First of all, I want to wish all of you a very merry Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/whatever holiday you choose to insert here. I myself have thoroughly enjoyed my holiday at the end of my first semester of college. Somehow, I survived finals week, and as celebration, began this chapter. Then it started to fall apart. However, with the help of my two wonderful betas, HCO and Tiggy, I managed to push through. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to push that humongous button down there. Love to all of you.
Fiyero tried to keep a frown off his face as he waited with Glinda for the Gale Force to come to the Emerald City. He glanced over at Glinda and sighed when he saw the worry and tears just under the surface of her eyes.
"It'll be okay, Glinda," he said quietly as he tried to smile.
"You're lying to me," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "Not surprising, really."
"Glinda, please," he told her. "Not now."
She just shook her head and turned to look for Boq. She smiled slightly when she saw his shining body.
"I was worried that you weren't coming," she said as he walked up to her.
"And miss this?" he asked with a huge grin. "Not for the world."
"Of course," she whispered, her face falling.
She had forgotten about his feelings for Elphaba, and she wished there was a way for her to change his mind. She needed him, but everything he did just drove her away. As she looked back up and over the balcony's railing, she saw the Gale Force enter the city. She squinted her eyes as she tried to spot Elphaba in the midst of all the green uniforms, and she forced a bright smile on her face. The people gathered in the streets started cheering when they spotted the green woman. Glinda watched as the Gale Force marched solemnly towards the palace, Gabriel in the center of their formation leading Elphaba by the chains on her wrists. Elphaba stumbled slightly as they walked, and the citizens started jeering, a few throwing bottles and rotten fruit in her direction. Elphaba didn't flinch away, but Gabriel pulled her closer and motioned for the soldiers to continue on to the palace. As they reached the steps, Glinda raised her hands in the air and the crowd began to quiet down.
"My good Ozians, today is a joyful day," Glinda said, mustering as much happiness as she could into her voice. "The Wicked Witch of the West has been captured, and she will be brought to justice for her crimes. There has been much terror during this time, and now we can proceed forward to ending this drought in peace."
Glinda stepped back from the railing and motioned for Fiyero and Boq to follow her as she retired to the palace. She could still hear the people's cheers as she hurried to reach the dungeons before the soldiers managed to get Elphaba there. When they reached the dank cells, Glinda stopped running as she saw Gabriel put Elphaba into a cell and lock the door carefully.
"Two of you need to stand guard at all times, and two more need to be at the end of the hall," Gabriel instructed. "You will serve eight hour shifts."
"Gabriel, if I may interrogate the Witch?" Glinda asked quietly as she walked over to him.
Gabriel gave her an obliging smile and handed the key to her, "Of course, my lady. Do you wish for my men to stay?"
"No. If you would not mind staying behind, I believe I will be fine," she replied, her voice shaking.
Nodding his head, Gabriel dismissed the soldiers with motion of his hand before Glinda unlocked the door, her hands shaking with worry. She rushed in the door and pulled Elphaba into her arms.
"Oh, Elphie, I've been so worried," Glinda told her as she looked Elphaba over. "You look…tired."
"Glinda, both of us know you should have said 'awful'," Elphaba said with a soft laugh. "Two days of straight travel can do that to you. Anyway, you shouldn't have been worried. I've had worse happen to me."
"Still, those farmers almost did kill you," Glinda replied softly. "Elphie, Gabriel told me about the Monkeys. I wish there was something I could do."
"I know you can't do anything," Elphaba told her with a soft smile. "I just would rather not talk about it."
"But, what are you going to do now?" Glinda asked, a confused look on her face. "I mean, you're here, but what can you do?"
Elphaba looked away as she bit her lip, "Well, I really don't want to tell you. You won't like it."
"I'm not going to execute you!" Glinda shouted as she realized what Elphaba was implying.
Elphaba gave her a sharp look as she peered over Glinda's shoulder to make sure no one had heard her, "Glinda, I didn't say that was what I wanted. Oz, it's not that bad. You need to trust me."
"But, I don't understand what you're doing," Glinda protested, unable to keep her lips from forming into a small pout.
"It's not important for you to know," Elphaba replied. "Tell me about Boq."
"What about him?" Glinda asked.
"I just noticed him with you on the balcony along with Fiyero," Elphaba said carelessly. "I'm just curious to how they both came to be with you."
