Unconquered Sun (9 page)

The pine answered that it recognizes the power of the Beautiful Fairy and very much loves it because it it is constant to care for trees and treats them for the wounds put to them. The prince mentally saw the following picture. The beautiful Fairy approached this pine to which someone put a wound with the axe, and, having kneelt, dropping at the same time on pink cheeks large, about a pea, tears, kissed a wound on a pine trunk. Then got a magic wand from a tunic pocket and whispered some unknown words on Fane language then the nacreous stick was lit by soft shine from within. The fairy touched with it a wound on a trunk and right there, directly in the eyes, that in several moments dragged on as if new skin a layer of fresh wood and bark. All tree began to tremble from pleasure and pleasure, and the lower branches of a pine embraced a fair-haired head of the Fairy. The fairy kissed soft green needles, wished to a pine good health and, happy with herself, went further, to searches of new inhabitants of the wood for which the help was required.

Vision was gone, but instead of it the new stream of fancies got into Prinze's consciousness.

- Dear mister Hnum! - addressed Prinze's dwarf, having listened to a pine up to the end. - The pine offended and covered with wounds by you told that, despite my request, it will not release you from the green captivity until personally transfers you as malicious violator of the Sacred Principles of the Order and Prosperity to the Hostess of this wood.

- Only I lacked it still! - provizzhat in reply an opposite voice. - Listen, you, the meek creature if you such do-good, pull out me somewhat quicker from here! Over there, - the dwarf eyes showed, - my exorcized hatchet which and the stone can chop lies. Cut down these smelly branches - and all conversation! Well! And I will return the favor!

But such turn put Prinze obviously did not arrange.

- Well, also sit here till tomorrow's morning, the silly pighead! - at last, it did not sustain, having violated the code of politeness of fairies. - I will go now home, and me there already wait for that. Tomorrow I will return together with the Beautiful Fairy, and she will release you, and you during this time will think of the unworthy behavior!

With these words the Prince was developed, took in hand a basket with herbs and walked to that footpath on which he came here. But Prinze should have reached only a stub with treasure as it was stopped by shrill plaintive shout:

- Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, my dear person! Do not leave me please here! Do not transfer me to hands of the forest Hostess! I beg! Fairies will lull me for many years, will erase my memory, and I houses too am waited by children! The lovely, kind person, help me, umolyaya-ya-ya-ya-yu!

The dwarf's voice really changed to unrecognizability. He plaintively whined and squealed as a little puppy whom the owner leaves at home one, leaving on affairs so it was impossible to believe that several minutes ago the same lips vomited spiteful and poisonous speeches. The dwarf kneelt, upraised brown hands in prayful gesture and eyes full got down beggarly looked at Prinze.

And Prinze's heart did not sustain! It could not leave even such being as the spiteful dwarf, in trouble, not for nothing the Beautiful Fairy, behind absence at it other name, called him "
Kind
Prinze"!

But how was to release the dwarf differently? The pine will not release it …

And here dawned on Prinze.

It promptly took out a sharp knife because of a belt and at one stroke cut the dwarf's beard at the basis. As a result, the beard remained in captivity with a pine, and the unfortunate dwarf appeared on freedom now!

All this occurred so promptly and unexpectedly that the dwarf, before very much trying to tear off a beard, head over heels swept on the earth. Then it with surprise, as if without understanding what happened to it, slowly felt the deserted chin both covered with the wrinkled brown skin with long dirty nails, hands. Instead of a long white magnificent beard there were only pathetic uneven and fragmentary bunches of hair …

- Well, did not think that you are so brainless cretin, - at full blast the dwarf spitefully cried, - that you will guess to deprive of me my fine white beard! For what, well what you so punished me for!? - a bryzzha saliva the dwarf raged, at the same time hasty hiding a sack with jewels for a bosom. - What wood goblin I met such cretin on the way!? To deprive of me my beard which I raised centuries, my remarkable, fluffy, snow-white beard! And for the sake of what? For the sake of a damned tree! Here precisely cretin, so cretin! How I will be to the tribespeople and the family now?! Cretin, booby, numskull and milksop!

