#and how elphaba without knowing is fighting to show the truth and the real situation | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

forkanna · 6 years ago

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NOTE: There will be a very slight touch of transphobia/transgender issues in these coming chapters. I promise it won't get terribly unpleasant, but just a heads up to those who would have more trouble reading such things.

"Elphie!" Glinda cried as soon as she was back in the Royal Palace. All night, she had tossed and turned, trying not to worry too much about her love but unable to help the niggling in the back of her mind that told her she should be worried. But as it turned out, her worry was all for nothing.

Or was it?

Though her no-longer-green paramour had seemed fine when they checked on her progress in the painting, worn but fine, in person they were able to see that she was quite a bit more ragged than the last time they had been together. The split in her lip, the way the neckline of her now-grimy dress hung open slightly, all spoke of a rough time on the other side of the painting that Glinda almost wasn't sure she wanted to know about. But the smile told her that it wasn't so awful of a time that she had been unsuccessful.

"Elphie?"

Green hands gripped her forearms. Indeed, the longer she spent back in Oz, the more of her original hue began to rush back into her skin. "Oh, Glinda… I'm so glad to see you again."

"It's only been one day," she breathed with a slight chuckle that she didn't truly feel. "What happened?"

"Nevermind that right now. Let's…" Turning to the painting, she laid her hand upon the frame and said clearly, "Show me Dorothy, right now."

With no hesitation, the paints upon the canvas changed to display the room that had become too familiar to them now. There was the woeful patient, cowering before the matron who had been so cold to both of them in turn and was now shaking her fist at Dorothy. When squinting, Elphaba could see something in the palm of her other hand… several small, white somethings.

"She found the medicine this time," Elphaba breathed. "She didn't have a chance to dispose of it."

"Medicine?" Nessa was asking, worry creasing her flawless forehead. But as they looked on, Dorothy was being dragged outside.

"Painting?" Elphaba asked — though it seemed to be unnecessary. The image flowed and shifted into a display of the hallway outside her room, where there was a chair with wheels fastened to the legs waiting. Two large men were waiting, as well, and now they were wrestling Dorothy into it, tying her down with straps.

"Oh no," Ozma whispered. Glinda turned to her as if to ask her to hurriedly wish her away, since the sight of them fighting with such a small girl was clearly wrong and needed to be righted, but Ozma was ten steps ahead of her — already grasping the belt with a grim determination they hadn't seen from her since before the Truth Pond's water revealed her to be their rightful queen. "Bring Dorothy Gale to me!"

Mass confusion flared up between the woman and her strapping accomplices, who were all suddenly scrambling to fasten belts around nothing at all. Clearly, they were panicked, gasping in shock as they shot backward from the inexplicable disappearance. For some reason, that seemed to please Elphaba an inordinate amount.

That was the last they would ever see of Topeka Insane Asylum, for the scene changed immediately to that of Ozma's bedchamber, with all of them gathered around a disoriented Dorothy. Then Glinda turned her attention from the painting to her friend.

"Oh," Dorothy breathed, bow lips wide in shock. An instant later, they split into a true grin. "Oh… oh, it's true, I'm here. Miss Elphaba?"

"Behind you," Elphaba chuckled, and opened her arms for Dorothy as she sprinted the few steps to embrace her, laughter tinkling like high bells, bare feet windmilling in the air and forcing Elphaba to grunt and support both their weight. "Alright, alright! So you're not disappointed to see me, I would surmise!"

"I'm in Oz! I'm in Oz, I'm in Oz!"

Glinda and Nessa clasped hands, happy to see her but not wanting to crowd Elphaba, who tended to get flustered by too much physical affection all at once. Of course, their friend was even more gaunt in person than in the painting, but the joy at being reunited with her friends was enough to make that worry fade into the background. The simple dressing gown that was her attire was at least freshly laundered, even if they didn't see fit to put her in her slippers before trying to tie her to a chair. And her braids weren't clean, but they were somewhat neat, as if she had rebraided them recently.

When she finally calmed enough to step back from Elphaba, her green hands held onto her elbows as she said in a gentle voice, "You did a good job, keeping the pills from them for that long. What was she saying to you?"

