Disclaimer, the usual

Countdown two days.

The construct Madeline had created was inside a painting of a country house on a lush green hill with a large river and a row boat in the front yard. A house with red walls and doors outside, deceptively bigger on the inside and beautifully furnished. However, Madeline then left them in there without much of an explanation.

"It's a beautiful countryside Maddie." Alex said picking up a lily from a vase.

"indeed, it is, dorothy, you look puzzled, why?" Madeline asked curiously.

"Maddie, this is all nice, but I have to ask, because this has been bugging me ever since Glinda trapped alex, Jon and I in that castle with the shifting rooms, what exactly is a construct?" dorothy asked.

"a construct, well, the best way to explain a construct is to be inside one, which lucky for us we are." Madeline said picking a few flowers and handing them to dorothy.

Dorothy smiled and took a sniff of them, they smelled beautiful, but not like what her mind told her that they should.

"Madeline, she does pose a good question." Alex said.

"well, I've been working on this one for quite a while making it stable for use, well, this is my most recent, most of mine are used for storage." Madeline said.

"stable?" dorothy and alex asked worriedly.

"yes, stable, when a construct is created, big small or somewhere in between it starts out as kind of an inky void where your imagination can come to life if you want it, go into a construct, and its essentially the perfect hiding place, once you get one stable, it'll last as long as reality does as far as anyone can tell, though lack of use will make it start to fade, it cant destroy anything that was put there by someone, only the stuff that was created by it, like say, I wanted a crate here." Madeline said taking out her wand.

She waved it a few times and suddenly a crate started forming on the grass, bit by bit, it was like it was just being willed into existence, and in fact, it was. However, she stopped just before the lid to it was completely formed.

"why'd you stop it?" alex asked curiously.

"to demonstrate, because its unfinished its unstable, and will slowly start fading away, now if I put a hat or a load of fabric in this crate, it would just fall out and likely roll down the hill into the river, but the stuff would never fade away because I brought it in, however it also can work in reverse, say I made a smaller crate, one I could carry on my own, and took it out of the construct, then it would become part of our world, and never fade away, however there are actual limits to that. The castle that Glinda created had a closed magical loop, everything would reset regardless and go back to the way it was when you arrived if you left the room for long enough, but if you were to take something out of the construct with you it would stop acting like that, it was a rule set into the place with the idea in mind to stop people from creating constructs and abusing it for infinite materials and resources." Madeline said smiling as she tucked her wand in her sleeve

"and say the construct did start fading?" dorothy asked curiously.

"anything that was physically brought in would just kinda float around in the blackness, however a construct with a base shape like say based around a painting made from a special type of paint, would be easier to make stable than just trying to will a full construct into existence." Madeline said.

"I assume it requires a lot of magical energy then?" Alex asked.

"Yes, and it can be very draining if you make something large like this place, as I said, most of my constructs are used for storage, this place was more of a pet project of mine, a place to come to and relax." She replied.

"well it's a beautiful country side landscape." Alex said

"yes, it was just something I came up with one afternoon, anyways, the great thing about constructs, is that, once they're established, at least if you have a base shape like say aforementioned painting, you could go as far as destroy the painting and the construct would be fine so long as its completely stable." Madeline said smiling.

"how do you know when its stable?" dorothy asked.

"when it stops taking in magic and it starts pooling up around you with really no where to go." Madeline replied.

"but how did we get in here in the first place, we came in through your bedroom door didn't we?" Alex asked.

"yes, that's where this comes into play." Madeline said holding up what appeared to be a key.

The key was made of what appeared to be gold, a simple looking key apart from a large crystal at the top.

"I assume, based off everything I've seen that the key is somehow connected to this construct?" Dorothy asked.

"yes, this key, is essentially like a skeleton key, any lock that its placed in, that door becomes a temporary portal into the construct, I actually do plan on making one for you two to use, it'll take a few hours to do, so in the meantime, you two have fun, enjoy some proper alone time together, I'll be back eventually." Madeline said taking out her wand again and vanishing.

That was the previous afternoon, however, and now it was early the next morning and dorothy woke on the couch she and alex had fallen asleep on instead of making their way to the bedroom. Alex's reading glasses were resting crookedly on his nose. He had taken the liberty, after dorothy had nodded off, to grab a blanket Madeline had left out for them. The book he had been reading her sat on his lap. She giggled and stretched, before going to where Madeline had placed the kitchen. Grabbing the bowl of fruit from the island counter, she smiled and went back out into the sitting room to find alex slowly waking up.

"so, sleep well?" dorothy asked offering him the bowl.

"surprisingly." Alex said adjusting his reading glasses and picking up the book, reading over the page to assure it was the one he had been reading, and marked it.

"I'm rather surprised to not find Maddie sitting in one of the chairs, loudly sipping on a cup of tea." Dorothy said smiling sitting down next to him.

"perhaps she really is letting us have some alone time, proper alone time." Alex said taking a few grapes and kissing her cheek.

"that or she's trying to make sure our copy of the key is a perfect replica." Dorothy said smiling.

"well, you know what, let's say you and I check the cupboards, make ourselves a picnic, pack for mads and jack too, and go down the rivers away to the bank Maddie said was good for a picnic." Alex suggested

"did she say that?" dorothy asked, "I hadn't been listening when she started rambling, it was giving me a headache."

