What was wrong with her? Here was Elphaba's chance. To repay that conniving, contorting, little heartless wretch. Yet, Glinda's gaunt cheeks only reminded her of her first week at Runcible. Nessa's perverse game with Glinda's breast only brought back Gillikin's ballroom. Their torturous equivalences didn't balance. They didn't negate. Vengeance didn't destroy. It multiplied, amplifying painful memories, not quieting them.

Elphaba was supposed to feel clean, light—even. She didn't. Because it wasn't Galinda whom she was harming. It was Glinda. A woman with no recollection of her crimes. What good was it to bruise Galinda's body, if her soul couldn't remember? The doctrine of the soul was a lie. It was how the Unionist Church bamboozled Ozians to accept a life of poverty, here and now, for a chance of a beautiful then and there. This she knew. Or, thought she knew, before she witnessed the difference, widening like a chasm, between Galinda and Glinda. Not only was Glinda's memory different, but the wretch moved differently, as if possessed by another spirit. It wasn't just the limp. No. She bit her nails. Shook the hands of Munchkins. And, her face. It had softened. The way she looked. At her. Elphaba recognized the curiosity, but not its restraint. Galinda gawked, but Glinda admired. What untimely devotion. Glinda's kindness exhausted her. For Elphaba might have dulled herself to Galinda's sufferings; the Princess deserved every bit of it after all. But, did Glinda?

Oh how Yackle mangled her wishes! She no longer cared if the Princess was punished. She just wanted Galinda gone, disappeared, felled off the face of Oz. And, more importantly, she needed that fairy godmother to deliver on her third wish. How could she have ever felt the slightest relief at not seeing Shell in the barn? What she wouldn't give to have him back now, to see that cocky bright smile, to hear him promise everything would be all right. Could anything ever be right after this? What she wouldn't do, if only she could see him again. But, that afternoon neither her brother, nor Yackle appeared.

Instead, Elphaba had found Pfannee and Boq on her way home and then Glinda and Nessa. Glinda was scrubbing the barn floor, soaked in her own blood. Nessa watched gleefully, a pair of sheers waving in her hand. Her dear Nessarose. While Galinda's transformation had been instant, Nessarose was in the middle of a rot, her smiles molding, her delight cankering, her nightly prayers putrefying into passionate maledictions.

When Nessa left for the dance, Elphaba crept upstairs, leaving Glinda in the kitchen, as she snuck into Nessa's room, into their trunk, pushing past clothing, her satchel of writing utensils, Nessa's prayer book, the Munchkin royal seal, a box of her mother's rings, until she found the red book. Her father had given the book of fairy tales to Nessa last Lurlinemas. Perhaps it might have stories of Yackle. She brought it to her room and sat on her bed, a towel of salted potatoes saved from the morning on her lap. She was scanning the table of contents when Glinda interrupted.

"My lady can read? But, how?"

Elphaba flinched. Couldn't she get one moment away from her! She gave Glinda a withering look. Glinda covered her mouth with a hand and closed the door behind her. She took her space on the floor, but she didn't lie down. She sat. Her inquisitive eyes fixed on the book. Elphaba's jaw tightened. She closed the cover and slapped the book on the window sill, tossing the potatoes on top of it, and scooted into bed. She would never be stared at by those eyes without her permission again. As she lay, covers over her head, eyes scrunched shut, her back to the Princess, she could only hope for a different tomorrow.

She fell into a deep dreamless sleep, awaking only briefly when she heard voices downstairs.

"You must dance with us next time!"

"Yes, perhaps I might try, but only if you'll be there to guide me, my dearest Boq.

"Of course I will!"

"Good night."

"Fresh dreams, Nessa."

"Fresh dreams."

The next morning, Elphaba awoke to find Glinda on her knees, glancing up through her eyelashes, with that pleading look. This was their morning pattern. Elphaba would wake, take Glinda out for her morning necessities, escort the blonde to the kitchen, and leave her to the potatoes while she retreated to her window.

Now as she stood in the kitchen, she imagined Shell coming over the mountain, waving to her, grinning like he always did. At any moment, he could. He would. He had to. She missed him.

Nessa came downstairs, humming a song their father used to sing to himself on Saturday mornings. Elphaba turned to see her take a seat at the kitchen table, smiling.

She hadn't seen her sister smile like this since coming to Gillikin.

"Good morning!" Nessa sing-songed.

"Good morning. Did you enjoy yourself?" Elphaba asked.

Glinda looked over from her spot, standing by the fireplace.

"Oh, it was absolutely lovely. They've asked me to return," Nessa said grinning.

Elphaba nodded. Glinda seemed all ears as she peeled, waiting for Nessa to say more. Nessarose was only too eager. She went on about the music, the men, the dresses, the food, the toasts. At the mention of nutmeg milk, Elphaba felt her stomach growl.

"There's to be another dance in two days. Won't you come?" Nessa asked.

Glinda's eyes darted to her.

"No," she said. She was in no mood to celebrate. Nutmeg milk or not.

"It's Boq's birthday!" Nessa said. "And, he's done so much for me."

"Then you go," Elphaba said.

"I told them you would sing."

"Why?"

"No one sings like you," Nessa said. "Let them hear you. Let them see the majesty of Munchkin's royal family!"

Glinda blinked, her gaze bouncing between the two sisters. Elphaba's heart stopped. Had Glinda remembered who she was? The blonde's eyes didn't harden into Galinda's. They seemed to fill with even deeper adoration. Had her defunct royal status impressed her? Was there nothing to stave the waves of Glinda's good will?

"You must sing for them!" Nessa pleaded, walking toward her.

When Elphaba was a child, she loved the sound of her voice. Singing made her feel strong, invincible, transcendent. Yet, when she reached fifteen summers, her father took her gift and gave it to Munchkinland. He made her sing for official festivals, royal ceremonies, banquets, and religious feasts. She had resented him for it, even while reveling in her power to transform the guests' disgust at her skin into wonder at her talent. Yet even that resentment couldn't compare to how little she felt singing Gillikin's anthems veiled in that dowdy cloth. The notes rusted her mouth. There was no music after Gillikin.

"Oh please, just one song for Boq!" Nessa whined.

"You know I don't like dances," Elphaba said.

"They're expecting you! What shall I say to them?"

"Say you shouldn't have promised what wasn't yours to give."

Nessa huffed and said,

"He's not coming back."

