I have no idea what to say to them. I'm so confusified. Oh, Elphie…Why did you have to die?

The sound of her footsteps echoed through the room. Window. Wall. Window. Wall. Window. Wall. Her eyes never registered the room around her. She only knew the same twelve steps, repeated in an endless cycle during which the same sentence possessed her thoughts.

Elphie, why did you have to die? Why? Why didn't I go with you? Why couldn't I have just been stronger? Elphie, my beautiful emerald girl, how am I going to live without you?

These same thoughts had been tearing her apart from the inside. She'd never allowed herself to release the guilt she'd felt those months ago when her friend had first defied gravity. She'd never allowed herself to heal from shouldering a burden she should never have been forced to bear.

Oh, what would you think, Elphie? What would you think if you knew the truth?

Her guilt-ridden thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door. She stopped pacing and turned toward the door. There stood Tyuan Tintelus, Captain of the Emerald Knights. He was wearing his dress uniform which consisted of a green jacket with golden cords at the shoulder, green pants with a thick golden stripe at seams, and a gleaming saber, its golden hilt shining in the light. His scarlet hair was gelled perfectly to form miniscule spikes upon the top of his head, his green eyes contrasting beautifully with his pale skin. For a moment Glinda's mind was silenced at his wonderous beauty, but before her thoughts could dwell on her seemingly odd feelings, he spoke, his voice the sound of rushing waters.

"Miss Glinda?" She pulled her attention away from his handsome looks and focused upon the words he had spoken.

"Yes, Tyuan?" She responded softly, her eyes somewhat downcast. His eyes showed his concern, but the look went unnoticed as she avoided his gaze.

"You're going to be late for your speech. The Ozians are waiting." When her only response was a nod, Tyuan walked over to her, and pushed her chin up so her sorrowful eyes met his. "Talk to me."

"I have no idea what I am going to say to them. I can't help but think…" She fell silent.

"You're thinking about Elphaba, aren't you?" He said, his voice as soft as candlelight. She nodded, her eyes filling with tears. He pulled her into his strong arms and held her there. It was only a moment, but for them it seemed a lifetime. They stood there, she drawing strength from his tall, firm body, he pouring as much of it into the diminutive blonde as he could. When he pulled away the determination he knew so well in her had finally returned to her crystal blue eyes.
"Come on," She said, her voice quiet. "We'd better go. The Ozians are waiting." He answered her with a gentle smile.

"Right this way mi'lady."

They walked together to the great balcony that stood at the back of the castle, silence around them. As they reached the doors, the sound of the milling about of a large crowd began to slip into their ears. Tyuan watched as Glinda transformed into 'Glinda the Good' in a matter of a few steps. Her shoulders straightened, she stood taller, her eyes held a look of pure fire, and the aura about her spoke of great power and unbreakable calm. The most impressive part of her façade was the wonderful smile upon her face. She had an ability like no other to make even her eyes speak whatever emotion she wanted others to see. Tyuan only knew the pain that rested behind those eyes because he had seen it for himself, and now he watched it disappear.

The great glass doors to the awesome balcony opened and a voice called out from among the assembled.

"LOOK! IT'S GLINDA!!!" A hush spread over the crowd as Glinda stepped forward.

"Fellow Ozians," She began. "As terrifying as terror is, let us take comfort in the fact that we are all safe from harm. I know that many of you have heard rumors that someone broke into the palace last night." A roar sprang up among the people and while they struggled to calm themselves, Glinda allowed herself a moment to reflect upon her own words. They reminded her greatly of a speech she had given only months ago. That speech had been to announce her engagement to Fiyero. That had been the day she had discovered that happiness wasn't exactly what she'd thought it would be. She raised her hand, and the crowd was silent.

"Unfortunately, that rumor is quite true." Another roar soared up, but Glinda quickly silenced them. "Although some portions of the Great Palace were damaged, I can assure you that nothing was totally destroyed. No one was harmed during this rather confusifying attack, and I owe gratitude to all of you for coming here today to show your support. I will do all that is within my power, along with the Emerald Knights, to discover who is behind this unusual event. That being said, I do bid you all a good day." She waved to the crowd and turned and walked back into the castle, Tyuan close on her heels.

o0o0o0o

The only sound that reached her ears was his sot breathing, a slow incantation fit for sleep. The only problem being that the scarecrow was, in fact, not sleep. He could not sleep, for as a scarecrow he had no body, only clothes filled with straw, and thus had no need for sleep. No had the scarecrow a need for food or drink. Not much about him remained the way it had been. Now that she reflected upon it, as they lay near each other in the darkness, she found that she could only find three things about him that made him continue to be the man he had once been. His loping powerful stride remained, the strength of heart in his gaze remained, and the sultry quality of his voice remained. Those three things would always make this scarecrow who he really was, Fiyero Adair Tiggular, her hero.

"Fae?" Came the soft whisper of the scarecrow's voice, the voice of the beautiful Arjikis prince.

"I'm awake, Yero." The scarecrow sat up slowly, astonishing strength in his straw-filled body. His eyes met hers and a smile contorted the face.

"We're about a days ride outside of Frottica. I was thinking I could go ahead into town and get some supplies."

"Are you sure, Yero? It's broad daylight. What if…" She feel silent and looked away, attempting to hide the only outward sign of her worry behind her long raven locks.

"My dear, I am THE scarecrow. Nothing will dare harm me, and here, hidden from the world, nothing will harm you either. I assure you that you are quite safe. Don't worry. Everything will be fine." She sighed and turned her eyes back to his. Unconsciously, her hand found his face in a soft caress, and though the roughness of the scarecrow's features shocked her, she could not pull herself away from the feel of him.

"Come back soon, love." She whispered. He smiled.

