Disclaimer, well you know by now.
When Dorothy, Alex, Aislynn, and Ellie arrived at Mr. Alistair's office they sat down in the various chairs around the office and waited. When Mr. Alistair arrived he walked over to his desk and sat down.
"Well, this is worse than the break in, this time it's real, its bad, and you guys have to figure out what to do about it." Mr. Alistair said firmly.
"And what do you expect us to do? We don't even know where to start." Alex said.
"Well, figure it out." He said.
"How do expect us to defend ourselves?" Ellie asked curiously.
"Well Dorothy and I are all set, just as long as we have peas or corn kernels for our pea shooters, but I don't know what you two are going to do." Alex said looking at them.
"Well I don't have my sword so I am completely defenseless as is ace." Ellie said.
Everyone sat there in silence for a moment. It was then that a thought struck Alex.
"Uncle, where do you keep all the stuff you confiscated from me and my old group?" Alex asked curiously.
"Good idea, that cabinet over there." He said taking out a key and getting up.
He walked over to the cabinet and unlocked it. Opening it revealed a large array of slingshots, stink bombs, various pranks, and several large sacks.
"What's in the sacks?" Ellie asked curiously.
"Beans, for the slingshots." Alex replied.
"So, you guys don't use pebbles?" Aislynn asked.
"No, we are mischievous, not stupid." Alex said walking over to the cabinet and grabbing a slingshot and tossing it to Ellie.
"Thanks, toss me one of those sacks of beans." Ellie said,
Alex nodded and tossed her a sack of beans. He then tossed some to Aislynn as well.
"Thanks, well that solves our first problem, the second one is where do we start?" Aislynn asked.
"Wonderful question, if you were the jester, where would you start?" Mr. Alistair asked them.
"We don't know, the jester is pretty random and mischievous, not to mention with his magic there's no knowing what he's got in store." Dorothy said.
"Well, you may as well take this to help you." He said taking out a small ring of keys and tossing them to Dorothy.
"The spare janitor's set?" Alex asked.
"We only have three janitors and four sets of keys." He said as Dorothy pocketed the keys.
"Well, I guess we should start now." Dorothy said getting up.
Alex nodded and they all exited the office. The first place they went was to the library. That seemed like a good place to start and get their bearings. When they got there they sat at one of the large round tables and started brainstorming about what they should do.
"So, how about we just randomly charge into rooms and hope we find something?" Ellie suggested.
"Ellie, I know you're a soldier and all, but that's a really, really stupid tactic, not to mention extremely dangerous." Alex said.
"Well it was just a suggestion." Ellie replied.
"We could always split up, there are four keys on that key ring and four of us, each key will open certain doors around the school with the same lock type so each of us takes a key and tries it in every locked door." Alex said.
"Well, two questions, first one being, how is it you know this?" Ellie asked.
Alex looked at Ellie as if she had just asked him the most stupid question he could even think of. She sighed and shrugged.
"Well second question, how would we communicate with each other?" Ellie asked curiously.
Alex now looked at her stumped. He hadn't thought about it. He didn't know, he looked at Dorothy for help.
"Well splitting up is definitely not an option, so, I don't know, I have no clue." Dorothy said taking her satchel from around her shoulder and placing it on the table.
She then rummaged through it and pulled out the slippers. Even they didn't have their usual feeling, they felt like the scepter did. As if they had been turned off like a light. Dorothy sighed and placed them back in her satchel. She then got up and walked over to the window of the library and looked out. Outside it had become dark and gloomy as well as wet and rainy. She honestly had no idea what to do. She felt just about ready to give up and they hadn't even started yet. She didn't know what to do at this point. She wasn't sure if there was anything she could do at his point. She normally relied on her gut instincts and her friends to help her out. She had some of her friends by her side to help her but that didn't help if none of them had a single idea of what to do. She then walked back over to the table with a frustrated look on her face. Picking up her satchel and the scepter she got up started for the door. Everyone else got up and followed.
"Dorothy?" Alex asked worriedly.
"Alex, I think we do need to split up, we need to think of a meeting site, then split up, I'll work out communication later." Dorothy said opening the door only to stop dead in her tracks.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked coming closer.
Looking out the door cause his jaw to drop. The entire area outside of the library had been turned into a large looking forest. Or were they woods? He didn't know if there was really any distinction, but this was no time for stupid thoughts. He then signaled Ellie and Aislynn to come over and when they did, their reactions were the same as Alex's they all stepped out of the library and the door slammed behind them locking.
"So, how do you like my realistic illusion" The jester asked curiously appearing atop one of the trees.
