Content Advisory: Major Character(s) in Peril, Violence (Minor), Animal Cruelty (Minor), Weapon Use, Profanity


Chapter Thirty-One: Surrender Chistery

"Elphaba," Fiyero called, tromping up the steps after her as she ascended to her castle tower. "Elphaba."

Elphaba wordlessly burst into the tower and snatched The Grimmerie.

"Elphaba…" he called. "Sweet Oz, Elphaba!"

"What?!" she asked impatiently as she tied up her hair and pulled on her hat. "I need to go."

"You need to go? All of a sudden we're back to you?"

"What do you mean?" Elphaba asked distractedly.

"Well I'm coming too, aren't I?"

She gave him a stupefied look. "No you very well are not coming too."

Fiyero groaned in frustration and leaned his back against the tower wall. "I married the most annoying woman alive!"

"Charming, Yero."

She tried to push past him to descend the spiral steps but he stopped her.

"I'm serious, Elphaba. In safety and in danger. Remember?"

"That means you take me in safety and in danger," she corrected. "That doesn't mean you run headlong into it every chance you get!"

"That's what you're doing!"

"But I'm—"

"My wife," Fiyero interjected. "We're partners, Elphaba, and you agreed that wherever you'd go we'd go together. Starting our marriage on a lie, were we?"

Elphaba opened her mouth and closed it.

"Damn it," she grumbled. "I hate loopholes."

"Maybe we should have written our own vows then." Elphaba lifted her eyes to him and Fiyero offered a half-smile. "We wrote everything else."

"I don't want you getting hurt," Elphaba expressed.

"Well, now you know how I feel," Fiyero said as he took her waist. "Listen…we get in, we get Chistery, we get out. Nothing more."

"We get in, we get Chistery, we get out." Elphaba leaned in to kiss him. "But if you die out there I'm going to kill you."

Elphaba carried the crystal ball down with them and handed it off to Nessarose.

"For you to keep watch on the operation," Elphaba muttered.

"You know I can't use this," Nessarose frowned, placing her hands over the crystal ball.

"You're a witch, aren't you? Isn't that what you proved with your little shoe stunt? Learn," Elphaba said coldly as she turned away.

"Elphaba," Nessarose caught her wrist and Elphaba turned back with a stony expression. "I'm sorry for what I said. Are you mad at me?"

The big eyes and pouty lip of her sister unlocked something buried away in Elphaba and she helplessly melted into goop.

"Of course not, Nessie," she sighed. "I'm not mad."

"Be careful, Fabala," Nessarose said.

"I will." Elphaba stroked a hand over Nessarose's face before tapping the crystal ball with her fingernail. "I meant it, you know. Give it a try."

"Remember," Doctor Dillamond advised. "Glinda will have to convince Madame Morrible that she is in favor of the execution. She faces imprisonment if she breaks."

"Well then I'll have to do my job right," Elphaba stated dryly. "She would not fare well in captivity."

Elphaba grabbed Fiyero's hand and they set off down the drawbridge together to mount Elphaba's broom.

"Hold tight, Yero."

"Always."

The Emerald City was a straight shot east from the castle and Elphaba and Fiyero touched down undetected on a side street near the west gate. Elphaba took his hand and attempted to guide him out of an alley but he tugged her in the other direction.

"That's the wrong way."

"I know where I'm going," Elphaba said defensively.

"That leads to the shopping district. The palace is this way," Fiyero nodded.

"Since when are you an Emerald City expert?"

"I lived here, didn't I?" Fiyero said tightly. "What's gotten into you?"

"I just didn't know you were the one leading the mission is all."

She stalked in the direction Fiyero pointed with him in tow. They ducked through alley ways and wove through back streets as they made their way into the heart of town.

"Should we try to blend in?" Fiyero suggested. "We aren't even wearing green. We could—"

"Hush."

"Do not hush me!"

