AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'd been meaning to write this one for a while. I made the dialogue and action as accurate as possible – checked the entire sequence on YouTube to make sure I was doing it right. But, there will probably still be some goofs. Sorry. Dedicated to my Swan Princess-watching friends Kaitlyn and Kiersten. As always, please read and review, cuz I luuuurv getting feedback!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Swan Princess. I know. Life is unfair. I refuse to dwell on this tragic fact any longer, so let's get to the fanfic.

My brain was going into hyperdrive. Rothbart – my mortal enemy! – had possessed enough gall and audacity to not only come to my mother's ball, but to send a fake Odette. Why had he done this? I knew he had kept Odette, the real Odette, away so that I wouldn't be able to break the spell he'd placed on her. But why had he sent an imposter in her place? Was it just to raise my hopes, hopes for a carefree future with my love, then dash them again? Or had he sent an imposter in order to allay any suspicions until it was too late?

He spoke now, his eyes glinting in the darkness, shining with a light that was pure evil. "You should have left her to me. Now . . . Odette will die!"

I saw the retreating silhouette of a swan through one of the windows and realized what Rothbart was saying.

My heart seemed to stop. "Odette!" I yelled, as though by calling after her, I could somehow reverse the horrible, vile thing I had done.

It took mere seconds to race to the stables and mount my horse. In less than a minute, I was off, speeding towards the lake as fast as my horse could go. Even then, it wasn't fast enough. I'm coming, Odette, just hang on! I thought. I had to get to her, I had to!

Rothbart's voice echoed through the forest. "She's fading fast, little prince!" No, I wouldn't listen to him, wouldn't believe she was really . . . I didn't allow myself to finish the thought.

"If you hurry," Rothbart continued, "I'll let you see her one last time." He was taunting me now. I tried to block out his voice, but it penetrated to every corner of my mind, haunting me, chilling me, sending shivers down my spine.

I entered a thicket of thorns. My horse reared and refused to move. "Go!" I said, urging him on. He wouldn't budge. Frantically, I leapt off and began hacking at the brambles with my sword, my hatred for Rothbart – hatred for all the pain he had caused Odette – fueling every stroke.

I finally cut free and ran in the direction of the lake, moving faster than I had ever done in my life. It took a full five minutes to reach Swan Lake, although I used every ounce of speed within me.

I broke through the trees and looked around hurriedly. "Odette?"

She lay by the side of the water, eyes closed, completely still.

No.

Slowly, I went to her and knelt down, taking her still form into my arms. "What have I done to you?" I said quietly. The guilt of the damage I had caused was excruciating. I whispered, "Forgive me, Odette. Forgive me."

I felt her move, and hope bloomed up inside me. She was still alive. "Derek?" she murmured, her voice quiet and shaky.

Touch my hand to her cheek, I replied, "Yes, Odette. I'm here."

"Derek. I . . . I feel so weak. I think I'm . . ."

"No," I said, softly but emphatically, more to reassure myself than her. "You'll live, Odette. The vow I made was for you." I could have repeated that statement a thousand times, but it still wouldn't lessen my unbearable shame at having hurt her so deeply.

"I know." She smiled weakly up at me, her eyes full of love and devotion, more love than I could ever deserve. With a trembling hand, she reached up and touched my face, saying, "I love you, Derek."

Before I could reply, tell her I loved her far more than she could ever love me, Odette lay back on the ground. Her eyes closed, and she didn't move again.

I shook my head, clenching my fists and adamantly refusing to accept that she was gone. Once, twice, three times I called out her name, my voice cracking with more agony than I ever though I could experience in one lifetime. Looking up at the sky, I shouted, "I made the vow for her! Do you hear? The vow I made was for her!" The last words caught in my throat, blocked by strangled sobs.

A calm voice cam from behind me. "No need to shout."

It was him.

I turned and glared at him with all the fury I could muster. Approaching him, I said, "Don't let her die."

"Is that a threat?" He sounded amused. Amused!

"Don't you dare let her die!" I was barely able to keep myself from killing him right there.

"Ooh. It is a threat," he said in mock terror.

Grabbing the front of his shirt, I pulled him closer to me and spat into his face, "You're the only one with the power. Now do it!"

Rothbart raised his arm and knocked me to the ground. "Only if you defeat . . . ME."

As I watched in amazement, Rothbart transformed into a huge, furry beast with long wings and deadly-looking fangs. Almost to myself, I muttered, "The Great Animal . . ." The same creature that had killed King William, and his captain. The same creature that had abducted Odette, all those months ago.

