Vegetable being in The Oz Series
the Royal Princess
Also known as the Ruler destined to be my successor, the beautiful girl on the bush, the maiden, the lovely Princess, the Royal Lady, the new Princess, your Royal Highness, Your Highness, the beautiful vegetable lady, their Princess.
The Royal Princess of the Mangaboos, an exquisitely formed and colored girl poised on the central stalk of the Royal Bush, destined to succeed the Prince as Ruler once she becomes fully ripe and is picked.
Appears in 4 chapters, first in chapter 73, last in chapter 76.
This encyclopedia covers chapters 1 to 100 of the story and shows the world as it stands at chapter 100, so it contains spoilers up to that point. To read it spoiler free, one chapter at a time, open the interactive codex.
What the story establishes
| Appearance | A girl so exquisitely formed and colored, with delicate features, poised on the central stalk; her gown soft as satin falling in ample folds, with dainty lace-like traceries trimming bodice and sleeves; flesh fine and smooth as polished ivory; poise expressing both dignity and grace. (as of ch. 73) |
| Being nature | A vegetable being of the Mangaboo people, growing motionless and silent on the Royal Bush until fully ripe and picked, at which point she would attain life, motion, and speech. |
| Conflict | Was denied her rightful ripeness and rule by the former Prince, who selfishly delayed picking her to keep his own unlawful reign. (as of ch. 74) |
| Current goal | To assume her rightful rule as Ruler of the Mangaboos after being picked, and to formally strip the former Prince of his stolen authority. (as of ch. 74) |
| Dialogue style | Speaks with dignity and formal authority; even-toned and commanding. (as of ch. 74) |
| Gender identity | woman (as of ch. 73) |
| Is alive | yes (as of ch. 74) |
| Material vulnerabilities | Vegetable flesh that can be withered and scorched by fire/flame. |
| Maturation stage | Nearly but not quite ripe; several days from being ready to be picked. |
| Motive | To claim her rightful rule as Princess/Ruler of the Mangaboos and rid her land of the meat-people and animal strangers she considers unwelcome intruders. (as of ch. 75) |
| Personality | Commanding and merciless, ordering her people to seal the prisoners into the mountain and to thrust out their thorns against them without hesitation. (as of ch. 76) |
| Quirks | After being freed from the bush, absently smooths her eyes and tucks a stray lock of hair into place before addressing those present. (as of ch. 74) |
| Referential profile | feminine (as of ch. 73) |
| Sex profile | nonbiological (as of ch. 73) |
| Social status | Ruler of the Mangaboos, having been picked and crowned with the Star of Royalty which the former Prince surrendered to her; escorted by her people in a procession to the glass city. (as of ch. 74) |
| Special capabilities | Able to walk unsupported in the air above the ground, a display reserved to show her superiority over her subjects who walk on the ground. |
| Status | Newly picked from the Royal Bush and freshly installed as the ruling Princess, being escorted in procession to the glass city and her palace. (as of ch. 74) |
Relationships
- rules → Land of the Mangaboos ch. 74Having received the Star of Royalty, the Princess becomes the new sovereign ruler of the Mangaboo land, escorted to her palace by her people.
- leader of → Mangaboos ch. 74The Princess becomes the new leader of the Mangaboo people after receiving the Star of Royalty from the deposed Prince.
- part of → the Royal Bush of the Mangaboos ch. 73The exquisite Royal Princess stands poised, still growing and nearly ripe, upon the central stalk of the Royal Bush of the Mangaboos.
- species of → Mangaboos ch. 73The Princess is a Mangaboo, a vegetable being who, like all of her race, grows on a bush and will attain motion and life only once fully ripe and picked.
- rescues ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 74Dorothy helps pull the Princess free from the Royal Bush, rescuing her from being left unpicked at the Prince's mercy.
- threatens → Dorothy (ended) ch. 75The Princess declares that Dorothy, Zeb, and the Wizard must be destroyed by being thrown into the Garden of the Clinging Vines to be crushed and devoured.
- rescues ← Oz (ended) ch. 74The Wizard, together with Dorothy, picks the Princess from the bush before the Prince can return and prevent it, rescuing her from continued neglect.
