Fic: There Are Two Sides...

[FaeAtShiz]

I love this story so far, and I can't wait to read more! I love hearing the story from aspects we never got to see in the book or musical. Great job!

[WicKayed]

A thousand thanks once more for all your great feedback guys! Here comes part three (which will probably spill over into two posts again since I'm such a friggin' LOOOONG writer. )


* * * * * *

“I don’t think we’re going in the right direction.” Dorothy’s mouth curved into a doubtful frown. The scenery around them had changed radically in the past few hours and they now found themselves on the uninviting cusp of a very dark and heavily forested leg of the road. She bit her lip and looked to the Scarecrow for help.

Fiyero caught her eye and found that he had to look away. This was the right way. It had to be. They couldn’t afford a wrong turn- wasted time here meant less time for finding Elphaba, finding a reversal spell, and finding a way for him and Elphaba to get out of Oz altogether. “We’re doing fine. Just a little further…”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

But if he was going to be honest with himself, he had to admit that he really wasn’t positive. Not at all. He’d traveled the road before… but he’d only seen the route from the back of a coach, and that was merely what he’d glimpsed between droopy eyelids. At the time, he had never imagined needing to memorize the way. There were servants for things like that.

They hadn’t walked along much farther when, without warning, Fiyero felt Dorothy’s small hand slip out of his. He glanced over just in time to see her running into a snarl of trees off to the right side of the road. “What in the name of Oz--?” He grabbed her little runty dog up in his hands and took off after her. We don’t have time for this!

“I think I saw something!”

Battling both the wiggling puppy pawing at his neck and the low-hanging tree limbs that lashed at his straw body, Fiyero followed Dorothy’s voice to a clearing that had been completely concealed from the road. How she had seen anything this well hidden, he could only imagine. Yet there the little girl stood, staring up at a metal statue of a man.

“What do you suppose it is?” Her eyes were wide with wonder.

A tremendous waste of our time. Fiyero cleared his throat, trying to at least sound patient. “Some kind of memorial maybe. A fallen war hero or a ruler of--” Fiyero stopped musing abruptly as Dorothy looked at him with surprise. Okay, so too much for a ‘brainless’ guy. “N-not that I’d know anything about that sort of thing.”

She cupped a hand around one ear and listened intently. Fiyero was about to lean in for a listen as well when Dorothy jumped back with a yelp and they both toppled to the ground.

“Do statues in Oz talk too?”

Fiyero was at a loss. Not the last time I checked that big old thing in the center courtyard of Shiz. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t have.” She stood up, brushed her skirt off and offered him her hand. “It was more a... mumble. Like when someone tries to talk with too much food in his mouth.” Dorothy prepared to climb up next to the statue for easier access to its funnel-topped head. She made a face as she spied a metal can on the stump she had planned to make her stool. “Hold this.”

Toto was hardly out of his arms when Fiyero had to dive to catch the object his companion had hastily tossed aside. He wanted to yell again about wasting time… but he just couldn’t do it. Memories of her curled up helplessly in his arms the previous night were still too fresh. Like it or not, her life was in his hands now.

Anyway, she’d tire of the metal thing soon enough and they would be on their way. Right? Maybe?

“It’s a man made out of tin!” Dorothy decreed grandly after a good deal of hemming and hawing. “D-do you think he moves?”

Or maybe she wouldn’t. With a sigh, Fiyero came closer to confirm what the girl was so certain of. “Maybe once upon a time he did. But he’s rusted up rather solidly now.” Getting as close as he could to the man’s face, he tapped at the rusty nose… jaw joints…

----------------

If he had had the ability to move or the proper organ for it, Boq would certainly have had a heart attack and fainted dead away on the spot. Since he had rusted in a position that had him facing away from the road, he hadn’t seen these people approach until they were right on top of him- hovering two inches away from his face and poking at him.

What are you? Stupid? He tried in vain to shoot the scarecrow creature a dirty look. Yes, I’m stuck. Yes, it might be amusing from your end. NO, lurking right under my nostrils isn’t going to make this situation any better. You know what will? “Oil can.” He growled out, actual projection of the sentiment stunted by rust-induced lockjaw.

