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«Then,» Amaranta urgently sought a compromise. «Infanta!»
«And what does it mean?»
«I somehow saw a princess who came with the ambassador from a distant state, where girls are sweet, beautiful and decorate their hairstyle with the peacocks’ feathers. They would like them. The heiress of the throne in those states is called infanta, and I will call you so much.»
«Well, it doesn’t sound bad,» said the bird. «Infanta! I like.»
«Then now it’s your name,» Amaranta made a note for herself that the word «a nickname» can not be used. For some reason, she did not want to insult the bird. They did not spend an hour together, and she had already started to treat the gift of the merchant, as the best girlfriend. It’s amazing how they did not wake up anyone from her maids with their loud conversation. Even Adeline peacefully dreams. Not to mention the old nurse, which Amaranta also took with her. It will be very good, if Angus does not come in bewilderment, seeing such an unusual escort. He can not send such an unusual escort away. All of her fellow travelers will have to find some place in the castle. They are as if part of the dowry. By the way, she has almost no dowry, not counting the jewels of her mother that she got as the only daughter. But Angus was not embarrassed by this fact. Probably because he himself was very rich. He has more fertile lands than Prince or King!
Someone gently knocked at the window of the carriage. Amaranta was ready to swear that on a moment she saw an unusual hand with sparkling claws and fingers, swirling, like a twig.
«Welcome to the land of the elves, Ms. Amaranta!»
What is this, a joke? Amaranta looked out and did not believe her eyes. At the carriage stood a boy in a green coat. He hid face under a mask, skillfully made of small golden leaves.
«You accidentally turned out the wrong way,» he explained delicately. «The coachman fell asleep, and the horses moved to the call from the elves’ lands. It happens here with all the travelers. But according to the contract between us and the inhabitants of the county, I have to warn you that you are going directly to the cliff.»
«What?»
«You need to turn around and drive a little back, then you will not fall in captivity or trap.»
«You want to say, the robbers’ nest is nearby?» Amaranta repeated what she heard from her bird.
«Oh, no, they have long shied Arachnes.»
«Who?»
«Golden spiders, they weave their web on the way ahead. Therefore, it is safer to turn back.»
«You do not want me to come back, change my mind to play the wedding.»
«In no case! The wedding of people is an interesting event for us. We all want to visit it, but, alas, not everyone is invited.»
«So I can fix it. I invite you all.»
Words themselves flew from the language. Amaranta did not have time to regret them, because they were not so many ones in gold hard masks. Just a dozen or a couple of dozens? Or are there several dozen? Ladies and cavaliers in the golden leaves opposed trees. They are suddenly like mushrooms. It costs to break through that she invites them all. Such an army and at the royal wedding do not fit.
Fortunately, the boy, originally spoke to her, delicately explained:
«We can not appear there to everyone. Our lord does not tell us. And otherwise there will be riots. People still do not like us very much. That is, most people… Some people, as it turned out, is very good. You are, for example.
Amaranta seemed suddenly that he touched her hand, although they were separated by a much greater distance than his hand could reach. Oddly enough in her hair, she suddenly stuck one gold leaf in the form similar to aspen. It was subtle, but tough, precisely metallic. Sack reminds clean gold.
«I don’t know who your master, but I am not just a guest at the wedding, but the bride.» On ancient tradition, I have the right to invite everyone I want.
The boy looked back concerned, where the state strangers in hardwood masks suddenly turned out to be as much as trees in the forest. It seems that for each tree was at least one of them.
Infanta was anxious and didn’t fly out of the carriage.
«I invite at least you and your companion,» Amaranta recovered a little.
A little behind the boy stood a slim lady in a luxurious green dress and the same mask from golden leaves, fully closed face. The feeling was such that the mask grows straight from her skin. Moreover, the same golden leaves visited the same golden leaves on the palms under long grains of green sleeves. Probably, the lady wore bracelets. But how does this impression come from that these leaves germinate from her hands?!
«A companion, hmm…» The boy who met the carriage, clearly felt a little embarrassing. «Mrs. Iveina is not entirely the satellite.»
«But still let him come. Will be a guest. Or even a girlfriend of the bride. One of my maids fell ill and died during marine voyage. Now I miss the bridesmaids for an even number. They should be even quantity.»
«Uriella did not die. One of the sons of the sea called her with him from the ship, and she jumped into the bunch behind him. He can let her go to the wedding. I can transfer him a message from you, written on the shell. Only in this case the son of the sea, who kidnapped her, will come to a wedding with her, and wet traces will remain everywhere. So I don’t really advise you to invite Uriella and him, if you do not want the lock partially flooded. You see, since the Queen of Lilofey (she was a terrestrial princess before it became the wife of the sea king) tried to escape back to the father, the sons of the sea no longer trust their sweethearts who ask to visit their relatives on the Earth. These girls, even if they love their kidnappers, sometimes have a strong nostalgia. It is worth them to step back to the ground, and they can hate the underwater kingdom, where they lived comfortably among the wonders and treasures.
