A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! This story is quickly coming to an end. There is one more chapter after this so stay tuned!
All Stories Must Come to an End
One week later…
Duck gave a jubilant laugh as she flew out of the door of Ebine's restaurant, the sun shining down on her and lighting up her face. "Alright!" She exclaimed as she jumped up and down in joy. "I have enough money to buy Raetsel a good gift for her baby shower!" The duck gushed at the thought at shopping for baby stuff. "Maybe I should ask Fakir to come with me so we can pick out our gifts together." She thought as she began to walk towards the direction of home. That thought made the duck giggle insanely as images of a very annoyed Fakir flitted through her mind. He would probably get very flustered over the idea and ask her to do the shopping so he wouldn't have to trifle with it; besides, he was busy anyways.
Duck's good mood lessened slightly at the thought of the busy story-writer. It had been a week now since the little episode over Uzura's question about her mortality. Since then, Fakir had barely come out of his room. It had gotten to the point where the knight even forgot to eat as he concentrated with all his might to write a good story for the little puppet. Because of that, Duck had to bring food up to his room and leave it outside the door for him to eat later. She really hoped he would finish Uzura's story soon; she was starting to worry over the boy's health.
As for Uzura, she had been a little happier. She was still anxious about the story being written for her but she smiled a little more often and banged her drum to show she was alright. Duck was glad to see the puppet smiling once again, even if it was only a little bit.
Speaking of the puppet, did Duck just hear a drum? The girl glanced around her in the streets of Gold Crown Town, scanning the crowd for the little drummer girl. Once she spotted a little blob with sea-green hair marching toward her, she waved her arm up high and called out excitedly. "Hey Uzura! What are you doing here?"
Uzura stopped beating her marching drum as she approached the happy duck. "I came to pick Duck up from work-zura!" the puppet smiled up at Duck brightly. "I haven't done that for awhile so I decided to come today-zura!"
Duck returned the puppet's smile, appreciating her thoughtfulness. "That's very nice of you Uzura. So do you want to walk straight home or do you want to wonder around for a little bit?" She asked kindly.
Uzura put a fist to her mouth in thought. "Hmm…how about we go home-zura? I've been walking around all day cuz Fakir is mean and doesn't like it when I'm in the house when he writes-zura!"
Duck laughed at Uzura's comment as the puppet beat her drum in frustration towards said knight. It was obvious why Fakir didn't want the puppet around when he was trying to concentrate. "Ok, I get it Uzura. Let's go home."
The duck and the wooden puppet started walking side by side as they made their way home. Duck would ask what Uzura had been up to all day, and Uzura would supply with great detail her many misadventures. They were walking by one of the surrounding walls of Gold Crown Town when the puppet stopped walking and stared off into the distance.
A gentle breeze began to blow as the puppet's eyes became un-focused, her painted blue orbs continuing to stare into nothingness.
"One day…"
"Uzura?" Duck asked tentatively once she had noticed the little girl's absence from her side. She looked back to see the puppet in a trance-like state, staring ahead of her without seeing. "Uzura, what's wrong?" Duck gasped as her face scrunched up with worry. She ran over to the puppet and kneeled down to her eye level. She grasped the puppets shoulders and starting to shake her slightly, hoping to snap her out of her trance. "Uzura! Uzura! Please snap out of it! What's wrong with you?"
If Uzura heard Duck's pleas, she didn't show it. She continued to stare in front of her as she heard the wind whisper in her ear.
"One day…when everything is gone…you'll come to me…when you hear this song…"
"I'll come to you when I hear this song…" Uzura repeated the mysterious voice's song with no emotion. She continued to listen intently as the wind sprung up again, the music putting her into a sense of spiritual calm.
Duck was very concerned now. "What song? Uzura, what are you talking about?" She begged, shaking the puppet a little harder.
"You will cry no more tears…nor will you weep…but you'll pray to the lord…your soul keep..."
"I'll pray to the lord my soul to keep…" Uzura repeated again, the eerie yet comforting voice continued to resound in her head.
"And when that day comes… forever is with me…you'll either choose slumber…or to live eternally…"
The wind died down as the voice began to fade along with Uzura's state of mind. Her eyes closed with weariness as she slumped forward into a panicking Duck's arms.
"Uzura!" Duck worriedly exclaimed as the puppet girl fell limp in her arms. "Uzura! Open your eyes! Please!"
