This was much shorter than I intended but... I really didn't know how to make it longer. Sorry. :P

I don't own Rise Of The Guardians.

She had never, ever left her garden.

The last time she had left it was only because the first guardian had been chosen; that was when she had first and last seen the Sandman. Of course, she knew about North and Tooth and Bunnymund, even about Jack, but she had never considered going out and meeting them. Gaia didn't even know how any of the guardians looked.

In the thousands of years she'd lived, she had always confined herself to the peaceful meadow that had become her home.

Yes, she left on occasion, when balance needed to be restored in some part of the world; a random hail storm in the middle of May, a heat wave in November. Hell, she'd even dealt with businesses trying to cut up trees for new construction space.

But that had been so long ago, years and decades even.

She had not interacted with a species that even resembled humans in a long long time - there was no denying that she preferred to be with her plants and her animals over the primary species that inhabited the planet.

A planet she had helped mold into what it had become. But after what she had seen, what she could only assume was a very vivid nightmare, she couldn't stand by and pretend that everything was alright.

So, she did the one thing she could think of; Gaia went to see the one person who knew how to deal with the Nightmare King. She went to Pitch's worst enemy; the Sandman.

It wasn't as hard to find him as she'd imagined. Although his home wasn't as well known as North's workshop, she knew - felt - where his dream sand touched the earth and so she went there.

Vines sprouted from underneath her and wrapped around her, swallowing her into the earth as she became one with nature. Gaia exited the earth like a flower growing into the desert of dreams that the Guardian inhabited. Her eyes widened at the sight of the magnificent sand castle that stood before her, the place shining bright in all its beauty. Mother Nature walked inside, lifting up her dress as she quickly hurried through the corridors.

There was nothing but the sound of her dress being dragged behind her form. The sand picked up behind her and she had to resist the urge to sneeze a few times. But then she found it, what she assumed was the Sandman's room.

Her lips turned up in a smile as she noticed the sleeping figure, his chest rising and falling at a steady pace. Almost as if he sensed her presence, he twitched slightly before rolling over to his side and continuing with his peaceful slumber. Gaia noticed the small little images that danced above his head before she strolled inside and shut the golden door behind her.

Everything in the castle was made up of the dream sand, everything glowed a vibrant yellow. She could not help but notice that her dress was now covered in the substance, but she did not mind.

Her legs carried her to his bedside. She watched him silently, sitting on a chair beside what appeared to be a fireplace - instead of flames there were nothing more than waves of dust sprouting from the golden firewood.

She waited; waited until she wasn't sure of what was real anymore, waited until the few comforting moments of consciousness slipped away and she was enveloped in darkness. There was no joy in the memories, no happiness she could relive. Her dream were plagued in nightmares, and she could not escape them.

There was only relief as she was jolted awake. A comforting hand surrounded hers as she pried her eyes open and noticed the worried face of the Guardian of Dreams hovering over hers. She winced, the brightness of the small figure hurting her eyes.

As they adjusted to the light, she could see everything and noticed that the sun had gone down. Hours of nightmares rushed into her mind yet she quickly suppressed them.

Sandman created an image above his head, the form of the sleeping woman as she twisted and turned. Gaia wasn't sure if he was exaggerating or not, but the image looked so much like her that she didn't think he was.

"Sanderson." She breathed out, almost in relief. The Guardian continued to look at her in confusion, the figure above his head dissolved into the wind as he continued to stare at her.

Gaia was not surprise when he didn't say anything.

She continued to speak after taking a second to regain her breath, wiping away the beads of sweat she felt on her forehead with the back of her forearm. "I must speak to you, and the other Guardians."

Alarm flashed across the man's warm brown eyes, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. A question sign appeared above his head as he continued to give her his undivided attention; prompting her to continue.

"It is about the Nightmare King." She finished, clenching her fists in an attempt to stay calm. Inside, she felt as scared as she had when she had experienced the first vivid nightmare in her garden; Mother Nature hoped that was not how she appeared.

At the mention of Pitch, Sandy's eyes widened and the sand above his head contorted into the face; his face. Gaia couldn't help but look away, a shudder crawling up her spine as she saw his cruel face of the immortal she recognized so well. The Sandman could only grasp her hand tightly in his as he delivered a silent apology.

Mother Nature's golden eyes looked met his as the turned back to face him. "Can you please take me to see them?"

He nodded silently, another figure appearing above his head. She smiled softly in gratitude, knowing she had done the right thing by coming to him. A candy-cane hovered above his hair and she immediately understood.

They were going to the North Pole.

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