One Short Walk to Winkie Country
The three made their way through the woods. Hilde loped gracefully over protruding roots and boulders that littered a barely discernible pathway. As a result, the girls were constantly stumbling through the woods. Elphaba was trying to take it in stride, but her companion was getting grumpier.
‘Say what you will about that stupid Wizard, but I think he had a point about a yellow brick road.’ Glinda muttered unhappily.
‘At least you admit that he’s stupid.’ Elphaba replied back.
Glinda didn’t say anything back, for she tripped again over a root that Elphaba swore was not there before when she looked back.
‘Okay, this is starting to feel personal,’ as she jumped back to her feet, and tossed her hair over each shoulder.
As if in response, they heard laughter coming from the leaves of the trees.
‘Who's there?’ Elphaba shouted.
‘Oh it’s just Arbour, he likes to play tricks on newcomers into the forest.’ Hilde explained from in front of them.
‘Oh my gosh, so it is personal. And what exactly do you have against blondes??’ Glinda shouted to the trees, her hand raised in a fist as she vaguely gestured at the forest.
‘Oh, Glinda, don’t bother, it's not worth it.’ Elphaba said, trying to persuade Glinda from a potential meltdown and confrontation with the trees.
‘It certainly can’t be you Elphie, I mean look at you, you fit right in!’ Glinda exclaimed honestly.
Elphaba raised an eyebrow, almost in annoyance at her friend’s jab at her discoloration, before it changed to a furrow of concern.
‘Glinda, what’s happening, you’re acting strange?’ She paused as she saw Glinda twirl like a ballet dancer, her arms upturned and flowing as if they were swaying to music. ‘Well, stranger than usual at least.’
‘Oh this isn’t good, we better get her out of here, quickly! Hilde said as she bounded over to Glinda and gently bopped her nose against her back, pushing her towards the green witch.
‘Oh but we must stay, I so want to dance with you, Elphie!’ she cried.
"We have to get her out of here, but gently. Try not to say anything that will upset her. The extraction process from a siren’s magic is not complicated, but if done roughly it can be … difficult to heal the damage.’ Hilde said, pausing with consideration.
‘Damage?’ Elphaba exclaimed incredulously. ‘Wait, there are sirens in the trees?’ She grabbed Glinda by the waist, the other hand cradling her arm as she guided her friend away from the trees.
‘Yes, it is unusual that they would be living in the trees and not closer to the water.’ Hilde puzzled for a moment, a quizzical look on her face. ‘I guess they can’t do any real harm here, being away from the water and all, so they must be doing this for jollies and kicks.’
‘Elphie, promise me we’ll dance again together. Oh that was so much fun at the Oz Dust Ballroom’. She looked up at her friend with excitement.
‘What exactly is she seeing right now?’ Elphaba asked, confusion and concern lacing her voice.
‘A siren reveals an inner desire. It seems that she wants to go dancing with you.’ Bemusement affected the antelope’s tone. Glinda was trying to pry herself away and twirl herself under Elphaba’s arm. At Glinda’s pout, Elphaba acquiesced and let her arm go limp, allowing Glinda to twist herself under her arm with a bright laugh.
‘Just a bit longer through this mess, and we’ll be on a clear path.’ Hilde called from ahead.
‘Come on my girl. We’re almost there.’ Elphaba said. Glinda hummed pleasantly, as they clambered up a small hall. Hilde was right, there was thankfully a clear path that wound its way out of the woods. Elphaba could see a small town at the end of the path, the buildings and houses looking picturesque amongst the blue sky and puffy white clouds.
The three continued to lope down the path until they were out of the woods.
Suddenly, Glinda took a sharp breath and wrenched her arm out of Elphaba's.
‘What the hell just happened to me?’ She nearly shouted.
‘Ah good, the siren’s magic must have worn off, since we’re out of the forest.’ Hilde said, turning around so she was facing Glinda, appraising her.
‘A siren? What happened, I don’t remember what the sirens made me say.’ Glinda asked Elphaba, tilting her head in concern.
‘Oh, you um, you just wanted to dance.’ Elphaba said, trying to keep her voice neutral.
Glinda’s voice was light and airy, oblivious. ‘Oh, well we did have a nice time together with Fiyero that one night.’
Hilde paused, considering the both of them. ‘Okay, let's keep going, not too much farther till we’re into town.’
—--
Hilde led them on a path, stopping outside a cobblestone building perched at the outskirts of the city. Discretion was important, as Hilde told them that a Wizard sent out a decree for Elphaba’s arrest. Glinda’s presence was curiously omitted from the decree, but she was not complaining in the slightest.
Elphaba flipped through the Grimoire, trying to find a spell to cloak herself. Glinda looked visibly nervous, even squeaking in alarm when she opened the book. But she agreed that her friend’s presence was anything but subtle, and acquiesced to the tome’s use.
She muttered the ancient dialect as if she had known the words all her life and before Glinda could blink, Elphaba vanished before her eyes. She felt her friend’s arm slip into hers as Hilde led them into town. The town was what her parents would call ‘quaint’, with cobblestone houses no larger than one floor littered the town. Everything was brightly coloured in typically Ozian fashion, but Glinda found herself missing the extravagant nature of the Upper Uplands.
At the center of the town square stood a clockwork tower, a large bell chiming as the afternoon sun crested into noon in the sky. The square was bustling with munchkins as they attended the markets, selling food and wares amongst one another.
Glinda felt Elphaba’s grip tighten, as despite her invisibility, Glinda knew her friend felt anxious about being seen.
‘Hilde, how much farther till we’re at the library?’ Glinda asked, her voice pitched with worry.
‘Ah we’re just about there!’ She said cheerily, oblivious to the girls’ worry. True to her word, she turned a corner away from the square and into an alley that was thankfully more secluded. The library was modest, an unassuming brown door that Hilde pushed open with her hoof, ambling gracefully in.
They were met with a library that was overflowing, books littering shelves that were stacked haphazardly on top of one another. Glinda heard Elphaba’s soft muttering and her friend blinked into existence again.
Elphaba breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at her hands, flexing her fingers as if to assure herself that she was here.
‘I … wasn’t able to see myself. I am sorry if I grabbed you too tightly while we were walking through town. I just felt that you were anchoring me, almost.’ Her voice sounded almost shy.
Glinda was confused why she was unsure, for she felt a blush coming on as she said with pride, ‘Well, us Uplands are known for having a sturdy center of gravity, I am happy to center you.’
Elphaba rolled her eyes at Glinda’s joke, but gave her a small smile in return, before turning to Hilde who returned from the back of the library with a white snow leopard ambling behind her.
‘Elphaba, Glinda, this is Byron. He is the chief librarian here, and is also friend’s with Dr. Dillamund.’ Byron was dressed in a fine pinstripe suit, a red ascot puffing out from his cream white button down. He wore a monocle over his eye, and his tail swayed as he regarded them curiously.
‘So you girls have certainly found yourselves in quite the conundrum.’ he said simply. ‘Hilde, could I bother you to brew us some tea? I think it’s time we talked about what happened in Oz.’