Glinda had been at this job for a year and she had done some wonderful things during that time. She was able to forge alliances with each of the governors of the Munchkin, Gillikin and Quadling Countries. She also had a great political and personal relationship the king and queen of Winkie Country. She worked with the Governor of the Munchkin country to undo the restrictions Nessarose put on the Munchkins. She also repealed the Wizard's restrictions on Animals and worked with the governors to reintegrate the Animals into society. She was able to maintain peace and order across the land, and have countries working together for the common good. Her first year had been very prosperous for Oz.

She also had to face down a number of skeptical politicians; members of parliament and other politicians who thought that Glinda's inexperience would be her downfall, or felt a woman shouldn't be in power.

She proved them all wrong.

But now standing before her was the one person she did not want to see.

She put on her best smile and curtsied back. "Wizard. What brings you to Oz?"

The Wizard smiled. "Oh, just catching up with old friends, seeing the sights…" He sighed, "You know, I miss this place sometimes. It's just such a magical place. You can't help but feel the magic."

I'll bet, Glinda thought.

The Wizard continued. "I must say you've done a wonderful job so far. I hear you've accomplished so many good things as ruler of Oz. I'm quite impressed. I don't think I could have done a better job myself."

"Thank you," she replied suspiciously.

The Wizard continued. "Although, it must be very difficult to run the country all on your own. I mean, with all of the issues, problems, petty grievances…it must weigh on you sometimes."

Glinda stood up tall. "I manage."

"Yes, well of course you do. Well, I suppose you have a number of meetings scheduled and things to do, so I should be off. It was good to see you again, Miss Glinda."

He bowed as he left and Glinda watched him as he walked away.

Boq walked up to her. "What was that about?"

Glinda shook her head. "I don't know, but all of a sudden I've got a bad feeling."

Meeting the Wizard was just the start of a bad day. Glinda's next meeting was with the governor of Gillikin, Mr. Dawson. Three months ago, they had started a project together where water would be irrigated from the river in the west of the country to the low-lying farmlands. It was on this subject they were to have their meeting. She walked into the great hall and greeted the governor.

He offered a smile and a handshake but he didn't look happy. She accepted his hand and shook it. "Mr. Dawson. It's always a pleasure."

"Your Goodness. Unfortunately, my visit is not a pleasurable one."

Glinda was slightly taken aback. "What is your concern?"

They walked through the grand hall of the palace. He spoke as they walked. "I have been getting reports from our workers that our new irrigation project is severely delayed. It seems the materials we need are either arriving late or not at all."

Glinda was puzzled by this. "That's very odd as I have not heard of any delays. I can assure you that we were able to get the needed materials from the King and Queen of the Vinkus and they were sent to your workers."

"I thought that was true as well, so I went to the worksite and saw that the project is only about half complete."

"That is troubling news."

"I am sure you are aware of the importance of completing this project. There are many farmers in my country that are dependent on this irrigation system."

Glinda replied, "Mr. Dawson, please understand that we take this endeavor very seriously. I hope you have not been given the opposite impression."

He nodded. "I understand."

"Now, Mr. Dawson, if there are any delays in the project, they have not been brought to my attention by anybody else. As a matter of fact, I was informed that the project is going along just fine."

Dawson thought about this for a few seconds. He stopped and looked directly at Glinda. His look was of concern. "There's something else: there have been concerns expressed on your lack of experience in this role. Now, I know you took over after the Wizard's departure and you haven't had a lot of experience running a country. With problems like this occurring, can the Government of Oz be trusted?"

Glinda bristled inside at that question. She put on a smile and said, "Mr. Dawson, I can assure you that we intend to have a beneficial relationship with you and your people. We will investigate your concerns immediately and will have them resolved quickly."

Mr. Dawson smiled. "I certainly hope so." He shook her hand and turned to leave, but stopped and said, "Your Goodness, I want you to understand something: I think you're doing a good job; I really do want you to succeed in your role. May I offer a piece of advice?"

Glinda nodded.

Dawson continued, "In my experience, it pays to make sure you know everything that's going on. There are those who would love to see you fall and take your place for their own personal gain. Make sure you know who to trust."

"Thank you, Mr. Dawson." Glinda smiled as he left, but it was a smile of courtesy, not joy. Inside she felt troubled: she'd worked so hard for the past year to gain everybody's trust. Were there doubts about her? Were there those who were working to see her fail?

Boq walked up to her and took her out of her thoughts. "Miss Glinda, the King and Queen of the Vinkus request your presence in the Communications Room."

Glinda left to follow Boq. From the shadows of the grand hall, the Wizard watched her walk away with a wicked smirk on his face.


Glinda was shocked. "Are you sure about this?"

The "Communications Room" was a place where Glinda would go to talk to the different rulers if they couldn't make the journey to the Emerald Palace. It wasn't a large room: it was just a small office. In the middle of the room stood a clear ball on a pedestal that allowed Glinda to see and talk to whoever was on the other side. It was a gift from the King and Queen of the Vinkus and they used this method of communication quite frequently.

