Mr. Upland bites his nails. A habit he has when he's extremely nervous. He feels that something is wrong with their plan. They have not thought through their actions, but time is so eccentric that they do not give themselves time to think about everything. Glinda and Oscar are busy with their last village. Boq has returned to Munchkinland and has filled them in on their latest discoveries and theories. If Frex is involved, the game is bigger than Mr. Upland actually thought and he does not like it at all. He is glad that Butler has returned to the Emerald City for more information. He has no idea where Fiyero is, he left a while ago but has not come back yet. Mr. Upland trusts Fiyero, but now he is too nervous. He has almost no control and that frustrates him.

Mrs. Upland is quietly busy making gadgets. She feels that she can never have enough. Inside she is very restless. She worries about her daughter. She hopes that she does not do anything in a hurry. She also worries about her husband, who is only going mad from doing nothing. She hopes that the relationship in her family won't be destroyed by everything that has happened. She takes a deep breath. She knows she has to have trust. If her team doesn't have it, everything falls apart. As long as they have each other and can trust each other, she knows she will always have support. That's important in their world.

Oscar storms into the house. "They have her! They have her!"

Mr. Upland jumps up. "What?"

Mrs. Upland immediately stands beside him.

Oscar nods desperately. "We were at the last village. They had her surrounded. She sent me here."

Fiyero walks in calmly. "Any news?" he asks cheerfully to Oscar.

"Where have you been?" Ask Oscar surprises

"I walked a bit with Boq. That boy could use some tips."

"That's not important," Mr. Upland shouts. "Get him back. We need to free Glinda."

"Free her?"

Oscar nods again. "They've captured her."

"That's not good. What are we going to do?" Fiyero asks, a little too calmly for Mr. Upland's taste.

"We're going to free her, of course. What else do you think we're going to do?"

Fiyero steps back and raises his hands defensively.

"Dear," Mrs. Upland says to calm her husband. "Maybe we should listen to Oscar first for more information."

Everyone looks expectantly at Oscar, who starts blushing. "There were five men. The same men she encountered from Shiz."

"What?" came the response from three different mouths. "Are you sure?"

Oscar nods confidently. "I've read your reports. The descriptions match what I saw pretty well. Also, I listened to what you said about the connection between Shiz and Boris," Oscar says, trying to sound confident himself.

Fiyero glances at the chessboard. "Then we have a better idea of what we're up against."

Mrs. Upland looks thoughtful as well. She doesn't want to think about what will happen to her daughter if Boris gets his hands on her. She gets sick just thinking about it. She has to stay calm and think carefully. They will get her daughter back. That will have to happen.

Oscar hops nervously on his feet. "What are we going to do now?"

""Maybe we can go to the place where you last saw her and look for clues," Fiyero suggests to Oscar.

Mrs Upland shakes her head. "They've been gone for a long time. They're probably heading for the Emerald City."

Fiyero rubs his chin. "It wouldn't hurt to go back," Fiyero tries to explain his plan again.

Mr Upland is pacing the room. He's muttering more to himself than to anyone else. It's clear he's very emotional. Fiyero is afraid that Mr Upland is going to lose his cool.

"Maybe we can split up. We don't know exactly which way they're going," Oscar suggests.

"Shall we meet at the edge of the forest?" Mrs Upland suggests. "If we're not at the agreed location within half an hour, we can assume something has happened."

Fiyero nods. "Maybe we can leave Oscar here, in case Glinda escapes on her own."

"That sounds like a good plan," Oscar agrees.

"No offense," Fiyero says quickly.

Oscar shakes his head. "I understand."

Mr. Upland throws his hands in the air. "A good plan, a good plan? We're doomed. Everything is going wrong, and it's all because my daughter is hot-headed and doesn't think things through. If only she had come with us. Or if she had thought through her plan to make you popular again, this wouldn't have happened. We should have done things differently. Oz is lost."

Oscar looks at him, confused. "Maybe you should've gone into theater."

Mr. Upland glares at him. "Maybe you should've—"

""Okay, boys," Mrs. Upland interrupts. "Let's follow Fiyero's plan. You and I will walk along the edge of the forest. Oscar can start making supplies. Smoke bombs are always handy. The element of surprise never hurts."

