Not Out Of Love (A Princess Tutu Fan Fiction)

Prince in Distress

"You killed him?! How is that even possible?!" I was beyond shocked.

She just smiled, "The authors kill us all the time. Why not a prince instead?"

She swam closer and I backed away, "But you loved him, didn't you?" I said while swimming as far as possible from her.

She stopped right in her path and the smile slipped from her face. "I used to love him. Then the story kept repeating and each time it just ended with me dead. He didn't even care! He got to live happy with his princess with no sacrifice, and I gave up everything for him. Everything."

I was starting to understand now. But Mytho and Rue had to make sacrifices too and-

She stopped me in the middle of my thought with a hand, "And don't even try to compare his pain to yours. He'll be happy in the end and you won't."

I glared at her, "That's not his fault."

She mocked me, "It's not his fault. Isn't it though? Didn't he know that you were trapped in the other world? Did he do anything to help you?"

"No, but—"

"But, what? He never did anything for you, did he? And the only reason you're not a duck now is that he needed you, to save his son."

I shook my head, "I know he cares," She shook her head. "And even if he doesn't, I couldn't kill him."

She just looked at me blankly. "You don't have to kill him."

I looked at her askance, "You said the only way you escaped your story was by killing your prince."

She shook her head, "I didn't kill him. I just didn't save him." She swam up to him and grabbed me, "Think about it Duck! The only way to escape your story is to break the model. If the tragedy doesn't save the prince, then the story can't end, its broken."

I shook my head, "But it's not Mytho this time. Its his son."

She gestured with her hand "It works the same," she saw the denial on my face and just sighed, "You know how this will turn out. He won't be any different from his father. The story wouldn't allow it."

I thought about Drosselmeyer's words and the sword and felt the cold start to sink into my heart again. Why did I have to save him? What did I owe him or his father? Why did it always have to be me? Then I said, not hesitant anymore, "Fine. This story doesn't even really need another prince."

And the mermaid just smiled.