The sun had already set across the Winkie Country as its well-dressed guests were escorted into the grand ballroom by young servants and maids. The Winkie Guards who worked the day shift had already departed, but the castle servants worked longer and more grueling hours. They were thus obligated to continue working on the demands and whims of the witch.
The grand ballroom was stunning at night. Huge chandeliers lit the foyer and the high ceilings. Small orange lanterns were strategically placed along the railings and on the outdoor balcony handrails to give the vibe a more intimate feel. An orchestra played serene music as the guests mingled with one another. And even one talented Winkie noble volunteered to play on the grand piano for the evening.
One such attendee, a peach skinned young witch who wore a dazzling burgundy gown that touched the floor, was in the center of the ballroom graciously mingling with her guests and engaging in minor small talk. However, her eyes would often dart anxiously to the ballroom entrance, wondering why a certain special visitor she was expecting had not arrived yet.
She crossed her arms on her chest as a resident from Herku conversed with her, a thin and frail man, but one who claimed to be especially strong in the art of combat. Truth be told, she was not engaged in the topic as other frantic thoughts continually flashed across her mind as she became increasingly impatient.
Where is the Wizard? Why isn't he here yet?
The Wizard's absence started to sour her mood and a peeved expression soon spread across her face. Despite this, her conversationalist merely continued to discuss various events that were happening in his city, completing oblivious to the agitated look that was apparent on the meek witch's face.
For most of Oz, Herku was a weird master and slave municipality located within the Winkie Country, where incredibly thin humanoids enslaved giants to toil for them day and night. As frail as these people were, they were indeed incredibly powerful beings.
Suddenly, the sergeant at arms, a Winkie Guard on the night watch who was chosen to publicly announce each of the arrivals, bellowed from the ballroom entrance.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am now proud to announce…"
Theodora excitedly glanced away from the Herkudite she was conversing with, eager to see who would enter the ballroom. She was hoping it would be the Wizard.
…"King Jol Jemkiph of Oogaboo and his brother, Prince Jol Soforth!", the sergeant of arms exclaimed. The partygoers in the room began to turn their attention to the ballroom entranceway as they softly clapped when the pair entered, followed by vibrant fanfare. The witch clapped too, but her face was sullen. The plump and jovial king, along with his finer and more handsome looking brother, shook some hands before eventually making their way to the witch herself.
The king greeted her with a kiss on her hand. He smiled at her. "My dear, tonight is the harvest festival, the greatest day in the entire year. Why so glum?"
Theodora looked at him with a troubled expression on her face and grumbled. "I was just…hoping that someone would show up tonight for this…"
"Don't we all", the happy king exclaimed as he snatched a hors d'oeuvre from a Winkie servant carrying a tray of delicacies. The king turned to the worried witch once more. "Do you know who I really wish would show up tonight", the king asked. But before he could respond, his younger brother jokingly interjected. "A nice lady friend?" The king looked at him, shook his head as he ate his appetizer and, with a mouth full of food, replied playfully. "Oh shut up." This caused a small smile to spread across the witch's lips as she placed her hand delicately over her face to hide her chuckle.
The king glanced at Theodora. "You see, I knew you would smile. And I…"
But before he could continue, the sergeant of arms bellowed the name of the next arriving guest. The crowd turned and become silent once more.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am now proud to announce…" His voice abruptly stopped. With a look of confusion on his face, the guard then turned to his assistant, a child guard who whispered into his ear. "…The Wizard of Oz…"
The crowd softly clapped as the Wizard entered the ballroom. Some paid no heed to his entrance other than a polite, muted applause. A few were audibly surprised.
"The Wizard is here…", one Winkie noble exclaimed.
"What is he doing in the Winkie Country? This is quite a surprise…", another responded.
"Wait…who is he?" Some genuinely did not even know who the Wizard was.
