AN: Update!

Ozzie, don't feel guilty, it was my own fault :P.

TeenageDream123, thank you for reviewing again! :) That must have been amazing, her last performance... the only last performance I've ever attended was the very final performance of Wicked here in the Netherlands, but I heard that the international ones are usually much more emotional. I'm still hoping to see someone's last performance abroad one day, but no luck so far (more like, no time and no money).

Kudos and virtual home-made apple pie for Dude. My name is never ever, for being the 300th reviewer on this story! Yay! :D

I'm not sure how much longer this story is going to get; probably not as long as Shadows, which was 43 chapters, but I think it might be close. Lots of things still need to happen (thing I've already written in advance and can't wait to see your murderous reactions too). I'm sorry for the many filler chapter, but it'll get better, I promise.

Chapter 26. Down under

'If I'm going to be a mermaid, can I have a pink fishtail?' Galinda asked excitedly. 'With sparkles all over? Pretty please?'

Cohvu sniggered and kissed the top of his girlfriend's head. 'Oh, Glin,' he said affectionately. 'You are so adorable.'

She pouted. 'Why?'

Elphaba rolled her eyes. 'You're not going to be mermaids,' she told her friend. 'You're just going to be able to breathe under the water, that's all. And even if you would be mermaids, I doubt whether you could pick your own fishtail.'

Galinda sighed in defeat. 'Well, it was worth the try.'

In the weeks since Elphaba's last visit, the green girl had spent hours in the library of Adurin Iir, looking through the spell books she found there and trying out some easier spells. She found that if she concentrated, she could indeed cast those spells successfully, which Fiyero thought was incredible. She had also tried to practice her other magic powers, but those still seemed to react only to her emotions and thus she hadn't gotten very far. Still, the fact that she now had at least some control over her powers made her feel better, and at least now she knew where they came from.

Today, Lori and Hamold, as well as Galinda, Cohvu, and Fiyero, would accompany her and Aurya under the water. Aurya would take them to the kingdom beneath the sea; she herself had been banished from it and thus couldn't return, but she had explained exactly to Elphaba what everything was like and which places she should visit. Elphaba hadn't wanted to go without her aunt, but Aurya had told her that she wanted her niece to get to know the people that were rightfully hers. 'Elphaba, I understand that this is a hard decision,' she'd said. 'But I don't think you can make any decision about this if you don't know everything about it. You need to get out there, get to know the kingdom, meet the people, go back to your roots.'

Elphaba had finally agreed, and so here they were today, on the beach, waiting for Aurya to take them below the surface.

The mermaid appeared soon enough, and after everyone had introduced themselves, Aurya looked at Elphaba. 'I found the breathing spell in one of the spell books I have at home,' she said. 'I learned it by heart. Are you all ready?'

Everyone nodded, and Aurya softly chanted something. They all waited in anticipation, but nothing happened.

Galinda looked disappointed. 'Nothing?'

Fiyero, whom the spell had already been cast on once before, laughed. 'What, you expected disco lights and sparkles?'

'I expected something,' the blonde said, but Aurya shook her head. 'It worked, trust me,' she assured them. 'Magic is not always visible.'

Elphaba looked at her aunt. 'Those spell books,' she began. 'Could you show me those sometime during our visit?'

'Of course!' Aurya winked at her. 'Always wanting to learn more, aren't you?'

Elphaba gave her a sheepish grin. 'I'd really love to see them and learn more about the entire mermaid thing,' she said sincerely. 'The books at Adurin Iir contained some pretty amazing spells, but the books you have are designed especially for mermaid magic.' Her eyes were shining at the mere thought, and Galinda rolled her eyes. 'You and books!' she complained, making them all laugh.

Cohvu looked at the mermaid excitedly. 'Can we go now?' he asked eagerly, and Aurya smiled. 'Alright then. Well, if you'll follow me,' she said, swimming further into the ocean with Elphaba and Fiyero following close behind.

