Forever i will glow

Oh, his Tsar had better know what he was doing, for Nightlight wasn’t sure he did anymore. 

Big Root loomed ahead, the windows glowing with the warmth of the fireplace. All of a sudden, Nightlight yearned for the comfort of it, fondly remembering his times spent cross legged on the hearth as his Katherine read him her stories. That had been a long, long time ago, and nothing pulled at the heart strings like nostalgia did. His fingers tightened around his staff almost as a reflex, the desire to protect that memory as strong as the desire to protect his home from the boogieman that he’d led here. 

In and out. The sooner he got Pitch that cursed book, the sooner Pitch would leave Santoff Claussen alone. 

Or at least, that was how he saw it. Perhaps the Guardians had a different agenda.

The layout of the village was vastly more appealing to him then the ugly brick and pavement society the rest of the world had become. He wished to linger, possibly even discuss with Nightlight the days of old. Of course, that was a silly wish, considering who he was, and what had happened each and every time he had entered Santoff Claussen in the past. And what he planned to do in the future.

Pitch approached Big Root, eyes still somewhat glazed in curiosity as he examined his surroundings. He felt tense, more so than he should be.

He followed Pitch as the other stepped towards Big Root, staff held loosely between his hands and feet making no noise on the ground below. Even his glow, usually so bright in such strong moonlight, was dimmed to its lowest capacity. There was a need for secrecy here, and Nightlight was all too eager to abide to it.

And then Pitch tensed, and Nightlight felt the unease roll off of him in waves. Though he'd never admit it, Pitch's unease affected him too, and the boy glanced over his shoulder in an uncharacteristic display of insecurity. If something had followed Pitch here, then Nightlight had made the wrong choice to allow him entrance to Santoff Claussen.

Not for the first time, Nightlight suspected foul play.

So enraptured by this idea of a daydream that Nightlight had all but forgotten the cold, the shiver that had startled him pushed to the back of his mind almost instantly. To imagine impossible things? Things he was too afraid to do in real life?

Instantly, his mind replayed the hurried press of his lips against hers- the fear and the panic, the frenzied mantra in his mind, the don’t leave me don’t leave me don’t leave me that had pushed aside all rational thought- and glanced down at where her hand had met his.

Impossible things. There was seemingly almost nothing impossible to the boy who had stepped uncertainly into the first stages of prepubescence, filled with bright courage and possibly a little too much bravado in the literal face of darkness.

But things he was afraid to do in real life? That was a larger list than he’d have thought it to be. He feared no shadows, nor monsters nor villains. He didn’t fear the fearlings or the nightmare men or the other unsavory creatures lurking beneath the shadows, but-

He feared losing his Katherine, just as he feared her.

She was an impossible force in his life, full of soft smiles and laughter and her strange ability to tie him to the earth as though his life was created to revolve around hers. He’d never acknowledged her fleeting life- the lifespan of a mortal, a human, who was already so vulnerable and breakable- compared to his own, until he’d stood beside her and stared down at the tooth in her palm. He’d been unable to deny her a smile as she’d offered him her own gap-toothed one, but beneath it all there’d been fear.

She was growing up.

But-

Now so was he.

He honestly didn’t know what frightened him more. The fact that they were no longer who he’d known them to be, or that insistent part of his mind that continued to replay their kiss as though he was in need of constant reminding that things had changed.

The wind blew again, and Nightlight shivered, yet he kept his eyes trained on the hand holding his own. Getting sick certainly didn’t sound fun. ‘Sick’ was a word that he’d come to associate with sniffly noses and wet coughing from the Small Ones that didn’t bundle themselves up as they should have. To be sick sounded very unpleasant and, gently squeezing his Katherine’s hand in his own, he nodded. His restlessness had subsided for the night, and settling down under the heavy blankets with his Katherine by his side sounded like the ideal way to end a night.

Due to the fact that the spectral boy had neglected his shoes (they were beside the bed where North had told him to keep them, but he’d found himself tripping over them more often than not, and had instead moved to shove them beneath the bed instead- which was, of course, the most likely reason for forgetting his shoes in the first place) he tightened his hold on his Katherine’s hand, offered her a somewhat mischievous smile, and motioned towards the sky with a flick of his moonlit hair.

'Be flying instead of walking?'

