Chapter 6
Elphaba hoped to open her eyes and find herself back on the bridge where this had all started. Or even better, back in her own bed. So when she opened her eyes and recognised the Emerald City, her heart sank.
"What does this have to do with Glinda?" she asked dully. "What, because I don't exist, she's begging on the street? Is this your argument?"
She turned away, studying the city streets. A short distance down the block, there was a group of four young women who were clearly tourists, by the way they were gaping at the buildings surrounding them and pausing to pose for photos with a camera one of them was wearing around her neck. The sight made Elphaba's chest ache slightly.
"You're right," Klehr said quietly, making Elphaba turn to her expectantly, tearing her gaze away from the girls down the street. "Humans make a thousand choices every day, and each choice could change their lives in a thousand ways. I could have shown you many worlds where Fiyero is alive, or your sister is happily married. But that would defeat the purpose."
"Of making me miserable?" Elphaba shot back, but Klehr just shook her head.
"If you toss a pebble into a pond, it creates a different sized ripple than if you toss in a boulder, correct?"
Elphaba huffed out a sigh, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. "I suppose."
"You are a boulder, Elphaba. Not a pebble," Klehr told her. "Therefore, we show you the world with the largest ripple effect from your absence. I am sorry to cause you pain."
Elphaba pressed her lips together tightly, turning away and looking away. Klehr's apologies weren't much comfort.
"So, why are we here?" she asked. "We are here to see Glinda, aren't we?"
"Yes," Klehr confirmed.
Elphaba looked around again, trying to figure out why they were in this particular spot of the city. She could see the wall that enclosed the Wizard's palace nearby, and she averted her gaze quickly. The thrill that had shot through her the first time she saw it was long gone, replaced only by a feeling of dread and nausea. Other than that, there wasn't much around to give her any indication of Glinda's life in this world. At least from what she could see, there was no graveyards around. That was a good sign, she supposed.
"Glinda's life can't be that much different," she pointed out to Klehr. "Without me being her roommate, she would have had her own private suite, just like she wanted. It's not like being my friend raised her popularity at all, and you already said she broke up with Fiyero. Really, the only difference I can think of is that she wouldn't be Glinda the Good, and that was hardly something Glinda had planned for. She'd still be Galinda, wouldn't she?"
Klehr smiled. "Come this way," she said, turning away and not giving Elphaba any choice but to follow her. "In a world without you, Galinda is happily married; to a man who checked thirteen out of nineteen of her criteria, plus the twentieth box."
Elphaba's steps faltered for a moment in surprise, blinking rapidly. "Oz, I'd forgotten about that," she breathed.
It had been one night very early in their friendship- post OzDust, but pre-Lion Cub- when Galinda had informed Elphaba about the extensive list of criteria she had in mind for her future husband, and how many of those criteria Fiyero fit. Elphaba, who thought it was ridiculous to pick your future spouse with a checklist, but also who really appreciated a checklist, hadn't really been listening. But she had been rather bemused by this mysterious "twentieth box" Galinda mentioned.
"I don't know what it is, that's the point, Elphie," Galinda had insisted. "The twentieth box is the box I didn't even know I was looking for."
"Does Fiyero have that box?"
Galinda had hesitated ever so slightly. "I… don't know yet."
Elphaba hadn't given it much thought after that until this moment.
"They have two little girls," Klehr continued. "She adores them, and she's an excellent mother. They're very happy, and quite well off."
That was nothing Elphaba hadn't expected, but she was still wary. "What's the catch?" she asked. "I'm not seeing a ripple effect here."
Klehr tucked her arm into Elphaba's elbow as she led the way down the street. "Oh, I could tell you every flaw in Glinda's life, and the ways in which she's worse off for not knowing you. But I think we've established by now that this isn't what you need."
"Okay, what do I need then?" Elphaba asked tiredly.
Klehr drew them to a stop and looked over at Elphaba. "Closure."