"What did you say?" Elphaba asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Isn't it obvious? You don't need to keep watch. Shell's abandoned us. He'd rather be alone than carry us as a burden."

Is that what Nessa thought? Is that why she was so angry? The only men who loved her left her.

"Nessy, I'm sure he wants to be with us."

"If he had, he would have returned with you after the—" Nessa paused, glancing at Glinda whose glance fell to the potatoes, "—accusation."

How could she begin to tell Nessa what really made Shell leave?

"If only he would have waited," Nessa continued, "He could have seen—seen what I've become. I wouldn't be a burden to him anymore. He would have stayed. Don't you think?"

It was all Elphaba's fault. She had made her brother leave. How could she tell Nessa this? At her silence, Nessa looked hurt. She bolted up the stairs.

"Nessarose!" Elphaba called.

Elphaba turned to catch Glinda staring. That stare! She lunged across the kitchen, grabbing the collar of Glinda's dress, shaking her, until the blonde dropped her knife, her jaw falling open. Elphaba wanted to choke her, beat her head against the wall, squeeze the light right out of her. Her fists tightened. She pulled Glinda to her toes. Glinda's eyes grew glossy with fright.

"Why did you do it to him, to me? Why did you ruin us? Why?" she hissed, joggling her.

Wide-eyed and open-mouthed, Glinda looked lost. Elphaba stopped. What was she doing? This was Glinda. And, if Glinda remembered Galinda, it would be the end of them all. Elphaba's pop of anger sizzled into a somber heaviness. She released the blonde and wrapped her arms around herself. Glinda kneeled, picked up her knife, shuffled to the corner, and peeled in one determined stroke after another, her hands shaking, her head bowed.

After breakfast, Elphaba took off for the wishing tree. The frost abated, creating icy puddles and quagmires that Elphaba had to maneuver, jumping, lurching, and leaning to keep dry. When she arrived at the wishing tree, out of breath and with a cough, all was quiet. From inside the leaves, Elphaba called to Yackle so many times her throat grew scratchy, but the fairy godmother remained invisible. Damn that fairy godwitch! Elphaba took a seat on a rock under the tree. She could wait, for days even, if that's what it took.

The winds grew bolder, rustling the branches, pushing her off balance. Elphaba shivered, coughing until her chest prickled with pain. The sun set and the gusts kept coming, ushering in dark clouds. She thought she heard Nessa's voice in the east gales. She listened but all went quiet. Elphaba head ached. A pain stretched its roots into her neck and shoulders. She wouldn't give up. She would make things right. She would fix this. She would bring him home. She looked into the heavens.

"Oh, Father, why did you leave us?" she whispered.

Silence. Lifeless starry silence.

She shook her head with a snort. Did she think he would be listening somewhere? She was alone. No one was coming. But, then she saw it. Beyond the leaves. Someone had come! She rushed and opened the branches.

There was Glinda, huddled, teeth clattering, an oil lamp in hand.

"My lady!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Lady Nessarose went to look for you, but she hasn't come back. It's been several candle marks. I worried something might have happened."

Nessa! Of course, her sister would worry. In trying to summon her brother she had lost her sister. She was the fool of all fools.

"Give me the lantern," she said, taking it from Glinda and hurrying in the direction of the east winds. Glinda hobbled behind.

"Nessa, where are you?" Elphaba called out.

The forest was dark, the branches scrapping like fingernails at her clothes and face.

"Nessarose!" Elphaba called.

"My lady!" Glinda sounded.

Elphaba startled at Glinda's voice. She was helping her. Helping her find a woman who had tortured her and left her to hang. The old Galinda would have never done that. For Oz's sake, even she wouldn't have aided if she were in Glinda's position. Elphaba shook her head. This was no time to think on Glinda.

"Nessarose! Are you there?" Elphaba called.

"Elphaba?" Nessa sounded from the darkness.

"Nessy, where are you?"

"Elphaba, I've lost my slipper," she called. "It's fallen into a pond!"

A pond?! Elphaba halted, looking down for the start of the water.

"There!" Glinda said pointing to Nessarose who sat a few feet away, on her knees, at the foot of a small body of water that looked closer to a bog than a pond, a blown-out lantern beside her.

"I tripped and one of my slippers came off and fell in. I was looking for you! Fetch it for me, Elphaba."

Elphaba couldn't see the slipper in the thick chilly black water. Her skin goosebumped. She could feel Shell's mouth by her ear as he pushed against her. Forced himself in. She covered her mouth to block her whimper. She couldn't go into that water. Nessa knew she couldn't.

"Nessa, my allergy," she whispered.

"I need those slippers! Isn't it time you get over your water theatrics?" Nessa shouted.

She couldn't. She couldn't feel that again. She wouldn't survive it. Not this time. She shook her head, stepping back, clutching her skirt, quailing.

"An allergy to water?" Glinda asked, her head tilting.

Elphaba couldn't breathe. She started coughing.

"Elphaba! Help me!" Nessa screeched. "I shall never forgive you, if you don't!"

She was the oldest. Why couldn't she protect her sister? Protect her brother? She failed them. It was her fault. She made Shell afraid to come home. What a disgrace. What a depraved, worthless, dirty little monster.

"I'll fetch it," Glinda volunteered.

"What?" Nessa asked.

"I'll get my lady's slipper," Glinda said.

Elphaba and Nessa stared at her. Trembling, Glinda looked determined.

"I'll go instead," she repeated to herself.

"The water's freezing," Elphaba said.

Glinda nodded and then unbuttoned her dress, as if that's what Elphaba had meant. Holding the sides of her open garment, Glinda looked at Elphaba, biting her lip. Was she really going to do this for Nessa?

"Please," Glinda pleaded.

Elphaba inhaled, set down her lantern, and scooped up Nessa. She turned their backs to Glinda. Elphaba heard Glinda's dress fall. Then she heard a splash, a gasp, and a yelp. She turned back, but Glinda had already disappeared into the chilly deep.

"Glinda!" Elphaba called, setting her sister down, kneeling by the edge of the pond, eyeing the still water. Had she been pulled down into a sand pit? Had the coldness cramped her muscles?

This was what Elphaba wanted, wasn't it? The Princess disappeared. Felled. Drowned off the face of Oz.

"My slipper! Oh, hurry, bring back my slipper," Nessa whined.

