For the Love of a Duck

Chapter of Swan

Act 2- Belle

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It was a mild winter's day in the town of Kinkan as two familiar silhouettes sat on the dock overlooking the lake.

The taller was a young man, whose green hair was tied back from his face as he wrote on the parchment he held. It seemed strange for a boy his age to be so enamored with writing, but that was nothing compared to who his writing companion was. For beside him, resting gently with her head against his leg, was a small yellow duck.

To most, it would seem quite the strange sight; but to anyone who knew the true story of Kinkan's past- they would know of the strong ties between the boy and the duck.

A cold wind blew through the trees, causing the duck to ruffle her feathers and nuzzle closer against her human companion.

The boy just smiled softly at her as he set down his quill.

"It's getting awfully cold out here… I know Charon says it might even snow tonight…"

Glancing down at the bird beside him, he frowned.

"I wonder if this idiot can take care of herself if the weather gets bad…"

Sensing his gaze on her, and no longer feeling the rhythm of his quill on the parchment, the duck opened her eyes and blinked up at him.

"Quack?" She questioned, "Quack quack quack? (What's wrong Fakir?)"

He shook his head, "Just wondering how long it'll take before you do something unnecessarily stupid and freeze to death out here…"

"Quack! Quack quack quack! (Hey! That's mean, Fakir!)" The small duck shot back, her feathers getting ruffled as she flapped them in anger.

"Okay, so where do you plan to go if it starts snowing?" He countered.

Ahiru narrowed her eyes and frowned, "Okay…so I don't know what to do…"

Fakir stood and looked down at the tiny duck, "Come on, let's go."

"Quack? Quack quack? (Go? Go where?)"

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

She turned her head in a huff, "Quack…"

"Charon won't mind. I'll just get an extra blanket."

Blinking as she realized what it was he was offering, Ahiru smiled, "Qua… (Fakir…)"

Turning to go, he tucked the parchment under his arm and held a hand back towards her.

"It's getting dark," Fakir said simply, then wondering why he didn't feel her take his hand, he frowned.

"She's just a duck now…she can't…" His face became somber for a moment before he turned back to her. "Sorry Ahiru, I forgot you can't take my hand like that anymore…"

Kneeling in front of her, he gently lifted her up, "Let's go…" He mumbled distantly, but Ahiru could sense the sadness in it.

"He was…" Her mind flashed back to the extended hand, "He wanted to take my hand but…" She glanced down at her wings, "But I'm just a duck now… I can't…"

Ahiru's thoughts paused as she felt Fakir's warm hand cradling her against his chest.

"He…he couldn't be…be…missing me being a girl…could he?"

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Fakir's eyes traveled down to where the blanket-made nest on the floor laid. Ahiru had quickly curled up and fallen asleep, but Fakir found that he wasn't quite as lucky. His mind was too preoccupied with thoughts to allow him to rest yet.

Thinking back over his earlier actions, his own thought echoed in his mind, "She's just a duck now…she can't…"

"I can't believe I did that…" He muttered to himself, dragging a hand down his face.

"You want her to be human again, don't you?" A tiny voice questioned from the depths of his mind.

Fakir jolted up in bed, his eyes glancing about the room hastily in search of who had spoken.

"Mytho and Rue got their happy ending- but where's yours?"

"Who's there?" He questioned aloud.

"Face it- you've always been bitter that Ahiru had to stay a duck, haven't you?"

Standing, Fakir went to grab up his sword from where it was collecting dust in the corner.

"Why don't you write it? Write a happy ending for yourself."

"Stop this! Who are you?"

"What your heart truly desires. You can see the sadness Ahiru tries to hide. And, you have the power to change that. You could both be happy. Don't you deserve happiness? If it wasn't for you and Ahiru- Drosselmeyer's spell wouldn't have been broken. Why don't you write your own happy ending?"

Fakir paused and placed a shaky hand to his head as he realized that the voice was indeed his own subconscious thoughts.

"Is this …what I really want?"

