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RAIN

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It was raining again.

DG sighed softly as she ran her fingers through her sister's long hair, spread over the bedcovers like a pool of black silk. She was drained from fighting the Witch for so long, and the rich darkness of her tresses was a stark comparison to the pale cream of her skin. She'd looked like a ghost, drifting through the palace and fading into the background as more lively personalities shared the same space as her. She'd needed somewhere quiet, and had rested for a while in her room, but as soon as the suns had set and a storm had descended on the O.Z., she'd sought company, DG being the first she turned to.

She was uncomfortable with the attention of their parents, DG mused, and even from what little memory she had of their childhood she could feel the close bond they'd had. She'd found the elder princess standing in the doorway of her room, hands clasped in front of her, head down. The soft voice had been almost inaudible but for the sibilants.

"May I stay with you tonight?"

DG had acquiesced, unsure how to act round her long-lost sister, but as soon as Azkadellia had settled on the bed next to her, there'd been no time to worry. Tears had coursed down both their faces as they clung to one another, two lost souls in the midst of a destiny that neither had foreseen in their naïve, innocent childhood.

The storm of emotions had calmed, even while the storm outside raged on, and Azkadellia lay on the bed in a foetal position next to DG as the younger sister pondered their future. In the short week she'd spent in the O.Z., she'd met so many people and without even meaning to had changed their destinies. Glitch – Ambrose – was back with his Queen, and currently searching for a way to rejoin his brain; Raw had been saved from his fate of Papay-Runner lunch; she'd found her whole life on the Other Side had been a lie and she was now possibly the next in line for the crown; her real parents had been reunited; Wyatt Cain had been freed from his tin prison and found the son he thought had died...the list could go on forever.

A shadow flickered and she turned to face the window. The ex-Tin Man (now unofficial-Princess-keeper) stood there silently, staring out through the sheeting rain, his chiselled face thoughtful. His hat was low over his brow and she couldn't see much of his eyes but from the way he stood she knew he was exhausted too. He'd never been one to voice weakness.

Freeing herself from Azkadellia's now loose grip, she stood and moved over to join him at the window. She could hear the thunder rumbling around, rolling over the battle-scarred landscape, and as each flash of lightning brightened the sky to an eerie purple colour only electricity could manage, she could see the forms of the corpses that the soldiers hadn't managed to get in before the storm hit. She'd been told that storms in the O.Z. were fearsome; no one would go out in them. The air was charged with a mix of electricity and magic, and according to her mother – her real mother – it was a dangerous combination.

Cain hadn't made any move to acknowledge she was there, but he seemed comforted by her presence. His posture strengthened, and his expression softened. She knew he'd honour his self-appointed position; he'd promised the Mystic Man he'd watch her after all, and it wasn't over yet.

DG took a breath, glancing over to the prone body of her sister, then looked back through the cracked glass at the slightly distorted view of the land around the palace. Cain's hand suddenly rested on her shoulder and squeezed lightly, and she managed a small smile at the warm weight. That was as much as she'd get from him for now, but it was all she needed.

She let out the breath she'd been holding and waited for the rain to stop.