Olivia's head throbbed, but a hand held it in its grasp. Cold pressed in between her head and the hand, like the cheese on a grilled cheese sandwich. The High General opened her eyes, only to find that it was not pleasant to do so, so she left them shut.

"Ah, are we awake now?" a familiar, mocking, British voice asked.

Olivia tried to answer "Yes," but it came out as a scratchy, incoherent syllable, so she cleared her throat to try again. "Yes."

"You hit your head on a rock."

"Of course I did."

"You feelin' alright there?" A new voice cut in.

Olivia attempted at opening her eyes, succeeding by forcing her uncorrelated eyelids to widen. One quick glance around informed her that Ana and Jack were clustered to her right and that Pitch was behind her head, cradling her bleeding noggin. A river of blood gushed onto everything around her: her hair, the ground, Pitch's hand.

"Well, I always wanted red hair when I was younger. Oh, and by the way, Ana you can have your Queenship back. I'm more of a High General sort of person, to tell you the truth."

"Uh, thanks, Olivia, but we need to get back to Sparkletopia as soon as we can. War could escalate any minute now," Ana said, corncern filling her eyes.

Jack pointed out, "It could take weeks to get back on foot, and I can't carry everyone."

"We need our horses back," Olivia concluded.

"Leave that to me," Pitch said, disappearing into the shadows.

Jack dragged himself over to take Pitch's place. "Well, he seems to like you. When you were asleep, he didn't let us touch you."

"It's because I'm nice to him," Olivia told him, but fell into silence, even as the Winter Sprite looked to her for further explanation.

"He probably didn't want us to hurt her more or something," Ana guessed.

"Or he needs me to help him get back his powers," Olivia countered. With a exhale, she leaned back.

"Sooo... what was your journey like?" Jack broached.

"Emotional, but fun, actually," Olivia grinned. "I have changed a bit. More aware of others' pain."

"Really? That's nice."

"How are the others? Did you guys do anything interesting without me?"

"Oh, yeah, tons of stuff. Jamie and I were Ana's doctors, Ana and Bunnymund painted and stuff, and North showed the kids all this weaponry."

"Don't forget Cupcake riding the unicorn after you and Pitch. She claimed that you were kidnapped by the Boogeyman," Ana added.

Olivia laughed.

"I don't have to. She would probably jump off a cliff if I asked her to," Pitch claimed, returning on a nightmare. Thunder, Sir Creampuff, Breeze, and their various supplies were in a caravan behind him.

"Only if you or Jack caught me," Olivia amended. "But, then again, I might not."

Pitch dismounted his huffing beast and returned to Olivia, swatting the air in a motion signalling Jack to move. The Guardian lifted himself over about a foot, keeping close while Pitch accessed the High General's wound. After a few moments, he stood up to acquire something from Thunder's pack. It was a piece of black clothing- Olivia's black leggings. Pitch conjured a nightmare sand knife and used the newly created weapon to shred the cloth into thick strips. With these, he wrapped Olivia's head to stanch the flow of blood.

"This is weird," Olivia muttered.

"Better weird than dead," Pitch grumbled.

"Thank you," Olivia said, and then noted, "This is the third time you've saved me or been concerned about my health."

"Well," Pitch laughed coldly, "You seem to enjoy being rescued."

"I was just thanking you," she rolled her eyes. "And I am not a damsel in distress! YOU teleported us here, anyways!"

"Oh, so this is my fault?"

"No! It was an accident! Just don't call me a-" a shudder passed through her. "- girly girl!"

"Aw, so you love me? Your prince in shining armor?"

"How about a pain in the 'a' word!"

The Nightmare King threw back his head and barked out a laugh. "Olivia is in love!"

"Ugh! Stop bullying me, Pitch!"

"You should stop flirting with me!"

"Wait..."

"What? Going to-"

"You! Like! ME!"

Pitch stared at her.

Olivia's sly smirk grew on her face, and she raised her eyebrows in a repetative motion.

Ana and Jack, over the whole conversation, had watched back and forth at who spoke, but now shifted their vision between both Pitch and Olivia, not wanting to miss who struck first.

"What? What are you talking about?" Pitch spat. "Are you out of your mind? How hard did you hit your head?!"

"Scared?"

Pitch's mouth hung agape, before his expression transformed into disgust. "What sort of- How can you assu- Where did you acquire such a- Are you out of your mind!?"

"You lerrrrrrrrrve me!" Olivia crowed. "Pitchy Poo lerves me!"

Pitch sat there, standing the taunting.

"Do... you really...?" Jack trailed off, only to have Pitch ignore him.

Olivia studied the Boogeyman, who looked a little sad. "You okay? I mean, if you... Uh, I made a wild guess, since you kind of have a heart of steel... and you were freakishly nice to me, all considering..."

"I-I do love you, I do... but I have no room for weakness."

"A weakness is simply a strength you have no use for. Yet."

