Get your own Free Home Page"Your Majesty," said King Cheeriobed, Ruler of the Munchkins, "I have an announcement to make."
"Why, what is it?" asked Ozma, as she turned around in her chair to face the King. It was the birthday of this celebrated Queen of Oz, and she had been talking with the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, Trot, Captain Salt, the Scarecrow, Jack Pumpkinhead, Princess Azarine, and Randy of Regalia about the Chief Magician's new Ozoplane.
"Well, I have decided to spend some time in the Land of Mo," replied Cheeriobed, "and Orin and Philador are coming with me."
"That would be fine with me. You have ruled the Munchkins so well for so many years, and you deserve a vacation. But how long were you planning on staying?"
"Well, the King of Mo suggested that I stay for three years, which, to the Momen, is not a long period of time. But I need someone to watch over my Kingdom while we are away, and I was wondering if Trot, being a Princess of the Munchkins, would like to serve as the interim Queen."
"Oh, no!" was Trot's answer. "I'm not sure I could handle ruling the entire Munchkin Country."
"I would watch you in the Magic Picture every day," Ozma told the girl.
"I still don't think I want to be the Queen."
"Wait!" shouted the Scarecrow. "My brains have come up with an idea. Why don't I rule the Munchkin Country? After all, I am a Munchkin, and I have had ruling experience."
"Why, that's a wonderful idea, Scarecrow," approved King Cheeriobed. "My people are quite fond of you, so you'd make an excellent Ruler. Feel free to use my castle."
"Thank you, Your Munchkin Majesty," said the Scarecrow, as he bowed to Cheeriobed.
"How will you get to Mo?" questioned the Wizard. "Would you like to use one of my Ozoplanes?"
"No, thank you, Wizard," answered the King. "Waddy, the Wizard of Umbrella Island, wants to see the Land of Mo, so he is going to fly us across the Desert on his island."
"All right," said the Wizard of Oz, who was rather disappointed that Cheeriobed preferred to use the magic of some other wizard.
"Oh, and I'm leaving my dragon-drawn chariot here, and the Scarecrow can ride in that whenever he sees fit."
"Thank you very much," stated the Scarecrow nervously. The straw man usually kept his distance from dragons, since the fiery breath of those creatures could easily turn him to ashes.
That night, after a grand banquet, many of the party guests returned to their homes. Cheeriobed, Philador, and Orin spent the night in the castle of Umbrellian King Sizzeroo, and arrived at the Palace of Mo in the morning. On that same morning, the Scarecrow decided that he would visit King Cheeriobed's Royal Castle. So he stepped into the Royal Munchkin Chariot, to which the dragon had cleverly harnessed himself, and rode through the blue Munchkin sky to the beautiful Ozure Isles, situated in Lake Orizon.
At the entrance to the blue Castle, a guard in blue armor saluted the Scarecrow. The soldier then said, "We have been told that you are to rule this country in King Cheeriobed's absence. Please come inside and make yourself at home."
The Scarecrow walked through the beautiful halls of the castle until he reached the magnificent Throne Room. Here, he sat down in the sapphire throne, and noticed an old man, who was sitting at a desk and writing in a book. This was Toddledy, who was known as the Prime Moneyster, and was sort of a combination of a Prime Minister, a Treasurer, and a Scribe.
"Do I have to wear the crown?" the Scarecrow asked the Prime Moneyster. While the straw man was Ruler of Oz, he constantly wore a heavy crown, which had given him a great head-ache.
"Not unless you want to, Your Majesty," replied Toddledy, as he looked up from his book.
"That's good," stated the Scarecrow. "Now, let me see, what will be my duties as King?"
"You must deal with the affairs of State. However, the Munchkin Country is usually rather peaceful, so you shall be able to spend most of your time however you like."
During the rest of the day, the new King of the Munchkins talked with all of the servants in the castle. He also watched Palumbo's juggling act, and listened to some of Umtillio the Minstrel's many songs. Most of the next six months went basically the same, although there was occasionally a dispute to settle or a guest to entertain. It was not until the twenty-first of February, Queen Ozma's half-birthday, that the first major event of the Scarecrow's reign occurred.
