Before The Worst
Chapter Three
It was just after midnight when DG and Cain walked out to the bay where the plain black car was waiting. It was much sleeker than the wreck they'd taken from DeMilo and DG wondered if she could convinced the Tin Man to let her take it for a spin at some point. It had been a long time since she'd been in control of a motorised vehicle, although she suspected that Cain wouldn't understand her appreciation of speeding. She lifted her suitcase into the trunk, next to Cain's considerably smaller case. She and Azkadellia had said their goodbyes to their parents before retiring, so as not to draw attention. Lavender had kissed both daughters tearfully, Ahamo embracing Azkadellia and ruffling DG's hair.
DG and Cain climbed into the car, taking the two front seats, with Cain in the driving seat. A few minutes later Glitch and Az came out another door and quickly sat in the back, dark clothes covering their bodies to hide them from anyone who might have been watching.
"Everyone ready?" Cain asked and they all replied in the affirmative. He started the engine and they were off into the darkness.
~*~
"Blueberry muffins."
"Really? You hated blueberries as a child." Lavender smiled, smoothing stray hairs away from her face. DG smiled, enjoying the cool fingers on her skin.
"I guess they grew on me, because blueberry muffins are my favourite food in the whole world. Or the whole O.Z. Either." She shrugged, laughing.
They sat on the swing at Finaqua, and it seemed that over the last week they'd spent every moment relating their lives to each other, every ridiculous detail. DG's memories were still confused and she wasn't sure she'd ever get them back altogether, but she almost preferred exploring these relationships anew. It was easier with Lavender than with Ahamo, who she couldn't remember at all. Insignificant details, like favourite foods and colours, and childhood stories (DG omitting some of her run ins with Gulch) were the most enjoyable pastime, in between meetings with guilds and ambassadors.
They turned as Azkadellia stepped into the pagoda and both smiled.
"Hey there. You were crying again last night." DG stood to embrace her sister. Azkadellia smiled weakly.
"I'm sorry, did I wake you? It was just another nightmare…"
~*~
By the time the first sun began to glimmer over the mountain peaks, Azkadellia and Glitch were both asleep, Glitch's faint snores breaking the otherwise silence. Cain glanced at DG. She was sitting with her head resting against the window, staring out at the fields, a thoughtful expression etched on her features.
"You OK there?" He asked quietly, changing gear. She looked around and nodded, smiling.
"Yeah. Just… thinking."
"About anything important?"
"…No. Not really." She whispered, turning back to the window, large eyes not seeing anything.
~*~
They all waited in silence for the first news. Cain was pacing, as he always did when impatient, and Azkadellia was chewing her lip. Raw sat silently, eyes closed in concentration, desperately trying not to feel the anxiety of the people surrounding him.
DG tapped her foot absently against the marble floor. It had been almost four hours and she had never had a huge amount of patience. It was unbearable, this agonisingly drawn out period of time, the life that hung in the balance. Raw looked around and DG smiled, going to him for a quick hug. She knew he was trying his hardest not to take in their worry, but it wasn't easy.
Eventually the door opened and the medic emerged, looking exhausted. They all stood and looked to him for their answer. He nodded.
"The operation was completely successful. He should have complete use of his brain again when he wakes up. Obviously, there could be side effects, but until he wakes up, we can't make any predictions."
There was a sigh of relief all around. Azkadellia disappeared to inform her parents of the good news and the medic went to supervise the transfer to the prepared room. DG looked at her two friends.
"That's great." She smiled, but Raw gave her a sympathetic embrace.
"DG worried?" DG shrugged a little but Cain nodded.
"Yeah, me too. It's great that he's gonna be OK. But…"
"Is it gonna Ambrose or Glitch who wakes up?" DG finished the sentence. Cain looked troubled as he leant against the wall, working his jaw. A sign that he was stressed.
DG reached out and squeezed his hand.
"Hey. Let's not worry about that yet. Let's just be glad that he's OK."
It was the next day when the medic finally let them into the room. Glitch was sat in bed, looking woozy but he grinned at them. DG rushed forward and then paused, shyly, suddenly unsure of herself. Glitch stretched out his arms.
"Get over here, dollface." She hugged him tightly, trying not to stare at the stitches running along his skull. He grinned at her.
"How do I look?"
"Handsome as ever." She plopped into the seat by the bed whilst Glitch greeted Raw and Cain.
"So, who is it knocking about in there? Zipperhead or Advisor?" Cain asked, pretending he wasn't as nervous as DG and Raw.
Glitch shrugged.
"You tell me, Tin Man. What makes us us? Is it our pre-existing knowledge or our experiences that form our physical and mental attributes?"
"That sure doesn't sound like Glitch." DG commented. There was a hint of sadness behind the light tone.