Uzura opened her eyes groggily. "Duck-zura?" she questioned in a whisper as she came-to.
"Oh Uzura!" Duck cried with relief as she hugged the little puppet to her as her eyes began to water. "I thought you wouldn't wake up again! What happened?" She demanded as she stared into Uzura's eyes.
Uzura had to think for a bit on what Duck was talking about before she answered. "You mean…you didn't hear the voice-zura?" she asked with innocence.
"…What voice?" Duck questioned as she looked at the little girl perplexed. "I didn't hear any voice Uzura, just the wind."
"You…didn't hear it-zura?" Uzura asked in disbelief. "But it was singing-zura!"
Duck stared at the little puppet blankly, wondering if Uzura had lost her mind. Well, the puppet did seem out of it a couple minutes ago so maybe there was a voice and she just didn't hear it. "What did the voice say, Uzura?" Duck decided to play along and asked.
Uzura crossed her arms in thought, trying to remember what the voice had said to her. The voice had sounded so familiar, almost like Ms. Edel's voice but older and wiser. "Um…it said to join her or something-zura." Uzura conceded in defeat, only remembering that part of the song. Maybe she'd remember it if she heard it again.
"Well…a…that's strange…" Duck fumbled with her words, trying to sound like she believed what Uzura had said.
The duck and puppet just stared at each other in awkwardness till they heard a voice calling their names. The girls turned around to see Fakir running towards them with a bundle of parchment in his hands. "Hey." He greeted them upon his arrival and while trying to catch his breath. "I was wondering where you two were, I've been looking for you for a while."
Duck noticed by the sun's lowered position that it was a little later than usual when she would get home from work. She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment as she looked back towards the out-of-breathe boy. "Hehehehe…sorry Fakir. Uzura and I got a little distracted. We didn't mean to worry you."
"It's alright." The knight breathed a sigh of relief. "I just needed to show you two something." He said indicating the pieces of papers he was carrying in his hands.
Duck and Uzura gaped at the papers like they never saw such a thing before. The girl's looked at each other to confirm they were on the same wave length before Duck asked. "Is that…" she wondered as she pointed to the papers the knight was holding. "Is that…Uzura's story?"
"Yes. It's finally finished." Fakir confirmed with a small smile.
Upon hearing this, Duck and Uzura glanced at each other again. Understanding filled their eyes as the two girls began to jump up and down in excitement. The story was actually finished!
"Did it work-zura?" Uzura asked the knight, who was shaking his head at the girls' previous behavior and muttering to himself about how idiotic they had looked. The puppet's painted eyes were filled with eagerness. What did the story say?
Fakir gave a short chuckle of amusement at the doll's question. "It should have worked; I put all my will power into writing this story for you after all." He then paused pretending to consider the two girls, who were leaning in and hanging on every word he said. "Do you want me to read it to you?" He asked jokingly, already knowing the answer beforehand.
"Yes!" Duck and Uzura agreed in unison, their faces the perfect picture of eagerness. "Tell us the story!"
Fakir gave a small chuckle over the girls' silly behavior. "Fine, let's go find somewhere to sit down." With that, the knight left to find a nearby bench, followed by his faithful audience.
The knight was now seated at a nearby bench with Duck next to him and Uzura on her lap. The two waited with much anticipation for Fakir to start reading. The suspense was all most mind-numbing. What was Uzura's altered fate?
With encouraging nods from his listeners, Fakir cleared his throat and began reading the story he worked so hard to complete.
Once upon a time, there lived a puppet. This puppet, unlike many others of her kind, had a beating heart that dwelled within her small being. She lived with a little family in a small town that was blessed with the magic of story-telling.
The puppet and her family, a good-hearted blacksmith, a faithful former knight, and a sweet and loving girl who used to be a duck, lived happily together in the small town where stories came true. They never thought their happiness would cease until, one day, the blacksmith died. Sorrow overcame the former knight and duck at the blacksmith's death. The little puppet though, didn't understand why they were sad, for you see; she didn't understand the meaning of death. So at the blacksmith's funeral she asked the former knight and ducks' friend, a raven princess from a far away kingdom, what death actually was.
The princess explained to the girl what death meant, causing the puppet to cry human tears. The little puppet finally understood that death meant she would never see her beloved blacksmith again.
