"Do you know who I am, Oscar?", Dorothy asked as a quizzical expression appeared on the Wizard's face.
But this made the older woman chuckle with amusement. "You needn't look so concerned, Oscar. You may not know who I am, but I know who you are. I know all about you. And what you are."
His hands to his side, he continued to gaze at the woman before him with great suspicion, but also with growing curiosity. "How? How do you know me?", he asked as his lips parted. He didn't know what to make of the woman before him. He could have sworn that whoever wrote the letter to him was an enemy, an adversary of his who nearly cost him his reputation and his life. But now he was not so sure.
Unwavering in her gaze, she started to speak, which broke his train of thought. "Like you, I am also from the United States. My story begins in the year 1925. I was raised by my aunt and uncle on a farm in Kansas, not too far from where you were from…"
"Pffft", the Wizard interrupted her as he blew out of his mouth and smirked. "Nice story there. I mean, come on. I came to Oz four years ago and the year was 1905. Do you really think that I am going to buy the story that you are from 1925? The future? Come on, this is the biggest bunch of baloney I've ever—"
"It is the future for you, Oscar, but it is not the future for me. It is, in fact, quite far in my past at this point…"
Instead, he brushed her off further. What type of deception was she trying to pull on him? The Wizard knew that she couldn't con a con artist, even a recovering one at that. "Surrrre. Okay. A woman who claims to be a time traveler? Listen lady, I worked—"
"At Baum Brothers Circus", she said matter of factly and without any hesitation in her voice. "You worked there because you wanted to buy a new phonograph recorder and didn't have enough money at the time. You left home because your mother committed suicide after having a miscarriage, but you blamed yourself for being the cause of it. You couldn't have known, of course, that your mother had indeed suffered from Schizophrenia, but she was never diagnosed with it because knowledge of the very condition itself was still in its infancy during the 19th century. Your assistant was named Frank, who you underpaid and routinely took advantage of, even though knowing this was slowly killing you on the inside. You engaged in many short-lived romantic encounters, but never developed them further out of fear. You believed yourself to be a swindler, but you acted this way because you did not want others to become close to you, especially women, because you felt they wouldn't accept you if they knew the truth." She then placed her hand on her chin as she continued to think thoughtfully as the Wizard simply stared at her in disbelief. "Hmm, is there anything else you would like me to add? I can add plenty more about you. Or shall I continue with my story?"
"How…how", the Wizard stammered, but he simply gulped and allowed her to continue with growing curiosity in his tone. "Okay, go on…"
"One day, like you, I was whisked away by a tornado to Oz. It was later than when you first arrived, probably around twenty years or so. I was in a farmhouse that landed on and killed whom I later discovered to be the Wicked Witch of the East…"
"Evanora", the Wizard said.
"Yes, Evanora. I didn't know her name at the time and would only learn it in later years. But I was immediately greeted by Glinda and the Munchkins, who were so happy that I killed a 'tyrannical' witch in the land. I didn't even know where I was or who these people were. A witch? I heard about them in children's horror stories and urban legends. I was only thirteen at the time, a young girl and very impressionable." Dorothy then sighed as she then pointed to one of the walls that showed the passing of many wondrous celestial objects in space. A big screen started to slowly descend from the ceiling.
"Perhaps…perhaps it is better that I show you, so that you can know, and you can understand…", she said.
She then pressed a button on what appeared to be some type of controller. The screen then showed Dorothy—a younger Dorothy—being whisked away to Oz by a tornado. The Wizard then saw Evanora's death, the appearance of Theodora and how she wanted her ruby slippers. He saw how Dorothy made friends with the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man. He then saw how they went to the Emerald City to meet him, the Wizard. He looked so much older that at first, he didn't believe it was him. He then saw how he ordered Dorothy to get the witch's broomstick in exchange for their wishes. He saw Dorothy kill Theodora when she tried to set the Scarecrow on fire at her dark and foreboding castle.
But the Wizard was still very much confused. Why did he look so old? Did he really age that poorly? And why did Theodora herself look older? And why did he order her death? And why did her castle look so dark and ominous? He had been to her castle that very same day and her castle looked gorgeous and beautiful. He didn't understand any of this, nor did he understand what Dorothy was trying to show him and for what reason.
