AN:

OK, I'm not sure if I'm too happy with the first few paragraphs of this chapter... inner monologues and ramblings are really not my strongest point! (and some of the transitions might be a bit weird, too...) Well, maybe let me know what you think if you've got the time... For the rest of the chap, I hope you'll enjoy the weird pre-Gelphie moments lol

At any rate,

Happy reading! :D

Chapter Four: Encounters

That night, Galinda was plagued by fragmented, fitful sleep. She tossed and turned between the sheets, the encounter with the Vinkun Princess preying on her mind until the wee hours of the morning. It was not that the trauma of laying eyes on Lady Elphaba's supposedly repulsive form was causing her nightmares - nothing of the sort. The problem that was keeping her thoughts from finding peace was much more the contradicting feelings the Princess had stirred deep inside of her, as well as the contradictions within the woman herself.

There was more to her queerness than just the green, although it might have been her most exotic quality. Yet, despite the odd colour of her skin, the scrawny limbs and sharp facial features, Galinda could not bring herself to call Elphaba ugly. Outlandish, startling, bizarre? Definitely. Ugly? No, no and no.

The same was also true for her character. The few words she had tossed at Galinda had been somewhere between rude, condescending and hateful, however, the blonde was disinclined to believe that these comprised the entire spectrum of emotions the emerald woman was capable of. And after all, Prince Fiyero had seemed quite fond of his sister. Most likely, it was her dreary life that had taught her to be wary of uninvited guests that randomly pop up in her room.

Coming to this conclusion, Galinda suddenly felt rather astute, if not wise and this pleasant, elevating feeling allowed her to get a measure of rest - at least until she woke again, bothered by the disconcerting realisation how, one way or another, she was drawn to and utterly fascinated by this person, this most improper woman. Surely, it must be inappropriate for a young lady to stay up all night, spending so much time and energy thinking about any subject matter, least of all a social anomaly like the outcast princess.

Repeating this thought over and over again in her head, almost like a mantra, she pulled the thin blanket up to her chin. She would give the seemingly hopeless venture of finding some much-needed sleep at least one last shot. Needless to say, this attempt was hardly any more successful than the previous ones.

The following days, to scatter her disarranged thoughts, Galinda literally flung herself at Fiyero, aiming to spend as much time with him as possible. She did not mind hazarding the risk of coming across as demanding, or even clingy, for if worst were to come to worst, the man would still be hers, if only she still wanted him. Although this sort of conduct might not have been the best example for her good breeding, she decided to – just this one time, of course - be lenient with herself, for these were desperate times and she really was in dire need of distraction.

Fortunately, it did not seem like the Prince was too bothered by her almost constant presence. He gladly took her for more rides, showed her his favourite spots in the gardens and when the weather was less accommodating, they spent hours taking turns playing the piano, praising each other's musical talent.

As Galinda and the Prince grew closer and closer, Sarima's attitude became more and more dour – another risk Galinda had foreseen and gladly accepted. Whenever she was around Fiyero, the brunette would not dare saying a word against her and when she was by herself, the generous size of the castle made it easy enough to generally avoid any form of contact. Perhaps this solution was not ideal, however, it was sure to get her through the next few weeks, and eventually, she would return to the Emerald City and prepare for her upcoming wedding.

Such was the plan, yet after a brief honeymoon phase of about a week, this carefully constructed arrangement was turned on its head with the return of the King. Already two days in advance Fiyero had dreaded his father's imminent arrival, and soon Galinda understood the reason why.

There were no more hacks through the Vinkun wilderness, no more walks in the gardens. Every now and then, she would make the trip downstairs to the fireplace room to play some music, but all by herself, she took no particular delight in tapping away on the ivory keys. Fiyero was kept so busy by his father that he could barely make it to every second meal and with each passing day, the predatory look in Sarima's eyes grew more intense

Galinda's previous scheme turned out to be a trap. Whereas it had been a thrill, almost like a game at first, anticipating Sarima's steps and avoiding her whenever possible, had now become an exhausting and far too often unsuccessful endeavour. The only place where Galinda still felt absolutely safe was her own quarters, but besides reading and knitting, there was not much else in the small apartment to keep her occupied. Remembering that Fiyero had once told her about Sarima's distaste for horseback riding, she tired to convince a stable boy to let her borrow a horse, but the young man regretfully informed her that he had strict orders to not let her leave the castle grounds unchaperoned.