Elphaba's heart ticked-ticked. The pond was chillingly serene. Was this it? Was this the end of her and Galinda? How ordinary. How uneventful. How empty she still felt.

PHSHAFF!

Glinda's hand popped out of the water, clutching a red slipper.

"There it is! Elphaba, get it!" Nessa shouted.

Elphaba wrapped the bottom of her skirt around her hand and grabbed Glinda's wrist and pulled. Hard. She faltered backward as a naked, dripping Glinda popped out of the water, coughing and gasping, slipper falling from her hand as she reached for her dress. Nessa snatched the red shoe and slipped it on. Holding onto Elphaba's arm, Nessa pulled herself to a stand.

Glinda fumbled with her dress, shivering. Once clothed, she turned around, looking bashful, waiting for the two sisters to say something. Elphaba didn't know what to say. Glinda had been been brave, selfless, so thoroughly unGalinda like. She should thank her. It was the least she could offer to someone who risked her life for a slipper. But Elphaba couldn't. She couldn't see those blue eyes and offer anything close to gratitude.

She pursed her lips. Glinda frowned. Nessa sighed.

"Elphaba, honestly, what were you doing all day?" her sister asked.

"I'm sorry I worried you. Lets go back. It's about to rain," Elphaba said and picked up her lamp. Coughing, she led the two back to the cabin. At the front door, Elphaba clutched the door handle and pulled, but fatigue had eroded her strength.

"Let me, my lady," Glinda said. Their eyes met again. That damned blue tenderness. Elphaba couldn't hold it. She nodded, covering her mouth as she choked through a cough. Glinda opened the door.

Elphaba rushed in, stumbled up the stairs, peeled off her clothes, and entered her bedroom in time to collapse on her bed. She heard Glinda enter behind her and closed her eyes. In the morning, Elphaba was too sore to move. She was hot and sweaty. Each part of her throbbed. She blinked to see Glinda squeezing her legs together by the wall.

"My lady, please may we—" Glinda stopped mid-sentence, shut her eyes, and bit her lip, fighting her need.

Nodding, Elphaba stood. Then staggered. Her head felt awfully light and yet too heavy at the same time. Glinda rose and caught her elbow, her other arm circling round her back.

Elphaba's breath swerved into a croup. Her chest burned. She tried to take a step and then realized she wasn't standing. She was leaning, entirely on Glinda.

"My lady should lie down."

Elphaba nodded, a hand coming to her forehead. It was hot. Laying on the bed, she eyed the blonde, standing before her, thighs pressed together. Glinda was never let outside the house or barn without either Nessa or herself. She could order Glinda to pee in front of her. It would suit the circumstance.

The sight of Glinda standing there, her face blushing at her intimate need, her body kept in unconditional obedience, her relief Elphaba's alone to grant, made Elphaba feel a strange warmth in the pit of her stomach. Elphaba cringed. When had such baseness seeded in her soul? Glinda whimpered, chewing her lip, her legs twisting, her hands clutching at her thighs to fight the pressure. The warmth in her sizzle-sizzled. She needed Glinda away, fast.

"Go outside and come back," Elphaba said.

"Thank you, my lady. I'll be only a moment."

Opening her eyes, Glinda hobbled out the door. How could Elphaba feel even the slightest arousal watching Glinda like that. Her head pounded. It must be the illness. It had to be. She fell back into sleep, seeing all sorts of strange dreams. Glinda wearing only her collar, scrubbing the kitchen floor, her bared breasts swaying like pendulums. Nessa pulling Glinda's dress off from behind. A naked Glinda kneeling before her bed, holding her breasts, asking if she could help.

When Elphaba awoke, Glinda was on her knees, asking her something. Elphaba shrieked. Glinda winced. Thank Oz it wasn't her dream. Glinda was fully clothed, in her hands a plate of boiled potatoes, no breasts. Elphaba's stomach rolled at the sight of food. She covered her mouth and shook her head. She needed to wash down her nausea.

"Milk," she said.

"Milk?" Glinda asked.

She nodded.

"From the goats?" Glinda asked.

"Yes!" Elphaba hissed.

"You mean you want me to milk them?"

Hell and hell! What was so difficult about her request?

"Nessa can show you how," Elphaba said.

Glinda blinked several times, her voice shrill as she said,

"I can do it, myself, my lady."

Elphaba hesitated, looking at Glinda's pale face. How would the Princess of Gillikin know how to milk a goat?

"I beg you don't make me ask Lady Nessa. I shall manage."

Elphaba recalled Nessa's reaction last time Glinda asked for instructions.

"Very well," Elphaba said.

Glinda rose and said,

"Thank you, my lady. I shan't disappoint you."

Hours later Glinda returned with a glass of warm milk that she pressed to Elphaba's lips. Elphaba could smell Glinda's sweat. Her expression anxious. Her hands shaking.

"Are you well?" Elphaba rasped.

Glinda nodded, but the look in her eyes told Elphaba otherwise.

"I'll leave my lady's milk near the bed. I must go down and finish my chores. Lady Nessa has insisted that I do them before I check on you again. If my lady needs anything, please call for me, I shall come straight away," Glinda said.

Elphaba was too sick, too bewildered at Glinda's tenderness, to do more than nod. Glinda walked to the doorway, looking back at her with concern, and then shut the door.

In a few minutes the door flew open, Nessarose stood with her arms crossed over her chest as she said,

"So you are sick. I had assumed the whore lied to get out of her chores."

"I'm only a bit weathered from yesterday," Elphaba lied.

"Where were you all day?"

"The wishing tree," Elphaba breathed, "I—"

"Went looking for Shell, didn't you?"

Elphaba nodded.

"Am I not enough for you either?"

"Nessa, it's not that. It's—" Elphaba's breath tottered into a coughing fit.

Nessa sighed loudly. "Get your rest. Boq's party's tomorrow and if you're still sick I won't be able to go. Today, I shall see that Glinda doesn't shirk her chores," Nessa said, closing the door behind her.

Boq's party. Was that all Nessa cared about? Elphaba thought on the two women's responses to her. To think that Glinda could be sweeter to her than her own sister. This must be Yackle's doing. She must have changed them. Tonight she would find her and make her answer. She only needed a little nap.

Elphaba slept. Glinda came and went. The jingle of her collar rousing Elphaba, letting her know milk was coming. Evening passed. Then morning. Then midday again.

"Elphaba, are you doing this to spite me? To punish me for telling them you would sing," Nessa demanded by her bedside.

