The Silver Paladin of Oz

[Queen Zixi]

Disclaimer: Oz was created by L. Frank Baum. He sold off the majority of his writes to his debtors, and now most of his works and characters are Public Domain. If otherwise, I did not create any of these characters except for the Silver Paladin, the Malachite Python, the Moonstone Maiden, and the Orange Jinjin.

Chapter 1: A Most Peculiar Happening

There was a bored young man who lived in a farm in Winkie Country. The farm was prosperous and his parents were fairly well off, but he still felt that something was missing. His parents unfortunatly were battling for a large inheritence. Ozma claimed that his parents stole it, but that was not the case.
He reached up to the tree he was resting under and pulled down a yellow apple and took a bite. The boy then saw something very odd. A strange man was walking down the road! He blinked to make sure that it was not an illusion from the heat.
The man was very old and wore a ragged cloak. He glanced at the boy as he passed and mumbled. "That Glinda has exiled me for performing magic...and I ain't done nobody harm. Just wanted to bring to life."

The boy heard it clear as day. Bring to life? He asked the man. "You can bring things to life?"
The man answered. "For a price I will give anything."
"Then my price is that I will not alert the Emperor of the Winkies to your presence." The boy replied.
The man laughed. "Then my son, it is yours! The Powder of Life! Build your kingdom. Now at least an old crooked magician can die easily knowing hard work pays off."
The boy answered. "My name is Flint. What is yours?"
The man blinked. "People called me Daorangingine." He then collapsed and died at the spot. Flint took the opprutunity to steal all the books in the corpse's still warm hands.

Flint didn't even stop to burry the man. He said outloud to nobody and everybody: "I will take my rightful place as the Orange Jinjin. I will take what is rightfully mine. I will build my army. I WILL!"
He turned for the border between Quadling and Winkie Counties.