Deep in the night, Mr Underhill sneaks through the woods. His eyes are accustomed to the darkness, so he knows where to go. He notices that the sun is already slowly rising. He had hoped to reach his destination before sunrise, but the journey took longer than expected. He is at the last place where he might possibly find the Uplands, and otherwise he has to ask around in the villages. Sighing, he pushes away a branch and sees the house. He walks into the house and sees that it is empty. Despite that, the house seems more occupied than the previous houses. He feels the fireplace, which still gives off some warmth. He sees several folders lying around. When he looks at everything better, he sees that it is the Emerald City and a blueprint of the palace. He knows enough and runs out of the house. He looks around and runs towards the Emerald City. He hopes that he is not too late.

XXX

Fiyero looks around. The whole group is marching, with the Wizard and the Uplands in front. He is walking alone at the back. He has not yet had time to apologize to Mila. He hopes he will get the chance to do so later.

The courage of the men is high. Everyone who could go has gone voluntarily. Some have stayed behind with a number of wounded. They have gone towards the nearest village. They can hide better there. The Wizard has given them a letter, so that they know that they are telling the truth.

Fiyero is very worried about Glinda and Elphaba. He had hoped that they had made themselves heard. Somehow he supports the decision to attack the palace. Oz knows what Boris is doing to his friends. But he does not want to know what the consequences are.

Behind him he hears the rustling of the branches. He stops and is the only one left behind. The others continue walking. Fiyero grabs his spear firmly and looks around. As a man comes out of the woods, Fiyero starts yelling. The man throws his hands in the air. ''Hooo stop. I'm here on behalf of Glinda and Elphaba.''

Fiyero lowers his spear in relief. ''Are they okay?''

The man nods. ''I have a letter for the Uplands and the Wizard.''

Fiyero nods. ''I'm Fiyero, you can give me the letter.''

The man looks at him searchingly. ''Sorry, but I have my assignment.''

Fiyero sighs. ''I understand, sir?''

''Ooh I'm Mister Underhill.''

Fiyero's eyes widen. ''You're Boq's father.''

Mr. Underhill nods. ''You know my son?''

''We went to school together.''

Mr. Underhill nods, but says nothing.

Fiyero turns around. ''Come on, let's run forward. The Uplands are leading these troops. They'll be glad Glinda is still alive.''

''I think we need to give these troops a little encouragement to move faster. Elphaba and Glinda are supposed to leave for the palace just after sunrise. I hope we're not too late.''

Fiyero's eyes widen. He grabs Mr. Underhill's hand and starts pulling on him. He yells for everyone to move out of the way. Most of them look at him irritated, but they listen. He understands better than anyone that Elphaba and Glinda are a lot faster on location than they are. They have already lost more time unconsciously, because a number of men still had to get ready. They had to decide what to do with the wounded and the one who did not want to go. They are considerably behind schedule, which is extremely annoying to Mr Upland, but a relief to Fiyero because the girls had more time. Now everything has to go a lot faster.

''Oscar, Mr. and Mrs. Upland.'' Fiyero shouts when he notices he's almost at the front. 'We have news from Glinda.''

Mr. Upland stops abruptly. 'What are you saying?''

Fiyero nods and points to Mr. Underhill. ''He has a letter.''

Mr. Upland raises his eyebrow. ''You believe anyone who just says they have a letter from my daughter.''

Fiyero rolls his eyes. 'We talked for a bit. I know when to trust someone.''

''Besides, you know whether I'm trustworthy or not, partner.'' Mr Underhill says with a grin.

''That doesn't mean I trust you right away.'' Mr Upland says with a grin as well. "I have to teach these youngsters something."

Fiyero looks at the men in surprise, but says nothing.

Mr Underhill, it's always good to see you, but let's hurry up a bit. We can always plan a reunion later I look forward to seeing your wife again,'' says Mrs Upland as she takes the letter from Mr Underhill's hands.

Mr. Underhill blushes. He knows how his wife will react when he proposes the plan. Mrs. Upland is a beautiful woman with her shoulder-length blonde hair with a loving curl. He shakes his head. He has to concentrate on the mission. He is happily married to his wife and has beautiful children.

She quickly reads the letter and then hands it to Oscar. ''They got out of the palace safely. They want to continue the attack right away. They need a distraction so they can search for the Grimmerie. They want to cast a sleeping spell.''

