[A.N.] Hello and welcome to the next chapter of WOTF. I hope you are enjoying my adaptation of Swan Lake. it isn't easy trying to figure out how to keep to the tale and to do justice to our much-beloved characters. I don't own them, but I do, have and always will, love them! ENJOY!
~Serene
Heero stood still on a mirrored platform while the master tailor measured him for his royal garments that J had insisted would be needed for the ball. He sighed as the tailor hummed and "tsked" at various points. He could hear duo snickering followed by a groan of pain as-most likely-a result of Wufei hitting him.
"So Heero, do you think you might try and sweep one of the lucky ladies off their feet? Word around town is that you've been said to be the most desirable catch on the bachelor market."
"They're not going to haggle for him, idiot." Wufei chided, although it was quite an accurate description of the goings on of such occasions. Men and women of high social standing often were looked at as prized catches, rather than human beings and Heero loved to hunt, not be hunted. At every gala since he came of a marrying age, he had felt like a prized trout being hung up for judging at the local game tournaments.
"Mr. Maxwell does have a point, my boy. Once you have been crowned, the kingdoms will expect you to take a bride. I suggest you not only resign yourself to that fact, but that you begin to consider your options before they begin to circle you." Heero tensed his posture in mild annoyance and as he did so, he fidgeted; an act that resulted in more random noises from the tailor.
"The last thing on my mind is matrimony. There are far more important things to take care of like this strange famine that is plaguing my land." Heero argued back. For some reason the thought of the famine brought that mysterious forest to mind and with it, a pair of gentle aqua eyes.
"Your concern for the kingdom is not only warranted but also admirable. At least we know your priorities aren't too upset! If only we could get you to go on less hunting expeditions and to more meetings." J teased. Heero was not amused. He had the strangest feeling that something unnatural was going on, something dark and it had to do with that woman.
When the fitting was over, He wasted no time in ducking out back to the stables. He had to investigate further. Something told him he had to return to that forest and see that woman again. He saddled his horse with all the necessary provisions and made sure no one was watching before mounting his steed and clicking to him to signal their advance. The pounding of the hooves against the cobbles of the courtyard echoed loudly after him.
Relena shook off the last of the spell, her body complaining of the residual muscle pain. No matter how many times the transformation forced itself onto her, it never got any easier. She looked over her ivory feathers, using her bill to smooth and ruffling that might add to her discomfort. The other maidens in the same form flocked to her, paddling their way through the water. Communication between each other in this form was much harder, depending more on body language than audible sounds. Each swan looked almost the same, but their eyes told her who they were.
The only thing she knew that set her apat from the others, besides her eyes was the golden strip that ran from her bill down her neck to the shoulder blades between her wings. Dorothy jokingly referred to it as her "crown", mocking her about her former position as Princess. She felt herself sigh inwardly. The day would be the same as every other so far. She'd swim with the others until sundown, transform back into a human, and then wait until sun up to turn back into the swan.
Sally swam over and ducked her head down, bowing to her. Relena wasted no time in using her own head to raise Sally's.
She had never liked her friends bowing to her as a human and their decision to show deference as swans was just as uncomfortable. It could, perhaps be an animalistic thing; a subordinate showing the "alpha" due respect, but she was hardly willing to let such instincts control them. She had read once, somewhere animal morphing spells could-in time-cause the person to become more animal than human over prolonged exposure to it. Sometimes she wondered if that would ever happen to her, but somehow she doubted Dermail would risk losing her to such a thing. Then again, marriage traditionally didn't really need the Bride's consent. It made her wonder why Dermail bothered asking in the first place.
She looked up to the sky and felt the breeze rustling across her top feathers. It was going to be a beautiful day. Dermail hated it when they'd wander anywhere, even though they stayed within the boundaries of the forest. It was a giant, wooded prison and she was tired of merely sitting in it. Deciding it was time for a change: she spread her wings and began to flap. Her attendees squawked in protest, trying to get her to reconsider. If Dorothy or her grandfather were to see her it could have less than desirable consequences. She didn't care. He could do as he wished, but she was going to have the first taste of the closest thing to freedom she'd had in years.
As she took to the skies, she remembered the first time she had tried to fly free. The forest boundaries had been spelled to keep them in and outsiders out. The spell had hit her like lightning, her body seizing with pain so sharp her vision went black. She remembered feeling herself falling; spiraling towards the ground. Only the magic force that protects them from harm stopped her from crashing onto the hard ground below. She had learned her lesson: mapped out the boundaries in detail, committing them to memory. She would fly as far as she could keeping within the parameters. Still, some freedom above the clouds would be good to sooth her troubled heart. Perhaps, it my even help her forget the longing for her childhood sweetheart. With that thought, she flew as high as she could, letting the rays of the sun warm her feathers, if not her spirit.
