Dearest readers,

It's good to see me, isn't it? After a few months of a writing/posting hiatus, I've returned with another multichap!


Fiyero looked at the map in his hand, though he didn't have to. He knew he reached his destination. The Emerald City Palace reflected the sun's rays directly into his eyes, and he squinted, wishing he hadn't shoved his sunglasses into the bottom of his bag. For some reason, the sun always seemed to be brighter in the winter. Though he had a warm coat, hat, and scarf, he still shivered, which told him it wasn't due to the cold.

The new year had brought about new changes, and none of them made Fiyero's list of resolutions. He followed the directions to the east side of the palace, where a tall guard stood at the gate, glaring down at him.

"State your business," the guard said, a bit too gruffly.

"I have an appointment," Fiyero said, handing him the paper. "I'm Crown Prince Fiyero Tigulaar of the Vinkus." He tried to discreetly snuggle deeper into his coat, feeling more like a pauper than a prince.

The guard didn't take it from him, but gave it a quick skim, then gestured to his partner above to open the gate. "It's him." He turned back to Fiyero, with no deference in his posture or voice. "Go in."

"Thanks." He slipped past the guard, hearing the gate firmly slam behind him once he reached the door, which seemed to automatically open for him. He thought it was magic, until a plump, middle-aged woman appeared from behind the door.

"Well, well, if it isn't the fallen prince."

She didn't say it at full volume, so Fiyero was sure he wasn't supposed to hear it, but he did. Why did people feel the need to find joy in rubbing his misfortune in his face? And he wasn't a "fallen prince". He still had his title. Just not any of the privileges that went with it… at the moment. It's not like his royal blood was drained from his veins.

"We've been expecting you," was said at full volume. She turned and disappeared into the palace.

He stood there, staring at the space the woman just occupied. Was he supposed to follow her? He didn't know the rules and couldn't afford to get in trouble before starting his first day on the job. This wasn't how he wanted to start the new year.

"Are you waiting for a royal invitation?" the woman barked, but didn't reappear.

He jolted back to the present and stumbled inside, ignoring how the door automatically closed behind him. Now sheltered from the cold, he unbuttoned his coat and pulled off his hat, running his hand through his dark brown hair.

"Don't expect any special treatment here. You're here to work, not as a guest. When your parents wrote and asked to give you a job, we weren't allowed to say 'no'. His Ozness is very big on helping people in their time of need, even those who have no valuable skills."

"I don't believe I'm –" He stopped at the look she shot him. She clearly wasn't the one he wanted to talk back to, so he shut his mouth. She must've been tenured.

He was led down long hallways and sharp corners before stopping at a set of double doors. She pushed them open, and led him through another set of double doors, until they were standing in front of a desk with a short man half-hidden behind it.

"Mr. Khunder, he's here," was all the woman said before leaving.

The man looked up and adjusted his glasses before stepping out from behind the desk. "Master Tigulaar."

Fiyero was never one to flaunt his title (the fawning girls always did that for him), but there was something about the way he said 'Master Tigulaar' that told him this man wasn't paid enough to care about anything that didn't affect him directly. He must've also been tenured.

"Well, I suppose I should get this over with. Welcome to the Emerald City Palace, yadda-yadda. Excited welcome, yada-yada. You'll be provided with your own dorm in the servants' quarters, yadda-ya- anyways, you're our new runner."

"A glorified errand boy." Oh, how far he'd fallen. He didn't know why he had to be here instead of... anywhere else in Oz. Was this what it felt like to be disowned?

"No point in sugar-coating it."

Perhaps he wanted a tiny sprinkle of sugar to artificially sweeten the bitterness.

"Here's a map of the palace. It's your job to memorize it and learn the fastest routes to your destinations. The palace is huge, and each of your deliveries is time-sensitive. I've also taken the liberty of marking off the spots where you are never to go under any circumstances. Mostly the royal quarters… especially the royal quarters. That should go without saying, but you're… you, so I thought I'd say it. Got all that?"

"No."

"Wonderful. Grab your suitcases and follow me."

The prince found himself being led to a room the size of a glorified closet, complete with a simple bed, desk, chair, and a beautiful view of a brick wall.

"Just drop your things. Here's your first assignment." He pressed a letter into the prince's hand. "That goes to the archives. You must wait for a reply, then bring it to the Astronomy Tower. Hurry!" He disappeared before Fiyero had the opportunity to ask another question.

He set his bags down on the bed and left, closing the door behind him. He belatedly realized he didn't have a key, then noticed -to his shock- that he didn't need one. The door didn't have a lock, so all hope of privacy went out the door… literally.

He buried his face in the map, though he soon became distracted with thoughts of how he got here. Especially when he knew it didn't have to be this way.


This had to be the worst job in Oz.

No one cared that it was his very first day, nor did they try to hide the fact that they didn't want to help him. He was used to living in a palace, not being responsible for keeping it running smoothly.

