Everyone has so many questions...answers may come at some point.

LifelongLeahstar: *smiles innocently* Sorry?


"I'm so sorry, but we have to let you go." Nanny said to yet another maid that day. Six weeks ago Frex had begun to gamble and spend money on drinks and wagers. He would, in his drunken state, complain about "that asshole, he's cheating I know it". Each night he brought more and more money to the casino. It started with one hundred, maybe two hundred galleons, but it quickly rose to up to one thousand or more. He didn't realize it, but his drinking and gambling was running the Thropp fortune dry. There were only four maids, the head chef, the stable boy, and Nanny.

Nessa didn't understand why all the maids were leaving, since she didn't know that Frex was spending all the money on alcohol and betting. Nanny had instead told her that there were projects going on around the province that needed more funding than the original estimate. Nessa swore that even if there wasn't enough funding for Nanny, she would pay her with her own money to stay, to which Nanny shook her head and insisted that wasn't necessary. She would stay no matter how much she was paid, she promised.

The young Thropp watched sadly from her window as the maid walked out with her bag to a waiting carriage. She turned around one more time and Nessa waved, hoping to attract her attention. The maid smiled and waved back, before turning and stepping into the carriage.

She quickly wiped a tear from her cheek, determined to be strong. She would talk to Father about it later, for sure, and ask him about these projects.

That night, Nessa curled up under her covers and felt her whole body relax as she was pulled under by the tendrils of sleep.

"Happy birthday dear."

"Thanks Mama!"

"Happy birthday Fabala."

"I love you two."

"We love you too."

Breathing hard she shot upright, feeling cold sweat trickle down her forehead. Those voices were so familiar. That woman and that girl from so long ago. But there was a man's voice too, one she'd sworn she'd heard before.

She wanted to walk it off, but then remembered her legs. Her stupid, useless legs. They were her limitation, holding her back from the life she wished for.

Caught in a daydream, Nessarose thought about a possibility of a life with her legs working, just for a few heartbeats. She quickly snapped back to reality, and the seven year old thought of the dream she had.

She did not understand, not a bit, what these dreams were or where they were coming from. They were random glimpses into a life that wasn't hers. The dark haired girl didn't know where it came from, but it wasn't just a dream.

Running a hand over her face, she heaved a great breath and dropped back onto her pillow. Tomorrow she had to muster the courage to ask her father about the projects in Munchkinland and where the money was going.

That morning when she woke up again, her first instinct was to get right up and go talk to him right then and there, but then realized she needed to wait for Nanny to help her get up.

"You know what? I'm seven I can surely get into my wheelchair by myself." She muttered under her breath as she pushed the covers off of her legs and pulled the chair close.

The young girl's muscles strained as she gripped the arms of her wheelchair and pulled her body towards it. A few drops of sweat materialized on her forehead before she completed her task. Satisfied with her work, she rolled out of the room and towards the hallway when she was stopped by Nanny, looking aghast.

"Nessarose! You're…out of bed?"

"Yeah," the girl shrugged nonchalantly, "I figured it was time."

Nanny simply stared at her with wide eyes. Nessa, sighing, rolled her chair down the hall, feeling Nanny's stare on the back of her neck until she rounded the corner. She heard the caretaker sputter, attempting to form words, before her footsteps began and then faded out again.

With shaking arms, Nessarose pushed herself around another corner to her father's study. She lightly knocked on the door, and when she didn't receive a response, she pushed it open. Frex was slumped over the desk, fast asleep, snoring slightly. He had an empty bottle in his left hand. A beer bottle, Nessa discovered upon further investigation. Her nose caught a whiff of the alcohol scent burning from Frex, causing her to recoil and wheel away. Deciding to ask her questions later, she left the room, but not without casting one final sad look at the sleeping man.


"Happy birthday dear," Melena said, hugging her now eleven year daughter to her chest.

"Thanks Mama!" Elphaba responded, snuggling into her mother's embrace.

"Happy birthday Fabala." Oscar's mind flitted to the wish that he had been there for the first three years of Elphaba's life, but he forced a smile nonetheless.

"I love you two," Elphaba sighed, oblivious to Oscar's body language.

"We love you too," Both parents said in harmony.

Preena, with impeccable timing, brought out the cake. A large chocolate frosted cake – Elphaba's favorite – decorated with frosting flowers and her name written out in green.

"Happy birthday, Elphaba!" Preena said excitedly as she placed down the cake. She hugged the princess close and laid a delicate kiss in her silky raven hair.

Elphaba smiled and gestured for the maid, who had become more of an older sister, to sit down in the open seat.

"Well, Fabala, we have one more surprise for you," Melena said, a smile creeping onto her face. Elphaba looked confusedly at Oscar, who shared the same expression. Preena was just as confused, and leaned forward expectantly, placing her head in her palm.

"You're going to have a sibling!" She exclaimed, after carefully choosing her words. She couldn't just downright deny Nessarose's existence, but she couldn't tell Elphaba anything that might clue her in. Luckily, the girl was ecstatic enough to not notice.