'So how do I change myself into a mermaid?' the green girl asked, and Aurya quickly taught her the spell. 'Becoming a human is the same one,' she said. 'Try to learn it by heart – it can really come in handy sometimes.'

Elphaba cast the spell and, before everyone's stunned eyes, turned into a mermaid once again. Fiyero reached out for the tail admiringly. 'The second time is just as awesome as the first one…'

'Stop it,' she warned him as he made to touch her tail, and he quickly yanked his hand back, a sheepish expression on his face. 'Sorry.'

Galinda squealed. 'Oh, Elphie! That is so amazifying!' she gushed. She scrunched up her nose. 'I mean, it's not pink, and it's not really sparkly, either… but still, this is so cool! I want a tail! Can I have a tail?'

They all laughed at that, easing the tension a little. Elphaba could tell that the others really needed some time to adjust to the fact that not only was one of them actually a mermaid; they were breathing under the water themselves as well. She remembered her own first experience with that, and grimaced. She could understand that it took some getting used to.

"Shall we go?" Aurya suggested. Elphaba looked at her friends. 'Are you all ready?'

Galinda squealed again. 'Yes!' She pulled Cohvu with her, then found that that was not so easy under the water and started just treading water. 'Coco, work with me here!'

He rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. 'Come on, then. Let's go.'

As they swam, Galinda was squealing as she pointed out everything that was 'amazifying' to Cohvu, from coral, to shells, to fish. Hamold and Lori swam up to the front to talk to Aurya, asking her all kinds of questions about both Aurya's own life and everything she knew about Elphaba's.

Elphaba was lost in thought when she felt someone swimming up next to her. Fiyero laced their fingers together and squeezed her hand. 'Hey. How are you?'

'Fine,' she answered truthfully. She looked at him. 'What about you?' she asked softly. 'I mean, the last time you were here, you almost…'

'Drowned?' Fiyero supplied. She glared at him. 'You just had to say that out loud, didn't you?'

He laughed. 'Fae, I got out in time, didn't I? I didn't drown. I'm not traumatised or anything.'

'Yes, well, maybe I am,' she snapped at him.

That silenced him. He blinked at her for a few moments. 'Are you?'

She sighed. 'No,' she said gruffly. 'Not really. But I don't like you talking about it as if it's something that happened to you every day. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life as I was that day,' she confessed softly, then added, 'except for when you got hit by that carriage a few months ago.'

He cringed. 'I just keep on scaring the living daylights out of anyone, huh?'

She couldn't help but smile at that. 'And you're not even trying.' She squeezed his hand. 'This time will be different, though. Now Aurya knows the spell, and she would never let you drown. Neither would I. Plus,' she added sarcastically, 'it's kind of an improvement that we won't be locked in a cave this time.'

He chuckled and swam a little bit closer to her so that he could kiss her cheek. 'I love you.'

She blushed, but she was smiling. 'I love you, too.'

It took them some time to reach the borders of the kingdom, but when they did, Aurya stopped. 'This is it,' she said. 'I can't go any further.'

'Are you going home?' asked Elphaba, and Aurya nodded. 'Do you think you can find it by yourself? When you're ready to leave here? Like I said, it's not far – just locate the palace where the royal family lives, it's not that hard to find, and then you move west until you-'

'I remember, Aurya,' Elphaba interrupted her aunt with a chuckle. 'You already told me a thousand times. I'm good at directions. We'll find our way back to you.'

Aurya smiled. 'Good. Now, Elphaba, the breathing spell is this.' She taught Elphaba the words. 'I expect you to be back by tonight, but should something unexpected happen, at least you know how to keep your friends alive.'

Elphaba suppressed a shudder and repeated the words in her head, determined to imprint them in her memory forever. 'Thank you.'

'Have fun today.' Aurya kissed Elphaba's cheek and waved at the others.

Before anyone could so much as move, Galinda squealed again. 'Oh my Oz,' she gushed, 'is that a hair salon? Under water?' She was gone within a clock-tick.