"It's a neat little trick, how do we escape it?" Dorothy asked finally managing to work up the courage to speak.
"I'll leave you to figure that out on your own." He said vanishing.
They all stood there in silence for a moment before anyone managed to even make a sound. Ellie however was the first person to break the silence.
"Well, splitting up no longer sounds like a good option, what if one of us were to get lost?" Ellie asked curiously.
"Um, each of us will go in a different direction, count out steps from here, let's say each of us takes five hundred steps from this spot and it none of us find anything interesting to meet back here." Alex suggested.
"Good idea, that way we can just retrace our steps to get back." Dorothy said.
"Everyone keep themselves armed, only use your projectiles if necessary they won't kill anything but they should stun any hostiles or dissipate them if this truly is an illusion." Ellie said rummaging through her own satchel.
"And what if we have to stray from our path" Aislynn asked worriedly.
"Well since behind us is the library, we only can go in three directions, and ace will stick with me." Ellie said.
"I'll go that way." Alex said pointing left of door.
"I'll go straight ahead." Dorothy replied.
"And that leaves to our right to ace and I." Ellie said.
"Good, now go, remember five hundred steps and then return here." Dorothy said before walking forward.
Alex shrugged and then went on his way as did Ellie and Aislynn. Dorothy walked on till she got to one hundred steps. She then sat down on a nearby rock to take a breather. Her flats were definitely not suited for forest terrain, illusion or not. She hadn't brought her boots with her because she hadn't expected the jester to show up with a rainstorm. After a few minutes she got up and resumed heading in the direction she had started going. Ellie and Aislynn just walked along until they reached five hundred steps and turned around. Having found nothing interesting they retraced their steps counting backwards from five hundred only to found the door they started from gone.
"That was five hundred steps, it should be here." Ellie said.
"Perhaps this is just part of the illusion?" Aislynn suggested.
"Well whether it is or not we still should wait here and see if Dorothy or Alex find anything, for now, I guess it's not a bad time for a lunch break." Ellie said going into her satchel and pulling out two sandwiches
Alex walked along to four hundred fifty steps before he found himself at a dead end. He leaned against the dead end for a minute and thought.
"So, alex time to turn back, hopefully the girls have found something." Alex said turning around
When managed to retrace his steps he found Ellie and Aislynn eating their lunch. Ellie questioned Alex's progress and was a bit frustrated that he found nothing.
"So we should wait for Dorothy and hope she gets back soon." Aislynn said.
"Agreed, I hope nothing happened to her." Ellie said worriedly.
"If she isn't back in an hour I'll go in search of her." Alex said taking out his watch.
Aislynn and Ellie nodded in agreement. Alex then took off his pack and took out his own lunch.
Meanwhile with Dorothy.
"Four hundred fifty seven, four hundred fifty eight, four hundred fifty nine, four hundred sixty." Dorothy said before stopping to rest.
She sat down on another nearby rock and took her sandwich out of her satchel and ate it. When she finished she got up and continued walking. She took an apple from her satchel and ate that as well. When she had finally finished the apple she had finally made it to five hundred steps. She turned around to start heading back and found her path blocked by a large red dragon. Her first instinct was to scream. Which she did, her next instinct was to take out her pea shooter and shoot it in hopes that it would dissipate. She took a few shots at it only managing to aggravate it.
"You're here to stop me from going back aren't you?" Dorothy asked.
"Yes, where are the other ones?" the dragon asked in a monotonous raspy voice.
"I don't know." Dorothy said.
The dragon laughed and reached out a giant clawed hand and picked Dorothy up. She whacked at the clawed hand with the scepter and her free hand. When she found that her efforts were hopeless she found that the dragon had brought her up to its eye level. She was frightened at this, the dragons eyes were a yellow green. She screamed again causing the dragon to flinch.
"Please, don't scream like that." The dragon said.
"Please, don't hurt me." Dorothy replied.
"Dorothy!" came Alex's voice.
"Please, put me down, let me go back to my friends" Dorothy said.
The dragon chuckled and put her down on the ground before vanishing. She dropped the scepter and rummaged through her satchel. Pulling out the pocket compendium.
"Alex!" Dorothy called worriedly.
Alex soon emerged soon after and he ran over to her and hugged her tightly. She quickly pushed him away and looked around.
"Alex, I-I I just saw a dragon." Dorothy said worriedly.
"A dragon?" Alex asked frightened.
"Did I stutter?" Dorothy asked before picking up the scepter and retracing her steps.
