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poppies-from-oz · 1 year

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Re-wrote that one chapter of Ozoplaning to have the characters react to hearing about their friend’s peril like real people bc I'm endlessly salty.

It was indeed the Ozpril, just as the Soldier with Green Whiskers had said. Even at a distance, Jellia could spell out the name on the gleaming body and, as the silvery plane came swooping toward them, she could not repress a shout of joy.

About ten feet from the crystal boulder on which she had been sitting, the Ozpril came to a gentle and perfect landing. Scarcely had the whirr and sputter of its engine died away before the door of the cabin burst open and down climbed the little Wizard of Oz, followed by Dorothy and the Scarecrow. The Cowardly Lion, last of all, had difficulty fitting his paws on the rungs and, after a trembling descent, rolled over on his back, his four feet straight up in the air. The trip had not agreed with the Cowardly Lion at all. Weak and dizzy, he made no attempt to rise. Jellia gave a cry of delight and rushed to greet her saviors. She greeted the Scarecrow with a tight hug, gave Dorothy a kiss on the head, and seized the Wizard by his hands.

“Here you are at last!” She laughed.

“Jellia, my dear!” He cried happily, “So this is where the Oztober took you!”

The Soldier with Green Whiskers came soon after Jellia, first greeting the Scarecrow with an enthusiastic handshake before swinging little Dorothy all around in his arms. He could scarcely remember a time where he’d been so relieved to see his little ruler, even with all his years of service! While these happy greetings took place, the Scarecrow began looking around in all directions, as if searching for something.

“My, but what a place!” He cried, “Beautiful! Just beautiful!”

"What's so beautiful about it?" Growled the lion without turning over. "Is there any grass? Are there any trees? Is there anything to eat?"

Dorothy made her way over to Jellia, intending to check up on her friend, when suddenly she gave a yelp that caught the attention of all the adults present. The Tell-all-escope, which she’d picked up before leaving the plane, had caught sight of Jellia which prompted it to speak.

"You are now looking at Miss Jellia Jam, formerly of Oz, at present the new Starina of the Strat, by edict of Strutoovious the Seventh. Miss Jellia Jam, Starina of Stratovania! Period! Stop, drop or point elsewhere!"

No one said anything for a moment, the Tell-all-escope having taken all of them by surprise, until Dorothy broke the silence.

“What’s a Starina?”

“Oh…it’s what that awful Strut calls his queen!” Jellia sighed.

“A queen!” Dorothy gasped, “Are you really? Oh Jellia, that's wonderful! I don’t suppose you’ll ever want to come back to Oz then, will you?”

"Well, well!" Cried the Scarecrow, who made his way over to the little maid. "Does one bow before a Starina, or does one merely kiss her hand?"

“Neither!” Jellia snapped, pulling her hand away. “Starina, Starina…I don’t ever want to hear that awful word again! I just want to go home as fast as I can!”

“Now, now, my dear.” The Wizard wagged a finger at her, “Be patient. We’ve all been flying for quite some time and we need our rest.”

“Not all of us!” The Scarecrow chimed in.

“I for one have been holed up in the cockpit of the Ozpril for around sixteen hours!” The Wizard continued, ignoring the Scarecrow. “Give us some time to rest and have a good meal and we’ll set off first thing in the morning.”

“We don’t have time for that!” Omby Amby suddenly cried, “I’m sorry sir, but we’re all in terrible danger!”

“Danger?” The Wizard repeated, “What sort of dangers could be lurking in a place as lovely as this?”

"That's what Nick thought too…” Jellia said somberly.

“Nick?” The Wizard repeated.

“Where is Nick, anyhow?” The Scarecrow said, having spent much of the last few minutes looking for his companion, “Wasn’t he in the Oztober with you?”

“He was…” Jellia nodded, “But he…he…”

The little maid covered her face, having become too choked up to continue. This did nothing to inspire confidence in the others, who turned to the Soldier with Green Whiskers instead. Having everyone’s eyes on him made Omby Amby clam up somewhat, opening his mouth before closing it just as quickly.

“Where’s the Tin Woodman?” Dorothy asked. “Has something happened to him?”

The Soldier tried to speak once more but the fear in his little ruler’s eyes caused him to lose his nerve again.

“Where is Nick?” Demanded the Scarecrow. “Tell us!”

It took several minutes of prodding before Omby Amby worked up the nerve to tell them what had happened. Indeed, it took both the Wizard and the Scarecrow shaking him on both sides before the soldier told them the whole story.

