So yeah, I got a chapter up early. This will probably the last chapter I will be able to update for a while. College starts next week and I really need to focus this semester. In this chapter, there is mention of non-con and a bit of ick from one of the oc's. Also word of warning, this is when the story starts turning dark. Very Dark...
I will make sure to put warnings/triggers up in the chapter description/author notes...
Chapter 4: Guardians of Pitch Black
Summary
The Guardians are no longer protecting children, Death is a son of a bitch, and a new player is introduce onto the field.
Sandy sat in the blue cushion armchair trying to not fall asleep. It was currently past midnight and the sandman felt disappointed that he was not out in the world putting children to sleep with happy dreams. Not that many children needed such dreams nowadays. Most children could not be susceptible to dream sand due to them not having an imaginations or believing in fantasy. Barely any child believed in the sandman anymore, not when modern medicines could put a human to sleep in an instant.
Sandy hated those so much.
The Guardian of Dreams looked to his companions, all of whom were also in the same boat as he was. Sitting on the navy sofa, North and Bunny were quietly discussing things (what, he didn't know nor care) while Tooth was currently caressing the head of a sleeping Jack Frost who was curled up on the loveseat they were sitting on. Sandy shared a tired look with the tooth fairy. She too was disappointed with being here instead of being out in the field gathering teeth. It had been extremely difficult for her because many children were losing their teeth before their time and in accidents. A couple times she had gathered the teeth from dead children who had lost them.
Besides the hush whispers from the Guardians of Hope and Wonder, the only other sound was the tick tock of the tall mahogany grandfather clock that was in the corner of the room. Sandy floated over to a window that showed the nightly sky. The moon, full for the first time in a month, poured beaming light down onto Earth. Sandy stared up at his old friend.
'Manny, did you know what was going to happen? That Pitch was going to be pushed so far that he would do this?'
After leaving the forest outside Burgess, they arrived outside of the Summit. North was still carrying Pitch in his arms when both Mother Nature and Father Time appeared. Mother Nature had taken one look at the group and summoned her helper, Spring, who was following behind.
"I assume that your mission was successful, Death." She said.
Eros stepped in front of the others and began to speak, "Mother Nature. Father Time. We have discovered that Black has drank the Sleeping Beauty elixir. I would like to discuss this in private with you and Death himself. "
From there, Mother Nature had directed North and Sandy to follow Spring to the healing room. Pitch was laid on a bed while colorful sprites flew around at Spring's orders. Sandy wanted to stay, but Mother Nature requested for the Guardians to follow her. They came to the room where the other Guardians, Eros, Death, and Father Time were waiting. Mother Nature then bid (commanded) the Guardians stay in this room while she and the others discussed the situation. Of course they were not happy about it, but who would dare argue against three powerful spirits and a very upset Lord of Love?
Sandy felt a presence next to him. He looked up to North, who was standing next to him with his hands behind his back. Sandy conjured a question mark above his head which he directed at the large Guardian.
"It is nothing my friend. Just… so much confusion. Why would Pitch steal something so dangerous only to use it on himself? That's the question, no?" North inquired.
Sandy couldn't understand it either. According to Eros, the person who took the Sleeping Beauty Potion was waiting for their true love kiss. Was that what made Pitch desperate; he wanted someone to love him so he put himself to sleep? Sandy formed and image of Pitch, a heart and a question mark above his head.
North shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not sure that was Pitch's intention. But no one can understand mind of Nightmare King. Although for true love, do you know anyone who was involved with Pitch?"
Sandy shook his head furiously. Truth be told, no one would really interact with the boogeyman on an intimate level. For most, it was hostile because of what Pitch represented. Few would work with the Nightmare King, and only for a while before they could not bear Pitch's presence anymore. Even he himself had spent only a little time with Pitch. They could almost be called friends, but when the Dark Ages started and he was being inducted with the Guardians, Sandy began to stray away from the shade. It was both his and the Nightmare King's fault in a way. Sandy had regretted it when he saw how weak Pitch was but he learned to put his feelings aside for the sake of the children. And after being shot in the back, Sandy knew that he could not let Pitch get away. He hated sealing his old friend away, but it was necessary. The plan was to let him out when he was more manageable.
But then this happened. Now everything is going wrong, and in a way, it was Pitch's fault again but they were not sure how. They were missing something.
