The Blackest of Swans

I stare at the mirror in front of me. I watch my stringy hair that used to be silky black waves reaching to my waist. My face is contorted, deathly pale, sown with warts and blisters , so different from the smooth and beautiful one that used to stare at me not so long ago. Tears well up in my eyes. Even the spell of illusion doesn’t change the reflection. It always shows the truth, no matter which spell. I am Odile. The future fiancee of the prince. At least I was until an evil enchantress named Odette set her eyes on him. She stole my appearance and enchanted him and now my love doesn’t recognise me anymore. How would he when she looks and acts like me and I look like some evil creature?

I remember how we met. It was at Swan lake in the spring. Everything was blooming, the sun was shining and I was feeding the swans there. They have always been my favorite animals, so elegant with their long necks and feathers white as freshly fallen snow. The sun reflected on the water, making it sparkle like thousands of little diamonds when I caught another reflection in the lake. I didn’t realize he was a prince at that moment but he made my heart flutter the moment our eyes met. He nicknamed me The black swan for in his words, I was as beautiful as a swan. We spent a lot of time there, on the shores of the lake among its white birds. It didn’t take long for our wish for marriage to arise. I loved going there and as much joy it had brought, it turned out to be a curse as much. It was there she caught sight of us. It was there she performed her spell, when I took a stroll on my own, stealing my appearance, making me shrivel like a wilted flower.

My father puts his hand on my shoulder and I seek his eyes in the mirror.

“It ends today.” 

My stomach churns. 

“What if she comes back?”

Even though Father enchanted her into a swan, she was powerful enough to partly repel the spell, resuming her human appearance during the night. 

Father squeezes my shoulder. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her. You break the spell.”

He let go of my shoulder, offering me his hand instead. I take it and wipe away my tears. 

We spent so much time looking for a way to break the spell and at last here it was. Only the commitment of true love would break it. It was as good time as ever, as tonight our official engagement is taking place.

“Don’t forget, he has to propose to you to break the spell. The real you.”

I nod.

“Ready?”

“Yes,” I reply.

Father transforms us into two giant birds and we fly away towards the castle. 

                    ______

We enter the palace and make our way through twisting corridors, its twists resembling the ones in my stomach. As we arrive at the ballroom, I look around, observing the guests in elegant attires. The light from the big, crystal chandelier catches in all of the beads of women’s gowns, making the whole ballroom glimmer. I swipe away the stray lock of hair that escaped on my forehead. I turn to Father, eyes wide, as the fear that illusion is fading catches me. Nobody would believe it is the real me if that happened. Father caresses my cheek. 

“It is still here. I have full control of it. And once Prince Daniel proposes to you, it won’t be an illusion anymore. You are going to be yourself again.”

I nod. It is going to be fine. It has to be. I am going to break the spell. He is going to be free from her enchantment. I have been waiting for this night since Daniel asked my father for my hand. He has to propose to me to break the spell—the real me, not the witch who stole my appearance. 

“Shall we?” My father offers me his hand.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath then take his hand. He leads me across the dance floor through the crowd of spiraling colours swirling across it. At the end of the room, the royal family observes the dance. When we reach them, we bow and when we straighten I take a look at them. The Queen’s blonde hair is pulled up and adorned with a tiara, its jewels glimmering like stars in the night. I admire her long golden dress then my eyes drift over to the prince. He smiles when he sees me. His hair reminds me of gold and his green eyes are like two emeralds. The Queen clasps Father’s hand in hers. 

“Lord Rothbart, what a pleasure to see you again.”

She shoots a smile my way.

“And your beautiful daughter as well.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Father says then kisses her hand. 

My heart clenches. Beautiful. How long will Father’s illusion last? What if it vanishes before we break the spell? Prince Daniel won’t recognize me in this state. He will think I am an impostor even though the real impostor is her. I want my appearance back. I want my love back. I want him to recognize me. He offers me his hand and my heart flutters. I take it and he leads me to the dance floor. At the sight of the prince, everyone stops dancing, giving the two of us space.

“Odile, finally you are here. I missed you,” he says as we start waltzing.

“I missed you too.” You don’t know how much. It has been some time since I last saw him.

We glide around in swirls of black and silver like the moon dancing with the night.

“You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.”

I raise my eyes to meet his and immediately I am transported to a new world. I lose myself in those green depths, forgetting about everything around me. He smiles softly and I answer with one of my own. He leads me into a pirouette and when I end up in his arms, he goes down on one knee. 

“My beautiful Odile, the star of my life, my light in the darkness, will you marry me?

Joy fills my heart to the brim, making me feel like exploding. A smile parts my lips.

“ I do.” I pull him to his feet. “I do.”

We’ve been dreaming of this moment for so long. And now it’s here. Despite everything, it is here now. The clapping fades to the background as he pulls me into a kiss. My lips on his, I feel tingling all over my body as mist passes over me. It shines brightly, blinding everyone around, making Daniel let go of me to shield his eyes.

“It worked!” I exclaim happily. “The spell is broken.

“What was that?” Daniel moves away the hand from his eyes.  “What spell? What are you talking about Odile?”

I pull him back to me. 

I don’t answer when I pull him closer. The joy I feel is indescribable. I am myself again. I am marrying the man of my dreams. Despite everything my happily ever after finally arrived.

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