Things are not Always What They Seem
It took Fakir nearly a year to realize that something was not quite right, and he cursed himself for it many times. A whole year, what a waste of time that could have been put to better use! But we're getting ahead of the story here.
It all started as an off handed comment Fakir happened to overhear as he was walking home from the market. A pair of men were discussing fishing when one mentioned something that caught Fakir's: "-wn at the duck pond, but it got away just as I almost had him."
"Duck pond? You mean the fishing hole?"
"Yeah, I suppose that's another name for it. Come to think of it the only duck I've ever seen on it is this one little yellow one that's someone's pet. Anyways, he must've been..." Fakir stopped listening then, he didn't care about some fisher's near catch. He quickened his pace homeward, where he knew a little yellow duck with large, blue eyes would be waiting for him.
Duckie was happy to see him when he returned home heavy laden with bags of groceries and some clothing. She danced down the walkway and mimed a greeting to him, but rather than give her his small smile and say "Hello," back as he usually did he just stared at her intently with a look of deep concentration. Duckie quieted down and looked back up at him with a cross between confusion and worry clear in her eyes. Eventually Fakir looked away and walked into the house... he couldn't believe it had taken him nearly a year to realize.
Everything he did for the rest of the day just reminded him of his obliviousness to the world around him. Going to the pond to write reminded him that he had never noticed that there were no ducks at the duck pond, walking back home through town he saw Professor Cat and was reminded how he had noted a while ago that the feline seemed to have no recollection of ever being a teacher, and at home he was followed around by Duckie herself, happily quacking away while miming about her day. So the next day the green-eyed boy went to the library to do some research.
At the library Fakir read through The Prince and the Raven again, scouring it for details that might give him some clue about who or what Duckie may have used to be. It was very vague, of course, only mentioning Princess Tutu briefly before she vanished in a flash of light. There was no mention of Tutu being a duck or a girl or even of existing at all before her brief appearance. But as he read over it again he realized something else, it wasn't the same as the story the town had lived through: there were several differences. The version of the story he had was a previous edition; the latest edition, the one that had gone through some revisions, was the one that the machine had been writing at the top of the clock tower. Fakir quickly put away the book neatly in its proper place in the library before bolting for the door like his life depended on it. Autor just sighed and shook his head as he straightened up his paper work.
At home Fakir dug the huge copy that Drosselmeyer had written with his own blood out from its hiding place. It was huge, a massive amount of paper bound together in a simple manner. Fakir gently placed it on his desk and began leafing through it, searching for clues about Duckie. Thus the little duck found him later when she went searching for him, wondering why he hadn't come to the pond that day. When she saw him sitting at his desk reading The Book she stopped and watched him for a while. Wondering why he was reading it again, worried about what it might mean, but trusting him to do what he must, she quietly waddled back out to the front where Charon was fixing them a lunch. Together they had a comfortable silence, keeping each other company while they let Fakir study in peace. But Fakir didn't find the answers he wanted, Duckie was just a duck who had wished to dance with the Prince when Drosselmeyer first discovered her. The fact that a duck could have such a wish seemed silly to him now, but when he had first read it he had thought it was all the magic that had soaked into the town. Perhaps Drosselmeyer had thought the same thing, maybe she was a girl from a different story that had been turned into a duck before Drosselmeyer had died.
To the library again, this time to skim through every story Drosselmeyer had ever written in the hopes of seeing any hints about Princess Tutu or girls turned into ducks. "Fakir, we've looked through every copy and version of Drosselmeyer's stories that can be found, and even a couple that can't be. What in the world are you looking for?" Autor was cranky by now, it had taken over a week to do all this research and Fakir had stubbornly refused to tell him why.
Fakir sighed in resignation, he may as well admit it. "I don't think Duckie's a duck." It sounded so ludicrous to say now. That Duck wasn't a duck, it sounded like he was saying that two wasn't a number.
"What?" Autor was lost, he had seen the duck herself, she was definitely a duck.
"It's just that... Duckie isn't a normal duck. I thought that maybe she was a girl before Drosselmeyer brought her into the story, maybe he had turned a girl into a duck just so he could have one, I don't know. Maybe it's just leftover magic or maybe even something I'm doing without realizing it." Fakir halfheartedly closed the book he had been staring at without being able to read for the last half hour. As he started to stack the books to be put away Autor was staring at him intently.
