Fae the Queen, not much. Just a few snippets here and there of her and Fiyero's journey together, maybe. For five years, she had been unconscious so there's not much to tell from her point of view. Putting Glinda (and Fiyero) in the limelight, instead of Elphaba, was the challenge I took in writing this story.
Oh. Around 10 chapters left. Thank you, guys, for keeping up!
Brrr held onto Dorothy and Toto very tightly as they and their companions flew over Oz in Glinda's bubbles.
"Oh Oz oh Oz oh Oz oh Oz" the Lion mumbled, terrified.
"Don't close your eyes, Brrr. You're gonna miss the view!" Dorothy told the Lion as she directed the bubble forward. "Look, a mountain! Straight ahead!"
"NOOOOO!"
Giant bubbles quickly took a sharp curve around the rock formation, barely evading it.
Boq, in another bubble, sped up to catch Glinda who was flying ahead of them. He looked at her in awe – even in a common worker's clothes, which she then used as a disguise in case anyone sees them, she looked beautiful.
"This is amazing, Glinda!" he told her when they were side by side.
"Why, thank you, Boq!" Glinda smiled cheerfully.
Boq looked ahead, subtly hiding his blush. "Look, the rock formations are getting lower," he observed. "We must be nearing the end of the Great Kells. Based on my calculations, it will take us less than half an hour to get to the Thousand Year Grasslands."
Glinda simply nodded. "Are you really sure you don't want to be dropped off in Kiamo Ko?"
"Yep," Boq quickly answered. "It's risky enough bringing you with us now. And the less people to see us land in Vinkus, the better. It would be best if no one sees us."
It did not take long before they safely landed on the grasslands. Dorothy, Toto and Brrr were obviously glad to have their feet to be once again in contact with the ground as they ran in circles playfully. For a few seconds, Glinda and Boq allowed themselves to take in their surroundings. Given a different situation, it might have been a perfect time for a picnic on the snowy grassy ground.
"Are you sure you guys are okay here?" Glinda asked once again before leaving.
"Yep. Thank you for bringing us here," Boq replied.
"I would have accompanied you to Kiamo Ko, too, you know. It would be a comfort to see that you actually arrived safely."
"We'd like that, too." Boq smiled. "But we should go on by ourselves from this point on. And you should get back, too. The sooner you get back to Emerald City, the better. We don't want anyone to discover that you have been away."
"Okay. And, Boq, thank you for going all the way with Dorothy and for standing in for me."
"Anytime."
"Oh! Um. Dorothy?" Her head turned towards the girl.
Dorothy left her playmates to run towards the sorceress. "Yes, Miss Glinda?"
"Here. Wear this. I'm sure Fiyero would easily recognize it." Glinda took off the necklace she has been wearing and passed it to Dorothy. "If ever you come across an enemy that is too strong, just think of me and I'll try to be of help."
Dorothy expressed her thanks through a hug. "Thank you, Miss Glinda. You're a good sorcerer."
To be called a good sorcerer by the young girl, Glinda felt an endearing warmth in her heart.
"Please be careful, Glinda," Boq said as they watched Glinda summon a giant bubble.
"You, too," she replied before she summoned her bubble and flew.
Fiyero sighed in relief when he learned that the Vinkun king and ministers decided to protect him. However, days passed by and, except for him being allowed to stay in the castle grounds, nothing seemed different – he still remained indoors, as advised by the ministers, so he could avoid too much public attention.
He didn't have much company, too. His father and sister had to attend to their royal duties. Alfr, as arguably the king's most trusted minister, was even busier – Fiyero felt a little guilty for adding up to the young minister's already long list of cases to deal with. Elphaba was confined in the hospital, as recommended by the Vinkun health minister, so doctors can closely monitor her health and the possible effects of her incarceration in the beryllite facility. He couldn't even get his Horse from the stable because he was still healing from the injuries he collected in their long journey.
Bored, he left his room and went into Freya's office while she was somewhere else. He wasn't expecting to find anything interesting there, but he just needed to move somehow.
He walked towards her desk and noticed how messy it was with all the papers scattered over it. Curious, he sat down on the office chair and inspected the contents of the papers. It turns out that Freya had been trying to solve a sort of a puzzle. Having nothing better to do, he looked for a pen and another sheet of paper and tried to come up with his own solution.
But he did not even last for ten minutes before he got bored again. He got up and decided to go outside to get some fresh air.
Without really thinking, his feet seemed to have led him to his mother's garden, where he saw the most interesting sight since the day he was kept inside the castle. The scene that he saw was so serene and heart-warming that he hesitated to approach and disturb it.
Unable to contain himself, he called out the main character of the particular scene. "Fae!"
The green lady turned her head at the sound of her new nickname and met the approaching man with a smile. "Fiyero."
He scrapped his thoughts earlier. Her face, complete with the slight blush on her cheeks, was the most beautiful thing he had seen so far.
"I uh… I shouldn't be here, actually," Elphaba said shyly as she tried to walk past him.
"No!" he replied too hastily. "I mean… uh… you're here and I uh… we're… my um…" He combed his hair a little roughly in frustration. "Oh, what am I saying?"
She chuckled. "Rendered speechless by my charm, huh?" she said sarcastically.
