Mount Marigoll was the tallest mountain in the entire Vinkus. And at its peak proudly stood Mount Marigoll Castle, the official residence of the Vinkun royal family. The castle, made with smooth, light brown bricks that have lasted centuries, seemingly loomed over the entire country. Its perfect exterior did a good job of concealing its actual age, and the tall keep tower provided a spectacular view of the countryside and the nearby village.

A young, teenage girl in an ornate dress currently occupied the window seat of the keep, her wavy, shoulder-length ginger hair clipped away from her face with a silver barrette. Her hazel eyes scanned the gardens, watching as the gardeners tended to the vegetables and flowers. She could sit there for hours, just watching people; not in a stalkerish way, but simply observing them. To her, she'd take this seat over a throne any day.

The clock chimed the hour, shaking her from her musings. Five o'clock. She hadn't realized how late it had gotten. Jumping up, she ran down the stairs and through the long corridors.

All the curtains were drawn, darkening and cooling the halls, protecting them from the outside temperature. Vinkun springs were infamous for the sweltering humidity. Every spring, it seemed to cover the entire country in its thick, stifling cloud. Even though the Vinkun people were used to this weather pattern, that didn't mean they liked it. The only compensation was that since they got the humidity over with in the spring, they wouldn't have to deal with it in the summer. They could manage in heat, but heat and humidity was a different story.

The darkened halls of the castle were quiet, save for the sound of hurried footsteps echoing off the walls. The teenager hurriedly turned the corner, throwing a quick "Sorry!" over her shoulder to the maid she almost ran into as she skirted around another corner and slipped through a large set of double doors. As she ascended the stairs, she heard the familiar, booming voice of the head castle scribe, Master Hazule, doing what he did best; yell at his apprentice.

"Elphaba, you aren't finished with the translations yet?"

A young woman with verdant skin shot up in her seat, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "Almost, sir. The humidity –"

"Is no excuse. You should be used to it by now. Finish translating the texts before sundown, or you won't be allowed to leave."

"But tonight is –"

"I am well aware of what tonight is, but that is of little importance to you. And it certainly doesn't give you an excuse to be sloppy. Now, do a better job or I'll be forced to whip –"

"Master Hazule."

The two scribes looked up at the interruption and genuflected to the new person; the Princess Royal.

"Princess Hannalyn. I apologize for you hearing my outburst."

"I hate to interrupt, but Elphaba must come with me right away."

"Your Highness, I'm afraid that Elphaba hasn't completed her afternoon tasks, so I cannot let her –"

"It's very important, Master Hazule. I'm sure the ancient texts won't mind."

The old man worked his jaw, but bowed and quickly retreated to his study.

"How can I help you, Your Highness?" Elphaba asked, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as she watched the old man's study door close.

"Well, for starters, you can thank me." the princess smirked. "And you can drop the formalities. It's just me."

"The walls have ears, Your Highness."

"Elphaba, we're friends. I've asked you to call me Hanna. Remember?"

"Yes… Your Highness."

The princess gave her a frustrated look, and Elphaba couldn't hold back her chuckle anymore.

"You're more than 'just you', you know."

"Sure. Come on. Let's get you out of this stuffy library," Hannalyn said with a playful eye roll as she grabbed Elphaba's hands and pulled her away from her desk.

"My work –"

"Can wait until later. Have you eaten yet?"

"I had a pear…"

Hannalyn sighed. "I have sandwiches and tea in my room. Come on! Let's go!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes, but followed the princess. She was used to this routine of being led to the royal apartments. Though it was known throughout the castle that the princess and apprentice were friends, there was still a level of proper protocol and decorum they had to keep. And one of the rules was that only certain maids and footmen were allowed in the private royal chambers. And since Elphaba was neither, she wasn't allowed. But that didn't stop the seventeen-year-old princess from sneaking her in.

They were both young children when Elphaba came to the castle. Hannalyn, who was tired of her older brother being her sole company, and in desperate need of a real friend, bypassed being repulsed by Elphaba's green skin and slowly formed a bond with her, making her feel more at ease in the large castle. Elphaba, who hadn't been used to such kindness and openness, was skeptical at first, but was eventually able to slowly lower her walls and took a liking to the young royal.

