Past Undone - Chapter 28
Title: Dangers Ahead
Fandom: Wicked, The Life & Times of The Wicked Witch of The West.
Pairing: Elphaba/Glinda (I know, I know...but I have an overactive imagination, and I'm a sucker for fantasy stories. :P)
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; I'm merely borrowing them for the ride.
Background: This story was inspired both by the book and the musical. I took the things I liked better from each one.
Author's Note: I apologize profusely for all the language mistakes I'm sure I've made. English is no my mother tongue and this is my first attempt at writting, so please bear with me ;)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 28 - Dangers Ahead
Elphaba observed the retreating figure of the Superior Maunt with a pensive air before turning her eyes towards Glinda once again. The blonde Witch seemed intent on avoiding her gaze, so Elphaba had to settle for waiting to know what had caused the troubled look on Glinda's eyes. The list of things to discuss is getting awfully long, she thought.
"How are you feeling this morning, Miss?" Mali asked Glinda.
The blonde was all too happy to focus her attention on anyone but Elphaba, so she looked up at the redhead and smiled. "It's Glinda, dear. And I feel much better, thank you." Her eyes wandered through the faces of the rest of the group. "How about you?" She asked."Have you all enjoyed a good night of sleep?"
Her question was met with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Lea was the only one to voice an answer. "Ozness yes, I hadn't slept this well in months."
"She's not lying either." Added Mali laughingly while she took the seat beside Glinda on the bench. "First thing she said this morning when she woke up was that if the food and beds were this good, she could see herself joining the contemplative life of the Maunts in a heartbeat."
"Contemplating life gets old rather quickly, trust me." Elphaba's somber voice took the smiles away from both of the ex-prisoners' faces, and the group was once again enveloped by silence.
"Well, " Shell began, "I, for one, have enjoyed my sleep. So much so, that I woke up with a clearer mind this morning. I've been thinking…"
"Never a good sign." Glinda added with a smirk that took all the malice from her words.
"Happy to see you woke up in such good spirits this morning, Linn." Shell smiled at her, and Glinda smiled in kind, touched by the fact that Shell would still remember the nickname he had bestowed on her so many years ago.
The memories of that time made her remember the conversation she had had some minutes ago with the Superior Maunt, and the words of the Sister came rushing back to her mind. She couldn't help but raise her eyes briefly towards Elphaba and Liir, who were standing side by side right in front of her.
Shell saw how the smile on Glinda's lips turned into a sad one, the blonde woman's efforts to cover it up failing miserably. He tried to get the conversation, and hopefully Glinda's thoughts, back on track. "Right, so," he began again, "even if it may have been a dangerous endeavour indeed, as Glinda so graciously put it, I have been considering how we should proceed now."
Elphaba, much like his brother, had noticed the shift of emotions behind Glinda's eyes, and though it unsettled her not knowing what was going on, she knew now wasn't the time to address that subject. "What do you suggest we do?" She asked her brother instead.
"Well, my first thoughts aren't so much a suggestion as they are a question, really." Shell put his foot on the bench and rested his hand upon his knee, picking absentmindedly at some invisible specks of dust on his trousers. He looked up, to see if all of them were paying attention. "I think we should consider which ones of us are willing to take part in the events that are to come." He said, and when he saw the blank stares on his companions' eyes, Shell elaborated. "What I mean to say is that some of you have gotten into this situation unknowingly, and maybe you should reconsider if getting involved in all this it's a wise idea." The black-haired man eyed the two ex-prisoners intently, until Lea finally realized what the man was trying to get at.
"I can't speak for Mali, but I would like to stay and help in whatever way I can." The brown-haired woman said, searching Glinda and Elphaba's eyes. "I don't really have anywhere to go, and I would like to be able to say that I didn't stand idly by watching how Oz was destroyed by this man."
Mali nodded her head in agreement. "Not to mention the fact that we are fugitives." The redhead said matter of factly. "I know that what is to come is not going to be an easy journey, but as Lea said, I would like to help you if you would have me."
