Disclaimer: I do not own ROTG, it rightfully belongs to DreamWorks. I only own the plot, the locations/ideas I have created, and the OCs, details of whom can be found on my profile.

Links to all the songs/pieces/videos I have mentioned and information on all the OCs are on my profile.

Hey...

Yeah, it's been a while... I know writer's block is a poor excuse, but it's the only one I have, and it's the truth... But it's now the summer holidays, so I'm hoping I can force myself to get over it. No promises though - I still have a lot of work to do, what with panicking over my AS results, UCAS, deciding what Uni to go to, AS/A2 transition homework, figuring out which subject I should drop, driving lessons and studying for my theory test... oh yeah and tidying the tip I call my bedroom. But hey - that's life. And you're probably not all that interested in all that, so swiftly moving on...

I've been thinking - I was looking at the description of the story, and I realised that it focuses on Nocturne, which was great when I first had the idea for this story, which was all about Nocturne, but not so great now as it's about much more than that now. However, I realised that the second half will focus on Nocturne... so, in short, I was thinking of cutting this story in half - finishing this with Pitch's defeat - and renaming this first half. What do you think? UPDATE: I HAVE NOW CHANGED THE TITLE, COVER AND DESCRIPTION.

Thank you to UchiQueen, Kentario, TheShapeshifter100 and DancingShadow82 for following the story; and to TheJokerman95, AlwaysReading42, UchiQueen, Kentario, TheShapeshifter100 and Afire Love for favouriting it. Also, thank you to the following people for reviewing:

fantasyinfinity: I think you'll be relived to hear that this one doesn't end in a cliffhanger ;). As for the Guardians, you're mostly correct - it was just North you got wrong. You'll find out about Sam and the kids in this chapter (as I think you've probably already guessed), and thank you!

Froster: Sorry, no plot twist there - they are all mortal. You're correct about who the Guardians are, but in relation to Sandy, as I believe I've mentioned before, I've never read the books - this story is simply my idea of how things could have begun, inspired only by the RotG movie. Once I've finished these stories, I may read the books, but in the meantime I'm sticking to what's in my head. As for Kristoff... he doesn't come back, and he and North don't combine, I'm afraid. I'm just horribly evil and like killing off characters :D ! Kidding, I don't like killing them off - but I need practice at doing it, as currently I am unable to permanently kill off a major character...

TheShapeshifter100: I'm afraid I don't know who 'Ombric' is - which I guess kind of answers your question...

PART TWO - THE DARK AGES

Chapter 4 - Escaping the Forum

Sam's POV

10,000 BCE

At Pitch's words, the Fearlings leapt forward and attacked the crowd. People screamed, some were trampled by the dark horses, others were engulfed by great clouds of the dark, misty substance the Fearlings were made of.

The crowd surged, everyone moving as one away from the creatures and towards the exits. North, Nocturne, Daniel and I joined them, running to get out of danger.

All around us, people were panicking. I could hear children crying, women screaming, peopling calling out for help. The crowd was packed so tightly together I felt as though I was being crushed.

I gripped Daniel's hand tightly, continuously checking that he still had his sister's hand. He was holding her close to him, protectively, taking his role of older brother very seriously - even though, as Nocturne often reminded him, he was only actually older than her by five minutes.

The pair of them were terrified - and who could blame them? The situation had changed so quickly - one minute they were enjoying the wonders of the Forum Magus, the next, they were witnessing a brutal murder.

North was no longer with us - I could see him searching the stalls for his fellow Forumaturs, his friends. I called out to him, thinking I should help.

He knew what I was thinking. "Go - you have to look after your children! I'll be fine!"

I did as he instructed, and steered my children towards the exit. It was still quite a way away, and the stalls and tents around us were like a labyrinth.

Suddenly, not far from us, a woman at the edge of the crowd screamed. "Help me! Oh, God, someone please help me!" Her scream was cut horribly short.

"It's the horses!" another woman cried.

More screams from the edges of the crowd, and the crowd surged forward again, trying to get away. This time people were jostling and pushing in all directions. I could feel my children being pulled in the opposite direction to me, and tried desperately to keep a hold on Daniel's hand. But his hand was torn from mine.

He called for me, in fear, as the tide of people pulled us apart. "Sam!"

"Daniel! Nocturne!"