When it finally ended and the screen was raised, the Wizard had so many questions. Was this for real? He was about to speak and ask the million different questions that were swirling in his mind, but Dorothy spoke first, ending his words on his tongue.
"I know you probably have a million different questions, Wizard. And I promise that I will answer all of them in due time. But there is still more to the story first..."
She continued. "At first, I thought everything that happened was a dream. But I learned that it was not. After I killed both witches, even if it was unintentional, much guilt consumed me. I didn't know who they were. I didn't even know their backstories or their names. I would return to Oz again in the years to come, but their deaths still haunted me. I fell into a big depression. During my teenage years, I started to abuse drugs and alcohol. I felt all hope was lost, and I started to even contemplate suicide. But then…"
She turned her head and pointed her finger at the bed where the council leader rested. "I met him." She then lowered her head and pursed her lips. "He will tell you his backstory and how we met. Brace yourself for what comes next, Wizard. That is all I can tell you."
The Wizard began to approach the bed again as the intermittent beeping sound of the machine continued to be heard. "Ahhhh, the prodigal son has returned to me", he said sickly and with a raspy voice. "He has come for the second part of the story. On the crux of learning the knowledge that no one in the land knows about. A secret so great and guarded that it could only be known by a very select few…"
Dorothy leaned towards him and whispered into his ear. "What you are about to hear, Oscar, is for you and for you alone. No one else knows this. Not even Glinda. And everything you are about to learn must be kept to yourself…"
"Like Dorothy and you, I was born not in Oz", the council leader said softly. "I was born on the same planet as you, that of Earth, but not in the same period. I was born in the future. The far, far future. Our technological advances were incredible. We even knew about time travel. There were many marvelous discoveries during my life, but my greatest passion was the timeless ritual of the written word. One day, I decided to write a children's book about a girl who ventured to a mysterious land by a tornado, not knowing or understanding the implications it would have. I called it 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' under my full name, L. Frank Baum…"
He then pointed to the cosmological void that they were traveling through. "Do you see those celestial objects in space, Wizard? One of the greatest discoveries that humankind makes on our planet is the discovery of the multiverse. The infinite dimensions of space and time. The infinite number of universes that make up reality, each filled with different laws of physics and an infinite number of the same. And in this infinity, there exists our exact replica, an exact copy of us, an infinite number of times. I slowly learned…"
Frank placed his shaky hand over his mouth as he began to think of another place. "I slowly learned that my writings were real and had vast consequences. That in the infinite void of the multiverse, not only did the Dorothy I describe and write about actually exist, but that she existed in different places and in a multitude of different ways, with each outcome being different, but also the same…"
"The same outcomes can be said for Glinda, Evanora and Theodora, Oscar", Dorothy whispered to him. "Even you."
"With different names", Frank continued. "Theodora is not the only name of the Wicked Witch. In other worlds and in other variations, she also went by Elphaba, Evillene, Bastinda and many others. Different personalities. Different upbringings. Different struggles. I desired to tap into the power of the multiverse and all its wonders and mysteries. I was utterly fascinated by its sheer magnitude. Its unimaginable possibilities. How can one quantify infinity? But the unending void encompassed all of reality." Frank sighed, took a deep breath, and started to cough before continuing. "Because the multiverse was known in my home, I did meticulous research on the different combinations of Oz, each with its untold characters and different backstories, even though many of them shared great similarities. Many of these Ozian worlds were filled with happiness where good versus evil were clearly delineated. And good triumphed over evil. But then, in the infinities of space, I then stumbled upon an Oz that didn't have that good ending…"
"This timeline", Dorothy answered.
"Yes", Frank nodded his head. "This timeline. In this timeline, the one who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West is perceived to be evil because she is outcasted from her family and by all Ozian society. After much heartbreak and tragedy in her life, she is then later killed by an innocent child, sent on a mission of murder and vengeance by forces known and unknown to her…"
"Sent by Glinda herself", Dorothy adds.
But Frank softly gestured with his hands. "We will get to all of that in due time."
