Swan Lake

Dark prince

Deep underground there lived magical creatures that were not visible to human eyes, and the prince of the elves commanded them.

Deep silence reigned in the underground palaces, today elves and fairies did not dance under the moon, today was a day of sorrow, because it was on this day many years ago that the elves kidn*pped him from the human world to make him their master, and he forever lost the one he loved.

He took off his mask for the first time in years. He possessed all the treasures of the earth, and the beauty of a fairy king, but he remembered and loved the earthly girl. Richard remembered Odette, his little princess, who stole his heart. He became a dark prince because of her, but he did not regret anything, and also that he had to hide his face from people, so that no one would know that the elf lord was once a mere mortal.

The ghost of Odette flashed before him and did not give him peace, incessantly teasing him with its beauty. He could no longer live like this, he had to decide his own fate and make his beloved the queen of the fairies, but she had another beloved, and only the death of Prince Etienne could return him to his former happiness.

The night was cold and dark as Odette approached the castle. It was not easy for her to enter Rothbert's castle, but she had to try, otherwise, with the coming of day, the white wings of a swan would hide her human beauty.

Meanwhile, Etienne woke up from a long oblivion, but he was no longer on the bridge by the castle. He lay in a soft bed, the sweet scent of roses wafted to him, and wondrous music poured from the open balcony. He did not remember how he got here, something alarmed him and warned of danger.

The wonderful melody seemed magical, it intoxicated, as if elves and fairies were playing their instruments, charming and captivating mere mortals to their kingdom. He did not know that it was the song of the fatal sirens who turned into black swans and obeyed their insidious mistress in everything. Etienne opened his eyes. Odette was sitting next to him on the bed. Only her hair was not light, but black

“How did you get here, Odette?” Etienne involuntarily asked, “how did I end up here?”

The girl just smiled.

“You hear the song,” she said. “This melody is here every night.”

“Who sings it?” Etienne asked again.

“Girls are swans,” she replied.

“But they were always so sad, and this is, rather, the song of the night temptress.”

“Being a swan is not only eternal sadness, they are my subjects, and to each of them I have given the beauty of a mermaid that lures any traveler to make him another victim of our kingdom and another confirmation of my power.”

“But I thought ...” Etienne burst out.

“It’s impossible to think about it,” she cut him off. “It must be seen.”

Etienne involuntarily fell silent, he did not understand any of her strange words. The music was still playing to him, but the charming brunette clapped her hands and the song died away.

“That's better?” She asked, but Etienne could not find words, he was, as if fascinated by the beautiful smile of her, her gentle voice.

“Odette,” Etienne repeated.

“Hush,” she smiled, “I don’t want to wake up the golden dragon, but he comes here every night.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It does not matter.”

“But how did we get here?”

“This is also magic.”

She handed him a scarlet rose on a short stem, its head sparkling and shimmering in the candlelight, as if the flower were crystal, but its petals seemed alive and beautiful.

Etienne touched the rose and felt how cold it was, with what icy wind its delicate petals were giving off, but the flower itself was beautiful, there was nothing to say about it, it shone in the candlelight, he beckoned to touch himself, and for a moment Etienne even he seemed to become warm. He remembered Christian, he almost let slip that he had sent his brother to Rothbert's castle, but restrained himself in time.

“Odette,” he repeated.

“I'm not Odette,” the girl said.

“Who are you?” burst out from him.

“I ...” she grinned, smiling insidiously, “I am a black swan, I am a damned princess, I have ruined your brother, and now it is your turn.”

Everything disappeared in an instant. Etienne was lying on the marble floor in a witch's circle. He saw Rothbert's evil face in the candlelight, a red-haired witch stood next to him, and then, like a real queen, Odile gazed at him mercilessly. She was a worthy daughter of her father, and his unfortunate brother loved this insidious beauty.

