"Do you have something to say for yourself?" The green skinned witch stood outside her bedroom and stared at her reflection through one of the many mirrors that were hanging on the walls of her castle.
"No…no you fool, that's not good", she muttered in frustration as she berated herself. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. "Try again…"
Despite the entirety of Oz being terrified of her appearance, Theodora's insecurities followed her around in whatever form she took. The first time she turned into a green skinned witch was when Glinda had supposedly "flirted" with one of the castle servants she had a crush on. She didn't remember this transformation, and there could have been other times she didn't remember, either. This is because her parents had covered up her "wickedness" by placing her into a deep sleep. They would then lock her in her bedroom. This allowed her transformation to run its natural course without harming anyone. But her parents, terrified of their youngest daughter and her powers, would routinely keep her locked in her room even when she appeared normal. They did this when Theodora was a young child and long before she appeared "hideous".
The first time the witch was fully aware of her transformation was when the Wizard "betrayed" her. This time, her parents were not around to restrain her worst impulses and Evanora—her only family member who now resided in the palace—allowed her to roam freely throughout Oz and welcomed this change if it meant she had a powerful ally to defeat Glinda.
No one knew why the witch's appearance would change. The separation between biology and environmental conditions are complex, and Ozians in their provincial and simple-minded manners knew nothing about these convoluted topics. In fact, and in a twist of irony, this is how the Wizard became to be revered in the land. He would know a great deal of subjects that the good people of Oz had never heard of before, and to them, his inventions were true feats of magic.
But regardless of the underlying reasons that triggered her transformation, the risk was heightened during times of extreme distress. Once she underwent this change, she would remain in this state for days or weeks at a time before reverting to her ordinary appearance again.
However, the voice inside of the witch's mind was right: while it was unknown why Theodora had this "power", it appeared to be a defense mechanism that started when she reached her adolescent years. And despite the Ozian perception that these powers were wicked, it did confer some positive benefits on the witch. For reasons unknown, her transformation lowered her inhibitions, increased her tolerance for physical and emotional pain and dramatically decreased her fear of the dark when she was alone.
Unfortunately for her, the green witch was not immune from pain. In time, red warts developed on her face. This was a new occurrence and didn't happen the previous times she had transformed. These warts oozed puss and were incredibly agonizing to the witch, which now made her even angrier at the world and more vengeful on those who wronged her.
Her transformation also markedly increased her aggression levels and her propensity to use violence. While she was often timid, shy, and reserved when she appeared as an "ordinary person", these personality traits were now repressed. Her concentration increased greatly in this state, and she became more focused. She was braver, but also more vindictive and vicious.
The one thing that this "power" did not do was increase her confidence levels. Even now, she was scared to venture into her bedroom and confront the Wizard. Perhaps this is why she had never spoke to him verbally about what happened in the days after Evanora told her about his "betrayal".
She continued to practice what she wanted to say but as she stared into the mirror, she only grew increasingly frustrated with herself that she could not get her voice and tonal intonations right.
"Do you have something to say for yourself…" She raised her brow as she thought about whether that voice and tone was right as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't say anything, but inside she felt satisfied with it. She then grabbed her broom that was leaning against the wall.
As the door creaked open, the green skinned witch eyed her bed with a scowl on her face. "Do you have something to say for yourself?" But her voice and tone were angrier than how she wanted to say it.
No, you fool! You were supposed to say it with calm and precision! Can you do anything right? You are stupid, she thought to herself.
The blanket was puffed up on her bed, which made it appear that the Wizard was sleeping. The witch slowly and cautiously walked into her bedroom. But his silence only made her more indignant, which was not the emotion she wanted to feel. Still, Theodora was impulsive, and this personality trait only became worse when she was in this state. "Well…is there something you want to say, Wizard…", she grumbled angrily and with much irritation in her voice. She was not going to be ignored.
As she grabbed the blanket and threw it onto the side of the bed, it quickly became clear to her that the Wizard was not sleeping. "What", she exclaimed. She quickly looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen. He was gone. He had vanished.
"THE WIZARD IS MISSING", the witch angrily and frantically exclaimed as she darted into the hallway. Dusk had descended upon the Winkie Country as the sun had now passed below the horizon. This also meant the day shift of the castle would soon transition to the night shift. Theodora clawed her hands in frustration as she ran to the nearest guard who was on duty and standing silently.
"THE WIZARD ESCAPED", she yelled at him. But the guard looked confused, and he simply turned his head and stared at her indecisively. He didn't know what to do. He was a recent recruit, and he had never seen someone as revolting as the green witch's appearance. A frightened expression appeared on his face.
"YOU FOOL! AND ARE YOU DEAF", the witch spat with growing anger and fervor in her voice. "ALERT THE GARRISON!"
The guard quickly reacted to Theodora's new orders. He dutifully darted to the top of the castle and played the horn, which alerted every Winkie Guard that the Wizard has escaped and to find him. The witch levitated off the ground and quickly dashed into the dining room. "I will make sure every Winkie Guard finds him", she said with much angst, determination, and anger in her voice. "No one will sleep tonight until he is found!"
The Wizard was at the beginning of the forest when he heard the distant sound of the horn, followed by the increased commotion of distant shouting and frantic masculine voices. He knew that the witch realized he went missing and it was only a matter of time before the guards started searching for him.
He picked up the pace as he continued to walk deeper into the forest. Unfortunately for him, he underestimated the Winkie Guards, who were far quicker than he realized.
