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haradasaya · 11 months

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The Swan Princess (Chapter 3)

The Swan Princess, a Redacted Audio retelling of Swan Lake CW: Fem!Lovely, Fem!ListenerCharacter

Vincent and Sam took their time to re-equip their horses before heading off into the woods, bows slung over one shoulder, and a quiver of silver tipped arrows over the other. These woods were known for being home to all kinds of creatures—mystical and common alike. There had been plenty of times the trio of friends had gone racing after an elk, or a moose, sure that they could take the beast down if they worked together.

There were also many times that Sam had needed to practice his healing magic to stop potentially fatal wounds from killing the prince or princess after said adventures. By the time they’d all grown older, it had become much easier for the three of them to actually hunt cohesively, as more of a team than as three self-proclaimed invincible children. Those had been the days too—those long weekends spent camping underneath a blanket of stars. It was hard not to be nostalgic while hunting within the same woods. Especially since neither of them had been back since Lovely’s death.

“It seems nothing wants to risk its hide today.” Sam said, glancing around the woods once more for a sign of brown fur or bright feathers. They’d seen several small squirrels or bluebirds within the trees, but nothing larger—certainly nothing worth their arrows.

“I know we used to hunt here often, but I didn’t think we’d run the place dry.” Vincent scoffed.

“Yeah. Been more than a year since we been back. You’d think something would be running around here by now; even a baby somethin’.”

Vincent nodded once, inhaling deep in an attempt to calm his nerves. “You don’t think there’s something else out there, do you?”

Sam chuckled. “What, like the bear we couldn’t take down on your birthday that one year?”

Vincent smiled back. “Who knows, maybe it remembered us, and is getting revenge by chasing away all the animals?”

Sam paused, sliding off the saddle of his horse. “I think if that bear wanted revenge, it wouldn’t protect the other creatures o’ the forest; it’d just come after us.”

Vincent followed suit, sliding off the saddle and gripping the reins in his hand. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

The two walked through the brush for a short while, hoping that their weight off the horses’ backs wouldn’t make their breathing so heavy, and some animals would feel safe enough to come out. Before they knew it, they found themselves at the slope of the deep valley said to hold mystical creatures never before seen by human eyes. Neither spoke the words, but one look between them said they’d be willing to take their chances with a mystical beast should they encounter one, rather than coming up empty in the woods they’d already rode through.

The horses were skittish at first, not too keen on taking the trip down the inclined path. It wasn’t incredibly steep—for a human, anyway, but after a few unsuccessful attempts to goad the horses down the hill, the boys retraced their steps, and tied them up on a tree branch easily visible from the slope.

Vincent went first, eager to see what kind of mythical creatures lived within the forest of fable; hoping there were things like deer with huge horns and giant hooves, or fowl the size of an ox. Sam only laughed at the wild imagination of his friend, offering instead things like fae, five-tailed foxes, or even a unicorn.

“We won’t be shootin’ a unicorn, even if we see one. Don’t get too excited.”

Vincent offered a small, fake pout. “Well fine, I don’t want to take home a kill either then.”

Sam playfully hit his friend on the shoulder, sending the boy stumbling for his footing when they heard a ruffling of feathers only a few paces away. They had found themselves close to the shore of a marvelous lake, one that shone the reflected light of the setting sun. Vincent did his best to stand back up as quietly as he could, afraid even a snapped twig would scare off the creature.

Sam stood behind him as they both peeked out from behind the large tree where they had found themselves.

“It’s a swan!” Vincent whispered, the enthusiasm clearly evident in his tone.

“Look at how beautiful it is.” Sam commented, mesmerized by the sight. “Those feathers—they’re almost… glowing.”

The two boys looked on, before Vincent pulled an arrow from his quiver, notching it into place on the bowstring. Sam gripped his hand, stopping him from taking aim.

“Wait. Something feels wrong about this.”

Vincent scoffed at his friend. “I don’t know about you, Sammy, but I want a kill to take home to my father, so that he at least doesn’t think I’m a failure of a hunter before he chops off my head for running away again. I’m getting the damn bird.”

Sam tried to catch Vincent’s eye, but the prince was honed in on his potential prize.

“Besides… that sun is steadily dropping. If I don’t go after it now, I’ll miss my chance entirely.”

Sam still didn’t like the idea, a strange presence washing over him as he stood there, watching the bird float quietly along the surface of the water. “Alright Vince. Just make it quick. I’m getting a feeling like we shouldn’t be here.”

Vincent drew back his bow, the metal arms creaking with the stretching of the bowstring. “Don’t worry Sammy, we’ll be outta here right—”

He steadied his aim, slowly releasing his breath from his lungs as he tightened his diaphragm, strengthening his core, and with a simple flick of his fingers, fired the arrow…

…wide. It hit the water with a hard twick! sound, scaring the poor bird from its comfortable position on the lake, before flapping feathery wings and taking off in the other direction.

“—now.”

Sam laughed at how bad the shot had been. “I thought she trained you better than that.”

