Chapter 5 : The wagon
A feisty wind mixed with ruthless white snowflakes was fighting its way through the Northern Territories where their-well DeMilo's –bright yellow 'bad joke' of a wagon was still resting with a broken axis. The crazy colors and eye catching design on the plain white surface made them an easy victim to the criminals that were stupid (or desperate) enough to hunt so far up North but Glitch didn't care for criminals, nor the cold.
All he was concerned about was the condition of the former Tin Man who was lying out cold and stiff underneath a thick layer of dirty blankets. He had found the man at the shore of the frozen lake after Azkadellia's attack and although he couldn't feel the coldness himself he knew the signs of hypothermia. More importantly he knew that it was a great danger to the life of his new friend. Somehow he had managed to find the ugly vehicle and although he didn't want to wrap the man into the disgusting looking blankets he had done anything he could do to keep the man warm and restore him to a normal healthier temperature.
Thinking was a strange thing. Everyone who had met him was surprised to see that he as a thing ...something artificial and non human was able to talk, walk and think and at this very moment he didn't blame them. He had always believed that he was magical, that he had been human before and that the sorceress had cursed him so it seemed only fair that he was able to do things that human did every day. However it surprised him as much as this strangers when he noticed this 'human trademarks'.
Not only had he remembered that Azkadellia had attacked him, he also knew what hypothermia was and right now after seeing Wyatt Cain naked he noticed something else that a creature like him wasn't supposed to do .
In order to keep him warm he had needed to undress Cain and with fascination he had observed the man's naked skin and body. He wanted to exchange the wet coat and trousers with a warm looking set of pajamas that he had found in the wagon, but instead he was mesmerized by the unknown sight and something inside of him felt strange. He knew that it simply couldn't be there and at that moment he blamed it on the dark magic inside his straw body but he had noticed this occurrence before ...this feeling. It had happened when he first saw the man, there was something about Cain that influenced his thinking and had an impact on his whole being.
Back were the many situations in which someone had called him an anomaly …something that wasn't supposed to be living and once again he asked himself what had happened to him in the past, how much of his own theories were true, how it he was able to develop feelings and how it was possible that he had something like thoughts but without any context.
He had something of an independent mind and own thoughts but his possibility to memorize things and keep them in his head was proving difficult, nevertheless this didn't mean that he wasn't able to make up his own mind wasn't it? The Northern Island, the palace and all its surroundings felt similar to him and for the first time he had had a feeling that he could remember something. He had been able to tell D.G. that she was the little girl in the mirror and he was sure that he had seen the woman with the Lavender eyes before too. It were only mere little things but they concerned him.
When he saw the pale white skin, the bulky chest, the birthmark on the bottom of his right arm and the movement of Cain's raising chest that made the muscles underneath his skin play, he was motivated to say that it looked lovely and that it caused him to experience something unknown to him. A tingling feeling in his chest and underwear department. Maybe even more than that but defining this unknown power over his mind wasn't important right now.
He would try to talk about it with someone once everything was over and in case he was able to keep it in mind.
O.O.o.O.o.o.o.
Hours passed until Cain looked warm and cozy and until Glitch was a hundred percent satisfied with his condition. The little heater in the wagon was providing a fire that looked like it was warm enough and once he would go and fetch new wood for the hungry flames they were safe for the night.
"I shouldn't get to close to the fire though," he reminded himself before he made sure that Cain was still deep asleep so that he wouldn't notice his absence. It was as strange as his emotions but he honestly cared for the man and he didn't mean to scare him or leave him alone in the wilderness for long.
As he heard the low snorting and breathing sounds of Cain he touched the man's forehead with his gloved hand before he left into the snowstorm outside.
"Relax old grumpy cat, I'll be back with new wood soon."
O.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.
Zero was laughing in his face while he stroked back his hair in a slick manner and grabbed the gun that was lying on the floor.
"No Iron suit for you this time," he heard the man say before he pointed the gun at Cain.
He was bleeding, his face was aching and he was ready for a quick death. However he didn't expect Zero to say that his wife and Jeb were still alive and so he heard himself ask this very question.
They had survived, there was a chance for him to find happiness. He had to find D.G. and the rest and they would stop the witch and find his family.
"My family is alive...My family is alive," he kept repeating in ecstasy before Zero destroyed all his hope by pulling the trigger. He saw himself bursting through the huge window of the Northern Palace and slowly making his way down and down.
This was the moment when he awoke with sweat on his forehead and his gun pointing into an unknown direction. He was lying underneath blankets and his breathing was heavy and unsteady. He didn't know how it was possible that his gun was lying by his side and he couldn't tell if it was a reflex or if he thought that Zero was there but the knowledge that he was in the possession of a gun soothed his nerves.
