Chapter 29.
A/N Thanks for the reviews! I'm so glad you're still reading!
And dedicated to HC247...just because she's awesome. Hope that stale-as-old-toast reading is done now :P
Drakin had woken him, minutes after she'd left.
He'd marched straight into Yackle, who seemed, albeit less shocked, a little disorientated as well. She'd shaken her head and grimaced at him.
"I didn't think she'd go without telling you. Clearly, I was wrong."
He'd pushed past her without another word. He was angry at her too. Wasn't she supposed to see everything? But she'd followed him into the kitchens, through the door and watched him saddle a horse when they'd reached the stables. Only then had she spoken.
"There are quicker ways to go about this. Though I should think you might reconsider, seeing as how she chose to go alone."
He'd ignored that too, not trusting himself to not take out his anger and fear on the old woman.
She'd moved to stand in front of him, his horse moving away from them as if it could smell trouble.
"Your former...love, shall we say? Miss Glinda? She has a bubble that flies, does she not? A parlor trick, but an effective one. That would be quicker than a horse."
He didn't want to look at, or talk to, her but he couldn't disregard the truth in her words. He'd glanced up with a blank look on his face.
"How am I supposed to get Glinda's bubble?"
She'd merely smiled and walked out of the stables and back to the palace. By the time he'd caught up with her, she'd been in the library, her eyes closed. He'd moved toward her but she had held up a hand and kept him at bay. A few minutes that felt like hours later she'd opened her eyes and told him it was done and now all they could do was wait.
He had expected to see ...well...something. Mists or howling sounds. Sparks or light or thunder. Whatever. Something. But nothing had appeared out of the ordinary.
Less than an hour later, her bubble landing gracefully, if painstakingly slowly, on the balcony, Glinda had walked into the room. She'd not said a word, simply stepped up to him and hugged him and he knew then that she would help him.
He'd never felt more guilty and more grateful towards the blonde.
He'd explained the situation best he could and she had, proving everyone who had ever thought her dense wrong, come up with something of a plan. He realized again how capable she was, how clever. They both knew the layout of the castle, and while he knew how the Guard operated, she knew exactly who occupied which room and which ones would be empty at what time. They really were a marvelous team.
His life could have been so simple, so effortless. If only he'd loved her enough. If only he hadn't fallen in love with that whirlwind of a green witch. He snorted at his own thoughts.
He seriously wondered how often this was going to happen. He shouldn't have surprised to wake up and find her gone, the window open. He shouldn't have been, but he was.
She'd promised him. She'd looked him in the eyes, she'd hugged him, and she'd promised him she'd wait.
She'd lied. She'd lied to his face and yet here he was, on his way to the Emerald City, because he didn't have a choice.
How had it gotten to his?
And why did her life consist of moments where she found herself in a situation the complete opposite of what she'd wanted, what she'd aimed for?
She should have listened to Drakin. He'd been up when she'd made her way down the steps. She'd opted not to use their window for fear it would wake Fiyero, but sneaking to the library meant risking being seen by others. Luckily, the only one to see her had been Drakin. Less luckily, being seen by Drakin meant being questioned. But he hadn't, his words simple and clear cut, no question marks included.
"You know he'll be angry."
"At least, he'll be alive. Tell him I'm sorry if you have to."
"You also know he'll come after you."
"Then I won't need to tell you not to tell him where I've gone."
"He'll know."
She'd looked at him then.
"It's better for everyone I do this now. Trust me."
"You're wrong."
"Better wrong than sorry."
He'd shaken his head at her. As if he knew something she didn't and regretted that he couldn't make her see it.
She'd wanted to ask him what it was but she didn't.
And now here she was, thinking about that as she felt the net closing in on her, wishing she had asked him.
She was so angry with herself. She couldn't believe she'd fallen for it. She'd actually believed him.
He'd convinced her to join him. He really had, thoughts of Glinda and Fiyero and peace and a life in one place without being hunted had driven her to say yes. He was right, after all. He knew what she wanted and he'd played on it mercilessly.