These curses as a poisonous stream vomited small spiteful lips of the dwarf long enough, at the same time he managed to depart on quite decent distance from Prinze and a tree that neither that, nor another could teach a good lesson him.

- Well, here to you and gratitude! - could not hide the disappointment with Prinze. - Here also help after that dwarfs! Tell thank you that though it is whole remained! - and with these words it turned a back to ungrateful to the pudge. But managed to reach besides only a stub in the middle of a glade because the dwarf suddenly promptly ran up to it behind, and, having seized him by a hand, suddenly changed voice tenderly provorkovat:

- Well you to take offense at once! Could not endure grumble old,

pudge's patient! Do not take offense! I am grateful that you rescued me! Only

here in a beard there was all my magic power, and now I for many years will be

it is deprived of it...

Having heard these words, Prinze blushed to the roots of hair.

"Well and dela-a-a! The Fairy spoke to me: "measure seven times, and cut off once", - he thought and mentally gave a good telling-off himself for inappropriate haste, and then with shame remembered that he once read in books about Tselestiya's people. Dwarfs really have long beards not just for beauty or authority, their beard - magic. Each hair contains a certain part of magic force of their race in them. Actually, sorcery of dwarfs also consists in wrest of hairs when pronouncing the corresponding spells. There is no beard, there is no sorcery also. "That is why, - Prinze guessed, - the dwarf could not be exempted from a tree: the beard which got confused to death in pine branches did to its karlichya sorcery powerless!"

- Forgive me, please, venerable Hnum! - by the voice squeezed from sincere repentance Prinze spoke. - I did not think of it at all! The word of honor, I really wanted to help you!

But the dwarf, appear, did not pay attention to it. He waved the small, brown handle, as if telling to this gesture "trifles, that's nothing unusual", and told:

- Well it is fine, there's nothing to be done, life - more important … - and then got a restive hand into one of a set of the pockets covering its magnificent scarlet satin camisole.

It is necessary to tell that luxury of a camisole, as well as abundance in them of pockets, were indispensable, so to speak, attribute of all dwarfs respecting themselves. What only quantity of bagatelles was not dragged in these karmanets by them! Beginning from nuggets of gold and gold coins to pieces to sugar or a pechenyitsa which they liked to gnaw in breaks between work, and therefore for all who saw dwarfs, were a riddle as they managed to be guided in such large number of pockets and to know well where that lies! And dwarfs really never forgot anything …

And so, the dwarf got into one of a set of internal pockets of the magnificent satin camisole and took out some big (for the dwarf, of course) and a brilliant subject which
instantly
drew Prinze's attention to itself(himself).

- Allow me to present you this modest bagatelle, oh, the loved spouse of the marvelous hostess of this wood! - surprisingly solemnly and pompously the dwarf said, gave deep bow to Prinze, having shuffled at the same time the right leg - well, is direct as the court grandee before the king! - You rescued me from inevitable death and I want to thank you for it! - With these words the dwarf stretched to Prinze some brilliant subject.

- Here, take this pocket mirror, - it continued. - It gold and precious. It grieves me to give him to you, but you saved to me life... Take and go with the Creator! - and then, suddenly having sharply lowered a voice, fast conspiratorial whisper added. - Only speak to anybody-nobody about this glade, about a sack, about me and, especially, about this tunnel of which I got out. - Here only Prinze noticed

small, the correct form an opening at the bottom of a big branchy oak on other end of a glade.

- Well, of course, word of honor of Prinze! Though that here confidential to admit, I do not understand... - and itself, mechanically pronouncing these words, could not tear off

look from the wonderful pocket mirror which appeared in his hands. And it is not sophisticated - it was unusually beautiful. The reflecting surface from the polished, ideally smooth sheet gold of the correct oval form, with the handle and a rim

from rare mahogany. The wonderful bagatelle as though itself jumped in Prinze's hands, was attracted as iron to a magnet, and here it could not present itself(himself) without possession of this treasure any more.

