Swan Obsession

Notes: Yay! A review! I'm so happy :D

Odette awoke with the sense that something was terribly wrong. Rising from the large four poster bed, she noticed immediately that she was alone. Rothbart had left no trace of his presence and she felt an immediate sense of loss. Gingerly standing up, she draped the sheets around her lithe form, and walked awkwardly towards the window. There was an uncomfortable soreness between her legs, but she ignored it. Catching sight of the moonlight off the lake, she smiled ruefully, almost wishing she were afloat on the cool water. After being a swan for so long, it seemed more natural than being human. The urge was great enough that Odette pushed herself away from the glorious view from the window, and towards the door. She was surprised to find that it wasn't locked.

A wave of mild dizziness came over her and she swayed slightly, but for some reason, it felt like she had been spending far too much time lying down, and she needed to be elsewhere. Steadying herself so that she would not walk into a wall, she took several deep breaths, eyes intent on the ground, before proceeding onwards.

Upon looking back up, she was surprised to find that the state of the hallway was significantly worse than the room she just exited. There were no wood panels on these walls; just bare, crumbling stone, and the carpet beneath her feet was worn down to patches. As her eyes focused to the dim light, she thought she could spot holes in the ceiling; it certainly explained the draft. The torches that lit the long walkway flickered, casting an eerie light, and Odette shivered. There was no warmth in these halls, and the chill that she felt would not leave her.

She came to a staircase, and carefully took a step downwards. The ground once again felt like it was tipping, and she gripped the handrails so tightly her knuckles were white. It seemed an eternity before the dizziness passed, and Odette slowly made her way down the stairs. Looking around, she guessed that she was likely in the grand hall, judging by the vastness of the room. Her eyes swept skyward, and she was less than surprised to see that there was no ceiling here. Just a big gaping hole through which the star speckled sky shone through. She wondered if such a structure could even be called a castle, considering how bad a state of disrepair it was in. Making her way across the grand hall, she came to a large pair of heavy black doors. She wondered if they had been painted to look so ominous, but when she touched it, ashy remnants left a residue on her pale fingers. Her eyes widened as she realized that the door had been burnt black. With a harder push, the wood seemed to crumble and break away, and before long, Odette had made her way outside.

Being outside did nothing to alleviate the chill that she felt, and if anything Odette seemed to feel worse. Up ahead, she could see glimmers of white light that indicated the sparkling of the lake, and so, using the sporadic trees to support her, she staggered awkwardly towards the water. The sheet that she had wrapped around her ripped and tore as branches and rocks caught it's threads, but Odette paid no heed. She was so close.

The grass and rocks beneath her feet turned to soft soil as she neared the lake. Odette was shivering visibly now, barely able to hold up the sheet. It did nothing to keep away the cold anyhow.

Wondering if she was hearing things, she turned her head slightly at the sound of clopping hooves. From the darkness Derek emerged, his face red with exertion, and his chest heaving, as he attempted to catch his breath.

"Odette!" He exclaimed, and her last thoughts before she collapsed at the edge of the lake were: What is that rat doing here...?