Wicked Comet part 19
Glinda and Rich flew in two of Glinda's magical bubbles to the Emerald city where they managed to slip into the Wizard's palace without being noticed. Once inside the palace, Glinda dissipated the bubbles and the two sneaked through the corridors. By now, Dorothy and the witch hunters had arrived back in the Emerald City, mysteriously without the scarecrow, and everyone all over Oz was celebrating that the Wicked Witch of the west was dead. Some were fearful since the Wicked Comet's pilot was still at large and would probably be out for revenge, but the popular thought that Rich had been hypnotised by the Witch still prevailed. As Rich and Glinda arrived at the throne room, they could hear the Wizard and Madame Morrible talking,
"Well, I don't know why you're so despondiary, I thought it went quite well! They seem thrilled to shreds with their brains and their hearts, and this and that..." Madame Morrible said but she trailed off as Glinda came into the room. "Oh, Miss Glinda! I thought you'd be out festivating."
"This was Elphaba's" Glinda said to the Wizard and Morrible as she held out the green bottle that Chistery had handed her.
The Wizard did a double take when he saw the bottle.
"What did you say?" The Wizard exclaimed.
"It was a keepsake. It was her mother's. She told me so herself. I've only seen a little, green bottle like this one other time. It was right here, in this very room. You offered me a drink from it." Glinda explained.
The Wizard took the bottle from Glinda and took another identical bottle from his coat pocket and compared the two together.
Rich snuck his way into the room and waited for the opportune moment.
"But... oh my Lord..." the Wizard stuttered as he realised something critical, something that horrified him to his core!
"I am a sentimental man who always longed to be...
a father..." he said, recounting part of what he said to Elphaba, Glinda and Rich all of those years ago.
"Well this is awkward isn't it?" Rich spoke slowly and carefully, with a grim tone as he walked out of his hiding spot and came into the view of the Wizard and Morrible. Morrible straightened up and made to call for help but Rich pulled out his revolver and pointed it at her.
"I wouldn't" he warned Morrible.
"She was my daughter" The wizard muttered to himself.
"So that was it. That's why she had such powers! She was a child of both worlds!" Morrible said in realisation.
The Wizard ignored her and cried.
"How does it feel, to know that you have had your own daughter killed?!" Rich snarled at the Wizard.
When the Wizard didn't answer, Rich continued with pure and uncontrollable fury lacing every word,
"ELPHABA AND I HAVE STUCK TOGETHER LIKE GLUE ALL OF OUR LIVES; I FOUGHT WITH HER THESE PAST FIVE YEARS EVEN THOUGH I KNEW I MIGHT BE KILLED. I SAW ELPHABA DIE! YOU KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO SEE YOU'RE LAST REMAINING FAMILY DIE IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES WHEN YOU HAD THE POWER TO PREVENT IT?! LIKE UTTER TRASH, THAT IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE! AND NOW I WILL HAVE TO LIVE THE REST OF MY LIFE KNOWING I COULD HAVE PREVENTED MY COUSINS DEATH! YOU MIGHT BY MY UNCLE AND ELPHABA'S DAD, BUT I DON'T THINK YOU EVEN DESERVE THOSE TITLES, LET ALONE YOU'RE LIFE!"
Rich then pointed the revolver right at the Wizard who flinched, Morrible was frozen in place with fear and Glinda prepared to magically disarm Rich if needed.
Rich pulled back the Hammer and pulled the Trigger, the Wizard braced himself….. and nothing happened! All there was; was the sound of the hammer striking an empty chamber.
"you think it would be that easy? I have a powerful weapon in my hand! I COULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!" Rich roared before he put the revolver back in his pocket.
"But I won't kill you. I'm not a monster!" Rich spat.
Glinda took a moment to compose herself and she said to the Wizard in a commanding tone,
"I want you to leave Oz. I'll make the pronouncement myself: that the strains of wizardship have been too much for you and you are taking an indefinite leave of absence!"
When the Wizard didn't acknowledge her, Glinda said in a more angry tone,
"Did you hear what I said?!"
The Wizard leapt to his feet in fear and respect for Glinda and said,
"yes, your goodness" the Wizard said as he stumbled off.
"You'd better get your balloon ready!" Glinda called after the Wizard.
After the Wizard had left, Glinda called out at the top of her voice,
"GUARDS! GUARDS!"
Rich immediately sprinted off and hid behind the Wizard head, which was propped up against a wall. As he did so, two guardsmen entered the room and stood to attention.
"Glinda, dear, I know we've had our miniscule differentiations in the past..." Morrible said; trying to get on Glinda's good side but Glinda was having none of it.
"Madame, have you ever considered how you'd fare in captivity?" Glinda asked.
Morrible was quite taken aback at this.
"What?" Morrible asked, not quite grasping what Glinda was saying.
"Captivity... prison!" Glinda explained as if she was teaching a small child, she then continued with,
"Personally, I don't think you'll hold up very well. My professional opinion is that you do not have what it takes. I hope you prove me wrong. I doubt you will."
Rich smirked from where he was hiding, Glinda had told him and Elphaba after the night at the Ozdust what Morrible had said to her.
"How do you like a taste of your own medicine Horrible?" Rich muttered.
"Take her away!" Glinda then shouted whilst gesturing towards Southstairs prison.
The guardsmen then dragged Morrible off to Southstairs, all the while Morrible was screaming "NO!"
Once they were gone, Rich emerged from his hiding place and over to where Glinda was standing, head bowed.
"you ok?" was all Rich could ask.
Glinda nodded and then she stood up to her full height and said,
"It's over"
"Not nearly, we've still got all the wrongs that the Wizard and Morrible have done to correct and the small manner of my still being a fugitive" Rich replied in an apologetic tone.
Glinda took Rich's hand in hers and said,
"Then we'll do so together"
"Yeah, together" Rich agreed and the two friends, the last of their social circle still actually friends and prepared to take on whatever life could throw at them.