Chapter 4: Frozen in Time
Once they had reached the Northern Palace, all frozen in time and covered with a thick layer of ice, Cain felt like he was forcefully pushed back into the past again only to remind him what he had lost. As D.G. had opened long sealed doors and they had seen the portrait of Ozma and Ambrose, he had needed to confess his suspicions and revealed the young girls true identity.
She had believed him. Right after seeing the picture of her mother, that reassembled her in so many ways, she had trusted his words. It was as if deep down she knew all along that she was the princess and that her mother was the queen of the O.Z. Hopefully her memories would come back with this trust and implicitness with which she accepted her fate.
Cain was relieved that she knew the truth but he felt hollow in this haunted place. The portrait seemed as if it was mockingly staring down at him, telling him that he was foolish to think that a young girl could save them all, laughing at him for having faith in her and for hoping that he might be reunited again with the people who were shown in the picture. His throat felt dry, his head was spinning, his hands felt sweaty and he was almost sure that he would get a panic attack if D.G. hadn't suddenly decided to explore the deserted palace and search for more hidden information and memories.
Glitch and Raw followed her immediately, whereas Cain needed a moment to breathe before he climbed up the stairs that as he knew lead to the first floor where the Royal family had their private bedchambers. When he reached the last step, he hoped that he wouldn't be washed over by even more hurtful feelings that were created by this place but when he followed D.G. into her old room (something the girl couldn't know but Cain) he was relieved that the dizziness and the tight knot in his stomach didn't return. Yet it was a sad sight, furniture was covered with white bed sheets, dust was hovering over the floor, curtains and ice that covered the windows were stopping the light from outside from breaking through which only added to the gloomy atmosphere that was created.
As if she knew that something was waiting for her in this chamber, D.G. roamed around the room and looked into every corner before she gave up and sat down. Raw and Glitch did the same, trying to help the young woman with her desperate search for answers. While Raw flinched whenever he touched the remains of the room, Glitch behaved even weirder than usual. As if in trance he walked through the room, raising the sheets and absentmindedly staring at the things he revealed, among them a harp that Ozma used to play so passionately that no one had been able to walk past the room without stopping.
Confusion was written on his face by crinkles that formed on the burlap and for a moment he looked as if he, like D.G., could suddenly remember something. But that was impossible, why should a Scarecrow remember the royal palace and the harp that was played by the Queen? However, Cain further observed how Glitch touched the instrument, before shaking his head and letting go of the sheet, walking back to D.G..
Cain was willing to follow the Scarecrow and ask it...him about this flash of a moment when he suddenly heard Raw saying that they had to leave because terrible things had happened. More than anything he wanted to know why Glitch had been so mesmerized by the harp and by the room in general but the viewer's announcement made him forget about the Scarecrow and pushed away his thoughts to make room for new suspicions.
Terrible things? For a moment he froze, a shiver running down his back and his skin feeling cold. Was this the place where it had happened? Was this the place where D.G. had been killed?
O.o.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.
Something was strange about this place, not only because everything was deserted and because it was cold, dark and spooky, but because everything looked so familiar that it frightened him. He didn't know if he had ever remembered something before but suddenly there were pictures in the back of his mind that he had never seen before so he assumed that it was something he had forgotten.
But how? Why should he remember a place where nobody was living? This was the Northern Palace as the crazy old man had told them and it was the last connection to D.G.'s mother. This was not a place for him to remember, this was the place where D.G. should remember her past and search for signs of her lost mother. Yet everything he had unveiled looked as if he had seen it before. Each item telling a story on its own, a story which he couldn't quite recall ever hearing or experiencing but the flashes of pictures in front of his eyes had been there so he couldn't just pretend as if they were a lie.
Strange unfamiliar emotions developed in his mind, something that scared him even more than the memories. Anger, Sadness, Fear …emotions …he was a Scarecrow …he couldn't feel. What was happening with him?
He had preferred to dedicate all his time to the strange feelings and questions that were building up in his artificial body. He had to use the moments of remembrance and clarity that were given to him, however he got distracted by Raw who told them to leave since the place was dangerous which only added to his fear.
O.O.O.o.o.O.O.O
The furry viewer had been clutching to the post of the giant bed that was standing in the middle of the room the expression on his face was speaking volumes and the tight knot reappeared again. As much as he wished that this wasn't the place he suspected to be, the whole atmosphere and the viewer's reaction were evidence enough to encourage Cain that his assumptions were right.
With pleading in his voice Raw asked D.G. to leave, grabbing both her hands and pulling her into the direction of the door.
"We go now." He decided but the girl was reluctant.
"No, I need to know. Raw please," she begged in return. Only now Cain noticed that the viewer was shaking with fear.
"Bad things," Raw whimpered, his eyes screaming that he wanted to go and run away from the past that he himself had never witnessed.
