There once was a king called William, who was growing old and needed an heir. Finally, his only child was born, the Princess Odette.

At Odette's christening, King William and Uberta, the widowed Queen of Chamberg watched as Uberta's young son Derek presented the baby with a golden locket, heart-shaped and engraved with the image of a swan. William and Uberta decide that they will ensure that Derek and Odette spend their summers together in the hopes that the two will eventually fall in love, as their marriage would unite the two kingdoms, and be prosperous for all.

Meanwhile, a shadowy figure lurked in the back of the room; Rothbart, a sorcerer. Odette's birth did not concern him, as he had been plotting to use the forbidden arts to take William's kingdom. However, the evening before he was planning to attack, William's forces arrived and destroyed all his work.

The public cried for Rothbart's execution, but William was lenient and only banished the sorcerer. As Rothbart was taken to the boundaries of the kingdom, he raged, and promised King William: "One day, everything you own, everything you love, will be mine!"

When Odette was a little older, William took her to Chamberg to meet Prince Derek. Their first impressions of each other were not favourable. Odette considered Derek conceited and Derek resented having to spend his time with a girl; he also wasn't too pleased with being forced to kiss her hand!

[This Is My Idea]

As the years went on and the children grew. Odette would make desperate excuses not to travel to Chamberg, while Derek and his friend Bromley would tease and exclude her. It was widely known that the only point on which the two didn't disagree was that the summer was dreaded ^^;

However, one summer when they are grown, the two are bustled scowling into the main hall at Chamberg Palace to greet each other. Derek is stunned by her sudden beauty ("She started out as a such an ugly duckling, and somehow suddenly became a swan." - [oh the irony]) whilst Odette focuses more on Derek as a person ("I see inside him and my doubts are gone.") The two realise that they truly do love the other and, to the delight of their parents and numerous other watchers, share their first kiss.

Derek immediately calls for the marriage to be arranged. Odette is startled and somewhat offended when Derek tells her, "You're all I've ever wanted - you're beautiful!" To the chagrin of her father, Odette inquires "What else?" The moment a flustered Derek answers with "What else is there?" everybody knows that there will be no marriage.

William and Odette leave for their kingdom immediately, Odette looking back over her shoulder dejectedly at a silent Derek.

That night, Derek plays chess with Brom and Rogers, a man who seems to be a mixture of Derek's manservant and court composer ^^; Derek insists that he does see more than Odette's beauty, but can't seem to put it into words ("She's like... you know... how about... and then... I mean right?").

Meanwhile, William and Odette are in their carriage. Rothbart appears out of the shadows, far ahead in the road. "Today's the day," he states as William's men cautiously halt. In a flash, Rothbart transforms into a giant flying creature, and heads towards the carriage and the panicking guards.

Back at Chamberg, the chess game is interrupted as King William's captain falls wounded through the door. As soon as Derek realises that the carriage has been attacked he jumps on a horse and heads off into the rainy night. 

When he arrives at the scene, the only trace of Odette to be found is the golden locket that he gave her at her christening. King William lies on the ground, and Derek rushes to him. The old man is fatally wounded and is making little sense. He grabs Derek and desperately tries to explain what has happened.

"It came so quickly... A great... animal... Listen to me Derek, it's not what it seems. It's not what it seems!"

King William dies, leaving only this cryptic message. Derek falls to his knees, calling out for Odette through the night.

However, Odette has been spirited far away, to Rothbart's castle at Swan Lake. Rothbart and his minion, the Hag are throwing breadcrumbs to a desolate looking swan on the lake, pure white except for a golden patch on the crown of its head. The moon rises over the water and the swan is encased in golden light; the waters rise up and reveal Odette.

Rothbart explains that his plan is to marry Odette, for in doing so he will become the indisputable ruler of her kingdom and will not have to risk civil war and spend the rest of his life fighting to keep his position. Odette is appalled at the idea and attempts to storm out of the castle grounds. Rothbart stops her with a jeering, "Where are you going? The moment the moonlight leaves the lake, you turn back into a swan... no matter where you are."

