Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "The Winter Child!" =D Man, I really wasn't expecting such amazing feedback for this arc. XD It was actually tough for me to write for some reason (we all have those days QwQ), but I'm glad to see that so many of you enjoyed it. ^u^ And I'm using past tense because well...this is the last part of this arc. Already. OuO
I...honestly don't know what to say. XD I feel like time just flew by! I mean, it's already freaking March. I swear February was just five minutes ago. OuO We're almost at ninety reviews for this story...just a few more and this will be my first story to exceed 100 reviews! =D
I didn't prepare a big ol' author's note for the ending to this arc...but yeah. XD I hope you guys enjoy the last part of "Insidious Shadows!" (Ah, what a smooth transition =')).
~ XXXVIII ~
Insidious Shadows, Part Five
His gaze was cold
His cloak dark
Tall and lean
His eyes glinted with an evil sheen
It had been ten years since he had roam
Watching the children cower in fear
Made Pitch feel at home
...
The first scream made everyone's focus shift from the battle to Big Root behind them. The rose in pitch, many joining the first. Louder and louder until they became a desperate cry that the adults couldn't ignore. Their hearts were wrenched by the sound, and their parental instincts immediately took hold. The children were in danger! They had to get to them!
"Tooth, Bunny, Sandy, come with me!" shouted North. He turned to the others. "Hold them off!"
As much as they wanted to aid the Guardians in rescuing their children, the adults knew that if they fell back, the Fearlings and Nightmares would surely overwhelm them. Then none of them would make it through this battle alive. They continued firing their stardust bombs and beams of light. The Guardians dashed to Big Root, hearts pounding in tandem with their steps.
Aster was the first to reach the door, and he slammed into it with all his might. As he feared, the doors were sealed shut. The Pooka kicked desperately at the wood, but it wouldn't budge.
"It's bloody stuck!" Aster shouted.
"We have to get in there!" exclaimed Toothiana. The children's screams had suddenly silenced, which only piqued the Guardians' worry. And that worry subtly slipped into fear, though they were unaware of it. The battle tipped in the Fearlings and Nightmares' favor. They surged forward like a tsunami, attacking the parents and the Guardians in a fury. They fought back as bravely as they could, but the Fearlings and Nightmares were feeding off of their fear.
The fight drew on, even more, tortuous than before.
Everyone prayed that the children would be alright.
…
The candles had been blown out, and the children had huddled into a tight group as a tower of darkness rose before them. A man materialized from the shadows. His jaw was sharp, and his skin was darker than the dark side of the Moon. His eyes were amber-colored, flickering with calculating evil. The shadows swirled around him, gathering around the bottom of his cloak.
At first, the children screamed, but the man seemed to grow larger from it. So they quieted, staring at him in silent awe. But not in the admiring sort of way. This man's presence brought with him a cold unlike they had ever felt. As he gazed upon them, the children instantly knew who he was. It was Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. The Bringer of Nightmares, and the Lord of the Shadows.
Jack's eyes widened and trembled with fear. Ombric would sometimes discuss him in class. He never delved too much into the topic, for it was a dark and frightening one. Jack had only read books about the Boogeyman, and there were no pictures provided of him. The winter child didn't imagine him this horrible looking! Jack hid behind Katherine and gripped her nightgown, a quiet whimper crawling up his throat. The children huddled closer together, standing face to face in front of the being they had only heard in stories. Where was Ombric when they needed him most?
Pitch stared at them for a few moments, making the children feel all the more uncomfortable. Then, in a low, silky voice he asked, "Do any of you know who I am?"
None of the children dared to respond. Staying silent, it seemed, was the best option in this situation.
But they had thought wrong. Suddenly, Pitch's face grew taut, and he shouted, "DO ANY OF YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"
The children yelped in fear and drew back from the man. Tall William responded, "Y-You're the Boogeyman."
Pitch brought himself up to the boy. Tall Willam tried not to shiver as he felt the Boogeyman's frigid breath.
"Never address me that way again," he muttered darkly. Tall William stiffened and nodded.
