A/N: I have no idea what I'm doing, putting up a multi-chapter fanfic when I have so much schoolwork that needs to be done. Oh, well, none of us are truly sane, I guess I'm just more insane than the rest. Anyway, WARNING! This chapter contains a mild rape scene. I tried to make it as non-descriptive as possible, but still, a word of warning. This chapter, in my perspective, is a very high "T" rating. Enjoy!

Oh, before I forget

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, or any song or piece that my character might sing or play, unless I indicate otherwise that it is a song or piece which I did write (though that is unlikely). If I did own Rise of the Guardians, I wouldn't be writing this, I'd be in my office at the studio, thinking of new ideas.

Prologue: The End

Everything ended when Mom and Dad died.

It had started out as an ordinary day. Mom and Dad had left in order to go get things for my upcoming eighteenth birthday, leaving me in charge of my twelve-year-old sister Laurel for the rest of the afternoon. Even though they didn't return by the time they said that they would, we didn't worry; after all, it was my coming-of-age birthday, and I had heard through the grapevine that they had a big to-do planned, and with my birthday only in a week, I figured they might end up needing more time than they allotted themselves in order to get everything they needed.

However when nightfall came and they weren't home yet, Laurel and I began to worry. See, we live in a big, Victorian-style house. The ceilings are extremely high, the rooms are spaced pretty far apart from each other (Laurel has to walk down a staircase and down a dark corridor about five feet to get to my room if she has a nightmare!), and there's a labyrinth of stairs and secret passageways (There's a passage to the cellar in my room, and there's a door to outside from the cellar).And let's not forget to mention that the house creaks whenever the wind blows. So yeah, being alone at night in such a big place was kind of creepy. And it didn't help that we hadn't had one call from either Mom or Dad.

"What if they don't come back?" Laurel asked me, her voice wavering.

I bent down and hugged her, but before I could answer her, reassure her, that there was no way Mom and Dad wouldn't come back, the doorbell rang, scaring both of us nearly half to death.

When I looked through the peephole, I was shocked to see the flashing blue lights of a police car. I opened the door and became very scared because he held his hat in his hands. I gulped. That was never a good sign.

"Is this the home of Miss Aria and Miss Laurel Howland?" the officer asked me.

"It is." I responded. "I'm Aria. Please, sir, come in."

The officer, who introduced himself as Officer Daniel Stone, came in, and I told him to make himself at home. He sat down at our dining table. "You both might want to sit down for this," he informed us. We did so. When he looked up at us, we were shocked to see that he had a look of utmost sympathy in his eyes. "Miss Aria, Miss Laurel, it is my deepest regret to inform you that your parents were involved in an accident on the highway an hour ago. The car coming from the other direction swerved over the line and hit them head on."

Both of us gasped. "Are they going to be alright?"

His only answer was to bow his head, and I realized the full implications of his news. "No." I breathed.

Laurel hugged me in comfort, but I had become numb to everything around me. Our parents were dead, and I was still underage. I wondered what would happen to us. Would the law force us to go into an orphanage until I was a legal adult and could become my sister's designated legal guardian?

The next few days passed by in a blur. I had to skip on my fencing class and music lessons in order to be present at the courts. All I really remember from those days is the courts deciding that, since I was going to be legal in less than a week, I could go ahead and take the house, which my parents had left for me in their will, and take my sister under my wing, provided that Officer Stone be allowed to check in on us three times a day until my eighteenth birthday.

"Aria," Laurel called to her older sister five days after their parents died. "I'm scared. Something in the air doesn't feel right." It was nighttime currently, and even though Laurel was often scared at night, she was right. There was a sense of foreboding in the air.

Aria smiled sympathetically, bent down to her little sister, and hugged her. "There's nothing to fear, little one. I'm right here. You have nothing to fear, my swords upstairs are testament of that." The two sisters shared a small laugh. "I'll protect you, and you know that the Guardians will as well."

"Can you show me the stars of the Guardians again?" Laurel asked.

Aria took Laurel by the hand and led the little girl to the window in Aria's third-floor fencing practice room. "The five stars there," Aria pointed to the cluster located closest to the moon, "represent the five Guardians." She pointed to each star as she named each Guardian. "There's the Sandman, Guardian of Dreams; North, or Santa Claus, the Guardian of Wonder; the Easter Bunny, Guardian of Hope; the Tooth Fairy, Guardian of Memory, and.."

"Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun!" Laurel burst in, excitedly.

Aria gave a small laugh. "Exactly. And the Man in the Moon is the one who chose them to be Guardians." Once again, she bent down to her sister's level and looked the twelve-year-old in the eye. "Believe in them, and they'll protect you."

"But what about you?" Laurel asked. "They're able to protect you, too, aren't they?"

"Oh, sweetie," Aria breathed. "They'll only be able to protect me until midnight tomorrow. On my eighteenth birthday, I have to grow up, and the Guardians are only Guardians of Childhood, and I'm going to be an adult."

Laurel started to cry. "I don't want you to grow up!" she wailed.

"I don't want to, either," Aria whispered. "I guess I'm sort of like Peter Pan in that I am reluctant to grow up. But the streams of time wait for no one, so even though I wish I could remain a child forever, I must enter into the chaotic world of adults. And eventually, you must, too."

Laurel looked horrified that she would have to grow up. "It's still a ways off for you, but it is still in the not too distant future."

The little girl nodded in understanding, but she still looked scared. "Can- can you sing me the lullaby again?"

Aria smiled and began to sing.

Baby Mine, don't you cry.
Baby Mine, dry your eye.
Rest your head close to my heart,
Never depart, baby of mine.

Little one, when you play,
Don't you mind what they say.
Let those eyes sparkle and shine,
Never a tear, baby of mine.

If they knew sweet little you
They'd end up loving you too.
All those same people who scold you,
What they'd give just for the right to hold you!

From your head to your toes,
You're so sweet, goodness knows.
You're so precious to me, sweet as can be,
Baby of mine.

Baby Mine, don't you cry.
Baby Mine, dry your eye.
Rest your head close to my heart,
Never depart, baby of mine.

Baby Mine.

By the end of the song, Laurel's had wrapped her arms around her older sister's neck and tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I love you, Aria." She whispered.

Aria was about to respond "I love you, too," but just as she opened her mouth, the doorbell rang.

"Is that Officer Stone again?" Aria asked. Both were a little surprised, since the policeman had only left for the night about an hour before Laurel had come to her sister. "Laurel, I trust you, can you get the door?"

"Sure." Laurel said.

Aria heard muffled chit-chat coming from downstairs later. The visitors must have been from somewhere in the neighborhood, because they said that they had heard singing and wanted to make a request. Suddenly, the sound of Laurel struggling and panicking came from the first floor. Aria gasped, grabbed one of her spare swords from the wall and ran downstairs.

Two men were advancing on Laurel, their hands eagerly reaching for her chest. The little girl was backed up against the wall, and the men were too close to her for her to run.

Aria screamed in rage and swiped her sword through the air. The men were startled into backing up, and Aria took a defensive stance in front of her sister. "Stay away from her!" she shouted.

The men were taken off guard, but they recovered quickly. "Well, aren't you a piece of art?" he said. Aria blanched slightly at the lust in his voice. "We might have to have both of you sing for us… youngest first, of course."

Aria lashed out. She kicked the taller one where it hurts before whacking him upside the head with the butt of her sword, effectively knocking him out. The shorter one was in shock, so Aria was able to administer the same treatment to him.

"Come on, Laurel!"

Laurel quickly followed Aria down to Aria's room, all the while freaking out. "Aria, what's happening? What do those men want?!"

"You're not yet old enough to know, and definitely too young to engage in what they want with you." Aria explained as she ran. When they were in the elder girl's room, Aria pulled the rug out of its place, revealing the trapdoor to the passage that led to the basement. She pulled the door open and then turned to face her beloved sister.

"Laurel, you need to listen carefully to my instructions. Go out through the basement, run down to the Newels, and use their phone to call Officer Stone. Tell him that two men have broken into our house and follow whatever instructions he gives, unless he tells you to go back home. Make sure that you stay out of sight of the house until he arrives."

"What about you, what are you going to do?" Laurel fretted. "You're coming with me aren't you?"

