Amaranta. Rival of Fairies’ Queen

Translator Natalie Lilienthal

© Natalie Yacobson, 2021

© Natalie Lilienthal, translation, 2021

ISBN 978-5-0053-8993-0

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Union with a magic state

The contract with unearthly fiery seal lay on his desk. Unprecedented honor! The seal of the King of the Elves Dagda himself, but Count Angus paused a little.

«To conclude an alliance with them, it means to destroy all of us,» whispered his knight Theobald. «We, people, and the magic people, were always enemies. Nothing can be changed by one contract. After all, the magic creatures are cunning. They just deceive us, sleep our vigilance.

«But the seal from fire is sacred for them,» the count first did not listen to the advice of Theobald. «See, it still burns and burns your fingers, even stands on paper.» But at the same time the paper itself does not burn! Isn’t a miracle! Even they will not be able to break it, since they put on the contract, it means that it will not be broken. The seal of Dagda himself!»

He touched reverently it with his fingers. The magic fire of the seal flamed, but no longer burned. From it only slightly pricked the fingers, and beautiful colored sparks were blocked on the skin.

«I’m going to marry tomorrow. I need peace, you need a guarantee that we will no longer be attacked. At least, from the side of the magic people – that enemy, which is not overcome by the earth’s weapon. With conventional enemies, we can cope, but not with magical. It is better to make peace.»

«A truce,» corrected the adviser, always worn black in the sign of Mourning for the deceased family and the abducted bride, which was probably already dead or was enchanted. The Count could understand it. The grief of Theobald was great. Moreover, he did not want something like that repeated and with Amaranta. She was already driving here to become his wife. Her retinue is insignificant. But even if it was big, the elves can easily attack from the forest, from the steppes, from the water, from the mountains, even from the hills, not to mention the air and heaven – they live everywhere. Do not agree with them it means to become a victim. He himself is a knight and will perish with dignity if he has to fight. The main thing is that he did not enjoy it. After all, death from witchcraft is tormented and terrible. Angus’s ownership suffered from attacks of the magic people since time immemorial. Supernatural enemies fell suddenly, no one in advance warning about his invasion, which greatly distinguished them from the human troops, which first declare war, and then they lead the troops. It is a pity that the fairies and elves lived solely by their rules. If they have at least some rules. Their people were multiple, diverse and unusually strong. Now the hordes of magic creatures were surrendered to the count’s fields, pulling and burning sowing, the fairies blown out the villages of Sleepy Dusty, from which the peasants even after the awakening performed an unusual rash, and the minds were damaged.

People who were enchanted by fairies, then all their lives went like sleepy flies and painfully reacted to the light of the moon. And from the elves’ archers there was no salvation. They always took what they wanted, leaving behind the meadows and lakes covered with poisonous spells, and even the ashes. The rights of strong magic creatures worked whatever. And the councils on them were not. From their attacks suffered still grandfather and great-grandfather of Angus. And his father they generally reduced the world. No one was able to save the late count from some joker-elves, who came on the moon night and started the game with him not to life, but for death because of some flirty moon fairies. Naturally, the person in the magic game lost and exhausted from the incurable disease in a matter of days. After all, the bet in the game was no more than life. Anyone who played in the bones with elves, then confused thoughts, and blood oozed from under the nails. Magic creatures came, playing and joking, and people then died. Supernatural diseases caught by their charms mowed the subjects of the count, as if the harvest. Angus himself would endure this years. But Amaranta he wanted to ensure security. If it would not be his beautiful blond bride, he would not think about the security of all the surrounding villages and villages, not to mention the safety of the whole world. The old witch doctor, which in the district was also considered as a prophet, somehow predicted that hardly magical folk, playing, wrap all the county, then the king of the elves and the fairies’ Queen would unite and go war against the whole world.

Angus himself was not familiar with the king Dagda, nor with his girlfriend the fairies’ Queen, about which, by the way, was going to have rather sinister rumors. But the stray elf, accidentally met at the crossroads, explained to him that any white bird released right at the sunset, it was tented to Dagda himself.

«In the sunset, the gates to our world will open,» he explained to the count. This elf itself has the sunset in color, because his skin was orange, like fire. He could lie, because elves by nature are false. Nevertheless, the count listened to him and sent a message in such an unusual way. The postal dove released into the sunset obviously reached the target. After all, the answer came. Angus was pleased that the king of Elves reacted so quickly and even offered his friendship. He did not see any tricks in this.

