Lay It On The Line

Finally. That was all Evanora could say to herself as she sat on the throne, running her hands over the gilded armrests. Even in her reveling, she knew that it wasn't hers. As much as she wanted it, she was well aware that she had to pretend that the king's death was an accident and had to stand beside the vacant seat until Oz came to its decision. It would take time and the good people of the Emerald City might not be so willing to turn the reigns over to a witch but even that did not dampen her spirits. All that mattered was that he was out of the way. The former King of Oz and his high-minded politics were only going to lead to trouble.

She leapt up from the seat when the heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway and she began to prepare herself for the reveal. Theodora, she reminded herself bitterly, I'm going to have to tell her first. Then comes the real test. Her younger sister wouldn't blame her for the king's death, of course, but Evanora knew she would have to do a lot of explaining in the coming days. The hardest part would be facing Glinda and lying to the blonde as she undoubtedly wept bitterly, in equal parts for the man and for the dream. She was on good terms with the fellow witch despite who her father was. Evanora was fully aware of the risks involved with her plan and even though her heart momentarily sank at the prospect of being the one to break it to Glinda, the benefits far outweighed the costs. There was no guarantee that she would get the crown but it was an absolute certainty that this would bring the witches together and that was a great victory in itself. Three against the one idiot that would surely rise to power were odds she could smile about.

"Evanora? What's wrong?" Theodora asked meekly from the door of the throne room. She didn't dare step foot inside, as she was hardly allowed inside even during daylight hours. Her chestnut brown hair fell in her face and it was obvious that she had just woken up and made her way over following the noise of the heavy doors being opened. Evanora wiped at the corner of her eyes as though she had been crying and approached her sister, holding her close.

"The King is dead," she said, her voice cracking on the last word just as she had planned, "He passed on in his sleep. I had heard him coughing and when I came in to ask if he was alright..." Evanora gestured towards the room in which the King had taken to lurking during the past month or so. He hadn't been to his bedroom in ages and whenever he dozed off, he did so at his desk in the study. He had been plotting. "I wish I had known he was sick. As his advisor, I'm sure I could have arranged for the Quadlings to grow some herbs for a remedy," she continued. At that point she broke from her embrace with Theodora and began to stare at the room with a look of disbelief.

Theodora wrung her hands. She had no great love for the King, but she was still upset. The fact that Evanora felt responsible for such an unfortunate accident was causing her even greater grief. "Don't worry. No one will blame you for this. You should go to sleep and I will wait to tell Glinda if you'd prefer," the girl in red suggested in somewhat of a sluggish tone. At that very moment, she was still drifting between the darkness of her half-closed eyes and the stark circumstance presented before her in the well-lit room.

"Thank you, sister, but I think I won't be able to return to my chambers. You are welcome to sit up with me but I can't ask you to deliver this news on your own," Evanora replied with a small smile. She took her seat on one of the smaller chairs in the chamber and was quite satisfied when Theodora joined her.

"What are you going to say to her?" Theodora asked after several minutes of silence had elapsed. She was obviously awake now and Evanora knew to tread carefully.

"I am going to tell her that I'm sorry for her loss," Evanora reaffirmed, "And I will remind her that as her father's advisor, I am here for her in her time of need." Theodora reached over and took her sister's hand.

One down, one to go.

[Sorry it took so long, but here it is!]

Oscar "Oz" Diggs took in a deep breath of fresh air. He had just finished another show for another new group of familiar places. His thoughts kept wondering back to Annie, about how kind and beautiful she was. Her golden blonde hair, eyes that lit up the room when she smiled. He sighed deeply as he took off his top hat, putting it down on the table nearby. Most would consider Oz as a conman, but it was just an easy way to make money, and he needed what he could get to get back. Money made the world go around.