So, without deeming her questions an answer, he scooped her up into his arms (her warm weight against his chest, her hair tickling his chin, her gasp against his throat) and bolted up into the sky before he had the chance to second guess himself. His staff remained tucked in the crook of his arm, held expertly by a boy that had long since accepted the broken bough and the diamond blade to be a part of himself.

The night air was cold against his face, and he felt the bite of the wind against cheeks that were probably already pinkened for other reasons. Yet, despite the icy wind that insisted on tousling his hair this way and that, he had to pause, for the night was spectacular even by his own standards. The moon was large and bright, a beacon of light against the inky darkness of the sky, and first hints of purple along the horizon spoke of the coming dawn. Their time together was becoming less and less, and Nightlight had no intention of wasting it.

So, with that thought in mind, he tightened his grip on his Katherine, felt the icy bite of cold air against his face, his feet, his hands, and took off towards Santoff Claussen.

Now, however, their situation had become terser. Nightlight stood tall on the branch he’d come to land on, tapping the edge of his staff against the bark absently as he ignored the other’s presence below. Nightlight didn’t wish to be found here tonight, much less with the Nightmare King in tow. He didn’t wish to cause alarm within the village, nor unrest within the forest. The animals were very finely tuned to the presence of shadow creatures, and he only hoped that his glow was enough to dim Pitch’s oily black shadows from being noticed.

'Come.' He mind-murmured after a moment, taking an unconscious breath as the forest remained as silent as it had before their arrival. The birds remained tucked away in their nests, the insects quiet and the reindeer presumably elsewhere.

He was still considering the best way to go about this. There was so much to think about, after all. Physically, he was no match for Nightlight. That was, until he had his nightmares back. He now faced the decisions of when to turn this situation around, of how, and where he would find the power to do so.

Perhaps he’d make one of the Guardians experience the same torment he had; being trapped in a cave, having their mind torn apart again and again by their worst fears made manifest. Revenge, as always, was heavy on his mind. He wouldn’t accept Nightlight’s help with a smile and a “thank you”, and if that’s what the boy expected then he was an idiot.

The forest was quiet in a sort of way that put him very much on edge. There was much for a being like himself to worry about here. Every little noise drew his attention, making him pause for a moment before hurrying to continue after the spectral boy.

Oh, his Tsar had better know what he was doing, for Nightlight wasn't sure he did anymore. 

Big Root loomed ahead, the windows glowing with the warmth of the fireplace. All of a sudden, Nightlight yearned for the comfort of it, fondly remembering his times spent cross legged on the hearth as his Katherine read him her stories. That had been a long, long time ago, and nothing pulled at the heart strings like nostalgia did. His fingers tightened around his staff almost as a reflex, the desire to protect that memory as strong as the desire to protect his home from the boogieman that he'd led here. 

In and out. The sooner he got Pitch that cursed book, the sooner Pitch would leave Santoff Claussen alone. 

Nature is sometimes too cool to handle.

A monster!!

Instantly, Nightlight was on high alert. He dropped back onto his feet before the girl, staff held to the ready in his hand. If there was a monster somewhere around here then it was Nightlight’s duty to defeat it so that Small Ones like Ina were safe!! There was no monster that Nightlight couldn’t defeat, after all! All the fearlings and nightmare men and nightmares fled before his light, and those that were brave enough to fight were cut down effortlessly. 

'Where is the monster?' He asked, a crooked grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he jabbed a thumb towards his chest.He practically radiated confidence, knowing that this Small One could feel it. She was particularly open to him, even without the mental link that he and the other Guardians shared. Briefly, he wondered if there were anything more to her, before Moonbeam flickered and reminded him of his duty. Yes! The monster! They would protect Ina’s home from the monster, and return her to it before she became sniffly and cold from the snow! 

 ’I shall chase it away! Far away! Never be fearing the monster any more!' 

Ina stepped back out of instinct. The boy had reacted so quickly, and with so much intent that she didn’t know what to make of it at first. Tipping her head, as though to take in the whole picture, Ina took note of the staff he was carrying, and the glint at the end. Was he really a knight?

His confidence hit her, and she righted her head, watching, still. What a strange feeling, like courage, and kindness, and a sort of powerful fearlessness… She didn’t know what the word for confidence was, and wasn’t really familiar with the emotion, either, so the undiluted mix of bold determination, and other strong-feeling emotions really took her off guard. 

What was this?

Then, just as quickly as it had disappeared, the grin reappeared on Nightlight's face, and he gave Ina a quick pat on the head. Her hair bounced beneath his touch, and it amused him greatly. 