"Oh, they were going to shock me again," she said in a put-upon tone, as if it were some nominal punishment like going to bed without supper. "But they didn't get to. Am I really here? Am I dreaming?" Elphaba pinched her, and she yelped, "OW! N-nope, not dreaming!"

Chuckling with true warmth, Glinda touched her on the shoulder and said, "We're as real as you are. So either everything's a dream, or nothing is. But that's one of those philosophul questions I'm no good at answering."

"Miss Glinda!" she cried, hugging her now and prompting laughter from all of them. "I've missed you! Oh, I'm so glad, I'm- where's the Scarecrow and the Lion? Are they here?"

"Lion is just outside," she tittered, sharing a grin with Elphaba over Dorothy's shoulder. "Scarecrow went back to help mind the Vinkus, but I suppose we could send for him. Or wish him here with the Belt!"

"Glinda, we shouldn't abuse the Belt like it will always be here," Nessa said reasonably. "What if it only has so many wishes in it?"

However, Dorothy couldn't bother worrying about a belt just then. She turned to Nessa and beamed at her, vibrating as if trying not to hug her with all of her might. So Nessa smiled and took care of it for her, enveloping the young woman in the tightest of embraces. Not quite so squeamish as Elphaba, and knowing Nessa wasn't, either, she pet up and down Dorothy's back to help console the overwrought girl.

"Welcome back," Nessa laughed easily. "And I see you got rid of the shoes at last! How did you manage it?" Glinda chuckled, thinking that of course it would be Nessa who asked.

"Didn't have to 'manage' a thing! Soon as I got back to Kansas and walked 'round a bit, they come off easy as anything! Shame they weren't gold anymore, either, though. Can't figure out for the life of me… w-well, anyway, it don't matter none now!"

"Certainly doesn't," Glinda whispered gently. Hoping to reassure her that she didn't need to worry.

"I'm so happy! I… I was sad about leaving Kansas again, but now that I'm with you all, I can't… I c-can't…" Now the tears truly began, fat and glistening as they slid down her cheeks. "I'm s-so glad I got to see you all again, I thought I never would!"

All three of them let her bawl her eyes out, leading her over to perch on the corner of Ozma's bed and petting along her shoulders. Ozma, however…

Ozma was gone. Glinda distinctly remembered her standing back and smiling at them before Dorothy had hugged her, but couldn't quite remember her leaving the room. However, the reason for this seemed to present itself a moment later.

"Dorothy!" boomed the Lion in his deeper, richer voice as he bounded toward the bed. Though Glinda knew him by now, trusted him deeply, she couldn't completely suppress a flinch to see a huge beast of the forest leaping directly for her.

That was not a sentiment Dorothy shared. She swept her arms wide and cried, "Lion!" as he tackled her, and she wrapped her arms around his shaggy neck. Even as he lapped at her cheeks to dry them of tears and she giggled at the scratchiness of his tongue, Elphaba and Nessa moved just enough so that they were sitting on either side of her, petting along her back to add further comfort. Such a welcome had not been seen in the Royal Palace in generations, up to and including Ozma.

Speaking of which…

"I'm glad to see you're safe and sound," Glinda told Dorothy earnestly, leaning down to kiss her forehead when she saw a break in Lion's playful nuzzling. Her hand caressed over her hair as she added, "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay!" she laughed, so thoroughly overjoyed that she couldn't even fully spare a thought for why Glinda was leaving. After all she'd been through, that was fine.

~ o ~

It only took Glinda about ten or twenty minutes to track down their princess. She was back in the attic they had so recently cleared out. However, it wasn't exactly Ozma who she ran into up there.

"Oh!" gasped the small voice as its owner backed up toward the sturdy beam supporting the roof. "Glinda!"

After a moment to collect herself, debating a few different responses to what she was seeing, Glinda stifled a chuckle and made a small curtsy. "Why, Tippetarius, it has been some time!"

