Here's chapter 3! I really struggled with the battle scene at the beginning, I'm no good at fight scenes. But I tried my best so I hope you like it!

Chapter 3

It had been almost twenty years since King Scott had last seen Ivan, twenty years since he banished him. He still remembered his warning. "Someday I'll get my power back and when I do, everything you own, everything you love...will be mine." And it looked like that day was today.

It all happened so fast. With a spark of magic Ivan had transformed himself into a gigantic winged beast with silvery white fur and sharp claws. Scott and his guards were so in shock that they didn't have time to react properly before the creature came at them.

The horses began to panic. The few guards with the royals drawing their swords preparing for battle, amung them an albino man with white hair and narrowed red eyes.

Arthur tried again to get out of the coach and see what the commotion was but his father closed the door on him, trying to keep him safe.

"Father! Let me out! What's happening?!" He banged on the door, starting to panic when he heard a fight happening. He heard his father shout to one of the guards, "Gilbert, go get help!"

Gilbert, the albino guard, hesitated to leave his king in distress. But he knew that if any of them stood a chance he would need to follow the king's orders and get reinforcements. So he rode off on his horse back towards the castle they came from, trying to ignore the pain in his leg.

The last thing Arthur remembered was the loud roar of an unknown creature that sent chills down his spine. Then everything went black.

By the time Gilbert made it to the castle, it had begun raining. He dismounted his horse, wincing at the sudden weight on his injured leg, and limped his way to the door. When the door slammed open, the attention of the three men in the room were all on him.

Alfred recognized him almost immediately, his features unmistakable. He rushed over to him, catching him just as he was falling to his knees, Roderich and Lovino not far behind him. "It's King Scott's captain!" The blonde helped Gilbert to lay down, getting the weight off of his bleeding leg.

"We were attacked on the way to the docks..by some great animal!"

"...Arthur!" Before anyone could stop him Alfred ran out into the rain.

"Alfred, wait!" Roderich pleaded for him to come back, knowing the prince was being rash and could be rushing into something dangerous.

Alfred hopped onto his own horse and raced off down the path Gilbert came from. He tried to shield his face from the rain, to keep his glasses dry enough to see through them. When he finally made it to the scene, he didn't like what he saw at all.

He was too late. Whatever beast that had attacked them was long gone, the guards had been killed, and the coach had been knocked on it's side with claw marks on it.

The first thing he did when he jumped off his horse was check inside the carriage. But it was empty.

"Arthur?!" He looked around some, checking to make sure his love wasn't laying dead somewhere. He stopped when he saw something shiny on the ground in a puddle of rain water. He kneeled down and picked it up. It was the gold locket he gave Arthur as a birthday present the first time they met.

Alfred was surprised to find out that Arthur even still had the necklace. After all those years of them disliking each other he thought that he had gotten rid of it. Or maybe he didn't even know it was from Alfred, he was a baby when he got it after all.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a groaning sound coming from a few feet away. When he looked up from the necklace in his hand he saw King Scott on the ground holding his stomach. Alfred hurried over to him, noticing the blood on his hand and torso now that he was closer.

"King Scott..who did this?"

"It..came so quickly..A great animal.."

"Where is Arthur?"

"Alfred, you have to listen to me...It's not..what it seems..It's not what it seems..."

"What's not? Where is Arthur?!"

"Arthur...is...gone..."

Breathing his last breath his eyes slipped closed as he greeted death, one last tear falling for his lost son.

He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't. Arthur was gone..? Gone where? He didn't mean...he couldn't mean he was..dead?

Looking up at the sky, knowing no one was around to see him break down, he screamed into the night, letting the tears flow.

"ARTHUR!"

Far off past the forest stood a grand castle by a lake. The castle was large, but it was worn down from years of neglect. It was in desperate need of repair and a good paint job. This was Swan Lake.

And ironically enough, a swan sat on the surface of the water at this moment. There was a brunette man of average height standing by the edge of the lake, throwing bread into the water for the bird. But the creature completely ignored it, instead turning away from the two men angrily.

Ivan stood by his servant, Toris, trying to get the swan to cooperate. "Now now, don't be too sad, Arthur. My spell doesn't even last the whole day. As soon as the moon comes up.." As he said this he gestured to the moon rising higher in the sky. The swan, now known to be Arthur, looked up at the moon. He then looked down at the moon's reflection in the water. As soon as the moonlight touched him, the water started to glow around him.

Unknown to all was a pair of animals watching them, a turtle and a frog. They watched in silent shock as the water around the swan swirled up and formed a whirlpool of light. Once the water receded, in the swan's place stood Prince Arthur.

"You see? That's how it works, every night. You have to be on the lake of course, and when the moonlight touches your wings.."

Arthur walked back to land, turning away from his captor.

"Now Arthur, look. This sort of thing doesn't give me any pleasure. Well..maybe a little. But what I really want is...your father's kingdom."

"Take it then," he turned back to the enchanter. "You have enough power."

"Nah, tried that already. You see, I've learned that once you steal something, you'll spend your whole life fighting to keep it. But.." With a wave of his hands and a spark of magic a scene was created around them. They were standing in the great hall of Arthur's castle, both of them wearing wedding attire and crowns. "..if I marry the only heir to the throne, we'll rule your father's kingdom together legally. As king and..queen."

"Never!" Arthur broke away from the illusion, everything fading back to normal. The captive prince started to run, making his way back to the forest. Ivan only chuckled and called after him.

"Where do you think you're going? As soon as the moon leaves the lake, you'll turn back into a swan. No matter where you are."

Now that made Arthur stop. Reality crashed down on him with that information. Running wouldn't get him anywhere. Unless he could break this spell he was under, he could never leave the lake if he wanted to be human again. He was trapped.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will have Practice, Practice, Practice which I know some of you have been looking forward to. I'm pretty excited about it myself, I think it'll be fun to write.

Reviews would be much appreciated! I'll see you all again soon with chapter 4!