Part 3 Annuals of the Light

Chapter 1: The Task of Time

Once upon a time there was a land, that was conquered by darkness, fear and death. You may call it Oz, but people used to call it the O.Z . Blood had covered the land in ancient times and in later years that had once been seen as the years of peace and light.

Witches, terrible creatures who lived from the pain of the people, had ruled and slaughtered the land over decades and many annuals. There had always been feisty people and wise men who had tried to banish the witches from their country, but it was believed that no one would ever stop the never-ending misery.

But where darkness spreads there is also light. Dorothy, the gray gale, the savior of Oz, had been such a light. Through her innocence, her devoted faith and her love for the inhabitants of this magical place, she had faced the darkness and defeated the witches.

One and one alone had survived and many annuals passed until she got her revenge. Once again she brought misery and fear to the land, yet she was destroyed by the same light that had been passed on from Dorothy to her great-granddaughter D.G.

Sisterly love was what brought final peace to the Outer Zone and with trust would come peace and with peace the light would spread and engulf the whole country.

O.o.O.O.O.o

Time passed faster than expected when people were working together and their spirits were high and guided by the joy over the death of the witch. Everyone was feeling lighter, music and songs could be heard on the streets, people were kinder and much more open towards each other and only here and there were their thoughts clouded by mistrust and fear.

They celebrated the downfall and looked forward to more happy years, years in which they gained back their control, their belongings and years in which they could build up a closer connection to their ruler again.

It hadn't always been like this. Time was passing faster now, but the first weeks after the eclipse had proved to be hellish once more. Of course the people of the O.Z. had been suspicious. Suddenly they didn't have to face the forces of darkness anymore, which calmed their nerves and let them breathe again. However, they suddenly were to trust their old ruler again, who had always fought for their protection but who had failed to save them from the evils of her own daughter.

No one wanted to believe that Azkadellia had been guided by an evil witch. No one trusted the thought that the witch from the Great War had returned and possessed the young woman when she had still been a child. No one saw the scars which should have been evident to everyone. In their hatred towards the princess they were blind for what was right. So it came that suspicion and fear led to attacks towards the Royal family and the young innocent princess.

Revolts and Rebellion were the voices of the folk and they made clear that they wanted revenge for what the Sorceress had done to them. It hadn't been easy for the Queen to suppress her anger towards the blind hatred of the people, but in the end she had accepted that they weren't to blame and that their actions were guided by the fear of the unknown.

Days and weeks would pass until she was finally able to reach through this fear and convince the people that the witch was gone and that Azkadellia had been a victim of evil forces like all of them. She herself was still weak from all the annuals in her prison and the attacks of the people she had been trying to protect invaded her heart and shattered her hopes. Only with the help of her family and the government she had managed to stop the riots and increase the chances of peace to conquer the land again.

Truth having been said, the ambassadors and the remaining allies of the Queen had been skeptical as well, some even wanted to see heads roll and prices be paid, but none of them could deny that their mind had been changed and their temper cooled down once they had laid eyes on Azkadellia and seen the scars that had been left by the witch.

The first weeks after the witch had fallen the reconstructions of the city and establishment of a new security system had needed to wait in order to stop the country from rushing into another war - this time a civil war.

After these weeks of ringing with the trust of their country, the Queen was visibly exhausted. So was Azkadellia. None of them dared to bring it up, but in the end Glitch had found the courage to tell his sister that she needed a rest.

So it came to pass that Queen Ozma Lavender and Princess Azkadellia Mae were sent to the land of Ev in order to search for the missing family members of the Gale family, to spread the news of the witch's death in their neighboring country, and in order to relax and come to terms with things that both had been too scared to talk about. Of course they were guarded by double the amount of protection, but after the riots had stopped and the people had shown their apologies and their gratitude towards the savior and the Queen , Ahamo and the rest let them go without protesting.

Now that people were willing to support the Royal family and get things straight again. Reconstruction could begin and organization flourish.

O.O.o.o

Reconstruction was managed by the Prince Consort and at times by Glitch who tried to remember his past as advisor with the help of Cain, but secretly it was D.G. who flourished in her task as Princess of the O.Z. Hours she would spent in Central, helping the people fixing buildings and streets. Weeks she would spend outside the walls of the city and help the farmers to restore their fields and to rebuild their homes.