When they reached Hannalyn's room, they found her lady's maid, Athea, putting dresses back in the wardrobe.

"Your Highness," the lady's maid curtsied.

"Athea," Hannalyn nodded. "You're dismissed. And you never saw Elphaba up here."

"Of course, milady." Another curtsy and the lady's maid left.

The two girls quickly settled with the tea and sandwiches at the small table by the princess' large window. They talked for a while, mostly about the costume ball that would be taking place that evening.

"It feels like every time I turn around, we're throwing another party. I just hope young Lord Mraz doesn't come," Hannalyn said.

"You know he will," Elphaba said, finishing her tea.

"I know. But he's such a bore."

"O-R-E or O-O-R?"

"Either. Both. Even O-A-R."

Elphaba chuckled. It wasn't a secret that the twenty-year-old noble was trying to woo the princess. Trying… and failing miserably. According to Hannalyn, Lord Mraz was a 'hot-headed, blabbering narcissist who only offered a compliment with the intent of receiving three'. "He can't be that bad."

"I wish you could come so I can show you just how wrong you are."

"You can tell me about his failed attempts to try to get you to see him as anything other than a bore, boor, and boar tomorrow."

"Believe me, I will. I love parties, but I hate socializing. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Completely."

Both girls laughed, but were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Hannalyn, who are you talking to?" a young, male voice called through the closed door.

"Not you!" the princess shouted back, recognizing the voice, shooting her companion a worried glance.

The door opened and a young man with dark hair, soft chocolate eyes, and clothes just as ornate as Hannalyn's strutted in.

"I never said you could enter, Fiyero," Hannalyn frowned at her older brother as Elphaba jumped to her feet and curtsied.

"You never said I couldn't."

"You can't. Now, leave."

The crown prince's gaze slowly shifted to Elphaba and he softened slightly. "You're not supposed to be up here, green girl."

"I invited her," Hannalyn defended as Elphaba stiffened. "And don't call her that!"

"You know the rules, Hanna. And you know the punishments for breaking those rules. You both do. I hear whips hurt. A lot."

The prince's voice wasn't unkind, even if his words were. But they were true. She wasn't supposed to be there, she is a green girl, and whips do hurt a lot. But for some reason, whenever he spoke to her, he somehow managed to make his threats and subtle insults not sound like threats and subtle insults.

"I came against my better judgment, Prince Fiyero," Elphaba said, her head bowed and her gaze glued to the floor. "I apologize."

"Must be the humidity. They say humidity can bring out humility."

"You're not funny," Hannalyn practically growled. "And you can't tell anyone, Yero."

"Why not?"

"Because if you do, I'll tell Mother and Father exactly who switched the portrait of our great-great aunt Nattaliea with a whale at last year's gala."

Fiyero's face fell, but brightened when he heard footsteps approaching. "I'm the least of your worries right now." With that, he disappeared as the footsteps grew closer until their owner came into view.

"Pardon me, Your Highness, but – Elphaba?"

"Mrs. Skarrot!" Hannalyn gasped at the same time Elphaba exclaimed, "Mama!"

The queen's head dresser, Yuene Skarrot, stood in the doorway, her eyes darting between the two girls, one of whom was forbidden from being there. "Your Highness, it's time for you to get ready for tonight's ball. Elphaba, come with me."

Elphaba curtsied to the princess and left with her mother. "Mama, I –"

"Go help your father downstairs in the kitchens. I have to go to the queen. We'll discuss this later."

She nodded and went down to the kitchens without being caught by anyone else. She easily spotted her father giving orders to the other staff, and went to offer her help.

"Thank you, darling," the head chef, Marqo, smiled at his daughter, unaware of the reason she was sent to help him. "Can you finish cutting the carrots for the second-course soup?"

The green girl nodded and went to work. Over an hour later, once all the food was prepared and sent upstairs, she collapsed in a corner, wiping the flour from her forehead, leaving a light streak. She was finally free for the rest of the night… save for the conversation she would have to have with her mother.

