Rise of the Guardians 2: Return of the Nightmare King

An Unexpected Visit and A Quarrel

                                                                              Angela's P.O.V

 I licked off the melted chocolate and crumbs from my fingers. I hummed in delight at the sweet taste of the chocolate and the warm sensation it gave me. "Okay, it's official," I said, "warm chocolate chip cookies are now my favorite dessert. Especially when they're made by none other than Santa Claus himself!" North chuckled as I wiped my mouth with a napkin.

"I'm glad you like them," North smiled, "it's my best recipe." I grinned at him in response and set my plate on a nearby table. The Nightmare I had tamed sat beside me, sniffing my plate but not licking it. I had learned to accept the fact that the Nightmare was stuck by my side. However, I still didn't want to believe that I was Pitch's relative, so I tried to avoid the horse as much as possible. Since that incident, however, I was beginning to trust the Nightmare a little more each day. I watched the horse some more before I realized that something was different about her. Instead of the fiery red color that made up her eyes, they were an icy blue. "Hey, your eyes are blue," I told the horse, "they were red yesterday. I wonder why they changed."

The Nightmare turned its head towards me, "Since I no longer follow Pitch some of my features changed. I guess since I'm no longer evil, my body doesn't look evil." I suddenly felt pity for the horse. Instead of getting to know her, I had pushed her away. I rubbed my arm sheepishly and looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I haven't been very nice to you ever since I tamed you. I just..." I paused, "I don't want to accept the fact that I am the Nightmare King's blood. He's ruined everyone's life and killed my parents, so I was afraid that I had that kind of evil inside me. Whenever I look at you, it just reminds of that but now I see that I can't judge others based on their past. I think I want to start over and get to know you. The first step is giving you a name." The horse perked up her ears and snorted happily. I laughed as she pranced around the couch and finally sat down in front of me while wagging her tail. I rubbed my chin like I was thinking, but I had already picked out a name for her. "How about Midnight?" I asked her.

"I like that name very much! Thank you, Angela," Midnight came up to me and nuzzled her snout against my cheek in thanks. I chuckled and scratched her behind the ears.

"Well look at that," Bunny hopped up on the couch and smiled, "you two are getting along. I'm glad you're finally accepting who you are Angela."

"I don't know about that, Bunny," my smile faltered. "I still have to find out who I am. I don't even know who my parents were! I mean, I know who they were but if I'm related to Pitch then one of my parents must've known him. That would make sense as to why my parents went to help people during the rise of Pitch." I sat down next to Bunny on the couch.

He put his paw on my leg in comfort, "well now that Sandy is getting stronger we have a chance of beating him. It's like North said when we first defeated him, 'as long as one child believes, we will be here to fight fear.' There are four children who believe so there is hope." At that moment, I knew why he was the Guardian of Hope. Even when things seemed bleak, he always gave words of encouragement to others.

"Where are Tooth and Jack?" North asked suddenly with a full mouth of cookies. Bunny and I laughed, "I don't know. I'll go check on them," I said and walked towards the room Jack was in. I knocked on the door first, just to be polite. "Tooth are you in there? If you are, is Jack with you?" I called through the door but I received no answer. I turned the doorknob slowly and peeked inside. "Tooth I just wanted to-" I immediately cut my voice off at the sight I saw.

Jack was laying on his back, propped up by pillows and the blankets pulled up to his chest. His head laid on Tooth's, with his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling in a relaxed motion. His arm was draped loosely over the fairy's shoulders in an almost protective manner. He had a smile on his face, no doubt dreaming of something that made him happy. Tooth was snuggled up against Jack's chest, her hands under her cheek. She was curled up in a fetal position, her wings vibrating with every slow breath she took. Her amethyst colored orbs were hidden under her eyelids and her lips were upturned in a cute smile. The blankets were pulled up to her shoulders since she was shorter than Jack was. I almost turned back to motion the others over here, but I decided not to. This was their special moment that needed to be kept secret.