Unconquered Sun (22 page)

Gaston gave a whistle.

- Interestingly, from where it undertook, your prince?

- I do not know, - the Fairy sadly told. - I picked up it seriously injured, at it struck memory … - eyes of the Fairy were filled with tears how her darling then, all in blood, unconscious, with changes looked.

- And when you picked up it, the lady in what year? - suddenly suspiciously Gaston narrowed an eye, having stopped chewing and having put a fork aside.

- That is and - and - ak … My son in three months will be six years old, we got married, respectively, then … - the Fairy went into eyes and mentally considered months, bending fingers. - Well, precisely, six and a half years ago, and that?

- It seems that the milady, I know who your Prinze. But for these invaluable data I will demand from you bo - about - olshushchy repayment! - Gaston grinned, now having completely turned towards the Fairy, without paying attention to court at all.

At this time in the hall beautiful music played. The orchestra from delays, pipes, lutes and guitars was executed by beautiful dancing melodies. Some court ladies and gentlemen were turned in some ancient beautiful dance consisting mostly of a set of bows, changes of positions and kisses of hands of the lady by the gentleman. Other ladies and gentlemen sat at a table and were keen on conversation about advantages or shortcomings of fairies. Of course, they at the same time were divided into two camps - on ladies and gentlemen. One in every possible way condemned them, and others - extolled. It is obvious that this dispute could not be resolved in the diplomatic way, but at the prince any of the parties did not decide to transfer dispute to other phase, having postponed it before come home.

- And what repayment … - inside at the Fairy everything grew cold, being afraid of the worst. About Prinze's past she terribly wanted to find out, and she was ready to offer everything, but only not the honor of the fairy.

Gaston burst out laughing enough. He, at last, felt a master of the situation and was glad to an opportunity to revenge the Fairy in bitter minutes of humiliation and uncertainty which he tested earlier. It it is snow-white white teeth is dazzling began to shine by the light of the setting sun, and the eyes which dimmed from undiluted wine cunning closed the eyes partly.

- Do not worry, the lady, I will demand nothing disgraceful from you though I also am not married - knightly honor for me - above all.

- Well, you do not weary? I will give everything that I will be able only, for the sake of my darling!

- The first condition, - having bent one finger, choking with sense of superiority over the Fairy, Gaston told, - swear to me the Throne of their Knowledge - your most terrible oath - that you will never tell it about it.

- Well-at-at, it is just easy. It on my behalf. I never wanted that he remembered the past. Even it I destroyed a medallion … I swear.

At these words of Gaston distorted. But it restrained.

- The second, - having bent the second finger, Gaston continued. - You tell me about the purpose of the travel. Frankly. In total. I think, it is fair: secret on secret. Besides, I have also other reason, personal, to know about it. In turn, I swear to you Roland Drevnego's sword that nobody learns about it. And tomorrow I will declare to the people that the one who will let out your visit of Kronburga that will be expelled from the city once and for all.

- It is good, - the Fairy nodded. - I trust you.

- There is more to come. There is also the third condition …

- What?

Prince Gaston again crookedly grinned and bent the third finger.

- You present me dance … But not one. All evening you will be mine - talk, walks, dances and other - all inclusive. Till 11 in the evening. And in the morning you will go on the confidential affairs … They are confidential, isn't that so?

- Thank the Creator, - hardly restraining, having turned white as swept, the Fairy hissed, - that I do not want to humiliate your authority before citizens, and that I to you would close up such box on the ear that you would depart to an entrance to the hall from here!

- As you please, - forcedly again to a table Gaston indifferently turned, shifting himself in a plate a piece of a fried partridge.

But the tenacious thin hand with the long nails which are made up by a nacreous varnish already caught it by a lapel of colitis and attracted to itself. Fabric burst.

