"Affection is a dangerous thing, dear. If one is not careful enough to hide it, then threat indefinitely lurks around every corner."

So- this will be my first multi-chapter thing! Yay! I know, Sapphire Poet, that you liked the Evanora one better, but that one was giving me a headache because I was writing like a freaking seven year old which was just…god. Pissing me off. And I couldn't figure out how to stop. So, I needed a more mature topic to write off of!

The rating for this story WILL GO UP. I can guarantee. It will. But not yet. That's a few chapters away, and that's also if you all like it enough for me to continue.

Anyhow, please review, tell me if you notice anything strange or are confused and I will try to explain those things in chapters to follow. This first chapter moves sort of fast, and is shorter than others, but that was more to draw you all in to the story; something I figured like a good author would try to do!

That's all. Enjoy.

"Isn't he wonderful?" Theodora sighed. "Didn't I say he would come?"

"You dare escort that…oaf in here and allow him to climb on the hallowed throne?" Evanora snapped in an annoyed tone, looking in the direction of where the Wizard had left. Theodora strode across the room towards her sister, her heart beating with the energy of the conversation.

"And why not? He is the Wizard!"

"The Wizard!" Evanora groaned. "Or so he says…I mean, did it not…occur to you, that he might be an imposter, in league with the Wicked Witch and…sent here to kill us!" She quickly created a scenario to frighten her sister with, hoping desperately the girl would accept the story and abandon this so called "Wizard."

"Wicked Witch- don't be ridiculous." The younger witch pleaded. Evanora let out another groan at her sister's words.

"I'm not the one who's under estimating her cleverness…" She mumbled, turning her back and beginning to walk away. Images of Glinda flashed through her head as she spoke, making her fingers tingle and twitch with unease.

Suddenly, an idea crossed her mind. She froze and spun around to face her sister.

"Or maybe it's you I'm underestimating." She breathed. Theodora looked back at her with disbelief in her rich, dark eyes.

"Have you finally…joined her side, sister?"

"I'm on no one's side. You know that." Theodora insisted. "I…I simply want peace, that's all I ever wanted, and the Wizard can do that, he's a good man!"

"Oh what do you know about goodness- deep down you are wicked."

"I'm not wicked!" Theodora shrieked. As the anger of her words traveled from her lips through her body, her fingers produced a flame that shot across the room and shattered a nearby vase, leaving the remnants of it to burn under the fire's heat.

Her sudden outburst of magic caused a silence to pass over both sisters. The younger witch looked at her own hand in shock, while Evanora felt a wave of jealousy engulf her body.

"That temper really is…wasted on you." The older witch stated, irked at her sister's seemingly superior magic. If only the little idiot would learn how to control it- how to use it, then Evanora could really have the upper hand. Besides, now that the "Wizard" was here, she was going to need all the power she could get. She needed her sisters help in getting rid of that pesky man in order to continue with her plan. No doubt Glinda would attempt to resurface and take back her throne, now that her Father's prophecy was here- and Evanora couldn't handle her alone. If she was to remain in charge, she needed to disperse of both the Wizard and Glinda, and she would need her sister's assistance to accomplish that. Of course, that would require convincing Theodora to join her side of the fight first.

But, in a sudden burst of thought, she realized that wouldn't prove all that difficult.

"Sister…"she cautiously said, trying to drape her words in a layer of false concern, "when exactly did you find the Wizard?" It was a stupid question, because the older witch knew exactly when, where, and how her sister had met the Wizard, and she knew all the events that had transpired after their introductions.

Theodora swallowed hard, trying to keep her already loose temper under control.

"Yesterday afternoon."

Evanora plastered on a look bordering between disbelief and concern.

"What happened last night…between you and him?"

Theodora bit her lip nervously before answering in a soft whisper.

"He…we kissed. We kissed…and…we danced and…it was wonderful." A smile passed over her lips at the memory, but Evanora tried as best she could to appear distraught.

"Theodora, you don't…you're not…in love with this man are you?"

The young witch's grin held its place even though her eyes darted around the floor.

"Yes. Yes I…I am." She whispered happily. Evanora smacked a hand onto her own forehead and sighed deeply.

