Watching the stars again.
Wondering where they end and we begin.
Under the sleepless night
feel the warmth of a memory by my side.
~o0o~
Elphaba coughed hard and clutched her side, leaning heavily against the carriage. She gasped for air and slid to the ground. Oz, that hurt. Her face and side throbbed, her ears were ringing. Something clonked against the back of her head, making her groan and double over.
"Oh, gods, I'm so sorry!" said Fiyero. "Are you okay?"
Elphaba tried to breathe, but her corset felt too tight like her whole body had swelled up. She stuck her fingers in her mouth and checked that all of her teeth were still there. They were, but when she removed her fingers she found streaks of blood in her saliva. She frowned and smacked her lips. Her face just felt puffy.
"Miss? Can I help you?" Fiyero asked.
She slowly looked at him and pulled his handkerchief out of his breast pocket to clean her fingers, then reached into his boot for his flask. She looked at her reflection, which was a little distorted but she could see her skin was discolored like a fading bruise. She flicked the lid and took a large gulp.
"Thank you," she said, handing the flask back.
"Er, sure… no problem. Do you need a ride to the hospital?"
"I don't want to go there," she muttered and pointed the end of her braid at her hand. "I need to get some photos developed."
She made her hair spit out the camera.
"Cool trick," he said. "You sure you don't need to see a doctor? Maybe the campus nurse?"
"Help me stand," she said.
Fiyero did and held her steady. Elphaba took a few deep breaths and cleared her throat. She was fine. She was feeling better by the second.
"Galinda's coming," she said. "I don't want to watch you ask her out."
"Hey, wait a clock-tick!" Fiyero protested as she hurried off.
He was surrounded by his fans and Elphaba was able to escape.
She went to the art department, knowing they had a developing studio. She waited until the red light turned off and went in. They had all the equipment there and she had done a test run a few days back. She didn't like the smell very much, but it didn't take too long, about an hour for all the photos.
She hung up the last photo and stared at them.
It wasn't a dream or a hallucination or a misunderstanding. She flicked her fingers to dry the photos and put them away in her portal. She set her jaw and teleported back to the Emerald City. She could get them free, she had to try again.
She tried to summon the spell book out of her hair, but came up empty.
No… it had to be there. Everything else did. Maybe she only thought she took it. So much was going on.
She stole her way back into the Wizard's Palace and carefully made her way back to the hidden space behind the throne room where the Animals were being held captive.
The book sat on the pedestal and Elphaba recited the spell Morrible had wanted her to just to see what it did.
At first, it seemed like nothing happened, so she pulled back the curtain and was amazed and horrified and sick to find all the Animals had been given wings.
They shrank back from her in fear and she bit her lip before casting the spell to turn the locks into toads. She deliberately put the book away in her portal.
"Let's go!" she said. "Be free!"
The Monkeys reacted first and shot out of the cage, screeching and whooping with joy, stretching their wings. The Pig was next, but the Lioness needed her help.
Elphaba supported her out and came face-to-face with Oscar Diggs.
"YOU!" Elphaba snarled. "How dare you?!"
Oscar pulled a bell and alarms rang. The Pig took over helping the Lioness. Elphaba grabbed Oscar and forced him against the wall.
"Why?!" she demanded.
"Why what?" he asked.
"Why would you imprison the Animals? What have they ever done to you?! Is this all because a Blue Bird scared you when you arrived?! He just wanted to see if you were okay and Morrible killed him!"
"How do you know about that?" he whispered.
"I don't understand why. You gave people hope!"
"Leadership is fragile," he said. "Best to create an enemy you can control than wait for one you can't to appear."
Elphaba growled and punched him. The doors flung open and guards marched in, rifles at the ready. She growled in disgust and shoved Oscar towards them, racing to the back of the throne room to make her exit.
A gunshot cut the air and she staggered away from the carriage, landing flat on her back. When her eyes focused, Fiyero and Av were staring down at her.
"Are you okay, Miss?" Fiyero asked.
Elphaba slowly sat up. The spot behind her right eye was in agony. She winced at the twinge deep within her skull.
"Miss?"
