Okay, I always throw this out there every time I write a fanfiction. Do any of you have fanfics that you would like to recommend? I enjoy a good plot and any length of story. I'll read almost any "ship". I refuse to read Glinda/Boq! She can do SO much better than that witless, balls-less imbecile! Oh, unless it's bookverse Boq... Okay, rant over. Anyway, give me titles of stories that you've enjoyed (whether you've authored them or not). My favorite to date has been The War of the Worlds: Darkness Rising.
Thanks in advance and for the reviews as well!
Disclaimer: If I was Stephen Schwartz, Gregory Maguire or Winnie Holzman do you really think I would be suffering through law school right now?
Now onto the meat and potatoes:
Chapter twenty one
Two months passed quickly for Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero mostly because there was so much to do. Glinda divided her time evenly between Fiyero and Morti. The prince was teaching Glinda how to properly handle and fire a rifle. When Glinda had told the Animals that she and Elphaba were proficient with rifles, it had only been half true. Elphaba was fine with a gun but Glinda had never fired one before in her life. Fiyero, the former captain of the Gale Force, was the ideal teacher and really the only one not training in a new battalion. The Winkie knew that the ideal teacher for Glinda would be Daley but he was a part of Elphaba's battalion and she kept them working from dusk until dawn.
"She really is a wicked witch," Daley had told Glinda and Fiyero over lunch in the pub. "Just not in the same way I originally thought. She's even worse," he muttered and both Glinda and Fiyero laughed out loud.
"What's so funny," Elphaba demanded with the usual air of seriousness she brought to a conversation. She sat down on the stool beside Fiyero and plucked three French fries from his plate.
"You can order your own, you know," Fiyero told her as he drew his plate away. "Let me eat my fill, will you! I have drills all afternoon."
"And I don't," Elphaba snapped while leaning across Fiyero to grab his pint of ale. When she said this Daley moaned but quickly stifled himself when Elphaba sent a dangerous look his way. Glinda laughed and pushed her mug of ale at the green witch.
"Leave Fiyero's alone, Elphie, and take mine. I'm finished and I don't have drills today. Morti and I are going to discuss diplomacy."
"Diplomacy," Elphaba asked questioningly as Fiyero got up and went to ask for a second meal for her. "Why would you need to discuss that?"
"For when we discuss terms and conditions with Shroud, or whoever the leader is when everything's over."
"I know exactly what terms and conditions we can discuss with him," Elphaba sneered as she took a long drink from Fiyero's mug, finishing off the beverage. She shuddered lightly at the taste as she replaced the mug in front of Fiyero's usual stool. "It's called we shoot and we shoot to kill. We'll only take an unconditional surrender, Glinda. He's the attacker, not us. What did you get me," she hastily changed subjects as Fiyero returned to his seat.
"Same as me with an extra order of fries. It should be ready in a few minutes." He looked at his empty mug of ale and glared at Elphaba. "But it looks like I should have ordered an extra ale as well. Glinda said you could have hers!"
"Fiyero," Elphaba groaned. "I don't need all that grease before drills. It's shooting practice today," she added and Daley gave a small cheer. Shooting wasn't something he needed extra practice with, although he doubted Elphaba would give him much of a break. Still it beat the other excruciatingly painful and exhausting tactics she ususally used.
Maybe I'll actually be able to help. Daley thought to himself. We've got to teach the Animals how to shoot without opposable thumbs.
"Well, you didn't say what you wanted and I'll be damned if you eat everything on my plate." Fiyero still seemed to be on the subject of dining. "The extra fries are for me since you took a majority of mine." Fiyero humphed and went to staring out the window. Elphaba resisted the urge to roll her eyes for she knew it would further upset Fiyero. Sensing trouble, Glinda quickly pulled them back onto their original topic of conversation.
"Morti and I have already dicussed the amount of latitude we'll give to Shroud and his men. Assuming we win, of course," she added in an uncharacteristically pessimistic voice. Usually it was Elphaba's job to talk surrender and defeat. Glinda was the cheerleader of the group.
