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Chapter Text

✉ Chapter One: Dear Stranger ✉

“It sounds stupid.”

It was stupid, and Elphaba never would have done it if Nessarose hadn’t begged.

Elphaba, try as she might, had never possessed the power to deny her sister anything. Nessarose’s wide eyes and pouting lip had successfully swindled Elphaba into taking up, and quitting as soon as Nessarose tired of it, dozens of activities from quilting to flower arranging. 

“Please, Elphaba? I don’t want to sign up alone,” Nessarose pleaded, reaching for her sister’s hand to give it a bargaining squeeze. 

Elphaba groaned and squeezed Nessarose’s hand back in defeat. 

“Fine, Nessa. I’ll sign up too.”

The Ozian Pen Pal Program. 

The sign-up booths had started cropping up around mid-February, always complete with a chipper volunteer to lure in potential participants. It took no time for Nessarose, who had a poetic outlook on life, to romanticize the idea. Their father hadn’t been keen on it at first. The program randomly matched people from all over Oz and he didn’t want his precious girl getting exposed to ideas from people outside of the community he’d meticulously curated for her. However, after a flowery speech Nessarose gave over dinner about how “rewarding it would be to spread the word of the Unnamed God through writing,” he was sufficiently buttered up. 

Father, it seemed, suffered from the same challenge Elphaba did when it came to saying no to Nessarose. 

“Are you signing up?” a Munchkin woman chirped upon noticing the sisters slow down near her booth.

“Yes! Yes, we are,” Nessarose confirmed eagerly, wheeling herself over before Elphaba could back out. 

“Oh goody! Someone out there is about to be very lucky to be matched with the Governor’s daughter,” the booth lady flattered Nessarose. “Your new pal can be anyone from anywhere, you know! People say that even The Wizard himself signed up for the program!” 

“So, you’re saying that The Wizard finds time in his busy schedule to write letters to a random stranger?” Elphaba said skeptically. “Do people actually buy that?”

“Elphaba…” Nessarose warned. 

The booth lady’s face dropped into an insulted scowl, plainly used to people being more impressed by her claim. Her nose wrinkled as she handed Elphaba her form.

“You know, dear. The program lets you stay anonymous. If I were you I’d keep it that way.”

That evening, like every evening, Elphaba stood behind Nessarose and brushed her hair one hundred strokes exactly. 

“I wonder where my pen pal is from. I hope The Emerald City. Wouldn’t that be grand? Then when we get close they could invite me to visit. Or what if they’re local? They could be our next-door neighbor for all we know. Oh, Elphaba. Isn’t it wonderful? We could be writing to our new best friend!”

“One hundred,” Elphaba announced, before setting the hairbrush on her sister’s vanity.

In truth it had only been ninety strokes, but she counted on Nessarose being too distracted to tell. She helped her sister into bed and, at her request, fetched her some stationary and a pen. 

“I know this is exciting for you, but Nessa, don’t get your hopes up too high,” Elphaba advised. “The odds that you’ll have some instant connection with a random person aren't very likely. I don’t want you to be let down.”

“Hush, Elphaba. If you go into this with that kind of attitude then nothing good will come of it. Won’t you please just give this an honest go?” she asked before tacking on a sweet, “for me?”

There it was again. Nessarose’s own special form of magic. 

“Of course, Nessa. I’ll give it an honest go.” 

“You owe me ten extra brushes tomorrow, by the way.”

Elphaba made an impressed sound and planted a goodnight kiss on her sister’s cheek.

“Don’t stay up too late.”

Promises to Nessarose were easy to make at the moment, but that night in her attic bedroom far from her sister’s batted eyelashes, Elphaba realized that following through may be easier said than done.

An honest go. 

Did an honest go have to require honesty? As Elphaba sat at her shabby desk, crumpled pages strewn across her floorboards, she couldn’t think of much she cared to be honest about. 

“Dear stranger. My name is Elphaba Thropp. I have green skin and a personality so awful that even my father hates me. Would you like to be friends?” she read aloud before viciously scratching out the pathetic intro. 

Elphaba was good at many things. Reading a novel in a single sitting, recollecting historical dates, cooking breakfast, making clothes, hell—she was even a gifted needle pointer, a talent she’d discovered from another one of Nessarose’s abandoned phases.

Getting people to like her was not among her skills.

Elphaba had maintained a record of zero friends in her lifetime. She had no school chums, no playmates, no acquaintances. Most vendors she did business with in town completed the necessary transactions in complete silence while wearing gloves, lest Elphaba’s skin affliction contaminated their produce supply. Why, when her track record was so poor indeed, should she expect to befriend someone by writing a stupid letter?

You know, dear. The program lets you stay anonymous. If I were you I’d keep it that way.

They explained how it worked, after all. Upon signing up you were assigned an identification number, a “pen pal pin!” as they so preciously put it. You simply addressed your letter to the program headquarters, included the pin for your match, and they did the rest. The person you were writing to need never know your address…they need never even know your name. 

How different her life could be, Elphaba thought, if she were able to live…anonymously. 

Gritting her teeth in determination, Elphaba pulled out a fresh sheet of stationary. As she poised her pen to paper, a cynical laugh escaped her lips. She’d been sitting for an hour without a word on a page to show for it, revealing how poorly she’d followed her own advice about not getting her hopes up. 

Dear Pen Pal #6144,

They told me to address the first letter that way. I’m twenty-one years old, I’m female, and I really didn’t want to sign up for this program.

If you couldn’t tell by my intro, this “pen pal” thing is new to me. I’m struggling to think of anything that’s possibly worth writing to a stranger. I suppose when people meet in real life, they share things about themselves but, take no offense to this, I don’t care to share many details with you. You could be a murderer for all I know.

Elphaba smacked her forehead. Why had she written that? She moved to scrap it, hesitated, and ultimately resolved to continue rather than having her current draft join its brothers on the floor. 

Not that I think you’re a murderer. 

Nice save. 

The point is, I hope that you respect my decision to not overshare. I guess in the interest of conversation you may tell me one thing you enjoy doing with your time. I like to read.

That can be enough for now. It can be enough forever if you’d like. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t write back, though I confess I'm curious to see if you will. 

Signed, Pen Pal #1123

Elphaba sighed and rubbed her eyes under her glasses. Her standoffish stream of consciousness was not likely to garner a warm response…but she’d done it. Lacking the courage to proofread, Elphaba promptly sealed her letter in an envelope before she had the chance to pick it apart.

Both letters were sent out the next morning and responses did not arrive quickly. Elphaba took this more in stride than Nessarose who asked every morning if the mail had arrived.

Elphaba fancied herself an eloquent writer, she had a better than average handle on words, and recalling the clumsy string she’d penned in her letter made her cringe. She began to think, perhaps even hope, that her own recipient would never respond. If she’d even been matched at all, that was. She wouldn’t have put it past the volunteer at the table to scrap her application out of spite, or to protect whichever poor soul was fated to match with her. Regardless, if there was never a response, Elphaba would be off the hook. Things could go back to normal.

However, something shifted in Elphaba the day Nessarose at last received her highly anticipated reply. Call it jealousy, but as happy as she was that her sister had gotten a response, Elphaba began feeling—say, curious about getting one of her own.

When Nessarose revealed over dinner that her match was a middle-aged Quadling woman who ran a humble basket stand, her disappointment was evident.

“She’ll probably ask for money,” their father grunted. “Quadlings always ask for handouts.”

“Sounds like you’re oversimplifying the poverty in Quadling Country–” Elphaba muttered.

“Silence, Elphaba.”

“What could I possibly talk to her about?” Nessarose sighed as she pushed her food around her plate.

“Well, weaving takes some real artistry,” Elphaba pointed out. “You could talk to her about your own creative pursuits, your needlepointing–”

“I hate needlepointing!”

 “Nessa. I know it’s not the glamorous match that you were hoping for. But even if she doesn’t become your new best friend you could still–”

“Well at least I had someone write me back!” Nessarose snapped. 

Elphaba said nothing for the rest of dinner.

As much as Nessarose’s words stung, they only proved truer as the week wore on with no mail for Elphaba. It began to…irritate her. She had followed up on her end, who did this person think they were? Why sign up for a stupid program if they didn’t want to write a stupid letter? Her pen pal didn’t even know who she was…or the way that she was. She’d shared nothing of herself. Why, then, did Elphaba feel so irrationally rejected?

She knew why. Under the surface, Elphaba knew exactly why the lack of response was getting to her. An unwelcome theory had taken root in her mind, one that was too much to mention yet hard to ward off. What if the reasons nobody liked her weren’t superficial at all? What if the thing that made her unlovable was so deeply a part of her…that it could even be sensed through words on a page?

That was what haunted her. That was what hurt.

Maybe it wasn’t the green.

Maybe it had always been…her. 

The theory made Elphaba’s daily trek to the mailbox a distressing chore. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when her hope had run out, she only knew that her expectations were non-existent as she opened the mailbox flap, retrieved that day’s stack, and mindlessly thumbed through it as she strolled back towards the manor. Bill. Fundraising solicitation. Unionist bulletin. Letter for Father. Bill. 

Elphaba froze in her tracks as a sudden, intense excitement flared in her chest. The giddy reaction was almost embarrassing but she didn’t care, for at the bottom of the mail stack was a letter. A letter addressed to Pen Pal #1123.

A letter for her.

✉✉✉

Dear Pen Pal #1123,

Hey. I’m twenty-three, male, and also did not want to sign up for this. My tutor assigned it to improve my penmanship or something. She’s totally checked out. On that note, sorry it took me so long to respond. You’re technically a homework assignment and I always procrastinate on my homework assignments. 

I’m all for staying anonymous, by the way. If anyone found out I was doing the pen pal program it wouldn’t be awesome for my reputation. The term ‘pen pal’ is kind of lame, though. Let’s just call each other ‘stranger’ or something.

Anyway, thanks for the letter. Please write back. If you don’t, they’ll make me get a new person who may not be as cool. So, let’s keep the conversation going. Name something you fear, and one secret talent. I fear nothing and my talent is that I can touch my tongue to my nose.

Elphaba scoffed. That was considered a talent? She absentmindedly tried it for herself only to find that she, in fact, could not touch her tongue to her nose. The next item was an instruction written in huge, emphatic letters.

TURN PAGE OVER!

She obliged. 

You just tried to touch your nose with your tongue, didn’t you?

Elphaba’s jaw dropped. He’d managed to outsmart her through a letter! She felt silly, but once the shock wore off, she realized that she was laughing. It was a clever trick and she had to admit…he got her good.

I can’t relate to reading for fun, but since you asked me about something I enjoy, I like to dance. I’m damn good at it too. 

Signed, Stranger

P.S. Not a murderer. 

An amused smirk remained stuck to Elphaba’s lips as she read the letter a few times through. He wasn’t a murderer, that was a plus, but what was more…he thought she was cool.

“I see I’m not the only one who's been tricked…” she said privately.

Her stranger had a tutor, liked to dance, and could touch his nose with his tongue. He was clever. He made her laugh. Elphaba extracted these details off the page for safekeeping in her mind. The trivial facts weren’t much, but Elphaba, who so rarely got to connect with anyone, found them strangely profound. One thing that was immediately clear was that, at least thus far, they didn’t have much in common. She had a gut feeling that were she to meet him in real life they wouldn’t have much to talk about. Then again, that was a foolish thought. Nobody talked to Elphaba in real life.

Elphaba shook her head, grabbing her paper and pen before such thoughts could invade further. He wanted her to write back, so she’d write back. That was enough.

“Dear Stranger,” Elphaba muttered aloud as she wrote. “My secret talent is…”

She stalled. She had an answer, of course. Great lengths had always been taken to keep her magical outbursts secret…but did she consider her curse a talent? Not quite. So, Elphaba sidestepped the can of worms such levels of openness may open to instead to share a more innocent pastime.

My secret talent is needlepointing…and I’m not afraid of anything either.

Elphaba knocked on Nessarose’s bedroom door the next day.

“Come in.”

“Is your letter ready to send yet? I’ll run it out for you,” Elphaba offered.

“No, Elphaba,” Nessarose laughed. “I’m not going to write a Quadling basket weaver back.”

Elphaba frowned at her sister’s daintily disguised derision. It was all too clear where she’d picked up such views.

“Nessa,” Elphaba appealed, moving to kneel before her sister’s chair. “Remember how excited you were before? She could be a very nice lady. Besides, it might do you well to get to know someone outside of Munchkinland—”

“And what is wrong with Munchkinland?” Nessarose challenged. 

“Nothing is wrong with Munchkinland–”

“You don’t mean that, I know you don’t mean that!” Nessarose accused. “I know how much you hate it here, Elphaba!”

“Nessa—”

“I’ve seen the college brochures, Elphaba. The ones you try to hide? I know how much you want to go, how much you want to leave.”

“Hey…” Elphaba said soothingly. “I’m not leaving. I am not leaving you. Okay?”

Nessarose sniffed quietly and Elphaba took her hand.

“Oh, Nessa. Where is this coming from?”

“I just…I don’t want to write my pen pal back. Okay?”

“Okay,” Elphaba conceded. “You do not have to. I’m sorry that things ended in disappointment.”

“Yes, well,” Nessarose shrugged dismissively. “It’s for the better. I don’t need a new friend. After all, I have you.”

“You have me,” Elphaba confirmed. “You always will.”

“Say, you know what I’ve always wanted to try?” Nessarose perked up. “Harp lessons. Oh, Elphaba. Can’t we please take up harp lessons?”

Elphaba slumped her shoulders and suppressed a groan. “Harp lessons?”

“Yes! This one will stick, I know it. I have no idea what I was thinking when I made us sign up for that stupid pen pal program.”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Elphaba said. Her thumb privately brushed the outgoing letter in her pocket. “It wasn’t the worst idea you’ve had.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Two: A Different School of Thought ✉

Elphaba’s relationship with the Thropp Manor’s mailbox had done a complete one-eighty. What had once been a chore was now a pleasant source of suspense as she checked for updates from her stranger. His letters, which had been sporadic at first, now reliably arrived at least once a week. Sometimes more.

While they still knew little to none about the other’s identity, their initial awkwardness was a thing of the past as their letters grew more conversational. Elphaba rather enjoyed their banter and would occasionally reread his letters when she was bored. He had a charmingly casual writing style and his penmanship was improving no thanks to his insipid (a word Elphaba taught him) tutor.

Their writing relationship was strictly lighthearted…until the day it wasn’t. Elphaba hadn’t meant to pry, but her inquisitive nature never rested. So, in one of her letters she asked him about one of her favorite topics: college.

His response had not been what she’d expected.

Dear Stranger,

Yeah, I’ve tried college…thank Oz I’m done with all that.

I’ve attended quite a few schools, actually, and I’m proud to report that I was kicked out of all of them.

College is nothing but a bunch of try-hards and know-it-all professors trying to convince you that life has some ‘deeper meaning’ to it. I know better, though. Nothing in life matters, except for maybe knowing nothing matters. I’m just glad I learned that before wasting any more time.

I do miss the parties, though. The parties and the girls.

Signed, Stranger

An audible, offended sound escaped Elphaba’s throat as her eyes flitted over the insufferable letter. Try-hards? Know-it-alls?! What kind of frivolous, obnoxious, shallow–

Elphaba forcefully yanked open her desk and leered down at the packets she’d stashed at the bottom of her drawer.

Locklimb University. Emerald University. Shiz University. They were all among the many acceptance letters from schools she’d applied to in secret. Bitterness rose within her as she recalled the sleepless nights she’d spent obsessively editing and reediting dozens of application essays, the likes of which were glowingly received. Elphaba could have her pick of any school in Oz…were she free to do what she wished. 

Elphaba’s father would not send her to college. She’d asked him—more times than was wise, she’d asked him. She’d promised to secure full rides, to take accelerated courses, she even, in a desperate moment, offered to attend a private Unionist college in Munchkinland. However, unlike the schools themselves, he denied her every time. She knew why, of course. In her father’s eyes, Elphaba’s worth did not exceed the services she provided–chiefly, caring for Nessarose. Wherever Nessarose went Elphaba went, and wherever Nessarose stayed…Elphaba stayed.

Elphaba vindictively shifted her eyes towards the open letter on her desk. Then there was him. Her pen pal who, for whatever reason, had been afforded the privilege of attending not one—but multiple colleges. Acting on a hotheaded impulse, as she often did, Elphaba snatched herself a fresh sheet of stationary. Her hand worked faster than her mind, and before she knew it, she’d transferred her rage to paper in a scathing tirade.

Dear Stranger,

To say that I loathe your philosophy would be an understatement.

Your opinion is tone deaf, offensive, and in poor taste! How can you hold such a flippant view on higher education?! Do you know how many people would kill to be in your position? It sounds like you’ve been given unlimited opportunities but have failed to do anything useful with them! It sounds like you didn’t even try!

I’m sorry that you think that college is so far beneath you, but maybe some of us are different! Maybe some of us actually want to do something worthwhile! Maybe not all of us dance through life with a cavalier, nihilistic attitude such as yours. So, congratulations on being “free” from college. I hope you’re happy.

Signed, Stranger

P.S. I’m sure the girls miss you very much INDEED!!! 

Elphaba addressed, sealed, and stamped her diatribe before promptly going downstairs to slap it on the stack of outgoing mail. When she returned to her bedroom, her overhead light swung slightly as she slammed the door behind her. Elphaba’s fingers twitched and tingled as she began to pace.

She’d used too many exclamation points, but she didn’t care. She’d signed it so hard it scratched through the paper, but she didn’t care. She hadn’t held back, but she didn’t care. The only thing she cared about was how much he didn’t—care!

SNAP.

The overhead light abruptly exploded and went out, blanketing her attic bedroom in near complete darkness. The sudden, debilitating ache of panic that overtook Elphaba was nothing new to her, but its fearful familiarity did nothing to ease her distress. Her breath came in sharp, quick gasps as she shakily lowered herself to her hands and knees and frantically crawled towards her bed. She wrenched the bottom drawer out of her nightstand and groped blindly for her emergency matches. The small of her back tingled as her body tremored with chills and it took her shaky hands multiple tries to successfully strike a match. Elphaba moaned in relief as the flame caught the wick of her candle and eased light back into the room. 

She held the candlestick in both hands and closed her eyes as she focused on her breath.

“In through the nose…” she coached herself in a weak voice, forcing herself to inhale deeply and exhale through her lips. “Out through the mouth.”

Why was it always the lights? 

Elphaba slowly opened her eyes and stared across the room. The flickering candle cast chilling shadows upon the desk where she’d written her venomous letter. She’d done it again. Her temper had gotten the better of her, and as Father had told her time and time again…nothing good came from her temper.

After a fitful night's sleep, Elphaba awoke with second thoughts. Despite her resentment over his letter, which was still great, she decided that she didn’t want to spoil…whatever this was. She could craft a less honest but more palatable response later. Elphaba walked downstairs and immediately went to the foyer to pull the letter, only to find that the stack of mail was empty.  

“Nessa?” Elphaba called into the sitting room where her sister was lounging. “Have you seen the outgoing mail?”

“Oh, yes. I gave it to the postman when he came.”

Elphaba paled. “You did?”

“Mmhmm!” Nessarose confirmed innocently. “That’s alright, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes…” Elphaba sighed, pressing her palm firmly against her forehead. “That’s just about right.” 

It was nice while it lasted.

Trips to the mailbox became an anxious affair yet again, but Elphaba’s dread began to wane as weeks passed with no reply. That is, until a day in early June when she was stunned to find an envelope patiently waiting for her. She swallowed nervously. She had already accepted that he would not be writing back. After all, who would? Surely by now he’d stopped thinking about her letter.

She tore it free. 

Dear Stranger,

I haven’t stopped thinking about your letter. 

Damn. 

I wasn’t going to write back. The last thing I need is someone I don’t even know lecturing me about my life, okay?

It wasn’t even my choice to go to all of those colleges. My parents forced me into it. And do you want to know something pathetic? I did try. I tried really hard at my first school and still flunked out. So what’s the point? My parents and tutor already know that I’m stupid. I may be ‘cavalier’ and ‘nihilistic’ (both words I had to look up, by the way), but at least I don’t look foolish anymore.

I’m just writing back to tell you that you were wrong. I do want to do something worthwhile with my life. I just don’t know what yet…and I don’t know how. 

Anyway, my letter clearly touched a nerve. Even though I don’t think I deserve to be yelled at in letter form–I am sorry for offending you. For what it’s worth, I liked writing you. Sorry for spilling all of that out but I had to get it off my chest. But seeing as you probably won’t respond…it is what it is.

Signed, Stranger

“Damn it!”

Elphaba covered her face with the letter and let out a long, guilty scream. Why couldn’t he just get mad at her? Tell her to shove it? That would be much easier to respond to than whatever that was! She hunched over her desk and burrowed her face into her crossed arms. When it came to expressing emotion, Elphaba was a novice. She coped with her troubles by keeping them to herself until they inevitably spilled out in a ruinous magical catastrophe. It was a perfect system that worked perfectly. Why did her pen pal have to respond with—what? Vulnerability?! Heinous.

Elphaba slowly lifted her head and frowned at his letter, slowly dragging her finger along a specific line. I am sorry for offending you. For what it’s worth, I liked writing you. No one ever apologized to Elphaba. She had never made it to a point where apologies and vulnerability were necessary to preserve a relationship. She wasn’t sure she’d be any good at it…but didn’t she owe it to him to try?

Didn’t she owe it to herself?

Dear Stranger,

You’re right that you touched a nerve, but I took it too far. I tend to do that. For that…

Elphaba hesitated, took a deep breath, and manually urged her hand to write the words: I am sorry. 

I cannot relate to your disdain for school, but parents telling you where you can or cannot go? That I get. I’ve always wanted to go to college, desperately. I’ve been accepted into many schools, but my situation is complicated. My father is—

Elphaba chewed on her pen as she searched for the right word.

—strict. He will not allow me to attend college, at least not on my own terms. Ever since I was little I’ve had this feeling in my gut that I could do something great. Something big. Like you, I’m not sure what it is yet, but I’ve always felt that college would be the first step to my finding out. I suppose I can appreciate the irony of our situation. You didn’t want to go to college but had to. I want to go to college but can’t. Our circumstances are exactly opposite…yet somehow the same.

In the questionnaire I told you that I wasn’t afraid of anything. That was a lie. I’m afraid that I’ll never leave my hometown. I’m afraid that I’ll never amount to anything. Furthermore, as a gesture of goodwill…I’ll tell you something that I’ve never told anyone before.

I am a grown woman who is afraid of the dark. How’s that for pathetic?

Signed, Stranger

P.S. I may not know you well but I do know one thing. You’re not stupid. If you were…you wouldn’t be so unhappy.

✉✉✉

The next week, Nessarose and Elphaba sat in their sitting room with two bulky harps. Elphaba languidly dragged her fingers along the strings to create a strange, yet somehow still pretty, melody. Nessarose’s brow was furrowed into a concentrated pout as she tensely plucked her strings. Every couple of minutes she’d sigh loudly and rustle her sheet music. Nessarose rarely vocalized what was going on in her head and rather opted to huff and puff until Elphaba finally asked her what the matter was.

“Everything alright over there?” Elphaba finally humored her.

“I hate the harp!” Nessarose declared, forcefully dragging her fingers over the strings to create a dissonant sound.

“New skills are always difficult at first, but if you stick with it—"

“You just started and still managed to make a pretty sound come out of one of these horrid things!” Nessarose said jealously. “You’re always better at things than I am! Calligraphy, scrapbooking, candle making—"

“I’m not even reading the sheet music.”

“That’s right, because you don’t care!”

Elphaba’s eyebrows shot up and she set her harp down. “Excuse me?”

“I spend so much time thinking up things for us to do together! What have you ever done for me?!” 

Elphaba stood with a wild, disbelieving laugh. “Besides everything you’ve ever asked of me since the day you were born? I take up a new pastime every week, I brush your hair one hundred strokes every night, I cook for you, I clean for you, and do you ever hear me complain!?”

“Well—” Nessarose shrunk back, not used to being on the receiving end of her sister’s fury.

“Nessarose, have you ever stopped to think—have you ever once stopped to notice that what I want, what my plans are, what my dreams are…have never mattered in this house?”

“Elphaba…” 

“It’s alright, Nessa,” Elphaba sighed and rubbed her eyes. “But the next time you think up some new way to distract yourself from how stifling this place is? Leave me out of it.”

There was a noise from outside and Elphaba spotted the mail being delivered through the window.

“Excuse me.”

Elphaba turned her back and left her sister behind with her head high and her spirit low. She trudged numbly towards her destination, her heart aching to be validated by one person in particular.

As if he had known exactly when she’d need a letter most, Elphaba sighed in relief to find a fresh envelope from her stranger on top of the stack. Withdrawing to her room to avoid the fallout that was sure to follow from Nessarose, she tore his words free. 

Dear Stranger,

Your situation sucks. I don’t know how else to put it. But you’re obviously too smart not to go to college so there has got to be a way. Weird how we both want what the other has. Maybe we can set up an elaborate scheme to switch places. I doubt my parents would notice.

Your last letter has got me thinking (which is unusual for me) about what I want to do with my life. I don’t know what to do with this feeling yet, but I guess I’ll figure something out. It isn’t easy for me to share my thoughts with people, like my real thoughts. I usually just pretend I don’t have any. So, why does it feel so easy to write my thoughts to you? Do you feel that way too?

Listen, whatever happens, I believe that you can do something great. Then when you do, look back on this letter and remember that I’d said so all along.

We’ve got a good thing going here and I don’t want to mess with that, but addressing you as Stranger doesn’t feel right anymore. I may not know who you are, but you do not feel like a stranger. That’s why I think we should make up nicknames to know each other by (or code names if that sounds cooler).

From now on, if you’d like, you can call me Yero.

Signed, Yero

“Yero…” Elphaba introduced the name to her lips, and in doing so, spoke him into existence.

Dear Yero,

You can call me Fae.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Three: Letters of Acceptance ✉

Elphaba praised Yero’s clever idea for the nicknames. Their pseudonyms felt just right. Far more personal than “Dear Stranger”, but still safely anonymous. Now that they’d been assigned names, their mutual guardedness dropped like a cloak. Elphaba began pouring more and more of herself into their correspondence with each letter she wrote, and it seemed Yero was doing the same.

He’d been right. It felt safer to share things about yourself through an anonymous letter than it was to do so in reality. By concealing themselves, Fae and Yero seemed to have opened the door to be themselves.

Dear Fae,

I feel like I’ve never gotten a say in who I want to be…

Dear Yero,

I feel like nothing I do will ever be good enough for my family…

Dear Fae,

I feel like none of my friends know the real me…

Dear Yero,

I have no friends.

Elphaba’s breath hitched as she committed the confession to paper. Had she truly just admitted that? She and Yero had been brutally honest lately, yes, but revealing the extent of her reclusiveness felt like a risk. What would he think of it, think of her? After all, what kind of freak had no friends?

And yet…she had written it. She had written it and it was the truth. She wanted to tell him because, well, who else could she tell?

I know how that sounds. You’re probably wondering what’s wrong with me, which I suppose is your right. I don’t get along with people very well, or rather they don’t get along with me. I spend a lot of time alone, which I prefer, and I’ve learned to manage doing most things by myself.

That said—

Elphaba’s pen paused and she felt her heart hammer as her truth ached to be let free.

That said…I still feel very lonely sometimes. I’ve been waiting my whole life for someone, anyone, to accept me. I feel like that could make all the difference.

His next letter came rapidly, but not without suspense. Elphaba waited until she was alone to open it in private. As soon as she read the first sentence, she closed her eyes and pressed the letter close to her chest in a rush of surprise and gratitude.

Dear Fae,

Well, you can’t say you have zero friends anymore. I accept you, Fae. I’ll be your friend.

As pleased as she was about her rapport with Yero, happiness never came to Elphaba without an edge of self-inflicted torment. She began feeling like an imposter, tricking a poor innocent into actually believing they were friends. If he met her in reality, if he knew who she really was, he would never feel as fond. However, their decision to stay anonymous had been mutually agreed upon. She was not lying so much as…leaving things out. Right?

Elphaba’s self-torment coupled with the conflict between her and Nessarose, resulted in her spending many hours in seclusion. She still tended to Nessarose and acted cordial around her, but she’d been keeping her distance more than usual. Nessarose had not spoken of the quarrel, she was no more a fan of apologizing than Elphaba was, but she was quieter as of late and demanded less of her sister’s attention.

Summer was sweeping by and the closer they got to autumn, the sourer Elphaba’s mood became. She could practically feel her college acceptance letters gathering dust, growing more and more obsolete with every degree the temperature dropped. The prospect of another year at home was sending her spiraling. She daydreamed crazy plans of escape, even detailed a few of them to Yero, but in the end she knew she wouldn’t go through with them. She couldn’t leave her sister.

“Elphaba?” Nessarose bid for Elphaba’s attention one evening.

“Not now, Nessa. I’m busy,” Elphaba muttered, running a feather duster over a vase in the sitting room.

“Please, Fabala. May I run something by you?”

Elphaba raised an eyebrow at her use of Fabala. Nessarose so rarely called her that anymore. Elphaba set the duster down and sat in an armchair beside her with a silently expectant look.

“Elphaba, I would like to try something new…but I don’t want to do it alone,” she began.

Elphaba sighed wearily. She had heard that many times before.

“Nessa, I don’t know if—”

“Elphaba—”

“I don’t have the time to pick up another—”

“I would like to go to college,” Nessarose finally spoke over her sister. She took a deep breath and gave Elphaba a meaningful look. “I would like us…to go to college.”

Elphaba stared. She gave her head a small shake, her eyebrows knitted together in puzzlement, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

“What? You…you want—”

“To go to college. Yes. I have given it much thought and discussed it with Father and we both agree it will be a great experience for me,” she said. “Isn’t that, right?”

Their father lifted his eyes over his newspaper to glance at his daughters. “Correct.”

“And I—I am to go too?” Elphaba clarified, slowly standing to face her father.

“Shiz University will be appropriate. It is a secular institution but has fine programs for Nessarose to study politics. You will enroll and accompany her,” he explained.

“Shiz?!” Elphaba shrieked, clapping her hands over her mouth. Shiz University! Oh, it seemed too good to be true. It was her top pick of schools, perhaps second only to Emerald University for its location only. She cleared her throat to recover and dutifully straightened up. “I mean…yes. Shiz sounds very appropriate.”

“So…will you come?” Nessarose double checked with a light laugh.

“Will I—will I—?” Elphaba stammered.

She threw her arms around Nessarose in a strong, stunned hug. Nessarose hugged her back and offered a brave smile upon pulling away.

“I’m going to prepare for bed,” she said faintly.

Elphaba watched her sister go, her heart pounding with adrenaline. She turned quickly towards her father who had set the newspaper down.

“Father…thank y—”

“Do not think you have gotten through to me, Elphaba. I’m only sending you to this school for one reason. To look after Nessa. I wouldn’t have even considered this had she not insisted,” he informed her.

“I understand.”

“You are not there for yourself; you are there to serve your sister. While you attend college you will keep your composure and you will mind your temper. You are afforded this opportunity out of my kindness and pocketbook. Remember that,” he warned. He sat back in his chair and cleared his throat. “This is, of course, dependent on if you are even accepted.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Father. Nor your pocketbook.”

He glanced up and met his daughter’s determined stare.

“You see…” Elphaba lifted her chin. “I’ve already been accepted to Shiz University with a full ride.”

The way her father’s jaw dropped was the cherry on top of an already lifechanging night. She bid him goodnight with only a nod and calmly walked out of the room. The moment she rounded the corner she sprinted up to her room to release her overwhelming exhilaration. She barely restrained squeals of glee as her feet stomped up the stairs in a near skip. The moment she reached her room and closed the door, she let out an excited yell of liberation, throwing her arms out wide and jumping in a circle with mad delight.

“YES! Yes! Yes, yes, yes!”

As she whooped and hollered the lights in her room began to glow brighter and brighter until the whole room was sheathed in an almost blinding beam of artificial light. The brightness rose and dimmed with her inhales and exhales, and Elphaba laughed at the discovery. She had never seen the lights do such a thing, though she had perhaps never been so deliriously happy. They were shining…she was shining.

As her high began to dwindle enough to form new thoughts, she looked around her room. The most amazing thing just happened to her and she knew exactly who she wanted to tell. She darted towards her desk, clumsily knocking over a cup of pens as she did so, and pulled out some fresh stationary.

“Dear Yero…” she read aloud as she wrote. She paused to elicit yet another disbelieving laugh before jotting her next sentence.

I’m going to Shiz University!

Elphaba paused for a tick-tock before adding, in a clear deviation from her usual grammar and syntax, about a thousand exclamation marks after the first one.

I just found out tonight. It’s happened, it’s real! At long, long last I’m making my way out of here! I’m going to college. I still can’t believe it. I am going to college! Oz, I can’t wait to have a class schedule, a dorm, access to the library! I don’t know what I want to study yet, maybe law? Linguification? Oz, I’ll decide later! What matters is that I have a decision.

I’m going to work hard at this. I’m not going to waste it. I’m finally starting my quest and I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t be happier…what an odd feeling! Yesterday I felt so stuck, but today? I feel like my past may finally be behind me. I finally have a chance, Yero. I finally have a chance to make good.

You’re the first person I wanted to tell because…well, you know me. You know how much this means to me. I feel different. I feel good. I feel…unlimited.

I think the only thing that could make Shiz better is if you were there with me.

Signed, Fae

She’d been too elated to mind what she was writing, and certainly too elated to reread. She signed and addressed her letter, oblivious to the implications of her last sentence. Had she meant it? Of course. Had she meant to share it? Unclear.

The next day Nessarose seemed pleasant, but distant. Elphaba tried a few times to engage her in discussions about Shiz, but Nessarose answered with quick answers or a simple polite nod. She seemed paler than usual, jittery.

When Elphaba knocked on her door that night to brush her hair, Nessarose didn’t look back at her.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” she murmured, tucking some hair back behind her ear as she stared at her reflection.

“Of course I did,” Elphaba answered lightly, grabbing the hairbrush and getting to work without a word. “You’ve been quiet today, Nessa.”

“Just thinking…” she mumbled, biting her lip.

“About what?”

She looked younger than her eighteen years, meeker. Nessarose had a wide range of emotions, usually based on who she had most recently been influenced by. Elphaba sometimes wondered who Nessarose was when she was alone.

“Come now, Nessa. You know you can tell me anything.”

“You’re excited about Shiz,” Nessarose pointed out. It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, I’m terribly excited,” Elphaba confirmed. She wasn’t able to pretend that she wasn’t. “You don’t seem excited about Shiz.”

“I am—I am a little. I’m just…” Nessarose trailed off with an uncertain whine.

Elphaba paused her brushing for a moment and set the brush on her sister’s vanity. She placed her hands on Nessarose’s shoulders.

“You’re just…” Elphaba prompted.

“What if they don’t like me?” Nessarose finally asked with a whimper, a single tear racing down her pale cheek. “What if they think I’m weird?”

“Oh Nessa…” Elphaba sighed sympathetically, going to kneel beside her sister to meet at eye level. She took an embroidered handkerchief out of her dress pocket and gently dabbed her tears. “It’s normal to be nervous.”

“But Father says people outside of Munchkinland are different, especially young people. They can be indecent, profane, disagreeable. What if they’re mean to me?”

“Nessa, meeting new people is going to be great for you. For the first time ever you’re going to be around lots of people your own age. Think of all of the new things you could try, think about how many new friends you could make! You may even meet someone you want to be more than friends with, not that that is what you should focus on,” Elphaba backtracked quickly. Nessarose laughed tearily. “Father is just scared because his precious girl is moving away from him. That’s why he said such things. I know that I would be a wreck if you were apart from me.”

“Truly?”

Elphaba took Nessarose’s hand and placed it over her heart. “Truly.”

Heartened, Nessarose smiled gratefully and began to envision it.

 “It’ll be splendid, Nessa,” Elphaba continued. “We’ll room together, study together, we’ll grab tea between classes together—”

“We’ll room together?”

“Of course. Who else is going to brush your hair, hm?” Elphaba chuckled, standing at full height to commence said brushing. “You’ve nothing to fear, Nessa. They’re going to love you.”

Nessarose gave Elphaba a thankful yet pensive stare through the reflection in the mirror, now somehow appearing older than her eighteen years. How did she do that?

“And what of…you, Elphaba?” she asked slowly.

“What about me?” Elphaba asked unconcernedly, counting the strokes in her head.

“What will they think of you?”

Elphaba stilled and glanced down at her green hand holding the hairbrush. The question gave her pause. In the euphoria of their transition, Elphaba had almost forgotten her exterior. Surely people outside of Munchkinland would be more open minded, right? Then again, she had never been outside of Munchkinland. It may be a devil living here, but it was the devil that she knew. Dirty looks were common in Nest Hardings, but the shock around her had largely worn off. How would a new group of people embrace her?

“Oh, well…don’t you worry about me, alright?” Elphaba mumbled airily. “Things will be different there.”

As she said it, she wasn’t sure who she was trying to reassure more. Nessarose…or herself.

✉✉✉

Confetti fell onto Elphaba’s lap upon opening Yero’s latest letter. Paragraphs of excited scrawl praised, validated, and celebrated her. It was everything a reaction from a friend should be, but the doubt Nessarose had planted in her mind prevented her from fully enjoying it.

What will they think of you?

What did it matter?! Elphaba sighed and put her head in her hands. She was not attending Shiz University to make friends; she was going to learn. The last thing on her mind was becoming popular. Yet…

Elphaba picked up a piece of confetti and glumly twirled it between her fingers. She’d been fine before. Friendless, but fine. Why now did she so greatly long for connection?

Shiz could go one of two ways. Would she be embraced by a progressive community of peers, or would she be freshly ostracized in an unfamiliar environment? Whichever way it went…she couldn’t see how Yero fit into the equation.

Yero’s letters had been a welcome respite in her monotonous existence, but would she still be able to make the most of her new chapter if she continued to use him as a crutch? They were friends, yes, but they didn’t really know each other. Elphaba had a chance, no matter how slim, to make new friends…real friends.

As she packed her bags for college, she felt as if she were prepping for battle. She knew one thing, for her to succeed at Shiz in the ways she desired—she couldn’t have any distractions. Yero, as much as she hated to admit it, was the biggest distraction of all.

In the end, her decision to end their correspondence was one of practicality…but that didn’t make writing the letter any easier.

Dear Yero,

I write this letter with a heavy heart. I have decided that I need to dedicate myself fully to the college experience as I embark on my adventure to Shiz. I wanted to thank you for your part in my getting there. Just by listening to me you kept my spirits up, and your encouragement will stick with me.

I wish you all the luck in the world with your future. I hope that you know that you’re smart enough to achieve whatever it is that you want. I hope that when you inevitably do, you will remember that I said so all along.

I will miss our correspondence… and I will miss you.

Signed, Fae

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Four: A Change of Address ✉

Elphaba couldn’t imagine a more beautiful sight than Munchkinland fading into the distance as her train sped west, that is, until Shiz University’s gorgeous campus loomed into view.

Her father and Nessarose stayed behind at the station to flag down a luggage cart, but Elphaba was much too anxious to linger. She secured a map and kept her nose in it as she walked towards the campus square for orientation. When she saw other students with suitcases congregating, she put away the map and broke into a near sprint.

“Excuse me—is this the new student orientation?” Elphaba asked, tapping a girl on the shoulder.

“Yes! It is—” the girl began to say as she turned.

At the sight of Elphaba, her jaw went slack and her face drained of color. Then, after recovering from the shock, the girl elicited a shriek and darted towards the other side of the square. The shriek gained a few people’s attention and Elphaba took a deep breath as eyes all around began shifting towards her. Resolute and only mildly deterred—Elphaba a few strides towards the students and waved her hand to show she meant no harm.

It did no good.

People scattered, hid behind suitcases, and one girl nearly fainted as the skittish students made a point to put as much distance between themselves and the green girl as possible. Elphaba swallowed as she considered her next tactic. She was, of course, accustomed to this type of reception. Their shock could be forgiven. But her peers would prove more tolerant once the shock wore off. Right?

“What? Do I have something stuck in my teeth? Is my slip showing?” said Elphaba, attempting a self-aware joke.

“Everyone is seeing this, right?” chimed an incredulous voice.

Elphaba turned to see a short blonde woman with a polished appearance step down from a cart transporting a gigantic stack of fancy luggage. The way the other students parted for her made it clear that the girl had them wrapped around her little finger.

Elphaba deduced that the girl was also used to being the center of attention—albeit in a much different way.

“Pinch me if I’m having delusions—but is that girl really green?” the blonde gasped, fanning herself swooningly.

The glossed smirk that twitched at her lips suggested that the girl was not feeling faint in earnest, but rather relishing in her own nastiness.

“Your eyes don’t deceive you…” Elphaba answered firmly. She took a calming breath and, resolving to make an effort, thrusted her hand towards the girl to shake. “I’m Elphaba Thropp.”

The girl’s eyebrows shot up. She regarded Elphaba’s hand with piqued curiosity before slowly extending her own hand forward.

“Careful, Galinda!” a girl shouted from behind her. Galinda’s hand paused. “She could be contagious.”

Elphaba saw something devious glint in Galinda’s eye and she turned to address her peers, as if she were delivering a public service announcement.

“Oh! You’re absolutely right, Pfannee! But I’ll still do it. I’ll still shake her hand! Would you like to know why?” Galinda turned and looked at Elphaba with an innocent, cutesy shrug. “Even freaks need goodness.”

Elphaba’s jaw dropped as the masses exalted Galinda for her charity.

“Oh, you’re so good, Galinda!” “I could never do it.” “Brave and kind!”

“However! We must always remember…” Galinda cut off their praise with a flourish of her arms. She pulled a handkerchief out of her little white purse and waved it in the air. “Safety first.”

Galinda draped the handkerchief over her hand and, now properly protected, reached for Elphaba’s hand once more. Astonished by her callousness, Elphaba yanked her hand away before Galinda could take it.

“You little—” Elphaba hissed. “You wicked little—”

“Elphaba!” her father’s voice boomed from behind her. His hand clenched around Elphaba’s arm and pulled her aside. “Stop making a spectacle of yourself!”

“I’m trying but they—she—” Elphaba pointed vaguely towards Galinda.

“Elphaba, please,” Nessarose whispered.

Elphaba drooped and she kneeled beside her sister.

“I’m sorry, Nessa. I’ll do better,” Elphaba shifted her eyes up towards her father. “I promise.”

Their father fondly saw his favorite daughter off with hugs, boasts of praise, and a extravagant parting gift. Nessarose was appropriately dazzled by a pair of silver, jeweled heels, too dazzled to pay heed as their father bid farewell to his eldest daughter with a single phrase.

“Try not to talk so much.”

Their father trod away and Nessarose giggled as sparkled specks refracted onto her clothes.

“Oh, Elphaba. They’re so…tragically beautiful!” Nessarose gaped. She looked up at Elphaba and her face fell as she registered her lack of gift. “Oh, well. I’m certain he just didn’t know what to get you. After all, you’re so—”

“Beautifully tragic?” Elphaba filled in.

Nessarose smiled guiltily and Elphaba offered her a kind look to assure her all was well. She often had to censor herself around Nessarose due to her sensitive nature.

“Welcome new students!”

A lavishly dressed woman with liberal amounts of makeup that did little to mask her age promenaded into the square with her arms out in a flourish to welcome the new scholars. She introduced herself as Madame Morrible, their Headmistress. Madame Morrible did a double take upon seeing Elphaba, which was not uncommon, but her gaze lingered in an appraising manner which puzzled Elphaba.

“Ah! The Governor’s daughters. Welcome to Shiz University,” Morrible greeted them personally before tapping her clipboard. “I have a note here regarding your room assignments—”

“Yes, we will be rooming together,” Elphaba confirmed

“That’s not what it says here,” Morrible corrected. “We received a special request a few days ago and made our arrangements as such. Miss Nessarose is to share my private compartment where my housekeeper can assist her as needed.”

“Wait—what?” Elphaba started. “No. There must be some mistake.”

“It’s stated quite plainly,” Morrible tutted. “Miss Elphaba, I presume? Miss Nessarose is to be housed with me.”

“But—but I’ve always looked after my sister!” Elphaba said in a voice loud enough to catch the attention of nearby groups of students.

“Elphaba!” Nessarose flushed.

“Oh, sweet goodness!” Galinda gasped from afar. She scurried over to Madame Morrible to gain her attention. “Galinda Upland of the Upperuplands. I know you remember my entrance essay—no need to gush.”

“Thank you for your humility, Miss Galinda. I will attempt to restrain myself,” Madame Morrible deadpanned. Elphaba snorted.

“I just wanted to express what a shame it is that Miss Nessarose already has her accommodations. I would have been more than happy to share my private suite with the Governor’s daughter,” Galinda smiled sweetly.

“How splendid, Miss Galinda! It just so happens you can share a room with the Governor’s daughter,” Morrible exclaimed.

“Huh?” Galinda cocked her head to the side.

“While we have already made arrangements for Miss Nessarose, we had yet to find a room placement for Miss Elphaba! Seeing as you have already offered your room, well…I’ll consider the matter done!”

“What?! No!” Elphaba and Galinda said in unison.

“Wait—you’re mad about rooming with me?” Galinda gaped at Elphaba. “I’m the one that should be mad about rooming with you!”

“Oh, I’m definitely on the losing side of this bargain,” Elphaba snapped.

Galinda made an offended sound and was about to respond, but Elphaba was distracted by Madame Morrible wheeling Nessarose away.

“No! No, no, no—hey,” Elphaba called after them. “Pardon me, Madame. May I be permitted a private word with my sister?”

Morrible nodded and gave the sister’s some space. Elphaba wrung her hands as she watched her go before hastily kneeling beside Nessarose.

“If you don’t want to live with the Headmistress you don’t have to,” Elphaba said conspiratorially. “I’ll figure out a way that we can still room together like we planned. That way we can—”

“Elphaba, please,” Nessarose sighed in exasperation. “I’ll be alright.”

“But—”

“I want to room at Madame Morrible’s.”

Elphaba couldn’t help her bewildered expression. But…they were supposed to do this together. After all—Nessarose needed her.

“You want—”

“Yes, I do. It’ll be something new, and I’m sure the living quarters will be quite nice. I’ll be okay,” she repeated earnestly.

“Quite right! Now off you go now to your room with Miss Upland,” Madame Morrible approached and waved Elphaba off.

“Elphaba? You’ll be okay too,” Nessarose assured before leaving her behind.

Elphaba appreciated her sister’s baseless promise, but things looked different from where she was standing.

By the time Elphaba arrived Galinda had claimed her side of the room. It was suspiciously larger than Elphaba’s. Her bed, already adorned with a fluffy comforter, had plenty of breathing room on all sides and her belongings were placed spaciously across the room. Elphaba’s cot was crammed as far over as possible with enough room for a single person to walk between it and the dresser flush against the leftmost wall. Galinda’s plentiful luggage served as a barrier wall between them.

“My side,” Galinda gestured before flicking her stupid handkerchief towards Elphaba’s squished corner. “Your side.”

“Is that so?” Elphaba asked, dropping her suitcase with a loud thud. “And I suppose it was arranged like this when you arrived?”

“This was supposed to be my private suite, you know. I packed accordingly. Besides, you won’t need much space by the looks of that filthy old thing,” Galinda sniffed towards Elphaba’s suitcase. “It’s good of me to let you stay here in the first place.”

“So good! Oh yes, you’re so good! Allow me to take a lesson from how good you are,” Elphaba growled.

She strode towards her bed and began shoving her cot further inward, the legs screeching along the floors as it collided with Galinda’s wall of suitcases to push it along.

“Stop it!” Galinda shrieked, grabbing her suitcases frantically out of Elphaba’s path of destruction. “Those are my things!”

“And you can place your things from here—” Elphaba gestured to the halfway mark, “—over!”

“I am Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands—”

“And I’m tired of you!”

“This isn’t over,” Galinda warned, scooting her things towards her own side with an audible pout. “I’ll have you know that I am very, very popular and intend to be the top of Madame Morrible’s sorcery seminar. You’re going to live to regret that rotten attitude of yours!”

“I’m shaking,” Elphaba retorted.

“Don’t worry, Galinda,” Galinda affirmed, taking a cleansing breath. “You’ll just have to make the best of a bad situation.”

The roommates didn’t speak for the next few hours as they unpacked, opting to communicate exclusively through scoffs and glares. When she was properly settled, Elphaba threw her bag over her shoulder and headed towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Galinda asked.

“Away from you.”

Campus streetlamps began to flicker to life and Elphaba quickened her pace to reach her destination before dark. Madame Morrible’s fair manor on campus loomed above Elphaba as she knocked on the door. It was answered by a Badger who was presumably Morrible’s housekeeper.

“Hello. I’m Elphaba Thropp,” she introduced, reaching out to shake the Badger’s hand. “What is your name?”

“A-Amalia,” she answered timidly, faintly surprised to be asked. “Miss Amalia.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Amalia. My sister Nessarose moved in today, I was hoping that I may meet with her.”

“Oh—yes, Miss Thropp,” Amalia nodded, escorting Elphaba to Nessarose’s room so the sisters may visit.

“Are you settling in alright?” Elphaba asked as she helped organize Nessarose’s vanity. “I wish I’d been able to help you unpack.”

“They’ve been quite accommodating. Amalia unpacked most of my things,” she said. “I was in the middle of writing to Father…”

“I won’t keep you long,” Elphaba said. They lapsed into an awkward silence. “Shall I brush your hair?”

Nessarose hesitated and glanced at her mirror before finally nodding. Elphaba removed Nessarose’s headband and began running her long fingers through her thick, straight locks. “Your shoes from Father are beautiful.”

“They are, aren’t they?” Nessarose lit up before suddenly wilting. “Although…”

“Although?”

Nessarose sighed.

“He told me a few days ago to expect a special gift, and they are special! They are. But I had this idea in my head that he was going to give me something that belonged to Mother.”

“I see.”

“It was silly, I know. But Elphaba, you know how much I’ve always wanted something of hers! Anything of hers. Part of me has always hoped that Father was holding on to something and was simply waiting for the right time to give it to me. But I suppose it’s true, he’s gotten rid of everything…everything that belonged to her.”

 “Yes, it seems that way,” Elphaba agreed before changing the subject. “Your living quarters are certainly a step up from mine, you know. I already loathe my roommate.”

“Galinda?” Nessarose’s eyes widened.

“Galinda Upland of the Upperuplands,” Elphaba said in a high-pitched mocking voice. “We’ll have quite the time together, make no mistake.”

“Elphaba, don’t quarrel with Galinda,” Nessarose warned. “She knows everybody, and it was kind of her to want to room with me.”

Elphaba scoffed. “Can’t you see through her act?”

“Can’t you just be nice?”

Elphaba paused her brushing and looked at Nessarose’s eyes. Her expression was scolding but softened into her patented plea.

“Please, Elphaba…” she repeated softer. “Please just be nice.”

Nice. It was a loaded word for Elphaba. People put so much meaning on niceties. Speak nice, act nice, be nice. Elphaba had never played nice with people, then again, the world had never played nice with her.

“I’ll try, Nessa,” Elphaba sighed heavily. “I’ll try.”

Before long, Elphaba bid her sister a good evening and began walking home before night could fall in earnest. A loud honk jostled her out of her reverie and she quickly side stepped out of the way from an oncoming cart hurtling towards her.

“Hey!” she barked towards the driver who halted to a stop.

“Watch where you’re going!” the driver shouted.

“Watch where I’m going?! This square is practically empty and you still managed to nearly run me over!”

Elphaba charged towards the cart and registered its passenger. A college aged boy wearing sunglasses, despite the time of day, was fast asleep in the backseat.

“Please—miss. You’ll disturb him!”

“I certainly will!” Elphaba announced, charging forward and whacking at his shoulder to rouse him. “Wake up, you!”

The sleeping boy groaned and pulled off his sunglasses, squinting around his surroundings before his eyes landed on Elphaba. His eyebrows raised and he slowly stretched as he got out of the car.

“Am I still asleep or are you actually—”

“Green?” Elphaba jumped in. “Yes, I am. Green as grass, green as sin, green with envy. Ferns, frogs, cabbage—I’ve heard it all. That’s not important. What’s important is that your cart almost ran me over!”

“Well, maybe the driver saw green and thought it meant go,” he quipped. Elphaba blinked. “Heard that one yet?”

She scowled and crossed her arms. No…she hadn’t heard that one yet.

“Anyway, this has been fun, but I’ve had a long trip so, you know…I’m just gonna—”

He nodded his head towards the male dormitories with a click of his tongue and began to saunter off.

“Wait!” Elphaba barked after him. He turned casually. “Aren’t you going to apologize?!”

“Question. Do you know who I am?” he asked.

“I don’t give a twig who you are! Apologize to me now!”

He put his hands in his pockets and flashed a rage-inducing smirk her way.

“Nah. I wasn’t even driving. But good luck with,” he gestured vaguely at Elphaba’s being. “All of that.”

Elphaba watched the boy stroll away and land a lackadaisical heel click as he swept along. He knew she was watching, and she was certain he was doing this for the sole purpose of ticking her off. Had it not been for her recent promise to Nessarose to be nice, the boy never would have gotten off so easily. She managed to restrain herself with a self-soothing thought.

Shiz University had a massive campus. It was unlikely that they’d cross paths again.

When Elphaba creaked the door open to her and Galinda’s shared dorm, she was dismayed to find that Galinda had gone to bed early. She could hear her snores, but she could not see her, for the light had been turned off in their room. Elphaba’s throat began to constrict as she stared down their shadowy dorm. The drawn curtains appeared to be light blocking which made the room darker than it would have been naturally. Elphaba felt a cold sweat forming on her brow as she weighed her options.

She could turn the lights on…but she’d risk waking Galinda. Disturbing her roommate was not what concerned her, but Elphaba couldn’t imagine anything worse than Galinda finding out about her phobia.

Elphaba, thankful that her side was closest to the door, spotted her suitcase at the foot of her bed within the strip of hallway light streaming through from the doorway. Checking to ensure no one was around, she lowered herself to her hands and knees and scrambled to yank her suitcase out of the room. She sat against the wall in the hallway where it was safe and dug through her belongings until her trembling fingers found what she was searching for—a simple glass nightlight.

She shoved her suitcase back along the floor and slowly stood to full height. She’d scouted out where the outlet was earlier in the day to prepare for this very moment, a fact that provided little comfort. She took a long moment to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth several times before steeling herself to enter.

She left the hallway door open and sped into the room, immediately feeling a surge of horror vibrate up her spine. She darted between their two beds and knelt on the ground beneath the window, her hands shaking as she attempted to connect the nightlight’s prongs to the outlet. She at last managed to attach it and she sighed in relief as the room filled with cool light. It wasn’t enough to feel completely safe…but it was enough to breathe.

Elphaba closed and locked the door, grabbed her suitcase, and darted to her bed where she yanked her feet off the floor and shoved them under her covers. Feeling reasonably safe at last, she rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out her most cherished keepsake. A tiny, green glass bottle.

Her mother’s green glass bottle.

Nessarose was correct. Father had been thorough when he cleared out their mother’s possessions, but Elphaba had managed to save the trinket before the purge. Nobody knew that she had it. Not Father, and certainly not Nessarose.

As she slipped her secret treasure under her pillow and closed her eyes, her thoughts unexpectedly drifted to Yero. After the first day she’d had, she feared that preemptively cutting off her one friend had been a sorry mistake indeed.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Five: Going Postal ✉

Elphaba's luck with socialization did not improve, despite her efforts to be "nice". Being the bigger person was thankless work. She was sore from clenching her teeth and biting her tongue, and she teetered on the edge of bursting at all times. It wasn't the best mindset to be in when it came to making friends.

Elphaba visited Nessarose at her living quarters frequently, but with enough encouragement, she had finally compelled her sister to meet at a campus bakery one morning before classes.

"The classes can be daunting, but I believe I am holding my own," Nessarose mentioned over tea. "There are some rather friendly girls in my creative writing course that I am getting to know better. Oh—I fear I've been dominating the conversation. How have you been, Elphaba?"

"I'm also well. My professor has assigned a really thrilling historical biography that I've been enjoying immensely—"

"No surprise there. But what about meeting people? Making friends?" Nessarose prodded hopefully.

Elphaba sighed and wrapped her hands around her teacup. "It's slow going, Nessa, which can't be surprising. You know how people react to me. Besides, I'm here to learn and not to fraternize with self-absorbed, ignorant—"

"There you go again! Do you hear how judgmental you sound? Why haven't you been making more of an effort?"

"I am, Nessa!" Elphaba said defensively. "I am. But I can't control what people think and if they're not even going to give me a chance—"

"You have to make them see who you really are."

"Well maybe being nice isn't who I really am! Letting things slide, turning the other cheek, smiling at strangers—"

"Smiling at all…"

Elphaba closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead over her sister's bitter comment.

"This affects me too, you know," Nessarose added seriously.

Elphaba glanced up to see Nessarose nod towards a gaggle of girls in the corner whispering and pointing towards the sisters. "They're in my art appreciation seminar. We had a nice conversation about a piece the other day. Now that they see me with you…I guarantee you that they won't look at me the same again. Things are already hard enough for me. Your behavior is a reflection on me too, Elphaba. You know it is."

"I'll try harder. Okay? I will."

"What of your roommate?" Nessarose asked hopefully. "Have you made any progress with Galinda?"

"Well, you know how the adage goes. If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all."

After tea Nessarose requested that Elphaba bring her letter to Father to the campus post office. Elphaba, of course, accepted. There were two clerks at the window and they both seemed busy. Elphaba patiently waited as they shuffled through a large quantity of parcels, likely care packages overbearing parents sent their darlings.

Elphaba turned her head at the sound of footsteps approaching the counter and made a loud, involuntary sound of disgust when she saw her would-be trampler approach.

"Nice sound," the cart maniac commented, coolly leaning against the counter and gesturing towards the outgoing mail slot. "You know you can actually drop letters off over there."

"I know how the postal system works, thank you," Elphaba muttered. "I need a stamp."

"Just trying to help."

"I said 'thank you', didn't I?"

A silence lapsed between them and Elphaba tapped her foot. Be nice. Let it go. Don't bring up the—

"You know you still haven't apologized," she blurted out.

"For what?"

"For what—" she spluttered. "What do you mean for what?! The cart!"

"Master Tigelaar! Back again?" the clerk brightly welcomed the boy.

"Excuse me!? I've been waiting much longer than he has!" Elphaba complained.

"And we'll be right with you," the clerk replied snidely before smiling towards 'Master Tigelaar'. "What can we do for you, sir?"

"Ah—just checking up again. Seeing if there was any mail for me."

"You know you can actually check your mailbox over there," Elphaba interrupted, pointing to the row of locked mail compartments. Tigelaar gave her a dirty look and she shrugged innocently.

"Just trying to help."

"I've already checked my mailbox," he explained before turning back to the clerk. "I'm asking in case it hasn't been sorted yet."

"Unfortunately, it's the same answer we've given you all week," the clerk shook his head.

Elphaba snorted. The clerk frowned at her, the service with a smile which had been afforded Master Tigelaar missing now. "Name?"

"Thropp, Elphaba. But I just need a stamp."

"Thropp—hold on." He checked her out for a stamp as well as slid a letter her way from behind the counter. "You've got mail. Apologies for the delay, it seems like it got redirected quite a bit."

"Ha!" Elphaba laughed towards Master Tigelaar, waving her letter in the air to gloat. "Looks like someone's got mail."

"Who'd be writing to you anyway?" he sneered, craning his neck to peek at her envelope.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

She swiftly stuffed the envelope in her bag and brushed past Master Tigelaar in a haughty exit. She hadn't caught who'd written to her, but it certainly wasn't any of his concern.

Though Shiz University was in many ways unlike she had hoped, Elphaba loved her classes. She'd begun to gain favor with her professors and, though not all of them were immune to her eccentricity, they all appeared noticeably impressed by her academic prowess. Elphaba had not yet declared an area of study, so she took a wide array of subjects. Her favorite by far was History of Oz taught by one Doctor Dillamond.

Intelligent and generous, Doctor Dillamond seemed to care more about Elphaba's mind than her skin. Perhaps it was because he was the sole Animal professor on campus, he seemed to understand the concept of standing out. Dillamond praised Elphaba's work and held her up as an example which, while it didn't help her gain favor among her peers, provided her immense satisfaction.

She stepped into the classroom and assessed the seating situation. Before, she'd always sat alone at the front, but Nessarose's pleas ran through her brain on repeat.

Be nice.

Elphaba steeled herself and approached a table where a girl was seated alone. Elphaba gestured to the empty seat and cleared her throat.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked, her chest burning with the awkwardness of it all. The girl's eyes widened and began to stammer. "Yes! Sorry, it's taken—it's—"

"Taken by me!" a boy called from the back. He abandoned his own seat and chivalrously slid beside the girl. She blushed and looked at her hero with doe eyes.

"Th—thank you Jozsef!"

"Call me Fox," he flashed a grin.

"Yes, it's his seat."

Elphaba swallowed and turned her eyes towards the rest of the class. They seemed to be catching on to what she was trying to do.

"Would anyone care to compare notes?" Elphaba offered tersely, holding up her notebook.

Sounds of squeals and chair legs dragging on the floor sounded as people hurriedly began consolidating seats, pairing among each other as if it were a game of frantic musical chairs. Nobody wanted to be the last one standing.

"This seat is taken!" "Buddy system!" "Not it, not it."

The humiliation in Elphaba's chest soon shifted to resentment. She gripped her notebook tightly and gritted her teeth. Oh, how she wanted to say something…

She opened her mouth. Your behavior is a reflection on me too, Elphaba. She closed her mouth.

Elphaba strode in defeat to sit at the empty table at the front of the class and, with darkly comical timing, her dreaded roommate entered the room. She glanced at the last empty seat beside Elphaba and sighed.

"Excuse me," she addressed the class sweetly. "May I steal a spot from somebody?"

"Of course, Galinda!" "Pick me!" "This seat is free!"

The students stood and pushed one another out of the way to free a seat for Galinda. Whether they wanted her or wanted to be her, the seat beside Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands was the most coveted spot in all of Oz. Eventually a group of three opted to squish together at one table rather than take the empty seat beside Elphaba, leaving Galinda free to secure a seat a few rows back.

"Class! Everybody, please take your seats," Doctor Dillamond announced as he entered. If only he knew.

Dillamond began his lecture and Elphaba began taking diligent notes, eager to put her discomfiture behind her. If only it were that easy.

"I didn't know that vegetables needed an education," a girl whispered loudly to her friend. They both giggled under their breath.

"Well, if she isn't just the smartest pea in the pod!"

They wanted Elphaba to react. They wanted her to hear them. She didn't hear them.

Elphaba stared steadfastly at Doctor Dillamond's chalkboard, notating his points about Animals achieving crystallization in the field of—

A chewed-up wad of paper landed beside her foot, surely missing its assumed target, her head. She turned and saw a boy behind her poised to send another her way, but he lost his nerve and lowered his artillery the moment he was caught.

It was one thing to avoid her, dislike her, but it seemed that the student body—foolishly emboldened by their groupthink—had decided to react to Elphaba with a fight response rather than flight. Elphaba burned at the thought of humbling herself before them. She was now more than a subject of curiosity to them—she was their quarry. The tactic she'd employed out of her respect for Nessarose was not easing their mob mentality as she hoped…it was exacerbating it.

"Class dismissed," Doctor Dillamond cleared his throat, waving them off with his hoof.

"A very enlightening lecture, Professor," Elphaba complimented as students exited around her.

"Thank you, Miss Elphaba. I must say it still warms this Goat's heart to hear such things. Especially with the state of things…"

Elphaba knitted her eyebrows together. "What state of things, Professor?"

"Oh—nothing," Doctor Dillamond cleared his throat. "You should go off with your friends."

"That's alright," Elphaba sighed heavily. "I have no friends."

She pulled out a book and exited the classroom. She cracked it open and began to read as she walked, in part to avoid eye contact with others, in part to finish her chapter. Much of the campus traffic flowed through the quad, an open space with a grand statue of a gentleman with a top hat and cane. It wasn't uncommon for students to congregate there between classes. Elphaba kept her head ducked as she exited the hall and stepped onto the quad.

"Better look both ways before crossing!" an unwelcome voice caught her off-guard. "There may be rogue carts."

Elphaba looked up and groaned to spot Master Tigelaar for the second time that day loitering against the brick wall. So much for a big campus.

"Only if their drivers are half as maniacal as yours," she grumbled before charging forward to avoid him.

He'd broken her concentration too much to continue reading so Elphaba opened her bag to put her book away. She frowned upon spotting the envelope from this morning, realizing that it had slipped her mind before. The letter looked bent and worn, as if it had been shuffled from mail bag to mail bag all across Oz. Beneath a red post office stamp with her forwarding address at Shiz was a letter addressed to her by way of the Ozian Pen Pal Service.

Yero.

She stopped in her tracks, stunned at the surprise. However, she was not able to linger on her discovery for long before a funny feeling crept along the back of her neck. Like she was being watched. A less keen eye wouldn't have noticed, but Elphaba's unfortunate childhood had gifted her with a heightened sense of awareness. She'd call the skill a premonition, but the sad truth was that she had been on the receiving end of enough harassment to recognize the signs of oncoming torment.

All of the signs were there. The quad was quieter than it should have been, multiple people were pointing behind her, and the students had banded together to distance themselves from their prey. Elphaba had only enough time to thrust the envelope into her pocket and turn before she heard a voice command: "NOW!"

The world slowed and Elphaba heard a loud liquid slosh as a flood of water thrown from a bucket arced in the air towards her face. She threw her hands in front of her and squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for the inevitable soaking—

That never came.

She opened her eyes to see the water hanging in midair, rippling ever so slightly in an unnatural levitation. Her hands were open faced; fingers tensed, and a sensation buzzed in her fingertips. Her eyes then shifted dangerously to her would-be attacker, the chivalrous Jozsef Fox who'd rescued the girl in history.

Elphaba took a deep breath and posed her question in a steady voice.

"Why?"

"We—we—" Fox stammered, clumsily dropping the bucket with a loud clang. "We wanted—"

"Go on."

"We wanted to see if water would…wash the…green off?" Fox mumbled. His brilliant idea didn't seem as hilarious to him now.

"Ah," Elphaba said calmly.

She thrust her hands forward with a mighty force and the floating water immediately doused Fox as well as others who had the misfortune of standing too close.

"YOU IMBECILE!" Elphaba unloaded fiercely. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE!?"

Her letter from Yero, still safely dry, surely would have been ruined.

Fox, now drenched head to toe, stumbled backwards at the sound of her voice and tripped backwards over the dropped bucket. Scattered laughter at his expense rippled through the crowd and Elphaba whipped around to address them with wild eyes.

"What are you laughing at!?" she shouted, silencing their glee at once. "You're no better, none of you!"

Spurred by her own adrenaline, Elphaba stomped up towards the gigantic statue in the center of the square, used the man's cane to hoist herself up, and stood upright on the pedestal to address the crowd from higher ground.

"Attention Shiz University! My name is Elphaba Thropp. I know you've seen me. I know you've talked about me. Now that I have your attention—let's get this sorted out!" she shouted loudly enough to cause a distorted reverb among the surrounding buildings. "I'm green and I always have been green! Your comments aren't clever, your jokes aren't funny, and none of you are as special as you think you are! So, you can go ahead and laugh until your sides are aching but you're in for an unpleasant year if you think I'm going to continue to lie there and take it!"

Elphaba's chest heaved in rage, her hand still gripped tightly around the cane of the statue, as she stared down upon the petrified students.

"NOW GET OUT!" she screamed, thrashing her hand down to produce a puff of red smoke and sparks which crackled loudly like a firecracker before dissipating on the ground. "GO!"

Students began tripping over themselves to clamber out of the square amidst screams and general panic. The only person Elphaba didn't see escaping was Master Tigelaar himself who hung back by the wall. With a fresh wave of ferocity Elphaba hopped off the statue and charged towards him. She gripped his shirt in her hand and yanked at it so his face was close to hers.

"And you…don't you dare darken my feet with your shadow until—you—APOLOGIZE!"

She released his shirt roughly and pointed a finger in the direction he'd run off in if he had any brains at all. He didn't run, merely raised his hands in surrender and wordlessly backed off.

For now.

The square now sufficiently empty, bookbags abandoned, papers blowing in the wind, Elphaba strode towards the statue and pulled herself up to sit on it as if it were her throne. She crossed her legs and glanced around at the windows of the buildings surrounding the square, offering a cheeky wave to the onlookers spying down upon the ruckus. She stopped waving upon locking eyes with Madame Morrible who stood at her open office window with an unreadable expression. Elphaba gulped as the Headmistress calmly pulled the windows shut and stepped away.

She was going to be expelled. What other course could Madame Morrible take after such a calamity?

"You really blew it this time, Elphaba," she mumbled to herself.

Figuring she had nothing to lose, Elphaba slowly pulled Yero's letter out of her pocket and opened the envelope with a heavy-hearted curiosity.

Dear Fae,

I know you told me not to write. I respect your decision even though it's dumb. However, you'll understand why I had to write when I tell you.

I'm at Shiz.

Chapter Text

✉Chapter Six: If The Shoe Fits✉

Dear Fae,

I know you told me not to write. I respect your decision even though it’s dumb. However, you’ll understand why I had to write when I tell you.

I’m at Shiz.

You’ve inspired me, Fae. I’d given up before but I want to try again. I don’t know what I want to do with my life yet, but I know that I want to graduate. I’m going to try really hard this time. I don’t want to ‘do nothing with my opportunity’ or whatever it was you said. Also, I promise I’m not a stalker. Shiz was one of the last schools I hadn’t flunked out of yet, so it seemed like the natural next step.

I’m in a new territory and I would really like to hear back from you if you’ll consider it. Maybe I’ll even see you around.

Anyway, I’ve got to unpack. 

Signed, Yero

Elphaba read the letter repeatedly, a myriad of feelings fighting the others for prominence. Shock. Confusion. Elation. Flattery. Fear. Dread. Dread. Dread.

Yero was at Shiz. 

Her stranger, her anonymous friend, her only friend…he was here. He was here and Elphaba knew one thing for sure, he had seen her. There was no way around that. Everyone knew who she was, particularly after her stunt. She had no reason to believe he knew who she was, he wouldn’t have written at all if he did. She did wonder, had she seen him? 

Was he the boy with the spitball? Or Jozsef Fox who had jumped into the girl’s seat—Yero was a self-proclaimed flirt! No, she thought, he wouldn’t do that…but in truth she didn’t know. People presented themselves differently on paper than in real life. After all, she certainly did. Still, in her heart, she couldn’t believe that her Yero was cruel.

Her Yero. She scoffed in revulsion. How arrogant a sentiment! He wasn’t hers any more than she was his. Could she stand living out her daily life upon campus, scrutinizing every male face in search of Yero? 

Elphaba looked up at the sound of heels clacking on cobblestones and went cold to see Madame Morrible approaching. Perhaps her anxiety over sharing a campus with Yero was for naught. Expulsion was likely about to be something they had in common. She could appreciate the irony. 

Elphaba hopped down from the statue and approached Madame Morrible with humility.

“Madame—if I may—I never intended to cause such a scene. I promise you that it will never happen again. I’m terribly sorry.”

“Never happen again?” Morrible’s painted eyebrows shot up. “Nonsense, my dear! What I saw from my window was nothing short of talent, pure talent! One should never apologize for talent.”

Elphaba gaped. “Madame?”

“Miss Elphaba, have you ever considered a career in sorcery?” 

“Sorcery? Not really…I mean magic has sort of just happened to me since childhood but—"

“Childhood?!” Morrible clutched at her chest. “Miss Elphaba, I simply must insist you join my sorcery seminar. I shall tutor you privately and take no other students.”

“Madame, I’m flattered but I—I usually try to conceal these powers! I was considering a focus on history—or perhaps science—” Elphaba stammered. “I really want to do some good in the world.”

“I do not think you are grasping what is in store for you. Miss Elphaba, with such raw power like yours, after some instruction we could harness it in no time,” Morrible insisted. “I would go so far as to predict that The Wizard himself could make great use out of you!”

Elphaba choked. “The Wizard?”

“I trust you’ve heard of him.”

“Yes! Of course, yes. I’ve always admired The Wizard—to meet him, to work with him would be…” Elphaba shook her head in wonder. “Yes. I’ll do it! I’ll join your seminar. Thank you, Madame. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me! Just work as you should,” Morrible smiled broadly. She placed her fingertips under Elphaba’s chin and lifted it a bit, turning it side to side in order to examine her new protegee. “Yes…yes, you’ll do quite nicely.”

She released Elphaba and began to head off, but Elphaba followed after her. “But Madame! Today. What I said to the students—”

“Worry not, Miss Elphaba. You needn’t lower yourselves to lesser beings. You’ve got grander things in store.”

Elphaba could barely wait for Madame Morrible to fully leave the empty square before she exploded in celebration.

“Yes!” she cried, her braid whipping around madly as she stomped and whooped triumphantly. “Yes! Yes! Yes, yes YES!”

