Nastoya
Chapter Five: Nastoya
Elphaba fought the iron grips of the natives on either side of her, who pulled her toward the empty hut she’d vacated only minutes ago. She struggled in vain to get to Glinda, who was pulled roughly by the arms in the opposite direction.
“No!” she cried, a note of hysteria in her voice as she managed to kick one of the men holding her, causing him to yell in surprise and let go of the arm he’d been holding. “Leave her alone! Leave her alone!”
“Elphaba!”
The fear and desperation in her friend’s voice was enough to send her over the edge. She yanked on her arm that was still held by the other captor on her other side, pulling with all the strength she had in her which, admittedly, wasn’t much, seeing as she hadn’t eaten since the train ride to the Emerald City. But she fought anyway, her brain running through all the different horrendible scenarios that could play out if these strangers got Glinda alone somewhere.
“Glinda!” Her hysteria heightened as she felt something hard slam into her back, and she fell face first into the hard grassy ground. Stars swam in her vision, and her back felt as though it had been cracked in half like an egg, but she tried getting to her feet anyway, only to stumble and crash right back down, unable to find purchase on anything.
“Elphie! No—”
But whatever Glinda had intended to say was cut off abruptly, and through the ringing in her ears she vaguely made out the sudden silence that had replaced the shuffling feet and heavy breathing of those engaging in heavy labor. Through the pain in her back and the sudden headache pounding against her temples, she forced herself to look up to see what was going on. She needed to know where they were taking Glinda so that when she burst free from her captors, she’d know where they were keeping her when she was able to break free and rescue her.
But, to her surprise, the natives had stopped moving. Those who had been dragging Glinda along paused, staying far enough to keep out of Elphaba’s reach. Her relief was short-lived when her eyes caught sight of the spears pointed at her friend, their sharp tips dangerously close to her face and chest. Glinda whimpered, sounding about as broken and terrified as Elphaba had ever heard her.
Elphaba froze, unable to do much else. She hardly dared to breathe, lest these strange people took offense to it and decided to ram their spears through the innocent blonde in their clutches. Glinda had frozen as well, tears streaming freely down her pale cheeks, her doe eyes wide and pleading with Elphaba in silent supplication.
“That’s better,” the large woman said, cutting into the tense silence. Her heavy footsteps stomped their way around Elphaba, stopping only when she blocked Elphaba’s view of Glinda. Her heart pounded a frantic rhythm at Glinda’s surprised squeal as she was suddenly pulled away again, away from Elphaba. Elphaba twitched in her direction, her blood boiling in her veins as she readied herself to fight through her pain to get to her friend, but the sight of those spears still pointed at her kept her where she was.
“What are you going to do to her?” Elphaba barked as her eyes tracked their movement into a nearby hut, pulling the frightened girl in and slamming the door shut behind her. Only when she’d disappeared inside the hut did Elphaba unwillingly turn her attention back to the large woman in front of her.
“She’ll be fine.” The woman waved a hand dismissively as she raked her gaze openly across Elphaba’s prone form, her lip curling at whatever conclusion she must’ve come to. It made Elphaba want to get to her feet and ram her fist through the woman’s crooked nose. “Why don’t we go have a little chat?”
“And if I say no?”
The woman shrugged as she said, as casually as if they were talking about upcoming dinner plans, “Then your friend dies.”
Those four words sent a shiver down Elphaba’s spine and what felt like strong clawed fingers clenched around her heart and squeezed. Around her, she felt the nearby tress begin to rustle and sway despite there being no wind, and nearby rocks rose from the ground to hover dangerously around Elphaba’s head, circling ominously as they waited for her anger to spur them into further movement.
Rather than look frightened by this ominous display of power, the woman merely rolled her eyes and opened her mouth in a fake yawn, which only caused more rocks to join the others around Elphaba’s simmering form. “Are you done? Or do I have to waste even more time waiting for this little temper tantrum to end?”
“How dare you--!”
