A/N: The timing of this story varies depending on the chapter. For example: chapters 1 — 4 take place over the span of few weeks, one right after the other, while chapter 5 (Galinda's magical outburst) happens after chapter 6 (Fiyero's suit fitting) and before chapter 7 (Elphaba's journey to the Vinkus), and chapters 8, 9 and 10 all happen at the same time.

My goal is to make each of Elphaba's, Galinda's, and Fiyero's chapters feel like their own individual stories that merge together to seamlessly contribute to the larger, overall narrative. Can't say if I'm doing a good job or not because I just had a damn stroke trying to figure out the timeline to my own story, so I dearly apologize if it's confusing for you all to follow. But you're not alone so I hope that makes you feel better lol.

For those who aren't scared off by my whirlwind of a story, thanks for sticking with me. Onward we go!

Elphaba

The large trestle table looked like a ghost with its long white tablecloth dragging along the floor and the candles upon the table resembled the eyes of a beast. Elphaba crinkled her nose, wondering what could make the great hall smell like this. Her mama never cooked much and when she did it never smelled this good. Elphaba's mouth was watering with anticipation by the time the food arrived.

"Honey glazed pheasant, potatoes and roasted duck!" Fiyero declared happily as a servant poured him a glass of milk. He scooped up a large spoonful of food and shoveled it into his mouth, to his mother's chagrin. "They didn't even burn the potatoes!"

"Fiyero! Mind your manners!" the Queen hissed, causing Elphaba to smile, and turned to the little girl to ask, "Are you sure you aren't hungry honey?" for what must have been the eighth time that night.

Elphaba babbled longingly. Her parents were extremely strict when it came to the veil. It stayed on all the time, even at meals, no if or buts. It was up to the little girl to find her own food afterwards for her parents had a bad habit of forgetting to feed her, so she knew she probably wasn't going to have anything tonight.

"She's fine, Your Majesty," Melena said, placing a hand on Elphaba's back. "She had a large snack an hour ago."

Another lie. The number of untruths her parents have told since arriving at the castle by far exceeded what Elphaba could count to, so she knew it was a very large amount.

Elphaba was so short that the servants had to prop her up on a mountain of pillows just so she could peer over the table, but she had ended up with the grandest view of them all. From here she could clearly see the King at the head of the table, the Queen on his left and her father on his right, her mother by her father's and the prince next to the Queen. He was also conveniently right in front of her.

The little girl giggled as Fiyero mashed up his food and made a face with the mush. Initially, she didn't know what she thought about the prince. He didn't speak to her when they first met, and she had spent the first day alone (and mostly lost) while her parents toured the castle and lands with the Queen.

But then the Prince had run into her, or maybe she into him, and he hadn't been kind, but he hadn't been cruel. He invited her to play with him (she'd never had an invitation for anything in her whole life; the few playdates she went on were forced by her parents' hands and they usually didn't last longer than an hour) and he gave her a name and made her feel seen, if only for just one day.

But then this strange prince came along and invited her to play and continued to do so with her day after day, until two whole days of play passed in a blink. And she was afraid to do that. Blink. Because she never had a friend, and the fear of losing the first and only one she ever had was astronomical.

"What'd you think Fae Fae?" Fiyero spun his plate around so that the face was smiling at her. "Should I give him hair?"

"Hair!" Elphaba shrieked gleefully. A spoon went flying. "Hair!"

"You've got yourself a feisty one," the King told Frex.

Frexspar looked mortified as a servant ran to retrieve the utensil. "I do apologize for the mess," he said stiffly.

"There's nothing to apologize for," the Queen smiled. "Oz only knows what a wreck Fiyero made at her age."

"Can't say he's out grown it," the King muttered before clearing his throat. "I received news today of an interesting tale. A girl in the Gillikins claims to have sorcery."

"I wasn't aware you kept up to date with the affairs of other nations," Melena said. "We try our best, you see, but weeding the gossip from the non-trivial matters can be a tedious task and the messengers tend to care more about the coin and less about the accuracy, as you can imagine."

The Queen daintily took a bite of duck. "I can, yes. We've had our fair share of coin seeking frauds. But this one was special, the messenger said. Real. Verified by several Gillikin nobles. Fascinating, isn't it? I think so, at least. There hasn't been a new sorceress or sorcerer in years. The last reported with sorcery was some lady professor at a university near the Emerald City and the Wizard himself."

"How does she know she has sorcery?" Fiyero asked, mouth full of food.

Elphaba giggled again.

The Queen sighed in exasperation.

"Forgive me for saying so," Frexspar interluded, stiffly stabbing his pheasant, "but sorcery is the art of sinners."

Elphaba and Fiyero stopped playing with their food and turned their attention to the adults. They were too young to fully follow the conversation, but they sensed the dynamic shift in the air.

"Darling." Melena said; teeth clenched in a smile. Her hand seemed to weigh more heavily on Elphaba's back. "Let's…"

Let's not talk religion at the table, was what she wanted to say, just like at home, Elphaba knew.