Elphaba entered her dorm in a state of delight. She tossed her bookbag on her bed and twirled in a circle before spotting Galinda leering at her over the top of a magazine. 

“What’s that?” Galinda asked. 

“What’s what?”

“On your face.”

“I’m smiling.”

“I’ve never seen you smile; I didn’t know you were capable,” Galinda squinted. “It’s weird.”

“Well, I’m happy. You see, when people are happy, they smile,” Elphaba explained.

“And what do you have to be happy about?!” Galinda closed her magazine and stood up. “I heard about your little scene in the quad. Everyone is terrified of you now!”

“Are you?” Elphaba tested, taking a step towards her. 

“Psh!” Galinda crossed her arms. “No.”

 “BOO!” Elphaba lunged.

“Ah!” Galinda shrieked and stomped her foot. “You horrible green thing. Everyone keeps checking in on me, you know. They’re worried you’re going to hex me in the night!”

“Well please try and keep the condolence bouquets to your side of the room,” Elphaba said before flopping onto her bed. “I won’t hex you, at least not yet. I suppose if Madame Morrible teaches me something really good I’ll have practice somehow.”

“Wait, Madame Morrible? What—what do you mean?” 

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Elphaba shrugged coolly. “Madame Morrible has invited me to partake in sorcery seminar is all.”

“What?!” Galinda gasped. “You’re a liar! You lie! She said she’s not holding it this semester!”

“She isn’t,” Elphaba sat upright. “She’s tutoring me privately.” 

“Nooooooooo!” Galinda dramatically fell to her knees and beat her fists against her fluffy bed in a darling little tantrum. “That’s not fair. That’s not fair! My entrance essay was all about that—I applied to that seminar! I—I—”

“Didn’t get your way?” Elphaba supplied. 

“Yes!” Galinda wailed in agony and buried her face in her comforter. “What is happening to the world?” 

Elphaba left in high spirits that evening for her nightly visit to Nessarose. When she eagerly knocked on the door, Morrible’s housekeeper opened the door. 

“Evening, Amalia,” Elphaba greeted. “May I see my sister?”

Amalia shifted her weight between her feet nervously and looked over her shoulder towards Nessarose’s room. “Er—I—”

“Is everything alright?” Elphaba asked in concern. 

“She…doesn’t…”

“Amalia!” Nessarose’s voice barked from the hall. “Did you not tell her?”

The Badger scurried off to make room for Nessarose in the doorway. Her face was expressionless. Elphaba looked after Amalia before greeting her sister with an odd look. 

“Nessa, I don’t know what you told her, but you shouldn’t speak to Amalia that way. She’s not your servant—”

“Well, she serves me.” 

“So did I, did that make me your servant?”

“If the shoe fits,” Nessarose shrugged.

Elphaba’s eyebrows shot up at her sister’s tone. 

“Nessarose Thropp, what has gotten into you?” Elphaba admonished. “I want an apology.”

“You want an apology? You want an apology after the stunt you pulled today?!” 

“Nessa listen—”

“No! You told me you’d be nice. You told me you’d make friends. You promised. Now look at what you’ve done! The whole campus is talking about the spectacle you made of yourself. They hate you, Elphaba, they hate you!”

“I know they hate me!” Elphaba blurted out. “You think I don’t know they hate me?!”

“You didn’t—”

“They were bullying me, Nessa. Terrorizing me! Did you expect me to lie down and take it forever? Did you actually want that from me?”

“Everyone is saying the most horrendible things about you—” 

“And do you care!?” Elphaba stressed. “Do you care that they’re saying ‘horrendible things’ about your sister?!”

“That’s just it! They all know, Elphaba! They all know that I’m your sister!”

Nessarose’s edge collapsed as pouting tears began spilling over her puffy cheeks.

“And there we have it,” Elphaba shook her head. “I should have known. I should have known that this was all about you.”

“How dare you speak to me in that way? Do you think I'm some spoiled brat?!”

“Well, if the jeweled shoe fits!” Elphaba hissed before she could help herself.

Nessarose stopped crying and her face went cold. Elphaba felt a chill up her spine at her sister’s expression. She’d never noticed it before, but it was uncanny now. Nessarose’s resemblance to Father.

“Come on, Nessa. I don’t want to argue,” Elphaba softened her tone. “Listen, this’ll all blow over, and soon none of it will matter! Madame Morrible has asked me to be part of her sorcery seminar—just ask her! She says I have talent; she says I could go all the way to The Emerald City. To The Wizard.”

“Stop.” 

“Don’t you see, Nessa? This is going to change everything—for both of us! All of Oz has to love me if I’m with The Wizard. Stick with me Nessa and soon enough—”

“Elphaba, stop.”

“Nessa—please,” Elphaba pleaded. “Let’s both just calm down. Let me come in, we’ll talk, I’ll brush your hair. I know nothing has gone according to plan since we got here, first with the room mix up—”

“The mix up,” Nessarose laughed bitterly. “Oz, Elphaba, you think you’re so smart. Don’t you see? I’m the one who wrote to Shiz requesting a room away from you!”

“You?” Elphaba mumbled, feeling a stab of betrayal. “But—but why?”

“Because I’m ashamed of you!” Nessarose unloaded.

Elphaba stopped. Stopped talking, stopped moving, stopped breathing. She stopped.

“You’re what?”

“I’m—I’m…” Nessarose stammered. She swallowed and cast her eyes down at her lap before speaking in a weakened tone. “You heard what I said.”

“Nessa…” Elphaba whispered.

“Go home, Elphaba. Just…go home.”

Nessarose wheeled back and shut the door in Elphaba’s face. Numbness spread through Elphaba’s being and she stared unblinking at the ornate knocker on the door. Her mind, for once, held nothing in it as if to protect her from reality. Elphaba’s legs worked on auto-pilot as they turned and carried her away.

Go home, Elphaba. Where was that supposed to be, again? Her dorm? Munchkinland? Stories always waxed poetic about home being where your loved ones were. Consequently, Elphaba couldn’t picture any place, or any person, that fit the bill.

Galinda was out when she returned. Elphaba sat at her desk, almost wishing her roommate was present to provide a distraction. Now that she was alone, her numbness was replaced by a sudden threat of tears that teetered on a cliff’s edge in her chest. Elphaba activated her reinforcements at once to ward off the intruding emotion like she always did. She pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes and gritted her teeth. A whimper escaped her constricted throat, but she forced the rest back in.

No. This was not the night. This was not the night she’d break her streak.

When she’d at last subdued her tempest, Elphaba removed her hands and straightened her shoulders with a steadying breath. She pulled out Yero’s letter, finding it crinkled from being in her pocket all day, and smoothed it out with care. Yero may only like her because he didn’t know who she was, but she was in no position to turn down an ally of any sort. Yero enjoyed her writing, felt inspired by her, and considered her a friend. How could she continue to resist such decency?

Her hands worked on muscle memory as they reached for some pen and paper. First, she filled out a change of address card so the Ozian Pen Pal Service would direct her mail to Shiz. Then, she began to write. 

Dear Yero,

Welcome to Shiz. I cannot express what getting your letter has meant to me. Suffice it to say that it came at a most welcome time. I have missed you, dear friend.

I am proud of your decision to attend, and I am confident that you will succeed. You are clever enough by far to graduate, though I hope this school treats you better than it has treated me. Shiz has not gone the way I hoped it would. That said, I must remain more adamant than ever that we remain anonymous. We may continue to write, but we may never meet. Please manage your curiosity and do not try to find me. I shall do the same for you. 

May grand things be in store for us both. 

Signed, Fae

✉✉✉

Elphaba awoke in the middle of the night to a hand aggressively shaking her shoulder.

“Oh, Elphaba, you must tell Madame Morrible to include me in the sorcery seminar! You simply must! Please, please, please!”

Elphaba, disoriented and jostled, didn’t open her eyes right away.

“Galinda? What in Oz…”

“This is my future we’re talking about here! I’ll do anything, Elphaba, please!”

“What time is it?" Elphaba groaned.

She was slow to wake at first but when she at last opened her eyes she sat up at full attention to find the room pitch-dark.

“W-where is the light?!” Elphaba gasped, her heartrate spiking at once. “Where is it?!”

 “You mean that nightlight? The glare hurt my eyes when I woke up from my horrendible nightmare!” 

“I need my light!”

Elphaba frantically threw her arm towards her bedside table and it collided with her lamp. They both heard the bulb shatter on the ground and Galinda yelped. There was a sudden click and the room flooded with the light from Galinda’s beside lamp. 

“What is with all the hubbub!?” Galinda complained.

Elphaba tried to form words but found that she couldn’t. Her hands clutched at her aching chest as she attempted to regulate her erratic breathing. 

“Oh…” Galinda uttered in soft surprise. “Elphaba?”

Galinda hastened to sit beside Elphaba on her bed. “Alrighty listen up. Name three things that you can see.”

“What?” Elphaba wheezed. 

“Three things you see! Around the room,” Galinda gestured. 

“Uh…” Elphaba wet her lips. “The—the mirror.”

“Good. What else?”

“My books and… I see your pillow.”

“What color is it?”

“Pink.”

“Well, fuchsia, but close enough. What is one thing you can smell?”

Elphaba finally took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to focus on the instruction. What did she smell?

“That awful vanilla candle you burned earlier.”

“You would hate vanilla,” Galinda scoffed. 

“It gives me a headache,” Elphaba said. Her senses slowly began returning to her. She felt dizzy. She wiped a hand over her sweaty forehead and gave Galinda a long look. “What was…all of that?”

“You were having a panic attack,” Galinda said as she adjusted one of her curlers. “And now you’re all better…thanks to me!”

“This all just…caught me off guard is all,” Elphaba explained defensively. “It’s not like I’m—I’m…”

“Afraid of the dark?” Galinda supplied.

“I’m not!”

“Yes, you are,” Galinda yawned, returning to sit on her own bed. “Let’s not pretend that you aren’t.”

Elphaba wrung her hands nervously, trying and failing to formulate an excuse.

“Okay, fine! I am! I’m afraid of the dark! Happy?!” Elphaba lashed out. “Now you can go tell all of your ditsy friends and have a great laugh over it!”

“Wooooooow. Um, you’re welcome for helping you, I guess?!” Galinda huffed.

“I wouldn’t have even had this problem if you hadn’t woken me up!” 

“Oh, but Elphaba. I had the most horrendible nightmare! I dreamed that Madame Morrible said I’d never amount to anything. Everybody hated me like we all hate you!” Galinda whined. She caught Elphaba’s look. “No offense.”

“Tell you what,” Elphaba glared. “Use magic to mend my broken lamp and then I’ll tell Madame to include you in the seminar.”

“You mend it if you’re so talented!” Galinda protested. 

“Me? No, no…” Elphaba adjusted her pillow and settled back in with a sigh. “I’m much more talented at wrecking things.”

Galinda flopped back onto her pillow as well and the two girls stared up at the ceiling in silence.

“Hey…Elphaba?” Galinda turned her head.

“What?!” Elphaba sighed impatiently.

“My sleep mask blocks out a bunch of light. You know…if you wanted to sleep with the lamp on,” Galinda offered. 

Elphaba turned her head and suspiciously sized Galinda up. Her gut reaction would have been to decline out of pride, but something in her roommate’s expression struck her as sincere. So, after a long pause, Elphaba finally mumbled: “Maybe just for tonight.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Seven: Demotion Commotion ✉

Dear Fae,

If it means getting to write to you, I’ll accept your terms. It may be difficult though; my curiosity is already out of control.

Elphaba knew what Yero meant. She kept getting short pangs of thrill each time she thought somebody may be Yero, though finding college aged men on a college campus was hardly a rare occurrence. Luckily, Elphaba’s roommate had stepped in to provide a strong distraction. Galinda would not leave her alone. She’d pop up outside of classrooms, the dining hall, the library, their room and ask—no—beg Elphaba to talk to Madame Morrible about letting her in sorcery seminar.

“Please, Elphaba?” Galinda chanted one afternoon. Her ringlets dusted the floor as she hung upside down off the side of her bed. “Please, please, please, please, please, please, please?”

“Why do you even want to be in the sorcery seminar so bad?” Elphaba snapped, slamming her book shut. “I figured your life’s ambition would be something silly like marrying a prince.”

“Wow. That’s pretty presumptuous!” Galinda sat upright. “I’d have thought you of all people would know not to judge a book by its cover.”

Elphaba cleared her throat awkwardly. “Point made.”

“Besides…” Galinda hinted, leaning forward with a few excited bounces. “I’m already going to marry a prince!”

She clapped her hands over her mouth and squealed so loud that Elphaba jumped. 

“Wait—you’re engaged?”

“Oh no, not yet. We’ve only begun dating, but he’s perfect and I’m perfect so it only makes sense. Get a good look, Elphaba, because one day the girl in this room is gonna be Mrs. Tigelaar,” Galinda wiggled her ring finger. “Or Mrs. Upland-Tigelaar. I haven’t decided yet.”

“No!” Elphaba groaned in recognition. “Tigelaar?”

“Yes! Oh, yes,” Galinda sighed dreamily. “Prince Fiyero Tigelaar.” 

“Hold on. What did you say?”

“Prince Tigelaar.”

“No, his first name.”

“Fiyero,” Galinda repeated. “Why?”

“No reason,” Elphaba gave her head a small shake. “I misheard you. That’s all.”

The unexpected likeness between Fiyero and Yero’s names caught Elphaba by surprise. For a moment she feared that Galinda had found out about her correspondent. However, once the shock wore off, the coincidence amused her. After all, no one would be unoriginal enough to choose an alias so close to their given name.

“Well, seeing as you’re both pains in my side I’m sure you’ll be very happy together.”

“You’re such a terror!” Galinda whined. “You’re lucky I even talk to you, you know.”

“Feel free to stop at any time.”

✉✉✉

Dear Yero,

I’ve been at Shiz for two months. Here are my stats in case you’re keeping track at home! The person I’m closest to won’t talk to me, my roommate won’t stop bugging me, and I have made zero friends. On the bright side, my grades are way up. How are you?

On the subject of grades, Elphaba found herself knocking on Doctor Dillamond’s office door one afternoon to discuss a recent assignment.

“Professor I—” Elphaba began as she entered, but stopped short to see Amalia, Madame Morrible’s housekeeper, in Dillamond’s office. “Pardon me, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll go.”

“No, Miss Elphaba. It’s quite alright,” Doctor Dillamond glumly waved her in. “Miss Amalia and I were just discussing a…recent development.”

“Dillamond, is it wise to—” Amalia fretted in a breathy voice. Doctor Dillamond calmly held a hoof up to pacify her.

“I have good reason to trust Miss Elphaba with this information,” he explained. He adjusted his glasses and peered over at his top student. “I have just been informed that I’ve been demoted. My status as Dean of History has been stripped.”

Elphaba gasped and looked between the two of them in shock.

“But why? You’re easily the most qualified! There has to be a mistake.”

“There is no mistake,” Amalia mumbled, anxiously clicking her long claws together. “It is all quite deliberate.”

“I was not always the only Animal on faculty, you know. There used to be many of us. However, slowly but surely, the untenured professors started getting let go for one vague reason or another. Then, the tenured ones began to step down under suspicious circumstances. Even Amalia here used to be a frequent guest lecturer for her contributions in social work. She was removed and offered her current position as housekeeper out of…kindness.”

“This is concerning indeed, Professor,” Elphaba wrung her hands apprehensively. “Have you spoken to Madame Morrible about this?”

Amalia let out a snort before quickly covering her mouth, her eyes wide over her involuntary sound. Dillamond gave Elphaba a kindly patient look.

“Unfortunately, I fear these decrees are being enforced on higher levels than the University itself. These troubles are not limited to Shiz.”

“Well, I for one am outraged that you were demoted, sir! I’m certain that if we get enough students to stand behind you then we can make a change,” Elphaba insisted.

Doctor Dillamond granted her a world-weary smile and stood from behind his desk. “Your tenacity will take you far in life, Miss Elphaba. Hear this, there are many things that we may never change…but that doesn’t mean that we do not try.”

Elphaba soaked in her professor’s words with an impassioned nod.

“I’ll do more than try, Professor. I’ll make it right!” Elphaba declared confidently. She marched towards the door to leave before sharply turning on her heel. “Oh, I nearly forgot. About my assignment?"

“A perfect score as usual, Miss Elphaba.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Boldly spurred to action, Elphaba exited Doctor Dillamond’s office on a mission.

“LET ME JOIN THE SORCERY SEMINAR!”

“Ah!” Elphaba, startled, whipped around to face her roommate. “Stop doing that!”

Galinda thrust a travel cup of coffee into Elphaba’s hand and began to follow her. “I didn’t add any cream and sugar because I figured you liked your coffee to taste disgusting. Now let me join the sorcery seminar!”

“No!” Elphaba scowled. She charged forward and sipped her coffee. Galinda had been right in her assumption.

“Please please please please please—”

“Galinda!” Elphaba sighed. “There are more serious things on my mind! I have to devise a protest and I won’t have you distracting me.”

Galinda, whose legs were far shorter than Elphaba’s, was unable to keep up with her strides and finally fell behind. 

“You’re welcome!” she wheezed after her.

✉✉✉

 Dear Fae,

We must be total opposites. I fit in as usual, but it feels like it did at other schools. New school, old routine. It’s easy for me to talk to people but I don’t talk to them like I can talk to you. I guess we don’t really ‘talk’, but you know what I mean. Also, I don’t know how you’re keeping up with these classes. Obviously you’re really smart, but still. The professors always talk too fast or too slow. I’m either struggling to keep up or trying to stay awake! I just hope that things change for the better. For both of us.

Elphaba had not forgotten her conversation with Doctor Dillamond, nor would she accept it. Shiz was a place where people came to make change and damn it—she was going to make a change! She set up a table advertising a petition to restore Doctor Dillamond’s status as dean outside a high traffic area in the quad. Regardless of what people thought of her, they would surely still partake in the name of justice.

Or so she thought. Elphaba had been sitting at the table for an hour and not one person had approached. That is, until—

“Some protest!”

Galinda Upland stood before her table wearing a skirt, power ponytail, and a white shirt with the word ‘Justice’ on it. Elphaba smacked her head down on the table, bracing herself for whatever fresh hell her roommate had in store for her.

“Hello, Galinda,” she sighed, not lifting her head. 

“This is all you planned?! Where’s your banners, your signs?!” Galinda prodded. She put a megaphone up to Elphaba’s ear. “Earth to Elphaba!”

Elphaba jolted and nearly fell out of her chair at the sudden sound. 

“I brought a megaphone,” Galinda giggled, holding it back up to her lips. “Laaaa laaaaaa! Laaaa-a-a laaaaaaaa!”

Elphaba jerked the megaphone down. “I can see that.”

“Ugh. Rude.”

 “Galinda, I don’t have time for your games,” Elphaba adjusted her beanie in agitation. “This is a matter that really—well, matters to me!”

“Which is why you should be glad I’m here! How many signatures do you have?”

“Um…one…” Elphaba mumbled. Her own. “Unless of course you count The Unnamed God, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and ‘your mom’.” 

Galinda tutted disapprovingly. “You’re going about this all wrong. Answer me this. How do you get people to sign a petition?”

“By having a cause that’s important and—”

“Wrooooooooong! By adding some ‘WOW’ factor! Some razzle dazzle. Get this through your head: it’s all about popular. That’s where I come in—scooch over,” Galinda demanded, grabbing a chair and pushing against Elphaba until she begrudgingly made space. “Listen up Elphaba because I’m gonna tell you the tragic truth. I need you and you need me. We could fight it or we could make a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“I am so glad you asked. I’m gonna help you get one hundred signatures on this petition thingy and you’re gonna convince Madame Morrible to let me join the sorcery seminar once and for all.”

“A hundred?” Elphaba asked skeptically. Galinda pulled a pink pen out of her purse and signed her name with a fancy flourish. 

“See? I’ve already doubled your signatures.”

Elphaba, despite herself, fought off a smile.

“Do we have a deal?” Galinda offered her hand.

“No handkerchief this time?” Elphaba raised a brow.

“No…” Galinda shook her head with a faint trace of guilt. “I’m good.”

Elphaba, certain she was making a huge mistake, reached out and shook Galinda’s hand. Galinda immediately grabbed the megaphone, jumped up, and began doing what she did best. Commanding attention.

“ATTENTION FRIENDS! Come out, come out, wherever you are! There is a huge injustice happening on this campus. Come sign this here petition to protest—” Galinda lowered the megaphone to sidebar with Elphaba. “What’s this for again?”

“Doctor Dillamond getting demoted.”

“Doctor Dillamond getting demoted! Say it with me now! Don’t demote Dillamond! Don’t demote Dillamond! Don’t demote Dillamond!”

Elphaba’s eyebrows shot up as the alliteration began to catch on. Students, clearly confused to see the girls working together, began to hesitantly chant along with Galinda. Galinda grabbed the clipboard and waved it in the air. 

“That’s it! Now, don’t be shy. Come and sign!”

“I’ll sign, Miss Galinda!” a short student, likely a Munchkin, scurried towards the table. 

“Oh, Bick. Really? You would do that for me?” Galinda gasped. 

“I would do anything for you, Miss Galinda,” he said intensely. He signed the clipboard and eagerly tapped at it. “See? That's my name! Boq. Which is my name. Boq’s my name.”

“Thanks a million Bick. Say, aren’t you in that little club thingy where you play that little game?” Galinda twirled her ponytail. 

“Chess club? Uh—yes! Yes, I am,” he puffed out his chest. “You remembered!”

“Would you do me a huge favor and ask them to come sign our little petition? After all, it is for a great cause.”

“Of course, Miss Galinda!” Boq nodded before sprinting the other direction. 

Galinda continued to pioneer the protest and the sheet started filling up with names. She’d come prepared with all sorts of nonsense. She played music, twirled about, and even attracted people in with a giant bubble wand. As impressed as Elphaba was with Galinda’s results, she couldn’t help but feel she was taking a backseat to her own cause. 

“You are surprisingly good at this,” Elphaba commented as Galinda plopped beside her for a break.

“Yes! Yes I am! But that’s because I’m playing to my strengths. I’m popular, beautiful, and can effortlessly charm people—"

“Humble, too.”

“You, Elphaba, are mean, scary, and make people super uncomfortable,” Galinda explained brightly.

“Gee, thanks.”

“Sooooooo…use it,” Galinda encouraged. 

Elphaba pursed her lips. Use it. She spotted a boy glance at the table and continue on his way without signing.

“Excuse me!” Elphaba shouted after him. He froze as she advanced him with the clipboard. “Don’t think I didn’t see you there. What? Too busy for social change? Huh? Huh?!”

“N—no! I’m not,” he blurted out, scrambling to take the pen to sign with a shaky hand. “There, okay?!”

Elphaba turned towards Galinda in wonder as the boy ran off. “It worked!”

Galinda stood and cheered, racing to give Elphaba a high five. Elphaba, in a whirlwind, couldn’t help but laugh. Two nearby girls snickered loudly and Elphaba turned her attention their way. One froze in place while her friend ducked into a nearby hedge to hide.

“Think something’s funny?” Elphaba approached the one left standing.

“No—”

“While you’re over there laughing a huge injustice is happening at this school, is that funny?! Well, is it?!

The girl tried to make a break for it but Elphaba blocked her path. “You want me to leave you alone? Sign the form.”

She signed the form as her friend fearfully poked her head out over the bush. Elphaba locked eyes with her and wordlessly held out the clipboard. She signed it with a squeak, linked arms with her friend, and ran off.   

“Fiyero dearest!” Galinda squealed from behind Elphaba.

Elphaba turned in time to see Galinda throw her arms around Fiyero and plant a kiss on his lips. Elphaba gagged and set the clipboard down on the table as the couple pulled out of their lip lock. A few passersby approached the table to sign as Elphaba, Galinda, and Fiyero stepped off to the side. 

“Fiyero, this is my roommate Elphaba—”

“We’ve met,” Fiyero and Elphaba grumbled in unison. 

“Galinda, tell your boyfriend that he’s an incredibly reckless driver,” Elphaba said.

“Galinda, tell your roommate that for the last time I wasn’t even driving,” Fiyero said.

Elphaba heatedly crossed towards Fiyero and Galinda scampered behind the petition table to get out of the crossfire.

“Galinda, tell your boyfriend he still owes me an apology.”

“Hey guys?” Galinda’s voice cut in as she lifted the clipboard.

“Galinda, tell your roommate that she’s annoying.”

“Galinda, tell your boyfriend to shut up.”

“Galinda—”

“Hey!” Galinda shouted over the pair who were standing nose to nose. 

“What?!” they blurted out in unison, their heads snapping towards Galinda.

“I…I think you should see this…”

Galinda solemnly handed the clipboard over and Elphaba’s stomach dropped. Scratched deep into the page in red ink over the signatures read the phrase: ANIMALS SHOULD BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD.

“Did you see who…?” Elphaba began to ask. Galinda shook her head. Elphaba observed the quad where people continued to stroll by as normal.

“Who did this?!” she called out hoarsely. “Who wrote this?!”

No answer.

“HEY!” Galinda screamed into her megaphone, stepping up to stand on her chair. “Who did this?!”

“Ask the artichoke!” someone called out. Scattered laughter ebbed over the crowd as others called to appeal to Galinda. 

“Come on Galinda!” “What’s with you today?” “Forget the freak!”

Galinda hesitated for a moment and slowly lowered her megaphone. She turned her head towards Elphaba whose face grew stony. Elphaba scoffed, pressed the clipboard to her chest, and slowly turned to leave.

“No!” Galinda stamped her foot on her chair. Elphaba paused and turned. “Listen up, everybody! Her name isn’t ‘the artichoke’! It’s Elphaba. Her name is Elphaba and she’s rude and weird and I like her! She’s my friend, alright?! Elphaba is my friend!”

Elphaba stilled and lifted her eyes to meet Galinda’s in disbelief. Galinda reassured her with a nod and a private, genuine smile that Elphaba couldn’t help but return. Further encouraged by their silent exchange, Galinda fiercely lifted the megaphone back up to her lips to defend her newest friend.

“So everyone quit being so gosh darn mean!”

“What is the meaning of all of this?!”

Madame Morrible entered the square which students took as their cue to scatter, Fiyero included. He offered Galinda his hand to help her down, kissed her cheek, and ran. 

“Madame Morrible! We were just—” Elphaba began. 

“Taking a stand!” Galinda thrust her fist in the air. 

“It seems to me that you’re participating in an unlawful demonstration,” Morrible said.

“Unlawful? Madame—”

Morrible took the clipboard out of Elphaba’s hands and clicked her tongue disapprovingly as she read it.

“Miss Elphaba, I’m surprised at you. While people of course have the right to protest, you must still obtain a permit from the University prior to any demonstration.”

“But Madame—”

Madame Morrible held a finger up and wagged it back and forth.

“Furthermore, Miss Elphaba! I’m sure you can appreciate the difficult position this puts me in. It is hard not to see this demonstration as a direct rebellion against the university! I’d have thought that you had a higher sense of pride in your school…but perhaps I’ve misjudged you. If such disobedience were to continue, well, I’d hate to see how it may jeopardize your ambition to meet The Wizard—”

“It won’t, Madame,” Elphaba said quickly. “I only thought that—that Doctor Dillamond—”

“That unfortunate situation is currently being handled with the utmost care. You needn’t concern yourself with such things,” Morrible mollified Elphaba with a gentle pat to the shoulder. “Worry not, Miss Elphaba. There shall be no penalty this time. Merely put the demonstration to rest and all will be as it was before.”

Madame Morrible turned and began to stroll away with the clipboard in tow without so much as a nod to Galinda. Elphaba spared a glance towards her deflated roommate before bounding a few steps towards their Headmistress.

“You’re wrong, Madame!”

Madame Morrible turned. “I beg your pardon?”

“You’re wrong. You see, I’ve read the Shiz University student handbook cover to cover. I’ve known it like the back of my hand since before I even knew I’d attend. Section Eight Sub Section Four Paragraph A states clearly that any person or Animal maintains the right to protest peacefully on school grounds so long as such demonstrations do not cause harm to others or school property including but not limited to vandalism, violence, and weapon use. Neither permission nor permits are required nor do school officials hold the right to interfere with the protest in any way,” Elphaba recited. “Madame.”

Madame Morrible said nothing as Elphaba chanced a few steps towards her.

“However, I will accept your terms on one condition,” Elphaba stated. “I will call off the demonstration…if you admit Miss Galinda Upland into the sorcery seminar.”

Galinda gasped from behind her but Elphaba did not react, still eyeing Morrible for her reaction. Elphaba raised her eyebrows and slowly held her hand out for the clipboard.

“Very well,” Morrible’s face stretched into a smile as she placed the clipboard in Elphaba’s waiting hands. “I shall be seeing you both…Monday morning.”

Madame Morrible calmly turned on her heel and left without another word. Elphaba watched her go until she was nearly bowled over in a sudden, bone-crushing hug.

“Oh, Elphie! Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!” Galinda chanted as she squished Elphaba back and forth. “Oh—Elphie! Is it okay if I call you Elphie?” 

“It’s a little perky,” Elphaba admitted, a flustered laugh escaping her as Galinda released her. “But…sure.”

That night, after Galinda chatted herself into oblivion and finally wore herself out, Elphaba took to her stationery and pen. She felt a bubble-like feeling inflate in her chest as she relayed her astonishing news to Yero.

Dear Yero,

I made a friend.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Eight: Hypothetically Speaking ✉

To say that Elphaba and Galinda were unlikely friends was an understatement, but unlikely things happened every day. Elphaba’s guardedness didn’t vanish overnight, but in the coming weeks she allowed herself to believe that Galinda’s perhaps misplaced fondness for her was genuine. The student body underwent painful bouts of cognitive dissonance as they bore witness to the new friends. They couldn’t decide whether to shun Galinda or accept Elphaba. In the end, neither option seemed to be something they were willing to do.

Between her secret confidant and Galinda, Elphaba began feeling less tense about the subject of friends. In fact, despite her ongoing estrangement from Nessarose, she was rather content with her tiny circle of allies. She expressed this sentiment in her letters to Yero.

To fill in the time between mail arriving, Elphaba busied herself by re-reading his correspondence. The details began to paint a rich picture of who Yero was…or at least who he was to her.

Sincerely, Yero…

Elphaba had noticed the change a few letters ago, his subtle shift between Signed to Sincerely. There was an intentionality to the word that warmed her. She would often find herself tracing a slender green finger over his name, committing the curvature of his signature to her memory. Elphaba wasn’t nosy for the most part, but there were times where she’d catch her eyes slowly drifting towards her classmates’ assignments. It wasn’t the content that interested her, but rather the handwriting. She was confident that she’d not yet seen Yero’s writing in the real world. After all, she would know it anywhere. To her, Yero’s penmanship was…art.

“Psst!”

Elphaba’s daydream was suddenly broken by Fiyero’s harassing whisper. In a stroke of bad luck, Fiyero had recently been transferred to their history class, giving him and Galinda even more opportunities to make eyes at each other. That day their tables were arranged into different sections as they worked in small groups. Fiyero and Galinda had been placed into different pods, a fate you’d think was worse than death by the way they were acting.

“Pass this to Galinda,” Fiyero whispered as he attempted to hand Elphaba a folded note.

Elphaba, who had been placed in the same group as Galinda, was seated just close enough to Fiyero’s circle for him to make it her problem.

“Do I look like a carrier Pigeon?” Elphaba muttered. “Stop distracting me.”

“Why are you always so difficult?”

“Why are you always so annoying!?”

“Just hand it to her!” Fiyero waved the note near her face. Elphaba forcefully swiped the note away from him.

 “What’s in here that is so important that she read it now?”

Elphaba began to unfold the page but before she could see its contents the missive was pulled from her hands.

“Why Miss Elphaba, I’m surprised at you. You’re not usually the type to pass notes in class,” Doctor Dillamond said. 

Fiyero bit back a laugh as he turned back towards his study circle and Elphaba glared his way.

“Apologies, Professor. I agree that notes are distracting. In fact, I insist that you confiscate it.”

Doctor Dillamond, deducing the situation, chuckled heartily.

“Very well, Miss Elphaba. I am feeling a bit peckish anyway.”

Fiyero’s jaw dropped as the Goat promptly chewed up his note to Galinda as a snack.

“Eyes on your assignment, Master Fiyero,” Dillamond tapped his hoof on Fiyero’s table. “And stop distracting Miss Elphaba.”

Elphaba made a beeline for the post office after class and found, with disappointment, that there was no mail for her yet. The roundabout way their letters had to traverse was causing an irksome delay to her and Yero’s conversations. She yearned for quicker responses. Thus, unconventional problems called for unconventional solutions.

Dear Yero,

I have an idea. There is a tree on the west side of campus near the canal. It is off the beaten track but not difficult to find. There’s a hollow in the trunk that could act as a private drop off spot for our letters. This is not in any way a ploy to meet you. Nothing will change between us except for the expediency of our letters.

If you agree with the plan, drop your next letter off there. If it comes by mail, I’ll take that as your answer.

Sincerely, Fae

It was a risky suggestion, Elphaba could own that. What if someone found their letters? Or worse, what if he saw her putting a letter in the tree? What if she saw him? What would she do?

On the other hand, the danger behind a clandestine mission excited her. She’d learned to be sneaky living at Thropp Manor. Tiptoeing around her father day and night, sneaking food, sneaking books, ghosting about as if she didn’t exist. Besides all of that, she’d get to read Yero’s words more frequently. That alone felt worth the risk. 

When Elphaba returned to her dorm that evening, she was nearly ambushed by her roommate who held two pairs of earrings in front of her face.  

“Oh Elphie, thank Oz you’re here!” Galinda gushed. “Help me pick. Fiyero is taking me out and I must accessorize myself!”

“I don't know how you can even stand to be in the same room as that man let alone date him!” Elphaba griped.

“Well, he’s got a great butt.”

“I’m serious, Galinda. You are smart, charismatic, confident–”

“Popular,” Galinda added.

“Yes, and–”

“Charitable. Charitable too.”

“You’re an all-around catch, Galinda!” Elphaba concluded tiredly. “You could have your pick of anyone. Why go after someone so spoiled?”

“Again…have you seen his butt?”

“No, Galinda!” Elphaba sighed. “All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t want to spend my time with someone like him.”

“Then who would you want to spend time with?” Galinda prodded.

“Oh…I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it…” Elphaba dismissed as she sat on her bed. She contemplated the question for a moment and shrugged. “Just someone genuine, you know? Someone who cares about what I have to say. Someone clever—now not necessarily academic, but someone who is witty in their own way.”

“What about looks?” Galinda prompted, taking a slow seat on her bed.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” Elphaba said at once. She considered her knee jerk reaction for a moment and realized that it was true. “It doesn’t matter if they’re tall or short…if their eyes are blue or brown. What does that matter so long as our minds meet?”

Elphaba rubbed the back of her neck and unconsciously shifted her gaze towards her desk, the place in her room that felt the warmest to her. The brightest. 

“I’d want someone who complements me—but also challenges me. Someone who makes me look at things a different way,” she exhaled softly and closed her eyes. “Someone who when I speak to them makes me feel heard, seen, makes me feel…known.”

“Oh…sweet…Oz,” Galinda said in a hushed tone.

Elphaba opened her eyes. “What?”

“You’re in love.”

Elphaba let out a short laugh before registering the earnest look on Galinda’s face. Her throat went dry as the revelation sunk deep into her bones.

“No.” 

“Elphie, you are in love!” Galinda repeated, bouncing up from her bed.

“I’m not, though!” Elphaba contended, standing as well. “It–it was all hypothetical! Just hypothetically speaking that’s the kind of person I–”

“Hypothetically!?” Galinda squeaked. “You were staring off into space like you were having some sort of prophecy! You just monologued, Elphie. You were picturing someone!”

“No–”

“You were! Admit it right now.”

“It was hypothetical!”

“Elphie’s in love!” Galinda proclaimed at the top of her lungs. “Elphaba Thropp is in L-O-V–mmph!”

Elphaba smothered a hand over Galinda’s mouth. “You stop that right now.” 

“Admit it,” Galinda demanded in a muffled voice through Elphaba’s hand. Elphaba narrowed her eyes and removed her hand from Galinda’s mouth. “Fine. If not love then you’ve a whopper of a crush! Who did you picture?”

“I wouldn’t say I…pictured anyone–per say. I-I mean yes I did—but also no—because,” Elphaba stammered. “Listen, it’s complicated!”

“Sweet Oz, you’re blushing!” Galinda gasped, pressing her palms into the sides of Elphaba’s face and squishing at her cheeks. “Your face gets greener when you blush, did you know that?”

“I will kill you,” Elphaba warned as she yanked her face away. 

“Who is it? Who is it, who is it, who is it? Tell me everything!”

Panic rose in Elphaba’s chest as she looked Galinda in the eye. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Galinda, she did, but with a secret like this? Since the beginning Yero’s letters were something that belonged to her and her alone. They were intensely personal, something private between the two of them. To let another person into that felt like a betrayal, not only to him, but to them. Yero was hers. It had to stay that way. 

“I-I can’t tell you…” Elphaba said, her voice teeming with remorse. 

“What?! Elphieeeee.”

“I know, I know, I know…” Elphaba rushed to placate her. “Please believe me that I have a very good reason for not telling you!”

Galinda groaned dramatically and flopped face down on Elphaba’s bed. “Elphie, you cannot do this to me!”

“Galinda—”

“I’ll perish, Elphaba! I’ll perish!”

“Ask me anything else and I’ll tell you,” Elphaba bargained. “Any other secret.”

“Okay why do you sleep with this little green bottle under your pillow?” Galinda asked suddenly, pulling the bottle out from under Elphaba’s pillow.

“Careful—” Elphaba gasped, instinctively reaching to grab it. “It…belonged to my mother. That’s all.”

“That’s not even that good of a secret! I thought it was going to be drugs or something.”

“You thought I was on drugs?”

“Well, I don’t know! ShenShen mentioned that the green could be drug related.”

“Why do you still hang out with ShenShen?”

“We wear the same sized shoes.”

“Ah.” 

The friends sat in silence for a few moments and Elphaba looked down and turned the bottle a few times in her hands.

 “I don’t know why I’m green. Nobody does. For all I know it’ll always be a mystery, particularly because Nessarose is…”

She trailed off and Galinda put a hand on Elphaba’s shoulder. 

“Has she spoken to you yet?”

Elphaba cleared her throat and shook her head. “No, uh…not yet.”

Galinda wrapped her arms around Elphaba and leaned her head against hers. 

“Don’t you worry, Elphie. I’ll think of something!” she assured her. “Now tell me who you’re in love with!”

“I am not in love!”

However, sometime later as Elphaba crossed campus towards the canal, she wasn’t so sure. Love was a strong word, particularly to apply to someone you’d never even met, but if it wasn’t that then what was this feeling? A whopper of a crush, as Galinda said? Her stomach flipped when she spotted the shady oak she’d described in her letter, but she reminded herself to act natural. The last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself in this location.

There was a posse of students enjoying a picnic by the lakeshore so, as much as the anticipation was killing her, she didn’t check the hollow right away. She’d given the postal service enough time to reach Yero so a letter very well could be waiting for her today.

She had planned beforehand to stick around the area for a bit to provide a cover. For all people knew, this was simply a reading spot of hers. At first, she settled her back against the trunk but after a few minutes of reading she curiously shifted her gaze upwards. The branch above her wasn’t too high up and appeared sturdy. With a jolt of spontaneity, she threw her bag over her shoulder and began climbing. With some effort, she settled atop the branch and took a satisfied breath.

She loved heights.

The breeze and the shade were actually quite nice. She leisurely turned the pages of the book, basking in autumn air and solitude, until her eyelids began to feel heavy. It couldn’t hurt to rest them…just for a tick-tock…

“So, it’s okay for you to fall asleep in public but when I do it it’s some huge crime!”

Fiyero Tigelaar’s voice tore through Elphaba’s dreaming state and she awoke with a strong lurch. Her book plummeted face down on the ground and she had a split moment to react before she met the same fate.

“WHOA! Watch it!” Fiyero’s voice shouted from below.

Having lost her balance from the shock, Elphaba wobbled over the side and she quickly lunged upwards to grasp the branch with both hands. The bark dug into her fingertips as she dangled in midair and looked down. A drop from this height wouldn’t be devastating, but she was still too high up to comfortably free fall.

“Have you lost your mind?!” Elphaba panted. “First the cart and now this?!”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Fiyero shouted. He threw his bag off of his shoulder and took a few steps towards her. “Just hold still—”

Elphaba kicked one of her dangling legs towards him with a frustrated growl. “No! Back off!”

“Wha–why are you kicking!?” he complained as she forcefully swung her legs towards him. “Stop kicking!”

“Stop kicking,” Elphaba mimicked him in a childish tone, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

“Damn. You’ve got a lot of upper body strength…” Fiyero marveled.

“Would you just give me a tick-tock?!”

A few fingers lost their grip and Elphaba shrieked as she swung precariously from one hand.

“Just—let me—”

“I’ve got it!”

“Watch—”

In a chaotic flurry Elphaba’s other hand finally slipped off the branch and she crash landed right into Fiyero. The prince grunted and tumbled backwards onto a pile of leaves as Elphaba fell on top of him. The pair groaned in pain as they regained their bearings. Elphaba’s glasses were askew and strands of hair fell forward to brush against Fiyero’s cheek. Their eyes met and the realization of their position simultaneously sunk in with horror.

“Move!”

“Get off of me!”

They frantically scrambled to gain distance from each other. Elphaba snatched her book from the ground and held it out at arm’s length like a shield.

“Tell me, Tigelaar. Do you go out of your way to endanger me or do you simply take the opportunities as they come?!”

“Hey! You collided into me! Know something?” Fiyero crossed his arms conceitedly. “I think that you owe me an apology.”

“What—you—ooooh…” Elphaba hummed angrily, too provoked to put together a proper sentence. “You’re right, Fiyero. I collided into you. I would say you should check for a brain injury but it seems you haven’t got one to begin with!”

Fiyero stiffened, his easy smirk gone now.

“You know, some people can be smart without feeling the need to make other people feel like total idiots!”

“Oh yeah? Well, some people can actually say what they mean instead of making a mockery of anything and everything!”

“You infuriate me!”

“Mutual, darling.”

Fiyero made an aggravated sound and began to trod off. “You’re welcome for breaking your fall by the way!”

“You owe me an—urgh!”

Elphaba kicked a pile of leaves. Forget it. Forget him! She leaned up against the trunk of the tree as she watched him go until he was completely out of sight before darting around the perimeter of the tree to check the hollow. Please Yero, she thought. She could use a win today.

She reached inside and began feeling around the edges. Her heart leapt as her fingers brushed against a paper envelope. Marked upon it was no address, but rather an unassuming ‘F’.

“Smart boy,” she whispered fondly.

Even from the single initial she could recognize his penmanship. She pulled the letter open and read it with bated breath.

Dear Fae,

I hope this letter reaches only your hands. Your idea is risky, but I like risky. I’m glad you came up with this plan. I was going crazy waiting for your letters. On that note, there is something I’ve been wanting to get off of my chest…and I’m not sure why I didn’t tell you sooner.

Elphaba paused to hold the letter against her chest. The way it was worded set off a million alarm bells in her body. Had Yero come to a similar conclusion as she had? Did Yero feel the same way?

Elphaba took a hopeful breath, braced herself, and excitedly read on.

I’ve been seeing somebody.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Nine: Never Have I Ever ✉

Elphaba was thankful, actually, that Yero was seeing somebody. She was! It knocked the ridiculous notion Galinda had planted in her head clean out of her. She’d known all along that Galinda had been wrong. Yero’s revelation had merely confirmed it. With the ludicrous ordeal about her ‘crush’ settled, Elphaba went about her business in a contentedly detached fashion and continued to write to Yero. Why shouldn’t she? They were still perfectly pleasant platonic pen pals.

“You’ve been in a mood,” Galinda pointed out.

The girls were spending an afternoon at a local parfumerie off campus and, after dozens of samples, Elphaba was failing to react to the fragrances with the kind of enthusiasm Galinda was looking for.

“Galinda, the insides of my nostrils are on fire. If we keep this up, I won’t be able to smell anything ever again.”

“I’m still trying to figure out what kind Fiyero would like best,” Galinda complained, sniffing her wrist for a fifth time. “He’s so close, Elphie. I can tell. He is so close to telling me that he loves me. If I find the right scent, I know he’ll give in.”

“Fiyero this, Fiyero that!” Elphaba grumbled. “He’s all you ever talk about.”

Galinda spritzed a cloud of perfume at her friend as punishment and Elphaba choked on the lilac scented particles.

“You hush, now. Just because you’re cranky about your own love life—”

“I have no love life,” Elphaba coughed.

 “—does not mean you get to criticize mine! Besides…Fiyero and I aren’t the only ones enjoying an autumn romance,” Galinda hinted, shamelessly dangling her gossip.

“Alright I’ll bite,” Elphaba croaked as she held back the urge to hack. “Who is it?”

“You know that darling little Munchkin boy Bick?”

“No.”

“Yes, him! Well, the poor thing was terribly infatuated with me—can you blame him? But after a little matchmaking from yours truly, I have it on good authority that he is taking your sister out tonight!”

“What?!” Elphaba gasped. “Galinda, what did you do?”

“A pretty girl like Nessa could use a sweet boy like him! He just needed a little encouragerizing is all,” Galinda shrugged.

“Galinda, Nessarose is a very impressionable girl!” Elphaba protested. “Why would you do that?”

“I did it for you, Elphie. Nessa is going to be so smitten with Bick that she’ll forget all about your little quarrel,” Galinda explained. “You’re welcome!”

“This better end well, Galinda,” Elphaba warned. “I don’t want Nessa to get crushed.”

It was common knowledge that Galinda was used to getting her way. When she wanted something, she made it happen. Elphaba had to, begrudgingly, admire that. Now that she’d successfully finagled herself into sorcery seminar and set up her unwanted admirer with Nessarose, Galinda had a new goal.

She was determined to make her roommate and boyfriend get along. 

That Friday evening, Elphaba trudged back to her dorm on Galinda’s orders so that they could have a ‘girl’s night’. Elphaba was braced for an evening of nail polish and Ozian fashion magazines, but when she entered their dorm she realized that something much worse was in store for her.

“What is he doing here?!” “What is she doing here?!”

Fiyero and Elphaba went rigid at the sight of the other and Galinda immediately put herself between them to prevent potential fisticuffs.

“Galinda, you told me this was going to be a girl’s night!”

“What?! You told me Elphaba would be out tonight!” Fiyero objected.

“Joke’s on you, I don’t go out!”

“No surprise there. You hate fun.”

“What I hate is your—"

 “Enough!” Galinda held out her arms to call for peace. “Yes, I lied to you both, but it was for the greater good. Accept it and move on!”

Elphaba and Fiyero shared a look before bolting towards the door to escape before the other could. Galinda, who had predicted this, whisked out her training wand and aimed it at the door to magically lock it. Elphaba scoffed and unlocked it manually with her hand.

“It locks from the inside, Galinda.”

Galinda waved her wand and it clicked shut again. Elphaba growled and snapped her fingers, unlocking the door with her own magic.

“Oh, you big show off! You know I can’t do wandless magic!” Galinda stomped.

Galinda waved the wand yet again and the roommates descended into a childish magic war over their shared doorknob. Click. Open. Click. Open. Click. Open.

“Sorcery students…” Fiyero sighed tiredly.  

“You can’t actually keep us in here,” Elphaba declared with a sense of finality as she reached for the knob. In a mad dash Galinda hurled herself in front of the door and threw her arms out to block the way.

“I am Galinda Upland of the Upperuplands and I can do whatever I want! Now you both listen to me. Tonight you are going to work through your differences and we are all going to have a WONDERFUL TIME!” she screamed. “Now sit down! Both of you!”

“But—” Fiyero began.

“Nuh uh.”

“You—” Elphaba tried.

“Zip it, Elphie.”

Elphaba and Fiyero shot each other a befuddled look, briefly united over Galinda’s absurdity. Elphaba lifted her hands in surrender and reluctantly sat on the floor at the foot of her bed. As Galinda and Fiyero sat across from her, Elphaba shot Galinda an exaggerated smile.

“So, what kind of fun do you have planned for us, Galinda?” she mocked in a chipper tone.

“I am so glad you asked, Elphie! For all of us to get along, we need to get to know each other better. Soooooo….” Galinda drum rolled on her knees. “I think we should play a game!”

“A game?” Elphaba grimaced.

“I think a game sounds great!” Fiyero jumped in, draping an arm around Galinda’s shoulder. “After all, games are fun.”

Elphaba shot him a nasty look and Galinda moved on quickly.

“The game is called never have I ever. Have you ever played?”

“Of course,” Fiyero said.

“I’ve been the subject of it,” Elphaba sighed, recalling the ingenious prompt ‘never have I ever seen anyone as creepy as Elphaba’.  

“Great! I’ll say ‘never have I ever’ done something and if you’ve done that thing, you put your finger down. Got it? I’ll go first,” Galinda bounced, gesturing for them to put their hands up. “Never have I ever…stayed up for an entire night.”

Elphaba and Fiyero both put a finger down and Galinda eagerly clapped her hands.

“See? You already have something in common!”

“You’ve never stayed up the entire night?” Fiyero asked Galinda.

“Goodness, no. I need my beauty sleep. Fiyero dearest, you go next.”

“Never have I ever…read an entire book in one sitting,” Fiyero stated. Elphaba, to nobody’s surprise, put a second finger down.

“Is that what kept you up all night?” Fiyero asked snidely. 

“Well, I’m sure it isn’t what kept you up,” Elphaba clapped back.

“Elphie! You go…” Galinda interjected.

“Never have I ever been to The Emerald City,” Elphaba said. Fiyero put a finger down.

“No, but I wanna go so bad!” Galinda whined, pouting over the five fingers she still had up.

“So do I,” Elphaba agreed.

“It’s alright,” Fiyero reported nonchalantly.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. It figured that he’d take something like that for granted.

“Oooh okay,” Galinda said. “Never have I ever been to a funeral, which is just as well. I look terrible in black.”

Elphaba and Fiyero both put their fingers down. Their eyes met for a moment, as if daring the other to say something, but neither did.

“Never have I ever drank alcohol,” Elphaba said. She pretended to act surprised as Galinda and Fiyero both put a finger down. “Wow, shocker.”

“Well forgive us for being awesome people who enjoy having an awesome time,” Fiyero said.

“It’s sad that you feel the need to incapacitate yourself to feel joy, Fiyero. You may want to talk to somebody about that,” Elphaba said dryly.

“Okay, let’s try this. I’m Elphaba and never have I ever had a fun day in my life!” Fiyero snapped and stood to his feet.

“Well, I’m Fiyero and never have I ever taken responsibility for my actions!” Elphaba stood and squared off with him.

“Guys! This isn’t how the game works—"

“Never have I ever been popular!” Fiyero said.

“Never have I ever had a brain!” Elphaba said.

“Never have I ever had friends!” Fiyero hissed.

Elphaba stopped, punched in the gut by his remark, and her face wilted to betray the damage his words had caused. Fiyero’s face twitched and softened, immediately grasping that he’d taken things too far. He opened his mouth to speak but Elphaba, her face already stoning over from her momentary lapse, was quicker.

“Never have I ever met someone as careless as you.”

Elphaba felt a sudden yank on her arm as Galinda, having had enough, began dragging both her and Fiyero across the room. Elphaba and Fiyero resisted her pull but Galinda was surprisingly strong. She threw open the door to her walk-in closet, yanked the string to turn on the light, and promptly shoved the feuding pair inside.

“Galinda!”

“What in Oz?!”

Galinda slammed the door in their faces and dragged over a chair which she propped under the doorknob to barricade them in. Elphaba tried the handle to find that they were indeed trapped. Elphaba banged on the door with the palm of her hand.

“Galinda let us out!”

“No! You two are going to stay in there until you learn to get along. Even if it takes all night!” Galinda slammed her hand twice on the door. “Start talking!”

Elphaba pressed her ear to the door to hear Galinda stomp across the room and fling herself onto her mattress springs with an audible humph!

Stunned over their predicament, Fiyero and Elphaba slowly turned their heads to look at each other. Elphaba stiffened upon registering their close quarters. Galinda’s closet was packed to the brim with gowns and handbags, leaving only precisely enough room for two people to stand inside. The lack of elbow room crammed Fiyero and Elphaba practically nose to nose. A mere inch of air between them prevented them from touching in any way.

“Well, uh…” Fiyero swallowed uncomfortably. “I’m not planning on working out our differences or—”

“Right. Me neither.”

“I can’t believe Galinda thinks this is going to work.”

“Why is it so important to her for us to get along, anyway?” Elphaba complained with a breathy laugh. “It’s never going to happen.”

“Never going to happen. Exactly!” Fiyero agreed.

“Exactly.”

Fiyero lifted his hand to mess with his hair and accidentally whacked his elbow on the coat rod. He sucked in some air through his teeth and began to rub the sore area with his hand. His eyes glanced around the closet, deliberately fixating on anything that wasn’t Elphaba.

“Good thing I’m not claustrophobic,” Fiyero commented. “Are you claustrophobic?”

“No,” Elphaba answered. “I don’t fear silly things like that.”

“Me neither. I fear nothing.”

“Same here.”

They spoke in awkward, hushed tones, as if afraid of being overheard. Being thrown into such an intimate space had very much disarmed them and an awkward silence soon rang in their ears.

“I do have fun, you know,” Elphaba brought up abruptly.

“Huh?”

“You keep saying that I don’t know how to have fun. I do. I just find different things fun.”

“Okay, like what?” Fiyero asked.

“All sorts of things! Like…” Elphaba trailed off as her mind went blank. Like what? “Well…I-I recently took up the harp!”

“The harp?”

“Yes, the harp,” Elphaba nodded. She left out the fact that she hadn’t picked one up since Munchkinland and didn’t plan to. “My sister and I took lessons. We’ve picked up many fun hobbies together, in fact.”

“Like what?”

Elphaba exhaled a sharp puff of air. “You name it. Soap making, bird watching, needlepointing—”

“Needlepointing?” Fiyero asked.

“Yes, why?”

“No reason…” he cleared his throat. “You just don’t seem the type.”

“Well, it’s a hidden talent,” Elphaba explained, straightening up a bit. “I’m damn good at it too.”

Fiyero shot Elphaba an uncharacteristically pensive look before giving his head a small shake.

“So, you have a sister?”

“Yes. Nessarose.”

“Oh! I think she’s in my Ozian Politics class. The one in the—”

“Chair? Yes,” Elphaba confirmed.

“I just didn’t know that you two were sisters is all.”

“Strange, considering our striking resemblance,” Elphaba deadpanned.

Fiyero shot Elphaba an incredulous look and she granted him a gently ironic smile to clue him in on her joke. Despite himself, Fiyero let out an amused chuckle.

“You know, I’ve always wanted a sibling,” he mentioned, shifting his eyes back towards the wall as if fascinated with Galinda’s dresses. “Only child.”

“Well that explains your—everything,” Elphaba snorted. “Well, you may be better off. I cherish Nessa but siblings are work.”

He cast her a questioning glance and she crossed her arms.

“She’s not speaking to me right now,” Elphaba admitted. “Go ahead and make a joke. Something about how even blood relatives don’t associate with me.”

Fiyero didn’t take her up on the offer. Instead, he simply asked, “Why aren’t you speaking?”

“She’s cross with me over my little display in the quad,” Elphaba sighed. “She asked me to be nice to people and, well, look how well that’s going.”

She gestured vaguely at the surroundings of their holding cell and Fiyero laughed again, surprised that Elphaba’s humor kept getting to him.

“Nessa is a sensitive girl; she doesn’t like to stir things up,” Elphaba continued. “It’s just her luck to get stuck with such a twister of a sister. She’s had a rough go of it, particularly when you consider the loss of our mother.”

“Was that the funeral?” Fiyero asked.

“What?”

“You put a finger down about going to a funeral. Was it for your mom?”

“Oh…yes,” Elphaba nodded. “Yes, it was.”

“The funeral I went to was for my grandfather,” he shared. “We were close.”

“Oh…”

“I was pretty young when it happened.”

“I was young too. My mother passed away while delivering Nessa,” Elphaba explained, tucking her hair behind her ears. “I’m…sorry about your grandfather.”

“I’m sorry about your mom.”

Their eyes met and a heavy, but not unwelcome, silence fell between them. Fiyero’s hand twitched with an unidentified impulse and their fingers unintentionally brushed. They yanked them away with breathy, mumbled apologies.

“It sure is snug in here,” Fiyero blurted out with a nervous laugh, inwardly cringing at his own awkwardness.

“Yes, Galinda is an accumulator indeed,” Elphaba nodded towards the multiple dusty hat boxes on the shelf above their heads. “I’ve never even seen her wear one of those.”

“I’ll bet you could take them and she wouldn’t even notice.”

“I’m not much of a hat person,” Elphaba shrugged.

“I’ve seen you wear that cute beanie around.”

Elphaba sputtered and scoffed, caught off guard by his word choice. ‘Cute’ had never been a word used to describe any part of her. Her cheeks felt hot as she awkwardly adjusted her glasses.

“Been paying that much attention to me, have you?”

“Not on purpose,” Fiyero chuckled. “You draw a lot of attention to yourself, you know.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Not because of your skin. Well, not…just because of your skin,” Fiyero allowed. “You just have a way of showing up and making it everybody’s problem.”

Elphaba said nothing, uncertain if she should feel insulted or flattered by his observation. Perhaps a mixture of both. Fiyero, sensing this, continued his train of thought.

“I thought it was hilarious, by the way,” Fiyero said. “Your outburst on the quad.”

“Hilarious? My rage was hilarious?”

“No, the look on everyone else’s faces when they realized they shouldn’t mess with you. That was hilarious,” Fiyero chuckled. “You put the fear of Oz in them.”

“I guess I did,” Elphaba grinned.

She wasn’t conflicted about that one. She was proud. Emboldened by his praise, Elphaba shifted her shoulders towards Fiyero and arched an eyebrow, her initial smile melting into a sly smirk.

“It’s just too bad that it didn’t work on you…” she teased smartly. “Seeing as you’re not afraid of anything.”

The muscles in Fiyero’s face dropped and his eyes locked with Elphaba’s. Elphaba’s smirk gradually fell as she registered his expression and a feverish sensation unexpectedly swelled through her body. A precariously placed shoe suddenly dropped from a high shelf between them and Elphaba and Fiyero leaned backwards to dodge it.

“Oz if you love Galinda, you’ll influence her to downsize,” Elphaba mumbled off hand.

“What?” Fiyero asked with an anxious scoff. “You don’t really believe in all that, do you?”

“All what?”

“Love,” Fiyero answered. “I don’t believe there is any such thing…do you?”

“Well…uh…”

Being as close as they were, Fiyero began to feel Elphaba’s tremulous exhales upon his cheek. He briefly closed his eyes to focus and when they opened again a single word burst into Elphaba’s mind.

Blue.

Her discovery was hardly profound, but she extracted the detail from Fiyero’s being for safekeeping in her mind. Fiyero’s eyes were blue. His eyes were blue.

“Listen, Elphaba…” Fiyero began.

Elphaba offered a slight, expectant nod but Fiyero’s thought had already fizzled out. She briefly held her breath, perhaps to block out Fiyero’s pleasant cologne, and grimly reflected that she’d finally detected a fragrance she liked. Try as she might, she was unable to detach her stare from his, and her senses numbed through as she watched Fiyero’s blue eyes subtly but surely flick down towards her parted lips.

They both swallowed, acutely aware of their proximity as the flushed heat from their skin radiated between them. The subsequent lean in was unconscious but mutual, like a gravitational pull that they were not fully aware of…yet powerless to resist.

“Elphaba…”

The door to the closet suddenly flung open and Elphaba and Fiyero flew apart from each other. Galinda stood before them with a satisfied smile on her face.

“I haven’t heard any bickering for a few minutes!” Galinda boasted. “Sounds like it’s going well!”

“Uh—” Elphaba stammered, wildly thrown off balance. “Uh…"

“Galinda, just—hold on just a clock-tick, okay?” Fiyero decided hastily.

He grabbed the doorknob and quickly pulled it shut once more.

“What!?” Galinda shouted in surprise, knocking on the door impatiently. “Fiyero!"

“What are you—” Elphaba began.

“I’m sorry,” Fiyero cut her off before he could lose his nerve.

“What for?” Elphaba asked dumbly.

“You’re seriously asking me what for?!” Fiyero blurted out. “I’m sorry—okay?! For the thing you’ve been hounding me about literally since the moment I got to Shiz. I’m sorry. Even though I wasn’t driving—I…I am sorry for almost hitting you with my cart. I’m sorry, Elphaba. I’m…sorry.”

Elphaba stared at him for a long moment before breaking into an immense smile as a sense of justice bloomed within her. Elphaba had been subjected to too many unfair things in her life and there were too many apologies she was owed. Now, having finally secured one under her belt, she felt as if she could breathe easy enough to move forward.

“Thank you, Fiyero,” she whispered sincerely. “I accept your apology.”

Fulfilled by her forgiveness, Fiyero put his hand over the doorknob and, after a nod from Elphaba, pushed it open. Galinda stood waiting for them on the other side, looking pleased if not confused.

“You see?” Galinda grinned. “I knew my little trick would work.”

Fiyero and Elphaba exchanged a final glance, the same unspoken thought on their minds.

Yes. Galinda’s trick had worked…perhaps a little too well.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Ten: Fair Weather Friends ✉

She knew that she was pushing boundaries, but Elphaba had never excelled at adhering to limits. That’s why she kept tabs on Nessarose as much as she possibly could. Elphaba’s grief over their estrangement nagged to the point of distraction. If Nessarose’s resentment had come from Elphaba’s lack of friends, shouldn’t she be absolved by now? Elphaba was publicly friends with Galinda and, since the little closet stunt, she was now on…less hostile terms with Fiyero.

Sorcery seminar was going swimmingly, at least for Elphaba. Galinda, while not untalented, was not as natural a study. It was clear that Madame Morrible considered her a nuisance, but Elphaba liked having her around.

“Look into the glass and picture someone in your life that you care about,” Morrible instructed her two pupils as they sat at a small table with two crystal balls. “Their current whereabouts should soon become visible to you.”

“I only see fog,” Galinda pouted into her crystal ball. “Oh! Maybe he’s stuck in fog?”

“If you fail to see the present there is little hope for you to see the future,” Morrible said in a sing-song voice.

Galinda sneered at Morrible while her back was turned before squinting back towards her orb in determination. Meanwhile, Elphaba traced her slender fingers along the smooth glass ball until a hazy image of Nessarose and Boq appeared. Nessarose was smiling ear to ear as Boq sat beside her. Even through the distorted image, Elphaba could tell how smitten her sister was.

“Oh, it’s Fiyero! I saw him in the orb thingy!” Galinda squealed excitedly.

Elphaba looked up at Galinda, briefly distracted by her outburst, and when she returned her eyes to her own crystal ball she was shocked to see that it no longer displayed Nessarose. Elphaba instead saw a clear image of Fiyero scribbling away at some paper. Startled by the sudden vision, she scooted back in her chair and tore her hands off of the crystal ball. Fiyero dissipated into the fog.

“Oooh, what did you see?” Galinda asked, intrigued by Elphaba’s reaction.

“Nothing—” Elphaba answered in a rattled tone. “Nessa. I saw Nessa.”

On Monday morning, after a mishap with her curling iron, Galinda made an emergency hair appointment that conflicted with Doctor Dillamond’s class. After a long lecture criticizing Galinda’s decision to play hooky, Elphaba eventually left without her. It was overcast and gray as Elphaba made the trek across campus. Someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind and she whipped around defensively as if she were about to be ambushed. 

“Whoa!” Fiyero exclaimed. “Take it easy.”

“You startled me,” Elphaba complained before continuing forward. Fiyero took a few springy steps to catch up with her long strides and began walking beside her.

“Where’s Galinda?”

“She cooked her hair,” Elphaba rolled her eyes.

“Ah. Why didn’t she just wear a hat? She’s got loads of them!” Fiyero nudged Elphaba as he referenced their private joke.

“That she does.”

“Did you get any pictures of her hair?” Fiyero asked cheekily.

Elphaba forced back a guilty grin. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t.”

“You walk fast,” Fiyero pointed out.

“I’m tall.”

“This is you,” Fiyero demonstrated. He slumped his posture, clenched his fists, and began charging in long strides with a dramatic frown.

“I do not look like that,” Elphaba swatted him, trying in vain not to appear too entertained over his antics.

With a jaunty, dance-like step Fiyero sped up his step and spun to stand in front of Elphaba so she had to stop.

“Do you ever stop to enjoy the world around you?”

“I can enjoy the world after Dillamond’s class. We can’t all take the time to confer with the flowers—some of us have important places to be,” Elphaba teased smartly.

Fiyero placed a hand over his chest as if wounded by her words. “I’ll have you know I have very important places to be. I am a prince you know!”

“You are? You’ve never mentioned it! Now may I go to class?” Elphaba performed a mocking curtsy. “Your majesty?”

“Sure thing. In fact, I’ll race you there,” Fiyero challenged. Elphaba’s eyebrows shot up.

“Alright then. Challenge accepted,” she decided, pushing up the sleeves to her turtleneck and securing her bag around her shoulder.

“Wait—I—” Fiyero stammered, clearly shocked that Elphaba had taken his joke seriously.

“On your mark…”

“I was kidding!”

“Get set…”

Fiyero scrambled to secure his own bag and frantically poised himself to race.

“GO!”

Elphaba and Fiyero shot off, sprinting in the direction of Dillamond’s class. Fiyero took the lead over Elphaba fairly soon, cockily shooting past her at full speed. He spared a glance backwards to gloat, only to find that Elphaba was steadily advancing. The hall came into view and Fiyero started losing steam a bit, giving Elphaba the chance to meet him shoulder to shoulder. They both reached the door to the building at the same time and clumsily pulled it open. Elphaba slipped past it first and stuck her tongue out at Fiyero as she took the lead. The pair competitively weaved through dumbfounded students and professors alike until they sped the home stretch to Dillamond’s classroom. Both of them stretched their arms out as far as they could in hopes to be the first one to touch the classroom door. It seemed like it could be anyone’s race, but one hand managed to hit the door a split clock-tick before the other—a green hand.

“Yes! I won!” Elphaba beamed breathlessly.

“Barely!” Fiyero rasped, clutching his chest as he caught his breath. “How did you learn how to run like that?”

“When you grow up as a target you’ve got to learn to be fast.”

There was a subtle shift in Fiyero’s expression at her answer and their eyes met. Elphaba’s loose hair was windswept and disheveled, a thin layer of sweat shone on her sharp features, and her lips were parted as she worked to catch her breath. Their eyes simultaneously shifted towards their hands on the doorframe. Fiyero’s hand had landed close enough that his pinky finger overlapped with hers. Elphaba cleared her throat before shyly moving her hand away.

“You wore yourself out in the beginning,” she explained, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Slow and steady.”

“Slow and steady,” Fiyero repeated dumbly.

“Yep…” Elphaba nodded before her face broke into a shamelessly arrogant smile. “That’s how I beat you! Ha! I won! I won! I won I won I won!”

Elphaba continued to taunt him childishly, jumping around in a celebratory circle and poking him in the chest with her index fingers as she cackled victoriously. Fiyero slid his thumbs in his pockets, taking her jabs in stride as he watched her celebrate. He didn’t have the heart to stop her, in fact…he was almost happy that he’d lost.

“Master Tigelaar, Miss Thropp, I’ll thank you to join your classmates inside,” said a voice.

However, it was not Doctor Dillamond, but rather Madame Morrible who had spoken. Elphaba clammed up at once upon seeing their Headmistress and nodded sheepishly. Fiyero and Elphaba both entered the classroom and sat beside each other at the front row table. Elphaba’s eyes shifted around the room and her face fell as she read the demeanors of Madame Morrible, an unknown official, and a rather grave looking Doctor Dillamond who stood behind a cleared desk.

“Something is wrong…” Elphaba muttered faintly.

Doctor Dillamond shifted his eyes to Morrible who gave him a curt nod.

“My dear students, this is my last day here at Shiz,” Dillamond said.

“What?” Elphaba stood urgently.

“Miss Elphaba—” Dillamond acknowledged her. His voice was gravelly and hoarse. He lifted his hoof to his throat as if something dry were caught in it. 

“Professor, why?!” Elphaba asked.

“Rest assured that you will be sorely missed, Professor!” Morrible jumped in. “We wish you all the luck on your next endeavor.”

“Thank you, Madame Morrible,” Doctor Dillamond nodded in a docile manner. “I am most grateful…most grateful to…”

“Go on, Professor…” Morrible prompted.

But Doctor Dillamond had trailed off upon spotting Elphaba’s desperate expression pleading, pleading him for the truth.

“Animals are no longer permitted to teach!” Dillamond shouted abruptly. Elphaba gasped as the door to the classroom burst open to admit two more officials who seized Dillamond’s arms. Dillamond continued to shout as he struggled to resist their hold. “You’ll not be told the whole story! My students—!”

“Doctor Dillamond!” Elphaba yelled.

“Hear this, Miss Elphaba! I shall continue speaking out! They can’t hold me baaaaa—” Doctor Dillamond let out a terrible rasping bleat.

Elphaba clapped her hands over her mouth in horror as the officials dragged Doctor Dillamond out of the classroom. Elphaba moved to chase after him but a bony arm wrapped around her shoulder to stop her.

“Yes, it’s dreadful. Terribly dreadful, Miss Elphaba! But I’m afraid that there is nothing we can do!” Morrible bemoaned. “Doctor Dillamond has grander things in store for him now. Now sit.”

“Madame—”

“Sit.”

Elphaba shook as she turned back towards her classmates. They were silent, whether from shock or ambivalence Elphaba couldn’t tell, but in the end the reason didn’t matter. The only one that had budged at all was Fiyero who had stood at his desk, his face difficult to read. Elphaba met his eyes, and only when he gave her a faint nod did she return to her seat beside him.

The official who’d been standing in the corner moved forward to Dillamond’s old desk and set a large covered object upon it.

“Class, this is Doctor Nikidik. He will be taking over for Doctor Dillamond. I’ll leave you to it, Professor!” Morrible gestured for him to take over. She spared Elphaba one last glance before taking her leave.

“Good day, class! Let’s get right to it. As this is a history class, I thought it’d be beneficial for you all to witness history—” he tapped the covered object twice, “—being made!”

He tore off the covering and Elphaba felt like she would be sick. A Lion Cub, a baby, was trembling behind the metal bars of a cage. Doctor Nikidik chuckled and shook the cage, eliciting a frightened growl from the Cub. Elphaba gripped the edge of her table so tightly her palms turned white and Fiyero watched her with a concerned expression.

“Hey…” he began under his breath. “Are you alright?”

“Someone has to do something,” she mumbled, more to herself than to him. “Someone has to do something.”

“This cage, you see, is actually for the Animal’s own good! One of the benefits of caging a Cub this young is that he will never, in fact, learn how to speak!” Professor Nikidik announced. “Now everyone gather round!”

Students began pulling out of their seats and making their way towards the cage to examine it. Elphaba stood and tried to catch their attention as they went by.

“What are you doing?!” she begged her classmates. “Don’t just listen to him!”

“Shut up. It’s just class,” a girl muttered as she passed by.

“It’s wrong!” Elphaba shouted desperately. “It’s wrong!”

The class was packed around the table now and Elphaba stood on the outskirts, looking over the crowd.

“Can I touch it?” Fox asked Nikidik as he examined the cage with interest.

“Why, of course!”

“Why—why…why don’t you care!?” Elphaba began to falter defeatedly. First Dillamond, now the Cub. Everyone was going about as if a great wrong weren’t happening before them. She turned to see Fiyero beside her and she gave him a despairing look. “Why doesn’t anyone care?”

Something shifted in Fiyero’s gaze. He set his jaw determinedly and the next moment he was recklessly charging into the crowd of pupils. He shouldered past them, boldly grabbed the cage, and lifted it over their heads.

“Hey—young man! Young man, what are you doing!?” Nikidik yelled after Fiyero.

Elphaba stood frozen on the spot as Fiyero darted towards her with the cage in tow.

“What are you doing?” she asked dumbly.

“What does it look like I’m doing!?” Fiyero returned in a flabbergasted tone. “You just proved how fast you could run. So, come on…run!”

Elphaba didn’t have to be told twice. She turned on her heel and she and Fiyero booked it out of the classroom’s back door. They ran out of the building as chaotically as they’d entered it and they did not quit running until they’d reached a clearing far on the outskirts of campus. Gray clouds rolled in as they slowed to a stop and Elphaba took the cage from Fiyero’s arms to gingerly set it on the ground. She lifted the covering and moaned in heartache to see the Cub cowering in the corner.

“Hey it’s okay,” Elphaba whispered. “You’re safe now.”

Fiyero kneeled beside Elphaba but she didn’t look at him. Her lower lip trembled as she offered the Cub the chance to sniff her hand through the bars.

“He’s so frightened,” Elphaba lamented. “He’s frightened of me. All I wanted to do was help.”

“You did help.”

