OK guys, I'm really sorry this chapter took so long. It was a difficult chapter to write and I had a bit of a block. But I saw the play again yesterday (on kind of a spur of the moment thing too, my friend and I won the lottery and got front row tickets. It was amazing.) and that helped a lot to get me back into the writing mood. I'm not sure how this chapter turned out. I'm still trying to decide whether I like it or not, if that makes any sense. Well, anyway, I'll let you guys decide.
Fiyero sat on the bed in an empty guest room, staring at the wall. On the outside he appeared almost comatose, but his mind was racing. Five hours. Only five hours since he'd seen her last. Five hours since his men had unfrozen to find that the Wicked Witch of the West had escaped. Five hours since his world had come crashing down around him.
How could he have let her escape? He honestly hadn't expected her to leave so suddenly. If only he'd been able to convince her to stay, or at least to let him go with her. He hadn't known how angry she'd been that he hadn't told her about Glinda. If only he'd told her about it from the start, maybe things would have gone differently. Or would that mean that she never would have given him a chance at all? Fiyero squeezed his eyes shut.
He still hadn't spoken to Glinda about everything that had happened. He'd only arrived home a short while ago and had slipped into this room unnoticed so he could get his thoughts straight. However, Glinda would surely seek him out if he didn't go to her soon; he knew she wanted explanations. The conversation was bound to be painful, but the two of them had to have it eventually.
It was with this thought in mind that Fiyero slipped off the bed and left the room. He knew what he had to do, but it certainly didn't make this any easier. He'd never wanted to hurt Glinda; he still cared about her very much. For a long time he'd even believed that he loved her. But he couldn't stay with her any longer. He would be lying to both Glinda and himself if he did. He didn't feel that way about her anymore, and he wasn't even sure that he ever had. All he knew was that he was in love with Elphaba.
He finally found Glinda in the sitting room, trying to appear focused on a book that she was obviously not reading. She looked up as he entered, and then bolted into his arms. Fiyero was a bit taken aback by this, but it was understandable. She was probably very shaken up by the events of the past few hours.
"Oh Fiyero dearest, I was so worried! Where in Oz's name have you been? How was Elphaba involved in all of this? No one will tell me anything, and it's all so confusifying," she said, looking up at him as she spoke. Fiyero wasn't sure how to begin.
Guiding Glinda into a seat, he tried to think of the gentlest way to say everything that needed to be said. He decided to start small.
"I'm fine Glinda," he said, watching her carefully.
"Where have you been? You've had me so worried," she repeated. The concern in her eyes made Fiyero feel even worse about what he was about to do.
He tried to figure out the best answer to her question. "I…I've been with your friend Elphaba."
Glinda looked at him strangely, "How do you know Elphaba? I hadn't even seen her in over two years before this afternoon and I'm sure I've never introduced you to her."
"No, and you also never mention that she was the Wicked Witch of the West that I've been after for so long," Fiyero replied.
Glinda looked down at her hands, "It's not something I generally like to talk about. I mean, how would you have reacted if I'd told you that my best friend was the Wicked witch of the West? But you really shouldn't believe everything you hear about her. Most of it was made up by Morrible and the Wizard." She met his eyes with her own, pleading with him to believe her.
He sighed, "I know…I uh-got to know her a bit better." He knew all too well where this was headed.
"How did you meet her anyway? Weren't you out to capture her?" Glinda asked.
Fiyero wondered for a moment how Glinda could have watched him go searching for the Wicked Witch of the West so often without saying anything. How could she have let all of this go on without a word in her best friend's defense? However, he shook the thoughts away for the moment in an attempt to come up with an appropriate response to Glinda's question.
"Well…I know how this is going to sound, but just hear me out before you say anything…she sort of captured me when I got too near her hiding place." Fiyero began. Glinda's eyes widened but surprisingly she stayed silent. He continued, "It wasn't really her fault though. She had no other choice. If she hadn't captured me she would have risked being captured herself."
Glinda looked shocked. There was a moment of silence before she said, "That really doesn't sound like the Elphaba I know. I suppose…she's changed since I last saw her."