"Sister…sister…you can't just…fall in love in a few hours and…and even if you could this… 'Wizard' of yours is not-"

"He's wonderful. He knows of my affections for him, and he returns them. He said so himself." The young witch interrupted defensively. Evanora suppressed the satisfied grin that had attempted to cross her face. This will be much easier than I thought.

"Affection…oh Theodora…" The older witch sauntered over to her sister and traced the girl's jawline with her peculiar nails. Bending over, she whispered her warning into Theodora's ear.

"Affection is a dangerous thing, dear. If one is not careful enough to hide it, then threat indefinitely lurks around every corner."

/

Theodora, dressed in a thin white nightgown, sat idly on the edge of her bed, looking out her window at the darkening sky above the Emerald City. Something about the fading light didn't feel right tonight; something made her feel apprehensive and nervous.

But, what did she know? And besides, she lived in the most protected City in all of Oz, and she had her sister's army patrolling at all hours, not to mention she lived in the King's palace. So really, there was no reason for her to be afraid. She was well guarded and well looked after.

So, why was she so on edge?

Regardless of her most likely irrational fears, the young witch blew out the remainder of her lit candles and climbed under her covers, eager to wake up tomorrow and see her wonderful Wizard. She pressed her head against the cool fabric of her pillows and wished that sleep would come quickly so that morning would come just as fast.

In her last waking thoughts, her sister's words bounced back into her skull. She didn't know what they meant or what they could mean, but any inquiry she had about them was immediately lost in her dreams.

"Affection is a dangerous thing, dear. If one is not careful enough to hide it, then threat indefinitely lurks around every corner."

/

The wind from an open window tickled Theodora's bare toes when they poked out from under her covers. It was cold and strange, mainly because, even in the middle of the night, Theodora was awake enough to know she had kept her window closed.

But she thought nothing of that and assumed, in her half asleep state of mind, that she hadn't latched it properly before she fell asleep. She had yet to realize how wrong her assumption was.

The sensation continued for several minutes, as the witch was too groggy to stand up and close the glass. But after that, she sighed deeply into her extravagant pillows, tossed her blankets aside and rolled onto her back before beginning to sit up.

"Well, good morning, Miss."

The voice, slurred and heavy, appeared from nowhere and left Theodora no time to form any sort of response. Before she even had a chance to breathe, a hand clamped down across her jaw and over her lips, preventing any form of noise or well-deserved protest from escaping. Just as quickly as that hand had appeared, another one slid under her back, snaking around both her arms and dragging her quickly from the bed.

Out of fear, Theodora began to kick and scream, although the noise was very muffled and her legs held about the same amount of strength as the stem of a flower. She was too dazed to see clearly and still mentally half asleep, even though her body operated at full speed due to anxiety and shock.

"This is her, right? The one we were supposed to get?" A new voice asked. This one was higher pitched but still manly and rough, and it filled the room with the stench of alcohol.

"It should be, but I don't really care. As long as we get paid."

A dark chuckle followed the words into the emptiness of the room.

"C'mon, take her out. Someone's going to hear us if she keep this up." The heavier voice said impatiently, referring to Theodora's constant struggling that still had gotten her nowhere.

"You're sure this stuff will work?"

"No, and like I said, I don't really care, just hurry up so we can get the hell out of here."

From out of the blurry images of the room, Theodora could see a large hand produce a damp cloth from a peculiar looking bag. The smell of the item made her lightheaded and weak in the knees.

"Time to go back to sleep, beautiful."

"Hurry up." The first voice demanded.

"Alright, alright! On three, okay? One…two…three."

The hand around Theodora's mouth was removed only long enough for the cloth to be pressed over her nose and lips. The scent of the fabric was appalling and sharp but the witch couldn't help but breathe it in.

It made her stomach tighten and release as if she was about to vomit, and her body tingled with a horrible acuteness. Her head spun like a top as her eyes rolled back into her head, and without any warning, her body caved in on itself.

The last sights she had before she was dropped to the floor was a ladder propped up through her open window, and her own image of what the Wizard's face would look like when he realized she had been kidnaped.