IMPORTANT!: Chapter rated T for… well… I'll let you read it for yourselves. Please don't forget to review! All thought are appreciated!
"NO!" Elphaba shouted, standing up. Fiyero tightened his grip around her waist and pulled her back down.
"Shh!" Fiyero said, placing his hand over her mouth.
Elphaba pried his hand off. "Fiyero, please! We need to do something!"
"We need to stay here and keep quiet," Fiyero said in a comforting tone.
"Do you smell that?" Galinda asked, her nose high in the air.
"It smells like smoke," Nessa commented.
Fiyero slowly got up and felt the back of the door. It was burning up!
There's a fire, he mouthed.
Galinda and Nessa's mouths dropped open.
"What is it?" Elphaba asked, wondering why everyone was so quiet.
"Nothing," Fiyero said, walking back to Elphaba.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Galinda asked.
"There's a window," Fiyero said, running to the window and opening it. "We can climb out."
"I can't climb out of a window," Nessa said, gesturing to her wheelchair.
Fiyero quickly walked over to Nessa and picked her up. Deciding not to protest, Nessa wrapped her arms around Fiyero's neck as he walked to the window and climbed out.
"Elphie, come on!" Galinda said, grabbing Elphaba's hand and pulled her towards the window.
Once everyone was safely outside, Fiyero, Nessa and Galinda turned around and gaped at the sight behind them. The Emerald City Palace was burning to the ground. And the Wizard was nowhere to be found.
"I'm sorry that it's not comfortable, but it's the best I can do," Fiyero said, making four beds out of leaves in the forest behind the palace.
"It's f-f-fine, F-Fiyero," Nessa shivered, cold from the evening air.
"Can you start a fire?" Galinda asked, giving Fiyero a pile of twigs.
Fiyero nodded. "I'll get some more wood."
Fiyero left, leaving the girls alone. Elphaba's arms were wrapped around her waist. Her gaze was on the ground as she slowly rocked from side to side.
"Elphie?" Galinda whispered, scooting closer to Elphaba.
"Was there a fire?" Elphaba asked, her gaze not leaving the ground.
"Ah… I… yes."
"My father was still in here," Elphaba said.
"I'm so sorry, Elphaba," Nessa said, crawling towards the other two girls.
"What happens now?" Elphaba asked as the two girls wrapped their arms around her.
"I don't know. But whatever happens, you'll always have us," Nessa said.
"Always," Galinda agreed.
Elphaba tried to smile, but she was too upset. "He was the only family I had left."
"What about your mother?" Nessa asked.
"You never told me about your mother," Galinda said.
"There's nothing to say. I never met her. My father never talked about her," Elphaba whispered, very close to crying.
"You don't know anything about her?" Galinda asked.
Elphaba shook her head. "No. Papa used to say that I looked like her. But that's all I know."
"Then she must have been a very beautiful person," Galinda smiled.
"Thanks," Elphaba muttered gratefully.
"Guys!" Fiyero exclaimed, running back to the group with a handful of twigs and a piece of paper. "Look at this!"
"Wizard of Oz missing," Galinda read aloud. "The body was not found at the site of the burnt palace. His daughter, Elphaba, is also missing. Any information on the whereabouts of the two should be reported immediately."
"He got away!" Nessa said, smiling at Elphaba.
Elphaba breathed a sigh of relief. "So, there's a chance that he's still alive?"
Galinda nodded. "Yes! This changes everything! But, where would he have gone?"
"He could be anywhere. He's probably out searching for us," Nessa said, trying to contain her yawn.
"Great, we can venture out tomorrow. We should probably get a good night's rest," Fiyero said, starting the fire.
"That feel so much better," Nessa smiled, warming her hands.
Elphaba smiled. She felt so much better knowing that there was a chance that her father could be alive. She quickly fell asleep on Fiyero's shoulder. Nessa slumped against Fiyero's other shoulder and Galinda laid her head in Elphaba's lap.
"Should we kill them now?" a voice asked, watching the sleeping young adults from a distance.
"No. Remember, it's the Wizard we want. And they're going to lead us to him," a deeper, more sinister voice said.
The group woke up early the next morning. Fiyero had surprisingly found another wheelchair for Nessa (surprising, I know). They were walking for a while, when Elphaba sensed that something was not right.
"Wait!" she said, pulling back on Fiyero's arm. "Is it just me, or do you have the feeling that we're being watched?"
Fiyero turned around, and scanned the area thoroughly.
"Is anyone there?" Elphaba asked.
"I don't see anyone."
"Look closely."
"Fae, no one is out there," Fiyero said, wrapping his arms around Elphaba.
"No. Someone's there. I can feel it," Elphaba persisted, pulling out of Fiyero's grasp and taking a step forward. "Show yourself!" she commanded.
"Well, well, well, look who survived the fire," a gruff voice said, stepping out from behind a tree.
