Chapter 1

A/N To LittleMissDelirious, for tapping her foot impatiently. I just had to push out the chapter for you.

Fiyero Tiggular, Crown Prince of the Vinkus Arjiki Tribe, ladykiller, Oz's most eligible bachelor (according to the latest issue of Ozmopolitan), and self-proclaimed dancing-through-life extraordinaire woke up, on a bright morning, and wondered where he was.

The mattress felt unfamiliar.

He looked up. The plain ceiling with the peeling paint looked unfamiliar. The bare walls looked unfamiliar.

He turned and looked at his arms. No, there was no girl sleeping in his arms, so he could not have spent a night in a girl's bedroom. Of course there was the possibility that the girl in question had gone to the bathroom, but they usually did not, as more than one of them had told him how much they loved being in his arms. Moreover, he did not remember going to bed with a girl, although there were times where he could not remember going back to his room with a girl, but those were the times were he was far too drunk, and he did not feel as if he had a hangover at that moment.

Last, but not least, he did not think that any girl with good taste (good taste = interested in him) would leave her room in such a bare, deplorable state. He could almost feel depression sinking in just by looking at the ceiling.

He peeked towards the foot of the bed, at the bathroom door. The door was closed.

So maybe there was some girl. Though tried as he might, he could not remember the face.

Just then he heard the sound of running water before the bathroom door opened, and Fiyero quickly closed his eyes. And then he opened one eye just by a little bit.

No, it was not a girl. It was a boy. A short boy. A Munchkin.

He sat up sheepishly. "Oh, good morning, Biq."

The Munchkin looked at him.

"Its Boq. And good afternoon. And Galinda will be here soon."

And then he remembered. There was a girl.

It all came back to him then. Yesterday was his first day in this new school. Shiz University. His third or fourth university. It was not so bad, but the truth was that he had changed quite a few schools before he started university, so the 'death count' added up. It also meant that he was usually older than his classmates, but that had never a problem when it came to dating girls.

He arrived on a Saturday afternoon, when the mood to party was in the air. He arrived in style, and as expected, was approached by a pretty girl almost immediately. Some things would never change.

"Is this your first day here?" she asked, batting her eyelids. The girl had fair skin that most probably had never been exposed to sunlight and rose-petal lips. Her hair was blonde and curled at the ends. Her makeup was immaculate, and she wore a pastel pink sundress that had just been featured in some fashion magazine last week.

He told her yes.

"Welcome to Shiz University. My name is Galinda. Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands," she gave him a hand to kiss. He obliged, of course.

"I'm Fiyero Tiggular…."

As expected, her eyes grew wide at the mention of his name.

"Fiyero Tiggular, the Vinkun prince? No wonder I find you familiar!"

Fiyero raised his eyebrow.

"I major in history, Fiyero."

Now that was a new line.

"Am I in your history book? I am not that old," he teased her.

Galinda giggled. "Oh, and I read Ozomopolitan." That explained it.

Galinda linked her arm through his.

"So what brings you to Shiz University?"

"A love for learning, and for enjoying life," he said airily.

Truth was, he did not mind learning, so long as it did not interfere with enjoying life. But he found that the professors always made the topics sounded so dead boring. His mind would inevitably drift away and he would lose interest once he was not able to catch up. He picked up non-academic things very fast, and he knew that he was not stupid. If only studying was more interesting.

Galinda brought him to the administrative office, where he met the goldfish head mistress. Of course she was not a goldfish. She was Gillikinese, tall with more layers of fat than any fish could lay claim to. The red on her hair was obviously artificial. She had bulging eyes that were emphasized with her overly use of gold eye shadow. She wore this huge, tent-like dress with hues of red and gold and a wide collar that opened up and frame her face, making her short neck looked even shorter. He supposed that the loose dress was supposed to hide her fats, but it seemed to emphasize it instead. She stood up to shake his hand and then settled herself on her big leather chair for the rest of the interview.

Madame H Morrible (Horrible Morrible? Who would do that to their own children? Maybe she was an orphan and the name was given by a vicious group of maunts, Fiyero thought), for that was her name, was not impressed with his looks and title. She took out a bunch of keys from her drawer and threw it to him callously after he had submitted the form that his mother had so painstakingly filled up before he left for Shiz (and befitting his royal upbringing, he still had to thank her for the keys, though he did flip off at her direction under the table).

