Unconquered Sun (34 page)

The prince nearly burst from disappointment. The invincible Sun again unscrupulously uses his thoughts and memoirs! It became terribly offensive for it both for itself, and for the Fairy and the desire to read further at it absolutely was gone. He slammed the book and put it into place.

- And I, by the way, - as if without noticing his indignation, continued the Invincible Sun, - unlike your envious wife, I can train you in magic. All these drawings, formulas, plots - all this yesterday. You will be able to make all this one movement of thought soon. And these fairies will never open anything for you because for them the magic is the power!

- Lie! - did not stand Prinze. - Fairies are Keepers of our world! They use a magic power for maintenance in it About and Prosperity! They protect us from the evil!

- Yes, yes, yes, of course, my dear! - and metal hand bells zadrebezzhat so that at Prinze ears ached. - Thirty years fed me with it at School of Fairies, gorged on to nausea! And tell me, my dear Prinze and why it do not teach magic people, time it is such useful? Well answer!

- Well-at-at-at … - Prinze who if it is honest, and itself asked himself this question repeatedly hesitated. - We, people, live a little - it is necessary to study long! - he blurted out the first that came to mind.

- But not you, Prinze, - parried the Invincible Sun with a jeer. - You were given the same life, as well as to fairies is time. And why, by the way, not to give the same eternal life and to other people who are not married to the fairy, how are you?

The prince became silent and frowned. There was nothing to answer.

- The same! - the Voice triumphed. - And I will answer you, and all these questions at once. Fairies simply need the power. Power over Tselestiya. Power unlimited and eternal. People are necessary to them - mortal and powerless that in comparison with them their eternal youth and unusual force especially was evident. To be such fantastic to "printsesska"! Ha, it is thought not bad up, the truth? And if they, for reproduction and entertainment take themselves, a two-three of hundreds of little men for several thousands of years, - the solar sorcerer continued. - That and them they do not let into the secrets, doing of them something average between drones in a beehive and the plush youngs of wild animal suitable only to lay tables yes slippers to a bed to bring. Unless not so, and, my dear happy Prinze?

From the cruel words of the Invincible Sun sounding in the head, Prinze felt ill at ease. He wanted to clamp ears hands, to escape on the world's end, but knew that it is senseless. He could answer nothing to it … A drone … a plush young of wild animal … - was at Prinze at the tip of the tongue. The lump of offense rose to a throat, and hands instinctively clenched in fists.

- But the Fairy loves me! - at last, did not sustain and Prinze cried at full blast. - I for it not a drone, not a toy, no! - And, having grabbed the first book, threw it into golden reflection in a mirror. The book deafly hit against metal and flew away aside, and reflection of the person in a mirror continued to laugh.

- Love? Ha-ha-ha! And you think, fairies know what is love?! Ha-ha-ha! Well you also amused me! I do not regret now at all that I left you in live! Long ago I so had not fun, ha-ha-ha!

- Stop, the Red Sun! The fairy saved me from death, the Fairy treated me, the Fairy felt sorry for me, the Fairy cared for me, the Fairy loves me!.

- … The fairy uses you, the ninny! - sharply and imperiously tore off its Voice. - It is simply boring for it to sit in thousands of years in one place! Itself think, she should be engaged in something, the little fool. And similar to produce, executing immortal precepts of the three-headed Knowledge which got drunk with the power! And all of them such, all! People for them - that cattle for shepherds. And not only they are all inhabitants of this cranky world!

- I do not want to listen to you any more! - Prinze cried and rushed from Library. It ran out through an open door on fresh air. This time already nobody interfered with it it to do.

He reached the open area with which there was a surprising view of mountains, of the burning-down decline, and greedy swallowed of the invigorating mountain air. On Prinze's cheeks damp streams of tears, tears of offense and bitterness which it was a shame to him crept.

- Do not worry, my lovely little prince, - already quietly said the Voice. - The truth always hurts the eyes. But the truth does us stronger, isn't it?

