The Witches of Oz

Flying at night, rapidly changing up and down air currents and the equally rapidly moving clouds below them, made Fiyero feel extremely ill and he spent the entire trip with his eyes shut.

“It’s really not that bad,” Elphaba tried to tell him at one point. “The view is magnificent!”

“I’d really, really, rather not look.”

“Well, would you like to know where we are?”

“That would require me to know how fast we’re going and I’d really rather not!”

“What about the fact we’re going to spend the day in an actual house? I mean it’s not much of a house but it’s better than nothing.”

“A house? Is that safe?”

“Oh yes it’s been ‘haunted’ for years. The pipes rattle something terrible at night but it’s silent during the day, superstitious locals made up the rest.”

“That’s reassuring. So will we be there soon?”

“Yes. If you had your eyes open you’d see it was nearly dawn.”

“You’re laughing at me aren’t you?”

“Only a little. We’ll have to land on the roof, there’s usually no one around but it’s best not to leave footprints. Oh one other thing, if you do happen to go outside, don’t touch the apple trees.”

“I’ll make a point of it, why?”

“They’re extremely short-tempered.”

“Now I know you’re teasing me.”

“On my somewhat dubious honour, I promise I’m not. You’ll see when we get there…”

“Speaking of which…”

“Right about now…you might want to open your eyes when we land, so you see where you’re going.”

“I trust you.”

“Just try and keep your knees bent, you’re taller than me so you need to keep your feet level with mine.”

“Got it.”

…

“That was surprisingly smooth,” remarked Elphaba as they picked themselves up off the roof.

“I think I just bruised the back and front of my body at the same time,” said Fiyero, despite the fact he knew the feat he’d just described was (or so he thought) physically impossible. “Do you always land so… smoothly?”

“Sometimes it’s better, sometimes worse,” replied Elphaba nonchalantly. “ Let’s get inside before it gets too light.”

“Wait… show me the trees first.”

“Oh fine,” said Elphaba brushing the thatch off of her skirts and muttering something that sounded like ‘skeptic’.

“Good morning everyone.” She called out in the direction of the apple orchard.

“What’s so good about it?” grumbled a voice that could only have come from a nearby tree.

“I’ll second that, too chilly for my poor old leaves!”

“Haven’t had a decent sunny day in weeks!”

“Satisfied?”

“Talking trees. Forgive me for not believing you.”

“Keep it down over there.”

“Some of us like to sleep through dawn!”

Elphaba gestured silently for him to follow her across the roof; she picked up the broom and led him to a hole in the roof that led straight into the cottage.

“This is the only part that doesn’t leak,” she said as they entered the living area. “Are you hungry? You don’t look so good?”

“I don’t think flying agrees with me and I definitely don’t want food right now.”

“Here,” said Elphaba, laying their blanket on the ground. “Maybe you should lie down.”

“Thanks. I think I will,” said Fiyero doing just that. Elphaba sat next to him and stroked his face.

“Would you like some water?”

“No. I’d just like the world to stop moving.”

“Try closing your eyes, maybe sleeping will help,” suggested Elphaba.

“I’d rather look at you. Besides I can’t sleep during the day.”

“You’ll have to try, I don’t want you falling off the broom tonight. I know why don’t I tell you about a book I read recently? That’s guaranteed to put you to sleep.”

“It’s certainly worth a try.”

Elphaba started telling him, with a variety of hand gestures and facial expressions, about a book she’d read about the evolution of Animals and animals. The topic was as boring (for him) as Elphaba predicted but Fiyero found he was too distracted by watching her smile as she talked to pay attention to what she was saying. She talked for a while until she noticed that he was still wide awake.

“You’re still awake.”

“I noticed.”

“I know you weren’t listening, you had a sort of glazed look in your eyes that people get when I start talking about these things.”

“You’re right I only heard the first sentence. I was watching you talk, did you know that you talk with your hands?”

“That’s nice,” she said glaring at him. “But you’re supposed to be sleeping!”

