I looked around the room just in case Drosselmeyer was playing his old tricks. But it was to no avail. Only Mytho, Rue and I stood in the banquet hall. I bit my lip and turned to Mytho,
"Time to make a plan."
We had worked together all night for a possible solution and had finally come to the conclusion that the only way to get their son back was to recreate the fairy tale. Mytho and I would have to go on a quest to find Adelberto, their son. Rue would have to stay behind because in her current state she would be useless, and Drosselmeyer obviously wanted to force Mytho and I together.
As we left, Rue held on to my arm and whispered to me "Get me son back." I smiled at her and swore I would. I couldn't stand this new version of Rue who looked like she would fall apart any second. If getting Adelberto back was the only way I could do then I would fight until it happened. And knowing Drosselmeyer that fight would be long and extended.
Mytho and I started the journey in silence. We had decided that our best option to find him was the Raven's lair and that distance would take days to cover. Mytho finally broke the silence after 30 minutes. "I know that you didn't want to talk about Fakir before but--"
"It's fine." I felt bad holding back my side of the story after all they had told me. "What do you want to know?" I stared down at the ground and clenched my fist tight.
"What really happened with you and Fakir? I know you were angry with me, but why?"
I felt the tears start to burn my eyes and frantically wiped them, barely able to keep myself walking on the trail. "It was wonderful at first. I forgot how easy it was to be a duck. I enjoyed it but Fakir..." I looked up to see Mytho looking at me sympathetically, and looked back down."He, he wasn't happy." I tried not to whimper "We loved each other but we couldn't be together. He tried everything so that we could be together, but it always failed. He drove everyone away except me, and....Pike"
Mytho gasped,"Did they, I mean did he--"
I felt the bitterness creep back, "They did. I don't blame him. They were so happy together. I'm just a duck. I shouldn't have even tried. I can be a human for a brief while but when my task is complete I turn back. So all the men I love pick someone else in the end." Mytho opened his mouth as if to protest and I stopped him. "Don't deny it Mytho. You were one of them." I managed to stop the tears and just looked straight ahead. "I'm resigned to it now."
Mytho grabbed my face and turned it towards his, "Duck, I only chose Rue because you didn't need me."
I looked at him in shock. Didn't need him? I had been devastated when he left!
He could read my thoughts in my eyes and laughed, "Duck I knew you were strong enough to live without me. You saved me, remember? But I knew that Rue could never live without me. You saw how fragile she was."
I could hardly process all the thoughts in my head. Did this mean he didn't love Rue more than me? That he was only doing what he thought he had to as a noble prince?
He started to close the distance between us and I backed away horrified. What was wrong with me? What was wrong with US?
I shook my head "It doesn't matter now Mytho. You made your choice years ago. I could never--" Then I realized how dark the forest around us was, and that it was almost like a spotlight had been placed on us. Drosselmeyer was here.