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[h1][color=DarkOrange]Scar Lionhart[/color] and [color=MistyRose]Odette Swan[/color][/h1]
[h2]Flashback - Swan Lake[/h2][/center]

[b][i]Two months ago...[/i][/b]

[i]He had had enough. thirteen years now and Scar was forced to share the body of a beast whenever he lost his temper, and although the years made it easier on him to put a cap on his emotions the beast always found ways to come out. He had lost track of how many of his servants he had mutilated in his animalistic rage; how many dancers he had devoured and how much money he had put into his castle for repairs. It was simply too much. This... curse was put upon him because of the metaphorical beast he held inside in his heart stemming from the jealousy he held for his brother and with Mufasa now dead, there was no way for him to get rid of it. Rothbart, the evil sorcerer who had done this to him in the first place had made it perfectly clear that his curse would be lifted once he made peace with the royal family. Huh, fat chance now. Apparently killing your own brother for the throne doesn't qualify.

He had been traveling for weeks now, alone; back to the spot where it all began. His kingdom would do fine without him. In fact, they were all probably relieved for the prolonged absence of their King. He wasn't necessarily a[/i] bad [i]king. Harsh in his methods? Absolutely, but when one demands respect one shall have it, by any means possible. Still though, even under the reign of Mufasa, The Pride Lands had never been more prosperous. Scar got results and he got them quick and the people hated to love him for it.

Adorned in a traveling cloak made from buffalo hide with nothing underneath save for his animal skin pants and various belts around his chest to hold his weapons, Scar had finally arrived. Taking a look at the cold, decrepit castle before him Scar paused to inhale a breath of the fresh evening air, his heightened senses catching a whiff of a lake nearby and as his head turned to examine his observation, found the body of water not too far from where he stood. Figuring that he could do with a proper rest before confronting Rothbart, Scar changed direction and headed towards the lake, the sound of his sandals padding along in ankle-high grass the only sounds save for the occasional whistling of the night air.

[hr]

Her eyes closed, her wings beating gently over the breeze as she let herself enjoy the breeze that blew past her, ruffling her feathers slightly as she headed back towards the lake she had now called home for the past thirteen years of her life. Letting her light blue orbs open she dropped her gaze, her small frame tilting to the side as she slowed herself, the swan easing itself down over the air currents until she had almost completely touched down, the tips of her wings disturbing the lakes surface. Pulling her upper body back ever so slightly her talons dipping down into the water before she lowered her body coming to a graceful rest, thirteen years of being stuck as a swan had taught her a thing or two when it came to flying, though the curse was beginning to wear thin upon her patience.

Lifting her gaze up she turned her head, her eyes fixated on the moon as it slowly lifted itself up over the trees, watching in anticipation as the light streamed down upon her hitting the lakes surface. Lowering her head she shut her eyes tightly her wings lifting slightly as small strands of water began to lift, circling her body until she was no longer within sight, her stomach twisted slightly as she felt herself beginning to change, yet another thing that the young girl had grown to accept about herself over the past years of her life. Standing up tall her head dropped back, the water once more returning to the lake as she shook her long wavy blonde locks out, once more happy to feel them brushing lightly over her back.

Lowering her head she reached forward, her hands gently taking her gown within her hands as she slowly but surely began to walk herself out of the lake and back to the bank, happy that for once her night would not be ruined by Rothbart's presence. Pulling herself up onto the bank she dropped her dress, her eyes closing and her head tilting to the side slightly as she ran her slender fingers through her hair, her mind turning to how she would now spend her peaceful evening.

Making his way through the trees, using his forearm to sweep away and hanging branches before they had a chance at his face, Scar eventually reached the clearing before the lake. Standing there it really was quite beautiful on such a still night as this. Spending most of his life alone in his efforts, the War General-made-King always had an appreciation for nature and what she could do to alter a person's frame of mind simply by it's ambiance. 

Dark eyes looking over the glossy waters of the lake, he happened upon a swan landing near the shore. Folding his arms across his chest, Scar took a moment to lean his side into the trunk of a nearby tree and simply observe, moving his right leg to cross at his ankles over the left. He hadn't ever come by a swan before. In his homeland the birds found the climate much too hot and the predatory animals much too fierce. He had read about them of course, seen their pictures in books, but nothing could compare to the real animal of grace he saw before him now.

He shifted against the tree slightly, however, as a bright light seemed to entrap the swan. Rays of the moon seeming to wrap it's fingers around the bird and growing brighter and brighter until finally, just as Scar was about to move from his spot to check on the bird himself, the swan was no more and in it's place a fair-skinned, young woman. Furrowing his eyebrows he remained still, watching from the tree as she gathered up the ends of her dress and waded through the water and back to shore. Had this event happened before him over thirteen years ago Scar wouldn't have believed it, but as he could turn into an animal (though far less graceful) he knew all to well that a curse had been placed upon this girl; though he couldn't see the downside on her particular transformation.

