[rd][fic][Princess Tutu] Cygnus 5/?
A chapter that has been a looooooong time coming. For refreshers:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
And, finally, ...
Cygnus
by K. Stonham
first released 3rd December 2011
Weaving the seaweed into a net to carry her was a smelly, slippery task and Hakuchou was soaked through with salt water by the time she finished. Still, she finished in enough time to hunt for driftwood and pile it into a pyre nearby, ringing it with rocks. A twig, some dried moss, and a split branch later, she had a cheery fire burning. Just in time, too, she thought, shivering under her wool cloak, watching as the sun inched down the horizon.
Her family had left earlier, but now they returned, borne on strong white wings. It gave her heart a twist to see how beautiful they looked as they flew. Each carried something in their beak, and as they fluttered down closer, she blinked, surprised.
Flynn and Philipp each carried a large fish. Laddie bore a small wheel of cheese. Adam had a net in his beak that looked like it was filled with oysters and mussels. Pieter and Erik had loaves of bread, and a rope of sausages dangled from Edmund's beak. Tanzy came in behind them, bearing branches of berries, and behind them all Mama flew, laden with a basket of apples.
The nine swans touched down on the beach just as the sun slipped below the horizon, and to Hakuchou's shock they were suddenly human again, their feathers turned into gauzy white garments. The tiny golden crowns that had been atop each of their heads as swans were now on golden chains around their necks.
"Mama?" Hakuchou asked disbelievingly, then was in the middle of a cluster of her family, all hugging and chattering and laughing and crying.
After a few minutes of this, Ahiru clapped her hands. "Dinner!" she told her children firmly, and they obeyed, circling around the fire, each claiming their spot. They worked efficiently from long practice at getting a dinner together quickly for their large family. Hakuchou's brothers produced knives from somewhere and cut the bread and cheese and sausages. The fish were speared on sticks and leaned carefully near the fire, while the shellfish were settled into the coals on the edges. Her mother and sister passed the apples and berries around so that everyone got some.
The campfire on the windy ocean's edge turned out to be the best meal Hakuchou had had since she had left home.
When she was full and warm and happy, she sighed, leaning against Laddi, who was next to her. "If only Papa was here," she decided, "this would be perfect."
*
Somewhere else, in an empty room in a castle far away, a dark-haired man paused, his smile bittersweet as he lifted an ink-stained hand from his writing desk. He, too, wished he could be there, holding his youngest daughter tight, his family around them.
Since he could not have the things he wanted at that moment, and knew his family was as safe as he could make them at the moment, he blew out his lights and went to bed. He only left one lamp on, letting it glow its gentle light down on the pages of his daughter's story.
*
Dawn woke her with a beating of wings and a lurching feel that was the opposite of falling. Confused, Hakuchou blinked her way awake and saw only the endless sky above herself. Heart beating fast, she rolled over and saw the green-black ocean below.
"Stop moving!" Philipp's voice scolded her, and Hakuchou blinked, looking above again and seeing a white swan there. Memory came back of falling asleep in the middle of the net, wrapped in her cloak. The few remains of their dinner had been tucked into the basket, which rocked gently against her side now as powerful white wings bore them all aloft.
Eight swans around her, carrying her weight, and one above because it had been easiest to weave things that way, and it gave everyone a chance to rest from her weight during the course of the day.
"Go back to sleep," Philipp said. "One of us might as well, and it's going to be a long flight." He sounded distracted, and she got the distinct feeling that despite his grumpy words, he was actually reveling in the feeling of the cool dawn wind under his wings.
She really didn't understand her brothers sometimes, Hakuchou thought. But she tugged the hood of the cloak over her eyes and followed his suggestion, going back to sleep for as long as she could.
*
That night was as miserable as the one before had been wonderful. Wherever they were going, it was more than a day's flight across the sea, and the only resting point was a small rock in the middle of the ocean, barely big enough to hold the ten of them as they held tight to one another, dashed by the wind and the cold waves all that dark, interminable night. Cold, wet, and hungry, Hakuchou needed no encouragement from any of her family to sleep her way through the second day's flight.
*
She woke again, feeling stiff and gritty with salt, as the sky was painted red and they all plummeted toward the ground. Twisting just her head, Hakuchou sighed in relief to see a beach, with fields and forest beyond.
