A/N: (begs forgiveness) I am SO sorry people! I've got masses of exams coming up and too many stories to maintain! Sorry! On a positive note, many thanks to all who continue to review! It means a lot.
Oh, and y'all will be pleased to hear I actually went to see Wicked the Musical today (in London, with Kerry Ellis as Elphaba and Helen something-or-other as Glinda) and it rocked! Kerry was such a sweet Elphaba, and although Helen was a bit shrill, she was good, too.
Anyway, read on…
Compass Point
6.
Glinda stood very still, the very picture of composure, before the ornate door of what had once been the Wizard's palace. She watched with dead eyes and a forced smile as the small, weedy little man made his way through the crowd, meeting and greeting and shaking hands. Swallowed in a seething mass of green, he seemed no less threatening than a fly amid a swarm of wasps.
She knew better.
"A truly momentous day, Lady Glinda?" Lord Baal gushed, awestruck, and Glinda clasped her hands tightly together behind her back to prevent them from shaking.
"Quite." She replied, stiffly, her heart beginning to beat faster and faster as the Wizard ascended the steps which led up to the palace. Why? Why return now? What possible purpose could he have?
He raised his head, and met her gaze, his kindly features shining with seeming rapture at the joy of his return. Then, something darkened in his watery blue gaze; his smile faltered for a fraction of a second, malicious intent dancing mockingly behind the pleasantly wrinkled skin and the neatly greased hair. Glinda felt as though something cold and slippery was creeping down her neck and along her spine, and she shuddered.
When he finally stood before her, mere feet away, she felt as though something was stuck in her throat and, for a moment, couldn't speak.
"Your Eminence." She managed, barely, to keep her smile fixed firmly in place "How very…unexpected."
They were quite the pair; both squeezing pleasantries through their teeth while both knew the other was silently cursing them in their heads. Well, Glinda knew she was. She had no clue what he was thinking; that frightened her a little. Actually, a lot.
"And you, my dear, good witch." He caught her hand, holding it just a little too tightly and bowing just a little too stiffly "Your radiance has grown even greater than upon our last meeting."
Glinda felt her skin crawl with revulsion, and snatched her hand back as quickly as possible without appearing impolite. She had to maintain the upper hand here, the higher ground. That meant pandering to the citizens of the Emerald City; in other words, doing precisely what was expected to be done.
"My fellow Ozians!" She called over the excited chatter of the crowd "I hereby call a celebration, to celebrate the return of our good Wizard!"
It seemed she had done the right thing. Almost instantaneously the crowd roared and cheered, the clamour rising and swelling like the first few chords of a song. Glinda stared out at the adoring people of Oz, and felt her heart sink.
"Long live Lady Glinda! Long live the Wizard!"
For how long could she maintain power with the Wizard around, and with the hideous Madame Morrible on the loose? Her word would not stand up against the word of the Wizard's. The people had been brainwashed, indoctrinated into loving this portly, pathetic man whose only accomplishment was building an inappropriately coloured road (she'd always thought yellow an ugly colour) and the oppression of the Animals. Not to mention the death, no, murder of-
Glinda faltered, and ducked her head briefly as she felt her façade threaten to break. Her chest was tight; she could not draw enough breath to calm herself.
"If you would follow me; you must be tired after your journey." She said, feeling oddly detached, her mouth forming appropriate responses automatically. The Wizard offered her an evidently strained grateful smile.
"Such graces, dear Glinda," He offered her his arm disdainfully, obviously more of an order than an invitation "your hospitality certainly appears to have improved."
Glinda looked from the proffered arm, covered in what looked like expensive emerald velvet, to the wrinkled face, then up, high, high up, to the west. The sky was a gorgeous, deep blue, but with a telltale hint of grey on the Western horizon. Guilt and despair flooded through her like an avenging fire.
But what else can I do, Elphie? I have no choice. She thought, and watched her own hand reach out and wrap around the Wizard's elbow. I'm sorry.
The Wizard abruptly whirled about, dragging Glinda with her and swinging them both to face the crowd. He flung his free arm in the air while Glinda caught her balance, the muscles in her face aching with the effort to keep smiling.
