Today was the day! Today was the day of the Midsummer Ball! It was the most glamorous day of the entire social season, anyone who was anyone was going to be there.
And yet the morning started out quiet. Since the ball was going to last all night until the sun came up, the guests were encouraged to sleep in and get their rest.
Dorothy took the opportunity to lie in bed until almost noon. It was a luxury she never really indulged before, but how could she refuse the soft and comfy bed?
Toto did not share in her enthusiasm for sleeping and insisted she get up and feed him.
"Alright alright." She grumbled as she threw off the blankets. She fed Toto and let him outside. She figured she should get ready for the day herself and went to see what food the servants left her.
There was the normal lunch fare of fruit, milk, small sandwiches, and crisp vegetables, but there was also something extra.
"What's this?" She picked up a piece of folded paper that was laid in a prominent place among the plates.
Turned out that it was timetable schedule specifically tailored to Dorothy in order to help her get ready. Hair, makeup, dress fitting, perfume selection, everything. It was typed up which gave Dorothy the belief that this was a service was offered to any important guests. This was further strengthen by the fact that she room she had been assigned to was hastily crossed out in blue ink and a note in the same ink said that she should come straight to the seamstresses. The note was signed by Madam C.
The back of the paper had written directions by Madam C, she had clearly realized Dorothy would not remember the way after only one visit.
Dorothy checked the clock and saw that she was due in about a half hour. That gave just enough time for a hot bath.
She scrubbed down twice since she needed to look her best that night. She only had time to towel off her hair before she saw she had to leave. She found a pair of pants and a light shirt to wear, as she could not go running through the palace in her nightgown, and grabbed her tennis bracelet before saying good bye to Toto. The little dog licked her face before going outside to lay in the shade.
Dorothy clutched the direction as she ran through the halls. She was starting to find her way around better, she could pick out certain features as familiar and knew where they led to.
As she went along she could start to hear some chattering. She slowed down at a corner to peek around listen, didn't she just hear her name?
It was Margot. She was talking to a group of girls outside one of the rooms. Dorothy noticed that each was in some stage of preparation. One had her hair in curlers, another wore pedicure spacers, Margot herself had had foil in her hair for reasons Dorothy was not familiar with. Rosette was even there, her face slathered in some sort of clay mask.
"Are you sure?" The girl in curlers ask.
"Positive. She told me herself that she was not coming." Margot said, delighted in holding everyone's attention. "I doubt she would have come anyways. She did not even have a dress, unless she fashioned something out of burlap!"
That got a laugh from most of the crowd.
"Well, that would explain it." Rosette said, talking carefully so that the clay would not dislodge. "I went to down to where they keep the seamstresses to look for her dress and maybe give it a few alterations of my own." She made a scissor sign with her hand. "But I could not find anything."
Dorothy had to hold herself back. Was Rosette so petty that she would cut up someone's dress? 'Silly question, of course she is.' She thought seething. But she stayed back out of sight. She had forgotten that she had told Margot that she was not going to the ball and she wanted to keep them believing that. But that did leave her with a dilemma. How was she supposed to get past them? She did not know the palace well enough to find an alternate route.
Luckily, fate was on Dorothy's side. A large matronly looking woman bustled out of the room.
"What are you girls doing out here? What if someone saw you only half dressed? For shame!" She herded the girls back inside like she was herding hens. The door closed behind her.
Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief. That was obviously one of the rooms set aside for preparations. She was lucky that she did not have to go in there herself.
She skipped past the closed door as fast as she could, found the stairs she needed, and was soon where she needed to be.
"I hope I'm not late!" She called as she entered.
The seamstresses was just like it was before, only more busy. Girls were giving some last minute touch ups on dresses or sending them up to their owners.
"Nonsense darling. You're right on time!" Madam C said, grabbing her arm and pulling her in. "The others are here as well."
"Others? What others?" Dorothy asked as she was led to the back, away from the main work area.
The others Madam C had meant were Cleo, Nimmie, and Lily. They were sitting in front of sinks for hair washing while the head hairdresser was laying out his tools.
"Dorothy!" Lily got up out of her chair. "What are you doing here? Margot had said you weren't going to the ball. I didn't want to believe her but-"
"Oh, don't believe everything she says. I only told her that to get her off my back."
"Clever." Cleo said while flipping through a styling book. "That probably earned you a few hours of peace."
"But what about the riding yesterday?" Nimmie asked. "How did that go? You and Scarecrow made up right?"
Dorothy was led to an empty chair at the end. "Made up? What are you talking about?"
"They said you two got in a fight, everyone heard about it."
Dorothy groaned. She should have known that Margot and Rosette would not be able to keep their mouths shut. "It was just a little misunderstanding, that's all. We got through our differences that same night."
Nimmie's jaw dropped. "But-but then all that trouble we went through was for nothing then?"
Dorothy chuckled. "I would not say it was for nothing. I had a very nice time." She was tempted to mention what nearly happened in the field and then did happen in the rain, but decided against it. That was private. And even though they were her friends, she wanted to keep some things to herself.
The hairdresser by this point was finished in setting up and snapped his fingers for his attendants. "Alright ladies. We'll first wash your hair and get it styled."
"But I just washed it!" Dorothy said. "It's still wet!"
"Well it is going to be washed again, properly this time." The hairdresser said snippily. "And you had better appreciate it. Not everyone is able to get my services." That went without saying since he was down here and not upstairs helping the other women get ready. "And then once you are finished I'll send you off for makeup. Alright? Good. Let's go."
While those in the palace were busily concerning themselves with their appearance, another group was getting themselves ready.
The palace guards had to be in top shape tonight. There was a lot of important people all in one place and so security had to be tight. They were checking their weapons and making sure there were not holes in their tabards.
They were going to be mostly concentrated in the ball room and on the ground around it and each would be in pairs for effectiveness. While none of them would be dancing, there was still a chance of swiping some food or catching the eye of a fair maiden or handsome gentlemen. Others were more concerned about doing their job properly.
In all this preparation, none were alert enough to notice a shadow creep into the guard house through the upper window.