“Your end is near, Prince Etienne,” said Rothbert mercilessly, “you have committed the most serious of all crimes, stood in my way. You tried to free the one that belongs to me, my swan girl. She will never leave the enchanted lake, never a single person in this world can free her, or he will deal with me.”

“It's time, Violetta,” Odile whispered, and laughter burst from the chest of the red witch. She drew herself up to her full height and extended her long claws forward. They had almost touched the Etienne's clothes, but suddenly a female figure separated them, and the prince saw Odette's blonde hair in front of him. They shone even in this darkness, and her eyes sparkled with a spark of hatred when she looked at Rothbert.

He was furious, but looking at her, he suddenly remembered the one he had lost.

“You,” he escaped, and Odette boldly answered him with her glance.

“Let's run,” she whispered to Etienne.

The prince grabbed her hand, and they rushed out of the kingdom of the merciless King Rothbert. Odile looked after them, she once also loved the young prince, but her love was torn apart by the power of witchcraft.

Odette and Etienne ran out of the gloomy castle. Now the wind of freedom was blowing in their faces, and this feeling was most precious of all. They finally escaped from the dark possessions of the king of evil, but he could still catch up with them. In this war, everyone considered himself a winner, but Etienne's troops still remained on the battlefield, he had to return there and go home with them, to his native country from these damned swamps and pools of darkness.

“Etienne,” Odette whispered.

Lightning suddenly flashed, the sky turned bloody. The battle with the forces of darkness is not over yet. Odette remembered the elf's words and the fact that because of the only moment in the land of fairies, she almost lost her love.

“What is it,” burst out from the prince.

“I'm afraid to even say so,” Odette replied.

“Do you know anything?”

“The fact that if we stay here, then neither you nor I will never be able to return home.”

“Tell me, Odette, - said Etienne, - what happened to you in the land of fairies, it may hurt me to hear it, but I must know.”

“I can't,” she said sadly.

“I beg you,” he insisted, but she was sad. She remembered Richard and the fairy king, had her old friend really become the dark prince.

“Odette, I beg you,” continued Etienne, “what happened to you in the kingdom of the fairies?”

“You'd better not know about it.”

“Why?”

“This is my past, a part of my life, but it is bitter for me. I betrayed the one who loved me, and I must pay for it with my life.”

“No,” Etienne burst out.

“Forgive me,” she whispered, “but I cannot forget parts of my life.”

"Do you belong to the kingdom of the elves?"

“No,” she answered, “I did not have time to become one of them, you saved me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Prince of elves,” said Odette sadly, “he offered me everything, he wanted to make me his queen. The wedding celebration was already starting when you showed up. However, a part of my heart remained there, and nothing could ever free it.”

“Why?” Etienne could not understand.

“Because I betrayed my first love,” she replied.

“I promised to run with him, but I stayed, falling in love with you.”

“It was love at first sight,” said Etienne, “I cursed the day that was to be my wedding day. Then I saw a beautiful woman with a crown in blond hair and realized that life for me is impossible without her. I swear to you, Odette, I will always love only you.”

“I’m ready to fight for your love with anyone,” said Etienne, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“What is it?” said Odette, pointing to the east, where a fiery glow rose. Etienne looked there and saw a female figure. It was so strange where she could have come from on the battlefield.

He looked closely, yes, it really was a woman, she was wearing a long bloody dress, and the same long hair was scattered over her shoulders, but her face was not visible in the darkness, but a magical light fell on her, and Etienne could not believe myself when he saw Rosalyn's evil face.

“The time has come for reckoning,” she said, “according to the laws of the dark forces, you are both doomed to die, and I have come to take your lives.”

“Rosalyn,” Etienne said pleadingly, “you were human.”

But she only laughed cruelly.

“You must die, you and this princess, her beauty will never help her again, King Rothbert is not in love with you. He will not spare you, Princess Odette.”

