Disclaimer, you know.
The jester had indeed sent the monkeys out, but not to capture the others the situation was actually quite the opposite. He sent Nikko out with a message for Dorothy that he wanted hand delivered. He didn't want her to look for Rose, or if she had found her, he didn't want her to bring Rose to him, he felt that he couldn't face her, all the years of guilt and pain having abandoned Rose all those years ago.
"I do hope that Nikko hasn't botched this one up" the jester said aloud to himself.
The crystal ball wasn't helping him as he didn't know the west outside of his family's castle. He managed to get a good picture of the rest of Oz but the west was foreign to him since he seldom left the castle out of shame. He still had something big planned, but he didn't want Rose involved a storm was coming, and its cause would be him.
Meanwhile in the woods.
The monkeys had flown over Glinda and the others several times before Nikko dropped the note. Glinda picked it up and read it. The message was for Dorothy, she read it to herself and then stopped the group. She immediately summoned up a hand mirror and asked Ellie for some potion bottles.
At the castle.
Most of the morning had gone rather well since Dorothy had gotten back to sleep after Alex had forbade her from leaving the bed until she was better. When rose came into the room some food for him he set aside an apple for Dorothy even though it would probably be a while before she would actually be able to eat it he set it aside for her anyways.
"I'm assuming she's stayed asleep?" Rose asked before starting for the door.
"Since I told her she wasn't leaving until she was well again." Alex said.
"Well you'd better wake her up, because I have a message for her." Came Glinda's voice from the mirror behind them
Alex turned to look at the mirror, and then back to Dorothy. She seemed to already be waking up. Toto and pockets had already jumped up onto the bed to see what was going on, this action is what caused Dorothy to wake up completely.
"Oh, well, she's awake now." Alex said.
"Why does it matter?" Dorothy moaned, grabbing the glass of juice on the side table.
"Because, I have a message for you, from the jester." Glinda said holding up a small card.
"Read it then, I'm listening." Dorothy said as she took a sip of juice.
"It reads, 'Dorothy, I know that you are separated from the rest of the group, and I have a request, one that I hope you will comply to, by now I'm sure you've either started your search for Rose, or in a more likely case, have found her, and I don't want her involved, as you might have realized, I don't have the courage to face her, all those years ago I abandoned her out of embarrassment, I cannot bare to face her for fear of what she may say, the pain I have always felt having abandoned her many years ago and the regret I feel as a result, please, just don't let her get involved' and that's all it says." Glinda said.
Dorothy sighed looked at Rose. She said nothing, she simply left as Glinda's image faded from the mirror. She turned to face Alex and stretched a bit before shifting her position and falling back to sleep.
She remained asleep for the rest of that day, the next morning she woke up to find Alex asleep in his chair, and Mr. Foreman standing in the doorway. She also found that she was once more drenched in sweat. Mr. Foreman smiled and walked over to her, placing a hand on her forehead he let out a light chuckle.
"It seems my dear that your fever has broken, that being said, I don't want you over exerting yourself, and you're still going to be very weak, so, well you get it by now I assume." Mr., foreman said.
Dorothy sighed and pushed herself into a sitting position. She then felt her stomach growl. She was extremely hungry having ignored eating for the last couple of days. Her thoughts however were broken by her vision becoming cloudy and her head beginning to pound. Her head cleared a few seconds later with the taste of grapefruit juice in her mouth. She blinked a few times before looking around the room again. Noticing an apple on the desk she slowly got up and the action of this stirred Toto and pockets. Toto barked rather loudly causing Alex to wake up. He looked up at Dorothy, noticed that some color had returned to her, and smiled.
"Feeling better?" he asked
"I'm feeling hungry." Dorothy said picking up the apple from the desk.
"Well, feel free to eat that apple, I saved it for you." Alex said getting up and kissing her on the cheek.
Dorothy blushed and took a bite from the apple. Alex sighed and hugged Dorothy tightly.
"You two, you just can't be separated can you?" Came lily's voice from the doorway.
