A/N: So this story is for mature audiences, it contains a reference to rape (not in detail), murder and suicide. If this offends you in anyway or you are not comfortable reading it you may leave now before it's to late ;) Anyway I hope you enjoy!

Copy right: I do not in fact own Wicked, if I did I would not be here to write this story and we would have a movie by now!

Taken Too Young

Alaya Galinda Tiggular lay awake gazing at the lake outside the castle, which she called home. Alaya was the first daughter of Elphaba and Fiyero Tiggular, the King and Queen of the Vinkus. She was the crown princess and the whole kingdom loved her. Alaya was a warm and friendly girl who, from the moment she was born, loved all people and Animals alike. Her hair was as black as ravens' feathers, a trait she inherited from her mother. By the time she turned six her hair had already reached her waist and fell into sweet curls. Her eyes were as blue as the sky on a positively sunny day. They sparkled with the love, happiness and life that was inside the young woman's heart. Her nose was small and curved, taking after her mother yet again. Her lips were soft, and when she smiled they formed the most perfect and small smile that had all the boys swooning as she grew older. Her skin was as white as milk and had every girl in the kingdom shaking of jealousy. Her soul was pure and innocent as any girls would be at the young age of thirteen.

Today was Alaya's thirteenth birthday: the day she turned into a teenager, a young woman. Her parents had planned a large birthday party in their castle at Kiamo Ko, and all her friends from school had been invited as well as her family. Queen Elphaba, her mother, had made the large ballroom into a beautiful party room for her eldest daughter. She had decorated the room with green and pink, Alaya's favourite colours. Elphaba would smile every time she remembered her daughters favourite colours. "Pink goes good with green," she remembered her roommate, Galinda Upland saying when they went to Shiz together. Just as she finished decorating the room, her husband Fiyero arrived home with their daughter's birthday presents. Alaya, as the future Queen of the Vinkus, was spoiled by her parents, receiving all the diamonds she could ever dream of.

The time came around for the guests to start arriving at the castle. Alaya had just walked back up to the castle when her first guest arrived. She smiled and gave her best friend a hug as well as her 'Aunt' Glinda. Nya Upland was Glinda's eldest daughter, a year younger than Alaya. Ever since Nya turned two and Alaya turned three they had been inseparable, sharing every aspect of their lives and childhood together. This was fine by Glinda and Elphaba, who had stayed best friends after leaving Shiz. Nya bought her friend a small gift box containing her present and Alaya opened it, revealing a small heart necklace, with the inscription, Alaya and Nya, best friends until the end of Oz. Alaya was truly touched by her friend's gift and fastened the necklace around her neck, giving Nya a hug in gratitude.

Within the hour all the guests had arrived and the ballroom was nearly full with bubbling teenagers and young girls. Among them was Alaya's younger brother and sister, Liir and Ayva. Liir was the youngest of the three children at the young age of three. He was a spitting image of his father, except with his mother's deep brown eyes. Ayva, the youngest girl, was eight years old and looked the most like her mother, sharing her unique green skin and dark brown eyes. The unusual thing about Ayva was her blonde hair, which fell into ringlets down her back. Their mother said she inherited her hair from her great-grandmother.

After two hours of playing games and dancing to popular Ozian singers, Alaya decided to go for a walk down to the lake again. She sat by the edge of the water skipping rocks when she heard a rustling within the bushes. She turned around quickly to the source of the noise but soon attributed the noise to a forest animal. She resumed skipping rocks for another half hour, then lay back on the grass, gazing up at the clouds moving through the sky. As she lay there she thought she heard footsteps behind her. Suddenly, the little light that had been pouring through her eye lids was blocked off and her eyes snapped open to see a man hovering above her.

The man had an evil sneer across his lips and was looking down on the young princess. The young princess tried to jump up but the man pushed her down. She let out a small scream before her mouth was gagged and her hands tied. She struggled as the man stroked her face, outlining all her beautiful features. He straddled her torso and stroked her hair. Alaya, completely in shock, tried to struggle out from underneath the man who held her captive. He smirked at her feeble attempts to free herself from his grasp, but he was going to make this a birthday the young girl could never forget. He slid her dress up past her waist, and looked at Alaya's face. Her eyes weere so wide with terror you could see straight into her soul. She knew what was going to happen and tried to kick her way free. After several attempts, the man got tired of it and took his plan straight to the next step, wasting no time and sparing no mercy for the girl. Alaya tried to scream out as the pain rippled through her body, sending a wave of warning straight to her head. Again she tried to get away but her captor held her down, finishing what he started.

As he stood up after he had done the deed, he looked at the young woman before him. Tears streaked her face and she was shaking. She looked up at the man who had just stolen what a thirteen year old shouldn't have to give. Her eyes pleaded to the man to let her go, but he wouldn't do that, it was too late for her. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into the forest where he had been hiding. He pulled out the knife that he had hidden and Alaya's eyes widened at the sight of the knife. She looked away as silent tears rolled down her porcelain face. She knew this was the end, her life was over.

