Fall of the Swan

by Matron Ajukaa Krissi Denesh

Fall of the Swan is a Varangian account, through dance, of a battle during the Fair Folk Invasion after the Great Contagion, where the lesser elemental dragon Swan Dragon stood against the Fae Rain Princes and was cast down. The performance requires one central dancer, the Swan, two supporting dancers the Flood and the Torrent, and three peripheral dancers the Goblin, the Soldier, and the Flame. For those familiar with historical works on the battle depicted, which took place at Teran-Woo, Fall of the Swan is highly inaccurate, depicting a duel between powerful figures rather than a clash of armies.

Though free of Immaculate trappings, Fall of the Swan depicts the death of the title character as coming from his allies the Soldier and the Flame failing to hold their proper places, and his own decision to charge forth rather than keep with them. When the Swan falls, the Torrent and the Flood cackle and then vanish suddenly from the stage. The Soldier regains his senses and cuts down the Goblin with precision, and then looks on uncaring as the Swan dancer returns in robes of black feathers rather than white, now as the Daughter, embraced by the Flame as she declares that the lesson of the Swan, and his error, shall never be forgotten.