Thanks to positively-emerald, jerryholloway, Juelz Rox, broadwaylover07, Shannon and Love That Wicked for reviewing last chapter! Sorry for the nasty cliffhangers as of late. Here's another chapter and I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: If I was Stephen Schwartz, Gregory Maguire or Winnie Holzman do you really think I would be suffering through law school right now?
Now onto the meat and potatoes:
Chapter twenty nine
Glinda had been watching the action from up above. Fear and anger were equally gnawing at her heart. Fiyero's lie hadn't worked and Glinda could no longer just sit there while Shroud tortured Elphaba. But what could she do? Could she jump down and recover before Shroud got to her? Could Elphaba put up a bit of a fight and allow Glinda the time to get up and take a shot?
"Why didn't I try to learn the teleporting charm when Elphaba was," Glinda cried to herself. She was wringing her hands in horror, tears spilling down her pale cheeks. "Sweet Lurline what do I do!" Glinda continued to sob as she watched Shroud move his danger gently along Elphaba waist, over her hip and along her thigh. He was speaking to her in a voice so quiet that Glinda couldn't make out what he was saying.
Across the room Fiyero was struggling to free himself, a task Glinda knew was futile. She, herself, had installed the pole so that even those who had trouble walking could still ascend the throne. Glinda had wanted the pole secure enough to hold up to several hundred pounds. It wasn't going to budge. And the cuffs were just as relentless. They were made of stainless steel and were small enough that not even Glinda could get her dainty wrists through. No, it was truly up to Glinda.
"Try and enjoy this, won't you," Shroud asked and Glinda took the initiative. She got her feet under her and prepared to summon her bubble. Perhaps Shroud would be busy enough that Glinda could move quickly and re-establish herself before he notice. However, before she could summon her bubble, she felt the compressing darkness and the feeling of suffocation clamp down upon her. If Glinda hadn't known better, she would almost say she was teleporting. But she couldn't, could she? Elphaba was the only person around who could teleport and she was about to experience the most horrific method of rape imaginable.
Then Glinda felt her feet hit the ground and she clutched her gun tightly.
"Glinda," she heard Fiyero's voice and her eyes opened. She was standing in the middle of her throne room right in front of Elphaba and Shroud.
"What? How?" Shroud was babbling and cursing as he stared at Glinda. He reached for the pistol he kept in his holster but Glinda was quicker. She recovered her senses and raised the gun, taking careful aim at Shroud's exposed side.
"Don't even think about it," she screamed. "Now get off of my friend, put your hands in the air and I'll think about not blowing your head off!"
Glinda heard her voice but didn't recognize it as her own. She sounded dangerous and her voice was far deeper in pitch than Glinda thought possible of herself. Yet she was utterly terrified. Elphaba or Fiyero should be here, not her. They were better at situations such as these. Why was she the only one left standing? Could she really take out Shroud? Well from this distance she would have to work harder to miss than hit.
"Come on! Get up!" Glinda tried to keep desperation out of her voice but Shroud wasn't moving. His knife was no longer threatening Elphaba but it was still out. He seemed to be contemplating his next move and Glinda didn't want to give him the time. She knew Killian Shroud well enough to know that he was cunning and frighteningly clever. If he had time to think, he could easily come up with a plan of some sort.
"Shoot him in the leg, Glinda," Fiyero advised. He too must have wanted to keep Shroud from formulating a plan. "That'll make him a bit easier to control."
Glinda aimed the gun at Shroud's right leg. Never before had she fired this type of gun, inflicted someone with physical pain or killed anyone. Glinda could feel that her courage was coming mostly from pure adrenaline. She needed to act quickly or else she might not have the courage to take Shroud's life.
"You have five seconds," Elphaba said sharply to Shroud and for once Glinda wished her friend would simply let her handle the situation.
"Five, four, three, two, one! Glinda…" Elphaba cried and the good witch, left with little choice, raised the gun and aimed it at Shroud's back. The bullet could easily go through him and strike Elphaba but it seemed as though it was a risk the green witch was willing to take.
"Fine," Shroud said plainly and he raised his hands into the air, placing them behind his head.
"And get away from her," Glinda added and Shroud heaved a great sigh.
"As you wish, Your Goodness."