"But I don't know how," Oscar says quickly.

"Of course not," Mr. Upland begins, but he quickly stops his mouth when he sees his wife's look.

"I can make an example. If you look closely, you can do it yourself. Fiyero can go ahead."

"Yeah, let's waste more time," Mr. Upland says impatiently.

"Why don't you go alone then," says Fiyero, who is starting to get annoyed by Mr. Upland's behavior.

Mr. Upland looks angrily at Fiyero, but says nothing. Fiyero quickly goes out the door.

Mrs. Upland sighs. "Honey, go ahead. You're right. We can't waste any more time.''

Mr. Upland nods slowly. "This isn't over yet," he says angrily, pointing at Oscar and glaring to the spot where Fiyero just stood. The men exchange anxious glances while Mrs. Upland sighs. She hopes her daughter is okay.

XXX

Glinda sits silently on the horse. She's trying to find a logical place to escape. She knows falling off a horse is going to hurt, especially a galloping one. The horses seem tireless as they continue to ride. If she gets off the horse, the question is how she'll free her tied hands.

Chin looks at her curiously. "It's quite remarkable that she stopped us," he says mockingly.

Horus shrugs. "She had more help back then. Now she doesn't have her green helper anymore."

"I heard she's still asleep."

"Ah, well, now that we have her friend, she'll probably be more talkative."

Chin grins. "I hope Boris knows what he's doing. I mean we can have so much fun with these two"

Horus gives Chin a withering look, making him turn away. Glinda glances up but tries not to show she's listening to the conversation.

"Does it matter? We've captured her," Chin says after regaining some confidence.

"It matters. We keep quiet about things like that. We have to be prepared for anything."

Chin looks forward again. "Where are we going to keep her? Everything's full. Those dirty traitors of the Wizard guards, thought we didn't see through them. Half of them tried to pretend to be Bo,'' After a look from Horus Chin decides to use another name. '' Half of them tried to pretend to be on our side. Oz how fun it was to see those looks.''

Horus rolls his eyes. He had been there himself, he doesn't see the point of Chin repeating half of them. They had been very busy when they arrived at the palace. Boris had immediately given them a lot of paperwork. They had picked out a number of people who they knew for sure were on the Wizard's side. Soon they were sent away to the forest to go to a village. They had to catch the Wizard. But this is also the right catch, Horus thinks contentedly. He hopes he can get a break soon. Boris can be an executioner when he wants to. "There will be room for her. The boss will want to keep her close; she seems to be an important person, for our animal friends. Such an important person deserves special treatment," Horus says, emphasizing the word "boss."

Glinda starts to shiver at the thought. Falling off a horse seems more and more tempting.

Chin rolls his eyes but says nothing more. "Where are the others?"

Horus shrugs. "Maybe she kicked harder than we thought. Let's slow down so they can catch up."

Glinda starts smiling. She waits a little longer until they reach a thicker forest. "I think I hear them," Chin says, turning around. Horus rides his horse ahead while Chin waits.

Glinda throws her head back hard, hitting Horus's nose. Glinda sees stars for a moment. In the background, she hears Horus screaming in pain. The horse rears up. Glinda can't break her fall properly and lands hard on her knees. She quickly stands up and runs. Her knee almost gives way, but she knows she has to keep running. She sees Chin sprinting towards her after jumping off his horse. She hears Horus shouting, but she doesn't understand what he's saying, though she can guess. Everything goes on autopilot and she tries to swallow her nausea.

She pays attention to where she's running and jumps over a tree stump. She makes a few turns to throw Chin off her trail. She looks back and doesn't see anyone behind her but bumps into someone. "Fiyero," she hisses.

"Glinda," Fiyero says, relieved. "Thank Oz. I've found you. Oscar told me you were captured. "

He scrambles up and stays crouched. Glinda moves toward the tree they're hiding behind. "What happened?" he asks quietly.

"Shh." Glinda cautiously looks around. "I escaped. I headbutted Horus in the nose."

''Horus?'' Fiyero asks in surprise as he also inspects his surroundings.