“The Tin Woodman has been captured!” He cried. “The leader of Stratovania has taken him hostage in the Oztober and intends to invade our country and overthrow Ozma and rob the Emerald City of its treasures!”

A hush fell over the Ozians as the soldier’s words sank in. Dorothy, who’d covered her mouth in horror, looked over to Jellia who could only nod in confirmation. The Scarecrow stumbled backwards, looking positively sick. The Wizard held his head in his hand and stared at the ground beneath him. In the end, the one to break the silence was none other than the Cowardly Lion.

“Dear me!” He began to cry. “Poor Nick! Poor Ozma!”

The lion’s shout snapped the Scarecrow out of his trance and he quickly turned back towards Omby Amby.

“How could you let this happen?!” He demanded.

“Me?” The soldier cried, “What was I to do?”

“Why, you’re a soldier!” The stuffed man yelled back. “It’s your job to protect Oz’s royalty, is it not? You should’ve protected the emperor at all costs!”

“B-But see here!” The soldier stammered, “He had a thousand airmen with him! I couldn’t very well fight them all off on my own, now could I?”

“You didn’t even try, did you?” The Scarecrow practically spat. “And now the emperor of the winkies could be lost to us! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

Omby Amby said nothing to this, simply casting his gaze downward in shame.

“Don’t talk to him like that!” Jellia Jamb said, making her way over to the two. “There was nothing he could’ve done to save Nick and blaming him now won’t bring his highness back!”

The Scarecrow turned to Jellia, ready to argue with her, until Dorothy took his hand into her own.

“Jellia’s right. Standing here blaming each other while our friends are in danger won’t solve anything! We have to catch up with the Oztober!”

All eyes turned to the Wizard, who could only hold up his hands in defense.

“W-Wait, now see here! I’d like to remind you that i’ve been flying for sixteen hours already! Do any of you realize what sixteen hours of flying does to a man?!”

“But Mr Wizard!” Dorothy cried, “We haven’t a moment to lose! Ozma’s in trouble! A whole horde of airmen are on their way to Oz right now! We have to hurry before something terrible happens to her!”

“And Nick!” The Scarecrow added, “Who knows what they’re doing to him right now? He could be hurt! They might’ve dented him or scratched his plating or thrown him to the sea or-! Or-!”

The Scarecrow held his head in his hands as horrible scenario after horrible scenario filled his sawdust brains. Though he could feel no pain, the straw man was practically going sick with worry while little Dorothy looked ready to cry. And why shouldn’t they be so upset? The most important people in their lives were in terrible danger and neither of them knew what to do. Jellia approached Dorothy at least, placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders to try and steady her. For his part, Omby Amby stared at the Scarecrow as he began to pace around, uncertain if he should try to approach the stuffed man or not. The Wizard heaved a sigh.

“Quite right…I suppose it can’t be helped.” He looked over to Jellia. “My dear, do you remember what direction the Oztober took off in?”

“Why, yes!” The little maid yelped. “They went off in the same direction we came in, and the one you came in, but backwards!”

“Then that’s the direction we’ll be going.” He turned and walked back to the Ozpril.

“Wait! We’re going now?” The Cowardly Lion cried. “But we’ve only just gotten off the plane and air travel disagrees with me so!”

“Oh, where’s your courage?” The Scarecrow snapped at him. “You ought to think more of our friends and less of your own cowardly hide!”

“Scarecrow!” Jellia yelled, putting her hands on her hips.

The stuffed man said nothing to her, only stomped off to join the Wizard in the Ozpril. Jellia sighed, the Scarecrow really wasn’t taking this well. Though she could sympathize with his worry, his anger certainly wasn’t helping matters!

“Jellia?”

The Oz maid turned her attention to Dorothy, who looked up at her with a frightened expression. The older woman took the princess in her arms.

“Don’t you worry, my dear. The Tin Woodman can handle himself and Princess Ozma has faced threats far worse than some silly airmen. Everything is going to be alright, I promise.”

Dorothy said nothing more. She merely smiled and walked back onto the Ozpril, hand-in-in with Jellia Jamb. The Cowardly Lion soon joined them, trudging back up the stairs of the Ozpril with a groan. Omby Amby was the last to join them, pausing on the top step to look back on the kingdom of Stratovania. As the sun began to break over the horizon, Jellia’s words echoed through his thoughts.

Everything is going to be alright, I promise.

“Jellia…don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

That was all he said before rejoining the others on the Ozpril, shutting the door behind him.

#the wizard of oz #dorothy gale #the scarecrow #the tin man #tincrow #ozoplaning with the wizard of oz #princess ozma #jellia jamb #omby amby #fanfiction

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