Swan Lake. Dragon Empire. Natalie Yacobson

the old woman said, and took out from the folds of her clothes a wonderful sparkling flower – a white lily.

      «What, besides flowers, can decorate the holiday,» she said, «lilies grow here on the rocks, you could collect a bouquet.»

      «But it’s dangerous on the rocks,» Odette tried to say.

      «This is nothing,» answered the old woman, «go and you will be happy.»

      Wanting to get rid of her interlocutor, Odette walked away, and it was not the eyes of the old woman who were following her into the darkness of the night, but the eyes of the red witch.

      Odette noticed from a distance one rock, where the most beautiful lilies grew. The princess simply could not resist the sight of them.

      The wings of a huge black bird flashed at the top of the cliff. The bird flapped its wings and again became part of the rock, but Odette did not notice it, she was too carried away, picking flowers,

      Odette plucked a few more flowers, but she couldn’t reach for the next one. It grew high on the edge of the cliff, and she, without hesitation, climbed there and picked a fragrant flower. It sparkled in her hand, and at that moment the huge wings of a bird – a demon covered her. She tried to escape, but nothing worked; the wings squeezed her tightly. She herself did not understand how, but her hands were covered with feathers and golden dust of the witchcraft ritual, she was another beloved of the devil, whom he turned into a swan. Her hair shattered in the wind and turned into white plumage. The dress was slowly covered with white feathers. In a moment, a white swan was swimming along the calm surface of the lake. It was an unusual bird, with a golden royal crown sparkling on its small head.

      Rothbert has finally avenged his damned love, his broken heart.

      Now she has become a magic bird, Rothbert took revenge, but this revenge could become a punishment for himself. Once he was already in love with the beautiful Diana, now he could fall in love with her beautiful daughter. No, it was just a fairy tale. His love died with the death of the queen, not his, but someone else’s bride. He loved her, and his love died with her and her beauty. Could he really fall in love with the one he was supposed to take revenge on, the one he turned into a princess – a swan?

      Prince’s love

      Years passed and Christian returned. Travels, wars, duels, battles tempered him and made him an invincible knight. He won fame and honor with his sword, but he did not rush to the palace to meet with his family. Of course, he loved them, was attached to them, but now he was called by a stronger love, love for the black swan. He has to see Odile at all costs.

      His brother Etienne has changed a lot over the years. The taverns, booze, drunken fights were forgotten. University education and military training. He became flawless. Love for Odette completely cured him of drunken fights and noisy taverns, now he did not look at any girl, he was waiting for the moment when he would return to Odette again.

      Rothbert went to the lake and flapped the flaps of his long black cloak like the wings of a black bird. The white swan on the lake sparkled with magical colors, and now it was no longer a swan, but a beautiful girl with blond hair. As if after a long sleep she ran her hand over her face, she was again a man, she, Princess Odette, enchanted by a swan.

      «Remember everything,» said Rothbert, and like flashes of lightning in Odette’s head flashed a moment from the past, but not her, but her beautiful mother.

      She seemed to see how Diana ran across the hall, how she bends over the corpse of the young king, how she receives the kiss of death from the golden bowl of the red-haired witch.

      «Yes,» whispered Odette, «yes, I remember you, because of you my mother died.»

      «I avenge the death of the one who was your mother. She has doomed you to suffer forever, far from your love, forever to be a cursed princess, a swan girl. At night you will take on a human form, and during the day you will become a swan with a golden crown on your head. I can give you just one day, one day you will be human and make sure that your prince has long forgotten you.»

      «It will never happen,» she said boldly.

      «Just remember one day, princess,» the evil genius hissed. The flaps of his cloak swept, and a large black bird flew away from the lake.

      Etienne drove up to the caves located in the depths of the forest, far from the capital.

      He jumped off his horse and, tying it to one of the trees, entered the cave.

      Voices rang out from afar. Where did the voices come from in the domain of the old hermit, and in addition female voices, which was even more alarming.

      «Prince,» someone invisible called, and another voice continued:

      «Come to us!»

      «Come!» It sounded in silence and echoed from the walls of the cave, «come to us, we have been waiting for you for so long!»

      Etienne could not believe what he was hearing. The owner of the caves, his old friend, the hermit, had no relatives. no friends, but he was the greatest sorcerer in the whole kingdom. With this in mind, Étienne boldly moved forward.

      «Prince Charming,» came from behind him. He turned and had time to catch his gaze, as a shadow flashed, dark and fast as an arrow. Suddenly the cave was lit up with light, and three girls appeared in front of him, looking like oriental princesses.

      One of them was red-haired, the second was a brunette, the third was a blonde. They were undoubtedly beautiful, but for the prince, only Odette existed in the world.

      The red-haired beauty looked straight into Etienne’s eyes, trying to find at least some response to her beauty, but in vain, Etienne’s eyes remained impassive. She put her hands on Etienne’s neck and grinned.

      «I look like her, Etienne,» she asked. How did she know his name?

      «And I? And I?» The other girls moaned to her.

      «It’s stupid to think about the one so far away,» the brunette echoed.

      «There are other girls in the world,» the blonde continued.

      «Stay with us, Etienne,» continued the red-haired girl, «even if we are not her, but we can replace her for a while.»

      «Never,» Etienne replied, removing her hands from his neck, but the red-haired beauty did not pay attention to it.

      «Is she really so beautiful,» she interrupted.

      «Yes,» the prince answered firmly, «more beautiful than all earthly girls, and even ghosts.»

      «Go away,» came an imperious voice behind him. The three girls rose up like smoke and disappeared, and before Etienne stood his old friend, his second father, a hermit and a sorcerer.

      «You came,» he said, and slightly tilted his head in greeting.

      «How could I not come,» Etienne replied to his words, «you became a second father to me.»

      «And you have changed,» said the hermit, «now you are a handsome prince, and soon you will become the king of your country.»

      «One thing scares me,» said Etienne honestly, «marriage, I cannot marry any girl, except…»

      «Her?»

      «Yes,» said Etienne, not even knowing how the sorcerer knows his secret.

      «Princess Odette,» said the wizard thoughtfully.

      «Yes, but where is she?» The prince roused himself.

      «I don’t know that, but there is one thing that I can know.

      He led Etienne forward, and they found themselves in another, dark and huge cave. On the table with books lay a skull, and above it, on the wall, hung an old sword, decorated with precious stones and a golden hilt. Next to the table, on a dais, was a mirror. They approached him.

      «Look,»