''One of Shiz's men. Probably the leader.'' Glinda tenses in pain as Fiyero tries to examine her head.

Fiyero winces. "That nose is probably broken."

"I didn't stay to check," Glinda says sarcastically.

"Sorry. Should I untie you?"

Glinda nods. "Apparently, all the men from the Gale Force are in the palace dungeons."

"Really? Why?"

Glinda shrugs. "Maybe Boris only wants his own people around him."

Fiyero nods. "So we can't expect any help from inside. This only makes it more difficult to enter the palace," he says thoughtfully.

Glinda thinks for a moment. "Maybe we can." The entire ride on the horse only lasted ten minutes. But she had enough time to get her fears under control, to listen to the conversation and to come up with some kind of plan.

Fiyero narrows his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You said it yourself; it's hard to get into the palace from the outside. But what if we do it from the inside?"

Fiyero pauses from trying to untie the rope, which is proving difficult. "You have a point. So you want to get captured again?" He is also starting to come up with a plan himself. He is not yet completely reassured.

"Yes, I think it could work." Her heart beats harder in her throat. Oz, she has never had such an ill-considered plan. Somewhere she knows that she is putting herself in the hands of the enemies. The reactions of her parents when she heard about Boris, made Glinda afraid of that man, even though she has never seen him. But she has to do it. Not only for herself. But especially for Elphie. She is there all this time. Without hope.

"How do you plan to free everyone?" If Fiyero is going to carry out Glinda's plan, he needs more information to sell it to her father. Somewhere he has more and more respect for Glinda, who is increasingly developing to pull her own plans.

Glinda starts to respond but then closes her mouth, realizing she doesn't have an answer. "I didn't think that far ahead."

Fiyero sighs. "Your father is going to kill me, but here." He hands her two small screwdrivers.

Glinda looks confused.

"For the doors. You can force the lock."

Glinda is still puzzled. "Why do you have these on you?"

Fiyero shrugs. "Always be prepared." He takes a small bottle from his pocket. Glinda gratefully takes the bottle and takes a few sips. She knows she's going to need it.

''See, prepared.'' Fiyero says sheepishly.

Glinda sighs. "You're right about that." She bites her lip. "Do you really think this will work?" She knows she shouldn't be insecure, but in times like this. She needs someone to give her the right dose of self-confidence.

Fiyero shrugs. "If I were in the Gale Force, I'd believe you over Boris. If you can offer me a way out, I'd follow you. You are smart. You know how to talk yourself out of Boris' hands. There are many possibilities in this plan of yours. But it may be the only plan we have. Know that the Gale Force may believe you right away. You must be honest right away. It is a leap, but a leap you must take. Be quick and be honest. You have a good trump card in your hands. You can escape through your magic."

Glinda looks into Fiyero's determined eyes. She feels a lot stronger. She takes Fiyero's words seriously. She feels that he is right. She would have chosen a different approach, but Fiyero knows what he is doing, so she must accept that too. She nods slowly. "Thank you, so you're at the secret exit with Oscar?"

"The same one we used with Boq?"

Glinda nods. "Or do you think it's closed?"

"I don't think Madame Morrible was focused on remembering our escape. She was more preoccupied with going crazier than she already was."

Despite everything, Glinda chuckles.

''Okay, but you really want to be captured by the men and free everyone in the dungeons?''

Glinda nods. ''We've thought of everything, right? The big picture?'' she asks to make sure.

Fiyero thinks. ''What do you think Boris is going to do to you?''

Glinda feels her emotions running wild. She doesn't want to think about it, but Fiyero asks a good question. ''I don't think we're going to have a cup of tea. I know it's going to be tough. He's called a sadist for a reason. Although I see it more as an opportunity to look out for Elphie's well-being. My goal is to get the Gale Force out first, then Elphie. So once the Gale Force men and women get out, you can get them to safety. The way is easy to explain and remember. So I have confidence that they can find the way.'' says Glinda determinedly. ''Elphie and I will get out another way.''

Fiyero nods slowly. He's not reassured. ''There are a lot of unknowns. I think you're thinking about it well. You're not underestimating Boris. But I'd rather we have a plan for you and Elphaba to escape.''

