DISCLAIMER: I do not own the musical Wicked in any form (although I wish I did). It is just an obsession I delightfully encourage.

AN: I couldn't wait to write this after hearing the first few reviews I read on my first ever chapter. I really appreciated every one of them, so thank you to everyone who did review. It is great to have such encouragement from fellow Wicked lovers/obsessors (new word, just saying).

On another side note, I am writing this chapter on…let's see, two hours of sleep. So keep that in mind as you read, please. I had to write this in order to sleep better because it is what kept me up, honestly, trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. And because it was cold. But I do not prefer admitting to the latter, so…we'll go with my initial reason!

Two

The mountains of Ugabu were no different than the mountains of the Vinkus, but as they entered the disputed territory, a new feeling washed over Elphaba, shocking her. It was a new feeling, something she had never felt before: security. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

The walls of gray surrounded them, shielding them from the rest of the world. Walking hand in hand with Fiyero, Elphaba gazed around the mountains the traveled through, looking for any sign of an entrance to the secret civilization. Yet as they walked, all she could see was stone upon stone. There was no sign of life anywhere, all the vegetation destroyed and the animals driven away by the constant quarrels over the land. From the looks of it, though, no one had set foot in these mountains for quite some time.

"What exactly are we looking for, Fae?" Fiyero asked after a while of walking through the mountains. Elphaba stopped walking and looked around, frowning.

"I don't know," she finally admitted, letting go of Fiyero's hand. She ran her fingers across the stone, searching for something, anything that might lead them to the underground hideaway.

All she could see was rock.

Gray, crumbling, unwelcoming rock.

Elphaba dropped her head and closed her eyes, tightening her grip around the broomstick. Fiyero stood nearby, watching her carefully.

What are we going to do if- if we can't find this place? Where will we go?

Then it hit her.

A soft lullaby carried through the room as Glinda hummed to herself, eyes closed while she brushed her golden hair. The city was alive and buzzing below her window, still celebrating the death of the wicked witch. After having suffered because of her power and manipulation and lies, the citizens of the Emerald City rejoiced for days on end when she met her final downfall. Thanks to the little farm girl, the entire Land of Oz was saved.

Glinda sighed heavily and set her brush down, looking at the reflection in front of her. Bright blue eyes, golden curls, flawless pale skin…she was the epitome of beautiful. She smiled at her reflection, the image of the person she had been pretending to be for the past week.

Since the Wizard left and she was placed in charge, she spent most of her time in the presence of her fellow Ozians, celebrating with them and feigning excitement over the death of the wicked witch—her best friend. It was hard enough losing the person dearest to her, let alone having to pretend to be happy about it. However, as the days passed, the easier it was to fake the happiness she didn't feel. Her emotions couldn't get in the way of her responsibilities.

Glinda's smile faded as she continued staring into the mirror. The room was stuffy even in her silk nightgown, so she rose from the seat and moved towards the balcony, throwing the doors open and letting a breeze into the room.

The cool air felt nice on her bare skin as goosebumps prickled her arm, sending a wave of relief throughout her body. Stepping out onto the balcony, she leaned over the railing of the palace, looking down at the city below. Several people were tramping around drunkenly and yelling victoriously, a few pointing up at her Glinda and cheering her name. She smiled warmly and waved down to them, bidding them a good morning.

This was her dream come true. To live in the Emerald City, be known throughout the land, to be the top witch in Oz…it was everything she had ever wanted.

But what did she have to give up in the meanwhile?

Glinda shivered and memories flooded back to her, reminding her of her days at Shiz, the very first time she had ever met Elphaba. From the moment the laid eyes on the other, they loathed each other. But what had blossomed from those feelings of detestation was a friendship so strong that it had been almost impossible to break.

Almost.

She shook her head to clear those thoughts away, pushing herself away from the railing and walking back into her room. Leaving the door open, she slipped a long silk robe over her nightwear, sitting on the edge of her bed. Today would be her last day in the city, at least for a short while. Today, she decided, she would go home to Gilliken to clear her head. Before that, she would stop at Munchkinland to check in on them, maybe even the Vinkus. She just needed to get out of this place. She used to love it, but…

That was before…

She would travel around later today, which was what was most important to her. Maybe then she would know what to do. For now, she was just going through the motions until she could be her bubbly self again.

