"Governor Thropp I am Fiyero Tiggalar Prince of Kiamo Ko and this is Galinda Upland-"
"- Of the Upper Uplands" added Galinda. Fiyero elbowed her in the side then continued talking.
"I don't know if you are aware but your daughter Elphaba Thropp went missing a month ago and we were wondering if you could perhaps help us on her search for her"
"You think I would help you? Get out of my palace! Before I have you thrown out! Besides I have no daughter by the name of Elphaba!"
Galinda and Fiyero scurried out the door making their way along the corridor. "Do you think he's lying about not having a daughter called Elphaba?" asked Galinda
"Of course he is, Elphaba told me herself that he was her father". Just then a girl not much younger than Elphaba wheeled past in a wheelchair. "Nessarose?" questioned Fiyero as he ran up to her.
"And you are?"
"Oh, Fiyero Tiggalar Prince of Kiamo Ko"
"What do you want?"
"I-I was looking for Elphaba Thropp, she went missing a month ago, - I was wondering if you had seen her"
"Missing? My sister is not missing, I seen her last week she's in the basement, Father's guard put her in there because she had sinned"
"What? Here? In your house"
"Yes, but I don't see what this has to do with you-"
Before Nessa could finish her question Fiyero had grabbed Galinda and were both now running in search of the basement. Two guards emerged from behind a heavy wooden door. Pulling themselves flat against the wall Fiyero and Galinda waited till they had gone. Once they were out of sight they slipped behind the door before it closed.
"It smells in here Fiyero do I have to go down there?" asked Galinda as she pointed down a long spiral of stairs.
"No-no its ok you wait up here and keep watch ok"
"Uh ok, be careful Fiyero" Fiyero smiled at Galinda then headed down the dark staircase.
He pulled out a flash light as it was completely dark and he couldn't see anything further than his nose away. He walked for what seemed like hours down the skinny dark corridor. The sound of chains moving close by made him turn around, there in the corner of the corridor was Elphaba tied by the leg to the wall. Her back was to him, she laid there still. "Fae…" he ran up to her throwing the flashlight aside and dropping down beside her. With the dim light he could see she was in bad shape, her jaw was a dark black, purple color indicating it was probably broken. "Fae can-can you hear me?" Cried Fiyero, tears spilled down his cheeks. When she didn't respond he placed his hand over her stomach, it rose and fell ever so slightly, relief washed over him. The chain that kept Elphaba from escaping looked all rusty. With one solid tug Fiyero snapped it off the wall. Elphaba's body moved, her puffy eye lids opened and she stared at him. "Fae, oh Lurie,"
"Y..Yer…o" Elphaba whimpered as she placed her hand over her sore jaw. "o…ou..ch"
"Fae, shh don't talk, don't talk its ok you're safe" cried Fiyero. Despite Fiyero's request to not talk she tried anyway.
"Yero…please be careful…he- he's going to, to come back"
"Who Fae? Frex's guard?" whispered Fiyero as he stroked Elphaba's forehead. Elphaba nodded as best as she could.
"Can you walk?"
"n…not exactly…"
"Can you move anything at all Fae?"
She blinked once as tears made their way out of her eyes and her body shook with sobs.
"I want…I want to be ok Yero- I was getting better – Yero… I- it hurts like crazy- oh I missed you…s,so much"
"We got through it once and we will get through it again Fae" his heart was aching for her he wanted to break down and cry but he couldn't he had to be strong for her. "Alright I'm going to lift you up ok? I'm going to get you out of here". Cries of pain escaped through Elphaba's mouth when she was lifted off the ground, she passed out shortly after.
"Galinda hurry up!" yelled Fiyero as they ran to his carriage. The carriage took off just as he placed Elphaba on the seat lying down.
"Elphie, wake up, please wake up Elphie" whimpered Galinda. A pressure on Galinda's hand told her that Elphie was awake again, she looked down at her friend, and Elphaba's blood shot eyes were looking up at her. "Oh Elphie, Elphie, Elphie, Elphie" cried Galinda as she put her head on the green woman's chest and lay her arm across her stomach. Elphaba flinched. "Elphie" Galinda sniffed. "You, you - I can feel your ribs Elphie, are – have you eaten anything? -"
"Fae-"cut in Fiyero, "Are you hungry, did, did they feed you?" Elphaba didn't respond, her eyes told him the answer he didn't want to hear. "I'm going to have a look at your stomach ok?" Fiyero gently lifted up Elphaba's ruined top. Her ribs were clearly evident through her green skin, although half of her skin was a purply, blue colour due to bruising.
"I, I hurt Yero…it hurts – please, please make it stop" wept Elphaba. Fiyero looked at her then at Galinda who was crying openly now, unable to contain his own tears any longer he to broke down crying. He didn't know how much more of this pain and torment Elphaba could withhold anymore.
