Pitch's Rein
Chapter One: The Prophecy
Hey guys I am sorry it took so long to post, I wanted to make sure I had a head start on the story so that should I fall behind in writing again I would be able to post a chapter anyway. Thank you for coming to my story your view and support means a lot to me :) well this is my 2ed rise of the guardians story and I was overwhelmed with the response I got to my last one 'The new guardian' so thank you for coming and I hope this story doesn't disappoint. I hope you enjoy! :D
I didn't want to open my eyes, for fear of what lay beyond, but when the unmistakable smell of burning wood invaded my nose I knew I had to do something. I opened my eyes, rising to a sitting position as I watched the amber flames dance around me, weaving between the trees, consuming the bushes and grass. The flames and sparks reflected in my eyes, as I watched the flames beautiful dance of destruction. Rising to my feet I worried, from where I was I could see a small dark town under the moonlight, and if the fire wasn't put out soon, it would consume every living thing in the village.
Fear should have gripped me, holding me to the spot, but it didn't. To my own surprise, in the blistering heat, I felt calm. Intrigued by the enchanting fire I reached out a hand, seeking its warmth. I don't know what I was thinking as I touched the glittering flame, all I know is what happened afterwards.
It was like a vortex, a large wind and the fire from the entire forest flew to me. Spiraling around me in a tornado and disappearing into my hand. The light blinding me. The swirling flames roared in my ears forming a single word.
Fajra.
at the time I wasn't sure what it meant, but it felt special, and when I decided to take it as my name it felt...right. Overtime I learned that Fajra is a name meaning fire or fiery in Esperanto, a type of Latin. So I felt it was a good name for me since I couldn't remember what it used to be. Once all of the fire was cleared I thought I saw something flash past me in the shadows, but there was nothing there.
Ten years have passed and I've learned more about fire, I've learned to control it, to create and dim it, I've learned to use it for warmth and light, and for destruction. I see Shadows sometimes, and at night I see dark demon horses flying into the windows of children, sometimes accompanied by a dark figure against the hazy moon...the moon doesn't shine often, there are so many clouds, so much darkness. The daytime barely distinguishable from night. There was always that feeling that I wasn't alone, like I was being followed, that only ceased on nights of the full moon, where I felt like someone was watching over me, protecting me from something. Of course I knew it was my imagination, maybe longing, no one ever saw me, they just passed through me. I never searched the shadows...it's not that I was scared...I just didn't have a death wish.
I made my way, slowly but surely across the world. My last stop being the North Pole. I found a small cabin and walked inside, not bothering to knock knowing that no one would hear me. I found it strange, in the middle of a snow storm, in the North Pole. The one room cabin with a blazing fire was empty. I looked around but there was no one in sight.
"Something's not rig-" I started, cut off when the floor beneath me gave out to a trap door and I found myself sliding down a dark tunnel. I would have screamed had it not startled me so, I couldn't make a sound as I fell through the darkness, landing on my butt in a large room. A man loomed over me, his arms crossed and he was surrounded by Yetis, believe it or not. The man was kind of fat and dressed in red and white.
"Who are you?" He asked me, his gaze threatening.
"Wait, you can see me?" I asked confused, held to my spot by their stares. He raised an eyebrow at me as if my words meant something. He nodded gently in thought, his arms still crossed and his sharp eyes never leaving me.
"As you see me," he said, "Now, who are you?" I tensed, building myself up as I rose to my feet.
"My name is Fajra. Who are you?" I said, it was my turn to eye him suspiciously. Upon looking around I spotted little things in the crowd of yetis that could only be elves. He can see me, I thought. What does that mean? Who is he? I wondered.
"Are you a spy?" the man asked, ignoring my question.
"What?" I asked his question ridiculous. "A spy for who?"
"For Pitch Black!" he bellowed his belly heaving as he spoke, waving his arms around the room as if it would pull an answer from me.
"Who are you?" I repeated. "Who the hell is Pitch Black, and no." I answered. He stared at me in silence for a moment, his questioning gaze pressing me to see if I was lying.
"Ok." he said finally, his voice oddly cheerful as he smiled, his eyes gleaming with laughter and wonder.
He reached down grabbing me by the arm and with unexpected force pulled me to my feet. Now that I could see him clearly he really wasn't that scary. "Ok everyone she is clear." He said with a thick Russian accent, the Yeti's and elves disbanded. "Make yourself at home!" he cheered taking a tray of cookies from a nearby elf and offering them to me. I shook my head and he began to dig into them eating them quickly before placing the tray of half eaten cookies back on the table. the room was immense, toys littered the room, toy airplanes flew through the room going as high as the skylight, little trains large enough to carry children raced around the room, their whistles blaring as they chugged down the tracks, and in the dead center was a giant globe, dark and void of life, just like outside.