The visitors exchanged looks and began discussing what to do with him, (that stupid scarecrow even taking a moment to crack a ‘clever’, “Oil can what?”). Like you don’t know what I mean, hay-brain. It’s in your HANDS for Lurline’s sake. Boq fumed. If I could move right now, you two would be very sorry.

After what felt like an eternity, the girl seemed to make one and one add up and grabbed the squirt can from the scarecrow. Finally, Boq thought, he would get out of the woods and back to the Emerald City.

That would be after he had rid himself of these two, of course.

“Well, if this is a real man, he must have misjudged a rainstorm.” The scarecrow mused as he took his turn at squirting Boq’s joints with the much-needed oil. “Or,” He chuckled aloud, “maybe he thought it would be fun to go swimming—“

Boq would have rolled his eyes and kicked the scarecrow across the road for good measure if he had been able to. How much more of this would he be forced to endure before both visitors tired of teasing him and proceded on down the road?

“Enough. Stop being mean, Scarecrow. I’m sure it wasn’t his fault. The poor thing was just unlucky, I bet.” The girl reprimanded her traveling companion harshly and started working on Boq’s jaw gently.

Taken aback by the seemingly genuine concern the little girl showed him, the edge eased off of Boq’s anger. The look on her face gave him a strong sense of déjà vu. The last person who had looked at him with that kind of understanding was— No. No. No thinking about her. No—

I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to find out once and for all if she… if Glinda… A sinking feeling settled into his stomach. Nessa. They certainly hadn’t parted under the best of circumstances. Though the self-elected governess had been in complete control of his life and had made a large portion of that life very unhappy, there was still a small part of him that wanted to see her one last time. Maybe talk things over and part in a much more amicable way.

Boq had no idea what Nessarose was doing now, of course… he’d been rusted in place so long that the entire world could have changed around him and he would have been none the wiser. But certainly things couldn’t have changed all that much. Nessarose was probably still sitting there on her Munchkinland throne with that carefully practiced frown firmly in place; tight, grim expression not at all fitting with someone of her age. Deep worry lines, eyes sunken from countless sleepless nights…

Boq forced himself to push her face from his mind. It was no good thinking these romanticized thoughts. He’d made his choice to go after Glinda, and Nessarose would just have to understand that. Besides which, though he publicly blamed Elphaba for his current predicament, he knew who was truly to blame. If Nessa hadn’t tried to use that book in the first place, then none of this would have happened.

Any chance we might have had together is as cold and lifeless as the space where my heart used to be. It was too late now— too late to change the past.

But not too late to change the present for a better future. The plan he had been formulating during his hours alone in the woods was fairly simple. Glinda was powerful too. She’d been training in the same Sorcery seminar as Elphaba. When he got back to the Emerald City, he would find Glinda and tell her who he was- something he had told no one else. To the rest of Oz, he was just “The Man the Wicked Witch turned into tin.” Surely Glinda would recognize him, though. She would take pity on him, change him back, (for certainly, Elphaba must have been lying that day when she said a spell couldn’t be reversed) and they would be together forever. And heaven help Fiyero if he gets in my way.

“I’m... I’m sorry, Dorothy.” The scarecrow spoke after a moment, sighed, and ran a hand through what passed for its hair- clustered straw poking out from under a pointed hat. “But what do we do once we’ve helped this tin man walk around again?”

“Invite him to come along.” Dorothy replied as if it was a forgone conclusion. “I’m sure they can clean him up better in the Emerald City than you or I can out here in the woods. When we get in to see the Wizard, we’ll ask him if he can help our friend too.”

The Emerald City, huh? The Wizard himself? Well, well. Whoever these people were, if they had a backstage pass to see the Wizard, they were definitely worth his time. If the Wizard didn’t help him directly, he knew Glinda had a room in the same palace.… Boq smiled, this time succeeding at the motion since his jaw was almost completely freed.

[WicKayed]

With a yelp of triumph, Dorothy jumped off the stump and moved out of Boq’s range of vision. “See?! He smiled! He likes the idea.”

