Chapter 11: Confrontations and Frustrations

"Well…" Autor turned through the pages Fakir ripped out. "The Nutcracker became the Nutcracker after trying to relive the Princess of a curse. He fell over the Mouse Queen after cracking the nut and the curse was bestowed onto him... it's strange. In this case the Princess of the past is completely different from the girl Marie, who technically becomes the Nutcracker, prince of toys' princess."

Fakir's eyes rose to Autor. "I fell. Nesumir taunted me telling me I couldn't become the role, so I cracked a nut he gave me and then fell over…"

"Over the Mouse Queen?" Autor looked skeptical.

"Maybe not a mouse queen…" Fakir said before his body clenched in a strong wave of agony.

"FAKIR!" Ahiru leapt to his side and squeezed his hand, over his clenched fist of sheets. She was scared for him. This was dark, even for Drosselmeyer.

"Well that puts a large part of the puzzle together." Autor was clearly aggravated, and rolled his eyes." In that case Nesumir seems to be orchestrating some of this. What loose end could he fit into?"

"I really-don't-" Fakir's eyes were tight, and his words mustered out of pain.

"We don't know. The last director was the Sorcerer who turned me into a duck, and played out the Swan Princess…more or less." Ahiru finished for him.

"His son…his son died by my sword so he wanted revenge and tried to awaken him using –" Fakir stopped again.

"So I take it we hit another road block…" Autor said, accepting Fakir's pain as another way accepting they'd really left limited stone unturned. "Then, can you change your own fate, if you said you'd altered the stories yourself, added things in…can you change your own fate?"

"Trade…"

"Magic is a trade. And I don't think he could really write…it took a lot out of him before…" Ahiru said it half wishing it wasn't true.

"Well we might have to try." Autor said. "On the other hand, we need to address Nesumir. Nesumir is using…or Drosselmeyer, dramatic irony… he knows more then he's letting on, and we need to sneak it out. Ahiru could you do that?"

"Me?"

"No she's not going near him. Not if theirs a chance-" Fakir protested.

"Look. Drosselmeyer-" Autor cut him off.

"Drosselmeyer shattered a Prince's heart, twisted a girls mind to darkness, forced her to believe she was a duck instead of a human Princess…gave a knight a tragic flaw…and then this? He's going to do damage, and if it's through-"

"Nesumir is our only hope. I'm going to help Fakir try to write, Counter this …problem even temporarily. I wont out-do him. If not we will try to decode this story line Drosselmeyer is weaving. You should hint to Nesumir and see if he opens up."

"But what do I say?" Ahiru asked.

"You cant be serious…" Fakir mumbled.

"He seems fond of you, so…ask him subtly about Fakir's injury. Play…damsel in distress…although at this point Fakir is more that char-"

"You should go with her." Fakir cut him off purposefully.

"I can't leave you, and you need my help to stop this dilemma of yours with a pen. For you, Knight or whatever character, the pen is going to be mightier then the sword…for now." Autor looked to Ahiru. "Don't mention anything outright. If anything he says fits, come back right away and let us know. I don't think…if he wanted to get close to you he'd do anything to hurt you; it wouldn't make sense, story-wise."

"Who cares about the story-line, if he-"

"I'll do it. I need to do it Fakir." Ahiru nodded. "This time I can do something about it. I'm not a duck…or a swan…or some temporary princess, I can help."

Fakir nodded reluctantly.

"Good. Now that that's settled, if we can get you to write anything…" Autor looked at Fakir's shaking, fisted hands. "…Even a word for that matter…we might be able to hold back what's going on."

Ahiru looked at Fakir and left. She didn't want to say goodbye, or even good luck, because leaving him like this hurt him, and she knew that her going to see Nesumir didn't help.

Ahiru took the long way. She left and hugged the edges of the forest to let her mind take in everything. Another story? A new character…or was it an old character? And would Drosselmeyer actually let Fakir die? …he seemed prepared for all types of tragedy and yet Ahiru wondered if they'd ever be free?

And now she had to figure out what to say to Nesumir.

The Nesumir who'd taken Fritz' place at the Academy and who she wasn't sure …beyond where he came from…if he was friend or foe.

She looked out to the courtyard in the middle of town, and looked back to her left, where the lake was just beyond a few trees amongst the forest. What was real…what was the story? Was there even one or the other, or was it all one in between?

She turned away from the lake and stopped in her tracks, as she nearly bumped into two grey eyes through ashy brown hair. Her eyes were wide.

"I know we nearly walked into each other, but you look like you've seen a ghost." He said raising a brow.

She swallowed. His eyes were such a strange color. She had to be brave.

"Anyway," He turned his shoulder a bit. "You did a good job today. You really do look like a princess when you dance, you fit that character well."

"Uhm, I'm sorry Pike didn't show." She swallowed. She'd have to push a bit. "It must be hard to just prepare a solo like that."

"A solo? Why a solo isn't hard, it's just lonely amongst pairs." Nesumir shrugged. "But I guess you might know that feeling soon. Fakir had quite the accident."

Ahiru silently wished Fakir could have came. His words were bitterly true.

Nesumir noticed her silence. "You know there was one thing I noticed today…"

She looked up, but found that he'd swiftly grabbed her hand and spun her almost too well into a dance.

She wondered if she should go along or not. "What?"

"Fakir almost fit the role too…you two…of course not as well as Swan Lake the first class of duets but - the Nutcracker prince is becoming of him. How is his foot? Not so good to fall during a duet…"

"It's… its not so good." She grasped the words from his. She noticed how his words were somewhat taunting.

"Too bad. But I think it'll all even out."

Ahiru swallowed. The boy to girl ratio had now evened out again…both fakir's feet were wood…things were evening out but not in a good way.

"You know that Lake…"

"The lake in the wo-"

She looked around and found their dancing, in his controlling lead had put them closer to it.

"This lake. This body of water…"

He danced her closer to it. She didn't like the way he pulled and pushed as a partner.

"I remember once, seeing the most beautiful swan on one like it. A long time ago. The way she danced on the water was…so beautiful, but what is beauty that cannot be touched in it's lonesome on the waves of water, no other can balance upon…protected by the eyes of another." His eyes glancing out focused, reminiscent.

Ahiru suddenly felt trapped, like the words had rippled through her.

"And yet, one might find, that only that which appears small and quiet, can become seen, and in its way, elude the sword that protects to capture that beauty." His eyes looked, half lidded and dangerously to her.

"Can you tell me what's going on? Please…" She looked down. Maybe this was too forward.

"There are missing pieces you, you are all oblivious too. Ones you didn't see. One's you haven't seen yet. But know that at least half the reason I am here is because of you, and somewhat your fault…or more…the fault of a poorly aimed arrow, and a poorly aimed sword. But I can't help myself, because if the Knight cannot defend what he claimed, he is nothing but an idle toy is he?" His eyes moved from dangerous to sly.

Ahiru stopped any movement. Any trance of dance. "What did you do?!"

"If you want answers, bring me the sword, the sword that pierces magic, but if you must know, you'll realize all I want is what it protects. You'll have to make a deal to get out of this one… because this time…this time Princess Tutu you'll realize there is much more about what happened in the past that you have seen, because what is written on paper is one thing, while what is played out in actual leaves room for so much more."

She couldn't find words.

"For now return to your toy prince, that's all he'll be, and soon a knight with no armor."