Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing concerning the SciFi Channel's "Tin Man", its characters or plots therein, nor do I own anything that has been taken from L. Frank Baum's stories. This is for entertainment only, no profit is being made. Please don't sue – I'm poor and I have to feed my somewhat needy and rather goofy paint horse.
A/N: This is my first attempt for a Tin Man fiction. I really enjoyed the mini-series, and the original "Wizard of OZ" is one of my all time favorite movies. I've read a few stories here, and yes, even before the show was over, I was pimping the DG/Cain 'ship. It couldn't be helped. I recognize that we are all going to touch on some similar themes throughout our stories, but I also like that we all have our own takes on their relationship and different plots in which to explore it. So, this is my contribution. I hope it lives up to expectation. PLEASE let me know how I'm doing. Thoughts, ideas, and constructive critiques welcome!
Home
Chapter 1 "Now and Then"
There were approximately one hundred and fifty other things DG would've rather been doing at that moment. Drawing? Oh yes, she most definitely missed her easel and box of pastel chalks. There had been many a morning – when the double suns were just breaking over the mountains in the distance, the first birds of the day were twittering in the willow trees lining the lake and the sky was the most brilliant explosion of violets, reds and oranges – and she would attempt capture the scene on paper, only to discover that she couldn't. What was the reason for living in a fairytale realm if one couldn't capture its beauty on paper in delicate pastels or gentle charcoals and grays?
Didn't help matters that there was a conspicuous lack of digital cameras in the O.Z.
She wished she could take a ride down some long, dusty road into oblivion on her motorcycle. The feel of the wind whipping across her cheeks though her helmet's face plate, the pull of the air against her much abused leather jacket as she gripped the handles and gunned the engine – the rumble of the motor growling beneath her and the landscape fading to a blur of corn field-yellow as she streaked along. Even the threat of Officer Gulch harassing her with speeding tickets didn't seem so bad anymore.
DG propped her chin in hand, leaning her elbow on the leg crossed under her and heaved a sigh. She missed her drawing supplies, she missed her artwork… and she missed her motorcycle. She'd been ticking off a growing list of things from her old life – a time she'd eloquently dubbed as "B.O.Z.": Before O.Z. – which she longed to have with her. Three months since the Double Eclipse, since she and her friends became the 'Saviors of the Realm', and DG found that her B.O.Z list was growing alarmingly long.
However, she made sure she told absolutely no one about it.
"Princess DG, please concentrate!"
The voice broke the princess from her melancholy musings and she started. The small wooden top that had been spinning madly in front of her had apparently begun to wobble drunkenly as her concentration wandered, and now flung itself from under her outstretched hand two feet away. It landed with a dull thud at the feet of a disappointed Tutor.
DG dropped her hand and met the eyes of the older man. "Sorry."
The Tutor bent and retrieved the top. Gone were the rags he'd worn, fresh out of the Sorceresses' prison when she'd first met him. He wore clothing befitting his station: tutor to the Royal family – maroon overcoat with pressed slacks and a starched white undershirt. While he looked the part, his determination with being her teacher could get rather suffocating, and DG had to admit that at times, she preferred him in his canine Toto form.
"You aren't concentrating properly," Tutor insisted as he stood over her. "These exercises are meant to cultivate your magic, so that you can learn to structure it." When she all but rolled her eyes, his voice dropped a notch in authority. "Your mother the Queen wants you to learn how to control you're magic, Princess. You have to re-learn all that you've forgotten and build upon what you already know. The Light within you is strong, and if you don't build upon the lessons-"
"Yeah, yeah. Alright Yoda," DG muttered. "Concentrate… use the Force… I get it." She flipped a strand of dark hair over her shoulder and picked at a blade of grass near her foot. Waving off the strange look the shape shifter was giving her, she went on, "I understand why I have to learn this stuff, it just seems like making toys spin around in front of me isn't the best use of this magic."
Tutor sighed. "I have already taught you some ways to use your Light for defense, Princes-"
"DG," she cut in.
"Princess." He squared his shoulders. "As I was saying, what I have taught you can be used for personal aid, but everyone's magic is different. A spell that works for me, may not work the same for you. So you must strengthen your ability to use and mold your magic to do as you wish."
As he paced around her, expounding on the different laws and addendums to using magic, DG looked out over the lake. The suns were making their downward track in the sky, the shadows around her lengthened as the afternoon wore on. The water rippled with the breeze that DG realized was getting quite a bit chillier. The leaves had fallen in the months that had past since her arrival, and though she wasn't sure about the season in a land with two suns, she figured winter was about to set in.
