Author's Note: Hello, hello, my friends! Welcome to my latest Rise of the Guardians fic! This is my entry for the ROTG Secret Santa event on Tumblr. I chose to do Prompt 9-Dark!Katherine. Basically, Pitch has corrupted Katherine, and she has kidnapped Jaime to lure the Guardians…all part of Pitch's plan to break North's spirit. I got the idea of Pitch corrupting her from my old fic Believe It, and this whole fic is pretty much based on an episode from the Tangled TV show. I hope you all especially my giftee enjoy this fic!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to Rise of the Guardians.
Prompt 9: Dark Katherine fic
Come Back to Us
This week was not turning out how North expected it to. It was Jack's first birthday as a Guardian, and he, Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy had a surprise party for his adoptive son. To make it even better, his old friend and fellow Guardian, Katherine, also known as Mother Goose, made a surprise visit to meet Jack. Katherine was always like a sister to him, so he loved seeing that Katherine and Jack got along so well immediately. She told stories about their early days as Guardians, and he loved seeing two people, who meant so much to him become so friendly with each other. Now…things seemed to take a turn for the worse…Jaime Bennett was kidnapped from his home, so it made sense the Guardians did everything they could to find him. However…they realized much to their horror…that Katherine was responsible for the boy's disappearance, and North knew…they all knew that they needed to get to the bottom of it to save Jaime…and find out what happened to Katherine to make her do such a thing.
So, he, Bunny, Tooth, Sandy, and Jack hopped into his sleigh and set off for Ganderly…with Katherine's goose Kailish leading the way. They managed to land the sleigh a little way's away from Katherine's home, and already, North felt that there was something wrong. There was no sign of Jaime or Katherine or her loyal soldiers. Nevertheless, he and the other Guardians pressed forward to the treehouse and made their way inside.
"Keep your guard up, guys," Tooth said. "This feels too easy."
"Sheila's right," Bunny added. "We could be walking into a trap."
They all silently agreed to keep their respective weapons raised. Katherine might've been a fellow Guardian, but they still needed to be ready for anything. They still were unaware of what drove the Guardian of Storytelling to kidnap the Last Light…one of the children that she had sworn to protect. After climbing a few staircases, they finally came to a large room in the treehouse, and they spread out to look around. It didn't take long for Jack to finally spot something or…someone.
"Uh…guys, I think I found Jaime…" the Guardian of Fun said slowly.
The rest of the Guardians joined him at a window and looked out only to see Jaime in a cage…hanging from a tree branch. They couldn't help but notice that the cage was oddly very similar to the cages in Pitch's lair, which only made them more nervous.
"Jaime!" Jack shouted.
Jaime perked when he heard his name called, so he looked up and smiled once he saw the Guardians. "Guys! You came!" he said.
"Hang on, buddy," Jack called back to him. "We're going to get you out of there!"
Bunny and North looked around and saw that there was still no sign of Katherine. The Guardians of Wonder and Hope then looked at each other and nodded. They knew what needed to be done.
"Jack, you focus on getting Jaime out of there," North said as he placed a hand on his adoptive son's shoulder. "The rest of us will continue to look for Katherine."
Jack couldn't help but slightly widen his eyes at North's order. He had no problem with being the one to free the Last Light, but the idea of being separated from the four immortal beings he considered his family…he couldn't help but feel uneasy, especially when Katherine's motives were still unclear. "You sure?" he asked.
"Positive," North replied. "You come straight back to us once Jaime is freed."
Jack nodded as he placed his hand on North's. "Okay," he said, "but be careful."
"You too," North said as he gave Jack's shoulder a squeeze before releasing him.
Jack immediately went out to Jaime letting the wind carry him over to the cage.
"Jack!" Jaime said happily.
"Hey, buddy!" Jack said. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Jaime replied, "but we need to get out of here. It's Mother Goose! Pitch did something to her!"
Jack furrowed his eyebrows together. "What do you mean?" he asked. "She kidnapped you, right?"
Meanwhile, North, Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy all slowly walked around the main room looking for any signs of Mother Goose, but it was still too quiet. The original Big Four readied their weapons and tried to ready themselves for what was probably going to be a tough battle.
