Ahiru's True Form by Madonnalal
Chapter Seven
"Friendship is Love without his Wings!"
-Lord Byron
The sun beamed down on the buildings of Kinkad Academy of the Fine Arts, making their white walls gleam like polished marble. The rustic red tile of the hall's roofs seemed to invite the sun's rays with their cheerful color. The green grass in the yard swayed gently in a soft summer breeze. Bright colored flowers were blossoming everywhere. In the middle of the grand courtyard the majestic fountain sent cool clear water spiraling into the air. The light blue sky was filled with puffy white clouds and blue birds. To Ahiru, the scene in front of her was far more than ideal, it was perfection.
The school had always been a place of beauty to her, but now it was filled with something else. While she had enjoyed her time here at the school with her friends, learning ballet from Neko-sensei, she had been distracted by her mission. Half of her mind had always been conspiring about returning Mythos's heart. Without that drive and concentration, it would have been an impossible feat. But now that her task was over, she could finally enjoy the school and the art of ballet with the full-hearted love and admiration they deserved. Ahiru had always worried what would become of her after the story was complete. She feared she would be forced to return to her duck form and forget her time as a girl, ignorant of her adventures in the human world. Now that she was standing here in the front gates of the school, looking at her old school and new home, she finally felt the weight of responsibility drop from her shoulders. She could now return to the study of ballet and it would be her decision.
Her new found freedom was dizzying and she let out a half hysterical giggle. Fakir looked down his shoulder to stare at her, half-concern, half- contempt in his eyes. Fakir always knows how to make my feel so stupid, thought Ahiru. I must look like an idiot giggling to myself. Ahiru quickly recomposed herself and said, "Shall we go in?"
Fakir nodded and led the way to the main castle without a word. They made their way through grand hallways and extravagant corridors. They passed large empty rooms designed for ballet practice and ornately decorated parlors intended for formal receptions. Rich and elaborate murals covered the walls, depicting scenes from assorted fairy tales. Most of the paintings were based on Dosselmeyer's stories. One picture showed a ghostly knight ridding on top a great warhorse, his knife still dripping the blood of his lover. The next was of a young woman alone in her room clutching her at her heart, her face contorted in severe pain. The image of a man's head, presumably the object of the women's pained affections, was visible through her window. A vial of poison and a dagger lay on her desk. Ahiru stopped briefly to admire an especially moving portrait of two swans, one black and one white quarreling over the heart of a young man at the base of the picture. Their wings were arched threateningly at each other and their eyes were angled in fury. When Ahiru turned to comment to Fakir on how the reality was far less anger-filled, she found that he had already turned the corner without her. She glanced back at the clashing swans once more before running to catch up with her friend.
By the time Ahiru reached Fakir's side, they had arrived at the headmistress's office door. Ahiru reached out to open the door but Fakir stopped her.
"Ahiru, before we do this, there is something I want to make clear to you. Returning to school is not your only option. I can ask Charon to allow you to live at my house. You could find another house to live at, perhaps by the pond, and start anew there. You could even leave Kinkad Town, perhaps follow Mythos and Rue. I'm not saying you should," Fakir said quickly. "I'm just informing you of your options. You don't have to return here. I will help you follow whatever path you choose."
Ahiru considered the serious look in Fakir's eyes. "The ballet school is all I know of the human world. It is where I made my friends and where I lived. I am comfortable here. I always thought it would be nice to continue my studies. I feel that there are still important lessons for me to learn here."
"I expected you to say something like that. However, let me say one thing more. You should not feel limited to the ballet school. You are no longer a duck under control. You can choose to be whatever you want to be now."
"What do you mean?" asked Ahiru.
"As a human being, you have the power to control your destiny and make it anything you desire it to be. Humans are allowed dreams and goals that we work hard to achieve. It is our dreams that make us different from other animals. As a duck turned human you should be able to appreciate this philosophy more than anyone. You can be anything you want to be, you just need to decide what it is you want. What is your dream, Ahiru?"
Ahiru looked down shyly and poked her fingers together. "My dream? My dream is to be a ballerina like Princess Tutu. Only this time I want to be able to dance like that without magic. I want to work hard and earn that grace and beauty on my own."
Fakir nodded and smiled. "That's some dream. You certainly set high standards for yourself."
Ahiru looked up anxiously. "Do you think it's too much? Should I have a more realistic dream? I know that I'm not a very talented dancer but I am a hard worker. Maybe if I practice really hard everyday and I try with everything I've got…"
"Then you will certainly become the ballerina you dream of and more," Fakir interrupted with a smile. "I have faith that you will get everything you want. You have a strong spirit that will never fail you. And I will do everything I can to help you, so don't worry. It will take a lot of work, but together, we will make you something incredible."
