DG silently thanked Glitch for all of those 'dancing' lessons. Even though she gave up on dancing after fracturing his toe, Glitch finally gave in to her requests of teaching how to hurt people on purpose. True, she wasn't very good at it but she knew how to dish out a few bruises a bit better.

Her mind had frozen when Zero walked up behind Cain. She couldn't drag her sight back to the concern in his look, but just stared right at the supposedly loaded gun. But when Wyatt was knocked unconscious, her dancing lessons came right back to her.

'You bastard!' She cried before pulling her arm back so that she could hit his nose like Cain had done to Thompson earlier. But he got to her first- the hand that was not holding the gun grabbed hold of the oncoming wrist and all she did was see him catch it and twist it an unnatural way, several small cracks sounded and then she screamed. The pain was excruciating. She bit her lip to muffle the screams and just cried out a little as she tried to get to her feet and attack him again.

He fell to the ground before her left fist could reach his cheek.

'You okay?' Thompson asked. She mumbled an affirmative and indicated with her shoulder to the collapsed Cain.

'You're an idiot.' Az told her as she checked the wrist. It was of course broken and would need attention but now Az had rendered the long coat unconscious without touching him they could take him back to the O.Z. where one of the healers could fix her hand.

'The idea that you should use magic didn't pop into your head at all?'

'Well it seems obvious now.' DG replied as her sister dulled the pain.

'You would use enough magic to nearly kill you to go see this guy, but when he's there you just decide to use your fist?' Az continued, seeming unaffected by her sister's interruption. 'DG, you're not a fighter. Use you magic to help you.' A muffled groan sounded behind them and Az got up. 'I'm sure he's going to want to yell at you for a bit more.'

'Deeg?' Cain groaned and she span around and attacked him. She was sure that something that hard to the head would keep him unconscious for a while at least.

'Hey.' She instantly found that even though the pain was dulled, it did not stop it from hurting as she through her arms around him. 'Ow.' She grinned and took back the hand, keeping it steady with the other.

'What happened sweetheart?'

'Well I think you've been out for a whole, minute and a half at the most.' DG told him, trying to take his attention from anything that she could have purposely done- and she knew that Cain would take her broken wrist as something she did on purpose. It didn't work of course.

'I'm talking about you kiddo.' She used to hate the name but now… well she didn't mind it. 'What did he do to you?'

'Well Az knocked him unconscious.' She started but stopped at his look. God those icy blue eyes could burn right through you.

'I'm not talking about Az.' He grabbed her good hand and pressed it against his lips. 'I'm talking about you.'

'My wrist is broken.' She replied. He dropped her hand automatically, making her laugh through the throbbing pain. 'Not that one.'

'General.' Thompson interrupted. 'I'm sorry but we have Zero and a storm is ready to go when we need it.' His tone suggested to DG why he joined the Royal militia. He was a man of rank, order and the occasional prank. He was a natural born Private.

'Thank you Corporal.' And of course he would always be at least a few ranks above what he should be.

Sorry we didn't get to stay here that long. DG heard her sister think. Az took off her cardigan and fashioned a sling out of it for DG to put her arm in to stop any unneeded jolting. At least the technology for travelling between sides had changed.

Glitch had told her that she had travelled the old fashioned way- into the wind. Now they had harnessed the power of electricity and lightning to push people to the different dimensions. She was very surprised when she had been standing in front of the lake at Finaqua one second and the remains of her only other home the next. The shock had been so much that when she noticed a few of her canvases littered around she fell to the ground to be immediately supported physically by Cain. It was one of her weaker moments but somehow Cain made her feel stronger than she really was.

'Ready Deeg?' She expected it was Wyatt who would ask that. But instead Az pulled gently on her uninjured arm, towards the open field on the other side of the road. Of course they couldn't take the bikes back to the house with an extra passenger and one less driver.

Do you really want to go back?

Maybe I can scrounge up some of my artwork. Her thoughts turned to the pieces of canvas that looked like they were confetti from the broken glass hitting it in the tornado. Maybe not.

Sorry sis.

Thunder roared overhead and clouds rolled over as Az and DG concentrated, holding the emerald between their hands. Lightening landed in front of them, killing the grass and suddenly DG grew very afraid.

'Concentrate Deeg.' Az muttered, her teeth clenched together as she tried to push out enough magic for the two of them.

