(AN: This one is a little wordy, and I tried hard not to make it sound like just a reinvention of the movie with the new characters, but fear that I did so. :( Anyway, I have half-introduced elements from my own epic into this story. Don't worry, it will be established what you see soon enough. Remember to review and ask questions concerning what you see.)

Lothlorien

Night had fallen when they were within the great tree. They all stood within a great hall that was nestled within the trees.

Before them they saw two people walking hand-in-hand to meet their guests. Elphaba could only assume that these two were the leaders that Haldir had spoke of before: Celeborn and Galadriel. A great light shone from within, and she could not see what they looked like.

Slowly they appeared before them, and Elphaba gasped. They were the most fair yet formidable creatures she had ever seen. The Elf lady was tall and fair, with an air of command that, Elphaba knew, would make even Madam Morrible cringe in fear.

Elphaba could feel Fiyero's hand grow sweaty within her own.

"The enemy knows you have entered here." the Lord Celeborn spoke first. His voice was commanding yet not wholly fearful. "What hope you had in secrecy is now gone." The elf lord then looked upon the company. "Eleven there were that set out from Rivendell, yet eleven do I see here, yet there is one who has joined the company along the way and one whose footsteps I can no longer see from afar."

A silence fell upon the Fellowship. Slowly Elphaba became aware that the Lady Galadriel, who had been silent for this long, was now looking at each of them in the eye. She saw that few could hold her gaze for long, save for Legolas and Aragorn.

"Tell me, where is Gandalf?" the Lord Celeborn asked. "For I much desire to speak with him."

Suddenly, they heard a new voice speak. The three Ozians looked up to see who had spoken.

It was the Lady Galadriel. 'Her voice was clear and musical, but deeper than woman's wont.'

"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land." she spoke, with sadness in her voice. "He has fallen into Shadow?"

It was Legolas who spoke first, after a long pause, and with much grief in his voice, though he shed not a tear.

"He was taken by both Shadow and Flame." He paused once again, almost out of fear of speaking the name...

"A Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria."

Elphaba heard Gimli sigh to her right. He must be feeling guilty for his death, since it was he who suggested they take the road through the Mines of Moria.

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life." the Lady Galadriel spoke. "We do not yet know his full purpose."

Elphaba saw the Lady turn and speak something to the Dwarf, but suddenly all the world about her became dim, and she saw that the Elf woman was looking at her.

"This is not your war." a voice spoke in her head. "There is no hope along the road to Mordor, only a shadow of fear ahead. But there is a chance, a chance to leave it all behind - the war, the Animals, the Ring - and live at peace with your lover...to be loved. But to get that, you must do the impossible: harden your heart to the plight of others, cast aside the Quest, leave the war for greater men to fight, and leave the road you have chosen."

Elphaba could not believe what she was hearing. But it was nothing new to her. She had heard words like those spoken before, but not by the Elf queen.

By herself.

"So you think I should just keep my mouth shut, is that what you're saying? Do you think I want to be this way? Do you think I want to care this much? Do you think I don't know how much easier my life if I didn't?"

And again...

"Don't you think I wish I could? I would give anything to turn back the Clock and go back to that time when I actually believed you were wonderful!"

Elphaba was surprised by what she herself had thought, a long time ago...

And horribly ashamed. She knew what it would meant, but she did not want to admit that it was within her heart to be so...cruel.

She turned her face away, already turning an abashed shade of blue-green.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship?" Celeborn's words seemed to bring Elphaba back into the world of the living. "Without Gandalf, hope is lost."

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife." the lady spoke to them. "Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all."

Elphaba saw Fiyero crumble beneath the stare of the Lady of Lorien, though she was surprised that it lasted as long as it did. The eyes then turned to the Hobbits, and, Elphaba could have sworn, to Glinda.

"Yet hope remains, while the Company is true." She then turned and addressed all the company. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep in peace. We will not speak of your further road for a while."

At this, the Fellowship was dismissed.

