After a few hours the road began to be rough, and the walking grew so difficult that the Glen often stumbled over the yellow bricks, which were here very uneven. Sometimes, indeed, they were broken or missing altogether, leaving holes. After awhile Juvia felt her stomach growl with hunger.
"Oh dear." She said. "It's been quite awhile since I've eaten."
She checked her basket for food but found none.
"Not a bite to eat." She sighed and turned to Glen. "Are you getting hungry?"
"No. I don't need to eat, I'm made of straw but you're not. Probably should have brought along some corn from the field."
They came to a great forest, where the trees grew so big and close together that their branches met over the road of yellow brick.
"I'm sure there's something to eat in here." Glen suggested.
They started to look around the woods for anything edible. At first all they could find were trees, leaves, grass, and more trees but eventually they found a patch of forest where apple trees grew. Juvia had just plucked a bright red apple from one the trees when suddenly the branch she had picked it off smacked the apple from her hand.
"Ouch!" She cried.
"What do you think you're doing?" An angry voice from the tree demanded.
"We've been walking a long way and I was hungry and I... Did you just talk?" She asked amazed by the tree's ability to speak.
"She was hungry!" The tree mocked.
"She was hungry!" Another tree mocked.
"Well how would you like it if someone picked something off of you?"
"I beg your pardon it's just that trees don't really talk where I come from." Juvia said.
"That's no excuse! Why don't I pick off one of your hairs and see how you like it?!"
"Relax buddy she didn't mean any harm." Glen said. "Come on Juvia you don't want any of those apples, ick!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" The tree asked feeling insulted.
"Nothing except that she could get better apples from better trees."
"Are you hinting my apples aren't what they ought to be?"
"Oh no, it's just that she doesn't like little green worms."
"Oh you little!"
Juvia screamed as the tree started to pull on her hair and dress.
"Hey leave her alone!" Glen smacked the tree's branch arms and pushed Juvia away from them. "Are you alright?"
"Yes I'm fine."
"I'll show you how to get apples."
Glen stuck his tongue out at the trees and made a mocking face at them. Insulted and enraged, the trees started throwing apples at him.
"Ha! Suckers!" He laughed while gathering up as much fallen apples as he could carry. He then placed them inside Juvia's basket. "Here you go."
"Thank you. Some of those apples hit you in the head, did it hurt you?"
"Don't worry nothing can hurt me remember?"
Juvia smiled then noticed that one apple had rolled over to the side. She went to pick it up but stopped to see that it was next to a foot. A iron foot. Looking up she saw that the iron foot belonged to a man, a man made entirely of iron. His head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all. She noticed that he wore glasses and was holding an axe in his hand but what she found most interesting was that his face looked very much like her friend Gajeel.
"Glen take a look at this." She said.
"What is it?" He asked.
"It's a man. A man made of iron."
"Really? Huh." Glen looked at the iron man skeptically. Suddenly a deep groan came from the iron man.
"Did you say something?" She asked him.
The iron man made another groan but this time it sounded like a word.
"What's he saying?" Glen asked.
"I think he's saying oil can." She guessed.
"Oil can what?"
"I don't know what he means by that." She then saw a little oil can on a tree stump. "Oh he needs to be oiled."
She picked up the oil can.
"Where do you want it first?" She asked.
The iron man gave a groan.
"He said his mouth." Glen took the oil can from her and oiled the man's mouth. They heard a few creaks and wheezes at first then the iron man's mouth opened.
"I can talk again." He said. "Oh thank God. Quick oil my joints, my neck, my arms, please."
Juvia did just that and in a split second the arm holding the axe up came down.
"Does that hurt?" Juvia asked.
"No that feels wonderful. I've held that axe up for ages. I've been groaning for more than a year, and no one has ever heard me before or come to help me.
"Oh you poor thing. Who are you and how on earth did you get like this?"
"My name is Gazel and I used to be a regular man but about a year ago I fell in love with a beautiful munchkin girl named Lizzie. She, on her part, promised to marry me as soon as I could earn enough money to build a better house for her; so I set to work to build her one. But her mother didn't want her to marry me because she didn't think I was good enough for her so she went to the wicked witch of the east, and promised her two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage. The Witch then took out my heart and turned my entire body into cold, hard, iron so that I couldn't love Lizzie or anyone else again and to make matters worse she made it rain so I would rust and I've been that way ever since."
"That's terrible." Juvia said. "But what happened to Lizzie?"
"I don't know. I guess she's still waiting for me but how can I marry her when I don't have a heart to love her with anymore?"
"Can you get your heart back?"
"I gotta question how are you still living if you don't have a heart?" Glen asked.
"A talking scarecrow is asking how I'm still living without a heart?" Gazel retorted.
"Touche."
"Well you know who I am, who are you two?"
"I'm Juvia, that's Glen, and this my cat Frosch. We were going to see the wizard of Edolas because we think that he can get me back home and get him a brain." Juvia thought for a moment. "You know he might be able to help you get your heart back."
"Doubtful." Gazel said. "Not many people want to help me. He'd probably just tell me to leave."
"Oh he can't do that. He just can't. We've come such a long way already."
Just then Juvia heard the terrible laughter of Kyoka the wicked witch of the west. She quickly picked up Frosch and looked to see the evil woman standing on top of a house glaring down at her and her friends.
"You call that long?! Why you've just begun! Helping the little lady along are you my fine gentlemen? Well stay away from her!" She turned to Glen. "Or I'll stuff a mattress with you!"
Glen gulped nervously.
"And you!" She said turning toward Gazel. "I'll use you for a bee hive!"
"Uh...How are you supposed to make a bee hive out of iron?" Gazel asked.
"I have my ways!"
"Who are you anyway?" Glen asked.
"I am Kyoka the wicked witch of the west! And someone you should beware of!"
"You don't scare me you old hag!"
"Oh I don't do I?" She made a fireball in her hand. "Here scarecrow, wanna play ball?!"
She threw the fireball down at them, Glen jumped back in mortal fear desperately trying to get away from the flame. Gazel quickly snuffed out the fire before it could cause any harm. Kyoka gave one more horrible laugh before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
"Are you alright?" Juvia asked Glen.
"Yes I'm fine. A little spooked but fine." The scarecrow said brushing the dirt off of himself.
"I'm so sorry, I don't want you two to get into trouble with her. You both better leave me alone for your own sake."
"And let you deal with that hag by yourself? I don't think so. I'm not afraid of her. I'll help you reach the wizard safely whether I get a brain or not. Stuff a mattress with me hmmmph!"
"Me too." Gazel said. "I'll help you Juvia whether I get a heart or not. Beehive! Bah! Let her try and make a beehive out of me!"
Juvia smiled.
"Oh you guys are the best friends anyone could ever have and you know what's funny? I feel like I've known you two my entire life."
"I don't see how." Glen said.
"Me either." Gazel said.
"Well we know each other now don't we?"
"Yep." Gazel said.
"So we better get going huh?" Glen said.
And off they went.