Glinda bites her lip. She can't think of anything for a moment. ''How did Oscar get to you anyway?'' she asks to distract herself.

''Because of your bubble.'' Fiyero responds confused.

Glinda's eyes widen. Of course, how could she be so stupid. ''I'm making a bubble.'' she says enthusiastically. She feels a new rush of adrenaline. She feels that the plan is going to work. She can already see herself floating away in a pink bubble with Elphie.

Fiyero shakes his head. He can't follow Glinda. ''What are you talking about?''

''I can put Elphie and me in the bubble. Then we'll fly away.''

''Okay, what does that have to do with Oscar?''

''Nothing, just forget about him.'' Glinda rolls her eyes. She won't be distracted by Fiyero's questions. Everything in her body tells her this is the plan. She has the supplies to free everyone. She has a safe place for the people. She's going to free Elphie. Of course, it's still questionable whether Elphie will just go with her. But that's a worry for much later.

''It'll be done.'' Fiyero says confused. He rubs his chin. ''It sounds like a good plan. But where?''

Glinda looks at him questioningly.

''Where are you going to put the bubble?''

''Elphaba and I can escape. Elphie can use her powers to stop everyone. We run to the balcony and fly off.''

''What if Elphaba doesn't want to cooperate?'' Asks Fiyero, he knows that sometimes he has to voice Glinda's concerns out loud. He has to agree with Mr. Upland that Glinda thinks up a lot of things in her head, but doesn't share them. That's something she still has to learn, he thinks.

Glinda bites her lip. She hates people pointing out her insecurities. She knows Fiyero has a point, but can't they just pretend for once that everything is going to be okay? ''Do you really think Elphie will abandon me?'' Glinda tries to overcome her own insecurities.

Fiyero thinks deeply. Of course, he has known Elphaba for a long time. He has seen and heard how Elphaba defended Glinda. He also has to give Glinda the confidence that everything will be okay. ''No, you're right.''

Glinda sighs. Because she actually has doubts about that. She doesn't know how she would react if she were in Elphaba's place. But she also knows that she has to trust her best friend. Their friendship was, no, is strong. She has to believe in that.

Fiyero looks at Glinda's worried face. ''Glinda, I think you've thought of have to keep Boris busy for as long as possible. Then everyone can escape. Make it clear to them that they are being waited for by trustworthy people. Think carefully about your own safety. Be honest with Elphaba from now on. She will appreciate that. It will be fine. I have confidence in your abilities.'' Fiyero rattles on.

Glinda gives him a broad smile. She is touched by the brotherly love she feels from Fiyero. ''Thank you.''

Fiyero starts to blush. ''Please be careful.'' he says softly.

''You be careful with my father.''

Fiyero's eyes widen. ''You bet.''

Glinda gives him a small smile.

"Come here, let me check your head," Fiyero says, concerned.

Glinda obediently turns. Fiyero looks and gently feels through her hair.

"You know I forgive you, right?" Glinda says as she winces slightly from the pain.

"Yeah, thanks for that. Despite everything, you did well at Shiz. If I didn't have a picture of you, I would never have guessed you'd be Glinda Upland, the spy."

Glinda starts to blush. "Thanks, and you too. Without you, we wouldn't have gotten this far."

"Without me, you might already have your girlfriend," Fiyero says as nonchalantly as possible.

""WHAT?" Glinda yells, so loudly that Fiyero puts his hand over her mouth.

"Sorry, but what are you talking about?" Glinda hisses angrily as she scans her surroundings.

"Come on Glinda, anyone with a brain saw that you and Elphaba are falling in love. I've used my charms for you. Your parents were so pushy that I had to keep you apart. I tried you first. You were too difficult. Elphaba on the other hand was a bit easier. Especially when you started motivating her. But somehow all our conversations were about you. First about her distrust of you, but soon about all your positive qualities, which I have never even seen."

''You're making this up.'' Glinda tries to minimize Fiyero's words. Although Glinda knows after one look from Fiyero that he means it. Her heart leaps for joy. But she shouldn't cheer too soon. There's so much at stake and so much that can go wrong. She's learned that a plan looks very different in practice.

