Title: One if by Land, Two if by Sky
Author: Aerohead
Email: in my profile
Website: In my profile
Pairing: Fiyero/Elphaba, Fiyero/Glinda, Glinda/OC, OC/OC
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer/Dedication: For L. Frank Baum, Gregory Maguire, Stephen Schwartz, and Winnie Holtzman who own this idea that I'm extending. Thank you for giving me the first part. This is also for everyone in the OibLTibS RPG, so Sheika belongs to F-kun, Destin belongs to Tori, Riley belongs to Nessy, and Kade and Noelani belong to Cree.
Warning: spoiler for the ending of the musical Wicked, but that's pretty much about it.
Genre: Romance, adventure (book/play amalgamation)
Summary: Seventeen years after the "death" of the Wicked Witch of the West, a group of Shiz students must come to terms with their differences in order to help inform Oz about the truth behind the lies. If they can work together.
Author's Notes: Quick apology at the beginning of this chapter for anyone who's only seen the play and doesn't know the book's story; I couldn't have Dr. Dillamond alive for this chapter, as much as I wanted to keep him alive. This goes with bookverse Dillamond, not playverse. Although he teaches both LS and History. shrug
Chapter Three: On the Topic of Murder
"Murder, in our society, is often either put down or placed on a pedestal. It's a very odd and a very old practice, dating back to the very beginnings, set down in the old lore of the Oziad. Some people believe that murder of any kind has no just cause, whereas others believe that just cause is a perfect reason for genocide or simple killings.
"But how about our leaders? Are our leaders abstained from this practice, or are they just as guilty as we are? Please, put your hands down until my speech is over. Thank you. Now, let us think objectively, here.
"Was Mr. Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs committing murder when his workers massacred almost all of the Quadlings in Ovvels and Qhorye? Please, please sit down, Master Naeva.
"Now, how many of you remember the Wonderful Wizard? Oh, that's correct, excuse me, I forgot that most of you weren't even born before Her Goodness took over the country. Now Oz, the Great and Terrible, was responsible for the construction of our great City of Emeralds along with the Yellow Brick Road. That was Mr. Diggs. If you knew that that was the Wizard of Oz, than would you believe he committed genocide or would you have cheered him on?
"Now, what about what happened when Miss Dorothy arrived? When her house accidentally fell on Miss Nessarose Thropp, was it pure bad luck, a 'twister of fate', or was it the happenings of some larger force? And the melting of Miss Elphaba Thropp? Did Miss Dorothy commit murder that day, or did she do our country a civic service, even before she became a citizen of Oz?
"I'd like all of you to think about these things, and talk amongst your groups, and then in about five minutes, we'll discuss what you think as a class."
Professor Timin picked up a glass of water in his paw and took a sip, before stepping off the dais and walking over to his desk. It was their first History class, and during the first hour of the lecture, he had separated everyone into alphabetical groups, by family name. Fabala was forced to work with Nissa and Kade. She didn't mind working with Kade as much; he was smart and funny, even though sometimes he was rather dull at times.
At the moment, however, he was worked up. "Why isn't he talking about the Animal Massacres when the Wizard was in charge? He's an Animal; he should bring this to the forefront." Kade fumed, pounding a paw furiously onto the desk.
"He's not talking about the Animal Massacres because they're linked with the good The Wicked Witch of the West did for our society, and to talk about the good wickedness did would be a travesty." Fabala said, skimming through her history book. Her group was quiet, and she lifted up her head, one raised eyebrow in place. "What?"
Kade took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I never thought of it that way, but you're right, Fabala."
Nissa nodded, though it was reluctant. "That's very true. It's something Mother should address." Fabala blinked at Nissa. She wasn't used to the girl being, well, nice. Glinda had always been nice to Fabala, but that came with the Glinda the Good persona, and to have her half-sister actually say something without having any sarcasm or hatred behind the words made her speechless.
Kade cocked his head, looking at Fabala. "Fabala's just hard to say, you know. Do your parents or friends call you anything else?"
"My parents call me Faeba, or Fabia, and sometimes simply Fabi. My friends don't call me anything." She shrugged, closing the book.
"Why not?" asked Nissa.
"I don't have any." Kade shook his head.
"Then what am I, a pet? Or the group's mascot or something?"
"I do hope we're talking about something worth merit here." Professor Timin had come up behind the group, and was looking down at them, looking rather displeased.
Kade nodded, holding out his notebook for the Gazelle to see. "We are, look. We've been talking about Animals and if their deaths by humans were considered to be murders or merely accidents."
