Chapter 23
The
Wretched
And The
Divine
An: Alright, another chapter. Yes this was supposed to end the entire story, but to prolong it. Don't worry, there's only one more chapter and this story will end and a new adventure will begin. I hope you liked it. Shoutouts to L8lytwner, thank you for the review! ComingAndGoingByBubble, thank you, your reviews are always wonderful to read and put a big smile on my face. Elphaba-WWW I'm very impressed you were able to read all those chapters in one sitting, and thank you so much for your wonderful reviews. They put a huge smile on my face. Alright, again thank you all for staying with this story, and the last chapter will be posted soon. Thanks again, and don't forget to review
The charred remains to the Witch's heart, shattered; the shards of ebony cracking before splintering into millions of crystal orbs, flying through endless space, into the bottomless pit of hell and the Darkened Abyss of Torment.
The air crackled around her, buzzing with the rage rising within the emerald witch's rigid body. Her breathes came short, almost faint, and her emerald lips quivered.
Insanity swirled deep within the darkened depths to the endless whirlpools of ebony and lace. The light once alight within her majestic orbs, fades beneath Chao's wrath.
Her emerald fingers splay out into the air, tremble slightly against her sides, before curling into a quivering fist, small pearls of crimson bubble between emerald knuckles, before cresting along the edges of flesh, and splattering to the ground.
"Elphaba?" whispers Galinda, her anger forgotten; the Good witch slowly takes lithe steps towards the now visibly trembling witch. An insatiable heat dances along the ember tips of the night's crisp air, flickering, before disappearing against the ebony mist.
"Elphie?" whispers Galinda, her anger forgotten the beloved nickname from the past slips easily past puckered rose bud lips.
Slowly, Galinda's small fingers rise trembling, reaching towards an unknown destination. The heat cresting over the fine edges of her friend's body licks at the Good witch's outstretched fingers, making her wince in both pain and fear.
Swallowing her fear, Galinda takes the last step needed. Her fingers splay, are but an inch from lightly touching onto the green witch's tense shoulder. A breath away, the Good Witch visibly relaxes as her fingers slowly curl over the elegant curve of the green witch's shoulder.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" roars Elphaba, spinning around suddenly, and glaring violently back into sparkling cerulean.
The move, though startling, caught the White witch off guard. A cry of surprise slips past her quivering lips. Hastily, Galinda tries to back away from her friend, and in doing so, stumbles over the tails of her skirt.
Fiyero watches frozen, as the petite witch trips and falls over the twisted remains of her elegant ball gown. Flinching, Fiyero's straw body cringes, watching the woman, the girl caught in the cross-fires between Light and Dark, fall to the ground.
"Elphie" whimpers Galinda in pain.
Elphaba's eyes flicker towards the figure of the Good Witch, crumpled on the ground, the skirts of her dress ripped, and stained in blood, billow out around her. One slender leg remains tucked beneath the Witch, the other, lays limp in a gruesome position, blood spattering from a large gash wound; a cracked fissure of torn flesh, split open up her inner leg, to above her knee.
Her eyes widen in both surprise and sheer ecstasy, seeing the Witch of the Light, sprawled out before her, a crumpled mess, bleeding, and broken on the ground beneath her feet.
"Well well well…isn't this quite the turn of events" smirks Elphaba, a dark smile tugging at the sides of her slender lips.
Weakly, Galinda rises up onto her hunches. Her long slender arms reach behind her, and with hands pressed to the emerald ground, fingers splay, counter the weight of her body, keeping her upright. Her face stoic, watches as Elphaba, her former best friend, encircles her, like a predator stalking its prey. The cold fire burning bright within her ebony eyes send shivers of ice to rain down Galinda's body, making her involuntarily shiver.
"Perhaps" stops Elphaba, her dark, soulless eyes stare darkly back into soft cerulean. To Galinda, it was like staring directly into the fiery pits of hell.
Slowly, Elphaba steps to the side, her body rigid, stands half turned towards the Good witch shivering on the ground, her head bent slightly to the right, stares mirthlessly, a crooked smile, tugs at the sides of her lips.
