It's been three weeks since Pitch's life became bizzare. Firstly, whenever he entered the village of Burgessön, Jack Overland became his little shadow. It was like that kid had a homing beacon on him that only he could see. No matter where Pitch entered the village, he always ran into Jack at some point.
As much as Pitch disliked Jack's fearlessness...he did start to enjoy his company. It was a little nice to know that while he was invisible and inaudible to everyone else in the world, there was one tiny boy in a remote village that was always happy to see him. And it was oh so satisfying to know that he had his grips on one of the guardians believers as well. Since the boy loved being around him so much, perhaps he'd twist his views on the guardians; tell him little lies and false stories about the greedy spirits locked away in their tropical palaces and arctic fortresses.
He had gotten so used to the boy, he didn't even mind listening to the child's constant talking and jabbering. Pitch had gotten quite adept at tuning him out. In fact, in the times where he was deep in though, the background noise of Jack's chattering helped him to focus more on his own thoughts; as strange as it was.
Today, however, Jack was at the farm, taking care of the sheep. This gave Pitch time to reflect on what he had been doing for the past three weeks on his own time. Though Pitch never stopped travelling through the shadows to spread whatever fear he could all over the world, it took a lot of time to collect the fear himself. In the Dark Ages, before his fall, he had hundreds of little shadowmen and fearlings to do his dirty work for him. Thankfully, because he can teleport through the shadows at will, it didn't take as long as it could've. Still, no matter where he went in the world or how long he stayed in a particular area, he never forgot about the colonial village of Burgessön.
Not because of Jack...he could care less about him...to an extent. No, he always came back because he was still searching for the person (or persons) who cast that spell on the village.
Who was it? This was driving him insane! Pitch grew quite upset about this. He began to think that this village would be an easy place to collect fear, since the main entrance to his hidden palace was just a few miles away...but then THIS had to happen!
He's searched every house and studied every person and still he could not find the culprit. Pitch hated this! He always AVOIDED white witches, not go out of his way to look for them! So he was having an extremely hard time of trying to find one.
Pitch growled, folding his arms and leaning against the wall of the public records building, the light of the setting sun casting a pleasant shadow over him.
Maybe the witch or wizard wasn't in the village anymore. Maybe they were just passing through; they liked the village for some strange reason then decided to cast the protection spell on it. If that was the case then Pitch's searching was all for nothing! Said person could be anywhere in the world by now and it could take Pitch decades, maybe even centuries, to search for them. And what if they died during his searches, what then?! The spell would end, sure, but then Pitch would never learn how it was cast and how to reverse it should it ever appear in another village or city in the world!
A harsh growl left Pitch's lips. Curse it all...if he had the same power he had in the Dark Ages and before, this would never have been a problem! Whatever spell was protecting the town, he could've easily broken it by sheer will alone! Damn the the moon and damn the guardians for taking that away and destroying his influence. Left so weak and helpless...he hated them so damn much!
"Pitch...is everything okay?"
Pitch snapped his attention to the side. His little shadow had returned and apparently had seen the enraged look on Pitch's face. He glared down at the child, his the yellow in his eyes growing more pronounced in his anger.
"It's none of your concern, boy!" He barked at Jack. "Run along...I don't have time for you today!"
The 13 year old's smile fell and he looked down at his feet, twisting his crook in his hand. He didn't know why Pitch was so upset all the time. All he tried to do was be his friend. And he still wanted to! He didn't like seeing people troubled or sad or angry. He just wanted everyone to be happy.
Looking up, he saw that Pitch went back to his brooding, leaning against the wooden wall, deep in thought. Jack little out a little sigh and walked up to the wall as well, leaning against it right next to Pitch. For a little while, Jack just stayed there, quiet and pouty. Pitch was...more or less doing the same thing: quietly thinking and brooding about his problem.
A few more moments of silence passed...then came a tug at Pitch's sleeve. "What is it boy?" He growled but not looking at him.
"Maybe if you told me what's wrong, I can help you out?"
