Swan Lake

Forever under the mask

The road to King Rothbert's castle was hard and long. Christian had to cross the desert and several times to engage in battle with the black knights of the king of evil. The city appeared ahead. Christian donned his mask and stopped at the marble staircase that led to the open gates of the city. Suddenly he was dumbfounded, in another part of the passage to the city, a beautiful woman with green eyes was sitting on a beautiful horse, and Christian immediately recognized her.

Odile sat on a horse. She was wearing a luxurious blue dress. Her black hair was pulled back to one side and fell over her chest. The eyes were as beautiful as they were a few years ago. Christian looked at her and could not believe that everything was back. In an instant he became the same, and she changed beyond recognition. She became an adult beauty, it was impossible to take your eyes off her.

Only now did Christian remember that he was wearing a mask and that he looked like a robber. Did she recognize him, or did he become as alien to her as the words of love worn out in her memory? He went up to her and touched the bridle of her horse.

“It's dangerous here at night to drive alone,” he said as calmly as possible.

“Death is not afraid of death,” she answered quietly, “but there is always someone who will warn the lady of the danger.”

She carefully took the harness of her horse from his hand and rode on, and he looked after her and could not take his eyes off. He knew one thing, he loved her, and nothing in his life would ever change his love.

Christian took his horse by the knot and went on. A few minutes later he stopped at a tavern. Strange, but from it came no noise, no cheerful conversations. The prince entered it. Only three tables were occupied, not the townspeople were sitting at them, but the black knights of King Rothbert.

Christian sat down further from them, at one of the empty tables, with his back to them, but did not take off his mask. The owner, however, did not care whether a person came to his establishment with a closed face or without a mask. He brought him wine and walked away without further questioning, he, obviously, was also afraid of the servants of the king of evil.

The knights drank wine, and it seems that some of them were already quite drunk. A few people were more courageous than the rest, probably they were the leaders of this group of guards. Ordinary people were afraid of them and avoided them, and, indeed, the knights of Rothbert did whatever they wanted, using their power over ordinary people. They were vicious and bloodthirsty creatures, and no one could handle them.

“Soon it’s time for us to make a night detour,” said one of the warriors, he had a rough and ugly voice, he obviously had power over others.

“Wait a little longer,” the second responded nonchalantly, “the city will not leave us anywhere, and here is excellent wine.”

“You forgot what our master and king ordered us,” the first knight growled at him.

“I understand everything,” his friend immediately answered, “but not the whole city is waiting for us. or you forgot about it.”

“You mean the old chapel?”

“Yes,” was the answer.

“We won't be able to go there,” the warrior said calmly, but with a clear awareness of his failure.

“But why?”

“Because we have been ordered to do so, and no one but our king can make such decisions. We must obey all his orders.”

“So we can't go there?”

“Only as a last resort, but I can tell you a secret, this place once belonged to a girl. Her name, I think, was Diana. Once she prayed there, and then she disappeared, no one in the city knew what had become of her. It should be. she's been dead for a long time.”

“A girl,” the second knight grinned, “if you think that all this is because of the girl, then you are mistaken. Our king did not love any girl in the world, no one can seduce him, but he can do everything.”

“You forgot about his daughter.”

“His daughter is beautiful.”

“Yes,” said the leader, “every country can dream of such a princess, but only we know that tomorrow, because of her, the most noble of the kingdom will be executed.”

Hearing this, Christian froze, and the goblet nearly cracked in his hand. This he did not expect to hear, which means that all this time Odile was not alone. He had thought about her for so many years. believed her. but returned and found out that her love was presented to another.

“Do you think we can see the ball tomorrow,” asked the second knight, “it will probably be luxurious, because it’s the princess’s birthday.”

“Yes,” said another, “the birthday of the black swan of our country. However, the princess is dangerous, she killed so many nobles that the life of another of them does not matter.”

Christian set his glass on the table as quietly as he could and prepared to listen further.

“It's time!” the third guard entered the conversation, his glass knocked down on the table, and a clawed hand scratched the steel pattern on it.

“Quiet,” he suddenly shouted to his comrades, “you heard the horse is beating at the entrance, it can only be a mortal horse.”

He got up from his seat and was about to leave the tavern, but suddenly he stopped and noticed Christian, as well as the black mask on the prince's face.

Christian recognized him, he had fought him earlier. Enemies instantly recognized each other, one moment of appraising expectation, and Christian drew his sword from its sheath, so quickly that its point flashed like death in the light of wax candles.

“This is it,” shouted the knight.

Instantly more than ten armed warriors rushed at Christian. The battle was inevitable, everything was against the prince, but he was going to defend his life. He struck down the first guard and slashed the other with force with his sword, so that a cry of pain cut through the noise and echoed in it, as in a deep silence. Christian, kicking the table, knocked him down and knocked down several knights, but victory was still far away. He was surrounded by a ring of five remaining opponents, while the rest came to their senses. Usually, for people, a fight with Christian, if it did not end in death, then, in extreme cases, became the consequence of numerous bruises and bandages, but now he was not fighting with people.

Christian struck the knight who blocked his path with his sword, and then jumped out of the tavern and jumped on his horse. Now he could drive away, but his opponents were also ready to chase him. Many black horses were saddled and just waiting for their riders, and Christian's horse was tired after a long journey.

The prince rushed through the streets of the city and saw the old chapel. Remembering that the knights were forbidden to enter it, he jumped off his horse and knocked with all his might on the door of the chapel. The door was unlocked, he flew into it and rushed into the confessional.

The chapel was calm and quiet. Christian felt a surge of new strength and some kind of calmness in the semi-darkness and coolness. He managed to hide from the guards, but not from his fate.

The door of the chapel opened and Odile entered. She went to the confessional.

“Mom, I know my father doesn't like it when I come here, but I can only trust you.”

She took a deep breath, and her eyes were directed somewhere unknown into the distance, she recalled the past or what happened just a few hours ago.

“I broke the oath that I took,” Odile finally said, “I promised never to remember that mortal again, but it is beyond my strength, today I saw one person, and he embarrassed my peace. My heart flinched when I saw him. He was wearing a mask and looked like a famous robber. I didn't give him away. He reminded me of one person whom I will never forget, but there is a chasm between us. The black swan cannot love a mere mortal, and I loved him, a prince from a distant land. Circumstances separated us, and he probably already forgot about me.”

“I’ll never forget you,” Christian thought.

The sound of hooves and the voices of guards was heard in the distance. The prince slipped out of the chapel unnoticed, whispering:

“Goodbye! Don't give up hope.”

At the same moment Odile, as if awakened from a dream, and heard familiar voices. Whose whispers were just heard in the chapel, because usually there was no one in it. As she was about to leave, the guards from her father's castle burst into the chapel and Edwin, elegant and slender, as always, with a drawn sword in hand.

“Princess!” burst out from him, and he looked at her dumbfounded, as if he had seen her for the first time in his life, but she, not understanding what was happening, turned back.

“Odile,” he said, walking up to her, “you're here.”

“I came here,” she said firmly, “in memory of my mother.”

“Were you here alone?”

“Yes,” she answered and involuntarily remembered a strange whisper.

Edwin instantly realized everything and shot at the door of the confessional. The shot went into Odile's heart, as if it was aimed at her, but when he opened the door, Edwin saw only a shot through the wall. There was no one in the confessional.

“Out of respect for the princess, I will deal with you later,” Edwin said coldly to the guards, and, turning to Odile, added, “I myself will escort you to the castle.”