Hoping that Cain might help him he turned his head and looked at the Tin Man, relying on his humanity and his sense of protection. Cain knew that it was wrong to torture the viewer and force him to show them something that he was afraid of but he wanted to know. He wanted to see how it had happened. He had only heard about it through his friends and he had never been able to accept that Azkadellia had pulled the strings and killed her own sister. He had kept the woman's true identity to himself and that hadn't been fair of him. He wouldn't want to stay in the way another time. She deserved to see the truth.
" Tell her," he ordered Raw, whose shock was evident on his face and through his movement.
With a sunken head and careful steps, he walked to a little mirror that was close by, ripping away the sheet that was covering it. He needed to focus and concentrate for a second before he slowly closed his eyes and touched the mirror.
A wave of shock seemed to rush through his body as it started to tremble lightly, Raw breathing in deeply. As the shaking stopped the blurry images that were now showing in the mirror came to an abrupt halt and formed clear moving pictures.
They were showing Ozma and little D.G. lying on the bed that they were now facing with their backs. The Queen was singing softly, while D.G. was slowly falling asleep. It was a happy sight and for a moment Cain relaxed when he saw his old friend and her child in such peace. However he was completely shaken when Glitch raised his voice.
"Wait that is you! I knew you too!" He suddenly exclaimed which took all of Cain's breath. What was that all about and where did it come from out of a sudden?
"What do you mean you knew her too?" Cain asked completely aghast as the Scarecrow was smiling like crazy like he had just announced them that he was getting married.
Confusion showed on the creatures face as he turned around and observed Cain for a moment.
"What are you talking about?" He asked suspiciously, the stitches now forming a straight line on his face, the joy vanished from his voice, the smile gone.
"You just said that you knew D.G. as a child!" Cain exclaimed half in anger half in anticipation.
"Did I? Must have been a glitch, how should I have known D.G. as a child?" Glitch blinked it away as if it was nothing, leaving Cain with only the anger.
He tried to brush it off as D.G. asked them to be silent since she wanted to watch the memory but the words and the strange behavior of their companion wouldn't leave his mind. Maybe the pictures would bring some answers or even encourage more glitches.
After a kiss and some warm words the Queen left the room, only to leave an opportunity for little Azkadellia to walk into the room, reciting an ancient tale of two sisters who had been the rulers of darkness and light or was it a prophecy of the future?
Even though it was just the picture of the past, it seemed like the coldness hovering around the young girl could reach through the mirror and grab for them. It was a horrifying feeling that not only disturbed Raw, D.G. and Cain could now feel it as well. Showing no mercy and with a cruelness that was as sharp as knives she attacked her little sister with her dark magic, strangling the little girl until no breath was left in her.
D.G. flinched at the sight of her own death, taking some steps back and staring at the mirror in disbelief. She had realized and exclaimed that Azkadellia was her sister which only made it harder for her to believe what she had just witnessed and what had become of her own sister.
"She tried to kill me," she said with wide eyes.
A lump formed in Cain's throat at that exclamation. If only she was right and Azkadellia had only tried to kill her. Maybe things had been different then.
" No …she did kill you," he said with sadness in his voice. Now D.G was completely confused and shocked, looking at her hand and shaking her head as if to prove to herself that she was alive and breathing.
"But that can't be!" she murmured almost hysterically.
Cain wanted to answer but the memory answered D.G.'s question all on its own. The Queen returned to the chamber as if she had forgotten something, watching after her eldest daughter suspiciously.
As she walked closer to the bed she realized that D.G. wasn't breathing anymore so without losing time she rushed to her daughter's side.
"I'm so sorry I didn't protect you. I never thought...," she cried in desperation.
Utter shock, confusion and guilt were written on her face accompanied by her tears as she touched the skin of her daughter's face. She pressed her own forehead onto D.G.'s before suddenly a soft beam of light (pure magic) left her lips as she resurrected her youngest daughter with her magic. Her hair went grey in the process which explained to Cain why the Queen had looked so different and drenched that evening. Not only had she almost lost her daughter , she had also given most of her light to the little princess.
"Oh my angel. There is one thing that can stop her, the emerald of the eclipse…," she started to whisper.
They couldn't understand what she was saying after her voice got lower but nevertheless they stared at the mirror in awe, fascinated by the devoted love of a mother.
"The secret to find the emerald now lives inside of you. When the time is right you will return,"
Ozma continued, her voice breaking more and more with each word. It was a strong burden she had laid on her daughter but she was carrying half of it at that very moment.
D.G.'s face showed that she was feeling devoted respect at this very moment, but all of them froze as they suddenly heard footsteps approaching from behind, a dark voice speaking to their backs. They turned around slowly and when they put a gaze on the intruders a cold shiver ran down Cain's spine.
"Mother never could leave well enough alone."
Azkadellia had finally found them.
A.N: I honestly don't know what to say about this chapter. It's more like a filler in order to introduce Glitch's changes along with D.G's discoveries. This is part of the process I've planned for Glitch and I'm sorry if this one is kind of boring. Also more thoughts of Cain , yay ^^ Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it . More next Saturday .