Rathe landed as quietly as a cat. He had to be careful, it was still daylight and there were guards milling all over the place. He had tried this days ago, but what he was looking for had been missing. But now with the ball in only a few hours, he found what he was looking for.
It was a book on a table, simple and unassuming. But inside was the knowledge Rathe seeked. For this book held the timetables, routes, and name for those on guard duty that night.
The pages swam before his eyes briefly, the ink turning into horrifying shapes. "No. Stop." He shut his eyes tightly and breathed. Once he opened them again, the hallucination was over. Now he could see the mapped out plans of the guard routes and who was supposed to be where and when. He dedicated this information to memory. This was the key to everything and no one but him realized it.
Satisfied that he would not forget, he carefully laid the plan book back where it belonged and then snuck back out the way he came.
None of the guards ever noticed.
The session with the hairdresser went well Dorothy thought. His assistants had good hands and worked her hair and head in such a way that she started to feel sleepy. They also cleaned her face though there was no ridiculous mask like Rosette wore. When it was her turn in the chair, the hairdresser brushed, pulled, twisted, and did all kinds of things until she was feeling sore and was sure she had no scalp left. But he seemed pleased with the result and her friends were in agreement.
However, she was not allowed to look in the mirror.
"Nope!" Madam C said, plucking the hand mirror the hairdresser was about to hand her. "You are not finished. An artists does not hang his art in the gallery before paint dries, and so it is with me. Now hurry up, we have to put some makeup on you."
The old woman shooed Dorothy over to the makeup artist, a younger woman with bushy crinkly dirty blonde hair and animal print clothing, she was chewing bubble gum and already had mixed pigments on her wrist.
The makeup artist gave Dorothy's face a look over, turning it this way and that way and testing how the light fell on her. She finally seemed satisfied and gathered up her brushes and powders.
"So you're the one eh?" The woman spoke with an accent Dorothy was not familiar with.
"Come again?" Dorothy had no idea what she was talking about.
The woman used a thin brush to add color to Dorothy's eye lid. "The one the king fancies. They say you will be queen."
If the woman had not been holding her head steady by the chin Dorothy's jerk would have put out an eye. "What? That seems a little too sudden to decide!"
The artist did no react beyond starting to mix some rouge. "That's the way it is with 'upstairs people' as we call them." She explained. "You show the slightest interest in someone and wedding invitations get sent out."
Dorothy looked over at her friends who had already finished with their makeup and were gathering their underclothes. "Is that true?"
"Afraid so." Cleo said, wearing a robe for modesty. "It took me some time to get used to the idea."
"But what ever happened to just getting to know someone before getting serious?"
The lioness shrugged. "The world of nobility it rather tight knit, you don't spend time getting to know someone because you are already very familiar with them, you see? Once you show a liking to someone, people just assume it is serious. There is still a courting and engagement period of course, has to be, but even that is considered a type of psuedo-betrothal."
For the first time Dorothy started to regret her actions in the rain. Did she give off the wrong signals? She was not certain she was ready for level of commitment right off the bat. "That all seems rather sudden."
"That's why the king hates this. He does not have much room for error."
Dorothy wanted to respond but at that point her mouth was busy being carefully painted. "Just a moment longer dearie." The makeup artist said, just adding some final touches. "For the record, I hope you do become queen, I'd love to paint you up again."
Dorothy mumbled a thanks for the sentiment as she left to find her dress.
"Wait!" Madam C yelled for her. "You are not ready yet!"
Dorothy was starting to get a little impatient. "My hair is done and so is my face. What more do I need to do?"
"You can not go out and dance with hands looking like that!" The designer said strongly. "And you need your underclothes. Come over here."
This was a lot more than Dorothy had bargained for. She was just a farm girl, why was all of this necessary?
But Cleo, Nimmie, and Lily were not complaining so Dorothy put up with it.
She was directed to go behind a folding screen so she could change in privacy. It took her awhile to figure out how and where everything went. Suffice to say the underclothes she was present with was very different from what she was used to. One of the young sowers under Madam C came behind once Dorothy indicated that she could not lace up the corset on her own.
"How's that?"
"A little tight." Dorothy gasped.
"Loosen that up!" Madam C said from the other side of the screen. "She's expected to dance, not faint!"
The girl loosened up some laces and tightened some others until Dorothy felt a more comfortable, snug but not constrained. Soon she would be able to forget she was even wearing it.
"Now, let us see to your hands." Madam C said after securing a robe around Dorothy.
This was the most boring part but at least Lily and Nimmie were still being worked on. Cleo had declined the service, citing that her claws had practical applications and could not be worked on by anyone but her.
The manicurist was having the hardest time with Nimmie as she was often handling hammers and tools around her forge which roughed her hands up quite a bit. The one working on Lily must have worked with her often as she did little aside from trimming the fur to even it out. The girl with Dorothy worked conscientiously, lotioning her hands and shaping her nails. She then applied rich emerald green nail polish. Dorothy thought it was a rather striking color, maybe too much so. She was about to protest and insist on something more natural, but the polish had already dried and she was applying a second coat.
"Now are we almost done?" Asked impatiently a few minutes later when she was allowed to get up again. She touched a nail and found that the polish was bone dry and applied evenly. Oz really showed it's wonders in the strangest ways.
"Don't bother asking." Nimmie said next to her. "Trust me, it won't get you anywhere." The blacksmith had adequate experience and now just took it in stride.
"Yes yes!" Madam C exclaimed while she opened up a side door. "Now you must get into your dresses. Hurry!"
"Now she wants us to hurry." Dorothy grumbled but went into the side room.
It was a small chamber, maybe about the size of a bedroom, with mannequins draped with dust protectors.
"I had to move your dresses in here darling. Someone was snooping around with ill intent I fear." Madam C explained.
That had to be Rosette. Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief for the designers foresight. She really was looking forward to her dress. She had never even seen a real ball gown in person before, let alone wear one. And it also meant that she would have the opportunity to dance with Scarecrow! That very idea made all the poking and prodding she had to endure all the more worthwhile.
"Alright, here we go." Madam C said as she pulled off the dust protector that was covering her dress. "You are going to have to step into this, carefully."
