Once upon a time there was a queen who hated her step-daughter,for she was more fairer than she.She ordered her chambermaid to leave her,but the princess met seven brave knights,one offered to marry her,but she could not,for she was engaged.When the stepmother found out the girl was still alive she sent out the chambermaid to kill her disguised as an old woman,despite the heroics of the chambermaids dog,who barked and bit the apple first,the princess ate the apple and died,The seven knights made her a coffin of crystal and put her in a small desert cave.This would be the end of the story,if not for the prince's heroics.
But did the princess love the prince,or the knight?
Ahiru looked around her,it was the town center she was sure,but why was she in the town center when she was a duck without Fakir?She sighed and walked towards Charon's shop,she had better hurry back,only she found herself heading the opposite direction,curious as to why her webbed feet wouldn't listen to her she followed.She noticed that the town was empty,despite it being around noon.The bakery and dress shop were devoid of customers,as was the candy shop and pet shop.It was odd.suddenly her feet made a turn dragging her into a side street,the place was just as devoid of people.She looked around interestedly,it was mostly cafes and closed up tourist shops,there was a small inn and for some reason Ahiru felt that this was all important.
Suddenly her webbed feet led her into one of the cafes,one that read very simply Rose-Cafe.She walked in and was surprised to see an old woman,cackling slightly,Ahiru felt afraid,every story book Fakir had showed her with a witch matched the old woman,except the woman was not green.The woman smiled at her.
"Ah...little ducky wants to be human,am I right little ducky?"Ahiru felt herself nod,even though she was yelling no in her mind,"Little ducky can be,if she is strong enough,it is hard to be human,I'm sure you understand this,let us see if you really want to little ducky,come and visit me soon."Ahiru tilted her head.
"Quack?"She asked curiously,the old woman smiled happily and set down a tea cup filled with a mysterious black liquid.The woman plucked one of her feathers much to Ahiru's distaste and dropped in,the cup flashed before the liquid turned from black to a blue that was only a shade lighter than her eyes.
"Ahh...such a pure color,almost white too...drink up!"despite fighting it her head dipped in and she drank it so fast she was sure she would choke.Suddenly she felt warmth all over her,it was strange,and her feathers were gone,she looked down and saw her arms,her human arms.
"Remember little Ducky,come and visit me soon if your sure!"
"Sure?But I thought you already-"she was cut off as the witchy old woman flipped a switch launching Ahiru into darkness,falling down,"AAAAAA-"
"-QUAAAAAAAA!"Ahiru checked her wings,still feathered.Sighing she wiped her feathered forehead and stood up.Fakir was still laying in bed,she couldn't see the alarm clock,but she had decided that it was time he woke up anyway,it looked close enough to daylight judging by the few cracks of sunlight peaking in.She grabbed onto a blanket corner nearer to the side of the bed.she tested its strength tugging a few times,satisfied that it was safe she began to climb.She climbed up easily enough,managing to not fall miraculously.She finally reached the top and did a little dance in victory,only to fall off the back.
Fakir smiled down at her,having been awake all along.
"Pride comes before the fall."he said,laughing a bit despite himself.Ahiru huffed unhappily and stood.
"QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK!"Fakir decided he did not want to know what she was saying,Ahiru sighed before tapping her webbed foot impatiently,Fakir helped her up and set her on his bed before going to get ready for the day.Ahiru waited impatiently for him to come back.Fakir laughed at her impatient expression,which made Ahiru slightly happy,he'd been more cheerful lately.He helped her onto his shoulders,and walked downstairs.
"Oh no!He's not heading for the toast again is he?!"He was reaching for the breadbox,suddenly Ahiru had an idea gripping a few strands of his hair as well she could with wings she tugged back hard,accidentally falling off,her wings still latched onto Fakirs hair.
"GAAAAAAAAAAA-"Ahiru had managed to climb back onto his shoulder,and Fakir was running around like a headless chicken trying to get her to stop pulling his hair without hurting her."-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"Ahiru was quite frankly amazed at his lung capacity.She decided to try figure out how to make Fakir get oatmeal instead of bread.Pulling one hair she noticed he went left,the other made him go right.If she tugged on the right one he would go straight,the other when tugged made him go straight left.If she tugged both at the same time he would make a wild turn.after figuring it out she managed to turn Fakir into a path straight for the cupboard,sadly for her,and him,Fakir had decided to run around with his eyes closed.Fakir's screams stopped as he finally catapulted straight into the cupboard.The knight gone writer fell down.
