The Swan Princess Marie Viremont

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the auditorium as the performance ended. The ballet dancers, dressed in pristine white, gracefully bowed like white roses, bidding farewell to the audience.

In the central row of seats sat a middle-aged woman—she never missed any of the theater's ballet performances, especially the renowned 'Swan Lake". Her gaze followed the ballerina portraying Princess Odette—radiant under the stage lights, each graceful step like a beautiful swan dancing upon a lake.

Yet deep in her eyes, that dazzling swan princess on stage was none other than her younger self. Under the brilliant spotlight, her every movement had once captivated the entire audience, drawing them into the fairy-tale romance of Odette and Prince Siegfried. But the star who once shone so brightly had long since retired, now just a fading memory of that legendary performance." The Swan Marie Viremont "once graced the headlines of every major theater publication, chased by photographers and hailed as the most talented Princess Odette the Bolshoi had ever seen.

That night, after the play ended, Marie arrived at Café Pushkin and settled into her usual corner. A steaming cup of tea was placed before her, but she didn't drink immediately—instead, her gaze swept slowly across the familiar room.

The space lived unchanged in her memory, she used to sip tea here with her fellow dancers, back when the air buzzed with laughter and rehearsals. But time had dulled those vibrant days, leaving only Marie to return alone, sipping bitter tea and turning over the ghosts of her youth.

If you don't drink your tea now, it'll go cold."

An unfamiliar voice cut through Marie's thoughts. She looked up and saw a man around her age—a gentleman in his late 50s with silver-streaked hair, wearing a slightly frayed but impeccably tailored wool waistcoat over a starched shirt.

His round spectacles, perched low on his nose, caught the dim light of the café as he gestured toward her untouched cup.

" Just leave it be. I've long grown accustomed to cold things." Marie replied with a hint of sarcasm.

" Oh really? You once said never let anything grow cold , even passion under the spotlight. "

After hearing this, Marie looked at him in surprise. She had indeed said this before, during her busy training sessions or under the glittering stage lights and full eyes of the audience.

" Excuse me sir, you are..."

" I didn't expect you to forget me so quickly, my dear Odette. " The old man smiled at her.

" You are Nikolai? " Marie said in surprise, it had been a long time since she had seen an old colleague from the dance team.

What a coincidence — the performers playing Princess Odette and Prince Siegfried are reunited after decades apart. Nikolai used to be Marie's dance partner back when she was still a ballerina.

In their golden days, they were known as the golden duo. She and he were like swans in perfect harmony. After Marie retired, she didn't hear much news about him, only that he had moved to live in Paris.

" I heard people say you went to live in Paris" Marie asked.

" I did, but sometimes I still want go back to my hometown to revisit old memories." he replied as he sat down next to marie. " How about you? How is your retirement life going? "

" It's fine, I am a freelance writer now, i come here occasionally to relax ." Marie said as she picked up her teacup to enjoy it.

" How is your leg?" Nikolai asked.

There was a brief silence before Marie set down her teacup, her eyes briefly avoiding his gaze before she let out a sigh.

" It's better now. " she replied indifferently.

" I hope so too, it's good to see you're still healthy and having a good life." Nikolai looked at her sympathetically.

Marie only gave a slight nod. Painful memories flooded her mind. At the peak of her career, she had been the golden swan of the theatre — every step she danced was filled with passion and burning dreams.

But everything ended with an accident. Her leg was injured, leaving a permanent condition that made it impossible for her to continue dancing. Crushed by sorrow, she quietly withdrew from the troupe at the age of thirty-two, with her career still unfinished.

That swan could no longer glide across the shimmering lake — all that remained was the shadow of who she once was.

" The past is ashes, sir. I suggest you let it scatter." Marie replied.

" Yes you are right . It's getting late now. Shall we talk tomorrow night around 8?" Nikolai suggested while he stood up.

" Sure, see you tomorrow " Marie said softly as she stood up and left with Nikolai.

At precisely eight o'clock the following evening, Marie arrived at the café as promised. Glancing toward her usual corner, she saw Nikolai already seated there. He rose with a polite nod, offering his arm to guide her to her seat with old-world courtesy.

