"I'm loving your new plan Elphie!" Glinda squealed as she returned from a long day of do-gooding. "I feel like a fairy godmother, going around helping people." Elphaba chuckled at her friend's reaction.
"How'd it go?"
"I brought food to all the Animal communities that Morrible's trying to starve," the blonde informed her. "And I checked in on Munchkin Land. It's pretty bad there, another drought struck the Corn Basket." The green girl winced. Mention of Munchkin Land dredged up painful memories.
"I memorized a rain spell from the Grimmerie when I had it," Elphaba told her friend. "You can go use it tomorrow."
"I'm not powerful enough to do that," Glinda insisted. "Oz I can barely make a bubble without my wand! You've got to come too."
"Fine," the green girl huffed, returning to the well loved book she'd been reading.
"And by the way," the blonde chirped. "Why did you memorize rain spells instead of 'bring the Grimmerie back and destroy all your enemies' spells."
"I remembered the spells I used a lot," Elphaba shrugged. "And I don't think there is a 'bring back the Grimmerie and destroy all your enemies' spell."
"Well there should be," Glinda pouted.
***
Selky was eager to hear what Headmaster Jagged had to say. All Shiz's students had been summoned to the auditorium for an important announcement. Corusca had gone missing the night before when her roommate returned to find the Antelope's belongings just as she'd left them. "Students I am sorry to tell you that the witch struck Shiz last night," the headmaster said. "She took most of the Animal students, we can only guess as to why." Upon hearing this Selky's fist clenched so hard that her nails drew blood. "Good riddance," she heard Curyn sniff from the chair beside her. Before she could register what she was doing Selky's fist had connected with the strawberry blonde's face. There was a resounding crack and the dark haired girl was suddenly on the run. She shoved her way out of the auditorium and sprinted for the dormitories.
Selky threw a few clothes and her life's savings into a knapsack before heading out the door. With a look of grim determination the raven haired girl departed from the only home she had left to find the only family she had left. There was no way Selky could let the witch kill Corusca too.
***
"Elphie?" Glinda called. The green witch was seated on one of Kiamo Ko's many balconies, brow furrowed in thought. Suspended high above the moon spread thick silvery light across the world.
"Hey," Elphaba responded softly as her blonde friend took a seat. "Is something wrong?"
"No," the petite woman assured her. "When you didn't show up for dinner I figured you were either lost in a book or your own thoughts." The witch chuckled. "You seem to get lost a lot lately," Glinda observed.
"Sometimes I just need to think," Elphaba shrugged.
"I've got something for you," the blonde squealed excitedly, unable to hold in the delight any longer. She unfurled her fist to reveal a smooth black stone strung on a dainty silver chain.
"It's beautiful," the witch exclaimed.
"Put it on!" Glinda urged, bouncing with anticipation. Rolling her eyes the green girl complied. As soon as the necklace settled onto her skin an electric shock charged through Elphaba's veins. She gasped and fell to the ground, vision blurring. When her eyes flicked open the blonde witch was blinking curiously at her.
"Did you just give me an enchanted necklace?" the green girl demanded. Glinda opened her mouth to reply but she was cut off. "Did you use an untested charm on me? Do you know how much that…"
"Elphie!" the petite girl snapped. "Look at your hand." Scrunching her forehead in puzzlement the witch peered at her fingers and almost passed out. Elphaba's digits were the color of a ripe apricot.
"What…how?" the green girl stuttered in breathless shock. "How in Oz did you…?"
"With a lot of effort," Glinda answered her with a giddy giggle. "It's a simple charm, I'm not very good at magic, but as long as you're wearing the necklace it should keep you degreenified. Personally I think your emerald complexion is beautiful, but you were getting so upset about it that I had to do something." The formerly green witch pulled her friend into a hug as tears rippled down her joyous face.
***
"Fiyero!" Elphaba cried, flying into the living room. She threw herself into the surprised Winkie's lap. Brrr, Caya, and Boq stared with wide eyes. "Glinda enchanted this necklace," the witch explained, holding out the black stone. "As long as I'm wearing it I won't be green." Elphaba was surprised to see anger instead of excitement in Fiyero's eyes. He pressed his lips against hers and proceeded to rip the stone from around her neck. Her skin flashed back to its usual emerald hue. When the Winkie pulled away his eyes burned into Elphaba's.
"I love you exactly the way you are," he told her. "You are the most unique, beautiful, and radiant woman in the world. Do not turn yourself into such a hideously normal creature." A tiny spark of humor leaked from Fiyero's blue eyes as tears leaked from his wife's brown ones. The green girl kissed her husband again; it was an unbearably sweet kiss.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You're keeping the necklace though," Glinda insisted, somewhat put off that her gift had been so badly received. "It could come in handy." Elphaba shot her friend the 'don't interrupt this perfect moment' look and the blonde shut her mouth.
***
"Are you ready?" Glinda asked. She and the green girl were hovering in the famous magical bubble above Munchkin Land's drought stricken Corn Basket.
"Yes," Elphaba replied. "Don't forget to concentrate."
"I won't," the blonde insisted, closing her eyes and wrinkling her brow.
"Don't give yourself frown lines," the witch teased. Immediately Glinda's forehead relaxed. Taking deep breaths the two girls began to chant a rain spell in perfect rhythm. Soon sloppy drops of water began to pitter patter along the top of the bubble.
"Good work," the petite woman congratulated. Many feet below munchkins were emerging from their squat houses to investigate the odd rain that fell without a cloud in the sky. A little girl pointed upwards at the two hovering witches and, despite their hatred of the Wicked Witch, all of Munchkin Land's farmers were grateful.
***
"What did you do?" Fiyero demanded when his wife and her blonde friend arrived back at Kiamo Ko. Elphaba quirked a curious eyebrow, showing that she didn't understand his query. "You do realize that, despite the sunny weather, it's raining simultaneously over all of Oz."
"Is that a problem?" the green girl wondered. As far as she recalled this had been a dry year; Oz needed as much rain as it could get.
"There's no problem," the Winkie assured her. "I'm just wondering how you did it."
"We did it with mad skill," Glinda joked, brushing past Fiyero on her way to the overstuffed couch where she promptly flopped down. "I'm exhausted."
"Don't go to sleep yet," warned the former Captain of the Guard. "There's a small problem you need to hear about first."
"How small is small?" Elphaba inquired suspiciously.
"It's actually more of a very big problem," Caya clarified, arriving at the top of the staircase. "We had a visitor while you were gone."
"A visitor?" the blonde gulped.
"A teenager from Shiz," Boq elaborated from his place beside Glinda on the couch. "Chistery caught her trying to sneak into the castle."
"Where is she?" the green girl questioned.
"In my bedroom," the Tin Man sulked. "Brrr's guarding her because the door doesn't have a lock."
"Is there anything else we should know about this girl?" Glinda asked.
"No," Fiyero admitted. "She won't say much."
"I'll talk to her," Elphaba sighed. "Glinda where's that necklace?"