Fiyero puts his hand on Glinda's shoulder. "I know what I see."

Glinda wants to answer, but no answer comes out of her mouth. She closes her mouth and shakes her head. "What were you actually doing in the forest?" she asks to change the subject.

"I'm walking ahead to wait for you at the edge of the forest."

Glinda looks at him questioningly.

"We have materials and a plan to free you from the men. Oscar told us that you were captured."

Glinda nods. "That's not necessary. That's nice of you."

Fiyero suddenly looks scared. ''What if I got capture too.'' It's a plan he had also thought of. It's not that he doesn't trust Glinda. But with two men they are stronger.

''What do you mean?''

''Together?'' Fiyero knows he has to go. But he also wants to ensure Glinda's safety. Her plan may be good and their only hope, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. The more time he stalls, the more. He shakes his head. He has to trust Glinda. This is the only way and he knows it.

Glinda looks at him puzzled.

He quickly makes up an excuse. Glinda must not get the feeling that he is doubting. He just wants everything to be okay ''I don't want to tell your father.'' He mumbles.

Glinda suppresses her laughter. ''He's not going to kill you.''

''You think so.'' He mumbles.

Glinda kisses him on the cheek. ''It'll be fine. Now hurry up and make as much noise as possible.'' She knows that this is the moment. She finds it just as exciting as the time she was on the train to Shiz. But now she seems to be more mature. She knows that there are many uncertainties in her plan. She also knows that she has more people in her corner, to protect her. That feeling of trust gives her the chance to develop. This is not a time to make mistakes and she is not going to. She thinks determinedly.

''And then what?''

''The men are coming this way. I'll sit in the tree and break the branch. I'll fall on the men.''

''You're good.'' Fiyero says, impressed.

Glinda blushes. ''Learned from the best.''

''Are you sure you want to do it?''

Glinda feels touched by Fiyero's concern. ''Don't worry. Once we have the Gale Force on our side and free Elphie, nothing can stop us.''

Fiyero nods, but a feeling gnaws at him. He doesn't expect it to be as simple as Glinda describes. They still don't know who the leaders of the organization are, they have to take that into account too.

''Go now.'' Glinda says impatiently.

''Good luck.'' Fiyero says with a sigh. Glinda nods and climbs the tree. Fiyero waits a moment and then runs away. He makes sure to make a lot of noise. He hears men's voices shouting, but not what they are saying. He really hopes that Glinda will be okay.

XX

Glinda waits patiently until the men are about below her. She carefully examines the weakest spot on the branch she is sitting on. She takes a deep breath and jumps off the branch on top of three of the five men.

The other two recover quickly and grab Glinda. They lift her roughly off the other men who groan in pain. Glinda suppresses her smile.

Horus quickly grabs the rope and ties Glinda's wrists tightly. His nose is still covered in blood and looks painful. "You're going to regret your actions." Horus says angrily.

Glinda shrugs her shoulders and says nothing. She has to prepare for what is coming.

"Now we are all together again, she can't escape so quickly." Chin says after he has helped his friends up.

Robeert grabs a handful of Glinda's hair and pulls her head back. "What did you achieve with your little stunt?" he asks while enjoying Glinda's painful face. "Do you really think we're going to treat you well. We wanted to be nice, but now."

Renaldo pushes Robeert away. "Let's hurry up. We've lost enough time. Boris wants her unharmed. He has many plans for her."

Glinda swallows, but still says nothing. She walks back to the clearing between the men. This time she is not put on the horse.

"She can run." Horus says while he wipes the blood from his nose with a handkerchief, almost angrily.

Glinda still suppresses a smile.

The men climb onto their horses. Horus holds the rope to which Glinda is tied. They keep up the pace that Glinda can run with. They are only fifteen minutes from the city. At Glinda's pace, it takes them half an hour, but he doesn't care. He can handle Boris. Horus hopes Boris knows what he's doing. He knows his friends trust Boris blindly and follow him. But he has his doubts now. Everything that's happened is not Boris' style.