Odette realises that she has no idea where she is, and that it is hopeless to run off into the forest with only a few hours in human form left. Realising the true severity of her situation, she buries her head in her hands and weeps.

Back at Chamberg, time has passed, and Odette is universally accepted as dead. Queen Uberta concerns herself with hurling various princesses in front of Derek in the hopes that he will marry one of them. However, Derek is still convinced that Odette still lives and refuses to get married (therefore, become King) until he has found her.

[Practice, Practice, Practice]

It seems that usually Derek forces the palace servants to disguise themselves as various beasts and allow him to shoot at them with padded arrows for practice. This has developed into a sort of game, where Derek's arrows leave orange marks, Brom's blue, and Rogers adds up the points (depending on what the 'animal' was) at the end.

However, on this particular day, the servants have the day off. Derek however, will not skimp on his training, and it falls to the musicians to be his targets. However, it's not much of a competition, as it grows rather apparent that Brom can't shoot to save his life. Obviously, he's sick of drastically losing to Derek each and every time, so he opts to cheat, smacking the 'white rabbit' (worth 100 points per hit) with an arrow three times when the game is over. 

When Rogers counts this up, the result is 298 to Derek and 300 to Brom, until Derek grins and shows where he himself had hit the elusive rabbit (really a small musician called Wesley ^^;) under the fluffy tail. Rogers is amused at Brom's announcement that he is courageous and so suggests another of Derek's training exercises, a game called Catch and Fire.

The point of Catch and Fire is that Brom shoots an arrow at Derek's back. Without looking, Derek must turn at the right time, grab the arrow from midair and shoot it himself, back at Brom - preferably hitting the apple strapped to the top of his helmet. Whilst Brom is in full armour, Derek has only a shield across his back. Obviously he does this often, as he splits the apple perfectly down the middle. "52 out of 52!" Rogers announces, "Well done Derek!"

Whilst Rogers teases Bromley in the background, Derek looks out at the horizon, frustrated that he has not yet figured out the mystery of the great animal.

At Swan Lake, we meet Jean-Bob, the frog. It was of great benefit to him when Odette appeared at Swan Lake, for Jean-Bob considers himself a human prince who is currently under an enchantment, which of course, only the kiss of a princess can break. The turtle, Speed, enquires what he is doing, and Jean-Bob replies that he is going to attempt to pole-vault across the castle moat, mindless of the two alligators, to pick Odette a bunch of flowers from the opposite bank.

The plan goes a bit awry when Speed helpfully reminds him mid-vault that he won't be able to get back over. Odette appears in time to rescue the frog from the alligators. However, no matter how many bouquets Jean-Bob can risk his life to bring her, Odette will not give him a kiss. The conditions of her curse means that she must kiss nobody but Derek, her true love. Following this, he must make a vow of everlasting love, and prove it to the world.

Apparently, Odette has forgiven Derek for the lapse in manners and sensitivity, proclaiming that if she could break free of the spell, she would run straight to him. Back at the palace, Derek stands on his balcony, knowing that he is looking at the same moon that she is.

[Far Longer Than Forever]
[Montage/wallpaper]

Odette is interrupted by a wounded bird falling from the sky, a puffin, to be precise. As it lies unconscious on the ground, Odette removes the arrow from its wing and binds the wound with material from her gown. When the bird comes to, it automatically assumes that Odette and the others are enemies. However, when it realises that Odette has indeed helped him, he apologises, introducing himself as Lieutenant Puffin and proclaiming himself in Odette's debt.

However, they are interrupted again by Rothbart's nightly visit. The dark surroundings of Swan Lake are suddenly transformed into a beautiful sunlit garden, and Rothbart himself appears in golden armour, announcing, "Odette! Your knight-in-shining-armour has come to set you free!" and once again, asks for her hand in marriage.

Odette glowers at him. "Every night you ask me the same question, and every night, I give you the same answer. I'll die first."

