Chapter Text
Six-year-old Galinda Arduenna Upland giggled as she bounced on her bed, her frizzy, golden-blonde curls dancing wildly around her head. She was supposed to be asleep, but her father had let her have a leftover slice of cake from her birthday party, and she had snuck an additional one, so bedtime felt like a distant future. In her hand, she twirled her favorite gift from her parents, a training wand. The young girl wasn't old enough to fully appreciate its high-quality craftsmanship and intricate handle design, but what she did value was that it helped make her dolls dance above her head.
Though the wand was almost double the size of her arm and heavy in her hand, she wielded it as best she could, using it to channel the immature magic she knew she possessed since she was four. She was far from being able to control her powers, which led to many mostly amusing outbursts, but as rambunctious as she was, she was trying her best to listen to her mother and not use her magic.
"Ooh," she whispered, making her teddy bear bow to her ballerina doll. She giggled as she made them float together in a stumbling waltz.
"Galinda, darling, you're supposed to be asleep," her mother, Larena Upland, said as she pushed the door open, but stopped and stared at her daughter with wide eyes.
"Momsie! Momsie! Look what I can do! Magic!" Galinda beamed, pointing to the dancing toys above her head.
Larena blinked. "Galinda Arduenna Upland, calm down this instant."
The blonde stopped bouncing, but the magic continued. Larena stepped in and gently pried the wand from her daughter's hands.
"Hey! That's mine!"
"Yes, it is. I thought you were old enough to start learning how to use magic correctly and responsibly." She used her magic to counter Galinda's, and the toys returned to their proper places.
"I am, Momsie!" Galinda pouted.
Larena sighed and placed the wand on Galinda's nightstand. The little blonde sat and reached for it, but Larena pulled her daughter into her arms and sat on the bed. "My pet, magic is a wonderful gift. And I know it can be fun to play with it, but it isn't a toy. It's serious. You must learn to use it properly, or things could go wrong. People could get hurt."
Large blue eyes widened. "I don't want to hurt anyone, Momsie. I'm sorry!" Her bottom lip quivered as tears welled in her eyes.
"Oh, my pet. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry." She kissed her forehead and rocked her. "I know you don't want to hurt anyone."
Galinda had never accidentally done anything remotely violent. While gifted, she wasn't very powerful, but knew that could change. The Arduenna Clan had the oldest and strongest magic bloodline in the Gillikin. Larena knew that her daughter was destined to be a great sorceress, but that it would take a lot of time, training, and patience. The top three things the little girl had none of.
"You will begin your magic lessons soon. You must promise me you won't purposefully use any magic unless an adult tells you to."
"But what if I want to practice? I want to be the best one in my lessons."
"I know, my pet. But remember, magic is serious. If you don't know exactly what you're doing, your magic won't, either. You can be the best in your lessons by studying what the teachers tell you."
Galinda frowned, but ultimately conceded. "Yes, Momsie."
She kissed her hair. "The more you use it unchecked, the harder it will be to learn to control. Do you understand everything I told you?"
"Yes, Momsie."
"Good girl. Now, to bed with you."
"But I'm not sleepy. Popsicle let me have an extra piece of cake, but he told me not to tell you."
Larena looked down at her. "Of course he did," she sighed. She stood, her daughter still in her arms. "Perhaps some warm milk with cinnamon and honey will help."
༒︎ • ༒︎
Seven-year-old Elphaba Melena Diggs sat on the edge of her large canopy bed; her brow furrowed in concentration as she focused on the stuffed monkey across the room in her window seat. She had fallen asleep, and her nanny had carried her to bed without her favorite toy. A dull ache pulsed through her body, making the journey to the window and back a tiring task. Using her magic would be more convenient and less exhausting, if only it would cooperate with her.
The only light in the room came from the moonlight streaming through the parted curtains, spotlighting her target toy, and the distance between them.
The young girl growled as she attempted to recall the summoning spell she had learned that day. She hadn't been fully focused, distracted by how Nanny had pulled the straps on her leg braces too tightly. She could only remember fragments of the incantation and decided to say whatever she recalled, hoping it would work.
