I don't own Wicked.
Elphaba was tossed into a room, the door slammed behind her. The only light was through the window that had bars going vertically across it, making that an impossible escape route. This wasn't the room she had lived in most of her life, she was one hundred percent sure of that. It was a little bit bigger, though, but it lacked the secret stairs that led to a whole library of books. A few candles caught her eye but there was nothing to light them with, so she scrapped that idea. Elphaba hated the dark, but she had grown accustomed to it through her years of torture. The dark was unpredictable. The dark was when Frex did unmentionable things to her and she wouldn't see them coming. It was a bit cold in the room, so she drew her knees towards her and wrapped her arms around them to attempt to get herself warm again.
Her mind wandered to Glinda. Where had she gone? Elphaba didn't mind that Glinda wasn't in the room with her because in all honesty, the blonde terrified her. She promised to never hurt her or make her feel inadequate. She promised she'd never get hurt again. Glinda promised to protect her and make her feel safe.
The more she thought about it, the more she saw into the horrible trick. Shell and Nessa must have been in on it, too. They supposedly left and got help to save her. However, they probably only traveled happily to the Arduenna's who were in on the whole thing, too. For all she knew, Mr. and Mrs. Arduenna could have been friends with her father. And then, they let her be free. They wanted to give Elphaba a taste in freedom so she'd know what she had been missing out on her whole life. And then once she felt accepted and something more than a useless object, they ripped it away from her. Glinda was simply a ploy to get her to trust her. Who wouldn't trust the blonde with her pretty blue eyes and innocent features? Glinda was the lure to bring her in for the capture.
Elphaba never thought someone without arms could be so vicious. She never thought a boy no older than twelve could be so awful. And she never knew Glinda could be so deceiving. Everything that happened was a sick joke. Elphaba had never longed to leave the walls that kept her hidden from the world until this moment because she knew what it was like to have a breath of fresh air, the warm sun against her face, and people to converse with, even if they were playing a cruel joke on her.
Fiyero was furious. He rode the horse and made it go as fast as it could. The horse could feel the intensity of the situation, he knew, because it kept pushing on, even if Fiyero was concerned to have it slow down, but it wouldn't. Some members of the Gale Force were searching far and wide to find Glinda Arduenna and Elphaba Thropp. He made sure all of Oz knew about Frexpar Thropp, the man who locks people up in small rooms and tortures them. Word was spreading slowly, but it was spreading.
A few members of the Gale Force went to Frex's old home, but it was deserted. The neighbors claimed they hadn't seen him either, but if he came back, they'd send word to any police force that was close by.
He had to keep searching. But with no leads, it was impossible. He was following that odd road that he found Nessa and Shell on all those nights ago, though. He would find Elphaba, the woman he had fallen for (he wasn't entirely sure why. There was just something about her that captivated him) and he'd find Glinda. He had decided not to break the news to her that he never loved her until a month or two after the whole incident. He had a feeling she wouldn't take being dumped for her best friend well.
Elphaba woke up suddenly when she heard the door to the room open up. She could tell it was late at night for the room was completely dark except for a patch of moonlight that made its way through the tiny window. "I'm sorry Miss Glinda, but I cannot have you trying to escape every night. You're going to have to sleep with the freak for the remainder of your stay. I can never trust you again; I hope you know that, you little whore. But I will come fetch you in the morning," Elphaba heard Frex say as he pushed Glinda into the room, locking the door behind him.
"You can't do this!" Glinda yelled as she pounded on the door. "This is wrong! Just let us go!" Her pleads were either ignored or unheard. The blonde cried as she continued to hit the door with her fists until they hurt, Elphaba assumed. Glinda slumped to the ground, her back against the door, and massaged her sore hands. Elphaba wondered why she would inflict pain on herself like that.
The green girl kept away from Glinda as she cried. She'd probably just try to hurt her. "Elphie, are you in here? Please, answer me," the blonde sobbed. "Elphie?" Elphaba wouldn't answer her. She jumped, though, when she felt Glinda's hand on her arm. She pulled away quickly, but the distressed blonde kept trying to touch her, maybe she'd potentially hurt her. "Elphie, please don't be afraid of me. I love you, my Elphie." She was most definitely not her Elphie. Elphaba didn't want to belong to anyone, not Frex, not Glinda. She longed to be her own person, but she'd always be an object, a green freak, an abomination. The blonde wouldn't back up, though. Elphaba closed her eyes tightly and thought about the situation. She remembered being pushed by Frex as a child if she got too close to him, and that kept her at bay. Maybe if she pushed Glinda she'd stay away from her?