Rosalyn's eyes flashed with an angry fire, her nails stretched forward, and now they were more like ten sharp daggers, which at any moment were ready to bite into a human body. The witch rushed to Odette, but Etienne managed to pierce her with his sword. Suddenly lightning flashed in the dark sky and severed the hands of Etienne and Odette, and at the same moment, when they were no longer together, a long arm grabbed Odette's shoulder.

“Marie,” Odette whispered.

“Yes,” she said, and a vicious smile contorted her face.

“What do you want?” burst out from the princess.

“You are no longer my mistress.”

“You are at the mercy of the dark forces.”

“Yes,” came the harsh answer. Her hands reached out to Odette's throat.

“I always dreamed of doing away with you,” Marie hissed and grabbed the collar of Odette's clothes even more.

Odette tried to break free, but nothing came of it. Marie laughed out loud. She already felt like a winner in advance, and Odette did not know what to do to win this fight and stay alive.

“I dreamed of this moment, princess - a swan,” said the villain, and a sharp dagger flashed in her hand, but Odette managed to push her away so that she fell on a sharp sword stuck in Rosalyn. Odette snatched the dagger from her hand and stabbed Marie with it. Both villains were now dead.

Odette looked around for Etienne. Where could he be? Then she saw the royal cat Clarissa. The peasant girls gave this p***y to the prince's mother. It followed the prince to the military camp. Now it held in her little sharp teeth the ribbon that had fallen from Odette's hair. It was so self-confident and spoiled that it really liked Odette, and the princess smiled tenderly at the sweet creature.

“Well, well,” said Odette, referring to the cat, “now we need to find Etienne.”

There was no need to look for Etienne. He was already running as fast as he could toward Odette.

“Odette, darling, how I was scared for you.”

“Everything is fine. I am alive.”

Etienne embraced her, but in the distance there was a clang of weapons, the black knights of King Rothbert attacked Etienne's army.

“Wait for me here,” Etienne exclaimed, and rushed into battle.

Odette was left alone, waiting for Etienne. A horseman appeared on the scarlet horizon, an elf knight in shining armor.

Here the horse, fast as the wind, stopped, and the unknown knight, jumping off the saddle, rushed to Odette. He knelt down in front of her, but she only recoiled in horror, she did not know him and did not see his face under the golden helmet. He took it off his head, Odette recognized her childhood friend.

“Richard!” Odette whispered.

“I’m back, Odette,” he burst out, and he squeezed her hand tightly in his, “I’m back to never leave you again, I swear to you in this, forces more powerful than death have been connecting us since that very moment, how you got to the kingdom of fairies before this day.”

“I love you, Odette,” he whispered, “and I have always.”

“Me too,” she replied, “I love you, prince of the elves, as my best friend.”

“So it's true,” Richard said, rising from his knees. Despair shone in his eyes, “the red-haired witch was right, you betrayed me, you love another. You love a man, the same prince I have always hated, and I have reason to despise him. God, you didn't even know him, he was a stranger to us, you promised to run with me, but you fell in love with someone else.”

“What happened to you, where did you suddenly disappear, leaving me in danger.”

“The red-haired witch has bewitched me,” he said. “She made me what I have become, and there is no turning back. Never again will I become a man, I am doomed to live between two worlds, and nothing can save me.”

“I'm not the same either,” Odette whispered.

“I know,” he replied, “and I don’t care who you are, human or swan, but I can save you from the curse, which he, a mere mortal, cannot do.”

At that very moment, a gust of wind flew at them with frenzied force, and a huge black kite whirled in the dark sky, right above their heads. It was a huge, black bird. On the head of the black kite glittered a golden crown, a symbol of his power over the kingdom of evil.

The kite rushed down with a stone and scratched Odette's hand so hard that blood immediately gushed out of it, but Richard blocked it with himself and prepared for a battle that promised to be cruel and dangerous.

The kite's wings flickered across the dark sky. Richard was not going to give up and did not take his eyes off his enemy, who was flying high in the sky.

