i know, i know... it's been forever and a half since i've last updated. i have the usual excuses: prolonged writer's block, school, sports, plays...i doubt they're helping. anyway, it's an epic chapter, so enjoy.
this has already been established, but i don't own Wicked.
Spring:
Ever since that meeting in the fall, things were different. Meetings were becoming more frequent, things were more organized… It was as if this plan brought everyone together. They were training harder than ever, just as the Master had promised at the first meeting Elphaba had been to. Training consisted of evading, spying, lock-picking, fighting, and trailing. Everyone had to take part in it. Even the Master.
On the side, Naytala and Elphaba would have daily sorcery sessions. Naytala was amazing with her magic. Elphaba, as naturally gifted as she was, had nothing on her.
"Don't worry about it," Naytala had said one day around midwinter when Elphaba was getting frustrated, "you'll probably be as good as me in no time. You have no idea how long I had to study to be able to do this."
Elphaba laughed bitterly. "Well, with the way things are going, it seems I won't have time to study to be as good as you."
They wouldn't do magic everyday though. Every other day, they would spend time writing out some spells that might be useful in the future: Cloaking spells, Silencing spells, Truth spells, Locking spells, Unlocking spells… They could probably write a book, assuming anyone could read it. They made potions also.
"I feel like a storybook witch." Elphaba told Naytala as she stirred a potion.
"You just need a flying broom or something." Naytala said back, laughing.
That makes me feel so much better…Elphaba thought.
Elphaba couldn't decide. Were she and Naytala friends, or were they just accustomed to each other's presence? They were around each other almost every day, but it was mostly for work. They'd laugh sometimes, yes, but it was still work-time, right?
In fight training, Elphaba started out as being labeled 'smart, but weak'. She had a slight figure, yes, but that also made her fairly fast. She would use her speed against her practice opponents. 'It takes more energy to swing and miss than swing and hit.' She reminded herself. She would dodge her way out of fights, only getting a few hits in. Dodging was her way of winning a fight and moving up in the ranks. It wasn't until she faced someone just as fast as her that she actually tried fighting back. Needless to say, she would go home with various bruises and cuts until she started toughening up. Luckily, she had her own personal slave driver to help her with that: Naytala.
Malky stuck around with Elphaba. He lived with her, or rather, on the stairs leading up to her room. He had his missions. He was a spy, of course. Since he was so plainly colored, he could get almost anywhere in the city without looking too conspicuous. News was pretty slow though. Or, maybe they were just getting used to the reports of Animals either getting killed or caged, and some careless Resistance members getting arrested.
"We're getting ignorant." Malky said to Elphaba.
"We've been ignorant."
"Yes, but it's getting worse. When we both joined the Resistance, all of this news about Animals being killed disturbed us. Now--"
"Now it's become more and more common. It's only natural that we become callous."
"So you don't care anymore?"
"Of course I care! I just don't show it. It won't help the situation any."
"So, if Naytala were arrested or if I were caught, you would just carry on like nothing happened?"
"That's not what I said."
"It's what you implied."
Malky had stalked off after some mice after that. As great of a relationship as they had, Malky couldn't deal with Elphaba's stubbornness, and Elphaba couldn't deal with Malky psychoanalyzing everything she said. There were times when she wished Malky couldn't talk back, as hypocritical as that was.
She did keep 'reading' Kumbricia's book. Nothing much happened for another 20 some pages.
Kumbricia's Book:
Kumbricia disguised herself as a boy and worked in the stables (She and Lurline decided on the boy's name Umber)… she ended up getting kicked by Lymbret, the ornery stallion (she now sported a clean scar through her left eyebrow)… she took lessons with Lurline, who, as generous as she was, was a complete airhead. Oh, and they were great friends by then… she got into some trouble with teachers arguing ethics… no big deal. It wasn't until Kumbricia turned about 16 when the interesting things started happening. Some guy had seemingly fallen out of the sky, or so it seemed, and was basically handed a throne on a silver platter. He was tearing Oz apart. It was because of him that Oz was divided up the way it was. He sent the Munchkins to Munchkinland, the Quadlings to Quadling country, and the Winkies to the Vinkus. All of the people he considered 'normal' stayed in what is now Gillikin and Glikkus. Everything was under a pretty little contract that said that if the people refused to leave their homes, they'd more than likely be killed in their sleep. It wasn't until after he sent all of these people to their respective corners of Oz when he realized that he gave the best hunting lands to the Winkies. The self-proclaimed dictator of Oz hated the Winkies enough already for their darker complexion and strange skin markings. When they refused to move again, the ruler was furious. He couldn't convince them to leave, so he forced unfair taxes on them and cut off all trade controlled by his government to them. Kumbricia wasn't happy about it and almost nobody would listen to her about how unfair it was. Lurline would listen, but she wouldn't understand. That's as far Elphaba had gotten in that tale.
