Ultimate Queen of Cliffies: Yes! Bad Yero! *slaps hand* Bad! Bad! Bad!
"What happened, Elphaba?" the Wizard asked, his eyes never leaving his daughter's face.
"I went to the party," Elphaba began, avoiding their gazes as she spoke. "But then I got bored after a while just talking to all those people."
"Those people are some of the most important people in the country," the Wizard said.
"I know. It was just so boring that I had to listen to their life story and not have them care about what I had to say."
"Elphaba, it's your job, as future Queen, to talk to the people," Melena said stiffly.
"And I did do that, when I went out amongst the crowds. I got to know the people, not just the important, rich ones."
"So how did you escape?"
"I… I snuck away to the bathroom and used magic to change my appearance. I was able to sneak out that way."
"So, you left and no one questioned you?" the Wizard asked.
Elphaba shook her head. "No. I didn't look like myself, so know one knew who I was."
"For Oz sake, Elphaba. Do you realize how dangerous that was? Something could have happened to you," Melena sighed, rubbing her temple.
"What happened next?" the Wizard asked, attempting to calm Melena down.
Elphaba bit her lip. "When I went outside, I was swept into a crowd and onto a trolley –"
"Dear sweet Lurline and Oz above," Melena gasped.
"And since I didn't have any money, I was about to be thrown off, but someone paid for my fare."
"Who?"
"His name is Fiyero."
"How old is he?"
"Nineteen."
"What is his last name?"
"Tigulaar."
"Where is he from?"
Elphaba silently wondered why her mother was asking her all those questions. "The Vinkus. He fought in the war with his two brothers."
Melena narrowed her eyes, pausing in her questions rampage. "And what happened after that?"
"My shoe broke and he fixed it. We spent the rest of the night together. We were on our way to the Emerald Diamond hotel when we passed the palace. We saw your balcony speech, Father."
"You were in the crowd?" the Wizard asked, shocked.
Elphaba nodded. "We were. He didn't have enough money for the both of us to take another trolley to the Emerald Diamond hotel, so we went to a bar instead."
"You went to a bar?" Melena blinked.
"Yes. It was really fun. I met someone at the speech that we saw in the bar. A woman named Glinda."
"Wait… you didn't tell us what you were saying your name was," the Wizard interrupted.
"Oh. I told him my name was Fabala, which wasn't a total lie. It was the first name I thought of, so that's the name I used."
The Wizard nodded. "Continue."
"Did you drink at the bar?" Melena asked before Elphaba could open her mouth.
"A little," Elphaba admitted softly.
Melena practically fainted.
"Mother, I didn't get drunk, or even a bit tipsy. And no one knew who I was."
"A bar! You went to a bar!"
"Mother…"
"Melena, please let her finish," the Wizard said gently.
The Queen glared at her husband, but slowly softened at the look he gave her faced her daughter. "Go on."
"While we were there, the bartender put on the radio to your 'Fireside Chat', Father. Everyone was listening and seemed to be believing in what you were saying." She decided to cleverly leave out the part about Fiyero, knowing that it wouldn't end well if she told them.
The Wizard looked happy at that fact. "Did they say anything about it? Did they enjoy it?"
"Everyone in the bar was listening, and most of them were smiling, so I think they liked it," Elphaba smiled.
"And then what happened?" Melena asked, getting back to the point.
"Well, we went dancing in the square, and saw the fireworks display there." Elphaba knew she had to be very careful about how she worded the next part, or else it wouldn't be very pleasant. "And… the… the spell was beginning to wear off."
"And that's when everyone found out," Melena clarified.
"Yes," Elphaba nodded.
"And where were Rudker and Kean when all of this was going on? They should have suspected something when you didn't come out of the bathroom after a while."
"I… don't know." Elphaba didn't want the two of them to get into trouble, since they did find her and escort her back, but she had done enough lying for one night, right? "They… they weren't at the door."
Melena shot up. "They weren't at the door?!"
"Mother, I'm fine. Really. This was the most fun night of my life. And it's not their fault. I could tell they were looking for me when they found me. And it's not their faults. Even if I was right under their noses, they wouldn't have known."
"Yes, well, I think there's been enough fun and excitement for one night," Melena said, ignoring her husband's silent pleads to calm down. "Go up to your room, Elphaba."
The green girl looked like she wanted to say more, but her father silently told her not to say anything. Instead, she nodded and hurried away.
"They should be court marshaled," Melena said once she was sure Elphaba was out of earshot.
"Melena, it's not their fault. They wouldn't have recognized Elphaba if she disguised herself."
"I knew she shouldn't have gone out tonight. It was too dangerous for her."
