Chapter 15

Elphaba felt it from the moment she woke up. Something was not right. She turned in bed to face Fiyero, who was still asleep. For a moment, she considered waking him up and tell him, but decided against it eventually. He looked so peaceful, and she could be wrong. She hoped she was wrong.

She got dressed and was about to pin her hair in place when a haste knock on the door pierced the silence in the room and made Fiyero wake up with a jolt.

"Elphaba!" Elphaba recognized Glinda's voice. She shouted, which was not like her, especially not in such an early hour of the morning. "Elphaba, wake up, now!" she knocked again, more urgently this time.

"What happened…" murmured Fiyero, still sleepy, and rubbed his eyes.

Elphaba let go of her hairpins and ran to open the door. Glinda stood there, shaking with fear and very pale. "Glinda, what in Oz happened?" she asked, concerned.

Glinda's blue eyes glistened with tears as she held Elphaba by the shoulders and said, as gently as she possibly could, "It's Dawn."

Elphaba froze. No. It couldn't be what she thought it was. "What… about Dawn?" she whispered.

"She… she is gone."

Glinda's soft reply sent Fiyero jumping off the bed. "She is what?"

Elphaba was already on her way to her daughter's room. The maid that found out that Dawn was missing was already downstairs, giving her testimony to the chief police officer. The room was empty, and the sheets on the bed were entangled as if she slept there. Her teddy bear was on the floor, halfway from the open window. Elphaba bent to pick it up.

Glinda knelt beside her. "Elphie…" she started and put her arm gently on Elphaba's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

Elphaba pushed her hand away abruptly and got up. "Don't!" she snapped, her voice trembling. "Let go of me."

"Elphaba, please… everyone is out looking for her," Glinda said softly.

"This is what happens when we sit helpless and do nothing!" yelled Elphaba. Glinda was taken aback by her friend's outburst. Fiyero has just come in, after changing his nightclothes as quickly as he could. "Well, you know what, I will not sit helpless this time!"

She stormed out of the room, on her way to the attic. Fiyero and Glinda hurried there after her. They got in just as she took her old broomstick out of a side closet and opened the window. Usually she loved sitting there in the mornings and just enjoy the light breeze, but not that morning.

"Elphaba!" She turned when she heard Fiyero's voice. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to find her, Fiyero," she said, wrapping a black velvet cloak around her and pulled her pointy black hat on. "I'm not going to wait here and do nothing, it might be too late already." She grabbed her broom. "He will not get away with this and you'd better not stop me!" she added sternly as she detected the expression on her husband's face.

Fiyero nodded and said nothing. So did Glinda. Elphaba glanced at them once more before she mounted her broom and flew out the window, carried away by the morning's cool wind. Fiyero ran to the window but Elphaba was already a tiny black dot in the distance. Soon she was out of his sight. He turned to face Glinda, who looked desperate, sorry and terrified at the same time. She held Dawn's teddy bear close to her heart. "Where is Boq?" he asked quietly.

"He is out there too, looking for her," she answered.

Fiyero gently took the teddy bear from her and stared at it thoughtfully for a moment.

"Well, get him. We'll look for her together, and then we have to pay a visit to Madam Morrible."

She was soaring. Higher. She could see only clouds beneath her now. Usually she would stop to marvel the remarkable view that was stretched out hundreds of feet down. She loved that sensation of being alone up there, in total control, defying gravity, defying… everything.

Any day but that day, though.

She was flying for hours now. The wind kept drying her tears, which was a good thing as far as she was concerned. Their burning presence distracted her mind from the real important matter in hand.

She had to find Dawn.

She got as far as Munchkinland, and stopped from time to time to ask the people and Animals along her way if they have seen something unusual, a little girl and an old man… No one did.

She returned to the Emerald City at dusk, desperate. She was hungry and exhausted and her back hurt as a result of a long sitting on her broom.

There was one more place she could think of going, before she would head back home.

"Where is she?"

Madam Morrible raised her head, surprised to hear her voice. Her empty gaze met Elphaba's eyes. They were burning with fury and hate. "I don't know," she answered quietly, calmly.

"Don't lie to me!" Elphaba yelled, hitting the metal bars with her broom.

"I am telling you the truth. I've said the same thing to your husband earlier today."

That took Elphaba by surprise. "Fiyero was here?" Actually, she didn't understand why she was surprised to hear that. Of course Fiyero wouldn't sit helpless, Dawn was… is, Elphaba! His daughter, too.

"Yes," answered Madam Morrible in the same calm tone that made Elphaba even more annoyed. "And he shouted and yelled as well. It didn't help. I know nothing."

Elphaba shot her one of her famous Wicked Witch of the West looks, which usually sent people hiding as far away from her as they could. It didn't seem to frighten Madam Morrible, though. "I hope you are telling the truth," she said, "because if I find out that you're not, Morrible, so help me Oz, you'll regret that, do you understand me?" Her voice trembled. She held back tears of frustration. This was her last chance and it was proven to be useless. She had no idea where could her little girl be, or whether it was too late to save her.

She didn't wait for Madam Morrible's reply and stormed away from there. She didn't mount her broom but walked the rest of the way to the castle.

"Another cup of tea, Fiyero?" asked Glinda, concerned.

Fiyero shook his head. He was lost in thoughts again. He still held his first cup of tea, half full. At least it kept his hands warm. "No, thanks," he said and put the cup on the small glass table in front of him. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine," answered Boq. "I'm sure she is on her way."

"I hope so. I can't lose both of them on the same day," said Fiyero weakly and buried his face in his hands. They were out all day, until the sun set upon the city. Everyone took part in the searching; the police officers and many of the citizens, even Chistery with his army of winged Monkeys. No one has seen or heard anything. Fiyero was grateful for Boq, who offered him more support he could ever wish for. Glinda was supportive as well, in her own Glinda-way. He knew she was worried too. They all were. And Elphaba didn't help, disappearing on her broom like she did-

"Master Tiggular!"

Fiyero jumped off the armchair he was sitting on when he heard Chistery's voice. The three of them left the library and hurried to the main hall. A young guard stood there, carrying Elphaba in his arms. He bowed as he saw Fiyero approaching him. "Sir," he said.

"What happened to her?" asked Fiyero as he took Elphaba from the arms of the guard. She was shivering, and almost weightless.

"She collapsed the moment she got to the gates, Sir. I am on duty so I happened to notice her from the tower. I brought her here immediately, Sir."

"You did well," said Fiyero and did his best smiling at the young soldier.

"I'll bring her broom later, once I'll finish my shift," the guard promised.

"Thank you."

"This is my job, Master." The guard bowed again and left the castle.

Once they were alone, Glinda exclaimed. "Sweet Oz, is she all right?"

"I'm fine," murmured Elphaba. Everything was blurred. She felt safe in Fiyero's arms, though. Warm. Protected. Yero would protect her now. "I'm cold…" she whispered into his shirt.

He tightened his grip on her and carried her to the library. "Glinda, go tell Lalley to bring some blankets in here. Boq, do something about that fire. We have to keep her warm." Glinda was already on her way to the kitchen. Boq added some more logs to the fireplace. "Fae… you're freezing…" he whispered and warped her in his arms to keep her warm.

"I'm cold," she repeated, her voice not higher than a whisper.

Fiyero nodded. "I know."

"I couldn't find her, Yero," she said weakly, finally letting herself breaking down. She flinched as one tear made contact with her skin, then another one, then another. Fiyero held her tight as she lost her restrained control and started sobbing hysterically.