Hey guys. Sorry the update took so long. I've been a little busy this week. I was quite excited to discover the joys of student rush tickets. My theatre geek friend, her friend and I went into Manhattan on Wednesday and got rush tickets for Les Miz. The seats weren't bad for $25 either. The top of the stage was a little cut off, but it wasn't too big a deal. I loved the show too, and I've added the soundtrack to my collection. Now we're going to see RENT next week, but getting regular tickets because we're not sure if that show has rush. It'll be my third time seeing it, but I just want to see Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal! I can't wait. Then at the end of the month I'm probably doing rush tickets to Avenue Q, which I haven't seen yet, with another group of friends. I love living this close to Broadway. XD
Well anyway, back to the matter of the chapter. This one's a bit short, but there was nothing else I felt I needed to put in this chapter and I'm not a fan of writing filler. Anyway, hope you like it.
The march on the way back to the cave was undoubtedly more solemn than the one to the Emerald City. The guards were very bitter, for they had not been rewarded for their hard work, but rather sent back out straight away before even getting a chance to rest. Half of the guards didn't even understand why they were bringing the Witch back to her hideout. The explanation was whispered to them by the other guards, the ones who had been present at the jail cell, as they walked. There was much aggravated grumbling, but save for that no one spoke.
Fiyero could sense the tension between himself and Elphaba, more so than he could feel the invisible bonds tying them together. She would not look at him, nor at the guards behind her. She kept her eyes trained ahead, as though she were not even aware of the others' presence. Fiyero was trying to decide whether he could say something to her without the other guards hearing, but it appeared the Gale Forcers were sticking close in case Elphaba decided to run for it. Fiyero kept quiet as well.
The walk back to the cave was a rather uneventful one. Elphaba was not exactly being cooperative, but she was not causing trouble either. This actually surprised Fiyero, for he would not have expected her to be so submissive. He knew she probably had some plan up her sleeve, and he desperately needed to talk to her before she put whatever that plan was into action. Perhaps he would get his chance when they reached the cave. It was that though that kept him walking at a steady pace even when he felt as though he were about to collapse from exhaustion.
The sky was dark by the time they finally reached cave some hours later. After Fiyero confirmed that it was indeed the correct location, everyone present was a bit surprised that Elphaba had led them there so easily. After a moment, one of the guards stepped forward and seized Elphaba's arm. She flinched but did not look at him.
"Ok Witch," he started, spitting the word as though it were a curse, "We're here only so you can undo whatever curse you've placed on the captain. Try anything funny and you will live to regret it. You understand me?"
But Elphaba did not answer, and this seemed to anger the guard. Before Fiyero could say anything to stop it, the man lashed out and slapped Elphaba across the face. She seemed to reel for a moment, and her eyes narrowed into a glare, but she still would not look at the man addressing her.
He spoke again, slowly and more deliberately, "I said, do you understand me?"
"Yes," Elphaba said slowly, her voice dripping with venom. Her face was turning an odd shade of purple where the man had hit her. Fiyero felt that he would have been a bit more worried if he were that guard.
Finally, once the guard seemed satisfied that he'd forced an answer out of Elphaba, he let go of her arm and pushed her ahead into the cave. Elphaba and Fiyero moved easily in the darkness, by now used to it, but the other guards had a bit more trouble adjusting. Still, they stayed near enough that Fiyero still had no chance to say anything to Elphaba.
They reached the large boulder that concealed her hideout and she chanted the brief spell that would reveal the small room. The guards, obviously worried that she'd been doing something else, relaxed a bit when they saw the large rock rolled back, revealing Elphaba's makeshift home.
She ignored them and went straight to the large spellbook still on the stone table. Everything in the room was exactly as it had been earlier that morning before they'd been captured. It was as though the whole trip to the Emerald City had never happened.
Elphaba leafed through the pages quickly, stopping a few moments later when she'd obviously found what she wanted. Fiyero glanced at the page over her shoulder, trying to see what was written there, but could understand the strange writing no better than the first time he'd seen it. After a moment's pause, Elphaba began to chant and Fiyero shut his eyes, bracing himself for the spell's effects. He suspected that Elphaba was not doing what she was supposed to.