"You really think so, Fakir?"
Fakir nodded and said, "I am sure of it."
Ahiru's bright smile lit up the hallway with a new dazzling light.
Fakir pulled open the door and held it open for Ahiru to enter. He soon followed her into the headmistress's office.
The royal castle at Salzburg was impressive, as any royal castle should be. Designed in an early gothic style, it was fitted with towering spires and flying buttresses. Ornate and elaborate masonry decorated the outside of the inner walls. Gargoyles and angels lived peacefully side by side on top the castle walls. The royal grounds were completely surrounded by a large stone wall. This outer wall was constantly patrolled by at least two guardsmen per thirty yards. Each member of the royal guard was outfitted with a single shot pistol, a rapier, a dagger, a bow and a quiver of arrows. Every guard was trained for three years in the Royal Guard Academy to become masters of these four essential weapons. However, the most important item on their bodies was the guard's sounding trumpet. Each direction of the castle had a certain signal the guards would toot on their trumpets to alert the rest of the castle which direction the enemy was approaching from. Past the wall was a large moat. Sticking up from the bottom of the moat were large wooden spikes just visible under the water. The main entrance was the only entrance to the inner castle. A draw bridge had to be lowered each time someone entered the castle then was promptly retracted to prevent unwanted guests wandering into the soft belly of the royal fortress. A person, clever enough to pass the outer wall, swift enough of swim the moat and avoid the pikes, and strong enough to climb the inner wall would then find themselves in the heart of the Royal Guard Academy, the courtyard that served at the practicing grounds of several hundred action-hungry cadets. To say that the castle was impregnable would be arrogant. To say that it was one of the most secure places on earth would be accurate.
The secretary of the general explained these details to Mythos and Rue as the approached the royal grounds in the general's carriage. Johnan Stressen was a tall wiry fellow with thick glasses that made his eyes look too large for his thin face. His curly black hair was oiled flat to his head. He had a slight slouch in his shoulders that he made up for by staring intently into a person's face when he spoke to them. His hard stare and magnified eyes made him look like a particularly scruffy owl. His slight stutter appeared only when he was annoyed or stressed. Unfortunately, despite his haughty bird-like appearance, he had the nerves of a squirrel. He was always anxious about one thing or another, especially after the war began shortly after his assignment to aide General Heinrich.
The general was sitting next to the secretary in the carriage. He had said little during the trip, only opening his mouth to add a detail to Stressen's narrative that had been neglected.
"All of this information will be necessary to you, Prince Siegfried," Stressen said. "E-especially since you will be residing within the royal palace with your cousin."
"How close are we to the Tirol border right now?" asked Mythos.
"About a th-three day trip by horse, a five day trip by foot," answered Stressen.
"And a four day trip to move an army at top speed," added the general.
"Is this the only royal palace?" asked Rue.
Stressen chuckled. "Of course not, this is just the most secure. There is also the winter palace by Brutenplaz and the summer palace further south, by Lake Harmony. Each is superbly designed and decorated, but lacking the proper protective measures that are necessary in the time of war."
"Why is this one built so differently from the other palaces?" inquired Mythos.
"That is because it is not a Sachsan design. Was Sachsans are very simple and peaceful people, normally. It is not in our nature to design a structure like that. The land we are traveling through now is historically Tirolian. They designed and built the castle we are entering now. It was originally a town that was fiercely attacked by wandering bands of thieves and mercenaries. The townspeople built the inner wall and started to contrast the moat. Soon the royal family decided to make that town their royal capital because of its rich commerce and security. They added the outer wall and the drawbridge. However, this was several hundred years ago. The royal family of Tirol eventually moved their capital to a more central location within their country. This castle was abandoned and was eventually taken over by Sachsan after boundaries were redrawn after the Thirty Years War fifty years ago."
"Why would Tirol give up such an impressive fortress, especially with such historical importance to their royal family?" asked Mythos.
Stressen looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, the problem with a fortress isn't just that it's hard to get in to, it's also hard to get out of. So what gets brought in usually can't get out. And in this cause what got in, stayed, and drove out the royal family."
"What was it?" inquired Rue.
"Rats."
"Rats?" Rue exclaimed in disgust. "In a royal city?"
"Don't worry, we f-fixed that problem within a year of inhabiting the castle," assured Stressen. "There is a reason our national animal is a cat."
"A lion," interjected the general, "to be precise."
"Exactly," answered Stressen.
"If I may ask one more question," said Mythos. He looked out the window to see they had already passed over the drawbridge and entered the main courtyard. Hundreds of cadets were in the yard practicing their drills. "What is my cousin like?"
"The K-king? You'll meet him soon enough," said Stressen. The carriage came to a stop and a footman opened the door. Stressen exited first. Mythos moved to follow him but the general held him back.
