Princess Elise is a main character of the eleventh Dark Parables game, Swan Princess and the Dire Tree. She is the former Swan Princess and leader of the Swan Guard. She is also the main antagonist of the game, who orchestrated the 'death' of Flora.
Elise is based somewhat on the White Swan in the Russian ballet, Swan Lake. However, she is not specifically based on the character of Odette.
Appearance & Personality
Princess Elise had straight white hair, bright blue eyes and a usually stern expression. She wore white Swan Guard armor with extra ornamentation to denote her role as the Swan Princess; among these extra features were a scarf of feathers around her neck and over her torso, and an expandable ridge of hard feathers on her back.
After losing her parents at a young age, Elise devoted herself to the service and duty required of a Swan Guard and eventually rose to its highest rank. She cared deeply for her kingdom but in time became resentful of Flora, believing the Goddess did not care for all the lives lost in protecting her. Convinced that she would make a better Goddess, Elise became ruthless in her plan to get what she wanted; she showed no hesitation in imprisoning Prince Ross Red and denouncing Odile as a traitor.
History
Elise grew up on Dire Island, her childhood both happy and peaceful. However, this happy existence was shattered when her parents were attacked by unknown creatures. Despite the efforts of the Swan Guards, Elise's parents could not be saved and she was left an orphan.
The shock and grief of losing her parents almost drove Elise to madness but the Swan Guard was able to provide stability as her new family. Elise trained for several years under them, becoming an expert on combat and lore. Through her dedication to service and duty, Elise was bestowed the Crown of the Swan and became the next in a long line of Swan Princesses.
As the Swan Princess, Elise cared for the Swan Guard like a mother cares for her children - but as more Guards were lost in defending the Goddess Flora, Elise's buried feelings of loss made her hate the Goddess for her seeming indifference. Believing that she'd be a better Goddess for a more noble cause, Elise planned to destroy Flora with her own creations: the Artifacts of Floralia.
Elise first got the Jewel of Repose by offering riches to the man who had found it as a boy; the man gladly parted with it, not noticing it was the Swan Princess herself who took the jewel. She then stole the Shattering Sword from Prince Ross Red after ambushing the Prince as he came to protect the Goddess. She decreed that no one was to make contract with the prisoner, but a Swan Guard named Odile violated this decree to talk with the Fire Prince. Elise was still one artifact short when Odile, learning of the Swan Princess' plan from Ross Red, stole the magic seed needed to regenerate Flora and caused cracks to appear all over Dire Island.
Enraged, Elise had Odile turned into the Black Swan and ordered the arrest of the traitor. However, she realized that she could play this to her advance: the final artifact was in the possession of Master Tailor Desmond McBride and the Fairytale Detective, renowned for her skills in solving cases, was on her way to investigate the cracks.
Summoning Desmond to Dire Island to fix the cracks, Elise stole the Mirror of Inversion when he came to the throne room to receive payment for his work. She also tasked the Detective with retrieving the seed from the Black Swan and when the Detective managed her task, Elise announced the beginning of the regeneration ceremony.
When Flora appeared to receive the magic seed, Elise knelt and said she had 'one final gift' for the Goddess. Seizing her chance, Elise stabbed Flora with the combined Artifacts, turning her into old tree roots. Taking Flora's golden crown, Elise crowned herself the new nature Goddess with an evil smile. However, her triumph was short-lived as the seed escaped and without it, Elise had no control over Flora's powers. She was cocooned in a plant membrane that slowly became to transform her body.
She later appeared after the Detective and Odile freed Ross Red from his prison cell. Now completely insane, Elise ordered them to kneel or be destroyed. When the Detective refused, Elise tried to suffocate her with her vines. However, she was forced to retreat when the Detective used the force crystal on her. Her vines later caught Odile, but the Black Swan manage to escape.
Once Ross, Odile and the Detective armed themselves with enchanted weapons, the three confronted Elise at the top of the Dire Tree. By then, her body had been completely transformed into a tree monster. Ross and Odile weakened Elise with the fire crossbow and a poisoned spear, However, before the Detective used Elise's loyalty talisman against her, she knocked Odile off the top of the Dire Tree. Luckily, the Black Swan was saved by the newly reborn Flora.
Although it is not shown on-screen that Elise is truly dead, the fact that Flora crowned Odile the new Swan Princess makes this almost certain.
