Things went exactly the way Glinda said they would. It was eerie how fast the months were coming and going.
Nine months went by. Dorothy, oddly enough, didn't gain a lot of weight during her pregnancy, and she still maintained her beauty.
She had not yet given birth on that day...the day the final stage of her destiny would unfold.
Dorothy was sitting at her desk in the royal study of the Rose Palace. Suddenly, Dave came rushing in the room, kissed her, and then said,
"We have a problem sweetheart!"
"David darling, what's the matter?"
"Autumn's parents were killed. She went into a fit, and she took a bunch of the company's crew with her to the Quadling marshes! She says she's going to find the murderers, and she swears on their souls that she will stop the Quadling uprising. Hope is among the suspects! The girls tried to get Autumn under control, but they could say nothing to calm her."
"And so the darkness awakens." said Dorothy softly.
"What?"
"Nothing. I will go to the marshes to speak to her. Maybe I can also get the murderers to confess, then at least I can do something to help Hope."
"I won't allow you to go alone. I'd go with you, but I must do my monthly inspection of the city. I'll send five soldiers with you."
"Why waste the use of five soldiers on me? I will bring ten soldiers with me to the marshes, but they will be there for the specific purpose of guarding the Quadling people."
Dorothy summoned her secretary.
"Yes your highness? What may I do for you?"
"Send a messenger to the Emerald Palace please. Make sure the messenger gives this to the Wizard."
Dorothy handed Francesca a scroll that she had quickly scribbled something on.
"Tell whomever you send that it's urgent, and they should go without delay. Give them my stallion, for it is the fastest."
"It shall be done promptly your highness."
The little woman scurried out of the office.
Dorothy was embraced by her husband.
"Oh Dave, the last thing I want to do is go into a war with the Ozian Power Company."
"I know Dorothy. I feel the same." Dave replied. "But I suppose everything has a purpose. There must be some reason why all of this is happening."
Dorothy nodded, and lifted her head from Dave's chest. Still in Dave's arms, Dorothy looked up at him. He smiled, and they shared a kiss. When they parted, he whispered softly, tears in his eyes,
"Be careful, my love."
...Dorothy gathered ten of the best soldiers together and gave them instructions.
"Listen up!" she said. "I will handle negotiations with Ms. McQue. Your assignment will be to guard the people in village. Any questions?"
The soldiers exchanged worried looks.
"Please gentlemen, if you have a question, don't hesitate to come forward with them."
"Your majesty?" asked one of the men. "What about the security plans concerning you?"
"Don't worry about me." Dorothy replied. "I'll be busy with Autumn and the rebels. You just worry about the security of those people. I won't have one single civilian death, is that understood?"
They nodded.
"Then let's be on our way!"
The message reached the Emerald City a half an hour after the departure of the carrier. They were in the royal chamber discussing business when the correspondence was handed to the guard.
A guard knocked on the door of the chamber, and the Wizard said,
"Enter!"
The guard handed the scroll to the Wizard.
"It's an urgent message from the Rose Kingdom. The messenger said it is of paramount importance and should be taken care of immediately."
Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion exchanged glances.
"Very well." said the Wizard. "It shall be done immediately. Thank you!"
The scroll was opened. The Wizard read it aloud. It said:
Dearest friends,
I cannot express the importance of this correspondence. The Quadling Kells are under attack by Autumn McQue and the Ozian Power Company. Autumn's parents were murdered this morning by Quadling rebels. Our beloved friend, Hope Ackerlin, is among the suspects. I only pray that I can negotiate with Autumn. I'm on my way now with ten Rose Kingdom soldiers to the Quadling Kells. I ask your immediate military support! There is only so much eleven beings can do in a situation like this. I cannot afford to leave my people unprotected at a time like this, so I cannot spare any more soldiers from the city. My husband is at the moment detained, my soldiers and I are on our own. If the people become unreasonable, or too rowdy, it could result in civilian deaths, and the deaths and injuries of my soldiers. Please send help!
Dorothy
"We'd better hurry!" said Tin Man.
Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, and fifty Emerald City soldiers went immediately to the Quadling Kells.
When they reached their destination, what they saw, was a truly horrific site!
"Autumn, listen to me." Dorothy said in a soft voice.
Autumn stood before Dorothy with a knife to a Quadling's neck, crying hysterically.
