Hey there! :D

Here's chapter 53, all nice and warm from the document manager, lol. (That sounded a lot better in my head, I swear!). :P

Anywho...enjoy! :D

-Essence


Chapter 53

Elphaba softly stroked Glinda's blonde curls, her brown eyes studying the younger girl's face like one of those beautiful books of poetry she enjoyed so much. The green woman let out a heavy sigh and placed her hands back on her lap, wondering what was taking Zafryna so damn long.

She got up from the edge of the bed and started to pace, her impatience showing as clear as day. Elphaba hated waiting for anything, usually making her an 'insufferable mean green thing' according to Glinda.

Right now the blonde couldn't afford to wait and her debilitating condition told that so. Elphaba could barely see her chest rising and falling and that small action was what all her hopes were riding on.

C'mon, Zafryna, Elphaba thought angrily. She then walked back to Glinda's side, figuring that pacing wouldn't do her any good right now. She resorted to taking the unconscious blonde's hand, feeling the faint warmth that radiated from it.

"Glinda, my sweet," she whispered to her softly. "Wake up, please. I want to see those beautiful blue eyes again. I…I don't know why you did this to yourself, but I just want you to wake up for me. Please."

Elphaba stared hard into her lover's pale face, wanting so badly to kiss her, but refraining from doing so.

Suddenly a light sound erupted from the blonde's dry lips and Elphaba's heart lurched instantly.

"Glinda?" Her normally smooth voice shook and she tightened the grip she had on her love's hand. She searched the blonde's features for any sign of consciousness.

"Ugh," groaned Glinda, her blue eyes fluttering open. Her gaze then focused on the obviously relieved woman above her and she gave her a small smile.

"Glinda," Elphaba breathed and gathered the small blonde in her arms, barely suppressing a sob of relief. "Glinda, why do you have to be so stupid?"

Glinda's soft features were twisted in confusion as Elphaba let her go. "Elphie?" Her voice was feeble and it hurt her parched throat to speak. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you know you have to eat, my sweet?" Elphaba caressed her cheek affectionately. "It's a basic necessity."

Glinda leaned into the green hand, sighing. "I must have forgotten that I was so hungry. I was too busy looking for you after that horrible man took you away from me."

Elphaba forced herself not to roll her eyes at the mention of her love forgetting to eat. Instead she leaned forward and kissed Glinda, the blonde returning it with a little less enthusiasm than normal since she was so weak.

"After all," Glinda chuckled after they parted. "It was payback for you killing yourself a few days back."

Elphaba frowned humorlessly. "You know that's not funny."

Glinda let out another sigh. "I know it's not. I'm sorry I worried you, Elphie. I—"

"Shh," Elphaba said and placed two fingers on the blonde's lips before she could say anything else. "You need your rest now. Zafryna is going to bring you some food so you can start building your strength back up." She got up from the bed and started to walk away before Glinda's hand on her arm stopped her.

"But Elphie—"

Elphaba gingerly removed the blonde's hand and enveloped it in both her green ones. "I'll explain later, okay? I have to find out what's taking Zafryna so long."

Glinda reluctantly let go of her love and watched her disappear behind the door of the room. She let out a frustrated sigh and crossed her arms across her chest. She knew it was stupid of her to let herself starve, but this wasn't the first time it had happened. Once when she had been a student at Shiz she had forgotten to eat when she crammed for the final tests. It had taken Elphaba more than just a few tries to get her to eat and when she did, Glinda had aced those tests with flying colors.

Not after Elphaba had helped her study of course. Glinda had never been an exceptional student at Shiz, but having a bookworm as a roommate has had its advantages. When Elphaba had left to go against the Wizard, however, Glinda had to struggle just to slide by those last few years of school. Soon she gave up and started her career as Glinda the Good, Oz's beloved idol.

Glinda closed her eyes as she remembered the day that Morrible had offered her the honorific of being 'Glinda the Good'. The Wizard had been standing right beside her, that all-too-familiar fake smile plastered on his face. Of course she had accepted their proposition. She was Glinda the Popular…Glinda the Beautiful…

She was Glinda the Good.

