DISCLAIMER: in the first chapter...
A/N: Okay, guys, after a long delay, I present you the last chapter. There will be an epilogue that follows and I promise it won't be long in coming. I just need to edit it. Thank you for everyone who has stuck by me as I wrote this. I sincerely hope you liked the ride and the ending. It has been a pleasure sharing this with you.
CHAPTER 38: All ends well… well, almost all
"What were you saying about the legend, Yero?"
He breathed in deeply. Both Elphaba's brown orbs and Galinda's pale blue eyes stared at him with confused curiosity. And the story he had felt self conscious about telling before, seemed so much more important.
"What legend?" Galinda inquired.
Elphaba and Fiyero exchanged a glance, then the green skinned woman turned to face her friend. "There is this legend from the West that tells the story of a perfect man created by Lurline. When he tried to cross the desert borders, she became afraid that he would hurt himself. So, she divided him in two and hid his other half."
"If he was busy looking for it, he wouldn't want to venture outside the borders." Fiyero complemented. Elphaba nodded in agreement.
"Kumbricia took pity on the broken man and helped him find the missing half. A woman." She said. "Kumbricia advised the man to mark himself and the woman, so that they never lost each other again."
"The diamonds?" Galinda wondered. Two nods confirmed her theory.
"They weren't simple tattoos, though. They were enchanted." Her friend finished.
"In the old days, every man got the tattoos after his passing into adulthood, but that was lost with time." Fiyero added.
"But you didn't remember getting them, Elphie. You even asked…" Elphaba nodded.
"Yeah. Fiyero had them for years now, it's tradition among the royal family. Mine came after we got married."
"So, after two people get married, they just… what, appear?" Fiyero denied. Galinda's face split into a dazzling smile, then, finally understanding the situation. "You're halves of the same whole. That means you're soulmates!"
She squealed. "Oh, that's so romantic." Elphaba rolled her eyes. She was smiling, though, so Galinda let that sarcasm slip. Another question occurred to her and she sobered up a bit. "Did the diamonds heal you, Elphie, or was it you?"
Elphaba shrugged, unsure herself of what had happened. "I felt magic. Really powerful magic. But, I don't really remember what happened."
Fiyero shifted, drawing both women's attention onto himself. He cleared his throat.
"Well… most of the legend has been lost with time. But there is this one book. It's really old and I almost sure, one of its kind." Both women remained silent, urging him to continue. "It tells the legend of Lurline's perfect man the way most people know it. It goes on, though."
"That's what you didn't tell me." It wasn't a question. The prince assented.
"I didn't want to scare you away." Elphaba's head shook from side to side, almost amused at such a concept. Didn't he know she loved him too much? Seeing her thoughts reflected on her beautiful face made Fiyero relax and smile.
"Lurline wasn't happy at Kumbricia's interference. She was afraid that the man would still try to cross the desert. So, she went to divide him again. Kumbricia tried to stop her, but, by the time she got to the West, it was too late. The woman had fought against Lurline and fallen." Pause, a somber, almost pained glance in Elphaba's direction. Galinda felt for him.
"She died?" Her question was barely a whisper. He nodded.
"The man, too."
"They were connected." Elphaba whispered in understanding. Another nod.
One and the same.
"But Lurline's wisdom in magic was greater. She placed them both side by side and united them again. There was light and the diamonds shone…"
"And they were okay again." A teary Galinda finished.
"Yeah." He shrugged. "At least, that's what the legend implies. That the magic that united them, also protects them. It doesn't actually say it, but it is implied." Elphaba's hand came up to hold his.
"They lived." She affirmed, her lips parting in a sweet smile.
They were still there, weren't they? Legends come true.
Fiyero returned the smile and Galinda beamed at the tender moment she was being allowed to witness. Who would have guessed that Frex's curt letter would bring forth such a happy ending? The blonde could only hope for such a deep love to find her one day.
She could be patient.
Elphaba's sense of calm and contentment diminished later that day, when she went to see Nessa. Though she couldn't really muster real sadness for the loss of her father, she felt for her sister's suffering. Not only had her dear Nessarose lost her father, the Governor's death meant that she would need to rise as Munchkinland's new head of state.
It was too soon.
And to make matters worse, Nessa blamed her for the whole attack near Suicide Canal. The wheelchair bound girl refused to hear anything bad about Frex and dismissed Elphaba's explanations as stories and wicked fantasies. The green princess felt indignant at the idea that she had seduced their father.
