"Mistress, there's something you should read…"

After the Wizard had plunged off the waterfall, the captain slowly reassembled the men. They were about to traverse down the mountain when the Winged Monkeys were seen flying overhead. When the pack landed, the leader informed them that the Wizard was falling in midair, but then he had vanished.

He had disappeared and his present location was unknown.

Mitchell decided to make the hike down. They began their slow descent late morning, and it took well into the afternoon. Perhaps the best thing about Oz was its weather, which lacked the punishing humidity that other magical lands had. This spared the guards from further humiliation as they made the long and arduous trek. As they reached the base, the witch flew towards their location cackling mad and with a trail of black smoke behind her.

"Where is he?", she demanded with utmost fury as her feet touched the ground. "I've looked everywhere, but he's gone!" For the first time, neither the Winkie Guards nor the Winged Monkeys knew where the Wizard was. He had disappeared and no one wanted to tell the witch the truth that they all failed to capture him.

To avoid punishment, the captain remembered the letter that the Wizard gave him. "Mistress", the captain interjected as he walked past his exhausted men. He took out a parchment from his bag and extended it to the seething witch. "There's something you should read..."

She snatched it from Mitchell's hand as her broom fell to the ground. She then unfolded the letter and began to read its contents. An uncanny silence then fell over her as she read the letter in its entirety.

Theodora,

Goodbye. No emotional farewells or crying at what must be done. I have made the decision to turn myself in at the gates of the Emerald City and to face judgment there. Rest assured that I will vociferously plead the case as we saw it and against whatever they accuse me of. I know that deep down you are a good person, and that goodness is worth fighting for. If the city does not see reason, then I will suffer what I must. Agatha had detractors as well as allies and I believe I can end this in my favor. If I cannot, then at least there will be an ending.

Please do not follow me for there will be no gain for you other than the potential for further bloodshed and violence. I am hoping that their interest in you will wane now that they have "the traitor" in their custody.

For better or for worse, I am taking control. And maybe someday, in happier times, we will meet again. If not, thank you for believing in me, even when I did not believe in myself.

Take care.

With Love, Peace, and Kindness,
Oscar Diggs

The witch took the parchment and tore it into little pieces. She clenched her teeth and curled her fingers in frustration. She picked up her broom as she darted past the captain like a pouting child. "We are going to intercept him there!", the witch howled.

"But he wrote that we shouldn't—" Mitchell knew it didn't matter what he said, for even before he finished his sentence, the witch was already out of earshot and had taken to the air once more. He simply sighed and gave orders to his men.

It took several more hours, but now they stood outside the gates of the Emerald City. The witch was shrieking and yelling, demanding that the Emerald City turn over the Wizard or to face the consequences. When no one responded, she even took to flight and flew menacingly over the Emerald City demanding that they surrender the Wizard. Finally, this prompted Glinda and her officers to open the city gate and to confront the witch and her minions. Plain clothed Ozians who were bound for the Quadling Country also accompanied Glinda, with several carrying food and supplies in their carts.

"Theodora", Glinda responded in a biting but diplomatic tone. "You are approaching Emerald City lands. The days of this city being terrorized are over. Your wickedness has no place here!"

But the green skinned witch was in no mood for talk. "Ahhhh, big and bold words, but that will not be enough anymore!" She then pointed to the Winged Monkeys who were circling overhead and then began to land next to her guards. "Do you see what I have now? The Winged Monkeys will be enough to take on the likes of you! If I don't get what I want, then I will make the entire city suffer and feel my wrath! But first I will be nice enough and give you this demand: I want the Wizard! If the city does not release him to me, then you shall all pay the consequences!"

"The Wizard isn't here", Glinda remarked in a firm tone. "This is your last opportunity to leave. If you don't, we'll—"

However, Glinda's voice was then interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

"What are you doing here?"

Everyone turned to face this sudden and unexpected masculine presence. The Wizard was standing on the border of the Gillikin's as he took one step forward and crossed into Winkie territory. This made the witch smile deviously as her lips parted. She curled her fingers excitedly. "Wizard! Now that you are here, you—"

But she was interrupted by the Wizard's soft voice. "I said what are you doing here? I told you not to come to the city. I told you to stay away…" He placed his bag down onto the grass as he continued to slowly approach the witch's position. "This is something I need to do…"

This made the witch march furiously over to him as she started to bicker. "No! This is not something you need to do!" She pointed towards the city as she stared at him with great anger in her eyes. "Do you think those fools are ever going to treat you fairly?! They won't and it's clear you don't know much about Ozian customs! You're not going to cross into Emerald City territory and that's final! I forbid it! I forbid you to go!"

