AN:/
The site wasn't letting me update for about two weeks, but better way late than never, right?
Enjoy~


Like fog, silence hung over the clearing, holding the swans in a loose embrace. A small group meandered by the very boundary of the lake, observing the sunrise together. One of the swans, obviously a Trumpeter, honked quietly to the group.
"Why was Gilbert here? Isn't he-"
"Shh!" Another interrupted the first. The bird had a monochrome appearance, his black beak marking him as a tundra swan. "Do you want Roderich to get mad at as? You know how much those two hate each other," it said, tossing up a wing. "You don't want him hearing us talking about him, do you?" The tundra swan said, trying to be as quiet as he was able. The trumpeter seemed peeved, his feathers ruffled.
"Um, if we can't talk about that, then what about the girl that was here? She looked like she totally needed a bath, yech," he buzzed, suppressing a hiss when all the swans in the group flared their wings at him.
"Feliks!"
"Don't you know that she's gonna break the spell?"
"I thought you had more sense than that! Come on, man!"
"Didn't you hear what they were talking about?"
"Y-yeah, you should probably think things through before you say them..."

All the swans conversed as if a mute was stuck in their beaks, each syllable pronounced, hushed, and hard to make out. The swan called Feliks sighed and tried to shoo them away, his eyes shut. "Okay, okay, fine! I'm sorry, okay? Don't get on my case like that, it's really not fair at all," he pouted, then retreated back to the social circle. "But if that's the case, I really can't wait 'til I get back home. I mean, it's been two years... I think - my parents must be worried about me, yeah?"

The swan's conversation became reminiscent of a bass line - present, but not drawing attention away from the atmosphere - as they chattered on about what they would do when they got back. Roderich, poised at the center of the lake, stirred from his signature position and paddled his way towards them, listening to their wishes. Feliks wanted to see his family once more, Toris was going to pursue his childhood crush, Raivis wished to explore the countryside, and Tino couldn't wait until he could finally see his best friend again. Hearing them all sound so excited - in a way that they hadn't sounded in years - made Roderich's heart burst, knowing that he'd be able to truly help them return to their lives. Perhaps they could pretend as though none of this had ever happened - in any case, they'd be laughing about this in a few hours time.

Roderich retreated back into his solitude, unable to believe that this nightmare would soon be over. He wouldn't be able to return to his daily routine, but he didn't suppose it mattered so much. In any case, he'd be well taken care of - with a wife who seemed to like him, at least. That was actually very reassuring.
However, he hadn't the faintest as to why Gilbert had shown up. Upon thinking about Gilbert, Roderich ducked his head underneath the surface of the lake. Why had he insisted on lying to the girl that came here? There wasn't any purpose to it, was there? Roderich allowed the water to hold him for a fleeting moment, then picked his form back up, refreshed. He supposed Gilbert's presence was inconsequential - he always liked showing up whenever he wasn't wanted, didn't he? The swan tried to push such thoughts to the back of his mind - he was waltzing right into an unknown future, yes, but he was finally going to be freed from his imprisonment. The swan shook his wings, sprinkling water droplets over the lake's surface. The tips of his wings caused ripples to spread across the water, his wings just scratching the top of the lake. The prince could scarcely believe that he would be released from his nightmarish form in less than a day - after the seemingly endless years that he had been this odd, transforming creature. Walking as a man again, speaking again, making music that could be surely be heard rather than buried inside of him - all of normal life's luxuries that had been lost to him now were almost in his grasp. Like the sweetest fruit at the top of a tree, Roderich's freedom had always been coveted, but always just out of reach. Now, the fruit seemed to be falling right into his waiting hands.

As the prince spread his wings and took off from the lake to the sea of clouds above, he never once considered that the fruit may be rotten by the time it got to him. No, lost in his state of blissful contentment, Roderich was happy to dart in and out of the clouds, awaiting dusk more fervently than he ever had before.


