Chapter 2: The Story of a Tin Man

After the night that soon manifested itself as the night of the witch, Cain had followed the Mystic Man's instructions and left Central City for several weeks. Adora had been surprised to see her husband home so soon. When he was working on errands for the Mystic Man he wasn't supposed to be home for a couple of days.

The first thing he had done was hug Adora, then he had asked for Jeb who had been deep asleep in his room. After checking on him and making sure that everything was all right with his child, he had grabbed the bottle of bourbon, that Adora was hiding in the parlor, to pour him and his wife a drink. Then he had told her everything.

It had been comforting to have Adora to talk to. The almost death of the princess, the turn of Azkadellia and the desperate faces of his two friends gnawed on him. At least Adora had been able to make him forget the fear that was embracing parts of his heart. However, she didn't succeed in making the fear go away completely.

The weeks that followed the announcement of D.G.'s death were a nightmare, nevertheless they couldn't even resemble the fear and horror that was going to await them in the future.
As the Mystic Man had promised them, the Queen was able to bring her beloved daughter to the Otherside, after that, however, it was her task to take care of the daughter that remained.

When he knew that Adora and Jeb were safe (he had asked men and women from the neighborhood to build little communities so that several people could take care of each other at once) he left for Central City again in order to help the Queen and the Mystic Man to find a solution for Azkadellia.
In the years that followed he witnessed a lot of misery.

He had protected and worked for the Mystic Man as long as it was humanly possible for him, but when Azkadellia grew older, her powers grew with it. She had always been a smart kid, like her uncle, and so it was only a matter of time until she started to win over dark forces that would help her realize her plans.

Soon she had gathered a terrible army of so called Longcoats around her, a private collection of men and women alike who would follow her into the darkest corners of the O.Z. if that would please the Sorceress. Ozma and Ahamo couldn't hold her captive anymore, and soon the Queen herself became a prisoner in her own castle. Weeks later it had been said that the Prince Consort was banished from the lands.

Cain had never intended to leave in an hour of despair like this but Ambrose had pleaded with him to go and protect his family.

"Go! Your family needs you "

The words of his friend still haunted his memories and it was as unbearable as to watch the memories in front of his had listened to Ambrose's words and left Central City.
It was the last time that he would see the shining city on the hill for a very long time.

Two years after that the war started to spread in the country and no matter how hard the Queen and her family tried to stop Azkadellia there was little power left to them.
Wyatt Cain had built up a group of Resistant Fighters and many other villages and clans followed his example. It wasn't too late in the eyes of the people, to fight. They hadn't lost their spirits yet and it made Cain proud to see that so many people at once were willing to risk their own lives for the Queen.

Their forces were strong in the beginning but the years of the war passed by in an instant, yet they seemed to crawl as slowly as a snail.
Many people would give their lives in the effort to stop the regime of Azkadellia who was now known as the of those that Cain loved would pay a high prize for their loyalty.

Cain's brother Robin threw the first stone...and with him the catastrophe of a lifetime began. Even before the reign of the Sorceress, in the years of his absence, Robin had joined a group of fanatics, believers that were hoping to live in the times of the Great War again. When Azkadellia rose from the ashes of the Great War like a phoenix, Robin Cain had been one of the first who joined her.
The message of his sons' horrible betrayal had broken Wyatt sr.'s heart and in a few weeks time he had died from the grief and humiliation.

At the day of his funeral Cain had cried many tears for both the loss of his father and the brother that was still alive but dead to him mother was a strong woman who refused to let her sorrow eat her up but Cain could see that she was a broken woman. Her hair had turned into the color of grey dust and her face looked worn out and wrinkly when he carried her away from her husband's grave.

Only two years later and another horrible message would strike his family.
Elliot Parr, a skilled fighter and honorable brave Tin Man, husband of his youngest sister Rose Cain, was killed during an attack from the Longcoats, leaving little Rose without protection and leading to her mysterious disappearance.

Weeks passed until everyone heard what had happened to Elliot's wife .
Resistant fighters found her corpse at the edge of a wood, her throat had been cut through and her body not only showed signs of fighting but also of rape.
The few that were left of the Cain family were shocked by this news and sadness was the tamest emotion that Wyatt jr. felt that day. He thought that his sister's death would be his mother's end but the woman lived on.

