The sun shined brightly on every corner of Oz. There were two notable exceptions to this longstanding rule. The first was the Dark and Haunted Forest, which contained ferocious creatures and animal eating predators. The second was a small section of forest buried deep within Munchkin Country. And it was this small section of forest where Evanora staked her residence. Since her exile and banishment from the Emerald City nearly three years prior, she lived in a humble and rustic cabin.
As this section of the woods was dark at all times, the cabin was also pitch black, except for the isolated orange lanterns that lit up small sections of Evanora's abode.
One such area was the old and decrepit kitchen, where Evanora was now seated. The room was only lit by a soft orange hue. Evanora, however, was completely covered in darkness, the only thing visible were her yellow eyes and her wretched old hand when she moved a chess piece on the board to which she was playing. Her opponent was none other than Glinda, who had to reluctantly visit her sister to discuss recent incursions by the Nome King's minions, who were tunneling under the Deadly Desert in an effort to try and invade Oz once more.
Glinda's form was visible, the light over her youthful face wavering from the soft orange glow of the lamp sitting on the table. Both made moves as they spoke.
The eastern witch spoke first, her hoarse voice snarling with a hint of frustration. "So, Glinda, back at the Emerald City yet again. I should have known you would have defiled my name as soon as I left that place, cursed by you to a lifetime of hideousness…" Evanora used her knight to take Glinda's bishop, her wretched hand briefly moving into the light and showing itself to Glinda before disappearing back into the darkness.
Glinda was as kind and as dignified as ever. She stared into Evanora's wicked yellow eyes. "I did not do that to you, Evanora. You did that to yourself when you murdered father." Glinda moved her rook. "Check."
"Oh, Glinda. How naïve as usual. The truth is I did the land a service by disposing him…" Evanora moved her king out of danger.
Glinda looked at Evanora's dark shadow. "No. You betrayed our land and our people. You even brainwashed our little sister, someone who once desired peace. You robbed her of her innocence and destroyed the bond we shared together. She became just like you."
Evanora's yellow eyes glared at Glinda. She chucked evilly. "Ohhh, so you think I was the only one who played a role in her own self-destruction?"
Glinda gave her a worried look. "What do you mean?"
But the eastern witch demurred at the question, leaving it unanswered. Instead, she continued. "I never forced her to do anything. Our little sister made a choice. She followed her own path. And besides, deep down she was always a wicked one…"
Evanora continued as Glinda stared at her silently. "But you knew that already. When she attacked you in that hallway, when she endangered the palace staff…when she erupted in fiery, hot rage due to her barely controlled temper. And might not you forget the role you played with father…" The eastern witch snickered. "You saw it yourself…her deliciously vile wickedness and her capacity for evil. Maybe you created that monster yourself…" Evanora chuckled once more in satisfaction, which then abruptly ended. Mild frustration then filled her voice coupled with a mocking tone.
"And yet, she seems to have a soft spot for her precious little Wizard…"
Glinda remained silent. She moved her queen. "Check". Evanora moved her king.
The good witch stared down at the game. From the soft flicker of the lamp, she looked up at Evanora and softly smiled. "Peace to our land has come once again, now that the Wizard is here."
Evanora's voice was filled with mild sarcasm and disgust. "Ah yes…the Wizard. And how is that 'Wizard' doing?"
"Better than you." Glinda moved her queen. "Check mate".
And with that, Glinda departed from the table. Wand in hand, she turned her back on her sister and proceeded to gracefully leave the cabin. Evanora abruptly stood from her chair. She moved into the light, revealing a hideous old hag. Her appearance was a daily reminder of how she lost to her sister, who was triumphant against her once again. She frustratingly pushed the table to its side and hissed.
Ever since Glinda banished her from the Emerald City, she wanted nothing but sweet revenge. This latest visit from her dear "sister" was nothing but her a taunt, feigning her own moral superiority. But Evanora knew deep down that Glinda had her dirty little secrets, too. The eastern witch wanted to expose Glinda for who she really was: the protector of their father, who was not the kind-hearted king that everyone thought he was, but an abuser who reveled in favoritism, corruption and sadism. He was an usuper who snatched the throne away from their mother, the rightful ruler of Oz and the rightful descendant from the faeries that founded their kingdom. Evanora wanted retribution not only against her "goody good" sister, but all of those who helped her in plotting her wretched demise, which included that imbecilic "wizard". All she needed was a plan.
"Cheer up, Wicked Witch of the East. For soon revenge will play its hand and you will get the just desserts that you seek…" A deep feminine voice permeated the witch's small rustic cabin, but the source of the voice could not be located. "Who is there?" Evanora sharply turned her head in every which direction, but only silence greeted her.
