Every morning, I wake up near the break of dawn, snuggled up in Fakir's blankets. It's only been a little while since he's been in bed because the sheets are still warm. I roll over towards his warm spot, breathing in his scent and sleep for a little while longer. Soon, he wakes me up after his shower to tell me breakfast is ready. After stretching and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I hop off the bed and join him in the kitchen, where he serves freshly cooked pancakes (we never have scrambled eggs, on account chickens and ducks might as well be the same thing).

I have trouble reaching for a plate, but Fakir always gets it for me. He often helps me do things for myself. I'm usually too short to reach anything in his house without making a mess, so if I want something, he usually has to get it for me.

A little while after breakfast, we'd sometimes talk with friends or go to the park to visit the lake. Some days I'll just dip my feet in the murky water, but others, I'll just lazily float around while he writes, him occasionally asking for my input when he gets stuck.

When I get too tired, he'll carry me home, often calling me an idiot for randomly drifting off, and tuck me into bed. If he's not burning the candle at both ends, he'd join me and snuggle close to keep me from rolling off the bed. These are how I have spent my days as a duck.

Initially, I thought that if I was a girl, life with Fakir would have been difficult. But even with that being true, it doesn't feel any different. Fakir still talks to me like I was still Ahiru the girl, instead of Ahiru the duck. And while I do miss talking to him, my true self is still just a bird. And I guess that's okay.

From what I can remember from Drosselmeyer's story and the events that had taken place, is that hearts change, and so do people.

Maybe fate or Fakir's stories will have something in store for us that may change how we are.

But for as long as time continues to test us, I still hope that, however we may end up, that we'll still be together, sharing a meal of pancakes.