"What was your first clue?" Dorothy asked as she broke away from Alex and walked over to the wardrobe.
"Well, the fact that he seldom leaves your side was the first one." Lily said walking over to them.
"Well, yes, but there's a reason for that." Alex said.
"And what, might I ask, is this reason?" Lily asked curiously.
"Lily, Alex wasn't always like the way he is now, he actually used to be a bit of a bully with a large posse, Dorothy changed him, and it was for the better." Mr. Foreman said.
"Thanks Jon, why don't you go back to Cassandra, let her know I'm fine, I'll meet you guys in the parlor." Dorothy said.
Mr. Foreman nodded and left as did lily. As they left Alex stretched and started for the door only to have his collar grabbed by Dorothy.
"You know, when a girl is choosing a change of clothes it's normally a subtle hint for every guys in the room to leave." Alex said.
"I know, but I wanted to thank you, for staying with me, and I want you to help me choose an outfit." Dorothy said as she released him.
"I'd say go with your normal outfit, but I like that green one." Alex said.
"What the one with the white stripes?" Dorothy asked,
"No, that one, next to the coats." Alex said pointing to it.
Dorothy picked it up and looked at it. It was a simple outfit. A green shirt with a dress to go over it. Like her normal outfit. She held it up looked in the mirror.
"I think it suits you." Alex said starting for the door again.
"It's like my normal outfit, but in green." Dorothy said.
"I know, but you aren't one for glitz, glamour and elegance, come one Toto, pockets, you too." Alex said leaving the room with them at his heels.
Dorothy smiled and grabbed a towel before leaving the room. As she left however she immediately ran into Rose.
"Well, you're looking better." Rose said.
"Feeling better too." Dorothy said.
"I've already ran a bath for you if that's where you were heading" rose said.
"Thanks, and that was where I was heading, everyone else should be in the parlor, tell them I'll be there in about let's say ten from the time you get there." Dorothy said before running off down the hall.
"Well she's definitely feeling better, that's the most active I've seen her since she got here." Rose remarked as she started for the parlor.
Dorothy was as good as her word for exactly ten minutes after rose arrived at the parlor and bade good morning to everyone Dorothy showed up. Scepter in hand and in the outfit that Alex had chosen. She knew she had an outfit similar to the one she was wearing in the emerald city but for her this outfit felt more natural. She said her good mornings to everyone before sitting on the floor next to Alex who was keeping pockets amused with a piece of string he had found.
"Well, I'm glad to see she's better again." Cassandra remarked.
"I'm just glad that I am better, it's miserable, you know, being confined to a bed, I'm not that kind of person." Dorothy said as she picked up pockets and set her on her lap.
"Now what about this business with the jester? he wrote a note saying that he didn't want rose involved and we know he still cares about her." Alex asked curiously
"Alex, I'm not sure I have much of a choice but to just go after him myself before people get hurt, it's really only a matter of time before the armies reach the emerald city and war begins, I know that the people of munchkin land went out to raise an army, and I don't like that but something big is going to happen I don't want any of you getting hurt." Dorothy said
"Dorothy, we won't let you do this alone." Alex said.
"Alex, it's not like I have a choice." Dorothy said.
"And she's right she doesn't." Rose said.
"What makes you say that?" Alex asked curiously
"Well, it all started with her, and it has to end with her, everyone in Oz knows that can fight against him, but in the end it must be Dorothy who brings him down" rose said staring into the fireplace.
"So basically what you're saying is that this chaos can't end, unless she fights?" Alex asked curiously.
"Exactly." Cassandra said before rose could even make a remark.
Alex looked at Dorothy. She had a look on her face that he really didn't like. She said nothing. She simply got up, grabbed the scepter and left the room. Alex got up and followed after her as she left the castle and went over to a nearby bench. She sat down on it, closed her eyes, and began crying.
Well this was an eventful chapter I think. Well what is this big thing that's going to happen? And will Dorothy stop the jester, or will she save him? Find out in the coming chapters.