"Well, I actually sent the Gale Force out to find Fiyero. I didn't know at the time that he and the Scarecrow were one and the same. I also told them to bring the Tinman as well if they found him," Glinda said quietly.
"And, why this sudden interest in Fiyero when he was supposed to be dead?" Elphaba prodded, her brows furrowing.
Glinda shook her head, "It's not what you think, Elphie. I was reading some records of his death, and there was never a mention of the recovery of his body. I just wanted to make sure that his body was not left to rot, or if he was alive, that I could help him, or something. Boq, well, he was a surprise. I didn't know that he was the Tinman. I've told him that I'll try to find a way to change him back, and I was hoping that you might find the right spell."
Elphaba leaned against the cold wall and said, "I'm sorry, Glinda. If I could change him back, I would. But, I have no earthly idea of what can be done."
"And, Fiyero?" Glinda asked.
Sighing, Elphaba shook her head, "No. I've looked everywhere, Glinda. Sometimes, I can't help but think there is something I'm missing. But, I can't give up."
"He still loves you," Glinda said quietly. "He thought he was doing what was best for you."
"Well, he was wrong," Elphaba spat bitterly. She took a deep breath and looked up at Glinda, "I think I would rather not talk about him either."
Glinda nodded her head, "I understand. I have to go, Elphie. The guards will bring you meals twice a day, and I'll try to come see you when I can. I have to travel to Munchkinland in order to assess the need for a new governor. I have to find a replacement soon or the government will cease to exist."
Elphaba smiled wanly, "All right. Just be careful, Glinda. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine," Glinda replied with an encouraging smile.
Turning away, Glinda walked out of the cell and nodded to Gabriel. He sighed and locked the door.
"Will that be all, my lady?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you," she replied quietly before continuing down the hall.
As she left, two guards wandered back down the hall and took their posts beside the cell door. Gabriel nodded at them and walked away. Fiyero sighed as he watched the guards standing in the middle of the hallway. He wanted to go see Elphaba, but he knew it would be too dangerous. Slowly, he walked away before he noticed Boq still standing at the end of the hallway.
"Boq, are you coming?" Fiyero asked impatiently.
Boq turned and gave him a half-hearted grin, "Yeah. I was just thinking."
Fiyero just shrugged his shoulders and kept walking as Boq hurried to catch up with him.
"Are you going with Glinda to Munchkinland tomorrow?" Boq asked as they ascended the stairs quickly.
"Yes. I also have some business to take care of while we are gone," Fiyero replied quietly as he studied the floor.
"Well, I think I'll retire to my room," Boq said quickly before taking off down the hallway.
Fiyero frowned as he watched Boq turn the corner, but he just shrugged and wandered to the library. He was in need of a distraction since his feet seemed determined to turn back towards the dungeon. Sighing, he walked into the expansive room and pulled a random book off the nearest shelf before collapsing into a chair.
Boq paced the floor of his room in agitation, but stopped when he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," he called, rubbing his eyes wearily.
Glinda moved delicately into the room, the sunlight streaming through the open window illuminating her golden curls.
Boq smiled, "Glinda. I wasn't expecting to see you. I thought you had...business."
She just shook her head, "No. Fiyero insisted that I take the rest of the day off."
"Oh," Boq said quietly.
"Boq, it's not what you think," she told him. "Fiyero is just a very good friend."
"You just spend a lot of time with him," Boq grumbled. "I think you trust him more than me."
Glinda just moved to the window and remarked, "I didn't realize what an excellent view you have!"
"Glinda, you don't have to keep things from me," he continued insistently.
"Boq, please believe me when I tell you that there is nothing I want more than to tell you everything. But, I can't. Not yet, at least. Just be patient with me," she replied with a small sigh.
"I'm sorry, Glinda," he said, his sad eyes boring into her.
She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze before saying quickly, "I had better go."
She brushed past him as she left the room, and he shuddered at the motion against his hard body. His face crumbled as soon as she was gone. He knew her perfume was lingering in the air. He had watched her shoulder move against his chest, her curls bouncing. But, he hadn't felt her; couldn't smell the perfume he remembered from her days at Shiz. He started beating the nearby wall, but the unforgiving stone refused to yield to his anger. He needed to find something to ease his pain, his rage.
Elphaba curled up on the small cot in her cell and pulled her blanket tighter around her body. It had been a long, sleepless night due to the penetrating cold of her surroundings. She sighed and rolled over, ignoring the food the guard had slid into the small cell that morning.