Then there had been the attack of Rick Zero. He and ten Longcoats had come to his cottage. They had threatened Cain and his family. They had broken into the house and Zero had slapped Adora. Cain had gotten into rage and started a fight with the man, the fight continued outside until three Longcoats grabbed Cain by the arms so that Zero could beat him up properly.

"What a coward he is," had rushed through Cain's mind.

Two other Longcoats had grabbed Adora, another one grabbing Jeb, and although Cain was full of fear he was proud to see his family fighting back.
No matter how much he had tried to defeat Zero though, he had known that he would lose in the end and then there was nothing except darkness.
O.o.O.o.O.O.O.

That was eight annuals ago …at least he thought it was, after such a long time in a prison like his it was hard to tell which day or even annual it was.

Aside from that his mind didn't only suffer from the loss of air or distraction, more than that it suffered from the pictures in front of his eyes, that were playing on end in a terrible torturing loop.
Adora being pulled out of the cabin and slapped, little Jeb fighting, him being beaten up by Zero. They had turned into horrible memories a long time ago, yet they wouldn't stop playing in front of his eyes.

"The most imaginative torture is left for those who resist Azkadellia."
A saying that was known all over the O.Z. by now.

Cain didn't believe that his wife and son were still alive, nor did he have the hope that he would ever escape the Tin Suit, his personal fate of torture. However he was sure that he suddenly heard voices approaching and that someone outside had found him.

When the pictures of his family's torment disappeared and the blue eyes of a woman, followed by ugly brown buttons (wait buttons?) appeared his heart skipped a beat and he started shouting.
Years he had waited for this day to come and though he doubted that he would want to live outside the Tin Suit for another day he was willing to give it a chance.
Hatred, anger and a thick layer of pessimism were clouding his mind and wrapping his heart.

His shouting must have convinced the people outside, (or maybe it was just his moving) that he was still alive but he could see that both were backing away from the Tin Suit.

"NO!" He mouthed being too weak to form words on his dry lips.

To his relief the Scarecrow remained and it even seemed to assure him that help was near, moments later and he could her a banging that reminded him of the sound when metal hit metal. The bang was followed by a short pause and suddenly his prison was filled with light and air from outside.

For a moment he stood there, in the sweat of his despair, in the grease of his sorrow and completely in trance, still believing that it was all a dream. Soon though, he realized that he was finally free, after all these years. His legs gave out from the overwhelming emotions around him and he fell to the ground less gracefully, but for a moment as if he was at peace.
Then he remembered Zero and the horrible things that were happing in the O.Z. and his anger returned.

"Are you okay?" the young woman who had freed him asked cautiously, you could hear that she was worried for him although she didn't even know who he was. Sympathy, a feeling he surely wouldn't be able to feel ever again. She was clutched to the Scarecrow and almost embraced it as if she was also afraid of Cain and needed the strange creature to protect her.

"Where are they?" He asked because it was the first thing that came to his mind although he knew that they wouldn't know the answer. However, if you spent years with thinking of your past and the destiny of your beloved ones, it was hard to drop that habit.

He knew he looked scary, probably being all grey, dusty and sweaty. His hair was completely out of place and longer than he ever wanted it to be. In addition to that his long beard was almost as horrifying as his hair which made him flinch although he hadn't gotten a chance to look at himself yet.

Since the newcomers didn't seem to be able to talk nor to walk, he did the work for them by raising from the place where he had fallen down. Next he walked to the machine that had forced him to watch his family's torture over and over again and with a strong pull (something he had doubted he would be able to do) he released the pole from the machine.

It was one of Ambrose inventions he remembered that, it was a shame that Azkadellia twisted it for her terrible purpose though. He hadn't seen his friend in over a decade but he could feel that he wouldn't approve and he wondered what Azkadellia had done to get the blueprints.
When the machine touched the ground he stared into the wide emptiness of the woods next to his cabin. Before he did anything else he made a decision.

