Elphaba stared at her picture on the front page of the newspaper. This was just what she expected.

"This isn't as bad as it looks. The press has caught me in situations like this and it blows over soon enough," Fiyero said, kissing her cheek.

"Don't worry, Elphie. They'll now be too busy covering your birthday ball. Once that happens, everyone will forget all about this," Galinda said.

"Glin's right, Fabala," Nessa spoke up. "That news will outshine this."

"Especially since your party will be perfect."

Elphaba smiled at her friends. "Thanks, guys." She reached over the table and took the letter from the Wizard. He was furious that she had been set up like that and promised that the people responsible for the press stories would pay. She already drafted her letter back to him, saying that she was fine and that revenge wouldn't be necessary. He had also included the menu for her birthday ball to look over.

"I can't even pronounce most of these," Elphaba said, squinting in concentration at the paper. "What is this?" she asked, pointing at one of the names.

"There are three categories; meats, salads, and soups," Galinda observed. "I suppose we'll find out next week."

Spring break started in a few days, which meant that the gang would be parting ways before all rejoining in the Emerald City for Elphaba's birthday. The green girl would be spending the week at the palace, shadowing the Wizard and learning from him. She had suggested that arrangement, and he was more than happy to comply. He also asked her if he could announce that she would be spending her spring break in the palace shadowing him, and she thought long and hard about that before giving her consent.

She was more than prepared for the crowd of people waiting for her at the train station when she arrived in the city. This wasn't her first solo trip, but having all those people around her made her wish she brought a friend. She smiled politely and waved, giving them the princess-air they wanted. The Wizard had warned her not to answer any questions from the press yet, so she simply waved and got into the waiting carriage she was told would be waiting for her. Once she was settled, the carriage took off to the palace, leaving the reporters and photographers behind her.

When she got to the palace, her father's assistant, Viktor, immediately greeted her.

"Your Royal Highness," he bowed as soon as he saw her.

"Hello, Viktor," she smiled. "Is my father here?"

"His Ozness is currently working on paperwork. I'll let him know you've arrived."

"Okay. I'll settle in upstairs." The green girl walked up the grand staircase to the bedrooms and down the hall to her room. When she opened the door, two maids in emerald green dresses and aprons were unpacking her suitcases.

"Your Royal Highness," they immediately curtsied.

"Hello, Ashlyn. Hello, Jyvona," she smiled at her personal maids. She had met them after she officially accepted the position.

"We've almost finished unpacking," Jyvona said, putting a dress away.

"It's alright. I had a long ride and would like to rest before dinner." Elphaba said and the maids immediately stopped unpacking. "I can finish up myself. You're dismissed."

The maids exchanged a look, but curtsied and left. Elphaba sat down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. This was it. After her twenty-first birthday on Friday, her life was going to change forever.

She was almost done unpacking when she heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she called, putting a book on her shelf.

The door opened and Oscar appeared, a wide smile on his face and his hands behind his back. "Hi."

Elphaba turned and smiled. "Hi."

"How was your journey?"

"Okay," She said, taking out a pair of boots and putting them in her closet. "The welcome committee at the train station was a nice touch."

Oscar smiled. "I'm just glad you arrived safely."

Elphaba knew what he was thinking and stopped to look at him. "I'm fine. I've dealt with worse. You don't have to overprotect me. What happened at the party… I'm fine."

"You're right. I've missed the chances I had to overprotect you," he said quietly. "You're an adult now."

Elphaba bit her lip, suddenly feeling bad, but not completely sure why.

"I have something for you. Consider it an early birthday gift." He approached her and held out a small box.

The green girl gently took the box and opened it. Gasping, she pulled out a golden locket shaped like a heart. "It's beautiful."

"Read the engraving."

It was very small, so she had to squint. "Oz's Favorite Team," she read, then slowly opened the locket. Inside on the left was a picture of a young man who looked like a younger version of the Wizard. On the right was a picture of her. It was one of the rare photographs of her giving the camera a genuine smile. It was one of the photos Galinda took when she tried out a new camera her "Popsicle" sent her for her birthday. "I love it! Thank you!" she grinned, wrapping her arms around him.

"You're welcome, Elphaba," Oscar said when they pulled away and he helped her put it on.

She opened it again and studied it. "You got my picture from Galinda, didn't you?"

"She sent me around twenty photos."

"I don't know how, since she only took seven."

Oscar chuckled. "I'm sure she found a way."

"Knowing Galinda, she definitely did. And is this you?"

"Yes. I was around your age, or maybe a bit older. I had just graduated college."

She couldn't tell much from this photo, but she immediately saw that she had inherited her raven hair from him. She looked back up at him, teary-eyed, and hugged him again. "Thank you… Dad."

The Wizard's eyes widened as he bit back tears and quickly returned the hug. "You're welcome, Elphaba."