Shell took another look at the faces surrounding him, and not seeing any doubts reflected in the eyes of any of them, he smiled. "Alright then, so now that this matter has been discussed, we should start planning our next move."
"We should stay put for a couple of days more." Liir joined the conversation. "At least until Lady Glinda has recovered some of her strength."
"It's Glinda, and there's no way that's going to happen." The curt response of the blonde Witch interrupted the round of nods from her companions. "We should leave today, the sooner the better."
"Glinda," Elphaba's tone held a warning to it, it was obvious that the black-haired Witch didn't share Glinda's point of view, but before she could voice her disagreement, the blonde woman spoke again.
"I'm sorry." She said. "It might have sounded as a suggestion." Glinda met the eyes of all the members of this peculiar fellowship, stopping pointedly when they reached Elphaba's. "It wasn't. We are leaving today."
"Maybe you should reconsider, Linn." Shell interrupted before Elphaba could voice her opinion. The look on his sister's eyes making it clear that she was about to start a fight with Glinda. Shell thought the blonde woman might feel less antagonistic towards him. "Yesterday you could barely move, and though you are looking better, you are still weak." Shell insisted softly.
"I know I'm still weak, believe me." Glinda sounded tired. "I know all of us could use a couple of days of rest, but I won't rest until I'm sure Kiilt is alright. I put him in this situation; I'm responsible for him. Besides," the blonde Witch continued, "the longer we stay here, the more we endanger the Mauntery and the Sisters."
"Okay, let's take a minute to think this through." Elphaba took a long breath to calm herself and then spoke. "Glinda is right."
"Am I?" The blonde woman asked perplexed.
"Yes." Elphaba said. "The longer we stay, the greater the danger for the Maunts is."
"Well, thank you Elphaba." Glinda was surprised by Elphaba's change of heart, but thankful nonetheless.
"Hold your wand, Glinda." The grateful smile disappeared from Glinda's face as quickly as it had appeared. "I do agree with you on the fact that we are putting these women in danger. However, I also agree with Shell on you still needing to recover before thinking about going anywhere." Elphaba stood there, pensive. "I'll go to Kiamo Ko and make sure the boy and the book are safe." She finally said. "The rest of you should move south, towards the Quadling Country."
Her words were met with silence at first. "I know it's not much of a plan, but right now we should worry about getting as far from the Emerald City as possible." Elphaba said, trying to make her point. "We will consider all possibilities once we have recovered the book."
"There's no way I'm going to the Quadlings." Glinda said rising from her seat and confronting Elphaba.
"You aren't." The raven-haired Witch answered, leaving Glinda dumbfounded once again.
"What? But you said…"
"I said you still needed to recover. The rest should go South, but you are staying here until I make it back from Kiamo Ko. Hiding just one person shouldn't pose much of a problem to the Sisters, whereas six…" Elphaba stopped mid-sentence, giving her own words some thought, "well, let's just say we won't be safe here for much longer."
"I'm not staying here either, Elphaba." Glinda was furious, her words escaping her mouth through clenched teeth.
"I don't think it's a good idea to separate the group." Liir said before Elphaba could say anything to Glinda. "The Vinkus seems like a much better option to me. Not even the Gale Force would dare go into some of those lands; we should stay together."
"We are not going to the Vinkus, end of discussion." Elphaba retorted.
"Why not?" Ventured Lea. "I mean, if Liir says the Gale Force wouldn't look for us there, it should be safe, right?" She added timidly, not wanting to be on the receiving end of a look like the one the green woman was directing at the boy.
"Precisely because not even the Emperor's army would dare go into those lands is why we are not going there." Elphaba said to Lea with a stern face, though not unkindly. "There are dangers beyond our comprehension in those parts of Oz. We are not going there."
"Right." Said Liir sulkingly. "I forgot whatever Elphaba says goes."
Elphaba turned to look at Liir in the face, but Shell spoke before Elphaba could give the boy a piece of her mind. "I have to agree with her on this one, Liir. Some parts of the Vinkus are downright nasty places."