Elphaba couldn't speak. Her skin burned with heat. Every twitch felt like a punch. She closed her eyes again. She woke. Glinda was kneeling by her bed, mumbling.

"Eternal Lurline of the heavens, look on us your lowly ... be our light in ... make speed to heal Lady Elphaba. Unnamed God in whom art the cosmos..., have mercy upon Lady Elphaba, heal her infirmities and...strengthen her in all goodness..."

Then to end her murmurs, Glinda whispered,

"My lady, I pray don't leave me here. Don't leave me with Lady Nessa."

Another two days came and went in much the same way. Glinda no longer slept by the wall, but instead she lay right below her bed, waking up several times a night to check on her. The third evening, Elphaba asked Glinda to bring potatoes and milk. Glinda nodded, enthusiastic that Elphaba's appetite returned.

Elphaba waited for Glinda, her head pounding, a searing heat flooding her eyes. What was keeping that woman? Elphaba's body shook with a feverish chill. Finally Glinda came, with none of her prior excitement, nor any potatoes. Kneeling by her bed, she kept silent, her eyes vacant, her face blushing as she raised the cup of milk to Elphaba's lips. Except it wasn't a blush on her cheek; it was a bruise. A fresh maroon welt covered Glinda's right cheek below her eye. Nessarose!

Elphaba glanced over Glinda's face, for other spots her sister might have placed her anger. It was hard to see by the dim light of the fire. Turning on her side, Elphaba propped herself up and reached out, sliding a finger under Glinda's chin to raise it.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Glinda looked at her with empty eyes. Her hollow expression sank Elphaba's stomach. Elphaba knew that look. She recognized the weight of its emptiness, recalling the many times the Castle had gutted her.

"Has she hurt you anywhere else?" Elphaba repeated.

The blonde swallowed.

"Glinda."

"Please don't make me show you, my lady," she whispered.

Elphaba's heart skipped. What had Nessarose done to her? Nessa opened her door and came in. Glinda stiffened, her gaze falling, as she kept her position on her knees, with her back to the door.

"Has she told you?" Nessa asked, "Has she told you what's she done?"

"No, but I can see how you handled it," Elphaba said, pointing to Glinda's cheek.

"The slut tried to steal our potatoes, again! This time she blamed you. She said you asked for them!"

"I did," Elphaba said.

Nessa's eyebrow rose.

"You should have told me. I wouldn't have had to spank her."

Elphaba glanced at Glinda. The blonde's eyes were panicking and a real blush covered both her cheeks.

"Spank her?" Elphaba asked.

"Yes, I had her bend over the table and raise her dress, before I took a hot ladle to her bottom.

Elphaba winced.

"Nessarose!" she said hoarsely.

"It would have ended sooner, but she was reluctant to apologize for her theft."

"She hadn't been stealing!" Elphaba said.

"Yes, well, how was I to know. And, let it be known, she didn't cry out, not once. I think she might have enjoyed it. The whore."

Glinda closed her eyes, her shoulders curling over her chest.

"Just bring me some potatoes," Elphaba said.

Her sister nodded and left.

"Gl—" Elphaba started.

"I didn't enjoy it, my lady," Glinda interrupted. "I didn't. I didn't enjoy it at all. I didn't—"

"I know," Elphaba cut in, placing her hand on top of Glinda's, rubbing her thumb across it.

Glinda glanced up, looking both embarrassed and grateful. Elphaba's words died in her throat. Was she about to console Glinda? This wasn't just any woman; this was the Princess of Gillikin. She deserved to feel frightened, ashamed, and broken. Didn't she? They held each other's gaze. The air becoming thick.

Nessarose opened the door, with a tray in her hands and a blanket over her arm. Elphaba pulled back. Glinda rose, her head bowed as Nessa set a tray of salted potatoes with a knife and fork beside Elphaba, placing the extra blanket on the corner of her bed. Elphaba's appetite faded again at the smell.

"Shall I feed you?" Nessa asked.

"I can feed myself," Elphaba said and Nessa nodded, stopping to glare at Glinda before she left the two alone. Once the door closed, Glinda knelt back beside her, eyes on her knees. Elphaba knew she should stop staring, stop feeling sorry for the blonde, but instead she blurted.

"You must be hungry?"

Glinda hesitated, keeping her gaze down, clearly uncertain of the correct answer.

"Aren't you?" Elphaba asked.

Glinda bit her lip and then whispered,

"Terribly so."

"My appetite has left. You might as well have this."

Glinda's gaze shot up, staring at Elphaba, questioning if she really meant it. Seeing Elphaba was serious, Glinda's face softened, her eyes growing thankful.

Don't. Don't look at me like that.

Elphaba cleared her throat, feeling her face heat, and said,

"Hurry, before she comes back."

Glinda sliced the potatoes and gobbled them down. Elphaba scooted into the covers and closed her eyes to be greeted by dark dreams. She was back in the castle, naked, and bound to that chair. In the corner stood Sir Chuffrey, her brother, and a strange man with a waxed black mustache. Galinda sat on her lap, sneering. Elphaba's bladder was full, but she couldn't get up. Galinda suckled her breast. The pressure was too strong. Galinda sucked and sucked until a warm stream left Elphaba below. Galinda's hand slid between her legs.

"Stop! Get off me!" she shouted, waking to find Glinda leaning over her, unbuttoning her gown.

Elphaba's sheets were slid down to her ankles. The Munchkinlander scooted into a sit so suddenly the room span. She snatched Glinda's wrists in a panic, eyes bulging, legs kicking. Her mind groggy, still thick with sleep.

"What are you doing?!" she shrieked.

"I'm sorry, my lady. I tried my best not to wake you."

"Yes, because I prefer to be violated in my sleep!" Elphaba said, squeezing Glinda.

Glinda gasped, shaking her head furiously, her body tensing.

"No! No, my lady! I wanted to clean the sheets, your shift, before you woke," Glinda said.

"Just why would you need to clean my shift while I slept?" Elphaba asked and then she smelt it. It hadn't all been a dream. Her face grew hot. She released Glinda. The blonde stood back.

"I'm sorry I scared you, my lady. Please believe me I would never do something vile to you while you slept."

Liar!

Elphaba glowered at her, body still clenching. How could she be found like this by Glinda of all people?! The blonde's eyes were round with apology.

"I can clean up," Glinda said and snatched Nessa's extra blanket and held it out.