They were very, very old beings, he mused silently with his eyes still reflecting the moon’s light. It felt like a million years he’d known the other, and perhaps it had been. Perhaps even longer! Time was a strange concept to those that had lived enough of it.

But in all his years, and through all his Tsar’s silence, Nightlight still believed. It was his strength, and his lips curled into the smallest of smiles as he finally turned back to face the other. His Tsar still trusted him, just as Nightlight trusted his Tsar. Pitch wasn’t going to use that against him.

'Tsar Lunar says you should be stopping the talking.' He quipped slyly, shifting his staff and pointing the glowing dagger at the Nightmare King. 'And be walking in front of me.'

Their truce was paperthin, after all, and Nightlight didn’t feel like being betrayed just yet. Pitch knew the way, and Nightlight wasn’t about to expose his back to his oldest enemy. He had no doubt that Pitch had already thought of his plan to defeat him, and with the stakes being so high on either side, the spectral boy wasn’t about to let the Nightmare King get the jump on him.

"Of course." He said, in as reassuring a tone as he could muster. He continued to contemplate the hedge, then all at once became incorporeal, blending into the shadows that entwined through the thorns.

He emerged on the other side, surpassing the largest of the oak trees, slightly out of breath but otherwise safe.

Now the question was, did he wait for Nightlight to follow? He could very easily sneak in alone now, while the young Guardian was off guard. He likely wouldn’t even realize Pitch had broken the truce until it was far too late. He had been very trusting up until this point.

But what if he did immediately alert the others? That would be quite the disadvantage. Then, it would be unlikely that the Nightmare King would even be able to set foot within the boundaries of the village before the Guardians were at his throat.

Now, however, their situation had become terser. Nightlight stood tall on the branch he'd come to land on, tapping the edge of his staff against the bark absently as he ignored the other's presence below. Nightlight didn't wish to be found here tonight, much less with the Nightmare King in tow. He didn't wish to cause alarm within the village, nor unrest within the forest. The animals were very finely tuned to the presence of shadow creatures, and he only hoped that his glow was enough to dim Pitch's oily black shadows from being noticed.

'Come.' He mind-murmured after a moment, taking an unconscious breath as the forest remained as silent as it had before their arrival. The birds remained tucked away in their nests, the insects quiet and the reindeer presumably elsewhere.

'Daydream?' 

The concept seemed strange. How was dreaming at day different from dreaming at night? Did one have to be awake for a daydream? Was it any different from a normal dream? And how did one make up scenarios? Dreams were elusive things, so he’d been told, and though he wasn’t sure he’d had any himself, he was pretty sure you weren’t normally able to mold them into your own imaginations. 

Frowning slightly, Nightlight shifted as his Katherine did. She must have gotten uncomfortable on the branch, he realized, and when she shifted he moved his cheek to rest against the side of her hair again. The moonbeams had paused in their game, their eagerness for a story tangible in the air, but when it became apparent that his Katherine didn’t have a story for them they returned to their playing. For once, Nightlight didn’t feel like joining them as he had before. He’d been full of energy then, eager to put it to good use, but as the night wore on he found that that energy had depleted rapidly. It had been past midnight when he’d sneaked out, but he knew not how much time had passed since then. The sky still seemed dark, an inky blackness twinkling with the specks of far off stars, and the pale white glow of the moon. If dawn was nearing, then it still had some way left to go. There was plenty of time before his Katherine had to sneak back inside Big Root, for Nightlight knew that North highly disapproved of her nightly ventures. 

He didn’t know why though. 

Perhaps it was too cold? She definitely wasn’t dressed as warmly as she should be. Or perhaps North simply worried that the darkness posed some threat? Well, not with Nightlight around! There was nothing in those shadows that could hurt his Katherine while she was at his side! 

(The thought that, perhaps, North’s disapproval came from Katherine sneaking away to spend her nights with Nightlight hadn’t crossed the boy’s mind, for he had yet to realize the implications behind their actions. Friends that spent time together seemed natural to Nightlight, who had no reason to believe that their unsupervised friendship would be the cause for North’s concern.) 

With his mind preoccupied with thoughts of North and his Katherine and the strange, strange concept of daydreams, Nightlight was taken by surprise when a cold breeze had him shivering violently. Cold! That was new as well! He’d never been bothered by the cold before, but now he was becoming chilled more and more often! He’d flown through space and over oceans and into the very heart of snow storms and never once felt such a chill as he did now!! 

