I take it everyone enjoyed the curveball. Yes, Morrible is Elphaba's aunt. We shall learn more about that later on.
witches always return: Yup, I love that movie. My other favorite is 'Barbie, Princess Charm School'. In this, Nessa is the Governor's daughter, and she gets a little cameo later on.
Glinda awoke the next morning feeling even more tired than ever. The events of the previous day rang in her mind as she pushed herself up. She didn't want to get out of bed. She was too emotionally drained. What was going on? Sighing, she knew that she wouldn't be able to stay in bed and forced herself to get ready for the day.
By the time Salmya can in, Galinda was already dressed in a tannish-pick dress with a golden belt. "Good morning, miss," she said, giving the blonde a small smile. "Breakfast is ready."
"Thank you," Glinda sighed. She walked past the maid and down to the dining hall.
"Miss Glinda," Morrible greeted.
"Good morning, Madame, Your Ozness, Fiyero," Glinda said as she sat down.
"We didn't believe you would be coming down for breakfast. I was about to have it sent up to your room," the Wizard said, smiling softly at the blonde.
Glinda smiled back as Fiyero pulled out her chair. She ate quietly while listening to the Wizard and Morrible give a basic rundown of their new responsibilities. Once everything was settled, Fiyero left to meet with the soldiers who would be under his command and Glinda left with the Wizard. Salmya rushed to clear the table, but slowed when she saw Morrible still sitting there.
"Would you like me to bring some breakfast up to-?" she started.
"Yes," Morrible quickly interrupted her. "Who knows, maybe this time she'll actually eat her food instead of blowing it to bits."
Salmya nodded and prepared a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast with butter and strawberry jam.
Morrible watched as Salmya hurried out of the room and sighed. She pinched the bridge of her nose and rose to her feet.
"Please, Elphaba. Please try," she whispered before going to her office.
Glinda walked a step behind the Wizard as he led her down the hall. She really didn't feel like working, but she wanted to make a good first impression.
The Wizard noticed her slight reluctance and began to engage her in small talk. Glinda smiled and tried to answer his questions with more than one word answers. They talked about her childhood, her family, her studies at Shiz, and everything else in between.
Glinda beamed as she spoke with the Wizard. He was softer and more approachable than she imagined. He seemed more than the almighty Wizard of Oz and her employer. He seemed like… a father. He made her feel comfortable, and she enjoyed that feeling.
As they walked, Glinda felt a feeling of uneasiness set over her, as if she was being watched. She discreetly turned around, but no one was there. Shrugging, she went back to her conversation with the Wizard.
As the weeks wore on, Glinda and the Wizard grew closer. When they weren't working, they took walks through the palace and in the gardens together. They had tea in the parlor and she accompanied on horseback outings.
He must want to be a father again, Glinda thought sadly as she walked through the hallways in search of the Wizard. He had promised her that they were going to have tea in the parlor that afternoon. She wandered through the halls and realized that she was in the part of the palace where Lady Melena's gallery was. She slightly quickened her pace and realized that the door was ajar. Exhaling slowly, she turned the knob and stepped inside, seeing the Wizard standing in front of his wedding portrait with Lady Melena.
"Your Ozness?" she asked, slowly stepping into the room.
The Wizard jumped, but quickly relaxed, seeing the blonde slowly approach him. "Hello, Miss Glinda."
"Are you alright?"
The Wizard nodded, looking up at the portrait. "I'm fine."
Glinda stepped up to him and gazed up at the portrait. "Lady Melena looks very beautiful in this painting. Both of you look so happy."
"We were," the Wizard whispered.
The two stood in a somewhat awkward silence, neither of them knowing what to say.
"I hope, some day, to find a partner that will make me as happy as you and Lady Melena were. Probably a relationship my parents have. They are very happy together. I love them, and they love me. But… they didn't have a lot of time for me because they were so busy. My Ama took care of me, and I barely saw my parents growing up."
The Wizard didn't respond for a while and Glinda bit her lip, wondering if it was out of place to reveal so much of herself at once to the Wizard. Sure, they spoke about her family, but in a more diplomatic way. They were always diplomatic. Kind, but very professional.
"I am a sentimental man, who always longed to be… a father," the Wizard so quietly that Glinda almost didn't hear him. Almost.
He must miss both of them very much, she thought.
"She wasn't just my wife. She was my best friend," the Wizard said, slightly louder.
Glinda could have sworn she saw a tear stream down his cheek. He couldn't imagine the pain he was going through, having his wife and best friend pass away and probably never knowing what became of his daughter. "Your Ozness."
