Drosselmeyer's Finale: The Mouse, The Princess and The Curse

Chapter Seven: To Protect or Not to Protect? That is the Question...?

Fakir left before anyone. He didn't want to face anyone at that moment. Honestly...he thought about Director Setsuna's words.

He was...protecting her? He looked to his hand. Even after Drosselmeyer's rein had likely finished, he found himself acting out the tendencies of the knight.

And yet, he thought, so was Ahiru. She'd been as graceful as ever with her dancing, which was part of who she was as Princess Tutu, in her alternative identity.

Was that their curse then? To always live as the characters they'd been made out to be? Or was he wrong...was Drosselmeyer still pulling some unfound string...what would it take to get rid of that if it was...

Well ... somehow his Knight character had drawn the short end of the stick. Flawed. He could see no other way. He had the ability...sure the pen was mightier then the sword at times, but his flaw....his protectiveness of Prince Mytho ... his protection of Princess Tutu....all caused their own curses.

He'd thought he'd redeemed himself against the Dark Kuro...he'd ...saved her. Or helped save her.

But if she were a Princess...in her own way... would a knight ever just suffice? Or was it someone more like Mytho she needed? A Prince?

He found himself at the lake. He stared out and then scolded himself for thinking that way. Wasn't it the Knight in shining armor that rescued the Princess anyway? Isn't that how the fairy tale went?

He kicked a stone into the water and watched it ripple. That's the way it was. Every move they'd made in this town had caused some kind of ripple effect and they rarely had a way to figure it out before it happened.

Just then he heard the bushes shuffle.

"Who's there!?" He turned sharply.

"What are you doing here?" Pike complained.

He was relieved to see her, but he noticed here eyes were red from crying.

"My house is ...or...it's not far from here. I don't live on campus anymore remember? ...Plus I come here to think. Are you-"

"Crying?" Pike interrupted. "Even if I was what does it matter to you?"

"Don't cry over that Nesumir...he's nothing more than a conniving rat in my opinion."

"You only say that because Nesu likes Ahiru! She can dance! Everyone loves her and I -'

"Don't listen to his harsh words Pike. If Ahiru saw you like this-" He scolded.

"I don't care about Ahiru...right now, what about me? It's not fair! Just because she's as graceful as a swan at times she gets all the boys..."

Fakir swallowed. If only Pike and the others had remembered Ahiru from before...graceful like a swan...well then...she was as graceful as a duck. Neither he nor Mytho had really an eye for her, until they'd found out her real nature underneath it all. ...And yet nobody knew...Mytho...Rue...as if they'd never existed. She still had her klutzy tendencies but nobody knew about them... all they saw was Ahiru when she danced.

"Pike just-"

"No, no. Leave me alone. I'm going to practice here...or...until...just go!" Pike turned away.

Fakir turned away and left towards his place, sighing. He just didn't know how else to convince Pike. He wondered if Pike should be left alone. He swore he saw a shadow move, but the sun was setting, and shadows grew. He hoped Ahiru had returned. He shouldn't have just left her at the school...but he had so much on his mind after Nesu's stunt and Setsuna's advice...

If he was hoping to become her Prince, his standing was in rough shape.

As he walked away from the Lake, Fakir didn't recognize that shadow had in fact moved.