"Galinda please!" Elphaba begged. "Come on; fight back! Don't let Talor own you." For a moment the oncoming blonde hesitated. She blinked rapidly and her friend rushed in with more encouragement. "Glin do you want us all to end up as bubbleheads? Do you want to look at yourself in the mirror and see a pretty face with empty eyes?"
Now shivers were twitching through Galinda's body. With another prolonged blink her eyes cleared, though the blonde's body seemed to still be caught between two warring powers. "Elphie?"
"Glin I need you to take another step and give me the needle," Elphaba coached. With a great amount of effort she managed to extend a hand from beneath Morrible's spell.
Eagerly the petite witch's legs took two long strides forward. Galinda stopped herself just short of impaling the green girl's palm. "I can't give it to you," she whimpered. "If I get any closer I'll…" She trailed off as another wave of magic washed over her mind.
"Try dropping it," Elphaba suggested. Galinda's fingers convulsed but didn't relinquish their hold on the needle. "Do you think you can hold yourself still if I reach out and take it?" the thin witch asked.
"No," the blonde responded as tears began to flow. "Elphie Talor's magic is getting stronger. I won't be able to resist for very long."
"Yes you will Glin," Elphaba insisted, eyes blazing. "You're stronger than him."
"No I'm not," Galinda hissed weakly. "He got the better of you and you're a thousand times more powerful than I am."
"Don't make me argue with you," the green girl snarled. "You're a strong person Glin. You've got a heart of gold. Now take a deep breath and concentrate on dropping the needle."
"I can't." Another round of tremors attacked Galinda's body. "Elphie I'm so, so sorry. I can't." Her arm twitched aggressively towards the green girl, stopping only an inch away. Slowly Elphaba seemed to realize that this wasn't a battle either of them could win.
"It's ok Glin," she murmured sadly. "I'm not mad at you for doing this. I know it's not your fault."
"No, Elphie don't give up!" the blonde nearly shouted. "Stun me with your magic. Do something."
"Glin I can't do anything more than you can," Elphaba responded. "Try to keep me out of pink dresses," she teased weakly. "Tell Fiyero I love him."
"Elphie no!" Galinda's arm inched forward a hairsbreadth.
"Glin listen to me," the green witch instructed. "You're my best friend and I love you. This isn't your fault. Please don't feel guilty." There was nothing the blonde could say. Her only response was a torrent of silent tears. She couldn't do a thing; her muscles wouldn't obey unless their intent was to stab someone…
"I'm sorry Elphie," Galinda whispered, eyes flashing. Then she twisted the hypodermic into her own stomach. The plunger released automatically and a blaze of magic thrashed the blonde's body into limpness. She lay shaking on the floor as shockwaves of crackling, red magic moved across her still form.
At that image an unspeakable rage filled Elphaba's body. Morrible's spell was suddenly overcome by simmering, green energy. The headmistress was knocked backwards. Talor, upon realizing that his plan had fallen apart, turned tail and fled. Madame Morrible rose to find the green witch crouched protectively over her friend. Before the sick woman could unleash any magic a voice stilled her.
"That's enough." She turned to face a battalion of guards and the Wizard himself.
/
Fiyero was taken to the palace infirmary while Elphaba carried Galinda into the Wizard's private chambers. She refused to let any of his mind altering sorcerers touch her. At first the green girl had been loath to trust the Wizard at all, but it didn't take her long to realize that there were no other choices.
Eventually Oz's ruler had his guards track down Talor. The sorcerer then relayed all details about the enchanted syringe to Elphaba. First he explained that there was nothing anyone could do until the magic finished working. Apparently it had been specifically designed for the powerful witch and therefore its force would likely damage Galinda's mind in some way. Upon hearing this the green girl's unruly magic sent Talor flying into a nearby wardrobe. He was taken to the prison to recover.
"You were so brave," Elphaba whispered to an unconscious Galinda when the Wizard finally left to arrange Morrible's imprisonment. "I'm sorry I rushed in and forced you to make a choice like that. It's my fault really." Tears wriggled down her raw, green cheeks.
"Fae?" The witch turned to see Fiyero standing a few feet away. "The servants led me up here. How is she?"
"Still out cold," Elphaba replied quietly. "Her body seems to be functioning fine though." The Winkie kneeled beside the couch on which Galinda was sprawled.
"Please don't blame yourself Fae," he requested.
"I wish she would've just stabbed me," Elphaba whimpered, rather than respond to his words.
"No you don't."
"Yes I do," the green girl insisted. "I would've been a bubblehead and the Wizard's sorcerers could've found a way to reverse the spell."
"This spell couldn't be reversed," Fiyero informed her. "Talor designed it to never relinquish its hold."
"Well I'd rather be a bubblehead forever than sit here and hope that my best friend's mind will be merely damaged instead of brain dead," Elphaba wailed, finally breaking down. She went willingly into the Winkie's calming embrace. He gently rubbed circles on the green girl's back until she drifted off into a fitful sleep. It was at about that time when the Wizard reappeared. He looked at Elphaba's sleeping form with such inexplicable tenderness that Fiyero couldn't contain his questions any longer.
"Why do you care about her so much?" Oz's ruler seemed unsurprised by his query.
"She's my daughter," he explained simply. Before the Winkie could release a thousand other queries he held out a hand. "There will be time for questions later. Right now you three need to be on a train to Shiz. With Madame Morrible incarcerated those loyal to her must be rooted out and I'll not have innocent college students around the Palace while such dangerous work goes on. I'll send servants to ensure that you're well taken care of until everything settles down. Then we'll begin sorting things out."
With that the Wizard strode out. A maid bustled in to lead them to their transport. Fiyero shook Elphaba gently awake and together the two gathered Galinda into their arms. They road home in a private train compartment.
Apparently Oz's ruler had instructed that an empty house in Shiz's small town be set aside for their purposes, seeing as the university was in turmoil over Madame Morrible's disappearance. Servants were already bustling about when the three of them arrived. A man by the name of Dian introduced himself as the Emerald Palace's most effective mind sorcerer behind Talor. He planned to live in the basement and would be at their beck and call to assist Galinda.
Elphaba was quite baffled by all this help. Fiyero nearly told her the truth several times, but he eventually decided that such a revelation would be the opposite of helpful at the moment. The green girl never left her blonde friend's bedside. Elphaba's patience was eventually rewarded. After three days of waiting Galinda opened her eyes.
More cliffies…yay!
The next chapter will probably be the last; I'm thinking about a sequel called Blondies…let me know what you think :)