Heero approached the forest with caution. Not matter how bright the sun above, it seemed to do nothing to brighten the forest in front of him. He pulled on the reigns and signaled for the horse to halt. He glanced around, getting a feeling for his surroundings when the sun glinted off of something over him, drawing his eyes.
A swan, one like he'd never seen before, flew above the forest, and even from this distance he could see the golden streak down its neck. Such a best had to be yet another part of the enchantment much like the giant white stag. He had to investigate; he had to know who or what was causing these strange beasts to appear and if there was a connection to his kingdom's plight. Perhaps that woman was still there. If so, he planned to get answers, no matter the cost. He paused at the entrance to the forest, the woman's words about the flowers coming to mind. He looked for those same flowers and found them after thoroughly searching.
Deciding to walk for less of a chance of endangering his horse, he led him by the reigns and spent all his time looking up for the swan and looking down at the flowers. He remembered the result of stepping on the wrong side of the boundaries; it wasn't an experience he cared to repeat. Still, the idea of seeing that woman again made something inside him stir. She was familiar to him: a spirit from a dream? Perhaps she was a forest sprite sent to help those unfortunate enough to stumble into the forest's traps or a succubus sent to trap unsuspecting hunters. Either way, he wouldn't be detoured.
Finally, the endless tree-lined trail gave way to an opening. A clearing stretched out before him in an almost perfect circle. In the middle of the greenery, a large lake shone in the waning sunlight. Around the reeds and cattails living in the pond, five swans dotted the tranquil water; ornaments on a pond clear as liquid glass. This had to be the home of that golden-striped swan. Deciding it best not to risk spooking the majestic birds, he laid back in the forest, keeping his eyes on the horizon for the arrival of his previous quarry.
As the sun made its way fully behind the trees, at last his patience was rewarded. The swan flew back into the glade and swooped down slowly, gliding down to the water's surface gracefully. Even the splashing of the water as it touched her feathers was elegant. He could tell by the reaction of the other swans that this one was their leader. He observed them from his place behind the trees, watching as each swan greeted their leader in turn before they all swam to the shore and walked to the water's edge.
Almost as soon as the last of the swans reached the shoreline, an ethereal light began to surround them, glowing so bright that Heero had to shade his eyes against it. When the light finally faded, where the swans once stood were four beautiful young women; the one he met the other day, however, stood where their leader had. She was the golden-striped swan. The mere revelation of such a seemingly impossible fact made him mentally smack himself. If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he never would have believed it. As if on their own accord, his feet began to step towards them, suddenly, Heero found himself knocked to the ground, his horse reared up and made as if to run. Heero felt the hot breath od the giant white stag against his skin before he even glanced up.
Heero felt his way around his belt for his sword, but his position on the ground made pulling it out impossible. Reaching instead for his hunting knife, he made to strike out at the beast, but it reared up and stamped it's hooves mere inches from his hand.
"Milliardo!" The panicked voice of the blonde woman pieced the silence. "Stop!" As if controlled by her words, the white beast paused and snorted at him a few times before backing up. The woman was now beside it, running her hand gently down its neck.
"It's you." Heero heard himself say. The reproachful look on her face made him pause.
"I told you not to return here." She chastised him. He suddenly felt like a little boy that disobeyed his mother. "Milliardo could have killed you; and he is the least of the things in this forest you should worry about." Heero took this moment to help himself up off of the ground and try to sooth his horse.
"Milliardo? Is this stag your pet?" She bristled at his words.
"If you must know anything about him, he is our guardian. He tries to protect us from anyone who might try to do us harm"
"I'm beginning to see that." Remembering his manners, Heero bowed to her. "My name is Heero Yuy; crown prince of the neighboring kingdom. I thank you for saving my life, this time and the last." The woman smiled at his gesture for just a moment before it vanished. Heero instantly found himself wanting her to smile again.
"You gratitude is accepted but would hardly be necessary if you had only listened to me."
"You know, the courteous thing to do when someone introduces themselves is to offer an introduction in return."
"There is no time for such things. You must return to where you came from. I do not wish to see you harmed bu if you stay here than it will be inevitable."
"And just what is it that threatens my life, my lady? Are you suggesting you would do me harm? I hardly think you would have saved me if such was the case."
"Still so stubborn." He heard her mumble. Still?