Summer:
By summer, she was sure that she and Naytala were either friends or close to it. They still had their magic sessions, but they were becoming less frequent. Elphaba was just about as good as Naytala now. They replaced their sorcery sessions with fighting and spying tests.
On a particularly hot afternoon, Naytala finally decided to take off her hood. She'd never taken it off before in front of Elphaba, and now she knew why. Naytala's eyes were unmistakably yellow.
"It came from my mother's side," she explained, "You see, my great-grandmother was actually a Wolf. She was raped by some sick human, not because he was attracted to her, but to terrorize her. She gave birth to my grandmother as a result of it. My grandmother had Wolf and human traits, but mostly human from what I could see. She much hairier than most women and her nose a lips were darker, too. Even her eyes were a human color: brown. Well, she married a human had my mother. My mother was born with an even less Wolfish look about her; she's much less hairy and her facial features were all human. Her eyes were brown, too. She married a human, and I was born. The only things that distinguish me from a human of normal lineage are these." She pointed to her eyes.
"Is that why you joined the Resistance? Because of what happened to your great-grandmother?"
Naytala's brows furrowed. "Yes and no."
"What about your mother? Is she part of the Resistance, too?"
"She was killed by the Gale Force."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." She laughed in spite of herself. "It's not like you killed her."
That was then end of their conversation. Naytala was reluctant to say anything more about her family, and Elphaba respected that.
Elphaba would look into the glass trinket Turtle Heart had made her occasionally. She still only used it to check up on people at Shiz. Around mid-June, Glinda, Fiyero and Boq disappeared. She guessed that the term had ended and they were all home. She didn't think much else of it, but then, something was distracting her.
Also in mid-June, Malky had been caught. He was most likely dead. The Wizard was running out of room in his cages. Elphaba didn't mourn. Well, she did, in her own way, but not by crying or going to church. She just worked harder and fought harder. Crying is useless. She told herself, It's better to do something useful than something useless. As much as she hated to admit it, Malky was right. She'd become callous. She was barely even surprised when she heard that Malky was caught. She was a bit disturbed, but not surprised. She still had things to keep her mind off of it. Things were speeding up at meetings. Before Malky's capture, Elphaba finally got wind of the perfect event that would definitely lure Horrible Morrible: Lurlinemas Ball at the Emerald Palace. It was a waiting game now. They trained and they waited. They were ready.
August came, and things were slower again. The rush that followed the release of the date they planned to kill Morrible had ended. There was more time for Elphaba to do things like fly the broom around at night and read Kumbricia's book. She'd mastered flight, or rather, she learned to reason with her stubborn broom. It listened to her now, most of the time. Not only that, a white stray cat (no 'C') had made itself at home in her apartment. She called him Malky after her late friend.
Kumbricia's Book:
When Kumbricia turned 17, she was discovered as being a girl. She was allowed to stay, by Lurline's request, but she was on thin ice with the family. Lurline had blurted that she had magic, and she was forced into a sorcery class. Meanwhile, the tariffs on the Vinkus were getting higher and higher, but the Winkies still refused to leave. They had resorted to a primitive tribal lifestyle. This made them even less popular in Oz. Land-hungry nobles from Gillikin stole land from the eastern part of the Vinkus. They kept at it until they hit the mountains which were deemed impassable except by Winkie 'savages'. There was only one known way to get past the mountains, and that was around them.
