Chapter Text
"Come with me."
Three words, uttered like a prayer. Powerful in a way that even the magic of Oz couldn't truly compare. Glinda took a shuddering breath, and held it. Even though Elphaba longed with every fiber of her being for Glinda to take this leap with her, she knew what she was asking of her friend. And that's what they were, friends. Despite their rocky start at Shiz, Glinda was Elphaba's only real friend.
Maybe the last one, after the vitriol Madame Morrible had spewed to the Emerald City.
She was asking Glinda to give up everything. Her friends, her family, the standing she'd fought so hard to obtain. It was a selfish request, and Elphaba was never selfish. She hadn't been allowed to be since her sister's birth. So maybe just this once, it was okay to be selfish.
Glinda wrapped her fragile hands around the newly enchanted broom, pressing their fingers together. She took a half step forward, but the doubt was still there, Elphaba could see it. Glinda let out a shuddering breath. Hesitating.
The moment felt pivotal, like the night they'd laid across the floor sharing secrets until the sun came up. Elphaba had admitted to things she never thought she would. She'd voiced trauma she swore she'd keep to herself, and in return Glinda had shared her own. Until then, Elphaba wasn't truly sure Glinda hadn't been playing a cruel joke on her to get her to open up.
Glinda had laid her head against Elphaba's, and with a shaky whisper she'd said "I don't even know who I am. I feel like an empty shell, puppeted around by the wants of people around me. Popular, perfect. Sometimes I wonder if that's what I want to be."
She hadn't really understood at the time, but the more she spent time with Glinda, the more she could see the persona she became around everyone else. Elphaba felt special that she was the only one that got a peek behind the curtain.
Even still, she wondered if she'd done wrong by her only friend now that she'd asked her to give up everything she'd worked so hard for. The request had been genuine, raw, but had she really been right to ask that sort of thing?
Elphaba steeled herself, no matter what Glinda chose, she'd respect her friend's decision. Even if it hurt to do so.
Glinda let out a shudder, she leaned forward to press her forehead against Elphaba's, and she closed her eyes. For a precious moment, they stayed like that, the broom between them, like an impassible barrier.
Finally, her friend straightened, she squared her shoulders, but her cheeks were wet with silent tears. "Well!" Glinda's voice held a note of finality, and the woman released the broom with a click of her pink shoes. "It's far too cold tonight to be going anywhere dressed like that."
Elphaba's stomach clenched, and her throat closed up, tears spilled from her own eyes, but she didn't argue. Instead she just watched as Glinda turned away from her towards one of the dusty corners of the attic where there was a line of long abandoned clothes. She pulled out a black cloak, brushing it off like she could will away years of settled dust from the thing. It was poetic in a way, that Glinda had given her the hat that started their friendship, and now she'd see her away with a cloak. When her friend turned her attention back on her she huffed, "Well? What are you doing standing around!" She strolled forward, and tossed the cloak around Elphaba's shoulders. The dust tickling her nose. "I'm certainly not going to seen flying around on a broom of all things! So you better do your magic thing and find something more fitting."
All the air left her lungs and she stared up at Glinda, clutching the broom like one might a lifeline. "Wait-you're coming?"
"Of course I'm coming!" Glinda put her hands on her hips, "What kind of person would I be if I left you all alone like this?" She scoffed and turned back to the rack of clothing, Elphaba blinked a few times, stunned. Her heart was beating hard in her chest, and she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Somehow, Glinda pulled a second cloak that was the perfect pink to match her outfit. Maybe that was where her magical gift lie, clothes. With a tisk, she brushed the garment down to dust it, and tossed it over her own shoulders. "Now come on Elphie, get at it!"
"At it? At wha-"
"Why, giving me wings of course! They aren't going to grow themselves." Glinda laughed to herself.
"What?! You saw what that did to those monkeys!" Twisted in pain, and horror, Elphaba couldn't imagine putting her friend through something like that.
"Well, I'd do it myself but so far me and magic haven't really mixed." She put her hands back on her hips, and Elphaba knew from that stance that she wasn't going to budge in this decision, and they didn't really have time for this. They'd barred the door, but who knew how long they had before the guards were on them. Or worse, the winged monkeys. Glinda leaned down to pluck the Grimmerie from where Elphaba had placed it when she'd spelled her own broom. She looked over the pages as if she were skimming the words, but Elphaba knew better, Glinda couldn't read from the book. As far as she knew, she was the only one who could.