"That woman has done nothing to you! Your parents' murderers have been arrested and taken to prison. They have been given the sentence of death for their crime. Slitting the throats of the innocent will help no one!"
"Why should I allow more of them to reproduce so they can go on to kill me? My own friend has betrayed me!" Autumn screamed.
"Autumn, put the knife down. Let her go! It will not bring them back!"
Autumn then dropped the knife and fell to her knees. Soldiers immediately grabbed the knife and secured Autumn.
Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion ran instantly to Dorothy's side. They embraced her and looked her over.
"Are you ok Dorothy?" asked Lion.
"Yes, I am all right, thanks to you!"
"Are you sure? Perhaps you should be examined by a doctor, just to make sure everything is truly all right."
"I'm fine, really! Everything is all right now."
"Dorothy?" asked Lion. "Is it true about Hope? Is she going to die?"
"No Lion. I've negotiated with the Quadlings and Hope. She is going to be released along with five others. The rest of them I am sure would attack again. They are on strict probation, and if they slip up or are charged with another serious crime, they will spend the rest of their lives in prison. As for the other four people involved in this heinous crime, I'm afraid we are too late to help them. They are completely unstable, and must be stopped before they hurt anyone else, or themselves for that matter."
...Dave had just come home from the inspection when he was immediately called down to the conference room.
Autumn sat in a chair, a blank look on her face, mascara dripping slowly down her face. Dave took a seat across from her. She was the first one to speak.
"I want to watch Hope's execution. I want to see her suffer badly for what she has done."
Dave looked at his hands.
"Hope will not be executed."
Autumn's face shot up and looked directly at his.
"What do you mean? She murdered my parents! She must die!"
"Dorothy didn't have the heart to speak to you just yet. She sent me down here to inform you of what's going to be done. In truth, Hope had very little to do with the murders of your mother and father. She was with them, however, when they planned it, and didn't inform the police in time. A report was filed by Hope and the other five people who didn't want to be a part of it, but by then it was too late. The murderers' plans were already in action."
"LIES!" Autumn screamed. "IT'S ALL LIES! I can see the stains of blood on Hope's hands! You are saying this only to protect her!"
"No Autumn, I would not lie to you. Hope has done nothing to warrant the punishment of death."
"If you speak nothing but truth to me, then inform me of this: what is going to be done about the other four people who DID kill my mother and father?"
"They will be publicly executed."
"In what form?"
"They will be hanged."
Autumn grinned and a chill went down Dave's spine.
"I love that idea. Making it public is a very good thing. It will let the people know not to mess with the Ozian Power Company or the McQue family."
"That's the other thing I had to discuss with you." Dave said, shaking off the chill as nothing. "The Rose Kingdom and Emerald City officials have collaborated and together, we have made a decision. We are shutting down the Ozian Power Company."
Autumn's eyes went wide.
"What? You can't do that David!"
"I'm afraid we must. You almost used your company to enslave the Quadling people, it's not safe to let the company live on."
"Oh I just made one mistake, it's nothing!"
"Your 'mistake' almost cost hundreds of lives."
"A minor detail that should be forgotten. Besides, Oz will have no power without my company."
"We have found that all of the major cities have enough power in them for the entire land of Oz. We're going to put all of Oz on the same power grids as the Emerald City, the Rose Kingdom, and Gillikin."
"How can this be?" Autumn asked, her eyes wide.
"I know this is a difficult time for you." said Dave. "That is why we have decided that it would be best to make sure you go to therapy for the time being. Nothing in your daily routine will change, you'll just talk to the doctor once a day."
"I won't." Autumn said quietly.
"I'm afraid you have no say in the matter Autumn." he said as he put her hand on Autumn's shoulder. "Dorothy and I are so sorry for your loss."
Dave walked out of the conference room in silence.
"I have no say, your highness?" Autumn said under her breath.
She started to cackle and cry, two guards took her to a secured room where she spent the rest of the week.
...One week had passed, and it was the day of the execution of the four criminals who killed the McQues.
Autumn sat in the first row, escorted by two guards. She sat there smirking, not saying a word. Dorothy could see that Autumn was losing her mind.