Dorothy could not see the details due to the designer being the way. She could see that it was primarily black and green once she carefully put it on. She was helped into her shoes, which looked like the ruby red slippers, only these were emerald green. The resemblance did not escape Dorothy.
Madam C zipper her up and gave the dress a look over. "You look perfect darling! Let's go to the mirror."
What she saw in that full length mirror made Dorothy gasp. She could not be her. She did not look like this.
Her hair was piled on top of her head, forming curls in the back. Those curls held numerous small emerald pins, looking like green stars in the night sky. Her face was done up very lightly with makeup, the artists obviously believed that the natural look was the best. Her skin was smooth and even, there was a bit of color to her cheeks, her eyes were lined and painted green, and her lips were a good shade of red.
But it was the dress, oh the dress, that stood out. It was a floor length ball gown, the skirt of the dress was emerald green and had a slight shine in the light, the top was an over-bust but went under the arms and left her shoulders bare. It appeared to be made out of one piece of very fine black velvet. The hem at the top was decorated with a line of alternating square and rectangle cut emeralds. The effect was stunning on the farm girl.
"Is this me?" She asked, unable to take it all in.
"Oh you look fantastic!" Cleo said. The lioness' dress was a simple black evening gown, she was not trying to stand out.
Lily and Nimmie agreed. Nimmie was also wearing a black evening gown and Lily had a plumb ball gown with a collar of black feathers. "You are really going to stand out I think." The fox said. "Not many of the girls wear dark colors, they're too pale."
"Well you are not finished yet!" Madam C said after admiring her handiwork. "The king has given you a special favor Dorothy."
"He did?" Dorothy asked, blushing a little and her heart fluttering in excitement.
"He certainly did." Madam C said while fishing out a ring of keys. "Follow me."
That left Nimmie, Cleo, and Lily alone. They looked at each other, simultaneously wondering what the favor could be and what it meant.
"Are you three coming or not?" Madam C yelled back into the room.
"We're allowed to come?" Lily asked.
"As long as you promise not to touch anything. Now hurry up!"
Madam C led them out of the seamstresses area and through bare corridors. She took corners and stairs, unlocking heavy doors and moving down and away from the more well traveled areas of the palace.
"Lily," Nimmie whispered to the fox. "You live here, where are we?"
"I have no idea. I did not even know any of this even existed."
This all reminded Dorothy of the time when she went through all the secret passages with Scarecrow. 'I wonder what he is doing right now? Probably trying to get ready like the rest of us.'
Finally, after it seemed that this little trip would never end, Madam C came up to a large steel vault door. "Here we are darlings. The Royal Vault. This is a real treat, not even the Wizard knew this even existed." She had made sure of that herself, she was convinced that the Wizard would have sold off all that was inside.
Lily gasped. "The Royal Vault? Are you serious?"
"Scarecrow is going to allow Dorothy in the Vault?" Nimmie echoed.
"Do you have any idea how lucky you are?" Cleo said to Dorothy. "He's never even let us inside before."
Madam C was busy with the three combination locks. "Alright. Dorothy? You are allowed one piece of jewelry to wear to the ball. No more, no less. As for the rest of you...don't touch anything!" She then pulled on the vault door, it opened with a hiss as the pressure equalized.
Inside was a bright glittering the likes of which Dorothy had never seen before. Everywhere were bright jewels on red velvet, different crowns and tiaras on stands, rings behind glass, whole drawers of necklaces, earrings hanging on glass hooks, and even individual jewels resting on velvet cushions.
Dorothy moved among them with care, more wanting to see everything inside of decided what to wear. Her friends would giggle and gasp at every new discovery, even Nimmie was impressed.
Dorothy studied some of the gold and silver crowns. Some where rather plain looking while others were overly ornate, some looked light while others appeared heavy, some were of rich gold and jewels, while others were of primitive wood and bone. But she noticed that each of those crowns had a tiara that matched them. 'These are for the queen.' She realized as she studied a silver tiara that had pearls draping from it. She suddenly became incredibly interested in finding the match to the crown Scarecrow always wore.
"Is it in here?" She mused out loud as she opened up some of the drawers that where under the stands.
"No!" Madam C came over and smacked Dorothy's hand away. "Those are not for you. Go find something to wear."
Dorothy rubbed the back of her hand. "What?" She said indignantly. "I thought I was."
"I highly doubt you intended on wearing scrolls darling. You can't even wear these crowns anyways, go look somewhere else."
Now Dorothy was curious. She now saw that the drawer was full of carefully laid out scrolls, each tied with a green ribbon. Some of them look very old. "What are they?"
"The marriage certificates for the past kings and queens. We keep them, and birth certificates, in here as soon as the ink dries. It is tradition for them to be signed a few days before the wedding ceremony. That way if there is any sabotage while walking down the aisle, no real harm was done as they were technically married already." Madam C said while straightening them out and closing the drawer. "But that is not important right now. Go find something to wear, or do you want me to tell his majesty that you turned down this gift?"
That got Dorothy moving. She scoped out some of the shelves. She already had her tennis bracelet on so she did not need another item on her wrists. She was looking at some chokers when something caught her eye.
At the very back of the vault was a stand on a dais all by itself. On top of it was a glass case. Dorothy climbed up to look inside. In the case, laying perfectly on a cushion was a necklace. The silver chain was encrusted with diamonds. But it was the pendent that held her attention. It was a solid emerald, large enough to fit in her palm, cut in the shape of a heart. It was edged by other smaller gem stones, amethysts on top, sapphires on its left, rubies on the bottom, and topazes on its right, but they were all pale and watery in order not to conflict with the deep richness of the center emerald.
Dorothy was enchanted by it. "Can I wear this?" She asked. I would look great with her dress.
The others gathered around to see what she was looking at.
Cleo clicked her teeth before speaking. "I'm afraid you can not wear this."
"Why not? What is it?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"This is it isn't it?" Nimmie asked. "I've never seen it, but it has to be."
Lily nodded as if hypnotized. "It can't be anything else."
"What?" Dorothy felt as if she was out of the loop. "What is it?"
