Author's Note:

This story takes place within a slightly altered universe to that of the traditional Wicked story. I wanted to have something that embraced what I loved about Wicked, but was different enough to not just be a retelling of the existing story.
My story borrows elements of both the novel and the musical, some events have been altered, added, or subtracted from the storyline. Additionally, my story uses quite a bit of the traditional L. Frank Baum version of Oz.

If you liked this scene, please let me know, it will give me the drive to actually begin writing the rest of this story.

This story is dedicated to Leiah,

one of my most treasured friends,

the only person I know who could satisfy my

Ozian Obsessions

in such a magical, wonderful way.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ OZ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Outside the emerald palace things were far from wonderful. Almost three weeks ago, Glinda Upland, the celebrated Saint of Goodness for all of Oz, had disappeared. It happened right under the Wizard's nose, after he gallantly took her to the hospital in his own carriage and arranged a private room for her and a personal guard to ensure she was undisturbed while she recovered. Many asked what it was that she was recovering from, but the general masses assumed it simply to be a necessity due to the weak constitution many thought the cheery social butterfly had.
She had swooned right at the key moment, right when the Wicked Witch herself had unexpectedly burst through one of the stained glass windows, sending shards of glass flying over the horrified audience and sending Ozian Guardsmen scrambling for their rifles. The witch had arrived just as the minister completed the hallowed phrase of “If anyone should have cause why this man and woman should not be married...”

Perhaps if Glinda hadn't swooned she might have found it down right cliché, unfortunately she'd fainted and didn't even get to see Elphaba's dramatic exit moments before that astounding entrance. After she collapsed everything became a state of pure chaos as cries of assassination, magic and conspiracy flew from panicked Ozian lips. The wedding had, of course, not gone through; with the bride unconscious and the guests in a state of wild disarray no one could even keep track of what was what. By the time order had been restored people realized that the noble groom, Sir Chuffrey, had in fact fled the church at the mere sight of the emerald sorceress. This act of cowardice had earned him just as much contempt in the eyes of the Glinda-loving public as the witch had for barging into Glinda's wedding.

Her Goodness was swiftly ushered off to an Emerald City hospital. A candle light vigil was held and outcries were made for the heads of the Wicked Witch and Sir Chuffrey as well. Rumors flew like wildfire on the grasslands of Oz, some said Glinda had been hexed by the Witch, others said Sir Chuffrey was in league with the witch and had poisoned Glinda before the wedding. Only the brightest of Ozians pointed out the most obvious of conclusions, that Chuffrey had run blind with fear and was now hiding from the public and hoping that his cowardice would be forgotten.

The reality was, perhaps, more tragic.

Glinda was pressured by society and politics. She had agreed to marry Chuffrey for the sake of image. She was, after all, a very intelligent woman; she knew that a married woman gained more influence and respect than a single one and that Sir Chuffrey's family name could help her in her efforts to make Oz a better place. It was a noble, but self-sacrificing, intension. She would marry him so that she could improve her station and do more for Oz than she was currently capable of achieving.

For five days before the wedding she'd stopped sleeping, getting only an hour or two of rest each evening. Three days before the wedding she stopped eating, drinking only water and the occasional glass of juice. By the morning of the ceremony Glinda could barely stand. To her delight, the lightheaded feeling and the dizziness made it much easier for her to plaster on that big smile and go through with the whole thing...even if it wasn't with the person she wanted to be with.

She pushed herself onward, seeing it through, walking down the aisle and standing next to the pompous politico while he preened for the gathered crowds and delighted in the trophy wife he was soon to have, then... then she came! She came just like in Glinda's dreams, the ones she'd been having for weeks before the ceremony, the reason for her inability to sleep at night. The green girl showed up right at that sweet but cliché moment when she was supposed to; Glinda's heart skipped a beat, quite literally, and she fainted.

The bubbly blonde woke up a day later. She was now in a hospital gown, in a hospital bed, weak and weary. She was both amused and a little irritated to learn that the Wizard had actually had guards posted outside her room to ensure she didn't have anyone interrupting her while she recovered; or so he claimed. She knew better.

He was a sweet man, a decent man... Or at least, he once was. When he first arrived it seemed like he actually did have Oz's best interest at heart. He was smart, charismatic and creative but power has a way of changing people and as the saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely. She'd seen him for what he truly was in recent days, over heard things when he didn't know she was near by. It was an heinous, hideous thing he had become; she wished she could help him, but then she wished she could help all of Oz.

