There's No Place like Home, Chapter Two
Title: There’s No Place like Home, Chapter One
Author: KourtTears
Pairings/Characters: DG/Cain, Dorothy Gale; mentions of Az, Glitch, Raw and the Queen
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Tin Man is not mine. I’m going to borrow this world again though.
Spoilers: All three parts
Summary: Even though she is back in the O.Z. where she belongs, DG doesn’t feel at home. With no one else to turn to DG visits her namesake and gets a little help…
Author’s Note: Again thanks to all my reviewers. This is the fastest that I’ve ever updated a story and I think it’s because you have all been so nice. This next part is spilt into two different parts (we finally get to see Cain!). I hope you enjoy!
|Prologue| |Chapter One|
It had been two days since DG had run away, and there was no doubt in Cain’s mind that she had actually run away, and the entire palace was worried. DG had become efficient enough in her magic to contact someone if she had been attacked and taken. And that was the least of what she could do. Cain figured that if anyone had tried to attack her, DG would’ve been able to handle them with no trouble. So Cain knew that DG had run away but he couldn’t get anyone else to believe it.
The Queen and her Consort refused to believe that the daughter they had just found had left them. Princess Azkadellia wouldn’t believe that her beloved sister would go anywhere without telling her first. Glitch, who had finally gotten his brain back though he was still plagued with misfiring synapses, could think of no logical reason for DG to run away so therefore, in his mind, she didn’t.
Raw had visited DG’s room to see if he could pick up any residual emotions and had ended up crying a full day through. After he finished crying he refused to speak to anyone and walked around the palace like he was in mourning. The others took this as confirmation DG had been attacked and taken, so they had immediately begun to plan a rescue mission.
Cain was the only one who believed DG had run away. He also believed that she’d had a good reason for it; he just wished he knew what it was. Knowing why she left would make tracking her down so much easier. As it was Cain was about to go insane waiting in the palace but the Queen had forbidden him to go look for DG on his own. She didn’t want to scare the villains into doing something crazy, like killing her youngest daughter. Cain had snorted and told her there were no villains to scare, but he obeyed her command and stayed in the palace. He needed to do some investigating anyway.
He saw the best way to find out where the Princess had gone was to find out why she had left in the first place. And Cain had finally tracked down the man (dog?) who could help him.
“Hey Toto, you’ve been absent the last couple of days,” Cain said as he walked into the Royal Library. Toto looked up from where he was hunting through the musty books.
“Cain.” Toto nodded but then immediately turned back to the shelves.
“Toto, can I ask you a question? Why is it everyone else in the palace is running themselves ragged looking for any clue to locating the missing Princess, but you’re in the library pouring over old history books?”
Cain looked at the shape-shifter for an answer but Toto studiously ignored him.
“I find it odd is all. I’ve had one hell of a time trying to track you down. I would have never thought to look in the library because how could books written ages ago help the Princess now? Luckily one of the guardsmen remembered that the Princesses’ tutor could turn into a dog and when I asked him about you he told me he had seen a dog run into the library the morning the Princess went missing. Now, what would you be doing in here that’s more important than finding the Princess?”
Cain looked to the tutor but again he was ignored.
“You want to know what else I find odd? You are the one person in the whole palace who is not out of their mind with worry and you’re also the last person to actually see DG. You let her out of lessons the day before she went missing, something I don’t think you’ve ever done before, and she locked herself in her room for the rest of the day. Care to enlighten me as to what happened that had her refusing to see her own sister?
When he was ignored again Cain finally lost his patience. He grabbed Toto’s collar and forced the shape-shifter to face him.
“What do you know?” Cain’s voice had taken on a dark edge, and from the look on Toto’s face the tutor had finally decided that answering the former Tin Man would be a good idea. When Toto nodded Cain released him and moved back a step.
“Talk.”
“I’ve noticed that the Princess has been a bit out of sorts this past week. She even asked for a day off which is something she has never done. When I convinced her to attend her lessons for the day I decided to pick an easy subject. DG needed to do nothing but listen. She seemed so upset that I did not want her to be alone but at the same time I did not believe she should practice magic.”