- persuades ← Oz (ended) ch. 75By staging lantern-light and burning kerosene oil as a test of his advisors' guilt, the Wizard convinces the Princess that he is a greater sorcerer than any grown in her garden, so she spares him, Dorothy, and Zeb from the Garden of the Clinging Vines.
- communicates with → Oz (ended) ch. 75The Princess tells the Wizard that her advisors have decided the meat people do not belong in the Land of the Mangaboos and must be destroyed, then challenges him to demonstrate his sorcery before she decides his fate.
- threatens → Oz (ended) ch. 75The Princess threatens to destroy the Wizard along with Dorothy and Zeb by casting them into the Garden of the Clinging Vines unless he proves himself a worthy sorcerer.
- deposes → the man with the star (ended) ch. 74The Princess commands the Prince to surrender the Star of Royalty, and he slowly hands it over and walks away, ending his rule.
- rescues ← underground_traveling_party (ended) ch. 74The party (the Wizard and Dorothy) pick the ripe Royal Princess from the Royal Bush, freeing her from the Prince's selfish suppression; she thanks them and, once crowned, declares they came to her rescue.
- persuades ← underground_traveling_party (ended) ch. 75The Wizard, as the party's champion, convinces the Princess through his fire 'test' that her advisors counseled her wrongly, so she spares the three humans from the Garden of the Clinging Vines.
- threatens → Zeb (ended) ch. 75The Princess declares that Zeb, along with Dorothy and the Wizard, must be destroyed by being thrown into the Garden of the Clinging Vines.
- threatens → Eureka (ended) ch. 75The Princess decrees that Eureka must be driven into the Black Pit in the mountain along with the other animals.
- threatens → Jim (ended) ch. 75The Princess decrees that Jim the horse must be driven into the Black Pit in the mountain because her subjects cannot bear to have the animals around.
- commands → Mangaboos (ended) ch. 75The Princess commands her reluctant advisors to step into the Wizard's circle of burning oil as a test, and they obey, getting badly scorched.
- deceives ← Oz (ended) ch. 75The Wizard convinces the Princess that his lantern-and-oil trick is a genuine magical test that will only wither advisors who counseled wrongly, when it is really a staged demonstration to save himself and the children.
- commands ← Oz (ended) ch. 76The Wizard shouted a command to stop at the Mangaboos as their Princess directed the sealing of the pit, though the Princess then ordered her people to attack with their thorns instead of obeying.
- confronts → the man with the star (ended) ch. 74The newly picked Princess confronts the Prince, accusing him of wronging her by selfishly delaying her picking to prolong his own unlawful rule.
- ally of ← underground_traveling_party (ended) ch. 74–75The party gambles on the new Princess as their advocate against the heartless Prince: the Wizard reasons that once picked she will be Ruler 'and may treat us better than that heartless Prince intends to', kneeling to salute her Royal Highness.
- shows respect ← Mangaboos (ended) ch. 74The Mangaboo people bow low to their new Princess and form a procession to escort her to the palace, acknowledging her as their new ruler.
- shows respect ← Oz (ended) ch. 74After helping pick her from the bush, the Wizard kneels and kisses the newly awakened Princess's hand in salute.
- persuades → Oz (ended) ch. 75The Princess's declared decision to destroy the Wizard along with her demand that he prove his sorcery persuades the Wizard to attempt an elaborate demonstration of magic in order to save his own life.
- communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 75Dorothy asks the Princess how they can go away, and after being told they must be destroyed instead, listens as the Wizard performs sorcery tests before the Princess to spare their lives.
From the text
She is the Ruler destined to be my successor, for she is a Royal Princess.Chapter 73
The maiden's gown was soft as satin and fell about her in ample folds, while dainty lace-like traceries trimmed the bodice and sleeves.Chapter 73
"Sir," said the Royal Lady, with much dignity, "you have wronged me greatly, and would have wronged me still more had not these strangers come to my rescue."Chapter 74
"I thank you very much."Chapter 74
Oh, you cannot go away, of course; so you must be destroyed.Chapter 75
See the Royal Princess chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →