Unconquered Sun (3 page)

- Oslenok! You sleep, the idler?! And well, rise! - having again rested handles against sides, the Fairy struck a pose of "strict mummy".

- And? What? - in a hurry not woken up Oslenok jumped from a bed still plainly. He hasty smoothed a disobedient hair on the top and vainly looked around short-sighted at points.

- Fell asleep? Fell asleep!!! I to you ordered to be on the watchman! Well it is fine, quickly march - prepare a bath! Immediately! We have a wounded human young man! - and the Fairy imperiously specified by the thin finger towards the bath which was settling down on the first floor.

- Wounded?! Young man?! Oh, the Creator as I could fall asleep! - grievously Oslenok murmured, clutching at the head. - Forgive, madam, I will correct everything! - and headlong rushed to a door.

But it was stopped by a sharp hail of the Fairy.

- Yes, madam?

- Oslenok, the bungler you such, forgot the points!.

The fairy departed towards to the Kitten and the Puppy, and Oslenok began to heat a bath. It is necessary to tell that from Oslenk at the same time big efforts were not required, the bath, as well as all in the house of the Fairy, was magic. Wooden basins one by one as clumsy ducklings, hobbled to the river to gather water, in the furnace fire flashed magic, not demanding firewood. Oslenk needed only to watch the events, specifying where to rise to the basins which came back with a burden, where to pour out water and all something like that. And therefore, when, at last, Animals with a stretcher approached, Oslenok already waited for them on a porch with the lit lamp.

Animals, funny puffing, dragged a stretcher inside and put the young man on the wide bench laid by a waterproof mattress. The fairy with concern watched that they placed it with all possible care, but it is vain - Animals knew the business. And then the Kitten efficiently turned to the Fairy and, for bravery having slightly coughed in a plush cam, important told:

- Well, everything, the hostess, further we will deal with the Puppy. To unmarried girls here not the place. So, excuse! - and with these words inconsiderately slammed a door before her nose! The fairy, having reddened as a peony, however, kept silent and sat down right there, nearby, on the brought stool. Infinitely long minutes of expectation stretched …

When Animals stopped to wash the young man and to update to him bandages, the Fairy already flew into a rage from impatience.

- Well so long?! And suddenly he will die?! You examined its wounds more attentively?! - a tongue twister she blurted out, having caught sight of the Animals who were dripping wet who head over heels fell out of a pair bath. They between times managed thoroughly to be washed.

- You offend, the hostess, m-r-r-myau! - the Kitten told efficiently and important, licking big pink, rigid as a brush, a uvula the plush skin. - Examined! Except fractures and concussion, apart from grazes and scratches, there is nothing …

- Generally, will live, and-av!!! - joyfully the Puppy gave a yelp and began to shake all the body, having drenched all standing including the Fairy, a stream of splashes why right there, however, got it from the Kitten in the neck.

But the Fairy did not even pay attention to it. She piously put hands on a breast and narrowed the radiant celestial-blue eyes which lit up with pleasure:

- Slava Sozdatelyu, he is living … - is hardly heard she whispered, but in several moments her face accepted the serious and anxious expression again, and she passed to language of teams again:

- So, Animals, carry it to the room for guests! Oslenok, prepare everything for the patient there! Immediately!

And Animals started skipping executing command of the hostess again.

When the young man appeared, at last, in the bed, the Fairy right there showed the door from the room of Animals.

- All, thank you, my dear friends, - she told with a smile, embracing all three at the same time at once. - Now go for deserved rest. You well worked today. And I will remain here, I will sit and I will look for the patient. Good night!