Unsheathing my sword, I lunged at him. He immediately sprung and landed on top of me, knocking the sword from my hand. I reached out, grabbed a handful of dirt, and flung it into the creature's face. As soon as he backed up, I retrieved my sword and swiped at Rothbart's shoulder, drawing blood. Firmly, I said, "I won't let her die!"

Rothbart – or rather, the animal who had been Rothbart – seemed to grin. He stretched out his wings and took off into the air, flying up so high that I lost sight of him.

I looked upwards, trying to spot him. But Rothbart was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, he swooped down from behind me, shoving me onto my back. Before I could do anything, he grabbed my sword in his mouth and bit it in half with his powerful jaws.

Weaponless, I reached out, found a heavy rock, and bashed it against one of the taloned feet holding me. Rothbart roared and retreated into the air. The instant he recoved, he dove for me again.

I anticipated this action and rolled as far away from him as I could – there was no time to get to my feet and run. He was faster than I was, though, and instantly caught me up in his claws. As Rothbart pulled me high into the air, I tried to force him to let go of me, prying at his talons with all my strength.

The next second, he let go.

I fell through the air, rushing towards the ground, and towards certain death. I braced myself for the painful impact that was to come . . .

At the last moment, just before I landed, Rothbart plunged down and grabbed me again. Lifting me back up, he flung me high into the branches of a tree. I landed against the trunk, banging my head.

I was quick to react, though, and as Rothbart attacked I broke off a dead branch above me, proceeding to hit the beast with it as hard as I could. It wasn't much of a weapon, but it was all I had.

Rothbart suddenly reached out, hitting me with his feet. I lost my balance and tumbled out of the tree. Several other branches slowed my fall, scratching my face and hands.

I landed on my stomach and tried to get up. Every bone in my body felt like it was broken. My head was throbbing. I fell forward and didn't move again.

I knew Rothbart had to be somewhere above me, preparing to strike the final blow. I'm so, so sorry, Odette, I thought. I hadn't been able to save her. At that moment, I wished desperately that she had never known me, had never fallen in love with such a miserable creature as I. If she hadn't loved me so much, she would probably still be alive and well, instead of by the edge of the lake, lifeless, while the pathetic man she had loved couldn't even force himself to stand.

I closed my eyes and waited for death to come. I heard Rothbart's roar and knew the end would come quickly. That, at least, was a mercy.

Suddenly, I felt something on my face. Opening my eyes, I found a small, green animal – a frog – hitting me. Under normal circumstances, I would have been shocked, but right then, nothing would have surprised me.

The frog gestured to something on the ground. My bow!

My strength and energy seemed to return, and as the frog hopped out of sight, I grabbed my bow and jumped to my feet. I reached back to get an arrow when I realized that I didn't have my quiver with me. I was still weaponless.

Looking up at Rothbart's looming, airborn silohuette, I tried to formulate a plan. I had to beat him!

I suddenly heard a voice coming from behind me. "Oh please!"

"Brom?" I turned around.

Brom was standing on the island in the middle of the lake, bow and arrow in hand, quaking and muttering to himself, "Oh please, oh please!"

Just like catch and fire.

I tensed, waiting for him to release the arrow.

He did, shouting, "NOW!"

The arrow sped towards me. I reached out, grabbed it, and with lightning speed I nocked it and shot it straight up into Rothbart.

He screeched in pain as he fell backwards. With his limp wings hanging by his sides, he plummeted into the lake. As he hit the water, there was a huge explosion, and I covered my eyes from the bright light.

Then all was silent and still again.

Rothbart was dead.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I remembered. Dropping my bow, I raced back to where Odette lay.

She was still there, totally unmoving, pale as death. I suddenly felt sick. The one person who could bring her back was now lying dead at the bottom of the lake. What had I done?

I knelt slowly and held her close. I murmured into her ear, "Forgive me, Odette. Forgive me. I only wanted to break the spell. To prove my love." I wished with all my heart that this meager apology would bring her back.

My voice trembled as I looked at her still face. "I love you. Your kindness and courage. I always have."

Feeling like my heart was being torn in two, I kissed Odette on the forehead and buried my face in her thick hair, inhaling its scent, yearning for her to be able to return my embrace . . .

All of a sudden, I felt a movement. Odette stirred, and I heard her say faintly, "Derek?"

I stared at her in amazement and said her name.

She smiled up at me, as she had done before. Beaming, with tears in her eyes, she repeated, "Oh, Derek."

And she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I held her as close as I could, stroking her hair.

My Odette had come back to me.