Rise of the Guardians' characters belong to Dreamworks Animation Studios. Original characters belong to me.

Chapter 1

On a rocky cliff somewhere in the southwestern United States, Grace, also known as the Painter of the Night Sky was at work in illuminating the stars in the dark sky. Her white Pegasus, Asteria watched her mistress and kept watch for anyone coming. Asteria had a white mane and tail with gold starbrusts tangled in the thick hair.

Grace was a beautiful guardian with burning red hair with a glittering crown on her head. She wore a medieval style white dress with gold starbrust designs on it and a gold belt looped around her waist.

Grace, before becoming a guardian was originally a young mortal woman named Grace Dawson. She was a gifted artist and when she was about eleven years old, Grace met Pitch Black, the boogeyman. He was assigned to watch over her and after many years, he fell in love with her. Grace had come to realize that she was in love with Pitch ever since they met.

Fate took a change for Grace when she was almost nineteen. On one Halloween night, she, in her mortal form was killed by a drunk driver and the Man in the Moon decided to make her the Painter of the Night Sky. With that, Grace and Pitch married and were inseparable at that one minute of their union.

Now that Grace was a guardian, she traveled around the world with Pitch and their Pegasuses, Erebos and Asteria. Pitch did his routine in releasing his nightmares to children who had shown disrespect to others.

On this night, it was cold in the desert as it was nearing Christmas, but Grace did not mind the cold. Then, Asteria started to snort and used one hoof to bounce at the ground.

"What's the matter, girl?" Grace asked, but she began to feel the same sense as Asteria. It only took her a second to realize that her husband was nearby.

True enough, they heard the clopper of hooves heading towards them and Grace calls out, "You know I'm used to that!"

Pitch chuckled and Grace painted a ball of bright stars to illuminate the darkness surrounding them. "Does that mean I can't scare you anymore?" he asked and he got off of Erebos.

"What they say is true. It is better to see the stars in the middle of nowhere," Grace said and they stared up at the cluster of stars. Pitch looped an arm around Grace.

"I don't mean to be rude, but we have to keep moving," he informed her and they got on their Pegasuses. Both Erebos and Asteria galloped, spread their wings, and headed up into the sky.

They passed towns and cities, with Grace painting the stars, and Pitch releasing his nightmares. "Grace, there is something I need to tell you," Pitch said to his wife and she got curious.

"You know that New Year's means new beginnings," he said and Grace nods. "Well, our master chooses a guardian to lead the spirits of children who have died in the passed year to the afterlife."

Grace was confused and she asks, "Don't spirits enter the afterlife right after they die?"

"Not for children," Pitch answered and explains, "The spirits of children are young and they have no idea of where to go. The guardians collect the children's spirits and bring them to the moon where they must wait for New Year's. At midnight that night, the gates to the afterlife open and the spirits enter Heaven."

Grace was still a bit confused and asks, "So, the children's spirits don't know where the afterlife is?"

"Yes and let me ask you this," Pitch said, "When you were little, did you believe there was an afterlife?"

Grace began to think and answers, "I didn't start believing that there was an afterlife until I was a bit older."

"We will meet young spirits who don't know that there is an afterlife and they will be afraid and confused of where to go. That's why our master, the Man in the Moon has the guardians lead them there," Pitch said.

"But it must be so sad for them to leave their loved ones behind," Grace replied.

"It is, but they will see Heaven as paradise where no one gets hurt and never get sick," he said as he pats Erebos' neck. "You will see," he added.

They continued on with their duties and they reached a city in the north. "Whoa!" Grace commanded as she heard a child's cry. Pitch heard it, too, and they began to search for the child.

They heard sirens and came across an accident scene, where a mini-van had been crushed by a big rig. "Oh my..." Grace gasped and that's when she heard the child's crying, again.

Both Grace and Pitch walked up to the accident and looked into the car, it was badly mangled and twisted. Grace saw something under the metal and glass, a tiny hand and she knew what that meant. She turned away, coming face to face with a young girl with long brown hair, wide brown eyes, and she wore pajamas.

"Hello," Grace said to the child.

"Hi," the girl replied in a nervous tone.

"What is your name?" Pitch asked, coming down to her level.

"Beth," the girl answered, but then, a woman cried out, "Bethany! Where is my baby?!"

"That's my mommy!" Beth replied and looked around for her mother. Grace placed both hands over her mouth in shock, she knew that the child was dead, but Beth did not know herself.

A woman came running towards the crushed van with Beth calling out, "I'm here mommy!" She spread her arms open, but then, Beth's mother ran through her!

The woman kept crying out for her daughter and Beth called out to her mother, but she didn't seem to hear Beth. "Can't she see me?" she asked Grace and Pitch.

The two of them didn't know what to say to the young girl, but before they could think of an answer, Beth asks, "Am I dead?"

"I'm afraid so," Grace replied and Beth began to cry.

"We have to take her to the moon. Now you see what we must do," Pitch said and Grace nods. Grace came down to Beth's level and says, "Bethany, there's no need to be afraid, we're going to take you somewhere where you will be safe."

"But I can't go with strangers," Beth replied with tears rolling down her face.

"We are not strangers," Pitch said, "We are guardians and we protect you and other children from the suffering of this world." Beth did not seem to listen, instead she cried even more, and tears fell from her eyes.

"Beth, it is all right, you can trust us," Grace said and opens her arms up, "Come here."

Beth looked at Grace and seeing that she was open, Beth went into her arms and Grace hugged her. Grace still held onto Beth as she lifted herself to her feet and took the girl to Asteria.

Beth saw the white Pegasus and she patted Asteria and Grace helped her onto Asteria's back. Pitch got onto Erebos and the five of them flew away towards the guardians' court on the moon.


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