"And you settled on none, I hope," Elphaba said in a dangerous voice. "Glinda, this idiot's the reason so many are dead! I doubt he would take anything from us except our unconditional surrender. We should return the favor!"
"Actually we agree, Elphie," Glinda said in a gentle voice that she hoped would help calm Elphaba down. While the two witches had made amends after their fight, Elphaba remained on edge. There was little calming her down. Fiyero had even mentioned that Elphaba had taken to sleeping less and pacing more. He practically had to drag her to bed at night.
"So what's the problem then," Elphaba's voice still held an edge to it but it no longer made the others shy away. "What's there to discuss?"
"Well, Elphie, what about the other men? The ones who serve in the Gale Force but are just following orders? We have to consider everything, Elphie."
"So we forgive their atrocities because they weren't strong enough to stand up to Shroud?" Elphaba's lunch was set down in front of her by Fiyero, who gave her a small smile that she at least attempted to return.
"Thanks, Yero," and the prince smiled at his nickname. Perhaps their was hope of a civil conversation after all.
"No, not excuse them entirely, Elphie," Glinda said mildly. "But we want to make sure that they know what's going to happen to them. Be it an execution, a prison sentence, clemency, and it won't be clemency, Elphaba, so don't look at me like that. They do have rights. I refuse to lock anyone away unless they know what they're being charged with and the severity of the sentence. I consider anything else to be cruel."
"Oh that's cruel?" Elphaba's voice was mocking and she was adding salt to her lunch but seemed to have forgotten about it. Fiyero reached over and pulled the plate away so she was merely sprinkling salt on the table.
"Don't say anything," Fiyero hissed at Daley who gave the prince an inquisitive look. "I just don't want her ruining her meal. She gets cranky when she's hungry."
Elphaba and Glinda, however, were so wrapped up in their conversation that they didn't hear Fiyero and Daley. In fact, they might have forgotten that the two men were still present. Their eyes were narrowed and locked on each other. Fiyero admired Glinda's sudden strength. He usually quelled under the look Elphaba was currently giving the good witch.
"I'll tell you what's cruel, Glinda Upland, and that's slaughtering innocent people, well Animals, in cold blood. These idiots might not have given the order to fire but they damn well followed through." During this tirade, Fiyero reached over and took the salt away, for there was a small pile forming on the table in front of Elphaba. She, however, didn't seem to notice and willingly handed over the shaker.
"Elphaba, I never said that wasn't cruel," Glinda snapped and her voice was becoming as strong as Elphaba's. "However, just because one thing's cruel doesn't mean other things aren't. Personally, I think it's cruel to murder someone in cold blood. I'm not condoning what those men did to the Animals, Elphaba Thropp, and you damn well know it," Glinda's voice was rising in pitch and volume. Daley glanced over his shoulder where the nearby patrons were starting to stare. A few even got up to leave. The rest, however, seemed mildly interested.
"What I'm saying is that holding them without a charge would be cruel as well. Cruelty isn't defined as one thing, Elphaba. You of all people should know THAT by now," and the good witch sat back and picked up her now empty mug of ale. When she discovered this, she cursed and grabbed Daley's mug and finished it off. Glinda wasn't a heavy drinker but right now she needed something strong and she needed it now.
"No problem," the Gale Forcer muttered and rolled his eyes at Fiyero. The prince shrugged and got up to get a couple more pints. It seemed that Elphaba and Glinda could down ale by the gallon if they were having one of their fights.
"Ladies," he asked, holding up their now empty mugs. Both nodded but their eyes were still locked on the each other. They barely seemed to register what was being said. "Don't worry, I won't need help carrying four pints back to the table will I, Elphaba," Fiyero snapped in an exasperated tone.