But this speech of the boys has already resembled a draw or nonsense.
«Did you decide to tell me fairy tales?»
He crashes as if he was struck.
«No, sorry, I just thought that your friend Uriella, for sure, did not leave you a farewell inscription on deck with blood and water. And if she left, then you did not understand it. The language of the underwater inhabitants is too complicated, and if they want people to understand them, they are came themselves, and everything becomes bad from their manners. Therefore, I decided to explain to you, where your maid disappeared. She did not show any disrespect for you, that she left, she was just lured under the water. When the water pop up from the waves and play on the swirls, mortal girls are hypnotized by their music. Even love Sonata is no longer needed.
It seems that he did not understand that the girls who jumped from the ship to the open sea are most likely becoming drunk. The fact that their corpse did not come to the surface, does not mean that they became princess in the underwater kingdom. Amaranta frowned, remembering that symbols drawn by blood and water on the deck really appeared. Sailors were baptized for a long time, finding them a bad omen. And Uriella before disappeared, she was sick for a long time and complained that she hears some kind of melody straight from the waves. Others did not hear it, but Uriella had blood from it from ears.
Sorry for Uriella. She was the most beautiful of the girlfriends of the bride, but she began to talk to the waves and rushed overboard. Only its veil then swam on the water.
The sea is a terrible place. Amaranta would not be able to transfer a long voyage a second time. When you are in the open sea in cloudy weather, really you start thinking that thousands of monsters are watching you out of depths, scratching the bottom of the ship, and fiercely whisper about people who accidentally found themselves in their possessions.
Once Amaranta had a nightmare dream about the underwater inhabitants who keep the advice: heat their ship or not. The vessel really threw out of the side to the side and almost listed on the reefs. Someone one of the sea creatures said that it was not worth it, because one of the girls on board was too valuable. Which they meant? Uriella, which was kidnapped. Here, she is already starting to think like a boy. Under the influence of anthracite eyes under deciduous mask slots. The lady for his back his eyes were aquamarine, like two gems. She was silent all the time. Iveina, so it was called. Curious name. Sounds like rustling foliage.
«What is your name?»
The boy even embarrassed from the fact that she was interested in his humble person.
«I am Ivor,» he retreated a step back instead of wing, as it should be.
«What is the name of that wizard who made you such a mask?»
Here he was no longer answered, and Iveina laughed in the woolly. Her lips under the golden leaves were not visible. Laughter proceeded, as if from the inside of the statue. Amaranta satellites even did not wake up from it. It seems that they hit the sleepy kingdom.
Or maybe all this dream? And she just sleeps? Amaranta reached for Ivour. He was completely real. And his clothes from soft velvet. And on the palms of the same leaves like at Iveina. And they grew up with the back of the palm, and with outdoor. Grew? Amaranta didn’t believe it too much, but failed to touch them. Ivor snatched his hand.
«I had to tell you something,» said he.
Amaranta looked at him closely from the window of the carriage.
«We welcome you! And… Ivor accurately frowned under the mask, because gold leafs were trembling in eyebrows. He could not remember something important.
«And?» Amaranta suggested.
«Dagda ordered me to tell me something, but I do not remember…»
Dagda? What is the name? Like an ancient pagan god or the ruler of wild tribes. From the politeness Amaranta nodded.
«Do not remember, then do not remember. I’m not angry with you.»
«Oh, you are very generous. Looking at you, I begin to respect mortal girls.»
Well, here he is again for his jokes. He repels about people as if he does not apply to them, but to the race of the gods. For him, this is normal, he, after all, the child could also go. But the adult lady for his back would have to interrupt the draw. If only it is not included in some local traditions of receiving the bride from other people’s edges. There are a variety of wedding rituals in different countries. And in small island kingdoms on holidays, there are even strange rituals. Suddenly, here the masks from leaves are something ritual. It is worth checking out.
«Can you remove the mask?» She asked for Ivor.
«Not now!»
«Why?»
He looked at Iveina
«Why can’t you take it right now? I want to see your face, not a mask.»
Ivor bent to the window of the carriage and whispering a conspiratorial tone.
«It grows into the skin with the sunset.»
So it, however, grows out of skin. Or is he joking? Amaranth managed to tear off one leaf.
«Ouch, it hurts!» Ivor straight screamed.
«Sorry!»
She turns a sparkling leaf in the fingers. He was made of pure gold.
