AN:
Well, dear children... have you been good? Let's hope so, for I have an update for you!
The truth is: I'm terrible at this! I wanted to wait for at least another 3 or 4 days... yeah, well... I'll so run out of chapters once I'm back at uni xD
Anyway... please enjoy!
Happy reading!
Chapter Three: Secrets Revealed
Galinda arrived at the stables in the finest riding-dress a young lady of lesser nobility would dare to wear. The jacket and skirt were of a soft, creamy colour while the collar and the turned cuffs in mint green were a subtle hint at her secret Emerald City heritage. The cuffs sported golden buttons, while the front of the jacket was held together with laces. Her leather gloves and low-heeled boots were light brown and her emerald-green-feathered triangular hat was of the same colour as her coat. Had Fiyero invited her to a hunt, one could say she was dressed to kill.
A stable hand approached her timidly.
"You are My Lady Galinda, I s-suppose?" the boy of no more than thirteen asked, wringing his cap in his hands as he awaited her answer.
More or less ignoring the poor boy, Galinda let her eyes wander along the aisles of boxes and storage rooms.
"That is correct," she finally replied rather absentminded. "His Highness asked me to meet him here. Do you happen to know where I can find him?"
"T-the Prince will be with you s-shortly. Until then, p-please allow me to find a suitable mount for you. May I – May I ask: are you a beginner or a proficient horsewoman?"
"I consider myself a pleasure rider," she replied carefully, playing it save, despite the fact that she was quite confident in her skills.
"Very good, My Lady," the boy nodded. "Um… may I suggest that you wait outside until I have t-tacked up y-your horse, My Lady? There's a, a small bench f-for you to sit down."
"Thank you."
She left the stable and waited as instructed, but she did not sit down, worrying that animal dirt could soil her pristine garments. After all, since Fiyero had barely paid her any attention at the dinner party, this was almost like a second chance at an unflawed first impression.
Having waited no longer than five minutes, she was impressed when she spotted the stable boy leading a saddled horse her way. Since she had inherited some of her late father's interest in horse breeding, she thought that the chestnut mare was a rather average representative of her Vinkun breed, although her eyes were unusually expressive and intelligent. While the boy scurried to find her a mounting block, Galinda began to familiarise herself with the animal, gingerly patting her nose.
"Her name is Dhelpa," she heard the boy gasp.
Curiously, she turned her head to find him struggling with the heavy wooden construction riders used to climb into the saddle.
"I could simply come over there and mount her right were the block is standing," she suggested, wondering why the lad had to make things so difficult for himself.
"U-um… sure… If you d-don't mind, My Lady."
She raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow and slightly shook her head before taking the horse's reins and turning her around.
Once she was sitting securely in the saddle, the boy led the mare to a small paddock where Galinda had just enough space to try out her mount. After taking it easy for a few rounds, she urged the horse to go faster and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the mare was gaited, which would make the ride a much more enjoyable experience. Confident that she could trust her, she soon made the mare change to a relaxed canter and took a few small jumps.
"Very nice," she heard a smooth male voice say and quickly reined in her horse. "Now I'm really looking forward to this ride."
She had been so busy concentrating on her riding that she had not even noticed the Prince's arrival. He was already sitting on a lean, yet muscular Vinkun stallion. The animal's coat had a metallic sheen to it and reflected the sun as though it were of pure gold. The Prince himself looked much less kingly than his steed, only dressed in a casual white shirt and cream breeches that almost matched the colour of her riding habit. But despite – or perhaps because of - the lack of formal riding garments, Galinda had to admit that Fiyero looked dashingly handsome.
She also noted the diamond tattoos, which did not only show on his hands, but also on a small area of his chest that was left exposed as the two top buttons of his shirt had not been done up. She felt her ears turn hot and quickly averted her gaze to avoid embarrassment. To herself, she wondered where else these mesmerising tattoos would be adorning is body, however, as she felt the blush creeping into her cheeks, she briskly chased these sort of improper thoughts away.
They left the stables and the castle grounds wide behind them, engaging in light chatter and getting to know each other along the way. It was obvious that the Prince was testing her abilities, leading her along well-trodden paths at first, then cross-country as he pleased. Once she had proven that she could keep up with him even when the terrain was steep or rocky, he asked for her permission to go a tad faster and she happily agreed.
