Glinda spread her notes across the table and tucked her feet beneath her. There was too much research for her sorcery project, and she needed to narrow it down to write the actual paper. Part of her just wanted to keep researching and not worry about the rest of it. Tonight after dinner, she would go to the sorcery building to practice some of the spells she'd learned. Ever since healing her burnt arm in Morrible's class, she was dying to try more. Maybe this was something she could actually do, despite how terrible her magic had been this semester.

But for now, she had to at least try to be productive. Boq was supposed to meet her, and they planned to spend most of their Saturday in the library. Of course, Boq was supposed to be here by now, but it didn't matter. Glinda pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and grabbed her pen. It was raining outside, and the air was cold enough to turn it to slush. That was probably why he was late.

She began skimming through her journal, underlining key points and scribbling notes to herself in the margins. She had just flipped the page for the third time when Boq appeared. His hair was ruffled and his eyes darted around. Glinda tilted her head as he walked up to the table.

"Sorry I'm late. I…"

"What happened?" She noticed an envelope shaking in his hands. "Who's the letter from?"

"My parents."

Glinda set her pen down. "Is everything okay? Are they—"

"They're fine. It's just…" He tossed the envelope onto the table and sank into his chair. "It's Munchkinland. The Eminent Thropp. He's…he's dead."

Her pen rolled off the table, hitting the floor with a clatter that was a lot louder than it should have been. Glinda realized that her mouth had fallen open, and she shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts.

"How…when did he…?" Elphaba had said the Eminent Thropp was getting old, but had she known it would happen so soon?

Boq shook his head, staring down at his hands. "Apparently he died peacefully in his sleep. Everything has been quiet. Colwen Grounds is shut down right now."

"Shut down?"

"The new Eminent—" He cleared his throat, "—Elphaba's sister declared that no visitors were allowed. She claims that it's just a mourning period, some time to transition from one Eminent to the next in peace. But…"

Glinda's head reeled. Nessarose was even younger than them. She had always assured Elphaba whenever the green girl worried about her sister, but the idea of someone so young becoming a leader was still insane.

Boq hadn't continued his thought. Glinda leaned forward. "But what?"

He blinked and shook his head a little. "There's been a lot of talk around where my parents live, and probably across the rest of Munchkinland. It's all just rumors, of course, but people are saying that there have been a lot of governors and representatives traveling to Colwen Grounds."

"Even though it's closed?"

"Exactly. It's only high-ranking Munchkin officials, too. The Eminent is inviting them and meeting with them."

"And she's doing it secretly, so that the rest of Oz doesn't find out. Boq, what's happening?"

He reached forward, fiddling with a corner of the letter. "There's been no official decree yet, but…" He took a breath, then let it out slowly. His next words were nothing more than a sigh. "Munchkinland is going to secede from Oz."

Glinda sat back. She stayed quiet, letting what he had just told her sink in, but it didn't. It hovered on the surface, too absurd to be true.

"Secede…like, separate from the rest of Oz? Can they even do that?"

"They're not exactly seeking permission," Boq said.

Glinda rubbed her forehead. "No, I mean…what will happen? What is the rest of Oz going to do?"

"I don't know." Boq shrugged and kept his voice light. "Maybe they'll negotiate a truce and it will all happen peacefully. Munchkinlanders that are currently in the Emerald City or wherever else will be granted passage back home or they'll be allowed to continue where they are. Trade agreements will be sorted out and all of our rights will be restored, and eventually the Animals will all migrate to Munchkinland where they can be free citizens again."

Glinda gave him a look. "No one is stupid enough to believe that. What do you really think will happen?"

He sighed. "I think the Wizard will declare war, and the rest of Oz is going to have to pick a side. I think, even if they somehow become an independent nation without starting a war, that every Munchkinlander will be forced to flee Oz before they're imprisoned or killed."

Glinda reached across the table and took his hand, stilling the fingers that were tearing up the corner of his parents' letter. "You're afraid you'll have to leave."