She couldn't speak yet. She was furious. All these years she had looked up to the Wizard. She might have been able to forgive the fact he was a fraud. After all, she knew how politicians worked growing up in the Governor's household. She just couldn't comprehend that he was evil enough to create an enemy out of an entire population! To cage living beings like that. There were real physiological differences between animals and Animals and he didn't care. Because it was easy to make them an enemy, to reduce them to their undomesticated counterparts. To take away their rights, their freedoms, their speech. And for what?! So people wouldn't question his power?!
And Morrible wanted Elphaba to help them do these horrible things. These evil, wicked things.
If you work as you should, you'll be making good.
Good. How could anything like that be good?
Or perhaps, it was a trick to get her into one of those cages. Fill her head with dreams and make her cast that spell to make those Animals fly before locking her into a cage that made the Southstairs prison cell look like the Grand Ozma Hotel. And they'd take away her voice until the only words that came out were spells.
"Let's get you to a hospital, okay?" said Fiyero, touching her arm lightly. "I'll help you."
Elphaba slowly looked at him wide-eyed.
"You didn't know, did you?" she asked. "Please tell me you didn't know!"
He furrowed his brow.
"Know what?"
"Master Tiggular!" Morrible boomed. "Allow me to welcome you to Shiz University! I see you're already acquainted with Miss Elphaba. I have assigned her to be your tutor and assist you in getting up to speed with our curriculum. Miss Elphaba, please show Master Tiggular around campus and to his classes to collect his makeup work."
Elphaba slowly rose to her feet and faced her.
"You," she said. "I'm just a pawn to feed your agenda."
Morrible had a flash of something in her eyes before pasting on a sweet smile.
"Oh, my dear! I only have your best interests!"
"Yeah? And what about the rest of Oz? How many people will you step on until your thirst for power is satisfied? Humans and Animals aren't chess pieces you can throw away at will. They're real. They are living! THEY HAVE RIGHTS!"
"Calm down!" said Madame Morrible forcefully, stepping forward with a dangerous look in her eye. "I assure you, everything is just as it should be."
Choosing her words so carefully so she couldn't be accused of lying.
Elphaba laughed sardonically, "Our views of things that 'should be' are vastly different!"
She yanked her hair out of its plait and brought out several photos.
"EXPLAIN!" she roared. "EXPLAIN WHAT IS RIGHT ABOUT ANY OF THIS!"
She passed them around to the people surrounding them.
"This is what Morrible and the Wizard are doing! Look at this! Who's to say any of you won't be next?!"
"Won't complain if it's you," someone sneered.
Elphaba whipped her head around, furiously searching for the face attached to those cruel words so she could rip it to shreds.
"HOW DARE YOU! SOMETHING BAD IS HAPPENING IN OZ! WAKE UP! WHY WON'T YOU HELP?!"
"That is enough!" Morrible spat. "You are out of line, dearie. If you want any future at all, you will cease and desist."
"Elphaba!" Nessa pushed her way forward, running over a few toes. "You are making a scene!"
"A scene!" Elphaba's voice shrieked higher than a tea kettle. "Me just breathing and existing is a scene to you, Nessarose! I spent my life caring for your ungrateful, bratty ass and all you do is talk shit about me behind my back! You have to make sure everyone knows that if you had your way, we wouldn't be related! You're not getting a scene! You are getting a whole damn OPERA!"
She slammed her hands down and summoned a form even she had been surprised she could make. It came easier to her than most, fourth only to cat, raven, and horse.
Her body grew, her hair disappeared. Wicked black scales that glimmered green in the right light overlapped tightly into armor across her body. Wings sprouted from her back; wicked and webbed like a bat's. A fire formed in her stomach, deep and raging. A fire of fury that had been there her whole life happily rumbled as it was given true form. Her face lengthened to house the crocodile-like teeth she'd been rumored to have her entire life.
She stretched her neck up to the sky and roared, spitting out a jet of fire.
"DRAGON!"
"Miss Elphaba!" Morrible shouted. "Do not make me fight you! You are barely trained and you won't win!"
"Bite me!" Elphaba hissed.
The spikes along her spine twitched and she raised her wings to protect those around her from being struck by lightning.
"RUN!" she growled.
The crowds scattered. Elphaba beat her wings and rose up into the sky. She spat flames at Morrible, ignoring her screams of anguish, and took off towards the city. She belched out clouds, giving herself cover, and zeroed in on the palace. She dove down and set the place ablaze.