North continue speaking. "Hopefully Eros will be able to wake up Pitch, da?"
Sandy was not above hoping.
The doors behind them opened up and the Guardians (sans Jack) looked at the newcomer. It was Lord Eros entering with a solemn look on his face. His blue eyes scanned across the room and hardened at the occupants.
"Lord Eros, is everything alright?" Tooth said as she flutter off the couch.
Eros stared at the group before closing his eyes and sighing. As he opened them, he spoked.
"Mother Nature and Father Time request your presence now," Eros then turned and began exiting the room, "Please follow me."
Currently, she wasn't supposed to be here. It was a law that if broken would mean her death. But Laryn couldn't pass up an opportunity for her kind to advance. For far too long they were locked away and mocked both by spirits and humans. After the war, her kind had to scrape and climb to survive in this world. So was the way of the Obyriths.
But now...
For the past centuries, the Obyriths were slowly gaining power, influencing mankind once again. The precious spirits were too busy to notice their evil infiltrating the world. Soon it will be like the olden days, when demons roamed free and humans feared and worshiped them.
Laryn considered it luck that she spotted Lord Death in the forest near Burgess. She had gotten lost looking for a displaced demon spawn when she saw him. At first Laryn thought Death was looking for her to eliminate, but he continued past by her and arrived at a cavern. At first she wasn't going to follow, but curiosity stirred within her and she silently stalked the spirit.
When she saw the Lord of Love and the so-call Guardians of Childhood, she knew that something was going on. The demoness hid behind the trees as the group entered a cavern that had a bedframe next to it. At first, she was not sure what she was waiting for or who's cavern they had entered. Laryn had gotten bored and was about to leave lest she would be seen and eliminated, when Death exited the cave. A few minutes later, Eros came out followed by the Guardians. Her patience paid off. Nothing was of interest until the tall man with a white beard came out. In his arms, he carried the infamous Pitch Black.
Even then, Laryn's rage almost caused her to leave her hiding place to kill the Nightmare King. It was his fault that her kind was scrounging around the world like dogs begging for meat from the master's table. But she knew that she had to be patient. She needed to know more about what was going on.
Which lead her here at the Summit.
Laryn's lean, tan body shivered in the cold night. Her frayed gray cloak swept around her body in the wind as she peered into the open window of the room the Guardians were waiting in. Her green slit eyes scanned each individual that was sitting (or in one case with the white hair boy sleeping on the loveseat). She had only heard about the Guardians that protected children under the Man in the Moon's order. She and others of her kind found their endeavors foolish, for you couldn't protect them from everything in the world. Laryn even found it laughable that they would deem the infamous Pitch Black a danger.
She continued watching each Guardian until Laryn had to pull away and hide in bushes under the window, when the sandman came along with his other companion. She could hear the one sided conversation about the boogeyman. But not enough information to take back. She needed more. Then Laryn heard Eros enter and beckon the others to follow. She had to act fast.
She reached under her cloak where her naked body glistened in the darkness. A large slit was presenting itself on her flat stomach. Laryn reached inside herself at the same time she bit her tongue, causing it to bleed. There was a squeak as she pulled out an oozing pale larva. She cooed at the grub as if it were her babe. Laryn quickly brought up the larva to her open mouth and licked its back with her bleeding tongue. The back glowed a sickly yellow before it died down.
Laryn went to the window and quickly peeked into the room. The Guardians were leaving, the last were the fairy and white haired boy. She slide the grub into the room, where once it landed on the floor, quickly slithered across and hopped on the boy's back, hiding underneath the hood. Once she was sure that it was hidden, she sat back on the grassy ground and closed her eyes. From the blood spell, she would be able to see and hear everything within the vicinity of her maggot.
'Now let us see what the old boogeyman has been up to...'
"I appreciate you coming." Father Time said.
"Not like we had a choice…" grumble Bunny.
"Aster!" Tooth hissed.
"On the contrary, Miss Tooth, I understand your companion's ire. Your world is slowly destroying itself and you want to know what Pitch Black has to do with it." Father Time commented.
They were back in the chamber from earlier with Mother Nature and Father Time both sitting on ivory thrones facing the Guardians. Eros was standing off to the side and Death was in a dark corner with arms folded as if he was not there.
