Disclaimer, you know.
About a month had passed since the shower, and things had been uneventful. As dorothy and Aislynn came home from school with ellie, Betsy, trot and alex following behind them, construction vehicles went thundering down the road.
"someone commission a new farm to be built?" ellie asked setting her bag on the floor.
"a ranch actually, near that edge of town, that empty field of wild grain is finally going be put to some use, however the construction will be loud." Em said looking up from the paper she was reading.
"earthquakes continue to strike California hard." Alex read tilting his head to the side.
"yes, I've called my brother about it, things are a mess around his town, but their ranch is fine, keeping their horse calm however has proven to be a bit of a challenge." Em said.
"I have to wonder who would want to build a ranch out here, I mean, the three farms we have in town provide enough for it and whenever a tornado hits it tends to do a lot of damage." Alex said.
"no idea, but whoever commissioned it, won't be living alone most likely officer grey and the mayor went door to door in the neighborhood this morning to show the building plans, and warning that traffic will become heavy in the area." Em said pointing to the pink notice form on the table.
"I see, well my father and I will soon have our hands full I assume." Alex said.
"I imagine so, but you also raise a good point, but who would want to build a ranch so out of the way as well is my question, I mean, its farther down the road than the bobbins residence, you know that field of henry and I took the triplets down there to show them the area because they wouldn't stop bugging us about it, and you can't even see the farmhouse from there, its maybe a forty minute bike ride down the road." Em said.
"10 minutes by car going at a decent speed." Aislynn added.
"very good ace, yes." Em said.
"shouldn't you be getting the triplets up from their nap?" Betsy asked curiously.
"henry's doing that now." Em said setting the paper down.
At that moment toto came walking tiredly into the room with pockets. Let out a loud yawn and then sat on the floor at Dorothy's feet.
"what have you two been up to today?" dorothy asked crouching down in front of them.
"resting mostly, went outside and watched your uncle for a bit, then went back to your room when they left to go see what was going on down the road." Toto said sleepily.
"so, being lazy then?" dorothy asked.
"yep." Pockets replied yawning and baring her teeth.
"you guys spending the weekend in emerald city?" Em asked.
"well, I plan on doing so, I need to ask my sister if she's really planning on sending a letter I saw her writing during lunch." Ellie said.
"what was she writing?" Em asked curiously.
"I don't know why, but she's trying to convince lady Cassandra to come out of retirement and return to teaching at Shiz university, which is where my father started teaching before we moved here, but lady Cassandra has always been firm standing on the point that she will never come out of retirement." Ellie said.
"I honestly don't think Glinda would actually send that letter, I would think she's more or less trying to make up for the past." Aislynn said.
"ace, you don't know my sister like I do, that's the exact reason she would send the letter, to try and make up for the past, and while you can enroll at Shiz university at any age, Glinda and Locasta have far too many responsibilities to go back and officially finish their training, I mean, before Glinda left it, she had her own private suite there and everything, because father worked there." Ellie said.
"how do you even know that?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"because Glinda has been going through a lot of her old things and I've been being nosey." Ellie replied smiling.
"you know, in hindsight, that answer was rather obvious." Alex said smiling.
"I'd like to attend a university at some point, but I don't think dorothy would ever let me out of her sight that long." Aislynn said.
"oh really?" dorothy asked.
"really." Aislynn said.
"ellie, are there any requirements for getting into Shiz?" dorothy asked.
"not really, just an application, and if you can get one, a letter of recommendation from someone with authority, like say yourself, Glinda or Ozma." Ellie said.
"dorothy, I want you to genuinely think this over." Aislynn said.
"why?" dorothy asked walking over to the dining room table and hanging her satchel on a chair.
"because sending me to university means I'll be out of your sight, and it would mean me taking semi-permanent residence in Oz." Aislynn replied.
"she's got a point dorothy, but if you have any intentions on actually going through with the idea of enrolling ace, then enroll yourself as well." Madeline said appearing in the room.