“No,” Elphaba shook her head restlessly and stood to pace away from him. “Nothing I ever do helps. I feel like I’ve been spending my whole life screaming at brick walls. I just make a lot of noise, Fiyero. I make a lot of noise…and nobody ever hears.”

Fiyero stood.

“Yeah…but you try.”

“What?” Elphaba asked, turning to look at him with a furrowed brow.

“You try. Even if people don’t listen, you still try. That’s a hell of a lot more than the rest of us do.” Fiyero shoved his hands in his pockets. “That’s a hell of a lot more than I do.”

“That’s not true,” Elphaba said softly.

“Sure, it is. Because it’s easy. It’s easy not to pay attention, it’s easy not to think, it’s easy to go along with the whole thoughtless lot of them,” Fiyero said. “But you cared about the Cub so much that it…changed everything. What’s it like to care about something that much?”

“You care about things too,” Elphaba pointed out. “I know you do.”

“Ah, Elphaba. I’m as careless as they come.”

“No, you’re not,” Elphaba reaffirmed. She gave Fiyero a long, knowing look. “Or you wouldn’t be so unhappy.”

There was an abrupt, visible change in Fiyero’s body. Paralyzed and dumbfounded, he searched Elphaba’s eyes with fierce, sudden meaning.

“What did you just say?” he asked in a hushed tone.

“I said that—”

“Do you know?”

“Know what?”

“Damn it, Elphaba!” Fiyero yelled. “If you know then you have to tell me! Do you—are you—”

“Look, I don’t know why you’re yelling at me!” Elphaba reacted defensively before turning to storm away.

“No, Elphaba. Wait!”

Fiyero instinctively threw his arm forwards and clutched Elphaba’s hand in his own. He laced his fingers with hers and held on tight so that she wouldn’t run away. Elphaba stopped and slowly turned back towards Fiyero. Their gaze shifted towards their linked hands and then back to each other with a tender expression as their hearts hammered in a way that was impossible to ignore. Elphaba opened her mouth to say something but, for once in her life, she was speechless. Or, was it perhaps that for once in her life…nothing needed to be said?

The spell was suddenly broken when a large, unexpected drop of rain splattered against Elphaba’s temple. They hastily unlinked their hands as the bead of water slid down her face and Fiyero gave her an urgent look as more scattered drops pelted around them.

“Are you okay? Do you need to get out of here?” he asked in concern.

“What—”

“The rain! Are you okay in the rain?!” he asked, his eyes scanning the clearing for shelter.

“It’s just rain, Fiyero.”

“But what about what your—your—”

“My what?” Elphaba lifted an eyebrow.

“Your allergy! People are saying that you’re allergic to water!”

Elphaba paused. “Why are they saying that?”

“Well, when Jozsef threw the water at you, you stopped it so people started saying that maybe water—”

Fiyero stopped short and slammed his mouth shut, as if finally hearing how dumb it all sounded.

“Go on,” Elphaba pressed, narrowing her eyes.

Fiyero swallowed and anxiously observed Elphaba’s glare. “They were saying that water could…melt you?”

Elphaba pursed her lips, her hair beginning to dampen and stick to the sides of the face as the rain picked up. She silently shook her head and turned her back to Fiyero as she processed.

“It was just a stupid rumor, Elphaba. You know how gossip can get out of hand—”

“That’s not what I’m mad about!” Elphaba shouted, turning around menacingly. “People make things up about me all the time. I’m mad that you would be empty headed enough to believe them!”

Fiyero went rigid at her comment. He’d been prodded one too many times.

“Why do you always do that, huh?!” Fiyero asked angrily. “Why do you make so many comments about how brainless I am!? Do you know how stupid that makes me feel?”

“Well do you know how dehumanizing it feels to hear that you believed—”

“I didn’t say that I believed it!”

“—that water would melt me?!”

As their altercation grew in intensity, so did the rain, forcing the quarreling duo to raise their voices over the downpour.

“You know what, Elphaba? You’re always talking about how nobody likes you and then you turn around and act like you’re so much better and smarter than everyone else!” Fiyero accused.

“You don’t know the first thing about me!”

“Oh yeah? Well, maybe I don’t care to.”

Both parties now sufficiently wounded, the pair ceased fire. They each held each other in a strong stare, teeth gritted, shoulders tensed, and nothing accomplished. Low thunder rumbled through the clearing as the pair, now drenched and cold, caught their breath.

“I can’t believe that I actually thought that you were different,” Elphaba said weakly. “I can’t believe that I actually…”

She trailed off before she could introduce the implications to reality. Fiyero said nothing, he didn’t need to. He knew exactly what she meant. They both felt that if they never acknowledged what had been happening between them…that it’d be like it never happened at all.

“Yeah well…” Fiyero cleared his throat.

He gestured to the Cub’s covered cage before sparing one last glance to Elphaba. Soaked to the bone and shivering from the chill of the autumn rain, Fiyero observed that Elphaba was uninjured…though perhaps not altogether unharmed. He grabbed the cage and dashed off with sloshing steps in search of a dry place to release him.

As Elphaba watched him go she could feel herself steeling up for what was to come. She urged her mind to scratch out the racing of her heart, the feel of his hand, and the blue of his eyes.

It would be as if Fiyero had never happened to her. Like he’d never happened at all.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Eleven: The Dance Around ✉

Being on unfriendly terms with people was hardly new to Elphaba, so she had a hard time figuring out why her falling out with Fiyero felt so different. Galinda, who admittedly didn’t have the whole story, was cross that they’d backtracked after ‘making so much progress’. She stated that they seemed to be on worse terms now than before. Elphaba concurred.

Elphaba didn’t have time to linger in her discontentment for long, however, for an unexpected shift in Yero’s writing began captivating the majority of her attention. She’d been trying not to read too much into his prose, especially because he was seeing somebody, but things between them had…changed.

Elphaba, staying true to herself, first processed these observations in a logical way as she gathered and analyzed evidence.

Since Yero’s first letter stating the existence of his significant other, he had not mentioned them at all. Perhaps he was private about his romantic life, which was within his right, but it felt strange. It felt intentional. Elphaba had been trying in vain to manage her jealous feelings towards the mystery partner seeing as she had no claim over Yero. However, if that were true, then why did he write her in the way he did?

Dear Fae,

I’ve had the worst day. I don’t know how to explain why without going into too much detail, so I’ll just say that sometimes people aren’t who you think they are. Sometimes you’re pretty sure you can tell how someone is feeling and then you find out you’re totally wrong.

Then there’s you. I wonder about you constantly, Fae. I think about where you are, what you’re doing, if you’re close to me at any given moment. I wonder what your voice sounds like. I wonder if you have curly or straight hair. I wonder if you’re tall or short. I daydream about the color of your eyes. The weird thing is that as much as I want to know those things—they don’t matter much. I feel like I already know you. I couldn’t know you better if I knew your name.

I’m not usually one to overthink things but I feel so…psychologically mixed up. I’m sorry if this letter is a lot but I can’t stop thinking about you, Fae. Do you feel the same? 

Sincerely, Yero

While Elphaba was a total stranger to the concept of romance, it didn’t take an expert to construe that Yero’s letters were toeing the boundary line between friends and…more. Elphaba wanted to share her secret with Galinda more than ever, if only to validate her theory that Yero was, for lack of a better word, flirting.

Damned though she may be, ever reasonable Elphaba began feeling in earnest the throws of her crush on Yero, which she now freely admitted to…if only to herself. Even if it ended too fast, for now, she gave herself permission to feel beguiled. After all, it may well be her only chance in life to feel such things at all. She had never felt that way before—

With one exception, Elphaba’s brain intruded.

But no, that didn’t happen. The closet, the Cub…it wasn’t reality. After hours of pondering her predicament, Elphaba came to a conclusion regarding her ‘glitches’ with Fiyero. Proximity and prolonged eye contact, like when they were trapped together, were psychologically proven to increase self-awareness, signal trust, and generate feelings of…arousal. In the end, simple brain chemistry was the culprit regarding what she thought she felt with Fiyero.

Moreover, acknowledging the unfortunate coincidence that her pen pal’s nom de plume was strikingly similar to Fiyero’s given name, it was only natural for unintentional comparisons to arise. It was just her luck, after all. Out of everyone in Oz, the two people she found herself entangled with had almost the same name.

Not that she was entangled with Fiyero.

Yero, however, was a different story.

For maybe the first time in her life, Elphaba’s brain relinquished control over to her heart. It shied away in the corner as her hand, as if guided by a force greater than herself, penned the words:

Dear Yero,

I can’t stop thinking about you either.

Elphaba didn’t need her crystal ball to predict how her and Yero’s little game would end. It was unwritten yet understood between them that their dalliance had an expiration date. Elphaba would sooner drop out of Shiz than reveal her identity to Yero, so there was no way for their relationship to progress beyond the pages. Even so, they continued to exchange affectionate letters daily, recklessly hurtling towards their inevitable fate.

Yes—they exchanged letters, for Elphaba, despite her rational understanding of their situation, could not help but to reciprocate Yero’s sentiments. Here was someone who took an interest in her words and ideas. The things she said mattered to someone. After everything…Elphaba was too lonely to resist that. So, acting in an irresponsibly vulnerable way, Elphaba waited for the other shoe to drop as she and Yero began dancing around an unspoken subject.

Dear Yero,

I want to know everything about you.

Fae divulged little details of her life, hungry to be known by Yero. She shared her love of blackberries and how she was currently reading ‘Discord and Discontent’. Then she danced around the idea of how profound the mundane details about him had become to her.

Dear Fae,

I’ve never had feelings for anyone I’ve dated.

Yero described his hollow romantic history. He relayed stories of nameless dates and meaningless rendezvouses. He wrote of evading anything real for the lack of a letdown. Then he danced around the idea of how much he now wanted to feel something real.

Dear Yero,

I’ve never had feelings for anybody.

Fae stressed how unlike her this all was and how she was unaccustomed to romance in any form. She relayed how her growing feelings for him were new and frightening. She timidly yet trustingly confessed the fact that she had never been kissed. She danced around just how much she longed to be kissed by him.

Dear Fae,

I want to hold you.

Yero boldly committed his scandalous thoughts to paper. He narrated dreams he kept having about the two of them and described his desires in blushing detail. He confessed to his sexual experience, but stated that it had always meant little to him. He then danced around all of the things that he longed to show her, do to her…

Dear Yero,

I want to be with you.

Fae poured out her lonely heart onto the page. She revealed years of loneliness, of putting on a brave face to hide what she felt. She cited traumatic examples of mistreatment and neglect at the hands of her family and others. She danced around just how much he meant to her.

Dear Fae,

I want to meet you.

And the shoe dropped.

There it was, the dreaded conclusion to their game. Elphaba closed her eyes and leaned her back against their oak tree, clutching the letter to her heart as a despair she’d been anticipating for weeks spread through her. They had, as she knew they would, taken things too far. The coy curiosity had gotten to be too much. Yero needed to see her, know her as she is, he needed to meet Fae. He needed to meet…Elphaba.

Elphaba, her whole body straining to maintain composure, turned her body and pressed her forehead against the bark of the tree. Why had she let this continue? Why had she given so much of herself into these letters? She opened her eyes and read the rest of the damning script, as if it would change anything. As if it could.

Dear Fae,

I want to meet you.

I know what you’re going to say about your rules, but things are different now. How long can we go on sharing our feelings without acting on them? I know that you must have some reason or secret to be so against meeting but whatever it is…I don’t care. There is nothing that you could reveal about yourself that would make me not want to be with you.

“Yes, there is,” Elphaba whispered aloud.

Please, Fae. If you care about me at all, you will consider it. Meet me at the café on the west side of campus on Wednesday at 4:00pm. Bring a book and put the flower in it so that I know it’s you. Please don’t write until then, take the time to think about it. If you don’t show, I’ll take that as your answer.

I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up without losing what is left of my mind.

Love, Yero

Elphaba brushed her thumb over his signature with a lump growing in her throat.

Love. The crumpled drafts, the scrapped post-scripts, the thing that has been on the tip of their pens at all times. That word, the word that hid in plain sight within their valedictions…that was their dance.

Galinda had it right from the beginning.

Elphaba opened the envelope further and pulled out a fragile red poppy that looked like it had previously been pressed by a book. She looked back to his letter and spotted a postscript.

P.S. Look at the tree.

Elphaba turned and, after a few clock-ticks of inspection, she spotted it. A small but deliberate carving was now visible upon the tree right beside the hollow. Y + F. Elphaba’s fingers traced the etching in awe, chuckling to herself as she pictured Yero resisting the urge to also carve 4ever afterwards. He would be the type. But no, their discrete initials were perfect. There was a permanence to it, a promise.

Elphaba’s pulse rushed as she considered Yero’s proposition. Certain disaster was ahead for Yero and Fae, she knew that even if he did not. But didn’t she owe it to him to try?

Didn’t she owe it to herself?

Betraying the firm convictions she’d outlined in her letters as well as every morsel of self-preservation she had, that next Wednesday Elphaba Thropp pushed into the little café with a book and a flower in her bag.

She ordered a black coffee, sat down at an empty table, and tried not to attract any more attention to herself than her existence already provided her. She opened her copy of ‘Discord and Discontent’ and carefully pulled the flower out of the top of the page. Elphaba peeked around to see if there was an immediate recognition, but when nobody paid her much mind, her shoulders relaxed. Her eyes scanned her page as she waited for her doom, but it was mostly for show. Her brain was on fire with fearsome doubt. Her heart came through so fluidly onto the page, but this was different. There was no more hiding behind her paper and pen.

Will he like me when we meet? Elphaba thought, but the answer charged through right after. No.

She closed her eyes.

Nobody likes you. Nobody could.

“Elphaba?”

Elphaba’s eyes sprung open in surprise, but the person who spoke was not her mystery suitor. Her eyes came into focus and she saw the last person she expected in front of her.

“Nessa?” Elphaba asked faintly. Nessarose regarded her and pursed her lips, as if on the fence about engaging or not.

“You look dreadful,” she settled on.

Elphaba gave a short, humorless laugh.

“You do wonders for my confidence.”

“I only meant that you look rather pale…clammy,” Nessarose pointed out. “Is something the matter?”

Nessarose’s sudden appearance had thrown Elphaba off guard.

“Why are you talking to me, Nessa? In public no less.”

Nessarose winced and folded her hands in her lap. “You looked off, is all. If you don’t want me to bother you, I’ll go.”

“No, I do,” Elphaba said hurriedly. “Did you…want to join me?”

Nessarose joined Elphaba at the table with a simple nod. She looked pale as well. Elphaba couldn’t help but reflect on how strange this all was. Here she was about to meet her mystery admirer only for Nessarose to approach her for the first time in weeks.

“Something has been troubling me,” Nessarose began slowly. Elphaba gave her a nod to continue. “My helper Amalia, the Badger? She was fired.”

“Fired?”

“Yes, and I don’t know where she has gone,” Nessarose shared, gripping nervously at her skirt. “It happened the same day that the professor was fired, the Goat. I think you had him?”

“Yes, Doctor Dillamond.”

“She was always a nervous creature but she’d been getting increasingly more paranoid. I thought it was nothing, but now…” Nessarose trailed off. “She kept saying things before, about bad things happening. She was warning me. Do you know anything about that?”

Elphaba recalled seeing Dillamond getting dragged away and nodded solemnly. “Yes, I do. A little bit,” Elphaba amended.

“I thought you did. Boq told me all about your protest,” she mentioned off hand.

“Boq, huh?” Elphaba couldn’t help but prod. “Galinda told me about you two.”

Nessarose nodded sheepishly and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Yes…and I think he’s wonderful. He’s a perfect gentleman.”

“Are you happy?” Elphaba asked.

Nessarose hesitated.

“I think so. Yes, indeed. I think so. Anyway, I wanted to let you know about Amalia. We’d grown rather close, in fact, and…I miss her. I know she wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye. Not if she’d been given the option,” Nessarose said with a troubled look before clearing her throat. “Probably nothing but I was feeling a little nervous, I suppose.”

The bell on the café door opened and Elphaba looked back in panic, only now remembering the reason she was here in the first place.

“What is going on with you? You’re fidgety, I’ve never seen you so fidgety,” Nessarose pointed out.

“It’s nothing.”

Nessarose shook her head and tapped a finger at Elphaba’s book. “What is that?”

“A book.”

“The flower! You hate flowers!” Nessarose sighed in exasperation.

“I don’t hate flowers!” Elphaba blurted out. “I-I like this flower.”

Nessarose arched an eyebrow and Elphaba’s shoulders sagged. She sighed, sparing the café one more glance over before looking back towards Nessarose. Galinda had tried and failed to get details about Yero out of her, but Elphaba historically never stood a chance against Nessarose. Besides, after today, Yero would be inconsequential.  

“I’m…meeting somebody.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re meeting a stranger?! Elphaba, that's dangerous. I’m surprised at you.”

“I don’t know his name—

“His?”

“—or what he looks like, but I actually know him very well, Nessa! I know all of the things about him that matter, I’ve just never…met him. That’s all,” Elphaba explained badly.

“You’ve talked to him, though?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“How?”

“Well, you should know, Nessa. You signed me up for the program!” Elphaba rebutted defensively.

Nessarose’s jaw dropped. “Your…pen pal? You’re still writing your pen pal?!”

“Well, I’ve always been better about follow through.”

Nessarose continued to gape at her sister before breaking out into a fit of mocking giggles.

“Well, seeing as I’m the cause for you two meeting I’d better be present at the wedding,” Nessarose sighed as her laughter began to dwindle.

“What exactly are you laughing at?” Elphaba asked tersely.

“I’m sorry, Elphaba. It’s just so absurd! I wrote one letter to mine before quitting, only to find out you’ve fallen in love with yours!”

“I really wish people would stop saying that,” Elphaba mumbled, placing her burning face in her hands.

“Wait…are you serious?” Nessarose asked slowly as she gauged her sister’s face. “Oh, Elphaba, don’t do this. Don’t you see that this is all probably some petty trick on you?”

“Is it so crazy, Nessa? Is it so crazy that I could like someone and that they’d like me back?”

“You just said that you didn’t know what he looked like. Does he know what you look like? Did you tell him that you’re green?!” Nessarose asked.

Elphaba flinched as if she’d been smacked and turned her head away from Nessarose. Nessarose noticed the hurt on her sister’s face and began to stammer, trying to find the right words to back track.

“Go and join your friends,” Elphaba said coldly. “You wouldn’t want to be seen with me.”

Nessarose stared at her for a moment before obeying her sister’s command and wheeling away. Elphaba’s face twitched with rage and disgrace. She spotted the poppy and, thinking quickly, plucked it towards the middle of the page and slammed it into her book. She hastily grabbed her things and moved to leave the café before she could get caught.

Head ducked in shame, Elphaba forcefully pushed on the door to exit and nearly ran headlong into Fiyero Tigelaar.

Figures. He was always present for her humiliations.

“Hey, are you okay?” Fiyero asked with a furrowed brow.

Elphaba merely scowled at him with bloodshot brown eyes and sniffed as she shoved past him to make her escape.

She’d apologize to Yero later.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Twelve: The Green Glass Giveaway ✉

Dear Yero,

I am sorry I didn’t show. It had nothing to do with you. Please forgive me. 

Love, Fae

Elphaba was feeling sorry for herself as she entered her dorm but her attention was redirected as soon as a fluffy skirt nearly whacked her in the face. Piles of Galinda’s clothes, shoes, and purses were strewn carelessly all across the room. But if the room was in disarray, it was nothing compared to Galinda. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was out of place as she frantically combed through her belongings. 

“Galinda, what in Oz?”

Galinda looked up and scrambled to her feet, rushing to Elphaba’s side and gripping her shoulders. 

“Elphie, you’ve gotta help me. Fiyero is throwing a big bash at the OzDust and I have nothing to wear!”

“Is that all?” Elphaba sighed. “I thought you’d lost something.”

“No, no not yet. But Elphie, you don’t understand. If I don’t get this outfit right, I might lose him!” Galinda stressed. 

“Don’t be silly, Galinda. Fiyero’s crazy about you,” she assured her. 

“Oh, but Elphie, you don’t know what it’s been like! He’s been thinking a lot and yesterday I even saw him open a book. A book, Elphie!” Galinda said in a drastic tone. “It’s like I don’t even know him!”

“Okay, Galinda. Breathe,” Elphaba instructed. Galinda took in a dramatic inhale and held it. “And breathe out!” Elphaba reminded her hurriedly. 

Galinda exhaled heavily and began to pace. “I can tell he’s going to break up with me, Elphie. I don’t know how I can tell–it’s obviously never happened to me–but I can! Oh Elphie, what if he bolts?”

“If he bolts then let him bolt!” Elphaba blurted out. “Honestly you shouldn’t fight tooth and nail for someone who isn’t right for you.”

“But he is right for me! He’s perfect, I’m perfect, we’re perfect! No, not quite. I don’t think he’s perfect anymore, but I still want him. I do! I’ve told him that I love him like a zillion times and he’s never said it to me. Can you imagine?!” Galinda wailed. 

Elphaba swallowed as she recalled Fiyero’s doubts about love. She hated to see her friend get her hopes up so high when he may never reciprocate his feelings, but she didn’t want to be the one to break it to her. Besides, it was not her place. 

“Galinda, don’t worry. Everything will work out the way it’s meant to work out,” Elphaba assured her in a calming tone.

Galinda’s lip was still pouted, but she nodded and rushed Elphaba to squeeze her into a hug. 

“Thank you. You always say the right thing,” Galinda sniffled. “I knew I could count on my best friend.”

Elphaba pulled out of the hug with an amazed expression. “I-I’m your best friend?”

“Of course, silly!” Galinda replied. She took in the expression on Elphaba’s face and softened. “Well…didn’t you know?”

Elphaba shrugged and shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”

“Oh, well. You are.”

Galinda reached out and gave Elphaba’s hand a reassuring squeeze and Elphaba squeezed it back. Elphaba didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing.

“Let’s get rid of this mess, shall we?” Elphaba nodded. “It looks like a cyclone’s been through here.”

Galinda finally picked an outfit that suited her standards and set it aside for the party the next day. Elphaba helped organize the rest of her closet save for some hat boxes that they’d forgotten to squeeze back in. 

“Ah–just kick those in the corner. I’ll get to them later,” Galinda sighed, flopping tiredly onto her bed as Elphaba fixed for bed.

Elphaba fastened her nightlight into the wall and settled into the covers before pulling out her mother’s green bottle with a thoughtful look.

“You love that little bottle of yours, huh?” Galinda asked.

Elphaba nodded. 

“Yes. I saw Nessa today and I guess it was just on my mind. You know I…haven’t told Nessa that I have this. She doesn’t know it exists,” Elphaba admitted guiltily. “My father got rid of everything that belonged to our mother. Sometimes I feel like I should tell Nessa I have it but, and this feels awful to say, she already has so much. When it came to this bottle…I guess I just wanted something…and I took it.”

“I knew the bottle was better than you let on,” Galinda shared smugly. “You know, it means a lot that you’d share something with me that you’ve never shared with anyone before. Thank you for telling me that.”

Elphaba opened her mouth but closed it. She didn’t have the heart to tell Galinda that she had told–or rather written–that story once before. So, she merely said: “You’re welcome.”

The next morning after Galinda left to spend time with Fiyero, Elphaba made the trip to her and Yero’s tree. She fondly ran her fingers over their initials before feeling inside for her letter. It was there as expected.

Dear Fae,

I forgive you for not showing up, though I won’t say that I wasn’t disappointed. There will be a party at the OzDust Ballroom this weekend. I know that parties aren’t really your thing but there will be lots of people so we can fly under the radar. I’ll be standing by the clock in the foyer at exactly eight o’clock. Please meet me there, Fae. I’ll be waiting for you.  

Love, Yero

The day was nippy with dew as Elphaba numbly walked back towards campus. Tonight at eight, that’s when it would all end. Her stranger would be revealed and Yero and Fae would be no more. She only hoped that when Yero saw her…he’d be kind. She hoped he’d be gracious enough to keep their letters a secret. She hoped that they’d part ways amicably with a handshake or an embarrassed laugh. She hoped Yero could fade into the back of her mind and she could live content with the knowledge that someone fell for her once, even if in words only. 

Elphaba, stuck inside her brain as she so often was, only came back to reality as she took a shortcut through a hall and heard two familiar voices. Elphaba quickened her step and turned to the corner to see Galinda and Fiyero engaged in a public shouting match.

“I’m Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, you can’t do this to me!” Galinda wailed, her shoulders shaking with manic sobs.

Galinda turned her head and, upon spotting Elphaba, sped towards her and threw her arms around her in a hug. Elphaba wrapped her arms around her and glared towards an uncomfortable looking Fiyero.

“Why is she crying? What did you do?!” Elphaba snapped at Fiyero as Galinda cried into her shoulder.

“I didn’t do anything—” Fiyero began defensively.

“That’s right you didn’t! You don’t get to break up with me, I’m breaking up with you!” Galinda turned and shouted.

“You broke up with her?! Are you serious?!” Elphaba seethed.

Galinda broke into fresh tears and Elphaba moved her head to rest against her shoulder.

“That’s what all of that thinking has caused! Nothing but trouble!” Galinda lamented melodramatically.

Elphaba turned to Galinda and wiped the tears off of her face. “He’s not worth this, Galinda. Let’s get you out of here.”

“I need to get my things from his dorm,” Galinda hiccupped. “I don’t want his grubby hands all over them.”

Elphaba shot Fiyero a stern look and held out her palm. “You heard her. Keys, now.”

Fiyero fumbled in his pocket and produced the keys. Elphaba viciously swiped them from his hand.

“Get your things and go back to the dorm,” Elphaba instructed, delicately placing the keys in Galinda’s hand before turning to glare at Fiyero. “I’ll handle him.”

Galinda took the keys and ran off, leaving Elphaba and Fiyero alone. Fiyero’s thumbs slipped into his pocket and his eyes were cast to the floor. Even so, he could feel Elphaba’s eyes on him.

“I didn’t mean to hurt her—” he began lamely.

“Well, you have! You have hurt her!” Elphaba jumped in, charging his way to force his gaze upon her. “Why? Why did you end it?”

“That really isn’t any of your business.”

“It is so my business!” Elphaba insisted. She shook her head and gave Fiyero a withering stare. “What, do you think she’s not good enough for you?”

“Of course not! She’s pretty, confident, fun—” he listed.

“Then what’s the problem?!”

“It’s complicated, okay?!” Fiyero groaned, dodging Elphaba’s sharp gaze.

“This is because of what you told me before, isn’t it? Well, isn’t it?” Elphaba needled him. “All of that stuff about how you don’t believe that love exists.”

“That’s not it.”

“Galinda told me how many times she’s said it to you and how you could never say it back because of your precious philosophy.”

“Elphaba.”

“Just because you think that love doesn’t exist—”

“I’m in love with somebody else!” Fiyero blurted out, finally lifting his head to meet Elphaba’s eyes intensely.

Elphaba quieted at his confession. The revelation had been goaded out of him, but his eyes were sincere. He was telling the truth. Fiyero was in love with somebody else. She pursed her lips as she felt a sudden sick feeling settle in her stomach.

“Well, then…”

“I really didn’t want to hurt Galinda,” Fiyero stressed. “But it wasn’t fair to keep being with her if I’m in—”

“I got it,” Elphaba held a hand up. She didn’t want to hear him say it again. “I…I get it.”

Elphaba crossed her arms and Fiyero stared at her for a long, quiet moment. Their eyes met and they both opened their mouths to speak, but neither followed through on their impulse leaving their exhales to fizzle out between them.

“Well, I should get back,” Elphaba stated, nodding her head in that direction. “You know…before she does.”

She turned to leave but Fiyero called after her. “Elphaba?”

Elphaba turned around on an eager impulse.

“Yes?” she asked expectantly.

“Are you…” Fiyero trailed off. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you coming to the party tonight?”

Elphaba raised her eyebrows and released a melancholy chuckle.

“Yeah. I’ll be there.”

Without another world she turned on her heel and exited the hall with Yero’s last letter weighing heavily in her pocket.

✉✉✉

Galinda fumbled with Fiyero’s keys before miserably flinging the door open and closing it behind her. She sniffed heavily and began to collect some of the things she had left there. Her scarf, a textbook, her pumps that she’d taken off after rolling her ankle on a date.

As she passed by Fiyero’s mirror she gasped in horror upon catching a glimpse of herself. Long streaks of black mascara from her puffy eyes lined her pretty face. She exhaled slowly and attempted to wipe the dried smudges away.

She turned to Fiyero’s cluttered desk and began shuffling about, looking for a tissue or handkerchief, anything. She noticed a thick, boring looking library book and narrowed her eyes at it. Fiyero reading anything was deeply out of the ordinary, she should have foreseen this break up much sooner! She picked up the book and squinted at the title through bloodshot eyes. ‘Discord and Discontent’.

How funny. Elphaba was reading the same thing.

Galinda curiously opened the book and found a folded piece of stationary inside of it being used as a bookmark. She cocked her head and set the book down to unfold the page.

Dear Yero,

I have just begun reading ‘Discord and Discontent’. It’s thrilling. I know you say that you’re not much into books, but I really think you should give this one a try. It’s cleverly written and the protagonist reminds me of you, though I daresay he’s not as charming.

Love, Fae

“What?!” Galinda squeaked.

Who was this ‘Fae’ person and why in Oz was she writing to Fiyero?! Flirting with him so shamelessly, addressing him by a pet name, signing it with ‘love’?! Jealousy burned in Galinda’s chest and, though it was not a goodly thing to do, she began rifling through the drawers of Fiyero’s desk to find more evidence.

It did not take her long.

Settled in an untidy heap were dozens—no—scores of letters clogging up the bottom drawer of his desk. Galinda’s jaw dropped as she picked one up, all but ripping it out of its envelope.

Dear Yero,

Your words make me blush, and I am not the kind of girl to blush. Every time the most recent letter crosses my mind something in my body wakes up. I’m embarrassed to confess that I’ve read it several times, if only to make myself believe that someone would be inspired by me to write such intimate things. I don’t think it’s in my skillset to respond in kind, but if you were to send me another letter of a similar nature…I would not object.

Love, Fae

An affair. Fiyero was carrying out an affair with this— “Fae,” Galinda spat.

Hell bent on getting more details, Galinda pulled several letters out and gasped as she saw how far back in the year they went. She saw one dated as far back as April! She threw the papers to the ground and sat on the floor in an unhappy heap.

Fiyero had been cheating on her! Cheating! Sweet Oz, the things she was going to do to get back at him. Perhaps she and Elphaba could conjure a damning hex. Oh, Elphaba. She couldn’t wait to tell Elphaba what she had discovered. She’d make him pay.

Galinda fumed as her eyes drifted across the pages and pages of writing. Each fragment she read poked another needle in her heart.

—a hollow in the trunk—

—I feel like we—

—I’ll take that as your answer—

—my adventure to Shiz—

—a small green glass bottle—

Galinda did a double take and scrambled through the sea of stationary to snatch the letter that she’d just glanced over.

Dear Yero,

Yes, I do have a favorite keepsake. It’s a small green glass bottle that belonged to my mother. It’s not worth anything outside of sentimental value, but nobody in my family knows that I kept it. There is something about it that’s special and comforting to me, so much so that I sleep with it under my pillow every night—

Galinda’s manicured hands slowly crushed the letter into a tiny crumpled ball as she stood to full height.

I guess I just wanted something… Galinda recalled Elphaba’s words from the night before, …and I took it.

“You little—” Galinda hissed. “You wicked little—”

Galinda took a deep breath and began to methodically place each and every letter back into the drawer from whence they came.  She unsnapped her purse, gingerly set the crumpled letter inside, and snapped it closed again. She gathered the belongings she’d come in for and stopped to look in the mirror on her way out.

She licked her thumb, roughly smeared the mascara off of her face, and fluffed her hair. She then fastened a wide, pearly smile to her face and calmly exited Fiyero’s room.

When Galinda entered her own dorm, Elphaba immediately rose to greet her.

“Hey,” she said in an ever so gentle tone. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“And then some,” Galinda answered evenly, dropping her belongings at the foot of her bed. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned to look at Elphaba. “How was he?”

“He’s out of his mind for breaking up with you and I told him as much,” Elphaba answered in a fierce tone. “Don’t give him a second thought, Galinda. He doesn’t deserve you.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Galinda nodded innocently. “It’s just like you said last night. Everything will work out the way it’s meant to work out. Right, Elphie?”

“Right.”

Galinda stepped over and looked over her OzDust dress which hung from a hook on her closet door. “I guess my plans for tonight have changed…”

“You know what? You should still go,” Elphaba encouraged. “Go and have fun, show Fiyero that you don’t need him.”

“That’s a grand idea, Elphie! But do you know what would be even grander?” Galinda asked. She crossed to Elphaba and placed her hands on her shoulders. “You should come with me.”

“Oh…well, I don’t know. You see—” Elphaba stammered.

“It would mean so much to me, Elphie.”

“The thing is Galinda…” Elphaba sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m actually already going…sort of. For a bit anyway. Not for long.”

Galinda raised her eyebrows innocently. “What do you mean?”

“There’s just…something I need to take care of,” she said evasively.

“Oh, Elphie. You’re always so mysterious!” Galinda complained.

“I don’t try to be,” Elphaba groaned, covering her face with her hands.

“Does it have something to do with your crush that’s not a crush?” Galinda prodded.

Elphaba bit her lip and sized Galinda up. “I’ll tell you what, Galinda. After tonight, no more secrets. Until then just, please…trust me.”

Galinda stared at her for a long moment before forcing a smile. “Of course, I trust you. After all, I have no reason not to…right?”

Elphaba gave her a funny look and laughed. “Right.”

“Oh!” Galinda clapped her hands together excitedly. “But Elphie, if you’re going to the OzDust for the first time, even for your secret reasons, you have to make sure you look your best. Let me help.”

“You really don’t have to do that.”

“I know…” Galinda said slowly. “That’s what makes us best friends.”

Elphaba’s face softened at the sentiment. “I don’t have much to wear, though. You know that.”

“Well, you’re in luck, Elphaba. I’ve got just the thing for you.”

Galinda moved to the corner of her room where the abandoned hat boxes lay and she picked up the one she was seeking. She swiped off the thin layer of dust that covered the lid before turning to Elphaba and offering her the box. Elphaba carefully opened it and pulled out a tall, black pointed hat with a wide, round brim. Galinda took a deep breath and flashed Elphaba a broad smile.

“I think that you should wear this hat to the party tonight.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Thirteen: Hat Trick ✉

Why did she care, anyway?

Galinda went to the OzDust ahead of her, leaving Elphaba alone to scrutinize her reflection more than usual. She tugged at her neutral frock, checked her teeth, and ran her fingers through the tangles at the end of her long, loose hair. She wasn’t about to attempt makeup for the first time, that would end in disaster, and she didn’t own any jewelry. Perhaps the hat would suffice.

Elphaba had never seen a hat like the one Galinda gave her. It seemed a bold look, but Elphaba had never kept up with what was trendy. She considered leaving it behind, but Galinda had made such a point to give it to her. Elphaba would need a friend after tonight’s certain disappointment, and the vow she’d made to come clean to Galinda by tomorrow was one of the only reasons she had enough courage to go through with this at all.

Elphaba frowned at herself in the mirror, her hands smoothing over the dress that covered her skinny frame. She was all edges, sharp and jagged. She had no soft curves or feminine warmth to her. She closed her eyes and her skin heated as she relived a letter of Yero’s in her mind’s eye. It was cruel to accept that she was desirable to someone in spirit, but not in body.

So why did she care about how she looked?

She opened her eyes and averted her gaze from the mirror, weary of the view. She stepped over to her desk and opened the bottom drawer of her desk. Inside was her stockpile of Yero’s letters, each one systematically sorted by date and strung neatly together with twine. She picked up the substantial bundle and held it in her hands.

She cared because he would be there.

Elphaba asked herself if she regretted signing up for The Ozian Pen Pal Program and she decided that she wasn’t. Yero was special to her, and regardless of the punishing end that awaited them, she couldn’t manage to regret growing to know him. She couldn’t manage to regret letting him, letting anyone, know her.

Elphaba repeated that affirmation in her mind as she made the solo trek towards the OzDust.

Music and voices could be heard down the stairs as Elphaba entered the foyer of the hall. Galinda had asked Elphaba to seek her out upon arriving. It provided Elphaba a modicum of comfort to know that she’d see her friend before facing her fate.

Elphaba glanced at the huge geared clock on the wall and watched its foreboding pendulum swing side to side. That’s where it would happen. That’s where it would end. She shook her head and squared her shoulders towards the short hallway which opened up into the upper landing of a staircase descending into the ballroom. She took a breath, pulled the pointy hat onto her head, and walked into the OzDust.

The flashing lights of the ballroom disoriented her as she came into view, so Elphaba heard the reactions before she saw them. A symphony of gasps, shouts, and uproarious laughter ripped through the hall over the music. When Elphaba’s vision recovered it focused in on a room packed with sneering partygoers.

“What is that?!” “Ew!”

Elphaba’s mouth went dry and she descended the steps amidst jeers and points. A few revelers shrieked and darted further away. She knew that she wasn’t usually one to attend gatherings, she knew that people didn’t like her, but even so their ridicule seemed particularly over the top. Elphaba’s eyes searched the crowd for Galinda, the only friendly face she could hope to find at present.

“What a joke!” “It’s hideoteous.” “What is that on her head?!”

Elphaba was at the bottom of the staircase by the time she grasped the meaning behind their monstrous jabs. They weren’t teasing her dress, her hair, or even, for once, her skin. No. It seemed that the source of their entertainment, the source of their mirth was…

The hat.

The moment it clicked, Elphaba spotted Galinda standing across the way from her. Her arms were crossed, her chin lifted, and across her face was a satisfied smirk. She lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers at Elphaba in a nasty little wave. Elphaba didn’t wait to process her senses before she felt her body charging towards her roommate in a blind rage. She tore the hat off of her head and hurled it to the ground at Galinda’s feet.

“You tricked me!”  Elphaba snarled, her chest burning with betrayal. “You knew this hat was a joke, didn’t you?!”

“Wow, Elphie. I knew you were smart but that is some high-level deducing,” Galinda responded mockingly.

“Why? Why would you set me up like this!?” Elphaba shouted. “How could you do this to me!?”

“How could I do this to you?” Galinda blurted out incredulously. “Are you kidding me?!”

By now the crowd had quieted to eavesdrop on the fight, save for the occasionally hushed commentary from a nosy spectator.

“How long have you been planning this?” Elphaba asked, lowering her voice to a menacing timbre. “A week? A month? Since we met?!”

“I planned it as soon as I found out!”

“Found out what?!” Elphaba cried out in frustration. Galinda picked up the hat and roughly tossed it back to Elphaba who caught it.

“Here take this. It suits you,” Galinda said cattily.

Galinda stormed past Elphaba and childishly bumped against her shoulder as she dashed up the steps.

“Galinda!” Elphaba yelled after her. “Don’t you walk away from me!”

Galinda stormed into the foyer and Elphaba followed closely behind. They were momentarily disarmed to see Fiyero leaning against the entrance door. He coughed and quickly snuffed out a cigarette against a trash can lid before tossing away the evidence.

“Ha! I should have known you’d be here,” Galinda accused Fiyero. 

“What are you two doing here?” Fiyero asked nervously.

Fiyero was pale and had a jumpy air about him as if he’d been caught doing something more than smoking. Elphaba ignored him and turned Galinda around to face her.

“Galinda, what has gotten into you? We’re supposed to be friends!” she reminded her. “Was everything…a lie?”

Elphaba’s voice wobbled to ask it. Galinda’s lip quivered to hear it.

“That’s right, we are supposed to be friends, and friends don’t stab each other in the back!” Galinda returned. 

“Hey, uh—not to be rude but can you two take this somewhere else?” Fiyero requested awkwardly.

He crossed to stand beside Elphaba, his eyes anxiously darting between the girls and the clock on the wall.

“We’re kind of in the middle of something!” Elphaba bit back. 

“No—Fiyero. I’m glad you’re here. This concerns you both!” Galinda declared, backing up to put distance between herself and Elphaba and Fiyero. “I know, Fiyero. I know what you two did!”

“What are you talking about!?” Elphaba and Fiyero asked in unison. 

“I KNOW ABOUT YOUR LETTERS!” 

The gears above Elphaba and Fiyero’s heads suddenly rotated as chimes reverberated through the foyer to strike eight o’clock. The significance of the time washed over Elphaba and a frightened gasp escaped her as she looked towards the door.

But nobody arrived.

It was only her, only Galinda. It was only…

Fiyero.

It was…Fiyero. 

Elphaba’s head slowly turned towards Fiyero and her knees nearly buckled to see him looking as stunned as she felt. Just like the clock, the gears in their heads began turning as they at last looked upon the face of who they’d been corresponding with for months. Astounded into muteness, they froze and did not break eye contact, as if their consequences wouldn’t catch up with them so long as they kept very still…and very quiet.

“See? I knew it,” Galinda said after the eighth bell chimed. She unclasped her purse and pulled out the crumpled letter she’d stolen, smoothing it out before holding it up as evidence. “I found this in your drawer, Fiyero. I found all of them! All of those letters to you signed as–”

“You?” Fiyero jumped in faintly, unable to look away from Elphaba. “You…you’re…”

Elphaba couldn’t answer. Her hands apprehensively wrung the hat in her hands as her eyes, unwilling transfixed upon Fiyero’s, pleaded for mercy.

“All this time,” Galinda shook her head. “The two of you. Behind my back.”

“Galinda…” Elphaba said in a choked voice, finally tearing her gaze away from Fiyero to address her roommate. “No. It wasn’t like that.”

“Well, it was,” Fiyero amended guiltily. Galinda visibly fumed and Elphaba gaped at him. “Uh—but it wasn’t.”

“I’m moving in with ShenShen. I hope you two are very happy together because I’m finished with the both of you!”

Galinda began to sniffle, her callous front dropping to reveal the hurt underneath. She turned on her heel and exited the foyer into the night with a stifled sob.

“Galinda, wait!” Elphaba called and followed after her.

Elphaba pushed the doors open and a blast of chill blew into her face as she ran out into the night only to glimpse Galinda disappearing far ahead, running at impressive speeds for someone in heels. Elphaba’s shoulders sagged and she took a few defeated steps forward, knowing it was fruitless to try and catch up with her now.

With a fitful sigh Elphaba turned back towards the OzDust only to see Fiyero standing at the entryway, sizing her up with a hard to read expression. Elphaba suddenly felt very exposed and she crossed her arms around herself, goosebumps pricking at her bare arms. She met his eyes with a spirit of defensiveness, silently daring him to speak first. Somebody had to speak first. 

“I didn’t know,” Fiyero finally breathed.  

“Neither did I,” Elphaba replied simply.

“So…you’re—” Fiyero began, but the word got stuck in his throat.

“Fae,” Elphaba confirmed quietly. It sounded like an apology. “And you’re Yero.”

“Yes.”

“Ah.”

Elphaba looked down at her feet. Her hands wrung at the hat more as she calculated her next move, but when she cast her eyes upwards and saw Fiyero walking towards her she realized she’d have to make a swift choice. Flight or—

“Why did you choose Yero as your pen name?!” Elphaba blurted out.

Fiyero, taken aback by her tone, stopped in his tracks. He made a short, defensive sound and shrugged.

“I’m not creative.”

“But it was your idea to come up with fake names!”

“You never figured it out, did you?”

“Only because I never expected someone to pick a pen name that was nearly identical to their given name!”

Fiyero scoffed and shoved his hands in his pockets. Silence fell again which was unacceptable. There was far too much being said in the silences. To make it through this, they had to keep talking.

“What is that anyway?” Fiyero asked, nodding towards the hat in Elphaba’s hands.

“What is what?”

“Is that a hat?”

“Yes, it’s a hat. Galinda gave it to me to set me up for humiliation,” Elphaba said bitterly. She shoved the hat onto her head and threw her arms out to present herself in all of her freakish glory. “All because somebody didn’t hide their letters very well.”

“How is this my fault?!” Fiyero protested.

“She thinks we’ve been having some kind of affair!”

“Well…” Fiyero exhaled heavily. “In a way…”

Elphaba gave him a sharp look. “No, not ‘in a way’! Besides, I’m not the one who was writing that way when I was in a relationship.”

“You wrote back.”

“Not the same thing.”

Elphaba sighed and rubbed her eyes wearily. What was going on here? They were bickering just as they always had, as if they had not been hit with the bombshells of all bombshells.

“Merciful Oz, I cannot believe this is happening!” Elphaba shook her head. “I knew that this night would be a disaster but even my wildest dreamings couldn’t have foreseen this!”

“Ouch.”

“You can’t stand there and tell me that this is what you were expecting out of tonight.”

“Well…” Fiyero faltered. Elphaba raised her eyebrows at him expectantly. “Okay, not exactly. But—”

“Precisely. Admit it. I was the last person in Oz you expected to meet under that clock tonight. Admit that I was the last person you wanted to see!”

“Well, Elphaba, you don’t seem much happier to see me!” Fiyero pointed out irritably. “How am I supposed to take that? If you were so sure that this would go badly then why did you even come?”

“I only agreed to meet you to get you off my back,” Elphaba said cagily. “I was adamant from the beginning that we would never meet. You wouldn’t leave it alone!”

“Did you really think we could go on writing letters to each other forever and never meet? You wanted to meet Yero as much as I wanted to meet Fae, I know you did. I know you.”

“You don’t know me.”

“A drawer full of handwritten letters would beg otherwise!”

“Yes, but I only shared things that I wanted you to know!” Elphaba said. “You did the same thing. I mean, it’s not like you mentioned that you were a prince!”

“You were the one who—you said to share nothing that could identify—ugh!” Fiyero groaned in frustration. He paced away from her and rubbed the back of his head. “Everything is always a fight with you! Why do you always have to be so—”

“So what!?”

“Resistant!” Fiyero growled, turning back around and crossing close to her.

Elphaba lifted her chin and met his stare. Their chests heaved over their heated row, and Elphaba detected the tell-tale trace of cigarette smoke on his clothes. She unconsciously recalled a letter she’d received in August in which Yero confessed to a bad habit of smoking whenever he felt ‘supremely nervous’.

She had never connected the dots. In all of the hours she’d spent wondering about her correspondent she had never considered the fact Yero could be somebody that she’d already met. Somebody she already knew. Yet here before her was the evidence in the form of a scent on his shirt. Fiyero and Yero were one in the same.

Fiyero took a deep breath and gave Elphaba an expectant, patient look. “So…what do we do now?”

“What do you mean what do we do now? We do nothing,” Elphaba stated as if it were obvious.

“You can’t mean that,” Fiyero said with a short, humorless laugh.

“What else would you have us do?” Elphaba posed theoretically.

“Well, we can’t pretend like this never happened!”

“What? Were you wanting to tell people all about your shameful experience with the Ozian Pen Pal Program? Go ahead then! Tell them all about it. Publish my letters if you must, that way everyone can have a good laugh!” Elphaba lashed out.

“Hey—"

“No, tell them! Tell them all. Tell them how you got tricked. Tell them how you humiliated yourself by pouring your heart out to the one person in Oz who…who—Oz damn it I told you, Fiyero! I told you that I didn’t want to meet!”

“Elphaba,” Fiyero said calmly. “You misunderstand me. I—”

“Save it.”

A stab of sorrow punctured Elphaba’s chest and she clutched at the wound to guard her heart. There’d be no more letters. No more anonymous friend. No more visits to their tree. No more Yero. Elphaba could practically see Fiyero’s mind filling in the blanks. Merging everything he knew of Fae and of Elphaba into one pathetic person. All of the secrets she’d shared, the desires she’d divulged, they were shamefully linked back to her true self and could never be unlinked. She could never go back. Elphaba could never be Fae again.

“This night has cost me everything. It’s cost me everything,” Elphaba managed in a hoarse whisper. “Take pity on me, Fiyero, and just leave me alone. Please. Just…leave me alone.”

Having resorted to the opposite response before, Elphaba now felt the urge to take flight. Feeling in danger of revealing even more of herself, as if that damage had not already been done, she turned on her heel to flee.

“Elphaba, wait!” Fiyero called after her. “What about everything else?!”

She didn’t stop to ask what he meant and he did not attempt to follow. Even if he’d pursue her, she knew that she could outlast him.

Elphaba was excellent at running. She’d already proven that.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Fourteen: The Life and Times of Yero ✉

It was a tradeoff he could live with.

Having a private tutor come to the castle three times a week in place of attending college may have been less tolerable if said tutor hadn’t already given up on him. Instead, they’d reached an agreement. The tutor now knew better than to assign him anything of substance. He would complete her bullshit lessons and turn the other cheek while she spent their sessions getting high. She would report satisfactory yet believable progress to his parents and get paid up the wazoo for it. Win-win. 

“Your assignment is to sign up for that thing,” she instructed wearily, waving a dismissive hand as she puffed on her pipe. “That pen pal program. Tell your parents that you’re working on your…penmanship…or something.”

He agreed and then immediately forgot about it until the first letter came in from Pen Pal #1123. His match was a girl around his age who seemed just as reluctant, if not more so, to be writing at all. That was about all she revealed, and by the sound of it, that was all he was likely to find out.

Alright, Fiyero Tigelaar thought, I can work with this.  

He was thankful that he was matched to a girl. He knew how to talk to girls, and how different could writing to one be? In his experience, which was extensive, girls responded to bravery and humor. That was why he asked about fears and included a joke. It was no surprise that in her next letter she confessed to having laughed at his tongue to nose trick. Worked like a charm.

As far as homework assignments went, she wasn’t the worst. He supposed reading her letters was more fun than watching the drying of paint, which is what his tutoring sessions had felt like as of late.

I’m sorry you’ve been made to endure such an insipid tutor.

Fiyero furrowed his brow at the unfamiliar word in a letter of hers and he looked up towards said tutor. “Hey, what does insipid mean?”

He trailed off to see that she had passed out on the table across from him. He sighed and stood, resolving to find the answer himself. After a great deal of effort, he finally found the word in a dictionary he didn’t even know they had.

Insipid. Adjective. Without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities; vapid.

Fiyero burst out laughing at the definition, in full agreement with her word choice. Yes, his tutor was insipid. His stranger, on the other hand, who he found quite ‘distinctive, interesting, and stimulating’, was not.

“Hard at work, are we?”

Fiyero closed the dictionary and turned to see his parents standing in the entrance of the castle library.

“I told you that these lessons weren’t worth the cost, Baxiana. There’s your proof,” Fiyero’s father gestured towards the snoring tutor.

“You were right,” Fiyero’s mother relented defeatedly, her features stained with shame. “I should have known when he was kicked out of Emerald University. Anyone can succeed at Emerald University.”

“Your grandfather was a scholar, Fiyero. What would he think of who you’ve become?” his father shook his head.

“Don’t bring grandad into this.”

“Stop, Fiyero. Just stop,” his mom sighed tiredly. “We’ve tried everything. School after school, tutor after tutor, and you don’t ever make any progress!”

“Don’t? Or can’t?” his father said coldly.

“Marilott!” his mother scolded his father.

“What? Maybe we need to accept that the boy is simple!” he bellowed before storming out.

Baxiana gave her son one last look before following Marilott out, leaving Fiyero behind feeling empty…empty-headed, at least. Insult to ignorance was added when pen pal gal herself asked him if he was attending college. Not wanting her to catch on to how pathetic he was, he gave her his same old expertly rehearsed song and dance.

In a strong deviation from the status quo…she did not like his song and dance.

‘Flippant’. ‘Cavalier’. ‘Nihilistic’. Who did this girl think she was?! Ranting away to someone she’d never met using smarty-pants words that Fiyero barely understood. The last thing Fiyero needed was another person in his life who thought that he was stupid. He crumpled up her letter and threw it to the bottom of his desk drawer, intending to put her from his mind. Good riddance, stranger. Soon, he’d forget all about her.

But soon did not come soon enough.

Despite his best efforts, her words nagged at him day and night. ‘Flippant’. ‘Cavalier’. ‘Nihilistic’. He couldn’t get them out of his head. One day, tired of the mental torment, he grabbed the letter and charged back to the library. If he was going to be insulted, he might as well understand how he was being insulted. With his dictionary beside him, Fiyero picked and probed at her prose. Then, after gaining full context, Fiyero came to a curious conclusion.

She found him dismissive. Dismissive, spoiled, and inconsiderate. However, nowhere in the letter did she imply that he was mindless. Careless, yes. Careless…but not mindless. He’d never been called out like this before; he wasn’t sure that he liked it.

He wasn’t sure that he didn’t.

So, he wrote her back, and in doing so he opened a stitch, a single stitch, of himself up to her.

Her next letter greeted him with an apology and a confession. She feared the dark, feared it to the point of terror. While he couldn’t relate to the phobia in itself, the feeling she later elaborated on about feeling choked and out of control was familiar. It sounded exactly like what came over him before he took exams. The feeling that was only soothed by skipping class on test days. The feeling that ultimately led to him flunking out time and time again. The parallel bowled him over. He’d never heard of anyone else going through something like that, albeit by different causes.

Even still, the body of her letter was not what flummoxed Fiyero the most, but rather the post script.

P.S. I may not know you well but I do know one thing. You’re not stupid. If you were…you wouldn’t be so unhappy.

How did she know? How could she tell? How did she know that he spent his days gallivanting about, bored and directionless? Craving meaning, any meaning, in his life yet unsure of where to find any? Was it because she couldn’t see his daily act? If she knew him in person, would she be otherwise convinced? This girl barely existed to him, yet there were her words penned to paper, picking, picking, picking at his seams.

She knew him in a way his dates, his friends, even his parents did not…and she didn’t even have a name. She had to be given a name. He was halfway through scribbling his request, but his pen stalled upon realizing he’d have to pick a name for himself too.

“Uh…” he sighed uncertainly. He tapped his pen against his desk before hastily scribbling the word ‘Yero’. That was different enough, right?

It’s not like they’d ever meet anyway.

When the next letter came, his stranger was a stranger no more.

“Fae…” Fiyero tried the name on his lips.

The name for his someone now revealed to him, his already fragile stitching began to loosen even more. Each detail he collected began to piece her personality together in his mind. She was intelligent, passionate, lonely…yet her face always remained obscured in his mind, as if her lovely figure was cloaked in shadows. He longed for her to emerge, to reveal herself to him, but one day she decided to do the opposite.

She was going to stop writing. To focus on ‘college’. Another one bites the dust to school! College had already taken too much from him, he couldn't let it take Fae too.

“Send me to Shiz!” Fiyero exclaimed to his parents as he burst through the door to their private sitting room.

Marilott and Baxiana exchanged glances. “Pardon?”

“Shiz University in Gillikin Country. I haven’t been there yet,” he breathed heavily.

“Why? Just so you can blow our money on booze and be expelled a few months later?” his father chuckled coldly. “I don’t think so.”

“This time is going to be different.”

“Shiz is rigorous, prestigious! Your grandfather went there! You actually think you’d be able to keep up?” Marilott condescended. “Why do you think we never sent you there before?”

“Son, we practically had to drag you to the other schools. You’ve made it very clear how much you detest higher education. I’m sorry, Fiyero. I agree with your father,” his mother shrugged. “You reap what you sow.”

“Listen, I know I didn’t put in the effort before. I know I disappointed you. But please, let me at least try,” Fiyero pleaded, his voice trailing off faintly. He took a deep breath and looked his father solemnly in the eye. “I want to try.”

His parents exchanged a glance, and before the prince knew it, he was on an eastbound train headed towards Shiz University.

Headed towards her.

It was nightfall by the time he’d arrived on campus. He hailed a cart driven by a very zealous driver who had ‘never driven a prince before’! Fiyero was recognizable even outside of The Vinkus, he had learned this at his other schools, and if the driver’s reception was any indication, it seemed that Shiz would be no different.

Fiyero leaned back and yawned as he was pulled along, stars streaking across the sky above him, and flicked his sunglasses from the top of his head over his eyes. A combination of the time difference and the long day of traveling soon made his eyes grow heavy. His last conscious thought was that he hoped he’d meet Fae soon.

Whack. “Wake up, you!”

A harsh voice startled him out of a light sleep. He squinted over the rim of his sunglasses and his eyes soon adjusted to take in the figure before him. Perhaps Shiz was going to be different from other schools, because before him was a sight he had never seen.

“Am I still asleep or are you actually—”

“Green? Yes, I am. Green as grass, green as sin, green with envy. Ferns, frogs, cabbage—I’ve heard it all. That’s not important. What’s important is that your cart almost ran me over!”

Who did she think she was?! Ranting away to someone she’d never met, demanding an apology when he didn’t even do anything! Why should he apologize?! He left her behind in the square, intending to put her far from his mind.

Fiyero sent a letter to Fae first thing in the morning and he soon came to know the mail clerks by name as he checked the post office daily, sometimes twice daily, for a response. Fiyero had a one-track mind (which he supposed was better than having no mind at all). Hear from Fae. Find Fae.

However, circumstances outside of his control were distracting him from his mission. From the post office to the square, the green girl he’d met on his first night was as unavoidable as she was unpleasant. It was clear that he wasn’t alone in thinking this, either. After a bucket of water, a startling display of magic, and the commotion to end all commotions in the square, Elphaba seemed to have crowned herself the Queen of Antagonism. Fiyero watched as scores of students fled the square in fear of her, she set her sights (and grip) on him.  

“And you…don’t you dare darken my feet with your shadow until—you—APOLOGIZE!”

The cart! The cart! Let it go! Fiyero had only been a bystander to the cart and the prank—why was she always coming for him?! The girl aggravated and unnerved him; he’d never met someone quite so keen on drawing negative attention to themselves. He could certainly never do that. However, Fiyero soon learned that Elphaba was not the only distraction that Shiz had to offer.

“Are you looking for something…or someone?”

Fiyero was weak, and Galinda Upland came on strong. New campus, new girlfriend. It was what he did. Besides, there wasn’t any reason that he shouldn’t date somebody. Galinda was pretty and bubbly. What more could he ask for? But when the day came that Fae finally wrote back to him, he began feeling funny about it all. Galinda was perfect on paper, yet he seemed less absorbed in her than the girl who was literally on paper.

Fiyero soon came to realize that, regrettably, his father had not been lying about how difficult Shiz University was. Professors had high standards and low expectations for him as his reputation preceded him. He couldn’t help but think they were waiting on him to fail. Fiyero the failure; it had a snappy ring to it at least.

Fiyero wasn’t perfect, he still couldn’t bring himself to attend class on exam days, but whenever he felt like giving up entirely…he thought of Fae. He could stand to disappoint his professors, Galinda, he could even stand to disappoint his parents yet again. What he couldn’t bring himself to do was disappoint Fae.

Fae’s writing grew richer and deeper, yet the vision he had of her in his mind’s eye remained obscured. Sometimes it felt like she was beckoning to him, as if she wanted to reveal herself as much as he wanted her to, but she remained unwavering in her anonymity. However, as if offering a branch, it was Fae’s idea to begin stowing their letters in a tree. Regardless of her secrecy, she still wanted to hear from him. He couldn’t get a read on this girl!

It was because of this fact that Fiyero decided to (anonymously) reveal his courtship with Galinda in his next letter. It was partly due to his resignation that Fae would never agree to meet…and partly to see if she’d get jealous. He knew that wasn’t the most direct or mature way to find things out, but he was desperate to gauge how Fae felt about him. He wanted to know if she felt the same way. 

The drop off spot Fae had picked was perfect, or would have been perfect, if it weren’t for the third wheel sleeping in the tree. Elphaba’s skin, which may have camouflaged her in the spring, greatly contrasted the autumn foliage as she dozed on a high branch. Fiyero froze at first, not wanting to get caught, but when he was certain that she was sleeping he deftly stashed the letter and began to leave.

Or he intended to, he really did. But Elphaba sleeping in a tree? It wasn’t good of him, he knew that, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to antagonize her a little bit. After all, she never passed up the opportunity to antagonize him!

“So, it’s okay for you to fall asleep in public but when I do it it’s some huge crime!”

In Fiyero’s defense, he did break her fall.

As the semester continued, Fiyero’s careless nature became easier to fall back into. It was easy to blow off assignments, to drink too much, to skip class. It was what he was good at, especially because his behavior was praised by Galinda and his peers! One person who didn’t praise him was, of course, Elphaba Thropp. She never missed a chance to chastise him and rub her own intellect in his face. It was difficult enough for Fiyero to avoid his opponent when she roomed with his girlfriend, but it was damn near impossible when he found himself crammed into a closet with her.

“I do have fun, you know,” Elphaba insisted as they made begrudging chit chat. Harp. Bird watching. Soap making.

“Needlepointing?”

“Yes, why?”

“No reason…you…just don’t seem the type.”

“Well, it’s a hidden talent. I’m damn good at it too.”

The fact pricked at Fiyero as he recalled one of his earliest letters from Fae. What is your hidden talent? As the pair spoke in hushed tones, Fiyero’s vision of Fae seemed to reach a beckoning hand his way from the shadows and his hand twitched forward, only to accidentally brush against Elphaba’s.

“You don’t really believe in all that, do you?”

“All of what?”

“Love. I don’t believe there is any such thing,” Fiyero told Elphaba, told himself.

Love couldn’t actually be real after all of this time, right? He hadn’t found it with Galinda, he hadn’t found it with others, so where was it? Could it be between the lines of Fae’s writing, or could it be even nearer?

His vision focused on Elphaba through the dim lighting as she arched her brow and smiled, smiled. Elphaba who had dark mysterious eyes, Elphaba who smelled of sage, Elphaba whose eyes crinkled at the edges when she was angry (which was often). Elphaba’s whose breath exhaled upon his face. Elphaba whose never kissed lips were parted before him.

Fae moved further into the shadows and his hands fidgeted again. Only this time Fiyero didn’t long to reach for his silhouetted Fae…but for Elphaba. The burst of light from the open closet door paused this train of thought, but it did not make it go away. Elphaba bombarded his mind as thoroughly and inescapably as she’d bombarded him in reality.

“Slow and steady. That’s how I beat you! Ha! I won! I won! I won!” “Why—why…why don’t you care!? Why doesn’t anyone care?” “He’s frightened of me. All I wanted to do was help.” “Or you wouldn’t be so unhappy.”

Or you wouldn’t be so unhappy.

“What did you just say?” Fiyero asked abruptly.

“I said that—”

“Do you know?”

The coincidences were too exact. Had Elphaba found his letters from Fae? Had she read his mind with those powers of hers? Was she tricking him?

“Know what?” Elphaba asked in a confused tone.

“Damn it, Elphaba! If you know then you have to tell me!” It couldn’t be. She couldn’t be. “Do you—are you—”

Was she Fae?

Then, Elphaba began to leave, indignant over his questioning. No. Fae was already stuck in the shadows, he couldn’t let Elphaba pull away too.

So, Fiyero reached for her. He reached for her intentionally, urgently. He reached for Elphaba. He held her hand in his, he laced their fingers. It didn’t matter if she was Fae, Fae was words on a page. Elphaba was flesh and blood standing before him, looking as scared as he felt. His hand was in Elphaba’s. His eyes met with Elphaba’s. His heart burned…for Elphaba.

Then the storm came and washed away everything he thought he knew, thought he felt, about Elphaba Thropp. If he was right in how he felt, it was clear his feelings weren’t returned. Perhaps he’d been mistaken in everything, misjudged everything. He was brainless enough to do so, after all.

Dear Fae,

I’ve had the worst day. I don’t know how to explain why without going into too much detail, so I guess I’ll say that sometimes people aren’t who you think they are. Sometimes you’re pretty sure you can tell how someone is feeling and then you find out you’re totally wrong.

Anxious to put Elphaba as far away from his mind as possible, he turned his attention fully back to Fae. As they danced around the matters of romance and sex, his last surviving stitches popped and burst at the seams and his heart spilled out to her like straw from a scarecrow. All the while the question between them remained. If love existed, were they in it? Fiyero thought that perhaps they were, but something was missing. However, it was too late to turn back now. He had invested too much of himself. Fae was all he had.

Dear Fae,

I want to meet you.

Fiyero smoked three cigarettes before going to the café that day to steady his nerves. ‘Discord and Discontent’, that was the book he was looking for, with a red poppy as a bookmark. He’d even checked out the book for himself and was trying in vain to read it so they’d have something to talk about when they met. As he pushed the door open a green blur nearly collided into him.

Elphaba looked up at him with a shaken expression before pushing past him. He watched her leave and considered ditching Fae to go after her, but Elphaba had made her choice. She chose to distance herself from him, so he turned all of his hopes into Fae.

But it seemed that Elphaba wasn’t the only one avoiding him. He’d waited for two hours. No book, no poppy, no Fae. She sent an apology, but it didn’t quell Fiyero’s desire to meet her. He needed this to work out…he just needed this to work out.

So, a party was arranged, a time and place were set, and Fiyero finally freed Galinda from the hook he’d unfairly kept her on. She didn’t deserve it, she never had. But as he had confessed to Elphaba…he was in love with somebody else.

If only he could figure out who.

Fiyero took a long drag on his final cigarette as he eyed the clock on the wall, hoping against hope that Fae was everything he needed her to be. But the only ones to emerge from the OzDust were Galinda and Elphaba in an apparent argument. No, not now! He couldn’t have them here, especially not Elphaba, not when he was about to meet Fae.

However, as the clock struck eight, Fae at last revealed herself from those shadows…and Fiyero had known her all along.

“You?” Fiyero gazed upon Elphaba. “You’re…you’re…”

Elphaba was Fae, his Fae. His Elphaba.

He knew it! He knew it, he knew it, he knew it!

Elphaba began to argue with him, and Fiyero argued back, but it didn’t matter. This is what Elphaba did, what they did, and it was how he’d come to know her.

It was how he’d come to love her.

Yes! Everything fit now, and Fiyero felt a great sense of relief even as they quarreled, for he had finally unraveled his great riddle. He had loved Fae, but if she had been revealed to be anyone else in Oz it wouldn’t have been right.

It wouldn’t have been Elphaba. 

As Elphaba ran from him that night, Fiyero didn’t despair, but he knew that he had a job to do. He had to convince her how he felt, and knowing her as well as he did, he knew that it would be an uphill climb. However, as he watched her run, he felt something deep down that he knew to be true.

She loves me, Fiyero Tigelaar understood. She loves me too.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Fifteen: Tea and Misery ✉

Elphaba rushed into her dorm and closed the door behind her, forcefully snapping the lock shut as if she were being pursued.

Galinda’s side of the room was already visibly empty and Elphaba briefly allowed herself to feel puzzled as to how her roommate had gotten things cleared out so fast. When the moment passed, Elphaba found herself darting to grab her suitcase out from under her bed. She thrust it open and began indiscriminately tossing a jumble of her belongings inside.

Elphaba, distracted by her task, took her pointy hat off of her head and placed it into the suitcase. She paused upon noticing it sitting there, thought better of it, and took it out. She flung a few more things in the suitcase, hesitated, and then put the hat back in the suitcase…and then back out again. Back in, back out, back in, back out. Frenzied and unable to decide, she jammed it back onto her head with a harried huff.

She then all but lunged for the bottom drawer and pulled out her organized stash of letters with half a mind to pack them, but instead of packing them, she began erratically thumbing through them as she started to pace.

“Dear Fae, dear Fae, dearest Fae, my dear Fae, darling Fae…” she read aloud, tossing each letter behind her shoulder with a few short, hysterical cackles.

Having had enough, she threw the offending letters into the air and shook her head in mortification as they rained down around her upon the floor. To think that he—him—he—him—

The door of Galinda’s walk-in closet, now sufficiently emptied out, was left open right ahead in Elphaba’s line of vision. She numbly walked towards it and peered inside, taking an unusually deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth.

Elphaba had never let herself linger too long on what had transpired between them in this closet, but now, unfortunately, she recalled everything in torturously vivid detail. The eyes locking, the jawline tensing, the hands brushing. His eyes shifting down to stare at her lips.

Elphaba closed her eyes and tilted her head back, her hand unconsciously drifting down from the back of her neck down over her collarbone and sternum as a small, involuntary sound escaped her. Her eyes snapped open in horror as she realized what she was doing and she looked towards her open suitcase as if only now getting a grip on her actions.

“What’s wrong with me?”

What had she been planning on doing anyway? Running away? Leaving Shiz?

Where would she even go?

“I’m not leaving Shiz, you leave Shiz,” Elphaba muttered childishly as she slouched towards the suitcase and dumped the contents back out onto the bed. “Mister too cool for school.”

Not that Fiyero would leave Shiz, what with all of the work he’d been putting into school as of late. He’d been trying, really trying. Plus, he was so stressed out about disappointing his parents that—

Wait, stop. How seamlessly Yero and Fiyero were already blending together in her mind! Elphaba groaned in misery and sank to the ground as she yanked the brim of her hat down over her eyes.

As she sat on the floor against her bed, hiding in her hat, she enviously recalled her namesake. Oh, to be Saint Aelphaba of the Waterfall. To gather a bunch of grapes and disappear into a cave never ever be seen again by anyone alive.

That sounded nice.

Elphaba slowly lifted her hat back from over her eyes and took a good long look at the letters littering the floor. The cluttered chaos seemed to be an outward manifestation of her own turbulent mood. What a mess this was. What a mess she’d made.

She crawled forward and flopped upon her back on the floor, spreading her arms and legs out as if she were fixing to make snow angels in her piles of letters.

So…what do we do now?

Fiyero’s voice nagged in her ear. What did they do now? What did she do now?

She turned her head to the side and peeled a letter off of her cheek. She absentmindedly unfolded it to reread Yero’s words.

Dear Fae,

The advice in your last letter was spot on. Sometimes I honestly think you know me better than I know myself.  

Elphaba stood and shook off the letters clinging to her frock. That was it, she did know him. She knew everything about him, and seeing as she knew him, she’d know how to outlast him. The answers were there in his letters, the clues to help her dodge him, at least until she figured out her next move.

She knew one thing for sure, if the meltdown she’d endured was any indication, she couldn’t afford to find out how she’d react to being face to face with Fiyero again.  

✉✉✉

Elphaba didn’t sleep much last night but instead organized her dorm and obsessively plotted how to stay one step ahead of Fiyero. As she fixed to leave the next morning, she rationalized that the first thing she could expect him to do was write a letter. However, now that he knew her identity there would be no reason for him to go to the tree. Instead, he’d like go to the source and put it directly in her mailbox or on–

Her door.

There, deftly taped to her door, was an envelope that simply read Elphaba in his handwriting. She’d know it anywhere, after all. She peeled it off and felt her heart thud as she considered what he may have written to her. She slid her green thumb under the seal in trepidation and was about to break it when…

“Any day now, Artichoke.” 

Startled, Elphaba turned to see an expectant Pfannee and ShenShen standing shoulder to shoulder. 

“Ugh. What?” Elphaba complained.

“We’re here on behalf of your former roommate.”

“Where is Galinda?”

“Pfannee, did you hear what she just said?”

“I think she just called her Galinda, ShenShen.”

“That’s what I heard too. With a guhhhh and everything.”

“Beat it harpies,” Elphaba dismissed them. “If Galinda has something to say she can come tell me herself.”

“Oooh she did it again!” Pfannee clicked her tongue disapprovingly. 

“I don’t care what you think. Galinda and I are friends and we’re going to—"

“Funny, I would have thought that a real friend would know her name.”

“What?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” ShenShen raised her eyebrows as a gaggle of students strolled past and waved. 

“ShenShen! Tell Glinda I said hi!” “Love the rebrand.” “So chic!”

“What!?”

“It’s Glinda now,” ShenShen said.

“Yeah, it’s Glinda now!” Pfannee jumped in helpfully. 

“Did she change her name just to piss me off?”

“Listen, we’re only here because Glinda forgot her reticule.”

“What the hell is a reticule?”

“We don’t have to explain anything to a traitor like you!” ShenShen sneered.

“I’m not a traitor! I don’t know how much Gali—Glinda told you, but she doesn’t have the full story. I’m not even with him. I’m not going to be with him. I—I mean,” Elphaba faltered. “I…don’t even like him.”

“Is that right?” ShenShen said in a skeptical tone before pointing to the letter in Elphaba’s hand. “Then what is that?”

She ripped the letter out of Elphaba’s hands with a meanspirited laugh and tossed it to Pfannee.

“Gee, I wonder who this is from!”

“Give that back, give it back!” Elphaba shouted, lunging desperately for her letter. “It’s mine!”

She wrestled it from Pfannee and backed up several steps placing it over her heart to shield it from harm’s way. The girls shared a look with each other.

“But you don’t even like him…huh?” ShenShen said. “Let’s get out of here, we have much to report to Glinda.”

“Yeah. Keep the reticule, Asparagirl!”

“Ooh, good one.”

“What’s a reticule!?” Elphaba hollered as the girls pushed past.

Elphaba looked down to her letter with a heavy heart to see that it had been nearly severed all the way down the middle in the tussle. She shook her head and shoved it into her bookbag, not immediately equipped to handle the contents of Fiyero’s missive. She’d read it one day, maybe, but now was not that time.

Her mission was to evade him, after all.

They only shared one class together, thankfully, so she’d cross that bridge when she got there. She knew he would never go to the library of his own accord, but it would be the first place he’d look for her. Best steer clear of it. She knew his favorite coffee shop, where he liked to go to think, and where he wouldn’t be caught dead at, most notably, a poetry reading.