Pitch rolled his eyes. His only believer was so naïve and young, he didn't expect him to understand anything about magic or witches, or the spirit and magical worlds. It's the very reason why he decided to avoid Jack for a while until he solved this problem. He didn't want the boy to be a distraction and hinder him even further. It's bad enough Jack always wants to walk around with him in the town and around his home-
Then, Pitch's face suddenly went slack with shock.
Jack. He was avoiding Jack. And because he was avoiding him, he never looked at his family. He never looked inside of Jack's home or even BEEN inside of his home ever since that very first night Jack saw him!
It made sense. Jack's family lived in a home was not apart of the villages main roads; you had to follow a dirt path AWAY from the village and keep walking till their cottage by the pond came into view. And come to think of it...his mother never seemed to leave their home. He's seen Jack's sister plenty of times but his mother scarcely left their home...like she was passively avoiding the other villagers. And the villagers themselves, now that he thought about it, rarely paid much mind toward Jack. They were even a bit dismissive of the boy and his sister, like they didn't want anything to do with them. Could it be they suspected his mother of being a witch but never came right out and said it?
House in the woods. A mysterious woman whom people rarely see. A child who's fascinated with magic and spirits. It all made sense. It had to be her. It had to be Jack's mother. It was either that or his previous theory of a passing witch. But it made more sense for a white witch to cast a spell on her own village to protect it...
"Pitch...?" Pitch snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at young Jack. Did he know anything about his mother being a witch? He probably didn't. In this day and age, thanks to his work in the Middle Ages, uttering the word "Witch" sent people into a small fits of paranoia. Good or Bad, he wouldn't put it past a witch placing a memory spell on her children to make them forget anything magical they saw. Either that or she never told him and his sister about anything.
Pitch took a breath before looking down at Jack, shaking his head. "No-Yes! Yes...everything's alright, Jack…" He got up from his position on the wall and smiled down at the boy; placing a gentle hand on the top of his head. Jack's smile returned in full at the gesture. It was so easy to manipulate him, it was almost wasn't fun anymore for Pitch.
"Jack...what time does your family usually go to sleep?"
Jack thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Well...mom usually puts Mary to bed an hour after the sun sets. I help her finish any chores that are left then both me and her to go bed. Why do you ask?"
Pitch thought quickly of the perfect lie to tell him then spoke.
"Heh heh...you've been a good boy, Jack. So I'm going to make sure you don't get any bad dreams tonight. You and your family. And maybe I'll get the Sandman to give you a special gift..."
"Really?!" Jack's smile grew wider and Pitch smiled back at him, his fingers moving to lift Jack's chin a bit more. "Yes, really…"
Jack bounced on his feet for a moment before moving forward to hug Pitch. Though it was only momentary, as usual whenever Jack touched him, that heavy feeling in his chest came back and went away just as fast when Jack released him.
"You're the best, Pitch! I'm gonna get my chores down real fast so I can go to bed early, okay?"
Pitch chuckled down at the boy, placing his hands behind his back. "You do that...now run along, go about your day…"
"Kay! Bye, Pitch!" With that, Jack made another cute little bounce before running off to finish whatever chores he had. He waited till Jack was out of sight...before his smile grew devious and conniving. If the boy's mother was indeed the witch who cast a spell on the town...he was about to have a very pleasant evening. And if all went well, no one else this town would ever have one ever again…
[Later that Night]
He moved swiftly through the shadows of the night, a demonic smile on his face. It was a new moon out in this part of the world. MiM's light couldn't reach the village or anywhere else in the colonies for that matter. It was perfect; things were finally starting to look up for the nightmare king.
He emerged from a shadow directly by the bedroom window of Jack and his little sister. He made a quick peek inside. The lights were out. Jack and his little sister were fast asleep in their own beds. This time Jack had the old blanket his sister once had and his sister had a blanket that looked like it had been recently quilted.
'This is just too easy...' Pitch thought to himself, slipping through the outsides in order to reappear inside their room. Pitch looked at the sleeping children. So small and defenseless...maybe just one little nightmare. He leaned down to touch Mary's forehead…
He stopped himself, however. No, he had to wait. Instant gratification could wait. He'll find what he needed to first, reverse the spell on the town...then unleash a mental hell like no ones ever seen…
He started with their bedroom, looking around for anything that seemed unnaturally bright or any old books that didn't look like they belonged to children or even old arcane symbols chalked on the walls. No such luck in here; so he moved onto the next room.
