Wills were drawn up for Dave and Dorothy. Custody papers, just in case, were made to Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion so that no one could dispute them taking Rosaria into their care. It was made clear that Alyssa was to take over the throne of the Rose Kingdom.
Now that Rosaria's future was set, Dorothy knew what was coming...
...One night, Dorothy was sitting in the living room. It had a large marble fire place, blue and gold wall paper, and high arched ceilings. The room was beautifully furnished, and the lights were turned out so that the baby could sleep. The soothing glow of the fireplace softly lit the room.
Dorothy sat in a rocking chair with Rosaria in her arms, and Dave sat at a desk in the corner, about ten feet away, reading a book.
Dorothy hummed a soft lullaby to Rosaria.
Suddenly, Dorothy's eyes began to glow, and the visions came back to her.
"Oh God!" she said under her breath. "David, it's time."
He cocked an eyebrow, and Dorothy ran to his side, Rosaria still in her arms.
The doors to the living room burst open, and dead soldiers fell in a heap on the floor. Dorothy gasped as blood began cascading in a puddle on the floor. A laugh was heard, and in walked Autumn McQue.
"The tables have turned Dorothy." Autumn cackled.
Dave looked at Dorothy, and seeing his wife's fear, immediately took action.
"It's a shame I have to fight you Autumn. I don't want to kill you." said Dave.
He stood slowly and unsheathed his sword.
"You're puny knife will do nothing against me. Remember, I was trained at the top school for sorcery in all of Oz!" Autumn replied.
Autumn then pulled out a glowing, black sword from thin air. Dave, determined to protect his wife and daughter, courageously charged forward.
They fought hard, both Autumn and Dave refusing to give up. The sounds of the clashing swords made Dorothy's heart bleed.
Dorothy sat behind the desk, watching in silence, holding Rosaria close to her. The child didn't make a sound. Dorothy took this opportunity, and slipped the ruby and gold cross onto Rosaria's neck, and then put the two notes she had written in Rosaria's dress.
"I love you baby!" she whispered.
Dorothy laid Rosaria gently down on the chair, (making certain she would not fall) kissed her daughter on the forehead for the last time, and left to meet her fate.
Autumn had Dave on the ground, her sword to his neck. Dorothy ran and kicked Autumn hard in the side, making her fall to the ground in pain.
Autumn struggled back to her feet, out of breath. Dorothy stood in front of her husband, who was wounded on the ground. Autumn was about to strike Dorothy when she said,
"Go ahead Autumn, kill the one friend you know will never betray you!"
Autumn stopped dead in her tracks.
"You know I have to Dorothy! I cannot allow you to live, or everything I have planned will die."
"Is it worth it Autumn?" Dorothy asked, tears forming in her eyes. "Is it worth it?"
Autumn's eyes softened a bit, but then began to glow a red color. She said as if in a trance,
"Dorothy, fetch your child and bring her here."
Dorothy did as told, shaking with fear.
Dave stood, and held Dorothy and Rosaria close. Just as Autumn shot black energy at them, the power of the Rose took effect, and golden wings spread from Dorothy's back.
The pain was excruciating! Dorothy did not have enough power to protect herself, Dave, and Rosaria, so she was careful to cover her daughter at all costs.
They screamed in pain, and guards from the halls attempted to rescue them, but to no avail. With her other hand, Autumn killed them all before they even had a chance.
Dave held tight to his beloved wife, taking away whatever pain he could from her limp little body. When they could take no more, Dave and Dorothy fell to the ground.
It was as if everything was in slow motion. Dorothy held tightly to Rosaria and Dave, but it wasn't enough. When Dorothy landed on the ground, her head landed on Dave's chest, and Rosaria slipped from her grasp. The child's spine crashed upon the wood floor.
Rosaria let out gentle cries, as if she understood everything around her.
Autumn, shocked and horrified at what she'd done to her best friends in the world, ran to the West, where she would begin a new reign of terror.
Dave and Dorothy struggled to breathe. He put his hand on his wife's head, and held her close to him, making sure they'd be together in these, their last moments on earth together.
"Dorothy," Dave choked out. "I love you so much!"
Dorothy gasped for air.
"I...I love you too David...so much I love you!"
Together they slipped from life, leaving nothing but little Rosaria under Dorothy's wing, which changed from gold to white as the power in her body died away...