Ozma looked down at her scruffy old outfit. Clean and well-pressed, sure, but as threadbare as the day she had first entered the Emerald City. Now, it hung quite differently on her, for the Truth Pond had revealed the womanly figure she had been entitled to before Mombi cursed her, but the effect was not altogether unappealing. Merely unusual.

"I… well, I was thinking…"

"Go on?" she prompted after a moment.

"Well, Dorothy has never met Ozma. S-so I thought she might prefer to see a familiar face rather than an un-familiar one. And it's probably a very stupid idea, I don't know what I'm doing up here!" Frustrated with herself as much as with the situation, she whipped off the old pointed cap and threw it on the ground, letting her hair spill out from where it had been hidden.

Sighing, Glinda bent down to pick it up for her. Only then did Ozma look as if she regretted her outburst. "There, there. Not a stupid idea. But… well, I don't really think you need to do it. Dorothy's a very sweet girl! She'll be as glad to meet who you are now as who you were then."

"B-but what if I'm not ready to meet her as Ozma?" she whispered, taking the hat back and wringing it in her hands. "What if she thinks I was better as Tip, and now I look too frilly, and dainty, and… I don't know why it makes any difference now, but I just-"

"Okay, okay," Glinda giggled as she embraced her with one arm. "You're the queen now, so if you want to meet her in those clothes, then that's your right. And even if you weren't the queen I'd say the same thing."

"Really? You don't think I'm acting foolish?"

"Maybe a little. But I've done far more foolish fings- I mean, things. Certainly you're entitled to feel a teensy bit self-conscious about how you look in front of a guest." With a little smile that she hoped would set her friend at ease, she whispered, "But we're going to have to do something about a couple of things."

"What things?" When Glinda poked the side of her breast, she sucked in a breath of surprise, then lowered her eyes. "O-oh, those. Yeah, I did notice… they st-stick out. Not that they're very big, but big enough to be, um, difficult to hide."

Nodding to herself as she considered the matter, Glinda looked around the attic for inspiration. She could attempt a spell, but most of her spells weren't suited to this kind of problem — and she didn't have Elphaba at hand, or the Grimmerie. When her eyes settled on the sash that had adorned the waist of Ozma's royal dress-of-the-day, she smiled wider.

"Alright; off with your shirt. I think I have an idea that may just do what you need it to do."

~ o ~

"...and it got dreadfully lonely, cooped up all those months, but I had books to keep me company. So you mustn't think it was as bad as Elphaba's making it sound!"

Nessa was laughing as the door creaked open again. "Leave it to Dorothy to make being imprisoned sound like an evening in a pleasure paradise."

"It was awful," Elphaba snapped resolutely with a little nod. "Nothing like our prisons, and they didn't even call theirs a prison! But I can tell you what the actual prison was like, and that was even w-"

"Ahem."

The others turned toward the door, seeing only Glinda. As she had planned. One by one, they fell silent. Already, she could see that one of Ozma's dressing robes had been thrown around Dorothy's shoulders and cinched at the waist; they were of a somewhat similar size, but in the morning there would probably be a call to make some dresses specifically for the farm girl.

"Yes, Glinny?" Elphaba asked.

"If I have all your attention," she began, staring at Elphaba and then Nessa, and even Lion. "I've got somebody here who wanted to meet Dorothy again."

Then she stepped to one side to reveal Tip. She still looked a bit more feminine than she had before, but at least the sash was keeping her chest flat enough for the time being. A single curly lock of red was hanging down in front of her eyes, but most of the rest of it was stowed away inside the cap, and she had managed to use a bit of powder to make her cheeks less rosy, her lips less plush and pink. The best that could be done under short notice.

"What…?" That was as far as Elphaba got, for Glinda's sharpened glare silenced her in short order.

"Oh," Dorothy was breathing, dipping her head in a brief bow. "Begging your pardon, but… I don't recall your name, sir? But I'm ever so glad that whatever had been the matter seems to have gotten straightened out while I was in Kansas."

Surprising them all, Tip executed a very gentlemanly bow, even though it still looked a bit like a curtsy to Glinda. "Tippetarius. I… well, the moment I found out you were back, I wanted to say… to say that we… that it's an honour to have you in the Emerald City again."

