Feathered Down
By: Neko-chan
A/N: Annoyed at all of the anti-Anzu stories there are. I've never seemed to understand why so many people hate a single female character—especially when she's done nothing wrong. I'm tired of getting reviews, asking me to kill off Anzu in one of my stories. Thus~ here is my reply. The basis of the story was inspired by last week's Creative Writing Club's topic, 'an ice swan.'
Dedicated To PluieDISCLAIMER: If Neko-chan owned Yuugiou, would this story be called 'fanfiction'?
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Blue eyes were thoughtful and contemplative as Anzu's grandfather slowly turned the last page of the book. "The Swan Princess" used to be her favorite book, the little girl had dozens upon dozens of memories of her family reading it aloud to her—but lately she had been thinking about the book and the actual story itself. Now… Well, now she wasn't all that sure if she even liked the story anymore.
"Ojii-san?" she asked softly as her grandfather closed the book finally with a soft 'snap!' of sound. He paused and stared down at her expectantly, waiting for the small girl to continue. "Why is the princess in the story changed into a swan?"
Her grandfather quirked a smile, eyes crinkling at the edges. "The princess was turned into a swan because she didn't love the villain. She loved the hero and refused to love any other. She was turned into a swan because the villain was jealous. He wanted her to love him, but she didn't."
Anzu paused, her brow crinkling. "But… didn't the evil man love the princess, though?" The old man nodded, answering her question silently. The little girl's brow furrowed even further, puzzlement etched upon her face. "If the man loved the princess, then why is he considered to be the bad man in the story? He shouldn't have turned the princess into a swan, but he was mad at the princess for not loving him."
The elder Mazaki inclined his head slightly. "You're right, Anzu. The villain turned the princess into a swan because she did not love him in return. He was jealous and wanted to punish the princess for not loving him as he did her. His love for the princess turned into jealousy; and eventually that jealousy turned into hatred and loathing. That's why he is considered the villain in the story."
"Why didn't the princess love the man, though, Ojii-san?"
A shrug was her reply. "Because she loved another. The princess could not love the villain because she was already in love with the hero. It doesn't really matter if the villain loved her as much as he did—he was not the one that she loved. And how can you tell one man that you love him with your whole being, yet still manage to give your heart to another? It's not possible, Anzu."
The little girl's frown deepened. "That still doesn't explain why the princess didn't love the man, Ojii-san."
Her grandfather blinked in surprise. "The princess didn't love the man because the villain was evil. He thrived on pain and wanted to destroy the princess and her hero."
Anzu tilted her head to one side, her gaze as contemplative as ever. "Well… No, not really, Ojii-san. You said that the evil man cursed the princess because he was evil. And then you said that she didn't love him because she loved the prince. But… Why is it that, whenever someone does something bad because they love another, they're considered evil?"
Mazaki raised an eyebrow and stared down at her granddaughter with a bemused expression on his face. "Isn't that the case, though?"
The girl bit her lip and looked down at the book in her grandfather's lap, large blue eyes just beginning to show a little bit of annoyance. She continued to look down upon the book, and then continued on: "Just because the man turned the princess into a swan doesn't make him evil, Ojii-san. That just makes him human. You even said so yourself—the man was jealous of the princess and her prince. He was hurting and wanted to lash out at the princess and the prince. But…"
"What is it, Anzu?"
"…in the story, the princess doesn't really seem to care about anyone except for herself and her prince. What about the other man, the one that turned her into a swan? He was hurting because she didn't want him; she didn't love him. I know that if I ever loved someone and my love wasn't returned, I would be very mad. I know that I would probably want to get back at that person for not loving me. The man in the story did that."
"And?"
"And… And he turned her into a swan. He must have been very sad and angry when the princess didn't love him back. I feel sorry for him. It wasn't a very nice thing to do, but I think that the way that the princess treated the man wasn't very nice, either. She didn't have to hurt him in that way—but she did hurt him. The princess didn't seem to really care about the man until he turned her into a swan. She's an ice princess and doesn't really care about others, except for her prince. Now she's an ice swan."
~Owari~
::End::