A/N: Fanfic from The Black Swan. Lady von Rothbart is Odile's mother, and the book mentions that she died when Odile was young.
Laughter floats from the gardens, as little Odile tries to catch a butterfly, and the nurse tries to catch Odile. In this seemingly innocent scene, Lady von Rothbart fears the day her husband returns from his hunt.
He is a powerful sorcerer, and she is nothing but a human of common ancestry, subject to his fancies. For he of late has been suspecting her of being unfaithful. Unfaithful! Lady von Rothbart shudders at the thought. Who would dare defy this terrible man? True, there was a moment when she caught the eye of a young courtier, and dreamed of what could have been, but the thought was quickly suppressed and instead turned her thoughts to watching her daughter grow.
The sun sets, and she senses the magical servants gathering at the entrance of the manor. She hastens to greet her husband, her master, with Odile trailing behind.
Mother and daughter. Baron von Rothbart smiles proudly at his daughter, for she has begun to show magical ability. His wife, though, is another matter. He has caught the wanderings of her mind, and perhaps, he thinks, it would be best that she "died."
Lady von Rothbart knows that she will die soon. Her husband is not a merciful man. In her boudoir, she wonders if her two year-old daughter will ever find out what a monster her father truly is.
When the sun rises, Odile is sitting alone by the lake of her father's property, with the faintest smell of violets in the air.