"A baptism in blood would awaken you to the echoing screams of those buried beneath the righteousness of the Light?" queries Elphaba, her voice was low, and acidic.
"Why are you doing this to me…to us? We were your friends!" screeches Galinda, tears brim against the edges of her eyes, and her fingers curl, staining her perfectly manicured fingernails in the blood of the fallen.
"Friends?...Friends?...Friends!" With a flourishing wave of her hands, Galinda's small petite body is propelled backwards by an unseen force. Everyone, Fiyero, the Wizard, Morrible, and the citizens of Oz cringe as the petite blonde's body, slams into an emerald wall, cracking it.
Smirking, insanity gleams within Elphaba's eyes. With a graceful swish of her wrist, Elphaba's emerald hand rises in the air. As she does, Galinda's body is magickally rises in the air. Her limp curls dangle helplessly in the air, the tails of her ripped dress dance in the light breeze.
Fiyero's eyes widen, seeing the horrible scratches, the large gash wounds splitting across her blood stained skin, dirt and debris tangles within her hair, turning her golden curls lackluster.
"Dreams are but a fairytale…a helpless wish for those still bathed within the warmth of the silver light…friends don't exist for the wicked" sneers Elphaba.
"Your wrong…we were your friends…Fiyero and I…we loved you, cared for you greatly!" cries Galinda.
Slowly, Elphaba's fingers curl into a fist. Her eyes narrow, as Galinda's body twists and seizes in pain. Blood wrenching screams of agony tear from her throat as pain slices through her body.
"Lies…all of it…lie to the forsaken" growls Elphaba, her voice was dark, monotone. Slowly, Elphaba's free hand unconsciously rises up to rest protectively at her abdomen.
"You're not forsaken…it's not too late Elphie…you're in there…I know you are…the real Elphie" whimpers Galinda in pain.
"She's dead…trampled over by those who wished to see her buried six feet beneath the ground!" growls Elphaba. A snarl and the pain ravaging her body increases.
Blinded by pain, Galinda writhes and thrashes in midair; her long slender fingers curl and uncurl in midair. Her screams shatter the hearts of the Ozian citizens standing before her, bodies stiff, hands clenched in tight fists, the flames of rage, blazing bright within their eyes.
Fiyero knew that look, knew the flames dancing within their eyes, for it was the flames of vengeance, of an enraged mob, ready at any moment, to break free from the invisible bonds holding them in place, grab the witch and tear her to pieces, and dancing in her blood.
"Fae!" screams Fiyero in desperation.
Slowly, Elphaba's head rises up to stare wickedly back at the faces of the citizens of Oz, glaring back at her. A wicked; menacing smile tugs at the sides of her lips. Slowly, she spins on her heels. Ebony glares back into soft sapphire, a silent battle of wills crackling within the air, dancing lithely along the edge of fire.
"Don't…please stop this" pleads Fiyero.
A sinister gleam, sparkles within Elphaba's eyes. Slowly, she raises her hand up towards Galinda's writhing body, and snarling, she clenches her hand into a tight fist.
Fiyero's heart twists within his chest, and his head snaps up, as a bloodcurdling scream, rips free from Galinda's throat. Stumbling, Fiyero nearly falls to the ground at the sight of the white Witch, the woman whose heart beat for, yearned for his, who wanted nothing more, than to be the Keeper of his heart, and his soul.
"Stop you're hurting her!" screams Fiyero.
"That' the point…dear Prince…or perhaps" snarls Elphaba.
A thought, skips across her mind. An acidic smile slides across her face. Slowly, she lowers her hand, and as she does, the force holding Galinda's body suspended in the air, evaporates.
A scream, and Galinda's small body falls to the ground in a crumpled mess of blood and skirts, her golden curls fall around her. Grunting, Galinda forces herself onto her stomach. Both arms reaching out, her fingers curl against the broken pavement. With a grunt, Galinda weakly pushes herself up, her golden curls fall around her face, hiding it behind a curtain of lackluster gold, small crystal drops of sweat drip, mixing with her blood before splattering to the ground.
