AN: "Nooo, Maddy, are you starting another story?"

The answer to that is... well, given the fact that you're currently reading the AN to a new story, I'd say the answer is yes :3.

You know me - when inspiration strikes, it needs to get out right away and it needs to be fuelled by reviews. So... here it is.

This first chapter is very light and introductory; they're not all going to be like that, but I still have to decide how heavy or sad, exactly, this story is going to be. For now, let me bring back an OC I quite liked :).

Chapter 1. A prince

"Behold!" a voice boomed through the throne room of Adurin Iir. "His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Fiyero Hamold Tiggular of the Vinkus! Isn't he just the finest young man you have ever seen! Look at that dazzling smile, that perfect hair, those strong muscles! What you are looking at right now is the most handsome person found in all of Oz! Oh, people, your eyes will never be treated to a prettier sight! Such grace, such intelligence…"

"Such arrogance," Cyara, who had been watching him, added sarcastically. She rolled her eyes. "Oz, Yero, believe me when I say that I can't wait to see you going back to Shiz."

Fiyero - who had been making his way up to his father's throne with a blinding smile on his face, waving at his imaginary audience – paused his self-promoting speech to cast that same blinding smile in his younger sister's direction. He plopped down onto his father's throne, swinging his legs over one arm of it and resting his elbow on the other so that he was casually draped across the elaborately decorated chair, looking at his younger sister.

"Just two more days, sis," he said, wobbling his feet. "Then you're rid of me again until Lurlinemas."

"I can't wait." Cyara hopped down from her spot on a table that was standing against the wall – she had a bad habit of sitting on tables instead of chairs whenever she had the chance – and tucked the book she had been reading under her arm. "Really, I'll be happy to see you go."

Fiyero brought his hand to his forehead, as if he were a delicate upper-class lady that was about to faint. "Oh, good heavens above!" he cried in a mock-desperate voice. "What did I do to deserve this treatment from my own dear sister?"

Cyara sighed. "Sometimes I wonder who's the older sibling here," she muttered.

"But dear sister, don't you see that you have the best brother in all of Oz?" He struck a pose - which was quite the accomplishment, given that he was still half-lying on King Hamold's throne. "He is the most perfect creature ever in existence. So smart, so handsome, so perfect, so amazing, so –"

"Annoying?" Cyara supplied.

Fiyero glared at her.

"I'm going to leave now," she announced, walking towards the double doors that would lead her out into the hallway. "I think I've had enough Fiyero for today. An overdose might be lethal… or maybe it will damage my brain cells, which would not be good, because then I'd end up just like you."

"Oh, those poor peasants, becoming so incredibly overwhelmed by my beauty and charm!" Fiyero crooned, bringing his hand to his forehead once more. "Fear not, my humble people – if you stay around my dazzling perfection for long enough, it might rub off –"

At that point, Cyara turned and hurled her book in his direction. It hit him in the stomach, effectively cutting off his speech and simultaneously causing him to lose his balance and topple off the throne, hitting the floor with a loud thump.

He grunted. "Ouch."

"Oh, no!" Cyara said in mock shock. "His Royal Highness' dazzling perfection has just hit the ground! Let us all grieve this horrendible loss!" She smirked at her brother. "Maybe the blow will cause his ego to deflate, before it grows to be so big that he will need his very own country to fit it in! I heard there's lots of space in the Badlands…" she added innocently.

Fiyero shook his head, but he was grinning. "You know? I think you would get along really well with Elphaba."

"I've been wanting to ask you about that." Cyara approached her brother and perched on her mother's throne, looking at Fiyero. "What's going on with you and this mysterious Elphaba?"

"Nothing," he said, shrugging. "We're just friends."

She arched one eyebrow. "Is that why you have brought her up at least ten times a day this summer? And by that I mean every single day, all summer long?" she asked him teasingly.

Much to her satisfaction, he flushed a little. "I didn't do that!" he protested. "I mean… sure, I've brought her up a lot, but… but I've been talking a lot about all my friends. You know, Nessa, Boq, Galinda…"

"Uh-uh." Cyara nodded seriously. "Yet I know almost nothing about those latter three friends, while you've been telling us everything about Elphaba."

Fiyero opened his mouth to protest, but his sister was quicker. She started counting on her fingers. "I know that Boq is a Munchkin, that Nessa is Elphaba's sister who is in a wheelchair and that Galinda is your blonde ex-girlfriend and Elphaba's best friend and roommate. That's all you ever told us about those three people."

