After the witch left the dining room with the rest of her Winkie Guard contingent, the Wizard continued to sit on the velvet carpet in disbelief, his hand covering his face as he quietly sulked. And for several minutes, the room was quiet, with only the sounds of Daisy's soft weeping being heard.
"You shouldn't have gotten close to her, Oscar…" A soft, feminine voice entered the Wizard's mind. And from behind him, his mind imagined that Annie was there. Ever since he left Kansas, she would enter his thoughts intermittently and act as his inner voice. He pictured her as she stood behind him, wearing the same drabby clothes that she wore when she made the announcement to him that John Gale had proposed to her.
The Wizard didn't turn his head around as Annie's figure stood behind him. "I know what I'm doing…", was his meek response. "I can help her…"
"You may very well want to", she softly replied. "But because you are letting emotions get involved again, you may be opening up doors that you are not ready for." After several moments of silence, Annie gently continued. "Just like last time, she has become your responsibility now."
The Wizard slowly turned his head, but Annie was gone.
Out of the whole group involved in the ordeal that just unfolded, Bella was the first one to regain her composure. As she stood up, she dusted herself off and decided to put on a brave face. "Now, that wasn't so bad." She looked at Daisy, who was still cowering on the floor. "Come on, time to get up and get back to work…" She gave the little girl a radiant smile, pretending the outburst with the witch never took place. She then looked at Betsy, her voice now firm and resolute. "Come on, there is no time to waste." As the little girl started to clean the nearby table haphazardly, the eldest maid gave Daisy a stern look. She walked over to her, as she was still sitting on the plush red carpet and sunk in apparent sadness. "Come on Daisy!", Bella demanded. "We need to get back to work or the Mistress will—"
"Leave her alone!" The Wizard's head was still lowered as he gazed at the dining room carpet. He slowly raised his head as his eyes met with Bella's. "She's been through enough already." He sighed as he worriedly looked at the tired and worn-out little girl.
Bella placed her hands on her hips as she addressed the Wizard. "That may be so, but we have to continue working no matter what. Simply be thankful that you are not in our same position." Bella's tone was cutting, but the Wizard understood that she was simply being realistic. This was a way of life for them.
He lowered his head again, a dour expression on his face. "It's my fault…", the Wizard said quietly. "If I didn't—"
But Bella interrupted him. "You didn't know. And there's no use in crying over spilled milk. Just understand that this is a common occurrence for us." She then turned and addressed the two younger maids she worked with. "And everyone has to do better or you will need to get used to this." Bella then lowered her head and extended her hand to the littlest of the maids who narrowly escaped the witch's wrath. "Now, come on…" Daisy tepidly looked up. While her eyes were now dry, tear marks were clearly seen over her cheeks. She accepted the elder maid's outreached hand and took it. She stood up.
After directing the little girl what to clean, Bella looked at the Wizard, who was the only one still sitting on the floor. "I suggest you clean yourself off, too. There's no time for moping around here." And with that, Bella walked away from the Wizard and accompanied her two helpers as they wandered out of the dining room to attend to other duties in another part of the sprawling castle.
Still sitting on the carpet, the Wizard looked around. There was only a sole Winkie Guard stationed in the dining room. The guards on duty never looked around, nor were they allowed to leave their post unless they received permission from the captain.
As the Wizard's eyes quickly darted around the room, his focus turned to his top hat, which had fallen to the floor during the scuffle. He quickly grabbed it and slowly placed it back onto his head. With unexpected urgency, he stood up and anxiously dashed to the dining room table. He grabbed his blue prints and rushed out of the castle. He felt like he had just come out of some sort of trance, but now his adrenaline was kicking in. He needed to get out of the castle and work somewhere else. Anywhere else. He just wanted to avoid everyone and everything for the next several hours. He especially wanted to avoid "her". After several minutes of searching, he found the perfect spot: a short, round table and a settee nestled in a small, secluded garden.
For the next several hours, he continued to work uninterrupted. He was so concentrated on his own assignment that he barely noticed the sun setting and the garden's gas lanterns emitting a soft orange hue. But as the warm Ozian sun gave way to a chilly breeze, he wrapped his arms around his suit jacket, collected his papers and walked back to the castle.
The interior hallway was quiet as he entered the main doorway and walked past the glass rotunda. As he made his way to the guest bedroom, he noticed Mitchell sitting in the dining room. Piles of papers surrounded him. He was writing swiftly and speedily.
"Late night?" The Wizard asked. "You can say that…", the captain responded tiredly with a yawn, not taking his eye off the paper as he continued to write with his quill and without delay. "Today is my fourteen-hour work day and it is never fun or easy. I do this once a week." He looked up at the Wizard and spread his hands over the table. "Inventory…" The captain shot him a small smile. "My duties are mainly administrative." He then promptly lowered his head and started to write once more.
