In another part of the forest Logan was stalking about, bow and arrow in hand.
Virgil frantically flew through the trees in search of his love, Emile zipping right along after him.
"A swan?" Logan said as he saw a beautiful black bird flying at him.
"A swan! Of course! It's not what it seems!" he thought.
"Just a little closer... Come on... Come on..." Logan whispered, nocking an arrow.
"Logan!" Virgil said excitedly as he flew closer.
Logan leaped out from behind the tree and aimed his arrow at the bird's chest.
"This one's for Virgil!" he shouted.
Virgil froze in panic, then felt something small slam into his side, pushing him out if the way of the arrow just in time to avoid being speared. Virgil shook his head and started flying away, seeing Emile buzzing next to him, looking rather relieved.
"Ah, Virgil! Oh, phew. I though you were a goner. Oh, oh! That was close! It's working! Here he comes!" said the hummingbird, looking back to see Logan pursuing them.
"Hey, slow down, you're going to lose him! Slow down!" Emile cried, buzzing in front of Virgil, but the black swan kept flying, slight panic in his eyes.
"He's too close. He nearly killed me," Virgil said.
"Too close? He can hardly see us anymore, let alone – aah!" Emile squeaked as another arrow whizzed by them, "Speed up, kid. Oh, that boy of yours sure can move."
"I told you! He's faster than you thought," Virgil said, flying as fast as he could, but Logan was catching up.
"Don't worry, Virgil, I know a rhyme that can help us!" Emile said.
"Well?" Virgil asked as he saw Logan leap onto a cliff ledge.
"Uh..." Emile looked around frantically.
"Emile!" Virgil cried as Logan took aim at him.
"Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! 'When the archer has you in his sight, fly into the sun and use its light!' Follow me!" said Emile, flying towards the setting sun with Virgil right behind him.
They looked back down at Logan to see him looking away from them, the bright sun's rays burning his eyes, made worse because of his glasses.
"Aha! Oh... Well, what did I tell you, Virgil? Now all we have to do is stay in the sun, and we'll be fine," Emile said. Not a minute later, though, the sun set, taking their cover with it.
The two birds' eyes widened and darted back to where Logan had been, only to find him missing.
"All right! Don't panic, don't panic!" Emile cried as they flew towards a cliff only to be met with the sight of Logan aiming directly at them. Virgil gasped in fright and looked around for cover.
"Into the trees!" Virgil said as the two dove out of the way.
They made it to a tree's limbs, hiding amongst the branches as they watched Logan run after them, pausing close to the tree they were hiding in.
"We better think of something quick, or we're goners," said Virgil in a hushed voice.
"Oh! I knew an old possum who once said, 'when there's no escape, you have to play dead."' I'll distract him, you fly when I flick my wing," Emile instructed as he stabbed a nearby red berry with his beak and splashed its juice on his chest to make it appear as though he was bleeding.
Emile then dropped to the ground, acting as it he was injured and drawing Logan's attention. Logan knelt next to Emile with a concerned expression, gently nudging the downed hummingbird. Virgil saw Emile flick his wing and silently flew out of the tree and towards his lake, Emile zipping up to join him a moment later.
"Okay! That'll put some distance between us," Emile chirped as they continued flying, Logan following a decent ways behind them.
The pair made it to the lake, where they met up with Remy and Remus. Virgil saw that Logan had made it as well, and was standing just a bit away from the weeping willow at the water's edge, taking in the scenery. Virgil saw the moon rising and knew that he had to get to the lake.
"I-I can't do it," Virgil said, shaking his head.
"But... you have to!" said Emile, perched on Remy's back, once again while sipping on a flower.
"He'll kill me, Emile!" cried Virgil, looking down at his lover.
"Oh... but if you don't do it now, Virgil, then you've lost your chance for life," Emile said, his big eyes full of emotion.
"All right. I'll do it," Virgil sighed, flapping his wings and soaring gracefully down to the lake.
"Pardon?" he heard Logan mutter to himself as Virgil landed in the lake water.
Virgil waited for the silver glow to start, but the moon was blocked by clouds. Virgil gasped and flapped his wings as Logan took aim at him. Thankfully, a certain ruby-throated hummingbird slammed into his bow, drawing the prince's attention away from the swan. Logan looked at the tiny bird, who Virgil knew to be Emile, before his attention was drawn back to the lake at the sound of water sloshing. He watched in amazement as the water around the black swan glowed silver and started to swirl around him, taking on different shades of purple and blue before descending back down to the water.
There, standing where the swan once floated, was Virgil.
