Life Has Lyrics
Chapter One
DG was in hell.
Since the eclipse, everything had gone sideways. Glitch had decided to try to get his brain back. Now he was lying on a gurney in the Healers ward in a coma, completely unresponsive towards any attempts at communication. Queen Lavender had gone cold and regal, treating her with icy respect. Ahamo, although far easier to like once he shaved off the mutton chops, had become a yes-man to whatever the Queen asked of him. Az, however understandable as it may have been, scared easily, cringing at loud voices and curling into a fetal position and whimpering if it was aimed at her or her family. Raw was thanked by his services and sent back to live with his people, no visiting allowed. But DG would have been able to cope with all of that if it weren’t for him. For Cain.
Cain had been appointed as DG’s personal bodyguard, a duty he took seriously. Too seriously. He always called her Princess now, with a capital ‘P’. No longer was it said as an endearment, a joke between the two of them. It was her title now, nothing more, no emotion behind it. He was breaking her heart.
For sometime between when she had opened the Tin Suit and storming the castle, she had fallen completely and utterly in love with him. And she had thought that maybe, just maybe, he had reciprocated the feeling, just a little. But no, his eyes held and icy coolness when he looked at her, all the warmth was long gone.
She couldn’t take it anymore. One night, instead of changing into her nightgown, she put on her jeans, T-shirt and jacket, packed a small bag, and walked down stairs to the front doors. Cain followed her without a word, as he always did. When she reached the doors that led to the outside world, she summoned her magic and blew open the doors and summoned a travel storm that would take her back to the old farm house in Kansas. But as she stepped forward to enter the storm, a hand grabbed her arm, holding her back.
DG turned to see Wyatt Cain staring at her, his expression unreadable as usual.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Princess.” He said tonelessly.
“As Princess of the O. Z., I order you to let go of my arm.” She said, her tone angry to cover the hurt as she furiously spat the title back in his face.
“And as your bodyguard, I can’t let you do leave.” He said coldly.
“As if you care.” She spat furiously. “It’s not as if I actually matter around here. I’m just a figurehead that has to be polished every now and then. I didn’t ask for this. If I’m going to live in hell, it may as well be a hell I can actually move in without someone tailing me wherever I go! No, I’m leaving whether you like it or not. Go do what you want, Cain, I’m not your fucking chore anymore.” She said, ripping her arm out of his grasp as she strode towards the storm that was drawing nearer by the second. But then his hands were on her arms again as he spun her to face him once more. As she looked defiantly into his bright ice-blue eyes, she saw that they were no longer cold and distant, but worried.
“Is that really what you think, Deege? That I don’t care? The only reason I stuck around was for you! I don’t know what I’d do without you! Please, Deege, don’t go. Please.” His last words were spoken in a husky whisper as he choked back the tears that no one ever saw.
DG’s eyes were prickling with unshed tears as she flung her arms around his neck in a frantic hug. His arms clung to her too; one hand at the small of her back, pulling her to him, the other cradling her head to his chest as he silently begged her not to leave. Reluctantly, she stepped back slightly, looked deep into his eyes before kissing him gently on the cheek.
“I’m sorry Wyatt. I’ll miss you. I lo-” but her last words were cut off as the travel storm broke through the wall and pulled her into it, whisking her away to Kansas.
Wyatt Cain watched her fly away, helpless to interfere. He sank to his knees, the picture of defeat.
“Deege,” he whispered. “why did you have to leave me?”
Chapter Two
Cain was in agony.
His wife was dead. His beloved son, his pride and joy, was a stranger to him. And his friends, oh, his friends! Although he had always been a bit gruff with Glitch, he’d always held a soft spot for the man. They both had trouble saying what they meant to say. But then ol’ Zipperhead had gone and tried to get his brain back. Now he was as good as dead, a corpse waiting for the morgue. And Furry Lips had been sent back to the Viewers, and none to politely either. Not by DG, of course, but by her mother, the Queen, the source of the O. Z.’s misery as far as he was concerned. If someone had simply pulled her off the throne and put DG in her place, everyone would be far better off. Hell, the O. Z. would shine if his princess were queen. And that was his problem right there: his princess. Not ‘Princess’, not ‘Princess DG’, or even ‘Princess Dorothy’. No, it was ‘his princess’. When had he fallen so helplessly in love? Even when they had first met, he had told himself, hell, he had ordered himself to leave them, but he hadn’t, he couldn’t leave her side. Now, he couldn’t even remember the Projection clearly. He had thought that it would haunt him forever, the recording of the Longcoats mercilessly beating him as well as his wife and child playing over and over again, powerless to interfere, for eight years. He had thought it would haunt his dreams, his thoughts, his life, forever, that he would see it whenever he closed his eyes. And he did, but it wasn’t Adora that he saw. It was DG. He couldn’t even remember Adora’s face any more. And now DG was gone. She had thought he didn’t care about her. How could she have thought that? How could she have thought that he of all people didn’t care about her? He had only stayed because of he, and not simply to keep her company, but because he could sense her future going down hill. No, he had stayed because he couldn’t leave her side, couldn’t stand for her to be out of his sight. And now she was gone.
With a heavy heart, he dried his eyes, rose, and went to wake the Queen and Consort. She wasn’t going to like this one bit.
Chapter Three
“She did what?” Ahamo roared.
“Left, sir.” Cain said softly, praying to whatever deities might possibly exist somewhere that his voice wouldn’t crack, that he could maintain a façade of calm.
“And you didn’t stop her? You just let her leave?” Ahamo bellowed.
“I told you, sir, I tried. She left anyway.” He breathed.
“Well you should ha-”
“That is enough, Ahamo.” The Queen said calmly, cutting off his tirade mid-sentence. “Mr. Cain, it was your responsibility to keep Princess Dorothy safe and you failed.”
Cain hung his head, but not in shame or defeat. He knew that if he looked at the woman who had driven his princess away, he would be unable to control his temper.
“However,” she continued, interrupting his thoughts. “because she is still your responsibility, it falls to you to find her. Due to the vastness my husband has informed me of in regards to the Other Side, I you will have one annual to find her and bring her back. After one annual, I will send soldiers to find her instead. Now go.” And with a wave of her hand, she returned to her chamber.
Cain turned to leave, but Ahamo stopped him.
“You should know, Cain, that when you bring her back, if so much as one hair on her head is out of place, you will suffer for it.” He said softly, all traces of the yes-man he had become since the Eclipse were gone. Suddenly Cain could see just how he had managed to survive so well in the Realm of the Unwanted for so long: he was dangerous and deadly.
“And if you had given her a bit of attention, she wouldn’t have let in the first place.” Cain retorted icily.
In a flash, Ahamo was on his feet, his face inches from Cain’s, his eyes blazing with utter fury. “Don’t you dare blame me for her leaving. It was as much your fault as mine.”
“How can it be my fault?” Cain asked, bewildered. “I already told you I couldn’t stop her!”
“If she hadn’t fallen in love with you, she would never have tried to leave in the first place!” he roared, pain etched in every inch of his features.
Cain froze. His princess, in love with him? Impossible. He was in love with her, not the other way around.
“Wha-what are you talking about?” he stammered.
“As if you don’t know.” Ahamo spat scathingly. “The way she looked at you, the way her eyes followed your every move, you were loving it. And because of you, now she’s gone.”
“I didn’t know.” Cain breathed, still reeling from the shock.
“Whatever. Just bring her back.” He snapped, storming out of the room.
Cain stood there for some time, motionless, his mind pouring over the mind-blowing news he had just been given.
“Deege,” he murmured, horror-struck. “What have I done to you? What have I done?”
Chapter Four
Tears ran down DG’s cheeks as she slowly climbed the stairs to reach her old front door. As she knelt to retrieve the key from under the doormat, they splashed onto the porch. She stared at the droplets of saltwater, her eyes glazed. She would never see him again. Just when she’d decided that he didn’t care, that she didn’t’ matter to him, he had made her rethink all her thoughts from the past three months. And now she would never see him again. She grabbed the key and straightened up, unlocked the door, replaced the key under the mat and went inside. Everything was as they had left it. She sighed as she struggled to move the overturned bookshelf that was still blocking the staircase and found it to be too heavy to move. Carefully, she stepped over it and climbed the stairs to her old attic bedroom. When she got there, she surveyed her old drawings with the air of a soldier returned home from war. But then she came across the drawings of her mother. In a rage, she ripped them from the wall and was about to tear them to shreds when she stopped. With a sigh, she smoothed them out and put them in a folder and slid the folder into a drawer in her desk. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she thought back upon everything that had happened to her in the past three months. Traipsing across the O. Z., meeting Glitch, Cain and Raw, finding out that Azkadellia was her sister, being imprisoned in an emerald coffin, stopping the Sorceress’s plot to bring eternal darkness to the O. Z., falling in love with Cain…she suddenly realized just how tired she was. Falling back onto her bed, she rolled onto her side and cried herself to sleep.
DG was learning to dance. Ambrose was her teacher, constantly correcting her posture, foot position, the way she held her head, everything. And DG swore she was going to kill him for it. But just when she was about to curl her hands around his skinny little neck, Glitch would take over and make her laugh, make her smile, extending Ambrose’s life expectancy just a little. Why was she being tortured so? Because in honor of her ‘grand return to the O. Z.’, a grand ball was to be held at the Central City palace and DG was expected to dance. And despite the Queen’s insistence that was a child, DG had been quite the dancer, she simply needed to remember, Az’s barely smothered snorts of derision made her doubt the validity of her mother’s assurance.
“It’s all about rhythm, Princess.” Ambrose said condescendingly.
“Yeah, yeah.” DG muttered irritably.
“Ambrose is right, Doll.” Glitch said, grinning. “The steps, I can teach you, but rhythm,” he smiled, putting a hand over his heart. “Rhythm comes from the soul. Find the rhythm in you, and you can dance to anything.”
“And that’s your assignment for this evening, Princess. Find the rhythm. I will see you again tomorrow.” Ambrose concluded and with a small bow, turned and strode out of the room.