"It's not necessary. We aren't hiding. When we get there I'll cause a diversion."

"What will I do?"

"Not get in the way."

Fiyero took Elphaba by the shoulders and pressed her back against the wall in the alleyway.

"Stop that, okay? Cut it out. Stop talking to me like I'm stupid."

"I'm not—"

"I'm not useless, you know? I know my way around, I know how the guard works, hell! I may even have more intel on Morrible than you," Fiyero pressed. Elphaba pursed her lips and averted her gaze. He brushed his thumb over her chin and she reluctantly looked back. "I can handle myself, Fae. I'm a pretty smart guy."

Elphaba sighed in defeat. "I know you are."

"You create the diversion, I'll free Chistery. I can do it. I'm fast."

"Just not as fast as me," Elphaba returned with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

There was a sudden clamoring from up ahead at the palace and Elphaba and Fiyero inched forward to peer out as they heard the amplified voice of Madame Morrible riling up a crowd.

"From the unrest in Munchkinland to the invasion in the west, we have heard your cries for justice and justice you shall have! The Wicked Witch remains at large, but rest easy knowing that the hunt is our top priority. But with wickedness there is always goodness, and fellow Ozians, I have good news to report! Hope has fallen to Oz right from the very sky! Please step forward and meet the young lady who fell from a star."

Glinda came into view, gently guiding a young girl in a blue and white checkered dress onto the stage. The girl, Dorothy, trembled from head to toe as Madame Morrible pushed her up towards center stage to face the riotous crowd.

"Sweet Oz—she really is just a child," Elphaba murmured to Fiyero.

"This is Dorothy!" Madame Morrible presented, clutching the girl's shoulder with her talons. "His Ozness has foreseen that she is the answer to defeating our Wicked Witch once and for all!"

The crowd cheered and Dorothy waved a trembling hand before scampering back to Glinda. Glinda placed a protective hand on her shoulder and leaned down to whisper something comforting in her ear.

"We will now hear from our newly promoted Captain of the Guard—Captain Fox!" Morrible introduced.

Fiyero snorted as his former Lieutenant took to the microphone with a cocky smile.

"As all of you know, we are not only on the lookout for The Witch. It's sobering that a former Captain of the Guard could commit such unpardonable treason, but we urge you to be on the lookout for Prince Fiyero Tigelaar for being tempted into wickedness!"

In lighter circumstances Elphaba and Fiyero may have made a joke over the Captain's proclamations, but the reaction of pure hatred from the crowd at Fiyero's name made them both swallow nervously. Elphaba silently fumbled for his hand and he gripped it back.

"And while we are quite confident in Dorothy's abilities," Captain Fox continued. "We need everyone's help to rid the world of wickedness. The Witch isn't human like you or I, her soul is unclean. So unclean, in fact, that—that pure water can melt her! She will do all she can to avoid it—I should know," he boasted. "I myself almost bested The Witch with water long ago."

"Many thanks indeed, Captain Fox," Morrible stepped in. "He is correct. It is no longer sufficient to imprison The Witch nor her perverse paramour! Their death is the only thing that can restore peace to Oz!"

"Melt her!" a voice shouted. "Kill her!"

"Kill them both!"

Elphaba held Fiyero's hand so tightly that it tremored from the pressure.

"However, dear Ozians. While the hunt for The Witch remains, we have managed to capture one of her most malicious minions!" Morrible announced. She turned her attention towards Glinda with a wide smile. "Anything to share, Miss Glinda the Good?"

Glinda, ghostly pale, squared her shoulders and walked towards the microphone.

"Goodness…true goodness…will always subdue wickedness," she said vaguely as her eyes scanned the sky. "For that I have much reason to rejoicify today."

People cheered and praised her louder than ever as she glided back to stand beside Dorothy. Morrible nodded to two guards standing by who removed a tarp off of a concealed structure. Elphaba's vision went red around the edges and her breathing got shallow as she saw Chistery beat his wings against a too small cage, screeching as his hands gripped the bars.

