Hope and divine

"You will be my colour, Van. I forgive you for forgetting me, but only if you let me. I can be happy again." The voice was like a ray of sunlight, bright but intriguing and Van had a hard time getting his thoughts right. Where he was and what had happened to him or anybody else was a big blur. The only thing that made sense was that light that lead him out of the darkness.
Something had happened and he had been trapped somehow. All he needed to do was go back and so he followed the lit path. Uzura was most likely in danger and so was her family. Mr Fakir would protect them, but what if his fate caught up with him after all? No, Van and Rina had to stay by Uzura's side and help in the best way they could!
Van quickened his pace, but an ominous feeling reached his chest and his blood seem to run cold, making him stop dead in his tracks.
'Did something already happen to Uzura, her family or Rina? Or did something happen to him and did he let something happen to all of them?

"Van, follow me and all will be alright." The voice continued to lure him with its hopeful words and soft tone, but the ill feeling in Van's chest grew stronger the further he went and so he halted again and turned around. Behind him was absolutely nothing, but he just had to be brave and trust his instinct and his instinct told him that the light was false. Van began to walk again, away from the light and into the uncertain darkness. The angelic voice kept speaking to him, but he ignored it.

"Don't bother Rina." Myre sneered. "Taris won't kill Uzura. I just need her to stay out of my way."

Rina didn't believe the selfish brat that stood before her, dressed like a seagull. Uzura was still held captive high above the stage and Rina could see her fear by the way she let the giant bird hold her. She didn't dare to move even one muscle.
Despair closed in as Rina heard the commotion from the confused animals behind her. The animals that were once people, once parents and siblings! It was a terrible thought that her parents were amongst that crowd and there was a chance they were fighting as well. Rina knew she would regret it, but she just had to turn around and see if she could find them.
In the chaos of black and white fur and feathers, she spotted a pair of white deer who tried to hold their own against a terrifying looking boar. Rina didn't even know for certain that those deer were in fact her parents, but ice cold fear squeezed her lungs and she felt faint. Tears began to sting her eyes and her knees gave way. As she sank down, her eyes trailed off to three ducks, one white and two black, who were at the mercy of Myre's seagulls.
"No!" Rina mouthed. Uzura's mother was a duck once again and she tried hard to shield her little duckling as her soulmate fought as hard as he could. His feathers flew about, but he didn't give up. Not till it would be the death of him.
"Stop it, call them back!" Rina screamed to Myre who was just watching in cold blood.
"What good will all of this do? Tell me that! That is your father's best friend, your own uncle in a matter of speaking! You can't let him die!"

"He's been dead for many years now, it was only a matter of time before fate caught up with him." Myre replied and she turned away.

Rina looked up to see Uzura struggling to get out of Taris' grip. It was too high up, but Uzura had seen her family in trouble and so, had thrown her own safety to the wind. Rina could not let her put her life on the line like that and chose to gamble her own. Desperate she tried to tell her friend not to do anything yet. Uzura needed to dance to cast her magic, which she could not do in her present position.

"Hold on, Mr Fakir, I'm coming!" Rina yelled and she slid off the stage to run straight to the fighting birds.
"Come get me, you ugly birds!" She screamed and took one of the musicians' lecterns to use for a weapon. Rina did not fear the seagulls, but they were not the only dangerous animals on the square and she heard Myre laugh as something closed in on her. It was the wild boar and it pointed its massive tusks right at her.

Fleep!

A very sharp disturbing sound reached Rina's ears and it hurt her eardrums. With a scream she hit the wild beast on the head with the lectern and looked at the source of the sound. The flock of seagulls soar over her head with the black duck that was once Mr Fakir behind them. At first Rina thought he wanted revenge or would even try to harm Myre in anger, but she was wrong. He flew straight to Uzura and for a moment hovered in front of her face, but then flew up to Taris' back and began to force him carefully to the ground. Rina was not sure it would work, but at least he was out of immediate danger.