"Dear friends, countrymen…Lords of my beloved land of Oz." He addressed the immediate band of Nobles and Officials, members of the court who had gathered on the steps below them "I beg of you patience, for I am fatigued. Would you attend an audience tomorrow morning?"
Glinda's mouth fell open in shock, then almost immediately pursed in suppressed rage. How dare he. The arrogant, selfish, son of a-
"Of course!"
-fashionably challenged, short, ugly, bald bast-
"Our adored Wizard, pleasant rest and many fair days!"
Oh, what was the use? Do something, Glinda, you useless idiot! Shout at him! Jump on him! Take off your shoes and beat him to death with the heels, anything!
The Wizard's smile widened, and he looked triumphantly at Glinda, who found herself all at once at a loss for words "And now, a brief council with Oz's most esteemed ruler." He said, pleasantly, a glint of malice seeping into his gaze "Glinda?"
Glinda swallowed thickly, but felt her resolve harden. She couldn't just lie down and take this without a fight. She was still the Good Witch of the North, and Lurline, if she couldn't save Oz from the tyranny of the Wizard then who would? There was nobody left but her.
"As you please." She said, raising herself up to her full height and tightening her grip on her wand before walking with the Wizard towards the doors of the palace.
Elphie…
If the Wizard wanted Oz, he would have to fight for it tooth and nail. She was about to let her best friend's murderer rule this land again. Not while she still drew breath.
I won't give in to this. I won't.
&&&&&&&
"Well, there's the river."
After a couple of minutes of trudging spent in sulky silence, they had reached a small grassy bank, the crest of which afforded a view of the river. Well, it could hardly be called a river. More a sort of congealed, muddy flow of water struggling along. Elphaba's brow furrowed, and Galinda curled her lip and wrinkled her nose at the smell.
"It looks just as it did in our Oz, except…darker." Elphaba commented, shielding her eyes from the rain with a long fingered hand "Can you see? It looks polluted. And the surface looks troubled, despite the fact there's no wind."
Galinda shot her companion a glare, and groaned quietly. Although it was not terribly cold, she found herself shivering almost uncontrollably. It was a horrible feeling. Elphaba stood stock still, resolute as ever, unaffected. Galinda felt a stab of resentment towards her stoic companion. She sighed.
"I'm not sure I like it here." She said quietly, and Elphaba started, almost having forgotten Galinda was there.
"I thought it would be interesting to remain here and investigate…" She replied after a moment "after all, this is quite an extraordinary experience. But-"
Galinda's head snapped up incredulously, a look of horror in her eyes at the prospect of staying.
"I don't know how you can say that! It's utterly beastly here. It's so cold and oppressive." As though proving a point, heavy raindrops began to fall like blows against her skull and the bare skin of her legs, and she felt a deep exhaustion that went far beyond physical pain. Just being here was grating against her every instinct. She felt out of place; unnatural.
Elphaba gazed up at the stormy, turbulent bowl of the sky and felt a deep shudder crawl up her spine. Ever since she had arrived here she had felt as though the very land itself was crying out to her, wailing its silent agony which was to her as loud as a scream.
"The sky is weeping." She murmured, sadness filling her heart to the brim. Galinda, meanwhile, was less sentimental and more concerned with her own wellbeing.
"I think a more accurate description would be blubbering buckets, dear roommate mine." She clenched her fists and twisted the material of her skirt in frustration "Oooooh! I'm going to be soaked! And I curled my hair this morning."
"Now that would be a tragedy." Uncharacteristically, Galinda did not anger at the jibe and merely continued to look dejected. Elphaba blinked in surprise, eying the sad mess of dampening curls and the rips and stains on her companion's clothing. Now, Galinda seemed neither arrogant nor silly-minded. She just looked miserable.
Unbidden, Elphaba felt compassion rise within her, and she sighed, removing her own hat from her head "Here." She dropped it none too gracefully on Galinda's head "The rim will keep the rain off."
Galinda simply stood there, stunned, the bowl and rim of the hat enclosing her head and making her feel somehow safer. She felt her body relax unwittingly, and pushed the brim up from where it had slipped down. Ironically, it seemed Elphaba's head was lot larger than Galinda's, minus the hair.