Indeed, even the king of Oogaboo turned to the witch with a baffled look on his face. "The Emerald City has a new ruler?" However, Theodora merely excused herself as she briskly and excitedly hurried towards the Wizard, a huge smile spread across her face.
"You're here", the witch beamed, relieved that he finally decided to show up after all.
The Wizard sighed. "Sorry I'm late. I had to set up and that went longer than expected."
He briefly turned away from the witch, eyeing the delectable appetizers being carried around on silver platters by random Winkie servants. However, Theodora quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him towards a nearby group of revelers. "Come, I want to make introductions and for you to meet everyone."
The witch pulled the Wizard away from a tray of food as he stumbled behind her. "Theodora, hold on, let me….arrghhh", he bemoaned, the tray now out of reach as the witch led him to the first group of Winkies.
For the witch, the Wizard being at the party was an unexpected gift she could use to firmly establish her rule among the various Winkie tribes that were spread across the country. While Theodora firmly controlled the land surrounding her castle due to her command of the Winkie Guards and the Golden Cap, there were many querulous clans that only begrudgingly followed her rule in the outer reaches of her territory, mainly due to fear.
However, unlike Evanora and Glinda, scarlet clad witch never understood how to properly play the game of politics and how to use diplomacy to her advantage. She simply did not have the patience, the social skills or the mental aptitude for long term planning. Instead, she used her explosive fuse and her short temper to lash out at anyone who showed even the slightest bit of resistance to her rule. When she did not get what she wanted, which would often be inevitable from the surrounding unruly Winkie tribes, she would make threats for them to fall in line. Rarely did she use her powers as it caused her unneeded anxiety, mainly due to the trauma induced shame she experienced from her parents. As a result, she would only use them when acting on impulse and if someone happened to push her emotional buttons the right way.
Now that the Wizard was with her, Theodora was hoping that all of the Winkie nobility would finally be unified behind her rule. And the fact that the Wizard was fairly popular among some of the clans in Winkie Country would only help her cause.
As she tugged the Wizard along, they arrived at the first group of Winkies led by King Thistle Thastle of the City of Thi.
The king himself was made of a diamond shaped head with a heart shaped body. A mustache was present on his face, indicating his various and ever-changing expressions.
"Ah, marvelous, the wondrously wonderful witch has finally graced her presence along with a rather dashing and dapper gentleman, I might add…"
The king voice dripped with honeyed sarcasm as he eyed the Wizard up and down.
"And who might you be?", the Wizard asked, a hint of mirth from his playful smile.
"I am King Thistle Thastle, but the delightful beings of Oz simply call me Thistle Thastle Theetle Thistle Thoo." The king continued to stare intently at the Wizard, who then suddenly shifted his gaze to the witch.
As the pair continued their conversation with the king, another pair of Winkies nearby were having a private and more sensitive conversation.
"I heard rumors that the witch used to be green…"
Another retorted, "I also heard further rumors that she found an enchantment that reversed it."
"What enchantment?", the other inquired.
"I don't know, but I hear horror stories about child slaves and the witch's diabolical…'laughter'."
Both Winkie guests looked at each other uncomfortably before they decided to promptly change the topic.
After speaking to the king, the pair slowly made their way to the outdoor balcony. As a nearby Winkie Guard opened the glass door, they stepped onto the expansive marble balcony. There were now at least twenty other attendees who had gathered, quietly engaging in private conversations or staring at the beautiful and captivating Ozian landscape before them, which included the tall Winkie Peaks in the distance, or surveying the glistening night sky from the thick and study white marble railing. Several gas lamps were stationed sporadically on the balcony, providing the attendees with faint light.
The Wizard placed his hands on the marble railing as he looked up and calmly stared at the night sky. As he did so, Theodora stood next to him, gazing at the vast and beautiful Ozian countryside before them, with the sporadic glitter of lights from various nearby communities and residences.
As the Wizard stared at the glitter of lights, he started to speak in a gentle tone. "You know the lesson about power?"