Aria shook her head. "I didn't hit them that hard. It was enough to stun them, but they'll be waking up any minute, and I need to hold them off to buy you time." Laurel was on the verge of a panic attack, so Aria knelt down and gripped her sister's shoulders. "Laurie, I need you to believe in me and the Guardians." The older girl planted a kiss on her sister's forehead and then handed the girl a flashlight. "You don't have much time. Go."

Laurel nodded, took the flashlight proffered by her sister, and jumped down into the passage. Aria closed the door and replaced the rug. She went to the window and watched as her sister disappeared into the night.

Aria gazed up at the moon and the stars of the Guardians. "Watch over her." She whispered. "I know that I still count as a child, but please protect her no matter what might happen to me."

I pray you'll be my eyes
And watch her where she goes
And help her to be wise
In times when she won't know.

Lead her to a place
Guide her with your grace.
Give her faith so she'll be safe.

The men burst into her room as soon as Aria finished her song. She whirled around, sword at the ready.

"Where'd the little one go?" one of them demanded to know.

Aria moved into her fighting stance. "If you want her, you'll have to go through me. Be forewarned though: I'm the best in my fencing class, even with a few days absence due to my parents' deaths."

The taller one grinned. "So, you're an orphan. Perfect; now there's no risk of anyone intruding." He pulled out a stun gun and shot her before Aria even had the chance to attack. The girl fell unconscious, her sword falling out of her hand and clattering against the hardwood floor.

When she came to a minute later, she realized that she was lying on her back on her bed, her hands were bound underneath her, and her clothes had been slashed through. They hadn't yet been removed, but it wouldn't be hard for someone to remove them. Aria could also feel a single strip of duct tape on her skin beneath her shirt, keeping her trapped where she lay. She heard movement in the corner and turned her head to see the two men standing there, just watching her.

"A stun gun." Aria hissed. "I call hax."

"Hax or not," the taller one purred, "you're exactly where we want you right now. After hearing that, we know that you're the singer in your family. Perhaps you wouldn't mind singing a different tune for us now." He pulled a roll of duct tape from somewhere at his side. "It involves this."

Aria attempted to struggle and free herself, but all her efforts were futile as the man finally tore off a smaller strip of duct tape and secured it over her mouth. She attempted to scream, but the muffled sounds only served to turn the men on. "Oh, relax," the short one laughed. "We're just gonna have some fun."

The men proceeded to rip off the shreds of her clothes and toy with her. She attempted to squirm away from their hands, but her bonds were firm. So when the shorter man began to move to the next stage, she felt resigned to her horrible fate. She nearly passed out from the agony as both of them took turns violating her. The torture went on for what felt like hours (but it was really less than even a single hour) until, finally, they stopped.

Aria began to breathe sighs of relief through the gag, but suddenly, she heard a gun, an actual gun this time, being cocked, and she froze.

"Just so you won't rat us out to the police." The taller one said as he pressed the gun to the girl's temple.

A gunshot rang through the night, and then all was silent.

Laurel had not stopped running since she had escaped the house. The Newels lived closest to the sisters, but they still lived at least two miles away, and a mile alone was enough to wear the girl out.

"Come on, you can't give up now!" a young man's voice rang out just as she began to slow down. "Your sister's counting on you!"

"Need me to tunnel you out?" An Australian voice asked.

Laurel was startled into stopping when she realized that she wasn't alone. Five very familiar figures from her sister's stories were accompanying her. "The Guardians!" Laurel gasped. "Please, one of you go back and help Aria, please!"

"We can't." North told her sadly. "Your sister asked that we protect you no matter what happens to her."

Laurel was about to protest, but the sound of a gunshot permeated the night air, and it came from the direction of her house! She gasped in horror and whirled around towards the direction she came from, but there was silence all around her, even from her supernatural companions.

"Aria!" Laurel screamed in horror. But she felt an emptiness in her heart and she knew that her sister was gone. She sank to the ground and wept.

A/N: The songs in this chapter are "Baby Mine" from Dumbo (one of the saddest Disney songs in the world!) and a very abbreviated version of Celine Dion's "The Prayer" featured in Quest for Camelot. I hope you enjoyed this, and I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I've written it. Oh, and by the way, "hax" is just another way of saying "cheap shot."