The Wizard continued to the guest bedroom. As he entered, he saw a note resting on the bed.
Wizard, meet me for dinner in the grand dining room 7. ~Theodora
After reading the note, he crumpled the paper as a familiar soft and gentle voice rang in his mind.
"Don't go, Oscar…"
He looked at the guest bed as the vision of Annie appeared behind him once more. "But I have to", he quietly responded.
Annie was persistent. "You are playing with fire, Oscar. You don't know what you are getting yourself into again. This girl is unstable."
With resolve in his voice, the Wizard was adamant. "I can handle this." As he turned around and briskly walked out of the room, Annie disappeared once again.
He returned to the dining room. He saw the captain still sitting on a gold encrusted chair and concentrating entirely on his written work. From the grand bay window, he could see the sun slipping below the horizon, a majestic sight as a mixture of orange and blue light now dazzled across the Ozian sky. The Wizard stopped in the middle of the room and looked genuinely confused. "W-w-where's—" As he stuttered, the captain replied without looking up. "She's in the grand dining room." He then pointed as he kept his head down and continued to write. "…Which is down that hall, make a left and continue all the way down. It is adjacent to the eastern ballroom, which was converted into a mess hall for the Winkie Guards."
The Wizard nodded at the captain. "Thank you." Strangely, he never saw that particular room of the castle when he was given a tour. The estate was not only opulent and beautiful, but huge as well.
Following his instructions, the Wizard saw two huge gold-plated double doors at the end of the long hallway. Past the open doors, he saw a huge room with deep crimson painted walls that beckoned him to enter. As he stepped in, there was a massive dining room table covered in pure white cloth. Silver plated China, enough for at least fifty guests, were set across from gold encrusted chairs embedded with various diamonds and rubies. Three massive chandeliers hung from the high ceiling as three candles were set on the table. There were ample amounts of light.
As the Wizard gazed at the enormity of the room, two massive paintings of the former king and queen of Oz hung on each side of the walls. He naturally assumed that this was an official portrait of both King Pastoria and Queen Lurline. The king looked to be in his forties with broad shoulders, soft blue eyes, a fine chiseled chin and long flowing brown hair. A gold crown sat on top of his head. He looked incredibly strong and masculine. Queen Lurline looked to be a fair and beautiful young woman, who closely resembled Glinda. She had long flowing blonde hair, large brown eyes and a delicate, youthful face. Her facial expression was one of kindness, but her eyes conveyed a hint of sadness.
The Wizard then saw the witch seated at the head of the table, her back turned to him. She had changed from her previous outdoorsy attire and wore one of her red gowns. As he stepped further into the room, the witch anxiously addressed him without turning her head. Her voice was edgy and impatient. "Wizard, it is about time you decided to grace me with your presence. I was worried about you and was wondering why you were so late…" Her voice trailed off and, without turning around to greet her guest, she simply raised her hand gracefully and motioned to the Wizard once he arrived at her side. "Wait, don't sit down." She stood from her chair, finally facing him. "The day shift is leaving and the night shift is replacing them. I need to address the guards…follow me…"
The witch turned away once more and darted to a nearby side door as a Winkie servant on duty ceremoniously opened it. The pair stepped onto a balcony that overlooked another huge room. Below them were hundreds of Winkie Guards. They were sitting with each other, eating and conversing. The Wizard gasped, as there were over a dozen tables in this massive room. One of the guards then announced the witch's presence. "Men! Stand! Attention!" Every Winkie Guard stood in unison and faced the witch, with some having to swiftly turn from their table. They all then ceremoniously bowed. The room was so quiet that anyone could hear a pin drop.
Theodora whispered into the Wizard's ear and gave him a sly smile. "Check this out." She then stepped away from him and placed her hands on the balcony railing. As the guard's continued to bow, the witch addressed the men in a booming voice.
"My Winkie Guards! You have continued to show your loyalty and dedication to Your Mistress! Because of this, each man will receive a special gift. You will get an extra meal to take home to your families." She thundered as her voice became louder. "Never forget that you are the fiercest fighting force in all of Winkie Country…" She then paused and turned her head slightly to the Wizard. Her eyes became narrow as she quickly glanced at him behind her. She then turned her head back to her Winkie Guards once more before continuing. "And throughout all of Oz!"
The Wizard slightly cringed upon hearing this. He did not know what to make of her statement, or of her glance to him. Was this supposed to be some sort of threat? While her tone was not threatening or ominous, he did believe that her statement served as some sort of cryptic warning.
