Posted On: 3-15-18; At: 12:50 AM (US-CST; GMT: -06:00)

A/N:

Not really much to say, here... Let me know what you think if you like this chapter. More reviews encourage me to write more...

Warnings: not really any worth mentioning.

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Chapter #19: Home Again?

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"Fakir?!"

Ahiru shook him as he whimpered and groaned in his sleep. Lillie slipped into the tent with Autor.

"What is wrong with my cousin?"

Asked Autor. However, Ahiru ignored him.

'Like he really cares?'

She thought moodily as she shook Fakir a bit more.

"Fakir, wake up!"

Still locked in his dream:

Fakir looked at Aaron. Aside from the slight differences in their appearance, it was like looking in a mirror and talking to himself.

"-So... What does that have to do with us? That child was created with YOUR bodies, it has no co-"

"- Connection to you and Ahiru? It does. The child was BORN with some of the Raven's tainted powers! It needs to be brought back to THIS kingdom, THIS world. And also, on another subject: the Swan's nest: you should know something important-"

Ahiru was so worried she was crying. But suddenly, what she could only assume was Leda's temper, flared up, and she grew angry at him for upsetting her. The next thing the former duck knew, she was slapping him hard across the face. Autor and Lillie both winced at the force of the slap. Then, after a second: Fakir's green eyes opened as he winced a bit.

"A-Ahiru...?"

She sniffled and hugged him tightly. Fakir blinked sleepily over her shoulder at his cousin. Then his eyes widened.

"Lillie?! Autor?!"

His cousin fixed his glasses with a finger at their center, and then folded his arms across his chest.

"Took you long enough to notice me!"

"Well-"

"I'm going to get some horses, can you help Fakir pack his camp up."

The 3 of them looked at Ahiru as she got up, standing at her full 5'5" height inside the large tent.

"Huh? Where are you going?"

Fakir asked. He still felt sleepy.

"You're running a bad fever. We aren't actually all that far from the palace."

She slipped out of the tent, Fakir looked under the blankets, saw he had pants on, then got shakily to his feet, following her weakly. His cousin grudgingly caught him and helped him out of the tent when he almost fell.

"I want you to see the palace doctor and you should meet Calypso, as well."

"Who's Calypso?"

Whispered Lillie softly. Neither of them answered. She sighed softly.

"We're still a few hours from th-"

He started to say. But Ahiru smiled.

"I can be there in no time. Then I'm sure Mytho will have a fast way to get the horses back here... I love you."

With that, the replacement Swan Princess closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. After a few silent minutes there was a rustling of leaves as the wind picked up around them. Then Ahiru started glowing, her form shimmered and then blurred until she was enveloped in a cloud of dark feathers.
Her body shrunk, and moments later a beautiful black swan stood where she had. Fakir looked into her sky blue eyes, then he sighed, leaning heavily on Autor as she started to flap her large wings.

"I love you too, Ahiru! Be careful!"

Then she took off.

"Remember your damn clothes this time!"

He added, yelling into the wind. She responded with an exasperated honking-like sound. Once she was no longer seen, Autor and Lillie helped him get the rest of his clothes on, and he sat on a tree log as they set to packing his things up. Autor grumbled a great deal. But Lillie was quiet for a change as she worked while thinking. Fakir drifted in and out of fevered daydreams, while he waited.

Rue was having tea with Mytho, they had just finished eating breakfast, and he was reading the morning news, when there was suddenly the sound of wing-beats outside the balcony doors. Rue looked up at the sound and gasped as a black swan landed on the balcony outside the glass doors.

"Mytho..."

Her husband looked up and set the paper down. Ahiru was finishing the transformation from bird into a young woman (fully clothed this time), when he looked up.

"Ahiru?!"

Both he and Rue got to their feet as she stumbled a bit, but and caught herself. She still felt drained from the transformation.

"Ahiru?"

Rue put her arms around her friend to help steady her.

"Hi. Sorry I left so suddenly... I sensed Fakir."