By the time Kumbricia was 18, she was fed up with everything: prejudice, magic lessons, high-society, even Lurline. As nice as she was, her obliviousness was unbearable. Lurline was already sucked into the new ruler's 'marvelous' façade and was determined to find some way to rise up and become his right-hand. So, Kumbricia left. She went to the Vinkus—through the mountains, not around. The trail through the mountains was now known as Kumbricia's Pass. In the Vinkus, she was accepted. Nobody cared that her eyes were a freakish yellow. All they cared about was that they had someone who actually cared enough for them come to help them. Behind her came more support. The people who came were educated. Most of them, actually, were once part of His Ozness's council and left after things started getting out of hand. They either left or were thrown out because they had magic. It seemed that their new ruler was afraid of it. Kumbricia and the mages worked together to formulate spells, powerful ones, that they might use against their dictator should this feud come to war. The non-magical people in their group would go around the Vinkus helping the sick and poor. Some would train alongside the Winkies in their army, while others would try to find ways to reason with the 'vizier'(yes, he titled himself). It was around this time when Kumbricia met Starem. He was a soldier, originally from Gillikin. He took her for more than just a brain or magic wand. They hit it off right away. Soon after they became friends, they became, well, more than friends. They were in love. Unfortunately for them, the Vizier's people had caught on to their activities and were determined to destroy the organization all together. At 19 now, Kumbricia was a driving force in helping the Winkies. In the Vizier's eyes, she was considered inferior because of her gender and age, but she was still a threat, which made him that much more angry. His troops stormed the Vinkus to find the 'Witch' that was destroying Oz. Starem and Kumbricia lived for a year in hiding. They eloped as the opposing forces got closer and closer to finding them and they kept working to free the Vinkus from oppression. Finally, the Vizier's troops were closing in on them. They resorted to living alongside a pack of wolves at the base of The Great Kells, near the Thousand Year Grasslands to lead the troops away from any defenseless villages. Almost 20 years old, and they'd been on the run for almost a year. Their time living free was coming to a close and they knew it. It wasn't long before they were caught. Kumbricia managed to make them let Starem go free, but she had no such luck. As a squad of the Vizier's guards dragged her away, Starem gave her his pendant, a sapphire cut into the shape of (ironically) a teardrop, as his last gift to her. Needless to say, Kumbricia was taken to the closest town to be 'burned at the stake for being the Witch she was'. They waited almost a week before actually burning her because the Vizier himself wanted to witness the destruction of an evil force in Oz. Lurline came as well, but not to witness her friend's murder. When Judgment Day finally came, Kumbricia spoke out to Oz, asking them "What is it I've done wrong, but try to free a nation from oppression? Have I killed anyone? It is your Vizier that has killed these people, yet I'm blamed for the bloodshed. Hear me, you can still change how this ends! Lurline… You can fix this. Oz, I'll warn you now that if the Vizier, or anyone like him, is not stopped, the dark days we have endured are bound to repeat themselves! Perhaps another like me will rise to the challenge." In the middle of her speech, the flames were lit beneath her feet and everyone watched as she was swallowed by the flames. Nobody was paying attention when the Vizier collapsed. Nobody paid attention when more than half of his army was slain. Only when the flames died down did people look around to find everything in chaos. The only leader left that was a trusted part of the Vizier reign was Lurline. She built Oz a government and made laws protecting the Vinkus then disappeared. That was how the book ended.
Spring:
Shiz:
"Fiyero, what's going on with you?" Boq asked him one day.
"Huh?" Fiyero responded dully as he leafed through a large text book.
"You never explained why you're so determined to graduate this year."
Fiyero rubbed his face with his hands in frustration. He couldn't concentrate. He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in weeks. His eyes were bloodshot.
"I have to find Elphaba." He said.
Boq looked at him sympathetically. "I know you miss her. We all do, but it's been months and-"
"You don't get it, do you?"
"Get what? She's gone, and you're killing yourself over her."
"You talk about her like she's dead! I'm leaving and I'll find her. I don't care if it kills me!"
Boq squared his jaw. "We do. Me, Glinda, Tibbet, Crope… even some of the teachers are worried about you." He argued. "I know you won't believe me, but we miss Elphaba just as much as you do."
"No you don't. You're lying!" Fiyero knew in the back of his mind that he had no right to say what he said; his lack of sleep was making him aggressive and unreasonable.
"Oh yeah?" Boq countered. "Do you know how it feels to lose your best childhood friend and find her in college just to lose her again? Did you know that Glinda still cries because she misses her? I can't even count how many times I've comforted her for that."
"I-"
"Did you know that she was going to try suicide?"
Fiyero fell silent.
"Yeah. Don't even THINK that we don't care about her. We do."
An awkward silence hung in the air for a few minutes.
"When did it happen?" Fiyero asked solemly
"It was about three weeks after Elphaba disappeared. Remember when Nessarose decided that she hated Elphaba?"
Fiyero nodded.
"Do you remember the day she caused this whole scene during lunch about how Elphaba was a heretic, evil person that never cared about any of us and just used us to get what she wanted?"
"It's not true" Fiyero mumbled.
"We know that, but Glinda was already emotionally vulnerable. It made her feel like she was just some expendable being and that no one truly cared about her."
"Weren't you two going out at that point? She must have known that you cared about her."
"Kind of, but you know how if something terrible happens, something so bad that it makes your entire life seem bad?"
