Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.

"I was just mad that mommy didn't come," Eira finished explaining why she took off as she did as she ate her breakfast. She put a piece of pancake on her fork and ate it. It was soaked in syrup, but what seven year old wouldn't enjoy that?

"I know," Glinda sighed and drank her tea. Eira had once asked her why she didn't eat breakfast when she claimed that it was proper to do so, but had stopped once she realized that Glinda wasn't growing anymore, so she didn't have to eat as much. Well, that was her conclusion anyway. She didn't realize that Glinda cared for her slim figure too much to consume a few hundred more calories a day. "Trust me, I sent a long letter to her this morning before you even woke up."

"You didn't tell her I ran off, did you?" Eira's eyes went wide. The last thing she needed was Elena Thropp's long lectures the next time she returned home.

"Of course I didn't. I don't need her worrying more than she needs to. Plus, it was her own fault anyway." It seemed as if Glinda was also a bit mad at her as well. "Don't get me wrong, I love Ellie dearly but lately she hasn't gotten her priorities straight."

"Priorities?" Eira questioned and looked at her grandma.

"Important things, baby," Glinda said before taking a sip of her tea. Usually unobservant, Eira enjoyed watching Glinda; there was just something about her that made her a bit more mysterious than one would assume. The blonde was continuously in deep thought and Eira always wondered what she thought about. When asked, Glinda would say something along the lines of it wasn't important for a child of her age to know. Something had been bothering her, Eira decided, and she was determined to find out what it was.

But that was easier said than done. "Come, or you'll be late for your playgroup."

"I hate it there," Eira complained as she hopped off the chair and took her grandmother's outstretched hand and held it. Glinda didn't say anything and just let Eira complain and whine the whole way to the playgroup. How she wished school would just start up sooner rather than later "I'd rather sit behind a desk in school and listen to mindless lessons than be here," she said to Glinda before she left.

"You'll learn to love it," Glinda smiled and kissed the top of her head lovingly. "Now, why don't you go play with your friends? I'll be back before you know it." And with that said, the Throne Minister left her unbiological granddaughter at the place she hated most.

Eira sat in her usual boring spot inside the building. She stared at the clock on the wall and prayed that the little hand would fall on the three, the big one on the twelve. That was only about six hours away, she decided after counting the other numbers on the clock. Last time she had counted the ceiling tiles, and the time before the floor tiles. One of the boys had asked her to come play doctor, but she knew how those gross children played; she had accepted one day and witnessed another boy take his clothes off in the little playhouse outback while one of the girls touched his, well, area between his legs. Eira had yelled out in disgust and rushed out of that playhouse. "Please, won't you play with us?" an eager girl asked.

"No. Last time was icky. I can't believe how gross all of you people are!" she exclaimed to all of the children who anticipated her answer. "That is not what happens at the doctors!"

"But it's a fun game," one of the boy's said. She refused to acknowledge their names.

"Go away, I don't like your group. Now, I don't mind those other girls playing house over there or those boys playing with sticks and making pretend they're part of the Gale Force. It's you lot that are completely horrendible!"

"How about we play kingdom?" one of the girls asked. "You know, instead of doctor. And I have to agree, last time was gross. I assure you, Eira, that usually doesn't happen."

"Kingdom?" Eira questioned. "I never played that before."

"You can be the queen if you'd like," she suggested.

"Okay, but why me?" Eira questioned.

"Because you're the closest we've got to a queen here," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Eira was beginning to realize that people didn't like her for who she was, but they liked her for her status. They failed to want to really get to know her. She even began to notice that with her other friends in school and ballet; they only liked her because her mother was Elena Thropp, the one who saved Oz, and her grandmother was Glinda, the one who ruled Oz.

"Well, okay," she gave in. Perhaps the time would go by faster if she wasn't so stubborn.

But time went by just as slow. Turns out, the queen just sat there and did nothing. Eira decided she was going to rule this playgroup like she ruled the primary school and ballet. Why hadn't she thought of this sooner? She really needed to start using her head! Before she knew it, she had everyone obeying her. And just like her great aunt Nessarose, she began putting bans on her mini kingdom. The kids weren't allowed to play doctor anymore, that was rule number one from the start. Oh, how that game made her sick!

She had exiled the weird girl from her kingdom, that one with the orange hair. After all, Eira felt she was doing that little freak a favor because she was only picked on anyway. At the end of the day, the "exiled" girl approached her. "You know," she said, "What you did today was mean." And with that, she left with tears welled up in her eyes. Rolling her eyes, Eira sauntered off to the front of the building where her grandmother was waiting for her.

"I hear you weren't quite nice to Rhea today," Glinda said to her and gave her a stern look.

"Who's Rhea?" Eira questioned. She hadn't met a child with that name, not ever.

"The little girl, that one over there crying with the caregiver," Glinda said as she directed Eira's gaze to the orange haired girl.

"Well, it wasn't my whole idea. It was everyone else. They wanted me to be the queen," Eira explained to her grandma. "I did what the public likes, just like you." Glinda's blue eyes went wide and she bent down to the girl's height.

"Eira, I can't explain what I do in a way you understand. You should never treat people the way you treated Rhea. You must apologize to the poor girl."

"But she's so weird!" Eira complained.

"It doesn't matter if someone is different," Glinda said to her. "I learned that when I was attending Shiz University. You, on the other hand, get the benefit of knowing at a young age. I bet there are people out there that you would love to be friends with, if given the chance. Why don't you invite Rhea over to the palace tomorrow?"

"No way," Eira shook her head and crossed her arms, but then she relaxed them and put them at her sides. After all, she was Eira Thropp, granddaughter of Lady Glinda and daughter of Elena Thropp.

"It's either that, or you come back to this playgroup. It's your choice."

"Fine," Eira gave in. "I'll invite her over, but I won't like it."