Boq swallowed and struggled to keep his tone light. "It was only a matter of time, anyway."

"No," Glinda whispered. "No, this isn't right. It's not—it's not…" She wanted to say it's not fair, and it wasn't, but what was the use? None of this was fair. It never had been.

"My parents told me to stay here while I can," Boq said quietly. "Munchkinland is unstable, and they're worried that things will get worse when it becomes official."

"Things will get worse here, too." Glinda squeezed his hand. "I don't want you to leave, Boq, but I don't want you to be in danger, either."

He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Even after the announcement, it'll probably be a while before they decide what will happen to the Munchkins in Oz. I'll be safe until then."

"Even with Morrible here?"

"She wouldn't dare do anything. Not when things are so uneasy."

Glinda studied him. There were a lot of things that Morrible shouldn't dare to do, and yet she did. She felt useless. What could she possibly do to help Boq? To help all of Munchkinland? She had no power, no influence.

For the first time, she thought about Morrible's offer. A sorcery position in the Emerald City, working for the Wizard. She didn't trust Morrible in the slightest, but what could she do if she was in the palace? Who could she help?

She shook her head. It was ridiculous, and she would never say yes to an offer that put her in the Wizard's control. Finally, she asked, "Have you told the others yet?"

Boq shook his head. "I just got the letter. I'll tell them at dinner, I guess."

"What do you want me to do?" Glinda squeezed his hand again. "Whatever you need from me, I'll do it."

"I know." He sighed a little. "I guess, just… I don't want to think about it any more than I have to. Nothing is going to happen immediately. I'm here until the end of the semester, and probably through winter break. So until then…"

"Act normal. Don't bring it up." She grinned. "Make sure you don't use this as an excuse to slack off before exams."

"Well there goes my master plan," Boq muttered, but he was chuckling now. "Oz, the world has gone crazy, hasn't it?"

"Maybe it's always been crazy," said Glinda. "Maybe now we're just old enough to see it."

Boq told the others that evening. They took it about as well as Glinda had, meaning that for a long time they all just sat around the table, staring helplessly at each other.

"So…the new leader of Munchkinland is Elphaba's sister?" Crope asked eventually.

"Nessarose Thropp," Glinda said, nodding. "She's a couple years younger than us."

"Hell and Oz," Fiyero mumbled. He was scowling, deep in thought. Glinda wondered if he was thinking about his own nation, his own duties as a leader.

Tibbett slumped in his chair. "You know, the world would be a lot better if they just loosened up and hung out once in a while." They all gave him curious looks, so he waved his hand around the table. "Look at us. A Munchkin, a rich girl from Frottica, a Vinkan prince, and two sons of Emerald City businessmen. We're from all over Oz, yet we get along fine."

"Maybe we should run the world," Crope said, nodding.

"Some of us have to," Fiyero muttered. He pressed his palms into his eyes. "I need to write home. I have no idea how the Vinkus will respond to this."

"I wonder what Elphie would say." The words came from Boq, who sighed as they all looked at him. "She just…always seemed to know what to do."

"She was inspiring," said Tibbett. "I wonder what kind of mischief she would have gotten us all in to, if she had stayed."

"Taking down Morrible," Glinda said softly. The others turned toward her, and a corner of her mouth twitched. "I have no idea how, but if anyone could find a way, it's her."

Fiyero nodded. "She could lead a revolution, if she wanted to."

"She did," said Crope. "Isn't that what we were doing last year? And if she let Glinda in, then that revolution would be unstoppable."

Glinda smiled sadly. "She has to have heard about all this by now. I wonder how she's taking it. I wish…"

Fiyero wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I know," he said quietly. "We all do."

The sky was starting to pale outside her window, and still Elphaba couldn't sleep. She resisted the urge to groan and instead pushed herself into a sitting position, rubbing at her eyes. She took a deep breath and swung her legs over the side of the bed to toe around for her boots. Maybe a walk around the grounds would tire her out enough to sleep, and if not, maybe it would wake her up.

