Title: Misunderstood

Author: Aerohead

Email: in my profile

Website: In my profile

Pairing: Glinda/OC

Rating: PG

Disclaimer/Dedication: For L. Frank Baum, Gregory Maguire, Stephen Schwartz, and Winnie Holtzman who own this idea that I'm extending. Thank you for giving me the first part.

Warning: spoilers for One if by Land, Two if by Sky

Genre: general

Summary: The inner conflict of Glinda's daughter.

Author's Notes: I have writer's block for One if by Land, Two if by Sky, so I decided to write this one-shot. It takes place during the middle of Entertaining Destiny, so Nissa is about thirteen. I wanted to see exactly why Nissa was so spoilt, plus I needed to play with the palace characters more.

Nissa Upland knew she was beautiful; she had short, though perfect, golden hair, and she had large sapphire eyes that everyone admired.

She was used to living with her mother in their summer house in Neverdale, but her mother had been called away on business, and Nissa hated it. Of course, her mother wasn't actually on business, she just assumed, since she wasn't taking her to Shiz, like she had promised to do.

Nissa Upland knew she was beautiful, but she also knew her life was far from perfect.

Her mother was Glinda the Good, and had, on more than one occasion, left Nissa by herself with one of her many governesses, so that she didn't stand in her mother's way of ruling the country single-handedly. Though her mother didn't; she ruled with the Princess Ozma, and Kansas-native Dorothy Gale.

And, of course, there was Lord Bromley. Nissa sighed, moving down in her seat in the carriage just thinking about the repugnant man. He was not her father, nor was she ever going to think of him as such. His wife had died fifteen years previous, and he had become friends with Glinda after the liberation of Munchkinland after the death of the Wicked Witch of the East. His wife had been a Munchkin, and he was as glad as Glinda to know that they were free.

Nissa had to force herself not to cringe when she remembered her birth. Of course, she couldn't actually remember her birth, but she knew the stories, and she had met the girl who was her sister, although she tried to push that meeting far back into her mind.

She knew she was the illegitimate child of a Winkie prince; she had been told on numerous occasions. He was the only man her mother had ever been with, and when he was supposedly killed, her mother had no where to turn, except to Lord Bromley.

The man was a pompous, arrogant, and fool of a Lord – Nissa let out a huff, but she wasn't sure if it was in anger or because they had just gone over a particularly big bump – who hated children and anyone who undermined his authority.

And there was the matter of his son, also. Destin Nokomyu was always rigid; he was a wonderful planner, but he always seemed to forget himself, and wander aimlessly through his mind. He was a junior at Shiz now and soon to be Nissa's step-brother.

She had always wanted a sibling, she supposed. She was the only child of a woman with a dead lover, and she had been the only child at both the Palace in the Emerald City, and the summerhouse in Neverdale. Of course, people had tried to befriend her – Dorothy become somewhat of an awkward sisterly-like feature in her life, Ozma had been a good friend and companion when she was upset, the Tinman listened when she wanted to talk about her problems, and the Lion protected her – but no one really cared about her enough truly understand her.

Her mother said it was partly her fault; she never let anyone in, anyway. Nissa let out a contemptuous sigh and Shiz came into view. Headstrong and icily beautiful, she knew in her heart she had to change to make people love her, to make people treat her like they treated her mother. But how could she do that? For seventeen years she had been the spoilt daughter of a very rich and powerful woman.

"I'm not going to change, not for anyone." Nissa said, feeling a tear slip down her face.

"Very well, Madame." Said her driver. Even he didn't pretend to care; no one cared. Her mother said she cared, but she went about her business as usual. Lord Bromley said he cared, but he was too busy trying to make his son perfect. Dorothy said she cared, but she never tried to understand.

Nissa pulled herself into a ball as the carriage came to a halt outside of Crage Hall. The driver opened the door for her, but she recoiled away from the brightness. She appeased herself with the knowledge that she could keep herself from others with her private suite. Or, if not a private suite, a two roomie apartment, with a roommate who knew how to be quiet.

She stepped out of the carriage daintily, sweeping a charming smile she didn't feel over the crowds. "Please, get my bags, will you? I'd like to mingle." She lied to the driver, who nodded.

She slipped through the throng of girls, faux happily greeting those few Gillikinese girls she knew, and nodding in greeting to those whom she was just meeting. She was through the crowd just as Miss Greyling called the assembly of girls to order. Nissa didn't pay much attention to what the Head said, but scanned area for any familiar faces.

The barriers she had worked the whole ride to Shiz to perfect came crashing down as her room was called and she saw movement in a dark corner. Walking past her was someone she didn't realize could get to her so perfectly; walking past her was Fabala.