A/N: I'm updating for the second time in just three days! I couldn't help myself; writing these is a lot of fun!
A note on the 'Glinda' chapter: I completely left out the fact that Elphaba gave Glinda the Grimmerie! Instead of going back and correcting it, however, I've decided to leave it, at least for now, because I really like that chapter and I don't want to mess it up by changing it even the slightest bit.
Fiyero's chapter is longer than Glinda's by a little bit, because there's a ton more dialogue. Also, you'll notice this one starts at the end of March of the Witch Hunters instead of at the end of For Good. The beginning points of each chapter will be a little different each time.
-------------------------
Fiyero
Wickedness must be punished
Brave Witch-hunters
I would join you if I could
Because wickedness must be punished!
Punished!
Punished!
But good!
I watched silently as the denizens of Oz condemned my lover. They cheered and brandished pitchforks, all the while kissing their wives goodbye. It was pathetic that these people could be so ignorantly enthusiastic while preparing to kill an innocent woman.
"Make haste to the castle of the Wicked Witch!" The Tinman shouted, waving his axe in the air.
I frowned. I'd been having suspicions about the Tinman's identity all along, but it was only a moment ago, when he nearly called Elphaba by her true name, that I became certain I knew him from somewhere. His voice was familiar, as were his mannerisms.
Before I could linger on that thought, there was a shuffling from behind me and I turned. One of Elphaba's Flying Monkeys had just landed, hidden in the shadows. He held out a hand expectantly.
I sighed and looked critically down at the piece of paper I held in my hand. This letter not only held the mind-blowing fact that I was alive as a scarecrow, it also suggested a plan to aid escape from the angry Ozians whose current purpose was to wipe out the 'Wicked Witch.' Everything depended on its delivery to Elphaba before the mob arrived to attack her. As it was, she wouldn't have much time to prepare. But the plan was ludicrously simple – if Elphaba couldn't manage it, it would mean no one could. And despite what she wanted, if it came to it, I was ready to do anything to protect her, even if it meant sacrificing myself. Heck, I had already done it once.
I folded the paper and handed it to the Monkey. "Make sure this gets to her," I pleaded.
He nodded as if he understood, then lifted off into the dark sky. I glanced around to see if anyone had noticed, but they were all occupied gathering their "supplies".
The Tinman turned towards me just then and smiled rather unpleasantly. He stumped over and, apparently taking my concern for Elphaba as concern for the kidnapped Dorothy, said comfortingly, "Don't worry, Scarecrow. We'll rescue her, and then you'll get your brain, the Lion will get his courage, and I'll get my heart."
Yeah, because you need one, I found myself thinking bitterly. I sighed inwardly and restrained myself. The Tinman didn't know any better, but for some reason I just naturally disliked him. If Elphaba had made him into a man of tin, she must have had a good reason. Again, I got the feeling I knew the figure before me from somewhere, but I still couldn't identify a name or place. I certainly had never met another tinman before, so if I indeed knew him, it had to be from before he became tin.
"Are you ready to go?" The Tinman asked, "They want us to lead the way. Actually, they want Toto to lead the way, and us right behind."
I nodded, my heart (at least I had one, ha!) fluttering anxiously. Here we go...
The Lion scampered up to us, looking just as anxious as I felt. "It's not that I don't want to rescue Dorothy – because I do – but, I mean, that's the Witch's castle up there! What if she's expecting us? What if-"
I had to laugh. "Of course she's expecting us, Lion! She probably saw us in her crystal ball ages ago."
The Tinman looked at me sharply. "How do you know she has a crystal ball?" he asked.
Oops.
"I…uh…well, all witches have one!" I defended myself, "Maybe she doesn't, how should I know?"
He turned away, apparently satisfied, and began muttering to himself, oblivious to those around him. "A crystal ball…sounds like her, all right. Those evil women, she and her sister both! Well, one is dead, thank Oz, and after tonight, both will be! Try to run, you wicked artichoke!"
I froze, feeling as if every one of my nerves had turned to ice. Artichoke. That was Elphaba's nickname at school. Everyone called her that, everyone but me, Glinda, Nessarose, and Boq. Boq!