Cleo put a hand on Dorothy's shoulder. "It is something only the current ruler can give, it is the most valuable piece of jewelry in the entire empire. The Heart of Oz."
"The Heart of Oz?" Dorothy was puzzled. "Is it something significant?"
"Significant?" Nimmie exclaimed. "Of course it's significant! It can only be given from the king or queen and only to the person they truly love the most. It symbolizes that they person they love is worth more to them than their entire kingdom!"
"That means the pendent is priced to be worth more than Oz itself even if the pieces don't add up individually." Lily explained. "It is not given out lightly and not always to the ruler's spouse. But when it is, it is a huge deal. No one has even seen it in generations. See that chain?" The fox tapped on the glass, having just noticed a detail. "A woman wears the chain like a necklace while a man can convert it into a pocket watch chain."
"No one knows when it was made or who first wore it." Cleo said to Dorothy. "The pendent creates a sort of mini map of Oz. The emerald for the Emerald City of course, where the royals live, the sapphires are for Munchkin Country, the rubies are for Quadling Country, the topazes for are Winkie Country, and the amethysts are for Gillikin Country. The Golden Coast fits in with Winkie Country, so it's still accurate."
Dorothy absorbed all of this. "Seriously?" She should have figured it was too important to even ask about by the way it was displayed, but she never imagined that it was something like this! "I feel rather embarrassed now for even considering it."
"Oh don't be." Lily said assuringly. "You aren't from around here. Plus it is awful pretty." The vixen guided her friend away from the necklace.
"You think this is a sign." Nimmie said to Cleo out the side of her mouth.
"You don't?" The lioness responded as they followed.
It was getting late and Dorothy still had to make a decision. Lily steered Dorothy towards some earrings, hoping that maybe something would catch her eye.
But Dorothy still had her mind on the Heart of Oz. It was beautiful of course, but it was the story behind it that caught her attention. Only Scarecrow could give it away, and only to the one he was in love with. 'He would never give it to me. It's too ridiculous to even consider.' She tried to convince herself, but still unconsciously touched her chest where the pendent could lay.
She tried to concentrate on the task on hand in order not to let herself get too wrapped up on how Scarecrow felt about her. He responded well to the kiss, but that didn't necessarily mean he felt as she did. Why did she have to be so bold?
"How about these?" Lily asked, holding up some emerald studs. "You need something for your ears."
Dorothy shook her head. "Not those." She looked over some of the others. She saw a pair of chandelier earrings with emeralds. "These look good."
Madam C nodded. "Perfect darling. They really accent your face and neck. Now come, you all still need to get to the ball room."
The designer locked up after they left and led them back through the maze like passages. Soon, they were in the more familiar areas of the palace.
"Cleo and I have to go find the boys." Nimmie explained. "We have to enter together with the king."
"Dorothy, I can wait in line with you, at least for a little." Lily offered. "I can teach you a little more of what will be expected of you."
That seemed like a good idea and the girls split up. They had some extra time but it was best spent being where they were expected to be.
Scarecrow adjusted his collar one last time and studied himself in the mirror. The style of his outfit was still one of his typical suits but was more dressy and elegant than his day to day wear.
The ball was due to start any minute now. The guests had two choices as to their arrival. Either they came early and watch the king arrive, or they came later after him. There was pros and cons to either choice. Either you could have a chance to get a quick word in with the king or make a fashionable entrance.
"Ready?" Gracchus asked, poking his head in the door. The centaur was looking fine this evening, in his soft leathers with a torc around his neck. His mate had made the journey for this night and he wanted to look his best for her.
Scarecrow nodded. "Let's get this over with." The sooner he got out there the sooner he could dance with Dorothy. That was the only thing to look forward too but it was enough to keep his spirits in check.
He made his way to the entrance at the top of the grand staircase where Cleo, Lionel, Nick, and Nimmie were waiting. He noticed the girls looked a little mischievous.
"Okay, what's going on?"
"Nothing." Nimmie said innocently. "Nothing at all."
The king never had the time to question her as Huginn and Muninn flew over head. "Is everyone ready?" Huginn asked. "We got to get this show on the road."
Everyone responded to the affirmative.
"And please use the short introductions." Scarecrow instructed. "It's not like no one knows who we are."
The two crows nodded and flew to their perches on either side of the doorway. They would stay there for much of the night, announcing the late arrivals.
The music picked up and the attention of those already in the ball room was turned to the grand staircase.
"Presenting," Huginn said, his voice carrying. "The rightful ruler of Oz, his Imperial and Royal Majesty, Emperor King Scarecrow the Wise!"
Scarecrow strode out confidently to applause.
"Presenting," Muninn then said over the noise. "His Grace, Archduke Lionel the Brave and Her Grace, Archduchess Cleopatra. "
The lions appeared at Scarecrow's heels.
"Presenting," Muninn went on. "His Grace, Archduke Nicholas Chopper the Noble and the Lady Nimmie Amee."
The pair marched out confidently neck and neck with the lions.
Scarecrow scanned those who had decided to be early as they descended the stairs. He was looking for someone. 'Where's Dorothy?' She had to be here somewhere. There was a definitely a large enough crowd for her to get lost in. He decided that he would find her later and took up his place at the bottom of the stairs, ready to speak and shake hands with his guests.
Dorothy was not sure what Lily had in mind. She had shown her to the proper way to speak, how to tell a person's rank just by looking at them, what sort of topics for conversations where appropriate, how to properly turn down an invitation to dance, and other extra tidbits. Dorothy was certain she would remember, it was all about being polite, but now the vixen was leading her through hallways, apparently looking for someone.
"He should be near the ballroom. Come on, how hard it is to misplace a centaur?"
"Centaur?" Dorotht asked, holding to dress carefully in order to keep up. "You don't mean Gracchus do you?"
"You met him? Good, keep an eye out, we need to find him and quickly."
It did not take as long as Lily feared to find him. They ran across him conversing with a centaurette, a pretty lady with curly auburn hair and pelt and a kind expression.
"Forgive the interruption Gracchus, Abelia." Lily said. "But I am in need of a word." She pulled Gracchus away to whisper in his ear. This left Dorothy with the centaurette.
