Ambrose didn't sleep well at all that night, it seemed that every time his brain shut off, the memories he tried to suppress came flooding back like a tidal wave ready to crush him with everything they had. When he slept all he could do was dream of the past it seemed.
"Ambrose, this… we must keep our secret. I love him and I can't bear to have him leave me because of something that happened in the past. We are to be married in the spring… I know that the child will come quick, but it should not make much difference. Promise me, you will not... leave me too. After all, what happened, it was only a mistake of two young fools and cannot happen again." Ambrose looked into the lovely lavender depths of his Queen, his light, the ruler of the O.Z., his Glenda as he knew her in private.
"Yes, My Queen, I'll keep it from Ahamo. He will never know of your past… transgressions and you may raise this child as if it were your own. I will stay as your Royal Advisor as always intended." The Queen wrapped her arms around her most trusted Advisor, as they stood under the green gazebo by the swing in the great and beautiful Finaqua hideaway.
"Thank you, Ambrose. I knew you would not abandon me."
"Please Azkadellia, I know you want the plans for the Sun Seeder, but think about what you are doing. Doesn't some part of you still care for your mother and this world?"
Azkadellia studied the tall, most wizened advisor carefully. He was pleading, something she had never seen him do. She has seen him create marvels, read, dance, laugh. But never plead, never look this scared in all of his long life.
"Why, my dear Ambrose…are you afraid? I have never seen you afraid. At least let me give you reason to fear. Do you know what my plans are for this land you love so much?" She stepped up so she was in his face, smiling her twisted grin. "I will bring darkness to all of the O.Z. using your great mind and the power of the emerald. Since there is no one with the power left to stop me… The O.Z. will soon be mine."
"Please, my daughter... don't do this…" Ambrose said, his head falling. "I know there is some good part of you left." Az looked at him with a questioning glare.
"Daughter? I am not your… No, it's not possible." She turned away. "The Queen and her most trusted, loyal servant…secrets... she had so many. One day I will rid her of all of them. Take him to the Alchemist. Remove his brain... we must put our plan into action post-haste."
"Glitch, No matter what happens in there, no matter what you see when Raw connects you to your brain, you shut down the machine. Got me?" Cain said before they made their way into the Cerberus tower .
"Right." Glitch said, nodding.
"Good. I may still need some dance lessons after all this is over, so… faster we get this machine shut off, the faster we can go back to normal." Cain said.
"Hah. Normal. With all the stress we've suffered from all of this, I doubt any of us will ever be normal again. I mean, think of all the mental syndromes we could all be suffering from right now - not to mention the most likely onset of post-traumatic stress disorder."
Ambrose woke and shook his head of the plaguing memories, trying to forget. He now remembered why it hurt him so much when Cain smiled in his direction… made subtle friendly flirtations. He looked at the scar running down the middle of his scalp in the mirror and cast his eyes downward. With his brain back, he could remember all the scars crisscrossing his heart too, and it hurt.
He got dressed, reminding himself today was Cain's day to leave for Central City, so he decided to take residence in the library. He sat in his old familiar leather chair and picked up a book on the workings of modern science and began to lose himself in the many formulas and complications presented to him by the text. He didn't know how long it was before a presence in the room awoke him from his thoughts. "Ambrose?" A voice said quietly. It was Azkadellia, looking happy but almost lost in her newfound princess role. "Can I talk to you?" She said, sitting down across from him in a chair.
"Sure." He said, closing the book. "What about?"
"Well, it's about what you said to me… before; when I was sorceress, about being my father." She had her hands folded in her lap and was not looking up, the emerald which was always hanging around her neck now glowing a faint green. Ambrose looked steadily at his daughter, now returned to her normal state. She was back... but still not whole. Rather like him, a fragile incomplete person.
"Yes, it was the truth, if that's what you want to know. I am your birth-father. Your mother and I… well, we made a mistake before Ahamo arrived and when she married him, she decided it was best not to tell him."
Azkadellia nodded, she understood what it must have been like, to have to bear that burden. "I'm glad that even though you were possessed… you grew up to be such a strong woman. You could have let the witch take you completely, you know."
Az looked at him. "I know. I never… I never wanted to lose my family... my real family. That's why I couldn't kill you, even when the witch told me it would be better for me to. I think I always knew that you were my real father." She stood up to go. "Thank you Ambrose, for watching out for me… even when I was possessed by the witch; and thanks for helping D.G."
Ambrose nodded. "I would do it all over again."
Az stood by the door of the library hovering, one last thing on her lips and mind. "Oh, and Ambrose… just because my mother broke your heart doesn't mean - AHHH!" Azkadellia fell to the floor, clutching her head in pain. The Emerald was glowing like a beacon. Ambrose ran to her side, "Oh, Az, please hold on…" He looked down the hall and called to a maid, "Please, get the Queen!"
Ambrose was pacing outside Azkadellia's room, trying to not look frantic. Raw was inside with the Queen, D.G., and others, performing healing magic. From what he could gather, the stress that the witch had put on Az's brain had aged it beyond what anyone knew. It was almost as if she had the pocked and broken brain of an old woman instead of the young woman she was supposed to be. The Emerald's power would help her some… but her magic, her inner magic was breaking down and the Queen feared that her lifespan would not be as long as other magical beings in the O.Z. "She's dying slowly." The Queen said to an almost inconsolable D.G.
"I'm sorry… she will have many, many years... but not nearly as many left as you and I, my dear… I'm so sorry." D.G. fell into her mother's arms "My sister..."
Ambrose, who didn't know the fate of his daughter's shortened life was still pacing about the hall, worried as any father would be, when Cain strode up, looking ever the Tin Man ready for battle. "Is the Princess alright, Gl- Er, Ambrose. Sorry, I can't seem to get used to that."
Ambrose shook his head." I'm not sure. All I know is that she's sick. Whatever the witch did while she was possessing her is irreversible."
Cain nodded. "It's too bad; I guess that will set D.G. up to take the throne then, if Azkadellia is too weak."
Ambrose bristled and muttered, "It should be my girl taking the throne… not... her..."
"What?" Cain said, looking at Glitch with puzzlement.
"Nothing. Guess I'm still not wired correctly."
"Yeah, guess not." Cain said, looking forward. "I'm not going to Central City after all; I'm staying here working castle security."
Ambrose wouldn't look at him. "I suppose the Royal Family could use a good man like you standing guard."
"You could say that. I just thought it might do me some good to be here with my friends. It was you, after all, telling me to 'have a heart' - and with Jeb as my second in command, it's like having a family." Cain said, trying to prod the old Glitch into awaking.
"Family. I wonder what that means, anyways. I don't think I ever had one." Ambrose said. Just then Her Majesty came out of the room "Ambrose, may I speak to you for a moment?" Ambrose rose. "Excuse me, Mr. Tin Man."