Get your own Free Home PageRuggedo sat in his room, busily engaged in sewing. Well, he was attempting to sew. But Ruggedo had been a King for almost one thousand years, and was not used to such tasks. He would prick his finger or make an erroneous stitch nearly every minute, and whenever he did so, he would shout out a Nome "curse." However, the Nome persevered, because this job was important to him.
Not long ago, Tititi-Hoochoo, the Great Jinjin, had removed Ruggedo from his throne and taken away his magical powers. It was only because of a special pardon by Kaliko, the new Nome King, that Rug was allowed to remain in the Kingdom. He had no friends, a small and nearly empty room, and no possessions but a cloak full of jewels. The pockets on the cloak had originally been sewn on with poor thread, so Ruggedo was replacing this with golden Nome thread.
While the former King was trying to thread his needle, a messenger walked through the corridor outside Rug's room, calling, "The summit meeting with Queen Ozma of Oz will take place tomorrow, beginning at nine in the morning. Let us hope we can achieve peace between Oz and our own nation."
"Hippakloric!" yelled Ruggedo. "Those Ozites invade my Kingdom, steal my ornaments and my Magic Belt, and throw me into that forgetful fountain, and now that pretender Kaliko wants to make peace with them! Gravel and granite! I can't stand it!" And the Nome hurled his scissors across the room. He then threw the spool of thread, which unravelled as it soared through the air and rolled across the floor.
The Nome tried to figure out a way in which he might stop the meeting as he rewound the thread onto the spool. Since he had no allies and no magic, he decided that it would be a good idea to locate these. Fortunately for Rug, he knew where to find beings with great magical powers. He decided to travel to this place when he had finished sewing.
At midnight, it became clear to Ruggedo that he had no chance of finishing his sewing before the summit conference, and that he would have to enlist the aid of the magical beings immediately. So he stood up, wiped his fingers and forehead with his cloth-of-gold handkerchief, exited his room, closed and locked the door, and set out through the maze of corridors that made up the Nome Kingdom.
After passing through numerous tunnels, where thousands of Nomes were digging for gold and jewels, Ruggedo reached a dusty, deserted hallway. At the end of this corridor was a door reading:
"The King?" questioned the Nome. "I am the King, or at least I should be."
There was a combination lock on the door, but Rug knew the combination, since he had thrown many people in this dungeon during his reign. The former King unlocked and opened the portal, and entered the dungeon, shutting the door after him. He then descended a long stairway, eventually coming to a stone floor. A twisting slide was nearby, and Ruggedo used this to reach a small chamber with a coal-strewn floor and the entrance to an elevator.
The old Nome pushed the button for the elevator, and, when this contraption reached his floor, he said the secret password that opened the doors. Inside the elevator was a panel with hundreds of buttons. Ruggedo pushed one of the lowest buttons, and the elevator quickly dropped a few miles.
When Ruggedo had recovered from the drop, he staggered out of the elevator. He was on an island in a flaming sea of magma. The elevator shaft ran through the center of the island. Rug looked out to sea and called, "I, Ruggedo, Ruler of the Earth Elementals, summon the Master Jinn, Ruler of the Fire Elementals!"
In a puff of smoke, the Great Throne of Fire, which was made of enchanted gold and carved in a strange fashion, appeared on the edge of the island. On the chair sat an enormous being who resembled a man. He was dressed in multi-colored robes and had a blue turban on his head. His eyes looked like flaming coals, and he had long, sharp claws in place of fingernails and toenails. Various weapons, including many knives and an enormous sword, were stuck through his belt.
"Why have you summoned me, Nome King?" asked the being.
"My Kingdom has been taken from me, Master Jinn," replied Ruggedo, "and a pretender named Kaliko sits upon my throne. I need your assistance in retaking what is rightfully mine."
"Why should I help you? The affairs of the Nome Kingdom are no concern of mine. If I aid you, what do I get in return?"
The Nome thought for some time, and then, rather reluctantly, he said, "I'm willing to make the Bond of the Elementals with you."
Since you have probably never heard of the Bond of the Elementals, I shall describe it. Under this Bond, the leaders of two groups of Elementals share all that they own with each other. If the Bond is broken, the leaders are subject to severe punishments. The exact nature of these punishments is unknown, since no Elemental rulers ever dared to break such a Bond. Ruggedo was offering to make the first Bond of the Elementals in over two thousand years.