Rothbart burns with rage, warning her that one day he will boil over. Odette is equally unimpressed with this: "Go ahead then. But I will never give you my father's kingdom!"

Rothbart smirks, and gestures behind Odette, to the sky. "I guess you need another day to think about it." 

Odette desolately walks into the water and allows the streams to enclose her, emerging from the water as a swan. Puffin stares at her in shock, as Rothbart storms off.

Back to the palace, Uberta gazes adoringly at the crown Derek will wear once he is king. The Chamberlain comes bustling in, showing Uberta a literal avalanche of envelopes, which turn out to be RSVPs to a ball she's throwing. Uberta has convinced herself that if she invites all the eligible princesses to the palace and parades them around in front of Derek, he'll learn to let Odette's memory go. Rogers knows better than this, reiterating that Derek will refuse to get married to anyone other than Odette.

Blissfully unaware of the impending ball, Derek is doing what he always does when he is not practicing - that is scouring the palace library for anything that could be possibly considered a clue as to the identity of the great animal. Today however, Derek appears to be in luck, reading something in an old book that appears to be the answer. 

He races out of the library, stopping to kiss his mother on the forehead, who seems totally unperturbed that Derek announces he's off to find the great animal. Her only condition is that he's home for the ball tomorrow night. When Derek says that he can't, Uberta uses emotional blackmail, that is the 'lip-thing', pouting and looking on the verge of tears. Derek sighs and says he'll try to be back, as long as Uberta doesn't turn it into a 'beauty pageant'. Uberta reassures him that it's only a few friends... "and... their daughters..." she adds when Derek races out of sight.

Back at Swan Lake, Puffin, still considering himself in Odette's debt, has taken it upon himself to help her. His plans for retrieving Derek are stillborn when Odette reveals to him that not only does she know where he is, she has no idea where she is. Obviously they need some sort of map; Odette flies up and looks in the windows of Rothbart's castle to see exactly what she needs on the wall in an upper chamber.

[No Fear]

Puffin, Speed and Jean-Bob (the latter after a lot of musical persuasion) venture into the castle to get the map, from the literal clutches of the Hag.

"There's Derek's kingdom!" Odette cries, pointing to Chamberg on the map. "When do we leave?" she inquires of her injured animal friends.

Meanwhile, not so very far away from Swan Lake, Derek is explaining his theory to Brom. He shows him a picture of a mouse, and explains how it's true form is a second picture, a fire-breathing, snarling dragon. "An animal that can change its shape! It could be anything..." This obviously perturbs Brom a bit, and he proceeds to try and shoot every single rodent or insect he comes across. Derek heads off into the forest: "It's in here... I can feel it."

As it so happens, Odette and Puffin are flying overhead. As soon as Odette hears Brom calling for Derek, she loses her head and any semblance of a plan and goes tearing down into the canopy to see him. Derek is informed of her presence near him as the light flickers, and hides behind a tree to watch the shape flying closer to him.

"A swan? A swan! Of course!" Convinced that this is the great animal, Derek lunges out from his shelter, bow taught. "This is for Odette!" he cries, leasing an arrow at Odette. Puffin appears and knocks the stunned Odette out of the way just in time, and the two birds take flight as Derek follows across the terrain on foot.

Puffin assumes that their plan is working perfectly, as Derek is following them to Swan Lake where Odette will regain her human form when the moon rises. it is imperative that he be lead to Swan Lake, as Odette has to be on the waters of the lake to change back. Odette herself however, knows Derek too well, and knows that he will easily catch up and kill her.

The sun is setting, so their temporary cover within its rays is lost, and they are forced to return to the canopy as Derek shoots from a cliff above them. Desperately, Puffin pretends to be dead and falls from the branches, so that when Derek steps near him, he can bite (stupid word, birds have no teeth!) his foot and therefore slow him down for the rest of the journey to Swan Lake.

