Revival of the Raven~Chp. 10
Revival of the Raven~Chap.10
Family Vengance
Author: Hello to everyone on their vacation or Thanksgiving Break! I’ve had a relaxing time and I’m ready to continue!
Drosselmeyer: *Yawn* Is it that time already!? Well my apprentice, you have a lot to make up for, especially for letting your audience wait for the continuation of your character’s “demise”.
Author: Yes, I know Sensei! Alright everyone thanks for being so patient and here comes the Drums!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu or any other merchandise, but I do own Lede and Dante Orez; so please ask before usage!
Lightening shatters the starless sky, as the boom of thunder reverberates throughout the streets of Dia Ble; however in the middle of it all as rain pools inside a burnt Gothic house covered with dead vines and broken wood, a shivering orange and white mass sits within the wreckage.
Ahiru sits on the wet, uneven stool near the front door of her house. Tears and rain intermingle upon her cheeks as her eyes shift from one ruined room to the crumble of the second floor, where they found her guardian, Lede.
She wearily shakes her head at her bleak future without her friend and “sister figure” and contemplates on what she should do and who to turn to. Ahiru had two options: 1. Go to the Academy where the headmaster would let her stay in the girls’ dormitory with her friends, or 2. To find another cottage to live in while finishing school, maybe even get a part-time job to help with the expenses.
“No, Ahiru glumly thought, “That won’t work and there are no abandoned houses around here, except for the ones outside the village walls. I’ll have to stick with option 1 then.”
Ahiru stiffly got up from the soggy, blackened stool and took one last look of her destroyed home. She began to leave until ‘plop’ went her duck-shaped pendant from her neck. Ahiru bent down to retrieve it but stopped when she saw her muddy reflection in the ashen puddle.
Ahiru lightly touched her wet face and saw the tears coming from her navy eyes. She covered her mouth in fear of a sob and shut her eyes in despair. Ahiru hadn’t felt such misery since her mother’s death and her abandonment by her father. The wind howled within the forsaken husk of her former home and with that breeze, Ahiru painfully screamed her anguish, her sorrow, and hate for what Life had done to her.
Ahiru swiftly stood up and punched the remains of the stool she sat in and immediately felt the splintering pain upon her hand. More tears erupted from her action, but Ahiru didn’t care.
After what seemed like an eternity of wailing in the night, Ahiru stopped and opened her watery eyes. She uncurled her hands and turned toward the front door and went outside and away from her former home. Clutching her pendant, Ahiru silently vowed to never forget Lede’s kindness and to find whoever did this to them!
Ahiru began to walk through the gated garden to exit the familiar area, until she saw a swan-like pendant hanging on one of the gables of the metal fence. She gripped it in her hand and felt a pulse within the jewel!
“Whoa! This is Lede’s pendant! She must have thrown it out when the house was burning” Ahiru suspected as she put the pendant around her neck. The jewel glowed even more, but Ahiru didn’t notice the light and kept walking through Dia Ble St. and toward the Academy; however, a pair of red and dark brown eyes kept back in the shadows observing her.
When she reached the Academy, Ahiru felt the onslaught of memories of the previous day. The dances with the handsome stranger Dante and the calm and collected Mytho-sempai, who tried to “rescue her from Lede” days before the event. The formidable encounter with Rue and the annoying pity-party displayed by Fakir, all of these memories occupied her thoughts as she walked toward the Headmaster’s quarters.
Ahiru knocked on the door and it swung open to reveal Neko-sensei! Ahiru didn’t seem fazed by her teacher’s strange business within the Headmaster’s office. She observed her teacher’s bent-over procession of comfort and understanding to her loss, but Ahiru didn’t acknowledge the kind gesture. She merely walked past Neko-sensei and silently closed the door behind her, all the while hearing her teacher muttering, “Poor child, I hope she gets through this.”
{Author’s Note: The scene with Ahiru and the Headmaster will be cut, due to the fact that I want to get back to the story. So sorry and thank you!}
After receiving permission to stay at the Academy and listening to the condolences of the Headmaster, Ahiru walked toward the girls’ dormitory and found Pique and Lillie waiting in front of the doors.
“Oh my poor, sweet, little Ahiru-chan! I’m so sorry for your guardian’s death!” Lillie bemoaned and lightly hugged Ahiru while crying herself on Ahiru’s shoulder. Ahiru returned the embrace and thanked Lillie, while comforting her cries Ahiru looked upon Pique, who merely nodded in sentiment toward her.
Ahiru lightly smiled at Pique’s show of concern for Pique knew Ahiru didn’t like all the tears and pity; she’s had enough to last her 3 lifetimes already.