"Oh my Oz really?!" Elphaba screeched, a sound that she never made, and almost leaped out of her seat she was so excited. Oscar laughed a deep and hearty laugh.

Melena looked at Preena, whose jaw had gone completely slack. "You're pregnant?" She mouthed, realizing that meant another, more high-maintenance, Thropp child in her care. She loved her job, no question, but she'd never cared for a baby before. Melena laughed, a sound like tinkling bells, and laid a reassuring hand on Preena's. The maid slowly relaxed, forcing air into her lungs once again.

"Really, my dear," Oscar told Elphaba. "We'll make sure you're ready to look after your little brother or sister."

Two hours later, after cake had been eaten and presents been opened, Preena was escorting Elphaba back to her room. The young princess was chattering excitedly about the prospect of being an older sister.

"If it's a girl we can play dress up and I can teach her how to be a princess!" She exclaimed.

"What if it's a boy?" Preena asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Then I'll make sure he's nice, not like those mean boys at my school," Elphaba declared.

"You'll make a great older sister," Preena said with a sad smile, which Elphaba caught.

"Preena, are you hiding something?" She asked, stepping in front of the maid and crossing her arms over her chest.

"What? N-no." Her voice faltered slightly, cluing Elphaba in further. The maid was definitely hiding something.

"Tell me, Preena." The princess said firmly, standing on her toes.

"I'm not hiding anything!" Preena insisted as she raised her hands defensively and took a tiny step back.

"Yes you are, I know it."

"I am not!"

"Preena, as the Princess of Oz I command you to tell me!" Elphaba was fuming at this point, and wasn't thinking about anything she was saying, but she continued. "And if you don't, I will see to it that you go back to your original position!"

The young woman recoiled at this, it had been years since she had been formally commanded to do anything. And her status was also being threatened, she didn't want to go back to cleaning the kitchen as she had started. She loved personally attending to the royal family, and the thought of losing that turned her sour.

"Well I'm sorry Your Highness, but I guess I'll just have to go back to cleaning plates and dusting your father's statues." Preena spat, curtsied, and briskly turned on her heels and marched off.

"Who needs you?! You're just a lowly maid anyway!" Elphaba hollered after her, but Preena just disappeared around a corner without so much as an acknowledgement. Sighing, Elphaba slammed the door behind her.

"Oh, Preena, what are you doing here?" Melena asked as the maid came to clear plates and garbage from the table. "Shouldn't you be helping Elphaba prepare for bed?"

When she didn't respond, Melena grew concerned.

"Preena," she said softly. "Preena," she repeated, but the maid kept cleaning. Melena finally grabbed her hands, stilling her movements, but Preena pulled away from the Queen.

"I'm sorry Your Majesty, I'm just trying to do my job," She explained, gathering the last of the party supplies in the bag.

"But…you should be upstairs with Fabala," Oscar finally intervened. He had finally noticed the change in Preena's personality from twenty minutes ago at the conclusion of the party.

"No, not anymore, Your Majesties," The maid looked the two monarchs in the eyes, before carrying the bag of garbage out of the room.

"What was that?" Melena turned to Oscar, who shrugged, before she hurried up the stairs and to Elphaba's room.

"Sweetie, open up." Her knuckles rapped on the door softly, waiting for it to open. After a few heartbeats passed, she simply opened the door. Elphaba was angrily pacing the floor, her hands curled into fists at her sides and her face contorted with anger.

"Go away," She muttered upon seeing Melena.

"Did you do something to Preena?" Blatantly ignoring Elphaba's request, Melena pressed on.

Elphaba scoffed, "She's just a maid, why do you care so much about her?"

"Elphaba!" Melena admonished. "What did you do?"

"I sent her back to her original job, whatever that may be," She explained with a shrug, as if it was nothing important.

"Elphaba Diggs how could you?!"

"If it means that much to you just reinstate her, she disobeyed an order so I had to punish her."

Melena stared, appalled, at her daughter. In the last half hour her heart had turned to stone, and now she had done something with severe consequences that she didn't realize.

"Elphaba," she said softly, "I can't do that. Only you can."

"What do you mean?"

"You used an order that neither I nor your father can reverse, so when you realize that you want Preena back, you're the only one who can reinstate her. What did she even do?"

"She said she knew I would make a good older sister, and I knew she was hiding something, but she refused to tell me what."

Melena's lips took on a tight line, but luckily Elphaba was too consumed with her anger to notice.

"Well, since I obviously can't sway you now, I may as well leave."

Elphaba didn't even look up as Melena left.

That night, Preena slept in the ratty old bed she left years ago. Her few belongings maids of her status were allowed to have moved to the dresser, while of the rest of her things were barred in her old apartment down the hall from the royals, which had been locked up until further notice. She stared listlessly at the dark ceiling, webbed with cracks, as she replayed the moment over and over in her head.

One goof up cost her the job she loved.

And she couldn't take that back.


There's a poll on my blog right now so y'all can vote for who in this story is the ABSOLUTE WORST. I'm interested to see who comes out on top...or should I say bottom.

Reviews are always loved!