Title:

Promises

Disclaimer:

Unfortunately I do not own Tin Man or any of the characters from the miniseries. Nor do I own the original by Frank L. Baum.

General Info:

Rated T to be safe

Drama/Angst

Author's Note:

As of right now this is a one shot. I may be persuaded into doing another chapter, but I won't make any promises on that. For those who have read Better or Worse, I will do my best to get more chapters up soon. I apologize for the long stretch of nothing.

"…the mark of a great ruler, is not his ability to make war but to achieve peace." – Monica Fairview, Darcy Cousins, 2010.

The princess walked across the cool grass at Finaqua with a calm elegance that belied the immense fear she felt. Her long dark hair was pulled softly away from her face and clipped at the back of her head, the straight locks shielding her back from view. It had been worn this way since the eclipse as an outward representation of the changes that took place within. Green eyes sparkling, she managed to keep her bottom lip from quivering as it had a tendency to do in situations such as these. Her gait was purposeful, measured, and she never wavered from the internal beat her footsteps seemed to make. How she wished the suns would rise early, for the dawns at Finaqua were among the most beautiful in the OZ, but the darkness would not grant her this wish and she could not wait.

The men before her were anxious, antsy, and ever moving. Some paced back and forth while others shifted their weight from foot to foot. But no matter the movement their eyes remained steadfastly locked on the approaching princess. When she was within a few yards of her destination the guns of the men all rose at the same time, unerringly pointed them at her chest, and she finally stopped walking. Holding up a hand, she took a deep breath and broke the quiet that had encompassed them.

"I have a shield up," she said, her voice strong and unwavering, surprising even herself. "Your guns will not work until I release it." The grumbles that spread through the crowd were loud and angry which she ignored. "I will bring down this shield after I have had a word with your leader."

Her green eyes shifted from man to man and for the first time she noticed there were quite a few women in the crowd as well, not that it mattered. A man, not much older than herself, stepped forward. His brown hair was cut short, clothes old and ragged, and a scar ran the length of his left cheek from ear to chin; he looked formidable in the low light of the torches.

His eyes narrowed on her, "That would be me."

Another deep breath and she continued. "I need you to make a promise. I need you to promise that if I let down this shield and allow this to happen that neither you, nor any other person in your faction, will ever harm another living soul as long as you live."

His lips curled upward in a half smirk that was menacing and ugly to witness. She knew what he was thinking. A promise easily made, a promise easily broken. But she would make him understand the power this promise would have over him.

"Before you answer you must understand something," she added. "This is not a promise to me; this is a promise to the Outer Zone. As such, the magic of the Outer Zone will hold you and your faction to it. You will not be able to break this promise even if you wanted to. There are no loop holes. You must make your decision and you must make it fast." This was the most regal she had ever been, a true princess, showing a diplomacy never before seen.

He turned back toward his men and with bowed heads three others gave their quiet opinions, but she had no doubt they would agree to this. Barely a minute passed before he turned to face her once more and she saw in his eyes that she was correct.

"Very well," he verbalized. Shifting his gun to his left hand, he raised his right, palm outward. Standing straight and tall, and looking her in the eye he said the two words she had been waiting to hear. "I promise."

A sudden glow surrounded them, wisps of light encircling the two like flowing ribbons, some of which seemed to pass right through them. She felt it hit her heart and knew her family and friends would forever be safe, which was all she ever wanted.

Closing her eyes she released a tremendous sigh and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. She would never see any of them again. Her last view in this world would be of these people who hated anything and everything she held dear. In her mind it was what she deserved.

Bravely she opened her eyes training them on the opposition leader and released the shield. Her eyes stayed on his as he raised his gun, not at her chest like she imagined, but at her abdomen. He wanted her to suffer but she would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her fear.

A single shot rang out, echoing back to them from the walls of the palace behind her, and her breath caught in her throat, her hands thrust forward over her stomach. Slowly her eyes tore away from her executioner, her head bowed, and she silently watched her lifeblood seeping through and over her long fingers.