"Rina!" Rina heard her name and tore her eyes away from the strange sight to see Van standing strongly on the stage with his oboe down his side. Now she understood, he had made that sharp sound and deafened the boar and disoriented the seagulls. A wave of relieve washed over Rina and she felt a lump fill her throat. She smiled and turned back to find her joy reflected in Mrs Writer's eyes.

"It will all be alright." She told them softly. "Please try to calm the other people, just until Uzura can save them."

Mrs Writer nodded and Isa flew from under her mother's wing to get to the nearest animals with enthusiasm. With one last smile Rina turned to head back to Van. Myre watched him with shock and seemed to have lost her control over everything. Her magic was not strong and slowly the world around them began to change back.

"Van, how? Why won't you stay with me?" Myre asked him in waver.

"Because you are ready to throw lives away, just to be noticed!" Van spat back. He turned away and pulled Rina onto the stage where he kept holding her hand.
"I am so sorry, Rina. I tried to come back, but.." He shook his head in shame, but then looked back to Myre in fury.
"I was ready to give you my help, my friendship and you betrayed me and everyone I care about!"

Myre's face was twisted in fear and she backed away.
"No, this is not what I wanted." She whispered and she sank to her knees.

"You lost, Myre, now bring back the people you cursed!" Rina screamed and she ignored Van's tuck on her hand and marched up to Myre. Rina could still see Van's hollow eyes, the fear in her parents' eyes, see Mr Fakir fight, hear Uzura scream. This was too much to forgive and she raised her hand to hit the little girl hard.

"No, Rina, don't hurt her!" Rina heard Uzura yell from above her head. Taris was struggling with his conscience now Myre had lost her will over him and came down to the stage. Uzura landed on the wooden surface of the stage and raise up on point to dance, but before she could help Taris get back to who he once was he flew away, still crying out in despair.

"Taris, come back!" Uzura called after him and for a moment she was lost to what to do next, but then a duck call next to her feet called her attention and she forgot Taris for a moment.
"Dad!" she gasped. She wasted no more time and turned on point to turn her father back to his human form. As soon as Fakir stood before her in his normal height, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her gently.

"Are you alright, Uzura?" He asked her immediately and Uzura found herself unable to answer. All she could manage was nod her head against his warm chest. A burning sensation began to spread from her mechanical heart and caused her arms and legs to ache. Uzura had been so upset when she couldn't help the ones she loved and now, being able to be held by her father, brought her such strong emotions that she could not express in any way she was now. If only she could transform back, just for a moment to cry and let go of the pain and frustration, but then her father spoke again and what he said soothed the pain bit by bit.
"Calm down. It will be alright. You are not alone, Uzura, never." His words were like a cool blanket, shielding her heart from a burning sun. Fakir held her at arm's length and smiled at her, but then he turned to Myre who had balled herself up on the stage. Her eyes were wide and almost feral with fear.
"Myre." He began, but as soon as he spoke, Myre jumped up and flinched away.

"NO! stay away!" She screamed. All the colour from her face had gone and the fear in her eyes had formed into insanity as she watched Fakir who froze by her reaction. Myre had been prepared to let Fakir be killed. It had been what Drosselmeyer wished for, but the story-spinner left Myre for the blame and it was too much for the little girl.

"Myre," he began again, "it is not your fault. Please let us help you and you can set it all right."

Myre shook frantically her head. Dark shadows spread over the school's courtyard and Uzura saw Myre's face twist in despair before she screamed.
A mad, cackling laughter rang through the air like thunder and the ghost of Drosselmeyer spoke:

"Mere words never saved anyone. Now, this won't do, there is someone here who is not supposed to be a part of this scene. Allow me to take a moment to fix that."

Isa jumped up and down, flapping her little wings hard to keep herself afloat in the air while she tried to draw the other animals' attention.
"Please don't fight!" she chirped in desperation. "My big sister can help you, but only if you remember who you are!"
All animals were a lot bigger than she was and Isa got tired from flying. Her mother never left her side. She flew right up to the animals to meet them eye to eye.