Gilbert raced through the thick foliage, maneuvering between clumps of bushes and trees with purpose. His lanky figure didn't exactly allow him to slip by unscathed - no, Gilbert's face was scratched from low-hanging branches - but he wasn't to be deterred. The albino seemed to know exactly what he was doing, despite his appearance. Wantonly, the man pushed away weak branches, snapping them in the process, and eventually fought his way to a negligible, tiny clearing. Only a trickle of sunlight spilled its way onto the forest floor, which a patch of small flowers hungrily took advantage of. Gilbert stood in the center of them, flattening a few in the process. Slowly, he rotated his head to the side and opened his eyes, shimmering crimson in the sparse light. In an almost painful fashion, he wrapped his leg around in front of his body, then raised his arms to the sky. Gritting his teeth, he rolled onto his toes, his worn boots squeaking in protest. Almost inaudibly, he called for someone - "Arthur," - and then waited a few painstaking moments. Just as it seemed nothing would happen after all, the flowers began to twist and writhe from underneath the albino's feet. Sprouts of ivy shot up into the air, and eventually came from underneath Gilbert's body. The man was rapidly lifted into the air, maintaining his pose all the while.

When the flowers stopped their ascent and the plants calmed, Gilbert stepped onto a tiny platform that the makeshift elevator had led him to. There was a tiny hole in the ground, one that would only just allow a person to squeeze into. Gilbert knew the procedure, and jumped down it without hesitation.
Now, one may think twice before jumping into a hole that they found on a piece of land floating in midair. Perhaps one could fall through and hit the ground, right?
Wrong.

Gilbert was familiar with magic, so he didn't need to question how the hole was impossibly long and how the cavern that he was deposited into was impossibly vast. The flames on candles danced as Gilbert passed by them; his footsteps echoed on the polished floor. At the end of the cavern, he found a hooded figure.
A smirk, and then Gilbert tapped his shoulder.
"Arthur."
One word, that's all that was spoken. The figure turned and stood, regarding the visitor amiably. Arthur remove the cloak he previously had donned, then looked Gilbert in the eye. Though the albino looked collected (as usual), a faint tremor rippled through his features. He knew something was terribly wrong.

"What news, Gilbert?" Arthur asked, his accent obscuring his voice. His large eyebrows knit at the middle, holding thousands of questions that he expected answers to. Gilbert raised his hands and ducked his head in resignation.

"Unfortunately, it seems our little prince isn't so loveless after all," he said, flicking a stray strand of hair out of his face. Lazily, he draped an arm around Arthur, letting it sink in. "If all goes according to his plan, he'll have this spell broken by tonight, man," a shrug. "If I were you, I'd think of something fast or we're gonna kiss our immortality goodbye."
To say Arthur was upset would be a gross understatement - he'd momentarily lost control of his magic and now a few candles were shivering in the air behind Gilbert. The albino shifted forward nervously. "Look, getting mad about it isn't gonna do anything. We need to think of something, and fast."

Arthur had resorted to massaging his temples, but looked up at Gilbert when he remembered that he had to somehow prevent Roderich from getting someone to confess their love to him. "What were the limitations I put on that spell...? Hmm..." Arthur considered, tapping his chin with a gloved hand. "Ah, didn't I say that if someone who was to confess their love for him confessed to someone else, his spell would never be broken?" He looked to Gilbert for approval, who nodded.

"Yeah, I think that's what you said," Gilbert nodded. "Do you want the details? He's planning on marrying this princess-chick today or tomorrow or something like that, and there's a ball or something tonight," Gilbert recalled, thinking back to the early morning. His memory seemed foggy, as if there was a barrier preventing him from seeing the events clearly. His face contracted, wrinkled in concentration. He couldn't deny that dancing with Roderich had left his mind fuddled - that he wished that the more reserved man would reach out a bit more, but he supposed he shouldn't be thinking about that anyway. "Roderich's going to be there. He and the girl - Elizaveta, I think - are going to dance at the ball. She wants to marry him," Gilbert finished, trying not to make any sort of overly positive or negative expression.

"Hmm," Arthur mused, shutting his eyes. "Then I think I would need to disguise someone as Roderich, wouldn't I? And what better candidate..." his eyes opened and flitted around the cavern, eventually settling on his companion. "...than you, Gilbert?" Arthur finished, his mouth curving into a smile. Gilbert's breath hitched.