Their cottage was small so there weren't a lot of places to look: two bedrooms, a living space and a kitchen plus the tiny storage shed out back. That was about it.
Pitch moved onto searching the kitchen after searching the small hallways then onto the living space. He didn't see anything strange here nor did he sense anything. He was growing concerned. Maybe his original theory was correct...perhaps the witch in question was just some passerbyer who liked the village. Oh gods, if the witch was going town to town casting this spell, Pitch was going to get very upset in the near future!
A floorboard caught Pitch's attention as it made an unusual sound under his foot when he stepped on it. Curious, Pitch stepped on it again...the floorboard didn't sound like the regular squeak of wood planks under foot. He sounded...hollow? He kneeled down to make a closer inspection. A few of the boards looked...too small and were of a lighter color than the rest of the wooden house. They were halfway under the bookshelf so Pitch didn't get a total look at them...still...he had his suspicions.
After a quick look around he moved the bookshelf over and out of it's original place. There, connected to the wall and the small floorboards: metal hinges! There was a secret storage area underneath the living space floor! Oh it was so obvious, why didn't Pitch think of it before?
"Well no matter", Pitch chuckled at himself, "At least I've found what I'm looking for…" He began to slowly lift the cover of the hatch. And there it was: a spell book! A big one at that! The book was so large that as Pitch picked it up and began flipping through the pages, the bottom of the book pressed against his bicep and he barely managed to get his fingers around the top rim. The book was very old; Pitch could tell by the dinginess of the paper and the frayed edges. Whomever owned this book, whether it be Jack's mother or whomever gave it to her, obviously used it quite a bit. There were little ink notes in the margin of the pages, handwritten passages and symbols.
Pitch took a look at the front cover of the book. Jack's mother treated this spell book like most humans treated family Bibles: she had recorded the names of everyone in their family as well as all dates involving births, marriages and deaths. He took a good look at them. The surname of Jack and his sister were written there: 'Overland'. However, he raised a brow at the surname of Jack's mother.
"Salmhofer…?" * Pitch spoke aloud the name. The boy was born here in the colonies but his mother's surname was distinctly European. Very curious indeed. Pitch moved his hand to flip through another page of the book when…
"Put. It. Down…"
Something cold, hard and made of metal suddenly pressed against the back of his head. For the first time in a very, very long time...Pitch was frozen with shock. That wasn't Jack's voice. It certainly wasn't his 7 year old sisters voice...this was an ADULTS voice! An adult...his mother?!
Pitch slowly looked over his shoulder to look at the woman who had threatened him. In the darkness, he could see she had pale cream skin, shoulder length brown hair...and one of the most piercing pale green eyes he's ever seen. She was wearing a simple white nightgown that reached just above her ankles and a light brown knee length coat over her shoulders. In her hands was a flintlock pistol that had arcane symbols carved into the wood and silver handle. Most likely enchanted with white magic.
"...The Witch of Burgessön, I presume…" Slowly, Pitch stood up from his position on the floor to face her. He was a head taller than her but still she stood proud and fearless, now pressing the gun just under his chin as she snatched the book away from him. He was nervous about the enchanted gun but his face was stoic and stoney; not an ounce of emotion coming from him.
She glared at him, her steely green eyes staring into his impassive silvery-gold ones. Finally, after moments of their little staring game had passed, she nodded toward the door. She wanted him to leave. Calmly, he turned toward the door and began to walk out, Jack's mother following behind him.
Outside, Pitch continued to walk further and further toward the forest until Jack's mother told him to stop.
There they were...a Nightmare King and an apparent White Witch, starring each other down in the dark of the woods, as if some epic battle from a fairy tale were about to occur...
"I know you...zee man who feeds off of fear und misery verefer you go…"
She was indeed from Austria [1]. Unlike her children (who most likely picked up their speech pattern due to living in the colonies all their lives), she had a heavy Austrian accent. If Pitch weren't so accustomed to so many different languages, he'd have a hard time understanding her.
