In the following weeks, Elphaba's health improved – painfully slowly, but at least consistently. Mrs. Upland attended to her every day, and, once she felt a little better, she was visited by Mr. Upland.

"Elphaba, we will never be able to thank you enough for what you did," he said, taking Elphaba's hand in both of his. "Linnie is our whole life; so by saving her life, you saved our lives as well. We will forever be in your debt."

"Remember, darling," Mrs. Upland added, "if you ever need anything, don't be afraid to ask. You will always, always be welcome here, and we will forever hold you as dear as a daughter of our own."

In the span of just a few weeks, Elphaba received more kindness, praise and gratitude than she had in her entire life. Soon after waking up, she was visited not only by Boq, but also by some of the other members of Animal Allies – even Pfannee and ShenShen, who brought her a monumental flower bouquet with a note that said "WE'RE SO HAPPY YOU'RE NOT DEAD!". Whether these awkward encounters happened on their own or had been strongly encouraged, that is to say: forced, to do it by Glinda – Elphaba still appreciated them. The most important visit, however, was still to come.

One sunny day, while she was reading alone in the Uplands' beautiful garden, she was approached by Fiyero.

"Morning, Fae." He sat down next to her, tucking her hair behind her ear and kissing her temple. "How are you feeling?"

"Not so bad."

He looked at her cautiously.

"Do you mean it, or are you just saying it to get rid of me?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"I mean it, Yero. I'm feeling okay."

"Good," he said, nodding. "As long as you feel up to it, there's someone here to see you."

She nodded, surprised, and as she peeked over his shoulder, it took her only an instant to recognize the silhouette behind him.

"Doctor Dillamond!" she gasped, and if Fiyero hadn't forethoughtfully been holding her down, she would have attempted to jump to her feet (and probably fallen as a result). "You're okay! Oh, I'm so happy!"

"If I'm okay, Miss Elphaba," Doctor Dillamond said softly, "it's solely thanks to you. I owe you a great debt; and I'm not the only one."

He glanced back, motioning at someone.

"Come, don't be shy," he beckoned gently, and after a moment, Elphaba saw a graceful gray Lynx emerge from behind the corner, followed by a majestic, young Lion with gold-colored fur.

"Miss Elphaba," The Lynx said softly, walking up to Elphaba and greeting her with a deep, reverent bow. "I have heard so much about you. It's such an honor to finally meet our hero."

"You must be Meyla," Elphaba understood, extending a hand to the Lynx, who shook it gently with her paws. She seemed dazed that Elphaba had remembered her name.

"That's me, Miss," she confirmed. "And this is Ariel. Come closer, dear."

She gestured at the young Lion, who cautiously stepped forward.

"I remember you," Elphaba gasped and gently patted the Animal's head. "You were just a cub when I last saw you."

The Lion nodded and then, to Elphaba's joy, started speaking in a clear, soft voice.

"You saved my life, Miss Elphaba," he said, bowing his head. "I will always remember whom I owe my gratitude. And should I ever forget it, my name will remind me."

Elphaba glanced at Fiyero.

"Ariel…" she repeated hesitantly. "That's Vinkun, isn't it?"

Doctor Dillamond and Meyla exchanged a smile.

"Indeed," the Lynx confirmed. "It means brave and mighty."

"But more importantly," added Doctor Dillamond, smiling, "it shares a common part with your name, Miss Elphaba. We chose it in your honor."

•••

"Alright," Shilah said, pouring a dark, silvery potion into a measuring cup and handing it to Elphaba. "Drink up!"

She did as she was told, wincing at the unpleasant taste.

"How much longer will I have to drink these?" she whined, handing him back the cup. "I already feel fine, maybe that's enough?"

Shilah raised her eyebrows at her, crossing his arms.

"Excuse me, I didn't spend weeks looking for some miraculous ingredient that would work, only for you to give me attitude about your treatment. Not to brag or anything, but I did save your life, you know, probably more than once, so—"

"Fine!" she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "So, what did it, anyway?"

"Huh?"

"What was that miracle ingredient?"

Shilah suddenly looked nervous.

"Um," he said, avoiding her eyes by fidgeting with the lapel of his coat. "Well, I don't think I'm the right person to tell you…"

Elphaba gaped at him.

"Riiiight," she said very slowly. "You, the potion expert, who personally brewed the potion in question and who found that miraculous ingredient… are not the right person to tell me what that ingredient was?"

Shilah was suddenly very interested in one of the buttons on his coat.

"Okay… I wasn't that interested before, but seeing how much you don't wanna tell me, I'm getting really curious," Elphaba said. "Come on, tell me, I wanna know!"

"You wanna know what?" Glinda peeked in through the door and blushed when she saw Shilah. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean—"

"No, no, I was just leaving," he said hastily, equally flustered. "You two have, um, something to talk about."

He rushed past Glinda, and judging by the sound from the corridor, he almost tripped over Nessarose right outside the door.

"Well, that was awkward," said the latter, wheeling into the room. "What did you say to him to make him run away like that, Fabala?"

"Okay, that one's on Glinda," Elphaba said defensively. "She's the one who scared him off. I just asked about what he added to that healing potion that made it work after all, and he just got all weird—what?"

She paused, seeing the nervous look between Glinda and Nessarose.

"Okay, now you're scaring me," she said, eyes shifting from one to the other. "I swear, if I ask Fiyero and he turns suspiciously quiet, I—"

"It's okay, Elphie," Glinda said, once again glancing at Nessarose, who shrugged and nodded. "Well, there was something about your recovery that we, um, didn't tell you… But it was for your own good."

"Okay…?"

"Well, after you fought Morrible, I immediately called for Shilah, along with a doctor. But your injury was worse than I imagined. Shilah promised to do all he could, but warned me to be prepared in case…" She shuddered. "Anyway. He said he had trouble understanding your magic, and that no matter what he tried, his potions seemed to be missing some crucial ingredient…"

"Until," Nessarose supplied, taking something out of her pocket, "we gave him this."

She handed Elphaba a little green bottle.

"Shilah told us he needed something that could connect the potion to your magical center, whatever that means… So I thought that… you know, given what we've read in mother's journal…"

"The green elixir," Elphaba whispered, stunned, but then realized that something wasn't adding up. "But… I… I was sure I smashed it, back in Munchkinland…"

Nessarose and Glinda exchanged a look.

"You did," Glinda said warily. "This is a different bottle, but the same potion."

"Where in Oz did you get that?"

Silence.

"Fabala…" Nessarose said, taking her sister's hand. "Just… try to stay calm, okay? We… well…"

"We saw your father drinking from it."

"But… our father's dead?"

"Not our father, Fabala. Your father."

Now there was stunned silence on Elphaba's part.

"My father?" she repeated dumbly. "But… how did you… wait, you've actually found him? You've met him?"

Glinda nodded and bit her lip nervously.

"You've met him too, Elphie," she said very quietly.

"I… I have?"

"Yes."

"Where? When? Who is he?"

Glinda and Nessarose exchanged another cautious look.

"You know him as the Wizard of Oz."

Only two more chapters to go!