"We're almost there," her mother's voice told her as the beach--and were those pebbles on it instead of sand?--drew nearer and nearer.
They'd timed it so closely that her family turned human again the instant they touched down.
"I just flew all the way across the ocean, and boy are my arms tired," joked Laddie, rubbing at a bicep. Flynn smacked him.
Ahiru put her hands on her hips and looked around. "Well, we're here," she said. "Where should we set up?"
"I saw a cave," Adam offered, with gesturing upslope. "It was by a stream."
"Let's check it out," Pieter said. "If it's good enough, a cave would be cozy."
"I'm starving," Edmund complained.
"Let's see what we can forage before the light goes," Hakuchou said practically, grabbing her brother's arm.
"Don't go too far," Ahiru told them.
"Yes, Mama."
The cave, fortunately, proved habitable. Edmund found a pear tree, some of whose fruit was ripe enough to eat, and Hakuchou lucked out with an armful of purslane. Pieter and Adam had waded bare-chested into the stream and used their shirts to catch some fish, while the rest of Hakuchou's brothers had foraged for deadwood. Ahiru and Tanzy had done their best to make the cave habitable, and had built a fire ring in its center. Nobody got enough to eat, and there were singed fingers and snapping tempers, but all in all, it was a world away better than their miserable night spent in the middle of the sea.
Not happy, but content, Hakuchou went to sleep in a warm pile of family.
She woke in the middle of the night and blinked sleepily, then sat bolt upright.
There was a strange woman sitting on the other side of the low-glowing fire.
"Hello, Hakuchou," she said.
*~*~*
Author's Note: Oh god, I haven't touched this story in four years. ^_^;; Bad me. This chapter was written primarily for toothycat since she enjoyed it so while I was writing the first four chapters.... So, this is the next part of Princess Tutu: The Next Generation meets Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans. The names of Ahiru's sons are Germanized from various princes that should be recognizable without too much thought. (Hint: look at Disney films, and Narnia books.) Her other daughter's name is taken from "tanz"... German for "dance." Also, this follows on from two other stories I've written for Princess Tutu: Peace of Heart and Enchantment. In case you're wondering who various people mentioned are, or why the situation is the way it is as opposed to where the series ended, the details are in those two stories.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
And, finally, ...
Cygnus
by K. Stonham
first released 3rd December 2011
Weaving the seaweed into a net to carry her was a smelly, slippery task and Hakuchou was soaked through with salt water by the time she finished. Still, she finished in enough time to hunt for driftwood and pile it into a pyre nearby, ringing it with rocks. A twig, some dried moss, and a split branch later, she had a cheery fire burning. Just in time, too, she thought, shivering under her wool cloak, watching as the sun inched down the horizon.
Her family had left earlier, but now they returned, borne on strong white wings. It gave her heart a twist to see how beautiful they looked as they flew. Each carried something in their beak, and as they fluttered down closer, she blinked, surprised.
Flynn and Philipp each carried a large fish. Laddie bore a small wheel of cheese. Adam had a net in his beak that looked like it was filled with oysters and mussels. Pieter and Erik had loaves of bread, and a rope of sausages dangled from Edmund's beak. Tanzy came in behind them, bearing branches of berries, and behind them all Mama flew, laden with a basket of apples.
The nine swans touched down on the beach just as the sun slipped below the horizon, and to Hakuchou's shock they were suddenly human again, their feathers turned into gauzy white garments. The tiny golden crowns that had been atop each of their heads as swans were now on golden chains around their necks.
"Mama?" Hakuchou asked disbelievingly, then was in the middle of a cluster of her family, all hugging and chattering and laughing and crying.
After a few minutes of this, Ahiru clapped her hands. "Dinner!" she told her children firmly, and they obeyed, circling around the fire, each claiming their spot. They worked efficiently from long practice at getting a dinner together quickly for their large family. Hakuchou's brothers produced knives from somewhere and cut the bread and cheese and sausages. The fish were speared on sticks and leaned carefully near the fire, while the shellfish were settled into the coals on the edges. Her mother and sister passed the apples and berries around so that everyone got some.
The campfire on the windy ocean's edge turned out to be the best meal Hakuchou had had since she had left home.
When she was full and warm and happy, she sighed, leaning against Laddi, who was next to her. "If only Papa was here," she decided, "this would be perfect."