“Wait, so what you’re telling me is that you knew DG was upset and you never told us?” Cain took a menacing step forward but stopped when Toto held up her hands.
“Let me continue please and then you can threaten me all you like, if you still feel the need. As I was saying, I decided to lecture on Dorothy Gale and the Wicked Witches. Surprisingly DG was full of question and opinion. She usually falls asleep when we are discussing History. At any rate, DG became very upset when she learned of Glinda.” Here he paused, “I assume you know the history of the First Slipper?” At Cain’s nod he continued.
“DG became very upset when she learned of Glinda’s deception. And even after she learned that Dorothy had been well protected she was still very angry at the situation. Then she starting speaking of things she could not possibly know. She spoke of Dorothy’s feelings of how, at times, Dorothy felt as if the only reason she stayed in the O.Z. was because she was needed, not wanted, and how Dorothy felt as if she was never really home.”
Cain just shrugged, “Maybe she read it somewhere.”
“No! That’s impossible. The accounts of Dorothy Gale portray her as a hero and a wonderful woman and this is true, but the stories place Dorothy on an unreachable pedestal. The writers did everything in their power to ensure that Dorothy was shown to be extraordinary woman she was. They did this by leaving Dorothy’s flaws and negative feelings out of the stories. Whether they meant to or not, they made Dorothy untouchable throughout history. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but they left out much of the truth. That is not the point though. The point is that Dorothy knew things that she could not have possibly known.”
“That’s all very interesting but what does it have to do with DG running away?”
“DG knows things that no person alive should know. Does that not concern you?”
“Of course it does, but I don’t think a few memories and feelings are going to hurt her.”
Toto shook his head muttered, “Unbelievable…”
“What does any of this have to do with finding DG?”
“It has everything to do with finding her.”
“Then, please, enlighten me.”
“I believe that DG does not only know how Dorothy felt, but that is actually feeling what Dorothy felt. Do you remember how DG said she acquired the Emerald? That Dorothy Gale had given it to her? Well, when I first heard DG’s tale I believed she had only met an illusion created to keep the Emerald safe. But after what the other day, I believe DG truly met her ancestor.”
Cain had never seen the tutor this unsettled. “How do figure? And why does it even matter?”
“The shoes!” Toto said, as if that explained everything.
“The…shoes?”
“Yes, when DG mentioned the shoes I knew that she must have met the real Dorothy Gale and not just an illusion.” Off Cain’s confused and slightly irritated look, Toto elaborated. “DG asked me if the shoes were red and I answered her not thinking much of it. But the next morning when DG couldn’t be found I remembered that Dorothy had specifically asked the authors in her time to leave that one fact out of any stories they wrote, and later she used magic to ensure her request was followed. She didn’t want anyone trying to steal the shoes so she hid them in plain sight. For DG to know they were red she must have actually been connected to the real Dorothy!”
Toto was excited but Cain had moved on to being completely irritated. “What does any of this have to do with finding DG?”
Toto blinked, “Everything. I know where DG is going-“
“What!”
“-and I know why we can’t go after her.”
“Why we can’t what? Toto where is she?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Cain pulled his gun and aimed it at Toto’s head. “Where. Is. She.”
Toto just shook his head. “I can’t tell you Tin Man, she must do this on her own.”
“Dog, I’m warning you…”
“Cain, trust me.”
“I will not let her do…whatever it is she has to do…alone. The last time she went off by herself she was almost thrown off a balcony. Before that she was locked in a coffin. Before that she was captured and put in a cage a hundred feet off the ground. You are going to tell me where she is and I’m going after her.” Cain cocked his gun and pressed it against Toto’s temple.
“If you won’t trust me, then trust DG. You know she would have come to you if she was any danger. The fact that she left alone means she knew she needed to do this by herself.”
