Before I get to anything else... 10 REVIEWS, YEAH!
*dances around room like an idiot* yayyayyayyayyayyayyayyayyayyayyayyayyay...
Anyway...
This took long enough to write.
This idea was given to me by Timetrixter22. I absolutely love it because this is one of my FAVORITE fairytales, and I don't say that lightly. I love fairytales. Like, really love them. My favorite is The Twelve Dancing Princesses, my second is The Snow Queen (I love it before Frozen, just saying!), and my third is The Ugly Duckling! So, yeah. I know these stories pretty well.
Anywho! Before I get to the story, I want to apologize for taking so long to update. Like, I am SO sorry! You know how it is, life comes and kidnaps you, and it's near impossible to get away. I'm actually not free yet. Not even close. My grades are dropping, and I'm super stressed and worried. That's actually why I wrote this. When I write, I can forget all those annoying things that scare and stress me out. I can pretend I'm a famous writer with no worries... Or something. It's a chance to get away from life, you know?
I'll say a bit more in the end, but I don't want to hold you back from the story any longer. So, without further ado, on with the story!
Disclaimer: No, I don't own ROTG... Or the fairtytale "The Ugly Duckling"... If I could, I would... But I can't... I do own my OCs! Yeah... Not as great. Don't steal my characters or story ideas.
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I suppose you've all heard the story of the ugly duckling, where the poor ugly duckling is born unto a family that acts cruelly towards him and wishes him gone. Eventually, he does leave, and makes good his escape under the light of the full moon. He reaches a pond, the home of a multitude of wild geese, and they allow him to stay because they care not what he looks like. But after just a few does, a massacre occurs, hunters coming in and killing all the geese. The ugly duckling is spared, and he runs away, his poor little heart having already seen enough for a life time. He reaches a small shed that is falling apart and slips inside, only to find an old woman, cat, and hen living there. The woman lets him live, thinking she will have goose eggs, but throughout the time he lives there, the hen and cat pester him about his worthlessness. He finds another farm, but the children chase him and the wife tries to kill him, so he doesn't stay long. The winter approaches quickly, but with nowhere to go, he is forced to wonder the cold on his own.
And this, my friends, is where the story veers away from what you know. The fairytale version of this story ends in the ugly duckling surviving the winter and finding a lake, where the swans welcome him as one of their own, and he finds that he is a swan himself. The tale teaches a lesson on finding beauty on the inside before the outside.
But that is the fairytale ending, the one where everyone lives happily ever after. And we all know those endings don't exist, not that easily.
Here, I will tell you the true ending to this story, and the beginning of a new story. This, my friends, is what really happened to the ugly duckling.
It all begins during the very bleakest part of winter...
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Left flipper...
Right flipper...
Left flipper...
Right flipper...
He forced himself to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, to keep walking. If he focused on moving, he wouldn't have to think about his frozen bill, or the snow that had gotten through his down to touch his skin. He wouldn't have to think about the long days he had spent trekking through the snow alone, or everyone who had sent him away.
He wouldn't have to think about the loneliness or the abandonment.
There must have been a rock or something hidden beneath the snow, because suddenly, he found himself sprawled out face-first in the cold. A sob escaped from his throat and he squeezed his eyes shut, allowing a tear to escape. The droplet froze on his face before it could touch the ground, causing yet another shiver to rack his body.
The poor duckling didn't know what to do. He couldn't keep this up for much longer. He was so tired, and cold, and hungry, and as he allowed himself to think about it, he was brought back to the thought he had been trying to keep from his mind ever since he ran away that first time.
What am I even living for?
The question was so extremely accurate, it scared the youngling. He wanted to deny it, say that of course he had a reason to keep living. But he couldn't lie to himself, not anymore, not when he knew with complete certainty that he belonged nowhere. He couldn't come up with a reason to keep going. There was no, you'll find people who will except you soon! No, everything gets better eventually! No, just a few more steps! Come on, you can make it!
Because it wasn't just a few steps.
He'd being walking for weeks, and every place he tried to stop and rest, somebody would chase him away. He was lucky to still be alive. Actually, at this point, he didn't even think that was luck. He would rather his mother have left his egg behind and taught his siblings how to swim. Then he would have died before he had ever seen this horrible world.
His shivering had stopped, but he couldn't have cared less. Maybe it was a good thing, but he seriously doubted it. Nothing good had ever happened to him before, and he was sure nothing good would happen to him now. Plus, he was having trouble focusing, and the movement in his limbs were sluggish. And he was feeling so, so tired...
Slowly, he bent his neck so that he was looking up at the moon. It had been his only companion over all this time, and even it didn't last for long. But at least it always came back. It never abandoned him forever.
Tonight, the moon was big and bright, the same as it was the night he was born, and the same as it was the day he ran from his family. The same it had been after the massacre, guiding him to the run-down shack that the old lady called home, and the same as it was when he ran from that shack as well. It had always been there guiding him, but even it could not save him from the winter's biting cold.