"Please wait until you have been announced, Your Majesty," said the general. "It is the proper thing."
Stressen's voice rang out through the courtyard, "General Arnold Heinrich accompanied by Prince Siegfried Wilhiem Jonathan Bartholomew Moore and Lady Rue."
"Princess!" hissed Rue under her breath. The general looked placating.
"Soon to be Princess," he said. "Allow for proper ceremony first."
A flurry of whispers erupted from the crowd. A hundred or more nobles appeared out of the surrounding houses and gathered around the carriage. The cadets in the yard had ceased their practice and were starring intently at the carriage door. Even the elderly priest raced out of the grand cathedral and stood on the main stairs craning his neck to see the small but graceful frame of the Prince exit the carriage.
"The Prince," cried out a voice from the crowd. "He is back from the dead!"
"He lives," cried another.
"Heaven bless us, he lives!"
A great cry erupted from the courtyard accompanied by enthusiastic applause that unsettled doves from their roosts, sending them up into the sky along with the cries, "He lives! He lives!"
As Ahiru walked across the courtyard she took in the splendid beauty of the Arts School once more. The water in the fountain danced and glittered in the morning sun. The droplets of water seemed to Ahiru like liquid diamonds bursting out of the fountain's pipes. She cheerfully remembered the many times she had used that fountain to transform back into her human form. Her transformations could have been far more graceful if she had ever been able to figure out how to manage to do it while keeping her clothes on. Despite this comical addition to her magical powers, she remembered every transformation with fondness. Already her time as Princess Tutu was growing more distantly in her past. The memories of her adventures were beginning to fade rapidly with time. Now it seemed to Ahiru that the time she spent salvaging the shards of the Prince's lost heat was the Golden Age of her life. The pinnacle of her existence, or so it seemed, had already pasted her by, and all she had to look forward to now was a peaceful but slow life as a ballet student. She knew she should be grateful that she was a human. It certainly beat the alternative, sitting in a pond all day, eating stale bread crumbs and old fish, and unable to communicate with her human friends. But Ahiru could not stop the stab of nostalgia for days as Princess Tutu from piercing her heart.
"Ahiru!" a call came from across the courtyard. Ahiru turned to see two uniform-clad figures running towards her.
"Pike! Lillie!"
Ahiru's two best friends came barreling across the courtyard toward the young redhead. She ran towards them, her heart casting off its melancholy like a warm jacket in July. The three friends embraced each other enthusiastically. It was as if they hadn't seen each other in 5 years rather than the 5 days it had been since they were last all together.
"Ahiru, we were worried sick about you," cried Pike.
Lillie continued, "We didn't know if you were still in Kinkad Town or not. Ever since the gates opened, hordes of people have been leaving. Only half of the students are returning for this semester so far. It seems so lonely here now."
"Not only that," said Pike. "But some of the people who did stay, you wouldn't even recognize them. Neko-sensei turned into a real cat. He's living under the bridge with a wife and a whole litter of kittens. Aardvark-san, however, turned into a girl named Natasha. Only she insists that she's always been that way but I only remember her as an Aardvark. Everything has gone crazy in this town."
"This is all after the whole town turned into Raven-People and we were forced to dance for that giant Demon Raven," Lillie stated. "Something very strange has been going on in Kinkad Town."
"Have you been alright, Ahiru?" asked Pike. "We were so worried about you."
"Yes, I'm fine," said Ahiru with a smile. "I had a fever for a few days, but I am much better now."
"A fever!" exclaimed Lillie excitedly. "Your face gone pale, your cheeks a cherry-apple red, lying in bed, unable to move for days… how cute you must have been!"
"Lillie, enough!" Pike interjected. "Did you stay at your house while you were sick? Is your family alright?"
"My family is…their not… I…" Ahiru hesitated. What could she say? She had no family or house. She had lied to Pike and Lillie all this time whenever they asked about her life beyond the school. It always made her feel guilty since she knew that they were always honest with her. However, how could she make them believe that she was really a duck who turned into a girl? Was this the right time to tell her friends about her adventures as Princess Tutu?
"It's okay if you don't want to tell us, Ahiru," said Pike. "I know what it is like to have a family you don't wish to talk about."
Ahiru looked up in surprise. Pike stared down at the ground with unusual intensity. Lillie put her hand on Pike's shoulder and said, "You didn't have to mention that, just be quiet."
"Pike, is everything alright with your family? What's wrong?"