Glinda realized where she had gone wrong in her orders the minute it happened. She had given him permission to move rather than keeping him in one place and removing him from Elphaba herself. As he slowly turned to face Glinda, Shroud's hand quickly went to his pistol and before Glinda could react, he flipped the rest of the way around and fired two rounds at her.
The first shot was off by several inches but the second whizzed by Glinda's face, missing her by mere centimeters. In fear she whipped around as if to dodge the bullet, lost her footing and hit the ground, landing on her right elbow. Tears blurred her eyes as pain gripped her entire body. The elbow wasn't broken but it was badly sprained. Her gun, however, slipped from her fingers and slid several feet away. With a small cry of victory, Shroud cocked his pistol and aimed it at Glinda.
"NO!" Elphaba screamed and she aimed a misplaced kick at the steward. With a laugh, Shroud fired a shot at her instead. Fiyero and Glinda's screams of horror mingled with Elphaba's cry of pain as the bullet ripped through her thigh. She fell to the ground once again, blood pouring from the now open wound.
"Elphie!" Glinda cried before she launched herself at her gun. She had to be armed if she was going to have any chance at beating Shroud. Seeing what she was doing, and determined to keep the blonde from regaining any protection, Shroud did the same. Glinda tripped half way across the room but even scrambling on her hands and knees, she and Shroud still reached the gun simultaneously. Shroud, remembering his pistol, quickly raised it and pointed it at Glinda's face. He also had the advantage of not being on the ground.
"I'll give you a bit of credit, Your Goodness. There's more fight in you than I thought possible," Shroud was breathing heavily as he towered over the cornered Glinda. "Now, however, your time has come. Either you'll concede your crown to me legally or else I'll put two bullets right between those pretty blue eyes."
Using her peripheral vision, Glinda could see Elphaba move. The green witch was still bleeding and her face was pale and flushed with agony. Still, she seemed prepared to fight. There was no breaking Elphaba Thropp, Glinda thought to herself. Raising her eyebrows at her friend, Elphaba non-verbally communicated her plan with Glinda. Taking advantage of her hands being secured behind her back, Elphaba slowly began to push herself toward Glinda. With each movement, her face contracted with pain but she made no outcry.
But she was still half a room away and her injury made her slow moving. The small trail of blood that Elphaba was leaving behind, however faint, told Glinda that her injury would require medical attention immediately. Still, Elphaba seemed determined so Glinda pressed on.
"Listen, we'll talk about my relinquishing power after we've discussed Elphaba and Fiyero."
Shroud leaned forward and pressed his gun against Glinda's full pink lips. With surprising gentleness, he penetrated her mouth with his gun and tapped the roof of her mouth. He also set his finger upon the trigger and stared at her with a blank look on his face.
"We'll talk about your immediate abdication first, Your Goodness. The one with the gun sets the rules, remember." He could feel Glinda's body contract the moment he put the gun inside her mouth. She was close to breaking or at least Shroud thought so.
"Then you'll have to kill me," Glinda said quietly after he removed the gun. "I'm not afraid of losing my own life." This wasn't close to the truth. Glinda was as terrified as Shroud thought but she wasn't about to let it show. "But I do want to see that my friends walk away from this unharmed. You let them live and leave Oz, I'll give you my crown."
"Glinda, no," Fiyero called from across the room. Glinda, who had her back to him, couldn't see Fiyero's face but she could see Elphaba drawing close enough to make any small noise audible to Shroud. Glinda knew Fiyero was simply trying to keep Shroud's attention as far from right behind him as possible.
"Glinda, don't give him anything. We'd rather die than see that happen!" Fiyero's voice sounded desperate but Glinda had known him long enough to know that there was an air of tension in his voice. Glinda could read Elphaba's expression and knew what she planned to do. But that still made Glinda nervous. Elphaba would set the plan into action but then it was once again up to Glinda to complete it.
"Fiyero, shut up and stay out of this," Glinda snapped with as firm a voice as she could manage right now. She also kept her eyes straight ahead and fought the urge to look at Elphaba. Shroud was an adept military man who had performed some of the most intense interrogation sessions ever carried out in Oz. He would no doubt notice if Glinda kept glancing at the same spot behind him.
"That's all I'm offering," Glinda continued firmly. "Either take it or else just shoot us now. You'll no doubt have a large scale revolt on your hands but at least you'll be rid of us, right?"