“Is this really how you want to spend your time?” the woman cut in, dropping her bored façade as she stepped closer to Elphaba and grabbed her chin in her meaty hand, forcing her to stare into her large blue eyes. “In a pissing contest you cannot hope to win? Or can we actually get down to business?”
“What business?” Elphaba snapped, pulling out of the woman’s grip.
To her surprise, the woman let her and stepped back. Then, before Elphaba could feel much relief over it, she felt herself get pulled back to her feet by two hands around her upper arms. The rocks dropped to the ground as indignant surprise replaced her anger, the grips around her arms tightening painfully enough that she winced in shock and discomfort.
“The business of both of us getting what we want, Elphaba Thropp.”
Her gaze snapped up to the massive woman upon hearing her full name on her lips, and all the fight left her as she was pulled back inside the hut that she’d vacated only minutes ago. She threw one last beseeching glance toward the hut Glinda had been dragged into before she was thrown down forcefully, landing underneath her heeled boots as she connected painfully to the floor of the hut.
“Elphaba Thropp?” Elphaba inquired uncertainly, shifting where she’d landed so she could keep the large woman in her sight. “I’m afraid I don’t know who that is.”
“Oh, spare me.” The woman rolled her eyes exaggeratedly as she stomped to the small sofa and threw herself onto it. The sofa squeaked loudly in protest at the added weight, but the woman didn’t seem to either notice or care. She raised one of her oversized arms and waved it in Elphaba’s direction as she simpered, “I know a glamour when I see one.”
Then, before Elphaba could process what was happening, the woman morphed before her very eyes.
Elphaba watched, transfixed, as the woman’s face fell away, her skin growing harder and courser as she became even larger than she already was. Her hands turned to broad circular forefeet, her massive body filling out her baggy white blouse and tan pants. Her long braid fell down the side of her face which, Elphaba was shocked to discover, had turned into that of an Elephant. Her nose became a large trunk that fell to the center of her bulky chest. Only her eyes remained the same as they’d been in her human form.
She regarded Elphaba with amusement, clearly having anticipated the woman’s shock and awe. She sat back on the sofa, much like a human would, her massive feet shaking the hut’s foundations with every movement.
“Yes,” she said, her booming voice rumbling against the thin walls. Elphaba eyed them warily, half-expecting the building to crumble around them at any second. “As you can see, you’re not the only one walking around in disguise.”
Elphaba looked down at her temporary brown skin, then back at the woman—Elephant—and found herself curious despite the absurd situation. Her mind buzzed with questions, and the scholar in her yearned to ask them, though the thought of Glinda, who’d been pulled away and dragged into a nearby hut, pushed the questions aside in favor of the more relevant ones.
“Who are you?” she finally asked as she got to her feet, ignoring the sharp pain in her back at the effort. She felt as though she’d been stabbed in the back by thousands of tiny knives that had then been left to rot inside her. “What do you want?”
“Oh, how silly of me,” the Elephant snorted, leaning forward in her seat in the most peculiar imitation of a human that Elphaba had ever seen. “Where are my manners? I am known as Princess Nastoya, of The Vinkus.”
The name was unfamiliar, though Elphaba didn’t know where she’d have expected to hear it. The only person she knew from The Vinkus, or Winkie Country as it was commonly known, was Fiyero, and he’d never once mentioned the name. She couldn’t imagine they were related, despite both having a title of royalty attached to their names. Being related to someone who could apparently shift from human to Elephant would almost certainly have come up at some point.
Ignoring the painful thoughts of the man she’d left behind back at her old life at Shiz, Elphaba studied Princess Nastoya the way the Elephant had studied her, as though hoping to learn all her secrets simply by looking at her. She didn’t seem to be in any hurry to do anything with her captives, which only made Elphaba wary. What were her intentions? Why let Elphaba roam around the hut, which clearly belonged to her, and gather food and supplies, only to capture her and Glinda moments later? Why reveal her true form when she could’ve just remained as a human? Unless the glamour wore off after a certain amount of time?
