WARNING: Torture; Violence

~o0o~

It was cold. Had she fallen asleep in front of the fire again? No, she had been in front of the Clover Pub and then something stuck her like a hat pin.

She needed to focus.

Elphaba tried to force back the waves that encompassed her mind. She was on a stone floor, it was freezing like a winter's day, her hands were encased in metal mittens, her wrists and feet were bound.

Oz, her head hurt.

She coughed, hating the dry feeling in her throat and cringed on an aftertaste like bad medicine.

Finally, she opened one eye and then the other.

Stone walls greeted her. There was a single lantern hanging by the door providing a dim light for her combined with sickly white light from a window above her. Wind howled and snowflakes danced into the room.

The cold fully registered, making her curl in on herself. She shivered violently and muttered a spell to warm the air around her.

Nothing happened.

With a tooth-numbing shriek, the door to the cell opened and Ione entered, flanked by a woman who resembled a carp at a costume party. Her white blonde hair was piled high on her head in a style that was a hundred years out of date. She also dressed lavishly to announce just how important she was, even in the cold she was wrapped up in fine furs beaded just so she glimmered when she walked. Her face had on a thick layer of makeup to smooth out any wrinkles but only succeeding in making herself look like she was molded from clay.

That must be the witch who had spied on her and taken her from Kiamo Ko.

"Hello, troll," said Ione. "You've been quite the thorn in my side, you know."

"I try," Elphaba slurred, trying to wake up the rest of the way. "Why am I not dead?"

"Because you have talent, dearie!" said the witch. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Agytha Morrible, I am the Palace Witch to the Wizard of Oz. I've been keeping an eye on your work, Miss Elphaba. I've never seen a witch with such power, I'm amazed you only became known to me three years ago. And yet, you squander it on those peasants."

"They're people," said Elphaba.

"Animals," Morrible sneered with such disdain it made Elphaba's insides twist.

"Animals fall under the definition of people," Elphaba snipped back.

Morrible scoffed.

"You can't be happy being a servant to a Scarecrow. Jack Pumpkinheads are rare, but they are simple, empty things animated to be companions to children or to watch flocks of sheep. We both know you're the brains behind everything and yet you keep one step behind that fool who thinks himself a prince. Why be satisfied with a tiny forgotten corner when you could have the entire Vinkus?"

"I don't assume you brought me here to help me realize my full potential," said Elphaba.

"Oh, but I am!" said Morrible. "Ione wanted to kill you, but I think the three of us could do great things as a team. The Vinkus has been in quite the state since the royal family disappeared thirteen years ago thanks to that Bog Fairy. Uma Lu remains trapped, but time continues to move forward for the rest of Oz, dearie! Our coup failed when that fool of a prince was banished instead of assassinated and the spell on the princess cannot undo itself for one hundred years, so if we cannot seize the power, then we shall buy it. You think you've hurt us with your little heists, dearie, my no. It hasn't even scraped the top."

Elphaba narrowed her eyes. It was all here.

"Why would you want me?" she asked. "If you have the Wizard on your side…"

"Bah! That oaf has no true power, he just wants to be adored. Now you, I see greatness in you. With your help we can rule not just Neutraland and the Vinkus but all of Oz! Even all of Nonestica!"

"What do you want from me?" Elphaba asked. "We already used the money we stole from you to help people rebuild their lives."

"For twenty years there has been a spell book I have coveted," said Morrible. "The Grimmerie. I was fortunate to have seen it once when Kiamo Ko castle was still used, but the damn thing would not give me entry when it was abandoned. I suspect the Bog Fairy's work—she quite enjoys making things difficult—but you, you've found it, haven't you? If you promise to turn it over to me I will promise you anything your wicked little heart desires."

"You have nothing I want," said Elphaba. "Itchita copita meleka mystica!"

Her magic seemed to ricochet within her. She cried out in agony and begged for it to pass quickly.

"No escape, troll," Ione sneered and kicked her in the stomach. "We've spent the last year making this prison to contain you."