If there was one positive thing to be said about the past couple of days, it would be that Galinda, although lonely and bored out of her mind, had not relapsed into pondering over the Vinkun Princess. In fact, she had forgotten all about the emerald green woman until their paths, quite coincidentally, crossed once again.

Since the return of the King, there had been but a few evenings of entertainments after dinner, so it was up to Galinda herself to fill out the remaining hours before her usual bedtime. It was midsummer and so it was still bright outside, even after they had finished their meal. Hoping against hope, she asked Fiyero whether he would accompany her on a stroll through the gardens, but as expected, the Prince had to decline. So she went on her own.

After about half an hour of aimless wandering, she happened to come across a canopy swing and sat down. Her head tilted back, her eyes closed and her arms lazily spread over the backrest, she began to swing back and forth.

A big, cold drop of water on her nose woke her with a start. As far as she could remember, the sun had still been shining bright the last time she had opened her eyes; now it was nearly pitch-dark. The first drop soon got company and within a few clock-ticks, the drizzle turned into a brisk shower. Galinda jumped up with a shriek and hurried along the footpath that would lead her back to the castle. Out of concern for her shoes and dress and perfect curls, she fled the rain, almost as though she were worried that she herself might melt.

By the time she reached the castle, the rain had already lessened considerably and as soon as she stepped through the door, the sound of quiet pitter-patter had stopped completely. With a huff of mild annoyance, she tried to re-arrange her hair as best she could and inspected the damage the water had done to her wardrobe. It was all only half as bad as she had feared, but she was a little cold in her damp clothes.

Of course, the most sensible and proper thing to do would have been for her to return upstairs to her room, discard the wet dress and shoes and retire for the night. However, feeling like she needed a little pick-me-up after that frustrating episode in the rain, she decided to pay the cosy fireplace room a short visit and play some happy tune while the warmth would dry her clothes.

Perhaps it should have struck her as odd that the fire in the fireplace was indeed crackling merrily, despite the fact that the room was supposedly empty. Yet, either preoccupied or simply careless, Galinda paraded through the door, headed straight for the piano.

Just as she passed the fireplace, one of her feet caught on something lying on the floor and she almost lost her balance. Startled, she whirled around to search for the cause of her near-fall. Staring back at her were two large, brown eyes, belonging to the green Princess. The tripping hazard turned out to have been her clumpy boots.

Where Galinda's eyes widened in surprise, Elphaba's narrowed dangerously.

"Don't you dare make a sound, you little idiot," the emerald woman snarled.

Glinda sucked in a sharp breath of air and quickly pressed her lips together, sealing her mouth shut.

Elphaba watched her for a while; intently, guardedly and clearly unsure how to deal with her.

"Fine, listen," Galinda said at last in a bout of exasperation and courage. "From what I gather, you're not supposed to be down here, or you would not be so apprehensive about me walking in on you. But I promise that I won't tattletale, all right? All I want to do is disappear in that dark corner over there and play the piano, and that's exactly what I'm going to do now."

Not waiting for any sort of response, she turned on her heels and covered the remaining few paces until she reached the piano. There was no need for her to look back to know that the Princess was still staring at her, her intense glare boring into the back of her head. She sat down, hands folded in her lap and took a couple of deep breaths to compose herself. Her heart was racing. It was absolutely absurd, but she was on tenterhooks, far more nervous than that night that she had played for the Queen and her guests. Gingerly, she laid her fingers on the polished keys and began to let them dance.

As usual, playing - even in front of that unnerving thing that was Lady Elphaba – became easier with each bar. Eventually, she forgot all about her verdant spectator and lost herself in the flowing melodies, just as she was wont to do. There were no critique and complaints coming from Elphaba's side of the room, or at least none that she was aware of. Undisturbed, she continued to play piece after piece, until she was left exhausted, drained of all the music she'd held within.

"Beautiful. Elegant. Enchanting." Elphaba said in that impassive way of hers after the blonde had finished.

Galinda couldn't help but wonder whether the comment was regarding her, her performance, or – dare she hope – both. But why should the Princess' opinion matter to her anyway? It wasn't like the green woman was a suitable peer to seek approval from.

Nevertheless, the paleness of her cheeks turned into the most precious shade of pink, the effect tragically wasted in the dim light of the fireplace room. Absolutely still, the blonde remained sitting on the piano chair, waiting for the uncomfortable feeling in her chest to dissipate.