Without turning around, the witch then lowered her hand out of view of the guards below and motioned for the Wizard to approach. He placed the incident that had just occurred quickly in the back of his mind. As he came to her side, the witch turned her head to him. "You see that", she whispered to him, her tone flirtatious and a small smirk now on her face. "Respect. They are still bowing to me. Isn't that cool?" She gave a small chuckle. She was hoping that the Wizard was impressed with how far she had come in the intervening three years. While growing up, she lived under the shadow of her sisters and of her parents. Since they all believed that she was naturally wicked, Theodora held very little sway and respect in her family. But now that she commanded the Winkie Guards, she was hoping that the Wizard would flower her with compliments. Unfortunately for her, the Wizard stayed silent. Her large smile disappeared as he continued to stare at her impassively. She then turned disappointedly back to the guards. "At ease!" She then walked away from her guest and headed back towards the grand dining room.
She was upset. First, the Wizard disappeared from her castle without telling her where he was going. Then, because she didn't know where he went, she thought that he was drifting away and abandoning her once more. When she couldn't find him, she started to lightly scratch at her skin, which she would do occasionally when she got anxious.
The Wizard remained at the balcony trying to process what had happened. As the Winkie Guards stood once again and resumed their meal, he turned around and followed the witch.
"I get it", she snapped at him as he briskly tried to catch up with her. "If you don't respect me, just say so Wizard…" Her voice trailed off as she lowered her head while walking. For a brief moment, he did not know what to say. "It's not that", the Wizard interjected. "You don't have to do this to impress me."
The witch abruptly stopped walking. She turned to her guest. "You don't get it…do you?"
The Wizard met his gaze with hers, a quizzical expression on his face. "Huh?" He was genuinely confused.
"All of Oz has never respected me." A frown then marred her delicate face as a look of hopelessness was present in her eyes. "I was just hoping that you would be different…and every time I thought you would be…" Her voice trailed off as she scowled at him. "You've been a catastrophic disappointment." She quickly turned away from him and continued to walk back to the long and opulent table.
"But I do respect you", the Wizard exclaimed. "That's what I meant…" The witch ignored him as she continued to the head of the table and took her seat once more. As she did so, a Winkie servant boy directed the Wizard to the head of the table on the opposite end.
This was not at all what he had expected. He thought that the witch would apologize to him for what had happened earlier with Daisy. He thought that she was going to be as gracious and as diplomatic to him as she had been when he arrived. He didn't know what to make of Theodora's sudden and odd change in behavior.
As the Wizard took his seat, he looked around and saw how far apart he was from the witch. "Is this…really necessary", he asked. He questioned why they were seated at opposite ends of the table.
"Why yes, it is…", the petulant witch responded. "Aren't you aware of Ozian customs? When two rulers meet, custom dictates that they sit at opposite heads of the table." Her tone was ringing with sarcasm and irritation as she stared at him icily. "Have you been living under a rock?"
The Wizard frowned and reacted defensively. "Theodora, what has gotten into you? I am only asking a simple question. There's no need to jump down my throat…" The Wizard was baffled by her bizarre behavior.
She stared at him menacingly with growing anger in her voice. "You want to know what's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong. You disappearing on me, Wizard. You going outside without letting me know where you are. You should not be going outside without my knowledge or permission. That's what's wrong! You left me earlier today and it felt like you were intentionally distancing yourself from me. I initially thought maybe you were disgusted by what happened and that you went back to the Emerald City. But you really should not be going out onto the castle grounds without permission…"
The witch then brushed her hand as she sighed and placed her fingers on her forehead. She lowered her eyes as she gazed at the table and shook her head. "It's not you…it's just…everything I've been dealing with lately." Her voice become more frustrated and anxious as she spoke. "Inspection Day is tomorrow and no one is doing what I've asked of them or what they're supposed to. I have to check every Winkie twice and many times they tell me that they've done something when they haven't. And then they act like I'm the horrible person when I react!"
The witch began to huff and puff as she shook her head in exasperation. "Well, if they did all that they were merely asked of them, I never would have had to act like that!" The witch then became quiet as her gaze darted back and forth between the Wizard and her plate. She crossed her arms across her chest.
Her voice then began to crack as she stared at her plate. "I just…can't deal with this, Wizard. I can't deal with this. Every Winkie has just been trying to undermine me since the first day I arrived here. I just…I just can't deal with it at all! They call me hideous, my family has called me hideous and other horrible names. I'm all alone and I just can't deal with…" She clenched her teeth and scowled angrily at the painful memories of all the people who had previously betrayed her, both real and perceived.
