Hope everyone's ready for The Great Escape to kick off?
C51
-oOo-

Whilst Sam, much to Pie's delight, piggy backed the boy over to join Dorothy with the army of Munchkins, Merrick made the mistake of positioning himself up close to Dean, kneeling down within the Hunter's reach. Dean's arm shot out fast as a rattle snake, grabbing the bemused man firmly by the collar.

"Merrick? I wanna know who the Hell put this...thing on me? Is it supposed to be some kinda joke?"

Charlie tried to remove Dean's grip from a chuckling Merrick's clothing.

"Let go Dean, it wasn't him."

Still hanging onto the giggling Merrick, Dean hissed at Charlie.

"No? So how come he's laughin'?"

"He's not laughing. Merrick, shut up will you?"

"But...But he looks so adorable! With the lace? And the ru...ruffles? And, ribbons? Ow!"

"Dean! Stop hitting him! It was Pie, he brought the blouse for you. Kid probably didn't realise it's a woman's."

Dean glared at the still laughing Merrick.

"If he doesn't stop soon though, can I hit him again?"

-o-

Their squabble died out with the return of Dorothy and Sam. Sam squatted down at Dean's side.

"Sounds like the guests have started to arrive, we heard some kind of fanfare and a couple of names being announced. We've got a few minutes while the Munchkins start to liven up the party, you think you'll be ok to move under your own steam by then Dean?"

"First chance I get, I'm stealin' somebody else's shirt. Gimme a hand up will you?"

At first Dean leaned up against Sam, until his head got used to the altitude created by being upright, then he carefully stepped away from the support offered by his brother.

"Ok, m'ok, I gottit now. I'm fine. So, what's the game plan?"

Dorothy's eyes narrowed.

"Simple, we take the Mage and his Aunt down. That work for everyone?"

Dean grinned.

"I'm good with it. Sam? Merrick?"

Sam's smile matched his brothers and he nodded.

"Sounds good to me too."

The Hunters both turned to Merrick, Sam's expression was serious.

"You don't need to get involved in this Merrick, you've done more than enough..."

"Sam? Shut up...I too am in, ladies."

-o-

The Magistrate from the nearest town along with his scowling wife and his equally scowling fourteen year old daughter had been the first guests to arrive, travelling in a standard two horse carriage driven by the Magistrate himself. The Magistrate himself couldn't have been more enthusiastic or flattering towards his hosts, keen to be on the right side of the Man rumoured to harbour the ambition to become the overall power within Oz. His wife swallowed her scowl and replaced it with trepidation when she was taken before the imposing figure of the Aunt, and the Aunt was pleased to note the clamminess of the nervous woman's palms. The daughter however, being of the age at which she was the centre of her own universe, simply upped the scowl factor, her eyes flicking over the Mage's outfit with undisguised distaste before rolling them heavenwards in that You're ancient so like, you're obviously gonna like, not know any better, because like, obviously, like half your brain cells have rotted already, like kind of way that the majority of fourteen year old females, whether in Oz or any other world, automatically seem to perfect from the moment they wake up being fourteen. The girl curled her lip into an amused sneer as she watched her mother bob an ungainly curtsey in front of the Aunt. When it was her turn, she was ready. She had been practicing like forever, hoping to impress this important woman who would then realise that this beautiful, and totally intelligent, young woman was her very own tragically long lost grand daughter, and so instantly offer to take her in and save her from the deep seated misery of having to live these two idiots who were simply just about the worst parents in the world. Crossing her feet at the ankles, the girl lifted her skirts out of the way, high and wide, before commencing a deep curtsey, lowering herself almost to the floor, trying to hold her position a touch too long, and ending up toppling to the floor, going scarlet in embarrassment and immediately developing a sound theory as to why this was obviously her stupid parent's fault...The Aunt made no move to help the girl up, instead leaving her to struggle to regain her feet as she turned to the parents.

"What a shame for you it must be to have such a clumsy and graceless daughter."

The teenager's self esteem instantly dropped through the floor and she swore to herself that she was giving up food for a year to become thin and pretty.

-o-

Accompanied by one of his men, Squire Crouch was the next to arrive, sat astride a pure white stallion, the best horse in his stables. The horse was bedecked in full battle armour which flashed and gleamed in the sunlight. It's mane was sectioned into neat plats, each decorated with a brilliant green ribbon. The creature's tail was also platted and tied with a jolly green ribbon of it's own. Green lengths of bunting fluttered along the reins, each little flag interspersed with a tinkling golden bell. The squire himself, with his mass of red hair and his shrub of a beard, was also dressed in brilliant green. His jacket, his hose, his fine silk shirt and his cravat. His boots were made of green leather, and even his riding gloves were green. Given all this, and combined with his rotund girth, the two things he was missing were a wee little fishing rod and a pointy
hat thrust on his head to complete his garden gnome style outfit. Of course, the Squire himself was deluded enough to believe he was a picture of elegance and class.
Behind him, sat haughtily astride a long legged and delicate grey filly, was Ethan. As long and thin as ever, his pudding bowl cut hair lifting in the breeze, Ethan was
dressed in a dark grey doublet with contrasting white piping, his abnormally thin legs encased in tight party hose, one leg matching the grey of his doublet, the other in white. His horse had no armour, but, like the Squire's horse, her reins were strung with green bunting and bells and her white mane and tail were platted and tied with
green ribbons. At Ethan's side, free of any scabbard, hung a very eye catching, ornate and, it has to be said, extremely sharp looking longsword. It's gracefully curved hilt, shaped to sit perfectly in Ethan's hand, was bound in Prussian blue leather braided along it's length with fine gold wire, The crossguard and pommel were gleaming brass, but it was the heavily engraved, shimmering metal of the long narrow blade that really made the weapon stand out. The whole blade had been blued, giving it a finish resembling the dark rainbow colours seen when petrol is swirled over the surface of still water. The blade screamed out enchanted, and the lack of scabbard was clearly in order to show the blade off.