Cohvu sniggered. 'She's never going to change, is she?'

Fiyero, recognising the fond and loving look on his friend's face, elbowed Cohvu in the stomach. 'You would never want her to.'

Cohvu's smile broadened. 'True. I love her in all her frilly, pink, squealing fluffiness.'

They all laughed and followed Galinda over the border.

Elphaba's heart was pounding in her chest. She was in her mother's kingdom now… her kingdom. It was hard to grasp. It felt strange and familiar at the same time, and as she looked around her, she felt like she should recognise some of her surroundings.

'Hello.' A mermaid cautiously swam up to them. 'Are you new here?' she asked. 'I've never seen any of you here before.'

'Hi!' Galinda gushed. 'I'm Galinda Upland,' she introduced herself, 'of the Upper Uplands.'

'Uplands?' The girl looked confused. Then her eyes widened. 'Are you… are you from above?'

'Land, you mean?' Galinda nodded enthusiastically. 'Yes, we are! We're human! Nice to meet you!'

Elphaba watched the mermaid's reaction a bit anxiously. She had no idea how the merpeople felt about humans coming to visit their world, but much to her surprise, the other mermaid smiled excitedly. 'Oh, that is so wonderful! I've always wanted to go up there,' she confided in Galinda, 'but my father won't let me. Once I'm eighteen, he says. Well, that's not too long a wait anymore! Could I visit you once? You know, when I finally am allowed to go ashore?'

'Of course!' Galinda giggled, and the girls lapsed into a conversation that basically revolved around the differences in fashion between the underwater world and the human world.

The other exchanged looks.

Someone touched Elphaba's arm, and when she looked to her side, she saw that it was Lori. 'Look,' she whispered, and Elphaba followed her gaze. What she saw then made her breath catch in her throat.

The palace of the royal family was entirely made out of a shimmering, white marble, with pink coral roofs and windows. It was enormous, rising above the houses as if it was watching over them. Merpeople were swimming in and out, and Elphaba blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't imagining things. It was…

'It's beautiful,' she whispered, and Lori squeezed her hand. 'And apparently, it's your home.'

That was even harder to understand than anything else.

Cohvu appeared next to them, and he whistled. 'You know, Elphaba,' he said a bit jealously, 'you are one lucky kid. You were born in a palace and you grew up in a castle. When do I get my share of royalty?'

The young mermaid chuckled at that, and Lori grinned at Cohvu. 'Want to move in with us?'

'Nah, I couldn't do that to my parents.' He waved his hand in the air. 'But thanks for the offer.'

Lori rolled her eyes.

'Come on, guys!' Galinda squealed, swimming up to them and tugging at Elphaba's hand. 'This is Aimee, and she's going to give us a tour!'

Her new mermaid friend, however, had stopped swimming and was now taking in Elphaba's appearance, frowning slightly. 'You're not human,' she said curiously. 'Are you from down here?'

Elphaba hesitated. 'Um… not exactly,' she confessed. 'I mean… I was born here, but I only found out fairly recently that I'm actually a mermaid. I grew up on the land.'

Aimee's eyes had widened. 'Wait a moment,' she breathed. 'What's your name?'

'Elphaba,' the green girl replied, confused as to the reaction of her fellow mermaid, but Aimee's eyes widened even further upon hearing that name. 'Oh my Oz!' she screeched. 'You're the missing princess!'

Shocked, Galinda and Elphaba shared a look.

Galinda touched Aimee's shoulder. 'Care to explain?'

'You do know, right?' Aimee asked Elphaba excitedly. 'I don't believe this! All my life, I've been hearing stories about Princess Elphaba – you disappeared one day, and no one knew where you were, so you were assumed murdered, like your mother… but here you are! I don't believe this, this is amazing! You're her, aren't you?'

'I am,' Elphaba admitted reluctantly. 'But Aimee, you can't tell anyone.'

