This story belongs to the Sailormoon Fairytales Collection, which was thought up by Shanra and Paradox. The stories in this collection are rewritten versions of well-known fairy tales (or at least well known stories, as Swan Lake is a ballet), using characters from the Sailormoon Millennia Trilogy by Janelle. The collection is available at the SMMT BBS.

"Watch me put an arrow through that apple!" shouted Prince Ryuu to the others in the hunting party. "The one at the end of the lowest branch!"

"Apple? That looks more like a cherry!" exclaimed Princess Yoseiko. "Surely even you, the boldest hunter in all the Silver Realm, cannot hit so small a target!"

"Indeed, my sister, I can, and I shall, and—" Ryuu lifted his bow, already with an arrow ready to shoot, casually pointed it at the small red fruit, and released the arrow. It flew fast enough that it tore the fruit off the tree. Ryuu kicked his horse forward to where it had landed, then dismounted to scoop it up. He held up the fruit, neatly skewered on his arrow. "You were right, Yoseiko, it is a cherry." The others laughed. Ryuu walked the few steps back to the other five, brushing a few strands of chocolate-brown hair out of his eyes, then said with a courtly bow, "For the loveliest lady here," as he dropped the arrow and tiny apple in his sister’s lap.

"My brother, the flatterer," Yoseiko said, laughing with everyone else.

"You have given me the greatest of insults!" shouted Lord Tsuyoshi. "For surely none could be more beautiful than my lady Megumi! For that insult we shall fight to the death!" He slid off his horse, snatched a branch off the ground, and began waving it as if it was a sword. "On guard! Take that!" Ryuu grabbed up another branch and continued the mock duel.

After several minutes of rapid stick motion, Ryuu managed to knock Tsuyoshi’s stick out of his hand, then thrust his own underneath his friend’s arm. Tsuyoshi grabbed the stick, then moaned, "Aaah, you’ve got me, I’m dying, aaah…" as he slumped to the ground. Everyone else burst out laughing. After a few seconds, Tsuyoshi began laughing himself. He rolled onto his back and tossed away the stick. Ryuu gave him a hand up.

Yoseiko glanced up, then raised her own bow and let loose an arrow. Twenty feet away, a pigeon landed on the ground with a thump, with the arrow through its eye.

"Excellent shooting, my lady," said Lord Akira. "But should we not be returning to the castle now?" he added, glancing at the long shadow of the apple tree. "I do not believe I wish to miss the celebration of His Highness’s twentieth birthday."

"Ah, yes," said the other lady in the hunting party, Lady Megumi. "The dancing, the handsome lords from the world over—"

"Don’t forget the lovely ladies from the world over," interjected Lord Akira.

"The food, the wine, the beautiful music…" continued Megumi as if she hadn’t heard.

"Yes, and I believe Queen Makoto herself will make an appearance," added Sir Saburou.

"This should indeed be a night to remember, brother," said Yoseiko. "Yes, let’s return to the castle and dress for the party!"

Ryuu nodded. He knew why his mother would enter the party, and he wasn’t at all happy with the idea. He kicked his horse into a trot along the path back to the castle.

* * * * *

The music came to a stop. Smiling, Ryuu led Lady Megumi back to her seat, then looked around to see which of the nearby girls and women who he hadn’t danced with yet that night was the prettiest. Before he had a chance to decide on his next dancing partner, a trumpet fanfare blew. "Announcing Her Royal Majesty, Queen Makoto!" Ryuu sighed and began to make his way through the joyous crowd to the dais where the musicians played and where his mother would stand to speak to the people.

Queen Makoto ascended the few steps to reach the dais, then walked to its center to face the crowd. "I trust you are enjoying the party?" she asked, then waited for the affirmative cheers and shouts to quiet before continuing. "As you all know, tomorrow there will be a grand ball at the castle. Everyone is invited!" More cheers. "Sadly, our ballroom is not large enough to hold everyone in the kingdom. Everyone of whatever rank may join the celebration here in the castle gardens. Lords and ladies may enter the ballroom. Also, as you all know, our prince will choose his bride at the ball!" That was what Ryuu had been dreading. The people didn’t seem unhappy about the prospect, though, from the volume of the cheering. When it had finally died down, the queen continued, "Six princesses from nearby kingdoms will be attending, and Prince Ryuu will choose one of them. Enjoy the celebration!" and swept off the dais and out of the party to yet more cheers.

