(NOTE): I am sorry to announce that unfortunately this story is nearing its end :(. Only a few more chapters to go. But never fear! There's gonna be a sequel!
Unfortunately, it seemed that the Gale Force didn't give up their search, even after about a week and a half of exploring through every single mountain. The Galindaizers were getting restless and practically out of food and water.
"We don't even have enough for the children!" they complained. Chistery would occansionally bring back a bucket of water or a dead animal or two from the Gale Forcers' camp, but that was about it. Boq was getting worried and running out of ideas. Glinda seemed to be the only one who could keep him together, but she, too, was starting to get concerned. As if there wasn't enough already to worry about, some kind of virus was beginning to spread, especially to the children, because of the cold winter. Even Liir and Glinda seemed to be catching it.
"Elphie, what are we going to do?" Glinda said, as Elphaba tried to calm a whining Liir down. "Everyone is hungry, most of us are sick, and Boq doesn't know what to do anymore! Elphie, I'm getting nervous." Elphaba bit her lip. She, also, was hungry, and now with Liir and Glinda getting ill, she was getting anxious herself.
"So I am I." she said "But I'm surprised that the Gale Force has lasted this long. Out there in the freezing cold all day and all night."
"Chistery said that even some of them were getting sick." Glinda said "But I doubt they'll give up." Elphaba saw tears forming in Glinda's eyes "Elphie, I can't stand it! I'm cold, I'm hungry, and I'm getting sick! We all are! And if I have to spend one more day in this damn cave...!" her eyes then went wide. She stood there for a moment, breathing heavily and rushed into the small area that served as a bathroom. Elphaba grimaced as she heard Glinda vomit into the chamber pot. Now she was sure that Glinda had caught the virus. Glinda seemed to know it, too, as she stepped out.
"I'm sorry." she whispered, making her way towards the door. "I know that Liir is getting sick, and I shouldn't be here to make it worse. I'll be in my room if you need me." As she walked out, Elphaba grabbed a small blanket and put it under Liir's chin, afraid that he might throw up as well. Despite everything she tried to make him calm down, Liir just continued crying. She tried feeding him, rocking him, singing to him, everything she could think of, but nothing seemed to help. She knew that he, and all the others who had the virus, needed food and medicine, and soon. But all she could do was sit there on her bed, rocking her sick, wailing son back and forth, wishing that she had saved some of that special milk to make him fall asleep. He finally did, after he grew tired of crying it seemed, and Elphaba let out a sigh of relief.
She looked up as her husband came in and sat down beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and laid his forehead on top of hers.
"I've sent Chistery with a message to Kaphion," he said "asking him for herbs to make some medicine for this virus. I've also asked him to maybe send over some food."
"Does Boq know?" Fiyero nodded.
"He knows. He also knows it's a gamble, that Chistery could get caught, but he thinks the need is too great." he ran his fingers threw his hair nervously "I just hope that little monkey doesn't get lost. Apparently there's a blizzard coming through, and it's probably not going to be pretty." Elphaba leaned her head on Fiyero's shoulder, worry clearly showing on her face.
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"B-B-Bosssssssss?" a freezing Fresbin chattered as the cold wind and snow whipped around him "I-I-It'ssss f-f-freeezzziiinnggg. C-C-Couldn't we sssstop and mmmake a c-c-campp ssssomew-w-where?"
"W-Where, do you sssuggest?" Bongar demanded. He himself was cold and desperately wanted to stop and build a fire, but the area they were in seemed to be void of any kinds of caves.
"W-We cccould squeeze between twooo b-boulders, fffor a w-w-while." Fresbin suggested "A-At least until the s-s-storm lets uuuupp." Too cold to argue, Bonger nodded and looked around for a couple of boulders large enough to fit everyone. He spotted two large ones and called out to some of the men to move them. As they pried the two boulders apart, they looked in amazement as a light shown throught the crack between them. They also saw a shaking man pointing a gun at them. A guard! Bongar thought This must be where one of our prizes is hinding! The gaurd looked fearfully at them for a while, before he abruptly dropped his gun and turned to run. But a Gale Forcer quickly grabbed him and clamped a hand over his mouth. "Forward Men!" Bongar whispered excitedly "I think we've finally found somethin!"
