I never, before this, had actually read a halfway decent Fakir-turns-into-a-duck-or-drake [or whatever...] story, and I like this one, and I don't know why. Good story, and I don't find it all that cliché. :D

I'm not at all familler with the series, but this is a beautiful little scene. I paticularly loved the lines "When they renounced the assumed, imposed identities and agreed to stay true to their actual selves, it had not been a pledge not to change.

Because real people do change, as they go about their lives; only lost and broken storybook princes remain forever static" and "The trick is that real selves are described by labels. Not defined." These two lines are beautifuly phrased, and beautifully true.

Most writers who turn Fakir into a bird do it *instead* of making Duck a human. It's interesting to see a different take on it. I also like your pointing out that they never promised not to change. People tend to miss that sometimes.

Neato

X3 I enjoyed this a lot!