"QUACK!"Ahiru screamed as they fell together,Fakir was lucky however as Charon appeared just in time to catch him.
"Why did you do that to Fakir Ahiru,he could've been seriously hurt."Charon asked,helping the dizzy Fakir onto a couch.Ahiru was set on the counter,she looked down ashamedly,"Idiot,if Charon had caught Fakir he could've fallen and hit his head on the hard floor,then he could've died,all because I didn't want toast today!"She hid her head behind her wing to hide her tears of embarrassment.Just then the bell for the shop rang,Charon sighed.
"Ahiru,I want you take care of Fakir,if he tries to leave while I'm gone I want you to make him take it easy,okay?"Ahiru tried to wipe away her tears and saluted him,her head free of her wing,"And Ahiru,don't be sad about an accident,I understand that you don't think things through sometime,just try to think before you do something,okay?"Ahiru nodded,flushing slightly. Charon walked off.The small yellow duck turned to Fakir,he still had that dizzy looked in his eyes,he was obviously still trying to recover,judging by the small bruise on his head.She sighed unhappily and as best as she could flapped over to him.
"Ugh...Ah-ahiru?"He said,his eyes becoming more focused.
"Quack?"She said,tilting her head slightly.
"Why did you have to pull my hair so hard?"He asked,saving his usual baka for after her explanation.Using mime and charades as best she could,she tried to convey her current hate of toast.Fakir stared at her blankly.Ahiru slapped her head before trying again.She rubbed her stomach then went into several very advanced moves that in his current state Fakir had no hope of understanding.
"Are you hungry?"He asked,Ahiru sighed and nodded,deciding that Fakir was hopelessly confused suffering from a head injury.Fakir stood and instead of heading to the breadbox for toast he headed outside,"Lets go to a cafe."Ahiru gave Fakir an odd look, why would he feel such a need,then it hit her,the moment he recovered from his injury he was going to hurt her,badly,so she had better enjoy his kindness while she was alive.She nodded and Fakir held her in his arms,she guess he had made the connection of her on his shoulder equalling pain.They headed down the main street,before Fakir made a sharp turn into a little side street that reminded Ahiru vaguely of something.
"I've been here before,there's a place that serves Tea,it's not very good tea,but it doesn't serve one thing,and that is tea."Ahiru looked at him,and decided to add this sentence to the insane pile,their wasn't many in fact the current score was Ahiru 6 Fakir 1.They turned into a small cafe called Rose-cafe.It wasn't anything special,though it did seem familiar,Ahiru chalked it up to the design,matching all the other cafes and closed up tourist shops,something struck her though,her head was turned the opposite direction but she could tell there was a little inn across the street next to the only cafe painted yellow."Have I been here before?"She pondered as Fakir walked up to the counter,an old woman who looked very creepy to Ahiru stood behind it.
"Hello good sir,what a pretty ducky you have,such a rare color as well."Fakir looked down,as if realizing for the first time he was holding a duck.
"Yeah,she is,her name's Ahiru."The old woman smiled.
"Your pretty ducky looks thirsty,would she care for a drink,on the house?"Fakir seemed altogether confused by this,still drowsy from his injury.
"How would she drink it if its on a house?"The old woman smiled,as if she'd just figured out something very important.
"What a charming man you are,but you don't look handsome at all with that bruise on your head,why don't you take a seat,and I'll watch your ducky for awhile?"Too confused and drowsy to see the danger in letting Ahiru alone with the witchy woman.
"Okay."He said,he set down Ahiru much to the duck's protest and then he sat down and fell asleep.
"Little ducky came,ducky is sure,drink up little ducky,and come with me,or ducky will be ducky once more."Ahiru shook her head,but the woman wouldn't give up,she grabbed Ahiru's head and held it over the light blue cup,"Little duckies will do as their told,or..."The old woman grinned evilly.She took out an apple and held it to the light,it glowed black,"Perhaps the ducky's friend is hungry?"Ahiru's eyes widened before she dipped her head and drank the blue-ish liquid.Her throat burned as if it was whiskey and her heart pounded,her skin felt intoxably warm and she could feel her feathers hitting her skin,they felt cold and hard,like raindrops.The witch was picking up her feathers rather greedily.
