prev part ; next part series masterlist main masterlist
8 years ago
To be raised as the daughter of a traveling merchant meant many things. It meant you were familiar with the land of Oz and all it had to offer. It meant you knew the art of the trade—how to barter, negotiate, and sell for the best deal. But most of all, it meant knowing how it felt to spend your thirteenth birthday all alone in unfamiliar land.
It wasn’t for long, your father reassured you, just a few hours running shop until all of his attention can go to you. You couldn’t find it in you to be upset with your father, but it didn’t make it feel any better.
You’d only been in Winkie Country for about three weeks and finding anyone your age you could relate to was impossifying.
So you found ways to fill your time. Ways to make the day feel somewhat special so it didn’t feel completely ordinary.
You took to wandering. You knew the land of Winkie County was vast, but maps couldn’t capture the multitude of it all. Within it all, that’s when you found it: a wildflower field.
It spread so far that it touched the horizon with its green and yellow and red and more. The grass was soft as you walked through, coming up high enough that your shoes disappeared into it. Most of all, it was peaceful as the sun shined down over you.
You found a patch to sit in: not too many flowers that you might crush them and perfectly so that the sun might shine over you with comforting warmth. You stretched out, leaning back on your arms as your body slowly let go of the tension you naturally held.
This was the silence you yearned for. A peace and break from stresses and worries and all you couldn’t stand. But unfortunately, as the light always comes with darkness to split it up and as goodness is always met with wickedness, a disruption of the highest bothers was soon introduced to your long sought-after peace.
“Beautiful day isn’t it?”
You didn’t need to crack open your eyes to know who cast a shadow over your sun. With a frown, you looked up and found exactly who you suspected.
“Prince Tiglaar.”
He cracked his smug smile and lifted a brow at you. “I told you, you can just call me Fiyero.”
Your lips twitched downwards, your mood slowly dampening. But you didn’t let it irk you much, closing your eyes and laying flat on your back. “You’re in my sunlight Prince Tiglaar.”
After only a moment, you felt the sun slip over you once more like a blanket. With a sigh, you smiled again, your peace finally coming back to you. At least until—
“I don’t see you out here often.”
With a sluggish turn, you peeled your eyes open to find the boy laying beside you, eyes closed and humming as he faced the sun just like you. “Don’t you have lessons to attend to?”
What was an attempt to chase the boy away simply rolled off his shoulders with a dismissive shrug. “She thinks I’m in the bathroom.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“And you never answered mine,” he hummed.
You scoffed out a laugh. “You never asked me a question.”
That made him pause, replaying the conversation back in his mind before a broader smile split across his lips and he looked over to you.
“It seems I didn’t.”
You gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Does that mean you’ll leave me alone? Prince Tiglaar?”
His brows dipped down in amusement, his smile never ceasing. “Maybe. Only if you answer me one question.”
Your expression drooped, disappointed yet still willing to entertain him if it meant he left quicker. “And what’s that, Your Royal Highness.”
“What are you doing out here?”
Your lips quirked to one side, hesitation lingering as you debated this question of all questions. With a sigh looked away from him, eyes tracing an outline of the clouds before finally, “I wanted to make today special.”
His eyes jumped over to you, propping himself on an elbow to face you to some capacity as you kept your gaze to the skies.
“Special? How come?”
Hesitation beat you to the punch, looking away from him. “It’s…it’s my thirteenth birthday. Father’s working so I’m just whiling away time until he’s done.”
And that’s when you heard it for the first time since Fiyero made his presence: silence. It wasn’t quite the same as before, though. It was more like a pregnant pause, the gears in Fiyero’s brain very audibly churning.
“It’s your birthday.”
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
More silence as you sat and wondered what could possibly be going on in Fiyero’s head that’s taking up so much time and brain energy.
Then he finally did something. With a sudden movement, he stood up and dusted his pants off.
You looked up to him, satisfaction settling in your chest. “Don’t get lost on your way back Prince Fiyero.”
“I won’t,” he sighed with his smile before reaching out to you with a hand. “Because you’re coming with me.”
Your brow flinched down as you stared at him and as if he grew an extra one to extend out to you. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Well I can’t let you spend your birthday alone. C’mon, it’ll be fast.”
You sat up, your hand hesitantly at your chest. “I don’t…”
“If you find yourself not having fun you can turn around and walk away and I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the day. I promise.”
You weren’t fond of Prince Fiyero Tiglaar by any means. He was arrogant, loud, disruptive, and a major headache to be around. Yet, something in you pulled the string attached to your hand to connect his touch to yours, agreeing with whatever plan he had under his sleeves.