Pitch's devious smirk returned. "So...you know who I am…? I'm flattered, my good lady…"
"Safe me your pleasantries. Yes, I know of you. I do not know your name but frankly, I do not care. I do remember your face...you vere zere…"
"Hm? Where? You're going to have to be a bit more specific, I've been a lot of places-"
"Mein vaters [2] death. Ven zee town had him burned...your fear caused zee people of Würzburg to burn mein vater...I vas only 19 at zee time...but I remember your vicked face...smiling viz delight as he screamed...damn you, teufel [3]..."
Pitch chuckled out loud, folding his arms. "Oh, you're father, you say? Well, it's not my fault if people get paranoid around me. I'm just doing my job, after all...how else am I supposed to make a living?"
She scowled at him but Pitch's smile never left his face. He was growing a bit confident. If she had wanted to shoot him, she would've done it by now. "Oh don't give me that look...humans kill each other all the time, thought you would've realized that by now…"
"Perhaps...but zee kind of fear you put into zee vorld is not needed. You und your black magic cause nohsing but misery, voe und bloodshed verefer you go. To vitches und humans alike who only vish to live in peace...at Würzburg...at Salzburg...und efen here, in zee colonies, at Salem...vere you responsible for zhose as vell?"
Pitch let out another amused chuckle as he let a slender grey finger rub at his chin. "Hm...I suppose you do have a point. Though, to be perfectly honest, the people of Salem were already overly paranoid about every little-"
Pitch stopped, his smile fell. He took a good look at Jack's mother. She looked to be around her mid to late 40's. Yet she said she saw him at Würzburg?
"...wait...earlier...you mentioned being 19 at Würzburg...heh...that's quite a tale if I ever did hear one...of course, that's impossible. If that were true, you'd have to be-"
"102 year old…? Trust me...zee people of mein family tend to live fery long lifes…"
His eyes widened with utter surprise. She only looked 40 but was 102 years old?! That wasn't possible! Only beings of the spiritual world, like he and the guardians, and those of great magical blood like the Man in the Moon could live such lengths. The only other explanation was..
"...You...you're a Grand White Witch, aren't you?" His voice bordering a whisper, he watched as it was the woman's turn to smile and chuckle.
"Heh heh heh...close...but no, dämon [4]. Did I scare you, zough?" Pitch growled at her as she began to chuckle and laugh at his reaction. Done with her good laugh, she smirked at Pitch.
"Hahahaha...No, I am not Grand Vhite Vitch. You are sinking of mein mutter [5]. Und in case you are vondering...I vasn't zee one who cast zee spell on zee town...zat vas also mein mutter. Und no, I do not know vhich spell it vas she cast. She nefer told me vhen or vhy she cast it...she just did..."
Pitch's face went stone-like again, though there was the present hint of anger in his eyes, as usual. This woman, Jack's mother...she was so smug and confident in the face of fear. Quite literally. His growls grew more animalistic; the shadows of the night began to move and grow, shadowy beings and black tendrils emerged all around her. But still she remained brave and unmoved; like a great boulder against the shore.
"Tell me where your mother is...or I'll rip you to shreds…" The black tendrils wrapped and whipped around her body; whipping inches away from her necks and arms.
"She is dead…"
"What?!" The illusions faltered for a moment as Pitch took in the information. However, upon calming himself, his anger fueled illusions returned full force. "Don't lie to me, woman! If that were true, the spell would have deactivated upon her death!"
She chuckled, placing her gun on her shoulder. "Do not look at me for answers. She passed avay before efer telling me zee rest of her secrets...I cannot efen read half of zee spells in zis book…heh heh..."
Then suddenly, her amused smile fell away, her mood grew dark as she suddenly raised the gun toward Pitch and pulled the trigger. Her move was so fast, Pitch barely had time to react! The bullet whizzed past his head, grazing his cheek by just a mere half an inch, before hit the tree behind him!
A loud 'CRACK' echoed through the air followed by the loud groan of wood and bark then finally, the boom of the tree hitting the ground; branches cracking and crushed under the force of the impact. The tree had been ripped in half by a single buller of her enchanted gun. Pitch was so startled that his illusion reeled back once more! He turned, looking over his shoulder at the damage. The small tree was torn at the stump, a white glow emitted from the cracked and grooves of the bark of the tree where it was destroyed.