"So you think that Duckie may have been a character from a different story before she was pulled into The Prince and the Raven?"
"That's what I thought, but there weren't any ducks at all in the other stories Drosselmeyer wrote, it even seems a little silly to talk about now."
Autor stopped Fakir from stacking the books. "Drosselmeyer wasn't the only one who has ever written life into a story." Fakir's eyes widened with the realization, Duckie wasn't a character from one of Drosselmeyer's stories, she was a character from a different story altogether.
This time it took over a month and a half, the two boys methodically going through every single piece of fiction in library and hunting down any others they could find. They finally found it hidden away in the basement where books being repaired, reference texts and long forgotten tomes lay moldering. It was a thin book, bound in rough leather and parchment with decorative letters that contained illustrations of the story at the beginning of each chapter. Somewhere near the end was a short story that didn't seem to have a proper ending. But now that they had their clue, perhaps even proof that Duckie was more than just a duck Fakir finally decided to tell her what had been going on. She had been furious with him when he finally told her, nipping at him angrily and quacking loudly with a stern look on her face. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she seemed to be saying.
Fakir looked sheepish, "I didn't want to get your hopes up if I was wrong. For all I know the reason you don't act like a normal duck could have been the way I wrote the ending. But we found this story and I think it's your story, do you want to hear it?" Duckie looked at him sternly, she was still angry but she mimed for him to read to her.
As Fakir picked up the old manuscript and as he began reading to her he felt magic flowing through those few pages of the story and knew that it was Duckie's story.
Once upon a time there was a King and a Queen who were blessed with many fine sons and many lovely daughters who all became distinguished knights and accomplished ladies. The King and Queen were very proud of all their children and often boasted of them to all the visiting nobles, extolling their children's many abilities. How this son was such a superior archer that he could shoot the wings off a fly from fifty paces, how this daughter had such a lovely singing voice that she could charm the birds from the trees, how this son was so adept at swordplay that he was unmatched, how this daughter's needlework was the envy of every maiden in all their kingdom. It had gotten to the point that the King and Queen had even offended the Fae that lived in their kingdom, though they didn't know it. The Youngest Princess, a young maiden still yet a child, the King and Queen loved most. Though she was awkward and yet unaccomplished, the King and Queen loved her all the more, for the girl was sweet and pure of heart.
One day as the Youngest Princess sat in a small garden behind the palace braiding chains of daisies a wicked Fairy appeared before her. "Your parents have offended us greatly by boasting of your brothers and sisters," the Fairy stated. The young Princess looked up at the Fairy in awe and fear. "I did not know that," the young princess said sadly, "and I'm sorry my parents offended you. If there were anything I could do I would make up for their offense."
"How kind of you to offer," the Fairy said with a wicked grin, "for as the most beloved of your parents you will pay the price for their boasting." With that the Fairy put a curse on the young Princess, turning her into a duck just as the Queen entered the garden to search for her daughter. The Fairy laughed as the Queen got down on her knees and begged for her daughter to be returned to her, then vanished from their sight. The King and Queen mourned over their daughter's fate, to be cursed to live as a lowly duck for the rest of their days. They had a pond dug in the Princess's favorite garden and ordered their servants to care for and protect the Princess for the rest of her days.
There the story ended, without even a "the end" to finish it. Fakir looked up from the pages to Duckie who no longer had anger written over her face. "Well, does it sound familiar?" Duckie didn't respond to Fakir's question, she simply sat and thought deeply on the story she had just heard. Fakir decided to let her sit and think, placing the book near her to read over herself if she wanted to and leaving her to ponder in peace. Autor was waiting for Fakir at their dinner table with Charon, both holding a mug of warm tea.
"How'd she take it?" Charon asked with concern.
"I'm not sure, I think she's still taking it in." Fakir responded as he sat down next to them at the table and Charon handed him a mug of tea.
"It's just as well, we need to start planning on how to break the curse she's under." Autor stated matter of factly.
