The Witches of Oz

Fiyero was the first to wake up the next day, confused as to why he couldn’t move properly. When he opened his eyes and looked properly he realised it was because Elphaba’s face was resting on his shoulder and she was hugging his arm. He shifted his arm experimentally; Elphaba muttered something unintelligible in her sleep and rolled over snuggling further into the blankets.

Fiyero smiled, it was obvious she was going to sleep for a while yet, and got out of the bed. He was wide-awake and very hungry or he would have stayed. He left the room and went in the direction he thought led back to the entrance only to turn a corner and find himself in a room full of talking Animals. A few of them snarled until the leader, realising who the interloper was, called them to order.

“This is our Elphaba’s friend,” the old Lion told them firmly.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” said Fiyero nervously. “I was looking for some water.”

“To bathe or drink?” asked the Lion.

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” remarked a small grey Cat named Sarla. “It’s all in the same place, I’ll show him the way.”

“Is Elphaba still sleeping?” asked the Lion.

“Yes. I thought I should leave her to rest.”

“Could you tell us what happened yesterday before Sarla takes you to wash?”

“Well I wasn’t there for most of it but from what I know Elphaba went to the Emerald City and freed the flying Monkeys before the Wizard could call his guards. I was Captain of the guards – because it seemed like the best way to find her – and we escaped together. We split up fairly soon after, she had some sort of vision about her sister being in danger and went to help her. It was really a trap set by the Wizard to capture her. It almost worked but she was able to escape and return to the forest then she brought me here.”

“Thank you,” said the Lion simply, accepting the succinct explanation.

“Off we go before they think of more questions,” said the Cat scathingly.

“You may carry me,” she added imperiously, giving him verbal directions to the underground water supply.

Elphaba woke up screaming, an impossibly high pitched sound that brought Fiyero running to her room along with nearly every animal in the caves at the time though only Fiyero and the old Lion entered the room.

“Elphaba!!”

Fiyero shook her shoulders gently and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

“Fiyero!!” she screamed his name at the top of her lungs and buried her face in his chest. He looked helplessly at the Lion who rubbed his head against her back in a comforting fashion.

“What is it?” asked the Lion quietly in the hope that she could hear him.

“Fiyero!! Fiyero!!”

Elphaba just kept screaming his name and sobbing blindly, finally the Lion roared.

“He Is Here!” then more quietly. “Talk to her!”

“Elphaba! I’m here, I’m right here with you!”

Elphaba lifted her tear-streaked face and whispered hoarsely.

“Fiyero?”

“Yes, right here.”

“Fiyero... you’re here.”

“Yes, Catling, he is here and I am here. This place is safe for both of you,” the Lion reassured her. Elphaba was still disorientated by the dream-vision that had woken her.

“Nessa! Is she dead?”

“Yes. Elphaba your sibling is gone but your Fiyero is here.”

“Fiyero! You’re all right?”

“I’m just fine Elphaba.”

“Oh good,” she replied and fainted. Luckily Fiyero had his arms around her waist and the Lion was behind her

“What was that?” asked Fiyero, laying Elphaba down on the bed.

“A dream of sorts,” replied the Lion. “Excuse me for a moment while I reassure the others that Elphaba is well now”

While the Lion was in the doorway Elphaba woke up remembering everything that had happened and immediately wrapped her arms around Fiyero again.

“I was so afraid, Fiyero, I had the most terrible dream!”

“I heard. Are you all right? Would you like a drink of something? Nearly everyone here heard you screaming!”

“I’m fine, really, I am... I will be. What time is it?”

“It’s nearly midday; you’ve been asleep since last night.”

“So long, no wonder I’m hungry!”

“You had a long day.”

“That’s for certain,” she agreed wearily. The Lion stuck his head back in for a moment.

“Will you be well now?”

“Yes,” replied Elphaba, flushing when she realised she was still clinging to Fiyero. “Yes. I am fine, thank you.”

“You’re freezing,” said Fiyero, who was in a position to notice.

“I’m sorry,” she said and started to pull away.

“Don’t be,” he responded and pulled her closer.

“Oh Fiyero.”

Elphaba surprised him by kissing him and hugging him tightly.

“I know,” he said, holding her against him.

“I love you too,” he said, letting her know that he understood why she couldn’t say the words to him yet.

Munchkinland and the Emerald City:

It took Glinda and the guards the better part of the rest of the day the strange house arrived to find Dorothy and Toto. They reached the Emerald City, without incident, early the next afternoon and Glinda hurried to the throne room.

“I need to see the Wizard immediately,” she told the sentry on duty.

“I’m sorry, Lady Glinda, the Wizard has given orders that he is not to be disturbed.”

“He will want to hear what I have to say it is to do with...” She looked around at the people nearby then lowered her voice. “The Wicked Witch.”

