Voting Open: Round 18 - Spring
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~* Due to the number of entries, please vote for only ONE (1) entry.
~* Please do not vote for yourself.
~* Please reply to this thread with your votes.
~* No special category this week.
Deadline: April 8, 2011 @ 8:00 pm EST (ONE week from today)
Coming To (Cain/Adora, DG, Glitch, Raw; PG)
It is spring. There isn't anything in the little bit of scenery he can make out that actually indicates the season, but the sourceless hazy pink and yellow light lacks the chill of winter or the heat of summer. The long grass of the field he finds himself in shifts between green and gold as it waves in a gentle breeze that doesn't seem to touch him.
Cain knows he is far less dressed than normal, even without looking - simply in trousers and a button up shirt, the long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He can feel soft warm earth beneath his bare feet.
There is a soft, melodic humming coming from somewhere nearby, and when he turns to look he sees her sitting in the long grass. She looks as young and beautiful as the first time he saw her, in a white sleeveless blouse and a long skirt, her legs folded under her as she weaves several pieces of grass together. She softly sings a few notes of the tune, a lullaby he remembers her singing to Jeb.
Adora smiles at him as he settles next to her and takes her hand, forcing her to abandon her weaving.
"She's good for you, you know," Adora says without preamble. His confusion must show on his face; her answering laugh sounds like windchimes on the breeze. "They're all good for you."
"They're not you," Cain replies, sadness creeping into the corners of the soft smile he gives his wife.
"Do they need to be?"
Cain has no answers, but he can see everything he needs to know in her eyes.
~o0.0o~
When he wakes, it's to sunlight streaming through greenery above him, and he can hear laughter and splashing from nearby. His dream is fading quickly, but he still sees snatches of golden pink light and overwhelming peace.
Cain tilts his hat back. Raw is sprawled next to him, soaking up the sun in a warm patch of grass. A dozen yards away, Glitch and DG giggle and screech as they splash each other with icy water at the shore of the lake.
He grins, and joins them.
Marvelous (Azkadellia/Wyatt Cain, DG, Jeb Cain; PG)
Standing beside one of the trees that edged the lake around Finaqua, DG watched as her sister made three lazy circles then flopped to the ground in a puff of dusky red skirts, dust and insects. Smiling, she skipped over to Azkadellia, her wide-legged trousers flapping around her legs. If her memory served, in another month she’d have to wade through grass nearly up to her waist.
“I thought I was supposed to be the goofy one,” she said.
Azkadellia smiled up at her. “Says who?” She latched onto DG’s hand and tugged her into the short grass beside her.
“Oh, I dunno. Everyone.” DG grinned and the wiggled the leaf she’d been toying with in her sisters face.
Azkadellia spluttered, batting the offending greenery away. “Oh you!”
“Exactly.”
Snatching the leaf away, Azkadellia turned the attack on her sister. “How do you like it?”
“Death by foliage! No!” DG darted and shifted away from her sister, but made no real attempts at leaving. Before long, the “fight” had denigrated to wiggling their fingers at each other, and vague tickles.
A breeze off the lake had them huddling together as their laughter wore down. “Just when I forget it’s not Summer yet,” DG mused as she snuggled close to her sister.
“Ah, but with two suns the OZ has a fairly short Spring, so it won’t be many days yet.”
“You are wise in the ways of the Force.”
Azkadellia looked at her sister quizzically, but shrugged when DG shook her head. The sisters sat that way for quite some time, arm-in-arm, thighs touching as they silently enjoyed the crisp newness of the season and each other.
Azkadellia started.
DG pulled herself from her thoughts. “What? What’d I miss?”
Wordlessly, her sister unhooked their arms then placed DG’s hand on her burgeoning middle. “Is the baby--?”
“Hush, DG. You’ll scare her.”
“How do you know it’s a--”
“Hush!”
They sat in silence for long moments then, “Oh!”
Azkadellia grinned at her. “Isn’t it the strangest thing?”
“It’s marvelous.”
Azkadellia laughed out loud, rubbing her own stomach as she looked up at the sky. “Yes, it is.” She turned to her sister. “Thank you, DG.”
“For what? I so did not get you in this situation.”
“I know, but it’s because of you... I gave up on the dream of a family a long time ago, Deeg. As the Sorceress, everything I touched withered and died. And the Witch, well...I think it’s best if I not explain.” DG hugged her arm in support. “Simply have you and Mom and Dad back was miraculous. But now a husband and child who love me...” She sniffed.
DG pinched her arm. “Don’t you dare start crying.” Her voice was distinctly moist. “You cried for three months already, and you promised you wouldn't do it again.”