"Did you find him?"

Rue asked as Mytho got Ahiru a drink of water, after Rue had helped her to sit in the chair that she had just vacated.

"Yes. I've been with him all night... But when we woke up this morning, he was unwell, with a fiery fever. And... Then Lillie and his cousin: Autor arrived."

"Wait... What?"

Asked Mytho with a frown as he gave her a startled look. Rue blinked.

"Is that a joke?"

She asked Ahiru.

"No. They are waiting with him right now. Mytho... Please, can you help me? I need you to come with me. We need 3 horses, Fakir can ride with you, Lillie with me and Autor on his own."

He and Rue looked at each other. Then Mytho nodded.

"Let's go, Ahiru."

"Be careful!"

Rue called out as her husband and her best friend left.

Lillie watched Fakir, he was leaning against the tree that the log he sat on was beside. His breath was coming quickly and labored. She reached over and felt his forehead.

"Autor, can't we do anything-?"

"No... I'm not a doctor."

Said Autor, shortly. Lillie sighed. She felt badly for Fakir. She really did.

In his fevered thoughts, Fakir was trying to figure out everything Aaron had told him. He had been pulled awake by Ahiru's slap before he could hear what he needed to about the swan's nest. He struggled to open his forest green eyes, and looked at Autor sitting across from him. His cousin was reading a book. A cool hand rested against Fakir's fevered skin, just under his bangs. He looked to his side and saw Lillie. A voice screamed in his mind:

"It is her! She's their child!"

He licked dry, chapped lips, and tried to catch enough breath to speak. Just then they heard the sound of horses racing towards them. The last thing Fakir knew was the image of Mytho and Ahiru standing before him.

'He doesn't look well...'

Mytho thought as he knelt by his friend. Ahiru knelt beside Mytho and as Fakir focused his eyes on them, he suddenly felt a horrible jealousy surge up from within. He shoved his friend away, causing Mytho to fall onto his backside as Fakir pulled Ahiru into his arms.

"Fakir...?"

She asked in confusion, cut off by his sudden and demanding kiss.

"Stay away from my lover! Ahiru is mine!"

Everyone stared at him as he spoke once he released her lips.

"Fakir, calm d-down-!"

The girl tried, softly. But he glared at Mytho.

"She is mine. I love her more than anything! I hate that damn bird for taking her freewill a-away..."

He buried his face in her neck and shoulder as he held her and started suddenly crying. In the next instant. Fakir was asleep in her arms.

"Looks like Aaron just surfaced..."

Said the prince, softly. He sighed as he got to his feet.

"Aaron?"

Asked Autor, he has secured Fakir's camping equipment onto a horse.

"Long story. I'll get on my horse, can you help me get him up in front of me?"

Autor nodded.

"Sure..."

He said softly, though his tone said he didn't really want to do this.

'It's a good thing Ahiru will be riding with Lillie, and not me or Autor..."

Though the prince. He did not like his friend's reaction to just seeing him stand beside Ahiru. He would have to be careful of how he interacted with her until Fakir's mind was clearer. Once Mytho was on his horse, and Fakir was in front of him with his head on his shoulder. Ad once Autor was on the horse with the camping equipment. Ahiru with Lillie behind her, the three horses were then on their way. Lillie tapped Ahiru on the shoulder, when the girl with the red & silver hair turned her head slightly, the blonde whispered in her ear.

"I have some questions..."

"Later..."

She was too worried about Fakir, to focus on Lillie's strangeness! Meanwhile, Lillie watched the back of Ahiru's head, as the horse raced along behind Mytho and Fakir's horse, Autor was slightly behind the horse, that she and Ahiru were on.

'Ahiru seems different... Maybe? Why did I forget her in the first place? She and Pique and I were so close...'

She did notice that the top of Ahiru's head, from the roots of her hair down, was silver - growing more and more reddish as it reached past her hips in its braid, towards the ends of her hair. That was definitely different. As was the form change to a black swan. Lillie was feeling really confused. Meanwhile, Autor was just resenting having to go with them at all. He had never liked Ahiru much. She refused to see how great his ancestor was!

