Jellia hummed to herself as she brushed her hair. It was a beautiful day, as usual, and Ozma was planning to travel south to Glinda's palace after lunch, which would mean a quiet afternoon in the Emerald Palace. Since Dorothy was visiting the Tin Palace in the west and Betsy and Trot were both off on adventures, Jellia was hoping to get some leisure time. Oscar was in town and so Jellia intended to surprise him with a picnic.
The reflection in the tin-framed mirror (a birthday gift from Nick Chopper) showed Jellia that she was looking very pretty today. Her green dress fell around her in graceful folds and she silently thanked Lurline that she no longer wore an apron and cap as part of her uniform. Being Ozma's most trusted attendant had some definite perks!
She sat on the edge of the bed and slipped her feet into her simple green shoes. It was time to fetch Ozma's breakfast tray. Jellia also wanted to speak to the cook about what she wanted for her picnic while she was in the kitchen. She had served in the palace long enough to know what all of Oscar's favorite foods were and she wanted everything to be perfect. It had been too long since they had gotten any real time together and she didn't plan to waste a moment of it.
Carefully closing her bedroom door behind her, Jellia headed off to the kitchen. She sang to herself as she went. The palace hallways were always quiet in the mornings (except near the kitchens) and exceptionally so today, with so much of the palace inhabitants away. The normally quiet maid sang without reservation, knowing it was unlikely she would be overheard. She was certain that today would be a perfectly lovely day!