As Theodora was speaking, the Wizard quietly stood from his chair and walked towards the witch at the opposite end of the table. Without her even noticing, he then took a seat next to her as she continued to rant.
She stopped as he took her hand and held it in his. "Oh", she exclaimed, not realizing that the Wizard had walked all the way from the other end of the table during her rant and had now taken a seat next to her. Their gaze met.
"I couldn't sit all the way down there", he said.
He then sighed as a sad expression covered his face. "I just…feel so sorry for you, Theodora." The witch lowered her head, wallowing in self-pity and self-victimization. She then raised her head when the Wizard spoke once more. "But what happened earlier today just…it just killed me. It really did. I was incredibly upset as to how you acted with such a small child…"
The witch interrupted him. She waved her free hand gently in his direction, as if to brush off and dismiss his concerns. "Don't be so sensitive. What happened earlier today wasn't what it seemed. I love the Winkies, Wizard. Seriously, I do. Even if they don't love me. And sometimes, love makes us do crazy things…"
"But it still hurt", the Wizard said, looking at her compassionately and speaking earnestly. "It was wrong and it really killed me. It really hurt… and I…"
He stopped speaking as a pained expression was present on his face. He then took her hand, started to kiss it and then closed his eyes. He cooed.
"Awww", Theodora exclaimed, as she started to gently caress the Wizard's cheek. "What am I going to do with you?", the witch asked rhetorically as she gazed at him tenderly. She then slyly smiled. "You are so lucky that you are my favorite…", she stated. Her devious grin widened as her voice became edgy. She gently grabbed the side of the Wizard's cheek with her hand. "Otherwise, I would have thrown you into the dungeon for your…insolence." The Wizard's eyes darted up to hers as a worried look flashed across his face. This made the witch laugh. "Oh, don't look at me like I am going to actually do that to you…"
Not yet anyway, the peeved witch told herself inwardly. As long as he does what he is told to do and stops getting himself into trouble.
With this reassurance, the Wizard continued to give tiny pecks to her hand as a small group of Winkie boys ceremoniously entered the grand dining room with platters of food.
Seeing this, the witch moved her hand away. She gestured to her guest as the silver platters were placed on their end of the table. "Eat", Theodora gently said as she pointed at his place. She then softly giggled.
During the meal, the Wizard looked at his companion's plate. "You don't want anything? You've hardly ate anything since I arrived here…"
In truth, Theodora had a love-hate relationship with food. One some days, and especially when she was feeling sad or depressed, she would binge eat. On other days, she would hardly eat anything and would starve herself as a form of punishment and self-loathing. For the past several days, the witch merely toyed with what was on her plate. The Wizard's presence gave her many different feelings, but one that predominated above all of the others was anxiety. She feared that something would happen again where he would leave her. She also wanted things to work out this time and these thoughts made her very nervous and anxious. Everything about the Wizard made her a nervous wreck, even though she tried her best not to show it.
Her relationship with food was often a black and white affair. This would happen with anything in her life. One day, she would think an object or a person was the greatest, most wonderful thing she could have ever imagined. The next day, if that object or person angered her or she simply became bored, she would discard it and often not in a nice way.
"I'm okay", the witch said, grabbing his hand with hers and squeezing it. She eyed his plate. "You don't want any white bread?"
The Wizard moved uncomfortably in his chair. "I…I can't have it."
Theodora's eyes narrowed. "Why not?"
"Well, I need to avoid that type of food."
The witch leaned her head forward as she continued to stare at him intently. "Why?"
This made the Wizard increasingly uncomfortable. He didn't like talking about his health. There was only one other person in all of Oz who knew about his health struggles.
"Well, I am pre-diabetic and…" He was about to explain what that was, but he was interrupted.
"What is that?", the witch curiously eyed him, her jaw tight and gaze steady.
"It's when…" The Wizard started to answer, but his sentence ended on his tongue. He didn't know if it was a good idea to tell the witch the truth. She still thought he was a great and powerful wizard. Would this weaken him in the eyes of the witch? Would she think differently of him? Insecurity began to take over. Perhaps it was better to put on a strong face.
"Nothing", the Wizard finally said, continuing to hold her hand on the table. "I just don't like it." He then smiled warmly at her, hoping she would forget the conversation. Luckily for him, the witch complied and flashed him a warm smile of her own. She finally looked down at her plate and took a bite of her food. As she began eating, she mischievously glanced at the Wizard once more. "Well, I am sure it is probably wonderful to be King of Oz, and all of the power that goes along with it." She looked down at her food as she eyed her plate. "And don't forget it was I who led you to Emerald City to begin with…" The witch then started to take jabs at the food as she began to probe him. "I am sure you have been very happy indeed…", the witch said with a hint of bitterness in her voice. She knew that Glinda would make herself useful and show up at the Wizard's whims, giving him her body and her mind.
