The Witches of Oz

It took Elphaba the better part of the night to get back to the caves, Fiyero was still asleep in her room so she left the broom there and went to the cave the Animals referred to as her ‘rock room’. She’d claimed the cave for the specific purpose of going in there when she was angry, screaming curses at the top of her lungs, and throwing the loose rocks, physically or magically, at the walls.

After Fiyero woke up he went looking for Elphaba, one of the Animals gave him directions but he didn’t wait around long enough to be warned that he should call out and tell her he was there before he entered the room. He stepped into the room and was transfixed by the sight of Elphaba, whose cursing he had heard from the other end of the hallway, surrounded by flying rocks, some of them half the size of her. She had to be holding them up by magic he realised taking a step closer and seeing that she was guiding the rocks with violent hand gestures. He become conscious, very abruptly, of the danger he was in when Elphaba turned and sent the rocks flying right towards the wall he was standing in front of.

“Fiyero!” she exclaimed with a gasp of surprise. Time seemed to slow down for both of them as the rocks flew towards Fiyero and dissolved as Elphaba made another gesture, leaving Fiyero covered in sand but otherwise unharmed.

“You idiot! Didn’t they tell you not to come in here?” She ran across the room without waiting for answer and stopped about half a metre away with her hands on her hips.

“No. I guess I was in too much of a hurry to see you... I’m sorry I scared you.”

“I could have killed you!”

It had taken a few minutes but Fiyero finally worked out that she was yelling at him because she was scared and feeling guilty. He took a step forward and picked up her hands.

“You didn’t... so don’t worry about it! Judging from the language I heard as I was walking down the hall, where did you learn all of those words? I assume it didn’t go well with Glinda?”

“There was a brief moment where she accepted the fact that, for reasons that are entirely a mystery to both of us – she didn’t say that part – you love me. The rest of it involved a lot of yelling, accusations, and very little actual communication.”

Elphaba sighed and leaned against Fiyero.

“All in all it went slightly better than I predicted when you suggested it. It’s probably a good thing I went; I overheard Madame Morrible talking to her. After convincing Glinda that I had cast some sort of love spell on you years ago at Shiz...”

“What?!”

“I know it was the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Likewise,” agreed Fiyero. “Glinda actually believed that?”

“Women in love are willing to believe all sorts of things.”

“I see. So what else did Morrible the horrible have to say?”

“She, very unsubtly I thought, led Glinda to the conclusion that I was an incurable threat to the ‘peace and tranquillity of Oz’ and, if I didn’t surrender soon, the Wizard would be forced to have me killed... Glinda cried but she didn’t argue with her. On the other hand she didn’t call the guards either.”

“How can you say that so calmly?”

“You know Glinda asked me almost exactly the same thing. In that case it was because the immediate threat was avoidable. At the moment it’s because I know I’m safe for now. In general it’s because I’m not afraid of dying, though I would feel bad about making you grieve, my dear Fiyero.” She hugged him and leaned her head back against him. “Would you miss me?”

“How can you even ask?” protested Fiyero. “I’ve missed you every day for years, even before I realised it was because I’d fallen in love with you, the thought of never seeing you again... you’re likely to think I’m a sentimental fool for saying this but, Elphaba, I can’t live without you.”

He kept her hands clasped in his and pushed her away slightly so he could look her in the eyes and make her believe what he knew she still doubted.

“I love you and everything about you; the way you played with those Animals like you were another cub yourself, the way you laugh and smile at me, how beautiful you looked in that ridiculous pink nightgown, the way you look so young when you have your hair done up. I love the ways you surprise me; with your magic, with the way you talk about flying, and the fact that you don’t use your powers for yourself. I even love the way that you can’t see what a beautiful amazing woman you are though that particular blindness on your part annoys me to an unbelievable degree.”

Elphaba searched his face for any hint that he was lying... no, not lying, exaggerating to make her feel better was perhaps what she meant, but found none. Fiyero looked back at her steadily and waited for a response.