"I'm gonna kill him," he mumbled forcefully before he left the strangers alone and walked into his cabin to look for things that he could use to clean himself. Fortunately he found a razor, as well as some of his old clothes... all being fresh and clean. Nevertheless it hurt to see that his home... their home was falling apart and that it was only haunted by memories and ghosts of the past.
The girl and the Scarecrow still hadn't said a thing so he didn't see the urge to introduce himself and headed off for the lake instead.

A good hour later and all the signs of his punishment and torture had vanished away and he almost looked like his old self again, yet older and slightly worn out.
He sighed and stared into the grey sky while he listened to the Scarecrow explaining to the woman that the most imaginative tortures were left for people like him.
There was no time to waste so he rose from his place at the shore and turned around to face his rescuers.

"How long were you trapped in there?" The woman asked with her hands on her hips.

"Since that was a sapling," he answered and pointed at the big tree close to the lake with a quick move of his head.

He couldn't see it but he could feel that the strangers were looking at the tree in awe, maybe with sympathy again. It wasn't fair to treat them so rudely for they hadn't done anything that could have darkened his mood, but his heart seemed to be dominated by this feeling lately and he couldn't let emotions like regret stop him from chasing after he stood still for a moment to express his gratitude.

"Much obliged for the help." When had it started to be so hard to simply say : Thank you?

"You're welcome, Mr. Cain," the woman responded knowing his name now that he had introduced himself during this hour of cleaning. Slowly she headed after him as he was making his way to the cabin again. As he kneeled down to collect the rest of his remaining belongings from a Tin box he could hear the girl introducing herself as D.G.

He froze! That couldn't be! There was only one girl he knew with the name D.G. and that had been the princess, Azkadellia's sister and a long forgotten memory in the hearts of the people. Lavender had sent her away to the Otherside to protect her...yet the Mystic Man had said that she would return one day.

Nevertheless he wasn't sure if it was foolish to believe in fate and destiny anymore so he decided to remain suspicious. Maybe her name was D.G., maybe she was the lost princess, but maybe she was just a weird, strange woman with the same name. Her parents could have been dedicated loyal supporters of the Queen... anything was possible and those were desperate times. He would keep a distance, it was safer. There wasn't time to solve this mystery for the moment.

"And this is….," she wanted to introduce her friend but Cain interrupted her.

"A Scarecrow... that seems obvious," He started while the Scarecrow laughed uncomfortably and said that it had a proper name and would tell him as soon as he could remember it.

"I've never seen a talking and ugly Scarecrow like this one before. In the old days they used to headcase criminals… looks like they have changed their methods," He said more rudely than he had meant to and it seemed to affect the ugly creature.

"Hey, whoa, I ain't no convict!" it yelled at him.

"So why are you wearing the royal garb then? This is what people used to wear at the Palace and, excuse my manners, but you don't look like something that used to belong there, which means that you must have stolen it!" He shouted back.

"And just in case I am! It was bogus charge, a frame job, I'm sure of it! I can't remember where I got it but I'm not a thief!" The Scarecrow replied in sorrow.

Cain left the talking convict behind to grab his coat and hat before he would leave for Central City. He put his things on and returned to the strangers to say goodbye and observe them for the last time.

"Yeah well...," That was addressed at the Scarecrow and his doubts of its background. "I'll see you down the road." And with that he placed his hat were it belonged.

The young woman came closer again this time with more despair in her eyes and a quicker pace.

"Actually a road is what we're looking for," she started and exchanged questioning looks with her odd companion. "We're looking for the brick road that leads to a place called Central City, do you know of it?" They mumbled in an awkward unison.

Of course he knew where it was, however he feared what they would ask next when he told them so. He checked his gun before he answered and since he still was a good man he did give them the right information after all.

"Yeah , it's where Zero headed after...," he had to pause ... what was happening? He couldn't trust these people without knowing who they were and now he was given away side stories of his past?
"It's where I'm headed now," he finished and started walking away from them. Hoping that they would leave him alone wasn't on his mind though.

He couldn't blame them but he couldn't help them as well, or maybe he could?

"Great we'll go with you!" He heard the woman called D.G. exclaiming behind him and he could feel her breaths at his heels.

"I got business, besides I don't travel with kids or convicts." He could feel the symbolic eye rolling of the scarecrow in his back but he carried on. The girl was resistant herself though.

