The Duck and the Knight

Chapter 9

There once was a beautiful princess and a handsome prince. They met accidentally and fell in love at first sight. They were married, and lived happily together for the rest of their lives. If they had not met, though, would they have met others with whom they fell in love with even more deeply, and lived even happier lives, with?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next day at ballet, everyone could hardly concentrate. The girls kept giggling nervously and whispering to one another.

"Who do you think got it?" asked Pike, as she, Lilie, and Duck were stretching together. None of them had to ask what she was taking about; it was only the most coveted part in the whole upcoming production!

"Since Rue isn't here anymore," said Lilie, "it isn't as obvious who will be the leading lady. If they get over her utter lack of grace, even Duck isn't so bad."

"Hey . . ." said Duck.

"It's true," said Pike. "I was surprised you got to dance the pas de deux with Fakir."

"And all the way through, too!"

They're wrong, thought Duck. I am just a duck. Maybe Mr. Cat just wants me to fail so that I have to marry him! Oops, wait – wrong Mr. Cat . . .

"But, you know," Pike was saying, "even if Rue were still here, who knows if she would have been the leading lady. She was so good at pointe; maybe she would have ended up being one of the 'Helpful Fairies,' or whatever."

"But," interjected Lilie, "the leading lady has so much stage time! It requires a lot of stamina, besides knowing how to do the part, which is why beginners can't do it."

"Well," said Duck, half talking to herself anyway, "Rue didn't have as much stamina as the main part would need. Like, this one time we were looking for Mytho together, and we we saw him, so we were running after him, and when I stopped, Rue was way far behind me, and totally out of breath! And whenever she tried dancing this one part of Giselle, she would fall down halfway through it, so -" Duck stopped, noticing that Pike and Lilie were looking at her.

"Oh, how cute!" cried Lilie. "Duck thinks she's better than Rue, even though she's only in Beginners' Pointe!"

"That's the spirit, Duck!" said Pike. "Aim high -"

"So when you fail, you have so much farther to fall!"

"Huh?" said Duck.

"Don't worry, we'll catch you!" said Pike and Lilie together.

"And support you all the way there!" added Pike.

Lilie looked at her. "Really? You think that she'll get that far?"

Duck felt a sweat-drop forming. "Uh, you guys, how about we stop talking about who would have gotten it. Who do you think will get the part?"

The clock chimed. "You can't really say," said Pike, "but we find out in an hour!"

- - - - - - - -

As everyone entered the classroom, there was no whispering. Everyone was too exited to whisper. They were all talking quite loudly instead.

Duck sat down next to Fakir as usual. They didn't say anything to each other, and Duck noticed that the girls, especially those who had danced the pas de deux with Fakir, sat near them.

As soon as Mr. Cat entered the room, everyone stopped talking. He was holding a piece of paper. Those closest to him tried to look at it, but he held it so that none of them could see it. "Good afternoon, class."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Cat."

"I have the results here from the auditions." The class already knew that. "So . . . I'll start with the main parts. The, erm, "Helpful Fairies" are Sylvia, Karen, Pike and Lilie from the advanced class." Everyone applauded. "The leading lord is Fakir." He got some applause, too, but everyone had already known that he would get that part. "His partner will be -" He paused, unknowingly or knowingly increasing the tension. The girls held their breath.

"Duck."

"Yes?"

"Congratulations. You are the leading lady."

Her mind went blank. "But I'm only a– in the Beginners' Pointe class -" she protested weakly.

"I'm sure with some practice you will do fine. You and Fakir dance very well together."

Duck got some scattered applause, led mainly by the enthusiastic Pike and Lilie.

"Yeah, Duck! You got it!"

"When you fail, I'll comfort you!"

Everyone else joined in when they noticed that Fakir was applauding for her, but she sensed some resentment from the females in the room.