The Autumn that would kill her was clearly not the girl Dorothy spent the greater part of her adolescent years with. This was not the girl who laughed with Dorothy into the night at school, and loved to play games with the girls. No, this was a different person altogether.
Dorothy stood at the front of the crowd as the ropes were put around the necks of the four Quadling criminals.
"These people behind me have been convicted of the murders of Trent and Sophia McQue. They shall pay with their lives. Let it be known that the Rose Kingdom will not tolerate such horrible behavior, and anyone who does the same, whomever they may be, will suffer the same fate."
Dorothy sat, and the one-hundred or so people in the crowd watched.
One by one, the floors beneath the criminals dropped out and the ropes caught their necks. They died immediately. Autumn looked over at Dorothy and said,
"They deserve to suffer more than this."
Dorothy ignored the remark, but could not ignore what the fourth criminal said before he was executed.
"We'll see you in hell, Autumn McQue!"
The floor dropped out, and the fourth person died. Dorothy assumed that no one else had heard, for no one acknowledged it. A tear fell from her eyes, and Dave put a supportive arm around her.
"What is it Dorothy?" Dave asked.
His wife looked up at him.
"May God have mercy on her."
An intense pain ran throughout Dorothy's body.
"Oh my God!" she said. "David, the baby is coming!"
Dorothy's husband and friends immediately got her to the hospital, where she gave birth to a beautiful, healthy, baby girl late on the eve of December 30th, just as Glinda had predicted.
Just as Dorothy had been, the new princess was born wrapped in golden angel's wings. She didn't cry when she was born, just looked around at the world, and smiled innocently, gaining the love and affection of every nurse, doctor, and of course, that of her parents the minute they saw her.
The baby girl was named Rosaria Antonia Castine Callo, heir to the throne of the Rose Kingdom.
Two nights after the birth, Dorothy felt well enough to go to Kansas to share the news and introduce the new baby to Hunk, Hickory, and Zeke. Dave couldn't go with her due to the McQue problem, for that morning, Autumn had gone missing. He and several guards searched frantically for the escaped woman.
Dorothy took the ruby slippers into her hands.
'This is the last time I should use these before I change their form.' she thought.
Dorothy took her sweet angel into her hands, and immediately Rosaria giggled. Dorothy smiled and kissed her daughter's small hand.
"I love you Rosaria. I love you so much."
Dorothy clicked the heals of the ruby slippers together three times, and said,
"There's no place like home!"
Dorothy's feet touched the ground a moment later. She looked down at Rosaria, who seemed unaffected by the trip, and said to her quietly,
"This is where I grew up."
Dorothy looked around. The farm was obviously still prospering, even in the winter months.
Though there was a bit of snow on the ground, Dorothy guessed it was a mild winter thus far, for the sun was warm on her face, and the livestock looked quite healthy. Zeke was feeding the horses, and the other two were out of Dorothy's plain sight.
Zeke looked up from his work when he saw a woman walking toward him. She had her head down, she was holding something wrapped in beautiful white blankets, obviously something precious. She was wearing flowing white robes and a white and gold gown underneath them.
The woman looked up, and Dorothy's smiling face was revealed!
Zeke dropped his work immediately and ran out to greet Dorothy. He hugged her and kissed her, and then escorted her to the house. He did not yet notice that it was a baby tucked in the blanket she held.
Hunk and Hickory were also thrilled to see her. They sat her down at the table and gave her some bacon and eggs.
"A pregnant woman's got to eat right." said Hunk. "You're Aunt Em used to say, 'When you're eating for two, eat like a pig!'."
"Well," said Dorothy with a glowing grin on her face. "I'm a pregnant woman no longer."
Hunk, Hickory and Zeke all simultaneously cocked their eyebrows. Dorothy giggled, and then lifted the blanket to the table. She unwrapped it, and there lay Rosaria.
They congratulated her with proud smiles! They held Rosaria, and looked upon her with more love than they had since Dorothy was a child.
"Dorothy, I think there's something wrong with her." said Hickory pointing to Rosaria's glowing rose on her forehead. "I don't believe that's normal."
Dorothy laughed.
"Hickory, for us it's normal." Dorothy closed her eyes and allowed the rose to appear on her forehead as well. "It comes from the fact that both Rosaria and I originate from Castine blood, and so we carry with us every day the power of the Rose."
"She's absolutely beautiful Dorothy." said Hunk. "Just like her mother."