From behind her, she registered the noise of shuffling and the rustling of rough fabric. When she turned, she found Elphaba standing, straightening out her shapeless, black frock.

"You're leaving already?"

Instead of a reply, she received an irritated look.

"I suppose you're right. It's late enough."

With that, Galinda also rose from her chair.

"Good night, Your Highness," she curtsied. "Fresh dreams."

As she passed Elphaba, a green hand jutted forward, grabbing her forearm and twisting it to make her spin around and face the Princess. Galinda's heart almost stopped and her stomach felt as though it was turning itself inside out at the penetrating stare in stormy, brown eyes.

"I know your kind, coming flouncing into our castle, all dainty and pretty and lovely," Elphaba hissed.

Galinda stood close enough to feel the warmth of her breath brush past her ear and almost swooned at the sensation.

"But make no mistake," the taller woman continued, "my brother is betrothed to Lady Sarima and if that ever were to change, it wouldn't be for the likes of you, who only seek to further themselves, rise up in the world. I won't allow it."

Her last words were accompanied by a little push that sent the blonde girl stumbling backwards a few steps. With a huff and a dramatic whirl, the Princess turned, headed for the door.

Galinda's head was a hot mess. She felt angry, frightened and piqued, all at the same time. Her face freshly flushed again, she called after the insolent woman.

"Don't think you know everything about me or my true intentions," she spat.

Her proud words fell flat as Elphaba shrugged them off with a soft scoff and quietly closed the door behind her.

And there she was back on her mind again, Princess Elphaba, dominating her every thought.

Since their second meeting had been far more interactive, one would assume that it should have at least provided Galinda with a few more insights, clarifying and solving some of the riddles she was grappling with. But in reality, Elphaba had superbly succeeded in confusing the blonde even further by adding a new piece to the puzzle, which wouldn't quite fit anywhere as of yet.

'Beautiful. Elegant. Enchanting.'

These three words were stuck in Galinda's head, overshadowing everything else that had transpired that night. Despite the dispassionate tone they had been uttered with and despite the rough treatment she had been subjected to almost immediately afterwards, they still made her tingle ever so slightly whenever she repeated them to herself.

This time Fiyero was not available to provide distraction, however, it no longer mattered, for Galinda had decided to face the issue head on.

She did not dare to intrude in Lady Elphaba's personal quarters, but the following days, she spent every free minute keeping an eye out for the Princess, hoping to learn more about her and solve the mysterious, green riddle. Once or twice, she caught sight of her, but only briefly. Evidently, Elphaba was only to be found when she indeed intended to be found, or under the most unexpected of circumstances.

A ball was being staged, much grander than the small dinner party on the evening of Galinda's arrival. The blonde was more anxious than excited about the event, due to the long list of eminent guests that were being expected. As the Princess of Oz, being seen and admired by a large crowd of people was nothing she would be overly concerned about, but for the time being, she needed to protect her identity as Galinda Upland, a fair lady of lesser nobility. The risk of being recognised by at least one of the attendees spoilt every last bit of her enthusiasm.

Sitting in front the mirror, she watched the maid brushing and coiffing her golden curls. Her upper body was as stiff as a board, her elegant fingers were playing artfully with the laced hem of her underdress.

"No need to be so nervous, My Lady," the young woman chortled as she pinned a strand of hair in its proper place. "You are so beautiful and elegant, everyone will adore you."

Galinda smiled faintly. For once, this was exactly what she feared.

Golden tresses were soon organised into an elegant bun, adorned with three green feathers, as was the latest fashion. When Galinda studied her reflection to inspect her handmaiden's work, the weak smile on her lips disappeared altogether. The girl she saw in the looking glass resembled the heir to the Ozian throne far too much for her liking.

"Is something wrong, My Lady?"

"Take it out," Galinda choked out and the maid looked confused.

"Oh. Well, would you prefer this ornate comb instead of the feathers, or this slide, perhaps?"

"No!"

The servant had already removed the feathers and Galinda began to briskly pluck the pins out of her hair.

"My Lady, what-"

"Let it down," the blonde instructed in a breathy voice.

"But My Lady, for these sorts of events an updo is usually –"

"Let it down, I said."

The maid surrendered to her superior's wish, removed the last few hairpins and combed out a couple of tangled strands.

"With your permission, My Lady, I will braid the sides and gather them in a small twist at the back?"