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Glinda sobbed as she buried her face in her pillows. This can't be happening! It can't! Oh, damn this! Damn the cold, the Gale Force, this virus! "AH!" she screamed "I just want this to be OVER!"
"Well" a voice said "you may just get your wish." She quickly sat up to see three men in Gale Force uniforms standing in the doorway, grinning triumphantly.
"Who are you?" Glinda asked, now frightened. The man in the middle, ignoring her question, walked over to her and grabbed her chin in his hand.
"So this is the famous...oh excuse me, infamous, Lady Glinda. I see you're pretty as everyone said you were." Glinda slapped his hand away.
"I believe I asked you who you were!"
"Oh, of course, my dear Lady. Forgive me. I am Bongar Bountier, and I am sorry to say that I'm here to arrest you." He turned to the other two men and pointed to her. They moved forward, grabbed her arms, and dragged her out into the Main Room, where she saw Boq, Elphaba, and Fiyero restrained by other Gale Forcers. Elphaba and Fiyero were struggling to get near another officer who was holding a howling Liir while Boq was struggling to get near her. The other Galindaizers were huddled all around the room, which was surrounded by men in green uniform. She could tell that some of the Gale Forcers were as ill as well, and they were separating the sick people from the healthy ones. Bongar Bountier got in front of Elphaba and took her face in his hands the same way he had taken Glinda's. "And, what luck! We have even caught the Wicked Witch of the West herself! My Unnamed God, you're hideous!" Elphaba glared at him and bit down hard on his hand.
Why didn't I think of that? Glinda thought as Bongar cried out and drew his hand away. His eyes went wide as he saw Elphaba begin to murmur something. He quickly drew out a small bottle, poured some liquid on his sleeve, and forced it under Elphaba's nose, holding the back of her head with his hand. She shrieked in shock as her eyelids began to close and she went limp. The Gale Forcer holding her picked her up in his arms as Bongar let go, gripping his injured hand.
"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?" Fiyero shouted.
"Just put her to sleep. Which is more than she deserves." Bongar muttered. "We used the same stuff on you when we found you in that mountain." He walked closer to Fiyero, until they're faces were an inch apart.
Fiyero could feel his foul breath on his face. "Your little witch here helped you escape that time." he whispered "But she's ours, now. She'll be going back to the Wizard and I plan on sending you back to Rheysilva. What do you think of that?" Fiyero spat in his face.
"I think that once I get out of this and get my wife back, you'll be one of the first people I kill." he threatened. Bongar wiped the spit off his face and struck his fist against Fiyero's head. Fiyero heard Glinda gasp and he could feel blood running down his face. He heard Bongar snicker and looked up to see Glinda beginning to cry.
"Please," she begged "you don't understand! Elphie's not a wicked witch! She's good! We all are! It's the Wizard who is evil!"
"And over half of Oz?" said Bongar "Those who are still faithful to the Wizard?"
"Elphie?" the Forcer holding Elphaba said as he looked down at her "She has a name?"
"Shut up, Fresbin." Bongar said, exasperated.
"Of course she has a name!" a person in the crowd said "Her name is Miss Elphaba Thropp Tiggular! And Lady Glinda speaks the truth! She is not evil!"
"And she's not hideosous!" Glinda added "She's beautiful! Just not in your standards!" Bongar rolled his eyes.
"Whatever you say, Milady." he mocked a bow and the all Gale Forcers, except Fresbin, snickered. Fresbin was still looking at Elphaba. It was clear he had never thought of her as anything but the Wicked Witch of the West until that very moment. Bongar then sighed as he looked around. "After months of searching" he said "we have finally found the Winkie Prince, Lady Glinda, Prince Hamilton, and the Wicked Witch of the West, at last!" He grinned as he heard the men cheer.
