Swan Obsession

A droplet of something warm fell across her chest. Then another. It couldn't have been rain; rain was always cold in these parts. Using all her effort to open her eyes, Odette glanced down upon her body, and was shocked by what she saw. Splatters of a crimson liquid continued to fall upon her body and all around her, and looking up, she saw the contorted body of Derek, hanging from the mouth of the great beast. As much as she loathed Derek, the violence of the scene was more than she could bear.

"No..." she whispered, her throat feeling like it would close up from the effort it took to speak. "Noo!" She cried, this time louder, and it seemed as though the beast heard her for it paused, suspended in mid air, except for the flapping of its wings. The creature seemed unsure of what to do, it's red eyes focused intently on her pale form.

"Don't... don't kill him... " Odette whispered. "Please..." With an angry snarl, the great beast flung Derek away, feeling a sense of satisfaction as his bloodied body hit a thick branch before collapsing upon the floor. The beast circled the air before gliding downwards to land beside Odette's chilled body. It leaned over her, soft grey fur gently tickling her skin, but Odette was too weak to recoil. She could only painfully gasp for air, her chest irratically moving up and down.

A brilliant flash of red caused her to close her eyes, and the Great Animal had transformed back into Rothbart. He took Odette's hand in both of his, before pulling her up into his strong grasp and cradling her. Fear like he had never felt before shot through his heart, as he wondered why he could not warm her icy form.

"What did he do to you, Odette?" Rothbart asked, his voice breaking. Weakly, Odette shook her golden head.
"Nothing..." she whispered. "He did... " Odette winced in pain from the effort of speaking, "nothing..."
Rothbart paled as the implications of her words sunk in. He thought back to earlier in the night, when he used her body as he did. It explained why she had not yet transformed back into a swan.
I love you

The words drifted into his mind once again. What had he done? Because of his thoughtless cruel actions, Odette lay dying in his arms.

"Rothbart," she whispered, so quietly he had to bend his head down to hear her words, "Thank you... for not killing...."

Rothbart's chest constricted. He was afraid to voice the words; afraid to know, but he had to ask.

"Did you love... Derek?" Rothbart pressed tentatively. Her long lashes fluttered momentarily, and then her luminescent violet eyes gazed straight into his dark ones.

"I..." She took a laboured breath, "I've only ever loved... one man." Odette smiled weakly.

"I love... you" Odette finished, suddenly wincing in pain. "I'm dying... Rothbart..."

"No!" Rothbart exclaimed, clutching her nearly-limp form close to his chest. "No... Odette..." Her eyes gently closed as her golden head lolled backwards. He buried his face in her chest, fighting the tears that came to his eyes. He had never hated himself so much as he did now.


From behind him, he heard a weak laugh, broken only by gurgled coughing. Rothbart turned his head, and was sickened to see Derek attempting to drag himself towards the couple, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

"When your done with her, can I have her?" He sneered lecherously alternately laughing and spitting out blood. Murderous fury filled Rothbart's vision with red, and only Odette's body in his arms kept him from leaping up and rending Derek's head from his body.

"Get out of here before I kill you," Rothbart said with quiet threat. Derek only laughed again, propping himself up against a tree, and letting his eyes roam over the princess's body. Unable to accept Derek's disrespectful actions, Rothbart gently set Odette down upon the soil of the lake, and stood up to his full height, his thickly muscled body casting an imposing silhouette over Derek.

"I said," Rothbart growled, "Get out of here before I kill you." Derek eyed Rothbart speculatively.

"Go ahead," Derek replied, his eyes filled with challenge. They remained like that for what seemed like an eternity, locked in a silent stand off. With an angry snarl, Rothbart shook his head, and turned away. Though Odette no longer seemed to be of this world, he would not dishonour her by doing something she felt strongly against. She was simply too important to him.

Rothbart moved back towards Odette, lying serenely by the lake. Unfortunately, leaving his back exposed was a grave mistake. He felt an unexpected sharp stab of cold unyielding metal as it sliced through skin and muscle. Derek had used the last of his strength, pushing himself from the tree and thrusting his sword forward, to attempt to kill Rothbart. With a last satisfied laugh, he fell to the ground content to die in a pool of his own blood, so long as Rothbart's blood was spilled as well.