Elphaba's brow furrowed, until she followed where Klehr was pointing. They were standing outside a bridal salon, which wasn't exactly an odd sight in the Emerald City- there were a million of them. On that fateful day before they'd met with the Wizard, Glinda had dragged Elphaba to a stop before the window of every one they passed to critique the gowns in the window. But it was the sight of the Gale Force officers standing guard outside that made Elphaba's blood run cold with a chilling realisation.
"Wait," she said hoarsely. "This- this is my world, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Elphaba's mouth went dry and her stomach turned. "No. I can't be here," she stressed, her heart hammering away in her chest.
"Elphaba, you don't look like you," Klehr reminded her gently. "No one is going to recognise you. Come along."
Elphaba shook her head frantically, but Klehr swept her towards the door before she could find the words to express all the reasons that this was a terrible idea. She couldn't help but clench as they passed the guards at the door. One of them made eye contact with her and Elphaba held her breath, instinctively waiting for the moment of recognition, that cry of "Witch!". But his gaze passed right over her and then back to the street and then they were inside and Elphaba had gone from being surrounded by green to being thrown into a sea of white.
They'd barely stepped three feet in the door before a sales consultant swooped down upon them.
"Hello. Welcome to Bitte's Bridal! I'm Kersti. How can I help you?" she asked, smiling brightly.
"Hello," Klehr said, keeping a firm grip on Elphaba's arm as she tried to pull away instinctively. "I'm here to help my granddaughter pick out a wedding dress."
The woman's face brightened even further, if that was possible. "Oh, how lovely," she exclaimed. "When's the big day?"
Elphaba had lost the concept of time, but she guessed it was somewhere around six hours or so from now. She knew better than to tell the woman that though.
"Six months," Klehr answered.
"Lovely. And do you have something in mind?" she asked Elphaba. "A style or a silhouette or something?"
Elphaba's thoughts flashed back to the dress hanging on the closet door in Piscoe Hills right now, that she'd agonised over choosing without any guidance or assistance other than Glinda's voice in her head and a far too push sales person. The dress she'd finally settled on was a simple sleeveless sheath dress with a square neckline covered with beading. She'd thought Glinda would appreciate the beading and the effect it had on the dress.
"The one I have- the one I was looking at," she amended, when Kersti's brow creased in confusion. "It was a sheath, with beading. I only need something simple."
"Alright. Where's the wedding?"
"A church in Piscoe Hills, in Fliaan?" Elphaba said hesitantly, unable to help but feel wary like she was revealing her location and her identity to all of Oz.
Kersti nodded knowingly. "I thought I detected a bit of an accent," she smiled. "Alright. And what's your budget?"
Klehr rattled off a number that was double what Elphaba had considered for her own dress, ignoring the arched eyebrow that Elphaba shot her way.
Kersti just nodded though. "Excellent. Well, why don't you have a look around the racks and see if anything jumps out at you in your budget? I'll pull a few things that may suit you, and we can go from there?"
"How wonderful!" Klehr beamed.
"I already have a dress," Elphaba hissed to her as Klehr led her deeper into the endless racks of white dresses. "And even if I didn't, I probably couldn't afford anything here; and I certainly can't pay for it."
"That was just a way to get us in the room, dearie," Klehr said smoothly, reaching for a gown as they passed. "Oh, isn't this beautiful?"
Elphaba grimaced as Klehr pulled it down, taking in the ruffles that covered the dress. "Uh, I'm not sure that's really me," she said.
"Oh, that would look amazing on you!"
Elphaba spun around so quickly that she almost fell over, her heart leaping into her throat as she locked eyes with Glinda for the first time since they'd said goodbye to one another in Kiamo Ko. She searched Glinda's face, waiting for a sign of recognition- surely the fact she wasn't green might keep others from recognising her but Glinda would still know her, right? But Glinda's face held nothing but admiration for the dress in Klehr's hand.