The Wizard straightened and turned back to Glinda. "Now, I believe I promised tea in the parlor, did I not?" he said, forcing a smile.
Glinda blinked, but nodded, sensing that the Wizard wanted to drop the subject of his wife and lost daughter. The Wizard smiled and offered the blonde his arm, which she gladly accepted, and they walked out of the gallery together. The feeling of being watched came over her again, but she quickly pushed it away. Nothing was going to come in between her and the first father figure in her life.
The blonde smiled as she quietly sipped her tea. The Wizard sat across from her, also smiling. They made small talk, but none of the topics evolved into a worthwhile conversation. Glinda noted how warm the Wizard was with her. She opened up with him. If he wanted her to, she would try to be the daughter he never had.
Glinda took a sip of her tea and made to say something, but a sudden cold wind stopped her. She turned to see if the windows were open, and became even more disturbed when she saw that they were locked shut. "Your Ozness, do you feel that?"
"Feel what?" the Wizard asked, setting down his teacup.
"That cold wind," the blonde said, shivering.
The lights flickered on and off before turning off completely, plunging the room into semi-darkness. Glinda let out a small scream of surprise and her tea spilt all over her dress. She felt someone caress her from behind and she screamed out loud.
"Your Ozness! Glinda!" a voice that could only belong to Fiyero yelled as he ran in with two other guards. The two guards held oil lamps and Glinda heard Fiyero draw his sword.
"Fifi?" she whispered, clearly terrified.
Fiyero followed the sound of her voice and quickly located her. He wrapped his arms around her and softly kissed the top of her head. "Are you alright? I heard you scream."
"I'm fine, Fiyero. I'm fine," Glinda whispered, burying herself deeper into Fiyero's arms.
"Your Ozness, are you alright?" one of the soldiers holding the oil lamps asked, stepping forward.
The Wizard nodded. "I'm alright. Please inform one of the maids to draw Miss Glinda a warm bath. She's had quite a fright."
"Yes, sir!" the guards saluted before hurrying off.
"Glin, are you sure you're alright?" Fiyero asked when he realized that the blonde was still clinging to him.
"Y-Yeah," Glinda whispered, slowly detaching herself from the prince. She looked up into his eyes and gulped. "I'm alright. I promise."
"Miss Glinda, your bath is ready," Salmya said, hurrying into the parlor and curtsying.
Glinda nodded and quickly followed the maid up the stairs and disappeared from sight. Fiyero looked once more at the Wizard before bowing and leaving him alone to his thoughts.
After her relaxing bath, Glinda found herself feeling a bit better and decided to go straight to bed without dinner. She told Salmya to inform everyone else of her decision and slipped into her light blue nightgown and pink bathrobe. She settled into an armchair and pulled out a book.
A knock interrupted her from her book. Marking the page, she placed the book aside and straightened in the chair. "Come in."
The door opened, revealing the Wizard.
"Oh, Your Ozness," Glinda gasped, looking down slightly. She wasn't descent.
"Miss Glinda, I just wanted to make sure you were alright after your fright today," the Wizard said.
"Of course. I'm fine," Glinda nodded, smiling a bit.
The Wizard nodded. "May I come in?"
"Yes, of course."
The Wizard walked in and sat across from the blonde. "I take it that you and the Captain have some history together."
Glinda stiffened. Had she been that obvious that the Wizard had picked up on it?
"Forgive me for sounding a bit straight forward. If you do not wish to speak about it…"
"No, it's alright. Fiyero and I… we dated back at Shiz. We met during our first year in History class, and we dated for two years. We broke up last year."
"I'm terribly sorry."
"No, I've come to terms with it. Maybe he just wasn't the one. But we have maintained our friendship without it being awkward."
The Wizard nodded. "Would you like to have your dinner sent up?"
Glinda thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, thank you, Your Ozness. I believe I'll just go straight to bed."
"Goodnight, Miss Glinda. Fresh dreams," the Wizard smiled as he stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Glinda sighed peacefully as she disrobed and hung the robe up on the back of her door. She slipped under her covers and was soon fast asleep.
The spirit from the portrait room appeared again in the center of the room. She took one look at the slumbering blonde and frowned. She whispered something under her breath and waved her hand over her. Her frown turned into a smirk as she saw Glinda grimace and whimper before curling into a fetal position. "So, you think you can easily replace me, Miss Glinda? We shall see about that. Let's see how long our magic grand vizier will last here." The spirit cackled and disappeared with a wave of her slightly green tinted hand.