4.) Unpopular:
As Glinda traveled in her enchanted bubble towards the Emerald City, she could see the prosperous farms and fields of the Gilikin Country below her. Since becoming the Good Witch of the North, Glinda had done much to keep the Gilikinese safe from the cruelties of the Wizards brutal reign. As a result, the inhabitants of this land were far more happy and prosperous than ether the Munchkins or Winkies were... though they had still suffered while the tyrant had ruled the emerald city.
Glinda passed over the forest of the winged monkeys, and the flying city of Loonville. The inhabitants of both waved as Glinda passed them, bowing and showing the proper respect due to their Good Witch. Since being freed from the Wicked Witch, the Winged Monkeys had been loyal messengers and servants to Glinda... though the flying loons could be rather foolish and stupid at times. And the Skeezer's quartz nanotechnology in their glass city on the lake, ensured that Glinda's country was the most scientifically advanced out of the four regions of Oz.
As she flew over the Magic Isle, the great dragon Quox and a patrol of his dragon soldiers flew up and saluted her, their great golden wings blocking out the sun. Originally from another land, Quox had been sent to Oz to help it's people in their times of need. Glinda was grateful for his arrival, as the mighty warrior had been able to reorganize a brood of lazy dragons, who only came out every century to eat, into an elite fighting force... a powerful defense force for the Gilikin country, that even the Wizard had feared. But even here, in her lands, there were threats- such as the giantess Ms. Yoop, and the terrible purple spiders, who enslaved travelers in their sinister webs.
Despite all this power and ability, there was always one thing that grated on Glinda's nerves about the the people of her country- they weren't popular. There was nothing particularly showy or beautiful or glamorous about her subjects that made them stand out from the other regions of Oz. Oh sure, Glinda tried to make up for it by recruiting the prettiest and most charismatic Gilikinese girls to act as her personal guards and servants at her palace -and her castle was the most beautiful in all of Oz- but that still didn't seem to be enough!
She envied her sister, Locasta, who ruled the gorgeous Quadling country to the South. Hersubjects included a village of beautiful people made of living porcelain, and a whole town of cute living paper dolls, cut from magic paper by Locasta's friend Cuttenclip (a nickname Locasta had given her). And to make matters worse, Locasta was herself unpopular- and liked it that way! It still blew Glinda's mind that her own sister was a black-haired bookworm who didn't care what other people thought about her. Sometimes, Glinda wondered if fate had played a cruel trick on her, and she should have been the good witch of the South instead!
It was then Glinda's mind drifted back to their childhoods, when she and Locasta had never even heard of a wizard...
----
"Locasta!" Glinda's mother snapped harshly at her youngest daughter. "Get your nose out that book, and get back to your dancing lessons!"
"Won't!" Locasta replied, sticking out her tongue. "Don't want to!"
"Then go to you room!" Locasta left, sulking. Their mother turned to her eldest daughter. "Remember Glinda, it doesn't matter how smart or clever you are... it's what people think of you... how well you can perform for them... that will help you get ahead!"
"Yes, mother." Glinda returned to her ballet lessons. After she had finished, she ran to her little sister's room.
"What's wrong with you?" Glinda yelled at her little sister. "Why can't you do what mom wants? Why can't you make her happy?"
"Leave me alone." Locasta cried, burying her face in her pillow to hide her tears.
"I hate you!" Glinda screamed at her sister. "I wish I didn't have a sister!"
----
Glinda wished she could take it all back now... but it was too late. Locasta hadn't talked to her in years. When Glinda had gone off to study magic with her teachers, Locasta had been accepted as the Apprentice to the good witch of the South- and after several years of training, now held that position herself. Glinda had often thought about going south to Loscata's castle in the Quadling country and trying to talk to her directly, to apologize... but she never had the courage to.
