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"Friends, we are gathered here today to unite Prince Zaln and Lady Betsy Bobbin in matrimony."
The Justice of the Peace, an old man in a white wig and a red robe that reached past his feet, addressed a large group of Quadling nobles. The bride, who was dressed in a white lace dress with a long train held by a female hobgoblin, was crying, but her tears were not of happiness. The groom was not crying, but he was obviously upset. However, the groom's parents, the King and Queen of the country, were exceedingly happy that their son was marrying such an important person. Betsy, as you may know, is a good friend of Queen Ozma of Oz. She was currently regretting the time that she had been bored.
In order to understand Betsy's situation, I must tell of the aforementioned time. It was twelve forty-one on a Thursday afternoon, and the residents of Ozma's Palace had just finished eating lunch. Everyone was returning to work or play. Everyone, that is, except for Betsy Bobbin. Betsy was in one of those bored moods. She did not feel like playing a game, or reading a book, or drawing a picture, or doing anything, for that matter. She decided to take a walk around the Emerald City, and see if she could find anything interesting to do. Betsy went to her splendid rooms, and put on a hat and some comfortable pumps. Then, after rushing through the beautiful halls of the Emerald Palace, she exited the building through the wide-open front doorway. The expansive palace grounds were filled with people playing croquet, shuttle-cock, tennis, ozball, and many other outdoor games, but Betsy did not feel like participating in any of these. The young lady left the courtyard, and continued on down Strawberry Street, where strawberries grew on either side of the road. Many people were out on the streets, pushing their purchases around in shopping carts.
After waving to Jenny Jump and Number Nine, who were sitting on the patio of Jenny's famous Style Shop, Betsy turned onto Banana Boulevard. The Emerald City Opera House was on this street, and a sign outside of this building made it known that a Munchkin opera was playing on that night. Just beyond the Opera House was Coconut Court, a tropical area of town. Betsy then passed Cola Court, the location of the Oza-Cola Company World Headquarters, and Soap Street, where the Emerald City Soap Factory stood. The girl then took Orange Avenue for a while. Aulera's Orange Avenue Laundromat and the Island Inn, which was situated on an island in a small lake of orange juice, were among the sights on this street. Betsy Bobbin strolled around the city for another hour and forty minutes, and saw the Public Library of Oz, the Emerald City Arcade, the Ozmapolitan Building, Pancake Park, the Bristle World Toothbrush Factory, the Gas-And-Leave Service Station, the Emerald City Art Museum, the Really Big Green Arch, the Great Crystal Banquet Hall, and Nothing But Pens, among other sights. Finally, she came to The Greatest Coffee And Doughnut Shop In Oz, managed by the very modest O. Z. deMunchkenny, a distant relative of King Cheeriobed.
Betsy entered this shop, and she noticed that her old friend Carter Green was talking to a group of about twenty interested Ozites. Carter was telling about the time when he had been a travelling vegetable vendor. During these years, Carter had eaten many vegetables, and had eventually turned into an odd being with a potato body, a head, a turnip nose, and corn ears. He then decided to live in the Emerald City, and he rarely left the beautiful capital of Oz.
"And then," the Vegetable Man was saying, "the King bought all five hundred of my cabbages. Ah, those were the days."
"Hello, Carter," said Betsy.
"Hello, Betsy. And how are you today?"
"Actually, I'm rather bored. But your story gave me an idea of something to do. Maybe we could travel through Oz and sell vegetables for a while."
"That's an excellent idea, my dear. When should we leave?"
"Well, you'll need to get some vegetables."
"I can get them from my personal garden at the Palace."
"Why don't you go get them now, and then meet me back here? I'll have a bite to eat."
Carter agreed to this plan, and set out for the Emerald Palace. Betsy Bobbin ordered a cup of coffee and a jelly doughnut from Mr. deMunchkenny, and waited for the Vegetable Man's return. When Carter did come back, it was with a cart full of cabbages, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, apples, radishes, and various other vegetables, all from his garden.
"Where did you get the cart?" asked Betsy.
"The Wizard made it for me last year. I intended to use it to decorate my rooms, but there was really no place that I could put it, so I've been keeping it in a closet."
"Well, shall we go?" inquired the girl, as she finished her cup of coffee.
"All right. But which way should we go?"
"Well, I've been to the Munchkin, Gillikin, and Winkie Countries recently, but I haven't been to the Quadling Country for quite some time."