"Maddie, I couldn't leave my family here, you know that, besides, if I went alex would have to come too." Dorothy said.
"that's my point dorothy, as much as I want to attend, there are too many hoops to jump through for the situation to be perfect for all of us." Aislynn said smiling.
"and the conversation comes full circle Betsy said plopping herself down on the couch.
"but getting into Shiz is a chance of a lifetime, the campus is huge, in an area situated between munchkin and Gilikin, anyone who wants to really be someone tries to enroll there, the hardest non-essential requirement is getting the letter of recommendation." Madeline said.
"and I'm sure you've visited a few times." Dorothy said rolling her eyes.
"well, yes, only because I find the place interesting, I mean, Glinda released the old headmistress, madame morrible, from her prison in south-stairs, earlier this week, remember I told you that?" Madeline asked.
"yes, and the tribunal also stripped her of her magic." Dorothy said.
"oh, there's a story behind that too." Ellie said excitedly.
"and we really don't want to hear it right now." Alex said causing him to get a glare from dorothy.
Meanwhile in emerald city.
"glin, you don't actually intend on sending that letter? Do you?" Locasta asked referring to the letter.
"if I can get lady Cassandra to return to her teaching post, then at least at some point I can enroll Ellie at the school." Glinda replied.
"but she won't leave Dorothy's side." Alyssa said coming in.
"I know, but I want ellie to succeed where I failed, I can't call myself a teacher of sorcery and neither can Locasta, ellie's and Alison's training will not be official unless they are taught by someone like lady Cassandra." Glinda said.
"again, I repeat, Ellie, will not, I repeat, will not leave Dorothy's side, and you'd have to pull a lot of strings to get her to do so, you'd also have to bring a rather convincing argument to Cassandra to get her out of retirement." Alyssa said.
"that's why the letter is three pages long, and I know ellie saw me writing some of it." Glinda said.
"Okay, first you release morrible from south-stairs, to return to her post as headmistress, which while I admit will bring the school back to what it was before her husband took over, but you also had her stripped of her magic." Locasta said.
"actually, that was the terms the tribunal gave me, if Ozma was going to give me the power to release morrible, she had to be stripped of her ability to do magic, and while I'll admit it's probably not the best decision I've made over the past few years, if I can put things the way they used to be, then maybe we can make up for our mistakes, besides, Locasta, I know you've written Cassandra a letter as well." Glinda said.
"what, no I haven't." Locasta said sounding rather offended.
"oh, you haven't?" Alyssa asked.
"of course not." Locasta replied.
"then why did Terrance find a half-written letter in your room with a rather convincing argument on it Monday evening?" Alyssa asked.
"why were you guys snooping around my room?" Locasta asked.
"because you two are up to something, and all of us want to get to the bottom of it." Ellie said appearing in the room with Madeline.
"Ellie, this all is really none of your business." Glinda said.
"none of my business, none of my business?" ellie asked laughing.
"what's so funny?" Alyssa asked.
"my sister wants me to be like her, succeed where she failed, or at least thinks she failed, and she says its none of my business." Ellie said, her tone immediately turning serious.
"ellie, Locasta and I, we have responsibilities, we can never return to the way things were, and honestly even mom and pop agree with me, that it will eventually be for the best if we can get you enrolled there." Glinda said.
"aren't I allowed to make my own decisions?" ellie asked watching as Madeline left the room.
"of course, you are, but I want what's best for you." Glinda said.
"your idea of something that was best for me, was placing a memory spell on me and swearing everyone to secrecy for my own protection." Ellie said.
"yes, and I was wrong about that, and should never have done it, but that's the past, this is now." Glinda said.
"sis, when we have time, I want to discuss this with you, in private." Ellie said.
"we will, and so you know, we aren't the only two writing letters to her." Glinda said.
