The Emerald City. For years, it was heralded as Oz's brightest city, in every aspect of the word. Now, fights, danger, and most of all, the darkness, ravaged it. The fog had settled over the Palace, and it seemed to tarnish the emerald building. It didn't shine, as if it knew that goodness was no longer harbored in its walls.
The palace no longer held a ruler who would take charge of their land, or one who would try and take Oz down a better path. While the darkness ate away at Oz, this man did not care. Instead of fighting it, or even trying to take a stand, he made a truce with it. He became the representative to the people, the pawn in a deadly game. From his neck hung the telltale black stone, filling our wayward Nerote with anger, hostility, and ultimately, manipulated him to believing that his wife and daughter were the quintessence of evil.
Nerote awoke that morning, feeling the sentiments that were now constantly brewing in him. Anger, resentment, and hatred. How had he ever loved that woman? How had he let Glinda into his heart? And now, this group of foolish children thought they could gain Oz back to its former state of goodness? "Ha! Let them try!" he thought to himself, a small smirk growing across his face.
He went to the throne room and sat, fiddling with the stone hanging from his neck. He couldn't even imagine how he had sat so long as second fiddle to Glinda. Now, he was in charge, and where was she? In a prison cell with that imposter Wicked Witch, Elphaba, awaiting trial with him! He would make them pay for those years of misery, years of being ignored...
Suddenly, there was a bang at the doors. "Enter!" he shouted, sitting erect at his throne. The guard dragged in two women, and even at a distance, he could tell it was Glinda and Elphaba. The guards pushed them down in front of him and left.
The two stood up slowly. Nerote took a minute to study them. If only Oz could see they're once glorious queen! Her hair was unkempt, her dress tattered, and bruises covered her small body. Yet, she stood with the same air that she always possessed, and that enraged him. Elphaba stood besides her, standing as tall as she could. She kept her constantly defiant air about her, but Nerote could tell she had been worn down. She stared at him with hatred and contempt in her eyes.
Nerote walked up to Glinda and tilted her chin in the air as if to examine her face.
"Well, well, well! The two most powerful ladies in all of Oz in my captivity. Really, I thought you were smarter than that," he said, his voice as smooth as silk.
He let Glinda's chin down and looked at her for a moment. She kept silent, not saying a word. Then he turned to Elphaba. "And you, you of all people couldn't say a levitation spell and save yourselves? I must admit ladies, I am disappointed."
Elphaba's whole body shook with anger at that moment. "And you Nerote, consumed by evil, and don't even try to resist? You are true disgrace in this room!" she spat back like venom.
Nerote wouldn't take this! Wasn't he more powerful than she now? He shoved Elphaba, causing her to fall to the ground.
Glinda was enraged! How dare he! How could she have ever loved this man? She marched up to him, "You vile snake! I will make you pay for all you have done to us! For the betrayal, for our treatment, for everything!" She spat in his face, and began to chant with all her might.
"Guards!" Nerote shouted, seeing the lighting spark above his head. The guards rushed in, and grabbed the women, who struggled to be free. "You will be the one paying dearly for this!" Nerote shouted, irately. "Take them to the stone!"
The guards waited for no other command. With Glinda and Elphaba still struggling to break free, they were dragged down the hall, and into the room. Glinda's shrieks of terror cut into the bone of everyone in the palace, except Nerote.
Nerote stomped into his chamber, angered with himself that he had not shown more authority. He would see no further audiences today. For now, he would satisfy his rage by planning out how to capture the four youth, who were trying to fight the inevitable.
Fae stood, waiting on the other three before she conjured up her bubble. She was glad the boys had decided to stay (whether out of fear of her wrath or not). They might be needed later on. She pulled her pink cape around her. The sky was already night, and the wind gave a lonely howl. Not even the stars twinkled, as if they had given up hope for Oz themselves.
She sighed and sat down on the roof of the barn. Keeping a smile plastered on her face seemed to get harder every second. For every second they had to wait, they were one more second away from finding their mothers. She wiped away a silent tear that rolled down her cheek. She had to be the happy one. Otherwise, the others would lose hope. So, even if she didn't believe in herself, she had to personify goodness, as her mother had done.
Ali walked out onto the roof and sat beside Fae, fiddling with the point of her hat. "Are you nervous?" she asked quietly.
"A little. I've never been to Quadling Country before."
