AN: Wow. EIGHTEEN reviews on the first chapter?! I'm completely blown away. I don't know what to say! Thank you all so much! :D You know I love you (in a non-creepy way) - virtual kruidnoten for all of you! (For those who don't know what those are: they're a Dutch specialty and I'm sure you'd LOVE them.)

As for those of you wondering if I'm going to end this the way Titanic ended... I'm not saying anything. I mean, that'd be a huge spoiler, right? :P So this story may or may not have a major character death in it. Or more than one. *cackles*

Also, this chapter is dedicated to Tanner. Happy birthday! :D

2. About a Broke Prince and a Perky Blonde

Fiyero Tiggular was standing at the railing, breathing in the salty air and smiling at the smell of the sea. He had always loved the sea. When he was younger, his father had often taken him sailing; and he had always loved to swim, too.

Suddenly, someone gasped beside him and he turned to the sound. It had come from the girl standing next to him, her eyes wide and her hands clamped over her mouth.

"Oh. My. Oz," she squeaked, staring at him. "You are Prince Fiyero Tiggular!"

He cracked a lopsided grin and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Um… yeah," he said. "That's me."

The girl squealed so loudly he thought his eardrums might burst. "Oh my Oz! Prince Fiyero Tiggular is here on the ship! With me!" She squealed again, then suddenly looked confused. "Wait. What are you doing on the second-class level?" she wanted to know. "Did you decide to visit those worse off than you are? That is so incredibly kind of you!"

"No, no," he said with a small laugh. "It's not like that. I, um…" He grimaced. "I'm travelling second class myself."

The girl was still staring at him wide-eyed, waiting for an explanation, so he added, "My parents kind of… cut me off."

The girl gasped.

"Yeah." He made a sour face. "Apparently I spent too much money on parties and expensive things; and when I got kicked out of my fourth university, they said they'd had enough. They bought me a second-class ticket for me to travel to Gillikin. I'm going to study at Shiz University." His parents had actually told him that he should be happy they didn't get him a third-class ticket. He grimaced at the mere thought.

"But your parents are not giving you any more money?" the girl asked, horrified, and he shook his head.

"They're paying my tuition," he said, "but apparently, I'm sharing a dorm room with another boy; and I'm not getting any more money from them. They said I'll have to earn it. Get a job, or something." He shuddered at the mere prospect. Jobs were for ordinary people, after all. He wasn't ordinary – he was royalty. He was still furious with his parents for cutting him off like that, though deep down, he had to admit he couldn't really blame them.

Someone called a name and the girl looked over her shoulder. "Oh, that's me," she said apologetically to Fiyero. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. It was great talking to you, though," she gushed, beaming up at him. "Maybe we'll see one another again!"

He forced himself to smile back at her. "Who knows?"

She giggled and then left, and he heaved a sigh of relief. He hated all those girls constantly swooning over him like he was some sort of celebrity. It had been fun at first, but after a few years, it had just gotten tedious – especially since it always seemed to go with lots of loud squeals and annoying giggles.

He had spent the past years of his life partying and enjoying life – drinking, pulling pranks, and generally just behaving in the most childish way possible. His parents were desperate, which was one of the reasons why they had cut him off. He knew they did not know what to do anymore to get him to stop his behaviour and grow up.

But that was exactly why he had started doing all this in the first place: he did not want to grow up. He didn't want to become the king of the Vinkus. His lax behaviour at his first university had started out as an attempt to draw out the experience as long as he could. He figured that if he failed the subjects he was taking, he'd have an extra year to mentally prepare himself for his duties… maybe even two or three years. Not that he thought that would make a huge difference. He didn't think he would ever be ready to take the throne.

He had failed everything in his first year and he had flunked out of his first university. His parents thought – or hoped – that it was just a phase and they sent him to another university in the Vinkus, hoping he would thrive better there. During that time, however, he befriended some fellow students who taught him the ways of pranks and partying. After insulting several of his teachers multiple times (mostly by distributing inappropriate drawings of them among his fellow students), being caught acting inappropriately with a girl in the teacher's lounge, gluing the Headmaster's backside to his chair, and causing noise pollution because of the parties he threw in his dorm room, he was finally expelled.

He flunked out of his next university again and the fourth, which had been in Munchkinland, had not been very tolerant towards his policy of sneaking girls in and out of his room. When his parents found out, they had written to him that he was to stay with his aunt and uncle in Munchkinland for the next few weeks and that he would be leaving for Gillikin in the middle of the summer as a second-class passenger on the ship he now found himself on.

He knew they were hoping for him to settle down, somehow. They wanted him to try his best and to pass his classes and they wanted him to make nice friends that did not party or pull pranks all the time. He knew they also wanted him to start getting serious with a girl soon; but they hadn't even dared to hint at that, what with his recent behaviour, probably afraid it would only increase his rebelliousness towards them. Fiyero was well aware of the fact that he had to find himself a wife eventually, though. If he failed to do so himself, his parents would find one for him.