"Does it have a frog in it or something?" She asked with raised eyebrows, more because she did not know what else to say. Besides, she wouldn't put it past her green-skinned classmate to play such a trick. Elphaba snorted and her lips quirked upwards in the hint of a bitter smile.
"No. Unfortunately, I left my stash of frogs which I use for evildoing at home. Shame that."
She chuckled quietly at her own joke, while Galinda pouted, huffed and folded her arms, goosebumps rising up her skin. "There's no reason to be all sarcastic about it."
A long moment passed, while Galinda dithered and Elphaba thought. Galinda didn't know what to do or say. Nobody ever did anything kind for her voluntarily; she was so used to asking and manipulating and prodding to get her way that she had forgotten what a joy courtesy brought. In her life, you did not receive something unless you gave something in return. But…
"Thanks." She muttered, rather pathetically, and Elphaba nodded distractedly. And Galinda found, to her great surprise, that she meant it. Gratitude. There was something else knew. This place must be messing with her head.
"So…what now?" She asked, to fill the silence. Elphaba pushed a wet strand of dark hair from her face and blinked away the rain that had got into her eyes.
"The most logical course of action here is to stay together. Our best chance of getting home is that way. Conflict would be unwise."
Curt, to the point and coolly logical. That was Elphaba through and through. It was one of the things which made Galinda uneasy. Elphaba could shift from cold and unreadable to emotional and unstable in the blink of an eye. She was unpredictable and spontaneous. It frightened Galinda, and yet, it inspired her.
"This place…this land…it's like it's scarred." She murmured, and Elphaba looked at her in surprise "Like it's seen too much evil." Another heavy shiver racked her form, and she wrapped her arms tighter about her "It frightens me…just a little."
Elphaba stared at this unexpected stranger who stood beside her, this sudden glimpse of an emphatic and uncertain young girl who lurked beneath the jewelled façade Galinda usually maintained. Galinda's usually bright and shallow blue eyes instead appeared dark, almost unreadable.
"Maybe you're not all you seem after all." She said, turning her eyes back to the polluted surface of the river. Galinda sighed, feeling distinctly aged by her short time spent here, and in a rare moment of insight simply replied:
"Is anyone?"
&&&&&&&
"What are you doing! I demand that you unhand me at once!" Glinda protested as she was dragged by the arm down corridors and stairwells, all the while desperately twisting her wrist and pulling back with all her might. The Wizard maintained a steely silence, his grip on her bruised skin unwavering as he marched her on.
Eventually, they reached the top of a particularly winding staircase (in one of the towers, Glinda guessed) where the Wizard halted, and tightened his grip on Glinda's arm as he reached into his waistcoat pocket. She winced, but made no sound. She was determined to show no signs of weakness in front of this murderer.
"Now, my dear. If you would be so kind, I will take a few minutes of your time." The Wizard said, pleasantly, while fitting a small key into the lock of a large, ornate door that stood at the top of the stairway. Glinda's eyes widened. Where had he gotten such a key from? She had changed all the locks in the castle when he left…well, when he had been banished.
The door swung smoothly open, and the Wizard pushed Glinda firmly inside before pulling it shut behind him and pocketing the key. Glinda rubbed her wrist absently as she looked around. Yes, of course. This was the North tower; the old astronomy platform. During the Wizard's reign it had been filled with all sorts of odd ticking contraptions and models of planets. Now, however, only a single telescope remained; the one which was bolted as if by magic to the window ledge itself.
The Wizard stared sadly at the empty room, then looked accusingly at her "You've made some changes, I see."
Glinda drew herself up to her full height, and fingered the thin stem of her wand beneath her skirts. It wasn't much of a comfort. She had had little success with the Grimmerie; she had taught herself to read a few words, but not enough to complete an entire spell. In truth, the wand was utterly useless. Still. It made her feel better to have it close.
"I have no desire to speak with you." She said, her clear voice rebounding off the curved stone walls and making her feel more in control "You are an exile here. I suggest you take your rest and leave at first light, before I am forced to take drastic action."
The Wizard actually laughed, the sound a sharp, shrill sort of noise which cut through the air like a blunt knife. Glinda felt a cold, leaden feeling bury itself in the pit of her stomach, but ignored it, forcing her features to remain impassive.