Fiyero nods with satisfaction. He knew the girls would come up with something without too many victims. He is worried about who they are going to put to sleep, but that is a worry for later.

"We have to hurry," Mr. Underhill says. "The girls would be on their way by now, if we're late, there's no point."

"Typical my daughter to do something without thinking it through first," Mr. Upland grumbles.

Mrs. Upland rolls her eyes. "Says the man who's now walking toward the palace, without consulting his daughter first."

Mr. Upland opens his mouth, but closes it again, because Oscar is urging everyone on. "We have to help Glinda the Good."

He knows better than anyone how progragenda works, and this time he's using it for someone else's good, instead of praising himself to the skies.

Everyone starts walking. Fiyero stops, knowing he wants to be at the back again, to keep the troops together. Mr. Underhill walks the other way.

"Aren't you coming?" he asks.

"No, I have to go to my son in Munchkinland."

Fiyero frowns. ''What's he doing there?''

''He went to Munchkinland with Nessa to reclaim the land.''

''Frex won't like it.''

Mr. Underhill shrugs. ''That'll teach him.''

''Why?'' Fiyero feels like he doesn't know the whole story.

''You should worry about your own mission.''

''Everything you tell him could be relevant to the mission.''

Mr. Underhill thinks fast. In a flash, he tells what Frex did and how Nessa reacted to it. Fiyero nods. ''We can use it against Frex. Thank you. Good luck.''

Mr. Underhill looks at Fiyero skeptically. He doesn't know how he can use that information, but he doesn't say anything. He decides to rest somewhere first. He may be fit, but he's not used to such nighttime adventures anymore.

XXX

Glinda has been awake for a long time. She listens to the sounds of the house and the people. She suppresses the urge to go to the palace alone. Oz knows what trouble she will cause. She still has many doubts about Elphaba going with her. She would rather keep her safe. But only Elphaba knows where that book is. And Elphaba refuses to tell where the book is, because she knows Glinda will go alone. They hope that the book is still in the same place. Elphaba erased the Levitation Spell from her memory. Why she only remembers that spell and not the one they need is a mystery to Glinda. Normally Elphaba already knows a few chapters of the book. Now that you need her cleverness, you don't get it. Somehow she knows that she can't always be lucky. Although in this case it would have been incredibly useful.

Glinda also can't stop thinking about her parents. What could they do now? Could they be proud? Glinda is becoming despondent about her own need to always have her parents' approval. She knows that this is the best she can do. Her need to still have as few victims as possible is her greatest wish. In her head she is already thinking of different scenarios. How will she react if she meets Boris, or Frex or Madame Morrible. In her head she will protect Elphaba at all times.

Glinda gets up with a sigh. She does not feel rested, but she knows she cannot sleep. She needs energy by eating. After tomorrow everything will be solved then she can rest. Although she knows that more things will come her way, but those are worries for later.

She sneaks downstairs and starts preparing breakfast. Somewhere she hopes that Elphaba will oversleep. She looks at the sky and sees that it is still pitch dark. If Elphaba stays asleep when the sun is already rising, she can go without her. That is what they agreed.

Unfortunately, Glinda's hopes are short-lived. She hears someone coming down from upstairs. Soon she sees her green friend walking into the kitchen.

"Galinda?" Elphaba says, startled. "I mean Glinda, what are you doing here?"

Glinda gives Elphaba a small smile. "I go by both names."

Elphaba shrugs. "Glinda sounds nicer and it's an honor to Dr. Dillamond."

"I'll only listen to Glinda from now on."

Elphaba nods and holds up the coffee pot. Glinda nods, some extra caffeine wouldn't hurt in this situation.

Elphaba pours coffee into the cups and sits down next to Glinda. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not as long as I had hoped, but a little while."

Elphaba nods. "I have the same thing," she answers the question that wasn't asked, but she knew it would come.

''Elphie, are you sure?'' Glinda asks after a short silence.

Elphaba looks at her uncomprehendingly at first, but then she frowns. They already talked about this yesterday. ''Yes, I'm sure. I won't leave you alone.''

Glinda sighs. ''I uhm... I never really apologized.''

Elphab looks surprised. ''For what?''

''For everything.''

''It's not your fault. I mean, you would have handled it differently if you knew everything.''

Glinda grins and nods. But she still feels responsible.

''I should have been honest from the start.'' she says seriously again.

Elphaba shakes her head. ''I wouldn't have taken you seriously for a moment. No one was interested in me. I wouldn't have believed your story. Even if you had told me later that the Wizard was my father, I wouldn't have believed you. That kind of information takes time. Time we didn't have back then.''