The green witch shook her head and Fiyero glanced at Daley, who seemed eager to get away from the table for a while. "Care to help?" With a nod, both men bellied up to the bar, hoping that they could speak with the bar tender for a while and come back to Elphaba and Glinda after they had ceased bickering. It may have intrigued the other patrons but Fiyero and Daley had watched the two women fight since they arrived in the Animal community. It could get very tiresome after a while.
"You're right, Glinda," Elphaba muttered, resigned. "Maybe it's best that you're the one up front and I'm behind the scenes. I'd probably end up slaughtering them the way they did my friends. I know it's not right...but Glinda, you should have seen what happened. It was so aweful!"
Glinda reached out across the table and took Elphaba's green hand in her pale one. This was characteristic of their fights. They would scream and yell at each other, almost to the point of blows, until one backed down. Then the would make up and be perfectly chummy until the next fight. It was a very typical friendship between two people as radically different as Elphaba Thropp and Glinda Upland.
"I don't believe that in the slightest, Elphie," Glinda told her as she squeezed her hand. "You're upset and you have every right to be. I wouldn't hesitate to let you negotiate with them, though. You're very much a humanitarian, Elphie, and I don't think you could hurt anyone except in defense of someone else."
"Thanks for the confidence, Glinda," Elphaba said with a smile as she returned the pressure on the pale hand holding hers. They enjoyed the silence for several minutes before realizing that they were alone at their table.
"Where did those boys get to," the green witch looked around the tavern. "My ale's disappeared and I could use a stiff drink right now."
Right on cue, Fiyero and Daley returned with four overflowing mugs of ale. They had been chatting away with the bar tender when they realized that they were no longer shouting their conversation. That could only mean that the room had returned to a state of civility. Indeed, when Fiyeo paused he could no longer hear the shrill voices of Elphaba and Glinda.
"Come what may and hell to pay," Elphaba said, raising her mug once Fiyero and Daley had passed them around.
"Cheers," Glinda, Fiyero and Daley muttered and each downed half their pint after clinking the mugs together. Needless to say, drills started six hours late that day.
--
Glinda half stumbled through the community center door after finishing her second pint in the pub. Fiyero and Elphaba had both decided to have a lie in before going to drills and had gone home. Daley had been assigned the happy task of going to his and then Fiyero's battalions and telling the men and women that drills had been postponed until the early evening. He was hiccupping steadily but still accompanied the cheering battalions back to the pub but this time he opted for water rather than another pint of ale.
"I was just starting to get worried," Morti told Glinda with a smile as the blonde sank into the nearest chair. She wasn't completely drunk but her head was spinning slightly and that, combined with the heat of the summer, made her feel incredibly lazy and a bit stupid. Morti wasn't alone. There were three other individuals present that Glinda had met but couldn't remember names. Mela was there as well. Glinda had thought this meeting would entail discussion of diplomacy. Was there something else going on?
"I'm sorry," she apologized for her tardiness and Mela quickly brought her some scones with jaw and a large mug of water. "Was having lunch with Elphie, Fiyero and Daley in the pub and sort of lost track of time," she muttered in what she hoped was a coherent and non-slurring voice.
She put her hand on her temple and wished that she, too, could have gone home to bed like Elphaba and Fiyero. Her head was pounding and spinning and her eyelids were terribly heavy. Why oh why was she such a lightweight?
"Should we maybe postpone today's meeting until a later day," a Beaver, whose name Glinda couldn't recall for the life of her, asked sympathetically. "If Lady Glinda isn't well, then it would be best to wait."
"I'll be fine," Glinda answered for she didn't want the others to know what had gone on in the tavern. Glinda wasn't one for heavy drinking but today's conversation had warranted it. Still, the idea of a postponement sounded like heaven right now. Maybe she could just stay right here and sleep...
"If you're sure," Morti was looking at her with a concerned expression.
He probably thinks I'm ill, Glinda thought to herself. He's never seen me inebreated before.
And, feeling guility, Glinda nodded that she was ready to proceed. Morti smiled at her. "Very well, let's press on."
