A/N: I'm back after a terrible period of writer's block for this story! I'm really excited to finish it! Thank you so much for those of you that have been awaiting my next update! Wish me the best, because I'm really determined to give you guys the story you deserve and have been so patient to continue reading! I planned out the entire story to be around 30 chapters and its going to get SO crazy, guys. But a good crazy! With interesting twists. Mwahahaha!

Duck awakes the next beautiful day with a start like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on her during her deep sleep. Panting, the young woman glances around her cozy dorm room with quick blue eyes, as if the more she looked at it, the better chances she had at remembering how she had even gotten home the night before. Nothing around her looked out of place. Her uniform was lying on the floor. The pins and bands she snatched out of her head when night came were all over the ground. Pike's bed was made up sloppily and Lillie's looked like a princess' bed straight out of a fairytale...

Everything was as it should be.

What had she done all day yesterday? The last thing she remembered was leaving the academy after classes ended...the cold gaze in the black haired girl's eyes as she approached her...But what happened after that?

"Ah...my head.." Duck reached up to brush her fingers across her forehead, wincing at the throbbing in her head. When she noticed something flash in the corner of her eye, she turned to it and frowned. There was a ring on her finger. It had a silver band and sparkled like a giant pearl. The shimmer that caught her eye enhanced its beauty and struck her as having an incredible value.

"Eh?! Where did I get something like this?!" Duck turned the ring this way and that, but it didn't look familiar from any angle. Her thoughts race as they jump to the most absurd of conclusions:

Did I like…sleep walk and steal this off of someone's hand? Did I rob a jewelry store in my sleep? Maybe someone ELSE robbed a jewelry store and slipped this on my finger to frame me BECAUSE I was sleepwalking. Did I get drunk, maybe? Did I finally decide to unconsciously become a bad girl and take Pike and Lillie up on their offer to sneak into that bar around the corner? Could it be?! Maybe I was chased by the police and I crashed here to hide from them!?

Duck slapped her hands over her cheeks, her stomach dropping in her stomach at the rather outrageous conclusion she had somehow felt the need to assume was what really happened. Her eyes grew wide in horror as she imagined living out the rest of her days in this tiny dorm room while her friends lived out the rest of their lives elsewhere. They would beg to take care of her for the rest of their lives, but oh no, she didn't want to be a burden! They'd argue back and forth until Duck finally put her foot down and told them to live for themselves PLUS the life she gave up years ago when she decided to stoop to the level of scum when she stole something that didn't belong to her!

"Oi, Duck! Are you awake yet?!"

"We're going out to get breakfast, girlie."

"NO PIKE! NO LILLIE! You musn't keep returning to this dorm, you have better lives to lead! I don't want to burden you for the rest of your lives! Somehow, I'll learn to take care of myself again! I'll slowly integrate back into society, but secretly, so the police won't—"

FLUFF!

Duck stopped mid-preach when a pillow that was thrown across the room collided with her face. The pillow fell into her lap and she dropped the hand she had thrust out while she was shouting.

"If you want to take care of yourself, then get out of bed and get dressed!"

Pike and Lillie stood fully dressed – their hair arranged and pinned in the spots that wouldn't cooperate. Their uniforms were on, not a crease or fold out of place. Somehow, despite the fact that all three of them tossed their uniforms off when they got home from the academy, Duck was the only one that always had to iron her clothes in the morning.

Lillie was giggling behind her pretty white hand and Pike was rolling her eyes up to the ceiling. Duck blinked at them, checking for any signs of the after effects of drinking.

"What's going on? Don't you two have a hangover? Scratches on you from tripping and falling after running from the police? Where's all the jewelry we stole?"

Pike's eyelids lowered over her gorgeous violet eyes. She looked so done with Duck right now.

"Duck, I don't know what kind of dream you had last night, but—"

"Pike, knowing her, she probably woke up wondering what happened yesterday and jumped to some ridiculous conclusion!" Lillie lost it then and started laughing so hard that the pigeons sitting in the window next to them decided it was time to go. They flew off, leaving feathers in their wake.

Duck's cheeks flushed a color that went rather well with the peach color of her hair. She grabbed the bright colored strands and swooshed them over her face to hide in shame. Her friends simply laughed and ran to either side of her bed to help her out of her clothes.