The Wizard glanced down at his plate with resignation in his voice. "Actually…I…I hate it. I hate it so much."
This made the witch perk up in surprise. She gasped as she stared at him with shock. "What?" She continued to eye him as he sullenly looked down at his plate in silence. "What did you say?" Her eyes were wide. She was surprised that he would say this. While growing up, it was her dream to become queen of Oz. She fantasized about all of the respect she would receive. And while no Ozian had ever willingly given her a gift out of their own free will, they would be forced to give her tokens, rubies, pearls and other exotic treasures because she would be queen. And the simple people of Oz would finally be forced to smile at her, to greet her politely and to acknowledge her existence, even though most were fearful of witches and have shunned her since the day she was born.
And this is where Theodora hated Glinda the most. Not only did Glinda deprive the witch of something that she truly desired once, but everything came flawlessly to her, including the love, the admiration and the respect of every Ozian. This not only made Theodora incredibly envious, but it also made her sick with disgust. She'd love to be queen not only to have the people's love and respect, but also force Glinda and the rest of her family to worship her. That she was finally somebody. That she finally had a voice.
But the Wizard's admission absolutely shocked her the most. He had a position that Theodora wanted most of all. She would kill for it. Literally.
He was king. He had power. He had it all. And he hated it?
She remembered how greedy he was. And as she flew away bitterly on her broomstick the night that she was banished from the Emerald City, she knew that he had everything he could ever want or ask for. She despised him for it, for it was she who wanted to be in his position.
But the witch was stunned. As king, he could have anything he wanted. Why did he hate it?
The Wizard continued to stare at his plate as he lamented. "Every day is the same old thing. Another ambassador to meet. Another problem to solve. Another crisis to fix…" He then gazed at the witch once again. "Three years ago, all I wanted was gold. I was obsessed with wealth and the great things I thought it could bring. I dreamt of achieving fame and fortune for many years. And then when I had it…"
He looked away from the wide-eyed witch. "For the first several months, I wanted to do everything possible to be a great and powerful king. But the stresses started to get to me. I barely had any time for myself. Every day, there would be a huge line outside of the palace to see me…" His voice trailed off once again as he meticulously played with his food.
"I still remember before coming to this land, I'd fantasize about creating great inventions. I couldn't do any of that. I never had any time for personal enjoyment or reflection. I never had time for anything except work. Something had to give…"
The Wizard paused before continuing. "It was not long before I mentally broke down. I couldn't take the stresses of rulership. I locked myself in my room and I refused to come out. I refused to meet anyone. I refused to see anyone. And as a result…"
The Wizard's gaze returned to the witch as he pursed his lips. "Anyway…I am better now. I am able to work on my inventions. These are the things I care about the most."
He paused again. "But I'll be honest with you…"
He started to frown as he looked into the witch's eyes. Theodora saw how tired he was. His voice became nostalgic. "Remember the day when I came here in my balloon?" He smiled as he lowered his head and looked at his plate, the witch's hand still in his. "We just walked around and we got to know each other. We had no responsibilities, no duties, no stresses. It was a simple time. It was a good day…" He eyed the witch with longing. "I just wish…there were more good days." He quickly lowered his head once more as reality started to set in: he had very few good days since he's been in Oz.
The witch looked at him in stunned silence. She finally spoke. "Well, it wasn't all rainbows. I mean, we did get attacked by that flying baboon…"
The Wizard's eyes narrowed in anger as he slowly raised his head. Instead of returning his gaze back to the witch, he stared straight ahead. The mention of the winged baboon brought back a level of rage and resentment deep within him. Unlike Glinda, he would have killed Evanora that night if he was given the chance. Secretly, he never forgave Glinda for allowing her to escape. In doing so, she managed to turn many Munchkins against him. She continually attacked his character from afar and manipulated other Ozians against him, much like she had manipulated Theodora. He despised the eastern witch with the entirety of his soul.
"No, I got attacked, not you." The Wizard looked at the witch with a hint of frustration in his eye. "I've been continually targeted ever since I arrived. That's why I said my first day in Oz was the best. It was a simpler, perhaps more innocent time." A sadness then swept over his face as his eyes became watery. "But then when you turned against me…I…" He placed his free hand on his face as he shook his head.
Seeing that he was done eating, the witch took both of his hands and held it reassuringly in hers. She smiled at him brightly. "I want to show you something." She then cocked her head to the side as she stood from her chair. "Follow me…"