"She'll pay for this," Elphaba spat darkly.

"We'll get in, we'll get Chistery, we'll get out," Fiyero reminded her in a forced calm.

"Oh, we'll get more than Chistery," Elphaba fumed. "We'll get justice."

Elphaba released his hand, got a running start, and kicked off the ground to take to the sky. The moment she was visible she let out a feral scream to gain attention. No witchy affectation was necessary. Her own true rage was enough on its own to instill terror in the citizens as they shouted and wailed at the sight of her. She shot up into the sky and with a gust of black smog trailing behind her broom, she scrawled through the sky to transcribe her largest message to date.

SURRENDER CHISTERY

"Chistery?!" people shouted in fearful confusion. "Who's Chistery?!"

Elphaba swooped low to the ground over the crowd's heads. People stooped and shrieked as The Witch flew just over their heads on a crash course towards the stage. Morrible and Fox had no choice but to flee the stage when it became clear that Elphaba was not budging from her collision course. Morrible snatched Dorothy to evacuate her and Glinda hunched low to the ground near Chistery's cage as if to duck in cover.

Elphaba made a hairpin turn to fly back towards the frightened crowd, pausing over their heads to conjure a fireball in her hand. They scattered in all directions as she thrust the fireball down towards the ground where it exploded into a shower of sparks and thick red smoke which expanded throughout the space.

Fiyero, who'd been lurking in wait, snuck onto the stage under the smoke cover and found Glinda by Chistery's cage. Chistery screeched in recognition and Fiyero gently shushed the Monkey.

"Sheesh she really goes all out on those fireballs, huh?" Fiyero coughed.

"At last afraid of The Witch are you?" Glinda chuckled ironically.

"I'm not afraid of her. I'm not afraid of anything!" Fiyero scoffed. Elphaba conjured another blast over the heads of the crowd and he and Glinda jumped a little. "I may be a little jumpy around that much fire is all."

Fiyero tugged at the padlock on Chistery's cage to find it quite secure.

"Can you unlock it?" he asked Glinda.

"Not without my wand," she fretted.

Fiyero heard a groan and, as he squinted through the smog, he spotted the cowering former Lieutenant ducking for cover face down on the ground in front of the stage. A ring of keys glinted from his belt loop. Fiyero hoisted himself over and grabbed for them but paused as Fox whipped around to notice him.

"C-Captain?" he spluttered.

"Look man, just give me the keys and no one has to get hurt," Fiyero reasoned.

Captain Fox scrambled to his feet and puffed out his chest. "No way. I'm the Captain now!" he said. He looked Fiyero up and down with a sneer. "You're just filthy witch fucker."

Fiyero blinked.

"Alright, Fox." Fiyero pushed up his sleeves. "I guess I'm a man of my word, after all."

"Huh?"

Fiyero reared back his fist and punched the unsuspecting Captain hard in the jaw.

"That's for Chistery."

Fox groaned from the ground but Fiyero grabbed his shirt to pull him upright and meet him eye to eye. "And this…is for what you said about my wife back in college."

Fiyero finished the job with two more swift, personal jabs, knocking Fox out cold. He gave his bruised fist a shake and took a moment to appreciate his handywork before securing the keys and tossing them to Glinda. She caught them and began fumbling to find the right one, sparing a few panicked glances behind her shoulder. At last the padlock opened with a blessed click and Glinda stealthily freed Chistery who gave her an indebted hug.

"Go! Go with Fiyero!" she urged in a hushed tone, patting him on the back and shooing him off. "Go on."

Chistery scuttled towards Fiyero who ushered him off the stage. Elphaba touched down on the ground, her smoke still hazing over a now eerily empty clearing. The majority of the onlookers had already gone, their frightened cries growing fainter in the distance as they fled to safer streets. Fiyero's footsteps echoed as he and Chistery ran towards her.