He hated poetry.

So, an open forum for students to share their prose was where Elphaba went. It was being held in a cramped tea house (which was all the better because Fiyero hated tea) and had already begun by the time Elphaba squeezed in. She was about to order when she heard the person announce the next presenter.

“Next up we’ll hear from Nessarose Thropp.”

Elphaba looked up and stepped out of line, pushing past a few people to catch sight of her sister situating herself in front of the elevated stage. She observed as Nessarose delicately unfolded a piece of paper from her lap and cleared her throat. Two people sitting at a table near Elphaba were still conversing loudly as Nessarose began to recite, so Elphaba nonchalantly kicked the leg of their table to get them to shut up and listen.

Her chest swelled as Nessarose’s use of imagery and syntax mixed together to form a simple poem as tragically lovely as herself. Her voice was characteristically timid, but could still be heard. As Nessarose concluded her piece Elphaba clapped enthusiastically, forgetting the more customary practice of snapping. 

Nessarose looked up and met Elphaba’s eyes and Elphaba simply folded her hands over her heart to silently express her pride. Nessarose hesitated before maneuvering through the crowd to approach Elphaba. The sisters regarded each other awkwardly for a moment before Elphaba spoke. 

“Tea?”

“Please.”

Elphaba ordered for them and they sat off to the side as more poets took the stand—with varying levels of talent. 

“You’ve been holding out on me, Nessa. Who knew you were such a poet?”

“Well, I’ve tried my hand at enough pastimes. It was about time one should stick.”

“You’re good. Certainly better than him,” Elphaba nodded towards a boy dramatically beating on his heart as he recited a poem. “You’ve really found your voice.”

Nessarose pursed her lips and offered a modest shrug, saying nothing.

“Where’s Boq?” Elphaba asked nonchalantly as she took a sip of tea. “I don’t see him here.”

“He was going to come but when he heard that Galinda changed her name he tasked himself with spreading the news around campus,” Nessarose mumbled.

Elphaba paused in the middle of setting her teacup on the saucer and stared at Nessarose.

“Let me get this straight…he knew that you were presenting your work and he chose to spend his time telling people that Glinda changed her precious name?!”

“Elphaba–”

“That’s outrageous! Nessa, he should be here–”

“I know that. I know he should,” Nessarose said, quickly setting her teacup down with a clink. She swiftly averted her gaze away from the crowd as tears welled and spilled over in one quick motion. She sniffled and began smearing her pale hands over her face to compose herself. “I’m a fool, Elphaba.”

“You’re not a fool,” Elphaba said patiently.

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a handkerchief with some loosely embroidered lilies and handed it to Nessarose who accepted it and began dabbing at the corners of her eyes. 

“Wait, I made this for you…” Nessarose realized with a sniff upon examining the handkerchief. 

“I know you did. I always keep it on me.”

“It’s not very good. You were always better at embroidery. Besides, I’ve never even seen you cry.”

“It reminds me of you,” Elphaba explained simply. She regarded her sister for a long moment before speaking bluntly. “It’s been hell to be ignored by you, Nessa.”

“Don’t say hell.”

“I’m in college now I get to say hell,” Elphaba quipped smartly. A small, teary smile tugged at Nessarose’s lips at that.

There was a rowdy clamoring up front and the sisters turned their attention to see a person take the stage, their face obscured by a grotesque looking Leopard mask. Elphaba’s stomach turned as she noticed a trim of highly realistic looking fur around the mask. Too realistic. 

Side conversations dwindled as people noticed the spectacle, and the poet began to speak in a slow, steady voice. 

“It’s every man’s job

As Animals embolden

To make them remember that

Silence is golden.”

Elphaba stood so fast the wooden legs of her chair loudly screeched on the floor. “What!?”

There were some shreds of uncomfortable laughter and a few hesitant snaps as the masked poet calmly stepped off the stage.

“Hey!” Elphaba barked as the poet wordlessly began to exit a side door by the stage. “Show your face, you coward! Show it now!”

People snickered at Elphaba’s anger, but the poet didn’t heed her demands. Perhaps more troubling than the demonstration itself was the tea house full of bystanders quickly returning to business as usual. By the time the door closed behind the masked person, a new poet was already prepping on the stage.

Elphaba looked towards Nessarose, having almost forgotten who she was with, and her shoulders slackened in shame. There she went again, causing a scene. Nessarose’s face was sullen and unreadable, which Elphaba took as her cue to leave. 

“I’m sorry, Nessa. I’ll go. I don’t want to embarrass you,” Elphaba mumbled under her breath as she grabbed her bookbag off of her chair. 

“How do you do that?” Nessarose asked quietly. 

“What?”

“Come here.”

“But–”

“Come here, Elphaba.”

Elphaba obeyed and took her seat again, her throat going dry at the prospect of losing the fragile ground she’d gained with her sister.

“How do you do that? Just stand up and say whatever you think?” Nessarose asked, but with a tone of honest curiosity. “Don’t you worry about what people will think of you?”

“People hate me no matter what I do, remember?” Elphaba answered more bluntly than she’d intended. Nessarose winced subtly. “What I mean is, I can’t control what people think of me so…I might as well do what’s right.”

“You said that I found my voice,” Nessarose mentioned, nodding towards the stage. “I don’t think that’s quite right. You found yours a long time ago. I’m still searching for mine.”

“You’ll find it, Nessa. I know you will,” Elphaba said. “You just need to figure out what you think, what you want.”

“I’m scared, Elphaba. Nothing seems quite right these days.”

Elphaba’s gut reaction was to soothe her sister, to assure her that things would be alright. But before her sat a young woman, not a child, and she deserved the truth. 

“I’m scared too, Nessa. I’m very, very scared.”

Nessarose handed the handkerchief back and as Elphaba put it back into her book bag, the torn letter that’d been taped to her door that morning slid out onto the table. 

“What’s that?”

“Nothing!” Elphaba gasped. She frantically stashed it back into her bag, crumpling it even more in the process.  

“Elphaba,” Nessarose raised her eyebrows. “Are you…yes, you are! You’re blushing!”

“I’m not blushing, you’re blushing,” Elphaba returned nonsensically, blowing a loose strand of hair out of her in a flustered manner. 

“Elphaba.”

Elphaba pinched her lips together tightly as everything came bubbling to the surface, but she couldn’t contain the truth for long.

“Fiyero is my pen pal!” Elphaba blurted out.

“Fiyero!? Fiyero Tigelaar–”

“Yes, that Fiyero,” Elphaba confirmed desperately before taking a deep breath and launching.

“We’ve been writing to each other since you and I signed up for the program but we never used our names so I didn’t know it was him and he didn’t know it was me. Then we met in real life and we didn’t even like each other because he’s so aggravating, Nessa, he really is so aggravating! But we were writing to each other and our writing became kind of, you know, like…romantic, or whatever, and we wrote things that I’m really never ever going to repeat to you because you’re my little sister. But in real life he was seeing Glinda and I didn’t even like him! So anyway, he writes to me that he wanted us to meet and I didn’t want us to meet but I eventually agreed so we set it up to meet at that cafe–well you know this part you were there–but I chickened out so he asked if we could meet at the OzDust and I said yes and I found out it was him and he found out it was me. Also, Glinda found the letters and thinks we’ve been having this affair which of course is ridiculous but she’s really mad and she set me up and moved out and changed her name to piss me off and now I think Fiyero is looking for me and he left that letter on my door but I’m too scared to read it which is silly because I don’t even–”

“Like him?” Nessarose filled in. “Yes, you’ve said.”

Elphaba helplessly slumped her shoulders and leaned down to press her forehead against the table with a muffled groan. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Elphaba…if Fiyero is looking for you then why are you hiding?” Nessarose asked patiently. 

Elphaba sat up and pressed her hands to the sides of her face, a dry lump forming in her throat.

“Because I can’t face him, Nessie. I can’t face him and I can’t read that letter because I know what it must say. He’s ashamed of me. Just like Glinda, just like Father…just like you,” Elphaba imparted woefully, her hands moving to clutch at her chest. “And…and I just know in my gut that the next time I see him I won’t be strong enough to hide how I feel about him.”

“And how do you feel about him?” Nessarose prompted softly. 

The question lingered in the air for quite some time before Elphaba spoke again.

“That’s what I’m afraid to find out.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Sixteen: Asked and Antlered ✉

Elphaba’s efforts in avoiding Fiyero were proving successful, but there was still the matter of their shared class. Elphaba had never skipped a class, but if it hadn’t been for one detail, she may have broken her streak. It was an exam day. Fiyero never came to class on exam days.

Doctor Nikidik, Doctor Dillamond’s odious replacement, didn’t strike Elphaba as an insecure man, but it did seem like he was trying to put a little extra oomph into his lessons as of late. Elphaba suspected that he was wounded by the student body’s lack of interest in his tutelage. While few people cared as much as Elphaba did about Doctor Dillamond’s ousting, there was a consensus that the Goat was the more engaging professor. Even if their intentions weren’t as noble as hers, it was fun to watch Doctor Nikidik be taken down a few pegs by the student body’s refusal to inflate his ego.

Elphaba, in order to manage her resentment towards the professor, focused on her exam preparation notes with a clenched jaw and tense gaze. Occupying her mind to total capacity on learning drowned out the noise and those creeping thoughts that kept tapping at her shoulder. No thoughts of Fiyero, only thoughts of the founding fathers of Ozma Towers. 

Paintings of said founding fathers hung upon the walls to illustrate their current unit, right beside a pair of grisly stag horns that Nikidik put up as decoration. Time had not lessened Elphaba’s distaste for his choice in wall hanging, for it was impossible to know if the antlers once belonged to a stag or Stag. Knowing the background of their dear professor, she couldn’t rule out the latter. 

Elphaba felt an uneasy shiver run up her spine as she turned back to her notes. Ozma Towers. Life Force–

“—Extract of Biological Intention,” Doctor Nikidik declared to the class. 

A few heads perked up at the announcement, including Elphaba’s. She recognized the term, not from history, but rather from sorcery seminar. 

Nikidik squared his shoulders with a haughty “hmph!”, plainly pleased to have gained the attention of his pupils. “Peaked your interests, have I? Well my students, I have a special demonstration before our exam today. We spend an exorbitant amount of time studying the past, speaking of the past–”

“Harping on the past,” Elphaba heard Glinda mutter from the table behind her, followed by a shrill giggle from Pfannee. 

“But–dear students!” Doctor Nikidik continued. “Wouldn’t history be a lot easier if the past could speak for itself? Well…with this uncommon concoction that can become reality.”

“Wait! I wouldn’t–” Elphaba spoke up at once. However, her thought was thwarted as Nikidik uncorked the bottle with a showy flourish. 

“Professor–I’ve studied this concoction and it is highly inappropriate to have it in a classroom such as this!” Elphaba blurted out, tensely eyeing the puff of smokey matter that wafted from the bottle.

“Hush you!” Nikidik scowled, plainly irked at having been interrupted.

“It is highly volatile!” Elphaba pressed. “The slightest shift in the air and—”

“Down in front!” an impatient pupil called from the back. Elphaba turned and caught Glinda’s eye challengingly. 

“Well go on,” Elphaba prompted her tersely. “You’re in sorcery seminar. Tell him!”

Glinda’s eyes shifted anxiously between the puff and Elphaba, but she did not speak up.

“Sit down, I say!” Nikidik barked, wafting the puff of vapor back and forth past the wall hangings of the founders with the intention of animating them to speak. “Sit!”

But Elphaba did not sit. She didn’t sit because at the very moment the fumes began drifting and curling around the horns of the antlers on route to the paintings, she heard the click of the classroom side door opening. Fiyero Tigelaar, in a move defying all of Elphaba’s expectations, had come to class after all.

His eyes locked with Elphaba’s but his soft expression soon contorted to one of confusion as he registered the look on her face. It wasn’t ambivalence, anger, nor affection Fiyero saw on Elphaba’s features…it was panic. Panic, because Elphaba knew what was going to happen right before it did and she was powerlessly condemned to watch it come to pass.  

Fiyero’s unfortunate entrance, having shifted the delicate balance in the room, altered the course of Nikidik’s reckless magic. The antlers that Elphaba so despised began to rattle violently on the wall until they finally broke free with a dreadful cracking sound and landed prongs side down on the floor. They screeched along the baseboards towards Fiyero to create a sound akin to nails on a chalkboard and maniacally skittered up his body before he could react. One rack pinned him to the door by the neck, its pointed prongs flush against his jugular, while the other reared back in preparation to lethally spear the prince in the face.  

There must have been chaos at that moment, gasps and screams from the students, pleading towards their professor to save the boy before he was grievously mauled. However, only one sound prevailed above the rest. A feral, anguished cry of grief as Elphaba screamed– 

“YERO!”

Dust and vapor settled silently over the class as the students, who had fled to the opposite side of the room, covered their eyes to avoid witnessing the certain mangling of their classmate. However, when a few finally dared to peek, they saw Fiyero with his eyes closed, pinned yet astoundingly unharmed by the now inanimate antlers. Elphaba had climbed on top of her table and kneeled upon it, her eyes wide and wild as her hand extended towards the prince to halt the horns. Then, in a deliberate, swift motion, she slashed said hand through the air like a jungle cat swiping at prey, and onlookers gasped as they watched the antlers disintegrate midair leaving dozens of jagged pieces to clatter to the ground. 

As if only realizing at that moment that he was still alive, Fiyero opened his eyes to take in the serrated shards at his feet. He then turned his awestruck gaze upon his hero whose arm reached for him still. The tense silence of an uncomfortably curious class was broken as Glinda rushed out of the back entrance of the classroom and shut the door behind her. The sound broke Elphaba’s focus and she put her arm at her side, turning her gaze upon the students. 

“Out. Get out! All of you!” she commanded. 

For once, they listened. Without hesitation the students scrambled to grab their things and scatter into the hallway out the back door. Elphaba leered at a petrified Nikidik and merely jabbed a finger towards the door.

“C-class dismissed!” he coughed to the last few stragglers before swiftly taking his leave and closing the door behind him. 

Now alone, Elphaba’s hardened front collapsed and she shakily climbed off the table. She held up her quivering hands in front of her and observed them curiously, briefly distracted by her own display of magic. She then chanced another look towards Fiyero. Beautifully, miraculously unscathed Fiyero.

“Finally…” she managed a rushed whisper. “Finally, from these powers something good.”

But while unscathed, Fiyero was plainly shaken. Jittery and pale, he moved a hand to his neck and looked at Elphaba as if she were the only solid thing that could ground him.

“Fae?” he muttered hoarsely before his wobbly knees finally gave way. He wound up sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, but he wasn’t alone, because Elphaba had instinctively moved to his side to kneel beside him.

“I think–I think I’m–” Fiyero managed as his breath devolved into short, wheezing gasps. 

“I know, I know. I get them too, remember? Okay—uh…um…breathe,” Elphaba offered lamely, demonstrating the technique as she wracked her brain for ways to help.

Seeing Fiyero in such distress made her feel useless. She was no stranger to experiencing such an episode, but she had never helped anyone through one. But someone had once helped her…

“Okay listen up. Name three things that you can see,” Elphaba instructed. “Around the room.”

“I see you, I only see you,” Fiyero muttered vaguely, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

“Okay, well. Um…” Elphaba bit her lip as she backtracked. “Okay then…think of three things you know about me?”

“What?”

“What’s—I don’t know—what’s my sign?” she shrugged desperately. “Do you remember?”

“Sagittarius…but you don’t believe in astrology,” he answered faintly.

“Good, what else?”

“You love picking blackberries,” he recalled, his brow furrowing in effort. “You want to learn another language.”

 “What color are my eyes?” Elphaba challenged lightheartedly, quickly placing her hands over her eyes. “I never wrote you that.”

“Brown.”

Elphaba slowly uncovered her face and met his eyes with a meaningful expression before making a sudden movement to place her hand on his chest. She stopped short, momentarily surprised at her own boldness, before silently requesting permission with her eyes. Fiyero nodded feebly and she delicately placed her palm over his heart which was still beating madly, surely from the shock. 

“Breathe with me, Fiyero,” Elphaba whispered, demonstrating a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. She wasn’t sure if she was doing it more for him than herself. Impressively soon, Fiyero’s breathing steadied and his heart rate slowed to a manageable rate. 

“Well now I know of something that rattles me more than exams,” Fiyero cleared his throat.

“I think getting disfigured by enchanted antlers is something that rattles all of us now,” Elphaba responded dryly.

“Right…the antlers.”

Elphaba studied him for a moment, attentively examining his face. Not a scratch on it. What could have happened to him had she not acted quick enough? Gruesome, intrusive images flooded her mind then as she imagined the worst in vivid detail. She could so clearly see the blood, the punctures. The horrors. Elphaba’s breath caught and her hands impulsively reached forward to grab the sides of his face, as if needing to feel the physical proof of his safety.

“Fiyero, you frightened me.”

Elphaba realized a moment later what she’d done and she flinched to pull her hands away. Fiyero swiftly took one of her hands and she gasped lightly as he returned it to his chest. Their eyes met Fiyero gently placed his own palm warmly over Elphaba’s heart. They sat together, breathless and scared, as their racing hearts exposed them both.

Elphaba told herself that she didn’t see it happening, but she did. Fiyero was leaning towards her. She wasn’t positive but she suspected that she was leaning as well, because they were soon close enough for Fiyero to gently tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. Their eyes closed, their breathing grew labored, and Elphaba flushed as their noses brushed in featherlight contact.

It was at that moment that Elphaba, who privately wanted nothing more than to succumb, did what Elphaba did best.

“You’re feeling better…so…” Elphaba scurried to her feet to put distance between herself and Fiyero. 

Fiyero let out a shocked, bitter laugh and rose to his feet as well.

“Not anymore!” he griped. “What was that?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You do. Elphaba, we were going to kiss!”

“Well maybe you were going to kiss me but—”

“Stop that,” Fiyero urged, stepping forward to close the distance she’d put between them. “I’m not falling for your bickering this time, we need to actually talk. Stop pretending that there is nothing going on here!”

“Nothing is going on–”

“You saved me today, everybody saw it. There were witnesses!”

“Just because I didn’t want you to be gored by antlers does not mean that I–”

“Sure it doesn’t. But this?” Fiyero gestured wildly between the two of them. “That?!” He gestured towards where they’d been sitting. He placed his own hand over his heart to simulate what had taken place between them. “I mean…what was that?!”

“You were worried and I was trying to–”

“You called me Yero, Elphaba!” Fiyero yelled. His shoulders slackened and he gave her a tired look. “You called me Yero,” he repeated, softer this time.

Elphaba went quiet. He was right, of course. Fiyero had seen through her games, no amount of running could change that.

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Elphaba finally said. “All of this, today…it doesn’t change anything. Whatever I feel for you…it doesn’t change anything.”

“It changes everything.” 

“No, it doesn’t,” Elphaba stated firmly. “You’re still you and I’m still me.”

Fiyero stared at her blankly for a moment, shaking his head over her blunt reasoning. He considered formulating a calm, eloquent response of his own, but it wouldn’t have been honest. Instead he blurted exactly what was on his mind.

“Oz, Elphaba. You are so annoying!” 

Elphaba, who didn’t know what she was expecting, wasn’t expecting that. “Excuse me?”

“And pretentious. Annoying and pretentious!”

“Go on?!” Elphaba urged.

“I will! You’re loud, you’re a know-it-all, you overthink everything, your temper is off the charts, you never—”

“Are you done!?”

“—let anyone else talk!” Fiyero finished over her. “Oz, Elphaba. You drive me mad! You think that you’re so smart and that I’m such an idiot but you’re the one standing there unable to see that I’m in love with you—that I am so, stupidly in love with you!”

Elphaba's body and mind froze as Fiyero danced around the subject no longer. She tried to speak, but found that her voice was frozen too. Then, after that, after all of that…she only managed to say: “I don’t think you’re an idiot.”

Fiyero gestured for her to continue her train of thought. “Anything else?”

“You–you–” Elphaba sighed sharply at her own stuttering. “You–”

“So, now you have nothing to say?”

“Shut up,” Elphaba growled. “I’m processing.”

“Processing that I love you? You don’t process love, Elphaba!”

“Well I’m processing it!” Elphaba snapped. She began to pace and think aloud, trying to squeeze a logical conclusion out of this information. “I mean–it’s our letters, of course. You’ve fallen for the person you imagined when reading those letters and are now equating them to me. Then there is the matter of the adrenaline from a near death experience, and the fact that I was the one to rescue you doesn’t help. A simple matter of transference syndrome, it’s really no question at all that you think you love me.”

“Think I love you?” Fiyero challenged. “You’re rationalizing the fact that I love you?!”

“You don’t love me!” Elphaba corrected harshly, dropping her academic guise. “You love Fae, that’s the only thing that makes sense. You love Fae.”

“You’re Fae!” Fiyero shouted, gesturing to her desperately.

“No I’m not,” Elphaba maintained. “That’s not really me, I’m not really her. Writing is easy, Fiyero. When I wrote as Fae it was easy to be witty and kind and bold. But when you strip all of those things away, all that’s left of Fae…is me.”

Elphaba couldn’t disguise the disgust in her voice, the shame, her regret over the truth. The regret over who she really was.

“I’m sorry for deceiving you, Fiyero,” Elphaba said after a long moment. “Truly, I am.”

“But did you ever lie?” Fiyero asked. “In your letters…did you ever lie?”

“What?”

“Did you ever make things up about yourself or share things with me that weren’t true?” Fiyero pressed, taking a purposeful step towards her. “Did you lie?”

“No, Fiyero. I didn’t lie.”

“And everything you wrote to me, did you mean it all? Tell me.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “Every word.”

“Then what was the deception?”

“Fiyero—"

“You’re right about one thing, though. I do love Fae,” Fiyero continued. “I love the girl that I was writing to every day. The girl with freakishly neat handwriting and the most unbelievable mind. The girl who encouraged me to want more for myself, who made me actually want to want something. The lonely girl who was the first one to notice or care that I was lonely too. I love that girl, Elphaba. You are that girl.”

Elphaba’s carefully upheld exterior began to splinter.

“I never meant for things to go this far,” Elphaba said weakly. “I never intended for us to meet.”

“Why?”

Elphaba made an audible sound of discomfort and turned her back to him. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself in efforts to keep a repressed deluge of emotion at bay.

“Look at me.”

She shook her head.

“Elphaba, look at me.”

She shook her head harder.

“Sweet Oz, Elphaba. Look at me!”

“You know why!” she yelled, whipping around to face him. “You know why I could never tell you who I was—why I could never tell Yero. Look at me!”

“I’m looking.”

“You’ve read my letters, Fiyero, now read between the lines! People scream when they see me, or laugh, or worse. Nobody wanted to sell produce to me, much less be my friend. Tell me why, then, I should have expected Yero to react any differently when he saw me?” Elphaba unloaded harshly.

Fiyero was quiet for a long time before endeavoring to take a few careful steps towards her. Her arms were crossed and he moved to place his hands on her elbows. She flinched unconsciously at his touch but did not pull away.

“I don’t know,” Fiyero confessed honestly. “I don’t know how I’m going to convince you…but I know that I want to try. Please, Elphaba. Let me try.”

Elphaba said nothing but looked up to meet Fiyero’s gaze directly. Her eyes explored his suspiciously, searching for any trace of dishonesty. She examined his features for any tics or fidgets that could give him away. Tension mounted and Fiyero hesitantly slid his hands from Elphaba’s elbows to her waist. As Elphaba’s investigation came up empty, her eyes flicked down to curiously fixate on Fiyero’s lips.

“Students! Oh, students I’ve just heard of the disturberance!” Madame Morrible’s voice cut through the moment.

Elphaba and Fiyero jumped and scrambled apart so quickly Elphaba nearly tripped backwards over a chair. Fiyero hastily side stepped behind a table and self-consciously straightened his clothes.

“Madame Morrible,” Elphaba breathed heavily.

“No exam today, I see,” Madame Morrible said easily, plainly ignoring the amorous scene she’d thwarted. “I take it that things got disrupted.”

“You could say that,” Fiyero grumbled with poorly concealed frustration.

“It seems Doctor Nikidik got his hands on some Extract of Biological Intention. I’m surprised at you, Elphaba! I would have expected you to dissuade the professor from using such a hazardous charm. We did just cover it in seminar.”

“Imagine that,” Elphaba responded flatly.  

“Now come along, dearie! I’m sure you’re positively shaken by today’s events. I shall escort you to your next class,” Madame Morrible extended a bony hand towards her apprentice.

“Truthfully Madame, I’m not the one who was nearly maimed today.”

“Oh, Master Tigelaar will be fine on his own. Don’t you worry about him. Now I said come along. We’re expecting a change in the weather,” Madame Morrible insisted, wrapping her arm around Elphaba to usher her out the door.

Elphaba shrugged out of Morrible’s grip and turned around. “Fiyero?”

“Elphaba,” he responded softly.

She regarded him earnestly for a long moment before offering him a single nod in assent.

“Fine then. You may try.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Seventeen: See How Bright ✉

Madame Morrible had not been mistaken. As Elphaba stepped outside in the early evening after classes, freezing rain was pelting to the earth. By the time she made it home the sky was fully dark, and a full storm was in progress. Howling winds whistled outside and the new moon was made further obscured by storm clouds. Chilled by the lack of moonlight, Elphaba drew the curtains.

She undid her braid and dressed for a night in, marveling at how quiet it was now that Glinda was gone. She restlessly settled into bed and opened her book. She had often yearned for this level of peace before, but she’d grown accustomed to having someone around. The silence, save for the storm rattling at her windows, made Elphaba feel uneasy.

Her comprehension of the book came in and out as her mind drifted elsewhere. How could she focus on the fictional romance in her hands when someone had professed their alleged love to her that very day? What had happened with Fiyero seemed years ago and miles away. It was easier to believe Fiyero in the moment, but as she sat in her bed alone on an ominous night…doubt set in.  

A crash of thunder shook the building and Elphaba’s lamps flickered. Her eyes widened as she watched them struggle to remain lit. They came back on and Elphaba quickly scrambled off of her bed with dread in her heart.

“No…please don’t,” she whispered aloud.

Thunder boomed again and the lights flickered for an even longer amount of time. Elphaba hastily walked to Glinda’s side of the room with the intention of lighting the vanilla candle she kept on her dresser, only to find it missing.

“Damn it, Glinda. You leave the reticule, but you take the candle?”

Elphaba’s hands shook as she searched in vain to see if Glinda had at least left some matches behind. When the lights surged for a third time, Elphaba was finding it very difficult not to panic. She anxiously crossed to her window and tore the curtains open to examine the storm. It was severe enough that she couldn’t see more than a stone’s throw outside, even with the streetlamps still on, and it showed no signs of stopping. She made a nervous sound and began to pace.

“It cannot hurt you. It cannot hurt you. It cannot hurt you,” the logical side of Elphaba’s made her say, but logic had no power here. The lights were about to go out. What was she going to do when the—

The lights went out.

Elphaba’s lamps, the overhead light, even the streetlamps outside finally gave out with a loud snap and propelled the campus into blackness. Elphaba then blacked out as fear seized the reins. She covered her face with her hands and breathed, just breathed. Her body began to shake and sweat. Her chest ached as terror stung up her spine and her lips trembled. The lights were out. The lights were out and she was alone.

There was a sudden banging at her door and Elphaba shrieked and closed her eyes tighter. In the violent throngs of dread, she didn’t believe any good could come of letting someone in. That is, until a voice called for her from the dark.

“Fae?”

She gasped and tried to build the courage to uncover her eyes but she hesitated knowing that to do so meant facing the dark.

“Elphaba! Let me in.”

In a great leap of faith, Elphaba uncovered her eyes, threw her arms out in front of her, and sprung fearfully towards the unknown to fling the door open.

Fiyero stood outside her door with an oil lantern in his hand which illuminated the relief on his features in a warm, orange glow. The tips of his hair dripped with water but he was otherwise dry thanks surely to the soaked umbrella in his other hand.

“Fiyero,” Elphaba managed in a small voice.

“Elphaba,” he breathed, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. He set the lantern on her desk and tossed the umbrella aside. “I started running as soon as the lights started to go. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”

Fiyero had come…and he’d brought the light back with him.

Elphaba, hopelessly relieved, didn’t even think. She let out a choking gasp and flung herself into the arms of her hero.

“Hey—” Fiyero wheezed as he caught her.

Awed and fumbling, it took Fiyero’s brain a moment to catch up to what was happening. However, the instant it clicked his arms flew around Elphaba to secure her in a tight, protective hug. She trembled like a leaf against him and he gently turned her face into his chest to further shield her from the dark that troubled her so. It was an innocent enough embrace, like that of two close friends, but there was an implicit intimacy to it the likes of which neither had ever felt before.

“You came.”

“I came,” he murmured against her hair. “I’m here.”

Elphaba burrowed into him, Fiyero rested his cheek on the top of her hair, and that’s how they stayed. Holding each other silently by the meager lantern’s glow. At last, Elphaba lifted her chin to meet Fiyero’s thoughtful gaze. He brushed the hair out of her eyes and tentatively caressed her face in his hands.

“It wasn’t just the letters. It wasn’t just Fae,” Fiyero breathed. “It was you.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance but Elphaba barely heard it over her own pulse throbbing in her ears.

“Elphaba, were you…” Fiyero trailed off as if he needed to build the courage to ask. “Were you disappointed when you found out that it was me?”

Elphaba, overwhelmed by his query, shook her head slowly.

“No, Fiyero. I wanted it to be you,” she answered, softly liberating a long-repressed truth. “I wanted it to be you so badly.”

Fiyero took both of her hands and Elphaba intertwined their fingers. Elphaba took a deep breath and lifted her eyes to meet Fiyero’s.  

“Fiyero, listen…”

“No,” Fiyero suddenly jerked back and dropped her hands.

“Huh?”

“Don’t Fiyero listen me. You’re about to say how ‘this doesn’t change anything’ or how ‘this is never going to work’ and I don’t want to hear it! Take pity on me, Elphaba. I’m not sure how much more of this I can take!”

“Fiyero—"

“No! I need to keep talking, because if I keep talking then you won’t get a chance to say whatever it is that you want to say!”

“Fiyero!”

“What!?”

Elphaba grabbed Fiyero’s face in her hands and jammed her lips to his in a sudden, heated kiss.

“That’s what.”

Fiyero stared at her blankly and Elphaba felt the frustration zap from her body as she realized what she’d just done.

“I’m sorry,” she backtracked. “Did I not do it right? It was my first kiss so I’m—”

Fiyero grabbed her waist and swept her back into a second, passionate kiss. Dumbstruck by the gesture, Elphaba quickly reminded herself to close her eyes. Being kissed felt different than she always imagined it would. She worried over which direction to turn her head and awkwardly second guessed where to put her hands. Fiyero’s lips, though warmly welcome against hers, were a distinctly foreign sensation and taste. She’d read about what this human experience might feel like, but words were limited to the page they were written upon. Living them was another thing entirely…and there was no substitution for reality. So, just for that moment, she cleared away any and all expectations she’d built up in her head and simply returned Fiyero’s kiss as best she could.

Fiyero pulled away and they gave each other a long, winded look.

“You did it right,” Fiyero finally offered.

The pair continued to gawk at each other until slow, relieved smiles began spreading across their faces. Elphaba emitted a dizzy laugh as Fiyero bashfully ruffled his hair as they both tried to think of what to say. The tension between them had at last been broken…and Oz, did it feel great. Elphaba’s smile softened and she reached towards Fiyero’s face to thoughtfully brush the back of her fingertips along his cheek.

“Well? What are you thinking?” Fiyero asked, unconsciously shivering at Elphaba’s touch.

“I’m thinking that…I’m through.”

“Through with what?”

The lantern he’d provided bathed them in flickering light and moving shadows danced across Fiyero’s anxious features. Elphaba fluidly lifted her hand and brushed a green thumb over Fiyero’s lower lip.

“I’m through…resisting you.”

Fiyero emitted a sharp exhale of disbelief and they quickly met halfway for another zealous kiss. Taking things slow was apparently not something either of them was interested in, after all, it took long enough to get here. They’d spent many months teasing and toying with what they’d do if they found themselves alone with each other, and now that they were, they both ached to put those letters into action.

“Kiss me harder,” Elphaba, no longer shy, urged upon briefly surfacing for breath. “Make me believe that this is happening.”

“You’re so bossy,” Fiyero said in a low tone.

“Oh sorry—”

“Don’t be.” Fiyero made a sudden movement to pin Elphaba against the wall beside her desk. “I like bossy.”

He graciously obliged Elphaba’s command by placing a hand on the back of her neck, pressing his body flush against hers, and kissing her as fiercely as she’d asked. Elphaba’s lips parted in surprise and Fiyero skillfully took the opportunity to deepen their kiss. The resonant moan his maneuver elicited from Elphaba’s throat was music to him.

“Good Oz, Elphaba. You’re the best homework assignment I’ve ever gotten,” Fiyero muttered thickly.

Elphaba’s usual defenses were down, her borderlines crossed. Her body was in control now, and her body wanted Fiyero. Bolstered by his enthusiasm, she brazenly threw her arms around his waist and began to impatiently tug at his shirt.

“Elphaba,” he said against her mouth before pulling his lips from hers. “What—what are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing?”

“But you’ve never…”

“Of course, ‘I’ve never’,” Elphaba said tightly. “Is that a problem?”

“It’s just—”

“Look, it’s not like I don’t know how it works,” Elphaba said defensively, her face beginning to heat. “It’s no big deal.”

Not keen on losing momentum, Elphaba took a fistful of his shirt and tilted up to kiss him again, only to have Fiyero lean away.

“Hold on,” Fiyero panted. “Just hold on for a clock-tick…”

Elphaba’s face fell and her grip on his shirt numbly slackened. “Oh. Okay. I see.”

She released him and paced a few steps away, self-consciously adjusting her nightgown and hair as she did.

“Elphaba…” Fiyero groaned in frustration. “Just listen—”

“No, I get it! You don’t want to have sex with me,” she hissed, turning to face him. Her blunt tone did little to conceal the sting of rejection she felt. “You don’t want me like that. I should have expected as much.”

Fiyero stared at her for a long moment before an amused smile burst across his face. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked her up and down as a small chuckle escaped him. Elphaba bristled at his reaction, feeling an old flare of annoyance towards him.

“What’s so funny?”

“What’s so funny?” Fiyero asked. He approached Elphaba and tipped her chin upwards to look at him. Her frown twitched as she stubbornly strained to remain stoic. “What’s funny is the idea that you could possibly think that I wouldn’t want you like that.”

Fiyero placed his hands on her waist to gently turn her body to face Glinda’s old closet on the other side of the room. 

“I’ve wanted to have you ever since we got thrown in there.”

He stood close behind her and slowly gathered her long hair in his hand, pulling it off to one side so that he may drift his lips up the side of her neck. Elphaba closed her eyes at the new, sensitive sensation and gently tilted her head further back for him.

“No, you haven’t,” she exhaled.

“Haven’t you?” he asked knowingly.

He returned his eager hands to her hips and began tracing them slowly up the sides of her body. Despite the seductive nature of his actions, Elphaba let out a sudden laugh as his hands drifted too delicately over her ribcage.

“Why are you laughing?” Fiyero complained.

“That tickled.”

“Wait, you’re ticklish?”

“Don’t you dare.”

“The great Elphaba Thropp is ticklish?!”

“Fiyero, don’t you dare!”

Elphaba shrieked as Fiyero threw his arms around her from behind and besieged her with his fingers. She cackled as she wiggled out of his grasp.

“I’m going to hex you so hard,” she warned between laughs. She fled to her bed and attempted to grab her pillow as a shield but Fiyero was too quick. He climbed on top of her and grabbed her wrists to amorously pin her arms over her head.

“I give! I give!” Elphaba gasped, her chest heaving from the chase. “I surrender.”

Fiyero yielded at once and looked down upon Elphaba’s beaming smile. He’d never seen her like this, youthful and uninhibited with her brassy, uniquely Elphaba laugh and secret dimples. He briefly wondered if anyone had seen her quite like this, and felt distinctly honored to bear witness to her.

“You’ve never wrote that you were ticklish.”

“I didn’t know,” Elphaba replied as her laughter winded down. Her breathing began to even out and their eyes met meaningfully. “I’m…not very used to being touched.”

Fiyero cradled Elphaba’s face in his hands and kissed her forehead. When he pulled away, he carefully tucked some of her hair behind her ears and spent a thoughtful moment drinking her in.

“It is a big deal,” he expressed earnestly, lifting her hand to his lips and pressing an adoring kiss to the heel of her palm. “Being with you…it’s a very big deal. At least it is for me.”

Elphaba’s face flushed and her adrenaline began to pump as she listened.

“I want you, Elphaba. Oz, do I want you. And look, I’ve slept with tons of people—”

“Well, don’t I feel special,” Elphaba deadpanned.

“That’s just it, you are special! I can tell I’m not explaining this right. I’m no good with words, you know that…” he sighed self-consciously.

Elphaba reached up to brush his cheek with her thumb.

“You’re doing beautifully,” she encouraged. “I’m listening.”

“Elphaba…being with you is different because it means more to me. I’ve been with a lot of people—as I’ve already established…” he cleared his throat to move on quickly, “…but I’ve never been with somebody that I love. And I love you, Elphaba. I do.”

Elphaba went quiet as the rain pelted noisily outside. Her mind felt conflicted, skeptical of Fiyero’s confession, but the way the lantern began to steadily shine brighter told her everything she needed to know about how her heart felt to hear it.

“You do?” she clarified, the lantern brightening and dimming in accordance with her bated breath.

“I do,” he repeated, eager to illuminate her. “If you’re sure you’re ready Elphaba, I’m ready too. But I don’t want to rush things just to get it over with. It’s a big deal.”

Fiyero gingerly placed his hand on the underside of Elphaba’s thigh and her breath caught as he sensually propped her leg up against his hip.

“Let me make love to you the way you deserve, Elphaba,” Fiyero said in a voice so loving that it buckled her guarded heart. “Do you want me to?”

“Yes,” Elphaba whispered. “I want you to.”

Fiyero’s stirringly slow kiss that followed fluttered every part of Elphaba’s body. In contrast to her brash confidence before, she now trembled to be the subject of Fiyero’s tenderness. Her hands shook as he helped her undress him and an unfading blush warmed the skin of her face. When he moved to remove her nightgown, she gasped lightly and placed a hand on his bare chest for him to pause.

“Wait, Fiyero. I’m green,” she blurted out, sitting up in bed.

Fiyero gave her a stupefied look. “I know that.”

“Like everywhere. I’m green everywhere.”

“I figured you would be?” he replied in a confused tone.  

Elphaba made a mortified sound and buried her face into his shoulder, embarrassed to be stalling their momentum. Fiyero’s arms wrapped around her and he leaned his head against hers.

“If we could only turn out the light. Isn’t it just my luck? The two things I’m afraid of are being in the dark and being seen,” she fussed.

“You’re beautiful, Elphaba.”

“You don’t have to lie to me.”

“It’s not lying,” he pulled out of the hug and took both of her hands. “Elphaba, you see the best in me, but in some ways I’m still deeply shallow. Do you really think I’d be in bed with you if I didn’t find you attractive?”

Elphaba rolled her eyes in a flustered manner and squeezed his hands. “Well, when you put it like that…”

“We can stop right now,” he reminded her gently.

“Just…remind me that it’s you.”

“It’s just me.”

Fiyero moved her hand to his heart and covered hers with his own as they had done in the classroom. A tiny smile formed on her lips as she felt Fiyero’s heart racing as anxiously as hers.

“Do you want us to stop?” he checked.

Elphaba looked up at him and her smile grew braver as she shook her head. Her body buzzed with equal parts nervous and excited anticipation as she moved Fiyero’s hands back to her body.

“No, I don’t want to stop,” she decided with certainty. “I mean…green means go, right?”

Fiyero burst out laughing and rewarded her with a kiss. “Green means go.”

Fiyero helped undress Elphaba with care, reassuring her of his attraction as he went with admiring words and kisses to her soft, emerald skin. But it was the expression of humility on Fiyero’s face as he laid her back against the pillows that truly made Elphaba blush.

“Shoot, wait.”

Elphaba quickly fumbled under her pillow and removed her green bottle, setting it on her bedside table for safekeeping so that it wouldn’t get damaged. Fiyero registered what it was with an astonished chuckle and turned his attention back to Elphaba.

“What is it?” she frowned.

“I just can’t believe I actually found you,” he answered. “My darling Fae.”

Beneath the flickering glow of their lantern, Fiyero and Elphaba made imperfect love to each other. Uncertain winces eased into pleasured sighs and words of encouragement as Elphaba reclined into a world of new, exquisite sensations. Fiyero, in a new territory of his own, couldn’t help but feel smug over having the privilege of satisfying his formidable Elphaba. Timid yet attentive, they learned each other’s body just as they’d learned each other’s minds for many months. Endearing awkwardness aside, the former pen friends agreed. Living out their desires beat writing about them.

When it was through, Elphaba and Fiyero lay on their sides, quiet and spent, holding each other almost cumbersomely close so they’d both fit on Elphaba’s twin bed.

“Please don’t leave until the lights come back,” Elphaba breathed.

“I’ll stay with you.”

Elphaba hesitated as an abstract fear gripped her heart. How could she already be missing this moment even as she lived it? She yearned to cling to this feeling for as long as she could because she knew that beautiful things never stayed in her life for long. The clock over their heads was always ticking, and she could already envision the many ways their bliss could be broken.

She expressed these daunting daydreams in a simple, troubled question. “But for how long?”

Fiyero brushed his thumb over Elphaba’s temple and looked upon her with love.

“For as long as you’re mine.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Eighteen: The Morning Aftermath ✉

Elphaba woke before him.

She hadn’t remembered falling asleep. It felt more like morning had come between blinks. When she opened her eyes Fiyero’s sleeping face faded into view. He looked younger, more boyish than she’d ever seen him. She peeled her cheek off of his chest, leaving behind a funny red imprint over his heart where she’d rested her head upon him. She deftly slid out of bed and goose flesh pricked across her body as she tiptoed across the chilled floor. 

Night had its horrors, especially for Elphaba, but morning held a certain level of dread as well. Things that one could conceal under a lantern’s glow were no match for dawn’s harsh spotlight. Elphaba couldn’t help but feel exposed. She took extra care whilst opening her sticky dresser drawer so that it would not screech and wake the boy in her bed. She dressed speedily and as she reached the last button, she realized she had been one off. Before she was able to undo her mistake, she looked up to see Fiyero awake.

“Hi,” she blurted out immediately, her hands still frozen in place on her buttons.

“Hey.”

She continued to stare at him, distracted by his state of undress.

“…Hi,” she repeated dumbly.

Fiyero got out of bed and Elphaba shyly averted her gaze, as silly as that seemed at this point. He dressed from the waist down and closed the distance between them. 

“The lights are back on,” Fiyero pointed out.

“Yes, I saw.”

“I guess we don’t really need the lantern anymore.”

“Why do you even have a lantern?”

“You don’t?”

“No, that’s a weird thing to have.”

“Well, then you just got lucky I had one last night.”

“Pretty sure we both got lucky last night,” Elphaba quipped. 

Fiyero raised his eyebrows at Elphaba’s cheek and chuckled in surprise. Elphaba ran a hand through her loose hair only to get her fingers stuck in a tangle. Fiyero stepped forward and helped her dislodge her hand. 

“Oz, Elphaba. Your hair is a mess,” he teased. 

“I’d say you’re at least partially to blame.”

“Happy to help.” Fiyero took a good look at the sheen on Elphaba’s face as the sun shone upon her through the window. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

They shared a quick, gentle kiss.

“How are you feeling?” Fiyero checked, reaching down to take her hand. “Any regrets?”

“Tons,” Elphaba replied before offering a wry smile. “But none about last night.”

“Even after seeing what I look like in the morning?” Fiyero played, tilting his chin to the side to pose for her.

“Even so. You’re still beautiful.”

“Beautiful, huh? So, the truth finally comes out, Thropp.”

“What truth?”

“You think I’m sexy.”

Elphaba scoffed. “Pardon?”

“You think I’m sexy!”

“Maybe in a strident, arrogant, princely kind of way.” 

“I’ll take it.”

An awkward silence lapsed between them and Elphaba laughed uncomfortably.

“Is the morning after always this weird?”

“I don’t know. I don’t—” Fiyero stopped short, realizing he was about to sound like an ass. “I don’t usually…stay?”

“Wow.”

“I know…”

“You’re kind of an ass.”

“I know.”

“So, you’re telling me that you’ve never stayed the night? That explains why Glinda was never gone.”

“Oh, Glinda and I never…”

“You never?”

“No. Well, I mean we did some stuff—”

“Enough,” Elphaba held up her hands, not keen on hearing details. “I guess I just…assumed.”

Then, as if saying her name had conjured her, there was a sudden rap at the door.

“Elphi—Elphaba!?” called an edgy voice. “Let me in.”

“Shit,” Elphaba and Fiyero whispered in unison.

They froze and looked at each other in panic. Elphaba began gesticulating wildly and Fiyero furrowed his brow in confusion.

“What?!”

“Come on, Elphaba. I know you’re always up early!”

“Go,” Elphaba hissed.

“Where?!”

She made a helpless gesture before an idea came to her. She placed a hand flat on his bare chest and began pushing him backwards towards the closet.

“I fully understand the irony of what I’m doing but—”

“Fae—”

“—shush!”

Elphaba thrust Fiyero into the closet with a light shove and closed the door.

“Coming! I’m coming!” Elphaba called out, kicking Fiyero’s shirt under the bed before taking a breath and opening the door. Glinda stood before her looking tense and prim.

“Well? Can I come in?”

“It’s your room,” Elphaba answered flatly. Glinda stepped inside with a huff and turned to Elphaba.

“I won’t stay long. I just came to give you this,” she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out the vanilla candle. “Here.”

Elphaba, touched, accepted it. “Thank you.”

“I slept through it but ShenShen told me about the power outage and I thought…” Glinda cleared her throat. “No matter. I don’t need it there anyhow.”

“Glinda…” Elphaba sighed guiltily.

“I see you’ve heard about my name,” Glinda said with a cool toss of her hair.

“Yeah. It’s nice…though I miss the guh.”

Glinda didn’t smile, but something told Elphaba that she wanted to.

“Anyway. See you in sorcery seminar. I hope you didn’t think that I was going to quit,” she said as she crossed back towards the door. She stopped and curiously tilted her head. “What’s that?”

Elphaba swallowed dryly as she pointed towards the lantern left behind on her desk.

“A lantern.”

“I didn’t know you had a lantern,” she said slowly. “That’s a weird thing to have.”

“Yeah, well…” Elphaba shrugged.

“Oh, that reminds me. While I’m here I really do want to fetch my reticule. I can’t trust Pfannee and ShenShen to do anything for me.”

Elphaba’s stomach plummeted as Glinda started crossing towards the closet.

“W—wait Glinda, I’ll find it and bring it to you at seminar!”

“Don’t be silly. I’ll just grab it from the—” Glinda flung the door open to see a shirtless Fiyero sheepishly staring back. “Closet.”

“Hey Galinda…”

“It’s Glinda now,” she said before promptly slamming the door back in his face.

Glinda turned to face a horrified Elphaba and looked her up and down, scrutinizing her disheveled hair and hastily buttoned blouse.

“Do you know how horrendible I felt when I woke up and found out there was a blackout? I was so worried that you felt scared and alone only to find out—” Glinda let out a crazed laugh. “You weren’t alone!”

“Glinda…it’s not what it looks like?” Fiyero offered half-heartedly as he cautiously reemerged.

“Well—it is,” Elphaba amended guiltily.

Glinda began walking towards the door and Elphaba threw herself in front of the door to block her exit.

“I never lied to you!” Elphaba insisted desperately. “I give you my word that I never lied to you.”

“As if that’s worth anything,” Glinda spat.

Fiyero noticed the wounded look on Elphaba’s face as she numbly stepped away from the door. Glinda reached out to grab the doorknob and Fiyero purposefully crossed to Elphaba to take her hand.

“Glinda, if you’re mad at anybody be mad at me. Elphaba is blameless,” he asserted. Glinda turned to look at them. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just…I love her.”

Elphaba looked up at Fiyero and he met her eyes meaningfully and squeezed her hand. Glinda stared at them for a long moment before pressing her lips together in a thin line.

“Well then…you deserve each other.”

She turned and left and Elphaba covered her face with her hands as the door closed behind her. Fiyero wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“So, that didn’t go great…”

“Didn’t go great?! That was a disaster, she’s never going to talk to me again!”

“You’ll make up,” Fiyero kissed the top of her head.

“No, we won’t,” Elphaba shrugged out of his embrace and paced towards her dresser. “Apparently I’m not only bad at making friends but I suck at keeping them.”

Elphaba turned to her mirror and winced as she began to yank her tangles apart.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? We do have classes today,” Elphaba muttered irritably as she slid on her glasses. “I can’t believe I lost my virginity on a school night.”

“Hey, where’s my shirt?”

“Under the bed. You realize what this means now, right?” Elphaba asked. “We need to make a plan.”

“What kind of plan?” Fiyero asked as he tugged on his shirt.

“Glinda’s going to tell people what she saw, probably everybody,” Elphaba turned to him. “Don’t you understand? People are going to know.”

“About what?”

“About us! About what we did. Personally, I think that denial is the strongest course. It’s our word against hers. I mean, I have no social influence but you do, plus the idea of us being together is outlandish enough that people may not buy it anyway.”

“Wait, Elphaba—”

“Besides which they’ll all know she has a motive to get back at you for breaking up with her. It wouldn’t be out of the question that she’s spreading lies—”

“Elphaba!”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“I don’t mind people knowing about us.”

“But—”

“I want people to know about us.”

Elphaba closed her mouth and eyed him skeptically.

“So, you’re saying that you’re okay with people finding out that you were with me? That you slept with me?”

“Are you okay with people knowing you were with me?” Fiyero asked.

“That’s not the issue here! People will know that you, the smooth-talking scandalacious prince—”

“Thank you.”

“—slept with the green freak.”

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t call my girlfriend a freak.”

“Okay now you’re just getting ahead of yourself. You’re not taking me seriously!” Elphaba complained. “People are cruel, Fiyero. You may not know that but I do. I won’t be the only target this time, people will bring you right down with me. Don’t you care what people think of you?”

“Of course, I do! You know that. But people might surprise you.”

“People never surprise me.”

“Never?” Fiyero asked flirtatiously as he took her waist. Elphaba reluctantly smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Maybe one person has,” she allowed.

“Elphaba,” he said patiently. “I’m not going to hide you like some shameful secret.”

Elphaba closed her eyes and sighed, feeling herself losing the debate. “Okay.”

Fiyero, after much insisting from Elphaba, at last left her room to make his morning class. She was fairly relieved that she didn’t have to make the walk of shame herself, Fiyero blended in better with the masses. Her first class wasn’t until the afternoon so she took the morning to reassemble her space and reassemble herself. She reset her mother’s bottle and made the bed, fighting off a blush as the events from the previous night returned to her mind. Now that Fiyero left she took the time to properly rebutton her blouse and detangle her hair. As she slid on her glasses, she realized that she was smiling. The sight of it made her laugh and she shook her head at her own reflection.

She didn’t look or feel any different. It simultaneously felt like everything and nothing at all had changed for her.

Her first class was uneventful save for the fact that her mind was wandering more than usual. People weren’t exaggerating about how distracting romance could be. She never thought she’d fall into the cliché of daydreaming about a suitor, but then again, she never thought she’d have a suitor to begin with.

Elphaba cracked open a book to read as she exited the classroom, but it didn’t hold her attention for long. It started with a single whistle and brasher than usual laughter. When she finally peered up from her page her feet stopped upon realizing that all eyes were on her. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand and jumped as someone slammed a piece of paper into her chest and kept walking. She scrambled to look at it and the color drained from her face to see that it was a letter, or rather a photocopy of one. A letter she’d written to Fiyero as Fae. However, their code names had been aggressively scratched out and addressed anew.

Dear Hunky Prince Fiyero,

Yes, I do have a favorite keepsake. It’s a small green glass bottle that belonged to my mother. It’s not worth anything outside of sentimental value, but nobody in my family knows that I kept it. There is something about it that’s special and comforting to me, so much so that I sleep with it under my pillow every night.

Love, The Backstabbing Green Bitch

Under the revised signature was a crude postscript written in different handwriting.

P.S. Since I know you’re into freaky chicks you can come get nasty with me any time.

Elphaba looked up to see that the copy in her hands was not the only one. Many students had their own page which they held up towards her with vicious delight.

“Who did this!?” she yelled, but her voice didn’t sound as strong as usual. The peals of laughter crescendoed.

Elphaba set off down the hallway and turned into the dining hall. There was no shortage of flyers there either. Distressed and lightheaded, Elphaba was briefly relieved to spot Nessarose at the end of a long table.

“Nessa, oh Nessa…” she breathed out as she approached her sister. Nessarose lifted her eyes and Elphaba instantly shrunk back under her irate glare.

“Is it true?”

“What, you think I did this? This has all been a mean trick, you have to know that!”

Nessarose promptly unfolded the page resting beside her. “’It’s a small green glass bottle that belonged to my mother. It’s not worth anything outside of sentimental value, but nobody in my family knows that I kept it’!?” she read crossly. “Did you write that?”

Elphaba’s throat went dry and she swallowed.

“Yes, I wrote that but—”

“I can’t believe you’ve been lying to me! For years! You know how much I have always wanted something of hers!”

“I can explain—”

“Not now.”

“Nessa—”

“Not now, Elphaba!” Nessarose cried. She childishly held up a hand to her face to shield the fact that the social outcast was associating with her.

Elphaba numbly turned and began crossing the dining hall, but she didn’t get far.

“Elphaba!” called a voice from behind her. “Elphie, stop!”

Elphaba turned around to face Glinda. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair windswept like she’d been running. Elphaba, in a burst of adrenaline, thrust the page into her former roommate’s hands.

“I hope you’re happy!” Elphaba yelled.

Scandalized ooohs broke out as nearby students spectated the confrontation in a vulturish manner.

“It wasn’t me,” Glinda said in an affronted tone, as if insulted that Elphaba could think that of her. “You have to believe me!”

“Like you believed me when I told you Fiyero and I weren’t having an affair behind your back?!”

“But something is going on! I mean this morning? Those letters?!”

“The letters were anonymous, Glinda!” Elphaba shouted, trying to get it through her head. “Fae and Yero were our pennames! I didn’t know I was writing to him and he didn’t know he was writing to me. We didn’t even find out until you told us!”

Glinda, lacking a rebuttal, glanced inquisitively at the paper in her hands.

“This is how you found out, isn’t it?” Elphaba continued, jabbing at the page. “You found this letter and thought you’d share my private thoughts for everyone to see.”

“I didn’t post these, Elphie! It must have been ShenShen or her boyfriend. I was upset this morning and—and I showed her the letter but I never—”

“Save it for your adoring fans. I really do hope that you’re happy, Glinda, but stop playing so innocent,” Elphaba turned and began to walk away. “You’ve outgrown that game.”

“I didn’t do it!” Glinda yelled after her.

Elphaba slammed the exit open and charged into a crowded hallway. Into a nightmare. Copy after gut wrenching copy plastered nearly every stretch of open wall, littered the floor, and resided in the hands of each and every student. A few exasperated professors worked to clear off their classroom doors and bulletins, but even they turned to sneak curious glances towards Elphaba.

Elphaba, frozen and horrified, became suddenly aware of the tips of her hair standing on end as if affected by static electricity. The heinous flyers began to ripple on the walls as her internal turbulence began to alter the physical world. Snickers began nervously dying down as the students began to notice pages tearing themselves off of the walls and swirling around Elphaba’s feet in a low twister. People moved to cling up against walls or ran towards each other to seek safety in numbers from their victim’s wrath. Elphaba’s humiliation and hostility bubbled up within her and she braced herself for the final burst.

But her burst stalled, for down the hallway, she saw him. Fiyero, ferociously ripping as many pages as he could off the wall, turned the corner and spotted her. She waited for him to retreat, to turn away in disgrace, but he didn’t. Instead, he dropped his bundle of papers and rushed towards her. In an instant she was in his arms and, in no state to reject him, she clung to him as her swirl of papers stilled and floated naturally to the ground.

“You okay?” Fiyero asked attentively, pulling away to cup her face in his hands. Elphaba shook her head. “Me neither, let’s get out of here.”

He grabbed her hand tightly and began leading her towards the exit amidst a cacophony of shocked gasps and wolf whistles.

“Hey Tigelaar, is she as much of a freak in bed as she is in real life?”

Fiyero turned. Elphaba recognized Jozsef Fox as the one who spoke.

“Shut up, Fox,” Fiyero growled.

“Hey just saying! The ugly ones are usually the wildest. If that’s true then…you should share her.”

“Shut up! SHUT UP!” Fiyero shouted loud enough that the whole hallway went quiet.

“Fiyero,” Elphaba caught Fiyero’s arm before he could lunge at the offender. “It’s okay, it doesn’t bother me.”

“It bothers me!”

Elphaba gently took Fiyero’s fist in her hands and brought it to her lips, eliciting gasps and whistles from the crowd.

“Yero,” she called, gentler this time. Fiyero’s fist unclenched as he turned to look at her. “Pace yourself. There’s more to come.”

Fiyero’s stiffened jaw relaxed and he backed off for Elphaba’s sake.

“I’ll get you back for that, Fox,” Fiyero promised. “Mark my words, I’ll get you back for that.”

Fiyero threw a protective arm around Elphaba and they exited the building side by side to face what was to come together.  

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Nineteen: An Honest Go ✉

Elphaba and Fiyero were tensely silent as they departed the building hand in hand. Neither verbalized where they were going, and neither led nor followed, but they both knew in their guts that they’d end up at their tree. When they arrived Fiyero dropped Elphaba’s hand and paced a few steps away with his back turned. Elphaba leaned her back against their tree with a resigned sigh and crossed her arms.

“I don’t want to say I told you so but—”

“I hate them. I hate them!” Fiyero fumed.

“Yes,” Elphaba stated calmly.

“Have they—”

“Yes.”

“Are they always—”

“Yes.”

Fiyero gaped at her and ran both hands through his hair. “How…how do you stand it?”

“I’m used to it.”

“You shouldn’t be!” Fiyero stressed. “You shouldn’t be used to that! Don’t the things they say bother you?!”

“Of course, they do,” Elphaba said meaningfully. “You know that.”

“Well then we should—”

“So, what’s next here?” Elphaba interrupted bluntly.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you going to double down or split? No hard feelings if you split. I probably would.”

“Elphaba…”

“No, Fiyero. It’s really okay. That—” she gestured back towards campus, “—is a lot for anyone to handle. Just because I have to endure it doesn’t mean anyone else has to.”

“Are you—”

“I’m sure it’s not too late to win them back. You can say I enchanted you or something. I’ll even corroborate it.”

“Do you think that little of me, Elphaba!?” Fiyero snapped.

Elphaba raised her eyebrows and shut her mouth, unused to her snarky tirades being challenged.

“Well—” she faltered.

“What did last night mean to you, Elphaba? What did the letters we put in this tree mean to you? I thought that we were—I thought that you…” he took a deep breath to gather himself. “Elphaba, I poured my guts out to you for months. I thought you knew me better!”

“Fiyero…” Elphaba tried to speak, her chest tight with shame. “I do—I mean…it’s not—”

“If you thought that I would cut and run out on you at the drop of a hat then what are we doing here!?”

“I’m just scared, okay?!” Elphaba exclaimed. “I’m scared!”

“Of what?!”

“I’m scared of you—of us—I don’t know!”

“Fae!”

“You have to understand something, I never thought I stood a chance with you. Never in a thousand years did I think we’d be together! So, now that we’re here—I don’t know how to act!” Elphaba explained desperately. “Loneliness is what I know, Fiyero. I’ve got a handle on it, a mastery. I know how it plays out, I know how it ends. I’m scared to find out what it’s like to have somebody. I’m scared of finding out what it’s like not to be lonely!”

Fiyero stepped towards her but she held a hand up to stop him from coming closer.

“Don’t you see my dilemma, Fiyero?” Elphaba asked. “How can I let you in when I know that I’ll eventually lose you?”

“But what if you don’t?” Fiyero asked. “What if you don’t lose me?”

“But what if I do?!”

“But what if you don’t?” Fiyero repeated calmly.

Elphaba pressed the heels of her palms against eyes and took a shuddering breath as she forcibly restrained sudden tears. She sniffed and walked past Fiyero so that her back was to him. Fiyero carefully grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. She averted her gaze with a huff and pressed her forefinger against the corner of her eye.

“It is okay to cry, you know,” Fiyero reminded her.

“No, it’s not. I’ll break my streak,” Elphaba muttered in a thick voice.

“I won’t tell.”

“I’m fine.”

Elphaba’s stubbornness knowing no bounds, the burgeoning tears never slipped past her eyes. After regaining control, she took a steadying breath and sized Fiyero up.

“This means nothing, you know. This doesn’t mean I’m not still totally freaked out.”

“Of course not. Then you wouldn’t be you,” Fiyero allowed, brushing a thumb over her chin. “I’m freaked out too, you know? I’m not used to wanting things or caring this much about anything. But you’ve been pushing me to be a better person ever since we met—both times. It’s been really annoying!”

Elphaba chuckled hoarsely.

“Not to mention you’re easily the most intimidating person I’ve ever been around—”

“Thank you.”

“—but I am up for the challenge, Elphaba. You’re worth the challenge. Let’s just be scared together, okay? Until we try, we’ll never know. You taught me that.”

“So, I guess this means you’re doubling down?” Elphaba asked. “I’m warning you now, this is your last easy out…and there’s a long road ahead.”

“Will I travel that road with you?”

“Yes.”

“Then I say…let’s give this an honest go.”

Elphaba heard his choice of phrasing and offered a thoughtful smile. Fate may not always be kind…but it could be funny at times.

“Okay, Fiyero. Let’s give this an honest go,” Elphaba consented.

“So, I’ll be picking you up around eight?”

“Huh?”

“I’m taking you out. On a date.”

“Isn't it a little late for that?” Elphaba laughed nervously. “I think we skipped a couple steps.”

“We can’t skip our first proper outing! Besides—” Fiyero suddenly spun her under his arm and lowered her into a suave dip, “—I’ve been told I’m a pretty fun date.”

Elphaba, feeling unusually girlish, tried and failed to conceal her swoon. It irritated her to be as susceptible to Fiyero’s allure as anyone else.

“Leave everything to me. We’ll do it up right,” Fiyero promised as he pulled Elphaba up. “Tonight, at eight?”

“Okay, then. Tonight, at eight.”

✉✉✉

Fiyero was not a punctual person so Elphaba figured eight o’clock really meant eight fifteen, which was why she was caught off-guard to hear his jaunty knock on her door perfectly on time. She struggled to get her shoe on as she stumbled to get to the door in a huff.

“Go away. You’re early,” she frowned as she opened up the door. Fiyero, sharply dressed in his date attire, pulled up the sleeve to his jacket and showed her his watch.

“I’m right on time.”

“Yes, but you’re always late so being on time is early for you.”

“Seems to me that you’re making excuses for not being ready in a timely manner,” Fiyero clicked his tongue. “I’m not taking the blame here.”

“You said eight!”

“It’s eight!”

“We need a do over,” Elphaba decided before shutting the door in his face. She bent down and fixed her shoe as Fiyero knocked again. She reopened the door with a pleasant expression.

“You’re on time.”

“I’m glad you noticed. It’ll literally never happen again,” he said before sizing her up with a smile. “You look beautiful.”

Elphaba tried to think up a sarcastic response but she came up blank, so instead she said: “Thank you.”

Fiyero took her arm in a chivalrous fashion and they set off into the night. Butterflies fluttered in Elphaba’s stomach which she found silly seeing as everything that had already transpired between them. She was on a date with Fiyero Tigelaar. It was just so beautifully strange.

“Where are we going, anyway?” Elphaba asked. “If we’re going to a restaurant we’re going to be stared at the whole time.”

“It’s not a restaurant.”

“It’s too late for coffee.”

“Not coffee.”

“The play closed last weekend.”

“Not a play.”

“I hope it’s not dancing, I really can’t dance, and I don’t drink so a bar is out. Oh, Yero. It’s not minigolf, is it? Please tell me it’s not minigolf.”

“Hey, Fae?”

“Yes.”

“Be quiet,” he said, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Give me some credit, won’t you?! You’re going to love it.”

Fiyero pulled her down a side street and stopped in front of an unassuming unmarked door beside a loading dock.

“We’re here.”

“Where’s here?”

“The Greater Ozian Institute of Natural History,” Fiyero explained nonchalantly.

Elphaba gave him a funny look.

“No, we’re not. The entrance is on Dixxi street.”

“Yeah, this is the back entrance.”

“Fiyero…the museum is closed.”

“I know.”

“Like, closed closed. I’ve been trying to come here since I got to Shiz but it’s shut down for renovations. Believe me, I check all the time.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I don’t understand.”

“This is our date. We’re going in there.”

“How are we even getting in?” Elphaba pointed out, giving a strong yank on the door which remained firmly locked.

“You’re going to let us in,” he stated. “With that snappy finger magic trick thing you do.”

Elphaba gaped at him.

“You want us to break in? You want us to commit a crime on our first date?!”

“Kind of, yeah.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Yes, it is. That’s why we’re doing it! Come on, Elphaba. Don’t you want to do something a little crazy?” Fiyero grinned.

Elphaba crossed her arms and peered at the door with trepidation. Fiyero stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, leaning in to murmur in her ear like the devil on her shoulder.

“We can tour the hall of science. See the new Tik-Tok devices? There’s even a new display of jewels from The Wizard’s private mines…” Fiyero persuaded. “And we’d have it all to ourselves.”

“All to ourselves?” Elphaba asked slowly.

“If you really don’t want to, we can go to plan B. However, I do have to warn you…plan B is minigolf.”

Elphaba laughed and glanced back towards him as temptation and excitement rose in her chest.

“What if we get caught?”

“Then we get caught.”

Elphaba took a deep breath and turned her attention back to the door.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

She quickly snapped her fingers and the lock gave way for them at once. Fiyero whooped triumphantly and pushed the door open. He graciously ventured ahead of her to find the light before coming back to retrieve Elphaba’s hand and pull her inside. The door closed behind them and they scurried into a large dimly lit hall with a high ceiling. Elphaba laughed in disbelief as she looked all around towards the different avenues.

“I don’t know where to start! I could spend hours in here,” she gushed, spinning in an excited circle as she looked in the directions of the exhibits. “I’ve never done anything like this. Oz, I feel so—so wicked!”

There was a popping sound and Elphaba turned to see Fiyero uncorking a bottle he pulled from his bag.

“Oh, I—”

“Blackberry bubbly. No alcohol,” Fiyero assured her.

“You came prepared,” Elphaba remarked as he poured some of it into a flute and handed it to her.

“Of course, it’s date night,” he grinned, holding up his flute. “To breaking the rules.”

“To breaking the rules,” Elphaba toasted, clinking her glass to his.

Slow renovations and lax security set the scene for a criminally fun date. Elphaba would unlock the exhibits and Fiyero would find the lights. The museum itself was an enthralling destination for Elphaba and Fiyero enjoyed the thrill of trespassing. Fiyero had always had a knack for corrupting others, but that wasn’t the case here. Beneath Elphaba’s rigid adherence to rules was a repressed adventurous spirit. Sometimes she just needed the extra nudge.

Fiyero became addicted to Elphaba’s excited gasps and childlike scampers whenever she spotted something of intrigue. Her animated asides about the pieces, the monologues, the fun facts she just had to impart. While the exhibits were perfectly fine, to Fiyero, Elphaba was the grandest thing on display. After exhausting Gillikin and Munchkinland, Elphaba insisted on heading west to pay a visit to the wing dedicated to The Vinkus. The first thing that caught their eye was a scale model of an imposing stronghold.

“Kiamo Ko, the fortress home of the Tigelaar family,” Elphaba read the placard and gave Fiyero an astonished look. “You live here?”

“Nah, we’ve never lived in it. Grandad did when he was alive, but it’s deserted now.”

“Where do you live?”

“The other castle.”

“Ah.”

“This looks just like it, though.”

“Your family home is in a museum. A museum. Sometimes I forget that you’re a literal prince,” Elphaba shook her head. “Okay, tell me everything.”

“About what?”

“The Vinkus!” Elphaba gestured to the hall.

“I don’t really know all that much,” Fiyero dismissed.

“You must, though! Every placard has the name Tigelaar on it. Your family is clearly a big deal.”

“They like to think so.”

“Come on, Fiyero. This may be the only time I voluntarily inflate your ego,” Elphaba played. “Look at the legacy you’re a part of!”

“Yeah well, I don’t need a museum to tell me what I have to live up to. My parents tell me all the damn time.”

Elphaba quieted and turned towards Fiyero. He reflexively took a swig from the bottle of bubbly and heaved a sigh.

“That came out sharper than I meant it to,” he acknowledged. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry I was…prodding.”

Fiyero opened his free arm as an invitation, one that Elphaba accepted. He curled his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head.

“It’s just weird to see the Tigelaar glory all laid out like this. I mean look—right there is my grandfather’s Arjiki Chieftain regalia!” he gestured to some clothing on display beside an oil painting. “Now he was something, Elphaba. Well liked, politically savvy, and smart—really smart.”

“You’re smart too.”

“No but he was like scholar smart. Published author, historian, top of his class at Shiz. We were close too, at least from what I remember,” he shrugged. “Can you picture anyone mentioning a screw up like me in a museum? No matter what I do it’s not like I’ll ever measure up to him, so why bother?”

“Because you’re not him, Fiyero,” Elphaba said, stepping out of his embrace to face him properly. “You’re not your grandfather and you’re not your parents. You’re you and that’s enough. It’s more than enough.”

Fiyero reached forward and cupped Elphaba’s cheek with his hand. She caught it and pressed a kiss to his palm.

“I’ve never told anyone any of this.”

“Not even Fae?” Elphaba asked with an ironic smile.

“Nope. Not even Fae.”

“So, I guess being a scandalacious prince isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, huh?”

“I don’t know that I’d go that far…I still get the prettiest dates.”

The jewels from The Wizard’s private mines were in a hall a short distance away and Elphaba was immediately drawn to the case of lavish emeralds. She tilted her head to the side as she studied them pensively. Some were rough around the edges while others were sculpted and polished into a perfect figurine, but all of them glittered in the same shade of green.

“It must be something,” Elphaba said in a hushed tone.

“What?” Fiyero asked as he examined a case across the room.

“The Emerald City.”

“It’s okay.”

“It annoys me when you say that, you know,” Elphaba chided. “Oz, I’ve never wanted to go anywhere more. For a while I was desperate to go to Emerald University just to be able to live there.”

“Emerald University is a party school. You’re too good for them,” Fiyero dismissed.

“I’ve always been curious why he chose emeralds—why he chose green for his city,” Elphaba pondered. “Maybe I’ll ask him.”

“Right, I’ll ask him too.”

“No, really. I’ll ask him when I meet him,” Elphaba said, turning away from the case to face Fiyero. “It’s only a matter of time according to Madame Morrible.”

“Madame Morri—wait. What?”

“Haven’t I told you?”

“Pretty sure you haven’t.” 

Elphaba thought for a moment, running her letters through her brain. 

“I suppose I didn’t write about it, not in detail anyway. It would have given too much about my identity away…” she realized. “That’s what I’ve been working towards all this time. She’s training me to meet The Wizard…to work with The Wizard.”

“The Wizard?” Fiyero stressed.

“Yes!” Elphaba confirmed, fighting back a giddy smile. “That's the whole reason I’m in sorcery seminar. Madame Morrible handpicked me.”

“Wow! I mean—wow. I just can’t believe it never came up,” Fiyero rubbed the back of his head.

“Me neither! But Fiyero, isn’t it wonderful? Remember before we were at Shiz? I wrote to you that I felt in my gut that I could do something great.”

“I remember.”

“Well, this is it, isn’t it?! If I meet him, if I work with him, I feel like I can actually accomplish something good for once.”

“You do plenty of good.”

“I mean, I try. But we’re talking about making a difference on a grand scale here!” Elphaba emphasized with a huge gesture. “I mean what’s the good of doing good if it isn’t big?”

“It just seems like you have a lot riding on this is all…”

“Oh, I do,” Elphaba said before turning her back on him to admire the emeralds. “When I meet The Wizard…my whole life will change.”

“Your…whole life?”

“Yes. I can picture it. It’s hazy at times, but even so, I can picture it. Meeting The Wizard will change everything, I feel it,” she stated. “I can just…feel it.”

Fiyero approached her and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“Madame Morrible says that I have the makings to be his Magic Grand Vizier, can you imagine? That’s why she urges me to work so hard. I need to prove my worth.”

“Prove your worth?” Fiyero frowned. “You’re worth plenty.” 

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just…I mean he’s The Wizard.”

“And you’re Elphaba.” 

“I just need to show how valuable I can be to him. If I do things for him I’m certain he’ll do much for me.”

“Like what?”

