Sorry Nameless Waif, kinda forgot to say this last time. I got the Punjab lasso and his name from the book by Gaston Leroux (anyone who hasn't read it definite should) and I think it's in the Susan Kay one too, even though I haven't read it (but I am desperately fighting for a copy).
WARNING: First of all, despite the little twists I put in the story, there are some scenes in this chapter that are close to what actually happens in the musical so watch out for spoilers. Ok, before all of you Wicked fans who are extremely loyal to the plot and/or anyone who is happy that Elphie got Fiyero begin to flame me to ashes, PLEASE HEAR ME OUT! I'm very sorry to all Fiyero lovers. Personally, I think Fiyero is a great guy and I was happy that Elphie did get him in the end, but I had to do this in order to be consistent with my E/E pairing (and I really wanted these two to be together because I just finished watching the Phantom movie for the gazzilionth time and I feel really bad for poor wittle ewik).
Sorry if this chapter sucks but I kinda had to improvise because I was having a bit of writer's block and I haven't read the book or seen the show, but I'm trying to get the book sometime soon! Whenever I do get it and read it, I'll probably repost most of this story so don't worry!
7. Goodbye to You
Glinda looked around, praying that the spell had taken her to the right location. This place sure gave her the creeps, but if her friend was really here, it probably suited Elphie quite well. The thought of the Wicked Witch brought her back to the sad task she had come for.
"Elphie!" Glinda called again. Elphaba heard the voice. Reluctantly, Erik rolled over, allowing her to go and see who was there. She hastily pulled on Erik's robe; the damp air was cooler than it usually was.
"I'll be back soon," she whispered with a sly smile, making Erik anticipate the moment she would return.
The good witch was momentarily brought out of her suppressed mood as her friend walked out with a robe barely covering her green skin. Exactly what had the witch been doing lately?
"Glinda, hi. Long time no see," she said, flushing as her friend's eyes examined her apparel. Glinda only wished she could be as happy as Elphaba was. Then again, this rare happiness would soon be fading.
"Hi Elphie, good to see you!" she replied, trying to sound pleasant. But she knew that her attempts looked and sounded false.
"So, how did you ever get here?" Elphaba asked.
"Oh, you see, no one has seen or heard from you for months so I decided to look for you and I found your book open to a certain page and I kinda tried it out." Enough of this small talk, she better cut to the chase before it was too hard to say. "Listen Elphie, I… I have some bad news."
"Why? What's wrong?"
Glinda took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "There… there was this flying house, you see and well… it landed on top of your sister."
Elphaba began to worry. Though Nessa had never really cared for her that much, they were still sisters and the Wicked Witch of the West respected that relationship.
"Is she okay?"
"Nessa is dead," Glinda answered. "I'm so sorry Elphie."
Such words made Elphaba's mind go numb for a moment. She couldn't help but feel grieved. Her sister, her only remaining relative and fellow wicked witch, was dead.
"Do you have the Grimmory with you?" Glinda pulled out the old book. Elphaba knew what she had to do, but it was going to be incredibly hard to follow through. "I'm going back to Oz with you, only for a couple days. I just… I want to see for myself, to say goodbye."
"Elphaba, who's there?" Erik asked, emerging from the bedroom shirtless with the mask replaced. He had been wondering what was taking so long. Both girls watched as the visible portion of his face turned red. Erik hadn't expected one of Elphaba's friends to be here. Instantly, Glinda felt her melancholy mood leave while she tried to stifle a giggle; it was quite obvious to see what her friend had been up to lately.
Elphaba felt her cheeks grow warm. She could only imagine what thoughts were going through Glinda's head. She tried to cover for some of the awkwardness. "Erik, this is my old friend Glinda. Glinda, this is Erik."
"Pleased to meet you," Erik said, being perfect gentleman he always was.
"You too," Glinda squeaked. There was something dark about this man that intimidated her. No wonder Elphie liked him so much.
"Glinda, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." Elphaba retreated back to the bedroom, taking Erik with her. She began searching the room for her belongings.
"Erik, listen, I have to go back to Oz for a few days."
