Return to Emerald City

After a picnic, and ice skating together in Icetown. We return to the Emerald City. We tell only our most trusted staff. We keep the coronation a surprise. I use my crystal to keep an eye on witch hunters in the area. Eve and Glinda go off to return a lost cat they found. So that leaves me, Theo, and Nessarose.

“Thief!” Someone shouts. I lite a fire-ball in my hand.

“I got it. I can be surprisingly less flashy than you.” Nessarose says. She leaves us. Glinda starts making preparations. Slimming the staff (giving them paid vacation), and planning decorations, outfits, and crowns to wear. I wear a less flashy outfit now. A black hat with a brim around it and with a veil, and black leather paints, a yellow blouse, and a long black tailcoat. Black slick gloves. Nessarose wears a blue suit, embroidered with sapphires. Glinda wears a white dress with lots of tool with white diamonds. I show him the lake. Glinda’s Royal Garden. My bedroom.

“Wow.” Eve says. “It’s huge!”

“I’ll build one for you in my Castle if you like.” I say.

“Really?”

“Of course. And perhaps you’d like to be one of my ladies in waiting?”

“Yes!” Now alone I serve my friends hot drinks from the tea pot before Eve excuses herself to go talk to Glinda.

“Theo?”

“Yes?”

“You know I know we haven’t been in our relationship very long, but if you wanted to propose I’d probably say yes.”

“Alright.” He says.

“I want an emerald ring.” I say. He chuckles.

“Alright.” I may have incorporated much in the way of yellow crystals, but emeralds still hold a special place in my heart. My childhood may not always have been good. I may not have always have been good, but there was much good to hang onto all the same. Whether I was good, or not. The next day I wear a similar outfit to before, but a little dressed up. With a yellow button down, and a black tie. Nessarose, wears an embroidered black suit. Glinda wears a poofy green ball gown. We don’t wear gloves. Except for Glinda, who wears white white silk gloves for flare. The green goes up Nessarose’s neck. The green stops at my shoulders. Glinda checks on the buffet tables she had set up. Kaylin daintily eats a mini custard pie. The custard is green with food coloring. Or maybe the milk came from a green spotted cow. I check on the performers. A small circus. Complete with a lion tamer (a non-talking lion), acrobats, a guy who juggles fire, and dancers on horses (taking horses). I make sure everyone (including the talking horse dancers, of course) gets paid in crystals. I gave a little extra for their silence. We’re keeping everything hush hush for as long as possible.

“You look beautiful.” Theo says.

“This isn’t even what I’m wearing to the Coronation.”

“Well you look beautiful all the same.” He says.

“Thank you.” I say. Then I go to get ready. Kaylin insisted on making some personal touches to the dresses. Mine is a green with lots of tool. It stops just at the floor. Complete with a torso covered in emeralds. Glinda’s is sparkly and bubble gum pink. Nessarse’s is black, and embroidered with sliver climbing up from the bottom of her dress in loose designs of ferns. They’re all beautiful. We each hand picked our crowns from the royal treasury. Gilnda’s is a small tiara made of clear diamonds with a ruby as the centerpiece. Nessarose’s is made of black metal a circulate of blue and sliver sapphires. Mine is made of emeralds and yellow diamonds. I wonder down a hall alone. On the hall walls is every past King, Queen, and Ruler. I stop at my grandmother’s. She looks so much like Glinda in her light blue gown. With a gold crown spelled to glow like the sun. I wonder if she’d be disappointed in my father. I think she would. I wonder if she’d be disappointed in me. That I don’t know. I hope to accomplish as much as she did all the same. I look down at my hands. The wicked queen of West has a nice ring to it. I look at my crystal. At a future that could come to pass. Me and my sisters. Eve and Theo. Theo is my husband. When it’s time we dawn our dresses. Eve wears a green, and yellow plaid gown that goes past her knees. Kaylin wears a fancy, short, light blue gown she made herself. Theo wears a causal suit, open with out a tie. Glinda is the one who crowns us. After we eat. We dance and celebrate. I dance with Theo. Then it’s time for the entertainment. Nessarose discreetly makes one of the acrobats fall with her magic. Glinda summons a net in time to catch them. Afterword Glinda, Eve, and Kaylin chat. Theo stays by my side on my thrown. And Nessarose goes to drink the expensive sparkling champagne alone. When everyone but the guards and us leave, Theo goes down on one knee. He presents me with a ring with a yellow diamond in the center with small emeralds in the sliver band.

“It’s beautiful!” I say. I let him put it on me. Our family claps. Kaylin leaves to go back to her new school. Glinda goes to ship out more supplies the the East, West, and North. Eve goes to the library. Leaving me Theo, and Nessarose alone.

“Is it everything you want?” She asks.

“Yes.” I answer her. Then an arrow flys though the green window. I duck out of the way in time. Nessarose sends it back with magic toward our attacker. I push Theo behind me. He pulls a hidden dagger out of his suit pocket. A ball of lighting flies towards them afterword. Theo takes out two from behind us. I summon a swarm of metal bees to attack two others. I take out a third with a fire ball. Glinda in a bubble with butterfly’s flying nervously around her comes in.

“Is everyone ok?” She asks. When we say yes the butterfly’s dissipate in a poof of sliver glitter. I wonder what she was planing on doing with them. Block our enemy’s view? I can’t imagine they would be much use. She lands.

“Was that it?” Nessarose asks.

“I doubt it. But I’m going to return to my castle. Then I’m going to bring the fight to them. I’ll be the one hunting them down.”