Glinda certainly looked a great deal happier than the last time Elphaba had seen her. Her hair was longer, but still perfectly styled. The biggest differences Elphaba could note upon first glance was the massive diamond ring on her left hand, and the wedding dress she was currently wearing; which wasn't the full-skirted, strapless ballroom gown that Elphaba had always envisioned Glinda would wear for her wedding. Namely because of the vision board of her dream wedding that Glinda had made before she and Fiyero had been dating for two weeks.
"Oh, Your Goodness!" Klehr exclaimed. "What an honour to meet you!"
Glinda beamed, and it wasn't her 'Glinda the Good' smile that Elphaba had seen in the newspapers she'd scavenged during her time on the run. It was a real smile.
"Thank you," she said to Klehr. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but when I saw you were holding the Esmelda, I just had to say something. It's just a divine dress, isn't it? And with your figure," she said casually to Elphaba, her eyes flickering over her. "I think it would look stunning."
"Oh, I don't know," Elphaba said weakly.
Glinda didn't even react to her voice, and Elphaba wondered if she sounded different, or if Glinda honestly didn't recognise her at all.
"I'm Klehr Tatham, and this is my grandaughter, E-"
"Fae," Elphaba blurted out hurriedly. Because even if Glinda didn't recognise her face or voice, she might recognise her name and Elphaba wasn't sure if that was a good idea. "I'm Fae."
"It's nice to meet you both," Glinda said kindly. "Fae, when's your wedding?"
Elphaba cleared her throat. It was quite surreal to hear anyone but Fiyero calling her 'Fae' but it had been the first name she could think of.
"Six months from now," Elphaba said cautiously. "You?"
"Eighteen months," Glinda said with a little laugh. "Today is more just about gathering inspiration before I meet with designers than actually shopping."
That seemed typical of Glinda.
"That dress is beautiful," Elphaba said genuinely.
Glinda beamed and smoothed down her dress. "Isn't it? I thought I knew for sure what I wanted, but I saw this on a mannequin and just had to try it on."
She looked at Elphaba with a glint that, in their brief window of friendship before leaving for the Emerald City, usually meant that she was about to offer Elphaba fashion advice.
"What about you? What are you thinking?"
It was something of a relief for Elphaba to realise that Glinda wasn't a total stranger to her, even if Glinda had no idea who she was speaking with.
"Just something simple," Elphaba smiled weakly.
Klehr patted Elphaba's arm consolingly as she leaned towards Glinda slightly. "The poor child finds the whole process a little overwhelming," she said as though Elphaba wasn't even there.
She bristled instinctively- after all, she had successfully chosen a wedding dress already and she rather resented being talked about like she wasn't in earshot. But Glinda merely smiled.
"It is overwhelming," she agreed. "How are you supposed to choose just one dress for the most important day of your life?"
She looked to Elphaba knowingly, and Elphaba could only smile weakly.
"Your Goodness?"
Another sales consultant appeared from behind them and Glinda nodded towards them before looking back to Elphaba.
"Good luck," she offered and then she was gone in a whirlwind of tulle before Elphaba had done more than open her mouth.
Elphaba blinked after her, her mind lagging somewhat with reality. The relief she felt at seeing Glinda's obvious happiness was at odds with her abrupt departure, although Elphaba had no idea what she would have said to Glinda, given the opportunity. All in all, she wasn't sure if she actually felt better or not for seeing Glinda.
Elphaba looked back to Klehr, wrapping her arms around herself. "Okay, I'm ready to go," she said quietly.
"Oh we can't go yet!" Klehr protested. "You don't have a dress!"
Elphaba stared at her. "I do," she reminded her pointedly. "Klehr-"
"Trust me, Fae," Klehr replied, equally as pointedly as she nudged Elphaba towards the consultant making her way back towards them, thrusting the ruffled dress into Elphaba's hands as she did so.