Dorothy smiled and each of her friends kissed her cheek.
"Boy Dorothy," said Hickory. "You're just full of surprises these days! You know, we're all heading towards our fortieth year, we're becoming old men. We can't handle too many of these surprises."
"Speak for yourself!" said Zeke. "I'm as healthy as a horse."
Zeke attempted to make a muscle, which didn't result in much. Dorothy giggled to herself.
...Dorothy arrived back in Oz at about six o' clock.
'It's time.' she thought.
Dorothy put Rosaria to sleep. She said a prayer, and then clicked the heels of the ruby slippers three times.
After an abundance of glowing, the slippers left her feet, and she felt a heavy object appear in her hands. Dorothy looked down to see a necklace in her hands.
It was made of rubies, with a silver lining on it. It had a large piece of yellow gold in the center, where the power of the Rose was kept. Because Rosaria was not of pure Castine blood, the power of the Rose would not be completely instilled in her body until she was older, so the necklace would make it possible for Rosaria to have it all the time. The rest of the necklace was made of rubies, where the powers of the ruby slippers resided.
Now that this was taken care of, Dorothy had some work to do.
That night, she sat up as her husband slept. She wrote two letters. One to Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, and then one to Rosaria. Glinda had only told her to write one letter. '
But,' Dorothy thought. 'I refuse to leave my daughter without allowing her to hear something from me. I won't leave her without something to remember David and I by.'
She kissed the letters, and then sprayed a little of her perfume on the letter to Rosaria.
'Since you won't remember how I smelled,' she thought. 'I'll give you a little for later.'
Pictures would be all Rosaria would have of Dave and Dorothy, her parents, the people who brought her into the world, and most of all and definitely most importantly, the ones who loved her more than anyone ever could.
'I now realize, I had no idea what love was until I had you, dear Rosaria! Though I love Dave with all my being, a person's heart is never completely in love until they feel the love for their child. This is the greatest gift that God has ever given me!' Dorothy thought.
...A tear fell...
Well, that's the next chapter. Is it absolutely eating you up inside what's going to happen next? There's going to be a surprise twist, so keep reading! E-mails and reviews people!
Tori
Nine months went by. Dorothy, oddly enough, didn't gain a lot of weight during her pregnancy, and she still maintained her beauty.
She had not yet given birth on that day...the day the final stage of her destiny would unfold.
Dorothy was sitting at her desk in the royal study of the Rose Palace. Suddenly, Dave came rushing in the room, kissed her, and then said,
"We have a problem sweetheart!"
"David darling, what's the matter?"
"Autumn's parents were killed. She went into a fit, and she took a bunch of the company's crew with her to the Quadling marshes! She says she's going to find the murderers, and she swears on their souls that she will stop the Quadling uprising. Hope is among the suspects! The girls tried to get Autumn under control, but they could say nothing to calm her."
"And so the darkness awakens." said Dorothy softly.
"What?"
"Nothing. I will go to the marshes to speak to her. Maybe I can also get the murderers to confess, then at least I can do something to help Hope."
"I won't allow you to go alone. I'd go with you, but I must do my monthly inspection of the city. I'll send five soldiers with you."
"Why waste the use of five soldiers on me? I will bring ten soldiers with me to the marshes, but they will be there for the specific purpose of guarding the Quadling people."
Dorothy summoned her secretary.
"Yes your highness? What may I do for you?"
"Send a messenger to the Emerald Palace please. Make sure the messenger gives this to the Wizard."
Dorothy handed Francesca a scroll that she had quickly scribbled something on.
"Tell whomever you send that it's urgent, and they should go without delay. Give them my stallion, for it is the fastest."
"It shall be done promptly your highness."
The little woman scurried out of the office.
Dorothy was embraced by her husband.
"Oh Dave, the last thing I want to do is go into a war with the Ozian Power Company."
"I know Dorothy. I feel the same." Dave replied. "But I suppose everything has a purpose. There must be some reason why all of this is happening."
Dorothy nodded, and lifted her head from Dave's chest. Still in Dave's arms, Dorothy looked up at him. He smiled, and they shared a kiss. When they parted, he whispered softly, tears in his eyes,
"Be careful, my love."
...Dorothy gathered ten of the best soldiers together and gave them instructions.