Arrows and gunfire were aimed at her, but were unable to penetrate her thick hide. She swooped into a plaza and melted a bronze statue commemorating the Wizard. She burned down the Opera House next before climbing into the sky, higher and higher until the ground was so far below she almost expected to see names plastered on the earth like a map.
She picked a direction and just flew as fast as she could so the wind roared in her ears, drowning out her thoughts. Over the Vinkus, over the Deadly Sea, over Ev. She flew over the ocean and would have kept flying until she fell into the vast blue if she hadn't felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Can we land? I have to pee!"
Elphaba twisted back and screamed upon seeing Fiyero clinging onto her back for dear life. She spotted an island and landed by a huge waterfall emptying into a crystalline cove.
Fiyero slid off and ran into the trees. A couple minutes later, he emerged and plunged his hands into a smaller waterfall.
"Thanks," he said, shaking them dry before leaning against a tree with a charming smile. "I'm Fiyero."
He winked and clicked his tongue.
Was he seriously flirting with her right now? While she looked like this?
"I think you have your wires crossed, Your Highness," she said. "Don't princes typically slay dragons to protect damsels in distress?"
"Not if the damsel in distress is a really awesome dragon-babe," he countered.
Dragon-babe.
Elphaba huffed, puffing smoke in his direction, and looked around. Maybe this was far enough away from everything. If she flew far enough, maybe she could escape the time loop.
Reverting back to her human form, she looked out at the sparkling water.
She didn't help those Animals. In this cycle, she sentenced them to death by sending the Palace up in flames. Who knows how many people she killed. She was no better. She was just as wicked as Morrible.
Elphaba collapsed onto the sand and buried her face into her knees. Her tears evaporated into steam on her cheeks, her body heat still too high from her form.
Fiyero sat next to her.
"Hey, you have more of those photos, right?" he said. "Maybe someone outside of Oz can help."
Her throat was too tight to speak. She just wanted to be beyond the time loop. To stay in one place and lie down forever, undisturbed, until she was overgrown with life. Instead, she was cursed to constantly be in the presence of someone she had no business falling in love with and who would never be given the chance to love her back.
She wished she had never gone digging. She wished she never knew something was wrong in Oz. She was miserable in her own little corner in Munchkinland, but at least her dreams never disappointed her there.
Fiyero rummaged around his bag. Elphaba watched him out of the corner of her eye remove two braided cords, a flat pack that claimed to be a survival blanket, a multi-tool, a compass, a small first-aid kit, a canteen, a hunting knife, a portable radio, his school schedule, and a folder crammed with barely looked at syllabi and assignment sheets.
He fiddled with the stations on the radio and noticed her staring.
"I like to be prepared when I travel," he said. "Good thing, huh?"
She grunted and hid her face again. The radio was all static, so he stuffed it in her book bag with the rest of his school things and repacked the emergency supplies into his bag.
The weather was warm here, though there was a slight chill from the waterfall mist. It was a beautiful place. The ocean was very blue, the sand was very pink, the leaves were very green, and the cliffside looked like a cut open geode.
Oz, she was exhausted.
Elphaba pulled off her boots and stockings and buried her toes in the sand. It was soft and fine. She removed her blazer, blouse, and corset as well, leaving only her slip and skirt. She flopped onto her side and listened to the roar of the falls.
When she opened her eyes, the afternoon was decidedly golden and Fiyero was humming cheerfully. She glanced up to see he had constructed a shelter over her while she slept, using the emergency blanket, branches, and one of the cords. It wasn't very big, but it protected her from the sun and mist. He had also constructed a fire pit and was preparing food to cook over it a safe distance away from the flames.
"Hi there, Sleeping Beauty," he said, noticing she was awake.
"You're taking all this rather well," she said. "I would think anyone would freak out about being dumped on an island in the middle of nowhere."
"I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to try school number eight anyway," he said. "And I am very good at the wilderness thing, though no one ever wants to go camping with me. I just think of it as a vacation!"
He was setting the fish up to roast on a homemade spit, he had collected fruit, and the shelter held steady against a gust of wind.
"You do know the wilderness thing," she said, impressed.
"Ah-ha! See? Bringing me along was the smart thing. If I hadn't you'd be sitting here cold and hungry."
