The Grand Vizier of Oz
is an AU Wicked fanfic by Sedri.
In this story, Elphaba and Glinda's first meeting with The Wizard goes very differently, resulting in Madame Morrible's accidental death and Elphaba, Glinda and The Wizard learning that he is Elphaba’s real father. The Wizard will do anything to make his daughter stay, but Elphaba’s view of him has been shattered. What follows is an account of the next several years as the characters cope with this revelation, graduate from Shiz, and try to make Oz a better place for people and Animals alike, beginning with the Wizard appointing Elphaba as his Grand Vizier.
As this deals with the musical and some elements from the book, spoilers for them will remain unmarked.
This fanfic provides examples of:
- Alternative Calendar: Years are measured from when the Wizard took power, which is also conveniently the year Elphaba was born, so we see time pass as "Year 25" instead of the calendar years from before or after the reign of Ozma.
- Armor-Piercing Question: After Frex ignores Elphaba yet again once she gives Nessa shoes that allow her to walk on her own, Elphaba interrupts him by asking if he actually loves her at all. Which leads into...
- Armor-Piercing Response: Fiyero stops Frex in the middle of his excuses by pointing out that Melana loved their daughter. He tells him he should think about what Melena would have wanted him to do.
- Be All My Sins Remembered: For years Elphaba carries the guilt over accidentally killing Morrible as she rises in power and popularity, and questions if she deserves them since they came about because of the woman's death. She frequently visits Morrible's bust to leave flowers and offer apologies.
- Birthday Episode: Chapter 5, "Cause For Celebration", centers around Elphaba's first birthday with her new friends and the Wizard.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Elphaba's father Frex. He's cordial to Elphaba in public but still blatantly favors Nessa and always suspects the worst of Elphaba, no matter how hard she tries to prove herself to him. Later he throws her a surprise homecoming party when she returns to Munchkinland to ask for his blessing to marry Fiyero, but it's less out of affection than a way to cozy up to her after he's finally noticed how much good her reform has brought to Munchkinland.
- Book Ends: The story opens on a reporter in the middle of a crowd in the Emerald City waiting to hear a big announcement from Glinda and the Wizard. It ends as we see what that announcement is: Fiyero and Elphaba's engagement.
- Brick Joke: The reporter in the opening reminisces on capturing an embarrassing picture of Elphaba spilling strawberry ice cream on herself. That same incident plays out in a later chapter.
- Broken Pedestal: The main thing that keeps Elphaba from embracing the Wizard is that she's already seen he's not as great a man as she believed he was.
- When Frex learns Nessa's enforcing a law that makes Boq virtually her prisoner so he can never leave her, he realizes his daughter isn't the perfect angel he always thought she was. He still values her over Elphaba, though.
- Character Development: Nearly everyone, even the winged monkeys once the Wizard puts them under Elphaba's care.
- Dating What Daddy Hates: Inverted with Elphaba and Fiyero. Frex is upset with Elphaba because he's convinced she enchanted Fiyero to fall in love with her instead of Glinda.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Throughout the story Elphaba slowly warms up to working with the Wizard and being part of his family.
- Did Not Get The Guy: Fiyero realizes his feelings for Elphaba long before he's engaged to Glinda this time around and gently breaks up with her. Though she doesn't take it well at first, she eventually comes around and is happy for her two best friends.
- Nessa loses Boq once again, but this time because Elphaba uses a loophole in the law she passed to set him free from Nessa's indentured servitude.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Sedri set out to write a fanfic where it was possible for the characters to have a happy ending but in a realistic way. That means there's plenty of obstacles for them to hurdle first.
- Food Fight: A short one between Glinda, Elphaba, and some poorly-placed ice cream.
- Formula-Breaking Episode: Chapter Eleven, "Letters" is told completely through letters corresponding to and from Glinda, Elphaba, Fiyero, Dr. Dillamond, their families, a few nobles and a family of Animals. Chapter Twelve, "The Family Thropp", opens with a flashback of young Elphaba playing with her pregnant mother Melena.