The snow on the mountains was creeping closer and closer. Soon, perhaps in a couple of weeks, the entire area surrounding Finaqua would be blanketed in snow. DG hoped it was a 'lighter' cold than the bone-numbing ice that had encased the Northern Palace in gloom the first time she went there.
Thinking back, DG remembered weathering quite a few snow storms in Kansas. She could remember squealing with joy when her parents (though now she wasn't sure what to call them, and "robo-rents" didn't seem appropriate) told her that school had been canceled again. She'd run outside with the neighbor's children to make snow angels, build snow men and wage the legendary War of the Snowball – complete with bunkers, teams and hot chocolate for the victorious.
DG wondered what her neighbors back on the Other Side were doing. Did they wonder what had happened to her?
"Princess? Princess!"
She looked up, only to be greeted by a very aggravated face. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"
"What?" At that stunningly sharp reply, DG shook her head and stood. "Sorry, Tutor. I guess I was…"
"Day dreaming. That's all you ever seem to do lately! Don't you know how important your lessons are, Highness?" Tutor was valiantly maintaining the air of formality between them, but his tone had become less professorial, and more like a parent scolding an unruly child.
"Alright, so I have a few things on my mind! Sue me!" She glared at the man and pulled her jacket around her. "It just seems pointless to me for you to tell me about ways my Light, or magic – whatever – can be used for defense, but you don't show me how to do it!"
"The Queen has set these rules out for your lessons," Tutor replied lowly, as if the mere mention of her mother was all the explanation in the world for every argument. If the Queen says it, than thy will be done…
Rules. Regulations. Lessons-this and royal duty-that. DG had about enough of this for one day. Actually, her patience for these lessons were growing about as short as the patience of a certain someone she knew – someone who happened to be galloping toward the palace, brown felt hat pulled low over steel-blue eyes and the collar of his duster pulled up around his neck to keep out the chill.
From her vantage point near the lake not far from her gazebo, DG turned at the sound of hoof beats and made out a grey steed at full gallop heading toward Finaqua's entrance.
He'd been gone this time for two weeks – to the far Eastern territory with a contingent of the Royal army as reinforcements for his son Jeb's resistance fighters-turned-Imperial military.
And he hadn't said goodbye when he'd left.
DG felt her chest tighten somewhat, anticipation awakened butterflies in her stomach. She quashed them. Something had changed between them in the months after the Eclipse – something awkward and stifling. His mood had never been exactly predictable, and her own darkening spirit of late hadn't exactly helped matters.
But even as she bade the Tutor goodbye, ending the disaster of a lesson with a quick jerk of the head, she made her way toward the palace – DG mentally added another number to the list of things she'd rather be doing.
Number one hundred and fifty one: She would rather go see him.
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The overly tall windows sent the late afternoon sunlight bouncing off the marble floors of the state room, lightening the gloom that once clung to the walls and furniture. Since the return of the Royal family, the Finaqua Palace seemed to have a renewed spark of vitality – everything sparkling and radiant.
Glitch took a moment to enjoy the sunlight before turning back to the piles of paper in front of him. "So much to do, too few hours in the day."
"I'm sure you will catch up in due time, Ambrose." The Queen laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, "We all have a lot of work to do before the realm is safe and in order."
Glitch's shoulders straightened as 'Ambrose' reappeared. "I have no doubt, majesty that things will return to normal quickly now that the kingdom is back under the rightful rule."
The Queen smiled her wistful smile. "I hope so."
"Although," Glitch continued, rubbing at the scar that lined his head where the zipper once was, "even with the other half of me…back with me again…it's taking some time for me to sort through all these records and charts. My filing system has been ruined! I'd love to get my hands on the Longcoats who trashed my invention records and…" His hands balled in frustration for a moment before he remembered.
Looking up, his face softened. "No offense, Az."
Azkadellia had been sitting on the chaise near the window, gazing out over the lakes silently. Her hair had taken on a less severe look, the sides gathered in rather ordinary clips, the rest cascading down her back like raven silk. Her clothes were softer too, gone were the metal, feathers and leather – replaced by a long-sleeved cotton dress in a royal purple. In her hand was the ornate cane she'd had made for herself after the Witch was driven out of her.
Like any parasite, the Witch had physically and emotionally drained the eldest princess – after being nearly bed-ridden for a month, Az was just now able to move around without the aid of a wheelchair. The cane gave her support when fatigue over took her, and she'd had it fashioned out of a light blonde wood, carved intricately with a clear crystal top. If she was embarrassed at being seen with a cane, she didn't show it.
