Chap. 2 Broken Past
Dying in the same way twice really stinks. Jack thought. Some part of his brain was dimly telling him, that there was too much water and not enough oxygen. That he was shutting down. That he was dying. Jack didn't pay attention to that part.
Jack briefly wondered how everyone else would react to the news. Hopefully, his death wouldn't be a reason for Arendelle to freeze over again, even if snow was natural at this time of year.
'Hello Jack'Someone spoke in his mind. It sounded familiar. 'Why, don't you recognize me? I would have thought after all these years… Oh, never mind'
Jack had definitely heard that voice somewhere. It sounded just like…
'Bingo. I knew you'd get it someday. You always were the smartest of that group of goody-two shoes'Pitch said.
"Pitch! What do you want?" Jack called out.
'Maybe I want what you have. Maybe I'm tired of hiding under beds, never noticed, never believed in.'
"You had your chance, Pitch, and you blew it! Besides you can't get relief from fear. It doesn't work that way."
'But you're wrong. Fear is the only way to be truly believed in. But that is not my point. The thing I want is not belief, though many think so. I want what I almost had. What I had the chance to take many, many times'
"Pitch, you will never be believed in if you resort to fear! How many times to I have to tell you?" Part of Jack, the part that was wondering when he would die, seeing as Jack had to have been in the water for at least five minutes, was also wondering when he'd become so scholarly. When had he started using words like resort? Or scholarly, for that matter.
'And how many times do I have to tell you before you get it through your head? I am not seeking belief!'Pitch practically screamed inside Jack's head. Jack knew that was probably going to give him a migraine, sooner or later.
"But...but… you said...what?" Jack was so confused; he couldn't even string a sentence together.
'The guardians never told you my history? Shame on them. I used to be the greatest hero of the time, the Golden Age. I was known as Kozmotis Pitchiner, Lord Pitch. I had a loving daughter, a devoted wife. But then, I volunteered to be the guard at the Prison Planet, a planet turned into a giant prison for all the dark beings, fearlings and dream pirates. They kept calling to me, telling me things. And then, I opened the door to the prison.
'They overwhelmed me, consumed me, and Kozmotis Pitchiner was gone. In his place was Pitch Black, size and strength increased a ten-fold. I saw all the things that I could do, all the things that I had missed out on while I was fighting for good. And most of all, I saw the truth. The truth, Jack. The truth of how, no matter what everyone says, good will always succumb to evil eventually. It may not be for a while, but evil, at the end of the day, will win. From then on, I fought many battles, trying to turn all the beautiful, innocent dreams of children into nightmares.
'And I wanted a prince. Not another child to be turned into a fearling for my army, no. A Darkling Prince, matched only by me, The Nightmare King. And I knew just who to take. The Prince, the only child, of Tsar Lunar, and his wife. When I waited in ambush, I thought over my foolproof plan. Everything was right. And then a small boy, the one they called Nightlight stopped me. He plunged a dagger into my chest, and then got trapped there, immobilizing both him and me. Neither of us could move.
'Later, years and years later, I came back. I almost succeeded in making the Nightlight boy a Darkling Prince. Then I had a chance, several chances in fact, to make a girl named Katherine my Darkling Princess. But I failed in my attempts.
'Now, Jack, I have come back a third time, and have succeeded, for once. I have part of what I want, my Darkling Prince. The other part is within my grasp. My Darkling Princess will be coming soon.'
Jack's head was spinning. He had so many questions flying around his head: How...What...Pitch….Who...Darklings...Pitch… He didn't know how to process it all. "Who...Who is the...Darkling Prince?"
'Ah, I knew you'd ask that sooner or later. But, you already know who it is, you certainly knew him before he came to my side.' Pitch laughed.
"What? What do you mean I know him?" Jack was so confused now. "Who is the princess? Is it that girl," Jack thought for a moment, "Katherine?"
'No. My Princess has not yet been crowned. My Prince is going out to convince her this very moment. This is what you have that I want. A princess. Well, a queen really, but that can all be fixed.'
"Wait, I don't have a princess. What are you talking about?" Jack's head was whirling, he was beyond confusion.
'Why, Jack! I thought you were smarter than that! Here, maybe this will refresh your memory.'
With that, black sand swirled around Jack, taking him back to a time he didn't want to remember. That time was just earlier that day.