That night, the Fellowship slept on the ground. Elphaba sat by herself, gazing out into the trees. The Hobbits, safe for Frodo, were together by the trunk of a great tree, preparing themselves for bed. Gimli was fast asleep, Aragorn sat a little away from him, and Boromir was by himself. Fiyero sat by himself, always keeping Elphaba within eye view.

Within the trees, the sorrowful singing of Elves floated down to meet their ears. It was in a language that few could understand, for it was the language of the Elves from the Elder Years. Legolas said that it was a requiem for Gandalf, but that he could not tell what it was being sung: for him, the grief was still too near and a thing for silence rather than song.

Elphaba, however, had become somewhat familiar with the language of the Eldar, and the words remained in her heart for a very long time. As she was mulling them over in her mind, she heard the voice of Sam from where the Hobbits lay.

"Bet they don't mention his fireworks. There should be a verse about them." Suddenly, the little Hobbit stood up and began his own addition to their song, in the Common Tongue.

"The finest rockets ever seen

"They burst in stars of blue and green

"Or, after thunder, silver showers

"Came falling like a rain of flowers.

"Oh, that doesn't do them justice, not by a long road." he muttered to himself, somewhat embarrassed, as he returned to his bed.

"Well, I think it was splendiforous." a sympathetic voice said.

Elphaba looked over and saw Glinda, the one who had encouraged Sam. She saw that the Elves had given her clothing after the manner of their people: a simple dress of pale gray and light morning blue. Elphaba noticed her friend's hair was now worn down, as it had been that night in their room, when they had become friends and the blond had tried to give the green girl a make-over.

"Elphie," she said, her cheery voice fading at the morose expression on her friend's face. "What's wrong? You know, you haven't spoken since we left the Elf-king and queen."

"I'm fine." Elphaba said curtly, a little too much, she noticed.

Glinda sat by her friend's side, looking about the beautiful land of Lothlorien, from which they were now drifting into sleep.

"I'm not sure I like that elf-queen that much." she said.

"Why not?" Elphaba asked curiously.

"Back there, at the throne room, there was something weird happening. Didn't you notice?" Glinda scooted herself a bit closer to her friend. "She kept looking at us, and everyone looked embarrassed after-wards. Why do you think?"

Elphaba shrugged but said nothing. Glinda moved herself a little closer.

"She spoke to me inside my head, Elphie." Glinda's voice was fearful. "She said that all of my worst nightmares would be fulfilled if I stayed with the Fellowship, but..."

"But what?" Elphaba asked.

"She said that I should trust you." Glinda answered after a short pause. "She said that you had the power of the ancients with you, and that Fifi and I..."

"Fifi?" Elphaba asked.

"Fiyero, that's my pet-name for him."

Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"She said that Fiyero and I should trust you." A pale white hand reached out for the green woman in the midnight-blue Elven robe. A green hand took the white one in a firm grasp.

"Elphie, I'm scared." Glinda said, tears coming to her face.

The green woman pulled her friend close to her, wrapping her arms around the petite blond as if for her very life. It was improper, she knew, but she didn't care. Glinda was such a fragile thing, and she needed to be cared for.

As the two friends sat there, bound at the soul, sharing a moment of pure love together, Elphaba could not dare let slip what was on her mind.

"So am I, Glinda, so am I."

At that moment, Elphaba thought she espied the Elf lady walking some distance off from where they lay. Frodo arose from where he was sleeping, got himself up and slowly made his way after her.

"Glinda, wake up." Elphaba whispered. Her friend had fallen asleep, her head on the green girl's lap.

"Wha?" the little blond woman said as she rose from sleep a little groggily.

"Don't talk, follow me." Elphaba whispered.

The two women quietly followed Frodo as he made his way to follow the elf-queen. They made care not to make too much noise, or else the Hobbit would know that he was being followed. After a while, they saw that the way Frodo was going led into a bole that was free of trees, and had a small, babbling brook at its side. A stone pedestal sat in the middle of the clearing upon which a silver bowl sat.

Elphaba stopped, holding Glinda at bay from either following or crying out at the suddenness of her friend's abrupt halt. The two then walked off the path and hid behind a stone statue of the Lady of Lorien.

