Unconquered Sun (19 page)

Dogs promptly came nearer huge jumps, beautifully bending long mobile backs and showering brawny paws forward, and the fallow deer all stood, without moving a little. And here, they already appeared literally in ten steps from the defenseless victim which began to snore already for fear and, impatiently knocking hooves about roots of fir-trees, to drop foam on the earth. When heart of the Fairy and Animals was ready to become torn for pieces, shrill whistle was suddenly distributed. The beater stopped dogs who carried out already the task.

The trained dogs right there stopped, in only five steps from a fallow deer, having surrounded her from all directions. Impatiently running around it and loudly bark, all of them did not decide to snatch on the victim contrary to will of the beater. And soon also he seemed.

On noble black horses on a glade directly from the wood two high slender lean equestrians in green hunting jackets, the same trousers, jack boots and hats with feathers rushed. It were handsome strong men of middle age, with shortly cut beards - at one black, at another - fiery red color. Behind shoulders at them short arbalests behind shoulders were visible, long knives, hunting horns and lashes hung on belts. At red-bearded on a breast the silver whistle from which, probably, and the sound which rescued a fallow deer was made dangled. Both riders stopped opposite to a fir grove, near pack of the raging dogs and the fallow deer shivering with fear.

And a time later on a glade about ten other hunters in "green" one by one jumped out. Only one was distinguished from the lump of riders. This the hunter, unlike the others, was in a white suede suit, with a gold chain and medal on a neck, and a sword in a silvery sheath on a belt. Smoothly shaved face it looked quite young (by sight to it there were years twenty). Hair, eyes and eyebrows are black as pitch, and in the right ear at it the gold earring with large diamond flaunted.

He dexterously came off a snow-white horse and rushed to red-bearded. That, having taken off a hat, respectfully inclined the head before mister.

- Well, how, Rolf, it is live?

- Yes, your Highness. Slava Sozdatelyu, took away in time dogs when they surrounded her …

- Fine fellow! Not without reason I made you the senior huntsman of the simple armourbearer! - the young man familiarly tapped of the red-bearded man on the shoulder. - Only you can jump quicker than wind more often and only you so implicitly obey a dog!

- Well-at-at, - having reddened as a peony, Rolf was confused. - Here, my assistant did not lag behind me too … - Rolf told, pointing to the black-bearded man who inclined the head before mister.

The young man nodded:

- Both of you are waited by an award as we will return, will not regret! To badger a snow-white fallow deer is really royal gift, worthy my birthday! - his eyes in a boyish way flashed and, joyfully rubbing hands, it went directly to the fallow deer surrounded with dogs.

At this time companions of the young man also dismounted and went after the leader, briskly and is noisy exchanging words. The one and only question - whether and the truth the fact that such fallow deer beats out full-fledged royal ducats from the gold hooves was the main subject of this chatter? Probably, this question concerned also the young man.

- Now we will check! If this is so, then, I swear the sky, I will become the richest prince Sodruzhestva! - and cheerfully, childishly, laughed. And behind it also all crowd of brilliant young people surrounding it who though were dressed more simply readily laughed, but also at them on belts gracefully inlaid swords, and on fingers - gold signet rings flaunted. They obviously were not from commoners.

The black-bearded assistant to Rolf threw with a rope lasso a thin white neck of a fallow deer meanwhile and strong held it that the prince could examine it close.

At the word "prince" heart of the Fairy was clogged so that at her intercepted breath and darkened in eyes. And business was not only in reminiscence of her Prinze. But also that she for the first time saw the REAL prince, one may say,
in operation
: surrounded with rack of the cringing servants, at a sword, athletically put and courageous. In general, the Fairy saw people in all 10 000 years of the life only incidentally, the quantity them could never be counted literally on fingers of both hands, and human princes in all their magnificence,-.

