-le gasp-

I have lots of silent readers out there that aren't so silent anymore! :D

I've tried to reply to all of your reviews, but the reply button doesn't like me. :(

I'm so glad you guys enjoy this story, though. I kind of like it myself. :]

To all of you guys who are getting confused with the names/color thing between the three sisters, I originally came up with a plan to avoid that. For example:

First, there's Bolynda, who's...blue. Hence the name. B for Blue Bolynda. :P

Frynda is red-skinned, and fire's red. So I just associate Frynda with fire. F for Feiry Frynda. xP

And Zafryna, who's last, but not least. Hers is a little trickier, but I associated her name with lightning, since she's yellow-skinned. You know in those cartoons where there's a sound effect of 'ZAP' whenever there's a strong surge of electricity or energy? That's what I was thinking about when I named her. Z for Zappy Zafryna. 8P

And you all know Elphie. Green as sin. :P

Okay, I'm rambling on here. I hoped that little tidbit helped somewhat, but if you have any questions whatsoever, don't hesitate to PM me.

Now unto the next chapter. (This is definitely one of my favorites, because one of my awesome characters is introduced here.) :D

Enjoy~

-Essence

Chapter 25

"Glinda!"

Elphaba looked around, desperately trying to find her blonde love. The scream she had heard had sent her to into a frantic frenzy, running through the forest despite her ailing legs.

"Oh Oz, what do I do now?" Elphaba asked herself, clutching at her hair in her panic.

"First of all, could you stop panicking? It's quite unnerving."

She whirled around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. She gasped at the sight of a Horse standing in front of her, his black coat shining in the faint sunlight.

"What? Don't tell me you haven't seen a Horse before."

Elphaba was speechless. "N-no…it's…it's just…"

"Well then do you need help or not?" the Horse snorted. "I have other things to do than to be gaped at by some human…."

Then the Horse got a good look at Elphaba, his big brown eyes widening just a fraction.

"…who happens to be green. How in the world…?"

Elphaba ignored the Horse's comment about her skin and walked closer to him. "Yes, I do need your help. I need you to give me a ride."

"A ride?" the Horse nickered, tossing his head from side to side. "Now why would I give you a—"

Before he finished his question, Elphaba had thrown herself unto his back, causing him to rear back in surprise. The green woman hung unto his long mane for her dear life, managing to keep a grip as the Horse tried to get rid of this sudden weight on his back.

"You asked for it, Horse," Elphaba hissed into his ear, grunting as he kicked backwards, breaking a nearby tree limb and sending a flurry of leaves raining down on them. "You asked me if I needed help and I do!"

"I meant something else entirely!" the Horse gasped and stopped bucking.

"Well too bad," Elphaba told him and adjusted herself on the Horse's back, not used to riding bareback…and in a dress. She conformed to pulling her dress high and swinging her legs around to both sides of the Horse as if she had pants to begin with. The Animal's fur felt weird rubbing against her bare inner thighs, but she had to deal with it.

There's no reason to be girly and proper, she thought. Glinda needs me more than propriety.

"Now if you are quite finished," the Horse mumbled, clearly annoyed.

"I'm finished," replied Elphaba tartly.

"Now tell me this. Where we are going?"

Elphaba wanted to hit herself. Here she was mounting some Horse she had just met and she didn't even know where she was going. Not that she had known in the first place…

"I'm not sure exactly. I'm looking for a blonde and I think she might be in trouble—"

"Oh, that little yellow-haired human? I saw her not too long ago. She looked distressed, the poor thing."

Elphaba felt her heart sink. "Glinda! Where was she?"

"Not too far from here. Be glad I found you just in time. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have made it very far."

"Don't worry, I'm glad," Elphaba said truthfully, gripping unto his mane. "Let's go!"

The Horse nodded and took off galloping through the forest.

Elphaba pressed her legs against the black Horse's flanks as he ran through the forest, her arms wrapped around the Animal's neck. He dodged through the trees as if he knew the forest by heart, never breaking his stride.

I'm coming for you, my sweet, the green woman thought. Oh Oz, I hope she isn't hurt. If she is, I will never, ever, forgive myself--

"The name's Adagio by the way," the Horse suddenly told Elphaba, breaking her out of thoughts.

"Elphaba," the green woman introduced herself.

Adagio was silent for a few moments as he took this in; the only sound was the constant clopping of his hooves.

"You're not from here, aren't you?" he asked the human on his back.

"How can you tell?" Elphaba chuckled, shaking her head.

"There are not many green people in the forest, Elphaba. That's if you don't count the elves."

"Elves?"

"Uh-hm. They are little, nasty green things about as tall as my foreleg. At first I thought you were one of them, but you are too tall to be an elf, so I assumed human."

