Swan's Wing
by Ursula Synge
The Countess Almira was not a witch but she ruled the City with a
firm hand and a cold heart, and the songs that praised her icy
beauty claimed that even the snow fell at her command. She had an
appetite for wonders and marvels, for oddities and freaks of
nature -- so when her gaze fell upon Lothar, the handsome, desperate
young lord with a swan's wing in the place of one arm, she
immediately wanted him for her own. Lothar's heart turned numb
under her cold gaze, and he forgot his companions, his quest --
forgot everything but the white beauty of the Countess. And a new
song went around the streets and bawdy houses of the City: The Lady
lay within her bower, And toyed with her wedding ring, She called to
her love at the midnight hour And opened her arms like a lily flower
And he covered her... he coverred her with his wing...
The Seven Swans
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