A/N: A shout out to James Birdsong for his review. Glad you liked the chapters!
Chapter 6
"Gentlemen and ladies, thank you for getting here as quickly as you could. There is much to discuss," Glinda quieted the group that met inside the Council chambers. It was two days after the King and Councilman Ta'rek had left the Vinkus.
"What is the hurry Ruler Glinda? The message we received made us nervous," the leader of the Munchkins, Mooj, said.
"A spy was captured from Ix in my home country of Gillikin. My father, Lord Arduenna, has been questioning the man and we believe that we have the answers we are looking for," the blonde explained. Those that had not known of the existence of the spy, audibly gasped.
"What do they want from us?" Mooj asked.
"Why did they send a spy and not a diplomatic emissary?" River, leader of the Quadlings, wanted to know.
"All good questions. According to the man, who goes by the name of Rivet, Queen Zixi wanted to see if Oz was truly behaving as the new laws dictated. We don't know much of this Queen Zixi but she seems to be attempting to size us up and determine if we threaten Ix," Arduenna spoke up.
"How did Rivet pass through the desert?" Mopsi asked.
"That he refused to say but given his physical condition, I would say that he probably did not cross it on foot. He is barely sunburnt and was not carrying enough supplies for days of travel. We have searched the border near where he was caught but did not find an animal who carried him across the desert. This either means he had help or there is some sort of tunnel system beneath the desert," Glinda's father spoke up.
"Like the Nome King?" Tahir wondered.
"Perhaps. I have troops searching as we speak but have no word yet if they have found something," Arduenna explained.
"So what is our next course of action? I would not be surprised if this Zixi is watching what we do with her spy," Ta'rek said.
"I would agree. So now, as we act for the entirety of Oz, I'd like to see what course of action we could agree on. Certainly we do not want to start a war, especially since our possible enemy can seemingly slip across the desert without being noticed," Glinda told them.
"I think you are right. We should be careful how we handle this," River spoke up.
"Before we get too far, my wife intends to make the announcement that Princess Elphaba has given birth to a beautiful baby girl, Princess Zara Ayla Tiggular. We intend to celebrate in the Vinkus and of course wish for all of Oz to join in, if they are so inclined," Tahir announced.
"Congratulations are in order then!" Mopsi smiled and extended his hand to congratulate the King.
"I'm not sure how I feel about being a grandfather but little Zara is quickly becoming the talk of the Palace," the King shook the proffered hand.
"Perhaps, we can use this as an opportunity to show Ix, that we have changed. A big celebration for the birth of a daughter of the former most hunted woman of Oz would do that. We all know that word of the Wizard's rule over Oz ended spread fairly quickly otherwise why would Queen Zixi send a spy to supposedly check up on us?" Glinda asked.
"I like your thinking Ruler Glinda. What does the Council think?" Ta'rek wondered.
"I say we throw the biggest bash this country has ever seen," Mopsi smiled. Everyone else seemed to be in agreement. Everyone except Councilman Lake that is.
To Be Continued…