«I respect your advice, but now it’s wiser to do so,» he looked at the crippled hand, which Theobald hid under the glove – evidence of the attack of elves. He snatched his hand, though mutilated, and the family could not save. And now he was depressed. Nothing consoled him, as if the elves infected his heart to a poisonous black longing. The hand reloaded and started to exhibit magic, tormented Theobald even more. He went to the holy fathers, they tried to help him but without success

«If it becomes very bad, I don’t come to the castle,» he promised all the time.

It was better to prevent danger at the root. The responsibility of the count was to follow the affairs, both outside and inside the county. He also lost his parents from the attack of the magic creatures, but did not get out. He cared for his lands and subjects. Old disputes of his ancestors with the people of Fairy do not have more meaning. And Dagda considers it now also. After all, he put his stamp. Now only the signature and sealing of the count are needed. The wandering magicians, whom he met on the roads of counties and which then disappeared somewhere, turned out to be much smarter than all of his advisers. They advised to bore the message to Dagda with their own blood, because by one droplet of your blood, the elves can easily understand that you are not hypocritical. Be that as it may, the answer immediately came, delivered to the castle window with a tiny dragon ruby-colored and with silver eyes. It is probably he got to put a fiery stamp under the signature of the most great ruler of the elves’ Dagda.

To conclude a truce with the elves is much more smarter than to fight with them. After all, the forces are unequal. The consent of Dagda must be taken as mercy.

The count itself would not go to that. But for the sake of their people… For the sake of defenseless old men and children of counties, for the sake of Amaranta… And he put a seal with an admixture of his own blood. The whole contract immediately broke out with a flame, in which, however, did not burn, but divided into two copies. One for Dagda, the Lord of the Magic People, the second for the count, the patron of local people. So mankind and magic came to the Union. The Count hoped that the Union would be fertile and fruitful. After all, the elves are great assistants in the war and in work, if they want, not to mention the magic. And soon the messenger of Dagda himself will come to visit. It’s time to drink for peace. A tiny elf has already been sitting on a barrel with wine and noisily noted that, devastating one fell behind another, each more than it is size. These creatures were able to drink, and it is no longer impossible to drive them. But the price is worth it. After all, it’s already going here Amaranta with her retinue. The world is mainly for her. To prevent her beauty to bloom in complete safety in the county.

White bird with an amber in the forehead

Amaranta came out of the carriage. The wheel of the carriage flew from the axis just in the middle of the bridge, perched through the abyss. By legend, moon’s elves were built it.

«If you stay here at night, we will see how they dance,» the accompanying girls whispered. «They say they will lead mortals with them if they are invited to dance. Someone is thrown into the abyss, tangling a minute with him in heaven under the stars, and someone will give immortality.»

More like a fairy tale, Amaranta decided to herself. But the bridge really made the impression of a magical structure. Its foundations protruded directly from the rocks at the bottom and folded into bizarre stone arabesques. The railing was not. For that only the bridge was held and why did it not still have fallen? The abyss under it seemed bottomless and ice. It was worth looking down and the imagination was involuntarily played. It seemed that there were tormented and hundreds of early beings were screaming. It was cold around. And the bridge itself seemed made not from the stone, but from ice.

Usually Amaranta had a common sense, but now she was drawn on fantasy. The sky looked as if the dragon was just flying, leaving a scarlet strip of fire in heaven. And according to the intricate bends of the decorations of the bridge, some white creature crawled, only remotely resembling the child. His thin white hands with gills beckoned Amaranta down. Does it want that she jumped into the abyss? And is it before the wedding itself? It seems that it is completely unkind. It is good that her companions did not notice him. The girls were too passionate about the chatters, and the men are busy with the repair of the carriage. And the coachman, and grooms, and even the footman were pronounced in the unbearable work for them. The junk wheel did not want to get back on the axis, as if it was enchanted.

«Do you want me to tell fortunes to you?» the creature already stood on the bridge. It resembled a large white spider with a face and body of an angular teenager. And the membranes and the selected eyelashes reminded of the winter. «I know how to predict the future! But you can not have it. You can right now go to this abyss. After all, your life is a threat for the well-being of our king.»

«Your king?!» Amaranta almost laughed. They also have a king! Curiously, he also lives in the abyss under the bridge. There is cold and uncomfortable. Where is there to take a whole kingdom?

