THE QUEEN OF OZ
The magic of Oz began with little more than a simple wish. The man who
ruled at that long-forgotten time, King Ozroar, was not a very happy
monarch. He ruled the beautiful land, but he had no magic with which to
insure the happiness of the people. Sickening fogs would envelop the
land from time to time, and the area was never very prosperous. Still,
it was too beautiful to go overlooked by the fairies. These magical
beings are able to see things as they should be, not only as they are.
One fairy who was especially interested in the land of Oz was a leader
of fairies named Lurliné.
Lurliné was no ordinary fairy ruler, though. She had especial insight
into the things that made beauty what it is. It was her keen insight
that once brought her to Mount Olympus. This legendary mountain has long
been said to be the home of many ancient Gods. According to the Ozian
storytellers, who still today will sit by your campfire and tell you a
tale in exchange for a cup of tea or a morsel of food, these Immortals
recognized her abilities at once, and she was admitted into their
society of Godhood. As a Goddess, Lurliné was able to gain access to
many things.
With the help of her fairy band, as well as the input of her sister
fairy, Polychrome, Lurliné was able to give the Land of Oz the magical
enchantment that made it what it is today. But she did not do the deed
without a few pitfalls.
Among the things that Lurliné required to fulfill the spell's needs were
Apollo's own sky chariot, the flying horses to pull it through the air,
Kolé's essence of crystal, and Lillith's brazier of endless flame. At
Polychrome's suggestion, she also obtained Iris' jug of rainbow.
Unfortunately, Lurliné was not always scrupulous. In this event, she
elected to take the various magical requirements without the permission
of the various deities. She stole into their chambers at night as they
lay sleeping and took the elements she wished. She then went together
with her fairy band and performed the enchantment over Oz.
She was banished from Mount Olympus as a result of her rash action. But,
supposing the legend is all true, the marvelous Land of Oz remains as a
glowing tribute to the powers of the Fairy Queen Lurliné. And to insure
its longevity, Lurliné arranged for a fairy ruler to watch over the
country she had created. Of course, the ruler would have to be a native
Ozite. She would be a beautiful princess.
Princess Ozma was born several generations later unto a descendant of
Ozroar and his wife Ozia, herself a descendant of fairies and daughter
of Oziana. Young Ozma was prepared to take on the leadership of Oz upon
reaching adulthood.
But Lurliné's plan was balked by the arrival of Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig
Isaac Norman Henckle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs. This was a mortal man from
outside of the enchanted land who landed there in a balloon. It had been
he who had erected the Emerald City, and he who had sold the infant Ozma
into slavery at the hands of a heartless old Witch named Mombi. To hide
the infant queen, Mombi had transformed her into a boy. She believed
that no one would ever think to look to a little boy to find the fairy
princess, so Ozma was aptly hidden away for a very long time.
But things in Oz do have a way of working out for the best. After Diggs
left the country, Ozma was found and restored to her proper being. She
had aged very little, being that Oz folk age only when they choose to,
and little Ozma had just been given her rightful place on the royal
throne. Most of this history, of course, was unknown to Elephant and
his companions. They saw only the fact that she was a child. They did
not know of her unique experiences at all. If they had, they'd have
surely recognized that she was more aware of human needs and the
differences there connected. But even to their eyes, it was clear that
this child was very special. They had every hope that she would be able
to do as they needed done to rid their land of the terrifying Forest
Monster.
[Illustration: Tiger caught in a Spiderweb.]