Chapter 1: Random Acts
The streets were starting to fall into darkness, and the prince decided it was probably best to get back to his hotel. His brother hadn't sent him to the City to wander, after all. He was supposed to be arranging a trade with some Quadling leader tomorrow. But since he'd arrived only several hours prior, he'd wanted to get the lay of the land before heading to his hotel room. Perhaps he should've at least stopped there, though. He was still carrying his bags. Between that and his unique appearance, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
He looked down at his hands for a moment. They were the color of the dirt in the streets. All around him, people with lighter skin and a pale countenance went about their daily lives. No one here was like him. It was his first time outside of the Vinkus, and he was only just starting to understand that he was different. A little boy had pointed at him earlier, asking his mother why that man was so dirty. The boy's mother had hurriedly hushed him and whispered something Fiyero couldn't hear.
There was no washing away the color of his skin, and there was no washing away the tattoos he'd been inked with as a sort of initiation into his tribe at the age of nine. He didn't mind those as much, though. He'd gotten to choose the color and the design, and he thought they complimented his ochre skin well. Although from the looks he was being given by passerby, he wasn't so sure anymore.
Someone brushed against him and he felt thin fingers slip into the pocket of his cloak. A pickpocket! He reached out and grabbed the wrist attached to the fingers. "What do you think you're doing?"
The face that turned to him shocked him. It was a young woman, no older than he. Her skin glowed an effervescent shade of emerald. Her face betrayed no fear at being caught, only determination. "Let go of me," she said softly.
"Not until you explain yourself," he demanded. Watching his elder brother handle thieves and vandals had given him a strong demeanor in these things, though he knew he was talking larger than his actions would be. "Were you attempting to steal from me?"
"What of it if I was?"
"Do you know who I am?" Had she chosen him because he was foreign? Was she doing this to make a mockery of him?
"I don't particularly care. You looked like you could afford to lose a little." Her brown eyes bore into his, unflinching. "Let me go and I won't bother you again."
"I could turn you in, have you thrown in Southstairs, you know." But even as he said it, he knew he wouldn't. He examined the young woman before him. Her dress was at least a size too small and covered in patches. She was skinny, and her eyes looked gaunt. Clearly she was poor.
She only shrugged. "Go on, then."
Her response surprised him. Was she really not afraid? Or was she bluffing? "I'd rather not deal with the hassle." Was it possible she was afraid of something worse than Southstairs?
"Then let me go. I don't have time to waste on your lecture." There was a flash of fear in her eyes when she spoke about time, though he didn't understand why.
The sudden dread he saw in her made him pity her. "You look like you're hungry."
"And?"
"Let me buy you a meal. I'll give you a little change, too, so you can eat tomorrow."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because it's this or Southstairs! I'm a prince. I don't think the Gale Force would take well to you trying to steal from me. I'd rather not have to deal with the fuss, though."
She grunted, eying him suspiciously. "Fine. If you insist, I don't suppose there's much I can do."
He walked her towards a little café. "You are well-spoken for a pickpocket."
"And your point is?"
"Do you live on the streets?"
"Why is my life of such interest to you? Are you trying to understand how the other half lives? I will not sit here and let you examine me like a subject in an experiment." She tried to tug her hand away, glaring fiercely at him.
"I didn't mean it that way. If I'm going to feed you, you ought to talk to me." He led her through the doors and they were seated. "Is this how you respond to kindness?"
"I don't know you. I've been around long enough to know that most acts of kindness want something in return."
"That's a sad way to look at the world," he commented.
"It's the truth."
"Are you going to answer the question I asked earlier? Do you live on the streets?"
"I sometimes have a roof. That's all you need to know."
"And this is how you make money?"
"I never went to school and I've no skills to trade." She folded her arms across her chest.
"You don't sound like you never went to school. Can you read?"
"Yes."
"So you went to school."
"I taught myself from trashed books and old newspapers. I'd like to at least know what's going on in the world that I inhabit, however temporary." She perused the menu. "I don't know what you're expecting of me."
"Nothing. I expect you to eat." He smiled in greeting at their waiter. "Whatever you want. I can handle it."
She hesitated before ordering a sandwich and hot tea, looking at him and not the waiter as she did. The girl was clearly waiting for some sort of consequence.
"What is your name?"
"I don't recall you giving me yours," she replied shortly.
"It's Fiyero – Prince Fiyero of the Arjikis." He flushed a little at the title. Fiyero had never quite felt like a prince, but here across from the scraggly poor girl, he was more aware of his status than ever. "Now are you going to tell me yours?"
"Elphaba." She nervously wiped her dark hair out of her face, and for a moment he saw just how lovely she was. Her features were sharp and her eyes betrayed some hint of gentleness behind her defensive front.
"Well it's nice to meet you, I suppose."
"I don't believe I've ever really met someone in such a fashion," she admitted. "I don't understand exactly why you did it, but I do appreciate you not taking me to the authorities. I… apologize for what I did. I just… I thought…"
"What did you think?"
"You had so much stuff with you. I figured if anyone could afford to lose a little cash, it would be you. And you were clearly not from around here, so I figured you would be an easy target. You really should be careful."
"I think I'm learning that."
The food was put in front of her and she took a bite. She spoke through a mouthful of food. "How did you know?"
"In the Vinkus, we practice our defensive skills. We also hunt, though I've never been fond of that part. I could feel you reach for my coin purse. You should be careful, too. I don't have any fancies that my giving you a meal will keep you from continuing in your chosen profession. So if you are going to do such things, don't make such assumptions about foreigners." He gazed at the young woman as she scarfed down her food. No one had ever taught her manners, and she seemed to be incredibly hungry.
Elphaba finished her food in less than five minutes, as though she worried someone would steal it away if she slowed down. She picked at the crumbs on the plate.
He could tell she wasn't full. She probably hadn't been full in a very long time. "Do you want dessert?" Fiyero was still working on his soup, but she looked so sad. "I insist," he decided.
A flush rose to her cheeks and the left side of her mouth quirked up in a small smile. "If you're insisting…"
He called the waiter over and ordered her an apple pie. As soon as the waiter was gone, he smiled at her. "Everyone deserves a good meal once in a while."
She lowered her eyes. "Not everyone. I'm not really that good. I mean, I did try to pick your pocket."
"I have a feeling that was out of necessity and not malice."
"You… you don't know me."
"You're right; I don't. But what I see is a girl in an unfortunate situation, not a girl who deliberately wants to cause harm to others."
"That doesn't make me good." She nibbled at the pie nervously. "This has been a wonderful meal, and I really do thank you."
He dug into his pocket a pulled out a few coins, sensing that she was about to leave. He pressed them into her palm. "Here. Try to keep yourself safe."
She put her fork down and looked back at him for a moment, her hand still open with the coins. "You didn't have to…"
"I wanted to." He closed her fingers around the money. "I realize you probably need to leave. Please take care of yourself."
She stood, staring at him like he was not only foreign, but alien. "Um, thank you." Before she turned away, she said, "Thank you for proving me wrong."
"About what?"
"Acts of kindness. It probably doesn't seem like much to you, but to me… you don't know what you just saved me from." She gave him a half smile and fled before he could ask what she meant by such things.