Fiyero nodded. "Like how you forget about all of the good things in life and it seems like nothing's worth living for?"
"Exactly. She went back to her dorm and was about to drink an entire bottle of sleeping potion. She forgot her purse, so I followed her back and caught her just as she was about to down everything. I yelled something- I don't even remember what- and she just dropped the bottle and broke down, sobbing."
"Oh, Oz…I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I wasn't thinking when I said you didn't care."
"I know. It's fine." Boq said, trying to keep the thickness out of his voice. "Listen, I have to go. Glinda and I are going to dinner. Do you want to come?"
"No. It's your date. I'm not getting between that. I've got to study anyway."
Secretly, Boq was relieved that he turned down the offer.
"Okay. See you later." He waved, walking through the door. "And get some sleep!" He called. Fiyero had no problem taking that advice. He fell into a restless sleep just minutes after bringing his attention back to the book. It was sheer luck when he did well on the test the next day.
Graduation came quickly. Fiyero managed somehow to survive all of his classes and get honors. The moment the ceremony ended, Fiyero was moving all of his belongings into a carriage bound for the Emerald City. Boq and Glinda begged him not to leave so soon, but his mind was made up. He was going to find Elphaba as soon as he could.
"When you find her, you'd better bring her back here so we can see her." Boq said just before he left.
"And there'd better be a ring on her left hand." Glinda added. She winked and gave him a tight hug, whispering, "Please don't disappear on us like she did." She released him.
"I'll write. I promise. Stay out of trouble."
Glinda rolled her eyes at him and deliberately pressed herself closer to Boq.
Boq noticed that Fiyero was fidgeting. "Hey, I know you're anxious to leave, so I wish you the best of luck. Keep us posted and know that if anything goes wrong, we have your back. Don't hesitate to ask for help."
Glinda nodded in agreement.
"Thanks."
The carriage driver drummed his fingers on the side of the vehicle. Fiyero took the hint and climbed into the carriage.
"Bye." He said. "I'll miss you both." He felt like he should say something more, but he couldn't think of anything fast enough. The carriage pulled away from Shiz. He watched as the two waving figures got smaller and seemed to disappear and did something he felt like he hadn't done all year. Sleep.
Summer:
Emerald City:
Fiyero:
Fiyero spent his first week adjusting to the city. He couldn't seem go adapt to the city sounds or the cold, empty feeling of his apartment. It felt even emptier knowing that he couldn't walk 20 feet and talk to Boq or Glinda. His apartment was large, especially for one person. He made sure it was that way. In case I find Elphaba, he thought. He'd also taken the time to find a room with a magnificent view of the sunset in the evening. No matter how homey he tried to make it, he still felt incomplete.
His second week in the city he explored the slums of the city. They were dirty, depressing, and smelled terrible. He asked around for Elphaba, but nobody could tell him anything about her other than what they picked up from the Wizard. One day though, he came across a fairly young woman who looked almost startled when he asked about her.
"Aelphaba?" she'd said.
"Elphaba." He corrected politely.
"Could you describe her?"
"Well, she's green…"
Fiyero could've sworn that the lady clenched her jaw, as if she were withholding information.
"Can't say I've ever seen a green woman before." She said unconvincingly.
"Please," Fiyero pressed, "It's really important to me. I have to find her."
"I'm sorry sir, but I can't help you." With that, she walked away (fairly quickly, Fiyero noted) toward a ramshackle building tucked into a corner. Fiyero just shrugged and stalked off with his hands in his pockets. Another week went by, and he found himself in the same general area where he'd met the odd woman. He'd overheard a hushed conversation about a resistance meeting of some sort in this part of the city. If Elphaba were working against the Wizard, this must be the organization she was working for.
-- "asking for me? Who was it?" Fiyero heard this voice from an alley close by.
"I don't know, but they weren't with the Resistance." The voices were familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd heard them before.
"What did they look like?"
"Kind of tall, weird skin markings… blue diamonds, I thi"—
That was all he heard. He dashed after the sound, but ran head-long into a brick wall. Sitting, he rubbed his nose and glared at the structure that he ran into. He couldn't recall the last time he miscalculated the sound he was following. Perhaps it was just the angles of the street interfering. A trail of bright red paint drew his gaze upward. He could've smacked himself for not noticing it before. "RESISTANCE," he read quietly. Finally, he'd made a breakthrough.
Elphaba:
It was time for another meeting. Master was concerned that after a few months of idleness, the Resistance members were forgetting their duty.
"Do we really need to attend this pep talk?"
Naytala rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately. Hurry up. We're going to be late."