Pain rose in her stomach as she felt the knife pierce her skin, and her vision went black. She saw her mum and dad before her, they were smiling proudly at her as she waved good bye. It was a memory of her first day of school, she remembered her mum crying because her baby was a big girl now. Pain! The image faded, and within a second she saw her brother and sister. They were playing with Liir's new toys on his first birthday. Hurt! Her next image was of her best friend and her Aunt. It was from today, when Nya had just given Alaya her birthday present and they all embraced. Alaya knew they all loved her. Dark! Just before everything went dark for good, she saw her whole family. Her mum and dad, Nya, Liir, Ayva and Glinda at their family photo shot. The camera man had told them to say 'love'. 3, 2, 1… Love!

Alaya's murderer had fled the scene of the crime, leaving no evidence save for a small note. Glinda had wandered down to the lake looking for her goddaughter; it was time to cut her birthday cake. As she approached the lake she saw a pool of blood on the water's edge. Glinda's heart and body froze at once. NO! She cried, her vision blurred by tears now leaking over the edge of her eyes. She scanned the area, finding a line of blood leading into the bushes just to the right of the lake. Her body was tense as she followed the trail. Walking into the bushes, she saw her beautiful goddaughter's face. Her eyes were glazed over, no life or happiness left in the once bright, blue orbs. Glinda let out a heart stopping scream into the woods and collapsed next to Alaya's body. Tears were spilling freely now at the sight of the young girl's bloodied clothes. She cradled Alaya in her arms, not caring how much blood covered her expensive pink frock, and rocked her back and forth, sobbing.

Fiyero had heard Glinda's chilling scream from outside the castle. His heart momentarily stopping in his chest, he yelled to his wife before running down to the lake. He stopped when he saw the blood and hoped that it was just animal, or even Animal, blood. Nevertheless, he followed the trail to find a sobbing Glinda cradling his daughter's broken body in her arms. His heart broke at the sight of his little girl's wounds and bloodstained clothes. His knees gave way and his arms were instantly wrapped around both Glinda and Alaya's bodies.

After several minutes of mourning, he picked up Alaya's body, carrying it slowly back to the house. Glinda was supporting herself on Fiyero's arm as they walked. Elphaba had been waiting outside for their return and as she saw them approaching, her smile widened, before catching sight of the faces of the ones she loved. Fiyero's face was tearstained, as was Glinda's, and Elphaba knew immediately that something was wrong. She backed away slightly as her daughter's body and wounds came into view. Elphaba had always been strong and never one to show emotion as a result of a troubled childhood. But as she saw the girl she loved so dearly, her heart contracted and her eyes instantly filled with tears.

One year later

It had been a year since Alaya's death and the family had still not fully recovered. Elphaba and Fiyero had to stay strong for their other children, who were completely shattered at their beloved sister's death. Glinda had to go into counselling after seeing her goddaughter's dead body. She had never been able to get the image out of her head and had nightmares about it still. Nya was completely crushed by Alaya's death and refused to talk to anyone for three months. She had been diagnosed with severe depression, before finally agreeing to see a counsellor with her mother.

The family had gathered at the Royal Vinkun Cemetery where Alaya was buried. They had bought flowers of pink and green to lie on the grave of their loved one. Glinda had broken down into tears the second she stepped into the cemetery, as flashes of Alaya in the forest came rushing back. Nya embraced her mother and continued walking, trying so hard to keep a straight face, to be the strong one. Liir and Ayva were walking together with their hands entwined, tears rolling down their cheeks. They both missed their sister very much but as a result of her death, they had become closer and more protective of each other. Elphaba and Fiyero were walking behind their children, Fiyero holding Elphaba in a tight embrace as the approached the grave, reading their daughter's headstone.

Here lies Alaya Galinda Tiggular,

A young life taken from this world too soon.

August 1 1881 – August 1 1894

A beloved sister and a daughter to the

royal Tiggular family.

The family spent an hour at Alaya's grave, mourning the loss of the bright and happy girl they all still loved, and would continue to for the rest of eternity. As they left the cemetery, they dried their tears and tried to continue on with their lives.

Good news in the family occurred three years after Alaya's death, when Glinda welcomed her third and fourth children into the world. She named her daughter after Alaya, Rose Alaya Upland. Her other child was a boy, who she named Kirean Fiyero Upland. Nya couldn't cope with the daily reminder of her best friend, with images flashing constantly through her mind of what she saw that day, running out the castle after Elphaba. She had a relapse of depression yet again, and after a year of counselling, Nya drowned herself in the lake, a mere twenty metres away from where Alaya died. Nya planned her death on the same day as Alaya and was put to rest next to her in the royal cemetery.

The family had suffered great tragedy over the six years past. But they continued on with their lives, dealing with the grief that they had gone together, as a family. Glinda moved in with Elphaba and Fiyero, and all the children grew up knowing they had older sisters who had passed away. The memories of Alaya and Nya lived on in the Tiggular-Upland household. They were never forgotten and were loved until the end of time.

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