"Do you always do this?" Elphaba asked, standing beside the emerald throne.

"I can't appear in my human form all the time," Oscar said, poking his head out from behind the curtain. Not a lot of people saw him, but when they did, they assumed that he just liked walking around the palace in his human form.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "I meant… this. The audiences with the people."

Oscar was silent for a moment. "The last Ozma was very distant from the people, which made her seem like a cold, heartless monarch. A ruler who is disconnected from their people can be easily overthrown if the people feel that they don't care about them."

Elphaba silently considered these words as the bells rang, signaling that it was time. The Wizard disappeared behind the curtain once more and the giant head appeared. Elphaba sat in the throne at the base of the steps leading to the Wizard's, though a bit off to the side. She was just watching, after all.

"We may begin!" Oscar boomed into the microphone, slightly startling the green girl. She would just have to get used to that.

The doors opened and, one by one, the people were led into the throne room. A guard stood in each corner of the room, and Elphaba didn't know if she felt safe with that or not. She focused most of her attention on watching the people and listening to her father, all while scribbling dutiful notes in her notebook. Seeing them so nervous reminded her of when she and Galinda first came to see the Wizard. It seemed like a lifetime ago, even though it had only been a few months.

She remained unnoticed by most of the people, since they were so focused on the giant, floating head and she did very little to make her presence known. A few times, when she had to sneeze or cough, was attention brought to her, to which she received a deep curtsy and a "Hello, Your Royal Highness."

Once the last person left, Oscar dismissed the guards. As soon as the doors closed, the head disappeared and he came out from behind the curtain. "What did you think?"

"How did you know what those people wanted before they came?" Elphaba asked, standing and stretching her legs.

"I'm the Wizard of Oz. I always know why people come to see me."

The green girl blinked at him. Chuckling, he pulled out index cards from his vest pocket and handed them to her. As she examined them, she saw that they were cards with the names, ages, homelands, and concerns of the people that just came.

"You learn a few tricks of the trade, so to speak," he smiled as he checked his watch. "I have some work to finish up. You are welcome to say, or you can rest before dinner."

"I'll go stretch my legs. I've been sitting for a while," she said, handing the cards back. "Thanks for letting me stay and watch."

"Of course. I'll see you at dinner."

Elphaba nodded and made her way out of the throne room, her father's words replaying in her mind.

A ruler who is disconnected from their people can be easily overthrown if the people feel that they don't care about them.

As she walked back to her room, she decided to take a little detour and walk around. She walked down the back hallway and found a door leading to an old staircase. Hearing voices approaching, she quickly slipped in and shut the door behind her. Now plunged into complete darkness, she muttered a spell under her breath and an orb of light appeared in her hand, giving her enough light to see around five feet in front of her. She looked down the stairs, pressing against the wall with her free hand. When she reached the bottom, there was another door, but when she tried to open it, she found it to be locked, but that was easily remedied with an unlocking spell.

The door loudly creaked as it slowly swung open, and Elphaba immediately slipped inside and looked around. She couldn't see much, but figured she was in some part of the basement in a storage room. Most things were covered in a dusty white sheet, hiding them from view. She peeked behind one of them and found a framed portrait of a young teenage girl with flowing, dark brown hair, soft blue eyes and even softer features, in a light pink gown.

Who could this be? she wondered.

Suddenly, she felt a magical tug coming from one of the covered up desks in the corner. Carefully placing the sheet back over the painting, she walked over to the desk and cautiously removed the covering before opening the glowing drawer. The light was so bright that she had to shut her eyes, but once it died down, she slowly opened them and pulled out a large book.

She blew off the dust, coughing in retaliation, and squinted at the cover. 'The Grimmerie' was written in blocked, golden letters. Curiously, she opened it and squinted at the words. What funny writing, she thought, flipping through the pages. Even though she couldn't understand or pronounce most of the words, they seemed to have a meaning to her; a meaning she couldn't quite describe. Her gaze fell on a particular page with large cursive handwriting.

Read it!

Elphaba's head snapped up and she looked around. "Hello? Who said that?"

Silence answered her.

"Is anyone there?" She made the light orb in her hand glow even brighter, but she still didn't see anyone. Frowning, she turned back to the book.

Read it!

She looked up again, hoping to find the owner of the voice, but still found nothing. Was she hearing things? Was she going crazy? She looked down at the book and slowly began to whisper the words. "Ah te tum ah tea ohm ta maeto. Ah te tum ah tea ohm ta mae…"

The book began to glow and Elphaba immediately shut it. She didn't know what she had done, and it scared her. A strong wave of wooziness came over her and she felt her knees starting to buckle. Afraid, she shoved the book back into the drawer and covered it up.

She left the room exactly where she found it, closing and locking the door behind her.


