"I have no army," Gela said. "I have only my hammer and my two hands."
The king refused. Enraged, Rothgar struck. A whirlwind of black feathers engulfed Tamuna. When it cleared, she was gone. In her place on the marble floor lay a single white swan feather. Deep in the forests of Svaneti, a young blacksmith named Gela worked in his father's forge. Gela was no prince. His hands were scarred from iron and fire. But he had a kind heart and loved two things: the mountains and the songs of birds.
Gela carefully pulled the arrow from her wing. He tore a strip from his wool chokha and bandaged the wound. swan princess qartulad
"You wanted a prince with a gentle heart and a strong sword," the king said to Tamuna. "This boy has no sword. But his heart... his heart is a forge. And a forge builds kingdoms."
And so, Gela the blacksmith became Prince Gela. They were married in the old stone church, with wine flowing from the vineyards, with polyphonic singing that shook the stars, and with a single white swan feather sewn into the hem of Tamuna's veil—to remember that love, even cursed, can always find its way back to the light. "I have no army," Gela said
The king, who had arrived with his guards, watched in silence. Then he laughed—a loud, joyful, Georgian laugh that echoed across the valleys.
The swan lifted its head. In a voice that sounded like distant church bells, she said, "I am Princess Tamuna. Rothgar’s curse binds me. By day, I am a swan. By night, for one hour after sunset, I become myself again. He comes for me at the third moonrise. After that, I will be a swan forever." A whirlwind of black feathers engulfed Tamuna
"You have until the moon rises three times," Rothgar hissed, his cloak made of living ravens. "Give me your kingdom and your daughter's hand, or I will cast a spell so dark that your line will end forever."