He'd been tasked with carrying a box full of files (he didn't know their level of importance, and didn't think it'd be wise to ask). He didn't consider himself overly clumsy, nor overly graceful, and considered himself competent enough to be able to walk down a flight of stairs without a problem, but he was proven wrong when he missed the final step and came crashing down flat on his face with a loud yelp, the box top flying off and the files scattering everywhere.

With a groan, he slowly lifted his head, and let out another yelp when he was met with a furry face. He scampered back, his eyes widening as he took in the creature before him. It was a monkey with light brown fur, pointed ears, large brown eyes, and a long tail, but its most noticeable feature wasn't that he was wearing an orange vest and red jacket; it was its feathered wings protruding from its back. Fiyero had never seen a winged monkey before, nor knew of their existence.

The monkey stared back at the prince, tilting its head before curiously approaching. It chittered before grabbing the prince's face and running its paws through his hair.

"Hey!" he gasped, trying to push the creature away, but its grip was much too tight. "Get off!"

"Coink!"

He froze. Did the monkey just… speak? It didn't sound like a real word, but it wasn't a monkey sound, either. The animal (Animal?) was now perched on his shoulder, and Fiyero noticed that it wasn't as heavy as he thought it'd be. It wasn't a baby, but didn't seem fully grown, either. Perhaps a teenager? He had a teenage, winged monkey perched on his shoulder. Great. Just great. Could this day get any weirder?

"Coink!" The monkey looked at him and grinned, repeating the monosyllabic word over and over, emphasizing its unknown meaning. "Coink! Coink! Coink!"

"Um… hello?" Fiyero tried.

The monkey tilted its head and began patting the prince's head, as if he were the animal instead. "Coink!"

"Uh… coink?" He wasn't sure how else to communicate, but perhaps repeating the only word the monkey (Monkey?) said would provide some insight.

The creature blinked, then roughly swished his tail, smacking Fiyero in the nose.

"Hey!"

"Chistery!"

Both turned to the new voice, seeing a dark-skinned woman, black hair tied in a single long braid down her back, covering her rounded belly with a large book.

"Chistery, adienguo."

The monkey made a face and stuck his tongue out at the woman. Now that the initial fear and confusion had ebbed, Fiyero realized the monkey was actually quite cute, wings and all.

"Adienguo, Chistery. Nawh," the woman repeated sternly.

The monkey begrudgingly hopped off the prince's shoulder and hopped over to the woman, tugging on her dress. "Coink!" he exclaimed, pointing back at Fiyero. "Coink, Yo-Yo!"

"Ya, coink," she agreed with a dismissive hand wave. "Taka dis brookéna ala prinzezen." She held out the book to the monkey.

The prince recognized the lady's language as Evian, and regretted not studying it during his formative years, but Chistery seemed to understand, for he took the book and looked back at the prince before flying off in the opposite direction, chattering away in normal monkey noises. The woman watched him go, rubbing her baby bump before turning back to the prince. "Vu neavius?"

"I'm sorry, I… don't speak Evian."

"You new?" Her accent was very thick, and Fiyero figured she didn't speak much Ozian.

"Oh. Yes. I'm new. It's my first day and –"

"Chistery palace pet. Very annoying, but harmless." She looked at the papers. "Maids no like extra mess. Clean papers." She turned and slowly waddled away, rubbing her belly and humming softly.

Fiyero watched her go with wide eyes before realizing that the people expecting these papers wouldn't care about him being delayed due to a monkey attack. He checked his watch; three-eighteen. It was only the afternoon, yet he felt the end-of-day exhaustion.

He hurriedly gathered the files and tried to get himself back on track.


Before the day was over, he ran into three dead ends, walked into the wrong room twice, and bumped into a maid carrying towels, causing her to drop them and hit him over the head with a broom. No one spoke directly to him, but he caught bits and pieces of passing conversations.

"Are the fans on?"

"Yes."

"Why? It's cold outside, and it's freezing inside. We don't need the heat on; we just need the fans off."

After the long day, he wanted nothing more than to drink his worries away, just as he had done in his seemingly-previous life. If this was how the rest of Oz lived, he wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

On his way down one of the never-ending halls, he was so lost in his thoughts that he was no longer paying attention to what, or who, was in front of him.

"Oof!"

He rubbed his side, which absorbed most of the impact from hitting the floor, and looked up. Standing over him was a young woman, around his age, with golden blonde hair, held away from her face with a crystal headband, wearing a royal purple dress with golden stitching. Her hands were folded against her stomach as she stared down at him with wide eyes, though she made no move to help him up.

"Uh… sorry," Fiyero muttered, pushing himself up.

Her eyes scanned his face, then narrowed slightly, as if assessing how much she was going to rip into him for bumping into her. Then, almost as if nothing happened, she dipped into a slight curtsy. "Your Royal Highness."

