randomosity | [For Elphaba] The Wicked Witch of Barsoom

[For Elphaba] The Wicked Witch of Barsoom

Barsoom was not a war-torn planet, but it was by no means peaceful. The inhabitants of Helium still had tension with the primitive Tharks. There were raids on trade routes daily that the Jeddak had to deal with. For the most part, Dejah was not involved with the affairs of her father. She was too busy working with her theories and scientific research.

The presence of John Carter had brought more knowledge of the Ninth Ray to Helium. Dejah was determined to harness the power of the Ninth Ray to use it herself.

But for the moment, she was content to relax, sitting in the red sand gardens maintained in the royal courtyard. Dejah was clad in her usual loose silks, which had plenty of cutouts and openings to reveal her skin and the patterns tattooed along her long legs and slender arms. Jewels and metals adorned her neck and waist and wrists. Dejah Thoris, the princess of Helium, was renowned as one of - if not the - most beautiful women on Barsoom. Her dark hair fell in waves down her back, part of it secured at the crown of her head with an ornate metal jeweled pin. Her eyes, the richest blue, were pouring over a text of mythology.

She tried to keep her mind off of the husband that had gone missing. She tried not to think of John Carter of Earth.

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Elphaba seemed relieved at that. "I'm glad to hear that. Dejah is a beautiful name." She said as a genuine complement.

Elphaba then looked even more confused when Dejah tried to explain where they were even more. "Mars? I've never heard of that before...that tornado really took me somewhere odd." She said thoughtfully. She didn't look too concerned about being in an odd place. A specific plan to prompt a new line of questioning from Dejah. She was curious if the questions would be out of worry or suspicion.

Dejah tipped her head in thanks. "As is yours. I confess that it does not seem to be a name born of this world. It's quite different and lovely."

When Elphaba didn't seem concerned about being in a new land, once she didn't know by name, Dejah tilted her head, a bit confused.

"You don't seem too upset by this," she observed. "Does it not scare you, being in a new land, potentially a new planet? How long have you been here?"

Elphaba blushed at the complement and praise. She didnlegitimately feel a small thrill at being complemented by someone as beautiful as Dejah. Even if it was simply to be polite.

She shook her head at the questions. "There is magic everywhere from my home. It is not unusual to find yourself in a magical trap and transported somewhere else. It is far safer to simply live your life without worrying what might happen. I have been here for what I guess is two years. It is difficult to truly know without seeing the days go by. It is my best guess based on the few others who have found themselves trapped down here with me." She explained.

Dejah was perplexed and intrigued by the idea of magic. The way it was presented on Barsoom, most 'magic' was actually science. But did this woman have true magi where she came from? It seemed to be so, if magic transported her here - there was no other explanation for a tornado to bring her to another planet altogether. But it was the revelation that she had been here for two years that made Dejah balk.

"Two years? How did you remain hidden for so long? Did you see any combat during Helium's war against Zodanga?" Dejah stepped up a little closer. Was this woman like the Thurns? Did she possess powers to take her to other worlds? Could she take her to be with John Carter again? Dejah suddenly found herself hopeful.

Elphaba watched and waited as Dejah puzzled it out. She gave Dejah a thoughtful look. "Two years is my best guess. Although with those four armed creatures being able to get out soneasily...I do wonder if perhaps this tunnel is a vision and this is a punishment for me so I do not see a way out of the tunnel...". She mused aloud.

Elphaba then looked confused at the war Dejah mentioned.who is Zodanga? Are those the people with four arms?" She asked. Elphaba had indeed seen the war, but had not understood the different people groups.

At first Dejah looked confused, then she remembered Carter saying something similar. "Ahh...you mean some manner of punishment from some deity? Do you have many gods in this 'Oz' you referred to?"

When Elphaba misunderstood, Dejah couldn't help chuckling a bit and shaking her head. "No, no - Zodanga is a place. It was the opposing city of Helium, my city, during the war between the two," she explained. If this woman had been here for two years, how did she not know more about the war between Zodanga and Helium?