"NO!" she heard shouted from a distance as her legs buckled bringing her to her knees, the cool grass beneath her shins barely a whisper on her skin. "NO!" the same voice rang out, loud and clear and closer than before. Her world began to spin around her and when she felt herself sliding backwards toward the ground, two strong arms were there instead.

"HEALER! I need a healer, NOW!" the voice continued to shout, a voice she knew well. "RAW!"

Even through the unspeakable pain she could feel the tenderness in those arms, the care in the hand that went to her cheek to tilt her head toward the face connected to those arms.

"Tin man!" she wheezed. The crystal blue eyes before her swam with unshed tears.

She could still make out the movement of the men surrounding her, the men Wyatt Cain was ignoring at present, his focus on more important matters.

She closed her pretty green eyes for a moment and when she opened them again they were the blue of the sky on a clear summer day.

The gasps and exclamations of the faction she had just dealt with made her aware that the magical illusion was finally gone, her strength sapped, no longer able to sustain such a powerful spell. They were angry and for good reason. She had tricked them. They would not be able to get the vengeance they so desperately sought, the magic binding the promise the leader made to the OZ unbreakable and everlasting. It was her shining moment, fleeting though it was.

"Why, DG?" Cain questioned; the pain in his voice audible as his hand left her cheek to push away her own and press excruciatingly down on her wound.

She grunted at the pressure, her eyes involuntarily closing for a moment before finding his once more.

"It was my fault. I couldn't let Az do this for something that I caused." A tear finally slid down her cheek, her will to not show fear or pain breaking slightly. "I wanted to keep you all safe. And I have. They can't hurt you now."

"We would've been fine!" he stated angrily. But she knew his anger was geared more toward himself than at her, he always took the blame where she was concerned.

"You can't leave us, Sweetheart!" his tears were cutting tracks down his pale skin, showing no shame in the visible display of emotion that was so uncharacteristic of him.

Her head was swimming and she was trying desperately to stay afloat in a river that wanted to suck her under. She could taste blood in her mouth now and knew time was not on her side.

"I love you, Tin man!" she forced through her near breathless lips, a small trail of blood letting loose from the corner of her mouth as she spoke. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Cain sobbed openly, his chest hitching as he continued to apply pressure to her wound. "I can't do this again, DG!" He kissed her forehead, his tears dripping down into her dark curly hair. "Don't make me do this again!" He began to rock her gently, his cheek where his lips had been before. "I love you so much. Please, don't leave me, Sweetheart!" the urgency in his words out there for everyone to hear.

Her tears ran freely from her eyes, her vision starting to fade to black. Leaving him was the last thing she wanted to do. She had pictured herself wrapped up in these arms in so many dreams but not one of them had been like this. She longed to kiss him, tell him everything would be alright, that they would live happily ever after like princesses did in fairy tales, but that was fantasy and this reality.

"Tin man," she said, barely a whisper, like a small breeze drifting through the leaves of a tree high above. He leaned back, his face wet, eyes puffy and red, and face paler than she had ever seen it. "Promise me you'll look after our family." She knew he understood that to include Glitch and Raw. She could hear the pounding of feet not too far off. They would soon have company.

"DG," he vehemently shook his head.

"Please, Tin man," she pushed. She wanted to make sure he had something to live for, even if it was protection detail. He would blame himself for her slipping out of the palace unbeknownst to the guards or to him. He would blame himself for not realizing sooner she was going to do something so drastic that he would not be able to bring her back safely.

He looked into her eyes, eyes that were slowly becoming unfocused, cloudy and gray and she knew he wouldn't begrudge her this final request. She knew this as surely as she knew he wanted to.

He nodded slowly, eyes still locked with hers, "I promise, DG." He kissed her forehead again. "I promise.

"Thank you." The river was too deep, the current too strong to stay afloat any longer. As she allowed herself to be pulled under by forces beyond her control she looked into his crystal blue eyes one more time. Her eyes slid shut. "I love you, Wyatt."