The Wizard entered the main rotunda with Finley. Two Winkie Guards silently stared ahead as they entered the castle.
The Wizard and his companion looked around in awe. "Wow…this place is magnificent…" The Wizard was astonished at all of the finest encrusted jewelry and gold-plated necklaces with intricate designs. Rich red velvet carpeting covered the floor. Ornately designed ruby emeralds dotted the walls with grand and majestic tapestry so beautiful it would stun any king. Scarlet encrusted pottery was encased in protective glass. The glass rotunda was not as grand or as majestic as the Emerald City Palace, but it was far more extravagant. The Wizard chuckled as he gazed at the elaborate red themed décor.
This has Theodora written all over it.
As his companion started to explore, the Wizard looked at him sternly and pointed to him in his usual fashion. "Monkey, now remember, don't touch anything. If you break it, you are buying it." The Wizard then flashed Finley one of his signature plastic smiles.
"Yes, master, I know." However, Finley could not help himself from gazing at all of the pretty pearls, necklaces, rubies and trinkets he saw in one of the adjoining hallways of the glamorous estate.
After several minutes of standing in the main rotunda, a Winkie Guard approached them.
"Wizard, unfortunately, the mistress is several minutes behind schedule. Would both of you mind having a seat?" As they stood, additional Winkie Guards pushed two gold encrusted chairs dotted with green, blue and red emeralds across the velvet-colored carpet towards the Wizard and Finley's position.
The Wizard smiled and tinkered with his top hat. "Oh. Much obliged."
As much as he was nervous, he was also slightly relieved. The fact that they were not immediately apprehended or executed upon arrival was comforting.
As the Wizard sat on the chair, he started to think about the events of the previous day when he was at Glinda's palace with Finley.
"Let's go", the Wizard had told the monkey when they started to walk towards the front entrance of Glinda's castle.
"Wait", he then gestured with his hand. Finley could tell that the Wizard was nervous by the slight tremble of his fingers, which was quite unusual for him. His human friend was always filled with confidence. However, today was different.
"Before we leave, I think I really need to speak to my messenger about the details of the drop and what happened when he delivered the note." The Wizard stared at the monkey with a determined expression on his face. "Where is he?"
Several minutes later, and with the help of Finley, the Wizard had tracked down his messenger at Glinda's castle. The Wizard was in luck. His messenger had decided to stay at Glinda's castle the prior night before returning to the Emerald City.
The Wizard was determined to get every ounce of information out of his messenger.
"Well, did you see her? What did she say?"
The Wizard was hoping the information his messenger conveyed would allow him to make the best decision possible and access the danger of journeying to the witch's castle.
"No, I did not see her. I was stopped at the gate by two Winkie Guards. I told them that I was an emissary from the Emerald City. They demanded to know what I was doing on the witch's property. I simply handed them the letter you wrote."
Dear Theodora,
It has been a while. I hope this correspondence does not catch you off guard. Forgive me for being terse, but I would like to visit you at your castle in another two (2) days' time. Finley, the monkey who accompanied us as we both made our way to the Emerald City, will be accompanying me. I wish I could say more, but please understand that this must remain private, as there are those at the Emerald City who would not wish for this visit to take place. With haste, please transit your reply to my emissary, who will relay your response to me with the utmost of haste.
Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration and esteem.
Very Truly Yours,
The Wizard of Oz
"And then what happened? What did they say?" The Wizard was pacing back and forth in the room and looked at his messenger, who was sitting down at a nearby table. He was eager to hear what happened next.
"Well, the Winkie Guard read the letter and then told me to wait near the gate, so I did."
The Wizard stopped pacing and was now gesturing with his hands, urging the messenger to continue and get to the point. "Ok, and…"
His messenger continued. "Then, another Winkie Guard delivered the message and I waited there for about ten minutes. And I have to say, both of the guards had very icy expressions and did not want to make conversation. It was rather rude, if I may say so myself…" The messenger waved his hand effeminately in the air and paused before continuing. "Oh, and then the third guard came back and said that your invite had been accepted by the 'mistress'. I guess that's what they call that wicked witch now." The messenger shrugged his shoulders.