It hadn't been her idea to be this. All she wanted was a rich, good looking husband who would support her and see to her needs, a social life surrounded by her peers and betters and attended to by her underlings and a nice home in the Emerald City. It had never crossed her mind that she could have more than this, it had certainly never even entered her blissful blonde brain that she could be a revered and worshiped saint of goodness and charity through all of Oz! No, none of this was her idea it was all her dear friend's. She'd said to her once “Glinda, you can do so much I cannot. You're soft and sweet and kind, you're beautiful and speak with a gilded tongue I could never hope to have. You can do all I cannot do.”

That was what her dear, beloved, misunderstood friend had told her and it was all true. It was Elphaba who had inspired all this. Elphaba, who had led Glinda to be more than what she thought she could be, and now... Elphie had stopped it; Glinda still couldn't believe that Elphaba had actually come to the wedding, had showed up just at the right moment to keep it from happening, she was still watching, she still cared; it filled Glinda with a joy like she hadn't known in years. It was this joy that caused her to be so disappointed when she realized she was still in the Emerald City and that Elphaba hadn't simply swept her away as she'd so hoped the green girl would.

This was when she realized that she wanted Elphaba to take her away that the truth finally hit home for Glinda. She didn't like who she'd become. She was tired of being the show pony the wizard marched out in front of the crowds for their delight and adoration. She was sick of being his porcelain puppet and she was tired of being silent witness to his atrocities behind the high walls of the Emerald Palace. She was tired of accepting the limits of her station as the wizard's wonderful magical advisor, she was sick of pretending to do good things while actually being restrained from doing anything to upset the “delicate balance in Oz” that the Wizard and and his carp-faced press secretary always reminded her of. Then she thought of it... the delicate balance in Oz, if it was so delicate then what ever would happen if she chose to tip the scales in her favor?

As she considered this, Glinda the Good gave the first real smile she'd managed in a very long time. It was not the bright, perky plastic expression she showed the public. It was a sly grin, a cunning smile that one might expect to be more readily present on the viridian lips of Elphaba Thropp. Even on Elphaba's lips though, this smile would seem out of place. It was aggressive, even wicked, and those with personal experience in the field would recognize it for what it was; the smile of a scheming political expert.

Glinda the Good was finally ready to shed herself of all the pomp and circumstance. She was finally ready to stop being a little porcelain doll the Wizard paraded out in front of crowds for cheers and applause. She was ready to become what for so long she had pretended to be. The ears of all of Oz listened when she spoke; she was the most popular, the most influential, the most respected woman within her circles and within the eyes of the public. The wizard used her as a figure head, but the more he paraded her around the more power he surrendered to her; for too long now she had ignored that power and been content to play the wizard's show pony but no more. She was more than just a figure head, and now she was going to prove it.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Within a half hour of her abrupt disappearance from her hospital room every gossip in the Emerald City knew that Glinda the Good had vanished, while under guard no less! It was the talk of the town and at first people thought she'd turn up, as she always did, when she was needed. After two days with no sign of her, however, word began to grow more pessimistic. Some thought the witch had kidnapped her, others thought Sir Chuffrey's cowardly display had humiliated her so greatly that Glinda had gone into hiding... And once more, the most intelligent Ozian's asked why anyone else had to be behind Glinda's sudden disappearance; could it not be possible that the glorious Glinda would choose to disappear for her own reasons?

Of course, the most sensible voices were always lost in the buzz of rumors and hearsay and after a week of trying the intelligent commentators gave up. Thus was the state of the Emerald City when Glinda did return, nothing but rumors and hearsay with no level headed replies to offset the word of mouth. Some had even come to believe Glinda was dead, and everyone was demanding to know why the Wizard didn't seem to be making an effort to find her.

Knowing all this, one can only imagine the reactions in the crowd of protesters outside the palace when someone suddenly shouted with surprise “LOOK! It's Glinda!”

First the voices rose to a cacophony, then they went to awed silence as everyone watched the glossy shimmering bubble drifting down towards them on the breeze.

“Hello everyone!” Glinda cried chipperly as the crowd spread open to give her room to land, standing at the very core of the assembled masses.

The moment she touched down she was bombarded with cheers, outcries and questions. In response the diminutive but refined woman lifted her head, lifted her hands, and cleared her throat. Silence fell over the crowd as Glinda turned her eyes upon an upended vegetable cart. With a single whispered word and the guidance of her upraised index finger the cart was suddenly transformed into a podium. People gasped, 'Ooh'ed and 'Aah'ed, and crowded even closer at the display of magic from Glinda in a time when public displays of sorcerery were outlawed. Only Glinda the Good herself could be so bold as to do something like this and not expect a repercussion from the anti-magic ministry.

Smiling triumphantly at how well her little trick had worked to capture the attention of the crowd, Glinda stepped up behind the podium onto the little up-step behind it that allowed her to look out over the crowd and properly see everyone.

