12.5

[fairytaleknight]

Princess Kraehe has kidnapped Mytho, told Fakir and Duck all about it, delivered a string of threats and insults and vanished in a cloud of raven feathers.

The meadow by the gazebo seems unnaturally quiet now that the crow-princess is gone. Duck and Fakir stare at each other. What now?Then the silence is broken by a hand-organ playing "Music of

Comments

[authorsbypass]

This isn't in the script.

The little duck is supposed to be stricken and demoralized, weeping at the emotional blow. She's supposed to go into battle tragically alone, to make Princess Tutu's coming tragedy even more beautifully painful. That's Drosselmeyer's story; that's the script. Those are her orders.

Edel doesn't have lines for this. And for a moment, she doesn't know what to say.

Then her gesturing hand drops, and turns, and cups Duck's chin for a moment. She strokes the duck-girl's cheek, looking at that young earnest face turned up to hers with love shining out for even a puppet to see.

"Such a warm face," she says softly. "Such soft skin."

Duck's not made of wood at all. And maybe -- maybe that can mean --

[fairytaleknight]

[ That tag is just exactly what outtake threads are made for.]

[reallyaduck]

It's sort of like when Fakir petted her as a duck, Duck thinks.

For some reason all these people - her friends - they can't say what they're feeling. But they can show it, can't they? Doesn't this show it? That has to mean they're really feeling it, doesn't it?

Duck doesn't remember having parents as a duck, and she knows she doesn't have them as a girl. Lilie pinches Duck's cheeks, sometimes, but no one's ever -

"Miss Edel, I -"

[authorsbypass]

There are no lines for this.

Edel's hand stills. Her blue eyelids lower briefly; a human motion, on a painted wooden face. She has no need to blink. And yet --

Her hand drops, and opens again towards the hole in the wall, in the same precise gesture as before. "Now," she says gently, "you must hurry."