"Hey. Are you busy?"

Elphaba looked up and smiled. "Not very. Why?"

"Because it's two-thirty."

She glanced at the clock. Two-thirty was the unofficial break that Fiyero had convinced (practically forced) her to create, which meant that she could still work while Fiyero sat with her, trying to distract her. He was the only one, other than Glinda, who she wasn't wary around. Over the past few days, Elphaba and Fiyero found more ways to spend time together, from walks through the gardens, informal dinners, and interrupted work sessions. They had even developed a way of silently communicating, which really came in handy during the interrupted work sessions.

"What are you working on?"

"The invitations to the ball. Over one hundred people will be here; all the providence leaders and their families."

Fiyero looked over at the list. He glanced over the Vinkun section, not recognizing any names, and not knowing whether that was a good or bad thing. "These are beautiful," he said, taking an invitation and admiring the intricate patterns on the cover. He opened it and his smile slowly vanished when he read it. "This sounds like a summons."

"It is."

"Ah, so the beautiful cover is to lure them in, and once they read the strict and formal wording, they'll realize exactly what an 'Allegiance Ball' is."

She smirked. "Precisely."

"Cunning."

"I know." She looked up. "But it's not like they would turn down an invitation to a party at the palace, regardless of the intentions. What were the Vinkun royal balls like?"

"Big, boisterous, and extravagant. I hated them."

"They weren't fun?"

"They were, but I hated being forced to go as a kid and mingle with all those nobles and dignitaries. They always used big words that I didn't understand and pinched my cheeks and said, 'You'll have big shoes to fill, my future king'. They were right, but maybe telling that to an eight-year-old probably wasn't the best idea. The food was good, though."

"This would be my first."

"Your very first party ever?"

She gave him an amused look at his surprised tone. "Unless you count the tea parties I threw for my stuffed animals that I forced my governess to attend, then yes, this will be my very first party ever."

"Aww!" Fiyero cooed, and Elphaba rolled her eyes with a groan.

"You sound like Glinda."

"I'm surprised you don't, considering the amount of time you've spent with her. She hasn't rubbed off on you yet?"

"I now know the difference between the colors 'eggshell' and 'bone', so that must count for something." She finished organizing the invitations and took off her glasses. "I think that's enough for today." She paused. "Avaric would never let me stop working this early. I love making my own schedule and doing things on my own time, but I miss having him around."

"You do? Even after everything you learned?"

"No, I mean… he had helped me. Even under false pretenses, he still got me through all those long days. That makes this even harder. If I had hated him, this would have made sense. But I didn't hate him. And I thought he didn't hate me. I felt stupid for not seeing this coming."

"No, you're not stupid. No one could have seen this coming."

"You and Glinda and Rakelle tried to warn me."

"Of the coup, not of Avaric. He tricked you. He tricked everyone. It's not your fault."

"I was convinced it was my fault. Perhaps if I had been more agreeable and less stubborn, I would have seen the signs. If I had been more observant and less aloof, I could have prevented this. I know you're all saying that it wasn't my fault, but I still feel like it is." She looked into his eyes. "Months ago, I was in a meeting with my prime minister, foreign secretary, Avaric, and my head advisor. Glinda was also there, taking notes. That meeting was so boring. I made an offhand comment that I was so bored, I suggested overthrowing the queen, to which Avaric told me that I was said-queen. I said, 'Then you can see how bored I am'. It was a stupid joke that, looking back, I don't know why I made, but I think I was trying to make a point. Looking back… I might have planted the idea in Avaric's head."

"Avaric wouldn't have thought you were serious."

"He might have thought that I wasn't taking the job seriously. That he knew of someone else that could do it better. As a young girl, I knew that was one of their thoughts, but..."

"Elphaba, it's not your fault."

"Logically, I know that. Emotionally… I'm just so confused."

"I felt the same when I found out who killed my parents. The person to pull the trigger was one of their closest friends. They had invited him over for tea, gave him advice, and even provided financial support to his family. I used to play with their son, and this is how he repaid them. I don't know if they got an explanation before they died, but it wouldn't have mattered. Like… how could someone do that to a person who did so much for them? It didn't make any sense to me. It taught me that no matter how well you think you know someone, sometimes there's a layer underneath that never sees the light of day until it's called upon."

Sometime during their conversation, they had moved to the sofa, and were now snuggled together. Elphaba's head rested on his shoulder, completely relaxed against him. Fiyero's arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close.

