"Oh, for the love of Ozma…" Galinda huffed as she practically sprinted through the halls. She hated when Elphaba disappeared without at least leaving a note. Especially when her father was calling for her. "Elphaba, where are you?"
"My lady?"
The blonde turned to a maid carrying fresh linens.
"The princess is hiding in the library." This wasn't the first time she'd seen Lady Galinda hurrying around looking this flustered, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.
"I already checked her hiding place."
"She changed it. It's now behind the sofa by the large windows."
"It's not a very good hiding place if she can be seen. Thank you, Laha."
The maid curtsied and disappeared around the corner. Galinda hurried towards the library, quietly pushed the large double doors, and tiptoed through the long rows of shelves. She stopped when she heard soft voices in a language she recognized, but didn't understand. She peeked out from behind the shelf and saw Elphaba sitting cross-legged on the floor, half-hidden behind the sofa. She said something, and a young, female voice softly responded, followed by fabric rustling.
"Osi tig gagnia?"
"Ya, meia toangi."
Elphaba chuckled softly. "Obvi ya yen tigna'uan."
"For'nei latian?"
"Ya."
"Ooh."
The green girl looked up and noticed Galinda trying to hide. She raised her eyebrow, prompting a silent conversation through facial expressions. She stood, and the young girl behind the sofa peeked her head out.
She was around twelve years old, with brown skin and curly black hair in a long braid. She wore a simple dress of cream and orange cotton, the traditional colors of Uvious. Her chocolate eyes looked curiously at Galinda before tapping Elphaba's arm and whispering in her ear. The princess looked at her friend and nodded, whispering something back with a coy smirk.
The young girl's curiosity turned to awe, then deference, as she placed her right hand over her heart and clicked her heels twice before hurrying away, disappearing amongst the shelves.
"Who's that?" Galinda asked.
"Nimie. She's one of the new laundry maids. She said you look like a princess. That was the traditional Uvioun royal greeting."
She giggled, then the statement sunk in. "You didn't tell her the truth?"
"About what?"
She rolled her eyes at the faux innocence. "You."
"I had no reason to. She'll figure it out eventually You know I like it when people don't realize who I am initially."
"Including Prince Fiyero?"
It was a question, phrased as a statement, yet still sounded like a question. "You know about him?"
"Of course I do. That shouldn't surprise you. I know everything."
She sighed. The prince had been there for a few weeks now, and their friendship was blossoming rapidly, even though they only saw each other in the kitchens at night, after the rest of the palace had gone to sleep.
"I'm surprised you haven't told him yet."
"I'm surprised he hasn't figured it out yet. You came to find me for a reason?"
"Yes. His Ozness requests your presence in the throne room."
"Fine. When?"
She glanced at the grandfather clock. "Uh… Fifteen minutes ago."
Elphaba's eyes widened and she dashed past the blonde, who kept up with her with ease. This wasn't the first time they were rushing, and they knew it wouldn't be the last.
"I'll have some relaxing tea ready in your room whenever you're ready," Galinda said, squeezing her friend's hand and hurrying away.
Elphaba took a breath, cleared her head, and raised her hand to knock. The doors opened and she strode in with faux confidence.
The Wizard was on his throne, skimming through a large packet, but looked up at the sound of footsteps. "Elphaba."
She gave him a slight curtsy. "Father."
He removed his glasses and placed the packet aside. "You're late."
"I apologize. I was…" Hiding. Avoiding everyone. Contemplating escaping, "studying."
"You must get better at your time management."
"Yes, Father. I will do better." She had to give him the satisfaction of thinking he was getting through to her. She couldn't make it obvious that she was secretly brushing it off, only saying what she knew he wanted to hear to placate him.
"You must be ready for the council meeting tomorrow at ten, then the garden brunch at one. Then the exchequer's assistant is coming to give you another economics lesson at three-thirty. And I expect to see you at dinner."
So tomorrow wouldn't be hers. This wouldn't be the first, nor the last, time that happened. "Yes, Father."
"Good. You may go."
She curtsied again and hurried out. She let out a deep breath and slowly undid her braid. She had managed to make it out unscathed, which was a success in her book. She went up to her room, where tea and small cakes were set up on her table, but no Galinda was in sight. She nibbled on her snack and curled on her window seat with a novel, grateful for the moment of silence.
That's how Galinda found her, still curled up and asleep, when she came to announce that dinner was ready.
Fiyero had made peace with his new routine. While he still didn't enjoy working in the palace, he didn't hate it as much as he used to. His evenings with Fae made it better. She always saved small meals and snacks for him, and she would let him rant about his day. As therapeutic as it was for him, he began to realize she would never tell him about her day.
Perhaps he should ask.
"How was your day?"
Elphaba paused, frozen as she lifted a plate from the soapy water. "My day?"