"Listen up!" she said. "I will handle negotiations with Ms. McQue. Your assignment will be to guard the people in village. Any questions?"
The soldiers exchanged worried looks.
"Please gentlemen, if you have a question, don't hesitate to come forward with them."
"Your majesty?" asked one of the men. "What about the security plans concerning you?"
"Don't worry about me." Dorothy replied. "I'll be busy with Autumn and the rebels. You just worry about the security of those people. I won't have one single civilian death, is that understood?"
They nodded.
"Then let's be on our way!"
The message reached the Emerald City a half an hour after the departure of the carrier. They were in the royal chamber discussing business when the correspondence was handed to the guard.
A guard knocked on the door of the chamber, and the Wizard said,
"Enter!"
The guard handed the scroll to the Wizard.
"It's an urgent message from the Rose Kingdom. The messenger said it is of paramount importance and should be taken care of immediately."
Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion exchanged glances.
"Very well." said the Wizard. "It shall be done immediately. Thank you!"
The scroll was opened. The Wizard read it aloud. It said:
Dearest friends,
I cannot express the importance of this correspondence. The Quadling Kells are under attack by Autumn McQue and the Ozian Power Company. Autumn's parents were murdered this morning by Quadling rebels. Our beloved friend, Hope Ackerlin, is among the suspects. I only pray that I can negotiate with Autumn. I'm on my way now with ten Rose Kingdom soldiers to the Quadling Kells. I ask your immediate military support! There is only so much eleven beings can do in a situation like this. I cannot afford to leave my people unprotected at a time like this, so I cannot spare any more soldiers from the city. My husband is at the moment detained, my soldiers and I are on our own. If the people become unreasonable, or too rowdy, it could result in civilian deaths, and the deaths and injuries of my soldiers. Please send help!
Dorothy
"We'd better hurry!" said Tin Man.
Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, and fifty Emerald City soldiers went immediately to the Quadling Kells.
When they reached their destination, what they saw, was a truly horrific site!
"Autumn, listen to me." Dorothy said in a soft voice.
Autumn stood before Dorothy with a knife to a Quadling's neck, crying hysterically.
"That woman has done nothing to you! Your parents' murderers have been arrested and taken to prison. They have been given the sentence of death for their crime. Slitting the throats of the innocent will help no one!"
"Why should I allow more of them to reproduce so they can go on to kill me? My own friend has betrayed me!" Autumn screamed.
"Autumn, put the knife down. Let her go! It will not bring them back!"
Autumn then dropped the knife and fell to her knees. Soldiers immediately grabbed the knife and secured Autumn.
Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion ran instantly to Dorothy's side. They embraced her and looked her over.
"Are you ok Dorothy?" asked Lion.
"Yes, I am all right, thanks to you!"
"Are you sure? Perhaps you should be examined by a doctor, just to make sure everything is truly all right."
"I'm fine, really! Everything is all right now."
"Dorothy?" asked Lion. "Is it true about Hope? Is she going to die?"
"No Lion. I've negotiated with the Quadlings and Hope. She is going to be released along with five others. The rest of them I am sure would attack again. They are on strict probation, and if they slip up or are charged with another serious crime, they will spend the rest of their lives in prison. As for the other four people involved in this heinous crime, I'm afraid we are too late to help them. They are completely unstable, and must be stopped before they hurt anyone else, or themselves for that matter."
...Dave had just come home from the inspection when he was immediately called down to the conference room.
Autumn sat in a chair, a blank look on her face, mascara dripping slowly down her face. Dave took a seat across from her. She was the first one to speak.
"I want to watch Hope's execution. I want to see her suffer badly for what she has done."
Dave looked at his hands.
"Hope will not be executed."
Autumn's face shot up and looked directly at his.
"What do you mean? She murdered my parents! She must die!"
"Dorothy didn't have the heart to speak to you just yet. She sent me down here to inform you of what's going to be done. In truth, Hope had very little to do with the murders of your mother and father. She was with them, however, when they planned it, and didn't inform the police in time. A report was filed by Hope and the other five people who didn't want to be a part of it, but by then it was too late. The murderers' plans were already in action."
"LIES!" Autumn screamed. "IT'S ALL LIES! I can see the stains of blood on Hope's hands! You are saying this only to protect her!"
