General Wicked Disclaimer: I do not own Wicked or any of it's characters or songs.
Gelphie Disclamier: This story contains Gelphie (a.k.a. Elphaba and Glinda romance) If you don't like this kind of stuff then don't read.
Rating is M: This story contains content that is not suitable for young readers. (Gelphie is not graphic, but there is harsh language and violence)
Songs Disclaimer: This story, The Witch is Back, contains some songs written by me sung to the tune of other songs. I do not own the tunes of these songs just used the tune to write my own musical.
Author Note: I hope you enjoy my story, I wrote it some time ago, feedback is always welcome so enjoy! And I would also like to say thank you toMusical-wolf for helping me fix my bad grammar.
The Witch is Back
The wind was howling violently as Glinda awoke from her nightmare. "Elphie!" she shouted as she sprang up from bed. Tears formed in her blue eyes as she gasped for breath. It had been many months since Elphaba's death, but the nightmares still had not stopped. "Oh, why couldn't I have saved her?" Glinda whispered into the darkness. With that, Glinda wrapped her arms around the black hat once owned by the Wicked Witch of the West and attempted to fall back asleep.
It wasn't long before the sun's light was shed upon the soil of Oz. Glinda awoke to a shining sun against a blood red sky.
"A storm is coming," Glinda said to no one in particular as she turned away from the window and began to get dressed.
Once she was ready, she set off for Shiz, traveling by bubble as she normally did. As she got to her old school, Glinda was greeted by the same crowd. She responded politely as she always did; however, her popularity always reminded her of her first encounter with Elphaba. Glinda would never forget how mean she initially was to the green girl when they first met.
As Glinda walked past other students at Shiz, she could still hear whispers about the so called 'Wicked Witch of the West'. Even months after Elphaba's death, they still talked behind her back and spread vicious lies about her. Glinda would think about Elphaba often: Glinda knew that she would never let Elphaba go, for her love for the Witch was still strong.
It was midday when the rain came just like the crimson morning sky promised. Thunder clashed in the distance as the sky grew darker every minute. Glinda arrived home not long after the start of the storm, happy to be out of it. If tomorrow was nicer, she would be able to go out and visit the tower where Elphaba had died. Although she had made it a habit to do so each week, visiting Elphaba's final resting place wasn't an easy task. The doors and windows had been boarded up tightly by the Gale Force. It was a challenge to get through, but not completely impossible.
In her free time, Glinda would study the Grimmerie, the book given to her by Elphaba just before her demise. Glinda would usually be visited by a young female student named Uackle, who claimed that she was a descendant of Yackle. Yackle was a crone of great mystery; she was thought to be the founder of Oz. Uackle was one of the few Ozians who believed that Elphaba was not evil. Even though Uackle had never known Elphaba personally, there was a strong rumor that she could take one look into a person's eyes and know if they were truly evil.
Glinda was about to start another chapter in the Grimmerie when three familiar knocks sounded on her door. She quickly shut the book and opened the door to reveal Uackle. Her brown hair and her clothes were completely soaked, but Glinda could tell that she didn't care in the least.
"Well, hello there Glinda," Uackle greeted.
"Hello, Uackle. I see that you were caught in the storm," Glinda replied.
"Yes, someone stole my bike, so beating the storm wasn't an option," Uackle answered as she squeezed the extra water out of her hair.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Glinda said. "Please, come in."
Uackle didn't waste any time as she hurried inside. "Thanks," Uackle said as she took her boots off. "I don't need to stay long- just until the storm passes."
"Don't worry, Uackle, I don't mind. It's nice to have some company," Glinda responded. "Now sit and make yourself comfortable. I'll make you a hot cup of tea." Uackle proceeded to sit in a purple chair across from where Glinda had previously been. "So, how are you doing in school?" Glinda asked from the kitchen.
"Good, I guess," Uackle shrugged as she spotted the Grimmerie laying on the bottom shelf of the coffee table. "Could be better, could be worse."
"I hope you're not getting behind on your studies," Glinda said as she poured the tea into a mug.
"Don't worry. I'm getting by," Uackle reassured Glinda as she went to open the book. However, she thought better of it and retired her hands to her pockets instead. Not too long afterwards, Glinda came back into the room with a mug of tea and handed it to Uackle.
"So, did you visit the tower this week?" Uackle questioned, gratefully accepting the mug.
"Not yet," Glinda answered, "but I might try to go tomorrow."
"You've got to be careful, Glinda. I heard that they're adding a guard or two around the perimeter of the tower," Uackle informed her as she took a sip from her mug.
"Guards now?" Glinda replied with an unhappy sigh. "As if getting up there wasn't hard enough in the first place. What are they adding guards for anyways?"
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger! I'm just telling you what I heard," Uackle said.
"Well, thanks for the warning anyways. I suppose it will make things more interesting tomorrow," Glinda replied with a wry smile.
"Now, you be cautious," Uackle warned. "I don't want you getting caught."
"No worries, Uackle my friend," Glinda answered, grinning. "Not everyone can travel by bubble."
It took a few hours for the storm to calm. When it did so, Uackle ventured home, leaving Glinda alone with her thoughts again. It rained on and off for the rest of the night, but there was no more thunder and lighting. The curly-haired blond watched the ever growing darkness and whispered a small prayer for her Elphie before retiring for the night. Tomorrow, she would visit the tower, guards or no guards.
The next day, Glinda awoke before the sun had even risen. She dressed quickly and started towards the tower. When she arrived at her destination, she found that Uackle's information was undeniably right. Two Ozian guards walked back and forth in military formation. However, they did not look hard to get past, for they seemed only to be concentrating on the front door. This was a big plus for Glinda, who sneaked around them to find a back door that was hidden by a sea of vines. She ripped back the green leaves and stems to reveal the rusted door handle. With a strong jerk, the door opened and she walked in.
The tower always smelled musky, like the bucket of water that hit Elphaba had never dried. Glinda lit a half melted candle and started up some stone steps, which led her to the room where Elphaba met her end. Every time she came to this spot, Glinda's eyes seemed to fill with unshed tears. She let out a ragged breath and knelt down in the area where she had found Elphaba's hat all those months ago.
"Hello Elphaba…I'm here," Glinda whispered, smiling slightly. "I know I say this every time I come back to visit, but well- oh, Elphie, I miss you so much…so very much. I will always love you. I…I love you, Elphaba Thropp." Glinda took out a lily and placed it gently on the floor.
Suddenly, something caught Glinda's eye. It was some kind of handle sticking out from the floor. She reached out to pull on it when something or someone passed behind her at high speed. Glinda gasped in fear as she stood up and held her candle over her head.
"Is-is anyone there?" she asked into the darkness, her voice trembling slightly. The darkness was not forthcoming with an answer. A chill ran up Glinda's spine and her heart began to beat wildly. She was positive that there was someone or something in this tower with her. She then picked up some kind of noise, but it was too soft for her to make out.
"Forgive me, Elphie," Glinda whispered, knowing that she would be safe only if she left. With great haste, Glinda made her way down the stairs, blew out the candle, and exited through the back door. "See you next week, my love," Glinda said softly as she started back home.