Chapter XIV

Jeb Cain smiled warmly no doubt with a quip on his tongue about how nice it was to not actually have to face a mirror image of himself when speaking to her anymore, but the eldest princess decided to silence him quite effectively.

Lifting herself up slightly on her toes (She didn't have to stretch far. By Ozma, how did the witch walk in these heels?!), the dark haired princess pressed ardent lips against the victorious resistance leader's. She could feel his lips tense with surprise against hers, but then he relaxed into a smile. No doubt he was smirking at her audacity. Nevertheless her best friend returned her kiss with earnest affection.

They pulled away a few glorious moments later, blushing and grinning like two lovebirds.

Oh my son. How proud your mother would be if she could see you. A successful leader with the love of his life. Wyatt Cain gave a wry look as he mused with regret with what he had missed from his son's life when he was trapped in the Suit.

DG was visibly ecstatic. Despite the pain she had caused her, her dear sister managed to find love even with her unusual circumstances.

Her parents, chagrined, took this all in stride as they knew love came in unexpected forms.

The Queen, as was her nature, took charge. "Is the realm secure from the Witch's forces?"

The embarrassed, blond Commander gave a confident nod of his head. "Yes, your majesty. The last of her generals were taken to the prison a few moments ago."

DG shivered as she remembered being trapped within its iron bars and the Cain father put a comforting hand on her shoulder. His touch put her at ease.

The keen woman with lavender eyes gave each pair a piercing gaze. What strange paramours her daughters had picked. The man, younger than DG, still had his arms wrapped around her eldest daughter's newly recovered form. The younger daughter was pressed close to a man nearly as old as Ahamo. The woman gave an un-royal shrug of her shoulders. Who was she to question love?

The Queen gave her orders with the authority born to her, "I believe we could use with refreshments?"

There was nothing like a cold glass of lemonade to soothe a damaged nation.

TinManTinManTinManTinManTinMan

Each person told their tale, royal and commoner alike, although Tutor and the Queen questioned Azkadellia extensively on what it was like to occupy another's mind for so long.

"It didn't feel strange, Azkadellia?"

She glanced over at Jeb. "At first, yes, but we had practice separating our minds. We must have visited each other's dreamworld practically every night for about a year before the Witch possessed me."

The young man nodded from the seat beside her. Her mind ceased to be a burden to his long ago.

Azkadellia turned to her little sister, "Deeg, what were you doing in the I.Z.?"

Tales of DG's life in the other realm soon drifted towards her unexpected escape into the Outer Zone, which led to Wyatt Cain's, Glitch's, and Raw's stories.

What the entire group found from everyone's narration was, with a series of intense masterminding from the Queen and Consort, followed by luck and stubbornness from the youngest princess and the loyalty of her friends, the rebel group, and her not-bewitched sister, all somehow coalesced into a successful plan to take back the O.Z.

The Queen gave a personal apology for her lack of action. "If I had known that that monster had Azkadellia before she attacked DG, I could have expelled her with the powers of the light. Unfortunately I was complacent and lost my magic resurrecting my angel."

The elder princess suppressed a laugh knowing how much of an "angel" her baby sister could be, but she comforted her mother all the same. "Who knows, Mother, how much of what happened was part of the prophecy? If you had tried to stop the Sorceress before, maybe my fate would have been worse. I could have been trapped within the Witch of the Dark for ten years instead of being with Jeb."

The rebel leader stiffened with fear and horror at his beloved princess' words. Both of them had been so fragile during their most trying times. He knew he would have been a bitter fighter without Azkadellia's soothing presence in his mind to guide him. The girl would have fallen prey to her demons without him.

Long slim fingers took his hand, and Jeb Cain visibly relaxed at his princess' touch.

Ahamo warily watched the two interact, his protective instincts for his daughter never wavering even after all the time apart. He noticed Jeb Cain personally slice an apple into pieces at the dinner table as Glitch regaled the crowd with an epic account of his dancing abilities.

Passing the plate to Azkadellia, the young man rapturously watched the dark haired princess eating the sweet offering with relish, savoring every bite. The seeker noted that the two seemed to read each other's mind with ease. His wife took his hand, turning his attention away from the happy couple. Ah, that was right. He too had someone who could read his every thought without any effort at all.

TinManTinManTinManTinManTinMan

It was the midnight hour and restless feet paced the grand hallways of the palace by Lake Finaqua. The majestic house was reopened for the Royal Family's triumphant return.

The eldest princess was regretful on how much pain she had caused everyone – Cain had lost his wife, Glitch his brain, Raw's people had been forced into slavery and countless citizens were subjugated by the Longcoats and the other evil forces the Sorceress had commanded.

Her face was now cursed by the Ozians who had formerly praised her thanks to the Witch of the Dark. Already the royal family's advisors, released from hiding, had advised the royal family to proclaim DG the heir now. DG had loudly put her foot down announcing she wouldn't do a thing without her sister to guide her. It was the least she could do for causing the mess in the first place.

Azkadellia had forgiven her sister for leaving her in the cave. The formerly possessed girl needed the same redemption in turn.

Her family and her newfound comrades quickly assured her of their understanding, absolving her of her sins.

"You were only a kid, Azkadee," Glitch exclaimed. "Glinda the Good herself couldn't beat the Witch of the West and she was the most powerful in all the history of the O.Z."

The former advisor's words, though comforting, still rang hollow to her like an empty Suit. Time was really what was needed to heal her troubles.

Azkadellia of the House of Gale found herself curled up upon the couch in the conservatory, still the same after the long passage of time. To think it all started when she curiously followed a Tin Man's string of fate and in doing so found her own.

She had never noticed her own red ribbon growing shorter and shorter as the man of her dreams entered the room following her troubled mind.

Jeb Cain curled his body around hers, easing her down carefully on the divan just wide enough to fit the two of them. He did what he wanted to do since he was nine years old. The blond pressed his head against his beloved's chest to hear a heart that beat only for him. His, of course, was for hers alone.

Azkadellia leaned back upon the cushions, the warmth of his body and his comforting hold easing her troubled mind into slumber.

"Jeb," she sighed happily with a voice that was truly her own.

The young man stretched up briefly murmuring in her ear before he too drifted off to sleep, "Dream with me, love. I promise to give you only the sweetest of dreams."

And she knew he would keep that promise.


And that's finally the end! Thanks everyone for your patience. Please leave a review. I hope to write more stories for Jeb/Az but time and muses are fickle creatures.

Grignard