The Ballet of the Swans

Act Twelve

Ahiru quietly opened the door to her bedroom, and looked down the hallway of Charon's workshop and home. "Good" she whispered stepping out to the corridor "no one is awake yet."

Dressed in her uniform, Ahiru tiptoed down the hall and the stairs, as she reached the main door, she looked back to the staircase 'Sorry guys, I'll explain later' she thought and slipped out of the house.

It was still dark when Ahiru ran down the path towards the academy, keeping herself alert in case there were nightingales nearby. "How odd, I usually see them while we walk home, maybe they got tired of watching me" Ahiru said to herself running over the bridge and soon, she found the academy's gates open, and headed into the building, quickly making her way to the dancing hall. "The academy is after all scarier at night, the mist must make it look that way" She whispered as she dashed through the halls. As she walked down the dark dancing hall, Ahiru touched her two pendants for warmth and strength. But as she was about to go into the first practice room, she heard someone singing nearby.

Ahiru looked around, the melody was faint, but it came from one of the other ballet rooms. 'This voice is Garhyn's' she thought moving down the hall, following the song, trying to find its source.

"But which Garhyn is it? The bad one or the good one?" She muttered to herself, stopping, as she was frightened of finding the evil Garhyn she had get to know so well 'No, I must not be afraid. That is what he wants me to feel, I can't give him that pleasure.' She thought shaking her head, and continuing to find the source of the mysterious melody. After a long while, which seemed like forever, Ahiru found a pair of white doors she had never seen at school.

Behind them, though, the music sounded stronger than ever, and so, she thought she had found the hiding place of the singer, so she grabbed the handles, and pulled the doors open. As she did, Ahiru found herself in a large ballet room which walls were mirror, and its ceiling was nothing but the beautiful night sky. "How beautiful!" She exclaimed walking into the room, without noticing the doors closing and disappearing behind her "So many stars!"

Music re-started playing from across the room, now having her full attention, she looked at the piano which played on it its own, while the person standing in front of it, sang to its melody.

Ahiru walked slowly towards the singer, her heart beating loudly in her chest as she spoke without fear. "Garhyn" she called. He stopped singing, and stepped into the lighter part of the room, smiling. "Ahiru, I knew you would come." He said in his voice, there was no hint of evil, lust, nor power at all, it was just, gentle, and kind. Ahiru relaxed her shoulders finally.

"It is you, the other Garhyn" she whispered, he held his hand out to her. "Your voice, I've heard it somewhere, a long time ago" she continued, approaching him, as her uniform started to disappear, and a different outfit took its place, so by the time she finally took his hand, she wore a white, matte jersey dress with a halter neck, a golden chiffon scarf, accented with a white rose attached to the empire waist, attached to which, finger loops tangled around her middle fingers, while a gold, matte jersey leotard was attached to the empire seam, the outfit was matched with white point shoes, tied with ribbons going up to her knees. Ahiru's hair was tied in a braided bun, near the top of her head both of her pendants hanging tight from her neck.

"Your beauty is more captivating than a swan flying down over the surface of a still lake." Said Garhyn, Ahiru blushed slightly at his words.

Music began to play once more, and they followed it by beginning to dance to its rhythm.

As they danced, Ahiru saw memories of the past before her eyes. She remembered running towards the child Garhyn saying that she would be his friend, she saw Garhyn's face as he smiled back at her, his eyes the same as those of the Garhyn she was dancing with.