After Fear had run from our encounter, Bunny hadn't returned for several days. He returned weary-eyed and droopy-eared, his efforts all in vain. He had furiously traveled across the world through his tunnels, trying to find Fear in his rage. He hadn't succeeded. Fear was nowhere to be found. Tooth sent out any spare baby teeth she could afford to send, and even those few fairies were unable to discover where Fear had vanished to. North attempted to maintain control, but had taken to pacing in front of the globe for hours on end, trying to figure out what move to make next. Jack and Sandy were idle, silently torn between rushing out to look for Fear and remaining at the Pole to support a very upset Tooth.
The Pole had become a silent wasteland, all of us caught up in our own thoughts and plans, unspoken ideas on how to find Fear and prevent his reign.
Pitch approached me on a particularly quiet afternoon, his face downcast, eyes brooding. "I'm going away for a while."
"What? Why?" I asked, hiding the spike of worry that stabbed through my heart.
"I have...someone I must speak with."
"Who?" I couldn't hide the wariness in my voice.
"An old friend. I won't be gone long. And maybe they will be able to help us. You...you have to trust me on this." His honeyed eyes held my gaze, so rich and full of light. I nodded, my throat constricting.
"Be safe." I whispered.
He only looked at me, a sad smile on his face, before he melted away into the shadows.
With Pitch gone, the unending silence became too much for me to bear. I would often fly on those long days when the atmosphere was heavy with tension and concern. The frozen air nipped at my ears and tangled through my hair, but it was impossible to feel the stinging bite of the wind with everything else weighing on my chest.
The sun had stopped rising. Everything was stuck in an eternal night; Fear's dark playground. Not even I could will the sun to peer over the horizon, as if a wall of black nothingness encircled the earth. I didn't dare try, not after I almost destroyed myself. I was useless, and it ate away at me, knowing there was nothing I could do to protect the ones I loved. I remained silent, rarely speaking to the others. No words of support found their way to my lips. I knew I should speak, knew I should try to find a way out of our situation, but my mind was as desolate as my mouth. No ideas rushed through my thoughts, no hopeful plan to escape the helplessness that had befallen us.
They were once great warriors. Protectors. Guardians. They would fight to their dying breath, never giving up. Yet now, when our enemy had fled the scene, there was nothing for us to fight against, nothing to do but stare at the barren battlefield. My faith was useless to us. I couldn't bring the sunlight over the horizon, couldn't show the children that this night was not going to last forever. Sandy could no longer spread his dreams, his dreamsand turning to nightmare sand as soon as it reached the fearful minds of the children. I was restless, angry, yet my power was nothing compared to the energy Fear commanded. My pendant glowed gently against my chest. It had begun to hum over the past few days, a gentle song that soothed me when my frustration threatened to overwhelm me.
I was sitting on the balcony one frozen night, when the humming of my pendant was particularly strong. Jack joined me, staring up at the faintness of the stars, and the absence of the Moon. He draped a soft blanket about my shoulders, and I smiled faintly up at him.
"What are we doing, Dawn?" He sighed, closing his eyes. "We sit here, doing nothing as our time wastes away. We're growing weaker with each passing hour. I know you see it."
I breathed in deeply, fighting the growing turmoil rising up inside me. "I see it more than I wish I could. I'm...we're helpless, Jack. No matter what we do, or where we search...he's impossible to find. How do we fight against an enemy we can't see or touch? I tried so hard...and almost destroyed myself in the process. I can't risk losing you all again. But what more can I do?"
"Sitting here doing nothing is getting us nowhere! I'm going crazy, watching everyone fall apart, slowly losing their strength. We have to find him. We have to fight back! He's winning! We're letting him win while we...Dawn, we have to do something."
"What can we do?!" I cried, my repressed emotions breaking through my barriers. "I see everyone falling apart, but I can't do anything! The only thing I'm good for is helping you keep some semblance of strength. I can't bring faith to the children. Guardian of Faith. Right. I'm a Guardian of nothing; I shouldn't be one at all. I can't stand to see how useless I am, how I can do nothing to protect you, or Sandy, or anyone else. I can't even..." My words fled me, tears streaming down my cheeks. My next statement was nothing more than a whisper. "The children have stopped dreaming."
"What?" Jack asked, eyes widening.
"They...they have nightmares, or don't dream at all. They no longer wish...the stars are fading because the children no longer believe in them. I can't remind them of their hopes. Soon the stars will fade completely, and all their wishes will vanish forever. I can do nothing to stop it. I can't..." My voice trailed off, and I struggled to keep myself from breaking down completely. Jack threw his arms around my shoulders, attempting to soothe me.
"Pitch left a few days ago to find somebody. I'm worried. What if he falls under Fear's control again?"
Jack bit his cheek, sighing. "I don't think he would. He's been quiet, but I don't think he's bad. Even if we've had our disagreements."
I nodded gently, my breath crystallizing in front of me. I turned to Jack, determination crossing my brow. "I'm going to find him."
"Pitch?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Fear. I'm done moping and mourning. I'm going to find him if it's the last thing I do." I launched into the air, not waiting for his response, my wings stretching across the darkened sky. I would find him. I would destroy him. I would protect the Guardians. I would protect the children. And I would find a way to save Pitch.