I know, I know. I need to be focusing on my other story, which I am. I just needed to write this story down before it drove me crazy. I'm going to try and alternate updates for these stories, so keep a lookout.

Reviews are love!

EDITED: 11/28/2013

Disclaimer:

I hold no claims over Once Upon A Time and all of its characters.

Prologue

1,000 Years Ago

"Rothbart! What is the meaning of this?"

The sky above the two figures was a dismal gray that promised storms to come. The trees were twisted, black things whose branches more resembled gnarled hands reaching for the sky in hopes of receiving one last drop of sunlight than anything else. There were no animals to be found in the forest of death, and the only sign of human life other than the two warriors were the numerous white marble statues that were spread throughout the forest. Some lay in various positions of death while some would be joined together in whirls of skirts in upbeat dances. The more recent additions were the very men that had travelled to this place with her to put an end to Rothbart's evil, frozen before they could even draw their swords.

"Dearest Odette," Rothbart sighed quietly. There she stood, the beautiful woman that had stolen his heart without a thought to leave him hers in return. Her long blonde hair fell down her back like liquid gold and her bright green eyes sought his desperately, demanding an answer for his crimes against the kingdom. The glimmer of hope and care found in them was in complete opposition with the sword she held in her hands and the battle-ready stance she had adopted since arriving. "You have no reason to fear me, little swan. Put away your sword."

Odette flinched at the childhood nickname that still echoed in the space between them. "Do I have your word, old friend, that this will not come to blows?"

Rothbart fell into a bow at his waist, his hands flicked up with a flourish that would have made her laugh not even a year ago. "You have my word, dearest. And I never break my word." His voice was like the thickest of chocolate and coaxed her to agree. Odette gently placed her sword on the ground, determined not to break the calm that had wrapped around them, before she stepped closer to her old friend.

"I will ask again, why are you hurting people?" She whispered once she was close enough. His thick black hair was bound in a long braid that was tossed over his shoulder and ended at his waist. His skin was still as tan as she remembered from his days of laboring in the sun. He still stood over her like a giant, all muscles and height, something that used to make her feel protected but now left the Princess feeling vulnerable. Everything was the same, save for his eyes. No longer were they a warm gray that could match the clouds above them. Now, his eyes were pitch black, the color of darkness, with no whites to be found.

Rothbart sighed through his nose, lifting his calloused fingers to twist a curl behind Odette's ear. His eyes, scary as they were, seemed lost in the past. "Do you remember the expedition into the heart of the enemy's territory that your father ordered? The one where he made me Captain?" Odette nodded.

"Yes, you were so proud, so happy. What happened?"

"There was a witch waiting for us." Here he had paused. "She cast a spell on me; I do not remember what it was. All I remember is a cloud of darkness coming towards me and then nothing. When I awoke, she was still standing there before me. She had started rambling about how she had finally found the perfect host for the Darkness. I remember asking her what she was speaking about, demanding to know what she had done, but she never answered me. Then, out of nowhere, I wished from the deepest parts of my soul that she would die. The anger at her refusal to answer me seemed to be a physical thing, and the next thing I know she was on the ground choking on nothing. All because I wished it." His eyes found hers at last. "I used magic, Odette."

The blonde tensed. "I know that much, Rothbart. What I want to know is why you are hurting innocent people." Her tone left no room for non-sense. A scowl twisted his featured so suddenly that it brought that feeling of fear that she had been trying so hard to ignore roaring to the forefront of her mind. Rothbart began pacing tight circles around her, his every breath lined with an aggression that she had only seen in wild animals.

"Because you left me," he hissed. Odette continued to watch him closely, feeling as if she were meeting an entirely different person that wore the body of the man she had once known. "You left me to rot while you were off with that ridiculous boy that calls himself a man and a prince. Where were you when your father sought to use this curse cast upon me to decimate villages and level his enemies? Where were you when I needed you the most?!" The hiss had ended with a screech that moved beyond the limits of both human and animal. Darkness began to spread from his eyes like poison.

Odette held her ground and fought against the tears lining her eyes. "I had no choice! My father, he sent me away to another land and refused to allow me to return until the wars were over. I was cut off from everything and everyone. It was not until after months of trying to reach anyone beyond the walls of the castle that I heard a few maids gushing about how I was to be wed to their very own prince by the end of the week. I heard how it was a shame because I was a witch, a magic user that would only taint the royal family.

"I had been enduring months of scorn and apathy because it was the only way to settle the dispute between our families thinking the arrangement was temporary, only to find out that my father planned to banish me to a lifetime of it. So I stopped waiting for someone to come and rescue me. I ran from that castle, only to find that the one person who truly means something to me is slaughtering people for no perceivable reason." She stepped closer now, completely under the sway of the anger and hurt that had been festering for far too long.

Rothbart paused in his pacing, coming to a stop in front of her. The blackness surrounding his eyes continued to wreath like a living thing and he tilted his head in a way that was reminiscent of a bird observing its prey.

"Join me." The command was soft, but carried with it the weight of thunder. Odette blinked hard, refusing to wipe her tears away.

"W-what do you mean?"

He marched past her and through the trees, expecting the woman to follow in his footsteps. She sniffed, taking a moment to gather herself and her sword before doing just that. The pair walked until they came to the shore of a lake, the surface eerily placid. Rothbart flicked his wrist and images of people smiling and living peacefully began to play out over the water.

"I plan to unite all of the divided kingdoms under one rule," he said. His voice carried the same warmth that it had when he spoke of becoming a Captain in the Royal Army. "With one king, there would be no more need for power struggles. The people could live in peace knowing that they would not have to lose any more sons and husbands in pointless battles."

"And you would be this one king, I presume?"