When they got back to the area where the door had once been Dorothy explained to Ellie and Aislynn what she had seen. She then flipped through the compendium and tried to find information on dragons. Ellie meanwhile took out her pocket mirror and tried to contact her sister. She was worried when she found Glinda was nowhere near a mirror.
"Glinda wouldn't have left the house, and I know there's a mirror in your cellar, but your aunt and uncle are doing great, they're really worried however." Ellie said.
"That's understandable, Ellie, do you have any training on dragons?" Dorothy asked.
"Not at all, it never occurred to me that I would end up facing one." Ellie said.
"You wouldn't happen to have a survival kit in there would you?" Alex asked curiously.
"I've got some dried fruit to snack on." Ellie said.
"Don't forget the beans." Aislynn said taking one and throwing it.
Where the bean hit the ground it immediately sprouted up into a bean stalk. Alex found this amusing. He then tried it with a pea which immediately sprouted into a pea plant fully gown.
"I wouldn't trust it personally." Alex said.
"Well, we should probably get going, you know, try to find the dragon, get out of this mess." Alex said helping them up they all walked along in the direction Dorothy had gone earlier and walked for a while.
"You know this illusion seems far too real." Alex said as some birds flew overhead.
"I've seen a lot of illusions with Glinda." Ellie said.
"Yea, and I've been through much worse." Dorothy said.
"Yea, tell me about it some time." Alex said.
"If we don't get out of here by nightfall I will." Dorothy said.
"Wait, what about the school? How are they going through all this?" Aislynn asked worriedly.
"Oh, don't worry about your school, or your fellow classmates, this place doesn't even exist in your world, and, I lied, most of this place isn't an illusion, it's a place of my own creation, how do you like it?" The jester asked teasingly.
"Can we borrow it for camping sometime?" Alex asked curiously.
"Why? it's going to take you a while to get through here, but don't worry your fellow friends are well provided for, I don't even bother them, in fact I think the only people who know where you are, is your aunt, uncle, and the principal." The jester said laughing.
"Are you just trying to scare us?" Aislynn asked.
The jester looked at the girl blankly. He then blinked a few times and jumped from the tree branch before vanishing. Dorothy looked at Aislynn and then continued on. They walked for a few miles before Dorothy looked up to see if she could see the location of the sun. Judging by its location it had to be near four maybe five in the evening. She decided now would be a good time to stop take a rest. She sat down on a fallen tree nearby and slid off her flats.
"These shoes were not made for these surroundings." Dorothy said rubbing the sole of her foot.
"Well, normally you only wear your boots when it rains, and I don't think any of us were expecting to end up in the woods today." Ellie said.
"Should we try to find a cave or shall we set up camp here?" Alex asked walking over to Dorothy and sitting on the ground in front of her.
"Are there any caves around here?" Ellie asked curiously.
"In my forest? Oh I'm sure you can find one around." The jester said appearing behind them.
"Why are you still here?" Dorothy asked leaning the scepter against the trunk of the tree.
"Oh I've been tailing you guys for some time, and, your endurance, is amazing." He said.
"WE always endure, it gets us past you and has kept us alive so far, the dragon was slightly frightening though." Dorothy said.
"I know, I promised him and his family shelter from those who would harm them, but because I WANT to see you guys survive to get out of here, I'll provide you with a little help." He said pulling a cloth sack from his sleeve.
Opening the sack he pulled out what looked to be an apple seed and threw it on the ground. Immediately it sprouted up until it had become a fully grown apple tree full of its fruit. He reached up and picked one, polished it off on his outfit, and took a bite. He then took out what looked like a five or six beans. He tossed them in a circle around himself. He vanished as the beans sprouted and began to grow in front them. They twisted and formed into what looked like a large hut made out of beanstalks. When it appears to be finished Alex got up and walking into the entrance of the hut. He emerge about a minute later and shrugged.
"It's seems structurally sound, we should just set up camp here for the day, I'll go get some wood for a fire." Alex said walking into the trees.
"Ellie, Ace, you two stay here, I'll go with him." Dorothy said putting her flats back on, picking up the scepter and getting up and running after him.
When she caught up to him she found him already gathering up large sticks and branches that she assumed he had picked up along his way. She also noticed that Alex had dropped peas along the way to mark the path. She said nothing to him, she just began to help picking up sticks and branches until they both had picked up a good amount of fire wood. Alex then walked over to Dorothy and kissed her on the cheek. She giggled and blushed and they followed the trail back. When they returned they found Aislynn and Ellie had already set a circle of stones for them to set the fire up in. Ellie however looked a little unsettled. Aislynn was climbing up the apple tree to grab some of the fruit.
