THE REBORN PRINCESS OF OZ

1. The Witch's True Nature

In his tent, deep in the forest, Oz leaned over the battle plans.

He was a somewhat older man now, though of course, he would not allow just anyone to see him – not since, in the Battle of the Emerald City, he made his own subjects believe he "transcended his mortal shell". For six years he had to support this deception now, in front of everyone but his most trusted aides, to the point that his old life was being slowly forgotten.

His outfit had changed, too. The worn black suit was gone, and now he was wearing a royal gown of deep green, sewn with thick golden threads and littered with emeralds, head to toe. His top hat was likewise replaced by a turban of the same green color, custom sewn for him

The Wizard's finger traced an arrow on the map, leading from the Emerald City to a creepy, pointy-looking castle in the west, painted solid black. He crossed out some of the routes and was about to draw another arrow when a familiar short old man entered the tent.

"General Knuck reporting, sir!" he said, saluting proudly.

Oz turned around in his chair. "How's the battle going?"

"As expected, the Winkies are retreating and not putting up much resistance. A ragtag army of peasants, just like ours... with all due respect, sir." Knuck made a valiant effort to smile, but seeing it fail, instead put the smiling mask over his comically stern face. "A few wounded on both sides, but no deaths."

"Excellent. The Witch should show herself soon." Oz casually crossed his legs, opening a small cut in the fabric of the side of the tent. "Master Tinker, is everything ready?"

The tall bearded man on the other side nodded, showing his hand ready to pull a lever.

"On we go. Action!"

A pillar of smoke erupted from the tent, high into the air, higher than the trees; and the Wizard's face appeared on the ball of smoke, assuming a mocking expression – turned towards the Witch, flying above her demoralized yellow-coated soldiers on her broom.

"Theodora! Never again shall you oppress the Winkie Country!" His amplified voice roared menacingly, just in the over-the-top, theatrical fashion that the Wizard desired. "For I, the Great and Powerful Oz, have come to put an end to your tyranny, and finish what I started by casting you out of the Emerald City!"

The Wicked Witch turned her broom around, froze in the air, and shook her fist angrily. Moving her hands close together, she shot fireball after fireball at the ghostly head floating in the sky – without success, of course. Her face showed increasingly deeper rage as it became evident she could not harm "the Wizard," only managing to set the boughs of some trees on fire. Finally, losing her patience, she clung to her broom and flew through the image of the head at high speed, black smoke erupting behind her...

Just as Oz wanted.

The moment the Witch flew into the smoke, two little men hidden in the leaves of treetops, all at once, threw golden-threaded lassoes over her arms. Bound by the wrists, the Witch attempted to summon yet another fireball – only to see the fire fizzle out and dissipate between her fingers. She dropped her broom, which landed a small clearing among the trees – and fell down after it, herself.

Lying on her stomach, defeated, she looked up from the ground. Glinda was standing before her, her face as calm as ever. Showing no signs of glee or sense of triumph in her eyes – if anything, they showed sadness – the fair sorceress bent down and picked up the ropes binding the Witch, tugging on them gently.

"Don't worry, sister. And don't try to fight back my wards. It'll be over soon."

"You..." The Witch's eyes flashed with fire as she stood up, casting a piercing gaze at the serene Glinda. "This is so like you. Hiding behind your precious Wizard, coming here to gloat when he's done all the dirty work for you!"

"Calm down, Theodora." Glinda sighed, pulling the ropes as she led the Witch to Oz's tent. "What I'm doing is only in your best interest – you're my sister, and I mean you no harm."

"You don't, sure." The Witch bared her teeth. "You don't kill, I know. You only surround yourself with those who do – and that, in your eyes, is somehow better?"

"I shall not kill you either!" the Wizard's booming voice suddenly intervened, seemingly coming from all directions at once.

The Witch froze at the tent's entrance, looking frantically inside and outside – searching for the source of the disembodied voice. "Where are you?!"

"I am everywhere!" the voice declared smugly. "I am Oz, the Great and Terrible! I can see everything and take any form! Even, if I so desire..." Suddenly a carpet on the tent's floor sprung up, forming a wall, and when it dropped back down, the Wizard himself was standing behind it, finishing in his real, human voice, "...the form of my former mortal shell."

The Witch grimaced in hatred and horror, pointing her thin angled finger at Oz. "You... you broke my heart, you stole my fair form and turned me into this... You cast me out and deprived me of everything I cared for – and that's not enough for you, still! What do you want from me, now?"

"Nothing. I was unfair with you, Theodora, and even if it was you who chose to continue down this wicked path..." The Wizard sighed. "It was me who pushed you onto it, and for that I'm sorry. I'm here to make amends. To help you."

"Help me?! Tying me up, taking me prisoner – that counts as help for you?"

"Theodora... I lied you about my feelings, but you were my friend, once. The old, fair you. I only want to bring her back."

"Against my will! I've seen how you and your lackeys do your 'good', Wizard. A rule built on lies, manipulation, and branding as evil everyone who disagrees with you! If that's good, then being evil in this world is the lesser evil!"