"You are correct. It is not a task that I would trust to any other."

"And how do you plan to unite all of these kingdoms? Through peace-talks?"

Rothbart scoffed. "That is entirely up to the current rulers. Should they refuse my generosity, then I will happily level their castles to the ground." The hair on her arms rose at his blasé tone when talking of the deaths of others. Odette stepped away from the pond, breaking the illusion being spun on its surface.

"Rothbart…idea of a world without violence and war," she began, drawing his attention to her, but not his eyes. "It is a beautiful vision. But—" Thoughts of her father came unbidden, and her next words were heavy with their influence. "But you cannot rule through blood and fear. Fear would eventually give way to rage and bloodlust. The people would gather and fight until their dying breaths to see the end of a tyrant. Just look at the world around us. Look at how they are finally rising against my father. You must do this the correct way." Her eyes sought his beseechingly. "No more blood. No more darkness."

He back was tense as he continued to gaze out beyond the lake. "And would you be one of these people that would rise against me, dearest Odette?"

"I would." Her answer was resolute.

There was a pause. "Even if I saw fit to make you my Queen?"

"Yes." Again, no hesitation. She focused her gaze out at the distance as well. "But Rothbart, you do not have to cause suffering to bring peace. We can do this together, the right way. I believe in us, in our power. We do not need to rely on dark magic to see a better future."

Rothbart turned to her then, his eyes oddly detached before his faces twisted up into its new sneer. Odette focused her gaze on his chest then, unable to meet the frightening gaze.

He stepped toward her, invading her space as his fingers dug into her chin and he forced her to look at him, to take in the reality of what he had become in her absence. "I am sorry to disappoint, Princess, "he sneered. "But the boy you knew is no longer alive. I am the Dark One now, the very embodiment of darkness. And since I can no longer trust you by my side, I will have to deal with you accordingly. It would not do to have to worry about you ruining my plans for a better future. I think," he said. "That once I have finished with you, I will tear apart your kingdom brick by brick. I will slaughter every man, woman and child until I feel sated and you no longer have a kingdom to fight for. I will not stop until I sit upon the throne as king." His touch suddenly became tender. "But I will not kill you, dearest. I do not think it within my capacity. I want you to see what I do to the people you care so much for. I think allowing you to grace the skies as the beautiful swan that you are should do nicely."

Odette stared up at him, her eyes resigned. "Then I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to do that." A blade slipped from the long sleeve of her tunic, flat but with wicked curves. In a move too quick to follow, she slashed the skin above Rothbart's heart. He was quick to retaliate, sending a ball of dark red magic at her. Odette landed yards away, her bright figure striking the ground hard.

At first, nothing happened and the silence between the two seemed oppressive. Then a black mist began to seep from the cut, moving to curl around the blade that lay between them. Rothbart screeched in agony and began to claw at his skin.

Odette glared at him through a curtain of blonde hair, refusing to allow herself to feel weak. "Rothbart, of the realm of King William. I, Princess Odette, hereby banish you to an eternity of imprisonment." She groaned, as a wave of pain seemed to rattle her very bones, before continuing. "May your time away from the influence of your twisted magic allow you to see the error of your ways."

A single tear escaped her eye as she watched her friend. Black feathers began to burst forward through the cuts that now lined his chest. Rothbart met her gaze one last time, the words falling from his lips dripping with poisonous promise. "This is not over, Odette. I will regain my freedom. And when I do, I will make sure that all that carry your blood in their veins will suffer. They will not know happiness for as long as I breathe!"

Rothbart's skin seemed to explode, a black cloud hovering in his place before reforming in the shape of a massive griffin the color of night with eyes that burned red like the flames of hell. The creature reared up on its back legs as white stone began to crawl up them. His wings stretched skyward and with one final screech, Rothbart was encased completely in marble. The black mist ceased to flow into the knife.

The silence rang throughout the clearing as the lake finally began to resettle into its stillness.

Odette slowly crawled towards the blade and brought it to her lips, placing a gentle kiss on the metal. "This blade now carries the curse of the Dark One. When one falls, his killer shall take his place and his name shall be written on the blade with his own blood and so on and do forth for the rest of eternity." Her eyebrows furrowed with sorrow and pain. "May the gods have mercy on their souls, for no one else will." With her final words, the blade flashed a bright gold and vanished from her hands. Hopefully, to a place far away from her home.

She looked up at the statue before her.

His clawed eagle hands were clinched in anger and his wings were stretched to near impossible heights. His eyes stared down his wickedly sharp beak and seemed to condemn the spot she once inhabited to hell. He looked for all the world a marvelous piece of art.

"If you can still hear me, I want you to know that no matter what, I will always love you. Despite your darkness, you are my one true love. Maybe in another life we can have the happy ending that we always—" A sharp cry interrupted her message. The pain in her bones had grown in to a fire that licked at her very insides. Blood began to drip from her nose and eyes in a sluggish stream. The taste of copper filled the back of her mouth. Bones began to shift and elongate. She cast her eyes upon his form one last time. "Good-bye, my love."

A twister of feathers as white as snow surrounded her in an elegant dance. Odette closed her eyes, at peace as she gave in to the transformation pulsing through her body. A final clear tear fell from her eyes, and with a sigh, the magic finally took over.

The miniature tornado died away, and in its place stood a pure white swan. A dainty silver circlet graced its neck, glowing a dark red before settling against the feathers beneath it. With a loud cry, the bird took off, leaving the dark forest and the oppressive statue far behind.

Mere moments after she left, a weak pulse of magic came from where her tear landed at his feet and a beautiful golden flower bloomed in the darkness.

There you have it! The new and improved first chapter of Truest. Feedback is appreciated!