"Yes."
"It was good."
"Was the kitchen busy?"
"It's always busy." She rinsed the dish and gave it a quick rub. "His Ozness requested a banquet lunch."
"There was a banquet?"
"It was just him." It was mostly him, since she spent most of the meal pushing her food around her plate. "A regular lunch, but with more food than necessary."
"Were you able to eat the leftovers?"
"We always do. That's the best part." She finished the dishes and drained the sink. "Have you received any more letters from your parents?"
"Not since the one two weeks ago."
"Have you been responding to them?"
His silence was her answer.
"You should write back, at least to let them know you're alive."
He shrugged, tracing the swirling patterns on the table. "Maybe."
"You must miss them very much… and the Vinkus."
"Must I?" He glanced up, noting how she was now sitting next to him. "I miss my old life, sure, and the Vinkun countryside is beautiful, but…"
"But what?"
"All the parties, the girls, the 'dancing through life'… was to get my parent's attention. Being King and Queen of the Vinkus is a big responsibility; a responsibility they take seriously, but that also means family takes a back seat. Namely me." He poured himself a glass of milk. "They did their duty to the country by giving it the heir to the throne it needed. Once they did that duty, they moved on, continuing their work, leaving me with my nanny and a host of various tutors who are now nothing more than a blur."
Whatever answer she was expecting, it wasn't that. "I thought it'd be freedom. You'd be able to do what you want without someone constantly watching you."
"I had to battle for their attention, and usually lost in favor of a meeting or a luncheon or being too tired. When I won, it was usually because I was being called into my father's office to be chastised for my behavior." He downed the glass and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I thought it would get me the attention I wanted, but it pushed us further away instead." He met her gaze. "I didn't say it made sense. I'm just telling you my story."
"No one else thought you were really feeling insecure?"
"No. I put on a very convincing front. And it worked."
"Until you met me."
"Until I met you," he agreed genuinely. "Back at school, my fellow students loved me as the party person who always hung out at the most swankified places in town. They thought it was cool how I had such little regard for the establishment's rules. I was always aware of the consequences, but knew they wouldn't apply to me. The administrators enforced this ideology, always giving me little slaps on the wrist, since they didn't want to discipline a prince."
Elphaba hummed. Just the fear of her father finding out about anything always kept her in line. The only thing she feared more than her father was Galinda turning her entire wardrobe pink. "Why didn't you go home, instead of coming here?"
He forced a smile. "You aren't happy you met me?"
She huffed out a laugh. "Of course I am."
"I didn't go home because I didn't get the chance to. My parents' letter came with the news, and my train ticket to the Emerald City, then the next day, the carriage came and took me to the train station. I didn't have a choice in the matter. They arranged everything without consulting me, as they always did. But it's not like they wanted me home."
"Did you want to go home?"
"What I wanted has never mattered to them."
"But it matters to you." She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Why don't you tell your parents how you feel?"
"They won't listen. I know they won't, 'cause they never do."
"I know lying to yourself makes it feel like you're sparing your feelings, but it only makes it worse. Eventually, the truth has to come out."
His smile turned less forced. "Yes. I did want to go home. They probably thought keeping me in a royal residence would soften the blow, but it made it worse. The only thing stopping me from messing this up is my fear of disappointing them… again. Sometimes it's easier to take the path of least resistance."
"I'm glad you're trying… and succeeding."
He gave her the most genuine smile. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Tell me about your family."
It's only fair, since he shared so much with me, she thought. But how much should she share? How much could she share? "I had a pretty okay childhood. Considering…"
"Considering?"
"My mother died when I was four, giving birth to my sister. It was a traumatic childbirth, or so I heard. I wasn't in the room. The only thing I remember from that night was the screaming and crying, lots and lots of crying, then silence, then more screaming and crying."
He wanted to interrupt to apologize, but stopped. His brain told his vocal cords not to produce sound, and for the first time, his vocal cords listened.
"Neither she nor the baby made it. They're buried together, my mother forever holding her in her arms, so neither of them would be alone. My father distanced himself from me after that. He was still around; he didn't completely abandon me. I meant… he was emotionally absent. He still is, but I'm older now. I used to tell myself that it didn't matter, that I shouldn't let it bother me, but it did. But when he's around, he's… controlling. I'm perfectly fine without him breathing down my neck." She scratched her cheek. "I heard you've met Lady Galinda."
"I have. She's very nice."
"One of her great-aunts was a midwife. She delivered me and my sibling."
"You grew up here?"
"In the palace? Yes, I did. My mother was good friends with one of Lady Galinda's aunts. After my mother's death, Lady Galinda befriended me. And 'befriended' is putting it lightly. I was mostly alone, since I gave up trying to force my way into my father's life. I was okay with being alone. Once I realized he wouldn't give me the attention I wanted, I stopped wanting it. That left room for Lady Galinda to force her way into my life, and I got no say in the matter."