Mr. Cat continued with the lesser parts, but Duck was hardly listening. Why did Mr. Cat pick me? I'm still not very good at ballet, and I'm only in Beginners' Pointe. And now all the other girls are going to be avoiding me. Not that they talk to me anyway. She sighed.

"– so this list will be up on the wall over there if any of you want to check. To practice for the ballet, all ballet classes with be joined from now until the performance. Duck and Fakir, can you two please stay after class?"

Everyone exited the room, and Fakir and Duck looked up at Mr. Cat.

"You two complement each other very well when you dance, and you have a good understanding of each other. Duck, you may not be in the advanced class, but your individuality and energy will lend strength to your performance. Being the leading couple, I expect you to practice regularly, especially the pas de deux. You have several, and the last one will be especially challenging. I will see you tomorrow." They nodded and left.

- - - - - - - -

The next two months passed in a cloud of practicing ballet, and practicing, and trying on costumes, and practicing. Every morning Duck and Fakir would go early to practice, and practice after school, and go on weekends to practice.

Fakir was gentler than usual, and he helped Duck with steps she was having trouble with. He would guide her through a scene, step-by-step, and then they would dance it all the way through. He caught her when she fell (which was often, although not nearly as much as it would have been a year ago), and gave her tips on how to dance.

Duck knew that there was no on else she would rather have be her dance partner than Fakir.

"Thank you for being so patient with me," said Duck one day.

Fakir moved her in a circle as she stood on one foot in pointe. He looked at her strangely. "Uh – you're welcome."

They preformed the lift, getting it right this time.

"I'm glad you're my partner, Fakir," said Duck with a smile.

"I'm glad you're mine, too, Duck." He was silent for a moment as he and Duck did a small weaving dance around one another. "Would you have wanted Mytho to be your partner?"

"No," said Duck, without hesitating. Her sincerity surprised both herself and Fakir. "I loved Mytho, but he never knew who I really was, and I guess I almost loved him different than Rue did. I am glad that they ended up together. I think that I having a secret would have affected our dancing."

Will my fear for you affect our dancing? wondered Fakir.

- - - - - - - -

The ballet division was only putting on two performances; one on Saturday, at night, and on Sunday, for the matinee performance.

In the ballet, Duck was a princess and Fakir was her prince, and their costumes matched accordingly. The costumes had been designed and made by a group of volunteers, mostly from the art and drama divisions. Even if the ballet division managed to totally mess up the production, no one would be able to say that they had bad costumes.

Duck's costume contained a "romantic" tutu, the really stiff kind that is made of netting supporting a piece of cloth over it. Hers was a royal blue with silver designs and decorations. Her leotard was the same deep blue, decorated with the same designs, with silver leaves curling up the front. She also wore the little gossamer-type sleeves that were worn, separate from everything else, so that they stated mid-way between shoulder and elbow and ended just at the elbow.

Her tights were white and her ballet shoes matched the rest of her outfit. She also had a delicate little silver crown that rested just above her braid, which had been twisted into a bun.

Fakir had a matching outfit, with the same ballet shoes and white tights, and a silver crown with similar designs on it. He wore a royal blue tunic with the same silver designs, under which he wore a full-sleeved white shirt.

- - - - - - - -

The morning before their first performance, Fakir woke up and wished he hadn't. The early practicing was getting to him, and he just wanted to go back to sleep.

If I skip all my morning classes, would they kick me out of the performance? No, they wouldn't be able to do that, but . . . He groaned at his ceiling. I should get up before I fall back asleep. . . He rolled onto his side and sat up. He grabbed his clothes and stumbled out his bedroom door . . .

. . . and into Duck. She fell backwards with an "Ouch!" while Fakir merely swayed slightly.

"Ah . . . Duck, you okay?" asked Fakir, still half asleep. He held out a hand to her and pulled her to her feet.

"Oh, Fakir, you're awake!" She rubbed her sleep-blurred eyes.