“Find the rhythm? With this music? Not likely.” DG muttered scornfully.
Walking over to where the sound system was in the corner, she smiled at the clicking sound her heels made on the marble floor. Surprisingly comfortable silver pumps with not too large a heel, they looked lovely with the dress she was wearing. To the shock of all she had met on her adventure, despite being a tomboy, she enjoyed wearing dresses. Not all the time, but sometimes. Tonight, she was wearing a turquoise dress that came almost to her knees. From the waist down there were wide pleats that flared out when she spun (which she did often when she was wearing this dress-she liked how it looked and felt). She summoned from her room the iPod she had insisted upon retrieving from the Other Side.
With a bit of tinkering, she had created a way of connecting her iPod to the O. Z.’s version of a sound system. Switching off the morbid-sounding waltz Ambrose had her trying (and failing) to dance to, she flipped through her play list till she found what she was looking for: I Dream by Billie Piper. Not exactly dance music, but it followed her dreams almost word for word.
Lately she had been dreaming of the upcoming ball, but not as a nightmare. She had dreamt night after night of dancing with a certain Tin Man. Hitting play, she walked with the beat to the center of the room. Closing her eyes, she started dancing with an imaginary Cain.
It’s time to tell you all a secret I keep
How I get with you when the world’s asleep
I can’t wait for the lonely to end
Then I can be back in your arms again
When I close my eyes
You are by my side
And I can picture us together
Every night I pray
There will be a way
We can make it last forever
I dream I’m dancing with you
And I can really move
I dream you’re kissing me
And I can really feel it
I dream I’m dancing with you
And I can really move
I dream you’re kissing me
And I can really feel it
Swear I can really feel it
I know I’m living in a fantasy world
I know how it feels to be a girl
And hear you say the sweetest things soft and low
I never want to wake up and let you go, no
When I close my eyes
You are by my side
And I can picture us together
Every night I pray
There will be a way
We can make it last forever
And suddenly, an arm was around her waist, a hand in hers, and her partner was no longer a dream.
I dream I’m dancing with you
And I can really move
“I thought you said you couldn’t dance, princess. You certainly didn’t seem to when Zipperhead was in here.” He murmured in her ear.
DG thought she would faint. “Wrong music.” She breathed, inhaling the scent of him.
I dream you’re kissing me
And I can really feel it
“I never thought you could dance either, Tin Man.” She whispered.
“You never asked.” He retorted, a smile in his tone as he rested his cheek against her head gently.
DG buried her face in his chest to hide the blush that she knew must be covering her cheeks. “Well you’re officially my new dance partner. Congratulations.” She said cheekily.
“Oh, no, princess. My dancing doesn’t leave this room after tonight. No one finds out about this. And if you tell any one, I’ll deny everything.” He informed her sternly, but DG could hear laughter in his tone.
“Is that so, Tin Man?” she asked softly.
“Yes.” He replied simply.
Revolving slowly in time with the music, they were both smiling. Then, the song changed, a more upbeat song, Bring It On, again by Billie Piper. Struck by sudden inspiration, she pulled away from Cain, remembering the saucy tango beat that closely followed the ‘Down’s in the beginning. At the ‘Bring It On’, she winked at him and beckoned with her fingers. A part of her was wondering just where this sudden confidence had come from, but when Cain joined her in the tango formation that Ambrose had taught her, all doubt vanished.
Stepping forward and back, DG smiled to herself at the closeness the tango forced them into. Suddenly, Cain spun her out so that they were joined only by one hand. Just as suddenly, he spun her back to him so that her back was pressed closely to his chest, her arms crossed around her waist, her hands in his.
“You look far too attractive for your own good, darlin’.” He murmured in her ear, his voice vibrating in his chest and all through her, his voice tickling her neck sending shivers of pleasure down her spine.
Her heart had been pounding, but in that instant, she swore it stopped. Her eyes fluttered closed.
“Why, Mr. Cain, I’m surprised at you!” she breathed. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you were trying to seduce me!”
“I’m sorry, princess.” He said suddenly, his grip loosening.
Her eyes opened as she spun to face him. She wound her arms around his neck.
“What makes you think that was a complaint?” she whispered.
Pulling his head down to hers, she pressed her lips to his. The effect was instantaneous. One arm snaked around her waist, the other tangled in her long black hair, pulling her close. Running her fingers through his short blonde hair, she moaned with pleasure. Taking that as an invitation, he slipped his tongue into her mouth to clash with hers. She was glad he was holding her so tightly because she knew that if he let go, she was sure to melt into a puddle right onto the floor. All she wanted was to hold this moment forever, to stay in his arms, for him to never let her go…
Sitting bolt upright in the bed, DG moaned softly at the loss of contact before she realized that it had all been a dream. Dammit, why did I have to wake up? She thought bitterly, a tear ran down her cheeks as she realized that it could never come to pass. Wearily, she stood, cringing at the popping that emanated from her complaining knees, she walked to the window. As if on cue, a twister touched down in the cornfield. After growing up in rural Kansas, she knew it wasn’t tornado weather, and when a lone figure dropped out of the twister, her suspicions were confirmed. But when the figure straightened up, there was no mistaking that fedora and duster: Cain. She smiled at the sight of him; it was almost as if she had dreamed him there. But when she realized why he must be there, her smile faded. Furious, she stormed down the stairs to confront him, but she had forgotten about the bookcase and she fell. Crying out in pain, she clutched her ankle. Cain’s footsteps pounded up the steps.
