Once upon a time, a prince so loved a princess that he vowed to never again leave her...
Sitting in a small room in the local infirmary, Ahiru stared at the figure of Pike lying down on the stark white sheets.
'I wasn't able to do anything... Even as Princess Tutu... Nothing.' Tears started to well up in the young girl's eyes.
Then, there was a knock on the door and a nurse steps in. "Ah, I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to exit the room. I have to clean up in here and also check on the patient."
"Oh. Alright. Thank you." Ahiru complies and leaves the room.
'Why did this have to happen to Pike?' Ahiru sat in the library, not really noticing the book in front of her. Instead, she's found drawing circles in the hard wood of the table with her fingers. "Why?-"
POK!
"OWW!" Getting a book dropped on her head, she whips around knowing all too well who'd done it. "What was that for, Autor!"
"Those with no business in the library shouldn't use this as their sulking hang out. Furthermore, I don't know why I have to keep reminding you, but would you please learn to be more quiet in the library." Said boy berates her and moves his head to the side, looking down at her with a sideways glare.
She looks around the library to see other students in the library looking at her. Noticing her looking back, they resume what they'd previously been doing.
"Sigh. Yes, you're right. I know I shouldn't be sulking... But, I just really don't know what to do!" She looks up at Autor pleadingly.
Calmly, he replies. "The doctors don't know what's wrong with her. They said she was physically fine except for the fact that she had no heartbeat. It doesn't really make sense, but not all stories make sense. Especially one that we're not even sure has an author." He shrugs and takes the books on her desk to put them back in their respective shelves.
Donning a displeased expression, Ahiru walks up to Autor. "You know, it really wouldn't hurt for you to be more concerned! I know that you don't really know Pike, but you did witness what happened to her! And Fakir! ...He's missing and all you could do is shrug! I thought you were his friend!"
"We're NOT friends. And I really don't know why you constantly have to bother me in the library, because as far as I know, we're not friends either." Autor puffed as he put his index finger in front of his mouth to signal that she's being noisy again.
"But you-!"
"OLE~!"
And just as they heard it, a huge brown bull bursts through the library doors. Riding atop it and jumping down gracefully, was the wannabe prince known as Femio.
"Mademoiselle Ahiru! I have finally found you!" He bounds over to Ahiru as his butler fans another rain of petals about the violet haired youth.
"F-Femio?"
Handing out a rose to her, he exclaims, "I have heard you were finally back again, so I sought to meet you once more!"
"Ah, it's uhh... Nice to see you again too, Femio." Ahiru says as she shies away a little. She tries to look in Autor's direction as if pleading for a save... However, half expecting him to walk off and leave her, she was surprised to find Autor walking past her and towards Femio.
"You there-"
"Femio. My name is Femio."
"Get. OUT." Autor speaks in a low growl, glaring at the other boy through his glasses.
Femio, slightly taken a back, looks around Autor and at Ahiru. "Do you know this person, Mademoiselle? Is he with you?" He puts on a slightly hurt expression at the latter part.
"I am NOT with her. I am the library assistant, and you, are creating a ruckus in the library." Autor manages to growl, gritting his teeth, another vein popping out on his forehead.
"Ruckus? I am not here to create a ruckus!" Femio puts on a very theatrical look of hurt as he dances a little, surely enough making another vein pop in Autor's head. "I am here to spread love! For I am a prince who loves all!"
"I told you..." Autor, now thoroughly annoyed, was about to make a grab for Femio's collar but Ahiru decides to intervene. Running between the two, she trips and accidentally smacks the bull's behind, making the bull once again go off (running into Femio in the process), and the two exit the large library doors, Femio's butler close at their heel.
"Oops... That wasn't quite how I expected it to go." Ahiru sweatdrops, sitting on the floor.
"Hmph! At least you got rid of that nuisance." Autor, composing himself, says as he pushes his glasses up.
"You're really not a people's person, are you?"