The Guardians shook their head at Time's statement. For the past couple of hours, each individual had been trying to figure out what Pitch Black had done to cause the world to fall into disarray.
"To put it simply, it wasn't what Pitch Black did. It's what he didn't do." Time said.
Jack looked at Time with confusion, "What do you mean?"
"What Time means is that currently, the world has too little fear in it. Mortals are running fearless." Mother Nature said.
"But Mother Nature, surly the world is better without Pitch Black?" ask Tooth.
"Are you sure?" input a new voice. The Guardians turned their heads around to look at Death.
"Because last I checked, the children that you are supposed to 'guard' are currently running around fearless," Death moved from the corner and walked towards the wary group, "I should know. I have to go pick up their souls when they die from doing something stupid, and they are crying for their mommies and daddies."
"Death, please..." Mother said.
Death stopped and bowed his head, "I beg forgiveness, Mother."
Eros decided to add his input, "As said before, there is no fear in the world. Black controlled all the fear for the mortals. And he has drank the Sleeping Beauty elixir."
Sandy quickly formed sand figures of Pitch, a bottle, and a question mark.
Eros sighed, "Before I tell you what it means for Pitch, I must tell you this tale." Eros wiped his hand over his face as if he was embarrassed about something.
"Go ahead, Eros. The Guardians must know." helped Mother Nature.
"Alright…" With that, Eros began, "This elixir was not the first one I created. When I was young, I made one that did the same thing: put the individual to sleep once he or she drinks it. The only difference was that the elixir was not based on true love, but on first kiss. The plan was for the individual to be placed somewhere that had trials or tests. A hero or heroine would brave these tests in order to find the sleeper and wake them up. When the event happens, it encouraged others to find genuine love and soul mates." Here Eros stopped and rubbed his eyes.
"For about two centuries, I had people left and right coming together and becoming a couple. The elixir was without fail… until one day a beautiful young fairy named Nerissa came to me for permission to use the potion to help others. At that time, it wasn't heard of for certain fairies, especially godmothers, to ask for help for their godchildren. And she wanted to help her goddaughter, who was a princess. find the right one to be her true love. Unfortunately, the princess's father forgot to invite the fairy godmother to the girl's christening and it made Nerissa furious. She placed a curse on her goddaughter and on the princess's sixteenth birthday, she fell into a deep sleep. Somehow Nerissa changed my formula into something sinister, and I did not find out till it was too late. The princess slept for a hundred years until a king heard of the girl's plight. He battled his way through the fairy's beasts and monstrous thorns."
The Guardians were in awe of the tale, for while they have heard variations of the story, hearing it from the one who witnessed it himself made it worthwhile.
"But when he found the girl and laid his lips on hers, the princess did not wake up. But the corrupted elixir caused something to awaken inside the king. He became like a beast, and while the princess was still slumbering away, he raped her."
Tooth's eyes were wide and her hand against mouth. North looked like he was going to vomit. Both Jack's and Sandy's face were white with horror and Bunny was grinding his teeth.
"When the king came to his senses and realized what he had done, he threw himself to his death, for he was a good king and he could never forgive himself for such a deed. As for the princess, after the rape, she became pregnant. She was still asleep when she gave birth to twins: a boy and a girl. It was after this, the princess woke up, for the elixir was only for a hundred or so years."
"What happen to the fairy?" Tooth asked.
"When the others found out what Nerissa did to her goddaughter, she was stripped of her magic and forced to live as an old crone. She died during the dark ages, accused of being a witch. Nerissa was tortured and then burnt to death by fearful villagers."
"And the princess?" asked Jack.
Eros looked at him, "Her entire family was gone, so much was changed. She disappeared with her children, never to be seen again. The only reason people know this story was because of the written documents and the king's own men. After they died and the documents lost, the details of the event changed to become the happily ever after story mortal children know and love…" Eros said with a sneer.
Death walked over and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. He remembered the event itself. He had to collect the heartbroken king himself and unfortunately justice demanded that he would be punished. The king accepted it and is currently being tortured for something he had no control over. As for Eros, he stopped trusting people and for ten years he didn't come out of his palace. Barely anyone got a happily ever after for a decade.