Professor Timin sat down at an empty chair at the table. "Explain, Master Ohanko."
Kade blinked. "Explain, sir? I think one of the girls can do better than I can with that."
Professor Timin nodded. "Well, Miss Upland? Miss Thropp? Do either of you care to explain?"
Nissa looked down at her history book and started to flip through it, but Fabala looked up. "Well, it's like the death of a faculty member that occurred here." She said quietly.
Professor Timin gained interest then, and stood. "Class, Miss Thropp has just brought up a very interesting point about the murders in Oz." Everyone stopped. Aran, Riley, and Sheika looked over towards them from their group on the other side of the lecture hall. Fabala could feel her face burning. Sometimes she thought public speaking was worse than water. Professor Timin turned to her. "Well, Miss Thropp, please, continue with what we were discussing."
Fabala looked down at the open book so she didn't have to make eye contact with the rest of the class. "Well, about thirty years ago, there was a professor who taught here, Dr. Dillamond. He was a Goat, and he taught Life Sciences and History. Here, at Shiz. Anyway, he was on the verge of discovering something big. I think it was the reason why Animals existed, or something; it was meant to stop the ban on Animals, or something. But one night while he was working late, he was murdered. Some people say it wasn't a murder, but that he just fell asleep at his desk and fell on some equipment, but it doesn't add up when he was so close to discovering something that would rock Oz, and change the way people think."
Professor Timin stood next to her, looking at the other students. No one had said anything. "Well, any questions, class?"
One boy raised his hand. "But how do you know all this. I've never heard of that story before, and I'm from Oz."
"My...my mother told her." Nissa said. Everyone turned to her. She blushed and dipped her head to hide the color behind her short curtain of blonde hair. Fabala turned slowly, one eyebrow raised, as she looked at the pale girl next to her. "My mother is a very dear friend of Fabala's family, and her caretaker was the one who saw the Goat's dead body." Nissa said, her blush becoming darker and running down her neck and into her hairline as she started to spin the lie. Fabala felt a little better that the daughter of a public figurehead had about as much luck at public speaking as she did, but the feeling left as she realized exactly what Nissa had just done.
And then she remembered the rest of the class. They were staring at them intently. "She's so good." Someone whispered.
Fabala sighed and shook her head. Let Nissa take the spotlight; she didn't care. She just wanted the attention on her to dissipate.
It was then that there was a knock on the door. "Enter." Called Professor Timin, as the door creaked open. Destin stood in the door, flushed and panting.
"Excuse me, Professor, but can I see Miss Thropp? It's of great import and...Faeba you won't believe this!" He heaved a sigh and looked at Professor Timin pleadingly.
Professor Timin waved a hoof in the air. "Go, Miss Thropp, but get tonight's assignment from one of your classmates; because you can leave does not exempt you from class work."
"Yes, sir." Said Fabala, nodding as she stood. She walked out of the room, and Destin closed the door behind them. "Well, what is it?" She asked.
"You'll see. Believe me." Destin said, grabbing Fabala's arm. Gently, he led her out of Three Queens, where now all the classes took place, and into the bright grounds of Shiz. He let go of her and started to walk in front of her towards Ozma Towers, which was now used only to lodge faculty members. Fabala followed behind, slightly confused. Destin pushed the doors to Ozma Towers open and Fabala walked in behind him into the dark halls of the Towers.
Destin walked toward Miss Greyling's study, where they could hear talking. Fabala was about to keep walking, but Destin turned and stopped her. "No, wait here. Believe me; this is going to be the shock of your life!"
"The shock of my life would be Thane or my aunt back from the dead." Snarked Fabala, crossing her arms. Destin rolled his eyes, before opening the door to Miss Greyling's study enough for him to slip through, before he closed it again. Fabala contented herself with looking at the pictures of former Headmistresses on the walls. There were many stately-looking old women, none of them seemed to be approving of the black girls standing in their presence, and at the very end of their mix there was a stately-looking Deer, who wore deep green robes around her dark brown fur. The plaque under her picture said 'Madame Frida Menek, First Headmistress of Crage Hall, Shiz University. A wonderful woman and friend to the children.'
Fabala had to smile at that. She wondered if her mother had ever stopped to look at these pictures when she was in school here. She knew her mother would appreciate the first Headmistress of Shiz as much as Fabala did. She thought about bringing Kade here, too; he would have loved to know that Animals weren't always looked at with as much disdain as he and Professor Timin endured.