Glinda nods again, but still looks guilty.

''If it makes you feel better, I accept your apology.''

Glinda smiles. ''Let's start over.''

Elphaba's eyes widen. ''Please don't. I don't want to go back to the time when I loathed you.''

Glinda rolls her eyes. ''You know what I mean. I'm glad we're friends again.''

Elphaba smiles. It feels good to be with her friend again. She knows it's not completely resolved yet, but it's a start.

''So, tell me some stories about your adventures.'' Elphaba suggests nervously.

Glinda raises her eyebrow. ''There's nothing for me to tell. My parents did all the missions. I was always on the lookout.''

''I was your first mission.''

''And maybe my last.'' Glinda whispers.

''What, why?'' Elphaba asks, surprised. She honestly thought Glinda would enjoy it.

''Look at the chaos this has caused.''

Elphaba shrugs. ''Look at the bright side, you've now experienced all the crazy things in one mission.''

Glinda bursts out laughing. ''Sweet Oz, you're right.''

''But?'' Elphaba asks curiously, sensing that Glinda wants to say more.

''Everything I had planned in advance didn't work out. I've let my parents down multiple times. I've betrayed my friends. It's not what I thought. I feel like a fraud. I almost feel Wicked.''

Elphaba takes Glinda's hands. ''You did everything out of necessity. You had to protect yourself. But you did good things too. You almost made me popular. You helped the Deer. No one knew Madame Morrible was evil. You acted with the knowledge you have, that's no shame.''

Glinda swallows. ''Look, it's morning.'' she says softly. She pulls her hands away and quickly wipes the tears from her eyes. Elphaba has said everything she wanted to hear, but it makes her vulnerable, which she can't use now.

Elphaba nods and stands up. ''We'll go.''

They fly as fast as they can to the palace. They see a few people outside in the early morning, but they hear nothing. They both enjoy the silence. When they are almost at the Emerald City, they fly above the clouds, so they are more sheltered.

Glinda opens the window through which they went outside. "Okay, quickly grab the book and we're out of here." She whispers.

Elphaba nods. She walks as quickly as she can to the walk-in closet. She looks around and pushes some clothes aside. She smiles when she sees the Grimmerie. "I've got it." She whispers.

Glinda nods. "Quick, find the right spell."

Elphaba looks confused. "Can't we do that when we're out of here?"

"It'll be a spell that has to be done up close. We'll be inside by then. I think practical."

Elphaba bites her lip. She wants to get out of here as quickly as possible. She hopes that Glinda's arrogance won't bring them down.

Elphaba turns a few pages. The words flash by before her. She can't quite make out what's written, but she can't see the word sleep anywhere. ''Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.'' Glinda whispers impatiently.

''This isn't helping.'' Elphaba hisses back.

''Look who decided to come back.''

Elphaba and Glinda turn towards the door in fright.

''Madame Morrible.'' Glinda hisses.

''How nice that you recognize me and that the popularity didn't go to your head, Miss Glinda the good.'' Madame Morrible says sarcastically.

''What? Did I hurt you that I have more popularity or that I had a better idea than you?'' Glinda asks as she pushes Elphaba behind her.

Madame Morrible laughs loudly. ''I recognize the Wizard's plans better than you do. This is not your idea.'' Madame Morrible looks at Elphaba and only now sees for the first time what she has in her hands. ''Is that the Grimmerie?'' she asks in fright. Elphaba holds the book against her.

"Give it to me," she says eagerly.

"Never," Elphaba says as she takes a step back. She feels her heel go over the edge. Glinda takes a step back too, but is stopped by Elphaba.

Madame Morrible laughs. "This is going to be so easy, girls. I can never thank you enough. But on the other hand, I'll be much too glad when you're gone."

Glinda swallows.

"Guardians," Madame Morrible calls out loudly. Immediately men come running into the room in green uniforms. "Get them," says Madame Morrible

Glinda starts and pushes Elphaba further back. Elphaba didn't expect that movement and falls over the edge. "Glinda, no," she calls out, but it's too late.

Glinda turns around and tries to grab Elphaba, but she misses. "No, Elphie," Glinda calls out. "Call your broom," she screams. When she turns, Madame Morrible is standing next to her, squeezing her arm hard. "Let go of me, witch." Glinda tries to break free. Madame Morrible pushes Glinda back into the guards' hands and looks down. "Look who survived the fall," she hisses.

