Brother and Sister
A lone, hooded figure stood atop the building, vigilant eyes scanning the city below them in search of something in the dead of the night as their dark cloak snapped around their form in the whipping winter wind. The moon shone over them, full and bright like a giant, precious pearl nestling between the embrace of the dark clouds.
Suddenly, a shadow ran past them as fast as a flying arrow. As their eyes caught its sight, the person quickly followed, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with such blinding speed that human could hardly be capable of. The chase continued, the two of them threading their ways through the empty streets until they'd reached the woods in the outskirts of the city.
The person stopped, their hood falling down their shoulders to reveal it was a girl seemingly in her late teens with long platinum blonde hair framing her face, her skin as pale as the moon shimmering above her, blue eyes as cold as ice piercing into the darkness of the woods surrounding her
The ruslting sound of the leaves and the snapping of branches caused the girl to startle and whip her head around. Her hand, slowly and cautiously, crept toward the hilt of the dagger strapped at her hip, cerulean blue eyes becoming more and more wary as they darted around, searching for the source of the sound. As she shifted her gaze to the right, a sharp gasp escaped her lips as she saw a pair of terrifying scarlet eyes staring back at her firmly. The figure carrying those eyes slowly emerged from the shadows, revealing it to be the gruesome figure of a horse completely created by black sand.
The girl drew her dagger, holding it tightly in her hand and slowly took several steps back. But other sounds came from behind, causing her to turn around, only to be met with other horses the same as the first one also striding out of the darkness, their vividly red eyes glaring at her intensely. She glanced to her left and right, eyes widening as she saw more of those terrifying creatures approaching her. She was trapped.
The leading horse growled, and all of a sudden, every one of them was lunging toward the lone girl. She tossed the dagger to one side; it cut through several horses, turning them into nothing but heaps of useless black sand and plunged into the trunk of a tree nearby. More rushed toward her. She quickly thrust her arms outwards and blasts of ice immediately shot out of her palms, coating the horses as they hit them then crushed them back into powder. But the more horses she took down, more continued to charge at her. However, the girl was determined to not let any of those evil, disgusting creatures near her. She continued to hold them back with her magic, blasting streams of her icy power toward her target and turning them into what they should have been – dust.
Stretching an arm to the direction where her dagger had went, she summoned the wind, and the blade followed the gust to fly back to her outstretched hand. She grabbed it then threw it once more. The dagger flew in the air, killing a few horses as it went then disappeared into the darkness of the woods.
But this time, when she summoned it, it did not return. And the horses suddenly stopped attacking her, but remained surrounding her in a circle, keeping her in place. There was no way out for her.
The dark animals slowly parted to make a path, and a tall, skinny man in black robe stepped out of the shadows, with grey and deadly skin and spiky hair that was as dark as the night sky. In one of his hands was her dagger, which was being inspected by his grim amber eyes. He was wearing a grin across his lips, and she was disgusted by it.
"Oh, Elsa, Elsa, I'm surprised that up until now, you are still playing with this little toothpick," he said, tracing the tips of his nails along her blade, creating terrible, unpleasant hissing sounds as his eyes glancing up to meet hers.
"If you are so displeased with my little 'toothpick', then why don't you give it back, Pitch? It's not nice stealing from your sister, you know," Elsa arched an eyebrow, her eyes staring back at him with coldness and despisal.
"Well, of course. As an older brother, I would know that," he smirked then threw the darkness to his right, the blade plunging deep into a tree up until its hilt. "But," he turned his attention back toward her, "I've never been a nice older brother. I see that you've been playing around with my pets again, little sister. You're still as weak and pathetic as always."
He stepped into the ring created by his horses then snapped his fingers for them to disappear. He still wore the very same grin on his ugly face, but she was sure that his eyes held the same hatred and disgust her own bore.
"Don't be so cold and frigid, Elsa. This is our first family reunion after a whole decade, you should be happy!"
"Of course, why should I not? I am absolutely thrilled to hear that my dear, dear older brother had just been defeated five years ago by a bunch of stupid, ridiculous immortals our father happened to have chosen to be guardians," Elsa replied sarcastically, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "So, do tell me, my brother, how did those pathetic fools manage to kick your butt?"
"I was not defeated!" Pitch suddenly roared. "I have never been and will never be, especially by the hands of those goddamn guardians!"
"Oh, right, now I remember. They didn't kick your butt – they chased you away into a hole in the ground like a little rat!" Elsa spat, trying her best to restrain the smirk that was tugging at her corners of her lips.