Her training had prepared her well, but of course, she had never been on a hack like this and if Morrible were to find out about her little adventure, she would never hear the end of it. For now, however, she simply enjoyed the wind blowing in her face and the feeling of the horse under her flying across fields, fences and rivers alike.
On their way back, Fiyero proposed a race.
"From here to the small group of trees over there; what do you say?"
"Am I allowed to win, Your Highness?"
Galinda dared to grin a little perkily and the Prince laughed loudly.
"You are welcome to try, My Lady, but I'll let you know that I'm sitting on the speedier mount."
"Well, that's not fair then, is it?" she laughed in return. "But I'll still try, just for a lark."
He nodded briefly and off he galloped, cheering his stallion on with loud hollers and light slaps with the ends of his reins. Doing her best to encourage her horse in a more quiet and lady-like fashion, Galinda made to follow.
In the end, she finished the race merely half a horse's length behind the Prince, leaving him deeply impressed.
"That was fun," Fiyero said as they approached the stables, letting the horses walk on loose reigns.
The Princess blushed lightly and smiled.
"I quite enjoyed this as well, so thank you, Your Highness"
"No, I have to thank you for your company, My Lady. Sarima doesn't ride and lonely hacks really do lose their appeal after a while."
"Then I'm glad I could be of service," Galinda replied, inclining her head.
"And I'm glad you ride better than you read."
In the blink of an eye, the joy had left her and abashed, she turned to face away form the Prince. It was ridiculous, really, but she had somehow hoped that he hadn't noticed.
Fiyero realised his mistake and reached out to lightly touch her gloved hand, sending jolts of heath through the young woman's body.
"I apologise; that was rude of me."
Retracting her hand, she slowly shook her head, still flustered, yet doing her best to appear calm.
"No, it's only true, Your Highness. Had my dear parents seen me struggling like that on stage, they would have died of shame."
"Well, it wasn't exactly a flawless performance, but I found it refreshingly sincere and somewhat endearing," Fiyero tried to comfort her.
"You are just saying this to make me feel better."
"Well, does it work?"
At that the Princess' head lifted up and to his side again, moist eyes blinking in astonishment. He regarded her with gentle, blue eyes and a nice smile.
"Very endearing indeed."
They left it to the stable hands to tend to the horses and much to his regret (or so he said and Galinda was inclined to believe it) Fiyero had to return to his princely duties.
Light-footed and almost dancing for joy, the Princess made her way back to the castle, headed for her room so she could wash off the horse smell and change into a fresh, clean dress.
As she opened the door to her apartment, she was surprised to find the Duke sitting on one of the stuffed chairs, looking rather glum.
"Uncle… Why the sour face?" she asked almost nonchalantly, yet still not able to keep a slight waver out of her voice.
The man in the chair took a deep breath as though to rid himself of his anger, replacing it with weary relief.
"Come here child," he said tiredly, beckoning her closer.
Galinda sat on the chair beside him and he reached for her hand.
"How can you leave your uncle so worried? You simply disappeared and then I had to learn that you were gone; out for a ride in the middle of the Vinkun wilderness."
"And it was wonderful, uncle!" the young woman gushed. "The Prince took me to so many beautiful places and it felt so liberating to ride across the untouched country instead of pristine arenas and paddocks."
"I understand your excitement, but the danger-"
"You needn't have worried uncle. You should know that I'm rather saddle fast."
She pulled him to his feet and quickly gave him a peck on is cheek, making the old man's ears turn slightly red.
"And now please excuse me, dear uncle, I need to freshen up. I stink like horse and sweat whereas I should smell of powder and roses. I trust I will meet you at dinner?"
He nodded once, then he left her to her own devices.
The hours until dinner seemed much longer than usual and Galinda found it increasingly difficult to keep herself occupied. She picked up a book and began to read some passages out loud for practice, but frustrated, she soon snapped the thing shut and returned it to its shelf.
She was half hanging over one of her chairs and fairly close to falling asleep when her ears registered the eagerly awaited knocking on her door. She was up and at the door in no time, greeting the Duke with her widest smile and allowing him to accompany her to the dining room.
