Far down in the darkest depth of Pitch's Lair, the Nightmare King walked around without purpose. He simply went were his feet took him. The Nightmares he once commanded were no more, destroyed by him months ago after he got dragged down that miserable hole. They would have consumed him and his fear had he not done it. He would have been killed by them. But no, he was too resilient, he would not die, especially not at the hands of the Nightmares or the Guardians.

The Guardians…

The ones who had dammed him to the dark lonely caves in endless solitude. He hated them, he hated them with every fiber of his being. But at the same time he didn't. He hated himself more. He hated the fact that he became so afraid of them, that he – the Nightmare King, the Boogieman, Pitch Black – was afraid of the Guardians.

It was laughable.

Pitch sighed and dropped his head. It was only three months since the end of the Nightmare War, since his defeat, and already he was miserable. For thousands of years he put up with his lair and living alone, but that was always because he was hatching some scheme or plotting the Guardians downfall. But now, without his Nightmares or the Fearlings, he was lonely. So very lonely. Granted, they never really talked to him, but their presence in his lair made him feel that there was someone with him, that he wasn't truly alone.

But now, he felt empty. It gnawed at his insides and made his black heart feel heavy. 'Is this depression?' he thought to himself. He scoffed, but maybe it was true. He no longer had anything to do, nothing to occupy himself with. No plots of revenge, no schemes, no nightmares to make and train. Nothing. His case of loneliness felt worse.

As he walked, he could faintly recognize where he was heading just by looking at the ground. He had walked these corridors so many times that he could find his way to any room blindfolded. 'I wonder why my feet are dragging me here.' He thought.

He stopped walking just as he made it to a door, crafted from a dark stained wood and studded iron. He opened the door and walked inside. It was a plain room with walls of dark stone and a simple yet elegant chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling.

A few wooden chairs and a dresser were the only pieces of furniture in the room. His eyes were immediately drawn to the dresser in the room directly in front of him, and what was sitting on it.

A black leather case shaped to fit a beautifully crafted instrument.

After all this time it was still there. How long had it been since he last played? A few years at least. Would he still remember how to?

He walked up to the dresser and ran his ashen grey hand over the case. A thin layer of dust lay on top, but he brushed it away. He flicked open the locks and opened the case, revealing a beautiful black and golden violin and bow. His heart melted at the sight of it. It brought back so many memories and feelings. He would always play it when he felt like this – lonely, depressed – it was the one thing in his life that always stayed the same.

The one thing that kept him hanging onto life with both hands. A ghost of a smile spread along his face and his gaze softened. No matter what happened, the instrument was always there, always were he last left it, and ready to bring him back from the pits of despair when he needed it.

He closed the case and gently picked it up, caressing the hard leather case as memories of past times came flooding back.

Yes, this would help, this would make him feel better.

He turned around, violin in hand, and went out of the room. He walked all the way to what he called the 'Globe room'. The large metal structure glittered with lights made him sad. Each light represented a single child, believer in the Guardians, not him. He sat on a large flat stone next to the Globe and gently placed the precious violin case on the ground. He withdrew the beautiful instrument and tuned it. Years being trapped in that case had made all the strings go hopelessly out of tune. After he was happy with the sound of each string he brought it up to his chin and held the bow on the strings.

Then he began to play.

The Guardians had just entered Pitch's dark lair when they first heard the noise. It was low and sorrowful and struck a chord deep in their hearts. The entire atmosphere of the lair changed, it went from downright creepy and terrifying to dark and sorrowful. The Guardians – North, Sandy, Bunnymund, Toothiana and Jack Frost – were all confused. 'What was that sound?' they thought.

Bunny's ears twitched as he tried to locate the sound and Jack crept around the corners as he tried to navigate the lair from memory. They waked stealthily through the lair on high alert, weapons drawn and pointing in front of them. Not a single Nightmare or Fearling was seen. Perhaps they were all gone.

The noise continued, growing louder every step. They were getting closer. Tooth was the first to recognise the sound. "Is that an instrument?" she asked no one in particular.

"Sounds like it." Bunny replied.

"It sounds like a violin." She said.