"You must be Dorothy." She said. "My name is Abelia, I am Gracchus' mate."
"A pleasure to meet you." Dorothy gave a curtsy. She thought Abelia was very pretty in an earthy celtic sort of way. "I am sorry to have my friend pull him away."
"It is no problem at all. I am proud of the work he does." She gave Dorothy a kind smile. "I have heard of you. The griffins and the sphinxes say you came on the wind."
"I did, twice." Dorothy chuckled. "Not the most pleasant way to travel, I prefer to keep my feet on the ground."
Abelia gave a soft laugh at that.
"Dorothy!" Lily called. "We got it all sorted out. Follow me."
"It was a pleasure Abelia." Dorothy curtsied again before following Lily.
Gracchus watched them go. "I will be right back, I have to have a word with the heralds." He said to Abelia. "Then I promise, no more work."
"If you say things like that then an emergency will arise." Abelia gave him a playful swat on the shoulder. "Now hurry and do your job, I'm not going anywhere."
The centaur turned and cantered off. This was shaping up to be an interesting night if what Lily had told him was correct.
"So are we going to the ball now?" Dorothy asked Lily as they came to a hallway somewhat crowded with people.
"We will. But you are going to stay right here."
"What? But I want to go to the ball room!" Dorothy protested. She wanted to see Scarecrow more than anything and was starting to feel impatient.
The vixen smoothed out Dorothy's dress and untangled her earrings. "You will. But you have to be announced first. That was what I talked to Gracchus about. That's what everyone here is waiting for. At the end of the hall is the entrance to the grand staircase. You will be announced and walk down them to join the ball. Easy as pie."
Dorothy looked down the hall and was relieved that she did not spy Rosette, Margot, or any of the other women.
"They're already in the ball, this is when they try the hardest to catch his majesty's eye and don't want to waste a second." Lily said, knowing who Dorothy was looking for.
Dorothy did not like the sound of that. She knew Scarecrow would not give in, but she still did not like it. "I think I'd rather be in there instead of waiting."
Lily grabbed for Dorothy's arm, stopping her from storming off. "Are you kidding me? I thought you'd rather be doing this. How better than to show them up? Plus, you'd have his majesty's eyes on you. Wouldn't you like that?"
Dorothy admitted privately that she would. "Well alright. How much longer will I have to wait?"
Lily looked over the hallway. There was a lot of people but already many of them were draining out into the ballroom. "About fifteen minutes I'd say."
That was a lot better than what she was expecting. "That's not bad at all. I can do that."
"Good." Lily said with a clap of her hands. "My father and brother are here, I have to go with them. I'll see you in a few."
Dorothy was left alone. No one came to talk to her, indeed no one appeared to recognize her. That was fine with her, mind was elsewhere.
Lily meandered through the crowd to find what was left of her family. She wished she could have stayed back with Dorothy, that she wasn't a princess, or that her father was more normal. Her mother and sister should have been here too.
But this was her reality.
"Lily, what took you so long? You could have made me late." Her father scolded.
"I did have to get ready. I wanted to look my best." That was only sort of true, she really was not putting very much effort into this evening. It was all Madam C and her influence that made her look as nice as she did. Lily technically was not even supposed to get ready with the current and future archduchess, she was supposed to get ready with the other girls, but Madam C was fond of the vixen and did her this extra favor.
King Dox snorted. "You should have been mindful that other people were waiting on you. Talk about self centered."
Lily had to bit her lip to keep from lashing out at him. "I did not realize. I'm sorry."
King Dox just gave her a displeased look.
"At least she is here now." Jonquil said diplomatically. "No harm done right?" He lowered his snout to whisper in her ear. "I wrote a letter for Magnolia, I left it in the top drawer of your desk."
The vixen nodded to him. She would send it out soon, now she could not procrastinate on writing herself.
"King Dox," Muninn hissed from the door. "You and your family are up next."
King Dox strode forward purposefully. "Come on now, big smiles everyone."
The siblings trailed behind him. They kept their heads held high but did not smile as instructed. It was not like he would check once all eyes were on him anyways.
Scarecrow was starting to get a little worried. He had been wandering through the ball room and could not find Dorothy. He certainly found a lot of people he did not want to talk to, but no Dorothy.
Right now he found himself stuck with Rosette. "The music is so fine tonight, I would love a dance milord."
"I'm afraid I do not have time to dance right now." He said, taking a small snack from a passing server. "I have things I need to discuss with..." He scanned the immediate area. "Over there." He finished vaguely.
"I can come with you. Then you can introduce me." She said batting her eyelashes.
Luckily someone did swoop down to save him. Or some lioness to be exact.
"Your majesty." Cleo said coming up to him. "We would like to have a word with you." She gave a Rosette a steely gaze, indicating that she was in no way invited along.
"Yes, of course Cleo." Scarecrow said eagerly. "If you will excuse me Rosette."
Rosette could only seethe as she watched as the lioness led the king away.
"Don't thank me yet Scarecrow." Cleo said. "I really did get you out of there for a reason."
"Which is?" Whatever the reason it was better than where he was at.
Cleo led him back to the base of the stairs where more people were entering. He noticed that Lily was hovering around Lionel, Nick, and Nimmie. She was apparently telling them something but then went silent when Scarecrow arrived.
"What's going on?" He asked suspiciously. He really did not like people whispering and scheming behind his back.
"Nothing." The vixen said. "Just stand right here. And don't go anywhere. Trust me."
Scarecrow looked to his friends but they had no insight, or at least any that they were willing to share, yet they seemed to know plenty about what was going on.
He was about to be enlightened because as that moment Huginn and Muninn were ready to announce someone new.
"Presenting." The crows started. "The Savior of Oz, Miss Dorothy Gale of Kansas."