“I... you didn’t say anything about... you know...”

“You have green skin. See I can say it and it doesn’t matter – I don’t love you because of that or in spite of it, I just love you and if it being green is what makes you, Elphaba, the way you are then I love that too.”

He expected a lot of responses to that statement, yelling, hitting, abrupt departure even, but not crying... not that it was what might be called ‘proper’ crying... She stood there staring at him with tears running down her face and the strangest expression on her face. It took him a moment but he realised that he was seeing another side of Elphaba, one that no one had ever seen before, underneath the barriers she created around herself was a young girl who longed to be loved by someone in spite of, or even because of, the way she looked.

“I… feel the same way, Fiyero,” admitted Elphaba, still unable to repeat the exact words. “Ever since Shiz, even when I thought you loved Glinda and there was no chance of me being anything to you but her strange roommate who danced without music and dragged you along while she stole a cub from a classroom.”

“That was the first time in a long time that anyone made me care about something, I couldn’t help but help you. I’m still not quite sure why though I think I can guess why I was the only you didn’t do whatever that was to.”

“Now you’re teasing me aren’t you?” said Elphaba smiling through the remnants of her tears.

“Yes, yes, I am.” He smiled back at her, “It makes you smile and it’s such a beautiful smile!”

“Fiyero!” Elphaba blushed, or rather her cheeks warmed and darkened a little, and looked at the floor. Fiyero grinned and lifted her chin up.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about... most women like to be complimented. That’s what my mother and sisters always told me at least.”

“You have sisters?”

“Oh yes, six of them. They are all younger than I am, and much smarter too,” he replied self-deprecatingly. “You’d like them, they’re very... learning orientated. Of course they lost interest a bit after they got married but the two youngest are still at home.”

“You say that like I’m going to meet them.”

“Don’t you want to?”

“I think...” she replied carefully since he was obviously missing her point, “...the question is more will they want to meet me?”

“Oh... oh I see what you mean now. Once I explain to them, they will, my family don’t think much of the Wizard. They weren’t at all happy when I joined the Guards- they won’t run off and tell him where you are.”

“What about their servants and guards? Can you guarantee that every person in your home will feel the same way?”

“Do you really believe that or are you just afraid of the way my family will react to us?”

Only the fact he said ‘us’ rather than ‘you’ stopped her from responding with sarcasm.

“I know it makes me sound paranoid, sweet Oz I’m sure you’ll agree I have good reasons to be, but it’s not just because I’m afraid of how they’ll react... though I won’t deny that the idea makes me nervous.”

“If my family can’t accept us then we just won’t talk to them,” Fiyero reassured her. “As for your other concerns you have a good point there, fortunately I know a way around that. I’ll tell you how to get in and I’ll go boldly in as though nothing has happened.”

“What about if they have heard Morrible’s rumor about me casting a spell on you?”

“I’ll tell the servants I escaped and tell my family the truth once we’re alone... I’ll even let you stand near an open window. I know how nervous you get when you feel trapped.”

“Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out.”

“I’m not entirely hopeless,” he agreed modestly. “Now do you think we should go to Kiamo Ko first or meet my family?”

“Wouldn’t they object if you just moved into the castle without asking?”

“Oh no, it’s technically my castle anyway – I’ve always found it terribly gloomy though... you’ll like it.”

“Fiyero!”

“Was that a denial?”

“No, not really, I do like gloomy old buildings.”

“Great!”

“But if you don’t like it...”

“I’ll be happy anywhere as long as you are there with me.”

Elphaba yawned loudly before she could reply.

“Oh I’m sorry.”

“Haven’t you slept yet?” asked Fiyero, with a sigh at her self-neglect. “Too busy swearing at rocks?”

“Yes... I can’t sleep anyway when I’m angry. I feel much better now, thanks to you.”

“I’m always happy to make you happy. May I walk you to your room?”

Elphaba nodded then blushed and actually giggled as he let go of her other hand and linked arms with her.

“You didn’t answer my question yet,” he reminded her as they walked. “Kiamo Ko or my family?”

“I wouldn’t feel right about staying in the castle, even if it is yours, without them knowing... so I guess we’re going to meet your family but I need to...” She yawned again then continued. “...Talk to the Animals first. While I was in the City I overheard some people talking about a Lion that Miss Dorothy insisted the guards bring along. I think it might have been Cub, he’s the only one silly enough to not hide from a human, and I’m worried that they might find out where he came from. He tends to speak without thinking.”

“I can tell them that much, you get some rest and you can tell them the details later, when you’ve rested.”

“Yes,” agreed Elphaba sleepily. “I like that idea a lot.”

“I’m going hunting with the Lions today, loaning my gun to the hunt anyway that’s what I was coming to tell you.”

“I’m sure they’ll appreciate it, they were very disappointed when they found out I didn’t know, and refused to learn incidentally, how to use one.”

She unwrapped her cloak as they entered her room, Fiyero had let go of her because the door was too narrow for two people to fit through, and he raised his eyebrow at her outfit.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just I think this may be the first time I’ve seen a woman I know, or any woman for that matter, wearing trousers. It’s different.”

“You try sliding through a narrow window in a dress,” retorted Elphaba as she sat down and started unlacing her boots.

“No thank you! I asked my sisters once why they put up with it and they just looked at me like it’s one of those things men don’t understand.”

“Well I’m a woman and I think there are some times when dresses are just too impractical but it’s somewhat insulting when, if I wear my hair right up and men’s clothes, I can be mistaken for a lad from behind.”

“I don’t believe it! Really?”

“Oh yes, it happened about a year ago. Of course the fellow was a half blind archivist, possibly not the most reliable source of an opinion.”

Elphaba lifted all of her hair up and stood with her back to him.

“What do you think?”

She turned back around when he didn’t say anything.

“Fiyero? Did you hear me?”

“What? Yes... I mean no… what was the question?”

“Are you feeling quite well?” she asked him in confusion.

“Yes… yes I’m fine.”

“I asked you if you thought I looked like a boy from behind.”

“Whoever that archivist was he was more than half blind! There’s no way anyone with two working eyes could mistake you for anything other than a woman.”

“And it took you five minutes to come to that conclusion?”

“No need to be snide about it, as a matter of fact I was distracted by the lovely curve of your neck.”

“Oh.”

“I had better let you get some sleep, I'll see you later.”

“Of course.”

As she slept Elphaba dreamed of flying, as she often did, so high up that all of Oz spread out below her like a living map and she could even see the endless deserts that bordered Oz in all four directions. The deserts had always fascinated her as a history student; there were many records of people attempting to enter them but they always turned back after a few kilometres or were never heard of again.

Always in these dreams she had never been able to cross into those odd borderlands and she had never wanted to. The deserts were nothing more than shifting grey sands incapable of supporting even the most basic forms of life – the reason she had looked over them in the waking world was to see if it could be a safe haven for the Animals of Oz but it was immediately obvious that nothing could survive there.

This time the dream was different a sudden draft caught her and tossed the broom into one of the deserts – too far from the borders of Oz to see any landmarks. It could have been any part of the desert. Startled but calm she regained control of the broom and surveyed the land around her. It was frighteningly empty as if there had never been anything in it but the same grains of grey sand. The wind grew stronger and she was forced to land on the sandy ground. Holding the broom in one hand Elphaba started walking, away from or towards Oz, she had no idea where she was going but she could hear something in the direction she chose.

Suddenly there was a great black shadow rushing towards her and she woke up screaming as the shadow crashed over her in a cascade of discordant images.

The cave felt impossibly hot and small when she woke up. Elphaba threw back the blankets, stripped off her nightgown and sat shivering, but covered in sweat, in the middle of the bed with her arms wrapped around her knees. It was the middle of the day and all of the Animals were out in the forest or too deep in the caves to hear her cry out just after she woke up. She closed her eyes, intending it to be only for a moment, and the darkness came rushing back…