Elphaba's protests were ignored as she was swept away to a dressing room and directed to a robe to change into. She couldn't avoid the giant mirror in the room, and she wrinkled her nose at her reflection briefly, having almost forgotten just how different she looked. No wonder Glinda hadn't recognised her. It was almost surreal to realise that she missed the green. It may be odd, but it was definitively her.
She wrinkled her nose even more once Kersti had helped her into the dress Klehr had pulled out.
"What do you think? Shall we show your grandmother?"
Honestly, Elphaba wanted nothing more in this moment than a nap. Or a piece of chocolate cake. Actually, she wanted to take a nap and then wake up to Fiyero making her a cup of tea. But she forced a smile and nodded. She had no idea what Klehr was playing at by making her try on dresses, but she didn't really have any other option but to trust her right now.
"Sure," she agreed.
Klehr beamed at Elphaba as she emerged from the dressing room, and out onto the little platform surrounded by mirrors.
"I love the ruffles on the sleeves!" she gushed. "They're just darling, don't you think?"
Elphaba studied her reflection critically, trying to focus on the dress more than the absence of green. There was something about the silhouette of the dress and the ruffles that reminded her of what she'd come to think of as her 'Wicked Witch' dress- the pieced together, scavenged, oft-repaired dress that had shaped over her time on the run. But that wasn't exactly an aesthetic she wanted to carry through on her wedding day.
"I like the colour," she offered instead, not saying anything about the ruffles.
"It does suit your skin tone beautifully," Kersti complimented her, and Elphaba swallowed her instinctive retort about matching the colour with green, merely murmuring a vague response in reply.
Kersti studied her face critically. "This isn't your dress," she said decidedly and Elphaba shook her head.
When shopping for her own dress, Elphaba had tried on only three dresses; the second of which had been the dress she ultimately bought. Within an hour of being in the salon, she had tried on nearly a dozen dresses, all picked by Klehr or Kersti. And they were all fine, they were all lovely gowns. But none of them made Elphaba regret her original choice of that dress waiting for her in Piscoe Hills in her closet right now.
As she stood on the podium in yet another white gown and studied her reflection while Klehr and Kersti stood off to the side debating just what was wrong with it, Elphaba startled slightly as her gaze found Glinda's reflection appearing in the background, looking in her direction.
She spun around hastily- or as hastily as one can wearing a gown with a three-foot train. "Gl- Your Goodness!" she blurted out, wincing slightly.
Glinda came closer, smiling kindly. She was dressed in her own clothes now, and it distantly amused Elphaba to note that pink seemed to still be Glinda's colour of choice.
"Glinda is fine," she reassured her. "I'm not here in an official capacity, after all. You're not having any luck?"
"Not really," Elphaba shrugged ruefully. "I already have a dress- in mind," she amended hurriedly when Glinda tilted her head confusedly, "nothing I've seen has really topped that."
Glinda's eyes gleamed. "Which dress? Do you know?"
Elphaba actually did know, because the saleswoman in Piscoe Hills had insisted on telling her the whole history of the designer and the apparent story of the dress when Elphaba had purchased it. "'The River' dress by Anina Kambel," she replied.
Glinda nodded and turned, surveying the store. "Fenn!" she called out and a tall, thin man in a grey suit, purple floral tie and glasses made his way over immediately.
"Well, hi, beautiful," he greeted Glinda warmly. "Are we any closer to a silhouette choice?"
Glinda giggled slightly, exchanging air kisses with the man. "You know how much I love a ballgown, I can't let go of it. But no, I was hoping you'd be able to work your magic here."
She turned back towards Elphaba, waving towards her. "This is- Fae, right?"
Elphaba nodded dumbly, and Glinda turned back to Fenn. "Her grandmother and Kersti are trying to help her find the dress, but no luck so far. The one to beat is Anina Kambel's 'The River'."
Fenn laughed lightly. "Oh, we're playing Project Popular again, are we?"