"Not here."

"No, no, let him speak." The King laced his fingers together and leaned forward on his elbows. His crown sparkled in the candlelight and he seemed genuinely intrigued. "I always welcome an intellectual conversation."

Frexspar wiped his mouth with a napkin and set his fork aside. "The Unnamed God made everyone and everything in His image, including men, who He humbled by making mortal. If we were meant to wield such omnipotence, then we'd be made as such. It is His vision to have us as His humbled servants, and those who defy His will, whether they intent to or not, are the spikes in the wheel that end up destroying the peace."

"Whose will would you say it is, if not the Unnamed God's, that gifts these mortals the sorcery, then?"

"Those who oppose Him. Devils and demons."

"Why would the Unnamed God create such powerful foes if His objective is to have ever lasting peace?"

"I — I..." Frex sputtered, turning red. Elphaba never saw her father speechless or caught off guard when he was on one of his religious rants. This was a first.

"Maybe the Unnamed God isn't as powerful as He claims to be," the King mused. "Then again, maybe He just has His off days now and then, like you and I. Responsibility is awfully jilting, is it not? I suppose we can forgive Him for a mishap here and there."

Frexspar pressed his lips together so harshly that they turned white.

"Why don't the children go and play?" The Queen suggested. Fiyero was quick to agree and Melena had no choice but to accept. "Elphaba dear, are you sure you don't want something to eat? Nothing at all? Not even something small?"

Elphaba dutifully shook her head, despite her stomach growling.

"Alright then, you both are excused."

Fiyero leapt out of his chair and ran around the table to Elphaba. For a seven-year-old he was surprisingly gentle as he helped her off her pillow mountain.

"Don't go far," Melena said obligately.

The two children toddled out of the Great Hall. Elphaba lifted her gloved hand and played with the shadows it casted. When they neared the royal chambers, they made a stop at Fiyero's room for him to grab something inside. Elphaba waited patiently outside and he soon reappeared with a wrapped bundle in hand.

"It's a surprise," he said as she grabbed for the basket. He moved it out of her reach. "Not here, Fae, just wait."

He grabbed a torch, took her hand and led her away. They walked and turned and twisted and climbed, until they finally reached the west wing. Elphaba opened the door again and they passed through, mindful to keep it cracked. It was when they were in the third chamber that Fiyero finally unwrapped his bundle.

Blankets, pelts, food and candles. They covered the mattress with pelts and blankets and the floor with candles that they lit with the torch. Fiyero let Elphaba pick through the stash of food, hoping she found his stolen goodies and leftovers satisfactory. To Elphaba, day old bread, biscuits, nuts, cookies and apple slices was as good as a five-course feast.

"I like cookies." Elphaba told the prince as she gobbled one down.

"Me too," Fiyero said. "I wanna eat them all day, but Mother doesn't like me eating them so much, so I gotta have other food like meat and fruit and stuff before."

"Snuker-noodle's my favorite."

"I like gingersnap the best."

"Snuker-noodle's better."

"No way."

"Way."

The food went fast. At one-point Elphaba offered some to Fiyero (hoping he would decline) and fortunately, he ruefully shook his head. Good. She was famished.

Fiyero didn't say anything as she inhaled everything. He just studied her with a dark, calculated stare. This was the difference between children and adults. While children might notice just the same, if not more than their elders, they don't pry nearly as much.

At least, Fiyero didn't.

"Stars," Elphaba said when she was done. "Pwease?"

"Again?"

Elphaba nodded vigorously. Every night, her request was the same.

She climbed onto the mattress and snuggled under the blankets. The bed was much comfier now with an extra layer of furs between her and the prickly straw.

"Fi-yer-o."

The prince stood up and tucked into the space beside her. She was crushing his arm so she felt him wrap it around her. She couldn't help but shiver. Physical touch was quite a foreign concept to her and whatever contact she was use to was usually violent.

"Stars," she said. "Now."

"Okay, uh, the Bow constellation is the one near the —"

"New one," Elphaba interrupted. "Already told that."

Fiyero chuckled as he drew the blanket tighter around them. "Did I tell you about the Sage?"

Elphaba shook her head.

"Okay. The Sage had the wisest mind in all the Thousand Year Grasslands. He was from the Arjiki tribe and once fought a guy from the Scrow tribe for seven days and seven nights with no sleep only his wits. Years later, he died, poked his own head on his spear. Cool, right? He went nuts. Probably from no sleep. Anyway, the gods put him in the sky so that he would always be close enough to them to ask for advice and far enough from the mortals to be a temptation, and there he stayed."

Fiyero playfully tapped her head.

Elphaba gently brushed off his hand, weary of the possibility of the veil slipping off. "What's a temp-ta-tion?"

"Something so good that it's not good."

What?

He flipped on his side and propped his head up on his hand to look at her. "What time is it?"

"Really late."

"Oof. We should head back soon."

"Not yet."

Fiyero sighed. "I wish we could stay here forever."