The scarecrow appeared ready to argue this point, but gave a resigned sigh instead, following her out of Boq’s sight. “As long as he doesn’t slow us down. We really need to make it to the Emerald City before tomorrow night.”

Their muttered conversation continued behind Boq for a few minutes, but he had other goals in mind besides eavesdropping. Move the neck to either side… wiggle the fingers… shrug the shoulders…

“—going around the forest might be longer, but it would be safer.” Dorothy was saying to the scarecrow, the two now deeply involved in an argument over the best way to continue their journey. With their backs to him, Boq found the element of surprise was on his side.

“We shouldn’t be wasting time when I know I can get us through.” The scarecrow took Dorothy’s hand in his reassuringly. “I promise.”

“I—“ Dorothy fumbled. “I still don’t know…”

“I’m afraid I have to agree with your friend.” Boq spoke, causing the two to whirl around in surprise. He walked up until he was standing mere feet from them, making sure they saw that he was now fully capable of motion. He had to grin at their dropped jaws. “The forest may look intimidating, but it’s the quickest way into the city. You can trust me. I’ve lived here since,” he thought fast to make up a believable story, “since the tinsmith made me.”

“Then… you know the way through the woods?” The scarecrow skeptically raised a painted-on eyebrow.

“That’s what I’m saying. I can get you to the Emerald City… that is, if I heard you right and the invitation still stands…”

Though the scarecrow looked a bit uneasy, Dorothy giggled happily and skipped up to Boq’s feet. “Of course, silly.” She reached up before Boq knew what was happening and, on tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his tin can torso.

Boq nearly lost his balance, having been completely taken off guard. He was stunned; rendered speechless for almost a full minute. Ever since the spell there hadn’t been a soul who would touch him… let alone… hug him. People were afraid- he had read that quite clearly on their faces. Though he pretended that it didn’t, their shunning him hurt deeply… and made him loathe Elphaba all the more for it. She had been a freakish outcast her whole life. Had she now made it her goal in life to bring everyone else in Oz down to her disfigured, repulsive level?

Trying his best to push the disgust from his mind, Boq knelt down, (or, well, as close as he could manage with knees that were still rather rusty). It felt wonderful to be held again, he realized, and awkwardly returned the hug, more than a little afraid that he would hurt Dorothy’s delicate skin with his clumsy metal arms.

Yet just as Boq began to feel the loving warmth return to his cold, dead chest, he caught a warning look from the scarecrow out of the corner of his eye. He…he thinks I’m going to try something. Boq realized, more than a little hurt by the thought. I-I won’t. He wasn’t certain why, but he suddenly felt very strongly that he had something to prove to the scarecrow. Something in the way that bag of straw looked at him was unsettling and… familiar. Sweet Ozma, I WON’T HURT HER.

Finally, unable to stand it a moment longer, Boq looked away from the scarecrow’s face and cast his eyes to the ground. Even though he couldn’t see them anymore, he could feel those two suspicious blue eyes boring a hole through his head. As he was building up the courage to say something, he noticed Dorothy’s feet for the first time- more specifically, he noticed the shoes. Red, jeweled shoes. Not unlike—No, it couldn’t be. Because those shoes were silver. Not to mention their owner would have never let someone else borrow them. So I’m just crazy then. But this made his second shot of déjà vu for the day… from the same person… and that was a lot for one guy to swallow and chalk up as coincidence.

Before he could ask her anything about her particular footwear however, Dorothy jumped back up, waved for her dog and went skipping off down the road. “All you have to do is keep up, Tin Man!”

The scarecrow motioned for Boq to follow. Evidently, he was used to Dorothy running on ahead.

“Unusual kid, eh?” The scarecrow said in a low voice meant only for his new metallic travel companion to hear as he waited for him to get back to his feet.

Boq could only nod, still in a daze. What did all this mean? He turned to look at the scarecrow, “Uhm, thanks, by the way. For the-“, he moved still-squeaky arms to illustrate. “I was afraid I’d be stuck there forever.”

The scarecrow shrugged it off. “Yeah, well… the more the merrier, I suppose.”