The book had felt alive, like it wanted her to read from it. The words had poured into her skull and consumed her focus until they were spilling out like she was an overfilled cup. It wasn't just reading, it had been something else, and now that she'd read the flight spell not once, but twice she could feel the impulse like it was on the tip of her tongue. Words that wanted to be wanted. "I can teach you." Elphaba whispered, and she let go of the broom, which stayed suspended in the air as if she never let go.
"Really?" Glinda looked up at Elphaba through her lashes. "Oh Elphie!" She squealed and held the book out for Elphaba to take. The Grimmerie was warm to the touch, and Elphaba could have sworn it shuddered in her hands. Maybe if Glinda could do it herself she wouldn't feel so bad about maiming her friend. She flipped open the cover of the book, and the pages turned on their own as if seeking out the spell for her. The words shuddered on the page, twisting in anticipation. Glinda slid close, hovering at her elbow so she could look over the spell.
"I'll have you repeat after me, one word at a time." There was no real way to say if this would work or not, but it was worth a shot. Elphaba laid her fingers across the page, like she did when she taught Nessa to read, and took a deep breath to steady herself. Then she spoke the words slowly, allowing Glinda to repeat each word back at her.
"Šinītu muttaprišu kappu ṣapāpu."
Again, they repeated the words, together this time.
"Šinītu muttaprišu kappu ṣapāpu."
Faster, they spoke, their voices intermingled, and the words flowed from them like they were always meant to be spoken in tandem. Elphaba looked at her friend as they repeated the words again and again, watching her eyes fly across the spoken incantation. Glinda took her breath away, tear streaked with the lights from the Emerald City below them, it wasn't that her friend wasn't always beautiful, but there was something profound about her as they read from the Grimmerie together. Speaking with shared breath and shared words they felt closer, like they were sharing something so much more intimate.
Although her voice never shook, Glinda reached out, and grasped Elphaba's hand tightly, their fingers threading together and her fingers quivered. Elphaba held her hand firmly. She remembered just how overwhelming it had been to cast from the Grimmerie, the words urging you to continue, like you couldn't help but spiral into the spell. Racing towards the inevitable end.
Simultaneously the two of them stopped, and the room around them was heavy with anticipation, the sudden silence felt oppressive after their casting. Then Glinda's grip became painful, and she let out a small gasp. She practically collapsed against Elphaba, and she had to scramble to support her friend with one arm, leading them down to the ground without dropping the book.
She'd hoped that the spell wouldn't target her friend like it had the guards, she wanted something to leap up at the spell's words like her broom had. So she could have spared Glinda the agony that followed. Guilt formed in her guts like a knot, and she reminded herself that Glinda had insisted on this.
Her friend's body quaked against her, the muscles in her arms wrapped around Elphaba in pain, her head laid against her shoulder muffled her gasping sounds. Nailed fingers dug into Elphaba's sides painfully and Glinda made a choking sob. Elphaba held her. Glinda's body roiled under her hands, and she felt sick. She could feel the way the bones shifted and snapped under Glinda's dress, even without seeing the change, it felt unnatural.
"I'm here." Elphaba whispered against her friend, "It's okay. It'll be okay." She wasn't sure if she was reassuring Glinda or herself. Or if Glinda could even process what she was saying through the change. With another horrible cracking, and the sound of splitting skin, Glinda jerked violently. She wailed in agony as the new limb sprouted from underneath the pink cape she'd picked out. New feathers growing and filling out rapidly as a second one appeared.
Glinda openly wept. "It hurts." She gasped out, "It hurts, it hurts."
Elphaba had to resist the urge to grip her friend tightly, for fear that she might cause more discomfort. She felt useless as she watched the spell run it's course. Glinda's new wings scraped the floor, sprawled out around them like the petals of a petticoated gown. Finally, she collapsed boneless against Elphaba with a final shudder. Her wings, finally filled out, were a beautiful pink, that somehow managed to match her dress just as perfectly as her cape. That brought the smallest smile to Elphaba's face, and she gently ran a hand down her friend's side to comfort her as they sat together in the aftermath of what they'd done.
After a moment, Glinda pulled herself together, and with a deep breath as she pushed herself up to a more seated position. Her wings shifting against the floor awkwardly, and she looked up at Elphaba. If her face had been a mess before, it was much worse now, Galind's make up was smeared across her eyelids and there were streaks of mascara on her cheeks. Elphaba gave her friend a soft laugh, and she reached forward to rub some of the mascara away with gentle fingers.
