"Sister! Sister! The Wizard…he killed Agie…he…"
It was earlier that morning and the day after the Wizard had killed Agatha. Theodora had just left a "discussion" with Bella's father. In the witch's eyes, the amount of food he delivered from his farm had been horrific. His continued failure led to two of her Winkie guards pinning him against the glass wall, which unbeknownst to the witch, the Wizard had witnessed while waiting for her.
Like her father, King Pastoria, the witch was a perfectionist. She remembered the many times he yelled and screamed at her for even making the most minor mistakes or when she was found wandering the corridors of the palace when it was past "her bedtime." Queen Lurline was a distant and neglectful mother to her, never giving her attention and always preoccupied with her favorite daughter, Evanora. The young witch grew up believing that everything had to be perfect and this type of conflict was normal.
Despite her temper and her threats, Theodora knew that there was little more that she could do to Bella's father. The witch needed every Winkie to be productive. Manpower was important and every able body counted. Besides roughing him up a little and making him fear what the Winkie Guards could really do to him, she ultimately decided to let him go. She had already taken his daughter away from him. However, fear was still an important motivator.
But before Theodora released him, there was still an issue that was gnawing at her. And it was the Wizard himself. To her, he was acting strange. The night prior, he wanted nothing to do with her, despite her advances. He claimed he was tired from what had happened with Agatha, but the witch thought that this was an excuse.
How could he reject me like this, the witch thought to herself. Why am I so deficient?
She demanded that Bella's father remain where he was as she left the small room. As her two Winkie Guards kept watch over him until she returned, the witch started to mumble to herself. "Why am I such a fool to give the Wizard numerous chances? Maybe I should just hear him beg for mercy after I light him on fire. That would teach him. It would teach the Winkies not to mess with me, either. That man drives me crazy…" She flashed a small malevolent smile as she made her way silently down one of the many red themed hallways of her castle.
She soon reached a particular passageway that led to a bookcase and ultimately a dead end. As she neared the end of the hall, the witch removed one of the books and a secret passage opened. She walked down a circular stairwell that led to a secret room. And it was in this room where the castle's crystal ball was kept. This was the same crystal ball that her mother and aunt would use when they resided at the castle.
Theodora waved her hands over the crystal ball. She then held the sides with both her hands, closed her eyes and concentrated.
She focused on Evanora's location in Munchkin Country. After several moments, the witch began to open her eyes as a dark and rustic old cabin with dilapidated furnishings came into view.
It had been nearly three years since Theodora spoke with her sister. She partially blamed her for their banishment, but despite this, she still loved her.
The witch wanted to speak to her sister because there was still lingering doubt about the Wizard's candor and honesty. Despite his staunch refusal that he ever engaged in "wrongdoing" with her sister, the witch didn't fully know who to believe. She felt ignored by his actions the previous night they were together and now she felt lost as to why he acted the way he did. She needed Evanora's advice. And despite her transgressions with the Wizard, she ultimately forgave her.
"Sister! Sister! The Wizard…he killed Agie…he…"
The witch's words ended mid-sentence as Theodora became silent. An old hag stood from a nearby chair in the creaky wooden cabin as she slowly made her way to her own crystal ball and entered into the witch's view.
"What…who…who are you?" Theodora did not recognize her sister and thought she may have accidentally focused on another witch, instead. She was about to remove her hands from the crystal ball, but then the old hag responded.
"Look upon me, dear sister. See how hideous I have become. This is what Glinda and that Wizard did to me…" Evanora's voice was cold, mocking and derisive. She knew full well that the Wizard had journeyed to her sister's castle and that her little sister contacted her because of him. To Evanora, Theodora was highly predictable.
Inwardly, the eastern witch was seething with jealousy. While she lived in a humble abode, her little sister enjoyed a magnificent life. Her castle was filled with opulent rooms and majestic gardens. She had multitudes of servants who waited on her. This was exactly what Evanora had before her downfall and before that nasty Glinda and her pathetic Wizard banished her from the Emerald City.