- I do not trust you … - Prinze sobbed.

- At last you grew wiser, Prinze! Means, not for nothing after all you came to be here, - triumphantly said the Voice. - You begin to understand that to what. I too the fairy, and I cannot be trusted
too
. Nobody can be trusted! All of us are sorcerers. The nature at us such - all to bewitch, - and hand bells rang out in ears again, but is already more reserved. - You mature, Prinze, and I am happy with you. You look, and you will become worthy Me the pupil, and, maybe, more … Well, time already you ran out outside itself, we will go we will look at my gardens now - I think, to you will be rather interesting.

4.

Gardens were really fantastically fine. They entirely consisted of the gold trees very similar to the presents. There were both peaches, and apple-trees, and pears, and cherry, and even palm trees … Leaves on trees - entirely silver, a grass - emerald, and flowers - ruby roses and sapphire cornflowers.

- I specially removed such grades. Many experiments with magic - and very much were required, it is a lot of precious metals and stones, of course, - the Invincible Sun bragged again. - And roses and cornflowers - my favourite flowers as you, probably, guessed.

The grass and leaves moved on wind as live. But the most surprising - they sang songs. And on branches singing birdies, multi-colored parrots and cheerful monkeys jumped. They were also made of gold, they had eyes from jewels. They cheerfully stirred, sang songs, and monkeys, in addition, hilariously squalled and played the friend with a druzhka in a game of tag.

- I needed to work much to program them on a spontaneity. The first samples at me just ran back and forth as stupid mechanical machines of dwarfs. And now they at me as live! By the way, my monkeys can even remember talk, execute commands, imitate and even to imitate as the real monkeys! Here, look!

Suddenly one of monkeys came off on the path strewed with gold dust and writhed a hilarious mug. She opened a mouth, put out a tip of language, a vylupil of a glazishcha, approached a slow uncertain step, shuffling on a path, to the first floret and began to consider it with idiotic expression of an attractive face. At the same time it it is sluggish, drawlingly, sentenced the jingling voice: "a floret my pretty, let me tell you the fairy tale …"

The invincible Sun roared with metal laughter again, but to Prinze had no time for fun. He even could not think what can look from outside such cretin.

- Well, all right, all right, do not take offense, not such you are an idiot (new explosion of laughter)! Well, not the intellectual, of course, and not the king Roland … Though what prevents you them to become?

- I am such what I am! - angrily Prinze cried. - And, by the way, my Fairy loves me it what I am! I am her husband, but not yours so leave the wishes at yourself, also as well as the artificial monkeys too!

The prince was developed and a fast pace went back to the Tower. His patience burst! Mockeries of this Invincible Sun were simply intolerable. She one, another, nearly runs after it, derides it, represents from herself the hospitable hostess, the haughty empress. Bothered!

But far from it! Pack of gold monkeys suddenly, with a wild loud laughter jumping from a branch on a branch, overtaking each other, blocked Prinze Road. And that monkey who derided it got up ahead of the others and, having fallen on knees before Prinze, began to wail a plaintive voice:

- Oh, your Highness, forgive me, an unworthy monkey! - and plaintively raised a howl, kowtowing on the ground, and behind it and all pack, trying to grab sandals of the Prince and to kiss them.

- I think, they are worthy forgiveness, isn't that so? - the derisive Voice was distributed behind. - What from them to take? They only monkeys, though gold.

But Prinze did not listen to it. He so was surprised their "zhivopodobnost" as it about itself(himself) christened their manner of behavior. Having forgotten the offense, with astonishment asked, indifferently:

- Listen, the Invincible Sun and why in all these gardens you have no live birds and animals, live plants and a grass?

- And why they to me? - right there the answer followed. - They are vile, carnal, dirty. Gold is perfect. My perfection does not suffer dirt near itself.

- But why then to you gold?

- Because I so want, clearly? Do not ask silly questions! - The prince felt strong heat in heart again, but only for a moment.

