Chapter 21
"Good Munchkins of Munchkinland, I know that the announcement was quite a shock but I can assure you that no one is trying to take anything away from you. It is only recently that we ourselves found out about the heir to the Governor's seat," Lady Glinda tried to calm the leaders of the Munchkins whom she had invited into the Emerald Palace.
"You expect us to believe you?" Head Munchkin Poq wanted to know.
"The Wicked Witch wasn't supposed to be alive either. We all saw how that worked out. Her sorcery is unparalleled and she could do whatever she wants!" Poq's second in command, Major General Noli, shouted.
"You will refrain from yelling at Lady Glinda. This is to be a civil meeting. Do I make myself clear?" Captain Khalil almost growled at the short statured men.
"All right, down boys, all of you. Why is it men cannot control themselves in meetings?" Glinda asked.
"Because they do not have calmer heads Glin," Elphaba spoke up as the guards dragged her into the room. She was cuffed much to the blonde's chagrin.
"The Witch!" Poq exclaimed. It was obvious that fear coursed through him and the other Munchkins in the room.
"I am Elphaba Thropp; last remaining daughter of Frex Thropp; immediate heir to his Governor's seat," she spoke calmly. Her calm was lost the moment the doors behind her burst open and Fiyero was being dragged through with Liir directly behind him by more guards.
"Who are those two?" Noli demanded.
"The one made of straw is Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Arjiki Tribe. The boy is my son, Liir. His father was my father," the last portion of the sentence was quieter than the rest.
"Unhand me," Liir ordered but the guards did not.
"I would do ask he asks. It's best not to agitate him," Fiyero had a smirk on his face that Elphaba could not place. She worried that with his hot heat Liir might do something that they would all regret later.
"You will do as he asks. Let him go," Glinda ordered. Having no choice, the guards let go of the boy who moved to his mother's side.
"I am Liir, son of Elphaba. You will cease the hostilities. I may own the title of Second in line for the Munchkin Governorship but I would never wish to seek it out. I could not rule a bunch of rude, selfish, heathens such as you," he said.
"I beg your pardon!" Poq was offended.
"You did nothing while my mother was tortured by not only the people whom her father ruled but also her father herself. Yet you cry out about her atrocities as if they made up for the ones you committed. I wash my hands of you and of Munchkinland," Liir told him. Elphaba's heart almost ripped in two. He had grown up quicker than anyone should have to and she knew that no matter what she would have never wanted that despite her feelings about him.
"You would let him speak to us in such a manner?" Noli looked at Lady Glinda.
"I believe I speak for both of us when I say, that Liir is right," Khalil answered for her, seeing the obvious disgust that she was trying to hold down. It hadn't been there before but Liir's words had stirred something in the blonde that he knew well.
"The Captain is right. I believe your business is concluded here. Liir has renounced his title and I'm more than willing to bet that Miss Elphaba would do the same," Glinda said through gritted teeth.
"Oh I absolutely renounce my title. My father's greatest wish was that I would never see the seat he coveted so much and for a time I wanted it to just prove to him that he had no idea what I was really capable of. When he gave it to my sister, whom your great "savior" Dorothy killed, I was neither surprised nor angry. What angered me is the dancing upon my dear sister's grave. What love I had for Munchkinland ceased the moment she died and her shoes were stolen," Elphaba held her head high.
"There you have it. Now, if you wish to leave the city of Oz in one piece, I suggest you take your army and march on home. If war is to be your option, then know the full weight of Oz's most powerful witches and warlock will come down upon you," Glinda's patience and diplomacy had run out. These men stood there and made demands, barked orders, and practically stormed the City gates without so much as sending an envoy first.
"You would never!" Poq was shocked by the blonde's words.
"I would do whatever it took to protect the citizens of the city. You have no idea with whom you're messing with," the blonde was close to losing it when Elphaba put a hand on her shoulder. The chains weighed her down but the strength she needed to lift such heavy objects came from her friend.
"Everyone, please calm down. There is no need for this hostility," Council Leader Wiley spoke up, seeing that this was rapidly going out of control.
"You may renounce your titles but the Munchkin people deserve more than that after being under the thumb of your sister!" Poq finally spoke the words that he'd been meaning to say for a while.
"Her death was not enough?" Elphaba asked. Despite everything that had happened, it was never Nessa's fault for what happened to her. In fact, without her sister, she would have never gone to Shiz. The thought crossed her mind that her father probably allowed it so he could find another victim for his sick and twisted mind.
"No! We will not be satisfied until all the remaining Thropps are wiped from Oz," Noli backed his commander up.
"Oh death is only the beginning," Elphaba told them.
To Be Continued…