'Sorry.' DG apologised and closed her eyes, allowing that peace to go through her when she needed to do something out of the ordinary. And then she got that jittery feeling that she didn't really experience the first time for lack of knowing what to expect. The electricity flowed through her and out her fingertips making her feel as if she were the kind of witch from Harry Potter or something.

And then they were in front of the crystal lake that glittered, reflecting the light from the two suns.

'Okay, let's go.' Cain ordered, apparently over the strange feeling. She and her sister remained motionless though, watching the sky as they pushed the dark clouds that had already retreated from the west. It was afternoon, that must of meant that it was incredibly early morning when they left. The time difference between the OZ and the other side could bring out the worst sort of jet lag.

If she hadn't had to deal with trying to find her parents, and then the emerald when she first came here (or really, the second time she came here) she would have probably been dead to the world for the first couple of days.

'D. Highness, I'm sorry but it's time to go.' Az let go of her sister's hand, leaving the emerald with her as she followed Cain and Thompson to the castle.

'What just happened?' DG asked herself out loud, before shuffling forward to the stables to collect her charcoals she had left there. She was not half way before someone grabbed her shoulder, causing her to yell aloud, still anxious from when Zero had pointed a gun at her and Cain.

'You didn't disappoint me.' A voice that was somehow attached to the hand on her shoulder said. DG spun around to see the pupiless eyes and wavy blonde hair of Ivy. 'But I would have rather seeing what you did. All I know is the gossip from the kitchen staff.'

'What?' Sometimes she hated being royalty- one of the biggest additions to the role was being the centre of every gossip story. The day someone caught her and Cain had been a big one.

'They said you eloped together.'

DG laughed, remembering how they were no longer getting married. They never really were, but somehow she felt closer to him as she introduced him to everyone as her fiancée.

'No. We went to see Zero.' She swore her eyes flashed red as they twitched across, but DG couldn't be sure if Ivy was looking over at Cain and Thompson dragging the recently captured. She looked over her shoulder anyway and saw some of the guard running over to collect Zero. 'I've got to go. I'll see you soon I guess.'

'Yes. I guess you will.' Ivy said, before turning and drifting off towards the forests in her black silk costume- it looked a bit like those things she had to wear when she did karate in elementary school.

DG ran to catch up to the guard- she didn't have to run far, apparently it was difficult to drag Zero across the ground as he began waking up. But still she had to run slower than normal, her wrist beginning to really hurt again. Where the hell was Az when she needed her?

'DG!' Her face split into a wide smile when her favourite viewer came running towards her. 'You had fun?'

'Yeah.' She replied, slightly surprised she was being truthful. 'yeah I did. Hey Raw can you do something about my hand?' She tried to downplay it, as if it was just the mere inconvenience instead of the pain. He of course saw right through her and shook his head sadly.

'I can't fix bone. That has to heal by self. Can dull the pain though.' He gently held the hand through Az's cardigan and she felt her hand start to feel a little cooler, until it was almost like ice. Her hand then felt like the ice was melting over it, and as the imaginary water ran down her arm the pain started to go away. No wonder Cain freaked out when Raw did this to his leg- it felt weird.

'Thanks Raw.' She grinned as her friend smiled so much his pointy teeth showed. At least one of her friends hadn't changed.

The thought came at once and she hadn't realised she felt that way until she felt Az trying to look through her mind. She blocked it off though, wanting to figure out what she meant by it before her sister started to make any assumptions.

Raw began leading her towards the castle so she could get some sort of cast on her wrist. Once he pressed his arm on her back she yelled aloud, before throwing her good hand over her mouth to quiet herself. Her eyes rolled underneath her closed eyelids as she heard Cain's voice from several yards ahead.

'Captain can you take my side?' He asked his son. Jeb must have nodded an affirmative because not to long after than another body came close to her. 'Deeg what's wrong?'

'Why can't she have had a real palm? Stupid breakable decoration.' Her eyes opened to see Cain going over all her wounds again before looking at their viewer friend.

'Can you fix her like you fixed me?'

He shook his head, giving them both a sad look. 'Pieces are imbedded. Once healers get them out I can.'

'Of course.' Cain growled. 'Come on D.' He tried to gently lift her up, but there wasn't much that hadn't been shredded by little bits of sharp material.

'Wait. Raw could you please fix Cain's head up?' She swore his whole face shifted into the image of pure annoyance.