- The beauty, indeed! - the prince tut-tutted enough. - And well, we will look how many this cow will give us a milk …

Eyes of the Fairy extended for horror because the dark-haired young man, without thinking twice, got a short switch because of a belt and from everything to scope struck a fallow deer the left side. On a snow-white precious skin of a fallow deer the ugly trail of blood was right there formed. The poor animal plaintively screamed from pain and moved was aside, but the lasso which was held in strong calloused hand by the black-bearded servant held it and strong stretched on a neck so the fallow deer began to wheeze from asthma. Her eyes, nearly dropping out of orbits from a fright, were poured by blood. But the blow achieved the objectives: the animal several times struck with the hooves in the earth. However no ducats from under them fell down …

Grumble of disappointment swept on crowd of the noblemen making suite of the prince. The face of their mister right there became gloomy. Seeing it, Rolf right there rushed to him and, probably being afraid, as if the disappointment of the prince in the taken production did not affect his award, right there with captation began to chatter:

- Mister, mister, your Highness, I think, the reason here that the animal has to beat with hooves a stone, but not on the ground, and besides two forepaws at the same time! So tell legends …

The boredom flew from a face of the young man at once, and he right there ordered:

- And well, children, quickly to collect to me stones! And you, Rolf, with the assistant more tightly will pull a lasso that the animal got up on hinder legs, and then when I strike with a switch, will sharply release it that it got hoofs directly on stones, understood?

- Yes sir, your Highness, - Rolf in a military way reported, rushing to the assistant, and all suite ran up to collect after the district stones more largely.

Heart of the Fairy pinned up from one thought what mockery will undergo an unfortunate animal now and solved - come what may, and she is simply obliged to rescue a fallow deer. Probably, and Animals lost patience too. They were also not spoiled by communication with people (except Prinze, certainly) and to them this history rose already across a throat too. The kitten threateningly let out claws, and the Puppy opened the mouth, having shown sharp teeth. The fairy understood if she something is urgent will not undertake, then Animals will just rush on these monsters and the situation will finally get out of hand.

And at this time the first good fellows came back already with big heavy cobble-stones which they began to put at forepaws of a fallow deer. The poor animal rattled and violently twitched, sparkling the scared eyes. Foam flakes from a mouth fell on a grass. The prince lifted a switch, and Rolf with the assistant were already going to pull a lasso …

Suddenly bright flash, like a lightning, absolutely blinded them and the dark-haired young man dropped a switch, and huntsmen - a lasso. All hunters right there got on the earth, and the fallow deer whom any more held nothing rushed directly to the opened embraces of the Fairy! To disappear there was no sense any more, and the magician went beyond a magic circle, and Animals right there began to remove a hated rope from a neck of a poor animal.

It is possible to imagine what expression of persons at hunters was, are shown to people of the fairy extremely seldom!

Really, suddenly from a cloud of bright light the girl, with golden long hair with couple of transparent wings appeared high, harmonous, unusual beauty behind the back. She terribly looked at them, having sent a magic wand to their party. From her celestial-blue eyes sparkling furious fire, appear, sparks and lightnings were ready to fall down. And near a fallow deer, closing her from hunters, there were two plush toys from the child size, ridiculously showing on them the small sharp teeth.

But surprise lasted only couple of moments, and then - the loud man's laughter which is repeatedly strengthened by an echo announced all to the district so forest birds, hitherto not without curiosity watching this scene, in a fright rose in air from branches of trees.

- Here … ha-ha-ha … little girls … in a skirt … with toys … plush were frightened of an umor … … - Rolf swept with laughter. The others could not tell words at all, riding on a grass and holding stomachs. Only the dark-haired young man did not laugh as that having is strange and knowingly stared at the Fairy. It, unlike all others, was competent - as well as it is necessary to the prince - and teachers gave to it lectures on Tselestiya's history. And therefore, unlike other, he just knew - WHO before them was. Eyes and a mouth of the prince widely revealed, he for the first time in life saw the living fairy, but words as if got stuck in a throat. From surprise he could not move either a hand, or a leg.

- Listen, you, - as to call you there, "prince" perhaps? Though, and-av, you also do not deserve such high name! Appease the zveroyed and tell them that with our hostess, and-av, so do not joke! - threateningly the Puppy began to roar.