The winter is approaching!» the creature was still illuminated and clung to ice claws in the hand of Amaranta. Although the girl prudently managed to hide both hands behind his back, but now the lines on her palm carefully studied whitish eyes without pupils. Eyebrows and eyelashes of a strange creature were also white as snow. He also spoke about the winter! Well, isn’t it the witchcraft?

Amaranta looked again in the abyss. The ice stretched out of it, the hell is intricate patterns, but did not reach the bridge. The ice vibrated, and she could not consider; is it in fact an ice or are the ice creatures climbing up.

The creature barely delivered his head to her shoulders, somehow climbed into the bridge, and others could not. Is he important among them? Dear rings on her fingers did not interest him at all. But the lines of her fate, which it, apparently, was read, forced him to be nervous.

«Not winter is approaching! You are approaching!» Amaranta nodded to the abyss. «You are alive, although you are made from ice.»

«We are not made. We were born in such state,» it did not even show greed, noting a massive chain of gold with the emblems of Aluar, which the king himself gave her when woven her. As a creature in such a wretched torn cape, barely covering his icy shoulders, can not be a begging or thief?

«And you crawl up, in our world,» she concluded. «You are the Ice elves, about which they say so much here. I imagined the elves of a little more beautiful creatures.»

Amaranta stopped, he was converted to thinking that it could regard such a phrase as a personal insult, but an angular ice creature did not even react to her chatter. It seems that he found a noble girl as an empty-headed coquette, whose speeches can not listen at all. All the same, nothing smart will not say.

It was rather strange that her jewel was not attracted him. Maybe he will ask for payment after the prediction.

«By the way, I do not believe in the divination by hand. Under the court in Aluar, I have already met the chiromants, and they could not even guess for whom I would marry. They predicted, what for the king, and I go out for the count.

The old king is such a prediction was very flattering, probably, therefore, the sly lets were given. Amaranta then it was very painful. She did not want to marry the king. He was old and ugly. And his kingdom was on the grain of war.

By the way, it was during the prediction of Amaranta for the first time and saw something unusual. A beautiful bird from the palace garden, flew out the window, sat on the back of her armchairs and combined:

«Do not worry so! The king in the world is not one. Suddenly you will meet one more?

Isn’t that the war who goes on us, thought Amaranth, but with a bird did not enter the debate, otherwise the courtesy would be laughed. After all, birds do not know how to speak human voices. All this is known. But the Amarante was heard in the bird shuttle, it was human speech. Probably, it was probably not worth drinking such a strong wine, which is served in the Aluar’s court. And it was not worth believing the chirromants. In order to heal in front of some influential and rich client, they are willing to utter any lie.

But the creature is from ice in itself was something magical, and many of the same creatures crawling up to the bridge seemed to be a mythical picture. From them the dark abyss was painted with white radiance.

Suddenly, the truth lives the magic. A strange ice creature in front of her knows how to foresee the future. From his touch, the fingers of Amaranta frozen and did not listen to the hostess, and it suddenly shuffled over her palm.

«Do not be afraid, Mrs. If your future spouse is making an alliance that hopes, we will not bring the eternal winter to your prosperous edge. We have to go somewhere else.»

«Who put you in the abyss? Or did you born there?» Amaranta was very much intrigued by the Ice Army than her own fate, in which so far everything was clear. «Can you get out or have any spell that releases you out? I heard some of the conversations in the villages, by which we drove.»

«Worry about us is very noble. Especially considering the fact that you will die, barely my brothers will get away,» he suddenly squeezed her palm so hard that Amaranta almost shouted.

«My palm hurts!»

«Get used to pain! You have a lot of difficult solutions ahead. If you do not go to the end of this bridge, we will never get out of the abyss. Fate gave you a chance to make a choice, stopping your carriage.»

The horses for her back piercingly rusted, probably feeling the presence of the magic creature. The grooms tried to calm them. Her maids complained of cold and demanded that the crew repaired as soon as possible. The girls could not understand how so far they had to fan from the heat, while they drove around the fields and meadows, and stopping on the bridge, they seemed to be in the ice strip of frost. It does not happen that the Earth shared on the summer and winter stripes. But here it is.

«Where did we come? «Adeline complained noisily, the most chatting maid of Amaranta. Only no one came to look back and see with whom speaks their mistress.

«If you continue your journey and pass the bridge, you will free all of us. And on your conscience there will be all that we do.»