Az turned and offered Glitch a wan smile. "It's alright, Glitch. I'm sure the Witch wasn't interested in tidiness when we-" she caught herself, "– she – wanted all the blueprints to your inventions." She looked down, smoothing her dress as her mother came to sit beside her.
The Queen took one of Az's hands in hers and squeezed it. Az was still having a hard time differentiating from herself and the Witch. The guilt written on her face was constant reminder to most that she was not responsible for the Witch's actions, but she still found herself making comments that still sounded as if she and the Witch where one and the same. But, she was working on it.
"Don't feel bad, Princess," Glitch said, his voice warm. "I know what its like to have two people talking in your head." He rubbed at his scar with a goofy smile. "Sometimes I don't know where Ambrose ends and Glitch begins!"
Az's smile grew a little wider, as she always appreciated the Royal Advisor's attempts at levity. "They're both pretty extraordinary," she said. Glitch's cheeks colored, but their laughter was cut short when the state room door opened with a loud bang.
One of the guards strode in and bowed. "Majesty, the Tin Man has returned."
Close behind the guard, brushing off the dust from the road, Wyatt Cain entered. The Queen stood and smiled as he tipped his hat respectfully.
"Your Highness," he said by way of greeting.
"Mr. Cain, I'm so pleased you have returned from the East safely." She bade him to enter further.
Glitch looked up and smirked. He saw the way Cain's eyes flitted around the room, looking for the one face that was clearly absent. Glitch was almost sure he saw a flicker of disappointment in the Tin Man's eyes when the young woman he was looking for was nowhere to be found – he shook his head knowingly.
"Long time no see, Cain," Glitch caught his eyes and gave him a decidedly superior look.
Cain's brows furrowed at the advisor. His tone insinuated that he knew something, and was gloating about it. "Yeah. Hi to you too, Zipper-head."
Glitch pointed to his newly quaffed hairstyle. "News flash, Tin Man. No zipper! Had that fixed a while ago." He muttered, "Not that you'd ever noticed…"
Cain smirked, "Nah, I noticed. I just didn't think 'scar-head' had a good ring to it."
He ignored the indignant sound that came from Glitch and turned back to the Queen, who was patiently watching the two verbally spar with a smile.
"I bring news from the legions in the Eastern Mountains. The factions of Longcoats holed up there have been put down, for the most part, thanks to the army commander negotiating an agreement with the leader of the mountain peoples. I believe they are loyal to the crown." Cain pulled a long scroll from his coat and placed it on the desk. It was a transcript of the agreement between the Crown and the Eastern peoples with regard to the Longcoat factions.
"Your son is a true leader, Mr. Cain." The Queen bent over the scroll and smiled. "He had a wonderful role-model, too."
Cain's mouth twitched into a smile, but only ducked his head at the praise. Az had also moved to the desk and inspected the records over Glitch's shoulder.
"Looks as if there is a fair sized faction of Longcoats entrenched within the mountains," Az observed, looking at the map of the territories. Red dots were scattered throughout, marking areas of known Longcoat hideouts, and dotted circles where the areas were too dangerous to explore, but Longcoat activity was assumed to be. "There are too many areas to check out."
Cain looked up to the older princess and shrugged. "So we take them out one at a time. We lucked out with the Eastern mountain people – they were on our side since the Longcoats ransacked their villages. Might not be so lucky when it comes to the other territories."
"There's that optimism I missed," Glitch sighed.
"Just realism, Glitch." Cain turned and nodded to the Queen, "Jeb will do what he can, and with the supplies and reinforcements I brought, he should be alright for a while. But as he moves through the other territories, his progress will need to be monitored."
The Queen looked at the Tin Man for a moment. "Are you saying that you would like to be the, how do they say? Go-between – for the palace and the military?" She knew he had not given an answer to the request she'd made not long after the Eclipse.
She'd made requests of all of her youngest daughter's companions once she'd seen how well they work together – after she'd seen the depth of affection DG held for all of them. Raw had taken the position as Emissary for the Viewer peoples and the Crown, and he spent most of his time at the palace. Glitch had readily taken his old job back, which allowed him to re-forge the link between his two estranged personalities.
But Wyatt Cain was the one whom the Queen had assumed would need no request made of him. She'd seen the fiercely protective glint in his eye when he looked at her daughter, the way DG seemed to find his side as if by instinct. Something had been forged between the two of them, and while she wasn't exactly sure as to the nature of that connection, she'd been positive the Tin Man would become the Royal Guardian to the Princess – no questions asked.
To her surprise, he balked. It had been an informal gathering – just the royal family and the trio. The Queen remembered Cain's eyes going wide, searching out DG's and locking. Her daughter seemed to be frozen in time for an eternity, before being the first to break the eye-contact. Then, Cain had drug his attention back to the matter at hand – politely asked to think about it, then took his leave. And all the Queen could do was wonder.