"Venitioua… huc tavai… uh…" Before she could remember the final word, her walk-in closet doors flew open and all her clothes shot out, careening towards her. A strong wind ripped the curtains from the window, and they joined the tornado of fabrics swirling around Elphaba.
The little green girl let out a shriek of terror as she caught herself in the storm's eye. The rustling fabrics distorted her view of her monkey, still on the window seat, which only added to her distress.
"Nanny!" she called. A dress hit her with such force that she fell off the bed, and the curtain wrapped around her, trapping her in a tight cocoon. She wiggled against it, but it only made it tighten. "Nanny!"
Her cries were answered when her bedroom door flew open and a middle-aged woman, her grey hair in a loose braid down her back, stood in the doorway and turned the lights on. "Elphaba Melena! What are you doing?"
The green girl looked up, the sight of her caregiver calming her magic enough to slow the tornado. Nanny marched over to her, swatting away the clothes that collided with her face, and knelt next to the cocooned girl. She untangled her from the blankets and helped her back onto the bed.
"Fabala, you know you're not supposed to use magic outside of your lessons," Nanny said, her thick Munchkin accent hardened in a gentle scold.
"I wanted Chistery," she frowned, pointing to her toy that was still out of reach.
Nanny went over and retrieved the cause of the commotion. Elphaba immediately melted the moment the stuffed animal, named after her favorite Monkey royal guard, was safely secured in her arms. The old woman regarded her young charge. As the Princess of Oz, the only person more powerful than her was her father, the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz. The emerald-skinned child was the most powerful girl in Oz, in more ways than one.
If her green skin wasn't an outward, magnificent manifestation of the city of emeralds from which she reigned, her magic added to that. Once it was discovered that she possessed the rare gift, her father ensured she had access to the best teacher in all of Loyal Oz. As a trusted, old acquaintance of the Wizard, who primarily taught at the illustrious Shiz University, she was the only non-royal who could command the young princess not to use magic outside of their lessons.
But that didn't mean the stubborn little girl would always listen.
"It's late," Nanny said, trying to ignore the clothes strewn everywhere as she hid a yawn behind her hand. "You should be able to go back to sleep, now that Chistery is returned to you."
"I don't want to sleep."
"Why not?"
"Because if I go to sleep, when I wake up tomorrow, that horrid nurse will be here with her needles, and Dr. Brrr will make me walk by myself, and it hurts."
The old woman gave the young girl a sympathetic smile as she sat on the bed. "Yes, you will have your weekly shots and therapy with Dr. Brrr tomorrow."
Elphaba considered this. "I don't like it."
She pulled her into her arms and kissed her hair. "I know, Fabala."
"When will they both leave and never return?"
"When you're stronger."
"When will that be?"
"When you're older." She couldn't tell her that there was a slim-to-none chance of her recovering her strength from before she got sick, but there was no use dampening her spirits. This wasn't the first time they had this conversation, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.
"I'll use magic to get stronger and send them away for good," Elphaba yawned, her eyelids drooping.
Nanny gently tucked her in. "Of course, Your Little Ozness." She stroked Elphaba's hair as her breathing evened out. Once she was sure she was asleep, Nanny returned the clothes to the closet and made plans to deal with the curtains later.
Galinda honed and developed her magic over the years. She quickly rose to the top of her lessons at the Old Ozma Academy for Gifted Sorcerers, impressing her teachers and the students she surpassed. She was able to wield her magic through her training wand very well for a twelve-year-old, and tried to rush through advances in her training.
"Momsie, I want to take the Sorcerers' Aptitude Test," she declared as she marched into the sitting room.
Larena looked up from her book in surprise. "Where did you hear about that?"
"Some of the older students at the academy were talking about it. It's next month, which doesn't leave a lot of time to prepare, but if I work hard, I can pass."
"Why do you want to take that test?"
"I want to be in the Loyal Oz Magic Registry. If I'm in it, then I can be a Grand Sorceress and work for the Wizard."
Her father took a long drag from his pipe. "Isn't the Sorcerers' Aptitude Test that special yearly test you can only take once in your life?"
