Chapter 11

I do not own anything from Wizard of Oz. I only own my OCs.

Sorry I took so long everyone. I have been so busy, I can barely take a breath.

I debated for a while to make Dorothy pregnant, because it could be so cliché for the story and the timeline, but I thought it added to her journey to rescue Scarecrow. Also, her reaction was something I did plan out. She should be jumping for joy, but it now adds another worry to everything going on already. Shape shifters coming soon.

Scarecrow waited patiently for his turn to enter the arena once more. He had been studying the area around the prison, the guards, and their habits, and any opening he could find.

He knew he would finally have his plan of escape worked out, but when was another matter. He was now set for his second fight. It had been three days since the first one, and now he was forced again to fight someone he didn't want to kill. He had not heard anything from Ordaran since his first fight.

He looked around one last time as the shackles were removed from his hands, and he was pushed into the arena. He received a mixture of boos and cheers from the crowds sitting around him.

He turned to see Ordaran smiling at him from his seat in the box. This time Ordaran had a very beautiful, dark haired woman with him. Her hair curled as it fell over her shoulders, and her skin was a smooth olive tone. Her yellow dress was cut low, and Scarecrow could see the outline of her breasts under the fabric. She wore gold jewelry everywhere. She had to be one of Ordaran's lovers. He had been hearing stories of Ordaran's famous harem. Apparently, he did have favorites. He also heard there were many bastard children running around the home that housed his women. This woman must have been one of his favorites.

She was very beautiful, but she wasn't Dorothy.

Ordaran had no intention of marrying Ozma.

If he could just get a hold of weapon, but he knew that was impossible. Ordaran still feared his own fighters. If they had a weapon, they could attack him at any time.

The other night they had brought Ami into his cell injured pretty badly. Scarecrow almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Ami could still barely move around this morning. Though he laughed at his fight, making Scarecrow disgusted at him once again.

Scarecrow looked around. He had a plan, and hoped it would work.

The door opened on the other side of the arena. Scarecrow recognized his opponent right away and inwardly groaned.

His opponent was obviously a lot older than Scarecrow, though Scarecrow could claim he was over a hundred years old. He was thin with gray hair, and wrinkles deeper than some oceans. This man had seen a lot in his lifetime, and Scarecrow did not want to kill him.

He could tell his opponent was scared, and Scarecrow wanted to ease his fears.

"I thought I would make it easy for you today, Scarecrow King," Oradaran yelled as the crowd laughed.

"This goes beyond barbaric, Ordaran," Scarecrow said.

"So do starving people, Scarecrow King," Ordaran shot back.

Scarecrow turned and faced the Lord of Aglas. "By your own hand."

Ordaran's eyes narrowed, but he smirked. The crowd became quiet waiting to see if their lord would react.

Ordaran laughed, and sat down in his seat again. "Let the fight commence!"

Scarecrow took a deep breath. He thought his plan might go awry when the old man approached him.

Scarecrow wasn't sure how to read the look in his eyes, and when the old man fell to his knees, Scarecrow was shocked.

The old man folded his hands, and stared up at Scarecrow with piercing blue eyes.

"Please, your highness, just kill me," he pleaded with the shocked Scarecrow. "Give me a merciful death."

Scarecrow looked around as the crowd booed the kneeling old man. He grabbed the old man by the arm, and pulled him to his feet. The crowd gasped in anticipation.

"No, my friend. You will defeat me," he whispered to him. "If you do this, I will guarantee your freedom."

The old man's eyes widened even more, and then a smile spread across his face. "Thank you, your highness," he whispered back.

"Follow my lead," Scarecrow said. He then pushed the old man to the ground, but not hard.

The old man appeared to get angry, and stood shakily. Scarecrow nodded to him, but the old man looked at him questioningly. "What should I do?"

Scarecrow began to circle him, and said, "Let me hit you. I promise not to hurt you. Then you will attack me."

The old man followed Scarecrow making his own circles. "Then what?"

"I have been dead twice now, friend. I know what I am doing," Scarecrow smiled.

The man nodded in understanding, and Scarecrow took that as his queue to attack.

The old man was taken down easily. The crowd gasped and cheered. However, Scarecrow knew he was not hurting him.

"How will you free us?" The old man asked gasping a little. Scarecrow knew he would have to give in soon.

"Give me time," Scarecrow said. "Time for you to win, friend."

Scarecrow stood back, and let the old man hit him as hard as he could. Which wasn't much. Scarecrow was beginning to wonder if his play dead act would work.

The crowd began to cheer, and then boo as Scarecrow acted like he was losing to the old man.

Scarecrow tried to make sure he was hit where he would bleed. It wasn't working. The old man just did not have the strength.

The old man got off of Scarecrow, and bent down on his knees breathing heavily. "I'm sorry your highness, I just can't."

Scarecrow knew he had to make a decision at that moment, and it would be something he had to live with the rest of his life. It would haunt his dreams like the rest of the people and creatures he had lost over the years.

The old man looked at him peacefully, and said, "I hold no grudge. I just want peace."