"About time you all showed up," a voice…a very familiar voice suddenly said causing them all to jump.
They all turned around and saw…Katherine, but…North immediately could tell that there was something about the girl he saw as his little sister was completely different. She had jet-black hair…gray skin…and her eyes…they were golden…just like Pitch. He felt as if the wind was knocked out of him. It finally became clear as to what happened. Pitch had to have had something to do with this. He did something to Katherine. "K-Katherine?" he asked slowly.
"In the flesh," she said with an evil smirk on her face.
"What…What…?" North tried to ask.
"Sheila, what happened to you…?" Bunny asked for him.
"You like it, Aster?" Katherine said holding her hands out as she walked over to them. "The Nightmare King helped me out a little."
North glared as realization splashed onto his face. He should've suspected this especially when he had seen it before with Jack. It explained a lot. Katherine was corrupted…by Pitch! "So…Pitch did this to you," he said through clenched teeth. "He made you kidnap Jaime!"
"Oh, very good, North," Katherine said with her voice dripping in sarcasm. "It was the only way to get all 5 of you to come here."
"Alright, well," Bunny said glaring at the corrupted Guardian, "you've gotten us to come here. Why are we here? Why kidnap the ankle-biter?"
"Simple, rabbit," Katherine replied. "My master Pitch wants his revenge on you all, and I intend to do what I must to fulfill his wishes."
The four Guardians stared at the girl in shock as chills ran down their spines. Just as what happened with Jack, Katherine was forced to see Pitch as her master. There was no telling what lies he fed her to have this tight grip on her, but they refused to let this continue. They needed to save her and Jaime…no matter what.
"Yeah, she kidnapped me," Jaime continued to explain as he watched Jack try to destroy the lock on the cage door, "but...that's not the point. She looks completely different than when I met her at your birthday party. She…she has black hair…and golden eyes…and…and her skin…her skin is gray…just like…like…"
"Like…Pitch?" Jack asked with his eyes widening.
"Yeah," the boy said nodding again. "He's got to have something to do with it, right?"
Jack widened his eyes as he turned to look back at the treehouse. His family was still inside looking for Katherine, and his fear increased. If Pitch really did have something to do with this…then he couldn't be too far behind. He had to hurry up and free Jaime.
"Katherine, I don't fully know what Pitch said to you," North began taking a step toward her, "but you must fight it. This isn't who you are."
"I know who I am, North!" Katherine said. "And I know what I need to do!" As soon as she said that, she held up her hand summoning her magic—a mix of nightmare sand and golden magic, and then…the branches of her tree seemed to bend and contort around them shielding them from the outside world.
North looked at Katherine with concern and nervousness all over his face. Was she really expecting them to fight her? Not only that, but the Guardian of Wonder quickly realized that Jack and Jaime were now trapped outside…separated from them. Perhaps, that was for the best. The Guardian of Fun and the Last Light would be safe from this battle. "And what is it that you're here to do?" he asked as he readied his swords glaring at Katherine.
Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy followed suit and readied their weapons as well.
"To break you," she said as Nightmares emerged from the shadows behind her. "ATTACK!"
With that, the Nightmares lunged toward the Guardians. The battle had begun.
Jack could only watch in horror as the branches of Ganderly closed around the treehouse. His fellow Guardians were trapped inside…with a corrupt Mother Goose.
"She must know you're here…" Jaime said aloud jolting Jack out of his thoughts.
"Yeah…" Jack said as he turned back to Jaime, "w-we can't waste any more time. We need to hurry up and get you out of here." He continued to work on the lock, but he managed to peek over his shoulder for a moment at the treehouse. "Don't worry, guys, I'm coming. Just hang on for a bit longer."
Swords were swung. Wings slashed. Dreamsand was slashed. Boomerangs were thrown at the Nightmare horses that seemed to come at them from every angle. However, they refused to give up in the fight, especially North. He wanted to do everything in his power to save his little sister…just as he saved Jack once before.
"Katherine, please, you must stop this!" North shouted over the sounds of the battle. "We're your fellow Guardians…your family! We can help you!"