"Good guess," Elphaba told him, liking this small talk. It helped her keep her mind off of Glinda and the worst possible scenarios she might be in.

"You certainly don't want to mess with the elves here," Adagio said, snorting. "Trust me. I only know that too well. Again, be glad I found you first before they found you."

"Again, I'm still glad. Are these elves you speak of common here?" asked Elphaba.

"Are they ever! They think they own this forest!" Adagio then slowed to a trot, looking around warily. He flicked his ears around, as if he was trying to hear some faraway sound.

"What's going on?" Elphaba asked him, noticing his sudden hesitation. "Is Glinda here?"

"Shh," the Horse shushed her and came to a complete stop. "I think your friend might have not had the same luck as you had, Elphaba. It seems the elves had found her."

Elphaba's heart started to race. If what Adagio had told her about these forest elves was true, then this could mean nothing good. "We have to go to her!" she cried, but Adagio didn't move.

"I think you're on your own from here, kiddo," Adagio told her, his ears flicking back and forth nervously.

"What?" Elphaba cried. "You're…leaving me here?"

"I have no choice. Let's just say the elves and I don't get along too well."

Elphaba nodded, understanding. It was up to her now. She needed to help Glinda alone. She slipped off the Horse's back, trying not to cry out in pain as her feet crashed to the ground. She momentarily lost her balance and leaned against Adagio's side, catching her breath.

Adagio noticed Elphaba's sudden weakness and touched her shoulder with his snout.

"You okay?" he asked, true concern for her in his deep voice.

"I'm fine," Elphaba whispered shakily. She smiled at him and patted his nose. "Thanks, Adagio."

"No problem, Elphaba," the Horse nickered. "They are not too far from here. Good luck."

Without another word, Adagio galloped into the trees, his black form quickly leaving Elphaba's line of sight. She sighed heavily and turned around; facing the direction Adagio had pointed her to.

"I'm coming for you, Glinda," Elphaba whispered into the air.

And no stupid elf is going to get in my way, she thought, a smirk creeping its way onto her face as she limped into the forest. They don't call me 'wicked' for nothing.

***

"Don't come any closer!"

Glinda backed away, her back touching the rough bark of a particularly wide tree. She plastered herself against it as the strange, short green man walked closer to her. He was wearing a small fur vest and a skirt made out of dried leaves.

"Who are you?" she spat at the creature, seriously freaked out by the way he was just…staring at her.

The elf narrowed his bright, green eyes. He scratched his bald head with one of his tiny hands, mumbling something inaudible.

Glinda gasped as she saw the sharp claws on the elf's hands as he scratched his head, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end in her fear.

The elf had never seen anything like this before in his life. He stepped closer to the blonde, reaching out to touch the most interesting golden curls on her head.

That's when Glinda screamed again.

The elf pressed his hands against his sharp, pointed ears, grimacing at the harsh sound.

"L-let me go," Glinda whimpered. "I didn't do anything to you. Just let me go!"

The elf frowned at her, not liking the fact that she had screamed. It hurt his overly sensitive ears. He put his hands around his mouth in an 'o' shape and started to produce a high, whistling sound that only his other brethren could hear.

"What are you doing?" Glinda asked him, her voice shaking violently. "I don't like you!"

The elf couldn't have cared less. He smiled the most disturbing smile Glinda had ever seen. She didn't know if he was actually smiling at her at all.

He once again reached for her blonde curls, the girl trembling as he drew closer to her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

"Hey!"

The elf froze at the new sound, his sharp claws barely touching Glinda's delicate, pale skin. The blonde opened her eyes and smiled at who she saw at the other side of the clearing.

"Elphie!"

The green woman limped forwards a few steps as the elf turned around to face her, the strange, sinister smile still plastered on his face.

"Don't you dare touch my girlfriend," Elphaba growled, slowly taking the satchel off her shoulder and setting it on the grass next to her.

"Oh, Elphie!" Glinda cried, the relief evident in her voice.

Elphaba put a finger to her lips, telling her to be quiet for a moment while she dealt with the elf.

Glinda nodded, understanding. She watched as the elf crept closer to Elphaba, intrigued by this new presence in the clearing.

Elphaba quietly bent down low to the ground and slipped out the Grimmerie from the satchel, all the while staring straight at the elf, making sure he kept his attention on her, not Glinda.

The way he's smiling is scaring the shit out of me, Elphaba thought as she opened the Grimmerie. It's as if he knows what I'm going to do to him.

The elf, however, didn't know what was going on at all. He was clearly wary of Elphaba and this new thing she had produced out of her bag, but he crept ever closer to her, his leaf skirt brushing against the ground underneath him.

Glinda watched her love from the other side of the clearing, praying that she knew what she was doing. And her legs, she thought. Oh, Elphie-

Her thoughts were interrupted as Elphaba started to chant from the Grimmerie, her hands twisting and turning about in the air as she worked her magic.