In contrast to the party on the day before, this dinner was a quiet affair and only the Queen, Fiyero, Sarima and her parents, the Duke and Galinda herself were present. They barely exchanged any words while seated at the table, but the blonde could tell that Fiyero was watching her almost the entire time.
After they had finished their meal, the Queen asked her guests to join her and her son in the fireplace room. The Duke excused himself, saying that he intended to retire early since he had to leave for Gillikin the following morning, but Galinda accepted after receiving an encouraging wink from Fiyero.
Although it was summer and even the evenings were still mild, the fire in the fireplace room was welcome, as it created a cosy and homely atmosphere with its soft crackling noises and golden light.
They sat for a few moments, sipping their tea and nibbling on a selection of exotic treats and fruits before Queen Baxiana smiling turned towards Galinda.
"If I remember right, I still owe you a chance to demonstrate your piano skills."
Galinda almost choked on her tea.
"Oh, Your Majesty, you owe me nothing at all. In fact, I am the one who owes you for your generous hospitality."
"Splendid. In that case, you may start paying off your debt with a little performance."
The Princess cringed slightly. That had backfired just beautifully.
She took another, almost unnoticeable breath and forced a smile.
"But of course."
She spotted a piano in a dark corner and was just about to cross the room, when two servants walked up to the large instrument, unlocked the breaks and pushed it into the middle of the room and the centre of everyone's attention. Nervously, Galinda briefly chewed the insides of her cheeks.
Smoothing out her skirts, she sat down on the plush chair and let one of the servants help with the adjustment of the correct height for her short legs.
Once she was seated as comfortably as she could possibly get in such an uncomfortable situation, she stretched and flexed her fingers and gently let them rest on the shiny ivory keys. In her mind she went through the first few bars of the piece she was about to play. It had been at least five years, but it seemed as though she could still remember most of it and she devoutly hoped that the rest would come flowing back as soon as she lost herself in the music.
As she began to play, she was too concentrated on her task to even hear the melodies she was weaving with her nimble fingers. All she knew was that it felt right, so she unwaveringly continued to play until the number was finished.
Her audience's appreciative applause broke the trance she had been in and she smiled shyly, glad that she had apparently not made a fool of herself again. Upon their request, she played another piece, an extract from a concerto, for which she also received much praise.
"You are certainly gifted," the Queen said, offering the younger woman a warm smile and Galinda thanked her demurely.
"She's also an extremely talented and versatile equestrian," Fiyero informed his mother.
Just then, Galinda happened to catch a glimpse of Lady Sarima, who irately rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"My dear son," Queen Baxiana reprimanded the Prince mildly, "the Lady Galinda is our guest, entrusted to our care by her parents and her uncle. She came here for a change of scene, not to break her pretty, little neck."
"No need to worry, mother, we were careful."
"Of course you were, but I know what you consider careful-"
"Galinda, my dear," the Queen's brother interrupted then, "why don't you play us one more piece? Perhaps something light and joyful?"
The blonde nodded dutifully, although she could already feel weariness settling in her head and fingers. She began to play and when the Archduke recognised the tune, he turned towards his daughter.
"Sarima, be a good girl and sing along. You know how much I love this song."
The dark-haired girl stiffened and cast her father a bewildered look. A clock-tick later, she rose to her feet and wordlessly left the room.
Slightly confused, or perhaps rather offended, Galinda watched the scene as she played. She finished the song, then the Queen proposed that it was time for everyone to retire to their rooms.
The following morning, Galinda got out of bed early and quickly dressed herself in a simple, but lovely summer outfit. After briefly brushing her lush curls and fixing them in a loose braid, she hurried downstairs, headed for the courtyard.
The Duke's carriage was already as good as ready to leave and two footmen dealt with the last few items of luggage.
"Oh, there you are, my child," the old man greeted her cheerfully. "I already feared I would not get a chance to bid my farewell to you."
"Do you really think I would forget about my dear uncle?" Galinda chortled.
"Of course not. But I was worried that last night's entertainment might have left you too exhausted."
The Princess' mouth twitched a little until her smile was once again firm in its place.
"We did not stay up all that long," she assured the Duke and quickly pressed her lips against his cheek. "Have a safe and pleasant journey and give my love to mama and papa."
He nodded and gently placed a kiss on the top of her head.
"Stay safe and be a good girl. I don't wish to have to come back and pick you up because the Queen grew tired of you."