Shroud still said nothing. He seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of both answers. Glinda, more than ever, wished she had the ability to read minds. She wanted to know what he was thinking. Well, she did still hold all the aces. She was calling the shots to some degree even if Shroud was the one with the gun.
"You have ten seconds to answer or else that deal goes off the table and you'll just have to shoot us and stifle the revolt on your own. Or else make me a better offer," Glinda said plainly but her voice cracked slightly at the last little bit. Shroud, however, seemed to be concentrating and didn't notice. Glinda let her eyes move once more to Elphaba before returning to Shroud.
The look on his face told Glinda that the steward would love nothing more than to put a bullet into her skull. But Glinda knew, and she used it to her advantage, that Shroud was a calculating man. Based on what Glinda, Elphaba and Fiyero had overheard before the situation had gotten out of control, the Ozians were joining with the Animals in battle to some degree. If Shroud were to murder Glinda in cold blood the Ozians would probably revolt en mass.
"Ten," Glinda said as calmly as she could. "Nine, eight, seven, six," Glinda, without Shroud noticing, began extending her fingertips toward the gun. She could stretch and reach it quickly if Shroud were distracted for the quickest of seconds. Shroud, as he was armed with a pistol, seemed to have forgotten about the rifle laying less than a foot away.
"Five, four, three, two, one. What's your answer," Glinda asked coldly. "I want it now or nothing I'll say nothing more!"
"Fine," Shroud said coldly. "Fiyero and Elphaba are free to leave Oz. You, however, will stay, hand over your crown and then I'll decide your fate. You won't win the day, Your Goodness."
Glinda met his eyes and nodded. "Very well." A small smile played at the corner of Shroud's lips. Glinda kept her eyes locked on his while further extending her fingertips. She didn't dare touch the rifle but her hand was only the smallest of centimeters away from it. "I'm afraid that I have no choice but to decline."
Confusion barely had time to grip Shroud before pain filled the backs of his knees. Caught off guard, Shroud succumbed to Elphaba's truly aimed kicks and fell forward. Elphaba's screams of pain echoed with Shroud's as she shot her legs out and connected with the back of his knees. Her right leg now felt as if it were about to fall off. As quickly as Shroud had rounded on the good witch with the pistol, Glinda pulled the rifle to her and took aim at Shroud.
"Drop the gun," she screamed, unable to follow through and end Shroud's miserable existence. "You heard me! Drop it!"
Shroud, kneeling on the ground, glanced at Glinda. His eyes took in her firm stance and the gun she was pointing at his chest. His pistol was aimed toward the ground and he knew that it was hopeless to think that Glinda wouldn't shoot if he raised it at her. With a half hearted last ditch effort, Shroud grabbed his pistol and flipped around to face Elphaba. Perhaps finishing off her best friend would once again pacify Glinda the Good.
BANG!
Fiyero cried out as did Glinda. The shear fire power of her gun had almost knocked the good witch to the floor. Her eyes went from Elphaba, who was laying upon the ground, her face almost white in agony, to Shroud who was slumped on the floor. Raising her gun, Glinda hurried forward and gave Shroud a quick kick so he rolled onto his back. He was breathing but the breaths were rasping in his chest. There was a blood bubble forming in his mouth and Glinda knew her aim had been true. Shroud was dying. Still, she kicked his pistol as far from his hand as was possible. He had fooled them once before and Glinda wasn't about to let that happen again.
"That's for everyone in the Badlands, everyone in Oz, and my friends!" Glinda snarled as the rasping became much more pronounced. Shroud could no longer make out what Glinda was saying. He couldn't breathe and the world was slowly going black around him. Surprisingly, he couldn't feel any pain. Shroud felt as though he were simply going to sleep at the end of a very trying day. He shuddered twice more, his life blood spilling out from his back. His reign of terror was over, his miserable life at an end. And as a dark cloud descended over his eyes, Shroud felt at peace for the first time in years. And, with one last rasping breath, he moved and thought no more.
--
"He's dead," Glinda whimpered, as she rushed to Elphaba's side and knelt down beside her. "I just killed a man!"
Elphaba struggled to push herself up into sitting position. Her breath was ragged and bare with pain and exhaustion. Still, she wasn't dizzy and that told Elphaba her bleeding had stopped or at least slowed. She wasn't going to bleed to death but she was still in agony. The pain told her that she still needed medical attention although she didn't need it now.
"It's not so bad," she lied to Glinda gently but her words were cut off as Glinda threw her arms around Elphaba. She was crying slightly but Elphaba, with her arms still cuffed together, could do nothing more than lay her head on top of the blonde's limp curls. Glinda tightened her arms around Elphaba and held her close. Yes, it had been in self defense and yes it was Shroud but Glinda hadn't wanted to kill him. She wanted to capture him and then lock him away in Southstairs for the rest of his natural life.
Elphaba said nothing to comfort Glinda. Her first instinct had been to tell Glinda not to worry, that it was only Shroud, the man who would have killed her without batting an eyelash. But Elphaba knew this wouldn't comfort her friend in any way. In fact, it might even upset her more. Glinda wasn't looking for sympathy. She was looking for comfort and comfort only. Elphaba's mere presence was enough.
Glinda clung to Elphaba for almost five minutes, tears of sadness, anger and relief cascading down her cheeks. This was what Glinda wanted and yet it wasn't. However, after five minutes Elphaba raised her head.
"Glinda, we're not out of the woods yet. What about the Gale Force?"
Glinda slowly nodded and wiped the tears from her face. She could mourn or celebrate the death of Shroud later. Right now, she had to confront the Gale Force.
"Can't we just teleport out of here? I mean, we sort of accomplished what we set out to do. Shroud's out of commission. Isn't that enough," Fiyero called from across the room. Sure, he wasn't sure how Elphaba would teleport him away when he was physically chained in place but it was still worth a shot.
"No," Elphaba answered. "The Gale Forcers have to know what we've done. We have to let the leaders know Shroud's dead. Hopefully, it'll start a panic that will reach the battlefield. They've been fighting for a while now," Elphaba wasn't sure of the time but it seemed likes ages had passed since they had left the Animal community.
All three of them were plunged into silence. They knew what must be done but they also knew what the consequences would be. Glinda, who was still clinging to Elphaba, relinquished her hold and went over to Shroud's dead body. She knelt down beside the corpse almost as if she were about to say a prayer over it.
"There'll be plenty of time for that later, Glinda," Elphaba said gently, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Praying over a tyrant's body seemed ridiculous to Elphaba. "Right now…"
"Right now I need to get you and Fiyero uncuffed," Glinda answered quietly. "We need to get you somewhere out of harms way, Elphie. Then I'll need Fiyero's help confronting the Gale Force." And she felt through Shroud's belongings until she found several small keys. One of them had to work to Fiyero and Elphaba's cuffs.
"Whoa, you aren't leaving me behind," Elphaba said firmly as Glinda picked up the set of keys and began fitting the smallest ones into Elphaba's cuff lock trying to find the right one. "You'll need my help and..."
"Just don't argue with me right now, Elphie, okay," Glinda stated firmly as she tried another key. "You can't even stand right now let alone walk. Fiyero and I'll be just fine. Ah, here we are."
Elphaba breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the cuffs loosen around her wrists and she decided to wait a moment before continuing her argument with her friend. Glinda let the cuffs fall to the floor as Elphaba massaged her bruised wrists. The ligature marks were only surface level meaning no cuts or scarring.
"I'll get Fiyero now," Glinda said calmly but before she could turn away, Elphaba pulled her into a tight hug. With a small cry, Glinda threw her arms around her friend and just relaxed into the hold.
"You save my life, Glinda," Elphaba told her friend in a quiet whisper. "And Fiyero's. Thank you for that."
"You could have done better," Glinda whispered in what she hoped was in an inaudible voice. Elphaba heard and heaved a great sigh. Only now did she understand why Morti had wanted Glinda around. Now, more than ever, she appreciated the Duck's wisdom and his willingness to stand up to her. He was one of the few who could.
"Maybe, maybe not," Elphaba replied as she ran her hands through the thick blonde hair. "But you actually did it, Glinda, and that's what matters. We're all still alive thanks to you. Don't count yourself out by saying I could have done better. Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know."
"I didn't mean to kill him," Glinda suddenly wailed and her hold on Elphaba became bone crunching. Elphaba flinched but held her tongue as Glinda momentarily leaned on her right leg. "But he was going to kill you! And I couldn't let him kill you, Elphie! I love you! You're the only true friend I've ever had!"