There was so much that Elphaba didn’t know. She didn’t like unfamiliar situations because she never knew what to expect. This woman was an enigma. Her calm demeanor indicated she wasn’t worried about any type of fight from Elphaba; her lack of urgency meant that she didn’t anticipate any sort of escape attempt. She was in complete and utter control, whereas Elphaba felt as though she were standing on the verge of a precipice. One wrong move, and she’d topple to her death.
“What do you want?” Elphaba asked at last, not seeing any alternative. It would be useless denying her real identity, especially since the glamour would eventually disappear and reveal her true nature. Maybe if she gave up any pretense, she could gain some control over the situation and figure out what these people wanted and find a way to get herself and Glinda to freedom.
“There are so many answers to that question, my dear, that it would take all day just to get through half the list,” she quipped lightly, as though they were two reacquainting friends catching up on old times. “And I’m afraid we haven’t the time for that. So, I’ll just tell you the most pressing matter, shall I?”
She paused, seemingly for dramatic effect. Elphaba glared at her, resisting the urge to snap at her to get on with it. These types of games reminded her too much of the Wizard, and those wounds were still too fresh. Even thinking back on it brought a new wave of nausea crashing through her gut.
Princess Nastoya continued, though the twinkle in her eyes dimmed somewhat when she didn’t get whatever reaction she must’ve wanted from Elphaba. “I want your help,” she finally said, her tone turning somber.
“My help?” Elphaba echoed, frowning. “What could you possibly want from me?”
“Ah, yes. Let me start at the beginning, shall I? It’ll clear up so much confusion.”
No! Elphaba wanted to scream. She didn’t have time for this. Her feet twitched with her barely contained urge to run away from the hut and rescue Glinda from where she’d been stashed. She wanted to yell at this Animal that she didn’t care about her plight and had her own problems to worry about.
But she remained where she was, staring at the Elephant, who indicated the chair that had been brought out and placed on the side of the sofa by one of the other natives without Elphaba noticing. When she glanced at the native, who’d scurried away to blend in with the shadows, she realized with a start that he wasn’t a human, either, but an Orangutan.
“I’m not sure if you are aware of this or not, but Animals have been persecuted in Oz for quite some time. Since the time of the Wizard, as a matter of fact. And—”
“Yes,” Elphaba cut in abruptly, waving an impatient hand in the air, her back protesting painfully at even this small movement, though she did her best to ignore it. “I know all of this already.”
Nastoya threw her a curious look, tilting her massive head to one side, causing one of her floppy ears to graze against the sofa cushion. “Yes,” she murmured softly. “But did you know that there are bands of us gathering together in the hopes of one day being strong enough to go up against the Wizard?”
No. That was news to her, though Elphaba wasn’t about to admit as much. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, remembering her inadvertent mutilation of the monkey guards back at the Emerald Palace, and how the Wizard and Madame Morrible hadn’t so much as batted an eye at Chistery’s suffering.
“No,” she finally said, reluctantly slipping carefully into the offered chair. She winced at the discomfort this small action caused. Her head felt faint, and her hands shook in her lap at the revolting memory of her backfired levitation spell. “I didn’t. And while I think that’s great, what does this have to do with me?”
“Well,” Nastoya began, and flicked her trunk in the direction of one of the natives waiting in the background. A moment later a tray of food had been deposited on Elphaba’s lap as the Elephant continued. “Rumor has it that you’re on the run from the Wizard for defending Animal rights.”
“Ha.” Elphaba laughed bitterly as she bit into a piece of toast and looked back at the Elephant across from her. “Haven’t you heard? Why would I care about Animal rights when I’m the wicked witch who is responsible for the mutilation of the Monkeys at the Emerald Palace?”
“And did you also kidnap that girl?”
The tension that had slowly ebbed out of Elphaba from her meager breakfast came rushing back as she took in Princess Nastoya’s words, eyeing her for any sign of jest. “What?”