"A golden ducky,much better than a golden goose."The old women smiled,and Ahiru felt sick,the golden glow left her skin,leaving her in human form on the counter top,naked and shivering,"Come along little ducky,we haven't much time." Ahiru,to weak to complain was hoisted over the woman's shoulder and carried off.She felt numb,she tried to summon up something that would make her feel,but happy and sad feelings alike didn't do anything,it was hard to draw upon them,and when she did they were black-and-white and faded.The old woman cackled as she led her down into the depths of some place that even through her numbness made her feel uneasy,absently she wished the numbness back,the uneasiness made her feel horrible and she didn't like it at all.The old woman set her down in front of a tall tree,a tree that was familiar,but so faded she couldn't recall how.
"The eldest tree,the mother of an old friend of yours."The old woman said,as an introduction and explanation,how it would explain anything Ahiru didn't understand,but she didn't understand much through the numbness really,"Oh elder tree,give me a heart."Ahiru was even more confused by this,"Why does she need a heart,she's got one surely?"
"Why do you need one this time Baba Yaga?Have you been turned into a crow again?"
"Ah...eldest tree you are blind,and cannot see what a beauty you have before you,but her heart,which was too big for a duck,is now to small to do anything but beat."
"Are you sure Baba Yaga,you have tried to full me before,embarrassed that you were turned into a crow."
"That is in the past!"The old woman shouted angrily,"Besides,I am helping people now,I turned a duck into a human girl just this morning."She said in a calmer tone.
"You never could finish your work could you Baba Yaga?You may have a heart,but give it to the girl now,so when she wakes I can hear her thanks."the old woman nodded,and a heart shaped stone appeared out of the tree.the old woman took it in her hands carefully,before looking at the tree with a rather curious eye.
"Why a raven heart?"The tree's branches shook,from her view it looked like the tree was about to fall,a loud moaning sound filled the place and a flock of crows flew off,spooked by what could be considered the tree's version of laughter.
"Don't you know,ravens have big hearts,"The women looked at him curiously,"and I'm saving you time,I know you well Baba Yaga,you won't use the heart for your own purposes,you'll poison it and use the girl instead.'
"Perhaps you do know me too well Eldest tree,but that's neither here nor there,I'm sure you'd enjoy it if you could see."
"I may not see,but I can hear just as well,and what I hear is just as interesting,perhaps more so."
"What do you mean?"The old woman asked,it was more dissmisive than curious.
"Oh,you always get caught up in the beauty of things,simply entertained,I however,can know more,for I cannot see beauty,only hear it.That is why trees have always been the wiser of species,even after our traditions were lost."
"Hm...perhaps,if you want to look at things in such a dismal fashion,what is life,if not one distraction after another?"
"For humans who lead such dull lives perhaps.A tree's live is so much more interesting."the tree said in a mighty tone.Ahiru was becoming bored and tired,she couldn't tell really,just vaguely,that this conversation was becoming increasingly annoying.
"That's hogwash,you trees listen to us for a reason."The tree shook as if upset and made a croaking sound that she suposed ended the conversation.The old woman approached her,smiling with heart shaped stone in her hand.She settled down in front of the girl and held the heart over her chest,it slowly went in,then just as the stone was halfway in a raven flew by and grabbed half of the stone.
"NOOOOO!"Baba Yaga yelled,as Ahiru's once dazed eyes turned blank slate grey.Vaguely Ahiru could here the tree's strange laughing before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
AN:I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written.sorry i had to end it on a cliffhanger,well I think its cliffhanger,its not really a torturous cliffhanger though.I'm sorry if Fakir was OOC,but I thought he would be more willing to act like a fool with Ahiru around,I'm better at writing about fool's then stuck up people,which is why I'll probally suck at Rue,Mytho is easier because with his heart you just add kindness and other than that he's good to go.
If you get the reference to Baba Yaga you get a cyber-chocolate chip cookie!If you get the reference that Baba Yaga made to the eldest tree then you get a cyber-cake!If you can name what story I used in the beginning of the story,you get the chapter dedicated to you!Any questions asked will be answered,no matter how stupid.