Eros pat Death's hand as he continued, "After that event, I destroyed the rest of the elixir and allowed no one to help with my activities. But after a while, I saw people suffering and realized I couldn't let people become unhappy with their love lives while I wallowed with pity. So I tried again so to speak. I recreated my elixir, only this time, I tailored it to people who were in love with someone already. In certain situations, I would have the individual drink the potion and make it seem like they were in a coma. Then the person that they love and hopefully love them in return would receive messages in their mind. Telling them to kiss the one they love. You can figure out the rest."
The Guardians looked dumbfounded.
"Wait a bloody minute, you mean someone's got to kiss Pitch?!" screamed Bunny.
Eros rolled his eyes, "In a way, yes. Black right now is in a deep sleep in which no dream or nightmare can penetrate. The only way he will wake up is if the person that he loves kisses him. That person has to also love him back with all of their heart."
Jack's eyes widened. Pitch... as the damsel in distress and someone having to kiss him. It suddenly seemed like those Disney movies Jamie used to watch with his sister, Sophie.
"Aw man, Pitch is going to go crazy when he wakes up." He muttered.
North stroked his beard as he began to think out loud, "Неплохо! There are lots of spirits but one of them has to have some sort of affection for Pitch. We should ask." Sandy began shaking his head and Tooth was agreeing.
Only laughter interrupted their planning.
Everyone turned to look at Death, who was still standing by Eros but was laughing so hard, he was holding himself. He finally stopped laughing when he realized that everyone was looking at him. Still his voice held amusement as he spoke.
"Don't waste your breathe. Do you really think there is anyone on this planet that cares for that despicable shade? A being who's only purpose in life is to cause fear in this world? No one wanted to be around Black because of that. They hated him from the beginning," At this, Death then pointed at the Guardians. "And it didn't help that Manny's little helpers were always battling him."
"Now wait just moment, we only had to stop Pitch because he was such a threat to the children." Tooth exclaimed in an angry fit.
"Yes, and look how that's going. Children are still dying left and right. Soon there will be no children left, and you fools will have to go to the spirit unemployment office." Death snorted.
Eros was trying to calm Death down but he wasn't having it.
"You know what I think? I think that when you idiots sealed him away with his Nightmares, Black was being tortured so much and he got tired of his piss poor existence. But he couldn't off himself like a man. No, he decided to put himself to sleep because he knew that no one would ever kiss his dry lips!"
"DEATH, THAT IS ENOUGH!"
Everyone stopped and turned to see a furious Time standing up. His face was red and his hands were fisted by his sides. Death stepped back and then he bowed low in a sincere apology.
"Forgive me, Father. I... spoke out of passion because of the situation." Death said.
"The point of the matter is this. Pitch Black is asleep and will not wake up anytime soon. The world is currently going to hell and I will not have spirits fighting each other at such a time as this." Father Time then sat in his chair with a frown on his face.
The room was quiet for a few moments before Tooth spoke up.
"Well can't we just wait the elixir out like you did with the princess? It should be about a hundred years or so. Maybe even less right?" She said.
Eros sucked his teeth and bowed his head, "We can't wait. What I gave to the princess and others was a spoonful of the elixir. A spoonful is only a century."
With this, Eros looked back up and stared hard at the Guardians, "Pitch drank the whole bottle. That is at least half a billion years of peaceful rest for him."
This is even better than I anticipated.
Laryn could not see thanks to the position of her larva but she could hear everything.
'So Pitch Black is the one to thank for all the chaos in the world. Who would believe that?'
For so long Pitch Black was the reason that her kind had gone into hiding. Now his selfishness has brought them back to power and soon demons would rule the world like the olden days. Laryn continued listening as one of the Guardians began speaking.
"HALF A BILLION?!" Bunny bellowed as he hopped in the air in shock. The others were also same. Jack's eyes were wide, Tooth's feathers were proofed up, North was as pale as his beard and Sandy's mouth was open but no sound coming out.
Eros cringed at the Easter Guardian's yelling, "Yes. As I said, I ususally give only a teaspoon to the individual which lasts a century. When I last saw the bottle, it was still almost full. That amount is equivalent to again half a billion."
"And there won't be anyone left on Earth by the time the potion wears off." Death added after a moment of silence.
"I don't understand," Jack said, "Didn't Pitch know what would happen when he drank it?"
"I wouldn't be surprise if he did," Bunny said with a sneer. "That bloody rat is probably doing this as a last resort. If he can't win, no one can win." Tooth and North both nodded at the statement while Sandy was thoughtful.