"Dear, we can't really blame her. We have kept her cloistered in the palace her entire life. It's normal for young adults her age to want a bit of freedom."
"She should know by now that she can't have a normal life. She's the princess of a country. She has responsibilities and duties she must attend to. She can't just go off into the crowds whenever she feels like it."
"Melena, you're tired. Come, let's go to bed."
The Queen continued to protest as her husband tried to gently pull her away, but ultimately ended up losing the battle. She soon found herself wrapped in his arms as they walked back to their room.
Elphaba couldn't go to sleep that night. She couldn't stop thinking about Fiyero. Where was he? Was he okay? Would she ever see him again? Would he talk to her if they met again? As she began to feel sleep coving her, she made up her mind; she had to see Fiyero again.
The next morning, Elphaba woke up to the smell of breakfast. She slowly pushed herself up and, yawning, stretched towards the ceiling. She slipped out of bed and twirled her robe around her shoulders before making her way out of her bedroom.
"Good morning, Fabala," the Wizard said as Elphaba entered the dining room.
"Good morning, Father, Mother," Elphaba said as she took her seat.
"Good morning, Elphaba," Melena said, although Elphaba could tell she was still upset with her.
The royal family ate their dinner in silence, none of them knowing how to start a conversation after the previous night.
"Did the people really like my speech, Elphaba?" the Wizard asked after a while.
Elphaba nodded. "They did, Father. They really did."
"You worked very hard on that speech, dear. You should feel very proud," Melena smiled. "Elphaba, please finish eating. Your tutor will be here soon."
"Yes, Mother." Elphaba ate her last forkful of food. She disappeared upstairs to get her lessons ready.
For the first time in her life, Elphaba couldn't concentrate on what her tutor was teaching her. She couldn't focus on anything. The tutor tried, but once it was clear to her that Elphaba would not pay attention, she simply gave up and called it a day. The princess stayed in her room the rest of the day, not wanting to see or speak to anyone. The Wizard tried to coax her out, but all his attempts failed.
"Melena, talk to her," the Wizard said after his fourth failed attempt.
The Queen looked up. "What's wrong?"
"Elphaba's upset. She won't come out of her room or talk to anyone, but she might talk to you."
Melena blinked, but swiftly rose to her feet and walked up the stairs to her daughter's room. "Fabala?" she knocked.
"Go away," came Elphaba's muffled response.
Melena slowly turned the doorknob and gasped softly, seeing her daughter curled in a ball on her bed. "Fabala, are you alright?"
No answer.
"Fabala?"
"I don't want to talk," Elphaba sniffed quietly, hugging her pillow tighter.
Melena slowly lowered herself onto Elphaba's bed and gently rubbed her back. "Is this about last night?"
Elphaba's lack of response was the only answer Melena needed.
"I'm sorry if I was being a bit hard on you, but you must understand how I felt. Even though I knew –thought– you were at the party, and knew there were guards to protect you, I was still worried."
Elphaba still didn't say anything.
"This was your first time outside the palace, and every possible worse-case-scenario was running through my brain. I didn't want anything to happen to you. And then when you told us what happened that night, I was thinking how anything could have happened to you."
"But nothing happened," Elphaba whispered, still avoiding her mother's gaze.
"I know that now, sweetie, but I didn't last night. Every mother worries about their child when they're not around, and queens are no different with their princesses."
Elphaba finally lifted her gaze to meet her mother's and she started crying again. Melena quickly collected her into her arms and kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry, Mother," Elphaba cried against her mother's shoulder.
"I know, Fabala. It's okay," Melena said gently, tenderly stroking her daughter's hair away from her face.
That night, as Elphaba laid in bed, she thought about what she was going to do. She knew Fiyero would be going back to the Vinkus the next day, and she had to see him again before he did. She never got a chance to properly apologize to him. But, after what her mother told her, she didn't want to worry her anymore.
But she won't know, Elphaba told herself. I'll be back before anyone realizes that I was gone.
And that's what she continued to tell herself as she slipped out of bed, put on a simple dress, changed her skin and hair, and twirled her cloak around her shoulders. She remembered that Fiyero was staying at the Golden Emerald Rose Hotel and slowly opened her window. She paused for a moment, wondering if she should really be doing this. Shaking away the thought, she carefully climbed out and reached for the tree branch that hung outside her window. She slipped and almost fell out, but managed to grab onto the branch again. Catching her breath, she slowly and carefully climbed down the tree and landed gracefully on her feet. Now all she had to do was find the Golden Emerald Rose Hotel… and Fiyero.
We're off to find Fiyero! Also, could you all vote in the poll on my profile about one of my upcoming stories? It would mean the world to me? Also, don't forget to review! Then poll!