He could feel that the gun was pushed away by a gloved hand and when he felt the coldness from outside he didn't only know that he had survived the fall but also that he wasn't alone and that someone (even if it wasn't Zero) was with him. He could tell that it was Glitch before he saw him and more of his fear and nervousness vanished for the moment.
"You've been sleeping for hours like a baby with its pacifier." The Scarecrow tried to make a joke while it/he came walking in and placed an armful of wood in front of a little stove.
"I thought you were dead," he mumbled in return although he didn't really know how to kill a Scarecrow. Azkadellia surely would have found a way and even though he didn't like to admit it: the thought had scared him.
Glitch turned around and faced Cain with something like pity on his face before he replied with a silent and drenched, 'Ditto'.
"You know I may have saved you from hypothermia but uh ... this is what saved your life." And as he was starting to ask himself how it was possible to survive a fall AND a gunshot into the chest, Glitch held a familiar wooden horse in front of his eyes.
"It stopped the bullet."
The carved horse, the toy he had made for little Jeb. A bullet was sticking in one side and it didn't need a genius to tell that the toy in his chest pocket had saved his life. He sent a silent thanks to his son and now that he knew that his family was alive he even allowed himself to get teary eyes and hope for a reunion. Realization hit him hard though since neither D.G. nor Raw were at Glitch's side and there was only a tiny chance that they weren't in Azkadellia's capture.
"D.G.?" No emotions , he wouldn't allow his voice to show any emotions.
"Azkadellia." Compared to him the Scarecrow didn't care to show his feelings, which reminded Cain that he had to ask the creature how it was even possible that it/he cared.
"Raw?" But now it was time for business.
"Uh I don't know. I can't find him. Either they took him too or he is dead...," Glitch started but was interrupted by Cain.
"Maybe he ran away," He said in a spicy sarcastic manner and was scolded for it by the man sitting beside him.
"You know you really should do something about this bitter cynicism of yours, Cain." It was amazing how the rag doll could even know what cynicism was and that they were honestly leading this conversation that he was willing to turn into a discussion.
"Why? Somebody needs to keep your wide-eyed optimism in check," he mocked his companion but when he heard the other one banging down one piece of the wood on the stack he knew that he had gone too far. He had to thank the man who had saved his life, it was only fair.
"Hey Glitch?"
"What?"
"I owe you one," and he was more than surprised to see the stitches on his face form a laugh.
"You know Cain, professional psychiatric therapy is only a crow's call away these days. I think a man like you with your issues of masculinity or like we call it the boy scout syndrome…," he heard Glitch ramble off.
O.O.O.o.O.O.O.
The snow storm outside was getting worse and with the forces of nature being against them they were forced to spend another night in the wagon.
Cain wasn't pleased. D.G. was somewhere with Azkadellia, the key to their victory, the savior of the OZ, anything could have happened to her and all he could do was lie in a ridiculously painted van and talk to an animated Scarecrow.
Glitch had stopped his lecture about psychiatric therapy and issues of masculinity hours ago and now the stitched man was sitting against the opposite wall of their prison and starring endlessly into the darkness around them.
At this very moment of silence, something Cain was really fond of, a familiar thought came to the Tin Man's mind and although he hated to interrupt the serenity that surely wouldn't come back again (not with Glitch in his company) he had to ask something that was haunting his mind for quite a while now.
Glitch was developing trademarks that weren't only unusual for a creature like him, but also for any other person Cain had met since the witch. He had a feeling that the Scarecrow was more than he himself even knew of and he had to find out if his suspicions were true.
He had noticed it earlier on their journey and especially during their time in the Northern Palace. His devotion to the task to find D.G.'s answers and save the O.Z had stopped him from willing these thoughts to dominate but now that they had no other opportunity than to wait he was getting more and more curious about the meaning behind all this.
"Glitch, you awake?" He threw into the silence and suspiciously waited for an answer.
"I'm a Scarecrow, Cain," Glitch responded in such a serious yet weird manner that Cain had to stifle a laugh. A feeling was building up that he hadn't felt for what seemed like an eternity and this was something he had noticed as well. Glitch made him happy.
"I know sorry ...well actually this is what I wanted to talk about with you," he stammered, trying to ignore the light feeling around his heart. This was business in some way and nothing else.
"That I am a Scarecrow, you really want to talk about that?" His companion asked in return and he could feel that Glitch was now playing the dumb one on purpose.
"I think you know what I mean. Listen we have all noticed that you're not what other people may call a normal or random Scarecrow ...you're not hanging in a corn field and you're neither mute, nor deaf...or immobile. In addition to that I have noticed that you seem to remember things and act in a certain way now I'm wondering myself how this is possible and I'm sure you do too." He really hoped that he would get the Scarecrow to talk without risking him to get caught in another loop which at this moment would be more annoying than ever.
