A/N: Yay, thanks to those who reviewed! I'm in the mood to update this despite it being a weekend ( I usually only update in school ). And I shortened the title to just Mystery of the Brother.

Swan Princess IV: Mystery of the Brother

Chapter 2: Meeting Slade

Derek, Odette, and Violet, along with a few body guards on horses as well, made their way along the path. They would be visiting Prince James and his mother, Queen Alethea, at their kingdom today. Last Summer's meeting, Prince James and his mother had come to their kingdom. You get the picture now, right?

It was only an hour or so horse ride to the kingdom, unless the horses wanted a break. Derek still couldn't brush off the feeling that something bad was going to happen to them today. Having the guards around assured him slightly, but the feeling hadn't gone away completely. And now, because of his actions, Odette was also worried.

It had been a time similar to this when she was supposed to meet Derek. They were going to be married, when she stupidly (well, according to everyone else it was) brought up the question, "What else?" It wasn't too soon after that that she'd gotten kidnapped by the sorcerer, the great animal known as Rothbart who wanted the dark arts, which had long since been destroyed. But Rothbart, Clavius, Zelda...they were all gone. For good. But something was making the couple feel uneasy still.

It didn't help at all that rain had begun to fall.

"So much for a nice meeting..." Violet mumbled with a sigh. Odette smiled.

"Just because it's going to rain doesn't mean the meeting won't be nice. You like Prince James, don't you?"

"Of course," she smiled a bit at her mother. "But rain always brings bad things, doesn't it?"

Derek turned his head to her. "Where'd you hear such a thing?"

"I didn't," she shook her head. "It's just, the last time it rained I was just getting back to the castle and my hair got soaked. I became sick because of that and couldn't get out of bed for days. The time before that, I'd forgotten the window was open in my room and water totally came into my room and messed it up. It took a few days to clean everything up. I think whoever's up there just likes to mess with me a lot, is all."

"But when you were sick that time, Prince James came all the way to visit you," Odette pointed out. "That certainly wasn't bad luck, now was it?"

"No," she smiled a bit. "I just have a bad feeling, that's all, and it's making me think about previous bad experiences with this kinda weather."

Odette and Derek shared a nervous look. So she felt it too.

When Derek's horse started making a fuss, he commanded it to stop. Something was frightening it, he decided by the way the horse was acting. Odette stopped her horse too, and the rest of them stopped as well.

"King Derek, do you see anything?" one guard asked.

Derek got off the horse and gently patted it's nose to help calm it before he walked over to the woods they were about to enter. It was dark inside, mostly because the trees were so tall that they blocked out all sunlight that might be trying to get in. "Not really...but I hear something..."

The movement of a shadow caught Odette's eye. "Derek!" she cried. He immediately turned around, only to see an arrow flying his way.

'Who shot that arrow?' he thought, catching it in his hand before it made contact with any part of him. Odette and everyone else sighed.

"Guards, look around for anything suspicious," Derek ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh, that won't be necessary, my King," an amused voice said as Slade stepped out from the shadows. Derek immediately moved in front of Odette and Violet's horses.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I? I'm surprised you haven't heard of me or know me of appearance," Slade said tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. Unlike Rothbart, the man was actually quite handsome. Violet noticed this, but her heart would always belong to Prince James! Though she really should start calling him just James...he'd asked her to after all.

Her body was trembling. Who was this man? She didn't like the way he was looking at her at all. She felt relieved when he turned to her father again.

"After all...Rothbart certainly talked enough about you."

Derek and Odette both paled. "You knew Rothbart?" Odette asked. Slade laughed.

"Oh yes, he was quite fond of you, beautiful swan." Violet saw her mother tense. "But, I suppose it's rude of me to keep you in the dark forever...so let's get on with it, shall we? I'm Rothbart's younger brother, Slade. The pleasure is all mine."

Everyone was tense. The guards had been told of Rothbart and what he'd done. He'd been banished from the kingdom, but came back, killed Odette's father, then took her hostage. He'd demanded that they be wed so he could rule her father's kingdom, but she refused and he turned her into a swan as punishment. Luckily, Derek saved her before it was too late.

This was his brother?

"What do you want?"

"I thought I made that clear with the arrow, or must I fire another?" Slade asked, getting ready to fire another arrow, this time however...it was aimed at Odette. Derek paled.

"No! If you want to kill someone, kill me, I'm the one who killed your brother!" said Derek.

"Derek!" Odette cried. Violet paled.

"While I would like to kill all three of you, I'll make a deal with you. I will spare your lives, if the young princess agress to come with me."

Violet felt everyone's eyes on her. It didn't bother her so much until she felt /his/ eyes on her. Something about him was just plain creepy.

"I-I'll go," Violet answered in a shaky voice, getting down from her horse. 'I'm sorry...James.'

"Violet!" her parents exclaimed and she shook her head.

"No, I won't let this stupid man kill you two or anyone in the kingdom! If he wants me, I'll go."

Odette never gave in that easily to Rothbart. Unless...

Violet had a plan.

She walked over to Slade, who was smirking. She bowed her head, not wanting to look directly at him. "Good then, let's be off, shall we?"

She nodded silently. "...Yes, sir."

"Well, it's been nice doing business with you, King and Queen," Slade sneered at the shocked couple. Derek was going to stop her, but Odette stopped him, shaking her head. He frowned.

"Odette..."

"Have faith in her," Odette whispered to him as they walked into the woods. "She'll be fine."

TBC

A/N: Wow, that was quite long for me. I hope you enjoyed! Jean-Bob, Speed, Puffin and Whizzer next chapter! :) And sorry for not introducing James' mother like I said...that's next chapter too. :)