"Oh my! I had really not been expecting that!" Femio dusts himself off as he pulls himself off the ground. The bull ran so fast that his butler was not able to keep up with him and is now nowhere in sight. Femio eventually fell off the bull, and he suspects it might still be running around somewhere.
"That Ahiru is truly such a shy mademoiselle!" He says as he whips out another rose and holds it high.
"And what is that supposed to be?" A scornful reply.
Femio looks up, to be met with one of the loveliest girls he's ever seen. She had beautiful golden hair tied into a tight ponytail behind her head, and she wore a beautiful black ballet dress matched with black shoes and yellow stockings. Looking up at where she was sitting in a tree, he muses on just how magical she looked.
"Ah! What a beauty you are, mademoiselle! Truly one to be marveled at among others!" He makes a twirl and holds up the rose towards the tree.
Looking rather disgusted, the girl stands and turns around. "I have no need for one with a heart as shallow as yours!" And with that, the girl jumps down from the tree, and disappears into the thicket of trees, with only a few black feathers left in her wake.
Femio, left alone, stood dumbfounded as he stared at where the girl disappeared off to. "What... did she mean by that?"
Ballet class; and all the students were doing their routine warm-ups and stretches. Ahiru, off to one corner by herself, does the routine by herself. She hadn't seen Lilie at all since that day in the courtyard, and with Pike in that condition, Ahiru feels like she really didn't have any friends at the moment.
Suddenly, bursting into the room, came Femio. "Sorry, I'm late!"
"Ah... so nice of you to finally join us, Femio. You've finally been advanced to this class and the first thing you do is come late." Ms. Cat scolds Femio. "Or maybe, you WANT to be punished by me!" Her aura changes again.
"Forgive me, for I have sinned. If you must punish me, do so!" And Femio goes down on his knees in front of her, striking a pose.
Suddenly getting weirded out by his response, Ms. Cat goes into fit of meowing and rubs her face furiously with her paws. "Go join the others!"
'I guess she really is related to Mr. Cat...' Ahiru thinks as she watched the scene from the side lines.
"Mademoiselle!"
"Urk-" She notices Femio bounding over to her.
"We are in the same class now! What a wondrous occasion!" He looks up at her happily.
"Y-yes... I suppose we are... Ehe.. he.. he..." She gives a weak laugh.
"Mademoiselle, there is something I must ask you!" Femio stares at her pleadingly.
"Eep! W-what is it?"
"Is my heart, truly... shallow?" He exclaims and tears start to well up in his eyes as he looks at her.
Caught off guard, Ahiru's foot slips from the bar, and she falls onto the floor with a large thud.
"W-Whaat!"
"Someone yesterday, someone beautiful who I had never seen before, told me my heart was shallow. Ever since that fateful meeting, I could not get her or her words out of my head. What does it mean, Mademoiselle!" He kneels on the floor and scoots closer to Ahiru, begging for an answer.
"I-I don't know... Maybe you should ask her what she meant by it." Ahiru replies lamely.
"Oh..." And Femio looks down dejectedly, looking genuinely let down.
This was certainly new. This was not the Femio she knew. He was definitely acting different. She then can't help but wonder who that girl he met was. But for now, she knew she needed to cheer Femio up.
"Uh! Femio, we have to finish our warm-ups soon, how 'bout I help you do your stretches?" She stands and smiles at the effeminate male.
"Ah! Always so clever and considerate, Mademoiselle. Thank you!" And he stood as well.
There was definitely something different with him.
"I'm telling you! Femio wasn't acting like himself! I mean, not really. There just... Seemed something different about him..." Ahiru complains as she talks to Autor in the library.
"That or he finally learned how to use those things on each side of his head." He replied, pointing to one of his ears. "Somebody finally said something that got to him, and now he's finally thinking things over. I say it was about time. That guy causes such a ruckus, we've already heard of him many times even from outside the library." And he puts another book back on its shelf, and continues pushing the trolley of books down the aisle of shelves.
"I dunno..." Ahiru takes a book from the trolley, and helps put it on its designated shelf. "It's just... I feel there may be something more to it! And I think we can find that out if we look for the girl he spoke of!" She finishes, leaning over the trolley towards Autor so she could be heard better as she's trying to keep her voice quiet for once.