They walked along in silence. Boq tried to initiate conversation- commenting on the road.. the birds… the growing darkness… but nothing seemed to spark a steady flow of discussion. It was almost like being back in Shiz, he grimaced. Awkward little Boq trying to make friends. Well, no way was he going to relive those days. “What’s your name? If we’re going to be traveling together, I want to know what to call you. I caught the little girl’s name- Dorothy- but you…?”

“I don’t think the farmer ever really gave me one. Just call me Scarecrow, I guess. She does.” He answered, never taking his eyes off the road.

Boq was afraid they would fall right back into silence again when Scarecrow surprised him.

“And you?”

“Huh?”

“Your name, smart guy. What’s your name?”

The putdown attached to the question was enough to set Boq on the defensive, but he replied slowly, “It doesn’t matter. I’ve been called lots of stuff in my life. Tin Man works as well as anything.” It was vague, but Boq hoped that was enough. He certainly wasn’t going to tell his real name to just anyone. Plus, now that Dorothy wasn’t walking right next to them, the Scarecrow seemed to have changed his demeanor quite a bit. Far more aloof, a little quicker to snap back… Lurline, the vibe he got off of the Scarecrow was downright creepy. Who… who are you? “D-do I know you from somewhere?”

Scarecrow stopped walking and turned to Boq suddenly. Maybe even defensively? Boq couldn’t help but wonder.

“I doubt it. Unless you’ve been through Munchkinland… my home field is there.”

Munchkinland. Boq sighed. Only every day of my life before I went to college. He continued to stare Scarecrow full in the face and couldn’t help but feel Scarecrow was doing the same to him. Neither one seemed to find what he was searching for, though. With a grunt, Boq looked away. “My mistake, then. There are lots of scarecrows around Oz.”

He might have decided for a little more questioning, but at that moment Boq heard a sound that made his knees buckle.

A high-pitched, shrieking cackle.

Elphaba! Boq swallowed hard and tightened the deathgrip he had on his axe.

Elphaba! Fiyero could have jumped for joy. What took you so long, Fae?

They both ran as fast as they could to catch up to Dorothy and Toto.

[ChancetoFly]

yay! more...soon

This is a fabulous story, and I can't wait to see what you do with Elphaba running into them all/Boq finding out about how Dorothy got those shoes.

[kate238]

Eeekkkk!!!! I have just started reading Fanfic and DSO, yours is amazing!!!! Seriously, the way you tie everything together.....I am in awe. I'm sure Gregory Maguire and Winnie Holzman would be too. Absolutely superb....I can't wait for more!

[bubbles_n_brooms]

this is soo amazing i can't wait to read more. please update soon! i love the way u tied all three 2gether it is very kewl!

[WicKayed]

Well, it's been a pretty long delay... so instead of waiting for more editing, I'm just gonna go ahead and post the first half of Part Four. Thanks for waiting, guys!


* * * * * *

The Wicked Witch of the West stood before Dorothy, her emerald green eyes flashing indignantly. The little girl trembled and wished with all her might that that beautiful good witch would come back to save her as she had done the first time in Munchkinland. But the glittery blue fairy woman was nowhere in sight now. All Dorothy had for backup were her two friends- the Scarecrow and the Tin Man- and they had certainly never faced off against this evil woman. Only Dorothy had experience with her.

This doesn’t have to get out of hand. Dorothy reasoned to herself. This could all be cleared up with a little explanation. She cleared her throat and took a step forward as confidently as she could. “Now, Miss— oh dear, I-I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name but, I just have to do what Glinda told me. She gave me these shoes, but I’ll be more than happy to give them back once I’ve been to see the Wizard and I’ve—“

The Witch seemed to choke and stepped forward so that she and the little girl had precious inches separating them. “Glinda.” She spat out the name as if it had a sour tang about it. “They were a gift she had no right to give.”

“Look,” A trembling breath slipped out from between Dorothy’s lips before she could stop it. So much for projecting calm and confidence. “She told me to go to the Emerald City. To see the Wizard. When I’m done with that and finally on my way home, I’ll be more than happy to hand them over.”