"I don't need your help!" Katherine shouted back with a glare as more Nightmares came toward the original Big Four. "My master Pitch is all I need now!"
"Pitch is not your—" North tried to say.
"NORTH, LOOK OUT!" Tooth shouted.
The Guardian of Wonder looked behind him only to see the Guardian of Memories cut through another Nightmare creeping up behind him.
"Mate, forget about her for now!" Bunny shouted as he and Sandy fought the other Nightmares. "We have other things to worry about right now!"
As much as North hated to admit it, he knew that Bunny was right. They were in the middle of a battle. If they could take out the Nightmares, then they could try to talk to Katherine, reason with her, and figure out how to reverse Pitch's spell on her. However, he knew without a doubt that they would have a better chance if their fifth member was with them, but he couldn't help but feel glad as an adoptive father that his adoptive son was out of harm's way. Nevertheless, he continued to fight alongside Bunny, Tooth, and Sandy, but it didn't last long because the Nightmares managed to overpower them. Katherine managed to conjure up her magic and nightmare sand and captured all four of them pinning them up against the wall by their arms and legs.
"Such a pity…" Katherine said as she walked up to them. "I thought you would put up a better fight than that."
"There's nothing you can say or do that's going to make me fight you, Katherine," North said as he struggled against his restraints. "Nothing!"
Katherine simply raised an eyebrow and smirked at the Guardian of Wonder, and it made North's blood run cold. "Really?" she simply asked. "Are you sure about that? Because…I think there is."
Meanwhile, Jack and Jaime were still outside on the branch trying with all their might to open the door only to no avail. However, just as they were about to figure it out…the branch slowly began to move toward the treehouse.
"Bad…this is bad…" Jack said as he gripped onto the cage.
"Uh-oh…" Jaime added. His heart began to pound as he gripped onto the bars of the cage. What was happening? Were the other Guardians okay? Was Katherine letting him go? He couldn't help but feel scared, so he did the one thing he usually did when he was afraid. "J-Jack?"
Jack simply looked at him, and it didn't take long for him to realize what Jaime was feeling. He didn't say anything as he held out his hand to the boy allowing him to take it as he made sure to keep Jaime behind him. "Stay close, buddy," he said.
Soon enough, they were brought back into the treehouse, and Jack was able to see his family restrained to the wall. Then…he saw Katherine…just as Jaime said what she looked like…black hair, golden eyes, and gray skin. Pitch clearly had something to do with this. The Guardian of Fun glared at the Nightmare Princess as he gripped Jaime's hand tighter.
"Welcome back, boys," Katherine said smugly. "Let me help you out." Suddenly she held out her hand sending nightmare sand and her gold magic toward them.
The sand and Katherine's magic divided into tendrils and wrapped around Jack…pulling him away from Jaime.
"JACK!" Jaime shouted as they were separated by Katherine.
Jack was pulled away from Jaime and lifted a few feet off the ground as he was restrained by the nightmare sand and magic. He watched helplessly as his staff fell to the ground as Katherine walked over to him, and he glared at her as she got a little too close.
"You won't fight me, but will you fight…" she said as she grabbed his face forcefully turning him to North, "for him?"
North's blood ran cold when he made eye contact with Jack. No…she wouldn't. He tried to steady his pounding heart as he glared at Katherine. "Katherine, leave him alone!" he said.
Katherine was about to respond when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye lying on the ground. She smirked. "My, my," she said as she bent down and picked up Jack's staff… "look at what we have here." She turned to the youngest Guardian. "Is this yours, Jack?"
Jack struggled with all his might to free himself from the black sand and Katherine's magic, but his hands were pinned to his sides. He couldn't move, and he couldn't help but think one horrible thought: Pitch must've let on his connection to his staff to Katherine.
"Put that down!" North suddenly said.
"Is this yours…Jack?" she asked again.
"Yes, yes!" Jack answered quickly. "It's mine! Put it down!"
"Hmm…" Katherine said as she twiddled with the piece of wood in her fingers pretending to think about it, "no, I don't think I will. In fact, I'm curious. What would happen if I did," she raised his staff above her head, "THIS?!" She brought it down on her knee…causing the staff to break in half.