Turning back to face Fiyero, an evil glint, sparkles within her eyes, a flicker, and a small flame appears, dancing within the palm of Elphaba's hand.
Maniacally, Elphaba raises the flame up till the golden light splays across her face, and tumbles down her raven tresses. Smiling, her ebony eyes dart to the flame twisting against her fingers.
"A little fire to warm up you against the night?"
Cackling, Elphaba hurls the flame towards Fiyero.
Screaming, Fiyero tries to jump out of the way. The flames, bounce, before exploding against the emerald pavement in a burst of flames. The embers splatter up into the air, before falling like stars from the heavens. One spark, manages to land on Fiyero's arm, and in an instant, his entire arm goes up in flames.
"Put it out put it out!" screams Fiyero.
Laughing, Elphaba turns sideways to glare back at the Wizard.
A small gasp, slips past his lips, as the light from the fire, dancing across her emerald skin, bathing her in an ethereal glow. Her long raven hair billows around her, tangling in with the remains of her cape.
In one graceful motion, Elphaba's fingers rise up and curl around the brim of her conical hat. Smiling, she tugs the rim down, casting a dark shadow to splay across her face, darkening her appearance.
Her other hand, twirls, and magickally the umbrella appears in a plume of crimson and ebony. A smile, before she twirls the umbrella gracefully between her fingers, before slamming the point down onto the ground.
"Now Wizard surrender the book…before I cut more of your army down to size" growls Elphaba, her voice acidic, and dark, her ebony eyes cast a threatening glance over to where the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion stand, half hiding within the crowd of the Ozian people.
"I warn you Witch. Hurt me and the people of Oz will revolt" warns the Wizard.
Though he managed to keep himself poised, inside, he was trembling, shaking, the fear twisting within his heart, making it nigh impossible to breath, nor think.
"The people? Don't make me laugh! I could decimate the entire city of Emeralds, eviscerate all who dared to come near me with a single flick of my wrist before any of them could place one finger on me" snarls Elphaba darkly.
In the background, Galinda weakly manages to crawl over to where the Scarecrow flails around, his cloth hand furiously beating away the flames. A few of the people stand by, each trying to extinguish the fires before his entire body becomes engulfed in a blaze of flames and vengeance.
"Water" whispers Galinda weakly.
Her hand rises, trembles in the air, as she waves it back towards her body. Slowly, a mist appears above Fiyero's arm, and in a blink, small a small downpour of water rains down, extinguishing the flames.
Slowly, Elphaba points a menacing finger at the little farm girl, the woman, the witch responsible for her sister's death.
"You…you shall pay for what you did to my sister" growls Elphaba.
"Your…your sister?" gulps the girl.
"Your blood shall spill this night…along with the blood of Oz's citizens…I shall bathe in your blood, watch the bonfires burn, and char your wretched body to dust" snarls Elphaba, darkness floods her eyes, making the young farm girl tremble.
"Your sister had it coming…she was enslaving the people of Munchkinland…she was a monster…like you" snarls Morrible.
Elphaba's head snaps towards her former HeadShiztress. Her eyes narrow, as the blood within her veins boils in unfurled rage. Her lips curl, as her hand slowly lowers back down to her side.
"You Madame. Should not be so forward. SHOW SOME RESPECT FOR THE DEAD!" roars Elphaba.
"I shall show respect to those who deserve it" sniffs Morrible.
"Careful Madame…your tongue is inching you dangerously close to the encroaching chasm of Death" growls Elphaba.
"How dare you threaten me! I' am Morrible a powerful witch! Strong enough to destroy you and your feeble sister!" roars Morrible.
"What?" snarls Elphaba.
An acidic smile slides across Morrible's lips, seeing the rage burning bright within Elphaba's dark eyes.