Was Arthur seriously considering using him, Gilbert, to betray Roderich? Sure, Gilbert's existence relied on the curse as much as Arthur's, and yes, he did like annoying Roderich...
But completely dooming him to the curse for eternity? The albino gulped, thinking of Roderich's once expressive singing voice, his once carefree expression. He thought about how he had told Arthur about his existence, and how they had both agreed to curse him for their immortality. He suppressed a shudder, then nodded to Arthur. He couldn't go against him now, but maybe...
"Yeah, that makes sense," Gilbert said, waving one of his hands. "But if he can't ever break it, then can't you let him talk again? I mean, we'd still be safe and it wouldn't be as bad for him, right?" Gilbert asked, trying not to sound too desperate. The last thing he needed was Arthur bugging him about his sudden display of altruism.

Luckily, Arthur seemed to be preoccupied. His books were all open on the table, his eyes scouring the pages. "Hm? Well, that would be a pain for me to break, as that spell is only broken when the original one is," Arthur said, tapping his chin once more, "but I suppose I'd be a failure of a sorcerer if I couldn't reverse my own spells. I'll try my best, alright?" Arthur looked to Gilbert, who had relief written all over his face.

"Sounds good to me! Now, let's just get this spell over with, shall we?"


Once Elizaveta had gotten home, she had been immediately fussed over. Her maids had let out gentle "where have you been"'s and "let's get you washed up, now"'s at every interval, but the princess didn't mind so much now. She was all clean, left alone, and safe at home, where she could think properly about what had happened tonight. Had she confided in one of her maids, they would have said that she was simply nervous about the ball tomorrow. They probably would have remarked that it was hard to find the "right one," but hopefully she would find her Prince Charming tomorrow. Elizaveta rolled her eyes. Her maids were much too optimistic, much too chipper. They probably envied the princess for being so privileged.
Not that she could deny how lucky she was - certainly not. Her baths were always heated and she always used the sweetest-smelling soaps available. Her room was lush, the carpets thick, and the windows huge. The princess sighed in contentment as she braced herself against her bed's backboard. When it came to the things she owned, life was very comfortable.

...Perhaps a little too comfortable, even. Elizaveta liked spending nights in the forest, chatting with strangers, and fighting aspiring warriors. All of it was fun and easy for her, but apparently her skills weren't appreciated. A lady shouldn't behave like that, so said her mother.
The princess blew a strand of hair out of her face. Had she been a rash person, she would have wished not to be a noble, but she supposed that she was too well taken care of to complain. Even though her life was stuffy, invasive, and controlled, she had a steady supply of food and a comfortable place to live. Maids attended her every desire. She wasn't an ungrateful person by any stretch, so sacrificing freedom for such luxuries wasn't that big of an issue.

But tonight, she had met two men who were truly free - regardless that they were swans by morning time. They could do whatever they wanted; they had no rules, no people to bend to, nothing like that. She wasn't really jealous so much as she was intrigued - she could hardly imagine such freedom - soaring through the air in the daytime, exploring the villages by night. Elizaveta smiled and hugged her pillow. Perhaps, when she married Roderich and when she inherited the throne, he would let Elizaveta do the ruling for them. He seemed to be pretty submissive, she figured; she doubted that he would have any qualms to allowing his wife to rule.

Oh, and Roderich. The princess turned her gaze outside her window, where she could see a dapple of morning sun peak from over some far-off hills. She'd never seen anyone so graceful, so fluid in their movement. She longed to hear his voice - to hear him make actual music and not just... well.

Whatever he had done before. She didn't know how, but Roderich seemed to be able to be able to use music as a form of communication - unheard music, that is. Everything about him was so magical, so... unreal.
Part of her questioned whether he could possibly be real or not - curses and magic? Really now?
But... something told her that Roderich couldn't possibly have been her mind's creation. Though the entire situation seemed dreamlike now, it had been so tangible before. Something like that couldn't have been a dream, simply couldn't have been.

The princess shook her head violently and retreated under her bedsheets, pulling the blanket up under her nose. It yielded no merit to think herself into a ditch, now, did it? May as well try to get some sleep before her big night.