She was slightly frightened. And the cold, passed from his icy fingers to her, became almost unbearable. She is frowned to death, if he does not let her go.

«You will go or crawl,» she looked down again. «Not on the earth of my husband, but somewhere else. Perhaps in deserted lands.»

He laughed.

«Your future spouse is likely to make a union on which the inviolability of your land depends. But you will most likely dissolve this union.»

«I will not do this. The peace is for me the most important. I do not like controversy and war.»

«And do you know, because of what people are fighting? Most often due to the fact that it is impossible to get a peaceful way and without which they cannot live on.»

«I do not understand! Personally, I wanted everything, I wanted to achieve a peaceful way, – she was only slightly not fair. The tactics of quarrels, tears and family scandals were almost military. Only war was carried out on the home front, when Amaranta knocked her right to marry not the old king, but the only young and beautiful fan that she had. Let him be a stranger nobleman who came to Aluar just once from far away, with not quite clear goals, but his beauty, youth, knowledge and wealth he had in stock all at once. If the applicant had only one of these qualities on her hand, then native could hardly let her choose him. Amaranta lived at the court and perfectly knew that youth and wealth is too rare combination even among the noblemen. Mostly young people are waiting for inheritance, and the elderly and wealthy in the meantime are woven to their chosen. Such is life in Aluar, the island kingdom, located among the rocks and seas. And on earthly continent otherwise, after all, Angus has all older relatives have long died. He remained alone and himself was the owner of the county. Amaranta The edge of the ear heard something that in the edges of which Angus arrived, people do not live long. Probably the case is in climate. Or in permanent wars. Having arrived here, she did not even think about the fact that she herself may not live for a long time. The ice creatures, for example, climbing from the abyss, did not foretell anything good. If they go on the surface, then everything will freeze around.

«If Angus signed the agreement, then the wars will be no longer. It is so?» Although from where the ice creature could know it. It is not a local spy? And the predictors are not given to know. They only see the perspective and build assumptions, if they do not pretend at all.

«Do not destroy what he did, otherwise we will come to you. And try not to look at our king.»

Amaranta even grinned. Here you can not threaten. Ugly Ice king is definitely not attractive. Yes, even if he was their king and was beautiful, then living in a constant cold next to him would not wish any lady. But the creature next to her still worried.

«You better choose a mortal husband.»

«But I already chose him, no one displaced me a magic one.»

He did not let the hand of Amaranta from his icy fingers. And she frozen more and more.

«Lines on your palm have not been noticed too clearly. But now it is clear that the spouses you will have two at once.»

«Two? It is unlikely that Angus will die so soon.»

And what does two husbands mean? She is a noble girl. Such hints are humiliating. Maybe Ice Beings may have ten spouses at once, but the noble Lords may have only one wife. He was strongly mistaken, equal to his race with people. When you compose for someone predictions, you need to be careful that your lies do not fit. And he clearly composed. Amaranta already wanted to give him an advice not to predict anything in those aspects in which he was not understandable at all through his ice origin. But he continued selflessly, as if he really saw something in her future.

«You will have repeatedly choose between magic and earthly life. And God forbid you to choose magic. You will burn it hard.»

«Oh really. And the personal dragon to damage it right now in the carriage and fly to the castle, I will not get.»

«The Ice predictor did not understand a joke.

«The dragons will not be foreseen,» he responded quite seriously. «But there will be one lady, the hostess of dragons, which you better beware.»

«Why?» Amaranta is interested. She never seen a lady with dragons in life. Yes, and the dragons themselves, to be honest, too, never met and strongly doubted that they exist at all.

«She will be,» the ice creature is slow. «As it is called, you, earthly women… A, remembered. Opponent!»

«My rival! The Lady with dragons! Well, thanks, you pleased me.»

She would have crouched in front of him in a joking curtsy, if she did not feel the cold that fades the whole body. Soon she herself turn into an ice, if he won’t let her hand.

«And the case, here are dragons?»

«How without them.»

«And you are not afraid that their fire will melt your ice?»

«Not all dragons breathe fire,» he mysteriously responded.

Amaranta decided not to judge him. She did not know anything about the dragons at all, however, as about ice creatures. The first meeting with such left an unpleasant precipitate from the lies about the future and frostbite on the whole skin.

«And you can’t read on my palm, will they fix the carriage soon?» was her next joke. Suddenly he will not be offended again.

The ice interlocutor answered nothing. