Hello my sweethearts! It's been a long time since I've updated this story and for that I'm sorry, Uni got in the way a lot! But never mind, here is the next chapter of ABoI, and I should be able to get a few more chapters for this and Dreams of Freedom written over this summer (I have too much free time now).
Anyway, please enjoy :)
Disclaimer: Even though I basically act like Ahiru and sing like Elsa, it doesn't mean I own Princess Tutu or Frozen, and I never shall!
Once upon a time their lived a young princess with thirteen older brothers. Each night they'd venture to a magically lake and dance to their hearts content. But there was a catch. After three nights of pleasure they'd never be able to return again. On the last night, the princess was tricked and forever trapped by the magic of the lake. The poor darling. Who would trick such a sweet soul?
Chapter 3 - As tales begin to intertwin
As the carriage rolled into the kingdom of Arendelle, Ahiru stared in awe at its beauty: the high peaks of the Northern Mountains and the crystalline lake that surrounded the centre island of the town and the castle. She stared longingly at the lake, wishing she could take a swim or a paddle in its inviting waters. Even though she was a girl again, she would never be able to shake the duck out of her.
Fakir watched Ahiru take in the home of his childhood friends. Arendelle truly was a picturesque and pastoral kingdom, must like Kinkan was, but there seemed to be a sense of magic, wonder, and for some reason, danger lurking in the atmosphere. Fakir frowned to himself.
"Of course there's no danger here. No Drosselmeyer, no nothing."
The carriage came to a halt before the bridge that led towards the castle and the coronation celebrations. The young men exited first, offering there hands to their respective ladies, and thanked the driver before making there way across the bridge.
"This is so exciting!"
Mytho chuckled at Ahiru's outburst, which soon turned into full on laughter as the ballerina blushed.
"Don't tease our Ahiru so Mytho, it is exciting after all." Rue said as she took Mytho's hand in her own. Fakir and Ahiru smiled at the couple as they crossed the courtyard and into the chapel in which the coronation ceremony would take place. Inside the enclosed space a great number of people were gathered. Most of them were visiting royalty and ambassadors from various countries. Ahiru and her party were a perfect example of such. As the group were about to sit down a woman clad in a green dress ran into the chapel. She made her way up to the alter steps and the priest, panting slightly as she tried to catch her breath. When she finally calmed down she turned to the crowd of people sitting in the pews. Fakir thought she looked familiar, then a memory of a girl crossed his mind. Before his thoughts could wander any further a set of trumpets sounded announcing the Queen-to-be's arrival.
Anna waited anxiously as her began sister to wake up to the alter. Today Elsa became Queen and her little sister could see Elsa's nervousness written on her face as though she was reading a book. When Elsa stepped up in front of the priest, Anna turned her head to survey the crowd of people once again, trying to find Hans' face amidst the various attendees. She finally found him and gave him a small wave, to which he returned with a shy grin. Turning her head back to her sister, Anna caught sight of a man with long black hair sitting next to young woman with orange hair and bright blue eyes. The princess frowned slightly at the man before turning her attention back to the priest words as Elsa reached for the royal sceptre and orb.
"That guy looked really familiar, but where do I know him from?"
These thought continued to plague Anna throughout the rest of the ceremony and into the evening as the kingdom got ready for the coronation party.
"Well, well, it seems that the past is coming around in more ways than one. Why this is brilliant, just utterly brilliant!"
Drosselmeyer snickered as he watched the guests flittering into the vast ballroom for the evening party. Uzura beat her drum slowly as watched people start to dance in the centre of the room while others eat, drank and chatted merrily.
"Where is Ahiru-chan-zura? Where are the princesses?"
At that moment, the gear switched scene to that of Ahiru and Rue finishing changing into more formal attire.
"Pretty-zura!"
"Yes, indeed child." Drosselmeyer drawled as the geared switched yet again to the ballroom as Queen Elsa and Princess Anna made their entrances.
"Now then, will the real fun shall begin?"
The crown prince of Pura Cycnos and his faithful knight stood waiting for the rest of their party outside the grand doors leading to the ballroom. For within, the two men could hear music and laughter mixed in with the occasional clicking of glasses.
"What could be taking them so long; they only have to change from one dress into another."
Mytho chuckled at his friend as he started to pace the hall. Fakir had never been one for sitting by idly and patience was not a virtue he was particularly blessed with either.
Mytho walked up to the raven haired knight and stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Stop your pacing Fakir. Trust me when I say that the waiting will be worth it."
Peering over Fakir's head, a grin spread across his face.
"What are you staring at?" Fakir questioned as he turned to find out what had caught his friend's attention. What he saw took his breath away.
Descending gracefully down a set of stairs at the end of the hall were Rue and Ahiru.
Rue, ever the princess she was, was clad in a crimson ball gown that trailed behind her as she moved. Black feathers and lace covered her bodice while her hair was reminiscent of her Kreahe hair style. From beneath her voluminous skirts red satin heels peeped out. Rue curtsied once she reached Mytho, which in turn earn her a kiss on the hand.