Oslenok and Puppy very were delighted to such turn of affairs and right there, without any arguments, rushed to an exit - very much they wanted to sleep, especially to Oslenk! But the Kitten somehow strange looked at the Fairy with the very sly green eyes and discontentedly murlyknut:

- Did not put, m-r-solution, did not put to unmarried madam to sit near the unfamiliar man of one in the room! Did not put, m-r-r-r-r …

- And whether business when Animals say about how their hostess needs to arrive, a-a-a?! - flared up, having reddened, the Fairy. And then, having seized the Kitten by a pad, quite inconsiderately showed the door him from the room and closed a door before his nose, exactly in the same way as that made it in a bath. So, nothing remained to the Kitten how to recognize the defeat and to go to sleep. And the Fairy happy with that she managed to revenge the Kitten for his arbitrariness, returned to the young man's bed, put near it an easy chair and villages.

Night stood silent, lunar. Silvery streams of soft light got through an open window, lighting up a face of the sleeping patient. On it, keeping the eyes glued, the Fairy also looked. And no wonder - already she did not see many hundreds of years here in the district of people, and she in the house had no guests already couple of thousands of years. Really, people here almost never get, to fairies from Skies to fly to such solitude the lack of time, and it is simpler to neigbours in guards of the Limit to contact it telepathic. The fairy could count here on communication only with animals and birds, except for Animals, of course, yes the mermaids swimming in the small river near the house. But with mermaids of the fairy could never find common language. Do not feed with their bread, let's gambol in water yes to sing obscene songs, and to fairies it is absolutely uninteresting. That is why appearance here of the person moreover and young men, absolutely the baby in comparison with it, could not but cause in it hot curiosity especially as so close to the person and furthermore a male, she saw for the first time.

When Animals already fell asleep, and the house was shrouded by a silence cover, the Fairy, at last, decided to give in to a rush of such curiosity, usual for any lonely woman. First of all, she furtively felt a body of sleeping and was convinced that it differs in nothing from a body of fairies, only more rough and covered with strange indumentum. But even more it struck found on a neck at sleeping gold, quite thick and strong chain. The medallion with the small crown which is laid out entirely from the diamonds which are fancifully poured at a moonlight was attached to a chain. Over a crown the letter was engraved by silver "And". On the right hand of the young man the curious Fairy found a big signet ring, also from cast gold with the same engraving. What it meant the Fairy understood at once - on a visit it had not just a young man, but the real prince!

What pleasure filled heart of the Fairy when she learned about it! Since the childhood, still studying at School of Fairies, she liked to watch bright dreams in pools of dreams about great princesses and noble princes, about brave knights and their loved ladies. How many times she saw herself there as in reality, as the ladylove of some prince or even the queen - not to count! But, to the greatest regret, on its homeland never was and there could not be princes and knights, the Skies are a reserved place where from a century the leg of the person and furthermore - men could not go. There lived exclusively fairies - the representative of the highest race Tselestiya, eternally young powerful Keepers of the Order and Prosperity this blossoming as a world garden.

- I will call you Prinze, - by the voice shivering for nervousness the Fairy whispered, stroking the thin white handle a silky fair hair of the young man. - You and really prince! And I will make everything that you remained with me in a lodge forever that you became
my
Prinze! I will care for you, I will protect you, I will love you, and then to me will already not be lonely very never, and I will have small children too, and I will become the happiest fairy on light! - The girl pensively raised eyes to the sky and blinked, having imagined future happy family life. And the fairy, as we know, if imagines something, never any more will give up on it until everything comes true exactly as she imagined it. Such is these surprising people!

But during the next moment out of a pensive state she was brought by Prinze's groan. It dreamed a nightmare. Hands and his legs involuntarily twitched, the head was swept up on a pillow, on a forehead sweat acted. Then the Fairy got from a tunic pocket a small comb from soft pink material and began to comb his hair, singing in a low voice something in language, melodious, but absolutely unclear for a human ear. From these songs in Prinze's soul rest set in again, and then the fatigue overcame also the Fairy. She fell asleep directly on a chair.

7.

What is the time Prinze overslept, he did not know. Dreamed it that it sank in some deep dark sea, suddenly came up on a surface.