Even while Dorothy was approaching, Tip's eyes remained pointed down toward her bare ankles. Her smile was a little flattered, and curious about the way "he" was regarding her. Glinda moved over to join Elphaba and Nessa, pressing a finger to her lips even as her eyes twinkled with merriment.

"What are you plotting?" Nessa muttered out the side of her mouth.

"Wasn't my plot at all."

"She-?!"

"Shhhh!" she warned, barely able to keep from giggling again.

By now, Dorothy was curtsying for someone she didn't realise was someone else, despite having bowed a moment before. "It is a pleasure to make your, um… re-acquaintance? I guess."

"The pleasure is all mine," Tip breathed, taking her hand up and pressing a light kiss to the back of it. Dorothy tittered and her face flushed, which caused the same to happen in kind on Tip's cheeks, even through the powder. "I'm… sorry to hear that you went through so much misfortune whileyou were gone."

"Well… it can't have been so bad. I'm alive, and here, and meeting my friends again. Do… you count as my friend now, too? Because if you wouldn't mind terribly, I think that sounds awful nice."

"Very nice, indeed."

A moment later, Nessa whispered, "Nevermind. I withdraw my questions."

~ o ~

Somehow, they made it all the way through luncheon without anyone letting slip to Dorothy that Tip was really Ozma. Glinda went down to the kitchens to warn the staff, who looked a little perplexed but did not wish to question an order from their queen — even if it wasn't a direct order as such. Naturally, the small dinner party couldn't entirely refrain from mentioning Ozma at all, so their guest began to get quite curious about this person who was supposedly a benevolent Ruler, adored by all and worthy of such adoration. Ozma declined to comment on these matters herself, except to once say "Yeah, I guess she's alright".

Otherwise, they mainly spent the time filling in each other on what they had missed. A good many gasps were uttered to hear Elphaba's tale, and Lion roared in approval when she mentioned fighting off her attackers in the Kansasian jail. Elphaba did admit that her skin still chafed a little where the pill had partially dissolved against her breast, but hoped that would clear up in due time. They also learned a bit more about Dorothy, for there hadn't been time to hear the entirety of her tale during their sparse conversations thus far. Seemed that she had only been in the asylum for about two of the past three months; it had taken that long for everyone involved to be "sure" she was best placed there. Glinda and Nessa assured Elphaba that she had not missed much in a single day, other than the appointment of a new head soldier, Jinjur, to the Pike Guild.

There was a brief discussion of using the belt to fetch Dorothy's black-furred companion from the farm where the Gales had taken refuge, but in the end, she decided against it. When asked why, she simply stated, "He's at home there, and he doesn't belong in Oz." This was not stated without a few tears, but privately, Glinda admired her for deciding based on what was best for Toto and not for herself. She really had grown into an admirable woman.

For Dorothy, they had a lot more news… which required some omissions. It was easy enough to paint Ozma as a completely separate person from Tip; they merely neglected to mention the initial revelation. When asked where this mystery princess came from, it was Elphaba who replied, "Sometimes, the person Oz needs comes in a package no one expects. And you should know that best of all, Dorothy."

Once their bellies were full, and Dorothy had eaten the most of them all to make up for having so little appetite the past months, they said they ought to take a little stroll through the gardens. After all, it was such a bright and pretty Summer afternoon. However, as they stood, Tip changed the itinerary slightly.

"You all can go on ahead; I think I'd like to show Dorothy around. That is, i-if she wouldn't mind?"

Obviously pleased at the interest, she favoured "him" with a slight blush and a sweet smile. "That sounds delightful. But not for too long! I want to spend some time with my other friends, of course — you do understand, don't you? Bein' a gentleman."

"Of course," he said with another bow. Nessa held a hand in front of her mouth so only Glinda could see her silently mouth the words "Can you believe this?" All she could do was grin and shrug her shoulders.

However, once out in the gardens, Glinda's curiosity got the better of her. She said, "I'll be back in a jiff."

"Glinda…" When she turned back, it was to see Elphaba with her hands on her hips. "Leave them alone."

"Who? I was just going to-"

"Meddle?"