This change was a bothersome thing indeed!! 

Instantly, his mind replayed the hurried press of his lips against hers- the fear and the panic, the frenzied mantra in his mind, the don't leave me don't leave me don't leave me that had pushed aside all rational thought- and glanced down at where her hand had met his.

Impossible things. There was seemingly almost nothing impossible to the boy who had stepped uncertainly into the first stages of prepubescence, filled with bright courage and possibly a little too much bravado in the literal face of darkness.

But things he was afraid to do in real life? That was a larger list than he'd have thought it to be. He feared no shadows, nor monsters nor villains. He didn't fear the fearlings or the nightmare men or the other unsavory creatures lurking beneath the shadows, but-

He feared losing his Katherine, just as he feared her.

She was an impossible force in his life, full of soft smiles and laughter and her strange ability to tie him to the earth as though his life was created to revolve around hers. He'd never acknowledged her fleeting life- the lifespan of a mortal, a human, who was already so vulnerable and breakable- compared to his own, until he'd stood beside her and stared down at the tooth in her palm. He'd been unable to deny her a smile as she'd offered him her own gap-toothed one, but beneath it all there'd been fear.

She was growing up.

But-

Now so was he.

He honestly didn't know what frightened him more. The fact that they were no longer who he'd known them to be, or that insistent part of his mind that continued to replay their kiss as though he was in need of constant reminding that things had changed.

The wind blew again, and Nightlight shivered, yet he kept his eyes trained on the hand holding his own. Getting sick certainly didn't sound fun. 'Sick' was a word that he'd come to associate with sniffly noses and wet coughing from the Small Ones that didn't bundle themselves up as they should have. To be sick sounded very unpleasant and, gently squeezing his Katherine's hand in his own, he nodded. His restlessness had subsided for the night, and settling down under the heavy blankets with his Katherine by his side sounded like the ideal way to end a night.

Due to the fact that the spectral boy had neglected his shoes (they were beside the bed where North had told him to keep them, but he'd found himself tripping over them more often than not, and had instead moved to shove them beneath the bed instead- which was, of course, the most likely reason for forgetting his shoes in the first place) he tightened his hold on his Katherine's hand, offered her a somewhat mischievous smile, and motioned towards the sky with a flick of his moonlit hair.

But still, willingly giving the army of shadow beasts back to their master?? No, there was definitely something wrong with that.

Ignoring Pitch, the boy cast his eyes back up towards the moon. His Tsar was silent, trusting Nightlight in the tasks that lay ahead. Surely there had to be another way?

Of course, the best action to take would be to destroy the Nightmares altogether, but they were far too many for Nightlight or the Guardians to battle face on.

But perhaps-

He glanced down at Pitch in what he hoped to be a subtle way, considering his options. If Pitch were to regain control of his Nightmares, then Nightlight would have to defeat him. Defeat the leader and you take down the army, but completely take down the leader to the extent that the Guardians had, and you release the army back into the world. He had to defeat Pitch once he gained control of his Nightmares, but not so much that he’d lose whatever control they’d managed to wrangle him.

It was quite obvious to Pitch what he was thinking about. After all, this was Pitch’s game, not his. And if Nightlight fought he could win it, he was sorely mistaken.

"Would you feel safer leading the way?" He called, still not meeting the boy’s eye. "Or… if you have plans to kill me now, I think I deserve a fair warning beforehand."

He was treading into very unsafe territory, indeed, not only in the village, but in Nightlight’s mind. After all, Nightlight had proven himself to be quite a violent adversary, when provoked. He could have killed Pitch numerous times in the past, and oh how he had tried.

The sturdy boundary of the forest lay before them, the hedge of thorns somewhat trivial to a spirit. Even in his weakened form, there were little physical barriers actually keeping Pitch from entering the village. Save for the Guardians, of course.

They were very, very old beings, he mused silently with his eyes still reflecting the moon's light. It felt like a million years he'd known the other, and perhaps it had been. Perhaps even longer! Time was a strange concept to those that had lived enough of it.

But in all his years, and through all his Tsar's silence, Nightlight still believed. It was his strength, and his lips curled into the smallest of smiles as he finally turned back to face the other. His Tsar still trusted him, just as Nightlight trusted his Tsar. Pitch wasn't going to use that against him.