"She did? She doesn't seem like the type of person who'd…"
"Befriend a kitchen maid?" she finished with a soft smile. "She's not." 'Cause I'm not. "I've also met her older brother and younger sister. They're both nice, but don't spend a lot of time in the Emerald City. They mostly stay in their Frottica country estate." She glanced at the clock. "It's getting late. I need to get some sleep. It's a long day tomorrow."
"Anything special happening?"
"No. Just a long day. All days are long, yet it seems there are never enough hours." She hid her yawn behind a cupped hand. "Goodnight, Fiyero."
"Night, Fae."
Meet me in the back of the library. ~ Fae
Fiyero sped-walked through the darkened palace halls. After a long day, he wanted nothing more than to relax and debrief in the kitchens with Fae. When he was greeted with her note instead of her usual smile, he was confused, which was soon replaced with intrigue. He rounded the corner behind the last shelf, and saw her, standing in front of a large tapestry of Lurline and Preneela.
"Fae? What's this?"
She turned, wordlessly offering him her hand. He took it, and she gently pulled the corner of the tapestry, revealing a hidden, wooden door. She pushed it open, and a blast of cool air hit them square in the face, but she led him down the corridor and up a thin staircase.
"Fae, where are we going?"
"You'll see."
"I actually can't see much right now, so you'll have to –" He stopped when they reached their destination. Before and below him was the city, illuminated against the night. He looked around, not believing she'd taken him to the roof… or knew how to get to the roof… or had access to the roof. Why and how did she have access to the roof? Was it that easy to get to?
"I thought… we could have a midnight snack up here. I mean, it's not midnight, nor is this a 'snack', but… y'know…"
He noticed the spread of waffles with warm apple cinnamon topping, along with other little goodies. His fingers twitched, for more reasons than one.
"Do you like it?"
He could still make out her hopeful glance in the dimmed light. "Yes."
She relaxed and led him to the blanket, giving them the perfect view of the city. "Most people like looking at how bright the palace looks at night, but I think this view is pretty good, too."
He tore off a small piece of waffle and dunked it in the syrup. "I've never been on a roof of any building before. This is nice."
"I used to come up here a lot when I was younger. I would talk to my mother and baby sister up in the stars. I'd tell them everything. I haven't been up here in a while." She took a deep breath. "I think is the most peaceful spot in the palace. It's so hidden, yet so open at the same time."
"Yeah. This spot isn't included in the official tour."
She met his gaze and smiled. Moments like this were ephemeral, and she wanted to soak up every tik-tok she could. They didn't come very often, and she didn't know when she'd get another opportunity like this.
"I mean… I've never spent time with servants like this before," he admitted softly. He wasn't trying to sound insensitive, and he wasn't sure how she'd take it.
"Because you consider them riffraff?" she asked with a mirthless laugh.
"No. Because we never mixed."
"Well, it's harder for them to organize an uprising if they know you know their names. Though, rooftop snacking is considered going the extra mile." She didn't know what possessed her to do this, but she took Fiyero's hand.
He felt her hand slip into his, giving it a light squeeze. Out of all the things he was expecting, he clearly wasn't expecting that. His eyes widened, but he didn't pull away. "Fae?"
It was now or never. She leaned closer and gently pressed her lips against his.
He inhaled sharply, but relaxed when he felt her arms wrap around his waist, pulling him closer. He had no idea what was happening. A kitchen maid was kissing him on the roof of the palace. He was kissing the kitchen maid… and liking it.
Well, we're already on the roof, so anything is fair game at this point, he mused.
"Fiyero?" Elphaba pulled away and looked up at him. "Is… was that… are you okay?"
He was falling. No, he was flying. Or perhaps floating. Regardless, he was having an out-of-body experience. "I don't know how I feel, and that sucks, 'cause I wanna know, so I can tell you… then you can know, too." Come on, brain. Cooperate, he begged.
They hadn't known each other very long, but for some reason, that didn't matter at the moment. He'd kissed numerous girls before, but why was this moment so different?
"I'm sorry," she whispered, and her moonlit illumination was replaced with a shadow of shame. "We probably shouldn't…"
"We definitely shouldn't, but let's do it anyway." He resumed kissing, letting his fingers get tangled in her hair, and shivering when she found the sensitive spot right on his lower back.
There was something about the way the moon illuminated her skin, the way she smiled at him, the way she actually listened to him, and he actually listened to her. She had been able to see a side of him that no one else had bothered to try and see. She set up special time for them, even though he knew she was tired from a long day's work. For some reason, she wasn't fazed by his title, and it was refreshing, in a way. She treated him like the friend he'd always dreamt of having.
And that helped him answer his own question.
The kiss was different because she was different.