At around noon on this day, Umtillio was playing an old Munchkin folk song on his harp, and Palumbo was balancing the Royal Throne itself on his chin, when a page burst into the Throne Room, and said that a visitor had come to the castle.
"Well, then, show him in!" ordered the Scarecrow.
The page did just that, and the straw-stuffed man was quite surprised when he saw that his guest was none other than the Munchkin farmer who had made him. The creator and his creation shook hands, and the farmer said, in a pleasant voice, "Fate certainly works in odd ways. To think that the scarecrow that I made for my corn-field is now my King!"
"Actually, I was your King before, remember?" was the Scarecrow's response. "But why have you come here?"
"Well, on the night before last, the ground around the bean-pole where you once hung cracked open, and a man came out. He demanded to see you, so we travelled all yesterday and this morning, and now we are here."
"But where is this man?"
"Oh, he'll be here soon."
At that minute, an old and plump man with silvery skin rushed into the Throne Room and fell at the Scarecrow's feet. He panted for some time, as he was quite out of breath, but he finally managed to draw himself to his feet.
"Tappy!" exclaimed the Scarecrow, as he embraced the old man. "Tappy Oko! How are things on the Silver Island?"
"Terrible!" replied the Silverman. "Just terrible, most honorable Scarecrow!"
"Why, what's wrong?" asked the straw man, in a worried voice.
"I am no longer Emperor! The King of the Golden Islands, with help from our Grand Gheewizard, has conquered our beautiful island! They planned to throw me into the Silver River, but I escaped by climbing the bean-pole. And, oh, most honorable and illustrious Scarecrow, they are planning to conquer Oz!"
"Conquer Oz?" shouted the Scarecrow, as he fell flat on his face. "Well, they won't be able to do that, Tappy. We'll go to the Emerald City right now, and Ozma will give you back your throne, and punish those usurpers! Have the Royal Chariot prepared," he ordered a page.
As the page ran to carry out his King's order, the Scarecrow asked the Munchkin farmer if he would like to accompany the Silverman and himself. The farmer declined the offer, and, when the Chariot was ready for flight, the straw man, Happy Toko (which was Tappy Oko's real name), and three Ozurian guards entered it, and the dragon flew the conveyance to the City of Emeralds.
"While you're in Oz," said the Scarecrow to Happy as the chariot soared through the air, "I'd like to show you my corn castle. That's where I usually live. Right now, however, I'm filling in for the King of the Munchkins, who is on vacation."
"This Oz is certainly a beautiful place," observed Happy Toko, as he looked down on the blue fields of the Munchkin Country. "Why, it may even be more beautiful than my own island! And is that your Emerald City?"
"Yes, Tappy, that is the capital of this great nation, where the great Queen Ozma lives."
The chariot came to a landing near Ozma's Royal Stables. Here, several of the Ozian animals were taking afternoon naps. So as not to disturb them, the Scarecrow, the guards, and the Silverman tiptoed past the stables. The current Munchkin King then led his companions to the front doors of Ozma's Palace, which were shut. A note on one of the doors read, "The Queen and the Wizard are testing the new Ozoplane, but will return by the morning of the twenty-third of February."
"The twenty-third? Why, that's two days from now!" exclaimed the Scarecrow. "By that time, the Golden Islanders could take over the Kingdom!"
"But what about the great magic of Oz?" asked Happy.
"The only Ozites who are allowed to practice magic are Ozma, the Wizard, and-Wait! That's it! We'll go to Glinda's Palace!"
"Who is Glinda?"
"She is the Good Witch of the South, and the most powerful Sorceress in Oz. She'll be able to help you, Tappy!"
So the party returned to the wagon, but an unpleasant surprise awaited them there. The dragon was sound asleep, and blowing smoke rings from its nostrils.
"Oh, no! I've heard that it's almost impossible to wake a sleeping dragon," stated the Scarecrow. "I must think of what we should do."
