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Fic: True Friends are Hard to Find and Harder to Say Goodbye To
Title: True Friends are Hard to Find and Harder to Say Goodbye To
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Vy-Sor, Azkadelia, DG, the Queen, Glitch, Tinman and Teeny (mention of the Witch and Tutor)
Rating: PG
Summary: Vy-Sor is meant to advise, but what happens when the one he serves no longer needs him?
Warning: post-series. *Thanks to luxuria_oceanus and kseda for the beta.
Disclaimer: The original characters and situations of The Wiz belong to Universal, Motown Productions and their respective actors. As for Tin Man, the original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
Azkadellia was standing near the window when Vy-Sor found her. It had been nearly a cycle since the eclipse and the events surrounding, and he was the only one she was talking to, save for her mother and sister. He stopped a few feet away, hands behind his back and head down, and announced himself.
"Highness," he said simply, quietly. Azkadellia looked away from the window and gave him a small smile. "You asked for me." With a sigh, Azkadellia moved away from the window and she nodded.
"Yes, Vy-Sor. Please," she said, motioning for him to walk with her. "How are you today?" she asked, as if they were simply two friends, out for a stroll. Well, that was what they were, weren’t they?
Vy-Sor shook his head and looked ahead, an expression of concern apparent on his face. "I am fine, Highness," he nearly stuttered. He wouldn't ask how she was, simply because it wasn't proper. It was odd, conversing with her as they used to. The Sorceress cared about his well-being simply because Azkadellia did, but it was very rare that she asked about his feelings.
"I am glad to hear it," Azkadellia said with a soft smile. She looked ahead, glancing up at the large tapestry they were passing. She'd rehearsed this speech a dozen times, but that didn't make what she had to say any easier.
When she didn't speak, Vy-Sor faced her. "Are you all right, Highness?" he asked, worried that she might be ill. Azkadellia turned to him and Vy-Sor could see tears beginning to form in her eyes. Fighting the urge to reach up and wipe them away - as he used to, when she was younger - Vy-Sor clasped his hands and looked away.
"Vin..." The use of his proper name threw Vy-Sor, not because it was Azkadellia saying it, but that he hadn't heard it in so long. He looked up as Azkadellia stopped and he could see that she was trying to hold her composure. Her hand reached out and he simply reacted, taking it in his own. "You have been my... dearest friend," she said calmly. "Through everything," she paused, knowing that she didn't need to go into the details of the last fifteen annuals, "no matter how horrible, you never left my side."
Vy-Sor squeezed her hand lightly and she smiled before continuing down the hallway. He'd been with her since long before that trip to Finaqua. And, after, he wouldn't leave her. He couldn't. His duty was to advise Azkadellia, as Ambrose had, for her mother. And DG's tutor would serve as her advisor, when the time came. He'd been hand-picked by Ambrose, at the Queen's request, and was glad to serve the family.
"It's time you had the chance to live your life," he heard her say, and Vy-Sor realized that he hadn't heard anything Azkadellia had just said as they walked. But, what he had heard concerned him. It sounded like she was dismissing him. Vy-Sor blinked and tilted his head slightly.
"But, I-" he started, realizing that, as he hadn't heard what she said, he didn't really have a defense. But, Vy-Sor knew one thing: He didn't want to leave. "I, respectfully, decline," he said simply. Azkadellia dropped her chin slightly and took a deep breath.
"Vin-" There was his name, again. "I will never be Queen. I have no desire to be Queen," Azkadellia shrugged. "Therefore, I have no need for an advisor." His eyes widened and Azkadellia knew that wasn't the best choice of words she could have used. Squeezing his hand, Azkadellia stopped again and took his other hand.
"I have no right to keep you here, Vin... no matter how much I wish to." Vy-Sor opened his mouth to respond, but could see the look in her eyes. She wasn't asking him to stay.
She was ordering him to go.
"With respect, Highness," Vy-Sor shook his head, "I wish to stay." Azkadellia forced a smile and squeezed both his hands before letting go and turning again.