"Chistery!" Elphaba called, dashing to meet them halfway. She hugged the Monkey in relief and gestured towards the sky. "Go now! Fly! Fly, Chistery, fly!"

Chistery did as he was told and took off in flight. Fiyero looked behind him to see if he could spot the guard through the smoke. Having no Captain to dispense orders would surely delay them, but it was only a matter of time before they mobilized.

"He's free now," Fiyero said to Elphaba. "We need to go."

But Elphaba wasn't listening. Thin patches in the smoke revealed Madame Morrible standing a short distance away. The two witches stoically locked eyes.

"She'll pay," Elphaba glared. "She'll pay for what she's done."

"Leave her, Elphaba. Let's go, let's get out of here!" Fiyero urged, clutching at Elphaba's hand.

"No, Fiyero!" Elphaba growled vengefully. "Think of what she's done to Oz. What she's done to us."

"Fae—"

Elphaba's hand slipped out of Fiyero's as she charged towards Madame Morrible. Elphaba's teeth were bared, her eyes bloodshot, and her chest heaving in feral fury as she jabbed the handle of her broom against her former mentor's withered heart.

"My how you've grown into your name," Madame Morrible mused, her lips curling into a sinister smile. "The wickedest witch there ever was."

"You're the wicked one," Elphaba hissed.

"Why! My dear—I'm not the one poised to kill a frail old woman," she said in mock terror. She raised a painted eyebrow. "Well, what are you waiting for dearie? Do it. Kill me."

"What—"

"That's what you're really here for, isn't it dear?"

"I'm here seeking justice! I'm here seeking good!" Elphaba yelled.

"If that was the truth you would have run off with your handsome swain the moment that Monkey took flight. Yet here you stand."

Elphaba gritted her teeth, her mouth twitching as she tried not to let Morrible get into her head.

"Why can't you just be honest with yourself? You're not seeking good—you're seeking attention," Madame Morrible clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Vanity. Vengeance. And what's more wicked than that?"

"Elphaba!"

Elphaba, distracted by Fiyero's voice, momentarily let down her guard. It was a moment too long. Caught unawares, Elphaba gasped as she felt her broom getting tugged out of her grasp from behind. She turned around in shock just in time to watch Dorothy Gale break her broomstick in two with a sickening snap.

"That's for being so mean!" Dorothy huffed.

"No! No, no, no!" Elphaba howled, scrambling to pick up the pieces of her broom. "You foolish girl! Do you realize what you've done!?"

Elphaba uselessly tried to connect the two fragments together as her eyes darted about in disorientation. In one direction she heard what could only be Glinda's fearful shriek. As the smoke began to lift and Elphaba's eyes locked with Fiyero and she gasped in horror to see The Wizard's guard advancing on him from behind, weapons poised. They weren't taking prisoners today. They were out for blood.

"YERO!" Elphaba screamed, gesturing desperately for him to come to her. "RUN!"

A gunshot rang out and Fiyero skidded to dodge the bullet as he broke into a sprint towards his wife. Elphaba stashed the broken pieces of her broom under her arm and held out both hands for him as they ran towards each other. With her broom destroyed, the only choice they had was to teleport.

"Grab my hands!" she pleaded as guards began to close in behind her as well.

Fiyero threw his hands towards her as he got close. The moment his fingertips brushed hers she frantically prepared to transport them. However, in her state of turbulence, rather than her controlled cloud Elphaba had instead conjured a great twister of fire. Fiyero, who had never teleported even in the best of times, was involuntarily startled by the flames. Elphaba watched his face twist in fear as he unconsciously recoiled from her and stumbled backwards to the ground.

"NO!" Elphaba cried, grasping at the air hysterically as Fiyero's hands fell out of hers.

The last sight Elphaba saw before getting ripped away to Kiamo Ko was Fiyero being violently seized by the guards.