Eros looked like he wanted to yell out Bunny but Death interrupted him, "Whatever the reasons, it has already happen. We should focus on what we are going to do now..."
Mother Nature stood from her throne and began to speak, "Here is what is going to happen. You Guardians, since you caused Pitch Black to seek the elixir in the first place, will have the privilege of guarding him."
"WAIT, WHAT?!"
"I think this is only fair. You fools want to protect children and right the world, well the one person that can help you is currently laying in my healing chambers. It would be foolish for you not to keep an eye on Pitch Black. Meanwhile, Eros will try to see if he can find a remedy to the solution of this elixir." She said.
"I shall do my best, Mother Nature." Eros said as he bowed to her.
North stepped up in front of a raging Bunny, "Mother Nature, with all respect, we would not be able to guard Pitch. We are always working, making children happy and such."
Mother Nature smiled slowly, "Is that right? Then consider yourselves no longer Guardians of Children. As of right now, your obligation is not to the human offspring, but to Pitch Black. You will guard him until he awakens, or Father Time or I relieve you from your duty."
The Guardians were speechless. No longer Guardians?
Sandy floated in front of Mother Nature and quickly signed, saying that she couldn't do that, that Manny was the only one to disband the Guardians.
"Always with the Man in the Moon…" spoke Death as he scoffed.
"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" Bunny asked.
Death turned to face the irate rabbit, "It means, despite that you live on this planet and are part of the spirit world, you consider the Man in the Moon a higher power than Mother. That is despicable."
"Manny created us. Made us in charge of children," North inputted, "We do not consider him powerful than Mother Nature, but he is leader. And I apologize Mother, but we must speak to Manny about this."
The chamber was quiet after that statement. Mother Nature's face was twisted in fury. It looked like she was about to strike the Guardian of Hope. But Father Time walked behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders and began to massaging them. He pushed her down to her throne and begin to whisper softly in her ear. Slowly, Mother Nature began to calm down and closed her eyes to stave off the headache that was forming. Father Time then turned to North and the others.
"I see we are at a standoff. Alright, let me make this simple enough for you." Time leaned forward and adopted a sinister look on his face, "You will give up your obligations to children and protect Pitch Black from now until I say otherwise or..." and here he began to smirk, "I will tell every spirit on this planet who is at fault for this situation."
Tooth's eyes widen at the aspect of that, "You can't do that…!" she said as she fluttered nervously.
"Oh you'll find that we can. This is a very serious situation. We were going to tell the others when they return in the morning, that yes, the situation is dire but we have it handled. No more details. However, since you think this is a situation you can walk away from, I will announce that after that Easter Battle with you, Pitch Black was sealed away. After being tortured by his Nightmares, he then stole the Sleeping Beauty elixir which put him to sleep for half a billion years. Without him, there is no fear in the world, which has caused the balance to be broken and chaos to reign the world." Time said simply.
With this, Father Time walked up to North and leaned close to his face, "Who do you think they will go after? You get three guesses and the first two don't count."
He pulled away just as North's face went into shock, "Think of it. Everyone in the spirit just wanting a piece of your hides. I heard you had difficulty beating Pitch and he was just one person. What are you going to do when the entire world is going after you?"
Sandy quickly looked at the others, whose faces were blanched with fear. He looked back at North and shook his head in affirmation. The Guardian of Wonder sighed and turned back to Father Time.
"Da, we will do this." He said in defeat.
The Lord of Time gave a huge smile, "Excellent."
Eros unfortunately had another punishment for the Guardians, "Father, I do not trust that the Guardians will have Black's health and well-being. But we should send someone to help guard and to make sure no one is abusing Black."
Time's eyes widened in happiness, "Why Eros, you read my mind. I was going to send some of Mother Nature's sprites with them, but I believe we need someone who can manage all five rebellious spirits. So congratulations, Death, for volunteering."
Jack watched as Death turned his head quickly to Father Time's direction. The winter sprite bet that if he could have seen Death's eyes, they would be wide in shock and disbelief. Jack knows his blue eyes were.
Death began to sputter and sound like he would object, but Time's face quickly schooled a disappointed look. Death sighed and bowed low, "As you wish, Father."
Mother Nature stood from her throne and scanned the group, "Do we have any objections?"
No one spoke, few shook their heads in a negative.