"My daughter is right, why must we fight each other? No one told us to!" Duck quacked at the top of her lungs and her eyes burned with determination and hope. Isa allowed herself a few moments of rest and felt the hope enter her little body as she watched her mother. She had done it before, saving enchanted people as a mere duck.
"Let's not lose faith, shall we? This is not the first time Drosselmeyer did this and even though I don't have the power I had back then, I still want to reach you. Let's face the human heart that still beats within us!"

Isa looked from the animals to her mother. The animals were looking at her with interest and the expression in their eyes changed with the realisation of their error. They looked sad and some bowed their long necks in shame.
"Don't be sad!" she tried while she began flapping her wings once again and jumped around to face all of them.

"Oh, but why not?" the deep voice of Drosselmeyer asked and Isa fell back to the ground with her little heart raising rapidly in her throat.
"My dear, you don't belong here. You shouldn't be helping. That's not your task. I need you to write for me."

"No, I won't! I want to stay here and help my family!" Isa yelled bravely to the apparition in the deep darkness before her. Drosselmeyer laughed and it left Isa feeling ice cold. All hope left her.

"You don't have a choice." Drosselmeyer told her and before she knew it, she found herself next to him, on his side of the shadows. Like a marionette she was transported to a desk and forced to bend over the wooden writing desk to dip the swan feather in a bottle of ink and bring it to the top of a blanc page of Drosselmeyer's never ending book. Isa was scared. She didn't know how to stop this, but something was bound to go wrong the moment the feather formed the first words.
"I'll let you to the climax of my story while I'm going to take care of some business." Drosselmeyer told her delighted while he put on his hat and stepped in the nearest cog.

"What do you have me write?" Isa demanded to know while she already felt her hand moving across the page and allowed herself a frightful glance at the first sentence.

'The animals that were once people panicked after they had seen the innocent little duckling disappear before their eyes. Darkness began to cloud their minds and they ignored the futile attempts of the remaining mother duck to look with intense hatred to the one responsible for it all. The girl named Myre.'

"NO!" Isa screamed in dismay and tears watered the page around the horrible verdict. Drosselmeyer chuckled heartily at her despair and left her alone.

"Rue!"

Rue, whose eyes had been fixed on the peculiar open, yet white sky, turned her head to see Mytho walk up to her from the back door of their house. His expression gave her a good guess what he was going to say.
"I agree." She therefore said with a grim smile. "Something is wrong in town. Drosselmeyer made his move and there's no time to lose."

Mytho didn't acknowledge her observation with a determined nod as Rue had expected him to, instead he lowered his eyes in sadness and it struck Rue's heart with an intense cold.

"Myre is gone, I'm sorry Rue. I checked her room too late, but we should head for the Academy where Fakir and Duck are."

"What's that in your hand?" Rue asked her husband in a voice that was as steady as she could manage it to be. She tried hard to be strong and not to let her great worry for her child weaken her. Drosselmeyer was known for his toying with emotions, so Rue had to find her old barrier, the one she used all her childhood, being raised by the Monstrous Raven with fake affection and degrading treatment. Through this barrier she could only observe the things that were favourable to her and she was certain the book Mytho was holding was that.

"This will help Fakir, Rue, but I'll say nothing more about it." That said, Mytho turned and stepped out of the garden onto the road that lead into Gold Crown Town.
"Let's hurry, Rue!" He called over his shoulder and at that moment Drosselmeyer took his chance. Rue could see his image briefly in a shadow before, before one of the big cogwheels from Drosselmeyer's strange world swooped in and swallowed Mytho whole, before the latter had even turned his head.
As soon as Mytho had vanished, along with the turning wheel, large shadows fell over the garden and Drosselmeyer spoke to Rue from a shadow of a nearby tree, causing her to jerk her whole body in that direction.

"That was truly reckless of him. I knew heroes will always attempt to be a hero once again, even in different stories and that's why I am so glad I took this precaution."
The mad story-spinner met Rue fondly with an insane grin on his face. "Ah, my dear Princess Kraehe! What a long time it has been. Even though I cleaned out the young prince and Princess Tutu has long been gone and the knight is sent unarmed into battle, your role is blooming into a new one. You are a part of this new tragedy."

