Even in Death

The last of the flying monkeys were out of the Emerald City. Glinda got the citizens to calm down and soon they were getting everything back in order. She stood on the balcony of the castle the next day looking out over the horizon's waiting for him. She was becoming more and more worried by the second. She knew she should have gone with him, she just knew she should have gone. She shouldn't have left him alone to face the witches but she promised him she would stay behind. He only wanted her to be safe but now she regretted not helping him.

It was also her duty to Oz to help him. Her heart raced as every horrible possibility passed through her mind. Finally she saw Finley flying towards her with China on his back. He landed on the edge of the balcony.

"Where's Oz?" Glinda asked trying not to sound as desperate as she was. "Is he okay?"

Finley and China looked at each other trying to figure out how to tell her. "He disappeared. I-I think he's dead," Finley said hesitantly. He had been dreading telling this and the whole was back he was trying to figure out how. But obviously there was no way to tell her that her husband was dead.

Glinda stood frozen for a moment feeling like her heart had suddenly sank into her stomach. Oz, her husband, her lover, her partner in life, dead. This could not be happening. "What happened?"

Finley explained what happened. He had been fighting the witches. They'd gone all the way up to the mountains because Oscar didn't want any innocent civilians involved in the witches crimes. He used everything he had trying to fight them but he ran out of "magic". They cornered him on the edge of the top of the mountain and blasted him off. Finley had hoped he was alive and tried looking for him after the witches were gone but he couldn't find them.

By the time he was done tears were pouring down Glinda's face and she was nearly sobbing. She didn't want to imagine Oscar all alone and out of options. And she especially did not want to imagine him falling to his death at the hands of Evanora and Theodora. But she couldn't help it. The images kept flooding her mind.

She couldn't help feeling that regret come back. She should have been by his side the entire time. She should have gone with him. If they had to die, at least they would have died together. The fact that she could have helped him made all of this hurt even more.

And their baby! At the thought of their unborn child she sobbed even more and fell to her knees crying. It would never know it's father. It would never get to feel Oscar's loving embrace and have a father figure to grow up to be like. Oscar had been so excited about the baby, now he'd never get to experience being a parent with her. She didn't know if she could raise a child alone. Now that he was gone the future seemed so hopeless.

"I'm sorry Glinda," Finley said trying in vain to comfort her. No one had ever seen anyone as in love as Oscar and Glinda were. Now that he was gone, there was no comforting her. "I wish I could have saved him."

"It's okay Finley," she said through her tears. "You did what you could. There's nothing more that could have been done. I can only hope that he's survived and he'll be home safely." She managed to stand up and looked out over the city with tears still streaming down her face. She put her hand on her stomach. She desperately hoped he would return so he would get to see their child. "We need him. Our child needs a father."

Finley and China gasped. Oscar and Glinda hadn't told them yet that they were expecting a baby. It made Oscar's death even sadder. "Glinda…you're pregnant?" Finley said.

She nodded sadly. Once again she looked out over the recovering city and said to herself, "Oscar please, come home."

Glinda post-poned the funeral for a week hoping desperately that he would come back. She watched for him every day and didn't give up hope. But soon it became very clear, even to her, that Oz was dead and he wasn't going to come back.

The day of the funeral arrived and everyone in OZ mourned the death of their wizard.

She stood in front of everyone next to the elaborately decorated golden casket which would have held his body if it would have been found. This day had been so hard for her and she received everyone's sympathy. The reality was setting in that her husband was dead and she didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she could go on any further without him.

Despite how much she was grieving over his death, she pulled herself together long enough to say a few words.

"Oz brought hope to our world," she said. "From the moment I met him I always knew he would do great things for us. And he has. He has kept us safe from Evanora and Theodora and their armies and more importantly, he's brought all of us hope for a better future." She was crying now. "I…I loved my husband so much. I would give anything to have him here right now. Our child will never know him, but it'll know what a great man he was. One thing is for sure, Oz's legacy and his dreams will live on forever and no one can ever take that away."

Finley, China, Tinker, and Knuck sat in a room in the castle that night. None were saying anything. It was hard for all of them to accept that Oscar was dead. It seemed impossible that just that morning he had been in the castle with them all laughing and making jokes as he always was. And now he was gone.

The only sound was Glinda's sobs from upstairs in her room. Hearing her crying tugged at all of their hearts.

"What's going to happen when she has the baby?" China asked breaking the silence.

"The kid won't have a father," Tinker said.

"Unless she finds someone else," Knuck said.

"I don't think that'll ever happen. I don't think I've ever seen anyone more in love than they were."

NOOO! He's dead! Not the great and powerful Oz! The witches are out there still! What will happen to OZ now that he's gone? And poor Glinda. All alone with his baby that he'll never get the chance to see! All is lost!

"My Love" by Sia was my background music the whole time I was writing this. It made it even sadder.