He then looked at the Wizard seriously and with eyes wide. "Wizard, remember how I said that there were many variations of the Wicked Witch of the West? Like her, there are an infinite number of authors who wrote this novel, too, or many variations of it, just like there are an infinite number of planets called earth and Oz. Just like there are an infinite number of Glinda's and Evanora's. Even an infinite number of you. Some of these authors—my 'copies'—published this book in different years in their time. Whether that year was 1900, 2890 or 6013 on other planets and in other places of the multiverse, the plot either stays the same, is slightly different or is entirely different. But these authors did not know or understand the implications that their book was not a work of fiction, but that it was real! Everything they wrote happened! And this is one of those timelines that you are in. The one I wrote! The sad one."
This made the Wizard nod his head. He didn't know if the council leader had lost his mind or if what he said was true. For now, he decided to play along. "Okay, but I am still confused. How is this timeline different from all the others?"
"Dorothy, bring down the pictures", Frank then said. She clicked on another button with the same controller and dozens, if not hundreds of pictures descended from the ceiling and covered the cosmological void they were traveling through.
"Look at the pictures, Wizard. These are all the photos of who is known as the Wicked Witch of the West."
The Wizard looked at all the portraits on the wall. Each witch all looked different in their own ways. Some had green skin, but others looked exactly the way a normal woman would look. In some of the portraits, the witch appeared more elderly in age and had a dark patch over her eye. But the timeline in many of these worlds played out the same way. In the worlds where the witch was truly wicked, Dorothy melted her with water, which either happened intentionally or accidentally. In other timelines, the witch faked her own death, and there were many characters and subplots that were different and unique. But in this timeline, the one deemed "sad" by the council leader, there was a witch who was misunderstood and persecuted by her land and was still melted by a young Dorothy.
"Okay, so I see the portraits", the Wizard answered. "But what happened once you discovered this? And how does it apply to me? And how does this apply to…Dorothy?"
"Because we had incredible technological advances, we mastered the process of quantum teleportation, where we didn't just discover how to teleport data. We could also teleport mass, actual human beings. And when we discovered the intricacies of quantum entanglement, we learned not only how to revert mass back to the past, but also how it could travel seamlessly through space-time in the blink of an eye."
"The past? Time travel? Teleportation?", the Wizard said incredulously. "And quantum…what-what now? What is all of this?"
"Try to keep up", Dorothy whispered again to him.
"I know it sounds farfetched to you, Wizard, and something out of sheer fantasy, but even you once said that magic is technology that is not understood. The same can be said with this. For me, the most time intensive part was not harnessing the technology, but finding and observing the correct Dorothy, the one who inadvertently killed Theodora and brought about this tragic timeline. In my research, I discovered that there were old archives about a girl who was once whisked away to a 'magical land' in the distant past, even though we knew that it was another faraway planet in the multiverse. I then teleported to the past, around 1930, and that is when our work began…"
"Frank found me. He told me knew what I had done and said there was a way to fix it. He…saved my life", Dorothy exclaimed.
"So, we went to Oz once again…to try and change the past. To prevent the death of Theodora."
"May I stop you right there", the Wizard asked. The pair went silent.
"Frank, you mean to tell me that you teleported to the past and then somehow once you met Dorothy, the two of you went to another distant planet? To try and change the destiny of one witch on that planet?"
"That is correct."
"Ooookkkkaaaaay, I am out of here." The Wizard then turned to Dorothy and tipped his hat to her. "Nice chatting with both of you, but I believe there is medicine for this type of delusion…" The Wizard was about to turn and walk out of the room, but Dorothy held her hands and prevented him from doing so. "Oh no, no, no, you are not going anywhere!"
He pulled her aside. "Dorothy, you want me to believe that there's really a MULTIVERSE? One can certainly imagine it, but to believe that it just exists purely on conjecture? That this man was able to teleport to another universe entirely and do some time travel mumbo-jumbo? Forget it!"
"And why is it so hard to believe, Oscar?", Dorothy asked him in earnest. "I mean, I brought you to Oz through advanced quantum physics via. a tornado. You see that Oz is inhabited by magic and that the laws of physics are slightly different here than on Earth. Why wouldn't you believe what Frank is saying to be true?"
