A Duck and Her Knight
After the story of our beloved heroine Princess Tutu had ended, the writer Drasselmyer finally resigned himself to death. The sleepy town returned to its perpetual haze and the characters were able to live their lives once again in peace. Every one lived happily ever after – everyone except for a duck and her knight.
Since the day her story ended Ahiru had lived as a lowly duck. She lived with no purpose other than to swim. She ate the bread that the more generous travelers would throw to her and the small fish that lived in her pond.
Some days on occasion, the prince Mythos and his bride Rue would visit the poor duck.
She tried to be as cheerful as she once was but the two knew the grief the duck was hiding. They tried to comfort the poor duck but they knew only one person truly could.
One day when the royal pair came to visit the yellow duck they found her laying forlornly on the ground. Her eyes filled with the tears she could not shed, as she was a duck and ducks cannot cry.
Rue took the duck into her arms and held her close to her heart. She tried to find the words to comfort her dear feathered friend but she could not, nothing seemed appropriate.
Mythos tried to tell her stories about the torment Neko-Sensei was inflicting on the new students but all the small duck could muster was a small smile that barley reached her tear-filled eyes.
Ahiru sighed and looked at the pair with the smallest glimmer of hope in her eyes. "What has become of Fakir?" The two exchanged knowing looks.
"Poor Ahiru," Rue stroked the ducks soft lemon yellow feathers. "We will make him visit you."
"No I do not want to bother him," she protested. "Anyways what would he need with a duck that will cause him nothing but grief?" the little duck sighed.
"Fakir will come here." With that bit of reassurance, Mythos stood and walked towards the woods, intent on retrieving the knight immediately.
"I do not think it is smart to bother Fakir like this," twitted the duck.
Fakir walked out of his classroom, hands in pockets and eyes toward the ground. The girls at the academy watched the schools star dancer as he made his way back to his dormitory.
Ever since Mythos and Rue left, the academy students put the blame directly on him. Why else would the schools top pupils suddenly leave?
He never paid attention to the gossip hungry girls that attended the academy, he really could care less what they thought of him or anything for that matter. One girls commit caught his attention though… she had mentioned Mythos.
"Why would he come back, I thought he and Rue moved to the country," Fakir was lost in his thoughts until he heard a familiar voice call his name.
The voice was none other than Mytho. "Fakir. Do you know how Ahiru is doing?" Fakir knew he was not just casually asking about the small duck.
"Why should I care," was Fakirs calloused answer.
Fakir turned to face the golden-eyed prince. His countenance showed nothing but anger.
"You've fallen for her haven't you? I suggest you see her before it is too late." With that last threat hanging in the air, Mythos pushed past Fakir and walked back towards the entrance of the academy. Leaving Fakir shocked and frozen in the school courtyard, as the students gathered to watch the spectacle.
Fakir slammed his door shut, "Just what did he mean by that?" Fakir collapsed into his bed. Mythos could certainly irritate him; If Ahiru was in such dire trouble why had they not come to him sooner.
Then Fakir remembered exactly what Mythos said, "You've fallen for her haven't you?" It was ridicules how could he have fallen for a duck.
He looked down at his feet, remembering the times that she had helped him protect the prince. They way she had protected him, and how he could not protect her. He had thought all of that had been Tutu.
Yet it was not the graceful and gentle Tutu that his mind wondered to at night. It was the clumsy but sweet-natured ordinary girl Ahiru. His dreams gave him away he longed to see the pink-haired girl, but felt that could not possibly be the one she herself desired.
Was it not Mythos that they had fought side by side to protect. Was Tutu not created solely to find the heart shards of the fair-haired prince. Yet Tutu was long gone he realized. He decided to go look for the little duck – since he decided despite the fact that Tutu had once inhabited Ahiru's body she was not Ahiru.
It was nightfall and the little duck needed to head to shore for sleep. Usually she hid in a small hole in a tree, but Fakir threw off her thoughts. She would have to risk sleeping in one of the patches of weeds that grew along the opposite side of her pond.
In the distance, she heard wild dogs howl, and the owls hoot. She was small even for a duck, the perfect treat for any of the animals that lived in the woods surrounding her pond. She shuddered at the thought.
Ahiru paddled to the nearest patch of weeds. The little yellow duck found a clearing in the weeds and fell into a troubled sleep.
Jumping the fallen trees and the mossy rocks of the dense woods Fakir rushed to Ahiru's pond. He pushed his way through the final stretch of bushes, desperately trying to reach the duck. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity Fakir stumbled into the clearing.
He searched for the little duck but found nothing. Expecting the worst he began to call out for her. Ahiru heard the yelling and was jarred from her slumber.
"Ahiru…" recognizing the voice she began to quake in excitement.
He could not find the little duck but he could hear her. Deciding he may never get another chance Fakir yelled out into the night air, "Ahiru I don't care if your a duck and I don't care if you love Mythos, because I love you! And I want to be with you."
Ahiru stopped quaking, "Did he just say that?" She swam out into the middle of the lake hoping to find him. She saw him standing knee deep in the water, his eyes focused on her.
She was about to respond to his declaration of love when a red glow emitted from her chest. The glow soon engulfed her.
Her small duck legs began to lengthen, and the feathers in her wings began to separate forming her fingers. The feathers wilted off revealing her long slender body.
She stood in the middle of the lake surrounded by a red glow. She was no longer a duck but the red haired girl known as Ahiru. Opening her eyes, she saw Fakir staring in disbelief. She stretched out her arms and ran to him across the lake the red glow slowly dissipating as she reached the shoreline.
Fakir stared at her as she transformed into a girl, mesmerized by her and the red light that surrounded her. As she approached him, Fakir outstretched his arms as she rushed to him.
Ahiru collapsed into his arms. Fakir pressed his lips to the red haired girls and pulled away, just to make sure she was actually in his arms. Then he realized she was in fact completely naked. After a moment of shock Fakir looked away and blushed.
Ahiru merely smiled and disregarded her nakedness. "I love you too my sweet Knight."
Fakir looked back down at the girl and kissed her again.
So the stories have finally ended - all is well for a Duck and her Knight. They may now live happily ever after.