OK guys, here's the next chapter. At this point I'm already half way through writing chapter six, so I'm making good time. However, I'm still going to try to spread the updates out a bit. Anyway, this chapter is a bit shorter, but very important. Hopefully it came out right, because it gave me a bit of trouble.
Anyways, I'll let you read and see for yourself. Here's the next chapter.
Fiyero tried not to whimper as he was thrown roughly to the floor, coughing as the wind was knocked out of him. Instinctively, he curled into a ball like a child expecting to be struck, but the Witch almost seemed to be ignoring him as she swept past and into the small room. After a few moments he took his hands away from his face, wondering why he'd not yet been blown up, or whatever method the Witch used in getting rid of her prisoners.
She was across the room now, hanging her cloak on a rusty hook that looked as though it had been clumsily hammered into the wall. Her back was to him, and Fiyero realized that he had not yet seen her face. From here all he could see was that she was wearing some sort of flowing black dress, and a pointed black hat sat atop her head. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, keeping a close eye on her lest she suddenly turn and strike.
For a moment Fiyero's eyes darted toward the huge stone that blocked his only escape. He wondered if his men were still out in the cave searching, or if they'd already given up. He examined the stone, wondering half heartedly if he'd be able to move it himself. He realized with a sinking feeling that it didn't seem likely.
When the Witch was finished putting her things away, she finally whipped around to face Fiyero, causing him to jump and scramble backwards on his palms. He hated that he was acting like a frightened child, but at this point self-preservation instincts had taken over. The Witch towered over him from his spot on the floor, and through his panic Fiyero registered that she was indeed as frightening as everyone made her out to be.
Trying to keep his voice from quivering, Fiyero composed himself enough to ask, "Why did you bring me here?"
He tried to appear fearless, but his mask of bravery fell immediately when the Witch let out a loud cackle. The sound was so bone chilling Fiyero completely forgot he'd even asked a question and backed up against the wall.
"Why did I bring you here?" she asked, taking a step forward. Her voice was shrill, and it sent a shiver down Fiyero's spine. Her eyes were blazing, and the fact that she was still towering over him did nothing to quell Fiyero's fear. "I should think that would be rather obvious captain. I am not about to be captured and brought back before your "glorious"Wizard, and since you'd so graciously shouted for your guards, I had no choice but to pull you in here before either of us were seen."
Fiyero gulped, not even attempting to hide his fear now, "W-what are you going to do with me then?"
She took another step toward him, and Fiyero scrambled up against the wall. He was terrified to let even the hem of the woman's robes touch him, as if he would spontaneously combust upon any contact with her. There was an excruciatingly long pause before the Witch responded, her tone still cold and menacing, "Well, I'm not going to kill you, if that's what you're worried about, but I'm certainly not going to allow you to leave."
Fiyero ignored the fact that his voice was now quivering and asked, "Well, if you're not going to kill me then what's the point of keeping me here?"
"And what will you do if I release you? You'll run back to your precious leader, gather your idiot troops and be marching back to this place by sunup. This spot is quite convenient for me right now, and I don't really like the idea of having to move. I see no other option but to keep you here," she practically growled as she spoke, and Fiyero found himself wishing he'd wake up in his bed in a cold sweat right about now.
"Y-you can't keep me here you know. I'm the captain of the Wizard's guards. My men will-"
The Witch cut him off, "Your men will what? No one can hear anything that goes on in here from the outside, and no one knows this passage exists. There's no way for you to move that boulder by yourself, and I am most certainly not going to be moving it for you. I'd make myself comfortable captain, because you're not going anywhere for a long time."
With that, the Witch wheeled around, her billowing cloaks almost whipping a stunned Fiyero across the face. He had nothing to say to that, and no way out of this rather perilous situation. He'd been hunting the Witch for two years, and though he'd always known something like to be a possibility, he hadn't ever really seen himself in such a situation. Now that these circumstances had presented themselves, he really wished he could do more than cower on the floor like a useless idiot.