"You're spirited," said Morrible. "But you are directing your energy to the wrong place. Here is my offer, dearie, listen well: You may have the Vinkus but you will rule it under my guidance. I'll even allow you to keep your scarecrow, I have a spell that will turn it human if it pleases you. You'll have everything you want. In return, you will be required to perform feats of magic for me, there are numerous ways to steal power for a country. Droughts, famines, civil unrest, usurping those in power and replacing them with puppets of your own. Second, I want the Grimmerie."

Sure and the second they got it they would kill her.

"I've hidden it," said Elphaba. "Only I know its whereabouts and you could tear Kiamo Ko apart brick by brick, you could dismantle the mountain itself, but you will never find that book in its entirety without my help and I would rather die than turn it over to you! I refuse to be in league with anyone who would allow children to starve and lives to fall to ruin. How dare you let those soldiers hurt Aella!"

"What men do is their business," said Ione. "The stupid girl was good for nothing else."

Elphaba set her jaw and glared up at the both of them.

Morrible sighed in disappointment.

"I thought perhaps you'd seize the opportunity," she said. "I thought we could discuss this like adults, but since you are choosing your childish ideals, we have no other choice but to raze the first beacon of hope the Vinkus has had in years. We will burn the city to the ground and execute every living thing. Your scarecrow will make excellent kindling. And perhaps we'll bring that sweet little Monkey back with us and he can convince you to tell us where the Grimmerie is."

Elphaba tightened her lips.

"I do need a new servant to kick around," said Ione. "You know, I believe death is much too good for the likes of you, troll. I've been an assassin and a spy for years, everyone has their breaking point. Last chance, troll, where is the book?"

"Have you checked up your ass?"

Ione backhanded Elphaba. Her eye felt like it exploded and her head hit the ground, but she responded with a cackle.

"Feel better?" she asked.

Ione turned away in disgust.

"We'll see if you're still laughing when we return," she spat and pounded her fist against the cell door.

It opened and she stormed out.

Morrible turned to Elphaba.

"Don't worry, dearie," she said. "Eventually you'll see things our way and I will be here when you do."

The door shut and Elphaba hunched over herself.

"Fat chance," she muttered.

When the voices faded, she slammed her restraints against the ground. They kicked back, slamming her into the wall.

Everyone would be okay. Galinda and Aella could take on Morrible. Castle could provide for the non-fighters even under siege. The town had been preparing for this day. They had Bumble and Bramble, too.

The cell door creaked open and a soldier entered.

"This will all end when you tell us where you hid what that fish woman wants so badly," he said.

Elphaba raspberried.

He grinned maliciously. "I was hoping you'd say that. Been waiting a long time for this greenie."

He cracked his knuckles and Elphaba braced herself.

~o0o~

Fiyero had been on the move for three days, he'd needed to send Poppy back to Kiamo Ko so he could keep moving. He refused to rest until Elphaba was safe in his arms. He had passed the soldiers yesterday and estimated that he and Elphaba would need to fly back to Kiamo Ko to have enough time to rest before they lead the fight. The army was big, but it was slow to move that many.

Snow blew around him as he scaled up the side of the mountain, the wind threatening to carry him over the side.

He spotted two soldiers guarding the entrance and quickly dispatched them, storming in. It didn't take him long to come across another soldier.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" he demanded, nocking an arrow.

The man smirked and drew his sword.

"I'll never tell!"

"Then you're of no use to me!" Fiyero let the arrow fly.

"Eh-herm!"

Fiyero whipped around to see an old man in a shabby uniform. Rather than a weapon, he held a broom.

"You seek the witch?" he asked.

"I do," said Fiyero, nocking another arrow.

The old man raised his hands in surrender.

"She is being held in the north tower," he said.

Fiyero let the arrow fly and it hit another soldier who had burst in, no doubt to silence the man.

"Thank you," said Fiyero. "Leave this place, I will take no prisoners."

The old man bowed respectfully and hurried off.

Fiyero fought his way to the tower, rage burning so brightly inside him he might have combusted.

He followed the winding staircase lined with cells.

Only one had a light inside and what Fiyero saw made him sick.