"Yes. Always," he rode on, lifting her hand to his lips. Breaking the spell, he sighed. "I haven't really spoken to anyone for days. You have no idea how glad I am to see you again!"
He noticed the dejected expression she tried to hide. "You must be so bored, then," she said.
"What do you mean?" He frowned. "For your information, Miss, you were the first person that came to mind in my time of solitude."
"Oh really?" she said cynically, trying to hide a blush.
"Yeah. Um..." He also blushed upon realizing that he might have sounded like he was flirting. "How are you feeling now? Are you well?" he asked, changing the topic.
"I'm fine, but staying in one room all day doing nothing makes me feel sick sometimes."
"I couldn't agree more!"
The two sighed.
"What was your mother like, Fiyero?" Elphaba asked, breaking the silence. Her eyes were on his mother's grave.
Fiyero looked towards the grave and felt different from the first time he did so. This time, he felt calm as he fondly remembered his moments with his family. He told Elphaba how happy his mother was when he graduated from Shiz – it took him six years, all in all, to finish college. Inevitably, the stories went towards his childhood memories, with him claiming on the side that the embarrassing stories Elphaba heard from his father and sister were not entirely true – she had to laugh at that.
Finally, he recalled the night before he left Vinkus for Emerald City when his parents were in their private quarters, talking about him. He tried to eavesdrop, but all he heard were occasional sobs. His departure felt painful as his mother bade him farewell with a smile – he knew she was just trying to be strong for him.
"And that was the last time I saw her alive." He sighed. "Not the best parting scene, I'm afraid."
Not sure how she should react, Elphaba simply touched Fiyero's arm. He covered the green hand with his brown one, appreciating her little comforting gesture.
"At least I got to spend many years with my mother. It must have been hard having no one looking after you."
Elphaba looked away, trying to hide any hint of emotion. "I got by."
"I'm glad you did." He bumped her shoulder. "But it's not too late. I wish you'd let other people take care of you, too."
Fiyero and Elphaba were sitting on the ground, laughing and talking, when they suddenly heard footsteps of someone approaching. The prince stood up, observing his surroundings while protectively covering his companion behind him.
A familiar voice followed. "Elphaba! Elphaba, where are you?"
Elphaba instinctively hid behind Fiyero, who frowned in confusion.
"Elphaba!"
"Reya?" Fiyero suddenly wondered if he did anything so wrong that his sister came to fetch him personally.
"Yero!" Freya jogged towards her brother. "Have you seen... Hey! Elphaba, there you are!" She pulled one green arm, but not roughly. "I've been looking for you all afternoon, I was so worried!"
"I'm so sorry, Freya," Elphaba replied. "I didn't mean to..."
"My, my. What happened here?" Fiyero asked, feeling out of place. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously onto Elphaba.
"I uh... kind of… snuck out of the hospital." She scratched her head and grinned sheepishly.
Fiyero chuckled. "Why, I didn't know you had it in you, Miss Elphaba. So mischievous!"
Not finding witty words to say in response, she stuck her tongue out to him.
"Okay, kids, stop fighting already," the younger Tiggular intervened. "You two get back inside! Now!"
After a momentary pause, the three laughed at the absurdity of the situation.
"C'mon, Elphaba," Freya said once they had recovered from their laughing fit. "I know it's been hard for you, too, but you have to trust us. We just want to make sure that you're in good condition and you have nothing that will harm you in the long run. All I can assure you is that we will do our best. But we need your cooperation, too."
"I understand. I'm truly sorry, Freya."
"Alright. And let's be friends, okay?"
Elphaba nodded. Two ladies grinned happily and shook hands.
"You, too, Yero." The younger lady diverted her attention to her brother, who was trying but failing to be less visible. "You have to return to the castle now. Let's go."
Njord Tiggular, especially after his wife's death, wished to spend as much time as possible with his children – including those biologically unrelated to him but he considers his, nonetheless. To the prince's delight, he was reunited with his companions that afternoon in dinner.
Elphaba had become a new addition to the family, next to Alfr, since the king found her and his daughter inseparable, especially in the past few days. Fiyero found it endearing yet strange. They must have bonded that much, spending much time together in the hospital, huh? Perhaps I should get tips…
"Good news, everyone!" Freya announced to the people gathered around the dinner table. All eyes and ears were on her. "Elphaba has just been cleared from the hospital! She'll be staying with us now… Right, father?"
"Of course. My children are always welcome to stay here if they want." Njord answered warmly. "I assume you've asked the servants to prepare her a room?"
"I already did, father. They've cleaned up and prepared the room next to mine."
After the dinner, the extended family lounged by the fireplace. Fiyero sought for Elphaba but found her already in a discussion with his father and Alfr. Finding nothing else to do, he tried to listen to their conversation.
"Fiyero!" his sister called him. He cringed at her slightly angry tone. "You've snuck into my room, haven't you?"
He shook his head, feigning innocence.
She fetched a paper from her pocket, unfolded it and flashed it to his face.
The prince gulped. "That's…"
"Your handwriting!" Freya shoved the paper further onto his face. "Fiyero Tiggular, you're a genius!"
He suddenly found himself being bear-hugged by the princess. "Huh? What did I do?"
"You, dear brother, have just made us an antidote."