Ahiru's True Form by Madonnalal

Chapter Six

"Know thyself."

-written in the Delphi Temple by an anonymous author

"There is a very good reason to be surprised. We thought Prince Siegfried died five years ago."

Mythos stared calmly into the generals eyes. His shoulders squared and his face was set in regal solemnity. He seemed to be relieved by the general's revelation rather than disturbed by it. His cool attitude was oddly calming to Fakir, who would have been more upset at this discovery in any other situation.

"Five years…" Fakir murmured.

"How was I killed?" asked Mythos.

General Heinrich said, "The official story was that you were killed in a preemptive strike by Tirol forces. You were visiting the famous Kinkad Academy of the Performing Arts for a special performance here in Kinkad Town. Shortly after you arrived, we lost communication with the town. The military sent in several investigation teams only to find the town had completely vanished. Given your personal prominence and this town's proximity to the Tirol border we assumed the worst. Obviously, some of the details were a bit muddled. For example, you're not quite dead, are you?"

"So it would seem," retorted Mythos.

"What is Tirol?" asked Fakir.

The general raised an eyebrow but answered evenly, "It is the country that borders Sachsan to the east."

"What is Sachsan?" asked Fakir.

The secretary, who had resumed writing furiously shortly after recovering from the shock of the revelation of Mythos's existence, stopped again and exclaimed, "G-Good lord, man! Do you not even know what country y-you're in?"

Fakir frowned then said, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Who are you people, who sent you here? On whose authority are you invading our town? And what do you know Prince Siegfried?"

"This is the Sachsan State Military," cried the secretary. "Surely, y-you must have heard of it. We are the h-heroes of the Tirol Border War!"

"Johnan!" reprimanded the general and the secretary returned to his books with a scowl.

"Tirol… War…" Mythos looked from the line of solemn faces in the ranks nearby to the ruddy cheerful face of the general. "I swear the population of Kinkad Town had no knowledge of these things."

"We are the Sachsan State Military, based in our country's capital Salzburg. That is where Prince Siegfried's castle is, and the rest of the royal family. And yes, there is a current conflict with our neighbor to our east, the country Tirol."

"This conflict," said Mythos, "did it begin with my supposed death."

The general hesitated then nodded slowly, "Your death was the catalyst. The straw that broke the camel's back, or so they say, but it was not the sole reason, make no mistake about that. A war with Tirol was eminent; relations between the Sachsan and Tirol were always tight and a single outburst was all that was needed to launch us into war. When Kinkad Town disappeared, it was assumed to be demolished in a Tirol attack. We returned fire on their capital, Vorarlberg, and each country signed at declaration of war. Of course, now that it seems that there was no Tirol attack on Kinkad, it sheds an interesting light on the events that took place 4 and a half years ago."

"These two countries have been warring since Prince Siegfried's death five years ago?" asked Fakir.

"Yes," said the general. "Prince Siegfried's cousin, King Byron, has gone to great lengths to avenge his cousin's apparent death."

"King Byron? His cousin?" Fakir was at a loss for words. There was too much to absorb. Mythos had been considered dead by his family and country this entire time. His cousin, this Byron, was King and had been leading a full scale war against a neighboring country that had been assumed to be responsible for the Prince's death. Fakir was struck by a feeling of unreality. Somehow, living in a world designed by a story of a dead author made more sense than this new world. The world had left Kinkad Town behind and gotten very complicated. Fakir couldn't imagine how much he needed to learn about this new world even if he planned to stay here in Kinkad Town. Long ago, anything that had not pertained to Kinkad Town had been discarded from the libraries as frivolous fiction. How were the people of Kinkad to know that some day the countries in those books would turn out to be real? Fakir had no way to prepare to face this new world. A sharp cold fear began to clench at his stomach as the shape and size of the world started to appear in his mind. Outside of Kinkad, there were thousands, no, millions of people living in hundreds of countries each with histories and interstate relations of their own. He was ignorant of hundreds of years of world history. Geography, Topography, and Grand Politics were completely alien to him.

The idea that Mythos had a family also struck Fakir hard. He had always seen Mythos as a sort of adopted brother, a person without any other family or connections, someone who had needed Fakir for everything he could offer. When Mythos was alone, Fakir could pretend that he was protecting him, keeping his safe, and giving him the company he needed. Now, behind Mythos had sprung a massive entourage of military generals, family members, and loyal subjects. How could Fakir compete with the bonds of blood and history?

His mind was set. No matter how Mythos pleaded, Fakir would not leave Kinkad Town. This town would be his coffin.

"It is obvious what needs to be done now," said Fakir. "Mythos, you must return to your castle with the general and prove to your cousin that you are not dead. I will stay here in Kinkad Town with Ahiru."