Madame Morrible sees a number of people walking towards Elphaba. She knows that Boris has made sure that there are always people on the square. She also sees from a distance that a number of people are taking a step back. She can always use that to her advantage.

Glinda looks relieved. ''Let me go, Madame Morrible. It's over.'' Glinda says with all her self-confidence.

''I don't know if you realize it, but you're captured. You're going to jail.''

Glinda tries to break free, but it's no use. ''Wait, Elphaba is carrying out our plan and you're going to jail.''

''What's your plan?'' Madame Morrible asks with a grin.

Glinda says nothing.

''Let me guess. Is she going to tell everyone how mean I am? That the mean people have captured sweet Glinda. Please, you have to come up with better things. Some people don't even believe in Glinda the Good, because they've never seen you. They've never seen anyone fly in a bubble. They do believe in Boris.''

Glinda swallows. She has to buy time for Elphaba. ''How did you know we were here anyway?''

Madame Morrible shrugs. ''I'm smarter than any of you. Boris thought you'd recover first, but I know you arrogant students better. You don't think and go on the attack right away. Besides, I was smart enough to inspect the room after you left. I saw the book lying there.''

''Why didn't you grab it when you had the chance?''

Madame Morrible blushes. She had hoped she could persuade Elphaba. She can't read the spells herself, so what good is the book to her? She was immediately called by Boris. If Elphaba were faithful to her then at least Boris would have a reason to see her. She wanted to his approval, his love, to be his hero. But the more she's around him, the more she knows she never will be, so she has to think of something else. She walks up to Glinda and slaps her hard across the face. ''It's none of your business.''

Glinda grins. ''Maybe you're not so smart after all.''

Madame Morrible raises her hand, but then has a better idea. "Your plan to stall for time isn't going to work."

Glinda's grin fades.

"Follow me, boys. We're going to teach this arrogant little brat what real suffering is."

Madame Morrible walks ahead, with a reluctant Glinda behind her.

XXX

Elphaba sees her life flash before her eyes. She is so terrified that she cannot scream. All she can do is hope. Glinda's words penetrate her and she thinks of the broom. Just before she touches the ground, the broom breaks her fall. She rolls over the ground and remains there for a few seconds. All she can do is laugh. Oz, what was that? she thinks, tense in her body. She holds the book tightly against her. She hears other people coming towards her. She sits up. She immediately becomes light-headed. People gasp for air and start whispering when they see Elphaba. Elphaba looks around. She wants to get up and run away immediately, but the dizziness stops her.

The crowd looks at her fearfully, but also furiously. ''Who are you and how did you get here?''

''I am Elphaba Thropp and I fell out of the palace.''

''How did you survive that? Are you a witch?'' another voice asks.

''My friend... helped me.'' Elphaba finds a new kind of strength when she thinks of Glinda still upstairs with that Madame Morrible.

People start talking to each other. ''Is this the witch where the Wizard warned us about?'' ''She's green so she must be very jealous''

''Please, you have to help me. My friend is being held captive there.'' Elphaba stands up and walks over to the first person she sees. ''You have to help me. Please.''

''Why do we have to help you?'' someone asks, taking a step back. ''You're green.''

Elphaba sighs. She has never hated her skin so much. Actually, she doesn't hate her skin. She hates the fact that people don't take the time to look past her skin. If she were just pink, it wouldn't be a problem.

''Please, Madame Morrible has captured Glinda. You have to help me. Boris and Frex are inside and have chased away the Wizard.''

People start whispering and it gets louder and louder.''

''Glinda?''

''You mean Glinda the Good?''

''Wasn't she the one who kidnapped Glinda the Good?''

''Isn't she the wicked Witch according to the Wizard?''

Elphaba nods and walks around. Just as she is about to say something else, a voice sounds from the balcony. ''People of Oz, There is an enemy that must be found and captured. Don't believe anything she says. Her green skin is just the outside of her twisted nature. She lies, She is jealous. She is a wicked Witch.''

Elphaba recognizes Madame Morrible's voice, but she can't find her anywhere. She swallows. The people around her start pointing at her.

XXX

Madame Morrible looks down with satisfaction. She sees that people are pointing more at Elphaba. Some are throwing things at her. Madame Morrible chuckles.

"You're a horrible person," Glinda says angrily. "What did she ever do to you?"

