A/N: A shoutout to my anonymous reviewer! Glad you liked it. More on our watcher later... ;)
Chapter 4
The Council meeting had gone fairly well, but everyone could tell that Glinda was exhausted. It had been a long morning given the meetings she'd had, especially with the families that had lost loved ones. Elphaba suggested they get some tea in the study and the blonde was thankful for that.
"Off to see if our new stone masons can see what we saw this morning," Fiyero smiled at Bayram as they exited the Council Chamber. It was still in the temporary location, occupying the smaller public court building. With any luck, the final repairs to the Council Chamber inside the Emerald Palace would be done soon. Fiyero had instructed that the room be extra reinforced – a thicker set of doors, thicker glass panes in the windows, and extra layers of brick between the interior and the exterior of the Palace walls. All of these things would hopefully help in the event of an attack, it would also help soundproof the room for better secrecy.
"Sounds like a good idea. We should see if Zetti has had any luck with the smoke bomb practice," the Lieutenant suggested as they approached the Palace walls. Fiyero nodded and then asked,
"After the masons, what do we have on the docket?" The guards at the new gate, quickly opened the man-door and let them in. Elphaba and Glinda had ridden back in the carriage, a precaution to protect both ladies. A faster moving target and one that was covered and hard to see, always made for a difficult thing to hit.
"Glinda wanted to meet regarding the Munchkins, but she just wanted us, Zetti, Miss Elphaba, and Boq to do so. Kind of keep it in house before proposing anything to the Council," Bayram reminded him as they made their way toward the spot in the courtyard where they would meet the new stone masons.
"I feel bad for Arif. He is really trying but he's not getting any help from his countrymen. Shouldn't Mopsi and Popsi be at this meeting?" Fiyero wondered.
"That probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Maybe Miss Elphaba is going to bring them in. Glinda has had a lot on her mind and plate lately so it's possible that she forgot to say she invited them," the Lieutenant shrugged.
"I'll have Corporal Bock go and fetch them while we're meeting with the stone masons," the Captain told him. Bayram nodded as the group of stone masons, escorted by Corporals Norris and Bock, approached the two officers. Fiyero pulled Bock aside and let Bayram take over the meeting. The Corporal promised to alert the two men and send Private Roth to take over with helping with the stone masons. Fiyero sent him on his way.
Meanwhile, inside the Palace's study, Glinda was practically slumped in her cushy chair. Mr. Samuels had brought them tea and Elphaba thanked him. He offered to bring in some sandwiches and the green woman thought it would be a good idea. There was still a bit more to do before their workday had finished.
"You can't take on their grief Lin. All you can do is try and help them through it. Even then, there is only so much you can do. Most they must do for themselves," Elphaba spoke up.
"I can't compartmentalize like that Elphie," the blonde admitted.
"You're going to have to learn. You are the leader of Oz now. There are going to be more moments like today and they are going to push your buttons and your emotions. Normally, I'd say, who cares, and to wear your emotions on your sleeves but now, people will view it as a weakness and they will try to use that weakness against you," her friend said.
"I've had enough of being used," Glinda gave her a look.
"I know you have. I'm going to help you," Elphaba promised.
To Be Continued…