Hey readers. Thanks for your reviews, please keep them coming. I'm really excited for you to read this next chapter. It is a bit longer than usual and it is important, and I might have let my Wizard of Oz fangirl come out a bit.
But anyways enjoy and let me know what you think...because now things get interesting.
The yellow brick road ended at a large green door, which could more accurately be described as a wall that swung open. A short man dressed in a lavish green suit stood in front of it, hopping back and forth on his feet anxiously, his cheeks were an unusual shade of red and a large mushache covered most of his face.
"Is this how it was in the movie?" Hook whispered leaning over to Regina.
"No…I mean yes, with the city, but there was something with a bell and knocking." Regina answered through her teeth.
"YOU'RE HERE!" The short man exclaimed loudly as soon as Regina and Hook had gotten anywhere close to earshot, clasping is hands together excitedly.
"Yes…we are." Hook responded back, not sure of the proper exchange in such a situation.
"You're here to see the Wizard of course, well of course we were expecting you, he was expecting you, said you could be coming. You are most welcome of course. I am the guard of the Emerald City, this being the Emerald City. Welcome!" The guard said quickly clasping his hands together again, his mind seemingly more excited that his mouth could handle.
"Thank you" Regina said, with one of her forced mayor smiles. "And yes we are here to see the Wizard, so if you could just show us to him."
"Oh you can't see the Wizard yet." The guard stated.
"Excuse me?" Regina replied, her nice exterior fading as her frustration showed through.
"You have traveled a long way for sure, and if you would excuse me saying so are looking a little worn out. You must look your best to meet the Wizard, but don't worry we have people who can help you with that. Just come in, enjoy the Emerald City." He finished, stepping aside as the doors swung open. A horse drawn carriage was waiting on the other side.
Two other men stood extending their hands to help them into the carriage.
"All this effort isn't necessary, we just want to have a quick chat with the Wizard and then be on our way." Hook chimed in as more people came out of hidden doors sweeping them up and into the carriage with mumbles of insistence. Hook sat down beside a reluctant Regina and looked forward just in time to see the purple horse change to yellow as the carriage began to roll.
"I knew they were on to us." Regina whispered.
"Maybe he doesn't know of our true intentions." Hook offered.
"You don't really believe that do you, these people probably don't know anything, he has probably filled their heads with lies, but for all I know we are being lead to our executions." Regina whispered before the cart came to a halt and a group of woman came skipping towards the carriage, their arms reaching out for Regina.
"We're a team Killian, remember that." Regina whispered before she allowed herself to be taken by the women before the carriage started rolling again taking Hook to a different location. He looked back and watched her being lead to a nearby store front
"We can even dye your eyes to match your gown" One of the attendants said excitedly to Regina who turned and looked at her with a look of disgust.
"You will do no such thing!" was the last thing that Hook heard before the carriage turned a corner and entered a palace.
"This way please sir" A man dressed in coat and tails gestured to Hook as he stepped out of the carriage and made his way down a hallway that seemed to gleam as if the entire thing was carved out of emerald.
"Where are we?" Hook asked looking around amazed.
"The Wizard's palace of course, he has requested your presence and granted the forgiveness of your current state of dress." The man replied with an air of disgust before gesturing to a door.
Hook nodded to him and pushed the door open. The emerald had turned to marble, a large desk sat in the middle of the room, and a large mirror stood to the side with a man dressed in a normal business suit standing next to it.
"Well if it isn't Captain Hook." The man said.
"And you are the Wizard I presume?" Hook replied, raising his eyebrow suspiciously at the name.
"That is what the people here have taken to calling me yes, and I quite like it. It reminds them of a good time in their past, a time when this great city was built. But we aren't here to talk about me we are here to talk about you. You have come here…with the Evil Queen, to stop me?"
"Yes." Hook said definitely. "And you are here to what, destroy magic."
The man chuckled, "You are wrong on both accounts."
"Is that so?"
"I'm not here to destroy magic. Perhaps that was the original plan, destroy the source so that it doesn't leak over to places where it doesn't belong. But why destroy something when you can control it, you can do so much more that way, have so much more fun. And Oz, well it is a perfect place to do it in, surely even you have realized that is it a place just teaming with magic."
"I have noticed that it is different yes." Hook said.
"I wasn't finished talking, didn't anyone ever tell you that it wasn't polite to interrupt a Wizard. I am going to tell you right now that you will not stop me, in fact you will help me, we will be allies."
Hook opened his mouth to protest.
"I told you not to interrupt me." The man gestured as Hook found himself being pushed into a chair.
"You see Hook, I have decided to trust you. So I am going to explain something to do, I am going to explain why Oz is so important, and in doing that I am going to explain why you are going to help me so I would stay quiet and listen to teacher because I think you are going to find this lesson very interesting."
Hook sat back.
"Good, now I'm going to tell you a story. Long ago Oz like many places had magic, and like places with magic there were those who knew how to use its powers. The people of Oz were quite stupid so they demonized these people, called them witches and killed most of them. Those who they didn't kill were saved by their own cowardice. They took vows not to use magic, but it was in them and the fear drove them slightly mad. But still they exist floating around in bubbles, pretending they are happy. A Wizard came during that time, he built the city, distracted the people from the fact that their witch-hunt was so destructive. He left eventually and Oz's magic grew and with no one to control it, it became wild and infused everything even the drinking water. This didn't affect many, but to those who were magical it had some…side effects. You see because Oz is special it has its own source of magic that seems to grow if it is not controlled, many other place get magic from places like Oz. Places such as the world you come from, the witches there were able to access magic from lands like Oz. But your land had a witch hunt of their own, but that isn't what we are here to talk about. So the magic went crazy and then I was sent here by the home office to destroy it. They trust me being I am second in command. We didn't realize the potential until we got here. We suspected it was different, after all Dorothy traveled here in a dream, she actual showed up. Other lands can be seen in dreams, but to travel to one and be able to affect what happens, well that is truly unique. And now we have discovered how to control the magic. I can reach into other lands, control magical creatures. It is fascinating, from here I could even affect the dark one."
The man finished and walked towards the mirror an image of Rumplestiltskin appearing in it, "I could kill him right now if you wanted."
"I have moved on from revenge, if you thought that would convince me to be your ally then you are sadly mistaken."
"Oh no…I am smarter than that. He is not how you will become my ally, she is." The image on the mirror changed and now revealed Regina, getting prepped by at least a dozen women. She was throwing insults at them, trying to fight them off, she was not one who liked to lose control.
Hook's face went blank. "Yes, she is important to you isn't she. Nice kiss you shared in the poppies, you called it a distraction, but it was more to you than that wasn't it?"
Hook clenched his jaw.
"She is an interesting one, very magical. Has she started seeing her scarecrow, tin man or cowardly lion yet? Does she know who they are? Do you know who your's are? You see we all have them, when Dorothy was here they appeared to her as they appear to all who come here eventually. Mine were my father, my second grade bully and that peculiar neighbor in the blue house. I keep them in the corner now." The man said gesturing over to a small cage that Hook had failed to notice when he first walked in.
"You're insane." Hook muttered.
"No I'm in control, something which you are not. But anyways, back to the point, you will help me. Because if you don't well…" He looked back at the mirror where Regina suddenly clutched her chest and let out a scream before her breathing returned to normal.
"You bastard." Hook replied.
"No I'm not a bastard, I'm actually called Peter and am quite a reasonable guy. She can leave, go home to her son, she doesn't need you. You're just a distraction. You can be much more useful here, be the hero and save her my joining us."
Hook looked on at the man called Peter with hate, when he did go back to revenge Peter would be high on the list.
"Welcome to the team Hook."