Сергей Стрельцов
Yester-times
The trumpets blew three times. And knights approached Talantus tomb stone in vivid and colorful procession. In the head of them came Sidon the knight general of this kingdom. He was grey-haired giant with childish blue eyes. Scars of old wounds adorned him in great more number then arrows in his quiver. He was sagacious old warrior, and remembered youth of the late king. The death of the latter grieved him a lot, he thought it was his fault to give Talantus to make his last sacrifice; he should be more attentive to old Sovereign. But his sorrow was mostly not with king who was dead, but with king’s daughter who was alive. He knew Lavinia and his intuition was telling him: there’s no more of quiet reign. The intriguers and rogues of all kinds and of all parts of world to sweep on the Sainted Lakes in a short time. Lavinia is too blind to see hearts of men and too proud to friendly counsel. She will rule like a vortex. Her soul is a toy to her pride and to her folly.
‘Lavinia… Sorry. Your Majesty, you’re father was father to all of us. So and you will be our mother in joys and sorrows and so judge us not without mercy. Your army is yours till the end of your life, or life of your soldiers. We’ll be your friends and servants in peace and war, like we were so far. Receive our oaths of loyalty. And, God bless your heart to be clever not to begin the war.’ Sidon said, and kneeled before Lavinia to kiss her hand.
‘Queens with such a tiny army never begin the wars, Sidon.’ Lavinia said.
‘You’ll make me an honor if you’re one of them, Your Majesty.’
‘Your men can approach me to show they’re loyal.’
One by one knights were kneeling before the new queen, kissing her hand with oath to serve faithfully. Lavinia was nonetheless frustrated by something.
‘What the use, Delio dear, of these customs. If someone will want to betray me, to rob me or even to kill me— all this huge amount of the kneeling and the swearing won’t do any help.’
‘You’re may be right. But they swear not by their name, not by yours, but by God’s one. There’s all the difference. You see?’
‘I see that it’s foolish. What good can make me the name of what’s barely exist?’
‘For the first I can point out the huge privilege that your traitors will be judged not only by your judgment but by God’s also. But I’m afraid you will laugh at it.’
‘Laugh? No! These well armed and well trained men are menace. Don’t you understand? And you propose to entrust to Godly-something all these rot of troubles to come.’
‘What do you want?’
‘To buy them.’
‘But how?’
‘Time will show.’
All twenty four knights of Sainted Lakes had gone through the ritual of oaths and it was turn of mercenaries to swear their allegiance to new queen. Tirido, their chief approached Lavinia and Delio who stood with Sidon by their side, but he didn’t kneeled.
‘Sidon, you’re not too stupid to believe that I and my men will serve to this doll without brains. We’re may be illiterate but not to that extent. Now history of the kingdom is closed point. We won’t serve to her.’
‘What do you want?’
‘Our part of treasury we helped to build.’ Tirido winked to Sidon.
‘How much?
‘The half will do.’
‘Tirido, you can have a great honor just to walk away with your dumb mob, and I awfully strongly opinionated that the sooner you’ll leave the better.’
‘Sidon, is it you’re last word?’
‘No doubt it is.’
‘Then we’ll fight for our right to have what we want to.’
In this moment Ririo flew out from crowd of the castle square, grasped Lavinia and with one word ‘Run!’ dashed dragging her by the hand into the castle. As they closed the door of state council chamber behind them, through another door Nadine ran in.
‘Are you safe, Your Majesty?’ She asked.
‘Quite.’
‘This Tirido man is loony. I’ve heard about the half of your treasury! How nice of him!’
‘Yes, move is clever.’ Lavinia whispered coldly.
‘Your Majesty, fools are often clever in their ways.’ Ririo came up with his new joke.
‘Thanks. But you fools can cost me a kingdom.’
‘Or save your life.’
‘Thanks, Ririo. Thanks. But what is amazing— taxes are not yet risen, but mutiny is already here. What we’ll see later.’
‘Stratagems and tribulations.’
‘You’re right, Ririo. But there’s no consolation in your rightness.’
Nevertheless in a very short time Sidon with other true knights of Lavinia sent all mercenaries to exile from the castle and kingdom of Sainted Lakes.
1.6
In this very time on Labion island Elizora the enchantress was sitting in her dark tower in the castle of Hieroglyph the chief of marine robbers. There were no windows in the tower. Only torches gave light to stairs and chamber of Elizora. She was beautiful but this sort of beauty was never about peace of mind, it was about power and strange uneasiness in hearts of those who were to deal with this woman who seemed frozen in her middle-age and never to be approached by time or whatever that makes us older. As though she already had gone through gates of death, and then returned to this world to spread spells of horror and destruction.