He smiled shyly at Logan before saying, "Hello, Logan."
Logan dropped his bow, completely forgetting about it, and ran into the water, picking Virgil up by the hips and spinning him above the lake's surface in sheer delight. He then set him down and they leaned in for a kiss, their lips meeting perfectly. They parted and rested their foreheads against one another's looking deeping into each other's long-missed eyes.
"Logan, I've missed you so much," Virgil breathed, tears of joy running down his face as they walked to land.
"No one believed me, but I knew," said Logan, brushing his knuckle lightly on Virgil's pale cheek. "I knew you couldn't be gone."
Virgil leaned into the touch before his eyes widened, remembering the whole reason he was trapped there, and what might happened if the other man found out.
"You can't stay," Virgil said, lightly pushing Logan away.
"Can't stay? Nonsense, I'll never let you out of my sight again," said Logan, stumbling slightly in confusion.
"Listen to me, Logan," Virgil started, but he could hear Hrothbart calling for him.
"Who is it? What's going on?" Logan asked, adding to Virgil's panic.
"It's him!" whispered Virgil.
"Who?" Logan asked again.
"He has me under a spell," Virgil tried to explain.
"Who does?" said Logan, looking around.
"Virgil!" Hrothbart shouted, causing Virgil to panic more, his quick breathing becoming quicker.
"Logan, you have to go!" Vigil insisted, pushing him away.
"Then come with me!" Logan said, taking Virgil's hand.
"I can't! When the moon sets, I'll turn back into a swan. Please, Logan, you have to trust me. Go! I can't let him hurt you!" Virgil said in distress.
"There must be some way to break the spell," reasoned Logan.
"Yes, there is. You must make a vow. A vow of everlasting love—" Virgil explained.
"I"ll make it. It's all I've ever wanted," said Logan.
"But you - you have prove it to the world," said Virgil, his hands shaking as he heard Hrothbart drawing closer.
"How? How?" Logan asked, his deep blue eyes wide, desperate for any way to help Virgil.
"I don't know!" Virgil said, trembling slightly.
"Virgil!" shouted Hrothbart, getting even closer.
"Go!" Virgil urged.
"The ball!" Logan said, "Tomorrow night, come to the castle. Before the whole world I will make a vow of everlasting love," not stopping to think that there would be no moon out the next night.
"VIRGIL!" the enchanter roared.
"I'm coming!" Virgil shouted back, barely managing to control his rapid breathing, "Go!"
"Tomorrow night," said Logan.
"Yes, yes. Tomorrow night. Now go!" pleaded Virgil.
Logan nodded before tossing something to him, then left as quickly and quietly as he could. Virgil caught it before looked down at it. It was the necklace Logan gave him as an infant. Virgil held it firmly in his hand, hiding it behind his back as Hrothbart came out of the brush.
"Virgil! Didn't you hear me calling?" hissed the enchanter, his eyes narrow.
"I... I..." Virgil stuttered, his heart beating at a rapid rate.
"I thought I heard... voices," the man continued peering around the clearing.
"Well, you do hear a lot of things, some you don't want to hear," Virgil said, using his typical sass to cover up his panic.
"Well, that may be true. It's not important anyway, but... Virgil, you wouldn't happen to know who this belongs to, would you?" Hrothbart asked, holding up the bow Logan dropped.
Virgil froze in terror, his eyes wide and hands trembling at his side. Hrothbart threw the bow away, letting it fall into the lake and sink to the bottom.
"'Come to the ball?' 'I will make a vow of everlasting love...'" Hrothbart laughed before continuing, "Thought you could fool 'ol Hrothbart, did you?"
"I'll never let you hurt him, you ass! I'm marrying Logan and you can't stop me!" Virgil shouted at his kidnapper.
"Oh, then I hate to tell you this, Virgil, but you won't be able to attend the big ball tomorrow night," the enchanter cackled, grabbing Virgil by the wrist and somehow managing to pry the necklace out of the prince's iron grip.
"Well, if you want to stop me from trying, you'll have to kill me," growled Virgil, crossing his arms over his chest.
"No, I don't think I will have to. You see, you've forgotten one very important little thing... Tomorrow night, there is no moon," Hrothbart said, grandly gesturing up to the starry sky.
Virgil whipped around to see he was correct, the tiny sliver of moon clearly not going to be present at all tomorrow. Virgil cupped his hands over his mouth and tried not to cry. The prince sank to the ground as he sobbed, having been so close to being able to be with Logan again, then cruelly stripped of this simple happiness yet again. He ended up crying all night, his friends trying — and failing — to give him any small comfort they could.