"Are you going to talk now, witch?" the man asked, brandishing a fire-poker with a red-hot tip.

Fiyero loosed another arrow and the man scrabbled at it for a moment before slumping over, dead.

Despite her injuries, Elphaba was very still and Fiyero feared the worst as he knelt beside her.

"Second star to the right," she croaked.

"I don't know what that means," Fiyero said, relieved beyond belief that she wasn't dead.

She opened the one eye that wasn't swollen shut.

"Yero. You came for me."

"Of course I did," he murmured.

"I'm trapped."

He touched the metal encasing on her hands and examined the chains attached to the floor, then looked at the man he just killed.

There was a ring of keys on his belt, so he snatched them up and tried each one until he found the one that was the closest fit.

Using the hilt of his dagger, he forced it in. There was a small 'clink!' and the casings fell away. He did the same for the manacles around her ankles.

Finally, he scooped her up. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

He found a room with a lit fireplace and set her down in front of it, tossing several more logs on the fire.

"Here, drink," he said, holding up a canteen of water to her cracked, blue-tinged lips.

Swallowing looked painful, but she downed half the water. She coughed and started shivering.

Fiyero got out the first aid kit and wrapped up the burns on her arm and tended to her other injuries before helping her out of her ruined dress and into the warm clothes he brought, apologizing any time she made a noise of pain.

"Eat," he said.

"We have to get back," she said. "They left…"

"It will take them at least another day and a half to get there," said Fiyero. "Eat."

She slowly chewed the bread and cheese.

"They want the Grimmerie," she whispered. "The witch works for the Wizard of Oz… if we can stop her now maybe we can stop him from doing something terrible."

"Don't worry about that just now," he said, gently brushing her hair back. "Let's just get you home. I brought your broom."

He handed over her satchel which had her broom and Grimmerie.

"Their entire stash is here," she said. "I want to steal it."

"Fae, you need to rest."

"No." She grabbed his shoulder and used him to straighten herself up. "They want to use everything they've stolen to take over Oz. They have no interest in helping people, they just want the power to do whatever they want no matter who gets hurt."

She dumped the medical supplies out of the doctor's bag and raised her hands. Though her voice was weak, the spell still cut through the air and made it go still.

"Higitus figitus zumbazing! I want your attention everything!"

Magic was like a song, Fiyero had discovered. The most powerful spells she, Galinda, and Aella cast were sung, many were nonsense but rose and fell on the wind, encircling everything to shape the world to suit what was needed.

Elphaba's songs were always beautiful even when the words she spoke were nonsensical or even silly. She looked almost an inch from death, but the things around them marched into the bag as if there was nothing on this earth that could stop them.

Fiyero was sick from the amount of money that had gone into the bag. Not just coins but full bricks of gold, silver, and copper. Every little bit that had been stolen over the last thirteen years Fiyero was banished, even just a small look Fiyero knew it was enough to renew not just the Vinkus, but all of Quadling Country and parts of the Gillikin as well.

It was revolting.

When he was young, he once read a book where a character was inflicted with something called Dragon Sickness. The man had grown selfish and greedy, always wanting more and more, no amount ever being enough. He would lie, cheat, steal, and kill to grow his hoard and the hatred in his heart twisted him into something horrible.

The final item hopped into the bag and it snapped shut.

"Let's go," said Elphaba, taking out her broom.

Fiyero helped her rise to her feet. She must have been in a lot of pain for her to allow it to show on her face. She couldn't even raise her leg to straddle the broom.

"Here," said Fiyero, straddling it.

The broom raised to support him and he pulled her onto it side-saddle.

"Just keep it flying," he said. "I'll steer."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his chest.

It was faster on broom, they could fly over the trees and mountains and even the clouds. Elphaba's breathing grew labored but she refused to bring them lower to avoid being spotted by the army. The last thing they needed was interference from the enemy witch.

They did find the army however, still a day's ride from Kiamo Ko. It looked to be the entire Vinkun military with some others picked up from elsewhere.

It would be the battle to end this war.

One way or another.

