His Enchanted Swan

Chapter Eleven

Odette had never felt so free, so alive, as she and her owl friend flew through the night sky. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel any of the responsibilities, nor the burdens associated with royal life. But she feared it was all a dream. For she had dreamt about the owl visiting her almost every night. Hopefully, this time it wasn’t just a dream. But if it was, she would enjoy her freedom, and live in the moment.

“I feel so alive!” She exclaimed with a feeling of great joy.

“I am glad, my dear!” He said to her. “For a spirit such as yours, deserves to break free from the rigid existence known as mankind!”

“I shall never want to go back!” She replied. “I never want this to end!”

“If that is what you truly want, my dear!” He proclaimed. “Than that is how it shall be, but what you ask, should only be what your heart truly desires. For once I grant your request, there can be no going back on your word!”

“It is what I want!” She cried.

“Than it is what shall be!” He told her.

After a while, the owl guided her down towards a clearing. When their feet touched the ground. They both turned back into human form. He was dressed in all black, and she was in a beautiful pure white gown. The gown obviously had taken it’s inspirations, from the swans that she had admired all of her life.

“How did you do that?” She asked, as she was both surprised, and elated by the gift he had given her.

“I can do anything, my Swan Queen.” He told her, as he smiled. “We are in the enchanted part of the forest. I can create whatever I wish. Or, I can create, whatever you wish. For I am just your humble servant, as my heart gladly concedes to you as its master.”

She had never seen any man as handsome as he, as his flattering words we’re humbling to her. He then looked into her eyes, took her hand, and kissed the back of it.

“May I have this dance, my queen?” He asked, as he politely bowed to her. To have such a charming, and handsome man asking her to dance, seemed like a fairytale come true. She then curtsied, gave him her hand, and he pulled her to him. Soon they were spinning around the forest, as the music took over her mind.

The music? From where was it coming? The tune itself was magical, as if she was falling under it’s spell. The entire scene around them was beyond enchanting, as they stared into one another’s eyes. They were bathed within the full moonlight, as it had completely enveloped them in it’s romantic glow.

“You are so beautiful, my love.” He whispered. “But I always knew you would be.” A look of amorous love, shone deep, within his eyes. They stared deeply into her very soul, but her spirit would willingly get lost in them. For she had no desire, to escape the hold, for which he now seemed to have over her. He was taking control of her free will, but she was not willing to fight him for it.

He then leaned in to kiss her, and she did not fight the urge to return his love. They were soon locked in a passionate kiss, as she was now willing to give him both her body, and her soul. As he slowly pulled away, he continued to stare into her eyes. Mesmerized by them, she was now willing to give him her heart as well.

“You are now, forever mine!” He proclaimed. “My forever Swan Queen, my forever love, my forever bride!”

Then, all at once, reality came crashing down upon her! Immediately she snapped out of the trance, that she herself, willingly let him imprison her.

“Wait!” She gasped. “What-what are you doing?”

“I am claiming you as my queen.” He whispered. “It is what you asked of me.”

“But I wanted to escape from my reality!” She cried. “You kept me from marrying one man, by tricking me into marrying you.”

“But you do not love him.” He replied, as he had a look of confusion. “I am the one that you love, just as you are the one that I love.”

“But you used my fond memories of you, as a child, to enchant me!” She exclaimed. “You took the love that a child had for a long lost friend, and enhanced those feelings. You took the innocent love of a child, and used magic to manipulate my own emotions. You tricked me into pledging adult love for you!”

“You cannot go back on your word!” He exclaimed. “I warned you, my dear. If you asked to stay with me forever, then it had to be what your heart truly desired. You are mine now, and I shall never let you go! For you are my beloved Swan Queen, and I am your Owl King!”

“The Owl King!” She cried out in horror! “You-you are the Owl King? My father warned me of you! But I thought you were just a legend. I had no idea that the creature I saved as a child, was the evil wizard!”

“Evil!” He exclaimed, in anger. “Your father has the nerve to call me evil? It is man who is evil. As a daughter of man, you my beloved are the exception, not man’s example! It is men like your father, that drove the owl shifters towards the brink of extinction!”

“But you are the destroyer of kingdoms!” She cried. “You not only wipe out an entire kingdom, but you eliminate everyone in the kingdom as well!”

“I spare the innocent.” He told her, with a stone cold look in his eyes.

“You abduct all of the daughters of the kingdom!” She exclaimed. “And you turn them into—“

Her body began to tremble, with a terrifying realization. “—you turn them into swans!”

“Odette!” He cried. “I assure you my dear, you are different! Those maidens are forever swans, they do not take human form. They still have their cognitive minds, but they will remain forever in swan form. It is lonely to be the last of one’s kind. So yes, I abducted the maidens to punish mankind. But I also did it because I was alone. I took each maiden from a kingdom that faced my wrath. Each one of them was beautiful in her own way, but I made them even more beautiful. I blessed them with a special gift. They not only possess the true beauty of a swan, but I made them immortal. I took them from their mundane lives, as servants of man, and I gave them a new life.”

“But they are your prisoners!” She cried. “You hold them against their will! Why?”

“Because I protect them from the demon known as man.” He explained. “Man, for the most part, has been cruel to his female counterpart. He subjugates her, just as he subjugates all living things on Earth. For a while, their presence helped fill the void of being the only one left of my kind. But if I were to release them as swans, they would likely be hunted. Just as that wretched prince, tried to destroy me that day. I saw you protecting my swans from him, that’s why I had to get a closer look at you.”

He paused for a moment, as his face had softened, and tears began to well up in his eyes. He then continued. “I had never seen any human with such a kind heart before. But as I flew in for a closer look, that horrid boy almost killed me. Yet you were willing to protect me, even though he could have physically harmed you. But when you lovingly cradled me in your arms, and baptized me with your tears, I had fallen in love. Even though you were merely a child, I could see into your soul. From that moment on, my only wish was to love you.”

“How can you expect me to love a monster that wants to forever imprison me as a swan?” She asked, as she began to cry.

“You are not my prisoner!” He proclaimed. “You are my queen! Look at you, you are still in human form. You will only be a swan by day, so that we can hide from the evil world of man. I too usually take an owl form during the day, for that very reason. During the day, the swans shall be your companions, just as they had when you were a small child. But at night, you shall take your form as a human. For I would not dare deny myself the beauty of your human form. We will reign as king, and queen, of our enchanted kingdom. And we shall always watch over, and protect our swans.”

“No!” She cried. “I want no part of this! I do not return your love! You are not who I thought you were!”

She quickly turned, to run away. But as soon as she did, he was standing right in front of her.

“How did you do that!” She gasped, as he had more than frightened her.

“I am the evil wizard, remember?” He angrily replied, as he stared deep into her eyes. “I am the dreaded Owl King! I warned you my love, you cannot go back upon your word. You had agreed to stay with me forever. I will hold you to that vow. Like it or not, you have stolen my heart. And perhaps your heart does not yet love me. But, I can assure you my dear, your body will!”

Before she had a chance to do anything, he grabbed her upper arms, and smashed his lips into hers. She tried to struggle, but he was too strong. Just then, she heard his voice inside her head.

“Now I shall show you, my queen, just how much I truly love you!”

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