Together the remaining royal family organized that children of the war were taken care of in orphanages, that the poor and victims of the war were brought to central where a place to sleep and a warm meal was waiting for them until it was possible to reintegrate them into the society again.

People gained more hope every day and they were grateful to receive so much kindness after they had attacked the Royal family for no reason. With eagerness every citizen had a share in bringing back the days before the witch.

Wyatt Cain, former Tin Man, now Captain of the Guard again, did everything he could to install the new protection detail and security system that would not only provide safety for Central but for all corners in the O.Z., may it be a little village or merely a collection of cabins in the woods. He used principles of the Resistant Fighters and their strategies to create a new training program for the future Tin Man which would be more than just policemen. They were a force –independent soldiers who could fight the crimes in town or chase down thieves outside the walls.

The work with the Resistance brought him closer to his son, but both of them were hesitant about topics from the past or any contact that was more than a handshake. Jeb showed him that he was willing to improve his attitude towards his father which gave Cain hope, but he knew that it would take annuals to regain the trust that he had lost back when Zero had trapped him in that Tin Suit.

Sometimes the remembering lessons with Glitch were fruitful but some days it was as if the Scarecrow's mind was blank again, leaving no chance for Cain to break through and reach for his old friend. When Glitch had a good day they would even try and connect him to his brain again that was now resting in a separate room of the Central City palace, waiting for a day to be returned to Glitch's body. Often the sessions with Raw and the brain were a success and more than once it seemed that Glitch could keep the memories that Ambrose had shared with him, but as often as they were successful they also failed. When Glitch and Ambrose were connected Cain would spent hours talking to his friend and the bond between them healed a lot during these conversations, however there was always the question if Ambrose would return to his old self one day, or if their contact would be reduced to conversations like this.

Often either of them would walk out of a session with an unreadable smile on their faces, other times depression replaced this joy. Secretly Cain was hoping for the Queen to come back so that she and her daughters could search for a solution and help his friend but when he remembered how weak Lavender had been he felt awful for his selfish hopes.

At days when Glitch had been connected to Ambrose, he would help Ahamo and the returned aristocracy, with reconstructing the political hierarchy of the land since he wouldn't accept that something which had been his task was suddenly wrapped away from him due to his current situation. Brain or not he was still stubborn and strong headed enough to make his point and to show everyone in which position he was standing. Ahamo, who had never liked the authorities, was grateful for the help of his brother-in-law, and as one of a few he refused to believe that Glitch was nothing more than a millstone around their necks as some weren't hesitant to say.

Despite of what some younger ambassadors said, the process of bringing back their old government was a long , hard and troublesome one. They needed every help that was offering itself to them, so if they wanted it or not they had to accept that Glitch was proving to be such a help so they ignored their closed-mindedness for once.

Originally they had planned to strengthen their power and the land's safety until the end of December and to celebrate a huge fest with the return of the Queen, but when winter came their forces where still too weak and the people needed food and a warm home rather than a ball or a fest. It was decided to celebrate once the Spring Equinox was near and they had assured that every citizen of the O.Z. had a restored home and at least one family member a job.

D.G. was glad to hear that the ball would wait, since she had dreaded this event whenever she had observed the servants talking about it in the halls. Like everyone she was slowly adjusting to her new life and the family she had lost. Thankfully the work in the city and on the fields and the absence of her mother enabled her to keep a distance to the dusty life within the palace walls. She believed that it would need more time to accept the lifestyle of the unknown, sometimes scary place. Her friends did their best to show her the positive aspects of leading a life as a princess but whatever they did, they couldn't take away the feeling of being trapped in a birdcage. She hoped that everything would be different once she had spent more time with her sister and mother who, unlike her, were more used to this life and who as women would understand her in different ways than her male friends.

Cain proved to be a second father figure, continuing to take care of her and to protect her like he had done back on their journey as 'outlaws' to the witch. She was grateful for both the caring of Cain and of her father, although it was strange to think of Ahamo as the man who brought her into this life, after spending so many years in believing that Henry had been her dad.

Raw would stay until the Queen's return, helping the people who had lost their family members with their pain and lending an ear and a soothing palm to anyone who needed it. He was the friend she needed when self-doubt was gnawing on her and when she was in desperate need for his indisputable gift of taking away her greatest fears and concerns.

