Fanfic: A Bittersweet Finale
Fakir didn't like this.
He didn't like this one bit, but he couldn't put his finger on why.
"Fakir, I want Tutu to return with me to the story as my princess."
When Mytho uttered those words, something stirred from the deepest pit of Fakir's soul and a strange agitation came over him. He frowned as he silently observed the tenderness with which Mytho cradled the small yellow duck in his arms.
"But Mytho, she's-"
"I know," the prince's eyes glowed with confidence. "But you can write her back, can't you, Fakir?"
The duck's eyes lifted and met with Fakir's uncertain glare. Her wide, ocean-colored pupils begged and reasoned with the writer. He could just hear her voice in his head, pleading: "Let's give this story a happy ending, once and for all.
Please, Fakir."
He knew that writing Ahiru back into a human would make both her and Mytho the happiest people alive. And wasn't that what he'd been fighting for this entire time? Wasn't that why he'd undergone his horrible training under Autor? Why he'd suffered, bled, and rose to combat the overwhelming odds against him? Why he'd gathered all his strength to liberate the town from Drosselmeyer's grasp?
Everything he'd done was for the sake of Mytho and Ahiru. They were the two people he cherished more than anyone else. He had vowed to protect the prince long ago, and ever since that red-haired moron had barged into his life, he found himself wanting to protect her, too.
And if it was in his power to protect them from sadness, despair, and regret... why was he hesitating?
He closed his eyes in surrender. "Alright," he said. "I'll give it a try."
Moist tears welled up in Ahiru's eyes. Mytho's face lit up instantly. "Thank you, Fakir."
And so, Fakir began to write. He wrote a story about a small duck who had sacrificed everything for the sake of the prince whom she loved. She was unaware, however, that her feelings were reciprocated, and the strength of the prince's love for her was enough to turn her into a human girl. The prince kissed the duck, and she was transformed into a beautiful princess. She and her prince were now free to do whatever they wished. Their lives were no longer dictated by anyone except themselves. The future was theirs to take.
According to the story, Mytho bent down and gently kissed the tip of Ahiru's beak. A flash of light briefly filled the room, and then, there she was. She stood before her prince, her features shaped in an expression of mixed shock and bliss. She was clad in a flowing ivory dress; her fiery hair draped behind her and all around her; a golden tiara sparkled atop her head.
It was, of course, the same Ahiru that Fakir had grown to care for, but the air around her seemed different somehow. She seemed more elegant, more graceful, and less like the clumsy schoolgirl that everyone was accustomed to seeing at the academy.
"My prince..." she paused, almost breathless. "It worked! Oh, Fakir, thank you!"
Before the writer could respond, she rushed over to him and flung her arms around his neck. His cheeks flushed.
"I don't know how I could ever repay you, just... Thank you. Thank you so much."
He caught the slight waver in her voice. She was on the verge of crying.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body closer against his.
"Idiot."
She chuckled. "I'll miss hearing you call me that."
Again, he tightened his hold on her. Idiot. You're such an idiot.
"We have to go now, Fakir."
Not yet, dammit. Not yet.
"I'll miss you so much. Goodbye."
Don't go. Please. I would've stayed by your side forever, if you'd let me... Damn! What am I thinking?
He sighed, slowly unfurled his arms, and clenched his fists as Ahiru stepped back to stand at her prince's side.
This is how it should be.
Ahiru gave him a tender smile. He found himself unable to return it. Instead, it took all his effort to keep himself from frowning.
"Goodbye, Fakir," Mytho chimed in. "We won't forget you."
Fakir nodded. "Take care of yourselves."
And with that, they left him, standing alone with that unfamiliar agitation seething and boiling inside of him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The setting sun bathed Kinkan Town in a faint orange glow. Fakir, lost in thought, walked aimlessly along the cobblestones. He passed the boys' dorms and the library before heading in the direction of Ahiru's old lake. The memories were painful for him, but he walked on, his steps becoming more resolute as the cobblestones disappeared to make way for the overgrown grass.
As he drew closer to the lake, he noticed a still figure standing at the edge of the water. Her back was turned towards him; she was clad in the academy's grey uniform, and her dark curls fell softly past her shoulders. Fakir decided to ignore her.