“So are you!” he retorted.

“I’m not the one who got airsick!”

“Excellent point. Why don’t you lay down and rest while you try to put me to sleep?”

Elphaba smiled and stretched out next to him.

“Maybe if we just talk for a little while?” she suggested quietly.

“Sure,” agreed Fiyero. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“This is sort of embarrassing but… how old are you?”

“That’s it?” Elphaba laughed and snuggled closer to him.

“Well I don’t know so it’s perfectly reasonable to ask.”

“Well how old are you?” countered Elphaba.

“I asked first.”

“Twenty six.”

“Twenty eight. I always thought you were Glinda’s age because you were roommates.”

“My father wouldn’t send me to school alone because he ‘needed’ me to take care of Nessa, that’s the only reason he let me go to Shiz, I was home taught until then.”

“That was brave of you… going to a school like that knowing what people would be like.”

“I wanted to learn more than I hated being stared at and mocked.” She explained quietly. “I worked my way through father’s library by the time I was sixteen and bullied my sister’s tutor into getting books from the city library for me.”

“You bullied someone?” Fiyero was surprised, “From what I heard from Glinda you were more the sneaking up behind people type.”

“I like books,” replied Elphaba very matter-of-factly. “And have you ever heard Glinda squeal? How could you not sneak up behind her and shout ‘boo’?”

“I’m rather fond of keeping my eardrums intact, that’s how I could not do it,” replied Fiyero. “Do tell me how you bullied this poor tutor of Nessarose’s?”

“It was more like blackmail really, I threatened to tell my ever-so-moralistic father about the love affair she was having with the married Head Gardener. We had some fascinating discussions about the ‘age appropriateness of my choices in reading material.’

Apparently there are some books young ladies aren’t supposed to read until they are old ladies, you know about politics and things that actually require one to think of all things.

Still you have to give her credit for not leaving the first time she saw me…that was about three weeks after she was employed to be Nessa’s tutor. Father told her I was unwell and couldn’t attend lessons, he told me I was under no circumstances to go near the classroom, which lasted for all of two days before I started sitting outside the door and taking notes. The poor woman left the room unexpectedly and fell right over me.”

Sixteen-year-old Elphaba Thropp sat outside her younger sister’s classroom listening intently to the tutor talking about the various Ozmas of Oz.

“Shoot,” she muttered as her pen slipped out of her hand and rolled across the floor. She stretched out to get it and yelped as the door opened and someone tripped over her outstretched legs.

“Ouch!” she yelped.

“My goodness!” shrieked the woman. “Who in Oz are you?”

“Elphaba Thropp.”

“Elphaba? What are you doing out there?” Nessa wheeled herself over to the door. “You know what Father said!”

“I wasn’t doing anything just walking past!” protested Elphaba. “How was I supposed to know that Miss Jhana would be leaving the room right now? I can’t help it if I tripped over!”

“You’re a relative of Miss Nessarose’s?”

“I’m her older sister… and I have to go!”

Elphaba had glanced at the time and realised her father would be home any minute.

“Elphaba…” said Nessa.

“Elphaba?” said Fiyero. “Sweetheart, where are you?”

“A lifetime ago. ‘Worlds away and miles gone.’ As the poem goes.”

“I don’t think I know that one.”

“It’s been awhile since I heard it, my mother said it, I’ve never found it in a book. I think I can remember it…

Worlds away and miles gone, far from my true love’s side.
I call to thee through this dark barren night,
Wishing you were as close to my body as my heart is to thine.

There are as many kinds of love as there are stars in the sky,
My heart is guided by my love for you,
The star that shines the brightest in the sky of my life.
Without you I am nothing but a shell waiting for love to make my life real.

There’s more but I don’t remember how it goes, I was only four after all and father didn’t know it.”

“You can remember something your mother told you when you were four?”