They sat there while Frodo spoke with the Lady, and saw something that made him quite disturbed. The lady spoke again, and silence followed for a long space. After a while, she spoke again, but in whispers and with a voice that shook with fear. Suddenly, the light of the stars and moon seemed snuffed out and a great and fearful voice spoke from the clearing. Glinda covered her ears and buried her face in Elphaba's bosom in fear. Elphaba put a hand on the golden locks of her friend's head, but did not cringe. She had seen dark and terrible things in her life, and, though this was indeed greater than those, she did not loose heart.

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the voice vanished and the clear but sad voice of the Lady of Lorien rang again. After an eternity of whispers from the bole, the little shape of the Hobbit returned up the path they had come.

"Curiosity is no ill deed, though it has led many down a dark path of no return." the lady spoke.

Elphaba's heart dropped. She knew with a dead certainty that the Elf-queen was speaking to them. Slowly they made their way down into the bole. Elphaba whispered to Glinda that she could remove her hands from over her ears.

A smile came to the face of the lady Galadriel as she looked upon the green woman.

"What is so amusing?" Elphaba asked.

"You remind me of one dear to my heart," the lady said. "One of my kindred. He too was a seeker of the deep knowledge of the world, and it brought great woe."

"Who are you?" Elphaba asked warily. "What do you want?"

"Curiosity brought you to the Mirror, not I." the elf-woman said. "If you wish, you may look into the Mirror. But be warned: it is perilous to do so. For the Mirror may show you things that will never be, unless you choose to prevent those things and, by so doing, forsake your chosen path."

For some strange reason, Glinda spoke up.

"Why am I here?" she said. "You called me, I know you did."

"Purest soul," the lady said to Glinda. "You are like the hobbits: you follow out of your love for your friends, though you do not know what peril lies before you. But ignorance cannot save you from the Shadow."

Slowly, the little woman crept towards the "mirror." The bowl had been filled with water, and lay still as glass.

"Look, but do not touch the water." the elf-lady said.

Glinda nodded, tied her hair back with a hair-band from her wrist, and carefully bent over to look into the mirror.

At first, all she saw were the stars. Then a soft ripple formed from within the water, and a scene appeared in the mirror. She saw the beautiful land of Oz laid out before her in all of its splendor and beauty. As she was admiring it, the scene shifted and she saw a desert of black sand that stretched for miles under a dark sky. A lone figure in black was making a stumbling path along the rocky desert, and Glinda could have sworn that she saw a hint of green, though she never saw the figure's face.

"Elphie." she called out at the mirror, but suddenly the scene had changed again. She saw the beautiful land of Oz again, but something was terribly wrong. The land was dying. Tall pillars of black stone rose to meet the sky, choking the life out of the surrounding land.

She took a step back, tears brewing in her eyes.

"Oh, it's terrible." she gasped. "Something very bad is happening in Oz, Elphie. The land, it's dying. People are frightened. We've got to go back, we have to do something."

"You are free to do as you will," the elf-lady said. "But, as I have said, the Mirror is perilous. It may be that what you see will not come to pass, unless you forsake your friend and return to the doom of your little world."

Glinda sighed, turning away from the Mirror and into the embrace of her friend.

"I wish I hadn't come here, Elphie." she sobbed. "I wish none of this had happened."

Elphaba then realized that she had heard someone answer these words before. A long time ago, in the darkness of Moria...

"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

Elphaba patted her friend on the back, but she could not find the words to say.

"And you, do you wish to look into the Mirror?" Galadriel said to Elphaba after some moments of silence had passed.

"Not until I know what you did to her." Elphaba said warily, with an almost frightening amount of venom in her tongue.

"No, Elphie, I'm fine." Glinda said, wiping her eyes. "I'm not running away anymore. I won't repeat what happened in that attic so long ago." A smile came to Elphaba's face, though it was a bittersweet one: she knew what this meant. Her friend would face the dangers ahead, something she could not bear to put the little blond through.

"I'm staying with you," Glinda said. "Though I wish I could do more. I feel like such helpless baggage sometimes."

Elphaba patted her friend on the head and then turned to the task at hand.