She pushed Glinda to the ground with more force than she thought she had, making the blonde fall to the floor. "Elphie, why did you hurt me?" she cried. "We can get through this together, I promise." Her and her stupid promises! Why had she fallen for her? Why? Elphaba didn't want to have this odd feeling anymore. She wanted to fall out of love with one of her tormentors, but she just couldn't and it sickened her.
Elphaba found that it was empowering to be in control of a situation for once in her life. She loved the rush it gave her to see someone submit to her. "Elphie, you can't do this. You're too gentle." Another push to the ground. Glinda didn't fight back. She couldn't because she was weaker. "I get it, Elphie. I'll stay on the other side. I can't promise I'll be here in the morning, though. Frex always gets me up early." Elphaba wondered how long they had been there. Deciding she didn't care, she went into her space and waited for Glinda to fall asleep before her.
Glinda was right-she wasn't there when Elphaba woke up the next morning. Or the next few that went by. (She wasn't entirely sure how long it was. There wasn't a way to keep track of time.) Today didn't seem like such a good day because her father forgot to feed her. Perhaps he'd remember tomorrow. The day was like any other day. Elphaba thought a lot, drank a little rainwater she collected in a bucket, and wished for a miracle to happen. Of course, only two out of the three happened.
Her mind wandered to Glinda. Where was she? What was her father doing to her? She had a strong feeling something wasn't right, but then the other part of her told her that Glinda was having the time of her life living with her father. He'd probably treat her like a princess, just as he probably treated Nessarose. The only reason why her father sent her in that one night was to pretend the blonde didn't have it any better in the outside world. But Elphaba wouldn't be fooled-she had been tricked and laughed at for the last time. The fact that Glinda would be doing this to her made her so angry. She had never really been angry before.
And when night fell, Glinda was thrown into the room again with a thud. Her father had no words this time as he locked the door before Glinda could get up and break free. Elphaba smirked at the blonde's attempts of escaping. What she didn't understand was how Glinda had this odd hope of getting out of the room, if that feeling was real. She was probably faking it as she cried and sobbed on the floor near the door. Suddenly, her blue eyes turned to Elphaba. Slowly, she approached her and took out two apples from her dress pockets. The blonde didn't speak as she held one out to her. As much as she wanted it, she knocked it out of Glinda's hand roughly.
Glinda only cried harder at this and threw the other apple across the room. It collided with the wall and made a loud thud before falling to the floor. She took the other apple from the floor and threw it at the wall, a repeat performance. She stomped her little feet in her heels, but then she kicked them off. Elphaba's eyes went wide at the blonde's temper tantrum. She cried and cried until she couldn't anymore. She fell to the ground in a heap and shook until she finally went to sleep.
Nessarose cried for her sister and Glinda every night. She would usually hear Shell sobbing over in the next room, but she didn't hear him that night. Slowly slipping out of bed as not to wake Avaric, she went to check on her brother. She nudged the door open for it wasn't shut all the way and saw he had the covers pulled over his head. It was warm that night, so she didn't really need him overheating and getting sick. So, she used her foot strategically and balanced on the other. She pulled the blankets down and saw a pillow. Confused, she pulled back further and screamed when she only saw pillows where her little brother should have been.
Nessa looked over to the window and saw it was open, the curtains blowing in the wind.
Shell Thropp had run away.
Elphaba didn't know whether or not days or weeks went by until she saw the blonde again. This time, she had a basket full of fruit with her, and her father was in a drunken state when he sloppily locked her up into the room. She gave Elphaba a small smile as she began to eat a strawberry. This time, she offered nothing to the green girl. Elphaba didn't understand why, but felt better knowing she wasn't approaching her. She was still afraid of the blonde, but she was slowly beginning to realize that she was stronger than her and she could easily overpower her, just like Frex overpowered Elphaba.