Fiyero closed his mouth, looking down at his feet a bit sheepishly. His sister was right, after all.

"And then there's Elphaba." Cyara tilted her head a little to the side. "I know that she's twenty-one years old and that her father is the Governor of Munchkinland. I know that she's been taking care of her sister her entire life and that her mother died in childbirth with Nessa when Elphaba was still very young. I know she has green skin and has been ostracised and bullied a lot because of it – and still is, according to what you've told us. I know that she's really smart and that she topped the year – though I honestly can't understand why she would befriend you, of all people, if she's so intelligent."

Fiyero muttered something inappropriate under his breath.

Cyara, however, ignored him and just went on. "I know she has dark brown eyes, because when you told us about them you looked all dreamy, like you were drowning in those eyes even when you only saw them in your imagination." She batted her eyelashes and pursed her lips. "Oh, Elphaba, your eyes are so beautiful!" she cooed. "I'm so in love with you, Elphaba! Your hair is so black and so long and so silky, Elphaba! Elphaba, I love you, will you marry me?" She started making kissing noises.

Fiyero buried his face in his hands in embarrassment.

Cyara giggled. "Are you going to admit it or do I need to go on?" she asked, her green eyes twinkling with mischief.

Fiyero heaved a deep sigh, which Cyara took as her sign to continue mocking him.

"Elphaba, let me sweep you off your feet and take you home to my beautiful castle!" she said, trying to imitate her brother's voice. "We will mount my noble steed and I will protect you with my gorgeous, handsome, oh-so-muscular body so that no harm may come to you on our way to the Vinkus! I will make you the wife and the princess of the most perfect man in all of Oz! Now who could decline such an offer?" She made her voice sound normal again as she said thoughtfully, "I bet she would decline that offer, if she really is as smart as you say she is. I mean, it's bad enough that she's friends with you – though that could just be because, you know, she's probably a genuinely nice person and she felt bad for you and your castle-sized ego…"

Fiyero snorted.

"…but I bet she would never let your arrogant playboy prince talk sway her," Cyara finished. "Face it, Fiyero – she's too good for you."

"She is," Fiyero agreed, much to his sister's surprise. Her confusion only grew when she saw the soft smile that spread across his face and realised that he was staring off into the distance without seeing anything and he was looking dreamy again.

He shook his head, as if shaking off a daydream, and looked at his sister. "Cy, can you keep a secret?"

She dramatically put one hand over her heart. "I will guard your secret with my life."

He rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. "Me and Elphaba, we're… we're kind of together," he admitted.

Cyara blinked. "But… but I thought you said…"

"It happened just before the summer," Fiyero said. "A week or so before we would all go home. We've only been on two dates so far, and we've only kissed even once – the day she left back for Munchkinland… it's not really a relationship yet, or anything, but… but it's heading that way."

Cyara was struck speechless. Not so much by the idea of her brother having a relationship – for the past few years it had been a rarity for him not to have some girl by his side at all times – but mostly because of the way he was talking about this… thing… between him and Elphaba. He sounded more serious than she had ever seen him about these things.

"Mum and Dad were right," she observed, clearly surprised by that conclusion. "You really have changed."

He looked at her. "You didn't think I had?"

She shrugged a bit apologetically. "Honestly? I thought it was just a phase," she said. "You've been dancing through life for so long, I figured you'd fall back into your old behaviour again soon enough. But you're… you're really different." She took him in. "It's because of her, isn't it?" she asked, though it was more of a statement than it was a question. "Because of Elphaba."

"Yes," he admitted.

She grinned excitedly. "Yero is finally starting a serious relationship!" She jumped up and hugged her brother, pretending to wipe away an emotional tear. "My dear little Yero, all grown up!"

That earned her a punch in the arm, but she just punched him back.

"Seriously, though, Yero," she said. "This is huge."

He nodded, that dreamy smile appearing again. "I know."

Cyara studied him for a moment. "So why didn't you tell us?" she asked. "That you and Elphaba are dating?"

"She didn't want me to," he admitted. "I think she's afraid that she's going to jinx our relationship or something if we start telling people about it too soon. She's never had a boyfriend before, or… or anything even remotely like it. Her own father hates her, her sister mostly just treats her like a servant… she's never even had a real friend until she came to Shiz."

Cyara grimaced. "That must've been awful."