"who else would want to try and convince Cassandra, who has always declined coming out of retirement, to do just that?" ellie and Alyssa asked in unison, causing both of them to look at each other.
"quite a few of us actually, including the prophet, and the professor." Glinda said.
"didn't they both work at Shiz before retiring to simpler, less stressful jobs as well?" Alyssa asked.
"yep, though being a prophet is rather taxing on one's mind and body when it comes down to it, the professor only retired to be a traveling homeschooling teacher in order to educate those who honestly didn't want to go through the trouble of seeking admittance to one of the universities, or in rose's case, to avoid any people questioning a lot of things." Glinda said.
"that reminds me, you got a letter from rose and the jester the other day, I saw you opening it and immediately you shut me out, what was in it?" ellie asked curiously.
"nothing important, at least not to you, however it is of great importance to me, I went down there this morning, it was actually rose who finally convinced me to be brave and actually compose this letter, something I've hesitated to do for years." Glinda said.
"I can't imagine why." Ellie said rolling her eyes.
Meanwhile at the garrison residence.
Rose had spent her afternoon writing a letter to Cassandra as well, she didn't think it was fair that Cassandra had healed her of her sickness all those years ago and then spent the majority of her life cooped up in house halfway up mount munch.
"rose, this is silly, and almost certainly, will not work." The jester said reading the letter over.
"won't know if we don't try, besides, we at least got Glinda's blessing for a quick marriage ceremony, now all we have to do is get Ozma to make it legally binding." Rose said.
"yes, and I'm glad about that, but it has nothing to do with the fact that you're trying to convince the most stubborn witch in all of oz, to return to teaching." The jester replied.
"she has been asked hundreds upon hundreds of times since even before dorothy fell from the sky, maybe if a few of us try, we can finally convince her, I was talking to Angela the other day and she thinks that it would be nice if her sister actually did something other than sit around, knit and do embroidery." Rose replied.
"I know, I was there, I fell asleep mid conversation and it only lasted 20 minutes." The jester said.
"right, 'fell asleep' you just don't like the idea." Rose said chuckling.
"it's not that, but as you've said, she's been asked, hundreds of times, and always given the same response, even I once tried to appeal to her, before my sisters cursed me." The jester said.
"and then you never picked up a pen again, and for years I thought you were dead or worse." Rose said.
"there are very few things worse than being dead." The jester said.
"such as?" rose asked curiously.
"Being stuck in limbo, while dead." The jester said.
"fair point, and I'll take the blame for that, I didn't want you dead, how was it, by the way?" rose asked.
"oh, now you decide to ask that?" the jester asked.
"you never bring up the time you spent dead." Rose said.
"well it was nice, had some lovely conversations with Death, nice woman, rather intimidating." The jester said.
"death is a woman?" Lily asked coming into the room.
"yes, she used to take the form of a man, but people started expecting that, so she eventually changed to a woman, she can take on the form of anyone who has ever lived, limbo is also rather nice, quiet, it's all purple though which was rather hard to look at." The jester said.
"I thought limbo was a void realm?" rose asked.
"it is, but some people have to pass through there to the afterlife, me, I was bound to both limbo and oz because both you and dorothy felt quite sorry for me, so the magic that destroyed me, kept me bound to more of a partially dead state." The jester said.
"and I'm sorry for that, but how was I to know?" rose asked.
"you couldn't have, so I don't hold it against either you or dorothy." The jester said.
"did you get to talk to anyone from the afterlife?" rose asked.
"no, death wouldn't allow it, said it was against the rules for me to request it, that someone from the afterlife would have to know that I'm dead, know I was trapped in limbo, and then would have to get permission from one of the daughters of death to travel between." The jester said.
"wow, being dead sounds about as complicated as trying to convince lady Cassandra to come out of retirement." Lily said.
"It is." The jester replied.
"were you able to watch over things?" rose asked.
