The Knight and the Swan – Chapter 1: Becoming Tutu
Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu or any of its characters. They belong to the genius Ito Ikuko. I, however own all of my original characters and ideas.
This is my first Princess Tutu fanfiction. I am writing this with a limited amount of knowledge about the show (I have never read the manga), so I'm sorry if I get something wrong! I warn you that some of the characters may be slightly changed in personality, age, role in the story, etc. to fit my own taste. I apologize to anyone who disapproves of that fact. If you don't like it, don't read the story. Sorry, I'm rambling. On with chapter 1!
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She walked through the quiet, misty woods, trying to find a nice secluded spot. She needed to practice her ballet, badly. She had been going to Kinkan Academy for only a short while (she was a freshman), but she already knew someone she wanted to impress: Senior Fakir.
Senior Fakir was the best male ballet student at Kinkan Academy (next to Senior Mytho, but the girl only had eyes for Fakir), in the Advanced class. While he was all the way at the top, the girl, Aimi, was at the bottom of the Probationary class.
"I need to practice, practice, practice! So Senior Fakir will notice me!"
At this point, Aimi had come across a small clearing, with a tiny pond in the center of it.
"Perfect." Aimi thought. "There's no way someone would find me practicing out here."
Aimi started with practicing the basics. She stumbled, tripped, and fell to the hard ground. Rubbing the ankle she had fallen on, she got up and tried again. She kept trying over and over, but kept making mistakes on the simplest of moves.
You're practicing quite hard, aren't you?
Aimi turned. "Who's there?!" She called in shock.
I believe that I shall award you for your hard work. How would you like to become Princess Tutu?
A man walked out from the shadow of the trees. He was wearing brightly colored robes, had long white hair that curled upwards at the tips, and strange orange eyes.
"Who are you?" Aimi took a cautious step backward, so she now stood at the edge of the water.
"I am Herr Drosselmeyer, a writer of stories. How would you like to become part of one?" Drosselmeyer held out his hand.
"Become… part of a story?" Aimi questioned. "What is he talking about?"
"I'm talking about becoming Princess Tutu. From the story, "Prinz und Rabe - The Prince and the Raven." Have you ever heard of the story? There's a copy of it in the Kinkan Town Library."
"Princess… Tutu? What are you talking about? If Princess Tutu is a dancer, then I'm definitely not the right person to play her. I'm the worst dancer at Kinkan Academy!" Aimi cried in frustration.
"Exactly. The fact that you're completely wrong for the part makes it all the more right. Becoming Princess Tutu will improve your dancing. By taking on the role, you will eventually become the princess herself." Drosselmeyer held his hands behind his back. "The role of Princess Tutu in the story is very small, but of the greatest importance. She must return the shards of the Prince's shattered heart."
"T-the Prince's shattered heart?!" Aimi exclaimed.
Drosselmeyer chuckled. "Yes, my dear girl. The Prince from the story is, in fact, a student at your Kinkan Academy. I believe you know Senior Mytho?"
Aimi gasped. "S-senior Mytho is the Prince from your story?"
"Yes. Have you ever noticed how Mytho never seems to show any emotion in his dancing? While his dancing is quite wonderful, it is far from having any feeling in it. This is because the Prince has no heart."
"But… but Mytho is with my best friend Rue! He loves her! Doesn't he need a heart to love?" Aimi countered.
"Indeed he does." Drosselmeyer crossed his arms. "But his love for Rue is a false love. He doesn't truly love her. Rue has forced her feelings onto him, confusing him, pushing him into this relationship."
"Does… does Rue know?" Aimi timidly asked, dreading the answer.
"No. The only ones who know everything I am telling you are me… and now you, Princess Tutu." Drosselmeyer pointed a finger at Aimi chest, and a shining red pendant appeared around Aimi's neck.
The large oval-shaped shining red stone glimmered in the faint moonlight. It was connected to a silver link chain by a tiny heart-shaped silver clasp. Suddenly, the pendant began to glow brightly, and Aimi was surrounded by clear, shimmering water. The water formed around her, in the shape of an egg, as her entire body began to glow with silver light. The egg burst, sending sparkling drops of liquid light everywhere, and Aimi emerged as Princess Tutu.
She wore a snow white sleeveless top that was connected to a feathery white tutu, which was lined with a thin, frilly pink cloth. White tights covered her slim dancer's legs, and rosy pink ballet slippers covered her feet. Aimi's once waist-length brown hair was now ankle-length, tied into a single tight braid down her bare back. Blue tassels hung from various parts of the hem of her tutu, and two paper-thin yellow wings were attached to the back of her waist. The tops of her upper arms were wrapped in white cloth, and she wore a golden-beaded bracelet on each wrist. The pendant transformed into a dragonfly shape resting on a flat red circle. It glowed brightly, the light reflecting in her vibrant emerald eyes.
"Wh-what? What just happened?" Aimi asked, in a daze from the transformation she had just undergone.
"I just granted you the power of Princess Tutu. The first few transformations will feel strange, but that will pass. You just transformed now because a heart shard is nearby. Look around, and you should be able to find it." Drosselmeyer looked pleased with himself.
Aimi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright." She opened her eyes. "I'll do this for the Prince. I'll do it for Rue." She saw a faint red glow coming from the trees, and turned.
Standing just inches from the pond was a perfect copy of Senior Mytho. Only, this wasn't Mytho. This Mytho was transparent, glowing, and completely red.
"This is a heart shard?"
Aimi took a step towards the shard, and it smiled warmly at her, encouraging her. She continued to dance over, until she came face-to-face with it.
I am the feeling of Happiness. Whenever I am near Rue, I am filled with great joy. But, I cannot find Rue. Why?
A pained looked crossed the shard's eyes, but then it flickered back to happiness.
"It is because you have wandered away from where you must be. Come with me, and I'll return you to where you belong." Aimi held out a hand. "Then, you will be able to see Rue. You'll be able to be happy with her once again."
Thank you. I'm so glad…
The shard of Happiness began to dissolve, and the pieces flew into Aimi's open hands, materializing into a small, glimmering shard.
"Good. Now, return to the Prince." Aimi lifted her hands up into the air, and the shard flew away, towards Kinkan Academy.
Aimi was surrounded by shining silver light once again, as she returned to her normal self. The pendant was now just the red oval stone around her neck. She turned to where Drosselmeyer had been standing, but now he was gone.
"Herr Drosselmeyer? Where are you?"
She heard the faint sound of laughter coming from the trees, and then Drosselmeyer's voice echoed throughout the clearing.
You did very well for your first time. You will make a fine Princess Tutu…
The voice faded away, and suddenly Aimi was overcome with fatigue. She hadn't realized how tired she was until now. She managed to keep herself awake as she walked back through the woods towards Kinkan Academy, into the Girls' Dorm, to her room that she shared with her best friend Rue, and collapsed onto her bed.
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How was that for the first chapter? I don't know in what order or how the shards were returned to Mytho. Heck, I don't even know all of the different feelings! So, I'm making that up as I go. Princess Tutu's costume was kinda changed as well. Why? 'Cause I felt like it. Review please!