"Well, I suppose being Oz's most infamous enemy would change anyone in at least some ways Glinda. But she really wasn't terrible. She only seemed to be acting the part of the Wicked Witch, and…well, she sort of started acting more like herself after a while,"
Fiyero must have had some sort of strange look on his face as he said this, for Glinda studied him carefully for a moment before saying, "Dearest, is there something you're not telling me?"
Fiyero closed his eyes and took a breath. This was it. "Well, when Morrible ordered the guards to take Elphaba back to her hideout, she managed to undo the spell on me and escape."
Glinda nodded, "I've already heard. Morrible and the Wizard are both furious. I can't say I'm completely surprised though. It would be just like Elphaba to have some sort of plan in mind,"
Fiyero paused for a moment, and then blurted out, "Glinda, I've got to find her."
Glinda turned to him with a look of confusion on her face. "Find her? Fiyero, surely you can't still want to capture her. I thought you said you'd gotten to know her," she said.
Fiyero looked down at his hands, unable to respond. This seemed to worry Glinda, and she asked, "Fiyero dearest, what's wrong?"
Fiyero could not look her in the eyes, "Glinda…I never wanted to hurt you."
Glinda was growing nervous now, "Fiyero, what're you…"
"Glinda, I care about you very much, you know that. But…I can't marry you. I don't feel that way about you," he said.
Fiyero still did not look up, but he could clearly imagine the look of shock and horror on Glinda's face. He closed his eyes and waited for her inevitable response.
Glinda seemed to lose the ability to speak for a few moments. Finally, she stammered, "S-surely you don't mean..."
"Glinda, I have to find Elphaba…. I love her," biting the inside of his lip, he finally brought his gaze up to look at Glinda.
Glinda seemed caught between shock, anger and horror. Her expression made Fiyero feel even worse about what he was doing. After a moment, she said, "Dearest, you're just tired, you're not thinking clearly. I'm sure you've had a trying day. Please, just go upstairs and rest, you'll feel better in the morning." She put a hand on his shoulder, but Fiyero pulled away.
"Glinda, I've never been thinking more clearly in my life. I'm sorry, but I can't change the way I feel," he replied.
Tears were beginning to gather in Glinda's eyes now, but there was more anger than hurt in her voice as she said, "I can't believe you. We've been together for years and not once have I been unfaithful to you. Then you go away for five days and tell me that you're in love with another woman? That you're in love with me best friend. How long has this been going on behind my back? Have you been sneaking off to visit her every time you go on one of your little missions?"
"Glinda please, it wasn't like that! I only met her a few days ago, and Elphaba isn't to blame at all. She didn't even know I was engaged," Fiyero responded.
Glinda stopped for a moment before saying, "You didn't tell her that you're engaged?"
Fiyero realized too late that it was a mistake to have said that, "Glinda-"
"Is that all I was to you? Just someone to have around until something better came along. Were you going to just run off with the first woman you came across, whether or not she happened to be the Wicked Witch of the West?" she said. She wasn't screaming, but she might as well have been.
"Glinda listen to me, I didn't-"
She cut him off; her eyes not wet with tears, and said, "Fiyero, did you ever really love me?"
Fiyero just looked at his hands. He honestly wasn't sure. He'd thought he had at one point, but he knew he'd never felt the same way around Glinda that he did around Elphaba. Unsure of how to answer, he said nothing. Glinda watched him for a moment, and seemed to draw a conclusion from his silence. She lingered for a moment longer, and then turned on her heel and fled the room.
For a moment Fiyero considered going after her, saying something to her to help comfort her. But there was nothing to say. The damage was done, and there was no reversing it. Though Fiyero felt bad about hurting Glinda, he did not feel remorse for breaking up with her. It had to be done.
Sparing one last glance to the doorway Glinda had just exited through; Fiyero turned and went off in the opposite direction. He had no idea where he was going to start searching, but he had to leave as soon as possible. He was going to find Elphaba, he had to.
Alright, so what do you think? Were Glinda's reactions realistic enough, did it seem rushed? I'd appreciate any feedback and/or constructive criticism. So please leave a review and tell me what you though. I'm not sure when I'll get the next one up. I've kind of been making this up as I go since about chapter seven, so I've got to wait for inspiration to strike again. I have a vague idea of where this is going though, so hopefully it won't take too long. I'll update as soon as possible.
S.P.