The Wizard looked at him like he had just heard the most anti-climactic story imaginable. His shoulders slumped.
"That's it?"
The messenger irritably shot back at him, his voice ringing with annoyance. "What do you mean that's it? I delivered your message and did my job. Do you know how many others would have gone on the land of the Wicked Witch of the West and did what you wanted me to do? To the surprise of absolutely no one…absolutely no one. So, what do you mean 'that's it'?"
The Wizard signed. "It's just that…I have very little to go on here." He placed his hand on his chin as he contemplated his next move.
He decided to dig further. "And you weren't able to go inside?"
"No. I told you that I had to wait at the gate…" The messenger's voice became more exasperated the longer the Wizard spoke with him.
"So, what are you going to do?", the messenger asked after a moment of silence.
The Wizard pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I am going."
As he thought about the events of the prior day, unbeknownst to the Wizard or the monkey, Theodora stood in an adjoining parlor room, which was separated and concealed from the rotunda room by a deep red crimson curtain. This parlor room was equally as ornate as the rotunda. It had a spacious fireplace, a dazzling chandelier, two candelabras made out of solid gold, a large sofa, a small table with chairs and a grand piano. She was hearing everything Finley and the Wizard were saying, but did not have the courage to announce herself. She was feeling more frightful than anticipated. She didn't know if she could speak to the Wizard. She had not seen him in nearly three years. She did not even know why he was there in her castle, nor was she ever told the purpose of his visit. Her extreme anxiety prevented her from meeting him.
In her mind, she had a right to be terrified. For her, the stakes were never higher. Here was her chance to get back the one man in her life who meant so much to her. To Theodora, so much seemed at stake: one wrong step and she might lose the Wizard forever. Again. Her heart was pounding. She was flushed. She was having a panic attack, even if she did not show it and could not put the feelings she was experiencing into words. To her, this was yet another magic trick being cast on her by the Wizard.
Simultaneously, while she craved for things to work out, she was also incredibly fearful of him. She distrusted him. She hated him and what he had done to her.
The witch knew that she only evoked fear, scorn and disgust from the entire Ozian populace. Despite this unsavory reputation, her heart was racing and she did not have the courage to face the Wizard herself. Despite Ozians being terrified of her, she was now utterly petrified of speaking to the Wizard.
Several minutes passed while the Wizard and Finley sat awkwardly and uncomfortably in their chairs. Finally, the monkey broke the silence.
"Master, why are we really here?"
The Wizard looked at Finley and answered with a question of his own. "Monkey, do you ever miss your family?"
"All the time, master. I really wanted to go back and be with them, but when Gayelette cursed my species, I was scared of what would happen to me if I did go back. I was afraid of what that wicked witch would do to me."
The Wizard flashed a small smile as he looked down at the carpet with sadness. "Fear…fear controls us. For many years, my fear controlled me. I was scared of saying the wrong thing. I was scared of communicating what I wanted because I was scared of being hurt. I was afraid of failure. I was afraid of people seeing through the walls I had put up. I was so insecure that I thought I was conning other people, but all I was really doing was conning myself."
The Wizard looked at Finley as he continued speaking. "But fear can also make us do things we don't want to. It can prevent good things from happening. Fear shouldn't control us, monkey. Great men weren't afraid, like Thomas Edison or Harry Houdini…"
Finley turned to him. "But how does this have to do with why we are here?"
The Wizard whispered into the monkey's ear. "You will see. I am doing this for you."
In fact, the Wizard was partly doing this for Finley. He knew from Glinda that Theodora now commanded the Winged Monkeys through the Golden Cap. He also remembered what Glinda told him years ago, that he was now a representative of Oz who should help all Ozians, even if it placed himself in an uncomfortable position or conflicted with his personal affairs. The Wizard was there to help Finley.
And while he was ultimately sent there by Glinda, the true purpose of his visit had yet to be known, even by him. As he waited for further instruction, he wanted to do what was right for his monkey companion.
After hearing their conversation, Theodora took a deep breath, left the parlor room through a backdoor hallway and proceeded to walk to the main dining room. She motioned to a Winkie Guard as she sat at the grand mahogany table.
"Bring in the Wizard and his guest."