"you know I was, you guys saw me a few times, as a hooded figure, it was the only form I was allowed to take." The jester said.
"oh, so I was right, that was you." Rose said.
"wasn't allowed to admit it." The jester replied.
"father dear, the vault has become rather noisy, you should go check on whatever's in there, what did they do, make you guard a dragon for imprisoning one?" lily asked changing the subject.
"none of your business, besides, I was forgiven for that crime, that's usually punishable by death, which I hopefully don't have to remind you, already happened to me." The jester said starting for the door.
"Mom, do you know what's in the vault?" lily asked.
"as your father said, it's not really any of your business, but you'll find out eventually." Rose said.
"but I want to know now." Lily whined.
This caused the jester the chuckle, lily really reminded him of himself at her age, impatient, not wanting to be responsible, yet still being the second most rational person in the room. Lily truly was his daughter, as he took after her, violet took more after her mother, always being coolheaded and keen eyed. Yet preferring to be the responsible one in the situation while being the first most rational person in the room. As he descended the stairs to the vault her heard the banging getting relatively violent.
"okay, okay, I'm coming, I know I haven't been around all day to talk and I'm passed my time, it's not my fault you can't come out, it's just not safe, not yet." The jester said loudly.
Meanwhile at lady Cassandra's house.
"another letter, this one from Glinda." Theodora said.
"really, that's a surprise, maybe we'll see one from Locasta as well?" Cassandra asked chuckling.
"madame, I wouldn't joke about that, word on the wind is that many people want you to go back to teaching, to give others a proper chance at learning sorcery, in a, how do you say it?" Tiberius asked.
"controlled environment?" lady Angela asked coming in with a tray of tea and a large bowl of water.
"that's the word." Tiberius replied.
"I doubt ill see more letters, I've always said no, Locasta wouldn't copy Glinda." Cassandra said.
"you sure about that? I mean this isn't the first time the professor has tried to convince you, Locasta has only tried verbally." Angela said.
"but I won't receive anymore, there aren't enough people who have the power to send me letter directly to this house, and no carrier bird will dare to brave the mountain winds." Cassandra said.
"I personally think that you will, at least twice a year you get letters from the prophet and the professor, this is the first time you've gotten so many." Angela said
"if you're so sure then sister, can I make a friendly bet with you?" lady Cassandra asked.
"about the coming out of retirement? We already made one years ago, that if you ever did, you'd have to accept that of the two of us, I was the most level headed." Angela said getting a laugh out of Theodora and Eveline.
"yes, and I will live up to that, but I bet you that I won't get any more letters, if I do, will head to Shiz and speak with morrible about coming out of retirement, if I don't, you are to never mention it again." Cassandra said.
Now unknown to Cassandra was the fact that Angela knew at least a few more letter on the way, and this was a bet Cassandra would lose horribly. But Cassandra had always been true to her word.
"fine sister dearest, it's a deal." Angela said smiling.
"oh, that smile, that's a plotting smile, I haven't seen that in years." Theodora said.
"before Evanora tried to take over oz we weren't even aware you two were still around." Angela said.
"fair point." Theodora said.
"wait a second." Cassandra said banging her stick against the floor.
"yes, sister dear?" Angela said.
"you're a snake, you know that?" Cassandra asked.
"guilty, and mother will be happy you aren't cooping yourself up here anymore, we can return to the way things were." Angela said as a few more letters appeared on the coffee table.
"you knew this would happen, did you talk to people about this?" she asked.
"actually no, well yes, but no, rose came to me earlier in the week and asked if I could convince you to at least teach 'some' aspects of sorcery to lily and violet, I told her it would likely be a hard sell." Angela replied.
"during which it came up to once again try and convince me to come out of retirement." Cassandra said.
"of course." Angela replied picking up her sister's embroidery.
"you're a snake." Cassandra repeated.
"still guilty." Angela said.
"you two are going to duel, are you? If so, can Tiberius, Eveline and I get a safe distance away first?" Theodora asked.