"What am I? Chopped liver?" Elphaba and Glinda both looked up and turned to face Fiyero. Elphaba was about to make a gesture at the Winkie to keep quiet but when Glinda gave a small laugh and a smile came over her face, Elphaba instead sent him a grateful smile.
"I'm sorry, Fiyero," Glinda answered as she looked over at the still imprisoned Winkie. "But I still couldn't let him kill Elphie!"
"And I share your sentiment," Fiyero answered plainly. "Now can I kindly get out of these?" He held up his mangled wrist, still imprisoned in Shroud's cuffs.
Rolling her eyes, Glinda went over to Fiyero and uncuffed his hand. Without even pausing to massage his wrist, rubbed raw and severely cut during his escape attempts, Fiyero rushed to Elphaba and brought his lips down on hers before just holding her to him. Glinda, who was standing a few feet away, said nothing. A few moments ago Fiyero probably thought he would be forced to watch as the woman he loved was violated in the most horrible way possible. His kiss was one of relief mingled with passion. Finally, they broke their kiss and Fiyero's gaze returned to Glinda.
She was still holding the key to the cuffs, watching as her friends were reunited. Giving Elphaba one last look and letting her hand slowly slip from him, Fiyero got to his feet and walked over to Glinda. When he reached the good witch's side, Fiyero leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.
"Thanks for saving us, Glinda. We'll never we able to say it enough."
Glinda bushed slightly as Fiyero gave her a kind hug. His sincerity poured into Glinda and she knew suddenly how much he loved Elphaba. Glinda lifted her arms and placed them around his neck and allowed him to squeeze her tightly to him. And then Glinda thought of Daley. He had probably been in battle now for over an hour. She didn't even know if he was okay. And suddenly Glinda wanted nothing more than to be with him. She wanted to be held in his arms for she felt safest there. The battle might fall into chaos if the Gale Force knew Glinda had returned and won the day. Then, only then, would Daley...and the others...be safe.
"It's time to face the Gale Force," Glinda told Elphaba and Fiyero with confidence. "But first, Elphie, how're you feeling?"
"Like I've just been shot," was Elphaba's sarcastic reply. "But really I'm not bleeding anymore and the pain's only slightly unbearable. I can fight." She placed her hands on the ground and began an attempt to lift herself from the ground.
"Elphaba, wait," Fiyero said gently with a glance at Glinda. "Let us help you," he added when Elphaba gave a small cry of pain and sat back down on the ground. Elphaba wasn't one to be helped and she certainly didn't seem at all pleased with this helpless feeling that was overwhelming her. Still, while it might hurt her pride, Elphaba knew she couldn't stand on her own.
So Fiyero and Glinda each took one of Elphaba's arms and placed them around their shoulders. Fiyero glanced at Glinda, who gave a nod to show she was paying attention.
"On the count of three," Fiyero asked and when Glinda nodded a second time, he counted to three and they pulled Elphaba up. The green witch bit on her tongue to keep herself from screaming in agony. She quickly lifted her right leg, putting all of her weight onto her left leg as well as Fiyero and Glinda's shoulders.
"Let's get you somewhere you can sit down," Fiyero suggested and Glinda pointed to her throne.
"That should work," Fiyero agreed. Elphaba, however, didn't seem pleased with this.
"You're just going to leave me while you fight?" she asked with a hint of anger in her voice.
"Yes and no," Fiyero answered. "Elphaba, we can't take you with us. You can't walk on your own and we'll need both hands if we're to put up a fight."
"So you're going to take on the entire Gale Force alone? Just the two of you?" Elphaba asked incredulously as Glinda and Fiyero got her situated onto the throne. Elphaba looked around, remembering the last time she had been in here. Her eyes went to the floor that years ago had been occupied by a sheet covered Dr. Dillamond. It had also been here that Fiyero had revealed his true feelings for her and turned traitor. Except for that moment, Elphaba hated this place. It had brought nothing but pain and suffering to her and the two people she loved most. And now it would be the place where they would die.
"Unless you have a better idea," Glinda whispered in answer to Elphaba's query, her heart quickening. Taking on the Gale Force with two people seemed to be a painful form of suicide. With a sigh, Glinda sat down on the floor right in front of the throne. Fiyero followed suit and placed his head in Elphaba's lap, keeping himself clear of her right leg. He only wanted to be close to her right now. To touch her. To know that she was truly alright.