Mythos looked at his friend too quickly, shattering his impression of regal detachment. A shade of fear had set in his eyes that gripped at Fakir's heart but his mind was set.

"You are not coming with me, then," said Mythos.

Fakir answered coolly, "Had I ever given you the impression that I would be leaving with you? Since the first time you asked I have refused and I remain unwilling leave out of Kinkad."

"Please, Fakir!" implored Mythos. He was openly begging with Fakir. His eyes were wide, his mouth was half open and his bottom lip was trembling. Fakir had never seen anything so pitiable in his life. "I can't do this alone, Fakir. I need your help. I don't know enough to do this by myself."

"Have you forgotten? You have Rue. She's a smart girl. For everything else she is, she is intelligent, I'll give her that," said Fakir.

The general inclined his head at the mention of Rue. "You'll excuse me for interrupting, but who is this Rue?"

"Princess Rue is my chosen companion," said Mythos. "She will of course go wherever I go."

The general looked strangely uncomfortable. He fumbled with his hands in his lap for a bit then said "Oh dear. That may be a problem." The two boys, however, did not hear him.

"What I do not know could fill endless tomes, Mythos. I will be of no use to you outside of Kinkad Town. Take Rue to your castle and start your Happily Ever After."

"That not true, Fakir!" cried Mythos. "You know far more than I do. I need your help more than anyone's, please come with me!"

Fakir shook his head. "I'm sorry Mythos, but this has to be something you do on your own. Don't worry, you're a Prince. These things should come naturally to you."

"Fakir! Don't joke about this!" Mythos was breathing heavily and a dark look had arrested his features. A rosy glow was beginning to grow in his eyes. Mythos began to reach at his side for his sword, his expression growing more serious by the second. Fakir instinctive groped his empty side for his sword for the second time that day. Half way to his sword, Mythos stopped his hand. His eyes closed and his shoulders relaxed. Several minutes passed where Fakir didn't know what was going to happened. When his eyes opened again, Mythos was breathing regularly and had regained his regal pose. His eyes were their normal golden color, without the slightest hint of red. His hand returned to his side and the sword remained untouched.

When Mythos spoke, his voice was strong and clear. "I accept your refusal for now, but I would hope that you reconsider and follow me shortly. For now, I will take Rue with me to the castle and reintroduce myself to my cousin. I have a lot to remember about my past self and a lot of new things to learn. It would have been my preference to have you by my side when I learned them, but I understand that you must have a good reason to decline my offer. I just hope that whatever you intend to do, we will meet again soon."

Fakir bowed slightly. "I will always be your friend and loyal subject. Please know that I am not abandoning you. I do hope that we do meet again very soon. But I can not leave with you now. There are still things for me to do here in Kinkad. Thank you for understanding."

Mythos turned to General Heinrich and said, "General, will you excuse me while I go back and get my companion. I will return shortly."

The general looked wary. "If I may make a suggestion, your highness. I will send some of my men with your friend to fetch your companion and escort her back here," said the general. Then he said softly so only Mythos could hear, "There is something I wish to speak to you about in private. Before your companion arrives."

Mythos nodded. The general motioned to his men and two soldiers stepped forward to flank Fakir on either side. Fakir stepped forward to shake hands with Mythos before he left.

"I will see you soon, Mythos," Fakir said and departed.

As Fakir and the soldiers with him faded into the distance, Mythos turned to the general and inquired, "What is it that you wanted to tell me, General."

The general looked very uncomfortable again and glanced sideways at his secretary. The secretary seemed to understand the look and closed his book with a snap and started to place all his writing instruments back in his bag.

"What I'm about to tell you is strictly unofficial. I can not be held responsible for whatever you decide to do with this information. Do you understand?"

Mythos nodded solemnly and the general continued.

"I am not sure how significant this will be to you but before you disappeared, peace treaties with Tirol were in the process of construction."

"You said that war with Tirol was eminent, that relations were sour regardless of my apparent death."

"That is true, but some hoped to avoid war by creating a union between the royal families of the two countries. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"There was an arranged marriage, a betrothal," said Mythos.

"Exactly," replied the general. "More specifically, it was an arranged marriage between the Prince and Princess of the two countries. The Tirol Princess Lavender, and you, my prince, Prince Siegfried of Sachsan. You two were arranged to be wed."

"I see," said Mythos. "So my death was taken especially harshly since it was my union with this Princess of Tirol that was supposed to secure peace between the two nations."

"Precisely! Of course, that was many years ago, and with the current relations with Tirol, I feel confident in saying that no such marriage will be expected of you upon your return. I am merely informing you of certain previous events that might have some effect on you and your companion. I believe that this and other information should be provided especially since you don't seem to be aware of anything that happened previous to your disappearance."

Mythos nodded and said, "Thank you, General Heinrich. I appreciate your honesty."

