Odette stared at her reflection bouncing off the lake. She sighed. It had been months since Odette had seen home. She missed the large castle with its endless rooms, grand halls, and marble. Mostly she missed springs spent in the garden. The moment the ground defrosted, Odette was down on her hands and knees planting seeds, watering old plants, and fighting stubborn weeds. She loved her garden; her pale skin would turn red from the hours spent in the sun. To most it would have been seen as improper for a lady of her status to work in a garden, but Odette never cared much about being proper. She had rolled in the mud as a kid and had no problems with rolling in the mud now. It wasn't like she didn't have manners. She may have been rough at play time, but she carried herself with poise and grace. She loved to wear dresses, love to go to parties, and especially loved to dance. Few people would hardly believe that she was the same girl who worked endlessly in the dirt. Only Derek, the neighboring prince, had understood her. He saw her as both the girl who could pin him flat in two seconds and the girl whose waltz reflected that of a swan. She smirked at the last though. If only he knew.
It was all gone now. She had been a princess then, and now, now she was a prisoner. A prisoner, trapped not by bars, but a curse. Odette was uncertain as to why the wizard, Rothbart, kept her here. She knew he wanted her father's kingdom, and suspected that holding her hostage would help him obtain this goal. Yet to who she was being held hostage from was yet to be uncovered. Her mother had died years ago right after giving birth, and Rothbart had mercilessly slain her father. It seemed to Odette that all Rothbart had to do was walk into her homeland, pick up the crown, and declare himself King. The only reasonable explanation for why, she too, had not been killed was that there must be another obstacle blocking the terrible man's way. What this obstacle may be or why it related to her, she had no further insights. Adding to the man's insanity was that every night, right before dawn, he would ask Odette to marry him. Odette had countless turned him down, and yet, every night, like clockwork, he would continue to ask. Perhaps that was all he wanted. She supposed that out of mere frustration, she would have said yes by now if it wasn't for her determination to keep her kingdom safe, and her unconditional love for Derek.
Emptiness filled Odette's chest. If there was anything she missed more then her gardens back home, it was Derek. Regret filled her mind when she thought of the last time she had seen him. Everything was fine until he told her she was beautiful. She smiled as she had always done, but inside something didn't feel right. Feeling daring she asked him what he had meant.
"What do you think I mean? I mean..look at you...your breathtaking," he replied. She shrugged.
"Yes, but is beauty all that matters to you?" she asked. He paused.
"What else is there?" he had said. The words stung. She shouted at him. He shouted back. Twenty-one years old and they were fighting like children. Before she knew it, she had to go. Her last words to him was a cold goodbye. It was on their way home that she and her father were attacked. Oh how she wished she could go back to that day to say she was sorry. She would do anything to tell Derek how she felt. She needed him now more than ever.
Odette herd a splash. She looked up. By the far edge of the lake, a mermaid had popped her head out of the water and was staring out into space. Odette had seen the mermaid before, but on rare occasions. The first time she saw her, Odette could hardly believe her eyes. The mermaid was one of the few inhabitants of the lake, and she only came out at night. Often, the fish like creature would sing haunting tunes that made the hairs on Odette's neck stand up. Odette hated the mermaid along with everything else about the lake. The mermaid was innocent, yet anything associating with Rothbart was enough to get Odette's blood boiling.
A few minutes after the mermaid came out of the water; Rothbart strutted out of his castle and started walking along side the lake. Odette stiffened. She assumed that he was coming to ask her, again, if she would marry him. To her surprise, he turned to the mermaid and talked to her instead. Curious, Odette watched the exchanged.
As Rothbart talked, the mermaid began to get angry. She shouted at Rothbart. He shouted back at the mermaid, and then stomped off in a huff. Shortly after he left, the mermaid burst into tears. Odette was confused. She had assumed that the mermaid was friendly towards Rothbart, yet tonight the mermaid looked distressed. When the mermaid sang again, Odette listened closer to the words. The song was about loss and longing for the sea. Odette began to pity the mermaid. Perhaps she was more then she seemed. But, before she had a chance to talk to the finned creature, the sun came up. As the first golden beam touched the lake, Odette turned into a swan.