"I wonder how the jester got this magic to work, Glinda once showed me that it was possible but it's complicated." Ellie said.
"Yea, I think he probably did this over the last nine months." Alex said.
"Yea, that seems possible, we'll have to ask Glinda when we get back." Ellie said.
"So, here's a good question, do any of you know how to start a fire without any matches start?" Aislynn asked coming down the tree with some apples.
"I have my flint and steel." Ellie replied.
"Okay, can I help start it?" Aislynn asked.
Ellie chuckled and rummaged through her coat pockets. She pulled out the flint and steel. It wasn't long before they had gotten a decent fire going. As the sun began to set Dorothy went into the hut to see the layout. It was definitely a bit roomy, good for at least four people if two stay near a corner, but it could comfortably fit three. She set the scepter against the wall and took off her satchel and stretched. She felt tired and sat down on the floor. She eventually dozed off and was asleep. Alex poked his head in and smiled. He then went back out and sat down in front of the fire with Ellie and Aislynn.
"Dorothy's already asleep." Alex said.
"I think she deserves a rest, she's been through a lot today, with the dragon and all." Ellie said.
"I think I agree with that." Alex said nodding.
"Alex?" Aislynn asked curiously.
"Yes ace?" Alex asked putting some more wood on the fire.
"Do you love her?" Aislynn asked curiously.
"Yes ace, I do, sincerely and utterly I do." Alex said.
"Okay, no need to get dramatic about it." Ellie said.
"Sorry." Alex replied.
"No problem, I was just curious." Aislynn replied.
"Do you two feel bad about, about, keeping that secret?" Alex asked curiously.
"Yes, but we can't tell her our plan, not only for her protection, but for her cousins." Ellie said taking an apple, polishing it on her coat and taking a bite.
"I know, but it's painful to know keeping this will hurt her if she finds out." Alex said poking at the flames.
The three of them nodded in agreement. They sat there by the fire until about maybe seven or eight o'clock. When Aislynn and Ellie decided to turn in. Alex said that he'd keep a lookout in the event that the jester sent anything at them. He put more wood on the fire as chilly wind blew by. Ellie shivered as well. Alex sighed and took off his jacket. He then walked over to the hut and handed it to Ellie.
"Put that over Dorothy, she'll need it." Alex said.
"Alex, you'll catch your death." Ellie said worriedly.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Alex said turning back to the fire and walking over.
Ellie sighed and brought the jacket over to Dorothy. Placing it over caused Dorothy to stir but she didn't wake. Ellie sighed and went over to the other side of the hut with Aislynn and began to doze. After about an hour Dorothy stirred and woke up. She was surprised to find Alex's coat draped over her. She smiled and stood up however. Grabbing the jacket she left the hut and walked over Alex. She placed the coat over his shoulders. He gasped and turned around.
"Why are you awake?" Alex asked sounding concerned.
"I woke up to find your jacket draped around me, Alex please, get some rest, and I'll take over night watch." Dorothy said.
"Dang it Ellie." He whispered under his breath.
"Ellie didn't tell me you were on night watch, she's asleep, and I came out here when I found your jacket around me." Dorothy said.
"Dorothy, no, you need the rest." Alex said.
"Alex, don't argue." Dorothy said kneeling down next to him.
"Dorothy please, just go, I'll be fine." Alex said.
Dorothy sighed and sat down. She wasn't going to be beaten this easily.
"Stalemate then" Dorothy asked curiously.
"Who taught you chess terminology?" Alex asked.
"I learned it over time at the library, they have a chess board in the corner by the entrance, and it's how I learned to play." Dorothy replied.
"We should play sometime." Alex said chuckling.
"Yes, we should, now please, go get some rest, I have more experience with the jester's minions, I know how to fight them off better." Dorothy said.
"Dorothy, I'll go take a little cat nap if it will make you feel better, but I won't sleep all night." Alex said getting up.
He took his jacket off and draped it over Dorothy's shoulders before going into the hut. Dorothy sighed and put some more wood on the fire. She grabbed an apple from the pile Aislynn had created, shined it on her dress and ate it, she then went through the coat pockets until she found the watch she had gotten Alex and kept an eye on the time. After about two of waiting Alex emerged from the tent. He quietly walked up to Dorothy and placed his hands over her eyes. She chuckled and pulled Alex's hands from her eyes and pulled him forward.
"Hey no fair." Alex said chuckling.
"It's been about two hours." Dorothy said holding up the watch.
"Like I said, cat nap." Alex said wrapping his arms around Dorothy.