"I didn't think so. You all have your duties. Death, I expect a report from you every three days please." Nature said.
"Yes, Mother."
Father Time began leaving the area, heading to a door with a clock's face attached to it. "Well, it has been a long night. I suggest we should head back to our homes and prepare for our duties."
Time placed his hand on the doorknob, only to stop and looked back at Death, "Death, before you leave, I need to speak with you for a moment."
Death dropped his head, muttering 'shit' and heading toward Time's direction. He called back to the Guardians, "I will meet you at North's workshop since I assume that is where Pitch Black is going to be guarded. Place him in a room and I will take the first shift when I arrive…" He then turned to face his friend, "Good luck, Lord Eros." He then continued walking with Father Time through the door.
Eros nodded to Death's back and decided to leave, "Farewell, Mother Nature. I will contact you if I make any progress." He then walked out of the chamber and into the starry night.
Mother Nature herself began walking in another direction, "If you follow me, I will take you to the healing chambers where Pitch Black is at."
It was here, that Mother Nature turned and gave a harsh look to the Guardians who were following her.
"A word of warning; should any harm come to Pitch Black, should he die in your care; there will be no moon, no place on Earth that will hide you from my wrath. I will allow any and every spirit tear you apart and when they are finished, I will deal with you. You won't even know true pain." With that she continued towards the healing chambers.
Jack was quaking from the sheer force of her words, "Guys, do you think she was serious?"
"Oi, she felt serious. I'm worried about Death hanging around us. Damn!" Bunny rasped.
Tooth was rubbing her hands together as she fluttered around, "She... she can't really make us not help the children, can she?"
North rubbed his chin and sighed, "We will guard Pitch and hope to Manny that Lord Eros can fix this, da? Less time with Pitch and Death, the better. We should also tell Manny about this."
Sandy showed a picture of the moon, asking if telling Manny is a good idea.
"We may as well, mate," Bunny replied, "He needs to know why we aren't doing our jobs."
Jack wanted to ask that shouldn't Manny already know what's going on, if he is all knowing and all seeing, but decided that that was enough arguing for one night. Soon they all turned and headed out the chamber.
The world in a fearless and chaotic state
Pitch Black in a sleep that will last long past when the humans are extinct.
All because of the Guardians.
'This is delicious!'
Laryn was so happy that she had gotten lost.
She quickly moved to the entrance of Summit waiting for the Guardians to exit. She watched Eros disappear in a flash, leaving behind a scent of sandalwood and passionfruit. She shuddered in distaste and continued hiding in the bushes. Laryn counted down the minutes when the Guardians themselves came outside. With a quick hop, the larva she placed on the boy's back hopped off and quickly scurried to her. The demoness began to pet it as she watched the Guardians leave with Pitch Black in tow. After a minute or two, her slit opened and she placed the larva back inside.
Laryn had a skip in her step as she walked away from the Summit and summoned her black frayed wings that dipped past her hips. They stretched out and she caught the wind, flying away with exciting news.
She had to report this to the king.
Jack sat in the dark, thoughts rushing in his head. Across from the red armchair he was sitting in, the slumbering boogeyman laid on the bed breathing deeply in his sleep. Pitch almost looked dead except for the casual rise and fall of his chest. Jack continued staring at their enemy, wondering how and why.
It was three in the morning when they arrived back at North's workshop. The Guardian of Wonder barked at the Yetis to prepare a bedroom for Pitch. Tooth claimed that she wanted to check on the Mini-Fairies and maybe bring some with her (including Baby-Tooth). Aster was going to the burrow to get some supplies and take a quick nap. He would be back in the early afternoon.
After North placed Pitch in the room, he decided to talk to all the Yetis and the elves about what was going on. Of course someone had to watch Pitch... just in case. Sandy was going to but unfortunately was very sleepy. So Jack volunteered until Death came.
Which led him to the present. The winter sprite got up from his chair and tip-toed over to the sleeping shade. He cautiously placed his right hand on Pitch's head as if he could read his mind and get the answers he wanted. And Jack had a lot of questions that needed to be answered.
Why did Pitch do this? Was he really so miserable and desperate? Jack tried to think back over on what he did know about Pitch, but he didn't know a damn thing.
'I don't know what it's like to be cast out? To not be believed in! To long for... a family... All those years in the shadows, I thought no one else knew what this feels like... but now I see I was wrong.'