"Thank you." Elphaba said relieved to have at least Shell's support on this. "Look," she said to Liir, "I don't want to be deciding for anyone here, I'm just telling you what I believe to be the best option for us right now." She didn't want to get into a fight with the boy, getting Glinda to agree to her plan was going to be difficult enough without having to add another front to that battle.
"I trust your instincts." Mali said, breaking the silence surrounding them after Elphaba's speech. "If you say Quadling Country is the safest choice right now, then Quadling Country it is." The redhead looked around, trying to assess her companions' opinion as well.
"You are right." Glinda's words surprised everyone, specially the green Witch. She had believed the blonde woman was going to put up a bigger fight than that, she was happy to see Glinda getting on board, though.
"I'm glad you agree." Elphaba said congenially, but Glinda put up her hand, stopping the following words from coming out of the dark-haired Witch's mouth.
"Don't get ahead of yourself." Glinda said. "I agree that going to the Quadlings seems like our best move right now, but don't think for a second that I'm going to agree with your idea of leaving me here." Elphaba was about to protest again, but the blonde woman held up the index finger of her already outstretched hand, and the green woman kept quiet once again. "I'm either going with you to Kiamo Ko, or I'm going by myself once you leave." Glinda crossed her arms over her chest and held Elphaba's gaze defiantly. "Your choice."
It was obious to the taller Witch that Glinda wasn't going to back down, so she simply sighed resigned. "Were you always this pigheaded?" She asked with half a smirk on her lips.
"Yes." Glinda answered, and even though she tried to let it come, the usual answering smirk didn't appear on her lips this time. Her hurt feelings were still very present in her mind. "Only, I used to be much more sweeter about it then."
Elphaba tried to ignore the pain that accompanied Glinda's rebuff. She simply nodded, finally acquiescing to the blonde's wishes. "Alright then. If we are leaving, we should arrange our departure as soon as possible, we shouldn't delay it any more than necessary."
They all agreed, and standing in the Mauntery's gardens they gave the final touches to their plan. Hoping against hope that dividing the group in two was not the mistake Liir had said it to be.
That's all for now. More to come this week. Please, let me know what you think, feedback is very helpful. As always, thanks for reading!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 29
Fandom: Wicked, The Life & Times of The Wicked Witch of The West.
Pairing: Elphaba/Glinda (I know, I know...but I have an overactive imagination, and I'm a sucker for fantasy stories. :P)
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; I'm merely borrowing them for the ride.
Background: This story was inspired both by the book and the musical. I took the things I liked better from each one.
Author's Note: I apologize profusely for all the language mistakes I'm sure I've made. English is no my mother tongue and this is my first attempt at writting, so please bear with me ;)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 28 - Dangers Ahead
Elphaba observed the retreating figure of the Superior Maunt with a pensive air before turning her eyes towards Glinda once again. The blonde Witch seemed intent on avoiding her gaze, so Elphaba had to settle for waiting to know what had caused the troubled look on Glinda's eyes. The list of things to discuss is getting awfully long, she thought.
"How are you feeling this morning, Miss?" Mali asked Glinda.
The blonde was all too happy to focus her attention on anyone but Elphaba, so she looked up at the redhead and smiled. "It's Glinda, dear. And I feel much better, thank you." Her eyes wandered through the faces of the rest of the group. "How about you?" She asked."Have you all enjoyed a good night of sleep?"
Her question was met with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Lea was the only one to voice an answer. "Ozness yes, I hadn't slept this well in months."
"She's not lying either." Added Mali laughingly while she took the seat beside Glinda on the bench. "First thing she said this morning when she woke up was that if the food and beds were this good, she could see herself joining the contemplative life of the Maunts in a heartbeat."
"Contemplating life gets old rather quickly, trust me." Elphaba's somber voice took the smiles away from both of the ex-prisoners' faces, and the group was once again enveloped by silence.
"Well, " Shell began, "I, for one, have enjoyed my sleep. So much so, that I woke up with a clearer mind this morning. I've been thinking…"
"Never a good sign." Glinda added with a smirk that took all the malice from her words.
"Happy to see you woke up in such good spirits this morning, Linn." Shell smiled at her, and Glinda smiled in kind, touched by the fact that Shell would still remember the nickname he had bestowed on her so many years ago.