When she reunited with Elphaba it was as if an old match inside of her had suddenly been relit. Nothing else could have made her feel more alive than standing beside that woman she now calls her girlfriend. All thoughts of her honorific had been erased when Elphaba had touched her face, when they kissed for that very first time…it was like a dream had come true for Glinda.

And she didn't need any cheesy honorifics to prove it. She just had to be Glinda.

And that was good enough for her.

***

Elphaba barely walked a few steps into the hall when she saw a figure make its way towards her. Instantly she recognized the young brunette that had spoken to Zafryna earlier.

Oh, it's Zafryna's 'friend', she thought, smirking as Inett drew closer.

Inett jumped a little as she realized Elphaba had been watching her. She shakily handed the green woman the bowl of boiling hot stew, asking herself whether or not she should tell her about the Miracle Elixir she had so carefully applied to it.

Elphaba accepted the bowl, wondering why the brunette had come instead of Zafryna. She noticed the way Inett bowed her head and shuffled her shoes nervously, as if she was afraid to meet Elphaba's eyes.

"I'm Elphaba, by the way," the green woman said to her and extended her hand towards the timid girl. Inett looked at it curiously before shyly shaking it. "I don't think we've met."

"Inett," the brunette replied softly, still avoiding her ever-penetrating gaze. "Um, I…I better get going—"

Without another word, Inett did an about-face and rushed down the hall, leaving a bewildered Elphaba behind. The green woman just shrugged and walked back into the room where Glinda was waiting for her, arms crossed against her chest.

"That was fast," the blonde commented.

Elphaba shrugged again and walked over to her bedside. The smell of the stew had aroused Glinda at a considerable level, for she sat up and licked her lips hungrily, her eyes widening at the sight of the food.

"Mm, that smells good," she said and reached out her hands to take the bowl from Elphaba.

"Uh-uh," the green woman told her and waggled a finger to her face. "I'm going to make sure you eat this time."

Glinda pouted. "But, Elphie, I am going to eat—"

Elphaba just took the spoon, blew on it to cool it off some and lifted it towards the blonde's mouth. "Open up and say 'ahh'."

Glinda smiled as she realized what her green love was trying to do and she opened her mouth with a cute little 'ahh' as instructed. Elphaba fed her the warm stew, the blonde swallowing it down with vigor.

"Wow, this is really good," Glinda said, licking her lips. She then grabbed the bowl before Elphaba could do anything to stop her. The blonde started to gulp down the stew at an alarming rate, not knowing quite what was making her so ravenous for the stew.

Elphaba couldn't help but chuckle as she saw her love so engrossed in the meal. I guess she was hungrier than I thought, she thought. After a few moments of this, the green woman lightly touched Glinda's arm.

"Stop eating so quickly, my sweet," she advised her reasonably. "You'll get a stomachache."

Glinda continued, despite Elphaba's warning. "Can't…stop…" she huffed between bites. "Just…so…good…"

Elphaba knitted her black brows together, but she said nothing. She then saw Glinda thoroughly lick the bowl and spoon and she couldn't help but chuckle with amusement.

"I shall ask Inett to make more of that for myself since you like it so much, my sweet," Elphaba said.

Glinda handed her back the now empty bowl with a satisfied smile, feeling more like herself again. "Who's Inett?" she asked her green love as she put the bowl on the nightstand near the bed.

"Oh, just an employee here," Elphaba said dismissively as she settled herself on the bed beside Glinda, feeling the blonde's arms wrapping around her thin waist. She heard Glinda give a soft sigh as she nuzzled into the green woman's chest.

"I've missed you, Elphie," the blonde whispered, lazily tracing invisible designs on her lover's grimy black shirt.

"Me too, my sweet," Elphaba sighed, tightening the grip she had on Glinda's shoulder protectively. "I guess I should explain how you got here."

