The Audience with the Ball of Fire

The fourth and final private audience with the Wizard Oz was granted to the Cowardly Lion, who entered the Throne Room expecting to confront either the great Head, the lovely Lady, or the terrible Beast that his companions had described. Instead, he found a Ball of Fire so fierce and glowing that he could scarcely bear to look at it. The heat was so intense that it singed his whiskers, forcing him to retreat trembling to a spot near the door. A low, quiet voice spoke from the Ball of Fire, identifying itself as Oz, the Great and Terrible, and demanding to know who the Lion was and why he sought an audience.

The Lion's Plea and Oz's Demand

The Lion explained that he was a coward, afraid of everything, and begged Oz to give him courage so that he might truly become the King of Beasts, as men called him. When Oz asked why he should grant this request, the Lion replied that Oz was the greatest of all Wizards and alone had the power to help him. The Ball of Fire burned fiercely for a time, and then the voice issued the same condition it had given to Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman: the Lion must bring proof that the Wicked Witch of the West was dead. Only then would Oz bestow courage; as long as the Witch lived, the Lion would remain a coward.

The Lion's Frustrated Exit

Angered by this speech but unable to reply, the Lion stood silently gazing at the Ball of Fire. It became so furiously hot that he turned tail and rushed from the room. He rejoined his waiting friends and told them of his terrible interview, concluding that there was only one course of action: they must go to the land of the Winkies, find the Wicked Witch, and destroy her. This decision united the party in a common purpose, as each realized that their individual wishes—Dorothy's return to Kansas, the Scarecrow's brains, the Tin Woodman's heart, and the Lion's courage—all depended on the same impossible task.