XX

The trio waits impatiently at the edge of the forest. Each is absorbed in their own thoughts. But they have their ears and eyes open.

Mr. Upland is pacing. He has never felt so powerless, not even when he was captured during a mission. He doesn't want to think about what Boris is going to do with his little girl. If he ever gets Boris in his hands, he'll… And that Oscar with his ridiculous plans. He never should have agreed to this. From the start, he had a bad feeling about this mission. Why didn't he listen to his instincts? Why did Oscar give him so much money for this?

Mrs. Upland looks unhappy. She wants to help and protect her little girl, but she can do neither.

He could no longer hold his patience. Suppose they had met the men with Glinda, they would still have no element of surprise. When he discovered that, he went to the agreed place with a handful of things. Not as if Mr Upland was happy to see him, but he doesn't care. He is there for his daughter. Oscar is pacing too. He's deeply worried about Elphaba. He wonders how she'll react when they see each other again. He wonders how he's going to get out of this huge mess. The people in Oz believe he has magical powers, which he doesn't. How long can he continue to deceive his people?

Fiyero comes out from behind the woods. "I've found her," he says, breathless.

All three jump up and rush toward him, bombarding him with questions.

"Where is she?"

"Was she hurt?"

"Why isn't she with you?"

Fiyero steps back. "Let me finish first." He shoots a piercing look at Mr. Upland, but it's ignored. Mrs. Upland catches it and sighs.

She grabs her husband's hand and pulls him back a bit.

Fiyero nods. "She bumped into me, her hands bound. We spoke. She's let herself be captured again."

Mr. Upland jumps up, but Mrs. Upland holds him back. "Let him finish," she says sternly.

Reluctantly, Mr. Upland sits back down.

Fiyero suppresses a smile. "She wants to go to Elphaba from the inside. She has a lockpicking set. She heard that all the men and women who stand with us are imprisoned by the Gale Force. She plans to free them. She'll use the same path we used when we escaped with Boq. We have to get out of here. Either you go back to our hideout or you come with me. I'd rather be there sooner than late. But we have to let them through."

Mr. Upland can't hold back any longer. He strides over to Fiyero and grabs him by the collar. "Are you all crazy?" he shouts, shaking Fiyero.

"Pretty clever," says Oscar, impressed, hoping to distract Mr. Upland.

"What? It's not clever at all. It's stupid. Honey, say it's a stupid idea," Mr. Upland yells, his voice growing more anxious. He unknowingly loosens his grip on Fiyero, who tries to slip away.

"Well, you'd think it was clever if someone else was getting captured," says Oscar.

Furious, Mr. Upland turns around. "Now you listen to me," he says, storming toward Oscar.

Mrs. Upland sighs and steps in front of her husband again. Fiyero steps back a few paces to avoid Mr. Upland.

"It is indeed a foolish idea. Even more so because she didn't discuss it with us," says Mrs. Upland calmly. "But it's her plan. Fiyero, there's more, isn't there?"

Everyone turns to Fiyero. "Yes, she wants us to wait by the exit for everyone. She also plans to free Elphaba. So, as soon as the men and women are out, we have to leave. She asks for our trust that she'll free Elphaba."

Mr. Upland throws his hands in the air, and Mrs. Upland turns pale. "How can we trust her when she always makes decisions on her own? One moment she wants this, the next she wants that. Oz, we have plans for a reason," Mr. Upland rambles on.

"What do you think Boris will do?" Oscar asks cautiously.

Fiyero swallows. "Whatever it is, Glinda is willing to take the risk. But please we have to hide. I don't know how much time we have. I have faith in Glinda. We thought through the plan together."

Mrs. Upland sighs. She doesn't want to think about it at all. "What should we do in the meantime?" she asks, wanting a distraction. She is not at all happy with her daughter's actions. But she also knows that she has no choice. If they do something now, they will not have a chance at all.

"We'll take turns standing guard. If I've studied the Gale Force's methods correctly, they'll throw her in the dungeons first and after a few hours, they'll take her out. That gives Glinda enough time to unlock the doors and explain the plan. If she's smart, she'll make everyone wait until she's taken out." He hopes Glinda is smart enough to do that, even though they hadn't discussed it. ''Maybe we can make a plan, what we're going to do with the Gale Force. Do we want to involve them in the fight? How big do we make the fight?''