Cain thought that over and slowly put his gun down. “Fine, I’ll give her three more days and if she isn’t back by then you are going to tell me where she is.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I watched my family be tortured over and over again. I think I know enough to make you talk.” The look on Cain’s face actually alarmed Toto.
“Very well Tin Man, if we have not heard from the Princess in three days I will tell you where she is.”
Cain nodded and started to leave the library “One more question Toto.”
“If can ask you a question in return.”
“Deal.”
“Then ask your question.”
“How is it you know all this about Dorothy Gale? You’ve said that the stories surrounding her are not accurate so how can you know the truth?”
Toto was stunned and it showed on his face. Cain watched as he tried to come up with an answer. “You know what Toto? Forget it. I’m not sure if I can take the answer today.”
Toto let out a sigh of relief. “If that is what you wish.”
Cain turned to leave when Toto stopped him. “We had a deal I believe.”
“What’s your question pooch?”
“For a man who once claimed to have no heart you seem to be very concerned for the Princess. Why is that?”
Cain did not move for a full minute before turning to smirk at Toto. “When you answer my question, I’ll answer yours.” And then he walked out of the Library leaving behind Toto who was wearing a knowing grin.
~~~
It had taken DG four days to reach the hidden mausoleum and she was so tired. She had traveled almost non-stop to reach her destination because she was afraid Cain would show up and drag her back home. Or worse, would insist on accompanying her on this little adventure. Somehow, DG knew that she had to do this alone. It was too bad though. She had really missed the others…especially Cain.
She put that out of her head before she could really think about it. She entered the mausoleum and made her way to the doors that led to the Gray Gale. Taking a deep breath she pushed open the doors and gasped at what lay inside.
It was looked nothing like her first visit. DG couldn’t decide if that’s good thing or not.
End Note: A few things before you go. Raw was crying and such because he had picked up on DG’s pain of not having a home. Toto and all his thoughts and speculations will be answered in the next chapter. Last, I don’t believe Cain’s anger is extreme but I also don’t believe he would actually torture anyone, especially seeing his family go through it. He’s threats were coming from his anger, frustration and fear.
I hope you like this chapter and I’m working on the next one right now.
Author: KourtTears
Pairings/Characters: DG/Cain, Dorothy Gale; mentions of Az, Glitch, Raw and the Queen
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Tin Man is not mine. I’m going to borrow this world again though.
Spoilers: All three parts
Summary: Even though she is back in the O.Z. where she belongs, DG doesn’t feel at home. With no one else to turn to DG visits her namesake and gets a little help…
Author’s Note: Again thanks to all my reviewers. This is the fastest that I’ve ever updated a story and I think it’s because you have all been so nice. This next part is spilt into two different parts (we finally get to see Cain!). I hope you enjoy!
|Prologue| |Chapter One|
It had been two days since DG had run away, and there was no doubt in Cain’s mind that she had actually run away, and the entire palace was worried. DG had become efficient enough in her magic to contact someone if she had been attacked and taken. And that was the least of what she could do. Cain figured that if anyone had tried to attack her, DG would’ve been able to handle them with no trouble. So Cain knew that DG had run away but he couldn’t get anyone else to believe it.
The Queen and her Consort refused to believe that the daughter they had just found had left them. Princess Azkadellia wouldn’t believe that her beloved sister would go anywhere without telling her first. Glitch, who had finally gotten his brain back though he was still plagued with misfiring synapses, could think of no logical reason for DG to run away so therefore, in his mind, she didn’t.
Raw had visited DG’s room to see if he could pick up any residual emotions and had ended up crying a full day through. After he finished crying he refused to speak to anyone and walked around the palace like he was in mourning. The others took this as confirmation DG had been attacked and taken, so they had immediately begun to plan a rescue mission.
Cain was the only one who believed DG had run away. He also believed that she’d had a good reason for it; he just wished he knew what it was. Knowing why she left would make tracking her down so much easier. As it was Cain was about to go insane waiting in the palace but the Queen had forbidden him to go look for DG on his own. She didn’t want to scare the villains into doing something crazy, like killing her youngest daughter. Cain had snorted and told her there were no villains to scare, but he obeyed her command and stayed in the palace. He needed to do some investigating anyway.
