Thank you all so much for your reviews! They mean the world to me.
RavenCurls: I know. It took me a while to get used to "Lord Frexspar", too.
Ultimate Queen of Cliffies: Here is your birthday, update, Your Majesty! Happy birthday!
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The Vinkus: May Year 1147
"My queen looks marvelous in her new gown," Melena smiled as she helped the queen into her dress.
The queen smiled. "Thank you, Melena."
"How does my queen wish her hair to be styled?"
"You may leave it down," the queen said as Melena grabbed the hairbrush and began to gently run it through the queen's hair.
Melena smiled as she brushed the queen's hair and allowed it to flow down her back. She then took the crown and gently placed it on her head. "Does my queen require anything else?"
"No, Melena. That will be all. You have my blessing to go."
The lady's maid curtsied and left the queen's chamber. She walked down the long corridors of the stone castle, humming softly to herself. She paused briefly, hearing a countermelody. She looked out the window and smiled, seeing her two children playing together in the gardens.
Elphaba, now five, was humming as she skipped with her sister throughout the garden. Her younger sister, Nessarose, now three, was giggling happily as she played with her sister. She giggled a bit louder when Elphaba gently kissed her cheek and placed a flower in her brown hair.
Melena chuckled softly to herself and she continued her walk down the corridor. She soon reached the door leading to the gardens and opened the door, leaning against the doorframe as she watched her children.
"Elphaba! Nessarose! It is time to come in now!" she called to her children.
The two girls looked up and hurried over to their mother. Melena smiled as she knelt down and embraced her two children. Rising to her feet, she led her children back inside, closing the door behind her.
"Lady Melena!" a voice from behind called.
Melena turned, seeing a maid hurriedly approaching her. "Yes?"
"The Queen requests your presence in her private chamber."
Melena nodded and turned to Elphaba. "Take your sister back to the nursery, Elphaba."
"Yes, Mama," the little green girl nodded, taking her sister's hand and leading her away.
Melena watched her children go before hurrying away to serve the queen.
Elphaba walked with her sister through the long corridors of the castle. Nessa was scared to walk through the castle by herself, but had no problem walking with her older sister, whom she admired to the ends of Oz and back.
The green girl led her sister to their private apartments in the castle. She was just about to turn the corner when a small figure in a scary mask jump out.
Both girls screamed and Nessa bursts into tears as she ran down the hall, clearly terrified. Elphaba looked back at the person, who had taken off his mask and was leaning against the wall, laughing.
The young Prince Fiyero Tigulaar clutched his stomach as he laughed his heart out. Elphaba frowned. She didn't appreciate the prince scaring her younger sister like that.
"That wasn't very nice, Prince Fiyero," Elphaba frowned.
"The look on her face was priceless!" the six-year-old prince said.
Elphaba bit back a sigh and turned to find her sister, but the prince wasn't finished with her yet.
"Where do you think you're going, frog girl?"
Elphaba turned. "I must –"
"Did I give you permission to leave?"
"You scared my sister away, so I must find her."
"Did I give you permission to leave?" the prince repeated, his eyes narrowing.
"No," Elphaba said softly.
"No what?"
"No, Your Highness."
"And do you know what happens to disobedient little frogs?" he asked, circling the green girl like a predator.
"No, Your Highness," Elphaba said, looking down at the ground.
The prince grabbed Elphaba's chin and forced her to look at him. "They have to kiss my foot."
Elphaba blinked. Kissing feet was of asking forgiveness for a serious offense. Only the lowliest of people did it. She knew she was beneath the prince, but she knew there were people more lowly than her.
"Well?" Fiyero asked with a slight smirk.
Elphaba bit her lip. She knew she couldn't disobey the prince, for fear of what her parents, along with the king and queen, would do to her. She knelt down and leaned forward to kiss the prince's foot. But as she did so, she wasn't prepared for Fiyero's foot to lift from the ground and make direct contact with her nose. Elphaba fell back with a gasp of pain, the sound of the prince's laughter filling her ears. She heard him hurry away and rose to her feet, still clutching her nose.