"Girl, you've been so all over the place since yesterday!" Pike said.

"Yeah! Oh, but I'm sure it was worth it for Mytho Ravenwing to carry you all the way from the East water fountain to the girls' dorm! Oh, how romantic! You're going to be the envy of all the girls in school if they find out! Then you'll be in a real love war—"

Duck slid her long, beautiful hair out of her face, blue eyes flickering from Pike to Lillie. Her brows furrowed and her mouth upturned into a frown.

"That's the face she makes in Calculus."

"Oh, dear. You sure Mytho didn't drop you on the way over here?"

"Trust me, Lillie, he wouldn't have had to! She's always this clueless!"

"Can you both stop roasting me for 5 seconds!" Duck smacked their hands away and jumped up on the bed, "Who the hell is Mytho Ravenwing?!"

Pike and Lillie stole a glance at each other, seemingly unable to respond at the moment. Not knowing what else to do, they simply sighed and stepped around the dirtiness of the room to gather Duck's outfit.

"I'm sure you'll remember once you see him."

"Him AND his cousins. They're all so pretty! Especially that Femio.."

"Look out, Lillie, you might not want to pick Femio. He has the shiniest character of them all. That means he'll have even scarier girls in his fanclub. And when they come at you, you won't be able to defend yourself because YOUUU can't fight."

"Pike! You say that as if I chose him consciously! My HEART chose him! From the moment I first saw him biting into that hotdog last night at the restaurant .. I knew it was fate! Did I tell you he and I locked gazes, Pike?! BECAUSE WE TOTALLY LOCKED GAZES."

"Alright, I believe you! Like him if you want to, but don't come to me crying when you're murdered by a mob of girls! And don't fall in love with Fakir, because he's mine!"

"How can I come to you crying if I'm dead, you fool! And Fakir is just as hot, so we're in the same boat!"

Duck had no idea how to jump into the conversation her quirky best friends were having, so she decided to just slip out of bed and start getting ready. She didn't have the patience to wrestle with her hair, so she arranged it in a long messy braid that cascaded down her back to the back of her thighs. Grinning as she adjusted the adjusted the collar of her uniform, she glanced over herself in the full body mirror in her bathroom. Her eyes sparkled back at her, looking a lot brighter than usual.

Sighing, the girl took one last look at the ring on her finger and forced herself to push passed the strange "blockage" feeling in her mind to remember what happened the day before. But no matter how hard she tried, and hard she did, something REALLY did not want her to remember ANYTHING.

"Ouch.." Duck felt a poking feeling in the pocket inside her uniform jacket and slid her hand inside. What she saw when she brought her hand out and opened her palm made her open her mouth in a small scream. 2 more rings!

SLAM!

"You guys are so mean! Wait for me!" Duck let her hand fall back to her side and ran to catch up with her friends for the short walk to the academy building.

"I wonder what all the commotion is about…" Duck stood on the tips of her toes when she and the girls had gotten close enough to see the masses of students smashed into one giant squealing and chattering crowd in the center of the school courtyard. The giant clock at the top of the school building read that there were only about 2 minutes left until the very first passing period of the day, and yet no one showed the slightest bit of concern with getting inside the building.

"At this rate, everyone will be late to class." Duck held her bag up close to her chest and strained her ears to listen to the girls standing near them, abuzz about some "new arrival."

"I bet it's them up there! The Ravenwings are here for their official first day of school!"

"Oh my goodness! Really?! And only after one day of touring the school? They made their decision pretty quickly!"

"Who cares as long as they're here?! *Sigh* I finally have a reason to get up in the morning – and it's them!"

Duck frowned again and looked at Pike and Lillie for help, tearing her eyes away from the small group of girls excited about some family called the Ravenwings. Pike and Lillie threw their hands up in the air.

"You still don't know?! Mytho is going to be so pissed when he finds out!"

"As a matter of fact, don't tell him you don't know who the hell he is!"

"Oh, that's right! She can't see them from here! Duck, once you see his beautiful face, you'll definitely remember! Get in there!"

With a rough shove, Pike and Lillie sent Duck rolling into the crowd of students who started to fly from the impact like bowling pins. Duck sprawled out across the concrete, taking kids out from below. In a matter of seconds, the entire crowd had parted like the red sea. Duck continued to roll, the only thing in her sights the school uniforms, arms, legs, and shouts of curse words in her ears.

