o d i l e
someone holds me safe and warm,
horses prance through a silver storm
figures dancing gracefully across my memory
Odile had an odd outlook on life. It was carefree, it was joyous, it was a vibrancy that radiated from him like the sun. Neverending smiles. Laughter could be described as infectious, and above all, a never swaying desire to remain positive and see the brighter side to life. To never, ever lose that spark of joy. That light. And so, despite the issues with getting the door open, the little stallion happily made his way into the library.
He didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't this enormous room filled with various books, scrolls, tomes, and secrets. Who knew what wonders awaited him within the world of literature. Not even the library at his father's castle had anything on this. Nor the library at Deryc's castle. They both paled in comparison, and Odile could already feel the growing excitement of what secrets he could learn from these tomes and books. And mayhaps, even what secrets could potentially help him with his own dire situation - a very dire situation that threatened not only his happiness, but his way of life. . . when you're forcefully turned into the shape of a prey animal from dawn to dusk, life can be concerning when you have to consider the potential of coming across hunters.
The sooner the young stallion could find other means of escaping from his curse, the better. Especially since figuring out how to make true love break it for him seemed unlucky and flimsy at best. Deryc didn't really want him after all. He just wanted to fulfill the two's due obligations to their countries and their parents. Deryc only agreed to be wedded because it was what was expected of them. Was it silly that the young swan wanted so much more? Love, romance, passion.
But, if he had just silently agreed with Deryc then, he wouldn't be in this mess now. His father was killed. He had been kidnapped and cursed. All accruing on the way home after he and Deryc had the fight over why they should get married. Had Odile just stayed silent, had he just gotten married anyway, would all of this have never come to pass? Would he be happy right now, having given Deryc the chance to fall in love with him, rather than rush a passion his beloved obviously didn't feel? In a roundabout way, Odile realized it was kind of his fault.
My, what a sour way to look at it, but it is relatively true I guess. My silly pride and desires had us leaving Deryc's family's castle well before we were intended. It was on that trip back that . . . we were attached. I remember it with such horrifying detail. The guards stopped our carriage's movements, the confusion father and I felt while laying down, having been previously talking amongst ourselves. Father had been trying too hard to get me to explain why I was upset. I never really did call of that wedding, did I? In hindsight, I guess I had hoped that by not calling it off, Deryc would have realized faster what I was upset about and gone to fix it. Said what I wanted to hear. He didn't even need to give me some impassioned declaration of love. I just wanted to know he wanted to marry me because it is what he really wanted, not that I was an obligation he would just have to take on for the betterment of our two kings.
I didn't want to be a poor consolation prize. I wanted to feel like I mattered; I was important. I wanted to feel like this was a scenario where love could come from it, especially since I was in love with Deryc at the time . . . instead . . . I had gotten my father killed, I was now cursed to be a swan for half the day . . . and Deryc never even seemed to look for me . . . and now that I'm in Novus, there is a part of me who isn't sure what will come next or where I can go.
Well, I know some things. Home was in Dusk Court, in Terra-what-is-it-again. Earth Star. I'm calling it freaking Earth Star. Anyway, that was home, with Liam, in the Citadel, 'cause that handsome bastard wasn't going to just leave me floundering about in the fountain - literally, and had decided I was adopted then and there.
But where would life lead me? What kind of life was I destined to live as a swa- Oh no . . . I've gotten off-topic again. Right. Library. Books. Break the curse. Library. Books. Break the curse. Oh, and I've already made it to the library, so now I just gotta find the ri- Oh, fuck; well, hello handsome. Maybe coming at night wasn't so bad. Wait, wait, where are you going!?! COME BACK!
The little stallion had blinked in shock when the stallion had come around the side of an aisle. They both seemed still and relatively silent. The other seemingly lacking interest, and Odile too busy staring at the delicious helping of eye candy he just found. But then . . . this magnificent specimen of a stallion turned that delicious body away from him and was leaving! The monochrome beast kicked up his wings, flying after him, his voice loud in the desolate library, "Hey there! Hold on! Wait a minute! Pretty, pretty please!" He touched back down on the ground, light on his hooves and displaying grace in flight that came from spending so much time as a swan and learning tricks for aerial acrobats and flight from the other birds in the sky during those long, dull days.
Once back on the ground, the stallion trotted towards the other from the front to try and make sure he would stop, would potentially offer help. His black eyes were wide, hopeful, filled with youthful innocence and naivety he never seemed to lose no matter how old he got. His muzzle dipped down into a delicate frown, as he stared up at the slightly taller male, "Look handsome, as much as I would love to spend hours just staring at how pretty you are, I could actually use some help! I just need pointed in the right direction, pretty please! If you could help, I'd be extremely grateful!" Odile wasn't ashamed to admit he was begging.
He knew he was, but the little stallion could hardly care (partially as he was once more starstruck: looking at this varnished being that could be mistaken for some sort of gilded prince that walked straight out from one of those children stories he loved so much as a foal), "My name is Odile, and gorgeous; I really am just looking for the section on curses, or even spells gone wrong - and how to fix them. Well, I wouldn't mind more information about you either, as I'd just love to get to know you better. But breaking my curse has to take priority." He only had so many hours left before he'd resorted back to a swan anyways. And maybe, if this delicious, prime choice cut of stallion was able to lead him in the right direction, he could prolong the moments where he felt like he had died and gone to heaven, only to run into the most tempting statue of David there was.
"Speech"
Thoughts
@Ceylon
Notes: He's like 'I wanna flirt. But I wanna break my curse. Do both?'