The witch narrowed her brow as she looked at him, unsure of what he meant. "What do you mean, Wizard?"
He turned his head and looked at her. "The lesson about power is that when you have it, you shouldn't abuse it."
Theodora continued to look at him, but didn't say anything. The Wizard continued. "Let's take the servants who work at the castle. You have power over them. If they disobey you, you can punish them and exercise control. But do you really want to? Will doing that really make you feel powerful?"
The witch continued to gaze at him with a stoic expression on her face. "Well…of course it would." She then turned her head and stared at the countryside before them. "The Winkies need to know who is in control, Wizard. It is the same thing that my father did when he ruled Oz and what my sister did when she was its ruler…" Her voice turned faint, looking away from the Wizard and continued to silently gaze at the constellation of lights.
The Wizard smirked as he tilted his head at her. "And is that someone you really want to emulate…"
The witch slightly frowned. "I don't know, Wizard. It's just…" She looked at him again, with a faint look of helplessness in her eyes. "It's just that I am doing everything on my own here and no one can help me." Her voice became more edgy as she spoke. "Do you think any of the Winkie servants have my back? Of course, they don't", she replied bitterly. "But things have to get done around the castle. I have to do everything Wizard, and it is just so overwhelming that a lot of times I just want to cry…" A hurt expression was on her face as she lowered her head to sulk.
In response, he placed his hand under her cheek and raised her head once more. "You're doing a great job. But you have to stop being so hard on yourself. One thing you can do is not raise your voice or scream when something doesn't go right. Be your pleasant, cheerful self. You'll always win them over that way." The Wizard extended his usual plastic smile to the troubled witch, but she wasn't so convinced. She lowered her head again.
"If only my usual self was cheerful, Wizard…"
Theodora then turned her head and gazed at the countryside once more. Several minutes of silence passed between the pair as the mutterings of random inaudible conversations could be heard from random partygoers on the expansive balcony.
She then turned to look at him and slightly smiled. "What do you think of all of this, Wizard?"
He was silent for some time as he stared at the sky. He then briefly glanced at the witch before returning his gaze to the starry landscape. "What do you see when you look up at the sky?"
The witch's eyes narrowed as she shifted her gaze from the Wizard and looked up, her voice hushed. "When I was little, my father said that the dots were magic left over by the faeries that enchanted Oz a long time ago. They are spirits looking down at us…" She smiled and she continued to stare at the sky in wonderous awe. "They must have done something really good to be given the honor of looking down at us…"
The witch then turned her gaze back to her guest, the hue from a nearby lamp softly flickering across her face. "What do you see when you look at the night sky, Wizard?"
"I see everything." He turned his head briefly to the witch before gazing at the sky once more, a small smile spread across his face. "I think if we were able to explore space, it would never end. Space would never end. The sky is only a small part that we can see. I think if we were able to traverse…"
The witch interrupted him. "What would happen if we went up there?" Her voice was filled with wonder.
"I think we would find other places like this", the Wizard quietly replied. "I think there would be other worlds with other life forms. And I think if we were able to travel incredibly long distances, maybe we would start to see repeats…"
"Repeats?", the witch quietly asked as she stared at him quizzically. As the Wizard spoke, her face became closer to his.
"Yes, repeats. Matter would start to repeat itself. Thomas Edison is a great man, but William James to me is one of the greatest men of all. He says there are many different universes out there. Perhaps even an infinite number of them. And if that's true, we may be having this exact same conversation in a far-off place somewhere…"
"Yeah…", the witch whispered, a small smile spread across her delicate face as she gazed at the Wizard dreamily. He turned his head to the witch. Her face was very close to his as they now stared at each other silently. He put his hand gently on her cheek. She smiled brightly and closed her eyes. She was going to kiss him. As her lips were about to meet his, they were abruptly interrupted.
