The Cowardly Lion was very happy. The Wicked Witch was dead! Dorothy unlocked the gate to his prison. Together, they went into the castle. Dorothy called all the yellow Winkies together. "You are free!" she told them. "You are not slaves anymore."
The Winkies were very joyful. For many years, they worked hard for the cruel Witch. They celebrated with a big party. They danced and ate good food.
"I am almost happy," said the Lion. "But I miss our friends, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman."
"We must rescue them!" Dorothy said. They asked the Winkies for help. The Winkies were happy to help Dorothy. She freed them, so they wanted to help her.
They all walked for a long time. Finally, they came to the sharp rocks. The Tin Woodman was there. He was broken and bent. The Winkies gently carried him back to the castle. Dorothy was sad to see her friend in such bad shape.
"Are there any tinsmiths (people who work with tin) here?" Dorothy asked the Winkies.
"Yes, we have very good tinsmiths," they said. The tinsmiths came with their tools. They looked at the Tin Woodman. "We can fix him," they said. They worked for three days and four nights. They hammered and bent and fixed the Tin Woodman until he was like new again. He had some new patches on his body, but he did not mind.
He walked into Dorothy's room. "Thank you for saving me," he said. He was so happy that he cried tears of joy. Dorothy carefully wiped his tears so his joints did not rust. The Lion was also so happy that he cried.
"Now we must find the Scarecrow," said the Tin Woodman.
So they went with the Winkies to find him. They walked until they found the tall tree. The Scarecrow's clothes were at the very top. The tree was too smooth to climb. "I will chop it down," the Tin Woodman said. He had a new, beautiful axe handle made of gold. In a short time, the big tree fell down. The Scarecrow's clothes fell to the ground.
They took the clothes back to the castle. They filled them with fresh, clean straw. And just like that, the Scarecrow was back! He was so happy. He thanked his friends again and again.
All the friends were together again! They were very happy. They stayed in the Yellow Castle for a few days. But one day, Dorothy remembered her home. "We must go back to the Emerald City," she said. "We must see Oz. He made us a promise."
"Yes!" said the friends. The Tin Woodman wanted his heart. The Scarecrow wanted his brains. The Lion wanted his courage. And Dorothy wanted to go back to Kansas.
The next day, they said goodbye to the Winkies. The Winkies were sad to see them go. They asked the Tin Woodman to stay and be their new ruler. But the friends knew they must leave. The Winkies gave them beautiful gifts: golden collars for Toto and the Lion, a diamond bracelet for Dorothy, a special walking stick for the Scarecrow, and a silver oil-can with jewels for the Tin Woodman.
Dorothy went to get food for their journey. In a cupboard, she found the Witch's Golden Cap. She did not know it was magic. She only saw that it was very pretty. She put it on her head. Now they were ready. They started their journey back to the Emerald City.