Chapter 36: An Unfriendly Reunion

When Elphaba and Glidna finally rode into Munchkin Land, the town seemed a little on edge as citizens stared oddly at E. Thropp. They were probably wondering why the disowned child of Frex had made a return.

"I never got to ask you, my sweet, but how did you get away from the Tin Man after a jumped over the waterfall?" Elphaba asked, as she brought Broomstick to a stop and dismounted.

"I hit him over the head, with an iron rod, and left his drunken ass to sulk," Glinda answered proudly.

"Ha! Ha! Oh, I wish I saw that!" E. Thropp cackled, as she smacked her thigh in amusement at her wife's use of the word ass. "When this is all over with, remind me and I'll buy you your own gun."

"Let's not get carried away," Glinda replied, with a smirk, as she dismounted Bubbles and tied her to the hitch post. "I'll leave the gun slinging to you." The two women then approached the house where E. Thropp's father and sister lived.

The green woman couldn't help but hesitate when she came to the door. She could never forget her father's words when she has left the last time, and just seeing her hateful father again brought sorrow to the gunslinger's heart.

Glinda saw the painful look in E. Thropp's eyes and laid a hand on her shoulder to give her wife comfort. That simple gesture seemed to give Elphaba strength, for she knocked on the door of her childhood home.

The bounty-hunter was surprised to see a servant answer the door. He wore a strange uniform that E. Thropp swore had chains attached to it. It was strange to Elphaba that her father didn't answer the door. She wondered if he has seen her coming, from the window, and made someone else deal with her arrival.

"May I help you?" the servant asked in a bitter tone.

The green gunslinger thought it was best not to mention her father's name. That way her chances at getting to talk to her sister would be greater. "I'm here to see Nessarose. My name is E. Thropp and Nessarose is my sister," Elphaba answered, as she eyed the servant who was looking strangely at Glinda. "She's with me," E. Thropp added as she gestured to the blonde woman.

"Lady Nessa some guests for you!" the servant shouted, as he opened the door and let the green woman in. "It's you sister and her friend!"

"Send them to me!" Nessa's voice echoed far from them.

The servant rolled his eyes and wet his lips before saying, "She's down the hall in the study."

Elphaba nodded her head and quickly found her sister. She had a thick regions book open as she whispered some sort of prayer.

"Elphaba, what a surprise," Nessa replied, in an unpleasant manner, as she closed the massive book. "And you brought your… friend with you."

"Where is father?" E. Thropp asked bluntly.

Nessarose eyed her sister, gave her neck a quick stretch, and answered, "He can't see you at the moment or any moment, for that matter, you see…he's dead."

"Dead?" Elphaba was stunned at this response. "Why didn't anyone inform me? When did he die?"

"Father's dying wish was you wouldn't be a part of the funeral. He died not too long ago." She suddenly stood up from her chair, with wheels on it, and began to walk around. Elphaba was floored for she had never seen her sister walk before.

"Nessa, you can walk! It's a miracle!" E. Thropp exclaimed in joy as she hugged her sister.

"Far from it," Nessa spat as she wiggled out from Elphaba's hold. "I could walk this whole time, but Father had big plans for me ever since I was born. He thought it would be the best to keep my ability to walk a secret. That way I could win pity from people if they thought I was a cripple. Then when the time did come to pick a new leader, I would get the sympathy vote. As you can see it worked, and I'm the leader of this town now. It was only fitting that the beloved daughter of Frexspar, the Godly, took over as leader," Nessarose answered in a smug tone. "So may I ask what brings you here?"

"I have been trying to bring outlaws to justice. Also…I think you should know I got married sometime back," the gunslinger replied, as she fixed her hat. She told her sister this information because it was only fitting that she knew.

"Married?" Nessa exclaimed in a completely shocked tone. "I'm insulted you didn't invite father and me to the wedding, and I'm even more offended that you didn't let Father perform the ceremony."

"Father, would have most likely shot me in the head when if I brought him the person I desired to wed," Elphaba grumbled, as she pointed to Glinda. "This is my wife… Glinda."

"You married HER?" Nessa nearly shouted, in more fury than shock. "Wait, impossible, no preacher from our town or any settlement around here would wed you two because two women can't marry each other."

"My friends in the Indian tribe did the honors," Elphaba retorted proudly.

Nessa sneered at his answer. "The Indians performed such a thing? Ha! The words of savages mean nothing to the Unnamed God. They are nothing but disgusting heathens."

The green woman's brown eyes were fiery from anger. "Hold your tongue, dear sister, for those are my friends you insult. I will not let you disrespect the dead, especially after such an unholy slaughter of the tribe."

"Oh, slaughtered were they?" Nessarose answered in a snooty tone. "How fitting they meet an end for such blasphemy."

"I said hold your tongue, or I'll blast it away," E. Thropp's words were harsher and more serious this time around.

"Pardon me," Nessa sneered, as she brushed her hair from her face.

Elphaba then noticed something she hasn't before. It was a ring on her sister's finger. The band was made from tin with a large diamond on top. E. Thropp's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What a queer ring you have on. I have never seen it before."

"Oh, well, I got it from my future husband. I'm engaged," Nessarose answered nonchalantly.

"To who?" Elphaba asked. She was shocked at hearing this.

"It's none of your business," Nessa snapped. "You'll be off riding out of this town before sundown anyway."

"Regardless how you feel about me, I still want to be involved in your life," Elphaba said, as she took her sister's hand into her own.

"You're a little too late for that," Nessa growled as she pulled her hand away. "You're too busy marrying whores to care about me or our town for that matter."

"Glinda is not a whore!" Elphaba roared, as she grabbed her sister roughly by the shoulders.

"What a temper," Nessa replied, with a haughty chuckle. "My future husband isn't going to like you handling me so roughly."

"I'm not afraid of him, whoever he is," E. Thropp growled.

"Oh, you should be because, with his help, we are going to take over Oz one town at a time. He's got the man-power, the smarts, the looks, and the money. No one has been able to capture him yet!" Nessa's arrogant smile made E. Thropp's blood boil. It was clear her sister was drunk with power.

"What has happened to you, dear sister?" Elphaba asked her voice heartrending.

"I grew up in more ways than one," Nessa spat as she stared hard at the green woman.

"Why can't you see that Elphaba is only trying to be kind to you? It seems you hate her just as much as your father did," Glinda pointed out.

Nessa shot a cold stare at the Upland heiress as she replied, "My poorly departed father has opened my eyes to who Elphaba really is just before his death. And the only word to describe her is…worthless."

E. Thropp kept a stoic appearance at the word but inside her heart was aching. To see how just much her sister detested her was nearly unbearable.

"Nessarose, darling, you here?" a familiar voice called out from outside.

"In here! My sister is holding me hostage! Oh, she's hurting me so," Nessa shouted back in fake pain.

"Liar!" Elphaba snarled.

Just then smoke bombs began flying into the windows of the house. Soon the whole room was filled with smoke. Elphaba and Glinda began to cough and wheeze as the smoke entered their eyes and lungs.

With her sister distracted, Nessarose was able to escape out an open window and onto a horse waiting outside for her provided by her future husband.

When the smoke finally cleared Elphaba and Glinda were left alone in the room. E. Thropp jumped to her feet and looked out the window to see who Nessarose was fleeing with.

Elphaba's stomach suddenly became tight, and her eyes widen from shock when she saw who Nessarose's future husband was…the Tin Man.