When Lillie released Ahiru, sniffling all the way, the girls turned toward the dormitory and went up the stairs to find Ahiru a spare bedroom. They found one at the top of building where a window sat upon the roof overlooking the entire village (the same room from the anime Ahiru stayed in).
Lillie and Pique left to fetch some food for Ahiru, who silently stayed in her new room clutching “her” swan-like pendant. Ahiru felt the pendant snap open and it revealed a tiny multi-folded letter from Lede. It read:
My dear Ahiru,
If you are reading this then I guess I have left you for the otherworld. We both knew it would come to this so do not fear. I just want you to know how proud I am. To see you grow from the abused, crushed girl of 5 and become the strong, young lady I had the privilege to raise; your mother would be proud of you. There are some things I kept from you and since I am gone it is time for you to know who you really are. Ahiru, you are a daughter of The Raven King. You are Princess Aalina and by all rights you are MY SISTER. Our father was defeated before you were barely 2 years old. His enemy was Prince Mytho and Princess Kraehё, who you know as Mytho-sempai and Rue-sempai. When Father was defeated, the Prince and his Princess cast us into darkness, but I left you in the human world until I could reach you. When I escaped from my prison, I searched the world over until I found you. You are what is left of the royal family of Ravens and I pass my title to you. Ahiru, when you see ravens flock around your presence, they sense that you are their ruler and friend. My dear sister, I will watch over you in Heaven, along with Father and Mother, and hopefully you will avenge our family and take your rightful place as the Raven Queen.
Watching over you forever,
Lede of Nevar
Hands trembled while gripping the letter; Ahiru could only stare at the shocking words written on the wrinkled paper. “A sister, Lede is my sister and I’m a Princess!? My name isn’t even Ahiru, but Aalina?” Ahiru reluctantly took in. She placed the letter inside of her pillowcase and sat down, stunned, upon her bed. She couldn’t believe what was happening to her! Finding out her guardian was her sister and the people she knew were the reason for her family’s death!
All of a sudden something broke within Ahiru; all the while the swan-like pendant glowed darker and darker. Ahiru’s eyes saw the pendant and grabbed it to place upon her neck. She lied down on the bed, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep even when her friends came back hours later.
Fakir never felt so horrible when he delivered the news to Mytho, while unknowingly telling Ahiru, his best friend and love-of-his-life, that Lede of Nevar was dead. He pushed his face further into his hands in grief and remembrance of Ahiru’s expression yesterday.
His friend, Mytho, tried to comfort him but it was no use. Fakir knew he would have to face Ahiru after she returned to the Academy; only he knew exactly what he would do.
“No matter what Ahiru, I’ll never let you be alone. Even if you despise me, so be it as long as I have breath in my body I will protect you from the Ravens.” He resolutely thought. Fakir could only imagine how much pain Ahiru could be in, which was why he got up with an urge to find her before trouble could reach her vulnerable heart.
“Mytho we have to find Ahiru, she is alone and vulnerable and this is the perfect chance for the Raven King to capture her. I know she will hate me, but knowing that she is free from this despicable game of lies is something I can bear. Will you help me?”
Fakir saw Mytho nod in agreement and the two boys raced out of the dorms and toward the girls’ dormitory to call for Rue.
Mytho could only sit next to his dejected friend, hand on his back in a comforting way, but he could think of nothing to say. Everything that had happened was too much for either boy to take. Mytho couldn’t help but suspect that the Raven King set up this ploy of Lede’s death in order to get closer to his princess; however, he became worried for Ahiru. He hasn’t seen her since their “private” ballet lesson, although he hasn’t seen the humanoid Raven King either.
Mytho scowled at the thought of “Dante” being near Ahiru and putting her in grave danger. Then he felt Fakir rise up and Mytho listened to his “best friend’s” determination and spirited words of rescuing their friend from the enemy. Mytho agreed to his friend’s idea and followed Fakir toward the girls’ dormitory to find Rue, who he surprisingly has seen less of!
“Hmm, maybe she has found something, but it is strange how she didn’t come to us from last night” Mytho presumed as he stood with Fakir near the girls’ dormitory.
Suddenly they heard a voice cry, “AHIRU!!!!!” from upstairs and Mytho and Fakir raced up to see what happened to their princess.
Rue groggily awoke to the creaking of the floors outside her room. She stiffly arose from her warm bed and felt the soreness of her scraps and cuts she received from Lede last night. Rue noticed the bandages around her arms and legs and recognized her handiwork of first-aid.
Rue walked across her cold, hardwood floors to the nightstand that contained a clean bowl of water and a fresh towel. After cleansing her face and inspecting her now shallow and barely visible cuts, Rue got dressed in her school uniform, with her hair brushed and down, and walked out of her room.