Pitch pulled away, shrugging his cloak on his shoulders. "It has been quite some time since I entered your little village. It's changed," He looked at the children threateningly. "And not for the better. It's flooding even more with your wonder, hope, and light. It never fades, never dies. None of you have felt true fear before, haven't you?"
The children didn't reply, but Pitch continued nonetheless.
"When I was cast into the shadows, I planned this to be the first place that I'd attack when I made my return. And it seems that everything is going according to plan."
The Boogeyman stood before the children, his shadows swelling like ink around him. His eyes became sharper, ancient."I'm not going to hurt you," he explained. "At least, not at the moment. But once my Fearlings and Nightmares have taken care of your parents, the Age of Nightmares shall start right in this very village."
"No it won't," Katherine spoke. Jack sucked in a breath. The children were shocked. Pitch raised an eyebrow. "The Guardians will stop you. You won't get away with this."
Pitch laughed. "You children and your foolish beliefs." His eyes narrowed in Katheirne's direction. "What makes you think they can defeat me?"
Katherine would've responded, right away in fact, but the Boogeyman's attention had been drawn to something behind her. Someone actually. A tuft of white hair peeked out from behind Katherine. She had planted herself in front of Jack, protecting him from Pitch's gaze.
"Who stands there behind you?" asked Pitch.
Katherine pursed her lips, refusing to move.
"Come out now, or I'll make you!" Pitch demanded.
Katherine felt Jack shift behind her, and the young girl did her best to keep him hidden. Still, the young snow sprite stepped out. He didn't want Katherine to get hurt because of him.
Jack's pointed ears were a dead giveaway of what he was. Pitch's eyes widened, shocked to see one last snow sprite alive. The children were bemused by the sudden change in his expression.
How can this be? Pitch mused to himself. I thought I eliminated all of them… Though, part of him wasn't completely surprised. A couple of weeks ago, his Nightmare scouts had reported that they had seen a snow sprite accompanying the Sandman as he made his rounds around Lunslruna. Pitch dismissed them, for he had made sure there wasn't a snow sprite left within the Tsardom. But it seemed as if one had slipped through his detection.
"Who are you?" asked Pitch. He had an inkling on who he was, but he didn't want to come to acceptance just yet.
"J-J-Jackson," Jack replied shakily. "J-Jackson Overland Frost."
No one noticed, not even Pitch himself, but a flicker of fear flashed across his face. It was as gone as quickly as it came.
The sounds of battle rang from outside. The Fearlings and Nightmares' screeching had grown even louder than before. The children could hardly hear their parents; they seemed to be losing. Pitch could sense their doubt and fear. To him, it was like sweet, sweet lemonade.
Pitch began to circle the children, forcing them into an even tighter huddle. Their fear escalated, and Pitch's eyes glittered with hunger. "You all will make wonderful Fearlings," he lilted. The older children positioned themselves in front of the younger ones to protect them. Pitch smirked at their little attempts to protect each other. He looked at Jack, who had taken his place behind Katherine once again. The winter child caught his gaze.
"But for you," whispered Pitch, so low only Jack's sprite ears could hear. "I have something much, much more special planned."
Pitch threw his head back and crackled. The winter child gripped Katherine's nightgown; he was scared, and he wanted North. The children stood in the dark, fear squeezing them as the shadows began to envelop them.
Then, when all hope seemed lost, that was when the miracles occurred.
…
The doors to Big Root flew open. A bright white light flooded the room and burned away the shadows that had begun to tangle around the children. They looked up, shocked to see the parents, Guardians, and—what ho!—was that Ombric? It was! Relief flooded the children's chests at the sight of them. But an even more glorious sight stood behind them; the Fearlings and Nightmares were being attacked by beams of light. They tore through the Fearlings and Nightmares, causing them to dissipate upon contact. They shot forth like stars, a remarkable sight to see. The children soon realized what they were.
Moonbeams! They were Moonbeams! Ombric had told them about them once before. The children smiled, some even laughed. Pitch gritted his teeth as he felt the children's fear disappear.
Then, he spotted them. He had been told by his Fearling scouts that Tsar Lunar had started a new team of heroes who were supposedly going to be his downfall. He instantly recognized North, Tooth, Sandy, and Aster, whom he had faced a decade ago during his first attempt to take over Lunslruna. They hadn't changed…much. There was a new aura that radiated from each of them. Something in them had shifted.