"Whoa! What the hell just hit us!"

"What is that!"

"It's too early for a senior prank!"

"Ouch!"

"Damn!"

"What the hell?!"

"My back!"

"Was that a dog?!"

When Duck had finally stopped rolling all over the ground, she was lying under a giant pile of students who were moaning and groaning and tangled in each other's limbs. Rubbing her forehead, Duck put one strong arm out to push herself out of the pile dizzily. There was collective clamor of groans, chuckles, curses, and shouts.

But he loudest noise of all was the echoing, obnoxious laughter coming from a single student that seemed to become louder and louder the closer it came toward Duck, who was just beginning to open her eyes. Duck turned to see a row of students she had never seen before but stood out at first glance due to the eerie glow in their skin. Their eyes flashed a burning bright red color – a color that held your gaze the second you looked at them in admiration. But the eyes that stood out the most came from the gorgeous white haired boy who stood in the center, leading the others toward Duck and her pile of bowling pin peers.

He was also the one laughing the loudest.

His head was thrown back, mouth wide open to let out each one of his chuckles. He clapped his hands as if to applaud the entertainment. When he became close enough, the students lying all over the ground started to scramble out of his way, but even though they cleared the space, he didn't seem the least bit concerned. His eyes never left Duck's sparkling blues, and hers never left his passionate reds.

Who is that? He looks like a doll! And why is he coming over to me?

The boy's laughter died down to a chuckle as he bent down next to Duck so they were at the same height because of her seating position. His brow raised and the corners of his mouth upturned in a smirk.

"You're so much fun to watch screw up! I see you're still causing trouble. How'd you sleep?"

"Who are you?" Duck asked, confused, but never looking away from his entrancing eyes. The smirk vanished from the boy's face for a brevity of a second. He looked at Duck, equally confused before he started to giggle again. It was when he reached up suddenly that she finally stiffened on the spot.

"Really funny, Duck. Did you come to school with a fever, or something?"

The very second his palm met her forehead, Duck's vision became clouded with a sudden flood of images that came at a speed faster than a second – Yesterday. The new students. The Ravenwings. Meeting Mytho for the first time in her favorite art room. How beautiful he was. The black haired girl named Rue. The evil in her eyes. The students screaming in alarm. The fear that rose inside her. The rings! The woman named Edel! Rue becoming a monster! Duck transforming into Princess Tutu! Defeating Rue!

The Raven…

"No!"

SMACK!

Duck heard the noise before her vision returned to her. When she was looking into the fiery eyes of the one called Mytho, they were wide in shock. The entire courtyard of students had such an ominous silence to it that Duck wouldn't have known they were there until someone gasped.

"I guess I should ask before touching first, huh?" Mytho joked, but there was an uneasiness in his tone. It was then that Duck noticed the death grip she had from capturing his wrist. Staring at her hand in alarm, Duck apologized and let him go. When Mytho pulled his hand back, there was a noticeable bruise forming over his porcelain skin. He rubbed it, wincing slightly, but gave her a smile, nevertheless.

"Someone's on the defensive this morning. And here I was going to play the nice new student and ask you to take care of me!" he burst into giggles all over again before standing up and offering Duck his hand.

Duck glanced around her at the shocked faces of her peers, a knot forming in her stomach. With a gulp, she reached forward and took the hand she hadn't almost broken. Mytho gathered up her bag and walked her into the building, still chuckling.

"You'll show me to the art room again, won't you? My first period is art. Hey, Duck, are you secretly a ninja? Your reflexes seem pretty quick!" Mytho joked the entire walk to the art classroom on the higher floors of the academy, but on the inside his thoughts were racing and his wrist felt like knives had been thrust into the bones and joints under his skin.

What in the hell would have made her grab me like that? She looked so frightened…

There was no doubt in his mind that his wrist would have been in pieces if Duck had tightened her grip at only a slight squeeze more than she had before she let go in her shock. She most certainly didn't look like the type of girl to have such strength in her, either..

It would be on his mind for the rest of the school day.

Raven Wing Family's POV

"How was your first day of school, child?"