I called to them, trying to push through the people to get to them, but it was no use. I could only watch as my children were swept away from me, swept towards the edge of the crowd - towards where people were being killed.

"Daniel! Nocturne!"

I tried desperately to get free of the crowd, but there seemed to be no way out except the way they were carrying me. But right now, that was the one way I didn't want to go.

I heard more screams of people who were dying. I was terrified that I might know one of the voices - that one of the screams would be the voice of one of my children.

A man, noticing my efforts to get away from the crowd grabbed me.

"You're going the wrong way," he said. "Follow the crowd - the way out is that way."

"But my children - we were separated. I have to find them!"

"Look, you'll have no hope of finding them right now. Once we're out of the Forum, then people will calm down and it'll be easier for you to find them. Just go with the crowd for now, or you'll get hurt and you'll be of no use to your children."

I nodded, reluctantly, turning and allowing the crowd to guide me to the exit. Once people were out, they ran to their homes. I stayed, and looked for my children, calling their names.

"Daniel! Nocturne! Where are you?"

But there was no sign of them. They were nowhere to be seen, even when everyone had gone. Which could only mean one thing.

Dead or alive, they were still in the Forum.

Dread and despair washed over me - how could they have survived? Those creatures had been ruthless, killing everyone they came accross. If Nocturne and Daniel were in there, the Fearlings must have found them...

But then again, the pair of them, despite their young age, were very mature and resourceful. They looked after each other, and would do anything to prevent the other being hurt. Not to mention that they were small - they could probably slip through things unnoticed. If anyone could survive, they could.

I couldn't give up - I couldn't let myself believe that they were dead. They couldn't be dead, could they? Surely I'd know... Either way, I had to go in there and find out for myself.

I made my way towards the entrance.

"Sam, what do you think you're doing?!"

I turned in surprise towards the voice. The Man in the Moon was striding after me, looking extremely worried.

"What does it look like?" I replied.

"It looks like you've gone completely and utterly mad. What do you think you're doing? If you go in there you'll be killed!"

"I have to go in, Nocturne and Daniel are in there!"

"What do you mean they're-"

"You knew," I realised. "The vision of the future... You knew this was going to happen, you saw the crowd running from Pitch."

"I saw a crowd running from something. I didn't know where or why it was."

"Then why are you here?" I pointed out. "If you didn't know, then why did you come here?"

"All right!" the Man snapped. "So I knew it was the Forum. So what?"

"'So what'?!" I glared at him in disbelief. "You knew I was going to take the children here! You should have stopped me, so that the children would have been safe!"

"You needed the money, and I thought that you would keep them safe! How was I supposed to know that you'd abandon them and leave them behind at the mercy of those creatures?!"

I opened my mouth to make an angry retort, only to find that I couldn't. I wasn't angry at the Man - I was angry at myself. I knew he was right - I had left them, and if they were dead, it would be my fault. God... What kind of a father was I?

I turned to enter the Forum.

"Sam." The Man's tone had softened.

I ignored him, but he followed and put a hand on my arm. I turned to face him.

"Sam, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I... I'm not angry at you, I'm angry at myself, I just... I... Oh what do you mortals call it...?"

"Took it out on me?" I suggested.

He nodded. "Exactly. I didn't mean what I said."

"Whether you meant it or not, it doesn't matter - it's still true."

"No it's not, Sam... I saw what happened. That was my vision - I saw you get separated. There was nothing you could have done, but I... I assumed you'd somehow find them, I assumed they'd be okay. That's why I'm angry - because I put too much responsibility on your shoulders, and as a result of my mistake, they could well be dead."

I shook my head. "No. They can't be dead - I refuse to accept that possibility."

"Sam-"

"No!" My outburst took him by surprise. "Don't you tell me that they are most probably dead - you don't know them the way I do. If any two kids could survive this, it would be them."

He nodded. "You're right. But what do we do?"

"We go in there after them," I replied. "We find them, we protect them, and we bring them safely home."

The Man nodded. "All right."

Together we crept into the forum. Crouching behind stalls, we made our way slowly through.

The sights we saw made me feel sick. There were mangled and trampled bodies everywhere, covered in a gooey, black, mist-like substance. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't - a part of me still feared that I would find my children among them.

We turned onto another row of stalls, still crouched out of sight, when we heard an all-too familiar voice.

"Excellent," Pitch Black was saying with a cackle. "That will speed up our plans. In the mean time... Is there anyone living left in the Forum?"

We peered cautiously over a table to see that he was conversing with one of his Fearlings. After a pause, he continued.

"A couple of people? Find them. Then bring them to me - I want to try a little experiment."

Suddenly, all the Fearlings leapt into action, prowling in all directions. They seemed to almost be sniffing, as though they were trying to smell prey. We ducked back down, out of sight.

If we didn't move, they'd find us. But I couldn't see any way out, and looking at the Man, I realised he couldn't either.

"What do we do?" I breathed.

He swallowed. "I don't know," he confessed.

"But if we don't move-"

"They'll find us, I know that. But I can't see any way out, unless..." He thought for a moment. "Unless someone distracts them."

"What are you thinking?" I asked, because he was thinking something - he was planning something.

He turned to me. "Find the children. Take them home - I'll meet you there."

"But what-" I started.

The Man leapt out from behind the stall. "Pitch," he called.

The Fearlings stopped in their tracks, all caught by surprise. They hadn't expected the Man in the Moon to be here - and I realised that was his plan. He was distracting them, so that I could get away.

Pitch Black turned to face him. "Well, well, look who we have here. What treachery do you have planned this time, old friend? What trickery?"

"Pitch, stop this," the Man pleaded. "You know this is wrong - it's not too late to turn back."

"Wrong?" Pitch's eyes narrowed. "Who are you to judge what is right and what is wrong - you manipulated me, and would have had me fade away, you would have had me die. You tried to convince me it was the only way."

Pitch, terrifying people, killing them, it is wrong, you-"

"You're still doing it, even now!" Pitch interrupted. "Trying to talk me into lying down and dying. I trusted you, called you a friend. Yet you betray me. You want me to die."

The Man shook his head. "No, Pitch, I never-"

"Don't lie!" Pitch's voice rose to a shout, a cry of anger.

"I'm not, Pitch, my friend, I would never-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut abruptly short when Pitch, with a yell, unleashed a wave of the substance the Fearlings were made up of. The wave crashed into the Man, sending him flying into the stall I was still hiding behind.

I made to help him, but he seemed to sense I was there.

"Sam, go, find the children," he hissed at me as he stood. "I'm fine!"

"What was that?" Pitch demanded. "What did you say?"

"I was merely muttering curses," the Man lied.

I edged away, darting behind the various stalls. The Man still seemed to be trying to persuade Pitch to stop the killing, but even I could see the man was beyond that. Somehow, I knew their conversation would soon become a full-on fight, and I did not want to be here when that happened. I knew of some of the things the Man was capable of - and I had witnessed what Pitch was capable of. Being here when the fight broke out between them would end badly for me. And I needed to find the children.

After a while, I gave up hiding - it had got to the point where I had not encountered any Fearlings for a while, and I had realised that the children were also probably hiding - meaning that, if I hid as well, it was likely we'd miss each other.

I walked swiftly through the Forum, slowing and being more cautious at corners, but still there was no sign of them.

I was considering calling their names, when I heard the cry of a Fearling from nearby.

I turned to see one charging at me, so fast I didn't have time to get out of the way-

But then it charged straight past me.

I frowned, turning to watch after the creature. Why hadn't it killed me, like it undoubtedly had everyone else it came across?

Something wasn't right here, and so I made my decision. I jogged after it.

I lost it quickly, but by that point I had already guessed where it was headed. The square - the centre of the Forum Magus.

I turned several more corners, until I finally emerged into the square, next to the weapons stall that had been Kristoff North's.

I looked around, and instantly spotted the Fearling I had been following.

My blood ran cold. It had its back to me, and had cornered a young boy with dark hair, who was attempting to hold up a heavy scythe from a nearby farming stall to defend himself.

Daniel.

Without pausing to think, I reached and grabbed a sword from the weapons stall. I ran at the Fearling, giving an angered yell. It turned in time to see me slash the sword through its middle, cutting it clean in half.

"Not my son." I growled, watching as the creature lost its shape, collapsing in on itself into a pile of black goo. That was a relief - I had half expected the creature to just knit itself back together again.

I turned to Daniel, dropping the sword with a clatter, fell to my knees so that I was level with him, placed my hands on his shoulders and checked him over. He looked unharmed.