Learning that Glitch, her very first companion, was her uncle hadn't left the young girl unshaken. She was sorry for the things that had happened to him, although he emphasized that there had been victims of the witch who did far worse than him. As same as she tried to deepen the bond with her parents, mostly with her father during the absence of her mother, she spent a lot of time with the artificial man in order to build up a connection that would give both of them a closer feeling of family and belongingness. His witty jokes and his warm hearted attitude, wherever he took them from, often kept her going and cheered her up in times when the world outside and inside the palace where giving her a hard time.

All four of them got even closer during these couple of months like they had did down on the road and D.G. was thankful for each one of them.

Bonding with Azkadellia at times where everyone was pushing her away and treating her like a monster had been difficult, but she kept her promise and stayed with her through all the good and bad days before the sisters had parted to enable the elder one the rest she needed.

Hours they had just spent in Azkadellia's room, talking or just sitting on the floor and shedding tears over the mistakes they had made and the past they had lost. Both had needed this time together and when Azkadellia had left for Ev, she had hugged her sister and told her all in private that she was grateful for D.G.'s help and that it had made her strong during the fearful days of the attacks. They had parted with a smile and with another promise that they would strengthen their relationship once Azkadellia had come to terms with her possession.

Her mother had been punished by guilt and she had feared that D.G. was lacking any trust towards her, but the young woman was nothing but happy to have her real family again. Like with her father, it was proving difficult to see the Queen as her mother but the beautiful woman had been with her all those years in her dreams which made it easier to form a bond with the lovely and caring ruler. It hurt her heart to see how the people treated both her sister and mother after the eclipse and the fall of the witch and she had been grateful when Glitch had found the courage to tell the two women that they should go and visit Ev for as long as they needed in order to gather new strength. The Queen as well had made the promise that they would become a real and close family once again and that she would make up for the time they had lost.

Weeks after the works in Central City had started the Cain family was faced with a surprise as long missed members of their family, suddenly showed up at the gates of the Palace. Elisabeth Cain was an old woman, with grey/white hair, wrinkly skin but with the same spirit and strength in her clear blue eyes. Anne Cain had gained some weight which only showed in form of muscles though, which only added to her beauty for she looked strong and feisty. She hadn't lost any of her female features through the process of becoming a fighter in order to protect herself and her family. She had married a Resistant Fighter after her former husband had been killed during an attack of Longcoats. Together with the courageous man called Daniel Foleman she had led a life in the northern resistant camp together with her two daughters and her mother.

Cain had greeted both with tears in his eye , the three of them almost collapsing when they embraced after annuals of being apart and not knowing if either of them was still alive! Elisabeth showed that she was still strong for her age when she nearly strangled her grandson Jeb, whom she observed with pride in her eyes. You could see that grandma and grandson fell in love in an instant and that Elisabeth might help Cain to get closer to his own son again.

Anne reported that two of their cousins had died, along with their aunt Pam but that Neal, Ty and Roland had grown into strong men which were all doing well and that their uncle Nathan was dying to see his youngest nephew. Cain had promised that he and Jeb would visit Old Creek soon, once business was calming down in Central. Never had he imagined that he would see members of his family alive again and the joy that filled his heart slowly melted the icy surface of the last corners inside of it.

His mother had shed a lot of tears once she learnt that Adora was dead, for she had loved her daughter in law and she was crying for the lost of her beloved son. In addition to that she had been shocked to see what had happened to Ambrose because she always had had a favor for the often silent and thoughtful man. Nevertheless, she was happy and grateful that the children she had seen growing into intelligent and lovely adults were alive and while she still was grieving for Adora she hugged everyone of her past tightly as if to emphasize that she wasn't planning to leave them ever again.

And after months of reconstruction, reconciliation and peace the powerful Queen of the O.Z and her daughter returned from Ev, bringing more than just good news and new strength with them.

A:N: So this is the last part of my story . The first chapter is supposed to be a summary of the first 6 months after the Eclipse . Actually there isn't much to say. I hope you enjoyed it and that everything made sense. Thanks for reading ;) I won't be able to upload a new chapter next week but it will follow on Wednesday the 3rd of June .