Chapter Three
Glinda stood up, and started pacing up and down her chamber. During her twenty years as Oz's ruler, nothing had ever threatened her power. That is, until now. It had started off as a minor problem, but now was turning into a full-fledged war. But, for some reason, the public wasn't with her, as they had always been. Anyone in the region that the 'darkness' was claiming was siding with it. This was the problem: no one really knew what the darkness was. Whatever territories it covered though, devastation was brought to the land. She had tried with all her powers to stop it, but it became clear that that it wasn't going to be enough.
She called in her maid, and told her to cancel all of her appointments for the next few days because of 'immediate business.' With that she got her cloak, wrapping it tightly around her to rid herself of the night chill. Then she stepped into her bubble, and started on towards Kiamo Ko.
Elphaba knew that any day she could expect Glinda. She and Fiyero had watched everything from her glass ball. Parts of Oz were in turmoil, and Glinda's powers in the Grimmerie weren't powerful enough to stop it. They had talked it over very carefully. Would she risk coming out of hiding to save her country? Fiyero was set against it. Them going back into Oz could have them killed. They had been 'dead' for eighteen years, but the people hadn't forgotten a thing. The odds were that they wouldn't be very receptive of Elphaba, or believe the true story of her life. But yet, Elphaba knew that she had to do it.
She couldn't sit and watch her land go down in flames, and take Glinda, Fae, and most of all, her daughter with it. So, it had been decided. Elphaba would go with Glinda and help her secretly. That way, Fiyero could remain at ease and Oz just might be saved.
Fiyero walked into the tower room of the castle were she stood. "Come on," he warned. "You are going to catch a cold standing out here like this."
"I can't. I know she is coming. I can feel it."
"Well, at least let me stay out here with you and keep you warm," and with that he gently wrapped his straw arms around her. She silently laid her head against his shoulder. "I know you don't want me to, but I have to."
"I know," he said quietly. "But just . . . be careful. I don't think I could bear to lose you again."
"But could you bear losing our daughter?"
He sighed slowly. "You're right." They stayed like that, enjoying what they sensed to be their last precious moments together. They heard a noise towards the North. They knew without looking. It was Glinda.
Glinda jumped from the bubble, and ran into Elphie's open arms. "Oh Elphaba, I have to-"
"Glinda, I know. And yes, I will help you save Oz. Save our families. Save us. Save our daughters."
"Elphaba, I didn't want it to be like this. I tried to stop it on my own. But I couldn't! It's just too powerful. I haven't ever seen anything like it."
"I can't figure it out myself. It doesn't seem to be really a concentrated force. It almost is like a cloud, and everything that it touches turns to evil. Then "the darkness", if you will call it that, begins to eat at everything. Eventually it becomes to the point where no good can reach it."
"I don't know what to do! You are the one who can read the Grimmerie and have the talent. It's time to do what you should have done a long time ago: take your rightful place beside me as co ruler of Oz."
"No," Elphaba said with a frown. "The public is not to know that I am alive. Don't clear my name; don't do anything of that sort. Oz is to believe that it is all you. You are the only one saving them. The public still isn't ready to accept my true story, and quite frankly, I don't think that they will ever be."
"I don't care, Oz won't care, as long as you save our land!"
"I'll come then. Let me get my broom," said Elphaba as she ran off.
Fiyero and Glinda were now left alone on the tower. Fiyero walked up to his friend, and whispered in her ear, "You make sure nothing happens to her. Neither one of us wants to lose her again." Then he walked back inside to help his wife finish the last bit of business. Glinda stared out over the walls, wondering if Oz could ever again be as it once was, or it all was to be lost.
Ali walked into her suite, trying to be as quiet as possible as not to disturb Fae. But it was to no avail. The blond girl whipped from out behind the door and said in a loud squeal, "I told you so! You went on a date with him instead of going to the class meeting!"
"I did not "go on a date" with him. We just went for a walk," said Ali, not ready to go off the emotional high she had just experienced.
"Don't you dare lie to me! I know you have been. I have been on dates and know exactly what I look like when I come home. You have the expression written all over your face. Did he kiss you? Is he a good kisser?"
"Fae, calm down! I did not go on a date, and he didn't kiss me. You were expecting him to after knowing him for what, a few hours?" said Ali, exasperated with her cousin.
"I kissed Blaise on our first date, so I don't see what the big deal is about," said Fae, disappointed that her cousin wasn't going to share the details easily.
"Wait, who's Blaise? Should I know something here?" asked her cousin, suspicious of whom this "Blaise" person was.
"Blaise is kinda, uh, my boyfriend," Fae said, stuttering over the words. She knew she should have told her cousin sooner, but there was never a good time to. Suddenly, a tall, handsome, young man walked out of the kitchen area. His brown hair was tousled, so it looked like he had a careless attitude to him. Ali was infuriated. Fae had not only not told her about her boyfriend, but had had him over at their apartment without even telling her!
Fae, I gotta run," the new comer said. He looked at Ali and suddenly remembered his manners. "Hi. I'm Blaise. You must be Ali. Sorry I have to run, but it was nice meeting you." Blaise gave Fae a kiss and left. Fae could feel her cheeks turning beet red, and she could see Ali's green eyes begin to kindle with anger.