"I probably would have kept flying until I dropped whether or not there was land beneath me," she said and looked down when his expression tightened. "Sorry. It's just how I feel."
"Have something to drink," he said, picking up a round green thing and offering it to her. "It's coconut."
She had always seen artificial coconut in the shops, but had never tried it. It always looked like little white shavings. This smelled sweet, but was obviously water. She took a sip, followed by several gulps.
"Did you know coconuts migrate?" said Fiyero. "They just drop off and float down waterways and plant in new areas."
"It's good," she said. "So how'd you get into the outdoors? Your family?"
He snorted.
"My parents' idea of roughing it is staying in a place without room service," he said. "Their preferred interactions with the outdoors are gardens and private beaches with attendants. And I just… I always felt freer being outside. I had to have training for my Wilderness Trial, but while most people decide 'never again' I actually loved it even though I almost starved to death near the end there. I would have stayed away an entire year, even two. As a kid, I would just explore and climb trees and rocks and then I wanted to know what I was finding. You know, I actually discovered a new species of fungus."
"That's amazing," said Elphaba, genuinely impressed. "Did you get to name it?"
"Yep. My first and last contribution to Academia," he said with a light laugh. "I called it Fairy Lights because when the moon is full in the summer they release glowing spores."
"Wow…"
"I also enjoy hunting," he said. "I don't really like to for sport. I prefer bringing it to the kitchens for them to prepare. You're supposed to use every part of the animal, but it's become fashionable to mount trophies." He screwed his nose up at that. "Mostly, I like to just go out and sit real still and see what passes me by."
"That sounds nice," Elphaba murmured.
Fiyero checked on the fish. It was pretty high above the flames so it was smoking.
"Too bad we don't have any seasoning."
Elphaba pulled the spice rack out of her hair and set it down.
"Nifty," he said. "What else you got in there?"
She brought out the plush newt he won her at the carnival.
"Nothing useful for here," she said, putting it back. "Well, I have bread, but I don't know how old it is."
"Spices are pretty useful," he said, sprinkling some onto the fish before going back to roasting it.
Sometime when she was asleep, he had removed his boots and rolled up his pant legs and was using his shirt as a covering against the sun while keeping his vest on to keep his back from burning.
He seemed much more at ease out here. Not the suave air he maintained as Prince Fiyero Tiggular, but actual ease. Here he was just 'Fiyero'.
"Try some of this," he said. "It's star fruit."
Cut in half she could see how it got its name. She took a few bites. It was tart and juicy. She liked it and took a few more chomps out of it.
"This place must not have always been deserted," he mused. "It's pretty well cultivated, just overgrown. We have star fruit in the Vinkus. It grows close to the Chocolate Forest."
"You have a chocolate forest?!" Elphaba asked, almost spitting out the fruit in her mouth.
"Cacao trees," he clarified. "It's one of our main exports. The trees, unfortunately, are not made of chocolate. Five-year-old me was disappointed and my cousin who convinced me they were makes sure to tell the story to everyone at the annual Winter's Ball."
Elphaba chuckled, feeling a bit silly for jumping to that same conclusion. She finished her fruit and accepted a banana. It didn't taste anything like the banana milk she'd had before. Bananas were very rare to find in Oz and were very expensive. She liked this, it was a subtler, milder taste.
"There's lots of fruits on the island, but these are the only ones I recognize," said Fiyero. "Better safe than dead."
Elphaba hummed and nodded.
After their cobbled together meal, they sat side-by-side facing the sea.
Elphaba wished that she could grow old here. Let everything be someone else's problem, but she could very well be the only person in Oz who could do something about what was happening to the Animals. That had to be why the loop began. She had to find a way to save them from Morrible and the Wizard.
"What are you thinking about?" Fiyero asked, tossing the leaf he was using as a plate into the fire.
Without answering, she stood and walked towards the water, stripping the rest of the way as she did. The sand scalded her feet, but then she reached where the waves touched the shore and found it soft, squishy, and cool. She walked into the water and felt a twinge of anxiety.
It was okay as long as she didn't go out too far. No one was around to hold her under the water and she knew if she slipped under the waves Fiyero would jump in to save her.