Ryuu looked around and spotted his sister Yoseiko with several other court ladies. The musicians struck up a waltz. Ryuu pushed through the crowd to reach her, then bowed and said, "May I have the honor of this dance, lovely lady?"

Yoseiko’s friends began giggling. Yoseiko herself rose gracefully, curtsied, and said, "Of course, dear flatterer brother." This made Yoseiko’s friends giggle harder. Ryuu battled to keep his face straight, lost, and burst out laughing. Yoseiko began giggling a second later. Ryuu swept her out onto the grass that served for a dance floor.

As the dance ended, Yoseiko asked quietly, "Is something wrong, brother?"

"No…yes. Yoseiko—I know, as the crown prince of the kingdom, I have to marry. But tomorrow seems…too soon," Ryuu murmured as he led her to a quieter part of the gardens.

"No, you simply wish not to give up your happy life of dancing with every eligible girl and hunting every afternoon," Yoseiko replied, smiling.

"True." Ryuu plucked the nearest flower, a pink rose, and promptly pricked his finger on a thorn. Yoseiko giggled. Ryuu drew his dagger and stripped the thorns off the stem with it, then stuck the rose in her hair. "Perhaps you should admire your reflection in the lily pond, beautiful lady."

Yoseiko laughed and said, "Perhaps we should visit the pond to admire the reflection of the sunset. Surely even you, my dear flatterer brother, can see that it is far more beautiful than I." Both laughed. "And look, the sun will set in a matter of minutes. Come on!" She was already several feet down the deserted path to the pond as she said the last two words. Ryuu, smiling still, followed.

Ten minutes later, the last bit of molten gold slipped below the horizon. "Surely that was the most beautiful sunset ever to grace this earth," whispered Yoseiko.

Ryuu was silent for a minute, then pointed up. "Look, wild swans. Perhaps we could have roast swan served at the celebration tomorrow night."

"You just want to go hunting again."

"True. Would you do me the favor of gathering the hunting party? I shall ready the horses."

"Which ones?"

"Your Snowflake, my Stormcloud, Darknight, Starlight, Rose Garden, and Sungold. You could have guessed that."

"Indeed, but I wished to be certain." Yoseiko turned away from the pond and walked quickly down the path back to the celebration. Ryuu took a different path, the one leading straight back to the castle, from where he could easily reach the castle stables.

Half an hour later, the six people who had been in that afternoon’s hunting party rode out from the castle into the nearby forest, following as closely as they could the path the flock of swans had taken. Ryuu, though he had begun in the lead, soon fell behind, and in only a few minutes the others were out of sight.

Soon, Ryuu found himself in a clearing in the forest that contained a large silver lake. He stayed there for a few minutes, admiring the beauty of the lake and the patches of wildflowers around it, lit only by starlight. Then, a single swan flew into the clearing. The swan’s feathers were pure white, and its eyes were a gentle, soft violet.

Ryuu blinked. The swan was wearing a silver crown.

The swan gracefully glided down to land on the lake. As it began to swim to the shore, Ryuu backed his gray horse into the forest, then dismounted and hid behind a tree to watch the swan.

A few silver rays from the nearly full moon pierced the forest from the east. As the rays touched the swan, it became a beautiful maiden. She had long, violet-black hair, pale white skin, full red lips, and the same gentle violet eyes. She wore a delicate, translucent silvery-white gown that fell loosely to her bare ankles. A silver necklace glinted in the moonlight, and she wore a silver bracelet on each wrist. The opal set in one bracelet and the amethyst set in the other matched the single opal and two amethysts in her crown.

She was the most beautiful woman Ryuu had ever seen.

Ryuu rushed forward. She cried out and jumped backward, raising one arm to shield her face and the other to point, trembling, at the bow he had forgotten he held. He glanced at it, knelt to set it on the ground, then stood to continue forward. Quietly, he asked, "Who are you, and what enchantment is upon you that you were a swan and now a lovely maiden?"

