Fiyero slowly opened the door to the library and looked around. He walked over to the corner he found himself occupying with his girlfriend for the past three days. As usual, he found her already there and prepared himself for the repetitive argument they were about to have. She was currently pouring over a tower of spell books they had pulled from the shelves. He sat down next to her and took a deep breath.
"You need to eat."
She didn't look up. "No."
"You didn't eat breakfast this morning… or dinner last night."
"I'm not hungry."
"Fae, we've been having this argument every day."
She didn't respond.
"Galinda wouldn't want you to –"
"You don't know what Galinda would have wanted! You only dated her for two weeks before breaking up with her!"
Fiyero bit his lip. "I didn't break up with her. She broke up with me."
"Do you have a purpose here other than to distract and annoy me?"
"Yes. To get you to take a break."
"I don't want a break, so go away."
"Fae."
"Go away, Fiyero!"
The prince sighed and moved to kiss her cheek. The green girl pulled away with a frown, not looking up from the book. He had no other choice than to leave.
"How is she?" Amalie asked as her son came into the throne room where she was with her husband and the Wizard.
"She didn't blast me against the wall this time," the prince said with a slight shrug. "She won't eat, though. At least, not until she finds a spell something that will stop Ozma."
"I'll try talking to her," Oscar said as he stood. "She should at least eat something before she makes herself sick."
"She's grieving," Raal said. "Regardless of how unhealthy it is, this might be her way of getting through it."
"Is Galinda's family…"
"I received their message today. They'll arrive tomorrow and take her home."
"Where's Nessa?" Fiyero asked.
"She's was in the gardens with the twins, the last I checked," Amalie said.
Fiyero nodded and went to check on the younger Thropp, who was indeed in the garden, watching as Azar and Timunah showed her their best gymnastic tricks.
"Whoa!" Fiyero jumped when Azar almost kicked him in the face. "Watch where you kick!"
"It's not my fault your face was where my foot was headed," Azar said, but sobered when his older brother's face told him he wasn't in the mood for jokes.
"Is Elphaba alright?" Timunah asked.
"She's fine," Fiyero lied, then glanced over her shoulder at Nessa. She was sitting in an old wheelchair that his grandfather used during the later years of his life, since Elphaba was too preoccupied to try and conjure her old chair back. It wasn't as comfortable as hers, but it still got her around. "She's still working on finding a spell, though. Could you two give me a moment with Nessa?"
The two teenagers nodded and hurried back inside.
"How is she really, Fiyero?" Nessa asked as the prince sat on the bench next to her.
"Honestly, not that great. She still refuses to eat and practically hides in the library all day. She's probably not sleeping, either. I don't think she's even allowed herself to cry."
"She blames herself."
"She never said –"
"She doesn't have to. I know what it looks like. She blames herself for our mother's death and my condition, and even though she never said it out loud, I can see it in her eyes."
"There has to be something we can do to help."
"Maybe I should go talk to her."
"If you're confident she won't send you flying across the room."
"I'll take my chances."
Fiyero smiled and pushed Nessa back inside and helped her up to the library with a passing servant.
Elphaba looked up at the sound of wheels approaching her and frowned. "If you brought my sister here to try to –"
"I didn't," Fiyero said, holding up his arms. "I was just the assistant. I'm leaving now."
"Fabala," Nessa began as soon as the prince left. "Can we talk?"
"I'm very busy right now, Nessa."
"Then just listen. I know you're upset; I know you're more than upset, but this… this isn't going to solve anything. You starving and depriving yourself of sleep isn't going to bring Galinda back."
Elphaba glared at her and the brunette knew she had to choose her next set of words very carefully.
"I know your sole focus is trying to defeat Ozma, but you need a break. You need fresh air and food in your stomach. You need a nap."
Elphaba was silent for a moment, and it worried Nessa that she couldn't tell what her sister was thinking. At least, until she said, "You should be back at your job in Munchkinland."
"I wrote to both Father and my boss, explaining everything. You need me more than they do right now."
"I need to find a –"
"You need to eat and rest! Please, Fabala."
"Every day that Ozma is in the Emerald City is a day innocent people are being terrorized and we have to remain here to stop her from killing the rest of us."
"I promise you'll feel so much better after some food and a nap."
"I doubt it."
"Elphaba."
"Fine," Elphaba huffed, closing the book. "If it will get you all off my back."
Nessa gave her a soft smile. Her sister stepped behind her chair and helped her back down, carrying her and using her magic to levitate the chair down the stairs.
"I suppose you want your old chair back, don't you?" the green girl said once Nessa was situated on the ground floor. "I'm sorry."
"I'm fine, Fabala."
Elphaba shook her head and chanted a simple spell. The old chair was replaced with Nessa's original one, much to the brunette's pleasure.
"Thank you."
"It's the least I can do. Where is everyone?"
"Fiyero's parents are in the throne room with your father. I don't know where Fiyero went."
Elphaba nodded and went into the throne room. The three adults were surprised to see her, but quickly hid their surprise behind warm smiles.
"Hi," the green girl said with a small wave.
"Hi, Elphaba," the queen smiled. "Are you feeling better?"
"Not really, but I'm… hungry."
"Lunch is almost ready."
Elphaba nodded. "What's happening in the Emerald City?"
"Ozma has fully taken over Oz," Oscar said. "The past few days, she managed to spend most of the money in the treasury, raise taxes, and outlaw all magic except her own. She also created many new laws and anyone not obeying her will be put to death without trial. But there are still many people still loyal to me, to us."