Thinking critically, as he always did, he was able to gather one of two things. Either this woman was actually born a swan and graced with a blessing to walk as a human on specific occasions and was just resting here for the night, or she was indeed born a woman and cursed into turning into a swan by the very same man that turned him into a beast. The latter, Scar still couldn't fathom what was so terrible about being turned into such a beautiful animal.

As the girl reached the shore, Scar, keeping his arms folded across his bare chest under the buffalo traveling cloak, spoke up, keeping his voice even and calm so as not to startle her.

"Do that often do you?"

Freezing for a brief moment as the sound of a males voice drifted towards her she snapped her head around, her soft pink lips parting softly as she let her light blue eyes search through the area coming to rest upon the man that stood leaning against the tree, lowering her hands back down to her dress her shoulders relaxed showing her relief that it was not Rothbart standing before her, "Unfortunately..." Lowering her gaze from him she turned her head, gesturing up to the moon with her gaze as she explained, "I need to be on the lake when the moonlight touches the water, if I wish to return to being a human. As soon as the light leaves the lake, I turn back into a swan..."

Turning her gaze back to his she smiled softly, though the smile was sad matching that which was in her eyes as she brought her hands together, playing with her fingers, "No matter where I am. This is my curse." Hesitating for a moment she lowered her head out of respect, her hands working to hold out her dress as she curtsied in his direction, both out of respect and politeness, "Forgive my rudeness... My name is Odette, welcome to Swan Lake."

For a moment Scar said nothing, just letting his eyes look the girl up and down not at all in an alluring way, but that of observation. So she [i]was[/i] cursed, she had only been too eager to confirm that for him it seemed. After a while Scar dropped his arms from their crossed position and put his right foot back down on the soft grass and turned his head so that he was no longer looking at her, but at the reflection of the moon on the lake.

"Cursed into being a swan." He said, repeating the information he gave her and then shook his head a bit, a light, breathy chuckle coming from his throat though it held no humor behind it. "I can think of worse." There was no sense in frightening the girl, so he said no more on the meaning behind his words. "Well Odette, I take it by your formal welcome that you live out here?" He asked, sweeping his thick arms around in a gesture towards the clearing they were in and then jerked his thumb so that it was pointing back towards the castle. "Or does [i]The Great Animal[/i] allow his pets inside now?"

She let her eyes linger over his body as he stayed silent clearly thinking something through, though she was not one who was going to push him to speak with her if he didn't want to, it wasn't very often that she was able to speak with another and she certainly wasn't going to throw away the opportunity of talking with someone who wasn't trying to force her hand in marriage, "I know; I don't complain about the form that has been forced onto me. I find swans graceful, the very meaning of beauty. My heart just aches to see a world that I will never be able to see."

Her body tensed for a moment as he began to speak of her home, calling her a pet to the very one who kept her a captive for the majority of her life, prisoner in the grounds of her own home, "I am no pet to that monster..!" Her hands dropped to her sides, balling into fists as she glared at him her eyes showing just how much hatred she had for the man they were now talking about. Realizing what she had done she quickly relaxed turning her head away from him, trying to regain her composure.

"Forgive me... Being held prisoner in the grounds of my own home, by a man trying to force my hand does not bode well for my opinion of him." She closed her eyes keeping her breathing steady before she turned her head looking over at him, "So no, even if granted the liberty of going into my own castle... I will not give him the satisfaction of walking through those halls."

Her sudden outburst didn't seem to preterb Scar at all, he simply stood there looking amused if anything. He had learned enough of this girl already in two minutes to be able to hold a conversation with her for hours if he so wished, but in return she knew nothing about him, not even his name. Not that it mattered, it just struck him curious as to how eager this young woman was to share information about herself to a complete stranger... an[i] armed [/i] complete stranger.

"You don't like him then? Another thing we have in common." Scar replied gruffly. He began to walk forward then, getting closer to her ignoring the way the long grass tickled at the exposed parts of his feet beneath the sandals. When he was about ten feet away from her he began to remove the buffalo traveling cloak and still walking, holding it out to her with one hand for her to take it.

"The wind is picking up. If you're to stay out here you should be kept warm." He explained using his free hand to gesture towards the damp condition of her dress, his chest, arms and torso now completely bare to her save for the belts around his chest where he kept his weapons holstered.

"I have no need nor intention to like him, and I doubt any force in existence will ever cause me to change my mind." Keeping her gaze on his, her foot slipped back not fully taking a step as he moved closer to her, the young girl hesitating a few moments before she reached out taking the cloak that he had offered to her, dropping her gaze slightly she smiled her feet coming back together as she held it close, "Thank you... Not many are as kind as you are sir..." Pulling it around her body she held the ends together with her hands, her shoulders hunching slightly at the warmth that was still lingering within the cloak from when he had been wearing it himself.

