"Who's there?" she asked with a shaken sound in her voice.
"Over here! In the field!" he called.
She turned to face him and squinted her eyes. The girl walked forward with a look of pure disbelief etched on her pretty face.
"Are you...no."
The girl pressed her hands over her face and turned back to her small dog.
"Toto, my mind is playing cruel tricks on me. All of this excitement and hunger is getting the best of me."
"No! I AM talking to you!" Fiyero cried, afraid she would walk away.
He wanted so desperately to be taken down off of that wretched pole!
'She seems nice enough, I'm sure she'll help me if I don't scare her away.'
Slowly once more she turned to face him. The girl looked him over a few times as if she were trying to grasp what she was seeing as reality.
"I beg your pardon," she slurred after a few moments of staring at him. "Where I'm from, talking scarecrows are rare creatures indeed."
"I understand." Fiyero replied.
"You said something about the road I should take?" she pressed on.
'Damn!' he thought. 'I've got to get down from here.'
"Well, to be honest, I wouldn't know what road to take for sure, for I've never been off these poles."
He put his head down as if in shame, and when he looked up she had sympathy written all over her face.
And then she smiled.
It amazed him! This young girl must be very strong, for she was obviously dehydrated and starving, and yet found it in her heart to loan him a smile.
"I'll help you down!" she said.
She did indeed, in all her kindness, untie Fiyero's hands and feet, and gently bring him down. He no longer had the weight of a man since he was now stuffed with straw.
"Thank you so much..."
"Dorothy," she finished. "I'm Dorothy Gale, and this is Toto."
Dorothy gestured to the small, black dog who sniffed at Fiyero's feet.
"Where are you headed?"
"The Emerald City." she said with a smile. "Glinda the Good told me that if I took this road of yellow brick I would find the Wizard, and he would give me a way home."
"She did, did she?"
"Yes, but now I..."
In a split second, the smile had faded from Dorothy's face and her knees had buckled. She fell forward, right into Fiyero's arms. He gently sat her on the ground. It was plain to see that she needed food and water.
"Don't move, I'll be right back!" Fiyero gave her an assuring pat on the arm and then raced back to the field.
He picked a few ears of corn as quickly as he could. He found these padded hands quite bothersome, as they made it hard for him to get a firm grip on anything, but this girl who was so kind to him was in diar need of nourishment and he was going to get it for her. Fiyero then went beyond the field to a farmer's well and stole a dipper of water.
By the time he got back to Dorothy she had propped herself up against the fence and cradled her aching head in her hands.
"Here," he said. "Eat and drink and you will be well again in no time."
"I'm so sorry!" she said with tears welling up in her eyes. "Your first time walking upon the ground and you're running around fetching food and drink for me. I've ruined it for you!"
Fiyero could have laughed at this. If only she knew! He had lived a whole life! He had danced, fought, loved and hated. He had been engaged to Glinda the Good and had run away with the Wicked Witch of the West. He had been captain of the wizard's guard and, with the help of his green lover, cheated death.
Fiyero knew that to share this information with Dorothy would be unwise. The less she knew the better.
"Don't think about it another minute Dorothy." he said kindly. "You have been very helpful to me, and it was the most natural thing in the world to do the same for you."
"We're even then." she said followed by an enormous gulp of water.
"So you say you're going to the Emerald City? To see the Wizard?"
"Yes. I left my family quite suddenly, you see, and they will worry terribly if I don't get back to them soon. I told Glinda and the Munchkins that I must find a way home. They told me the best way to do that would be to see the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. So that is what I shall do!"
Dorothy's happiness at this made Fiyero angry. His anger, however, was not directed at the optimistic, young girl beside him. No. His anger was with Glinda. She knew better than that! It became quite clear to Fiyero now that Dorothy had been used and tricked.
Her house landed on and killed Nessarose Thropp, the sister to the Wicked Witch of the West. Nessa had been called the Wicked Witch of the East in hushed whispers. She was cruel to the Munchkins and they were very afraid of her. Fiyero reflected sadly that they probably rushed Dorothy away for fear of retribution from Elphaba. Glinda knew that the Wizard of Oz was a fake and still sent Dorothy, full of hope, on a dead-end journey to see him.
He couldn't believe Glinda could be so empty-headed!
As the girl ate, she told Fiyero about her home. She was from the other world, a place called Kansas, and it sounded quite dull. When he asked why she would want to leave the beautiful land of Oz for a place so dreary and colorless, she said simply that she longed to be with her family again.
After a few moments of silence, Dorothy asked sweetly,
"Won't you tell me a story while we sit?"
He was taken back by this.
"A story?"
"Yes. Tell me of your history."
He didn't know what to say! He couldn't give himself away. If he wanted any chance of getting back to Elphaba, he could not, under any circumstances, falter.
He had to be a scarecrow, and nothing more.
"I don't know many stories, Dorothy. You see, I've only just come to life. And, being stuffed with straw, I have no brains to remember with anyway."
Her eyes widened in wonder. Fiyero was proud that he came up with something so clever so quickly.
Dorothy was finishing her breakfast now and was putting the leftover ears of corn in her basket for later. Fiyero knew he had to go with her. His main focus was getting back to Elphaba, but Fiyero was sure now that people would continue to take advantage of young Dorothy, and the Wizard would be the worst of them.
Fiyero had seen first hand what that man, that 'wonderful' wizard of oz, was capable of doing to a person that got on his bad side. He worried for Dorothy, fearing her optimism and determination to get home would blind her. Concerned that her innocence would lead to her demise, Fiyero said,
"Maybe if I went with you the Wizard would give me some brains! Then I could think as other men can."
Dorothy's face instantly lit up at the idea.
"That would be marvelous! Toto and I would certainly love the company."
Her face turned serious.
"I should warn you Scarecrow, there is a witch after me and you may get into trouble should you accompany me on this journey."
He frowned. Dorothy had been fed the lies about Elphaba. He wanted so badly to defend the woman he loved, but he was a brainless scarecrow after all, and had he really just been created as he had said, he would know nothing of such things.
"Don't worry about that," he said with confidence. "I'm not afraid of her."
They began to walk down the yellow brick road. Walking in this new body was no easy task! It was flimsy and unstable. Every now and then he would lose his footing and Dorothy would have to help him back on his feet. After a while, he offered Dorothy his arm and she made the walking easier for him.
"It will take a while to get used to walking," she assured him. "But you'll get the hang of it."
A coy smile crossed his features.
"I'm sure I will."
Here's chapter two for you! Wow! Thank you all for your kind comments! I had a lot to explain in this chapter which accounts for its length.
I'm glad you're all enjoying the story thus far.