Title: The Power
Fandom: : Wicked - Schwartz/Holzman
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1139 Words
Content notes: A missing scene from the musical. Thanks to my beta, Hsifeng
Summary: Elphaba fled from Oz, with some unexpected companions


Elphaba sped through the skies, the rain that lashed her face hiding the tears that streamed down her cheeks. How had everything gone so wrong? How had the best moment of her life suddenly turned into the worst?

She wasn't that upset that Glinda had stayed behind - the blonde had always been perfectly clear about her goals and priorities in life. And while it made Elphaba a bit sad, she also knew that it would not ruin their friendship if they didn't let it.

No, what tore at her heart was Fiyero. Fiyero and the wizard and madam Morrible and all the others who lived in that world and let those things happen to the animals. She thought of Dr. Dillamond, who had been so wonderful and kind to her, and of the other animals she had known.

And then she thought of the monkeys. The monkeys that she had harmed in her foolishness. True, she didn't know what the Wizard and Madame Morrible were truly up to, but did that absolve her of her part in their crimes? Was her crime against them lessened because she had freed a handful? Were her sins less painful because they had been unintentional?

She wasn't sure.

In fact, she wasn't sure of anything anymore. All she knew was that she had to get somewhere safe. Somewhere where the Wizard couldn't find her.

Suddenly, like a phantom in the clouds, she thought she spotted a monkey. But it couldn't be, could it? They had fled, and rightly so. Why would they find her in this storm?

Another flash of lightning and she saw the creature clearly. It was Chistery, the leader of the monkeys in the palace. He looked back at her and beckoned with one hand.

Stupefied, cold, and heartbroken, she followed, descending through the clouds.

When she reached the lower levels, she was able to see through the rain. There, straight ahead, was the large, ominous bulk of a castle. She couldn't be certain, but as there were no lights at the windows, she thought it may be deserted.

Heart swelling with gratitude, she followed Chistery towards the castle. As they converged on the main door, the other monkeys appeared, winging in from all directions. Two of them managed to open the solid doors and Elphaba and the rest tumbled inside.

Out of the worst of the storm, Elphaba finally dropped her broom, forcing her numb fingers to obey her tired brain. She looked around for a torch or fireplace, only to find one of the monkeys already ahead of her. He laid the wood from the tinder box in the ornate fireplace and then looked back at her. Elphaba knew what that look meant, and she pulled the book out of her dress. It had remained mostly dry, and she was easily able to find a spell for fire-making.

"Esssen otten mi hennel!"

Just like that, green flames burst into life behind the grate. The monkeys all chattered, and one of them pushed her closer to the fire.

Elphaba sat on the ornate rug before the fire, gently placing the book before her and propping the pages so that they, too, could dry.

The others gathered around her, save for two, who disappeared into the depths of the castle. Every now and then one would return, chatter briefly with Chistery, and then disappear back down one of the dark halls. Elphaba observed this in a kind of waking haze. Her heart was still filled with the pain of the Wizard's betrayal, and the hurt of Glinda's choices, and the shock that the monkeys did not hate her - unless this was some sort of elaborate trap.

Her mind finally settled into a painful numbness that watched these comings and goings, and the sparkling green fire, with a dull apathy, all the shock long since worn off.

Eventually, she noticed when something was draped over her shoulders. Curious, she looked up from the dancing flames and saw that the two monkeys had returned and were carrying piles of blankets and quilts. They had draped one over her, and had placed several more in piles around the fire. The other monkeys were curling up on them, and the monkey before her offered her another blanket. Wordlessly, she took it, still surprised by their care. The blankets and the fire did little to ease the ache within her, though she knew that superficially she was getting warmer.

She wasn't sure when she drifted off, but her dreams were filled with strange chanting, colored lights, and the faces of those she had trusted the most. Every time she woke up in the night, at least one monkey was awake, carefully tending the fire. It would look at her, mumble something in its animal language that she thought sounded comforting, and then turn back to the fire as she drifted back off. It was both a comfort and a constant reminder of her failure, of her sins, to see the monkeys there, and tears streamed down her face even in her sleep.

When she woke, the sun was shining brightly, at odds with the chill in her heart. Elphaba found that most of the monkeys were gone, no doubt exploring the castle. However, one was still tending the fire, and Chistery was nearby, watching her.

She looked at him, but she could see no hatred in his eyes. She had gotten good at reading the soul of an animal through his eyes over the course of her life, and she saw no hate in him. In fact, she wasn't sure what to label his expression. Caution, yes, and maybe even a bit of… favor. But that couldn't be right! He couldn't like her! She was the one that had turned him into an abomination; stripping away what little dignity the Wizard and the others had left him!

But there it was, in his expression. He didn't hate her. He even liked her.

Elphaba thought about that, and decided to get up and see where she was. She thought about it as she wandered through the castle. She thought about it as she discovered Fiyero's family coat of arms and realized that she was in the abandoned family castle he had mentioned. She thought about it as she looked out over the verdant plains of Oz.

She thought about it, and she realized something.

She had the power in this world now. The Wizard had admitted as much when he gave her the Grimmerie. Which meant that she had the power to fix things.

She turned around, unsurprised to find that Chistery had followed her up onto the battlements. "We're going to fix things," she told him. "Starting with you speaking."

He didn't open his mouth, but his eyes conveyed his approval and hope.