Seeming to actually consider this for a moment, the Witch raised a hand to her brow and rubbed it gently as if suffering from a migrane- a strangely human gesture that Dorothy watched with great interest. If she could talk some sense into this crazed woman, than maybe—

What Dorothy had neglected to focus on was Elphaba’s other hand. With a mighty swing, she very nearly bashed the girl across the face with the handle of her broom. Only a sudden shove kept Dorothy from seeing stars… a shove delivered by none other than the Scarecrow himself. He caught the broom by the very end of the handle and stared at it for a moment as if he hadn’t been expecting it to be there.

Elphaba screamed and yanked the broom free. The very thought that this detestable creature had beaten her to the punch made her see red. It took everything in her to regain some degree of calm. “Ooo. Now isn’t this interesting?” Elphaba set her jaw firmly. At least she was finally face to face with the Gale girl’s hero. And she was more than ready to give him a piece of her mind. Directly behind the Scarecrow was a man all too familiar- silver from head to toe and trying to look as mean and scary as possible. Oh, give it up, Boq dearie. Her main interest was the Scarecrow. Boq was just in the way again. Wrong place, wrong time. “Helping the little lady along are you, my fine gentlemen?”

Fiyero felt more than a little shock as he reached down to help Dorothy back to her feet. This was a side of Elphaba he had never seen before. She was wild with anger and looked ready to bulldoze a large city if it stood in her way. Clearly, injuring a small child wasn’t a problem for her when she was this angry.

He had to calm her down quickly before things got out of hand. “El—“

“Well, stay away from her!” Elphaba silenced the Scarecrow sharply. “Or I’ll stuff a mattress with you.”

Whoa. Okay, cool it sweetie. Calm down before someone gets hurt. Fiyero took a step forward and was about to speak when—

“—wanna play ball?” was all he heard as a massive burst of fire nearly ignited his legs. He leapt back, lost his footing and landed on the ground with a hard thunk. The smell of smoke registered a second later and in panic, Fiyero began madly batting out the small spark that had landed on his leg. This wasn’t happening. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this…

~ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ ~

Hoping she had scared them sufficiently, Elphaba mounted her broom and took off. Certainly they wouldn’t continue on to the city now. Though she still needed those shoes, she couldn’t risk further confrontation with so many Gale Force guards roaming the countryside.

She’d be patient… follow them at a distance… and take what was rightfully hers when the time presented itself.

~ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ ~

Boq moved quickly to snuff out the remains of Elphaba’s flamey attack and had the dangerous orange tongues safely smothered in seconds. He took a ragged breath and regained his feet… but noticed that the Scarecrow remained motionless. With two unblinking eyes staring straight up at the sky, Boq could tell that his newfound companion was in shock.

…it’s me…just me…you…you’d never… never hurt me… It was as if Fiyero’s brain had stuck in a feedback loop. This wasn’t possible. It had never entered his mind that Elphaba’s arrival could mean anything but good news.

How could things have gone so wrong?

How could she have tried to… kill… him?!

“Come on.” Boq took the Scarecrow by the arm and lifted him to his feet. The poor guy was a real mess… and Boq couldn’t exactly blame him. Hanging in a corn field his entire life, Scarecrow had never faced something like death. That made Boq the experienced one- before Elphaba had changed him he had been right on death’s door. He had felt his heart stop beating. The blood slowing. So, yes, I know death, my friend.

For the first time Boq felt close to this guy. Like a mentor. Or maybe… just maybe… he had finally found a friend? “We can’t stay here. She may come back looking for us.”

“Right.” Fiyero managed to answer numbly. “Let’s go.”

* * * * * *


Elphaba jumped through the open window with glee. Sending her broom hurling across the room, she nearly knocked Chistery off his perch atop the crystal ball. The look on that Scarecrow’s face had been priceless. Definitely worth flying out of her way for. Though she wouldn’t have really torched the hapless, brainless thing, she hoped her little visit had served its purpose. It was a warning shot- fired across the prow of a ship like they did in the old days on the seas. “Stay away from that little girl. She’s nothing but trouble. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll let her go on by herself.”