Glinda tried to become involved in the conversation but didn't very much trust what might come out of her mouth right now. She listened to the others and either agreed or disagreed but offered very little in the way of new information. The meeting dragged on until it was pressing an hour in length. Twice, Glinda was possitive that she had nodded off. She was about to ask if she could leave and get the cliff notes version of the meeting later when,
"Lady Glinda, we did have one favor to ask," Mela said, turning to the blonde.
"Anything," Glinda answered, quickly downing her third cup of water. "I'm humbly at your disposal."
"We thought maybe we could inform Oz of our actions."
It must be the ale talking, Glinda thought to herself. Her head was no longer spinning and she felt stable once again. However, Mela's request was so asinine that Glinda thought she must be more of a lightweight than originally thought.
"What do you mean," she asked cautiously.
"How are your writing skills?" Mela asked as an explanation.
"Well I think they're just fine but Dr. Dillamond would disagree. If he were here," Glinda added, remembering the raw treatment of their former professor of history. "He always hated my structure and my lack of content."
"Well content would be critical here, My Lady," Morti said calmly. "But I'm sure your writing has improved since your college days. Why don't you write it and let someone critique it?"
"But what am I writing," Glinda asked wearily. "And to whom?"
"You," Morti said forwardly. "Will be writing a letter to the editor to be published in the newspaper."
Glinda snorted with laughter but she quickly stifled herself when she noticed that the others were watching her patiently.
"Give me a break!" she cried. "I may have established freedom of the press but you all know for damn certain that Shroud will have taken that away. He's had two months to strengthen his hold and I'm sure freedom of speech was the first thing to go."
"This we know," Mela answered calmly. She didn't seem taken aback by Glinda's rude laughter or worried about Shroud's new laws. "That's why you're the one who has to write the letter, Lady Glinda. You're the Supreme Ruler of Oz still but you've been gone over two months. You know that eventually the judges will stop holding their ground and give Shroud the crown. They'll assume you dead or else abdicating by absence. They can't hold out forever."
"So you want me to just let them know that I'm alive and safe," Glinda asked staring from Mela to Morti. The others seemed to be sitting back and letting the Duck and Doe handle this.
"Oh no, Lady Glinda, much more than that," Morti said with a grin that could only be described as scheming. "We want you to write that not only are you alive and well but that you have every intention of returning to the throne in the Emerald City. Tell the people that Shroud's a traitor and his laws should be resisted with everything the people possess."
"Forgive me, Morti," Glinda couldn't help but smile a little at the absurdity of this letter. "But you remember the people of Oz under the Wizard. They blindly follow their leaders and people are stupid, panicky and prone to group think. I doubt my letter would take them away from Shroud."
"But, Glinda," Morti said calmly. "The people blindly follow their leader and they want that leader to be you. Why else would Shroud restrict freedom of speech? If he feared what would come because of it. We have spies out among the people and they aren't fond of Shroud. They suspect foul play because of your sudden disappearance. A letter could encourage them and give them the strength to resist. They might even help us when we march on the Emerald City."
Glinda looked at Mela, who nodded enthusiastically. While the good witch admitted that this plan had merit, she didn't know how they would pull it off.
"Well, two problems," she said calmly, holding out two fingers to illustrate her point. "First, how are we to get this letter to the newspaper? I can't exactly drop it in the mail box nor can I march into the Emerald City and hand deliver it. Second, they can't publish it even if they want to. It's against the new laws."
Morti gave a small smile and Glinda knew he had thought this out a great deal before bringing it to this meeting. He seemed to anticipate her questions and suddenly Glinda felt her hopes raise. If Morti had thought this out completely, maybe it was a plan they could actually execute.
"My plan is for you to write the letter this week. It'll be addressed and then we'll send a selected Animal into the next city with Fiyero. They'll take the letter to a stranger and ask him or her to deliver the letter to the post office. We'll tip the stranger extremely well to ensure compliance."