“...okay…”
You realize you’d never fully been inside of the castle that Fiyero resided in. Sure you’ve seen the parts that most of Winkie Country had seen: the entrance, dining hall, and ball room, but you had no clue where Fiyero was taking you.
The castle was filled with people and Animals that passed the pair of you with no second glance, not paying you any mind as Fiyero dragged you through the hallways until you reached a large door with warm light peeking from underneath it.
With a smile, he pushed the door open and gestured to you. “After you.”
A small smile cracked on your lips as you walked in, revealing the largest kitchen you’ve ever seen in your entire life.
“Wow, this is…wow.”
He stepped in behind you, watching you softly as you marveled at the room. “I know…I come in here whenever our staff takes their break. It’s peaceful.”
You looked over to him with a hint of shock dancing across your face. Peace was never a word you associated with the boy, much less something he sought out.
“C’mere,” he gestured, pulling a large stool up to a table in the center of the room. “Sit, I’ll be right back.”
You looked at him curiously, but all he did was gesture again, eliciting the smallest of chuckles from you. So you sat and watched as he moved across the room, making an effort to conceal it from you.
“I didn’t know Prince Tiglaar knew how to cook. I assume your people did it for you.”
He looked back at you with an amused smile. “You think so lowly of me.”
A little while passed before he finally turned back to you, presenting a small cake with a single candle in the center.
“I make it anytime I find myself spending my birthday alone. No one deserves to feel alone on their birthday.”
You looked from the cake to him, your brows pinching together with disbelieved admiration.
“Don’t forget to make a wish,” he whispered.
A warmth spread across your chest, unable to fight the truest smile that’s ever graced your lips. Finally, your eyes fluttered shut and you blew out your candle.
“Happy Birthday y/n.”
Perhaps you misjudged the prince. “...thank you Fiyero.”
8 years later—present day
Fiyero remembers hearing somewhere that distance makes the heart grow fonder and that time heals all wounds, but now all he could do is scoff at the sentiment.
He watched you from his side of the courtyard, like a phantom from his past. You changed. Or maybe you didn’t. All he knew was that this wasn’t the you he had when you left Winkie Country.
This was the you he received when he first met you. Maybe even worse—all dressed up with hostility and distaste.
It made him think. More than he’d like to.
“Is everything okay darling?”
He blinked, startled back to reality as he looked down to Galinda. The one he danced with last night. Not the one who scorned him. Not the one who adamantly stated that she wanted nothing to do with him.
Galinda was easy to be with. No thinking, no wondering. She admired him and it was never a question.
Yet he still found himself tethered to you.
“...yes. Everything’s fine.”
A beat of silence found Galinda as she traced her eyes from him to you, where he was just looking. “She was awfully rude to you yesterday,” she murmured. “I can talk to her for you.”
Fiyero frowned before immediately correcting it with a laugh and smile. “No, no that’s not necessary. I just–I used to know her, that’s all.”
Galinda’s brows fell up in surprise. “Oh! You never told me that.”
Fiyeri plastered a smile on his lips, watching as you walked away. “...nothing to tell. It was a long time ago, I suppose.”
prev part ; next part series masterlist main masterlist
i'm bouncing for joy rn, are you?
heart, comment and reblog, please it means alot to me xoxo
Animal-Inspired Jewels Steal the Spotlight at Sydney’s 'Wicked' Premiere
Animal-Inspired Jewels Steal the Spotlight at Sydney’s 'Wicked' Premiere
Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jonathan Bailey shined bright at the Sydney Wicked premiere, showcasing stunning animal-themed jewelry that stole the spotlight!
Get ready to be enchanted by the Wicked Sydney premiere, where Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jonathan Bailey took animal-themed jewelry to dazzling new heights! From Grande’s jaw-dropping butterfly choker that would make Glinda…
prev part ; next part series masterlist main masterlist
You weren’t popular by any means. You kept your head low and made no business in making yourself stand out at Shiz.
But it didn’t take long for you to realize that your Shiz classmates are far more prone to gossip than you could ever imagine. So when they witnessed you blowing off The Prince Fiyero when he clearly wanted your attention, your name was suddenly the most well known name in all of Shiz.
One of your biggest mistakes though, was underestimating the rate at which rumors spread. It was only lunch when the whole of the cafeteria saw the prince left baffled as you pushed past him. Yet by time you reached your final class, you had heard your name spoken by your peers far more than you’ve ever spoken it.