"To monitor the situation. Just in case little Ozzie needs my help!"

Shaking her head, she went on, "It's not decent to spy on them, and you know that. Even if your intentions are good. But I won't try to convince you if you're really dead set on-"

That was as far as she got before she noticed Glinda was off like a shot.

It took her a minute or so to locate the two young ladies, due to all the hedgerows and flowering bushes, and her billowy dress making stealth almost impossible. Finally, she did catch up with them in a small clearing. It was obvious that the garb was relaxing Ozma into her old ways, and she had her hands stuffed into her pockets in a most unladylike fashion. Somehow, after so many royal balls and appearances, this had a quaint adorableness that brought the Gillikin woman a wistful smile.

"...some kind of- of spell over us," Dorothy was prattling on, always happy to have someone listen to her. Glinda couldn't help but think what a pity it had been that for the past three months, no one had wanted to do that except for a talking-doctor telling her everything she said was wrong. "But Scarecrow and Tin Man were able to help us get away from the poppies. And no one hurt us at all, of course, so it wasn't as if we were in true mortal danger! W-well, unless you count the wildcat, but Tin Man took care of him quick as a flash!"

"Did he?" Tip said with a queenly grin.

"He did! Oh… but I s'pose he ain't the same now, is he? What with the forgetting spell. Still, after how he tried to hurt poor Miss Nessarose, it's only right he get punished, and at least they didn't have to kill 'im. And he and the Scarecrow can still be good friends, can't they? Fill his tin head with new memories."

"Of course."

Dorothy glanced up shyly at the princess. "Oh, but I do go on, like an old housewife at a quiltin' bee! Sorry about that. Don't know why my mouth runs away with me so."

"No, no, it's alright!" she told her hastily. "Just… I like to hear you talk. Your voice is one of the sweetest I've ever heard."

Even as Dorothy was tittering into her hands, cheeks reddening, Glinda muttered to herself, "Not bad, Ozzie."

"Tippetarius, I've half a mind to think you're sweet on me! Might be more careful with a girl's heart."

"I like your heart, too. It's kind and good, and better than most."

"O-oh? And…" Swallowing, she fidgeted with her fingers as she asked, "What makes a heart good? If'n you know so much." The last bit was a little tease, but more aimed at her own uncertainty that her heart was truly "good" than at the expense of her present company.

Shrugging, Ozma looked off toward the cloudy sky. "Things that can't be learned. Like kindness, strength, humility… love. A-and I don't just meant that kind of love!" she laughed, cheeks glowing. "But love for your friends, and family, and… like how you told Elphaba you wanted to stay behind for your aunt and uncle, even though they had you sent to that horrifying place."

"They didn't know what to do with a girl who'd lost her mind," she said softly.

"But you hadn't." Taking up Dorothy's fidgeting hands, she squeezed them tightly, causing her to go completely still with her mouth very slightly open in surprise. Ozma's emerald eyes sparkled with intensity as she told her, "I think your mind is my favourite. And… m-maybe I've known it since before you even left Oz. I don't know how, or why, since we haven't spoken much, but I just know. There's something very special about you, Dorothy, and I'm not the only one who sees it. Everyone in Oz does! So… so please don't think that just because Kansas isn't the place for you, that it's because you're not good enough. Because you are!"

After a moment of listening to Ozma breathe heavily, shaking all over with the force of her own passion for reassuring Dorothy, the slightly shorter girl swallowed hard. Then she whispered, "Tip?"

"Yes?"

"With you… all afire like that… you remind me a bit of… well, I don't want to say."

"Who?" she asked, needing to know now.

"Wouldn't want your manhood to be, um… hurt, or however that works."

"Don't worry about my manhood," Ozma chuckled with a secret humour that only Glinda could share in that moment, hiding behind the hedgerows where she was. "Please, tell me."

"You remind me of Miss Elphaba. So much fire in your belly, and eyes blazing green… gives me gooseflesh."

That pleased both of the women listening. Ozma smiled at her and whispered, "Don't tell her, but… you couldn't pay me a higher compliment. If I'm half the woman Elphaba is, I'll be a worthwhile person all my life."