Glinda looked up at her love's tense, green face and kissed the underside of her chin. "Not yet, my love. Go get yourself something to eat first. I could hear your stomach complaining from here."

"Is it that loud?" Elphaba chuckled as she separated herself from the blonde. "Alright. Don't move. I'll be right back."

"Honestly, Elphaba," Glinda sighed as she rolled unto her back. "Do you really think I'm going to go anywhere in this state?"

Elphaba chuckled again as she bent down to kiss her. "No, I guess not."

Glinda smiled into the kiss and reached up to tenderly stroke some of that silky, raven-black hair. "Hurry back, okay?" she asked, her voice small.

Elphaba nodded. "Don't worry, I will."

"And I do mean hurry back," breathed Glinda heavily, abruptly grabbing Elphaba's collar, pulling the surprised woman closer to her and kissing her passionately. Elphaba raised her brows at Glinda's surprising gesture but melted into the kiss, feeling her lover's need clearly.

When they parted, Glinda stared straight into her green love's brown eyes, trying to convey the strange, sudden urge for her girlfriend with just one look.

Luckily Elphaba got the message and hastily left the room, leaving Glinda to smile to herself and stare up at the ceiling, wondering why this desperate need for her Elphie's touch welled up inside her so suddenly.

The blonde didn't know why she did it, but she looked at the empty bowl of stew that sat on the nightstand, a brow rising wonderingly. She admitted to herself that the stew did taste a little odd, but she waved it off to her hunger. She then lifted a finger to trace her lips, remembering the way Elphaba had kissed her back with such love and devotion that she couldn't even begin to express how much she had missed her Elphie.

Glinda's heart started to race in anticipation of what was to come after her green-skinned love came back. She clutched at the sheets around her, wishing Elphaba didn't have to leave her in this state of raw need. She let out a heavy moan and stared longingly at the door.

Oh, Elphie, she thought, feeling the familiar tingle of her arousal surging through her body. Come back, baby. I need you.

I need you so much.

***

Zafryna opened the doors to the Infirmary just as someone let out a piercing scream. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and shakily she entered the crowded room, wondering who had screamed.

"Oh, Lady Zafryna, there you are," a voice breathed from her right. A rather large woman appeared out of the crowd of wounded soldiers, carrying a bag of medicinal supplies. "Hold this for me, will you?"

Zafryna couldn't help but accept the bag that was shoved into her hands as the nurse hurriedly left to go attend to the soldier who had screamed earlier. Zafryna followed her to his bedside, her eyes opening wide at the sight that greeted her.

It was a bloody mess. The soldier had acquired numerous scratches around his arms and legs, which were wrapped in bandages that were vainly trying to stop the blood from flowing out of the wounds. The worse scratches however, were on his face. If this solider had once been a handsome man, he would have no physical evidence of it after his wounds healed.

"Be a man and stop that childish screaming," the nurse told him firmly before applying a sort of ointment to a nasty scratch right above his eye. The man let out a gurgled scream and Zafryna had to bite her lip in order to stop from retching at the gruesomeness of it all.

"Lady Zafryna, hand me the bag please,"

Zafryna barely registered that the nurse was talking to her until the bag was being taken out of her hands with a huff from the large woman.

"Honestly, my lady," the nurse said gruffly. "I thought you would have paid more attention."

"I-I'm sorry," stammered Zafryna. The soldier let out a mangled choke as the nurse unceremoniously shoved a needle into his bare shoulder.

"Do you really need to be that rash with him, nurse?" Zafryna asked her as the white-clothed woman took the needle out and wiped her bloody hands on a rag she had produced from the bag.

"If I weren't rash, then these big babies would never learn how to grow up and take the pain," the nurse said simply. "Now if you will excuse me, my lady—"

Zafryna backed away to avoid the crazed nurse as she charged to another cot, where she could see the soldier in it groaning in agony. Zafryna shook her head and made her way through the crowded Infirmary, careful not to bump into any of the men who were waiting for medical attention.

