His Nightmare Queen (Pitch Black x Reader)

1: Awakening

"Lord Pitchiner!"

The halls of the lair echoed with the quick footsteps of the woman rushing past the darkness. Curved shadows along the stone tunnels shied away from her figure when she got close, only to flourish again slowly once she ran by. The blocky heels of her ankle-high boots clicked loudly over her breaths of the murky air. Her short midnight curls bounced with each movement as the ruffled skirt of her thin black silk dress swished at her milky thighs. She pumped her thin sleeved arms alongside her slender body to keep her moving. Silvery-gold eyes darted all around each area of the immense labyrinth she went through in search of her master.

"Lord Pitchiner!" She called out again anxiously at the top of her lungs, her raspy voice filling and fading into the pale stone walls. Her mind raced with her heartbeat, spinning with mixed emotions of pride, relief, and worry. She continued on through the twisting caverns, hurrying in and out of patches of light and shadows. 

It wasn't long before she reached the throne room, bursting through the entrance of the wide space as a breathless heap. She slowed her running pace as she approached the throne that glistened under the dim light until she eventually came to a full stop at a few yards away. She inhaled deeply in order to catch her temporarily lost breath in her burning lungs, and swallowed to cure her stinging throat of its dryness.

"Lord Pitch..." she spoke as clearly as she could, struggling not to croak. She knelt to the floor respectfully and bowed her head at the broad-shouldered figure sitting at the high throne before her, folding her hands over the one knee in front of her. 

The Nightmare King had his cheek resting upon his fist, his elbow balancing on the arm of the massive chair. The end of the thick fur-lined sleeve of his heavy black cloak creased partly up his forearm, revealing a thin ashen wrist. He narrowed his striking glowing eyes in her direction unamusingly, barely shifting from his slumped position. A hairless brow raised at her. Claw-like nails impatiently tapped the armrest under his free hand. "What brings you here now, Onyx?" He questioned with exhausted irritation in his husky voice, expecting to hear another alarm of the other nightmares going haywire again or the Guardians on the move to take action. 

The young woman remained on one knee as she shot her head up to stare into the eyes of the dark spirit, identical orbs meeting. "Your majesty," she began, trying not to seem too excited over the delivery of the news. "She has been found."

The words lit something up in the king's mind, causing his eyes to suddenly widen. He sat up straighter at the edge of his seat, his expression shifting into shock and disbelief. He gripped the armrests of his throne with slender fingers while leaning forward. "It can't be..." he denied with raw astonishment.

"It is true, my lord," he girl confirmed while nodding. "We didn't believe it at first either...but it's true."

The king looked off to the side, his focus faltering due to the sudden pool of memories that hadn't been spoken of for millennia flooding his brain. Visions of endless starlit navy skies that were close enough to be touched with reaching fingertips crossed his mind, along with the long lost sight of bright ecliptic eyes that were warm enough to thaw a heart of ice. Fingers itched for the feeling of a soft waterfall of raven hair to entwine around them as long arms ached to embrace a body leaning into them, skin cool to the touch yet sparking an almost forgotten melting emotion of passion. 

Onyx watched as his shoulders fell with his guard. She could have sworn she noticed his limbs begin to tremble. That is until he gave a shake of his head, realizing in disappointment the impossibilities of his wandering imagination when it flashed to the wrenching disappearance of those days. He looked back at her out of the corner of his eye with hesitation and seemed to tense up, his body sinking back slightly. 

"...Dead or alive?" He questioned lowly. The girl's face seemed to light up, knowing that this information would please her master further once again.

"Alive, sire!" She announced proudly. The Nightmare King shut his eyes in relaxation for a moment more and silently sighed to himself. "We've found her alive and well!"

At last, with his newfound delight brewing a fresh plan, the dark spirit rose to his feet out of his throne. His thick black cloak surrounded his tall yet lithe figure as what was previously gathered around him in clumps smoothed out toward his combat boots. He tugged the v-neckline closer over his chest for the dark feathers at his collar to adjust to their upright placement. Onyx stood up with him from the floor in front of him and awaited his next command. He watched her remain still while he stood at full height in all his wickedness. "What are you waiting for then?" He asked smoothly. "Gather the rest of the mares. Bring me to her."

The woman crossed an arm over her stomach and bent over slightly as a bow. "Of course, my lord," she agreed. She then straightened herself and swung around in preparation to leave, her short dress swaying with her. But before she did, she pivoted on her heels once more to face the king. She lifted an index finger in the air to pinpoint a note she had to make before forgetting. "One more thing, sire?" She shrunk a bit when noticing the spirit tilt his head up to listen.

"And what may that be?" He requested. Onyx cleared her throat and folded her hands together in front of her, taking a deep breath.

"It's about her again...you see..." her shoulders rose with fear of the king's upcoming reaction. "She's not exactly...what she used to be."

The Nightmare King remained unresponsive for a moment. His gaze down at her then tightened into a squint, sharp jaw clenching with refusal to accept any dissenting news that doesn't align with what has been given. "That is for me to find out for myself," he announced in a tone that was more booming than his usual soothing accent. "Take the order," he demanded with a flash of razor-sharp teeth. "Go."

Onyx looked down and bowed to him a final time. "Yes, your majesty," she whispered before turning and seeing herself out of the throne room. 

Once she made her exit, Pitch looked off into the distance of the lair, still standing alone in front of his throne. He inhaled the moist chilly air deeply through his nose, eyelids shutting to take in the moment. When he exhaled, he reopened his eyes, thin lips curling upwards with growing anticipation that was coated in an ecstasy that hadn't been tasted in too long of a time. "I'm coming, my (Y/n)."