The memories of that time made her remember the conversation she had had some minutes ago with the Superior Maunt, and the words of the Sister came rushing back to her mind. She couldn't help but raise her eyes briefly towards Elphaba and Liir, who were standing side by side right in front of her.
Shell saw how the smile on Glinda's lips turned into a sad one, the blonde woman's efforts to cover it up failing miserably. He tried to get the conversation, and hopefully Glinda's thoughts, back on track. "Right, so," he began again, "even if it may have been a dangerous endeavour indeed, as Glinda so graciously put it, I have been considering how we should proceed now."
Elphaba, much like his brother, had noticed the shift of emotions behind Glinda's eyes, and though it unsettled her not knowing what was going on, she knew now wasn't the time to address that subject. "What do you suggest we do?" She asked her brother instead.
"Well, my first thoughts aren't so much a suggestion as they are a question, really." Shell put his foot on the bench and rested his hand upon his knee, picking absentmindedly at some invisible specks of dust on his trousers. He looked up, to see if all of them were paying attention. "I think we should consider which ones of us are willing to take part in the events that are to come." He said, and when he saw the blank stares on his companions' eyes, Shell elaborated. "What I mean to say is that some of you have gotten into this situation unknowingly, and maybe you should reconsider if getting involved in all this it's a wise idea." The black-haired man eyed the two ex-prisoners intently, until Lea finally realized what the man was trying to get at.
"I can't speak for Mali, but I would like to stay and help in whatever way I can." The brown-haired woman said, searching Glinda and Elphaba's eyes. "I don't really have anywhere to go, and I would like to be able to say that I didn't stand idly by watching how Oz was destroyed by this man."
Mali nodded her head in agreement. "Not to mention the fact that we are fugitives." The redhead said matter of factly. "I know that what is to come is not going to be an easy journey, but as Lea said, I would like to help you if you would have me."
Shell took another look at the faces surrounding him, and not seeing any doubts reflected in the eyes of any of them, he smiled. "Alright then, so now that this matter has been discussed, we should start planning our next move."
"We should stay put for a couple of days more." Liir joined the conversation. "At least until Lady Glinda has recovered some of her strength."
"It's Glinda, and there's no way that's going to happen." The curt response of the blonde Witch interrupted the round of nods from her companions. "We should leave today, the sooner the better."
"Glinda," Elphaba's tone held a warning to it, it was obvious that the black-haired Witch didn't share Glinda's point of view, but before she could voice her disagreement, the blonde woman spoke again.
"I'm sorry." She said. "It might have sounded as a suggestion." Glinda met the eyes of all the members of this peculiar fellowship, stopping pointedly when they reached Elphaba's. "It wasn't. We are leaving today."
"Maybe you should reconsider, Linn." Shell interrupted before Elphaba could voice her opinion. The look on his sister's eyes making it clear that she was about to start a fight with Glinda. Shell thought the blonde woman might feel less antagonistic towards him. "Yesterday you could barely move, and though you are looking better, you are still weak." Shell insisted softly.
"I know I'm still weak, believe me." Glinda sounded tired. "I know all of us could use a couple of days of rest, but I won't rest until I'm sure Kiilt is alright. I put him in this situation; I'm responsible for him. Besides," the blonde Witch continued, "the longer we stay here, the more we endanger the Mauntery and the Sisters."
"Okay, let's take a minute to think this through." Elphaba took a long breath to calm herself and then spoke. "Glinda is right."
"Am I?" The blonde woman asked perplexed.
"Yes." Elphaba said. "The longer we stay, the greater the danger for the Maunts is."
"Well, thank you Elphaba." Glinda was surprised by Elphaba's change of heart, but thankful nonetheless.
"Hold your wand, Glinda." The grateful smile disappeared from Glinda's face as quickly as it had appeared. "I do agree with you on the fact that we are putting these women in danger. However, I also agree with Shell on you still needing to recover before thinking about going anywhere." Elphaba stood there, pensive. "I'll go to Kiamo Ko and make sure the boy and the book are safe." She finally said. "The rest of you should move south, towards the Quadling Country."