While the men sat around and discussed writing techniques and fairy tale convention Ducky sat in Fakir's room with a story that seemed strangely familiar sitting before her. It tickled the back of her brain, like the memory of a long forgotten dream, or a dream of a long forgotten memory. Had she ever been a princess? A real one and not just a girl made into a temporary princess with twisted magic? Hadn't she always been a duck? As Duckie pondered this more she realized that she didn't remember ever having parents at all, duck or otherwise. She couldn't remember ever seeing any other ducks at all either, or having ever left the city walls though she saw other birds do it all the time, or even how old she was. She had never thought about it before, but her memories seemed to all blur together into one fuzzy haze. Maybe, just maybe Fakir was right and she was the princess from the story he had found. She felt hope rise in her chest as she eagerly looked down to read the passage again.
But even reading the story herself didn't trigger any memories of it actually happening, maybe... maybe Fakir was wrong and she wasn't the princess. Maybe Duckie's memories were vague and fuzzy because she had been a normal duck until Drosselmeyer had found her and decided to use her. Maybe this would all end in heartache and shattered dreams.
Duckie shook her head vigorously, she couldn't let herself become depressed! She had saved Mytho and Rue, she was the source of hope that had led the entire town out of darkness. She couldn't let herself become full of doubt now. She stiffened her neck with determination and read the story over again, memorizing the words as she did so. But it was the illustration of the fanciful "O" at the beginning of "Once" that caught her attention. Hiding there in the twisting curves and lines that came out of the "O" was a wicked fairy dressed in dark colors, an orange-haired young girl dressed in white, and a little yellow duck with big, blue eyes. She traced the image of the young maiden with a wing feather, it looked so like her as a girl. Maybe, just maybe, it would be worth it to let her hopes soar. With new resolve Duckie hopped up and waddled down to where the others were with determination. They would figure this out together.
"Do you have everything packed?" Charon asked, checking the straps on Fakir's pack as he settled the weight across his shoulders.
"Yes, I double checked it against the list we wrote to make sure." Fakir motioned to a list sitting on the dining table with neat check marks next to each item. Duckie sat quietly on the table next to the list watching as the two men finished up preparations. It had been a few days since The Big Discovery, as Duckie liked to think of it, had happened. After several failed attempts to break the curse themselves that ended in Fakir giving Duckie a chaste kiss on the bill while he was blushing so red he looked like he was about to explode, the two boys had decided that the best course of action would be to find the fairy that had laid the curse on Duckie.
There was a knock on the door followed by Autor opening it and peering inside. "Are we ready to go?" He asked while leaning inside, careful not to overbalance with a travel pack similar to Fakir's on his back.
"Yeah, I'm ready," Fakir replied while strapping his sword to his waist. Even if he was a failure as a knight during The Prince and the Raven he could still fight if he had to and he wasn't going to be caught unawares. As Fakir reached for Duckie Charon caught his arm and looked at him intensely before pulling the boy into a hug.
"The three of you be careful out there, make sure you all come back safely," Charon didn't try to hide the tears in his eyes or his voice.
"We'll come back safely, I promise," Fakir responded, returning the hug. Duckie quacked her agreement from the table, Charon just smiled and released Fakir. With that the dark haired boy scooped Duckie up into the crook of his arm and walked out of the house, turning back to wave at Charon one last time before shutting the door.
"I still don't know why I have to come along," Autor muttered as they walked through the town gates leading to the Lake of Despair. "You know I can't fight or fish or do any of that outdoorsy stuff."
"No one knows as much about fairy tales as you do and that knowledge will come in handy when we find this fairy." Fakir replied calmly, Duckie quacked forcefully in agreement, they weren't going to let their bespectacled friend put himself down like that.
After two and a half weeks of wandering deeper and deeper into the woods outside of Gold Crown Town the group had found a lead. The forest became both brighter and darker at the same time, the light filtering through the trees growing dimmer as the foliage grew thicker while the light being reflected off the plant life intensified and made everything seem to glow and the colors to look brighter. Some of the animals that crossed their path were able to speak and one or two even gave them some helpful directions towards the fairy's home. It was a stroke of luck that the first one they found, a beautiful castle that seemed spun from glass floating on a pond with a clearing around it, was the very fairy who had cursed Duckie. With a deep breath they stepped onto the bridge arching over the water to the castle's entrance, it was so fragile looking that Fakir wasn't sure it would hold their weight but Autor walked across confidently, "It's made of crystal and magic, Fakir, it's sturdier than anything you'll find in Gold Crown."