"What do you mean?" Rue snapped to the shadow. Both anger and anxiety were raging through her mind and competing for majority, but it remained a tie. Rue was angry because the man she faced had once again put Mytho through unthinkable things for entertainment. She was ready to step through that shadowy portal and confront Drosselmeyer, but at the same time the anxiety kept her from doing anything, but listen to Drosselmeyer's cruel speech. There was a chance she just lost Mytho forever and if she would meet the same fate, she couldn't save her daughter.

Drosselmeyer laughed cruelly at the knowledge he was about to share with the woman before him.
"Poor, unfortunate Myre has transfigured the entire audience at the Academy and now she has lost all control. Don't you want to try and save her before she falls prey to her own creations?" He said and he tossed a pair of black toe shoes in front of Rue's feet.

"You remember these, don't you?" he chuckled. "Without them, you are just a plain, helpless woman who can't save one child. With them, you can make your mark in this tale."

Rue knew what putting on the shoes meant, it could bring out the raven inside her and she might lose sight of herself when it would come to mercy, but she had no alternative. Rue put on the shoes and swiftly took flight as Princess of the Crows. It was true that it could all be a rouse to toy with her, but she just had to risk it and that also meant leaving Mytho to save himself. Drosselmeyer taunted her with his call to hurry up and it made her doubt her actions even more, but she tried to ignore it. She flew over the town's gate and headed for the centre of town to lean forward and plunge herself straight into its grounds on sight. Her path, however, was blocked by a human-sized seagull who closed in on her with an alarming speed. It had to be one of the people Myre transfigured. That said, it could still attack her and mean serious harm to the rest of town. Rue tried to pass it, but the creature had her claimed as a target and turned with her. With a screeching cry it tried to knock her out of the sky and so Rue chose to defend herself. She could not let this creature keep her from rescuing her daughter.

Isa's whole trembled in fruitless effort to stop her hand from writing. It was terrible what she wrote, but she couldn't keep herself from reading along.

'Ruthless again by the dark blood rushing through her veins, Kraehe attacked the poor enchanted boy thinking only of her poor helpless daughter below. She was deaf to the cries of agony from the human-sized seagull. A few feet below, down in the school garden of the Academy, hope was finally lost as Kreahe's child's victims took on the forms of angels of great beauty. Returned to a higher form, the victims found their voices again and cried as one.

'At last we are divine and we thank you, but now you have sinned and we will end you!'

While they advanced on the unfortunate girl, the knight without a sword and the half broken puppet made an effort to shield her.'

Tears and blood dirtied the page when Isa tried her best to stop the people from committing murder. She understood her mother had become one of the angels as well and she would do anything to change her back before it was too late!
"Please!" she begged through large tears and gritted her teeth against the pain that originated from her hand and rapidly travelled through her entire body.
"My dummy, dad has to find it!" Isa groaned and with big hasty words she managed to put her wish on paper.

'The knight thought of the dummy.'

It was just what Isa could manage before the pain would knock her unconscious and dizzily she watched what difference her input made.

'He searched the area where he and his family had been and noticed his wife's bag, lying in the grass. Unfortunately the bag was out of his reach and the angels were closing in. desperate he looked to his left to see his daughter brace herself for the first attack.
As a father and a knight, he could not let her fight. He did not want her to. Despite being unarmed, he jumped forward, clenching his fists, unaware that behind him Myre surrendered herself to her sin. With one final cry of agony she shed the last thread that attached her to the physical world and it released a blast of dark energy. It had been the Raven blood she inherited from both her parents that kept her from vanishing, but now she had released it. It robbed the angels from their form and ill intent, but Myre's decision also let to devastating events. Caught off guard, the knight had been hit and wounded badly, leaving his distraught daughter no choice but to return to her human form before her emotions would burn her alive. Just outside the Academy, a badly wounded Taris hit the ground before Kraehe could grasp what she had done.'

AN: I am soooooooo sorry for taking so long. I lost all inspiration for this story, because new ideas came into my head. Now I've written as much down for my new fanfiction, so it can't interfere anymore with this one, but that's why it took so long. :(

I am really sorry, but I hope some of you didn't forget my story and like this new chapter.

PLEASE REVIEW!