Two girls, both of them around the age of 16, wandered the Emerald City Palace gardens. The gardens, like the castle and city which surrounded them, were vast, sprawling and green. Flowers, trees, vines, fruits and any combination of plants dotted the emerald landscape. There were several romantic little streams crisscrossing the expansive and endless pastures, passing by several benches, terraces and swings that dotted stony and grassy fields and trails. It was a beautiful and arcadian place.
"Ah, it is so wonderful to get a chance to actually enjoy all of this!" One of the girls, Dorothy Gale, took in a deep breath, the wild and fresh smells of the garden filling her head with a warm pleasantness.
"I agree," her companion, Princess Ozma, said. "It's so nice to just get a chance to relax and have a walk-about the royal garden instead of having to tramp through it to get to some new meeting!"
"Don't jinx it now," Dorothy warned with a laugh. "Or before you know it, one of your servants will come running out here, bellowing for you!"
"Oooh, you're right. Pretend that I said nothing," Ozma pretended to zip soft, warm lips with pale, slender fingers. Dorothy shook her head in amusement, brown curls gleaming a dark copper in the warm, golden, summer sun.
The two girls were as close as any could be, all of their adventures in Oz only bringing them closer and closer with every passing day. They did practically everything together, even when apart. Whether it be Ozma or Dorothy who was away on some mission, or forced to stay back and care for the Emerald City while the other was away, neither girl was ever too far from the other. It was all thanks to a bunch of magic from Glinda, the Wizard of Oz, and Ozma herself. Dorothy and Ozma were able to speak no matter where they were in Oz.
But still, nothing beat being alone together, not needing magic to speak with one another. It was a rare moment in the lives of these two Ozian queens that they were able to be together in such solitude for so long, so they made sure to make every last moment last. They were spending today's (currently) off-day, in the garden and just being with each other. It was paradise.
"So, what are you thinking we should do for dinner?" Dorothy asked as she and Ozma, hand in hand, walked by a garden of poppies.
"I am thinking that we request for the chef to make us something more summery," Ozma remarked. "Perhaps an array of fancy salads from some of our finest greeneries!" The beautiful queen of Oz gestured all around herself and Dorothy. "I am in the mood for something that reminds me of June, and fruits and vegetables will do nicely."
"But what about our Cowardly Lion?" Dorothy asked, laughing. "You know he hates anything that's not meat! He won't be happy to come home after a long day helping build infrastructure only to be met with watermelon and lettuce!" she smiled fondly as she thought of her dear old friend. How could he consider himself a coward when he was so strong and brave? And he certainly wasn't afraid to voice his opinion when it came to foodly matters. Although he loved Ozma and Dorothy both, there was no doubt he would be put off if this grand dinner was strictly green.
"Ah, I suppose then, for the meat-eaters, we may have a barbecue," Ozma decided with a matching smile of amusement. The Cowardly Lion had been her bodyguard several times over, so she knew him very well and was quite fond of him, and vice versa. He was one of her closest friends. She would feel bad if she hadn't included him into the feast.
"Ah, that sounds delicious! I'm sure Uncle Henry, Auntie Em, and Toto will all love that too!" Dorothy clapped. It didn't matter how long she or her family had lived in Oz, they were still always amazed at the vast quantity and style of food that Ozian life had to offer, especially since they had come from a relatively small and poor background. They had pigs, cows and chicken, but that was about all in terms of meat, and once Uncle Henry ended up facing the risk of losing the farm, meat went down. To come to Oz and have an array of foreign and home-cooked meats in any way you could imagine was something none of them had thought possible and were still acclimating to even today.
"I suppose we'll just have to make sure Scarecrow stays away from the fire-pit," Ozma joked, thinking fondly of her advisor. Aside from Dorothy, Glinda and maybe the Wizard of Oz himself, there was no one else Ozma trusted more than him. He was a fellow of vast intelligence, even if he didn't always believe it. He was wise and cunning and always had great ideas.
"Yes, let's leave all the fire and wood to the Tinman," Dorothy agreed with a laugh to match Ozma's. "He should be returning from the castle in the west today," she added. "It'll be so good to see him again!"
"Won't it?" Ozma agreed. "I do wonder if he plans on bringing any of the flying monkeys to join us. If so, I'll probably need to talk to the chef about adding more bananas to the list…" The young queen trailed off pensively as she continued to go down a mental checklist of who all might be joining them at this nice little summer banquet. The Wizard would probably help himself to the barbeque and Glinda would probably have some designer meal just brought to her. Who else did that leave for Ozma to look after?
The pair walked on in silence for a little longer, still thinking about the upcoming feast. Then, of course, came the lighthearted banter of who was going to clean up after the meal.
"I cooked!" Ozma joked. "You clean!"
"But we did that yesterday!" Dorothy pretended to complain. "And every single day before that!" she added, referring to the fact that although she was a princess who was loved dearly by Ozma, Ozma did still technically outrank her.
"Oh, whatever!" Ozma grinned. "I spent enough time doing dishes as that little stable boy, Tip!"