“Like—anything!” Elphaba said, turning to face him and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Granting your heart’s desire is what The Wizard does. He could make everything better—hell, I’ll bet he could even degreenify me if I asked.”

“Degreenify you?”

“That’s assuming it’s possible. The power is mysterious,” Elphaba laughed with a mystical wiggle of her fingers.

Fiyero was unamused.

“Of course, it’s not important to me,” Elphaba backtracked. “Though I’m not saying it wouldn’t make things easier. It’d be nice for people to see me for who I really am.”

“I see who you really are!” Fiyero insisted fiercely, releasing his hold on her and backing up a few steps.

“Fiyero…you’re overthinking this,” Elphaba pointed out. “It isn’t like you.”

“Why should you have to change? If people don’t see you for who you are now then they don’t deserve to!”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Elphaba soothed. She came up to him and took the sides of his face in her hands. His jaw was tense but eased at her gentle touch. “Relax, my Yero. I was mostly kidding.”

Fiyero pulled Elphaba into a sudden kiss which took her off-guard. She soon relaxed into him and, though not fully understanding his impulse, kissed him back. When Fiyero pulled away he took both of Elphaba’s hands in his and held her gaze just long enough for her to feel a tickle of self-consciousness.

“I know you’ll do great things, Elphaba. That’s a given,” Fiyero said. “I guess I just don’t see why you need The Wizard’s help.”

Elphaba hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Anxious to lighten the mood, she ended up snaking her arms around Fiyero’s neck and changing the subject.

“Say…when they signed you up for the Ozian Pen Pal program did they tell you that The Wizard was a member?”

“Yeah. Must have been some marketing ploy. I didn’t believe them for a clock-tick.”

“Not a clock-tick,” Elphaba agreed. “You know, Tigelaar? I was skeptical at first but the rumors are true. You are a very fun date.”

“Am I now?” he chuckled.

“It’s the regrettable truth.”

“Hmm…get over here,” Fiyero beckoned softly.

Elphaba leaned in and sighed pleasantly when Fiyero tilted her chin up to meet her in another long, sweet kiss.

“I’m still getting used to that,” Elphaba admitted with a breathy laugh.

“You’re a natural,” Fiyero complimented before flirtatiously peppering her cheek and neck with short kisses.

“Alright Tigelaar, hands where I can see them!” Elphaba grinned and scurried back to escape his affections. “Before we get too carried away…there’s still one more exhibit I really want to see.”

“You’ll be the death of me,” Fiyero breathed.

“And you’ll love every moment of it,” Elphaba quipped. She extended her hand towards Fiyero. “Follow me, Yero?”

He slid his hand into hers.

“Anywhere.”

Elphaba excitedly explained the upcoming exhibit as she pulled Fiyero down the hall towards the wing in question.

“It’s the evolution and history of Animals in Oz and has a timeline of their most notable contributions. Doctor Dillamond says it’s riveting! According to the map it should be down this way—"

They turned the corner and Elphaba trailed off as the wind knocked out of her. The Hall of Animal History still had its sign up but each artifact had been disassembled and removed. Dozens of sealed crates were stacked about the floor and rectangle borders could be seen where wall hangings and placards were once displayed. Elphaba’s footsteps echoed on the marble floor as she looked around the gutted hall with a heavy heart.

“I suppose now we know what their ‘renovations’ were,” Elphaba mumbled.

“Maybe they’re just relocating it?” Fiyero offered half-heartedly.

Elphaba gestured numbly to a banner near the entrance with a sign that read ‘Closed Permanently’. She crossed her arms and shook her head as a latent rage simmered within her.

“This is why I work the way I do, Fiyero. This is why I need The Wizard’s help. He’ll make it right,” Elphaba said. “He needs to help me make things…right.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Twenty: Out Loud ✉

“Now listen carefully. Teleportation is a demanderating and highly advanced skill. It must be attempted only with the greatest of care,” Madame Morrible advised. “The slightest hiccup can result in great tragedy.”

Elphaba and Glinda stood on opposite ends of a long, open room designated for sorcery training. Madame Morrible had them both change into plain training attire much to Glinda’s chagrin.

“Why did you insist on such hideoteous uniforms, Madame?”

“It’s simply a precaution dearie. We wouldn’t want all of your pretty things getting singed, now would we?”

“Singed?” Glinda gulped.

“Now please focus on the ring marked in front of you. I want you to close your eyes and visualize your destination clearly.”

“She’s peeking!” Glinda accused Elphaba.

“That means you’re peeking too.”

“Ladies! Command your focus!”

They slammed their eyes shut and started to breathe deeply, envisioning the target ahead of them. After some time, a thick swirl of red smoke rose from the floor to engulf Elphaba whole, only to have her reappear moments later within the designated ring.

“How’d she do that!?” Glinda gawked.

Elphaba waved a haughty hand in the air to whisk away the smoke and placed her hands on her hips.

“Your move.”

Glinda hopped up and down and waved her hands as she attempted the trick herself.

“You nasty show off!” Glinda stomped her foot.

“Oh yeah?” Elphaba disappeared in another puff and rematerialized behind Glinda. “Say that to my face.”

Glinda choked on the red smog and whipped around to confront Elphaba, who had already vanished again.

“You little—”

“What?!” Elphaba mocked as she appeared on the far end of the room. “I can’t hear you!”

“Impressive per usual, Miss Elphaba. But I urge you to—” Madame Morrible began.

“Your magic is repulsive!” Glinda coughed.

“At least I have magic,” Elphaba antagonized, reappearing right before Glinda again.

“Oh yeah, watch this!”

Glinda pointed a finger towards Elphaba with the intention of shocking her, but a few measly bubbles were the only thing she managed to conjure. Elphaba threw her head back in a harsh cackle and turned her back to walk away.

“Go ahead! Laugh at me!” Glinda called erratically. “You just have to have everything, don’t you?!”

Elphaba stilled and turned slowly.

“I have everything?”

“Well—”

“You’re standing there telling me that I have everything? What is it that I have, Glinda? Tell me!”

“You know what I mean.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

“You took Fiyero from me!”

“He was never yours to take!” Elphaba hissed. “You want to talk about having ‘everything,’ Glinda? Look at your life! Doting parents, perfect looks, friends—Oz, so many friends! People worship the ground you walk on just for existing. As for romance? You could have anyone in Oz!”

“Not anyone.”

“There it is. It kills you, doesn’t it? It kills you that you can’t have the one person in Oz who actually wants me!”

Glinda heatedly launched herself in Elphaba’s direction. Elphaba recklessly dematerialized but stumbled a bit. Instead of her controlled cloud, a twister of fire overcame her and spit her out onto the floor a few paces back. She coughed and hurriedly batted a few scattered sparks out of her loose hair. She squinted through the smolder to see that Glinda had also been knocked to the ground. Ashes caked her face and hair but she was otherwise unharmed. The two girls wheezed and rubbed at their irritated eyes as the smoke cleared.

“This is precisely why I urged caution! A turbulent mindset can gravely botch a teleportation! I perish the thought of what may have happened if you’d been attempting a long-range travel!” Morrible shuddered. “Think about that, both of you. Class is dismissed.”

As their Head Mistress exited, Elphaba and Glinda shamefully got to their feet.

“Are you okay?” Elphaba offered sheepishly.

“As if you care,” Glinda grumbled, brushing some soot off of her shoulder.

“I care.”

“You never cared!”

Elphaba groaned, at her wit’s end over Glinda’s dramatics.

“Glinda. I told you those letters were anonymous,” Elphaba gritted her teeth. “How many times do I have to tell you that!?”

“It’s not just about the letters, Elphie!” Glinda blurted out. “You spent all that time spilling your guts out to a stranger but never once did you think to open up to me!”

“You’re mad that I didn’t share my gossip with you, is that it?”

“This isn’t about gossip, this is about trust! I mean—come on, Elphaba. You were in love with a secret pen pal and you didn’t feel like you could confide in me?! You must have been so scared and confusified, seeing as how inexperienced as you were at romance—”

“Gee, thanks.”

“But I could have helped! I could have been there for you. Why didn’t you let me be there for you?”

“Glinda, I-I wanted to tell you but…” Elphaba trailed off, unable to deny Glinda’s observation. Glinda shook her head and crossed her arms.

“I meant what I said when I said that you were my best friend but sometimes it feels like you never believed me!” Glinda’s lower lip trembled slightly. “Sometimes it feels like…like our friendship meant nothing to you.”

“Glinda—"

“Excuse me,” Glinda sniffed. “I have a headache. I think I’ll go lie down!”

She made quick work to snatch her bag and darted out of the training room before Elphaba could get another word in. Muddled and unfulfilled, Elphaba fixed to depart as well.

“Miss Elphaba.”

Elphaba gasped as Madame Morrible appeared behind her.

“Excuse me, Madame. I thought you’d gone,” Elphaba said. “You spooked me.”

“Now dearie, you’re much too old to believe in spooks!” Morrible attempted a joke. “I didn’t mean to startle you, but I wished to speak with you plainly. Without Miss Glinda.”

“I thought you dismissed our session.”

“Consider this a private lesson,” Morrible said. “Now, you displayed a considerable amount of magical skill in the classroom today. However, Miss Elphaba, you must learn to exercise obedience to my instruction.”

“I’m sorry, Madame. It just happened; I didn’t even think.”

“I have already told you not to apologize for talent, Miss Elphaba. But I feel it my duty to impress upon you that great power like yours requires great control. Between today’s pyre and the antler calamity last month in Doctor Nikidik’s class…well,” Madame Morrible clicked her tongue. “Let’s just say that magical outbursts are a sticky business. Somebody may have gotten hurt.”

“Yes, Fiyero may have gotten hurt had I not intervened that day in class,” Elphaba said with a slight edge to her tone. “What Doctor Nikidik did was irresponsible and dangerous. He ought to be removed—”

“Now Miss Elphaba, we don’t go removing staff for every little thing—”

“Unless they’re an Animal, of course.”

Something flashed in Morrible’s eyes, and she pinched her lips at Elphaba’s defiant tone. Elphaba quickly closed her mouth.

“I know you have concerns, dearie, but everything will be as it should be when you meet The Wizard,” Morrible said evenly.

“When?” Elphaba clarified. “When I meet The Wizard?”

“Why! My dear! Your powers get stronger by the day and I intend to inform The Wizard as such! Once he hears about what you can do, he’ll beg to meet you post haste!” Morrible promised. “That is, if you continue to work…as you should.”

“I will, Madame. Of course,” Elphaba nodded. “Thank you.”

“There is also the matter of Miss Glinda,” Morrible continued. “I couldn’t help but spectate your quarrels. Do not forget that I only admitted her at your request. If you feel having her in class has become a distraction, I shall remove her from the seminar. You need only say the word.”

Elphaba sized Madame Morrible up. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t tempted by the offer, but regardless of her current state with Glinda, pulling the rug out from under her seemed unnecessarily cruel.

“That won’t be necessary, Madame,” Elphaba decided. “She will not sidetrack me again, you have my word.”

Elphaba reached down to grab her bag and began making her way towards the exit.

“While we’re on the topic of distractions, Miss Elphaba!” Morrible called after her. Elphaba turned slowly. “It pertains to Master Tigelaar.”

“Been keeping up with the campus gossip, I see.”

“Gossip is a most powerful tool, Miss Elphaba,” Madame Morrible said. “I regret that the topic must arise, but I won’t hold my tongue when something as pivotal as your future with The Wizard hangs in the balance. I feel I must strongly advise against any further fraternization with this boy.”

“Respectfully, Madame…” Elphaba said. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“You are my business, dearie.”

Madame Morrible’s remarks about Fiyero and Glinda nagged at Elphaba, but she didn’t feel prepared to process them yet. She opted not to tell Fiyero of Morrible’s advice as it would only serve to hurt him. Still, Elphaba had a hard time concealing a sour mood that night in his dorm. After a tense day, her frustrations needed a scapegoat.

“I am sick and tired of Glinda’s attitude in sorcery seminar!”

Elphaba sat cross-legged on Fiyero’s bed, glaring into a very foggy crystal ball as part of her sorcery homework. 

“Can that thing tell the future?” Fiyero asked from across the room. 

“Not yet. Only the present.”

“Hell, I can tell the present!”

“Well, I can’t even do that right now! I’m too scatterbrained, the fog won’t clear,” Elphaba complained. The swirling fog began to turn red in color, much like her plume of smoke from earlier. “You know, I can tell she wants to make up but she won’t just come out and say it. Instead, we just bicker bicker bicker and get nowhere! She’s so stubborn.”

“Yeah, unlike you.”

Elphaba lifted her eyes to glare at Fiyero and he put up his hands in surrender. 

“Just saying. Jeez, you get cranky when you can’t focus,” he crossed the room and held out his hands for the crystal ball. “Give it here.”

“But–”

“Give it here.”

Elphaba begrudgingly handed it over and the fog faded as he set it aside. 

“I just don’t know what it’s going to take, you know? I knew that it’d take time for her to get used to us being together but come on. It’s been a month! Our relationship is old hat by now.”

“What does the old hat have to do with anything?”

“Forget it.” Elphaba flopped backwards onto Fiyero’s pillow and covered her face with an open composition book. “Anyway. I’m done complaining.”

Fiyero counted to three in his head. 

“I mean it’s just so awkward being the only two people in seminar!” Elphaba bolted upright and flung the composition book aside. “Get this. Madame Morrible even asked me if I wanted Glinda removed from seminar! Hell. Maybe I should have said yes.”

“You don’t mean that,” Fiyero said. He moved to sit behind her and began rubbing her shoulders.

“Glinda begged to be in sorcery seminar but what is she actually working towards?”

“Sweet Oz, you’re stiff.”

“I’m working to meet The Wizard so I can help make Oz a better place! What does she want to do besides flounce around with her little training wand?!”

“How do you live like this?” Fiyero puffed, putting all of his strength into a tight knot in her shoulder. 

“I mean, it’s distracting, you know? How am I supposed to prove my worth when Glinda keeps dragging our personal business into training?”

Fiyero fell forward as Elphaba abruptly stood and began to pace.

“I’m used to being iced out by Nessa. She yanks my heart around on a chain with her back and forth. Father’s an easy one. He hates me, but at least I know he hates me. But Glinda? It was her idea to befriend me, you know? I was perfectly content with our mutual loathing. Making snide remarks, putting glue in her hairbrush—”

“You did that?”

“Only twice!” Elphaba crossed her arms defensively. “But no, she had to take me under her precious little wing. How tremendously good of her! Maybe that’s all I was to her, an act of charity. No wonder she resents me so much.”

“Fae, friends have ups and downs.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know that, would I?!” Elphaba shouted.

She heard her own tone and paused her pacing to take a deep breath.

“You should have heard the way she talked to me today, Yero,” Elphaba said defeatedly. “She acted like I didn’t care…like our friendship meant nothing to me.”

“Well…have you ever told her?” Fiyero asked.

Elphaba raised her eyebrows.

“Come again?”

“How much your friendship means to you. Have you ever told her?”

“Maybe not in those exact words but—I mean…she knows.”

“How do you know she knows?”

“She knows! Things don’t always have to say things out loud for the other person to understand, you know.”

“I mean, it helps.”

Elphaba let out a sudden, bitter laugh that caught Fiyero off-guard.

“Okay, I see what this is. You’re not talking about Glinda anymore, are you?” she accused.

“Yes I am.”

“No, you’re not. You’re talking about us!”

“Okay, so we’re fighting now. Gotcha,” Fiyero accepted casually. He stood and gestured for her to continue. “Go on, Elphaba. Tell me what I’m talking about.”

“Like I can’t see through what you mean by all of this talk about ‘saying what you feel’,” she scoffed. “This isn’t about Glinda. It’s about how I haven’t said it back!”

“Said what back?” Fiyero asked calmly, slipping his hands in his pockets.

“Don’t play dumb.”

“Oh, I never play dumb. What is it that you haven’t said back again?”

Elphaba shifted agitatedly and crossed her arms, disarmed by his casual air. She wanted to argue but it wasn’t as fun when he didn’t argue back.

“That thing that you’ve told me, that you keep telling me…the fact that—”

“I love you?” Fiyero filled in kindly.

Elphaba’s face heated at her own awkwardness. Her short-lived frustration was fading due to his refusal to engage, but it left an uncomfortable vulnerability in its stead. She preferred rage any day.

“Precisely.”

“Elphaba,” Fiyero said. He held out his hands to her and she hesitated before taking them. “I only want you to say it if you really want to.”

Elphaba anxiously bit her lower lip.

“I’m sorry, Fiyero.”

“Look, when I figured out that I loved you I never wanted to shut up about it.”

“Tell me about it,” Elphaba muttered. Fiyero gave her a patient look and squeezed her hands.

“I do love you. I love you and I love saying so, but if it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll try to cut back.”

“No, that’s not what I meant! Don’t. Don’t…stop saying it,” Elphaba shook her head, a trace of fear in her eyes. “Every time you say it…it gets a little easier to hear.”

Fiyero wrapped both of his arms around her and assured her with a long, loving kiss. Elphaba released a regretful sigh when they parted and rested her forehead against his.

“Things would be so much easier if we could just write…what we can’t say out loud.”

“Do you ever miss writing to him–me…do you ever miss writing?”

“Sometimes,” Elphaba admitted, leaning back to look at his face. “This is better though.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

Elphaba considered it. It had been easy to divulge her insecurities through anonymous letters, but displaying that same level of honesty as herself proved a greater challenge. Blending Fae and Yero’s fearless fantasy world into Elphaba and Fiyero’s flawed existence was quite the undertaking, but as Fiyero said before, it was worth the effort. Their relationship wasn’t as easy as before…but it was real in a way that their letters never were. In the end, Elphaba supposed, reality was always better.

“Less hand cramping,” she answered.

Fiyero caught her hand and pressed repeated kisses to it and he was rewarded with a lovely laugh from Elphaba.

“You tell me when you feel like it, my Fae. We’ve got all the time in the world.”

“Mmm…such maturity,” Elphaba complimented, flirtatiously gripping at his shirt collar.

“Oh, I’m lousy with maturity! But listen, and I hate to tell you this but…” Fiyero placed his hands on Elphaba’s shoulders and looked her square in the eye. “Not everyone is as mature as I am. Glinda might need to hear how you feel. Out loud.”

Elphaba groaned theatrically and pulled away from him.

“Sweet Oz why!?”

“You know as well as I do that Glinda doesn’t respond well to subtlety! She lives for big gestures, big scenes,” Fiyero said. “She insisted that I arrange for fireworks on our second date! Fireworks! To get through to her, to really get through to her, you’ve gotta meet her on her level.”

“Well, I don’t know where I’m going to get fireworks…”

“Just say the kind of stuff you said about her in your letters to me.”

“My letters?” Elphaba frowned.

“Yeah—I mean I’m assuming you were writing about Glinda, right?”

“That’s it!” Elphaba clapped. “Fiyero you’re a genius!”

“That’s a first.”

“I may be terrible at saying how I feel, but Fae on the other hand…”

“I don’t follow.”

“You kept all of my letters, right?”

Fiyero nodded and gestured to his bottom desk drawer.

“Excellent,” Elphaba said eagerly, making a quick dash towards his desk. “How did you catalog them? By date? Subject matter?” 

She yanked the drawer open and her face dropped to behold her letters in a disorganized heap.

“You shouldn’t be surprised.” 

“I really shouldn’t be…” Elphaba sighed. “No matter.”

Elphaba rolled up her sleeves and grabbed the pile with both hands before dropping the jumbled stack onto the floor. She sat cross-legged before them and beckoned for Fiyero to join her.

“Alright, Yero, help me look. It’s going to be a long night.”

✉✉✉

It took half the night to search but by the next day, tired eyed and papercutted, Elphaba had found what she was looking for. Her plan running through her mind, she entered the Shiz dining hall midday where she knew Glinda would be lunching. Fiyero tagged along for moral support and an admitted desire to spectate.

Glinda sat at the head of a long table with her cronies at either side of her. Without announcement, Elphaba stepped up onto the table and began striding down its length towards Glinda. The dining students shrieked and gasped as they clamored to grab their plates out of Elphaba’s way as she made her trek.

“Ew, get off the table!” Pfannee complained. “You’re going to step on my salad!”

Elphaba, not responding to her, deliberately nudged the salad plate off the table with her foot. Fiyero burst out laughing as it toppled upside down into Pfannee’s lap. Elphaba, ignoring Pfannee’s shrieks, turned her attention back to a dumbfounded Glinda and pulled a letter out of her jacket pocket.

“Elphaba!” Glinda hissed, wide eyed as Elphaba stood over her. “What in Oz’s name?”

“Dear Yero,” Elphaba cut Glinda off as she began to read aloud. “I made a friend.”

This was far from the first time Elphaba had drawn attention to herself at Shiz, but being publicly and voluntarily vulnerable was more than a little intimidating. Elphaba’s voice didn’t feel as strong and she did not feel as bold as she did when she was on the defensive, but she continued anyway.

“I can’t believe I just wrote that, but it’s true. I made a friend (one in real life, that is). Nobody has ever wanted to be my friend before. Not until now,” Elphaba read. “She isn’t the kind of person I expected to befriend. We loathed each other when we first met. I detest most of the things that she enjoys and vice versa. She’s perky and vain and never shuts up.”

Glinda, despite herself, simpered faintly.

“However,” Elphaba continued. “I feel that deep down, perhaps very deep down, she is an uncommonly kind person. An uncommonly good person.”

The hall was dead quiet, the students perhaps too curious to intervene yet, and Elphaba felt her resolve slipping. She swallowed and glanced at Glinda whose misty expression provided her the drive she needed.

“I would never tell this to her face,” Elphaba chuckled in gloomy irony, “but I can’t shake the feeling that she has come into my life for a reason. I’ve always kind of accepted that no matter where life took me, I’d go it alone. But now I know—” Elphaba paused briefly to clear her throat, “now I know that whatever way my story ends, at the end of my days I’ll be able to say that there was at least one person who stood up and declared to the world that I was their friend. That has made every difference. Signed, Fae.”

Elphaba lowered the letter with shaking hands and chanced a look towards Glinda. “I couldn’t find the megaphone.”

“I took it with me,” Glinda mumbled.

“I see. Well…here,” Elphaba offered the letter down to Glinda. “You can keep it. I wrote plenty more like it.”

Glinda accepted the letter in silence and Elphaba took a deep breath.

“You were right, Glinda. I didn’t let you in when I could have—when I should have. I’m still learning how to be a friend. I haven’t had a lot of practice. But as for our friendship not meaning anything to me? That’s not true. You are my very, very best friend.”

Glinda looked down at the letter with a heavy-hearted expression, but when she said nothing, Elphaba nodded and cleared her throat.

“Right, then.”

Murmurs and shouts started rippling through the dining hall as their confusion began to wane and Fiyero approached to help Elphaba down off the table. Feeling that negative attention from the student body was imminent, Fiyero began to guide Elphaba out of the hall. Elphaba stopped momentarily and turned towards Glinda.

“Glinda?” Elphaba called. Glinda turned to look at her and Elphaba shrugged. “I just thought you deserved to know.”

Having said what needed to be said, Elphaba grasped Fiyero’s hand and the couple took their leave.

“Well?! Aren’t you going to tell them off, Glinda?!” Pfannee whined. “I have dressing all over me!”

“Shut up, Pfannee!” ShenShen shushed. “Can’t you see she’s crying?”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Twenty-One: An OzDust Do-Over ✉

A knock on her door caught Elphaba’s attention and she closed her book and scrambled to answer it.

“Oh, it’s you,” Elphaba’s shoulders slumped upon seeing Fiyero.

“Expecting somebody else?” he teased as he invited himself in.

“I guess not,” Elphaba sighed. She returned to her bed and set her book on her lap.

“Glinda hasn’t come around yet, has she?”

“Not yet. It’s only been a day, after all. It’s not like I expected her to drop everything and move back in,” Elphaba lied.

“Well, you always have me.”

“That I do.”

Fiyero kicked off his shoes and casually set his bag aside.

“Did…we have plans tonight?” Elphaba asked slowly.

“Not specifically,” he shrugged. “Why do I need an excuse to come see you?”

“Of course not. It’s just…” Elphaba trailed off, glancing between her boyfriend and her book.

“It’s just?”

“It’s just I was really looking forward to reading my book tonight?” Elphaba hinted, drumming her fingers on the hardcover.

“Reading?”

“Yes, reading. It’s that thing I like to do.”

Fiyero soaked in Elphaba’s cozy attire and glasses. She’d had a mug of tea on her bedside table and had even lit that vanilla candle she claimed to hate.

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry, Yero. It’s just that I had to spend my break between classes editing my life sciences essay and I just got to this really intriguing part—”

“Nah, it’s fine! Tell you what, you do your thing,” Fiyero said. He stretched out on Glinda’s unused bed and put his hands behind his head. “I won’t bother you.”

“You sure?”

“Totally.”

“Well…okay.”

Elphaba settled back in and cracked open her novel once more. She turned back to the world of the narrative until a lackadaisical whistling began filtering through her lens of focus.

“Yero?” she called without looking up.

“Hm?”

“That’s distracting.”

“Sorry.”

He stopped and she began to read again. For a few minutes anyway.

“Boy, it sure is quiet.”

“It was,” Elphaba sighed.

“I just never realized how quiet it got around here.”

“Yero—”

“Say, maybe you can read your book aloud?”

“You wouldn’t have any idea what’s going on. I’d have to catch you up on everything,” Elphaba closed her book and stood.

“Nah, I wouldn’t distract you—”

Fiyero wheezed as Elphaba suddenly straddled him on the bed and pinned his wrists to Glinda’s pillow.

“Fiyero,” Elphaba emphasized. “Listen to me.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“You know that I care deeply about you, yes?”

“Yes.”

“You know that I cherish every tick-tock of our time together, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Then please take what I have to say at face value. This here tonight? It’s not working.”

Fiyero sighed in defeat.

“Yeah…I know.”

Elphaba released his wrists.

“It has nothing to do with you, sweet Yero. Sometimes I really just need to be alone.”

“To read?”

“To read,” Elphaba confirmed. “To read, to journal…to miss you.”

“Well, I like that.”

Fiyero flipped them so that he was on top of her and fondly adjusted her glasses.

“I just can’t relate, I guess. Needing alone time.”

“Well, opposites attract.”

“That they do,” he agreed, attacking Elphaba’s neck and face with playful kisses.

“So, what did you usually do on a Thursday night? You know, before us?” Elphaba asked as her laughter died down. Fiyero hesitated, but Elphaba caught his frown.

“Ah—you know. Not much,” he said evasively, standing up and pacing away.

“Not much?” Elphaba frowned, sitting up against the headboard of Glinda’s bed.

“You know I’d usually just…hang out.”

“Hang out?” she raised her eyebrows. “How specific.”

“Hang out with…people. You know, friends.”

“Fiyero…” Elphaba sighed and stood to approach him. “You don’t need to be cagey about friends around me. It’s important for you to go be around people just like it’s important for me to be alone.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just that ever since…” he glanced at Elphaba and then away again. Elphaba saw his jaw tense and she connected the dots.

“I see.”

“I don’t want to associate with people that think about you that way.”

“And I don’t want you to outcast yourself on my behalf! Not when you have the choice—”

“I’ve made my choice,” Fiyero said intensely, suddenly turning to gently grasp her elbows. “You’re my choice.”

“Then what are we to do? Our relationship is doomed to fail if I don’t find time to read,” she said with a half-hearted smirk.

“I don’t know. People just need to get their heads out of their asses about you and me. I mean, do they realize what’s at stake? If they can’t accept us then they lose the best parties on campus.”

Elphaba noticed a change in his expression and she raised her eyebrows.

“Yes?”

“That’s it. A party.”

“Fiyero. Parties are not always the answer.”

“But this time it is!” he pulled away and began pacing excitedly. “Get this. I throw a big bash at the OzDust, you come with me as my date, everyone gets caught up in the drinks and dancing and boom! Acceptance city.”

“You may be oversimplifying this.”

“Think about it, who can resist a good party?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Elphaba gestured towards her abandoned book.

“This’ll work.”

“Yero, my heart, please listen to me,” Elphaba appealed. “Don’t put all of your hope into this. You’re connected with me now and hatred for me runs deep.”

“Yes, but my methods of charming people are unmatched!” Fiyero insisted, grabbing Elphaba’s hands. “After all, I’ve charmed the uncharmable.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Elphaba allowed. She soaked in the goofy optimism on Fiyero’s face and didn’t have the heart to fight him anymore than she already had. “Alright, Yero. If you want to try this, I’m with you.”

“Great! I’d better get planning. OzDust ballroom tomorrow at eight, mark it in your little calendar thingy.”

“Tomorrow? You can arrange all of this by tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Fiyero winked. “I’m Fiyero Tigelaar.”

He took both of her hands and kissed them affectionately.

“Read all you want tonight, my love. Tomorrow we dance!”

With a smooth, gliding step towards the door, Fiyero took his eager leave. Elphaba watched him go, a familiar pessimism blending with premature dread on Fiyero’s behalf.

She hoped this worked.

For his sake, she hoped this worked.

Fiyero was thorough in his pursuits to draw a crowd. The OzDust was booked, musicians employed, and there’d be drinks and hors d'oeuvres to spare. There was buzz about it, for sure, but Elphaba feared it wasn’t the buzz Fiyero was hoping for. ‘Are you going?’ seemed to be the question of the day, and where in the past a simple ‘yes’ would be the likely answer, people could see this party for what it was. To attend meant to accept Fiyero and Elphaba’s unnatural relationship, and by extension, Elphaba herself. It was true that the Shiz hivemind loved a party, but whether or not they loved a party more than their petty rumors remained to be seen.

Regardless, Elphaba made a promise to Fiyero to come so when eight o’clock came around she was ready and waiting in her frock. Fiyero’s confidence was usually endearing to Elphaba, but tonight as they walked hand in hand to the OzDust, it only added to her unease.

“Are you ready?” Fiyero asked as they stood at the double door entrance.

Elphaba hesitated as she considered reasoning with him one last time, but in the end she figured that it was too late to turn back.

However, that knowledge didn’t soften the ache she felt to see Fiyero’s face fall as they opened the doors to an utterly empty OzDust. Musicians and wait staff stood around and chatted as the shining overhead lights spiraled upon a dancefloor with no dancers.

“Maybe we’re just the first ones here?” Elphaba offered.

“It was supposed to start an hour ago,” Fiyero said. “Fashionably late, and all that.”

He numbly released Elphaba’s hand and wordlessly walked down the steps.

“Fiyero…” Elphaba called from the top. “Yero, please.”

He stepped out onto the dance floor and crossed one leg over the other to smoothly spin towards Elphaba.   

“I’ve still got it, huh?” he joked sadly.

Elphaba shook her head and slowly descended the steps halfway.

“This isn’t about you,” she gestured to the empty space. “This is all to do with me. I’m sorry, Fiyero.”

“It’s not your fault, Fae.” Fiyero glanced around and slipped his hands into his pockets. “I guess my dancing days are over, huh?”

“Not so fast. You…you still owe me a dance, remember?” Elphaba said, swiftly descending the remainder of the steps with her hand outstretched. Fiyero lifted his eyes but said nothing.

“Oh, come on. Don’t make me be the one to get the party started,” she warned. “Nobody wants to see my moves.”

To prove her point Elphaba began gracelessly grooving to no music. She bobbed her head awkwardly and flailed her stiff arms about, flinging them into the air as she spun herself in a clumsy circle. She only ceased when Fiyero was unable to fend off his laughter any longer.

“See? I need the help. Dance with me, Yero,” Elphaba requested softly, extending her hand once more. “Won’t you please?”

Fiyero hesitated before graciously accepting her lovely, emerald hand. He nodded to the modest gathering of musicians and cleared his throat.

“The one I arranged for please…thank you,” he nodded.

Fiyero guided Elphaba to the center of the floor as the musicians prepped their instruments. After some hubbub, they began playing a sweeping, almost mysterious melody.

“May I have this dance?” Fiyero offered.

“You may try,” Elphaba laughed faintly.

Fiyero took Elphaba’s waist and hand and her breath hitched as he attempted to lead her. Her hand and back immediately stiffened and she looked down at her feet to gauge where they should go. Fiyero paused and tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. 

“I know—I’m sorry. I don’t actually know what to do.”

“Relax, my Fae. You just need to loosen up.”

“You know that’s not my strong suit.”

“Hey, do you remember my secret talent?” Fiyero asked randomly.

“Your what?”

“My talent. The one I wrote to you about.”

Elphaba smiled slyly and narrowed her eyes at his challenge.

“You can touch your tongue to your nose. Allegedly.”

“Allegedly?! Watch this,” Fiyero said, immediately demonstrating his talent with success. “Now you.”

“I can’t do it! You already tricked me into trying, remember?” Elphaba insisted.

“Show me.”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. Try it out.”

Elphaba scoffed before indulging him with an attempt to touch her tongue to her nose. She was still not able to do it, but what she did do was start laughing, as tickled by his antics as she had been in his first letter to her. In her brief window of unguardedness Fiyero took her by the hand and waist once more and began leading her in a fluid dance.

As if by magic, Elphaba’s feet knew where to go. The placement of his hands and physical cues allowed her to know exactly when to sway, when to spin. She relaxed into his dips, trusting that he’d catch and lift her up each time. She didn’t feel the need to look at her feet because the whole time he kept his eyes on hers, gentle and adoring, thankful to share part of himself with her.

She fancied herself his marionette, but the comparison didn’t feel right. He was not controlling her, but rather enhancing something that was always within her. They moved together. It felt nice to release control, if even only for that moment. It felt nice to be taken care of.

It felt nice to fly with him.

As the musicians played their last extended note, Fiyero stilled their movements to conclude their dance. Words didn’t suffice, so they leaned forward and met half way for a warm, meaningful kiss.

The sudden sound of solitary applause broke their embrace and Elphaba and Fiyero turned their attention towards the grand staircase. There on the steps, dressed in her pink party attire, stood Glinda Upland holding the pointed black hat in her hands.

“I heard there was a party.”

Elphaba slowly dropped Fiyero’s hands and stared as Glinda descended the steps until she stood sheepishly at the base of the staircase.

“Nice hat,” Elphaba commented.

“Yeah it is,” Glinda nodded. “I found it when…when I was moving my things back in.”

“Moving back?” Elphaba asked guardedly.

“Yes, well…” Glinda hesitated before lifting her gaze to meet Elphaba’s. “ShenShen snores.”

Elphaba crossed her arms. “So do you.”

The girls stared at each other for another clock tick before Glinda dropped the hat and they both broke into a run to collide in a fierce hug.

“Oh, Elphie. I’m so sorry!”

“I’m sorry too. So sorry.”

They pulled apart and Glinda waved her hands in front of eyes to fan her tears.

“Sweet Oz, I didn’t think I would cry.”

“Glinda, I never wanted to hurt you—”

“I know that. I mean—who would?”

Glinda turned her attention to Fiyero and put her hands on her hips to look him over.

“Now there’s you.”

“Hey, Glinda…” Fiyero greeted anxiously.

“Fiyero.”

“Glinda, listen. You were a great girlfriend—”

“Obviously.”

“—and what I did to you was unfair, so unfair. I panicked. If you want me to grovel I’ll grovel, because I’m sorry, Glinda. I’m so—”

“You talk too much” Glinda groaned. “How about I talk and you listen. How’s that? During my time away, I took a page out of your book and did some thinking for myself. You wanna know what I think, Fiyero?”

“What do you think?”

“I think that I’m too good for you.”

Elphaba burst out laughing and Fiyero grinned in relief.

“That you are.”

“Bring it in,” Glinda said before launching herself at Fiyero in a forgiving hug. When she pulled away she spoke to him in a low, private voice. “You’re taking good care of her, aren’t you?”

“Swear on my life.”

“Good,” Glinda nodded, patting Fiyero’s cheek with a soft smile. “Why…look at you. It’s about time you fell in love, isn’t it?”

Glinda stepped back and looked between Elphaba and Fiyero.

“Now I know that my mercy is gift enough but I have one more surprise. Elphaba, before the party tonight, you are getting your first genuine Glinda makeover!”

“This…is the party, Glinda,” Fiyero gestured glumly between the three of them.

“Oh, no it is not. Did I forget to mention? The party is only beginning!” Glinda said. She clapped twice and the double doors above the stairs sprung open to admit scores of people dressed to party.

“How did you do this?” Fiyero gaped. “I couldn’t even get one person to show up!”

“Oh, Fiyero. Sweetie. They like you…” Glinda flourished her arms out in a majestic gesture as people began rushing down the steps to take to the dance floor. “But they love me.”

As the musicians began playing a lively tune, Glinda stooped to grab the discarded hat before snatching Elphaba’s hand.

“You were kidding about the makeover, right?” Elphaba clarified.

“Uh uh. Say goodbye to your boytoy for now. I’m about to give you your first smokey eye!” she squealed before pulling Elphaba up the stairs with a jarring yank.

“Help me,” Elphaba mouthed to Fiyero over her shoulder but he could only laugh and wave her off.

Glinda pranced with Elphaba in tow up the stairs and weaved through people in the foyer until they reached a little sitting room with a decorative mirror. It seemed that Glinda had come prepared with a makeup bag standing by.

“Sit,” Glinda pointed to a velvety settee.

“Do I have a choice?”

“What do you think?”

Elphaba sat and clicked her heels together anxiously as Glinda rummaged through her bag. She flinched as Glinda brought an eyeliner pencil close to her face.

“Oh, Elphie. Don’t be such a baby.”

“I’ve never worn makeup!”

“Toughen up.”

Elphaba sighed and did as Glinda told her.

“Now it goes without saying they don’t make concealers in…your shade. You’re lucky you have such clear, pretty skin.”

“Pretty. Sure,” Elphaba scoffed.

“Fiyero certainly thinks so.”

“It’s alright, Glinda. We don’t have to talk about him.”

Glinda leaned back and gave her a disbelieving look.

“Are you kidding? You thought that after our reunification I wouldn’t insist on hearing all the details? Grow up, Elphie.”

“I just thought it might be hard because…well,” Elphaba mumbled uncomfortably. “Because you…loved him.”

Glinda paused her efforts on Elphaba’s face with a sage expression.

“Oh, Elphie…” she smiled sadly. “I didn’t. I didn’t love him.”

Glinda took a seat beside Elphaba on the settee with a wistful sigh.

“I thought I did. I mean we made sense and we looked good together, you have to admit it,” she bumped Elphaba with her shoulder. “But…I didn’t love him. Not like that. Listen, I wasn’t creeping on you or anything but I have to confess…I watched you dance. I mean, the way he looked at you, Elphie?”

Glinda shook her head and drummed her manicured nails on her knee.

“He never looked at me that way, and you know something? I never looked that way at him that way either.”

“I’m sorry, Glinda.”

“Good heavens, why are you sorry? Fiyero loves you, Elphaba. He loves you and you deserve to be loved. So, deal with it.”

Glinda completed Elphaba’s makeup after singing several verses of an absurd off the cuff song she named ‘smokey eye in the sky.’

“And while your frock is soooo pretty, Elphie I have one last surprise.”

Glinda thrust a garment bag into Elphaba’s arms and after taking a few minutes to change, Elphaba emerged in an understated party dress with black lace sleeves and an elegant skirt. Glinda smiled and folded her hands over her heart.

“Glinda, you’ve done it again,” she complimented herself. “I found it at the shop around the corner.”

She took Elphaba by the shoulders and guided her to stand before the sitting room’s full-length mirror.

“Why, Miss Elphaba. Look at you. You’re beautiful.”

“Why did you do all of this?” Elphaba asked, turning to face her friend.

Glinda hesitated for a moment and looked down at her feet in shame.

“I haven’t been very good, Elphie. Not good at all.”

“Glinda…”

“No, it’s true. I was so jealous that I turned my back on you. I guess this is just my way of…asking forgiveness.”

“Well, there’s blame to share,” Elphaba acknowledged. “I’ve missed you, Glinda.”

“I’ve missed you too, Elphie. And I’m sorry I changed my name to mess with your head.”

“It’s okay. Just move back in and we’ll call it square, okay?”

“My stuff is already unpacked! It’s a good thing, too. I’ve missed having my reticule around.”

“Oh, Glinda…” Elphaba smiled fondly. “I still have no idea what that is.”

The friends pulled each other into a long, tight hug, basking in the relief of forgiveness.

“So, how is he in bed?” Glinda asked bluntly. Elphaba pulled away and swatted at her shoulder.

“I’m not telling you that!”

“Oh yes you are! Didn’t you see what happens when you keep secrets from me? Please, please, please. I need to live vicariously through you!”

“You’ve really never slept with anybody?” Elphaba clarified.

“I’m not that kind of girl, Elphie!” Glinda said in a playfully aghast tone. “Well, I mean I’ve done some things—”

“He’s not horrible, alright?” Elphaba alluded, forcing back a flush. “He’s great, in fact. There, I said it. Happy now?”

“Elphaba Thropp you wicked woman!” Glinda giggled.

“Why did you bring the hat?” Elphaba changed the subject.

“Oh, yes. I just thought because I was so horrid in tricking you to wear that in front of everybody…as a symbol of my humility and goodwill,” Glinda paused for dramatic effect, “I’ll wear the hat tonight.”

Glinda took the hat, closed her eyes, and braced herself to put it on only to have Elphaba snatch it out of her hands at the last moment.

“I really don’t think you can pull it off, Glinda,” Elphaba said before confidently pulling the hat on her own head. “It’s a much better fit for me.”

By the time Glinda and Elphaba reemerged from the sitting room into the foyer, Fiyero was leaning against the wall underneath the clock waiting for them.

“Hey,” he said, straightening up as soon as he saw Elphaba’s transformation.

“Good, huh?” Glinda boasted. 

“Good, yeah. Good,” he said. “Hey.”

“Yero you’re so typically male,” Elphaba teased affectionately.

“Now then!” Glinda clapped. “For the moment you’ve both been waiting for.”

She grandly offered one of her hands to each of them and Elphaba shot Fiyero an amused look as they both took one of her hands.

“Elphaba Thropp,” she nodded to Elphaba. “Fiyero Tigelaar,” she nodded to Fiyero.

She then brought Elphaba and Fiyero’s hands together and linked them with a showy flourish.

“I, Glinda Upland of the Upperuplands, hereby bestow my blessing upon your courtship,” she announced before lowering herself into a deep, exaggerated curtsy.

“That’s…so good of you, Glinda!” Elphaba agreed before shooting Fiyero a look to join in.

“Er—yeah! Very, very good.”

“I know, right?!”

Elphaba, deliriously happy to have the world back in a beautiful balance, wanted nothing more than to live in that moment for good. But the ornate clock above the trio’s heads neither froze nor turned back.

It did as all clocks did and tick, tick, ticked ever forward.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Twenty-Two: She’s Off To See The Wizard ✉

“Another go! Another go!” Elphaba clapped her hands encouragingly after Glinda successfully managed to teleport.

“No more,” Glinda said with a dainty cough, waving off the cloud of smoke. “There has got to be a better way to come and go!”

“Shall we try joint teleportation again?” Elphaba offered. “I’ll do all the work.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“Remember it’s all about the timing,” Elphaba instructed as she outstretched her hands towards Glinda.

The cloud of red smoke billowed from Elphaba’s feet and Glinda swiftly moved forward to grip Elphaba’s arms in time for the smog to envelop them both. Moments later the pair were spit out onto the opposite end of the training hall, already in stitches.

“Bumpy landing much?” Glinda giggled.

“It’s harder with two people!” Elphaba swatted at her.

“Miss Glinda! Miss Elphaba! Please mind the frivolity, this is a place of learning,” Madame Morrible’s voice echoed through the hall.

Elphaba and Glinda got to their feet as their instructor approached them.

“Sorry, Madame,” Glinda snorted.

“Sorry, Madame.”

“Miss Glinda, may I have a private word with Miss Elphaba? You may be dismissed.”

Glinda, never one to pass up the chance to leave class early, nodded eagerly.

“Yes, Madame,” she curtsied before bolting to grab her things. “Dinner with Fiyero tonight?”

“We’ll be there!” Elphaba called after Glinda as she pranced out of the hall. Elphaba straightened up and turned her attention back to Madame Morrible. “You wanted a word?”

“Why, yes. How are you feeling these days, Miss Elphaba?” Madame Morrible asked.

“Honestly? Wonderful, Madame,” Elphaba breathed. “I feel…wonderful. Like I’m exactly where I need to be.”

“Such happy news!” Morrible chirped. “In that case, Miss Elphaba, let it be my privilege to simply bestow an additional blessing upon you.”

“Madame. Do you mean…"

But she didn’t finish her thought. Instead, Elphaba’s mind went blank and her voice box choked as Madame Morrible reached into her dress pocket and calmly presented her with her future in the form of an emerald envelope with a grand, golden seal.

✉✉✉

Dinners between Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero had become a regular thing. Elphaba had never felt so sought after. She had not one but two people regularly vying for her attention. Having Glinda back in her life was as exhausting as it was heartening and balancing her time between the two of them became a tricky thing to juggle. Despite the growing pains of having more people in her corner than she knew what to do with, Elphaba couldn’t be happier.

Elphaba was buzzing by the time Fiyero arrived at their dorm and she flung the door open in a tizzy the moment he knocked.

“Well, hello! That happy to see me?” he jested.

“Hush now, come inside.”

“She’s been acting so terribly antsy all afternoon!” Glinda reported to Fiyero with an air of mystery. “Says she wants to tell us something.”

“I do want to tell you something,” Elphaba breathed, guiding Fiyero to sit at the foot of her bed. She took a deep breath and stood between them. “Glinda…Fiyero…it has finally happened. The Wizard wants to meet me!”

Glinda crashed into Elphaba for a hug with an earsplitting squeal. “How splendiferous, Elphie! I knew you could do it!”

Fiyero did not jump up, however, and rather stayed sitting with a guarded expression.

“Well? Anything to say?” Elphaba prompted. She pulled out The Wizard’s envelope and held it up. “It’s real. The Wizard of Oz wants to meet me! He even provided my train ticket. I leave before the week is out.”

“By the end of the week?” Fiyero stood. “That quick?”

“Yes, it’s rather last minute, but imagine what his schedule must be like! To think that he has specifically requested me!”

“Oh, Elphie! You’re going to have the most marvelous time in the City! The shops, the hustle and bustle—oh I’m simply green with envy!” Glinda gushed.

“Come with me,” Elphaba offered spontaneously.

“What?”

“Come with me to The Emerald City!” Elphaba beamed. “Come on! You’ve never been, I’ve never been, it can be just the two of us.”

Elphaba linked arms with Glinda and gave Fiyero a superior look.

“Particularly because some of us here think The Emerald City is ‘just okay’,” she said in a mockingly masculine tone.

“Yeah, nothing special really,” Fiyero played along with a half-hearted shrug. He took in Elphaba’s larger than life expression and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Dinner’s on me tonight. We’re celebrating, after all.”

Elphaba awarded him a grateful kiss and Glinda sighed dreamily at the pair.

“Where can I find myself a relationship like yours?”

“You should have signed up for The Ozian Pen Pal Service,” Elphaba joked. She turned and Fiyero wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed the top of her head. “Worked for us.”

“Oh that? Psh,” Glinda waved a hand. “I signed up for a bit. My pen pal kept going on about how mysterious and important he was. Claimed to be famous!”

Glinda opened a drawer and casually handed a piece of stationary to Elphaba.

“Glinda—” Elphaba frowned, turning the letter over a few times. “This is on the same stationary as my letter from The Wizard. Same penmanship too.”

Elphaba held it up to the light and she and Fiyero squinted at it.

“It has the official watermark. Glinda…I think your pen pal was The Wizard!”

“Ooooh…really?” Glinda winced. “Do you think he’ll be mad that I never wrote him back?”

Elphaba and Fiyero gaped back with baffled expressions.

“What?!”

With such strings being pulled on Elphaba’s behalf to meet The Wizard, there were inevitable loose ends to tie up before her departure. Her brief hiatus from classes was disappointing but ultimately a small price to pay. Madame Morrible personally informed each of her professors of Elphaba’s opportunity and they were all understanding if not elated. The train ticket was open ended but Morrible predicted that Elphaba would return before the end of semester exams if everything went according to plan. The day after hearing the news, Elphaba made an excursion to the post office and sent two letters, one to Father and one to Doctor Dillamond. The letters, though tonally quite different, served the same purpose. To inform the recipient of her success.

Doctor Dillamond’s was returned to her as undeliverable.

However, earning Father’s approval was not the highest priority on Elphaba’s agenda that week. Following the restored harmony between herself and Glinda, forgiveness was at the forefront of Elphaba’s mind. This mentality motivated her step towards the tea house the afternoon before her departure to sit across from her sister.

“Thank you for meeting me, Nessa.”

“Well, we certainly have much ground to cover,” Nessarose acknowledged.

“I’m certain Madame Morrible has told you of my good news,” Elphaba asked.

“Yes, she did. It’s an accomplishment indeed.”

“Thank you. I suppose I…well, I suppose I was hoping to make good before I left,” Elphaba said. “Between us.”

“I see.”

“It has been a whirlwind of a semester,” Elphaba sighed. “When I think about all the change we’ve endured since this summer it’s no question why you and I have had so many, shall we say, highs and lows?”

“You could say that.”

“I sense a great change in the air for us, that’s why I urged you to come today. Let’s wipe the slate clean, Nessa. Can’t we start again?” Elphaba requested earnestly. “I feel like I’m in a really good place between Glinda and Fiyero. I so want to include you in that circle, Boq too—”

“Boq and I are no longer together,” Nessarose said flatly.

“You’re not?” Elphaba raised her eyebrows. “Did he break up with you?”

“I with him. It became increasingly clear that he was never going to return my feelings. What was I supposed to do? Sit around and beg him to love me?”

“Of course not! Oh, Nessa…I’m sorry that things ended in disappointment,” Elphaba sighed. “Perhaps it’s for the best.”

“Perhaps so,” Nessarose sipped at her tea.

“But don’t you see? This is all the more reason to let me back in.”

“I’ll be candid, Elphaba. I have been considering this at length and I’ll agree to reconcile on one condition,” Nessarose said smoothly.

Elphaba paused. “Condition?”

“Yes. I will mend things between us…if you agree to give me Mother’s green bottle. I think that is only fair.”

Elphaba stared.

“Elphaba?”

Elphaba stared more.

“Elphaba? I have told you my—”

“No.”

Nessarose raised her dainty eyebrows in alarm, having heard that word pass through her sister’s lips for perhaps the first time in her life.

“What did you say?”

“I said no. You cannot have it.”

“Elphaba!”

“If I gave it to you today, what would you ask for tomorrow? What would your conditions be then? Are you actually sitting across from me and asking me to give up the one thing from our household that has ever been mine?”

“You deliberately hid it from me! The only thing that belongs to my mother!”

“She was my mother too!” Elphaba said in a severe tone, smacking the table with her hand causing Nessarose to jump.

“Don’t cause a scene,” Nessarose warned.

“Don’t cause a scene,” Elphaba parroted, making no effort to dissuade onlookers. “Don’t cause a scene. Don’t embarrass me. Don’t do this, don't do that. Nessa, I have bent over backwards for you my entire life. I have worked my fingers to the bone to serve you because I thought that’s what sisters were supposed to do. And you take advantage of that, Nessa! You—you toy with me! You push me away, you reel me back in, you push me away, you reel me back—Oz! It goes on and on and on. How do you think that feels, Nessa? How do you think that feels?!”

Elphaba, stunned and numb, sat back against her chair and shook her head.

“I’m through,” she realized. “I’m through making myself more palatable for you. I am through shrinking myself for you, Nessa. I have already done everything I can for you and it hasn’t been enough. Nothing will ever be…enough.”

Elphaba stood and removed her bag off the back of the chair.

“Of course,” Nessarose snorted. “There you go walking off from a dispute. You’ll come to your senses when you cool that hot head of yours, I know you will.”

“You know something, Nessa? I have been afraid for so long. I have been afraid of losing your love. But now I see that if your love comes with conditions…I never had it in the first place,” Elphaba shook her head. “And how can I lose something that I never had?”

Elphaba calmly turned for the exit and Nessarose called after her, lost and floundering.

“Elphaba—stay put!”

Elphaba turned.

“No. No, Nessa,” she repeated, the word surpassing her lips with greater ease than before. She took a deep breath and met her sister’s eyes. “My life will always hold enough room for you, dear sister. If you care to find me, I am at your beck and call. But I am not going to sit around and beg for someone to love me either, Nessa. Not even you.”

Elphaba turned her back and left her sister behind with her head high and her spirit low. She trudged numbly towards her destination, her heart crying out for help. She was visibly distressed as she knocked on his door, and his face fell as soon as he saw her.

“Are you okay?” Fiyero asked.

“Can I come in?” she asked weakly.

Fiyero stepped aside to let Elphaba in and looked after her with concern as he closed the door.

“What happened?”

“I don’t want…I just want…”

She failed to piece together a full thought, but Fiyero understood anyway. He slid his arms around her and nestled her tightly against him in a secure hug. He pressed his lips to the soft hairs on the top of her head and he said nothing. He didn’t prod, he didn’t pull away, he didn’t look at her face. He just held her until she’d had enough. When she at last leaned back she examined Fiyero inquisitively. What set Elphaba apart from others was plainly visible on her skin, but Fiyero’s anomaly was not visible. Yet he was different, so very different from anyone she’d ever met. Her mind tried to make sense of him, as it often did, but nothing about Fiyero nor his love for her was sensical.

“Why can you see what no one else can see?” Elphaba wondered aloud, her fingertips delicately brushing over the features of his face as if the answer lied beneath.

Her telltale efforts to refrain from crying began rattling her body. Fiyero caressed the sides of her face, his thumbs poised to wipe away any fugitive tears.

“Let it out, Fae,” he said. “Screw your streak.”

His encouragement elicited the opposite response as she scowled and paced away from him.

“No. Why should I cry now? I won’t. Not when I’m on the doorstep of…of my dreams,” she emphasized. “It’s happening, Fiyero. Everything I’ve been working and waiting for is happening at last! Then why do I feel so…so…”

Her words failed again.

“Don’t go then.”

Elphaba looked up.

“What?”

“Don’t go see The Wizard.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“You’ve still got time, Fae. You’ve still got so much time to change the world. Isn’t it enough to just enjoy your life? Isn’t it enough to be where you’re at right now?”

“So, you’re saying I shouldn’t go after my dreams? Is that it?”

“Of course not! But all of this stuff about your life totally changing and—and I don’t know! What if it doesn’t work out?” Fiyero blurted out.

“Are you saying that The Wizard won’t see who I really am or are you saying he will and that I’m not good enough?!”

“Of course, you’re good enough! You’re good enough—hell, you’re better! Why do you need The Wizard to make these things happen? Why should you have to prove your worth to anyone when it’s Oz that should be proving its worth to you!”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”

“What if it isn’t everything you need it to be, Elphaba?” Fiyero asked desperately. And then, in a quiet tone, “And what if it is?”

Elphaba stared.

“I can tell I’m not explaining this right,” Fiyero complained, sitting on the edge of his bed and putting his head in his hands. “I never do.”

Elphaba took him in for a long moment before crossing to him calmly and tilting his face upwards with her fingertips. Something shifted in Fiyero and he slid to his knees to humbly wrap his arms around Elphaba’s waist.

“Don’t go, Elphaba,” he said. “Don’t go where I can’t follow.”

“Buy a ticket, then.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Elphaba lowered herself to her knees as well to meet him at eye level.

“Where is this coming from?” she asked patiently.

“You said it yourself,” Fiyero chuckled sadly, taking both of his hands in hers. “I don’t know why I’m the only one that can see you for who you are, but I’m fortunate I am. Do you think if all of Oz loved you like they should that you ever would have looked twice at me?”  

“Fiyero…” Elphaba whispered incredulously. “That’s the most brainless thing you’ve ever said.”

“That’s just it!” he pointed out. He got to his feet and began pacing. “The most powerful man in Oz has summoned you to meet him before you so much as finished your first semester. What if you’re right about everything Elphaba?! What if he names you Vizier, degreenifies you, what if everyone finally sees what I see?! How can I deserve you or even be worthy of you then when I’m barely worthy now?!"

“Do you think that little of me, Fiyero!?” Elphaba snapped.

Fiyero shut his mouth as Elphaba rose to her feet.

“Do you think that I’m that desperate or weak willed? Do you think that I’m that pathetic? To pour my affection into someone merely because they were the only option? Do you?!”

“No!” Fiyero backtracked.

Elphaba grabbed a fistful of his shirt.

“Apologize. Apologize for cheapening what I feel for you, Yero. Apologize!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry!”

“Damn right, you’re sorry,” she hissed as she released his shirt. “You love me because I let you love me. I let you kiss me, hold me, make love to me because you’re worthy and special and dearer to my heart than I can say. And whether I have one admirer or thousands of them that will not change. Do you understand me?”

“I understand you. I’m sorry, Fae,” Fiyero repeated. “I’m sorry.”

Elphaba’s temper began to soothe and she met his eyes with tenderness.

“I am yours, Fiyero,” she whispered. “There is nowhere I could go where that would change.”

“Then stay.”

“I can’t,” she reasoned softly. “You know I can’t.”

“…I know.”

Elphaba pulled him into a long, tight hug and Fiyero buried his face in her shoulder. He memorized the scent of her hair, the feeling of her somehow sharp yet soft frame, the sound of her delicate breath in his ear.

“You act as if I’m going away for good.”

“I’ll just miss you, is all.”

“Well…whenever you miss me you know what to do,” Elphaba leaned out of the embrace to meet his sad eyes. “Write to me.”

✉✉✉

It was an early train. Extremely early.

Terrified of missing it, Glinda had convinced Elphaba to stay in their dorm rather than at Fiyero’s in case she slept through her alarm. Which she did.

“I knew I should have gone to his dorm. He’s no early riser either,” Elphaba muttered, her eyes darting anxiously about the station.

“He’ll be here,” Glinda insisted, rubbing Elphaba’s arm comfortingly as they stood side by side on the platform.

The train began to steam and whistle and Elphaba felt her stomach twist in panic as the station’s clock ticked dangerously close to departure time.

“Damn it Yero, always late…” she complained.

“All aboard!”

“Elphie…” Glinda said slowly. “We should…”

Elphaba released a long breath before nodding and solemnly boarding the train with Glinda. They ducked into their compartment and tossed their suitcases aside before gluing themselves to the window.

“Oh, here he comes! Right there,” Glinda, who had better eyesight, pointed.

Elphaba tore out of their compartment and dashed towards the train door, waving a frantic arm to get his attention.

“Here! I’m here!”

Fiyero ran forward to meet her, sweaty and winded, an untidy bouquet of poppies in his fist.

“I thought I wouldn’t make it,” he panted, all but thrusting the flowers up into her hand.

“You made it.”

Elphaba leaned down from the compartment to meet him in a hurried kiss.

“I’ll make you proud, Fiyero.”

“You already do.”

Elphaba’s chest rose and fell with exhilaration as she soaked in her prince.

“Yero…Fiyero…” she breathed as words she’d long held hostage in her heart suddenly poised to pass her lips. “I—”

The train gave a great lurch and she grasped the frame of the entrance to steady herself. Fiyero thrust his arm forward and Elphaba reached for it but the tips of their fingers were the only thing that managed to touch as the train chugged forward.

“What were you going to say?” Fiyero called over the whistle and churning wheels, striding along the tracks to keep up for as long as he could.

“I’ll tell you later!” Elphaba promised.

The train picked up speed and Fiyero ran out of track to run alongside. Elphaba blew him a kiss goodbye and soon faded from his view as she accelerated towards her inevitable fate.

Elphaba always kept her promises. Perhaps not always in the way she expected, but she always kept her promises.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Twenty-Three: The Message ✉

It hit the newspapers first, but Fiyero didn’t read the newspapers. It didn’t take long for word to reach his ear, however, for while journalists worked hard, gossips worked harder.

Words like ‘fugitive,’ ‘marauder,’ and ‘wicked witch’ circulated about the campus but the whispers were not in the usual tone of mirth, but rather fear. No one approached him, not directly at least, but the side glances and whispered asides had increased a noticeable amount.

It took a newspaper being anonymously pinned to his door for him to finally see it with his own eyes.

She made the front page.

A grotesque headline and blurry photo heralded her as Oz’s new Public Enemy Number One. Slanderous details of dark witchcraft, mutilation, and treason were now common knowledge across Oz. People were urged to come forward if they had any whiff of The Witch’s whereabouts, but Fiyero only knew one thing. Wherever The Witch was, it wasn’t where she belonged. Wherever The Witch was, it wasn’t with him.

Fiyero sat blankly at a train station bench from dawn to dusk on the day she’d been expected to return. With each arrival he’d look up hopefully, ready to believe that everything he’d heard had been sensationalized by a mean-spirited tabloid. However, the final nail in the coffin came in the form of a pale-faced Glinda stepping off the train alone.

“Where is she?” Fiyero stood.

“Fiyero…”

“What happened?”

“Fiyero.”

“Is it true!?”

“Come here...”

“Tell me it isn’t true!”

Glinda broke into woeful sobs then and flung herself into his arms. As she sniffled into his shoulder, Fiyero only managed to stand there, paralyzed.

“Where is she now?” he dared to ask.

“I don’t know,” Glinda cried. “But she’s gone.”

In the privacy of Glinda’s now single dorm, she filled him in on every wretched detail. The Grimmerie, the Monkeys, the broom. She spoke of Morrible's betrayal and The Wizard’s restrictions on Animal rights.

“Well that’s it, then. She won’t return now, not even if they let her,” Fiyero said grimly, lifting his eyes to Glinda. “It wouldn’t be right.”

The semester ended in a jarring fashion and Fiyero had no choice but to return home for winter hiatus.

“Why are they calling her the Wicked Witch of the West?” Fiyero overheard his father boom over the morning paper. “Don’t drag The Vinkus into this, she isn’t from here! Pin the blame on Munchkinland where it belongs!”

“Marilott—you do know that this woman they’re writing about is the same young woman that…that Fiyero…” Baxiana said in a troubled voice.

“Of course, I know! You think I don’t know?! Just when I thought that his renegade ways couldn’t bring any more shame on this family he goes and beds a witch!”

Fiyero considered his family castle, bustling with nobility and servants alike, and found himself longing for the desolate Kiamo Ko. He wanted to hide, and between its remote region and secret passageways, Kiamo Ko was the perfect place to hide.

A painful surge of hope struck him and within the day Fiyero made private arrangements to pay a visit to his family’s other castle. As soon as he was dropped off he tore through the waist deep grass that surrounded the fortress and burst through the door.

“Elphaba!?” his voice tore through the echoing hallways. He ran and shouted until his voice was raw. “Elphaba?! Elphaba, it’s me. Elphaba!?”

Elphaba knew of Kiamo Ko, she knew it was uninhabited, and she knew that Fiyero would be near. Elphaba was waiting for him there, he knew she was, and she was counting on him to get her message. But as Fiyero darted through the dusty halls, checking each crevice, he found no trace of his green girl. She did not emerge from the shadows.

“I suppose we should discuss your next step, son,” Fiyero’s father posed the next day back at home. “Now that winter break is coming to an end.”

“What do you mean?” Fiyero frowned.

“Well, we presumed that returning to Shiz University was not on the table,” his mother explained. “Your marks were—”

“Passing,” Fiyero asserted. “They haven’t kicked me out yet, have they?”

“No, but one semester does not a graduate make. Why don’t you just return home?”

“And do what?” Fiyero asked shortly.

“Settle down,” his father muttered.

“Oh, Fiyero. There are plenty of viable matches to consider. The lovely Sarima has expressed an interest—”

“I’m going back to Shiz,” Fiyero said with a sense of finality. “I’m finishing what I started…whether or not you believe I can."

Fiyero stormed out and holed up in his room, compelled to pull some familiar tools from his desk drawer.

Dearest Fae,

I was sitting at this very desk when I wrote to you for the first time. I didn’t know where or who you were. I still don’t know where you are, but I do know who you are. That’s what I’m going to hold on to. I found you once before and I’ll find you again. I promise you I will.

I miss you, Fae, so in the meantime I’ll do as you said. I’ll write.

All my heart, Yero

Fiyero returned to Shiz as he said he would with one intention only, to graduate. His parents may not have believed he was capable of it, but someone out there did.

Glinda Upland proved to be his truest friend and confidant, the only person who could speak to him about Elphaba as they remembered her to be. In private, at least. Glinda was an expert liar, but Fiyero couldn’t fault her for it. She coped by thrusting herself into the social sphere whereas Fiyero retreated, wanting nothing to do with a world who’d turned their backs on Elphaba.

“We need to be careful,” Glinda whispered to Fiyero one night, her voice thick with tears.

Fiyero had gotten into the habit of spending the night at Glinda’s. Both of them found nights to be suffocatingly lonely. They slept separately, Fiyero in Elphaba’s old bed and Glinda in her own, and though neither feared the dark, they always left the nightlight on…just in case.

“I can’t just go along with everything. It isn’t right.”

“I know it’s not right, but it isn’t safe. Horrible Morrible has been writing to me, Fiyero,” Glinda fretted. “She wants to shape me up for The Wizard in Elphaba’s place…and I don’t think she’s asking.”

“Glinda—”

“I’m scared, Fiyero. I’m scared of what they’ll do to us if we speak out.”

“I’m sure Elphaba was scared too.”

Despite his convictions at night, in the bright light of day, Fiyero knew that Glinda was right. Oz had its eyes on him, and they didn’t want the truth. They wanted his song and dance.

“I knew it was too strange,” they’d say of his relationship between him and The Witch. “Were you, you know…under her spell?”

“Yes,” Fiyero would confirm. “Most definitely.”

Semesters soared by with tremendous effort. Each time his resolve would waver, he’d picture Elphaba’s green finger vigorously tapping at his assignment with some obnoxious remark about not giving up. Each time he’d scraped a passing grade, he pictured her celebration on his behalf. Each time he felt fear grip him on exam days, he’d picture her sitting beside him. It was not his professors nor tutors that had gotten him to his last days of Shiz, but rather the phantom hand of Elphaba coaxing him to persist.

Dearest Fae,

I graduated from Shiz University today. You’re the only person in my life that ever thought I’d be able to do it and I did it. It should have been your graduation too. You should have been there. I searched the tree line for you during the ceremony. I searched the sky. I’m looking for your message, Fae. I just haven’t found it yet.

All my heart, Yero

Fiyero, still donning his graduation robe, somberly entered Glinda’s dorm with a bottle of champagne only to find her in a frantic state.

“I’ve been summoned,” she announced miserably as she threw her belongings into her many suitcases. “To The Emerald City. I’m to move there at once to work with Madame Morrible and my horrendible ex-pen pal!”

“No!” Fiyero protested.

“I don’t have a choice!” she blubbered. “They need me to distance myself from my association with the ruddy witch! Oh…oh Fiyero, how I miss that ruddy old witch!”

Fiyero pulled Glinda into a tight hug.

“Oh, Fiyero. I don’t want to go. I’ll be so alone.”

“You won’t be alone.”

“What?”

“I’ll go with you.”

“What about The Vinkus?” she sniveled.

“What about it? I go back and have my parents set up an arranged marriage for me? I don’t want anything to do with them, Glinda. There’s nothing there for me anymore.”

“Oh, but Fiyero…being in The Emerald City? With Morrible and The Wizard?!”

“Distance hasn’t done me any good…” Fiyero muttered. “Might as well keep my enemies close.”

They were kept very close indeed.

Glinda, and Fiyero by extension, were granted large, cushy compartments in The Wizard’s own palace along with their new positions. Glinda was officially dubbed Glinda the Good and Fiyero was offered many appropriate positions, though none of them the ones he wanted.

“I want to be part of The Wizard’s guard.”

“Why—with your status and political studies?” Morrible chuckled. “That’s thinking quite small, isn’t it? The Wizard is prepared to offer you any position. Why would you lower yourself to grunt work?”

“Make me Captain, then.”

Glinda and Fiyero were provided ample documents to sign as part of their fortuitous new life. The pair could feel eyes on the back of their neck as they signed stacks upon stacks of non-disclosure agreements including a disquieting little page called the ‘Happy Clause.’ The Wizard’s officials weren’t satisfied by the first round of paperwork, either. Every few months they’d have to consent to something new until a day came where their boundaries were overstepped much further than before.

“One miniscule thing left to sign…” Morrible proposed, sliding a singular document towards them entitled Certificate of Engagement.

“What is this?” Fiyero asked slowly.

“Why—it was The Wizard’s idea, in fact! His favorite thing is making the citizens of Oz happy, giving them what they want, so to speak. Well, the magazines have spoken and it’s clear the citizens of Oz want the two of you!”

“Madame, we are not together,” Glinda explained. “I mean—we tried it out for a bit before…”

Glinda trailed off as Morrible arched one of her painted eyebrows. The air grew heavy and Fiyero lifted his chin.

“You want us to dispel rumors,” he deduced. “Of our involvement with The Witch.”

“Whatever you and Miss Glinda do in your private lives does not concern The Wizard. It is what the public sees that matters. Master Tigelaar, we cannot change the past. We can, however, reframe it. We’ll spin your unfortunate past with The Witch as sympathetic. You were merely victims of her wicked influence, her dark magic as it were, but with The Wizard’s forgiveness we’ll be pleased to publicize your rehabilitation! That’s what we’re agreeing upon…that’s the truth we’re offering here,” Morrible clacked her long nails on the contract.

“What’s the alternative?” Fiyero asked.

“Well, when not taking the victim angle I suppose the only conclusion left to draw is that your past association with The Witch was, how shall I put this? Treason.”

“But why the engagement?” Glinda asked meekly.

“Why, dearie. You should know better than anybody else,” Morrible grinned as she slid the contract their way. “Everybody loves a good show.”

Dearest Fae,

I’m engaged to Glinda. I can’t say I ever expected that to happen, even when we were together. I have also been named Captain of the Guard at my own request. Searching for you is now my full-time job…as if it weren’t already.

Please make my job easier by sending me that message. Any kind of message. Show yourself to me, Fae. I’ll be looking.

All my heart, Yero

Before Glinda dreamed of pursuing sorcery, she aspired to be an actress. It seemed, in a way, both of her ambitions had come to pass. Fiyero and Glinda became the new “it couple” of The Emerald City and, as far as the rest of the world could tell, they couldn’t be happier.

Press conferences. Grand openings. Photoshoots. Parties, parties, and more parties.

The Emerald City limelight ate them up and he and Glinda continued to rack up the esteem Elphaba had once traveled to the city in search of. Morrible proposed a limited tour around Oz to promote their sham engagement and as they visited stops along the Great Gillikin Railroad, Glinda the Good would wave and smile, read to classrooms of children, and offer speeches using vague spin words such as ‘hope’ and ‘perseverance’. Fiyero would stand behind her as she did, feeling himself grow hollower and hollower with every stop they made.

By the time their tour brought them to their alma mater, Fiyero felt as though the realest things about him had already faded. A little over a year had passed since their graduation, but Shiz seemed foreign and changed as Fiyero and Glinda stepped through its vine draped walls.

“It’s funny,” Glinda mused, a pinched smile on her face. “Being here again…she was so smart, Fiyero. I keep wondering if I’ve missed her signs.”

Fiyero said nothing.

“What if she wants to talk to us and we’re just looking in all the wrong places?” she fussed. “It’d have to be somewhere only you or I knew about.”

Fiyero slowed to a stop.

“What is it?”

“Come with me,” he said urgently, grabbing her hand.

He yanked her out onto the grounds, past the courtyard and down the slope towards the canal. Glinda trotted to keep up in her heels, bunching up her fanciful skirts so she wouldn’t stumble, but Fiyero strode ahead with a youthful vigor that had been gone until now.

“Where are we?” Glinda panted as Fiyero halted in front of an unassuming oak tree.

“We’re here,” he breathed with poorly concealed hope. “This is where we used to exchange our letters, Glinda. Fae would hide them here…Elphaba would hide them here!”

Fiyero dashed around to the other side of the trunk which was fairly overgrown with moss. He regarded the hollow where Yero and Fae would stash their clandestine letters and with a rush of long abandoned optimism he reached to feel inside. His hand drifted over the sides of it, skidding across the rough bark and crumpled leaves.

“Fiyero?”

“She wouldn’t have wanted anyone to find it,” Fiyero said hurriedly, groping around more frantically. “She—she would have hidden it well.”

“Hidden what?”

“HER MESSAGE!” Fiyero yelled, removing his hand from the tree and whipping around to face Glinda. “Her answer, her reason, her—anything! Anything!”

Fiyero turned and slammed a fist against their once precious tree. His fingers clawed at the moss beneath the hollow until a subtle carving revealed itself. There, still imprinted into the bark like scar tissue, was their everlasting arborglyph. Y+F.

“Oh, Fiyero…” Glinda said in a pitiful tone.

“Well I suppose that’s my proof,” he muttered thickly, turning to face Glinda again. “Proof that we happened. Proof that we mattered at all.”

“Of course you did.”

“It’s been five years, Glinda! Five years of nothing! She’s flying about writing in the sky with smoke, setting fires, causing city wide commotions every time she chooses to be seen! But for us? Not a word—not a letter!”