The witch then took her small lantern and slowly proceeded to walk throughout her cabin seeking out the interloper. But there was no one to be found.
"Glinda sent the Wizard to Theodora's castle." The eastern witch abruptly turned around and saw an uninvited visitor sitting at her kitchen table. While the cabin was incredibly dark, Evanora could see from the dim of the orange lamp that the visitor was wearing a robe with a yellow hood covering its face.
The eastern witch was furious that someone entered her cabin uninvited. "Who are you!?", the witch demanded. "How dare you enter my home unannounced!"
The figure simply continued to speak. "But Agatha has her own ideas and plans for what she wants to do with this situation. She doesn't believe in diplomacy. She wants to remove your little sister, undermining Glinda in the process."
The figure then slowly turned and examined the witch, who could see her visage from the dim orange light being emitted from the lantern. "Why don't you have a seat?" She gestured with her outstretched hand towards the table, beckoning the witch to sit.
If the witch could, she would zap this "visitor" out of her cabin with a wave of her hand. But she didn't have her powers anymore. Regardless, the witch did as she was told, surprised at the information her "visitor" was conveying. Glinda told her none of this, even though she would have had no reason to. As Evanora took a seat at her own chair, she eyed her "visitor" suspiciously, unable to see her face.
The eastern witch then became curious and decided to probe as much information as she could. "Who are you and how do you know this?"
"I just…do", was her visitor's curt reply. "That is all you need to know for now. Once Agatha reveals herself, things will play out very quickly. You will undoubtedly hear what will happen next…"
Despite the witch's further probing, her "visitor" did not reveal any additional information about its identity.
Regardless, Evanora slyly smiled upon hearing this news. She despised Agatha with all of her might. If she hated anyone in Oz more than Glinda, it was her arrogant chief lieutenant. When Evanora ruled the Emerald City, it was Agatha who was the main threat to her power. Glinda was always too passive and did not have it in her to stage a coup d'etat against Evanora's rule. But Agatha did.
So, when Glinda sent that bumbling idiot of a "wizard" to topple Evanora from the throne that rightfully belonged to her, she took it as a lame joke. Who was this nonstarter to challenge her might and power? Her respect for Glinda further eroded when the southern witch led her own army away from both the Quadling Country and the Emerald City after the Wizard's arrival.
But apparently, the joke was on Evanora, who lost her position at the Emerald City without any blood being spilt, and along with it, all of her prestige and power. Since then, thoughts of revenge and retribution consumed her. And what a better way to ruin Glinda's reputation by having Agatha not only undermine her superior with her own plans, but by her own chief lieutenant being humiliated and defeated at the hands of her little sister at the same time. It was too delicious to contemplate. The plan to use Agatha as a pawn was a stroke of sheer brilliance.
In Evanora's mind, this mysterious visitor was using Glinda's diplomacy by orchestrating a highly complex conspiracy to not only weaken Glinda by creating further distrust with her right-hand subordinate, but to also destroy Agatha's reputation. Evanora knew that Agatha was equally as hypocritical in her moral crusade of "goodness" as Glinda was, and would use the Wizard's visit as an opportunity to try and topple her little sister from power. No doubt that Agatha must have done something to this mysterious "guest" before her, as Glinda's chief lieutenant had a habit of making enemies.
Still, it was unclear how her mysterious "visitor" knew that the relationship between Glinda and Agatha had deteriorated. If their relationship was strong, the chief lieutenant would have let the southern witch orchestrate her plans without interference. Clearly, it was Glinda who wanted to improve her relations with her little sister by sending the Wizard. And if that nincompoop did something to enrage Theodora during the visit and became nothing but a pile of ash-a quite likely outcome-then Glinda would simply continue about her duties at both the Quadling Country and the Emerald City without much fuss. Her power would actually be strengthened by the Wizard's demise.
Still, while Evanora knew that Glinda was power hungry, she always desired peace between the kingdoms. Agatha had desired war and this often clashed with Glinda's outlook. If the Wizard somehow remained unmolested by the smitten witch, Evanora knew that her chief lieutenant would somehow devise a way to start a conflict.
"But telling you this information is not the only reason for my visit…" Evanora's "visitor" then reached under the table and placed two boots with red glowing heels on the table. "This was left by your little sister at the Emerald City. It contains some of her power. This should restore you when you place them on your feet…"
Evanora grinned. "Good. When the time comes, I have much vengeance to heap upon those fools who wronged me." She smiled deviously at her guest. And the first person she would start with was the Wizard.