The Witch of the Emerald City
Kirra White Tigress

Epilogue:

The green girl let out a breath softly as her eyes flitted around the entrance hall of the manor. This was torture—pure torture! Approximately an hour previous, she had been told to wait patiently near her belongings. She was left with no books to read in the meantime—they were all packed and tucked away in the carriage by now—and, being of the anti-social nature, she had no desire whatsoever to speak to the blonde imbecile who sat perched on her own stack of valises like she was Ozma herself. I hope she falls, she thought as she cast a glare at the aforementioned girl.

She heard the blonde heave an almost exaggerated sigh, and she rolled her eyes. Seriously, this girl could get anyone to fall for her dramatic, pretty ways if they weren't already immune to them. The green girl could only hope that people weren't so dim-witted to do so….

"What do you suppose is taking so long?"

Jarred from her thoughts, the green girl looked at her companion curiously, an eyebrow raised in question. "Were you talking to me?" she asked.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "No, I was talking to the wall," she countered. Before the other girl could reply, she continued, her eyes narrowed. "Yes, I was talking to you. Isn't it obvious?"

"Well excuse me for not paying attention to your every word, Your Goodness," the green girl snapped back. She tore her eyes away from her and went back to looking around the entrance hall for a distraction to help bide her time. But her mind kept pulling her back to the question that had been asked: What was taking them so long? How difficult, exactly, was it to walk down a flight of stairs to where they were?

Most likely they'd be tripping over each other….

The green girl flinched at the sudden graphic image that appeared in her head. Knowing those girls and their relationship with each other did little to help things at all…. She closed her eyes, willing the image to vanish. Dead Puppies, she thought, repeating it like a mantra. Dead Puppies, dead Puppies, dead Puppies, dead Puppies, dead—

"Oh, Oz, you don't suppose they're having sex, do you?"

Damn it! The green girl whipped her head around to set a glare at her blonde companion. "Oh, thank you so much for that lovely image," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She breathed out a sigh and closed her eyes, attempting to get her mind back under control. Honestly, you'd think someone so prim and proper would keep from saying such things….

The blonde shrugged. "It was just a thought," she said casually, as if the very idea didn't faze her. And in truth there was a good possibility that it didn't. One could never tell with her. "Even if they weren't, it seems logical to me that they'd be spending so much time together. Given the circumstances that they'll be separated for a long time, this may be what they need." She glanced over at the green girl. "Don't you agree?"

"Only for three months," the other corrected. "Then we'll be back for Winter Break and they'll be reunited."

"But then after a week they'll be separated again. They might as well make the most of the time they have left before the three of us are shipped off to Shiz."

The green girl opened her mouth to reply, but found that the blonde was right—again. These were two women who had spent a good majority of their lives together—it would be difficult on both parts to be kept away for too long, though one was stronger than the other. So, yes, a part of her believed they should stay together was a while longer.

But another part wanted them to hurry up; they were supposed to be leaving shortly.

The blonde suddenly stretched, emitting a rather loud, high-pitched yawn; the green girl rolled her eyes at her exaggeration. Once she settled, she closed her eyes, her head tilted toward the ceiling. Silence passed through them as smoothly as a breeze, yet an apparent tension began to grow due to the sudden stillness. Finally it was broken. "What do you think Shiz will be like?" the blonde asked.

The green girl frowned. "What do you mean? It'll be like every other school, I suppose."

"Yes, but…. Mommy-Dear and Madre said that Shiz was wonderful in more ways than one. For one it brought them together, and so many of their memories have been built on what happened there."

"What do you think it'll be like, then?"

The blonde opened her eyes, her brow furrowed in thought. "I guess," she said at last, "that it'll seem somewhat other-worldly at first. I mean, there are so many people from so many different places—it'll be hard to get used to for a time. And then…."

Her companion nodded. "Then what?" she asked, prompting her to continue.

"Then… it'll be like every other school," the blonde replied, mimicking the green girl's own words. She smiled to herself before adding, "But that doesn't mean it'll be any less extraordinary."

"Well said."

Both girls jumped at the sound of the voice behind them. They quickly turned around; two pairs of eyes suddenly locked on the new-comer. A blonde woman in a simple yet elegant light blue dress stood halfway down the stairwell; a green woman similar to the one downstairs stood behind her. A moment of surprise separated them before realization and familiarity finally brought them back.

The older blonde smiled sweetly at them. "Are you girls ready?" she asked her daughters.

Liira frowned. "We've been ready," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "What took so long?"

Glinda suddenly blushed, her blue eyes flashing with an unknown emotion. Twirling a lock of her curly blonde hair with a finger, she replied, "We had a few things we needed to take care of…."

"I told you," Fabala whispered to her green sister, a blush of her own coloring her cheeks; Liira glared at her in turn. The blonde then hopped off of her stack of luggage and brushed down her off-white skirt. "When do we leave?" ash asked, addressing her two mothers as they made their way down the rest of the stairs.

"Very shortly," Elphaba answered. She glanced over at her partner, leveling a stare at her. "It would have been sooner if someone hadn't lost not one but both of her wands."

The blonde blushed again, but fired another glare at the Witch. "Oh, you're as much to blame for this as I am, if not more! You could have easily cast a spell to assist me, but no—you were standing in a corner, laughing your bloody ass off—"

"Only because you looked so adorable attempting to look for them, my sweet," Elphaba said, kissing her lover on the cheek—this added to the blonde's darkening color. She glanced over at the two teenagers before them, looking as if the past dispute hadn't even occurred, though Glinda was still silently fuming. "Now, there are some things of great importance that we really must discuss before you leave here."

