(a/n: Here's my second little one shot for 'Oz the Great and Powerful' Only this time with Theodora. Enjoy and please review!)
Theodora walked out on to the castle terrace and watched as her Winkie guards patrol the grounds down below.
Even though it had been years since she had been banished from the Emerald City by the Wizard and Glinda, she still harbored a burning hatred for the two. The witch even despised her sister, Evanora.
Evanora had tricked Theodora into believing that Glinda was the one who murdered the king of Oz and had plotted to destroy them. But Theodora eventually discovered the dark truth.
After they were driven out of the grand city, Theodora reunited with her sister in the dark forest.
Evanora was once powerful and young but she was now reduced to a feeble old crone with hardly any magic in her entire body.
Taking pity on her aged sibling, Theodora gave her sister a pair of enchanted slippers that would give her enough power to help her survive.
After that, the two parted ways.
Theodora took her sisters castle and army of Winkies in the west and Evanora conquered Munchkin land in the east. As the years passed, their relationship grew bitter and eventually the two broke contact with each other.
Theodora was still furious over her sister's lies and treachery while Evanora was angry at Theodora because of their defeat at the Emerald City.
Evanora blamed their defeat on Theodora because she had destroyed the wizard's mortal form, which made him infinitely more powerful.
Theodora looked up at the starry night sky and sighed deeply.
After years of trying to infiltrate the Emerald City and years of scheming to defeat the wizard, Theodora decided that it would be better if she had reconciled with her sister so they could work together to regain control over the Land of Oz.
But all that went up in smoke when a bratty child killed Evanora.
Theodora was well on her way to visit her and when she arrived she found Evanora's body, crushed beneath a battered old house.
Immediately she learned that Evanora's demise came at the hand of a young girl. Right from the moment she saw the child Theodora hated her.
She didn't know why, but she hated Dorothy more than the Glinda and the Wizard combined. Could it be because she had killed Evanora, her dear sister, and acted so innocent about it? Or could it be the fact that she eerily resembled Glinda?
Theodora didn't care; she just hated that accursed child.
Years ago, Theodora had admired the good witch of the south and had even looked up to her. But that changed when she had defeated Evanora and had them both banished to the farthest reaches of Oz.
The witch's mind drifted to the current ruler of Oz. The great and powerful wizard who was named after their land, who was prophesized to bring peace after defeating the wicked witch.
She remembered how they first met. That warm, sunny day by the river as he stood by his destroyed hot air balloon. Soaking wet and being nipped by dozens of river fairies. When the memory of that single river fairy squirting the wizard in the face with water Theodora smiled a genuine smile for the first time in years.
But that smile quickly left her face when she remembered the day she discovered that he courted with Evanora the same why he did with her.
She felt foolish for falling for his charms and she was still furious that he would so carelessly play with her emotions, making her believe that he had loved her and then at the last minute, leave her for Glinda.
The witch glanced over her shoulder towards the large wooden cabinet that stood in the corner of her room.
Theodora left the terrace and went to the cabinet. She withdrew a small bronze key from her pocket and unlocked it.
Inside where some items from her old room in the Emerald City that she brought with her.
On the topmost shelf was a dusty wooden box. Theodora grabbed the dusty old box and pulled it off the shelf carefully.
She brushed off the thick film of dust off of its lid with her sleeve. Her withered, useless heart thumped once in her chest.
That caught the witch by surprise. Long ago she ate a magic apple that caused her heart to wither away to a worthless husk and it turned her into what she was to this day.
Theodora gently opened the lid of the box and a pair of miniature figures slowly arose. A soft gentle melody played as the two figures waltzed gracefully in fixed a circle. The volume of the tune was softer than she remembered and some of the gears in the box creaked loudly from disuse, but the tune was as clear as the day she first heard it.
As the music played, her mind immediately took her back to that night. They were by the campfire; the wizard had given her the music box as a gift. The first gift she had ever received in her entire life.
She remembered him teaching her to dance. They stepped together to the music with their arms around each other; their bodies pressed so closely together that she could feel his heartbeat and the warmth of his breath. It was at that moment she had fallen for him.
The music from the music box stopped and Theodora shook herself out of her memory. Reminiscing on those moments always made her feel worse than usual.
She closed the lid of the music box and she suddenly remembered the wizard's offer before she fled from the Emerald City.
He made it clear to her that if she had any goodness left in her, she would be welcomed back to the Emerald City.
Over the years, there were a few times where she entertained the notion of giving up and returning to the Emerald city. She would picture herself entering the city without a problem. Theodora even imagined that the wizard would welcome her back with open arms and that everything would change for the better.
But usually she dismissed those thoughts, knowing that it was only a foolish dream.
She was hated and feared by all in the Land of Oz. The moment she would set foot in the Emerald City, the wizard would probably kill her.
Theodora scooped up the box and she returned it to its resting place in the cabinet. She closed the doors and locked it.
Tucking the key back in her pocket, she went over to her crystal ball to scry for the girl who killed her sister.
The witch tried to focus on the crystal ball but her mind would occasionally slip back to the man who gave her the music box. She hated him very much but deep down, she felt something else for him. It wasn't hate but it was something else entirely.
Theodora first thought it was love but that was impossible because of her withered heart and hatred for the manipulative wizard.
But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed likely.
The witch disposed of a lot of things that connected her to her old life but she never really could bring herself to dispose of the old music box. A few times she caught herself trying to scry the throne room of the Emerald City. She told herself that she was only trying to peek at what the Wizard was planning but she wasn't at all convinced of her own lie.
But those scrying attempts failed due to the powerful enchantments that were placed on the entire city.
Occasionally she would catch a glimpse of Glinda arriving at the front gates of the Emerald City. It wasn't a surprise to her that Glinda looked the same all these years.
Theodora's blood boiled at the sight of the good witch. She was powerful, beautiful and was adored by her subjects, the people of Oz. Even the Wizard himself made it no secret that he fancied her.
While Theodora on the other hand was reviled and scorned by all, she was a hideous creature that no one would love.
Of course the Wizard would choose Glinda, thought Theodora, Who would choose a vile, wicked witch?
But the wizard's words echoed around in her mind. The witch considered his offer of returning home and reuniting with him, maybe even mend their relationship. But eventually shook her head muttering "Just a foolish dream" and she focused her attention back to the crystal ball.
(a/n: what do you think? This is set years after 'Oz the great and powerful' during 'The Wizard of Oz'. Tell me what you think. love it? hate it? review!)