The Ballet of the Swans

Act Six

Everyone was so shocked and amazed with Garhyn's entrance, that no one made a move towards the silver haired.

"As I said before" he continued, his eyes flashing again as he took a few more steps towards Ahiru. "Ahiru is mine, and her heart will belong to nobody, but me; and all who stand in my way , shall become nothing, but dust."

Ahiru now stood alone and frozen in her place, Fakir had been pushed back by the nightingales, when Garhyn and his nightingales had broken through. When the blue-hazed eyed was no more than an inch apart from her, Akiro pulled her back behind himself.

"Don't you even try to touch her, you fiend. I won't allow it!" The redhead said unsheathing a scarlet bladed sword, 'Pledge my heart and soul to the Holy White Swan, she shall give me my strenght to fight the Birds of Night.' Was written along the edges of the sword.

"You think that old blade can harm me? You became a bigger fool over the years, Scarlet Swan!" Garhyn laughed. He raised his hands onto the air, and began to spin. "My servants of the of the Night! Remove this bloody swan out of my sight!" Following the commands of their prince, and to everyone's horror, hundreds of nightingales began to attack the amethyst eyed. He tried his best to fend them off, but by one defeated, three more came to the attack 'It's no use at this rate they will take Ahiru!'

From the sides, Mytho and Rue helped Fakir to stand. "Are you alright?" asked Rue worried.

"I'm fine" answered the emerald eyed "It's Akiro we need to worry about" They looked back at the boy who had been completely surrounded by the nightingales.

"He won't last much longer in there, we have to do something!" Mytho yelled, still no one dared to approach the birds.

"Ready to give up, Scarlet Swan?" Asked Garhyn completely amused.

"And let you take Ahiru away? Hell no! I won't let her go! You will take her freedom and happiness from her; I promised that I would always be there for her!" The redhead yelled, his voice reaching Ahiru's frozen ears.

"So be it. Servants KILL THIS SWAN!" The Prince of the Nightingales yelled.

Ahiru took a step forward, finally breaking her frozen spell, and just as the birds were going to finish Akiro off, she screamed "STOP!"

The birds obeyed and went back to their master, who watched as Ahiru ran towards her knight's fallen body. "Akiro! Akiro!" she called. The Scarlet Swan opened his eyes. "A-Ahiru... g-get... b-back... h-he'll..." The sapphire eyed shook her head and helped him sit before standing up.

Holding her head up, she met Garhyn's eyes with blades coming out of her eyes. "Garhyn, I will dance with you, only if you leave everyone unharmed."

Fakir, Mytho and Rue gasped at her words; Akiro took hold of the blond's hand. "Ahiru! You c-can't! He'll h-hurt you!"

Ahiru gently held Akiro's face, she kissed his cheek and spoke with powerful calmness "Sometimes, it's the Princess who must protect the Prince and those around her." She said before walking over to a shocked Garhyn, and before everyone's eyes, she twirled her hands above her head, and held one out towards the silver haired. She said just six words, which served as a signal for the music, (Danse Macabre), to begin to play "Will you dance with me, Garhyn?"

As the music began, Garhyn pulled Ahiru into a sad-dark form of pas de deux, one which made the crowd around them to cry upon Ahiru's dancing, which looked like that of a swan, dancing in the arms of Death himself.

As they saw them dancing, Rue, Mytho and Fakir began to recall their fight against the Raven, so long ago it seemed to them.

Rue could remember how had she confessed her love to Mytho, which broke the raven form she had been into. Mytho recalled Rue's voice, and seeing how the ravens took her away, as well as begging the second Princess for help, so that he could save his beloved.

Then, Fakir, who remembered running after the second Princess, who had been forced into the Lake of Despair; how had he dance with her, promising to always be by her side, no matter what form she was in.

Then, they all saw the second Princess, the one who had been a duck, ad girl who was both loud and friendly, and a dancing ballerina, the same one, who had saved them from their own true fates; she, who never had her happy ending, remaining a duck, Princess Tutu, but in the place of the graceful dancer they once knew, there was Ahiru who stood; the beloved friend and Princess they had left behind as they moved on, the one who had never forgotten about any of them.

"Garhyn, why do you wish to dance with me so much? What is your reason?" Asked Ahiru as they danced.

"My reason is, that the bond that we share, you and I, the promise that I made to you so long ago..." he answered spinning her around, and pulling her back to his chest, taking hold of both her hands. "A promise that I won't break, because I love you so much, you were the only one."

Ahiru saw his hands shaking. "The only one? hat do you mean?" she asked as their pas de deux continued on.

"You were the first one to ever hear my song... I was always alone, surrounded by no one, always singing songs, hoping..." Garhyn kneeled, holding her waist.

He looked up at her with pained eyes "Praying that someone would hear, and save me from my loneliness" An arrow of guilt pierced the sapphire eyed's heart, as long forgotten memories passed through her mind.

She had been playing alone in the church gardens, long before she met Akiro, she had heard a crying melody coming from deep within the dark woods. Dropping the flowers she had been gathering, she sped off towards the woods, wanting to find the source of such a sorrowful melody. Soon, she found herself upon the shore of a large sparkling lake, with a huge tree in its center, its roots broke the water's surface as if the lake's surface was made out of glass.

Letting her eyes fall to the base of the tree, she saw a boy of around her age with large empty eyes; and just as she stepped on the lake's surface, the boy closed his eyes, and began to sing the same heart-breaking melody which had brought her to him. Running towards him, she caught his hands and looked straight into his surprised eyes. "Stop singing such a sad song! I'll be your friend!" She cried as she hugged him.

Ahiru looked down into Garhyn's icy pale eyes, seeing the empty eyed boy within them. 'I remember now, I remember...' she thought. All of a sudden, he rose his hands, and cupped her face gently. His tumb rubbing her bottom lip, just as he slowly drew her face closer to his. 'Oh, God! He... He... He's going to kiss me!'

Juast as the Prince of the Nightingales was about to kiss her, someone grabbed her wrist, and pulled her backwards from Garhyn's arms and lips. "You could dance with her, not kiss her..." Fakir said glaring at the silver eyed, Akiro's sword in his hands, pointing at the Prince's neck. In a flash, the sad, empty eyes Ahiru knew, had come to the icy hue she had feared. "Hahahahahahahaha! So I have two I must fight in order to have the Holy White Swan?"

Fakir watched as Garhyn leaped high into the air, vanishing along with his servants. Taking a deep breath, the green haired slowly turned to catch Ahiru in his arms. "Ahiru? Ahiru?" His voice couldn't get through, since she had fainted from the emotions linked to everything that had happened that evening.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Pleas continue with your reviews everyone! Marchenhope, thank you as ever for the creation of this marvelous story, I hope my work has been to your pleasing. Credits to the creators of Princess Tutu. See you next chapter, everyone!

Luna