And there she was, in shimmering emerald. Scarecrow could not believe his eyes. She looked like a dream, better even. He had always thought her beautiful, but for the first time she took his breath away. He could not stop staring in wonder as he moved closer to the bottom of the stairs. She was even more gorgeous than she was at the dinner a few days ago, if that was even possible. The vast faculties of his mind had ground to a halt and focused all their resources on absorbing every little detail: the swish of her dress, the glitter of emeralds, the dark sheen of her hair, softness of her skin, the color of her lips, everything about her stood out to him. The only thing he thought she might be lacking was a necklace. A certain pendent of a certain emerald would look so natural on her throat. The thought, as fleeting as it was, surprised him. But the image, and implication, that it conjured made him feel as if his normally silent heart would burst.
Dorothy had tried not to look to hard over the crowd as she went down the stairs, holding onto the railing lest she trip. She felt a little nervous under those stares. But once she spotted Scarecrow, all that fear evaporated. His reaction was more than she imagined and she smiled at him with such emotion. She knew what she felt and was starting to suspect his own feelings, and that made her feel reassured.
"My king." She curtsied before him when she reached the bottom.
"Milady." He responded, taking her hand to kiss it gently. The action made Dorothy turn a pleased shade of pink.
That got a reaction from the crowd even if Dorothy and Scarecrow were not paying any attention to it. Courtiers and nobles whispered frantically to one another. Some where happy, others where confused, and a certain group was enraged.
Rosette stormed up to a worried looking Margot. "What were you playing at princess!"
"Nothing! I promise."
"You said she was not coming. You baited us into a false sense of security. You planned this you little harpy!" Rosette shrieked.
The princess shook her head. "No! She told me she wasn't coming and that she didn't have a dress. I don't understand."
"Well she is more certainly here and she most certainly has a dress!" Rosette growled, her eyes on fire. If there were not so many people around she most certainly would have physically attacked Margot.
Margot backed away nervously. "But they had a fight, it doesn't make any sense."
"That does not matter now!" Rosette was this close to pulling her hair out by the roots. It killed her that Dorothy looked good in green while she looked horrid in it. That had to be her secret to success! How could she make a come back from this? She could not do anything right now, she was unprepared. "Where is Crombec?" She screamed as she stormed off to find the count.
It was getting dark, but not dark enough to make Rathe feel comfortable. The palace was swarming with guards, mostly around the ball room and grounds surrounding. Normally that would not concern him, but normally he would not have damaged eyesight.
He had not slept as much as he needed and he kept seeing things on the edge of his vision. So Rathe was more jumpy and paranoid than usual. But that just made him that much more cautious.
He was not supposed to even be out here, not that a palace guard would question a member of the King's Guard, but Terryck had taken all his gear away so he had nothing that marked him as part of that group.
Rathe paused in the shadow of a tree as another pair of guards marched past. He needed to get to the palace wall and then get away. It seemed easy on paper, but the palace guards were not the bumbling fools they used to be. This might take him awhile.
Dorothy was enjoying herself immensely. Scarecrow had given her his arm and was now personally introducing her to the different nobles, rulers, and other guests here at the ball.
Just about everyone was pleased to see her. Because she had saved Oz all those years ago, because she was a beautiful young woman, and because the king clearly favored her. Every single person privately noted how he had a hard time taking his eyes off of her.
Right now they, along with a female sphinx and a pair of griffons, were listening to a large polar bear in handsome armor talk about life in the coldest reaches of Oz.
"The ice and snow cover everything, it's so cold that your breath would freeze in your lungs." He explained. "But under the rock there are treasures, if you can find it. Metal mostly. My people mine and are best crafters in all of Oz. We typically mine iron, but there is also copper, silver, and gold. Not so many gemstones like around here though. The nomes don't like it either way."
"Nomes?" Dorothy asked. She had never heard of them before.
Scarecrow started to explain. "They live underground on the boarders of Oz, and are our ancient enemy. They say that all the metal and gems in the earth belong to them, but they kidnap my people to slave away in their mines for them." His expression turned dark. "I have tried to reach a sort of diplomatic agreement that would benefit everyone, but the Nome King won't even try. In fact, he wants to take over Oz, both the surface and underground."
"Calormenes in my sands, Nomes in your ground, " The sphinx said to the bear. "And scroulies in your skies." She said to the griffins. "We can never relax our guard."
The bear snorted. "The nomes are weaker than they realize. My people have battled them often. My great grandmother, now she was a warrior. Killed many nomes and was such a great metalworker that she was commissioned to craft a pair of crowns for the king and queen of Oz. It was a great honor for my family."
Dorothy thought back to the sets of crowns she saw in the vault. There was one set that could have been made by a bear. They were crafted out of bluish-iron and were carved with creatures from the north and in the center they held a large bear paw made out of black jet. "You must have a lot to live up to. Do you practice metal crafting yourself Sir Sigbjorn?" Dorothy asked. The way the bear spoke made her believe that his practice was different from Nimmie's blacksmithing.
The bear sighed. "Yes, but nothing of true worth. But I am hopeful that someday I shall follow in my great grandmother's paw prints." He glanced at Dorothy and she had a feeling that he was sizing up her head for a crown.
"Well I am certain you shall get the chance." Dorothy said uneasily.
"I am hopeful for the future." The bear replied, not taking his eyes off of her.
The garden was well lit in the dark. Lanterns where hung from trees, fireflies twinkled in the light, and night flowers were glowing softly. It was quite lovely and many guests were out amongst the flowers, the quiet conversation and slight clink from champagne glasses seemed far removed from the music that came from indoors.
But Rosette was not interested in admiring the gardeners' handiwork or the Ozian night sky. She paced impatiently on the cobblestone path while Count Crombec watched her nervously from the stone bench.
"That no good bitch Dorothy set us up." She muttered to herself. "She's smarter than I took her for." She nibbled nervously at a thumb nail. "She's not easily intimidated that's for sure. She must really like him."
"So you could say that she has a brain, heart, and courage." Crombec spoke up trying to be helpful.
"Shut up!" She snapped. She took a moment to look towards the ballroom. The light was practically golden as it leaked into the darker garden. "Look at them," She indicated the other girls that wanted Scarecrow. They huddled together, whispering to one another angrily, but none made a move towards Dorothy and the king. "They won't make a move unless I or Margot does first. Bunch of cowards they are, not willing to take the initiative. Disgusting." She spat.