His eyes glanced to where Ahiru slept, "I could try…she didn't deserve the ending she got…but…"

He sat his sword back down, his gaze shifting to the waylaid quill and parchment.

"Never mind. It's too risky. That story is over and it's staying that way."

Crawling back under the blankets, Fakir looked to Ahiru once again, "Are you really that unhappy, Ahiru?"

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The sound of someone standing, footsteps resounding against the cold stone floor, reached the small yellow duck's ears.

"Qua…?" Ahiru stirred, blinking her eyes awake as she focused on the blurry form walking across the room.

"Fakir?"

Untangling herself from the blanket, she slowly followed him and peered through the door to see what he was doing.

Fakir sat at the desk in the corner, his hand reaching over to dip his quill in the inkwell.

"He's…writing?" Ahiru questioned, as she dared to move into the room a little further.

Once upon a time, there was a duck named Ahiru. She'd once been turned human by the power of a story-spinner's tale, but in order to help the prince of that story, she'd sacrificed the magic pendant and returned to her true form as a duck. But during this time, she'd met a young knight. True, he was a worthless knight, but- he was also a story-spinner. And so, he decided that he'd write Ahiru a new story. A chance for both of them to find their happy endings.

The yellow duck he wrote of tilted her head in confusion as she inspected Fakir closer.

"His eyes are closed…but he's still writing…"

Not certain what exactly it was that Fakir was doing, Ahiru decided it might be best to keep an eye on him. Going back into the other room, she grabbed the corner of her blanket with her beak and slowly drug it across the floor.

Once she'd reached the doorway, she curled up in the blanket and sat there watching Fakir write.

And so, using the power he had, the knight wrote out a new spell upon Ahiru. A spell that if broken- could bring them both the wishes they desired most.

Little duck of yellow,

Her heart as pure as gold,

Upon you now a curse is laid,

A spell a dream foretold.

If the duck was to fall in love,

Her heart devoted to only one.

And that boy could come to love her in return,

Then this curse will come undone.

But the love must be pure and not misled,

Or misfortune shall play its part.

For the most beautiful thing in all the world,

Is the beauty of the heart.

And at that moment, the spell took its hold upon the duck. She felt her heart swell with hope and even though she wasn't certain what the knight had just written, she knew there was something in that story for her.

"Is he writing another story about me?" She gently touched her wing to her heart, "Fakir…You really do…care about me, don't you? Even if I'm just a duck."

And his subconscious, pleased with the beginning it had written, finally stopped. The quill dropped to the parchment, and Fakir leaned forward to use his arms as a pillow.

"Quack!" Ahiru jumped up and waddled over, worried about the sudden change in Fakir's behavior.

"He's…sleeping again," She noted.

After watching him for a few moments, and finally realizing that he had no intention of returning to his bed, Ahiru got an idea.

Going back over to the blanket she'd been curled up on; she once again picked it up by the corner with her beak and drug it across the room to where Fakir sat.

Struggling with all her might, she flapped her wings and pulled the blanket up into the air before laying it over the boy.

It took her a few minutes, but finally, she managed to wrap the blanket around him. Then, too tired to fly back into the bedroom herself, she curled up on Fakir's lap.

"It's the least I can do for you. I bet…I bet everyone thinks you're strange or weird or something because you spend all your time with a duck. It's no wonder you wish I was human…" She sighed, "If only I could still change back and forth…"

Her thoughts halted as she felt Fakir's body shift, his hand once again reaching out for the quill.

"Fakir…what are you…"

Looking up at him, Ahiru found herself still completely baffled by Fakir's strange actions.

"You're writing again? But how can you write with your eyes closed?"

As the knight rested, the small duck wrapped a blanket around him to keep him warm. Once she was certain he was all right, Ahiru laid down on his lap, her mind worrying for the sake of the boy.

But she wasn't the only one who was caught up in their concern for the other. Unbeknownst to her, as he slept, the dark-emerald haired knight was caught in a dream.

A dream that would foretell the spell he had just written.

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