"Very well, I agree to the Bond," stated the Jinn, who was tempted by the promise of co-owning all of the riches of the Nome Kingdom. "Now we must shake on it."
The two Immortals shook hands, which was a painful experience for the Nome, since the Master Jinn's hand was extremely hot. The Bond of the Elementals became official.
"Let's hurry. We have to reach my Kingdom by nine," explained the former Nome King.
Ruggedo started to push the button for the elevator, but the Jinn stopped him and said, "I have an easier way."
The Master pulled the sword from his belt, swung it around his head four times, and recited a spell. Just a few seconds later, the Jinn, still seated in his throne, the Nome, and a variety of the Fire Ruler's subjects, including Salamanders, tiny red dragons, fire-breathing snakes, and two large flame scorpions, appeared inside of Ruggedo's tiny room.
"It's nowhere near nine yet," announced the Jinn, after he checked his pocket-watch.
"Well then," said the Nome, "do any of you fire beings know how to sew?"
Two of the dragons were adept at this skill, so they assisted Ruggedo in mending the pockets of the Nome's robe. After they had finished, Rug donned the heavy cloak, and discussed strategy with the Master Jinn.
By the time that the Elementals had agreed on their strategy, it was eight fifty-eight. The same messenger who announced the summit conference now shouted, "Queen Ozma of Oz and her Royal Wizard have arrived, and the summit meeting is about to begin."
"Time to move out!" announced Ruggedo. "I'll lead the way to the Conference Cavern."
Ruggedo, still wearing his jewel-filled cloak, did just that. He was followed by the odd army of creatures, with the Master Jinn bringing up the rear. Many of the Nomes noticed this group, but they did not try to hinder the party's progress.
Eventually, the strange assortment of beings reached the Conference Cavern. King Kaliko, Ruggedo's former Chamberlain, sat at one end of a long rock table. Rug noticed, by peeking through the keyhole, that Kaliko was gaining weight and growing a beard. At the other end sat Ozma, the Ruler of Oz, who wore the Magic Belt that had once belonged to Ruggedo around her waist. The Wizard of Oz sat on Ozma's right, and the Soldier With Green Whiskers, who made up Ozma's entire army, sat at the Queen's left. Guph, Commander of the Nome Army and Kaliko's Royal Chamberlain, and Klik, Keeper of the Keys and Assistant Chamberlain, were seated on either side of the King. The room also contained many other important Nomes, including Quiggeroc (the Chief Digger), Potaroo (the Royal Wizard), and Grenkle (Captain of the Nome King's Personal Guard).
"If everyone is ready, we shall begin the meeting," stated King Kaliko.
"Oh, no, you won't!" shouted Ruggedo.
The Master Jinn used his sword to knock the door to the ground. All eyes in the room turned to the doorway, where Ruggedo and the Jinn stood. The former Nome King announced, "I have come to take back this Kingdom, which is rightfully mine."
"You won't take my Kingdom!" objected Kaliko.
Ozma lifted her wand, the Wizard reached into his Black Bag, and the Soldier With Green Whiskers arose from his seat and pointed his unloaded gun at Ruggedo. However, before any of these Ozites could make another move, the Master Jinn entered the room, and performed an incantation similar to the one that he had used to travel to Rug's room. When the Jinn had finished, flames sprang up from the floor, and soon covered the walls and ceiling of the domed cave, and blocking the doorway. The Master walked through this fire quite easily, and was soon back outside with his helpers.
"Now, to the Throne Room!" ordered Ruggedo. The flame creatures followed the Nome through more corridors. At the end of a carpeted hallway stood a golden door with a diamond knob. This door led to the Nome King's Throne Room, which Rug's party entered.
A Nome servant was polishing the stone furniture of this room, and he was very surprised to see Ruggedo climb up the steps of the great throne, and sit down on the golden seat.
"You'd better get down from King's Kaliko's Royal Throne," said the servant.
"It is now my Royal Throne," stated Rug calmly, as he put Kaliko's second-best crown, a golden one studded with diamonds, on his head, and picked up the ruby-tipped sceptre of the nation. "The Master Jinn and I are now Joint Rulers of the Nome Kingdom."
"And anyone who objects," added the Jinn, "will be burned to a crisp."