Fakir just mumbled something incoherent under is breath and followed Autor to the other side. Once they reached the castle they were greeted by radiant people with translucent wings sprouting from their backs and ushered in as honored guests. They were guided to a finely furnished sitting room where they were offered refreshments while the mistress of the castle was informed of their arrival, one of the servants even offered Duckie a plate small fish and bread crumbs while the boys were offered tea and cucumber sandwiches. They all refused of course, Autor warning them not to eat fairy foods, and simply enjoyed the luxury of not sitting on the ground while they waited for their considerate hostess.
It wasn't long before the fairy herself appeared, a beautiful woman with long blond hair, eyes as blue as the summer sky, and a perfect complexion with a pair of large, gossamer wings on her back wearing a flowing gown the color of pearls floated serenely through the open doors. "Ah guests," her voice tinkled like bells being blown in a gentle wind. "It's been quite a while since any humans have come into my forest, let alone adventurers with... oh my. I see you brought a sweet little duck with you." The fairy gracefully sat across from her guests and began sipping from a tea cup, "But where are my manners? My name is Hexa and you have traveled far to meet me. Pray, tell me your names and the story of how you came to be here."
Autor and Fakir traded looks before Fakir began speaking. "My name is Fakir, this is my distant relative Autor, and this is Duckie. I believe you've met her before."
"Oh, we've done more than meet if that spell I put on her is anything to go by. Though I do believe she had a different name when we first met. What was it... Bella? Sarah? Guinevere? Some generic princess name her parents came up with for their seventh daughter."
Fakir gripped the arm of the couch he was sitting on tightly while Duckie sat in shock on his lap. "Then you can probably guess why we traveled so far to meet you," He ground out, trying to keep himself from yelling at this arrogant woman.
"I presume you want me to remove the spell I put on your little friend. I suppose I may as well since the rest of her family died of old age long before you were born, boy." Duckie jumped in shock, her family was dead? She couldn't remember them so it wasn't as bad a shock as it could have been and she should have known based on how old the book with her story was, but she was still rather upset to find out this sad news. "But I won't do it without a price," Hexa concluded.
Fakir sighed, there was always a price to pay, "Why? All you'd be doing is undoing an injustice you performed many years ago, why should we have to pay?" Autor was motioning for Fakir stop, they needed to stay on this fairy's good side if they wanted to get anything done.
"Not a very fair question but I'll answer it anyways as you seem to be a bit thick: because I'm the one who has the power. You can't turn her back, your magic is still too weak," Fakir jumped at her comment and looked at Autor in shock, "Oh yes, I'm quite powerful and could sense the magic on you three before you even entered my castle. But to continue your magic is too weak you really have no other way of breaking the spell on your friend without my help."
"What's the price you wish us to pay?" Autor asked before Fakir could say anything else stupid.
"Nothing much really, just your dark friend's magical power."
"No way!" Fakir shouted and stood up angrily, knocking Duckie to the floor. She quacked indignantly and ruffled her feathers. "I'm not giving you my magic, that's too high a price!" Duckie quacked in agreement at Hexa, she wouldn't have him give up his writing for anything.
Hexa just laughed at him, "Really? Then how do you intend to turn her back into a human? Find some magic potion? Knit her a sweater of thistles? Do three impossible tasks for me? I made very sure that this curse couldn't be broken by normal means, I wouldn't have her parents wriggle out of my punishment. Not that they even tried, they didn't learn a thing from my little lesson." Hexa sighed and picked an imaginary speck of dust from her flowing sleeves. "And I would have changed her back too, if they had only shown a little humility and asked me."
"What do you mean? Her parents were very upset she was turned into a duck. Her mother even begged you to undo the spell." Fakir was confused, he didn't know whether to be angry at Hexa for making something up or to believe her words.
"Her majesty would have never stooped so low as to beg like a common woman, wherever did you hear such nonsense?" Hexa sniffed indignantly, and sipped at her tea some more.
"From the fairy tale we found, it told the story quite clearly." Fakir furrowed his brow, that was the story they had all sprung from, wasn't it?