He remembered what Pitch had said in Antarctica about wanting a family, to be believed in. At the time, he was so wrapped in his own pity that he really didn't look at Pitch. But his voice... it sounded broken. Like he was really desperate. He wanted the same things that everyone else seemed to have, that they took for granted. And Pitch was denied having the same thing because he was a creature that produced the element of fear, an emotion no one wanted or desired.
So of course it would make sense that Pitch would attack; he had nothing to lose anymore. He didn't have anyone. Even Jack, when no one could see him, had fun making the children happy with snow days. But his center was fun, an element everyone did not mind having.
Jack sighed as he continued looking down at the sleeping boogeyman. Would it have changed anything if he had just talked to Pitch, not rejected him or walked past him, but actually sat down and spoke with him? He maybe couldn't have change Pitch's mind about the Guardians, but maybe Jack could have convinced him to do something different. To act as a friend to someone like him. So many chances wasted, and now the world was suffering.
Jack grabbed Pitch's hand and held it up to his cheek, closing his eyes. So lost in his thoughts, the young Guardian did not hear the door open.
"What are you doing?"
Jack jumped and turned around to see Death standing in the doorway. He quickly placed Pitch's hand back on the covers and stepped away from the bed.
"I'm sorry. I was just watching Pitch till you got here." He said.
Death just hummed and walked into the room. He pushed the armchair next to the bed and sat down, "Well, thank you for keeping my seat warm, now you can go."
Jack shook his head and prepared to leave. He turned around and looked at Death, who was looking out the window.
"Do you think that Pitch will ever wake up?" he asked.
Death huffed, "Didn't you hear what I said earlier, child? Pitch needs someone to love him and kiss him in order for him to wake. Everyone in this damn world hates him for being a fear spirit," Death then turned around and faced Jack, "Besides, I like the way the world is now. So many people dying and making me work overtime. I tell you, I hope it never ends."
Jack's face turned in disgust as he turned and slammed the door behind him. He stalked into the Globe room. He saw North dismissing the Yetis and elves and quickly went over to him.
"Death is here, and can you believe this guy? What a jackass! He said he hoped Pitch won't ever wake up because he liked that the mortals are all dying!" he snapped.
North sighed, "Unfortunately, that is kind of person Death is. I don't know why Father Time is allowing him to guard Pitch. We must keep eyes on both of them."
North then bid Jack a good night and headed to his room. Jack looked back at Pitch's door and for good measure walked over and twisted the doorknob.
'Locked…'
Jack then decided to turn in, hoping that when he got up, things would be a little better.
As soon as the winter Guardian closed the door, Death rose from his seat. He walked across the room and locked the door. He then turned around and walked back to the bed, but instead of sitting in the chair, he stood there, facing Pitch. Death stood there a minute or two, before finally sitting in the armchair. He sighed and raised his hands to the back of his head. He unclipped his mask and pulled it off his face, pulling the hood down with it. He set it off to the side and then looked back at Pitch.
Death placed his right hand on Pitch's face, bowed his head and closed his eyes. A teardrop fell from the closed lid.
Why Pitch? Why would you do this? Was it really that lonely? Were you so miserable that you couldn't kill yourself, so you went with the next best thing? Or... was it because of me?
Footnotes:
1. The demon is based of two different characters:
A.. Laryn from Dragon Age Origins who was a broodmother of the darkspawn. Originally she was a dwarf but was force to eat darkspawn flesh and became a broodmother, birthing hundreds of darkspawn.
B.. D'Vorah from Mortal Combat X. She is Kytinn species and a servant to Kotal Khan. She is a colony of insects in a humanoid body.
2. The Sleeping Beauty that Eros told is just one variation of the story. The Grimm version tale is actually the one Disney took with Princess Auroa pricking her finger and sleeping for a hundred years until the Prince rescues her. The one I had created came from an even darker version of the story. Granted they had a happy ever after but this is a dark story and I decided to change it.
3. Mother Nature's threat was from watching that one scene in Avengers where the Other was threatening Loki if he failed.
4. Obyriths are from the Dungeon and Dragons (The Forgotten Realms) franchise. The are an ancient type of demon that predates mankind and gods.
I hope you enjoy this chapter. I think I put my heart and soul (and my foot) into it.