A snort came from Scar immediately as she chose to use the word 'kind' to describe him, He had been called many things in his life, but 'kind' wasn't one of them.

"You despise the sorcerer as I do, therefore we have a common enemy which makes us allies." He explained, unable to help the military jargon that came from his explanation. 

Lifting her head to once more look into his eyes she bit her lower lip, gently nibbling it for a short period of time before she spoke again, "I don't wish to pry, and please don't feel obligated to answer, but..." Her brows furrowed slightly in confusion as she tried to think of why he had come in the first place, there were rarely any people who came to her throughout the night, the rare ones being people who had stumbled upon her but even then their visits had never lasted more than a few days, "If you do not like Rothbart... Then why are you here?"

"The man took away my life. I'm here to get it back. Thirteen years ago I may not have had the means to do so. If he felt no compulsion to listen to a Royal War General, then perhaps he will listen to a king!" To give him something to do, Scar folded his arms back across his chest and shifted his weight to one leg. Looking down on the small woman he couldn't help but to notice her age... she couldn't have been much older than fourteen... perhaps, if the fates had been kinder, his own child would have turned out to be much like this girl standing in front of him wearing his traveling cloak. It was strange, he couldn't help but to like her, strongly for that specific reason, but also that she showed him nothing but respect and she hadn't even known who he was.

Dropping her head she shook it slightly feeling a slight pain in her chest as she remembered the reasoning as to why she had ended up in the care of the sorcerer herself, he had taken her life away from her when he had so brutally murdered her father before stealing away with her into the night, even at such a young age the memories were burned into her forever, "I understand the pain you feel, he took my life from me... My father from me... Thirteen years ago, he killed him before my eyes. A King cut down in his prime right before his three year old daughters eyes." Feeling comfortable enough to let go of the cloak without it falling from her body she lowered her hands, bringing them together in front of her as she bowed her head towards him, now aware of his title.

"Forgive me for saying this your majesty... However, I fear that Rothbart will not pay mind to whether you are King or not." Keeping her gaze lowered she played with the folds of her dress, her long blonde waves falling down over her shoulders on either side framing her face nicely, "He's not one to listen well to what others have to say..."

Saying nothing as she explained to him how it was she ended up like this (though committing to memory the fact that she was indeed a princess), Scar reached his hand over his shoulder and to his back, finding the hilt of his sword and pulled it from the sheath. The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air as he brought it around over the top of his shoulder and held it in front of him, using the thumb of his opposite hand to test the blade's edges. His eyes were kept on the blade, listening to her concerns about Rothbart's cooperation and his lip curled up into a snicker.

"That may be, but the man must change me back or face his end, and I've no problems with sliding a sword between his ribs and watch as he meet his maker. I've killed for the last time because of him." Scar answered, running his thumb up the length of the blade.

Moving for the first time since leaving the lake, she moved herself down to the waters edge her gaze lifted to the castle above them, the sound of a blade being pulled and the glint of metal shining under the moonlight in the corner of her eye causing her to turn her attention back to him, watching as he examined his blade before speaking to her, "He has given me a night from his constant persistence, he will not be coming down to the lake tonight that I know of. If you wish to face him, he will be in the castle, there is an entrance just past those trees. It will take you directly to the main hall."

Lifting her hand up she gestured in the direction she spoke of showing him the path before she once more lowered her arm to her side, "I wish you luck your highness, and pray for your safe return."

"When the sorcerer has fallen and his head on a pike with my fate restored, I will return to set you free." Scar promised, reaching back to slide his swords back into it's sheath on his back. Turning to look at her, now there had been distance between them once again, Scar nodded and bowed his head a few inches respectfully. "You're too kind Princess." He stated simply, though whether or not he used her title and his light gesture of a bow was genuine or condescending it was impossible to tell. Lifting his head back up, he turned and headed in the direction of the castle and through the trees in which Odette had pointed out to him. It was time for Rothbart to die.[/i]

[hr]

[b][i]A few days ago...[/i][/b]

[i]Sitting herself up straight she leant back against the tree she had collapsed underneath, her hand coming up to wipe the tears from her eyes as her other worked to pull the buffalo hide cloak that she had been gifted from it's place in the hollowed out hole in the trunk, bringing it down into her lap she let her thumb glide softly back and forth over the material, a gentle smile crossing over her lips helping her to feel better as she recalled the promise he had made her. He was going to set her free. Biting her lower lip softly she lifted her gaze, her light blue orbs lingering upon the door that led to the castle which so rightfully was her own, her heart sinking knowing that no matter what she did she would yet again have to face Rothbart over and over again, night after night until she either gave in or was lifted of the curse he had placed on her like he had countless others. Pulling herself up to her feet she closed her eyes, her head lowering sightly as she pulled the cloak over her body, fastening the clip so that it would not fall from her body as she began to walk, her legs carrying her away from the lake and in turn the monster that lived in the castle. Her mind was made up, she could not spend another moment there in his company.[/i]