Swan Lake. Dragon Empire

Now she has become a magic bird, Rothbert took revenge, but this revenge could become a punishment for himself. Once he was already in love with the beautiful Diana, now he could fall in love with her beautiful daughter. No, it was just a fairy tale. His love died with the death of the queen, not his, but someone else’s bride. He loved her, and his love died with her and her beauty. Could he really fall in love with the one he was supposed to take revenge on, the one he turned into a princess – a swan?

Prince’s love

Years passed and Christian returned. Travels, wars, duels, battles tempered him and made him an invincible knight. He won fame and honor with his sword, but he did not rush to the palace to meet with his family. Of course, he loved them, was attached to them, but now he was called by a stronger love, love for the black swan. He has to see Odile at all costs.

His brother Etienne has changed a lot over the years. The taverns, booze, drunken fights were forgotten. University education and military training. He became flawless. Love for Odette completely cured him of drunken fights and noisy taverns, now he did not look at any girl, he was waiting for the moment when he would return to Odette again.

Rothbert went to the lake and flapped the flaps of his long black cloak like the wings of a black bird. The white swan on the lake sparkled with magical colors, and now it was no longer a swan, but a beautiful girl with blond hair. As if after a long sleep she ran her hand over her face, she was again a man, she, Princess Odette, enchanted by a swan.

«Remember everything,» said Rothbert, and like flashes of lightning in Odette’s head flashed a moment from the past, but not her, but her beautiful mother.

She seemed to see how Diana ran across the hall, how she bends over the corpse of the young king, how she receives the kiss of death from the golden bowl of the red-haired witch.

«Yes,» whispered Odette, «yes, I remember you, because of you my mother died.»

«I avenge the death of the one who was your mother. She has doomed you to suffer forever, far from your love, forever to be a cursed princess, a swan girl. At night you will take on a human form, and during the day you will become a swan with a golden crown on your head. I can give you just one day, one day you will be human and make sure that your prince has long forgotten you.»

«It will never happen,» she said boldly.

«Just remember one day, princess,» the evil genius hissed. The flaps of his cloak swept, and a large black bird flew away from the lake.

Etienne drove up to the caves located in the depths of the forest, far from the capital.

He jumped off his horse and, tying it to one of the trees, entered the cave.

Voices rang out from afar. Where did the voices come from in the domain of the old hermit, and in addition female voices, which was even more alarming.

«Prince,» someone invisible called, and another voice continued:

«Come to us!»

«Come!» It sounded in silence and echoed from the walls of the cave, «come to us, we have been waiting for you for so long!»

Etienne could not believe what he was hearing. The owner of the caves, his old friend, the hermit, had no relatives. no friends, but he was the greatest sorcerer in the whole kingdom. With this in mind, Étienne boldly moved forward.

«Prince Charming,» came from behind him. He turned and had time to catch his gaze, as a shadow flashed, dark and fast as an arrow. Suddenly the cave was lit up with light, and three girls appeared in front of him, looking like oriental princesses.

One of them was red-haired, the second was a brunette, the third was a blonde. They were undoubtedly beautiful, but for the prince, only Odette existed in the world.

The red-haired beauty looked straight into Etienne’s eyes, trying to find at least some response to her beauty, but in vain, Etienne’s eyes remained impassive. She put her hands on Etienne’s neck and grinned.

«I look like her, Etienne,» she asked. How did she know his name?

«And I? And I?» The other girls moaned to her.

«It’s stupid to think about the one so far away,» the brunette echoed.

«There are other girls in the world,» the blonde continued.

«Stay with us, Etienne,» continued the red-haired girl, «even if we are not her, but we can replace her for a while.»

«Never,» Etienne replied, removing her hands from his neck, but the red-haired beauty did not pay attention to it.

«Is she really so beautiful,» she interrupted.

«Yes,» the prince answered firmly, «more beautiful than all earthly girls, and even ghosts.»

«Go away,» came an imperious voice behind him. The three girls rose up like smoke and disappeared, and before Etienne stood his old friend, his second father, a hermit and a sorcerer.

«You came,» he said, and slightly tilted his head in greeting.

«How could I not come,» Etienne replied to his words, «you became a second father to me.»

«And you have changed,» said the hermit, «now you are a handsome prince, and soon you will become the king of your country.»

«One thing scares me,» said Etienne honestly, «marriage, I cannot marry any girl, except…»

«Her?»

«Yes,» said Etienne, not even knowing how the sorcerer knows his secret.

«Princess Odette,» said the wizard thoughtfully.

«Yes, but where is she?» The prince roused himself.

«I don’t know that, but there is one thing that I can know.

He led Etienne forward, and they found themselves in another, dark and huge cave. On the table with books lay a skull, and above it, on the wall, hung an old sword, decorated with precious stones and a golden hilt. Next to the table, on a dais, was a mirror. They approached him.

«Look,» said the hermit and ran his wrinkled hand over the smooth surface of the mirror. The mirror reflected a lake with swans swimming in it, and then Etienne saw Odette’s face. She has grown and become even more beautiful.

«Yes, it’s her,» Etienne burst out, and immediately the vision disappeared.

«Will I find her?» The prince asked.

«Yes,» said his old and wise friend, «but believe me, I know how hard it is to lose your love.»

«How do you know,» Etienne was surprised, «tell me!»

The old man moved away from the mirror, and his face was not visible behind the long gray hair, but Etienne could swear that for a moment, just for one magical moment, it again became the young and beautiful face of a prince in love with a red witch.

«It was a long time ago,» he began, «in that kingdom that no longer exists, War and death destroyed it, after the beautiful witch killed the king and the king’s brother, who was handsome and young, and…»

«And it was you,» the Etienne continued, fascinated.

«Yes,» his friend nodded his head and continued his story, «I was young and brave, I was looking for glory and battles, but she appeared, a beauty from a dark fairy tale, and crossed out my whole life. She became the wife of my older brother, the king, and broke my heart forever. She did not need love, her selfish heart longed for power, and I could offer her nothing but my heart. I left the palace and went into voluntary exile. When my brother died suddenly, she was accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death at the stake.

The day she was to be executed, my life was shattered forever.