Chapter 35
I do not own anything from Wizard of Oz.
Thank you for the reviews! They are always appreciated.
We are almost done. I love these characters.
Scarecrow watched helplessly as Dorothy was overtaken by the illness. He cursed himself for not thinking straight when it came to Ozma putting the spell on her. He knew he should have stayed behind the secret door, but seeing Dorothy suffering was too much on him. His rationale be damned.
He tried to break free of the grasp of the soldiers, but was subdued easily as he was outnumbered. He struggled as they disarmed him. When he placed the bombs he thought he would have a good sneak attack on the throne room while they were distracted, but he did not anticipate Dorothy being in the throne room the whole time. He thought she would have been in the jail cells. His plan failed, and now she was under the spell, and he was captured too.
He spotted the emerald in a bubble like force field by the throne. It sat there glowing softly as Dorothy had not been able to free it from bubble.
If he could free the emerald for her, then they had a chance. He looked over at Boren who just stood over Dorothy.
"Get away from my wife," Scarecrow growled to the shape shifter.
Ozma chuckled at Scarecrow's reaction. "Actually. Boren go ahead and take her to a room, and make her comfortable. She is no longer a threat."
Dorothy began to cough, and Scarecrow could see the spots of blood on the floor. She looked up at him with glazed eyes. He could not tell how sick she really was. He wondered if Ozma had put the spell on her stronger than the rest of Oz. He began to worry, and wondered if he could help her in time.
Scarecrow struggled against the guards again, but to no avail. He was trapped, and had no way to get the message to the others that they were in trouble.
He stared down Boren one more time as he carried Dorothy from the throne room.
As they walked by Dorothy looked up at him, and he could see the worry in her face.
"It'll be alright," he whispered sadly. She nodded and closed her eyes.
He then looked over at Boren, and said, "I will kill you."
Boren looked at him, and held his stare for a moment, but did not say a word.
Once they were out of the room Scarecrow was forced to his knees in front of Ozma. Reginald licked his lips, and Scarecrow knew revenge was on his mind about Thoreon.
"How you survived Ordaran, I will never know," Ozma began sitting gleefully on throne.
"Ordaran's games were important than killing me," Scarecrow said.
Ozma looked Scarecrow up and down. "So, you made the decision to be straw again. I admire your bravery on that. However, I think you would suffer better as human, don't you?"
"Let Dorothy go, and heal Oz, and I will stay with you," he offered trying to bargain with the queen. "You may do as you like."
"I can't let Dorothy go, Scarecrow. She is the one who controls the emerald, and can defeat me if you can't. Did you notice how sick she was? I made her worse than the rest of Oz, I will be surprised if she lasts the night," Ozma said.
Scarecrow felt an overwhelming sadness wash over him. He didn't know if he could save her in time.
"Why….why would you do that?" He asked as his voice broke with emotion.
"I can't kill her that easy Scarecrow. That would be well…..too easy, and you watching her die would be most gratifying," Ozma said.
Ozma turned as a glass of wine was handed to her. "I always knew you would come for me. You are so stuck in the old ways that my changes were disagreeable, and you couldn't handle it," Ozma said.
"I never argued your changes Ozma. I never agreed to them, but you were queen. I had no intentions of trying to overthrow you and take the crown once more," Scarecrow said angrily. He tried to stand, but was pushed back to his knees.
"If there was word of uprising, then it was not from me," he finished.
"Yes, there was. There were many who spoke of putting you back on the throne," Ozma commented taking a sip of wine.
"I had nothing to do with that."
"I don't know that."
"You should as I was on my farm the whole time, and never left for almost four years," Scarecrow said.
"Enough of this! Just turn him human, and let's be done with it already!" Reginald said speaking up, and turning to Ozma.
"I can't. Only Dorothy Gale can do that," Ozma said to her uncle.
Reginald looked around exasperated. "If she dies then we don't have our revenge!"
Ozma put up her hand to calm her uncle. "In due time, uncle. I like seeing Scarecrow kneel before me."
Scarecrow realized there was strife between them, and he was the source of it. Ozma was doing the same thing Ordaran did, and was toying with him. He needed to do something, and get to Dorothy soon. He wanted nothing more to get to her and get the hell out of Oz.
"Please let me go to her, she needs me," Scarecrow said with a slight sob.