She heard a noise coming from the spare room next to her own and went to investigate. Rue saw the door was open and went inside the room and what she found astonished her. Ahiru lied in the large canopy bed with her eyes closed and her hands folded on top of her chest. Her hair was fanned out in shimmering waves of orange and on her neck was a pendant; but it wasn’t just any pendant, it was the same one Ahiru wore as Princess Tutu in the years when Rue knew her.
Rue silently gasped in awe and surprise over her dreamy, yet oblivious friend. Rue felt a swell of protectiveness for Ahiru and leaned forward to kiss Ahiru’s forehead in friendship; however, when her lips touched Ahiru’s skin, Rue felt a cold shudder rush through her body.
Rue reeled back to discover Ahiru’s eyes wide open and glowing red! She toppled over when Ahiru began to dreadfully crawl off the bed and slowly stalk Rue’s fallen form. Rue held back a gasp of terror when she saw Ahiru nastily smirk her way and then she screamed when she saw Ahiru pull out a knife from God-knows-where!
“AHIRU!!! No please, don’t do it!” Rue narrowly escaped the first slash by her possessed friend and then she rushed toward Ahiru and pushed her to the ground. The knife fell out of Ahiru’s hand and Rue grabbed both wrists and yelled at Ahiru, “Snap out of it! Don’t let them control you! You don’t kill, remember you help others and are friends with everyone! Come back to us, Ahiru!”
However, Ahiru didn’t listen and continued to struggle with Rue on top of her. Then, Rue heard a flurry of footsteps and saw the boys and Pique and Lillie coming near the room. Rue was still struggling against her possessed friend, but Ahiru wouldn’t stop.
Rue felt someone pull her away from Ahiru and she turned around to see Mytho gently, but firmly holding her while Fakir grappled with the ferocity of Ahiru’s anger! Rue gasped when Fakir had lightly punched Ahiru in the stomach, knocking her unconscious. Pique and Lillie only stood in shock and sorrow over how their friend reacted and what Fakir did to Ahiru; they were still holding the food they swiped from breakfast as Fakir gently carried Ahiru, bridle-style, down the stairs and out of the dormitory toward the infirmary.
Rue felt Mytho sigh in relief and sadness toward the situation and she felt all of her jealousy and regret toward Mytho vanish when he hugged her.
She heard him say, “Are you alright, did she hurt you?” and Rue only shook her head and told him she was fine. Rue wanted to stay in his embrace forever, but he pulled away and looked at Rue with his large, amber irises. The same eyes that made her feel warm and loved like before, before all of this happened to them.
Rue followed Mytho out of the spare room and they both headed toward the infirmary, her hand grasping his tightly throughout their walk.
“Well, I must say that went better than expected! Good show, Ahiru! Course with the blood of the Ravens within you since you touched your own pendant, which was soaked in my blood, I’m not surprised a little bit of me was shown in you.” Lede triumphantly exclaimed while sitting atop of the bell tower near the Academy. She watched through her magic mirror as Fakir placed her naïve ward in the infirmary, Mytho and Rue holding hands as they traversed to the infirmary, and her father in his humanoid form slinking around the campus.
“My, how the mighty have fallen! Reduced to a whimsical human male while spying on “Princess Tutu” or as she now believes, Princess Aalina!” she sneered in delight.
Lede expanded her grayish-black wings and flew off toward the center of town. She landed at the middle of the square, near the fountain, and began to draw an alchemic circle around the fountain. When she was finished, Lede knelt down and plucked a feather from her wing, she recited an ancient German spell and pricked her finger for the blood to flow into the water.
Lede smirked when the transmutation circle glowed purple and the fountain’s water began to bubble and soon overflow onto the circle. Within the fountain arose a large sword with swan feathers gracing the golden hilt. Lede flew over the glowing alchemic conduit and grasped the hilt of the sword and pulled it out of the water.
She immediately flew into the sky as the fountain exploded and left the remains of smoke and debris within a large crater.
“Hehehe, now that I have the Prince’s sword this story will be the greatest tragedy ever created! “ Lede declared while looking down upon the Academy. When she saw her father go into the infirmary after the trio left Ahiru, Lede evilly smiled and said, “Long live the King” and with a powerful slash of the sword, she vanished into the night.
Author: Well, I think I have finally scared myself! Ha!
Drosselmeyer: That was….unexpected! That was marvelous, yet I think you could have done better, my apprentice.
Author: Yeah, well I’m on vacation and this storyline has been stuck in my head all Thanksgiving! Plus, I saw the new HP movie and the epicness inspired me to finish this story!
Okay everyone! Happy Holidays and I hope you review soon!
Signed: Black_Diamond07