"What's with the 'we'? You're the one who is thinking too deeply about it; You do something about it. I have other things to attend to." He says calmly, pushing the trolley once more, making Ahiru fumble a little as she was leaning on it.
"MEANIE!" She shouts through the library catching everyone's attention.
"Mademoiselle!"
"What's the matter, master?" Femio's loyal butler asked the boy.
Femio, who had been taking a nap on the back of his bull, looks at his servant. "It's that girl again... The one in the black dress... She really could not escape my thoughts. Every thought, every dream, they are all of her! And for some reason... I just can't seem to get my finger around it... Is my heart truly shallow? For once, I suddenly feel like I am unsure of my feelings..."
"Young master..."
He jumps off the bull and starts walking down one of the many paths of their school courtyard.
Stopping a short while, he turns to face his butler. "I... wish to be alone for now, if you don't mind." And he turns once more and continues to walk.
And his butler and bull watch as their master walks away.
At the same time, an irritated looking Ahiru is seen stalking through the corridors.
"What is WITH that Autor! I think he's even more stubborn than Fakir!" And as soon as her thoughts drifted back to Fakir, Ahiru found herself growing silent. Holding her palm over her chest, she could feel the soft feather beneath her blouse.
Shaking her head free of her reverie, she reminds herself that now isn't the time to be thinking sad thoughts. Fakir was a strong individual and she assumes he must be fine wherever it is he's disappeared to.
She doesn't quite know if there truly is something wrong going on with Femio, but Ahiru just can't shake the feeling she has about it. Maybe Autor is right and she is thinking about it too much, but she's still going to investigate a little just in case her instincts were correct.
With that, Ahiru runs down the corridors as she continues her search. 'Don't worry, Fakir. You may not be here right now, but I'll make sure to keep everyone and this story safe while you're gone! Even if I have to do it myself!'
Walking in silence, Femio makes his way through a small thicket of trees. He started to walk through the place he had last seen the girl. He's not sure just how long he's been walking now, and he also does not quite know where he is at the moment.
"Oh, where could she be? That mademoiselle in the black dress..." He says to no one in particular.
However, as if by chance, he stumbles into a small dark clearing, surrounded by withered trees, and grass-less ground. It is there he sees the girl in black, surrounded by numerous ravens.
"I have found you, Mademoiselle! You don't know how long I've been searching for you!" He bounds over, ignoring the spectacle of black birds.
"Oh. It's you again." She says with a hint of disgust as she turns to him.
Stopping short in front of her, he speaks once more. "Mademoiselle! Please, you must tell me! I must know what you meant by stating I had a shallow heart! It's been eating away at me since you said it!" He strikes a dramatic pose. "I can't forget it! You and your words have been etched into my mind! But why is this so! I was so sure my heart was pure!" He moves towards her and takes her hands in his. She flinches a little at the sudden contact. "I feel like I am no longer sure of anything! And this feeling, that I get whenever I remember you- What is it? I must know, for I am lost, Mademoiselle!"
"Perhaps your heart wasn't as shallow as I thought. Maybe, there is a feeling there that holds true power." The girl, with a glimmer of something new in her deep green eyes, twirls and moves away from Femio to stand before him.
Placing one foot in front, she extends her hand towards Femio.
"You are lost deep in your confusion. It is making you suffer, isn't it? Let me help you."
"Gah! Where did Femio go!" Ahiru blurts as she pulls herself through a thick bush. She ran into Femio's butler not too long ago and they had told her that he disappeared into this thicket of trees beside the school grounds. Pulling a few leaves out of her hair, she continues down further through the row of trees.
SQUAWW!
Alarmed and surprised, Ahiru looks up at the source of the noise.
At the same time elsewhere, Autor was looking out from the library window. He had just finished putting all the books back in place, and is taking a short break.
Suddenly noticing something weird above the small grove beside the school, Autor can't help but feel a shiver run down his spine.
