Chapter 10: The Wonderful Witch of the West
Zelena of the West she was called here. After she had sworn off being wicked, to that stupid witch of the south.
To be honest, she was trying. It felt good not to be green. But, she wasn't exactly planning on giving up what she wanted.
She was just putting it on pause for a bit.
Not wanting to outright kill her sister this very minute, it seemed helped her complexion return to a nice peaches and cream.
Although, she had started to grown use to the acid green color it had become. Black looked just marvelous with her new skin tone. Though, she was glad of how her new restored complexion made her inconspicuous. Well, as inconspicuous as one of the honored members of the Witches Counsel of Oz could be.
She hated all of them.
Sisterhood.
Bah.
But it gave her a wonderful cover.
She was now a well-respected member of the world she had grown up to call home. No one looked at her in scorn like they did prior to her joining the sisterhood. She was no longer that evil wicked witch. Now she Zelena the Wonderful Witch of the West.
Didn't have the same ring as wicked though.
Most of the work these so called witches did was bureaucratic nonsense that usually resulted in getting a fruit basket or something ready for some poor unfortunate soul.
Really, who'd want a fruit basket if they were poor? Zelena wouldn't. She'd want something with more substance. But she did the work, kept her head down and waited for a way to destroy them. And to have her revenge in order. All while letting them think, she truly reformed.
Most of the time doing that wasn't hard. The sisters usually ignored her. Which Zelena was glad for even though at first it upset her. Until she just sort of got over it. She wasn't here to make friends.
Zelena was never a friend person.
They were just too much of a liability, and she really didn't have a use for them. Or at least that was the excuse she gave herself. Of course, when your skin was the same color of battery acid, it was a little hard to make friends which was why she was so willing to join the sisterhood until she realized they only wanted her for her power.
Everyone always wanted something that was something Zelena had learned very easy on. Hell, that's how she became green.
She grimaced as she thought back to her apprenticeship with the Dark One. He hadn't wanted her, spurned her. Made her green with envy because she wasn't his prized pupil, no matter how hard she tried.
She wanted him to love her.
He didn't though. Threw her away, back to Oz like she was returned goods. She'd show him. Make him wish she hadn't spurned him, then grovel back to her. And maybe if he was lucky she'd let him in her bed.
It would happen.
That's what she told herself as she set up to do the bureaucratic minute tasks the sisterhood set up for her.
Like today, they had sensed a minor disturbance in the borderlands and had sent Zelena to investigate.
A minor disturbance could be a number of things. Oz was an unstable realm, which was something Zelena knew all so well. Realm jumpers could very easily get trapped her with little to no effort. Also, it was very easy for Oz residents to get themselves transported, hurt, or something worse with little to no effort.
There had been munchkins in the past, whose bodies have been in multiple places in the realm.
And it was Zelena's duty as a member of the Witch's Counsel and sisterhood to help them.
She hated this façade.
She sighed heavily as she looked at the area she was to patrol. A magic storm had just occurred in the area.
That's right: magic storm.
Because Oz wasn't like anywhere else in the universe where storms consisted of water. Here in Oz, it consisted of magical energy. And you never knew what was going to occur after them—though most of the time it consisted of munchkins bodies being spread across the realm. Which really wasn't a big deal to Zelena, but again she was supposed to be the Wonderful Witch of the West.
The place seemed eerily quiet. She didn't expect it to really be that loud though. It was the middle of nowhere after all. Most of the west country was. Not surprisingly, her dear sisters didn't trust her with most of the populous.
At least they had that much common sense.
Woods. Yellow brick road. Sky. Filled with stars. No sign of magical residue anywhere, Zelena thought, until she spied something red and glowing beating from one of the bushes.
Interesting.
She picked up the object and smiled when her suspicions were confirmed. A heart. Someone's heart was in her hands.
The witch had always been interested in heart magic. When she had studied with the imp she had always been intrigued with it. At first with romantic notions, like perhaps if she had grabbed the imp's heart he'd care for her. Desire her. Like she wanted.
Then she had wanted to best and destroy Regina by ripping the heart into itty bitty pieces. However, trying to get the necessary amount of hate turned out to be harder than she thought. Because Zelena didn't really feel for anyone. She was apathetic. She just couldn't help it. No one had really loved her growing up, so why should she love them?
And if you couldn't love, well, you couldn't properly hate.
She remembered being told that. When she was told that she was absolutely nothing and meaningless.
That memory still stung, still made her want to find some revenge. Even though, she supposed she had no feelings.
Apathetic. Didn't know the meaning of love or hate.
But Zelena knew all about hearts.
Why would a heart lay on the middle of the ground in Oz of all places. It was strange. She stared at the organ looking at it. It was mostly red. A nice, dark, ruby color, but it oozed with black.
A sinner.
Hmm, sinners were malleable.
If she could find out who the heart belonged to…
A quick locater spell later and Zelena gasped as an image of a woman appeared to rise from the heart.
Oh, this was very, very, interesting. Snow White.
Now this could go towards the overall plan…
Waving her hand over the heart, she sent it to a very special place just as she eyed what appeared to be a vortex throwing a dark headed young woman onto the yellow road.
Snow White.
Something told Zelena that this portal wasn't exactly accidental. Even with Oz's oddities.
Inwardly smiling, she got her good witch face on. It was show time.
"Where…where…am I?" The woman said.
She seemed disoriented. A mess.
Good.
"You're in Oz, my dear." Zelena told her before introducing herself. Luckily, Snow White was surprisingly trusting.
Well, it wasn't that surprising.
She had heard her sister's rantings about the princess being such a twerp, but she had always thought it was Regina being over dramatic. Now, well, Regina was being surprisingly realistic.
Snow White was crying about how an evil queen had thrown her heart into the realm and how she now had to get home to be with her daughter and a lot of other stuff Zelna really didn't care about. But acted like she cared about. Because she figured, well, she figured she could use Snow White.
"That was a good thing you did, Zelena." The Witch of the South said when she had taken Snow White back to the sisterhood's headquarters.
Zelena acted like the modest, remorseful sister she was expected to act as. "I only did what was right. We couldn't let Snow wonder in the woods, and I intend to help her any way I can."
Glinda practically beamed at her as she patted her on the back. Inwardly, Zelena gagged. Was she seriously supposed to get warm and fuzzies over this? It was so degrading.
Snow White seemed to follow Glinda's suite. "I don't know what I would've done if you weren't there, Zelena."
"I'm sure you'd figure out something." Zelena said. "You look like the resourceful type?"
Yeah, most likely she would've run around like a lunatic until one of the sisters would've found her.
Snow White blushed. "I don't know about that…to be honest, I'm not really myself right now."
Yes, she was heartless. That seemed to have damaging effects on the person. Zelena knew heart theory down pact. Too bad, she couldn't adequately practice it.
Well, the pulling out and squeezing into smithereens part. She could do other kinds of heart magic, and she intended to do so with Snow White.
When the time was right.
Something she was telling herself a lot these days.
Which was the only way she was able to get through so many of these dinners.
"It's not your fault," Zelena said. "That evil enchantress, I can't believe she'd do something as dark as take your heart."
"We'll, find it." Glinda added. "Zelena is the best witch in the kingdom."
The only witch worth a damn.
"You're being too modest, Glinda."
Glinda smiled at her. "You're too sweet. But if anyone can help you find something here, it is Zelena. She is very gifted. We'll all try to help of course. And as I said before, you're welcomed to stay here."
"Zelena's already invited me to her own quarters."
This surprised Glinda, "You did?"
Zelena nodded. "Snow didn't have a place to stay and I didn't mind…I didn't even think about the guest's quarters. Snow, if you'd like…"
"No," Snow said. "No, your quarters are just perfect. But if it's a burden for you, Zelena."
"Not a burden at all."
Actually, it was a burden. Because the quarters at the sisterhood complex were the last place Zelena ever was. She never stayed there. Now, she'd have to make appearances here and there just to keep Snow under wraps, but it would work. She needed the princess to be on her side. It was just too good of an asset to waste.
The Enchanted Forest.
The world that her sister and the wizard who spurned her belonged to. If somehow she could use the princess, she could get her revenge. Maybe, she wouldn't have to reside to using that outside source after all.
She hoped.
Snow White sighed as she picked through the mutton stew that was served. "I still can't believe I'm not going to be there for Emma."
"Emma?" Glinda asked.
"My daughter," Snow explained. She then told them about how her grandson just died.
Tragic story, that, but it was something to work with.
"I just feel so bad." Snow White said, "I know I shouldn't have reacted so badly, but it's just so unnatural in my realm."
Zelena was inwardly rolling her eyes at this. In a place like Oz you saw everything. Although, all the other members of the sisterhood were comforting Snow. Telling her that it was natural that she'd be a little upset, and of course Henry loved her and she shouldn't feel bad.
"I still can't help but have this immense feeling of guilt," Snow said. "You'd think without my heart…but I think the emptiness makes it worse."
No, it hadn't, Zelena inwardly corrected. It was just one of the many side effects of having your heart taken out. With some people they felt their feelings immediately diminish, with others they felt an intense amount of feelings before they slowly became callous and hard.
Zelena smiled at her. "I could brew you something, it wouldn't take away the pain, but it would make you feel better."
"Would you really do that?" Snow asked.
Yes, yes, she would.
Again, after Snow White was gone, she was told by Glinda that she had been doing so good. And again, Zelena had to do some more butt kissing. What surprised her though was what Glenda said. "This whole thing is troubling, I have heard stories about Snow White. And I find it disheartening that one so pure of heart has been put in this position."
"I'll get the heart back," Zelena said.
"I'm sure you will, but I doubt Regina will make it easy. The potion you are giving Snow, it won't accelerate the process will it?"
"Of course not!" Zelena said. "You know that is the last thing I would want to do here."
"I am glad," Glinda said. "Do you think you can slow the process, though. I mean, hopefully, we'll get her to her realm before there's permanent effects."
"Why do you think I decided to brew her a potion in the first place?" Zelena asked.
Inwardly, Zelena cackled because her intentions were not to slow down the process but to accelerate it. Because in Oz, once you lost your heart you couldn't get it back. Just ask the Tin Man.