Now that she mentioned it, they could all understand now. It was an instrument, a violin, but that just brought up more questions. Where was the instrument being played from? Was it just a recording? So many questions went through their minds as they slunk around the dark corridors, being led by Bunny's ears and Jack's knowledge of the place.

"We are close." Said Bunny. His ears told him that the source of the music was coming from just around the corner, a few meters to the left. He signalled for the others to stop just as they came to a large archway.

The music ended and they all held their breaths. If they had disturbed whatever was making that music, it would surely come after them.

Jack moved in front of Bunny and crouched at the bottom of the doorframe and started to peak around the corner. What he saw made him freeze in shock and his eyes widen like dinner plates. He silently looked at the Guardians and mouthed the words 'You got to see this.'

Sandy went to stand in front of jack, since he was the shortest, Bunny crouched around on top of Jack so his head wouldn't get in his way, Tooth very quietly fluttered above Bunny and North, being the tallest, tried leaning over everyone.

They all poked their heads around the corner at the same time, much like characters from a children's comic or TV show. And like Jack, they all froze in shock.

In front of them with an instrument raised at his chin and eyes closed in sorrowful bliss was the Boogieman himself, Pitch Black. He sighed as he thought about the music he played. It was a sorrowful song, one that meant a lot to him. He opened his eyes just a sliver to glance at the globe. The song had calmed him so he could look at the little lights without spite for others, he felt so calm now that he could pretend they were for him, that he wasn't lonely. He raised the bow to the strings to play another song, unaware of the audience he now had, hidden just a few meters away.

Unlike the last song, this one seemed to make the room around him come alive. The gold patterns seemed to glow like Sandy's dreamsand. It was a magical instrument that could replicate the sounds of other instruments that weren't present.

The five Guardians stood frozen as he played, and their jaws dropped as he began to sing. It was a song that they all knew, at least once on their rounds they had heard it. Sometimes it was playing on a radio in a shop that Jack went past, other times it was played at North's workshop were most of them had heard it from.

It was a truly beautiful song, one with such deep meaning. Viva La Vida, by a band called 'Coldplay'.

Pitch's voice was like silk and matched perfectly to the original singer. They all stood there entranced as he performed for the empty space around him.

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listened as the crowd would sing
Now the old king is dead long live the king
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you'd gone there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

It was a wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Oh oh oh oh ohh oh
Oh oh oh oh ohh oh
Oh oh oh oh ohh oh
Oh oh oh oh ohh oh
Oh oh oh oh ohh oh

Hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

The Guardians were completely shocked, it was if their jaws had completely dislocated and dropped as far as they would go. Pitch carefully put the violin on his lap and raised his hand to his face. At first the Guardians didn't know what he was doing, but then they heard a sob and saw him wipe away a few stray tears. He dropped his hand back to his lap and just sat there in silence. His eyes glassed over with moisture and slowly, more tears fell, but he did nothing to wipe away those tears. He just sighed to himself and looked up.

The Guardians hearts froze in fear as he looked straight at them, deep into their eyes and souls. They thought he was going to get angry and lunge at them in attack, but his gold and silver eclipse eyes held no malice, not even shock or anger. He just stared at them, not feeling any emotion.

Pitch was the one to break eye contact first, he gently picked up the beautiful violin and placed it back inside the case along with the bow. He took one last loving look at it then closed and locked the case. He picked it up and stood quietly then walked over to the archway were the Guardians stood. He stopped only to address them without any emotion in his voice at all. His voice barely above a whisper.

"I wish to be left alone at this point." And he walked off without glancing at them again, cradling the leather case to his chest like it was the most precious thing in the world.

They could have attacked him, it would have been the perfect time, his back was turned, and he was unarmed and unguarded. But the five of them just stood there, watching him walk away down the corridor. None of them had the heart to hurt him. They just couldn't. So one by one they turned and left his lair in peace.

Pitch continued to walk aimlessly around his lair for days after, just letting his feet carry him were they pleased. Although, on some occasions, every few days, if he listened closely he could hear the sounds of other instruments being played by the entrance of his lair. It was the guardians, asking him to come and play his violin with them.

They had given up on fighting him. They just wanted to help him now.

And eventually, he came to join them, violin in hand.

And together they let the sounds of music heal the wounds of the past.