Pike continued to stare at the ground as she explained. "I lived my entire life in Kinkad Town with my family until I started to attend the school here. There are many generations of my family still alive including my great grandmother who moved here when she was still a young woman. Now she is a very old woman with a very long memory. However, as soon as the gates around the town opened, it seems that so did a door inside her mind opened as well. She told my mother about her homeland, a place to the east, where there are fields full of sunflowers and green hills spotted with white lambs. She talks about it like it was a paradise on earth. We asked her why she didn't mention this place before. She told us that when she came to Kinkad Town one stormy night when her horse was spooked by the lighting and she bolted off the road and into the woods. She rode for hours on that horse, holding on for dear life, as the beast ran out of control through the dark forest. Suddenly, she found herself inside the closed gates of Kinkad Town, without a clue of she got in or why she came there. She started a new life. She married a good man, and raised her children in this town. Her children had children, and so did theirs, till I came along. It wasn't until a few days ago, when the gates opened and those army men came pouring in, that she remembered the place of her birth and the journey that brought her here."
"But what is so bad about that?" asked Ahiru. "I think it's a wonderful story."
Pike looked up at Ahiru with serious eyes. She glanced behind her with a suspicious look. The courtyard was empty. The only people in sight were by the gate to the girl's dormitory. A firm looking teacher had a young boy by the ear and was leading him away from the building. Judging by the boy's shameful red face, he had been caught peaking in the windows of girls' rooms.
Pike leaned into Ahiru ear and whispered, "My great-grandmother is a proud citizen of Tirol, the country that army hates so much. If they find out my family is Tirolian, they might suspect that we are spies and arrest us."
"But you have done nothing wrong!" cried Ahiru. "You just said that you lived your entire life in Kinkad Town. Until a few days ago, we had never even heard of Tirol. How could you be a spy for a country you've never seen?"
Lillie shook her head. "It is not fair, but already some of the families with Tirolian features have been detained by that army. It is only a matter of time that Pike and her family are questioned and possibly arrested. It is a miracle that they haven't been found out already."
"What does a Tirolian look like?" asked Ahiru.
Pike and Lillie shrugged their shoulders. "My great grandmother is fair skinned with white hair that was once blonde," explained Pike. "I don't know what the rest of the nation looks like but you can be sure I look nothing like her."
"The people the army took looked completely normal to me," continued Lillie. "But the soldiers insisted that one man had a Tirolian nose. Another woman was picked out for the Tirolian colors in her shawl."
"There is something worse," said Pike. "The reason my great-grandmother was riding out in a storm that night was because she was carrying a letter from a Tirolian official to his agent somewhere in Sachsan."
A cold pang jolted through Ahiru's abdomen. "Your great-grandmother was a spy."
Pike looked like she was about to cry. "I don't know, she said that she didn't remember what the message was about. She just tried her best to deliver it as fast as she could."
"It doesn't matter what was in the message," said Lillie. "The fact there was a letter is enough to convict Pike's entire family. This army is suspicious of everyone in this town. I don't blame them was all the strange occurrences that have happened over the past few weeks."
Ahiru turned to Lillie and asked, "How about your family? Are you suspected of anything?'
Lillie shook her head. "My family has lived in Kinkad for hundreds of years. If we ever had a spy in our family, they surely died countless years ago."
"Ahiru, you must tell no one what I have just told you," pleaded Pike with tears building in her eyes. "You have been a good friend to me ever since we started at this academy. I have always felt a sincere spirit in you. I know that you will never betray me or my family. That's why I feel I can tell you my secret."
"Of course I won't," swore Ahiru. "You too have been a wonderful friend to me. You too, Lillie." Should I tell them now? Ahiru thought. They have put their faith in me with their secrets; I must trust them to do the same for me.
"I have a confession to make to you both. I have never been truly honest with you. At times I have outright lied to you about my life outside this school, but I beg you not to hold it against me. I did this in order to protect you from the terrible truths that exist in Kinkad Town, but now I see that I was doing you a dishonor. I should have been honest with you from the beginning about my origins and my mission."
Pike and Lillie looked at each other in confused. "Mission? Ahiru, you're not a spy too are you?"
Ahiru smiled a little and shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just that… I never…Well, you know how my name means 'Duck'?"
Rue had never seen such riches in her entire life. The castle was simply bursting with lavish gold carvings, brilliant jewels, and ornate tapestries. The walls were covered in hand painted murals. The window curtains were all made of the finest eastern silk. Even the carpets were made from the highest quality velvet. She could hardly believe the amount of wealth that was surrounding her. It felt more like a dream.