Oscar nods. "That sounds reasonable. But I hope she has a different plan than just what you described."

Fiyero shrugs. "She plans to escape using Elphaba's powers and her own bubble."

"Oh, Oz," says Mrs. Upland, desperate. "How? I mean, how can she trust that Elphaba will save her?"

"I trust their friendship," Fiyero says confidently.

"My daughter will do what's right," Oscar says just as firmly.

"Because of your daughter, we're in this mess. If she weren't so powerful, or if she hadn't somehow bewitched my daughter, none of this would've happened."

Oscar gets angry and steps toward Mr. Upland. He won't let anyone talk about his daughter that way. "My daughter hasn't bewitched anyone."

The men stand close, facing off. "Because of your daughter, my daughter is in love with her. So, it's her fault."

Oscar takes a step back. "What?"

Mrs. Upland sighs. "We don't have time for this macho nonsense. Yes, the girls are in love with each other, get over it. Fiyero, what should we do?" she asks, curt.

"We'll go to the secret exit. Once we've freed the Gale Force, we can launch an attack."

Mrs. Upland nods. "I have faith in my daughter," she says, more to convince herself.

''I'm not going.'' Mr Upland says stubbornly. He must and will protect his daughter. Then he will teach his daughter how to listen.

Mrs Upland rolls her eyes. She grabs her husband by the chin and forces him to look at her. ''I'm not happy. I'm not happy with you. I'm not happy with Glinda. I'm not happy with Boris. I'm not happy with Oscar. I'm not happy with Elphaba. I'm not happy with Fiyero. So what are you going to do to make me happy?'' she says in an icy voice.

Mr Upland swallows. ''I'm going to listen.'' he says in a small voice.

''Indeed. So walk and very quickly. When this is over we'll have a very good talk with Glinda. Until then, you're going to behave.''

Oscar and Fiyero nod unconsciously. They know Mrs Upland isn't talking to them. But those angry eyes and that scary, stern, icy voice make them listen spontaneously.

XX

Madame Morrible steps away from the machine. It was difficult to control the head and speak to the people gathered in the square. In some ways, she's gained respect for the Wizard. But she's proud of herself for pulling it off. She feels that people believed her. They believe that the Wizard is just in the palace doing his job. It is quite ironic that she calls the Wizard a fraud when in fact he is. She has to chuckle at her own realization. After all she's done, she's now confident that she's secured a place in the highest ranks of the organization.

She calls for a Gale Force guard and gives a brief summary of what happened. She instructs the guard to inform Boris. Now, she feels she's earned a long break. She takes one last look at Elphaba's room. The girl is still asleep, but something seems different about her. Madame Morrible steps inside and inspects the girl carefully. She taps her on the cheeks, but Elphaba's eyes remain closed. Shrugging, Madame Morrible leaves the room. She heads to her new quarters to finally enjoy her well-deserved rest.

XXX

Elphaba only opens her eyes once she's sure Madame Morrible is gone. It's getting harder for her to pretend to be asleep. She suspects Boris knows she's awake; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Madame Morrible. She could smell her perfume. Elphaba stares at the ceiling. She's still tied to the bed and knows she'll need all her strength later. But Oz, how much she longs to escape.

She knows that all sorts of things are going on in the palace. But she can't put her finger on it. On the one hand, she hopes that Glinda and the boys will come and save her soon, on the other hand, she hopes that Glinda and the boys will choose their own safety. She also worries about Nessa. She knows that Boq was there at their first escape attempt, but what does that mean for Nessa? Is she already in Munchkinland with their father or her father? Oz, she doesn't want to think about how Nessa will react when they find out that they are actually half-sisters. The whole idea that the Wizard, the wonderful wizard is her father, still makes her dizzy. Although she wonders where he is, in all this chaos. Was Boris the boss of Oz all along, instead of the Wizard? Elphaba sighs. All her thoughts make her desperate, but that is all she has so far, because she can't leave. She has to let her situation be as much as possible to her advantage, whatever that is.

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