The moon is rising as they arrive, and Odette and Puffin take refuge with Speed and Jean-Bob, hidden from Derek's view. However, if Odette wants to change and be reunited with her love, she must risk him shooting her to get down to the waters of the lake. At first she is too nervous, certain that he will kill her on sight, but Puffin gently reminds her that if she doesn't gather her courage now, she will have lost her chance for life.

Derek stares in puzzlement as his prey appears and glides softly down, landing in the water in front of him, a perfect target. He aims his arrow at her, as Odette realises to her horror that the clouds have moved in front of the moon and therefore, her transformation is prevented. Puffin swoops down and hits Derek in the head, distracting him long enough for the clouds to move. Derek looks around from where he is now trying to shoot Puffin as golden light beams from the water.

The usual streams of water rise and fall to reveal Odette in her human form, looking exactly as she did the last time he saw her. He stares in shock. Odette stands in the water, unsure of what to do. "Hello Derek."

Derek puts all her doubts to rest as he immediately drops his bow and rushes into the water to embrace her. The first condition of the release from the spell is fulfilled as the two share a kiss.

However, Odette knows that his happy reunion cannot last; Rothbart will soon arrive for his nightly village. She quickly explains her predicament to Derek and what he must now do to break her curse. Derek plans to exploit his mother's ball to prove his vow of everlasting love to the world. He tells Odette to travel to the Chamberg Palace the following night, and in front of all the royalty in the world, he will make his vow.

Rothbart can now be heard, calling in irritation for Odette, who of course, is not coming to meet him. As she bustles Derek away from the lake grounds, he turns at the last minute, and throws something to her. It is her golden locket, which he has carried with him since retrieving it from the scene where she was kidnapped.

Derek disappears from view just in time, as Rothbart crashes onto the scene. He is convinced that he heard Odette talking to someone, and suspiciously checks behind the bushes. A desperate Odette does the only thing that comes to mind to distract him - she tells him that she has decided to become his Queen.

Rothbart acts extremely grateful, and promises that he'll be a good husband. "Oh Odette, you've made me so happy! Oh, by the way," he asks, his voice changing back to sneering from exalted, "you wouldn't happen to know who THIS belongs to, would you?" he asks, pulling out Derek's discarded and forgotten bow.

Odette sees no more need for pretence: "I will NEVER be yours, you creature! I will marry Prince Derek! And you CANNOT stop me!" Rothbart seems somewhat unaffected by her outburst. He hurls the bow into the middle of the lake and assures her that she will not attend the ball the following night. "If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me," Odette swears.

Rothbart grabs her hand, forcing her to relinquish the golden locket. "You've forgotten one very important thing..." he laughs, dangling the locket tauntingly in front of her. In the sky, the moon is only a sliver. "Tomorrow night... there is no moon." Odette whirls around, and realising that he is right, collapses to the bank in distress.

Laughing, Rothbart returns to his castle, priding himself on being one step ahead of everything. 

[No More Mr Nice Guy]

On the other hand, he muses, Prince Derek's vow could ruin everything. He quickly devises a plan - he will enchant the Hag so that she takes Odette's form and send her to Chamberg in Odette's place. Once Derek made his vow to the doppelganger, the real Odette will die.

Once again blissfully unaware of what's brewing, Derek comes breezing into the palace which is alive with preparations for the ball. He insults mostly everything; the flowers ("I don't want red! I want white! Like a swan!"), the food ("Would you feed this to a swan? Take it back. Something light!") and the music, to Rogers disapproval ("If you could play a swan, what would it sound like? Soft and graceful!")

Derek enquires as to the whereabouts of Bromley, whom he hasn't seen since he tore off after the swan/Odette in the forest the previous afternoon. He hints to his mother at his plans with a nonchalant: "Who's going to be my best man?" and a wink. Uberta, who, like everybody bar Derek, believes Odette long deceased, assumes that he has a new sweetheart and is completely thrilled.