"I know, that's why I'm suggesting it." Alex said smiling.

"well I don't see why not, you me, and a boat…do you even know how to use a rowboat?" dorothy asked

"dorothy, I imagine you'd be quite shocked by what I know how to do, but yes, I do know how to row, it's not something I have to do often, but I can and have rowed before." Alex said.

"impressive, you'll have to teach me sometime." Dorothy said looking at a map of Oz on the wall.

"I see you noticed the map, its larger than Glinda's but its got area's where Madeline has had customers, the one area that gets me is that dark circle there, what does that red ink she put on there say?" Alex asked getting up.

Getting up they both walked over to the map. There was a large black spot that appeared to be done intentionally with ink. Under it in small read ink that you could probably see for about 6 feet were the words 'avoid at all costs'. this rather troubled dorothy, as if something bothered Madeline it should very much bother her.

"its in between munchkin country, and Gilikin, if this map were properly scaled I'd say less than a mile or so of the university." Alex said shrugging.

"honestly that wouldn't surprise me but why blot it out with ink and a warning label?" dorothy asked curiously.

"Dunno, its Maddie we're talking about, so it could be any number of reasons." Alex said.

Meanwhile in Emerald City.

In Madeline's room, she was still working on the copy of the key for dorothy and alex, she had completely lost track of the time and hadn't slept a wink. As Jack woke up and saw Madeline with her work goggles still on, working on making the copy of the key completely perfect. He sighed and looked at his pocket watch.

"um, mads?" Jack asked.

"yes jack?" Madeline asked.

"you are aware its around 7 in the morning?" Madeline asked.

"what? Really? Funny how the time flies when you're focused on your work." Madeline said flicking up the shades on her goggles and looking at her own watch.

"didn't you leave dorothy and alex in the construct?" Jack asked worriedly.

"yes…whoops, well its completely set up for people to live in comfortably, Em and Henry said it would be fine, they deserve some alone time every now and again." Madeline said smiling and flicking down her goggles.

"I see, I assume we'll get them around lunch then?" Jack asked yawning.

"yes, Morris! Wendell!" Madeline shouted.

"yes boss?" they both said appearing.

"how are things at home?" Madeline asked.

"as orderly as ever, they're preparing a large tea party for the first night of the festival." Morris said smiling.

"I see, well, can you two use the crystal in the corner to make sure dorothy and alex aren't like panicking or something, the connection between dorothy and I is rather weak between the construct, I imagine it's because I created it and it used a lot of my power to make." Madeline said.

"so, your heart is stopping?" Jack asked.

"thankfully no, I wouldn't have let them stay, because dorothy would feel the same pain of that, and I could not in good conscience do that to her, I could easily temporarily sever the connection, but both of our hearts would stop, so I could only do it here in Oz, and the moment we touched the connection would reestablish itself." Madeline said.

"how do you know that?" Wendell asked curiously.

"mother nature told me, it's how I know that if she's dying, I'll start losing my color, and be in agonizing pain. "Madeline said sighing.

"I'm a tad bothered by the fact you felt the need to know that." Jack said.

"of all the things I've done, that's the one that bothers you?" Madeline asked chuckling.

"funny isn't it?" jack replied.

"not really, anyways, I wanted to know more about the connection between us, and she was the only one I could think of that would know." Madeline said.

"oh right…well, how's the key coming?" jack asked.

"almost done, just a few more minor adjustments and it'll perfect, now if you could leave me be, I'd appreciate it." Madeline said smiling and returning to her work

Meanwhile in the library, Terrance and Alyssa were reading, they hadn't slept a wink either.

"two more days, exciting isn't it?" Alyssa asked nervously.

"wedding jitters? Oh yes, very exciting." Terrance said just as nervously.

"so…breakfast?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"honestly, I'm not all that hungry, but I guess we should at least try." Terrance said.

"I feel the same, but we should at least try." Alyssa said getting up and stretching.

Terrance smiled and kissed his bride to be before taking her hand and departing from the library with her.

Meanwhile in the Nome Kingdom.

Underneath Oz, the Nomes, and their King were busy at work building Ellie's commission.

" now can you assure me it will indeed fly?" Roquat asked one of the Nomes.

"so long as the crystal remains in tact and the field around it isn't breached, it could fly till the end of time itself." The Nome assure him.

"Good, good, it's been a long time coming, making a proper sky ship, designed for war, but not likely going to be used for it." Roquat said smiling.

Before them stood a large metal airship, shaped like a regular ship but with a rather self-explanatory feature. It was large on the outside, and on the inside, it was even larger and could fit likely all of emerald city, with each person having a full 5 by 5-foot area to themselves.

"almost indestructible, can fly above the clouds, could probably be seen for miles once you get it aloft." Another Nome shouted.

"quite good, very good, now if you'll excuse me I have some other bits of business I need to attend to, making sure Ruggedo isn't getting into any trouble." Roquat said sighing and walking out.

Well that's part one, yes, air ships, in all honesty I wasn't entirely sure how to work this last part in as it had been in my mind since I started writing the story in the first place. I wrote that the girls had planned a surprise for Alyssa and Terrance but didn't elaborate further, as dragging the surprise on too long didn't seem like a good way to go.