Elphaba tied up her cloak and followed Naytala out the door. When they were almost at the headquarters, Naytala spoke.
"Elphaba?"
"Yes?" Elphaba responded automatically. "Oh shit…I didn't…I mean…" She bit her lip.
"I won't tell your real name. Don't worry." Naytala assured her. "But about a week ago, someone came here asking around for a girl named Elphaba."
"Someone was asking for me?" she asked, mouth agape. "Who was it?"
"I don't know, but they weren't with the Resistance." Naytala glanced around and opened the door to the headquarters.
"What did they look like?" Elphaba pressed.
"Kind of tall, weird skin markings… blue diamonds, I think." Elphaba closed the door behind them.
Fiyero…she realized immediately. On one hand, she was elated that he would come all the way to the Emerald City to find her. On the other hand, she knew that she couldn't be found. If she was caught, he would be caught and probably killed. That's why she didn't tell anyone where she was. She distanced herself from her friends to keep them safe.
When the meeting ended, Naytala had to shake Elphaba out of her thoughts.
"What's wrong with you?" She exclaimed. "I called you 10 times and you're here staring off into space. Did you hear a thing that Master said?"
"I… No, my thoughts were somewhere else. Sorry." She stood and brushed herself off.
"Good thing none of it was important, then." She scolded.
It went right over Elphaba's head. "I'm going home. I need to think about something."
Naytala looked the slightest bit concerned. "Hey, don't get caught, okay? We need you here."
Elphaba nodded and walked out. She didn't go straight home though. She walked aimlessly around the dark, moonlit streets and alleyways until she came to the same square where the palace was. Even at night, it had a perplexing glow to it. She stopped to stare at the pinpricks of light that decorated the walls. Looking around she saw a quaint chapel. In the bad lighting she could still see the lazy vines that had chosen to make their homes on the pale walls. She could see a faint light inside that seemed to beckon to her. Before she knew it, she was opening the heavy wooden door. Inside she was surrounded by all sorts of Lurlinist icons, statues, figurines, and paintings alike. Her eye caught on a colorful pattern on the floor where she stood. Blues, reds, purples, greens, oranges, yellows and pinks flooded into the foyer through an ornate stained glass window. Silently, Elphaba praised the artist who placed the window so perfectly, that both the sun and the moon could create the glorious palette of colors that she now bathed in.
"Who's there?" An old woman called. Elphaba could hear footsteps coming toward her and a cane.
"You needn't worry about me. I came to admire the art."
Elphaba saw the woman's eyes widen. She gave her a toothy grin. "I know you." She said teasingly.
Elphaba's brow furrowed and the all too familiar sense of paranoia swept into her mind.
"You're the child to whom I gave the flying broom." She was still smiling.
"You!" Elphaba exclaimed. "What are you?"
"I am Yackle. Just Yackle. Do you not recognize this place?"
"No."
"This is the same church you were brought to after…" The woman stopped and cackled, as if what had happened were a joke.
Elphaba just barely restrained the urge to strike her. Instead, she looked about the room, trying to remember. She couldn't believe that this was the same place she was when she was sick. Wouldn't she recognize it? Or perhaps the shock of getting raped had dulled her senses.
"You've grown stronger since we've last met." The older woman observed.
Elphaba merely stared.
"Talk to Yackle. She doesn't bite… hard." She chuckled at her own joke.
"What is it that you want with me?"
Yackle ignored her. "Tell me, dearie: are you ready for the challenges to come?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Toppling a government might be enough to fill the average person's plate." She continued.
"What?"
"But we aren't average, are we, dearie?"-she let out a short burst of laughter- "Now, froggy's past is back to claim her. What will green-y do? Yackle wants to know. Yackle will help." She wasn't asking how she could help. She was telling her that she would help.
"Who are you? What are you?" Elphaba exclaimed. "What the hell do you want?"
"Yackle has already told you." She cackled. "Your future isn't like most… So many paths, but which one to take? Which to take, what to take? You needn't worry yourself over it… Yackle will help…Yackle will see the future and she will help…Yackle knows best." Her voice faded mysteriously as she hobbled away. Elphaba stared after her, a nauseating feeling of anticipation rising within her, but at the same time, she wondered what the crazy old woman knew that she didn't.
Thanks to: Annibelle White for saving my plot. (rather, what will hopefully become a plot)
I'm not going to lie: Updates will either be slow or non-existant. It all depends on school, motivation, the musical, and diving... in that order.
thanks for reading, and remember, reviews are ALWAYS appreciated. even bad ones (just not so much).
e.r.