“Oh, oh, I see. I’m sorry but I have my orders.”

“I will take full responsibility. It is very urgent that I see him now. And send a messenger to Madame Press Secretary as well if you please.”

“Very well then,” said the sentry reluctantly stepping aside for her. Glinda nodded to him and entered the room.

“I must speak with you immediately, your Ozness.”

“Glinda. I was wondering when you would get back,” said the Wizard cheerfully as he stepped out of the talking head. “Good news I hope.”

“I’m afraid not, your Ozness. Your guards failed to capture Elphaba and she requested... that is to say she threatened me until I agreed to bring a message to you.”

“She threatened you?” exclaimed the Wizard.

“Not personally, Your Ozness. She threatened to flatten a house or burn down a forest to get your attention if I didn’t give you the message.”

“Elphaba said that? My goodness! And what was this message?”

“She said, “Tell him...” That would be you, your Greatness, “...I warned him and he didn’t listen; now he is going to see just what happens when I get angry.”...She sounded like she meant it! I’ve never seen Elphaba so angry before, it was... well it was frightening!”

“No need to fret, my dear Glinda. I know this has been very upsetting for you, what with your fiancée disappearing – incidentally no one knows where he has gone except Madame Morrible and myself – and being threatened but you will be safe in the palace. We have increased the number of guards and given orders that everyone entering the city be checked before being allowed in.”

“That does make me feel better. Oh there was one other thing – have you ever heard of a country known as ‘Kansas’? There was a girl from there in the house that killed Elphaba’s sister; we brought her here in case Elphaba found out who she was.”

“Kansas?” exclaimed the Wizard, “Why that is the very place I hail from myself but I’m not sure there’s any way of getting the girl back there... I shall have to consider this most carefully. Thank you Glinda, you’ve done very well.”

“What has happened?” asked Madame Morrible as she swept into the room. “The messenger said it was urgent. Why Glinda, dear, you look quite awful!”

“Elphaba happened,” said the Wizard bluntly. “She got away from us again.”

“Curse it! How did this happen?”

“She used her magic against the guards,” said Glinda in a trembling voice. “She just threw them through the air.”

“I thought we told them to make sure she didn’t have the Grimmerie before they tried to apprehend her?” said Madame Morrible to the Wizard.

“She didn’t,” Glinda corrected the older woman.

“What?” exclaimed Madame Morrible with a faint expression of worry creasing her face.

“She did it while the guards were holding her in place,” added Glinda. “Right before she threatened to flatten the Governor’s house with everyone inside it… or burn down the forest.”

“Oh my... I certainly didn’t expect her powers to have developed so well without formal teaching.”

“Yes. It was certainly the most inopportune time for such a tragic event in her family. It’s a good thing it was an accident or someone would be sleeping very nervously. Will you both excuse me? I’m feeling decidedly unwell.”

“Of course, dearie, you need to rest after what you’ve been through. I am so sorry about what happened with your fiancée. Have you considered the idea that he might have had a spell cast on him? It wouldn’t even need to have been recently, you know, there are spells that – if one has the raw power – can be cast and lay dormant for years.”

“Really? The thought had occurred to me but... are these spells reversible? I mean if that is what happened?”

“It depends on the spell but it is a possibility.”

“Thank you Madame,” said Glinda thoughtfully. “Good night, your Ozness.”

“Good night Glinda.”

“Do you really think Elphaba put a spell on him?” asked the Wizard after Glinda left.

“Why else would he abandon that charming beautiful young woman for Elphaba Thropp?”

“True... it’s just that Elphaba doesn’t seem the type.”

“Oh I could see that she was always jealous of Miss Glinda at Shiz University, and very strong opinions about Animals as you know. Speaking of which...?”

“No sign of the Monkeys yet.”

“Elphaba is still on the loose and now she has a hostage, what a mess!”

“I couldn’t agree more... so how are we going to handle this?”

“Well everyone in Munchkinland is thrilled about the death of the Wicked Witch of the East. I spoke to the girl who was in the house and she is terrified that the Wicked Witch of the West might be coming after her.”

“Wicked Witch of the West – that’s catchy.”

“Elphaba seems to disappear that way most often. Now there is a thought do you suppose she has some sort of hideout in the mountains on the Western border?”

“The Monkeys were last seen going West as well,” pondered the Wizard. “Wait. Doesn’t the Winkie Royal family have a castle right on the border as well as the one in their country?”

“Of course! And she has the Prince with her so she can get in. I shall send a discreet messenger immediately to the King and find out if the prince has been there recently, or even if he is in residence.”

“Then what?” wondered the Wizard. “I suppose there’s only one choice left... if only she had taken my last offer... she could have done so much for Oz.”