"No Autumn, I would not lie to you. Hope has done nothing to warrant the punishment of death."
"If you speak nothing but truth to me, then inform me of this: what is going to be done about the other four people who DID kill my mother and father?"
"They will be publicly executed."
"In what form?"
"They will be hanged."
Autumn grinned and a chill went down Dave's spine.
"I love that idea. Making it public is a very good thing. It will let the people know not to mess with the Ozian Power Company or the McQue family."
"That's the other thing I had to discuss with you." Dave said, shaking off the chill as nothing. "The Rose Kingdom and Emerald City officials have collaborated and together, we have made a decision. We are shutting down the Ozian Power Company."
Autumn's eyes went wide.
"What? You can't do that David!"
"I'm afraid we must. You almost used your company to enslave the Quadling people, it's not safe to let the company live on."
"Oh I just made one mistake, it's nothing!"
"Your 'mistake' almost cost hundreds of lives."
"A minor detail that should be forgotten. Besides, Oz will have no power without my company."
"We have found that all of the major cities have enough power in them for the entire land of Oz. We're going to put all of Oz on the same power grids as the Emerald City, the Rose Kingdom, and Gillikin."
"How can this be?" Autumn asked, her eyes wide.
"I know this is a difficult time for you." said Dave. "That is why we have decided that it would be best to make sure you go to therapy for the time being. Nothing in your daily routine will change, you'll just talk to the doctor once a day."
"I won't." Autumn said quietly.
"I'm afraid you have no say in the matter Autumn." he said as he put her hand on Autumn's shoulder. "Dorothy and I are so sorry for your loss."
Dave walked out of the conference room in silence.
"I have no say, your highness?" Autumn said under her breath.
She started to cackle and cry, two guards took her to a secured room where she spent the rest of the week.
...One week had passed, and it was the day of the execution of the four criminals who killed the McQues.
Autumn sat in the first row, escorted by two guards. She sat there smirking, not saying a word. Dorothy could see that Autumn was losing her mind.
The Autumn that would kill her was clearly not the girl Dorothy spent the greater part of her adolescent years with. This was not the girl who laughed with Dorothy into the night at school, and loved to play games with the girls. No, this was a different person altogether.
Dorothy stood at the front of the crowd as the ropes were put around the necks of the four Quadling criminals.
"These people behind me have been convicted of the murders of Trent and Sophia McQue. They shall pay with their lives. Let it be known that the Rose Kingdom will not tolerate such horrible behavior, and anyone who does the same, whomever they may be, will suffer the same fate."
Dorothy sat, and the one-hundred or so people in the crowd watched.
One by one, the floors beneath the criminals dropped out and the ropes caught their necks. They died immediately. Autumn looked over at Dorothy and said,
"They deserve to suffer more than this."
Dorothy ignored the remark, but could not ignore what the fourth criminal said before he was executed.
"We'll see you in hell, Autumn McQue!"
The floor dropped out, and the fourth person died. Dorothy assumed that no one else had heard, for no one acknowledged it. A tear fell from her eyes, and Dave put a supportive arm around her.
"What is it Dorothy?" Dave asked.
His wife looked up at him.
"May God have mercy on her."
An intense pain ran throughout Dorothy's body.
"Oh my God!" she said. "David, the baby is coming!"
Dorothy's husband and friends immediately got her to the hospital, where she gave birth to a beautiful, healthy, baby girl late on the eve of December 30th, just as Glinda had predicted.
Just as Dorothy had been, the new princess was born wrapped in golden angel's wings. She didn't cry when she was born, just looked around at the world, and smiled innocently, gaining the love and affection of every nurse, doctor, and of course, that of her parents the minute they saw her.
The baby girl was named Rosaria Antonia Castine Callo, heir to the throne of the Rose Kingdom.
Two nights after the birth, Dorothy felt well enough to go to Kansas to share the news and introduce the new baby to Hunk, Hickory, and Zeke. Dave couldn't go with her due to the McQue problem, for that morning, Autumn had gone missing. He and several guards searched frantically for the escaped woman.
Dorothy took the ruby slippers into her hands.
'This is the last time I should use these before I change their form.' she thought.
Dorothy took her sweet angel into her hands, and immediately Rosaria giggled. Dorothy smiled and kissed her daughter's small hand.