Nighttime brought a giant array of bright lights and fanfare. Outside of the polished marble palace, carriages streamed in from all entrances; all forms of nobility were guests at the lavish castle tonight. A large, golden gate separated the king's home from the surrounding common people's living areas. Intricate patterns manifested themselves in the gate, creating a gorgeous, yet sturdy, barrier. Roderich happened to be on the wrong side of it, much to his despair.

Each carriage and pedestrian was stopped and asked for an invitation, one that proved that they should be allowed inside. The king had managed to make a few enemies after all, and no one really wanted any assassination attempts to unfold. Unfortunately, Elizaveta had only given him a verbal invitation, not an actual document. Furthermore, he happened to be mute, so he couldn't exactly explain himself. Still worse, this prevented him from explaining to the other nobles why he looked so familiar to them. He had been a highly-respected, much loved prince before his transformation, after all.
Perhaps the worst thing, however, was the dreadful pull he felt in his chest. Should he wander from his lake prison for too long, something in the spell caused him to return after a while. He could only be away from the lake for a little more time - two hours, at most - and then he would be forced to return. Already, the pain his body was experiencing was steadily spreading. Roderich gritted his teeth and adjusted his crown, attempting not to loose patience with the rakish guard denying him entrance into the ballroom. His stern expression and untrusting eyes regarded Roderich coldly.

"So, are you going to tell me where you're from or what, prince?" The guard bit out, tapping Roderich's crown with the butt of his gun. Roderich made a face, but couldn't say anything to the guard. His violet eyes fluttered downward in an almost embarrassed fashion, then he looked upwards, hoping that he may stir some sort of recognition in this man...
Luckily, The guard the guard seemed to see something that he hadn't before. His green eyes narrowed, and then he backed up his train of thought. "Er, sir, are you..." the guard trailed off, and attempted again. "You look awfully familiar," he decided on, trying to search Roderich's face for any sort of confirmation. Roderich gave a small nod, and touched his crown in a deliberate manner. Gingerly, the prince removed it from his head and allowed the guard to look at the gold insignia in the center of it.

The guard pushed a strand of blond hair out of his face, and then carefully studied the picture. His thumb brushed over the picture, the crowned black eagle, the light carving obviously made with much care. The guard looked as through he had seen a ghost, his eyes misty and far away. "...This is the Edelstein seal... how did yo-" When the guard looked up this time, he truly saw the prince for the first time. "Y-you're... but you can't be!"

Roderich slowly nodded and gave the man a pleading look, and then reached out his hand to touch his arm. He couldn't verbally communicate, but he could transfer his feelings in music to others through touch. He never heard what they heard, however, so he hoped that the guard was hearing something that would convince him to let him in. The guard had a shocked expression and seemed to freeze still, his hands paralyzed around Roderich's crown. The prince withdrew his touch, and with it, the music, which allowed the guard to move again. He shook his head and handed the crown back.

"I don't even know how someone I heard about from my grandparents could still be alive, but whatever. If you cause any commotion, I'm going to personally escort you out, got that?" He said, opening the gate for him. "You're late, though, so go in quietly."


While Roderich was stuck outside, the rest of the celebration was going smoothly. Dresses whirled around the dance floor like tops, and couples deftly slid between each other, all possible collisions smoothly avoided. There were only a few people not dancing, one of them being the princess herself. Her makeuped face was resting on her left hand, eyes slowly following the dancers. Though it all was really pretty, it was missing Roderich. All the other suitors were all accounted for (and eager to find out who the lucky guy would be), adjusting their ties and whispering to themselves. They all had heard about the man that she wanted to marry, but all retained some form of hope - for some, this marriage would cement their family's position as a powerful kingdom, obviously something that none were keen on losing. Each man glanced nervously at the entrance door, anticipating when Elizaveta's prince would come and sweep her off her feet. The nobility also held their breath, waiting for Roderich like they were waiting for a sunrise.

Seemingly accompanied by a fanfare, the great ballroom doors burst open with a hefty amount of force. The musicians ceased playing, a few lingering chords splashed across the ballroom in protest. Every dancer, sensing the guest's importance, stopped dancing. Some polite-types stole glances at the figure from behind a well-placed fan or partner, but most people unabashedly stared at him. The magic that he had possessed before had not faded, and instead seemed to manifest and reverberate from his very being. Roderich stood, captivating the public with his mere presence. The light bursting from the room behind him gave him an almost godlike aura. Accompanied with his majestic, blank expression and regal pose, it was obvious who the princess had been waiting for.

