Darkness surrounded her. No matter which way Duck turned all she could see was the inky black of pure darkness. Slowly she began to walk forwards, fear plain on her pale freckled face. After a while of walking, Duck heard a voice that echoed around her.
"Finally you can hear my voice." The female voice called to her, a faint glow appeared in the dark behind her, causing the girl to turn around. From within the glow the figure of a woman with long flowing blonde hair emerged. The mysterious woman held a staff and, though she had no idea how, Duck could have sworn that she knew who this woman was. A name cautiously escaped her lips.
"Aqua Regina?" The girl murmured quietly not taking her eyes of the woman in front of her. Aqua Regina silently extended her hand for Duck to take. When she did, Duck felt warmth spread through her body, before centring on her heart. Somehow knowing the woman wouldn't hurt her, the girl closed her eyes and gave herself into the warmth.
Arina slowly opened her eyes to find the goddess of the oceans Aqua Regina in front of her. She slowly owed her hand and looked around in confusion. "Aqua Regina? You're here? What happened? Where are we? The last thing I remember is walking through a town on the surface."
The goddess smiled gently at the confused girl. "Arina, mermaid princess of the dead sea. You have been under the power of the wordsmith Drosselmeyer. He used his power to write you into one of his stories and hid you under the guise of a Duck. A Duck that could turn into a girl, and then into one of the characters from one of his stories, Princess Tutu." As the goddess spoke Arina noticed the change in her appearance, realising the truth in what she was told. Aqua Regina's gaze turned solemn. "When you went to rescue the prince with the boy Fakir, you were submerged in water long enough for the spell on you to weaken. However the spell was not completely broken. You are still trapped inside this story until its completion and are trapped within the body of 'Duck'."
Seeing the distraught look on the girls face, the woman smiled again. "You are able to use your power of songs, however you won't be able to return to your mermaid form, even when you are in water."
"What should I do until then? Should I keep acting as Princess Tutu and help Mytho?" Arina asked the goddess, hoping that she could give her some answers. To her despair, she could see Aqua Regina start to disappear. The goddess simply turned lonely eyes towards her. "It is up to you what you do now, mermaid princess of the dead sea." With each word she grew fainter and fainter, until she vanished entirely. With the goddess's light gone, the darkness enveloped Arina causing her to cry out in fear.
The girl woke with a start, bolting upright panting slightly as the ear and adrenaline left her body. Looking to the window in her room, she saw the light of dawn peeking through. "I'm myself again but… now what?" She whispered to herself.