She may not have been a Grand White Witch but it was obvious she was a force to be reckoned with.
"Now is coming zee part vhere I get to ask you a few questions...First: VHY are you haunting mein son?"
Pitch turned back toward the woman, a look of severe confusion on his face. "E-Excuse me-haunting?"
"YES. Haunting. You sink I did not notice? For zee past seferal veeks, youf been plaguing mein sons presence and I vant to know vhy? If you're trying to steal his soul-"
"Steal-?! Ha! Woman you've got it completely backwards! You're son is the one haunting ME! No matter where I go that insufferable child of yours insists on following me around like a bloody shadow! Didn't you ever teach him not to talk to strangers?"
Oh. Now that was a shock to her. And here she thought Pitch was trying to steal her son or curse him. This whole time, Jack's been the one tormenting him? She laughed aloud; Pitch growling again. His illusions did nothing to deter her mocking laughter.
"Hahahahah! The dämon of fear tormented by a little boy! Hahahaha, oh zat is rich! Hm...let me guess: he finds you interesting and vants to be your friend?"
"Unfortunately…"
"Oh, hahahahah! Ha...oh, mein little Jack. Takes after his grandfather, you know. Mutter tried to scare him avay as vell...but well...let just say it backfired…"
She let out a few more amused chuckles before they began to die down...and her fierce glare returned. She lifted her gun and Pitch tensed up, ready to defend himself. Pitch flexed his hand; at a moments notice he was ready to summon his black scythe and cut this woman down if he had to.
The wind howled through the air, the leaves of the trees rustling and shaking…
"...stay avay from mein kinder [6], dämon...I von't let your fear destroy zhem…"
"Why so concerned? With that spell placed on the town, I can't touch anyone with my fear anyway…" Pitch smirked back at her.
Her eyes narrowed at him, clicking the safety off of her gun. "...if you efer harm a single hair on mein boy or girls head...I'll strike you down viz mein bare hands...do you understand me?"
Her voice was low, she spoke slowly and clearly. She wanted to make sure Pitch understood that she was not making a threat but a promise to end his life should he ever lay a hand on Jack and Mary. He scowled at her. Pitch could only do but so much in his current state. His illusions didn't seem to deter her in the slightest. How did he get wrapped up in this?!
His eyes roamed downward from looking into her eyes too looking at the spell-book that was in her hand. He wanted that book. He wanted the magic that inside only for the sake of corrupting it for his own needs. Just thinking of all the terrors and horrors he can inflict on world by corrupt those spells…
Pitch hated this. He hated everything! But as much hatred he had in him...he was a patient man. He could wait...he was an immortal being after all. He had all the time in the world…
"Do you understand me?!" She repeated, scowling at the ebony clad man. Pitch, resenting the tone in her voice, scowled at the woman before uttering a growl, "Perfectly…"
He turned sharply away from the woman, and disappeared back into the shadows. Pitch would get that book one way or another…
Jack's mother glared at the spot where Pitch had left for another moment before before relaxing her pistol arm. She sighed. That was something he hadn't expected to happen that night. And she shot the tree she hung laundry from. Just great…
Still, she felt proud in having confronted the demon whose chaos and fear caused the death of her father...but even after the conversation they just had, she knew better than to let her guard down. He'd be back. Pitch was too tempted by this book and the spells it could hold to not to return for it one day or night. She would have to do something to deter him...and do it tonight…
[Two weeks later...]
Happy laughter and giggles filled the air. The spring breeze wafted by, the smell of pine needles and freshly blooming flowers bring a smile to children's faces.
It was a lovely sunday morning. Jack and Mary had all morning to play and laugh and enjoy themselves as their mother watched on in delight as she hung laundry up. She had just hung up the sheets when her son called her over to look at something he saw in the trees; a little birds nest with little birds he had never seen before. His mother, still smiling sweetly at her children, stood up from her crouched position, and walked away from their home…
Perfect...she was distracted...time to strike…
It had been 2 weeks since Pitch had confronted the "Witch of Burgessön", as he had dubbed her, and had spent most of that time staying to the shadows; watching and waiting. She rarely left the house, only leaving long enough to fetch firewood, pump water from their underground well or pick vegetables from their small vegetable garden.
In that time, he made sure to remain unseen, hoping that she would believe he left the village and, in relation, left her son alone. He smartly avoid Jack as well. No telling if he told his mother about their conversation.
But today, it looked like luck was on his side! She was quite a distance away now, Mary holding one hand while Jack rambled on about something; their heads cranes skyward to look a birds nest.
Pitch smiled, emerging from the shadows behind the house and went right for the front door. He placed a hand on the iron door handle when-
ZZZ~KRRAAAKK!
"GAAH!" Pitch was thrown back from the door and fell flat on his backside. What in the hell was that?! Pitch growled, sitting up and looking down at his hand. There were scorch marks all over it! And then the door: there was an ethereal blue glow around it, though it only lasted a moment before going back to look like a normal wooden door.
"Did you actually sink I vasn't prepared for vhen you returned?"
Pitch snapped his head around and there she was; wearing a simple brown long sleeved dress, brown boots and a cream-white apron. She had a small basket in her arm, filled up with a few picked flowers and herbs. She had such a smug look on her face; Pitch wanted to rip it right off!
"Like I said...I may not be able to read eferysing in zat book...but I know enough to keep a dämon like you at bay…"
Pitch growled, his eyes filled with rage as he stood up. "You…! You detestable cow! You're tricks will only protect you but so much...I'll get that book, sooner or later." He smirked at the thought, baring his shark-like teeth. "...then all hell will break loose…hahahahahah!"
She scowled right back at him, her pale-green eyes cutting into him. "I told you, I vill nefer allow your efil to grow in zis town! I vill protect my son from your efil und influence...you vill not lead him astray…"
Pitch laughed, crossing his arms. "Hahahaha! I don't have to do anything! You're son already follows me around like a lost puppy, no matter how much I try to scare him away! Heh heh...if you ask me the boy seems starved for attention..."
"He has his friends...he is not lonely, for I vill alvays be zere for him…hmph..." She retorted back and began to walk past him toward her home.
"Ah...but that's not the kind of attention he craves...is it? He's seeking something that was taken from him...he needs the attention of a certain kind of adult….doesn't he?"
She stopped walking. Her whole body tensed as Pitch's wicked smile grew even more pronounced. He knew exactly what Jack was missing. He saw it in the boys eyes the very moment he began to smile and hug Pitch against his will. Those were the actions of a child seeking out a certain kind of adult that every little boy wanted in his life..
"...tell me, Witch of Burgessön...where is little Jack's father…?"
That did it. She turned to face Pitch and her face grew dark and even more fearsome than before. He had hit a sore spot. Time to stab at it. He looked Jack's mother up and down. It was obvious his mother had been taking care of them by herself for a long time. There was no sign of a man anywhere in their home from what he remembered (aside from the gun she pulled on him)...and that angered look on her face…
Chuckling, he placed a slender grey finger on his chin, feigning a look of concentration and thought.
"Hm...let's see...did he die? No, perhaps not...you'd have a...sadder look on your face, wouldn't you, if he had died. Oh...wait...he left you! That's it, isn't it? Hahahahah! Oh, I see what happened! He found out you were a witch and couldn't stand the fact that he had laid with a woman like you! And to even leave his own children; his flesh and blood! Hahahahah! Ah, Humans can be such detestable, self-serving creatures, can't they?"
She scowled at, taking a few steps forward. If looks could kill, Pitch's would've been torn to pieces by now; there was such hatred and loathing in her eyes...and Pitch was loving every moment of it! He delighted in causing people agony as much as he did causing them fear; it was so delicious.
Then, reaching into her basket of herbs and plants, she pulled out the same pistol from their first meeting, pointing it right in the middle of Pitch's chest.
"...I am going to kill you, dämon. I am going to tear into your black heart und rip it in half…"
"Promises, promises...I'm starting to think you're bark is worse than your bite, witch…"Pitch smirked, undeterred by her threat.