Erik's mind instantly went numb with panic. She couldn't leave him, not now, not after he thought finally knew what true love was in its purest form! He needed her beside him each night, each morning, every waking moment! He must have done something terribly wrong. "You… you regret last night, don't you? I'm sorry Elphaba, I shouldn't have-"
"No Erik! It's not that at all! I love you! I could never regret last night!" she said as she tossed the robe aside, donning her traditional dress. "It's just… it's just that my sister was killed. I need to go back and settle a few matters."
Erik understood. Though he had never experienced any concern or tie to his own kin, he knew that most people did have a bond with family. "I understand," he said in a low voice. He was relieved to know that she still loved him, but he could not hold back the small tear that trickled down his face. He didn't want his beloved to leave him ever, especially since… oh God, she would be in danger if she went back!
"But Elphaba, I thought you said so yourself that you were wanted back there. What if something happens to you?"
She sat down in his lap and looked him directly in the eyes. "You won't have to worry. Everyone is so scared of me that they won't come within a mile of me." She kissed him sweetly to seal her vow. "I promise that I will only be gone for a few days." When Elphaba pulled back, she found that tears had begun to fall down Erik's cheeks. She pressed him to her, rocking back and forth, trying to comfort him like a child as he in turn, held her as close as possible. She did not want to leave his arms, ever. "Erik, please don't cry. I love you with all my heart and soul. You will see me again very soon." Erik nodded, trying to stop. He took her hand in his, maintaining a painfully strong grip, and walked her out to her friend, trying to get as much of her as he could before her departure. As much as he tried to, he could not restrain a few tears that trickled down his face. It was tormenting for Elphaba to watch. She took both of his hands and kissed him softly, silently promising that she would return.It was so hard for him to let yet another woman go, even if it was not forever.She broke away and Glinda handed her the ancient book. Erik watched sadly as she waved goodbye. In an incantation and a whirlwind, the Witches of the North and West disappeared, leaving a very lonely Phantom behind.
It was funny, but the place that Elphaba had called home for so long was suddenly feeling very foreign. She had only been gone for a minute and already she was yearning for Erik. In the sky, she saw a bubble floating away. Elphaba followed it, hoping to find the place where her sisters had fallen. There was singing in the distance. WHY THOSE HORRID LITTLE MUNCHKINS! They were rejoicing over her sister's death! The remaining witch felt anger boil inside her. Instantly she appeared in the center of the town in a fuming rage.
"WHO KILLED MY SISTER? WHO KILLED THE WITCH OF THE EAST? WAS IT YOU?" she yelled, turning to an innocent looking girl standing there in braids. Her eyes gazed over her and stopped at her feet. Behold, Nessa's ruby slippers and the little thief was wearing them.
"Stupid brat, wearing a dead woman's shoes. Must have been raised in a barn!"
She looked over at a house that sat haphazardly in the center of the town. A pair of legs with stripped stocking stuck out, the body hidden under the mass of wood. 'Nessa.' What had her sister been thinking in her final moments, before that house came crashing down? She had to get out of here, before the stupid little midgets saw that witches had a weak side.
"I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!" With that, she disappeared.
In a rage, Elphaba stomped through the Gillkin forest. This day was completely hellish. The witch wanted nothing more than to return to Erik's waiting arms and let the ever-mounting stress die away. She missed him terribly. She stopped for a moment, sure that she heard footsteps in the distance.
"Elphaba!" someone called. She wheeled around, finding Fiyero before her. "Elphie where have you been all this time? No one's seen you in months!"
It was odd, but for the first time, she did not feel her stomach fill with butterflies when she saw her former crush. "Oh, hi Fiyero. I've been… away. It's a long story."
"Thank Oz I found you!" he said, drawing her into his embrace. Hesitantly, the witch returned it, feeling very awkward. His touch no longer held the significance of before. Besides, wasn't he supposed to be with Glinda?
Fiyero wondered why she was being so odd. He pulled back, looking into her eyes. Disappointingly, they no longer held the same shimmer for him that they had before.
"Elphie, is something wrong?"
"No, no," she replied. "I've just… why did you do that?"