'Tsar Lunar says you should be stopping the talking.' He quipped slyly, shifting his staff and pointing the glowing dagger at the Nightmare King. 'And be walking in front of me.'

Their truce was paperthin, after all, and Nightlight didn't feel like being betrayed just yet. Pitch knew the way, and Nightlight wasn't about to expose his back to his oldest enemy. He had no doubt that Pitch had already thought of his plan to defeat him, and with the stakes being so high on either side, the spectral boy wasn't about to let the Nightmare King get the jump on him.

Sanderson floated down, landing gently on the roof and waddling across it’s surface, looking up at the stars above, he didn’t seem to notice when his waddling led him straight off the roof.

Instead of plummeting, he gently floats down, narrowly missing someone. 

He felt her arm wind around him, and Nightlight latched onto the feeling like a lifeline. His own arms went to twine around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest and feeling her warmth bleed through the fabric of his borrowed clothes. His face found her hair, eyes clenched shut as he pressed his lips to her temple and remained there, frozen in his own moment of weakness as his Katherine comforted him. She was here now, she was safe, she was safe, she was safe. He needn’t worry, for there was no force on Earth that could take her from him ever again; not now that he’d vowed to protect her to his last breath. He could protect her. The Guardians could protect her. The moonbeams and his Tsar could protect her. The Pitch had a real battle coming if he ever wanted to step between them again.

It took a few moments for his fear to subside, and it did, ebbing away slowly as he clutched Katherine close. He’d never held someone like this before, and it was…. nice, albeit being such a foreign feeling. He felt naked without the casing of his armour, but not entirely unhappy. Things changed, after all, and he’d grown almost a head of height since he’d first pressed his lips to those of his Katherine’s. Change was coming, Bunnymund had told him, and Nightlight truly believed it.

He heard her speak, the words quiet despite the silence of the forest around them. Slowly, Nightlight nodded. Yes, sleeping felt like a task, and one that he’d not yet gotten used to. He was tired; his mind felt sluggish sometimes, his eyes felt gritty others, and always there was a weariness to him that no amount of movement could subside. But, the moment he tried to settle down for sleep, every part of him wished to stay awake. What if something happened?? What if he was needed??

He’d never needed to sleep before, and everything that he was and ever had been protested against the idea.

'How do you fall asleep?'

The concept seemed strange. How was dreaming at day different from dreaming at night? Did one have to be awake for a daydream? Was it any different from a normal dream? And how did one make up scenarios? Dreams were elusive things, so he'd been told, and though he wasn't sure he'd had any himself, he was pretty sure you weren't normally able to mold them into your own imaginations. 

Frowning slightly, Nightlight shifted as his Katherine did. She must have gotten uncomfortable on the branch, he realized, and when she shifted he moved his cheek to rest against the side of her hair again. The moonbeams had paused in their game, their eagerness for a story tangible in the air, but when it became apparent that his Katherine didn't have a story for them they returned to their playing. For once, Nightlight didn't feel like joining them as he had before. He'd been full of energy then, eager to put it to good use, but as the night wore on he found that that energy had depleted rapidly. It had been past midnight when he'd sneaked out, but he knew not how much time had passed since then. The sky still seemed dark, an inky blackness twinkling with the specks of far off stars, and the pale white glow of the moon. If dawn was nearing, then it still had some way left to go. There was plenty of time before his Katherine had to sneak back inside Big Root, for Nightlight knew that North highly disapproved of her nightly ventures. 

He didn't know why though. 

Perhaps it was too cold? She definitely wasn't dressed as warmly as she should be. Or perhaps North simply worried that the darkness posed some threat? Well, not with Nightlight around! There was nothing in those shadows that could hurt his Katherine while she was at his side! 

(The thought that, perhaps, North's disapproval came from Katherine sneaking away to spend her nights with Nightlight hadn't crossed the boy's mind, for he had yet to realize the implications behind their actions. Friends that spent time together seemed natural to Nightlight, who had no reason to believe that their unsupervised friendship would be the cause for North's concern.) 

With his mind preoccupied with thoughts of North and his Katherine and the strange, strange concept of daydreams, Nightlight was taken by surprise when a cold breeze had him shivering violently. Cold! That was new as well! He'd never been bothered by the cold before, but now he was becoming chilled more and more often! He'd flown through space and over oceans and into the very heart of snow storms and never once felt such a chill as he did now!!