"I act in a certain way? What do you mean by that?" He was asked.
"Well you care, you showed signs of fear when we encountered Azkadellia. You harrumph a lot , maybe not one of the best changes, you show pity and sympathy and you state your own opinion ...different things ...stuff like that," Cain returned and the Scarecrow remained silent for a long time after Cain was able to break the silence again, Glitch finally answered.
"You're right…something is different but I can't tell you what it is. I wanted to talk about it with one of you but I wanted to wait until we had settled things, if you know what I mean. I'm …having...those feelings that I can't explain and I know that I shouldn't be able to do so but then again I shouldn't be animated at all and maybe it's the magic inside me." Cain nodded to that and Glitch went on.
"I think …maybe I have been human before...maybe I even have a past since I recall stuff that doesn't fit into the time I have spent like this. There are balls and lots of paper work , music and the smell of hay...Maybe I had a brain and maybe there was blood flowing through my body ...maybe this magic that keeps me animated somehow influences my whole being and enables me to think, talk and ...well, feel too. Maybe my memories are connected with this journey ...connected to you guys and maybe I will find some answers too. I really can't tell you but that's what I've been thinking so far. The name Glitch came to mind when I observed a conversation of two old munchkins about their motored harvester. They said that the old thing would constantly glitch and start from the beginning again. I had a feeling that it described my own situation very neatly that's why I stuck to it." When Glitch had ended he was satisfied with himself and relieved that he had finally shared his thoughts with somebody else ...it relieved him even more that he had been able to share his thoughts with Cain, since he believed that the Tin Man was very practical and pragmatic about things and might be able to help him effortlessly, however when he squinted his bottom eyes to see in the dark he could see that Cain's face was white like a sheet and his expression was unreadable.
"Cain wha..," he wanted to ask but Cain interrupted him.
"Are you sure that you remember balls and lots of paperwork and ...and the smell of hay?" The man asked with a distant voice.
Glitch was confused that Cain was more interested in those flickers of thoughts but maybe he only wanted to help him to unravel those riddles at first.
"Yeah, pretty sure but why do you think do I have them?" He asked on and there were hints of hope in his voice.
"I don't know I'm sorry ...for a moment I thought I heard about something like this before but I don't. You might be right, maybe you have a past as human and I promise you that we will find out but first we will have to save D.G. and Raw." And with that he suddenly interrupted their conversation before it could get the chance to turn into a serious discussion.
Now Glitch was even more confused but Cain told him that he was getting tired and that he needed all his strength for the next day. This was something that Glitch understood so he didn't ask any further questions, but he secretly hoped that Cain was right and that they would find some answers soon.
O.O.o.O.o.O.
Much much later, Cain was still awake and haunted by Glitch's words. More than once he would stare at his companion sitting in the darkness. He would study his body, those bottom eyes and this stitched mouth, he would study the clothes that belonged to the royal garb and everything in his head was turning.
Could it be that he wasn't making this up? But how? And why after all these years?
What Glitch described, those feelings he was showing, his behavior at the Northern Palace and the things he had said there they all formed a big puzzle which led to one answer.
But could it be true?
"That is you! I knew you too!" " Cain you have to leave I can manage this myself your family needs you"
All Cain could dream and think about this night were brown eyes, pale skin and an undeniable unforgettable laugh.
Had he found Ambrose?
A.N: This time there is a focus on Glitch ^^ What I always wanted to say about Glitch is that it is damn hard to write this guy in character! The thing is ..there are moments where he glitches pretty hard as we all know but all in all I think he has a lot of sane moments throughout the series and that's what makes it so hard. Sometimes I tend to forget that he only has half a brain because I enjoy writing about his feelings and thoughts without really considering if he is able to memorize this or that. I think the same happened in this chapter but I wanted him to question this unknown emotions since he should show signs of change. D.G and the journey is supposed to have an influence on him and open him up to feelings that were ripped away from him. I hope I found a plausible explanation for his sudden ability to feel and remember things and I'm sorry if people don't like that I use magic as a solution for everything but that's what I personally like about magic ..that it has its limits but that it gives hope. Also yes I know it might be strange that Cain starts to assume that Glitch might be Ambrose because of balls and the smell of hay…my explanation in order to defend myself? It's the little things that matter and Cain simply follows his instincts XD Thank you for reading! More on Wednesday .
PS: What I forgot to say is that I love the scene in the wagon since it probably is one of the most obvious Glitch/Cain moments of the series and I apologize for not making it very romantic .