“Fellow Ozians! I know you all have questions, I know you are all frightened, and uncertain in these troubled times. We have not seen unrest like this since the days of Queen Ozma's reign, have we?”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd and far at the back of the growing throng of people two silent witnesses watched in perplexed bewilderment at Glinda's sudden appearance. The farm girl watched in rapt fascination as the blonde addressed the masses and marveled at Glinda's sudden display of authority and control over the swarm of Ozian citizens.

“What in dragon's den is she up to?” Fiyero whispered quietly.

“Shh... We can't draw attention to ourselves, if mother knows I'm here she might lose her concentration!” Dorothy hissed back, moving slightly behind Fiyero so that Glinda would be less likely to notice her.

Glinda looked out over the crowds and flashed one of her dazzling public-place smiles.

“Fellow Ozians!” She repeated, “I know that in these troubled times we look for leadership, we look for strength! We look for someone who can take care of us and tell us how better to take care of ourselves! And fellow Ozians... We. Are being. Misled!” She declared each word with more finality than the last and her sparkling blue eyes glinted with satisfaction with the shocked gasp that rippled out of the crowd.

“Think for yourselves, my dear friends! What does he do, in that grand old palace of his? Who does he have us look to in horror and fright! THE WITCH!” She cried, leaning forward over the podium while another started gasp rolled through the crowd like thunder at the head of a summer storm. “Yes, my friends, yes! The witch? She's nothing. She's just an old magician flitting around on a broomstick; sure she's real enough, but, has she ever done something to make you fear her?” Glinda cried, extending her arms in question.

For a moment there was silence, then whispers rolled through the crowd, layered with question and uncertainty.

“I dare say I know almost every person here amongst us today!” Glinda declared with another bright smile. “After all, I've made it my task in life to know you, to help better you and show you the way to a better life! But my fellow Ozians... I have failed you.”

This statement earned an outcry of dismay from many and sudden shouts of encouragement to Glinda, trying to tell her she hadn't failed them.

“No! No, do not try to tell me other wise! I have failed you, my friends! I've spent time trying to make you better, when I should show you the way to better yourselves! Now I am trying to make up for that my friends, by asking you to think for yourselves!” Glinda cried with growing passion and enthusiasm. “Think about what you know of this so called 'wicked' witch! Miss Marylin Goldwell, I see you there, my favorite florist in the Emerald City! Tell me, Marylin what has the witch done to make you fear her?”

“Well...” The old florist replied thoughtfully. “She burned the farms in the Quadling country!”

Glinda gasped in shock and clapped her hands to her face. “Oh no, how outrageous!” She exclaimed as if she had not thought of this act of villainy before now, but then she paused, she let the moment hang just long enough for everyone to become even more enthralled to hear her speak again. “...Did you ever see her do it?”

“What?” The florist exclaimed in a sort of squawk of surprise that reminded Glinda of a chicken and made her force a giggle back down her throat.

“Did you ever see her burn the farms?” Glinda repeated sweetly.

“Well... No.” Marylin replied.

“Hmmm!” was Glinda's thoughtful mono-syllabic response before turning her gaze out to the rest of the crowd. “Biron Ottel; you, my most favored of tailors, what has the witch done to make you fear her?”

“Well...” the bespectacled old man replied thoughtfully. “She terrorizes people traveling across the country to come and visit my shop here in the city, and I fear she may one day begin to kill my customers!”

“One day... One day I might decide to fund a revolution and overthrow the Wizard of Oz!” Glinda exclaimed in a tone that implied 'isn't that a silly idea' rather than any true menace.

Fiyero and Dorothy gasped and exchanged wide eyed expressions before looking back up toward Glinda as she continued her questioning of the gathered masses.

“Biron, have any of your terrified customers ever showed up bearing an injury that proves the witch was harassing them out on the roads as they made their way to the capitol?”

“Well, no, your Goodness, they haven't...” Biron confessed.

“Hmmm!” Glinda repeated with a clever grin. “So, would it be unfair of me to wonder if perhaps they simply saw the witch flying on that ratty old broom of hers and took to their heels in fright?”

“I... I suppose that might be a fair assumption, your Goodness!”

“How very curious! What about you, Odmond Longshanks, you who I know to be a fine fisherman who spends many days at a time out in the wide rivers and lakes all around our fair country. Have you ever had reason to fear the witch in your travels?”

“Well, frankly, Miss Glinda I've never once been led to think the witch is anything more than some crazy green skinned loony flying around on an old house wife's kitchen broom.” the country fisherman replied candidly.