Ozma was, of course, referring to her earlier days, before she realized that she was the true heir to Oz. Back then, she'd been forced to live as a boy, not even realizing that she was actually a girl, until the witch who cursed her was defeated. With the curse broken, Ozma's true form was revealed, a beautiful woman and not a silly little boy. In that event, Oz got its queen and Ozma got her true identity. But even though the witch who'd cursed Ozma was no more, the gender-swap spell still existed. Ozma used it now to aid any Ozian who felt unhappy with the present gender. One simple incantation and she could switch them to whatever their heart desired!
"And you don't think I didn't do chores back in Kansas when I was still only a little farm girl?" Dorothy joked. If Ozma was going to try to use her tragic back story as leverage, Dorothy was going to give her a taste of her own medicine. "I'm sure I washed more dishes in one day than you did in one week as Tip! Remember, I had to look after my aunt, uncle, dog, and three farmhands!"
"At least you had those farmhands to help!" Ozma reminded her friend, playfully sticking out her tongue.
"But I didn't have any sort of magic at all to help," Dorothy countered. "Surely you had something that made dishes a bit easier! What did I have?"
The two continued this joking banter until they stumbled upon a small swing towards an emptier part of the garden, in the back.
"Oh! Look!" Dorothy pointed. The swing was surrounded by a ring of flowers and tied to a large tree, hearts and names scattered across the bark.
"Ah, the Roost of Romance!" Ozma laughed. She'd nearly forgotten about this tired old swing because of how scarcely she had been able to come out this far without something, or someone, getting in her way and bringing her back to the palace.
It was a swing constructed even before her time. She couldn't remember which of the Ozmas had created it, she just knew from legends that it had been her wedding present to her husband. The reason she had chosen this swing in this particular spot was because the story said that her husband had once been a thief, intending to steal something from the castle. His route of entrance was through this emptier part of the garden. During that time, the Ozma had been in that lonely part of the garden, mourning how she had no one to love. That was when he came to her and, through dumb luck and an adventure, the two fell in love.
Once they got married, this place of the garden became a hotspot for young lovers to come and hope for luck in all their relationships. How many times had peasants climbed over the garden wall just to sit in that sacred swing with their sweethearts? Well, all the names and hearts etched into the tree from which the swing swung was a clear indicator that the number was high. What people did for love!
"Shall we?" Dorothy gestured to the swing. Ozma smiled fondly at her dearest friend and allowed the other girl to sit her down. The two rested against the back of the swing, rocking it gently. For a few moments, there was only the gentle creak of the swing as the two fell in perfect peace and harmony with each other and the very nature and magic of the garden itself. There really was something special about this little old swing. Its love and magic were present, even so long after its creators had passed.
"I love you, Dorothy," Ozma said at last, finally opening her eyes and turning her head to look at her closest companion.
"I love you too, Ozma," Dorothy replied, then slowly, hardly aware of it, both girls leaned in closer and closer. Their kisses were small, gentle and short, but no less passionate than that of experienced lovers. In time, the two had forgotten everything. They'd forgotten the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion, Toto, Glinda, the Wizard, and all of Oz itself. All that filled either of their heads as they kissed was each other. Small, gentle, little kisses that were just as loving as that of the most passionate and fierce lovers in all of Oz.
The swing even stopped moving, neither girl propelling it forward. But then it began to move back and forth again, not that either girl noticed. Nor did they notice the smiling face that watched them for a moment before going back the way it came. The face belonged to none other than Glinda the Good. She had come to speak with Ozma about another conference with some of the mayors of Gilikin, but when she stumbled upon the scene of her queen kissing her princess, she stopped at once and smiled fondly.
Glinda, herself, had never been one for romance, but she was still quite the romantic. Seeing this tender scene, she gently bade for the swing to move again, rocking the two lovers back and forth as she watched for a moment more. Her little enchantment lasted long after she had respectfully turned away from the couple, deciding that the matter of Gilikin could wait. There would always be more mayors and malcontent and meetings to be had, but moments of love as true, innocent, deep and serene as this were rare. They had to be savored and nothing was worth interrupting them.
So while Glinda turned back towards the Emerald City Palace, leaving the two young lovers to swing gently back and forth, Ozma and Dorothy remained entirely unaware of Glinda's presence and subsequent absence. Instead, they were still very much lost somewhere over the rainbow, in their own little world that no one else could see. There, in that corner in the garden, two young lovers were in a perfect paradise that was only and entirely their own.
AN: So, we're back to where we started, coming into a full circle.
IDK, it just felt right to me that if I started with Oz, I should end with Oz (though I know we technically have one more day left). But hey, if you think about it, Oz is really gay (Rainbows and something better being on the other side, a land of color and no more worries, Friends of Dorothy, Judy Garland, the whole Wicked series, etc).
Oh, and of course, you can tell that this fic was based more off the original books than anything else, though I did raise the ages of Dorothy and Ozma. That was just because it felt weird writing this fic about 10-12 year olds. I understand that kids can have these little romances as they grow and I understand that kids can start identifying with a certain orientation or gender at a very young age, but I still personally preferred having them be 16 in this fic.