“DG? Princess? Are you in there?” he called anxiously.
“Yeah.” She gasped.
Without waiting further instructions, he burst into the house.
“DG, where are you?” he called, his voice panicked.
“In here.” She whimpered.
Almost immediately, he found her. “Deege.” He whispered, carefully picking her up. She gasped in pain as her ankle moved.
“Sorry! Sorry!” he murmured in her ear as he cradled her in his arms. “The couch is that way.” She whimpered, pointing weakly in the direction of the living room.
Walking carefully so as to jostle her ankle as little as possible, he made his way to the living room. Slowly, he set her down on the couch then he knelt by her head.
“What happened, princess?” he asked softly.
DG was about to tell him off when she realized from his tone that he was using her nickname again, not her title. She smiled at that.
“I saw you coming from my bedroom window and I was coming down to see you, but I forgot about the bookcase. I tried to move it earlier but it was too heavy. I think I twisted my ankle over the damn thing, but all I really know is that it hurts like hell.”
“Let me see it. I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt a bit.” He said gently.
Carefully, he untied her shoes. On her uninjured ankle, he simply pulled it off followed by her sock. On her injured ankle, he slowly removed the laces entirely, pulled back the tongue, and with one hand gently bracing her ankle, removed the shoe and then removed the sock. He gently prodded her good ankle and then her bad one. Despite being prepared for it, DG couldn’t prevent a hiss of pain escaping her clenched teeth. A look that was both apologetic and relieved flashed across his face.
“Well, it’s not broken, but it is sprained pretty badly. We’ll need to keep it rested, cold, compressed and above your heart for a while, but you’ll be fine.” He said, smiling.
“Says you. I won’t last a day having to lie here alone with nothing to do.” She snapped, cringing.
“You won’t be alone. Where can I find some ice?” he asked calmly.
“I will be alone because I won’t go back there with you. I told you, I won’t sit around and be a useless figure head. If I’m going to live in hell, it may as well be a hell I can actually do something in!” she said angrily.
“Did I say you had to come back today? Your mother gave me an annual to track you down. Seeing as I found you pretty quickly, I plan on giving you time.” He said simply.
“You mean I have an entire year before Mother drags me back?” DG asked excitedly.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean, princess.” He said giving her one of his rare full-blown smiles.
“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!” DG cried, flinging her arms around his neck.
Chuckling, Cain returned the hug with amusement. DG’s face was buried in his chest and she breathed in his scent. He smelled of gun powder, wood smoke and a smell that was distinctly and deliciously Cain.
“I’ve missed you.” she murmured.
“I’ve missed you too, sweetheart.” He whispered.
Gently, he pulled away, kissed her forehead, and straightened up. “Where’s the ice?” he asked, smiling slightly.
“It’s in the freezer.” She huffed, pouting at the loss of contact. “The tall box in the kitchen. Left door, at the top.” She elaborated, seeing his confusion. “Dishtowels are in the drawer to the right of it.” She added.
“Thanks.” He said.
A few minutes later, he returned with the ice wrapped in a dishtowel. Grabbing a few pillows off a chair, he gently lifted her ankle and put the pillows under it, placing the makeshift cold compress over it. Cringing at the sudden frigid temperature, she smiled gratefully.
“Thanks, Cain.” She said, smiling.
Again, he knelt by her side, concern once again marring his features. “You never answered my question, princess. How could you have thought I didn’t care about you?” his eyes searched her face desperately, agony was the prominent feature.
“Well, you rarely even spoke to me, and when you did it was only to say ‘yes, Princess’ or ‘no, Princess’. You never acted like you cared; you always seemed indifferent.” She said softly.
“Sweetheart, if anyone else realized how much I cared about you, you as a person, not you as a political figure head, I would have been banished from the castle, from ever seeing you again, maybe even executed. I couldn’t live without seeing you. I can’t live without you. I love you.” he breathed.
DG couldn’t take it anymore. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. Stunned, Cain froze, but only for a moment. Then, one arm snaked around her waist, the other tangled in her hair and he was kissing her with such intensity that she moaned with pleasure. Taking that as an invitation, he slipped his tongue into her mouth to clash with hers. She was glad he was holding her so tightly because she knew that if he let go, she was sure to melt into a puddle right onto the floor. All she wanted was to hold this moment forever, to stay in his arms, for him to never let her go. She waited to wake up, to be crushed with disappointment that it wasn’t real, but it didn’t come, and Cain was still kissing her. Overjoyed that it really was real, she kissed him back with an intensity rivaled only by his own. Finally, Cain pulled back gently so that they could breathe.
“Nice to know the feeling’s mutual.” He murmured, resting his forehead on hers.
“Same here.” DG breathed as she ran her fingers through his short blonde hair.
