Chapter Text
Boq Woodsman was a normal Munchkin boy. A smarter-than-average munchkin, sure, but still he would consider himself normal. He looked similar to the other munchkins too; curly ginger hair, freckles, short .
He paid attention in class too, and had fairly high grades. He planned to graduate from Shiz and go home to his family. Maybe then his parents would be proud of him. Maybe they would be so proud, they would forget to be upset at him for running off to Shiz in the first place.
Maybe he could leave his farming life behind, too.
He had one friend in all of Shiz. His roommate. Old . His old roommate, who had dropped out of Shiz a few weeks ago. This was also why he stood next to Miss Coddle in the very crowded school courtyard, nervously playing with his fingers.
There was to be a new arrival today. Said new arrival was going to be Boq’s new roommate. He would like to think that he wouldn't be too anxious if his new roommate, like him, was, well, normal .
Except his new roommate was far from normal. He was a prince from the Winkie country.
Just before Miss Coddle met him at the courtyard, her voice was heard throughout school, thanks to the new speaker system, announcing the Winkie prince’s arrival.
Almost every student rushed to the courtyard to wait for him too. Including Galinda Upland, who Boq really wanted to notice him. Would she see him now that he was going to become the prince’s roommate? He really hoped so.
A few very long and very awkward moments later, a tall, lanky figure appeared at the gates. He seemed to stand there for a bit, as still as a statue, before making his way through the sea of students. The prince eyed his peers, but he didn't engage with any. Well, he gave a small smile to Galinda when she called his name. Boq couldn't blame him, who would ignore the Galinda Upland? She squealed in return.
He stopped when he was just a couple feet ahead of Miss Coddle and Boq. The headmistress stepped forward and shook his hand.
“Your highness-” Miss Coddle began.
“Oh, uh, Fiyero’s fine,” the prince interrupted.
“ Fiyero ,” Boq could hear her smile even from where he stood behind, “welcome to Shiz, it's an honour to have you. Now, I'm afraid I don't have much time to give you the full induction as I have much to attend to, and you were quite late.” She gently grabbed Boq’s arm and pulled him forward, “however, this is your roommate, Boq. He will guide you to your dorm and then provide you with a full tour of the campus.”
Her words felt more like a reminder for Boq than an introduction for Fiyero.
Boq raised his hand, “Boq Woodsman.” He gave his best smile.
“Fiyero Tigelaar,” Fiyero took the munchkin's hand, shaking it.
When their hands were released, Boq lowered himself into his best bow. He was unsure how it looked, he had never really bowed in front of anyone before. Let alone actual royalty.
Fiyero laughed awkwardly, “there's, uhm, no need for all that.”
Boq lifted himself up, noting that the prince held himself quite anxiously. He shifted his feet a lot, and his eyes darted around constantly. He kept clenching and unclenching his fist.
He was expecting the prince to be more care-free, extroverted. He thought the prince would make a spectacle of his arrival, possibly on horseback or in a carriage. He certainly was not expecting a nervous wreck.
Miss Coddle clapped her hands together, “right, now that you are acquainted, I will leave you to it. I trust that Mr Woodsman will be on his best behaviour,” Boq nodded. The headmistress turned her attention to the crowd, “right, you lot, off to class, or away from here.”
The students didn't budge, all of them stared at Fiyero’s back. Noises of protest arose from them.
Miss Coddle cleared her throat, “I shan't repeat myself.” Her voice was stern, a warning. It almost made Boq want to leave, before he remembered he had to be here.
This did make the crowd disperse, and, soon enough, it was just Boq and Fiyero on the courtyard. The prince seemed more comfortable in his own skin now that there were less people around, he was far less fidgety.
“So, should I show you to our dorm?” Boq asked, trying to shake off the feeling that arose from the fact that his new roommate was of royal lineage.
Fiyero nodded, and gestured for Boq to take the lead.
The two walked in silence, unsure what to say to each other. When they reached the accommodation building, Boq spoke up. “I'm sorry that you have to share a room with me, I can only assume that there aren't any private suites left.”
Fiyero made a noise, surprised at the sudden attempt at conversation. “It's alright, I don't expect anything.. special.”
“But you're a prince-”
“That doesn't mean I'm any better than everyone else.” It was the first time Fiyero sounded completely sure about his words. No stuttering, no pauses.
They stopped when they reached the dormitory door, Boq used his key to unlock it. He pushed the door open.
“Sorry that it's small, it used to house two munchkins,” Boq apologised, gesturing for Fiyero to follow him inside, “and we don't need much space, obviously.”
“It's okay,” was the simple response. The prince headed towards the unoccupied side of the room. “You don't have to keep saying sorry for things that are out of your control.”
“Right, sorry ,” Boq mentally cringed.
He watched as Fiyero placed his bag down next to the bed. He turned back to meet the munchkin's eyes, “it's nice.. cosy.”
Boq stared into the deep blue eyes for a moment, before blinking, “yeah.” He suddenly remembered something, reaching for the small box, “oh! Here, before I forget again,” he pressed the box inside of Fiyero's hands, “it's a key.. for our room.”
Fiyero nodded in gratitude, pocketing the box. A few clock ticks later, he apprehensively spoke up “you said another munchkin used to stay here?”
Boq raised an eyebrow, was the prince attempting small talk? “Yeah, he did. He left though, something about needing to go back to his family.”
Fiyero simply hummed.
“It's not enough room for a Winkie though, I'm going to be honest with you, you're very tall.” Boq giggled to himself.
“Vinkun.”
“Sorry?”
“You said Winkie.. it's- nothing,” Fiyero shook his head, “it's fine. Just.. forget it.”
Boq tilted his head, “no, please continue.”
“I said it's fine, don't worry about it,” the prince sighed, but quickly added, “should we start the tour? I don't really want to miss a lot of the school day.”
The munchkin didn't press on, and followed the prince out of the dorm.