Chapter Text
Elphaba gazed at her hands alternated with Glinda's, she spoke softly:
"Are you coming?"
Glinda took a long pause. Looking around the dusty old room, not answering she rushed away. Rifling through what seemed to be old stage clothes, a rack that was far too dusty, she found it. It being, a cloak, black and wispy, it was unsightly but it would fit right in with Elphaba's charm. She'd tried resisting this every step of the way, trying to be with Fiyero, leading the crowd, she was popular and she had everything she had ever wanted. But. Elphaba's adoration was the one thing she couldn't ignore. She was capable in every sense of the word, powerful beyond measure, but she still looked back like Glinda was the one thing she wanted. How could she say no to her? The simple answer was she couldn't. Glinda walked back over in slow, measured steps, sliding her hands over Elphaba's shoulder, turning her around so she could put the cape on. Her heart stuttered as Elphaba bent her neck, no communication needed between them in this moment, Glinda let her hands linger for longer than necessary on the back of Elphaba's neck. Enjoying the sensation of her skin. When the cape was in place, Glinda turned her back around,
"Elphie, you're my best friend, of course, I'm coming with you."
Elphaba allowing a break in the intensity smiled, her cheeks turning a slightly darker green for a moment before straddling the broom,
"Get on, we don't have much ti-"
The door down the stairs burst open, the wood splintering everywhere, the guards rushed in immediately, thundering across the floor in their haste. Elphaba's eyes widened in alarm and before she could register what she was doing, she grabbed Glinda, tucking her safely behind her body as the guards streamed in from all sides. Of course, she had no knowledge of how to fly a broom, what the mechanics were, how they should fly and even where they should go, but her magic seemed to sense her panic and her urgency. Kickstarting forward, she commanded the broom in the air rocketing off the balcony and into the open air. Elphaba closed her eyes tight, ready for the drop, the panic, and the impending sense of doom when her powers failed and she and Glinda plummeted to their deaths. Instead, all she heard was a quiet gasp in her ear as Glinda tightened her grip around Elphaba's waist. The broom dipped for a moment before continuing, even faster than the Emerald City Express that they had come here on.
"Elphie, you're astoundifying! We're flying!"
Finally, Elphaba opened her eyes, having to see for herself that it wasn't a dream. They were flying, at an impossible speed through the sky and into the clouds. They were an angry gray color, green-lighting crackling through their usually peaceful exterior. That was strange, there had never been green lightning a day in her life. Elphaba flattened herself closer to the broom, the wind becoming particularly powerful with the oncoming storm. Glinda followed her lead, her hair whipping through the wind, this was more than enough air for her. Elphaba could feel Glinda shifting a little bit closer, her back pressed against Glinda's chest, warmth spread across her face thinking about how close they were before she remembered the present circumstances. She was thinking about where to go, considering where would be safe for them, but also where could they go that would be out of the reach of the monkeys that she created. Whatever warmth she was feeling left her face as shame settled in, thinking about how careless she'd been with her powers, how she was twisted for the purposes of Madame Morrible and the Wizard, how she could've been so blind. Tears slipped from her eyes thinking about it before she felt another warm arm circle around her mid-section, Glinda laying her head on her back. She wasn't just doing this for her but for everyone and maybe she'd made mistakes, but she would atone however she could for them. Starting with helping the animals out of captivity. She knew almost certainly that the monkeys were still coming,
"Hold on! We need to shake the monkeys!" Elphaba shouted over the wind, turning her head enough that she could yell backwards.
Her confidence growing by the second, she did a roll, flipping the broom 180 degrees, heading back towards the Emerald City.
"Elphie, what are you doing?!" Glinda yelled, her grip terrifyingly tight now.
"We can't have them following us!" Elphaba responded.
"But what if there are guards waiting? What if someone shoots us out the sky? What if-" Glinda started.
"Trust me! I know what I'm doing!" Elphaba retorted.
"You do not! you just got this broom today! Really, it was 5 minutes ago! But I trust you!" Glinda acquiesced.
Elphaba allowed herself a little smile, curving back towards the palace. Seeing the guards still tracking her movement through the sky and Madame Morrible with them, organizing their efforts, she took a nosedive, evening out when she was finally level with them. She pointed at them all with her whole hand, recreating her move from the ballroom. As the monkeys closed in on her, she sped off again, past the guards and Madame Morrible, out through the other window of the upper level. The monkeys followed her rather, they attempted to, crashing into the guards and Morrible, disoriented. Making an arc around the tower, they flew away untracked, everyone who could've stopped them, on the ground.
"This is scandolocious Elphaba. We're outlaws now!" Glinda squealed.
"Yes, well, nothing has come from being good thus far, maybe we switch things up." Elphaba replied.
They hightailed it out as quickly as possible, Elphaba deciding quickly that they needed a place to hide, to regroup, to plan. She rode the skies, Glinda behind her,
"Where are we going? What are we going to do? What about Fiyero? What about Momsie and Popsicle? Elphie, what are we doing?" Glinda questioned.
"I don't know, but we can't stay in the Emerald City and we can't go back to Shiz, I have a place we could go, away from the eyes of the monkeys, it's where we released the lion cub."
"We?" Glinda asked with a tinge of hurt.
"Fiyero and I, we let the lion cub go in the woods, it's not much but it's close enough that we can regroup and still hear news about what's going on. We need a plan and to make a plan, we need information."
Soaring through the clouds was peaceful, finding their way back as the storm thundered on, as they were closing in on the forest, they heard what sounded like a broadcast from an unlocated source. It was clearly Madame Morrible's voice coming through the sky,
"Citizens of Oz, there is an enemy who must be found and captured. Believe nothing she says, she has stolen our Grimmerie, she is evil, responsible for the mutilation of these poor, innocent monkeys. Her green skin is but an outward manifestorium of her twisted nature. This Distortion. This Repulsion. This Wicked Witch. She corrupted another student, innocent of any crime against her will. Find her and bring her to your Wizard."
Elphaba tried not to let it get to her. She really did. But she thought this was her mentor, the first person to ever believe in her. Tears streamed down her face, as she silently cried, trying her best to land the broom with some grace. When they finally touched down, Glinda immediately was on her. Despite her narrow stature, her arms were strong and warm. Glinda pulled her in and squeezed, holding on as Elphaba's dam broke, she buried her face into Glinda's shoulder. Trying to stifle her sobs. It didn't work, she cried for the woods to hear, mourning the future she had always dreamed of and then the new dream that was crushed before it was even a hope. Glinda just held her, patting her back and holding her head, gently humming and making comforting noises. She wasn't sure exactly what to do besides hold her. Elphaba was holding her just as tightly as she'd been squeezing her.
"I'm so sorry Elphie. You are none of those things she said. You have been nothing but good. You made good. You must believe it, because I know you and because I came to knew you, my life has been changed for the better. You are so good that you make others good, don't let anyone convince you otherwise." Glinda whispered into Elphaba's ear.
Her sobs eased, the tears drying from her eyes and the exhaustion hitting her all at once. Today was a hell of a day. And there was no telling what tomorrow would be, but with Glinda holding her, whispering to her, a small part of her felt at ease. No, nothing was the same and things would never be what they were again. But they could be better. She had to hold on to that. Things could always be better than the day before, with her arms around Glinda, it seemed even more true than before. There was a time that they were enemies, but here they were and if that was possible, she could hold onto hope that anything was.