She stepped closer. "I appreciate all the work you've done, Mr. Cain – working with the military and your son to ensure safety throughout the O.Z. You've done a marvelous job, and I know you value the time spend with your son."
Cain's eyes lifted from the desk and removed his hat, holding it in hands before him. "I do, majesty. And I appreciate the time you've given me to think about your job offer..."
"But you have more to think on," the Queen said. Cain's face washed over with indecision, but she waved him off. "I understand, Mr. Cain. For the time being, we will allow your son to communicate with us on an 'as needed' basis. That way you can remain to…" she paused, a smile tugging her lips, "…think about which path your heart wishes you to follow." And with that, she left – a rather confused Tin Man staring after her.
Glitch's eyebrows shot up at that statement. He knew perfectly well why Cain was vacillating on whether to stay and be DG's full time guard dog, or command the military with his son. He was pretty certain, however, that Cain himself, hadn't a clue.
When he turned back, Glitch gave him a sarcastic look.
"What?"
"Smooth. Real smooth," Glitch muttered, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't think this would be a hard decision, Cain."
A growl emanated from deep in Cain's chest. "I don't remember asking for your input."
"Well you should!" But Glitch flinched when Cain's hand came down flat and hard on the map in front of them.
He pointed a finger at the squirrelly inventor, "Look. I sugarcoated it for the Queen. It's still plenty dangerous out there, Glitch. Zero has rounded up former Longcoats and has pretty good recruitment stats for new ones. Their side still has impressive numbers, and the Royal military needs all the help it can get."
Just as Glitch leaned in with a suitable rebuttal, Az made her presence known – and from the way Cain's head snapped to attention, he'd forgotten she was even there.
"You're right, Mr. Cain," her voice held some of the old resilience, though she leaned on her cane. "The O.Z. is still a perilous place for all. Especially the Royal family. From the look of this map, the number and size of the uncharted territories is greater than the ones marked as 'friendly'." She ran a painted nail over the grey areas, the ones that held little symbols for danger or extreme caution. "There are still monsters about, Cain. As you said, evil still has a strong foot-hold."
"Don't worry," Glitch said, placing a hand on her forearm and smiling. "We'll look out for you, Princess."
Az covered his hand with hers and smiled gently at him. Cain's brow rose suspiciously at the look passing between the two, but said nothing.
After a moment, she let go of his hand and grasped her cane. Az leveled her eyes at the Tin Man opposite her, making sure he read her meaning implicitly.
"It is not me that you should be worried about protecting." She left the two men, her cane clicking on the marble floor.
"Ah, hell," Cain grumbled. "I didn't mean for it to sound like civil war is about to erupt and some dragon is about to attack the castle!"
Glitch huffed, "Sure sounds like it to me. Besides, you've been gone so much since the Eclipse, how would you know how safe DG is?"
Cain's mouth pressed to a thin line, his eyes going a shade darker. His voice lowered a full octave, causing Glitch to shift his once defiant stance.
"She's safe as long as I'm around."
Glitch couldn't help himself. "Hence me bringing up your frequent absences…"
"Look, head-case," Cain growled, "I only left when I had to, and now I'm back!" There was a miniscule pause, as he thought about the Queen's words (though his own came out harsher than he meant them) "…Apparently back for a while. I've never dropped the ball when protecting DG, and I'm not about to start!"
"So…is that a yes to becoming DG's guardian?"
Cain's ire diminished, but he chose to look over the map as he answered. His voice had lowered, but softened. "Just… don't worry about that now. I'm here to take care of the kid, that's all that matters."
"The kid can take care of herself."
When the men turned, DG was standing in the doorway – arms crossed protectively over her chest, grass stains on her pants legs and hair mussed from the winter wind. Cain couldn't help the warm feeling that spread over him upon seeing her. It seemed like he hadn't seen her in months – the ache in his chest signaling how much he'd missed seeing her expressive face.
Though now, that face he'd missed was anything but welcoming. Still, he casually put his hat back on his head, running his fingers in a flourish across the brim, tugging it lightly in her direction in greeting. He let his eyes travel down her body for a moment, a totally involuntary act – the meaning of which was something he didn't want to contemplate at the moment.
His smile was slow, as if he knew something mischievous.
"Hey there, Princess."
TBC…
NEXT CHAPTER COMING SOON! Well? How'd I do so far? Like it, hate it? Want to send flying monkies - or MoBats after me? Let me know! Please REVIEW and feed the author's need!
Thanks to beta Mark Clark!