Galinda nodded mutely.

A little later, another look into the mirror. Although the end result was nothing that could possibly delight any fashion-conscious lady of this age, she was rather satisfied with the subtle, yet effective change.

Now it was time for the dress. She rose and crossed the room. Standing in front of the wardrobe where her outfit for the evening was hanging on the door, she relentlessly shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Emerald green; what was I thinking?"

Puzzled and resigned, the maid stood by and watched as Galinda rummaged through her collection of ball gowns and costumes, looking for a better alternative.

At the very back of the wardrobe, she found a bordeaux and white dress with ruffled sleeves and neckline. She wrinkled her nose, thinking how these were definitely not her colours and wondering why she even possessed a garment such as this. Yet in the end, these were the exact reasons why she chose to wear the outfit.

All made up and looking as unlike her princess self as possible, Galinda eagerly awaited the footman who had been charged with escorting her to the reception hall. When the young man arrived, she noticed the way he just barely arched his eyebrow and she smiled to herself, knowing that she had done well enough at not being quite as perfect as usual.

In the reception hall, the Queen was busy pairing up those guests who had not brought along escorts of their own. Galinda nodded her thanks to the footman and quietly waited her turn.

Surveying the gentlemen available, she decided that there was great variety in age and attractiveness. In the best case, she would be assigned a dashing, young nobleman with superb dancing abilities and good manners, at worst, she'd have to deal with one of those wrinkled, plump, old doters.

"Lady Galinda," Queen Baxiana finally addressed her, "may I introduce Sir Chuffrey of Paltos?"

Sir Chuffrey was certainly not one of the most youthful candidates available, yet nevertheless, Galinda thought she could certainly have made a worse catch. His hair was already silvern, but well groomed and although Galinda knew that Paltos was not the domain of any of the greater Gillikin lords, she could tell from his wardrobe that he was at least more than sufficiently wealthy. She later learnt that, although he was a baronet, he considered himself a businessman rather than an aristocrat.

"How do you do?" Galinda said pleasantly, holding out her hand for Sir Chuffrey to kiss. He was clearly delighted to do so, grinning from ear to ear as if he had just hit the jackpot.

Galinda opened her mouth to strike up a light conversation, but the hushed whispers and gushing that suddenly ensued, alerted her to the arrival of the Crown Prince. As was to be expected, the girl hanging off Fiyero's arm was Sarima, dressed in a richly embroidered dress of cloth of gold. It complemented her tanned skin and dark brown eyes perfectly and she looked every inch the queen everyone thought she were soon to become. Galinda, however, knew better and when Sarima cast her a triumphant smirk, the blonde replied with a mysterious smile of her own.

More guests filed into the reception hall with their partners and Galinda cautiously turned away a little to be less conspicuous. Out of the corners of her eyes, she recognised a few faces and nervously began to chew the insides of her cheeks.

The young royal couple took up their position in the front of the queue and the Queen organised everyone else according to rank and importance. Once the music set in, the guests moved into the grand ballroom, one pair at a time, as the master of ceremonies announced their names and titles. Galinda and Sir Chuffrey were among the last, which suited the blonde just well, for most of the other guests would no longer be paying attention by the time they were going to make their entrance.

As soon as everyone was gathered, the small orchestra began to play the first dance number of the evening and, as the etiquette prescribed, Fiyero was the first to lead his lady to the floor. Chuffrey did the same as soon as was appropriate and proved to be an excellent dancer.

Contrary to what she had expected, for the first hour or so, Galinda was indeed enjoying herself. Sir Chuffrey was amiable and attentive – too amiable and too attentive, as she had to find out as the evening progressed. All it took were three glasses of champagne and his hands grew confident enough to roam. While the pair danced, they first began to venture south from their proper place, to where her bodice met the skirt and slightly below, dangerously close to landing on her behind. Later, they suddenly moved in the opposite direction, for a brief moment lingering where they ought to rest, then creeping further up, until she could feel his cold fingers on the delicate skin of her bare shoulder blades. Afterwards, when they allowed themselves a break from all the twirling and whirling, Chuffrey spent some time chatting to the one or the other of his former, current and potential business partners. Galinda was quietly standing next to him, being pretty and charming and all the while trying to ignore the goose bumps caused by his ever-present fingers ghosting up and down her arms.