It seems that Ivor really was hurt. His companions at once were alerted and began to remind ready to rush into the battle. Ivor said something to them in an incomprehensible language, and then he turned back to Amaranta. He did not go blood from his chin, although it was from there and a golden leaf was revealed. So, he still did not grow out of the skin, since there is no blood. And pain can be depicted.
«All the mortals are the same jokers,» Ivor’s voice suddenly became no childish but evil and cruel. «There are many troubles from them. They ruin the fields, and the forests are damaged, our flowers are torn, they expel our vassals from all holes. Therefore, we fought. You do not want a new war?»
His words were angry. It seems that from the underground kingdom, the whole rail of terrible monsters warriors is breaking, which to bear numbers. It is standing to pass out, and they will reach the human world in one fell.
Ivor did not talk about anything, but it seemed that he said, and showed.
«Don’t make me angry,» he bounced offended and suddenly disappeared, as if he was not. His companions are no longer visible. The road is empty.
«In vain, you did it,» Infanta said, greedily looking at the golden leaf, which Amaranth spit in her hands.
The grooms began to wake up, her maids too. Amaranta barely managed to prevent them that they need to turn from this road.
«There’s the way to cliff, I was explained by a passing peasant,» she turned out. For some reason, she did not want to tell about the people in golden masks.
Expand the crew turned out to be unexpectedly difficult, as if some creatures were clung to the wheels and did not give to go on. Amaranta seemed that she hears their laughter and even sees how they swing on the axes, trying to pull them out of the wheels. They were frozen and shaggy.
«Do not stick to us!» they were angry.
Only none of the satellites have seen them, besides the horses who tried to flood them with hooves.
The golden web on the left side of the new road, which was able to leave, no one also noticed. But the flickering creatures are crawling along it, or women, whether the spides, gloatingly whispered after Amaranta.
«How good that you arrived! We all welcome you!»
It was worth turning to the rear window of the carriage, and they no longer see them behind. Either the carriage is going too quickly, or a huge web with Arachnes was only an illusion.
Golden game
The king of the elves appeared suddenly. Angus did not expect him to visit right now. And how can he call the guest of the one who originated right from the emptiness on the other side of the table from you.
Just ranked somewhere bells, sounded right above the ear of wonderful voices, and here the elf is already here. Dagda clearly made a moment when Angus remained alone and without servants, and without vassals. Obviously, before appearing to all the inhabitants of the county, he wanted to agree on something with the count personally. But as it turned out, he wanted only to play, and the invisible servants were taken in care that all items disappeared from the table. Instead of them, the gold figures were lined up on the countertop: or chess, or checkers. They moved themselves. They did not need to even touch them. Angus has never become a participant in the game in which it is not necessary to play. Everything is done by yourself.
«I just check the honesty of your intentions,» Dagda admitted, «and see that they are honest.»
«And how can this be seen?» perplexed Angus. Unless the elf knows how to read thoughts in the face.
«They catch all your intentions,» Dagda waved his hand to spinning figures, which resemble golden tornados. His nails were also gold covered with some embossed patterns. You do not need to wear with such nails and rob. Such nails are already as a jewel.
Angus felt not in his place. Although he was sitting in his own chair in his castle, and Dagda was here just a guest. But in the presence of an elf, the owner of the castle felt himself uncomfortable.
«So, do you know all my thoughts?»
The elf looked at him through the table with clean azure eyes, for which, as if darkness was hiding.
«They know!» He nodded again on the figures, reminding the ghosts from the golden sand.
«You have a lot of thoughts, but among them there is not a single insidious idea,» the king of Elves decreased to clarification. «From the people you’re the first one, whom I can call sincere. So let’s be friends.»
A good offer! Is it an honest one. Angus remembered the disturbing stories of the peasants and even several knights who returned from the forest in a terrible state and swore that the evil spirits almost pinched them to death.
«In our areas, they say that Elves can not honest,» Angus admitted. He did not want Dagda to consider him petty or unfriendly.
«In my country the elves talk about people the same,» said the guest indifferently. «But I see that it is not always worth believing what they say. People are different as we, elves.»
«Among you there are not only an elves,» Angus did not even know how to call those terrible creatures that sometimes began to appear here together with quite harmless fairies.
«Now I offer friendship from the face of the whole of my magic people, no matter how much varieties do not belong to them, as you have suggested a friendly union to me on behalf of the whole county, although not all the knights are also generous as you.»
«You already know about their contradictions?»
«I know about everything,» Dagda unexpectedly caught one of the golden figures with his hand. Under his fingers, it took the outlines of the flower closed by the petals in the ring.
«You think now about your bride, which sailed here through the sea. Give it to her!»
Angus took the ring uncertainly. For such elegant work, no earthly jeweler is capable.
«She exactly likes it!»
«I know how to please how to earth girls and fairies,» Dagda had a self-confident appearance.
