Flashback 24
by SchammieLynn
I pretty much ran all the way home, bursting through the front door and slamming it behind me. I closed all the locks, iced it shut, then slid onto the floor. I knew it would make no difference whether or not Zelena could step through our front door, but it made me feel safer.
"Essie?" Oswin called, walking around the corner to see me shriveled up and shaking on the ground. "Essie are you alright?"
"They're dead," I gasped through broken sobs. "All of them."
"What?" Oswin wore a look of pure horror on her face.
"I went… I went into the forest… and Dorothy ran after me and Zalena trapped Dorothy in the orb and I ran to help but there was a force field and she killed Sawyer and Leo and then spared me and told me soon and I… I just…"
I cried and cried and I shook and I felt like blood was all over me even though I was perfectly fine.
It took Oswin a little while to respond, but he sat down on the ground next to me and wrapped me in his arms while I gasped for air.
"I'm a murderer..." I breathed, shuddering.
He stroked my hair and held me, doing everything in his power to make me feel better, "You aren't, Ess. I promise you aren't."
"They were Terrence's friends and I killed them. He's not going to forgive me… How can I forgive myself?"
"Elsa, breathe." He said harshly. "Breathe."
I could hardly get a grip on my breath as he eased me to my feet.
Although I was standing, I was relying heavily on him. I was more than weak in the knees. Without warning, I pushed him aside, my stomach churning, and vomited in a plant vase.
He walked forward, "Let's get you cleaned up, and you just relax. It's okay. Don't think about it. Just focus on me, and on my voice… That's it. Deep breaths."
Oswin walked me up the stairs, and you could see the thoughts churning behind his eyes, the decisions he had to make, the losses, everything.
After I was cleaned up and changed into one of my favorite comfortable dresses. We were back downstairs, sitting in the study. I was gripping the chair tightly.
"Elsa… I… I don't know how to tell you what I'm about to do."
"What do you mean?" My voice quivered and the chair was completely frosted over, as was 95% of the things I now owned.
"You can't stay here."
"Can't stay where? The palace? Are we going into hiding?"
He shook his head, "No. Oz."
"What?!" I cried out and jumped from the chair.
Oswin stood as well. "Essie this is the hardest thing I will ever do, but I love you too much to let you stay and watch Zelena torture you to your death by killing those around you, and then striking when you're weak. I'm protected the same way Glinda is. But you are not. I have to send you away."
"To who? Where? Oswin, you aren't making sense. I wouldn't leave you here alone in my wildest dreams."
"The Enchanted Forest," he displayed a picture of a giant forest and several lost soldiers, one of them who resembled…
"Terrence!" I cried.
Another image popped up of a lovely woman with a tan riding jacket, smiling. Oswin began, "This is your birth mother. Make nice with her. I don't know what the circumstances were, but you've got a chance to find your real mother as well as Terence, please take it. Please just go and be safe."
"Terrence is fine there. He'll come home. And I don't want my birth mother." I hissed and blew snow through his image. "She gave me up. You and Aly…"
"Will always think of you as our daughter. But Aly is dead. And so will be most of the Emerald City. I have to stay and protect them as much as I can."
Both of us had tears in our eyes, and I was close to losing it for the third time that day.
"I can't leave you," I whimpered.
He cupped my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. "No matter what happens, I couldn't be prouder of you. I love you so much."
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight, "Please don't Oswin. Please. I can't leave. I can't."
As I was pleading, I didn't noticed my ring spinning out of control. He took a step back away from me at perfect timing, as I spiraled away from him, absolute pain and anguish contorted on his face.
"OSWIN. NO!" I cried, trying to reach out to him. "OSWIN!"