"Well, then, let's go there. I haven't been there recently either, and there are many small Kingdoms there where the rulers would probably be glad to get some fresh vegetables."
"Wait," stated the young lady, as Carter Green began exiting the shop. "Shouldn't we let Ozma know where we're going to be?"
"I told the Glass Cat, when I met her in the hall, about our journey, and Ozma can always use the Magic Picture to find us."
So Betsy and the Vegetable Man walked out of the doughnut shop, and on to the south gate of the Emerald City. It did not take long to get there, since the Doughnut Shop was in the southern part of town. When they got there, the Guardian of the Gates asked where the two travellers were headed.
"We're going to peddle vegetables in the Quadling Country," replied Carter.
"Have a good time, and come back soon." And the Guardian opened the large portals of the City gate.
There was a road of yellow brick leading toward the south, and the girl and the Vegetable Man followed this through the pleasant green country surrounding the City of Emeralds. Not too far down the road was a red archway, and just beyond this was the famous red Quadling Nation of Oz.
About an hour later, the travellers came to a sign-post, with arrows pointing in many different directions, each one indicating the way to some small Quadling realm.
"Well, which Kingdom should we visit first?" asked Carter Green, as he examined the sign.
"Let's go to a place we haven't gone before," answered the girl. "What about Yartralia? Have you ever been there?"
"No, not that I can remember. I think I've heard the name before, but I can't recollect just when."
"Well, let's try Yartralia. If we don't like it, we can always go somewhere else."
The young lady and the peddler started off down the road to Yartralia. This road was straight and level, and various types of trees and flowers grew on either side. When the two were only two miles from their destination, a sign relayed this information. And on top of the sign-post was a half-asleep red bird.
"Good afternoon," said Carter to the bird.
The bird promptly awakened the rest of the way. When it noticed the Vegetable Man, it gave a loud squawk and, pointing at Carter with its right wing, asked, "What in Oz are you?"
"I'm a Vegetable Man."
"A Vegetable Man? A Vegetable Man made of vegetables? What an odd being!" And the bird began to laugh loudly, in its squawking voice.
"Don't laugh!" said Betsy sternly. "Carter may be odd, but he's a good friend of mine. Besides, it's not polite to laugh at someone different than you."
The creature quickly calmed down, and said, "I guess you're right. After all, I'm rather peculiar myself."
"You seem like an ordinary Quadling bird to me."
"Oh, but I'm not." And the bird stretched out its neck, until its head easily reached the ground. It then grew an extra leg, and turned its feathers from red to golden yellow. The bird's left eye circled around its right eye, and came to rest on the top of its head. "How's this for peculiar?" it asked.
"How in the Land of Oz did you do that?" asked Carter, as soon as he was able to speak.
"It's easy," replied the odd bird, "if you're the former subject of a wicked witch's experiment."
"Which witch experimented on you?" inquired Betsy.
"A witch named Gharna, who used to live in these parts," replied the creature, as it returned its neck to its original size.
"And is she still around here?"
"No, my lady. She fell into a river, and that was the end of her. By the way, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Qualf, and I was originally a regular Quadling redbird. But that witch's magic gave me my powers. What are your names?"
"I'm Carter Green," answered the Vegetable Man.
"And I'm Betsy Bobbin," stated the girl. "We're both from the Emerald City."
"And do you mind if I ask about Carter's origins?" questioned the bird.
"Oh, no at all," was Carter's reply. "I was originally an ordinary Winkie vegetable man, but, after eating a great deal of my produce, I turned into my current self. I really have quite a convenient form. I can live on sunlight and water, and I never need to sleep."
"I consider my current form a definite improvement over my former one, as well. With my magical powers, I can accomplish a great deal of tasks that an ordinary bird cannot." As Qualf changed the color of his feathers back to red, he asked, "Where are you two headed, anyway?"
"We were going to Yartralia," answered Betsy.
"Yartralia, eh? Well, I've never actually been there, myself. I've flown over it a few times, however, and it doesn't seem too different than most Quadling Kingdoms, except for the goblins that walk the streets."
"Goblins? Are they dangerous?"
"No, it seems to me that the goblins are the servants of Yartralia's human inhabitants."
"Do you know anything about the Ruler of Yartralia?" questioned Carter.
"No, except for the fact that he lives in a stone castle about a mile out of town."
"Well, then, I suppose we'll be on our way. It was nice meeting you, Qualf."
"Wait a minute. Do you think I could journey with you? My powers could help you out, if you get into a dangerous situation."