'Now it's up to you…'

She missed not caring about anyone but herself. She missed the happiness she felt before she achieved all her dreams. She missed not hurting. She missed who she was before Elphaba Thropp.

And she knew that was all a lie.

Glinda looked over onto her vanity, eyes falling onto a book so old and worn…and powerful. Glinda could feel the power emanating from the book whenever she touched it, shocking her. She couldn't read it yet, let alone cast any spells from within it, but she could only imagine what it would be like. The very first moment she felt the power from the book, she envied Elphaba for being able to read it without any trouble.

But it was that very ability that got Elphaba into trouble in the first place. If she had never seen the book, if she had never met the Wizard…

She'd be alive today.

Glinda frowned at the thought, feeling as though she had been punched in the gut. Perhaps, if she had done something to help her, if she had been a better friend…

Glinda shook her head and stood up, shaking those horrible thoughts from her mind.

I couldn't- I'm just one person. I couldn't have helped.

Walking towards her closet, Glinda dropped her robe to the floor and threw open the doors of the closet, grinning at the sight. Dresses filled the closet, colors ranging from primarily warm pink to powder blue to pastel yellow with a few colors in between. She picked out a strapless pink ball gown that fitted her upper body very nicely. When it hit her hips, it broke out into a cascade of feathering material, and a small bouquet of flowers dropped down from her right hip to half way down the skirt.

As she slipped into her outfit, she looked into the mirror and smiled at her reflection, practicing one last time before she finished getting ready and headed out into her 'paradise'. She applied light pink eye shadow and some blush before she moved to the final touch of her attire; her tiara. Picking up the beautiful adornment, she placed on top her hair and secured it gingerly, taking a deep breath.

In a matter of seconds, she was descending the stairs of the palace, watching others bustle around in a hurried pace, racing to finish their duties or prepare something or other.

Glinda's face beamed as she greeted each individual person, nodding to one, smiling to another. Everyone greeted her with enthusiasm, even those who looked as if they were going to faint from exhaustion.

After the whole Wizard and Witch fiasco, everyone has been hard at work trying to figure things out and get Oz into a better place again so that they could move on and continue to evolve as the years went on.

Soon, Glinda would be working at pushing the Animal Tolerance Act through to be discussed in hopes that she could reverse the Wizard's damage. In the end, the decision would be ultimately up to her, but she wanted the opinions of other political officials throughout the entire Land of Oz so that she would not be like the Wizard, a lying, manipulative-

"Glinda! Glinda!"

Glinda turned around to look at who was calling her name, smiling warmly as she had to everyone else. But she was not pleased with who she saw. One of the palace guards, Ridderik, ran up to her, face red and sweaty and his hazel eyes wide with worry. Glinda swallowed the small, growing lump in her throat, lifting her chin authoritatively.

"What is it, Ridderik? What has happened?"

He stopped in front of her and placed his hands on his knees, panting.

"It's-it's just… I-" He paused to catch his breath, his cheeks puffing out. Glinda waited, worry blossoming in the pit of her stomach.

"Well, Ridderik? What is it?"

Ridderik looked up at her, his eyes wider and mouth parted slightly as he breathed, black hair disheveled in an unattractive manner.

"It's Morrible… Sh-she's escaped!"

AN: Please review and let me know what you think. I struggled with this second chapter, and I don't know why. That's why it's a little short, so apologies. I'm going to work on lengthening my chapters, so don't worry. And also, please be completely honest. I'm a big girl; I can handle it(:

P.S. - I already have this story planned out, so if you have any plot suggestions, go ahead and tell me them through private message, and I can work it into another story IF YOU WANT ME TO. But please tell me via private message! It'll be easier that way.

Other than that, it might take me a little longer to get the third chapter out because rehearsal for Fiddler on the Roof has been CRAZY this week, and next week is "Hell Week," the week of the show. And our director makes people cry when he gets mad. So cross your fingers; it's going to be *gulp* fun...