Dorothy giggled. "You just said you were a woman!" Before a mildly panicking Ozma could respond, she sighed and looked down at their hands. "Suppose you do have soft hands, though. And a sweet smile. Not that I'm teasin', mind."

"O-of course not," she breathed.

"Sorry." Then she added as she tilted her head, "But… I think I could like a boy as pretty and sweet as you. Never did have much interest in the rough-and-tumble boys in Kansas. They're fine and all, but…"

When the silence had grown heavy, Ozma asked, "But?"

"But I prefer your company," she said firmly, bold for Dorothy in an area of conversation in which neither of the young women were at all experienced. By now, she was blushing worse than Glinda could ever remember, including the time she had believed she was about to pin her to the wall and kiss her.

So Ozma did the next best thing to that. She again graced the back of Dorothy's hand with her lips, but this time, it was longer, contemplative, and with her eyes fully closed. The simple farm girl's breath caught, and when the lips did not move away as soon as she had been expecting, she let out a little soft coo of surprised joy. Her free hand drifted up to press into her heart through the dress Jellia had found for her.

"Tippetarius," she finally breathed in disbelief.

At that, "Tip" seemed to come back to herself, standing up straight and flushing as badly as Dorothy. "I… w-well, I didn't mean to get so… s-sorry if this is sudden, y-you just got here, and I'm already-"

"It's alright," she tittered, even more pleased than she had been before. "But I'll expect you to behave like the gentleman you have been so far if you're comin' a-courtin' me."

"Of course!" With that, she offered her elbow, and Dorothy daintily slid her hands around it, as if she were attending a high society function.

"Great start, kind sir," she giggled.

"Y-yeah. Although… well, I feel like I should tell you something before you, um… get too, um…"

Glinda couldn't help muttering an "oh no" under her breath. She had been afraid of this moment, and didn't have time to properly warn Ozma about a small facet of Dorothy's upbringing. Even though she had come a long way in being accepting, she was initially quite alarmed by the idea of two women having any romantic entanglements — mostly Boq's fault, for which she still wanted to toss him into the Shifting Sands. For it to come up this suddenly was admirable on Ozma's part for wanting to be honest, but perhaps not wise.

"What is it?" Dorothy asked.

"I'm… well, I've always thought you were quite charming." When "Tip" flattered her, Dorothy dipped her head in chagrin as they began to walk, and Glinda had to work to follow and eavesdrop, as she most certainly shouldn't have been doing at all. "Really, I was sad to meet you only for you to have to return to your Land of Kansas. But when I learned you might come back to Oz, after being a little excited, well… I couldn't help being… afraid."

"Afraid? Of li'l ol' me? Aw, I couldn't hurt a fly!"

"Not afraid in that way! But of what you might think of me now. Of… how things might have changed."

Dorothy was still looking at her in mild confusion as they rounded a corner, and bumped into someone that had not been warned about Ozma's wishes in regards to her identity. And Glinda had to bite down on her fist to keep from crying out to the heavens in sheer frustration.

"Ozma!" cried Jack Pumpkinhead in delight as he stood from where he was tending the rows of pumpkins. They were his prized project. As a man made entirely of hickory branches and a large jack-o-lantern for a head, there could be little else to occupy his time. Much like Dorothy's friend, Scarecrow, he did have a set of clothing, but it was quite mismatched; pink vest with white polka dots over a red shirt, purple trousers, and golden slippers. The latter had been a recent addition.

"O-oh!" Ozma cried in shock. "Jack! I… well, I didn't think we'd run into you here!"

"In the garden? Of course you would! Where else would you think I could be?"

"Y-you're right, of course! Oh — Jack, this is our friend, Dorothy."

"Dorothy Gale," she introduced herself with a little polite curtsy, finally letting go of Ozma's arm to do so. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Oh my! Miss Dorothy of Kansas, finally I meet you! Why, Ozma talks about you all the time!"

"She does?" Dorothy asked in puzzlement. Under her breath, Ozma hissed, "Jack!" but he paid it no mind.