Elphaba crept quietly through the castle and out a servants' entrance on the eastern wall. She paused for a moment, watching the horizon, but it was just a little too early to catch a glimpse of the sun. She adjusted her cloak to keep out more of the winter air, then went on her way.

It had been a mild winter, both here and in the Emerald City. It was cold, but there had yet to be even a flurry of snow. It was a small consolation, but one that she took gladly. Elphaba walked aimlessly down one of the dirt paths that wound around the castle. Like last winter, the grounds were spotted with empty garden patches and clusters of bare trees. Elphaba came to a stop and looked around. Nearly a year ago was the first time she stepped foot in Colwen Grounds. That wasn't so long ago. In the scheme of things, it was a blink of an eye. And yet, everything had changed.

She reached up and touched the scarf around her neck, then kept walking. The grounds were quiet. The workers—whether they were the usual servants or the new soldiers that always seemed to be wandering around—were all out of sight, probably still sleeping. Elphaba kept to her path as it wound by the stables and the little shed that she was sure served as an armory.

How could Nessa be preparing for a war, and yet be so calm about it? It wasn't like her at all, and Elphaba knew her religion frowned upon it.

The path split in two, and Elphaba hesitated, staring down each option in turn. To the left was a little grove of trees and, further, the chapel. To the right was the castle. Elphaba's brow furrowed and, without any conscious decision, she went to the left.

The chapel seemed smaller in the pale light and fog of the morning. Then again, it wasn't a large building in the first place—just a circular room with benches and candles and shelves that held dusty prayer books and sermons.

Elphaba stopped as she neared it, shook her head, and turned on her heel. She took a step away, back toward the castle, but then she heard two familiar voices.

"Oz, why do I do this to myself," Elphaba murmured, moving toward the chapel once more. She slipped off the path and out of sight, creeping forward until she was close enough to hear the soft conversation within. She hoped Nessa and her father were just praying, but then she heard her name.

Nessarose sighed. "I don't know what you expect me to do."

"Not associate yourself with criminals during your first month of the Eminency," said her father.

"She's family."

"She vanished from this household. She commits acts of treason against Oz."

"The secession would also be an act of treason," Nessa pointed out. She sounded tired, and Elphaba wondered how many times they'd had this conversation.

"It is rebellion, not treason." Frex's voice softened. "Nessa, you know that whatever she is up to in the Emerald City, it isn't good."

"We're fighting for the same thing."

"Perhaps, but in very different ways. You are trying to protect your people. Your actions are diplomatic, and you are doing everything you can to keep the secession peaceful. Your sister, on the other hand," he spat, "is a criminal. She is irrational and violent, she protects nobody, and she fights for war, not peace."

Elphaba leaned against the outside wall of the chapel. She breathed in slowly, trying to still her suddenly trembling hands.

"We don't know what she does," Nessa said, though Elphaba could hear the waver in her voice.

"We know she's a criminal. We know that much."

"Before the end of the winter, I will be, too."

"No," Frex said, and Elphaba could picture him kneeling in front of Nessa, gripping her arm. "You are doing what you must, what the Unnamed God would want you to do. You are fighting for the freedom of your people. But your sister? She fights for no one but herself."

Nessa stayed silent. There was a tiny creak, the roll of her chair, probably, and then Frexspar was speaking again.

"I know you don't want to believe me. You want her to be on your side, but she's not. How many times has she left us now? How many times has she walked away from Colwen Grounds, away from Munchkinland itself?"

"Perhaps she believes this is her best course of action."

Frex sighed. "Perhaps," he said. "Or perhaps she has kept so much from you so that you will continue to believe she is helping you."

"This is neither the time nor place, Father," Nessarose said. Her tone was sharper now, cutting the conversation off. "I have a morning meeting with the governors. We can speak more at lunch, if you wish to keep pressing this issue, but for now, let's just finish our prayers so we can get on with the day."