Fiyero's heart pounded in his chest. It was now or never. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "Because… because I love you. Ever since the first day at school, I've loved you. Come with me, let's run away and escape this miserable place." He felt his heart sink as she turned away, trying to hide the tears that had begun to fall.
Why was he making this so difficult? Elphaba did not want to hurt his feelings by any means, but she could not give into his request, no matter how much it would hurt him. There was someone in Paris, France who needed her more, who she needed just as much. There was someone who heard like an outcast, who had been an outcast, who she shared an unfathomable love with.
"Fiyero, I'm sorry, but… I can't…" A small salty stream made it's way down her cheeks. Rejection was so cruel even in its mildest forms. "You see, I made a mistake with a spell and ended up in a completely different place. There was someone who took care of me out of generosity. I… I found someone, someone who knows what it's like to be different, who understands what it's like to be me, who loves me entirely for who I am. And… I love him too." She watched as sheer disappointment and dejection crept over his face. This was so hard for her to do!
"Please understand Fiyero, but I just can't. Besides, what ever happened between you and Glinda?"
"I ran away from her to find you." Elphaba felt like something had just speared her heart. She felt a guilt like she hadn't felt in years.
"You have to go back to her and fix it. She is more deserving of your love than I am." He was still breaking her heart. Elphaba took his hand and looked into his eyes, telling him silently that there were better things than her.
Footsteps resounded in the distance. "C'mon, I think she went this way!" a voice called. They were coming for the remaining wicked witch.
"Do you hear that?"
"They're coming for me. Fiyero, you have to get out of here! You'll get caught for being with me! C'mon, we gotta run!"
"I hear her!" another one cried. "Get her!"
Ozian guards were everywhere. Elphaba and Fiyero dashed off, trying to get away. Elphaba ran, trying to make sure that both of them could get to safety. When she could no longer hear the shouting, she stopped, trying to catch her breath.
"That was a close one," the witch panted, only to find that she was unanswered. "Fiyero? Fiyero? Where are you?" In their frantic chase, they must have gotten separated. Ever so carefully, she searched the forest, making sure that she did not give her position away. Some frantic shouts drew her attention to a clearing between the trees.
"You are under arrest for soliciting with the Wicked Witch of the West."
The sight made her want to scream at herself, but instead she placed her hand over her mouth to stifle a small cry. They couldn't have!
"Let me go! I don't know where she is!" Fiyero yelled, desperately thrashing about.
"Hang him on a pole and don't let him down till he tells us where the girl is," one of the guards commanded.
Elphaba watched helplessly as they dragged him away. She slumped against a tree and put her head in her hands and let every single frustration release itself through a stream of tears. This stress that she was under was unbearable. Not only did she miss Erik terribly, but her sister was dead and some little hillbilly brat stole the one thing she wanted to remember her by and to make matter's worse, she had just broken the heart of her former love and then condemned him probably to death. This day was absolutely horrific. She sat down, leaning against the tree, wishing that Erik was there to comfort and hold her.
Crying was not going to get her anywhere. She had to be strong, to stop this horrible, tangled mess from evolving into a full fledged disaster. She opened her book, frantically looking for any spell that might be able to save her friend. There must be a way to save Fiyero, there had to be! She would not stain her hands with his blood! She stopped on a certain page. This one looked like it might do the trick.
"Eleka nahmen nahmen
Ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen
Eleka nahmen nahmen
Ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen
"Let his flesh not be torn.
Let his blood leave no stain.
Though they beat him
let him feel no pain.
Let his bones never break
and however they try
to destroy him.
Let him never die!
Let him never die!
"Eleka nahmen nahmen
Ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen
Eleka nahmen nahmen
Ah tum ah tum eleka- eleka-
This was hopeless, this worthless spell was doing nothing. Elphaba was getting increasingly frustrated with the ever-mounting catastrophes that she was producing.
"What good is this chanting?
I don't even know what I'm reading!
I don't even know which trick I ought to try
Fiyero, where are you?
Already dead, or bleeding?
One more disaster I can add to my
generous supply!
"No good deed goes unpunished.
No act of charity goes unresented.
No good deed goes unpunished.
That's my new creed!
My road of good intentions
Led where such roads always lead.