"I know." Dorothy said.
"Well, you should go get some more rest." Alex said releasing her and sitting down next to her.
"I'm not tired now though, that's the thing." Dorothy said.
"Well, we can both keep watch then." Alex said.
"I can live with that." Dorothy said handing Alex back his jacket and watch.
Alex smiled and took the watch. Placing it in his pants pocket. He then took his coat and draped it over Dorothy's shoulders again. She sighed and moved closer to Alex. She leaned against Alex's shoulder and sighed again. Alex chuckled and wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. At around two in the morning Dorothy fell asleep. At sunrise Ellie and Aislynn woke up and came out of the hut with the scepter and Dorothy's satchel. Alex smiled and shook Dorothy awake. She looked up at him smiled and stretched. She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him. After a quick breakfast of apples they started on their way again.
"So, what's the plan?" Ellie asked curiously.
"Keep walking until we either find where ever he's keeping the dragon, or find another way out." Dorothy replied.
"Well I doubt that second one will happen." Alex said chuckling.
"It won't but it's the only other idea I have." Dorothy said.
They walked along keeping on the idle conversation. It wasn't until they came up to a large bubbling lake of black liquid. Alex carefully approached it and took some of the substance on his fingers and sniffed it. He coughed a bit and took out a rag and wiped off his hand on it.
"It's a tar pit." Alex said backing away from it.
"Of course it's a tar pit, what did you think it was?" The jester said from behind them.
"An oozing pit of despair?" Alex said trying to be sarcastic.
"Okay fair enough." The jester said.
The jester then took out the wand and flicked it. Dorothy's satchel appeared in his hand.
"Hey!" Dorothy said turning and running at him.
"Ah, ah, ah." The jester said holding it out of reach.
Dorothy was frustrated at this point, the slippers were in her satchel. She knew she couldn't use them here but they still had some sort of value to her. He then flicked the wand again and a mist surrounded them. All of a sudden the image of Glinda chained to a wall appeared in front of them. Ellie gasped ran at the image.
"Ellie, don't worry, it has to be an illusion." Alex said.
"Why would I lie, the truth always hurts more when you're with me." The jester said chuckling.
"Why?" Ellie asked curiously.
"It gives you a larger motivation." He said flicking the wand again causing Mr. Teak and Mrs. Teak as well as Annabella in a large crib with Dorothy's cousins.
Dorothy gasped and ran at the jester again. This time he laughed wickedly and vanished. The mist then showed Em and henry chained up close enough to the crib. Dorothy's eyes welled up with tears. She jester then appeared behind in a nearby tree. Dorothy ran at him and straight into the tar pit. She looked down at her feet and found that she couldn't see most of the tar pit with the mist. She was hardly ankle deep and the tar just felt like she had stepped in a giant puddle of molasses. Her flats were ruined which she didn't mind as much since she had them for about three years and it was a loss that was worth the jester's joke. She backed out of the tar pit slipping out of her flats in the process. The jester laughed and slung Dorothy's satchel over his own shoulder before vanishing and the mist cleared.
"I really hate him." Dorothy said pulling her flats from the tar pit.
"Your shoes are ruined." Ellie said.
"I noticed." Dorothy said as Alex took the flats and wrapped them in a handkerchief.
"I think my father might be able to fix them, he's salvaged worse damage done to shoes than this." Alex said sliding the wrapped of shoes in his pocket.
"Why do you have so many handkerchiefs?" Ellie asked curiously
"My father used to give me them all the time." Alex said.
"Fair enough." Ellie said before walking over to the pit and pulling a jar from her bag and dipping it in the pool.
"Why would you want to take tar with you" Alex asked.
"It may come in handy later." Ellie said removing the jar from the pit and tightly capping it.
"What are we going to about Dorothy though?" Aislynn asked.
"Ace, I'd rather walk around the woods barefoot than be slowed down by shoes that aren't suited for the woods." Dorothy said
"To bad he took your satchel." Alex said taking the scepter from Dorothy and wiping some tar from the handle.
"I know, I think he did that to try provoke me." Dorothy said taking the scepter from Alex.
"Come on, we're going to have to walk around this pit of tar." Ellie said.
Meanwhile at the jester's forest hideout.
"That was really rotten of you." Glinda said as the jester walked into room.
"I know, I didn't exactly expect her to do that, but it was hilarious." The jester said taking off the satchel and tossing it to Glinda.
"You do know that the slippers are in here right?" Glinda asked.
"Yes, but you know they are of no use to me." The jester said walking over to Em and henry and flicking the wand causing three bottles of milk to appear in front of them.