"We'd be glad to have you come along, Qualf," said Betsy.
So Qualf, who by now had reverted to his original form, flew along beside the Emerald City-ites. During the journey, the girl and the Vegetable Man told the red-bird about life in the capital of Oz.
"Well, I'll have to visit the City someday," stated Qualf. "Hey! We're in Yartralia!"
Sure enough, the travellers had crossed a white line painted on the red ground, and were now within the limits of Yartralia. There were many red stone buildings along the street, and people, dressed in plain red clothes, were entering and exiting these buildings, just as in most towns.
"Excuse me, Sir," said Carter to a man. "Could you tell us the way to the Royal Castle?"
"The Royal Castle?" said the man, in a surprised tone. "Why do you want to go there?"
"I would like to sell your Rulers some of my fine produce," replied Carter, as he waved a hand over his cart.
"Well, suit yourself, but most of us stay away from the Castle, and I would advise you to do the same."
"Why?" asked Betsy Bobbin. "Are your Rulers unpleasant?"
"It's not that. It's just that our King and Queen are very class-oriented. The poor folk live in this area, and the rich live farther up the road, near the Castle. I'm not sure how the nobles would react to peddlers in their part of town."
"Oh, but we're not ordinary peddlers," explained the Vegetable Man. "We're close personal friends of Ozma of Oz."
"In that case, the nobles might be a little more interested in your wares. Just keep going up this road, and you'll reach the Castle of our King."
Carter thanked the man, and the merchant, the young lady, and the bird continued down the road. Soon, the stone buildings became larger and more magnificent, and the clothes of the people became trimmed with gold and silver. In addition to people, goblins could be seen on the streets. The goblins usually dressed in rags, and they were usually carrying things for the humans.
"There's the castle," declared Qualf, as he used a wing to point to the building at the end of the road.
Now, Betsy and Carter had lived in the Emerald Palace for many years, and their companion had seen the Yartralian castle before, so none of the three visitors were extremely impressed with the red stone building that stood in front of them. However, they did believe that it was a fine castle for a small Kingdom of which few outsiders had ever heard.
While the Vegetable Man, the girl, and the bird were approaching the royal dwelling, the King of Yartralia was engaged in a conversation with his Chief Advisor. The Ruler wanted to marry his son to a rich and important lady of Oz, but had been having several problems with this plan.
"I cannot believe that my son wants to marry a peasant girl," stated the King. "Tradition must be maintained, and tradition states that he must marry a noblewoman."
"I quite agree, Your Majesty," said the Advisor. "And also, the marriage to an important noblewoman could give your Kingdom a more important place in the Land of Oz."
"But my son refuses. And besides, I don't know where to find a suitable wife for him."
"Well, you can't just expect a foreign noblewoman to walk into the castle."
At that moment, a knock could be heard at the front door of the castle, which was not far from the Advisor's room. The Advisor, closely followed by the King, walked out into the parlor. Neither of these men was expecting any visitors, and the two certainly did not expect what met their eyes when a goblin opened the front door. A pretty but dusty young girl, a redbird, and what appeared to be a walking salad with a vegetable cart walked into the palace.
"What are you peasants doing in my castle?" demanded the King.
"We're not peasants," replied Carter Green.
"Then what are you?" questioned the Advisor.
"I am a Vegetable Man, who has sold to some of the most important Rulers in Oz. I am also a friend of our beloved Queen, Ozma of Oz."
"If you say so," stated the Advisor, in a rather indifferent and disbelieving tone. "And who is the girl?"
"Oh, I'm Betsy Bobbin," replied that person.
When the Advisor heard this, he became very excited, and he ushered the King back into his room. He then closed and locked the door, and breathlessly addressed his sovereign.
"Do you know who that girl is?" asked the counsellor.
"She said she was Betsy somebody, didn't she?" was the King's rather irritated reply.
"She is Betsy Bobbin, one of the close personal friends of Queen Ozma. If your son married her, it could start a new period of prosperity in Yartralia."
"By the gods, this is wonderful! And you just said that a foreign noblewoman wouldn't just walk in here."
"Well, I can't always be right. No one can, except, of course, Your Majesty."
"Of course. Come along, Naltronius, and we shall make the necessary wedding arrangements."
"But what if Betsy refuses?" inquired Naltronius, who had just thought of this possibility.
"Why would she refuse? I'll make a generous offer."
With that, the King stepped back out into the parlor, where the visitors had been waiting patiently. The Ruler of Yartralia walked up to Betsy, and asked, "Lady Betsy, would you marry my son, Prince Zaln?"