"Thank you." The duckling whispered in a small, weak voice. "For everything. You could have left me alone the day I hatched, but you didn't. Even after everyone else turned me away, you returned to help me. You never had to, but you did. And I know you can't answer me, but... Thank you. For listening. For helping. For guiding. For... for everything."
He knew that it was rather pointless to thank something that wasn't even alive, but even after everything the duckling had been through, he still had a kind and loving heart, and had been raised to be polite (even if the raising had been short). He was still as beautiful on the inside as he was ugly on the outside.
The duckling knew he should at least try to get up and keep going, but he just couldn't. Not only could he not feel his body anymore, but he didn't want to. He wanted to just lay there in the soft snow, close his eyes and sleep for the rest of eternity.
He'd lost the will to live.
With one final look at the white-covered world around him, the duckling let his head fall to the ground and felt his eyes slip shut. After all the pain and troubles the poor duckling had suffered, he finally found the rest he so deserved.
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Darkness. That's the first thing I remember. It was dark, and it was cold, and I was scared. But then... Then I saw the moon. It was so big, and it was so bright. It seemed to chase the darkness away. And when it did... I wasn't scared anymore. My memories began to return, and I remembered three other times when I'd seen the same moon. The day I was born, the day I escaped, and the day I died. And I remembered my death, the cold of dying... And I couldn't figure out how it was possible for me to be alive again.
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The duckling stared up at the moon, and as he did, feeling of hope and wonder filled him. Memories of what had happened in a past life flickered through his mind, along with dreams of what could have been. And he just couldn't figure out why he had come back or what he was doing alive.
Then new thoughts entered his mind. Thoughts of a world beyond the one he had known before swirled through his mind. It was a world filled with spirits, myths, legends, and dreams; a world of fairytales, fables, nightmares, and heroes. The thoughts rushed through his mind like memories, but it felt like someone was talking to him, telling him about all those things. He felt more than anything that he finally had a place in the world, in this new world, and it felt wonderful. An image of the moon appeared in his mind, and he looked up, grinning at the source of light.
"You did this, didn't you?" He asked, and was about to continue on to thank the moon, when the sound of his voice entered his ears.
He gasped and reached up to touch his throat with his wing, only to find that his wing wasn't there. In its place was a human hand, pale white, but there nonetheless.
His breath coming in ragged breaths, the duckling desperately looked around for something that would allow him to see his reflection. A moon ray melted a puddle of snow, creating a pool of water that he could use as a mirror. He didn't pause to think before running over — how could he be moving so fast?! — and dropping down beside it. He gasped at what he saw.
Staring back at him was a human boy, somewhere in his late teens, which would be about how old he was in human years. His hair was pure white, save for the shots of black at the very front and reaching around the sides. His eyes were a deep blurred brown, almost a gray brown, like that of an animal's, which contrasted greatly with his almost pure white skin. He was wearing a plain white cotton shirt that hung loosely on his body, and plain white trousers. Shoes of an odd yellow color that reminded him of the flippers he had in his prier life adorned his feet, and a silver pendant that resembled a swan with spread wings hung from his neck.
He stared down at the image of a human boy, and as much as he wanted to believe that it wasn't him, it was just an image, he knew it'd be a lie. The moon had brought him back as a human.
He spun around to look at the moon, mouth opening and closing in surprise for a few seconds before he could get any words out. "Why did you make me human?!" He yelled, his voice doing little to hide the anger he felt. "Humans are wicked, evil creatures! They kicked me, made fun of me, shunned me! And you... You've made me one of them!"
Images flashed through his mind, and he was shocked by what they showed. He watched as he watched over the humans, guided them, protected them. He was about to yell the moon that he'd never protect a human, when he noticed a child. She was nothing like the children he'd seen in the past; in fact, she looked nothing like them. The cheer he'd seen in the faces of every child he'd met in the past was missing, replaced by a pain beyond her young years. Tears streamed down her face as two adults fought above her, screaming horrible things at each other.
Another image of a child replaced the last one, this one showing a boy walking down a darkened street. He walked slowly, slightly hunched over as his eyes gazed through the darkness, searching for something, anything. Dirt and grime covered every visible part of his body, threadbare cloths replacing his clothes.
Another image, this one of a boy hiding in a tiny space between a wall and a dresser. Tears streamed down his face as sobs escaped from his throat. The arms that pulled his legs to his chest were covered in scars and bruises, some old, some fairly new. But the worst of them all was the bright purple bruise on his cheek, covering a swollen lump where someone had obviously hit him.
Image after image of children appeared, a few of them good, most of them bad. He felt tears of his own streaming down his face, and his heart went out to them. After a while, the images stopped, and the former duckling found himself gazing up at the moon.
"Okay." He sighed in agreement, a bit upset about the choice, but knowing it was the right one. "I'll protect them."
Another image appeared in his head, this one of him. He watched as the image-him spread his arms and stepped forward, and couldn't hold back his gasp as feathers burst from the image's skin, neck lengthening, legs shrinking, body contorting. In the matter of a second, the image had turned into a beautiful white swan and taken to the sky.