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon." He pulled himself to his feet and walked over to the two horses he had acquired a few days after they'd left Kiamo Ko. Up until then they had walked a series of endless miles, he carrying his emerald princess as she slept. He had known that she wanted to be free of the Vinkun lands as soon as possible. Things being as they were he required no energy and could go on without fail forever. Thus, he had carried his love as far from the fortress as he could every moment her body had succumbed to sleep until his eyes no longer saw Vinkun land.

Smiling to himself as he recalled those days of travel, he mounted the horse and took off toward Frottica. Within a few hours he found himself on the edge of the wealthy town. Summoning the Scarecrow's country boy façade, he jumped from the horse and sauntered casually into the city.

As was the usual for the Scarecrow, he was greeted with high praises and gifts, neither of which he declined. People came from all corners of the town, all of them watching him with awe. It was as if a god had descended among them, and in the eyes of the Ozians, one had. He graced them with his farmboy attitude and captured their hearts with his easy smile. Yet all the while he watched as the day slowly passed him by, and soon the people were all venturing home. Many asked, no, begged him to stay at their homes, but he very kindly told them that he was only stopping through for a while. When the last of the people finally turned in for the night, he allowed his farmboy face to subside and once again Fiyero came to the surface.

It was as he was leaving the town that he noticed it. How he had missed it was impossible to understand, but he knew that he could not dwell on the thought now. Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong in the Emerald City, and to his mind came the one person he knew would want to know. After checking to make sure all of the supplies he had been gifted with were secure, he mounted the horse and sped toward the darkening horizon, fear slowly whispering into him as he rode on.

o0o0o0o

A knock sounded on the door. Her gaze turned toward the sound.

Who could that be?

"Glinda, come to the throne room. It's urgent." Came the soft tones of Tyuan's voice. She stood and after checking to make sure she was presentable walked out of the door. She followed Tyuan to the throne room, where he directed her to the throne. Confused, she stared at him.

"What is it, Tyuan?"

"It's on the throne. None of us have touched it. It's meant for you." Glinda's eyes widened and she stepped closer to the throne, her eyes searching it for whatever it was Tyuan spoke of. She found it immediately. It was a small envelope, upon it written in a flowing script, "For Good." She picked it up, her hand shaking as a sudden wave of fear crashed into her. Her gaze flickered to Tyuan, calm, cool, collected Tyuan, and she opened the envelope. Inside was a single postcard. She froze as her eyes read the words written there.

The Grimmerie is in my possession.
Do not search for it, you will not locate it.
Leave your friend, the Witch, out of this affair.
If you ever wish to get your precious book, you will relinquish the throne to me.
Refuse, and people will die.
The land of Oz is mine to rule.
Obey or be destroyed.

The postcard dropped from her hands as she read the signature. She turned to Tyuan and felt her knees buckle as darkness closed in around her.

Unseen in the shadows of the great room, young Chistery took flight.

o0o0o0o

She was pacing, he was watching, unsure of what else to say. She had stared at him in shock for only a moment as he had explained what he had discovered, and then she had risen to her feet and begun the pacing, which now, two hours later, she continued. He watched the emotions cross her face, an incredible range of feeling he had not expected to see. She tensed suddenly and froze her eyes staring ahead. He followed her line of sight, and was pulled to his feet in wonder. Something was coming toward them, careening at a speed that could not possibly be safe. Just as he began to wonder who or what it was, the thing crashed headlong, right into Elphaba. He watched them as they fell to the ground, and suddenly he realized with both a grimace and a smile what, or rather who, it was. Chistery.

"Miss Elphaba! I am so sorry. You must forgive me, but it was urgent that I see you. I have flown here from the Emerald City to tell you something important." He quickly jumped off of her. Elphaba smiled at the Monkey then slowly sat up.

"We know about the break in at the palace, Chistery. Thank you for coming anyway." Chistery's excitement did not fade.

"You do not understand, Miss Elphaba. He took it!" Elphaba's smile faded.

"Took what, Chis?" she asked cautiously.

"The Book. He stole it. I only found out a few hours ago, or else I would have been here much sooner to tell you. It's gone! He stole it." The Monkey said quickly, his words rushing together almost incoherently.

"Slow down Chistery. What are you talking about?" And so the Monkey launched into his tale, telling Elphaba word for word what the note had said, and image by image what he had seen happen.

"She fainted after she read it, and I do not know why. I think she was in some sort of shock." Chistery paused, fear finally seeping into his gaze. "He knows, Miss Elphaba. He knows the secret." Elphaba could only watched as the poor Monkey trembled.

"So it seems that he does, Chistery. Does Glinda know yet?" Chistery scratched his head.

"I do not think so. When I left she was mumbling something but it did not sound as though she was speaking of you."

"What was she saying, Chistery?" The Monkey paused a moment.

"'It can't be. He's dead. It's because of him this all happened. It's impossible. You're dead. I know you are.' Then she conked out again." Elphaba stared at him, shock and disbelief taking over her features.

"Chistery, did you see the note yourself?" He shook his head then after a moment perked up.

"I could only see the name at the bottom of it. What else I told you I heard Miss Glinda read aloud." Elphaba seemed to tense up even more and she looked to Fiyero, who held her gaze.

"What was the name?" Chistery did not respond, but instead collected some small sticks and began to form the image of the letters upon the ground.

"I cannot say the name, but I can show you what it looks like." He said as he worked. When he was finished, silence pervaded the air. The name was one that neither Elphaba nor Fiyero had ever expected to see again. Glinda's words echoed in their minds as they held each others eyes.

He's dead, she'd said. She was right. They looked at each other, and turned their gazes back to the letter Chistery had formed. Staring at them, they knew confusion and true fear. Disbelief colored their faces as they turned the name over in their minds.

DR DILLAMOND