Act 1: The Aspiring Lion Trainer

"I think this is perfect!" Drosselmeyer said to himself. "I need a lake. It's scenic, beautiful, surrounded by trees, and reminiscent of Swan Lake. It even has 'lake' in the title! Yes, I think that we need a lake for this particular story. This one will do nicely."

He strode along the lake's grassy bank, inspecting the dark forest that surrounded the glassy waters and the stone path that led there. The moon had already risen, and Drosselmeyer rubbed his hands together happily. "Now, why don't we set a meeting? I think that the prince and the black swan can go first. Here we go!"


"Mytho? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" Mytho gazed blearily at the livid Fakir before him.

"Stop shouting, Fakir. There's no need to panic."

Fakir grumbled, embarrassed by his own reaction. "You were saying something in your sleep. It was kind of odd. Do you want me to take you to the school psychiatrist or something?"

"No. I'm all right." This was a phrase Mytho found himself uttering over and over again. He wondered how many more times he would have to hand out meaningless 'I'm all right's to people who were too concerned about his well-being. I can't imagine that ever ending, Mytho said inwardly.

Fakir gave him a suspicious glare and shuffled away.

The swan-like girl from his dreams whirled through Mytho's thoughts. He hardly remembered his dreams before, and never had they mattered to him, but he could remember the one from last night clearly. Everything about the girl had reminded him of a black swan. Exotic, and yet so familiar. Sensuous yet delicate. He couldn't get her out of his head.

Get a grip Mytho, he told himself. She's not even real.

And somehow, he recognized the setting of his dream. The lake. Once, Rue had taken his hand, and with a secret smile, led him out of the school's boundaries along a rough, winding path. Mytho had been anxious, seeing that they had entered a dark forest with whispering leaves, but it had been daytime then and he hadn't minded too much.

They had passed a slender white gazebo, and after walking a while they had come across an expanse of water, clear and blue in the day breeze. The rocks near the banks seemed almost as if they had been made for sitting on, and the grass beneath his feet was vibrant and, Mytho had thought for a moment, perfect for dancing. They'd only stayed for thirty minutes or so, never to return again, but the place had remained in his thoughts ever since.

Somehow, he knew it was where he had seen the dancing girl. Maybe she'd be there again. As Mytho was preparing to leave, his roommate Fakir entered. Mytho noted that Fakir was smiling to himself, an odd occurrence. His aura appeared less harsh than usual.

However, when he saw Mytho, Fakir's eyes hardened. "Where are you going at a quarter till ten at night?" Fakir's voice was equally grating.

"I might ask the same of you." Mytho returned. "Where have you been after dinner?"

To Mytho's surprise, Fakir's cheeks flushed. "That is none of your business. I demand to know—"

"Fakir, I have a compromise. We will both leave each other's comings and goings alone for tonight, shall we?"

Fakir looked downwards, seemingly defeated.

"All right."

No sooner had Mytho exited the building than had Fakir drawn his faithful sword from its hidden compartment and changed into dark clothes that would blend into the night. For Mytho's own good, Fakir would follow him, just in case.


The lake. She'd shown Mytho that place once, but she was sure he'd forgotten about it. For some reason, she felt that she had to go there now, almost an insistent pull tugging at her heart.

The truth was, Rue had been unable to sleep for the past thirty minutes. She had gone to bed extra early in hopes that she would fall asleep sooner and be rid of the compelling feeling within her insisting that she obey.

But perhaps she could learn more about the mysterious Svanna she had seen the other day. Perhaps there was a reason for this feeling. Perhaps she would learn something! Didn't they always say to follow your heart?

"Not in a tragedy, my dear," Drosselmeyer murmured.

Rue shrugged on a light jacket and sprinted out the door, not noticing the black feathers sifting around her as she ran.


Mytho arrived at the lake. Eerily tranquil, he decided. It was too scenic. Something was odd, and he couldn't tell what.

Several meters behind him stood Fakir. Fakir reveled in the feeling of the fresh night air against his skin. He stole a glance at the sword hanging from his hip and leaned into the silhouette of a tree.

What was Mytho waiting for? He was standing expectantly, almost as if waiting for something he knew would come. Mytho paced in a circle before the moonlit lake and then stopped, his gaze extending behind Fakir. Abruptly, Mytho's expression changed from one of anticipation to that of awe.

Fakir turned towards the object of Mytho's astonishment.

Odile. This was his first thought. The strikingly gorgeous dark princess had come. Her expression unreadable, she raised both arms like a swan beating its wings.

She began to dance a waltz. However, it was clearly a waltz that needed a partner. Her outstretched, beckoning hand settled in Mytho's direction. As if in a dream, Mytho strode towards her and took her hand in his.

Fakir almost didn't want to interrupt this…this waltz. Mytho and the dark swan princess complemented each other perfectly, and somehow both knew the steps and executed them flawlessly. Fakir knew what had to be done. Yet something in him hesitated. Fakir wasn't even supposed to be here after all. What grounds had he in ruining Mytho's happiness?