Glinda chuckled and shrugged, with a small smile. "I couldn't resist."
Fenn looked over at Elphaba offering her a smile and a hand. "Hi Fae, I'm Fenn. It's lovely to meet you."
"Nice to meet you," Elphaba replied politely as she shook his head, not entirely sure what had just happened.
"When's the wedding?"
"Six months. In Piscoe Hills."
"Lovely. What's the venue like? Church, lake, mountains…"
"Church. Lurlinist." Elphaba wasn't sure if that made a difference, but she added it nonetheless.
Fenn studied Elphaba thoughtfully, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Okay. We can work with this. And the dress to beat is 'The River'? Beautiful dress, you have stunning taste. What is it that you liked about it?"
At least that was an easy question to answer. "I liked that it was simple," Elphaba said honestly. "It was pretty modest. But the beading added something to make it special- my best friend picked it."
Which wasn't a total lie. When she'd tried it on, Elphaba had known Glinda would have loved the beading.
"Okay," Fenn nodded. "I think I can pull a couple of dresses that might work. Why don't I grab Kersti and we'll see what we can do?" he suggested.
"Ooh, you know what might be perfect?" Glinda said to him, lowering her voice slightly. "Something like a Dove Mosser?"
Fenn winked at her from behind his glasses. "I know just the one you're thinking of and it's perfect."
Glinda beamed. "Fenn, you're a darling," she gushed. "We'll meet you in the dressing room," she said and then pulled Elphaba away.
"Why are you helping me?" Elphaba asked bewilderedly, unable to do anything but follow Glinda, holding up the skirt of the dress she wore so that she didn't trip over it. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but-"
"This is the most important dress you'll ever wear!" Glinda insisted. "And while I'm sure your grandmother is doing her best to support you, it's not quite the same as having friends with you to help you, is it?"
"No," Elphaba admitted readily.
Glinda smiled sadly. "Once I have more of an idea what I'm looking for, I'll bring my mother and some friends with me to see the dress at every stage while it comes together. But my best friend… well, she can't be here."
Elphaba had to fight back a wince, noting the shadow that fell over Glinda's face for just a moment. But then it was gone and Glinda smiled again.
She paused, looking around the salon almost wistfully. "The last few years, this place is like my happy place. I like coming here and watching people find their look for their perfect day. And when I see people here who don't have anyone with them, I like to help where I can."
Elphaba didn't know what to say, but she had to swallow back a lump from her throat. It might have seemed an odd way to honour Elphaba's memory- considering how much Elphaba hated shopping- but it was so Glinda, that Elphaba couldn't be anything else but touched.
"Is- is that what 'Project Popular' is?" she asked uncertainly and Glinda laughed.
"Yes," she admitted. "It wasn't anything I started on purpose, but one time I was in here and this poor girl's sisters were being horrendible to her about her choices. So I stepped in, and it was fun. After that, it became a thing."
Elphaba had no trouble imagining that at all.
"Tell me about your fiancé!" Glinda exclaimed as they reached the dressing rooms, sitting in the closest chair.
Elphaba cleared her throat, sitting carefully in the other chair so she didn't crease the dress she was wearing. "Right," she said, wondering what she could say about Fiyero without tipping Glinda off. "Uh, he's a firefighter?"
"Sexy," Glinda said approvingly and Elphaba couldn't help but snort a faint laugh.
"What about your fiancé?" Elphaba asked, hoping she sounded more nonchalant than she felt.
She'd hoped that Glinda would find someone who loved her in all the ways Fiyero hadn't, as if that would make up for the hurt Fiyero had caused her. This would likely be the only chance Elphaba had to find out if this was true.
Glinda beamed. "My Val!" she said fondly. If she'd been a character in a comic strip, Elphaba would have expected her eyes to be literal hearts. "Honestly, he's just the loveliest man I've ever known. I know the media likes to tell it as a 'love at first sight' story to play up the whole fairy tale, but it's actually pretty accurate," she giggled.