“I remember lots of things about my mother, doesn’t everyone? I mean Nessa didn’t but that was because Mother never even saw her and I never asked anyone else I just assumed it was the same...”

“I don’t think I remember anything properly from before I was eight or nine, everything before that is quite vague. I’m not sure what would be considered ‘normal’, it’s not something I ever asked anyone else.”

“What is the earliest thing you remember ‘properly’ then?”

“The first girl I kissed,” he replied with a fond smile, Elphaba made an ‘of course’ motion with one hand and he continued. “An adorable six year old Quadling girl, their ambassador’s daughter, her name was, or is I would suppose, Kynahna. I was only eight at the time and we both promised not to tell – I only did it because she said I was too stuck up to, we were equally surprised when I did.”

“I can just imagine you doing that… I’ll bet you were one of those sickeningly adorable little boys that everyone loved.”

“Was that a compliment or an insult? Actually never mind, tell me about your oldest memory.”

“I remember… my mother’s face.”

“That’s not what you were going to say.”

“No but I never told anyone this before and I’m not sure if I want to, it’s a bit… unusual.”

“Didn’t I already mention loving the way you surprise me? Go on, tell me.”

“Well I suppose… but I should mention that it took me awhile to work out what I was remembering.”

“Now you have.”

“I remember… the day I was born… just vague images and sounds really.”

“You’re right,” said Fiyero, several minutes later. “That is unusual. From what I hear it’s not really something someone would want to remember.”

“Baby memories aren’t like adult memories, they aren’t good or bad, they’re just there – for me at least. I’d certainly be happy not to remember the first eight or nine years of my life… except for my mother of course, the memories of being alone with her are the happiest I have. I think if I didn’t remember her, didn’t remember being loved by her, I wouldn’t have been able to fight for as long as I have.”

“Of course,” realised Fiyero, “If you didn’t remember anything properly before you were eight you wouldn’t remember her.”

“One of the last things she ever said to me was ‘Elphaba you’re going to have to fight for yourself because no one will be willing to fight for you.’ I suppose that might seem harsh if it wasn’t true. That’s one of the reasons I spent so much time reading when I was younger, it was my way of fighting by being smarter than everyone else. It doesn’t make them like you but not many people did anyway so it didn’t matter and books don’t care who reads them.

One of the reasons I tried to do all these things was to impress my father. I used to think that maybe if I was better at things than normal people he would realise that this…”

Elphaba made a gesture towards her face and sighed softly.

“…Was just the outside and on the inside I was so much better than them. It didn’t work… and by all accounts he died because he was so ashamed of me.”

“I’m sorry,” said Fiyero, hugging her closer to him. “I shouldn’t have brought this up.”

“Well the topic is certainly not putting either of us to sleep!” agreed Elphaba emphatically. “Couldn’t you pretend it’s nighttime and this dim light is the full moon?”

“It doesn’t work. I’ve never been able to sleep during the day, even in a completely dark room – it’s hellish when you’re hung over, let me tell you!”

“I used to have a problem like that, I could never go to sleep unless someone – usually mother naturally – was holding me so I could hear their heartbeat. I think that worked because it reminded me of sleeping in that peaceful dark place that’s your entire world before you’re born. Come closer and we’ll try it.”

Fiyero blinked at her abrupt statement and repeated it just to make sure he’d understood.

“You want me to stick my ear against your chest and listen to your heartbeat to put me to sleep?”

“You don’t think it will work?”

“I think it might be a little distracting.”

“Men!” Elphaba rolled her eyes and pulled a face at him. “Close your eyes.”

“Now?”

“The sooner the better, I’d like to get some sleep today as well.”

Fiyero shrugged and did as he was told, he didn’t think the idea would work but he wasn’t going to object. A moment later he heard Elphaba move then felt the soft fabric of her dress pressed against the side of his face.

“Now try and pay attention to listening to my heartbeat, when you can hear it start counting.”

He couldn’t hear anything at first but gradually he made out the soft thump-thump-thump of her heart and started counting…