"Thanks." Em said as she was allowed to get up and feed her children.
"Well, I'd do it myself, but they don't like me, and because of, Glinda, I can't touch them." The jester said glaring at Glinda.
"What about me?" Annabella asked curiously.
"Have an apple." He said picking one out of a nearby fruit bowl and tossing it into the crib.
Annabella quickly picked it up and took a bite. The jester smiled at her and then walked over to Mr. and Mrs. Teak.
"Anything to say, you see, your son cares about you, and what do you do? You push him away, good sir your wife is a better person than you'll ever be and if you keep this act up he'll never trust or like you." The jester said approaching Mr. Teak.
Mr. Teak looked at the jester wide-eyed. He then looked to his wife. She gave him a look that confirmed the jester was right. He looked at him angrily. The jester chuckled and walked out of the room. He waved the wand over the crystal ball in the room and it focused on Dorothy and her friends. He then walked out of the room.
"Do you think you can fix her shoes?" Mrs. Teak asked curiously.
"Probably, I'd have to see the damage first." Mr. Teak said sighing.
Meanwhile back out in the woods.
"So, how are your feet feeling?" Ellie asked curiously.
"They're fine Ellie, I love that you are concerned, but I've been through this before." Dorothy said turning to face Ellie.
"Dorothy we all worry about you." Alex said walking closer to her.
"I know Alex, but please, don't, I'm fine, I feel fine, in fact, I would go as far to say that I feel comfortable." Dorothy said looking at him and trying to sound as happy about it as possible.
"Now this attitude is unlike you." Aislynn and Alex said in unison.
"It's just you guys get annoying worrying about me all the time." Dorothy said.
"I can imagine, but Dorothy you, wait hush, I thought I heard something." Ellie said.
Every stopped in their tracks. Ellie and Aislynn took out their slingshots and loaded them with beans. Alex took out his pea shooter. There was the sound of cracking twigs from the trees to their left. Ellie, being a hardened soldier slowly approached the trees. As she got a few trees in immediately her arm was punched full force, causing her to drop her slingshot. She screamed and all of them charged towards her. They were surprised to see Mr. Foreman, standing in a defensive position he was wearing a large brown overcoat that extended down past his knees but didn't look fitting to someone who came here on their own free will.
"Mr. Foreman?" Dorothy said getting closer.
"Careful Dorothy, he could be an illusion." Alex said.
"How do I know you two aren't illusions?" Mr. Foreman asked curiously.
"You can't hurt an illusion and most of the time an illusion can't hurt you." Ellie said rubbing her arm.
"Mr. Foreman, how did you get here?" Dorothy asked before going to help Ellie up.
"The jester brought me here, he dropped me off about three miles back in the woods." Mr. Foreman said.
"We've been here since yesterday." Dorothy said.
"Okay then, where are your shoes my dear?" Mr. Foreman asked curiously.
"There's a tar pit about a mile or two back in the wood, the jester caused me to chase him into it, my shoes are ruined, and he has my satchel so I don't have the slippers either or my pea shooter." Dorothy said.
"Ah, brilliant, are your feet alright?" Mr. Foreman asked.
"It's funny these guys have asked about that every five minutes for the last mile or two." Dorothy said.
"And quite right too, it can be dangerous." Mr. Foreman said approaching Dorothy.
"Not as dangerous as the dragon." Dorothy said.
"Dragon!?" Mr. Foreman asked sounding concerned.
"Well Dragons." Dorothy said adding the plural.
"N1ot to mention the jester is holding Glinda, my parents, Dorothy's cousins, Annabella, and Dorothy's aunt and uncle hostage somewhere in the wood." Alex said.
"That fiend." Mr. Foreman said getting angry.
"Why thank you." The jester said appearing in the tree next to him.
"Where's my satchel?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"Oh don't worry, Glinda has it, I just figured you'd want this back." He said tossing the pea shooter to her.
Dorothy caught it and handed it to Mr. Foreman. He pulled a bottle of rubbing alcohol from his pocket and a gauze pad. After a few seconds he had disinfected the peashooter for safety and handed it back to Dorothy.
"You carry disinfecting equipment with you?" The jester asked curiously.
"I used to be a doctor." Mr. Foreman said.
"Huh, I always thought you might be a scientist." The jester said.
"Oh I was, when I was much younger, but as a doctor I learned much more and I got to help people." Mr. Foreman said.
"Ah, anyways, good luck finding my hideout, and good luck getting passed the dragons." The jester said chuckling.
"You wouldn't allow them to kill us would you?" Alex asked.