She heard the sound of his approaching footsteps, however, and spun around to confront him. He froze.
Kraehe...
The crimson-eyed girl locked a piercing gaze onto the writer. She said nothing; instead, she waited to see if he would be brave enough to make the first move. He relented, wrinkling his brows. "What are you doing here?"
She turned her nose up slightly. "If you must know, I've been coming here every day for the past few weeks. I'm surprised I haven't seen you here until today."
He tensed. "Why does that surprise you?"
"You know perfectly well why it does," she snapped, then suddenly broke eye contact, softening her tone as she spoke again. "We both miss her. There's no use in hiding it."
"Tch-!" Fakir quickly turned away.
Silence permeated the air. Although neither of them wanted to acknowledge it, a small connection had been established between the former enemies. They both missed Ahiru dearly, and chances were they both missed Mytho as well. They were both heartbroken and distraught. They had both been rejected by the ones they loved.
"So," Rue nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "you wrote a happy ending for Mytho and Ahiru, is that right?"
Fakir gave no answer, but the silence was confirmation in itself.
"Hm. I'm glad."
At those words, Fakir started and turned to face Rue again. She was smiling. It was a sad smile, yes, but there was a genuine warmth radiating from it that caught Fakir off guard. It was much different from the bold, arrogant smirks she always threw at him when she was under the Monster Raven's influence.
"Shouldn't you be upset that Mytho chose someone else to be his princess?" Fakir ventured to ask.
Rue shook her head. "I still love Mytho. I always will. But when you love somebody... it means valuing their happiness above your own, doesn't it?"
Quietly retreating from the conversation, she concentrated on the landscape. The sun was almost gone, and the first twinkling stars of the night were reflected upon the lake's surface. The crickets began to chirp, composing an uneven melody that sometimes sounded like a symphony and other times sounded like a multitude of disjointed noises.
Fakir couldn't shake Rue's words from his mind: Loving someone means valuing their happiness above your own.
He stepped forward and joined her in an intense study of the translucent water.
"You know," she murmured, "I never got a chance to tell Ahiru how much I loved her."
Fakir shut his eyes for a moment, then looked up at the darkening sky.
"Neither did I."
- end -
He didn't like this one bit, but he couldn't put his finger on why.
"Fakir, I want Tutu to return with me to the story as my princess."
When Mytho uttered those words, something stirred from the deepest pit of Fakir's soul and a strange agitation came over him. He frowned as he silently observed the tenderness with which Mytho cradled the small yellow duck in his arms.
"But Mytho, she's-"
"I know," the prince's eyes glowed with confidence. "But you can write her back, can't you, Fakir?"
The duck's eyes lifted and met with Fakir's uncertain glare. Her wide, ocean-colored pupils begged and reasoned with the writer. He could just hear her voice in his head, pleading: "Let's give this story a happy ending, once and for all.
Please, Fakir."
He knew that writing Ahiru back into a human would make both her and Mytho the happiest people alive. And wasn't that what he'd been fighting for this entire time? Wasn't that why he'd undergone his horrible training under Autor? Why he'd suffered, bled, and rose to combat the overwhelming odds against him? Why he'd gathered all his strength to liberate the town from Drosselmeyer's grasp?
Everything he'd done was for the sake of Mytho and Ahiru. They were the two people he cherished more than anyone else. He had vowed to protect the prince long ago, and ever since that red-haired moron had barged into his life, he found himself wanting to protect her, too.
And if it was in his power to protect them from sadness, despair, and regret... why was he hesitating?
He closed his eyes in surrender. "Alright," he said. "I'll give it a try."
Moist tears welled up in Ahiru's eyes. Mytho's face lit up instantly. "Thank you, Fakir."
And so, Fakir began to write. He wrote a story about a small duck who had sacrificed everything for the sake of the prince whom she loved. She was unaware, however, that her feelings were reciprocated, and the strength of the prince's love for her was enough to turn her into a human girl. The prince kissed the duck, and she was transformed into a beautiful princess. She and her prince were now free to do whatever they wished. Their lives were no longer dictated by anyone except themselves. The future was theirs to take.