The guards outside the cell had slumped to the floor and were busily inspecting their weapons when they heard a slight squeaking approach them. They looked up to see Boq standing over them.
"Can we help you, sir?" one of the guards asked as he stood up.
"I am to interrogate the Witch," Boq replied. "Give me the key to her cell, and you will be excused while I work."
"We're not supposed to let anyone in here," the guard shot back as his companion sighed with boredom.
Boq flexed his hand, and the guard saw the menacing whip clutched in the metal fingers.
"Let's just let him in. We'll come back in an hour," the other guard said as he pulled the ring of keys out.
Boq smiled as they left and carefully unlocked the door before stepping inside. At the sound of the door opening, Elphaba opened her eyes, her spine stiffening with fear. Suddenly, a cold, hard hand grasped her hair at the roots, and she cried out in pain as she was dragged off the cot. She looked up and her eyes widened at the sight of Boq standing over her.
"What are you doing?" she asked as he chained her hands to the wall with the rusty manacles that had hung there useless for years.
He ignored her and simply pulled on the back of her dress until it ripped open to her waist. She shivered as the cold air hit her skin and hunched her shoulders. Slowly, he raised his arm and allowed the whip in his hand to uncoil before whipping it forward and across her exposed skin. Her back arched and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. She clutched her hands into fists until her knuckles went white as he dragged the whip across her back again and again. She could feel her blood oozing out of the fresh wounds as he flayed even more skin open.
Boq snarled with his anger as he whipped her tirelessly. The pressure of all his rage, confusion, desperate love, and guilt had finally made something in him snap, and he could no longer control anything he did. He wanted to stop, but he needed to see her suffer. To know that he could cause some emotion, some feeling in at least one person. Slowly, his momentum slowed, and he could hardly stand to look at her anymore, to see the open wounds that he had caused.
He suddenly unchained her wrists and she fell to the ground in a heap, unable to move. Boq shuddered as he looked down at her before he dropped the whip and walked out of the cell, leaving the keys outside the door. She tried to move so that her wounds did not touch the ground, but the burning pain that shot through her made her utter a strangled cry. Slowly, she felt herself slipping out of consciousness.
"Remind me to never travel with you again unless you're taking a carriage," Fiyero groaned as Glinda set her bubble down onto a balcony of the palace.
"You've said that several times already," she said with a smile as the bubble disappeared into the air around them. "I don't see what is wrong with it. It's perfectly safe."
"That's in the eye of the beholder," he shot back.
She just shook her head and walked into the palace as he followed her.
"Should I go check on her?" she asked quietly.
He nodded his head quickly, "Yes. I'll come with you."
"If you want to see her, you don't have to be with me," Glinda said as they found a staircase and began the long journey down into the dungeons.
"I don't think she wants to see me, though," he replied with a sigh.
"Of course she wants to see you," Glinda told him, her reassuring smile a little too bright.
"Just because I'm a scarecrow, that does not mean that I'm brainless enough to believe that," he said, frowning.
Shrugging, she balanced herself with a hand against the damp wall as she entered a dark hallway. She whispered a spell, and a nearby torch burst into flames. As she smiled in satisfaction, she grabbed the torch and motioned for Fiyero to follow her. They walked silently to the dungeons, and the guards outside Elphaba's cell jumped in surprise when they saw Glinda.
"My lady," one guard said hastily, dipping into a bow.
She acknowledged his greeting with a nod of her head and asked, "Will you please allow me to visit the Witch to see if she will be more willing to cooperate today?"
The guard smiled and immediately moved to unlock the door, but when he touched it, the heavy iron bars swung open.
Glinda frowned, "Has the door been unlocked all day? What kind of guards are you when you can't even make sure your prisoner is safely secured?"
"I'm sorry," the guard stammered as she swept past him into the cell, Fiyero on her heels.
As the torchlight flickered around the small room, Glinda let out a small gasp. Fiyero's eyes followed the path of the light until he looked down at the floor, and he moaned at the sight before him. Elphaba was lying on her side on the ground, her limbs sprawling, and blood was all around her.
"Guards!" Glinda shouted, her voice cracking as she struggled to keep standing.
The guards rushed into the room, stopping in surprise when they took in the scene.