"Do you have it with you?" Hexa asked. Fakir simply nodded, "Then let me read it." The fairy held out a perfectly manicured hand expectantly, Autor was starting to suspect that the fairy was wearing a glamour to make her appearance so infallibly perfect. Fakir picked up his pack and dug out the manuscript before opening it to the page Duckie's story was on and handing it over to Hexa. She quickly read through the story and began laughing again. "This? This is so inaccurate I don't blame you for thinking so ill of me! Calling the poor little duckling here their favorite, they couldn't tell her from their other daughters before I cursed her. Then they had a pond build right in the center of their garden so they could take all the visiting noblemen out to her and say 'Look, this is our daughter who was cursed by a fairy! We're so important and our children are so splendid that we even make fairies jealous!' It was really quite sickening." Hexa sniffed again before going on, "I suppose they had that son who was a scholar write that story to make themselves seem the victims instead of the conceited fools they were." Hexa sighed and sipped her tea delicately, snapping her fingers and holding her cup out expectantly as a servant hastily poured more in. "So I'm sure you understand why I didn't want to reverse the curse back then. I even made a vow that I never would until they had learned their lesson, though they never did. A vow is not easy to break, that is why I'm requiring you to pay such a seemingly large price. But really, wouldn't it be worth it to give up your writing for this poor, tragic princess?" Hexa smiled encouragingly at Fakir in the hopes that he would relent.
Duckie scowled at the fairy, then tugged on Fakir's pants to get his attention. She made the motion of refusal quite fervently to tell Fakir not to give up his magic. He nodded down at her, then held out his hand for the book the fairy was holding. "I'm afraid that she would never forgive me if I did something like that. Is there nothing else you would take instead?"
Hexa reluctantly handed the manuscript back to Fakir, who neatly tucked it into his pack. "I'm afraid that nothing you own would be worth it. Maybe that sword you have and what little magic that one holds if I were in a better mood." She motioned to Autor at the words 'that one' and sank petulantly deeper into her chair. These adventurers were always the same and she was really getting tired of this visit.
"I have magic?" Autor asked incredulously.
"Yes, you have the same magic that flows through your friends veins, probably by relation. You did say you were related, correct?" Autor nodded and Fakir scowled, looking over at Autor, then down at Duckie. They both were shaking their heads.
Fakir sighed, "I'm sorry, but there's no way I could give that up."
"Just as well, I wasn't looking forward to all the work it would take to fix this little ducky up. You're welcome to stay the night, I give you my word that no harm shall befall you while you stay here. Either way, I have business to attend to. If you'll excuse me." Hexa stood then and floated gently out the door without any more pleasantries.
Fakir looked over at Autor one last time, "There's no way in hell I'm spending the night in the same building as her." Autor nodded, they picked up their travel bags and Fakir scooped Duckie up. They were cordially led out by the servants all the way to where the bridge connected to the shore.
"Before you go, I have some information you may find useful," The servant girl whispered and leaned in conspiratorially. "I'd never say it where my mistress may hear but the Fairy Queen has an enchanted pool that removes the spells on all who touch it."
"What, really?" It seemed too good; something that magnificent couldn't just drop in their laps.
"Shhhh! Yes, really. I don't like Hexa, she's so full of herself and it hardly seems fair to punish the girl for her parents' faults. If you explain it to the Queen I'm sure she'll let the duck use her pond, I hear she had it made especially for situations like this." The two boys nodded eagerly, happily taking her directions to find the Queen's palace.
After three days hard travel to the east they came to a mountain, it took nearly two weeks to climb it but at the top they found a magnificent castle. This one was far more breath-taking than Hexa's, it was at least twice as large and not only seemed to be spun from glass but also reflected all the colors of the rainbow. There were pearls and precious gems set into the walls and a glowing road of light led over a deep chasm to the huge doors on the castle's front. A pair of knights in full armor that gleamed in the sunlight stood guard on their side of the chasm, when the trio approached the guards bowed and moved aside to allow them to pass. "Is this really safe?" Autor seemed far more nervous than he had at Hexa's castle.
"It's made of magic, remember?" Fakir eagerly started across the bridge, excited that their goal was finally in sight. Once inside they received the royal treatment, being allowed to bathe in a scented bath and have a private feast before meeting the Queen. Again they did not partake of any foods offered, though the temptation was almost too much to resist with how good it smelled. Instead they lounged on the couches lined with pillows before they were fetched to the throne room for their audience with her majesty. They were awed at the splendor of the palace, rich tapestries lined the hallways and silk carpets ran along the stone floors with stained glass windows depicting angels and saints letting multi colored light dance across the marble columns that supported the high arched ceiling. The throne room was just as large and magnificent as the hallways, a throne made of ivory at the very end with the queen sitting regally upon it. She was not as beautiful as Hexa had been, though she was still lovely to behold and was dressed in far finer clothing. "Greetings, travelers. It is a long journey to my mountain castle, sit and rest while you tell me your story." She smiled warmly at them as chairs were brought in by servants in regal uniforms for the two boys to sit in.