"Get out," Elphaba said.

Glinda jumped.

"But, if—"

"GET OUT!" Elphaba shouted. Glinda dropped the blanket and hurried from the room.

Elphaba sighed. Glinda wasn't molesting her. She was trying to help. Elphaba couldn't accept it. She didn't want it. She didn't want Glinda's kind looks, her tender touches, her gentle attention. Elphaba didn't want it. She didn't want to like Glinda at all.

She stood up. She was weak, but her fever had broke. She removed her clothes, cleaned herself with the oils along her window, wrapped herself in the blanket, then peeled off the bed sheets and folded them. She changed in Nessa's room and made her way downstairs with an armful of dirty linens.

"Elphaba, you're on your feet!" Nessa exclaimed, her eyes falling to the pile in her hands. "You can have the slut take care of those."

Glinda, at the fireplace, peeling potatoes, had been looking at her, that damn concern still stuck in her eyes.

"I can clean them myself," Elphaba said.

"With what? You aren't going to use your oils, are you?" Nessa asked.

Elphaba shrugged.

"Elphaba! Once they're gone, how will you bathe?"

"Perhaps I'll give up bathing all together," she said and walked out.

Elphaba entered the barn and tossed the sheet over one of the pen doors. Wetting a cloth with her oils, she began scrubbing at the stains, until she heard footsteps and a man's cough.

Shell!

She dropped her cloth, flooded with relief. She ran, flinging open the door, to be greeted by a crossbow.

"Elphaba!" the man said, lowering his weapon.

"Avaric..." Elphaba uttered. Shell hadn't come back. Her brother was still out there. Still alone.

"Come now. Surely I'm not that poor a vision," Avaric said, trying to shake a smile from her.

Could Avaric have had a hand in this? The witch had mentioned him by name. Surely you can guess who I am. You've read plenty at Avaric's cabin.

"Elphaba?"

"What black magic have you gotten me into!" Elphaba said.

"It's nice to see you too."

"Are you working with her?"

"With who, you pine nut?!"

Elphaba took a step closer, her nose almost brushing his chin as she shouted,

"Yackle! The Fairy Godmother of the Lowly!"

"Dear Oz! I should have never let you wander off by yourself. Did you eat the red mushrooms? I should have told you they have horrible—"

"Don't patronize me!" she said, bristling.

"My lady?" a voice called.

They turned toward the cabin. Glinda stood a few feet away, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Are you all right, my lady?" Glinda asked, hands on her hips, as if she could do something if Elphaba wasn't.

"Go back inside, Glinda."

"Lady Nessa's sent me to announce Pfannee and Boq."

Elphaba exhaled.

"Tell my sister I'll be in shortly."

"Would my lady like a chaperone?" Glinda asked, glancing at Avaric's weapon.

"No."

Glinda didn't budge.

"Get inside that house!" Elphaba howled.

"As you wish, my lady," Glinda said, retreating, but not without eyeing Avaric over her shoulder. Once she had disappeared into the cabin, Avaric said,

"Aren't you mysterious? You never told me you kept company with a Gillikinese woman, my lady."

Elphaba snorted.

"Who is she?"

Elphaba couldn't tell him. While they shared an antipathy for Gillikinese wars, they were sure to feel differently about stealing Gillikinese princesses. Elphaba would keep her lies simple. She told him what she said to Boq and Pfannee: Glinda was a peasant thief who had been caught.

"But, she isn't a peasant," Avaric said.

"How would you know?"

"Any Gillikinese man can see she's a woman of class. One has only to notice her gait, hear her vowels, view her teeth, her breasts."

"Her breasts?"

"Yes. Have you never seen a Gillikinese peasant? A woman her age would be married and a mother several times over. Her sacks would be swinging by her knees."

"Seen many peasant sacks, have you?" Elphaba asked, raising an eyebrow.

Avaric recoiled and said,

"Not the married ones. The only man who could give those a good toss would be a dutiful peasant husband. Which I am not."

"Not a dutiful husband? Or, not a peasant?" Elphaba asked.

"Neither! I'm the bachelor son of the Margreave of Tenmeadows. Have Munchkinlanders no eye for good breeding? Can't you discern by my noble chin," Avaric said pointing to his jaw "Or by this beautiful brow, my high station?"

"Forgive me. Your shack in the woods was misleading."

"It's a cabin."

"I don't have time for games in semantics. I need to know how to find that fairy godmother."

"As I've told you, Yackle is a character in a story, a personification of our—"

"I've witnessed this personification in the flesh, well, a flesh of some sort. I assure you, she's no fable."

"What do you mean?" Avaric asked.

Elphaba grabbed him, pulling him close, and whispered how she met the old woman. She told him everything. Everything except for Galinda, of course.

"Impossible!"

Elphaba exhaled.

"So you don't know anything about her," she concluded.

Avaric shook his head, rubbing his chin.

"Who is this, my dear sister?" Nessa's voice called out.

Elphaba turned to see Nessarose standing in front of their cabin with Boq, Glinda, and Pfannee, the Weaver's hand on her sword, all eyes on Avaric.

"How many women are in that cabin?" Avaric whispered to Elphaba. The Munchkinlander ignored him.

"He's a friend," Elphaba said.

"He's a Gillikinese soldier," Nessa said.

"Not anymore," Avaric said smiling. No one smiled back.

Elphaba quickly explained how Avaric took her in during a snow storm. Nessa seemed dubious.

Elphaba knew how it must look, leaning on a Gillikinese man, breathing in his ear, her hand wrapped around his elbow.

"A Gillikinese soldier who no longer fights for Gillikin. Can there be such a man?" Pfannee asked.

"The longer one fights imaginary monsters, the easier it is to become a real one," Avaric said. Pfannee's eyes widened.

"If it is true that you mean us no harm and that you are a friend of my sister, you must come inside for a glass of water and a lunch of potatoes, and tell us more about how you met Elphaba," Nessa said.

Before Elphaba could object, Avaric accepted, leaning into a skip, when Elphaba pulled him back and hissed,

"Don't mention the lake! Nor anything about Glinda's breeding!"

"Yes, of course, whatever you say," Avaric mumbled, rushing toward Nessarose and Pfannee.