Even in your quiet classroom, you faced no escape. Not because of the two that sat behind you, making a terrible job at whispering about you while you sat right in front of them. Rather, you faced no escape because Gemma decided that as your roommate she must give all necessary commentary every moment she could.
“You won’t believe what I heard in Dr. Dillamond’s class today.”
You kept writing as the girl leaned into your side, making poor attempts to be discreet. “It’s a history course, so I’m assuming history.”
She snorted out a laugh, nudging her shoulder into yours. “That’s funny, but no. I heard Galinda talking with Pfannee about you!”
You paused for a moment, your eyes still training itself on your paper before scribbling on. “Galinda gossiping…that’s new.”
Your sarcasm, as always, rolled right past the girl like nothing at all.
“She sounded—.”
“Miss Thorne this is not social hour,” Miss Coddle exclaimed, startling the girl from your space. “Please turn back to your own work.”
Gemma however, was persistent. It only took about five minutes until you heard the sound of her chair being drug closer to you.
“She sounded jealous to me,” she just barely whispered, pretending to write on her paper. “Galinda, I mean.”
You hummed, clearly disinterested. “Did she?”
“I mean, I don’t blame her. I’d be jealous too, given the pair of you—”
“Excuse me?”
Any attempts of ignoring the girl had been foiled as you jerked your head up at the girl, bewilderment in your eyes. “Don’t clump me up with him. There’s nothing between us, so the last thing I want is to be associated with the likes of him.”
For the first time since the beginning of that class period, Gemma was completely silent, but this time you didn’t like it. She didn’t return to her work and she didn’t look up at the board to follow along in class, rather she just stared at you with a small smile slowly reaching either side of her cheeks.
“You know…now that I think about it, I heard something from someone else who happened to be there.”
You decided you weren’t going to entertain her anymore. You were just going to return to your work.
“They had said Fiyero practically looked like a kicked puppy when you shoved him.”
“I didn’t shove him.” Evidently, you weren’t very good at ignoring the girl.
This time, she let out a hum of amusement, watching you like a hawk. “There was a saying I heard one time…or maybe read.”
Your eyes flicked over to the girl for just a moment.
“Something along the lines of love and hate being pretty much the same thing…”
You had to admit, she was good. Despite nearly never talking to her, Gemma knew exactly how to push your buttons; when you looked up at her, any attempt to finish your classwork out the window, she only met you with a knowing smile.
“I didn’t strike a nerve…did I?”
You grit your teeth at her, angry enough that you hadn’t even realized that class was dismissed. “This has nothing to do with you, okay? So for Oz sake drop it.”
With no intention of waiting on the girl, you gathered your things and slung your bag over your back, but not before leaving her one more statement.
“And for your information, he’s always looked like a kicked puppy.”
In a school where you felt like you never fit in with the masses, you found the library to be your sanctuary—as cliche as it sounds.
It was a place that gave no option but to be silent and in silence you thrived. It was just you and your thoughts and occasionally Elphaba Thropp.
The two of you didn’t talk much, but sometimes the two of you would enjoy the peace that came with existing in a space communally.
No words were needed to know that no judgement was passed in the space.
You both simply were, with no fear of a Galinda disciple to harp on the girl’s green skin and no pitying attempt to be your friend because they didn’t understand you simply didn’t need any.
Night approached slowly and the two of you remained unfazed by it all. Some students came and went, but the two of you remained rooted to your own study spots: far enough that you could forget the other was there but close enough that you could likely chat if either of you desired.
In fact the first time you moved in what felt like hours was to cross the room to retrieve a book. However, in plucking it up from the shelf, you took notice of a rather shoe print vandalizing the cover.
“Who–what?”
Your voice was soft, but echoed, taking Elphaba’s attention away from her work.
“Is something wrong?”
You turned around, confusion and bewilderment clear on your face as you held up the book for her to see from where you were standing. “Who is walking on books?”
As her eyes connected to the large dusted footprint covering the very book you held, her expression drooped from her usual neutral-ness to annoyed recognition.
“You must’ve somehow avoided the chaosification a certain prince started this morning. Left everyone dancing on books and swinging from ceilings.”
With a swift gesture, she pointed up at the tie left hanging from a part of the revolving bookshelf.
Your eyes stayed with it before closing them with a tired sigh, mumbling to yourself. “I can’t seem to escape him, can I?”
“No it seems you can’t.”
With wide eyes, the two of you whipped around to see the man in question looming in the entrance of the library.
Your body tensed up, shoulders squaring in and grip tightening around the book as he strolled closer to the pair of you. “Fiyero.”
But your hostility was met with his own kind eyes looking at you curiously until he came to stand in front of you. “y/n.”