"Are you all right?" I asked him.

He nodded. "I'm okay."

I pulled him into a tight, relieved hug.

"But I lost Nocturne, she could be in danger..."

I let go, to look him in the eye. "It's okay - we'll find her. Everything will be all right. I promise."

He nodded. "I lost her in the crowd - same way we lost you. I heard her thoughts though... she came here to get a weapon to defend herself, but by the time I got here, she had gone."

"That's when the Fearling found you," I guessed.

"Yeah..." He looked troubled. "I can still hear her thoughts, but they're too jumbled - I don't know what's happening, where she is, if she's okay-" He was speaking faster and faster, getting more and more panicked.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. We will find her, everything will be-"

I cut off at the sound of a terrified scream. My heart felt as though it had stopped.

"Nocturne!" Daniel and I cried in unison.

Fear for my child raged through me as I grabbed up the sword and ran in the direction of the scream, pulling Daniel - who had picked up the scythe - along with me.

We quickly found her, trembling and sobbing hysterically, but otherwise unharmed.

"Nocturne!" Daniel ran to her. "What's wrong?"

She turned at the sound of his voice. "Danny?!" At the sight of him, she practically flew at him, wrapping him in a tight hug. "You're okay!" She was still trembling, violently, but her sobs were beginning to subside.

He seemed a little surprised at her extreme behaviour, but he hugged her back. "Course I'm okay - I had to find and look after my little sister," he teased.

"You're only older than me by five minutes," Nocturne sniffed, automatically. She hugged him even tighter. "Oh God... I thought... I mean it looked so much like... I thought it was... I thought you were-"

Daniel hugged her more tightly back. "It's okay. I'm here, it wasn't me."

His sudden apparent understanding of the situation was due to the telepathic link the Man had mentioned, I guessed. However, I was still very much in the dark about what had distressed Nocturne. I approached them and was about to make an attempt at comforting her myself, when I saw what must have been the cause.

There was a body, mangled beyond recognition, of a young boy with dark hair, pale skin and dark clothing. I instantly understood - if I hadn't known better, I would have thought what Nocturne most certainly had. I would have mistaken it for Daniel.

I crouched down next to the pair of them. "Nocturne?"

They parted, and I checked her over, the same way I had checked Daniel only a few moments before, before pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thank God you're both all right..." I breathed. "I'm so sorry... I'm sorry I let you get separated from me... It won't happen again... I promise..."

Nocturne pulled away. "It wasn't your fault, Sam. There was nothing you could have done."

Daniel suddenly gripped my arm. I turned to look at him, to see that he looked terrified, his gaze fixed on something behind me.

"Sam..." he murmured, fearfully.

I followed his gaze, to see a mass of Fearlings preparing to attack. They must have been attracted by Nocturne's scream, I realised.

I stood, turning to face them, drawing my sword. This broke Daniel from his paralysis, and he raised the scythe as high as he could. Nocturne picked up a knife that must have come from Kristoff North's weapons stall.

I stepped forward. "Stay behind me," I told the children.

I held the sword ready, realising, with relief, that I had managed to pick up one that was balanced.

The Fearlings charged, but I stood my ground. It had been a long time since I had handled a sword, but I still remembered how to fight. Soon I was in a swift, never-ending dance of slashes and blows, not allowing even one to get past me and to my children.

After what seemed like an eternity, there were none left. But I knew that more might come, and so we had to get out, quickly.

I turned to Daniel and Nocturne, who were stood close to each other, wide-eyed with shock.

"Come on," I said, gently but with urgency. "We need get out of here."

They followed, meekly, as I swiftly lead the way out of the Forum. I avoided the place where I had last seen Pitch and the Man, and we saw no more Fearlings.

We made it through the gates. The streets were deserted, but, despite my disdain for the village, they felt safe.

I stopped, falling to my knees and wrapping my two children in a relieved hug. We had made it - we were safe.

We remained like that for a while. Eventually I gently pulled myself away from them, giving them a small smile.

"Come on," I told them. "Let's go home."

So, no cliffy today...

Unless you include the fact that you don't know what happened to the Man...

Mwa ha ha!

So, review! Tell me what you think, what you think will happen next, what you think happens to the Man ect ect...

Till next time!

MS