Frex mumbled some sort of agreement, and Elphaba took it as her sign to slip away. She walked back to the castle and didn't stop until she was in her room, kicking her boots off and falling into the bed.

Suddenly so much of her ongoing arguments with Nessa made sense. Of course she couldn't trust Elphaba—not with Frex's opinions being whispered into her ear. True, Elphaba didn't tell her anything about her work in the Emerald City. But then, Nessa never talked about her meetings with Munchkinland's officials. They both held and relied on their secrets. Elphaba respected that, but Nessa never seemed content to. Now, she knew why.

Elphaba stayed stretched across her bed for the rest of the morning, her mind fading in and out without ever completely falling asleep. At one point she sat up long enough to pull the tie from her hair and run her fingers through her braid. She rolled to her stomach and lay down again, letting her hair fan across her shoulders and back. It was comforting, somehow, as if she could almost feel gentle fingers combing through it, rubbing small circles into her neck and scalp…

Elphaba buried her face in the pillow and screwed her eyes shut, and when that didn't work she hastily sat up and re-braided her hair.

When midday came, she was forced to get up and find something to eat. If Nessa and their father were eating lunch together, then she didn't want to be anywhere near them. Instead, she went down to the kitchens and found a small basket. She grabbed one of the freshly baked loaves of bread and a block of cheese. She also wrapped a few clusters of red grapes and, because they were already out on a plate, a stack of thin cookies. The workers in the kitchen bustled around her, paying her no attention, and she grabbed a knife to slice the bread and cheese, tied her basket shut, and swept out of the room once more.

She wasn't sure where she was going until she was halfway down the path to the front gate. From this side, there was a short set of stairs and a small door, probably leading to the watchman's post on the outside. Elphaba took the stairs two at a time and had to duck to get through the door.

Viko sat on the other side, leaning against the wall with his legs stretched out in front of him. He glanced up as she appeared, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Miss Elphaba. This is a surprise."

"Not too unpleasant, I hope," she said, closing the door behind her.

"Not unpleasant at all."

"Good, because I brought lunch."

"For me?" He sat up a little bit and peered at her basket.

"For us, if you don't mind."

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" Viko asked as she sat next to him.

Elphaba gestured widely. "To the grounds and everybody in them, for being so damn stifling."

He chuckled. "I told you. It's been quiet here."

"It's unnerving." Elphaba opened the basket and plucked a handful of grapes, then scooted it toward him.

"It's a little better out here," Viko said. "Of course, no one ever comes or goes anymore. Well, except for those damned politicians." He tensed and glanced up at her. "Sorry."

Elphaba waved her hand. "No offense taken here. There's a reason I gave up the Eminency."

"I imagine there are a few reasons, and they're all brewing in that castle behind us as we speak."

"Oz is about to explode," Elphaba agreed quietly. "I'm not sure any of us will be ready when it does."

Viko made a low sound in the back of his throat. "We won't be. That's how it goes with these things. No one is ever ready. They just do what they can, and sometimes, they manage to make it through."

Elphaba had no response for that. She settled against the wall and gazed steadily ahead. Munchkinland stretched out before her, seemingly endless with its gentle hills and farmland. Never before had she considered her homeland to be peaceful. It had too many problems: there were too many political disputes, there was never enough money, the farms were never happy, the people bickered constantly over their beliefs. And yet, staring quietly at it now, she couldn't imagine it being disrupted by violence.

She spent about an hour at the gate with Viko. They didn't talk much, but his presence was vaguely steadying. When she rose to her feet, he thanked her and met her gaze. For a long moment, she couldn't look away. He seemed to be saying a thousand things to her, but when he finally turned his attention away from her again, she couldn't understand any of them.

Elphaba was in the library that night when Nessa found her. She was pressed into a corner, buried beneath stacks of books and carefully flattened scrolls, and she was just starting to nod off when Nessarose rolled into view.

"Ah," the younger girl said. "So this is where you've been sneaking off to."