Chuckling, Azkadellia nodded. “Okay.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah! I said I wouldn’t cry, right?” Azkadellia pinched DG back. “You just wait until Cain hears about this.”
“That hurt! Did you leave a bruise?” DG hastily rolled up her sleeve.
“Serves you right if I did. You pinched me first.”
“It wasn’t that bad!”
“I’m pregnant,” Azkadellia said with a self-important air. “Everything about me is more sensitive.”
“Ha!”
“Ooooh! I will tell Cain on you now.”
“Tell me what?”
Both women stilled and looked up as both Wyatt and Jeb Cain came striding out of the tree line. Azkadellia rose unsteadily to her feet. “Hi,” she said, smiling shyly.
Come close, he grasped her elbows and drew her close. He smiled down at her. “Hi.” Looking up, he said, “This where you been hiding my wife, Deeg?”
“Why is everything my fault today? Az totally dragged me out here.”
Cain scoffed. “In her condition?”
“Why I oughta--”
Snorting back a laugh, Jeb sidled up beside DG. He bumped her with his shoulder then held out a hand. “What say we get our hands dirty under the hood of a car so these two can be all disgusting and we don’t have to watch.”
She slapped his outstretched palm. “Deal. I’ll race ya.”
“O-Hey! DG! No fair.” He took off running after the younger princess, dust and insects in their wake.
Hope Eternal (Az, DG, Glitch; G)
“Where did you get those?”
DG and Glitch looked up from their game, he with a flinch (her voice still made him jumpy) that she soothed with a touch to his hand. Azkadellia noticed none of this, too focused on snatching up one of the four objects they’d been flicking across the table.
Like the others it was roughly the size and shape of an almond, but made of metal and dull gray in color. The elder princess held it between thumb and forefinger and stared, her expression unreadable and distant.
DG cleared her throat to warn her sister she was about to speak. "They're Glitch's, he had them in his pocket."
"Right," Glitch added and gave Az a vacant smile when she turned her attaention to him. "I've had them as long as I can remember, b-but I've got no idea what they are. So we invented a game, see, you just"
He flicked one of the metal-almond things at the makeshift target placed in the middle of the table, and Azkadellia gasped. She waved her hand to stop its progress, then with a flutter of fingers summoned it and the two other pods to join the first in her grasp.
"These," she began and held them close to her chest. "Are very, very precious."
Glitch blinked. "Um. Sorry?"
"What are they?" DG asked, frowning.
A smile flitted across Azkadellia's face. "Seeds, and I know exactly where to plant them." She hesitated, glanced at Glitch. "If...you'll let me have them, that is."
"I don't mind," he replied, shrugging. "Little confused about how they can be seeds when they're y'know, metal but..."
"Magic seeds," Az said, and the smile came back. "Which means I'll need your help, Deege."
The younger princess got to her feet and nodded. "Just tell me where and when."
"The sooner the better. As for where, well, I'll warn you that it's a bit unconventional..."
*
Central City Square hadn't changed all that much in the weeks since the Eclipse. Even most of the gallow's structure - the steps and the platform - remained intact, an island surrounded by hard, dead earth. For a while it had served as a memorial and the citizens had covered it in flowers and trinkets and notes both angry and grief-stricken, but as those faded and blew away it reverted to a dark, shameful icon.
So when Azkadellia herself arrived in the square, dressed head to toe in her now-customary gray, the reaction of passerbys was one of curious hostility. The former won out when it was noted that she was accompanied by her sister adn the former adviser, who were carrying a watering can and a shovel respectively.
Az walked up to the platform and touched the edge, pacing up and down one side as DG and Glitch stood a short distance away and watched, their free arms linked. When Az stopped right in the middle and pointed to the ground, Glitch ambled over to dig. Once he was finished and stepped back again, Az held her hand over the hole, one of the seeds nestled in her palm.
DG approached and covered her sister's hand with her own, and immediately the shimmering, silver light of their magic began to shine from between their fingers. Once enough time had passed they let go and let the seed fall into the hole. Glitch filled it in, DG watered it, and they repeated the process on the platform's other three sides.
Finally, the princesses and the headcase ascended the steps to stand on the platform, and the sisters clasped hands once more. This time the glow radiated outwards, and the barren earth became a lawn dotted with autumnal wildflowers.
The small crowd that had gathered gasped in astonishment, and Glitch smiled and gave the sisters and approving nod.
"This is much better," he said.
"Wish we'd done it sooner," DG remarked as she watched a little boy take his first steps onto the new grass. She gave Az a gentle nudge. "You still haven't told us what those seeds were."