Rare minutes of an enlightenment he opened eyes and saw over himself a ceiling of some room, a blanket corner on the chin, someone's hands - shaggy, smooth which gave something to it or for some reason touched it. And then, having completely grown weak, Prinze's reason plunged into darkness again.

Sometimes to it it became absolutely uncomfortable. He saw some terrible toothy mouths, wild hungry and spiteful eyes, sharp-clawed paws reaching for it from darkness. But when to it became absolutely nevterpezh, suddenly from where from far away pleasant melodious sounds reached it and waves of warm rest pacified his soul, and spiteful creatures vanished somewhere. Before eyes there was a quiet warm smooth surface of some lake, for some reason pink color into which it dived. To it became there so well that he forgot everything on light and began to laugh joyfully then sank into a sleep without dreams.

So repeated many times how many - the Prince did not know. But once, after the next immersion to the pink lake, he felt so best of all that he could open eyes completely and recover finally. Having hardly risen, he sat down on beds. The head strongly began to spin, but he could look round decently around.

There was an early morning. The sun hardly seemed behind the horizon and sent the first, yet not bright, reddish beams to the room. The room in which it appeared was small, modest, but cozy. All its situation consisted of a small case from pink color, couple of shelves with different household accessories, a wash basin and a bed. Usual print curtains of also pink color hung on windows, walls - are pasted over with pink wall-paper, on a window sill the big crystal vase with eternal fresh flowers, apparently, roses flaunted.

The abundance of pink color in a situation seemed to it strange. The prince wanted to get up, but could not - the head strongly began to spin.

Then Prinze attentively examined himself. It lay on a single bed with pink bed linen and a blanket. The right hand was plastered, the right leg too, the head is tied up by bandage.

"Yes - and - and-and, - Prinze thought, - and where so managed me?" Suddenly at Prinze the neck was combed, and he stretched to it the left hand and …

"Oh! And where my chain? I precisely remember that I had a gold chain on a neck and something on it dangled. Something very much and very important …" Prinze rummaged around all bed and already intended to get up after all to look also under it too as he suddenly felt on himself someone's stare.

Prinze sharply turned towards the cracked window and saw the girl with long wet golden hair there. She with big curiosity examined Prinze, at the same time expression of her eyes was approximately such what is at the child standing at a show-window of shop of children's toys. The prince felt ill at ease, he was absolutely nude. He bashfully pulled a blanket up to the chin and reddened.

- Whether you look for it, the little man? - Crafty smiling, the girl pulled out a medallion and a ring from a dress pocket.

- It … - Prinze with astonishment answered, still shy hiding under a blanket. - From where you have them? Who are you? Where I?

- Here I will not tell! - the Fairy answered, dexterously hiding the finds for a back as it is done by small children, wishing to tease the companions. - At first you tell who you are, and then, well, and I will tell you.

But Prinze felt ill at ease from disappointment that some little girl dares to treat so him, and, without having sustained, flared up:

- And on what it to the right you do not answer me?! I am a man, I - am more main! Besides I am more senior than you! To me twenty one and I can already carry a sword, simply … I do not want to brag, - he in a low voice a tongue twister, added any sword at him, of course, was not trace and.

At these words the girl swept with laughter and so that even leaned the elbows about a window sill not to fall. It seemed, it just about will overturn the vase with the flowers standing nearby.

- Okhkhkh … … the man … is more main than an umor … twenty one … Ha-ha-ha …

The prince at first understood nothing. Then, flushed with anger and ka-a-a-ak will give a fist on a window sill! The vase with the flowers departed directly on the earth. But it made laugh the girl even more. And Prinze, not in forces to think up how still to show the discontent, confusedly murmured:

- I do not understand what happened to little girls what they afford it? By what right they dare to talk to the man of a noble origin so?!

Otsmeyavshis there is a lot of, the Fairy got a pink nasal kerchief from a dress pocket and began to wipe eyes, wet from tears: