Alright, I know I haven't been keeping up with my other stories at all, but it's summer time now and I've made a pledge to myself. I'm going to write at least 1,000 words a day if not more. I really do want to get this story down, and I plan to make it a trilogy. There will hopefully be two sequels to this story. Also, one of my friends is not a BlackIce fan. She knows who she is, and she can just deal with it. Another thing, this is my first RotG fanfic and I've wanted to write one for a while now, so please take that into consideration.
I don't own Rise of the Guardians or the Guardians of Childhood books. I wish I did, though… Anyway, I shall now give you the story. If you actually read this far, then wow…
The Perfection of Cold and Dark: Winter's End
Two years was nothing to an immortal spirit. Two years flew by in the blink of an eye to them. But to Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, every second of those two years was an agonizing eternity. Two long years had gone by since his humiliating defeat, two years spent being tortured by what were once his soldiers, his minions, and furthermore, his only companions. But after a time, a break in the pain came, much to Pitch's surprise. When he cautiously crawled out of the little crevice he had been hiding in, he found that there was nothing in the great cavern but himself. He had no family or believers, and now even his Nightmares and Fearlings had left him. Pitch Black was completely and utterly alone.
With no small amount of hesitation, Pitch found a way out of what he once considered his stronghold, sending a weak glare at the globe as he passed. There were too many lights… Pitch looked this way and that as he crept out into the forest. When the Nightmares left, they had left a yawning hole where the old bedframe used to be. It was easy enough for him to see in the dark, but his sight wasn't the reason he stumbled so often. He was so weak, he would have laughed at himself had he the strength; but that simply wasn't the case. Pitch was battered; covered in scrapes and bruises and a few deeper cuts, maybe a broken ankle by now. His clothes were threadbare and tattered at best, and his eyes were dull and listless. He wasn't even sure why he bothered to come outside. There was no reason for it when there was even more danger out here, and it wasn't like he would scare anyone in this state. After all, there was no such thing as the Boogeyman.
Pitch must have been wandering for days through the forest before he finally came to its edge. It was the beginning of summer, so Jack Frost wouldn't be around. Jack Frost; the memory of the winter sprite was still very fresh and very bitter in his mind. Before he could get too deep into his brooding, a prick of fear caught his attention. It was coming from within the small, silent town of Burgess. How curious. He made slow progress into the town, keeping an eye out for anything that could pose a potential threat to him. It was nearly dawn by the time he got to the little house that was emitting the fear. It wasn't just fear, though. It was nervousness and anxiety and unease. Although it wasn't very strong, Pitch could afford to be choosey. Fear was fear and it would offer him some strength. As he crept into the room that held the direct source of the fear, he found the owner. Little Sophie Bennett, Jamie Bennett's younger sister. What on earth did the little girl have to be afraid of?
Pitch decided to simply stay and see what was bothering the little girl. However, staying to find out why she was afraid didn't mean he couldn't feed off of it. Through this, he was able to better understand part of what was wrong. Sophie was afraid of going to school at the end of the summer. The little six year old would be going into the first grade and Pitch guessed that she had never been in an actual school before. Even though it seemed rather petty, it would add up if he stuck around. Besides, it seemed to be the only fear in this little town amongst all the hope. To speak reasonably, there really was a terrible lack of fear, and there would be a price to pay because of it. He sighed and slipped under the obnoxiously pink bed to make himself comfortable. It looked as though he would be here for quite a while.
Pitch followed her around for a few days, watching as she went about her days as he fed from her and lounged under her bed during the night. He was healing very slowly, but healing all the same. She was a very interesting little girl, indeed, and he found himself becoming very interested in her. Though he thought he would never say anything about it, he stayed more now out of curiosity rather than hunger for fear. It also seemed to him as though she knew he was there. At times, he thought she was looking right at him, or at least somehow knew he was there.
About three weeks into summer, Sophie-for whatever reason-decided to climb the highest tree in the neighborhood. It was later discovered that Jamie's friends had coerced her to climb it through a dare. Most of them were watching her through their front windows. But at that moment, all Pitch knew was that the girl was now climbing up the tree and obviously had no idea of the danger she was putting herself in. He watched with growing… concern as she moved higher and higher through the branches. For some reason, this stirred an instinct in him that he wasn't sure he wanted. He was getting soft.
"Get down from there! You'll break your neck!" He knew she couldn't hear him. How could she when she didn't believe in him? But he still felt like he needed to say something. As expected, the little girl hadn't heard him and continued to climb. Pitch sighed and limped forward so he was standing under the tree. The only thing that hadn't healed yet was his ankle, and it was quite bothersome. He kept mumbling to himself about Sophie, lips pursed in a thin line as he watched her.
The sudden flair of fear was the only warning he got before he heard an ear splitting scream. He looked up just in time to see Sophie Bennett lose her hold on the branch she had been holding. It was almost as if she was falling in slow motion. Pitch shifted this way and that with his arms outstretched to try to catch the falling child. It should have occurred to him that he wouldn't be able to catch her. She most likely didn't believe in him and would end up going right through him. But for some reason, she didn't go through him and she didn't hit the ground and instead fell right into his waiting arms with an "Oomph!"
"What…?" Pitch could hardly believe what was happening. Sophie hadn't gone through him, and even more unbelievable was the fact that she was safe and sound because of him. This brought them to a very new situation as the fear and adrenaline faded away. Sophie stared up at Pitch with wide green eyes and a slack jaw as if she found the current situation just as crazy as he did. She blinked once, and then spoke up in a shaking, squeaky voice. "You're that weird man who started following me. But now you're all the way here and not see through." Pitch frowned. Wait… This little girl had been able to see him this entire time? He carefully set Sophie down on the ground, kneeling in front of her. His ankle had been healed by her fear of falling; he realized when the action didn't cause him any trouble.
"Can you really see me?" Pitch asked, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders, looking her dead straight in the eyes as a crease formed in his forehead. If he'd had eyebrows, they would have been furrowed with confusion. Sophie nodded to answer, and then blurted out a question of her own with an almost accusing tone.
"You're the Boogeyman, aren't you?"
First off, I really would like some reviews. I don't have a lot of reviews on my other stories and it kind of discourages me. Second, I would appreciate some constructive criticism for this story. Also, no flames, please and thank you.
So, I plan on focusing on Pitch and Sophie's relationship in the next chapter. Just to clear up that meaning, it will not be a romantic relationship. Jack will most likely appear at the end of the next chapter and it will focus more on them after that. I would also be happy if you guys would send me some ideas for my story, since I don't have this one planned out as much as its sequel.
Thank You for reading! Please Review!
