Hello!
I'm back! After nearly three years, I have returned to FFN with a story that I think you all will love. I needed some time to work through personal stuff, but now I've come back!

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

"Ubhuti, pass me some more beer!" Fiyero called to his brother from the other side of the carriage.

"Usenele ngokwanele, Fiyero," Sanele replied, somewhat annoyed. "Ube uhlala njalo ekuseni. Lapha, amanye amanzi." You've had enough, Fiyero. You've been hung over all morning. Here, some water. Sanele grabbed a cup and poured some water from the cooler in their carriage. He passed it to his younger brother.

"Speak Ozish, Sani," Fiyero said, taking the water. "I need to practice. I am starting at Shiz today, after all."

Sanele made a noise of disbelief. "Since when do you want to practice something?" He poured more water for himself.

Fiyero took a gulp of water. "Well, let's say I don't think a lot of the girls at Shiz will know Arjikii."

"I should have known," Sanele said, rolling his eyes. "You know, if you don't turn things around this time, Mama and Baba are going to make you take correspondence classes from home."

"You really believe that?" Fiyero laughed. "They have made that that threat before, and look! Nothing has happened!"

"But even besides that," Sanele continued, "you are a prince of the Arjikiis, and therefore-…"

Fiyero sighed deeply. "… a representation of our proud and noble people. I know, Sani. But look, I think you and Yasho are doing a fine job representing us without my help. Yasho is amazing those scientists in the Emerald City with his skills, and Baba is starting to take you on his diplomatic trips and is always talking about what a great king you'll make."

"Yes but if Oz forbid I die before having children, you will be king," Sanele pointed out. "And even if that doesn't happen, I will still want your advice on matters. You know it is traditional for the king's younger brother to be his – how do you say in Ozish? – right hand man. As Umalume Landelayo helped Baba, you will help me. You need to be prepared for that." The brothers sat in silence for awhile until Sanele said, "And if you must spend time with girls, Fiyero, at least try to find a worthy one. No more of these Gilikinese bimbos. Mama is always distressed whenever you date a Gilikinese girl."

"Mama wants me to marry an Arjikii girl."

"Mama wants all of us to marry Arjikii girls. But I'm the only one who really has to. Fiyero, for you it doesn't really matter where she's from. She just has to be worthy."

Fiyero grinned. "And what, dear brother, is your definition of worthy?"

Sanele answered in Arjikii. "Umuntu onengqondo emsebenzini." Someone with a mind at work.

Three hours later, the two older Tigulaar brothers arrived at Shiz University. Their driver, Avaric, first dropped Sanele off at the office of the headmistress, Madam Morrible. Sanele was to give her a hefty donation from his parents and a reassurance that Fiyero would indeed perform better at Shiz than he had at any of his previous universities.

It was while Avaric was driving him from Madam Morrible's office to his new dormitory, Ozma Towers, that Fiyero fell asleep. He had been up late the night before, drinking, and he was still not quite recovered from his hangover. But seemingly not a clock tick after he had gotten to sleep, he was jolted back awake by a blunt object hitting him quite hard on the head.

He heard Avaric say, "Miss! Do you know who this is?"

"I don't care who he is!" a female voice said angrily. The blunt object hit him again, this time forcing him to open his eyes. "Listen! Your carriage almost runs me over and you're sleeping?!"

Fiyero rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and took in the almost-victim of his carriage: an odd green girl of Munchkin descent who was a bit disheveled from the effort of avoiding the carriage and clearly not happy about it. He answered her matter of factly, "Well, of course. It's daytime." He got out of the carriage and turned to Avaric. "Sikubona maduze, Avaric. Angilindele ukuhlala kule sikole isikhathi eside kunanoma yimuphi omunye." See you soon, Avaric. I don't expect to stay at this school longer than any of the others.

Avaric and Fiyero did their usual goodbye routine that they had developed as young boys: a double high five and then promptly slamming their bodies together. Then Avaric sped away to pick up Sanele, or more likely to get away from …

Fiyero startled as he saw that the green girl had not left. "Ingabe lena ngempela indlela ophila ngayo?" she said in less than fluent Arjikii. "Ukubamba abantu futhi ungaboni ngisho nabo?" Is this really how you are going through life? To knock people over and not even notice them?

"You … you speak Arjikii?" Fiyero was kind of amazed. Not many people outside of the Vinkus bothered to learn any of the tribal languages.

The green girl nodded. "Yeah. My father taught me when I was little. He values language acquisition very much …" She suddenly remembered herself and hit Fiyero on the arm. "You changed the subject! Your carriage could've killed me!"

"Mhlawumbe umshayeli ubona aluhlaza futhi wacabanga ukuthi kusho ukuthi 'hamba.'" Fiyero said with a grin, kind of wanting to test the girl's Arjikii.