Aimee's face fell. 'What? Why not?' she demanded. 'This is huge news, El- I mean, Your Highness!'

Elphaba winced. 'Please don't call me that!' she begged. It was so foreign, all of this, and her head was spinning. It was overwhelming, to say the least.

'I'll tell the people,' Elphaba promised the other mermaid quietly. 'Someday. But Aimee, there's a lot going on and it's very important that my presence here remains a secret for now. Okay?'

Aimee looked doubtful, but nodded. 'Okay.'

'So you're going to call me Elphaba,' the green girl continued, 'and you're just going to give us a tour. Show us everything that is worth seeing down here.'

Aimee's face brightened. 'My pleasure, Your High- I mean, Elphaba. I'd love to! Come on, guys, let's go!' She pulled Galinda with her, the others following closely.

They spent the entire day sightseeing, as Aimee took them to the most beautiful places under the ocean. The buildings, the people… everything was equally wonderful. But Elphaba could also feel the fear lingering in the streets. She noticed the way people averted their gazes, not looking at one another directly; the hushed whispers in which they spoke about the more important subjects; and Elphaba heard Morrible's name being mentioned in a conversation or two, at which every merman involved in the conversation involuntarily cringed.

When she asked Aimee about it, the mermaid confirmed what Elphaba already knew: the people were terrified of Morrible. 'A good leader?' Aimee snorted. 'She doesn't care for us at all. She throws around magic to scare us and keep us in check, she gets merpeople arrested for the simplest of crimes… she's not above murder,' she added softly. 'It's not like she goes around murdering people left and right, but she doesn't hesitate for a moment to do so to set an example, or if it serves her own purposes. She's cruel, Elphaba.' Aimee looked up at the green girl with hope shining brightly in her eyes. 'You could make this all better.'

Elphaba didn't know what to say.

When they were reunited with Aurya that night, the others – especially Galinda – chattered on and on about all the beautiful things they'd seen, but Elphaba stayed awfully quiet; and when Aurya managed to get the green girl alone for a moment, she asked her what was wrong.

Elphaba sighed. 'It's just…' She bit her lip. 'I can see how unhappy the people are,' she said quietly. 'And that girl… Aimee… she was so happy when she found out who I was. She said I could make this all better, and then I started thinking, and I realised… she's right. I am the rightful Crown Princess,' she said, her voice strong despite the fact that she felt like she wasn't sure about anything anymore. 'I have the power to make it better, and it makes me wonder whether I can really make the selfish choice and turn my back on my people.'

'Is that what you want?' Aurya asked her. 'Not to turn your back on your people, of course, but to go back ashore and stay there?'

Elphaba buried her face in her hands. 'I don't know,' she said, her voice muffled. 'I really don't know.'

Then she thought about something else. 'Aurya… there's something else I also want to do,' she said. 'Lori and Hamold will be going back home tomorrow – could you take them?'

'Of course,' Aurya assured her, and Elphaba hesitated. 'And could you… keep an eye on Glin and Cohvu and Fiyero for me tomorrow?'

Aurya furrowed her brow, and Elphaba explained what she wanted to do. Aurya nodded slowly. 'I understand,' she said with a smile. 'I'll keep them entertained for the day. We may not be able to go back to the kingdom, but there's plenty of other places under water that we can visit. Won't you rather take Fiyero with you, though?'

She hesitated, then shook her head. 'He would slow me down,' she said, 'and I'm not planning on making this a long trip – I want to be back again as soon as possible. Plus, this is just something… something I need to do for me. To get closure, and to clear a few things up… though I'm not planning on anything coming from it.'

Aurya squeezed her hand. 'Well, good luck,' she said. 'I hope you'll find what you're looking for.'

'Me, too,' Elphaba muttered.

Aurya smiled at her understandingly. 'Come on, let's cast that breathing spell over your friends again and then we should go to sleep. It's been a long day.'

Elphaba sighed in agreement. 'You can say that again.'