The Winkies who did not produce enough food and lived in the surrounding countryside had assembled outside of the castle. The sun was beginning to set as the Winkie Guards were lined up in formation.
Many of the witch's subjects expressed shock and terror when Theodora entered the field. Some exclaimed at her appearance as she held her broomstick in hand.
She's hideous!
She's a monster!
Look at her awful nose!
Indeed, for the simple people of Oz who believed in magic and monsters, the witch looked terrifying. Her skin was green, her dress was black, her hat was pointy and several warts on her face oozed puss. Additionally, her nose was crooked, and her eyes were yellow. To them, Theodora was a monster.
And she looked enraged. She stopped in front of her guards and addressed her petrified subjects. As she spoke, her voice was booming.
"You think you can get away with not giving me half of your food", the witch snarled bitterly at them. "YOU THINK THE WIZARD CAN SAVE YOU!"
Many of the winkies let out a gasp.
We don't have any enough food to provide to our families…
Please don't take our children…
But others were more defiant in their resistance.
Where are our families you imprisoned, you wicked witch!
The Wizard will save us!
Theodora spoke with much bitterness in her voice. "SILENCE!" After this, none of the Winkies dared to speak.
"IF YOU CONTINUE TO DEFY ME, I WILL MAKE SURE YOU NEVER SEE YOUR CHILDREN AGAIN! IN FACT, I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH FOOD! IF YOU DON'T PROVIDE HALF OF WHATEVER FOOD YOU DO HAVE, I WILL DO WORSE THINGS TO YOUR FAMILY!"
The witch was seething at the growing defiance and resistance of the Winkies. How dare they try to backstab her, after everything she did for them. She accepted them, unlike those in the Emerald City who NEVER accepted her or showed any sympathy of mercy towards her. Despite their perfidy, she continued to give the Winkies a chance. She gave them protection. In fact, they did all this work before she arrived at Winkie Country, but only now did they have the gall to suddenly complain that they were constantly being "overworked". She truly believed that Glinda and the Emerald City were encouraging the Winkies to defy her.
After feeling heartbroken and betrayed in every phase of her life by her father, her mother, her "sister" Glinda, the Wizard himself and even her own city, the witch was not going to take any of their lousy excuses.
She eyed the crowd with a malicious and malevolent smile as she laughed mockingly. "The Wizard is never going to save you!" Theodora started to slowly walk in her black dress as she turned to every Winkie in the crowd with many of them quietly gasping and groaning.
"If you are all so unhappy, then I am going to have to take more food away from you…" As she spoke, she became more enraged as she looked at her teary-eyed and weeping subjects. She started to shout as a devious and wicked smile flashed across her face.
"BECAUSE THIS IS MY LAND! AND I CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT HERE! I CAN DO ANYTHING I WISH! AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME!"
As the Winkie crowd remained silent, Theodora continued to be unrepentantly angry.
"IF YOU HAVE ANY FOOD TO EAT, IT IS BECAUSE I ALLOW IT! IF YOU SEE YOUR CHILDREN, IT IS WITH MY PERMISSION! I CONTROL EVERYTHING!"
As the green witch composed herself, her subjects stared at her with a look of horror and fear on their faces.
"Because your so-called 'resistance' spoke to the Wizard, every man, woman, and child is now on half rations for the next 30 days…" Theodora ended her punishment in a bitter and mocking tone. "You can thank your precious 'wizard' for this…"
As many Winkie women and children continued to sob from hearing this news, Theodora turned and walked back to her castle. When she did so, she started to cackle menacingly as several birds became frightened and flew away from nearby trees.
Meanwhile, the Wizard banged on the witch's bedroom door with the soul of his shoe to try and free himself. However, the thick gold-plated double doors remained sturdy and did not budge. After multiple attempts at this futile mission, he decided to take a break.
He shook his head while crouched on his knees. "I should have listened to you when I had the chance." The Wizard did not turn, but he knew that Annie was now in his periphery.
She stared at him with an impassive expression on her face. Theodora is lost. There are some deep wounds there, Oscar. Annie remained silent for several moments as she contemplated her next words. And I don't mean her physical appearance.
The Wizard shook his head in disappointment. "I know that now. Ugh, I should have known from the start. I should have been a better person. I should have tried harder. I should have—"
But he was interrupted. Oscar, stop it. There was nothing more you could have done. You must stop blaming yourself for this.
He then took his shoe and once again started to bang on the door. "Well", he responded. "Once I get out of here, it is back to the Emerald City for me…"
Suddenly, the door started to slowly creak open. Started, the Wizard placed his hands on the red carpet and got on all fours.
"Monkey", he whispered. He started to cringe at first when he didn't hear a response.
"No, Wizard, it's us!" He smiled when he heard Bella's voice. "Oh, thank god…", he sighed. Bella continued to open the door as Betsy and Daisy helped. "Come on, girls", the maid replied. "We have to get him out of here…"
Once the door was opened, the Wizard sprang up and greeted them with a smile. "Thank you", he responded. "How did you get the door—"
"I have a spare key, remember", Bella said. "Now come on, there's no time to lose!" The maid handed the Wizard his bag, closed the door and then hurriedly grabbed him by the arm. "We have to get you out of here!"
Since the witch was now speaking to the Winkies in the field, many of the Winkie Guards who had been stationed inside the castle where now outside. Because of this, the group had no issues escorting the Wizard through the hallway. As he realized that they were heading towards the front of the castle, he stopped them. "Wait", he gestured. "Once we run through the castle gardens, how are we going to get past the guards on the walls at the gate?"
As the girls began to think about this obstacle, he then had another idea. "I know of another way. One night, Theodora took me underneath the castle and—"
"Yes", Bella exclaimed. "The underground passageway! Good thinking, Wizard…"
Luckily, he remembered where the secret passageway was located. The sun continued to descend in the sky as the group emerged from the underground cave. While this route took a little while longer than planned, it also bypassed the castle walls.
"Finally! You made it", Ugu said in relief as he waited near the entrance of the forest. After the unexpected battle with the witch at their once secret hideaway, Ugu and the rest of the Winkie resistance had expected to be detained by the Winkie Guards. But Theodora had been so distraught over what happened with the Wizard that her guards simply followed her back to the castle when she left and gave them no instruction.
When Bella realized that he had been imprisoned by the witch, she sought out her father, who told her to free him and then to meet at this pre-determined location.
"We don't have much time", Ugu declared as he looked at the Wizard. "You must go now!"
The Wizard gestured with his hands as he eyed the group. "Listen, she is not going to be happy that I'm gone", he excitedly whispered as his hand pointed back at the castle. "You guys better get out of here while you still have a chance!"
But Bella reassured him. "We will be alright, Wizard. Go."
He then looked around. There was the path that led eastward and back to the Emerald City, and then there was the north path that led through the Kalidah den, deep into the Haunted Forest and to the Gillikin Country.
"Where are you going", the group declared in unison as he started to run north. This made the Wizard turn his head to them. "If I go east, she'll find me! But if I go north, the Haunted Forest has magic that will scramble her crystal ball! I might have a chance!"
As he turned and started running again, Bella looked at him with soft eyes as the rest of the group stood in silence.
"Good luck", she said.