She glanced over to her beloved Mythos. He was walking beside her, following Stressan absent-mindedly, apparently deep in thought. The glamorous rooms they were walking through didn't seem to make an impression on him. She assumed that Mythos had become accustomed to such extravagant surroundings a long time ago. She assumed that he had grown up in a palace decorated just as lavishly as this one. She could imagine Mythos as a small boy, his white hair cut sharply around his face to bring out his enormous amber eyes. He would walk like a gentlemen already and wear fancy expensive clothing. His manners would be finely trained and he would drink his tea with his little finger pointed out. The image of this pint-sized Mythos filled her with uncontrollable glee. She giggled into her hand but quickly suppressed her entertainment. She was sure that giggling was not a very lady-like behavior.
The sound of Rue's laughter broke Mythos's train of thought. He had been trying to force himself to remember this castle that they were in now. Surely, if he was Prince Siegfried, he would have some knowledge of this place. But not matter how hard he concentrated, no familiarity appeared to him where ever he looked. No painting or tapestry triggered any previous recollection. No turn of the hall or room design filled him with nostalgia. Finally Mythos was forced to admit that he had no memory of this castle. The thought chilled him. He was certain of his identity, but he couldn't recall any memory of his life before his imprisonment in Kinkad Town. For all that he loved his friends in Kinkad and his affection for the town; he was imprisoned there by the spell.
Mythos looked over at Rue, who had now stopped giggling and had fixed her face to show no emotion. Her shoulders were thrown back and her chin was sticking unnaturally into the air. She appeared to be parodying Mythos's natural princely pose. For someone how didn't know Rue very long, they would have supposed that she was a well-bred noble who had been trained to walk like that. To Mythos, however, he could tell that she was trying too hard not to look like a commoner, and instead looked rather silly.
"Relax your shoulders," he whispered to her. "And lower you chin. Keep your eyes level at all times but do not make any extra effort to look forward. It will only make you look stiff."
Rue complied too his instructions. The change was immediate. Her natural grace took over and she glided down the hallway like a fallen angel. She didn't look like a noble woman anymore, instead she had her own poise of power. It was a stance that was unique to Rue. It was part of the reason Mythos loved her. Rue always had a way about her that wasn't completely stuck up, but constantly reminded others that she was in her own way better than them. To some, it would make her seem intimidating or unapproachable. To Mythos, it was fascinating and very becoming of a Princess.
"You look beautiful," he whispered again. "Just don't try to hard to look dignified. You're already above most of these noblemen even if I didn't display my preference for you."
Rue blushed prettily and replied back in a hushed voice, "I feel like a fish out of water in this place. Everything is so strange and intimidating. I have no idea how to act, should anyone try to approach me here."
Mythos reached over and took her hand. It was just for a second, but he gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry," he said softly. "Just follow my lead, and you will be fine."
Rue smiled her first genuine smile that day. "Do you remember this castle?" she asked. "From before you came to Kinkad?"
Mythos frowned slightly but answered gently, "No, but I've been trying to. There is so much I don't remember, but there are other things that stand out very clearly. I know who I am. I know how I was manipulated in the story. I know what it means to be a Prince and what my duty is to my country." He shook his head and rubbed his eyes in frustration. "But I don't remember the specific details I need to be an effective leader. I remember now that my country's name is Sachsan. I remember my cousin's name is Byron. I think he is married to a girl named Charlotte or Cheryl, but I don't remember exactly. It just seems so long ago that I was here."
Rue looked at him pityingly as he cried, "I have to get my memory back!"
Stressen looked over his shoulder with a dull interest before turning back to guiding the two royals through the endless hallways to their destination.
"It will come back," Rue assured him, resting her hand on his arm. "It will just take some time."
Stressen stopped suddenly in front of an especially well crafted door. The door itself was cast iron wrought with gold foil. It was highly decorated with pictures of the moon in each of its phases, images seen through telescopes, and several scenes from epic histories. Whoever is beyond this door was obviously highly educated and respected, Mythos thought.
Stressen knocked three times on the spectacular door. A muffled yell was heard from within which the trio took to be an invitation. Stressen opened the door and held it for the two others to enter. Mythos and Rue passed through the door into a room most unlike any of the others that they had passed through. This room had been design just as richly as the rest of the castle but had been cluttered with loose papers and laboratory equipment. Books piled up on the numerous lab stations and desks and covered every inch of the walls. Light filtered in through window that were fashioned with silk curtains, but were reinforced by woolen drapes. There was one lone figure, laboring vigorously at the desk, his body dwarfed in comparison to the clutter on his desk. The door, closed behind them, leaving Mythos and Rue alone with the sole inhabitant of the laboratory.
"Come in, come in!" wheezed the old man from behind the desk. He didn't look up to see his guests but turned his attention to an especially large tome that appeared to be entitled Philosophies of Chemistry Involving Simultaneous Reactions.
"Don't mind the mess and it won't mind you! Come right in and clear off a chair." The command was easier given than enacted. Every surface of the room was thoroughly cluttered by papers, books, and lab equipment.