In her green eyes lived some tension unavoidable for all who had seen her. And only wise people could say what it was— for it was absence— absence of love.
In hands of Elizora was transparent sphere which was changing its colors every moment. It was sphere of Nemigo the evil genius mighty spirit of this world. People who had this magic sphere could talk with him. And to summon him up just one ancient conjuration should be addressed to Nemigo through this sphere which resembled more ball of fire than something made of glass or precious stone. And indeed, it was made of no material thing but out of spells of ancient magic.
Lips of Elizora slightly moved in conjuration addressed to Nemigo, and suddenly all the chamber was alive with light of every color and hue which could be seen on earth or in heaven.
‘Good day, Elizora,’ Nemigo said from inside of the sphere.
‘Good day, Your Excellence,’ Elizora mumbled with supernatural fear that she felt in presence of Nemigo.
‘I have good news for you.’
‘I’m ready to obey,’ powerful with others Elizora could not help but to cringe before Nemigo.
‘King Talantus is dead, and you can get his kingdom for me.’
‘By spells or by war?’ Elizora asked him.
‘Spells are of no use there because people of this kingdom are righteous in ways of God. You must take all your warships and hold castle of Talantus in siege till Lavinia, his heiress and daughter, will give up defense.’
‘What then?’ Elizora was getting impatient.
‘I’ll explain to you the whole plan in due time.’
The light of sphere disappeared in this moment by the same magic power with which it appeared.
1.7
When dinner of Hieroglyph and his marine robbers was in its prime Elizora came out of the entrance to hall of the castle where drunken songs and shouts were heard. It was feast of booze of people if not fearless but then just pretending to be unafraid of guns and sea, of death and pain, of treachery and blasphemy. Elizora silently approached head of the huge table where Hieroglyph was sitting on silk cushions.
Elizora raised her hand above to bid silence.
‘Time is come,’ she said. ‘Sainted Lakes is ours.’
‘When we must begin campaign?’ Hieroglyph asked from behind the veil that covered his face.
‘Tomorrow, when wine will evaporate from your heads we shall start our invasion. I talked with Nemigo about it.’
‘Nemigo is real thing,’ Hieroglyph said and voice drowned in the drunken shouts of men.
1.8
On the next morning warships of Hieroglyph was unmoored and started on their long way through the sea to shore of Lavinia’s kingdom.
Invasion was unexpected, so when troops of Hieroglyph surrounded Lavinia’s castle, only knights and servants were on the walls and at the gates to defend heart of their kingdom. And they defended it effectually because Sidon, knight general of Lavinia, was skillful in arts of war.
Lavinia herself was all the time on verge of hysterics. She claimed surrender and defense almost simultaneously.
1.9
After one month of the siege Elizora came to the tent of Hieroglyph.
‘I have solution for our problem with castle.’
‘I glad you have,’ Hieroglyph answered from behind veil.
‘You should offer parley to Lavinia where you to announce as your decision that when she and her people leave the castle without weapons you grant them their lives.’
‘It’s just as cute as war. What’s the after that?’
‘When door will be opened your men must kill Lavinia’s men and capture her for me.’
1.10
Lavinia wasn’t at parley which was done through little window in the gates of castle. And when Sidon brought to her Hieroglyph’s offer she cried.
‘Give them my castle. And let them keep me alive.’
‘Don’t be so stupid,’ Sidon said. ‘It’s only trap. They’ll kill us as soon as castle will be theirs.’
‘Save your wisdom to yourself, Sidon.’ Lavinia snapped through the tears. ‘We can die either from hunger or from their swords. I prefer swords. And, if to be honest, I believe that Hieroglyph will spare me. Open the gates.’
‘Just as you wish,’ Sidon sighed, and had gone to give final orders before surrender of castle. He was old warrior, and had been in much worse situations, but somewhat weird feeling told him that once gates are open— he and his men are dead.
1.11
Sidon was right. As soon as gates were opened, people of Hieroglyph drowned its walls in blood of Lavinia’s knights and servants. War was over in the moment. Nadine took her queen to late king’s bedroom. Delio and Ririo with swords in their hands come with girls for protection. But just as Ririo bolted door from inside, they heard shouts of invaders, and after some attempts on the side of men of Hieroglyph door gave way and fell on the floor.