Fiyero dropped to the ground and leaned his back against the tree. It was a strange sight to see the Captain of the Guard in such a boyish pose. Glinda knelt in front of him, her large skirts pooling around her. Fiyero let out a sputtering cough that quickly transitioned into a dry sob. He ran a frantic hand through his hair as his chest heaved to regain composure.

“I’m forgetting what she looked like, Glinda. I’m forgetting what she sounded like, what she smelled like. I thought I’d always remember that—but I guess my brain just isn’t sharp enough,” he revealed dejectedly. “How can I keep going when all I have of her are my fading memories…and some old letters?”

Glinda reached out and wiped away the single tear that surfaced on the prince’s face.

“She had green skin,” Glinda reminded him kindly.

Fiyero chuckled hoarsely and kissed Glinda’s hand in thanks.

Back in his Emerald City quarters Fiyero sat at his grand desk and velvet chair and stared at the blank stationary in front of him.

Dearest Fae,

I keep expecting time to make the loss of you easier to deal with. I keep expecting time to make me love you less. But it hasn’t…and it won’t. All time has done is make you slip further away from me.

I once knew you only in letters. I remember picturing you like some mysterious vision lurking in the shadows, but even then I always had hope that you’d come forward eventually. How can it be true that I knew you better then than I do now?

I want you to know that I finally got your message, Fae. The one that you’ve been sending me all along. I now know that you don’t want to be found…not even by me.

Forever yours, Yero

Fiyero folded the stationary with care and slipped it into a fine envelope. He sealed it and wrote Fae on the front in the finest writing he could manage. He melted a puddle of wax and firmly pressed his seal upon it. Then he opened his desk and slipped the envelope along with all the other pieces of his heart which lay unsent at the bottom of his drawer.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Twenty-Four: Paper Trail ✉

“Password.”

“Seriously?”

“Password.”

“I created this place.”

“Password.”

“…No more candy.”

A surly looking Stag opened the door and admitted the cloaked woman who removed the hood from over her head.

“You passed the test,” Elphaba nodded approvingly. “Never admit anyone without a password, not even me. Take your break soon, okay? I’ll cover for you.”

 The Stag simply nodded and Elphaba raised her eyebrows expectantly.

“Yes, Madame Witch,” he granted in a raspy voice.

“Getting stronger every day,” she assured him. “You must accept every chance to speak.”

“Yes, Madame Witch.”

She unhooked her cloak and hung it up before advancing further into the dingy inn that served as their headquarters. She graciously accepted a mug of coffee over the pub counter and strode over to the wall to peruse the sketches of missing Animals. Her green fingertips brushed over the sketch of a bespectacled Goat and she permitted herself a single heavy-hearted sigh before turning back to business.

“Attention!” Elphaba alerted the Animals currently present in their hideout. “It’s time for recitations.”

Scattered groans throughout the pub and Elphaba gave them a sharp look.

“Or perhaps you’d prefer to lose your voices?” she challenged. “The Wizard is counting on your apathy. We cannot relax now simply because we’re tired.”

She grabbed a book at random off the wall and opened it only to quickly snap it shut.

“Perhaps a book with less salacious illustrations.”

There were a few laughs and calls of protest as she reshelved that one and selected another. She settled herself on a bench and cracked the book open, bringing the pages close to her face to squint at them.

“You need glasses!” one Animal yelled.

“I had glasses,” Elphaba sighed. “They slipped off somewhere over The Great Gillikin Forest if anyone cares to look for them.”

A kind Hedgehog named Jerusha moved a light to shine directly over Elphaba’s shoulder to aid her in reading.

“How do you manage to read that spell book of yours?”

“With great difficulty. Now if I’m reading this right this is a story about a…” she squinted. “Prince. It’s about…a prince.”

She leaned back expressionlessly and pursed her lips at the page.

“Yes, well…I think that you’re all quite familiar enough with recitation time to carry on without me,” she muttered thickly, handing the book over to Jerusha.

There was a sudden screech and crashing sound from just outside and Animals darted towards the windows to peek at the commotion.

“There’s a Monkey outside!”

“A Monkey?”

“Yes, one of the dreadful winged ones!”

Elphaba rushed towards the windows, weaving through the Animals to look outside. Crash landed on the lawn was indeed a winged Monkey from The Wizard’s palace and, by the look of it, he was injured. Elphaba turned to the pub and held her hands up for silence.

“We’re letting him in,” she said.

“He’s from The Wizard’s palace! A spy!”

“He’s a victim!” Elphaba insisted. “Just like us.”

“He doesn’t know the password!”

“He cannot speak a password! Be thankful that you’re not so far gone!”

“He may not speak but he can listen. He can take word back to the palace.”

“That’s a risk we have to take.”

Elphaba sidestepped the Stag and ran into the clearing, approaching the grounded Monkey. She got low to the ground and extended a gracious hand to him.

“Hello. Do you remember me?” she asked softly. The Monkey tilted his head to the side, regarding The Witch with curiosity and recognition. “I see you’re hurt. Let me help you. May I help you?”

The Monkey hesitantly accepted her hand and Elphaba assisted him into their hideaway.

“Prepare the healing quarters,” Elphaba instructed the wary Animals. “Do as I say.”

Elphaba and the other healers lay the Monkey out who, despite his inability to speak, seemed to accept their care with tentative trust.

“It’s a hideous deformity,” a matronly Cow tutted. “Unnatural.”

“It isn’t his fault!” Elphaba scolded. “This was done to him, to all of them.”

“Well go on then. Perform your magical cure,” the Cow sneered. “The sooner he leaves this place the better.”

“Magic cannot cure anybody,” Elphaba explained through her teeth. She found the source of the injury in the Monkey’s wing and placed her hand over the area. She closed her eyes and exhaled, guiding restorative energy into the area of harm. “It merely speeds the healing process. They feel the pain all the same.”

When things were in a stable place Elphaba dismissed the other healers and sat beside the Monkey.

“Don’t let ignorant statements like that get to you…I mean I always do, but you shouldn’t,” she instructed. “You seem so familiar to me. Can you tell me your name?”

The Monkey stared back silently, but his eyes were filled with understanding. He screeched weakly and his hand adjusted the collar of his jacket. Elphaba examined the collar to find some fine embroidery on the side.

“Chistery…” she read slowly. “Of course…of course, you’re Chistery! Oh, Chistery. I remember you.”

Chistery nodded his head in excitement to hear his name and Elphaba laughed.

“How good it is to see a familiar face! Chistery, I’m going to help you. I promise,” she murmured. “We’re going to make things right.”

Elphaba strode back into the taverns and requested the attention from the tavern keeper.

“I need to research our newspaper archives.”

“Which province?”

“The Emerald City.”

Elphaba accepted a large stack of newspapers and sat it on a central coffee table as the Animals recited prose aloud to keep their speech sharp.

“Change of material,” Elphaba announced. “For recitations tonight we’ll be reading from newspapers. Everyone take one. Look for any information about events at The Wizard’s palace.”

“Why?” Jerusha asked.

“It’s our next mission. What happened to those Monkeys is my fault, and we’re not going to let The Wizard manipulate them any longer.”

“Isn’t housing one risky enough?!” a Gazelle protested.

“My companions, these Monkeys may hold the key to the big stir we’ve been waiting for! We’ve been making private progress within our ranks, yes, but what’s the good of doing good if it isn’t big?!”

There was some hemming and hawing and Elphaba sighed tiredly.

“Regardless, help me comb the papers. Aloud, please. Read aloud,” Elphaba instructed.

She settled in a chair and picked up her own newspaper as the Animals took turns sharing current events in The Emerald City.

“City wide fair announced for the summer…”

“New research on Wicked Witch claims that she has an extra eye that always remains awake…”

“Would that I did…” Elphaba smirked. Shout outs amused her.

“Glinda the Good and Captain Fiyero Tigelaar to celebrate engagement in grand ball at Wizard’s Palace…”

“What?” Elphaba looked up and snatched the paper in question.

“Oh, yeah. The papers are obsessed with these people.”

“Mine is just an article predicting their wedding cake flavor.”

Elphaba’s stomach plummeted as her eyes fell upon a smiling Glinda and Fiyero on the front page. Her vision glanced over Fiyero’s face for a clock-tick, only a clock-tick, but the damage was done. She dropped the paper with a wheezing exhale as if it’d scorched her and she abruptly stood.

“Burn that,” she muttered in a low tone.

“But—”

“I said burn it!”

Elphaba stormed around the corner into the hallway and stalked towards the cheap rented room she inhabited. She slammed the door and leaned her back against it, clutching her hands over her chest and squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for the episode to pass. This wouldn’t be an easy storm to weather, though, not after seeing his picture.

Not after seeing his eyes.

“Oz almighty, woman. After all these years?” Elphaba said with a tortured groan.

Unfeeling, the masses called her. Pitiless, heartless, cold. If only they were right…Elphaba wished that they were right. The alternative, the reality in which she lived, was excruciating. Unfeeling, they said! Elphaba felt things to the point of agony. Doubt, grief, longing—

Oz, the longing! Ceaseless longing that robbed Elphaba of any peace. A knife that twisted at even the most miniscule of reminders. Reminders of the life she’d forfeited, the price she’d paid…and the prince she’d lost.

Elphaba opened her eyes and her vision focused on her broom in the corner. If she left now maybe she could still—

Before she was wise to her own actions, Elphaba lunged for her broom with a spontaneous sprint, but the moment her hand gripped the handle she tossed it away with a hiss.

“No!” she scolded herself. “You mustn’t. You can’t.”

What good could going to him do now? It’d be far too little…and far too late.

Elphaba felt shaky and sick as she changed course towards her bag to seek her consolation. She rummaged through the few belongings she had, shifting The Grimmerie and her mother’s green bottle aside, until her fingers brushed over the treasure she sought.

A letter in an envelope, fondly preserved despite its wears and creases, still sporting that partial tear down the middle from when Pfannee had lunged for it that day outside her dorm. Elphaba’s thumb brushed over the folded, weakened tape. She hadn’t had the bravery to look at it when she’d first peeled it off of her door the night after the OzDust, but ever since she rediscovered it crunched and forgotten at the bottom of her bag, hardly a day had passed where she hadn’t read it.

She cherished the letter for what it was. The last part of him that belonged to her.

Dear Fae,

I know that you’re scared but you aren’t alone in this. I’ll wait for you. When you’re ready, come find me.

Love, Yero

Elphaba walked numbly to the humble desk in the corner of her room and procured a piece of parchment. She had the ritual down pat. She’d scribble the salutation and then she’d stare, envisioning the pages upon pages of words she could write if she’d only give herself the permission. But in the end, she’d only ever write down a single phrase. The phrase she’d come so close to saying before she left on the train. The only phrase that mattered in the end.

Dearest Yero,

I love you.

Forever yours, Fae

Elphaba folded her confession and pressed a parting kiss to the parchment before doing as she always did. She stepped towards her private fireplace and tossed it into the flames. Countless copies of the same letter had been thrust into campfires, gas lanterns, and fireplaces all over Oz, burning away any paper trail of Elphaba’s heart.

✉✉✉

Elphaba awoke to the smell of smoke.

In a few hazy moments before gaining full alertness she wondered if the burning smell was coming from her letting rising from the ashes to haunt her. When the situation sunk in she grabbed her broom and bag to flee. She felt the wood of the door with her hand before bursting into the hallway. Chaos and screams abounded as Animals scrambled to grab their belongings.

“Leave them!” Elphaba coughed. “Get outside!”

Missing posters smoldered at the edges as smoke clogged the tavern. Upon the table still lay the newspaper from the night before, flames curling at the corners of Fiyero and Glinda’s shining faces. Elphaba’s lungs burned as she threw a hand towards the entrance to magically break the hinge off the door to provide them exit. She ushered the Animal inhabitants out first before following them onto the lawn. She registered a clock-tick too late that they’d been smoked out right into the waiting trap of The Wizard’s guard.

“The Witch! There she is!”

“Madame, get out of here!” Jerusha squeaked as the guards rushed the unsuspecting Animals.

Elphaba mounted her broom and kicked off the ground to hover in the air, but before she could flee into the night, a pained screech gave her pause.

“I’ve got The Wizard’s Monkey!” a guard yelled, roughly dragging Chistery out of the building by his injured wing. “The one we tracked!”

“Stop! Stop it!” Elphaba snarled. “Don’t hurt him!”

“Why? He’s served his purpose!”

The guard continued to cruelly tug at Chistery’s wing.

“Looks like this one’s defective, Lieutenant. Shall we put it out of its misery? The Wizard has plenty more like it.”

“No!” Elphaba screamed, her feet touching back to earth as she scrambled to Chistery’s side. “Don’t touch him!”

“Or what?!”

Elphaba suddenly heard scattered clicks of rifles held at the ready and she could feel them pointed straight at her. She turned and weaponized her broom handle, holding it out in a defensive manner as she stared down the many barrels.

Her eyes flickered towards the faces of the scared Animals she’d sworn to help. What a mess she had gotten them in. They’d been right to be wary of bringing Chistery in, but Elphaba had insisted. Now because of her actions, no matter how good intentioned, their headquarters had been destroyed and dozens of Animals were displaced and endangered.

Her eyes then shifted to the Wizard’s guard, analyzing their uniforms with a sudden forbidden thought. Their Captain was not among them, perhaps off celebrating his engagement? No, their Captain was not present…but he was sure to be alerted if The Witch was caught.

“Alright then. Let’s not beat around the bush,” Elphaba said, advancing a steady step towards the rifles. Several men visibly shuddered. She held up her hands in serene surrender. “I’m the one you want.”

“No, don’t!” Jerusha called out.

“Take me, but leave everyone else alone.”

“We don’t take orders from witches!” the Lieutenant spat on the ground towards her feet.

“The moment I take to the sky your chances of catching me are gone. What’s going to please The Wizard more? A bunch of Animals and a defective Monkey or Oz’s greatest nemesis?” Elphaba curtsied.

She casually tossed her broom towards the guards who scattered away from it in fear. The Lieutenant cleared his throat and nodded towards a guard who tripped over himself to grab it.

“Well?” Elphaba tapped her foot. “Do we have a deal? If you leave the rest you can take me. You won’t find another bargain like this one.”

The guards glanced towards each other.

“So do we just…uh…”

“Yes. This is the part where you seize me,” Elphaba guided them tiredly.

“Right—uh—seize her!” the Lieutenant commanded.

Guards grabbed Elphaba roughly by the arms and a few of the Animals behind her gasped.  

“Rebuild, companions,” Elphaba instructed calmly. “You know what to do.”

Elphaba heard snivels and distressed noises as she left them behind. Chistery was released and shoved back towards the group who accepted him with open arms. The Monkey turned and waved to Elphaba with sad, scared eyes and she nodded back to him.

The guards gave her a strong yank and began dragging her through the underbrush of the forest.

“This’ll take a while on foot,” Elphaba said in a bored tone. “Does anyone have games to pass the time? I usually play ‘how many Wizard guards can I pass without them noticing me.’ I’m good, too.”

“Silence, witch!” the Lieutenant growled.

“Say, didn’t we go to college together?” Elphaba recognized the Lieutenant with a snort. “You tried to throw water on me in the quad. Good times. It’s Fox, right? Jozsef Fox? Or should I say Lieutenant Fox? Good to see you’re moving on up in the world.”

“I said s-silence.”

Elphaba peered to the side and regarded the guard who’d grabbed her broom marching tensely alongside her.

“Careful with her.” Elphaba winked towards her broom which began smacking the guard around with its handle. “She’s temperamental.”

The journey to The Emerald City was as dull as Elphaba predicted so she passed the time counting all of the ways she could easily escape. The guards were incompetent to the point of hilarity and by the time they reached the dungeon of The Wizard’s palace it was thanks to Elphaba’s kindness in purposely overlooking her obvious options for escape.

By the time she was thrust into a dimly lit cell in The Wizard’s dungeon, she’d already concocted her exit plan. The guards had confiscated her broom and bag and set it just out of reach outside the bars, perhaps attempting to be sadistic, but had not counted on her ability to summon things with magic.

Yes, she would escape The Wizard’s palace, but not until her agenda had been met. She’d made a promise to Chistery to make things right, and she was going to make things right. For him, and for the other Monkeys. The Wizard’s guard had merely escorted her precisely where she needed to be.

As she assessed her cell, she reminded herself of her mantra, the one she’d repeated to herself during the trip.

I am here to free the Monkeys. That’s all I’m here for. I am here to free the Monkeys. That’s all I’m here for.

There were times she even believed it, too.

There was a loud click and Elphaba’s smugness gave way to dread as she realized that the dungeon lights were going off one by one. She felt terror shiver up her spine and she knelt by the door of her cell, extending her hand throughout the bars to summon her bag across the floor for her emergency matches. It was easy for her to feel high and mighty in the light, but darkness put a wrench in her plans. Before she reached her bag, however, the lights stopped turning out. One lantern remained courteously lit above her cot.

“Oh, thank Oz.”

However, her edge was not altogether relieved as the circumference beyond her cell remained in total darkness. She scurried towards her cot so that she may bask in the feeble illumination above it, praying that it’d only hold out, until she heard sudden footsteps bounding down the stairs amidst overlapping voices.

“Alone! Obey my orders! I said I’d see her alone!” a voice commanded.

Elphaba stood on the cot, adjusted her hat, and mustered her imposing pose as the footsteps drew nearer. When the sound of the footsteps stopped in front of her cell, she squinted through the shadows in efforts to see which guard was paying her a visit. Not another sound was made, that is, until a voice called for her from the dark.

“Fae?”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Twenty-Five: The Code Green ✉

“Fae?”

Elphaba heard a match strike and she slowly stepped off of her cot as an oil lantern illuminated Fiyero Tigelaar’s features in a warm, orange glow.

“Hi,” Elphaba blurted out.

“Hey.”

“…Hi.”

“Nice digs,” Fiyero gestured to her cell.

“I’ve had worse.”

Elphaba and Fiyero paused before immediately erupting into heated, overlapping dialogue.

“Where have you been?!” “Why are you engaged to Glinda?!”

“What?! “What?!”

“I’ve been in Ev enjoying the oceanside,” Elphaba charged forward to confront him at the bars. “Where do you think I’ve been?!”

“Well, The Wizard forced Glinda and I into that engagement so things haven’t exactly been peachy keen over here either!”

“So…you’re not engaged to Glinda?” Elphaba clarified.

“No! Of course not!” Fiyero blurted out. He registered the look on Elphaba’s face and blinked. “Fae…you couldn’t possibly think that—"

“Your guards are imbeciles, by the way,” Elphaba cut him off, reaching through the bars to flick at Fiyero’s captain insignia. “I had to hold their hand through my entire abduction.”

“Would you prefer I put competent people in charge of hunting you?”

“At least it’d give me a challenge!”

They heaved labored breaths as they stared each other down, their hands both gripping at the iron bars that kept them apart.

“I’m going to get you out of here.”

Elphaba cackled and Fiyero frowned.

“Wha—what are you laughing at?”

“I don’t need your help getting out of here,” Elphaba said. “The bucket of water? I spill and freeze it on the stones to make the guards slip. When they’re knocked unawares I summon the keys off of their jacket. I grab my conveniently placed bag and broom and fly out the cellar doors I spotted when the guards took me down here—unblindfolded by the way. Amateurs. I set a diversion and sneak into the throne room where I’ll free the Monkeys and flee before The Wizard is wise to any of it.”

“Is that all?” Fiyero asked.

“No. That’s just the fun way.”

“What’s the easy way?”

“This.”

Elphaba snapped her fingers and the exterior lock of her cell gave way with a loud click. She removed the lock off of the door and strolled out of her cell, turning to place the lock in Fiyero’s hands.

“Nice.”

“I’ve been at this for a while.”

“Funny thing about your cell. Us guards constructed it with you in mind,” Fiyero leaned casually against the bars. “Lieutenant Fox proposed a more secure prison system but I convinced him that rusty exterior locks were the only things proven to contain witches. The bucket was easy to convince him of, he’s still freaked out from the water episode at Shiz. I think he thinks you’re after him.”

“He wishes.”

“The light left on over your cot? A precaution I added. Witches are more powerful in total darkness, didn’t you know that?” Fiyero stepped away from the bars and gently placed the padlock back into Elphaba’s hand. “I know that nothing can hold you, Fae. I learned that a long time ago.”

“Clever as ever, Fiyero,” Elphaba admitted approvingly. “The years haven’t changed everything, I see.”

“The years have changed nothing.”

Their eyes met and Elphaba glanced away.

“Your plan is good, but it doesn’t account for everything,” Fiyero hinted, strolling over to pick up her broom. “We’ll need Glinda.”

“Glinda? No.”

“Glinda, yes,” he said casually, twirling her broom around a few times.

“Careful! She’s temperamental,” Elphaba warned him.

“Ah, she won’t hurt me,” Fiyero shrugged. “She’s an extension of you.”

Thinking fast, Fiyero tossed the broom straight at Elphaba.

“Yero!” Elphaba hissed with a startled inhale as she caught the broom midair. She narrowed her eyes and jabbed the handle in his direction. “And how can you be so sure that I won’t hurt you?”

“Because you just called me Yero.”

Elphaba paused.

“Irrelevant,” she cleared her throat. “You are not getting involved, Fiyero. You or Glinda. I forbid it.”

“I forbid it. Ooh, so scary,” Fiyero mocked. “Scary witch lady.”

Elphaba shoved the tip of her broom handle against his jugular.

“Okay,” Fiyero wheezed. “You’re still a little scary.”

“I am here to free the Monkeys,” Elphaba relayed as she lowered her broom. “That’s all I’m here for.”

“I won’t get in your way. If you stopped being so stubborn for a clock-tick you’d see that I could even help you!” Fiyero said. “Let me help you, Fae.”

“Help with what?” she snorted.

“Your plan won’t work.”

“And why not?”

“The Wizard has moved the Monkeys to a different holding cell since you’ve last been in the palace. They’re not behind the throne room anymore.”

Elphaba was quiet.

“Didn’t account for that in your plan did you?”

“Shut up. What’s the fastest way there?”

“Oh, it’s much easier if I show you. You’ve got a man on the inside, Fae. Embrace it.”

“…Fine.”

“Okay, first up. Get back in your cell.”

“Huh?”

“Get back, witch!” Fiyero yelled in a voice that admittedly would have chilled Elphaba if it weren’t for the wink he added.

Elphaba held up her hands in compliance and backed into the cell for Fiyero to lock her back in. He held a finger to his lips as footsteps bounded down the steps.

“Need back up, Captain!?”

“Why is there only one bucket of water here?!” Fiyero asked, turning sharply towards Lieutenant Fox. “We’re going to need more, as much as you can carry! I need every man on this.”

“But—but Captain, the other men are patrolling.”

“Didn’t you hear me? Take them off patrol! Each of them needs to fetch three buckets of water—at least. But don’t let them come near her cell. They may get bewitched.”

“Captain, are you sure you should be left alone with her?” Lieutenant Fox alluded uneasily. “Considering, well…you know…”

“You think you can stop me?” Elphaba taunted in a shrill voice before making Lieutenant Fox jump with an earsplitting cackle. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with!”

“Go! Can’t you see? We can’t waste any time! Oh! And Lieutenant? Inform my fiancée at once that there’s a code green in place. Tell no one else.”

Fiyero and Elphaba watched Lieutenant Fox stumble out of the dungeon before nonchalantly dropping their guises.

“Nice voice,” Fiyero mentioned as he yanked the lock free again.

“It’s what I do,” Elphaba shrugged. “Bewitched, huh?”

“Yeah,” Fiyero grinned, handing Elphaba her bag and broom. “I know something about it.”

“Why so keen to help your ex, Fiyero?”

“Funny…” Fiyero hummed, offering his hand to her. “I don’t recall us ever breaking up.”

Elphaba eyed Fiyero’s hand before taking it, all the while struggling to uphold a scowl that desperately wanted to be a smile.

Having The Captain of the Guard on your side during stealth missions was an admitted advantage Elphaba could not deny. Fiyero seemed to know every nook and cranny of the castle as well as which halls to avoid based on the time of day.

“Have you practiced this route or something?” Elphaba huffed as he pulled her along. “It’s as precise as a fire drill.”

“No comment.”

Fiyero gently shushed her as he checked that the coast was clear before pulling her across the hallway to a large, locked door.

“Do your thing,” Fiyero nodded.

Elphaba clicked open the padlock and they stole away into a large atrium room with a gargantuan cage.

“Oh—” Elphaba mourned. Seeing the sorry state the Monkeys had been living in knocked the wind out of her. Some of them screeched weakly to see her while others were chillingly silent. “How do we open the cage?”

“The Wizard has a lever,” Fiyero scoured the area.

“Seems like a security risk,” Elphaba clicked her tongue.

“Well he’s all about the showmanship,” Fiyero shrugged. He spotted the lever and darted over to it, waving to get Elphaba’s attention. “It’s over here!”

“Do the honor,” Elphaba granted. She turned her attention to the Monkeys. “Get ready!”

Fiyero yanked on the lever with effort and Elphaba laughed victoriously as the cage began to rise. The Monkeys began looking up, nudging each other to pay attention to what was happening. They began to scramble out the moment they had enough room to slip out from under the bars, looking around at each other as if they couldn’t believe what was happening.

Elphaba dropped to her knees and opened The Grimmerie. Fiyero moved to kneel beside her, watching as she flipped the pages in her spell book before finding her desired incantation.

“Stay low! Stay down!” Elphaba called to the scattering Monkeys before setting her eyes on Fiyero. “Stay close, Fiyero. This one is going to make a stir.”

She leaned down to squint at the page and began mumbling the lost language with practiced precision. She said the last word and reached out to put her hands on Fiyero’s shoulders. There was a great shake as if The Wizard’s palace had endured a short but strong earthquake. Things went silent for a moment and Elphaba called to the Monkeys.

“Cover your heads!”

In a sudden explosion, each window pane shattered with an earsplitting sound and fragments of exploded glasses rained down upon the room. Elphaba grabbed Fiyero’s shoulders and pulled him practically into her lap, hunching over him to protect him from the dangerous downpour.

As things settled Elphaba lifted her head and watched as the Monkeys who’d been shielding themselves with their magnificent wings lifted their heads as well. There were a few uncertain screeches as they stretched their wings and registered the broken gap in the windows leading to the open air.

 Elphaba stood with an excited laugh, shards of glass tinkling off of her brimmed hat.

“Yes, you’re free! Fly, go fly!” she cried. “Fly, Monkeys! Fly!”

One Monkey went first. He gave a great, glorious screech and flapped his wings tremendously before taking flight towards the western sky. Elphaba threw her hands out and laughed in celebration as the Monkeys burst off towards the setting sun.

“You’re free! Be free!” she yelled before turning to see Fiyero’s awed face.

“You did it…”

“I did it!”

Before they could stop themselves Elphaba flung her arms around his neck and he captured her waist, lifting her feet off the floor and giving her a great spin in the air. When he set her back to earth their eyes met in a long, telling look. Elphaba picked a piece of glass out of his thick hair and Fiyero brushed his thumb across a shallow scrape on Elphaba’s cheek. Their breathing grew heavier. Fiyero dug his fingers deeper into her hips. Elphaba gripped at the fabric of his captain’s jacket.

“Get the Captain! Find the Captain!” shouted voices in the hall. “There’s been a breach in the castle!”

“Shit,” Elphaba and Fiyero whispered in unison.

“Did your spell only affect this room?” Fiyero asked nervously.

“Nope. Every window in the palace—if I did it right,” Elphaba explained. Fiyero gave her a wild look and she shrugged defensively. “What’s the good of doing good if it isn’t big?!”

“Sweet Oz. They’re going to be after us!”

“Yeah, I figured. Are you new to this or something?” she teased, slipping The Grimmerie into her bag as she prepared for the chase.

Fiyero grabbed her hand again and yanked her out of the atrium. He opened a door which gave way to a dimly lit service hallway off the beaten track.

“How did you even find this hallway?” Elphaba asked as they dodged cobwebs.

“It’s where I sneak off to smoke.”

“Oh, Fiyero. You started smoking again?” Elphaba chided.

“It’s been a stressful couple of years, okay!?”

Elphaba and Fiyero halted as they heard guards around the corner from where they were headed. They turned but heard guards around the corner from where they came from.

“Lots of guards on smoke break, huh?”

“We’re surrounded…” Fiyero said through a dry throat. He spotted a utility closet and yanked the door open. “Quick, get in.”

He pulled on Elphaba’s hand but she stayed firmly planted, her face pale and eyes wide as she eyed the closet with dread.

“Come on!”

“No…” she muttered weakly. “It-it doesn’t have a light.”

“Fae!”

She shook her head. “I’d rather take my chances with the guards.”

Fiyero looked back at the closet then back to Elphaba’s face. The years had only strengthened her tenacity. Since their reunion in the dungeon alone she’d faced explosions, rifles and threats abound without an inkling of distress. Yet there she stood before him, the Wicked Witch of the West, shaking in her boots at the prospect of hiding in the dark.

“Look at me—hey, look at me. I’ll hide with you. I know you’re scared but please trust me, Fae,” Fiyero whispered hoarsely. He stepped inside the closet and extended his hand desperately. “Do you trust me?”

Elphaba gripped her broom tightly as her eyes sought alternatives and for a heart stopping moment Fiyero feared that she was about to make a run for it. Then, with a nervous groan, Elphaba seized Fiyero’s hand with a nod. Fiyero pulled her inside and swiftly closed the door, thrusting them into complete darkness save for the feeble light from the bottom crack. Fiyero could hear Elphaba’s breath quickening and felt as her hands grasped blindly at his jacket. Fiyero placed his hands over hers as they fumbled to assure her that he was there.

“Hey, I’ve got you,” Fiyero promised in a hushed tone. “I’ve got you.”

He pulled her flush against him and deftly removed her hat so that he could tuck her head beneath his chin and thoroughly wrap his arms around her trembling form.

“Close your eyes,” he whispered against her hair. “I’m right here.”

Fiyero felt Elphaba turn her head into his chest and cling to him as tightly as her arms could muster. Racing footsteps and shouts of ‘The Witch on the loose’ soon echoed beyond the thin closet door, and Fiyero instinctively held Elphaba closer still. His blood pumped anxiously, and he envisioned what action he’d take to protect her were the door to suddenly burst open. However, his fear, though extreme, was secondary to the sensation of holding Elphaba in his arms again.

The storm of steps at last subsided and, satisfied that the threat had passed, Fiyero cautiously opened the door.

“It worked.”

Elphaba hastily detached herself from him and exited the closet as if nothing had happened.

“Where’s my hat?” she asked, but Fiyero was already placing it back on her head.

“What is it with us and closets, hm?”

“Right,” Elphaba said with a curt nod. She gestured towards the direction they were heading. “Where are you leading me?”

“The attic.”

The guards followed a false trail that led them down to the throne room to ‘defend The Wizard,’ providing a clear enough path for Fiyero and Elphaba to flee upwards. Elphaba had a keen sense of déjà vu as she busted into the room to make a speedy escape, but stopped in her tracks upon seeing they weren’t alone. Elphaba blinked, at first wondering if she was seeing things. It wouldn’t be a far stretch, considering what had transpired between herself and the unexpected guest in this very room.

The room where it all began. The room where it all ended.

“Elphie?”

Elphaba was nearly knocked backwards as Glinda the Good collided into her for a suffocating hug. Elphaba, crushed by layers of tulle, spat blonde curls out of her mouth as she embraced her best friend.

“It’s good to see you, Glinda.”

“Oh, Elphie. I didn’t dare let myself believe it, but it’s true! We’ve rehearsed it so many times,” Glinda pulled out of the hug and looked at Fiyero. “A code green, Fiyero! An actual code green!”

“What is a code green—ow!” Elphaba flinched as Glinda suddenly snatched Elphaba’s broom and whacked the handle against her arm. “What the hell?”

“That’s for shattering all of my windows, you dreadful witch! I oughta confiscate this broom of yours, missy! I’ll need it to sweep all of that glass off my balcony.”

“Greater good, Glinda,” Elphaba reminded her as she snatched her broom back.

“Greater good schm-ater good. My peonies fell right off the windowsill!” Glinda pouted.

Elphaba sized Glinda up, ballgown and all, and took a deep breath.

“You’ve grown into yourself, Glinda. Pictures simply don’t do you justice,” Elphaba expressed fondly. “How I’ve missed you.”

Elphaba straightened her shoulders and turned towards Fiyero to speak, but all of the words she’d planned on saying got stuck in her throat the moment their eyes locked.

“Fiyero…you…” she trailed off, which was just as well. Nothing she could say would be sufficient, so instead she said, “…thank you.”

Elphaba turned and dashed towards the broken attic skylight. She felt shaky and sick as she fixed for flight and forced herself not to look back.

“Thank you?”

Elphaba stopped and closed her eyes, the willpower she’d mustered flooding out of her at the mere sound of his voice.

“Yes,” she replied simply without turning around. “Thank you.”

“You burst your way back in here after years of silence and now you’re leaving me with thank you?”

“Fiyero—” Glinda put a hand on his arm.

Elphaba braced herself and slowly turned to face Fiyero.

“What would you have me say?”

“Anything! Anything—Oz, Fae. Anything. Anything to explain to me how you can turn your back on me now,” Fiyero urged, his voice trembling.

“I am not turning my back on you,” Elphaba glared, dropping her broom and heatedly advancing his way. “How dare you say such a thing?”

“How dare I?” Fiyero laughed wildly. “How dare I? Five years ago you left on a train and you took my heart with you. Now you’re walking out of my life again like it’s nothing—”

“Nothing?!”

“—like it’s easy!”

“You think this is easy?!” Elphaba’s face screwed up in fury. “You think it’s easy for me to leave you?!”

“You sure make it look that way.”

“You think that I haven’t spent every single night thinking about you, thinking about what I would say, agonizing over what I would do if I ever saw you again?! Losing you was the single hardest thing that has ever happened to me so don’t you dare stand there and talk about easy!”

“Why are you leaving then!?”

“BECAUSE I CAN’T HAVE YOU!” Elphaba screamed. “I can’t have you, Fiyero! I can’t stay!”

“You’re not staying, you impossible woman!” Fiyero shouted. “I’m coming with you!”

Elphaba stilled as Fiyero’s proclamation echoed through the attic.

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Elphaba said in a hushed tone.

“His bag is packed, Elphie,” Glinda spoke up quietly, revealing a small rucksack she’d brought to the attic. “It’s been packed for years. You’re the code green.”

Elphaba, disarmed, searched Fiyero’s eyes. “You…you still…”

“Yeah,” Fiyero confirmed her unasked question. “Still.”

“Fiyero—”

“I love you, Fae.”

“Don’t.”

“I never stopped. Not for a day, not for a moment, not ever.”

“Stop it,” Elphaba begged, covering her ears with her hands. “Stop it now.”

“No!” Fiyero insisted. “I need to say it and you need to hear it. You need to know how I feel. You need to know what your leaving means.”

Elphaba abruptly turned her back to Fiyero and shook her head frantically.

“I thought surely…” she muttered to herself, wringing her hands. “I thought that surely by now…”

Elphaba trailed off into silence as her eyes fell upon her abandoned broom. Her arms stretched towards it…then fell limply at her sides. Her head hung low and her feet stayed locked in place. Of course they did. She was stuck. She’d gotten too close and now she was caught.

Caught in his pull.

“I’ll stay if you tell me to,” Fiyero finally spoke.

Elphaba turned in a flood of relief. “Good because—”

“But it has to be what you want.”

“What does that mean?”

“Exactly how it sounds. If you decide to leave here without me I won’t try and stop you. But before you do, look me in the eyes and tell me that we’re through. Tell me that you do not want me to come. You owe me that much.”

“You can’t come,” Elphaba asserted.

“That’s not what I said,” Fiyero stepped towards her. “Tell me you don’t want me to come.”

“You’ll slow me down. You’ll compromise the cause.”

“Tell me,” Fiyero crossed closer. “Look me in the eye and tell me.”

“It’s dangerous. It’s far too dangerous!” Elphaba insisted madly.

“Fae,” Fiyero stopped in front of her. He reached forward and took her face in his hands. Elphaba's lips quivered and she jerked her head to the side to avoid his gaze. He gingerly tilted it back and Elphaba’s breath flew out of her as their eyes met, really met, at last.

“I’ll stop waiting,” Fiyero whispered, stroking Elphaba’s cheekbones with his thumbs. “I’ll stop looking for you. I’ll even try my best to live a life without you. But my heart can’t handle more of the same. If what we have is over…tell me now. Just tell me. Tell me that you don’t want me to come.”

Elphaba opened her mouth to produce the words Fiyero requested of her, but nothing came out. She couldn’t say it—she knew she couldn’t say it…and so did he. He’d called her bluff, as he so often did. There were no more tricks for her to try.

“I can’t, Yero,” Elphaba finally surrendered, covering his hand with hers in a yearning grip. “You know I can’t tell you that.”

“Still?” Fiyero asked softly.

“Yes,” she whispered back. “Still.”

A sudden sob broke the moment and they turned to see Glinda weeping where she stood.

“Ignore me! Ignore me, please—” Glinda waved an embarrassed hand. “I’m just…it’s just…”

Fiyero rushed towards her pulled her into a strong, parting hug.

“Sweet Oz, Glinda. I never could have gotten through this without you, you know?”

“I always knew this day would come. Oh, Fiyero, I’m so terribly happy!” Glinda sniffled, leaning back to straighten Fiyero’s captain jacket. “And so dreadfully sad.”

“You’re too good for me,” Fiyero reminded her before pressing a grateful kiss to her forehead. “Always have been.”

“Obviously.”

“And you’ll be okay?” Elphaba asked.  

“Oh, yes. My place is not out there…I knew it years ago and I know it now. I really can’t sleep in the dirt, Elphie,” Glinda chuckled tearfully. “I’ll hold down the fort on the inside…play the jilted fiancée whose no good prince ran off with a wicked old witch. My greatest role to date.”

“You have earned your title, Miss Glinda the Good,” Elphaba said affectionately. She approached Glinda and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’m sorry about your peonies.”

“Now off with you, the both of you!” Glinda cleared her throat and shooed the pair off. She handed Fiyero his rucksack and lifted her chin. “I need to get into character.”

“Yes, we should go,” Elphaba agreed.

She squared Fiyero’s shoulders towards her and tore open his captain’s jacket with such force that the buttons clattered off of it. Fiyero couldn’t hide his amused smirk as she yanked the garment off his shoulders and tossed it aside, leaving him in his under shirt and suspenders.

“Sheesh, Fae. Wait until we’re in private,” Fiyero teased.  

“Too much wind resistance. You’d better say goodbye to palace living, Tigelaar,” she muttered, making sure his rucksack was secure. “There’s no goose feathered beds where we’re headed. No straight razor shaves either.”

“Will you still think I’m sexy with a beard?”

“I’ll have to see what it looks like first,” Elphaba replied coolly. She positioned her broom to take the lead and nodded for Fiyero to sit behind her. “Don’t get precious with me if you’re motion sick. I won’t be slowing down just because you’re new to flying.”

“Yes ma’am,” Fiyero answered, wrapping his arms tightly around Elphaba’s waist.

They turned their heads to Glinda and Elphaba blew a kiss her way.

“I hope you’re happy,” Elphaba said genuinely.

“You too, Elphie.”

Elphaba kicked off the ground and Fiyero wobbled, holding onto Elphaba for dear life as they lifted into the air.

“I’m warning you now,” Elphaba turned her head to murmur to Fiyero privately. “This is your last easy out…and there’s a long road ahead.”

“Will I travel that road with you?”

“Yes.”

“Then I say…let’s fly.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Twenty-Six: Caving In ✉

“I don’t like flying.”

Elphaba had landed them on a cliff overhang beside a great waterfall. Upon grounding, Fiyero hopped off the broom and stretched his unsteady limbs, thankful to be on solid ground again.

“Better get used to it,” Elphaba shrugged.

“Where are we?” Fiyero asked, raising his voice to call over the rush of the waterfall.

“Home,” Elphaba called back. “For tonight, anyway.”

Fiyero watched as she approached the falls and held her hands up towards it. She rolled up her sleeve and slipped her arm into the rush and Fiyero’s jaw dropped as she parted the water like a curtain.

“Well don’t just stand there,” she nodded her head towards the gap. “Get in.”

Fiyero ducked his head as he slipped through the opening to step into the small mouth of a concealed cave. There were a few objects lying about, most notably several strategically placed lanterns. Elphaba stepped through the parted falls and dropped her hand to allow it to flow naturally again.

“Help me light them.” 

As Fiyero did as he was told, spotting a map of Oz and a thick cloak among the sparse belongings. 

“Do you live here?”

“Sometimes. I have a few spots around Oz. This one is great because the falls make it so I can stay close to the mouth so there’s some natural light. I don’t relish the dark of caves,” she repressed a shudder as she lit her last lantern. “I haven’t been here for some time though. Actually had a good thing going for a while, established a hideaway for rebel Animals in this old abandoned inn. I stayed there for the better part of this year.”

“Why didn’t you take us there?”

“The guards torched it,” she sighed. “It’s probably nothing more than ash by now.”

Elphaba casually removed her hat and flung it aside but stilled upon taking in Fiyero’s expression. The shadows flickering across his features made him appear older, or perhaps it was the grim look upon his face. She took a deep breath and offered him both of her hands. 

“Come, Yero,” she beckoned. When he accepted her hands she gave them a patient squeeze. “It’s a lot to take in. It’s okay if you’re overwhelmed.” 

“I’m not overwhelmed. It’s just…I lost so much sleep wondering where you were. Wondering if you had enough food, enough water…enough light. I wondered if you had a safe place to rest. A place to hang your hat, so to speak,” he smiled sadly and brushed the tip of her nose with his forefinger.

“I’ve managed,” Elphaba assured him.

“You shouldn’t have had to.”

“I know.”

They leaned forward with world-weary sighs until their foreheads hesitantly rested against one another. Elphaba’s hands moved to Fiyero’s chest, her fingers curiously grazing the visible hair around the edge of his undershirt. Fiyero tenderly placed his hands on her hips. 

“Can you ever forgive me?” Elphaba whispered.

“For what?”

“For leaving,” she fretted. “For walking out on the life we could have known with each other.”

“You didn’t have a choice.”

“The Wizard gave me a choice,” Elphaba corrected.

“Don’t you dare apologize for doing the bravest thing anyone has ever done.”

“You’re brave too,” Elphaba breathed. “Or brainless.”

“No, my love. Following you is the wisest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Yero…” Elphaba said yearningly.

“Fae.”

They reached for each other in desperation and their lips met for an ardent, long overdue kiss. Elphaba hooked her arms around Fiyero’s neck and he wrapped his fully around her waist to plaster her as close to him as possible. They stayed locked in their embrace for as long as they could feasibly manage, as if fearing the other would vanish into smoke the moment their kiss was broken. Their breath mingled as their lips cautiously parted, and upon realizing they were both still there, they wordlessly marveled in awe at how familiar and unfamiliar it felt to be with one another again.

“I never thought I’d see you again,” Fiyero uttered weakly, his nose brushing against hers.

“Neither did I.”

They kissed again, fiercer this time. Urgent. Fiyero placed his hand on the back of Elphaba’s head before stepping forward to push her back flush against the cave wall. He pressed his hips into hers and they both groaned longingly as she bit his lower lip. Fiyero leaned back and pulled Elphaba’s long hair to one side before burying his face in the crook her shoulder to kiss her neck. Elphaba, though dizzied by the overwhelming amount of touch, felt words stir to her lips.

“Yero. Fiyero…I…” Elphaba murmured. Her eyes closed and her momentum trailed off, pleasantly preoccupied by his affections. “I…”

Elphaba grieved the years they’d been cheated out of. She had put too much faith in time before and they’d both paid dearly for it. She wished she could blame fate for her inability to tell Fiyero the words that had been on her mind, on her heart, all those years ago, but in truth she had simply lacked the courage. With the past gone and the future not guaranteed, Elphaba wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. She wouldn’t waste another clock-tick allowing fear to silence her. They simply couldn’t afford it.

Elphaba pushed Fiyero away and pressed her hands against his shoulders to hold his distance.

“Wha—what’d I do?” Fiyero panted.

“Nothing. Believe me, I want you to continue…it’s only that I need to tell you something…” she breathed, “…and I can’t have you distracting me.”

“What is it?”

She shifted her eyes down and took a breath to regain her focus. Her chest tightened and blood raced as jitters seized her, but when she lifted her head to meet Fiyero’s blue eyes the edges of the world softened.

For him, she grasped in a gentle epiphany. Not for me. Do it for him.

“I withheld it from you for so long…and I don’t know why,” Elphaba murmured thoughtfully, moving to caress his face between her green hands. “Even now I feel frightened to say it out loud.”

“Say what?”

“To say that…I love you,” Elphaba said. “I love you.”

The sentiment passed Elphaba lips in hushed awe, and the moment it did, repetition of the truth tumbled wildly out of her. It was free. She was free. She was free to say it as much as she could, and she would.

“Oh, Yero, I love you. I have loved you all this time,” Elphaba professed. Her hands stroked down the sides of his face again and again in unfettered adoration as she exposed her soul to him. “I’ve loved you to the point of incurable insomnia. It has ached me, ailed me, inspired me, but has never abandoned me. I cannot begin to articulate the depth—but at least now I can try. At least now I can say it. Sweet Oz, I love you, Fiyero, and I was so scared that I’d never get to tell you that. I love you. I love you. I love—”

Fiyero cut her off with a series of chaste, grateful kisses.

“I needed you to know,” Elphaba whimpered between the kisses.

“I know,” he assured her. “I know. Oh, Fae, I’ve known all along.”

They lowered themselves to their knees on the cave floor and Elphaba’s shaking hands gripped Fiyero's shoulders. The time for words had ended, and there was only one thing left begging to be said.

“Put your hands on me, Yero,” Elphaba pleaded.

Fiyero, who had waited years to hear those words again, didn’t hesitate. His hands, acting on beautiful muscle memory, indulgently roamed Elphaba’s silhouette to caress every curve and valley of her frame. His fingers drifted up her spine, flicking the small buttons at the back of her dress as he kissed her thoroughly, exploringly. It had been so long since Elphaba had felt the warmth of another person’s willing touch that she felt as if she was starting from scratch. However, this sensitivity only increased her desire. Elphaba was starved for Fiyero’s hands, and she reciprocated his passion with an intensity that had been lying in wait for years.

“Elphaba…” Fiyero murmured against her lips.

Elphaba broke their kiss for a fleeting moment, her brow furrowed in curiosity as if lost in thought.

“What is it?” Fiyero panted.

“Say it again. Say my name,” Elphaba instructed in a pressing whisper. She twisted her fingers in his hair to anchor herself. “Oz, it’s been ages since I’ve heard my name.”

“Elphaba…” Fiyero obliged in a gravelly voice. He kissed her neck. “Elphaba.” He kissed her cheek. “My darling Elphaba.” He kissed her waiting lips.

He repeated her name like a prayer, like a vow. With each utterance, Elphaba’s humanity strengthened just enough for The Witch to be temporarily discarded along with their clothes across the cold cave floor. Just for that moment, she was Elphaba again, just Elphaba. His Elphaba.

Fiyero gingerly laid Elphaba upon the cool ground and she gasped as his hand drifted featherlight over her abdomen.

“Are you hurt?” Fiyero asked in concern.

“No,” Elphaba shook her head with a faint, ironic laugh. “That tickled.”

The waterfall graciously drowned out the rest of the world as Elphaba and Fiyero took precious time to relearn one another. The flickering glow cast upon them from the lanterns was reminiscent of their first night together, but the comparisons stopped there. They’d once had comfort, safety, and all the time in the world. They had none of those things now…but they had each other.

Night fell and Elphaba rested on Fiyero’s chest, clinging a bit closer now that the natural light beyond the falls had given out. Fiyero brushed his fingertips across Elphaba’s well defined spine. The toll the years had taken on her were not invisible. She was thin, verging on emaciated, and sported bruises and scrapes from her troubles. Fiyero examined and pressed a kiss to a long scar on her shoulder.

“Dagger swipe,” Elphaba explained. “Some wannabe witch hunter in Gillikin.”

“Sweet Oz.”

“He was just a kid. Stunning spell set him right.”

Fiyero was quiet and Elphaba tugged the cloak they were using for cover further up her body.

“I should have warned you,” Elphaba apologized. “I know that I don’t look like I used to.”

“You’re beautiful, Fae,” Fiyero said earnestly. “I just wish I could’ve protected you—”

Elphaba opened her mouth.

“—and I know that you didn’t need protection,” he said quickly. “I just…wish I’d been with you.”

“You were with me.” He gave her a funny look and Elphaba reached over towards her nearby bag to procure his letter. “In spirit, at least. In words. Mind the rip…”

She handed the partially torn letter to him and Fiyero opened it with a surprised chuckle. “I remember this.”

“I read it every night. Dear Fae,” Elphaba recited, resting her cheek on his shoulder. “I know that you’re scared but you aren’t alone in this. I’ll wait for you. When you’re ready, come find me. Love, Yero.”

“I did wait,” Fiyero commented with a sad smile. “I waited for you.”

“I know you did.”

She took the letter back and traced her forefinger over the last line. Come find me. She hadn’t held up her end of the bargain, had she?

“You need to know how badly I wanted to come for you, Yero,” Elphaba said, her voice teeming with regret. “There were days where I’d be halfway to you before willing myself to turn around. I thought that if I could just see you…just once. I came close to breaking into Kiamo Ko, spying on your graduation, Oz…I even wrote a letter to put in our tree but I couldn’t bring myself to leave it.”

“…what did it say?”

Elphaba lovingly caressed the side of his face with her hand. “The same thing all the others said.”

“Why didn’t you? Come look for me?” Fiyero asked.

“I wasn’t sure you wanted me to…I was afraid you wouldn’t want me to.”

“You can’t be serious,” Fiyero said tensely. “After everything we went through together? After everything—"

“I know, Yero. I know, but please try to understand. Spending that much time alone? The mind plays tricks. It makes you doubt what you remember, it makes you doubt what you know.”

“Well, I did want you to. I wanted you to find me!” Fiyero insisted.

“I know, my love, but it’s more than that. I’m not strong enough. I never have been. I am not strong enough to resist you…case and point,” Elphaba gestured ironically to their naked forms. “I knew that if I saw you again I wouldn’t be able to keep my distance. I have felt the force of your pull every moment of our time apart, Yero. After all this time, after everything I have been through, yours is the only gravity I’ve never been able to overcome.”

“And now?”

Elphaba sighed in resignation. “I guess I finally caved.”

They fell into a silence, tucked away in their hidden world as they listened to the cave drips and the splash of the falls. Elphaba shivered unconsciously and Fiyero rubbed his hand up and down over her arm to warm her.

“I know it’s not the most comfortable dwelling,” Elphaba acknowledged. “Sleeping in a cave is hardly ideal.”

“No,” Fiyero agreed. “But sleeping beside you is heaven.”

Elphaba tilted her chin up to look at him and he brushed a thumb over her cheek which made her smile.

“So you prefer this to your palace bed?”

“Any day.”

“Was your palace bed nice?”

“Oh, yeah. Silk sheets, canopy, like twenty pillows and—”

“Glinda?” Elphaba asked before she could hold her tongue.

“What? No, we slept apart,” Fiyero frowned. “What did you think?”

“I don’t know. It just…it’s okay, you know? If anything happened with Glinda…with anybody.”

“What are you saying? I’ve been completely faithful to you, Elphaba,” Fiyero sized her up suspiciously. “And you?”

“Me?” Elphaba scoffed. “What about me?”

“Well, you brought it up! Is there someone I should know about?”

“Obviously not! What an absurd thought. Being The Witch didn’t exactly afford me a lot of dating opportunities.”

“And if it did?”

“Sweet Oz, Fiyero! There was nobody, nor did I want there to be! Now put it to rest.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Elphaba and Fiyero crossed their arms and turned on their backs to stare up at the cave ceiling in silence.

“All I was saying was—” Elphaba spoke up. Fiyero groaned. So much for putting it to rest. Elphaba turned on her side towards him and continued in a softer tone. “I just meant that five years is a long time and—well…you would have been forgiven.”

“For what?”

“For moving on,” Elphaba said. “For…living. I wanted that for you.”

“I didn’t want to move on. What I was doing wasn’t living. My whole life was a lie and… I was so sick of lying.”

“I know, but—”

“No, no buts!” Fiyero turned on his own side towards her. “Sweet Oz, you enrage me. I’d forgotten how much you enraged me. There is only you for me, Elphaba. I accepted that a long time ago. Why can’t you?”

Elphaba said nothing. She slowly sat up, tugging the cloak up to her chest as she stared forward with a blank expression.

“Elphaba?” Fiyero sat up in concern. “Oz, Fae. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you—"

“I used to envy my namesake,” Elphaba said with a faraway stare towards the falls. “Saint Aelphaba spent years and years behind that waterfall all alone. I thought it sounded nice. But…”

“Yes?” Fiyero prompted, stroking her arm with his finger.

“I don’t want to be alone. When I first started writing to you I thought that I was lonely, but no…” Elphaba shook her head. “I didn’t know what loneliness was. To have no person, no home, no name. To have everyone that ever meant anything to you scattered to the winds. To not be known, truly known, by anybody…that’s loneliness, and I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

“You’re not alone,” Fiyero said, chilled by her haunted stare. He shifted and wrapped his arms around her from behind, leaning his head against hers as he pacifyingly rocked her side to side. “You’re not alone. I’m here, Elphaba, and I love you.”

“I love you too…but Yero…” Elphaba sighed, her hands clutching at his arms as he held her. “So much has changed.”

“Nothing has changed.”

“I’ve changed.” Elphaba shrugged out of his arms and turned to face him with troubled eyes. “Fiyero, what if—”

Elphaba pinched her lips shut and clutched her heart. The haunting fear was too much to mention. Fiyero encouraged her to continue with a solemn nod.

“What if I’m not that girl anymore?” Elphaba finally asked in a buckling whisper. “Oh, Fiyero. What if I’m not the one you’ve been waiting on?”

Fiyero was silent as her question sunk in. He reached forward to cup the sides of her face in his hands and took a good, long look at the green girl in front of him.

“I’ve already fallen in love with you twice, sweet Elphaba,” he said softly. “Who’s to say I couldn’t do it again?”

They spent the night huddled together for heat and comfort, using Elphaba’s cloak as a cover. Fiyero awoke the next morning with a muddled jolt, momentarily confused at his surroundings. When the events of his night before filtered back into his mind he sighed in relief. He sleepily pawed to the side for Elphaba, but couldn’t feel her. He opened his eyes blearily and winced as he sat upright off the hard ground. When he rubbed his eyes and stared forward he suddenly second guessed himself, convinced that he was dreaming after all.

Elphaba stood ahead, bathing herself in the falls. Her drenched hair stuck to her back as water cascaded over her bare, green skin. Her eyes were closed as she delicately rubbed her stiff neck, the pale rays of dawn backlighting her in an ethereal way. She opened her eyes and spotted Fiyero awake, but instead of trying to conceal her body as she once would have, she offered him a wry, knowing smile and continued on.

An angel, Fiyero thought of her. A saint, such as her namesake. Witch.

As Fiyero watched the woman he loved he knew that no one label could ever truly encompass her.

Elphaba was…Elphaba. And she was all his.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Twenty-Seven: Mockbeggar Market ✉

“If you care to find me, I am at your beck and call.”

Elphaba lurched awake.

After a restless night of distressing, fragmented dreams she gave up on sleep and stood outside on the overhang past the falls, narrowing her eyes pensively towards the horizon as the sun rose in the east. She and Fiyero had passed a few days around the region of the falls, but she was growing fidgety.

“Felt you tossing and turning,” Fiyero yawned as he emerged from the cave to find her. “Did you sleep at all?”

“Some,” she answered distractedly, drumming her fingers against her cheek in troubled contemplation. “How does the weather look to you?”

“The weather?” Fiyero frowned. “Looks clear to me.”

“Yes, but out there,” Elphaba gestured vaguely towards the sky. “Don’t you feel anything?”

“No?”

“I feel something coming,” Elphaba determined. “I just can’t tell what. Not yet.”

Fiyero approached and planted a good morning kiss on her cheek.

“Scratchy,” Elphaba complained over his growing stubble.

“Get over it.”

“It’s better that you grow it out, though,” Elphaba commented, turning and parting the falls to reenter the cave. “Anything to disguise your appearance for when we go out.”

“Go out? When are we doing that?” Fiyero asked as he followed her in.

“Today? Now?” Elphaba stated as if it were obvious, already tugging on her boots. “We can’t stay in one place forever. Besides, we need supplies.”

“Sorry, I never took Fugitive 101.”

“Well, you’ll get your crash course today,” Elphaba said as she threw on her cloak. “We’re going to Mockbeggar Market.”

“Mockbeggar Market?” Fiyero swallowed. “Isn’t that place kind of dodgy? You hear stories about criminals…”

“We are criminals.”

“Is it safe?”

“We’re safer there than anywhere in civilized society,” Elphaba strung on her bag and grabbed her broom with a gloating grin. “Why, Tigelaar? You scared?”

“No,” Fiyero scoffed.

Elphaba clicked her tongue and grasped Fiyero’s chin between her thumb and forefinger.

“Never you worry, my love. You’re traveling with the biggest bad around.” She granted him a sympathetic kiss. “Put your shoes on.”

Mockbeggar Market was south of The Emerald City on the eastern border of The Vinkus. Its offbeat location and loose regulations attracted dubious characters from all over Oz. It was the premiere destination for contraband items and shady dealings. Respectable people wouldn’t be caught dead there unless they were looking for trouble. Elphaba and Fiyero touched down on the outskirts and Elphaba pulled the hood of her cloak over her head.

“Don’t talk to anybody and try not to look anyone in the eye,” Elphaba instructed. She extended her hand towards Fiyero. “Follow me, Yero?”

He slid his hand into hers.

“Anywhere.”

Her hand linked with Fiyero’s, Elphaba brazenly led them into the open market. Fiyero did as Elphaba said and kept his gaze low as they swerved through crowded alleys and dodged crooked merchants. Elphaba pulled Fiyero to a newsstand and promptly placed a copper piece down.

“Newspaper.”

“It’s two coppers now,” the vendor grunted.

“Is that right?”

The vendor looked up and Elphaba lifted her head enough so that he may see a flash of green beneath her hood. He accepted the coin and nodded to his stand.

“Which province?”

“Munchkinland.”

He handed the paper to Elphaba who took it and walked off without a word. She handed the paper to Fiyero.

“I can’t read the small print. Tell me if there’s a news story about it.”

“About what?”

“I don’t know, but you’ll know it when you read it.”

Fiyero scanned the front page with nothing to note. When he went to check the second Elphaba grabbed it from his hands.

“No. It’d be on the front page.” Elphaba tossed the newspaper in a nearby bin. “It must not have happened yet.”

There was a yell in the distance and Fiyero glanced back instinctively as someone stumbled behind him. He continued on, unphased, but Elphaba turned suddenly and tripped the man with her broom before jabbing the handle stiffly at his sternum.

“Cough it up!”

“What’s happening?”

“This lowlife just pickpocketed you.” Elphaba twisted the handle deeper into the thief’s chest to leave a shallow bruise. “Hand it over or it’ll be all the worse for you.”

The thief yelped in terror and tossed Fiyero’s coin purse back up to him. They’d drawn the attention of a crowd and Elphaba tore off her hood eliciting scattered gasps.

“That’s right, dearies,” she taunted the onlookers. “He’s with me. Any misfortune done upon him will promise triple misfortune on you.”

She pulled her hood back on, linked her pinky finger with Fiyero’s, and moved ahead as the apprehensive crowd parted the way for them.

“You play it up,” Fiyero mentioned under his breath. “The witchy voice.”

“It serves me.”

Fiyero obediently followed Elphaba’s lead as he observed her in her element. Though it was strange for him to see her in this light, he felt a certain smugness to be on her arm. Her mere presence commanded respect and fear from those around her and she used it to her advantage. Nobody messed with her.

It was pretty hot.

After purchasing some meager groceries Fiyero noticed that Elphaba was glancing towards the sky every few clock-ticks.

“Something up?”

“Just keeping an eye out,” she muttered vaguely before giving herself a little shake. “I have a pounding headache.”

“Should we take a rest?” Fiyero offered, but Elphaba wasn’t listening.

Her attention was drawn to an unattended table tucked away in a crevice between two buildings. Various pendants and baubles were set for display, but that wasn’t what caught her eye. A crystal ball with an ornate stand sat dead center. Elphaba approached the table and regarded the crystal ball curiously, not fully aware that her green fingers were stretching towards it.

“Ah ah ah! You mustn’t touch, poppet.”

Elphaba’s head snapped up to see an ancient, shriveled woman with white hair now sitting behind the table. Fiyero jumped back in alarm.

“Where the hell did she come from?!”

“Yackle sees you like it, yes. Yes,” the woman nodded.

Elphaba narrowed her eyes. “How much?”

“More than in the prince’s pocket.”

Elphaba turned her back with a scoff. “Let’s go.”

“You want what this can tell you. Yackle knows you feel it. Yackle can tell you’re looking for answers.” Elphaba turned slowly and Yackle grinned a toothless grin. “They’re not in the paper, nor in the sky! They’re here.”

Yackle clacked her long fingernails on the crystal ball. Elphaba felt a chill up her spine, her eyes betraying uncertainty for the first time all day. She turned and tugged Fiyero away from the table.

“What was that all about?” Fiyero stressed as Elphaba pulled him into an alley and checked their surroundings.

“How much money do you have?”

“Not much. Why?”

“I need that crystal ball,” Elphaba said urgently.

“What? Why?”

“I just do! We don’t have enough,” she wrung her hands together. “I would set up my grift but I don’t have my supplies.”

“Your grift?” Fiyero coughed. “You have a grift?”

“I had to make money somehow, Yero. It’s not like I could get a job.”

“What did you do?”

“It’s silly.”

“Come on!”

“I…sell prophecies to people,” Elphaba admitted guiltily.

“Fake?”

“Of course fake!” Elphaba said. “I obviously don’t have a crystal ball. I used an Emerald City glitter globe I swiped.”

“Elphaba Thropp,” Fiyero clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. “Conning innocent people? Stealing glitter globes? I’m surprised at you.”

“Yero—”

“I mean I’d heard how dastardly the Wicked Witch was but this just crosses the line.”

“I need the crystal ball, Fiyero. I feel it. I can’t explain why but I feel it.”

“Okay,” Fiyero rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “We’ll find a way to afford it.”

Elphaba thought for a moment before Fiyero saw an idea light up her eyes.

“You gambled in college, didn’t you?”

“Uh…no?” he tried. Elphaba gave him a look. “Okay a little.” Elphaba stared. “Okay a lot.”

“That’s our answer.”

“I’m surprised I have to tell you this, Elphaba, but gambling is risky. We could lose what little we have.”

“Oh, but darling…” Elphaba offered a low laugh. “We won’t be playing fair.”

The gambling hall was located in a seedy basement where people and Animals alike gathered to empty their pockets at all hours of the day. The hall was dimly lit and thick with cigar smoke as they weaved through the various games of chance. Fiyero eyed the poker game longingly but Elphaba redirected his attention.

“We’re not playing that.”

“I’m really good at poker, though.”

“Too risky,” Elphaba sighed. “I would just count cards in Blackjack like I usually do but we’re short on time.”

“You count cards?!”

She shushed him and discretely nodded her head to the roulette wheel in the back of the hall. “That’s our game.”

“Roulette?” Fiyero groaned. “There’s no strategy to roulette.”

“There is when you’re playing with me,” Elphaba muttered. “Plus the dealer is a blockhead. He never catches wise.”

“How often do you come here?”

Elphaba shrugged him off before entrusting him with all of the money she had on her.

“Make any bet,” she instructed, closing his fingers around her coin purse. “I’ll make it count.”

Elphaba hung back and settled at a nearby table with her back to the roulette table. Fiyero briefly wondered how she was going to make this happen if she wasn’t even looking, but trusted that she must have something up her sleeve. So to speak.

Fiyero greeted the dealer and, by Elphaba’s orders, exchanged everything they had for chips. He wordlessly placed his first bets, spreading a decent mix across the board. The dealer spun the wheel and Fiyero’s throat went dry when the ball landed on the green zero, earning them nothing.

What the hell, Elphaba?!

The dealer laughed condescendingly as he collected Fiyero’s chips. Fiyero was losing some of his nerve as he placed his next selections, opting to place more on less risky outside bets. Gambling wasn’t nearly as fun when you couldn’t afford to lose. He got a modest payout when the ball landed on an odd number. He felt reasonably emboldened as the dealer slid him his earnings, but the following rounds played out about how one would expect in a game of luck. He broke even on the next round, won a little bit, then lost what he won. Elphaba would surely stop him if her plan wasn’t working, right?

“Fate yanking you around, boy?” the dealer snorted.

“Something like that,” Fiyero drummed his fingers on the board as he observed his dwindling chips.

He gritted his teeth and determined to make a bold bet, placing almost all the chips he had on a single number. The dealer couldn’t contain his glee as he spun the wheel, prepping for Fiyero’s inevitable loss.

Come on Elphaba, Fiyero thought as the wheel spun.

The roulette wheel slowed and Fiyero watched in suspense as the dealer’s face turned the same shade of red as the little sixteen it stopped on. Fiyero jumped out of his seat and whooped victoriously as the dealer begrudgingly slid him his payout. The adrenaline from winning egged Fiyero’s gambling instinct to continue, but he knew it was time to walk away.

He cashed in his earnings and met up with Elphaba who he found casually loitering outside.

“Come along,” she said simply, calmly concealing the money in her bag under her cloak and leading him down the street.

“And here I always thought that I was the one corrupting you,” Fiyero grinned before lowering his voice. “You stopped the wheel.”

“Or perhaps you’re just very, very lucky,” Elphaba corrected, forcing back a smile.

“Well, I already knew that,” Fiyero laced his fingers with hers.

When they arrived back at the table the old woman was absent again. Elphaba knocked on the table a few times and called for her.

“Hello?” she called impatiently. “Excuse me? Ding-dong!”

“Ding-dong indeed, dolly! Ding-dong indeed!” Yackle emerged from the shadows with a delighted, hissing whisper. “Wake up, you sleepy head. You’ve almost got it.”

“Here,” Elphaba dropped a fair share of their gambling payout on the table. “I’ll be taking that now.”

Yackle picked up the crystal ball and placed it into Elphaba’s hands.

“The Witch thanks you,” Elphaba said tightly.

“Ah!” Yackle exclaimed with a screeching laugh. “But which old witch?”

 “I do not like that woman,” Fiyero shook his head.

Elphaba and Fiyero soon found themselves squeezing into a dingy tavern down the street. Plastered to the walls were dozens of wanted posters and Fiyero was startled to realize that many of the depicted outlaws sitting in the very room.

“There I am,” Elphaba pointed proudly to her prominent poster. “The artist really captured me, don’t you think?”

“Your teeth look pointy,” Fiyero commented before squinting at Elphaba. “Are they really that sharp? Let me see.”

Elphaba playfully bared her teeth. “Careful Tigelaar. I bite.”

“Believe me, I know,” Fiyero returned smugly.

 “Yero, look! Look!” Elphaba gasped and poked Fiyero. “You made the wall.”

“Huh?”

“You made the wall!”

The poster looked freshly pinned and displayed a blown-up picture from Fiyero’s engagement announcement with Glinda cropped out.

PRINCE FIYERO TIGELAAR

WANTED FOR: TREASON, CONSPIRACY, AND ACCESSORY TO WITCHCRAFT

“You should be very proud,” Elphaba pestered. “There’s a reward and everything.”

“Yeah…” Fiyero sighed disappointedly. “Not as much as yours though.”

“Don’t be jealous, my sweet. We can’t all be public enemy number one.”

They situated themselves in a dusty corner and Elphaba set her crystal ball upon the table.

“I haven’t used one of these since college,” she frowned, drumming her hands upon the cool glass. A twist of red smoke appeared but dissipated when she removed her hands. “I’m a little rusty.”

“What is it supposed to tell you?” Fiyero asked, squinting into the orb. He couldn’t see anything.

“I’m not sure. I need to study it…”

“Well Miss Elphaba-a-a, your studies were always your strong suit,” bleated a rough voice.

Elphaba looked up with a stunned expression and gasped to see a familiar Goat standing before their booth.

“Professor?” she gasped. “Doctor Dillamond! Oh, Doctor Dillamond, thank goodness.”

She scrambled out of the booth and collected the Goat into a strong, relieved hug.

“Oh, Professor, thank Oz you’re okay. Thank Oz you’re alive!” Elphaba fawned. “What are you doing here?”

“Traveling!” he said with a raspy chuckle. “Though not by choice. My companions and I have been displa-a-aced.”

He cleared his throat and shook his head apologetically. “Apologies, Miss Elphaba. My chords have seen better days.”

Elphaba observed her former professor. He looked weary and malnourished. He was dressed in shabby clothes and one lens of his spectacles had a crack in it. But he was still standing. Still speaking.

“Join us, Professor,” Elphaba offered her side of the booth at once. Fiyero stood and Elphaba smacked her forehead, having forgotten him for a moment “Yes—Doctor Dillamond. I trust you remember Fiyero Tigelaar?”

“Yes, I recall seeing you in my class…occasionally,” Dillamond teased good-naturedly.

“He’s my—”

“Lover,” Fiyero filled in grinningly and Elphaba whacked his shoulder.  

“Uncouth…but accurate,” Elphaba allowed. “We’re together. Fiyero is new to life on the run, just got his first wanted poster.”

“Mine is hidden away somewhere,” Dillamond waved a hoof in the direction of the wall.

“You’re wanted?” Fiyero frowned. “For what?”

“Speaking,” Dillamond returned with a sad smile. Fiyero’s face fell.

“Ah—my comrades,” Dillamond nodded towards the entrance. He waved them over. Fiyero and Elphaba sat on the same side of the booth as an Owl and a familiar Badger approached. “May I introduce Vicar Mathias Popkin of Munchkin Rock—and Miss Elphaba, you may remember Miss Amalia from your days at Shiz.”

“Yes! Of course. How good to see you,” Elphaba said.

Amalia nodded shyly. She opened her mouth but spoke so softly Elphaba had to lean in to make out her words.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that…”

“You as well, Miss Elphaba,” she repeated in a stronger but still strained whisper.

“Amalia is still building her voice back up,” Doctor Dillamond explained gently. “The three of us have been detained until only recently.”

“Oh, sir…I feared as much. I feared worse,” Elphaba exclaimed. “If there is anything I can do—”

“More than you have already done?” Dillamond chuckled. “Why, Miss Elphaba-a-a, your reputation is well known in our circles.”

“He claims you every day, tells everyone we meet that you’re his student,” the Vicar hooted heartily.

“Although it seems that the student has become the teacher!” Dillamond praised. “Your recitation method has done wonders for all of us, Miss Elphaba.”

“I suppose my pamphlets have been circulating,” Elphaba shrugged humbly.

“You’ve published pamphlets? What haven’t you done?” Fiyero gaped.

“I may be forbidden to preach but they cannot stop me from reading scripture,” said the Vicar. “My voice gets stronger every day, all the better to spread the Unnamed God’s word.”

Elphaba may have rolled her eyes at the Unionist jargon, but the Owl was so earnest that she didn’t have the heart. Amalia began saying something and Elphaba leaned in to listen patiently. She didn’t catch anything but the last word.

“…sister.”

“Pardon?” Elphaba asked slowly.

Dillamond who sat beside Amalia leaned in and she whispered it to him.

“She is asking how your sister is, Miss Elphaba,” Dillamond relayed. “Yes, that’s right. Amalia was her caretaker.”

“I didn’t know that,” Fiyero said.

The others continued talking but Elphaba frowned as her head gradually began to pound. She jumped slightly as a deep, resonant moan began to reverberate in her ears.

“Does anyone hear that?” she asked feebly.

Fiyero and the others took notice of Elphaba’s odd behavior and their conversation trailed off.

“Hear what?”

Elphaba suddenly cried out and covered her ears as the moan grew louder. It sounded like someone was in pain, great pain.

“Fae, what is it?” Fiyero asked in concern.

“Can’t you hear her?!” Elphaba shrieked in distress, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Hear who?!”

ELPHABA! an agonized voice shrieked in Elphaba’s head, as clear as if it’d been screamed directly into her ear. ELPHABA PLEASE!

Elphaba’s eyes flew open and she let out a shuddering gasp as her eyes focused in on the crystal ball on the table before her. She forcefully gripped the orb and gasped as the vision became clear. A twister, a growing shadow, and two crushed legs sticking out from beneath a house wearing a pair of fine, jeweled shoes.

“NESSA!” Elphaba screamed aloud, scrambling out of the booth and to her feet.

Fiyero jumped out of the booth as well and urgently gripped Elphaba’s shoulders. “Elphaba, what is going on?”

“It’s her, Fiyero! She’s what I’ve been feeling all day,” Elphaba moaned in panic. “I have to go to her. I have to go to Nessa!”

“Why?” Fiyero asked.

Elphaba met his eye in an intense gaze.