He saw the best way to find out where the Princess had gone was to find out why she had left in the first place. And Cain had finally tracked down the man (dog?) who could help him.
“Hey Toto, you’ve been absent the last couple of days,” Cain said as he walked into the Royal Library. Toto looked up from where he was hunting through the musty books.
“Cain.” Toto nodded but then immediately turned back to the shelves.
“Toto, can I ask you a question? Why is it everyone else in the palace is running themselves ragged looking for any clue to locating the missing Princess, but you’re in the library pouring over old history books?”
Cain looked at the shape-shifter for an answer but Toto studiously ignored him.
“I find it odd is all. I’ve had one hell of a time trying to track you down. I would have never thought to look in the library because how could books written ages ago help the Princess now? Luckily one of the guardsmen remembered that the Princesses’ tutor could turn into a dog and when I asked him about you he told me he had seen a dog run into the library the morning the Princess went missing. Now, what would you be doing in here that’s more important than finding the Princess?”
Cain looked to the tutor but again he was ignored.
“You want to know what else I find odd? You are the one person in the whole palace who is not out of their mind with worry and you’re also the last person to actually see DG. You let her out of lessons the day before she went missing, something I don’t think you’ve ever done before, and she locked herself in her room for the rest of the day. Care to enlighten me as to what happened that had her refusing to see her own sister?
When he was ignored again Cain finally lost his patience. He grabbed Toto’s collar and forced the shape-shifter to face him.
“What do you know?” Cain’s voice had taken on a dark edge, and from the look on Toto’s face the tutor had finally decided that answering the former Tin Man would be a good idea. When Toto nodded Cain released him and moved back a step.
“Talk.”
“I’ve noticed that the Princess has been a bit out of sorts this past week. She even asked for a day off which is something she has never done. When I convinced her to attend her lessons for the day I decided to pick an easy subject. DG needed to do nothing but listen. She seemed so upset that I did not want her to be alone but at the same time I did not believe she should practice magic.”
“Wait, so what you’re telling me is that you knew DG was upset and you never told us?” Cain took a menacing step forward but stopped when Toto held up her hands.
“Let me continue please and then you can threaten me all you like, if you still feel the need. As I was saying, I decided to lecture on Dorothy Gale and the Wicked Witches. Surprisingly DG was full of question and opinion. She usually falls asleep when we are discussing History. At any rate, DG became very upset when she learned of Glinda.” Here he paused, “I assume you know the history of the First Slipper?” At Cain’s nod he continued.
“DG became very upset when she learned of Glinda’s deception. And even after she learned that Dorothy had been well protected she was still very angry at the situation. Then she starting speaking of things she could not possibly know. She spoke of Dorothy’s feelings of how, at times, Dorothy felt as if the only reason she stayed in the O.Z. was because she was needed, not wanted, and how Dorothy felt as if she was never really home.”
Cain just shrugged, “Maybe she read it somewhere.”
“No! That’s impossible. The accounts of Dorothy Gale portray her as a hero and a wonderful woman and this is true, but the stories place Dorothy on an unreachable pedestal. The writers did everything in their power to ensure that Dorothy was shown to be extraordinary woman she was. They did this by leaving Dorothy’s flaws and negative feelings out of the stories. Whether they meant to or not, they made Dorothy untouchable throughout history. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but they left out much of the truth. That is not the point though. The point is that Dorothy knew things that she could not have possibly known.”
“That’s all very interesting but what does it have to do with DG running away?”
“DG knows things that no person alive should know. Does that not concern you?”
“Of course it does, but I don’t think a few memories and feelings are going to hurt her.”
Toto shook his head muttered, “Unbelievable…”
“What does any of this have to do with finding DG?”
“It has everything to do with finding her.”
“Then, please, enlighten me.”