"I am sorry to disturb, but may I borrow the Wizard?" King Jol put his arm cheerfully around the Wizard as the witch quickly looked at him and placed her hands delicately on her chest. "Oh…yes", she gracefully responded. "Thank you." The king smiled at the Wizard as he gestured with his hand to follow him.
The pair walked slowly away from the marble railing as the king guided the Wizard towards the ballroom entrance. He then whispered into his ear as the witch began to lean awkwardly against the marble railing.
"I don't know if you know about Oogaboo's plight, but my country needs some financial assistance from the Emerald City."
The Wizard sighed. "I've heard some of the stories from Glinda's lieu…" He was interrupted by the king. "I've sent numerous messages to Glinda, but for some reason, I have never heard responses. I even tried multiple times with…." The king lowered his head, seemingly unable to recall a name. "I think her name began with an E…"
The Wizard spoke reluctantly. "…Evanora?"
"Yes, Evanora. My ambassador tried to reach out numerous times to her, but she too never responded. We were about to send a delegation, but then we heard that Evanora was not the leader of the Emerald City anymore."
The Wizard nodded his head. "That is correct…"
The king looked at the Wizard pleadingly. "Can you help us?"
The Wizard smiled as he placed his hand on the king's shoulder. "The Emerald City has plenty of gold. Please send an emissary and I will see to it that assistance reaches your kingdom..."
The king smiled and was about to respond when a Winkie Guard opened the glass door leading to the ballroom. "Dinner is served. Everyone, please take your assigned seats…"
The orchestra was playing a classical tune as the guests on the balcony made their way back to the dinner party. The circular tables, which were entirely made of glass, were ornately decorated with various fauna and flowers.
"Do you want to eat me?" A squeaky voice startled the Wizard as he examined a huge dessert table near the front of the ballroom. Unlike in Kansas, it was Ozian custom to set dessert out even before the main meal arrived. However, this was a talking dessert table, filled with cakes, cookies, chocolate figurines, lollipops and giant marshmallows. All of them were sentient and smiled at any guest who approached. The Wizard found it bizarre that these dessert treats did not mind being eaten, but nothing surprised him in the Land of Oz anymore.
"At ease marshmallow!" A chocolate soldier moved from its resting position and gazed at his fellow candied compatriot. "If this guest wants to eat you, he will eat you!"
The Wizard smiled back at the giant marshmallow that addressed him. He shook his head. "No, I don't want to eat you. Where are you from?"
The marshmallow looked at the Wizard and squeaked. "We are from Candy Country!" In response, he gave a pensive stare as he mumbled to himself. "Candy Country…isn't that in the Gillikin lands?"
The candies responded to the Wizard in unison. "Correct!"
The Wizard turned his head and saw that most guests had already taken a seat at their assigned tables. He decided to find his. He tilted his top hat and smiled at the candies. "It was nice speaking with you."
As he moved away from the table, he accidentally banged into a Winkie maid who was hurriedly and mindfully attending to her duties. This caused her to spill a drink from her hand.
"Oh, I am so sorry!", the Wizard exclaimed. "Let me help you with that…"
He then recognized that this was the same young woman that he spoke to earlier in the day. "Bella?", he asked.
She nodded her head and smiled. "It is okay, I hope you are enjoying the party. And yes, it is me…"
As she finished speaking, two other Winkie maids followed closely behind her. She introduced them to the Wizard. "This is Betsy and Daisy. Girls…this is the Wizard…" She then turned and faced him while blushing. "Hi!", the Wizard exclaimed, tilting his top hat as he did whenever he was introduced to someone new.
"What are you girls doing up so late? Shouldn't it be past your bedtime?", the Wizard inquired playfully.
Bella lowered her head. "We do whatever the mistress commands of us. We sometimes work very late into the evening…"
"Wizard…", Daisy squeaked, tugging on his black pants. "I'm tired. I've been working all day and I have to return here tomorrow to work all day. I wish I could be sleeping now…"
He pursed his lips. "I'm sure all three of you will be able to go home real soon." The Wizard tried to comfort them. He then eyed the various tables as the Wizard mumbled to himself. "Table 23…table 23…" He then turned to the girls. "Do you know where table 23 is?"
