samatethecookie | Meme of the Week: Day 03

day 01 | a song
day 02 | a picture
day 03 | a book/ebook/fanfic
day 04 | a site
day 05 | a youtube clip
day 06 | a quote
day 07 | whatever tickles your fancy

Since I've been behind on my books, I'll recommend a fanfic instead.

This time, it's Princess Tutu, a Rue and Mytho/Rue story. It's not only a beautifully written story, but it comes with songs to listen to as you read. The One Who Causes Darkness by

allira_dream. Here's a snippet from the short story:

“Attention, class, attention!” One, twice, thrice: teacher Cat claps his hands for the class to remain quiet, and Rue allows herself to smile. She holds her breath, her arms in the fourth position, her feet on the fifth. “Now, pay attention as Rue does a demonstration. Now, dear Rue, if you could?”

She smiles again before she closes her eyes and she waits just for the first Do to start. Then she's on her tiptoes and she's flowing, she has to make it look easy. The princess is begging for her loved one, 'please, please oh great king, save him, save his life'. Rue's eyes open and she reaches towards nothing and she has to stay like that in an arabaresque for four, five seconds before her leg lowers and her back curls with it.

It's like breathing, this yearning. She can understand it. Mytho isn't in the room but it doesn't matter because he's always there, always present, as if dark claws had a grip around her heart, as if the one reason she could possibly exist was this, trying to reach for him.

In the story, now, the princess crumbles forward as she begs 'please save him, please, please, I can't live without him, please, please' and as she does her last pirouette before she falls down, Rue hates this story and the princess' weakness with all her heart.

I'll protect him, she thinks. He doesn't need anyone else. I'll protect him.