Relevant Parables
Uprise of the Swan (from Swan Princess and the Dire Tree)
Once upon a time, a child named Elise lived on the Dire Island. Her childhood was peaceful and happy, her days spent in wanderings under the great canopy of the Dire Tree. However, the harmony was broken in a heartbeat. The gates of the Kingdom opened and the Swan Guard rushed in. They carried the bodies of Elise's parents... Their armor and flesh battered by vicious claws... their life - expunged. In one stroke, fate left Elise an orphan. Sorrow almost drove the child to madness... Yet, she was not lost. By kinship, Elise is one of the Guard and they offered solace and companionship. With time - the Guard became her new family. Elise found new purpose in the Guard. She excelled in all of their disciplines - from combat to lore - and became the exemplar of service and duty. Thus, she was exalted to the highest rank - the Swan Princess. As a loving mother, she presided over the Guard. Yet, every soldier lost in defense of Flora brought sadness and opened old wounds. As they perished in the service of their dispassionate Goddess - Elise knew... Something had to be done.
Forbidden Idol (from Swan Princess and the Dire Tree)
At one time, long ago, children's laughter could be heard throughout Dire Island, much more than today. Their favorite game to play was one where each child would pretend to be their favorite Swan Princess. "I'll be Priscilla" said one girl, "because she was the fairest of them all." Another girl chimed in, "I choose Ethel, because her music still echoes throughout the land." After the other children had named their favorite Princesses, one raven-haired girl spoke softly but with conviction: "I want to be like Odette, pure and true to myself." The children stared at her in shock, as even the mention of the exiled Princess was forbidden. The girl was called Odile, and she grew up to become a member of the Swan Guard, in spite of her problems with authority. She was known for doing things her own way, and getting away with it. In time a rumor spread throughout the kingdom that a man had been imprisoned by the Swan Princess. Any contact with the prisoner was strictly forbidden but Odile's curiosity got the better of her. She quickly befriended the prisoner and from him she found out that Flora was in grave danger. Odile decided to steal the magic seed and stop the plot against the Goddess. In response, the Swan Princess declared her an enemy of the kingdom, and Odile was transformed into a Black Swan, just like Odette before her.
The First Tree (from Swan Princess and the Dire Tree)
Long before our time, the Goddess Flora planted the very first tree on an island that would later become the Swan Kingdom. From this tree the roots spread throughout the whole planet linking every plant to a central life force. Flora soon realized that the tree could not defend itself against the dangers of the world, so she created the Swan Guard to protect the Dire Tree with their lives. In gratitude, every year the Dire Tree produces a magical seed with the power to rejuvinate Flora in a ritual of rebirth. Ross Red, one of the Guardians of the Goddess, was tasked with supervising the annual ritual, from the birth of the seed to the full rejuvenation of the Goddess. At one such ceremony, while everyone was looking at the Goddess, one pair of eyes remained focused on Ross Red's Weapon, known as the Shattering Sword. Little did Ross Red know of Swan Princess' plans to destroy the Goddess, for which she needed his weapon.
The Jewel of Repose (from Swan Princess and the Dire Tree)
At the far outskirts of what once was the Kingdom of Floralia, there lived a very poor family. The father took pride in the one precious thing he had: a jewel he had found when he was a boy. One windy night, a strange visitor came to the poor family's home. The riches she had in exchange for the fathers jewel changed their circumstances forever. They never came to realize they had conversed with a Princess, or that they had parted with the Jewel of Repose. The Princess had long coveted the jewel, one of the three legendary artifacts of Floralia. Now the Princess set her sights on the two artifacts that were owned by Ross Red and the Master Tailor. The Swan Princess still mourned her parents and other victims of conflict. "What kind of Goddess lets her people die in vain?" asked the Swan Princess, "I shall be a different kind of Goddess, one who cares for her people!" But to become a Goddess she had to destroy Flora. And to do that she needed Flora's creations: The Three Artifacts of Floralia.
Powers and Abilities
- Adept Fighter: Elise was a well-trained warrior who had risen to the highest rank in the Swan Guard.
- Transformation: Like all high-ranking members of the Swan Guard, Elise was most likely able to transform into a swan capable of flight and seamlessly blending into the animal world.
Relationships
- Odile (former friend)
- Goddess Flora (former patron Goddess)
- Ross Red (prisoner)
- Swan Guard (member)
Quotes
Quotes by Princess Elise
- "And for you, Detective, I have a task of the utmost delicacy. The future of my kingdom depends on it."
- "The Black Swan, who was once the most trusted member of my Swan Guard, has stolen the magic seed."
- "Only someone with your wits and skills can track her down."
- "I have one final gift for you."
- "Maggots! How dare you stand in the presence of your new Goddess!"
- "Kneel! Or I shall destroy you!"
Quotes about Princess Elise
- "The Swan Princess radiates an aura I've never sensed before. She's a true leader."
- "What the Swan Princess did is unforgivable."
Trivia
- Ironically, Elise's name means 'Pledged to God'. Elise's personality proved to be the exact opposite of the etymology of her name.
Galleries