They spoke at length - reminiscing about bygone days and sharing updates about their present lives. For the first time in years, Marie allowed herself to feel such nostalgia as forgotten memories came flooding back: their fellow performers, their work, their perfect synchronization on stage.

Only they knew that behind the curtains, they had been ordinary people with private lives all along. When their golden era ended, everyone had moved on to their separate lives, though traces of the past still lingered like the faint scent of stage makeup.

"I still have this" Nikolai said as he took out a carefully kept old theater ticket from his pocket.

" Are these tickets for that year's Swan Lake play?" Marie gently took the ticket.

"Yes, the play that year was very successful, you really shone brightly on stage at that time. I keep this as a souvenir. " He gently pushed the ticket towards her. "Here I give it back to you."

The moment she held the ticket in her hand, the brilliance of the stage lights lit up once more in her mind. She had once been the shining star of that very production — radiant, full of youthful energy, and known as the Swan Princess of the stage.

" It's been a long time since I felt that nostalgia . I can't believe you still keep it till now. " Marie said with a gentle smile.

" Yes i have always kept it . By the way, are you free tomorrow? I want to go there with you. " Nikolai suggested.

" Hm? where is it? She asked.

" Here. " Nikolai said as he handed over a small piece of paper with his name and address written on it." Tomorrow, at 8o'clock, i will wait for you. "

" Sure, see you tomorrow. "

The next evening, Marie arrived at the address mentioned the night before and found herself standing before an old theater. The surrounding area was eerily quiet. Nikolai stood waiting in an elegant black suit, offering his hand to help her out of the car before guiding her inside.

The interior was dimly lit, with only faint glimmers of light piercing the darkness, leaving much of the theater shrouded in shadow.

Nikolai led her toward the stage from the wings. Before Marie could even question him with her eyes, he gave her a reassuring smile. When they both stepped onto the stage, the lights suddenly flared to life. A wave of familiarity surged through her like the tide, pulling Marie back into those cherished days when the stage was her world.

As Marie turned to Nikolai, still confused, he gently extended his hand in invitation. Finally understanding his plan, she hesitated for only a moment before taking his hand—accepting his offer to dance.

The melody of *Swan Lake – Act II Pas de Deux* suddenly filled the air as the small hidden orchestra began to play. When the first notes rang out, Marie's legs faltered, unaccustomed after so long—but Nikolai was always there to catch her, becoming her steady anchor through every step.

Suddenly, Marie remembered the day she first met Nikolai. They had fumbled through their initial rehearsals, awkward and out of sync, yet they'd grown into the iconic swan duo, conquering stages together under the spotlight. Now, though she was a swan with a broken wing, no longer able to glide as freely as before, she felt alive again, as if the stage had never left her.

This melody—the very one that played when Odette met Siegfried—stirred the same overwhelming emotions she'd felt upon reuniting with Nikolai after all these years. Free from the constraints of ballet slippers, the Swan could finally dance again under the shimmering water, escaped the sad shadow of broken wings , her movements clumsy but unburdened. No regrets, no sorrow—just her soul poured into each imperfect step beside him.

As soon as the music finally ended, their eyes still looked at each other, even though they were retired, their eyes still showed the same enthusiasm as before. Nikolai bent down and kissed Marie's hand, her cheeks reddening as she looked at him.

"Thank you so much Nikolai, you made me relive that moment again." Marie said with sparkling eyes.

"Marie, I know I came too late and couldn't be with you during your most difficult time. " Nikolai paused for a moment and then continued.

" Will you let me be your Siegfried again?"

" You came too late Sigefried. " Marie said as she walked over and hugged Nikolai tightly. "I've been waiting for this for a long time."

Under the dim glow of the old stage lights, they shared a warm embrace after years of separation—years they had spent believing they'd forgotten each other, that the radiant youth they once shared was lost forever. But now, the Swan Princess had found her prince again. Though time had etched its marks upon them, their love burned as fiercely as it had in their twenties.

And the empty audience seats, shrouded in darkness, seemed to whisper an unseen applause for this love, profound and enduring.