A lone Tiger crept stealthily into the ancient dungeon of the Emerald Palace. Madame Morrible had proclaimed that the Animals responsible for harboring Oz's most hated enemy didn't deserve the luxuries of prison, which was why Caya assumed they were hidden beneath the palace. Her assumption was correct. "Hello?" croaked a gruff voice.
The Tiger whirled to find a pile of stacked cages taking up an entire corridor. A black furry lump with dull eyes had spoken. "Mar?" Caya gasped.
"Yes," the Bear replied, blinking up at her. "Caya?"
"Yes," the Tiger told him. "I've come to break you guys out."
"Are you storming the palace?" Mar wondered hopefully.
"No," Caya sighed. "The others wanted me to wait until we had a plan but… I couldn't sleep knowing you were all being kept in this horrible place."
"Then you must get Brrr and leave the rest of us," the Black Bear informed her. "We are checked regularly and it will do us no good if you are captured too. You shouldn't have come but as long as you're here you might as well free Brrr. He won't make it much longer down here."
"Where is he?" the Tiger wanted to know. Mar nodded towards a disheveled lump of golden brown fur huddled in the corner of a cage. "Brrr?" Caya called, kneeling beside the whimpering Lion.
"Caya?" Brrr mewed, turning around. His eyes were dark specters of what they had been.
"I'm getting you out," the Tiger assured him. She used her claw to delicately pick the lock and triumphantly swung open the door to her beloved's cage. A second later the grateful Lion had her in a bear hug.
"Thank you so much," he breathed.
"Yes thank you so very much," came a menacing voice from behind. Both Animals turned to find a guard pointing the keen blade of his spear at them. "Thank you for helping us capture another of the horrendible criminals who hid the witch. Now if you know what's good for you you'll both get back in that cage."
***
"I can't believe Caya got here so fast," Fiyero growled as he and Glinda trekked through the massive dungeon. "She probably wasn't very careful."
"What if someone saw her?" the blonde worried, scanning each empty cell they passed. "They might have thought she was the witch and…oh sweet Oz." Glinda's eyes had landed on a metal figure lying flat on a moldy wooden table. Upon further inspection the petite witch recognized it as Boq. His entire body was rusted stiff; even the Tin Man's eyes were jammed shut. "I thought he would have fled after helping Elphie and I escape," Glinda whispered. "Raeb and Morrible must have done this to him." The blonde gently ran her fingers over the munchkin's cheek.
"Well all we've got to do is oil him," the Winkie pointed out. "Then he'll be good as new."
"Are you sure?" Glinda inquired.
"I spent quite a lot of time with him when we were hunting…with Dorothy," Fiyero explained. "Once we were caught in the rain and had to spend an hour oiling him."
"Was it this bad?"
"No," the former Captain of the Guard admitted. "It was never this bad, but I'm sure he'll be fine."
"I'm staying with him," Glinda insisted, collapsing onto an unused stool beside the table.
"Fine," Fiyero huffed. "But stay hidden. I'll come back for you and Boq once I find Caya." An eerie silence expanded to fill the cell as Glinda sat there stroking Boq's arm thoughtfully.
***
The Tin Man had been drifting in and out of consciousness all day. Being made of metal he didn't need to eat or sleep, however having been rusted into immobility Boq's mind blurred into nothingness from time to time. He was awakened from one of these odd dozes by the feeling of warmth on his cold arm. "It's really not fair," mused Glinda's voice. Immediately the Tin Man was listening intently. "I know you can't hear me but I want to confess anyway. It was my fault that you became the Tin Man. I set you up with Nessa in the first place, all because I wanted to have you out of my hair. Then I assumed that you escaped the palace after helping Elphie and I escape. I should have insisted we check on you. In fact you wouldn't have even had to rescue me if I hadn't let Raeb trick me into giving him the Grimmerie. Jaybo said that you still cared about me, but really how can you after the way I've acted?" The blonde witch groaned and Boq wondered if perhaps he was dreaming.
"You were always so kind to me at Shiz," the petite ruler continued, assuming that the Tin Man couldn't hear her words. "You were also the only person I ever trusted enough to tell the truth about Elphaba. I know you tried to kill her but you were upset and every shred of evidence indicated that she truly was wicked. Even when I started dating Raeb you stayed at the palace. I don't know why in Oz you would put yourself through that kind of torment; seeing me with someone else. It's hard enough for me to watch Elphie and Fiyero together." Invisible to Boq a tear gently dripped from Glinda's eye.
"Maybe Elphie can find a way to change you back," the blonde girl chirped hopefully. "Then you could have a life again. You could get married; any girl in Oz would be lucky to have someone as sweet as you." The Tin Man felt as if his absent heart was glowing. With a great deal of effort he managed to wrench his eyes open. Startled by the sound of scraping metal Glinda looked down at Boq in alarm, only to see two deeply emotional eyes staring up at her.
***
Selky Fallorn sat in her class at Shiz University, snapping a wad of bubble gum. She had bright green eyes and curly raven hair, which hung to just below her ears. A spattering of dark freckles darted across the girl's pale face. Among the students at Shiz Selky was fairly average. She did her homework and, for the most part, stayed out of trouble. The only un-average thing about Selky was the fact that she was an orphan. When she was fifteen an abnormally vicious lightning storm, thought to have been conjured by the wicked witch, killed both her parents.
"Can you believe that the witch is still alive?" Selky demanded of her roommate, an Antelope named Corusca who also happened to be her best friend.
"Yes," Corusca replied. "I can believe it. The witch may have been wicked but she also did a lot of good for the Animals of Oz. It doesn't surprise me at all that some of them would be willing to hide her."
"But she was a murderer," Selky protested, flopping onto her bed. "She killed innocent people."
"I'm not arguing with you," the Antelope pointed out, flipping through a textbook. "I know the witch is evil."
***
"Glinda it's time to go!" Fiyero announced, entering Boq's cell with Caya and Brrr in tow. "I knocked out three guards and it won't be long until they're discovered."
"How are we gonna get Boq out?" the petite witch wondered.
"I can carry him," Brrr volunteered quietly. Suddenly shouts were heard.
"Oh shiz," Caya cursed. "We don't have enough time."
"I'll buy you some," Glinda volunteered, brushing past her friends and heading toward the sound of the oncoming soldiers. "Just makes sure you get out."
"What are you going to do?" Fiyero demanded.
"I'm going to clear Elphie's name," the blonde told them determinedly.
I know that the two original characters I added (Selky and Corusca) seem kind of pointless right now but don't worry, they will become a major element in this story…