"Who's quote is THAT?"

"Mine."

There was silence to follow afterward. Pitch continued to fiddle with the makeshift bandages, Jack looked on mischeviously in wonder, and Ana looked at Jack, demanding answers to her unspoken questions through her eyes. Olivia retreated within her own mind, sifting through her evidence: saving her on the cliff, now, considering letting her go when they reached the Darklands, not killing her over the course of the journey, showing, just barely, concern for her... it all demonstrated some sort of correlation. Pitch had even admitted it a few seconds ago! Olivia suspected that the Nightmare King, over all of these centuries, still missed his daughter and the sensation of being loved. So, when she had shown up, and later promised to help him sort out his life problems, the Boogeyman had latched on to any kind of compassion sent his way. Being alone all that time had deprived him of these emotions, like a dry sponge, and when it came to him, he absorbed it.

Olivia then did something she would have previously considered an act of treason against goodness itself- the High General reached out and took Pitch's hand. Locking her fingers in his, she closed her eyes. Fingers stroked her hair.

Ana and Jack gazed on in wonder and shock. This. Was. Not. Possible!

Pitch permitted a minuscule smile to tweak his face, but it faultered as he thought on. He was afraid. Sort of. Maybe a great deal. Should he shut out his feelings and not hurt anyone? Olivia didn't seem to think so. Here he was, holding her hand that she offered. Should he allow himself to care about her? There were so many questions and not an answer to a single one.

"Do you love me?" Pitch whispered.

"I care about your happiness, so what do you think?"

"Does that mean you want me to love you too?"

"You are allowed your freedom. I want you to be free. No Fearlings or nightmares in your head, no burdens of hatred and rage."

"What is love?"

"It has many forms, but it's all the same- when you care for someone enough that you want them above all else, yet would do anything to make them happy."

"How can I trust myself? How can I know love from hate? Good from bad?"

"Hate is a tool developed by humans to distance themselves from each other. When you hate, you disassociate yourself with a person or an object, usually because of what they do."

Pitch scooped Olivia up after signalling to Jack and Ana to mount their rides- Jack taking Breeze, and Ana taking Sir Creampuff (who found himself glad to have the queen instead of Sir Grumpypants!). Pitch hoisted Olivia onto his nightmare, leaving Thunder rider-less.

"I see," he said, mounting. "Now, rest."

The Nightmare King sped off, leaving Ana and Jack to keep his outrageous pace. Barren landscapes- rocky soil, scraggly trees, strewn boulders- all blurred by in the wild speed of Pitch's race across the Darklands. The Boogeyman grinned in the ecstasy of the wind parting in his wake and moving at a breakneck pace. He could outrun his problems, if he wanted. The edge of the Untamed Forest lurked ahead of them. As it closed in, the Nightmare King decreased his speed, until he stopped altogether at the verge. Ana and Jack caught up with the exhilarated pair in several minutes. Pitch had dismounted, lifted Olivia down, and was now transferring the High General to Thunder. His powers would diminsh the second he set foot over the Darklands's boarder. Climbing up behind her, Pitch set off again, leading the cluster along without so much as a word.

Jack shot Ana a look as they thundered along that meant, 'is he acting strangely or what?' Ana flicked her eyes open in response. The journey through the woods died down to a brisk, purposeful trot, but kept its drivenness. Night fell as the quartet emerged into the open air before the edge of the mountain pass.

"We can stop now," Pitch said.

"You sure?" Jack challenged, sarcastically. "You're determined to get to Sugaria in less than two days."

Pitch ignored the Winter Spirit and attempted to carry Olivia over to a peaceful spot. However, the High General waved him away and stumbled off Thunder. The girl walked towards the supplies, took her sleeping bag, and wandered over to a comfortable spot to settle down into sleep. Ana recieved Pitch's unused hammock, as they had left their sleeping goods with the knights in an attempt to make haste. Jack and Pitch kept a vigil over their two human friends.


Olivia woke up. She had been jarred from sleep by the bouncing underneath her. Was the mountain errupting, again? A hand held her shoulder as the High General shook. It was not the ground beneath her moving, but the nightmare of Pitch. No one had bothered to wake her and instead took off with her still asleep.

The High General rolled her eyes. All of a sudden, Pitch was playing the role of the overprotective father or the knight in shining armor. Typical.

"Good morning," he greeted her.

"Hi," Olivia reciprocated. "Can I drive?"

"... I'm sure you can."

"May I?"

"No. I have it under control." He laughed. "Never fear."

"Uh huh. Suuuuuuuurrrrrrrre. Yeah. You got this."

"We are crossing over the mountains as we speak."

"Where are the others?"

Pitch remained quiet for a moment, before he inhaled, muttering, "Oh, somewhere behind us. That Frost boy must be slowing them down. Solidifying water particles and such... slowing them down."

Giving a laugh, Olivia facepalmed herself. "Is it sad that I find that funny? That I actually get the joke?"

"Maybe," Pitch responded, petting Olivia's hair. "It wasn't a joke though."

"Just askin', but why are you stroking my hair?"

"Oh, sorry." The Nightmare King's fingers curled back, an awkward look across his face.

"It's okay, I just asked. You know, most people don't randomly stroke people!"

Pitch gave a moment of blank staring. He dislodged the distractions from his mind by shaking his head and waving his hand. "Of course. My apologies."

"If it makes you feel less stressed or whatever, go ahead, but you know, it's just a bit awkward."

Pitch gave a Olivia a probing look intermixed with confusion. "Why?"

"I don't know, you're the one stro-"

"No, why do you care about me?"

Olivia pondered in silence. "Do you want to be condemned to wander the Earth alone and unseen, spreading fear and nightmares everywhere only to lose to the Guardians all the time? I mean, what could you have done to deserve this? Fight the Dream Pirates and Fearlings to keep them from doing wrong? How is that fair?"

"Life isn't fair."

"It should be, and can be. I fight for it to be in any way I can."

Pitch smirked in amusement. "Don't waste your time! Who cares if others suffer? Their lives aren't worth your time."

"You are. How is that any different?"

Pitch howled in laughter. "Me?! I have what I need- power!"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "How dense are you? There is actually power in everything. Anything has the capacity to do amazing things! You're just too blind to see it! You're even too blind to see your own powers!"

Pitch mouthed 'My own powers...?' with a face of confusion. The Boogeyman glared at Olivia. "Are you suggesting I have possessed my abilities this WHOLE TIME?!"

Olivia scowled. "No. I mean you can't see out of your own darkness and at your own... whatever. I'm not really sure what you have. I just sort of hit an abyss when I try explain the worth of people to you. But finding your sparkle is not my job, it's yours."

Pitch watched her without much response. Another speech wasted on closed ears.

"But how? How can understand if I don't already, even after you explain it to me over and over again?"

"It will come when you're ready. I promise."

The pair thundered over the mountain in silence.

Ana and Jack caught up with Olivia and Pitch later that night. The Nightmare King was guarding against outsiders while Olivia stared at the night sky. Nightmares encircled the makeshift camp, and Breeze and Jack nearly rammed into one. Olivia bolted up, while Pitch summoned his scythe. Ana yelped and shouted, "It's just us! Don't kill us!"

"Oho! Are you scared?" Pitch taunted, slipping his weapon back into the shadows. Ana's eyes widened, but then they lowered to slits as she stuck out her tongue.

Olivia reached over and punched Pitch. In the gut. Bickering erupted from their mouths.

Ana and the Guardian dismounted, unpacked their rides, and set up for the night. The queen and High General both dreamed of their return.


The ride back to Sparkletopia continued as thus: riding all day, resting by night. After several days journey, the travellers caught sight of the gates. The sunset painted the skies as Pitch, Ana, Jack, and Olivia rode through the streets of Sugaria, now close to deserted.

The equestrians, with the exception of Pitch's nightmare, were housed in the stables. The travellers entered the palace, where they shuffled off to clean up and fling themselves down on a real bed. Olivia recieved the medical treatment she needed, and, afterwards, the High General snuggled into the fluffy, white comforter and fell into a light sleep.

The dawn of the next day was in preparation to show itself once more when Olivia awoke. The girl whirled out of bed and scampered off to Pitch's room. After knocking lightly and being met by silence, she hammered on the door. There was no response, again. Olivia tested the door, which was unlocked. After widening a space enough for her to slip her head through, she spied on the Boogeyman.

Pitch was half asleep, but had been tugged back to full consciousness at the High General's pounding on the door. "What are you doing here?" He demanded the face that appeared.

"I don't know," she replied. "I just thought I should check on you. You know, danger sensors."

The Nightmare King sat up. "Well, they must be skewed. Probably the result of your head injury."

Olivia was silent.

"Are you afraid that something bad is going to happen?"

"No, I had to come check on you. Anything could happen. I'm sure you're a wanted man in the Darklands."

Pitch laughed. "Wanted man? I am Pitch! Besides, Daubt is obviously too naïve to be able to do anything to me."

"He can track you through shadows, I bet. Arrogance can lead to your downfall."

"Well, thank you for your continuous wisdom. Now-" the man rose from the bed and sauntered over to Olivia. "-Why don't we get YOU back to sleep. No running around with a head injury, miss."

The Nightmare King took the girl's shoulder and steered her back to her own room, where she climbed back under the covers and placed the pillows over her head. "Good morning, I suppose. Sweet dreams, Olivia." The door clicked shut, leaving Olivia alone.

"Oh, Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream. Make it the most normal I've ever seen." Olivia sang in a sort of mumble. And while Sandy did not hear her, the Guardian did stop by in a fashionable time and send her to Dreamland. Olivia's dreams were usually very vivid and strange, except this one- it was a dream about Olivia singing.