"F…Yero, can I can I please have something…to eat?" came Elphaba's voice.
"Fae, of course…I, I don't have anything in here, we will have to stop someplace and get some" smiled Fiyero through his tears as he stroked her hair.
Ten minutes later the carriage stopped and Fiyero hurried off to get something for Elphaba to eat. Galinda sat with Elphaba holding her tight.
"G…alinda…?"
"Yes Elphie? Are, are you ok?
"I um…no not really – I need you to, to help me with something when I- we get back home"
"Oh anything Elphie" cried Galinda "What is it?"
"My uh, I'm, I'm in a lot of uh pain, down, down between my…legs"
"Oh- do you, do you have a cut or something, maybe I can help clean it up?"
"No it's uh, it's up more"
"Oh Elphie…" Galinda became teary again "Is it from last time?" Elphaba's face scrunched up as she too started crying, she shook her head slowly. Galinda gathered her up in her arms and held her tight.
"It's ok Elphie" sniffed Galinda "You…you can tell me, I want to help you"
"He, he raped me…again and again and again…it hurts Galinda and it won't stop, why won't it stop? It's scaring me so…so much and I- I don't know what to do…"
Galinda cried as she listened to her best friend tell her the most private thing about herself. She then watched as the green woman broke down into a crying heap in her arms, her beaten body shaking with painful sobs.
She hugged her tighter then helped her lie down again. Galinda lay next to her still holding her broken friend. "It's ok Elphie…I'm here – I will help you through this…and Fiyero too. When, when we get back home I'll come to the doctor's with you and we can make you all better" sniffed Galinda.
Elphaba just nodded gratefully as her broken jaw hurt too much. She fell asleep, Galinda still hugging her.
Not long after, the carriage door opened and Fiyero stepped inside. He looked over at the two women; he saw Galinda's make-up run face and Elphaba's burnt eyes and cheeks. He quickly shut the door and sat down next to them. Galinda? What, what happened? Is Elphaba ok?"
"She- I…She's in a lot of pain, she said she was uh…raped again"
Fiyero's face grew red with anger; he dropped the food to the ground and punched the wall. Elphaba woke from her slumber, her eyes wide. "sorry Fae I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you- or wake you up" apologized Fiyero as he knelt down in front of the two women. Elphaba closed her eyes again and smiled through her pain. She didn't want to make Fiyero any more worried than he already was.
"How are you feeling my love?" whispered Fiyero. Elphaba let go of Galinda's hand and latched onto Fiyero's jacket but her weak muscles protested and the jacket slipped out of her hand. She blinked slowly and tried to smile at him but it hurt her too much.
Galinda stood up and picked the bag of food off the ground, she pulled out a container of hot chicken soup." Can you manage to eat this Elphie?" asked Galinda. She nodded slightly as Galinda brought it over and placed it on her lap. She then handed her a spoon which, like the jacket fell from her hand, it clattered as it hit the ground. "Sorry" whispered Elphaba.
"It alright Fae, do you- I can help you eat if you want?" replied Fiyero.
"I… o…okay"
So Fiyero fed her much like a parent would feed its child, she sat there very stil as Fiyero helped her eat, her jaw protesting each time she took the spoon in her mouth. her eyes became droopy and before Fiyero could notice, Elphaba had just about fallen asleep sitting up with her soup bowl still on her lap.
"Fae? Are you awake?". Her eyes opened once again, she clutched her stomache and moaned "oh Yero…its hurts to…to breathe…help…"
"Shhh Fae stay calm or you will have a panic attack" soothed Fiyero
"I ca…I ca I cant help it…" Elphaba's breaths beaome shallower and shallower. "Y..yero…I cant…I cant breathe"
"Look at me Fae…look" he took hold of elphaba's hand and placed it over his chest. " Try to adjust your breaths with mine, just consentrate on the rhythm".
It helped somewhat, however both Galinda and Fiyero could see that Elphaba was suffering greatly.
Fiyero helped her lay back down as Galinda talked to him. " Fiyero I don't think we have enough time to go to the vinkus first we have to go straight to the hoppital, Elphie- she…shes in pain, a lot of pain.
He didn't have to be told twice, Fiyero told the driver and pretty soon they were heading off in the direction on the nearest hospital.
Mud splashed up on the carriage as it tore through the streets, it hit a rock making the carriage jump suddenly. "Carefull!" growled Fiyero to the driver, "I don't want Elphaba hurt anymore".
"Yes, Sorry Sir wont happen again" appoligised the driver.
The whole time Fiyero and Galinda sat with ELphab holding her telling her everything was going to be ok. Elphaba on the other hand wasn't sure if she could hold on much longer.