Good news, she's dead
Elphaba left Glinda’s apartment after the fight. She walked past Glinda’s secretary, Mellie, who waved at her and said brightly, “Bye, Pheobe!”
Pheobe. The stupid name Fiyero had given to her in Kansas. He became Frederick. She became Pheobe. Fiyero thought she’d like it since it sounded kind of like Elphie. That’s why she hated it. Another reminder that she wasn’t with Glinda.
Elphaba found a small inn to stay in, just outside the Emerald City. She got up to her room and sat down on the end of the bed, looking out the window towards the Emerald Palace on the horizon. How did I screw this up so badly?
She had regretted not telling Glinda about the plan the second that water was thrown, and every moment since. She hadn’t expected Glinda to be there. Her presence almost made Elphaba not go through with the plan. But she had remembered Fiyero’s warning that the only way to keep Glinda safe was to leave. So she left.
They went to Kansas, using a spell from the Grimmerie. She had made a small mark on the page before she gave it to Glinda, small enough that it could be ignored if it fell into the wrong hands. Just a smudge in the shape of a black pointy hat. But she had hoped Glinda would figure it out, and at least know that they were alive. Apparently, she didn’t.
Oh, Oz. What now? Elphaba had been trying to figure out how to come back to Glinda for the past several months. The spell wasn’t quite the same going the other way, so she basically had to invent parts of it on her own. When she had finally come up with something she thought would work, it had taken her another few months to work up the courage to cast it. If something went wrong, there was no way to undo it. But as time ticked closer and closer to 5 whole years away from Glinda, she decided the potential consequences were worth it and cast the spell. It had worked. It had brought her to the outskirts of Oz. She slowly worked her way toward the Emerald City, cautious at first and then more confident as she began to get word of all the changes Glinda had made. She even felt comfortable enough to stop by Munchkinland and visit the site of Dorothy’s house, acting like a tourist but really just wanting to feel close to Nessa just one more time. The night before she showed up at the palace, Elphaba had stayed in an inn quite like the one she was in now.
She barely slept that night. She was too excited. The idea that Glinda was right there, in the palace right outside her window, was too much to bear. Finally, after almost 5 years, they’d be together again. Really, it had been even longer than 5 years. Ever since that day with the monkeys, the most important piece of Elphaba’s life had been missing. She pictured the way the reunion would go. She’d walk in and reveal herself to Glinda. She would finally get to hug her again. Finally get to talk to her, to explain, to apologize, to make everything just like it used to be at Shiz. Finally get to be happy. She hadn’t been truly happy since Wizomania. Elphaba wondered if Glinda still wore the same rose perfume, if she still used the shampoo with the scent Elphaba could never quite place but loved more than any other smell. She had seen photos of Glinda in newspapers since coming back to Oz. Her eyes didn’t quite have the sparkle Elphaba remembered. She hoped that was just a result of low-quality newspaper pictures. Elphaba was physically shaking with anticipation. It was almost unbearable to be so close and still have to wait. But she waited, because she knew it would be more than worth it.
It was getting dark outside now. Elphaba hadn’t realized she had started to cry. “Glinda, I’m so sorry,” she whispered, as if Glinda could hear her. She climbed into the bed, feeling more alone than ever. It reminded her of the night Fiyero left, back in Kansas.
She knew what he was going to say before he said it. It had been just under 2 years since the Melting, but things had been rough between her and Fiyero for nearly a year. Maybe longer.
“We need to talk,” Fiyero said when he walked into their kitchen. They barely spoke anymore.
“I’m listening,” she said, nervous.
“I think I’m going to leave. I’m sick of Kansas. I’ve heard good things about New York. There’s a train tomorrow.” He said all of this so matter-of-factly, like he was commenting on the weather.
“I’ll come with you,” Elphaba said, without hesitation.
“I really don’t want you to.”
Knowing it was coming did nothing to soften the blow. “Why?”
“Because you don’t care about me.”
“Yes, Fiyero, I do,” pleaded Elphaba.
“As a friend, maybe,” Fiyero said, sitting down at the table across from her. “But honestly, I don’t even know if you ever really loved me.”
“I did. I do,” Elphaba said, trying to think of something to make him stay.
“No, Elphaba. You didn’t.” Fiyero paused and looked at Elphaba, much more kindly than you would expect from a breakup. “You love her. You always did. You always will. I can’t compete with that, and frankly I’m sick of trying.”
“Who?” Elphaba said, although she knew exactly who Fiyero was talking about.
“You know,” he said with a small chuckle.
“You can’t just leave like this,” Elphaba begged. “You can’t leave me alone. I picked you. I came with you. I-“
“And you regretted it every moment since,” said Fiyero. He still wasn’t mad, which confused Elphaba. “And honestly, I regretted it too.”
“What?”
“I regret that I didn’t let you tell her.”
Elphaba looked at him, shocked and speechless.
“I said it would be safer if we didn’t tell her where we were going. And I truly believe that. But also, I knew if you were picking between me and her, it would be her. Every time. And so I made sure to emphasize that picking me was really what was best for her. I really do think it was. I care about her too, and I never want her to get hurt. But I didn’t give you or her the choice to take the risk. And I’m sorry about that now. You didn’t get to be together, you never got to tell her how you felt, because of me.”
“Fiyero, that’s not your fault. I never would have told her anyway,” Elphaba said. “All through Shiz I convinced myself those feelings weren’t real. I would never have told her. I didn’t want to lose our friendship.”
“Well, you lost it anyway.”
Elphaba paused. She couldn’t think about Glinda right now. Not when Fiyero was trying to leave. “Please, can I come with you?”
“I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me,” Fiyero said.
“We don’t have to be together. We can just be friends. But you can’t leave me here alone.”
Fiyero laughed. “Oh, Elphaba. Just because you never loved me doesn’t mean I never loved you. I still do. And if you come with me, I don’t think I can stop. I have to do this. For me.”
Elphaba thought for a moment. Fiyero had done so much for her, had endured so much heartache because of her. She couldn’t ask him to do anything more. “Ok. Good luck. I hope you’re happy, in the end.” Those words were all too familiar.
“Thank you,” Fiyero said, moving to hug her.
When they pulled apart, Elphaba looked him in the eye and said, “And for the record, I did love you.”
“For a moment,” he added.
Elphaba nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“I know how it feels to fall head over heels for someone,” he said, sadly. “You can’t help it. I hope you get to be together someday. When you love someone like that, it’s magic.”
Elphaba hugged him again, knowing this would be the last time she’d ever see him. The last piece of Oz she had left. The last person who really knew her. Gone.
He had left the next morning without Elphaba knowing, a quick kiss on her forehead and then he was gone.