"I've heard they aren't exactly the smartest beings. The darkness was smart. Starting its reign of terror in an area where no one would question it." Ali stared out at the lonely sky. A blanket of the blackest fabric ever found stretched out in front of them. It seemed no light could penetrate it. Was the darkness like this? Once it left it's stain, was anything able to get through it? Who's heart could ever be that cruel? Only a monster could be like that.
"Where are the boys?" Fae asked, not liking the silence that seemed to form between them.
"Probably fighting again," Ali said moodily. Despite their warnings and threats, the boys still seemed to detest each other as much as they had before.
"Well, you can't force them to be friends, I guess. I wish Amirio wouldn't have felt the need to steal the money though. Blaise is a generous enough guy. He would have loaned it."
"Blaise? Generous? What land do you come from? Kansas?" Ali asked. She knew that Blaise would never bee known as generous, at least, not to herself or Amirio.
"Well at least he doesn't steal to make his money!" Fae shot back. She was shocked at her own words. Could the darkness possibly affecting their relationship too?
"At least Amirio's ego doesn't fill the whole room!" Ali shot back. She knew that what she was doing was detrimental to everything they were trying to accomplish, but she didn't care right now. She wouldn't know until later what a dangerous mistake that was.
"You little . . . I should have known Amirio would have turned you against me! You hate Blaise all because that precious Amirio tells you to! "You little . . ." Without hesitating Fae yanked out the Grimmerie and began to recite. She was in a fit of rage. She wouldn't take a single drop more of Ali insulting Blaise unfairly!
"Ki jay li mert do, ki jay li mert do!" Fae chanted over and over again. Ali suddenly found her body thrown onto the slant of the roof! What was going on?
"You fool! I am not a puppet! Unlike you, I have a boyfriend who likes me for what's inside!" Ali screamed as she used brute force to somehow get Fae. All knowledge she had had of the Grimmerie had disappeared, and was replaced by anger that burned hotter than acid. Fae wasn't hard to pick up, for as tiny as she was she didn't weigh that much. "BLAISE!" she shrieked, scared that Ali might actually throw her off.
"Like being scared for you own life? Do you?" Ali said as she held Fae above her head. "You know I could drop you at any second," she sneered.
Blaise and Amirio rushed onto the scene at that moment. "Fae!" Blaise shouted, terrified at seeing his girlfriend choking by . . . was that ALI? He ran to her aide, and with a quick motion, managed to grab Fae away from her clutches. But Ali lost her balance and started sliding down the side of the roof. "Ali!" Amirio yelled as he ran as fast as possible to catch his Ali from certain death.
He was too late though. Ali held on to the side for dear life, crying and screaming. She couldn't hold on much longer. Her hat fluttered to the ground. "Amirio! Help me!" she shrieked.
Amirio grabbed one hand, and tried to pull her up to the roof. He wasn't strong enough by himself though. It was hard enough to pull another person up to a slanted roof, but even harder by yourself. "Blaise, I need help," Amirio grunted as he gritted his teeth, trying to hold onto Ali.
"Why should I? She tried to kill Fae! Let her hang for a minute and see how she likes it!"
His softer side gave in. He quickly went over, and edged himself to the side. He grabbed her hand and yanked her up, causing her dress to tear a little on the side.
Ali lay there on the roof, trying to catch her breath and realizing what had happened in the past few minutes. Amirio quickly rushed to her aid, but she pushed him away. Despite this, Amirio picked her up and carried her back to safety inside the barn.
"Not so much fun to be attempted to be killed now is it?" Fae shot back. She was surprised at herself. This wasn't her! Why was she acting like this?
"I... I..." Ali stuttered, not sure of what had just happened. Did she really do that?
"You know what? Save it. Blaise and I are leaving. I can find our mothers quicker without you holding me down." Fae said. She felt like she could never forgive Ali for the terrible thing she had done.
Blaise looked at his girlfriend carefully for a moment. She was wearing a strange necklace that he hadn't noticed before. "Fae, when did you get that?"
Fae glanced down at her collarbone. There it was. The black stone. She was aghast! That must be what was causing her to behave so strangely! She yanked hers off then hurriedly went to Ali. Sure enough, she had one too.
"Where... Where did we get these?" Ali asked as she stared at the stone dangling from the leather string it was on. After pulling it off her neck, she couldn't help but stare.