Elphaba didn't eat with them, but she also didn't stare out of her window. She stood with her back to it, watching the four of them. Avaric endeared the table to him with jokes and stories of misadventures. True to his word, he never mentioned how Elphaba had almost drowned, nor did he mention his observations about the Princess. Glinda stood by the table and waited on the four of them. Boq had pulled out a chair for Glinda only for Nessa to assure them that Glinda wouldn't be comfortable sitting beside her betters. Glinda's eyes rarely veered from Avaric. How grateful she must be to see another Gillikinese. Perhaps she even found him handsome. Looking at the two of them, Elphaba noticed it. They matched. Like Galinda and Sir Chuffrey. Elphaba cringed at the thought of the devil. Avaric was nothing like Sir Chuffrey. Glinda glanced her way. Elphaba continued looking. Glinda bowed her head, her eyes full of that coy kindness. And, this Glinda was nothing like Galinda.

"So how about it, Elphaba?" Boq asked, the four of them looking at her.

What had they been saying? How long had she been staring like an idiot at Glinda?

"Won't you come to our dance tomorrow evening? Nessa says you must sing for us. And, Avaric, you must come too!" Boq said.

"Of course I'll come. With cooked rabbit and mead!" Avaric said.

"Perfect!" Boq said, and then straightening his shoulders, asked. "And, Miss Glinda will you come?"

The blonde looked to Nessarose. Her sister sat with pursed lips, shoulders rolled back. Nessa peeked at Boq and said, "If she finishes her chores, she may come."

Glinda's eyes widened, looking as if she might float off the floor in delight.

"Thank you, my lady! Oh, thank you! I promise I shall finish. I promise!" she said.

Nessarose shrugged and Boq exclaimed,

"Very well! Now, Elphaba, what say you? Won't you join us?"

Before she could answer, Avaric spoke up,

"Why, of course she will!"

"Not," Elphaba added.

"Not?" Boq asked.

"I will not come. I don't care for dances. I am sure my sister told you this before," she said, crossing her arms.

"Oh, Elphaba, stop trying to be the center of attention. Accept his invitation already!" Nessa said.

Glinda, standing behind Nessa, nodded, eyes pleading.

Elphaba sighed and started,

"I don't like dances. I—"

"Did I ever tell you how I found Elphaba in the forest?" Avaric interrupted and Elphaba flinched.

"How did you find my sister?" Nessa asked.

Elphaba shot Avaric a deadly glare.

"Shall I tell them, Elphaba? Or, shall we rather talk about what songs you might sing for us at the dance?"

The swine! What choice did she have?! She couldn't let Nessa find out what she'd done. She would only feel abandoned again.

"I make no promises at being any good," Elphaba said and the room hurrayed her surrender.

The visitors stayed for a few more hours laughing and talking, and despite her greatest efforts, Elphaba too found herself snickering once or twice.

On the day of the dance, Glinda got up early to make sure she finished her tasks on time. Elphaba stood by her window and Glinda finished peeling her last potato when Nessa came downstairs whistling. Coming toward the Princess, she looked at Glinda and said,

"Oh I see you haven't even started."

"Haven't started, my lady?"

"Why, yes, I believe the barn floor needs to be scrubbed again; the goats need to be washed; I would like some milk; the rooms need more wood; the cabinets need to be cleaned and dusted; the walls..."

Nessa droned on, listing an impossible number of new chores to be finished by tonight. Glinda's eyes grew anxious, but when Nessa finally finished speaking, without a breath of hesitation, she said,

"I shall get it all done, my lady."

Elphaba understood: Nessa never did plan for Glinda to come. She hadn't been won over by the camaraderie of the room. She just hadn't wanted to look small in front of Boq. Glinda had saved her legs and yet Nessarose couldn't show even the smallest kindness to Glinda. All morning and all afternoon Glinda scrubbed, scoured, chopped, hauled, and cleaned. Elphaba couldn't look away. It wasn't Glinda's beauty, which no amount of sweat and dirt could lessen, that stole her gaze, but rather it was Glinda's determination, there was a strength, a prepossessing humility to it. She worked tirelessly throughout the day, without complaint, without showing even a pinch of resentment. Elphaba kept waiting for Galinda's temper to flare in Glinda, but not even a shadow of Galinda appeared.

As night drew near, Elphaba took out her dark purple dress and a pair of black winter dress boots. In Nessa's room, she removed her braids and used Nessa's brush to comb out her locks. She walked downstairs, feeling the dress cling to her hips and shoulders, feeling the cool air brush along her bare collar bone. Her sister sat at the table. Glinda was setting the last log in a pile by the kitchen fire. The blonde turned and seeing Elphaba stumbled backward making Elphaba jump. Glinda blushed hard, her hands behind her back as she said,

"The dress suits my lady."

A quickening ran through Elphaba's gut. No one had ever responded to her like that. No one had ever found her so arresting.

Nessa coughed and Elphaba came back to herself and cleared her throat and said,

"I suppose it is time."

Glinda grinned and said,

"I've finished my last chore, my lady!"

"Yes, it really it is too bad," Nessa said, rising from the table, dressed in a maroon evening dress.

"Too bad?" Glinda asked.

"Too bad that you won't be coming with us. You did try hard," Nessa said.

"But, why?" Glinda asked.

"You certainly can't go smelling like that," Nessa said.

Glinda faced turned bright red.

"I can wash. I'll go right now!" she offered.

"I don't think so," Nessa said.

"But, I did everything my lady asked," Glinda said.

"Am I to blame for your sluggish pace and now your putrid smell?" Nessa asked, pinching her nose.

"Please! I promise I won't be but a minute," Glinda begged. "I promise!"

"You're too late," Nessa said, adding, "It's as if something's rotted under that dress of yours. You're a disgusting dirty little monster aren't you?"

Elphaba's breath stopped. Glinda's blush had flown to her ears.

"Aren't you?" Nessa pushed.

Glinda's lips tightened.

"Say it! Say you're a dirty little monster!" Nessa commanded.

The phrase pinned Elphaba to her spot. Glinda's eyes grew wet.

"Say it now! Or I shall spank you!"

Glinda whispered in a rush,

"I'm a dirty little monster."

"Dirty little monsters don't get to go to dances, do they?" Nessa asked.

Glinda bit her lip.

"Say it! Say: Dirty little monsters like me don't go to dances."

Glinda's lip trembled.

"Say it or I shall bend you over this table and let Elphaba see how you enjoy it. How you wet yourself for it."

The blonde shook her head.