"You look beautiful, my princess."
Rue's cheeks coloured at Mytho's praise as he led her into the ballroom, leaving Fakir and Ahiru alone for a moment.
A silent pause descended upon the hall, neither the writer nor the ballerina knowing what to say. Ahiru, pulling all the courage she had together, glanced up a Fakir through her lashes.
"Well Fakir, what do you think?" she asked, turning around on the spot so he could fully appreciate her outfit.
Fakir didn't know what to say, no words seemed to do justice for the vision that he saw before him. His little duckling's hair was gathered in a braided bun, a singular green ribbon holding it together. Her ball gown, much like Rue's, trailed behind her as she walked towards him, her forest green heels peeping out from beneath the folds of fabric. The dress itself was a stunning sunshine yellow with dark green detailing tracing vines and leaves across the bodice. Said bodice captured Fakir's attention as Ahiru neared him, for it accentuated her newly found curves. The gold necklace Rue had given her completed her look, the butterfly and sunflower reflecting the candlelight in the hall.
At last Ahiru stood directly in front of her knight, staring up at him with her bright blue eyes, a small shy smile gracing her lips.
"Well?" she asked hesitantly, afraid Fakir may think her ugly or repulsive.
Fakir could only smile as he pulled Ahiru into a tight embrace, tilting her chin to look directly at her.
"No words can describe how wonderful you look tonight."
And with that he brought his lips to hers.
The kiss was slow and sweet at first, but soon the love, passion and feelings from the past three years were brought to the forefront as the lovers deepened their kiss. After what seemed like a few hours, even though in reality it had only been a few of minutes, the two separated, gazing lovingly at each other.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to kiss you, to be with you like this." Fakir said as he trailed his thumb across Ahiru's cheek and down her neck, sending shivers through the ballerina.
"I…I…me too Fakir" she replied, blushing prettily.
Fakir chuckled as Ahiru continued to blush, pouting slightly.
"Why must she be so utterly adorable when she does that?"
"Well I don't know why you're laughing?" Ahiru said, still pouting.
"I managed to leave the great writer Fakir, descendant of Drosselmeyer left for words."
Fakir grinned, pecking Ahiru on the cheek, before offering his arm to her.
"So you did. Now, shall we? Imagine what Rue might think if we don't enter soon. After all, as representatives for Kinkan and Pura Cycnos we need to pay our respects to Queen Elsa."
And with that the two of them entered the ballroom.
"I have to admit, that guy is sprightly for his age."
Elsa laughed as her sister came back looking exhausted from her "dance" with the Duke of Weselton. Watching her guest dance and enjoy themselves made her smile.
"If only it could be like this all the time. If only I didn't have to conceal my powers."
Elsa's thought were interrupted by the sound of someone coughing beside her. Turning she saw Anna coughing and nodding towards the announcer and the four people he had with him.
"Oh I am sorry, please proceed."
"Your Highness, may I present the Crown Prince and Princess of Pura Cycnos: Prince Mytho and Princess Rue, along with their entourage."
Elsa observed the small group as two men and two women bowed and curtsied before her. The queen furrowed her brows as she took them all in.
"Now where have seen that man before?"
As Anna had in the chapel hours before, Elsa also couldn't quite place where she recognised the raven haired man from. She shook herself out of her thoughts, for she had her duties as a Queen to perform at the moment.
"It is a pleasure to have you attend my coronation Your Majesties. I was happy to hear of your kingdom's reformation over the past three years. May I also present my sister, Princess Anna, to you all."
Anna curtsied and smiled at the four.
"It is an honour to attend such an event, Your Highness, and thank you for your kind words on the work of our homeland." Mytho replied with ease, taking hold of Rue's hand as he did so.
Anna smiled wistfully at the other royals.
"That must be true love."
Elsa also smiled at the couple; the love evident for each other in such subtle a way reminded her of her late mother and father.
"I must ask who your members of your entourage are. I am unfamiliar with you kingdom's court I'm afraid."
"Of course, Your Highness." Rue answered this time
"May I proudly present to you Sir Fakir Yukan'na, a knight of Pura Cycnos, and Lady Ahiru Arima, who is my lady-in-waiting."
Ahiru blushed at her title. She still couldn't believe that Rue had made her a lady-in-waiting after the princess refused to have one since she arrived in Pura Cycnos. It made a few women at the Pura Cycnos court more than a little jealous since Ahiru was a newcomer to them.
Anna and Elsa's eyes widen at the introductions, eyeing Fakir with interest as memories of older and happier days came back to them.
"Fakir Yukan'na? As in the knight in training that lived with the metal worker in that little town, oh what was it called, ah yes, Kinkan town?" Anna gushed as she stepped forward towards Fakir, a larger smile on her face. Fakir could only chuckle at Anna's behaviour.
"I see you're still as excitable as always, Your Majesty."
"Oh Fakir!" Anna exclaimed as she gave the knight a quick and tight hug.
Elsa nudged her sister slightly, giving her a playful scowl.
"It has been a long time Fakir, too long in fact. I'm very happy that all your training paid off in the end."