The Wizard raised his voice in earnest. "Why? Why is this so important to you?"

"Because…because…you're the Wizard! And I am not going to let Glinda win! I am not going to give her that satisfaction!"

He then took his hands and started to forcefully rub his palms together in quick motion as he mimicked wiping them clean of whatever dirt they carried. "Well, I'm not the Wizard anymore. Remember what I said earlier to Wogglebug? I washed my hands clean of that! I'm not the Wizard! So, if this is about being queen—"

"It's not about that!"

"Then what? What do you want from me?"

"It's not about being queen!"

"Then what? What is it?"

"It's…" The witch arched her back in frustration and embarrassment. She then looked at the Wizard once more with a look of fiery determination in her eyes. "It's because you are kind to me! I just feel…I feel…I feel protected by you. And safe! And secure! And being with you I feel like I haven't been with anyone else before. You just don't get it Wizard! The Emerald City, they don't respect me and—"

"No, Theodora, you don't get it. And after all this time, you are still not getting it. You think respect is all about having a title or position or authority, but it has nothing to do with that! Respect can't just be demanded. Respect must be earned, and it must be earned by your behavior towards others…"

"You're wrong, Wizard! Respect is given through power and authority. And that's what I would get if I ruled those simpering fools at the Emerald City. I would get the respect that I'd deserve!"

"Oh, really? Well, you already have all this with the Winkies. You have it all already. What about them? You now indisputably rule that land. Do you feel an ounce more respect than you did when we first met?"

The witch considered what the Wizard was telling her but didn't respond to his questions. However, he was not going to let this pass and he pressed his point.

"Well, do the Winkies respect you or not? Yes or no! I want an answer!"

"They don't accept me", she muttered under her breath.

"What did you say? I can't hear you?"

"I said they don't accept me, Wizard! The Winkies don't accept me! But nobody accepts me! Look at me, Wizard! Look at me! I'm hideous! Who would accept me?"

"I accept you!"

The Wizard blurted this out unexpectedly from his mouth, which caused the witch to fall silent. "What?", she asked with surprise in her voice. "What did you say?"

"I said I accept you. I accept everything about the way you look. I don't care if you have green skin or if you carry a broom. But again, you are missing the point. It's not about the way you look, but it is about the way you treat people! But that is where you can change!"

The witch was silent, but the Wizard continued unabated.

"Don't you get it, Theodora? This is what I've been trying to tell you all this time and you just haven't been listening! You may not be able to change your outward appearance or condition, but you can change what's inside yourself! But I accept the way you look. Even your black dress and your green skin. Even…even your broom."

"And my crooked nose?"

He smiled. "Yes! Even your crooked nose…"

"And my warts?"

"Yes", the Wizard cooed as he slowly extended his hand to touch her cheek. "Even your warts…" But this made the witch flinch as she backed her head away before he could do so. "No Wizard! Don't touch it! It hurts! It really hurts!"

He looked around and saw a little monkey emerge from the pack. "Finley…", he remarked as he pointed to his satchel. "Get me my bag." The monkey fluttered over to where his bag had rested and brought it to him. The Wizard then shuffled through it and took out his ointment cream. He placed some on his finger. "Don't!", Theodora pleaded. "Don't, Wizard, don't! It's going to hurt!"

"I promise you that this is not going to hurt. Just…be still." She braced for pain, but to her shock and surprise, whatever he was gently applying to her warts had a cooling sensation. It made her feel better.

"There, there, you see, you can't take over all of Oz if you are in pain like this", the Wizard said jokingly. This caused her to smile, perhaps the first time she had done so genuinely since her transformation. The Wizard then noticed a wart on her forehead. "Here, let me remove your hat so I can reach this one…" But as he did so, she quickly tried to stop him. "No, Wizard! Don't do it!", the witch squeaked.

But it was too late. As he removed her black hat, everyone around her seemed to gasp, for Theodora's scalp was now devoid of hair. Her cheeks turned bright red in shame and embarrassment as the denizens who had gathered around Glinda now started to laugh and taunt her.