A week passed within the story-book town where the little family still lived. The little puppet had many questions on her mind that were concerned with her own mortality but she was too afraid to ask for the answers. Noticing the puppet-girl's sadness, the girl-who-was-once-a-duck, asked her what was on her mind. After much hesitation the little puppet asked if the former knight and duck would die like her beloved blacksmith and leave her. The duck-girl nodded her head sadly, thinking of her own mortality. The little puppet was saddened by this news. She didn't want all of her family to go away and leave her forever. The little puppet then asked if she would die as well, but the duck didn't have an answer. Noticing the little puppet's solemn face, the former duck took the little puppet to see the former knight; maybe he'd have the answer.
Once the two girls had approached the knight, the little puppet asked if she was able to die like everyone else. The former knight shook his head grimly, saying that the puppet-girl was made of magical wood from The Tree of Knowledge; so therefore, she could never die. The little family grieved for the puppet's misfortune. The former duck and knight tried to think of a solution that could change the problem. What sort of fate was fare, when the little puppet they loved was destined to walk the earth alone when they were dead and buried? The two brainstormed while the puppet wept, until the duck came up with an idea. She asked the former knight, who was now a storybook-writer with the power to make his stories come true, to write a story for the little puppet.
The knight agreed, and for many days he tried to write the story that would change the little puppet's fate, but the words wouldn't come. The knight was frustrated by his inability to help and he almost gave up until one night he had a dream. The former knight had fallen asleep at his desk when the strange dream came to him.
The knight's dream took him to a meadow that was covered with thick heavy fog. The fog was so thick that he could hardly see in front of him until a small gust of wind blew the fog away. What was revealed behind the fog shocked the dreaming knight, for he saw the little puppet with a heart staring up at a gigantic oak tree. The knight called out to his family member, asking what she was doing out there, but the puppet acted like she didn't hear the former knight's question, she just lifted her hand and touched the bark of the gigantic oak tree.
Suddenly, by the puppet girl's touch, there was a blinding flash of light that was produced from the oak tree which caused the knight to shield his eyes and look away. When the light had faded, the knight looked towards the oak tree and gasped to find that the little puppet had disappeared! The former knight started to call frantically for the puppet but no response came. The puppet was gone. In anger, the knight went up to the oak tree that had seemingly taken the puppet away but a voice stopped him.
The voice was actually the voice of the oak tree! It spoke to the knight that it was The Tree of Knowledge, the tree that the little puppet was made from, and that it could help him with his story. The knight was surprised but accepted the tree's wise words for her help. It was then that the knight woke up.
While the knight was awakening from his slumber, The Tree of Knowledge spoke telepathically with the knight, ensuring him that she would give him the words to write the puppet's story. It was then that the knight felt as if something had taken control of his hand, as it had grabbed the quill lying on his desk, and began writing down the story for the little puppet with a heart. His hand flew across the page as if the mighty oak tree was speaking through him; the words writing themselves page after page.
The Tree of Knowledge explained to the knight that the only way for the puppet to become mortal would be for the little girl to come back from where she came. Since the little puppet was made from her wood, she would return to her: The Tree of Knowledge. The mighty tree declared that when the former knight and duck, the last of the little puppet's family, were laid to eternal rest, she would call the little puppet back to her with a song.
One day when everything is gone,
You'll come to me when you hear this song.
You will cry no more tears, nor will you weep;
But you'll pray to the lord your soul to keep.
And when that day comes; forever is with me.
You'll either choose slumber, or to live eternally.
With that the fate of the puppet rested in the own puppet's hands. When the day came after both the knight and duck had died and been buried, The Tree of Knowledge would call out to the puppet made out of her wood. Once the puppet came back to her, the mighty oak tree would then give the puppet the option to live the rest of her life on earth, or to have her body join back with the tree and release her soul to Heaven, were she would meet her family again in the after-life.
There was a peaceful silence as Fakir finished reading the story of the puppet with a heart. The knight looked at the girl's expectantly, wondering what they thought of it. He was met with smiles as the puppet and duck took in the ending of Uzura's story.
"Did that really happen, Fakir?" Duck asked the young story-writer. "Did The Tree of Knowledge give you a vision?"
"It had to be-zura!" Uzura piped up before Fakir could answer. "That was the song I heard-zura!"
"Really?" Duck gasped with amazement.
The knight looked between the puppet and duck quizzically. "You heard the song that The Tree of Knowledge was going to sing to you Uzura?"