"I'm not a kid and the people that came to your home came to mine. I'm just looking for my parents," she pointed out forcefully and was accompanied by the Scarecrow which exclaimed that it was looking for its memories.

"Maybe we can find ..."

"Maybe we can find ...Maybe we can what?" Now he turned around and almost attacked the girl that was standing very close to him, in the end he just looked at her very angrily since he couldn't bring himself to harm anyone. His voice was harsh and forceful though.

"Find what, my wife...my boy?! There are gone probably just like your folks are." And with that he turned his gaze back to the road and kept walking. He could have stayed stubborn and cold-hearted, he could have kept his pace, left them alone to their own destinies but for some reason he needed to stop to at least explain to them why teaming up with them was a bad idea.
He lowered his head and sighed, hoping that the brim of his hat would hide the true feelings evident in his eyes.

"Look nothing personal kid, but look at you, first time in trouble and you will just cut and run."
It sounded plausible to him, both really looked like they were scared out of their minds, although he couldn't really judge the Scarecrow's expression.

What he didn't expect though, was the response of the girl.

"Nothing personal but when we found you, you were in a tin box! You don't know me. Come, Glitch, we'll find the way ourselves," she spat at him with anger but also hurt in her eyes.

She was feisty! For an instant she really reminded him of Ozma Lavender, the hair, the eyes, the posture and that response…but could he trust instincts like that when it came to something so important as to identify the true origin of this woman?

D.G...D.G such a name wasn't common...or random. Maybe he should give it a try and spend some time with the strangers. He could find out more about them and decide after that if it was best to let them go their own way or not.

His gaze followed her as she was stumping through the high grass in front of his cabin, unknowingly making her way into the direction of the Field of the Papae.

"The way? The way leads to the field of the Papae," He said matter of factly but with a warning undertone.

"Papae?" He heard the Scarecrow asking and he could hear the fear and uncertainty in his voice.
The Creature must have done or gestured something for he could hear D.G. return, angrier than before.

"What? I've been tossed into a storm, trussed up by land gnomes, chased by mad men on horseback how bad can Papae be?" There was a fury in her voice again that kind of impressed Cain. She must have been through a lot but he could tell that she had no idea what dangers, real dangers were hiding in the shadowy parts of the O.Z..

"I've seen them gnaw people in half within 30 seconds." His features softened and he let the thought of this girl being their savior. This hope started floating through his body.
He had sworn to himself that it was foolish to hope, but he also knew that those two strangers were the first people he had met in ages and that they had enlightened something inside of him which he thought had died a long time ago.

They had freed him and been kind to him ever since he had left the Tin Suit. His friends and Adora, even little Jeb, had taught him that it was important to return this kindness for you never knew when it was too late to show your gratitude. They were lost without him and although he wanted to chase Zero solo, they needed his help.

Nevertheless, he would never admit this in front of the strangers, keeping up an invisible wall between them that would protect them all from psychical pain. Therefore he put on a show and sighed dramatically before he revealed his new plans.

"Rag doll, keep your mouth shut, kid you stay behind me." He said softer than before.

He let the new information sink in and didn't wonder when the girl came closer to see for herself that he wasn't lying. Those deep blue eyes fixed him deeply in a gaze that was hard to avoid.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" She asked and he honestly couldn't tell why he had done it. It was a good question. Most importantly he wouldn't tell her that he might know something about her past and background. The would need to find that out together.

"Believe me, heart's got nothing to do with it," He therefore responded and quickly started to make his way in the opposite direction ,away from the Field of the Papae and towards an unknown future.

Eventually his new companions followed him and picked up the pace.

A.N: Okay that was the second chapter of Part 2 , I hope you liked it. I had to slightly change certain things since to Glitch's altered identity and Cain knowing the Royal family but I hope that I managed that smoothly. Also I really liked to play with different points of views so the first chapter was more of a point of view from D.G , this one all belongs to Cain. All in all I will focus a lot on Cain's thoughts since he is the only one who can remember his past at the palace, which is new to me because I usually concentrate more on Glitch but I guess Cain deserves this attention as well. Next chapter on Wednesday , thanks for reading ;)