Mythos and Rue tried their best to clear a couple chair and sat themselves in front of the desk. Unfortunately, now that they were sitting, they could not longer see the old man behind the masses of books that piled up on the desk. They could only hear the faint mutterings of the old geezer as he computed several equations in his head then frantically scribbled down the results on a piece of parchment. This went on for several minutes before Mythos called out, "Monsieur, if you please. I believe you wished to speak with us."
"My wishes at the moment are occupied in chemical ventures at the moment, good sir. You will have to wait till they have been more suitably satisfied before I can review your case. Perhaps you should come back later."
"I am not a 'sir', I'm afraid," Mythos said, with all modesty attached. "I am 'Your Majesty, Prince Siegfried'."
An abrupt snort from the opposite side of the wall of books and papers told Mythos and Rue that the old man was not convinced. "If you are the dead Prince Siegfried, then I am a rubber ball filled with helium."
"Then I advise you to hold on more firmly to your chair so that you do not float off into the heavens," replied Mythos with a touch of amusement.
The sound of shuffling papers and books preceded a hole erupting from the wall of books and the face of a squinting old man was revealed. The face examined Mythos his unabashed intensity before falling slack with shock.
"By Galileo's Postulates, it is you. Your Majesty," exclaimed the wizened creature. This old man looked as old as Mythos truly was. His face was an almost incoherent mass of wrinkles. The mouth had collapsed into itself and the nose was now but a fleshy lump in the terrain of the man's face. He was as bald as an egg and the light reflected brightly off his great lumpy head. His eyes, however, were great glittering diamonds that shone behind golden spectacles with a greater intensity than all the gold in the castle combined. But was pleased Mythos the most was the faint gleam of recognition that sparked within him as soon as he beheld that wizened face.
"Professor Krinkle, am I correct," Mythos said, smiling fondly.
"Yes, it is I," the professor muttered, still overcome with astonishment. "It is you, Siegfried, not an imposter."
"It is I," said Mythos, smiling wider. "It took me a few hundred years, but I have finally returned to my favorite tutor."
"Ha!" the professor cackled, "Your only tutor, you mean."
Mythos smile faltered, "My only tutor? Are you sure?"
"The only tutor worth mentioning to be sure," the profession said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Mythos's uncertainty mounted.
"You taught Mythos as a young boy, then," Rue interjected. "What was he like?"
"Well, he is still young yet but… Hold on, did you say 'Mythos'?" said the old man.
Mythos nodded, "That is the name I went by in Kinkad Town. It is the name my friends prefer to call me."
The old man scratched his head in curiosity and mumbled, "He was a very bright boy, the best student I ever had. He always wanted to hear my crazy theories about Copernican models and Von Guericke spheres." He shook his head in disbelief, "I never wanted to believe you were really dead, but I could never argue that you had lived. There was just too much evidence against it."
Mythos nodded, "For all practical purposes, I might as well have been dead, but now I am back, and I need your help."
"If it is my assistance you require, then you will have my unsurpassed cooperation for whatever use you could have of me! I am most humbly at your service, Your Majesty!"
"I warn you, my trouble come from no physical affliction. It is your knowledge and experience that I need; or rather, my own."
"I'm afraid that even with my own magnificent brain I can not follow the subject of our discourse. What is it that you wish of me?"
Mythos replied, "Unfortunately, the years that I have been robbed of in this time have in turn stolen away my memories."
"Hmm, amnesia, I see," murmured Professor Krinkle. "That is a travesty."
"What I ask of you is to reteach me my life, as it was, up until my disappearance," Mythos stated simply.
The professor nodded. He then inclined his head toward Rue. "And this lady's purpose for being here…"
"Is to learn along with me, as she is my intended bride and has a right to all information that is given to me," Mythos completed the statement. Rue blushed slightly but smiled in satisfaction.
"I am a good student and a hard worker," she told the professor. "I will do my best to learn whatever you have to teach me."
"It is an entire lifetime that I must teach you both," warned the professor. "And a complex life at that."
"We will do our best to understand you," replied Mythos. "Please, commence."
The professor shrugged, and started without introduction into his narrative. "You were born in the Brutenplaz palace on a cold winter day. You were a weak child at first but possessed a strong spirit. It was said that you would become one of the greatest rulers of our time by the time you were four years old when you delegated a number of your favorite toys be given to some of your playmates…"
"Good work, class. Everyone, don't forget to practice on your own. By the end of the week I want you all to be able to en pointe without wincing," sang out the teacher.
Now that Neko-sensei turned into a real cat, a new teacher for the intermediate class was assigned. Dubois-sensei was a slender middle aged man with years of experience traveling around in a professional ballet troupe. He was famous for his kind-heartedness and his deep love of dance.