'I'm fine.'

'I'm not going anywhere until you get it fixed. Head wounds are much more serious.' He sighed but, holding her up, walked closer to Raw. DG grinned as Cain shivered next to her, knowing now what he was feeling.

'Thanks furball.' He muttered, before trying to pick DG up again.

'I can walk.' She hissed, and as to prove it to him, continued to make her way to the palace. He caught up with her, obviously still annoyed as he began with his silent treatment. His thumb though, rubbing her hip slightly as he directed her -DG rolled her eyes. Like she was going to miss the great big building that she had been living in for the past few weeks- told part of the truth of his concern for her.

'Why is Jeb back so soon?' She asked.

'There's a much more serious situation here. We need to get Zero to talk.' Cain replied, breaking his silence for business talk.

'But Zero was gone only after the morning inspection yesterday. They saw him before that.' She noticed Cain's concrete jaw as he didn't give away anything- which essentially was giving away everything. 'What happened?'

'One of the soldiers had been kidnapped and a long coat loyal to Zero took his place. He was in charge of inspections for the past week.' The past week? Zero could do a lot in a week. Hell, he could have been prince of the OZ in a week.

'How did you find out?' DG breathed out.

'They gave him back to us.'

She stopped suddenly, wincing at the pressure of his arm against her back as he kept walking. 'They gave him back to us?' She hissed. 'Who is they, and why did they give him back to us?'

'Sweetheart, don't you think that you should get fixed up before you get worried about this?'

The look she gave him told him that this was obviously not an option. 'Cain, I promised I would protect this land and I don't think a few scratches and a broken bone can take that back. People die for my family, how can I not do the same for theirs?'

'Woah. DG. There is no way that you are going to be put into the situation where you die for this land. If you want to do something, live for them.'

She crossed her arms, and blew a piece of hair out of her face. 'Just answer the questions.'

'We don't exactly know who they are, but probably a few long coats whose lives got worse after the witch died.' There was hardly a few. The Tin Men were still working undercover to find the suspected thousand men. Not that they would be much trouble against the Royal Militia, but along with some members of the Armed Forces from the Other Side… well suddenly a war looked like it was brewing.

'Why did they give him back?'

'We don't know.'

They didn't know. Along with the 'don't exactly know who', the 'don't know why' looked even more dangerous. How could they be prepared for anything if they didn't know what they needed to be prepared for?

And before she knew it they were walking again. A breeze flowed past and she shivered slightly, finding out the she was wet from the storm she and Az had conjured. Normally Glitch had an invention that would bring the storm, and when that happened it was much more controlled. A tornado to use as an emergency escape, no rain and very little lightning.

But since she and her sister weren't especially used to bringing on the weather, it all came with it. Including the rain.

'No. You must be cold too.' DG protested as Cain gave her his coat. True it was wet, but it was a warm kind of wet. Wyatt warm. She tried to shake herself out of her train of thought and followed him as he ran through the doors that the footmen opened for them.

'Thanks.' DG yelled over her shoulder as she normally did- the people here had no manners- and just succumbed to her happy place as about ten people began to crowd around her.

The one with the strongest grip, as usual, was the resident Vampeer to the palace. He guided her to the medical quarters and told her to rest on her stomach, as the majority of the pieces were imbedded in her back. She did, finding though that she could see less around her. Not knowing if anyone else was in the room, she tried to guess the names of the people who might have come.

'Az?' No answer. That meant that her mother and father weren't here either, for they would have corrected her immediately. 'Glitch?' She asked, her voice wavering slightly. Again, no answer. She had not made many friends among the palace residents- not well enough that they would come to see how she would do anyway. 'Wyatt?' She asked in the smallest voice of all.

She heard someone get up, but the footstep retreated to the back of the room where the door was slammed shut.

'Now, Highness, please take some of this.' The Vampeer held out a suspicious looking bottle that didn't have a label. 'Drink or this will hurt.' Deciding she was not at all a masochist, DG took a whole mouthful, nearly chocking as she discovered what the contents were.

'Gin?'

'I do not work with anaesthetics. Now hush.'

But as she felt something sharp and cold put pressure on one of the cuts she screamed. He took it away reactively but the area still stung and if she could, DG would have covered her eyes. He doused the materials in alcohol.

'Just stay quiet and keep drinking.' The apparent healer instructed as he began again to fiddle around with the open skin.