The sun began to set as Fiyero and Elphaba touched down at her tower.

"ELPHIE!" Galinda shrieked, running to them and giving them a bear hug.

Elphaba gasped and would have dropped if she hadn't been held up.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Let me get Dr. Dillamond!"

"He shouldn't climb all those stairs," said Elphaba.

"I'll take you to my room," said Fiyero.

She agreed to that.

"I want my work dress."

Galinda gathered what she would need and they hastily made their way to Fiyero's quarters. Dr. Dillamond was summoned and Chistery was close behind, clinging to her side the best he could without being in the way.

Aella came to her and begged for her forgiveness for not being able to stop what happened and Elphaba just told her to stop blubbering because there were more important things to worry about.

Fiyero returned to Kiamo Ko to warn them of the impending arrival of the soldiers and warned them that they would arrive at dawn at the earliest and to rest but be ready.

When he returned to the castle, Elphaba was properly bandaged up. Her hair was plaited, but chunks had been ripped out so she hid her scalp with the scarf that had been given to her in thanks for her kindness.

He, Elphaba, Chistery, Dr. Dillamond, and Galinda all ate their dinner there talking about anything but the approaching battle. The bag with the stolen treasure was safely tucked away where it wouldn't be found along with the Grimmerie.

Only Fiyero knew where that was and he had no body to torture and no true mind to manipulate.

They had a little bit of time before the fight. Time to rest, time to talk, time to just be.

Chistery ended up falling fast asleep in one of the chairs, Galinda and Dr. Dillamond went to their own rooms to get some sleep. Fiyero would wake them in the morning.

Though she looked exhausted, Elphaba remained awake. She laid in a chaise on the balcony, looking up at the stars.

Fiyero almost lost her and refused to do so again. He stepped outside and closed the door behind himself.

"You should be resting," he said.

"I just want to see the stars," she said.

He stood beside her.

"When all this is over," he said, "I'm going to claim myself as king and fix the mess my family made. If we weren't so heartless then none of this would have happened. I want to turn the Vinkus into a place where people would be just as content being the poorest citizen as the richest. It's my duty."

She finally looked at him, beaming, and she had never looked more beautiful.

Fiyero took her hand and pressed it to his cheek.

"Fae?"

She hummed.

Fiyero faltered. She looked exhausted. He shouldn't do anything that would rile her up. When the battle ended he would tell her how he felt. He couldn't make her love him, but maybe she would agree to keep him company. He just knew that he was going to love her for the rest of his life.

"You should try and sleep," he said.

"I'm afraid to close my eyes," she whispered. "I'm afraid to wake up in that cold, dark dungeon, with a soldier telling me all the ways he's going to torture me."

"You won't," he promised. "I'm right here and nothing will get past me."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he carried her to bed. He held her close and stroked her hair as she drifted off.

Elphaba slept like the dead, and when the sky began to lighten, Fiyero got up to wake everyone up so they could make their way to the village and close off the path to the castle. Even Morrible couldn't undo Castle's enchantments.

They ate together and were encouraged by those who were taking refuge in the castle.

"Come back safe," said Chistery, seeing them to one of the towers.

"We will," said Elphaba, kissing the top of his head. "I promise."

Fiyero double-checked that everything was strapped securely to himself, his sword, dagger, and quiver. Elphaba turned to him and touched the quiver, murmuring an enchantment.

"You won't run out of arrows," she said. "You ride with me."

He nodded. The three witches lined up in a row. First Galinda left in her bubble, then Aella took off on her broom, then Elphaba and Fiyero.

The ribbon on Elphaba's hat fluttered in his face, no matter which way he turned his head. He knew she was keeping as much of herself covered as possible so no one in the village could see how badly she was injured. If he had his way, she wouldn't be leaving her tower at all, but in a battle of wills, she was a mountain.

They made it to Kiamo Ko and those who were fighting were already prepared a good half-mile from the last houses of the town to avoid any damage to their homes and prevent soldiers from hiding out there to attack when the battle was over. They were armed with anything and everything, weapons from the castle, pitchforks, slingshots, kitchen knives, two-by-fours with nails in them. Anything.