"That includes you, Diana." Diana, a pump girl a year older than Ahiru, blushed and nodded to the teacher mutely. Diana had been Alligator-san for several years until she was returned to her human form.
"Yes, teacher!" chorused the class.
The students ran to pick up their bags from the wall and herded into the changing room. They all talked cheerfully as they changed into their uniforms. One group of three changed further away from the rest in a corner, speaking to each other in whispers.
"I wish I hadn't fallen down while we practiced pirouettes," Ahiru was saying. "My backside is so sore. I can barely lift my leg over my waist now."
"To bad you couldn't have been a swan," Pike whispered. "Perhaps ballet would have come more easily to you."
"I think its wonderful Ahiru is a duck. I always thought ducks were a lot cuter than swans. Their always crashing into things and making those funny little noises," piped Lillie.
"Honestly, I can't figure out which is more surprising, that you were a duck who was turned into a human or that Fakir-senpei has come to pick you up from every class for two weeks," grumbled Pike as she shoved her locker shut. "I thought Mythos-senpei was your type. You were supposed to leave Fakir-senpei to me."
Ahiru blushed bright red at this. "It's not like that between me and Fakir! We are just friends! We went through a lot together and now we get along very well."
Ahiru had told Pike and Lillie as much about her adventures as she could. She had left out several details, however. For instance, she didn't tell them the identity of Princess Claire or what Fakir's power was. She didn't think it was her place to tell her friends' secrets to anyone without their permission. However, since Fakir had been visiting her frequently since she came back to school after his classes were finished, she had to tell Pike and Lillie about his role as the knight in the story to satisfy their confusion. Lillie seemed very surprised but it appeared that Pike had already suspected this. She had watched Fakir long enough to know he was extremely protective of Mythos and that he played a role in the story only made sense. If anything it helped to increase her respect of her 'Fakir-senpei'.
"He never looks happy when he comes after class everyday," remarked Lillie as the three girls grabbed their bags and headed for the door. "Could it be that Ahiru is fighting for yet another hopeless love?" Lillie's eyes hearted at the possibility.
Ahiru grabbed her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She cried, "It's not like that! I don't like Fakir! I don't!"
It was a pity that Ahiru choose that moment to close her eyes since it let to a misfortunate happenstance. The object of her claimed adamant disapproval was standing outside the girl's locker room door, leaning causally against the opposing wall, though, thankfully, seemly ignorant of Ahiru's previous declaration. Upon seeing him there, Ahiru immediately shoved her fist in her mouth while turning a violent shade of red.
"Kyuu…" she murmured around her fist, not daring to meet Fakir's eyes.
"Hello, Fakir-senpei," Pike said with a shy smile.
"We were just talking about you," Lillie said perkily. Ahiru murmured again but in a more protestant moan.
Fakir raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Oh?" he said. He turned to Ahiru and said, "Are you ready?" Ahiru nodded, still not able to look him in the eye. Fakir nodded politely to Pike and Lillie then turned to leave. Ahiru followed him without protest, still gnawing on her fist.
They walked out of the main building into one of the lesser courtyards. They passed through gardens and small parks. They walked without a work for some time before Fakir looked over his shoulder and said, "Why are you eating your hand? I can't imagine it's because of the taste."
Ahiru finally let her hand drop to her side and replied in small voice, "It's just a nervous habit. Pike and Lillie were teasing me… about something… and I…"
Fakir sighed. "Why do you let your friends tease you so much? If you don't like it, you should stand up to them."
Ahiru looked scandalized. "I could never tell them to stop! That is how it has always been with my friends. They tease me to make me laugh at myself when I'm thinking too seriously. They help me see the lighter side of my problems. That's what friends are for."
Fakir looked thoughtful at this. "A friend is a person who taunts you for your own good?"
"That's not quite it," replied Ahiru. "A friend is a person who makes you laugh and helps you feel good about yourself. Even when it seems that everything in your life is falling apart a friend is there to make you smile and make you grateful for all the good things you have."
Fakir's face was unreadable. They had walked to the edge of the Academy's grounds. They were passing over a white bridge covered in potted flowers. The stream beneath them was stocked with coy and goldfish to keep the water free of insects. Fakir stopped walking and stared down at goldfish under the bridge. Ahiru watched him closely, unsure whether to approach him or keep her distance. Fakir stood, his elbows rested on the edge of the bridge. He appeared to be thinking very hard.
"I wonder then, if I was ever a friend to Mythos," he said suddenly. "I loved him like a brother, but I never made him smile or laugh. I did what I could to keep him safe, but he wasn't happy when he was with me. He was always wandering off and getting into trouble. I tried to keep him locked up, but it never worked. I restricted what he read, what he ate, and who he talked to. I did all I could for him, but now I don't know if it really mattered in the end."