The crowd parted before its Moses - Elizaveta - and watched silently as the princess ran to his arms. Her calloused hands, covered by silk gloves, stroked his face gently, a small smile finding its way onto her face. Roderich smiled back and took her hand gently, beckoning for her to dance with him.

After the music started up, the two began a slow dance, the simple steps not accentuating their skill in the least. However, this was all done for sake of tradition - waltzes were the standard dance for noble couples, and their first dance should be no different.
However, once the music quickened, the two ended their charade and began to express themselves as they had intended in the first place. Roderich extended his hand for Elizaveta and she took it, thus starting their dance.

It was much different than Elizaveta thought it would be, dancing with Roderich. At the lake, his movements had seemed so slow, precise, and fluid. However, and perhaps this was just because she was the one actually dancing with him now, it was almost rushed, each spin ended a little too soon, went by a little too quickly. More complex moves were accomplished much faster than Elizaveta could comprehend what Roderich wanted her to do, but the crowd of nobles seemed enchanted. Though it sure felt different, she could conclude that they looked as breathtaking as Roderich and Gilbert had looked on the lake.
Elizaveta spun until she grew terribly dizzy, until her toes ached with the effort to carry her entire weight. She'd never danced this strenuously before... was Roderich even tired? She looked at him and he seemed perfectly fine. He was obviously sweating, but not to the extent that Elizaveta was. She pet back her swan prince's hair and looked into his eyes, leaning into his strong hold. She had assumed that Roderich's eyes were a brilliant purple from the night before, but the ballroom's soft light showed them to be more of a hazy brown. They were still quite beautiful, she found, but only plays of light would cast the shadows needed to make them violet.
Maybe he wasn't as magical as she had thought, she began to muse, but quickly shook it off. Roderich was a simply enchanting man with superb dancing skills, even if they made her (quite literally) weak at the knees.

The two spun themselves close by her parents, who silently smiled at them as they danced. Elizaveta broke from Roderich's grasp and, her hand just touching his shoulder, faced the king and queen.

"Mother, Father? This is the man who I want to marry - Roderich," Elizaveta said, and her father raised his hands for decorum. Music, shuffling feet, and chatter all were muted at once. The princess, now that she had the attention of the ball, turned to her to-be-betrothed. "Roderich, I..." she began, not certain if she could just say it, but after a moment she figured it was the best way to go about it. "...I love you, Roderich. You will marry me, won't you?"

The magic words had been spoken.

A surreal mist enveloped Roderich and he took a step back, leaving Elizaveta confused and in a state of shock.
What was going on...?

Initially, Elizaveta thought he was turning old - perhaps when the curse broke, he aged with it. His skin turned much paler and looked much more worn. His chocolate-brown hair became streaked with grey, and then to a pallid white. She began to get suspicious when he grew more muscular, however, and dull horror began to settle when she spied the crimson eyes peeking from behind the mist.
Once the transformation was complete, the fog settled around Gilbert's feet in heavy, choking masses, his eyes piercing through the clouds like torches.

From behind the cruel-looking man, the ballroom doors lay ajar. Another man stood in the doorway, his hair falling around his face messily, his glasses slipping off his nose. Roderich, having observed the entire scene, helpless with the pain from being away from the lake too long, let out the first sound he had uttered in nearly a century.
A strangled cry reverberated harrowingly across the room for what seemed like an eternity - long after the one who had wailed it fled to the woods.

Elizaveta, too stunned to move, helplessly watched her actual, trapped prince escape back to his prison alone, his expression burning itself into her memory.


AN:/

I finally updated~ yay. ;;
There's going to be one more chapter, so look forward to it!

My beta's away in San Francisco for the time being, so (as always) tell me if anything is really wonky.
Thank you so much for your reviews! Whenever I got stuck, I would look back to them to keep me writing. C:
I appreciate all of your story watches and favourites, as well. Thank you so much for reading~!

See you again soon~

Sweet