His words were stern, but the wink he added in the end told Galinda that it was all in good fun. She giggled in response and watched him clumsily climb into the carriage. When the driver clucked his reins and the horses set into motion, she took out a silken handkerchief and waved her good-bye until the Duke was well out of sight.
Just in that moment that she was about to turn on her heels and go back to her room, a nearby clock struck seven. It was rather early, yet not too early for breakfast and since Galina was already up anyway, she changed her plans on the spot and took the other stairs instead, which would lead her to the east wing where the breakfast room was located.
When she arrived, it was with some surprise that she found Lady Sarima sitting at the table. Once again, she and that unpleasant Vinkun girl were the only people in the room besides the staff.
Barely had Galinda taken her seat at the opposite end of the table, Sarima already rose to her feet, declaring that she had finished her meal. The Princess thought it exceptionally rude, although secretly, she was rather relieved. The silence would be much easier to bear if there was no one to talk to to begin with. On her way out, however, the Vinkun Lady turned and addressed Galinda.
"I think the two of us had a bit of a rocky start," she began and offered the blonde a faint smile. "And I am willing to make amends. This afternoon I will host a tea party. You are invited to come if you like."
Galinda could only stare at her in disbelief.
"Half past three in the rose garden," the brunette said and then left.
Still perplexed, Galinda only snapped out of her bemusement when a serving boy inquired whether she would prefer her tea with or without sugar and milk.
She did not have a good feeling about that tea party and her stomach was in knots. But if Sarima was genuinely trying to make it up to her, she would not be the one to deny her this opportunity. If her fears were to come true, on the other hand, she decided that she would bear the teasing and the taunting with dignity, showing Sarima and her guests how a real lady handles such tricky situations.
Arriving exactly on the minute, Galinda found that Lady Sarima's other guests were already present. The Vinkun greeted one after the other with a kiss on the forehead and they bowed their heads in return. The blonde approached the party warily, wondering when exactly Sarima would deal her first jab.
No sooner had she noticed her, Sarima rushed towards Galinda with the brightest smile on her face.
"Oh, Lady Galinda, you have come! I'm so glad."
She kissed her forehead, just like she had done with all the other young women and Galinda, slightly befuddled, bowed her head slightly. Then the dark-haired lady took her by her arm and led her to the round table.
"I must apologise in advance, for most of my friends do not speak common Ozian. Since I assume that you don't know much Vinkun either, I propose that you come and sit with me and my sister."
"Tung hadad," the Princes mumbled a polite greeting in very bad Vinkun before she sat down and, snickering slightly, the other party guests welcomed her to their circle.
"This is the Lady Darina, daughter to a notable Yunamata chieftain," Sarima introduced the particularly dark-skinned woman seated next to the blonde. "Although I'm of the Arjiki tribe and we are not truly related by blood, we grew up together and love each other dearly. Just like sisters."
"Well met, Lady Galinda," Darina said in flawless Ozian.
"Well met indeed, Lady Darina of the Yunamata," the Princess replied, beginning to feel slightly more at ease.
And so the tea party commenced and proceeded without any incidents. After the ladies had cleared all of the delicious treats off the tiered trays, conversations became livelier and the guests took the liberty to exchange seats and mingle. Galinda, restricted by her language abilities, remained in her original chair and so did Darina, politely keeping her company. Sarima spent some time with her other acquaintances, but always made sure to return to Galinda every now and then.
At one point, Darina, who seemed to have hardly any regard for personal space, edged just an inch closer and began to inspect the Princess' perfect curls up close.
"Sarima was right. Your hair really does look like spun gold," she said with awe and reached out to touch Galinda's head.
"Why, thank you," the blonde replied, uncomfortably shifting away a little and carefully flipping her hair to the other side and out of the Vinkun's reach.
But the young woman was not so easily deterred.
"Oh can I touch it, please? I just want to see if it feels as soft as it looks. Please? Please?"
Galinda's eyes widened and she began to chew her lower lip – there was a reason why she didn't like it when people messed with her hair.
"I-I'd rather you don't," she said meekly, but already Darina sat half on her lap, gingerly tucking a fair strand behind her right ear.
Flushing furiously, Galinda turned away, still mangling her lower lip between her teeth.