"Wasn't she beautiful, Madame Menek? I wish I had been here when she taught." Someone said from behind her. The voice was familiar, but the familiarity that came with the voice – the sounds of movement behind her, the sound of twigs newly shifting – they didn't come with it anymore.
Fabala turned slowly, not sure about what she was going to see. Standing behind her was a stately man, about her mother's age, smiling down at her obvious surprise. "I told you; you wouldn't believe it when you saw it." Destin said.
Fabala just stood there for a few minutes, not sure exactly what to do; the rather feminine part of her was telling her to jump up and down and latch onto the man in front of her without intent of letting go, while the inherent Thropp part of her was telling her to make some sort of comment to get through her bewilderment. She settled with mere indifference, and blinked up at the man. "She...she did it?" She asked, curing the catch in her voice mentally.
Fiyero smiled. "Yes, she did. Isn't it amazing! I haven't felt like this in...well, seventeen years, give or take a few weeks, and now...I'm, well, human again!" He said the last part whispered, painfully aware that Miss Greyling was listening to the conversation.
She came out of the room and smiled sweetly at Fabala. "Isn't it wonderful, Miss Thropp? Oh, but why didn't you tell us you were a Tigalaar descendent, also? To think, a Winkie princess in our own student body! Oh, it's simply thrilling!" Fabala sent a quick glare over towards Fiyero, who was hiding his smirk. "Also, Miss Thropp, your father tells me you have a special...gift? An affinity towards sorcery, one would say. If you believe this talent should be worked upon, I will tutor you. I've already been asked by Miss Glinda to teach her own child sorcery, and as you two are roomies, it may be good to have you two work together."
"They're sisters also." Destin said. Miss Greyling turned to Destin, and then looked at a very uncomfortable Fiyero.
"Is this true, Master Tigalaar?" she asked pleasantly.
Fiyero nodded slowly. "Nissa is my daughter also."
What surprised everyone was that Miss Greyling merely clapped her hands and smiled. She didn't press the formerly-thought-to-be-dead Captain of the Gale Force and Winkie Prince for details; she just took the information in stride and beamed.
"This is wonderful!" She cried, clapping. "Simply marvelous; you two not only could work together, you could get to know each other, if you're truly sisters! Oh, and don't worry, Miss Thropp, you secret's safe with me!" She winked, and Fabala went pale. Well, as pale as she could go. "I never knew your mother, but I'm sure she's proud of you now! Oh, I can't wait to start a lesson plan; it's been two years since I had any good sorcery students!"
She went back into her room and closed the door, making Destin jump back from the doorframe and into Fiyero. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir."
Fiyero nodded, wincing. "One thing I didn't miss about being human was getting hurt." He muttered, making Fabala suppress a girlish giggle. Fiyero looked down at Destin and gave him a stern look. "Also, don't call me sir; you knew me as a Scarecrow and you were comfortable with that. So I want you to keep the comfort. And keep the formalities out." He turned to Fabala and knelt down in front of her. "I'm going to the Emerald City to find Glinda and tell her what happened. Next weekend is a long weekend, if you don't hear from your mother or me, come to the Emerald City and go to Glinda and make sure nothing happened. I may have led the Gale Force once, but they were ready to kill me for treason, and they probably would still like to finish the job." He kissed her forehead, then rubbed the pad of his thumb across the mark.
Fiyero left, and Fabala sighed. "We should get back to class." Destin whispered.
Fabala nodded mutely, before clasping Destin's hand and allowing him to bring her back to the now full campus of the University.
"Fabia! What's up? Why'd Destin call you out of class, you're not in trouble for anything, right?" asked Kade as he ran over to her, carrying her bag at his side. She took her bag from him and shook her head.
"I'm fine. Miss Greyling just wanted to talk to me about sorcery."
Aran, who had come up with the rest of their group behind Kade, raised an eyebrow. "You are going to take it, right?"
"I wouldn't want to be the only one in that class. Though if I did have to share it with you, I'd hope you'd understand that I'd surpass you quickly." Said Nissa.
"Of course you would, because you and Fabala are on two different starting points." Riley said sarcastically. The sarcasm was laced with sweetness, however, and Nissa missed it completely.
"Well, exactly!"
Kade pawed through his bag, before producing a syllabus. "Professor Timin wants us to read through this and sign it to make sure we understand that whatever we discuss in his class is to be fair and balanced, without any propaganda mixed into our theories." He said.
Fabala took it, nodding. The clock on Ozma Towers chimed eleven, and Kade put out his paw. "To Life Sciences?" he asked.