In contrast, Odette is not nearly so happy. Just in case, Rothbart has imprisoned her in the water-filled dungeon of his castle. In mock sympathy for Odette, he pretends to recreate a ball just for her, tossing her in a dance partner - who happens to be the unlucky Brom, captured whilst wandering aimlessly around the forest. As he turns to leave, he berates Odette for giving him 'that look', and for being 'sneaky' - "Had to drag your weakling prince into it too, didn't you? Well that's fine with me, just FINE with me!" He and the Hag leave Bromley hanging from a chain to keep afloat and a desolate Odette, with seemingly no hopes of escape.

The princesses are arriving at Chamberg palace, hoards and hoards of them. Uberta pressures Derek into giving her more clues about his mystery maiden. "Promise you'll tell me who she is the moment she arrives!" 

Derek laughs as he surveys his reflection in the mirror. "You'll know mother, believe me, you'll know."

The Chamberlain appears and announces that all the guests have arrived, and Uberta gives him permission to start the proceedings.

[Princesses on Parade]

The princesses are introduced by the Chamberlain, but after a while, there is a knock at the door. As everyone who was invited was present, the Chamberlain is most confused as to whom it could be. There is a collective gasp as 'Odette' (meaning the Hag) walks through the grand doors in a daring red and black dress.

Uberta cannot believe her eyes and tries to get Rogers to tell her who it is. All Rogers can offer is: "I promise you I've never seen her before! Except... she does look a great deal like..." 

The Hag goes straight to Derek, who of course believes her to be his Odette, and welcomes her warmly, striking up the band again and pulling her into a dance.

At Swan Lake, Puffin is cultivating an escape plan. Using logic he deduces that if there is water in the dungeon, there must presumably be a leak somewhere in the walls to let water from the moat in. All they have to do is find that hole and make it big enough for Odette to escape through. Jean-Bob rather sensibly points out that he is forgetting about two things, namely the two alligators.

It turns out that this is where Speed comes in; he will distract the two alligators whilst Jean-Bob searches for the hole. After a frantic search he finds it, squeezing through it to Odette on the inside. Speed signals Puffin, who himself dives in to distract the alligators whilst Speed makes the hole bigger. 

Unable to communicate with Brom in her swan form, Odette tries to convey to him that she wants him to follow, but Brom just backs away from her and tells her to shoo, so she is forced to leave him. Closely followed by the alligators, she swims through the water before emerging and setting off towards the palace as fast as she can.

Back at the palace, Derek has noticed that Odette is not being herself. "Don't worry," answers the Hag, presenting the locket that Rothbart took from the real Odette. "After tonight, everything will be perfect." Derek agrees as he lovingly puts the locket around her neck. He calls the band to stop playing so he can make an announcement just as the real Odette approaches the castle. Looking through the windows to the main hall, she is horrified to see what appears to be herself on Derek's arm.

As Derek begins to address the large assembly, Odette frantically flies around all the windows trying to catch his attention. All she succeeds in doing is having the Hag notice her and actively move Derek around so that he wouldn't see the swan outside the windows. Odette races around the castle, desperately looking for any way in, but there is none.

"I make a vow of everlasting love," Derek says, as Odette cries his name in anguish.

"To Odette," Derek finishes, holding his arms out to the Hag.

The effect on Odette is instantaneous, she starts to droop in the sky. Suddenly, all the windows in the main hall blow open, revealing the stormy scene outside, as Rothbart saunters in, incredibly pleased with himself. Derek motions for the Hag to stay back. 

"Went and pledged your love to another?" he laughs at a confused Derek.

"What are you talking about? This is Odette!" Derek argues.

"No!" Rothbart snaps, "Odette is mine!"

With this, Derek recognises Rothbart's voice and orders him to leave immediately. "You have no power here! I made a vow! A vow of everlasting love!"

Rothbart seems to find this incredibly amusing. "You made a vow alright, a vow of everlasting death!" He shoots a flash of magic at the Hag, and Derek runs immediately to where she has fallen to the floor, believing that he has returned to kill Odette. Actually, all Rothbart has done is taken the enchantment off the Hag's face, so that when Derek lifts the body from the floor and her hair stops concealing it, he can see that he has been deceived.