- Listen, you, the person if you talk to me such tone how with the public maid, I will raze to the ground here, understood?! - nebesno blue eyes of the Fairy blackened for anger. Music, having screamed, broke off, the fire of torches (the sun already almost the village) began to hesitate and almost faded, the lock began to tremble as from an earthquake, even plaster fell down from above, chandeliers downloaded. - You did not see the fairy in anger yet, and, I swear the Creator, it is better for you not to try her patience!

But it did not make any impression on Gaston. He derisively looked down on the Fairy, appraisingly, and continued to eat indifferently a partridge, having blown away from it crumbs of the spilling plaster.

- The darling, - he told absolutely passionlessly, even despite the Fairy, - you forget that you say with the man and the knight, but not the graduate of School of Pages. It is time. And if you bring down everything here - the death of tens of people will be on your conscience. Become serious it will be, than today's white fallow deer. However, you, fairies, as we know, love animals more, than people. It is simpler to love them …

Such answer worked on the Fairy as a cold shower and a tryaseniye stopped. It reddened, lowered a head, absent-mindedly picking a fork the cut pear. Having sustained a short pause, said in low tones:

- I agree.

- There now and remarkably! - nearly having slammed in palms from delight, Gaston exclaimed, throwing an unfinished partridge on a plate and quickly wiping hands a napkin. - And now - welcome - for me, I something will show you it then you will understand that to demand from you dance and walk for me was quite lawful.

It inconsiderately took the handle of the Fairy in the big rough palm and pulled along it, directly in a dark corridor halls, without paying attention to gentlemen and ladies at all, parting forcibly them in the parties the big and strong hands as a bear. Animals were hardly in time behind it skipping - you never know he is going to make with it, in a dark corridor there!

Having reached a dark corridor, it snatched out the left hand a torch from a ring on a wall and moved forward, still dragging for itself(himself) hardly keeping up Fairy.

There were they long enough. It was the long corridor, more precisely, the gallery connecting two wings of the lock together. This gallery was all, from top to bottom, on both sides, is covered with portraits. Some of them were so old that slightly cracked and grew with dust. A flame of a torch snatched out from darkness that one person, another - bearded, beardless, with moustaches, with short or long hair, different shapes of a nose, color of eyes … The prince so promptly rushed that the Fairy plainly did not manage to consider any of them.

- Who is it? - trying to hold equal breath, from herself the Fairy hardly squeezed out.

- It? It is known who - all crown princes of Kronburga from Rikkared, the son Roland Drevnego to me … A-a-a, here it and I am absolutely fresh portrait, all three-year prescription. Look, the lady!

It inserted a torch into the empty ring - probably, continuous illumination in the long gallery was not for economy. The fairy clearly saw Gaston's face on a portrait: anything special - the same courageous face, colors of a voronov covered a curly hair, black eyes, an aquiline nose, the strong-willed squeezed lips, an easy nebritost - the real knight, the real kondotyer, the real man.

- Yes, portrait quite good, almost full similarity to the original …

- Yes look not there, here - look here!

And Gaston pointed thick as sausage by a finger to the next portrait on the right. The fairy looked, having slightly blinked the eyes - light of a torch was rather weak, and … Grabbed heart a hand. Even Animals reacted later, than Gaston who right there picked up the falling Fairy in the strong courageous embraces.

Animals looked at a portrait and … saw THEIR Prinze.

Yes, it is most. In same, as well as Gaston, clothes, with a medallion. Light, slightly curly hair, blue pensive eyes, an easy down on cheeks, slightly turned-up nose, a faint pensive smile …

- It … mine … the P-p-prints … - the Fairy whispered, still holding heart, and suddenly broke into tears.

- T-sh-sh-sh … to Tisha-is more silent … Calm down … Well, why to cry in such joyful day? - Gaston consoled her, holding with one hand for thallium that it did not fall, and stroking another on the head. - I have a pleasure here, and you - cry … I learned here that I have nephews - whole two! - the daughter-in-law fairy moreover and the brother over whom for a long time in absentia read the burial service! - even at Gaston the voice trembled. And Animals - those in general started howling - and legs of the person who was wanted to be bitten until recently as the enemy - a zveroyed and to a zveroubiyets started embracing.