Vincent only huffed again, grabbing another arrow and notching it before starting after the swan. “Not all of us can have perfect shots like her!” He called out as he raced off after it, Sam following shortly behind. The golden rays of the sun cascaded down through the trees, bathing the world in either radiant light or stark shadow. The swan ducked in and out of his sight, flying behind the trees but remaining close to the shore of the great lake before them. Vincent fired off arrow after arrow, hoping to hit it in flight, but his aim hadn’t improved in the slightest. Sam was still hesitant to fire his bow, unsure why he felt so uneasy about attacking the poor creature.

Eventually, the swan dove into a patch of cattails and sedges, evading the men’s sight.

“Damnit!” Vincent huffed, hurriedly scanning the plants for any sign of those marvelous white feathers. “Where’d the damn thing go?”

Sam huffed, trying to catch his breath from all the running they’d done. This section of the lake was cut off by an inland patch of land that seemed to wind between the plants, while the shore of the lake continued in the same direction from where they had just come. Hiding well enough in the sedges, the swan could have gone either direction completely unnoticed.

“Okay, okay wait. I can see that his little patch of land goes almost completely around this section. I’ll head this way, and you stay along the shore, see if we can’t find it. If you see anything, let me know, alright?”

Sam huffed a few more times, before sucking in a large gulp of air. “You got it, captain.”

Vincent turned away from his friend, convinced he’d be able to find the bird before the last of the sun disappeared beyond the rising valley walls above them. On this side of the lake, opposite to where the sun was setting, were the few remaining rays of sunlight. From his position, Vincent could see the slope where they’d entered the valley, and their horses were tiny specks of color against the green and brown treeline. He hadn’t expected to have gone so far away from his horse, but he was close now, and wouldn’t leave without his trophy.

He sunk low into a crouch, hoping that the lower angle would help him to see through the tall brush.

In the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of white, and then it vanished. He paced forward, crawling as silently as he could manage… until the swan came back into his sights. It had moved towards the outward edge of the plants, and was headed for the center of the lake. His arrow was already notched into his bowstring, and as silently as he was able, pulled the bow taut in his hands. He watched it move for a few silent moments, noting its odd behavior as it seemed to look around for any more signs of danger.

What an odd thing for an animal to do, he thought. By this time, almost the entire valley was bathed in shadow, and the creature, thinking itself safe, pressed out of the grass. Vincent wouldn’t have a clearer shot than he did right now. His sights were honed into the backside of the bird, and with a single arrow, he could have his prize.

It was then that the rest of the sunlight lifted off the lake to his right, and a slow, whirring whisper filled the air. Before his very eyes, a smoke of red and black and blue whirled in the air around the swan, and he stood up from his squat as he watched this dark magic change the form of the animal right before his very eyes. He couldn’t help his mouth falling open as the figure that emerged from the mist slowly became more and more familiar.

The frill at the bottom of the dress in this purple color that Vincent knew, above that a similar set of frills in white and lilac, leading up to a cinched waist in creme and purple. He knew that dress. It was the same dress that he’d marveled at the craftsmanship of while on his love the day she was set to return to her own kingdom for the summer—the dress she had worn the day of her accident. His eyes wandered further upward, toward the long golden chain on her neck, a small glowing stone on the end; and finally upon the face of the woman who had moments ago been a magnificent swan.

The woman’s eyes remained closed for a moment while the rest of the magic faded away, but when she opened her eyes, Vincent and her gazes’ locked, and the whole world went silent.

“...Lovely?”

The girl’s eyes went wide, and she opened her mouth to speak…

…and promptly fell into the deep water beneath her.

Vincent’s brain took another second to register what had happened, but when he realized that Lovely was literally drowning in the lake, he immediately took off into the water after her. When he finally couldn’t touch the ground beneath his feet, he swam as fast as he could out to her flailing form.

The instant his hand gripped her arm, he knew that it was her. Lovely was a lot of things, but a strong swimmer was not one of them. Wearing such a large dress wouldn’t have made it any easier, either, but Vincent still pulled her towards the shore with all his might.

Eventually, he was able to touch ground again, and he gave a final, mighty pull towards himself, where he was finally able to see the face of the girl that he loved before him; hair plastered to her face, devoid of any of her traditional makeup, but still beautiful all the same.

“Lovely, is that really you?” He asked as he pulled her into his chest, still walking backwards towards the shore as he did so.

The girl couldn’t look him in the face, instead pressing her forehead to her fists, pressed against his chest, heaving with every step that he took. Was she alright? Why couldn’t she look at him? Vincent hadn’t been wrong, could he? This was his Lovely? He had seen her face and dress so clearly, it had to be her.

So why was she hiding her face? Vincent finally sloshed his way into a shallow yet somewhat flat area, where he was able to set Lovely down, hoping that he’d be able to get a good look at her face. She continued to hide her face from him, turning and facing back out towards the water the first moment that she was able.

Vincent stood speechless, arms outstretched in question and shock. “Lovely?”

The girl let her hands slowly fall to her sides, still facing away. She took a few deep breaths, seeming to calm her heart as she turned, slowly, towards Vincent, who was only a few paces away.