"Marry your son?" echoed Betsy, in disbelief. "But I just got here, and I don't know your son!"
"You'll meet him soon," said the monarch carelessly.
"I don't really want to marry anyone."
"But this would be a wonderful opportunity for you. My son is an outstanding young man, and I would give you twenty goblin servants for a wedding present."
Betsy was beginning to feel uneasy. She had encountered many sovereigns in the past, but none of them had asked her to marry complete strangers, or offered her living beings as presents. So Betsy bowed to the King, opened the castle door, and said, "Thank you for your offer, but I must refuse. And I really must be going now. Goodbye, Your Majesty."
Now, the King of Yartralia was usually a good ruler, but he had a short temper, and Betsy's refusal made him quite angry. He called for his guards, and several large orcs, each dressed in silver armor, rushed into the room.
"Seize the girl!" commanded the sovereign.
"Odds Goblins!" shouted Qualf, as the guards rushed toward the party of visitors. "Is this how you treat all of your guests?" And the bird's head promptly turned around in a full circle.
"The bird is possessed!" exclaimed Naltronius.
"No, I'm not," said the redbird, as he began pecking at the faces of the orc guards. Carter followed Qualf's example, and started throwing vegetables at the soldiers. However, the orcs eventually overcame the visitors.
"Keep the girl in a safe place, take the bird to the Royal Exorcist, and throw the fighting salad in prison!" ordered the King of Yartralia.
As the guards hurried off to obey their Ruler's orders, the King himself rushed to the Royal Chambers, so that he could tell his wife and son of the upcoming marriage. Naltronius returned to his room, and drank a cup of strong Quadling tea.
Betsy was placed in a seldom-used room of the castle. This chamber was elegantly furnished, with red rugs and golden tables and chairs. There was a fireplace on one side of the room, and the other three walls contained tightly locked doors. The girl considered trying to climb out through the chimney, but she realized that this would be extremely difficult, so she decided to wait for something to happen. There were several books on a shelf of red wood, and Betsy read from one of these while she waited.
About an hour later, an orc opened one of the doors of the room. This orc was escorting a young man with reddish-brown hair and a red crown. The guard announced, "Since you two are going to be married tomorrow, the King thought that you should get to know each other. Have fun."
With that, the orc guard pushed the boy into the chamber, and slammed the door shut. The young man asked, "Are you Lady Betsy Bobbin of Oz?"
"Well, yes," replied Betsy, "but you can just call me Betsy."
"Well, I don't want to marry you!"
"You don't?" asked Betsy, who was surprised at this remark.
"No! My father wants me to marry you, just because you're rich and important."
Now, Betsy Bobbin was rich and important, but she did not often think of herself as such. Therefore, she told the Prince, "I suppose I am, but I don't see how that makes any difference."
"Father thinks that marrying me to an Ozian celebrity will increase the importance of his Kingdom. He doesn't care how I feel about it."
"He doesn't sound like a very good father."
"Oh, no. He's usually a wonderful father, and a good ruler, too. It's just that he's so set on making Yartralia well-known."
"Why didn't he just send an ambassador to Ozma? I'm sure she would be glad to make this Kingdom famous."
"Actually, that's not the only reason father wants me to marry you. He also doesn't think Litra is a proper match for me."
"Who is Litra?"
"She's the one I truly love. When father said I had to marry, I immediately told him I would ask Litra. But he refused."
"Why?"
"Because she's a peasant. Her father is a carpenter, and her mother is a seamstress. And father doesn't want me to marry a peasant girl."
"Well, that's just silly."
"I think so too, but both of my parents are kind of stuck-up, and don't seem to like the lower classes."
"As soon as I can get out of this Kingdom, I'll go back to the Emerald City, and tell Ozma about your situation."
"But we're going to be married tomorrow!"
Before Betsy could reply, an orc opened a door, rushed into the room, and grabbed the Prince. A smaller goblin, who was carrying a tray of food, also entered. The goblin set the tray on a golden table, and both servants bowed, and left the chamber.
"I certainly hope Carter and Qualf will find some way to get out of this Kingdom," thought Betsy, as she started to eat the food that the goblin had left.
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The guards had immediately taken Qualf to a room in the back of the castle, where the Royal Exorcist lived and worked. This man, who wore a white wig, spent most of his time reading books about demonic possession, and studying ways to drive away demons. However, he rarely had a chance to practice what he learned. Therefore, the Royal Exorcist was quite thrilled when an orc guard opened the door of his room, and said, "Here's a possessed bird for you. Do whatever it is you do with him."
