Swan Obsession

A/N:  I think I mentioned this in the comments, but I actually lost the rest of this story when my old computer crashed.  I hated the ending at the time, which is why I never published it and now (about two years later) I'm doing a re-write!  I must have been in a darker frame of mind when I first wrote this story because I'm kind of surprised by the direction it took.  Well.... hopefully anyone reading this enjoys the new ending (not that anyone will ever see the old ending).  I hope my writing style hasn't changed too drastically.  Also, thanks a lot for everyone's kind reviews!  They made me really happy :)

Much to her surprise, Bridgette had actually managed to borrow a carriage, thanks to a surprisingly generous courtier who expressed admiration in her so called "transformation trick."  Though it was nowhere near as impressive as the one Rothbart had created for her out of his illusions, it was at least functional.  She was abuzz with excitement and happy, feeling twenty years younger thanks to the vigorous romp with Prince Derek.  It was a shame he had to dash off in such a hurry.

As the carriage pulled up to Rothbart's land, Bridgette had the sense that something was terribly wrong.  When the lake came into view, she could smell a heavy metallic tang in the air, and her blood ran cold.  She stepped out of the carriage hesitantly, only to see three bodies were strewn about, none of them moving.  Inky black pools of blood spilled out around the bodies, surrounded by broken tree branches, and scattered trails of dirt.  Crows cawed ominously in the background, as though proclaiming that this was a place of death and despair.  

Bridgette's first thoughts, however, were not of panic.  They were not of dismay.  A life with Rothbart had been a life of action and more action, and so, action was the choice she took.  Scurrying up into the castle, she ventured into Rothbart's tower, and searched his shelves for a very specific bottle.  She cleaned these shelves every day - well, if she were honest with herself, it was more like every two weeks - and what she was looking for was a light green bottle, perfectly spherical in shape, containing a potion that Rothbart never saw fit to use (and thus, there was a generous amount of it).  

After carelessly shuffling all the various vials and bottles around, Bridgette finally found the little bottle, and with a triumphant cry, she held it aloft, before dashing back down the stairs, avoiding the piles of rocky rubble, and out towards the lake.  The dosage of the potion needed was only one drop, but Bridgette didn't care.  She went up to the bodies, not bothering to discern who was who in the dark, and started scattering drops of potion all over them.  If more than a few drops scattered to the ground around the bodies, why, who was she to care?  She frantically shook the content of the bottle over the three bodies until it was entirely empty, before plopping down on the grown with a ragged sigh.  All she could do now was hope.  

The moonlight was shining bright that night, and as she looked at the deathly still body closest to her, she realized that it was Prince Derek.  Practicality told her that it would not be the best idea to leave him with Rothbart and Odette, and as tired as she was, she knew she had to do something about him.  A lustful smile tugged at her lips, as she imagined all the things she could do with her new toy.