Her hand was gripping the amulet that he’d gifted her—the one that had glowed when she’d… transformed. Everything was still so confusing, so alarming. How was she here? How was he here? The words wouldn’t come, not for the longest time.

“Hello, Vincent.”

Those two words were all that he needed to hear before the world came crashing down around him. It was her, she was here, she was ALIVE! Before he knew it, tears had overflowed from his eyes, and he began to sob, body wracked with all of the emotions he hadn’t let himself feel for a year—and then on top of it all, that none of it had been true at all! She was alive!

When he finally gained enough breath to speak, his words were still wet and mumbled but he managed to ask, “How is this possible? Is it–is it really you?”

Lovely smiled, that beautiful smile that he loved so much. “It’s me, I’m… I’m here.”

He hiccuped again, still in complete disbelief, before opening his arms and closing the distance between them, her meeting him in the middle.

Well, almost the middle. Lovely came at the poor boy with so much force that she ended up knocking him backward into the water below, her arms wrapped snugly around his neck to keep them pressed chest to chest against the other. When Vincent sat up, and after he’d shaken the water from his hair and his eyes, his gaze met her loving one, and passion and habit overtook his limbs. He pulled her into his arms quicker than she could take in a breath, laughing at the tightness and the suddenness and the simpleness of it all around them.

Vincent breathed in the scent of her skin just above her neckline, right in the crook of her neck where he’d liked to lay his head all that time ago. Lovely pressed her face into the space between his chin and his jaw, places that she’d peppered kisses all those times in the small moments when they’d snuck away for time alone. She was still his flower, duty before passion, as they’d both said all those times.

Now felt so far away and yet so close to those moments. It was so incredibly intimate that neither wanted to let go. Vincent couldn’t stop his tears. Lovely couldn’t contain her joy.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” He whispered against her skin, pressing a soft kiss to the freckle over he shoulder, the one he’d kissed so many times before. “I thought I’d lost you.”

Lovely finally pulled back, enough to see his face, to hold his cheeks beneath her hands and whisper her reply. “I never gave up hope that you’d come find me.”

Vincent smiled through his tears, taking a hold of the back of her head and pulling her in, pressing his lips firmly against hers. This was his validation of reality. This worked better than a pinch to his ribs, better than a whack to the back of his head to prove this was happening. He kissed her with the passion of a dying man, one given the chance at a second life inside the embrace of his love. He withdrew for a breath, but returned instantly, missing her for even the half a second he’d spent apart. He chuckled at the sensation of her breath against his nose, feeling how soft it was, even after all this time—just as he remembered. Oh how he’d missed the feeling of her lips against his, missed the passion that danced between them when their bodies were pressed together like this. Oh how he’d missed Lovely. His best friend. His Queen.

When the two finally pulled away, Lovely couldn’t stop smiling. Vincent, the love-stuck fool that he was, couldn’t either. He stood, offering his hand to get her out of the chilling water. By now, the sun had set even over the distant mountains beyond this valley, and though the air was warm from the hot summer day, being completely drenched did nothing to help the chill that rolled over their skin as they exited the water.

“Lovely, I still can’t believe that it’s you. You–you must tell me everything,” He demanded, gripping her hands in his own, “how did you end up here? How did you do that thing with the magic and the smoke and the… turning into a swan? Why have you–”

Lovely pressed a finger over his lips to silence him. “In due time, my love. I will answer all of your questions.” Her face fell dark, the smile slipping slowly from her lips. “But there is a danger here. I must ensure that tonight is not a night that he will appear. He’ll kill you if he sees you here with me–”

Vincent blinked many times in a row, trying to comprehend all that she was saying. “Wait, if who appears? Lovely, what are you talking about?”

The princess quickly scanned the surrounding area, eyes darting quickly between trees and over the lake and even beyond that into the distance as much as could be seen. Vincent still didn’t understand what she meant, but it slowly became clearer the longer she went about scanning her surroundings. “Lovely, who did this to you?”

She looked into his eyes, pleading with him to simply obey her wish. “Please, we must make sure it’s safe first.”

When he tried to protest, she shook her head, stopping his words. “Soon, my love. I promise, soon.”

Vincent wasn’t happy to agree, but he did, taking her outstretched hand and following her through the treeline just past the end of the beach, until they were at a place on the complete opposite side of the lake from where he’d entered from—if he remembered right, anyway. She took him to the little hovel carved into the hill and a tree trunk that she’d come to call home for the past year. It wasn’t much, and to be honest she was ashamed to show him the dismal place she’d been forced to stay, but she also wouldn’t hide anything from him. And besides, things were going to get better. Her prince had come for her—he’d come to save her, just like princes always did. She was going to be okay.

She sat him down, cross-legged on the ground within the safety of her hovel, and took his hands in hers, studying his face after so long apart. She vowed to never forget a single detail from today onward. “So, my love. What do you want to know first?”

#redacted lovely #redacted vincent #redacted audio #redacted asmr #redacted darlin #redacted sam #redacted william #redacted adam #sayas ramblings #i love them #sayas swan lake au #swan lake #swan lake au

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