Fiyero nodded. "So you see why she's hesitant to go too fast with this," he said. "She doesn't want it to end, and she has this crazy idea that she's going to screw up sooner or later and that I'm going to leave her, or something…" He shook his head. "I'm not planning to do that," he said. "But I need to convince her of that."

Cyara was quiet for a while. "That's really sweet," she then said softly.

Fiyero smiled faintly at her. "So you see why I want to give her the time she needs," he said. "I'll tell Mum and Dad about it, of course; but not until Elphaba says it's okay. I don't want to lose her."

His sister looked up at him. "Yero?" she said quietly. "I know I'm always teasing you and everything, but…" She smiled at him. "I'm really proud of you."

He grinned at her. "Aw, thanks, sis." He hugged her, briefly but tightly, before letting go again. "Don't tell Mum and Dad about it, please?"

"I won't," she promised.

She thought about it for a few moments. "Who else knows?" she asked curiously.

"Galinda, Nessa and Boq," Fiyero said. "We couldn't hide it from Glin if we wanted to – she is Elphaba's roommate, after all. Same goes for Nessa, because that girl notices everything." He shook his head. "We then decided to tell Boq as well, but they all know that we don't want anyone else to know about it yet and they respect that. It's… it's still new, and kind of secretive… but it's definitely serious. Fae already agreed on another date the moment we get back to Shiz."

Cyara furrowed her brow. "Fae?" she echoed.

He flushed a little. "That's my nickname for her," he admitted, shuffling his feet a little uncomfortably.

Cyara smiled. "Did you two write over the summer?"

He laughed softly. "We all wrote," he said. "Galinda, Boq, Elphaba – back and forth. But yes, I did write to her. A lot. Like… three or four letters a week."

"I didn't know you could even write that much," Cyara teased him.

He stuck out his tongue.

"Ask her to come back here for Lurlinemas," Cyara then suggested. "I'd love to meet her, and I bet Mum and Dad would, too – especially once they learn about the two of you being together."

His face brightened. "I will," he said, nodding enthusiastically. "I'd love to show her Adurin Iir, and the Vinkus… and to introduce her to you guys. I'll ask her."

"Yero?" Hamold poked his head into the room. "Your mother wants to know if you've already packed your things."

Fiyero groaned. "No," he said defensively. "Of course not. I still have two entire days for that!"

Hamold winked at him. "Sorry, son," he said. "Queen's orders."

Fiyero grumbled something unintelligible and stomped off.

His father followed him. "So I couldn't help but overhear part of that conversation between you and your sister…" he began.

Fiyero sighed.

"From what I understand, you're together with someone… a girl, I'm going to assume…"

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "No, I'm together with a loaf of bread," he said sarcastically. "We're really happy together."

Hamold grinned at him. "Yero…"

"Yes, of course a girl, Dad."

Hamold's grin widened. "Good." He looked at his son attentively for a few moments. "I heard you talking to your sister about inviting this girl over for Lurlinemas."

"Yes." Fiyero turned towards his father. "Look," he said apologetically. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I promised her I wouldn't. We haven't been dating for long, and she's very insecure… she asked me not to say anything to anyone just yet."

Hamold smiled. "So you and Elphaba are together. Your mother and I were wondering whether you just didn't tell us about it or you didn't even know it yet yourself."

Fiyero was stunned. "I never said it was Elphaba!" he protested. "And –"

"Fiyero," his father interrupted him. "We're your parents. You're an open book to us." He squeezed the prince's shoulder. "We noticed the way you talked about her… you're really serious about her, aren't you? Both as a friend and as… something else."

"Yes," Fiyero said immediately.

Hamold smiled at his son. "Okay then. Your sister is right, Yero – you should invite her over for Lurlinemas. We'd love to finally meet her."

"I will," Fiyero promised. He felt a little uneasy about having broken his promise to Elphaba; but at the same time he was sort of relieved that his father knew. He hated keeping secrets from his parents, and he didn't want to keep his relationship with Elphaba hidden. Had it been up to him, all of Oz would know about it by now.

He watched his father walk away, but his mind was elsewhere. Two more days, he realised, and slowly a broad grin spread across his face. Two more days and then he would see Elphaba again.

He could hardly wait.

Also, I'd like to ask you all a random question. I'm working on a story and I need a gender for a baby. I'm completely indecisive, so I would appreciate your input.

So, if you forget about any baby genders I used in my fanfics before - do you vote boy or do you vote girl? ^_^