She sighed. "I am Seishi, Queen of the Swans. Once I was princess of these lands, from the river to the mountains. I am the only child of my parents, King Masaya and Queen Hotaru. I was to be queen after my father’s death." She looked around sadly. "Our castle once stood just east of this very spot. Now, nothing remains but a few scattered stones. That was the work of the thousand years or more since this enchantment was laid upon me.

"The enchantress who cursed me is named Ami. She saw my father in her crystal ball and fell in love with him. She also saw that my father no longer loved my mother. She came to our castle to offer her hand in marriage to him. For my sake, he refused.

"She offered him gold, jewels, all the kingdoms of the world. Her magic is strong enough that she could lay them all at his feet. Again, he refused. She begged, pleaded, implored him; she swore to curse his kingdom should he refuse a third time.

"My father no longer loved my mother, true, but he loved me. He knew I loved my mother and could not bear the thought of another in her place. He told her this, then refused her the third time.

"Ami was enraged by this third refusal. She cursed his kingdom, saying after his death, it would fall in bits and pieces to the neighboring realms. He was unmoved. Finally, she cursed me and every noble maiden of the kingdom, saying that because he loved me too much to permit himself to love her, he would lose me. She changed us into swans.

"As I transformed before his eyes, my father knelt and begged before the enchantress, asking for mercy. Because of her love for him, she granted that we might spend part of each day as human maidens, that time between sunset and dawn when the moon shines. She granted that we might someday be able to free ourselves from this curse. She was merciful, also, in that swans live long. We have aged but one day for each of the thousand years we have been cursed.

"My mother was greatly saddened by this spell. Each evening at sunset she would meet me here, and at dawn or moonset when I again became a swan, she would cry and cry. This lake—" Seishi gestured at the silvery waters— "is her tears. Finally, she died of grief." A single tear trickled down her cheek.

Seishi paused, and Ryuu realized some comment was needed. Softly, he said, "I’m so sorry." He took the last few steps to her and put a sympathetic arm around her, adding, "Tell me how to break this curse."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Ami told us that there were three ways to break it. The first, like with all spells, is for the one who cast it to remove it. She will never do that. She would not tell us the third way, saying it could never happen. The one way remaining is by love. Should a man swear eternal love to a swan maiden, she will endure one more day as a swan, then be freed of the curse to spend daylight as a swan, keeping the power to become a swan at will. Should he break his vow, she will have one more night as a human, then be forever a swan. The man who swears his eternal love to me will free us all, but if he is not true, he will doom us all."

Ryuu gently turned her to face him. Gazing deep into her violet eyes, he said, "By the sun, the moon, and the stars above, to you I swear eternal love, Seishi my Swan Queen." He leaned down and, pressing her to him, kissed the joyous smile on her lips.

They stood there, bathed in moonlight, for a very long time.

* * * * *

Interlude

Appropriate songs for the eleven hours of story time that come between these sets of asterisks are "Moment" and "Tamashii no Refrain". I want to keep this story appropriate for all ages, so I’m not writing these eleven hours of story time. (That, and I wouldn’t know what to write…)

* * * * *

Seishi looked up suddenly at the lightening eastern sky. "Sunrise soon," she said, diving for her discarded dress. A note of panic entered her voice.

"We still have some time," Ryuu said, reaching more leisurely for his own clothes. His hand met her thigh. She giggled and swatted at him, half playfully.

"We don’t have that much time, love," she said seriously. She paused halfway through pulling on her dress and asked, "When will I see you again?"

"There’s a ball tonight at my mother’s castle, Seishi love. I’m expected to choose my bride then, so you have to come." Correctly interpreting her questioning glance, he added, "It’s an hour’s easy ride northwest of here."

"I’ll see you then, love." Seishi stood and walked out of the shade of the trees into the lightening clearing around the lake. Ryuu followed and gently held her as the two watched the sun rise. As the first ray of golden light fell on the couple, Seishi became a swan. Ryuu gently caressed her feathers, then stepped back and watched her fly north.

He stood there for some time, even after he could no longer see her. Finally, he turned away. Sadly, he mounted his horse and rode back to the castle.

