Pitch.
Prologue.
Sharp heels clicked against the stone floors of the castle, echoing down the empty hallways and disturbing the silence that had fallen over the castle. The castle had been deserted for many years now; its only inhabitants being the wicked witch that sat upon the throne and the darkness she kept locked up deep below the castle floors where only the light of a candle could reach.
Before this day, the wicked witch had found no reason to move from her stationary spot upon the overly decorated throne that was seated in the main hall of the palace. Her unblinking eyes never deviated from the doors that, when opened, would allow anyone to enter. However, they had remained locked for all these years. No one entered the fortress and no one left. A magic spell had sealed the doors closed and would not open again until the original spell had been broken.
The witch had felt when the rush of magic flew through the castle, and for the first time since finding herself trapped in her own castle, she moved away from her seat. As the magic washed over her, she expelled a deep breath as though she had been holding her breath for all this time, and a vile smirk fell across her face.
She moved now, through the castle halls and down hundreds of never ending staircases until her pointed shoes came in contact with the black stones that lined the dark empty cells of the dungeon. She passed every cell, heels sending an ominous tick through the darkness, and came to a stop at the iron bars of the last cell lining the corridor.
Thick chains sat heavily on the ground, running silently from the dim light shining into the front of the cell and disappearing into the corner that was covered completely by the shadows. The darkness that hid within the cell did not shift with the entrance of the witch, though the temperature of the prison noticeably dropped.
With a flick of her wrist, magic coursed through the room, lighting every torch with a bright fire that chased away all of the darkness except those that remained unmoving in the corner of the last cell.
"The magic is back on." The witch's shrill voice broke the silence, but still the darkness remained still. The witch took a calming breathe in order to dispel the annoyance that came from the lack of attention the other being gave to her. "Do you understand me, you imbecile?"
Quicker than a striking snake, a shadow darted across the ground, through the bars, and wrapped itself around the witch's ankle. "Yes," a cold voice floated softly from the corner "I can feel it. But one must ask why the Wicked Witch of the West would feel the need to tell her prisoner what they would already know."
The witch could practically hear the smirk in her captive's voice. Though she had not spoken to that who hid in the darkness for all the years they had been trapped inside the castle, the witch's hate for it had not diminished at all.
"Hold your tongue, princess." The witch sneered at the usage of the title, and the shadow coiled tighter around her ankle. "I have come to offer you a chance at your freedom." A sharp chuckle pierced though the cold room but the darkness finally shifted and slowly crept closer to the front of the cell.
"Well, you have my attention, Witch." Slowly the shadow began to take on the shape of a human being, but it still lacked any human defining features.
The witch smirked, "I would like to make a deal with the Princess of the Dream Lands." Even though the darkness was her prisoner, the witch was no idiot. If she wished to get anything from the monster then she would have to feign respect and hold back her hate for the creature.
At last the shadows shifted again and soon the witch found herself staring into a pair of cold unblinking eyes. Short black hair stood in stark contrast to skin more colorless than the purest of snow, and pale pink lips twitched upwards into the trademark evil smirk that haunted the dreams of many.
"You have held me in this cell for quite some time. What makes you think I wish to make a deal with you?" The being spat the word out as though it was poison on her tongue. The witch's eyes narrowed in response, but she quickly regained her composure, though her lips remain pursed in contempt.
"You want your freedom." The witch smirked. "You want freedom from this cell and to do as you wish to the dreams of those who travel to this kingdom. I can give you both of these."
The prisoner took a step closer to the iron bars, considering the witch's offer. "And what is in it for you, your wickedness?" Humor danced across those cold, unblinking eyes.
"Revenge upon the one who casted the spell that has kept me locked away in this castle." Hate filled the eyes of the witch and her hands curled into fists. "The Evil Queen."
A light filled the prisoner's eyes, and a malicious smile broke out across her face. "And I am to believe that you have a way to get revenge against a queen who cares for nothing but herself? My magic is strong, but magic can only do so much to one who feels nothing for anyone other than herself."
"The Queen has a weakness." As the statement was spoken the audible click of the lock on the cell being opened as magic filled the air. "I would not have offered you the deal if I had not seen what I have, but before I go on, do we have a deal?"
The prisoner smirked as a shadow slithered across the cell floor and slowly pushed the cell door open, a screeching wail sounded from the unused hinges and bounced off the stone walls. The prisoner took a step outside of the bars, coming face to face with the witch. A sinister glint reflected in her eyes, and with a slight tilt of her head, a dark smile flickered across her face.
"Pitch, at your service."
~O~
Pitch sat on the cold bench, taking in the sunlight and fresh air. Though she had no issue with living in the shadows, she was quite delighted to finally be out of the stuffy cell that the Wicked Witch had kept her locked in.
Only hours after being released from the spell bound castle, Pitch found herself sitting in a quiet park watching a young boy sit alone on a swing, aimlessly kicking at the dirt beneath his feet without a care for what went on around him. Her eyes narrowed while she studied the boy from a distance. The witch had told her that this boy would be the one thing needed to enact her revenge on the Evil Queen, but Pitch couldn't figure out why this boy was so special. In all the years Pitch had known the Queen she had never had a weakness and Pitch found it hard to believe that this boy could lead to the undoing of the Queen.
Pitch was brought out of her musings as a young blond woman yelled from across the park and the boy's head snapped up in her direction. He moved from his seat and made his way over to the woman who then threw an arm over his shoulders, and while ruffling the boy's hair, lead them out of the park.
"Henry," Pitch tested the name the blond woman had called the boy. "What nightmares haunt you my dear Henry?" she mumbled, standing from her spot on the bench and slowly making her way to follow the pair, quietly blending into the shadows.