"we aren't going to duel, it would destroy everything and cause a windstorm to hit munchkin city." Cassandra said.
"but now you have to do it, you're always true to your word." Angela said.
"fine then, I'll go close to the end of term, that'll give me enough time to come up with my terms for returning to my job, because you know that letter that arrived yesterday?" Cassandra asked.
"the one you wouldn't let any of us touch, that was written on some ugly green stationary?" Angela asked.
"what about it?" Theodora replied.
"that was a letter from Madame Morrible, and her husband, practically begging me to come back since she no longer has her powers." Cassandra said.
"and I'm sure you're going to be really really nitpicky about this." Theodora said.
"of course, I am, and if morrible won't agree to the terms, I won't stay." Cassandra said.
"might one of these terms have to pertain to dorothy gale?" Eveline asked.
"perhaps they do, perhaps they don't, its none of your business." Cassandra said.
"if you do go back, can you enroll Eveline?" Theodora asked.
"I thought you already did?" Eveline asked.
"better to get her to at least give the recommendation." Theodora said.
"fair." Eveline shrugged picking up a book she had started earlier that morning.
"Cassandra?" Angela asked.
"yes?" she replied.
"don't deny it, you've genuinely considered coming out of retirement many times, what's stopped you before now?" Angela asked.
"guilt and shame, guilt for retiring in the first place, abandoning you and mother, and shame as the result." Cassandra said.
"you know far too many notes and letters are scattered around now for my taste, can we shuffle them away somewhere?" Theodora asked.
Cassandra nodded and banged her stick against the floor, immediately every letter stacked themselves neatly and flew up the stairs to Cassandra's sleeping chambers.
"you know this couldn't have gone better even if I had planned it." Angela said.
"wait, you didn't actually plan it?" Eveline asked.
"Oh, I gave up trying years ago, almost accepting the fact that my sister is as stubborn as the people of Rigamarole." Angela said.
"what a terrible comparison, the rigmaroles blow things out of proportion by always worrying and causing a fuss, that's not so much stubbornness as it is paranoia." Theodora said.
"technically it's both." Eveline said.
"oh, hush you, Tiberius what's your opinion?" Cassandra asked turning to the large bird next to her,
"so long as I don't get hurt, I honestly have no opinion, but staying cooped up in one place all the time is a terrible way to go about things." Tiberius said.
"spoken like a true bird." Angela said.
"I know what it's like to stay in one place to long, we birds don't like it, I mean, you know Hawkeye at the village don't you?" Tiberius going into a gravelly sounding rasp.
"you mentioned he was your second cousin or something." Theodora said.
"yes, one of the reasons he stays there is because he's absolutely smitten with the mayor's secretary Beatrice." Tiberius rasped" but you didn't hear it from me"
"oh." Was all any of them could say.
Back in Kansas.
When dorothy and the other left to spend the weekend in emerald city Em sat down on the couch with henry and they quietly watched the triplets until Mr. and mrs. Teak showed up. After that they started conversing.
"so, we got a letter from them as well, do you think we should have told them?" Mrs. Teak asked.
"nah we'll make it a surprise." Em said.
"dorothy isn't going to like it though, that you kept that from her." Mr. teak said.
"I want your word that neither of you will tell alex either, I don't need dorothy using the moon tear to get that information out of him." Em said.
"we promise." Mrs. Teak said before her husband could say anything.
"officer grey got one as well, I'm assuming alexander got one too." Henry said.
"so, returning to the way things were? Wont it be strange?" Mrs. Teak asked.
"well, it's not really that, things can never truly go back to the way they were, not without frank and Madeline." Henry said sighing.
"that reminds when was the last time you all visited their graves?" Mrs. Teak asked.
"I take the triplets down there once a month, I can't convince dorothy to go anymore, she's trying to repress the memories again." Henry said.