"Then, say it," Nessa hissed, coming closer and grabbing a fireplace dustpan full of ash.

Glinda swallowed, her gaze falling to her feet.

"Dirty little monsters like me don't go to dances," she said.

Nessa smiled and flung the ash at Glinda, blanketing her in a cloud of white, streaks in her hair, across her face, on her dress. Glinda froze. Her silence only aggravated Nessa who grabbed the top of Glinda's dress and shook her. Elphaba felt a surge of anger at her sister. She lunged and grabbed Nessa's hand, buttons flying.

"Saving our little whore again?" Nessa asked.

Elphaba pried Nessarose off, ushered her toward the door, and opened it.

"Have a good time," Elphaba said and pushed her sister out.

"Oh, come now, I was just having a little fun with her, Elphaba. Don't get so upset."

"Yes. Your fun is spread all over the kitchen floor."

"She can clean it," Nessa said.

"Go on ahead," Elphaba said, trying to push down her anger. Nessa wasn't Galinda. She was her sister. Glinda was Galinda. Wasn't she?

"Don't tell me you're not coming—"

"I shall be there shortly, unless you continue to pester me!"

Nessa sighed, picking up her dress, and said, "Fine, but don't be later than an hour. They're expecting you. Remember three trees down, pull the cord."

Elphaba nodded and watched Nessa walk off into the night. She shut the door and turned around. Glinda stood shaking, covered in soot, a tear clearing a path down her cheek. Her breasts, pale and tear-shaped, lay exposed under her rope collar.

"Go to your room."

Raising her gaze, Glinda said,

"My la—"

"Now!" Elphaba said sternly and Glinda covered her face with her hands and rushed up the stairs.

Elphaba exhaled, her hand running through her hair. Was she really going to do this? Was she really going to feel sorry for Glinda? She picked up the fallen buttons and the clean pail of water Glinda had brought in from outside and started up the stairs. Elphaba could say it was because she didn't trust Glinda to be alone. But that wasn't it. That wasn't it at all. Elphaba went into her sister's room, grabbing a needle and thread, and a towel, wetting it with oil from one of her last three bottles stored in their trunk. She walked over to her room. The door was closed. Through it, she could hear Glinda's muffled sobs. Elphaba opened it. Glinda, on the floor, looked up, her eyes red. Throwing the towel with the needle and thread over one arm, and setting the pail down, Elphaba commanded,

"Come here."

Glinda rose slowly, squeezing her dress closed, as she walked toward her.

"Let go," Elphaba said, motioning with her chin to Glinda's hand at her chest.

Staring at Elphaba, slowly, nervously Glinda released her grip. Elphaba clasped the sides of Glinda's dress. The blonde looked away to the far corner of the room. If only Elphaba hadn't glanced down. She wouldn't have seen such soft nubby flesh. Glinda's clove pink nipples were hardening. Did this excite her? Did Elphaba's touch arouse her? Elphaba slid her thumb to the base of a pink tip. Glinda's breath quickened, her nipples puckering tighter. What kind of sound would Glinda make if Elphaba pinched them. Ran her tongue over them. Suckled them. She could do it. She could do to Glinda what Galinda had done to her. She could force her to ask for it, to beg for it. Her thumb brushed against pink hardness. Glinda inhaled sharply and closed her eyes.

Elphaba dropped Glinda's garment like a hot coal and spun away from her. Her cheeks burned. This wasn't her. She didn't do those things. She didn't become excited at the thought of punishing Galinda, especially punishing her like that. But it wasn't Galinda, standing there, was it? And, Elphaba didn't want to punish her. Lately, watching Glinda made Elphaba feel something warm...something shameful...something sickeningly sticky. What was wrong with her?

"Take off your dress," Elphaba said. There was a pause. A long one. But then Elphaba heard the dress fall to the floor. She turned around but didn't look. Of course she didn't. She wasn't curious. She wasn't the least bit interested in Glinda's body. She already knew what it looked like. Closing her eyes, she felt along the floor until she found her dress. Clutching it, she rose, turned and laid the oiled towel on the bed, and went to the fireplace.

"That towel and pail of water will remove the dust," she said.

As she stitched, she heard Glinda wash herself. Once Elphaba had finished sewing, and patted off the ash, she turned around, holding the dress in front of her.

"Here," Elphaba said, extending her arms, looking away. She felt Glinda pull the garment from her hands.

"Thank you, my lady," Glinda said after a moment.

Elphaba opened her eyes to see Glinda clothed and buttoned, except for the tops ones that always went undone. Elphaba walked over and placed her hands at the base of Glinda's neck. Glinda's eyes were anxious, but her body was obediently still. Elphaba's hands slid back toward the knot of the goat collar. She untied it and tossed the collar on the bed. She didn't know if this was wise. But she had come this far, so she said,

"I don't think that collar is suitable for a dance, do you?"

"But, Lady Nessa said I couldn't—"

"I see no reason for you not to go, now that you've washed. Unless you've decided you no longer want to go?" Elphaba asked.

"Oh, Lady Elphaba! I want nothing more in all the world!" Glinda exclaimed, grinning, staring at her full of something that made Elphaba's stomach twist.

Elphaba cleared her throat and said,

"We ought to hurry."

They left the cabin and ran into the night, toward the third tree past the pond. By the light of the moon, Elphaba found the dangling rope and pulled. She didn't know what to expect, but nothing could have prepared her for the bottom bark of the tree to open like a door. The women shrieked. Inside the tree was a bearded Munchkin holding an oil lamp.

"Going up?" he asked.

"Up?" Elphaba asked.

"To the dance, it's in the ballroom."

Elphaba had no idea how trees could have ballrooms, but decided to board with Glinda. They leaned down and walked in. The tree while wide was still narrow enough that the women's shoulders were pressed tight together. Elphaba looked up to see the tree was hollowed. The man pulled a cord and the floor beneath them rose. Glinda clutched Elphaba's arm, her warm fingers sinking into her skin, her face tucking behind Elphaba's shoulder. They lifted to what seemed past the heavens when their ride finally stopped.

"If I may," the Munchkin said and reached between the two women and opened a door in the bark behind them. The lift was flooded with light. Before them was a spacious tree house ballroom, full of Munchkins who were laughing and dancing. Old familiar smells greeted Elphaba: nutmeg milk, coriander, vegetable rice. The middle of the room was cleared for dancing. Toward the outside were long tables where Munchkins sat eating, drinking, and laughing loudly. On top of the tables were plates of goat, bowls of fruits, and pitchers of mead.

