Like many stories, this one is told and understood through the eyes of the future and what was to come. Therefore it seemed only natural that the cause of many chance occurrences stemmed from a single prophecy. Like most prophecies, the power lies not at the final revelation of the truth, but at the attempts of men to alter or bring about said prophecy. The origins of this story began long before a child from Kansas was swept into Oz, before the birth of an odd green child, and even long before a funny man in a red balloon landed in Oz.
Various pieces of the prophecy were written down, but the leaders of the time felt that if any one person would get access to the whole story that they would try to shape the way of things. However when the time came for the prophecy to play out the scraps of information were put to worse scrutiny and bending of events then the original seers thought or feared. However one philosopher did have the inclination to provide a key to putting the writings together; what he lacked in writing skills he made up for with an artistic swirl of a paintbrush.
The majority of the prophecy started to form a picture in the mind of the artist which he translated to the canvas with his paints, brushes, and gentle strokes. He thought of the two strong witches who once joined together would be powerful enough to bring down rulers and nations. This backbone of the truth formed the background of two rocky lands connected by an isthmus. The prophecy went on to mention that one girl would be very colorful in all aspects of life. The artist chuckled to himself wondering who would think that this description would also take into consideration the color of the girl's skin. He added a few green shoots coming out of the ground of one of the rocky lands. He went on to paint a witch standing between the two lands as the final conclusion on how the future would play out depended on a major choice between two places and outcomes. The details on the witch were bits and pieces of the minor writings: the cradled beast and offer to feed the creature to symbolize the witch's love and caring nature of all beasts, a hazy dawn blue gown to show what the dawn could look like if all the pieces fell into place, and the silver shoes to not only point out the direction the two girls could be found in, but also to show an easy way to cross between worlds. The artist glanced at the shoes and hoped in his whole being that someone would understand his message with the shoes as the harsh choice placed on the witch's head would not nearly be as painfully—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Finally in the background, the artist painted in "cerulean blue sea, with white-lipped waves of astonishing vigor and particularity." He knew that the struggles the girls would face would be harsh, and would try to keep them apart. He hoped that those opposing the girls would never grow enough power and force to be able to break the connection between them. He put down his brushes and looked at the final piece. He knew it was not one of his better works, but he knew that it would have the most impact on those who would view it in the future. He just prayed that it ended up in the right hands, but if not he hoped that the full meaning of the picture would not be understood by them until it would be too late for them to use the information to their benefit.
About 5 centuries after the artist first picked up his brush to paint, a Munchkin by the name of Boq found the picture of a supposed Kumbric Witch. But by then the damage had already been started and various factions had already used the bit of knowledge they gleaned from a fraction of the overall prophecy in order to try and use the outcomes to their advantages.
In another 500 years or so scholars would probably sit around studying the texts and the painting, and with the knowledge of the past events be able to 'see' and 'understand' how all the pieces fit so well together. But when the events were unfolding, all the people trying to maneuver the players around the situation were not as enlightened. The manipulators were out for their own gain and so they did not care about how various players would fair in their game of strategy; therefore the lives of many people were ruled by an ancient scrap of paper.
But one thing that many people do not take into account when dealing with prophecy, is that often the actions trying to stop the overall outcome actually leads to the final destination.
AN: Picture description in section "Gillikin, Boq, 6"