According to the story, Mytho bent down and gently kissed the tip of Ahiru's beak. A flash of light briefly filled the room, and then, there she was. She stood before her prince, her features shaped in an expression of mixed shock and bliss. She was clad in a flowing ivory dress; her fiery hair draped behind her and all around her; a golden tiara sparkled atop her head.
It was, of course, the same Ahiru that Fakir had grown to care for, but the air around her seemed different somehow. She seemed more elegant, more graceful, and less like the clumsy schoolgirl that everyone was accustomed to seeing at the academy.
"My prince..." she paused, almost breathless. "It worked! Oh, Fakir, thank you!"
Before the writer could respond, she rushed over to him and flung her arms around his neck. His cheeks flushed.
"I don't know how I could ever repay you, just... Thank you. Thank you so much."
He caught the slight waver in her voice. She was on the verge of crying.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body closer against his.
"Idiot."
She chuckled. "I'll miss hearing you call me that."
Again, he tightened his hold on her. Idiot. You're such an idiot.
"We have to go now, Fakir."
Not yet, dammit. Not yet.
"I'll miss you so much. Goodbye."
Don't go. Please. I would've stayed by your side forever, if you'd let me... Damn! What am I thinking?
He sighed, slowly unfurled his arms, and clenched his fists as Ahiru stepped back to stand at her prince's side.
This is how it should be.
Ahiru gave him a tender smile. He found himself unable to return it. Instead, it took all his effort to keep himself from frowning.
"Goodbye, Fakir," Mytho chimed in. "We won't forget you."
Fakir nodded. "Take care of yourselves."
And with that, they left him, standing alone with that unfamiliar agitation seething and boiling inside of him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The setting sun bathed Kinkan Town in a faint orange glow. Fakir, lost in thought, walked aimlessly along the cobblestones. He passed the boys' dorms and the library before heading in the direction of Ahiru's old lake. The memories were painful for him, but he walked on, his steps becoming more resolute as the cobblestones disappeared to make way for the overgrown grass.
As he drew closer to the lake, he noticed a still figure standing at the edge of the water. Her back was turned towards him; she was clad in the academy's grey uniform, and her dark curls fell softly past her shoulders. Fakir decided to ignore her.
She heard the sound of his approaching footsteps, however, and spun around to confront him. He froze.
Kraehe...
The crimson-eyed girl locked a piercing gaze onto the writer. She said nothing; instead, she waited to see if he would be brave enough to make the first move. He relented, wrinkling his brows. "What are you doing here?"
She turned her nose up slightly. "If you must know, I've been coming here every day for the past few weeks. I'm surprised I haven't seen you here until today."
He tensed. "Why does that surprise you?"
"You know perfectly well why it does," she snapped, then suddenly broke eye contact, softening her tone as she spoke again. "We both miss her. There's no use in hiding it."
"Tch-!" Fakir quickly turned away.
Silence permeated the air. Although neither of them wanted to acknowledge it, a small connection had been established between the former enemies. They both missed Ahiru dearly, and chances were they both missed Mytho as well. They were both heartbroken and distraught. They had both been rejected by the ones they loved.
"So," Rue nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "you wrote a happy ending for Mytho and Ahiru, is that right?"
Fakir gave no answer, but the silence was confirmation in itself.
"Hm. I'm glad."
At those words, Fakir started and turned to face Rue again. She was smiling. It was a sad smile, yes, but there was a genuine warmth radiating from it that caught Fakir off guard. It was much different from the bold, arrogant smirks she always threw at him when she was under the Monster Raven's influence.
"Shouldn't you be upset that Mytho chose someone else to be his princess?" Fakir ventured to ask.
Rue shook her head. "I still love Mytho. I always will. But when you love somebody... it means valuing their happiness above your own, doesn't it?"
Quietly retreating from the conversation, she concentrated on the landscape. The sun was almost gone, and the first twinkling stars of the night were reflected upon the lake's surface. The crickets began to chirp, composing an uneven melody that sometimes sounded like a symphony and other times sounded like a multitude of disjointed noises.
Fakir couldn't shake Rue's words from his mind: Loving someone means valuing their happiness above your own.
He stepped forward and joined her in an intense study of the translucent water.
"You know," she murmured, "I never got a chance to tell Ahiru how much I loved her."
Fakir shut his eyes for a moment, then looked up at the darkening sky.
"Neither did I."
- end -