While the straw-stuffed man was thinking, a wooden man with a pumpkin for a head came riding up on a small wooden horse. It was, of course, Jack Pumpkinhead mounted on the famous Sawhorse. Jack dismounted from his steed, and yelled, "Scarecrow! They stole my Ozoplane, and they're coming here!"
"What? I didn't know you had an Ozoplane, Jack," stated the Scarecrow.
"The Wizard gave it to me when he came out with the new model. But it has been stolen!"
"Stolen? By whom?"
Jack did not have time to answer this question, since an Ozoplane descended near where the group of friends was gathered. The door opened, and out stepped an aged Silverman, who was quite familiar to the Scarecrow and Happy Toko.
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At around the same time that Happy Toko and the Munchkin farmer had arrived at the Royal Castle of the Munchkins, a messenger arrived at the Royal Castle of the Winkies. This messenger was immediately ushered into Nick Chopper's Throne Room, where this famous Tin Emperor was discussing his latest adventures with the Yellow Knight of Corumbia, who was visiting the Tin Man.
"Well, what is it that you need?" asked Nick Chopper, when he noticed the newcomer to the room.
"Odd noises are emanating from the cave to the north, Your Majesty," was the messenger's reply.
"The cave to the north?"
"Yes, Your Highness. The one just beyond Tin Can Canyon."
"Mayhap some horrible monster resideth in the cave," suggested the Yellow Knight hopefully.
"That's quite possible. Rumors say that a great dragon once lived there."
"A dragon!" shouted the Knight excitedly.
"Yes, someone said they saw it coming out of the cave one night. However, they never saw it go back in."
"I say we should examine this cave, Sir Nick."
"All right, Sir Hokus," agreed the Tin Woodman. "We'll leave right away."
So Nick told his Lord High Chamberlain to watch over the castle while he was away, and grabbed his trusty axe. The Knight dressed in his golden armor, and placed his sword and battle-axe in their proper locations. The two friends then left the castle and walked to the north, coming to the cave in half an hour.
"Well, here we are," announced the Tin Woodman, "but I don't hear any strange noises."
"Then we shall have to explore further. Onward, for Corumbia, Winkieland, and all of Oz!" shouted the Yellow Knight, as he rushed into the dark cave.
Nick followed more slowly, after picking a torch from a handy torch tree. Once inside, the Tin Man struck the wooden torch on the Knight's armor, and it immediately began to cast a faint but comforting glow. The two adventurers used this light to find their way through the many hot, stuffy passages of the immense cavern.
Eventually, Sir Hokus sniffed the air, and detected a smell that was quite pleasing to him. "Why, I smell DRAGONS!" he shouted. "And here come two of them!"
Sure enough, four enormous eyes were approaching the Emperor and the Knight. When the creature drew close enough, Hokus could tell that it was not two dragons, but one dragon with two heads and eight legs. It was pink in color, and, when it reached our two friends, it sat down and said, "Good afternoon! How are you?"
Nick Chopper began to answer, but before he could say anything, the Yellow Knight shouted, "Have at thee, villain!" and rushed toward the dragon. The creature quickly stood up, turned around, and ran at its fastest speed, which was quite fast.
"Come back here, varlet, and fight like a man!" ordered the Knight, as he waved his sword in the air.
"But we're not a man," replied the fleeing creature. "We're a Dragonette, and we do not wish to fight you."
"What?" asked the Yellow Knight, in a surprised tone of voice.
"Oh, mother was right about humans," cried the Dragonette, as she shed fiery tears. "Why must you be so violent?"
"Upbringing," replied Sir Hokus, as he leaned on his sword. "I was trained as a Knight, and Knights are taught to fight dragons. Really, I did not mean thee any harm."
"What is your name, er, I mean, what are your names?" inquired the Tin Woodman.
"We are called Evangeline, because one of us is named Evan, and the other is named Geline."
"Which one of you is which?"
"We don't know, and we can't ask our mother. She left the cave over a year ago to find food, and has never returned." While saying this, the Dragonette began to sob anew.
"Then you're an orphan? Well, why don't you come with us? I'm sure Ozma would let you stay in the Emerald City."
"Are there humans there?"