"Yes, Highmuster," Larena confirmed, her eyes never leaving her daughter. "Galinda, that test… it involves advanced skills that are above your level. Your full powers haven't even emerged yet. It's going to take much longer than a month."
"But wouldn't it be so impressive if I passed the test at such a young age? That would attract the Wizard's attention, wouldn't it?"
"Galinda, the Wizard doesn't personally oversee the test or the results. He's much too busy with other things."
"But if someone special were to come along –"
"My pet, you just aren't ready." She took her daughter's hands and gently pulled her onto the sofa. "You can take the test when your teachers and I believe you are ready. You aren't required to take it immediately. You have until your eighteenth birthday, and most people wait until then. We believe in you, and we don't want you to be crushed if you fail. You can't retake it."
Galinda frowned. "Why can't my full powers emerge now?"
"That's not the way it works, my darling. Everyone's powers mature at different times, no matter how much training you do prior." She squeezed her hands. "You can do anything you put your mind to, Galinda. And you will always have mine and your father's support."
"That's right, my dear," her father agreed.
Galinda's frown slowly melted. "I will be the youngest person to pass that test."
"I know you will, my pet. When you're ready."
"Can I show you what I learned today?"
"We'd love to see, Galinda," Highmuster smiled, squeezing his wife's hand to remind her to smile.
༒︎ • ༒︎
"Magic is like a muscle. If you don't cultivate your magic, it atrophies and dies."
For some reason, Elphaba couldn't shake her magic teacher's words as she stood between the two horizontal bars, gripping them so tightly that her knuckles turned pale. Though her current task had nothing to do with magic, she was putting in the work to make sure her non-magic muscles didn't atrophy and die.
The thirteen-year-old moaned as she tried to force her legs, free from the braces for the hour, to move forward. She had a particularly bad chronic pain flare-up of her usually manageable diagnosis, and flare-ups on physical therapy days were the worst. Her leg muscles ached, and she felt like she was trying to move through molasses.
She knew she should've hidden behind her father's large throne when she had the chance.
"Keep trying, Miss Elphaba," Dr. Brrr, a Lion, said from the opposite side of the bars, his low, deep voice a calming bridge.
"I hate this," Elphaba hissed. "I hate you."
Words she spoke often. The Lion knew her agitation and irritability would all be forgotten once she succeeded in the task. He sat, his front paws pawing at the carpet. "I know," he said patiently, gazing over his spectacles at her. "How about this: if you make it over to me, next Friday, we will go downstairs to the palace pool."
Movement in water was much easier, and Elphaba preferred easier. She sighed out a groan, forcing her mind to tell her legs to cooperate. She had done this before, sometimes easier, sometimes harder. Sometimes she fell, but Dr. Brrr always encouraged her to stand up again. She slowly slid her right leg forward, then her left, pulling her torso forward. She slowly built a steady momentum, each limped step adding a bit of confidence across the long bars. Moments later, she reached the end and collapsed against the Lion's soft fur.
"Well done, Miss Elphaba," Dr. Brrr purred, his paws rubbing circles on her back to calm her hard breaths. "I know that was hard, and you did so well."
"… Pool?"
"I keep my promises." He helped her to the rubber mat to begin their end-of-session cool-down exercises.
The small success lifted Elphaba's spirits. She stretched her legs and lower back, feeling a bit better now that her muscles were looser and less likely to cramp. "Did Gayelette have the cubs yet?" she asked, finishing her exercise and rubbing her legs.
"Not yet. They're due within the month," Dr. Brrr said, smiling softly at the idea that he'll soon be a father.
"Can I meet them when they're born?"
"I will let you know when they're born, and I will bring them to the garden when they are old enough." He recognized her attempt to suggest that he ask her father to allow her outside the palace walls. A suggestion that would be vetoed, just like all the other times she suggested it. "Don't you think we break the rules enough as it is, Miss Elphaba?" He shook his mane and crouched down.
Elphaba smiled as she climbed onto his back. "My father won't know."
"Oh, he'll know. He probably knows about our rides, but hasn't said anything because I haven't dropped you yet."
"I know you'd never drop me."