She didn't have to be afraid. The water was cool and the foam tickled. It was such a vibrant color.
She didn't have to be afraid. Her feet brushed hard objects, but the ground was there.
The water pulled away, then surged forward, going from her waist to her neck.
It was pulling her in!
Elphaba scrambled towards a rock jutting out of the water and climbed on. She hated how slow the water made her movements. She curled in on herself and shuddered.
"It's okay," she whispered, rocking herself. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay."
"Are you okay?"
She lifted her head. Fiyero's arms were spread out on the surface of the water and she could see his feet paddling to keep him from sinking. As the waves moved in, he just coasted easily along the top of them.
"I mean, you know, aside from what led you to turn into a dragon-babe and raze the Emerald City."
"Why doesn't that bother you?" she asked.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess by all accounts it should, but I lived there for years. I had to go to events on my parents' behalf when I lived there. Maybe they should get a little scared. Maybe someone does need to make them wake up and pay attention."
She sighed softly and looked out at the water. It wasn't going to matter if she told him the truth or not. She would play at Island Adventure today and tomorrow try again to help the Animals. Nothing else could be done until the cycle renewed.
"Listen, Fiyero…" She looked around and didn't see him. "Fiyero?"
She twisted towards the shore, but he wasn't there.
"Fiyero!" She slid into the water and looked around frantically.
What happened? Was he attacked?! Did she somehow force him down with her magic and not realize it?!
"FIYERO!"
Elphaba swept her hands over her neck to create gills and dove under water. The transition was painful, but she was more concerned with finding Fiyero.
There!
He was just beyond the drop off, swimming towards the surface. Elphaba clumsily paddled toward him. He spotted her and swam towards her with ease, guiding her up to the surface with him. He took a huge breath.
"Where did you go?!" Elphaba demanded, keeping her neck under water, though her voice was weak and breathy to compensate. "I couldn't find you, you just disappeared!"
He looked taken aback.
"I… I'm sorry. You seemed so lost in thought I figured I'd be back before you noticed. I'm okay. I promise."
Elphaba exhaled shakily and pressed her forehead to his before backing away. He didn't know her, she wouldn't throw herself at him. She kept her gills until she could put her feet back under her.
"Are you okay?" Fiyero asked.
"Drowning is a horrible way to die," she said. "I was… worried."
Scared out of her mind was closer to the truth.
"I'm a strong swimmer," he said, easily keeping pace with her.
Elphaba climbed back onto her rock and he hauled himself up after her.
"I got you a present," he said, holding up a weird shaped rock. "I just need a small knife, like a paring knife."
Elphaba conjured one for him and watched him crack the rock open, revealing a fleshy mass inside.
"That is not a rock," she noted.
"No, it's an oyster," he said. "There's a pearl farm in the Vinkus, I had to go on a tour to see all of our exports and how they were made. Chocolate, pearls, rice, potatoes. I thought the pearl thing was neat and the man who invented the pearl farming told me how to tell if a natural oyster is one that can have a pearl in it. Their mouths don't close all the way, so stuff gets inside. And this one seems to have landed quite a few. I've never seen this variety before."
He reached into the flesh and brought out a large golden pearl, placing it in Elphaba's hand. The other two pearls had a yellowish tint but were closer to white and were a bit smaller.
As Elphaba examined them, she heard a slurping noise and turned back to Fiyero, then noticed the shell was empty and covered with an iridescent surface. He wiped it off in the water and gave it to her.
"Thank you," she said, sincerely, and kissed his cheek. "I'll treasure them forever."
She put them in her hair for safe keeping and rested her chin on her knee.
Fiyero paddled his feet gently, watching the water churn. The sea foam stuck to his legs as he raised them up.
Elphaba sniffled and the tears spilled over.
"What's wrong?" Fiyero asked in alarm. "Why are you crying?"
"I'm sorry for dragging you out here," she croaked. "I never think and people always end up getting hurt!"
Fiyero hovered a hand over her, then pulled it back when she shrank in on herself. He cleared his throat and looked anywhere else.
"Far out in the ocean," he said eventually. "Where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep…"
Elphaba closed her eyes, soothed by his words. The story wasn't a very happy one, but she didn't want a happy ending right now.
"Let's get back to shore," he said. "Rinse off under the falls."
"Okay."
