Chapter 1

"Princess! Come back here at once!" Jayna shouted as she ran down the orchard's rows. She panted heavily, running as fast as she could to catch the Princess of Winkie Country. Fifteen years ago, she would have barely kept up with the Princess, but unfortunately it was the present and she was nowhere near to catching up with her. Jayna hoped that her mistress would have been more settled and demure by this age, but she had no such luck. Princess Azar was as wild as ever.

"You'll have to catch me, Jayna!" Azarcried out through laughter.

As she turned a corner, Azar summoned a gust of wind that lifted her up into one of the trees in the orchard. Jayna stopped when she saw that the Princess was nowhere in her sight. She let out a large groan, losing whatever patience she managed to keep over the years.

"Princess, your father wants you to be ready to receive King Oz who is due here at any moment. You haven't even put the dress on that he bought you."

Jayna put her hands on her hips and looked in between the trees to see if she was hiding there. Azar stifled her laughter and then quietly lowered herself so she was behind her maid. Then, with a quick turn of her wrist, sparks went off in front of Jayna, who let out a shrill scream. The poor woman turned around and found Azar standing right behind her.

"You're absolutely awful, Princess!" Jayna shouted. "Scaring me like that, I never. I could have burst into flames and then our glorious leader would be greeted with a nice bonfire!"

Azar chuckled as she placed a hand on Jayna's arm. "Dear Jayna, you know that if I wanted to burn you, I could. I would never do that to you though." Jayna raised an eyebrow, causing Azar to roll her eyes. "On purpose at least."

Jayna rubbed the Princess' arm off of her. "You're going inside and we are going to put on that lovely gown that your generous father bought you. The King will think you beautiful."

"Like I care what he thinks anyway," Azar said following Jayna back towards the castle. "He's merely a figurehead used to satisfy superstitious rabble. The Ozma Line isn't real; it is merely a ploy to keep all the provinces friendly with each other. He never enacts any policies because he has no power, magical or otherwise. I have more power than he does."

"He is the offspring of Lurline and a form of the original Ozma, who has magical abilities that make yours look like they belong to an incompetent roadside magician," Jayna retorted.

Jayna took offense to being called rabble considering she was much more intelligent about most topics than ordinary people. She was only allowed to talk back to Azar because Azar liked a good debate every now and then. It kept her mind sharp and if she didn't get her way, she'd simply enchant Jayna's shoes so she would dance uncontrollably. Azar always won, no exceptions ever.

Deep down, Azar had a soft spot for Jayna, who was her closest friend if she didn't count her foreign allies who she only saw occasionally now that they had more responsibilities. Jayna raised her after her mother suddenly passed away and acted like a father when the Winkie King was too busy with other matters. Jayna was able to handle Azar's rough treatment because of her Munchkin roots, which made herself tough enough to handle anything. Her size was not a symbol of weakness, it showed the world that she would work harder than them and outshine them because of it. After all, now she was the sole foreigner working for the Winkie Royal Family!

The two women headed inside and up to Azar's chambers so she could put on her new dress and freshen up. Skillful seamstresses in a Winkie village not too far from the castle crafted the dress Azar was to wear when receiving King Oz. It was different shades of gold, referencing the color of the Winkies, and had a subtle sparkle to it. Azar hated the glitz of royalty, but sucked up her pride because she knew her father wouldn't be pleased if she didn't pretty herself up for King Oz.

Azar didn't have to do much to make herself look pretty. Her skin was like porcelain and never had a blemish in sight. She had long wavy auburn hair that she wore free most of the time. On special occasions Jayna would braid it or style in a more formal way. Many in Oz spoke of the Winkie Princess' beauty, but Azar did not care about beauty. All she cared about was getting what she wanted and she could use charm influence other people. Despite being a nightmare around Jayna, Azar was known across the nation as the life of a party. She was a born storyteller and attracted all sorts of people to her. It was almost hypnotic how they were drawn to her. The fact that she was 18 and unmarried was a mystery to all as less desirable noble girls were settled down, ready to bear children.

Jayna helped Azar into the dress and smiled when they both face the mirror. "My Princess, you look like an absolute vision. Why don't you want to look like this all the time instead of running around in those rags?"

Azar's nose wrinkled at the thought of always wearing clothes that weighed her down so much she could barely walk. "Then I wouldn't be free, Jayna. I need my freedom."

Jayna sighed and proceeded to style Azar's hair. "It was just a thought, dear. Just a thought."