"Wait…you…you teleported me here…?", the Wizard asked with a slight grin of disbelief on his face.
Dorothy sighed. "Glinda used her magic to bring me to Oz the first time I arrived. It wasn't intentional and she didn't even realize how she did or what she did to bring me here. She merely wished for someone to save them from her two 'wicked sisters' when what she really wanted was for someone to do her dirty work. I later learned that she wanted me to take out her two sisters. It was a power move on her part more than anything. And she got what she wanted after you left Oz because she then ruled the entire land herself. She is cunning and ruthless when she wants to be. In the years that followed and after I met Frank, we teleported to just before you arrived, and we started to play around with the timeline. Our goal was to disrupt the original timeline that led to Theodora's death."
The Wizard looked at her curiously. "So, who are you really in all of this?"
Dorothy lowered her head a bit as she meekly glanced at the floor before making eye contact with him again. "Me? I was just a poor farmgirl, who later decided to become a physicist, a scientist, a doctor, and an inventor all rolled into one."
"I see", the Wizard replied. "So, you said you wanted to disrupt the original timeline. What was the original timeline?"
"Well, the original timeline went as follows: Evanora and Theodora are banished from the Emerald City. It was everything that you saw before you became the land's official 'Wizard'. But several years after, a war starts. No one really knows who officially starts it first, but Frank and I believe that it was Agatha who started it because she wanted to take over the Winkie Country, even though Theodora wanted to also conquer the Emerald City and the Quadling Country once she controlled all Winkie Country. During this war…" She then pauses.
"What happened?", the Wizard prods her to keep going.
"Are…are you sure you want to hear this?", Dorothy asked him with some hesitation in her tone.
"Yes", the Wizard says with conviction in his voice.
"During this war…things become a whole lot worse. Theodora becomes far more embittered and…well…wicked. Truly wicked. She…kills for the first time…she kills…Finley and China Girl."
The Wizard's eyes became wide as he looked at her with shock. "Wait…what?"
"You and Glinda both combine forces and invade the Winkie Country. Finley and China Girl are sent to scout the land but are captured by Theodora's guards. Your combined forces meet Theodora and her Winkie Guards on an open field. Through your projector, you plead with her that it is not too late to return to a life of good. She scoffs at your words and kills them anyway. She kills them herself, slowly and violently while everyone watches."
Dorothy stops talking as she turns her head away from the Wizard and crosses her arms across her chest. "That was the point of no return for her. There was no turning back for her after that. And while she ultimately wins the war by kicking the Quadlings and the Emerald City out of her territory, it was not without sacrifice and great suffering. The war changes you. The stress ages you. It ages her. It ages Glinda. Humans and witches both do not do well in times of stress. In anger, you order your guards to ransack and burn her entire castle to the ground. The gorgeous castle grounds and most of the Winkie Country were utterly devastated from the war…"
Dorothy sighs as she turns back to you and continues. "The conflict lasted for fifteen long and grueling years. Theodora had her castle rebuilt after the war, but it was dark and gloomy, to reflect who she was. The Winkie Country was never the same again. The witch was then killed by me shortly thereafter. This was the timeline that we wanted to prevent from happening."
"Okay…", the Wizard said with much confusion. "But if that's the case, then why didn't you just try to approach me when I arrived? Why didn't you just try and tell me then—"
But Dorothy shook her head. "No, you don't understand. Not only would you have not believed us, but since we were trying to alter the timeline, we couldn't just get directly involved like that since we ourselves didn't know what the right answer was. All we could do was take indirect action or cause a small ripple in the pond and see how things played out. In a way, we were the puppet masters pulling your strings in this staged production, Oscar. And despite our many attempts, I merely tried to stay out of your path for as long as possible, eager to see if you would prevail."
"And how many 'attempts' did you make to try and change things?", the Wizard asked.
She groaned. "Ohhh many, many attempts. I already lost count how many times we tried different things, different avenues to pursue, but it either led directly to the same event and failure or something happened where you…died and—"
"Wait", the Wizard expressed shock. "You mean…I died?"
"Umm…yeah…"
"How many times?"