"And I thank you for that, my dear Vin." Azkadellia put an arm around him and turned him toward the nearest door. "But, as I've got my family here with me, I won't be alone. It's time you went home to yours." Vy-Sor shook his head.
"But, my family isn't-" he started to protest.
"Your father will be missing you," Azkadellia said in a regal tone. Vy-Sor blinked. He hadn't thought of his father in annuals. Was his father still there? Was his home?
Azkadellia raised a hand to his cheek and gave him a smile, one he hadn't seen from her in annuals, and he smiled. "I will never forget what you have done for me," she told him quietly. As much as it pained him to do it, Vy-Sor stepped back and bowed to her. He turned to the door and pushed it open, but, before stepping into the other room, he turned back.
"I will never forget you, either." Nodding once, Vy-Sor turned and closed the door behind him. Azkadellia turned, one hand moving to her stomach and the other covering her mouth, as she tried to hold back the flood of tears. She had done some horrible things at the hands of the witch, but this was her action.
And she wished that it could have been done another way.
As Azkadellia forced herself to walk away, she wondered if Vy-Sor knew where they had stopped.
~*~*~
DG and Azkadellia were standing just to the side of their mother's seat when the doors to the hall opened. Azkadellia tried not to look up as Glitch entered the room with Vy-Sor, but she wanted to see her friend. He looked so different, out of the long, black jacket that had been his uniform for so long.
Now, he was wearing brown pants and boots, a light shirt with rolled-up sleeves and a brown vest. DG's first thought was that the man had just come in from the farm, but she said nothing. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that something about this whole situation wasn't right.
Glitch led Vy-Sor toward the girls and they stopped in front of the Queen, who smiled and stood. Vy-Sor immediately lowered his head, out of respect, and the Queen turned to DG. Nodding to the case DG was holding, the younger princess jumped slightly and stepped forward.
Nodding to her, the Queen took the box and turned back to Vy-Sor. "Vincent," she smiled, "you have served this family beyond the duty of your station. For that, you have our thanks, my thanks." Vy-Sor, wide-eyed, smiled slightly. "In recognition for that service, I bestow the highest honor of the Outer Zone," she continued, opening the box. "For your bravery, council... and loyalty," she finished, briefly glancing up to Azkadellia.
Vy-Sor stared at the medal and was truly speechless. He hadn't done anything beyond what was expected of him, let alone anything worthy of such an honor. Glancing up, he expected to see that it was all a prank, but was met, instead, by a genuine smile from the Queen and the princesses. His training told him that the elder princess was trying to contain multiple emotions, and something told him that he should go to her.
But he didn't.
"Thank you, Majesty," Vy-Sor said, finally finding his voice. The Queen gave another look to Azkadellia and had to give her daughter credit; Azkadellia was holding her emotions in check far better than she would, in this situation.
"We wish you the safest journey home," she said, knowing that it was best to get the man on his way, for Azkadellia's sake. Vy-Sor glanced up again and gave her a polite nod before Glitch tapped his elbow and nodded for him to follow. Vy-Sor gave a proper bow to DG, who smiled brightly, and then he turned to Azkadellia.
She gave him a truly beautiful smile, and it did confuse him, as her eyes didn't match her joy. 'Humans,' he thought and gave her a bow, as well. Turning with Glitch, Vy-Sor stopped for a moment and turned back to Azkadellia. Whatever thought was there had gone, so he simply offered her a nod.
~*~*~
DG hadn't spent much time with Vy-Sor, following the eclipse, but what she could remember of him during that week made it very difficult for her to understand the change in his behavior. "-I mean, don't get me wrong. I've known some folks who get real quiet when they're fired, but that was just weird," she said, taking the teacup from her mother.
"Azkadellia, tea?" the Queen asked. From the large sofa, Azkadellia looked up from the point she’d been staring at and nodded.
"Yes, please." The Queen smiled, having already poured the cup, and moved to Azkadellia's side.
"Are you certain this is what you wanted, Az?" she asked, sitting down next to her daughter.