"Elphaba!"
The green girl turned and saw her father approaching her with Nessarose in his arms. "Elphaba, what happened? Aren't you and Nessarose supposed to be in the nursery?"
Elphaba knew she couldn't tell her father what happened. And even if she did, she knew nothing could be done about it. She was not in a position to tattle on the prince. "Yes, Papa. I'm sorry. I… got distracted."
Frex sighed and set Nessarose down. "We will discuss this later. Go to the nursery with your sister. Quickly, now."
"Yes, Papa," Elphaba said, taking her sister's hand again and hurrying away.
"Are you alright, Faba?" Nessa asked, seeing her sister rub her nose.
"Yes, Nessie. I'm fine."
"Why are you rubbing your nose?"
"I… fell."
"When?"
"A few moments ago."
"Oh. Is that why you were on the floor?"
"Yes." Elphaba really didn't want to talk about it anymore and they soon reached their private nursery.
Nessarose giggled as she hurried to her toy chest and pulled out her favorite toy, her stuffed lamb. "Faba! Faba! Let's play tea party!"
Elphaba smiled softly and played with her sister, the incident with the prince soon forgotten. They played until it was time for dinner. Melena and Frex returned and the family ate together in their private apartment. Once they finished eating, they excused Nessa back to the nursery, but Frexspar asked Elphaba to stay behind.
"Elphaba, what happened earlier?" Frexspar asked. "You were supposed to go straight to the nursery, were you not?"
"I… I saw the prince, Papa," Elphaba explained.
"And?"
"He… scared Nessa and made me stay behind."
Frexspar and Melena exchanged a look. Frexspar sighed and rose to his feet. "Go back to the nursery, Elphaba."
The green girl realized that she wasn't expected to explain more and wasn't going to be punished, nodded and hurried away from the table. She found her sister looking at a picture book.
"Faba, will you read to me?"
Elphaba smiled and nodded and both girls sat on the floor together. Even though Elphaba's official schooling wouldn't start until she was seven, she had an early start on reading and writing. Even though she was only five, she progressed in her reading very quickly and could read very well for her age. She was a very bright child, eager to learn as much as she could about everything. Her curiosity would sometimes annoy her parents, but at the end of the day, all they could do was chuckle at all of her inquisitive questions.
That was how the maid found the two sisters when she arrived to prepare them for bed. Elphaba allowed the maid to help her, while Nessa did her usually nightly-protests. After two glasses of milk, a trip to the privy, and two stories, the two young girls were fast asleep.
The next day, Elphaba was sitting under a tree, reading as she munched on an apple. She hummed to herself as she turned the page, her eyes allowing her brain to absorb every word. She heard footsteps approaching her, but didn't want to look up from her story. Before she knew it, her book was snatched from her hands and she looked up.
"I didn't know vegetables could read," the prince said with a smirk, carelessly flipping through the book.
Elphaba stood up and curtsied reluctantly. "I am not a vegetable, Your Highness, and I can read."
The prince gave her a look. "Well then, froggy, if you're so smart, why don't you tell me what this book is about?"
"It's about an old king named King Arthur and his knights of the round table and –"
"Boring!" Fiyero huffed with a yawn. "And what kind of name is Arthur, anyway? It sounds weird."
"If it's so boring and weird, Your Highness, then may I please have it back?" Elphaba asked, reaching for the book.
The prince pulled away and held it out of her reach. "And why would I give this to you?"
"Because it is mine."
The prince laughed. "Frogs don't own books."
"But –"
"I am the prince," Fiyero said, glaring at Elphaba. "Everything belongs to me. Therefore, this book isn't yours!"
"The book is mine, Your Highness. My father bought it and gave it to me."
"Well, your father works for my father, so therefore, the book is still mine!"