* * * * *

Ryuu stood at one end of a long red carpet, in the center of the ballroom. Lords and ladies stood along the two long walls. Queen Makoto sat in a golden throne at one end of the ballroom. She, like everyone else in the room, faced the double doors that each of six princesses would enter through.

Trumpets sounded. A page announced into the suddenly hushed room, "Princess Usa of the Moon Kingdom!" The doors opened. A beautiful woman stepped delicately through them and seemed to float along the red carpet to Ryuu. She wore a white silk gown edged in gold, with puffed sleeves of the same lacy material that formed the top of the gown. Her pink hair was tied into two pointed balls, one on each side of her head, from which cascaded two long tails of hair.

Princess Usa reached Ryuu and sank into a curtsy. Ryuu bowed formally. The musicians struck up a waltz. Ryuu dutifully danced with her. The princess’s hope-filled ruby eyes never left Ryuu’s. She couldn’t know that Ryuu was thinking only of his Seishi.

The dance ended. Ryuu led Princess Usa to one of the six silver thrones on either side of Queen Makoto’s, then walked back to the red carpet. The page announced, "Princess Yoake of the Southern Kingdom!" This princess wore her lime-green hair in loops of braids. The elegance of her hairstyle was in sharp contrast to the simplicity of the dark green gown that matched her eyes. Ryuu danced with her; and with Princess Megami of the West Islands, whose waves of sky-blue hair matched her eyes, and whose dress, golden lace and a sea-green skirt, matched the islands her brother would rule; and with Princess Himeko of the Eastern Mountains, her long golden hair contrasting sharply with her midnight blue eyes and gown. Princess Aiko of the Golden Desert, the best dancer of the six, wore her light blonde hair short, and her light blue eyes matched the lace edging her golden silk gown.

Ryuu was startled when the sixth princess entered. Her black hair and violet eyes were very like Seishi’s, and her crimson satin gown perfectly matched her full red lips. But no, it was Princess Karei of the Northern Snows, and not his Seishi.

Finally, Ryuu led Princess Karei to the sixth silver throne. Queen Makoto stood and asked, "Who do you choose to be your bride?" All six princesses looked at him eagerly.

Ryuu sighed, but answered honestly: "None of them."

There was a stunned silence. Then, Princess Yoseiko’s voice rang out. "Look!" All eyes turned to the center of the ballroom. Blue fire hovered in the air. Then a flash; then the fire faded, leaving two women standing there, both dressed in black. One had blue hair, clipped short, and dark eyes. The other had black hair and violet eyes.

Ryuu cried out gladly, "Seishi!" and rushed to her. Everyone could see the love in his emerald eyes.

The music began. She and Ryuu danced. Ryuu ignored the feeling of something not quite right. He ignored, too, the stiffness of her body, the diamond hardness of her icy cold eyes—the sun not yet below the horizon.

The dance ended. Ryuu turned to face Queen Makoto. "This is who I choose to marry." Reluctantly, the queen offered her blessing to the union. The six princesses were all in tears.

All eyes turned to the blue-haired woman. She said, her tone commanding, "Before you can marry your beloved, you must swear eternal love to this woman." Her tone mocking, she added, "Do you?"

Ryuu turned to the black-haired maiden. Into the utterly silent ballroom, he said, his voice soft though everyone heard, "By the sun, the moon, and the stars above, to you I swear eternal love—"

A sudden authoritative roll of thunder interrupted Ryuu. The blue-haired woman cried out, "Fool! Did you think I would let you have Seishi so easily?" The shocked silence was broken by the sad cry of a swan. Ryuu stared, frozen, as the woman he had thought was Seishi changed. Her hair grew shorter and became more blue. Her hard eyes became an icy midnight blue. A cold, cruel smile curved her pale lips, destroying her beauty. "You have sworn your love to my daughter, Kasumi, and so broken your vow to your beloved. There is your Seishi now!" She gestured to the windows along the west side of the ballroom.

A swan with sad violet eyes and a silver crown hovered outside the window. Her tears sparkled in the light of the setting sun.

Suddenly, Ryuu realized what he had done. As the swan flew south outside the ballroom, Ryuu ran for the closed doors at the north end, which were opened at his command. The stables were to the east. He dashed there, then swung himself up onto his gray horse, not bothering with a saddle. His only thought was to reach the lake, where he was sure Seishi would go, before sunset.

