Disclaimer: I do not own Tin Man.

Chapter 1

DG woke with a start, her sister's screams echoing through the halls of the palace. Leaping from the bed, her bare feet carried her quickly down the hall to her sister's door. Her mother and father were rapidly approaching from the opposite direction.

Throwing open the door, DG rushed in to find her sister frantically clawing at the sheets, her eyes squeezed shut. She emitted small whimpers and shouts, her face and chest drenched in sweat, her black hair plastered to her forehead.

DG threw herself on the bed and wrapped her arms around her sister.

"Az, wake up…wake up…you're having a nightmare again," she said, her voice cracking. It never failed to tear her heart in two watching her sister go through this. And every scream and cry only opened the wound wider where DG housed the guilt for causing it all.

"Azkadellia, open your eyes," her mother shouted, grabbing her daughter's hands.

Az's eyes flew open, wide and terrified, darting around the room searching for an evil that no longer existed. Her dark eyes landed on Ahamo.

"Daddy?" she whispered before the tears began to fall relentlessly.

"I'm here, sweetheart," he said, sitting at her side and gathering her sobbing body into his arms. She clung to him, soaking his shirt with tears, as he rocked her back and forth slowly. Her mother sat behind her, rubbing her back in soothing circles, her gently voice whispering words of comfort.

DG sat back on her heels, wanting to reach out and touch her sister somehow, to let her know that she was there for her, but fear held her in place. The scene before her caused her eyes to burn, but she refused to cry. She had no right.

Ever since discovering the cave and unlocking the memories of releasing the witch, DG harbored guilt so deep that it physically caused her pain. Her chest ached, her stomach was always in knots, and sleep remained elusive. The few times she was able to close her eyes and relax even remotely, she was often awakened by the terrified screams of her sister.

Glitch appeared in the doorway, followed by Cain, his gun drawn. He had taken it upon himself to personally protect the royal family while Jeb made it his mission to take his Resistance fighters and seek out the remaining Longcoats and bring them to justice. It had initially surprised DG that Cain did not want to go with his son and she had thought to question him about it, but she felt safer somehow knowing Cain was under the same roof, so she kept her inquiries to herself.

Glitch trembled in the doorway as Cain's eyes darted around the room. They fell upon her and she met his gaze. The sadness etched across her delicate features was hard to miss, and he sighed heavily before holstering his gun. Glitch crossed the room slowly, making his way towards the bed. Cain held DG's eyes locked in a sympathetic gaze. She wasn't ready to look away just yet. She felt her nerves beginning to calm just looking at him.

"Is there anything I can do, your majesty?" Glitch asked quietly. He held his back straight, his nose slightly raised, attempting to hold a stoic façade as he watched the quivering princess fall apart in her father's arms.

The queen sighed dramatically, her eyes never moving from her daughter's frightened face buried in her husband's arms.

"No, thank you, Glitch, for your concern," the queen replied meekly. Glitch bowed his head slightly in response before taking a step backwards.

"Can you make the nightmares go away, Glitch?" Azkadellia's weak voice drew the attention of everybody in the room, especially DG as she tore her eyes away from Cain.

Glitch's eyes flew up in surprise, his brow creasing in confusion. He opened his mouth to speak, but could not find the words.

"I…that is, I…uh…" he stammered, attempting to form a response. He stared at the princess dumbfounded.

Azkadellia's words echoed throughout DG's mind, and the hold in her chest opened even wider, the pain almost too strong to bear.

Her tears began to fall of their own volition, and DG's hands wiped frantically at her cheeks in an attempt to stop their intrusion. She didn't deserve to cry. Her broken sister had reason to cry. Her mother who had suffered annuals imprisoned while her eldest daughter fell victim to evil and her youngest daughter was as far away from her reach as possible had reason to cry. Her father, who spent annuals underground amongst vagrants and scum thinking he had lost his family forever had reason to cry. But not DG. She was the reason behind all of their pain.

"I'm so sorry, my sister," she whispered before running from the room, brushing past Cain in the doorway.

She ran as fast as her feet would carry her, past her own bedroom, through the stone corridor and up the steps. She kept going, higher and higher, her burning tears nearly blinding her as she took the steps two at a time.

The staircase stopped and DG was faced by a large door. Panting and out of breath, she thrust the door open and ran out into the warm night air. She found herself on the roof of the palace, the bright lights of Central City glowing bright below her. Her lungs ached as she fought to control her breathing. Her sides cramped from running. Finally she collapsed to the ground, her eyes searching the night sky for some sort of absolution.

She remained there for some time, crying out her pain and guilt, the anguish completely consuming her. After a while, her cries subsided into choked sobs until finally exhaustion overwhelmed her. She laid her trembling body down, her eyes never leaving the stars above. The noises of the city were a dull murmur in the background.

As her mind tried to wrap itself around all that had happened. It had only been a week since the eclipse, and DG found herself almost wishing the witch had succeeded in throwing her off that balcony. A realm eternally shrouded in darkness seemed a much better alternative than watching her sister shatter over and over again, or feel the pain of her family and friends seeping through the air around her. Whenever she was in their presence, she couldn't help but feel their eyes upon her, inwardly blaming her for everything.

Inhaling a deep breath, she closed her eyes and thought back to simpler times, rocking on the front porch with her mother, the loving woman who took her picture each first day of school, baked her favorite cookies at Christmas, bandaged her scrapes and kissed them better, hugged her tightly and shared a bowl of ice cream with her when she had boy problems…the woman who raised her. The comfort of home tingled through her when she thought of her Popsicle and his words of wisdom, or working on the generator out back, or spending Sunday afternoons in front of a football game on tv while inhaling potato chips and the occasional beer he'd sneak her when Momster wasn't looking.

And there were the memories of just being plain old DG, no princess of the realm, no magic, no emerald. Just a plain farm girl from Kansas who enjoyed lying in the fields, the scent of wheat wafting through the air around her, or letting loose on her motorcycle testing the speed limits and her ability to get caught on the open highway, swinging on the porch and staring at the cloudless blue sky dreaming of traveling the world without a care.

Yet in the back of her mind, she also saw her real parents, the queen with lavender eyes, the man known as the Seeker who slipped into this strange world much like herself, only she was returning to the world from which she came. She could vaguely see her and Azkadellia as children, those memories becoming more clear since the eclipse, playing and laughing and sharing their light. She saw Tutor rolling his eyes at her in frustration, Ambrose before he was Glitch teaching her to waltz, a palace full of servants bustling about, dressing her, brushing her hair, serving her meals.

It hadn't been a dream, as much as she continued to pray it would be. The OZ was real, and she was where she belonged. Wasn't she?

The coldness from the stone beneath her cheek began to seep through her skin. She shivered. No…she wasn't where she belonged. How could she belong in a place torn apart by an evil released at her own hand? How could she stay when so many eyes looked back at her with blame and hate?

Opening her eyes, DG sat up and looked back up at the stars. Tomorrow night she vowed to return to this roof and summon a travel storm to the Other Side. She would go home, where life was simpler and no one would think her any different. And while she knew deep down she never felt like she belonged there, it was better than being here.

They were all better off without her, and perhaps with her gone, Azkadellia would finally be able to heal without the constant reminder of who let the witch possess her in the first place.