"My father attempted to marry me to the Jeddak of Zodanga, to unify the kingdoms and put an end to the war."

Elphaba nodded her head at first. "Yes, her name is Ozma. However, she is a very kind goddess towards women. It's men she does not give much good fortune to."

Elphaba listened carefully at the explanation and shook her head slowly. "No, I'm sorry. I have not heard of this warndown here in mybtunnel. I'm sorry your father was goin to force you into such a thing. Did you like the man?" She asked.

Dejah was beginning to sense a theme to this place Elphaba hailed from. But she kept quiet on the matter, she didn't want to insult her. She couldn't help chuckling softly at the notion that this goddess of theirs did not smile upon men.

"We have a goddess here, Issus. She too is benevolent, but will not hesitate to punish her children if they go against her will," she explained.

Dejah hesitated to answer her question. "...No. He was a cruel man. A vile man. The fact that my father would have sold me to him..." she sighed. It had been in good will - wanting peace for Barsoom. Dejah gestured to the house Elphaba had led her to. "Shall we go inside? If Tharks come through her as you say, it would be best to avoid crossing their paths."

Elphaba legitimately felt both sad and angry at the position Dejah had been put into. "I do not like hearing about women who were forced into something by their parents for 'peace and prosperity'. It sickens and angers me." She said honestly.

At the mention of Tharks, Elphaba pushed the door open and motioned for Dejah to enter. "You are not friends with these Tharks? Why?" She asked curiously.

Dejah pressed her lips together. She agreed with Elphaba, but she knew her father's intentions had been good...just she was still so angry with him for treating her as a bargaining chip.

"My father was never cruel to me," Dejah clarified. "He...had a lapse in judgment, I am convinced."

Dejah stepped into the house, a small smile breaking across her dark red lips. "It's not that we are not allies...they are just aggressive by nature, and more likely to shoot or maim first and ask questions later."

Elphaba noted the press of lips and knew exactly what was not communicated. She let some sympathy fill her eyes as she regarded Dejah. "I truly hope it was simply a lack of judgement. It is not a life to live if you have a father who wishes you to be gone...no matter the means." She said softly before closing the door behind them and tilting her head to look in slight confusion at Dejah.

"They all seemed friendly enough when I crossed paths with them. Or perhaps that is because my skin is green." She said. As Dejah explored, she would find a large book sitting on a pedestal along a wall.

Dejah nodded a little - mostly just an absent acknowledgement of Elphaba's words. But she recognized it in a way. The tone, the way she spoke...it was familiar. "Did your father send you away?" She asked point blank.

"It is most certainly because of your green skin. They are intolerant creatures. For a time, they were not so angry over dealing with my people, but they eventually slunk back into their old attitudes," perhaps the fact that John Carter had gone missing had contributed to that. He had bridged their worlds in a way.

Dejah did look around, and tilted a brow when she found the large book. Her fingers couldn't help running over it. But the words were not written in any language she'd ever seen. "What is this?" She asked.

Elphaba grew quiet and her jaw flexed as she considered answering honestly. In this case honesty would be best. "My father thought I was a wicked curse upon him and wished I had never been born. He was so afraid my younger sister would be green like me that he poisoned my mother with a white flower while she was pregnant with my younger sister. Her skin was a beautiful milky white, but she has been cripple since birth and has been confined to a wheelchair her whole life. My mother died shortly after she was born. My father only allowed me to stay to help with my sister." She said as she tried to hide the pain of those emotions, but not completely succeeding. It had been years, but her father's hatred of her still hurt from time to time.

Wanting not to dwell on that for too long, she nodded to the book. "That is The Grimmerie. I stole that to prevent and evil woman from controlling Oz. She banished me in a tornado for what I did. I'm glad it is with me and not her." She said.

Dejah listened, her blue eyes widening and slowly she brought her hand to her mouth. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. In comparison, her father was not nearly so monstrous as Elphaba's.