The week passed too quickly for Elphaba, the hidden room and the weird book soon pushed to the back of her mind because of everything else going on. Thursday soon came, the day before her birthday and her birthday ball. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Ashlyn and Jyvona's blurry figures standing by the window.

"Good morning, Your Royal Highness," they curtsied as Elphaba pushed herself up.

"Good morning," the green girl yawned, reaching over to her nightstand and grabbing her glasses, bring the maids into clear vision.

"Preparations for tomorrow night will begin after breakfast," Jyvona said as Elphaba slowly slid out of bed.

"What would you like to wear today?" Ashlyn asked, already moving to Elphaba's closet.

"Just something simple. Maybe a white blouse and my dark purple skirt," she answered, stretching and grabbing her underclothes and hurrying into her private bathroom. She quickly showered and came out clad in underwear, bra, and slip, and her hair wrapped in a towel. Once she was dressed, she sat down at her vanity and Ashlyn brushed her hair.

"Good morning, Elphaba," Oscar smiled when Elphaba came downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning," the green girl smiled back as she sat down and began to eat.

"Once you're finished, there's something I want to show you."

Elphaba ate her last bit of fruit and looked up. "Yes?"

"Follow me."

The two walked back to the throne room, where decorations were beginning to go up for the following day. By his throne, sitting on an emerald cushion, was a tiara.

"It's beautiful," Elphaba smiled as she approached.

"It's yours."

"What?"

"It's yours. I'll officially present it to you tomorrow at the ball."

Elphaba took a small step closer to the tiara. There were small diamonds surrounding the slightly larger sapphire and ruby gems. The center gem was a large emerald gem shaped like a heart.

"It's remade from one of the old Ozma crowns," Oscar smiled. "The emerald is new."

The green girl couldn't take her eyes off it. "I love it. Thank you!"

"Tomorrow is all about you. I want everything to be perfect. And there won't just be celebrations here. All over Oz, there will be celebrations and festivations for you."

"A celebration throughout Oz that's all to do with me," Elphaba whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just… something Galinda said to me when I made the decision to become a princess. This isn't the life I had pictured for myself. I never could have imagined anything like that. She said that this was my chance to make a difference in Oz. I want to make good."

"I have every confidence that you will," Oscar smiled, gently taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "I'm so proud of you, Elphaba." He gave her a light kiss on the cheek before turning to leave.

"Dad!" Elphaba called when he got to the doorway.

The Wizard froze for a moment before turning with a smile. "Yes?"

"Thank you," she smiled. "Not just for the tiara, but for everything." She fingered the locket, which only made the Wizard's smile grow.

"You're welcome, Elphaba."

That evening, Elphaba was looking through the large telescope in the observatory. She had always had an interest in astronomy, and was even taking a physics class about the stars. She had already done her assignment, which was to continue studying her assigned star and track its brightness progress. She was writing in her notebook when she heard footsteps, but didn't turn around, thinking it was her father.

"It's a bit cloudy tonight," she said. "The sky isn't as visible. I was hoping to use my star chart to study constellation movements."

"That doesn't matter, considering the brightest star is sitting right here."

Elphaba froze. That wasn't her father's voice. She slowly turned around and gasped, seeing who was really behind her. "Yero?"

"Hi, Fae," the Vinkun prince smiled, giving her a wave.

Elphaba grinned as she jumped up and wrapped her arms tightly around her boyfriend. "When did you get here?"

"Just now. Your maids told me you were up here and gave me directions. I wanted to surprise you."

"This is a very nice surprise. Are Galinda and Nessa here yet?"

"Not that I know of."

"I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you, too. How was your week?"

"Good. Tiring, but good. I learned a lot from Oscar. I have so many notes and so much information to learn."

Fiyero chuckled. "I know you'll be able to do it, Fae."

"Didn't you do something similar with your father?"

"I remember having to sit through council meetings with him, but I think I used it more as nap time."

Elphaba rolled her eyes, but rested her head against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him once more.

"Are you nervous for tomorrow?" he asked her, resting his chin on top of her head.

"A bit. Most people would probably rather prefer a pet rather than a country for their birthday, but I'll be fine. I know I made the right decision, and I'll stick by it."

"I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." The green girl smiled as she gently pulled away. She looked up at Fiyero for a clock-tick before slowly rose to her toes. Fiyero grinned and he gently pulled her close. Their lips were almost together when the door opened, and Elphaba promptly jumped back.

Ashlyn and Jyvona came in and curtsied. "Your Royal Highness, Miss Galinda Upland has arrived," Jyvona said.

"As did Miss Nessarose," Ashlyn added. "Shall we send them up here?"

"No," Elphaba shook her head. It would be too much trouble to have the servants try to bring Nessa's chair up all those stairs. "I'll go downstairs. Thank you." She smiled at the prince before taking his hand and leading him out, followed by the two maids.