DG was in hell.
Since the eclipse, everything had gone sideways. Glitch had decided to try to get his brain back. Now he was lying on a gurney in the Healers ward in a coma, completely unresponsive towards any attempts at communication. Queen Lavender had gone cold and regal, treating her with icy respect. Ahamo, although far easier to like once he shaved off the mutton chops, had become a yes-man to whatever the Queen asked of him. Az, however understandable as it may have been, scared easily, cringing at loud voices and curling into a fetal position and whimpering if it was aimed at her or her family. Raw was thanked by his services and sent back to live with his people, no visiting allowed. But DG would have been able to cope with all of that if it weren’t for him. For Cain.
Cain had been appointed as DG’s personal bodyguard, a duty he took seriously. Too seriously. He always called her Princess now, with a capital ‘P’. No longer was it said as an endearment, a joke between the two of them. It was her title now, nothing more, no emotion behind it. He was breaking her heart.
For sometime between when she had opened the Tin Suit and storming the castle, she had fallen completely and utterly in love with him. And she had thought that maybe, just maybe, he had reciprocated the feeling, just a little. But no, his eyes held and icy coolness when he looked at her, all the warmth was long gone.
She couldn’t take it anymore. One night, instead of changing into her nightgown, she put on her jeans, T-shirt and jacket, packed a small bag, and walked down stairs to the front doors. Cain followed her without a word, as he always did. When she reached the doors that led to the outside world, she summoned her magic and blew open the doors and summoned a travel storm that would take her back to the old farm house in Kansas. But as she stepped forward to enter the storm, a hand grabbed her arm, holding her back.
DG turned to see Wyatt Cain staring at her, his expression unreadable as usual.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Princess.” He said tonelessly.
“As Princess of the O. Z., I order you to let go of my arm.” She said, her tone angry to cover the hurt as she furiously spat the title back in his face.
“And as your bodyguard, I can’t let you do leave.” He said coldly.
“As if you care.” She spat furiously. “It’s not as if I actually matter around here. I’m just a figurehead that has to be polished every now and then. I didn’t ask for this. If I’m going to live in hell, it may as well be a hell I can actually move in without someone tailing me wherever I go! No, I’m leaving whether you like it or not. Go do what you want, Cain, I’m not your fucking chore anymore.” She said, ripping her arm out of his grasp as she strode towards the storm that was drawing nearer by the second. But then his hands were on her arms again as he spun her to face him once more. As she looked defiantly into his bright ice-blue eyes, she saw that they were no longer cold and distant, but worried.
“Is that really what you think, Deege? That I don’t care? The only reason I stuck around was for you! I don’t know what I’d do without you! Please, Deege, don’t go. Please.” His last words were spoken in a husky whisper as he choked back the tears that no one ever saw.
DG’s eyes were prickling with unshed tears as she flung her arms around his neck in a frantic hug. His arms clung to her too; one hand at the small of her back, pulling her to him, the other cradling her head to his chest as he silently begged her not to leave. Reluctantly, she stepped back slightly, looked deep into his eyes before kissing him gently on the cheek.
“I’m sorry Wyatt. I’ll miss you. I lo-” but her last words were cut off as the travel storm broke through the wall and pulled her into it, whisking her away to Kansas.
Wyatt Cain watched her fly away, helpless to interfere. He sank to his knees, the picture of defeat.
“Deege,” he whispered. “why did you have to leave me?”
Chapter Two
Cain was in agony.
His wife was dead. His beloved son, his pride and joy, was a stranger to him. And his friends, oh, his friends! Although he had always been a bit gruff with Glitch, he’d always held a soft spot for the man. They both had trouble saying what they meant to say. But then ol’ Zipperhead had gone and tried to get his brain back. Now he was as good as dead, a corpse waiting for the morgue. And Furry Lips had been sent back to the Viewers, and none to politely either. Not by DG, of course, but by her mother, the Queen, the source of the O. Z.’s misery as far as he was concerned. If someone had simply pulled her off the throne and put DG in her place, everyone would be far better off. Hell, the O. Z. would shine if his princess were queen. And that was his problem right there: his princess. Not ‘Princess’, not ‘Princess DG’, or even ‘Princess Dorothy’. No, it was ‘his princess’. When had he fallen so helplessly in love? Even when they had first met, he had told himself, hell, he had ordered himself to leave them, but he hadn’t, he couldn’t leave her side. Now, he couldn’t even remember the Projection clearly. He had thought that it would haunt him forever, the recording of the Longcoats mercilessly beating him as well as his wife and child playing over and over again, powerless to interfere, for eight years. He had thought it would haunt his dreams, his thoughts, his life, forever, that he would see it whenever he closed his eyes. And he did, but it wasn’t Adora that he saw. It was DG. He couldn’t even remember Adora’s face any more. And now DG was gone. She had thought he didn’t care about her. How could she have thought that? How could she have thought that he of all people didn’t care about her? He had only stayed because of he, and not simply to keep her company, but because he could sense her future going down hill. No, he had stayed because he couldn’t leave her side, couldn’t stand for her to be out of his sight. And now she was gone.
