Witch of the West has finally been well and truly captured. You see, gentlemen, she's not as powerful as she'd like everyone to think." This gave rise to murmurs of realization and smug superiority among the soldiers, which were allowed to continue for a few moments before being cut off by an order. "Bring her to me."
Elphaba was hauled unceremoniously to her feet, spun around, and prodded forward until she stood in front of the woman who had spoken. "Glinda, I understand you're upset with me," she said through gritted teeth, doing her best to keep control of her emotions. "But was it really necessary to take it out on them?" She gestured with a nod to the bodies of the Animals that were strewn about.
The blonde considered this for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes. Yes, it was." Then she leaned closer to Elphaba and lowered her voice so only the green girl could hear her as she continued, "You took away everything that ever mattered to me. It was only right that I returned the favor."
Elphaba winced at the words, but quickly recovered her composure and narrowed her eyes. "Is that what this was all about? Well, you're a little late, then. I'm afraid the Wizard and Madam Morrible accomplished that several years ago."
At the mention of the press secretary's name, a strange expression flashed across Glinda's face for an instant. She opened her mouth to speak. But before she could get a word out, she was suddenly interrupted as a new voice joined the conversation.
"Let her go!" Both witches turned in surprise to see Fiyero, an expression of grim determination on his face, aiming a rifle (probably acquired from one of the soldiers who had been killed during the battle) at the two guards who were holding Elphaba.
"Fiyero, what in Oz…?" she demanded. She really did appreciate him coming to her rescue, but she couldn't help wondering what could possibly have possessed him to make him do something so utterly brainless. Didn't he see that threatening the guards was only going to make the situation worse?
But apparently he hadn't yet proven his complete lack of common sense effectively enough. "Let her go," he repeated. Then, without warning, he swung the barrel of the gun around so it was pointing at the blonde in front of her. "Or explain to all of Oz how the Wizard's guards watched while Glinda the Good was slain."
Glinda's eyes went wide, and she froze. This had obviously not been part of her plan. "You wouldn't dare," she hissed. But she sounded uncertain.
"I said, let her go," Fiyero commanded yet again, his voice dropping slightly in volume, but increasing in intensity. The guards holding her looked at each other dubiously, but in the end they had no choice. It would mean certain death for them if they allowed any harm to come to Oz's most beloved public figure. They released their grips on Elphaba's arms with no small degree of reluctance, and she quickly stepped away from them. Fiyero reached down and picked up her broom from where she had left it on the ground next to Braeyn's body, then tossed it to her. "Elphaba, go. Now."
"No. Not without you," she insisted, giving him a beseeching look. What happened to being careful?!? she wanted to scream at him. But she held her tongue for the moment. There would be plenty of time to scold him later… she hoped.
"I'll be all right," he assured her. "Now hurry and get out of here." When she still hesitated, he took a step closer to her, his blue eyes burning into hers. "Do it!"
It was the closest she had ever heard him come to pleading, and the desperation in his voice was too much for her. Even though everything in her was rebelling violently against the thought of leaving him there in harm's way, she found that she was incapable of doing anything except obeying him. She nodded quickly, giving in. Then, with one last glance at him over her shoulder, she stumbled away towards safety, already knowing deep down that abandoning him had been a terrible mistake.
She did not go far, choosing instead to simply get out of sight and then double back secretly. She had to see what was going to happen. And she could not, would not, leave Fiyero on his own to defend himself against those soldiers. He still had his rifle trained on Glinda, obviously trying to give Elphaba time to get away. After all, the guards couldn't follow her if doing so meant risking the blonde's life. But sooner or later he was going to have to put it down. And when he did, the green girl knew that the soldiers would lose no time in taking him into custody for threatening Glinda.
And sure enough, that was exactly what happened. The instant Fiyero lowered his gun, two of the guards grabbed him roughly, tied his hands behind his back, and shoved him to his knees in front of Glinda, who was watching with an expression of frigid disinterest. "What shall we do with him for endangering you, Your Goodness?" one of them asked.
"Oh, rubbish. I was never in any danger," the blonde scoffed. "We'll bring him back to the Emerald City with us; we can decide a suitable punishment for him there. We have more important things to deal with at the moment. The Witch is still out there somewhere. We are not leaving until we find her and are certain that she can't escape."
"With all due respect, Your Goodness," another of the guards piped up rather reluctantly, "this place is quite large. She could be anywhere. It would be a waste of our time, and yours, for us to go off hunting for her when we don't even know where to start looking."
Glinda gave the guard who had spoken an icy glare, and seemed about to snap at him for questioning her orders. But then she appeared to reconsider. "A waste of time, you say?" she queried, sounding thoughtful. "Maybe you're right. It does seem rather foolish to go out looking for something when we don't even know where to begin." Then her gaze fell on Fiyero, and her lips curved upward into a smile that made Elphaba's stomach twist in dread of whatever was coming next. "But luckily for us, we won't have to do that."
"What do you mean, Your Goodness?" wondered a third soldier.
"I mean, we have all the information we need right here." The blonde stepped forward and laid a hand on Fiyero's shoulder. "He knows the Witch very well, I should think. I'm sure he has at least an idea of where she will have gone." By now, the guards were beginning to catch on to her train of thought, and they began to murmur in understanding and anticipation. Still wearing the disconcerting smile, Glinda caught her former fiancé by the chin and tilted his head back, forcing him to look up at her, as she directed, "Take him away and get it out of him. By any means necessary."
The soldiers needed no further urging. They dragged Fiyero to his feet and marched him away, and Elphaba nearly had to physically hold herself in place to keep from rushing after them. She remembered all too well her experience in the palace dungeon the day she had snuck in to set the winged monkeys free. And she could only assume that he was bound for a similar fate, if not a worse one. He would die sooner than betray her, that much she was certain of. But the thought of him being tortured and probably killed because of her was too much for her to bear. She refused to leave the person she loved most in the world in danger, especially when said danger had all come about because of her. But what could she possibly do to save him?...
Then an idea came to her. Its success was by no means guaranteed. It was incredibly dangerous. It was a long shot at best. But it was all she could think of at the moment. She knelt down, dug into her satchel and pulled out the Grimmerie, laying it on the ground in front of her to spread it open fully. Using all the willpower she possessed to fight down her rising panic, she turned the pages as quickly as she could, looking for anything she could possibly use to help Fiyero.
At last, near the back of the ancient book, she came across a spell that seemed to offer the hope she so desperately needed. She closed her eyes for just a moment to gather her powers. "I know you did it to protect me, my sweet," she whispered, as though Fiyero could somehow hear her, "but please don't ask me to face the thought of life without you. I can't do it. I just can't." Then she opened her eyes once more. Focusing on the words on the page in front of her, she began to chant. "Eleka nahmen nahmen atum atum eleka nahmen…"
Finally she finished casting the spell. The last syllable rolled off her tongue, and she relaxed her intense concentration, allowing the energy she had collected to dissipate. Knowing that she had done all she could, and hoping desperately that it would be enough, Elphaba closed the Grimmerie and slid it back into her satchel. Then she got to her feet, ready to slink away and disappear again. But she hadn't gotten more than a short distance when a voice suddenly spoke from behind her.
"Going so soon? I wouldn't hear of it. Why, my little party's just beginning!"
The green girl froze in her tracks and turned slowly to face the person who had called out to her. Standing there, a very unpleasant and extremely disconcerting grin of triumph on her face, was Glinda.
.: grins :. I told you that you shouldn't be making any assumptions about Fiyero not becoming the Scarecrow. And if you all are ready to kill me for this cliffhanger, just wait until you read the next chapter. .: more grinning :.