As soon as that happened, Jack screamed at the top of his lungs feeling the pain surge through him, and it broke North's heart watching his adoptive son succumb to such pain. Jack had told them what happened when Pitch himself broke his staff, and he refused to let it happen again.
"Katherine!" North shouted as he continued to struggle. "STOP! You're hurting him!"
"You can stop this," Katherine said with a smirk, "if you just fight me!"
"North, don't give into her!" Jack said breathing heavily through the pain. "I'm fine!"
"Oh, really, is that right?" Katherine said before North could say anything. Then she raised one half of the staff and brought it down on her knee…breaking it…causing Jack to scream in pain again.
"KATHERINE, PLEASE! LET MY BOY GO!" North shouted as he continued to struggle against his restraints. He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to get to his boy. He had to get to Jack.
"N-North…" Jack said breathing heavily again looking up at his adoptive father.
"Jack!" North said as he continued to struggle. "I'm coming, my boy! I'm coming! Hold on! Just hold on!"
Katherine couldn't help but feel a small pang of guilt in her chest. She was causing pain for North and Jack…and the other Guardians…but she felt guilty. Was this really what she wanted?
"Do it, my Nightmare Princess!" she heard Pitch's voice in her mind. "Break North's spirit!"
"With pleasure, Master," Katherine said to herself…despite the guilt kept gnawing at her. Nevertheless, she shook it off and raised the other piece above her head.
"K-Katherine…" Jack said breathing heavily feeling the pain surging through his body, "p-please…"
"Sorry, Jack," she said with a smirk, "but this is what my master wants." However, just as she was about to bring down the half of the staff on her knee…a huge beam of light knocked her down causing her to drop the staff to the ground. She looked up breathing heavily and gasped when she saw…North standing there breathing heavily and glaring at her…holding the Old Relic sword.
"Let…my boy…go, Katherine," he said through clenched teeth.
Katherine chuckled evilly as she stood up with a book in her hand ready for a fight. "Now, that's more like it," she said. "I knew you could be convinced."
"This is the last thing I wanted," North said through clenched teeth, "but if this is what it takes to free you…and Jack and Jaime, then I will do what I must do."
Katherine couldn't help but feel confused about that. Why would North be focused on saving her and Jack? She was just hurting "his boy" not too long ago, and he wanted to free her as well? What did he mean by that? Nevertheless, she shook those thoughts out of her head. She had to focus and complete her master's mission to destroy the Guardians of Childhood.
"North…don't," Jack said breathing heavily still as the pain finally began to fade from his body.
"It will be alright, my boy," North replied keeping his eyes on Katherine while angling himself so that she couldn't come anywhere near Jack or Jaime. "I promise." He gave Jack a small smile before turning back to Katherine. "This is your last chance, Katherine. Let Jack and Jaime go, now!"
She smirked. "Sorry, North," she said with a smirk on her face, "if you want me to free them, you must fight me." She conjured up magic from her book and fired it at North.
However, the Guardian of Wonder was ready and used his Old Relic to absorb the blast…completely unfazed by it. "Katherine, I said to…let…them…go!" he shouted as he swung his sword firing magic at her.
Katherine was quick and managed to deflect his attack just in time. Then she conjured up more magic and fired it toward North again. The battle commenced between the Guardian of Wonder and the Guardian of Storytelling.
Jack struggled against his restraints as he watched his adoptive father fight with the girl he loved as a sister. He had to put a stop to it. He, Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy had to help North.
"Jack, we have to do something!" Jaime said as he continued to jiggle the door to try to open it. "We have to help North!"
"Believe me, kiddo, we all want to," Jack said as he continued to struggle, "but we need to help ourselves first."
"Sandy's already working on it, mate," Bunny said as he kept his eyes on the fight happening before them.
He was right. Jack looked over and saw that Sandy was trying with all his might to use his golden sand to loosen the restraints binding them to the wall. Thankfully, it didn't take long before them.
He was right. Jack looked over and saw that Sandy was trying with all his might to use his golden sand to loosen the restraints bending them to the wall. Thankfully, it didn't take long before he was finally able to free himself and his fellow Guardians and Jaime.