The puppet nodded her head vigorously in confirmation.
"In that case, it's got to be a sign that the story will come true." Fakir said with a confident smile. "Besides, The Tree did send me a vision that allowed me to write the story."
Upon hearing Fakir's confirmation of the stories truth, the two girls stared at him in astonishment. The story was true, and if that was the case, then Uzura could decide to join her family in Heaven when the time came.
Uzura's eyes filled with tears of happiness. In one swift movement she was out of Duck's arms and jumping into Fakir's.
The knight wasn't expecting the puppet's behavior. The story flew out of his hands and scattered onto the cobbled street below as Uzura threw her arms around him.
"Thank you, Fakir-zura." Uzura mumbled into his shirt while she hugged him in gratitude. "Now I won't be alone-zura."
Fakir smiled warmly down at the little puppet he thought of as a sister and hugged her back. "You never were alone in the first place Uzura." He whispered in the little girl's ear.
"That's right!" Duck added while joining in on the group hug. "We're your family Uzura. We'll always be with you no matter what."
The little puppet laughed with happiness as the three continued to hug each other. The happy family-moment seemed to last forever until another gust of wind swept by and starting carrying Uzura's story down the street. The little family gasped in shock at seeing the story fly off and quickly got up from the bench. Luckily for them that the gust of wind was small so the papers didn't fly off too far.
"I'll get it-zura!" Uzura exclaimed and began running down the street to collect her story before another gust of wind would carry it further away.
Fakir was going to help her too when he felt a soft hand grab his arm gently, holding him back. The knight looked back in surprise to see Duck giving him her biggest smile.
"You did it Fakir." She whispered with pride and love for him in her eyes while she grasped his hands in hers. "I always knew you could."
"Duck…" Fakir whispered back with gratitude, uncertain on what else to say. He didn't need to say anything though because Duck understood. She continued to gaze at him lovingly, which he returned as well, as they showed their devotion to each other through eye contact alone.
By this time, Uzura had finished picking up the papers (and not in order mind you) and was now returning to the duck and knight. She almost dropped the papers in her hands again when she saw Duck and Fakir lost in each other's eyes, their faces drawing nearer.
"Oh!" Uzura squeaked in happiness when she realized what was about to happen. "Finally-zura!"
Too bad for Uzura, that her exclamation surprised the duck and knight out of their eye-gazing stupor. The two love-birds glanced at the puppet in confusion, wondering what had caused her to gasp like that.
Uzura's face puffed up with anger towards the non-kissing couple. "You were being love-dovey-zura!" The puppet protested with exasperation. "You're not supposed to stop-zura!"
Duck and Fakir blinked at Uzura's anger in confusion; that is, until they remembered what they were going to do and that they were still holding hands. The two jumped away from each other like they were struck by lightning, shocked about what almost happened and completely embarrassed to boot! The knight and duck looked anywhere but at the other, their faces blushing brighter then the setting sun.
Uzura just shook her head at the oblivious couple. These two were just too hopeless. If they weren't going to get together on their own then she would just have to help them someday.
Duck fidgeted back and forth like a school girl, wondering how she was going to break the awkward silence. "Hey!" She exclaimed when an idea popped into her head. "How about we celebrate the completion of Uzura's story? Let's all go get some ice cream!"
Fakir glanced at Duck with a small blush still evident on his face. "Ice cream?" he asked, wondering if he had heard right.
"Yeah!" Duck quacked with excitement. "That sounds good, doesn't it?"
Fakir gave a small smile at Duck's enthusiasm. Leave it to Duck to want to eat something sweat. "Ok, sure."
Uzura looked between the duck and knight in confusion. "What's ice cream-zura?" she wondered as she walked up to Fakir and handed back her story.
"Oh it's the most amazing treat you'll ever have Uzura!" Duck giggled giddily. "It's very sweat and very refreshing!"
The puppet's eyes widened with amazement. "Oooooh! That sounds really good-zura!" Uzura smiled with building anticipation. "Let's go now-zura!"
"Way ahead of you!" Duck laughed, grabbing Uzura's left hand.
Uzura smiled happily at her 'big sister', then turned towards her 'big brother' and offered him her other hand. The knight smiled softly and took the puppets offer. The little family walked off towards the nearest ice cream shop then hand in hand. The future looking brighter than it had three weeks ago.
The End