In a childlike manor, Glinda grabbed an apple and began to approach Elphaba. She held the apple out to her, as if it was some sort of peace offering or something. Elphaba wouldn't take food from her, though. Glinda might take advantage of her in her vulnerable state as she ate. She had a feeling Glinda wanted to use her as a sex object again, and she didn't want to be violated in such a way again. The blonde's other hand hesitantly reached out towards her. Elphaba hopped to her feet and pushed Glinda to the ground with all her might.
Glinda winced at the impact, but nothing more. She looked up at Elphaba who was pinning her down. Elphaba knew what Glinda was going to do. Her father wasn't doing it anymore, so he probably sent Glinda to come and touch her against her will. She wouldn't let this happen. She wouldn't go down without a fight. Not anymore. If Glinda got to violate her, then Elphaba surely would violate Glinda in the same way. She roughly pulled her dress up as the blonde whimpered as if she was a dog. The green girl gasped when she saw bruises on the other girl's thighs when she parted them. The blonde cried out in pain. She looked into blue eyes. She saw nothing but fear in them.
Elphaba hated the feeling of being feared. She thought she'd like it and make her feel empowered, but it made her feel awful and disgusting. Why would she even consider doing this to Glinda? As she looked at her, she noticed things that were different about her. The blonde no longer spoke to her, which was completely unlike her because she was usually always talking. She seemed to be thinner and paler than she remembered. The bruises on her thighs were nothing new to Elphaba for the green girl had them from her own father when he would-no-he wouldn't do that to Glinda. Glinda was normal, beautiful, not an object, she wasn't an abomination, nor was she wicked. Why would he hurt her like how he had hurt Elphaba in the past?
And why was he hurting Glinda instead of Elphaba?
Tears fell down porcelain cheeks. "I'm sorry," Glinda whispered, and flinched when she spoke as if something horrible would happen to her. Elphaba remembered how she had been conditioned not to speak. Frex would bark at her and physically harm her until she became a mute. Elphaba used her thumb and smudged the makeup that was on Glinda's face. The light of the moon revealed bruises on the delicate girl's cheek. "I didn't want to force anything on you like that. This is what it's about, isn't it? I didn't want to violate you in such a way, Elphie, but he took my hand," she cried and choked on a sob. She took a few shaky breaths before she continued. "He took my hand and forced me to touch you. I tried fighting back, but he's stronger, Elphie, he's so much stronger than me.
"And I'm sorry for breaking my promise. I promised he'd never come back and hurt you. But I'm keeping my other promise-that he wouldn't harm you. And he hasn't, has he? I don't think he laid a finger on you since you've been here. I'm protecting you the best way I can, Elphie. I know I can't fight back, but I can take the abuse for you." Elphaba couldn't believe what she was hearing. This whole time Glinda had been innocent and here she was pinning her down on the cold, hard floor about to do something unmentionable. "I understand if you don't get it, Elphie. You can do whatever it is you want to do to me, but please just make it fast. Frex gets me up early every morning and I am really tired and hungry."
Elphaba got off of the blonde and pulled her dress back over her lower half. She slowly helped the trembling blonde up from the floor into a sitting position. Elphaba teared up when she saw how much she scared her. She felt like a horrible, disgusting person. She felt she deserved to be locked up. Look at what the damage she caused! "Don't cry," the blonde's voice was barely above a whisper. "You'll only burn yourself." This just brought on more tears because Glinda seemed to care about her well being even though she was afraid of her. Why couldn't she be as good as her?
"I love you, Elphie. I'm so in love with you. I love your strength and your will to live no matter what situation you're faced with. I love that you care about Nessa and Shell. I love that your skin is the color of emeralds and how your smile lights up the room. I love how your hair is the color of midnight. I love how you kiss me and make me feel special when we're together. I love how you hold me close at night and make me feel safe, loved, and wanted. I know you think I'm just a monster, and you probably think everything was a trick. But it wasn't, I swear to Lurline, the Unnamed God, Oz, anything and anyone that this wasn't a trick. Shell and Nessa really risked everything and gave up everything to get you out of that room. My parents really care for you as if you were their own child. I love you so much that I'd do anything to keep your father away from you, even if it means he hurts me." Glinda cried into her small, perfect hands. Elphaba felt awful and just plain rotten. How could she have treated poor Glinda like she had been? She couldn't even imagine what it would be like if Glinda had treated her in such a way. "I understand if you can't touch me anymore, or if you can't look at me. I can hardly look at myself after that day in the forest. I'm so sorry. I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am for letting him control me that easily."