Bella pointed with her finger. "It's over there, Wizard…" He smiled at her. "Much obliged."
As he approached his table, all of the guests had already taken a seat, except for one lonesome chair that was empty. He noticed a young blonde-haired girl sitting to the right of him and a talking purple marsupial animal wearing a green bowtie sitting to the left of him.
As he approached to take his seat, a brightly colored talking duck sitting across from the Wizard's chair looked up. "Ah, our tardy guest has finally come to join us! The last but certainly not the least!"
The Wizard gave a cheeky smile as he sat on his chair. He waved. "Hi everyone." As the table made introductions, he definitely realized that he was not at the Emerald City anymore. Not only was there a talking duck sitting across from him and a purple talking marsupial sitting to the left of him, but also a giant talking squirrel and a talking glass cat. However, he soon became acquainted with a charming and alluring young woman who was sitting next to him.
She was a young dame from Perhaps City, located on Maybe Mountain. The young lady told the Wizard that the royal family sent her, who said they replied "maybe" to the RSVP, and she herself did not know if she was even going to attend. When questioned as to her upbringing and background, she responded noncommittally to every question.
"What's your name", the Wizard asked during his somewhat arduous conversation. What started as an attempt in friendliness turned into a rather frustration and grueling talk. The Wizard was trying to pry and find out more about her, but answers were nearly impossible to get.
"My name may be Angelica. It depends on what people call me. My parents may like to change it, depending on the context and what might be happening in our city."
The Wizard finally placed his head on his face and shook his head in frustration. He was placed at the loser's table. He knew that this was Mitchell's doing. The captain of the Winkie Guards had a real sick sense of humor.
As the Wizard attempted to make small talk with the young dame, another pair of envious eyes gazed at him from across the room. As her table laughed and made merry, the petulant witch was seething with rage. Here she was, stuck with the irksome jovial king and his ragtag entourage from Oogaboo. Meanwhile, she just had to catch the Wizard speaking with a young, attractive woman. She put so much work into making this evening special, and the Wizard had to spat on her efforts by flirting with another woman in front of her face. Inwardly, she was furious. How dare he try to kiss her before and now do this. How dare he try and play with her emotions.
"What's wrong?", the king nudged Theodora out of her daydream by tapping her arm with his elbow. "Nothing", the witch curtly said. "I am just not hungry…" She glumly looked down at her plate of chicken, food typically reserved for only the wealthiest of Winkie families, and played with it. "I think I need some air."
The sulking witch got up from her chair and darted out of the ballroom. As she briskly walked into one of the castle hallways, she started to hyperventilate. She started to run back to her bedroom, as she was too upset to be seen at the dinner and was not in the mood to celebrate. Instead, malevolent thoughts began to fill her mind as she sat by her dresser.
How dare the Wizard do this to me. Again. If the Wizard wants to play with my emotions like this, then I can kick him out of my castle. Or I can make him my slave instead of treating him with kindness and consideration. Then maybe he will give me the respect that I deserve!
I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him.
Or maybe I will show whoever that girl is not to mess with me. How dare she disrespect me. Who does she think she is dealing with? *I* am the one who invited her to this dinner! *I* am the one who invited her into my castle! I knew it was a bad idea to seat the Wizard at another table. But noooo, Mitchell had to convince me with his inane idea to have that tiresome king and his brother sit next to me! Who cares if they paid a lot of gold to be at the main table! And how dare he interrupt me when I was talking with the Wizard! They should be happy I don't send a contingent of Winkie Guards and my Winged Monkeys to Oogaboo and have that worthless kingdom wiped out and raised to the ground!
As the witch continued to sulk alone and indulge in thoughts of revenge and retribution, she heard a knock on her door.