"Elphaba." Fresbin said. Bongar turned to him.
"What?" he asked sharply.
"Elphaba." Fresbin said "Her name is Elphaba isn't it?"
"Who gives a shit, Fresbin!" Bongar said "Sweet Oz, are you annoying!"
Fresbin glared at him as Bongar turned Boq. "And who are you?"
"Boq." Boq answered, trying to stay brave "I am the leader of the Galindaizers."
"The Galindaizers?" Boq suddenly realized his mistake. "Is that what all this is?" Bongar turned back to the crowd "All these people? Traitors? Well, I love to see what the Wizard has to say about this!"
"You leave them alone!" Glinda cried "It's us you want, not them! Please, a few of them are children!"
"That's not my concern." Bongar sneered "All I know is that they're traitors, and the Wizard will deal with them as he wants to."
"Sir!" a Gale Forcer called out "Apparently they were making weapons! There's a whole cave of weapons in here!" Bongar gave another horrible grin.
"Conspirators as well, eh? My, my, we have stumbled on quite a prize." he turned to Boq "And if you are indeed the leader of this outrage, it's very much garunteed that your sentence will be death!"
"NO!" Glinda cried, but Bongar and the Gale Forcers just laughed cruelly.
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They decided to wait until the blizzard flew over before they would make their way back to the Emerald City. Fiyero was kept in his room with Boq and the two women were kept in Glinda's. Liir had been put in Boq's room with one of the women, and the other families were kept shut up in their own rooms. When a Gale Forcer was not standing guard outside a room or hunting for food, they would rest or drink the liquor they had been saving if they found anything in the Main Room. They would only go into the prisoners' rooms to give them something to eat. But the only person allowed to go inside the two witches room was Bongar. He would come in to give Glinda her food and put the green witch back to sleep.
"But Elphie needs to eat, too!" Glinda complained after a week. Bongar shook his head.
"The drink will keep her nourished, at least until she wakes up."
"Boss!" Fresbin poked his head inside "There's a large group of somethin heading this way. I think they're monkeys, but they seem to be carryin somethin." Bongar got up and followed Fresbin out. When they reached they outside, he saw a group of Gale Forcers grabbing baskets out of mokeys' (flying monkeys') grasps and monkeys' flying all over the place.
"LET GO!" one of them screeched "LET GO, BAD MEN!"
"You sure they're not Monkeys?" he asked Fresbin. Fresbin nodded his head. "This must be the Witch's doin."
"DON'T CALL MISTRESS WITCH!" the monkey screamed "MISTRESS BETTER THAN BAD MAN!"
"Uh huh." Bongar said, not really listening, as the other monkey flew off leaving their baskets behind. "And just who are you?"
"Chistery not telling!"
"Chistery, huh? Well, Chistery, we have your so-called Mistress as our prisoner, so if you do not want her hurt, I suggest you tell us just what you and those other monkeys were doing here." For a clock tick, the monkey stared angrily at Bongar.
"People sick and hungry." he said finally "Fiyero sent Chistery to get food and medicine for people. Chistery get friends to help."
"Medicine?" one of the Gale Forcers said, searching through a basket.
"Here!" said another, holding up a basket full of herbs and bottles "I've seen some of the tribes around here make medicine with this stuff! But, I don't remember how."
"We'll get that Winkie Prince to help." Bongar said, snatching the basket away "We'll give it to the prisoners, too. I'm sick of cleaning up their chunks." The other men groaned in agreement as they made their way back inside.
Fiyero made the medicine without question, as his own son had caught the virus as well. By the time everyone had taken it, there was nearly nothing left, so they hoped the storm would clear up soon. It finally did after a few more days, and the Gale force got ready to go. They grabbed some rope and tied the people up, so that they would walk in straight lines (except for some of the very young children, who the Gale Force carried). Bongar himself carried Elphaba as Fresbin carried the baby and the cage that contained Chistery. Glinda, Fiyero, and Boq had been put in a line of their own and would never take their eyes off of Elphaba and Liir as they made their way out of the Lesser Kells.