"I'm glad to see that the brat of my sister hasn't changed for the past ten years," Pitch deadpanned.
"Oh, look at us two," she said dramatically, "Brother and sister's bonding time! How proud Father would be to see us getting along so well like this! The only things we do are fighting against each other, physically and verbally. What a happy family we are!"
"I never liked you, little brat, ever since the day you were born into this world. You're nothing but a weak and pathetic girl, a shame to our family – a worthless half-immortal, a murderer! Yet you've always been daddy's favourite girl, his precious little daughter," Pitch hissed at her. Elsa glared at her brother with hatred, her icy blue eyes burning with anger and tears. She was ready to lash out and kill him right now, right this second. But, despite being the monster he was, Pitch was still her brother, her own flesh and blood, she could not bring herself to hate or have the heart to kill him. And it wasn't like she could anyway. He was an immortal. No one could kill him.
Pitch knew that he'd hit a nerve; it had always worked. A sly, satisfied grin started to crawl across his lips once again. This time, however, it contained such evil that made Elsa shiver, though she tried her best not to show it.
"However," he said, grinning, taking another step toward her, his gaze still bore into her, "We are still brother and sister – we do share the same father, after all. Besides, we do have one thing in common, and that is our dislike toward the guardians."
"Oh, boy, here goes the lecture," Elsa rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. "I know what you're going to say, 'Join me, Elsa. Join my side and we can rule this world together in the age of darkness and ice, where everyone shall fear us.' Have you not been trying to persuade me on your side for the past one hundred and ninety-three years, Pitch? And has your endeavour for once succeeded?"
"It never hurts to try. The first step is always the hardest, but it doesn't mean we can't get through it," Pitch shrugged.
"Face up to it, Pitch," she spat. "You can't even get through the first step, so how are you going to manage through the whole plan? Do tell me, brother. I'm curious to hear how you will terribly fail and fall flat on your face, because apparently I've already missed the last time. Boy, it must have been hilarious. I could use some laugh sometimes. It does help clearing my mind."
"Why don't you think about it, Elsa? For two hundred years, what have you been doing? Living amongst those low mortals just to indulge your curiosity into their pathetic, dirty society and neglecting the duties and ethereal powers trusted to you by our father?"
"You will not speak of humans in such way!" Elsa gritted her teeth, her eyes flaring with anger, frost already crawling under her skin. "Let me remind you that I also carry their blood in my veins, that I, too, am a human. I've been living amongst them and have taken time to understand them, and I can tell that they are countless times worthier than you!"
"You are too naïve, Elsa, too naïve to actually understand how evil humans are. And you are wasting your talents just because of these low creatures! You may have human blood in you, but you are also an immortal. You are much stronger and more powerful than every single one of them. You should be above them! Join me, sister. Together, we can do many things – great things – for this world."
"All you do is making this world become rotten and collapse!" Elsa exploded, unable to contain her anger any longer. Ice shot everywhere from her, hitting the trees surrounding them and turning them into solid ice. "For the past one hundred and fifty years, all I did was to keep that from happening, to protect this world from your dirty hands!"
"And you are doing the wrong thing! Join me, Elsa. You're powerful; we're powerful. You can do great things!"
"I can do great things? Do you really think I will fall for your dirty lies? What did you just call me earlier – weak and pathetic? After all, I am nothing but a shame to our family, am I not? Why would you need me anyway? And if I agreed to join you, when you've got what you want, you won't hesitate to cast me aside like trash and garbage, or even kill me."
"You are my little sister. Why would I kill you? I love you, Elsa, that's why I'm trying to help you!"
"Liar!" the ice wielder shouted, fists clenched by her sides until her knuckles went white. Snow began to fall as the wind picked up and swirled around them vigorously. "All the words you've said are simply dirty lies that come from your filthy mouth! You've never loved me – you've said so yourself. From the day I was born into this world, you have all but loved me. In your eyes, I have always been nothing but a low and pathetic human who doesn't deserve to share the privileges of immortals, a stain in our family. So don't you dare use those words to me! And you know what, brother? I work alone – period!"
"You foolish, foolish girl!" the boogeyman roared. "Why wouldn't you just stop being so damn stubborn and begin to see sense?" Pitch growled angrily. "You know that we both hate those guardians, we both want to see them perish. The chance is right in front of you yet you choose to ignore it!"