She bore all this with as much grace as she could muster, judging it not worth to make a scene (although she swore to herself that the Ozian Crown would never make business with Sir Chuffrey of Paltos – again, if such had been the case in the past).

What really unravelled her composure, however, were the countless familiar eyes she met as they danced or simply stood at the sidelines and watched. Anxious, she could not help worrying whether they, too, would recognise her, or at least be compelled to ponder over some vague resemblance.

The longer she spent in the ballroom, the harder this disquiet became to endure. Every face she recognised seemed to turn her way, either with appalled expressions plastered all over them, or snide smirks on their lips. How much of this was real and how much figment of her troubled mind, she could not tell.

Her unease must have begun to show, for Sir Chuffrey promptly began to change the direction of his steps, guiding her back to the outer circle of the dance floor. When they finally came to a halt, he left her for a clock-tick before returning with a glass of water.

"I hope you don't mind me being this frank, but you seem unwell, Lady Galinda," he said concerned, lifting his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind the blonde's ear.

Although Galinda was able to evade him just on time, this proved to be the final straw for her. Her chest heaving as she struggled to draw her next breath, her eyes darted around the hall, searching for an exit. Once she had found a door but a few paces away from where she was standing, she calmed just enough to mutter a weak excuse before rushing off.

She was startled and a little apprehensive when she found out that the door did not lead her to the great hallway as she had hoped, but to a narrow flight of stairs. Worried that Chuffrey might be following her and determined to not set foot in this ballroom of hell again, she climbed the marble steps. The stairs ended in a small platform with an ornate arch to the left. The sound of the music could be heard clearly from there and when Galinda walked through the archway, she discovered a gallery that stretched the entire length of the ballroom. She dared cast a glance down and could see the other guests dancing, the ladies' colourful dresses flaring as their partners whirled them around the dance floor.

Dizzy from the height, paired with her still persisting fears of being discovered, she took a few steps backwards, withdrawing into the shadows. Beginning to feel a little more secure already as soon as she knew herself out of the people's sight, she almost cried out loud when she, entirely unexpectedly, collided with a rigid body. A bony hand quickly covered her mouth to muffle the tiny squeak escaping her lips.

Only two heartbeats later, she was being released and spun around to gape at the green Princess casually leaning against the wall.

"It would seem I attract tiny, ditsy blondes like some sort of lodestone." Elphaba said evenly. "You keep bumping into me. Evidently, you can't withstand the pull of my magnetic field."

Said blonde's mouth opened and closed uselessly as she tried her best to come up with a fitting retort. Elphaba watched her with raised eyebrows, then looked away and mumbled something that might have sounded like 'never mind,' but Galinda couldn't say for sure, so she let it slide.

After a couple of moments of uncomfortable silence, Galinda moved to lean against the wall next to the emerald woman.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, wondering whether the question would upset the Princess.

She didn't answer straight away, but when she did, her voice, as usual, did not betray any emotions.

"Just because I'm not allowed to dance and scare away all my royal parents' distinguished guests that doesn't mean I can't at least enjoy the music. The real question is: what are you doing here, Lady Galinda of the Upper Uplands? Are you throwing a pathetic, little tantrum because my brother didn't ask you to be his partner tonight?"

Mildly shocked that the Princess had somehow remembered her name, Galinda decided to tell the truth.

"I've never had any silly notions about His Royal Highness choosing me over Lady Sarima," she declared with a slight glare in her eyes. "I'm well aware that I'm too far below him in station and it would simply not have been proper."

Elphaba nodded.

Galinda pushed away from the wall and hesitantly took two steps towards the handrail from where she could catch a glimpse at the people below. When she spoke again, she struggled to contain the minor hitch in her voice.

"I just… somehow felt trapped down there. The atmosphere somehow seemed to slowly suffocate me."

"I can sympathise with that," was all the green Princess said in reply, yet these few words had a startling effect on Galinda.

"What?" Elphaba asked a little irritated, but also rather amused as she studied the smaller girl's incredulous face.

"You actually said something sort of nice," she answered, still rather thunderstruck.

Elphaba once more quirked her eyebrows, then – if only faintly – allowed one corner of her mouth to curl upwards.

"To be honest, I'm actually glad I'm not under the obligation to partake in these nights of dancing and frivolities," the Princess said after some time. "I think I would feel precisely the way you just described or perhaps even worse would I have to mingle with so many complacent toffs and nobs."