Fakir entered the house to hear voices floating down the stairs. He requested that the two soldiers remained downstairs while he went upstairs to get Rue.

"It is pronounced un deux. Really, Ahiru, your French is terrible."

"I know it is, but I still think it is pretty. I want to improve my French so I can speak as beautifully as you. Then we will have beautiful conversations together and no one will know what we are saying. They will all think, 'My, what lovely young women they are, and so smart to be speaking French together'."

Rue's delighted laugher trickled through the door as Fakir approached it.

Fakir knocked on the door and the soft feminine voices stopped. The sound of footsteps preceded the door opening just enough for the black haired girl to poke her head around the door. "Where have you been? Where is Mythos?"
"Aren't you going to let me into my own room?"

Rue looked reluctant at first but stepped back to allow Fakir to end. As he entered the room, he saw that Ahiru was propped up with pillows on the bed and the color had returned to her face. He let out a breath of relief he hadn't realized he had be holding.

"Ahiru, you are looking much better," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I am fine. How are you doing? Rue said that were ill after the battle," Ahiru said. "Are you feeling better?"

Fakir frowned and said, "Don't worry about worthless things, you need to get your own strength up." He turned to Rue and continued, "Why did you alert me when she woke up? I told you that I wanted to know when Ahiru awoke."

Rue smiled mischievously. "I'm afraid I am still as selfish as always, but now for Ahiru's company."

"You have no right to Ahiru, Rue," stated Fakir. "Do not assume that you deserve her friendship after everything you did as the Raven's daughter."

Rue's smile came too easily in response. "It was all a story, wasn't it? We were all manipulated by some magically powerful storyteller. The same power you used to help us defeat the Monster who pretended to be my father." Her smile grew to resemble the smile of a hungry tiger. "A power that was apparently to much responsibility for you."

Fakir's eye's flashed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Rue's laughter sent chills down Fakir's spine. He suppressed a shudder as Rue said, "Just look at the three of us. Are we really all what we should be right now? Are we in proper form?"

"What are you getting at, Rue?" Fakir replied in a lethal tone.

Rue opened her mouth as if to say something but stopped before a sound came out. For several seconds she seemed almost frozen in time. Soon her face began to move again, displaying emotions that were not apparent a minute before. She was far more subdued and looked almost submissive. Her smile had grown far more agreeable and lost its cat-like maliciousness.

"Nothing, I'm not getting at anything," Rue replied. "Now, where is my husband?"

Fakir had known that Rue and Mythos were still infected by the Monster Raven's blood, but he had no idea their personalities would be so affected by it. Not that Rue seemed much different, he thought. Even without the Raven's blood, she's still a needy school girl, just without that malicious edge. He wondered if Mythos did the right thing when he chose Rue to be his companion. Wouldn't being together increase the power of the Raven's blood over their behavior? For now, he thought, I'll just have to trust Mythos's judgment. He must have a good reason for wanting Rue with him.

"Mythos is by the South Gate with the general. There are two soldiers downstairs who will take you to him. You will go with Mythos back to his castle were the King, Mythos's cousin, will meet you."

Rue's brow furrowed in confusion, "Soldiers? Generals? What is all this?"

Fakir shook his head. "Mythos will explain it to you everything to you when you get there. It is too much for me to explain right now."

"Are you sure you are alright?" Ahiru called from the bed. "I think I can stand now, you can take the bed and rest a while. You look very tired."

Fakir waved his hand and said, "I am fine and you are still weak. Stay on the bed. I need to talk to you alone when Rue leaves."

Rue looked to the door but turned back to the bed after a second of consideration. "Good-bye Ahiru, my friend. I am certain our paths will cross again soon."

"Good-bye Rue-chan. May life bring you all the happiness you deserve."

Rue smiled softly and left the room. As she walked down the stairs, she thought of Mythos and said, "It already has."

Fakir pulled up a chair to base of the bed Ahiru lay on.

"It seems that today was very eventful," started Ahiru. "You must be tired, you should try to sleep before we talk. Anything you have to say can wait till morning."

Fakir shook his head dismissively again and replied, "I'll be fine for a few more minutes. Now, Ahiru, what do you plan to do now that the story is over?"

Ahiru looked at him with wide blue eyes. "I haven't thought about it yet. I've just been talking with Rue since I woke."

Fakir looked annoyed. "Well, what were you and Rue talking about, if you were not talking about that?"

"Nothing much. We were talking about you and Mythos and the ballet school. All kinds of things."

Fakir pulled his chair forward and said in a serious tone, "I want you to listen to me, Ahiru. Rue is a very dangerous person. I don't want you to take anything she says seriously."

"What do you mean," asked Ahiru. "You heard her when she left, she called me friend. Rue cares about me; she would do anything to hurt me."