Oz turned towards the door when there was a knock. We answered and grinned down at Annie as she stood there, golden silky blonde hair, bright blue eyes, fair skin. She returned his smile. "Oscar, may I come in?" She asked, Oz nodded as he stood aside so she could walk in. After she had walked in, Oz shut the door behind her. "Is there anything you needed?" He asked the pretty blonde. Annie stood in front of the squared window. "Strongman is not happy with you, after all you did steal the show tonight." She said with a smile, turning around to face him. Oz just chuckled. "You know I'm not afraid of him. He's all muscles and no brain." Oz said, which earned him a small giggle out of Annie.

Annie browsed through his gimmicks and picked up a notebook. "What's this?" She asked curiously, picking up a leather bound notebook. "Um, I'll just.." Oz said and gently took the notebook from is grasp. "It's just a notebook... filled with silly inventions of mine." Oz said, putting his notebook down on at nearby table. "Let me see, Oscar." Annie said, reaching around him to grab the notebook. She opened it up and flipped through several pages, glancing back up at him with a smile. "These are brilliant. Why haven't you pursed any of these?" She asked, handing the book back to him. "I don't know... I guess I just haven't had it in me." He said with a sigh.

-&&-

Glinda had been visiting the good people of Oz, making China Town her last stop. She, careful as to where she stepped, greeted and spoke to all the good, but very fragile, little being. After she was done, she had made her way back to the Emerald City. She followed the golden road until she reached the Emerald City. She nodded a greeting to the two post guards before making her way in.

Glinda had reached the home where her father resided. One thing she had noticed was everybody looks so glum, why was that? She spotted Knuck, also a solemn look on his face. "Knuck, what is the matter, what's going on here?" She asked, kneeling down so she could get a better direct look at him. Knuck looked at her and shook his head. "I'm so sorry. Evanora is waiting for you in the throne room, its urgent..." Knuck said, taking his eyes from Glinda.

Frowning, she stood up, her white dress falling to the floor. She opened the large door to the room, shutting it behind her. "Evanora?" She called out, looking for her.

When Glinda opened the door, Evanora gently removed her hand from under Theodora's and pressed her lips into a steady line. She rose from the undecorated seat and bowed her head in solemn respect. "Glinda, I'm sorry that I must be the bearer of this news. I would offer you a seat but no matter where you hear this, it won't be easy," the older witch let out a deep sigh as she prepared herself, "Your father succumbed to illness early this morning." And there it was. She stood in front of the white-clad witch and looked down. "I know that this is a lot to take in right now, but the citizens of Oz must be alerted. I can speak to them later on in the day if you cannot face them. While there is no ruler at the throne," she was deliberately careful not to say king and not prideful enough to utter queen, "I am bound to help you in the absence of your father. I would be glad to do anything to make this... easier for you." She made a move towards the great window overlooking the courtyard of the palace. She didn't expect Glinda to ask anything of her. The blonde was too noble for that. She was going to face it with a brave countenance and the people would all applaud. In fact, Glinda would probably tell the assembled mass exactly what her father had told them for decades. Evanora had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the thought. Her respect for the witch ended whenever Glinda began to follow too closely in her father's footsteps.

Theodora remained seated the entire time. The gravity of the situation dawned on her as her sister talked. Evanora didn't know about the prophecy that the King had been poring over. Glinda had mentioned it to her in passing when it was nothing more than a whisper. The King took great solace in knowing that another wizard would come to rule his people and that must have been when he gave into the illness. It all made sense to her. She just hoped deep down that Evanora wasn't planning on making a grab for the throne. Her sister was ambitious, sure, but not heartless. Regardless, Evanora wouldn't be pleased to discover that there was a prophecy that she hadn't been made aware of. She took great pride in knowing every contingency plan and evaluating every threat to Oz before the King had had time to prepare an official briefing.

"I have prepared a coach for him. Would you like to see him before he is sent off?" Evanora asked, her voice dripping with put-on sympathy. She was afraid it was too thick and that soon even Theodora's ears would catch on to her motives. The twinge in her heart for Glinda's plight was long gone. She was prepared to plan Glinda's rise to prominence, as that was surely what the people wanted, but she yearned for the people of Oz to go with what was familiar to them. No matter the witch on the throne, she still had an in.