A/N: I apologize for how late this is. About two weeks ago, my grandpa passed away and things have been difficult. I hope to start getting back to my usual posting schedule soon. Thanks so much for reading.

A/N2: Shout outs to James Birdsong and my anonymous reviewer! So glad you liked it. Hope you like this chapter. :)

Chapter 2

"He seriously said that?" Glinda asked Elphaba the next morning at breakfast in the Palace's small dining room. The two were sitting next to each other and across the table from Boq. Fiyero, Bayram, and Schultz were off handling Gale Force business.

"Yes. My heart just broke. The Private is barely older than enlistment age. Not only does he survive getting shot, but then to get that horrible letter from his father…" the green woman shook her head.

"You sent a letter to his family when he was injured didn't you?" Boq wanted to know.

"I did. I explained that he was under the best medical care and that they should come to the Emerald City. As far as I know, we never got a response," Glinda explained as she tucked into her pancakes.

"What would cause a father to send his son a letter like that? I could understand that he may have been trying to save his wife but to tell his son to not come home…" Elphaba heaved a loud sigh. She never understood family dynamics, given how she'd grown up, but throwing away a relationship with your son, seemed extreme.

"Maybe we should send someone out there to speak to his father," Boq suggested.

"I don't think we should meddle. Maybe the reason he told his son to not come home was because his mother died of something contagious. Maybe they didn't have a good relationship before and now that Schultz's mother is gone… did you see the letter?" Glinda wanted to know.

"I did not. Schultz is a good kid. I don't think he'd make something like this up," the green woman said.

"I doubt he would. He has a support system here. Let's just keep an eye on him and offer him a hand as much as we can. Maybe after a few weeks, his father will come to his senses. I think we all know that people say things in the heat of the moment or after something terrible has happened and they don't mean it," the blonde said.

"That's probably the best for now. We don't want him to know that we know about his home troubles. Speaking of home troubles, we have a meeting to get to," Boq spoke up. It was time for Glinda to address those that had lost family members.

"I only hope that what I have to say is helpful," Glinda heaved a sigh before patting Elphaba on the shoulder. The two left the room, leaving her alone for a few moments.

"Was everything to your liking Miss Elphaba?" It was the cook, Mr. Samuels. Glinda trusted him and it turned out she had good instincts. Samuels was very talented and had managed to beat up a Wizard supporter with his meat tenderizer when one ran past him out in the courtyard. The man was attempting to escape the Gale Force. There was no way he was going to get passed the walls or the hundreds of other soldiers, but he was going to try it anyway. The chef took him out, without anyone needing to fire a shot. From that moment on, Glinda decided he would be promoted from Gale Force cook to Personal Chef to Lady Glinda.

"Oh of course it was… my appetite is a bit off this morning," she looked down at her plate and realized she'd barely eaten any of the wonderful food.

"Would some mint tea help?" He offered.

"I don't think so unless it cures heartbreak," the green woman heaved a sigh.

"Did the Captain do something he shouldn't have?" Samuels was concerned. Elphaba patted his arm.

"Never. I just have received some upsetting news that's all," she smiled up at him from her seat.

"I am sorry to hear that. There is a lot of that going around, I'm afraid," the chef said.

"Yes, there is. We must do our best to get the world turned around and headed in a better direction. That said, duty calls," Elphaba stood from her chair.

"What about your breakfast?" He asked. Her stomach was queasy, but she had an idea.

"The Captain is always hungry, I'll take it to go," she winked. Samuels chuckled and quickly went into the kitchen for something he could put the food in that would be portable. Before he got back there was a loud explosion outside and Elphaba rushed to the window.

"What was that?" Samuels asked as he left the kitchen. There was a big cloud of smoke blocking their view.

"I am honestly not sure, but I don't hear the sounds of people being injured… perhaps the Gale Force business this morning was testing out some new weapon," the green woman didn't like it, but she figured it was better than people being injured.

"Then you should probably take the Captain his food and find out," Samuels winked and handed her a small plate with pancakes stacked on it, another plate was on top. She thanked him and ducked out the dining room door.

To Be Continued…