THE FARAWAY LANDS OF OZ - Book One

Part Five, Chapter Twenty-Five: The Good People of Oz

EVANORA

Warm brown furniture, floors, and walls. Many golden candlesticks resting on small dark cupboards. Golden chandeliers with glistening diamonds that emitted the light as the finishing touch. Glinda's castle was designed even more comfortably than the Emerald City. At least to an extent. It most certainly radiated more warmth. But the Emerald City was home and that's where my heart was.
From outside, Glinda's castle looked like the palace seen at the beginning of Disney movies. White walls, dark blue roofs and golden decorations and decal. Surrounding the castle were many houses that accommodated the Good People of Oz and those who were already living there.
There was enough space for everyone. The castle lay exactly at the borders of the blue beach and the hence desert-like lands. But it was almost located at one of the many river deltas, with one of the forks running right beside the southern part of the town. The blue sand made it appear even more majestic.
I and my family were sitting in the much smaller morning room in the main tower. Only that Glinda had a bay window, right in this room where I always spent my time whenever I used to be here when it had still been Ophelia's place. Now, as well.
I was still contemplating the new face that I had seen. Well, the new figure, to be exact; this person or being had no face whatsoever. Only a pair of piercing orange eyes that were glowing from the black of nothingness underneath the trident-shaped silver helmet of the new Lord.
He had been packed with armor and clawed gauntlets and pointy boots. All silver and revealing no skin at all; if the Lord even had skin. The only thing that had brought at least some color to the person was a red cape that had been stuck underneath the massive shoulder plates and carelessly draped to hang over just one shoulder.
The massive sword had been sheathed at the being's hip and had been touching the ground, radiating with dark magic. Whomever he was, mom would hopefully know and we would no longer be forced to sit around and wait until they leave.
Whenever the Lords come all they do is destroy our country and dig around for who-knows-what in our soils. We had to finally step up and take them head-on. I stood up from my spot and walked towards the sofa and coffee table where mother, my sisters and Zion were sitting, having a snack to ease their nerves. The others had left for their rooms already; it had gotten quite late and they all were tired from the day.
I squeezed myself between mother and Aliyah, picking up a biscuit from the richly laden plate as I sat down.
"I can't do this," I said after nibbling on the sweet pastry for a little too long. I handed mother the journal. "You were so close to finding out what was going on with the Lords. It hurts me to know that he died before finding out. We need to finish what you two started. For dad. And Noa."
Everybody else had stopped mid-conversation. I could not tell whether they agreed with what I said or not but right now, I didn't care. And given that they just got me back, they wouldn't just let me storm off into danger on my own. And the sooner the Lords are out of here, the sooner we are able to have a memorial for my son.
"I want them gone. And I would be glad to have you by my side but when you don't agree, I'll go anyways. You can choose."
Mother placed her hand onto mine. "I'm with you, my little emerald. You should know that by now!"
"So am I!" Zion reached past the table and took my other hand, gently moving his strong and callused – manly – fingers over the back of it where I immediately felt the warmth, he held within them engulf my own.
"And so are we! The Compass sticks together," said Glinda, speaking for my other two sisters as well.
"I'm glad about it. And I might even have something in mind already..."
Marcy scoffed as she just ate her gazillionth biscuit, not noticing the eyes on her. "Auntie Ev," She shook her head while chewing. "Never facing a threat without a crazy idea already forming in her head..."

*

ZION

After the lot of us joined Marcy's laughter – she was more than right with what she had said – and Ev having shared her thoughts on what to do about the Lords and her concern regarding their new member, we went upstairs to her room immediately.
I quite forced her since she wanted to work through the night like it was typical for her. I decided to spend it with her today and when thinking about it, we should finally move together after this crisis.
We entered the room, and I closed the door behind us. Evanora took a moment to remember her room, standing in the middle of it, spinning around and taking in her temporary home. The last time we had been here was a hundred years ago. Right before the disaster happened.
"You missed this?" She turned to properly see me and smiled at me genuinely. It was a smile of pure joy, and it forced one onto my face as well. It felt perfect to finally see her and have her presence beside me again.
I stepped closer to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and lifting her in the air, placing a soft kiss onto her flushed lips.
"Of course, I missed it. I missed you."
I blushed. I too had missed her immensely. Not a day went by when I didn't think about her, and sleepless nights had plagued me. "I missed you too."
I replied and let her back onto her feet, placing another warm kiss on her lips which she returned passionately. I felt in the way that she kissed me how much she had wanted me in her absence, herself.
The softness of her skin on my hand made me want to feel her presence even more. After Noa had left us, we could only comfort ourselves with each other. She jumped up and locked her legs on my back, holding herself in the air as she caressed it with her hand and lustfully played with my feelings.
I turned and let myself drop on the bed so that she was now sitting on my lap as I was lying down and enjoying the warmth of her body. She let herself slide sideways off of me until we were lying on each our sides, looking at each other.
She placed her left hand onto my neglected cheek and felt her manicured nails scratch over my three-day beard. She shifted her position closer towards me and propped herself up on her elbow.
Her hair fell in curtains and her left hand rested beside me. We just looked at each other for a long while, me eyeing her from below and she, taking me in from a little above me.
"I miss our son," I breathed and observed her react to my words, dropping her chin against her sternum and leaning her forehead against mine.
"I miss him too, Zion... Not a day goes by when I do not," She whispered in reply and her eyes shifted to the little knapsack dangling on the back of the desk's chair. I knew that Noa's doll was in it. She returned her attention back to me and stared me in the eyes.
"Is it wrong to love so soon after he passed?" she asked with a shaking voice. The lump in her throat was giving her a tough time with being able to speak. I just shook my head upon her question.
"I don't know," I finally replied and placed a little kiss on her nose just the way she had done merely minutes ago.
"I don't feel deserving of the happiness I would have with you," She croaked, and I wiped a singular tear that had finally fought its way past her barrier of trying to appear strong. Or perhaps, she was only tired of crying by now.
"I think that he would want us to be happy," I began, "I am certain that he would want us to be happy!"
I finally finished with my voice strengthening with every novel word that I had spoken. Yet the pain in her eyes and the sadness that made her appear frail and worn out assured me that she would not be able to do this with a clear conscience. I lifted her chin between my thumb and index finger in order to look into her watery and tired eyes. "But we can just cuddle if you want to."
She smiled at me and pressed her warm lips against my right cheek, the tears tickling against it as she touched my skin.
"I would love that," She whispered, and I slid around to fill the length of the bed. She hopped over me and did the same. We were facing the wall and I had her in front of me with my arms wrapped tightly around her body.
"I love you, honey," She sighed upon cuddling even closer to me than was even possible.
"I love you too, Ev," I breathed into her ear before closing my eyes I barely noticed falling asleep, her even breathing and the warmth radiating from her body, cradling me into the land of dreams.