The Jester of OZ

Chapter Ten

The day went by extremely slow. Amber never would've guessed how time could linger so tediously. The Jester knew every corner of the castle, which was a little tiring since he had led her down and up multiple staircases. She saw many abandoned spaces, such as a few more bedrooms along with his old room he used to sleep in when the Wicked Witch was in power. Of course, now he had a new room that she now knew was close to hers, just around the corner. An entire wing of the castle was under construction, frozen in time it would seem. There was a room close to the main hall that had all sorts of props given to him by the witch herself, solely for entertaining. They had only glanced into that room, for he seemed to hate reminders of the past. She didn't really blame him, however. The past wasn't too fond for her either. Besides, who knows what sort of trauma he had gone through. Amber doubted that the Wicked Witch had any humor whatsoever, but she couldn't know for sure. They had eaten lunch together, which was a little awkward. There wasn't a dining room since hardly any guests were expected in this once darker than dark castle, but she didn't mind. He had filled most of the conversations, talking about how his sister had bad taste to begin with. He also spoke about how aggravating it was to only have the company of flying monkeys and dull soldiers. He said, and she quotes, "My sister's soldiers are some of the dullest people I've ever met! I don't understand how a group of imbeciles could be so incompetent and undeniably boring."

Speaking of soldiers, they had appeared in the hall shortly after the little "tour." Amber guessed that they hadn't been there before because he had wanted them to meet without any distractions. At first she was appalled by their green skin and bulky uniforms, but eventually she found that they were easier to comprehend when she thought of Grandma Dorothy. She thought back to those childhood bedtimes, all those details that were fed to her as a child. In one of the towers, she had also met the eyes of the familiar flying monkey that she had scratched back in the woods. He was a strong-looking creature, Silas, she found out was his name. He looked rather depressed, sitting there on the edge of the tower with a bandaged hand and a sorrowful gaze. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty for fighting him in the forest. Immediately, she noticed that the Jester had a habit of treating his henchmen poorly. He was so cold to them, talking to their unique forms as if they were lower than dirt. Despite being a creature of imagination and destruction, Silas just sat there, and like an abused pet, allowed such words to be spoken to him. As for the soldiers, they were treated in the same manner, spoken to as if they were machines rather than people. By the time the sun was setting, she felt exhausted by everything.

When he finally allowed her to retire for the night, she decided to lock her door and change out of the sparkling green gown he had gifted her with. There was a simple white pair of pajamas she found in the lower drawer of the wooden dresser, modest and clean. But as the stars came out, she found herself sitting by the window gazing outwards. The moon was visible behind the lined glass, and she was happy for the view. Like the long walk she had taken all the way from Emerald city, the stars were a connection to Kansas, to her grandmother.

Staring at the distant sky felt like it was relieving her of her stress. In the far distance she could've sworn she saw the top of Emerald City for a moment. Amber smiled lightly, imagining Scarecrow's face if he had awoken from his terrible curse already. As she thought about the Jester, and her imprisonment, she couldn't think about any of it clearly. There was always an emotion that was keeping her from feeling at home. She needed sleep. She needed time. Looking down at her feet, she removed the ruby slippers once more. Placing them on the windowsill, she sighed with a quiet voice, "Goodnight Grandma." Eyes turning to gaze at the door, she couldn't help but give her heart the same courtesy, "Goodnight... Dexter." And with a tired soul, she drifted off into the land of dreams, curled up not on the bed, but safe and sound on the small silky red sofa. While she was adrift, the Jester lay wide awake in his bed down the hall. He was on his back, legs crossed comfortably. His room was fairly just as simple as hers. His bed was black with small white diamonds that dotted along the comforter. The walls were plain stone, which he was used to, and the rest of the room consisted of red curtains along with a fireplace that sat not too far away. He had a window as well, one that viewed half of the courtyard outside along with the small lake that resided on the east side of the castle. He stared up at the ceiling, head resting in his hands. The top part of his suit was pulled down from his head, revealing his messy ginger hair. While he couldn't take off the rest of his suit, he was grateful that the top of it was able to detach. After all, it was still connected to the rest of his suit, so technically he hadn't taken it off per say. All the makeup had been washed off his face, allowing him to breathe naturally.