- For Want Of A Nail: Much of the terrible things that come to pass in the musical are avoided thanks to Morrible's untimely death:
- Elphaba doesn't swear a vendetta against the Wizard and she's not branded as a Wicked Witch.
- Persecution against Animals eventually dies down with only a few minor incidents coming up every now and then.
- Dr. Dillamond is released from custody, makes a near-complete recovery and returns to his former job.
- Glinda finds a meaningful career in public relations instead of serving as the figurehead for Morrible's agenda.
- The tornado that brings Dorothy to Oz and kills Nessa isn't summoned.
- Fiyero gets a job at the palace to help Elphaba's cause and isn't transformed into a Scarecrow.
- Elphaba doesn't have to fake her death or go into hiding with Fiyero.
- The Wizard learns about Elphaba's parentage much sooner and makes the effort to be the best father he can, including reversing the damaging laws he passed while advised by Morrible.
- Frex doesn't die "from shame" but begins to step down as governor of Munchkinland so Nessa can take the reins.
- Freaky Fashion, Mild Mind: Elphaba keeps her iconic hat and dons dark green gowns when she ascends to the role of Vizier, which adds to her intimidating aura.
- The Good Chancellor: What Elphaba is eventually seen as thanks to her successful crusade for Animal rights and Glinda's good PR.
- Graduate from the Story: Subverted in that there's a time skip to Elphaba and Glinda's graduation from Shiz, but it's only partway through the story so there's plenty more to follow.
- Happy Birthday to You!: It's implied that the Wizard has everyone sing this to Fiyero's little sister Meru at her birthday party as part of a tradition from his homeland. Elphaba finds it repetitive and ridiculous.
- In Spite of a Nail - Elphaba still gives Nessa some red shoes that enable her to walk. However they are a separate pair that turn red as a side effect of the enchantment as opposed to changing her silver slippers to ruby red.
- Love Potion: Frex pulls Elphaba away from a ball to accuse her of slipping Fiyero one of these since he's convinced that's the only way someone like him could love her.
- Magic Carpet: Elphaba and Glinda create one for Meru since her birthday wish is to fly.
- The Masquerade: The Wizard spins Madame Morrible's death as a tragic accident to keep Elphaba and Glinda from getting in trouble. Also, no one ever lets it slip that Elphaba is the Wizard's daughter for Frex and Nessa's sakes.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Elphaba after accidentally killing Madame Morrible.
- The Wizard internalizes this when he learns that his green elixir is responsible for Elphaba's skin color. He secretly attempts to find a way to fix it by trying to recreate the original drink since he didn't keep track of what he put in it the first time. He nearly poisons himself as a result.
- Nightmare Sequence: Elphaba has a brief one on the ride home from meeting the Wizard; she relives Morrible's death and sees her mother Melena trapped in the bottle before she transforms into Morrible's body.
- Not Wanting Kids Is Weird - Happily averted. Elphaba and Fiyero have good reasons for not wanting children (she doesn't want to pass on her green skin and he likes kids but doesn't want the responsibility of raising them) and nobody criticizes them for their decision.
- Shout-Out - One of the hideous hats Glinda's grandmother sends her is the crown her 1939 film counterpart wears.
- Surprise Party: Glinda, Fiyero and Nessa throw one for Elphaba's birthday during their first year at Shiz. She's so surprised because no one ever gave her a party before.
- These Hands Have Killed: Elphaba after she lets out a burst of accidental magic kills Madame Morrible.
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Unexpected Character: The Cowardly Lion reappears all grown up halfway through the story. - The Unfavorite: Elphaba is this to Frex. Fiyero assumes he is this to a lesser extent with his own father, but that turns out not to be the case.
- "Well Done, Dad!" Guy: The Wizard spends the entirety of the story trying to win Elphaba's love. He does all he can to reverse the laws against Animals that he passed, dances with joy when he receives a short, curt note from her thanking him for an unexpected birthday gift, rouses the attendees at Elphaba's graduation ceremony into a standing ovation when she steps up for her diploma, and nearly poisons himself trying to find a way to reverse Elphaba's skin color.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Elphaba is this towards Frex. She grows out of it near the end when she realizes he will never love her because of her green skin, and accepts the Wizard as her true father.