Just the thought caused shudders up and down her spine.
Sigh.
"Please, Nessa. Let us put the past behind us. Let me help you with your new post as governor until you graduate." She attempted to grasp her sister's hand, but the girl forcefully pulled away.
"I don't need any help. I am the Governor of Munchkinland now. I've already made arrangements for my father's body to be taken to Colwen Grounds, where a ceremony will be held for his passing." She pushed her chair sideways and rolled herself to the large windows of her chamber.
"I'm your sister, Nessa. Please don't do this." Elphaba pleaded.
"I don't have a sister. And, I hope we don't cross paths ever again, Mrs. Tiggular." She had never heard such disdain in Nessa's voice. And that pierced unbearable pain within her bruised heart.
"You always see what you want to see, Nessa. I just hope that trait doesn't lead your life down the lonely road I see it taking you." With these parting words, dripped with sarcasm and chocked with tears, Elphaba left.
Choked sob.
Elphaba held the cries in until she was safely alone in her and Fiyero's room. Ironic that it was her father's death, after all, that made her so sad. Indirectly, though. As tears fell down her emerald colored cheeks, she saw the end of that part of her life. Her father was gone, her sister had renounced her and her new home was towards the west, not the east. Elphaba grieved.
Nothing left now, other than to look forward.
It was a happy life, the one that awaited her; she couldn't complain. But a part of her heart would always belong to the green meadows of Munchkinland and the sister she had once had and would always love.
A year later… Two days before graduation…
Now, Elphaba only took two seconds of knowing Galinda Upland – from the Upper Uplands – to realize that she was a squealer. The little blonde girl believed in expressing her emotions without restrictions, whether it be sad or happy. It's not that she was unable to control them; Elphaba had seen her do it expertly. She just choose not to, most of the time.
Like now.
Elphaba could hear her shots of happiness from down the hall and they only increased in intensity as she approached the room she shared with Galinda, when she wasn't with Fiyero, that is. She pushed the door open and found her roommate practically bouncing off the walls.
The green woman laughed.
"Oh, Linny. What's the good news?"
"Good? No, Elphie! Great. Wonderful!" And off she was again, dancing around the furniture and the large pieces of luggage scattered around. "Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful…"
Elphaba continued laughing. "Come, please, Galinda. Share this wonderful news."
"The Wizard, Elphie. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! He has asked for me!" Elphaba's eyes widened.
"Really?"
She nodded happily. "Yes. He offered me an internship and asked me to come to the Emerald City. The Emerald City, Elphie! Me!" her smile was so large it scarcely fit into her lips. Then tears joined in.
"I'm special, Elphie. He thinks I'm special, even if I can never be as powerful as you."
"Oh, Lynn." Elphaba dropped her book bag and quickly approached her dear friend, embracing her tightly. "Of course, you're special." She made sure Galinda's eyes were focused on her. "Magic has nothing to do with it."
They both smiled and shared a hug.
Who knew they would end up such brilliant friends?
"Will you come with me to the Emerald City, Elphie?" She giggled with mirth filled eyes. "I've always wanted to go there, you know?"
"Absolutely! Just you and me. We'll have a great time." She bit her lower lips, wistfully. "You know, I heard that the entire city of made of green."
"Yay! You'll fit right in!" Galinda squealed again, laying her head on Elphaba's shoulder.
Sigh.
"Elphie?" She pulled back, delicately fixing the golden curls of her hair. "We'll keep in touch, right? After you go to the Vinkus and I stay in the Emerald City."
"I hope so, Lynn. No matter what." Elphaba plays with the sleeves of her dress. "And we'll visit, whenever possible, too."
"Of course, Elphie! I am going to be the godmother to all your children, after all." It was far from being a question and Elphaba laughed at the certainty behind the statement.
"Oh, really? And how many will that be?"
"Five, at least!"
Elphaba laughed so hard, she was practically cackling. "You're crazy!"
"No! I'll have just as many. All girls, of course." Elphaba couldn't wait to see her friends face when she had a little boy.
"Of course."
The two friends enjoyed the last hours of their carefree time together, packing Galinda's extensive wardrobe and gossiping about the nobles from the Emerald City. Graduation didn't feel so much like an ending, at that moment, but the beginning of a future full of possibilities.