"Go and tell the news to all the Nomes," commanded Ruggedo. "I trust you remember who I am."
While these events were transpiring in the Throne Room, the prisoners in the Conference Cavern were trying desperately to escape. First, the Wizard of Oz wanted to test if the flames were real, so he dropped a small block of wood from his Black Bag into the fire. It immediately burned to ashes. The Wizard tried many magical tools and chants on the flames, but none of them were effective. Ozma and Potaroo also failed to put out the fire. The Queen of Oz tried to transport out of the room, using both her wand and the Magic Belt, but she could not.
"It's no use," said the Wizard at last. "These flames were created by a kind of magic that we are all unfamiliar with."
"I am almost certain that that man with the sword was the Master Jinn, Ruler of the Fire Elementals," stated Ozma. "I have heard that few can undo his magic spells. But we must not give up hope. Glinda is watching us in the Magic Picture, and she may be able to help us."
Glinda certainly was watching Ozma and her companions in the Magic Picture. The Sorceress, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman were all gathered in Ozma's sitting room, where they were using the Picture to keep an eye on the visitors to the Nome Kingdom. Glinda recognized the Master Jinn at once, and, as she watched the magic-users attempt to get out of the Conference Cavern, she tried to think of a way to fight the Jinn's magic.
Finally, Glinda said, "We must all go to my castle. I believe that I have thought of a way to rescue Ozma and the others."
"Should I hitch the Sawhorse to the Red Wagon?" asked Dorothy.
"No, I shall transport us all there with my magic." And, after a quick spell, the four Picture-watchers were seated in Glinda's Room of Magic.
"Ozma has been trapped by the Ruler of the Fire Elementals," explained Glinda. "If I can enlist the aid of the Queen of the Undines, she may be able to rescue our Royal Ruler."
"What are Undines?" inquired Dorothy.
"They are Water Elementals. Since the best way to fight fire is usually with water, we should probably fight Fire Elementals with Water Elementals. Keep quiet, everyone, and I will try to summon the Queen."
The Sorceress looked through a few books of magic, eventually finding the spell that she wanted. While reciting the spell, the Good Witch waved a wand in mystic patterns. When she had finished a woman and a young girl, both of whom seemed to be made out of water, appeared in the chamber.
"Why have you summoned me, Great Sorceress?" questioned the watery Queen.
"I need your assistance in rescuing some friends, who have been trapped by the Master Jinn," replied Glinda.
"I have no quarrel with the Jinn. Why should I risk making an enemy of a fellow Elemental?"
While the Sorceress was considering how to respond, the young Undine walked up to the Tin Woodman, and tried to touch him. The Tin Man, afraid that he would rust, backed away from the girl, and fell over backwards. The child laughed at this, and she then opened a corked bottle that was sitting on a table.
"Stay away from that!" ordered Glinda, as the Good Witch replaced the cork. "Who is this girl, anyway?"
"She is my daughter, the Princess," replied the Queen. "I had to take her with me, as you summoned me on such short notice."
"Well, you must stop her from touching things." At this moment, the Princess was looking at the pictures in a valuable book of white magic, and getting the pages wet.
"Come here right this instant, Hydrilla!" ordered the Queen. Princess Hydrilla obeyed her mother.
"Now," said Glinda, "I have reason to suspect that the Master Jinn has made the Bond of the Elementals with Ruggedo, the former Nome King. Ruggedo is very ambitious, and I fear that he and the Jinn will attempt to conquer more lands. This could be deadly to our world, and could possibly upset the Balance."
Now, if you know anything about magic, you probably know that upsetting the Balance is a terrible thing to do. Glinda's speech convinced the Queen to help the Ozites. The Ruler of the Undines used a powerful spell to transport everyone in the Room of Magic to a corridor near the Conference Cavern.
The Sorceress, the Queen, Princess Hydrilla, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman walked up to the cavern's doorway. The Good Witch of the South called, "We've come to get you out."
The prisoners all cheered at this, and the Queen of the Undines examined the flames. She stated, "These were created by some of the Jinn's most powerful magic, but I believe I can manage to destroy them."
The Queen tried several incantations, but none of them affected the magical flames. However, the Undine refused to give up, and called, "Hydrilla, come here!"