"No, off course not, they're instructed to keep you from getting into my base, or if you managed to get in, from getting out." The jester said.
"Oh dear." Dorothy said.
"Quite right, also, blondie, here's something for you." He said flicking his wand.
Immediately a sheathed sword fell in front of her. Aislynn and Dorothy recognized as Ellie's actual sword.
"How did you get this?" Ellie asked.
"How do you think?" The jester asked chuckling.
"Is it really mine? I mean anyone with magic can make a replica." Ellie said picking it up.
"Oh it's the real one, like I said I want you guys to survive, or there's no fun involved afterwards." The jester said laughing and vanishing.
"He takes his role as a jester far too seriously sometimes." Dorothy said.
"Well, anyways let's get going, I can't stand the thought of my family in his clutches." Alex said.
"Yes, I think we should keep going, which way were you guys heading?" Mr. Foreman asked.
"We were heading that way before you got us distracted." Ellie said strapping her sword to her belt.
"Well, let's get going." Mr. Foreman said.
Everyone nodded in agreement and went back to walking. They walked till sundown, lunch was some apples that Aislynn had brought from the last camp. It wasn't long before they came to a river. It was completely clear and cold so they made it more of a priority to stay away. Mr. Foreman and Alex went out to collect firewood. Aislynn and Ellie did what the jester had done the night before throwing five beans on the ground in a circle and watched as they grew into two separate huts each the same size. They could three people comfortably. Dorothy sat next to the river and looked at her reflection keeping her grasp on the scepter. She stretched and got up after a while and walked over to the camp. Alex and Mr. Foreman had just gotten back with the fire wood. Ellie and Aislynn were setting it up for a fire later. Dorothy smiled and walked into the hut closest to her. She set the scepter against the wall and then exited. When she got out she saw that Mr. Foreman and Alex were rolling large rocks over for them to sit on. Dorothy walked over to Alex and hugged him tightly.
"What's this for?" Alex asked chuckling.
"It's because I love you." Dorothy said.
Alex chuckled and returned the embrace. Mr. Foreman walked over and chuckled
"You my dear, have chosen your friends wisely." Mr. Foreman said.
"Thanks Jon." Dorothy said smiling.
When nightfall came Ellie started up the fire and had a dinner of apples and magically grow corn that Mr. Foreman had cooked over the fire for them. Soon they could see the moon over head. It was completely full tonight. Dorothy sighed and moved closer to Alex.
"I've always like full moons, never been sure why though." Dorothy said.
"I like them as well, I always thought they were romantic." Alex said.
"Like a dance in the moonlight?" Mr. Foreman asked.
"Exactly." Alex replied.
"Well, be our guest, no one's going to stop you two." Mr. Foreman said.
Dorothy looked at Alex and they both chuckled. Dorothy smiled and got up. They danced beautifully as usual and the moonlight made them practically sparkle as they danced. After about an hour they stopped and Ellie, Aislynn and Mr. Foreman clapped. Dorothy and Alex chuckled and took a bow. They then returned to their seat and Dorothy rested her head on Alex's shoulder.
"So Dorothy, which hut will you be sleeping in" Ellie asked curiously.
"I placed the scepter in that one there." Dorothy said pointing to the hut closest to all of them.
"You, alex, and Mr. Foreman can use that one then." Aislynn said.
"Thanks ace." Dorothy said.
"No problem, so whose going to take night watch?" Aislynn asked curiously.
"Well, certainly not you ace since you're the youngest." Alex said.
"I know that." Aislynn said.
"I'll gladly do it." Mr. Foreman said.
"Are you sure Mr. Foreman? You're the oldest one here, why don't we have either Dorothy, Ellie or I do it?" Alex asked curiously.
"Just because I'm old doesn't make me incapable." Mr. Foreman said.
"I know that, I didn't mean any offense to you, sorry." Alex said.
"None taken." Mr. Foreman said.
"I have a great idea, let's rotate Mr. Foreman, I know you have a watch, as well as Alex, ever hour or so we could rotate." Dorothy suggested.
"I like that idea." Alex replied.
"Mr. Foreman can take the first watch." Ellie said.
"I can agree to that, wait a minute, I think I hear something." Dorothy said turning around to listen.
"I don't hear anything my dear." Mr. Foreman said.
"Me neither." Alex said.
"Hush!" Dorothy said.
Dorothy stood up and listened. At this point her hearing had gone to her improved hearing that she had obtained when she was a cat.
"Dorothy?" Ellie asked curiously approaching her best friend.