- Yes what he is a prince, mya-at-at?! - pushed under the friend Kotenok's flank, having sparkled green eyes. - Our owner - here who the real prince, and this - poddelochny some! - And contemptuously sniffed as only cats can do it.

The fairy did not even deign to address them, hardly keeping to sending pack of hornets or wasps on all this crowd or something else is worse, like an incontience of liquids different there in an organism. However she understood that it will contradict the General principles of Guardianship which very strictly prohibited to fairies to apply offensive types of magic if from people there is no obvious threat of life, to health or honor of the fairy.

At last, sharp words of Animals brought the prince round and he, having immediately swollen up on legs, turned to the companions and angrily cried:

- How you dare, dogs to laugh at the noble lady?! And well shut up, and I to you drinks will gnaw through that, even quicker, than it will be made by her plush servants! - and then, without hesitation, removed a sword from a sling, and, without taking out it from a sheath, flatwise whacked the first comers directly on a neck. Rolf and his companion to whom "the royal award" shone from the prince today were them, on the trouble, just. Blows were so strong that that pain loudly moaned, having grabbed the hurt places, and the others is guilty became silent.

The prince, as it was demanded by knightly etiquette, got up on one knee before the lady, but at the same time did not decide to kiss her hand as the Fairy did not offer it to it, and it was indecent to take it.

- It is ready to serve you, the Beautiful Lady! - having sharply snatched out a sword from a sheath and having given its hilt to the Fairy, the young man exclaimed. - Crown prince of the sovereign kingdom Avalon, Gaston, at your service!

The fairy, as well as Animals, fine became puzzled of such change in his behavior and the speech and did not represent at all what to do to it farther. Really, human customs, especially court, she did not know. Especially, customs of the nice city of Avalon which kept a set of the ancient customs very long time ago forgotten in other kingdoms of the Commonwealth. For example, only in Avalon carried swords, only in Avalon arranged canine hunting, only in Avalon knightly tournaments for the sake of great ladies were made. Many thousands of years of an era of the Order and Prosperity (and insistent recommendations of the Supreme Council of Community, of course) disaccustomed huge most of people to the weapon and courtesy. In Avalon all this was a shrine as it was connected with customs at court of the glorified king-knight Roland Drevnego - the friend of Triune Knowledge - and his great lady - the princess Alvin.

All these thoughts in a flash rushed in the head of the Fairy, but how to get out of so awkward situation, they could not prompt to it. It prepared for reflection of attack of people on it, on a fallow deer, and here suddenly - before it fall on knees, give some strange piece of iron and call "Beautiful lady". Such address will take any fairy unawares! The magician reddened as the poppy field, to the tips of ears - her nobody so called earlier and did not treat her so!

Especially bright Kitten helped out it, as always.

- The hostess, mya-at-at-at, - half-whisper he drawlingly gave a miaow, pulling her bottom edge of a tunic. - I can be mistaken, but, it seems to me, this person wants that you took his piece of iron in the handles and gave him it back.

The fairy, at last, recovered and carefully took a sword for the handle and strictly told:

- Get up, your Highness, and prevail the weapon back. I accept your services … - without knowing what to do farther with this "piece of iron", it, having imperiously grabbed a sling of the prince, the sharp movement thrust it back in the sheath which was dangling at that on a belt. The surprised grumble rushed on crowd of noblemen, but right there calmed down.

- … And the first that I will demand from you - release this fallow deer on freedom especially as it to you all the same will not beat out any ducats. This most ordinary animal, just rare breed - an albino. And that you were not upset about it … Puppy, quickly, purse! Give them! Let consider that they received the production!

The executive Puppy right there snatched out a purse because of a belt and contemptuously threw it directly in crowd of hunters. Quite weighty sack fell to a grass, and gold coins were scattered on a grass. The economic Kitten even bit tongue and clinked from disappointment, looking at such irrational waste of their savings! But could do nothing - the hostess ordered …