The elder princess smiled, picked up her skirts, and made her way back to the steps. "Patience, Deege, we'll come back in the spring and find out."
Over the winter, four leafless trees began to grow in the square. Their vigor was remarkable given the season, and by the new annual they'd reached the top of the platform. Taller still they grew, their upmost branches reaching five feet above the platform when buds began to appear on the eve of the spring equinox.
At sunsrise the following day, the trees were in full leaf and bearing their fruit...the most miraculous fruit in all of the O.Z.
Clustered among the paper-napkin leaves were lunch pails, and on seperate stems inside each pail there was a ham sandwich, a pice of sponge cake, a pickle, a slice of cheese, and an apple. The first person to sample a lunch pail - the same boy who'd first set foot in the revived square - reported that the food was perfect.
The trees bloomed through the spring and summer, and the platform that had once symbolized so much horror now gave the hungry citizens of Central City access to a nourishing meal. Every now and then a dull, metallic seed was found rattling in the bottom of a pail, and the princesses would set out to plant another tree where it would be needed.
Spring Solstice (DG/Cain; PG)
DG got ready and walked out to the hall to see Jeb was at her door and he practically hurried her through the palace and into the garden. “What’s going on, Jeb?”
“It’s the first day of Spring. We always hold activities today. It’s our way to celebrate Glinda’s goodness in making it through the winter. We also being planting for summer and fall. It’s a major holiday.”
“Ok, I don’t get it. Back on the other side, nobody celebrated the first day of spring.”
“Here, the first day of spring is one of the biggest holidays around. This is one of the few days that everyone takes off and no matter what your rank is, you’re expected to pay homage to Glinda the Good. Glinda stood for love and truth, so today is the day we confess to those we love if they don’t already know. You have to tell that person by midnight, otherwise you’re doomed to a lonely year until next spring.”
DG stared at Jeb. “Wait. We have to confess?! Is there a specific way we have to do this?”
“No. As long as it is done before midnight.”
DG continued to stare at Jeb. “I don’t think I can do this. I’m going to go back to my room and pretend that this messed up version of Valentine’s Day doesn’t even exist.” She began to turn around when Jeb grabbed her arm.
“Deeg, you have to tell him.”
She looked at Jeb with her wide blue eyes. “I can’t do that.”
“Yes you can.”
“No, I can’t. I can’t stand the thought that he’d reject me.”
“DG, today is the day to do it. Start off by enjoying the day and thanking Glinda for her help this past year. Even your sister is participating.” Jeb pointed into the gardens where Az was watching children around a maypole.
DG nodded. If Az could do this, then so could she. DG nodded again and made eye contact with Jeb to let him know that she wouldn’t run away from this. He tipped his hat to her and walked off into the crowd. The day passed quicker than she had thought it would. She had had a few gentlemen come up to her and confess their undying love, there were even a few women. Wyatt Cain never came towards her. By the time the sun set, DG was ready for the day to be over. But there was a bonfire and stories about the original Dorothy and her trio of friends who saved Oz from a wicked witch. The entire time they were standing in front of the bonfire all DG could think about was that the O.Z. was seriously lacking in Smores making equipment.
An hour before midnight the bonfire dwindled down to a campfire until it was just DG and Az sitting next to each other, holding hands, just staring into the fire. They sat there until Jeb and Cain came up to them and told them it was time to head off to bed.
And then it was just the two of them. They stood by the fire, watching the embers fly to the stars above and the flames danced lower and lower on the remaining logs. “This fire will go out at midnight.” Wyatt said. It was the first time he had spoken directly to her all day.
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s all in the amount of logs and fuel that you use. I saw some of those men come up to you today, kid.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you talk to any of them?”
“No. I didn’t confess to any of them, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Why not?”
He was standing so close to her. So close beside her that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. She could smell that unique Wyatt scent, a smell that could only be defined as Western Old Spice. She closed her eyes and tried to remind herself of why she hadn’t said anything before.
“Tell me Deeg. Why didn’t you go with any of them?”
“Because they weren’t you.” The words were forced from her before she could stop them and only the fact that her eyes were closed prevented her from turning around to see the horror on his face. She felt herself get turned around and heard his voice, low and velvety, telling her to open her eyes.
She opened them slowly to see his face inches from hers. “Say it again and look at me this time.” He commanded her.
She looked in his eyes. “They weren’t you. I only want you Wyatt.”
He leaned in and kissed her, passionately and roughly, but it was also perfect. When he stopped, she was trembling in his arms. “Happy Spring Solstice.” He whispered.
“Happy Spring Solstice, Cain.”
Voting is closed.