"Keep your thoughts to yourself. Unless your Munchkin brain doesn't provide you with enough capacity, in which case, stop thinking." Jayna hit Azar gently on the head with the brush after that comment. That didn't faze Azar so instead she continued to talk. "The sooner King Oz is out of Winkie Country, the better. Then we can all calm down and get on living."

King Oz was visiting with the leaders of the Winkies, Munchkins, and Quadlings in order to decide how to handle a current issue in Gillikin Country. King Quelala and Queen Gayelette overthrown by a witch named Mombi and taken captive. The province was in chaos as a result because Mombi began to neglect the citizens' needs and started to cause them trouble. She destroyed homes to those who stood against her and leveled forests, driving animals out of the country. The people were starving and attempted to flee the country, but Mombi had enchanted rock soldiers guarding the borders preventing anyone from escaping. A few refugees managed to get out before the enchantment and fold shelter in Winkie Country and Munchkin Country. No one knew what happened to Princess Locasta and assumed that she managed to escape. Everyone hoped she managed to go into hiding, which only made Mombi send out people to find her and bring her back alive. The Royal Families needed to decide how to handle the situation to prevent the destruction of the North.

Jayna finished braiding Azar's hair. She decided to do three large braids, one on each side of her head and then one in the back. It was the traditional hairstyle of the Winkie clan, as it was rumored that Athaine the fairy matriarch of the Winkie clan wore her hair in that style. Azar added in flowers that she took from a vase in her bedroom. They were bright orange with red centers that made them look like fire. She thought they were beautiful and Jayna agreed they were stunning when compared with Azar's light brown eyes.

There was a knock at the door, but Azar remained perfectly still, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Jayna answered the door and it was the Winkie King, Eadsule, standing tall and proud, much like Azar. His robes were the same shades of gold as Azar's and his hair was tied back with a gold ribbon. A thick gold band encrusted with diamonds circled his head and sparkled in the light. He passed Jayna followed by his youngest daughter Shula. Shula wore a dress similar to Azar, but her hair wasn't styled because of her young age. She was quiet and obedient, the opposite of her sister.

"King Oz will be here within the hour," King Eadsule said to Azar. "I received word from the nearby village that he stopped there to feed his horses and left not too long ago."

"The Princess is ready to receive him, Your Highness," Jayan replied, proud of her work.

Azar never turned to face her father, her eyes stayed focused on the looking glass in front of her. Her relationship with her father was rocky. They had different ideas of how to handle political affairs and that often led to many arguments between the two of them. Azar would ascend to the throne after her father died and she would rule as Queen of the Winkies. She longed to have complete say over how to rule her people and she planned on making Winkie Country the envy of Oz.

"How long will King Oz be staying with us, father?" Azar asked, still not making eye contact.

"He told me that his stay wouldn't be long because he still needs to meet with the Quadlings and Munchkins," said King Eadsule, moving towards his daughter. He stood behind her so he could meet her eyes in the looking glass. "Probably just for a couple days."

"Wonderful, then things can return to normal and we can abandon all this pomp."

"Azar you will watch your tongue when the King is here!" King Eadsule scolded. "He is the spiritual leader of Oz and you will show him the respect he deserves."

"And if I don't?" Azar said, inspecting her nails.

King Eadsule leaned in close so his head was next to his daughter's. "Then maybe I need to reconsider the line of succession if you can't learn to play nice with visiting royalty. I'm sure Shula would show them respect and not insult them."

Azar pounded her fist on her vanity and spun to face her father. Her hands were immediately bathed in flames and her eyes reflected similar heat. Eadsule was not intimidated by her and kept an icy stare. Shula and Jayna remained quiet as they always did when they feuded. After a moment, Azar's flames went out and she sat down again, keeping her eyes locked on her father's eyes.

"Fine."

Eadsule smirked and nodded in her direction. "I'm glad to hear it. Now let's all go downstairs to the parlor so we can waited for King Oz."

The Winkie King and Shula both left Azar's chambers, but Azar stayed behind with Jayna for a moment. Jayna had a concerned look on her face and gently placed a hand on Azar's arm. The girl rejected the gesture and shrugged the woman's hand off her. She looked at herself in the mirror and angrily shot a fireball out her open window.

"He will not treat me like an infant."

"Princess, he's your father and king. You're still learning and growing, so he treats you like that to help you learn about the world…"

"I will not be spoken to in that way, Jayna!" she shouted. "He will regret the day he ever treated me like one of his peasants. Lurline help him if he ever talks to me like that again."