Clouds covered the sky. Harsh cold winds rushed between the trees. Rain poured down. Ryuu ignored it all in his desperate rush to reach the lake.

Finally, he galloped into the clearing. A flock of swans rested on the grass. Ryuu began to push through them, searching for the one with the silver crown. Abruptly, they all became human, clinging to each other against the wind or huddling underneath trees to keep off the rain.

He heard a cry: "Ryuu, love!" He turned. Seishi stood there, trying as desperately to reach him as he was to reach her. Slowly, they fought their way through the winds and rain to each other.

Ryuu held Seishi tightly. Quietly, he whispered, "I’m so sorry, Seishi, love."

"It doesn’t matter," murmured Seishi. She turned to gaze sadly at the silver lake, its waters tossed by the wind. "My mother’s tears shall now be my forever home."

"Seishi, no!" shouted Ryuu.

"I can’t live like this, Ryuu!" Seishi began to cry into Ryuu’s already soaked shirt. "I know it wasn’t your fault, I just wish you’d realized the sun was still up…Ryuu, I won’t be able to survive the life that awaits me now! All I’ll be able to do is watch you from above, knowing we love each other, but we can’t meet, can’t talk, can’t…oh Ryuu…"

Ryuu took a deep breath, then said quietly, "I’ll die with you."

Seishi pushed back, her beautiful face streaked with tears. "No, Ryuu, you can’t! Go back, rule your people, leave me here!"

"No, Seishi! If I hadn’t been such a fool, this wouldn’t be happening! I won’t be able to live without you any more than you could live without me, Seishi love. At least we can die together."

Seishi nodded slowly, then took his hand. Clinging tightly to each other, they ran to the edge of the lake. Behind them, the sound of galloping horses entered the clearing, but both ignored it. As one, they leaped into the lake.

The silver waters closed over them. Ryuu and Seishi sank down, down…Spots began to dance in front of Ryuu’s eyes. Something tore his hand away from Seishi’s. He tried to cry out her name, but no sound came out. The blackness overwhelmed him, and he knew no more.

* * * * *

"She’s gone, Himeko, leave it."

"I can’t, Yoseiko. I do love him. I may never have him, but at least I can do this much for him." Splash.

The voices penetrated Ryuu’s consciousness. He felt someone’s lips on his, relentlessly pushing air in and out. He tried to open his eyes, but all he achieved was a small flutter of his eyelids.

The lips abruptly left his. "He’s alive!" shouted someone above him. Glad cries came from all around him.

With a Herculean effort, Ryuu forced his eyes open. A blurry shape hovered above him that might be a face, with violet eyes and black hair. Ryuu forced his mouth to open and his lips to form the word "Seishi…"

"We can’t find her, Ryuu." The sad violet eyes turned away.

"You’re not Seishi."

"No, I’m not." The face snapped into focus. Princess Karei.

Ryuu struggled to get to his feet, but couldn’t. Something heavy was on his legs. "Get off me." It was an order, not a request.

"Sorry." Karei moved over. Ryuu slowly stood, wobbling, then looked around. Many of the swan maidens were gone. Several horses stood nibbling grass at the edge of the clearing. Yoseiko, Usa, Aiko, Megami, and Yoake stood around him.

A golden head popped out of the silver waters illuminated by the full moon, high in the sky. It turned toward them, and Ryuu recognized Himeko. She called out, "I can’t find her."

"Seishi?" asked Ryuu. Himeko nodded. "Where is she?"

"She’s gone, Ryuu." Himeko’s voice was sad. She began to swim back to shore.

Seishi’s words echoed in Ryuu’s mind. My mother’s tears shall now be my forever home.

"No!" Ryuu shouted. "She isn’t, she can’t be!" Half blinded by grief, he ran back to the lake and dove in. The water stung his eyes, open to search the silver waters for his love. His hand closed over something the same silky soft as her skin as everything went black.

* * * * *

Ryuu stood in the middle of blackness. "Where am I?" he asked. The words echoed in a way that didn’t involve sound.

"It’s not your time, Ryuu. Go back." He heard the words in a way that didn’t involve hearing. He didn’t care what the words said. All that was important was the speaker.

