You don't know how tempting it has been to release this earlier in the week. With the chapters pouring out at the moment it's killing me not to go ahead of schedule – hence the fact this has been released almost as soon as I got up this morning.

Thank you to all my reviewers and people who have put this on alert – I love you all!

Oh and I forgot to put a disclaimer in the last chapter so if anyone thought I owned Wicked (and spent my time writing fanfiction for it) I don't.

Part 1

Year 1243 – during the great rule of our 37th Ozma

The rain poured down and the wind howled on the Gillikin farmhouse that night, and the three girls, who would have normally been told to go to bed by their mother hours beforehand, were anxiously gathered around her bedroom door. All three were fidgeting with excitement – desperately awaiting any news.

"How much longer do you think it'll take Ket?"

"I don't know Rina," Ketzal replied for the hundredth time.

"Well this is getting boring," Starina scowled, "can't we tell Mama to hurry up?"

"No, Mama said she'd call us when she's ready," Ketzal shot back and turned to the toddler fighting to get out of her lap, "Do you want a baby brother or sister Notta?"

"Sister, sister!" crowed the little girl.

"Mama wants a boy," said Starina matter-of-factly, "I mean why would she want more girls?" she flicked her carefully ringleted blonde hair to make it clear she meant 'why would she need another girl when she has a beautiful daughter like me?'

Ketzal scowled at her sister, she didn't think a six-year-old like her had any right bossing her about. Ketzal was nearly nine and had run all the way to the village herself today when Mama had told her to get a midwife, "Mama told me she would love the baby just as much if it was a boy or a girl."

"But she really wants a boy," confided Starina, "and so does Papa, he wants an heir to look after the farm. And I want a brother, I'm tired of sisters," she added as if that ended the matter.

Ket pursed her lips, "well I don't mind either way, anyway we'll know soon enough."

All three girls had dozed off, Ketzal practically leaning against the door, Notta in her lap and Starina still on the edge of her chair, when the midwife opened the bedroom door.

"Girls you've got a brand new bouncing baby sister!" she announced.

At once alert – in a way only children can be – the three girls raced inside the bedroom. There their mother was holding a tiny baby, wrapped in freshly washed towels, her little face was still wrinkled.

"Shhh, she's sleeping."

"She's beautiful," sighed Ketzal, holding Notta up to see. The two-year-old smiled and gently patted her new baby sister on the head.

"I wasn't that ugly as a baby," Starina informed them.

Ketzal scowled, "you were, I remember."

"Was not."

"Were too."

"Would someone like to get your father?" Interrupted the midwife – somewhat louder than necessary.

"I will," said Starina and dashed out of the room.

"What do you want to call her Mama?" asked Ketzal as soon as she had left

The woman on the bed smiled weakly, "I was thinking Delva. Do you like that?"

"It's lovely Mama," Ket replied happily. She turned to her sister, "do you like it Notta?" The little girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Well that's settled," said the midwife, "welcome to the world Delva Morrible."

The door swung open and Starina led a man into the room, his clothes still dripping wet as he moved towards the bed.

"Congratulotions Mr Morrible, you have a baby daughter!" Beamed the midwife.

The man's face instantly turned into a scowl, "another one?" he said, the smell of alcohol on his breath, "Lurline you're useless woman!"

"Told you so," Starina said to her sister in a carrying whisper, as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him with a loud bang.

The baby, startled by the noise, woke up and started screaming. Both women quickly turned to her and unsuccessfully tried to quieten her.

"Girls, you really should be getting to bed," called the mother over the wails.

"But Mama!" Protested Ketzal, "I want to help…"

"Ket, please, I'm relying on you to be the responsible one here, can you see you and your sisters off to bed?"

Ketzal nodded, her pride swelling at her mothers trust in her, "Ok Mama. Come on Rina, Notta."

The story of my birth as told to me – ever so kindly – by my sisters. My first night in Oz was spent with my screams filling the farmhouse while the wind and rain raged around us.

A quick note about dates: They're really for you to keep track of Morrible's age – although I think most of the chapters mention it somewhere in the text and to keep an eye on the current ruler of Oz. To state the obvious – they are not the same as Earth dates (given Dorothy arrived in Oz in the late 1800s/early 1900s in Earth years I'd hope Morrible wasn't that old – for a start that would mean this fic would be over several centuries).

Oh and names, clearly there are going to be quite a few OCs in this fic, names have been shamelessly stolen off a Wikipedia list of Ozian names or made up by me. Any names you recognise from characters in the later Oz books almost certainly have nothing to do with the characters in this story (Ketzal in the Oz books is an animated feather boa and Notta is a male clown).