"Gif me a reason...I dare you...I vill show you how much bite zis vitch has…"
They both went dead silent. Staring each other down, silently daring the other to make a move. Pitch might've been messing with her emotions but he knew better to let his guard down. His hand surged with what power he could gather, ready to summon his scythe at a moments notice. They were waiting for the other to make just the slightest of movement when…
"Hey, mom, I found some Kingsfoil for your collection!" Jack came running back from the woods and toward their little cottage home. His mother's eyes went wide as she glanced over to the right, watching her son come into view. There was panic in her eyes, panic that told Pitch a few things. Namely that it was very likely that Jack was unaware that his mother could see Pitch. And since Jack was so attached to Pitch, seeing his mother holding a gun right to his chest would've been...well...troublesome.
Jack came just a few feet short of their home when he saw the scene before him; his smile replaced with confusion and worry. Pitch was here? At their home? He rarely came to Jack's home. And then his mother; why was she holding a gun on him?! What was going on?
"Jack...go inside zee house vis your sister!"
Jack looked between his mother and Pitch. "Ma…? Pitch? What's going on?"
"A simple misunderstanding, Jack...though your mother is overreacting quite a bit…" Pitch smirked as Jack's mother growled at him.
"Be quiet-you do not talk to him, teufel!" She clicked off the safety of the gun, raising it to Pitch's head. She would later regret that move as it cause Jack to run forward and stand next Pitch.
"Mom, what are you doing?! This is my friend, you can't hurt him!"
His mother tried to hold back her scowl, looking Pitch in the eyes who was now smirking with delight. This was turning out to be quite an amusing and unexpected turn of events. Pitch didn't even have to do anything and here the boy was, running to his "rescue".
His mother let out a vexed sigh. "Jack, liebe [7]...your "friend" here is zee "nightmare man"-"
"I know that!"
She looked down at her son, her eyes now filled with shock and confusion. "Vat? You knew? You knew he vas zee boogieman?! Vhy do you insist on protecting him zen; vhy vould you vant zee boogieman as a friend, Jack!?"
Jack looked down at his feet again. Like most children when they didn't want to tell the truth or didn't know how to explain themselves, they broke eye contact and began fidgeting.
"I-I dunno know...I just like him, that's all. He's been nice to me, he-he helped get over my fear of wolves so I could save the sheep during my first night watch! A-And besides," He now looked up at his mother, his fear now mixing with determination.
"Y-You always told me not to judge a book by its cover! You told me that hatred never solved anything, that the world would be better if people just understood each other. Just because Pitch is scary doesn't mean he's bad!"
"Jack, he is an efil dämon! He should be punish for zee sings he has done!"
She rose her gun to point right between Pitch's eyes. A move she would later regret. An action that would both shock Jack's mother and Pitch, Jack turned quickly on his heels and wrapped his skinny arms around Pitch's waist in a tight hug. "No! Pitch is my friend, he's not evil! He's good!"
Pitch froze. There it was again. That feeling in his chest. That heavy, burning, vice like grip in his chest. What was that?! Why did it always show up when Jack touched him, why does it burn and hurt him so much?
'...he's just...just like...'
Pitch felt his arms slowly relax from their tense position of trying not to touch the boy. They slowly sank down until his left hand was resting on the boys shoulder and the other resting the top of his brown haired head. He was conflicted in the worst way possible. In his mind, he repeated how much he hated and loathed this child and his mother, how much he wanted to tear the boy to bloody shreds and use his fear to have the villagers burn down their home and hang his mother from the nearest tree!
But...his body acted against his minds wishes. It relaxed with the touch. His fingers carefully carting through the boys, surprisingly, soft brown hair and his left hand now moving to rest gently on the child's back, pulling him closer. Pitch didn't know what was wrong with him. To have Jack hug him like this...it felt wrong and right and terrifying and comforting and all sort of strange things he was unaware he was able to feel...he didn't like this...but at the same time...he felt like he needed it…
Meanwhile, Jack's mother looked at the two of them. She saw the conflict and turmoil in Pitch's eyes, the utter disdain and confusion. But the way Jack held so tightly unto him...and the way Pitch held him back...what was she to do? It wasn't like Jack was really protecting Pitch from anything.