"But that's a bit risky," Glinda said timidly. "What if the stranger opens the letter and reads it? What if he's a supporter of Shroud and informs the local law enforcement? They'll assume that the delivery boys probably arrived and left on foot hence they live nearby. Once the Gale Force is involved it won't take them long to hunt us down and kill us."
"Glinda," Mela said gently, in a voice that was meant to calm and sooth. "We understand your fear but don't take Morti's word 'stranger' so literally." When Glinda still looked confused, the Doe pressed on. "He means someone who is supposed to be a stranger. To anyone passing by, it will seem that Fiyero and his companion just randomly stopped someone on the street. Rather, it's a human in a nearby town who is sympathetic to our cause. He or she, we haven't decided who yet, will take the letter and the money and deliver it to the post office. It won't have a return address and will be untraceable."
Mela looked at Glinda's face, which was still terribly anxious. "The 'stranger' knows to use a post in a different town. It will literally be untraceable. No one'll be in any danger, Glinda."
While Glinda still felt ill at ease about the entire situation, she couldn't argue any longer. It seemed that Mela and Morti had carefully thought this through. I guess this is war and war isn't won without risk, she thought to herself. Still, the fewer people whose lives that had to endanger the better.
So Glinda nodded but then remembered her other problem with the plan. "But what about getting it published? I'm sure Shroud's men are watching the newspaper, might even be controlling it. They'll censor anything that comes through."
"First," said Morti. "Mela and I have been watching the papers for ages, more closely since Shroud seized power, and not everyone is loyal to him. Many of the writers that praised you are gone, including myself," said the Duck while slightly fluffing his feathers up with pride. "However, I know a few who remain. I got to know those at the paper on the editorial staff and there's one woman there that I trust completely. We'll send the letter to her."
"But that will put her in danger," Glinda cried and shook her head. "I refuse to make anyone into the proverbial scapegoat, pardon the expression. This woman would be arrested and tortured for information on the letter. She'll have nothing to give them so they'll probably torture her to death."
"Glinda," Morti told the witch calmly. "There are risks to this plan which, again, is why it's so important that you write it. Attached to the letter will be a written order by the Supreme Ruler of Oz, you Glinda. You'll order the newspaper to publish your letter. You'll tell them that on pain of death, they must not refuse."
"You'll also send a copy of the letter to a judge that you remember having favor with, Glinda," Mela added. "He'll see the order and should the newspaper fail to comply, he or she can file charges that will force the paper to comply."
"You're still the absolute ruler of Oz, Glinda, and your orders are held above those of a steward," Morti concluded. "We have allies in the Emerald City, Glinda, and we need to use them if we're to stand a chance in this fight. Shroud will outnumber us in soldiers but if he doesn't have the support of the people he could face problems."
Glinda took a deep breath. She hated this plan. She hated it with her entire being. But Morti and Mela were right. This was war and there were risks that must be taken. Judge Ospen was a good friend of Glinda's and one of the judges behind Shroud's title of Steward. He would be pleased to receive a letter from his sovereign and he would also have the courage to force the newspaper to comply. The good witch could only hope that Morti's friend at the newspaper was as strong as he was letting on.
"Glinda, why don't you come with me for a moment," Morti said and adjourned the meeting. "I want to show you some of the things that my contact at the paper has written. I think you'll be quite impressed."
So after bidding Mela and the other leaders farewell, Glinda and Morti set off for the Duck's current lodgings. He was living with Mela's oldest son, a young Stag named Hershwin. He greeted Morti with a grin and Glinda with a slight bow. He hadn't met Glinda until their arrival in the community two months ago. Still he, along with his father, brother and sister, had been in the community in Munchkinland when the Wizard had ordered the camp liquidated and the inhabitants imprisoned. Elphaba had helped them escape int he dead of night. Hershwin's sister had been a bit of a surprise package for Mela and her husband and so she loved to hear Elphaba tell stories. These stories had mostly included tales of a girl who had left everything she loved behind after being falsey accused of cheating. Somewhere, back at school, there was another girl that the hero of the story loved liked a sister. She wanted nothing more than to see her again. Hershwin now knew the story to be Elphaba's and her "sister" to be Glinda. Hence, he had taken to the good witch in an instant.