"Don't worry, sweetpea. I remember everything. I'm still Glitch, but firing right for a change." He held her hand with a smile. "I'm the same guy."
"Promise?" DG sounded so young as she said that.
"Promise."
~*~
They were stopped by a border guard as they passed the fields of the Papay. Cain swore and glanced at the pair in the back seat. Glitch was combing his hair over the scar and Azkadellia had wrapped a headscarf over her skull. DG copied her sister, lowering her eyes as the guard peered into the car. She hadn't yet managed to master the art of glamours and now was not the time to attempt it. Cain kept himself composed – after all, he was the one who'd put these random checks in place and he supposed he should be glad that they were actually working.
Anyway, it made no difference. The guard waved them through after only a cursory glance. Cain started the car again and started down the road.
"How much longer?" Glitch asked.
"If we push forward and you don't mind sleeping in the car again, we can be there by midday tomorrow." Cain replied.
"You won't get a chance to sleep." Azkadellia pointed out. Cain shrugged and DG looked at him.
"Well, let me drive for a bit. You can nap now and that'll keep you going till we get there." She said
"You don't know the way."
"We head down this road until we hit the mountains. That's gotta be four hours at least. After that, you can drive again." Cain pulled over reluctantly and climbed out of the car as DG slid into the driver's seat.
After an hour, Cain snapped as DG made a sharp lurch to the left, avoiding a sheep that had strayed onto the road.
"Kid, if you don't slow the hell down, we'll never make it to Pacalisaqua in one piece!" DG gave him a sideways look.
"Relax, Tin Man. You're supposed to be sleeping."
"You mean instead of fearing for our lives?" Glitch barked. DG rolled her eyes and shifted gear, slowing the car considerably. A glance in the rear-view mirror revealed the relieved look that Azkadellia and Glitch exchanged, white knuckles clinging to their seatbelts. Cain huffed.
"If I go to sleep, you've got to swear that you won't go more than eighty."
"Eighty? C'mon Cain…" She whined. He merely glared and then pulled his hat down over his face and settled back.
DG turned her face to the long, straight road ahead.
~*~
"Deej?" There was no reply. Azkadellia and Glitch looked at each other in concern but moments later the door opened a crack and DG's tear streaked face appeared.
"I'm fine. Please…"
Azkadellia put her hand through the door, forcing it to stay open and DG was too weak to stop her. She retreated into the room, dark because the curtains were drawn. DG crawled onto the bed.
"Guys, please just leave me alone." She whispered. Glitch looked at Az and then nodded to the door.
"I'll stay with her."
The older sister frowned but Glitch nudged her towards the door. She reluctantly left, glancing over her shoulder at her sister. Glitch waited until she was gone before crouching by the bed, so his face was close to DG's.
"I'm sorry, honey. I tried to rewire them but…"
"I know." DG reached out and squeezed his hand. "I know you tried. And I don't want to be so upset. I shouldn't be, I mean… I know they were programmed to look after me-"
"Oh, doll…"
Glitch leaned forward and pulled her into a hug. She let him, pressing her hot face to his shoulder, feeling too tired even to cry now.
"Listen, sweetpea. It doesn't matter if they were robots or whatever – they were your parents for fifteen annuals. That makes them family, and when you lose family, you get to mourn them. Even if-" He lifted her face so he could see her puffy eyes and smiled softly, "You've got another family waiting for you."
DG stared at him. This deepness… was it Glitch or Ambrose talking? A new wave of tears struck, surprising her, as she'd thought she had no more tears left.
~*~
Az and Glitch were sleeping again. DG wished the car had a radio, she could use the company. It'd been three hours now and the mountains were just coming into view on the horizon. She hummed softly to herself, rolling down the window to let a cool breeze whip her hair back from her face.
"How we going?" Cain was awake. He laid his hat on the dashboard and peered ahead at the mountains.
"Looks like we're gonna hit a storm in the mountains. I was hoping we'd get there without getting rained on, but no such luck." DG said softly, mindful of the sleeping pair in the back.
"Ah, a little rain never hurt anybody." Cain said, stretching as much as possible in the small cabin. DG smiled at him, keeping her eyes on the road.
"That's surprisingly positive, coming from you." She commented and Cain gave a short laugh.
"Well, I like being on the road. Gives me a sense of purpose."
"I guess hanging around in a stuffy palace isn't much fun for a man of action."
Cain didn't reply. DG hesitated, wondering if she should say what was on her mind.
"Cain… I'm sorry you didn't get to see Jeb." He didn't reply at first and she instantly regretted saying anything at all, until her finally spoke.
"I've been outta his life for eight annuals. A few more months aren't going to make a difference at this stage."
"Yeah, but-"
"Drop it, DG."
DG dropped it.