"They've come!" Boq squealed from the right corner of the room and ran toward them.

Elphaba looked to see Glinda memorized by the scene, her breath still, her eyes flying from one table to the next. Boq pointed them to his spot at the table where Avaric, Pfannee, and an annoyed Nessarose sat. Nessa's eyes were on Glinda. Elphaba made her way over, the two following behind.

"This meat," Avaric said stuffing his mouth with a bite of goat and rice, "is much better than those rabbits."

"Didn't Glinda decide to stay home and clean?" Nessa said, glaring.

Elphaba felt the blonde stiffen beside her.

"She had a change of heart," Elphaba answered.

"We're so glad you could come!" Boq said. The table scooted down so the three could sit together. Using bone ladles, Elphaba scooped helpings of rice and root vegetables onto her plate. With no personal cutlery, she scooped the morsels into her mouth with her hand, refusing to look up and have the tastes ruined by Nessa's mood. The flavors loosened on her tongue. She closed her eyes. The room hummed with Munchkinland music, Munchkinland laughter, Munchkinland smells. She could almost imagine she was back at the royal table at Colwen Grounds. Her father to her left, her sister across from her, her brother beside her. She heard a hearty male laugh and turned half-expecting to see Shell's familiar smile, but instead caught a Munchkin man playfully throw an arm around Avaric's shoulder, the two guffawing over a toast.

Elphaba glanced down beside her to see Galinda staring at the food, but not daring to touch a piece.

"Eat," she said.

Glinda glanced up, hesitating, as if she hadn't heard her correctly.

"May I, my lady?"

Elphaba nodded. Nessa crossed her arms. Elphaba ignored her. She didn't have an answer. She didn't know what she was doing. She didn't know how at this moment she could be more disappointed with her sister, blood of her blood, bone of her bone, heart of her heart, over the vile Princess, unparalleled in cruelty, bottomless in depravity, who sat next to her as innocent as a lamb. All she knew was tonight Glinda didn't deserve what Nessa had done. And tonight that would be enough. Before she sorted any of her feelings, she would need many many jugs of nutmeg milk.

"A jig!" a man shouted down the table, raising his glass of mead.

"The circle jig!" another man shouted.

The table began to clap. Clap-Clap-Clap-Clap-Clap-Clap. Who would they select to dance? Pfannee stood.

"Weavers, let us show our guests our hospitality, and give them the highest honor: the first dance. Nessarose, please lead our first jig!" she shouted.

The tables whistled and clapped. Nessarose looked at Elphaba for help, but before Elphaba could do anything, several Munchkins had already circled round her, hoisting her up. Her red slippered feet twisted in the air while they carried her to the center of the ballroom. They set her down and then locked arms and began to walk in a circle around her. Women and men standing on the side played percusive instruments. All the tables had stood to watch. Her sister's eyes were like a doe's that has just seen its hunter in the bush. How could Elphaba intervene without shaming Nesssa? Before she could think of something, Nessa moved. Her legs jutted out; her arms curled. Her body jerked as if she were being attacked by insects. She looked pitiful, painful, dreadfully inadequate, incredibly ugly. Elphaba wanted to turn away, to run away, before she heard it. A chuckle. Then another. The laughter grew like wildfire, filling the ballroom. Nessa's eyes grew. She gazed out at the crowd and danced harder. Gritting her teeth. Determined. Elphaba's hands rose to her heart. Boos and hisses started. They were jeering. Pointing at her and laughing. Elphaba remembered how her distant cousins had snickered at Nessa when they met, pointing at her chair. She could hear their laughter now as she watched Nessa twist harder, her limbs flailing.

"Oh, my dear Nessa," Elphaba whispered. Then from the corner of her eye, she saw Glinda hopping over the arms of circling Munchkins. But she had been standing right beside her. Elphaba looked down to see only Boq. When she looked up, Glinda had walked close to a huffing and humiliated Nessa. She began to mimick her. Nessa's looked incredulous, furious, then her shoulders fell. She had been defeated by the Princess of Gillikin. The crowd's laughter grew louder, assuming, like Nessa, Glinda was mocking her. But then little by little the laughter quieted.

Glinda had stylized Nessa's jerks, repeating them in sets, adding in a twirl, a graceful tilt. She turned Nessa's lurchers into a choreographed jig. Nessa surveyed the room. Munchkins peered in wonder. Glinda reached out for Nessa's hand. Her sister flinched, glaring at her. But, Glinda didn't lower her hand. She was inviting Nessa to dance with her, to start them off. Nessa clutched it and they both took a bow and then released their grip. Nessa began slowly, doing her movements to Glinda's rhythms. Glinda synchronized her body to Nessa's twerks, they twirled in equal measure, with a razor's precision, feather light strides, as if gliding on ice. Silence turned to steady rhythmic clapping. Their movements grew faster, matching the excitement of the crowd. Faster and faster. Until Glinda teetered, lost her balance, and fell to the ground, laughing. The crowd erupted in cheers. Nessa looked around in awe. Turning to Glinda on the ground, she extended her hand and pulled Glinda up. Glinda looked up at her mistress, her previous courage giving way to a nervous shyness. They bowed. The crowd whistled and cheered and parted to let them through. As the two skipped to the table, Nessa was beaming, an honest, heart-felt grin.

"You two were incredible!" Boq exclaimed.

"Marvelous!" Avaric cheered.

"The best jig we've seen in years!" Pfannee cheered. Her sister looked triumphant. Glinda looked at Elphaba, eyes full of deep tenderness. Glinda was searching for something, wanting something from her. Elphaba's heart zik-zikked in her chest. While Munchkins pulled her from the table, shouting for a song, she realized it with a rising dread. Glinda had saved Nessarose—for her.


A/N: January and February were filled with quite a few writing projects, but many thanks to all the lovely readers who left reviews supporting Her Lady's Maid and encouraging me to continue! For all of you, I promise to keep going!

Also, since reading some criticism that came in January, I have one request. For those of you who don't care for this story and want to let me know, I don't have a problem. However, please don't criticize readers who are enjoying this story. I treasure my monthly readers whose bright encouragement and feedback I could not do without. May they always feel free to read and enjoy what moves them.

As always, I would love to hear your impressions of this chapter! Wishing you all the best until the next update!