Suddenly, I knew who was walking right next to me. It was Boq. How he'd become a tinman I didn't know, but it fit, and was actually kind of obvious. He acted just like the Boq I knew back at school, with a tinge of added maliciousness that hadn't been there before. Boq.
I struggled to keep my face blank, but another wave of recognition hit only a millisecond later. The Lion…
If she'd let him fight his own battles when he was young, he wouldn't be a coward today!
It all fell into place, like the pieces in a complex yet simple jigsaw puzzle. The Lion was the very same Lion cub that Elphaba and I had rescued all those years ago in Professor Nikidik's classroom! Remembering Boq had triggered the remembrance of the Lion as well.
"Are you all right, Scarecrow?" asked the Lion, examining my face closely.
I nodded. "Just…just ready for my brain, that's all."
"Well," The Tinman – Boq – announced, grinning again, "You won't have to wait long. We're here."
I looked up, startled. Deep in my own thoughts, I hadn't realized how fast we had been advancing on Kiamo Ko. But here we were, right in front of the doors.
"Stand back," a farmer advised, and I was alarmed to see a number of men hefting a large log that they apparently intended to use as a battering ram. They charged forward, shouting words of encouragement to each other, and hit the doors hard, causing a distinct splintering sound.
Once was all it took. The others surged forward as the log was abandoned, and the doors were forced open. I was swept up in the wave of people pouring into the castle entryway.
And there she was. My Elphaba, my Fae, standing alone in the middle of the hall, one of her Flying Monkeys cowering in the corner. She looked defiant but scared, and I wondered if it was play-acting or real emotion. A few feet away from her, as I'd instructed, was a bucket of water.
Elphaba's eyes swept over the crowd. Her expression barely changed as she looked around, but I could see her stiffen when she saw Boq, and her eyes lingered on me just a fraction of a second longer than anyone else.
For a few moments, there was complete stillness as we faced each other, her on one side and the Witch hunters on the other. Then a door upstairs flew open and Dorothy, brunette hair streaming behind her, thundered down into the space between us and Elphaba. She looked around, a dazed expression on her face, as if unable to comprehend how exactly she'd gotten there.
Elphaba made a move – whether to get at Dorothy or get away was impossible to tell – and the farmgirl gasped, and, in a flimsy gesture of defense, snatched up the bucket of water and flung it at Elphaba, soaking her instantly.
The scream that followed cut me to the quick. It was almost inhuman, and I had to struggle with every fiber of my being not to move as the love of my life slowly sank down, still shrieking, though less and less as she went. I watched carefully, hoping and praying for success, as her foot twitched, opening the trapdoor downwards. The plan appeared to be working without a hitch. The carefully concealed hole in the floor became even more concealed as Elphaba's skirt covered the opening; her cloak catching on the rim and sliding off was just an added bonus to the effect.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Elphaba completely disappeared, leaving only her hat and cloak on the floor. There was a slight rustling of the abandoned clothing that the others probably took as the cloth settling. I knew it to be the closing of the trapdoor from beneath.
There were about two seconds of silence – then, with a deafening roar, everyone began congratulating everyone else, throwing their hats up in the air with joy. Dorothy looked quite astonished as she gazed around blankly, but she seemed to get the idea she'd done the right thing when several men shook her hand joyfully, so she beamed and flung herself into my arms.
"Oh, we did it! We did it! It's over!" She planted a kiss on my cheek and I looked guiltily toward the trapdoor, silently apologizing to Elphaba, though of course she hadn't seen.
Boq looked ecstatic and was hugging Dorothy happily as best he could with metal limbs. The Lion smiled timidly.
"Oh!" Dorothy exclaimed suddenly, "The broom! May we have it, please?"
There was a general shouting of assent and Elphaba's broomstick was passed along to Dorothy. I felt a slight glow of appreciation inside me at the careful way in which the child took and held it, even though I knew it was most likely from fear, not reverence.
"Let's go to the Wizard!" Boq called, and with much clamor and celebration, the whole group made its way out the ruined doors, leaving Elphaba's "remains" untouched. I followed in the rear, glancing back one last time.
I'll be back, Elphaba. You won't have to wait too long…
But first, I was off to collect my brain from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
-------------------------
A/N: Review, or be melted!