The same warning went for Boq- for that had certainly been him. How he’d wound up with Dorothy Gale, Lurline only knew, but if he had the same sense of self-preservation that his haystack companion did, he would beat a hasty retreat too.

She wouldn’t kill them. No, never kill them. But that didn’t mean she would just let them deliver Nessa’s shoes to the Wizard.

There were nonviolent ways of dealing with one’s enemies too. Ways that involved a carefully laid spell here… a booby trap there… and, most importantly, a little browsing of the Grimmerie.

[kate238]

You are sooooo good at this. I absolutely love it!! Thanks so much for posting more. It makes everything make such perfect sense, and I can't wait for more!! Awesome, awesome...*squeals excitedly and reads it again* ;D

[WickedWitchElphie]

Yes, I COMPLETELY agree. I've been reading along for a while (I don't know if I've already commented and I'm too lazy to check ), and this is really a great piece of writing. It's so interesting to hear more in-depth about the Wizard of Oz, but with more of the Wicked characters in it.

Can't wait for more!

[Galindaba089]

Ahhh this is a GREAT story. I love the Wizard of Oz quotes!! I am so hooked. Yay, great job!!

[WicKayed]

I finally have the second part of Part 4 ready. Actually, to confess, I've been a mean author- I've had this ready and edited for a while now, I just kept either forgetting, thinking I'd already put it up, or just getting distracted... so, part 2 of Part 4 (if that makes any sense )


* * * * * *

They stopped at a deep pool of water to the side of a footpath off the main road. Though it was a delay, Boq knew the whole group needed a breather from that close call. Scarecrow had been in charge of keeping everyone on task, but he clearly wasn’t going to be in a delegating mood for a while. He was currently leaning up against a tree, staring aimlessly off into space. Boy, you were rattled, alright.

For her part, Dorothy was recovering pretty quickly. She was washing her face with small palmfuls of water and giggling as she “accidentally” splashed some on her black puppy. She’d keep herself amused for a while- now he had to turn his attention to his new friend. Or, potential friend, at least.

“Hey.” Boq approached awkwardly.

“Hey.”

“Are you going to be alright?”

Raising his left leg and pointing to a tuft of exposed stuffing, Scarecrow chuckled. “It’s all still there, isn’t it? Only the faintest hint of a singe. I’ll be fine.”

“Right, right. Your body is fine. But I think you’re still terrified.”

“How would you know?” Scarecrow turned his head sharply.

“Almost dying has a way of getting inside your head. Messing with your brain.”

“Well, no worries about that. No brain to get messed up.” He poked at his canvas head disdainfully.

Boq tried to ignore how blatently Scarecrow was trying to anger him into silence. He’s specifically trying to annoy me. “I’m being serious. I know what it’s like to die.”

“Die?” A raised eyebrow. “What? You get too close to a guy with a welding torch?”

“I’m going to tell you something that you can’t tell anyone else, alright? Especially not little Miss Kansas over there.” Taking a steadying breath, Boq eased his creaking joints into a sitting position on a stump. “This—“ he rapped on his chest and grimaced as it gave a hollow echo in response, “isn’t how I’ve always been. I used to be—“

“Solid metal?”

“A man.”

Scarecrow was silent and completely still as Boq continued. “I can’t go into all the details, but… the Wicked Witch of the East… she tried to kill me. Then her sister- the one who tried to do you in- she decided to add to the ‘fun’ by transforming me into—“ Boq swallowed hard. “What kind of life am I leading now anyway? I can’t go out in public without being stared at. I don’t need to eat. I don’t need to sleep.”

“But you’re alive at least.”

“Look, friend.” Boq took Scarecrow by the arm and led him to the water’s edge, lowering his voice so Dorothy didn’t overhear. “See that?” He pointed to his reflection in disgust. “I used to have the worst acne when I was a teenager. People liked to make fun of my crater face. Ozma, I hated it… yet, the funny thing is, now I find myself missing it. Because at least those red welts were attached to skin. My skin. NOW look at me. Is this living?”

