Guest: We'll learn Elphaba's stance on the Animal Banns, as well as an explanation, in Chapter 15.
The mirror was based on the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter, showing Elphaba the deepest desire of her heart, having her father love her.
"Fiyero, the day of the Vinkun coup, was there a solar eclipse?"
Fiyero looked surprised at that question. That certainly wasn't what he was expecting her to ask him. "No, but there was a lunar eclipse."
"So, the sun eclipsed the moon?"
"Actually, the moon's blocked from the sun's light, but we can still see it. There's an old Vinkun myth that -"
Glinda lowered her soup spoon as she listened to Fiyero explain the Vinkun version of the myth of Ymtis and Ghatdione. She had gotten a private room in the restaurant for their conversation so they could talk about this sensitive topic. She had been debating whether to tell Fiyero everything, but now that she was asking him to recall the worst day of his life, she felt the least she could do was give him a full explanation.
"Why do you want to know?"
This was it. She took a deep breath and told him everything, starting from when she found the poem, up until sneaking into the restricted section and what she and Rakelle subsequently found out. Fiyero listened, and tried to interject at a few points, but Glinda stopped him, silently asking him to let her finish before he tried to comment or question.
"Whoa," he breathed when Glinda finally finished. "That's… wow. That's… a lot. And…" He lowered his voice. "You think there's a coup forming to overthrow the queen?"
She nodded. "Yes. But I don't want to go to her without proof."
"How do you want me to help?"
"I asked you what I needed to know. I was trying to research other coups that happened during eclipses, especially solar eclipses."
"Okay. That's a good start. But coups don't need eclipses to happen."
"I know. I was just trying to find a connection. Perhaps it's symbolic or something."
"What else do you need from me?"
"Nothing, Fiyero. I –"
"I want to help."
"You've already been through so much. This could cost us our jobs."
"No one deserves what happened to my family. Especially the young queen. We can stop this, and I want to be a part of it, to be on the winning side of history for once."
Glinda looked conflicted, but smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Fiyero."
The conversation shifted from their secret agenda to lighter topics, like their plans for Lurlinemas and their favorite radio programs. For a moment, it felt like they were back in their first semester at Shiz, two carefree young adults with the world at their feet. Now, they were two, slightly older, young adults, secretly planning to coup a coup.
"I got it," Glinda said, walking up to Rakelle in the library. She handed her a folded piece of paper. "I've found our culprits."
Rakelle unfolded the paper. "The Resistance? Is that the name of the group?"
Glinda nodded. "It's a group of mostly Animals, and some humans, who see the Animal Banns as unjust and racist. Their methods of retaliation are… extreme, to put it nicely. Passionate, for sure."
"And you're certain?"
"It makes sense. The Animal Banns are getting worse, and The Resistance is getting more active. That's their motive. They have monthly meetings and their next meeting is scheduled for December twenty-first, the day of the Winter Solstice, and the day before the solar eclipse. It all adds up."
Rakelle nodded and stood. "Alright. Now we can go to the queen with our proof."
"You're coming? You're gonna tell her for me?"
"What? No! I just don't wanna miss the beat-down when she finds out how you started this."
Glinda rolled her eyes.
"But wait, we can't just go up to the queen unannounced. Especially without an appointment."
"We'll make an appointment on the spot." She looked at the clock. "She should be finishing her meeting with her private secretary in a few minutes. Now's our chance. I just hope she's not still upset with me."
"She's upset with you? And we're still going?!"
"It was just a small difference of opinion. I wasn't fired, so she must have forgiven me. Let's do this!"
Rakelle marched behind the blonde up to the second floor. The queen's office door was open, and they caught the last bit of the meeting. Elphaba looked like she was actually engaged and interested in what Avaric was saying, which was a rare occurrence.
"I need you to look at the seating chart, Your Ozness. At the moment, we have 'you-know-who' seated next to 'you-don't-wanna-know-who'," Avaric said, sliding the paper over to the queen.
"As much as I would love to watch that civil war unfold, you're right. We should probably separate those two." Elphaba looked up, her eyes widening as she saw Glinda and Rakelle standing in the doorway. "Miss Upland?"
Both women curtsied. "Your Ozness. Mr. Tenmeadows."
Avaric frowned. "What are you two doing up here?"
"We have an appointment," Glinda said, trying to silently communicate to Elphaba to please let them speak to her.
"It's not on the schedule."
"I told Miss Upland she could come," Elphaba supplied, choosing to play along, much to Glinda's relief. "Though she's early. And she brought a guest."
Glinda's lips twitched. "I asked Rakelle to join us, if that's alright."
Avaric turned back to Elphaba, who nodded. "I suppose. Thank you, Avaric. That will be all for now."