"Of course it mattered!" Ahiru cried. "You were Mythos's best friend as well as his protector. It is possible to be both."
"How can you be?"
"You don't have to smother someone to protect them and you don't have to make someone laugh to be their friend. A friend can be a protector and a knight can be a companion. Mythos cared for you, I'm sure of it. Especially now that Mythos has his heart back…"
"Now that he has his heart back he has no further need for me," Fakir said gravely. "I fulfilled my part of the story, even acceded my own expectations. However, no matter what any one says, I know that Mythos can do anything on his own. He is very intelligent and braver than I will ever be. He doesn't need some ballet dancing teenager to tell him what to do anymore."
"Don't you see? This is when Mythos needs you the most! This is where your role as a friend is most important! Now that he has his heart back, you can be the kind of friend that makes him laugh and the kind of protector that doesn't oppress him," Ahiru cried.
Fakir smiled wanly. "You have the same claim to Mythos's friendship and you did far more to return his heart for him that I ever could. Why aren't you at Mythos's side right now?"
Ahiru was taken aback. She hesitated to answer then spoke slowly, "Well, he chose Rue as his Princess, didn't he? That means that she is the one that he wants to be with. Of course, if he ever asks for his help, I'll go to him. For now, I just want to stay here and study."
"So, you don't go to him because you don't think he needs your help anymore. Now that our role in the story is over, our usefulness has expired," Fakir said. "It's probably true. Mythos is the most remarkable person I have ever met. He will be able to overcome any obstacle. Even if we were to follow him, he would certainly drift into higher circles, growing ever more distant from us. After all, what wisdom could two ballet students give a prince who is surrounded by nobles and royal advisors."
Ahiru was somber in her reply, "It doesn't feel right here, does it? This school isn't the same without him and Rue. Every day in class I look for their faces, hoping that they might have come back for a visit. I miss them both so much."
Fakir shrugged and returned his attention to the fish. They were both quiet for awhile. Fakir stared down at the goldfish with undue intensity. Ahiru stood back and watched Fakir's back. Finally Ahiru broke the silence. "How about we make an agreement?"
Fakir looked over his shoulder at her. "What kind of agreement?
"Let's promise each other that if we ever find out something that could help Mythos or Rue, or there is a job that only we can do for them, we will go to their side for as long as they require us. Together."
Fakir seemed to consider this for a few minutes. He stared back down at the fish one last time before turning to face Ahiru. He walked up to her and put out his hand for her to take. "That sounds like a fair agreement. It's a deal."
Ahiru smiled and took his hand. It was rougher than she expected but warm. He gripped her hand tightly and shook it once before letting go. Ahiru had a slightly fuzzy feeling in her head as she stared up into Fakir's deep green eyes. She couldn't quite place the emotion, but soon decided to call it satisfaction.
"Of course, what kind of information are two fourteen-year-olds going to find out that will be of any importance to a prince," Fakir said with a cynical smile.
Urza-chan wandered through the camp, fulfilling her curious nature with these strange men called 'soldiers' who apparently carried long metal sticks, walked back and forth, and made 'hr-umph' noises every once and awhile. She had followed one group of these men for a week now. She had meant to go back to Charon's house two weeks ago, but with so many new strange things to investigate, she didn't have time to leave for a second to ask them what any of it meant.
Now it seemed that the soldiers were packing up their tents and sticking their bags onto carts to be carried back for them as they marched on foot. Urza-chan always tried to keep out of sight while she spied on these men. No one ever noticed her. Now she crept past two soldiers that were wearing lots of metals pieces on their chests. She had come across lots of that kind of soldiers. They didn't do as much walking as the rest and talked much louder. Their words were clear as she past by them unnoticed.
"There is a boy at the castle right now claiming to be Prince Siegfried," said the first one.
"You're kidding me! After all these years, he just turns up out of the blue," replied to second.
"Well, he says he is. I hope for his sake that he isn't, otherwise he could be in for a lot of trouble."
The second nodded in agreement. "For the crown prince to show up in the middle of all this mess is sure going to ruin some noblemen's plans. The Baron of Tilly has profited greatly from this war and has a fierce temper. No doubt he'll try to remove this 'prince' from the picture before he starts to gain any power or popularity."
"'Tis a shame though," declared the first, whipping his forehead with a red handkerchief. "If he is the crown prince, he chose a poor time to reappear. He should have waited till Tirol was defeated before showing his face. This country could have used a kid like him."
Urza-chan considered these words carefully but she couldn't make sense of them. Instead she wandered off into the woods, back toward Kinkad Town. Fakir would know what the men were talking about and would explain it all to her.