Hell, if she wanted to, she could pull the trigger and shot him right between the eyes. She didn't know if it would kill him or not...but the action alone might've traumatizes Jack. If the shot only hurt Pitch, Jack would've grown into resenting his mother for scaring away his friend. If the shot killed Pitch, Jack would be utterly resentful and terrified of his mother, maybe even other witches...he'd become like all those other villagers and people back in Europe who want nothing more to murder every single witch they saw, left and right, regardless of their affiliation...she couldn't do that to her child. Not her little Jackie.
She let out a sigh of defeat, lowering her gun. Jack opened up one eye and looked back at his mother, wondering what she would do next...only to see her tuck her gun away back inside her basket.
"...Ich werde das bereuen [8]...ha...alright Jack...I vill not harm your friend…but he had better not harm you...or else..."
A sweet smile appeared on Jack face as he bounced on his feet, taking both of Pitch's hands into his.
Though she agreed no harm would come to Pitch, that didn't mean she would just forget about his transgressions against her family. She still saw him as a demon, an evil specter, a dark beast that needed to be destroyed from the world. she wanted Pitch dead and she would do her best to make sure she was the one who did it...for now, however, with Jack still being a child, innocent to the evil of the world, she would permit his so called "friendship" with him.
In any case, Pitch wouldn't be able to harm Jack anyway. The spell her mother cast was still in effect, not to mention she would be sure to cast extra protections spells on both her children tonight while they slept.
Meanwhile, as Jack rambled on about how amazing it was that his mother could see Pitch, the Nightmare King looked up from Jack for a moment to make eye contact with Jack's mother. His devilish smirk reappeared. This was most fortuitous! Now only was this naive little boy on his side but he appeared to have his mother wrapped around his little finger. Just one word from the child she was not backing on her promised words to kill him? Ha! What a farce! If it had been Pitch he'd have slaughtered his enemy whether his child was looking on or not! And even then, if the child had talked back well...that would just be another little fearling for him to command…
Though having Jack become even more attached to him would be quite irritating, tormenting his mother with his presence would be very amusing. At least until he got what he wanted: the spell book of a Grande White Witch.
Such secrets he could unlock from that book...secrets that could help rise to power once again. He would be a force to be reckoned with...even the guardians will have no choice but to grovel and sob at his feet...he would destroy everything and everyone…
All he had to do was wait…
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Whew! Another chapter down! First of all, I wanna thank everyone who did for their kind reviews and support in my story! I have to say, this is turning out a bit better than I thought it would!
Alrighty, now I have a few comments I'd like to make for this chapter.
Regarding Jack's mother, I thought I'd make her ethnicity european because, at that time period of america, it was common for people to come from all over Europe to migrate to America in hopes of better life. And, like she said earlier, the Witch Hunts would've led her to want to look for a better more peaceful life in the colonies. Also, you might've noticed that Pitch stated that she was from Austria even though I gave her a distinctly German accent. That's because Germany didn't officially become a country until 1871. The current year for this chapter is 1709; it'll be 160 years or so before Germany becomes a real nation/country.
As for her accent, so you guys won't have to look them all up, I'll put the translations for some of the things she says in German in a short list:
[2] Mein & Vater = "My" & "Father"
[3] Teufel = "Devil"
[4] Dämon = "Demon"
[5] Mutter = "Mother"
[6] Kinder = "Children"
[7] Liebe = "Dear" / "Love"
[8] Ich werde das bereuen = "I'm going to regret this"
Please forgive me if I'm using some of those words incorrectly or if her written German accent seems phony and/or bad. German is not my first language, I gather what info I could on written german accents from websites and online articles about said subjects.
Now, to answer the question of the guest reviewer who got one of the references I made in the previous chapter: No. I'm not a "Brony" or a "Pegasister". I have seen only a handful of My Little Pony episode due to babysitting a younger cousin and it was one of the lines I heard in one episode. I thought it was a kinda funny and kinda cute so I just decided to add it in for laughs.
Today's letters are:
C = D
D = S
Happy reading! :)