Aella landed to exchange words with Avaric and Galinda kept her eyes on the horizon.

"I see them," said Galinda.

Fiyero nodded and looked at the fighters. They would be evenly matched in number.

"CITIZENS OF KIAMO KO!" he shouted. "ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT FOR THE LIVES YOU HAVE BUILT?!"

They thrust their weapons in the air, releasing a battle cry that echoed into the mountains.

The army approached and stopped a distance away, Ione and Morrible continued forward on horseback. Fiyero wanted to cut down the fish-woman right away, but restrained himself.

"The time for surrender has passed!" said Ione. "All of you will suffer and you have no one to thank for it but the witch and her scarecrow."

Fiyero pressed his mouth to Elphaba's shoulder.

"Be careful out there," he murmured.

"You too," she said.

He raised his voice.

"FORMER SOLDIERS OF THE VINKUS! I AM PRINCE FIYERO MARILOTT TIGGULAR OF THE ARJIKI TIGELAARS! SON TO THABO AND SAKINIAH TIGGULAR! GRANDSON OF MARILOTT AND BAXIANA TIGGULAR! YOU HAVE DISGRACED YOUR COUNTRY AND YOURSELVES WITH YOUR SHAMEFUL TREATMENT TOWARDS THE PEOPLE OF THE VINKUS YOU WERE MEANT TO PROTECT! NOW YOU WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS!"

There was a beat and the soldiers laughed and mocked him for claiming to be the banished prince. Ione and Morrible were not laughing and stared at him with odd expressions.

"VERY WELL!" Fiyero hopped off Elphaba's broom and held onto his head so it wouldn't fall off as he landed.

With that, the battle began, Fiyero leading the charge. He was slashed at and stabbed, but it all went through him, the loss of momentum rendering arrows and bullets nearly useless for anyone behind him.

Elphaba, Galinda, and Aella flew overhead, dropping down spells and keeping the focus of the soldiers pulled two ways. They swept down to move and heal anyone injured, their spells creating a haunting melody over the chaos. Bumble and Bramble fought as well, diving down to scoop up soldiers and drop them from a great height like an eagle cracking open a turtle.

Morrible sent spells of her own: whirling dervishes, ice shards, hail, wind, and snow.

It didn't take long for her and Elphaba to be locked toe to toe. Aella took over throwing down spells to turn soldiers into cats, frogs, rabbits, and statues. Galinda helped those who were injured to get away from the fight to Dillamond's apprentices while also turning soldiers' weapons against them.

Fiyero continued fighting his way through the ranks, his quiver never growing empty as Elphaba promised.

Some began to surrender, so they were bound and moved out of the way. Ione and Morrible didn't really care about them. They wouldn't care if every last soldier died so long as they got what they wanted.

Thunder rumbled overhead. Morrible's arms were spread wide, her makeup smeared to show pink skin underneath. A twister spun around her and Elphaba threw off the spells the latter cast. Lightning sparked and touched down where Elphaba stood, then flashed blindingly. The scream that followed was horrific and caused the battle to come to a standstill.

Elphaba stood strong, her hand raised, and though her skirts were smoking, she didn't seem the least bit hurt.

The soldiers still in the fight looked at her sparking fingertips, at Morrible who was dead on the ground twisted horrifically from the lightning, and their fellow soldiers who were running around either as animals or statues or lying dead on the ground.

"We accept your surrender!" said Fiyero.

Their self preservation won out, so they dropped their weapons and the villagers cheered.

Fiyero ran to Elphaba and scooped her into his arms, spinning around once in a circle.

"We did it!" he laughed.

There was still work to do, but for now they could breathe easily.

Elphaba wobbled and clung to him for support. She looked exhausted, but satisfied.

"I'll carry you home," he murmured. "Just rest, okay?"

She nodded and pressed her forehead to his.

"SOMEONE STOP HER!"

Fiyero's body jerked forward as something passed through his chest. All the air rushed out of Elphaba as her expression fell into shock. They both looked down at the bolt sticking out of her chest.