With a heavy heart, he dried his eyes, rose, and went to wake the Queen and Consort. She wasn’t going to like this one bit.
Chapter Three
“She did what?” Ahamo roared.
“Left, sir.” Cain said softly, praying to whatever deities might possibly exist somewhere that his voice wouldn’t crack, that he could maintain a façade of calm.
“And you didn’t stop her? You just let her leave?” Ahamo bellowed.
“I told you, sir, I tried. She left anyway.” He breathed.
“Well you should ha-”
“That is enough, Ahamo.” The Queen said calmly, cutting off his tirade mid-sentence. “Mr. Cain, it was your responsibility to keep Princess Dorothy safe and you failed.”
Cain hung his head, but not in shame or defeat. He knew that if he looked at the woman who had driven his princess away, he would be unable to control his temper.
“However,” she continued, interrupting his thoughts. “because she is still your responsibility, it falls to you to find her. Due to the vastness my husband has informed me of in regards to the Other Side, I you will have one annual to find her and bring her back. After one annual, I will send soldiers to find her instead. Now go.” And with a wave of her hand, she returned to her chamber.
Cain turned to leave, but Ahamo stopped him.
“You should know, Cain, that when you bring her back, if so much as one hair on her head is out of place, you will suffer for it.” He said softly, all traces of the yes-man he had become since the Eclipse were gone. Suddenly Cain could see just how he had managed to survive so well in the Realm of the Unwanted for so long: he was dangerous and deadly.
“And if you had given her a bit of attention, she wouldn’t have let in the first place.” Cain retorted icily.
In a flash, Ahamo was on his feet, his face inches from Cain’s, his eyes blazing with utter fury. “Don’t you dare blame me for her leaving. It was as much your fault as mine.”
“How can it be my fault?” Cain asked, bewildered. “I already told you I couldn’t stop her!”
“If she hadn’t fallen in love with you, she would never have tried to leave in the first place!” he roared, pain etched in every inch of his features.
Cain froze. His princess, in love with him? Impossible. He was in love with her, not the other way around.
“Wha-what are you talking about?” he stammered.
“As if you don’t know.” Ahamo spat scathingly. “The way she looked at you, the way her eyes followed your every move, you were loving it. And because of you, now she’s gone.”
“I didn’t know.” Cain breathed, still reeling from the shock.
“Whatever. Just bring her back.” He snapped, storming out of the room.
Cain stood there for some time, motionless, his mind pouring over the mind-blowing news he had just been given.
“Deege,” he murmured, horror-struck. “What have I done to you? What have I done?”
Chapter Four
Tears ran down DG’s cheeks as she slowly climbed the stairs to reach her old front door. As she knelt to retrieve the key from under the doormat, they splashed onto the porch. She stared at the droplets of saltwater, her eyes glazed. She would never see him again. Just when she’d decided that he didn’t care, that she didn’t’ matter to him, he had made her rethink all her thoughts from the past three months. And now she would never see him again. She grabbed the key and straightened up, unlocked the door, replaced the key under the mat and went inside. Everything was as they had left it. She sighed as she struggled to move the overturned bookshelf that was still blocking the staircase and found it to be too heavy to move. Carefully, she stepped over it and climbed the stairs to her old attic bedroom. When she got there, she surveyed her old drawings with the air of a soldier returned home from war. But then she came across the drawings of her mother. In a rage, she ripped them from the wall and was about to tear them to shreds when she stopped. With a sigh, she smoothed them out and put them in a folder and slid the folder into a drawer in her desk. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she thought back upon everything that had happened to her in the past three months. Traipsing across the O. Z., meeting Glitch, Cain and Raw, finding out that Azkadellia was her sister, being imprisoned in an emerald coffin, stopping the Sorceress’s plot to bring eternal darkness to the O. Z., falling in love with Cain…she suddenly realized just how tired she was. Falling back onto her bed, she rolled onto her side and cried herself to sleep.
DG was learning to dance. Ambrose was her teacher, constantly correcting her posture, foot position, the way she held her head, everything. And DG swore she was going to kill him for it. But just when she was about to curl her hands around his skinny little neck, Glitch would take over and make her laugh, make her smile, extending Ambrose’s life expectancy just a little. Why was she being tortured so? Because in honor of her ‘grand return to the O. Z.’, a grand ball was to be held at the Central City palace and DG was expected to dance. And despite the Queen’s insistence that was a child, DG had been quite the dancer, she simply needed to remember, Az’s barely smothered snorts of derision made her doubt the validity of her mother’s assurance.
“It’s all about rhythm, Princess.” Ambrose said condescendingly.
“Yeah, yeah.” DG muttered irritably.
“Ambrose is right, Doll.” Glitch said, grinning. “The steps, I can teach you, but rhythm,” he smiled, putting a hand over his heart. “Rhythm comes from the soul. Find the rhythm in you, and you can dance to anything.”
“And that’s your assignment for this evening, Princess. Find the rhythm. I will see you again tomorrow.” Ambrose concluded and with a small bow, turned and strode out of the room.
