Swan Obsession
Waking
A/N: I hope this ending will suffice... I kind of think that the change of the tone of the story might be a bit sudden...maybe some day, I'll refine it, but for now I kind of wrote it in a hurry just to get this story done with!!
The first thought that entered Rothbart's mind was that something was tickling his nose. Not only was there something tickling his nose, but it had a rather unfortunate floral scent that was completely at odds with everything his life had once represented. After all, what kind of ambitious sorcerer had need of anything like flowers? Moreover, the sun was shining unusually brightly, and even though he knew his castle was crumbling apart, there was still a roof over his room. As far as he knew, it hadn't crumbled yet. He squinted his eyes open against the glaring light, and was blinded by hues of blues, greens, yellows, pinks and purples. As his vision cleared, he realized he was not in his bedroom, but he was lying outside, next to the lake, surrounded by greenery and flowers. He sat up, bewildered, and his head spun. It hurt to breath, and when he looked down, he was startled to see his tunic stained in dried blood. At the sight of the blood, his heart seemed to stop in his chest as he realized something terrible had happened.
His arms felt like lead, and but he needed them to hold himself up, and as his hands crept along the greenery, he felt a spherical object on the ground. He picked up a pale green, emptied bottle, and recognized it for what it was. Silently, he cursed Bridgette for wasting half the bottle on the ground, and thus, causing the lush growing landscape, but he acknowledged that she had likely saved his life. As he scanned the landscape, he noticed a flash of golden hair nestled in the grass next to him. He recognized the still form of Odette, and despite the spinning in his head, he felt a sudden and terrible panic. Although Bridgette had saved his life with the potion, he knew that the potion itself was no match against the curse he had laid upon Odette. Rothbart felt as though his heart was being shredded apart within his chest as he contemplated the horror of living a life without her, knowing he had caused her death. With all the strength he had, he gathered her into her arms, and hugged her close. "My love," he cried out brokenly, "My love...." Though he expected no answer, she let out a small groan, and her eyes fluttered open slowly. "Rothbart?" She said weakly, lifting a slender hand up to his cheek. He cupped her hand with his own, and was aware that tears were spilling from his eyes, but he was unable to stop them. He felt completely exposed and vulnerable, and yet, never in his life had he felt so grateful. "You're alive," he said in a fierce whisper. "How are you alive...? The curse I..." He could not finish what he was about to say. Odette gazed up at him, love shining in her eyes, and wiped an errant tear from his face. "The curse is broken," she said softly. "I gave myself to you after all" "But," Rothbart began, and then paused as he forced out the words, "But I forced you..." Odette shushed him with a finger upon his lips. "It's in the past now," she said, and he knew he had been forgiven. Rothbart hugged her close yet again, vowing that never again would he ever do anything to hurt her, and vowing too that she would have his love for as long as they both lived. Odette entwined her arms around him, and for the first time in her life, she felt free. Her Knight in shining armour had come. -- Derek's head felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls. He groaned as he awoke, aware that he was in an incredible awkward position, and not sure of how he got there. He was sitting on a rather old and frayed looking bed, but his arms were raised above his head. When he tried to pull them down, there was a clank of metal. He was chained in cuffs, though oddly enough, the cuffs themselves were soft and velvet covered. How had those gotten there? And speaking of odd, where were his clothes? He heard a shuffling sound, and looked up to see someone enter the door way. It was a short, plump, familiar looking old lady. "I hope you last longer this time around" was all she said with a lascivious wink.