The young witch narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the eastern witch through her crystal ball, trying to make sense of her sister's appearance. "What happened to you..."
"Glinda and that Wizard cursed me! That's what happened!", her sister snarled. "Our dear sister cast me out…just like the way you have been cast out, too! Those fools at the Emerald City with their haughty beliefs and their arrogant behavior! You know they are not to be trusted…" Evanora was seething with anger.
Theodora interjected. "Sister, Agatha is dead…"
Evanora feigned surprise and empathy to her sister. "Really? I…I didn't know. That…poor lieutenant. What a shame…"
In reality, the eastern witch despised Agatha. She loathed that lieutenant even more than she hated Glinda herself. However, unlike Glinda, Evanora still held a begrudging respect for the lieutenant. Agatha was self-trained and was able to perform massive feats despite not having any magical powers whatsoever.
In a way, the eastern witch always viewed Glinda as being a weakling. She was so passive. She was so weak. She was so pathetic. But her lieutenant was the exact opposite in almost every aspect. Agatha was aggressive, cunning and highly competent. Despite their mutual hatred of each other, Evanora always viewed Glinda's chief lieutenant as her greatest threat.
The eastern witch also knew that Agatha had already been killed. In fact, Evanora's mysterious "visitor" had already paid her with yet another "surprise" visit the prior evening and told her this news. The only reason why she didn't kill this unwelcomed "visitor" was because this cloaked stranger always gave Evanora invaluable information, which consistently proved to be right. Additionally, she also gave the eastern witch Theodora's old magical ruby boots.
But Theodora had been left unaware that her sister was now wearing her former boots. The eastern witch had removed the shaft, leaving only the sole and welt intact. These "ruby slippers", as Evanora liked to call them, emitted a soft velvety glow from her feet, but none of this was apparent to Theodora while she was speaking with her sister through the crystal ball.
While Agatha's death came as welcome news to her, she wanted to be the one who killed her. The fact that the bumbling Wizard killed her was an outrage.
Theodora continued. "But the Wizard is here now and Glinda sent him/ I don't know what to make of this…"
The eastern witch feigned surprise once more. "Ohhhhh…the Wizard is with you…why…" Her voice then turned soft. "Why am I not surprised?" The old crone placed her withered hands on her hips. "I mean…of course he would be…oh dear…" The eastern witch then raised her hand and touched her bony chin to appear as if she was deep in thought. "…And you are not going to like the reason why…"
The witch narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Ohh he is not there because of you. I can tell you that right now…"
Evanora spoke in hushed tones, but still with dramatic flair, in order to get under her sister's skin. The eastern witch knew her sister's penchant for wickedness. And she hoped that she would take this wickedness out on the Wizard again, but this time she would actually kill him. She needed to play the long game.
"Oh sister…perhaps you should ask him yourself…but do you think he really came there for you…or maybe he actually for someone else? Someone else who is more beautiful than you perhaps…" She was trying to plant seeds of doubt into her sister and it appeared to be working.
Theodora opened her mouth to object, but then stopped herself. She lowered her head as feelings of sorrow and shame swept over her. She was confused. She briefly glanced away from her crystal ball with growing anger.
The young witch slowly removed her hands from the crystal ball as a sullen expression covered her face. She then turned and started to walk away, ending the conversation with Evanora. The eastern witch flashed a malevolent smile as her little sister did so.
Several hours later, however, and fresh after the Wizard's contentious conversation with Knuck, Theodora unexpectedly returned.
"Sister! The Emerald City…they arrived! They accused the Wizard of horrible things and they vowed to return! He showed them the note that Glinda wrote to him…"
"And did you read it?", Evanora asked, knowing what the answer would be.
"No", Theodora replied.
"Of course, he wouldn't give it to you. No, he definitely wouldn't. Because it is obvious", the eastern witch playfully responded.
"What's obvious?" Theodora was intent on finding out what else her sister knew.
"Ohhh all of the juicy things I hear….", Evanora said teasingly, really building suspense. The eastern witch then pursed her lips and turned her head away from her crystal ball. She was a consummate actor.