-o-

Both men remained in the saddle, Squire Crouch with his nose in the air whilst he waited silently for a footman to attend to him. After a brief debate, the smallest and scrawniest footman of all was ejected out of the line of footmen and in the Squire's direction. The poor unfortunate man was already trembling as he stumbled forward and lowered himself onto his hands and knees at the side of the Squire's horse and, as is the tradition, offered himself as a step to aid the Squire's dismount. Everyone could see the inevitable outcome, and yet no one tried to stop the Squire from dismounting, and causing the struggling footman to slowly collapse flat to the floor under the Squire's hefty weight. Feeling himself beginning to tilt and fall, the Squire grabbed hold of the nearest thing to hand in an attempt to save himself, thereby causing his horse to suddenly stagger sideways in answer to the sudden, heavy, yank on one side of it's reins. Whinnying and snorting, the horse tried to both rear up and skitter backwards in order to compensate for the substantial weight of the Squire, forcing a high pitched squeal out of the red faced man as his shoulder came close to being pulled out of it's socket. The sudden noise and activity in front of her nose startled the grey who, without more to do, turned and left at high speed with Ethan bouncing and rocking like a sprung toy on her back, having immediately lost his grip on the reins.

-o-

Never one's to turn away from an opportunity sent by the Great Author himself, the Munchkin guard decided it was, once more, their honour bound duty to launch themselves gleefully to the "rescue".

-o-

It was a bit like watching a prime slab of steak that sat directly in the path of a swarm of very hungry, and determined, ants. The guards climbed up, over and around Crouch and his now panicking beast, all shouting out pointless and unhelpful instructions excitedly to one another above the Squire's own screams for help and his desperate pleas for someone to Gerremmoff!

"Footrott, yous gotta grabs the dilly dangalsess bits!"

"I'll gets the wee ribbonsess to a safes place inf'n yous'll twists yon tail."

"Bends 'is arms rounds 'ere, we'll git more flappen."

"Naa then y'old nags, stops wi thee bouncin', else I's upchuckin' on ye!" "

Sombody oo's s'not me, grabsess 'man's neck hanky 'n gi' it un waff, that'll sees stuff reet!"

"Oo'ere's knowings ow tae steer?"

Paaarrrrrp!
Ooo er,! I's mighty sorrys sirs, better outs th'n ins, eh? Eee sirs, nae needs fer tears, t'stink'll not kills thee. Wot if'n I gits downs off'n yer 'ead sirs?Woulds ye likes that...?

Paaarrrrrruupp!
...Whoops! S'too lates...Oh 'eck Sirs! Yer skin's dun gonn same green as thee trewsis!"

Purely out of concern for their flattened comrade, the other footmen finally broke ranks and rushed to rescue both him and the sickly looking Squire from the would be rescuers. The rainbow clothed Magenta Mage watched everything play out in open mouthed shock, whilst his Aunt clenched her hands into fists, her face white with fury. About to order the official castle guard to sort things out, her orders were drowned out by a sudden metallic clashing and clattering noise accompanied by the screams of various maids and two male voices yelling Shifts. Moves. Comin' threws! Grouttheways! Turning, her eyes widened at the sight of two Munchkins, one waving a ladle and another holding aloft a frying pan, sledging at high speed noisily down the main staircase on a large metal serving dish. Lowering her head a fraction and glaring at the oncoming bespoke vehicle, she flung out one arm and snarled Stop! Seeing they were heading towards trouble, the Munchkins threw themselves off the tray, one going left the other going right, a fraction of a second before the wayward serving dish ground to an abrupt halt, two thirds of the way down the magnificent staircase.

"Guards! Bring that pair to me!"

-o-

"My Lord and Mistress, I present to you, Squire Crouch."

The Aunt rolled her eyes as the Usher announced the first guest who had finally staggered into the castle, his pint sized rescuers having mysteriously melted away. The Aunt thumped her nephew on the arm.

"Idiot! Go greet him then get him taken out of the way into the Summer...? Oh, maggotssin apples, give me strength! It's the Beckonins and the Cardashibums arriving at the same time! Make sure the footmen service both carriages at the same time, one of them must not be allowed to feel they are favoured above the other, I want them both fighting for our favour. Go on with you! Forget Crouch, let him..."

The Aunt stopped in mid sentence, her eyes widening in horror as she stared out through the open castle doors at the sight of twin ornate carriages, each harnessed to four horses, coming to a halt at the bottom of the steps leading up to the entrance. Both sets of drivers and occupants were totally unaware that careering towards them, on a collision course with the horses attached to the rear carriage, was a panicked, confused and riderless, grey horse.

-o-

With no time to explain, the Aunt barged her nephew out of her way, uncaring of how undignified he looked suddenly staggering backwards with both arms stretched out and wind-milling madly as he fought to stop himself falling, and moved swiftly to position her self in line with the centre of the entranceway. Lifting both arms up to frame the events unfolding before her, with her eyes closed and frowning with sheer effort, she threw her head back and in a voice way more powerful than one would believe the woman was able to produce, she commanded,

Fi la fel de gheaţă!

-oOo-