Elphaba surprised herself by saying, "Me too." Even with a belly full of stolen leftovers, a pair of too-thick gloves on her hands and an Ozforsaken veil slapped over her face, she couldn't be happier.

"What's it like in Munchkinland? I've never been out of the Vinkus."

"Really small."

Fiyero broke into laughter. "You're really funny. Funnier than Avaric, and he thinks he's the funniest person in the world."

"Not funny, true," Elphaba protested, even though her tummy tingled at the compliment.

"I wish I could go there — Munchkinland. I used to plan what I'd do if I ever got to. I'd see the corn fields and where the yellow brick road starts and everything."

"Why not?"

"Father says I can't, which is just stupid. The only place I get to go is here, Kiamo Ko, and that's really almost never-ever. It sucks big time."

"Sucks," Elphaba agreed. "Sucks bad."

"Yeah... Fae Fae?"

"What?"

"Are the Munchkins really only 3 feet tall?"

"Ya."

"Do they really talk in high voices?"

"Some."

"Do they hide in flowers when they're scared?"

"Maybe."

"Do they sing and dance to welcome new people?"

Elphaba shook her head. She'd never seen them so much as cough a welcome to new folks, but maybe that would change if someone they actually liked dropped down from the sky.

Fiyero opened his mouth to ask another question, but his gaze fell from her face to their feet that pointed to the door, and his words caught. It was hard to see in the candlelight and through the veil but she knew he paled a considerable amount.

"What's it?" she asked.

"Shhhh," he hissed, eyes on the chamber entrance. "I… something… in the corner."

Elphaba glanced at the spot where their chamber adjoined with the corridor. She didn't see it at first… until she did. A small, almost impossibly visible thing hovered just out of view. She could just make out it's shadow on the floor. Was that a person? She thought Fiyero was a single child, but maybe it was a servant's son or daughter.

"Fi-yer-o?"

The boy sat up; his calm demeanor gone in a flash. "Shit," he muttered.

"S'a bad word!"

"Not now." He slipped off the bed. "Get up. I don't know what that is."

Elphaba jumped out of bed and ran to Fiyero's side. The children blew out the candles, grabbed their torch and inched their way to the entrance, blankets and basket forgotten.

They held their breath as they peered into the corridor.

A small, clock like man about Fiyero's height sat in the hall. It was entirely made of copper and cogs and looked more machine then man. But that wasn't the oddest part. No, the oddest part was that it moved on its own. It half wheeled; half tottered awkwardly as its head swung side to side.

Elphaba had never seen anything like this creature ever before.

Fiyero faltered when he saw the man. "What's it… doing?"

It was wheeling in and out of the second chamber, the one with the rug. It would go in, circle the rug, make a weird clicking noise and go back out, only to repeat the same motions all over again.

"Looking," Elphaba said. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew she was right.

"For what?"

Neither child had the answer.

The tik tok creature softly whirled out of the room.

"C'mon, let's go while it's gone," Fiyero muttered. He grabbed Elphaba's hand.

"Where is it?" a woman boomed. "Show me! With haste!"

A large, hooded figure swept into the room and hurried past the children's' hiding place, heavy skirts swirling angrily. She knelt in the center of the chamber and flipped the rug over. Beneath it, carved in the stone floor, was a shallow hole. Pale fingers slithered out from under the folds of the cloak to plunge into the dark depths.

Elphaba's eyes grew as wide as saucers when those fingers emerged holding a fat, ancient book. Fiyero pulled her arm as the woman opened the book and was enveloped in a soft, golden light. Something stirred inside Elphaba as the yellow pages were riffled through. It was as if they called to her.

Reluctantly, the little girl tore her gaze away when Fiyero gave her arm an extra hard yank. If he wasn't her friend, she would've stomped on his toe. That would've taught him to be nice.

The last image Elphaba saw as she and Fiyero crept away was the woman removing her hood. Her back was facing them so Elphaba couldn't see her face, but her voice started into an ancient chant that was so mournful and electrifying that it enveloped Elphaba's soul.

.

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A/N: Yes, me again. I thought a fun thing would be to have some trivia after each chapter, so here are a few fun facts!

1. Fae is a code name Elphaba adopts in the Wicked novel when she joins a secret anti-Wizard resistance. In many fanfics Fae is the nickname Fiyero uses for her and I just find that so freaking adorable, so I decided to incorporate it in here with my own twist.

2. Grommetik is a character from both the Wicked novel and the original Wizard Of oz series by L. Frank Baulm. In the Wizard of Oz the tik tok creatures (which is what Grommetik is) can talk and move, while in the Wicked novel, Grommetik is a more sinister character who can't speak and is a servant to Morrible. Since this is a story inspired by Wicked, I decided to take inspiration from the novel when adapting Grommetik's character.

3. In the novel Fiyero is a prince of the nomadic tribe, the Arijik's, who reside in the Vinkus with many other tribes, while musical Fiyero is simply the prince of the whole country. In this story he is a prince of the Vinkus but is also descended from the Arijik tribe. That's why he knows their lores and myths so well.