He sighed and leant across the railing, looking down at the sea. He hated his life.

"Don't you think so, darling?"

"Hmm?" Elphaba realised Avaric had asked her a question and she quickly nodded. "Yes. Yes, I do think you're right." She had no idea what this was even about, but she knew this was almost always the right answer. Now was not an exception – Avaric turned back to his conversation partner and kept talking to him, not sparing his fiancée another glance.

She sighed and sipped her drink, looking around her. Everywhere, people were talking, eating, and laughing, the men discussing business or politics and the women mostly gossiping about one another. Nessarose was talking animatedly with a handsome young man, under the close supervision of Frexspar. There was no-one else here that interested her and so she just took another gulp of her drink, grimacing at the taste. Everything here was pretentious and fake.

The blonde girl sitting on her other side softly elbowed her in the side. "Are you bored?"

"Yeah," Elphaba admitted, and the girl laughed.

"Me, too," she said. "I mean, I love talks about shoes and shopping, as well as gossip, just as much as any girl; but not all the time. The people here are so boring. Plus," she added, fanning herself some cool air with her hand, "Momsie laced my corset so tightly I can hardly breathe."

"Trust me," Elphaba muttered, "I know how you feel… only I bet my father pulled harder on those corset strings than your mother ever could. That man is much stronger than he looks."

The girl giggled. "What's your name?"

"Elphaba," she said. "Elphaba Thropp."

The blonde girl smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Elphaba. I'm Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands," she introduced herself. "I'm here with my Momsie and Popsicle. They're sitting over there." She pointed at the man and the woman next to Frexspar.

Elphaba made a face. "I hope my father isn't boring them."

"That's your father?" Galinda peered at Frex closely, then gasped. "Wait a clock-tick. Isn't that the governor of Munchkinland?"

"Yeah," Elphaba said with a sigh. "He is."

"Ooh! You're the governor's green daughter!" Galinda suddenly realised. "I've heard so much about you – and about your sister, too! The girl in the wheelchair, right?"

"It doesn't surprise me that you've heard about us," said Elphaba, trying not to sound too curt, but failing. She hated the fact that all of Oz talked about her skin and Nessa's chair. As if that was all that mattered about them.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Elphie," Galinda apologised. "I didn't mean to be rude. It's great to finally meet you, though. Can I call you Elphie?" she changed the subject. "It's a lot easier than "Elphaba". No offense, but your name is a bit of a mouthful. And I think "Elphie" suits you."

Elphaba grunted. "It's a little… perky," she tried, but Galinda missed the hint.

"Awesome. And then you can call me…" She thought about it for a moment and then her face brightened. "Galinda!"

Elphaba stifled a laugh.

Avaric, who had heard the final part of their conversation, now gave Galinda a charming smile.

"Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands," he said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "It is an honour."

She blushed and giggled. Elphaba rolled her eyes. Of course he would know who she was. Avaric knew everything about every person of status in all of Oz.

Avaric and Galinda launched into a conversation about one thing or another and Elphaba resisted the urge to bury her face in her arms. She liked Galinda and she had hoped they could become friends; but Avaric had a way of winding everyone around his little finger, and he had a knack for influencing people, too. She had only known him for the week or two he had stayed with them in Munchkinland, but all he had done so far was discourage her dreams and subtly hint at her being stupid or ugly in his conversations with other people. He wanted to keep her in check and he tried to do so by isolating her from everyone else, making them think she was not worthy or interesting to be around so that they wouldn't try to befriend her. He had her in his power and she felt like there was nothing she could do about it.

But she wasn't just going to give up and stop fighting. She would not allow him to alienate her from other people, just so he could keep her under control; and she would certainly not allow him to turn her into an obedient little housewife.

"He's nice," Galinda commented when Avaric excused himself for a moment. "Your fiancé, I mean."

"Don't let him fool you," Elphaba muttered, listlessly poking at her food with her fork. "He's a jerk."

Galinda frowned. "Really?"

Encouraged by the fact that Galinda did not immediately seem to disbelieve her, Elphaba nodded. "Yeah. He always acts all nice and charming towards other people," she said, "but I know better. He's a manipulative and controlling jerk and I don't want to marry him, but I have no choice." She sighed.

"Wow." Galinda thought about that for a moment. "I'm sorry, Elphie," she said. "He seems nice, but… well, I know the type of guy; and if you say he's one of them, then I believe you. He does seem a little too smooth," she said, tilting her head a little to the side and narrowing her eyes. She shook her head. "Anyway, if there's anything I can help you with, just give me a call," she said, smiling again. "We're friends now. Okay?"

"Okay," Elphaba agreed, feeling relieved. She was glad Galinda believed her and she liked having a friend here. She loathed Avaric and she didn't have the easiest relationship with her father; and even though her sister was a sweet girl, she was too young, innocent, and naïve to really understand these things. Elphaba cared for Nessarose a lot, but she couldn't really talk to her. It was nice having someone to talk to, really talk to, for a change.