Feeling a bit more secure in Elphaba's company – for whatever inexplicable and irrational reason – Galinda was now leaning over the balustrade with her elbows resting on the railing and her chin on her hands. She alternated between watching Fiyero and Sir Chuffrey - the latter only to make sure he was not coming after her.

Elphaba pulled herself up from where she had been sitting on the floor for a while and approached Galinda, making sure to steer clear of the guests' line of sight.

"Are you going to stand there all night, goggling at my brother?"

Galinda only made some distracted noise.

"How about we get some of that fancy food these fine ladies and gentlemen down there are stuffing their faces with?" the raven haired woman then suggested and confused the blonde tilted her head to look at her.

"Hm? What?"

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Elphaba unceremoniously grabbed the blonde's wrist.

"Just come," she said and dragged the stunned girl in the opposite direction to where she had come from.

Galinda's first instinct was to be scandalised by the green woman's inappropriate behaviour, yet she had difficulties to ignore the warm feeling flooding through her body at the somehow not all that unpleasant contact. First her cheeks, then her entire face blushed furiously and she was incredibly thankful that the Princess never turned back as they made their way down a flight of stairs matching those Galinda had climbed earlier, through a hidden servant door and down another set of stairs that led them straight to the kitchen.

Having arrived at their destination, Elphaba let go of her hand and walked over to the apparently only servant in the room, an elderly woman who was scrubbing away on a couple of pots and pans. Galinda used the opportunity to catch her breath and will her complexion to at least change back to a paler shade of pink.

After exchanging a few brief words with the servant, Elphaba returned to Galinda with a trolley laden with sweet, as well as savoury treats. As she placed everything on the table, the shorter girl anxiously watched the old woman standing with her back to them.

The emerald woman looked at her in puzzlement, then followed her gaze and smirked.

"Never mind her, that's only Nanny. Well, she's a kitchen maid and not really a nanny, but she practically raised me since my mother was not particularly inclined to do so herself. Or hire a professional nurse for that matter."

The blonde stared at her with wide, shocked eyes and Elphaba seemed to grow a little uncomfortable, although it was hard to tell when or when not such a dispassionate creature like her was feeling anything at all.

"Eat," she curtly said at last, motioning for the food before them.

Galinda decided on one of the tiny quiches and took a bite. As the two young women sat and ate in silence, she could not stop thinking how odd it seemed that the Queen, who had always seemed rather warm and welcoming, would neglect her own child like this – not only in later years, but from a fairly young age, as it seemed.

They did talk a little every now and then, but most of these conversations soon turned awkward, so they were almost more comfortable saying nothing at all. Watching Elphaba whenever she dared to, Galinda eventually arrived at the conclusion that the green girl must have already shared more than she had intended and was now trying to slip back into her usual, surly self.

After a considerable period of quiet munching, the raven-haired woman noisily pushed back her chair and rose to her feet.

"I'll eat these upstairs," she explained to Galinda, who was questioningly watching her gathering a tart, a few pieces of prawn toast and a pudding in a small cloth. "Urgent words are waiting to be read," she added before she turned away.

Wedging another pastry between her teeth, she rushed out of the kitchen, leaving the blonde bemused.

"Huh," she said a little dazed when Nanny waddled over to clear the table. "Who would have guessed that that scrawny thing eats so much?"

"Only when the King and the Queen are entertaining, only when they are entertaining," Nanny supplied with a sigh.

Surprised, Galinda looked up to her. After a moment of hesitation, she dared to ask the question that had promptly popped into her head at the old servant's remark.

"Is that because she likes the food so much or is she clandestinely upset that she doesn't get to join?"

"Now that would be telling, duckie and I don't even know you," Nanny replied and snickered. "Now quick, hurry along; back to the ball or up to your room, for soon the kitchen will be teeming with servants who must not discover you."

Galinda nodded and, mimicking Elphaba, prepared herself a little snack bag.

Back in her room, she hid the treats under her pillow until her maid had helped her out of her ball gown and left. Quickly, she washed and brushed out her hair and then she hopped into bed, grabbed a book to read and began munching, imagining Elphaba doing the exact same thing in that exact same moment.

Once she had finished the food and read a couple more pages in her book, she turned off the light and wiggled under her blankets, the biggest smile on her face. Then she sighed and lightly shook her head. Perhaps, Elphaba really was a riddle she simply cold not hope to solve; perhaps, she wasn't meant to be solved.