"That's where you're wrong. Rue would hurt you if she thought you were trying to hurt Mythos."

Ahiru looked confused, "Mythos is my friend, why would I want to hurt him?"

Fakir shook his head, "I know you would never intentionally hurt him, but Rue thinks differently of Mythos than you or I. Now listen, Rue will try to extend our roles as characters even now after the story has completed."

"Why? In the story, she had the worst of all the roles. Why would she want to continue that?"

"Because she benefited from the story in the end. Mythos chose her to be his princesses. In classic story tales, this implies that Mythos and Rue were meant for each other and will now live together in blissful harmony. However, that is not the case with those two."

"Why not?" asked Ahiru.

"Rue was not a character in the original story. Her insertion makes it impossible for normal character roles to be applied. Mythos should have picked Princess Tutu, a tragic choice that would have resulted in your death. You should be thankful that Rue allowed for your character to live but do not trust her motives."

"Rue is my friend, she would never do anything to hurt me," Ahiru replied stubbornly.

Fakir snapped in annoyance, "You called her your friend when she stole Mythos from us and tried to feed us all to the Monster Raven! Rue is not a trustworthy person. She is selfish and haughty. She will do whatever she can to keep us from getting close to Mythos. Do not mistake her artistic talent for sensitivity. Be more careful of who you choose to trust."

"That's not true, Rue is a good person!" cried Ahiru. "It is true she has made a lot of mistakes but she deserves a second chance. I pity her for all she has faced in the past but I know that she is strong and will come through when we need her most. She is an amazing person and there is much to admire in here."

"Idiot, don't you know that I'm trying to protect you? Just listen to me and you won't get hurt."

"I know what I want to do now."

Fakir mentally reeled for a moment before he realized she was answering his previous question. "Alright, what do you want to do?"

Ahiru stared up at him with her heart in her eyes. "I want to continue to study ballet at the school. I want to return to my studies as a ballet student."

Fakir nodded and put a hand on his forehead. "I had a feeling you would say that. I understand that you would want to return to a more stable environment but wouldn't you prefer…"

"Come with me."

"What?"

"Come back to school with me," Ahiru said. "You were an excellent ballet student. It would be a shame if you let your talent go to waste."

Fakir hesitated. "Ahiru, do you know why I started studying ballet?"

Ahiru shook her head.

"It was my escape, a refuge for my soul. Now all that is over, I don't need to dance anymore to soothe my spirit. There is no reason for me to go back to that school."

"I think you should come back with me," Ahiru pleaded. "There is always something new you can learn in the arts. Studying ballet will help give you a peace of mind you need now."

Fakir eyes flashed in annoyance. "What makes you think I need peace of mind? Do I seem disturbed?"

Ahiru hesitated then nodded. "Yes, you appear very upset."

Fakir looked away and replied, "It is only because I'm tired. In the morning, I will be better."

Ahiru was unconvinced. "I think there is more to it. I heard Mythos asking you to leave with him to go to his castle. You refused to go with him. The Fakir I know would never refuse Mythos, especially when Mythos asks him especially to go with him. There is something more going on that you are not telling me. I understand that you must have a good reason not to follow Mythos this time and I accept that you do not want to tell me what that reason is. Instead of allowing your self to sink into depression and self-doubt, please follow me back to the school and let yourself sink back into the study of ballet. The art will definitely calm your soul and give you the inner peace you will need now that Mythos is gone."

Ahiru had intended to say more but she saw that Fakir had fallen asleep half lying on the end of the bed, half sitting in his chair. She smiled slightly at the peaceful expression on his sleeping face and took a blanket from the base of the bed and spread it over his shoulders. Feeling the soft fingers of sleep close over her eyes she lay back down on the soft pillows and quickly followed into sweet slumber.

Author's Note: Okay, so a lot has happened in this chapter. Mythos's past has been briefly explained, Rue was mildly evil, and Fakir has made up his mind to stay in Kinkad… for now. Our favorite little ducky finally got some good lines and displays her steadfast loyalty to her friends. Next chapter we go back to the Fine Arts School and reintroduce Pike and Lillie (I hate them both, but they are Ahiru's best friends, the only people she can really open up to). There will be a bit more about Mythos and Rue who arrive in Salzburg to meet their very interesting cousin. Maybe we can finally work a little humor in between all this drama. I am usually a comedic writer, but with so much plot to get through, I have been neglecting my roots. Originally I only planned up to chapter eight (which is going to be AWESOME!! So be sure to check back when it gets posted) but then Rue started to demand her own character arch so I had to plan that out, then my friend reminded me that this is a Ahiru and Fakir romance fic, so there will have to be some of that as well. Gah! So much to do, so little energy. Now, to eat yummy yummy Greek food!