"Are you giving up, Scarecrow?" Ozma asked.
Scarecrow lowered his head, but his blue eyes remained steady. "Yes," he whispered.
"What was that? I didn't hear you," Reginald said with a smile.
Scarecrow looked up to the two of them, and said, "Yes. I give up."
Scarecrow noticed the emerald began to pulsate again, and looked around but could see nothing around the room. He wondered what that was about.
"Please release the people, and my wife. You have what you want Ozma," Scarecrow pleaded.
He noticed that Ozma was not paying attention to the emerald as it began to become brighter.
He had to bide his time, and whatever Dorothy was doing.
"No Scarecrow. I will heal the people, but your wife is no exception," Ozma said.
Ozma then turned as the emerald began to hum within the force field. Her blue eyes widened in fear from what she was seeing. It made Scarecrow smile.
"Bring the savior back in here!" She screamed to a couple of guards.
"You don't have to."
Everyone turned as Dorothy Gale stood there at the door of the throne room being held up by Boren.
….
Boren carried Dorothy to the room assigned to her. She did not look good, and would not make it through the night. She was a little delirious, and began to mumble lowly.
"I'm sorry Dorothy," Boren said as they neared the room.
He knew he would try to help her as much as he could before something bad happened. He would try to make her as comfortable as possible. He wondered if Scarecrow would see her before anything happened. Her skin was clammy, and her parlor was almost gray. Her eyes were glazed over, and a little trickle of blood came out of the side of her mouth.
"I forgive you," Dorothy said looking up at him.
Boren stopped and stood there as Dorothy began to look a little better. She was still very sick, but she did look…..better.
He noticed her eyes were more focused. Boren noticed that the guards that were escorting them were looking on him and stopped in confusion.
"How?" He whispered as he began to move again as to not gain suspicion.
"I'm dying," she said lowly.
Boren felt tears in his eyes at what she said, but she was trying to hold on.
"You can't die. Your Scarecrow needs you," he said. "Will the emerald heal you?"
"I don't know yet, but I need to make Scarecrow human again," she gasped.
"Can you stand?" He asked.
"Are you going to help me?" She asked a little suspiciously. Her voice was very throaty and gravelly.
Boren felt nothing but emotion, and so many of them at the same time. She was fighting it, but barely holding on.
"I would do anything for you," he said with conviction and emotion.
Dorothy smiled slightly, and put her hand to his cheek. "Boren, if things had been different…"
Boren looked down at her sadly. "I know…I have much to make up for."
"I can stand for a moment," she said to him without acknowledging anything else.
The guards began to question as Boren placed a very weak Dorothy against the wall, and made sure she was all right for the moment.
The guards began to surround them, but Boren changed into smaller dragon, and the guards were gone in seconds.
….
Dorothy knew she would not make it. The spell was just too powerful. The least she could do is free Scarecrow, Oz, and kill Ozma like she promised.
The emerald dust she had kept separate when Boren first tried to destroy the emerald for a reason, and this was it. It was what was giving her some strength for right now, but she did not know if it could save her like it did Scarecrow once.
Every fiber of her being shook as she made her way back to the throne room, and she felt the need to go to sleep, but Boren kept her awake.
All she wanted was this to be over, and for sleep to take her.
She thought of Scarecrow and how he would go on if she could not save herself. She willed him to be strong without her, and to move on and live out his life happily. She had to admit she looked forward to seeing her family again, and seeing the son she lost. She would meet Scarecrow again one day. There were no words to describe how much she loved him, and never knew she could feel so deeply when they first met.
As they made there way to the throne room it took all of her strength to start to concentrate on the emerald again to free it.
The sickness had overwhelmed her again, and she collapsed against the wall. She could see Boren far off trying to rouse her, but she swapped his hand away. She just wanted to sleep…..
"Dorothy!"
Dorothy opened her eyes, and she was still in the hallway of the castle of Oz. She stood and realized she was no longer sick. She looked around in confusion. Things around her were hazy, but she had all her strength.
She suddenly felt shock and sadness. Did she die before she could reach Scarecrow?
She began to whimper in sorrow, and wanted to fall to the ground in remorse and defeat.
"Dorothy! My little pretty!"
Dorothy gasped. She knew that voice, and would know it anywhere.
She turned to see Theodora standing in front of her smiling.