Dorothy put her hand up and stopped her from saying any more. She then got up went and grabbed the scepter and then gram Alex's arm. She dragged him along reaching into her pockets dropping a pea ever few steps. She found that her eye sight still allowed her to see in the dark. It wasn't long before they reached a clearing where the sound of rustling was now noticeable. Alex moved himself in a position in front of Dorothy to protect from whatever it might be. It wasn't until Dorothy felt something against her ankles that she screamed and jumped. Immediately the sound of barking was heard.
"Toto!?" Dorothy shouted.
Immediately an excited bark was heard and Dorothy turned around to find Toto sitting happily on the ground at her feet.
"Dorothy!" Toto said excitedly.
"How did he get here?" Alex asked curiously.
"How do you think?" The jester asked chuckling.
"Why" Dorothy asked picking up her pet.
"Your aunt reminded me that he was going to be lonely." The jester said.
"Thank you for thinking about it." Dorothy said as Toto licked her on the face.
"No problem." He said vanishing.
"I think he means well sometimes." Alex said.
"Last time we fought he was questioning his moral." Dorothy said as they walked back towards the camp.
"What happened to your shoes?" Toto asked.
"Ruined by a tar pit." Dorothy said handing the scepter to Alex.
When they got back to camp everyone was shocked to see that Dorothy was carrying Toto in her arms. Dorothy set Toto down on the ground and he walked over to Ellie and Aislynn. Aislynn picked him up and immediately received a lick on her face. She giggled and set him back down, he then approached Ellie.
"No thanks Toto, it's good to see you." Ellie said.
Dorothy smiled then yawned and stretched.
"Dorothy my dear, you should get some rest, you and Alex can decide who will do the next shift." Mr. Foreman said.
"Dorothy, why did you bring the scepter with you if it doesn't work?" Ellie asked curiously.
"I don't know, force of habit I guess." Dorothy said.
"Well, I'm going to turn in as well, Mr. Foreman keep an eye on your watch once every one goes to bed, after an hour or two come and wake Dorothy and I so we can argue about who takes the next shift." Alex said.
"Yes sir." Mr. Foreman said saluting.
No one was able to keep a straight face at this. Dorothy laughed for a bit then went into her hut. Toto and Alex followed shortly after. As Alex entered the hut he took off his jacket and wrapped it around Dorothy. She sighed and kissed him on the cheek sat down on the floor. Toto curled up next to Dorothy and soon he and Dorothy were sound asleep. Alex checked his watch and sat down next to Dorothy after a while he too was asleep. Around three hours later he was woken up by Mr. Foreman. He hushed him before he could say anything. He looked at Dorothy who was still asleep. She looked beautiful in the light that was coming in. Toto was still curled up at her side. He didn't have the heart to wake her, he knew she would do that on her own accord. He chuckled and walked out of the tent saluting Mr. Foreman as he walked out. When he got to the fire, he checked his watch, and then looked around. A few minutes later Toto emerged from the hut and walked over to Alex.
"Hello Toto." Alex said picking him up.
Toto barked softly and jumped off of Alex's arms. He stood at attention and looked around. After about an hour Dorothy emerged from the hut and walked over to Alex.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"Neither of us had the heart to wake you." Alex said.
"How sweet." Dorothy said.
Alex smiled and motioned for Dorothy to sit down next to him. She smiled and did so. She looked at Toto and chuckled.
"Toto is a good little watch dog isn't he?" Dorothy asked chuckling.
"Yes, he is." Alex said smiling
Dorothy chuckled and handed Alex his coat. She then added some more wood to the fire and then leaned her head on Alex's shoulder.
"So, two days, that's how long we've been here now." Dorothy said.
"Yea, I hope we can get out of here soon." Alex said.
"Me to, I'm so worried about my cousins, as well as auntie Em and uncle henry." Dorothy said.
"Dorothy, he has my parents and Annabella." Alex said pulling her close.
"And then he has Glinda." Dorothy said
."It makes me feel sorry for Ellie." Alex said.
"Same here." Dorothy said.
Alex nodded and wrapped an arm around Dorothy. After about half an hour Dorothy was asleep with her head resting on Alex's shoulder. He smiled and wrapped his coat around her again. He then checked his watch. It was one in the morning but he didn't want to stir too much and risk waking Dorothy. He smiled and looked over at Toto who was now patrolling the area. It wasn't long before Mr. Foreman emerged from their hut and walked over to him. He said nothing, he merely chuckled and smiled. He then walked over to his seat by the fire and helped Alex and Toto keep watch. It would be a few hours before the sun would rise and they would set out again. And Alex felt they would be ready no matter what.