As the door slammed behind the boy, Ali started screaming at her cousin. "FAE! How could you? You are supposed to be my closest friend, my roommate, and my cousin, and you didn't bother to tell me about him? How could you? And why is he here? I want an explanation. Now!"
"Well, you see, we had a, uh, science project! And we finished it, and he stayed and we, uh . . .. Well, he just left so I don't see what the big deal is."
"Fae, don't lie to me. We haven't even started classes yet, so how could you have a science project? And it IS a big deal, because you didn't even bother to tell me about him! I tell you all my secret wishes, my desires, and you won't even tell me about your boyfriend?" Ali was infuriated. To think that her best friend could do this to her...
"You take it so personally! I didn't tell you because I knew that you, Miss Doom and Gloom, would tell me what an idiot I was for falling in love! And I really don't feel like hearing it, so go cuddle up with Amirio and claim that you don't love him, Queen of Denial!" And with that Fae tried to walk away, but suddenly she felt herself floating into the air. She knew in an instant what was going on. Ali had cast a levitation spell from the Grimmerie. This meant WAR.
"Can't go anywhere now, can you?" Ali said with a small smirk crossing across her face. "By the way, cousin, my friend Amirio and I are friends. Nothing more. And you say differently because..."
"I say differently because I know you and I know what you will do. Lie about it until at last you make yourself believe the lies, and leave the only one guy who has ever even cared about you!" All of a sudden, Ali felt herself fly against the wall. Fae gave a laugh. "Thought that you could out do me with a spell from the Grimmerie? My mother taught me too, you know!" She turned Ali's dresses to a poofy pink ball gown.
"What if I do care for him? Is that so wrong? Oh, and that is a hypothetical question, because I know I don't'!" Ali screamed at her cousin as she turned her dress a lovely shade of black.
"You witch!" Fae shouted, quickly turning her dress back to its original shade of pink. Then, using her wand (which she always kept in the folds of her skirt) she carefully extracted Ali hat from her head and sent it flying at her.
"You're too full of goodness, do you know that?" Ali yelled as she threw the hat back at her cousin.
"You just can't stand it that I'm right!" said Fae, sending Ali up to her level. "You hate it because for once you have to admit that people can actually be good! I wish you would just admit it and be done with it!" and as she said that, turned sent Ali's broom flying at her. "I don't fight unfairly, so there's your weapon!"
"Fine then! I'll admit it, I love Amirio!"
Ali's hands came up over her mouth, not believing what she had just yelled. Deep inside, she knew she was right, but she was scared to admit it to anyone but herself.
"I told you so!" Fae shouted defiantly.
Using all of the anger pent up from her latest comment, Ali grabbed the broom and started mumbling incoherently. Suddenly, Fae felt her feet tingling. She looked down and found she was wearing... combat boots, just like Ali!
"YOU WENCH!" Fae shrieked, quickly turning her shoes back. Suddenly they heard laughter from the side of the room. There stood their mothers, rolling on the floor laughing at them.
"Well, the only think missing Elphie, is the cornfield and the house!" Said Glinda in between giggles.
"So right. At least your daughter doesn't twirl a wand like a baton!" Elphaba exclaimed, gasping for breath.
"True, true!" Fae and Ali sat and stared. Their mothers had seen that!
"How much did you see!" asked Fae, flabbergasted at the thought.
"Well, dear, practically everything. Combat boots, Ali? Clever, though hideous."
"You saw me shriek out something about a boy?" said Ali, whose cheeks were turning as red as apples.
"Yes, dear, we did see that. So who is this Amirio fellow?" Ali's mother asked with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, who is he? I might know his parents," said Glinda, lowering the girls to the ground.
"Umm... no one. He's just someone I met on campus today," stated Ali sheepishly as she shuffled her feet and looked at her shoes.
"Liar," hissed Fae, making sure that it was loud enough that the whole room heard.
"Now, Ali, we can always just use the Grimmerie to force you to tell us the truth. I think you better fess up the easy way," remarked Glinda, quickly remembering the spell to make others tell the truth.
"Do I have to?" begged Ali, not wanting to tell the whole room immediately.
Glinda began to chant something, quickly causing the girl to tell the truth. "He's a boy I met today. I went to his place and we talked, and went for a walk. You heard me say my feelings for him," said Ali, very quickly from the Grimmerie's spell.
Fae and Glinda squealed with delight, while Elphaba just gave a motherly grin. "I think your father and I need to meet this boy, Ali." said Elphaba, remember the first time she met her Yero.
"Can we please change the subject?" asked Ali, sufficiently embarrassed for one night.
"No. We can't! This one is too much fun!" said Fae, bouncing despite her 4 inch heels.
"Now, now Fae. Let's not torture the girl too much tonight. After all, you aren't even shocked to see us!" said Glinda, putting on her fake pout.
"Why are you here?" asked Ali, curious and relieved that her embarrassment had ended.
"For a very, very serious matter. Let's talk about it in the morning, okay?" said Ali's mother, tired from the trip to Shiz. Brooms weren't as easy to control as bubbles
"There is just a teeny problem. Where are we going to put you?" Fae replied, a little bewildered to the whole ordeal.
"We didn't think of that," said Elphaba, her cheeks growing a darker shade of green.
"I did!" said Glinda, and with a flourish of her wand two beds that resemble to the ones they had had at Shiz appeared in the girls bedrooms
"Then good night to all. I'm going to bed," said Ali, exhausted from all of the days events.