"It wasn't your fault," Elphaba forced herself to speak. Usually when she went to speak, she'd have this odd feeling and nothing would come out. She'd want to speak, but she just couldn't get those words out of her mouth. But sitting there across from her girlfriend (if she could still call her that) made it easier and the words flowed out perfectly. "None of this is your fault. Don't be sorry. You did nothing wrong."
"Oh, Elphie," Glinda choked.
"I love you," Elphaba said truthfully as she brought the broken girl into a comforting hug. It scared her how the blonde flinched at her touch, but realized that she had been abused just like she had.
"Please don't let go," Glinda sobbed into her shoulder. She clung to her as the green girl rocked her back and forth.
"I wouldn't dream of it, my sweet," Elphaba replied. She was glad she realized everything for what it really was. "And I apologize for my actions. I shouldn't have assumed that you were against me." But what if this was all a trick? What if the bruises were fake and weren't really there? What if Glinda was just toying with her mind again? Should she risk growing close to her all over again? Confused and not knowing what to do, she pushed the blonde away.
"Elphie, what's wrong?" she asked. She went to lay a hand on Elphaba's shoulder, but she slapped it away. In one fluid motion, she pushed Glinda to the ground. She had her pinned down all over again.
"I am not stupid. I am not an object. I am a person," Elphaba cried as she shook Glinda by the shoulders roughly. "And nobody has the right to trick me in such a way."
"The only person tricking anyone here is you!" Glinda yelled awkwardly as she was shaken.
"Shut up!" Elphaba shouted at her. Every time Glinda went to speak, she'd slap her across the face. It was what her father had done to her to get her to stop speaking altogether.
"No, I won't! You may be stronger and bigger than me, but I won't give up!" Glinda said in between smacks. "The psychologist was right! You do belong in a mental institution! At least you couldn't hurt me, Nessa, or Shell there!" Glinda was obviously scared, but she wasn't trying to show it. "You can keep hitting me." Why wouldn't she be quiet? "But the thing is, I don't feel pain anymore." Confused, Elphaba stopped hurting her and wondered what she meant by that. How could one not feel pain anymore?
Glinda surprised her when she took out a knife from her pocket. "See this? It's a knife I stole. I thought we could use it to get out of here somehow. But honestly, it looks more pleasing to end it all. Why live anymore if we're in captivity or always running away from it?" Glinda took the knife and sank it into her flesh. She grimaced as she watched her mutilate her body in such a way. Elphaba had never considered death as a way out. Why hadn't she thought of that before?
When Glinda did that to herself, Elphaba realized she had been right before. Glinda was innocent. And so was Shell, Nessa, and everyone else but Frexpar Thropp. Before Glinda could harm herself further, Elphaba grabbed her wrist with her hand and knocked the knife away before she brought Glinda into an embrace. She didn't care if she got her blood on her clothes. All that mattered was making Glinda feel just a little bit safer and a little bit saner. "I love you," Elphaba whispered and ran a hand through the blonde's hair in a comforting manor. "I love you so much, and I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." Elphaba kissed the top of Glinda's head, making her relax in her arms.
"Don't hurt me," she whimpered. "Please don't hurt me. I don't think I can take another hit," she said, her voice muffled by Elphaba's chest.
"I'm never going to lay a finger on you again. I will not become a monster like him," she said, referring to her father. "I'm going to make sure you're okay. I'm going to take care of you when we get out, I promise."
"Could we get a small house in Frottica and have horses? I do love horses," Glinda rested her head on the green girl's chest. "And could we get married? And adopt children? I want to have three of them, maybe four. Then could we grow old together and live our lives happily and without fear?"
"We'll get a modest house in Frottica, one with at least three bedrooms, for the children of course. We'll get married and have the pinkest wedding you could imagine, if it would make you happy. And we will get old and wrinkly as well as being happy. Fear won't be in our lives, other than our children growing up of course," Elphaba confirmed.
"Sing to me, Elphie." And she did until Glinda fell asleep in her arms.