She heard the other woman draw a sharp breath and didn't dare to look up at Darina's surely shocked or maybe even disgusted face. Sarima must have noticed something and turned, for suddenly her shrill voice cut through the tense silence, making Galinda wince.
"Oh, by Kumbrica, what in Oz is that!"
Her head as red as a beetroot, the Princess faced the other ladies, covering her ear with both of her dainty hands.
"It was an a-accident," she cried, thoroughly embarrassed.
All those years, she had always been so careful to hide her minor disfigurement behind perfectly coiffed curls or extravagant, wide hats. The last time that someone had caught an unintended glimpse at it had been during a game of tag when she had been just about the age of six and that had been the last time that she had participated in that silly game.
"An 'accident'?" Sarima shrieked, pure horror written all over her exotic features. "Now look at that! They call us barbarians, yet they allow their dumb children to play so wild that they lose entire parts of their bodies!"
Now that wasn't fair. First of all, it was only an ear and secondly, it was not like Galinda was really missing all of it; it was merely a small bit of the upper corner, a quarter at most.
"A horse bit me when I was but a child," the blonde murmured so quietly that only Darin could really hear it.
"Excuse me, what did you say?" Sarima asked with raised eyebrows and cocking her head. "You know, it's terribly impolite to mumble."
"A horse bit her," Darina supplied, snorting.
"Is that for real? That's just precious!"
Sarima burst into peals of laughter and when the other ladies didn't join in at first, she quickly related the story to them in Vinkun. Soon, the entire table had a jolly good time imagining a wild beast of a horse chewing on a small, blonde girl's head, probably mistaking the flaxen locks for delicious straw.
Galinda could only sit there in shame, paralysed by so much humiliation. Tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes and her breathing became more and more erratic. The women surrounding her seemed to either ignore her disarranged state or take it as a cause for even more amusement.
She could not quite tell how long this pitiful spectacle had lasted, but it was immediately interrupted when the Prince, who had only casually passed by, came rushing towards the group of women, his features contorted in anger.
"What is this, Sarima? What cruelty have you devised this time?"
"No cruelty at all, my dear Fiyero. We are all just having a bit of a lark. Besides, this is a ladies only event."
"That's swell," the Prince replied grimly, "I'm already on my way out."
He moved over to Galinda's seat and offered her his hand.
"My Lady. Would you do me the pleasure of a stroll through the gardens?"
Barely registering what he had said or what she was doing, Galinda accepted his hand and stood. He helped her pushing back the chair and steadied her with one hand at the small of her back as he led her away.
After a few minutes of silent walking, Fiyero stopped and turned towards Galinda.
"I apologise for Sarima, she can be absolutely insufferable."
The Princess began to gradually come to and slowly shook her head.
"It's not your place to apologise for her, Your Highness." She paused, dapping her slightly glistening cheek with a tissue. "What I mean is that it's not your fault, so you should not burden yourself with the blame for her childish games, Your Highness."
"Hm… why don't we stop this 'Your Highness' nonsense?" he suggested.
"As you wish, My Prince."
The Prince pouted.
"Simply 'Fiyero' will do."
The Princess swallowed a small sob.
"Well, it's also just 'Galinda' then," she offered.
"Can I call you 'Lin'?"
With still glassy eyes, Galinda stared at him, taken aback by his forwardness.
"I take this as a yes," he chuckled and began to walk again.
He led her to the area where the gardens merged with the green meadows of the stables. A few of the stallions were turned out in small, individual paddocks. They came across a wooden bench and sat down.
"Well, Lin, I'm not sure if you really want to talk about what happened…"
Galinda stiffened.
"It's silly. It's nothing, really."
"It didn't seem like nothing," Fiyero insisted, his expression genuinely concerned.
Figuring that it probably didn't matter anymore and that it would be better she told him than Sarima, Galinda briefly pushed aside her hair and showed the Prince her mutilated ear.
"Ouch," he said and tried to have a second look, but she pushed his hand away.
"I'm sorry, b-but please… d-don't."
He nodded and folded his hands in his lap.
"It was an accident," she repeated her earlier words. "My father used to breed horses and one of his prized stallions was somewhat aggressive at times. When I was very little, I was reckless enough to just walk up to him, trying to give him a hug. He was quite nervy though because there was a mare nearby and so he was not very appreciative when I touched him. My father never bred him again."