Rue couldn't help but quiver in her shiny black shoes at the familiar sound of the rough, demonic voice ringing throughout the space of giant black feathers. The voice seemed to touch every part of her skin, making the hairs on her back stand up on end. Staring straight ahead at the giant red eyes that opened just before her in the darkness, she struggled to maintain her stoic expression.

"Uncle, I'm almost certain that is not the real reason you've summoned me.."

The Demon Raven King chuckled, a sound that made Rue's heartbeat quicken with fear. His laugh sounded a bit more forced. But then again, he never found much of anything funny.

"Well, Rue, you seemed smart enough to figure that out. But you're right. I don't care. What I care about is that when I locked you in the dungeons the entire night for your disgraceful failure, you shouted until your voice was hoarse that you knew the identity of one of the swan princesses. Well, Rue, I'm listening."

Rue wracked her brain, searching to remember what in the world her uncle was talking about. She remembered the cold, harsh and lonely darkness of the dungeon she had been forced into when she failed to defeat her enemy..but the identity? How could she tell her uncle something like that when she had no knowledge. Had she really gotten so desperate to escape from her awful punishment as to yell out a lie like that?

"You told me that you had watched the princess transform before your very eyes. Did you lie to get out of that dungeon, you insolent girl?!"

"Uncle!"

Rue dropped to her knees, unable to contain her fear any longer. She placed her hands out below her and lowered her head in a deep, respectful bow. Tears formed in her eyes as the terrifying shout of anger came from her uncle, echoed through the room, into her, and set her trembling.

"Forgive me, I haven't the slightest memory of saying such a thing! It's not true! I don't know the identity of any of the princesses!"

"So you lied…"

"No, Uncle! I—"

"Perhaps you haven't spent enough time thinking about what you've done by failing me."

"Uncle, no!"

Rue felt her arms become wrapped in the sharp talons of raven henchmen. Their talons sliced through the skin of her arms and led to the rapid trickling of blood down her shirt. To any normal person, the bleeding would have alarmed them, but Rue knew she'd heal completely in a matter of minutes. When her feet came off the ground as the ravens carried her away, back to a deeper darkness than the current, Rue let out a piercing scream.

"I wasn't lying, I swear! Uncle!"

No matter how much she cried out, her uncle paid her no mind. Rue knew it would be a very long time before she would have her Uncle's trust again. Her next battle absolutely had to end in her victory.

"Rue's an idiot." Constantine muttered as he and his cousins sat at the long dining room table in their castle. He brought a meaty deer leg to his mouth and bit into it eagerly.

"No kidding. Lying to my father like that. I'm surprised he hasn't killed her yet." Mytho said carelessly, though he couldn't deny the sickening feeling he had felt for her when she had been called by the king from her place at the table with them. They had been joking about how easy the courses at their new school seemed to be. The king had a inkling that their studies and alibi as students would hinder them from their assignment, but after today it didn't seem so in the slightest. In fact, they were confident their assignment would become much easier under their disguise and enrollment.

"Sending her to a musty dungeon isn't punishment enough for such a careless failure." Autor stabbed into his meal before stealing a hungry bite. Despite how easily he and his cousins seemed to fit into the Golden Crowne Academy, none of them could deny that the new schedule and popularity zapped almost as much out of them as their daily training would.

Fakir hadn't touched his meal, in deep thought as he glared down at his drink, "It doesn't seem right for her to lie about something so critical in completing our mission, does it? I think its rather off."

"If you ask me, it sounds like classic Rue trying to get Uncle's attention in order to make up for how much of a sucky fighter she is." Uzura giggled as she took a bite. Next to her, Femio didn't even care to comment, staring at his reflection in his favorite mirror.

Despite the way his cousins completely brushed off his concerns, Fakir remained deep in his thoughts, trying to piece together what was missing from the situation.

Edel's POV

Edel casts a glance across the lake, a cloak over her body to hide herself from the townspeople as she made her way toward Duck's dorm. She had been on edge ever since the battle ended with Princess Tutu's victory over the raven princess named Rue. Duck had been incredible, a real natural in battle!

Tightening her grip on her cloak, Edel let out a sigh of relief at the realization that if her spell to make Rue forget the true identity of Princess Tutu hadn't worked, the ravens would have murdered the girl by now. For now, she had a very strong feeling they would be safe. There was so much that she had to tell Duck. She would only worry about that for the moment.