Elphaba's fists were slowly clenching by her sides. She was getting very tired of the prince.
"However, vegetable, I shall let you borrow my book for a period of time."
"I am not a vegetable," Elphaba said softly.
"If I say you are a vegetable, then you are a vegetable! Now, do you wish to borrow my book or not?"
"Yes, Your Highness, I wish to borrow the book."
"My book," the prince corrected.
"Your book," Elphaba said submissively, trying to suppress her sarcasm.
"Now, repeat after me. I am a lowly pond frog."
Elphaba frowned. "Prince Fiyero –"
"Do as I say!"
"I am a lowly pond frog," Elphaba practically growled through her teeth.
"And a dirty, little monster."
Elphaba could practically see her dignity flying away. "And a dirty little monster."
"Who has no business reading books that belong to the prince."
"Who has no business reading books that belong to the prince."
Fiyero smirked in satisfaction.
"May I please have the book now?"
"Very well," Fiyero said, holding the book out to her.
Elphaba reached for it, but just as she was about to take it, the prince pulled it away and started running. Groaning, Elphaba chased after him.
Unbeknownst to them, the queen watched with a soft smile as the children ran.
"My queen."
Amalie turned and saw Melena. Smiling, she beckoned her to come and look out the window. "Come look. The children are playing tag."
Melena looked out the window, smiling as the sounds of the prince's laughter reached her ears. She knew the prince didn't have many friends, so she was very glad to see the children playing together. Smiling, both women walked away from the window, completely oblivious to what was really happening in the gardens.
"Prince Fiyero, you said you would give me the book!" Elphaba exclaimed as she chased after the prince.
"If you want it so bad, you can have it!" Fiyero exclaimed as he ran towards the pond.
No! Elphaba thought, trying to pick up her pace.
Fiyero reached the pond and turned around in satisfaction as he prepared to throw the book.
"No!" Elphaba shouted as the book left the prince's hands. She could only watch as the book landed in the pond with a splash. She stopped at the edge of the pond, trying to catch her breath.
"I thought frogs were great swimmers. Why don't you just jump in and get the book?" the prince sneered.
Elphaba felt her face grow hot and began fighting tears. The prince had ruined her precious new book. And she didn't even get to finish it.
"You better jump in and start swimming if you want to save the book, frog girl," the prince said with a laugh as he ran away.
Elphaba looked at the water. She couldn't swim, and the book was slowly starting to float away towards the center of the pond. Looking around, she saw a large branch on the ground and figured that she could use it before the book got too far out. She grabbed the branch and used it to pull the book back to her. Once it was close enough, she grabbed it. The book was completely soaked, therefore completely destroyed. Sighing, Elphaba clutched the book to her chest as she walked back into the castle, her head reeling with horrible thoughts about the prince, as well as the hopes of not running into her father.
As luck would have it, her father was coming out of a meeting in the throne room. She knew she wouldn't be able to sneak past him, and it would be pointless to try and hide the book behind her back, and there was nothing else she could do about the matter.
"Elphaba!" Frexspar called.
Elphaba hurriedly approached her father. "Yes, Papa?"
"What happened to your book?"
Elphaba looked down and realized that the book was dripping wet. "I… it fell in the pond. I'm sorry."
Frexspar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What is the purpose of getting you new things if you cannot take proper care of them?"
"I'm sorry, Papa. It won't happen again."
"I know it won't," Frex said as he held out his hand for the book.
Elphaba gave it to him, reverting her gaze to the floor.
"Go back to the nursery and stay there until dinner. You will not have any dessert tonight. Maybe that will teach you to be more careful with your belongings."
Elphaba didn't look up. "Yes, Papa," she said as she hurried away. As soon as she reached the nursery, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it with a sigh. Spotting her toy chest, she hurried over to it and pulled out her stuffed bunny. She climbed onto her bed and hugged her toy to her chest. She made a mental note to herself that she was never going to read outside ever again… or take any of her special belongings out of the nursery.