It was a bright and beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining radiantly and majestically over the deep blue Ozian sky. Several clouds darted the atmosphere, including a colorful rainbow that stretched into the distance. There were many multicolored plants and fauna that darted the landscape of endless fields, green forests, enchanted waterfalls and picturesque rivers. There were even several tall trees with blue, red, violet and green leaves. If one should be so lucky, they would even run into melodic leaves that would make wonderful tunes.
Under one such tall tree sat a pair who had taken a break from walking. A scarlet clad woman with peach complexion sat on the green grass while the man, dressed in a black two-piece suit, rested his back against the massive tree bark. The Emerald City loomed in the distance while colorful leaves and aromatic pollen wafted past them, the wind blowing its soft, gentle and delicate breeze.
"Wizard, I hope you can forgive me for the things I did to you. I never meant to hurt you…"
The man gazed tenderly at his female friend. He grabbed her right hand and held it with his. "No, there is no need to apologize. You were being manipulated by your sister. You thought you were doing the right thing. You mistakenly thought that Glinda was the wicked one…"
His friend returned the gaze, staring lovingly, but nervously, into his handsome eyes. "But I betrayed you. I betrayed you and everyone I knew…" Under her wide brimmed red hat, she lowered her head in shame. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me…"
The man looked at her with the most genuine and heartfelt smile he could muster. "I already have. And do you forgive me?"
The young lady in red smiled brightly at him. "Yes…but there is nothing to forgive…" She squeezed his hand tightly as she beamed at him, her wide eyes staring into his.
The pair continued to talk lightheartedly and affectionately laughed while sitting under the tree. They kissed.
The Wizard opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was darkness as his eyes tried to adjust to the dim green light of his surroundings. Moments later, the green emeralds of the old king's master bedroom began to take shape.
He sighed, realizing that everything which just occurred never took place.
It was all a dream.
The Wizard sat up in his bed and placed his face on his hands. A mixture of exhaustion and nostalgic memories of the past entered his mind. He had not been sleeping well and often had vivid dreams when he was under a considerable amount of stress. And he had been under a good deal of stress ever since he became the Wizard.
It had been three years since Theodora left the Emerald City, never to return. Since that time, he tried to move on, emotionally, mentally and psychologically. Still, intrusive thoughts of her would occasionally enter his mind.
It began in earnest several days prior, when the Wizard received the following letter from his messenger.
Dear Wonderful Wizard of Oz,
I need you to go on an urgent mission for me, the details of which I cannot disclose completely. Again, I must apologize for the secretive nature of his request, but it must be kept so due to its sensitivity.
I will need you to venture to the Winkie Country and make a visit to the Wicked Witch of the West. You must do so under the guise of diplomacy and await further instructions from me. I know this request seems odd, but I humbly ask this from you because you are the Wonderful Wizard.
Please do not discuss this with me in person or through written correspondence. All I ask is that you do your best on this assignation, but that we do not speak further on it.
Glinda
The Wizard believed this letter from Glinda to indeed be odd as she had never sent him such a cryptic request. Nevertheless, he respected her wishes to not discuss the matter with her and decided to act on her directive.
The Wizard knew that Theodora had been a victim of Evanora's machinations, and he regretted that he unwittingly played a role in her downfall. Still, he offered Theodora a chance for redemption on the night she flew away from the Emerald City, but she rejected it. Instead, she said that she "hated him".
Despite rejecting his offer, he still felt guilty. He felt guilty because he feared her, but that made him no different than any other Ozian. But he was the Wizard. Shouldn't he be better than this? And why did he start thinking about this more after Glinda's request that he undertake such a strange and potentially dangerous mission?
The Wizard continued to sit on his bed and started to rub his eyes. He could tell it was still early in the morning because the sun had not yet risen, with the vivid dream he experienced still playing out in his mind.
In the time since the Wizard took over the various administrative duties of the Emerald City, he did not become city's ruler, but more of its guardian. Since Glinda was very popular among its denizens, she was its actual ruler and tried to divi up her time as much as possible between her duties at the Emerald City and her duties with the Quadlings. Additionally, she supervised palace staff and intervened if residents of the city needed an arbiter.
The Wizard's "popularity" was mixed among the Ozians. While the Emerald City rejoiced at his "leadership", other areas of the country were not as receptive. When Evanora was banished from the city, she started a character assassination campaign against the Wizard. As a result, much of Munchkin Country was openly hostile towards him, with many Munchkins cursing his name. In fact, most preferred Evanora's rule. Instead of being governed by the Wizard, many Munchkins who were allied with the eastern witch fled the city when she was deposed. This shocked both Glinda and the Wizard, who believed that the end of authoritarian rule would unite all Ozians.
But this was not the case. Evanora had played her hand well, and the friendly relations she garnered with the Munchkin Country when she ruled the Emerald City over the years had paid off. And while she did work her Munchkin subjects incredibly hard, she also rewarded many of her most loyal and dedicated Munchkin followers with lavish gifts and treats. As a result, a core group of affluent Munchkins ensured that she stayed in power. While Evanora lacked a standing army, she cemented her power over the Munchkins through fear and by establishing a dedicated cult following.
During his rule over the Emerald City, the Wizard became increasingly solitary. He would entertain an audience at times if one was needed, but he rarely granted an audience to others. The sole function of the Wizard's duties was to meet with ambassadors or representatives from other provinces of Oz. Since Glinda was now essentially running the Emerald City and the Quadling Country simultaneously, she was often incredibly busy. As a result, their relationship become strained and aloof. Many of the Emerald City residents referred to her as its unofficial "Ozma", even though Glinda refused to officially be called as such.
Despite his immense wealth, the Wizard often felt lonely, and at times, dejected. He missed his old friends. He missed his old family. He missed his old life. Yes, he had Finley as his friend, but it was simply not the same. Despite his hunger for fame and fortune before he became the Wizard, neither fame or fortune truly made him happy. Yet, despite having a plethora of gold at his disposal, his rapaciousness for fame remained.
However, running a country was a stressful job and it was far more stressful than the Wizard had ever anticipated or imagined. Finley was equally as stressed as he was. Between serving both the Wizard and Glinda, the monkey barely had time to sleep and eat, let alone have any time for himself. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he had also been separated from his family. The Wizard could tell that he was under a lot of pressure, even though he always appeared bright and cheerful.
For the next several hours, the Wizard tossed and turned in his bed as his mind raced in a million different directions. He was exhausted, but sleep eluded him. After a while, the light from the rising sun began to slowly infiltrate the green curtains and enter his chamber.
He then heard a knock on the heavy double doors.
"Come in…", the Wizard groaned.
As he heard the door slowly open, a pair of wings fluttered towards his bed. It was Finley, coming to give him his daily schedule.
"Good morning master…" The monkey rested the Wizard's schedule on a nearby work desk. He then flew to the Wizard's resting position. "I prepared your schedule last night. And I…"
He was interrupted by the Wizard, who had another thought on his mind. He was preoccupied with Glinda's mysterious assignation.
"Monkey…I need you to do something for me…"
"Of course, my grand and illustrious Wizard. I will do anything you ask of me…"
The Wizard looked at him with an earnest expression on his face as he pointed to the papers that Finley left on his desk. "As you know, we need to be in the Quadling Country for the next few days because I need to inspect the Tinkers' latest inventions. In the meantime, I need you to send my messenger, who will reach out to someone for me…"
The Wizard looked nervously at his monkey companion. "Things should work out. Well, at least I hope they work out…"
The Wizard was nervous because, despite believing that Glinda knew what she was doing, he could not get all of the worst-case scenarios out of his head. This was not going to be the safest of assignments for his rather flamboyant messenger.
Because of the perceived dangers, his messenger may flatly refuse to go. If his messenger did decide to venture to this location, then imprisonment or death could result. The Wizard was also concerned by his own wellbeing if he decided to leave the safe confines of the Emerald City. He could very well be imprisoned or killed, too. While none of these things were guaranteed-the Wizard's fear was, after all, based on pure happenstance and rumors-there was no telling what could happen.
And to make matters worse, the Wicked Witch of the West was despised by the Emerald City. If word got out that the Wizard had paid the witch a visit, the populace would demand his immediate resignation. Maybe Glinda was right that secrecy was of the utmost importance.
The culture in the Land of Oz was entirely different than what the Wizard was accustomed to when he lived in Kansas. For the most part, Ozian residents were provincial, idealistic and naïve. While they had a goodness and pureness about them, they also carried a sincere and earnest belief that they were entirely goodhearted people who did not harbor one ounce of wickedness within. They claimed to have harbored no negative thoughts or ill will. They claimed to never curse or engage in profane speech, since this type of speech was only used by "wicked" people.
In fact, they believed in all of this so much that if someone ever showed anger or hostility towards their fellow Ozian, no matter the reason, then it would be grounds for that individual to be labeled "wicked" and, if the incident was severe enough, to even be banished from the city. And if you were found to be "wicked", then and only then was ostracism allowed against that individual.
The Wizard did recognize one similarity between the people of Kansas and the Land of Oz. The people of Kansas were religious, and while the Wizard never became a devout follower of any religion, the Ozian people shared this same religious fervor when it came to morals and whether someone had "goodness" or "wickedness" within them.
Clearly, the Wizard knew better that to believe in such black and white thinking. He knew this mindset was harmful, but he found it nearly impossible to change the cultural mindset, for this way of thinking had been embedded in Ozian society since time immemorial.
Still, there were some positive benefits of Ozian society. Compared to back home, everyone generally seemed happier. The Ozian diet was far healthier. Perhaps the biggest cultural benefit was the Ozian attitude regarding work. At the Emerald City, people worked, but also dedicated more of their time to relaxation and leisure.
As he told Finley about the assignment, the Wizard knew in his mind that honoring Glinda's wishes was the right thing to do. And since he trusted Glinda's judgment, he felt that this visit would be safe.
Finley nodded. "Of course, master. I will do whatever you ask, oh great and powerful one. This must be a very important person. What would you like me to say and do?"
As the Wizard began to speak, he gestured for the monkey to come closer. He then began whispering the details into his ear.