"We could try and not actually confront them," Fiyero offered. "Maybe we can have it both ways. We could show them Shroud and be ready to teleport out of here when they go into shock. It's a risk still," he added as he felt Elphaba place her hand in his hair. Chills filled his body as he realized just how close he had come to actually losing her only moments ago.
Plunged into silence, no one spoke for the longest time. Either plan, confronting the Gale Force or running away after exposing what they had done, held terrible and incalculable risks. Glinda and Fiyero would be on their own. Elphaba couldn't walk, although she hated to admit it. Their chances of escape were slime and the longer they lingered without a working plan, the more likely it was that the Gale Force would return to check on Shroud. Then, they would be ambushed. Death seemed to have fixed his eyes upon Elphaba, Fiyero and Glinda. Well if they were to die all three of them, even Glinda, wanted to go out fighting.
Everything seemed so hopeless right now. And they had completed what they thought would be the most difficult part of their task. Shroud was dead but it didn't look like they would survive the night. Even with a skeleton Gale Force, they were still outnumbered about twenty to one. Not all of them would go into shock when they saw Shroud's dead body. Perhaps a few would but there would be others waiting and there was no reason to let Elphaba, Fiyero and Glinda live. Still, Glinda, Fiyero and Elphaba were fairly certain that Shroud hadn't named a second in command. He probably wanted to keep any form of organization to a minimum to prevent someone like himself from stealing his newly acquired crown.
At least Shroud's dead, Elphaba thought quietly to herself. If Glinda dies at least we know that Shroud won't be the replacement. But even that thought wasn't comforting to Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero. There was always another Shroud on the horizon. What about Liken Janans? He was cold and cruel. Elphaba remembered him from the Badlands. Shroud might have given the order to kill everyone except her and Fiyero but Liken Janans was the one who had carried it out.
"I just wish we could do something to address those in the Gale Force who are still good people," Glinda voiced out loud. Elphaba snorted for Ka's murdered face suddenly swam before her eyes.
"There's no such thing," she muttered calmly, her hand absentmindedly stroking Fiyero's hair. She, too, wanted to keep him within her reach. "They're all a bunch of murdering bastards who killed innocent men, women and children in cold blood."
"You're right and wrong, Elphaba," Fiyero said gently as Glinda nodded her agreement with the prince. "They did terrible things but many of them also have a conscience, I'm sore. There are those in the Gale Force who can probably hardly live with themselves, knowing what they did. They're probably just itching for an opportunity to do the right thing."
Elphaba laughed once again but it was a laugh of disbelief rather than humor. She couldn't believe what Fiyero and Glinda were saying. Neither of them had seen the carnage in the Badlands. Fiyero had already been imprisoned in the wagon and Glinda miles away in the Emerald City. Elphaba alone had seen the horror of the murdered Animals, her friends.
"Elphie, people are capable of atrocities when ordered by their superiors. I'm not trying to justify what they did," Glinda added, knowing Elphaba was about to start on another tirade about free will and courage. "But there are still good people in the Gale Force. Daley, Havin and Grell might have been the only ones with the nerve to fly against Shroud but you have to remember that not everyone has your courage, Elphie. I wasn't so ready to damage my name in my younger days either. Remember?"
"Me either, Elphaba," Fiyero reminded her. "Yet you took us back. You knew there was still good in us."
Then it clicked in Elphaba's mind. She stopped stroking Fiyero's hair. In fact, she stopped moving all together and simply let her brain take over. If Fiyero and Glinda were right in their judgment then maybe she had just found a way for them to have their cake and eat it too. But was it worth the risk? Well, as Elphaba saw it, she really didn't have much choice. They could run away, yes. They could just teleport out. Still, this had not gone according to plan. Their goal had been to capture Shroud and hopefully send the entire Gale Force into chaos. But Shroud was dead and the dead can often be a rallying point for those who love them. They would have to face the Gale Force and suddenly Elphaba had a plan that might keep them from having to fight.
"Then let's see if your faith isn't misplaced," Elphaba voiced quietly. "I think I have a plan on how to get us out of here."
Fiyero and Glinda exchanged looks. They could always smell trouble whenever Elphaba concocted one of her plans. They usually involved great risk and a small likelihood of success. Still, what choice did they have? So they simply nodded while Elphaba began her explanation.
Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.
- Anne Frank