The older man stood and bowed, giving Glinda an unreadable look before slipping past them, closing the door.
"Thank you," the blonde whispered gratefully.
"I'm actually glad you're here. I wanted to ask you something… privately." She glanced over at Rakelle.
"Of course. But we really need to talk to you. Both of us. It's very important."
Elphaba leaned back. "I suppose you should go first, then."
Glinda looked over at Rakelle, who nodded. She took a deep breath. "There's a coup rising to overthrow you."
Elphaba stared at her blankly, blinking slowly as her eyebrow rose. "Excuse me?"
"I – we believe – we know that there's a coup that's trying to overthrow you. And we believe they'll attack on December twenty-second, the day of a solar eclipse. It also happens to be the day after the Winter Solstice."
Elphaba's brow creased. "That's oddly specific. How do you know all this information?"
"I found this prophesy-like poem in my papers a while ago, and at first, I thought nothing of it. But then, at the poetry soiree, I heard a similar poem about a revolution and did some more research." She handed Elphaba the paper, but she didn't even glance at it, her pointed gaze never leaving her face. "It was ripped from an old book and I wanted to see where it was from."
"That's why you wanted access to the restricted section."
"Yes."
"But then how did you find out? You couldn't have rese-" Her face dropped as she connected the dots. "You didn't."
Glinda winced. "Your Ozness, before you say anything, I –"
"You deliberately disobeyed my direct orders! How did you even get into the restricted section?!" She bit her lip. "Did you steal my key?"
"No. I didn't."
"You must have! There's no other key. Then how – did you pick the lock?" Her silence was the only answer she needed. "I thought I could trust you, and you lied to my face!"
"I didn't lie. I'm just trying to help."
Rakelle cleared her throat. "Your Ozness, if I may, I didn't believe Glinda at first. I thought she should just forget about it. But these coincidences all add up. The Animal Banns and the riots and protests. Believe us, we wouldn't have brought it to you unless we had solid proof."
Elphaba finally shifted her gaze from Glinda to Rakelle. "I know you," she frowned.
"Why do I always feel the need to bring attention to myself?" Rakelle mumbled under her breath.
"You work in the library. So you, more than anyone, should have enforced the rules." She stood. "I have secret police stationed throughout the city and across Oz. If they haven't reported anything to Avaric, then there are no facts behind this. From now on, you both will be restricted to your work areas. Guards will accompany you from the moment you enter the palace until the moment you leave. You will not say a word of this to anyone, not a single soul. One more toe out of line, and you will both see yourselves indefinitely detained and possibly banished from Oz. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Your Ozness," the girls chorused.
"Both of you may leave."
The two curtsied and hurried out. Elphaba took the paper, ripped it up, and threw the shreds into the waste bin, all without a second glance. She didn't know what had gotten into the two of them, but she hoped it would be weeded out soon. She couldn't have her staff sticking their noses in places where they shouldn't be. She trusted Avaric and the people who took an oath to serve and protect her. It was very hard for her to be truly sure of who she could trust, and now, it seemed like Glinda was proving to not be one of those people. It saddened her. She was beginning to really like her.
"Why didn't you tell her about the Resistance?" Rakelle whispered once they were back downstairs.
"Because I'm not trying to die. We'll just have to be more careful now. Especially since we'll be watched while we're here and definitely outside by her secret police."
"We're in too deep to just quit," she agreed, taking her leave at the library door.
"No, we could quit," Glinda countered. "I just don't think either of us would like the outcome."
The rest of the day passed slowly, and was made even more gloomy by the heavy rains, the only thing loud enough to drown out the sound of the typewriters. Glinda belatedly realized that Elphaba had wanted to ask her something, but it had been forgotten (or ignored) in the chaos of emotions. It was probably about her magic, which made Glinda wish she had asked her. A few minutes before the end of the day, the promised guard appeared at the office door, but not to collect Glinda.
"Everyone must remain here," he said. "The palace is under lockdown."
"Lockdown? Why?" Chyde asked.
"A bear has been spotted in the north gardens."
Ever since he was young, Fiyero loved being active. He loved getting into mischief and had a lot of energy to use. His mother would beg him to sit still and read a book for a while, but his father had insisted that it was important for the young prince to be active. Quiet days used to bore him. But now, he prayed every day would be quiet. Quiet days meant everything and everyone was safe. Clearly, today wasn't one of those days.
His musket clasped firmly in his hands, he and one other guard ran out into the gardens to remove the bear. The rain lessened their visibility, which made them more apprehensive, being unable to hear or see the animal approach. They had no idea whether it was an Animal or animal, which meant there was a possibility they wouldn't make it out of this situation alive. They were given strict orders not to shoot at it unless completely necessary, since it would be very hard to get blood out of the grass and pathways.