And now, Dr Dillamond was Oz knew where and that snake of a man, that treacherous little viper, was calling for his guards.
Before she had time to escape, men in the familiar green uniforms stormed into the room. Within seconds all the guns in the room were pointed at her, the soldiers forming a circle around her.
She tried to count them, got to 5, and tried to gauge if this was a fight she could win. Her magic would suffice but there was only one way into the room, so there was only one way out, and that was blocked by a young man who held a shaking hand that slowly steadied as he looked at her.
He was the only one not trying to avoid her eyes, but trying to catch them.
The young soldier that had wanted to shoot her. The one Fiyero had shot to save her.
Her eyes lingered on him. A little boy with a fire arm. It was a dangerous combination. Especially now. Especially with him.
Him against her. Again. And this time, Fiyero wasn't here to save her from bullets.
For a moment, for one moment, she wished he was. She wished she'd let her other half, that other voice, give in. But she pushed the thought from her mind, knowing she'd give everything she had to make sure he never got hurt because of her again.
She glared at Keegan. Maybe if they were too afraid to move, she'd have a chance.
He almost cowered under her glare, but then steadied his hand and looked her straight in the eye. Before she could make a move, however, before any of them could, the door opened.
For a moment, she thought it would be more soldiers, making her chances of escape even smaller, but then she caught the glitter out of the corner of her eye.
Sparkles on a blue dress.
Blond hair with a tiara.
Glinda.
Elphaba didn't have time to wonder how and what and why Glinda was there. She didn't get the chance to be amazed at that turn of the events because coming in right behind her best friend, was Fiyero.
HOW in Oz...
But she didn't have time for that either, as the two made their way further into the room and she could see the rifle that was pressed into Glinda's back.
What...?
"Let her go."
She looked at the guards that still stood circling her, their guns pointed at her. They looked bewildered and completely unsure of what to do. Their former captain with a weapon trained on Glinda the Good. To save the Witch.
Again. She wanted to look at Fiyero, she wanted to see his face, his eyes, but she didn't.
"Let. Her. Go."
He didn't have to add the rest of that threat. She couldn't believe them. How on earth would this ever work? He'd done this the last time and he'd let Glinda walk. They'd know, surely, they'd know that he would never hurt her?
But with no Captain in sight, with no one in their group to take the lead, they looked at each other, waiting for one of them to make the decision.
Glinda whimpered then and all their attention was on her.
"Just do it!"
Tears were gathering in her eyes and she was shaking. If Elphaba hadn't known better, she might have fallen for it too.
They dropped their guns. All but one.
Keegan.
He wasn't looking at Elphaba anymore though. His eyes were trained on Glinda. For what seemed like an eternity no one moved. No one made a sound. The guards were still in their spot, but they were weaponless and distracted and she thought that she would probably make it, granted she could get past Glinda and Fiyero, but she didn't try.
Her life was in the hands of Keegan now, for some reason. She couldn't quite grasp how it had gotten to that but she knew.
He hadn't done anything yet, though. He hadn't put his gun down but he hadn't moved either.
Everyone stared at him, his fellow soldiers clearly torn between admiration and anger, for he was the one that held the power now. He was the one that could determine what would happen next. And all this time, he was staring at Glinda.
Who stared back.
Elphaba didn't really want to know why that was. What she wanted now was to get out, safely, with Fiyero. Glinda, as much as she wanted to talk to her friend, would be alright. She was the victim here, after all; Fiyero's rifle still against her bare back. When Elphaba finally thought she couldn't just stand there any longer, Keegan dropped his gun. He let it clutter to the floor, his eyes not moving away from Glinda's face.
She wasn't sure what to do now, but she didn't have to come up with a plan because Fiyero moved forward then, pushing Glinda into the circle of guards, and grabbing for Elphaba's hand. She reached for his at the same time and they ran for the door.
She looked back to see Glinda being surrounded by helpful hands and, assured that, for now, her best friend would be okay, she ran.
A short one, I know. It was the best cut-off point though. The next one will be much longer. Day after tomorrow :)