"Yes, mother," Azkadellia sighed. "It wouldn’t be fair to keep him here. Now, he can try and live the life he was meant to."
"Darling, he was meant to advise," the Queen offered, reaching up to smooth Azkadellia's hair.
"He needs to be away from all this," Azkadellia said sharply. "Wiping his memory and setting him back at my side wouldn't help him. Or me. He'll be left alone in Milltown." The sound of a teacup clinking against a saucer caused both of them to look up. At the look on DG's face, Azkadellia let out another sigh.
"He's a Council Unit, Deeg," Azkadellia explained, "like your Nurture Units." Azkadellia pushed up from the sofa and moved to the bookcase. "His purpose was to serve as council to a dignitary. Ambrose selected him, and trained him, to act as my advisor when it came time for me to take the throne." DG's eyes went wide and Azkadellia shook her head.
"Ambrose is a person."
~*~*~
Vy-Sor moved past the northern gates of Central City and stopped once he reached the rise. He looked down the hill, toward the city, and frowned. Something told him that his place was there, not back at the amusement park, telling fortunes. There wasn't much to reading expressions, really, but they had told him that his eye would let him go far.
Letting out a deep breath, Vy-Sor turned back and looked ahead. He could see the top of the roller coaster, far in the distance. With his medal of distinction safely inside his bag, Vy-Sor nodded once and started down the hill, heading for home.
It was a good half-day's journey, but he finally arrived at the edge of the amusement park. He hadn't seen the place in such a state of disrepair in his lifetime. Vy-Sor weaved between the support rails, finally seeing the trailer. "Father?" he called out, spotting one of his step-mothers sitting on the deck.
As he stepped closer, Vy-Sor heard a muffled sound and huffed. Stepping onto the porch, he nodded to his father's fourth wife. "Teeny," he said simply, and set his bag down. Leaning around the large expanse of his step-mother, Vy-Sor spotted one of his father's legs and he sighed. It took some work to shift her to one side, but he finally managed.
Leaning over his father, Vy-Sor gave him a grin and reached a hand out.
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Vy-Sor, Azkadelia, DG, the Queen, Glitch, Tinman and Teeny (mention of the Witch and Tutor)
Rating: PG
Summary: Vy-Sor is meant to advise, but what happens when the one he serves no longer needs him?
Warning: post-series. *Thanks to luxuria_oceanus and kseda for the beta.
Disclaimer: The original characters and situations of The Wiz belong to Universal, Motown Productions and their respective actors. As for Tin Man, the original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
Azkadellia was standing near the window when Vy-Sor found her. It had been nearly a cycle since the eclipse and the events surrounding, and he was the only one she was talking to, save for her mother and sister. He stopped a few feet away, hands behind his back and head down, and announced himself.
"Highness," he said simply, quietly. Azkadellia looked away from the window and gave him a small smile. "You asked for me." With a sigh, Azkadellia moved away from the window and she nodded.
"Yes, Vy-Sor. Please," she said, motioning for him to walk with her. "How are you today?" she asked, as if they were simply two friends, out for a stroll. Well, that was what they were, weren’t they?
Vy-Sor shook his head and looked ahead, an expression of concern apparent on his face. "I am fine, Highness," he nearly stuttered. He wouldn't ask how she was, simply because it wasn't proper. It was odd, conversing with her as they used to. The Sorceress cared about his well-being simply because Azkadellia did, but it was very rare that she asked about his feelings.
"I am glad to hear it," Azkadellia said with a soft smile. She looked ahead, glancing up at the large tapestry they were passing. She'd rehearsed this speech a dozen times, but that didn't make what she had to say any easier.
When she didn't speak, Vy-Sor faced her. "Are you all right, Highness?" he asked, worried that she might be ill. Azkadellia turned to him and Vy-Sor could see tears beginning to form in her eyes. Fighting the urge to reach up and wipe them away - as he used to, when she was younger - Vy-Sor clasped his hands and looked away.