"You wanted me out of sight, here I am." Elphaba flipped her current book shut and leaned her head back against the wall.

"Don't take is so personally," said Nessa. "If word got out that you were here, we'd all be in serious trouble."

Elphaba sighed. "Fair enough. Though I'm sure you're already in trouble. If the Wizard doesn't know about your plans by now, he will soon."

"Of course he knows, but he won't do anything. He will wait until I take the matter to him, and then he'll try to stop me."

"What makes you so sure?"

"If he acts against Munchkinland now, it will only give us more reason—and more support—to secede."

Elphaba glanced up at her, eyes wide, and Nessa scowled.

"Don't look so surprised," she snapped. "I've thought all of this through. I've been thinking about it for weeks now. Months, even. My actions are not irrational, unlike some of us."

Irrational. This morning, Frex had called her irrational. Elphaba planted her hands against the floor and pushed herself up, sitting taller.

"I don't know what you think of me, Nessa, but I'm not just running around the Emerald City causing chaos."

"Then what are you doing?"

"You know I can't tell you that."

"Then you know I can't trust you."

Elphaba closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She heard Nessa turn and start to wheel away. "Is that really what you think?" she blurted out. She opened her eyes to see Nessa pausing. Softly, she added, "Or is it Father talking?"

"Do you really think I'm incapable of forming my own opinions?" Nessa asked sharply, turning to face her again.

"Not at all. I just know that he doesn't trust me."

"For good reason, apparently."

Elphaba slowly grabbed the book from her lap and set it on the ground beside her. She rose to her feet and leaned against the wall, staring at Nessa. "You knew when I arrived that I was something of a fugitive, yet you let me in."

"I'm starting to think that was a mistake."

"Are you? Or is Father getting to you? He tried to get rid of me before you even knew I was here. He wants me to disappear."

Nessa's fingers clenched around the arms of her chair. "He just wants to protect me and the rest of this household. He knows what sort of things you're up to, and he doesn't want them bringing harm to Munchkinland."

Elphaba scoffed and shook her head. "That's not true, and you know it. This is personal. He doesn't care about politics or secession. He just wants me away from you."

"You're paranoid," Nessa said. "He's your father."

"He's not a good person, Nessa. Deep down, you know that."

"Enough." Nessa's eyes blazed. Elphaba sighed and tilted her head back, retreating just a little. The tension that had been building froze, keeping them in place. When Nessa spoke, her voice was strained. "Do not talk badly of our father. Not in front of me."

"He—"

"He's been given his share of burdens in this life. Whatever his faults are, they come from that."

Elphaba flinched as though she'd been hit. It's your fault, she heard. Frex's anger, their mother, Nessa's legs—her fault. The silence deepened between them, and she couldn't think of anything to say. She longed, suddenly, for Glinda. Glinda would tell her it's not her fault. There was a point, last year, when she could almost believe it. When Glinda held her, when they were together, when they were with their friends.

Her shoulders slumped. She missed them. Not just Glinda, but all of them. Wild, flirtatious Crope and Tibbett, charming, caring Fiyero, and Boq—quiet, intelligent Boq. She never thought about it much, but he was her first friend at Shiz.

Elphaba felt exhausted. She blinked, coming out of a daze, and found Nessa still glaring at her.

"I'm going to bed," Elphaba said quietly, pushing off from the wall. She passed Nessa and was about to turn behind a bookshelf and out of sight, but she stopped. She turned to look over her shoulder, but her eyes stayed on the floor. "I know, when Munchkinland separates from Oz, you will be overwhelmed. But there is a boy, at Shiz. His name is Boq. He's smart, compassionate, a hard worker. He's been fighting for a better Oz, just like the rest of us."

"What about him?" Nessa asked.

"He's…he's my friend. Just, when all of this blows up, make sure he gets out safely. If you can."

Elphaba glanced up long enough to see the anger fade from Nessa's face. She didn't wait for an answer—she wasn't sure there would be one—and instead turned and kept walking, disappearing from the library.