Fiyero grinned at her.
"But you're still not afraid of horses."
"No, I suppose I'm rather stubborn like that," Galinda replied, managing a little smile of her own.
A comfortable silence settled between the two of them and for a short while, they simply watched and listened to the horses grazing.
"This is the first time I've seen real Vinkun horses," Glinda told him later. "My father used to breed Perthan Thoroughbreds and Munchkin Draft Ponies. They are all beautiful and useful in their own ways, but these animals are truly majestic."
"Well, thanks. We Vinkuns are very proud of our horses. They are of a very old bloodline and without any influences from other breeds. Only too bad our studs are currently roaming the Thousand Year Grasslands with our broodmares. They outclass any of our stallions, even my Verdhë Jahl." He gestured towards his golden horse in the left-hand pen. "Perhaps I should take you to see them sometime."
Galinda's eyes lit up.
"I would like that very much."
For a brief moment, it seemed as though they would lapse into silence again, but then Fiyero perked up, cast the Princess a searching look and finally broke into a wide grin.
"You know what?"
Galinda waited for him to go on and when he didn't, she tiled her head, frowning.
"Well, I surely do not. Would you be so kind and enlighten me?"
"You told me your secret, so I'll tell you one of mine."
"Well, it wasn't really a secret anymore once Lady Sarima shouted it out to the entire world," the blonde replied sullenly. "But if you don't mind, I'd still like to hear about yours, especially now that you brought it up. I know it's unladylike, but I'm full of curiosity, you must know."
Fiyero laughed.
"Well, the secret is that I have a sister."
"A sister?" Galinda could not recall Morrible, the Wizard or the Duke mentioning anything about a sister. "I haven't seen her around, so I suppose she's either traveling with your father, studying at some foreign university or already married."
"Nope, nope and nope."
Galinda blanched.
"She isn't deceased, is she?"
This time Fiyero looked slightly startled.
"What? No! Thank Lurline, she's still very much alive."
"Oh, I'm sorry," the Princess whispered, quite abashed and blushing. "I shouldn't have said that."
"It's fine.
"She's actually here, in the castle."
"That's odd. Why haven't I seen her then? Is she that shy?"
"A little maybe. But that's not why she's never around. The truth is, that she's something like the royal family's open secret."
"Hm."
Galinda rested her elbows on her knees and her chin on her knuckles.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"She's sort of hidden away, but not in a the-princess-in-the-tower kind of way. Most people in the Vinkus have heard of her, but nobody would ever dare acknowledge her existence."
The Princess' mouth fell open in a rather ungainly fashion and as soon as she became aware if this, she hurried to close it again.
"That's just terrible!" she finally managed to choke out. "Why in Oz would anyone do that to the dear girl? Wait - you don't have to answer if that's already considered part of another secret."
"Um… not really, I guess."
Fiyero scratched the back of his neck thoughtfully, then decided to continue.
"Well, the reason is a very rare disfigurement," he explained.
Galinda's imagination began to run wild; from additional limbs to a missing face any conceivable and many more inconceivable deformities flashed before her mind's eye. Naturally, she wouldn't mention any of those to Fiyero.
"Like a maimed ear?" she asked instead, trying to make light of her own embarrassing blemish.
"A bit more obvious than that, I'm afraid."
And right away her thoughts jumped back to the one-eyed witch, the eight-legged freak and the beast without any extremities at all.
"You can meet her if you'd like," the Prince told her, although somewhat hesitant. "It's not like she'd bite you."
Bite? Did the girl possess a muzzle with razor sharp teeth?
"Uh… sure," Galinda agreed with quiet apprehension.
Fiyero jumped to his feet and offered to pull her up as well.
"Good. Let's go then."
"W-What? Now?"
He looked at her in a mixture of confusion and amusement.
"Yes, why in Oz not?"
Forcing down the lump that had been forming in her throat and shrugging her shoulders, Galinda stood.
"Why in Oz not."
With that, the Prince took her hand and marched ahead, followed by a fairly anxious Galinda.
**OO
Galinda knew of three entrances to the castle that were appropriate for the resident lords and ladies and their guests to use. The main entrance was in the centre of the front face of the building, the other two were situated in the back and leading to the east and west wings, respectively. All the other, smaller doors were meant to help the countless servants to stay mostly invisible. But there was another entrance, further to the right than the regular door to the west wing and a little harder to find, and this was the door Fiyero led her to.