And that something frightened him.
The Boogeyman stamped out this feeling and flashed the Guardians a feigned smile. "North, Toothiana, Aster, Sanderson," he said. The Guardians glared at him. "So we meet again."
"Leave now, Pitch!" North demanded.
"Now is that any way to greet an old friend?" Pitch drawled. His eyes narrowed. "I come and go as I please. I don't take orders. Not from you, not from Tsar Lunar, not from ANYONE."
But his greatest weakness was slowly coming to life. The sun, the glorious sun, was rising above the horizon and spilling through the open doors and windows. Pitch's form became transparent like glass, and he winced at the brightness of the sunlight. The Nightmares and Fearlings screeched in terror, retreating to the shadows to avoid being burned. Some were unfortunate and shriveled up where they stood, their dark remains scattered against the ground.
The children and adults watched as Pitch's form began to fade away. He seethed with silent hatred, and he locked eyes with the children one last time.
"In time, you will be mine," he hissed. "And no one will be able to save you,"
Then he sunk into the ground, leaving nothing but a dark crack in his place.
Dawn finally broke.
…
The children ran to their parents and embraced them. Tears of relief streamed down their faces. The adults were filthy with Fearling and Nightmare soot, but the children didn't mind. They hugged their parents tightly, leaning into their warmth and love. The adults held on just as tight, for their children had managed to survive the night.
Ombric explained that he had astrally projected himself, an action that took quite a lot of energy, to the palace when he realized the trick that Pitch had pulled. Tsar Lunar couldn't send soldiers since they were too far away, but he contacted several of his Moonbeams, who quickly came to aid Santoff Claussen in battle.
Jack ran to North and embraced him tightly, tears spilling down his cheeks. ""N-North!" he hiccuped.
The ex-Cossack put down his sword and embraced the young snow sprite. "Oh, Jack, moy mal'chik, are you alright?"
Jack nodded against North's chest. "I-I was so scared!" he hiccuped.
"You're safe now," reassured North. The other Guardians came over and embraced the little boy as well. Jack's tears slowed, and he leaned into the embrace. This was his family. And he was safe whenever he was with them.
There was no school for that day as everyone recovered from the battle that had just taken place. Everyone was told to head home and rest. They would worry about the clean-up once everyone had recovered. The Guardians would keep an eye out for Pitch, and better defenses would be set up around the village. Patrolling would have to be done in the woods to make sure no Fearlings or Nightmares had infiltrated it again.
Though it was morning, Jack was exhausted. North lifted him in his arms and carried him home. Jack was nearly asleep in his arms by the time they arrived home. North laid the boy in bed and brushed his bangs out of his eyes.
"Get some rest, moy mal'chik. You deserve it," North said softly.
"B-But what if I have another nightmare?" Jack asked fretfully.
"You won't," said North. He picked up the pouch of dreamsand he used to use on Jack when he was a baby and sprinkled it over the boy. "This will protect you from them."
Jack yawned and his eyes began to flutter. He hugged Wawa close, and asked, "C-Could you stay with me until I f-fall asleep?"
"Of course, my boy," said North. He sat next to Jack and the winter child leaned against him. He yawned.
"I…I love you, North…" he murmured.
North ran a hand through Jack's hair. "I love you too, moy mal'chik."
With a sleepy sigh, Jack fell asleep.
No nightmares plagued his mind.
Author's Note: It's been WAY too long since I've written Pitch. I mean, yeah I wrote him in "Dream On," but I need to do a better job of including zee Boogeyman in my stories. XDD I've always loved writing Pitch's character; he's so formal it's creepy. OuO
...Not saying that being formal is scary or anything...it's just considering his backstory, the way he looks, and where he lives...Come on. You've got to admit that he's creepy. =')
And remember that little plot I mentioned wayyyyyy at the beginning of this story? *Chuckles mysteriously* Yeah, I may or may not have thrown in a few hints or two in this chap. But be patient my wonderful readers. All shall be revealed in the end. =3
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one! =D
Until the next chapter!
~BeyondTheMoon1203
