AN. The best thing about long drives is I had the chance to play Midnights on repeat for a few hours and organise my rankings, haha. Always a silver lining!


Chapter 4

Glinda put down her lipstick, studying her reflection critically. Her makeup was perfect. Her hair was elegantly swept up, with not a hair out of place. And her earrings, necklace and tiara matched her engagement ring perfectly- a gift from the Wizard himself for the occasion. The look was perfectly designed to highlight all her best features, and to ensure that she would stand out in the crowded ballroom.

All that was needed now was her dress and her heels.

Glinda turned towards where her dress waited on its hanger for her. It was beautiful. She would have preferred a different colour honestly, but she still had an image to uphold. A story to sell.

She got up from the vanity, tightening her robe around her as she swept out of the dressing room and into the bedroom. It was empty, so she headed for the living room.

"Dearest, are you ready yet? I just-" Glinda stopped short as her eyes found Fiyero.

He sat in his usual armchair, wearing only his pants and his undershirt, once again running his fingers over the mark on his wrist.

"It's Elphaba."

Glinda inhaled, a hand flying to her stomach like the wind had been physically knocked out of her.

"What?" she wheezed.

Fiyero looked up at her slowly, his eyes heavy. "It's Elphaba."

Glinda could only gape at him. Of all the possible names that had churned through her head since the moment she'd first realised that Fiyero had a mark and she didn't, Elphaba's name had not been one of them. Even just a day ago, Glinda had dismissed the very idea as ridiculous. After all, she and Fiyero barely seemed to tolerate one another, up until the day Elphaba had left for the Emerald City.

But now…

Glinda sank weakly into the closest chair, trying to think back on those days between Fiyero's mark appearing and the last time she'd seen Elphaba. Had Elphaba been acting odd? Guilty? Like she was hiding something from Glinda?

She couldn't remember.

Nor could she remember any time that Elphaba and Fiyero had been alone together without Glinda- long enough to earn the mark.

"This whole time… behind my back…"

"No," Fiyero said firmly. "I don't even know for sure that it is her. But… she's the only one it could be."

"I never saw a mark on her," Glinda said almost desperately.

"I don't think it has to be in the same spot."

"You don't think-"

"I don't know, Glinda!" Fiyero exclaimed. "I don't know how any of this works, beyond the story my grandmother told me as a kid. I didn't even think it was real until… did you?"

Glinda hesitated. "I hoped it was," she said finally. "And then I hoped it wasn't."

Fiyero nodded faintly.

The clock in the corner chimed six o'clock, and Glinda glanced over at it, her lips tightening. Then she rose to her feet, tightening her robe around her again and smoothing her hair unnecessarily.

"Alright. I'm going to put on my dress and shoes, and then I'm ready to leave. You should finish getting ready. There's fashionably late and then there's just tardiness. It certainly won't do to keep our guests waiting to festivate our engagement."

Fiyero startled, his eyes widening. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious," Glinda said briskly. "His Ozness himself is going to be there."

"Glinda, I just said-"

"I know what you said," Glinda snapped, turning on her heel to face him. "However, this changes nothing. Elphaba is not here, Fiyero. And you don't even know if she has the mark. And even if she does… so what? Are you in love with her? Oh, Oz don't answer that," she said, holding up a hand as Fiyero opened his mouth.

"Even if she has the mark, that doesn't mean she loves you," Glinda said, her voice wobbling. She pressed her hand to her stomach as her chest heaved, blinking rapidly to keep back the threatening tears.

"She doesn't," she insisted shakily. "She can't."

She swallowed hard, pointing towards the bedroom. "I am going to finish getting dressed. You are too, and then we are going to leave and festivate our engagement. And we are going to be happy, dammit!"

Her foot stomped, and she had the distant thought that it would have been more effective if she was wearing heels. Or if the floor beneath her feet wasn't carpet.

Before Fiyero could say anything else, she swept away to finish getting ready.

"You two are perfect together!"

Everyone said it. And each time Glinda had to beam and bow her head demurely to accept the compliment. Accept the lie, and make it true.

Lie after lie after lie.

"We're thinking a spring wedding."

"Oh, naturally we want a family! What a blessing!"

"We couldn't be happier."

