A/N: When one door closes another one opens...

Chapter 31

Khalil reached the prisoners to find that the guard who had been upset over the discovery of Elphaba subdued. He then noticed Ronin, Zetti, and Roth desperately trying to help and unconscious Glinda who was bleeding from a wound to her shoulder. Next to them was Elphaba. She was lying unconscious on the floor, bleeding from a nasty gash on her forehead. Fiyero was trying to stop the bleeding as well with Theodore's and Olaf's help.

"Help!" Ronin shouted, not realizing that the Captain was right there.

"What happened?" Khalil asked as he quickly assessed the wound. He had seen many of these before and could immediately tell what it was – Glinda had been stabbed with a bayonet. He quickly pulled off his warm jacket and placed it around the blonde's body to try to keep her warm then he shouted for a medic.

"He went nuts! First he hit Miss Elphaba on the head with the butt of his rifle. She fell backward smashing her head on the square post. We tried to reach her but being tied up we couldn't. Lady Glinda freed herself using her magic and lunged for him. Once they started fighting the other guards swooped in and cut us loose. We tried to help Glinda but we weren't fast enough. When she dropped the other grabbed him and started pummeling him," Ronin explained as the medic arrived. He quickly took stock of Glinda's condition and began binding her wound.

"She needs more help than I can give. We have to get her back to Mrs. Dillamond," the medic said.

"Fetch my horse!" Khalil ordered. Quickly Reap went running for the Captain's horse.

"What should we do with him?" Corporal Gordon asked. Khalil turned and looked at the severely beaten soldier. He was bleeding and it was hard for him to breathe.

"Leave him. If he so much as moves a muscle. Shoot him," the Captain ordered. Gordon nodded and he stood over the injured soldier.

"Your horse," Reap spoke up as he arrived. Quickly, Khalil mounted the steed and then the men carefully lifted the blonde onto his lap and into the sitting up position.

"Try not to jostle too much, she can't afford anymore shock to the system," the medic said. The Captain nodded and was off as quickly and as carefully as he could. The medic turned his attention back to Elphaba who was still unconscious. Theo had gotten the bleeding slowed considerably but the only way to stop it was to close the wound.

"This will leave a nasty scar but otherwise I think she'll be ok. Of course the only real way to tell will be when she wakes up," the medic explained as he bandaged the wound. Mrs. Dillamond could sew her up when they reached the Village the next day

"What do you mean?" Fiyero asked.

"Well she suffered two blows to the head. The first was from the butt of the rifle which split her skin. Then the second was from when her head impacted with the post. She's lucky that the back of her head didn't get cut open. Anyway, the trauma could leave her permanently damaged. We won't know though until she regains consciousness," he told them.

"Oh Oz," Fiyero let go of the breath he'd been holding and slumped his shoulders.

"She's a tough one, she'll be able to handle it," Theodore smiled slightly as he put his hand on the Scarecrow's shoulder.

"Just in time to be burned at the stake," Fiyero frowned. The medic leaned in and whispered in Fiyero's ear,

"You could make a break for it. After all, you aren't tied up anymore."

"Not with her in this condition. She needs help," the Scarecrow replied.

"Just a thought," the medic shrugged, stood up, and walked away. No matter what was coming, the two would face it together, just as they always had. Silently, he prayed for Glinda and hoped that the Captain would get her to the Village safely. If he had known what was to come however, he might have taken the medic's advice.

The End

Look for part 2 next week!