"I...I don't know what to say," she replied. "I'm so sorry...no parent should do such a thing to their child."

She hesitated a moment. "So...green skin is not a natural development in your world?" Dejah was curious of that.

But she was more curious of this great book, this Grimmerie. "What sort of power does it hold that a woman of evil would use it?"

Elphaba saw the shock and just paused for a moment. The question of her skin color was met with a nod. "I am the only one from my world with green skin. I'm not even sure what halppened to cause it."

The question about the Grimmerie was answered as Elphaba shifted closer. "This contains all of he spells of Oz. He person who can read and use these spells could control all of Oz...good or bad. The woman I stole it from intended to use me as a conductor to control all of Oz to her will. I refused and ran away with the book." She explained. That was mostly true.

Dejah was surprised to hear that revelation about her skin. So it was a rarity? A quality unique to her. "And...your father saw this as a sign of a curse and not some sort of divine message?" That is how it would have been seen on Barsoom - well, so long as it wasn't green. Green meant Tharks, and Tharks were dangerous.

She listened as Elphaba explained the background of the book, her eyes wide with wonder. "So, you can read this, then?" She must be able to, if this evil woman intended to use her to control this Oz of hers.

Elphaba nodded, "Many saw it as a curse." She said softly.

The change of topic back to the Grimmerie was met with a hesitating nod. "I can, but not is an ancient language that I still don't fully understand. The magic within these spells is powerful and I can easily do them. My concern is that since I do not fully understand the language I am never sure exactly how the spell will turn out." She said.

"I hope you were not one of those people who thought that way," Dejah smiled softly.

Her eyes were transfixed upon the book, flipping carefully through the pages. "Amazing - so the power is triggered by some manner of vocal command? How intriguing," The Thurns' mirror had worked the same way. "I'm somewhat familiar with things of that nature, but your magic would be strange to me, I'm certain. How are you able to use the spells without fulling knowing the language?"

Elphaba nodded her head. "Yes, these spells are incantations. They must be read exactly for the magic to work. I think there is a trick to tone of voice and speed as well. A few of the things I did...they did not turn out as Inhad thought they would." She said.

Dejah looked between Elphaba and the book. "May I ask what you have tried thus far?"

She bit her lower lip as she dragged her fingers over the pages - tracing some of the shapes of the words formed by the ancient letters. "....would you show me?"

That bite to her lower lip increased Elphaba's desire for the beauty. She walked to stand directly across from Dejah with the book between them. "Well....one was to help a friend who was falsely accused of a crime. I did not want him to feel any pain, he was transformed into a scarecrow. Another friend had been stabbed in his heart. I tried to save him so that he would not need his heart. He was turned into a tin man who ran on steam and oil." She said.

Dejah's eyes widened as she listened to Elphaba's tale. She suddenly realized that Elphaba using this magic and showing it to her was probably not a good idea. "...I...I'm so sorry - I can only assume that neither case ended well," she bit her lower lip again, feeling rather sheepish at making her new companion relive these terrible ordeals.

Elphaba looked a bit sad, but smiled up at Dejah. "They are both alive and have the opportunity to live very long lives. I would call that better than the alternatives. I'm sad they are different, but glad they are both still alive." She said truthfully.

She nodded slowly, but sadly. "I'm inclined to agree," Her fingers traced over the pages of the book. "I don't suppose you could use your magic in this book to get you home?" If she could, Dejah imagined she would have gone by now.

So clearly this magic wasn't all-powerful. Or at least, that's what Elphaba wanted her to think.

Elphaba bit her lower lip in worry as she looked up at Dejah. "There is a spell to travel to different worlds. However...they name of the world must be said in the same language. I have a few books on the language, but my greatest concern is that what if what I call my home and its actual name are two different worlds?" She answered truthfully. She rubbed her arm a bit absently. "I would be fine not going back to my home, but I am scared to travel to another world. One that might be more hostile than your world."

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