"Get me a doctor, find some men to carry the Witch to a room upstairs, and then I will find out who was responsible for guarding the Witch when this happened," Glinda commanded.
The guards turned on their heels and raced out of the cell as Glinda knelt down beside Elphaba's body.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," she murmured, a few tears slipping down her face.
Fiyero just collapsed against the wall, unable to look away from Elphaba's face. Slowly, Glinda tried to locate the source of the blood, and her face went white when she lifted a green shoulder. A guard rushed back in the cell, yelling about a doctor getting a room ready while more men followed behind, carrying a gurney. Glinda moved out of their way as they lifted Elphaba gingerly onto the gurney and laid her down so her stomach rested against the thin padding. As soon as they had her situated, they picked up the gurney and marched out, with Glinda stumbling after them.
"What happened?" Gabriel asked as he ran up to her.
"Someone hurt her, Gabriel, after you promised me," she told him in a furious whisper.
"Not one of my men," he shot back.
"It had to be someone," she said angrily, pushing forward to keep up with the moving gurney.
Gabriel just shook his head and followed after her. As the group moved quickly up the stairs, Fiyero staggered out of the cell, his eyes blank.
"Fae," he mumbled as he moved down the hallway, attempting to catch up with the chaos taking over the palace.
As soon as they managed to get up the three flights of stairs, the guards hurried the gurney into an open room, and moved their charge to the bed. A doctor was standing by, and quickly moved in to attend to Elphaba as the men filed out and Glinda collapsed into a chair. She was too stunned by the wounds to even notice what the doctor was doing, so she could only hope that he was not poisoning Elphaba. As she watched, Fiyero walked into the room.
"What is he doing?" Fiyero roared, charging at the doctor.
Glinda caught him in her arms before he managed to hurt the poor man who looked bewildered by the Scarecrow's rage.
"He's trying to heal the wounds," Glinda replied soothingly. "I'm sorry, Doctor."
The man simply shook his head and returned to work as Glinda forced Fiyero out of the room.
"Glinda, you have to let me back in there!" Fiyero demanded.
"You need to calm down. You have to remember that she is your enemy," Glinda told him, her eyes narrowing.
Fiyero's shoulders slumped, and he slid down the wall to the floor, his head falling into his hands.
"Why did this have to happen?" he moaned as Gabriel walked down the hallway, his expression grim.
"What is it, Gabriel?" Glinda asked quietly, keeping one eye on Fiyero's huddled frame.
"I found the man responsible," he said, his face expressionless.
"And?" she pressed.
"It was Boq."
"You're wrong," she whispered as she stumbled backwards.
"I'm sorry, my lady, but my guards told me that they let him in, and he was carrying a whip," Gabriel replied.
"They let him in?" Glinda shouted, her eyes wild.
"They have no reason to show her any compassion," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Of course they did, and they will be punished."
Glinda whirled on her heel and ran down the hallway.
"My lady!" Gabriel called after her, but she didn't stop.
She didn't know when she reached Boq's room, but as soon as she saw his door, she burst in, shouting, "How could you?"
"Glinda?" Boq asked timidly.
"How could you, Boq? Why did you deliberately ignore my orders?" she screamed, kicking the wall in her frustration.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his face twisted with sadness.
"You took advantage of my absence and my trust in you!" she continued, her voice's pitch rising with her anger.
"Glinda, I'm sorry. Please, believe me, if I could take it back, I would," he pleaded as she shook her head.
"No. I trusted you, and I was even going to make you the governor of Munchkinland. But, you just couldn't control your hatred. You just had to have your pathetic revenge," she said coldly.
"I'm sorry!" he yelled back.
"Do you even know what you're doing to me, Boq?" she asked, her voice shaking as tears slid down her flushed cheeks. "I love you, but you don't even notice. You can't understand that I'm trying to do what is best for Oz. I want to tell you everything, give you all my trust, but then you go and do something like this. What am I supposed to do?"
He stopped paying attention after she confessed her love for him and asked quietly, "You love me?"
"Of course I do, Boq," she told him with a sigh. "But, I can't trust you. I should punish you like the law requires. I really should, Boq, because you deserve it. But, I can't do it. I just can't."
He started to reach for her, but she shook her head as she bit her lip before running out of the room as a sob spilled out of her mouth. Boq stood frozen with his arms extended to hold the empty air before he simply allowed his limbs to fall to his sides, and he looked out the window. It was green everywhere.