~*~
The room was filled with arguing ambassadors, old and young, all different colours and all different species. An O.Z. version of a camera crew was in the corner, arguing with Glitch who was huffing over the large amount of equipment. A number of royal guards were stood around Ahamo as he tried to greet each person.
DG stood in the doorway with Raw, who was as nervous as she was, as they watched the noisy commotion. She looked at her longhaired friend.
"You sure you're up for this?" She asked and he gave her an unhappy look.
"No. But must be done. No peace without it."
"They're ready for you, Princess." Cain was at her elbow and she jumped. She hadn't heard him approach.
"Yeah… I guess so."
The noise level heightened as the princess and viewer came into view, marched by Cain, who scowled at everyone. They reached the stage and climbed onto it. A microphone was set up and Ahamo smiled at DG before signalling to the camera crew as the chatter fell to a muttering. The large machine that DG had been told was a camera clicked and whirred into life, broadcasting this event to the whole of Central City.
"My friends, I thank you for coming. As many of you have no doubt heard, the evil that possessed my daughter, the Princess Azkadellia, was destroyed a month ago. I am aware of the importance that explanations are given and I am proud to say that my daughter, Princess DorothiGale, has agreed to allow the talented Viewer, Mr Raw to display the actual events that had led to this."
There was a smattering of dubious applause as DG stepped forward nervously. She swallowed as she approached the microphone, aware of every eye on her. She licked her lips.
"G-Good afternoon… I… um. Sorry." She cleared her throat. "There have been a lot of rumours about what happened to my sister. I hope that once I show you what really happened, you'll understand why… why everything happened."
She stepped back and turned to Raw. An enormous mirror was being carried forward by two servants and Cain had a pushed a chair beside it. DG sat in it, tense as Raw approached. He gave her a smile and she returned it, squeezing his paw before he placed it on her forehead. Before he began to probe her mind, DG was vaguely aware of Cain's hand tight on her shoulder.
It was painful, so painful… DG couldn't have said how long it took for Raw to show everything – their venture into the cave and Azkadellia's possession, her running to her mother in fear. Her death and Lavender's great sacrifice to bring her back, her being sent to the Other Side.
The crowd watched in stunned silence at the memories, as the young princess trembled and sweated in her chair. They watched as DG met the advisor, the zip gleaming across his scalp, the Tin Man who now stood, stolid and sure beside the young woman, the viewer who clutched the mirror desperately. They saw her chase after her memories, the terrifying revelation as she realised what her childhood mistake had cost the O.Z and finally the events that took place on the balcony of the Spire.
There was a gasp as the witch and Azkadellia separated, the witch screaming as their light magic overpowered and destroyed her. A collective sigh as the sisters embraced.
Raw finally stopped, swaying unsteadily. Within moments a second chair appeared and he sat, his head in his hands. DG opened her eyes and saw the silent hall, the hundreds of people staring at her. She looked around at Raw and clutched at his arm.
"Raw… are you ok?" He nodded mutely and she looked at Glitch. "Can you find someone to take care of him?"
The advisor nodded and waved at two soldiers, who helped carry the viewer out of the room. DG stood shakily and made her way to the microphone again, Cain's hand under her arm in case she fell. The crowd were still absolutely silent as she took a shuddering breath.
"Azkadellia is innocent… she suffered as much as anyone, more even. I… forgive me."
Her voice broke and she closed her eyes. Ahamo moved to her, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"You did well, spitfire. Mr Cain, would you?" Cain nodded and escorted DG from the hall.
~*~
They pulled over again at the foot of the mountains and everyone climbed out, stretching sore limbs and aching muscles. DG relinquished the driving to Cain again, leaning against the side of the car as she doubled over, feeling her spine crack.
"You've been very quiet, kid." Cain commented as he rubbed his neck. DG shrugged.
"Just been thinking. I hope this does Az good, coming away."
"It can't do her any harm." Cain said, looking up as a few droplets of rain spattered to the ground. Glitch and Azkadellia came back from their short walk.
"Ready to go?" DG asked and they nodded.
"I'll be glad to get there." Azkadellia said and her sister smiled.
"Long journeys are never fun. Come on, let's go."
They climbed back into the car and DG looked up at the mountains, framed with steadily darkening clouds. An ominous sight – DG hoped it wasn't a prophesy of things to come.
A/N: Hello my dears! Yes, another update. Aren't I good to you? Thanks again for the lovely reviews! You are lufferly lufferly peoples. Yes, the plot – she thickens. This is just a chapter to catch you up on everything that's led to this point. Writing a linear plotline is so yesterday, bring on the flashbacks! Hope you enjoyed it, please leave reviews and constructive criticism.
Oh, just as a point of interest – Pacalisaqua is an original place. Pacalis is Latin for peace. At least, it should be, but you know how reliable online translations can be!
Lots of love
Katie