"We won't be long, Hersh," Morti told the Stag as they ascended the stairs to the attic where Morti slept. "And then maybe the three of us could get a bite to eat at the tavern."
The Stag nodded and bid them farewell as they approached the attic.
"Her name's Lilla Shomk and she's Gillikinese like yourself," Morti said gesturing to the first door on the right. "She's around fifty years old and has been a reporter since her graduation. She was fired from her job sometime during the Wizard's reign. She tends to be a bit of an anarchist and the Wizard thought she might question his government too much. Plus, she refused to publish an article of some sort. So for the good of the people, she was cut loose."
The Duck took several minutes to shift through an old trunk. Finally, he handed Glinda a few copies of headlines that this Lilla Shomk had written during her reign. "Lilla was rehired after the fall of the Wizard and your proclamation that a free and independent press is a right that the government should never expunge."
Glinda looked at the headlines. There seemed to be an even mix of articles that praised her accomplishments and those that called her out.
"Are you sure she's the right person to send this to," Glinda asked cautiously. "I mean she wasn't exactly my number one fan. Look at this," Glinda held up the headline that read, 'Lady Glinda's laws protect some and take away from some. Is this fair?'
"It reads a bit like the articles Shroud used to write," Glinda commented nervously.
"Yes," Morti confirmed. "She wasn't your biggest fan but she, unlike Shroud, doesn't have an ulterior motive for writing these. She thinks that some of your laws take rights away from the majority in favor of the minority. However, she's a huge supporter of Animal rights. She believes in equal rights and justice for all."
He chose another paper that Lilla had headlined. It read, 'Lady Glinda to be praised for accomplishments in Animal rights.' The article went on to talk about Animal rights under the Wizard and contrasted them against Glinda's. This article made Lilla sound a bit like the rest of Oz in terms of her praise of Glinda.
"Lilla's the only person on the paper I completely trust. She might not have worshiped the ground you walked on, Glinda, but she's certainly unhappy with Shroud. She believes a free and independent press is the only way to truly preserve liberty."
"But does she know the risks involved?" Glinda asked timidly. She wasn't sure what to think of Lilla yet but she didn't want to risk the reporter's life just to ensure that the letter was published.
"Oh she knows and she'll be glad to take them. She's an activist. Think Elphaba without the green skin," and Glinda couldn't help but laugh. This mission would be something Elphaba would have loved being a part of. "Lilla knows that anarchy might be a preferable situation for individuals but she knows that people need leaders or else they'll eat each other alive. However, if she's stuck with a leader she would rather have you than a suppressive charlatan like Shroud, who seems poised to be another Wizard. And she hated the Wizard."
This finally convinced Glinda and she nodded resolutely. "I'll do it," she answered and Morti beamed.
--
Glinda had opted not to join Hershwin and Morti at the pub. Instead, she hurried over to Mela's house. She needed to speak with Elphaba at once. The Doe looked more than pleased when Glinda told her that she would write the letter and, in fact, that's why she was here. Elphaba had always helped her with school work and she wanted the green witch to help her put the letter together.
"I believe she and Fiyero are still upstairs," Mela told Glinda and gestured to the staircase. "Oh you know where they are," she added kindly.
"Thanks," Glinda added with a smile and she climbed the familiar stairs to the room Fiyero and Elphaba shared. As she approached their room, Glinda froze. Elphaba and Fiyero had seemed eager to return home and the good witch feared that one day she would walk in on them during an intiment moment. She listened carefully as she approached, tuning her ears for the tell-tale signs of love making.
The nearer she drew, however, Glinda could only make out one sound; snoring. Deciding that it was safe, Glinda knocked sharply on the door three times.
"Elphie, Fiyero, it's Glinda. I need help."
The snores stopped and Glinda could hear groans and protests as two people started to move about.