However, he felt no change, and after a few seconds had passed Fiyero opened his eyes. For a moment it appeared as though nothing had happened, and Fiyero wondered if the spell she'd cast just hadn't worked. However, he did a double take as he looked at the other guards. They were all frozen where they stood.
He looked back at Elphaba now, who had turned to the page to a different spell and was now standing before him. He was actually quite surprised she hadn't cast the freezing spell on him as well.
Elphaba seemed to read his mind, for she said, "Don't give me that look. I would have frozen you too, but I need you conscious to remove the binding spell." Her voice was bitter and she sounded less than happy with him.
Fiyero knew this was the chance he'd been waiting for and spoke quickly, "Elphaba, I had nothing to do with the guards coming here! I had no idea this was going to happen!"
"Oh I have no doubt of that, judging by the look of shock on your face throughout the entire ordeal in the dungeons," she responded coldly, "But it seems you also had no idea it would be common courtesy for you to tell me you're engaged. All of this time you've been cheating on Glinda. You're my best friend's fiancé!"
Fiyero was taken aback. He'd been so sure she was angry at him for the capture that he'd completely forgotten everything that had been revealed in the dungeon. "Well, you're my fiancée's best friend and you never saw fit to tell me that!" he retorted.
"I didn't even know you had a fiancée!" she replied, growing annoyed with him, "And you're the one at fault here so do not try to turn it around! I cannot believe I allowed myself to be manipulated that easily! What, Glinda wasn't around so you decided you'd have a bit of fun? I think in the back of my mind I knew something like this would happen, but I kept ignoring that and look where it's gotten me!"
Fiyero's eyes softened a bit. It was to be expected that Elphaba would be upset with him. After all, it really was his fault for not mentioning that he was engaged. But then, if she'd known that she never would have given their relationship a chance at all, and even after seeing Glinda again Fiyero was sure that Elphaba was the one he wanted to be with. How was he supposed to explain that to her though?
"Elphaba, listen to me! It's true that I'm engaged to Glinda, but I have no feelings for her anymore! I don't want to be with Glinda, I would honestly rather be with you," he said, pleading with her. He couldn't lose her now or he'd never forgive himself.
Elphaba's expression did not change. She crossed the room to retrieve her broom from the opposite wall and then turned to him and said "Fiyero, I don't care what you've been telling yourself or even if it's true, but 'we' never should have happened in the first place. I'm going to free you from the bonding spell now and the spell over the other guards should wear off in a few minutes. When they unfreeze simply pretend that I'd cast the spell over you as well and return to the city with them. Forget this conversation ever happened." Before Fiyero could protest, she leaned over the large spellbook once more and recited a short spell. Fiyero felt the invisible bonds slide off of him as Elphaba stood and placed the large book into a sack around her waist.
This was it, she was leaving. If he didn't act now he was going to lose her. "Elphaba please, let me come with you. I don't want to return to the Emerald City, I don't want to go back to Glinda. There's nothing there for me now!"
Elphaba seemed conflicted now, and he could have sworn that tears were beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes. It seemed very hard for her to speak as she said, "Go back to Glinda Fiyero. Go back to the Emerald City. Forget this ever happened and forget me. It'll be better for both of us that way."
Before Fiyero could open his mouth to speak again there was a puff of red smoke. When it cleared Elphaba was gone, and Fiyero could do nothing but stare around the now empty cave, not wanting to believe what had just happened. That was it, he had lost her. She was gone.
This isn't the last chapter, just in case some of you might think that. Anyway, I'll answer some review comments now:
not a geek freak: Well, I suppose it might be if I knew what that was. :P
LostOzian: Well, I guess it's not exactly what you brainstormed. Elphaba's a bit too annoyed with Yero at the moment. Hope you won't kill me for that! hides
elphabathedelirious32: Yay pitchforks! Now you can insult Morrible all you want. Glad you liked the last chapter, hope you like this one too.
Well, that's all I have to say this time. Thanks for reading and please leave me a review. Reviews are what get the next chapter up! I'll try to update as soon as possible.
S.P.