Madame Morrible looks at Glinda unimpressed. "If you ask nicely, you can look at your friend."

Glinda bites her lip.

"Of course I can tell you how." Madame Morrible looks down for a moment, "People are throwing something at her now. Yes, I think it's rocks."

Glinda pants. She tries to get forward so she can see. But the guards hold her tightly.

"I can't hear anything yet," Madame Morrible sings.

"Can I please look?" Glinda forces herself to say.

"Mmmm I can't really feel it yet. Get on your knees." Madame Morrible says with a fake grin.

Glinda bites her lip harder. She must see for herself if Madame Morrible is telling the truth. Maybe she can do something for Elphaba.

"Oooh yes, they hit her." Madame Morrible says happily.

Glinda sinks to her knees. "Can I please look?"

Madame Morrible stands in front of Glinda to show her dominance. "Just this once."

The guards escort Glinda to the edge. Glinda gasps. She sees her lover standing there. People are standing in a circle around her. A few people seem to be throwing something, but Elphaba still seems to be shouting things and pointing at the palace. Glinda's heart breaks. She had hoped so much that Elphaba had gotten herself to safety. She had hoped that people would be nicer to her. A tear rolls down her cheek. This can't be the end.

Madame Morrible grins. She wants to say something, but there is a sound behind her. ''What's going on here?''

''Boris?'' Madame Morrible says, startled.

''What do you think you're doing? I was working and I heard your message. What in Oz.'' He falls silent when he sees Glinda. ''Well, well, well. Look who we have here.''

Glinda says nothing, but her heart is in her throat.

''I didn't think you'd come so soon.''

''Yes I heard, Madame Morrible said something like that.'' Glinda hisses.

Boris gives Madame Morrible a withering look. He would talk to her later and make it clear that this is not the way things are. ''Tell me, where is your green lover?''

Glinda looks back over her shoulder and sees Elphaba lying on the ground. ''Elphie.'' She screams. ''Elphie no, run away El...'' Her mouth is covered by Boris' hand.

''Let's not draw attention to ourselves now.'' he whispers in her ear. He looks down and grins. He suspects that Elphaba is lying on the ground, because the people seem to be focused on one point. Maybe his worries were unnecessary and everyone was dumber than he thought. When he looks away from the scene below him, he sees a whole group of people entering the square. His eyes widen. This can't be happening, he's not ready for this yet.

XXX

Elphaba feels her muscles tense. She tries to convince the people that the people in the palace are bad, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. The people start throwing things: food, shoes and stones. Elphaba doesn't want to give up, Glinda is counting on her. ''Listen to me now,'' she shouts. She points up to make it clear that it is the people in the palace who are bad. That the Wizard is gone.

The people come closer and closer and Elphaba only feels more anxious. She feels a kick to her calves, a stone to her head. She falls to one knee and soon someone jumps on her back. She sinks under the weight. She feels people kicking her. She tries to keep the book with her and protect herself as best she can. In the distance she hears her name, but it all seems so far away. She feels her hands go to her back. She feels sand being thrown in her face. Breathing becomes more difficult. She would rather go and cry in a corner somewhere. Suddenly she hears people screaming. The kicking stops and her hands are released. Only the pain and her desire to help Glinda remain.

XXXX

Oscar runs into the crowd. He hears people shouting that they have captured the Wicked Witch. He hears that her skin is green and that they have captured their beloved Glinda, even though they have never seen her. "This is enough," he shouts. "Let my daughter go in the name of the Wizard."

People look at him in surprise. A few quickly kick Elphaba in the back.

"DAUGHTER?"

''Wizard?"

The whispers grow louder.

"It's enough. Who do you think you are? Attacking an innocent person based on a few rumors." Oscar shouts as loud as he can. He feels like a hypocrite, since his entire reputation depends on rumors and stories, but that doesn't matter now.

Fiyero and Mrs. Upland rush past him to help Elphaba up. His heart breaks when he sees a trickle of blood running down her temple. Her face is dirty with sand. Her clothes are smeared with food. Her lip is torn. "Protect the book," Elphaba whispers, trying to give the book to Fiyero. She is in so much pain, but she has to stay awake for Glinda. Oz, she has so much to tell them. But she feels weak, dizzy, and sick.

"How dare you play judge and executioner at the same time." Oscar continues angrily. "You are the citizens of Oz. You see beyond a person's skin. You don't judge a man by a few rumors. I wish you were smarter. You let the Wizard down.