- Look at it better, - suddenly, indifferently, quietly said the Voice, and invisible force pushed it back, in garden depth.

There in a secluded shady bosk, too, however, gold, two huge gold statues of the Man and the Woman sat on huge (in three or four human growth) gold thrones. They were dressed in short gold tunics. From shoulders they were fallen by magnificent gold cloaks. The heads crowned royal diadems. They held hands and looked at each other with some voluptuous desire.

- How to you?

- Somewhere I already saw it, - Prinze told ingenuously, inspecting them from legs to the head.

- The fool, these statues are made according to my sketch, nobody could think up them more! Unless you do not recognize them?

The prince attentively looked... and to it for an instant it became bad. The woman in this composition was beautiful and perfectly familiar to it - it was the same full-faced zolotovolosy beauty with the gaping holes instead of eyes from which the sunlight streamed.

But man...

"Creator!" - suddenly reached Prinze. Same there was IT and - not it is at the same time.

It seems, all features and figures, as at it. But look... strange if not to tell, terrible. The look was any HUMAN, repellent, but that in it was it, Prinze could not understand in any way.

At last, he understood everything. Looking at itself, he had approximately the same feeling as though he saw himself the dead! It was Prinze, all features were its, but it was dead Prinze as an effigy of once live bird. On a face it had nothing live. Instead of it - some heartless mask. Such impression that at Gold Prinze the soul was absolutely burned, is burned heart, his love to the Beautiful Fairy is burned. It was NOT the person, but some heartless idol, an idol, the real Prinze's shadow any more …

- Well as, it is pleasant to you? - again there was in consciousness an impatient voice of the Invincible Sun.

- The best and cannot be presented, - Prinze lay. - But from where such similarity to me?

- And - and - and - hectare - and-and! - metal hand bells rang out with the strengthened frequency. - Guessed? When I created the sketch, I did not think of it. But then, when saw you in a mirror, at once learned. By and large, only therefore you also survived, - as if by the way She ingenuously told. - Already then I estimated your sincere qualities …

- It is destiny, Prinze, - at last, after some silence, She added. - You arrived on time to me, you even itself do not suspect
as far as
... However, everything is good in its season!

5.

Meanwhile the last beam of the dying sun went out behind the horizon.

However the garden at the same time did not plunge into darkness. On the contrary, he became even more beautiful. Each tree, each leaflet, each flower suddenly from within lit up light inherent in it: gold trees - solar-yellow, silver leaves - lunar-silvery, flowers - sapphire-blue and ruby-red, a grass - emerald-green. It was really tremendous show!

The prince remembered a New Year's Eve at once. New year is the most favourite holiday at fairies. For this holiday they light magic sparks too, decorate houses with illusions of trees, herbs and flowers, sing the songs devoted to New Year. This night usually go for a walk in the wood and there too decorate trees and a grass with sparks, light magic fire and at this fire arrange dances, with music and fireworks. But the culmination of a holiday are live fairy tales! By means of special spells to guests the bright shining illusions of fantastic heroes come and begin to show them the history. The prince with kids just adored this holiday. Especially - viewing of fairy tales. Usually it took both on knees and all of them three together watched the fantastic representation recovered by the Fairy …

- As it is beautiful! - Prinze gasped and clapped. - It is direct as on New Year's Eve, not worse!

- Tried, - said the Voice enough. - I already said to you that in a day they accumulate light, and then all night long it is radiated. You by the way notice nothing?

The prince attentively looked round.

- Monkeys ceased to squall, and parrots with birdies too …

- Yes, I put in them the program to sleep at night, as at the presents. But now you are expected by a surprise …

And it is right. After a while the most real night nightingales started singing, clatter of the real cicadas was distributed, and night moths by air began to fly. However, having looked narrowly, Prinze disappointedly sighed - nightingales, cicadas and moths were made of silver. He suddenly intolerably wanted to leave this artificial paradise. He was tired of all this dead magnificence, there was a wish to be alone.