- - and - ak … h-h-h-hot … e - e - e - its … zzzzvat …, sssskazh - sobbing, the Fairy somehow said.

- How, how? Guess from three times …

- R … beater … Andes … perhaps?

- Well, of course, and how still? At us in a sort all eldest sons bear a name of the founder of a dynasty, and - like me - call the second already as the Creator on soul will put … - Gaston sadly grinned. - My father - Roland - the 499th, and the brother had to become the 500th Roland on a throne if one night do not get away in the unknown direction, directly on the eve of the wedding …

- Weddings?

- Well, had to marry him to one maiden, from other kingdom, and he - on a rope got out of a window and was such is. Looked for-looked for with dogs - anywhere could not find. It pulled down, it appears, the whole bag to pepper and strewed with it traces. Dogs did not find it … And when reached then "Royal hunting" - there told that he went to the wood once and did not return. I with children looked for it there, combed the wood to the Limit, came inside. Well and hot we then were beaten with these creatures! And then - on the suburb of the wood I found his blood-stained hat … Here it in a coffin was also put … Mother died for the second day after a funeral, there was enough father an attack - now keeps on your, feiny, drugs - but almost does not go. Therefore I also speak - do not say, the lady, to it about anything, I know it, will still be drowned from sense of guilt somewhere. And the throne so is not necessary to it - it from it and ran away, probably, even more, than from a marriage …

The person Fei brightened up.

- Hey, Gaston, and tell what he was in the childhood?

- We did not agree about it any more, - he grinned. - It already at additional expense! Well, all right, all right, joked! Yes same he also was in the childhood with what you saw it - climbed trees, could watch for hours an ant hill or a beehive of bees. Was learned to read, and studies sciences did not want, it was more and more dragged on the woods and composed fairy tales - ridiculous such, naive. Ran from audiences and receptions, from balls and feasts, did not take a sword in hand … Interestingly, and in what armor it was on tournament? And who then fought with it? Whether I is casual?

- It is not important, Gaston. Let's go, now my turn to execute the contract.

When they returned in the hall, court remained already a little. Was late enough. But it quite suited Gaston and Feyu - the less witnesses, the better. The fairy was not able to dance human dances, and Gaston - feiny, and therefore was necessary to study them each other on the run. Gaston was surprisingly capable pupil though dances - it is more difficult than a feina. It is necessary to be able to move to them all parts of a body - they are surprisingly plastic. But Gaston, even at visible slowness of his figure, at square shoulders and curve legs, nevertheless, quite not bad studied some movements, and here when the Fairy, having slapped in air palms, started in action of a spell, playing to Fane music, both began to spin in dance.

- Here you see, the lady, I said that you will understand why I have more rights for dance with you, than someone? Do not worry, I with you can dance only one evening, and it is one million. I will not steal from it much … - and burst out laughing.

But the Fairy suddenly got up as driven, and then took off directly for the cracked window, sobbing. Gaston, having snatched out from a ring on a wall the flaring torch, rushed down a ladder to a garden. He found it on a bench, in the avenue of pear trees, under a statue of one of kings of antiquity. She sat and cried as the girl. From the powerful unapproachable fairy as if nothing remained. It wiped to itself tears a braid, directly hands until faithful Animals brought a pack of silk kerchiefs.

Gaston sat down and, having pressed her head to the broad chest, asked:

- With it something not so? I truly guessed, huh? you would not leave the place in which five thousand years, just like that moreover and incognito serve … He ran away, huh? again

- Not-e-et, it pokhi-and-and-itili … Perhaps, it already is also dead … here … - the Fairy sobbed.

- And well, tell, quickly. I guessed it at once therefore I demanded from you an oath everything to me to tell. You can trust me, the word of the knight: I am a grave. And then, I have the direct right to it, I am his brother, eventually!