The princess moved her shoulders in a jerking movement that Elphaba assumed must’ve been her approximation of a shrug as she replied coolly, “That’s what that woman said on the radio.” Her trunk raised and pointed to a small box sitting on a nearby table that Elphaba hadn’t seen during her first visit in the hut. “The woman—Madame Morrible, is it? —claims that you snatched the girl off the balcony and flew off with her before she had a chance to bring her to safety. And here you both are, in The Vinkus of all places, only she doesn’t look like a captive to me. You seem to care an awful lot for a girl they claim you kidnapped, so if that’s not true, I have to ask myself, what else did they lie about?”
The idea that Elphaba would kidnap Glinda—and that anyone would actually believe it—was laughable. Back at Shiz, before that fateful night at the Ozdust when Elphaba had found herself befriended by her popular roommate, she would’ve given anything to keep the girl as far away from her as possible. The days when Glinda, or Galinda as she’d been known then, stayed out all night and ignored her when they were in close proximity, had been Elphaba’s favorite because it had meant that she didn’t have to worry about whatever prank or insult the girl would think to throw her way next.
Hearing the word ‘kidnapped’ suddenly brought Elphaba up short. Is that what she’d done? It certainly hadn’t been her intention to take Glinda against her will off that tower and bring her along on her crusade against the Wizard. She’d known, when they’d stood together outside the balcony, before the guards had captured her, that Glinda wasn’t going to go with her. She’d begged and pleaded, but Glinda had too much going for her back at Shiz. She had her perfect boyfriend, perfect life, and was finally studying sorcery despite not being very good at it. A life on the run with Elphaba would have changed all that, and even though they were best friends, and Glinda was the one and only true friend that Elphaba ever had, in the end it hadn’t been enough to keep her friend at her side.
She’d only taken Glinda off that tower and flown her away because she’d been hurt. The guards would’ve dragged her down those stairs, into the clutches of the Wizard and Madame Morrible, who would’ve done Oz-knew-what with her. Maybe even used her as some kind of bait to entice Elphaba to return and do their bidding. Elphaba had saved her from all that. She’d done the right thing.
Right?
Remembering where she was, Elphaba pulled herself out of that dangerous line of thought and looked into the steely gaze of Princess Nastoya, who stared back, unblinking.
“What do you want?” Elphaba asked quietly as she set the tray of barely touched food on the floor beside her, wincing as a fresh wave of pain overcame her at the movement. Nastoya watched her but said nothing, waiting until she had Elphaba’s full attention before speaking again.
“Like I said before, I want your help. There’s a member of our tribe who has been taken, and I believe he may be in grave danger. I want you to find him and bring him back.”
A pause followed this declaration. Elphaba sat back in her seat, gaping at the Elephant for some sign that she was joking. When the Animal did not move or indicate that this was some sort of elaborate prank at her expense, Elphaba reluctantly continued, “What makes you think I’d do anything for you?”
“I have your girl,” Nastoya pointed out softly as she leaned forward once more to stare closely into Elphaba’s eyes. “And you need help if you are to stand any chance of keeping off the Wizard’s radar. Our group has hidden in the shadows for years now, with the Wizard and his cronies none the wiser about our existence. We have the resources to help you, if you help us. After all, our interests align. We both want what is best for the Animals and want to see the Wizard dethroned and exposed for the fraud he really is.”
“And what are you going to do with Glinda if I refuse?”
Nastoya gave her a cold look, and Elphaba had to fight not to shrink away from her intense gaze as she wrung her hands nervously in her lap, all too aware of the natives who remained scattered around the perimeter of the hut, their spears clutched tightly in their hands as they waited for an order from their leader to attack.
“I think we both know the answer to that question.”
“If you so much as touch one hair on her head…”
“Yeah, yeah,” Nastoya said, her trunk rising and falling as she sighed and looked away. The gesture and mannerisms were so human that Elphaba couldn’t help but stare. “You’ll pull out that magic spell book in your bag and force me to grow wings. Sound about right?”
Elphaba swallowed whatever retort she’d been about to spit out, the thought of Glinda trapped, alone and at the mercy of Nastoya’s goons, forcing her to remain calm. She needed to get her friend to safety, and antagonizing this woman for the sake of her pride was not going to help.
So Elphaba, not knowing what else to do, sighed in resignation and asked softly, “What do I have to do?”