Her words were met with silence at first. "I know it's not much of a plan, but right now we should worry about getting as far from the Emerald City as possible." Elphaba said, trying to make her point. "We will consider all possibilities once we have recovered the book."
"There's no way I'm going to the Quadlings." Glinda said rising from her seat and confronting Elphaba.
"You aren't." The raven-haired Witch answered, leaving Glinda dumbfounded once again.
"What? But you said…"
"I said you still needed to recover. The rest should go South, but you are staying here until I make it back from Kiamo Ko. Hiding just one person shouldn't pose much of a problem to the Sisters, whereas six…" Elphaba stopped mid-sentence, giving her own words some thought, "well, let's just say we won't be safe here for much longer."
"I'm not staying here either, Elphaba." Glinda was furious, her words escaping her mouth through clenched teeth.
"I don't think it's a good idea to separate the group." Liir said before Elphaba could say anything to Glinda. "The Vinkus seems like a much better option to me. Not even the Gale Force would dare go into some of those lands; we should stay together."
"We are not going to the Vinkus, end of discussion." Elphaba retorted.
"Why not?" Ventured Lea. "I mean, if Liir says the Gale Force wouldn't look for us there, it should be safe, right?" She added timidly, not wanting to be on the receiving end of a look like the one the green woman was directing at the boy.
"Precisely because not even the Emperor's army would dare go into those lands is why we are not going there." Elphaba said to Lea with a stern face, though not unkindly. "There are dangers beyond our comprehension in those parts of Oz. We are not going there."
"Right." Said Liir sulkingly. "I forgot whatever Elphaba says goes."
Elphaba turned to look at Liir in the face, but Shell spoke before Elphaba could give the boy a piece of her mind. "I have to agree with her on this one, Liir. Some parts of the Vinkus are downright nasty places."
"Thank you." Elphaba said relieved to have at least Shell's support on this. "Look," she said to Liir, "I don't want to be deciding for anyone here, I'm just telling you what I believe to be the best option for us right now." She didn't want to get into a fight with the boy, getting Glinda to agree to her plan was going to be difficult enough without having to add another front to that battle.
"I trust your instincts." Mali said, breaking the silence surrounding them after Elphaba's speech. "If you say Quadling Country is the safest choice right now, then Quadling Country it is." The redhead looked around, trying to assess her companions' opinion as well.
"You are right." Glinda's words surprised everyone, specially the green Witch. She had believed the blonde woman was going to put up a bigger fight than that, she was happy to see Glinda getting on board, though.
"I'm glad you agree." Elphaba said congenially, but Glinda put up her hand, stopping the following words from coming out of the dark-haired Witch's mouth.
"Don't get ahead of yourself." Glinda said. "I agree that going to the Quadlings seems like our best move right now, but don't think for a second that I'm going to agree with your idea of leaving me here." Elphaba was about to protest again, but the blonde woman held up the index finger of her already outstretched hand, and the green woman kept quiet once again. "I'm either going with you to Kiamo Ko, or I'm going by myself once you leave." Glinda crossed her arms over her chest and held Elphaba's gaze defiantly. "Your choice."
It was obious to the taller Witch that Glinda wasn't going to back down, so she simply sighed resigned. "Were you always this pigheaded?" She asked with half a smirk on her lips.
"Yes." Glinda answered, and even though she tried to let it come, the usual answering smirk didn't appear on her lips this time. Her hurt feelings were still very present in her mind. "Only, I used to be much more sweeter about it then."
Elphaba tried to ignore the pain that accompanied Glinda's rebuff. She simply nodded, finally acquiescing to the blonde's wishes. "Alright then. If we are leaving, we should arrange our departure as soon as possible, we shouldn't delay it any more than necessary."
They all agreed, and standing in the Mauntery's gardens they gave the final touches to their plan. Hoping against hope that dividing the group in two was not the mistake Liir had said it to be.
That's all for now. More to come this week. Please, let me know what you think, feedback is very helpful. As always, thanks for reading!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 29