"That is because I am not like you, Pitch!" Elsa exclaimed. The snow around them suddenly stopped and the wind halted. The girl shook her head slowly, backing away from him, sapphire blue eyes shining with tears.
"I'm not like you," she repeated in a hushed tone.
Pitch glared at her and straightened his back. "No, Elsa. You are just like me. We are more similar than you thought. You just don't want to see it."
Dark sand began to rise and form around his feet, slowly creeping upwards to conceal half his body as the wind around them picked up.
"You still have a chance, Elsa. Join me, and we can rule the world together, as a family. Stand against me, and darkness will not let you escape. It's your choice, Elsa, but I'd advise that you chose wisely," the boogeyman snarled at her, his amber eyes flaring with hatred and anger. "Goodbye, Elsa."
Strong wind howled and whipped against them as columns of black sands rose from the ground around them under Pitch's command. Elsa raised her arms and clenched her eyelids shut to brace herself, summoning her own magic to protect herself from her brother's. She risked opening an eye and the only thing she could see was a storm of darkness and shadows swirling around her vigorously, as if it was about to swallow the girl up. Finally, when it ended, she slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Pitch had gone, and the area around her left no sign or ruins of his or her magic from earlier. Elsa stood frozen in place, still recovering from the shock from earlier, her eyes widened in fear.
It didn't come to her as a surprise, nor did it scare her to see her brother vanishing into the air in a blink of an eye along with his sand storm. It was just typical of him, because after all, he was a boogeyman. But that wasn't what Elsa feared – it was his last words that haunted her. She knew he was up to something, and when it was Pitch that had been up to something, it surely was no good. And this time, she knew what – or rather who – his target would be.
Elsa immediately reached into the collar of her light grey shirt for the silver necklace with a crescent moon pendant hung on it and called for someone she confided in most for an advice – her father.
The pendant glowed in response almost instantly, and she looked up at the moon, which seemed to shimmer much brighter than before.
My daughter, she heard a familiar warm and deep voice ringing in her ear, speaking with such love and adoration she could never grow tired of or have enough of hearing. From high above, I hear your call. How may I help you, my child? I can sense something is troubling you.
"Indeed something is, Father or rather someone," she replied. "I fear that my brother is up to no good, for he again has come and threatened me to join his side once more. I, of course, as usual, have declined his offer, but this time, I feel that whatever he plans to bring to our world will only cause nothing but death and destruction."
I, too, have felt it, the moon said in agreement. He will return, very soon, and he will bring back darkness with him. Do not underestimate him, my daughter, and be wary of the darkness, for this time it will be multiple times much stronger than before.
"What must I do then, Father?"
Travel to the North Pole – their base – and warn them about Pitch's return. His target will be vengeance upon them.
"Father, you may rest assured that I, myself, will take care of Pitch for you this time. There is no need to call for the guardians," Elsa said firmly, trying her best to sound polite when she mentioned the guardians.
She heard the moon chuckled. He knew his daughter too well. I know that you're not very fond of them, princess, but without their assistancce, you will never succeed, and unless you help, Pitch can never be defeated.
Elsa's eyes widened in shock as a gasp of panic rolled out her lips. She shook her head vigorously in refusal. "No, Father, I cannot accept this! Even though Pitch is evil, he is still my brother nonetheless! I will not join his side, but I cannot stand against him – not like this!"
But will you choose to stand aside and watch the world around you being consumed by darkness – the world you have worked so hard to protect? Your brother must be stopped, Elsa, and it is up to you to do it, the moon said firmly.
Elsa frowned and bowed her head, her brows furrowing pensively.
I know it is a hard choice for you to make, but it must be done. The fate of the Earth and the safety of people living on it are paramount, for it is our duty to guard and protect them.
Elsa closed her eyes for a brief moment then sighed heavily, before looking up at the moon once again. "I understand, Father. I will do as you ask," she said, and she could feel her beloved father smiling at her lovingly.
That's my little princess. You are so much like your mother, you know that, Elsa? So brave and strong, yet kind and caring, he said softly to her. She would be very proud of you. Now go, hurry! The guardians must be alarmed. Time doesn't wait for anybody!
Elsa nodded, smiling at the moon above her, and without another said word, she summoned her magic. A surge of power swirled around her, enveloping the whole of the girl's slender form. The trees surrounding her swayed in the strong wind and snow from the ground rose to fly around her until it had covered up her entire body. Suddenly, there was a flash of bright light, and the winds died down, but the daughter of the moon had disappeared from sight.