Haaa haaaa haaaa serves you right freak for coming here!

Ugly is wicked! Ummm hummmm. Ugly is wicked. It certainly is!

Gosh, if I had a dog like that, I'd kill it…

Upon hearing this, the Wizard became very irate. In these past several years, something changed in him. When Theodora had first confronted him in the Quadling Country, he was too scared to say anything when the Quadlings taunted her. But he didn't fear Theodora anymore. He wasn't afraid. Instead, he was going to stand up for her. Instead of hiding who he really was, he was going to say what he felt was right.

"What's wrong with you people?", he said angrily as he turned away from the witch and began to address the small crowd that was safely behind the protective boundaries of Glinda and her officers. "You mock someone and make fun of those who are different? Just because someone looks different than you does not mean you get to make fun of them!" He then shook his head at the crowd, with some placing their hands on their hips while others had their head down in shame for angering the Wizard. "Go home, all of you. There is nothing to see here. Go home."

While most turned and started to walk back towards the gates, a few had choice words to say to the Wizard.

What do you know, killer of Agatha!

You are no different than the witch!

We trusted you!

Regardless, he ignored their words and gave the witch her hat back. "Thank you", she softly said as she placed it back onto her head and continued to stare at the Wizard with wide eyes and a small smile. But after a few moments, the witch began to clutch her chest as she clenched her teeth and released a loud yelp.

"Theodora?", the Wizard asked with concern in his voice. She hardly heard him as she collapsed onto the ground and began to tremble. She then started to shake violently. The Wizard was on her in an instant as he tried to hold her down with his hands. He looked up and gazed around with panic and alarm. "Somebody help her!", he cried out. He then looked at the captain who was now directly across from him. "Somebody get a doctor!"

But after several seconds, her shaking subsided. Her skin pigmentation lightened, her warts disappeared, her hair started to regenerate, and the color of her clothes started to change to various shades of red.

She slowly opened her bright brown eyes. "Wizard…", she said groggily as if coming out of a stupor. He gave her a bright smile and sighed with much joy and relief in his voice. "Oh, thank God! You're okay!"

"You were afraid?"

"I was afraid so much", the Wizard said without a speck of dishonesty in his voice. "I was so scared that something bad was happening to you." He then started to kiss her cheeks from pure relief. "Thank God you are alright. Thank God thank God thank God!" He was so happy that she was okay that he was literally on the verge of tears.

"Wizard…", the witch responded tenderly. "Your elbow is on my arm…"

To this, he quickly adjusted positions. "Oh, I am so sorry—"

"And can you help me up?"

"Oh! Now where are my manners?" He extended a hand to Theodora, but as she stood, she then looked at him with sad eyes. "Wizard, please don't leave. If…if you don't like my castle, we can live somewhere else. You don't have to worry about the Emerald City. I can protect you from them. Please…please don't leave. Don't go away…please…"

His gaze averted her own and he sighed. He really didn't want to disappoint her. Again. He was at a crossroads once more and he didn't know what to do. And yet, there he was. "Finley", he finally said as he turned to the monkey with an air of tension in his voice. "Walk with me."

The pair started to walk along the dirt path that led towards the Gillikin lands. "I don't know what to do", the Wizard remarked as his gaze focused on the ground. "Wizard…", the monkey murmured as his knuckles touched the ground before walking upright on his legs. "I've known you for three years. And when I first met you and you confided in me that you weren't the Wizard, I really thought that you were dubious and a sleaze. But…since that time, you've proved me wrong. Time and time again." The monkey paused as a gust of wind blew past them. "I know you really want to help her, and I've seen you do some incredible things but…there might be some battles that you just simply cannot win. I think you need to go back to the Emerald City and clear your name. You need to help yourself first because you can help anyone else. There, that's my unvarnished opinion on the matter."

They had stopped walking. The Wizard had closed his eyes and raised his head. As the warm rays of the Ozian sun touched his face, he thought about everything that had happened in the past few weeks. He contemplated what his friend was saying, but he also thought about what he would do if he decided to return to the Winkie Country. He knew that Theodora would protect him. But at what cost? Despite the witch's promise, he knew that he would always have to watch his back. The Emerald City would stop at nothing to track him down and bring him to justice. If he went back to the Winkie Country, he would never know peace.

On the other hand, if he did return to the city, he could very well be executed.