The 3 horses eventually rounded the final cluster of trees- the final ones from the forest that they were leaving. Autor and Lillie's eyes widened when they saw the beautiful white, lavender and silver swan palace looming ahead. Its drawbridge was down, creating a path over a large lake. The palace has been on an island just a half a mile bigger around, than the palace. With many turrets and spires rising high into the blue sky. Behind her, Ahiru heard Lillie whispering in awe to herself.

The horses made it to the bridge and raced over it into the palace gardens and courtyard. Once they were there, some knights came and helped Mytho get Fakir off the horse, Jamieson and Rue were waiting in front of the main doors to the palace.

Mytho came and helped Ahiru and Lillie off of their horse as Autor dismounted, blinking wide eyes at Rue. Frowning slightly, as he remembered the fact that he had had a crush on her. A guard came and took the horses, while a footman grabbed Fakir's camping equipment from the horse and took it up to Ahiru's room. Fakir was carried into the palace on a stretcher. Jamieson was leading the way to the medical wing. Ahiru followed them. Rue smiled slightly at Lillie and Autor as they followed Mytho up the steps to where she stood.

"Welcome to the Swan Kingdom, I am-"

"Your Rue... Right?"

Asked Autor, watching her as she curtsied and then looked at him, standing at her full height once again.

"Yes... It's nice to see you again,"

She said a bit hesitantly.

"- And, you as well, Lillie..."

She added. The blonde stopped blinking around herself and looked up at Rue.

"Where are we?"

She asked with a sigh. She had just blindly followed her lover to this lovely, but strange new world..

"We're in the storybook: The Raven and the Prince!"

Said her boyfriend a bit annoyed. Something flashed in Mytho's sky blue eyes.

"This is no storybook."

He said, turning on his heel to lead them into the palace. Autor bristled a bit.

"Yes, it is. My ancestor-"

At that, Mytho stopped walking and looked at him angrily.

"I don't give a DAMN what your bastard ancestor-!"

"Mytho, calm down and-"

Rue tried, seeing her husband was shaking with rage. Nothing upset him more, than thinking that everything in his world was made up from a fiction writer! That he and his sister and their people were created by Drosselmeyer! Including their suffering. Mytho went on, though...

"- Claimed to have done! I-"

"Prince Siegfried!"

A knight arrived just then and whispered in the prince's ear. Mytho looked at the man after he was done, then sighed.

"I need to go to the medical wing, Rue..."

She nodded, glad he had snapped at least part ways, out of his anger.

Mytho left two knights with her. He was not sure that he trusted either Autor, nor Lillie.

"I- I'll show you to your room."

Said Rue, a bit too cheerily after her husband had left. Autor still looked ready to argue. Lillie just nodded as they followed Rue with the knights walking behind them. Once she had shown them to the guest room, as she was leaving, Lillie asked why Mytho had been just called "Siegfried". Rue smiled at the question, she opened her mouth to reply, when Autor spoke up.

"He's the main protagonist in the story of the-"

Rue, tired of hearing that, slapped her hand over his mouth in a fit of unrestrained anger that flared, and then it was gone.

"Autor- just, stop. Please. My husband is not a fictional character from that deranged man's mind. The reality of the situation is FAR more complicated than that."

Autor paled a bit, as she removed her hand from his face.

"Husband?"

She nodded, showing him the rings on her left ring finger.

"Yes. We are married and have two sons. If you ever care to find out what the situation here REALLY is, then we would both be happy to explain why this is not a living storybook. But Drosselmeyer's name is never to be spoken before either, Mytho, Myself, Fakir or Ahiru, ever again. Is that clear?"

At his silent nod, she smiled.

"- This is no story."

With that, she turned on her heel and started to leave, but thought of something. So she turned back to look at them.

