The interior of Arendelle Castle was just as busy and boisterous as the exterior, Elphaba noted as she followed her hostess inside. While it wasn't quite as crowded, the servants and visitors scrambled from one room to the next, shouting to one another as they went. A large woman with curly red hair and a face full of freckles even approached the two of them, and shoved a spoonful of yellowish liquid under their noses. "Queen Elsa, I need your approval on the menu. I've made some samples here-"

"Not now, please, Ruthie," replied The Queen. She gave her a kind smile while putting up one of her delicate hands, "I need to show our guest to her room." The woman -presumably a cook- continued to protest even as she scurried away, muttering something to herself that sounded like "No time! No time!"

"I'm sorry about that," Elsa said. She glanced over her shoulder as she continued walking down the main hall, with Elphaba following steadily behind her. "My sister's wedding is in a week and the whole castle has gone a little insane with the preparations. You arrived on the wrong day if you wanted a quiet, relaxing stay- but at least everyone's in a festive mood."

"It's no matter," replied The Witch, clutching her precious Grimmerie to her chest as yet another servant rushed past, nearly running into her. At least in their haste, no one was staring. "I only plan to stay for the night."

"Is that so? Well, you're welcome to stay longer if you should change your mind." At last the pair reached their destination, and The Queen opened an ornately decorated door for her guest. Elphaba noted the incredible contrast between this room and the plain gray one she'd had at Kiamo Ko. This one was vibrant and colorful, and warm despite being made of stone. Paintings lined the walls, and the bed was large and made up with mountains of luxurious sheets, pillows, and blankets. She wondered, though only for a moment, if in some alternate reality this could have been her life. If she hadn't left the university, and traveled all the way to The Emerald City with Glinda. If she hadn't killed Madame Morrible, and had her run in with that bratty child from another land. Her and her stupid little dog.

The Queen cleared her throat, pulling Elphaba out of her thoughts. "Is the room to your liking?" She asked almost shyly, giving her a polite smile.

"Yes," Elphaba returned, "it should be fine."

"Oh, good," said Elsa. The tiniest of sighs escaped her lips. It was one of relief, thought The Witch. "If you need anything, just let one of the servants know. I'll send someone in soon with some water; you must want to clean up after all that traveling."

"No water, thank you." Elphaba went further into the room and started inspecting the place. There was a large fireplace that took up most of one wall, and she liked that. She could picture herself reading in front of it, studying The Grimmerie and trying to make out more of the strange, foreign language in which it was written. She was excited to get a fire going, though the thought of doing it herself brought upon a feeling of sadness. At Shiz, it was always Glinda. She liked to show off by using her magic, as fire starting was the one spell in which she managed to become proficient. Elphaba hated how she'd left things with her.

From behind she heard footsteps, and she turned to see who it was. The Queen was standing by the doorway. Elphaba thought she had already left. "I know this is very personal and not any of my business, but-"

Elphaba arched an eyebrow. She knew where this was going, and she didn't take kindly to people prying into her affairs. However, The Queen amused her for some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on, and she allowed her to continue.

"I was wondering, did you cause all that commotion out there? The ground shaking, I mean. It was very strong; I could feel it all the way in here."

"Of course I did," Elphaba answered. Her voice surprised her yet again; it sounded cool for all the anger that was rising inside of her. At her side, she clenched her green hands into fists, remembering the catastrophe that was her arrival in this town. "I'm a witch, didn't you know? And I'm wicked. A lunatic, even."

She felt the power rise inside her body, filling every vein. She feared a repeat of what happened outside in the castle yard, and yet she couldn't stop herself even when the ground began to quake once again. A painting depicting three cherubs fell off the wall and landed dangerously close to the fire- which was now lit. Elsa's attention was pulled to it for only a moment, before she met eyes with The Witch.

"You can control it."

"No, I can't!" Elphaba screeched. The tremors worsened so much that she had to brace herself on a bed post. "I don't know how!"

Elsa said nothing. Instead, she made her way toward Elphaba, grabbing onto whatever was solid to help her cross the room. Eventually, the only thing to hold onto was The Witch's own hand. She laced her delicate fingers through her long, green ones and looked directly into her eyes. "Yes, you can." Elsa said. A hint of a smile appeared on her face.

"I can teach you."

Everything went still.