It had been one year since Glinda's death. It had been hard getting through it. It was difficult when she was declared missing and Nessarose hired people to go search for her. It had taken about forty eight hours until one of the men found a ribbon from Glinda's dress on the ground near the small cliff. Elphaba had clutched that pink ribbon and tried to keep herself calm when she realized dried blood was on it. She hoped the note wasn't true and that Glinda had failed at committing suicide. It would be a welcomed failure, Elphaba thought, and she truly didn't think her blonde love would have gone through with it.
How wrong she had been.
Glinda's body was found three hours later in the river. Her body had been carried from where she was presumed to jump from to the rocky rapid area downstream. Her body was examined by the top doctors due to Nessa keeping her head straight through the entire ordeal. Elphaba wondered when she had become the emotional one and Nessa had become level headed. It was hard for her to grasp that Glinda was dead. Despite the multiple stab wounds she inflicted, Glinda died from drowning instead of blood loss.
Elphaba couldn't stop thinking about her beloved trying to get to the surface and breathe, realizing she made a terrible mistake. She hoped that she hadn't struggled too much and that her death was quick rather than tormenting. Everything leading up to the funeral was a blur to Elphaba, but the funeral would forever be in her heart.
Nessarose had taken charge and made the arrangements. She decided on a closed casket because of Glinda's battered body. There had been a viewing of course, and Elphaba was shocked to see Glinda's parents arrive. The look of regret and remorse was evident. She could see that they blamed themselves for this and the green woman had opted not to correct them when they shook their heads, murmuring, "It's our fault; it's our entire fault."
When everyone left the room, Elphaba had taken her mother's diamond ring and slid it onto Glinda's left ring finger. It made her feel as if they had that big wedding Glinda always talked about. She realized now that the blonde had been hinting that she wanted to marry Elphaba, not Fiyero. Why couldn't she have seen it then? Glinda was being buried in her best pink dress, her hair curled, and her fingernails light pink. She looked just as she did when she was eighteen years old. But, she still held this frailness about her.
Elphaba stood at the gravestone that was on the mansion's property. She had made sure Glinda was buried in the Thropp family cemetery due to her last wishes in her note. She placed the lilies at her grave and knelt down beside it. She was too young, Elphaba thought, too young. "I miss you every day. I can't believe it's been a year already," she sighed. "But I'm getting better, my sweet. I'm trying to move on.
"But I can't stop wishing that I had followed you that night and held you close, bringing you back from your suicidal thoughts. When I think about it though, I realized that maybe you were right about not being able to be healthy." Elphaba took the envelope that she held and placed it at the gravestone with the lilies. She felt stupid for giving the dead these offerings when she knew that they'd never know. Death was a strange thing- one moment you were here, the next, you were gone; just like how Glinda was gone.
"Glinda, my sweet, why did you have to kill yourself? There was a doctor ready to help you! I was always trying to help you, but it just didn't work…none of it worked," Elphaba pounded her fist onto the ground in frustration. "None of it would ever work."
"Don't be sad, Elphie."
"Glinda?" Elphaba looked up from the ground. She wiped her tears away to clear her vision. Her eyes laid on a transparent figure dressed in light pink, her blonde hair in soft curls. She smiled and for the first time since that trip to the Emerald City all those years ago, Glinda actually looked happy.
"Be happy. You have your whole life ahead of you and you're spending it sitting on the ground crying over things that can't change," Glinda said and held out a hand to her. Elphaba grasped it and was shocked when her hand didn't pass through the petite one. Instead of helping her up, Glinda crouched down beside her.
"How is this even possible?" Elphaba questioned as she was completely confused.
"Your magic is strong, Elphie. I have no idea how, but it somehow forced me to come back here. When most people die, they can never come back to this world no matter how hard they try," she explained.
"I love that you're here, but I didn't intend to. I didn't even think it was possible."
"Me either," Glinda giggled. She climbed into Elphaba's lap just like she used to back in Shiz. "I love you so much, Elphie. I didn't do what I did to hurt you."
"I think I'm starting to understand that you…well…lost it," Elphaba plainly replied.
"I'd never do a thing to hurt you. I was really suffering. I was losing myself and whatever it was that was inside of me was gaining more and more control to the point that I could only get control if I hurt myself. But what terrified me was that when I stabbed myself, I couldn't feel it. The Wicked Witch of the North felt it," Glinda explained.
"I love you so much my sweet, and it just hurts me that you aren't with me," Elphaba hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go of the girl.
"If I thought I could win against that evil thing, I would be with you right now; well, in the flesh."
"Glinda, are you happy?" Elphaba had to know.
"I am so happy that you're safe from me and that I'm no longer suffering. I'm happy that I have control over myself. But, I will miss you. I am sad about that. However, I know soon enough we'll be together," Glinda explained. "But not until you're at least eighty. You're going to live a long, happy life. You have to live here for the both of us now."
"Is that an order?" Elphaba questioned jokingly, but her eyes were blurred with tears.
"Of course! And I will always get my way," Glinda said before kissing her. "Promise me you'll be happy."
"I'll get there," Elphaba promised.
"Good," Glinda smiled. "I'll be waiting for you," Glinda said as her image started to fade.
"No! Glinda, no! Don't go! Glinda!" Elphaba cried as her arms went through the blonde.
"I love you, Elphaba Thropp. And thank you for the beautiful ring," she smiled, showing her the diamond on her finger.
"You're welcome. And I love you," Elphaba said before Glinda completely disappeared from her view. Wiping her tears, Elphaba stood and looked down at the grave. She promised herself that she'd be happy, just like Glinda wanted. She was going to stop moping around the mansion as if she were a ghost. She'd do something important with her life. She wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to do, but whatever it was she did, she'd live a wonderful life in this world and one day she'd see Glinda again. For the first time in a long time, Elphaba smiled.
I know a lot of you were upset with Glinda's death, but hopefully this last chapter gives you closure- Glinda's actually happy now and Elphaba will move on from it with the knowledge Glinda's death wasn't the end of her. Thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing, favoriting, etc. I really liked writing this fic and am kind of sad to see it end.