When she returned to the servants' quarters that night, she went to her family's room, where her parents were waiting for her. Judging by her father's expression, her mother had already filled him in.

"Elphaba," Marqo began, his arms crossed. "You know the rules."

"I do, Papa," Elphaba said. "But the princess –"

"She knows the rules, too, but you mustn't allow her to distract you. If you fall out of favor, Elphaba, you'll be sent away. Your mother and I won't be able to help you."

"I know you two have a close acquaintanceship, Fabala, but you must remember who she is and who you are. In order for all of us to survive, we must all remember our place," Yuene added.

Elphaba didn't want to put her adoptive parents in jeopardy, especially after everything they've done for her. If it wasn't for them, she would still be begging on the streets, singing songs for spare coins… or worse. "I understand."

"Good. Now, it's time for bed."

Elphaba hugged her parents and wished them a good night before hurrying to her room. It was small, only housing her bed, a small rack for her minimal dresses, and a small table and chair. Her window overlooked the servants' courtyard. She cracked it open, allowing the evening breeze to slip through. She quickly changed into her nightgown and slipped into her robe before sneaking out. She tiptoed past the common area, where her mother was working by the candlelight to mend one of the queen's slips, and her father was fast asleep in one of the soft chairs, soft snores escaping his throat. Once she was out, she made her way down the hall, slipped behind a large tapestry, and pushed the hidden door open. It creaked loudly and she winced, hoping no one had heard. After a few clock-ticks of silence, she exhaled slowly and slipped into the dark, secret corridor, closing the door behind her.

Having grown up in the castle, she had years to explore all the hidden passages of the old castle. She had found old blueprints of the castle when she was searching for more texts to translate and as soon as her workday was over, she began exploring a few passageways. Many of them were back ways to different parlors or wings of the castle, and some of them led to rooms that were no longer in use.

She now knew where all the secret doors were, and where they led to by heart. It made for great short cuts or when she had to sneak out.

Many of these old passageways were abandoned, especially since a lot of them were used to help the royal family escape during an attack, though the castle hadn't been under attack since the Millatian Era, during the border war between the Vinkus and Fliann over four hundred years ago.

The tunnel was pitch dark, leaving Elphaba to trail the back of her hand against the cold, hard wall to keep herself oriented. She regretted not bringing a candle, and promised herself that she would remember next time. She felt something cold and silky against her face and bit back a scream, jumping back. She wiped her face, realizing that it was a cobweb and kept going. After what seemed like longer than normal, she saw a small, faint light in the distance, followed by a distant din of mixed conversations. As she got closer, she could recognize the light source as a keyhole. She reached the door and, slowly sinking to her knees, closed one eye and squinted through the keyhole.

On the other side was the grand ballroom, where the royals were hosting the costume ball. This wasn't the first time Elphaba watched a royal ball from behind this door through this small viewing window. A small smile crept onto her face as she watched the dignitaries glide across the dance floor, seemingly flying. Her gaze shifted to the front of the room, where King Raal, Queen Amalie, Crown Prince Fiyero, and the Princess Royal Hannalyn all stood on a slightly elevated stage in front of their thrones, continuing to greet their guests.

She watched as a young man approached the royals and bowed deeply. And judging by Hannalyn's expression, she could only assume that it was Lord Mraz. After a look from her father and a nudge from her mother, Hannalyn accepted Lord Mraz's hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.

Even through the small keyhole, Elphaba could smell her father's cooked goose and roasted vegetables, a favorite of the royal family. She smiled, hoping there would be leftovers for the servants tomorrow. She adored her father's food, especially when he cooked for the royal parties and banquets.

She watched for another hour, only becoming aware of how late it was when she was interrupted by a yawn. She slowly rose to her feet, her knees aching from kneeling for so long, and made her way back down the dark passageway.

She safely arrived back in her room without any incident, stripped off her robe, and slipped under her blanket, her mind drifting to memories of the ball, and the conversation she would inevitably have to have with the princess the following day, as she fell asleep.

The "bore/boor/boar" bit was from Season 3 of the 'Victoria' series.