"I hope you're wearing reasonably comfortable shoes?" the Prince said with little confidence.
She lifted up the skirt of her dress ever so slightly and pursed her lips. Comfort was of least concern when it came to female fashion, but as it happened, this pair at least was one of her marginally more practical ones.
He opened the door and Galinda could see that this part of the castle was well sectioned off. Instead of leading into a large hall, the door led to a simple stairwell with winding stairs that reached as far as she could see.
"I don't know, but to me this looks an awful lot like a princess in a tower."
Chuckling, Fiyero took her hand and encouraged her to take the first flight of stairs.
"Hopefully we won't have to climb all of them. Her apartment is on the third floor, above that are only some storage rooms and her own small library in the attic."
Galinda wasn't quite sure what concerned her more; the fact that the girl had an entire library to herself, or that there was still a chance that she might have to brave all of these terrible stairs, all the way up to the attic of that ozdamned castle. It seemed like the one big life lesson she would take away from her vacation in the Vinkus would be that her curiosity and youthful imprudence still needed to be outgrown.
By the time they reached the third floor, she was already fighting to keep her breathing even and she could feel a few drops of sweat running down her spine. These stairs were certainly not designed as well as those in the more public areas of the castle. She watched Fiyero knocking on the inconspicuous, old wooden door and prayed that this would be the end of their journey.
There was no reply, nevertheless, he opened the door and marched right through.
"Hey, Fae, how are things?"
Galinda was taken aback. Although the Prince's supposedly outlandish sister had been the entire reason for this arduous trip, she could not bring herself to pay much attention to the girl. The Princess' oddities were something she had come prepared for; the state of her chambers had caught her entirely off guard.
Everything was clean and orderly, but plain and austere, making her wonder whether the girl was following some religious calling. But what confused her the most was that there was only one simple room, made up not much unlike the dorm rooms she had seen during her formal visits to various renown universities. A wardrobe, a desk, a fireplace and a bed; that was all there was to the Princess' royal quarters.
Still stunned, Galinda began to wander through the narrow space, wide eyes taking in every unglamorous detail.
"Move away from the window," a voice suddenly came from the general direction of the bed, making her jump. "You're casting a shadow."
Suddenly remembering the girl she had come to see, Galinda now focused her attention on the figure on the bed. She wasn't really a girl, much more a woman and seemingly older than the Prince. She could not say why, but she had always envisioned his sister to be still a child.
The woman made an indignant noise and released a huffed breath.
Immediately, Fiyero jumped to Galinda's side and gingerly pulled her a few steps to the right.
"Mustn't cast shadows, must we," he murmured and laughed tensely.
Galinda herself blushed somewhat sheepishly. She averted her eyes just long enough to make an appropriately coy impression, but as soon as possible, she lifted her gaze again to further study the Princess. Sitting all but jackknived in the corner of her bed and half hidden by shadows, there actually was not too much of her to be studied.
All Galinda could tell was that she had impossibly straight, ink black hair that concealed her face like a curtain, or rather like a cascade of midnight rain. She almost stopped there, for she found herself immediately fascinated with the long, shimmering tresses. But she forced herself to move on and her eyes found the only other part of her that was clearly visible: the long, twig-like fingers that were holding the book she was reading. Galinda had to bite her lower lip to hold back a giggle: in the strange light that filtered through the single window, the Princess' slender hand had assumed a brilliant green colour.
All the while that Galinda had been staring at her, Fiyero had been talking to his sister, apologising for his infrequent visits over the past week or two and asking her what she had been up to. The woman, however, had not deigned to reply and simply continued to flip through the pages of her book.
Eventually, Galinda thought that it was about time for her to be formally introduced, and since Fiyero did not appear too concerned with her at this point, she decided to take the first step herself, no matter whether the Princess would acknowledge her or not.
"Um… excuse me, Your Royal Highness. Lady Fae, isn't it? May I introduce myself, my name is-"
The woman slowly lowered her book and just as slowly rolled back her shoulders, straightening her back. The hard, cutting look in her eyes made Galinda falter and fall silent.
"It's Elphaba," she said in a calm, but utterly intense tone and poor, speechless Galinda could only nod.