"Coming," Elphaba called and her sleep laced voice told Glinda that the two had simply passed out from both exhaustion and too much ale. Thirty seconds later, the door opened. Elphaba was wearing a pair of Fiyero's trousers (or were they her own) and a loose fitting top.
"Is something wrong, Glinda," she asked with a yawn and the good witch could see Fiyero still buried in the bedclothes. His face was planted firmly in his pillow and it seemed that he had taken Elphaba's pillow and placed it over his head to further block out lights and sounds.
"Not really but I need your help," Glinda answered plainly. "I have to write a letter and I need help putting it together. It's a letter to the people of Oz that'll be published in the national newspaper," Glinda added when Elphaba looked annoyed at being awoken for what appeared to be a trivial matter.
"Why don't you come in and explain." Elphaba, now looking intrigued, stood back to let the blonde in. "There're scones and biscuits left over from breakfast if you're hungry," Elphaba gestured to the hardening pastries. "Fiyero," she said calmly and then ripped the blankets off of the Winkie. "Wake up," she said as he grasped for the blanket which the green witch held just out of reach. "No, it's time to get up," she snapped as she removed her pillow from his head and placed it on her side of the bed. "Glinda has something to tell us."
"Can't she tell us in ten minutes," Fiyero grumped but he sat up and reached for a shirt on the mantle. "I just laid down five minutes ago."
Ignoring Fiyero, Elphaba turned to Glinda. "Okay spill." And for the next hour Glinda told Elphaba and Fiyero what she was supposed to do. When she finished, Elphaba looked intrigued and Fiyero, confused.
"Won't that get Judge Ospen and this Lilla in trouble? Shroud could have them killed," Fiyero asked.
"There are risks involved, yes," Glinda told him. "But we're convinced that they would accept and be willing to take these risks for the betterment of Oz."
"If you say so, Glinda," Fiyero said with a shrug. "I still say so much could go wrong for us. What do you think, Fae?"
"I think it's brilliant," Elphaba exclaimed and grabbed one of the hard biscuits and put a generous helping of jam on top. "Of course there are risks, Fiyero, but we'd want to do something if we were on the outside trying to get in. Oh this is perfect!" she cried and made a slight face as she bit into the hardened biscuit.
"I know," Fiyero answered and held out his hand for a scone. "But don't you think it's a bit wrong to ask it of them?" He caught the scone Elphaba threw to him but also made a face as he took a bite. The pastries were obviously in need of replacement.
"I thought the same thing at first, Fiyero," Glinda answered as Elphaba shook her head. "But, like Elphie said, they want to get in. They want to help. They just don't know how."
"Well I think it's a great idea, if it works," Fiyero answered. "I'm gonna need the jam if I want to get my teeth through this, Elphaba," he added and the green witch passed him the jam with a roll of her eyes.
"So let's get started," Elphaba hurried over to the dresser and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. "Let's get some ideas down first. What should we tell them?"
"How about why I suddenly had to leave? That I was literally chased from my palace in the dead of night." Fiyero turned a laugh into a hacking cough. Glinda had always been one for the dramatics and her voice during this explination on what to include sounded like something out of a tragic play. Glinda wasn't a tragic hero...yet.
Elphaba, ignoring Fiyero, scribbled this down and looked up again. "We should start the letter by telling the people that you haven't given up on them and that you'll come back and fight for your crown."
Glinda nodded emphatically and Elphaba kept scribbling.
"Oh, and Elphie, include in there that they're to resist Shroud with all of their being."
"Ah, yes, maybe the people will rise up against Shroud and take care of him for us."
"Elphie, add that they're to resist peacefully."
Elphaba's face sagged as she put the pen aside. Clearly, peaceful prostest hadn't been her idea of standing up to the establishment. "Why, Glinda? We should tell them to show some guts and stand up for what's right. For the first time in their natural lives!"