The water from the falls was cool and refreshing, though the pressure stung quite a bit. Fiyero made their dinner and Elphaba conjured them a blanket to lie on and two more to wrap up in. The temperature plummeted as the sun went down, but the view of the sunset was beautiful. It was the most vibrant sunset she had ever seen, the wet sand and pools of water reflected and magnified the colors.
The stars were even more dazzling when they all came out. Elphaba didn't think she'd ever seen so many. Even in Munchkinland, they had gas street lights in the city with a trail leading up to the Governor's house in case he was needed for an emergency. Elphaba would always swear she could see the faint glow of the Emerald City in the distance from her window.
There were lights that blotted out the stars in the towns she'd been to. Here, there wasn't an artificial light for miles and miles save for the crackling fire.
"You can see so many out here," Fiyero marveled as they stargazed.
They let the fire die down to embers so they could see better.
"Tell me a story with the stars," she said.
"Hm… okay," he said and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he scanned the sky. "Do you see Zaia the Hunter?"
She followed his hand to a decidedly human-shaped cluster of stars and hummed her affirmation.
"And there is Aevis the Nymph," he said, pointing to stars in a Y-shape next to the Hunter. "And just behind Aevis do you see that small cluster of seven stars?"
There were many clusters of stars, but the longer she looked the better she could make out seven stars that looked almost like a miniature version of the Big Cart.
"Yes."
"Those are Aevis' sisters," he said. "Long ago when the world was new and still needed help moving there was a young hunter named Zaia. He was the youngest son of the Fairy of the Moon and it was his turn to complete his Wilderness Trial."
Elphaba listened to him weave a tale of the hunter and the nymph who saved his life from the harshest winter anyone had ever seen. Even the winter fairies couldn't explain it and the demons of Chaos and Order would not answer to it, but Zaia and Aevis managed together.
"Aevis' sisters warned her that if she ever left their land, she would never come back," Fiyero said. "He offered to stay in her world forever, but she knew he was the one who took care of his mother. What's more, she wanted to see the world beyond her forest he spoke of so much; to experience it together, to raise their family, to live their lives. They walked through the forest hand-in-hand. As soon as she stepped beyond the trees, her gorgeous green skin turned grey, her steps grew slower. She became weak and stiff. They tried to turn back, but it was too late.
"Within moments, she became a tree, unable to go forward and unable to look back. Zaia was heartbroken and asked the gods and fairies and demons from Granny Snake to Lurline to Discordia to keep them together. Moved by his heartbreak, they all agreed and Aevis was carried to the moon. Zaia cared for both her and his mother, but he was barely there. He grieved for a hundred years, never taking another for his lover.
"The Moon hated seeing her son so miserable and begged the gods to reunite her son and his lost love another way. So Old Man Spider wove them into the stars where they could be together for eternity. The nymphs, still mourning for their lost sister, were placed there as well, reminding all that you can't take from the forest what was never meant to leave."
Elphaba sighed deeply and rolled onto her side to face him.
"That was sad," she said. "But I liked it."
"I told myself that one during my Wilderness Trial," he said. "For a long time I really felt out of place, like if I wasn't a prince then no one would give a shit if I existed or not. The idea of finding someone who wanted me as I was kept me going."
Elphaba hummed softly. His tattoos seemed to move in the fire light. She could see how they were inspired by snake scales. They were beautiful, sweeping along his temples, down his neck, across his back and shoulders, curling around his chest and ribs. There were other patterns, simple and beautiful.
"You know, I should get kidnapped by dragons more often," he said. "Today was more fun than I had in a long time."
Elphaba propped herself up to look at him more fully.
"Funny," she said. "I believe kidnapping implies a lack of willingness on your part."
"What would you call it, then?"
"Hitchhiking."
She rolled over to stoke the fire, minding not to make it too big. He sat up and touched her arm lightly.
"Hitchhiking, kidnapping, whatever you want to call it, I'm glad it happened," he murmured. "I can't explain it, but when I saw you I just had this urge to go wherever you did. I haven't felt that way in a long time."
He stretched and reclined back, tucking his arms behind his head.
"Let's just stay here," he said. "I think we could make it."
Elphaba laid down with her head on his chest. She just wanted to be held.
"We can make it," she said softly.