“Because she called for me.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Twenty-Eight: Sister Sunrise ✉

Elphaba was already throwing on her cloak and bag before anyone was able to process what she was doing. She pressed her hands on the crystal ball with a nervous sound.

“Show me Nessa. Come on! Show me Nessa.”

The crystal ball only produced the same red smoke and she scowled.

“Damn! I’m too muddled. I need to go. Now.” Elphaba grabbed her broom but shook her head in a harried fashion, clutching at her head.

“What do you need?” Fiyero asked attentively. “What do you need from me?”

“You can’t come,” Elphaba said regrettably. “Not to Munchkinland.”

Fiyero began to protest but she grabbed his hands.

“This is between her and me,” she said seriously. “You’ve trusted me this far, trust me on this.”

Fiyero struggled for a moment before nodding. He kissed her on the cheek and pulled her into a tight hug.

“I need to know you’ll be okay,” Elphaba fretted. “Where will you go?”

“My castle.”

Elphaba sighed as she pulled out of the hug. “This is no time for jokes, Fiyero.”

“No really. I’ll go to Kiamo Ko.”

“And your parents will be so thrilled to harbor fugitives on their property?”

“They don’t own Kiamo Ko,” Fiyero said simply. “I do.”

Elphaba narrowed her eyes. “Come again?”

“My grandfather left Kiamo Ko to me in his will. Dad was pissed, it was a whole thing. They own the other one but they have no right to Kiamo—ow!”

Fiyero winced as Elphaba swatted at his shoulder.

“We’ve been sleeping in a cave when you had a castle we could go to?!”

“I liked the cave,” Fiyero said with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.

“You’re impossible.”

“I’ll go there,” Fiyero assured her before looking at the booth of Animals behind him. “We’ll all go.”

“We cannot impose—” Dillamond began.

“You said that you were displaced. There’s more than enough room,” Fiyero insisted. “It’s a day’s travel by caravan, safer to travel in groups anyway. We outlaws oughta stick together, right?”

Fiyero looked back to Elphaba who was moved by his gesture.

“You’ll be safe?” she asked softly.

“I know The Vinkus like the back of my hand. We’ll be waiting at Kiamo Ko. Come find me.”

“I will,” Elphaba swore, yanking him into a fierce parting kiss.

Their little party hurriedly followed Elphaba out onto the street. Elphaba entrusted the crystal ball to Fiyero’s care and tugged on her pointed hat.

“You all best stand back,” she warned. “Teleportation can get messy.”

“Didn’t you say long distance teleportation is risky?” Fiyero asked.

“There’s a first time for everything,” she winked. “I love you, Fiyero.”

Elphaba bid Mockbeggar Market farewell with a parting spectacle, eliciting a showy cackle as red smoke swirled around her feet to engulf her in a dramatic puff. Onlookers coughed and gasped when the smoke cleared to reveal that The Witch was gone.

Fiyero leaned in towards a nearby man and pointed to where Elphaba had vanished.

“Yeah. She’s my lover.”

✉✉✉

Elphaba skinned her knees on the Yellow Brick Road as she crash landed in Munchkinland. Her eyes burned from the smoke and she got on her hands and knees to cough up the fumes. She felt something hit her back and she looked up to see a tree chucking an apple at her. She scowled and hurled it back at its branches.

“I hate this place.”

She smoothed her broom’s bristles apologetically as she stood and got her bearings. She’d intended to transport herself straight to the Governor’s Mansion but her coordinates must have gotten skewed in transport. She’d ended up on the outskirts of the village.

“Okay,” Elphaba sighed heavily, staring down the path towards town. “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.”

Suspense loomed as Elphaba stealthily navigated the back alleys of her hometown. The weather was warm and the sky clear which did nothing to settle her unease. The streets were unusually empty, but she could hear a commotion up ahead. Elphaba chanced a peek around the corner to look upon the town square and clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her startled gasp.

There was a massive gathering of mutinous Munchkins shouting and booing towards their Madame Governor as she, with a face as deranged as her hair was neat, attempted to regain control. However, that was not what had disoriented Elphaba. Past the blinding light refracting off of her jeweled shoes, Elphaba could see Nessarose standing, yes, standing on her own two feet.

Momentarily distracted by her sister’s phenomenon, Elphaba didn’t sense the arrival of the danger until she heard the first scream. Chaos arose quickly and the crowd scattered as sudden, severe winds began ripping through the square. Nessarose yelled after them, agitated by their disobedience, until a growing shadow darkened over her head. She slowly cast her eyes skyward and let out a shriek, her legs collapsing out from under her in sudden horror. She crumpled to the ground and tried to move but, whether out of fear or dysfunction, her legs would not budge. Her mouth opened to scream but nothing came out, her lips merely opening and closing like a gulping fish until her chosen last words burst free.

“ELPHABA!” Nessarose pleaded into the void. Her face became the picture of tragically beautiful terror as it dawned on her that she was about to die. “ELPHABA PLEASE!”

Elphaba’s whole body pulsed as she pushed her body to its physical limit to sprint towards her sister. She slid in direct line with the house and snatched Nessarose, hooking her hands under her arms and frantically dragging her out of the collision course. The heels of Nessarose’s jeweled shoes snagged on the ground as Elphaba yanked her to safety and they skidded off her feet.

There was a deafening crash followed by dust and debris exploding outwards as a country house fell a breath away from them, smashing the slippers to smithereens in the process. Nessarose retched and Elphaba shielded her body with her own as a cloud of dirt choked them. The house landed close enough that Nessarose’s toes were touching the exterior wall. The tip of one of her striped leggings had gotten snagged underneath it and she reached down to pull it free with a traumatized shriek.

“Elph…” Nessarose managed but trailed off, her eyes going out of focus.

“Don’t faint on me now, Nessa,” Elphaba instructed firmly, eyeing the crowd of Munchkins who were starting to notice them as the dust dissipated.

“She’s alive!” one shrieked. “The house didn’t get her!”

But instead of celebrating their Madame Governor’s close call, the Munchkins began to hiss and jeer.

“Get The Witch!” “Her sister too!” “Get the witches!”

Elphaba frowned. Witches? She yanked her broom out from under the house, losing a few twigs in the process, and stood.

“I can’t believe I’m asking this but—can you walk?!”

Nessarose numbly pointed a finger towards the house. “My shoes.”

“Yeah, your shoes were crushed,” Elphaba said bluntly, hoisting Nessarose onto the broom and wrapping her arms around her from behind to hold steady. “Be thankful you weren’t crushed with them.”

Elphaba kicked off the ground and Nessarose screamed at the sudden levity. The crowd below shouted and heckled as Elphaba sped east towards the last place she ever thought she’d end up.

Home.

Elphaba carried Nessarose into Thropp Manor and appropriately set her upon the fainting couch.

“What are you doing?” Nessarose asked as Elphaba locked the front door and barricaded themselves in with the hall table.

“Hush,” Elphaba shushed as she drew their thick curtains shut.

“But—”

“Hush, Nessa!”

 She kneeled to the floor and pulled The Grimmerie out of her bag. She flipped through the pages and leaned down to squint at the ancient text, mumbling an incantation to herself.

“What—what are you doing?!”

Elphaba held out an arm to shush her sister again as she completed her spell.

“Defense spell for the mansion. It’ll buy us time.”

“For what!?”

“They’ll be coming for us.”

“Us? You mean you!”

Elphaba turned sharply. “What were they clamoring about then, Nessa? Huh?”

“It’s a nuanced situation,” Nessarose dismissed. “Politics are divisive.”

“Divisive? They act as if they want your head!”

“You always did have a flair for the dramatic.”

Elphaba gave her sister a withering stare. “So it’s you they’re talking about, isn’t it? The rumors about some wicked witch running Munchkinland. I assumed it was another lie about me!”

“Not everything is about you!” Nessarose snapped.

“You’ve been stripping the Munchkins of their rights—”

“They didn’t have that many to begin with,” Nessarose huffed.

“What’s happened to you?” Elphaba asked in bewilderment. “What happened to my sister?”

“What happened to mine!?” Nessarose gestured to Elphaba. “Look what you’ve been doing. Somebody had to have a sense of duty. Somebody had to take responsibility after Father died!”

The sisters crashed into a tense silence.

“Or didn’t you know?” Nessarose muttered coldly.

“I knew.”

Nessarose pursed her lips and averted her gaze from Elphaba. “Did you grieve?”

“…I’m not sure,” Elphaba answered honestly.

“That’s a wicked thing to say.”

“Look around, Nessa,” Elphaba pointed out thickly. She gestured to the banister which displayed plentiful photos of their father and Nessarose. None of Elphaba. “He erased me as well as he did our mother. No, it’s worse. He never claimed me to begin with. I lived the majority of my life in this manor…and there isn’t a scrap of evidence that I existed at all. That I mattered at all.”

Nessarose was silent.

“I know it’s hard to talk about…abuse is hard to talk about,” Elphaba finally spoke the word aloud. Nessarose closed her eyes. “Father made it very clear that his life had no room for me. I had to stop leaving room for him in mine.”

Nessarose looked at Elphaba for a moment before casting her eyes away in shame.

“You mattered,” she mumbled in a nearly inaudible voice.

Elphaba opened her mouth, but she could not decide on what to say. Ultimately she unclipped her cloak, removed her hat, and exited the drawing room.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m making tea,” Elphaba called back.

“There’s an angry mob after us and you’re making tea?!”

“Do you want sugar?”

“…yes.”

An odd tingle went up Elphaba’s back as she prepared the kettle. The kitchen in Thropp Manor was disturbingly unchanged. The antique scent of their home nudged memories back into Elphaba’s mind as muscle memory guided her hand to retrieve the teacups from the cupboard. Serving her sister felt deeply natural…and deeply unnatural at the same time.

Elphaba handed Nessarose her teacup and sat on the other end of the chaise. They sipped in silence for a moment before Elphaba finally spoke.

“How is it that you can walk, Nessa?” she asked in a low tone.

“I can’t,” Nessarose grimaced. “Not anymore.”

Elphaba stared patiently, waiting for an explanation.

“No one was coming to rescue me,” Nessarose shrugged. “I had to rescue myself.”

“You didn’t need rescuing.”

“Says you!” Nessarose said coldly. “I had to take matters into my own hands.”

“But how—”

“The shoes, Elphaba! I bewitched the shoes. I may not have your talent or The Wizard’s book but Madame Morrible left plenty of spells behind in her house...”

“You used magic!? Nessa, do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!” Elphaba scolded, setting her teacup aside.

“Yes, in fact, I do,” Nessarose said in a haunted voice. “The spell worked…but not entirely. I could walk, but it pained me. Like daggers each time I took a step.”

“Sweet Oz.”

“But at least I did it!” Nessarose snapped. “And without any help, mind you. I transformed myself and I did it on my own.”

“Why?” Elphaba asked fiercely. “Why did you feel like that was the answer!?”

“What else was I to do?! With Father dead, you gone…I was completely on my own. Who was going to take such a pathetic Governess seriously?!”

“So you reacted with force,” Elphaba stood heatedly. “You terrorized your subjects!”

“As if it’s any different than what you’ve been doing!” Nessarose scoffed.

“Now you wait just a clock-tick,” Elphaba warned. “I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing in pursuit of good, in pursuit of what’s right. What you’ve been doing isn’t right, Nessa!”

“What are you going to do? Ground me?” Nessarose condescended.

“No, but that house almost did!”

The moment the words spewed out of Elphaba’s mouth the event winded her with a sudden gust. She placed one hand over her stomach and the other over her mouth as her chest tightened from emotional overwhelm. She suddenly crossed her arms over the fireplace mantel and buried her face in her arms as she waited for her storm to ease.

“Elphaba?” Nessarose called timidly.

She didn’t turn.

“Elphaba.”

She trembled.

“Fabala…”

Elphaba turned slowly, withheld tears staining her eyes.

“You almost died,” Elphaba said, as if it only now hit her.

“Oh.” Nessarose put both hands on the sides of her face as reality of it all clobbered her. “Oh my.”

Elphaba suddenly rushed to her sister’s side and collected her into an intense hug, rocking her gently as Nessarose shattered into panicked weeps.

“How did you know?”

“I heard your call,” Elphaba whispered.

“Why?” Nessarose wailed, clutching into her sister. “Why did you come for me?”

Elphaba pulled out of the hug and brought both of Nessarose’s hands close to her heart.

“Because you are my sister, and therefore one half of me,” Elphaba expressed. “Don’t you know, my Nessa? My sun rises with you.”

“And mine sets with you,” Nessarose cried.

Elphaba pressed a doting kiss to her sister’s tear-stained cheek. She held her again and brushed the baby hairs at the back of her neck with her fingers.

“I’m a beast, Elphaba,” Nessarose lamented, pulling out of the hug and wiping her eyes clear. “I’ve been such a beast.”

“No, Nessa. I’m afraid it’s worse than that.” Elphaba took her hands. “You’re human.”

“I’ve been trying so hard to show them that I’m not weak,” Nessarose said through gritted teeth. “They’re calling for impeachment. They’re calling for secession! Oh, Elphaba. What am I to do!?”

“What do you want to do?”

“I’m the Governess.”

“But what do you want to do?” Elphaba pressed.

“Father left Munchkinland in my care—”

“Nessarose Thropp. What do you want?!”

“Not this!” Nessarose blurted out. “I don’t know what I want, I never have, but I know I don’t want this. I’m frightened, Elphaba. I don’t want to be Governess. I never did!”

There were sudden shouts from outside the mansion door and the Thropp girls could see torches glare through the curtains. Nessarose yelped, her high and mighty demeanor long gone, and squeezed Elphaba’s hand.

“They’re here!” she whimpered.

“They can’t get past the spell,” Elphaba assured her. “I won’t let them harm you.”

“Tell me what to do.”

“The only thing you can do,” Elphaba said bluntly. “Resign.”

“What?! I can’t—”

“You can and you must,” Elphaba urged. “You can undo the harm you’ve done, and you have done harm. You must release your hold on Munchkinland. It isn’t right.”

Nessarose exhaled shakily. “Munchkinland is all I know.”

“It’s all you know,” Elphaba agreed. “It’s not all you are. The Governorship was a burden that never should have fallen to you. Resign, Nessa. Let them elect. Munchkinland will be fine…it’s you that’s at stake here.”

“But what will I do?” Nessarose repeated in a lost tone.

Elphaba smiled faintly and brushed a thumb over her sister’s pale cheek. “Whatever you want.”

The mob outside increased in volume and Nessarose shuddered.

“And until then?”

“Until then you’re coming with me,” Elphaba said under no uncertain terms. Nessarose’s eyes widened.

“I beg your pardon? I can’t join you. You’re—you’re—”

“A witch?” Elphaba raised her eyebrows. “Yes, I am, and apparently so are you.”

“But I’m not wicked!” Nessarose protested in an aghast tone.

“Nor am I.”

“I know! I know that…” Nessarose backtracked.

“You have amends to make,” Elphaba said. “I’ll keep you safe until you figure out how.”

“Where will we go? Where will we live?”

“I hear Fiyero is securing us a castle as we speak,” Elphaba confided with a smart smile.

“Fiyero?” Nessarose’s eyes widened. “You…you’re—”

“Lovers,” Elphaba used Fiyero’s phrasing with a weary sigh. “Surprising, I know.”

Nessarose cleared her throat, her cheeks turning a rosy tint at the improper term. “My how things have changed,” Nessarose marveled faintly. “How things will continue to change.”

“Not tonight, though,” Elphaba soothed, tucking some hair behind her sister’s ear. “This is the final night that Thropp Manor will belong to Thropp women. We’ll spend it here in peace.”

In Nessarose’s last duty to Munchkinland, she went to her office to draft her resignation, as well as a motion to repeal her enacted restrictions. As her sister prepared for her departure, Elphaba slowly crept up the stairs to bid her own farewell. Sunset streamed through her west facing window as Elphaba stepped into her creaky attic bedroom. She greeted her old desk with a melancholy smile and fondly dragged her finger along the surface to scrawl the words ‘Dear Stranger’ into the thick coating of dust. As Elphaba observed the little room that time had preserved, she felt as if she were now the stranger to this place. The girl who had once lived and dreamed here was long gone. Elphaba had no more business here. She pressed a delicate kiss to her fingertips and brushed them along her desk one last time, grateful for the window into the world it had afforded her. As she took her leave Elphaba stole one last look from the doorway and wondered. Had the room gotten smaller…or had she gotten bigger?

Elphaba entered Nessarose’s study with her wheelchair from college in tow. Nessarose lifted her eyes glumly and sighed at the chair.

“You need sleep,” Elphaba said.

Elphaba assisted her sister to her room and began pulling the pins out of her hair one by one. When she reached for her hairbrush, Nessarose stopped her hand.

“No, leave it. I’m The Wicked Witch of the East,” she sighed, scrunching her tangled, dusty hair with her hands. “Might as well embrace it.”

“It’s a big night for you,” Elphaba said approvingly. “My little sister’s first angry mob. I’m so proud.”

Elphaba lifted her sister into bed and tucked the covers around her as Nessarose settled against the headboard. Elphaba caught her glancing towards her chair every few clock-ticks.

“What is it?”

“Elphaba…would you consider doing the spell for me?” Nessarose asked quietly.

Elphaba frowned before slowly shaking her head. “No, Nessa. I won’t.”

“But you can—”

“I don’t know that I can. But even so…”

“What?”

Elphaba sighed wearily and took Nessarose’s hand. “Don’t change yourself to prove your worth to the world. It’s the world that needs to change for you. You’re already enough as you are, dear Nessa. More than enough.”

“I haven’t always been the sister that I should have been,” Nessarose said. “The sister that you deserve.”

Elphaba soaked in her words and brushed her thumb across Nessarose’s knuckles.

“You’ve got a big day tomorrow,” Elphaba cleared her throat. She stood and crossed towards the doorway. “First day on the lam.”

“I wasn’t surprised, you know,” Nessarose called. Elphaba turned. “To learn that Fiyero loves you.”

“And why is that?” Elphaba asked guardedly.

“Because I love you, Elphaba. It’s not so hard to do.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Twenty-Nine: Iambic Pentameter ✉

The sisters spent the morning preparing for departure, the bulk of which Elphaba spent convincing Nessarose that she didn’t need half of the objects she’d intended on packing. They’d considered making a show of their leaving to the mob of Munchkins but decided against it in the end. Kiamo Ko was on the other side of Oz, and if Elphaba was going to transport them safely she needed to be in a calm frame of mind. Attempting teleportation while fleeing from pitchforks, as fun as it sounded, wasn’t an ideal scenario.

“It feels cowardly. To step down and slip out the back,” Nessarose said.

“You’re not a coward, Nessa.” Elphaba and Nessarose both grabbed hold of Elphaba’s broom so their hands were set close together as the plume of red smoke began rotating around them to whisk them away from Munchkinland. “This may be the bravest thing you’ve ever done.”

The sisters were spit out onto some rocky dirt with patches of tall, overgrown grass at the mouth of a drawbridge. Nessarose coughed delicately as she sat up and Elphaba fussed over her, brushing the ash off of her shoulders. They were dismayed to see that Nessarose’s chair hadn’t transferred with them.

“She’s back!” hooted a sudden voice. “They’re here!”

Elphaba rubbed the smoke out of her irritated eyes as she heard rushing footsteps bound her way.

“Fae!”

“Yero!” she shouted back, scrabbling to her feet and charging towards him in a flood of relief.

They crashed together in a fierce hug on the drawbridge. Fiyero pressed frantic kisses to Elphaba’s face and lips before leaning back to take a good look at her.

“I see you made it okay,” Elphaba laughed faintly, nodding towards the Vicar who’d apparently been tasked with lookout duty. Dillamond and Amalia hurriedly crossed the bridge to welcome the arrivals and Amalia crossed to Nessarose.

“Miss Amalia!” Nessarose gasped in surprise as the Badger kneeled beside her.

Amalia greeted Nessarose with soft words unheard to Elphaba but their reunion seemed a happy one.

“My grandfather used a wheelchair,” Fiyero mentioned to Dillamond as Amalia lifted Nessarose to carry her into the castle. “Check the first-floor study.”

Dillamond nodded and he and the Vicar followed them in to get Nessarose settled. With them gone Fiyero turned to Elphaba and gave her another worried once over. He brushed a thumb over a dirty smudge on her cheek with a painfully relieved sigh.

“You weren’t worried about me, were you?” Elphaba smiled knowingly.

“Me? Worried? Nah,” he scoffed. He pressed a long kiss to her forehead and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder. “Just never ever leave my side again and we’ll be all good.”

“Got it,” Elphaba agreed.

They turned towards the looming castle and Elphaba let out a low whistle.

“Kiamo Ko, huh? I can see why it was museum worthy.”

“Are you ready to see inside?” Fiyero took her hand.

“Why not?” Elphaba mused. “It’s about time this wicked witch headed west.”

The castle was drafty and dusty, the kind of archaic fortress you’d read about in a childhood fable. Spiderwebs clung to corners and the dim lighting, while sufficient for Elphaba, was dark enough to instill a twinge of foreboding. Fiyero kept his hand in hers as they explored their new homebase, the pair quietly catching each other up on their recent journeys.

“What’s this?” Elphaba asked as Fiyero opened a door to a bedroom. It had a wide western facing window with thick drapes and a large, stately bed.

“I thought this one could be ours,” he explained, casually flopping backwards onto the mattress and giving her a cheeky look. “Unless you’d rather sleep alone.”

Elphaba grinned and joined him on the bed, sighing in comfort as she laid upon the plush comforter.

“I haven’t slept on anything better than a straw mattress for years,” she yawned, stretching her weary limbs. Her eyes felt dried out from lack of sleep.

“Royals make good beds, you have to admit.”

“Hmm?” Elphaba slurred, her eyes already drooping.

Fiyero smiled and kissed her temple. He sat up and removed Elphaba’s hat and boots before covering her with the quilt from the foot of the bed. She made a sleepy grunt of protest.

“Go to sleep, Elphaba,” Fiyero instructed, brushing a matted strand of hair out of her face.

“Can’t,” she mumbled. “Have to keep watch.”

“I’ll keep watch,” Fiyero humored her affectionately. “You just rest.”

Elphaba awoke to sunlight streaming into her eyes. She sat up to look at the wall clock and was wildly disoriented to learn it was morning of the next day. She stood with a perplexed shake and spotted a note on the bedside table in Fiyero’s handwriting telling her to find him downstairs. She followed the sound of laughter and voices down towards the end of the hall and found everybody in a sitting room enjoying tea and coffee.

“Well, well. Look who finally joined us!” Fiyero called loudly.

He stood and greeted a bemused Elphaba by handing her a mug of coffee.

“What did I miss?” Elphaba asked groggily.

“We’ve been cleaning,” Fiyero commented, draping a lazy arm over Elphaba’s shoulder as she sampled her coffee. “We can’t all dream the day away.”

“I can’t believe I was out that long,” Elphaba said with an embarrassed smirk. “What was it, eighteen hours?”

“Twenty,” Fiyero corrected, kissing the top of her head. “You needed it.”

“Uh—Elphaba?” Nessarose called uncertainly from where she sat at the window. “You might want to come take a look at this.”

Elphaba and the others walked towards the window and peered through the curtains. Waiting just outside were dozens if not scores of winged Monkeys sitting patiently on the castle lawn.

“Whoa,” Fiyero said.

Elphaba rushed outside and as soon as the Monkeys spotted her they began bobbing and screeching excitedly. She placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a giddy laugh as many of them approached her. At the forefront, seemingly leading the group, was a familiar friend in a red jacket.

“Chistery!” Elphaba greeted him warmly. He ambled up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist in a hug.

“Seems like you’ve got some minions, Elphaba,” Nessarose called as the others watched from the entryway.

“No, The Wizard used them as minions,” Elphaba said, as she patted Chistery’s back. “But perhaps I’ve some familiars.”

After taking reasonable precautions to ensure the Monkeys were not being tracked since their liberation, the group accepted them into the castle. They would come and go as they pleased, occasionally flying off for a few hours or even a day or two, but they always returned. Most opted to hang around the turrets and lawn, keeping watch over the horizon like gargoyles, while others took up residence in the towers.

“Their speech is non-existent,” Elphaba confided in Doctor Dillamond one afternoon. “The Wizard used them as prototypes for his scheme well before restrictions were passed outside of the palace. Most haven’t spoken in years and I fear the younger ones may never have spoken at all.”

“They do seem quite far gone,” Dillamond agreed. “But that does not mean we do not try.”

Fiyero guided Elphaba and Dillamond to the second floor where he pushed open a jammed door to reveal a deserted library. Dillamond beamed at the sight, pushing aside old cobwebs as he examined the stacks.

“Marvelous, Master Tigelaar!” Dillamond praised him, already grabbing a few books. “These will do quite nicely for recitations. And—ah! Perhaps I’ll take this one for enjoyment.”

Elphaba assisted Doctor Dillamond in selecting some titles that would be appropriate for practice with the Monkeys and the Goat shuffled off, eager for his first opportunity to teach in years. Fiyero watched as Elphaba hesitantly turned her attention back to the bookcases, drifting her fingertips along the book spines with a melancholy air.

“What’s wrong, Fae? I just showed you a secret library. You love this smarty-pants stuff,” Fiyero encouraged. “Take a few.”

“I haven’t read for a bit is all,” she dismissed with a shrug. “No room in my bag…and it’s not like I ever had the time.”

She hesitated before turning her back to the shelf. “Ah—” she waved a dismissive hand. “It’s just as well. It’s not worth the headache I’d get to read without glasses.”

She patted Fiyero on the cheek in appreciation and drifted out of the library. The afternoon wore on and Elphaba spent most of it fixing up one of the towers for her use. Chistery assisted her with cleaning as she delicately set out her crystal ball, broom, and The Grimmerie. When the work was done she stood at the tower window and looked out on the mountainous horizon as her Monkeys made lazy circles in the sky. Footsteps from behind startled her out of her reverie and she turned to see Fiyero approaching her.

She clapped a hand to her chest and exhaled sharply. “Don’t sneak up on me like that you could have…”

Elphaba trailed off as Fiyero calmly slid a pair of round reading glasses onto her face.

“I have no idea what this one is about,” he said as he placed an old, thick novel into her hands. “You’ll have to tell me later.”

Elphaba knitted her eyebrows together and cracked the cover of the book. She exhaled in wonder at the clear print on the page.

“I looked for them all day,” Fiyero explained, adjusting them fondly. “They’re probably pretty old but—”

She cut him off with a kiss.

“Thank you, Yero,” she said sincerely, holding the book to her heart. She tilted his chin to the side to pose for him. “How do I look?”

“Like a total nerd.”   

Over the next week Elphaba did almost nothing but devour books. Fiyero spotted her reading in the library, reading while hanging upside down from a couch, reading while eating, reading while walking, reading before bed, reading when she woke up. Fiyero’s favorite was when he’d caught her sitting in the window of her tower with Chistery over her shoulder, reading aloud to an avid audience of Monkeys. The only times she paused was when she socialized with others, and even then she’d needlepoint intricate designs as she conversed.

For years Elphaba had gotten to do nothing except survive. Now she had the time to pursue hobbies, sleep in, drink coffee, write. She had the privacy to make love with Fiyero in an actual bed. She had safety enough to let herself laugh, smile, connect, breathe. Fiyero had provided her with more than a castle. He’d given her the opportunity to simply, if even for a short time, exist.

Late in the afternoon, the castle dwellers sat in their cozy sitting room as Chistery snoozed on the rug by the fireplace. Dillamond and Amalia prepared for recitations as Nessarose engaged in a deep, theological discussion with the Vicar. Elphaba sat on Fiyero’s lap with her head nestled into his shoulder. His cheek leaned against her head as he sheltered her in his arms.

“I’m getting one of those moments again,” she murmured privately.

“What moments?”

“I don’t want this to end.”

“Me neither.”

“No, I don’t want it to end but I know it will.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I had the very same feeling just before I left for The Wizard. The feeling that…all was right with the world. But the clock keeps ticking, Fiyero. It never stops ticking.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s ticking towards something bad,” Fiyero soothed. “After all, time brought you back to me. Didn’t it?”

Doctor Dillamond, the Vicar, and Amalia gathered to read recitations from a book of sonnets Nessarose recommended. Doctor Dillamond cleared his throat and began to recite the selected poem in a strong and clear voice.

“A callous dragon lives inside the clocks 

Devouring life’s moments as its prey

It sits atop its tower as it mocks

The fools who squander all their time away

Some gather coins to help assuage the beast

Collecting gold to purchase them more time

The dragon eats their moments as a feast

Mere wealth earns one no extra ticks or chimes

Some try to scrape more days by way of might

Delusions of their grandeur too overt

The dragon bests them in their every fight

And none hold power from beneath the dirt

So, when the dragon sets its sight on you

To judge how brightly your life’s moments shone

Though true that dust is what we all come to

Through love you shall not turn to dust alone

To gain its mercy when your clock runs out

Take care that love’s not what you live without.”

Dillamond and Amalia moved on to a different poem but Elphaba and Fiyero sat together silently, still feeling the weight of the first.

“Why was it written that way?” Fiyero asked Elphaba curiously. “That buh bum buh bum buh bum?”

“It’s in iambic pentameter.”

“Iambic pen-what?”

Elphaba smiled graciously and placed Fiyero’s hand over her heart. “It’s written like a heartbeat…feel that?”

“I like that poem,” Fiyero said softly.

“You hate poems.”

“Not that one.”

In the spirit of their fragile serenity, Fiyero leaned his forehead against Elphaba’s. He kept his hand over her heart and she placed her hand over his, a gesture that came so beautifully naturally to them, and they took a deep breath together. As they felt the lovely rhythm of the other’s pulse, it came as no surprise to either of them that one could put one’s heart into writing. They’d been doing that all along.

“Elphaba, will you marry me?”

Elphaba jerked back and met Fiyero’s eyes with a jarred look.

“Come again?”

“Marry me,” Fiyero asked again. “Today.”

He moved to wind his arms around Elphaba’s waist but she wiggled off his lap and stood. The group began casting curious glances towards the couple from across the room.

“You’re not serious.”

“Yes, I am,” Fiyero stood as well.

“But—” Elphaba stammered. “But why?”

“Why not?” Fiyero stressed.

“What were we just talking about?” Elphaba said. “We have no idea what will happen next. The world could end tomorrow for all we know!”

“Exactly my point!” Fiyero said passionately. “We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow so there’s no time like the present!”

“What’s going on over there?” Nessarose called nosily.

“Vicar Popkin, you can perform marriages can’t you?” Fiyero turned suddenly.

“Marriages?!” Nessarose gasped.

“Fiyero!” Elphaba hissed.

“You can, can’t you?” Fiyero asked again.

“Why—yes!” the Owl sputtered. “I haven’t been permitted to do so since the restrictions but none of that matters in the eyes of the Unnamed God.”

“You see, Elphaba? Even the Unnamed God is on board,” Fiyero back turned to her with a roguish smile.

“And you’d have me be a widow?” Elphaba said seriously. The air sucked out of the room as she stood her ground. “We marry and play happy family but what happens after? What if I’m killed? What if you’re killed? What difference could being married possibly make for us other than to hurt us deeper?”

“Elphaba…” Fiyero calmly took her hands. “I don’t need to play happy family. I don’t need a wedding. I don’t need the future to make us any promises it can’t keep. All I need to know is that you love me and that wherever we may go…we’ll go together. Can you promise me that much?”

“Of course,” Elphaba whispered.

“Okay, then.”

Fiyero properly lowered himself to one knee before her and Elphaba trembled as he took her hand.

“I don’t have an engagement ring for you and you know that I’m not very good with my words—”

“I beg to differ,” Elphaba interjected breathlessly.

“But you have all of me, Fae. You’ve had me from the first stroke of your pen, you have me right now in this moment, and you’ll have me always,” Fiyero said. He offered a helpless shrug. “We might as well make it official so you can refer to me as something other than your lover.”

Elphaba laughed faintly and Fiyero placed a long, humble kiss to her hands before looking up to ask her one last time.

“Elphaba Thropp…will you be my wife?”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Fiyero!” Elphaba sighed impatiently. “I will marry you. Now get up.”

Fiyero stood and met Elphaba in an overwhelmed, fervent kiss as the rest of the room broke into dumbfounded applause. Nessarose hurriedly snatched a piece of paper, scribbled something on it, and handed it off to Chistery. She whispered something in his ear and he nodded before scampering out of the room and down the hall.

“So…what do we do?” Elphaba glanced awkwardly between Fiyero and the Vicar. “Shall we just get it over with?”

“No, my beautiful bride!” Fiyero stood behind her and threw his arms around her waist. “We’re getting married. We have to make it special.”

“You just said that you didn’t need a wedding,” Elphaba groaned. “I’m feeling a little duped.”

“We’ll do it tonight at eight,” Fiyero decided, spinning her to face him. “Right in here.”

“Okay but what you see is what you get,” she warned, gesturing to herself and placing one hand on her hip.

Fiyero let out a low whistle and looked her up and down flirtatiously.

“Then I hit the jackpot.”

Elphaba scoffed and covered her face with her hands, trying her hardest not to smile over her husband-to-be’s antics.

“Now get out of here!” he shooed her, earning a surprised gape from Elphaba. “It’s bad luck for me to see you on the wedding day.”

“You’ve already seen—”

“Nessa! You’re on Elphaba duty,” Fiyero assigned.

“Understood,” Nessarose agreed.

Despite Elphaba’s grumblings, the sisters ended up in a rustic powder room on the first floor. Amalia had offered to freshen up Elphaba’s dress so the bride to be sat before the mirror in a robe.

“This is dumb. I feel dumb,” Elphaba complained, frowning as she messed with the baubles on the vanity. “I don’t know where to start with any of these.”

“You don’t need to worry about those,” Nessarose assured her as she unwound Elphaba’s hair from its tousled bun. “Oh, Elphaba. When was the last time you properly brushed your hair?”

“Shiz?” Elphaba shrugged, wincing as Nessarose yanked some of her tangles apart. Elphaba sighed and reached for the hairbrush. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll do it.”

Nessarose grabbed the brush from her hand and shook her head. “You brushed my hair one hundred strokes every night. It’s your wedding day, Elphaba. Let me do this for you.”

Elphaba softened as Nessarose began gingerly brushing her waist length hair. She began at the bottom to detangle the edges and gradually worked her way up. Elphaba’s hair, while clean, had knotted sections from her years of sleeping in the wilderness and getting windswept from flying. After close to an hour of patient work, Elphaba’s tresses fell over her shoulders in fresh, soft waves.

“I was always jealous of your hair, you know,” Nessarose confessed, fluffing it out for her.

“You? Jealous of me?” Elphaba snorted.

“Yes, in a way I was. Why do you think I made you take such care of my hair?” she said with a guilty laugh. She peered over Elphaba’s shoulder and looked at her sister in the mirror. “You look quite nice now, you know.”

“Beautifully tragic?” Elphaba smirked.

“No. Just beautiful.”

Nessarose took care to wash Elphaba’s visible scrapes and smudges with a damp cloth, taking extra care to clean her fingernails. Elphaba hardly knew what to say as Nessarose freshened her up. To have her sister tend to her for a change was a meaningful gift.

“Are you…you know…nervous?” Nessarose asked as she filed Elphaba’s nails.

“To marry Fiyero? Yes, actually. Though I hardly know why,” Elphaba chuckled.

“No. I meant…after,” Nessarose alluded delicately. “Are you nervous about what you’ll be expected to do tonight?”

Elphaba burst into a cackle and Nessarose looked up innocently. Elphaba cleared her throat awkwardly and shook her head.

“Uh—no. I’m not worried about that part.”

Close to eight Amalia returned with Elphaba’s freshly cleaned dress as well as a bundle of handpicked flowers.

“Poppies?” Elphaba noticed with a surprised laugh.

“I know they’re not very fancy,” Amalia apologized.

“No, they’re perfect,” Elphaba assured her.

Elphaba dressed and they headed back to the drawing room but Amalia stopped Elphaba before she walked in.

“He wants you to wait in the hall.”

“That man! I don’t need a wedding my ass,” Elphaba groaned and Nessarose gasped at her language. “Sorry, Nessa.”

“Come in when the music plays.”

Nessarose and Amalia entered the drawing room and Elphaba waited in the hall like she was told, feeling tremendously silly. She listened from the hall for a moment before she heard a sudden sound, but it wasn’t music. It was coming from outside. Elphaba rushed and opened the castle door and her jaw dropped.

“Elphaba Thropp! Were you actually planning on getting married without your best friend!?”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Thirty: No Rest for the Wicked ✉

“Glinda?!”

Glinda’s heels clacked along the drawbridge as she shook bubbles out of the folds of her ballgown.

“How did you—when did you—”

“I was taking tea on my balcony when a flying Monkey came and dropped me a note informing me that you and Fiyero were getting hitched!” Glinda waved said note in Elphaba’s face. Chistery landed beside Glinda and she gave him a praising pat. “I’m not mad at you, of course. You’re a dear.”

“How did you get here so fast?” Elphaba stammered.

“By bubble. Duh, Elphie. I dropped everything and came right over. That's why I’m such a mess,” she complained, straightening her lopsided tiara.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” Elphaba threw her arms around Glinda in a grateful hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Glinda pulled out of the hug and looked Elphaba over. “Look at you, Elphie. What a stunning bride you make!”

“Are you sure? It’s not too late for you to give me another smokey eye.”

Glinda shook her head.

“Not necessary. You should get married as your beautiful self,” she said before letting out an excited squeal. “Oh, Elphie. You’re getting married!”

“I guess I am!” Elphaba enthused, sucked in by Glinda’s infectious energy. “I’m getting married!”

“You’re getting married! You’re getting married! You’re getting married!” Glinda chanted, hopping in a circle with her best friend before stopping short. “Sweet Oz. You’re getting married. Get in there, Elphie!”

They linked arms and dashed back in the hall. Glinda kissed her on the cheek before entering the drawing room. Elphaba heard surprised gasps and words of welcome as Glinda took her seat.

“Yes, it’s good to see me isn’t it? But please! Do settle down. Today is not about me.”

Elphaba pressed her back against the wall in the hallway, anxiously holding her poppies to her chest. She heard soft music begin playing from the phonograph and she took a deep breath before slowly stepping into the drawing room.

Lit candles and lanterns alike decorated the mantel and their flickering glow cloaked the drawing room in a warm, romantic shimmer. Fiyero wore a dashing jacket, presumably an heirloom he found amongst the castle’s things, and his scruffy beard was gone leaving his smile to burst across a freshly-shaven face.

The moment Elphaba saw him waiting for her at the fireplace…nothing about the ceremony seemed silly anymore. Among all of the celebrations Fiyero had planned in his day, this was unquestionably his finest.

Their eyes met in a surreal stupor and when Fiyero reached his hand out towards Elphaba she realized that she wasn’t walking. She urged her legs to move and accepted his hand as she met him at their makeshift altar at last.

“Hi,” Elphaba greeted.

“Hey.”

“You shaved.”

“I did. I like your dress.”

“Good. It’s my only one.”

Fiyero leaned forward to whisper privately into his bride’s ear. “Is this silly?”

“No. It isn’t,” Elphaba breathed back. Fiyero raised his eyes to her and she shook her head with sincerity. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful.” Fiyero pressed a long kiss to her cheek.

They leaned back, but when Fiyero offered her his other hand Elphaba realized she was still holding her flowers. She indiscriminately tossed them to the side where Glinda caught them with an excited “yes!”

“Family and friends, we are gathered here today in Kiamo Ko to join Elphaba Thropp and Fiyero Tigelaar in holy matrimony,” the Vicar began. “Do both parties consent to be married under the eyes of the Unnamed God in his name?”

“Totally,” Fiyero confirmed boisterously.

“Yeah, me too,” Elphaba agreed, biting back a snort at Fiyero’s tone.

It was hard for the room not to pick up on their religious derision. Nessarose frowned over it but the Vicar didn’t appear to ruffled, taking their antics in a good-natured stride as he continued.

“Fiyero, will you take this woman to be your wife, to live together in matrimony, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

“I will,” Fiyero nodded.

Elphaba blinked in awe as Fiyero’s words soaked in, somehow still stunned that he’d agreed to take her so readily. After everything, even as they stood at their own nuptials, Fiyero’s love had not lost its novelty on her. She wondered if it ever would.

“Elphaba, will you take this man to be your husband, to live together in matrimony, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

“I will.”

Fiyero let out sudden, a relieved chuckle upon hearing Elphaba’s consent, recalling every hurdle he’d cleared to get those two words out of her. Elphaba offered him a sympathetic smile and a wink.

“Please repeat after me. I, Fiyero, take you, Elphaba, to be my wife,” the Vicar prompted.

“I, Fiyero, take you, Elphaba, to be my wife.”

“…to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health…” the Vicar paused, “…in safety and in danger…”

Elphaba and Fiyero gripped each other’s hands tighter at the added vow.

“…to love and to cherish, till death do us part."

Fiyero repeated the vows to Elphaba in a solemn voice. Elphaba could hear Glinda sniffling from her spot.

“Now please repeat after me. I, Elphaba, take you, Fiyero, to be my husband.”

“I, Elphaba, take you, Fiyero, to be my husband,” Elphaba vowed before continuing with the rest from memory. “To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, in safety and in danger, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."

“You may now present the rings,” the Vicar said.

Fiyero reached into his pocket and supplied two, slim golden bands. Elphaba shot Fiyero a pointed look.

“You said you didn’t have rings. Starting our marriage on a lie, are we?” she pestered.

“Ah—I said I didn’t have an engagement ring,” he corrected with a sneaky grin. “Which I don’t. Don’t get greedy on me, Fae.”

He gently placed one of the bands in her hand and she couldn’t help but soften. “They belonged to my grandparents,” Fiyero explained. “I don’t think they’d mind.”

“Fiyero, you may place the ring on Elphaba’s finger as a token of your constant faith and abiding love.”

Elphaba presented her hand but they were soon interrupted.

“Other hand! It goes on the left!” Glinda corrected loudly. Glinda leaned over to Amalia. “She doesn’t wear much jewelry, you see.”

Elphaba shot Glinda look and jammed her left hand towards Fiyero. 

“Happy?” Elphaba scowled at Glinda.

“Oh yes,” Glinda dabbed her tears. “Terribly.”

Elphaba turned her attention back to watch as Fiyero slid the band onto her green hand. She met Fiyero’s eyes and felt her heart begin to radiate as she slipped the ring upon his finger. The lighting fixtures in the room began to steadily grow brighter, matching the inner glow of the bride and groom as it blessed their union with warm, shining light.

“By the virtue of the authority in me under the Unnamed God, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the Vicar presented jollily. “You may now kiss your bride.”

Elphaba beat Fiyero to the punch as she leaned up to seal their marriage in an eager, loving kiss. Fiyero captured her close and kissed her back as their witnesses applauded.

“There’s no running from me now, Tigelaar,” Elphaba cautioned as they pulled away.

“You’re the one who’s been running,” Fiyero murmured. “I just finally caught up.”

Elphaba and Fiyero signed a license the Vicar had drafted, took a photo, and accepted the congratulations of their friends in a modest reception with bubbly and music.

“It’s wonderful to have something to celebrate for once,” Doctor Dillamond chuckled to Elphaba as Fiyero thanked the Vicar. “Heartfelt congratulations, Miss Elphaba. Heartfelt congratulations.”

“Elphie!” Glinda called, finishing off her flute as she crossed the room. “I’m afraid I must bid the bride farewell. I have to hurry back before I raise any more suspicion.”

“How are things on the inside?” Elphaba asked.

“Interesting…” Glinda scratched at her curls. “So much is happening, y’know? If I’d had the time I’d tell you all about Dor—”

“Glinda are you leaving without a dance?!” Fiyero complained, nostalgically giving Glinda a whirl.

“I fear I must, my sweet, sweet prince,” Glinda pinched at his cheeks. She gasped in realization. “Wait. Elphie. Does this make you a princess?!”

“I’ll walk you out,” Elphaba said quickly before the princess tangent could take over.

Elphaba escorted Glinda out to the drawbridge and watched in admitted amazement as Glinda conjured a grand bubble.

“I told you there was a better way to come and go,” Glinda tossed her hair. “Oh—wait! I can’t leave without giving you your wedding gift.”

She handed Elphaba a decorative bag stuffed to the brim with letters.

“Glinda. Are those—” Elphaba gasped.

“Yes,” Glinda confirmed. “The old ones and the new.”

“The new?” Elphaba frowned, pulling out a wax sealed envelope.

“The ones he wrote…while you were away,” Glinda explained. She took Elphaba’s hand and gave it a big squeeze. “Blessings to you both, Elphie. You’re perfect together. I’ve always said so.”

“You’ve always said so?” Elphaba challenged.

“Well, I said so eventually!” Glinda huffed as she boarded her bubble. Chistery scampered out of the castle and waved goodbye to Glinda. She blew him a kiss. “Goodbye, Chistery! Come and see me any time.”

“Hold on—how did you know his name was Chistery?” Elphaba asked.

Glinda gave Elphaba a funny look as if it were obvious.

“Why…he told me of course!”

✉✉✉

After the wedding night, Elphaba and Fiyero didn’t care to leave the privacy of their castle bedroom right away as they basked in marital bliss for many days and nights. The other inhabitants of Kiamo Ko were under clear direction not to disturb them, and it was in everyone’s best interest to avoid their hallway altogether lest they heard something they’d rather not hear. They surfaced only for sustenance, and even then they often took their meals in their room.

“Ms. Thropp…” Fiyero tried out, kissing his wife’s collarbone. “Mrs. Thropp?”

“Mrs. Thropp-Tigelaar?” Elphaba tested as she tangled her fingers in her husband’s hair. “Tigelaar-Thropp?”

“Maybe we could combine our names. Thigelaar?”

“Tropp?” Elphaba giggled as Fiyero nipped at her earlobe. “Of course there’s always Mrs. Tigelaar…”

“Hmm…” Fiyero sighed in satisfaction. “I can’t pretend that I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Forget my bastard father’s name,” Elphaba declared. “I’ve decided. You’re looking at Mrs. Elphaba Tigelaar.”

“Mrs. Elphaba Tigelaar,” Fiyero sighed dreamily. “My wife Mrs. Elphaba Tigelaar.”

“Mmm…I’ll bet Father would have been so proud,” Elphaba mused. “Married in a Unionist ceremony. How traditional.”

“You’re as pious as they come, my darling.”

“And you’re a paragon of virtue,” Elphaba complimented Fiyero, her breath hitching as he did something decidedly unvirtuous.

“And I’m sure my parents will be honored to hear I’ve wedded and bedded a witch on Tigelaar soil,” Fiyero hummed. “Though not exactly in that order.”

“What a dream I’d be as a daughter in law,” Elphaba grinned. “They couldn’t have done any better for their son.”

“Not even if they handpicked my wife themselves,” Fiyero agreed, kissing the corner of Elphaba’s mouth. “Which they tried.”

Fiyero kissed Elphaba deeply as he moved on top of her, and she laughed against his mouth.

“Again, Yero? You’re insatiable. I need a break,” she said in flustered fashion as their legs twisted together under the sheets.

“Uh uh,” Fiyero protested. “No rest for the wicked.”

Elphaba pulled away with a dizzy smile, capturing Fiyero’s chin with her hand. “Just let me catch my breath,” she said, nodding towards her bedside table. “Read me another one.”

“Ah Fae, those are depressing,” Fiyero said, hoisting himself up against their headboard as Elphaba handed him one of his sealed letters.

“Too bad. I like them,” Elphaba sighed, nestling against his chest as he broke the wax seal.

“Dear Fae,” Fiyero cleared his throat. “Today we had to go to a banquet for The Wizard. They served mutton. It was bad. Miss you dearly. Forever yours, Yero.”

Elphaba glanced up at him and he shrugged.

“They’re not all deep.”

He set the letter aside and wrapped his arm around Elphaba to press a long kiss to her head.

“I like knowing what you were doing. Even the little things. Those were always my favorite parts of your letters,” Elphaba admitted, playing with his fingers as they cuddled.

“Then may I never run out of little things to tell you.”

“Good luck, you’re stuck with me forever now. The Unnamed God says so,” Elphaba referenced their new favorite inside joke. “You realize that this means if we somehow avoid an early demise you’ll have to watch me grow old.”

“You’ll have to watch me go gray,” he countered. “Or bald, Oz forbid…”

“You’ll see me with wrinkles.”

“You’ll have to fly us around on that broom of yours when our hips give out,” Fiyero chuckled. He paused for a moment, rubbing her shoulder with his hand. “Or, you know…maybe the children will help us out…”

“Yeah…” Elphaba trailed off, feeling something primal stir within her. “Maybe our children will help us.”

Elphaba’s heartrate accelerated as they dangerously dabbled in a discussion of a future together. A huge part of her wanted to shut their drapes, to ignore the world that was on fire outside their window. She knew that Fiyero felt the same. Lust was not the only thing behind their reluctance to leave the honeymoon suite. They longed to hide away under their bedsheets, as if their consequences wouldn’t catch up with them so long as they kept very still…and very quiet.  

Both haunted by the same unspoken thought, Elphaba and Fiyero slammed their lips together in a frantic kiss. Fiyero pushed Elphaba onto her back and her hair splayed across their bed pillows as he began pressing attentive kisses down her jaw and neck in a deliciously familiar trail.

“Sweet Oz…” Elphaba whined, her head reclining back as Fiyero traveled lower. “I love being married.”

There was a knock on the door and the newlyweds lifted their heads in supreme irritation.

“Ignore them. Don’t stop,” Elphaba instructed, commanding Fiyero back to his work.

There was another knock and Elphaba flourished her hand to snap the lock closed with a tense growl.

“Go away!” she barked.

“Uh, Elphaba? I really don’t want to bother you…” Nessarose called through the door in a deeply uncomfortable tone. “But there’s something you should know…”

Elphaba groaned and covered her face with her arms. She took a stabilizing breath before reluctantly tapping Fiyero’s shoulder to stop him.

“It’s no use, darling,” she sighed in regret. “It seems the honeymoon’s over.”

Elphaba and Fiyero, disheveled but passably modest, crankily slumped downstairs where the others were gathered in the drawing room.

“What?” Elphaba snapped to the group. “What was so important?”

“We’ve gotten news from The Emerald City,” Nessarose said. “They know that we’re here.”

“Alright,” Elphaba shrugged as Fiyero stroked a hand through her mussed-up hair. “We knew that was a given sooner or later. My defense spell will hold. What else?”

“They are sending someone here,” Doctor Dillamond informed her, holding up a newspaper. “They are prepping an assassin to kill you and bring your broom back to The Wizard.”

“Okay?” Elphaba nodded slowly. They stared back at her. “With all due respect people have been trying to kill me for years. What makes this any different?”

“That house that fell upon Munchkinland, the one that almost struck Miss Nessarose? There was someone inside that house,” Vicar Popkin explained. “The Munchkins filled her head with a lot of ideas about wicked witches and how wonderful The Wizard is.”

“She went to see him and we can assume he’s tasked her with this plan himself,” Dillamond explained. “Glinda has been doing as much damage control as possible—”

“You’ve spoken with Glinda?”

“Through missives, yes. Glinda has managed to negotiate that The Wicked Witch of the East is not an immediate threat…” Dillamond said. Nessarose waved guiltily. “But convincing anyone that you are not a threat is a different matter.”

“Mmm,” Elphaba grunted in acknowledgment. “Yes, hatred for me runs deep. Okay so someone is trying to kill me. Fetch me when she gets here and I’ll do The Witch thing. Problem solved. Who is this assassin anyway?”

“A girl named Dorothy Gale,” Dillamond answered.

“When you say girl—”

“She’s twelve,” Nessarose confirmed.

Elphaba’s face fell and she was quiet for a moment as she exchanged a look with Fiyero. Then, a single chuckle escaped her which made the honeymooners both break into a fit of raucous, untamed laughter.

“That’s what you dragged me away from my husband for?” Elphaba cackled. “A twelve-year-old—Yero did you hear that? A twelve-year-old is after me!”

“Better watch out, Fae!”

“I know it sounds silly but—” Nessarose began.

“Have you all forgotten? I am Elphaba Thropp—”

“Tigelaar,” Fiyero reminded her.

“—right. I am Elphaba Tigelaar. Nothing scares me! Certainly no twelve-year-old brat!”

“Elphaba, won’t you listen!?” Nessarose blurted out heatedly. “While you’ve been romping around in bed we’ve been dealing with serious matters!”

An unhinged glint flashed in Elphaba’s eyes and her smile slowly faded. “Serious matters?”

“Oh boy,” Fiyero winced.

“Serious matters?! What do you think I’ve been doing the last few years while you were off running Munchkinland into the ground!?” Elphaba shouted. “You fancy yourself Little Miss Radical now? You’d do well to remember who single-handedly saved you from getting squashed under a house before you talk about serious matters!”

“Fae—” Fiyero reached for Elphaba’s arm but she yanked it away.

“You think I don’t know how serious things are?! You think I don’t know how dangerous things are?!” Lights flickered as Elphaba’s voice rose to an unnatural pitch. “Oh dear, and Oz forbid I enjoy a little bit of time with my husband! For all we know it very well may be the only time that we’ve got!”

The overhead light suddenly burst over Elphaba’s head and Fiyero yanked her out of the way of the sparks. The room got uncomfortably quiet and Fiyero swiftly pulled Elphaba into a secure hug, rubbing her back to soothe her frayed nerves.

“All I was saying was—” Nessarose broke the silence in a petulant voice.

“Shut up, Nessa,” Fiyero snapped. Nessarose’s eyebrows shot up. “Honestly just shut up. Okay?”

She did.

“We know that the girl is no real threat, nor would The Wizard be if he were the only one behind this,” Dillamond spoke up in a calm tone. Elphaba pulled away from Fiyero to turn her attention to him. Fiyero wrapped his arms around her from behind to hold her near. “But we have gained intelligence that he is not the one pulling the strings in this plot.”

Elphaba sobered in understanding. “Madame Morrible.”

“Precisely. We think she is growing suspicious of Glinda’s true loyalties, Glinda fears this too. She is using Dorothy as a pawn to smoke you out and to test Glinda, but that isn’t all.”

Nessarose suddenly pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at the corner of eyes.

“What?” Elphaba asked seriously. “What is it?”

“They have Chistery,” Nessarose sniffed. “Morrible captured him.”

“THAT BITCH!”

Every head in the room turned in surprise towards the meek Amalia whose voice, or at least its volume, had been reinvigorated at last.

“Sorry…” Amalia squeaked suddenly, covering her mouth with her long claws.

“No. Say it, Amalia! You’re right to do so after everything she’s done to silence you,” Elphaba said, her voice trembling with fury. She turned to Dillamond. “When did they take him?”

“Last night. We believe he was intercepted while bringing a missive to or from Miss Glinda. Morrible…” Dillamond trailed off and Nessarose let loose a troubled sob.

“Tell me.”

“Morrible has devised a public execution. Today.”

“What?!” Elphaba gasped in horror. “For what crimes?!”

“All of the Monkeys have been marked as deserters since their escape, but I’m afraid it’s more serious than that. Chistery has been caught speaking,” Dillamond said with a sadly ironic smile. “They’re making an example out of him.”

“No…no! I won’t let this happen!” Elphaba swore. “Madame Morrible has taken too much from me already—from all of us. She is not getting Chistery too!”

“What are you going to do?” Nessarose asked.

“I’m going to do what I do best, Nessa,” Elphaba said. “I’m going to make a scene.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Thirty-One: Surrender Chistery ✉

“Elphaba,” Fiyero called, tromping up the steps after her as she ascended to her castle tower. “Elphaba.”

Elphaba wordlessly burst into the tower and snatched The Grimmerie.

“Elphaba…” he called. “Sweet Oz, Elphaba!”

“What?!” she asked impatiently as she tied up her hair and pulled on her hat. “I need to go.”

“You need to go? All of a sudden we’re back to you?”

“What do you mean?” Elphaba asked distractedly.

“Well I’m coming too, aren’t I?”

She gave him a stupefied look. “No you very well are not coming too.”

Fiyero groaned in frustration and leaned his back against the tower wall. “I married the most annoying woman alive!”

“Charming, Yero.”

She tried to push past him to descend the spiral steps but he stopped her.

“I’m serious, Elphaba. In safety and in danger. Remember?”

“That means you take me in safety and in danger,” she corrected. “That doesn’t mean you run headlong into it every chance you get!”

“That’s what you’re doing!”

“But I’m—”

“My wife,” Fiyero interjected. “We’re partners, Elphaba, and you agreed that wherever you’d go we’d go together. Starting our marriage on a lie, were we?”

Elphaba opened her mouth and closed it.

“Damn it,” she grumbled. “I hate loopholes.”

“Maybe we should have written our own vows then.” Elphaba lifted her eyes to him and Fiyero offered a half-smile. “We wrote everything else.”

“I don’t want you getting hurt,” Elphaba expressed.

“Well, now you know how I feel,” Fiyero said as he took her waist. “Listen…we get in, we get Chistery, we get out. Nothing more.”

“We get in, we get Chistery, we get out.” Elphaba leaned in to kiss him. “But if you die out there I’m going to kill you.”

Elphaba carried the crystal ball down with them and handed it off to Nessarose.

“For you to keep watch on the operation,” Elphaba muttered.

“You know I can’t use this,” Nessarose frowned, placing her hands over the crystal ball.

“You’re a witch, aren’t you? Isn’t that what you proved with your little shoe stunt? Learn,” Elphaba said coldly as she turned away.

“Elphaba,” Nessarose caught her wrist and Elphaba turned back with a stony expression. “I’m sorry for what I said. Are you mad at me?”

The big eyes and pouty lip of her sister unlocked something buried away in Elphaba and she helplessly melted into goop.

“Of course not, Nessie,” she sighed. “I’m not mad.”

“Be careful, Fabala,” Nessarose said.

“I will.” Elphaba stroked a hand over Nessarose’s face before tapping the crystal ball with her fingernail. “I meant it, you know. Give it a try.”

“Remember,” Doctor Dillamond advised. “Glinda will have to convince Madame Morrible that she is in favor of the execution. She faces imprisonment if she breaks.”

“Well then I’ll have to do my job right,” Elphaba stated dryly. “She would not fare well in captivity.”

Elphaba grabbed Fiyero’s hand and they set off down the drawbridge together to mount Elphaba’s broom.

“Hold tight, Yero.”

“Always.”

The Emerald City was a straight shot east from the castle and Elphaba and Fiyero touched down undetected on a side street near the west gate. Elphaba took his hand and attempted to guide him out of an alley but he tugged her in the other direction.

“That’s the wrong way.”

“I know where I’m going,” Elphaba said defensively.  

“That leads to the shopping district. The palace is this way,” Fiyero nodded.

“Since when are you an Emerald City expert?”

“I lived here, didn’t I?” Fiyero said tightly. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I just didn’t know you were the one leading the mission is all.”

She stalked in the direction Fiyero pointed with him in tow. They ducked through alley ways and wove through back streets as they made their way into the heart of town.

“Should we try to blend in?” Fiyero suggested. “We aren’t even wearing green. We could—”

“Hush.”

“Do not hush me!”

“It’s not necessary. We aren’t hiding. When we get there I’ll cause a diversion.”

“What will I do?”

“Not get in the way.”

Fiyero took Elphaba by the shoulders and pressed her back against the wall in the alleyway.

“Stop that, okay? Cut it out. Stop talking to me like I’m stupid.”

“I’m not—”

“I’m not useless, you know? I know my way around, I know how the guard works, hell! I may even have more intel on Morrible than you,” Fiyero pressed. Elphaba pursed her lips and averted her gaze. He brushed his thumb over her chin and she reluctantly looked back. “I can handle myself, Fae. I’m a pretty smart guy.”

Elphaba sighed in defeat. “I know you are.”

“You create the diversion, I’ll free Chistery. I can do it. I’m fast.”

“Just not as fast as me,” Elphaba returned with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

There was a sudden clamoring from up ahead at the palace and Elphaba and Fiyero inched forward to peer out as they heard the amplified voice of Madame Morrible riling up a crowd.

“From the unrest in Munchkinland to the invasion in the west, we have heard your cries for justice and justice you shall have! The Wicked Witch remains at large, but rest easy knowing that the hunt is our top priority. But with wickedness there is always goodness, and fellow Ozians, I have good news to report! Hope has fallen to Oz right from the very sky! Please step forward and meet the young lady who fell from a star.”

Glinda came into view, gently guiding a young girl in a blue and white checkered dress onto the stage. The girl, Dorothy, trembled from head to toe as Madame Morrible pushed her up towards center stage to face the riotous crowd.

“Sweet Oz—she really is just a child,” Elphaba murmured to Fiyero.

“This is Dorothy!” Madame Morrible presented, clutching the girl’s shoulder with her talons. “His Ozness has foreseen that she is the answer to defeating our Wicked Witch once and for all!”

The crowd cheered and Dorothy waved a trembling hand before scampering back to Glinda. Glinda placed a protective hand on her shoulder and leaned down to whisper something comforting in her ear.

“We will now hear from our newly promoted Captain of the Guard—Captain Fox!” Morrible introduced.

Fiyero snorted as his former Lieutenant took to the microphone with a cocky smile.

“As all of you know, we are not only on the lookout for The Witch. It’s sobering that a former Captain of the Guard could commit such unpardonable treason, but we urge you to be on the lookout for Prince Fiyero Tigelaar for being tempted into wickedness!”

In lighter circumstances Elphaba and Fiyero may have made a joke over the Captain’s proclamations, but the reaction of pure hatred from the crowd at Fiyero’s name made them both swallow nervously. Elphaba silently fumbled for his hand and he gripped it back.

“And while we are quite confident in Dorothy’s abilities,” Captain Fox continued. “We need everyone’s help to rid the world of wickedness. The Witch isn’t human like you or I, her soul is unclean. So unclean, in fact, that—that pure water can melt her! She will do all she can to avoid it—I should know,” he boasted. “I myself almost bested The Witch with water long ago.”

“Many thanks indeed, Captain Fox,” Morrible stepped in. “He is correct. It is no longer sufficient to imprison The Witch nor her perverse paramour! Their death is the only thing that can restore peace to Oz!”

“Melt her!” a voice shouted. “Kill her!”

“Kill them both!”

Elphaba held Fiyero’s hand so tightly that it tremored from the pressure.

“However, dear Ozians. While the hunt for The Witch remains, we have managed to capture one of her most malicious minions!” Morrible announced. She turned her attention towards Glinda with a wide smile. “Anything to share, Miss Glinda the Good?”

Glinda, ghostly pale, squared her shoulders and walked towards the microphone.

“Goodness…true goodness…will always subdue wickedness,” she said vaguely as her eyes scanned the sky. “For that I have much reason to rejoicify today.”

People cheered and praised her louder than ever as she glided back to stand beside Dorothy. Morrible nodded to two guards standing by who removed a tarp off of a concealed structure. Elphaba’s vision went red around the edges and her breathing got shallow as she saw Chistery beat his wings against a too small cage, screeching as his hands gripped the bars.

“She’ll pay for this,” Elphaba spat darkly.

“We’ll get in, we’ll get Chistery, we’ll get out,” Fiyero reminded her in a forced calm.

“Oh, we’ll get more than Chistery,” Elphaba fumed. “We’ll get justice.”

Elphaba released his hand, got a running start, and kicked off the ground to take to the sky. The moment she was visible she let out a feral scream to gain attention. No witchy affectation was necessary. Her own true rage was enough on its own to instill terror in the citizens as they shouted and wailed at the sight of her. She shot up into the sky and with a gust of black smog trailing behind her broom, she scrawled through the sky to transcribe her largest message to date.

SURRENDER CHISTERY

“Chistery?!” people shouted in fearful confusion. “Who’s Chistery?!”

Elphaba swooped low to the ground over the crowd’s heads. People stooped and shrieked as The Witch flew just over their heads on a crash course towards the stage. Morrible and Fox had no choice but to flee the stage when it became clear that Elphaba was not budging from her collision course. Morrible snatched Dorothy to evacuate her and Glinda hunched low to the ground near Chistery’s cage as if to duck in cover.

Elphaba made a hairpin turn to fly back towards the frightened crowd, pausing over their heads to conjure a fireball in her hand. They scattered in all directions as she thrust the fireball down towards the ground where it exploded into a shower of sparks and thick red smoke which expanded throughout the space.

Fiyero, who’d been lurking in wait, snuck onto the stage under the smoke cover and found Glinda by Chistery’s cage. Chistery screeched in recognition and Fiyero gently shushed the Monkey.

“Sheesh she really goes all out on those fireballs, huh?” Fiyero coughed.

“At last afraid of The Witch are you?” Glinda chuckled ironically.

“I’m not afraid of her. I’m not afraid of anything!” Fiyero scoffed. Elphaba conjured another blast over the heads of the crowd and he and Glinda jumped a little. “I may be a little jumpy around that much fire is all.”

Fiyero tugged at the padlock on Chistery’s cage to find it quite secure.

“Can you unlock it?” he asked Glinda.

“Not without my wand,” she fretted.

Fiyero heard a groan and, as he squinted through the smog, he spotted the cowering former Lieutenant ducking for cover face down on the ground in front of the stage. A ring of keys glinted from his belt loop. Fiyero hoisted himself over and grabbed for them but paused as Fox whipped around to notice him.

“C-Captain?” he spluttered.

“Look man, just give me the keys and no one has to get hurt,” Fiyero reasoned.

Captain Fox scrambled to his feet and puffed out his chest. “No way. I’m the Captain now!” he said. He looked Fiyero up and down with a sneer. “You’re just filthy witch fucker.”

Fiyero blinked.

“Alright, Fox.” Fiyero pushed up his sleeves. “I guess I’m a man of my word, after all.”

“Huh?”

Fiyero reared back his fist and punched the unsuspecting Captain hard in the jaw.

“That’s for Chistery.”

Fox groaned from the ground but Fiyero grabbed his shirt to pull him upright and meet him eye to eye. “And this…is for what you said about my wife back in college.”

Fiyero finished the job with two more swift, personal jabs, knocking Fox out cold. He gave his bruised fist a shake and took a moment to appreciate his handywork before securing the keys and tossing them to Glinda. She caught them and began fumbling to find the right one, sparing a few panicked glances behind her shoulder. At last the padlock opened with a blessed click and Glinda stealthily freed Chistery who gave her an indebted hug. 

“Go! Go with Fiyero!” she urged in a hushed tone, patting him on the back and shooing him off. “Go on.”

Chistery scuttled towards Fiyero who ushered him off the stage. Elphaba touched down on the ground, her smoke still hazing over a now eerily empty clearing. The majority of the onlookers had already gone, their frightened cries growing fainter in the distance as they fled to safer streets. Fiyero’s footsteps echoed as he and Chistery ran towards her.

“Chistery!” Elphaba called, dashing to meet them halfway. She hugged the Monkey in relief and gestured towards the sky. “Go now! Fly! Fly, Chistery, fly!”

Chistery did as he was told and took off in flight. Fiyero looked behind him to see if he could spot the guard through the smoke. Having no Captain to dispense orders would surely delay them, but it was only a matter of time before they mobilized.

“He’s free now,” Fiyero said to Elphaba. “We need to go.”

But Elphaba wasn’t listening. Thin patches in the smoke revealed Madame Morrible standing a short distance away. The two witches stoically locked eyes.

“She’ll pay,” Elphaba glared. “She’ll pay for what she’s done.”

“Leave her, Elphaba. Let’s go, let’s get out of here!” Fiyero urged, clutching at Elphaba’s hand.

“No, Fiyero!” Elphaba growled vengefully. “Think of what she’s done to Oz. What she’s done to us.”

“Fae—”

Elphaba’s hand slipped out of Fiyero’s as she charged towards Madame Morrible. Elphaba’s teeth were bared, her eyes bloodshot, and her chest heaving in feral fury as she jabbed the handle of her broom against her former mentor’s withered heart.

“My how you’ve grown into your name,” Madame Morrible mused, her lips curling into a sinister smile. “The wickedest witch there ever was.”

“You’re the wicked one,” Elphaba hissed.

“Why! My dear—I’m not the one poised to kill a frail old woman,” she said in mock terror. She raised a painted eyebrow. “Well, what are you waiting for dearie? Do it. Kill me.”

“What—"

“That’s what you’re really here for, isn’t it dear?”

“I’m here seeking justice! I’m here seeking good!” Elphaba yelled.

“If that was the truth you would have run off with your handsome swain the moment that Monkey took flight. Yet here you stand.”

Elphaba gritted her teeth, her mouth twitching as she tried not to let Morrible get into her head.

“Why can’t you just be honest with yourself? You’re not seeking good—you’re seeking attention,” Madame Morrible clicked her tongue disapprovingly. “Vanity. Vengeance. And what’s more wicked than that?”

“Elphaba!”

Elphaba, distracted by Fiyero’s voice, momentarily let down her guard. It was a moment too long. Caught unawares, Elphaba gasped as she felt her broom getting tugged out of her grasp from behind. She turned around in shock just in time to watch Dorothy Gale break her broomstick in two with a sickening snap.

“That’s for being so mean!” Dorothy huffed.

“No! No, no, no!” Elphaba howled, scrambling to pick up the pieces of her broom. “You foolish girl! Do you realize what you’ve done!?”

Elphaba uselessly tried to connect the two fragments together as her eyes darted about in disorientation. In one direction she heard what could only be Glinda’s fearful shriek. As the smoke began to lift and Elphaba’s eyes locked with Fiyero and she gasped in horror to see The Wizard’s guard advancing on him from behind, weapons poised. They weren’t taking prisoners today. They were out for blood.

“YERO!” Elphaba screamed, gesturing desperately for him to come to her. “RUN!”

A gunshot rang out and Fiyero skidded to dodge the bullet as he broke into a sprint towards his wife. Elphaba stashed the broken pieces of her broom under her arm and held out both hands for him as they ran towards each other. With her broom destroyed, the only choice they had was to teleport.

“Grab my hands!” she pleaded as guards began to close in behind her as well.

Fiyero threw his hands towards her as he got close. The moment his fingertips brushed hers she frantically prepared to transport them. However, in her state of turbulence, rather than her controlled cloud Elphaba had instead conjured a great twister of fire. Fiyero, who had never teleported even in the best of times, was involuntarily startled by the flames. Elphaba watched his face twist in fear as he unconsciously recoiled from her and stumbled backwards to the ground.

“NO!” Elphaba cried, grasping at the air hysterically as Fiyero’s hands fell out of hers.

The last sight Elphaba saw before getting ripped away to Kiamo Ko was Fiyero being violently seized by the guards.

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Thirty-Two: Broken Streak ✉

Aflame and covered with ash, Elphaba fell to her knees on the drawbridge of Kiamo Ko with an anguished wail.

“Fiyero!” she called in a state of shock, desperately grasping at the ground and air as if it were still possible to reach him. “Fiyero! FIYERO!”

Doctor Dillamond and Amalia sprinted towards her and Amalia began stomping on the hem of Elphaba's dress which she hadn’t even realized was on fire.

“Miss Elphaba what happened?!”

“I need…I need—I need—” Elphaba panted, scrambling to her feet and busting into the castle.

“What happened?” Nessarose asked, her eyes wide as Elphaba charged to her and seized the crystal ball from her lap. “Where’s Fiyero?”

Elphaba paced away from Nessarose as she stared desperately into the crystal ball. She placed it on an end table and crouched over it, her chest heaving as she placed her hands over the glass.

“Come on come on come on come on come on—” Elphaba mumbled incoherently as she waited for the vision to appear.

The wretched, despairing scream Elphaba released echoed through every hall in Kiamo Ko as a vision appeared before her eyes. Her eyes stretched wide in horror as her worst nightmares unfolded before her in the crystal ball like a gruesome picture show.

“Stop! Don’t touch him! No—” she choked, her knees buckling with grief as she watched her prince being subjected to all manners of violence at the hands of the guards. “No, no, no. No please. Oh merciful Oz, Yero what have I done!?”

“Elphaba?” Nessarose squeaked.

Elphaba ripped The Grimmerie out of her bag and threw it open, her hands quaking as she tore through it desperately looking for a spell, any spell. A spell to shield him. A spell to save him.

“Miss Elphaba. You’re in no state for spells!” Dillamond knelt before Elphaba and tried to pull The Grimmerie away from her. She savagely ripped it back towards her with a hiss.

“They’re beating him. They’ll kill him if I do nothing! He’ll die. He’ll die,” she mumbled frantically. “I have to save him. No! I-I have to go back! I have to go to him!”

She stood to her feet and began making a beeline towards the door but Doctor Dillamond grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Miss Elphaba, if you go they’ll kill you too!”

“LET THEM!” Elphaba screamed. “They’d damn well better!”

The curtains of the drawing began to billow chaotically and the previously unlit fireplace burst into a roaring emerald flame on its own accord. Overhead lights and lamps busted left and right and glass vases and ash trays exploded into thick shards.

Nessarose shrieked and grabbed for the crystal ball, holding it close as if to preserve it from the magical chaos. She looked down and her eyebrows knitted in puzzlement as she noticed hazy visions coming to life within it. A foggy image of an injured Fiyero came into view and she squinted as another blurry figure thrust herself into the scene.

“Glinda?!” Nessarose yelped.