"In more ways than you think, Your Highness." Fakir replied, glancing down at Ahiru and taking her hand also.
"Oh enough already, it's Elsa and Anna to you and you know it. No need for this silly formal stuff." Elsa chastised Fakir, a smile pulling at her lips.
As the evening grew late and the party continued in high spirits, Ahiru found herself talking with Anna while she watched Mytho and Fakir dancing with Rue and Elsa in the centre of the ballroom. Anna sipped her drink, which was needed after dancing with a certain Prince, while she watched Ahiru smile at Fakir.
"So Ahiru how did you and Fakir become so close?"
Ahiru almost spat out her drink, Anna smirking at her. Ahiru blushed as she stared at the princess.
"I...I...what makes you think we're so close?" she squeaked out as she tried calm down.
"Oh don't play dumb with me; I can see the way he looks at you every so often, and the way you look at him too."
Ahiru sighed as she looked towards Fakir again, a small smile appearing on her face.
"Okay then, I'll tell you." Ahiru said as she led the princess outside to one of the balconies. She sat down on the edge of the balcony and Anna sat next to her, shuffling closer to make sure she got all the details about her childhood friend and her new friend.
"To tell you the truth, Fakir thought I was clumsy and useless when we first met, and I thought he was very rude and uncaring. We both went to the same school to study ballet, though I was never very good at it. You could almost say I was like a duck with no grace, balance or beauty."
"Oh that's such a lie Ahiru, you have all of those things." Anna interrupted. Ahiru stuttered a thank you and blushed before continuing her story.
"At the time, Mytho and Rue were going through difficult times and I tried to help them. Fakir didn't want me to at first, but in the end he ended up helping me after he and Mytho had a rather nasty fight."
Of course, Ahiru left out the details about the Raven King, Kreahe and Mytho turning evil which led to the fighting between them.
"Anna would never believe me anyway."
"What did they fight over? Did they duel?" Anna asked
Ahiru paused to think about how to describe Mytho turning evil and trying to kill Fakir, without telling Anna too much.
"Let just say that they had a difference of opinion. Anyway, as Mytho and Rue suffered through months of pain and upset, Fakir and I grew close as we tried to get them back to their original selves. He'd help me with me with ballet practice too, so we spent a lot of time together. In a way, he was my knight, but he was also able to confide in me when things got a little tough for him. In the end, Mytho and Rue solved their problems and married each other three years ago. I've been living with Fakir ever since they left Kinkan town to live at Pura Cycnos."
Ahiru took a deep breath and sighed. She turned to Anna, gauging her reaction to her tale. Anna smiled at the ballerina and wrapped her arms around Ahiru's shoulders in a tight hug.
"You are such a good person Ahiru, you and Fakir both. You deserve each other. I think you both deserve some happiness after doing some much for the people around you."
Ahiru smiled at the princess, grateful for her words. As Anna pulled back, Ahiru's necklace got caught in the ribbon around Anna's neck.
"Whoops, here let me untangle it." Anna said, laughing as she freed the necklace from the ribbon.
"By the way, did Fakir give you that necklace? It really is quite cute."
"No, Rue gave it to me before we travelled her. She said it reminded her of me." the ballerina giggled at the memory.
As Ahiru fiddled with her necklace the balcony doors opened, revealing a tall man with auburn hair.
"Ah, Princess Anna, I've been looking for you."
Ahiru saw look that passed between Anna and the man, and the way that Anna instantly brightened up upon seeing him.
"I think I shall take my leave, Anna. I do believe I owe Fakir a dance."
"Oh, of course, Ahiru. Oh, before you go, let me introduce you to Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Hans, this is Lady Ahiru Arima; lady-in-waiting to Crown Princess Rue of Pura Cycnos."
Hans bowed as Ahiru curtsied.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Ahiru."
"Likewise, Prince Hans. Excuse me, I really must be finding the rest of my group."
And with that, Ahiru walked back into the ballroom, intent on finding Fakir and claiming a dance.
As the doors the balcony doors closed behind the orange haired ballerina, Anna chatted away with Hans, until only the stars and the moon lit up the sky. Hans told her of his brothers and her of her Elsa.
"Wait, so you have how many siblings do you have?"
"Twelve older brothers. Three of them even pretend I was literally invisible for two years."
But as the prince said this he thought back to a time years ago. He had only one thought on his mind.
"Can it really be her? And how did she get out of that place?"
"Oh look, all the pieces of the story are falling into place. I wonder how soon they shall be unravelled and unveiled for all my characters to see. Oh, truly my eldest works were some of my best I must admit."
Drosselmeyer's laughter rang out through his clockwork realm as Uzura stared confused at the old story spinner.
And finished (finally). I can't believe how long it took me to write this chapter, but after me boyfriend said to me "A miner never has miner's block." I decided to kick writer's block in the ass and continue with this story.
Things are really starting to take course now, and little secrets and truths are starting to become unraveled.
I thank you all for being patient with me, so please drop me a review (you know how much I love those little present!)
Until the next chapter, Frances xx :)