I twisted free of the grasp he had on my forearm and struggled to get his attention.
"Wait, wait, wait!" I called out, pulling to a stop. "Who are you? Why can you see me? Who is Pitch!?" I asked again refusing to budge until he answered. He seemed to look at me confusion crossing his face and he began to laugh, a deep that came from his belly.
"Why, I AM SANTA CLAUS!" he bellowed laughing but I just stared at him confused. His laughing died down and he looked at me sadly.
"I've never heard of you." I said shaking my head. He sighed and looked at me.
"You're kidding right?" he asked laughing hysterically. "That was a good one!" he slapped his knee laughing. And when he noticed I wasn't. "You are kidding right?" I shook my head. He stiffened, and I saw some light leave his joyful eyes disappointed, a few seconds later the spark returned, but I could tell it was forced. "Why I am Santa Claus!" his deep laugh barreled down the caves cheerfully, as if he expected me to recognize it. He froze when I didn't react. "You really don't know me?" he asked, I shook my head again. My short red hair whipping around my freckled face. He sighed motioning for me to follow him into a back room, covered in enchanted ice carvings and toys. "I don't blame you for not knowing. It's not your fault after all. We haven't had a Christmas in almost a century."
"I'm Santa Claus." he repeated flatly. "Guardian of wonder, patron saint of Christmas." I shook my head and something seemed to click or him. "And who are you? What do you mean why can I see you?" he paused considering something before turning to the globe and examining it spinning back to me, slowly as if scared to hurt his back.
"I asked first." I responded crossing my arms, he took a few steps away from me startled.
"How old are you?" he asked and I realized if I didn't answer something he wouldn't be able to answer me.
"16" I said as if I knew for sure.
"And how long have you been 16?" I stared at him in silence for a moment. He couldn't be human if he could see me and he knew I was older. I examined him for a moment before replying.
"About ten years." Santa began to laugh again, his belly heaving until he stopped sounding pained as he hunched over with a hand on his back. "What's so funny?" I asked placing my hands on my hips.
"You are so young, no wonder you don't know anything." he laughed. I pouted and put my hand on my hips.
"I take offence to that!" I said childishly. He reached over ruffling my red hair while laughing. He ignored me and hobbled like an old man over to the console in front of the globe, ready to press a large red button.
"Whoa whoa whoa wait up!" I cried out, stepping in front of him and grabbing his hand. "I want answers." I demanded. "I don't like being left in the dark." my short red hair in voluntarily flicking to life with a small fire. Santa laughed again. "So riddle me this, who is Pitch Black?" I asked one final time.
He ignored me and slammed his hand down on the red button. There was a feeling like an explosion and from the skylight I could see colors flash across the sky, a mythical sight I had once learned was called the aurora borealis. It seemed impossible, one hadn't appeared in over 100 years and the darkness of the world led me to believe I never would.
"What was that all about?" I asked only to be cut off when a hole appeared in the ground. I jumped back my eyes wide as a small little cotton tail bunny leapt from the hole. I gaped at it before sneaking a peek down the hole that stretched down down down like a tunnel vanishing into darkness. The top moved and it shifted shut, causing me to jump startled.
"Oi mate what's all the commotion about?" he asked with a thick Australian accent. I stared at him shocked for a moment as Santa wrapped the bunny into a big bear hug, lifting the little guy off the ground.
"Oh Easter! I'm so happy to see you, look!" he exclaimed pointing to me. I stood awkwardly to the side; I pushed my red bangs out of my eyes and looked at him, unimpressed by the tiny cotton tail bunny.
"Oi, who are you!?" it called out but I just stared at it wide eyed. "Oi If you've got something to say, say it!" he cried out offensively. I guess I could have said something cool or witty like. Look who's talking fluff ball, or don't get all hoppy on me. ...Yes those were lame I know. But cooler than the only thing I managed to say which was.
"You can talk!" I exclaimed, unable to rid my face of the shock.
"Course I can talk ya gumby" he yelled out offended before turning back to Santa. "Who is this child?" he asked Santa, clearly annoyed.
"I'm not a child!" I snapped but they ignored me.
"She's the legend of fire!" Santa exclaimed. "Look at her, look at her hair!" Santa seemed excited and it was quickly spreading to cottontail.
"She's a legend!" the rabbit exclaimed, looking at me curiously.
"Legend, legend." I said growing frustrated. "You keep calling me that I'm not a legend! Legends are myths they don't exist" but once again they ignored me.
"Exactly! And she is a fresh one! You know what that means?" Santa asked him excitedly.
"That I am being completely ignored?" I offered.
"Oh yes! The prophecy is being fulfilled! The time for revolution has come!" the tiny rabbit called out.
What were they talking about? Legends, talking bunnies, revolution? Next they'll tell me fairies exist. I thought sarcastically to myself, rolling my eyes and laughing to myself.
"What are you talking about?" I asked. "What do you mean I am a legend?" they both turned to me and Santa got hyper again.
"Legends my dear are the myths and people who protect and help the children of the world. We bring them joy and help make the world a better place! As a legend you qualify to be a guardian!" he exclaimed excitedly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pointing into the distance with the other as if to express the wonder.
I'm surrounded by crazy people. A crazy old man nuts from loneliness and I am just hallucinating the bunny because of the cold, yup that's it we are all going crazy and I am out of here. I thought slipping from the man's grip, As if on Cue a giant fairy came hovering into the room. I stared at it wide eyed watching its flimsy clear wings flutter frantically, I stumbled back in shock.
"Being a legend is wonderful." she added into the conversation, barely picking up what was going on. Her voice and movements reminded me of a preppy happy girl from school. "Seeing children smile and hearing them laugh. Watching them celebrate when they see you." she smiled warmly.
"You make it sound like it's a great job." a voice echoed down to us. The bunny and man, who had been smiling excitedly, slowly began to frown, furrowing their brows at the words. I looked around confused until I looked up, seeing a boy about my age with white hair, a blue sweater, and icy blue eyes, carrying a wooden staff in one hand.
I like this hallucination. I thought with a smirk as he jumped down landing beside us effortlessly. He examined me before explaining his view of a legend.
"You are stuck protecting people who more than likely don't believe in you, thus can't see you, doing a bunch of lame boring chores." he said casually. "And let's not forget trying to avoid being destroyed by Pitch Black and his minion." he added.
"Jack." Santa muttered with something between a sigh and a growl. Each of them watched me to see my reaction. There was a moment of silence as we all stared at each other.
"Who is this Pitch you all keep talking about?" I asked taking a step back under the pressure of their stares, placing a hand on my hip and standing up taller. The boy looked down with a mixture of depression and disappointment.
"Pitch Black, better known as the Boogie man, is the personification of fear and darkness. He is an incredible evil who locked away long ago and the world experienced what was known as the golden ages. Where humans lived freely, their technology prospered and life boomed. However, a little less than a century ago, Pitch broke free, we tried to stop him...but we failed. He has returned the world to its dark and gloomy years where humans live in fear. They no longer experience courage, or wonder, fun or happiness. It's the return of the dark ages." Santa Claus explained. Jack kicked at a fallen toy, angry, I'm guessing about their defeat.
"But the man in the moon told us of a new legend, one who would turn the tide and be the downfall of Pitch." The bunny said leaping over to me excitedly. Jack looked back at me I could see his curiosity growing in his eyes.
"When all is dark and hope is lost, fear will rein and all is lost. But from the embers of the past, the flames of fire and destructions last, a hero will rise to overcast. Defeat the shadow and face the fear, and evil's end will draw near." Santa quoted. They all stared at me and I stumbled back losing my composure under their gazes.
"Wait, wait." I stared at them. "Whoa whoa hold up, you don't think it means me do you?" they nodded and I took another step back, raising my hands up as if telling them to stop. "What makes you think it means me!" I exclaimed.
"From the embers of the past. It has to be about you and your fire." Santa said knowingly. I didn't know how to reply to that.
"What do ya say mate. Will ya help us?" I stared at the bunny and took a step back.
They all expected me to help them fight some ancient evil...ME! Ok this has to be a dream or a hallucination or something. At this point I knew something was wrong at me. Even the cute boy was flying; there was a crazy old man who lived with yetis and elves, a talking bunny, and a giant fairy who could barely fly. each of the hallucinations stared at me awaiting my answer, and despite my sanity telling me that the floor in the cabin had probably given out and I was passed out in the snow and this was all a dream, I had to remember, I could fly, I could fire bend and turn into fire...maybe these guys weren't crazy and I just found people like me (which means I belong with a group of weirdoes.) while I stared at them, their eyes almost pleading, that's when the words sort of slipped out.
"Sure." Shocked by my own words, I agreed, I don't know what I was thinking, this was all obviously insane! However as mentioned before my life was already insane on a number of levels. They smiled at me, cheering happily as if they just made a touchdown.
Santa and the bunny hi-fived while the fairy got really excited. However Jack just smiled and shook his head before turning away. Walking off and disappearing to sit on some ledge outside. Santa and the bunny began frantically filling the fairy in, and while they were talking, I couldn't stop myself from following Jack outside. I found him atop a high ice covered ledge overlooking the frozen wasteland known as the North Pole.