"Vin..." The use of his proper name threw Vy-Sor, not because it was Azkadellia saying it, but that he hadn't heard it in so long. He looked up as Azkadellia stopped and he could see that she was trying to hold her composure. Her hand reached out and he simply reacted, taking it in his own. "You have been my... dearest friend," she said calmly. "Through everything," she paused, knowing that she didn't need to go into the details of the last fifteen annuals, "no matter how horrible, you never left my side."
Vy-Sor squeezed her hand lightly and she smiled before continuing down the hallway. He'd been with her since long before that trip to Finaqua. And, after, he wouldn't leave her. He couldn't. His duty was to advise Azkadellia, as Ambrose had, for her mother. And DG's tutor would serve as her advisor, when the time came. He'd been hand-picked by Ambrose, at the Queen's request, and was glad to serve the family.
"It's time you had the chance to live your life," he heard her say, and Vy-Sor realized that he hadn't heard anything Azkadellia had just said as they walked. But, what he had heard concerned him. It sounded like she was dismissing him. Vy-Sor blinked and tilted his head slightly.
"But, I-" he started, realizing that, as he hadn't heard what she said, he didn't really have a defense. But, Vy-Sor knew one thing: He didn't want to leave. "I, respectfully, decline," he said simply. Azkadellia dropped her chin slightly and took a deep breath.
"Vin-" There was his name, again. "I will never be Queen. I have no desire to be Queen," Azkadellia shrugged. "Therefore, I have no need for an advisor." His eyes widened and Azkadellia knew that wasn't the best choice of words she could have used. Squeezing his hand, Azkadellia stopped again and took his other hand.
"I have no right to keep you here, Vin... no matter how much I wish to." Vy-Sor opened his mouth to respond, but could see the look in her eyes. She wasn't asking him to stay.
She was ordering him to go.
"With respect, Highness," Vy-Sor shook his head, "I wish to stay." Azkadellia forced a smile and squeezed both his hands before letting go and turning again.
"And I thank you for that, my dear Vin." Azkadellia put an arm around him and turned him toward the nearest door. "But, as I've got my family here with me, I won't be alone. It's time you went home to yours." Vy-Sor shook his head.
"But, my family isn't-" he started to protest.
"Your father will be missing you," Azkadellia said in a regal tone. Vy-Sor blinked. He hadn't thought of his father in annuals. Was his father still there? Was his home?
Azkadellia raised a hand to his cheek and gave him a smile, one he hadn't seen from her in annuals, and he smiled. "I will never forget what you have done for me," she told him quietly. As much as it pained him to do it, Vy-Sor stepped back and bowed to her. He turned to the door and pushed it open, but, before stepping into the other room, he turned back.
"I will never forget you, either." Nodding once, Vy-Sor turned and closed the door behind him. Azkadellia turned, one hand moving to her stomach and the other covering her mouth, as she tried to hold back the flood of tears. She had done some horrible things at the hands of the witch, but this was her action.
And she wished that it could have been done another way.
As Azkadellia forced herself to walk away, she wondered if Vy-Sor knew where they had stopped.
~*~*~
DG and Azkadellia were standing just to the side of their mother's seat when the doors to the hall opened. Azkadellia tried not to look up as Glitch entered the room with Vy-Sor, but she wanted to see her friend. He looked so different, out of the long, black jacket that had been his uniform for so long.
Now, he was wearing brown pants and boots, a light shirt with rolled-up sleeves and a brown vest. DG's first thought was that the man had just come in from the farm, but she said nothing. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that something about this whole situation wasn't right.
Glitch led Vy-Sor toward the girls and they stopped in front of the Queen, who smiled and stood. Vy-Sor immediately lowered his head, out of respect, and the Queen turned to DG. Nodding to the case DG was holding, the younger princess jumped slightly and stepped forward.
Nodding to her, the Queen took the box and turned back to Vy-Sor. "Vincent," she smiled, "you have served this family beyond the duty of your station. For that, you have our thanks, my thanks." Vy-Sor, wide-eyed, smiled slightly. "In recognition for that service, I bestow the highest honor of the Outer Zone," she continued, opening the box. "For your bravery, council... and loyalty," she finished, briefly glancing up to Azkadellia.