"Drastic action?" The Wizard repeated mockingly, and let out a few more condescending chuckles "My poor dear Witch, you are a source of endless amusement. Do you not understand?" He stepped closer to her, and Glinda physically forced herself not to step back "Or, perhaps, have you not heard what I have heard?"
Glinda blinked, thrown, but quickly regained herself.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She said, coolly, sounding a lot more certain than she felt. The Wizard was playing her, that was all. Trying to twist her mind like he had all of Oz.
"Oh, but I think you do, Glinda the Good." He murmured, silkily, menace dripping from his tone "Shall I explain it in plain words?"
"Please do." Glinda returned, in almost scathing challenge. The poisonous hand of anger had begun to crawl in her chest, making her cheeks flush and her hands ball into fists. No. control yourself. Don't give him the satisfaction-
"It has come to my attention that a certain fugitive's tragic death…" the Wizard's lips slowly curled into a sneering smile "may have been vastly exaggerated."
Glinda felt as though she had been turned to stone.
"Elphaba?" She breathed, so quietly that even she wondered if she had spoke aloud. A wave of grief sapped all energy from her, which was quickly replaced by a burning rage which threatened to consume her.
"Don't be utterly ridiculous!" She hissed at the despicable man. Never before had she hated someone so passionately, not even in the days of her rivalry with Elphaba "You are insane. She's…" Her voice stumbled, broke. She felt again that inexplicable, insurmountable feeling of loss that made her chest feel so hollow yet so full of grief she could explode.
"Dead." She stated, emotionless "I saw her-"
"That is enough."
Glinda started as the Wizard brusquely cut her off, his eyes narrowing and his voice losing all pretence of politeness.
"Shall we put aside these childish pretences?" he said, coldly "I think you know precisely what I am talking about. And I think you're going to tell me what you know."
Glinda stared at him, all at once both terrified and utterly bewildered. The raw wound of Elphaba's death having been ripped open so cruelly, it was a wonder she could think straight at all.
"Leave." Her tone held the telltale hint of a tremble, and she cursed her own weakness "I demand that you leave immediately. Get out!"
The room was quiet. Then that same clinical, sadistic chuckle filled the room and made Glinda's blood run cold. Her heart was beating so hard against her ribs that she was sure she could hear the bone creaking under the strain.
"That is something I cannot do." The Wizard said, taking another step closer to her "You see, this matter is very personal to me, as I think you know. You were, after all, the one who brought the truth to my attention. And for that I am eternally grateful." Glinda blinked at this sudden seeming sincerity "Elphaba-"
Glinda watched in slow motion as her best friend's name slithered from his filthy lips like a curse, and she shuddered, feeling as though Elphaba's memory had been tainted and violated by the Wizard merely speaking her name.
"Don't you DARE-" She raised a hand and brought it down with whip-like force towards his face. Elphaba was dead. Dead, dead, dead, dead, DEAD! Oh God, for how long had she chanted this to herself, day and night, like a holy mantra, yet still it hurt every time.
A sudden sharp pain in her wrist, and she flinched. The Wizard had caught her hand mid-blow, and now held the joint with a crushing strength which seemed beyond him.
"Glinda, Glinda, Glinda." He tutted quietly, his wrinkled face seeming too close to hers, that smirk filling her heart with hatred "You misunderstand your situation. You are no longer in charge here. I am. I want my daughter back."
Please, God. I want Elphaba back.
"And I think you're going to help me."
She had wished, begged, pleaded, but to no avail. Elphaba wasn't coming back. And no matter how much he threatened or twisted her mind with these games, that fact wouldn't change. She felt some sick sadistic pleasure in the knowledge that the Wizard suffered with her.
Glinda laughed bitterly in the Wizard's face, a mad, hysterical laugh which shuddered with grief and remorse and longing. And in that moment, she had never felt more utterly alone.
&&&&&&&
A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry again for taking so long!
ONE LAST NOTE: When I saw Wicked today, one bit that stuck with me was right at the end, when Elphaba and Fiyero leave in the final scene leaving Glinda in her bubble above the cheering Ozian's. There was a lot going on in the scene but when I looked at Glinda she was actually sobbing. Hugging the Grimmerie to her chest and sobbing silently. That ending was bittersweet, very bittersweet.
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