He then notices the small white shape in the sky, Odette labouring as she returns to Swan Lake to die. Rothbart's laughter echoes all around, even those at Swan Lake can hear it and know that something has gone wrong.

Derek immediately gets on his horse and races to Swan Lake, as Odette struggles and dips in the sky. As he rides, Rothbart's voice taunts him. "She's fading fast, little prince. If you hurry, I'll let you see her one last time!"

Puffin, Speed and Jean-Bob watch as Odette glides across the lake, her wings trailing in the water as she no longer has the energy to keep herself in the air. She lands on the cobbling on the other side of the lake, and returns to her human shape.

Derek arrives and races to her motionless form to take her in his arms, begging her forgiveness. Odette can barely speak.

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

"No! You'll live Odette! The vow I made was for you!

"I know." Odette raises her hand to his cheek. "I love you Derek." The hand falls back and she slips out of his hold, falling back to the stone and closing her eyes.

[Montage/wallpaper]

Derek can do nothing but angrily should to Rothbart. "The vow I made was for her! Do you hear me? The vow I made was for her!"

Rothbart appears as if from nowhere: "No need to shout."

Derek rounds on him. "Don't you dare let her die! You're the only one with the power!"

Rothbart throws him off. "Only if you defeat... me..." he smirks, transforming into his winged creature form. Derek looks on, stunned.

"The great animal..."

Derek attempts to fight him with a sword, but Rothbart merely flies upwards, concealing himself until he came crashing down through the branches to seize Derek in his claws, flying high with him before dropping him into the trees.

Puffin suddenly remembers that Rothbart threw Derek's bow into the middle of the lake - a long distance weapon is what Derek needs right now. He sends Jean-Bob and Speed to retrieve it and place it in front of Derek, who is lying dazed on the stone floor. Upon seeing his weapon he refocuses, grabbing it and stretching his arm behind him for an arrow. Plan thwarted however, as he has no quiver, not a single arrow. Rothbart rears in the sky, ready for another attack.

Suddenly Derek hears a familiar noise from somewhere behind him. "Please... oh please oh please..." Brom on the other hand did still have all his hunting gear with him from the day before, and was putting those games of Catch and Fire to good use. Derek whirls around, in one fluid movement grabs the arrow that Brom had shot at him, strung it in his own bow and pierced Rothbart through the heart with it.

The animal shrieked as it fell from the sky, crashing down to the waters of the lake and exploding in a cloud of light.

Brom promptly faints ^^

Speed, Jean-Bob and Puffin rejoice, but the mood is sobered when Derek immediately returns to Odette's body, cradling her once more. 

"Forgive me Odette. I only wanted to break the spell. To prove my love." Derek can suddenly find the words to tell her how he feels. "I love you. Your kindless and your courage, I always have." He tenderly kisses her on the forehead and holds her tight to him once more. 

He is startled when she moves in his arms. Still weak, but alive, Odette has finally heard what she always wanted to hear from Derek.

"There you have it," summarises Puffin, as Odette embraces Derek back, "Everlasting love."

Coming full-circle, Odette and Derek are married at like they were always told they would be and crowned King and Queen of the newly enlarged Chamberg. Uberta even has her hair quaffed into the shape of a swan for the event ^^ As the new spouses parade through the straights, overhead, a newly self-promoted General Puffin is training a group of swans to become a fighting air-force. 

At the reception, which is at a renovated Swan Lake, Jean-Bob eagerly awaits his kiss. Knowing he would be disappointed either way, Odette complies, and of course nothing happens. Jean-Bob however, still insists that he has changed, an idea which is not dispelled when he goes to check his reflection, as a real prince happens to be standing behind him at the time.

Derek and Odette escape from the festivities to be alone, and, of course, to provide the cliché happy ending scene. 

Standing on a bridge over the water, Odette asks Derek, "Will you love me? Till the day I die?"

"No Odette," Derek replies mischievously, "much longer than that."

[Eternity]