The message was clear. The former duckling may be a human right now, but he could easily turn into a swan whenever he wanted. He could turn into something so incredibly beautiful, something so incredibly free... Something he'd thought he could never be.
The grin returned to his face at the thought. He wished his mother could see him like this, going from the ugliest duckling to have ever been born to the most beautiful creature in existence. And being a human wouldn't be so bad... It'd be easier to share his kindness with the world. Of course, if the earlier images were correct, no one would be able to see him, but that'd be alright. How many times had he wished he was invisible in his past life? He'd find a way to help people, visible or not.
The moon caught his attention again, but this time, it wasn't in his head. A moon beam had come down and created a circle of light on the ground. The boy watched as the light pulled a stack of snow out of the ground, melted it, and froze it into a solid chunk of ice. A light surrounded the chunk of ice, not so bright that he was blinded, but still fairly bright. When it disappeared, an image of him was in its place.
The ex-duckling examined the carving with great interest, amazed by the detail. It looked exactly like him, down to the design on his pendant. Somehow, he knew exactly what the moon was asking. Really, it wasn't too hard to figure out. This was a new life, a new beginning, a new chance to get things right. He wouldn't be the same person in this lifetime as the last one.
He didn't answer immediately. This was a very important question. This would determine who he is and would be for the rest of eternity. This would be the new him, his ticket out of the past. But as he thought, he realized that, as much as he wanted to forget his past life, he couldn't. His past life had taught him so much. It had taught him humbleness and kindness, bravery and strength. It had taught him the truths of the world, and how to overcome all the pain. It had taught him loss and death. But most of all, it taught him that no one is perfect, and beauty can't be determined by what's on the outside. He needed to remember all of those painful lessons, and he could think of no better way.
"Jabez." He told the moon certainly. "My name will be Jabez Duckling."
It was a name he'd heard a man speak while passing through a town. He'd been speaking in front of multiple people, reading from a large book. They listened intently, holding onto every word. From what he'd heard, he'd guessed that the name Jabez meant something along the lines of pain. The perfect reminder of his past.
The ice again glowed, but the light didn't cover the entire thing this time. It appeared at the very bottom, radiating from the ice. He watched as the light shown in very specific lines, leaving letters as it disappeared.
Jabez Duckling.
He smiled as he read the letters, and knew that he had made the right choice. He looked up at the moon and could've sworn it was smiling back at him, as if it approved of his choice.
Knowing the conversation was over, Jabez turned and ran forward, spreading his arms as he did so, the way he'd seen older geese do before taking to the air. A strange tingling filled him, and suddenly he was flying, the wind racing over his feathers with each beat of his wings.
Behind him, the ice figurine disappeared into the earth, leaving no evidence of its ever being there. The moon beam returned to its master, and the moon returned to shining its light upon the world.
As Jabez flew away, the moon watched him, certain that he'd made the right choice.
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Did you like my ROTG reference? I was going to just put something similar, but then I was like, what else can you feel and think in that situation? So... Yeah...
Okay, so! Do you like the idea of... Fairytales? I don't know what to call this, but I guess that's it. This is not the end to this story! I mean, obviously I'm adding him into later chapters, but I'm most likely going to have a sequal to this! If I don't, you'll just be a bit surprised when I plug him into a story... Heh heh, I kind of like that idea more. But, you know. If I get enough reviews, I won't do something too evil.
Which leads me to the point: please review! Another big factor to my not writing is a lack of ideas! If you have anything you'd like to see, whether new characters or one-shots for already made characters, let me know! I don't know if I'll add any more characters for a while unless they're requested. But please, give me ideas of what you'd like to see! I will make this very clear, I DO TAKE REQUESTS! And I like them! So give me requests! Please! I give you dessert of your choice! Most likely cookie.
If you make a request or review at all, put what kind of cookie you like!
Oh, and I'm thinking about taking a song and using it as inspiration for a story. I've done that with poems in the past, and they turn out okay, so. I could do poems for this as well, but I probably won't... So.
Let's see... I don't think there's anything else. I'll try to update more often, but... Life, you know? I really am trying, but... I'm a bit stressed, and very much scared of what people will think of me for not doing so great. Everybody thinks I'm so smart... The girl who gets perfect grades without even trying. But that was when my medicine was working to keep my ADD in check. It's not working anymore, and it's turned into ADHD, and when I try to think, I get throbbing headaches, and even then it doesn't work... I'm sorry, you don't want to hear any of this. I'm just... It helps to vent these things. And I'm just so stressed and afraid... I don't really know what to do.
Anyway, enough of that! Review, please! Every single review brings a smile to my face, and this story wouldn't have gotten this far if I hadn't gotten that first review... Your reviews keep this story going.
Thank you all so much for your support!
Ta for now!
~*Fantasy Forger*~
~In the wonderful memory of Hans Christian Anderson-
Your story has survived through many decades.
May it survive through many more.~