Fiyero did look. Briefly. But in examining the transformed face of another, he couldn’t help but focus on his own. He still recognized himself- but barely. I knew there was a reason I was staying away from mirrors. Elphaba had really done a number on him. It could have been an accident, sure, but this was… she knew what his looks meant to him... she did.

He still believed he could get her to understand what had happened, but the events of the morning had dealt those hopes a serious blow. In trying to reason with her, she had lashed out and tried to burn him to a crisp.

“I want to make it stop. Keep her from hurting others like she hurt me.”

“… and me.” Fiyero found himself replying slowly.

“Well, nearly hurt you. At least you’re still alive to tell the tale of what she did.”

Wait.

Tell the tale. Boq found a plan forming in his head. If he worked this all out the right way, why… Imagine. A friend and an ally in one day. Who would have thought I could be so fortunate? “When we get to the Emerald City I want you to meet a couple friends of mine… If you join us, we can get rid of the Witch for good.”

Fiyero found that he couldn’t produce the words he wanted to say. He loved Elphaba and she loved him… but she had hurt him… and the Tin Man was starting to make sense… but… but…

Slowly, he found himself come to a decision- a very important decision.

When his voice returned, he called for Dorothy. “W-we need to get going! The forest ahead is going to be rough, but if we stay together, we’ll be to the Emerald City in no time. And we have a lot to do when we get there.”

Boq grinned from ear to ear in triumph. “I’m glad to have someone who finally understands me.”

Fiyero smiled slowly, “Yes. I understand you.”

[ElphieatShiz]

Ooh, more, more!

[Galindaba089]

Wow, that's amazing! But so sad that Boq's convinced Yero to turn against Elphie... ah misunderstandings!

[NoGood]

I dunno whether to love you for writing such a great fic, or to hate you for making me sad.

I think I'll pick the former, since you've done an excellent job (as someone already said) of mingling all 3 sources. Plus, I love when Fiyero discovers his new body.

Please tell me this is going to end happily. I like happy endings. XD

[WicKayed]

Here we go! Part Five all set to go! I say it every time, but I really DO mean it- thanks for all your feedback, guys! It keeps me coming back to the story to write more and more. I'm on a pretty good kick right now so hopefully I'll have the story completed in a few weeks... there's more to come, though. Including some Glinda!

* * * * * *


As predicted, it wasn’t too much farther down the road that things became very dark and entirely uninviting to travelers. Sounds came from all sides- Animal, animal and otherwise. While Fiyero knew he could handle negotiating with any rational Animal, and could probably count on the Tin Man to intimidate approaching animals, it was the “otherwise” that made his hair- erm, straw- stand on end.

“I don’t like this forest. It’s dark and creepy.” Dorothy tightened her grip on her two escorts. “I knew we should have gone around.”

“We’ll be alright.” Boq bit his lip, trying to keep from sounding like a rattling box of cans as his knees knocked together. “I know this forest.”

“Oh yeah?” Fiyero stopped long enough to take a steadying breath. “What’s in the forest?”

“Lions and Tigers and Bears.”

“Oh my!” Dorothy yelped.

Fiyero and Boq stopped in simultaneous memory flashes- a ballroom... early evening… conversations at a table laden with the most exotic refreshments… a bowl of…- then turned to face each other as they realized that they had shown identical reactions.

“L-lions?... a-and Tigers?” Fiyero recovered falteringly, trying to cover his shock by making it look more like a fear of the lurking Animals.

Boq swallowed before replying, “… and Bears.”

They stared at each other with full-on déjà vu for the second time in as many hours. Things had now gone far beyond merely strange to downright eerie.

But Dorothy had completely missed the tension between her new friends. Her, “Oh my” had not been for the frightening Animals, but rather for Toto who had trotted on ahead and disappeared into the undergrowth.

A growling now came from the same bush. And it wasn’t canine.

“Toto!” She called out frantically and crawled into the bush after him.

Boq was the first to break the blinkless stare he shared with the Scarecrow and turned. “Dorothy! Come back here! We don’t want to be separated—“ Before he could finish the sentence however, he toppled to the yellow-bricked ground with a clank. With the Scarecrow splayed on top of him, it took a moment for him to catch his breath before bellowing: “What do you think you’re doing you maniac?!”