"Who are you?" someone dares to ask. Most of them feel ashamed, but the story came from the palace, so it must be true.

"I am the wonderful Wizard of Oz and she is my daughter. She got her magic powers because she comes from two worlds and her green skin is because of me." He doesn't know if it's true, but it sounds plausible.

"Why green?"

"The whole city is green." Mr Upland shouts impatiently. "Where is Glinda?" She asks Elphaba lovingly.

"In the..." Elphaba begins. She is breathing heavily, a number of people have hit her in the ribs. Mrs. Upland does not know how long this embarrassment has lasted for Elphaba, but she knows from experience that a lot of damage can be done in a short time.

The people mumble louder and louder.

"How can he be the Wizard? He looks so ordinary."

"Who are in the palace then?"

Mrs Upland brushes the hair from Elphaba's face and wipes away a few tears. "Easy girl," she says reassuringly.

Elphaba's vision is still blurry. ''You?''

Mrs Upland smiles. ''Yes, it's me. I'm here to help you. Do you know where Glinda is?''

Elphaba nods and points up. At that moment, everyone hears screaming. They see someone falling down.

''GLINDA.'' several people shout. Before anyone can do anything, Elphaba jumps up and the broom flies towards her. She catches Glinda and everyone below starts cheering.

''Elphie?'' Glinda asks when she realizes that she has been saved by Elphaba.

''Sweet Oz, what happened?'' she asks worriedly as she inspects Elphaba better.

''I should ask you.'' A rush of adrenaline has given Elphaba the strength to save Glinda. But she can feel the rush wearing off. She has to keep a strong spirit so Glinda doesn't worry.

Glinda smiles and hugs Elphaba. ''Thank you for saving me.''

''Always.'' Elphaba guides the broom to the ground. As soon as their feet touch the ground, a whole crowd of people gather around them. Elphaba can no longer stand on her feet and sinks to her knees. Mr and Mrs Upland embrace their daughter and inspect her carefully, while Oscar desperately screams for a doctor. Fiyero kneels next to Elphaba to wake her up. He still holds the book in his hands.

"What is all this about? I, the Wizard of Oz, demand an explanation."

People gasp for air when they see Boris and his people walking out. Everyone starts whispering again.

Oscar stands up and walks towards him with menacing steps. "How dare you. How dare you use my name."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I am the Wizard of Oz." he shouts. At the moment he says the last word, fire comes out of the pipes of the palace. Everyone is impressed and a number of people bow. The crowd has only grown larger because of the great spectacle.

''You'll never be the Wizard.'' Oscar hisses.

''Then prove it's you?'' Boris says cleverly. ''I've already proven I'm the great Wizard of Oz.'' Flames are coming out of the pipes again. The people nod understandably and whisper the confirmation that Boris is indeed the Wizard.

Oscar's eyes widen.

Oscar looks around in panic. Elphaba starts to come round, but she is too weak to do anything. His precious daughter has been so abused. He has to do something and fast. Most people are starting to turn on him.

"Let's start with something small," he shouts. He walks over to someone and takes a coin out of someone's ear. The people around him start to clap. He walks over to someone else and takes out a bunch of flowers. For the first time since he became the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, he uses his coats. He had created these coats especially for people who see beyond his machines, smoke and mirrors. He had hoped that by making these small adjustments to his coat, he would be able to convince people enough of his so-called magic. People start to clap again. Oscar takes his hat off and lets people look into it. He waves his hand above his head and says a few strange words. He turns his hat and everyone sees a clown's face. Everyone starts to laugh. ''This proves that I am the Wizard of Oz. He is the trickster.''

People start whispering again.

Glinda knows that Elphaba is doing better and stands next to Oscar. She quickly whispers something in his ear and he nods. ''If you don't listen to me, listen to Glinda the Good.''

Glinda conjures up two magic bubbles and lets Oscar and herself float above the people for a short while. Everyone starts clapping again. "Look at her. She's so beautiful and so sweet," whisper a few people as Glinda floats and waves above them.

Boris gets furious. This was not his plan. He had hoped that Glinda had fallen dead. But now he seems to be losing his power.

''Everyone quiet.'' he shouts. The flames come out of the pipes again, but this time less high.

''The gas needs time to be replenished. That's why I don't use those things too often in a row.'' Oscar says to Glinda when she is within earshot.

