" i will fly to them , these royal birds , and they will peck me to death because i , who am so ugly , dare to approach them ; but it does n't matter ; it 's better to be killed by them than to be snapped at by the ducks and pecked at by hens and kicked by the servant who looks after the poultry - yard , and suffer all the winter . " so he flew out into the open water and swam towards the stately swans , and they saw him and hastened with swelling plumage to meet him . " yes , kill me , " the poor creature said , bowing his head down to the water , and waited for death . but what did he see in the clear water ? he beheld his own image , but it was no longer that of a clumsy dark grey bird , ugly and repulsive . he was a swan himself .
happy .
how did the duckling feel when he realized he was a swan himself ?
how did the duckling feel when he realized he was a swan himself ?