"Am I dead?" Dorothy asked worried about the answer.
"Not quite my little pretty, but you are pretty close," Theodora answered.
"Scarecrow! I have to get to him in time," Dorothy said urgently. "Please tell me what I need to do!"
"Dorothy, you are dying, but you can still save your precious Scarecrow," Theodora said.
"How? If I'm here, I am not conscious," Dorothy said beginning to panic.
"The emerald will help you, but it will not save you. There is another way, but it is a sacrifice," Theodora said.
"I don't understand. It brought Scarecrow back to life, why can't it help me?" Dorothy asked.
"Dorothy, the emerald is tied to your life force. It feels everything you feel, and does everything you do. It is an extension of you. It can heal others, but not you because it is you," Theodora explained.
"So, if I destroy it I die too?" Dorothy asked panicking now.
"No, but the only way to heal you is to make a sacrifice, and I think you will know when that time comes. Which will be soon," Theodora explained.
"What is that? Please tell me," Dorothy pleaded.
Theodora smiled, and said, "You will know, my little pretty, and your Scarecrow will figure it out too."
Dorothy felt frustrated at the Wicked Witch of the West giving her riddles, but at least she knew something.
"I am going to help you," Theodora said brightening.
"How?" Dorothy asked.
"I am going to enter your body to give you some strength, and as soon as the emerald is destroyed along with Ozma. You will never see me again," she said.
For some reason, Dorothy felt sad she would never see the wicked witch again. She had no idea why.
"Close your eyes, Dorothy," Theodora said.
"Will this work?" She asked still doubtful.
Dorothy felt a little ashamed by Theodora's frustration. "Do you want my help or not?"
Dorothy knew at that moment she needed to close her eyes. "Yes….."
"Dorothy!"
Dorothy slowly opened her eyes. She had renewed strength. She could feel it. She was still not well, but she was better.
She didn't know how to feel with Theodora possessing her, but she knew in her conscious mind she was not alone. She could hear Theodora speaking to her, but it seemed from a distance.
She smiled slightly at Boren who looked down at her worried. She noticed he had fought off more guards while she was out.
"Dorothy! Are you alright?" He asked.
His voice seemed so far away. It was so strange to be hearing for two inside her mind.
"Yes. I have some help," she said.
Boren looked at her confused. He was surprised she was able to stand on her even barely.
"What do you mean?"
"It's a long story," she answered.
"Dorothy, we need to go now. Reginald is ready to kill Scarecrow without Ozma's orders," Theodora said in her mind.
Dorothy nodded, and they began to move. Dorothy didn't really remember going back to the throne room. All she could remember was concentrating on freeing the emerald. She realized that it was not only her that was freeing it now; it was the witch who was helping her.
She could feel its power wash over her as they began to close in on it.
"Yes…Yes…..I feel it," Theodora said through her thoughts.
She could swear she could feel Theodora sigh with pleasure at feeling the emerald's power within her spirit.
Dorothy was now almost in a trance like state. She ignored the sweat pouring down her face, and the weakness in her legs. She ignored the blood she could feel coming up from her lungs. The only thing she needed was to get to that emerald and end this once and for all. Theodora helped her with her movements she could feel it when Dorothy was almost not able to because of the illness. She still wanted to just sleep, but her renewed strength and her love for her one and only Scarecrow was what kept her going. Everything around her was a blur, but she had only one thing she needed, and she was so close.
She entered the throne room, and the emerald was soon back in her hands.
First thing she did was point her hand out of the door. With a wave, she knew the sickness that had struck Oz was now gone according to Theodora speaking through her.
Second, she pointed her hand as Scarecrow, and his blue eyes widened. He knew, and he knew he would be human again.
Boren had changed into the dragon once more and stood to protect Dorothy.
She ignored Scarecrow's screams of pain as he began to mutate back to a human.
She had to destroy Ozma, but she was distracted when Scarecrow began to writhe on the floor. She wanted to run to him, and comfort him. She knew she was letting her emotions at seeing her husband get to her. She knew it because Theodora was screaming at her to concentrate in her ear and her mind.
She was strong enough to ignore Theodora and would stand in front of Scarecrow to protect him as he changed to human again.
The distraction was just a moment too much as Boren was suddenly hit by the same white light as she was.
Dorothy flew back against the wall and began to gasp for air.