She clearly did not understand every word, but her face hardened even more than usual at "aluhlaza," the Arjikii word for green, and she gave him the dirtiest look he had ever gotten from a girl, and then dashed off without even bothering to reply. So his very first encounter at Shiz had not been stellar, but if at first you don't succeed …

Suddenly, as his luck would have it, an alarmingly pretty Gilikinese girl came up to him with a walk and a smile he had seen a thousand times before. "Pardon me, Your Highness," she said with a toss of her golden hair. "I'm Galinda Upland, of the Upper Uplands. Are you looking for something or … someone?"

"Yes, some sort of … history class," Fiyero answered, looking at his schedule. "Would you by any chance know-…"

"That's the history building right over there, friend," an unusually tall Munchkin boy said, running up to them. He vigorously shook Fiyero's hand. "Nice to meet you, Your Highness. The name's Boq. Boq Riddle. Welcome to Shiz. Have fun at history class." Boq practically pushed Fiyero towards the history building.

But then Galinda pulled him back towards herself, making Fiyero lose his balance temporarily. "Oh, but that class just ended. I should know; I'm in it." She giggled flirtatiously.

"Ah, perfect timing then," Fiyero said, sitting down on a bench near a statue of Shiz's founder. Galinda and Boq instinctively followed suit. "And no more of this 'Your Highness' business. I am Fiyero. So, what does one do for fun around here?"

Before Galinda could speak, Boq piped up, "We've been studying!"

"In a way, he's right," Galinda said with a sigh. "We haven't had much fun … until now."

Fiyero grinned, already formulating a plan. "Well then, I see that the responsibility of corrupting my fellow students once again falls to me. Luckily, I am up to the challenge. You see, you two, the trouble with schools is that they always seem to be teaching the wrong things. You know, history, science, math, nabanye. In my view, the most important things to learn are best learned outside the classroom. How to dance." He stood up and twirled Galinda around as if to some grand waltz. "How to love." He dipped Galinda so far down that her hair almost touched the pavement, making her squeal.

"Oh, Fiyero," she breathed as he pulled her back up. "You're soooo cool. I wanna learn the way you do."

"Well, how about we start tonight?" Fiyero suddenly decided. "What's the most – how do you say – swankified place in town?"

"That would be the Ozdust Ballroom."

Fiyero clapped his hands together. "That sounds perfect! If you could get as many of your friends as possible to go to the Ozdust Ballroom tonight, I can guarantee a night of fun, love, and most importantly, dancing. Can you do that, Galinda?"

"Absolutely!" Galinda exclaimed. "Oh, I can't wait for you to meet all my friends! We're going to have so much fun! See you at 8?"

Fiyero smiled. "8 would be lovely, Miss Galinda."

As Galinda walked away to find her friends, Boq rushed after her. "I hope you'll save at least one dance for me, Miss Galinda," he said once he caught up to her. "I'll be right there by your side, waiting all night."

"Oh, that's so kind!" Galinda said, feigning enthusiasm. "But you know what would be even kinder? If you invited Nessarose Thropp. It seems so unfair that we should get to party and she shouldn't. Whoever would invite her would be my hero."

That was all Boq needed. "I'll invite her!"

Galinda put her hands on her chest as if touched. "Oh Biq, really? You would do that for me?"

"I would do anything for you, Miss Galinda!"

After that exchange on the quad, Fiyero decided to head the rest of the way to Ozma Towers to see his new dorm room. He assumed it wouldn't be too much different than all the other dorm rooms he had inhabited over the course of his college career. He was sure his parents had paid for one of the nicer rooms, but even expensive dorm rooms still had the air of monotony associated with collegiate buildings.

Fiyero received two surprises upon arriving at Ozma Towers. The first happened upon seeing that building, which completely broke his preconceived notions about dormitories. Ozma Towers, while still not as grand as either of his family's castles, was truly a sight to behold: its base was limestone with two marble towers rising up on either side of it, clearly modeled after Gilikinese mansions. The naïve tribal boy that Fiyero still was at heart was in awe.

The second surprise occurred when Fiyero entered his room to see all his things already unpacked and Sanele sitting on his bed. "Ubhuti!" he exclaimed happily. "What are you still doing here?"

"I had to unpack for you, you lazy bum," Sanele said, clearly joking. "And I could not part from you just yet. What do you think of the campus?"

Fiyero sat down. "Oh, it's amazing! I've already met a girl …"

Sanele sighed deeply. "Now Fiyero, I promised the Head you would perform better here. Please don't make me into a liar."

"Relax, Sani. Everything's under control. I can study and party with Miss Galinda at the same time. I'm just that talented." Sanele scoffed at this, which Fiyero ignored. "Oh, speaking of, I'm having a party tonight at this local club, the Ozdust. You should come."

"Fiyero, I don't think I could-…"

"Come on!" Fiyero insisted. "You're only young once! Dance while you still can, Sani."

And there you have it! Thanks for reading! So happy to be back.

Cheers,

Elle Dottore