She looked really, imperfect. Human. She was gorgeous.
"I think I like you better like this." Elphaba told her, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind one of Glinda's ear. Her friend blinked at her in confusion, but when she opened her mouth to ask what Elphaba ment, there was a muffled shout from beyond the blocked door to the attic.
They were out of time. And the Wizard's men were upon them. Their eyes met, and the two struggled to their feet. Elphaba helping to keep Glinda steady as her normally graceful friend struggled with the new weight on her shoulders.
The wings twitched and shifted as Glinda adjusted, spreading wide enough to brush against the ceiling. The sight was enough to take one's breath away, if they weren't scrambling to escape. Elphaba held her friend's elbow as she reached out to pluck the floating broom from the air. She turned to look at Glinda who still looked shell shocked.
"Do you think you can fly?"
"I-I think so." Glinda stuttered.
Elphaba took her hand in her own, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, I'll be there to catch you."
The door behind them exploded and men poured into the room, shouting at the women.
"Wait! Elphie!" Glinda pulled away from Elphaba, her wings snapping closed against her body as she turned wildly back towards the room. "The book!" Glinda swept the book from the floor where theyd left it, and turned back towards Elphaba with wide fearful eyes, and then the men were on her. Hands grasped at her shoulders, and in desperation, she tossed the book towards Elphaba who caught it with both hands. She held it against her chest. Before she could even think, more hands were grabbing and restraining Glinda's arms, and she fought against them. "Go! Elphie, run!"
There wasnt anytime to think, as guards rushed her, Elphaba took a sudden step backwards, and the heel of her shoe caught the edge of the broken window behind her. She stumbled with a gasp, and she fell, her hands grasping desperately for her broom as she tumbled from the tower. Her body twisted and she plummeted towards the ground. The broom fell with her, just out of grasp, her heart was in her throat and she was terrified. Wind whistled in her ears, and for a moment she thought that this was the end, this was how she was going to die.
No. No this wasn't how she was going to doe. She wasnt going to gove the Wizard, or Madame Morrible that satisfaction. Spite is powerful thing, and a feeling of resolution filled her. Elphaba reached out her hand towards her broom, demanding. And the broom responded, zipping to her, and before she knew it, Elphaba was flying, the broom between her legs as she sat upon it like one might mount a horse.
For a split second she really considered leaving Glinda behind, but she wouldn't. Not after all they'd been through. She tossed the book in her bag, and streaked through the sky back up the building, trying not to think about just how close she'd been to crumpling against the ground. From the corner of her eye she caught sight of the flock of flying monkeys and she cursed quietly under her breath as she grasped the broom between her thighs. "Alright, broom. Let's see what you can do." She muttered and peeled away from the building, the flock chasing her with hollering sounds.
Even though she was being pursued, Elphaba couldn't help the joy that filled her chest and her stomach, because she was flying. With butterflies in her stomach, Elphaba weaved and circled the tower she'd just fallen from, her laughter trailing behind her.
With the lights of the City below her and the stars twinkling above her, Elphaba felt alive.
She couldn't wait to share this with Glinda.
Elphaba came up on the other side of the tower, and she finally caught sight of her friend through it's matching unbroken window. Glinda let out a shout and yanked one arm free, so she could punch one of the guards square in the face. Elphaba hadn't ever been so proud, and with that thought, she braced herselff. And then crashed through the unbroken window. Glass twinkling around her, she came to a stop in the middle of the attic. Guards pointed and shouted at her, but she only had eyes for her friend.
Glinda twisted around to face Elphaba, her wings flaring out wide, knocking men away from her, and to the floor. She gave Elphaba a relieved smile, like she hadn't expected to see her again. She reached out a hand towards Elphaba.
Elphaba darted forward and they grasped wrists. She swept Glinda off her feet and through the open window, hearing the commotion behind her as the flying monkeys careened into the tower, shrieking and colliding with guards as they attempted to follow Elphaba.
Glinda hung from Elphaba's hand, fear in her eyes as she looked up at Elphaba's elated grin. One of her perfect pink shoes tumbled down towards the city below them. "Elphie." There was a nervous panic in her voice as realization struck. "Elphie wait."
"Nowhere to go but up, Glinny-dinny."
And then Elphaba let go.