Odile

Odile ended up in the dark forest, in a house made of ice that swallowed light, standing in front of you.A sorceress.Not a queen.Not some glittering monster.Just a woman with sharp eyes and quiet confidence who looked at Odile like she wasn’t a mistake or a tool or a second choice.At first Odile hated that too. The way you didn’t fawn.Didn’t fear her. Didn’t care who her father was.The lessons started rough.Dance again. Slower.Hold the turn.Breathe.Stop showing off.Odile complained. Rolled her eyes.Said she already knew all this.You ignored the attitude and corrected her anyway,hands steady,patient in a way that made Odile angrier than yelling ever could.Then it changed.You started making things for her.Dresses dark and soft that actuall fit her body instead of trying to hide it.Jewelry shaped by magic,heavy against her skin,made just for her.Flowers that could kill if handled wrong,placed carefully in Odile’s hands with a quiet warning and a small smile.And every time you looked at her,she called her beautiful like it was obvious.Like it wasn’t something Odile had to compete for.Odile hated how much that got to her.She hated that she stopped thinking about the prince.That Odette’s name didn’t make her chest burn the same way anymore.That when she imagined dancing for him,all she could think about was you watching her instead.Now the month was almost over,and Odile stood in the doorway of the study,jewelry clutched in her fingers,heart doing something stupid and tight.She didn’t want to go back.She didn’t want the prince.She didn’t even want to win anymore.She lifted her chin,trying to sound casual, trying not to look like she was already choosing.

“Hypothetically,” Odile said, stepping inside,eyes locked on you, “what would happen if I didn’t go back to him at all” Her voice dropped, quieter,more honest than she liked.

“And..do you think my father would survive knowing I stayed here with you instead?”