“Find the rhythm? With this music? Not likely.” DG muttered scornfully.
Walking over to where the sound system was in the corner, she smiled at the clicking sound her heels made on the marble floor. Surprisingly comfortable silver pumps with not too large a heel, they looked lovely with the dress she was wearing. To the shock of all she had met on her adventure, despite being a tomboy, she enjoyed wearing dresses. Not all the time, but sometimes. Tonight, she was wearing a turquoise dress that came almost to her knees. From the waist down there were wide pleats that flared out when she spun (which she did often when she was wearing this dress-she liked how it looked and felt). She summoned from her room the iPod she had insisted upon retrieving from the Other Side.
With a bit of tinkering, she had created a way of connecting her iPod to the O. Z.’s version of a sound system. Switching off the morbid-sounding waltz Ambrose had her trying (and failing) to dance to, she flipped through her play list till she found what she was looking for: I Dream by Billie Piper. Not exactly dance music, but it followed her dreams almost word for word.
Lately she had been dreaming of the upcoming ball, but not as a nightmare. She had dreamt night after night of dancing with a certain Tin Man. Hitting play, she walked with the beat to the center of the room. Closing her eyes, she started dancing with an imaginary Cain.
It’s time to tell you all a secret I keep
How I get with you when the world’s asleep
I can’t wait for the lonely to end
Then I can be back in your arms again
When I close my eyes
You are by my side
And I can picture us together
Every night I pray
There will be a way
We can make it last forever
I dream I’m dancing with you
And I can really move
I dream you’re kissing me
And I can really feel it
I dream I’m dancing with you
And I can really move
I dream you’re kissing me
And I can really feel it
Swear I can really feel it
I know I’m living in a fantasy world
I know how it feels to be a girl
And hear you say the sweetest things soft and low
I never want to wake up and let you go, no
When I close my eyes
You are by my side
And I can picture us together
Every night I pray
There will be a way
We can make it last forever
And suddenly, an arm was around her waist, a hand in hers, and her partner was no longer a dream.
I dream I’m dancing with you
And I can really move
“I thought you said you couldn’t dance, princess. You certainly didn’t seem to when Zipperhead was in here.” He murmured in her ear.
DG thought she would faint. “Wrong music.” She breathed, inhaling the scent of him.
I dream you’re kissing me
And I can really feel it
“I never thought you could dance either, Tin Man.” She whispered.
“You never asked.” He retorted, a smile in his tone as he rested his cheek against her head gently.
DG buried her face in his chest to hide the blush that she knew must be covering her cheeks. “Well you’re officially my new dance partner. Congratulations.” She said cheekily.
“Oh, no, princess. My dancing doesn’t leave this room after tonight. No one finds out about this. And if you tell any one, I’ll deny everything.” He informed her sternly, but DG could hear laughter in his tone.
“Is that so, Tin Man?” she asked softly.
“Yes.” He replied simply.
Revolving slowly in time with the music, they were both smiling. Then, the song changed, a more upbeat song, Bring It On, again by Billie Piper. Struck by sudden inspiration, she pulled away from Cain, remembering the saucy tango beat that closely followed the ‘Down’s in the beginning. At the ‘Bring It On’, she winked at him and beckoned with her fingers. A part of her was wondering just where this sudden confidence had come from, but when Cain joined her in the tango formation that Ambrose had taught her, all doubt vanished.
Stepping forward and back, DG smiled to herself at the closeness the tango forced them into. Suddenly, Cain spun her out so that they were joined only by one hand. Just as suddenly, he spun her back to him so that her back was pressed closely to his chest, her arms crossed around her waist, her hands in his.
“You look far too attractive for your own good, darlin’.” He murmured in her ear, his voice vibrating in his chest and all through her, his voice tickling her neck sending shivers of pleasure down her spine.
Her heart had been pounding, but in that instant, she swore it stopped. Her eyes fluttered closed.
“Why, Mr. Cain, I’m surprised at you!” she breathed. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you were trying to seduce me!”
“I’m sorry, princess.” He said suddenly, his grip loosening.
Her eyes opened as she spun to face him. She wound her arms around his neck.
“What makes you think that was a complaint?” she whispered.
Pulling his head down to hers, she pressed her lips to his. The effect was instantaneous. One arm snaked around her waist, the other tangled in her long black hair, pulling her close. Running her fingers through his short blonde hair, she moaned with pleasure. Taking that as an invitation, he slipped his tongue into her mouth to clash with hers. She was glad he was holding her so tightly because she knew that if he let go, she was sure to melt into a puddle right onto the floor. All she wanted was to hold this moment forever, to stay in his arms, for him to never let her go…
Sitting bolt upright in the bed, DG moaned softly at the loss of contact before she realized that it had all been a dream. Dammit, why did I have to wake up? She thought bitterly, a tear ran down her cheeks as she realized that it could never come to pass. Wearily, she stood, cringing at the popping that emanated from her complaining knees, she walked to the window. As if on cue, a twister touched down in the cornfield. After growing up in rural Kansas, she knew it wasn’t tornado weather, and when a lone figure dropped out of the twister, her suspicions were confirmed. But when the figure straightened up, there was no mistaking that fedora and duster: Cain. She smiled at the sight of him; it was almost as if she had dreamed him there. But when she realized why he must be there, her smile faded. Furious, she stormed down the stairs to confront him, but she had forgotten about the bookcase and she fell. Crying out in pain, she clutched her ankle. Cain’s footsteps pounded up the steps.