“I believe that DG does not only know how Dorothy felt, but that is actually feeling what Dorothy felt. Do you remember how DG said she acquired the Emerald? That Dorothy Gale had given it to her? Well, when I first heard DG’s tale I believed she had only met an illusion created to keep the Emerald safe. But after what the other day, I believe DG truly met her ancestor.”
Cain had never seen the tutor this unsettled. “How do figure? And why does it even matter?”
“The shoes!” Toto said, as if that explained everything.
“The…shoes?”
“Yes, when DG mentioned the shoes I knew that she must have met the real Dorothy Gale and not just an illusion.” Off Cain’s confused and slightly irritated look, Toto elaborated. “DG asked me if the shoes were red and I answered her not thinking much of it. But the next morning when DG couldn’t be found I remembered that Dorothy had specifically asked the authors in her time to leave that one fact out of any stories they wrote, and later she used magic to ensure her request was followed. She didn’t want anyone trying to steal the shoes so she hid them in plain sight. For DG to know they were red she must have actually been connected to the real Dorothy!”
Toto was excited but Cain had moved on to being completely irritated. “What does any of this have to do with finding DG?”
Toto blinked, “Everything. I know where DG is going-“
“What!”
“-and I know why we can’t go after her.”
“Why we can’t what? Toto where is she?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Cain pulled his gun and aimed it at Toto’s head. “Where. Is. She.”
Toto just shook his head. “I can’t tell you Tin Man, she must do this on her own.”
“Dog, I’m warning you…”
“Cain, trust me.”
“I will not let her do…whatever it is she has to do…alone. The last time she went off by herself she was almost thrown off a balcony. Before that she was locked in a coffin. Before that she was captured and put in a cage a hundred feet off the ground. You are going to tell me where she is and I’m going after her.” Cain cocked his gun and pressed it against Toto’s temple.
“If you won’t trust me, then trust DG. You know she would have come to you if she was any danger. The fact that she left alone means she knew she needed to do this by herself.”
Cain thought that over and slowly put his gun down. “Fine, I’ll give her three more days and if she isn’t back by then you are going to tell me where she is.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I watched my family be tortured over and over again. I think I know enough to make you talk.” The look on Cain’s face actually alarmed Toto.
“Very well Tin Man, if we have not heard from the Princess in three days I will tell you where she is.”
Cain nodded and started to leave the library “One more question Toto.”
“If can ask you a question in return.”
“Deal.”
“Then ask your question.”
“How is it you know all this about Dorothy Gale? You’ve said that the stories surrounding her are not accurate so how can you know the truth?”
Toto was stunned and it showed on his face. Cain watched as he tried to come up with an answer. “You know what Toto? Forget it. I’m not sure if I can take the answer today.”
Toto let out a sigh of relief. “If that is what you wish.”
Cain turned to leave when Toto stopped him. “We had a deal I believe.”
“What’s your question pooch?”
“For a man who once claimed to have no heart you seem to be very concerned for the Princess. Why is that?”
Cain did not move for a full minute before turning to smirk at Toto. “When you answer my question, I’ll answer yours.” And then he walked out of the Library leaving behind Toto who was wearing a knowing grin.
~~~
It had taken DG four days to reach the hidden mausoleum and she was so tired. She had traveled almost non-stop to reach her destination because she was afraid Cain would show up and drag her back home. Or worse, would insist on accompanying her on this little adventure. Somehow, DG knew that she had to do this alone. It was too bad though. She had really missed the others…especially Cain.
She put that out of her head before she could really think about it. She entered the mausoleum and made her way to the doors that led to the Gray Gale. Taking a deep breath she pushed open the doors and gasped at what lay inside.
It was looked nothing like her first visit. DG couldn’t decide if that’s good thing or not.
End Note: A few things before you go. Raw was crying and such because he had picked up on DG’s pain of not having a home. Toto and all his thoughts and speculations will be answered in the next chapter. Last, I don’t believe Cain’s anger is extreme but I also don’t believe he would actually torture anyone, especially seeing his family go through it. He’s threats were coming from his anger, frustration and fear.
I hope you like this chapter and I’m working on the next one right now.