"Yes, but they are very kind humans, and they would not think of hurting such a nice young Dragonette as yourself. Or should I say 'yourselves?'"
"Say what you like, and we would love to come to your Emerald City. It is very lonely in this cave, and recently, we've been hearing strange noises."
"Then thou wert not the one making them?" questioned Hokus.
"No, certainly not! Oh, they are starting again! And they sound closer this time!"
The Tin Man and the Knight joined Evangeline in listening, and they did indeed hear odd noises. Suddenly, the sounds ceased, and foot-steps and voices could be heard. A large group of men, all carrying bright torches, eventually reached the area where our three friends were reclining. The leader, who had silver-colored skin, walked around the Dragonette, and then shouted, "YOU!"
"Who, me?" asked Nick Chopper.
"No, not you! You!" And the man pointed to the Yellow Knight. "Don't think that gold armor and youthful face fool me! You're the one who slew my little dragon!"
"Thy little dragon?" questioned the Knight. Then Hokus thought back to the first dragon he had ever slain. It belonged to the Grand Gheewizard of the Silver Island. When the Yellow Knight examined the Silverman, he realized that this man was none other than the Gheewizard himself, although he was about twenty years older than he had been when the Corumbian had first seen him. This was due to the fact that, while Ozites did not age unless they chose to, Silver Islanders aged at the same rate as did people in the Great Outside World.
"You shall pay for your dragon-killing!" yelled the Grand Gheewizard. "I shall turn you into, uh, one of those yellow fruits that looks like a crescent moon."
"A banana?" questioned Sir Hokus.
"Yes! I shall turn you into a banana, you yellow-clad villain!"
"But thou art the villain. You tried to turn the Scarecrow into an ancient man!"
"I merely wanted to restore him to his former illustrious self. But you slew my beautiful pet, and then a little girl dropped on my head!"
"I apologize, Sir Gheewizard. Wilt thou forgive me?"
"No! I want my revenge, and I shall have it! I have joined forces with some of the greatest wizards from the Golden Islands, and we shall enchant you and that meddling little girl, and burn the Scarecrow to ashes! Then we shall conquer your Kingdom of Oz for the King of the Golden Islands."
"But how did you get here?" asked Nick Chopper curiously.
"This very cave connects to a mountain just west of the Silver Island. Much of the path to here was blocked, but we wizards cleared the way with our magic."
"Well, we shall not let thee conquer Oz!" shouted Sir Hokus.
The Yellow Knight charged at the Gheewizard with his sword drawn, and Evangeline warned, "Return to where you came from, or we'll breathe fire."
Unfortunately for the Ozites, the Golden Islanders who had accompanied the Gheewizard had already begun to cast a spell, and, just as the Knight was about to run into the silver magician, Hokus and Evangeline both fell asleep. Of course, this sleeping spell had no effect on Nick Chopper, but, before the Tin Man could make a move, the wizards grabbed his axe, and knocked the Emperor of the Winkies to the cave floor.
"Now, we march to the capital of Oz," ordered the Gheewizard.
Five of the golden wizards lifted Sir Hokus, and another five lifted Nick Chopper, and all of the invaders exited the cave. Once out, a young magician asked, "How do we get to the capital?"
The Grand Gheewizard took a map from the sleeve of his kimono and examined it. He then said, "The capital of Oz, which is named the Emerald City, lies to the east of here."
The wizards used the Sun as a guide on their journey to the Emerald City. As the invaders entered a large pumpkin patch, one of them inquired, "Are there not fortifications for this city?"
"There is a wall around it," replied the Gheewizard.
"How shall we pass this wall?"
"If we had one of those flying machines, it would be quite simple to enter the city."
"What do these flying machines look like?"
"Like that," said the silver wizard, as he noticed Jack Pumpkinhead's Ozoplane. The Gheewizard led his companions to the aircraft, and all of them entered, paying no attention to Jack, who came out of his pumpkin house to yell at the thieves. By using magic, the wizards discovered how to work the plane, and one of them pulled the starter.
