Middle Ground
Chapter 37
A/N A big thank you to my reviewers. Thank you so much!
Of course, she shouldn't have. Come here. Stayed. Waited.
She should have run, probably. This chance she was taking...this risk...was one she could not afford.
She'd seen Morrible approach her. She could feel the vibes the woman gave off. If Elphaba had doubted her own lack of soul before, than this woman would end all those doubts.
But here she was. Her broom in hand, one foot in front of the other.
Balancing on the gallows.
There was a sense of humor in that, that she could appreciate.
"I never would have thought you this eager to go, Miss Thropp. This stupid."
She sighed and looked down, not bothering to keep a sneer off her face.
"Oh, you won't touch me. We both know you enjoy an audience, do you not? We'll have one for this."
The older woman looked up, a hand on her neck, clearly frustrated at the distance between them.
"For what exactly?"
"For all of this."
She made a sweeping gesture, her cloak billowing. If any citizen of Oz could see her now, they'd have their fears confirmed.
"For my glamorous demise."
She touched a fingertip to the handle of her broom, made it spin in lazy circles, as she looked down.
"For your announcement."
She could see the impatience on the woman's face. She wanted her now, wanted, more than anything, to use her magic and capture her.
But she also wanted the spectacle. And Elphaba had come prepared. Any spell Morrible would use, would bounce right off.
Or it should, anyway, she could still not make heads or tails of half the spells in the Grimmerie.
Not that Morrible needed to know that. The one thing she truly had on the older witch, besides the witch's wish for a grandiose capture scene and her hunger for power that made her weak, was that the head mistress had no clue whatsoever how powerful her former pupil was in reality. She'd spread word of great power, dark power. Evil. She'd started rumours of all that the Witch had done, all she would do. But she didn't actually know. She had no way of knowing what Elphaba could, or could not, do. And she wouldn't risk it.
She wanted to.
But she wouldn't.
With Fiyero, she had the ultimate leverage. She couldn't do any better.
They both knew that.
Elphaba jumped down without warning, landing softly but firmly on her feet right in front of what she would forever consider her foulest enemy.
"You will clear your Captain's name and reinstall him, including all your little honors and medals. And don't hold back. There won't be a doubt in anyone's mind that he is less than a hero. I put a spell on him, he was a victim. And not a single word that does not abide by that story."
She had to give credit where it was due. Morrible didn't back away from her.
"Why would I do that?"
Her smile was bitter.
"To get what it is you want. Why you set up this entire puppet show. Me."
This time, Morrible did blink.
"Excuse me?"
"You want the Wicked Witch of the West captured. You'll get it. And with an audience, at that. Isn't that what you dreamed of?"
An impatient huff left the older woman's lips.
"You have a ridiculously false sense of your own importance, Miss Thropp. I never cared much about you. You're the one who turned it into this. You're the one who started this war."
She shouldn't lose her patience, but this woman tried it like no other.
"You're a despicable human being. You didn't give me a choice!"
Morrible's eyes flashed at that. Fast and with anticipation. Triumphant. As if she could make her case now and win.
"But we did! We did give you a choice. You could have done what your little friend did, opt for friendlier fire. You might have established something good, had you done so. Now...well...what have you accomplished, exactly?"
Her eyes were cold. But so were Elphaba's.
"I made some mistakes. Defying you was not one of them."
"No? Look where it has taken you."
But this case, she wouldn't win. She wouldn't even come close, because Elphaba knew what her choices meant. Knew what they had meant at the time. And she regretted none of them.
"I will die rather than join you.."
Another flash in those vicious eyes, not triumphant this time, but gleeful still. Malicious. Still for the win.
"Good. Because that is exactly what's going to happen. You know, Miss Thropp...this all could have been prevented. I resent that you have turned me into the villain here. We want the same things, you know."
She shook her head not in denial, but pure astonishment.
"We don't want any of the same."
"Yes, we do. We want Oz safe. Happy. Peaceful."
"You want them lied to, rid of their freedom to choose!"
The older woman threw her hands up with a heavy sigh.
"Oh, this incessant discussion over freedom. No one is ever free, Miss Thropp. The illusion, however, is more than enough for most people."
Elphaba held her tongue. She was losing her patience, could feel anger stirring its head.
Morrible seemed to pick up on the changing tensions, the electricity in the air, because she swallowed words, turned away, and started anew.
"I will give a press conference clearing your precious Captain of all charges and reinstating his full honors as Captain of the Guard. And you will be tried and sentenced. Right here."
She narrowed her eyes and repeated herself, leaving no doubt that this is what would happen. That Elphaba would find her death and nothing else in that exact spot.
"Right here."
She didn't flinch because she didn't care. She'd counted on this.
"Alright."
Very soon! And to those who nominated me, or voted for me: Thank you. Sincerely. It makes me actually want to post what my mind comes up with.
37 down now, 3 to go..:)