Fabala and Liira nodded to let them know they had their attention. It was very rare for their mothers to come up with something of utmost significance, and when they did, they knew to take it seriously. They knew it would be very unwise for them to let this slip their minds.

Glinda gently yet discreetly took her lover's hand; this didn't escape Liira's attention. "As you may know," she said, "Shiz is one of the best universities in Oz, if not the best. You will meet many interesting people and create many memories with the friends you make and the lessons you learn. But—" The blonde's sapphire blue eyes seemingly sharpened into azure diamonds—"there are going to be horrible moments as well. Some people may not agree with you and… things will happen—it depends on how far they're willing to go. And despite my being a teacher there this year, there are going to be times when I can't do anything to help you.

"Stay with each other. No matter whether you disagree with the other—you're stronger in many ways together than you are apart. You never know what may happen."

Liira frowned, yet nodded her understanding along with her sister. Something was going on here, she could tell. It was almost as if she were expecting something bad to happen. And that look in Glinda's eyes when she looked at her…. The green girl shook these thoughts from her head. She shouldn't be worrying so much—she was most likely just imagining things. But she'd keep her words with her nonetheless.

You can never be too careful….

Elphaba looked out the window and sighed. "It's about time you three left already—the driver's starting to get impatient," she informed them. She stepped toward her daughters and hugged Fabala first. "Have a safe trip."

Fabala giggled. "I will, Madre. You take care."

The Witch then let go of the blonde and turned to Liira. She stared at her for a moment, as if assessing her, before also pulling her into an embrace. As always, it felt a bit strained, but the green girl was used to it, so she didn't say anything. "Have fun at Shiz," Elphaba said. Then, lowering her voice so only Liira could hear, she added, "Look after your sister. You know how sick she can get."

"I will," Liira replied, answering both wishes. She smiled to herself. "Mother is also on my list; you don't have to worry so much." The green girl felt Elphaba relax slightly before pulling away from her. She didn't need to have a reason to look after the older blonde; Glinda looked like she could pretty much take care of herself. But she knew how much Elphaba cared about her and even worried about her, so the promise made would help her. And Liira intended to keep that promise.

Elphaba watched as the two girls walked toward the door, pushing the luggage cart along with them. When she was sure they were gone—or at least out of earshot—she turned to her partner. She gave her a small smile. "I'm going to miss you," she said.

"Not again," Glinda said with a laugh, though her eyes shone with evident sadness. She placed herself in her partner's arms, forcing Elphaba to hold her though the Witch willingly complied. She breathed out a sigh and closed her eyes, reveling in the warmth and love emitting from the green woman. "I should have just forgotten about those damn wands. Now I feel like I've been wasting time," she said.

"You were," Elphaba replied. She laughed when the blonde slapped her arm in retaliation, and she held her closer. "But it was worth it. You needed to get ready for your new job, and so I let you."

"You shouldn't have. All I want to do is stay here with you," the blonde said with a smile. "You should have begged me not to go to begin with."

The Witch snorted. "I'm not a beggar. Never have, never will. Besides, you need this. It's better than being the ruler of Oz," she said.

"Or a traitor," the blonde whispered. She pressed closer to her lover, taking in another breath and letting it out slowly. After a moment, Glinda said, "I hope to never be in that situation ever again, Elphie. Once was enough; twice almost killed me—"

"And in the end, I was brought back to you," Elphaba said quietly. "We were brought back to that single moment in time where we could have changed things."

"There were a lot of those."

Elphaba sighed. "The one that mattered the most, then. Like… when I sent you back to Shiz."

Glinda smiled up at the green woman. "Thank Lurline I dragged you back with me—your "imaginary" heart almost let me go again, and everything would have gone back to the way they were." She sighed softly when she felt her lover's hands gently glide up and down her back. Her blue eyes closed as the familiar feeling of content spread through her. "Do you think Liira remembers what happened?" she asked suddenly.

"If she does, then she hasn't mentioned it," the green woman replied, pressing a kiss on the crown of the blonde's head. "Personally, I think it's best that she doesn't know. She needs to live a normal life without that kinds of past with her."

"As normal as possible, you mean," the blonde corrected with a smile.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Yes, that," she agreed. Her dark gaze suddenly left the blonde's and looked toward the window. She frowned. "I think you'd better go now," the Witch said quietly. "I don't know how much longer the girls can hold out."

Glinda groaned, but didn't reply. A moment of silence passed between them as they both contemplated their next, final actions. Finally the blonde leaned forward and kissed her lover softly. "I guess I'll see you in a few months," she said sadly after she pulled away.

The green woman smiled, kissing her cheek in turn. "Write to me whenever you need to. Or use that Communication spell I found in the Grimmerie. But only use it if it's absolutely necessary," she informed.

The blonde nodded. She kissed her once again before slipping out of the safety of Elphaba's embrace. Her blue eyes glimmered with sadness, but she tried covering it with a smile. "I love you," she said. Then, without receiving an answer, she hurried out of the building.

Elphaba watched from her place near the window as her lover dashed toward the waiting carriage and slipped inside, where their daughters would most likely be fussing at her for keeping them waiting. She gave them a small wave before the vehicle began to move, carrying them away from her for what would feel like an eternity. The green woman sighed. She hoped everything would go alright for all three of them. But she knew that she didn't have to worry about a thing—they were strong enough to take care of themselves and each other.

-( )-

The Witch of the Emerald City remained unheard of for the rest of her existence. But in time, her story would be uncovered for all of Oz to know, and she would be the most revered Witch in history for her acts of braverism. Until then, it is best for it to be kept dormant with the other myths and legends; she would have wanted it that way.

FIN