There was nothing glorious about being a duck. She saw in the lake. She waddled in the shore. She ate….things… from the lake, and those things weren't fish. Despite the passage of time she never grew any larger than she was, so it was still quite easy for Fakir to carry Ahiru in the palm of his hand. He didn't come quite as often now as he used to. But the town had recovered from the battle with the monster raven, and fakir had school. He came as often as he could, but ballet commitments, Neko-sensei added special demands on Fakir, as the principal and only good male dancer at the school, and Charon needed help with the shop. Ahiru the duck didn't mind, she had the lake, but Ahiru the girl inside the duck was very lonely. Sometimes the loneliness was sated by a visit from Mytho and Ruu, After Ruu had gently explained to the prince that Ahiru the girl was the duck, who was Princess Tutu Mytho's behavior changed slightly towards Ahiru. He was grateful, and he knew the great sacrifice that she had undergone on his behalf. Every time he was with Ahiru and Ruu he seemed preoccupied. He became even more preoccupied with Fakir was with them.
"I miss seeing him" Ahiru quacked quietly to Ruu, engaging in a now regular girl talk. He doesn't come anymore, and I know that he is busy but…" Ahiru stopped and sighed. It was selfish of her to expect more of him than he had promised. He said he would stay with her, and he was with her. He did watch over here, it just wasn't often anymore. Mytho frowned at this comment, wondering exactly why it was that Fakir wasn't coming down to visit Ahiru anymore. It wasn't like Fakir, and it was obvious to Mytho and Ruu that Fakir had deep feelings of affection towards the small duck, far deeper than Fakir himself would like to admit.
"Maybe we should go and see him." Ruu suggested, recognizing the longing in Ahiru's voice. Her voice had one held the same longing for her prince, before they had been joined.
"I can't. I don't want to bother him at school. He told me not to bother him there. He says he can't concentrate if I'm around. He worries that I will get hurt. I just stay here at the lake and wait for him to come."
Mytho, at those words, bit back a growl. Fakir could not possibly be so stupid as to not realize what he was doing to Ahiru. Words were going to be had with the formed knight. The Prince had decided it, and so it will be.
"Ruu dear, Ahiru. I need to go into town to visit an old friend. I will be back shortly. I'm sure that there are some things that you wish to talk about that involve me leaving, and so…" With a bow Mytho strode off and Ruu sighed while Ahiru quacked nervously.
"Mytho will not be too harsh, Ahiru, don't worry."
"He doesn't need to go do anything. It's just a bother to Fakir. I'm lucky enough that he comes."
"But you want him to come more, don't you?" Ruu laughed, as Ahiru turned red, immediately quacking a denial.
"I want to tell him that it means a lot to me that he comes. That I…." Ahiru stopped. "A long time ago, Pique and Lilie gave Fakir a love letter in my name. I denied the feelings at the time, and he called me a baka." Ahiru stopped and sighed. "I'm sure he still sees me as one. I'm just a silly little duck."
"You are a princess who is in love with her knight. And he doesn't seem to have a clue, does he?"
"I'm sure he thinks that I am still infatuated with Mytho. It was part of the story, I wanted to help the prince, and perhaps what Tutu felt for Mytho was love. But it's not like what I feel for Fakir. I know that I love him. And I can't tell him that. It probably wouldn't change anything, it would only make things worse, but I want to tell him. I can tell him without being afraid of disappearing in a flash of light. But I want to tell him, I don't want to quack it to him. However, I will always be a duck, and so, he will never know."
Ruu scooped Ahiru up into a tight hug, burying her face into Ahiru's feathers to hide the tears in her eyes. "Mytho and I will find a way to help you. You will tell him. And he will tell you back, I'm sure of it."