"And… Galinda's parents?"
"They'll be here tomorrow to take her home."
"Where is she?"
"She's in the North room, down the right hall from the main staircase. The last door on the left."
Elphaba worked her jaw. "Alright."
Oscar sighed. "Nova, if you want to talk –"
"I don't!" Elphaba said quickly, then took a deep breath. "I just… wanted to know."
"Excuse me, Your Majesties, but lunch is now ready," a servant announced.
"Thank you," Raal nodded and they all made their way to the dining room.
"May I sit next to you?" Fiyero asked, appearing beside Elphaba.
Elphaba turned and nodded, slipping her hand into her boyfriend's. Fiyero smiled as he pulled the chair out for his girlfriend, who sat down with a muttered, "Thanks". The meal was relatively silent, save for a few comments back and forth, but Elphaba just focused on her food. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she asked for seconds.
"May I be excused, please?" she asked when she finished.
"Of course, dear," Amalie nodded, watching her carefully.
Everyone's gazes drifted to the green girl as she stood and left. Fiyero debated following her, but figured he shouldn't push her. He just hoped she wouldn't go back to hiding in the library.
Elphaba quickly ascended the staircase and turned right and walked down the hall. The last door on the left was slightly ajar and she took a deep breath before fully opening it. She hadn't seen her best friend since she died the previous week. She hadn't even been near the room. She felt slightly out of place entering, but got up the courage to approach her friend.
Amalie and Raal had decided to start the embalming process for the Uplands to preserve her body. Currently, she wore a simple light blue dress with a flower on the front. Elphaba had no idea where the dress came from, but figured it was either Amalie's or Timunah's. Her hair was curled and neatly pulled back into a low, loose ponytail.
She pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "Hey, Glin," she said, gently taking on of her hands. "I'm sorry I've been away. I'm sorry we… I just… I'm sorry. I can't apologize to you enough. Everything I… you… I… you shouldn't have done that! Why would you cast that life-for-life spell on us, no matter how modified? Did you know what would have happened?"
"I don't think she did."
Elphaba jumped at the voice, but relaxed, seeing Fiyero. He came into the room and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"She told me she wouldn't die. Either she didn't know, or she knew you would save her before the original spell was complete."
"That doesn't make this any better. She trusted in me and I let her down."
"You didn't let her down."
"I'm going to confront Ozma again and this time, she's going to pay."
The prince thought it wise not to anger his girlfriend over the body of her best friend. "She thought she wasn't powerful enough to take on Ozma, at least, not on her own. But she held her off so I could get you back up to your room. She then teleported up to us."
"She finally got the teleportation spell right?"
"From what she told me, it was her first time."
Elphaba chuckled softly. "It was. She could never get it right in Morrible's seminar."
"You helped her get into that seminar."
"I just told Morrible that I would drop out if she didn't include her. I wanted to do something nice for her after she set Nessa up with Boq." Elphaba paused for a moment before adding, "That cursed training wand!"
Fiyero snickered. "Was it really that bad?"
"She once turned my uniform into a frilly, pink, party dress, curled my hair, and tied it back into pigtails with pink ribbons, claiming I looked like a princess."
"Was this before or after your big decision?"
"Around a week later, I think. And I don't know how she could do that, but couldn't change the color of an apple."
Fiyero laughed and Elphaba grinned.
"I threatened to outlaw pink because of that incident."
"She didn't take that too well, I imagine."
"It was her own fault," Elphaba laughed, then immediately stopped. "I shouldn't be doing this."
"Doing what?"
"Laughing. Galinda's body is right in front of me and I'm laughing. I'm so ashamed!"
"You shouldn't be," Fiyero said, gripping her shoulders and making her look at him. "You were remembering the good times you had. You were remembering how you made each other laugh and what good friends you were. It's good. It's healthy. It's coping."
"I…" She paused. "I never got a chance to say goodbye. To say thank you for being my friend; my very first friend ever."
"You can now."
"She can't hear me."
"How do you know?"
"She's dead, Fiyero."
"That doesn't mean her spirit is gone."
Elphaba's face turned thoughtful. "You don't think she had a safety plan and decided to preserve her spirit in a book?"
He honestly didn't know how serious she was. "She believed in you. She knew that you could stop Ozma, and Fae, it's not too late."
Elphaba looked down at her friend.
"She told me she knew you were reading the Grimmerie behind our backs. She was reading it too, using your notes to try to learn the language and help you. She also found the painting of Ozma in that secret room."
"Oh, Glin…" Elphaba whispered, a lump forming in her throat as tears welled in her eyes.
Fiyero quickly collected her into his arms just before she started sobbing. "It's alright, my Fae. Let it out. It's okay."
It was the first time Elphaba allowed her emotions to take over and release. She clung to Fiyero, whose strong arms seemingly protected her.
"I loved her," she whispered once the strong wave passed, her voice hoarse.
"And I know she loved you, too." He kissed her hair.
"She loved you, too, Yero. Even after you broke up, she still loved you."
"What can I say? I'm a very lovable guy."
She gave him a look.
"I'm serious. Once you love me, it's impossible to stop."
Elphaba rolled her eyes and gave her friend's hand one more squeeze. "I'll succeed, Glin. I'll figure out a way. I promise. For you."
Yes, a sad chapter, but I did include some Fiyeraba! And we haven't seen the last of Galinda.