“DG? Princess? Are you in there?” he called anxiously.
“Yeah.” She gasped.
Without waiting further instructions, he burst into the house.
“DG, where are you?” he called, his voice panicked.
“In here.” She whimpered.
Almost immediately, he found her. “Deege.” He whispered, carefully picking her up. She gasped in pain as her ankle moved.
“Sorry! Sorry!” he murmured in her ear as he cradled her in his arms. “The couch is that way.” She whimpered, pointing weakly in the direction of the living room.
Walking carefully so as to jostle her ankle as little as possible, he made his way to the living room. Slowly, he set her down on the couch then he knelt by her head.
“What happened, princess?” he asked softly.
DG was about to tell him off when she realized from his tone that he was using her nickname again, not her title. She smiled at that.
“I saw you coming from my bedroom window and I was coming down to see you, but I forgot about the bookcase. I tried to move it earlier but it was too heavy. I think I twisted my ankle over the damn thing, but all I really know is that it hurts like hell.”
“Let me see it. I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt a bit.” He said gently.
Carefully, he untied her shoes. On her uninjured ankle, he simply pulled it off followed by her sock. On her injured ankle, he slowly removed the laces entirely, pulled back the tongue, and with one hand gently bracing her ankle, removed the shoe and then removed the sock. He gently prodded her good ankle and then her bad one. Despite being prepared for it, DG couldn’t prevent a hiss of pain escaping her clenched teeth. A look that was both apologetic and relieved flashed across his face.
“Well, it’s not broken, but it is sprained pretty badly. We’ll need to keep it rested, cold, compressed and above your heart for a while, but you’ll be fine.” He said, smiling.
“Says you. I won’t last a day having to lie here alone with nothing to do.” She snapped, cringing.
“You won’t be alone. Where can I find some ice?” he asked calmly.
“I will be alone because I won’t go back there with you. I told you, I won’t sit around and be a useless figure head. If I’m going to live in hell, it may as well be a hell I can actually do something in!” she said angrily.
“Did I say you had to come back today? Your mother gave me an annual to track you down. Seeing as I found you pretty quickly, I plan on giving you time.” He said simply.
“You mean I have an entire year before Mother drags me back?” DG asked excitedly.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean, princess.” He said giving her one of his rare full-blown smiles.
“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!” DG cried, flinging her arms around his neck.
Chuckling, Cain returned the hug with amusement. DG’s face was buried in his chest and she breathed in his scent. He smelled of gun powder, wood smoke and a smell that was distinctly and deliciously Cain.
“I’ve missed you.” she murmured.
“I’ve missed you too, sweetheart.” He whispered.
Gently, he pulled away, kissed her forehead, and straightened up. “Where’s the ice?” he asked, smiling slightly.
“It’s in the freezer.” She huffed, pouting at the loss of contact. “The tall box in the kitchen. Left door, at the top.” She elaborated, seeing his confusion. “Dishtowels are in the drawer to the right of it.” She added.
“Thanks.” He said.
A few minutes later, he returned with the ice wrapped in a dishtowel. Grabbing a few pillows off a chair, he gently lifted her ankle and put the pillows under it, placing the makeshift cold compress over it. Cringing at the sudden frigid temperature, she smiled gratefully.
“Thanks, Cain.” She said, smiling.
Again, he knelt by her side, concern once again marring his features. “You never answered my question, princess. How could you have thought I didn’t care about you?” his eyes searched her face desperately, agony was the prominent feature.
“Well, you rarely even spoke to me, and when you did it was only to say ‘yes, Princess’ or ‘no, Princess’. You never acted like you cared; you always seemed indifferent.” She said softly.
“Sweetheart, if anyone else realized how much I cared about you, you as a person, not you as a political figure head, I would have been banished from the castle, from ever seeing you again, maybe even executed. I couldn’t live without seeing you. I can’t live without you. I love you.” he breathed.
DG couldn’t take it anymore. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. Stunned, Cain froze, but only for a moment. Then, one arm snaked around her waist, the other tangled in her hair and he was kissing her with such intensity that she moaned with pleasure. Taking that as an invitation, he slipped his tongue into her mouth to clash with hers. She was glad he was holding her so tightly because she knew that if he let go, she was sure to melt into a puddle right onto the floor. All she wanted was to hold this moment forever, to stay in his arms, for him to never let her go. She waited to wake up, to be crushed with disappointment that it wasn’t real, but it didn’t come, and Cain was still kissing her. Overjoyed that it really was real, she kissed him back with an intensity rivaled only by his own. Finally, Cain pulled back gently so that they could breathe.
“Nice to know the feeling’s mutual.” He murmured, resting his forehead on hers.
“Same here.” DG breathed as she ran her fingers through his short blonde hair.