Even his love hadn't been enough. His broken promise had been what had sparked their unruly end. Odette had feared that something like that would occur; Siegfried had given a vow to Odile, posing as Odette. Odette could not lay all the blame on him however. Perhaps if she had not told him of her curse, had kept herself better hidden. None of this would have ever happened. He would have eventually had met a beautiful princess from a suitable kingdom and had a normal life. Instead, he was mourning over the loss of Odette; nothing but a shell.
He had thought she was dead, but she wasn't. No, she had been pulled out of the lake by some of the swans. But they hadn't found a sign of Siegfried; later she had found out he had been saved by his friend, Benno.
For months she had agonized that cruel fate had left her alive, but not her beloved prince. How could the world be so cruel as to keep her from her love. But alas, none of her sobbing and wallowing in self pity could bring back her prince. Of course the swans tried to cheer her up, making up new dances just for her, weaving flowers into her ash blonde hair, singing to her, and making up beautiful tales to tell her every day. Though it would make her smile for a time, she was never fully cheered up. It seemed her happiness had went with Siegfried
One day, she had been wandering farther in the forest then usual, enveloped in her own self pity. She had been pondering on her choice. If she had never told Siegfried of her curse, he wouldn't be gone, though she would have never met him, at least he would be alive. Perhaps in another world, not so cruel as theirs, they would have had a happy ending. She would have been born a normal princess, he a prince and they would have married. But would he have loved her the same? Or was the curse the thing that had made them fall in love? She was lost in though when she had heard a voice, a beautifully familiar voice. It was Siegfried! He wasn't dead, he had been saved like her!
Joyfully, she had ran to the clearing, elated to once again be reunited with her prince. But he had simply stared at her as though she was a spirit, and had ran off; leaving a heartbroken Odette.
Every night since then, she had hurried to the castle, desperate to catch a glimpse of her beloved prince. She never showed herself, afraid that Siegfried would go mad and think her a spirit. But every night, she would stare longingly at him, mere feet away, but not seen by her prince. And every night, her heart would break just a little bit more.
One night, she got a little brave. Sneaking in, she plucked a feather from her gown, laying it on Siegfried's desk, knowing he would find it. She waited by the window, waiting for him to find it. She had chewed on her nails, worrying for his reaction and half regretting her actions.
When she saw him walk in, her heart quickened in pace, waiting for his reaction. Would he stare at the ivory swan feather?Would he be overjoyed at it and run to go find her? Or would he shake in terror at the thought of a spirit haunting him?
Her hands shook as he stared at the white feather, his hands shaking as he picked it up; bringing the feather to his face. He sniffed it, inhaling the sweet scent of it. In an instant he knew who had placed it there. His Odette, who he had thought dead. Was it her that he had ran away from in the clearing? Had he hurt her because of his fear?
Looking up, he stared into the soft blue eyes of his love as he let the feather float to the floor.