"I'll go east, you go west," his fellow guard said, not waiting for Fiyero to confirm before darting off.
He didn't know which way was west, but figured it was in the opposite direction his comrade went. Gulping, she shouldered his musket and made his way over to search the area, and hoping he wouldn't have any run-ins with any animal… or Animal.
He was almost to the gate when he saw a brown lump huddled under a large tree. Figuring it was the bear, he aimed his weapon, his fingers hovering over the trigger, and cautiously approached, careful not to make any loud or sudden movements. As he got closer, he noticed the absence of fur, debunking the thought that the lump was the bear. He squinted through the rain, and noticed that the brown blob he had mistaken for fur was actually a cloak, and the figure underneath was, in fact, a human.
Figuring they were hurt by the bear, Fiyero lowered his gun and rushed towards them, dropping to his knees. "Hello? Can you hear me? Are you hurt?" He gently pulled the hood back, but a flash of green immediately gave the person's identity away. "Your Ozness?"
Elphaba slowly lifted her head and gasped. The guard from the night in the gardens and the soiree. "You."
"Me? You! Are you hurt?"
"I'm…" Her voice was hoarse, and Fiyero could barely hear her over the rain.
"Did the bear hurt you?"
Elphaba blinked. "Bear?"
"Can you stand?" He moved to help her up, but she hissed when he touched her arm. Fiyero got a closer look and noticed that her wrists, neck, and parts of her face were red. "You're bleeding." He felt her weakly tug on his arm and leaned closer to hear her better.
"Help me back inside."
He tried to help her up, but every place he touched her caused her pain. He couldn't just leave her out in the rain, but it was clear he couldn't move her without hurting her. "Your Ozness, I can't –"
A strong gust of wind came, blowing the cloak hood off, exposing Elphaba's face. She quickly pulled it back, but not before her face got wet and she cried out in pain.
"What in Oz..." Fiyero blinked. Her injuries weren't the result of a bear attack; they were the result of the rain. The water was burning her. And the redness wasn't blood, but angry, burning welts.
Elphaba shook her head. "Now you know my secret. Some people are allergic to poppies, others peanuts. I'm allergic to water."
He had so many questions, but knew now was not the proper time to ask. "Come." As gently as he could, he helped the queen to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her waist, which didn't seem to hurt her, allowing her to lean against him. He tried to keep her face shielded from the wind to avoid the rain from blowing into her face. Even though he was walking slow, the queen still stumbled to keep up with him. He helped hold her cloak down against the wind as they made their way back into the palace. They were halfway back when two gunshots rang out above the rain. They both jumped, and Fiyero knew he would be called to help remove the dead animal.
Once they were safely inside, Elphaba fully collapsed against Fiyero, her body shaking and a moan of agony climbing out of her throat. Fiyero managed to catch her just before she hit the floor. There was no one in the halls, since everyone was told to stay right where they were. "Help!" he called, his voice echoing down the halls.
"No," Elphaba hissed. "No… no one… else can see me like this. They c-can't find out. T-The second-floor parlor… there's a fireplace… I can d-dry off." She tried to push herself up, her balance wobbly as she tried to make her way to the stairs. She stumbled from the pain and Fiyero caught her, but touched a sore spot.
"Let me help."
Knowing she wasn't in a position to argue, Elphaba simply nodded, inhaling sharply when Fiyero lifted her into his arms. While she didn't appreciate being manhandled like a sack of potatoes, something about being in his arms made her feel safe. He was very gentle, and she knew him accidentally rubbing her sore spots wasn't his fault.
They managed to get to the parlor without running into anyone else. He gently sat her down in front of the fireplace, wincing as she gasped in pain. "Sorry."
The queen took a few deep breaths to steady herself. It had been a while since she was in this much pain because of water burns. She wanted to take her wet clothes off, but every movement intensified the dulling pain. "I'll be alright."
"Is there anything else I can get you?"
"No," she snapped. "Thank you," she added more gently. "I… thanks."
"Of course, Your Ozness," Fiyero bowed and made to leave. As soon as he closed the door, he heard it lock behind him. He tried to get back in, but it was useless. He wondered if he should report finding the queen outside in the rain, but knew that would lead to questions, which he neither had the answer to, nor was it his place to find out. Everything about her demeanor and what she said told him that he needed to keep her secret. He remembered Glinda telling him about how the queen had reacted when water accidentally spilled on her, and now, seeing her like that, it made sense. But why keep it a secret? It would help everyone to know not to bring water near her because it would hurt her, instead of thinking it was another time she snapped for no reason.
Or, said the devil's advocate part of his mind as he went back outside to deal with the bear, it might just lead to her downfall.