All Fiyero could do was silently point to the large creature standing behind them in shadow. It gave a low growl and leapt toward the mess of intertwined tin and hay limbs.

“Put ‘em up! Put ‘em up! Which one of ya first? I’ll fight ya both together if ya want. I’ll fight ya standin’ on one foot! I’ll fight ya with my eyes closed…”

* * * * * *


Geeze. Do I look like an overgrown kitten’s hankie? Fiyero switched arms so that the Lion could continue sobbing on him while the former appendage could be properly wrung out.

“… a-an’ it all started when I was just a little cub. All the others had their ways of showin’ how brave they were… play fights in the meadows an’ the like… but I couldn’t even look over the edge of a cliff without feelin’ sick an’ scared an’…”

So much for king of the beasts. The only thing remotely regal about this Lion was how his emotions were a royal mess. Who had ever heard of a Lion scared of his own shadow?

And yet, he had the feeling that, one way or another, this sad creature would wind up joining their little pilgrimage to see the Wizard too. Dorothy would make sure of that. Fiyero appreciated her kind heart, but it was that very trait which had at least tripled the length of this trip. Just the two of them would have made it to the Emerald City looong before now.

“Well, it’s alright now.” Dorothy took his paw and rubbed it soothingly. “The Wizard will fix everything.”

Oh boy. Did I call it, or what?

“Wizard?!” The Lion’s tail darted about wildly. “T-this Wizard doesn’t have… c-cages… does he?” A low growl accompanied the offending c-word.

What? “No. No cages, friend.” Fiyero knew he was lying through his teeth, but the truth would have only sent the Lion back into waves of tears. And Fiyero was soggy enough now to last an entire lifetime, thank you very much.

“Good.” The Lion smiled slowly. “Good. I don’t like cages. Not one bit. Got stuck in one once already.” Reaching around, Lion took his tail in his paws and started neurotically rubbing the hairy tip the same way that one might bite his nails. “I-it stopped me from gettin’ away. An’ I wanted to get away from those students, believe me.”

“Students?” Boq spit out the word before he could stop it from coming out. Though he knew metal was incapable of showing it, he felt a hot blush on his cheeks as Dorothy and the Scarecrow looked at him with surprise. But he’d already spoken now. He might as well finish. “Where were there students? Where was this?”

Why does it matter to you? Fiyero raised an eyebrow. He was starting to like the Tin Man- even qualifying him as a friend- but the metalhead could still be downright peculiar. I have genuine reasons to wonder about this, but you..?

“A big… school… college. I don’t remember the name.”

But this bit of information only further proved to excite Boq. His eyes radiated intensity. “Try.”

Beginning to tear up, the Lion squeaked out a very small, “I don’t remember.”

“Or you don’t want to.”

“No…”

“How about the first letter?”

“No!”

“That’s enough! Stop it! Stop it!” Dorothy yelled. “I won’t have you two fighting over something that’s not even important. What does it matter? It’s over now, Tin Man. No one has asked you exactly how you managed to rust in the middle of the forest, have they?”

Boq exhaled slowly, dropping his axe back down to his side, (which he had somehow managed to raise threateningly in the heat of the moment). It wasn’t worth blowing his cover. He’d just have to go on an assumption now.

Everyone walked along in silence for a while, but each brain was working a mile a minute.

~ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ ~

Cages. Lion. No… it couldn’t be. And yet, Fiyero couldn’t fight the guilt he felt as the pieces began to fall into place in his mind. It was an almost inconceivable coincidence that this was the same Lion. After all this time… what are the odds? We didn’t do anything but set you free. That shouldn’t have caused lifelong cowardice. Right?... Right?

Damnit. He had to get to the Emerald City NOW.

~ ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ ~

Cages. Lion. Of course. That same little trembling creature from class has grown up to be one big ball of frightened fluff. It was perfect. Here was even more evidence Boq could present to the witch hunting masses. Another charge to add to the long list mounting against Elphaba. If she’d let him fight his own battles when he was young, he wouldn’t be a coward today!

He couldn’t wait to get to the Emerald City.