"I doubt you'll be able to succeed at your task," said the Tin Woodman, as the Ozoplane soared through the sky. "Perhaps you don't know that Queen Ozma has some very powerful magic. I would suggest that you return home immediately."
"We have magic of our own, metal man," was a wizard's reply. "And no one asked for your advice."
"Why do we not drop him in that river?" suggested another magician, who had noticed that the Ozoplane was flying over the Winkie River.
The other necromancers agreed to this plan, so the Tin Man was tossed out of a window. As Sir Hokus was still sound asleep, no one thought to repeat the process with him.
The wizards brought the aircraft over the green marble wall that surrounded the Emerald City, and over the smaller wall that surrounded Ozma's Royal Palace. They landed the vehicle near the Royal Stables, and the Gheewizard opened the door and looked out. He saw that an odd group, which included the Scarecrow and Happy Toko, was staring at him.
"It is the Gheewizard!" shouted Happy.
"Correct!" shouted the Gheewizard, as he marched out of the Ozoplane, followed by the Golden Islanders. "And now we shall enchant all of you!"
"Not now!" complained one of the magicians. "I'm thirsty!"
"Would someone give him a drink of water?" ordered the leader of the wizards.
But none of the invaders had even a single drop of water. When the Gheewizard asked if anyone could conjure up something to drink, one of the necromancers said, "I can conjure up cups, but I cannot produce drinks."
"If you make some cups, we'll get you something to drink," offered the Scarecrow, who had come up with an idea.
So the conjurer performed an incantation, which magically produced enough golden cups for all of the invading magicians. The Scarecrow, Happy Toko, Jack Pumpkinhead, and the three Ozurian guards filled these cups at the Forbidden Fountain. A wizard accompanied them on each trip to the fountain, but he could not read the sign announcing that it was forbidden to drink from the fountain, so he did not suspect anything. When every one of the magicians had a cup of water, the Gheewizard yelled, "A toast to the conquest of Oz!"
All of the wizards raised their cups, and then quickly drank the water. As you may know, the water contained in the Forbidden Fountain erased memories, so, as soon as the magicians had swallowed the potent Water of Oblivion, they forgot their sinister plans, and wondered where they were.
For the rest of that day and all of the next, the wizards were treated as guests. They were given comfortable beds and good meals in a beautiful hotel. Finally, another Ozoplane landed in the Emerald City, and Ozma, the Wizard of Oz, Glinda, Dorothy, and many other famous Ozites rushed out to greet the Scarecrow and his friends, including the Yellow Knight, who had long since awakened from the sleeping spell. At a conference in the Royal Palace, the Scarecrow and the Knight told what had occurred in Oz during the past few days.
When the stories were finished, Ozma stated, "It was clever of you to think of the Water of Oblivion, Scarecrow, but the wizards may recall their wickedness at any time, especially if we send them back to their homes."
"Then why don't you remove their magical powers?" suggested the straw man.
So Glinda did just that, by means of magic words and hand motions. Then Ozma used the Magic Belt to bring Evangeline and Nick Chopper to the Emerald City. The Dragonette was given a home in the Royal Menagerie, and the Tin Woodman was oiled and polished. The Tin Man's axe was returned to him.
"Now, all that remains is to restore Happy Toko to his throne," said the Wizard of Oz.
So Ozma summoned the King of the Golden Islands into her presence, by means of the Magic Belt, and rebuked him for stealing the throne of the Silver Island.
"But I did not steal it," returned the King stubbornly. "I took it by force of arms."
"I promised to protect the Silver Island from invasion, and I shall live up to that promise," said Ozma. "If you give up all claims on the Silver Island, I shall forgive you and let you continue your reign over the Golden Islands. But if you ever try to invade another territory again, you will be severely punished."
The King, who had heard of the great powers that Ozma possessed, agreed to Ozma's demands. He and his wizards were then sent back to the Golden Islands, and the Gheewizard was transported to the palace on the Silver Island. Happy Toko once again took possession of his throne, and a grand celebration was held in Happy's Empire. Another celebration took place in the Emerald City, after which the Scarecrow went back to the Ozure Isles, where he continued to rule until the return of King Cheeriobed.
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