"Sure! Every day, it's 'Dorothy' this, 'Dorothy' that. Wondering what Dorothy's up to now! Oh… but it really is good to put a face to the name at last! Seeds alive, but you do seem as sweet as they say!"

"My, but you're a funny pumpkinhead," Dorothy giggled. "And Ozma seems wonderful! Everything anyone's said about her has been good things!"

"She truly is. But I haven't seen you wear that in a long while," he observed, gesturing to the clothing on his old companion. "I thought you'd told me you were getting used to the new way of things."

"Jack, don't worry about that," Ozma tried to laugh, tense and desperate. "L-listen — we'll love to have supper with you later, but for now I'd like to finish my walk with Dorothy. So we'll be seeing you!"

"Oh, sure thing! Bye-bye — and nice meeting you, Dorothy!"

And the collection of sticks and clothing ambled off, giant pumpkin wobbling on his shoulders as always it did. Glinda cursed "that gourd-brain" under her breath, still irritated that he had needlessly confounded what was already proving a difficult situation for poor Ozma.

"He seems a wonderful sort, too," she gushed, turning back to the princess-in-disguise. "Queer, but wonderful. Not sure why he was so worried about your clothes… or did he mean your hat?"

Dipping her head, Ozma whispered, "Oh… it's a long story."

"But I bet you would look better without this old thing!"

Giggling, she took it off Ozma's head before the queen could muster a reaction. It only took a few seconds for the waves of red curls stuffed up inside to begin to fall, and eventually they all came tumbling down around Ozma's cheeks and shoulders. Now that she had stopped keeping it cut short enough to be easily hid, for she had never been comfortable with truly short hair, it was so long that it came halfway down her back.

Dorothy stood transfixed by the sight. At first, she didn't seem to know what to say. Then she whispered, "Golly…"

"I…" Ozma was beside herself. "I can explain. A-and I was going to… but we…"

They both fell silent for a moment. Dorothy ran her fingers through the thick red curls for a moment, mesmerised. Glinda wondered at that; it was almost as if she had a preference for red hair. Ozma's eyes closed in bliss, loving the sensation perhaps more than she ought to have. Then the hand came to rest on her neck.

"It's beautiful."

Shy and self-conscious, the queen looked down and away. "Th-thank you."

"You almost look like a girl. Well… really, you are as lovely as a girl, and you were before. Not that I mean any offense by it!"

"No, no, I'm not offended," she assured her with a slight smile.

"Good," she sighed in relief. "You know how some boys get about things like that. Or, well, I s'pose I don't know how Oz men are, but where I come from, calling a boy 'beautiful' might get him to throw mud at ya."

Every word seemed to be making Ozma feel worse about her slight deception. It might have been true that she wasn't encouraging Dorothy to believe she was a boy, but neither was she clearing things up for her. Glinda was pained to watch this go on, but she felt she had to be nearby to provide Ozma some support if Dorothy reacted poorly; the queen meant too much to her now to let her do this completely alone.

"Suppose… I'm not worried about that… because I'm not a boy."

"Hm? Oh," she laughed easily. "Would you rather be called a man? I'm sorry, you do seem about that age."

"Just suppose," she went on stubbornly, though Glinda could tell she wanted to abandon this discussion and let things alone. "I do look like a girl, don't I? What if I was one? Would it change much?"

"Then you'd be wearing awfully silly clothes for a girl as lovely as you." Leaning up, she pecked Ozma on the cheek, causing both of them to gasp in slight surprise. "O-oh, I didn't- that was a might bit impulsive of me, huh? I'm s-sorry."

Ozma shook her head, a smile beginning to replace her shocked expression. "It wasn't. This is."

Glinda turned away when she saw Ozma lean forward. It was already indecent of her to be eavesdropping, and she had to draw the line somewhere. Even so, she could still hear vague noises, a surprised sound that tapered into a pleased hum. Sighs through nostrils. Her own heart beat wildly for the two of them, and she couldn't help thinking fondly of Elphaba.