No good deed
goes unpunished!
"Nessa…
Doctor Dillamond…
Fiyero…
"FIYERO!
"One question haunts and hurts:
Too much, too much to mention.
Was I really seeking good?
Or just seeking attention?
Is that all good deeds are
when looked at with an ice-cold eye?
If that's all good deeds are
Maybe that's the reason why…
"No good deed goes unpunished!
All helpful urges should be circumvented.
No good deed goes unpunished!
Sure, I meant well,
Well, look at what well meant did!
All right, enough - so be it
So be it, then…
Let all Oz be agreed
I'm wicked through and through
Since I can not succeed
Fiyero, saving you!
I promise no good deed
will I attempt to do again!
Ever again!
No good deed
will I do
AGAIN!"
She let her cry echo through the forest, not caring if she was heard or not. There was nothing to care about any more; her sister was dead, her friend soon to follow; the only important thing left was getting back to Erik. She returned to her castle, gathering a few things from it before her move from Oz was permanent. Her gaze drifted over to her crystal ball, where she was watching the little thief. They would arrive here anytime soon. 'So, the wizard decides to get rid of me by sending the stealing hillbilly to do it.' Why not quicken up the pace a bit?
"Chisttery."
In a moment, her faithful flying servant appeared, giving a small grunt.
"Find her and bring her to me. I'm going to get those slippers if it's the last thing I do!"
A swarm of flying monkeys filled the sky, leaving Elphaba to her own thoughts. In no time, the little girl was there, and the witch was not in much of a mood to be merciful. She glared at her and instantly the farm girl burst into tears. 'What a wimp.'
"Stop that crying. I can't stand it! Do you want to see your auntie em and your uncle what's his name again? Then get those shoes off your feet!" Sweet Oz, why wouldn't the little brat shut up already! It wasn't that hard! Why wouldn't she just give her the damn slippers! "Oh boohoo!"
Elphaba stormed off, only to come face to face with Glinda.
"Elphie, they are coming to get you! You've got to get out of here! Let the girl go and her dog Dodo."
These words held no significance to her right now. Nothing really mattered. She was in such a rage that she was oblivious to everything.
"Why should I?" Something clicked inside Elphaba's head. Perhaps she could make this death sentence into an escape. True, it would have its risks with it, but maybe, just maybe, she could rid herself of Oz once and for all.
"Elphie I'll be the first one to say this, but you are getting out of control. I mean come on, they're just shoes! Let it go."
Elphaba wasn't really paying attention, but she heard the last bit. Glinda was right. It was time to let go, to get out of here. There was nothing left to fight for, not even the shoes. None of it seemed to matter anymore. She turned to her friend.
"Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But, because I knew you," she sang.
"Because I knew you," Glinda echoed
"I have been changed….
for good," they sang together.
"Glinda, listen to me. If anything happens, you must let Erik know. Promise me that," Elphaba said, handing Glinda the Grimmory.
Glinda's eyes were wide with worry. "I… I promise. Ta- take care of yourself!"
Elphaba disappeared around the corner. The good witch watched in horror as shadows danced against the walls of the castle. She gasped, her eyes as wide as orbs as a bucket of water made contact with Elphaba's shadow.
"Elphie! No!" Glinda whispered to herself.
A great shriek echoed throughout Elphaba's castle.
The Wicked Witch of the West would never trouble Oz again.
Hehe, evil cliffie! Ya, I know that this was not exactly the best chapter. I kinda had to steal some stuff from Wizard of Oz because I have yet to see the show or read the book, but I'm hoping to read it soon. Forgive me for any Wicked inaccuracies. If anyone is willing to fill me in, please let me know and I will repost this chapter. Some of you may know what happens, but for those of you who don't, sorry for the torture. As for Fiyero lovers, I'm sorry I had to do that. I felt bad for him too, he's my hero, but I feel even worse for Erik. Also Fiyero should be an example to Raoul, WHO NEEDS TO LEARN WHEN TO LET GO AND NOT RUIN A PERFECTLY GOOD RELATIONSHIP! AT LEAST FIYERO HAS BRAINS! (well, to a point)