"You should have seen it…your sister. She was groveling on the ground, begging…pleading for her life. My guards had a delicious time pounding your sister into the ground, ripping her to shreds…taking what they wanted from her before spitting in her face, pissing on her remains"
His legs tremble before giving beneath him. His mind spun and his eyes stared blankly out into the nothingness surrounding him. He just couldn't believe it, the love of his life, had set him ablaze, without even a flicker of regret. Has the darkness, the horrors of the Gnome King, and the destruction of the baby, finally pushed his love to the edge? Could she have given up, and allowed her soul to plummet into the never-ending abyss, the oubliette of despair?
His mind faded back into the streams of memories forgotten. Of the day he had saved her from the brutality of fellow Shiz students. Together, they sat together, mere inches apart on the hills overlooking Suicide Canal.
Elphaba sat with her legs curled against her chest, her arms wrapped loosely around her knees. Her long raven hair billowed around her and her dark, chocolate eyes stared empty out into the sparkling river.
Fiyero sat beside her, his dark sapphire eyes drinking in her appearance. Her emerald skin almost seemed to glow in the golden light of the sun. Her raven hair looked almost like silk, as it danced in the wind. She was thin, almost too thin. She had curves, the almost all to perfect hourglass figure, though it would have been hard to tell, what with her frocks and navy jacket.
Violent bruises drifted across her face, down her arms, and legs. A large gash wound; half healed, split across her forehead. Smaller scratches and scraps half hidden within the valley of bruises were nearly faded beneath the emerald hue of her skin.
Her eyes looked haunted, lost within the chasm of violence. It was obvious, even to the brainless Prince that this girl, had seen, had lived with too much violence, and abuse.
"You'll only die from dreams forgotten"
Those words haunted him still to this day. For such words, echoes only the loneliness, the despair which thundered deep within Elphaba's heart.
He had heard of the abuse Elphaba had suffered from by the hands of her father. And yet, in his heart, he had hoped that those stories would end up just being that, a rumor. Yet the more he got to know Elphaba, the more those horrors seemed real.
One time, when he had stumbled across a group of boys beating her, he had come across the most violent of secrets; Elphaba had managed to keep from even Galinda. For it was when he was helping her up, that he had seen it, words carved deep into her back, made by the razor point of a knife.
"What is that?" asks Fiyero in a faint whisper.
Tenderly, Elphaba managed to pull up the fabric of her torn blouse over the words, hiding the secret beneath blood torn cloth.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with" whispers Elphaba brokenly.
"My men enjoyed tasting your sister, beating her, watching her body twist and thrash. Her screams were like music to their ears" laughs Morrible.
"Morrible" growls Elphaba darkly.
"And…just when she was starting to fight back…the sky broke, a house appeared, falling through the sky, landing on top of our little witch of the East. Oh the sound of her body, being crushed beneath the house, her bones snapping and shattering…her organs splattering…it was a symphony of heaven" laughs Morrible.
A roar rips free from Elphaba's lips. Grabbing her umbrella she points it at Morrible. A rip tide of dark electricity flies from the tip, hitting Morrible squarely in the chest, and knocking her to the ground and writhing in agonizing pain.
Growling, Elphaba throws the umbrella to the ground, and, in a flash, runs over to where Morrible lays trembling. Standing before her, Elphaba's fingers twirl in the air.
Magickally, Morrible's body is lifted up high in the air, suspended by invisible threads of ebony.
A snarl and a flick of her fingers, and Morrible's skin is ripped free from her body. Blood splatters everywhere, covering those unfortunate enough to be standing to close, to be covered in blood.
Galinda and Fiyero stare horrified, at the skinned body of Morrible, writhing helplessly in the air, her entrails exposed for all to see.
"Perhaps Madame" snarls Elphaba, as she unceremoniously, bows before Morrible's gutted body "a demonstration of my power"
A cry before Morrible's limbs are ripped away, piece by piece, until there was nothing left, but her bleeding heart.
A dark cackle splits the air, as all stare in utter revulsion at the sight of the emerald witch, bathed in blood, leans down and scoops up Morrible's heart. Holding it up high until the silver rays of the moon shine down upon it, revealing twisted veins still pulsing with life.
"Oh my Oz" whispers Galinda brokenly.
"When will this nightmare end" whispers Fiyero