The prince immediately hid him in an inside pocket of the jacket, and about himself joyfully thought that it will be the best gift for his Beautiful Fairy! The prince pensively closed eyes and presented. Here his loved Fairy gets up with the first beams of the sun and, having washed in cold transparent water of a stream, sits down on a big stone nearby. Then she gets this pocket mirror and begins to comb the long golden hair a magic crest, admires beauty of the face which, being reflected from the gold polished surface, seems even more more beautiful. And still Prinze presented how she will be delighted to a gift as she will joyfully embrace and will kiss him, he really made the most real feat!

The prince hurriedly said goodbye to the dwarf and went the own way - the benefit all necessary herbs were already collected. The dwarf meanwhile dived into the tunnel,

joyfully rubbing small, brown as bark of an oak, hands,

speaking something in beard enough.

Some time Prinze vigorously walked home, being glad at heart

to such happy termination of a prolonged adventure. Only one circumstance saddened his high spirits - unclear from where the arisen persuasive desire to look in a mirror, comparable with feeling of strong hunger. At first it did not attach to this desire significance, continuing to go on a forest footpath back, and tried to concentrate the thoughts entirely on beauty of the surrounding wood as it did it usually, but nothing helped. In the head each time all the same notion of compulsion pulsed stronger and stronger: "Look! Look! Immediately look!" and every minute Prinze felt that it becomes harder and harder to resist this strange desire to him …

When the desire became absolutely invincible, Prinze decided to stop.

"yes", - he thought, - "I was just very tired, I have the right to sit a little bit! Interestingly, and how
I
will look in this pocket mirror? Probably, from such walk I absolutely disheveled hair. I before the Beautiful Fairy can be brushed! It is necessary to make urgently toilet!"

At heart Prinze understood that it is quite ridiculous justifications - both about fatigue, and about a hairdress - but for some reason it was unpleasant to it to recognize, even alone with himself that he intolerably wants to look in a mirror that a mirror for some reason, all for some half an hour, acquired over it such inexplicable power.

Besides, Prinze was disturbed by thought of very suspicious generosity of the dwarf, these greedy persons and hoarders never and gave nothing just like that, especially jewelry and gratitude was not among their advantages.

To crown it all it was come back to memory by one similar case with a strange find …

Once Prinze lapped in the river and saw at the bottom a big nacreous necklace from large pearls, probably, someone dropped. He right there decided to pick up him and to present him to the precious loved Fairy. Having inexpressibly been delighted, it run, even properly without having dried, ran home.

But what Prinze's surprise when he, having solemnly handed it a necklace, suddenly saw expression of alarm and even a fright on her beautiful face was. The fairy suspiciously looked at ornament, and then suddenly quickly got from a glove tunic pocket from thin matter. Having dressed them on hands, it carefully took it as though it was not a necklace, and some snake, and began to study it attentively. A celestial-blue stone on its silver rim it is disturbing flickered. The prince then, is remembered, terribly took offense.

- Well, expensive, never you will please you! How many I make feats for the sake of you, you are dissatisfied all the time! Rarely I could give you a worthy gift, and you …

The fairy, without tearing off an attentive look from a necklace as in the sleep slowly spoke:

- Darling, I love you without any feats and gifts, you know … Wait … Something here not so … You know, jewelry just like that do not float to you directly in hands … Always … someone … throws them … - pronounced the last words Fairy especially slowly, attentively feeling a fastener of a silvery thread on which the necklace kept.

Some shrill hissing, whistle, and the Fairy was suddenly distributed, suddenly sharply screamed:

- Well, darling, quickly, jump from here!

- Chego-au-au-au?

- Fast about - about - oh, I speak!!! - and sharply pushed away Prinze aside, at the same time fastidiously holding finger-tips "necklace". The prince received such strong blow that he head over heels flew through wooden bedrails of a verandah directly on a lawn. The fairy, meanwhile, rejected a necklace on a floor as if it is some venomous snake, itself soared up directly under a ceiling. The precious bagatelle with plaintive knock fell to a floor and right there turned in perlamutrovo a white snake. The disgusting creature rapaciously hissed, oshcheriv a mouth in which two big poisonous teeth were clearly visible!