"Remth ulink yans florim remth ulink yans florim!"

The elf then let out a piercing scream as it collapsed to the ground, twitching and writhing in agony.

Glinda felt her heart race as the elf screamed again and again as Elphaba continued to chant, his high pitched voice ringing in her ears. Suddenly a bright, white light erupted from the elf, momentarily blinding Glinda.

Elphaba slowly lowered the hand that she had been using to shield her eyes from the bright light her spell had caused, rapidly blinking a few times. She smiled when she saw the result of her spell. It had worked to perfection.

Glinda shook her head, clearing away the white spots that had appeared in her vision. She then spotted a bouquet of flowers lying in the middle of the clearing where the elf had been a few moments before.

What the…?

Elphaba gingerly placed the Grimmerie back in her satchel, closed it and slung it back over her shoulder. She got up and limped over to the bouquet of flowers, picking it up.

Glinda watched this, not knowing quite what to say when Elphaba approached her with the bouquet in her hands.

The green woman presented the bouquet to her love, smiling apologetically. "Is it too late to say I'm sorry?" she whispered, staring straight into Glinda's blue eyes.

"Oh, Elphie," the blonde breathed, accepting the bouquet.

Elphaba smiled. "You were right all along. I'm sorry for being such a bitch."

Glinda couldn't hold it in any longer. She threw her arms around her green love and kissed her with vigor.

Elphaba melted into Glinda's embrace, returning the kiss fiercely. She felt Glinda's tongue slip in her mouth and for a few moments they were lost in that one kiss. She laughed as they parted, panting from the sudden lack of oxygen.

Glinda felt Elphaba's fingers wipe the tears of joy away from her eyes as the green woman held her close. "I take it you forgive me?" she asked her lover, burying her face against those beautiful blonde curls, deeply breathing in the scent of shampoo.

"After that incredibly adorable and romantic gesture, how can I not? Of course I forgive you, Elphie. And you weren't a bitch…"

Elphaba raised a brow questioningly as she pulled back to look at Glinda.

The blonde laughed as she gave those green lips a peck. "Okay, you were."

Elphaba smiled and held her love close to her chest, so happy that she was back by her side, safe and unharmed. Suddenly a whiz was heard and she gasped, clutching at Glinda's blouse.

"Elphie? What's wro-"

Suddenly, Elphaba collapsed into her arms, causing the blonde to gasp in surprise, her knees buckling at the weight of her lover against her. The bouquet of flowers fell to the ground as Glinda saw the arrow protruding from Elphaba's back.

She then looked up to see an elf lower its bow, its bright green eyes glittering maliciously as it smiled at her.

Glinda and Elphaba were quickly surrounded as its brethren melted out of the shadows, that same, sinister smile plastered on their faces.

***

Frynda adjusted the collar of her black cloak.

That was the fastest I've ever changed clothes, she thought. I have to get out of here before Zafryna can do something to stop me.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Frynda, you are going to make me do something I will regret," she heard Zafryna growl from outside the door.

"Go ahead!" Frynda called after her. "See if that can stop me!"

Okay, I'm getting a little cocky here, she warned herself. I better shut my mouth before I say something I will regret.

"Frynda!" Zafryna pounded at the door in her frustration. "You haven't stepped out of this palace in years! Where are you going to go?"

"To the Never-Ending Forest first, of course," Frynda told her as if it was basic knowledge. "That's the closest place here."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Zafryna screamed, pulling at the locked door. "You can't go in there! You don't even know what lives in there!"

"Well, I guess I will have to find out!" Frynda told her and grabbed the sheets off of the beds in the room. She quickly tied knots between them, making a makeshift rope.

"Oh my- Frynda! PLEASE!"

"I'm sorry, Zaf! You could keep track of me through your looking glass if you want!" Frynda opened the window in the room and threw the 'rope' over the side of the palace's wall, catching the end of it before it could slip out of her grasp. She smiled as she looked down to the ground below. It was just long enough.

Perfect!

"FRYNDA!" Zafryna was about to break down the door in her desperation.

Frynda tied the end of the 'rope' to the wooden post of her bed, pulling on it to make sure it was tight enough. It was.

"See ya later, sis!"

Without another word, Frynda climbed down the 'rope', her boots gripping against the stone of the palace's red exterior walls.

Zafryna managed to burst through the door, her heart sinking when she realized her sister had already left via window. She hurriedly ran to it and pulled up the 'rope', not surprised when she didn't feel any weight on it. She looked down towards the ground to see the end of Frynda's black cloak as she ran into the woods and away from the palace.

Zafryna let out a scream of frustration, burying her head in her hands.

"Great. This is just great!"