"Should you two like a tour, a pair of knights will be stationed in the hall out here. They can take you to anywhere you'd like to see, within the palace."

Then she was gone. Autor stood looking at the closed door with Lillie beside him. The blonde sighed and went to explore the room. Finding a bathroom that was not far off from the type in her own world. She found a walk in closet and some men's and women's clothes in it. Autor, meanwhile, walked out onto the balcony and looked around from there. They were likely close to 800' from the ground. He felt like they were imprisoned.

Mytho walked into the medical wing and heard Ahiru screaming Fakir's name and pleading with him. There were also some crashing sounds. He followed the sounds to a room. Fakir was in the bed, his chest bare. He had Jamieson by the throat, the healer had been leaning over him. Mytho noticed the tattoo of the white swan over his heart. Grabbing Ahiru's hand, he placed it on top of Fakir's tattoo. His friend screamed, cringing in pain, then he let go of Jamieson. Seeming to pass out again. Mytho released Ahiru's hand, and caught her as her legs gave out. She leaned against him, crying, as Jamieson went to sit down. Mytho got Ahiru to a chair and sighed as she covered her face with her hands, still crying.

"What is wrong with him?!"

Jamieson and Mytho eyed each other. Mytho rested a hand on Ahiru's shoulder.

"I need to ask Jamieson a few things. Stay here, Ahiru."

She nodded, her face still hidden as her shoulders shook.

"What the hell happened?"

Mytho asked the healer, moments later, as they stood outside the room.

"The fever is causing hallucinations..."

At that, Mytho remembered his friend shoving him away from him in the forest and warning him that Ahiru was his...

"He thought that I was trying to take Ahiru from him, earlier in the forest... Is this an illness? Is it contagious?"

"No. It seems to be connected to that Tattoo... But I'm not sure why."

"Dark magic, then?"

"Perhaps..."

"How about putting him in a tub of water from the swan lake...?"

Both men looked up as Rue walked in. Mytho frowned, thinking about her suggestion.

"That might not be a bad idea, my prince."

Mytho chewed on his lip, debating it. Then he nodded.

"I'll have a tub brought in here, and... Rue, can you use magic to fill it with lake water? We can't heat it, heating the water will ruin its magical properties. However, with how high his fever seems, I doubt that he will mind it not being hot water."

They both nodded.

Ahiru looked up as the door to the room suddenly opened. 4 knights came in carrying a bathing tub. 2 at each end. They set the tub down, then walked out. Ahiru blinked at it. The next thing she knew, Jamieson, Rue and Mytho came into the room. Jamieson checked Fakir's fever, and Mytho opened the only window in the room. Rue stepped up to the window.

"What's happening?"

Asked Ahiru as Rue started to constraint on the lake below, a hand outstretched towards it. Mytho motioned for her to be quiet, though. So Ahiru waited. Moments passed, Rue was glowing a soft blue color. Ahiru watched, as (slowly) the water from the lake finally flowed in a stream up from the lake, to the window, through it and into the tub. Once the tub had enough water in it, she stopped using the spell and watched as the remaining water splashed back into the lake. Once that was done, the prince and the healer hefted Fakir into the cool waters, he still had his pants on. But they'd worry about that later, if need be.

Eventually he seemed to relax a bit in the water. After a bit of time, Fakir's breathing FINALLY evened out. Some color returned to his face, and the fever started to drop. Jamieson got on his knees beside the tub, and listened to Fakir's heart with a stethoscope (which, if what he had been TRYING to do, when Fakir grabbed him by the throat, earlier. The other 3 were silent as he listened to Fakir's chest with the scope under the water. Finally, he looked up at Mytho and the women. He removed the stethoscope from his ears, as he spoke to them.

"His heart sounds strange. And I'm feeling a scar under this strange tattoo. I-"

"Pa... P-part of my h-heart was... Stolen..."

The 4 of them looked at Fakir, who was rubbing his eyes with wet hands that had been under the water. Ahiru let out a cry of joy at seeing him awake once more, then hugged him, despite the water he was currently seated in.