Glinda nods. ''Dear citizens of Oz, look around you. I have just been thrown out of the palace by that man.'' She points to Boris. ''Listen to the palace guards. They will tell you the truth. Besides, our beloved wizard cares about all of our citizens. Our wizard has shown his love for his daughter. That woman saved my life by catching me when I fell. That is a sign of kindness. While the impostor never did that. Dear citizens of Oz, look at yourselves, would you ever want to follow such a tyrant?'' Glinda shouts.

More and more people start talking and exchanging their ideas.

''Everyone is silent now.'' Boris shouts in helplessness. This should not have happened. The people should have been at his feet right away. ''You must not believe those people. I am the Wizard of Oz. I come from the palace and I make the fire start.'' The flames come out of the pipe again. This time it was also clear to Glinda that the flames are smaller, but not yet to the other people.

''Is that all you can do?'' Glinda asks defiantly. ''I have already seen the Wizard do several magic tricks. I only see you playing with fire.''

Boris looks furious. He whispers something in the ears of his guards. ''It's more magic than he shows.'' Boris points to Oscar. ''That's child's play compared to my powers.'' The flames get smaller again.

''Look, the flames are getting smaller.'' Fiyero shouts, who had now noticed. The people around him start talking.

''That's not true.''

''Do it again.''

Boris swallows. He doesn't know if it's true, but he doesn't want to risk it.

''Look.'' someone shouts, pointing to the sky. The clouds are getting darker. The first drops are falling inside.

''Now where are your flames? Maybe you're not as powerful as you think you are.'' Glinda says. The people put on a cap or protect themselves by pulling their coats over their heads.

Boris growls. He gives the signal to show the flames, but this time nothing happens. The rain extinguishes the flames.

"I'll catch her," Boris thinks vengefully.

Suddenly, shots are fired at Glinda and the Wizard's bubble. People run away in panic while Glinda and Oscar start screaming. Elphaba wants to catch Glinda, but is pushed away by Mr Upland. She falls to the ground, causing the Wizard to fall on top of her. If nothing was broken before, then something is broken now, Elphaba thinks with a pained face.

Oscar immediately jumps up. "Catch that man," he shouts to his guards.

But because of the chaos that all the people are running away, it is more difficult than expected.

"Elphie, the spell," says Glinda as she pushes away from her father.

Fiyero pushes through the crowd. ''Here's the book.''

Elphaba sits up with great difficulty. She turns the pages. Because of the many sounds around her, she has a hard time concentrating.

''Come on Elphie. You can do this. You can do anything.'' Glinda encourages Elphaba.

Elphaba finds the right spell and starts to say it. Suddenly all the poppies fly through the air and lose their pollen.

Everyone looks up and wonders what's happening. The first people are already slowly lying down on the ground because they are getting sleepy. ''Quick, the bubble.'' Elphaba hisses. Glinda says the spell. She watches how everyone slowly lies down on the ground.

''What did you do?'' Oscar asks worriedly.

''I said a sleep spell. Apparently the poppies are doing their job.''

Oscar nods. ''Let's find Boris quickly.'' Mr Upland says impatiently.

Oscar nods. ''Glinda and Elphaba, will you stay here?''

''I'll watch them.'' Mrs Upland says quickly.

Fiyero nods and hands Mrs Upland his bag. He had quickly taken some first aid supplies from their hiding place.

''But mom.'' Glinda says in a nagging tone.

''Glinda, look at Elphaba. She needs your support.''

Glinda nods slowly. She kneels next to Elphaba. Mrs Upland hands the bag and looks around.

''By the way, it was very clever of you to let it rain. We're glad it's stopped now.'' Mrs Upland says who goes to help Glinda, when she thinks it's safe enough to stop observing.

''Yes, Elphie. You did that very quickly.''

Elphaba looks surprised. "I didn't do anything."

"Neither did I."

"But who?" Elphaba asks out loud. ''And where are Frex and Madame Morrible?'' Elphaba asks in panic.

''Calm down, everything will be fine.'' Glinda says as she cleans Elphaba's face.

Elphaba stops Glinda's hands. ''I... I...''

''Calm down Elphie. Everything will be fine.'' Glinda says again and this time softly. ''Are you in pain?'' she asks to distract Elphaba.

Elphaba nods before everything turns black.

XX

A/N This time it's a bit faster than last time. I want to thank everyone for reading and following the story. All the reviews and notifications that my story is someone's favorite makes my day. So thank you and enjoy the last few chapters. We've come to the end of this adventure.