...An hour later, a correspondence was received by the Wizard in the Emerald City. When he read it, everything began to spin. The little girl he'd watched grow up, and had thought of as his own daughter, was dead. How could this be? The Dorothy they knew was always invincible.
The Wizard called Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion to the conference room.
"Why are you calling upon us so late?" asked Tin Man.
The Wizard said nothing, he didn't have the heart. With tears slipping slowly down his cheeks, he simply handed Scarecrow the letter. He read aloud:
There has been an attack on the Rose Kingdom. King David and queen Dorothy Callo were found dead, princess Rosaria severely injured. The princess is being examined carefully, it is believed that the child fell in the arms of her mother, and the princess' back hit the floor, causing severe damage to her spine. It is not clear if princess Rosaria will ever walk. Two notes were found with the child, one is addressed to Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion. Please come immediately to claim the letter.
In shock, they did not know what to make of it. Crying seemed to be the first instinct, but now they would need to be strong for Rosaria's sake! Immediately, they went to the Rose Kingdom.
There sat the girls, all crying, trying desperately to help poor Alyssa, who sat in a chair in the parlor in which her brother and sister-in-law were murdered.
When Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion walked in, Alyssa looked up at them. She held her arms, rocking back and forth, and said through her sobs,
"Autumn killed them."
"Autumn McQue? Where is she now?" asked Scarecrow, who fought desperately to keep a level head in the midst of all this sorrow.
Hope shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"She ran away to the West, she's hiding somewhere out there. She killed every guard in her path on the way. She'll enslave the poor Winkies again. This is all my fault, if only I'd gone to prison and taken my punishment, Autumn wouldn't have taken out her anger on Dorothy and Dave."
Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion looked over at the bodies, which had not yet been moved. Lion walked over and knelt down next to Dorothy.
She and her husband looked as if they were merely sleeping. Dorothy's cheeks were still rosy, and Dave held her gently, as if helping her slip into a peaceful slumber with him.
A tear slipped from Lion's eye.
"Don't go Dorothy!" he whispered. "Please don't go!"
...Rosaria was examined, and the results were horrific. It was said that she would never walk.
Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, were given the letter Dorothy left for them. It said:
Dearest Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion,
Only you I trust to tell this to. I know of my fate, that I shall perish along with David. I know that I shall leave my daughter at a tender age. I ask that you take her in until she is old enough to rule over the Rose Kingdom. Until then, it is my wish that Alyssa takes control of the throne. Glinda, who informed me of all of this, promised to inform my family in Kansas of our deaths. Now, there is a secret you must always keep. The power of the Rose and the power of the ruby slippers I have combined in a necklace that Rosaria is wearing. Make certain that this necklace stays with my daughter at all times. Dear friends, I want you to raise our little girl, I know it is best. There is another note that I left with Rosaria, it is for her to read when she's older. Please do not open it, let her read it. That note is the only time Rosaria will ever hear words from her mother, so make sure she gets it when she is ready for it. Autumn is the murderer, and she will flee to the West and become the next Wicked Witch of Oz, which is why it is so crucial that the secret of that necklace stays hidden. If she gets her hands on that necklace, Oz is doomed! It is just as it was years ago when the Wicked Witch of the West was after the ruby slippers, and the same cautionary measures must be taken. Be sure to hide or destroy this letter after you are done reading it, it is key that Autumn does not find out about the power I have bestowed upon my daughter. Because Rosaria is not of pure Castine blood, now that I am gone, the power of the Rose will not be with her unless she is wearing that necklace, so be careful with it. I love you all so much. Give my love to the girls, and my deepest condolences to Alyssa.
Love Always,
Dorothy
"What are we to do?" asked Tin Man, a tear slipping down his face. "Dorothy is the reason we're even in the Emerald City. What will we do without her?"
Lion grabbed the oil can and when Tin Man was back in shape, Lion said,
"We're going to take care of Rosaria, aren't we?"
"Of course Lion." said Scarecrow. "That's what Dorothy wanted. Besides, I love Rosaria just as much as I love Dorothy, and I'll watch over her no matter what, and I know you'll do the same."
They nodded. The three of them simultaneously looked over at the bodies of the two lovers.
They looked so peaceful...