"Because," said the good witch plainly and firmly. "They're my subjects and I'm writing to alert them to my presence, to let them know that I haven't forgotten them. I'm not looking for them to form an army and get themselves killed. We've been training for that part, Elphie. We can handle it."
"If you wish," Elphaba said quietly and scribbled it in. "I know I would do anything to resist, even fight."
"Yes, well, and I don't want dozens of Wicked Witches of the West flying around do I?" Glinda added and received a small smile from both Fiyero and Elphaba. "I just want them to know that they should demand a free press and speak out against him. If they work together, they could make a very effective and peaceful stand."
"Fine, fine," Elphaba muttered but she still looked rebellious. Glinda wasn't the only one in the room with an interest in the dramatics. Elphaba's escape from the Emerald City, right under (well in her case over) the noses of the entire Gale Force, was still widely talked about among the citizens of Oz. Glinda remembered listening to the rumors. She constantly got them mixed up for each story was terribly unique, completely hilarious and never close to the truth. They often involved Elphaba dive bombing people and blowing up small objects with her lazer vision. Sometimes fantasy was far more interesting than reality.
"You've been pretty quiet over there, Your Highness," Elphaba turned to Fiyero. "Anything to add?"
"Yes," Fiyero said and the other two looked at him. "I want to say that this is incredibly dangerous and risky."
"We know, Fiyero," Elphaba said in an exasperated voice. "We've also explained that sometimes risk is necessary in order to win a war."
"It's not that, Elphaba," Fiyero said. "This thing could backfire on us if we're not careful. I'll explain," he added with Elphaba and Glinda both made moves to argue. "Glinda, you want to tell them how Shroud came to seize power? That he forced you from the Emerald Palace in the dead of night? Well, are you going to tell them why it was possible? That Shroud was blackmailing you with the Wicked Witch of the West, your best friend?"
"Oh, Fiyero, don't be ridiculous," Elphaba said off handedly. "The people of Oz aren't bright enough to figure that out."
"The people of Oz might be stupid and petty," Fiyero said quickly. "But the individuals that make up the citizenry are intelligent when left to their own means. They'll start asking these questions." When Elphaba and Glinda exchanged looks, Fiyero added, "I'm just saying that we need to be prepared for these questions and have answers ready. We also have to be careful about how we word it."
"What would you think about just writing a letter that tells the people that I'm alive and trying to get back to them and that they should resist the usurper peacefully?" Glinda understood what Fiyero meant and she didn't want to have the people of Oz poking holes in her story. If Shroud had tangible proof that Elphaba and Glinda were in fact friends, he could easily win the hearts of the people. A feat, according to Morti, he had yet to achieve.
"I think that'd be much better," Fiyero told Glinda and both turned to Elphaba.
"Agreed," the green witch nodded and she seemed sincere this time unlike the idea of peaceful resistance. She made a few quick notes before handing it to Glinda.
"There're the ideas," she told her plainly. "Why don't you take this evening and write up the letter. It can be our ideas but I think they should be your words. Bring it by once you're finished and Fiyero and I will look through it."
Glinda glanced through the notes and was happy when little ideas started to knit themselves together in her brain. This letter wouldn't be difficult to write and perhaps it could change the outcome of the war. Perhaps battle wouldn't be necessary.
"Well, Fiyero, we should probably get ready for evening drills," Elphaba said, stretching. "If we get started now, the sooner we'll get to bed tonight."
Fiyero groaned and flopped back on the bed, covering his face once again with his pillow. The idea of drills made him want to crawl back into bed and wake up once they were over. However, he knew that he had postponed them once already and that his men and women needed to be ready and familiar with each other when the time came. Glinda took this as her cue to leave. She grabbed a couple of biscuits and loaded them with jam before bidding the other two good-night and setting off to her home.
--
By the time she arrived, Glinda had the letter already half written in her mind. She took a pen and paper and proceeded to work on the letter for the remainded of the evening. About five hours before the bewitching hour, she gathered up her various drafts and returned to Mela's house. The time for action was nearly upon them.
"When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.