Today, the King and Queen called Glinda to discuss a number of rumors going around their country. The Queen stepped forward. "I am afraid so. The rumors say that the Wicked Witch of the West was your best friend, and she's not really dead but you're protecting her."

Glinda was exasperated. "Sure, we were roommates at Shiz, but that was it! As far as protecting her? How can that be? I saw her die with my own eyes!" It was a reminder that brought back some painful memories.

"We understand, your Goodness," the King replied. "We were troubled by these rumors too. We've been trying to find out the source of these rumors."

Glinda ran her hands through her hair and sighed. "Great. Just great. First the Wizard arrives…"

The King, Queen and Boq all asked at the same time, "The Wizard is here in Oz?"

Glinda nodded. "I saw him this morning. He 'came by to say hello'." She put her fingers in the air and made quotation signs when she said, "came by to say hello".

The Queen then replied, "If he is here, I do not believe that these problems you're experiencing are coincidental."

The King then said, "We will continue to find out all we can. However, we wanted you to know what we heard."

Glinda thanked them for their information, then turned to Boq. "What do you think?"


Elsewhere in Oz, Elphaba and Fiyero decided to take the evening and walk back to Kiamo Ko. It will be nice to sleep in a real bed¸ Elphaba thought.

Fiyero turned to her as they walked. "So, what are you thinking about?"

She smiled. "When we get home, I'm having a bath."

Fiyero smiled. "No kidding. You're just lucky I can't smell anything." She swatted his arm for that comment, but he smiled even bigger. "Ha ha! Didn't hurt!"

Elphaba eyed him menacingly. "Oh really?"

Fiyero laughed back. "Really!" He ran up a few feet. "Catch me if you can!"

Elphaba smiled and ran after him. It was relatively easy to do as his straw limbs didn't really give him a speed advantage.

When she caught up to him, however, he covered her mouth. "Shhh!" He whispered, "Trees now!"

They dove for the trees and hid. Elphaba asked him, "What did you see?"

Fiyero pointed towards a building in the distance. Ahead of them was what looked like a two story house with two thick steel front doors that spanned both stories. In front of this structure two guards were keeping watch as other guards unloaded items from a carriage into the building.

Fiyero and Elphaba slowly made their way towards the house making sure they kept quiet. They could hear voices of the guards and those unloading the carriage:

"So what have we got now?"

"Lumber for some bridging project."

"Big project?"

"Yeah, one of that chic's biggest. Wiz wants these stored too."

"He's storing up a lot here."

"Yeah, well, he'll start handing these out once that bitch for a leader is gone and he's in control."

Fiyero realized what they meant. "Glinda."

Elphaba replied, "Why are they doing this? And the Wizard's behind this?"

"They just said the Wizard is behind this. They're trying to undermine her."

She turned to Fiyero. "We have to warn her."

Fiyero's eyes widened. "What? Are you crazy? She doesn't even know we're alive. Besides, you can't just walk up to the Emerald palace – everybody in Oz thinks you're dead."

"I know, but I owe her. She saved my life, remember?"

How could he not? He remembered how Glinda came to warn Elphaba about the coming mob – it allowed her to hide under the trap door before he came for her.

"Fiyero, please!" Elphaba pleaded.

Fiyero sighed. "All right. We'll go, but we'll need to devise a plan to tell her."

"I know."


Boq and Glinda continued their conversation on the balcony of the palace; the place where they usually wind down. Today, however, there was too much to be worried about. "Based on what we've heard, and that the Wizard has arrived in Oz, I agree with the King and Queen: these events are not coincidental. There is some deviousness is going on."

Glinda nodded in agreement. "That's what I think too."

"Perhaps he wants rule over Oz again?"

Glinda ran her hands through her hair. "I don't know. I have no proof if he's trying to get control again. I don't even know if it's just him or if others are involved. I just don't like how this feels."

Boq thought about this for a second. "What if we got somebody to investigate to validate your concerns?"

Glinda sighed. "I agree with that suggestion but right now I do not know who in Oz to trust."

"I could start an investigation into…"

Glinda shook her head. "If you go missing or start asking around it will start to raise suspicions. No, we need somebody else."

Boq smiled. "I have an idea: after the Dorothy Gale incident, we sent 'spies' to the 'Other Side', most noticeably in America, to keep an eye out for anything that could have an impact on Oz. Perhaps one of them can help us find somebody to investigate for us."

"So find somebody outside of Oz to investigate?"

Boq nodded. "Somebody who has done this before – a professional. They could pretend to be 'visitors' to Oz while they investigate and report their findings."

Glinda pondered this idea; it was crazy, but it was the only option that was the best. After much consideration, she stood up resolute. "So, how do we begin?"