"That's..."
"-A flock of ravens! What are they doing here!" Ahiru exclaims as she follows the mass of black birds in the direction they are flying.
She eventually reaches her destination, and as she feared, there was the black-clad girl once more, this time with Femio held up on a large black pillar.
Entering the clearing, the feather around her neck glows, and she turns into Princess Tutu again.
Noticing the light that came with the transformation, the girl in black brings her attention to Tutu. "Ah, Princess Tutu... You came to try and interfere again." The girl smiles while she speaks snidely.
"It's really no use, you know. You'll fail to save this boy, just as you failed to save your friend, Pike."
"Why are you doing this?" Princess Tutu takes a delicate step forward, holding her hands close to her chest. "Who are you? Why are you trying to take people's hearts away?"
"I have no obligation to answer any of your questions!" And with a graceful swoop, she lunges at Tutu, accompanied by some of the ravens in the immediate vicinity.
The ravens scratch Tutu with their claws and wings as they fly past her. "Aahh!"
"That's right; Suffer!"
Just then, as the cries of Tutu rung throughout the clearing, it is heard by one. Femio slowly opens his eyes, then suddenly jolts back up in attention. "Mademoiselle!"
Looking around, he sees the girl in black, and he sees another girl in a white dress being attacked by the ravens. "What's going on! Mademoiselle," He beckons to the girl in black, "What's happening!"
As he spoke and drew attention to himself, the black-clad girl turns to him, and the ravens momentarily cease their attack.
Princess Tutu, on her knees, looks up at the boy as well. "F-Femio..." And with whatever ounce of strength she has left, she stands up again.
"Mademoiselle, please! Tell me what's going on! Why is that girl being attacked by your ravens? She's terribly hurt!" He pleads.
"Ah, so many questions, but who could answer... Stay with your ignorance, you shall be rid of it soon."
"No! Femio! Don't listen to her!" And gathering her strength, Tutu takes her stance. "I know you are confused, but it doesn't mean you have to get rid of the feeling. Answers will always come to you eventually-"
"And I suppose, you have answers?" The girl spins on her toes and a gust of wind and black feathers is thrown at Tutu.
As Tutu and the girl continue their fight, Femio, as lost as ever, finds himself unable to take his eyes off the girl in black. Noticing himself, he brings himself out of his stupor as something finally dawns on him. Standing up on the black pillar, he suddenly screams out: "It's LOVE!"
"What!"
"I finally understand, Mademoiselle. The real reason I could not forget you... It is because... I have fallen for you!"
Meanwhile, Autor finally arrives, and he rushes to Tutu's side who is down on one knee due to her injuries. "What's going on?"
"Autor!" And Tutu replies carefully, "I think... he's solved his feelings on his own..."
"Don't be silly, you fool! You are merely confused again! Do not think of such folly!" The girl in black screeches at Femio.
"But it is true! You were right. My heart was indeed shallow. Many-a time had I proclaimed my love for another... But to have been truly in love... I was not." He says with a hint of sadness. "But I see now, thanks to you, the error of my ways. And because of this, it is you who I have then fallen for." He concludes with conviction.
"But- You don't even know who I am!"
"It doesn't matter! I only know now that I love you... I do not know who you are... Or why you have done this..." He says as he gestures to the injured Tutu. "But I know that because I love you, I must free you from whatever evil it is that imprisons you!"
-And with that said, a miracle seems to happen:
Femio, suddenly getting showered in red rose petals, suddenly changes, and he is suddenly dressed in a red Princely outfit.
"I swear that I shall save you, Mademoiselle!"
"No! It can't-" Suddenly looking confused and scared, the girl in black runs off and disappears in a whirlwind of black feathers.
…
"What... just happened?" Tutu exclaims as she loses power and reverts back to Ahiru as she sits up with the help of Autor.
Slowly, Autor starts to speak, shock clearly evident on his features. "It's strange but... I think, he just... changed his role in the story out of sheer will power alone."
Chapter 3 : A Prince Arrives