*
Somewhere else, in an empty room in a castle far away, a dark-haired man paused, his smile bittersweet as he lifted an ink-stained hand from his writing desk. He, too, wished he could be there, holding his youngest daughter tight, his family around them.
Since he could not have the things he wanted at that moment, and knew his family was as safe as he could make them at the moment, he blew out his lights and went to bed. He only left one lamp on, letting it glow its gentle light down on the pages of his daughter's story.
*
Dawn woke her with a beating of wings and a lurching feel that was the opposite of falling. Confused, Hakuchou blinked her way awake and saw only the endless sky above herself. Heart beating fast, she rolled over and saw the green-black ocean below.
"Stop moving!" Philipp's voice scolded her, and Hakuchou blinked, looking above again and seeing a white swan there. Memory came back of falling asleep in the middle of the net, wrapped in her cloak. The few remains of their dinner had been tucked into the basket, which rocked gently against her side now as powerful white wings bore them all aloft.
Eight swans around her, carrying her weight, and one above because it had been easiest to weave things that way, and it gave everyone a chance to rest from her weight during the course of the day.
"Go back to sleep," Philipp said. "One of us might as well, and it's going to be a long flight." He sounded distracted, and she got the distinct feeling that despite his grumpy words, he was actually reveling in the feeling of the cool dawn wind under his wings.
She really didn't understand her brothers sometimes, Hakuchou thought. But she tugged the hood of the cloak over her eyes and followed his suggestion, going back to sleep for as long as she could.
*
That night was as miserable as the one before had been wonderful. Wherever they were going, it was more than a day's flight across the sea, and the only resting point was a small rock in the middle of the ocean, barely big enough to hold the ten of them as they held tight to one another, dashed by the wind and the cold waves all that dark, interminable night. Cold, wet, and hungry, Hakuchou needed no encouragement from any of her family to sleep her way through the second day's flight.
*
She woke again, feeling stiff and gritty with salt, as the sky was painted red and they all plummeted toward the ground. Twisting just her head, Hakuchou sighed in relief to see a beach, with fields and forest beyond.
"We're almost there," her mother's voice told her as the beach--and were those pebbles on it instead of sand?--drew nearer and nearer.
They'd timed it so closely that her family turned human again the instant they touched down.
"I just flew all the way across the ocean, and boy are my arms tired," joked Laddie, rubbing at a bicep. Flynn smacked him.
Ahiru put her hands on her hips and looked around. "Well, we're here," she said. "Where should we set up?"
"I saw a cave," Adam offered, with gesturing upslope. "It was by a stream."
"Let's check it out," Pieter said. "If it's good enough, a cave would be cozy."
"I'm starving," Edmund complained.
"Let's see what we can forage before the light goes," Hakuchou said practically, grabbing her brother's arm.
"Don't go too far," Ahiru told them.
"Yes, Mama."
The cave, fortunately, proved habitable. Edmund found a pear tree, some of whose fruit was ripe enough to eat, and Hakuchou lucked out with an armful of purslane. Pieter and Adam had waded bare-chested into the stream and used their shirts to catch some fish, while the rest of Hakuchou's brothers had foraged for deadwood. Ahiru and Tanzy had done their best to make the cave habitable, and had built a fire ring in its center. Nobody got enough to eat, and there were singed fingers and snapping tempers, but all in all, it was a world away better than their miserable night spent in the middle of the sea.
Not happy, but content, Hakuchou went to sleep in a warm pile of family.
She woke in the middle of the night and blinked sleepily, then sat bolt upright.
There was a strange woman sitting on the other side of the low-glowing fire.
"Hello, Hakuchou," she said.
*~*~*
Author's Note: Oh god, I haven't touched this story in four years. ^_^;; Bad me. This chapter was written primarily for toothycat since she enjoyed it so while I was writing the first four chapters.... So, this is the next part of Princess Tutu: The Next Generation meets Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans. The names of Ahiru's sons are Germanized from various princes that should be recognizable without too much thought. (Hint: look at Disney films, and Narnia books.) Her other daughter's name is taken from "tanz"... German for "dance." Also, this follows on from two other stories I've written for Princess Tutu: Peace of Heart and Enchantment. In case you're wondering who various people mentioned are, or why the situation is the way it is as opposed to where the series ended, the details are in those two stories.