The Knight and the Duck

~10~

// Hahah me when I figure out a plot and then realize we r ten chapters in. It's okay, it's fine just exposition you guys don't mind

Walking back (to Ducks "Boyyfriendsss place; "You sleep with your boyfriend!!?" "What the heck? No way")  from ice cream, Mai and Yuma filled Duck in on town happenings, but something was still bothering her.

"Hey guys, have you ever talked to Peke and Lilie?"

Mai and Yuma exchanged a confused glance. "Who's that?"

who's that?? Peke and Lilie, you know, the girls who were in our class? Duck distinctly remembered them.

"You know, Peke, she's got like a tomboyish charm - alot like you Mai - she's got like purple hair and stuff...Lilie is a sociopath but she's got like yellow hair but in pigtails and stuff" Duck waved her arms around trying to describe her previous friends.

But Yuma and Mai just looked confused.

"We've certainly never heard anyone by those names."

"And those descriptions. Pretty interesting though!"

"Maybe they were just sick today?" Duck thought about it. She was SURE she'd seen them just yesterday!

"Duck?"

Apparently Mai and Yuma had already started another discussion already and Duck really wasn't listening.

"Yes! what?"

"Do you know about the Lake ghost?" Yuma asked.

"The Lake Ghost?" Duck wasn't sure about that. Hopefully it was just a normal town thing and not a new story. If it was a new story she should tell Fakir right away.

"So she hasn't heard about it!" Mai grabbed Ahiru's hand and Yuma led the way towards the lake she had spent so much time in. "This is our town lake!!"

"I know that." Ahiru deadpanned

"Okay well, the ghost apparently, if you look down and you talk, it reveals your deepest self."

Ahiru had heard this before. Last time though, it had been one of Mythos heart shards! And she'd danced with Fakir to get to necklace off...

But if it was someone else in peril, she couldn't turn in to Tutu! So what would she do?

"Has anyone gone missing?" She asked.

"Not yet!" Mai pranced out onto the dock. "Wanna see if your true self will talk back?"

"Uhhh no thank you!" Duck called back.

"Oh come on!" Yuma grabbed her arm and pulled Duck over to the dock with Mai. "Come on Duck! Just ask a question and you'll see I'm sure of it!"

"I'll probably just fall in guys lets, let's go back"

Duck was actually worried that they'd see her true self, her as a duck. Cause that's what would be reflected right?

The two leaned her over the side of the dock and Duck was, to be quite honest, unsure of what she was supposed to be seeing.

It was just her reflection, Mai and Yuma's profiles warped by the slight breeze.

"Do you see anything?"

"Ask a question!"

"Uhhh," Duck didn't really know what to ask, but anything to get out of this situation. "What's my..favorite color?"

She expected an immediate reaction and winced, but nothing happened.

Yuma and Mai let go of her, disappointed that they hadn't seen a response.

"Ah well, we gotta get you back to your boyfriend right?" Mai asked dejectedly.

"Yeah :( " Yuma put an arm over Mai's shoulders. "When Duck breaks up with her boyfriend you can take him"

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU MEAN" Ahiru snapped back, running over to them to walk down to the blacksmith's house.

"I'm just sayingggg..." Yuma trailed on and the girls laughed and giggled over random nonsense until they said goodbye and parted.

But before going on, Duck was curious. Peke and Lilie seemed to be gone..and there was a ghost in the lake?

"Should I leave a note? for Fakir? or maybe just go?" Duck mumbled to herself and ultimately decided that leaving a note would be good etiquette but since she was gonna be right back then she didn't need to. So off she ran towards the lake and back to the dock edge, where she got to her hands and knees and leaned as far as she could without fear of falling in.

"Hello? Is there someone there?" She called out.

No response

She met her eyes in the water.

"Who am I, really?" She asked the water.

It rippled, but nothing big, no ghost, no heart shards no nothing.

"Hmph." Duck stood up hands on her hips. "HELLLOOOOO???"

Her voice echoed back to her on the empty lake.

"There's nothing here it was silly of me to think there was! It's getting late too. hmm and Fakir might be worried," She crouched down to the edge and dipped her finger in the water, swirling it. "Who am I really?"

"You're Ahiru Arima!"

Duck jumped backward, but her hand was stuck in the water from where she had dipped it, and pulling at her wrist hurt.

"UHhh Let me go! PLEASE!??" Duck tugged and tugged but it didn't let go.

"oh no this is bad I can't transform umm what would Princess Tutu do? She'd, well she'd do some stuff something maybe "

Then her arm was pulled deeper, down to her elbow.

"QUA-MPH" Duck clapped her free hand over her mouth. "Oh crap oh shit if I transform back I won't be able to get back without Fakir!"

The water sucked up the rest of her right arm, and Duck struggled to stay on the dock.

"HELP!! " Silence

Nothing

Not even a bird.

"FAKIR!!??" Ducks strained voice cried out painfully from the edge, then

p l u n k

She was swallowed by the lake ghost