"Please, tell me who you are and what this forest is. There is a dark magic surrounding it and it's polluting my kingdom. People are dying of hunger because of a strange famine and I think it has something to do with this forest!" The woman paused then, a deep sadness swirling through her aqua orbs. She was a complete mystery to him and yet there was something so familiar about her.
"I am sorry. I wish I could give you the answers you seek."
"Can't you?" She sighed.
"Follow me." Heero did as instructed as the woman lead him over to the side of the lake. "This forest is enchanted, as are the areas just around it. I cannot tell you why or how but I can tell you that no good will ever come of it."
"And you and the other maidens? What of them?"
"That, too, is something I cannot speak of."
"Part of the enchantment?" Heero guessed. The resigned look in her eyes was his answer. "You turn into swans because someone or something placed a curse on you and this entire land?" Again, she could only give him the tiniest hint of a nod. The other maidens approached them as they neared the lake.
"I see you didn't take Relena's warning seriously." He recognized this voice as the other woman who had tended him when he first wandered into the trap.
"So, your name is Relena." Relena stiffened and gave the older woman a reproachful look.
"My apologies." The woman with light brown spiraled hair said.
"It's alright, Sally. He would have found out sooner or later." The sound of her name brought a small pain to the back of his head: the feeling of Deja vu without any memory for warning.
"Prince Heero, this is Sally. The brunette with the curly hair is Catherine and the woman with the short dark hair is Hilde."
"Ladies." Heero offered them a slight bow of his head. "I am sorry to have intruded on your solitude, but I have questions that must be answered."
"I'm afraid Relena is right, your highness. We cannot speak of anything you might inquire about. You will find no answers here." Heero glanced back and forth from the women to Relena and then to the stag who had refused to leave them unattended.
"Tell me what you can, then. I have resources at home that could prove useful with the right clues to point the way."
"We shall try." Relena said. "However, we cannot guarantee that you will discover anything more informative than you already have."
"Come, ladies, let us leave Relena and her royal visitor to their game of twenty questions." Catherine directed. He watched an almost panicked look pass through Relena's eyes and the other women nodded in agreement. He smirked at their guile. They were trying to set something up.
The silence between the two as they were left by themselves was deafening. Heero cleared his throat and Relena shifted from one foot to the other. He felt like a young boy again flirting with his first crush and having no idea what to say. She began to walk slowly along the shoreline and he followed suit, taking strides at her side.
"How long have you been imprisoned here?"
"Imprisoned is certainly the correct word." Relena said, as if dodging his question.
"I saw you flying earlier. Does the spell stretch even above the forest?" Heero inquired.
"I can fly as high as my wings will allow me and as far as the boundaries will permit."
"I see." Heero paused again. It was hard to figure this woman out. All of the women he'd met in court around her age were gibbering, gossiping fortune hunters if they were of noble birth and his servant girls hardly ever looked at him, let alone said anything to him besides the usual. "What is it like, being a bird for half of the day?" She paused then, mid-step and looked around as if in thought.
"It's strange. It's like your seeing as clearly as ever, but yet your mind is in a fog. You focus on survival, on warmth and on food, but you still know who you are and that you are not a bird."
"Does it hurt?" She nodded. He could imagine the transformation did have its physical draw-backs. He hated the thought of her enduring such pain twice a day every day for an untold amount of years. The more he asked her about the spell the more she seemed to begin to close up. There was a great despair in her eyes that filtered into her voice. Deciding information could wait until later, he changed the subject.
"Do you like to read?" This question brought some light back into her eyes and a conversation began about the various books she had enjoyed in the past and the subject matter that she enjoyed. Every now and again she would laugh at one of his comments and it was a sound that for some reason warmed him in a way he hadn't felt in years. For the first time I a while he forgot about the upcoming coronation, the ball and his princely duties and allowed himself to be lost in her voice until the morning light began to rise above the horizon. She made her way to the lake, him close behind.
"It's time." She said sadly and the look in her eyes sent a sharp pain into his chest.
"I promise I will find a way to break this curse. I will find a way to set you and all of your ladies free, on my honor." Her eyes softened at him and he waited for the warning or the reproach to try and keep him away. None came.
"I believe in you." She said softly just as the light of the spell began to glow again. As the sun finally made its way over the trees, man and swan stared into each other's eyes with a message that spoke louder than any words. She did believe in him and he would do all in his power to live up to her belief. He mounted his horse and turned it towards the path out of the woods. With one last look at the lady swan, he tipped his head to her and rode off towards home, promising to return, if only to himself.
