Once upon a time, a little girl named Gothel went for a walk in the forest. Though the forest was dark and deep, Gothel walked alone, because she was not afraid. Gothel was not afraid of anything.
On this walk, Gothel happened upon a strange hole in the ground. The hole was deep and dark, except for a light that shined up through the darkness. Gothel wanted to see the light up close, but the hole was too deep. The following day, Gothel returned with a rope and climbed down into the hole.
When she reached the bottom, she realized that the light came from a dagger, stabbed deep into the heart of a man. The man stood, unmoving, staring up towards the sky. His skin was a pale and sickly gray, his hair and clothing black as a starless night sky. Gothel called to him.
Slowly, the man lowered his head and stared at Gothel with his golden eyes. The man was Pitch, King of Nightmares, fear itself.
Above all, Pitch prided himself on knowing the deepest fears of any child he saw. He looked into Gothel's heart, but he could not see her fear.
"Tell me child, what are you afraid of?" Pitch asked the girl.
"Nothing," She replied, laughing. Gothel knew the man and the story of the dagger, as did all children in her village. But Gothel was not afraid of anything, not even Fear himself.
Pitch did not like being laughed at. He would teach this child a lesson.
"You are not afraid now, but someday, perhaps." Said Pitch.
Gothel laughed harder than before. "I will never be afraid of anything!"
"How about we strike a deal then? You will visit me three times: once when you are a young woman, once when you are fully-grown, and a final time when you are old and gray. Each time you visit me, we will play a game. I will have three chances to guess what you fear most, and if I am wrong, you may laugh at me. But if I am right, you must agree to remove the dagger from my heart."
Gothel thought for a moment. The game seemed fun to the little girl, and so, she agreed. Gothel laughed once more at Pitch, confident that she would easily win this game, before climbing back out of the hole.
Years later, as promised, Gothel returned. She climbed down the hole and said hello to Pitch, a smile stretched across her face.
"What am I afraid of?" Gothel asked.
"You fear spiders." Pitch said. Gothel shook her head. "You fear snakes." Again, Gothel shook her head. "You fear the dark." Once more Gothel shook her head. She laughed at Pitch and left him, the dagger still stuck in his heart.
More time passed. Gothel grew from a young maiden into an adult, a woman. She returned to the forest, climbed down the hole, and said hello to Pitch, her smile even wider than the last time.
"What am I afraid of?" Gothel asked.
"You fear loneliness!" Snarled Pitch. But Gothel only shook her head. "You fear sickness!" Gothel shook her head. "You fear poverty!" Gothel laughed at Pitch and left him, once again, the dagger still stuck in his heart.
Many more years passed. Gothel became and old woman. One last time, and with much more difficulty, she climbed down the hole and said hello to Pitch, the smile faded from her face.
"What am I afraid of?" Gothel asked.
A devilish grin spread across Pitch's face. Finally, Pitch could see Gothel's fear. "You fear death."
Gothel did not shake her head. She did not laugh at Pitch. For the first time in her life, Gothel was afraid.
Pitch was overjoyed. "I've won! I've won! I've won! I always win! Now free me from my prison!"
Without a word, Gothel pulled the dagger from Pitch's heart. The moment the dagger was free, Pitch grabbed Gothel. He used his darkest magic to fill Gothel with enough fear for a lifetime.
She could hardly move as Pitch flew away into the night. Gothel's fear consumed every part of her soul. Gothel had never felt fear before, and now, she could think of nothing else.
For the rest of her days, nothing mattered to Gothel except keeping her fears from becoming reality. She felt no joy, no sadness, no anger, only fear. But one day, many years later, she could no longer avoid her fear. And just before she perished, Gothel saw Pitch laughing at her.