Scarecrow stood, and began to tear up. He looked over at Ordaran who watched with curiosity at what he would do. Scarecrow knew now he gave him a weak old man on purpose.

"I just want to be with my wife," the old man said to him.

Scarecrow blocked everything out at that moment. Without another word, he grabbed the old man's head. The old man brought his hands up to his, and began to pray.

"Forgive me," Scarecrow said in a low voice not looking down at him.

"I already have, your highness," the man said. "Make sure you keep your promise, and free those people."

Scarecrow could only thank the heavens that Dorothy was not here to see this. His sweet, innocent Dorothy was spared this. The innocent brown eyes of the girl with her dog in tow walking down the yellow brick road completely unaware what both their futures held. The woman who appeared to him once again one day during the middle of a war and fought so bravely with him in a world that was not her own.

She had killed Drigka, yes, but it haunted her. She had killed Nargol, but it haunted her dreams. She had said they were a life too, and she never wanted to experience it again. She would never know what Scarecrow was about to do. He would spare telling her the decision he just made.

The roar of the crowd filled his ears as the old man fell to Scarecrow's feet. Every fiber of his being changed at the moment he took an innocent life. It may have been mercy to some, but Scarecrow knew better.

"I will," he whispered over the body as tears burned his eyes.

Ordaran smiled at Scarecrow. He looked over at his guard, and said, "Bring him to me."

...

Queen Ozma of Oz paced the throne room. She had received word from Lord Ordaran that he was satisfied with his catch, and that the marriage did not need to happen. He still had Scarecrow, but Dorothy Gale was now on her way to save him. Her magic could only reach so far, there was no way she could stop her at this point. She could only hope Ordaran would capture Dorothy too, and Ozma would no longer worry.

Ozma was able to take the emerald from Dorothy, but the emerald no longer flickered. It only listened to one person, Dorothy Gale. That was something Ozma could not break.

"Why are you so worried about Dorothy, Nick, and Lion?" Thoreon asked his cousin, and lover. They were alone in the throne room as ordered by Ozma. Reginald had already retired for the night.

Ozma stopped pacing and looked over at Thoreon in shock. "Are you mad? If she defeats Ordaran and Scarecrow is released, we will have a full on rebellion here. The people here are starting to demand to know where they are."

Thoreon waived his hand in boredom, and said, "The people will come around. I don't understand what you're so afraid of."

Ozma raised her hands around her. "Well, maybe losing the throne."

Thoreon yawned loudly. "Even if Scarecrow is freed, then he does not have Glinda's or Dorothy's magic. He cannot defeat you and re-take the throne."

Ozma ran a hand through her long blonde hair.

"The only power he has over you, is if Glinda were here, and she isn't. She is trapped in Oscar's world," Thoreon said smiling.

"Marrying Ordaran would have secured our power, now we only have our army who are still loyal to Scarecrow," she said worried.

"Of course they are," Thoreon said. "They always will be for as long as Scarecrow is known to be alive. However, if we can convince them that he and his wife up and left the country, then things may turn around for us."

Ozma still wasn't convinced. Scarecrow had a way of things working out, and when Dorothy Gale returned to Oz, she saved him from death twice.

Ozma knew Dorothy could get the emerald back to her if she really needed it. She could only hope that Dorothy would never realize that.

Ozma needed to start planting it in the heads of the people that their once wise king had abandoned them. She could only hope it worked. If she needed to use her magic, she would, but she preferred the people turn to her on their own first without casting spells. She was actually very jealous of Scarecrow's loyal followers. She tried her best at first, but when Ordaran offered the price for Scarecrow she could not resist. In her mind, she was doing the right thing, and bringing her people to her, but it backfired. She was getting anxious. Ordaran said he would stay in contact, but now that the marriage was off, who knows what could happen.

She kept Dorothy locked up so she would not go after Scarecrow, and to keep her from trying to overthrow Ozma herself. Besides, she took Oran's offer to take Dorothy Gale into custody she was relieved. She did not expect Oran to turn on her for Dorothy. Dorothy has a lot of connections herself, and it angers Ozma that the woman feigns innocence, but she is not. Or maybe Ozma is just jealous that the Savior of Oz is loved all over the land, and she is not.

If Ozma's calculations are correct, Dorothy should be coming into the land of the shape shifters soon. Ordaran is sending an army to capture her and Ozma's two former generals. Ozma only hoped her problems with Dorothy Gale will be solved now, and she can rule Oz like she wants, and continue to grow her power.

….

The two bears watched and waited on the hillside careful not to be seen by the three travelers.

The yellow-eyed animals communicated telepathically.

"What in the world would a human woman, a lion, and a metal man be doing out here?" One asked the other.

The one beast narrowed his eyes to get a better look at them. He knew the emblems well the metal man carried on his body. He did not answer the first question, as he was wondering that himself.

"The Lion is not a changer," the other one said.

"No. I have never known changers to live in Oz," the bear said to the other telepathically.

"Oz? Why are they here?"

Both wanted to know. The woman who was with the creatures is what intrigued both of them more than anything.