"Tip…"

"I have to go," Tip said. And she was quite right; Ozma would have duties quite soon, and could not delay them forever. "I… oh, Dorothy, I'm sorry. I only meant for this to be a little walk in the garden, and for us to talk. Not for… well… so much to…"

Shaking her head, she whispered, "It's alright. I'm…. no good at this kinda thing, either. Believe you me! Never had so much as a caller before, let alone courtin'." Another kiss, this one initiated by Dorothy, and Glinda simply covered her eyes until she heard them part, trying not to giggle. "But I can't say as I mind a bit."

"Listen. You need to know… well, if you come to the Royal Court this afternoon, I think you'll understand. I'm sorry we ran out of time for me to explain." Glinda turned just in time to see Ozma putting her cap atop her head again, this time amidst the auburn hair instead of concealing it. "Take care."

"G'bye, Tip. I'm…" Dorothy seemed to realise belatedly that she wasn't sure what she would say, and merely tittered into her hands. "Bye!"

Once Ozma had gone, Glinda waited for a minute or so. During this time, Dorothy did no more than sigh to herself, picking a flower and smiling as she breathed in its gentle aroma.

The very picture of a girl in love.

That was when the Witch of the North decided her attentions were needed elsewhere. She had intended to chase after her queen and console her, but there was something else she might do that would be of more use in the long run.

"OH!" Dorothy gasped when she saw Glinda arrive, clutching her heart and shivering all over. "M-Miss Glinda! You… you scared me!"

She couldn't help thinking that this was unlike Dorothy, to react as strongly as that. It was probably a leftover symptom of that awful treatment they had given her at the asylum, and for that, she wanted to use the Belt to pop over to Kansas and give every person there a good spanking! But knowing that her magic wouldn't work there, she decided it was best left alone.

"Sorry," Glinda chuckled. "I wanted to make sure you were alright. Plus, sometimes I worry about Tip."

"Well… I do appreciate that, Glinda. Oh, but you needn't worry about Tip! He's very… he's such a gentleman, and so sweet. Can't believe we ever thought he was going to hurt us way back when."

Glinda's eyes crinkled with amusement. "You're right; that is a funny thought." Then she sobered as she said, "But I think you may want to alter how you think about our Tip before this afternoon."

"What do you mean?"

"Only that… things aren't always what they seem. And sometimes, they are how they seem, but we can pretty well con ourselves into thinking they're a different way because it's easier for our brains to accept."

Now she had definitely puzzled the Kansas girl. Dorothy looked away a moment, then back to her as she asked, "Are you telling me he's not a nice boy? B-because, well… I-I don't think you're right! He is! You're only lookin' out for me, and I appreciate it more than I can say, but-"

"That wasn't how I meant it," Glinda assured her before she got even more defensive on her new beau's behalf. "You're absolutely right; Tip is quite charming, sweet, and earnest. A more loyal friend, you could never have! Only… I hope that's what matters most to you: what kind of person your special friend is. And not other things that don't matter so much."

Silence fell again for a few moments. Then Dorothy whispered, "You ain't talkin' sense. But… I think you're tryin' to tell me something, and maybe I just ain't smart enough to catch what it is."

"More like… it's not my 'something' to tell you, Dorothy. Really, I would explainify a little more if I could! But that isn't my place." She paced over and gripped her shoulder. "But later, when Tip tells you this something, I hope you'll remember what I said. Okie-dokie?"

"Um…" Dorothy laughed nervously, clearly unsettled by so much vagueness. Glinda was annoyed by it, as well, but she couldn't divulge Ozma's secret herself. It simply wasn't right. "Alright, I'll do my best. It ain't anything bad, is it? Like… he's ill and won't get better, or some such?"

"No, no. Nothing that worriful. And that's all I really ought to say on the matter." She put her arm around Dorothy's shoulders and began guiding her back toward the Palace. After a few paces, Dorothy leaned her head against the older woman's shoulder.

"You really are like my fairy godmother, y'know that? Watchin' out for me. You and Miss Elphaba."

Feeling distinctly guilty, Glinda said, "I'm trying to, at least."

To Be Continued…

#The Coven Of Oz #wicked fanfiction #forkanna writes #the wizard of oz #jess the writer

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