A tightness spread in your chest, glaring up at him as all negative feelings bubbled up within you. You don’t know how long the two of you stood just like that but…he was the first to look away.
Only to look up to Elphaba with a curt nod and charming smile. “Elphaba. I was actually hoping to find the two of you here. You see a number of us are going to Ozdust and—”
“No.”
Your voice echoed across the room, but unlike before. Any semblance of the softness in your voice faded as you met him with a firm distaste.
In a blink he looked back to you, once more taken aback with a startled laugh falling from his lips. “You didn’t even let me ask.”
“It doesn’t matter. My answer is no, Tiglaar.”
Poor Elphaba stood uncomfortably from her side of the room, eyes shifting between the pair of you. “I’m sorry…do you two know each other?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Fiyero looked back at you with wide eyes, more and more confused with every sentence that came from you. “No?”
Nothing in that answer helped Elphaba, the girl reaching for her things between the small yet uncomfortable pauses. “I shouldn’t get in the middle of whatever…this is.”
“Can I expect to see you at OzDust? Everyone will be there.”
Some things never change, especially not Fiyero’s desperate need to include everyone in on his mischief.
But Elphaba only cracked the smallest of smiles. “You have an interesting sense of humor.” And with a pivot she was gone, leaving only the pair of you alone in the starkly quiet library.
You still gripped the book with fierce hold, knowing that if you let go, there would be the smallest of tremors beneath your fingertips.
Just him standing there before you with such confused eyes infuriated you. Acting as if he didn’t hurt you. As if he didn’t abandon you.
You couldn’t help but wonder if it was just a sick game to him: entertain the idea of friendship when it was most convenient to him and leave you high and dry once you got attached, all for his own amusement. He wasn’t that cruel…was he?
“I’ve missed you.”
You faltered. The anger both on your face and within you flickering back and your grip on the book loosened.
With gentle hands, he grasped the book. Not taking it from you but holding it with you, your fingers brushing against each other.
“Have you?”
The nature of the question, you weren’t really sure. You wished it was a snarky reply, one that would send him into silence so that you could quickly make your exit.
But it betrayed you. It was wrapped in vulnerability, questioning if he truly did miss you.
“I have. From the moment you left…Please don’t tell me you ever doubted that.”
Your eyes stung and the tightness in your chest only amplified. “I…”
One of his hands abandoned the book, coming to touch your cheek and for one short fleeting moment, you leaned into it, wanting nothing more than to melt into his touch and forget all the hurt he ever gave you.
In that short moment, losing yourself in his eyes and touch, the walls around your heart crumbled away.
But good moments aren’t meant to last forever. You remembered the last time you felt this way. The last time your heart melted for his tricks and charisma.
You remembered why the walls were built in the first place.
You turned away from his touch like it burned you and pushed his hand from you. “You’re unbelievable. Truly.”
It felt as if needles were pricking your throat as you held back tears. You shoved the book to his chest, letting him fumble for it as you backed away and began for your things.
“Get this through your head Fiyero. We stopped being friends the second I left Winkie Country so whatever ploy you’re trying to play isn’t working. Leave. Me. Alone.”
You walked in stride towards the door as he called for you. You only stopped when he grasped your hand, but you didn’t dare look him in the eye.
“I don’t understand.”
“...don’t bother trying.”
Gemma was gone when you arrived at your room, likely off to the OzDust Ballroom. You were thankful for it, for she wouldn’t see the tears streaming down your cheeks.
You don’t remember the last time you’ve cried this hard, but it hurt more than anything.
It all felt like a cruel joke played on by the universe, waving all your hurt in your face just to get a rise out of you.
When you reached your bed, you sank down to your knees and reached for something: a simple shoebox.
In opening it, you found a myriad of objects, but you reached for one: a letter.
You don’t know why you kept it. But now, you hold it, reading it to remind yourself why you can’t rush back to him, embrace him and let all your grudges fade away. He hurt you once, you couldn’t let him do it again.
My dearest, Fiyero
I don’t know what to say anymore. You always told me that you'd never forget me like everyone else did. That I matter too much to you. A part of me still believes that’s true. Or at least wants to believe it is true.
I can’t help but wonder if it was my fault. I apologize if my words chased you away and the things I admitted ruined the bond we had. I wish nothing more in all of Oz than to take my words back.
I do not know if I’ll even send this. If I do, I fear it will be just like the rest, forgotten and discarded.
prev part ; next part series masterlist main masterlist
did i mention i love angst?
heart, comment and reblog, please it means alot to me xoxo