It was hard to avoid them as they begged for her to stop and tend to their wounds, but she needed to get to the captain and to whatever he had to say to her. In what seemed to be years but in reality it was only a few minutes, Zafryna finally saw the captain standing by a window, his right arm in a sling.

The captain turned his head towards the younger girl and narrowed his eyes.

"I don't mean to be rude with you, Lady Zafryna," he said, "but what the hell just happened to us?"

Zafryna looked around, feeling her already sinking heart dip just a little bit lower. "The Wizard had finally decided to make an appearance at the most unfortunate time," she told him.

"Why is it you that I have to refer to? Where is her Highness?" the captain asked her.

"Mel—I mean the Great Witch had to make a rather urgent trip to the Ruby City," Zafryna said, her practiced words easily rolling off her tongue. "It seems there had been a disturbance of some kind over there."

"And she left you in charge?" the captain asked. "Where are your sisters?"

Zafryna had to use all her restraint to keep herself from rolling her emerald green eyes. Why was the captain asking her all these questions? "I believe I am the oldest sibling out of my sisters, captain," she said simply. "I think I should have the authority while the Great Witch is gone. Why do you ask all these questions? Do you doubt my capability of leadership, captain?"

Her accusing tone visibly shook the captain, but he quickly regained composure. "Of course not, Lady Zafryna," he said. "It's that I just couldn't help but feel that this could have been prevented somehow."

"It couldn't have been prevented," Zafryna stressed. "The Wizard had chosen the time that it was most convenient for him to attack—"

"One of my men told me that the Wizard had wanted entrance to the Red Palace in order to speak with the Great Witch," the captain said. "If he would have known she was gone then he wouldn't have attacked. He had another motive."

"How do you expect me to know all of this, captain?" Zafryna asked him, her voice getting a bit shriller than she intended it to be. "I was just as surprised as you are. We could only now recuperate and figure out the details later. The Wizard had been shot and it is only a matter of time before he could come back and strike at us again."

"Which brings me to my next point," said the captain. "It will take more than just a few days for my men to recover from this attack and if the Wizard should decide to return with those vicious Animals of his, we have no hope to win that fight."

Zafryna looked at the ground under her, understanding the poignancy of the captain's words. Her head started to hurt and she wished that she could just lie down and sleep, but she knew she had responsibilities to take care of.

"Lady Zafryna…?" the captain asked her, clearly expecting a response from the yellow-skinned woman.

"I'm sorry," Zafryna said, lifting her head to look at the captain once again. "I understand the graveness of this situation, captain, but I'm afraid I have no solution to offer except to just wait and see."

"When will her Highness be coming back?" the captain asked her, tilting his head to the side and fixing the sling with his good arm.

"I wish I knew," Zafryna growled, more to herself than to the captain. She knew Melena had to come back to Zo soon, or else something even worse will happen. Snapping her fingers, she figured out what she needed to do.

She needed to go after Melena and bring her back to Zo. With or without Bolynda.

"Captain," she addressed to the man, who looked up at her curiously. "It seems I have just figured out what to do. I have no time to explain, but if you will allow me to borrow your patience for just a few more hours I will make it up to you."

The captain's brow rose in suspicion. "What do you mean? Are you planning on going also?"

"I can't tell you that," Zafryna said. "But someone will stay with you all while I am gone."

"Is it one of your sisters?" the captain asked her.

Zafryna blinked and nodded, thinking of Elphaba. "Well, technically, yes. You wouldn't recognize her as my sister, though."

It was such a convenience that Elphaba had arrived just in time so she could take over my position, she thought. She basically is a daughter of the Great Witch, so I'm not really breaking any rules by leaving.

Zafryna smiled at her logic. It's just too perfect.

The captain looked utterly confused. "But, Lady Zafryna—"

Zafryna didn't give him time to finish as she whipped around and exited the Infirmary, leaving the captain to sort through his whirling thoughts alone.