Elphaba smiled. "How long did it take him to propose?"
Glinda laughed. "Technically, six weeks. But I made him do it again at three months and that's the one I accepted. Honestly, I would have accepted him the first time, but I had to spend far too long convincing certain members of my council that me marrying a kindergarten teacher from the Quadlings wasn't going to be the end of Oz as we knew it," she rolled her eyes.
"Sounds like it would be easier to just get new council members," Elphaba said without thinking but Glinda laughed again.
"I came to the same conclusion," she agreed. "But we got here in the end, and it's been the best six months of my life. How long have you been together with your fiancé?"
"About two years," Elphaba said quietly, averting her gaze "But it feels longer. We've been through a lot. Honestly, getting married… it seems a little too good to be true."
Glinda leaned forward, placing a hand on Elphaba's knee in concern. "Why?"
To her absolute horror, Elphaba felt tears pricking at the corner of her eyes and her face grew warm as her vision blurred. "I just- he's done so much more for me than I could ever repay," she confessed. "I never expected to have anyone love me like he does, and… I guess I always find it hard to trust that it's real."
Glinda was silent and when Elphaba looked over at her, she was staring at her with a furrowed brow, like she was trying to figure something out. Elphaba tensed, fearing she'd said something too revealing. But then Glinda blinked and she leaned back in her chair, her face clearing.
"Sorry," she apologised. "I just… for a moment you reminded me of someone."
Elphaba's stomach clenched nervously. "Oh?"
Glinda smiled faintly. "Sorry," she repeated. "But you know, I don't really know you or- what's your fiancé's name?"
That threw Elphaba, and she scrambled for a name- any name. 'Fiyero' was obviously out. Fiyero's middle name was 'Ibrahim' and Elphaba couldn't be sure that Glinda wouldn't know that.
"Frye," she blurted out, pulling the name from seemingly nowhere. Later, she would remember that it was the name of a character from Glinda's favourite radio soap opera that she would annoy Elphaba with in their dorm room every night before- and after, admittedly- they'd become friends.
"Frye," Glinda repeated. "But, everyone deserves to be loved, don't you think? And would you do anything for him?"
"Of course," Elphaba said without hesitation.
"So, why wouldn't that be the same for him?" Glinda pointed out. "And if you have been through so much together, isn't the wedding like- the reward? The festivation of everything you've survived?"
Elphaba stared at Glinda, open-mouthed. "I… I've never really thought about it like that," she said slowly.
Glinda beamed at her, but before she could say anything else, Fenn entered the room with Kersti and an armful of dresses.
"Alright, I think- I think one of these is going to be your wedding dress," he told Elphaba and she smiled faintly.
"Okay."
As Kersti helped her into the first dress, Elphaba's mind wandered. Glinda's future husband was a kindergarten teacher… she was a little surprised that he didn't have a title or was from some kind of wealthy family; but at the same time, if she were honest with herself, Elphaba had no trouble imagining Glinda as the wife of a kindergarten teacher.
"Glinda- Her Goodness- is she here a lot?" she had to ask.
"Probably at least once a week for a few hours," Kersti confirmed, adjusting the dress on Elphaba's frame. "Now that she's planning her own wedding, I'm sure she'll be here more. But she loves offering some help to brides who maybe could use a friend or a sister. It's a very poorly kept secret in the city, but it's been great for business," she laughed. "She knows our stock better than some of the staff, and she has a great eye. Fenn keeps saying if she ever steps down from ruling Oz, he'll offer her a job."
Elphaba managed a faint smile.
"What do we think?" Kersti asked, once she was done pinning the dress into place.
Elphaba looked at her reflection and did a small double-take. "Oh."
"This is a Dove Mosser," Kersti told her. "It's a satin twill with the A-line skirt, but it's still very simple."