Suddenly the kite fell down like a stone and rushed at Richard again, his claws mercilessly tore at everything that came in their way, and they scratched Richard's shoulder and neck, a deep wound remained on his arm, but at the very last minute the knight turned out to be stronger and hit the bird on wing. Lightning flashed, and a huge bird with a wounded wing flew away into the heart of the night.

“Now I have the next battle, in which only one of the opponents will remain alive,” he said.

“What are you talking about?”- burst out from Odette.

“I never wanted to say goodbye to you,” he said, sadly dropping his eyes, “but now I say to you, goodbye!”

He jumped on his horse and tossed his helmet aside. Odette thought that he would forget her, return to his kingdom of elves, but she was mistaken, instead of going back, Richard rushed to the battlefield.

The hill was far behind, and Richard galloped forward until he caught up with the fighters and Etienne on horseback. The opponents immediately recognized each other. Richard gave Etienne an appraising look, yes, his opponent was really handsome, but he decided to test how strong the prince was.

“For the love of Odette,” Richard said, drawing his sword.

“Yes, for her love,” Etienne replied without hesitation.

Their swords slammed together and the battle began. It continued until both of them were left without horses, and now, standing on the battlefield, they continued to fight. The battle was long and hot, each opponent knew that he was fighting for the most precious thing in his life.

Each was stubborn and persistent in his own way, but devilish forces intervened in the course of the battle. A huge kite swept across the sky with a wild cry, and Etienne's sword sank into the heart of the enemy.

Odette was next to the prince.

“What have you done,” she whispered.

“I didn't mean to,” he admitted. “Forgive me.”

At that very moment, the kite above their heads screamed loudly, and the dead knights in black armor began to rise from the battlefield, they were alive again.

“Death to them,” was heard in the crowd of hellish creatures, but Etienne grabbed Odette's hand, now it was clear to her that the killer was not he, but a black bird, flying away from the place where they both were supposed to die.

“Forgive me, Odette,” said Etienne, “but I love you as I did before and even more.”

Odette clung tightly to Etienne, waiting for the moment of their death, now they were ready to die together, but salvation could always be found.

Etienne suddenly saw the heads of monsters behind the forest of his faithful snow-white horse, and the plan of escape instantly flashed in his head. Etienne decided to take a chance.

“Let's go,” he shouted to Odette and, having slain several monsters with a sword, he jumped on his horse, picking up Odette, and they rushed away from the damned place.

The night was over, but the lakes were already close.

They drove up to the lake, and then Etienne stopped his horse.

“All is useless,” said Odette, “we are prisoners of our fate forever.”

“No,” Etienne assured her, “I know how to make you human again. I read it in Rothbert's eyes, his spell will fall when you become my bride.”

“But how, because during the day I am a swan.”

“But not at night.”

“Yes,” Odette confirmed.

“In a few days there will be a ball in the castle, where I have to choose a bride for myself and you will be that bride. At night you will come to the ball, I will wait for you.”

Odette looked at him, she could not believe that the forces of evil would not prepare them other obstacles, because Rothbert could not just let her go. He could play a cruel joke on them again, but he could only hope for the best.

“I'll come,” Odette promised and kissed him. At that very moment, her hair sparkled, and her dress turned white as the plumage of a swan. Dawn was approaching.

Their kiss lasted for several moments, and then Odette looked sadly at Etienne, she did not want to become a swan again, but there was nothing to do. At least now they had one more hope, it was ghostly, but it seemed that the spell of witchcraft was about to break from the power of their love.

The distant dawn blossomed over the swan lake, it was a tale of love in the heart of a prince and a princess, their love was supposed to win, but there was still the love of a black swan and another handsome prince. It was even more powerful and dangerous, no spell could destroy and destroy her, as Odette's mother did. Now, in the darkness of the dark kingdom, another story of love and witchcraft began.