"I see you won't yield." The Wizard's smile suddenly vanished. He turned to Glinda, accepting the Wicked Witch's bonds from her, and added quietly, "Do your thing."

"If I must."

Glinda raised her wand above her head, its diamond tip shining. Dense mist enveloped the floor of the tent, spreading from its corners and running up the Witch's legs, making her face visibly cringe from pain.

"Good witches don't deal with deception and illusions," Glinda said quietly. "We dispel them. We return the natural order – return things to how they should be. Theodora, my sister!" she raised her voice. "You fell under Evanora's sway – but no more! I cast off your twisted, rotten shell! Witness the purity of your heart, and be yourself!"

The mists, steadily climbing up the Witch's body, reached her head, hiding her fully in the cloud. A brief flash of blinding white light illuminated the tent –

– and faded, just as suddenly as it lit.

The mists violently flied apart, revealing the Wicked Witch's even more hideous form. Her skin was covered with cracks, red tongues of flame bursting out of them. Her pointed hat, too, caught fire and rapidly burned, falling off her head and igniting the grass. Underneath is there was a cap of solid gold, with a ring of diamonds and rubies encircling the Witch's head.

"Oh no..." Glinda gasped, lowering her wand and taking a step back.

"What is it?" asked the Wizard.

"Sorcery even beyond my control. Run!"

Grabbing Oz's wrist, Glinda pulled him out of the tent – just before its roof caught fire, as well. The roof collapsed – and revealed the Witch, standing in the middle of the tent's remains, burning whole, like a living torch.

"To think you forced me to resort to this, Wizard. Winged Monkeys! Your mistress calls!"

Oz blinked, taking Glinda's hand. "...What?"

That very instant, something dark rose from behind the farthest trees, blocking the sun for a moment. It approached swiftly, appearing at first to be a thick cloud, then a flock of – birds? No, giant monkeys with sturdy bird wings, much like Finley, but larger, descending towards the forest clearing where Oz and Glinda stood.

"Take these ropes off me!" the Witch yelled, the flames over her body receding and once again showing her green skin, now looking unharmed. "Repel these intruders! Push them out of my kingdom!"

And as she spoke, a smaller monkey flew from behind the Wizard's back, cutting the knots on the Witch's wrists with a small knife. Oz recognized this hat-wearing monkey in an instant – how couldn't he? – and was all the more shocked by it.

"Finley?!"

"I'm sorry, old friend." The little monkey flew up to join the flock, with a saddened, pained face. "The magic of the Golden Cap is more powerful than even my oath to you. Perhaps when the Witch is defeated, we'll meet again..."

"Curses!" The Wizard looked around, feeling defeated, watching as the Wicked Witch's broom, lying on the ground, flew to her hand – and she took off, disappearing in the sky, gloating. He saw the Winged Monkeys descend on his Munchkin and Quadling troops, grabbing them from behind, then rising to drop them from great heights. He shuddered – and turned to Glinda, who looked similarly horrified.

"I'm sorry, Oscar," she said. "This is power I cannot stand against."

In rage, Oz tore his turban off his head, stomping it into the ground. Rushing to the burned remains of the tent, he picked up a megaphone – one of the few things that, being made of metal, survived intact – and shouted, turning towards the scene of the battle:

"General Knuck! Retreat!"

"...I don't understand."

In a small, cozy side room in the Emerald City palace, Glinda paced around the armchair the Wizard was sitting on with his chin on his palms, lost in thought. Glinda's hair was messed up and her dress stained and rumpled – the first time in six years Oz saw her look anything but perfectly tidy.

"The Golden Cap I at least can understand... I just didn't expect something like this to fall into her hands. The good news is that it only works three times per person – so she only has at most two uses left. Maybe only one – I suspect that's how she took over the Winkie Country in the first place. But we've lost too many soldiers even now... And she has no shortage of servants to command the Cap in her name."

"So she's unbeatable? Why doesn't she try to reclaim the Emerald City?"

"Oh, but I think you have yourself and your tricks to thank for that." Glinda smiled grimly. "Everything wicked in the Land of Oz is too terrified now to move directly against the Great Wizard. But that's not what worries me. It's that we failed to... to..."

"To bring Theodora back," finished the Wizard.

"That's what really worries me," Glinda said quietly. "If it was Theodora – if she was merely disfigured by grief – then my spell would have worked. But... this creature... You've seen it. She's not even a woman of flesh and blood anymore, and even Evanora couldn't have done this on her own. Body of flame, fueled by pure rage... It's like her living soul was torn out. This cannot be my sister!"

"So... Theodora is already dead? And all these years, I planned... I hoped!"

"I'm afraid so," said Glinda. "Unless... unless..."

Her eyes suddenly sparked with newfound energy.

"Yes... yes, that's it. Don't give up, Oscar, there may still be hope! But first..." Glinda lowered her voice, stopping at the chair's side and moving her fingers soothingly over Oz's forearm. "First I need to tell you everything. The full story. What we Witches are – and where we came from."

To be continued...