"It is beautiful," Elphaba said, twisting to see the back.
"Shall we show your grandmother?"
Elphaba nodded. When she emerged out onto the floor once more, Glinda clasped her hands together excitedly.
"Fenn, that's perfect!" she exclaimed, clutching at Fenn's arm as Elphaba stood before the mirrors. "It's just the type I was thinking of!"
"How does it feel, Fae?" Klehr asked her.
"It's incredible," Elphaba said honestly. "I never thought I'd like the A-line skirt."
"It's low-key princess vibes- perfect for a church," Glinda said excitedly and Elphaba had to choke back a nervous laugh.
"Low-key princess vibes," she repeated.
"One more thing," Fenn said, and then disappeared. He returned a moment later with a veil in hand, and he and Kersti quickly swept Elphaba's hair up into a loose bun and pinned it into place before Elphaba could object.
She'd forgone a veil when she'd selected her original dress, not really seeing the point of it. But Klehr and Glinda both had tears in their eyes the moment it was placed on her head. The veil fell to her elbows and Fenn carefully lifted the blusher over her face. And for the first time, when she looked at herself in a wedding dress, Elphaba saw herself as a bride. The sight made her draw in her breath sharply, her stomach fluttering.
"Is this the one?" Glinda asked eagerly.
Elphaba closed her eyes and for a moment tried to pretend that this was a different world; where Glinda was helping her pick out her dress knowing who she was and as her maid of honour, who would be standing behind her at the altar in (indubitably) a pink dress while Elphaba and Fiyero said their vows.
"This is the one," she said hoarsely, wishing that was the truth.
Glinda clapped excitedly, and Kersti and Fenn both wanted to congratulate her; but all Elphaba wanted to do was get out of this dress and out of this store. She changed into her own clothes in a daze, and she had no idea what happened to the dress afterwards. She was entirely focused on just getting away from all the white and the reminders of what might have been.
The one thing that halted her exit from the story was the sobering reminder that she couldn't leave without saying something to Glinda, who was preparing to leave the salon herself now. As Elphaba approached, she looked up with a small smile.
"Thank you," Elphaba said. "For your help."
Glinda's smile spread, as she reached out for Elphaba's arm and grasped it gently. "I hope you have a beautiful wedding, Fae. And I wish you and Frye a lifetime of happiness. I'm sure it's nothing less than you both deserve," she said sincerely.
Elphaba smiled weakly. "Thank you. Good luck with your own wedding plans. I hope- I hope you're happy, Glinda."
That flicker of confusion crossed Glinda's face for another moment, and then she smiled.
"I am," she said and it sounded genuine. "Thank you, Fae," she said again, and left the salon.
Klehr stepped up beside Elphaba. "Are you ready to leave?"
Elphaba nodded. By the time Elphaba and Klehr made it to the street, Glinda and her guards were gone, with no sign they'd ever been there in the first place. Elphaba wasn't sure how closure was supposed to feel, but she was sure she wasn't supposed to feel this empty. The fatigue that washed over her though, that felt about right.
"Are we done now?" Elphaba asked tiredly. "Can I go home?"
Klehr's smile was sympathetic. "Almost," she promised, but sounded almost apologetic.
"Almost?" Elphaba repeated, frowning. "Who's left?"
Klehr just sighed. "I'm sorry," she said, which told Elphaba nothing except that whatever she was about to see, she was going to hate it.
Klehr held out a hand to her, and Elphaba took it with trepidation, bracing herself for more than just the flash of green light.
AN. This was not the original outline for this chapter. But after the last chapter, Elphaba was like "screw you, I'm done with this" and I couldn't really argue with her. And when I wrote this chapter, I was watching a lot of Say Yes to the Dress to cope with all the feels and pain from the end of Good Omens 2 and here we are. Besides, whenever I write a post-canon fic, people always say they miss Glinda but there's rarely a way to work her into it organically. I hope this satisfies!