"Room 221B, Ozma Towers," was all she said.

Well, a dormitory named after a previous ruler. That should not be that bad.

At least, that was what he thought until he opened the door and saw, to his horror, that it was not a suite. It was a small room, with sparse furniture that had seen better days. Like maybe two centuries ago. To make it worse, there was another student inside the room, on one of the two beds. Two beds; which meant that the room was shared.

"There is no mistake, Mr Tiggular," was Madame Morrible's reply when he went back to the administrative office. She gestured to a banner behind her seat.

All students are equal, and none are more equal than others, it read.

"And that includes you, Mr Tiggular. All our rooms are co-shared and have the same amenities. In Shiz University, we do not show preferential treatment to students just because they are rich or famous. You may leave if you are not happy with the arrangement. I have plenty of students who are waiting to come into Shiz University."

Well, he was very sure she did not give this speech about equality when she accepted that humongous donation from his parents for the new building.

Fiyero stood up with the intention to leave and then remembered his reason for trying yet another university. He did not sit down again, but picked up the bunch of keys that he had thrown on the table.

"I will stay," he said.

Madame Morrible did not seem to be surprised by his sudden change of mind.

"Very well," she said, and dismissed him.

"Well, having a roommate is not so bad," Galinda consoled him on the way back to his room. "It just needs getting used to. I can help you to decorate your room if you want."

By the time he had gone back to Room 221B (the B was his bed number) and settled down, it was evening.

It was Saturday and so the prince was not surprised when Galinda announced that she had an appointment – she was going to Ozdust, the swankiest place in town, with her friends. Needless to say, he was invited.

Ozdust lived up to its reputation. There was a live band playing the latest music, a big dance floor and many comfortable couches and tables. The waiters appeared at the snap of his fingers and served the drinks promptly. And best of all, the drinks were up to his standard.

They spent the evening with each other. Galinda was an accomplished dancer and the two danced throughout the night, the envy of the other patrons as they looked at the perfect couple.

Fiyero swore that he had found his next girlfriend by the time the party ended.

And that was last night.

Fiyero looked at the watch that he had placed on his bedside table. He had a lunch appointment with the said future girlfriend in twenty minutes.

He quickly jumped out of his bed (nearing crashing into Boq in the small room) and rushed into the bathroom. He had just stepped out of the bathroom when Galinda turned up at the door of his co-shared room.

"Fifi!" she called through the door.

FIyero groaned. She was perfect in every way, except when it came to choosing nicknames.

Boq opened the door to admit the girl.

"Where's Fifi?" she looked around and her eyes lit up at the sight of the scandalicious prince. He had changed into a white cotton shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and dark pants. He knew that he looked good in simple ensemble like this and obviously Galinda liked it too.

"Fifi!" she called his name again. "Are you ready for lunch?"

"Ready whenever you are," he lied as she hooked her arm around his. They walked into the bright sunshine and Fiyero wished that he had brought his shades.

"We are going to the perfect place for lunch," she declared. "To Prince Café."

"Prince Café?" He wondered if it was going to be another letdown like Ozma Towers.

"Well, the name is actually Green Cafe, but the owner….. let's just say that we suspect that he is a prince. That's how the nickname comes about."

"A prince?" Fiyero was curious. He had never met another prince outside of Vinkus.

"Well, he never admits it, but I have heard rumours that he was a prince from Ev, or Ix. He must be royalty or something. He is tall, smart and well spoken. Some of the girls think he is cute. And he bakes the best cakes. "

"That does not mean that he is a prince," Fiyero laughed. "Princes do not have to work."

"Oh, Fabian does. And he comes in the most beautiful shade."

"Shade?"

"Yes. You won't believe this, Fifi, but Fabian? He's green."

A/N Sorry for cutting down on the time spent on ff net. Life, work, severe eczema (on both hands) and failing eyesight have been pulling me down. The update to this fic will be less frequent, maybe on a fortnightly basis, depending on that terrible thing called real life.