"So, you're a possessed bird?" questioned the Exorcist, clapping on his spectacles to get a good look at Qualf.
"No! I don't know what it is with you people," replied the bird. Once again, Qualf's head spun around in a circle.
"Oh, you're certainly possessed."
"No, I'm not."
"I know a possessed bird when I see one, and you are one, whether you want to admit it or not. Head-spinning is a sure sign of demonic possession."
"I'm not possessed, just bewitched," insisted Qualf.
"Another sure sign of demonic possession is denying that one is possessed."
"There's just no convincing you, is there?" asked the redbird, as he spun one eye around the other. "All right, suppose I am possessed. What do you do with possessed birds?"
"Why, drive the demons out, of course."
"And how do you drive demons out?"
"First, I'll drill a hole in your head," said the Royal Exorcist, as he opened a drawer.
"You're insane!"
"Ah, here we are," stated the Exorcist, who had paid no attention to the bird's comment. "A holy drill. Now, don't move, and this won't hurt very much."
Now, wounds to Qualf's flesh would heal quite rapidly, because of the bird's strange powers. However, the redbird did not relish the idea of a hole being drilled in his head, so he stretched his right leg, opened a window, and flew out of the castle.
"Come back here, you possessed bird!" shouted the Exorcist, as he waved his drill in the air. "Help! Someone! There's a possessed bird loose in Yartralia!"
"Now, where are Betsy and Carter?" pondered Qualf, as soon as he was safely away from the castle. "That King told his guards to put Betsy in a safe place, and Carter in prison. I don't know what that safe place might be, but I can probably find the prison."
Although Yartralia is not a very big Kingdom, it took all night and most of the next morning for Qualf to locate the prison. When he reached it, two orcs were leading a man into the old stone building. They led him to the cell that contained Carter Green, threw him in, and locked the door.
"What are you in for?" asked Carter.
"I'm a debtor," was the Yartralian's reply. "What about you?"
"I'm not really sure. I went into the castle to sell some vegetables to the King. The King asked my friend Betsy if she wanted to marry his son. When she refused, he had his guards attack us. They threw me in here."
"Is Betsy rich and powerful?"
"Well, I suppose you could say that. She's a good friend of Queen Ozma's. Why do you ask?"
"Prince Zaln, the King's son, once told me he wanted to marry my daughter Litra. I accepted, but the Prince returned the next day, and told me that the King would not let him marry my daughter, because she was a peasant. The King wants his son to marry someone rich and powerful, which is probably why he asked this Betsy."
"I don't know what kind of a King would throw someone in prison because his friend refused to marry the Prince. He reminds me of that Pasha of Rash. Now, there was an unpleasant monarch."
"Our King is not bad, but his laws are quite strict. Of course, he didn't write most of them."
"Well, he might have to change them. As soon as Betsy and I get back to the Emerald City, we'll tell Ozma about your King."
"Are you sure you'll ever get back?"
"I don't know," answered Carter Green, as he sat dejectedly on a bench. "I checked this entire room, and couldn't find a way out of here. By the way, do you want some bread? The guard left bread and water in here last night, but I don't need to eat."
As the debtor began to eat the bread, Qualf flew quietly through a barred window. It was an easy task for the bewitched bird to squeeze through the bars, and he was soon hovering in front of the Vegetable Man.
"Qualf!" exclaimed Carter, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible. "How did you get in here?"
"The King's guards took me to some loony Exorcist," was the bird's answer. "I escaped when he was about to drill a hole in my head. Then I flew around town, looking for the prison, and I finally found it."
"But how did you get through the bars?" questioned the Vegetable Man's cellmate.
"Who are you?" inquired Qualf.
"I'm Tremnus, a carpenter. When I couldn't pay my bills, the King had me thrown in here."
"Well, Tremnus, I must tell you that I was the test subject of a wicked witch. Among the powers she gave me was the ability to squeeze through bars."
"If you can get out, then we can escape!" said the Vegetable Man excitedly.
"But we can't just rush out without a plan. The King would just throw you in here again."
"We could go to the Emerald City, and get help from Ozma."
"But what about your friend Betsy?" asked Tremnus.
"Ozma will be able to help her."
"By the time you reach Queen Ozma, it may be too late. Last night, a messenger told the townspeople that Prince Zaln would be married on this very afternoon. Despite your friend's refusal, the King is probably going to marry his son to Betsy."