"Thousands upon thousands of times."
"What? And that was all because both of you started to get involved?"
"It wasn't a coincidence that you came to Oz when you did, Oscar. Your arrival itself took a great deal of planning and there was much room for error. If we brought you at the wrong time, you became lost or drowned in the vast Ozian wilderness. We learned through trial and error that we had to bring you at the right time, for your balloon to go to the right place and for you to meet Theodora at that riverbank. But then a whole new set of challenges presented itself when we realized that Evanora sent the Winged Baboons after you, which initially impeded our progress. This was one of many times where you were killed…"
"But I ultimately survived…"
"Yes. After dozens of attempts. But then other issues presented themselves. The lion. Then Evanora herself. She told you to pursue Glinda. At first, Frank and I were against this. What you don't know, because it never happened to you in this timeline, Oscar, was that I appeared in the palace and told you to stay. But when you did, you'd do something to either anger Theodora, who would kill you or—"
"Wait…Theodora killed me?"
"Umm…yep. Or Evanora."
The Wizard shook his head. "Jesus…"
"And despite our many attempts, your extended stay in the palace proved to be a dead end. Nothing good came of it. So yeah, not only did we need to figure out how you became the Wizard, but we also needed to make sure you survived. Once that happened, we needed to prevent this war and save the witch, even though there were so many different personalities with their own motivations who got in the way. There were so many different combinations of what could go wrong, and when something did go wrong, we had to start the process all over again."
"Wow…"
"Yeah", Dorothy finally said as she exhaled out of her mouth. "It took many, many, many years to get you to this point."
"So, wait", the Wizard asked. "If you tried to get me to stay at the palace, then why didn't you try and convince me to bring Theodora along when I went after Glinda?"
"We actually didn't have to convince you of that. In our many attempts to alter the timeline, you did, in fact, choose to bring her along. However, every time this happened, it was inevitable that Theodora wanted to kill her own sister to right the wrongs of the past—a past that you were not even aware existed—and you would naturally oppose this. Events would then play out the same way, but this path was worse because you would have burned bridges with Theodora by rejecting her so openly, and she would not be receptive to any further communication with you in the years that followed. Both Frank and I concluded that pursuing Glinda on your own was the best path available."
"Wow", the Wizard whispered. "And yet after everything I did to her, Theodora was still receptive this time to see me? To accept me after receiving the letter I wrote to her about visiting her castle?"
But this made Dorothy smile at him. "Oscar, in this timeline, you didn't even really reject her. It was more like a rejection out of omission. You didn't know anything about her backstory when you came here. You were ignorant of her past and you were entirely unaware that you were even being watched by Theodora when you met Glinda. It was ultimately Evanora's words that made her turn against you. I think this is why this path was the best option for us when it came to Theodora accepting your letter, which allowed you to visit her. She realized you didn't explicitly reject her, and you then took it upon yourself to mend bridges. You did nine out of ten things right."
"Thanks to you", the Wizard flashed a smile of his own.
His face then became serious once more. "But then you waited for nearly a year after my verdict in the trial to tell me this. Why?", he asked.
"We waited because we had to make sure the original timeline was averted. When it appeared to us that we were heading in the right direction and that even Theodora started to change, this confirmed that the timeline had indeed been shifted. It was at this point where Frank and I believed it was time to tell you the truth of what happened", Dorothy said.
"So, what happens now?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. We've never gotten you to this point before. But I will admit, Oscar. From this point forward, anything can happen. In the original timeline, you live in Oz for many, many years. However, nothing is guaranteed now. Each day will be different, filled with untold and unknown possibilities."
As she spoke, the Wizard narrowed his eyes at her as he recalled an incident that happened to him several years prior. "Wait a minute. You said you went to the palace. Didn't we meet several years back? Right after I was installed as the Wizard?"
"You are very perceptive", Dorothy answered. "Yes, I'm the Mayor of Raghbad. Frank believed that it was prudent I become involved politically in the land. While it is a minor political office, it gives me an identity and some cover."
"Yes! Now I remember! It was you who approached me and ask that I leave the Emerald City and its palace more!"