He kept his eyes trained on the Witch as she crossed the room, not relaxing the slightest bit from his position up against the wall. Her back was to him again, and Fiyero was soon struck by a brilliant idea. His hand flew down to his belt in search of his pistol, but his heart sank back into his stomach as he realized it was missing. He must have dropped it out in the hall when the Witch had suddenly pulled him inside. Unfortunately, he had no other weapons on his person at the moment.
Fiyero was once again caught off guard as the Witch began to chant quickly, her eyes rushing across a page of the strange book he'd noticed upon entering the cavern. He couldn't understand what she was saying, but he'd heard Glinda's pathetic attempts at magic often enough to realize that the Witch was casting some sort of spell. Before Fiyero could make any move to protect himself, he felt a very strong wave of energy overpower his body.
Fiyero suddenly found that he no longer had any control over his limbs. Casting a glance over the Witch, he saw her making strange motions with her arms, her eyes still trained on the pages of the old book as she continued to chant. It was then that Fiyero felt a strange tugging on his legs, and his body began moving forward of its own accord. Fiyero struggled against the force, but it was no use. It was evident that he was no use for the Witch's magic. He could only stare ahead, powerless to stop himself as his body moved itself into a separate room of the cave.
The Witch followed behind, still chanting even as she finally tore her gaze from what Fiyero had now realized was an ancient book of spells. Finally she stopped her chanting, but Fiyero remained powerless to move his own body and so he assumed she'd paralyzed him temporarily. Honestly there was no real need for this, as Fiyero was in such a state of terrified shock right now that he most likely would not even have been able to move of his own accord had he possessed the ability.
The Witch spoke again, her dark eyes boring into Fiyero's blue ones, "This is where you will stay as long as you are my prisoner. Whenever I am not home I will roll away the boulder that blocks this room and you will be free to move around the cavern as you like. You are to report back to this room the moment I return. You will stay here and be given two meals a day. Other than this we will have no interaction, and for that you should be grateful. Good night to you captain."
With that, the Witch waved her wrist and a large boulder immediately slid into place, blocking off the entrance to the room Fiyero was in as effectively as it had blocked off the Witch's hiding place from the main caves. As the entrance was sealed, Fiyero could feel the Witch's spell lift from his body. Too stunned to support his weight, he immediately collapsed into a crumpled heap on the ground. He did not even bother to feel ashamed as he felt a few stray tears roll down his cheeks at the hopelessness of this situation.
Fleetingly he though of his home back at the Emerald Palace, and what he would give to be there at this very moment. He wondered if word of his disappearance had reached the Emerald City yet, and if so what measures were being taken to ensure his return. Not that it really made a difference, for he had a feeling that as long as the Witch wanted him to remain hidden there was no way anyone was going to find him here.
Curling into fetal position, Fiyero realized that there was something odd about this situation. Why was the Witch keeping him alive in the first place? Certainly it would be easier for her if she just disposed of him quickly. Why would she go through the trouble of giving him food and drink? Was she planning to use him for ransom to get to the Wizard, or was she simply going to have her fun with him before she decided to kill him off? Shuddering, Fiyero pulled his knees to his chest and tried not to become overwhelmed by despair. He knew that whatever was coming in the future, it would certainly not be a pleasant experience.
Fiyero stayed like that well into the night; too afraid to close his eyes for fear that the Witch would murder him in his sleep. What he did not see and could not know, however; was that as soon as the boulder had blocked him from view, the Wicked Witch of the West had sunk to her knees, buried her face in her hands, and cried.
And there's the ever important confrontation scene. Hopefully it was realistic enough. The last line was obviously there to show that Elphaba is not really an evil bitch and that she's just as distressed by this situation as Fiyero is, if not more so. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, it's much appreciated. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think so far. Remember, the more reviews I get the faster I put the next chapter up.
S.P.