He was momentarily taken aback. No one in the palace had addressed him by his title, or even seemed to care. "You… know who I am?"

"Of course. You have a very recognizable face. Though not the most recognizable outfit right now."

He looked down at his simple shirt, vest, and pants. "Yes, well, I like being incognito sometimes."

"If I didn't know who you were, one would have insisted the gesture be reversed."

He blinked blankly. Was he supposed to know who this girl is? Before he could try to remember his numerous lessons on Ozian nobility, the girl extended her white-gloved hand.

"Lady Galinda Arduenna Upland, the Duke and Duchess of Frottica's eldest daughter… and middle child."

Instantly, he remembered the rulers of the largest dutchy in the Gillikin, as well as his royal manners. "Lady Galinda," he bowed, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

She giggled out a scoff. "At least now we don't have to tell anyone that the rules of propriety weren't followed. His Ozness would never let me hear the end of it. Knowing him, he'd probably…" She paused, biting her bottom lip to stop herself from continuing. "Well, I'll leave you to your incognito wanderings. Your Royal Highness," she curtsied before hurrying past him.

Fiyero watched her leave, only moving from his spot once she disappeared around the corner. He couldn't help but wonder if, perhaps, in another world, they could have been together for a moment. He shook his head. This new reality was the "another world". And he knew he would have to get used to it until things went back to normal.

He found his way down to the kitchens, where the last of the kitchen staff were cleaning up. As he expected, they mostly ignored him, though he caught them glancing over at him and whispering behind their hands when they thought he wasn't looking. He sat and rested his head on the table, hungry, but not wanting to ask for food.

"You look hungry."

He slowly lifted his head, surprised by the young woman in front of him. Her black hair was pulled back, hidden underneath a white cap, and a white apron covered in streaks of food protected her simple brown dress. Everyone else had left, and he was so tired, he was sure her luminescent green skin was just a trick of the light, but the longer he stared, the more he was proven wrong.

"Here." She set the plate of ham, sliced potatoes, and carrots in front of him. "You look like you've had a long day. I've nursed more exhausted-looking soldiers. If that makes you feel better, great. If not… sorry."

"… Thanks," he muttered. He was hungry, but he ended up pushing his food around the plate.

The girl looked at him before going over to the sink to start the dishes. "You're new, aren't you?"

"What gave that away?"

"The staring, and the fact that I've never seen you here before."

"Right… sorry."

She waved him off. "Don't be. But to answer your unasked questions; no, I'm not seasick. Yes, I've always been green. And no, I didn't eat grass as a child." She glanced back at him over her shoulder. "You look just like the Vinkun Crown Prince… except dirtier." A pause, then she realized, "You are the Vinkun Crown Prince."

"Except dirtier," he finished with a humorless chuckle.

Another pause, then she dipped into a slight curtsy that was barely noticeable. "You should eat, so I can clean the plate. I want to finish before the morning shift comes back."

The prince looked down and cleaned his plate, finding himself hungrier the more he ate. He barely put the last morsel of food into his mouth before the plate was snatched away.

"What's caused you to have a late meal?"

"The same reason I'm not here on a royal visit."

"Which is?"

"It's a long story, and I've had an even longer day. I'll just say that I'll be working here for the unforeseeable future, and I've had a horrible first day."

"Well, it's not all doom and gloom here," the girl said, turning and drying her hands on her apron after scrubbing the plate clean. "At least you're not a stable boy."

He made a face. "Was that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Did it?"

"Not really. I'm a glorified errand boy." He sat up straighter, but his posture sagged again. He'd never had a reason to speak to the kitchen staff back in the Vinkus, but he didn't see the point in stopping now. Plus, this girl was the first bit of good conversation he'd had all day. "Do you happen to know what 'coink' means?"

Confusion crossed her face, before she relaxed with a soft smile. "Ah, so you've met Chistery. He's a Macaque monkey who was found abandoned in the royal garden. He's become the palace pet, or palace nuisance, depending on who you ask."

"I've never seen or heard of a monkey with wings before."

Her lips twitched, but Fiyero could see it wasn't a smile. "He's the only one. I always say it makes him more special. He knows a few languages, and even created his own. 'Coink' is just something he says when something or someone is new. It's not inherently good or bad, it's just something he says. He's very mischievous, and repeats everything he hears, so we try to keep the swearing to a minimum in front of him." She chuckled softly. "You'll be fine here." She turned to leave, her body half-hidden behind the door, before Fiyero's voice called her back.

"Wait. You never told me your name."

"Very observant, Your Highness."

"What's your name?"

She paused, tilting her head like she didn't understand his question. Something flashed across her face, but disappeared before he could get a good look.

"You can call me Fiyero if you tell me your name," he offered, hoping prompting would convince her.

Her lips quirked. "Fae."


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