Author's note: Hey, so a random thought popped in my head. What if the thing that the Guardians fought each day, wound up being the very thing they need to protect? Don't understand, then read to find out. XD
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rise of the Guardians. I wish I did though. I DO however own my OCs. Please do not steal her or any others that randomly pop up.
Chapter one: Forgotten
Prologue…
The small girl stared out into the open field of blood that was once her home.
Darkness.
That was all there was. That was all she was. A forgotten shadow in the middle of the world, alone, unseen, neglected.
She didn't mind, however. If nobody cared, then nobody cared. It was a hard cold fact that, over the next thousands of years, she would force herself to live with until even she did not care anymore. That isn't how it always had been though.
During a joyous time in the Golden Ages, Manny saw that, while the people were happy, they lacked innocence in their order, and so, two children were born, destined to rule over the kingdom of Santoff Clausen. The eldest was a boy named Phoebus, of fourteen years old, bathed in sunlight and golden powers. He had curly blond hair and a golden tan skin tone. The other, however, was a girl of seven years old named Ebony with long black hair and red eyes and, while not like her brother in the fact that her powers were directly opposite of his, she contained purity in her heart that most adults do not possess. Together they maintained the balance of dark and light, good and evil.
The children ruled equally and happily and, for a time, the kingdom was at peace. However, like all good things, this peace did not last long. A man named Kosmotis Pitchiner, a great general of the Golden Age, was assigned to watch over the dark forces that had been driven into imprisonment. When they found different ways to sustain their power, they grew stronger and eventually broke free. In this unfortunate event, the great general was overrun and fell to the dark side.
Dark desires filled the man's very heart and soul until there was seemingly nothing left but a black void where Kosmotis's heart used to be. This, however, did not kill him but made him more known throughout time for his more sinister name, Pitch Black. He thought that the Nightmares had bent to his will, that they were flawless; that was his first mistake. The darkness desired to bring an eternal Dark Ages where they would feast on the fear of mortals forever but, in order to achieve this, they needed a warrior to direct the Nightmares into battle strategically. The once great father and general of the Golden Age was used as a pawn to bring the days of light to an end.
The people of Santoff Clausen fled with terror as the Dream Pirates and Nightmares flooded the streets and towns, however, as long as one glimmer of hope remained, they would not be successful. That glimmer of hope was the young king and princess of the kingdom. They overcame the guards, or whoever was brave enough to stand their ground, and broke into the palace, searching to find the young rulers, and destroy them.
The royals, who momentarily dwelled in the tower, hid. Phoebus held his sister close as the echoes of war sounded in their ears. She buried her face into his robe as another horrified scream flowed through the air.
"Hey, it's gonna be alright." He whispered but he too was cringing at their people's distress.
She lifted her head up to meet his eyes, tears streaking down her pale face. "It's alright to admit that you're scared too. You wouldn't be human if it wasn't an emotion you had."
He lowered his head, he'd forgotten that his sister could sense fear through the smallest things, such as a heart beat or your tone of voice. "Don't worry about me."
She lowered her head again, allowing him to comfort and protect her like any good older brother would want to, even though she knew that he needed it more than she did. Closing her eyes, she allowed her brother to send her into a blissful sleep as he kept watch.
Thirty minutes later…
Ebony awoke to a harsh pounding on the door of the tower. Her brother was at the side with a dagger, silent as the moon's words, ready to kill the first thing that came through the door. Ebony curled up close, quiet, yet sharp, breaths coming out as she watched the shadow of the creature under the door. Her brother fought to control his heartbeat and keep the fear down but Ebony could faintly smell it. For a moment, it seemed as though the Dream Pirate would leave but then…
Knock, Knock, Knock…
Phoebus's breath hitched in his throat as the doorknob began to slowly turn. Suddenly, the door creaked open and a shadowy figure stood in the doorway.
In an instant, he snapped out his dagger, aiming for the heart…but the creature of darkness was faster. It caught his wrist mid-swing and twisted it. He cried out, dropping his weapon, and was pushed to the floor.
Ebony watched in horror as the Dream Pirate picked up the weapon and towered over her older brother, who was shaking in fear. It brought the dagger up into a swinging motion and…
"NO!" She screamed in tears.
The dagger came down, right into his chest and he fell to his side. She ran out to him, despite the Dream Pirate still being there, and hugged her brother close, who was now barely hanging on to his life. She sat there, waiting for her demise. If her brother was leaving, she was going with him. She waited ten seconds, then twenty…nothing.
She let her gaze ride up to meet the golden eyes of her brother's killer. It stood there, watching her, then slowly turned and left out the door. She stared with confusion until her brother's cough of pain brought her back to reality. She let a tear slip down her cheek and he lifted a hand, brushing the tears away.
"Be…s-tro-ng." He whispered.
His echoing fear, what a horrifying sound.
"I c-can't!" She cried. "You can't leave me!"
"Shhh, It'll b-be…ok-okay." He reassured but his breaths were getting more labored.
His dying fear, what a horrifying sound.
"I-I don't w-want to be al-lone!" She started to hiccup.
He let out a shaky smile. "You're ne-ver a-alone…" "I l-love y-you…" He said in a whisper, closing his eyes, peace settling over himself but Ebony did not notice.
She started sobbing. "I l-love you too."
No response.
She shook her brother lightly but the sense of fear he once had was gone. She let out a shaky breath and hugged her brother's body close.
The silence, what a horrifying sound.