"I remember dancing with my mother," he said softly. "I was ten or eleven. The orchestra played a Devalle, a traditional Vinkun waltz, and Father was busy talking to a diplomat from Oz-knows-where. So I decided that I would escort my mother to the dance floor. I had just learned the dance, and thought it would be a perfect time to show off my new skill. After turning the wrong way twice and clapping at the wrong time, my mother decided to take the lead, whispering the steps. Most would have seen it as embarrassing that the crown prince was messing up the traditional dance, but she didn't. She helped me instead of shaming me. I didn't have many special moments with her, so this one easily takes the cake. That's the only time I danced with her."

Elphaba listened quietly, smiling as she pictured a tiny Fiyero dancing with his mother. She, of course, had no similar stories of dancing with her father, but she tried not to focus on that. "Tell me more stories about your childhood."

"Only if you tell me about yours."

"Your stories will be much more interesting. Trust me."

"Okay, this is about the time I decided to go swimming in the duck pond and found out that even though ducks don't have teeth, their bites hurt a lot."


Glinda hadn't remembered party-planning being this stressful. Then again, she had never planned a party of this scale and magnitude before. It involved a lot of research into the different provinces, their customs, and leaders. She could afford for anyone to be offended. She learned that in the Glikkus, it was considered rude to take or receive items with one hand. Both hands were always used. She learned that in the Vinkus, it was considered rude to point, and instead, everyone gestures with an open palm. Now that she thought about it, she had never seen Fiyero point at anything or anyone. Quadlings were very punctual, and get very upset when things are even one minute late.

Everything got easier once Elphaba had finalized her new staff.

"I don't wanna say that I'll be glad when this is over, but I'll be glad when this is over," she had confessed happily once she heard the news. Once her party-planning was over, she would go back to the private secretary's office, now under the direction of Mr. Khynel Pundds. She didn't have a full opinion of him yet, but at least he was good-looking. She knew that looks weren't everything, but his had to count for something. She knew Elphaba didn't hire him based on his looks, but that he had an impressive resume and his references all spoke highly of him.

She didn't remember falling asleep in the throne room, but when she woke up, she was sitting in an armchair with a blanket draped over her. She instantly knew Elphaba was behind this and pushed herself up with a yawn, getting in a good stretch.

"Oh, good. You're awake."

Glinda looked up. "My eyes are open, but I wouldn't classify my current state as 'awake'."

Elphaba chuckled. "Well, once you can, come up to my office. I want you to see something."

"I'll be up in a minute," Glinda said, rising and neatly rolling the blanket on the chair.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Elphie."

Elphaba's lips twitched and she turned to leave. Glinda reached over the armrest for her notebook, lying forgotten on the floor, and looked over what she had done. She gave the menu to the kitchen staff, ordered the decorations, measured the throne room, and booked the orchestra. She had a lot to report back to Elphaba about the progress.

"What did you want to show me?"

Elphaba motioned for her to sit across from her desk and slid a paper over to her. Glinda squinted at the document, but her eyes widened slightly when she realized what it was.

"What is this?"

"I think you know exactly what this is."

"Elphie…"

"I realized I never gave you your staff allegiance contract when it didn't turn up in this last bunch."

"But the ball…"

"Is for the public servants, other leaders, and officials. If I had everyone take the oath there, we'd be there for days."

"Why didn't you just have them sign a document?"

"I need to hear it out loud from their mouths. They'd probably just glance over it and sign it without another thought. They already have to sign so many papers for their own provinces. I need them to know how serious I am about this. As leaders, they must take the extra step." She slid a pen over. "I won't force you to sign it, but I must let you know that if you refuse, you can no longer be employed here. I suggest you read it carefully."

Glinda's eyes stayed glued to the paper, but she wasn't reading it. She understood where Elphaba was coming from, but asking her to do this made it seem like she didn't trust her. "You don't trust me?"

Elphaba hesitated. "I do," she finally whispered. "But I also trusted Avaric."

"You think I would do something like that to you?" She sounded hurt. "Despite what he said, that whole 'Glinda the Good' thing –"

"It's not about that."

"Then what's it about?"

"Everyone must be treated equally."

"This isn't about equal treatment, Elphaba. This is about you not trusting me and thinking that I'll try to overthrow you. You'd treat me like this, after everything I've done for you?"

"Glinda, you must understand. Despite our friendship, you're still part of my staff. And as my friend, you'll be privy to things that aren't common knowledge. Take my magic, for example. As part of my staff, you'll have to keep a lot of things secret –"

"You think I'm a gossip?"

"Stop interrupting me."

The blonde bit her lip, trembling in either anger or fear, or possibly both.

"As I was saying, I need to be absolutely sure I can trust everyone, which is why the contract is so strict." Her voice softened. "This is only because you're a part of the staff, Glinda. Please try to understand. I do trust you, and I appreciate everything you've done for me. That means something to me. But after everything, I can't be throwing my trust around like I was before."