"Well, you can take a shower first," they both said at the same time. They both whirled around to return to their rooms for the few minutes of sleep they could salvage while the other one was occupied. They paused and looked at each other.

Fakir sighed and ran his had through his hair. "Duck, why are you still wearing my shirt?"

"Oh," said Duck, looking down at it. "Is it okay? Do you mind? I can give it back to you . . ."

"No, no," said Fakir, flapping his had at her and reentering his bedroom. "You can keep it. It doesn't fit me anymore anyway."

Duck smiled, and Fakir paused in his doorframe. "What? Is that funny?"

"Well, it is just so big on me, so thinking that it is too small for you is just kind of weird."

Fakir smiled a little. "What, now you're calling me fat?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I just meant that you are so much taller than me -"

Fakir smiled and ruffled her hair. "I was joking, Duck."

"Huh? A – a joke?"

"What? Was it that bad?"

"I just can't remember ever hearing you make a joke before. I guess it's a good thing, because it means you're happy, Fakir."

"Hm," he said. "Well, now I'm too awake to fall back asleep, so you can take a shower first."

"Okay. Thanks."

- - - - - - - -

About an hour later, Duck and Fakir were walking together towards the school.

"You know, Fakir," said Duck, "It's kind of funny because Mytho is a prince, and I guess Rue's his princess, and you were Mytho's best friend, and I guess I was sort of Rue's best friend. Now in this ballet, you are playing a prince and I am playing a princess! Also, Mytho and Rue got married, and we get married in this ballet, which is kind of weird. Only in the play, our costumes don't change that much except that I get to wear a veil. I really liked Rue's dress, though. When I get married, I want a dress like that, only not as fancy since I'm not a princess."

A smile twitched at the corner of Fakir's mouth. "What, are you planning on getting married sometime soon?"

"What? Oh, no, I didn't mean it that way -"

"I was joking, Duck."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot that you tell jokes now!" She smiled at him.

"Okay. Duck, just today to practice, and then we have our first performance tomorrow."

"Yup."

- - - - - - - -

Saturday was spent in nervousness, with the feeling that they should be doing something useful, but there was nothing they could do. They were restless and bored, and they went to the dressing room a little earlier than they needed to.

The entire school seemed to be in a state of chaos. People ran back and forth, carrying of sets and costumes. Fakir and Duck went to work as soon as they had their costumes and make-up on. They rushed about, trying to not get in the way and often failing (in the case of Duck). Eventually, everyone was backstage, the curtains were closed, and the murmur of the expectant audience could be heard.

The lights dimmed, the curtains opened, and the ballet began.

It went perfectly. No one forgot anything, no one tripped, the set didn't fall apart. If anyone made any mistakes, they were minor and hardly noticeable.

The ballet ended with a dramatic flourish; a pas de deux between Duck and Fakir, with a lift that ended in what would have been, in any other sort of production (drama, for example), a romantic dip-kiss. Instead, they ended with their faces only a few inches apart, and they had to hold that position until the curtains closed.

The moment the last note of music echoed through the room, the curtains close, the lights brightened, and the applause started. Just behind the curtains, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The curtains opened again for the bows. Everyone entered the stage in twos or threes, bowing in the center of the stage, and then going to alternating sides of the stage.

Duck and Fakir came on last; Duck jumped and Fakir caught her in a lift. Duck raised her left hand and Fakir raised his right, accepting the applause, before he set her down and they came to the front-center of the stage.

Everyone bowed as a group; once, twice. They backed up, the curtains closed again, and the ballet was over.

"Very nice," said Mr. Cat, coming out from backstage to congratulate them. "You all did wonderfully! You certainly practiced a great deal, and put your hearts into it. Do the same tomorrow, and you will all do just as well!"

There was a mad rush to the locker rooms, and when Duck and Fakir finally appeared from the chaos, they both realized exactly how exhausted they were. They stumbled home in the dark (Fakir half thought that he was going to have to carry Duck home), but luckily they had already eaten dinner so with a few mumbled "G' night" s, they collapsed onto their respective beds and were almost immediately asleep.