He must be around here somewhere!
Search the forest! He couldn't have gotten far!
The Wizard anxiously clenched his teeth as he ducked behind a tree. There were nearly a dozen Winkie Guards that combed the area behind him. He didn't realize that a small contingency of guards would come so quickly because he failed to remember that many of these guards were posted near the castle gate, which was close to the forest entrance.
Unfortunately, the Wizard's problems only became worse when he ducked behind a tree. Now staring at him with its hind legs upright was an angry and ferocious Kalidah. It looked terrifying as it growled fiercely and viciously at the Wizard.
Since he was not a real Wizard, he instinctively screamed. He quickly turned and ran away as the Kalidah unsuccessfully tried to scratch him with its sharp claws. However, his screaming had unwittingly alerted the guards who were searching for him.
There he is!
Get him!
The Wizard darted as fast as his two legs could carry him, and because he wanted to continue north, he unknowingly ran adjacent to a Kalidah den as he continued along the trail. Unfortunately for the guards, they did not have time to catch the Wizard as an irate Kalidah became threatened by their sounds and noises and barreled down their path. The Wizard became particularly lucky on this occasion, as the creature now forgot about chasing him. Instead, it eyed the guards, all of whom brandished their halberds and pointed their weapons at the beast, which further agitated it.
This made the Kalidah furious, as it let out a loud and angry roar. It then pounced on the closest guard and impaled its claws deep into his chest. The guard screamed as the creature removed his claws. Blood then spurted from his chest as he slowly sank to the ground.
This guard's sudden and violent demise spurred the rest of the men into action, many of whom jumped into the melee. Total and complete pandemonium erupted as chaos enveloped this area of the forest. The screams of the guards, the moans of the dying and the cries from the injured now drew the attention of the entire den. At least another ten of these beasts heard the battle and sprang into action. Soon, there was an entire contingency of Winkie Guards who were battling an array of furious Kalidah's. The guards slowly made progress and impaled their halberds into these creatures. But the Kalidah's were formidable and violent brutes who pierced the guard's chests, cut off their arms and punctured many of them in the neck as these beasts roared loudly and angrily. Many of the guards met a violent death as the survivors slowly began to retreat.
Unbenownst to the Wizard, the forest floor where he had previously stood was now littered with dead Winkies and Kalidah's as he continued to make his way north.
As all of this was taking place, the captain had already finished his shift. After the Wizard's emotional speech, he was eager to leave the castle. His early departure was quite fortuitous, as the maids at his villa had been cooking and preparing for a special anniversary dinner.
Two servants bowed to him ceremoniously as Mitchell walked past the opened gate at the entrance of his property. While nowhere near the splendor and opulence of the witch's castle, his sprawling manor house was still quite affluent. It was surrounded by farmland, fields, multi-colored flowers, and streams. The interior boasted multiple bedrooms, a spacious living room and dining room. There was also a servant's quarters and a fully stocked kitchen. Unlike the witch, the captain decided to pay his Winkie servants generously and would routinely give them ample time off.
The captain walked down the dirt path that led to his residence. As he approached, the two double glass entrance doors slowly opened. Greeting him was his husband Bill and their little daughter, Belinda.
They met when both were non-officered Winkie Guards at the Emerald City Palace. Him and his beloved began their official duties at the end of King Pastoria's reign, who forbid same sex relationships. After the king's untimely death, Evanora ruled the Emerald City for ten years—a brief period for a witch—but had allowed same sex couples to marry. It was during Evanora's rule when they decided to take their relationship further. However, it was only Mitchell that experienced a rapid rise in rank, for Bill was wounded when the guard was sent by Evanora on various assignments. Due to his injuries, he had since retired.
In the months before the Wizard's arrival, Mitchell was finally promoted to captain, the highest rank that a Winkie Guard could achieve.
"Daddy", his daughter said excitedly as she shot him a bright-eyed smile from the entrance of his abode. She then ran towards him, her arms flailing in the air with child-like energy. The captain grinned as he kneeled on one knee and hugged his daughter as she ran into his arms.
"Oh, my sweetheart, it is good to be home", he softly said as he closed his eyes only for a moment.
He then stood and kissed his beloved. "How was your day", Bill asked him with tenderness in his voice.
"Stressful", the captain sighed. "Always stressful. Like every other day. But it is good to be home. And I am excited for our dinner. I have been looking forward to it all day…"
However, just as they started to share intimate details about their day, a Winkie Guard hurriedly dashed towards the captain on the dirt path that led to the manor. He was anxiously waving his hand in the air to try and get his attention.
"Captain! Captain!"
Mitchell and his family turned as they each eyed the guard. He ran up to the captain and whispered rapidly into his ear.
"Yes", the captain said as the messenger started to speak. "What", he then said with much shock and surprise. The guard continued to whisper as Mitchell somberly nodded his head and sighed. "You can tell the Mistress I'll be right there." The messenger then quickly departed and hurriedly returned towards the castle.
"I'm sorry", Mitchell said as he looked at his family. "Something happened."
His husband looked at him somberly. "You won't be home for dinner then?" He was upset that Mitchell may be missing the anniversary dinner they had planned. However, it was not unusual for his beloved to work long and erratic hours.
The captain looked at him with a stoic demeanor and then gazed at his daughter, whose eyes were full of hope. A small smile spread across his face as he kneeled once again and placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"I will try to be quick", he said.