"That was I. At that point, you were sequestered in the palace, no doubt afraid of both witches. But Frank and I knew that if there was a chance of having this war averted and for the timeline to change, you would need to step out of the Emerald City and meet with Theodora. This, somehow, had to happen. I tried to give you a gentle push to leave. When you didn't, we knew that this was the next logical step so…"
"So, you wrote me that letter…"
"I wrote you that letter."
"Even though I was too much of a coward to venture outside of the Emerald City palace on my own…"
"But that's where you are wrong, Oscar. Don't you see, you did everything on your own. You did it all even without Glinda knowing about it or protecting you. That takes much courage."
Dorothy gazed at him as their eyes remained locked. "So, what did you learn from this, Oscar?"
"What did I learn from this?"
"Yes, what did you learn from this?"
The Wizard thought carefully. "Reach out to people who are misunderstood. Sometimes you don't know what they are going through. You may be their only link to redemption."
Dorothy nodded. "Redemption can be a powerful tool and it is always possible, especially when someone starts to falter but they still have a light within them. What else did you learn?"
"Take a chance. That sometimes someone who is your enemy can become your friend and that someone who is your friend can become your enemy."
"That is a very important lesson to learn. You saw that when you confronted both Evanora and Theodora, didn't you?"
"I did." The Wizard then held his hand up. "So, wait, you were behind everything that happened once I went to Theodora's castle? Were you visiting Agatha and Evanora, too?"
"I wasn't behind anything, Oscar. I simply sent you that letter and you made your own decisions from that point forward. And yes, I did have a role to play with both. I simply got in their good graces and relayed information to them, seeing which path they would pursue. When I visited Agatha and told her about your journey to the witch's castle, I was surprised that she already knew. No doubt she had spies of her own, whom even Glinda was unaware of. But we knew if Agatha learned you were going to Theodora's castle, she would try and intercept you. Her hubris caused her own death in the war, Oscar. She was doomed, regardless of which path you took."
"I see", the Wizard said, still contemplating everything he was being told. "I have another question", the Wizard asked. "Is…is what Evanora told me true? Did the king do everything she said he did? And did Glinda try and cover his abuse up?"
Dorothy placed her hands on her hips. "It's true. The king did everything she claimed. Glinda believed the world of him and went along with his machinations, even when he started to descend into madness."
"So, everything Evanora told me is true", the Wizard asked once again, seeking to confirm if it was.
"Yes."
The Wizard shook his head. "Wow", he whispered to himself. He couldn't believe it. Ever since he met her, he believed that Glinda was a noble and caring person. She always oozed goodness, a pure light that radiated from her behavior and from her actions. But now, he was unsure what to believe. And not once did she ever admit her guilt or ever say that she was sorry for the way she defended her father and hurt her family. This was something he needed to confront her with.
"I learned something else about all of this", the Wizard admitted.
"What? What else did you learn", Dorothy asked.
"That everyone is flawed. Unlike what Ozian society says, no one is perfect here. There is also no such thing as true Goodness and true Wickedness. This is all a lie", the Wizard explained.
This made Dorothy nod her head as her lips started to curl into a small smile. "Go on…"
"At first, I thought that Glinda, the Quadlings and the Emerald City were the epitome of Goodness. But I slowly learned from all this that the concepts of Goodness and Wickedness are not found in groups. Both are found in every one of us. It is found in our own hearts, split right down the very middle. We are all good and we are all wicked. It's just a matter of which path we choose to take."
"And that is the most important lesson for you to have learned out of all this", Dorothy exclaimed. "I am so proud of you, Oscar."
"Who do you think you are in this world?", she then randomly asked him.
He furrowed his eyebrow. "What?"
"Well, Frank told you about the multiverse and how we have different copies of us. Who do you think the different copies are between our world and this one?"
He contemplated before responding. "Oh, Finley is definitely my assistant from back home, Frank. Glinda…oh, she's Annie from our world…"
"Ah, Annie Gale. That was my mother."
The Wizard's eyes began to light up. "Yes! Annie! How is she? What happened to her?"