"The most thrillifying evening of my life."

All the while Fiyero's face was almost like a death mask, and Morrible stood at the head of the room and surveyed them all like a ringmaster in a circus. Glinda could feel her gaze burning into her every time her smile and lies wavered. She and Fiyero split into the room to mingle and accept well-wishes like a choreographed dance, and Glinda could feel a headache brewing.

And then the alarm sounded.

Glinda's heels clicked on the palace floors as she hurried towards the throne room. Her skirts swished around her legs, and if it were any other moment by this, she would take pleasure in it all. It was a sound and feeling that had always made her feel so grown up and elegant since she was six years old and twirling around in her first party dress.

It had been a long time since Glinda had wanted to twirl in a dress.

She burst through the doors of the throne room. "What's going on?" she asked, and drew to a short stop.

Whatever she had expected to find, it certainly wasn't Fiyero with his weapon pointed at the Wizard and standing opposite him-

"Elphie."

For a moment, the sight of her best friend alive and here was nothing but a shock of joy that surpassed any other thought or feeling. Glinda had taken two steps towards Elphaba before she'd even realised, arms already extended to hug her. And then she remembered.

She stopped and looked to Fiyero, his weapon trained on the Wizard of Oz as he sat at the foot of his throne.

"Fiyero, what in Oz's name are you doing?" she whispered. "Why are you-?"

He wouldn't look at her. And Glinda knew the answer to the question she'd asked him earlier that night, even without him answering.

Her arms dropped to her side as she covered the rest of the distance to Elphaba until she reached her and held out a hand, palm flat.

"Where is it?"

Elphaba stared at her blankly. "What?"

"Where is it?" Glinda demanded coldly. "The mark, Elphaba."

Elphaba's eyes widened and she practically fell a step backwards and her hand jerked upwards briefly before she stopped herself and froze.

Glinda's eyes narrowed and she stepped forward, reaching out to grasp Elphaba's chin and turning her head to the side. Just two years ago, she'd done the same action when making Elphaba over before dragging her out to the OzDust to festivate her trip to the Emerald City, making sure her eye makeup was perfect. Now, she squinted at the skin under the lights of the throne room until she made it out- the same shape as Fiyero's, in the spot where her jaw met her ear. It was smaller than Fiyero's and fainter- barely visible, but it was there.

Dropping her hand and resisting the urge to wipe her hand on the skirts of her gown, Glinda took a step backwards and nodded grimly.

"Do you love him?"

Elphaba paled, her eyes flickering to Fiyero instinctively. Fiyero turned towards them, his weapon falling as he waited for Elphaba's answer. Elphaba looked away, her cheeks flushing with blood as rapidly as they had drained a moment ago.

That was answer enough.

Glinda nodded again. The room was silent, but Glinda's ears were full of the sound of all the lies and secrets crashing to the floor all around her, spilling across the throne room floor like blood. A shout echoed from beyond the room, breaking the silence. Elphaba spun to face it, backing away.

"I- I have to go. It's not safe," she said, hurrying over to where her broom and bag lay and scooping them up.

"Wait," Fiyero said hoarsely.

Elphaba and Glinda both spun to stare at him, and an icy horror spread through Glinda's chest. Fiyero only had eyes for Elphaba.

"Fiyero." Glinda whispered.

Fiyero slowly turned to meet her gaze, and Glinda knew what he was going to say before he said it.

"I'm going with her."

There was a sharp intake of breath, and Glinda wasn't sure if it had come from her or Elphaba. Glinda's eyes stung with tears, blurring her vision as Elphaba took a step forward.

"Fiyero, what-"

Another shout, closer this time, cut off her question and Fiyero looked towards the door before he strode forward and seized Elphaba's hand.

"We have to go. Hurry, this way," he said hurriedly, pulling her towards the door.

He didn't spare Glinda a glance, but Elphaba looked over her shoulder towards Glinda. Her eyes only met Glinda's for a moment before she averted them guiltily. But not once did Elphaba make any move to stop Fiyero or apologise to Glinda.

A furious heat of rage swept through Glinda's chest and up her throat, even as her heart wrenched in pain.

"Fine, go," she spat at their retreating backs. "You clearly deserve each other."

She wasn't even sure if they'd heard her.