“It is a tragedy,” agreed Madame Morrible. “I’ll just go and send that message shall I?”

“Yes, tell the guard I will not see anyone tonight, not even you or Glinda.”

Glinda’s room was at the end of a long corridor with a door at both ends and a sitting room outside the bedroom door. There was a guard outside the outer door, he nodded to her as she went into the corridor and locked the door behind her. The guard had a key that he was only allowed to use in emergencies. She opened the second door, the one that led to her own room, and locked that behind her as well, leaving the key in the lock.

Sighing heavily she went into the small dressing room that was attached to her room and took off her tiara – she was quite surprised that it had stayed on all through the last two days – then brushed out her hair before going back to the bedroom. There was a knock on the door.

“Glinda dear, it’s Madame Morrible.”

“Come in, Madame.”

“I thought you might like to have a little talk, woman to woman. You must be feeling so awful – is there anything I can do to help?”

“Oh! I feel so terrible,” said Glinda with a sob of heartfelt anguish. “I love him and I thought he loved me but then he left me on the day we got engaged. He said he wanted to marry me!”

“There, there, my dear, I know, it must be dreadful for you but I feel confident that I can break the spell that has been cast on him!”

“What if... what if it wasn’t a spell? What if, when Fiyero said he became Captain to find her, it was because he wanted her all along?”

“Now remember what I told you, dear, the spell could have been cast years ago. Elphaba was a good student of magic; it is possible that she found a love spell in some old book or another. Don’t put yourself down so!”

Madame Morrible turned Glinda to face the full-length mirror.

“Look at you: so young and beautiful, loved by all of Oz, a special friend and close confidant of the Wizard himself. What man in his right mind would choose an oddly coloured rebel against what is good for everyone in Oz over you? None! He is clearly not in his right mind.”

“Before yesterday I wouldn’t have thought Elphaba was capable of something like that but... I was terrified of her!!”

“The Wizard tried to reason with her earlier but, as you know, he was forced to summon the guards to restrain her. I myself have hoped that this rebellion of hers was just a phase but it seems we must both accept that she has become a genuinely wicked person.”

“Oh Elphie.”

Glinda started to cry and Madame Morrible, not normally a comforting person, did her best to reassure her.

“Do you see that the best thing for everyone, including Elphaba, is to find her as quickly as we can and... well hopefully she will see reason and surrender herself.”

“Surely the Wizard wouldn’t... I mean I know she’s done some bad, even wicked things, but...”

“I know it is hard to accept, dear, and it is not a decision the Wizard would make lightly but you must understand what a threat she is to the peace and tranquillity of Oz. Elphaba thinks she is saving Animals by taking them away and encouraging them to rebel against us but we just want to help them.

I know she was your friend but look what she has done to you; taken away the man you love because she is jealous of your good fortune. It seems to me that she hates you because you have everything she wants for herself.”

Glinda wanted to protest that Elphaba couldn’t possibly hate her but Madame Morrible’s arguments combined with Elphaba’s recent actions made the notion very convincing.

“I’m sorry, dear Glinda; I’ve just upset you even more haven’t I? I’ll leave you to your rest. Would you like me to cancel tomorrow’s obligations for you?”

“No. The people count on me to reassure them. I’ll keep my appointments of course.”

“How good of you.”

Glinda flinched imperceptibly as she was reminded of Elphaba’s sarcastic use of the phrase.

“Well, that’s what I am!” she replied with a forced smile.

“Make sure your door is locked up tight dearie,” said Madame Morrible as she left. Glinda locked the door and left the key then went back to her dressing room to put her nightgown on.

A slender figure clad in black trousers and a black shirt with a black cloak wrapped around her slid through the narrow opening in the window.

“I guess it’s true what they say,” muttered Elphaba, “Eavesdroppers really don’t hear anything good said about themselves!”

She took the key out of the lock and hid in the shadows next to the wardrobe. Glinda finished changing and walked back to her bedroom, as she walked past the door she frowned slightly.

“I could have sworn I left the key...”

“You did.”

“Elphaba!”

“Don’t scream!” said Elphaba as Glinda opened her mouth to do just that.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t call the guards right now!”

“Well, for one thing, I have the key to the door and that’s a very long hallway.”

Glinda was in front of the door. Elphaba stepped out into the open and Glinda inched away until her back was flat against the door.

“I didn’t come here to fight with you.”

“You shouldn’t be here at all. The Wizard wants you dead and Madame Morrible too. In fact she made an interesting suggestion.”

“I’m all aquiver with anticipation,” replied Elphaba sarcastically; she already knew what Madame Morrible had been suggesting having overheard the entire conversation.

“She said that you must have cast a spell on Fiyero to make him go with you.”

“What? That is the most ridiculous, absurd... you believe her though don’t you?”