Hydrilla put down the pick-axe that she was examining, and ran over to her mother. The Queen told her daughter, "You must help me with an incantation."
"Yay! I get to do magic!" cheered the young Princess.
"Just recite these words, dear." And the ruler told the words of a spell to Hydrilla. The Princess said these words, while her mother chanted another spell. After a while, the flames disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, and the Ozites and Nomes rushed out of the Conference Cavern.
"We have to get Ruggedo out of my Kingdom!" yelled Kaliko.
"Where do you think he is?" asked the Undine Queen.
"I'm sure he's in the Throne Room. When he was King before, he hardly ever left that place."
"Lead us to the Throne Room, and we'll take care of that throne-stealing Nome!" shouted the Army of Oz.
Kaliko did this quite willingly, and the group of Ozites and Elementals soon reached the Throne Room door, which was being guarded by the Jinn's two scorpions.
While everyone was considering the best way to overcome these creatures, one of the scorpions opened its mouth and let out a sheet of flame. Princess Hydrilla shot water out of her right hand. This not only put out the scorpion's flame, but it caused both guards to enter the Throne Room and summon their Master, who floated into the hallway, with three tiny dragons fluttering around his head.
"We have come to get you to leave this Kingdom," announced the Undine Queen.
"It's my Kingdom, and I won't leave it," said the Ruler of the Fire Elementals stubbornly.
"If you don't leave, it will lead to war between the Water and Fire Elementals. Is that what you want?"
"No, it isn't what we want!" stated a dragon.
"You know none of us can stand water," the second dragon told the Jinn.
"If you don't give up your claims on this Kingdom, we'll have to appoint a new Master Jinn," said the third dragon.
"But if I break the bond with Ruggedo, the punishment could be much more severe," stated the Jinn, who was now frightened.
"That bond was invalid," objected the Scarecrow.
"It was?"
"Yes. As I understand it, the Bond that you're talking about can only be made between the Rulers of two groups of Elementals."
"And that is what happened."
"No, it isn't. Ruggedo is not the rightful Ruler of the Nomes. He was removed from the throne by the Great Jinjin."
"Do you mean Tititi-Hoochoo?"
"Yes, I do. Kaliko is now the rightful King of the Nomes, and you made no bond with him."
"Well, I dare not risk offending Tititi-Hoochoo," said the Master Jinn. "I hereby give up all claims on the Nome Kingdom."
The Jinn used a spell to return to his own country, and his servants went with him. Ozma, Glinda, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Queen of the Undines, Princess Hydrilla, Dorothy, the Wizard of Oz, the Soldier With Green Whiskers, and the Nomes then entered the Throne Room, where Ruggedo was asleep on the Throne of the Nome Kingdom.
The little Princess Hydrilla jumped up to the throne, where she quite easily picked up Ruggedo. She then hopped back down to the floor. This awakened the Nome, who shouted, "Put me down!" After a quick look around the room, he added, "What happened to the Jinn? How did all of you get here?"
"The Master Jinn is gone," replied the Undine Queen.
"And you'll be gone too, in a minute," remarked Hydrilla, as she started to follow Dorothy to the passage out of the Kingdom.
"Give me my crown and sceptre, before you go," said Kaliko, as he snatched these items from Rug.
"You can't do this!" exclaimed Ruggedo. "I'm the Metal Monarch and King of the Nomes!"
"No, you aren't," objected the Soldier With Green Whiskers. "You know very well that the Great Jinjin removed you from the throne of this nation."
"And I said that I would kick you out of the Kingdom if you ever caused any more trouble," added Kaliko, as he ascended the steps to the throne, "so out you go."
When Dorothy and Hydrilla reached the surface of the Earth, Dorothy said, "Just put him down, Hydrilla. Even Ruggedo doesn't deserve to be thrown."
So the Princess placed Rug on the ground. The former Nome King, realizing that he had no chance of being readmitted to the Kingdom, ran off toward the south.
"And don't come back!" the Princess of the Undines yelled to the Nome.
The two Undines soon returned home, but Ozma told them that they could visit Oz someday. The Summit Meeting then took place. Although very little was decided, Ozma agreed keep some watch over the Nome Kingdom, and Kaliko agreed not to invade Oz. Also, the Ozites destroyed or took most of Ruggedo's magical tools. For the time being, there was peace between the Ozites and the Nomes.
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