"Then we must stop the wedding!" shouted Qualf.
"How will we do that?" inquired Carter.
"I'm not sure yet, but I'll think of something. You have not yet seen the full extent of my powers."
With that, the redbird squeezed through the bars at the front of the cell, and examined the lock. He then found a guard, snatched this orc's keys, and flew back to the cell. Qualf unlocked the door, and Carter pushed it open. The bird led the Vegetable Man and the carpenter to the front door of the prison, knocking down all of the guards with his strong beak. Fortunately, the prison was not as heavily guarded as the castle.
"Now, where would they hold the wedding?" inquired Qualf, as soon as the prisoners had escaped.
"Probably in the chapel next to the castle," replied Tremnus.
So Qualf and Carter followed the carpenter to the chapel. The orc prison guards had been unable to spread the alarm, so no one attempted to hinder the two men and the bird. When they finally reached the small building, they hurried through the double-doors, and into the chapel, where a great wedding was being held.
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Since there were no beds in the room in which Betsy had been locked, the girl slept on a rug. In the morning, she awoke to find herself surrounded by inhabitants of the castle. They were all eager to meet the lady who would soon be Princess of Yartralia. A few artists were attempting to paint pictures of her, and complained when she moved. A maid rushed up to Betsy Bobbin, with a tape-measure in her hands.
"Let me measure you for your wedding dress, my dear," said the castle maid.
"Isn't she going to wear my dress?" questioned the Queen.
"I want to make sure it will fit her," replied the maid, as she made various measurements. "Yes, it will. I'll get it down from the attic, and help you try it on, dear."
"Here's your breakfast, Lady Betsy," stated the same goblin who had served the girl's dinner, as he placed a tray covered with eggs, bacon, pancakes, and sweet rolls in front of Betsy.
Soon after Betsy Bobbin had finished her breakfast, the castle's inhabitants had left the room, securely locking the doors after themselves. An hour later, the maid who had measured Betsy ran into the room, carrying a white lace dress, which she handed to the girl from the Emerald City.
"Just see if it fits-Why are you crying, dear?" asked the maid, who was a young, red-haired woman.
"I don't want to marry your Prince, and he doesn't want to marry me," replied Betsy, "but your King insists that we marry."
"King Zalron is like that. He always insists on having his own way. Sometimes he just goes too far. I don't see why he had to lock you in this room. Come on. I'll take you to the servants' quarters, and introduce you to my friends."
The maid led Betsy to a room where many female servants, both human and hobgoblin, were chatting about the upcoming wedding. When they saw the lady who was to marry the Prince, they all curtseyed, and said, "Good morning, Your Highness."
"I'm not a Highness at all," announced Betsy. "I have friends who are Queens and Princesses, but even they don't like such formality. Just call me Betsy."
"Well, you'll soon be a Princess yourself," stated one of the hobgoblin maidens.
"She really doesn't want to marry Prince Zaln," said the maid who had led Betsy to the servants' quarters.
"King Zalron didn't want to marry Queen Elenna, either," declared an old woman, "but they seem to get along fairly well."
"The Prince wants to marry someone else, too," said Betsy.
"Well, I really don't see how you can get out of it," stated a hobgoblin.
"Maybe Carter and Qualf will find a way to get me out of Yartralia before I'm married."
"Who are they?"
So Betsy Bobbin told the maids about her journey to Yartralia. When she had finished, one of the women wanted to know more about the Vegetable Man, so the Emerald City-ite told of Carter's origins, and how she had first met the odd man. She then explained how she had first come to Oz, after a shipwreck with Hank the mule and an adventure in the Nome Kingdom. While she was describing Tititi-Hoochoo's Fairyland, which she had visited on her first major journey, a goblin brought luncheon for the maids. Betsy also ate some of the food, and when the ladies had finished eating, the goblin returned to collect the dishes, and to notify Betsy and the maids that the wedding was about to begin.
When the maidens reached the chapel, they saw that it was already filled with Yartralian nobles. The maids took Betsy to a room in the back of the chapel, where the girl from the Emerald City put on her lace dress, and two maids styled her hair. Nizka, the first maid whom Betsy had met, helped the bride-to-be into some intricate red shoes. A hobgoblin then lifted Betsy's train, and the girl began to walk down the aisle, with Zaln at her side. The bride and groom were soon in front of the altar, and that brings us to the opening scene.
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