She was wary of what this mirror would do, but unbidden tremors shook her to the core. She could not keep her hands steady as she approached the mirror and looked down into the still water.

Darkness settled upon the surface of the Mirror, and slowly it faded away. Elphaba saw a ruined old farmhouse sitting upon the edge of a lawn of grass. From beneath the edge of the house, she saw a pair of black-and-white-stockinged legs sticking out from under the house. A pair of ruby slippers sat upon the feet, and she knew all too well who was being depicted here.

But ere a cry could escape her lips, the scene shifted. She saw a darkened room, and a young woman with pale skin and rusty-brown hair dance with a stranger with a straw hat and strange clothing. Suddenly she saw the man produce a bottle and pour green liquid into the woman's open mouth. This scene was both shocking and revolting in Elphaba's mind. It seemed to affirm what Glinda had said.

Suddenly she saw many scenes flashing all at once, over and over. It seemed to her that they were parts of a great history, spanning hundreds of years and across many worlds: it became evident that she and her friends were somehow part of that great history, though she could not understand how. Slowly the view shifted and she saw a clear scene once again.

Fire. Fires were burning throughout many lands. These lands were those that she herself had known, not just the strange lands of this world. She saw the forests of Gilikin aflame, the marshes of Quadling boiling the red-skinned Quadling people alive, and the cornfields of Munchkinland turned to an inferno. Hideous creatures as ugly as the elves were beautiful bearing whips and curved blades drove thousands to work in slag-pits and forges. Elphaba saw with horror that many Animals were there as well, bowing on all fours and serving as dumb, brutish beasts of burden, their backs torn to bloody shreds by the whips of these hideous creatures.

Elphaba's mind was wracked with fear. What did this mean? She had to know who was responsible for this. At once, the Mirror shifted to the Vinkus: but it was not the Vinkus as she knew it. The yellow fields had become a blackened desert. A lone figure stood out from the desert, dressed in armor both black and gold. Upon the right hand a ring of fire hovered there. But Elphaba yearned to see a face, to know what fiend it was who had brought such calamity. Was it Sauron? Was it Madam Morrible? Could it have been that thing from the ancient history of Oz that was still unspoken?

Long raven black hair flew upon the dead wind, as the mirror turned around to show the face. Hideous black teeth grinned wickedly from behind black lips, and pale-green eyelids opened to reveal TWO eyes, wreathed in flame and yellow like cat's eyes, with two black pupils in vertical slits that looked like a hole in the world and an opening into the abyss...

...of death.

Elphaba stumbled back, her hand over her heart. She was shocked and disgusted at what she saw. How could this be? She never sought dominion over anything, she never wanted to hurt the Animals. The monster she saw in the Mirror was the monster they said she had been. But it was impossible. She would never do that.

"Fear, Elphaba Thropp." the lady Galadriel said, speaking the green woman's name for the first time. "Fear is the greatest weapon of the Enemy. It was fear that drove my people to distrust the Valar when they first told them to go over the sea. Their fear led them into darkness, where they were lost to us forever, becoming mindless, twisted creatures of evil: the orcs.

"Fear it was that drives a wedge now between the Free Peoples of Middle Earth, causing dissent and making the task of the Enemy easier by reason of our confusion. It was fear that drove the people of your world to trust a deceiver and place him in the highest of places, and it was fear that drove them to hate you, the greatest of the daughters of Oz, and make of you an enemy.

"You must not be a slave to fear."

"Milady?" Elphaba asked. "Why am I here?"

"That is a question no mortal can answer." was the response.

"Not in general, I mean, here, in your world." she added.

"Fate, or whatever you will, has brought you to this world: you have your own choice before you; the greatest one you could ever make: to become a lantern of hope for all people, or to become the monster that they fear."

Elphaba nodded, not entirely sure if she understood what was going on.

"Now we must retire." Galadriel said. "We have chosen, and the tides of fate are against us already."

(AN: Hope you enjoyed my pathetic excuse for a Gelphie moment. lol I do better with my Wicked-n-Metal music videos, which you can view on my youtube channel. Okay, enough whoring of my wares. You'll find out what she saw in the Mirror if you review/ask me. So do it!)