“Well I...”

Elphaba threw her arms up in the air.

“Of course you did, I suppose that’s what they’ll tell everyone as well. Fine, whatever. Look it was his idea that I come here.”

“Fiyero’s idea?”

“Yes. He seems to think that maybe you didn’t have as much to do with my sister’s death as I assumed. He asked me to give you a chance to explain... so here I am.”

“Doesn’t it bother you that I just told you that they want to kill you?” asked Glinda incredulously.

“I can get to the window before the guards could get here, it’s a cloudy afternoon, they wouldn’t be able to shoot me down.”

“All I said to them was that if you thought Nessa was in trouble you’d go running to her. I didn’t know anything about the rest of it.”

“I’m sorry I accused you then,” said Elphaba formally. “I’m going to go now.” She threw the key to Glinda. “You have time to fetch the guard if you hurry.”

“I won’t tell them you were here... and I believe that he truly loves you, no matter what Madame Morrible says.”

“Oh Glinda...” sighed Elphaba. “Do you believe all the other things she was saying? Yes, I know eavesdropping is a terrible habit.”

“You shouldn’t be here,” repeated Glinda, still confused as to what she should be doing and why she was letting Elphaba keep talking instead of calling the guards.

“No I suppose not but your friendship meant something to me once... enough that I feel bad about accusing you of conspiring to murder my sister.”

She turned her back and walked to the window.

“Goodbye Glinda.”

“Elphaba...”

Elphaba paused at the window and waited.

“I do love him, you know, but I don’t think... that is to say I’m not... I don’t really blame you for being the one he wants. Maybe he can convince you that you’re fighting a losing battle.” Glinda’s voice grew more passionate as she continued. “Don’t you care that everyone in Oz thinks you’re a... a... Wicked Witch!”

“I’m not going to have that argument with you. We went through this four years ago. Glinda, we both made our choices then and it seems to have made us enemies now, we’re on opposite sides of a fight no matter what you tell yourself. You are doing good, in your way, and I am doing good in mine. I don’t expect you to understand why I do what I do.”

“It’s your methods I don’t understand not your reasons!” retorted Glinda. “Don’t you see that you could do so much more if you worked with us?”

“Are you really that blind?” asked Elphaba, turning around to face Glinda. “Don’t you see what he is doing? You heard him admit it with your own ears “the best way to bring people together is to give them a really good enemy.” and he chose the Animals of Oz.”

“You’re overreacting as always – it is not like the Animals are hurt!”

“Open your eyes and grow up! Look around you – Oz is a wonderful place for people who fit in but the rest of us have to fight for the right to be left in peace!”

“Well maybe if you tried harder to get along with people!”

“Why should I? When has anyone in Oz given a damn about me? Never! They just sneered and laughed; now they hate and fear me because the wonderful Wizard told them I was evil and everyone believed him... or went along with it in your case.”

“No one would have believed me then... and you weren’t exactly trying to convince people that you weren’t bad!”

“The only reason people think what I’m doing is bad is because they believe everything they are told. I’ve never hurt anyone while I was helping the Animals but that little fact get ignored completely!

Most of the time I don’t even use magic, not that any of the so-called witnesses to the deeds noticed that.”

“They’re only Animals for Goodness sake!” protested Glinda.

“It’s only them now,” corrected Elphaba. “What happens when there are no free Animals left in Oz? What if the Wizard decides that the Vinkus should be part of Oz ‘for their own good’? Or that the Munchkins need someone else to govern them?”

“Now you’re just being outrageously paranoid!”

“You don’t sound so sure about that...”

“Of course I’m sure that you’re being ridiculous! Only...”

“What?”

“It was nothing... the Wizard said something about there being some disorder in Munchkinland now that they have no ruler at all. But I’m sure he only meant it in a helpful way.”

“Oh it would be very helpful for someone who wanted to be the sole ruler of all of Oz. He already has the North and the centre, he’ll soon have the East. That only leaves the Southern swamps and the Western grasslands. The Quadlings are peaceful and care little for the rest of us but the people of the Vinkus are warriors, clearly a greater threat especially, as the Wizard might put it, with their Crown Prince under the control of the ‘Wicked Witch’!”

“I don’t have to listen to this, Elphaba; you did what you came here to do now get out!”

“Fine! Stay here with your precious Wizard and dear Madame Morrible. You deserve each other!”

Surely Elphaba wasn’t comparing her, Glinda the Good, to Madame Morrible who was, while being good at doing good, not at all a pleasant person... not to mention someone that Elphaba obviously had only contempt for now. Glinda opened her mouth to protest the comparison but Elphaba was already gone, out of the window and into the night, leaving her former friend still convinced that the Wizard’s side was the side of Good but with a seed of doubt planted in her mind.