As soon as Jack was freed, he dropped to the floor on his hands and knees feeling the pain yet again.
"Sweet Tooth, are you okay?" Tooth asked as she quickly knelt next to him.
"Y-Yeah, I-I'm fine," Jack replied. "I…I just need my staff. Get me my staff…"
Jaime wasted no time in gathering the broken pieces of Jack's staff and brought them over to the Guardian of Fun, and Jack eagerly took them and put them together…gathering all his energy and focusing it as best as he could.
"Need to help, North…need to help, North…" he thought to himself.
Meanwhile, North and Katherine continued their battle. No matter how much energy they put into their attacks, it seemed like it was never going to end. Both Guardians refused to give up.
"You should just give up, North!" Katherine said with a smirk. "Pitch knows the boy is your weakness. He knows that you would never hurt me. You can't win!"
"Pitch is wrong," North said. "You…Jack…and the other Guardians are my greatest strength…especially Jack and…you."
Katherine stopped and slowly lowered her arms as soon as she heard that. "W-What?" she said.
"You heard me," North said as he took a step toward her. "You're my sister, Katherine. You're a part of this family…no matter what. Please…fight this and come back to me…come back to us…"
The Guardian of Storytelling stared at the Guardian of Wonder with widened eyes. She couldn't understand why she couldn't find it in her heart to be angry at North, for he told her that she meant something to him…that he wanted her to come back to him. Guilt started creeping into her heart as she realized that she threatened the adoptive son of someone she once viewed as an older brother…to break him. "N-North…I—" Before she could say anything else, golden sand was suddenly thrown in her face…causing her to fall over asleep.
North stared at her confused.
"North!" a voice shouted from behind.
He turned only to see that it was Jack, Bunny, Tooth, Sandy, and Jaime all running up to him. North was able to see that Jack was fully upright with his staff intact, and he wasted no time in gathering Jack into his arms. "My boy," he said hugging the winter spirit close, "are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I promise," Jack said hugging North in return. He pulled away looking over at North's shoulder only to see Katherine lying there still unconscious. "How do we free her from Pitch's influence?"
North walked over to Katherine and gathered her into his arms. The last time when it happened to Jack, he was able to guide Jack back with his voice, but North could clearly see that Pitch had become smarter with this spell. He needed something more powerful to help Katherine break free. Then…he got an idea. He looked at the relic sword at his waist and smiled knowing what he needed to do. "This sword is one of—if not the most powerful weapon the Man in the Moon gave to us," he said. "Perhaps, it could help us now."
He placed Katherine on the floor and took the relic sword into his hand. "Please...Manny, help us save her…" he thought to himself.
The sword seemed to hear him as it began to glow. Then North placed the tip of the sword on Katherine's chest. Her body began to glow as well as streams of Nightmare sand left her body…her hair returning to its natural auburn color…her skin…peach. The only thing that was left were her eyes as they were still closed. As soon as the glow faded, North gathered her into his arms again.
"Katherine?" he said. "Katherine, can you hear me?"
Everyone held their breaths…until Katherine finally opened her eyes…allowing everyone to see her brown eyes. North smiled as tears came to his eyes.
"N-North…?" she said groggily.
"Yes, Katherine, it's me," North said. "You're no longer under Pitch's spell. You're back."
Katherine stared at him and then at Jack…Jaime…Bunny…Tooth…and Sandy. Everyone was smiling at her clearly happy that she was back. Then…she remembered what happened…what she said…what she did…and tears came to her eyes. "Oh…oh no…N-North, I—" she began tearfully, "I'm so…so sorry. I-I couldn't…He…Pitch…he…"
North wasted no time in hugging her tightly. "Shh…" he said. "It's alright, Katherine. It's alright. It's over…"
The other Guardians wasted no time in gathering them into a group hug…with Jaime in tow. Nobody dared to say anything, but they all silently promised that they would do everything in their power to help Katherine's scars heal…as a family.
Author's Note: Annnnnnnd that's a wrap, boys and girls! I hope you all enjoyed it! Especially, you, giftee! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I loved this idea so much that I might just turn it into a full fic one day, but we shall see! Don't forget to leave a review! Thanks again, guys!