A murmur of shock now went through the crowd while Glinda's smile grew even larger. “Now my friends! I ask you... While the witch causes terror by the mere sight of her, but never seems to do any real damage... Who has caused damage for you and yours? Marylin, when the flower gardens of Munchkinland had a bad season and you weren't turning enough profit to keep yourself going, what happened?”

“Why I went to the church of St. Glinda for aid, your goodness!” the old florist replied with an adoring smile. “You helped me afford my taxes that year after they had been raised.”

“Oh my... raised taxes when business was poor, that must have been hard for you. And you, dear Biron, didn't you have similar problems that year?”

“Yes, your Goodness I did!” Biron admitted with a faint blush to his cheeks.

“How dreadfully upsetting for you.” Glinda cooed sympathetically. “Odmond, what about you, last year you didn't get as good a fishing crop did you?”

“No, Miss Glinda, I didn't.” the fisherman replied, showing no sense of shame or fear in confessing his reasons. “Because the Wizard's water bureau dammed up one of the finest streams in the area and destroyed a prime fishing ground that I and a dozen other hard working fisherman all used to rely upon!”

“Oh mercy me, that sounds just awful. So... We have all these problems, but the witch isn't to blame for any of them. So I wonder, why is it that the Ozian government makes such a whoop-de-doo about this so called wicked witch?”

Suddenly the crowd was a buzz with questions and muttered words of agreement with Glinda's curiosities about the wizard's government. Just as people seemed ready to ask for more information, and Glinda seemed ready to give it, the impromptu political meeting was forced to a close by a booming voice.

“Attention!!” the voice of a bellowing guard captain shouted as a troop of the Wizard's personal guards made their way forward through the gathered masses. “This is an unregistered meeting blocking a public thorough fare!”

For a moment the guard captain paused, shifting nervously on his feet as he looked up at Glinda. “I do not mean to interrupt the celebration of your much needed return to our graces, your Goodness, but this party is causing a public nuisance by remaining in the streets.”

Glinda looked around. No one seemed to mind the crowd, in fact every carriage that had made it's way up the street had come to a full stop, the passengers disembarking to climb up on top of the cabs in order to get a better look and better hear the good sorceress as she spoke to the crowd. Disapproving growls and whispers echoed through the crowd and the wizard's guards gripped their rifles a bit tighter, but just as people seemed ready to forcibly resist the guards orders to disperse Glinda stepped down from her podium.

“I'm very sorry, Captain.” She said apologetically, curtsying to the captain and his guardsmen, “None of us meant to cause a disturbance.”

“That's quite all right, your goodness!” the guard exclaimed, calming down greatly and even smiling at the short stateured blonde. “We're all very pleased to have you back amongst us. The wizard was getting worried about you, we all were.”

Glinda gave another of her beautiful, kind smiles and gave her head a thoughtful nod that sent her golden curls to bouncing. “Yes, yes I'm sure you were and I'm sure the Wizard must be so pleased to have me back... But he shouldn't be.”

The guard captain blinked rapidly in confusion, “Pardon, your goodness?” he asked, taken aback.

“I wonder, Captain, would you deliver a message to the Wizard for me?”

“Of course, your Goodness...” The captain replied, the confusion still evident on his face.

“Here it comes...” Fiyero whispered quietly to Dorothy. “Come on, we need to get moving before the reactions begin.”

“Reactions to what?” Dorothy whispered, just as confused as the guard.

“Just come on!” Fiyero persisted, taking Dorothy's hand and pulling her through the crowds to begin making their way down the street.

Behind the two escaping witnesses Glinda the goods final words fell from her pretty pink lips, and the entire crowd exploded in an uproar of shock, dismay, and even some approval. Glinda had said the words that would bring about the change in all of Oz.

“Kindly inform the Wizard, Captain.” She said, in clear, curt, precise words. “That the Church of St. Glinda; and I, Glinda the Good, are moving for a vote of no confidence in the wizard's leadership abilities.”

After the initial shock had dissipated Glinda lifted her hands for silence, while the guard captain stood transfixed before her looking as stunned as if someone had just run up and slapped him in the face with a wriggling halibut.

“And I, Glinda the Good,” she emphasized her name and title again, “will be vying to replace him as political leader for Oz.”

Another roar of surprise rumbled through the crowd, this time accompanied by shocked whispers, shouts of encouragement and even a few people chanting Glinda's name in unabashed support of her newly begun campaign.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ OZ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Author's Note:
I hope you've enjoyed this little bit of fiction. If you liked it, please leave me a review, If you didn't like it, please leave me a review! My only request is, like it or hate it, make your review beneficial to me. Tell me what you liked or disliked, and why. I want to be able to improve my writing however I can, and if all I ever here was “I loved it!” or “It sucks.” how can I ever improve myself?