They gratefully sat down as Fakir again took the lead, explaining to the Queen all that had happened to them from the moment he figured out that Duckie wasn't really a duck all the way to the servant kindly informing them of the Queen's castle. Of course trying to explain how Fakir and Autor had met Duckie had led Fakir to tell the entire story of The Prince and the Raven starting with Drosselmeyer's death but leaving a few details out such as Mytho's real name and the fact that Fakir wrote their happy ending. The Queen brooded over this story and their question for a long time before coming to her decision: "Yes, I'll let you use the disenchanting pond." The Queen rose from her throne and led the trio out into her garden. Tucked away in a far corner was a small, seemingly mundane pond lined with smooth river rocks. "I made this pond to break the spells cast by fairies, most of my subjects powerful enough to cast spells such as the one Duckie is under are petulant and spoiled, often just throwing spells at anyone with an imagined slight against them."
Fakir and Autor looked at the tiny pond with wonder, it couldn't have been more than a meter in diameter and looked rather shallow, but Fakir knew that looks could be deceiving and the pond could be endlessly deep once one was under the surface. Duckie was also staring at the pond, she felt quite nervous. She looked up to Fakir for reassurance as she snuggled a little closer to him. Fakir kneeled down to place her on the ground and whispered, "Moron, just get in the pond." He gently nudged her in the water's direction. Taking in a shaky breath she hopped onto one of the rocks lining the pool and gave Fakir one last nervous glance before jumping into the water. The water quickly smoothed out, far more quickly than natural water would have, and Duckie began to glow with a warm light. As the two boys and the Queen looked on the duck's silhouette grew and changed shape, when it had stopped changing the glow began to fade away. In place of the little yellow duck there stood a girl with strawberry blond hair, big blue eyes, and freckles on her round face dressed in a very old fashioned cream and yellow dress with trailing sleeves and a circlet on her head keeping a cream colored veil made of cotton on her head.
The Queen clapped happily, "I was worried that the other magic that you had become tangled with would interfere with the pond's magic." Duckie looked down at her human body, then up at Fakir.
The writer was speechless; it was all too good to be true. "Duckie..." he started to say but just couldn't find the words. Duckie's face crinkled up as her eyes began to fill with tears, she launched herself at Fakir to hug him close.
"And they lived happily ever after, the end," Autor stated in a slightly sarcastic manner.
Egads, this has to be the longest chapter I've ever written for anything, ten pages not including author's notes, and you have no idea how long it took me to figure out what to do with this monstrosity after I started it. I got stuck trying to decide how in the world they would turn Duckie back into a girl and I had the hardest time writing Hexa. I wanted her to be a bit of a Sue, what with being a fairy, but I also wanted her to be an arrogant, vain, stuck up bitch. Anyways, yes: the name of this chapter is very much inspired by Jim Henson's Labyrinth, I like that movie. And my disclaimer for the chapter: the original phrase is copyright to Jim Henson Co.
So... do you ever see a normal duck anywhere in the whole show? Or the manga (which I just recently got and read)? Nope, not one, not on the little pond Duckie was living on, not on the lake of despair, not on the little river flowing through the town... no ducks at all. And while that was fine during the show, it feels weird to read fics about Duckie interacting with ducks that feel like they shouldn't be there. And I wanted to do an ending where Duckie was a girl before she was a duck so it seemed perfect to put them together. Though I'm not happy with the implication that at least some of Duckie's power comes from her being a princess before Drosselmeyer got her involved, it really takes away a lot of the charm of the show if she's not a duck.
And lastly, as always, a big thanks to LunaSphere: you're such an inspiration, and also for pointing out that the tower I was talking about last chapter is actually the clock tower seen prominently in the middle of the town throughout the series and even in the opening sequence. I feel like such a doofus for not realizing that much, much sooner.