- - - - - - - -

They slept in late the following moring, and Fakir cooked breakfast in exchange for Duck having done so the day before.

Duck slowly entered the kitchen. "'Morning, Fakir."

"Good morning."

When she sat down, he placed a steaming cup of tea in front of her and toast with her favorite jam on it.

"Thank you."

"We're going to need the caffeine," he replied, referring to the tea.

"Yeah," she said, and sipped at it.

He watched her eat and wondered whether it really mattered if she were a duck or not. He used to envy her innocence, but he wondered if she was still innocent – and what the definition of innocent was.

They walked to the school together as always. As soon as they entered the building, they were swept into the rush of preparing and dressing. With the confidence of having done it all correctly in front of and audience once, the tension was slightly lessened.

Once again, the lights dimmed, the curtains opened, and the ballet began.

It went just as smoothly as before. No obvious mistakes, no accidents, nothing forgotten. Once again, the final pas de deux between Fakir and Duck began.

Duck was getting tired, but she put renewed energy into the last pas de deux. They performed the lift perfectly. Duck could feel the flow of how they danced together; they seemed able to read the other's movements as if they were their own. The music ended, and their faces were only inches apart. Fakir held her just right, supporting her.

He stared into her blue eyes, which were always so happy and bright. She could hold his attention so easily, just by looking at him with those eyes.

Duck had never really noticed how green Fakir's eyes were. It was such a pretty shade of green. He was so close to her . . . and then his head bent down, closing the scant few inches between them.

Almost as soon as their pas de deux had ended, the knight kissed the duck.

There was a collective, "Awww . . ." from the audience. And, of course, since they had to hold their ending position until the curtains closed . . .

It was surely only a few seconds before the curtains met, but to Duck it felt like an eternity.

With a soft swish the velvet curtains closed. Fakir let go and pulled her to her feet. He strode off-stage to his position for the bows, and Duck stared after him. What? was all she seemed able to think.

"Duck!" Pike and Lilie hurried to her side. "Bows are only in a few moments!"

"You can't be on the stage when the curtains open again!"

"Oh . . . okay . . ."

"Come on!" They dragged her off stage. Everyone one else went on-stage, in their groups of two or three, and bowed. Then it was once again Fakir and Duck's turn for applause.

As Duck ran towards Fakir, he refused to make eye contact with her. She jumped, and he caught her. The applause this time was far louder than it had been at their last performance.

Duck and Fakir came to the center of the stage for the group bow, and Fakir gripped her hand. What should I say? Should I say anything? thought Duck worriedly. She was acutely aware of his hold on her hand, and she didn't know what to do.

Then the bows were over. Duck considered trying to find Fakir and – do what? Talk to him? What about? But in the post-ballet chaos, Duck had lost Fakir almost as soon the curtains closed on the end of the bows.

She changed out of her costume in the locker room, and when she came out, Fakir was waiting for her just outside the school. He silently turned and walked in the direction of their house. Duck looked at him worriedly, and then followed him.

"Look," said Fakir after a few moments, his voice annoyed, "I'm sorry if it bothered you, okay?"

Duck didn't need to ask what he meant. "No, it's not something you need to apologize for -"

Fakir stopped suddenly and looked at her, blushing slightly. "Then why do you keep looking at me like that?"

Duck looked up at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, Fakir. I didn't mean to bother you, but -" She looked down. "Something has clearly been bothering you lately, but you won't tell me what's wrong, and then doing something so sudden like that -" She looked up at him, tears threatening to overflow. "Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

Fakir expression softened, and the blush faded from his cheeks. "Duck, I didn't know you were so worried."

"Well, of course I am, Fakir!"

"Oh, Duck." He smiled, bent down, and gently kissed her.

This time she wasn't so surprised, and let him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Author's Note: Cliche, I know.