Crombec just sat and tapped his fingers on his knees and he nearly missed what Rosette said next. "What was that?"
"Smoke. Now." She snapped her fingers for a cigarette without looking at him.
"That's...that's not a very becoming habit for a young lady."
"I don't give a damn."
The count relented and pulled out a pack and a lighter.
Rosette took a drag and already started to feel better. "Dorothy is a little to good at this. And I'm not just talking about Lily's interference. She's willing to learn and adapt and yet still stay true to her goals and that makes her dangerous. She wouldn't be a bad queen I have to admit."
"Hmmm," Crombec tried to be diplomatic and avoid causing the marchioness reason to make a scene. "I suppose she could be. She could raise an heir-"
"If you think," Rosette interrupted, smoke trailing between her lips. "That anyone could pressure her on matters of her personal life any more successfully than they could with his majesty than you are dumber than I took you for. She'll hold out until she's good and ready, just like him. The courtiers won't be able to control her any more than they can control a tornado."
Crombec laughed nervously. "Yes, I can imagine. I remember when his majesty first came onto the throne. We all thought he could be easily controlled, a puppet. I've never been a worse judge of character. I remember him marching back into the city after he got the sword, on the back of that carousal horse surrounded by wolves and centaurs and other marginalized races in full armor. What a sight that was. Terrifying really, since we knew we got ourselves the opposite of what we hoped for. But he's been good so-"
"I'll get rid of her." Rosette said flatly.
Crombec stopped short in his babbling, not certain if he had heard her correctly. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." She did not sound so angry anymore. In fact there was a sense of glee hidden underneath a veneer of cold practicality. "I'll kill her, simple as that."
"Now?"
"No not now you idiot!" Rosette snarled. "Not ready, too many witnesses." Planning seemed to calm her. She played with the cigarette before breathing in the smoke. "Soon, but not now." She studied the crowd inside and saw Margot, who was hanging back and bristling like a wildcat. "She's planning it too, mark my words."
The count thought that the marchioness had lost her mind. "Are you crazy? You can't kill Dorothy! Even if you did, I don't think that would turn his majesty's affections towards you."
"He would be upset yes. And in that moment of his deepest despair, who would be there for him but me? To be tender and kind, to show patience and understanding, and the king will become to taken with me that he will forget all about her and then I shall be queen. Because," She fixed Crombec with a steely gaze. "no one will tell him will they?"
Now was when the count need to check where his loyalty laid. He had done everything with Rosette for the benefit of Oz. But what the marchioness was suggesting now was the opposite. He had no reason to be against Dorothy personally, but he had agreed to help Rosette a long time ago. But this was going to far. Scarecrow was his king and that trumpeted all other obligations.
But he was afraid. Rosette was dangerous and knew her way about chemicals. To tell her outright that he would put a stop to her plans was more than risky, it was stupid.
And so Crombec just lowered his head submissively and did not say a word.
Rosette did not respond, instead she dropped her now finished cigarette and snuffed it out with her dance slipper. It left a burn mark in the soft cloth but she had more important things on her mind. She strode back into the ballroom with more confidence while Crombec was left out in the dark.
Rathe did not let himself breath a sigh of relief once he found himself at the palace walls. This particular sections was overgrown, trees and bushes and the wall itself had clinging vines that had to be regularly trimmed. It was an out of the way area, far from normal passageways. There was plenty of places for him to hide but there was a pair of palace guards about twenty paces away. He knew that their patrol was scheduled to resume soon and there would only be a ten minute window for Rathe.
The sound of hoof beats caused him to shrink further into the shadows. The captain of the guard astride Obsidian trotted up to the pair of guards. Rathe had no idea what they were talking about, probably just a check to see if they saw or heard anything. But then Rathe's vision shifted. Instead of seeing an inky black stallion, he now saw a beast of smoke and flame, with iron hooves and blood dripping from its mouth. It reared like a demon from hell trying to shake off its chains.
Rathe nearly shrieked with fear, he was forced to clap a hand over his mouth in order to stay silent. And then the hallucination faded away, revealing the stoic horse and master still conversing with the guards. Rathe wiped the sweat from his face. That was a bad one, the scroulie venom was advancing further than he realized. He had to get this over with quickly.
The captain of the guard finally seemed satisfied and moved along to check with his other subordinates. The pair of guards marched off in the other direction and Rathe could finally get on with his mission.
He slide up to the wall after making sure no one was on patrol on top of it. The wall itself was thick and made of rough stone. It was one of many layers that surrounded the Emerald Palace. But this particular section also held a secret door. Rathe felt under the vines for the door catch, no one would ever suspect such a thing under the old growths.
He had just brushed against it, a small crack that would be overlooked by those that did not know what it was, and was about to open it before something he did not expect happened.
"Rathe!" What are doing out here?" A voice hissed by his knee.
The human nearly leapt out of his skin. There at his feet was a large black snake. It wore a sheath of green with a hood, a thick leather belt with various tools, and on it's tail tip was a metal cover, sharp enough to be a weapon. "Ranash," Rathe said once he calmed himself. "Fancy seeing you here."
Ranash was not taking the casual tone and studied the human with a skeptical eye. "I ask again, what are you doing out here? Are you supposed to be on duty right now? I don't remember hearing that you would be. Why aren't you in uniform?"
Rathe had to think fast, he had not expected a member of the King's Guard to be around. The fact that it was Ranash made it a hundred times worse since the snake was never fond of Rathe to begin with. "It's nothing important, so why don't you slither off and keep watch where all the action is."
Ranash was used to Rathe's attitude and did little more than flick his tongue in and out as all snakes do. "If you aren't on duty you should not be out here." He said. He then noticed Rathe's face when a cloud uncovered the moon. In the faint light, black lines like ink rivulets were traveling up his face. The very bottom rim of his eyes were black, as if they were being slowly filled up by the ink. Ranash had seen that symptom before and it alarmed him. "How did- never mind, we need to get you to a medic. I-" The snake paused, on high alert. His tongue flicked in and out with more purpose. He sensed something.
"What is it?" Rathe already knew what the snake could taste in the air.