But Dorothy's expression turned somber. "Annie…my mother died when I was but a small child. Both of my parents died from the pandemic…"
The Wizard lowered his head and closed his eyes. He had a pained expression on his face as bereavement and grief washed over him. He placed his hands over his eyes and began to rub them. Annie was his best friend. She was even possibly his soul mate. But he couldn't give her the commitment that she asked for. He regretted that he wasn't there for her when she died. He felt incredibly sad by this news.
"Are you okay, Oscar?"
He then regained his composure as his fingers still rubbed the corners of his eyes. "Yeah…yeah, I am okay. I just need a moment. I guess…I guess you could say I was very close to your mother."
"I can tell that you were very fond of her. And it really pleases me to hear that she played such a large and endearing role in your life."
He then cleared his mind, lowered his hand to his side and thought about Dorothy's question again. "Uhh…as far as your question…I remember I met this girl a way back when I worked at the circus. She wanted to walk but I didn't know how to fix her. I then met China Girl when her village was destroyed and glued her legs back together and made her walk. I have no doubt that this is the same girl. But…but I don't know who else…"
"What about Evanora?"
The Wizard stared at her blankly. "There is no one I recall who would be the equivalent of her…"
But when Dorothy raised an eyebrow at him, he started to shake his head at her in disbelief. "No! Absolutely not! What are you implying? That *I* am Evanora? That Evanora is one of my 'copies'…in the multiverse?"
"And why not? You both employ deception to get what you want. You both enjoy power. You are both leaders…"
"No way. Nope. Absolutely not. So, would that mean I'm related to…to Theodora then? To Glinda?"
"No. Just because someone is a 'copy' does not mean you share any biological similarities with them. You have zero familial relationships with them. In this world, that is."
The Wizard gave her a confused look. "In this world? What do you mean by 'this world'?"
Dorothy cringed. "Well, remember how I told you there are unlimited possibilities? Well, in another Ozian timeline, let's just say she's your daughter…"
"My daughter?"
"Ummm…yep."
"What?"
"Oscar, again, that is an entirely different universe, which doesn't affect this one. In this universe, you aren't related to any of the witches whatsoever. And while we are on this topic, what about Theodora?"
"What about her?", he asked.
"Who do you think is her copy?"
He shrugged. "I can't think of anyone…"
Dorothy merely smirked at him and replied playfully. "Oh, come on, Wizard, isn't it obvious?"
He pointed at her. "You?"
"I think so", she answered honestly. "At least in her true form, that of a mild-mannered and sweet girl. We have a lot of similarities. From our mannerisms to our personalities. We even have a similar sounding name. I think this is why I felt extremely guilty after killing her. Killing her was killing a part of myself."
Her facial expression then became serious. She started to take several steps towards him. "Wizard…I need you to do something for me and this is one of the most important requests I am ever going to make to you. In fact, it is so important that you must promise me that you will do this…"
"Go on", the Wizard responded.
"You must promise me that you will never send me to kill her. You must promise me that you will stop this from happening. That you will do whatever it takes…"
There was no hesitation in the Wizard's voice. "I promise."
"Please, promise me again, Oscar", Dorothy said.
"I promise", the Wizard answered.
Annie had always guided him when he was younger and if this was something that her daughter wanted, it was something that he was going to do. His pledge to Dorothy was like him signing a binding agreement etched in his own blood. He didn't care what Ozian society thought of him, or what the council would try to do or whether Glinda would oppose him. He would fulfill this promise and carry it out until his dying breath.
For him, this was deeply personal. He was not only going to avert this future, but he vowed to assimilate Theodora back into Emerald City life. He remembered the dream he had of her, of the witch being in the Emerald City surrounded by friends and those she cared about and who cared about her. It was the same dream he told the witch when he was at her castle. This was still a reality that he wanted for her.
Even before he met Dorothy, and seeing how she was slowly changing over the past year, he already wanted this done. This meeting had merely cemented his decision even further.
"I have several more questions", the Wizard asked. "How do witches fly here? How do they use their powers? And is there really a so-called prophecy about me defeating the Wicked Witch, the one I presumed was Evanora? Wasn't that prophecy already fulfilled?"
This made Dorothy smile at him. "I am glad you are asking all these questions, Oscar. Because you are going to find out about all of this in the very next room."