~O~
Captain Killian Jones sat in the tiny room he had been staying in while he attempted to bring back Emma's memories of her fairy tale family and friends. He let out a huff as he fell back on the bed.
His quest was proving more difficult than he had thought it would be. After his attempt at "true loves kiss"with Emma in a desperate attempt to make Emma remember, the pirate was at a loss of what to do next. He had tried to talk to her earlier when she had been walking with Henry at the park, but she had brushed him off and then threatened to get the police involved if she saw him around her son again.
Killian's one good hand absently rubbed at the wrist of his hooked hand. His eyebrows creased as he thought out his next course of action, but soon his solitude was interrupted by the commanding voice of Regina. Killian rolled his eyes at her demanding voice as he sat up from his bed and moved across the room to the desk where a small handheld mirror sat.
Instead of seeing his own reflection, Killian was met with the face of the Evil Queen when he looked into the mirror, over her shoulder he could barely make out the whispering figures of Mary Margret and David.
"How can I help you Regina?" his fingers rubbed at his temple, trying to dispel the headache he could feel coming on even before the worrying queen could lecture him about doing nothing once again, "I told you I would be in touch as soon as I was able to talk some sense into Emma."
Instead of her usual snarky reply, Killian was surprised when Regina's words came out slightly panicked. "We have a problem, Hook."
"More of a problem then we already have?" He smirked slightly but any attempt of humor he made dissipated when he noticed the concerned looks of both Mary Margret and David, who had moved in closer to Regina when he answered her call. Neil had also appeared out of thin air and now stood slightly behind everyone with his arms crossed.
"Yes," Mary Margret lightly shoved Regina out from in front of the mirror and now stood next to the evil queen, "Someone is there looking for Henry. She was sent by someone looking for a way to hurt Regina."
"And they plan on using Henry to do so." Killian finished for her, a concerned look falling over him, as she nodded her head in agreement to his statement. "Very well then, I shall dispel this new obstacle before it has the chance to hurt Emma or Henry."
Killian was confident he could take on whatever enemy was lurking waiting to attack. However the identical looks of fear that everyone shared shook his confidence slightly.
"You can't get rid of this issues so easily, Hook." David spoke up now, "You can't just kill this –thing" he spat out the word as though it were a curse, "with your sword. It has magic, powerful magic, and it won't stop until it gets what it wants."
Killian swallowed this new information with a nod of his head, he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. "So what am I supposed to do? What is this thing we are fighting here?"
"Keep my family safe." Neil's voice sounded from behind everyone but was soon drowned out by Regina.
"We are looking for a way to get all of you back to the Enchanted Forest, but we seem to have hit a few roadblocks. This would be much easier if Gold were still here." Regina mumbled the last part, but her gaze fell to the ground as she realized how harsh her words sounded. Though Regina had a strained relationship with Gold, she was thankful for the sacrifice he had made in order to save them all from Pan. Covering up her moment of regret, Regina looked back to Killian and her voice took back its commanding tone. "Keep Henry safe."
"And Emma." Mary Margret added, eyes slightly narrowing at the queen. Killian only nodded in response to the obvious demand.
"And this –this thing that is hunting them, what is it?" Killian questioned "Should I be looking out for a giant monster hiding in the closet or what?"
Regina's eyebrows raised and she gave him a humorless smile.
"That is exactly what you are looking out for, Hook." Her face took on a dark, hateful expression "An old friend of mine has made a deal with the Princess of the Dream Lands, and from what I can tell she wants her to bring Henry back to the Enchanted Forest for her to take as her prisoner."
She paused and Killian had to repress the urge to roll his eyes at her dramatics. How dangerous could a princess be? He thought.
"A princess?" Killian smirked "I'm supposed to be scared of a princess?" He found quite a bit of humor in this situation. Killian had met many princesses in his time, many of which begged him to take them with him on an adventure to escape their responsibilities, but none had held a chance of becoming a potential danger to him.
"Don't doubt her power." Regina slightly glared at his nonchalant attitude towards the subject. "She is no ordinary princess."
"Very well, tell me what I should be looking out for." Finally Killian seemed to catch onto the seriousness of this threat.
"Her name is Pitch." Mary Margret took over the explanation again, "She practices dark magic, and she has no issue with hurting those who get in her way. She is very dangerous and will stop at nothing to get what she wants." Again Killian had to repress the urge to roll his eyes. Could they not just tell him what he should be looking for?
"She doesn't just practice dark magic," Neil's voice cut off Mary Margret's words, and they all turned to look at where he stood, arms still crossed over his chest "She is darkness."
All fell silent at his words, and Killian was hit with just how much these people who were considered strong individuals by those in the Enchanted Forest where scared of the Pitch person.
Regina finally looked back up to him, her voice was now cold and void of emotion.
"You are going up against the thing that haunts you in your worst nightmares." Killian's eyebrows creased in confusion. His worst nightmares? What was she talking about? He doubted this Pitch could hold a candle up to the darkness that haunted him in his dreams.
"She is the nightmare, Hook." Regina continued as Killian's eyes widened slightly as what she said hit him. "She is the boogeyman."
Authors Note: So, after dealing with writers block on my Supernatural story, I decided to write down the idea for a new story that I have had. It picks up where season 3 has gone on break and well...it's just a weird idea that I came up with. Yes, Pitch is based loosely on Pitch Black from the Rise of the Guardians, but there are several differences between the two.
Please, leave a review and let me know if I should continue this or just let it die. Constructive criticism is welcome.
-OhNoImAYoungAdult