"Who are you?" Elphaba growled. "And what do you want?"
"My name is not important. What's important is that the Wizard is removed from power. He has done nothing to help the people of Oz since he took power."
"What are you talking about?" Elphaba hissed.
"I'm talking about our lives! The taxes he places on us are ridiculous. We all have families we need to care and provide for."
"What taxes?" Elphaba asked, genuinely confused.
"Like you don't know!" the man sighed. "You live in a big fancy palace where everyone does everything for you and the rest of Oz is left to fend for themselves."
"You have no right to talk to her like that!" Galinda shouted, stepping next to Elphaba. "No right at all!"
The man growled and lunged forward at Galinda. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards him.
"Get off of me!" Galinda screamed, trying to twist out of his hand.
"Now, Miss Elphaba, come with me and no harm will come to your friend. If you don't," the man said, pulling out a gun and pressed it against Galinda's head. "I'll shoot her."
"Don't!" Elphaba begged.
"Elphie," Galinda whispered, the gun pressing harder and harder against her skull.
"Don't harm her!"
"You have three seconds to make up your mind! One…" the man started counting.
"Let her go!" Nessa shouted.
"Two…"
"Elphie, go!" Galinda pleaded.
"Three!"
"NO!" Elphaba shouted, thrusting her hands in front of her.
A streak of green light shot out from Elphaba's fingertips. It whizzed past Galinda's ears and hit the man in the chest, causing him to release the blonde. Galinda ran back to Elphaba and gripped her tightly. Elphaba, though shocked and confused by what just happened, tightly wrapped her arms around Galinda.
"Galinda," Elphaba whispered.
"Elphie, what happened? What did you do? How did you do it?" Galinda gasped.
"I… I don't know."
"Come on! We need to leave before he wakes up," Nessa said, glancing back at the man who attacked them, lying unconscious on the ground.
"Elphaba?" a calmer, softer voice asked.
Elphaba jumped back, fearing that it was another attacker.
"Elphaba, it's me."
"Papa?" Elphaba cried, taking a few steps forward. She soon felt the arms of her father wrapped tightly around her. "Oh, Papa!" Elphaba cried.
"Fabala, I thought you were dead," the Wizard said, wiping a tear from his eye.
"I thought you were dead," Elphaba said, still crying on her father's shoulder.
"I'm here now, Fabala. Everything's going to be alright," the Wizard soothed. "Thank you all so much!" he said, looking past Elphaba at her friends.
They slowly nodded and smiled, happy to see that Elphaba was reunited with her father.
Their happy moment was short lived. Their attacked slowly began to wake up from behind them.
"What the heck?" he gasped, wobbling to his feet. "What did you do to me?"
"Leave us alone!" Fiyero huffed, sick of this random guy trying to kill them.
"No one is talking to you!" the attacker huffed. Fiyero was about ready to charge at him and give him a piece of his mind, but Nessa and Galinda grabbed his hands, pulling him back.
"Stop right there!" the Wizard bellowed at the attacker. "You are committing very serious treason against the Crown of Oz. You will be severely punished if you do not stop right now!"
"Dictator," the attacked growled, pulling out a very sharp knife.
"STOP!" Galinda yelled, but it was too late.
The attacker had lunged at the Wizard and plunged the knife deep into his stomach. The Wizard screamed out in pain as he fell to his knees.
"PAPA!" Elphaba shouted, also sinking to her knees. She slowly raised her hand to his stomach and felt a warm liquid. Her father's blood.
Fiyero had broken free from Galinda and Nessa. He ran up to the guy with the knife and gun and jumped into his back. Not the smartest move on his part, but hey, it seemed like a pretty good idea at the time. He was able to knock the guy out, once again. He sprinted back to the Emerald City to get help.
"Papa," Elphaba whispered over and over again. She held on to her father's hand, not wanting to let him go.
"F-F-Fabala?" the Wizard choked, slowly opening his eyes to look up at his daughter.
"Papa, please don't die! Please don't leave me! You're all I have!"
"You have Fiyero, Galinda and Nessarose," the Wizard sighed, gasping for air.
"I need you," Elphaba begged, squeezing her father's hand. "Please."
"Love you," the Wizard whispered before closing his eyes.
"Papa? Papa! PAPA!" Elphaba screeched, violently shaking her father's arm, begging him to wake up again.
Galinda ran to Elphaba's side and wrapped her arms around her sobbing friend.
"Elphie," Galinda whispered brokenly. She stopped when she saw the Wizard's chest moving up and down. It was so small and subtle that she almost didn't notice it.
"He's alive," she gasped.
"What?" Elphaba asked.
"He's breathing. He's alive. Where is Fiyero?" Galinda asked, frantically searching for Fiyero.
Fiyero came back a few seconds later with an ambulance beside him. The Wizard was immediately placed on a stretcher and taken to the nearest hospital. Fiyero wrapped his arms around Elphaba as she sobbed.
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