"Seishi!"

"Go back, Ryuu. Marry Himeko. She loves you. In time you will love her. Leave me here." Seishi seemed to step forward out of nowhere, more beautiful than she had been before. Her somber violet eyes pleaded with him.

"Seishi, love, no, I can’t!"

"It is not your time, Ryuu. It is mine. You must return. I must stay."

"No!" Ryuu felt something pushing him backwards, away from Seishi. He grabbed her hand. "I can’t leave you!" The force pushing him back grew stronger. He clung to her hand with all his strength. "Seishi, Seishi—by the sun, the moon, and the stars above, to you I swear eternal love!" He surrendered to the inexorable force pushing him out of the blackness, but he didn’t let go.

* * * * *

"Ryuu, you idiot!" Slap. "How could you be so stupid?" Slap. "That’s twice tonight you’ve nearly killed yourself!" Ryuu opened his eyes and caught Yoseiko’s wrist before she could slap him again.

"Seishi?"

"You found her, Ryuu, but it doesn’t matter. She’s gone."

All he heard was the first four words. "Where is she?"

"You wouldn’t let go of her."

Ryuu sat up and looked left. Sure enough, his Seishi lay there, her hand firmly clasped in his, her face beautiful in repose. He let go of Yoseiko’s wrist and laid his hand gently over Seishi’s heart. He felt a gentle vibration against his fingertips. A pause, then another. No, he wasn’t imagining it. Another.

"She’s alive!" Ryuu kissed Seishi’s warm lips, then took a deep breath and blew it into her mouth. He sucked the air back out of her lungs, then turned his head to exhale. Air moved from outside into his lungs, from his to hers, from hers to his, from his to outside; in his, his to hers, hers to his out of his; again and again.

Ryuu ignored Yoseiko’s comments of "She’s been underwater for twelve hours, Ryuu. She can’t possibly be alive." All that mattered was Seishi, helping her breathe, bringing her back.

Finally, her eyelids fluttered, then opened.

"Seishi, you’re alive!" shouted Ryuu exultantly.

She smiled, then murmured, "What made you think I wasn’t?"

"Oh, Seishi, love…" Ryuu collapsed on top of her, crying for joy.

"You brought me back, Ryuu, love," whispered Seishi. "Thank you."

Golden light broke through the trees to illuminate the clearing. "Sunrise," Seishi whispered.

Five minutes passed, ten. Nothing happened.

"I think we found the third way to end the curse," Seishi said.

Ryuu pushed himself up so he could meet Seishi’s eyes. "You think?" he asked incredulously. They looked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing.

* * * * *

A month later, Ryuu and Seishi were wed on the shores of Swan Lake. Eight months after the wedding, on the night before the full moon, their first child was born and named Hotaru. Nine months later, Seishi bore twins. The elder, a boy, was named Akira, and the younger, a girl, Mitsuko. Another year passed, and they had a daughter, Hoshie. Then, ten months later, another son, Shunya. A year and a half later, a fourth daughter, Kiyomi.

Princess Hotaru grew into a lovely maiden, with her mother’s black hair and her father’s emerald eyes. She was often likened to a rose: beautiful, delicate, sweet, but sharp-thorned. Prince Akira and Princess Mitsuko had identical chocolate brown hair and sapphire eyes. The twins were mirror images of each other in more ways than one: Akira was bold, daring, adventurous, but reckless; Mitsuko quiet, shy, intelligent, but perhaps overly cautious. Princess Hoshie fit her name well: she often appeared to be distant and cold, like the stars above, and with her golden-brown hair and amethyst eyes, she was also as beautiful as the stars. Prince Shunya had his mother’s violet eyes and black hair. He also fit his name, excelling at those arts that princes are supposed to excel at, though he couldn’t handle a sword or bow to save his life. Princess Kiyomi had ordinary brown hair, like her father’s sister, and her father’s emerald eyes. She was always moving, though princesses are supposed to sit quietly, always spoke her mind, hated embroidery and dancing, and was the most skilled in the known world at archery and swordsmanship.

Together, King Ryuu and Queen Seishi of the Swans ruled their lands wisely and well. They lived long good lives, happily ever after.