Soon Glinda's bubble arrived at the Emerald City. She popped the bubble, and stepped out onto solid ground. The city had mostly returned to it's glorious pre-Wizard form since Queen Ozma took over, and the people were much happier with the secret police and the Wizard's spies gone. All around her, Glinda could see the aristocrats and nobility that had come home to Oz from exile, after the Wizard's defeat. These small and petty bureaucrats had run Oz during pastoria's reign, and had returned to power with his daughter's rule. But at least thier rule was better than the Wizard controlling Oz.
"Miss Glinda?" A teenage girl dressed in a green miniskirt and jacket came out, and curtsied to her. Glinda knew who this was- Jellia Jamb, Ozma's chief secretary, and head of Ozma's ladies-in-waiting. This green-haired girl with glasses ran the day-to-day bureaucracy in the Emerald city- and was the second most powerful person n the city after Ozma herself. The girl was smart and politically savvy, but again... she wasn't popular. How in the world did these... nerds keep coming to power in Oz? Still, she was better than the last palace Secretary had been,- Glida had ordered her arrested for corruption after the Wizard's departure.
"Yes?" Glinda finally replied.
"This way, please... her majesty is expecting you."
As they walked through the halls of the Royal the royal palace, Glinda thought back to an old friend of hers who Jellia reminded her of.... An old friend, now dead and gone...
---
"What do you plan to do when you become a full witch?" Glinda asked her roommate, polishing her nails.
Looking up from her book, her roommate replied. "I'll do my best to help the people of Oz, and make their lives better." She adjusted her glasses. "How about you, Glinda?"
"What else? To get ahead" Glinda snorted.
"You're far too shallow." Her roommate replied in disgust.
"You're too much of a bleeding heart." Glinda retorted.
The two of them just glared at each other for the rest of the evening, and said nothing.
---
It was another conversation Glinda wished she could take back... but the dead could not hear her regrets.
When the two of them arrived in the throne room, Glinda set her eyes upon the crowd assembled by the Throne. Nick Chopper, the former lumberjack turned emperor of the Winkies, was there. As was Chang Yu, the former royal guard- turned- scarecrow-turned ruler of the Emerald city, who now used his wisdom to aid Ozma as her royal Vizier. Also here was that lion, who now ruled Oz's talking animals from a forest in the Quadling country. Locasta was there, as well, along that young boyfriend of hers- Sir Hokus, the first new Royal Knight of Oz since Ozma restated the order-. although she was only nineteen and he twenty-four, they seemed to work well enough Glida looked up at her, Locasta just turned her head away in disgust.
And in the center of it all sat the teenage girl, Ozma Ozius XIX- ruler of the entire kingdom... and worst offender on the unpopular list. Although quite beautiful- with Golden Hair, a beautiful green ball gown, and the Ruby slippers on her feet- Ozma was the worst princess Oz had ever had. Glinda had found her as a slave of the Witch Mombi, who had used her magic to turn Ozma into a boy as a baby, and raised him as her servant, Tip. Glinda had forced Mombi to turn Tip back into a girl, who then took the throne. But instead of acting ladylike, like a Princess should, Ozma acted like a boy- belching in public, climbing trees, and scratching herself.
It was a total embarassment to the kingdom, but Ozma did have a few good points. Glidna was at least glad that Ozma had taken to wearing dresses and girl's underwear right away- they're might have been a royal scandal if she hadn't. She was also glad Ozma was attracted to boys and not girls. (Jellia had caught the princess using the ruby slippers to turn invisible, and sneak into the Royal guards men's locker room.) But it still drove Glinda crazy that this overbearing tomboy was her ruler.
"Ah Glinda... glad you could make it." Ozma remarked snarkily. "We were just planning a resuce mission for the Queen of Ev and her chlidren from the Nome King."
"Yeah." Locasta spat. "We wouldn't have want to go without consulting Oz's greatest ditz first."
Looking at sll of them, the good Witch of the north lowered her head. Oz was under the rule of a bunch of freaks, outcasts, and misfits... and they were doing a good job of running the place. Maybe.... maybe her mother had been wrong... maybe popularity wasn't everything.
Maybe it wasn't anything at all.