He didn't want to leave, but he didn't want to intrude. So Fakir watched the moonlight embrace the two dancing figures as the night deepened.


"Ahiru, you've disappeared somewhere after dinner! Where have you been?"

"Poor little Ahiru! I know where she's been going! She's secretly trying to be a lion trainer, but she can't find any lions! So she goes to the forest - you know, the one on the edges of campus that we're not supposed to ever ever go into - and looks for lions but one almost ate her and she had to quit her dream! It's so cute I can't stand it!"

"I do NOT want to be a lion trainer, and I don't like lions!" Ahiru returned.

"BUT I KNOW YOU LOVE LIONS!" Lillie screeched.

"NO I DO NOT!" Ahiru said hotly.

"Or maybe she's going to try out for the production of Swan Lake! She'll try to get the part of Odette but fail terribly and instead she'll be a rock in the background! So sad!"

Ahiru blinked. "There's a production of Swan Lake?"

Pique shrugged. "We're all supposed to try out for it. All the departments are working together on the project, so I'm guessing it'll be kind of different from the actual ballet Swan Lake. Like, the artsy people are making the sets, the drama people are making costumes and choreographing, and the music people are playing music and stuff like that…and the ballet people get to dance!"

The swan-feathered Odette pirouetted in Ahiru's mind. Didn't she make a deal to become Odette? What was all that about anyway? Maybe it was a sign that she could make an actual pointe part if she tried really hard!

Reality crashed. Ahiru had only danced for a year and a half en pointe, just like the rest of the beginner pointe class. The advanced ballet students were skilled pointe dancers, having pointe experience of more than five years. But maybe, if she tried really hard, she could transform into Odette! Ahiru knew that as the beautiful swan princess she would have no trouble in getting a role of importance…perhaps she could even dance the main role!

"Thanks Pique! See you soon Lillie! Bye!"

"That was fast." Pique muttered under her breath as Ahiru bounded away with endless energy.

Ahiru found a quiet clearing behind the girls' dormitory where she was reasonably sure no one would find her. She concentrated as hard as she could, keeping Odette in her mind's eye. Her hands balled into fists, her eyes scrunched tight.

It began with a prickling in her fingers and erupted into an inferno. Ahiru gaped at herself. The fluttery white swan costume…the pointe shoes…even the crown, which Ahiru brushed lightly with her fingers…yes! It had worked!

"No! Stop! You can't!" A desperate cry came from somewhere, and as Ahiru looked down at herself again, she was back in her regular form.

The glamorous upperclassman Rue stood before her, maroon eyes large and fearful. Ahiru was too stunned to say anything. Rue? Talking to her? And in the same week that Fakir had started giving her lessons?

Rue demanded, "Did you ever hear a suspicious disembodied voice?"

Inwardly, Ahiru weighed whether she should tell the truth. On one hand, there was a chance Rue might think she had been hallucinating. On the other side, Rue seemed to have something urgent to say about something relating to the voice. Besides, Ahiru was a terrible liar. Finally, she nodded.

Rue continued, "Did you get the offer to become a swan ballerina princess with continuous foreshadowing that it wasn't the best idea?"

Ahiru looked thoughtful. "Yeah."

"Did you accept?"

Ahiru thought that the answer was fairly self-explanatory.

"Um…yes."

Rue seized her shoulders. Her aura was far from the usual mysterious, knowing demeanor Rue usually carried; instead there was a kind of anxious desperation in her face.

"You can't turn into that…that form again. Trust me."

"Why?"

Rue took a deep breath. How was she supposed to explain everything that had happened? Maybe she had overreacted. Maybe Ahiru's situation couldn't be compared to her own. Yet, some deeper instinct told Rue that this was an unlikely coincidence.

"Look. I also got the same offer, okay? And stupidly, I took it." Rue sighed. How did she feel about yesterday? She had felt almost like a puppet, a powerless marionette that did only what it was meant to do. As much as she liked being Svanna, Rue also felt that this would come with a price. Besides, the last thing she needed was another swan ballerina princess to deal with. "Anyway, just be careful," Rue added.

Ahiru watched with a distant feeling of dread. Rue pondered how much she should tell Ahiru, but she remained silent.

However, she realized that she secretly enjoyed the power of the dark swan—to summon her prince and dance with him before a moonlit sky. Rue didn't want to admit it, but something in her had relished the elegant allure of her alternate self.

She pushed away the thoughts in her mind and forced herself to concentrate on Ahiru.

"Promise me you won't transform again."

After a moment's pause, Ahiru nodded.

After all, Rue thought, puzzling over the situation, even though I agreed to it, I didn't try to become Svanna. She simply…became me.

As the upperclassman gave her a smile that thinly veiled the turmoil of thoughts underneath, Ahiru was struck with the feeling that there was more to the story. Rue was being awfully vague, after all.

She looked innocently at Rue. "I'll trust you, Rue. If you say it's bad, I believe you. Thanks."

Her clear blue eyes made Rue uneasy for an unidentifiable reason. "Tell me if anything goes wrong." Ahiru added. "I know I'll worry for you."