...Glinda knew immediately what had happened, and decided that she would go to Kansas the next morning. When she looked around at the farm, Glinda knew why Dorothy had held it so dear. A man was sitting on the porch, and he ran to greet Glinda.
Hunk knew who she was, he'd met her at Dorothy's wedding.
"It's wonderful to see you Miss Glinda, but why are you here?" she asked.
Glinda looked down. She gently put a hand on Hunk's shoulder.
"Dorothy and David were...they were...were...murdered, last night. I'm so sorry."
Hunk ran his hands through his hair, closing his eyes tightly, and struggled to hold back tears.
"Thank you for the information." he choked out, but a tear fell in spite of him.
He couldn't help himself, the tears were uncontrollable and painful.
"I request that you come with me for the funeral service which is to be held tomorrow."
Hunk nodded.
"We have to go tell the others." he said drying his tears.
They walked back to the farm house to speak of the tragic news.
...Dorothy and David said in their wills that they would want to be cremated together and spread over the Rose River, which resided in the vast gardens of the Rose Kingdom.
On the day of the funeral, the sun was shining as if Dorothy herself were there. After the prayers had been said, Amber stood. Now Amber was an Oz-wide singing sensation. Thousands of people from all over Oz came to the funeral, mourning the loss of Dorothy and Dave.
So many people had loved that little girl they always knew as Dorothy Gale, the savior and goddess of Oz. There wasn't a single Munchkin that wasn't there that day.
Amber spoke these words:
"I loved Dorothy and David. They are family to me and all the rest of our friends that went to school with us, and even many that didn't. Life wouldn't have been the same without them. Over the last ten years or so, we have grown together, and gone through some of our roughest times with Dorothy and David's support."
Amber was desperately hanging on to what little composure she kept. She cleared her throat and then continued.
"We were all devastated when we heard the news of their deaths. It came as a shock to all. I wrote a song for them, and I'd like to sing it to you now as the ashes of our beloved friends are released. I entitled this song Fly."
Alyssa was escorted by Hope and Ariel to retrieve the urn which held her beloved brother and sister-in-law. Hope and Ariel stood on either side of Alyssa as they walked up the path to the bridge which went over the Rose River.
Violins began to play the sweet melody, and Amber's smooth voice began to sing softly.
Fly, fly little wing Fly beyond imagining The softest cloud, the whitest dove Upon the wind of heaven's love Past the planets and the stars Leave this lonely world of ours Escape the sorrow and the pain And fly again...
Amber became slightly louder.
Fly, fly precious one Your endless journey has begun Take your gentle happiness Far too beautiful for this Cross over to the other shore There is peace forevermore But hold this memory bittersweet Until we meet...
Now the violins became significantly louder, and Amber's voice along with it. The song also became an octave higher.
Fly, fly do not fear Don't waist a breath, don't shed a tear Your heart is pure, your soul is free Be on your way, don't wait for me Above the universe you'll climb On beyond the hands of time The moon will rise, the sun will set But I won't forget...
Now Alyssa reached the bridge, and Hope and Ariel waited at the bottom as she went up and stopped at the center. Amber went into the high soprano range and began singing:
Oooooooo!
Tears slipped from the singer's eyes, but her voice stayed clear.
Alyssa opened the urn, the ashes of Dorothy and Dave were caught by the wind, and carried over the Rose River.
"Goodbye dear ones!" she whispered as tears flooded her eyes again.
After Alyssa began walking back, the last verse of the song began. Amber's voice now cracked, and she didn't even bother holding any tears back.
Fly, fly little wing Fly where only angels sing Fly away, the time is right Go now, find the light...
...The sobs of the crowd could be heard for miles...
Well, that is the last chapter of Act 1 of Awakening: A Wizard of Oz Continuation. I hope you have enjoyed it so far. I know it's sad, but I think it's important to remind readers that Dorothy is a human being like the rest of us, just with some extraordinary abilities. Now the second stage begins. E-mail me at or write a review for the story. I love hearing your feedback, it helps me to write better. I used Celine Dion's song "Fly" for this chapter, the one that Amber sings. If you listen to it as you read, I swear you'll cry! It's on her Falling Into You album, the last song (#14 on the cd) and it's beautiful. I hope you already have the cd, if you don't, go get it...it's her best work! Hold tight, more is coming soon.
Tori