The Lion stood and pushed Elphaba's door open with his nose. She gripped his mane as he walked down the hall and the far steps to the garden.
"Hold on tight," was his warning before he took off down the long path.
Elphaba laughed as the wind whipped through her long, raven hair, making her ponytail dance behind her. She leaned forward, letting his fur tickle her beneath her chin. Her father's overprotectiveness rarely allowed her truly freeing moments like this, and she closed her eyes.
As caged as she felt, she knew she was one of the luckiest girls in Oz. Her father gave her any materialistic thing she wanted. She had an entire floor in the West Wing just for her; a suite that included an expansive bedroom, a living room, a large bathroom with a large sunken tub, and a small kitchen to give her easy access to small snacks. She didn't take her privilege for granted, but that didn't stop her from wanting things she couldn't have.
All too soon, the romp through the garden was over, and Dr. Brrr cooled down as he walked back to Elphaba's bedroom. As always, her governess was there, dutifully waiting.
"Successful day, Miss Ambright," Dr. Brrr reported as he stopped next to Elphaba's bed and helped her transfer off his back. "We earned a pool day next visit."
"Wonderful," the young woman smiled, opening the window and handing Elphaba her leg braces and wheelchair.
Dr. Brrr packed up his tools as Elphaba put on her braces. The metal supports went all the way up her legs, with lightly cushioned straps above and below her knees, below her thigh, on her shins, and right under her heels. Despite being made of the finest quality materials and fortified with bits of emerald, they weren't heavy, which she was grateful for. It helped her balance and made mobility much easier since they weren't helping gravity weigh her down.
"Bye, Dr. Brrr," Elphaba smiled, waving to the Lion.
"Your Royal Highness," he smiled, lifting his right paw to his forehead as he bowed. He nodded to the governess and left.
"Geography or economics today?" Ahni asked as Elphaba situated herself in her chair, fixing her long skirt over her legs.
"Economics," Elphaba answered after considering the two options that weren't her preferred choice.
While she liked her royal governess, not a day went by when she didn't miss her old Nanny. Her father had dismissed her with a hearty severance package once she turned ten, claiming she was too old for a nanny and could manage with a proper royal governess. She had been devastated when she left, calling after her as the palace door closed behind her. She remembered shuffling as fast as she could, falling, and her magic taking over. The tapestries hanging above the windows tore from bottom to top, the carpets ripped up from the floors, and the windows cracked almost to the point of shattering.
She felt someone help her up, but she refused to be consoled as a young woman, or an old teenager, with long, coily, fiery red hair, green eyes, and freckles sat beside her with a small smile.
"I want Nanny," Elphaba sniffled with a scowl. "Bring her back!"
"I know you want your nanny," the young woman said sympathetically. "But… my name is Ahnami. You can call me Ahni. I was hoping we could be friends."
"I don't want to be your friend! I want Nanny! Now!"
"I know. I can't bring your nanny back, and I'm sorry, but I'll be here whenever you're ready to be friends."
Elphaba had refused every attempt at a peace offering for weeks, but Ahni was gently persistent. Finally, after almost four months of fighting, Elphaba gave in. Ahni had proved to be a wonderful teacher, caregiver, and companion. She taught Elphaba music, math, linquification, history, penmanship, geography, economics, and etiquette. But most importantly, to care for herself, and she gave her more freedom than her father would probably want.
The green girl followed the older woman out of her room and down the hall to the classroom. The room was large enough to fit a regularly sized class, but only contained one desk for Elphaba, the teacher's desk, a chalkboard, a bookcase, and pull-down maps.
Elphaba waved her hand with a whispered spell, and the curtains opened, illuminating the room with natural sunlight before Ahni turned the lights on.
"Elphaba, you know the rules. No magic when Madame Morrible isn't here."
"Not even this?" She wiggled her fingers, and a wind enveloped her governess, pulling her curly hair into a tent atop her head.
The woman let out an indignant humph, and Elphaba laughed. "Yes, even that." But she had to smile. She always ended up smiling at the green girl's antics. "Let's continue with the Quadling Clay Collapse, and how it affected the wheat exports."