"What things?" Theodora looked into her crystal ball with wide eyes. Her anxiety was building. She was curious. It was apparent to the eastern witch that her little sister took the bait once again as she leaned her head closer to her crystal ball. Evanora knew that the young witch would listen to whatever she had to say. Her little sister was gullible and always seemed to take whatever was told to her at face value. "Ohhhhh….it is apparently worse than what I thought it would be…" She tilted and lowered her head as if she was keeping an embarrassing secret.
Even though Theodora's gaze was steady, she knew she really didn't want to hear the answer, but her sister's words were addicting. She simply had to know. She needed to know.
Evanora gave her sister a sly smile as she stalled in her answer. "You know sister, after what those fools at the Emerald City did to you, I always wondered why you never marched down with your Winkie Guards and your flying monkeys to slaughter all of its inhabitants. But then I realized it was exactly because of your precious little Wizard…and how much you love him. Yet he doesn't deserve any of your affections! And when the Emerald City returns onto your land without your permission, that might be the perfect chance for to…oh how should I put this…to vanish?"
Theodora simply scoffed at what her sister told her about the Wizard, but she did give some thought as to what Evanora said about attacking them. She finally shook her head anxiously as she wanted to hear what Evanora knew about him. "Tell me already! What things do you know?"
The eastern witch chuckled as she closed her eyes, gently nodded her head and smiled. "Ohhh it appears my suspicions about the Wizard's real reason for his visit to you has been confirmed…" Evanora was nearly whispering to her sister in a raspy voice, acting like the information she had to share was highly sensitive and private.
"You see, the Wizard was nearly kicked out of the palace for having numerous affairs with his maids. Apparently, he went through all of them..." She then opened her eyes and gasped as if the answer was obvious and that her sister was a fool for not seeing it or finding this out. "Of course, he is not there for you at all. Why would he be? The Emerald City has brainwashed him into thinking you are vile and hideous. He simply needs new fertile ground to sow his wild oats before he goes back to Glinda for their wedding and he abandons you to your lonesome once again…"
The eastern witch then deliberately looked away from her crystal ball, but made sure that her little sister saw her devious smile. She then turned to look back at Theodora with sarcasm. "All he needed was someone as gullible as you while he snatched a beautiful maid right out from under you. Or didn't you know this?"
The eastern witch glanced at her little sister as she relished seeing the forlorn expression on her face. It served her right for taking the Wizard in and accepting him again. But his visit gave Evanora a rare opening and a unique opportunity. She knew what her sister was capable of. She saw it with her own two eyes. If the eastern witch was going to conquer Oz once more, she needed Theodora's anger and rage in order to do so.
Evanora placed her hand on her chin and started to slowly pace for dramatic effect, but stayed within view of her sister. "You see, the Wizard is begging Glinda to take him back and forgive him for his transgressions. But Glinda can't get the Wizard's affairs out of her head and how she shared the Wizard's body with her sisters. Glinda ultimately wants to marry him, but perhaps she wants to get a certain witch out of the way first…"
As her sister spoke, Theodora's mouth would gasp in shock and surprise. Her anxiety was through the roof. Her chest felt heavy. She grabbed her crystal ball tightly with both hands.
"Ohhhh, it is apparent now", Evanora continued teasingly. "Once the Wizard seduces his latest conquest…only then will he leave you and Glinda will become his queen…"
The eastern witch placed one of her hands on her hip as she looked at her sister, who was now visibly upset. "Ohhhh, I hope you are not being used again, dear sister. I hope you are not being used…"
Theodora was on the verge of tears from what Evanora was telling her.
As the young witch opened her mouth in a show of pain, regret and longing, she simply ran away from her crystal ball. She started to sob as she made her way towards her bedroom. She was so upset when she entered her room that she started to grab the Wizard's clothes to throw them. As she threw the first batch onto her bedroom carpet, she heard the faint sound of his voice. Nearly inconsolable, she grabbed another batch of his clothes as she made her way towards the dining room.