"I love you Rosaria. I love you so much."
Dorothy clicked the heals of the ruby slippers together three times, and said,
"There's no place like home!"
Dorothy's feet touched the ground a moment later. She looked down at Rosaria, who seemed unaffected by the trip, and said to her quietly,
"This is where I grew up."
Dorothy looked around. The farm was obviously still prospering, even in the winter months.
Though there was a bit of snow on the ground, Dorothy guessed it was a mild winter thus far, for the sun was warm on her face, and the livestock looked quite healthy. Zeke was feeding the horses, and the other two were out of Dorothy's plain sight.
Zeke looked up from his work when he saw a woman walking toward him. She had her head down, she was holding something wrapped in beautiful white blankets, obviously something precious. She was wearing flowing white robes and a white and gold gown underneath them.
The woman looked up, and Dorothy's smiling face was revealed!
Zeke dropped his work immediately and ran out to greet Dorothy. He hugged her and kissed her, and then escorted her to the house. He did not yet notice that it was a baby tucked in the blanket she held.
Hunk and Hickory were also thrilled to see her. They sat her down at the table and gave her some bacon and eggs.
"A pregnant woman's got to eat right." said Hunk. "You're Aunt Em used to say, 'When you're eating for two, eat like a pig!'."
"Well," said Dorothy with a glowing grin on her face. "I'm a pregnant woman no longer."
Hunk, Hickory and Zeke all simultaneously cocked their eyebrows. Dorothy giggled, and then lifted the blanket to the table. She unwrapped it, and there lay Rosaria.
They congratulated her with proud smiles! They held Rosaria, and looked upon her with more love than they had since Dorothy was a child.
"Dorothy, I think there's something wrong with her." said Hickory pointing to Rosaria's glowing rose on her forehead. "I don't believe that's normal."
Dorothy laughed.
"Hickory, for us it's normal." Dorothy closed her eyes and allowed the rose to appear on her forehead as well. "It comes from the fact that both Rosaria and I originate from Castine blood, and so we carry with us every day the power of the Rose."
"She's absolutely beautiful Dorothy." said Hunk. "Just like her mother."
Dorothy smiled and each of her friends kissed her cheek.
"Boy Dorothy," said Hickory. "You're just full of surprises these days! You know, we're all heading towards our fortieth year, we're becoming old men. We can't handle too many of these surprises."
"Speak for yourself!" said Zeke. "I'm as healthy as a horse."
Zeke attempted to make a muscle, which didn't result in much. Dorothy giggled to herself.
...Dorothy arrived back in Oz at about six o' clock.
'It's time.' she thought.
Dorothy put Rosaria to sleep. She said a prayer, and then clicked the heels of the ruby slippers three times.
After an abundance of glowing, the slippers left her feet, and she felt a heavy object appear in her hands. Dorothy looked down to see a necklace in her hands.
It was made of rubies, with a silver lining on it. It had a large piece of yellow gold in the center, where the power of the Rose was kept. Because Rosaria was not of pure Castine blood, the power of the Rose would not be completely instilled in her body until she was older, so the necklace would make it possible for Rosaria to have it all the time. The rest of the necklace was made of rubies, where the powers of the ruby slippers resided.
Now that this was taken care of, Dorothy had some work to do.
That night, she sat up as her husband slept. She wrote two letters. One to Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, and then one to Rosaria. Glinda had only told her to write one letter. '
But,' Dorothy thought. 'I refuse to leave my daughter without allowing her to hear something from me. I won't leave her without something to remember David and I by.'
She kissed the letters, and then sprayed a little of her perfume on the letter to Rosaria.
'Since you won't remember how I smelled,' she thought. 'I'll give you a little for later.'
Pictures would be all Rosaria would have of Dave and Dorothy, her parents, the people who brought her into the world, and most of all and definitely most importantly, the ones who loved her more than anyone ever could.
'I now realize, I had no idea what love was until I had you, dear Rosaria! Though I love Dave with all my being, a person's heart is never completely in love until they feel the love for their child. This is the greatest gift that God has ever given me!' Dorothy thought.
...A tear fell...
Well, that's the next chapter. Is it absolutely eating you up inside what's going to happen next? There's going to be a surprise twist, so keep reading! E-mails and reviews people!
Tori