"Wizard…", the captain said as he approached the dining room table. "The guards spotted a contingency of soldiers from the Emerald City. They are demanding answers for Agatha's death…"
The witch rolled her eyes as the Wizard pursued his lips and nodded his head. "Okay…let's go…"
This time, a patrol of Winkie Guards accompanied them as they made their way on the winding path along the sprawling castle grounds. As they approached the closed and locked castle gate, the witch grabbed the Wizard's shoulder with one hand as she shook her finger pointedly with the other. "Not that way", she exclaimed sharply. She pointed to a hidden and winding stone staircase that would take them to the top of the castle wall, where they would get a bird's eye view of whoever was from the Emerald City below. Additionally, the allure was manned by additional Winkie Guards added protection.
The captain went first. Then the witch. Then the Wizard, who was trailing right behind them. And as he climbed the staircase, he tapped Theodora on the shoulder as he whispered into her ear.
"Let me do the talking on this one, okay?" She silently nodded her head. As they climbed the last set of stairs and reached the allure pathway, the Wizard looked at the clearing below him. He couldn't believe who he saw.
"Knuck…?", he asked incredulously. "What is this? What are you doing here? It is I, the Wizard!" Behind the dwarf, he saw at least twenty Emerald City guards who were arranged in neat formation. They all wore heavy armor, which was imbued with magic resistance.
"So, I can see…", the dwarf responded in an acrimonious and biting tone. "It pains me to do this, but a traitor's death is what you deserve!" This made the witch quietly gasp with mild disgust as she turned and slightly cocked her head in the Wizard's direction as he continued to intently stare at Knuck.
"What?" As the Wizard spoke, his voice became more and more animated. "If this is about Agatha's death, you know I would not do such a thing if I had any alternative! She left me with no choice!"
The dwarf narrowed his eyes suspiciously, a piercing tone still evident in his voice. "I know not of what you speak, Wizard. Explain yourself!"
The Wizard held up his hands and gestured with them in an effort to try and de-escalate the tense situation. "I received a letter from Glinda a week ago. She told me to come to Theodora's castle. She did not explain the situation or what would happen after I arrived, but I understood it to be one of diplomacy. Several days after I get here, I receive word that there was someone here to see me. I presumed it was Glinda, but it was Agatha. She anticipated I would come with Theodora, but she had no intention of letting her leave once there."
Knuck became calmer as he listened to his response. "The Emerald City only knows that there was an attack and that Agatha is dead. The loss of such a promising person sent shock waves through the ranks and…"
But the Wizard interrupted the dwarf. "Bah!", he replied. "She was a fool bent on advancing her own agenda that would serve only her own interests! Her intent was to use Theodora as a trophy, hoping to gain enough influence to become ruler of the Quadling Country!"
Knuck shook his head as a slight frown developed across his face. "This seems far-fetched, Wizard. You are well known to have hated Agatha. And why should this witch before you command such respect after what she did to you? After what she did to us? After what she did to the Emerald City? After what she did to Oz?"
For a brief moment, the Wizard didn't respond not because of fear or trepidation, but because of disbelief. The dwarf had known Theodora all of her life. And yet he addressed her like he didn't know her at all. The Wizard sighed. Now he understood why the witch was bitter and didn't want to return to the Emerald City.
He turned to the witch, who stood beside him, and tapped the cuff of her red coat with the cuff of his suit jacket. "I have to tell him", he whispered to her. She slightly nodded, even though she was unsure what the Wizard was going to say.
"Knuck, Theodora was the one who discovered me when I came to Oz three years ago. If it wasn't for her, I never would have arrived at the Emerald City to begin with. She fell in love with me, but I was too selfish and self-absorbed to see that her feelings were genuine. I underestimated the depth of those feelings. As a result, Evanora took advantage of her hurt and convinced her to bite a magically enchanted apple, which melted her heart and turned her into a green skinned witch. So, there is a part of me that truly feels guilty for what happened…"
As the Wizard spoke, his words ended on his lips. He quickly glanced at Theodora, knowing that she was not green anymore. He couldn't explain this, nor did Theodora ever give him an explanation as to what happened to the green pigmentation on her skin. He also couldn't explain how he was able to hear her heart beat when he rested on her chest. Maybe the effects of the magic apple were only temporary? Something about this story was not adding up. Regardless, he decided to place blame where it belonged.
…"But this was all Evanora's scheming", the Wizard emphasized. "Because of this, Theodora was robbed not only of her pure intentions, but also of her reputation. I am still of the belief that Glinda knew this, which is why she wanted me to come here. But it was really my guilt that brought me here. Somehow, Agatha ascertained the details of this assignment, intercepted me here and forced a confrontation. She even wanted to kill me when I refused to help her! As such, I had to defend myself."
As the Wizard finished speaking, Knuck simply stared at him with his head tilted up. And for several moments, he remained silent. "Still", the dwarf finally concluded. "The witch you are standing next to made her own choices. You didn't force her to do anything and I don't see why you should be feeling guilty." The dwarf shook his head once more. "I still don't see how you could side with her." He then raised his brow in confusion. "And a magically enchanted cursed green apple? Again, I find this story very hard to believe. I've never heard of this kind of magic before. And as far as I know, Evanora never had this kind of magical ability…"
The Wizard sighed. "You must do as you will, Knuck. I have told you my circumstances, there is little more for me to say…" As he lowered his head, Theodora briefly glanced at him before silently turning her gaze back to the dwarf and the Emerald City contingency below.
"I will not draw arms against you…", the dwarf finally replied. "This has been a huge mistake, and I will not be party to making another. I will take what you said back to the Emerald City. We will return with our reply in the next several days…"
The Wizard nodded his head. He reached into his pocket and removed the letter Glinda sent him. "Here, take this." He threw the crumpled letter towards Knuck's position below, which the dwarf then picked up from the ground. "Once in receipt of this letter, the Emerald City will understand what transpired and this massive misunderstanding should be cleared up."