Disclaimer, meh

The five of them shared a glance for a moment, a matter? Too four of them it was obvious, too 1 is was still a bit hazy.

"and that matter would be?" Dorothy asked now interested.

"last night when he ran, I attempted to put you to sleep, you are pretty resistant when you're upset like that I wasn't sure I would be able to do it, but I succeeded." Zinnia said, "But." Was as far as she got to continue before Elphaba cut her off.

"you're worried that once you go out, she'll worry so much that she'll find a way to escape this vault and go after him herself." Elphaba said.

"told you she was the brains." The jester said only to get a glare from his sisters.

"right, anyways, dorothy…" Was as far as zinnia got before dorothy cut her off now.

"No." Dorothy said sternly, crossing her arms in front of her like Glinda had earlier that morning,

"Dorothy Madeline Louise gale, don't be rude, especially not to them." Em said.

"it's quite alright Emily, I think, she wants to make her own terms." Zinnia said beckoning her sister and the jester forward.

This assumption was right, as dorothy did have her own bargaining muscle here.

"Dorothy, really now, don't be ridiculous." Em said.

"I actually wanna hear what the kid has to say, should be interesting." The jester said smiling.

"don't worry, it will be." Elphaba said sighing, slumping back, and rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"of course, you two let something slip, I assume she wants to bargain for your guy's freedom? Or rather, our freedom?" the jester asked curiously.

"If we get free you know you'll have to find a new object of power, right?" Nessa asked.

"fully aware, the wand is rightfully yours." The jester said.

"alright, we'll bite, what are your terms?" Zinnia asked curiously sharing a glance with Fayth.

"if I can get out of this vault, on my own, you guys overturn their sentence and grant them full pardons." Dorothy said, trying her best to come to the best deal.

"and you won't immediately run off trying to find him first?" Fayth asked.

"I'd say head start, say, a day?" Dorothy offered.

"five days." Zinnia said.

"two" dorothy said wanting to have the upper hand,

"four days, longest its ever taken us to find one." Fayth said.

"Three days, until noon, meet a little further than the middle." Dorothy said.

"deal, but in order to overturn the sentence and grant them pardons, the whole of the tribunal has to vote." Fayth said.

"like I said, if I get out on my own." Dorothy said trying to look smug.

"jeez, kid, don't make faces like that, it doesn't suit you." The jester said.

Fayth and zinnia looked at each other for a moment, no words were exchanged verbally but they were definitely mentally.

"we'll return in a bit." They both finally said before vanishing, the barrier reforming.

"Dorothy, why did you do that?" Elphaba asked irritated.

"you told her how this works didn't you?" The jester asked.

"you just bargained with the second most powerful force in the nonestic isles only second to the council of immortals, does it occur to you that you may well be putting your friend at risk?" Elphaba asked.

"if they don't want me to run off, then I have to bargain." Dorothy said defensively.

"sweetheart, we understand how much you care about him, but this is irresponsible, even for you, besides do you really think that you can get out of this vault on your own?" Em asked curiously.

"your aunts' right kid, you need to think rationally here, if not for your sake then for his own family." The jester said referring to Annabella.

"Okay, I'm curious now, why do you refer to her, as kid?" Elphaba asked.

"he refers to all of us as that, just as Cassandra always refers to alex as 'boy'" Dorothy said sighing.

"do you really want the truth on that?" The jester asked curiously.

"we'll you've hidden everything else from us so far." Em said.

"intentionally." The jester said.

"alright, just tell us." Nessa said trying to get to the point.

The jester looked at his sisters, and then turned to dorothy, his face fell, and he sighed, sitting down on the floor, crossing his legs.

"even after everything I've done, everything I've put her through, she found it in her heart to forgive me, to allow me a second chance, the same way I cared enough about you two to try, she may have forgiven me, but that doesn't mean I forgive myself, she sees me as a friend now, no idea why or how, but she does." The jester started before conjuring up a cup of water, taking a sip he continued, "I refer to them as kid because I don't feel right being formal with them, I haven't really done anything to deserve their friendship, but they still offer it."

Dorothy smiled, she got up and squatted down in front of him.

"you couldn't kill me, you may have gone power mad, but you were still able to keep something of a moral compass, you saved mine and my friends lives from Evanora, you even returned to the woman you loved, I wanted to give you what you never truly had." Dorothy said smiling.

"how sentimental." Came Zinnia's voice causing them to jump.

They turned to find zinnia and Fayth once more back in the room.

"we've voted on it, and have agreed to meet your terms on a few, minor conditions, one is that you have to do it by sunrise, tomorrow morning, get out of the vault." Zinnia said.

"the second thing is you have to wait until the last chime of noon on the third day once the hunt starts, not a chime before, if you get out of the vault on your own, with no help, these two will get their full powers back but be unable to leave the castle until the second part of the terms are met." Fayth said.

"and I'm sure there's a third?" Em asked.

"yes, if, and this is a big if, somehow, you find him first or the more likely situation, he finds you, then, assuming he doesn't straight up attack you, you can come to our sanctuary and help out with changing him back." Benton said appearing in the room.

