The Knight and the Duck

~18~

I feel bad for tricking her

Fakir ran a hand through his hair as he followed Mytho into their shared dorm.

She really does love and care for him

"Fakir." They stopped and Mytho had his hands on his hips, looking steadily at him with his hazel eyes.

"She's going to figure it out." Mytho shook his head sadly. "I know what you're doing."

"You...do?" Fakir found it hard to lie to his childhood friend.

Mytho grabbed his shoulders. "I may have lost my heart, but you're still my best friend."

Fakir slumped on a chair, pushing his head in his hands. "I just- I'm not usually like this." He looked up at Mytho, obviously distressed. "To be honest I saw him- the other Fakir."

Mytho sat next to him, put an arm around his shoulders. "You did? So Duck is telling the truth?"

"She is, but I saw him and there was a moment where it almost seemed like we would switch sides, but when we touched I saw all the things that he'd gone through with the Duck that was on our side."

"Was it bad?" Mytho didn't know what to do, how to help, his friend was obviously in pain.

"It wasn't, ... they care for each other so much. But Duck, our Duck, I think she loves him." Fakir's brows were furrowed deeply, disturbed. He shook his head. "I'm not like him, and I think if I pretend, if I pretend a little bit, I can help this Duck feel comfortable."

Mytho thought about this for a moment. On one hand he knew his friend was trying his best to help, and it was different than his colder ways. But was this right?? Duck wouldn't trust anyone if anything bad happened.

"Wait wait wait you said that the Duck that lives here is in love with the other Fakir?" Mytho caught onto that now, and the situation seemed a bit more confusing.

"I got sucked in, for a moment. I was still on the dock but I was also in this in between and I saw myself and then like a flash I saw ... all these things. It was him and Duck but it was our Duck, cause they were fighting. And Princess Tutu was there."

"Princess Tutu?"

Fakir nodded. "And then they were holding each other, and it looked like Duck had gotten hurt" He locked eyes with Mytho. "Am I mean?"

"What!?" Mytho was taken aback. Fakir was his childhood friend here, they'd known each other for so long.

Sure, he was a little callous at time but he wasn't mean, he wasn't evil.

"No, Fakir, you might be difficult sometimes but you're not...okay you are sort of mean"

"Hey!"

"Well truthfully you haven't been super nice to people but I think that's more because you were trying to protect me. Then you sorta adopted the personality- but Fakir what will you do if Duck finds out you're pretending?"

"I, well to be honest I have no clue. It shouldn't be bad unless she turns into a duck" Fakir covered his face, flustered suddenly, "I couldn't...do...that." His words choked out.

"I think you just fucked up." Mytho deadpanned. "Why not tell her? I understand the want to help, I want to help her too but I don't think this is the right way."

Fakir stood up and went to the window. The weather was nice today, a soft wind. What was he going to do? This did pose problems.

He didn't mean to pretend, but what he saw-

There was Princess Tutu, stretched gracefully upwards, Mytho with his heart shards, grabbing onto him, scared. There was Duck, snapping back to him with quick retorts but always showing kindness even if she would get hurt and then there was that scary man.

But the look in Ducks eyes
at one point changed from fear, to understanding, to a soft sweet comfortability.

Things seemed so different so much more than his life here.

And Duck must be the key.

"You know Mytho I'm not so worried." He got down from the windowsill, holding his friends gaze with a calmness Fakir did when he was hiding panic. "I just need to be the person she needs me to be."

Mytho shook his head, "This is wayyyyy out of your control. I think she'd understand if you told her."

"It'll be fine Mytho."

"I suppose, if you say so."

The boys went to bed, Mytho with ease, and Fakir tossed and turned, unable to take his new role.