The Revolution of Oz

Chapter Eighteen: Dorothy and Oz

True to their word, Dorothy and Bo did not tell anyone else about what had happened with the Wizard, nor about how he had appeared out of the wall to speak with them personally, though he had done it reluctantly.

In fact, Dorothy and Bo had not even spoken of it at all that day. They did not want to. But also, they somehow couldn't. It nearly drove Dorothy crazy.

The next morning, after a long, painful night of tossing and turning in bed, Dorothy got ready and left the hotel early to get to the Emerald Palace so she could speak to Oz. The whole way there, she racked her brain and wondered why Oz had seemed so familiar to her. Maybe she would find out once she returned to the Palace and his throne room.

Once she got there, the secretary did not direct her to the throne room, but rather a small, somewhat cozy sitting room with a few arm chairs in front of a roaring fire, that was really much too warm for any room since it wasn't even cold outside.

She sat down in one of them, just as Oz entered the room.

He sat down in the armchair in front of the one she was in and clamped his fingers, slowly popping his knuckles with small crinkling sounds.

Oz looked up at Dorothy, his gaze void of emotion and full of apathy.

"Well, there is no way I will be able to get you back to Earth. Even with a completely intact spaceship, I would not be able to procure the right amount of resources to power the ship to get far enough to Earth. There aren't even any experts in cryostasis on this pathetic planet," Oz said, finishing off with a roll of his eyes.

"You aren't... you aren't from here?" Dorothy questioned as she raised an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head with a low chuckle. "I am from the same planet you are from, Dorothy Gale," he said with a slight smirk.

Both of Dorothy's eyebrows now shot up as her eyes went wide.

"I would have left if I could, but even if I could, I don't even think I would want to. The people practically worship me here," Oz said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "They are starting to feel the same about you now, since you have liberated them from the terrors the Witches had brought upon them."

Dorothy gripped both arms of the armchair, suddenly dizzy and lightheaded. She gave her head a firm shake and fixated her gaze on the "Wizard."

"Dorothy." Oz slid forward in his seat a little, clasping his hands together once he reached the edge. "You could rule with me. A Witch killer for a Wizard. We would be the greatest team this planet has ever seen. This planet has so much to offer to you, and I have much to offer to you as well." His voice was suave, and sounded more confident than he had so far proven himself not to be.

He looked her up and down, obviously studying Dorothy's slightly disgusted expression. He fixed his green eyes onto her brown ones.

"I can tell you about your past."

The words seemed to echo throughout the room and Dorothy began to shake slightly.

"What... what do you mean?" she stammered, her eyes wide.

The Wizard laughed and shook his head a little bit. "Dorothy, it is quite obvious that you don't remember me, despite the lengthy amounts of time we had spent together on Earth."

"If I spent any amount of time with you, I doubt that I liked you, even then," Dorothy hissed suddenly. "You're a coward," she added through gritted teeth.

He gave his head another slow shake. "I could tell you so much, but you won't even listen."

"Fine then." Dorothy crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in the chair. "Tell me what you have to tell me."

"Emily and Henry Gale are dead," Oz said, his eyes flashing maliciously as his lips twisted around his smirk.

Her jaw fell open and she gave her head a shake. "No, no, no! They can't be!"

"They died in the storm, shortly after your little spaceship took off. Your aunt was impaled by a fence post. Your uncle was crushed by one of the vehicles," Oz continued, leaning forward slightly.

"No!" Dorothy said as her fingers became tangled in her black curls. "No!"

"I am sorry for your loss Dorothy, but there is nothing that can be done. It's been close to fifty years since your ship departed from Earth, and they would have been dead and gone by now, anyway."

Tears streamed from Dorothy's eyes and she let out a sob.

The Wizard stood up and gave a slight bow. "I will meet with you another time, Dorothy Gale. Think about what I've told you. I am always open to tell you more of your past, my dear."

Through her thick tears, she could have sworn that he was grinning.

"I bid you farewell, for now."

With that, the Wizard left the room, the door thundering shut behind him.