"you mean, you weren't going to allow that?" The jester asked, "and they said I was cruel." He added rolling his eyes.

"so, if I get out of this vault before six thirty tomorrow morning they're free to go?" Dorothy asked.

"No help from them though, the rest of their powers will be suppressed until you manage it." Zinnia said, "the hunt will start as soon as the first sliver of sun peaks over the horizon, three days after that, at exactly the last chime of noon, you may click your heels and go after him if you still desire to meet the third point, which is completely optional." She added.

"dorothy, are you sure you don't want to rethink this?" Em asked.

"you don't even know how to use magic proper like." Annabella interjected.

"but she's stubborn enough." The jester said.

"wait a minute, and if I break any of these terms?" Dorothy asked.

"then all three of you return to the vault until we decide to let you out." Benton said.

The stakes were high, a test of self-restraint and skill. Zinnia smiled and offered her hand to dorothy.

"dorothy please, I beg you, reconsider." Her aunt said sternly.

However, this fell on deaf ears, as the only thing going through Dorothy's mind at the moment was saving alex.

"You have a deal." Dorothy said getting to her feet and extending a hand to zinnia.

"No!" The jester said trying to pull her back.

The moment their hands touched however, a golden web appeared around their hands.

"the terms are set, remove the other three from the vault, the girl is on her own." Zinnia said as she released Dorothy's hand.

"Dorothy that was dumb, even by my standards, and I haven't got any." The jester said angrily as he, em and Annabella got up.

"dorothy, I really hope you know what you're doing." Em said kissing her niece's cheek before being quickly ushered out of the vault.

Once the door was shut again, Fayth, zinnia and Benton shared a glance,

"the cards are down, choose your hand, try your best." Benton said vanishing.

Fayth walked over to dorothy with a mischievous smile on her face. She leaned over and whispered into Dorothy's ear.

"zinnia and I talked in your defense, they don't think you have what it takes, they hope you prove them wrong, but doubt you will, it was a quick conversation, everyone thought the terms were so ludicrous that it'd be impossible, even for you, the vote was quick and agreed on so long as the terms were met but, if it's any consolation, we believe in you." She whispered

Dorothy smiled and nodded, Fayth regained her composure, took her sisters hand and vanished.

Meanwhile back in emerald city.

"SHE WHAT!?" Glinda shouted.

"she bargained with the tribunal, we can't even interfere, if we do she becomes part of their punishment." The jester said having come to deliver the news to Glinda.

"look I'm not worried about her not being able to get out of the vault without help, she had magical energy built up inside her." Glinda said.

"I know, it's the not going after her boyfriend, part." The jester replied.

"perhaps if she stays at castle garrison?" Madeline suggested walking into the room.

"the entire palace knows don't they?" Glinda asked as toto and pockets ran into the room.

"of course, news travels fast, and unlike a construct, I still have a connection with her." Madeline said smiling, "and the conditions were set, she knows the risks, she slightly regretting it now, bargaining like that, she literally only has to slip up a little and she loses, but she wasn't thinking rationally, would you in this case?" she asked.

"in her place?" the jester asked.

"yes." Madeline replied conjuring a cup of tea.

"not likely." The jester said.

Glinda sighed and nodded in agreement.

"I guess, I wouldn't either, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous." Glinda said.

"I know, but as of now, all we can do it wait." Madeline said sipping her tea loudly, "besides, she wont leave castle garrison, she wouldn't jeopardize alex like that, she cares too much about him"

Back in the forest of Winkie country

Deep into the forest not far from the yellow brick road, but not really in sight of it either, a few flying monkeys, one in a bellhop's outfit, were resting in a tree with a giant wolf asleep at the base. A fairy was darting around overhead snickering mischievously.

"Look Nikko, I understand its dangerous, but we have to make sure he keeps pursuing us, I have to prove that stupid fairy wrong." Finley said.

"be it on your head if any of us gets hurt. You coward." Nikko said looking down at the wolf asleep at the foot of the tree they were in

"where did you say we were going anyways?" Basil asked curiously.

"the truth pond, though at the pace we're making, we won't make it there for a few more days yet, in the sunlight it should be easier to get our bearings." Finley said sighing.

"and why are you helping him? Apart from proving a fairy wrong?" Nikko asked curiously.

"to make dorothy gale happy, this is her friend, he was both scratched, and bitten by one of the cursed ones." Finley said shivering.

"a cursed one? I thought those were all but extinct now?" basil asked.

"so, did we." Finley said pulling his hat over his eyes.

"well, the hunt will be after him you know that don't you?" basil added.

"the truth pond will restore his mind but not his body, how could that fairy not know that?" Nikko asked.

"too stubborn? I dunno, but it irks me, I don't like having a wolf chase after me either, and the only reason I asked you guys for help was to help avoid the hunt in the first place, at least long enough to get him into the truth pond." Finley said.

"he can run fast, why not just throw something in that direction and let him chase after it?" Basil asked curiously.

"again, the hunt." Finley said, "now get some sleep, once the sun rises he'll be trying to get us down like a kid with a slingshot." Finley added sighing.

Yes, Finley has been luring alex along the forest