He continued to close his eyes. But after some deep thought and contemplation, he opened them once again. He knew what he had to do. He made his final decision.

The two opposing sides rested on the grass as the pair returned, with Theodora closest to the Emerald City's border. Upon seeing the Wizard, she stood up with much anticipation. However, a dour look on his face conveyed all that she needed to know.

"I'm sorry", the Wizard said with sadness in his voice as he grabbed her hand with his. "I'm sorry. I really am." He moved the top of her hand to his lips and kissed it before her hand fell to her side. "But if I don't return, the Emerald City will hunt me forever until I give in. This is not what I want. And this is not something you want, either. I must go back…"

The Wizard then turned away from her. As he took one step over the border, two of Glinda's captains were there and ready to grab him as soon as he completely crossed into the city's domain. But the witch clenched her teeth and grabbed his arm with her hand. "No!", she barked at him fiercely. "No…", she said again with a more measured degree of calm. She was not going to let Glinda or the Emerald City win. She was not going to let him go without a fight.

He sighed. "Theodora…", he said calmly, but this time with an aura of defeat in his tone. "We've been fighting over this ever since I arrived in Oz. But I'm not going to fight any longer. I'm not going to resist. If this is what you truly want, then go ahead. Take me back…" His feet were on the Emerald City territory while his arms were still in Winkie Country.

"If this is what you want, then go ahead", he continued. "Take me back. I will not fight, and I will not try to escape." He then gazed intently into her eyes and spoke with much candor. "But if you do this, if you force me to go back with you, then…then I won't be happy."

Theodora's eyes became wide. Her lips parted, but she remained mute. She continued to stare at him in silence and for several moments, no one knew what she was going to do. Finally, she lowered her head in sadness and her gaze fell to the ground. Her hand, which had been tightly clutching the Wizard's arm, released its grip. As the Wizard moved his arms into the Emerald City's land and thereby crossed the border entirely, two of Glinda's captains immediately seized him and encased him in one of Glinda's bubbles. While this happened, Theodora took a step back, turned around and sank her face sullenly into her captain's embrace.

"We got him!", Glinda's captain said triumphantly. "Shall we prepare the prisoner for—" But she was interrupted by the southern witch herself, who chastised her. "Excuse me, but you will address him by his proper title. He is still your Wizard."

"Prepare for transport beyond the city gates!", Glinda then yelled. And with that, she waved her wand and her entire group teleported behind the Emerald City's walls and disappeared. When they reappeared in the city's courtyard itself, there was much commotion and pandemonium. The Wizard was now a controversial figure. Some people clapped at his return, but this was quickly met by an uproar of jeers, expletives, and other explosive remarks. This was an entirely different entrance than three years prior. Then, the Wizard entered as a hero and with much fervor and celebration. But now, this reception was something entirely different.

The crowd gathered around the group as he was led from the main boulevard and towards the Emerald City palace in irons. As he did so, a media circus developed.

Wizard, is it true that you are allies with the Wicked Witch of the West?

Wizard, is it true that you murdered Agatha in cold blood?

But before the Wizard could interject or say anything, China Girl appeared from the crowd. "My client has no comments. He is innocent and we look forward to prevailing at trial." There were no further questions or outbursts as the Wizard was shepherded through the palace entrance.

"Order!" The council leader was seated alone in front of the auditorium where the Wizard would be tried for Agatha's death. He banged his gavel on the table and repeated his request. "Order! Order! We shall have order in this court!" The crowd took their seats and silence descended throughout the room.

"Wizard! Please rise…", the council leader directed. Along with China Girl, his now self-appointed legal advisor, the Wizard was seated at the furthest table in the front and directly across from the prosecutor's, which had a group of five Ozian legal scholars sorting a multitude of papers that were now scattered haphazardly over it. As he rose, the council leader began to read from a piece of paper.

"You have been charged with murder and manslaughter in the death of Agatha. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty", the Wizard responded in confidence. The crowd started to murmur amongst themselves.

"Do you give us your word that you will not try to escape or use your Wizardy powers?"

He nodded his head. "Yes, I give you my word."

"And do you give us your word that you will cooperate in the process and let a verdict be rendered?"

He further nodded his head. "Yes."

The council leader hit the gavel on his table once again. "The Wizard is hereby remanded until proceedings begin in three days. Court is adjourned."