Elphaba wrenched herself from Dillamond’s grasp and crossed towards the fireplace where she and Fiyero were wed. Her hands clutched the mantel and she hung her head low.

“If they take Fiyero from me they’ll see,” Elphaba plotted in a bone chilling voice. “They think I’m wicked now but they’ll see!”

Elphaba slammed her fists on the mantel as she teetered on the very edge of madness.

“If they want a wicked witch so badly they’ll get one! Mark my words—they’ll get one!”

Nessarose screwed her focus tighter to the crystal ball, feeling the stakes grow by the clock-tick as Elphaba voiced her threats. The image became marginally clearer as Nessarose watched Glinda fling herself on top of Fiyero, covering his battered body with her own. She stretched her hands out towards the guards in a pleading gesture. Nessarose held the crystal ball to her ear in wonderment as she heard Glinda’s voice come through faintly. She closed her eyes and listened very closely to make out the muffled voice.

“…don’t kill him!…” Glinda pleaded. “…use him…The Witch will come…have them both…go and fetch some…”

“She’s stopped them!” Nessarose realized. “Glinda has stopped them! She’s coming!”

“What?!” Elphaba wheezed.

There was a sudden cracking sound and a flaming puff of smoke appeared outside. Doctor Dillamond rushed outside again and left the door open.

“Come quickly!” Glinda coughed from the drawbridge. “We need help!”

“FIYERO!” Elphaba shouted, nearly tripping over her singed skirts as she dashed towards the castle entrance.

She caught a glimpse of a scorched Glinda laying sideways on the ground after a rough teleportation. She was coughing violently and hovered over a chillingly still body on the ground.

“Keep Elphaba inside!” Glinda’s strained voice yelled. “Don’t—don’t let her see him!”

Amalia immediately restrained Elphaba as the Vicar and Doctor Dillamond rushed towards the lawn to conference with Glinda.

“Let me go! Let me see him! Let me see him!” Elphaba protested, thrashing against Amalia to get free.

“Elphaba please!” Nessarose appealed as Amalia managed to wrestle Elphaba into the drawing room. “They need to get him inside. Come here.”

Elphaba collapsed to her knees before Nessarose’s chair and buried her head in her sister’s lap with an inconsolable moan. Nessarose leaned forward and cradled Elphaba’s head to shield her view. Amalia mobilized to assist the others in carrying Fiyero into the castle and past the drawing room hall.

“He’s dead, isn’t he?” Elphaba dry heaved. “That’s why they won’t let me see him. He’s dead.”

“We don’t know that,” Nessarose stroked Elphaba’s hair. “Just breathe, Fabala.”

“I cannot bear it, Nessa,” Elphaba rasped. “I cannot bear it. I cannot bear it. I cannot bear it.”

“Elphie?”

Elphaba wrenched her head from Nessarose’s lap and clapped a hand over her mouth when she laid eyes on Glinda. She was disheveled and sweaty, her clothes and pretty face were caked in ash. Curls frizzed and rumpled, eyes bloodshot. Her petite frame trembled in shock and Elphaba stilled upon seeing the long, red smears of blood staining her shiny dress.

“Oh, Elphie,” Glinda said. She looked down at her dirty dress, as if only now noticing the state she was in, and her hands bunched at her skirts restlessly. “Oh dear…I never was very good at teleporting.”

Elphaba didn’t move, her frantic energy giving way to numbness.

“Glinda?” she asked in a small voice. “Is he…is he…?”

“I stopped them as quick as I could,” Glinda promised with a sniff.

“Can I see my husband now?” Elphaba asked in a haunted whisper. “Please?”

Nessarose glanced at Glinda who at last nodded. Glinda lifted Elphaba to her feet and wrapped an arm around her shoulder to gently guide her down the hall. Dillamond and the others were congregated outside a first-floor bedroom and Glinda nodded to them.

“She will see him now,” Glinda said.

“Are you sure—” Dillamond began.

“Yes,” Glinda advocated. “She will see him now.”

The others drifted down the hall back towards the drawing room and Elphaba stared blankly at the cracked door. She was usually able to steel herself for difficult moments, but this was uncharted territory for her. Her body ached with dread. Her heart prepared to perish. She prepared to lose herself.

Glinda released Elphaba and the door creaked slightly as she nudged it open and stepped inside.

“Oh,” Elphaba gasped, her hands grasping at her abdomen as all of her breath knocked out of her. “Oh, my love.”

Fiyero, grievously maltreated, was laid out motionless on the bed. The guards hadn’t had long with him, but the damage was done. His skin was clammy and bruised with dried blood staining his handsome face. His eyes were closed and unresponsive, but Elphaba watched as his chest rose and fell with effort to supply his body with ragged breath.

“He’s breathing,” Elphaba’s voice broke.

Upon realizing that Fiyero was still alive, Elphaba helplessly turned towards Glinda who caught her in a hug as she all but collapsed in relief.

“He’ll be okay, Elphie,” Glinda promised, rubbing Elphaba’s back with her hand. “I know it.”

“How do you know?”

“Because goodness has to win, Elphaba, it just has to. He’s got too much life ahead of him,” Glinda pulled back and to look Elphaba in the eye. “You both do.”

When Elphaba was settled enough to speak, the others gathered outside of the bedroom as Glinda, who’d witnessed much of the traumatic ordeal, relayed what she knew. She’d convinced the guards to keep Fiyero alive as a ploy to lure in Elphaba. She persuaded them to fetch water in case The Witch returned before smuggling Fiyero to Kiamo Ko.

“They’ll be wondering how he vanished. I’ll come up with something, but if they don’t believe me…” Glinda trailed off, uncertain of the consequences awaited her in The Emerald City. “I was already on thin ice after Chistery. Morrible was testing me. I’ve…likely compromised my cover entirely by bringing him here.”

“Then stay here with us,” Elphaba urged. “Drop the act and join us.”

“I can’t, Elphie. There’s still too much to do, too much to fix,” Glinda explained. “You’ve got your work…and I’ve got mine.”

“You risked everything today. You saved his life, Glinda,” Elphaba said quietly. “If we weren’t in your debt already we certainly are now.”

“Oh, Elphie. There can be no debt between friends,” Glinda smiled softly, pressing a hand to Elphaba’s cheek. “You and Fiyero have helped make me into the person I am today…all I’ve done is help you in return.”

Elphaba pulled Glinda into a strong, long-lasting hug. They hoped it wouldn’t be their last.

“You take good care of our prince now,” Glinda whispered, gently booping Elphaba on the nose with her finger as she pulled away. “And come visit me in prison.”

The others saw Glinda out and Elphaba took a deep breath before turning back towards Fiyero. She realized she’d been holding her breath and she puffed it out with a stiff shake of her head. Out of their immediate group, Elphaba was the most experienced healer from her time tending to refugees. She wished that she wasn’t. When she tended to strangers she could detach herself as needed, but that was not possible when it came to Fiyero.

However, as Elphaba began her work of assessing Fiyero’s injuries, she changed her mind. It was as harrowing as it was humbling to treat him, but she was thankful she was the one doing it. As she cleaned his wounds she felt the full weight of their less than week old vows. Who among them could treat him more thoroughly? Who could tend to him as tenderly? Elphaba was the one for the task because she had the most to lose…and the most to gain from his getting well.

Who out there could care for him better than his own wife?

Elphaba delicately placed her hands over his fractured ribs and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath in through her nose and felt her hands glow with warmth as she exhaled through her mouth, radiating healing magic into the area of harm. It was not enough to heal without consequences, no magic was, but it’d speed his healing. She hoped, too, it’d lessen his pain.

With Fiyero’s wounds dressed to the best of her ability, Elphaba could do no more than wait. She pulled a chair beside his bedside and began her unbudging vigil, holding Fiyero’s limp hand in hers with her fingers strategically pressed to his wrist to assure herself of his pulse. Occasionally Amalia or Nessarose would poke their head in, encouraging Elphaba to take a breather or come eat, to which she always refused. Night fell and, after suggesting one last time that Elphaba get some sleep, the others went to bed.

A bedside lamp remained lit well after midnight, and though Elphaba’s eyes felt dried out and weary, she could not and would not sleep. The most she did was hunch over to lay her head on the mattress as she rubbed her thumb back and forth over Fiyero’s wedding band. As the clock struck the witching hour, she felt his finger twitch. She convinced herself that she was imagining it, until it happened again.

Elphaba lifted her head with expectant hope as Fiyero issued a single, pained grunt.

“Fiyero?” she managed, her voice hoarse and wispy. She pressed her lips to the hand she was holding and brushed some hair off of his forehead. “Yero, I’m here.”

He groaned again and his face ticked into an uncomfortable grimace. His eyelids fluttered Elphaba held her breath as she watched Fiyero’s blue eyes slowly but surely open.

“Fae?”

“Oh,” Elphaba exclaimed in a quiet, quivering voice. “Oh, Yero. Oh, thank Oz.”

Fiyero’s vision blurred in and out but soon sharpened just enough to register Elphaba’s face. His brow furrowed in foggy focus as he looked upon his wife, and after a moment of deliberation, he uttered a single, heartbreakingly sincere phrase.

“Hey. Are you okay?”

“What? Am I—am I…” A hoarse chuckle escaped Elphaba but it was quickly overshadowed by a sudden heaving in her chest. “Am I—” Her lips began to shake. “I—" Her face screwed up tight. “I—” She made a sound between a wheeze and a hiccup. “I…”

Then at last —at last—a terrific cry broke through Elphaba Tigelaar’s lips as years of pent-up pain exploded out of her in a mess of anguished tears. Her shoulders began to shake as wild sobs wracked her body and her breath came in sharp, choking gasps. Her face grew puffy and scrunched, eliciting childlike wails and whines as she tried in vain to control herself. It was no use. She’d suppressed her grief for far too long, and it had finally come to collect its debt. So, she cried. She cried for Fiyero, she cried for herself. She cried for all that had happened and all that was to come.   

“Hey…” Fiyero frowned in disorientation over Elphaba’s sorrow. “Don’t cry. You’ll break your streak.”

“It’s broken. Oh, Fiyero. I’ve broken everything. It’s all broken,” Elphaba wept.

Fiyero tried to sit up but inhaled sharply at the pain in his ribs.

“No!” Elphaba gasped, instinctively easing him back against the pillows. “No, stay. You’re hurt, darling. You’re very hurt. Keep still.”

With a jolt she removed her hands from his body and stared at them distrustfully. She’d used the same hands to heal him before, but now she felt as if her touch could only inflict more damage upon him.

“I’m so sorry, my love. I’m so sorry,” she cried through chattering teeth. “This is my fault. This is all my fault.”

“It isn’t—”

“Don’t tell me that it isn’t when it is! You’re dazed, you don’t remember, but you got hurt because of me. Because of me!”

“I remember enough,” Fiyero wheezed as he shifted against the pillow. “The guards didn’t get to my head much. Must have thought it was a waste of time…injuring a brainless person’s brain.”

Elphaba shot him scolding, tearful glare.

“It astounds me that you can still make jokes.”

Fiyero suddenly cringed with a great groan and Elphaba’s face dropped.

“What is it?” she asked, her tears temporarily dwindling as concern took the reins. “Are you hurt?”

“Yeah—ah! —I am. Come…here.” Fiyero gestured for her to come back to his side.

“Where? Where does it hurt?” Elphaba asked seriously as she sat back beside him, her eyes scanning him for harm.

“Oof—here,” Fiyero feebly tapped the side of his face with his finger. “Come closer…”

Elphaba furrowed her eyebrows, only now picking up on his hammed-up tone. Their eyes met and he winked to confirm his antics. Elphaba hesitated for a moment before leaning forward to permit Fiyero a long, gentle kiss on the cheek.

“Better?” she whispered upon leaning back.

“Much.”

“You’ve still got it, Tigelaar,” Elphaba mumbled, wiping her tears on her sleeve. “Charming the ladies even from your deathbed.”

“Near death bed,” Fiyero corrected groggily. “But I need you to tell it to me straight, doc…am I ever going to dance again?”

“In no time, my love.”

“OzDust, then? Next week?” Fiyero asked.

“It’s a date.”

They lapsed into silence and the lightheartedness they’d mustered soon wilted as Elphaba slipped back into her mind. Fiyero saw the change in her eyes.

“What are you thinking?”

Elphaba’s shoulders slackened and she closed her eyes.

“I dreamed too far, Yero. We both did. I feel as if I’ve just woken up.”

“What do you mean?”

Elphaba opened her eyes and felt a single, fresh tear slip down her cheek.

“I want to watch your hair go gray.”

“Elphaba…”

“I want to wake up beside you every morning. I want us to celebrate anniversaries. I want a home with you. I want to argue over stupid things and then make up before bed. I want to grow old with you, Fiyero, and I want our children—” Elphaba choked. “—I want our children to help us when we do. I want us to spend so many years together that…we eventually take it for granted.”

“I want that too,” Fiyero murmured.

“I thought I could accept that we may not have a future. I thought I could accept that the time we had was the time we had. I thought I could just live every moment we had to the fullest—but we’ve had such…precious little time together as it is. It’s not fair. It’s not fair that we’ve been made to settle for scraps.”

Elphaba shook her head as she felt herself buckle. “I thought I lost you today, Fiyero.”

“Fae…”

“I thought I lost you. The grief of it—it changed me. I scared them. I scared myself. I don’t know what I’d do, what I’m capable of, if you got killed, Fiyero. There’s darkness inside of me…and I don’t want to succumb to it. I don’t, Yero. I don’t. I don’t.”

“Come here.”

“I can’t…” Elphaba shook her head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’d never hurt me. Come here, my Elphaba. Come here.”

Elphaba sniffed as she cautiously crawled into bed beside her husband and curled up beside him.

“I don’t want your letters to be the only thing I have left of you, Fiyero,” she whispered. “It isn’t just more time I want. Not anymore. I want a life…and I want that life with you.”

✉✉✉

Fiyero slept through the rest of the night and into the day as his body healed. Every few hours Elphaba would place her hands over him to continue healing his wounds. She caught a few winks of sleep in her chair between treatments, curved over his bed with her neck at a funny angle. At dawn Elphaba endeavored to leave his side for the first time, drifting down the hall in search of coffee. She was surprised to find Nessarose in the kitchen nursing a mug of hot tea, but she hardly should have been. Her sister had always risen with the sun.

“Good morning,” Nessarose greeted anxiously. “How…how—”

“Fine,” Elphaba answered, sitting at the table across from Nessarose with an exhausted sigh. “Not well…but fine.”

“You look dreadful,” Nessarose pointed out.

“You do wonders for my confidence,” Elphaba cracked a tired, ironic smile.

“I mean you look tired, Elphaba,” Nessarose said meaningfully. “You look so dreadfully tired.”

“I am tired, Nessa.”

“Have you ever considered, I don’t know, making a change?” Nessarose approached delicately.

“Making a change?” Elphaba snorted. “All I’ve ever done is try to make change. Make a difference. Well…look at where my road of good intentions has gotten me. Have I changed the hearts and minds of the masses? That’s a laugh.”

“But acts of goodness…no matter how small can still cause—” Nessarose began.

“But what’s the good of doing good if it’s not big?” Elphaba interrupted stiffly. “No…no. Maybe Morrible was right. Maybe the world was right. There are some things you just can’t change. I’ve tried…and now I know.”

“Elphaba—”

“We could have gotten out, Nessa. Chistery was free and we had plenty of time to escape safely. Fiyero kept telling me that we should go. But I saw Morrible and I just couldn’t leave well enough alone. I chose vengeance, Nessa, I chose wickedness…and Fiyero paid the price. Don’t you see? He’s just the latest in my supply of disasters. I’m only capable of destruction…of hurting those I love.”

Elphaba stood and began to exit the kitchen.

“Change is slow, Elphaba. You can’t always see it from where you’re at,” Nessarose called after her. Elphaba stopped but did not turn around. “Maybe goodness…just takes time to grow.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Thirty-Three: The Match ✉

Elphaba dragged herself into her and Fiyero’s abandoned honeymoon suite and stared at it broodingly. How had they used this room only one day prior? She stretched on the bed with the intention of resting her eyes only for a few minutes, but cursed her fate when she next opened her eyes in the late afternoon.

“Blasted royals and their comfortable beds,” she grumbled.

She scurried down to the bedroom where Fiyero was convalescing only to find in a heart stopping moment that it was empty.

“Fiyero?!” she screamed, terror billowing in her gut as she imagined the worst. “Fiyero!”

“She’s awake!” Elphaba heard from the drawing room along with the screeching of chairs and hiss of voices.

She stalked into the room and found Nessarose, Doctor Dillamond, Amalia, and the Vicar sitting calmly in the drawing room with Chistery perched on the windowsill. She then gritted her teeth upon spotting Fiyero sitting among them as well.

“What is he doing up?!” Elphaba scolded harshly, pointing a strong finger towards him. She turned a fierce eye on him. “What are you doing up!?”

“Elphaba sit down,” Nessarose instructed, gesturing to an empty chair to the left of the sofa where Fiyero sat.

“Get back to bed this instant!”

“Miss Elphaba, take a seat,” Doctor Dillamond said.

“Not until he goes back to bed,” Elphaba pointed. With the use of a cane Fiyero hobbled to his feet with effort and Elphaba’s eyes widened. “What are you doing—sit down!”

“You sit first,” Fiyero wheezed.

“I’m not the one who was beaten into a pulp!” she yelled. “Don’t tell me what to do when you—”

“Fae, sit down!”

Elphaba abruptly sat down in the chair and Fiyero eased himself back onto the sofa.

“Trust us, Master Tigelaar’s healing and comfort is well in mind. He insisted on being here of his own accord,” Doctor Dillamond assured.

“The one we’re really worried about is you,” Nessarose continued.

“Me?” Elphaba laughed nonchalantly. “Why would you be worried about me?”

The group stared at her.

“Hold on…is this an intervention?” Elphaba snapped her head towards Fiyero. “Is it?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” Elphaba sized up the group with a long, tense look. “Why?”

“Elphaba you can’t keep going like this. You’re running yourself ragged with this wicked witch stuff,” Nessarose said.

“Noted. Don’t have a choice.” Elphaba rested her elbows against the armrests and steepled her fingers. “Who’s next?”

“You do have a choice!” Nessarose insisted. “You just won’t let yourself see it.”

“Gee, maybe you’re right. Maybe the witch mobs won’t kill me if I ask them really nicely not to,” Elphaba mocked.

“We aren’t saying that you can change anybody’s mind,” Dillamond said. “That is out of our control. But you can control what you do.”

“And what can I do, huh?” Elphaba leaned forward. “What can I do besides what I’ve done? I’d love to know.”

“You could leave,” Fiyero spoke up softly. Elphaba slowly turned her head to look at him with a stunned expression. “We could leave.”

“Leave?” she said softly. “You mean leave—”

“Oz. We could leave Oz. Together.”

“Fiyero…” Elphaba said in a hushed tone. “We—I—”

The group remained quiet as they gave Elphaba a moment to process. She shook her head resistantly and began to pace as she formulated her rebuttals.

“I can’t leave Oz. There’s—there’s too much unrest. Too much unfinished business. I mean…the cause! The Animals. I promised that I’d make things right. I have to see things through…I have to finish what I’ve started!” Elphaba insisted. “It’d be selfish—it’d be cowardly to leave.”

“Miss Elphaba! We Animals will persist!” Doctor Dillamond said passionately. “We’ve faced difficult times before and we’ll face difficult times again. Waiting on all of Oz to change before you begin to live is a fool’s errand. Things may never be completely right.”

“But that doesn’t mean we don’t try! Remember, Professor? You’re the one who instilled that in me—you’re the one who taught me that!”

“Yes, but—"

“What has this all of this been about, then? Huh?! What—what have my sacrifices been for?” Elphaba raised her voice. She rubbed her face with an agitated, troubled expression. “Is that just it, then? I cut and run after everything I’ve done…with nothing to show for it?”

“Nothing to show for it?!” Doctor Dillamond stood from his chair. “Miss Elphaba, you have quite the habit of undercutting your own work.”

Amalia took Dillamond’s cue to pick up a bundle of newspapers that’d been set aside. She began distributing them to the others in the room before clearing her throat and reading in a clearly heard voice.

“Animal Colony rebuilds community after fire. Spokes-Hedgehog Jerusha Pendleton credits Wicked Witch for their freedom, stating she single-handedly thwarted relocation efforts by turning herself into the guard.”

“Ox and former professor regains powers of speech and incites movement to have The Hall of Animal History exhibition reopened in The Greater Ozian Institute of Natural History within the year. Cites The Witch’s recitation pamphlets for his success,” Dillamond read before clearing his throat emotionally. “A very dear friend of mine, actually.”

“Munchkinland, seeking secession from Oz, proposes a new bill protecting freedom of religious speech for Animals,” The Vicar read with pride.

“Public Execution of Monkey thwarted by The Witch. Small but vocal group of human protestors picket outside The Wizard’s Palace, calling for an end to Animal Restrictions,” Nessarose read.

“Lion, reportedly cubnapped at birth, timidly speaks out at Emerald City press conference. Claims Wicked Witch behind his liberation from existence in a cage,” Fiyero read. Elphaba turned her attention back to him in understanding and he winked before giving the newspaper a shake. “I don’t know that this one is all true though…I heard The Witch had help with that one.”

Elphaba turned her head when a final voice made itself heard from the windowsill.

“M-M-Miss Elphaba,” Chistery said. “Miss Elphaba saved Chistery.”

Elphaba swallowed a lump in her throat in a rare moment of speechlessness. Doctor Dillamond approached her and gently took his former student’s hands.

“You lit the match, Miss Elphaba,” he said, giving her hands a pat. “You mustn’t combust yourself along with it.”

“But what about all of you? What will become of you?” Elphaba asked anxiously. She turned her head to her sister. “Nessa? Oh, Nessa I couldn’t possibly leave—"

“Yes you can,” Nessarose asserted.

“But—but where will you go? What will you do?” Elphaba asked as she kneeled beside Nessarose’s chair.

“Whatever I want,” Nessarose promised in a hushed, excited tone. “Glinda is working on my public perception, The Wicked Witch of the East is to be rehabilitated in the eyes of Oz. But for now I’m going to go with The Vicar to assist the religious speech movement. I’ve amends to make with Munchkinland. This is what the Unnamed God has called me to do.”

Elphaba looked to the Vicar who confirmed Nessarose’s plan with a nod.

“I’ll be going too,” Amalia spoke up. “I don’t know about this Unnamed God stuff but I’ll be there to assist Miss Nessarose.”

“I’ve been a terror at times, Elphaba…but you never gave up on me,” Nessarose expressed, squeezing Elphaba’s hand again. “It’s just as I said…change is slow, but the world is changing and you saw to it! It just needs time. Oz will be fine, Elphaba. It’s you that’s at stake here.”

Elphaba blinked at her sister, feeling as if she were seeing her through different eyes. There sat a poised, mature woman who was finally making her own decisions. One who’d learned from many mistakes, one with a temper, one who consistently tried, and sometimes failed, to be good. While Elphaba did not always understand Nessarose, she was struck with meaningful amusement to realize that perhaps they had never been so different after all.

Elphaba kissed Nessarose’s hands and rose to face Fiyero.

“You’re my husband, Fiyero. This involves you too,” she acknowledged as she sat beside him. “What do you think?”

“You already know what I think, Fae,” he said softly. “You said you wanted a life together. Let’s go out there and find one.”

In the end, that was all that Elphaba needed to hear.

“Well, then…” she said with a quick laugh. “I suppose Glinda’s opinion on the matter is the only thing missing.”

“Oh! She sent a missive,” Amalia remembered. Chistery pulled a letter out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her.

“Dear Elphie, somebody has got to say it. You are out of control!” Amalia read animatedly. “You’ve always been a wild card but this is freaking nuts. Get your hat on straight and do what we say. Anyway, I’ve got some huge important plans I must attend to. Lots of stuff is happening. I’ll fill you in later. I’ve sent some macaroons with Chistery. Have a great intervention! xoxo Glinda.”

Chistery screeched and the room turned to watch him quickly conceal a full macaroon into his mouth. He turned out his pockets to prove his innocence but when a bunch of pink crumbs spilled out he came clean with a guilty shrug.

“Damn!” Fiyero complained. “I love her macaroons…”

“Okay so since everyone here is so smart, tell me this. How am I—”

“We.”

“Right—how are we going to waltz out of Oz? So long as the Wicked Witch is alive, people are going to be after me.”

“Exactly right,” Doctor Dillamond agreed.

“So…you see my problem?” Elphaba prompted slowly.

“They’ll be after you so long as the Wicked Witch is alive…so we kill the Wicked Witch!” Nessarose said excitedly.

“Alright, I’m confused,” Elphaba closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache come on.

“Think about it. This Dorothy girl is already on the way to kill you…” Nessarose supplied.

“Oh sweet Oz…” Elphaba groaned as it suddenly clicked. “You want me to let people think the farm girl killed me?”

“Well—”

“You can’t be serious!”

 “I know it must be troubling,” Nessarose nodded. “To fake your own death—”

“That’s not it, I think that’s brilliant—but being bested by a twelve-year-old?! That’s the legacy you’re suggesting I leave behind?”

“Elphaba—”

“I mean out of all the ways to fake die I think that really takes the cake,” Elphaba griped. “I might actually die of shame.”

“It’s the best plan we have, and it ensures the young girl’s protection as well…” Doctor Dillamond alluded.

Elphaba grumbled dramatically. “Fine. Fine! I’ll let the brat kill me. Happy? What’s next?”

“Well the plan is really quite brilliant!” Nessarose enthused. “She’s already led to believe that water will melt you, we’ll just let her melt you. You put on a smoke and mirrors show for her and the story spreads like wildfire! Then all you have to do is—”

“Nessa—” Fiyero warned suddenly.

“—hide under the trapdoor!”

Fiyero sighed grimly and rubbed his forehead as Elphaba’s face slowly fell.

“Hide under the…what?” Elphaba asked numbly.

“The trapdoor!” Nessarose repeated. Her eyes shifted between Elphaba and Fiyero in confusion. “I mean…it was Fiyero’s idea.”

Elphaba swallowed and Fiyero shot a look to the group.

“Can you all give us a moment?”

They nodded and began to clear out.

“I don’t know what the problem is,” Nessarose muttered as Amalia pushed her out. “It’s just a silly trapdoor.”

The couple sat in silence until the footsteps had receded and they were left alone. Elphaba stood and crossed to the fireplace, gripping the mantel and drumming her fingers on it.

“A trapdoor, huh?” she said faintly.

“…yes.”

Elphaba turned to face him. “It goes without saying that it’s…”

“Pitch dark,” Fiyero confirmed regrettably.

Elphaba took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth.

“For how long?”

“Until I come for you,” Fiyero said softly. “Hours…if we’re lucky.”

“Hours?” Elphaba squeaked.

The sheer thought of waiting in the dark for hours made her breathing begin to shallow. Fiyero stood with effort as she began to falter and crossed to her.

“I know, Fae. I know.”

“Can—can I bring a lantern?” Elphaba asked desperately. “For while I wait?”

“There’s cracks in the hatch…they’d see the glow.”

“Is there another way, Yero? Any other way?”

“None as safe…none as sure,” Fiyero mumbled. “I’ve gone over it in my head a thousand times now. I’ve tested things. This is the best way…if we want to be free.”

“You’ve given this a fair bit of thought,” Elphaba pointed out. “How long have you been planning this?”

“Since we arrived at Kiamo Ko,” Fiyero answered.

Elphaba pressed the heel of her palms to her eyes and her lips quivered as her brain fought to find an alternative…and came up blank. Using his free hand, Fiyero wrapped an arm around Elphaba who leaned her head against his.

“Damn my coward’s heart!” Elphaba choked.

“This is no small thing we’re asking of you, Fae,” Fiyero assured her. “If you can’t…if you feel like you can’t…I won’t make you do this.”

Elphaba lifted her eyes to his. His face, still significantly busted and bruised, looked upon her with preemptive forgiveness.

“You’ll come for me?” she asked shakily.

He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed an earnest kiss to her knuckles.

“I’ll come for you. I swear on our lives that I will come for you and we’ll leave this place for good. Just a few hours, Elphaba. A few hours stands between us…and our future.”

✉✉✉

An era came to an end the following evening as the inhabitants of Kiamo Ko gathered outside of the fortress to bid their farewells. Elphaba spared thankful hugs to The Vicar and Amalia to see them off as they prepared for their next journey before at last turning to Nessarose. The sisters pulled each other into a long, heartfelt embrace.

“Nessa I—uh…I have something for you. A parting gift,” Elphaba cleared her throat as she pulled out of the hug. She opened Nessarose’s palm, hesitated for a moment, and gently placed her little green bottle in her hand. “This was Mother’s…and now it’s yours.”

Nessarose was silent as she turned the green bottle in her hands a few times.

“How funny…” she mused. “I’ve waited my whole life to see something that belonged to Mother and now that I have…it’s nothing more than a bottle to me.”

Elphaba frowned in confusion as Nessarose calmly placed the bottle back into her hand and closed her green fingers around it.

“You’ve cherished this keepsake for years, Elphaba. You’ve kept it safe all this time. I couldn’t bear to take it from you now. It’s yours.”

“But you wanted something of Mother’s…you’ve always wanted something of Mother’s,” Elphaba pressed.

“Yes, Elphaba, but don’t you see? From the moment I was born you’ve put me first, you’ve always put me first,” Nessarose said as tears built in her eyes. “Let me do the same for you now. Let me return the favor. That’s all the gift I need.”

“I never thanked you, you know,” Elphaba whispered, dutifully brushing away Nessarose’s tears.

“For what?” Nessarose sniffed.

“For making me sign up for that stupid pen pal program.”

The sisters shared one last parting hug and Elphaba cleared her throat as she stood, waving the trio of travelers off before she could lose her resolve.

“I love you, Elphaba,” Nessarose said with a final tearful wave. 

“Oh, Nessa.” Elphaba blew her a kiss and folded her hands over her heart. “I love you too.”

Fiyero wrapped an arm around Elphaba’s waist and kissed her temple as they watched them depart.

“And then there were three,” Fiyero sighed.

“Now Miss Elphaba, it’s imperative that as many people witness the melting as possible. Guards, witch hunters, anyone who may come for Miss Dorothy.”

“Oh, a crowd will come for Dorothy. I’ll make sure of it,” Elphaba promised. Fiyero side eyed her suspiciously. “If I’m going to say goodbye to The Witch I’m going out with a bang—or a splash, rather?”

“Okay, but she is just a kid—”

“Sweet Oz, I’m not going to hurt her!” Elphaba rolled her eyes. “Even if the twerp did break my broom...”

“Master Tigelaar and I will wait in a safe house nearby, but we cannot risk having him seen at the castle and certainly don’t want to risk him getting hurt further. Once the coast is clear, you will be free to make your escape.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t asked, Professor. Where will you go after this?” Elphaba frowned.

“No need to worry about me, Miss Elphaba. I’ve been displaced before and I’ve always gotten back on my feet,” Dillamond assured.

Fiyero clicked his tongue.

“That’s too bad, Doctor Dillamond. I was sure hoping to find someone to keep watch over the castle seeing as the missus and I will be dead soon,” Fiyero hinted. He pulled a rolled-up document out of his back pocket and handed it to the Goat. “Even took the liberty to put the deed in your name…if you want it, that is.”

“Master Tigelaar! I…I’m speechless!” Dillamond said before chuckling at his ironic phrasing. “So to speak.”

“Well the Monkeys like it here,” Fiyero nodded his head towards the towers. “They’ll need an excellent professor to help them keep up with recitations. Plus, my parents will hate it. It’s a win-win.”

“I accept with gratitude. You have my thanks.”

Dillamond turned his attention to Elphaba and smiled fondly.  

“Miss Elphaba…”

Dillamond let out a winded chuckle as Elphaba threw her arms around him in a grateful hug.

“Thank you Doctor Dillamond.”

“For what?” he asked, pulling her at arm’s length.

“For lighting the match…in me.”

Dillamond stepped aside to offer Elphaba and Fiyero some privacy. Fiyero took Elphaba’s waist and gently turned her towards him.

“For promising to go everywhere together we sure do part a lot,” Elphaba chuckled miserably. They pressed their foreheads together and Elphaba closed her eyes. “I’m scared, Fiyero.”

“You can do this. I wouldn’t let you do this if I didn’t know that to be true,” Fiyero promised. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

“I love you so much,” Elphaba whispered.

They parted with a tender kiss and Elphaba watched as Doctor Dillamond assisted Fiyero away for safekeeping.

“Hey Tigelaar,” Elphaba called after him. He turned with a lifted eyebrow and she gave him a hopeless shrug. “To think…that we used to hate each other.”

He offered her a wise smile.

“Ah, Fae. We never hated each other. Not really.”

✉✉✉

Dorothy Gale held Toto close to her chest as she walked through a snarled forest at dusk. She quivered in fear as her eyes cast towards the sky, wishing with all her might that Glinda the Good had been able to come along with her. It was frightful to be traveling alone with nary a companion, nary a friend.

A twig snapped from behind her and she squeaked.

“I’m scared, Toto.” She stroked her dog’s fur nervously. “That mean old witch is after me.”

“Ozsakes…I’m not even that old.”

Dorothy gasped and whipped around, coming facing to face with the towering Witch in all of her green skinned, pointed hatted glory.

“You’re coming with me,” The Witch said in a tone Dorothy could only describe as bored. “And your little dog too.”

Chapter Text

✉ Chapter Thirty-Four: Dorothy and the Dark ✉

“Oh please, oh please don’t hurt me or Toto!” Dorothy wailed as Elphaba shepherded her into the castle and up the stairs.

“Then you must do everything I say!” Elphaba said witchily, obscuring her own eye roll from behind Dorothy’s back.

Elphaba ushered Dorothy into a tower room that she’d prepared as a holding cell complete with a canopied bed, breathtaking view, and various other comforts. The child could do a lot worse when it came to being imprisoned.

“You’ll be sorry!” Dorothy stamped her foot. “Glinda the Good will come for me!”

“Yes, and how scary her bubbles will be,” Elphaba deadpanned before slamming the door and locking Dorothy inside.

Chistery was waiting in Elphaba’s witch tower for her and she gave him a conspiratorial nod.

“Got the girl. You and the others spread the word that Oz’s golden child has been kidnapped. Mobs will be here by morning.”

Chistery nodded and Elphaba gave him a pointed look.

“Y-yes Miss Elphaba,” he said.

Elphaba nodded approvingly and patted him on the head.

“You must use every chance to speak, dear Chistery,” Elphaba said fondly. “The other Monkeys look up to you. You’ll need to set a good example when I’ve gone.”

Chistery nodded and ambled over to Elphaba for a hug.

“Oh you sentimental thing,” she sighed and hugged him back. “We cannot do this now, I cannot bear it.”

Elphaba pulled out of the hug and Chistery hopped up on the windowsill. She stared at the horizon and bumped her shoulder against his.

“Don’t tell the others but…I’m a little nervous to leave,” she confided with an ashamed laugh. “After doing what I’ve done for so long I’m not sure what I’ll…do. I can make peace that my work in Oz is done but I still want to do something. Does that sound silly? After everything that’s happened?”

“No,” Chistery shook his head. “Not silly.”

“Then where shall Fiyero and I go?” she smiled, taking the Monkey’s hand as she plotted her future. “Quox? Or perhaps Ev…see the ocean?”

“Badlands,” Chistery said.

Elphaba looked at him and knitted her eyebrows. “The Badlands?”

“Animals in the Badlands. Miss Elphaba help,” he nodded astutely. “Make good.”

A smile stretched across Elphaba’s face and she squeezed his hand.

“Thank you, my friend,” she said, sparing a grateful kiss to the top of his head. “Now off with you, then. Go on.”

Chistery took flight out of the fortress window and Elphaba watched as leagues of the other Monkeys followed him east.

“And then there was one.”

Elphaba began calmly preparing for her future as she set the stage for her own demise. Curtains were open, buckets of water placed, and the trapdoor set. Elphaba knelt beside the hatch on the floor, marveling at how unassuming it was. She took a deep breath and yanked it open. The consuming darkness that confronted her made her drop the door with a shudder. She scrambled backwards and pulled her knees to her chest as she caught her breath.

A sudden wailing made Elphaba second guess herself. Was she crying? She checked her face to make sure. No, it wasn’t her. But someone was crying. Loudly.

Elphaba groaned and covered her ears. The girl was distracting her with the hysterics. Elphaba began to pace again, trying to drown the pitiful sobs which only seemed to get louder.

“Oh for the love of—” Elphaba griped.

She poked her head into Dorothy’s luxury cell with a huff.

“Stop crying!” Elphaba scolded. “It’s giving me a headache.”

“I-I’m sorry. I’m just so terribly frightened…and hungry.”

“Glinda didn’t give you any macaroons?”

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” Elphaba caught herself. She watched the girl cry into Toto’s fur and sighed heavily. “Sweet Oz just…stay here.”

Elphaba grumbled to herself as she stalked downstairs and prepared her assassin a balanced plate of food.

“Here,” Elphaba announced herself tightly. “Eat.”

“I’m not eating anything made by you!” Dorothy accused.

“It isn’t poisoned!” Elphaba groaned, taking a quick bite out of a bread roll to prove so. “See?”

She brought the tray over and set it on a table near Dorothy’s bed.

“I’m even a decent cook, luckily for you. Now tuck in,” Elphaba sighed, before tacking on a quick “or else.”

Dorothy took a cautious bite all while staring at Elphaba.

“What? What are you staring at?” Elphaba snapped.

“Nothing!” Dorothy said quickly. “I’m sorry, I know it’s not very nice to stare.”

“You could just ask, you know,” Elphaba said. “Nobody ever asks.”

“Oh—um, well then, why are you…you know…”

“Green?”

“Yes.”

“I have no clue.”

“Oh,” Dorothy raised her eyebrows.

“There, see? You’ve stopped crying,” Elphaba pointed out. “Keep that up, please.”

She began to exit but stopped as Dorothy piped up again.

“Wait!”

“What?!”

“I’m bored.”

“You’re bored?”

Dorothy nodded innocently.

Elphaba stared at her for a long moment before heaving a heavy sigh.

So this was how The Witch’s story ended.

With babysitting.

✉✉✉

“Do you have any threes?”

“Go fish.”

Elphaba cackled as Dorothy threw her cards down in a frustrated pout.

“You’ve won every single game!”

“That’s because I’m cheating,” Elphaba revealed, flipping her cards around.

Dorothy gasped. “You cheater! That isn’t fair!”

“Life isn’t fair,” Elphaba shrugged, stroking Toto’s head as he snoozed peacefully on her lap. “You think this is how I wanted my life to end up? Playing cards with a twelve-year-old?”

“You are not a nice lady.”

“No, I’m not. Never have been, really. But there’s a difference, you see. There’s a difference between nice and good. The sooner you’re able to spot the difference the better.”

“Auntie Em always taught me to be nice.”

“Well is coming here to kill me very nice?” Elphaba posed. “Was breaking my broom?”

“That was for the greater good!”

Elphaba sized Dorothy up with an impressed sound.

“There may be hope for you yet, Dorothy,” Elphaba mused as she boxed up the playing cards.

“I suppose I am sorry though…for breaking your broom,” Dorothy mumbled.

“Thank you,” Elphaba smiled sadly. “She served me well for many years…but all things must come to an end in their own time.”

“I never wanted to kill you…or anybody!” Dorothy insisted. “All I want is to go home. Back to Kansas, back to Uncle Henry and Aunt Em…”

“You miss them, huh?” Elphaba said with an unwilling twinge of sympathy.

“With all my heart.”

“Well…you can do what I do when I’m missing somebody.”

“What’s that?”

Elphaba handed Toto back to Dorothy and crossed over to the desk on the other side of the room. She set out a pen and parchment and tapped it with her finger.

“Write to them. Write to Aunt Em and Uncle What’s-his-name. Write how much you miss them, how much you love them. Hear this, though,” Elphaba advised as Dorothy crossed to sit at the desk. “Writing only gets you so far. When you see them again…make sure you tell them too. Out loud.”

“You really think I’ll see them again?” Dorothy sniffled.

“Yes. I really do.”

Elphaba cleared her throat and Dorothy quickly offered her glass.

“Do you need some water?”

“Thank you.” Elphaba extended her hand to accept before thinking better of it. “Ah—I mean no! I mustn’t get near the dreaded water!” she recoiled, using the witchiest voice she could manage. Her shoulders slumped casually and her voice returned to normal as she nodded towards the paper. “Now go on, get to writing.”

Dorothy frowned suspiciously, her eyes shifting between the glass of water and the pen and paper.

“Is it true?” Dorothy asked as Elphaba crossed to leave. Elphaba stopped in the doorway. “Everything they’ve been telling me about you. Is it…true?”

Elphaba turned and gave Dorothy a neutral look.

“Well, that’s for you to decide. Isn’t it?” Elphaba answered before reaching towards the dimmer switch. “Goodnight, Dorothy.”

“Can—can you leave the lights on tonight?” Dorothy squeaked suddenly. “I’m…afraid of the dark.”

Elphaba pulled her hand away from the switch with sudden, poorly concealed compassion.

“That’s quite alright, dear,” Elphaba said faintly. “So am I.”

✉✉✉

“A few hours. What’s a few hours?” Elphaba, back to business, reminded herself as she paced.

She gritted her teeth and lowered herself before the trapdoor again, steeling herself before she slowly lifted it again. Darkness spilled out of it and she moaned in terror. She couldn’t do it. She’d have to change the plan. They’d just have to keep running, she’d made it this far after all.

For him.

“No…” Elphaba audibly protested against her own mind’s reasoning.

Not for me. Do it for him.

The phrase was a familiar one. When the fear of expressing her love for Fiyero had paralyzed her tongue, the gentle epiphany had warmly gifted her the courage she’d needed. She felt no boost in courage now, only a nagging reminder of the ordeal she must face. If she were alone, she’d rather spend the rest of her life being hunted than voluntarily crawl into the dark.

But she wasn’t alone.

“For him. Not for me. Do it for him,” Elphaba coached herself aloud. “No more running.”

Elphaba watched her final dawn in Oz rise out of her tower window. She calmly watched as stampedes of witch hunters began to storm the drawbridge to rescue Dorothy, to kill The Witch. Elphaba straightened her hat and fastened her cloak, nodding towards her broken broom in the corner of the room.

“It’s been quite a ride,” she fondly thanked her broom. “But The Witch must die today…so that I may live.”

Her Monkeys screeched up a storm as they flew circles around the towers, doing their part to create a menacing scene.

“For the love of Oz—let’s get on with it!” Elphaba groaned as she paced impatiently in her tower. “Some of us have new lives to start around here!”

There was a great bursting sound and the witch hunters below cheered as the castle finally gave way. There were cries of triumph over breaking The Witch’s ‘defense spell’ and Elphaba rubbed her temples tiredly.

“Nope. No defense spell. Just a regular door.”

She’d practically paved a lighted path to her own destruction for these buffoons but they still managed to botch their own witch hunt. It didn’t do wonders for Elphaba’s pride that the hunters thought they were actually succeeding in besting The Witch on their own. If Elphaba had wanted to keep them out the mob wouldn’t have so much made it into The Vinkus let alone into the castle. After an incompetently long time, Elphaba heard a band of people reach Dorothy’s unlocked cell to free her.

Elphaba stood, brushed off her dress, and straightened her hat just before they burst into her tower. A noisy mob ceremoniously pushed Dorothy towards the front to face The Witch as they cowered behind. Dorothy’s wide eyes met Elphaba’s and she froze, as if forgetting what she was supposed to do next. Elphaba sighed inwardly and discretely nodded her head towards the bucket of water.

“Oh no!” Elphaba squealed. “Please don’t splash that bucket of water—the one sitting in the corner to your left—your other left, Dorothy—on me! Anything but that!”

The crowd egged Dorothy on as she lifted the bucket, but Elphaba watched as the young girl hesitated in conflicted confusion. Their eyes met again and Elphaba assured Dorothy with a subtle, private wink. Go for it.

Cool water suddenly splashed Elphaba head to toe and she released a bloodcurdling cry. She’d put on shows before, but she put on a show, stretching her wickedness to the full extent of her ability as she dramatically melted before their eyes. Dorothy’s worried expression was the last thing The Witch saw before wasting clean away.

However, as The Witch was declared dead above, Elphaba’s true horror began below.

Commotion and cheers rang out just above her head as Elphaba’s hands clung to a flimsy ladder on the wall of the pit. She chanced a peek through her eyelids but quickly slammed them shut, quite literally biting her tongue to refrain from yelping and giving away her location. The thinnest margins of light streamed through the cracks in the hatch and she ached to stay close to them, no matter how feeble they were. Still, even in her heightened state she knew that was not an option. The rickety ladder would likely not hold her weight for long.

She couldn’t do this halfway. She’d have to venture further, venture deeper, into the dark.

But as her brain willed herself to move down the rungs, Elphaba’s body disobeyed. She froze, her limbs having solidified to stone, unblinking and unbreathing as her courage failed.

The squeak from the weakened wood beneath her feet urged her to make a decision, and to make it fast. It felt desperately tempting to simply ascend the ladder, to burst free with a cackle and enlighten people of her trick. Carrying on with the life she’d grown accustomed to seemed an attractive trade for the unknown that awaited her below.

For him! Elphaba’s mind screamed its mantra before she could give up. For him. Do it for him.

“No,” she whispered in resignation. “Not even for him.”

Fear had squeezed her heart harder than it ever had before. She didn’t have a lantern to soothe her, nor Fiyero to hold her, she had only her own willpower…and her willpower was weak. She pressed a trembling palm against the trapdoor, the end to her terror right at her fingertips, but her muscles did not stretch to open it.

No. Elphaba couldn’t do this for him…not only for him

But she could do this for them.

Drawing from reserves of resolve she didn’t know she had, Elphaba endeavored the impossible as she uneasily eased herself down the rungs of the ladder towards the unforgiving dark.

For the lonely pen pals who’d felt known for the first time through letters. For the boy with the cart and the girl who demanded an apology. For the foes stuck too close together in a closet. For the students racing each other to class. For the friends standing broken hearted in the rain. For the new lovers sharing kisses by lantern light. For the couple dancing in an empty OzDust. For The Witch and the prince yearning from afar. For the run-aways in the cave. For the partners vowing to take each other in safety and in danger.

For the strangers.

For Fae and Yero.

For Elphaba and Fiyero.

For them.

Elphaba’s boots touched down at the bottom of the pit and, right on cue, her breath started quickening in panic. Her eyes were stretched wide, darting in all directions for any sign of light…but she was too far down.

“Close your eyes,” Fiyero’s disembodied voice reminded from within her mind.

She squeezed her eyes shut tight and pressed her palms against the stone wall, her teeth chattering from her cold, damp clothes.

“Breathe, Fae.”

She inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled shakily out through her mouth.

“I’m right here.”

“No, you’re not,” Elphaba negated hoarsely. “I’m alone. I’m all alone.”

“I’m coming for you. Hold tight, Fae.”

Time began to unravel as Elphaba whiled away in frightful limbo. Had hours passed…minutes? Days? Years? Perhaps the melting had been real and she’d perished in actuality. The longer the dark consumed her, the louder her doubts became.  

Perhaps something had delayed Fiyero…or worse. With nothing to stimulate her mind besides fear, it was impossible not to imagine the unimaginable.

Or perhaps… her mind taunted. Perhaps he’s not coming at all.

“No…” Elphaba ground her teeth, forcing the intrusion away. “He’s coming.”

Perhaps this has all been an elaborate setup. Perhaps he doesn’t love you. Perhaps he never did.

Perhaps you really are all alone.

Elphaba pressed her back against the stone wall and folded her hands over her heart with a woeful shake of her head. No. Fiyero had proven himself time and time again. He had never failed her, he would not fail her now.

There was a sudden banging from up above and Elphaba clapped her hands over her mouth to bite back a shriek.

Then, a voice.

“It worked!”

In a moment so surreal she questioned her own skepticism in the divine, a flood of life-giving light spilled into the pit. Elphaba let out a dry sob to see her husband waiting at the top extending his hand to her.

Fiyero had come…and he’d brought the light back with him.

“Fiyero!”

Elphaba scrambled madly up the ladder, rungs snapping beneath her feet the higher she got. It didn’t matter. She would not be going back. Elphaba’s hand seized Fiyero’s and he pulled her out of the trapdoor and into the safety of his embrace.

“Oh Fiyero…I thought you’d never get here.”

Fiyero took her face in his hands and pressed desperate, relieved kisses to her forehead. Despite Fiyero’s bruises and Elphaba’s tremors, they helped each other to their feet and pulled each other into a long, healing hug.

“You came.”

“I came,” he murmured against her hair. “I’m here.”

He smoothed the cold, damp hair out of Elphaba’s face and awarded her with a triumphant kiss.

“You did it, Fae.” He kissed her again with gratitude. “You did it. I knew you could.”

“Don’t you ever make me do that again,” Elphaba breathed.

“There will never be a need. Oh, Elphaba. I promise you…” Fiyero cupped her face in his hands. “Our future is bright.”

As their elated breath evened out, Elphaba let out an ironic chuckle.

“So…what now?”

“Now…” Fiyero shrugged. “We find out what’s next.”

Elphaba spared a glance to her pointed witch hat that was left on the ground from the melting and she took it in her hands.

“What is it?” Fiyero asked, catching her glance.

“Perhaps we should leave a final note…” Elphaba thought aloud. “A letter for—”

“It’s too risky. Anyone could find it,” Fiyero reminded gently.

Elphaba nodded, her hands bunching the brim of her hat.

“You’re right.”

They gathered the few belongings they’d seen fit to pack ahead of time and quietly stole out of the castle. Elphaba’s eyes glanced every few moments to the sky and Fiyero took her hand to give it a comforting squeeze. When the castle was near out of sight Elphaba paused to take a long, last look as the sun set in the western sky.

“What is it, Fae?”

“I’m sorry, it just feels so—incomplete,” she sighed cryptically, The Grimmerie weighing heavily in her bag. “Our time here. It’s incomplete.”

“I know it’s hard to leave.”

“That’s not it. I just feel like there’s…” she shook her head. “One last thing.”

“What thing?”

A sudden popping sound caused Elphaba and Fiyero to jolt. Elphaba turned and a beaming smile spread to her lips.

“That,” Elphaba pointed ahead. “That’s the last thing.”

“Fiyero! Elphie! Oh, Elphie!” Glinda gasped, shaking soapy suds off of her ballgown as she trampled their way. “Thank Oz I caught you in time!”

“Glinda lower your voice! I’m supposed to be dead!” Elphaba said, her scolding tone undercut by the joy on her face.

“Not anymore, Elphie!” Glinda said.

“What do you mean?” Fiyero frowned.

“The Wizard is leaving Oz! Morrible is in prison!” Glinda celebrated. “Don’t you see? I’ve fixed it, I’ve fixed everything!”

“They’re what?” Elphaba’s jaw dropped. “Last we heard it was you headed for prison. Morrible had you on the hook!”

“Yes, she did. But then I realized who actually held the power over the people,” Glinda boasted.

“How did you get them to turn against her?” Fiyero asked.

“Oh, Fiyero, Elphie. Sweeties. They liked Morrible…” Glinda flourished her arms out in a majestic gesture. “But they love me.”

“But—”

“It’s like I’ve been saying this whole time,” Glinda grabbed Elphaba’s shoulders and gave her a dramatic shake. “It’s all about pop-u-lar!”

“Well, I’m thrilled, Glinda,” Elphaba said with a faint laugh. “Oz is in much better hands with you.”

“Duh, Elphie. But so are you! Now that I’m in charge I’ll tell everybody everything. I’ll clear your name—both of your names!”

“Glinda—” Elphaba interjected.

“Oh, they’ll be cheering for you in no time, Elphie! Wait and see!”

“Glinda—”

“It’s the happy ending we’ve been waiting on!”

“Glinda,” Elphaba said calmly, taking both of Glinda’s hands in her own.

Glinda finally looked her best friend in the eye and her face fell in understanding.

“You’re still leaving…aren’t you?”

“Yes, Glinda. We’re still leaving,” Elphaba confirmed softly.

Glinda’s lower lip began to tremble and she released Elphaba’s hands.

“B-but—” Glinda faltered, folding her arms around herself in a teary pout. “I don’t understand. I’ve fixed it, Elphie. I can help. I can make things right.”

“Yes, you can,” Elphaba agreed before solemnly shaking her head. “But not completely…and not for us. I don’t need the cheers or glory, Glinda. I don’t need you to clear my name. I only need to know that the Oz I’m leaving is a little better than the one I was born into. That’s enough. That’s enough for me.”

“But what about what you’ve always wanted, Elphie? What about your dreams?”

“I’ve wanted a lot of things throughout the years, but what I really wanted, what I’ve always wanted, was not to be alone. I wanted love, acceptance…friends,” Elphaba expressed meaningfully, placing a hand against Glinda’s cheek.

Glinda choked out a sob and began weeping freely as Elphaba took both of her hands and gave them a comforting squeeze.

“It’s alright, Glinda. Everything is as it should be,” Elphaba assured her. “We’re excited, Glinda. We’re excited for what’s out there for us. I’m excited to find something worthwhile to do, even if it’s small. I’m excited for the chance to be…anonymous.”

Elphaba quirked an ironic smile at her own word choice. How funny that after everything she’d gone through…she longed for anonymity once more.

She’d once remained anonymous as a way of hiding who she was. Now she craved it again for the chance to be who she is. She had people in her life that knew her for who she was, and through their love Elphaba knew that she could never truly be unknown. She could never be truly anonymous in the ways it mattered.

“Here, I want you to have this,” Elphaba realized. She pulled The Grimmerie out of her bag and humbly turned over the last piece of The Witch into Glinda’s safekeeping. “I won’t be needing it anymore.”

“Oh, Elphie.”

“Be good, Glinda,” Elphaba said with a sad, ironic smile. “Do all you can for Nessa, spoil Chistery, and—oh…make sure Dorothy knows that she did nothing wrong. See that she gets home safe. Okay?”

“Okay, Elphie.”

Elphaba handed Glinda the book and felt her own eyes mist as the goodbyes sunk in.

“Come here,” Elphaba mumbled, pulling Glinda into a long, heartfelt hug. She rubbed her back and buried her face into Glinda’s sequined shoulder. “I love you, Glinda.”

“I love you too, Elphie.”

Elphaba pulled out of the hug with a chuckle over her own tears. They’d come to her far easier than they used to. Fiyero came forward and collected Glinda in a fierce hug of their own and Glinda fell into a fresh wave of sniffles. Too soon after, when there were no more farewells to bid, Elphaba took a breath and gave Fiyero a meaningful look. She extended her hand towards him.

“Follow me, Yero?”

He slid his hand into hers.

“Anywhere.”

The pair turned and began taking their first steps towards their new life, only to stop when they heard Glinda call after them weakly.

“Wait! There’s…there’s one last problem.”

“What’s that?” Fiyero asked.

Glinda folded her hands over her broken heart as she looked upon her truest friends.

“How much I’m going to miss you both.”

“Well…whenever you miss us you know what to do,” Elphaba said.

“What?” Glinda sniffed.

Elphaba and Fiyero gave each other a knowing look before offering Glinda advice that had served them well for many years.

“Write to us.”

Chapter Text

✉ Epilogue: P.S… ✉

Elphaba’s chest heaved, her lungs burned, and her muscles ached as she pushed her body to run as fast as it could. She looked behind her shoulder to see that she was being closed in on. She puffed her breath out and pushed herself harder, but in the end…she was simply not fast enough.

“Caught you, Miss Elphaba!”

A group of Animal children tagged Elphaba on the back and she cackled, making a show of tumbling to the ground in dramatic defeat.

“Blast! I wore myself out in the beginning,” Elphaba panted, sitting upright on the ground and tucking some windswept hair back into her untidy bun. “Looks like you all win again. Now what do you say?”

“We won,” the children announced modestly.

Elphaba stood and planted her hands on her hips.

“Nuh uh,” she wagged a finger at them. “I’ll have you know that I was quite the runner in my day and you all still bested me. Celebrate like you mean it! Full voices now!”

“We won! We won! We won!” they chanted louder, dancing boastfully as she’d taught them to. “Again, Miss Elphaba! Again!”

“No, no more! Damned if you all haven’t worn me out,” Elphaba muttered as she wiped sweat off of her forehead.

“Miss Elphaba said a bad word!”

“There are no bad words, only bad intentions,” Elphaba corrected. “Just don’t tell your parents I said so.”

Elphaba clapped her hands twice to get the attention of the playing children.

“Recreation time is over,” she yelled. “Come along!”

The Animal children groaned and begrudgingly slouched her way.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s all you use your voices for now, isn’t it? Grumbling,” Elphaba teased, waving them off towards the outdoor classroom to resume their studies.

Ozians had always spoken of The Badlands as if it were the bleakest most Ozforsaken place one could imagine, a place no wise person would ever dare tread. However, as Elphaba knew firsthand, Ozians had a tendency to exaggerate. During the height of the Animal restrictions, the rugged, isolated area far beyond Oz’s south border became a common place for Animals to flee. The rumors and ominous name kept Ozian influence out and kept the refugees safe from persecution, but Oz’s damage had already been done. Many of the Animals in the area had been so frightened they’d forgotten how to speak.

Until now.

Elphaba’s work started small when she’d begun privately tutoring some acquaintances she’d made shortly after arriving. Her recitation program saw results and began spreading through the tiny community by word of mouth—literally. It didn’t take long for something small to grow much bigger. The finished product was an informal school, for lack of a better word, that Animals of all ages could attend to regain their speech.

“Elphaba, get out of here,” a fellow instructor, Miss Garland, urged Elphaba upon returning with the children. “You’ve been here all day.”

“Just one more lesson,” Elphaba waved a dismissive hand, wetting her thumb as she skimmed through her resources.

“Home. Now. Go. He made me promise!”

Elphaba peered over the papers and raised a brow.

“He made you promise?”

Miss Garland blanched and shook her head, realizing she’d let too much slip. “Um…no?”

Elphaba laughed under her breath and handed the materials to Miss Garland.

“That man.”

She slung her bag over her shoulder and offered her co-teacher a dutiful salute.

“Keep up the good work,” Elphaba said, walking backwards away from the school towards home. “I’m going to go see whatever surprise nonsense he’s planned.”

“Don’t tell him I spoiled it!”

“Of course not. Not a word,” Elphaba zipped her lips.

Elphaba slipped on her round-rimmed glasses and pulled a book from her bag to read as she strolled easily through their remote village. She lifted her head to occasionally smile or nod at the familiar faces but otherwise stayed focused on the narrative until the scruffy farm she called home came into view.

The cottage door creaked to announce her arrival and she heard footsteps come from the kitchen.

“Finally you’re back—”

Elphaba lifted a finger to cut him off, making a point to finish her paragraph before calmly closing the book, removing her glasses, and lifting her eyes to greet her husband.

“Happy anniversary, Yero.”

“Hell, Fae. You always have to steal my thunder!” Fiyero complained. He took her waist and swept her flush against him. “I thought you’d forgotten. I was going to surprise you and everything.”

“I know. Miss Garland spoiled it,” Elphaba revealed, winding her arms around his neck with a grin. “You know she can’t keep a secret.”

“You’re all sweaty,” Fiyero pestered, twirling an unkempt strand of her hair around his finger. “Were you racing the kids again?”

“Yes,” Elphaba confirmed.

She freed her hair from its bun and gave it a quick shake before crossing their cottage and stealing into a room across the way.

“Did you let them win again?” Fiyero called.

She snorted from the other room. “Yup!”

“You’ve got to let them win on their own one of these days!”

“Ah, sue me Fiyero.” Elphaba reemerged with her and Fiyero’s toddler propped up against her hip. She planted a kiss to his black hair as he rubbed a sleepy fist over his blue eyes. “Motherhood has made me go soft.”

“Hey! He learned another word today!” Fiyero reported.

“He did? You did?” Elphaba gasped excitedly as she swayed her son side to side. “What was it?”

“I…don’t want to say.”

“Tell me.”

Fiyero sighed heavily. “Book. He said book, okay? Our son is a nerd.”

“Book!? Liir, did you learn how to say book?” Elphaba gasped. She attacked Liir’s cheek with kisses and he giggled delightedly. Elphaba turned back to Fiyero with an arrogant expression. “Chart.”

“Ah, Fae. Can’t we just be happy that our son is so smart? We don’t need to make this a competition.”

“Says the loser!” Elphaba bragged obnoxiously. “Chart!”

“Chart,” Liir repeated.

“Is that a new one?” Elphaba asked.

“Nah, he learned that last week,” Fiyero sighed.

He dragged himself towards the easel they displayed in their living room that had a T-chart indicating a ‘Fiyero’ category and an ‘Elphaba’ category. Fiyero’s side had words such as ‘party’, ‘play’, and ‘dance’. Elphaba’s side had words like ‘read’, ‘learn’, and, to Elphaba’s chagrin— ‘green’. His first word, however, they wrote in the center, feeling as though they’d played an equal role in its influence. ‘Mail’.

“Happy now?” Fiyero asked as he jotted ‘book’ under Elphaba’s section. “You’re in the lead.”

“I’m in the lead!” Elphaba beamed, lifting Liir high in the air as she celebrated. “Hear that? Mama is in the lead!”

“This chart is going to screw him up, you know?” Fiyero grumbled, only perturbed for having lost his advantage.

“We’re going to screw him up no matter what,” Elphaba shrugged, tickling Liir’s stomach to get another laugh. “At least we’re having fun with it.”

“Funny. The kid is almost as ticklish as his mom,” Fiyero threatened as he advanced a step her way.

“Don’t you dare…” Elphaba warned, knowing his look. She held Liir up in front of her in defense. “I have the child.”

Fiyero was about to pounce, but Elphaba’s frowned as she detected a sudden scent.

“Hold on—Yero…do you smell smoke?” she asked slowly.

“Yeah, I do.”

Elphaba’s serious expression dropped with an exasperated scoff. “Your surprise involved cooking, didn’t it?”

“Maybe?”

“What did we agree on?!” Elphaba groaned. “You do the cleaning I do—”

“—the cooking!” Fiyero finished. “I know, but I wanted to be romantic!”

The smoke alarm went off and Elphaba handed Liir off to Fiyero in order to address the burning dinner. She opened the window and pointed a finger at the fire to extinguish it through magic, flourishing an arm to banish the smoke outside. She turned and looked at Fiyero who had a guilty expression.

“Whoops,” he shrugged.

“Whoops,” Liir echoed.

Elphaba leaned against the counter as she was suddenly wracked with tickled, full body laughs. Liir clapped his little hands and scream giggled along with his mother which only made Elphaba laugh harder. She clutched at her stomach as she caught her breath and noticed Fiyero staring at her with a small smile.

“You’re looking at me like you love me,” she pointed out with a breathless chuckle.

He approached her and brushed his thumb over her chin with his free hand, admiring her secret dimples.

“You look happy, Fae.”

“I am,” Elphaba responded. “I really, really am.”

Elphaba did damage control over dinner to salvage their meal while Fiyero created a romantic atmosphere by lighting a candle and playing a record on their dingy phonograph. Liir played his part by only spitting up once. After dinner, Fiyero set Liir up to play with his blocks on the carpet before helping Elphaba with the dishes.

Fiyero playfully bumped his hip against hers as she washed and he dried. She playfully bumped him back and he splashed some water from the sink onto her gray dress. She gasped and swatted at him with the dish towel.

“Careful, Yero. You wouldn’t want me to melt!”

“Oh yes I do. Liir gets such a kick out of it.”

“What do you think, Liir? You want to watch Mama melt?”

Liir looked up with wide eyes, holding a green block in both hands. “Melt!”

“He knows that word because of you,” Elphaba accused.

“At least it made your side of the chart. Go on now, the kid is waiting.”

Elphaba walked over to the quilt where her son was sitting and got his attention.

“Watch out, Liir. Mama’s melting. I’m meltiiiiiiiing! Ooooh what a world!” Elphaba cried playfully, wilting in a dramatic fashion to lay on the ground beside Liir who giggled up a storm. “Oh, my beautiful wickedness! Blegh.”

“Melt! Mama melt!” Liir demanded, placing a block on Elphaba’s stomach and clapping wildly.

“Oof, I think Mama’s too tired to melt again,” Elphaba sighed. Liir leaned forward and placed a sloppy kiss to her cheek that was more like a raspberry. “Thank you, baby.”

Fiyero helped Elphaba to her feet and she laughed wearily, crossing into the kitchen again to drain the sink. A bunch of bubbles had collected at the bottom and Elphaba stared at them wistfully. She felt Fiyero’s arms wrap around her from behind.

“I miss her too,” he said knowingly.

Elphaba scooped some suds into her hand and blew them towards her unsuspecting husband. She laughed evilly as he spat them off his tongue.

“That’s for the water.”

“Oh, you are so going to pay—” he warned and Elphaba shrieked as she escaped his clutches.

She scurried into the living room where he soon caught up with her, but instead of tickling her he suavely pulled her into a dance position and began leading her in an expert waltz.

“Full of surprises, Mr. Tigelaar,” Elphaba commented breathlessly.

“Gotta keep you on your toes, Mrs. Tigelaar,” he grinned, as he whirled her around their cottage. “Plus I love this song.”

Elphaba sighed sweetly as they swayed together.

“How long have we been married again?” she joked. “Forty years? Fifty?”

“I think sixty,” Fiyero hummed, kissing her hair and leaning his head against hers as they danced cheek to cheek.

“Wow, we look good,” Elphaba commented, stroking her fingers through his hair. “No grays yet.”

“There better not be.”

“What do you say, Tigelaar?” Elphaba asked. “Sick of me yet?”

Fiyero lowered her into a slow dip.

“Oh, yeah. Definitely.”

She laughed and swatted at this chest as he lifted her back to her feet before an unexpected sound from outside startled them from their dance. They gripped each other tighter as they listened close.

“It couldn’t be…” Elphaba reasoned, exchanging a surprised look with Fiyero. “Could it?”

Elphaba rushed into the kitchen to lean out of their open kitchen window. She released a loud gasp to see who had just landed on their lawn.

“He’s early!”

They both scurried out onto their yard with Liir in tow and Elphaba shouted in delight to see an old friend.

“Chistery!”  Elphaba greeted enthusiastically. Chistery nearly tackled her in a hug and she knelt before him to nudge his shoulder. “We weren’t expecting you until next month, silly thing!”

“Surprise! Surprise!” Chistery announced happily, clearly pleased with himself.

“Get in there,” Elphaba gestured, making way for Chistery to bound into their warmly lit home.

He hopped up onto their kitchen table and Liir giggled as Elphaba and Fiyero followed him inside.

“Chisty!” Liir babbled, grasping his tiny fists towards the Monkey. They adored each other.

“How are you, my friend?” Elphaba asked. “I hope all is well.”

“Yes, well!” Chistery nodded. He reached into his tiny bag and pulled out a bundle of envelopes and an array of small packages. “Happy! Anniversary! Happy!”

“Oh, you sweet thing. You remembered!”

“Looks like everyone remembered,” Fiyero chuckled, thumbing through their letters. “Amalia, Dillamond, Nessa, Glinda—hell yeah! She sent macaroons!”

“Hell yeah!” Liir mimicked.

“Fiyero, don’t say bad words in front of him! You know he repeats everything we say.”

“Don’t you tell the kids that there are no bad words, only bad intentions?” Fiyero reminded her.

“Yeah, but I’m full of shit.”

“Shit,” Liir said.

“Shit!” Chistery joined excitedly.

“Shit…” Elphaba and Fiyero sighed in unison.

Deciding they’d corrupted him enough for one day, Elphaba and Fiyero tucked Liir into bed and gently closed the door behind them. Chistery was already curled up on their sofa, crashed after a long journey. Elphaba and Fiyero linked hands and tiptoed towards their dining room table to sift through their messages.

“Dillamond says that most of the Monkeys are speaking as well as Chistery,” Fiyero reported from the professor’s letter. “He cut out some articles too. Ha—look at this one.”

Fiyero handed Elphaba a tabloid and she grinned.

“The Wicked Witch of the West is Alive! New wave of sightings in The Scalps!” she read dramatically. “They can never get the story completely right, can they? What’s that?”

“Nessa sent a book of her poetry,” Fiyero realized, handing Elphaba a thin, hardcover book.

“Really?” Elphaba asked, running her thumb over the name on the cover. Nessarose Thropp. “Oh, my baby sister is published. Can you believe it?”

“No, I can’t. I can believe that she sent us this Unionist brochure though,” Fiyero waved the pamphlet in Elphaba’s face and she swatted it away.

“Well, she’s still Nessa, that's for sure. She wants us to send current pictures of Liir back with Chistery.”

“Well we’ve got tons. Maybe the one with his hair all slicked up?”

“No, we have to keep that one!” Elphaba gasped. “She can have the one of him playing outside from when Glinda came to visit.”

“Speaking of Glinda…” Fiyero prompted, presenting Glinda’s dense letter written upon pages and pages of pink stationary. “Mmm…it’s scented.”

“Well Glinda loves form…though she hardly slacks on content these days,” Elphaba adjusted her glasses as she combed through the dozens of pages detailing Glinda’s life. “What time is it?”

“It’s eight,” Fiyero realized. “Hey, it’s eight! Happy anniversary, Fae.”

“Happy anniversary, Yero.”

They leaned forward to share a long, heart stirring kiss before intimately resting their heads together.

“I keep waiting for it to happen,” Elphaba expressed quietly.

“For what?”

“I keep waiting for our lives to start to feel ordinary. Between work and Liir and arguing and chores I just…I keep waiting to take it for granted. But every day I wake up beside you and remember what it took to get here…” Elphaba trailed off.

“I know,” Fiyero agreed.

“Do you ever think we should write it all down?” Elphaba chuckled. “Our story…just so we don’t forget anything.”

Fiyero sucked air through his teeth and nodded his head to their wall where, along with their wedding photo and snapshots of Liir, a collage of some of their most precious letters were framed on display.

“Pretty sure we already did.”

Elphaba stood and strolled to the wall to reference one of the earliest letters she’d received from Fiyero. It was a favorite of hers. The first one he wrote to her as Yero…the one where they’d been strangers no more. Time was funny. It felt she’d received it a lifetime ago. It felt like she’d received it yesterday.

Elphaba reminisced on the work she’d accomplished, the people she’d loved, and the life she’d created for herself and a rush of realization filled her chest.

“I feel like I’ve done it,” she announced.

“Done what?”

Elphaba turned to Fiyero with a small smile.

“Something…great.”

Fiyero leaned back in his chair and admired his wife. “I knew you would. I’ve said so all along.”

“Yes you did,” Elphaba agreed, tapping the letter on the wall. “I guess you saw the future.”

“Nah—I didn’t. I could only ever tell the present.”

Elphaba raised an eyebrow, prompting him to explain.

“You’ve always been great, Elphaba. It was the easiest bet I’ve ever placed.”

Elphaba went to stand behind his chair and wrap her arms around him from behind. She kissed his stubbled cheek in appreciation and rested her chin on his shoulder.

“We’d better get to responding. Let’s do Glinda first. You write, I’ll dictate.”

“I wrote last time!” Fiyero complained. “Plus your handwriting has always been better.”

“What did we just say about taking things for granted?” Elphaba raised an eyebrow and nodded towards the stationary. “Now write. Dear Glinda…”

“Dear Glinda…” Fiyero repeated aloud as he began to write.

“We were so happy to hear from you earlier than expected. We miss you dearly, as does Liir. We show him a picture of you daily. He loves hearing all about his ‘fairy godmother’ as you insist we have him call you,” Elphaba said. She paused for a moment and took a deep breath as she waited for Fiyero’s hand to catch up. “We would love for you to pay us another visit. Perhaps we should plan for next summer…after the new baby arrives.”

“…the new baby…arrives…” Fiyero mumbled along, his eyebrows knitted in concentration.

Elphaba watched as the words dawned on him and he turned to look at her.

“Wait…really?” he asked in a hushed tone.

Elphaba couldn’t hide her grin any longer as she nodded excitedly.

“Yeah.”

“When did—”

“Yesterday.”

“Are you—”

“Yes.”

“How are—”

“Wonderful.”

“Fae!” Fiyero laughed incredulously and pulled Elphaba into an astonished hug. He held her for a long moment before mumbling something into her shoulder. “You’re switching to part time.”

“No I’m not,” Elphaba said as she pulled out the hug, casually plucking the pen out of Fiyero’s hand to continue their letter to Glinda.

“Then you’ll stop running around with those kids!”

“No I won’t,” she said without looking up.

“Will you listen to anything I say?”

“Never have, never will.”

“You infuriate me!”

“Mutual, darling.”

“I love you.”

Elphaba looked up to grace Fiyero with a gentle smile.

“I love you too.”

Elphaba and Fiyero spent the rest of the evening together in quiet harmony as they composed, addressed, and sealed their hearts into envelopes. It came as naturally to them now as it did from the first stroke of their pens. Their fresh start had been a blank sheet of stationary, a chance to compose and edit their life into a story they wanted to live. Gratitude spilled from them like ink to paper as they immortalized that story, their story, in the many letters they wrote to their loved ones.

They signed these letters as they always had, and as they would forever more.

Love, Fae & Yero