"I was there, too, Elphaba." Glinda glanced at her before looking back down at the contract, actually reading it this time. Her eyes widened when she got to the part detailing the punishments for breaking the oath, but never glanced back up at the queen. She grabbed the pen and signed her name at the bottom.

"This doesn't change anything," Elphaba said, accepting the document and filing it away.

"Wasn't that the point of making me do this? You don't trust me more than you did before?"

"I don't think you would do anything to hurt me. I never did."

Glinda nodded stiffly and stood. "Your Ozness," she curtsied.

Elphaba frowned at her title. "Glinda, don't be like that. This is strictly business." But she had already left. The queen rested her chin on her hands, trying to contemplate what had just happened.

"Elphaba?"

She didn't look up. "Yes, Fiyero?"

"What happened with Glinda? She almost knocked me over."

She glanced up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but I don't think she is. What happened?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"She just said she 'didn't want to betray Her Ozness' trust'."

Elphaba sighed. "She took me asking her to sign her oath of allegiance the wrong way. She thinks that I think she'll turn on me the way Avaric did. She doesn't understand that this is strictly business and that all the staff have to do it. It doesn't have anything to do with trust, at least, not in the way she's thinking. I can't give her special treatment because she's my friend."

"I think she understands," Fiyero offered, occupying the same seat the blonde had. "She understands that it's not personal. But this probably makes her feel that it is."

"But if she understands, then –"

"Understanding and feeling are separate things."

"So you're saying I should apologize?"

"I'm saying that you both have the right to feel the way you do. They're both valid reasons, but you're not understanding each other. Perhaps a mutual understanding can be reached somehow. In the meantime, where's mine?"

"Yours?"

"I never got it. Was I wrong to assume I still work here?"

Elphaba's eyes widened. "Oh." She looked through her papers. She didn't have a contract for Fiyero. How could she have forgotten about him? "I'll have one for you tomorrow. I'm sorry, I've been doing all this by myself. And… I think we should keep this between us."

"Agreed. I think we can both safely say that neither of us wants Glinda to find out you didn't have a contract for me."

Elphaba nodded. "I should probably find her before she leaves."

"Go now."

She didn't have to search long. She found Glinda in the throne room, sitting on the floor, surrounded by papers. But she wasn't reading them. She probably couldn't, due to the tears filling her eyes and sliding down her face.

"Glinda?"

She didn't look up. The queen moved a pile so she could sit next to the blonde. She could see and feel Glinda stiffen as she sat, neatly crossing her legs underneath herself.

"Talk to me. Please."

She wiped her face. "You were comparing me with Avaric."

"That's not what I said," she said softly.

"That is what you said. It's probably not what you meant, but it's what you said. You said how close you were with Avaric and he still managed to do that to you, and then how close we are and how you think I'll do the same."

"Glinda." She reached for her friend's hand, wincing when she pulled away. "I know how terrified you were that day. I had guns pointed at me, but you had a barrel pressed against your head. We weren't there for each other after that, but we both understood why. We probably should have been."

"You didn't even care if I trusted you! You were just focused on gaining trust from everyone else!"

She pondered that thought, hitting her for the first time. "You're right. I didn't. And you have every right to not trust me. It wasn't my intention to compare you and Avaric, but I understand how it sounded like that. You're two completely different people. I don't want to hurt you any more than I already have. I'm sorry. I don't want to lose your trust. You're the only friend I've ever had."

Glinda was quiet for a moment, then sniffled and looked over at Elphaba. "And I've had so many friends." She gave her a small smile. "I understand that it was business and not personal. I suppose I overreacted. And I… I don't blame you for anything that day." She slipped her hand into Elphaba's and rested her head on her shoulder.

Feeling she had been forgiven, Elphaba reciprocated by leaning her head against Glinda's, feeling her soft curls against her cheek. "I don't deserve your friendship," she admitted quietly once she felt the air had been sufficiently cleared. "But you gave it to me, anyway. You were the first person to care about me... the real me. And you're right; you have done a lot for me, and I'm beyond grateful."

"But you earned it. And you've done a lot for me, too. We've both changed each other for the better."

They settled together, snuggled close, their fingers remaining intertwined.

"Elphie?" she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Do you want poppies or roses on the tables?"

The queen chuckled. "Whichever will match your décor."

"Both flowers are red, so that's not the issue. It's whatever you prefer."

"Then poppies."

It wasn't lost on Glinda that she had chosen the flower of remembrance.


What are your thoughts? Do you think it was necessary for Elphaba to make Glinda sign the contract?