"Fakir! You feel cooler!"

"Wh... What happened?"

He asked, hugging her back. Mytho and Jamieson shared a look at Fakir's words. They both wanted to ask what he meant by that statement. However, Mytho chose to answer Fakir's question. Rather than ask his own.

"You were running a dangerously high fever. Delirious with hallucinations because of the fever- do you remember anything?"

Ashed Mytho. Fakir blinked up at him.

"N-not really. Ahiru and I fell asleep in my tent. Then I woke up here..."

He said, as the former duck pulled back from the hug to rest her forehead against his. She was so glad his fever had passed! After that statement, Mytho and Jamieson sent Rue and Ahiru, out of the room and helped Fakir out of the tub, removed the rest of his clothes and then Mytho helped Fakir get dressed in dry clothes. The dark haired young man was fairly weak and a bit unsteady on his feet. Once he was re-dressed, Jamieson helped him back into the bed, to rest.

"You said that part of your heart was stolen."

Mytho was sitting in a chair, looking at Fakir, who was in the medical bed in his borrowed pajamas. He nodded at the prince...

"Yeah. I-"

"Wait. How did you survive the destruction of the other castle?!"

"No idea. I woke up in some old man's house in a bed. I had this strange swan tattoo/scar like thing over my heart- I... I felt strange-"

He said, rubbing his chest. He went on to tell Mytho all about everything that had happened when he woke up. Everything that Ajax told him. Every single thing. When he was done, the sun was starting to go down. Mytho said he would need time to process everything he told him. Then he looked at Fakir.

"You remember nothing between when you and Ahiru fell asleep and when you woke up here?"

"Nothing... Why?"

"You were displaying extreme jealousy towards me, when all I did was stand beside Ahiru."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. I think it sounded like things Aaron would have said. He was like my brother... But he wore his heart on his sleeve and could be quite harsh with his words..."

"That's me, to a T."

Fakir pointed out and Mytho smiled.

"You are not even as bad as he could get."

Fakir smiled slightly.

"Say... You should know... When Ahiru woke up and realized that you were sick- she found her old friend: Lillie and your cousin: Autor standing outside the tent."

"Uh- what?"

"You heard me. They are both currently staying in a guest room with guards posted in the hallway... We've no idea how they got to this world so- her! Are you OK? FAKIR?!"

Fakir had suddenly groaned in pain and grabbed his head. Mytho got up to get help but Fakir grabbed Mytho's arm.

"Li... Lillie... S-shes the one..."

Mytho blinked.

"The one?"

Fakir looked like his head was killing him. He looked at Mytho.

"I just remembered! Aaron- he told me while I was asleep..."

"Told you what?"

"T-that his and Leda's child was removed from Leda's womb with magic and sent to the world that Ahiru, Rue and I were born in. He said that their child lived. And was born in that world. That the child was born tainted by the raven and needed to be back in this world."

"You think it is Lillie?"

"Either, its Lillie, or Autor... I want to think it's her, though..."

"I'll keep an eye on them, then. Aaron didn't happen to say what we should do, did he?"

Fakir shook his head, looking like his head was killing him.

"Rest. I'll have Jamieson come and give you something for the headache."

Again, Fakir didn't say anything. He just nodded slightly. He looked drained. After that, Mytho left and Jamieson came and gave Fakir something for the headache.

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To Be Continued...

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Necessary Disclaimers Section:

Copyright/Ownership- The anime and manga of "Princess Tutu" are copyrighted properties of the mangaka/Authors: Mizuo Shinonome (Shinonome Mizuo),

Ikuko Ito (Ito Ikuko), Junichi Sato (Sato Junichi),

Also the anime and manga are copyrighted by those involved with the making of the anime and the publishing of the manga.

I claim no ownership. I just love the anime and the manga (The anime was better in my opinion though).

I came up with this idea after re-watching the anime for the 6th time.

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