Turning towards her brother, Elphaba's eyes softened ever so slightly as she arched a curious eyebrow.
"Pray tell, what did you bring her here for?"
The Prince cleared his throat and beckoned Galinda closer.
"Please don't be rude, Elphaba, you're scaring her."
"I might as well, if that keeps her off my back."
Soon the book was back up again and the woman's face once more hidden behind raven silk.
Almost unperturbed, he proceeded.
"This is Lady Galinda of the Upper Uplands. She is our guest and might be staying for a while, so I thought it would be good if you girls were to get to know each other."
Elphaba lifted her gaze, barely peaking over the cover of her book. For a brief, terrifying clock-tick, her penetrating stare focused on Galinda and Galinda alone, making the blonde twist and squirm on the inside and almost on the outside as well.
"So you have made it to the 'meet the abhorrent sister stage,'" the Princess said in a toneless voice, all attention back to the pages in front of her. "Congratulations. It has been a while since I had last had the pleasure the be introduced to one of my brother's pets."
"Elphaba!
"Come," Fiyero sighed, taking Galinda's arm. "I'm afraid we have caught her in one of her moods. Maybe I shouldn't have brought you here."
Galinda followed him out of the door and down the first few flights of stairs. She was profoundly confused. After everything the Prince had told her about his sister and seeing how she was being kept so well isolated, the meeting had been a great disappointment to say the least. As far as she could tell from all she had seen and heard, there was nothing particularly ghastly about the girl – woman – and she was sure that her sour attitude and wry sense of humour could not be the lone reason for her disownment. The Case of the outcast Princess Elphaba was nothing if not mind boggling.
"So, what do you think of my sister?" Fiyero asked when they had almost reached the bottom of the stairwell.
Again, all Galinda could think about was how surprisingly ordinary the Princess had appeared to her, but perhaps, that would have been a rude thing to say.
"Quite frankly, she is the most unusual and peculiar person I've ever met," she admitted instead and it wasn't a lie. Raised among only the most suitable of peers, caregivers, educators and servants, she had never had to deal with such wayward people like this Elphaba.
"And you are blonde."
This most unexpected reply had come from a few steps above them, where the irregularly placed torches cast an eerie shadow on the tall woman standing there.
Galinda emitted a small, involuntary shriek and threw herself into Fiyero's arms, eliciting a shrill cackle from the Vinkun Princess.
"Does she always do that?" Galinda whispered to Fiyero, thinking to herself that maybe, the woman had some insane quality to her.
Casting his sister an annoyed look, he gingerly patted Galinda's hands to calm her.
"No, not really. See it as a compliment – she finds you interesting enough to waste her time stalking you."
This seemed poor consolation.
Elphaba descended a few more stairs, until Galinda could see her properly.
Perhaps it was because her mind was already too worn and tired from all that had happened that day and particularly in the past fifteen minutes, but when Galinda finally registered that it wasn't a trick of light, that the woman before her was indeed green - the colour of emeralds to be exact - she could hardly bring herself to be shocked anymore. Instead, she used this chance to take in the severe features of the Princess' face, which stood in stark contrast with her stunningly beautiful, dark brown eyes. What drew her attention more than anything else, however, was the long, dark red gown she was wearing and the way it coordinated with her green skin.
The strangest feeling began to bloom in Galinda's chest. Ignoring all of the woman's strangeness and harshness and petulance for one short moment, it occurred to her that Elphaba resembled the Dame de Coeur, a most unusual rose of a rich, red colour. It could only be found in the gardens of old Gillikinese manors and castles, for it had mostly fallen out of favour – the majority of people these days did not like the way it turned nearly black as it aged. Glinda, however, had always loved its scent, which only intensified the darker its petals grew. For a lady who took so much care to always maintain her own impeccable appearance, she could be astoundingly ignorant of others' external flaws at times.
She felt Fiyero's hand on her shoulder and blinking, doffed the odd notions her head had just cooked up.
"I'll be back tomorrow," she heard the Prince tell his sister. "Alone," he added and she felt a bewildering pang of disappointment.
The tall, green woman nodded curtly and turned, heading back upstairs.
On their way out, Glinda cast one last quick glance back, catching sight of Lady Elphaba doing exactly the same.