Ranash seemed confused. "I don't understand, this isn't possible." Another flick. "It tastes like scroulies. But here? How is that possible?"
Rathe felt a drip of nervous sweat go down his neck. He suddenly had an idea, an awful idea. "Put your head down, see if you can feel them."
Ranash placed his head on the ground, trying to feel for the creatures through his jaw. "I feel them, they aren't far. Maybe two. We should-"
But Ranash never finished. He was far too concentrated on the distant movement he never paid attention to what was right next to him, he never felt Rathe shift his weight. And with a crushing blow Rathe brought down his boot straight down on the snake's skull.
"Teach you to not mind your own business." Rathe sneered as he picked up the limp snake. Whether Ranash was dead or merely unconscious Rathe did not know as he never bother to check. He merely tossed the body into the bushes.
Now he could concentrate on what he was doing, Ranash had cost him precious seconds. Within a moment, the wall swung silently open, beyond it was a pitch dark passage.
And for a few seconds Rathe thought that was all there was. But then he could see the two beings standing there, waiting.
It was a pair of male scoulies that towered over him, one Rathe had met outside the city and knew as Riptongue but the other was a stranger with a missing eyes. They were bother rather typical, aside from the missing eye. Standing much taller than a human despite their hunch, their bodies and limbs seemed thin and skeletal. They were covered with long, scraggily, and nearly dead looking feathers of varying dark colors that still managed to look dry and dusty. The feathers on their arms were the longest, allowing for flight. Their hands and feet were bare, with black leathery skin and arthritic looking joints but were topped with those wicked black claws that poisoned and corrupted whatever they scraped. Their heads were bird shaped with a thick ruff of broader most oily looking feathers on the back of their neck and top of their head. The rest of the head was covered in smaller finer feathers. Their eyes were electric blue and held an intelligence more devious than any human's. And their beaks, their terrible beaks, were black and long like a raven's, with the edges serrated so they fit together like sharp, biting teeth. Once upon a time they had been beautiful.
Rathe gulped and restrained himself from taking a step backwards. "I see you have made it."
Riptongue nodded. "It was like you said." He hissed. He and his partner Deadeye had entered the city though the sewers. It was tricky as the palace sewers were not connected to the regular sewers for precisely this reason. Roundabout tunnels helped connect their paths. It was hard but now the way back would be easy. And despite having traveled in such a fashion, the two scroulies did not smell like it. They smelled as they always did: dusty and a little sickingly sweet, it was a smell like an overused crypt.
Rathe nodded. "I see." He noticed Riptongue was taking a little to much interest in his wounds.
"You don't have much time left little human." The scroulie crackled.
"Yes, you did do a number on me back there." Rathe touched his neck where the talons had cut him. "But we have business to attend to."
"Yes," Deadeye spoke for the first time, his voicing making Rathe think of tumbling bones. "Let's get on with it."
The human quickly laid out the patrol of the guards and the general layout of the palace. If he thought about what he was doing, sending two of Oz's most dangerous enemies loose in the palace while it played international host, it must not have bothered him very much.
Riptongue and Deadeye nodded at this information. They would remember it well and should anything go wrong, they would extract payback from Rathe. "Good, very good."
Rathe clicked his teeth once he was finished. "What, exactly, is your final objective anyways?" He honestly had no idea, all he knew was that he was supposed to get them inside.
"Why?" Riptongue taunted. "Are you changing your mind?" He snapped a long gnarled finger. "Deadeye, give something to distract our friend."
Deadeye produced a red velvet bag. "Your pay." He chuckled and threw it at Rathe's feet. "I'd advise to spend it quickly."
With that the two scroulies leapt into the trees and disappeared.
Rathe did not watch them go. Instead he carefully picked up the bag. There was little light but what he saw of it's contents was enough to quiet any curious thought he may have had.
The bag held feathers crafted of the finest gold. None were any larger than his pinkie finger but each was inlaid with every type of precious gem. This was Aleksei gold, stolen by the exiled scroulies out of spite. There could have easily been a thousand gold pieces in there, riches beyond what some of the guests could boast. Rathe could now have anything he wanted, he no longer needed Oz.
Rathe quickly looked around, guards would be heading back this way. He closed up the bag and carefully put it in an inside pocket. He would count it once he got home, the idea thrilled him. With one final glance, he went into the secret passage and closed the door.
The guards never had any clue as to what had just transpired.
Oh good god, so much has happened in this chapter. We finally, finally, have a title drop! Yes, that necklace is where this fic got its title from. And that dress! I've been dying to get Dorothy in that ball getup since chapter 1. And of course the plot is moving along finally.
And I want to bore you all to death with some of the geo-political nonsense that I came up with. Sir Sigbjorn and his people (who are not all polar bears) live in the arctic like regions of Oz to the south. It's really cold with a mountainous interior but most of the people live in villages located inside old fortresses on the frigid plains that border the ocean. This area has only recently rejoined Oz as it was considered part of the Golden Coast. This is important because the people of the icy south, such as Sigbjorn, were the royal crown makers. Crown making is a religious/spiritualistic event, the crown makers were equal to shamans and were often spiritual advisers to royalty. It is believe that once a crown had been made for a king or queen, the earth will always remember them, and so they will be kings and queens for all eternity. For this reason, the forging of a pair of crowns is done with great solemn ceremony and the materials are always fresh from the ground. Pyrite and lead are considered evil for crowns and so are never used let alone touched. Crowns are always made in pairs, one for the king and one for the queen, even if there is not one to wear them at the time. Crowns were typically made for coronations, winning wars, marriage, birth of children, or whatever excuse the crown maker can come up with. A ruler can wear a crown made for another, but it is believe that they will not be remembered until they have custom crowns of their own. The kings before Scarecrow did not have custom crowns since Oz no longer ruled that area and had given up on such "superstitions." Scarecrow does not yet have a custom made crown, after he returned with the sword he was coronated with a crown worn by an ancient king. This was seen as a good political move as it showed that he wanted to make things the way they used to be when Oz was great. Since the return of the Golden Coast, Sigbjorn has been anxiously waiting for a commission. Think he'll get his chance?