Vy-Sor stared at the medal and was truly speechless. He hadn't done anything beyond what was expected of him, let alone anything worthy of such an honor. Glancing up, he expected to see that it was all a prank, but was met, instead, by a genuine smile from the Queen and the princesses. His training told him that the elder princess was trying to contain multiple emotions, and something told him that he should go to her.
But he didn't.
"Thank you, Majesty," Vy-Sor said, finally finding his voice. The Queen gave another look to Azkadellia and had to give her daughter credit; Azkadellia was holding her emotions in check far better than she would, in this situation.
"We wish you the safest journey home," she said, knowing that it was best to get the man on his way, for Azkadellia's sake. Vy-Sor glanced up again and gave her a polite nod before Glitch tapped his elbow and nodded for him to follow. Vy-Sor gave a proper bow to DG, who smiled brightly, and then he turned to Azkadellia.
She gave him a truly beautiful smile, and it did confuse him, as her eyes didn't match her joy. 'Humans,' he thought and gave her a bow, as well. Turning with Glitch, Vy-Sor stopped for a moment and turned back to Azkadellia. Whatever thought was there had gone, so he simply offered her a nod.
~*~*~
DG hadn't spent much time with Vy-Sor, following the eclipse, but what she could remember of him during that week made it very difficult for her to understand the change in his behavior. "-I mean, don't get me wrong. I've known some folks who get real quiet when they're fired, but that was just weird," she said, taking the teacup from her mother.
"Azkadellia, tea?" the Queen asked. From the large sofa, Azkadellia looked up from the point she’d been staring at and nodded.
"Yes, please." The Queen smiled, having already poured the cup, and moved to Azkadellia's side.
"Are you certain this is what you wanted, Az?" she asked, sitting down next to her daughter.
"Yes, mother," Azkadellia sighed. "It wouldn’t be fair to keep him here. Now, he can try and live the life he was meant to."
"Darling, he was meant to advise," the Queen offered, reaching up to smooth Azkadellia's hair.
"He needs to be away from all this," Azkadellia said sharply. "Wiping his memory and setting him back at my side wouldn't help him. Or me. He'll be left alone in Milltown." The sound of a teacup clinking against a saucer caused both of them to look up. At the look on DG's face, Azkadellia let out another sigh.
"He's a Council Unit, Deeg," Azkadellia explained, "like your Nurture Units." Azkadellia pushed up from the sofa and moved to the bookcase. "His purpose was to serve as council to a dignitary. Ambrose selected him, and trained him, to act as my advisor when it came time for me to take the throne." DG's eyes went wide and Azkadellia shook her head.
"Ambrose is a person."
~*~*~
Vy-Sor moved past the northern gates of Central City and stopped once he reached the rise. He looked down the hill, toward the city, and frowned. Something told him that his place was there, not back at the amusement park, telling fortunes. There wasn't much to reading expressions, really, but they had told him that his eye would let him go far.
Letting out a deep breath, Vy-Sor turned back and looked ahead. He could see the top of the roller coaster, far in the distance. With his medal of distinction safely inside his bag, Vy-Sor nodded once and started down the hill, heading for home.
It was a good half-day's journey, but he finally arrived at the edge of the amusement park. He hadn't seen the place in such a state of disrepair in his lifetime. Vy-Sor weaved between the support rails, finally seeing the trailer. "Father?" he called out, spotting one of his step-mothers sitting on the deck.
As he stepped closer, Vy-Sor heard a muffled sound and huffed. Stepping onto the porch, he nodded to his father's fourth wife. "Teeny," he said simply, and set his bag down. Leaning around the large expanse of his step-mother, Vy-Sor spotted one of his father's legs and he sighed. It took some work to shift her to one side, but he finally managed.
Leaning over his father, Vy-Sor gave him a grin and reached a hand out.