"you know I find that ironic considering the fact that the epitaph on the grave is let their memory live on and again." MR. teak said.
"it hurts her to do so, and I feel it whenever she starts to drift towards it." Madeline said appearing in the room.
"explain then?" Em asked.
"she doesn't, nor has she ever liked thinking about her parents, she feels guilt wishing she could have saved them, she's never really moved on from it and you all know it." Madeline said.
"she can't hold it back for ever though." Em said.
"she tries hard, but someday, likely sooner than we think she'll remember something that'll be far too much, and the floodgates will open, she's never opened that letter that Jon gave her, but I think that'll be the point that pushes her over the edge, and likely, it'll break her heart all over again." Madeline said.
"then we make her happy." The triplets said in unison.
"it won't be that easy you know, their deaths hit dorothy hard, her talking about them in general is a bit of a rare event, she doesn't like it, at all." Em said sighing as she looked at them
"why not?" Robert asked.
"because it causes her pain, inside." Em said.
"like a booboo?" Alicia asked.
"No, not like a booboo, pain that you three hopefully won't understand until you're much older." Em said.
"well, we'll see where the future puts all of us first." Mrs. Teak said.
"how do you mean?" Em asked curiously
"well, Oz is basically a second home to all of us, but dorothy has a really strong connection with it, there's a rather strong chance that we all might one day move there." Mrs. Teak said.
"yes, Em and I have talked about that as well." Henry said.
"and dorothy has considered it as well." Madeline said.
"by the by, Madeline I know you were at Jon's the other day, alone, what did you talk to him about?" Em asked.
"I wanted to know if he remembered, just off the top of his head, what was in that letter, and he doesn't." Madeline said.
"dorothy would never approve of you snooping like that." Mr. teak said.
"that's why I haven't told her the truth, she knows I lied to her, but she doesn't really question me as much as she should." Madeline said.
"and what's she doing now?" Em asked.
"sitting in the throne room, chatting with Ozma, and questioning her about the current goings on" Madeline said.
"is it true Glinda's trying to get lady Cassandra to go back to teaching?" Em asked.
"oh yes, it is, and she's not the only one, lady Cassandra has gotten people who religiously make a pilgrimage up that mountain to try and get her out of retirement, usually it's just the professor and the prophet that write her." Madeline said.
"I personally think she's too stubborn." Mr. teak said.
"you and all of Oz." Madeline said.
"popular opinion?" Mrs. Teak asked,
"outside of the five now four branches of The Community, yes, because if lady Cassandra were to come out of retirement, it would make the remaining branches of the Community harder to do what they usually do, which is cause mischief." Madeline said
"sounds bad." Amber said.
"you don't know the half of it little one, but I must get going, before dorothy begins to suspect t something, she's only just noticed I've vanished, tata." Madeline replied vanishing.
"mama?" The triplets asked.
"yes, my darlings?" Em replied.
"what is hatter to us? If you're aunty it dorothy?" they asked curiously.
"that is a fairly good question, I guess she's also your cousin?" Em said, rather unsure how to answer that.
"well I mean, she is dorothy, apart from personality for the most part, oh here's the letter if you want to read the one they sent us." Mrs. Teak said taking a piece of paper from her pocket.
"three months is all it will take for them to build that ranch, then a month and a half later is Alyssa's wedding, I can't help but feel this is going to require a rather large explanation and a flow chart." Mr. teak said.
"again, with that last part?" henry asked.
"a flow chart, it's probably the best way to explain everything that's gone on, I mean, they don't know much." Mr. teak said.
"fair point." Henry sighed as the phone rang.
Em handed the paper to henry and got up to get it.
"gale residence, Emily gale speaking." She said.
A/n Okay, so yes, this story has taken a sudden turn in a direction you probably didn't expect it to go, but I've had this chapter on the back burner for months, trying to figure out a decent way to tie it into the story, started the idea when I was writing the California chapters.
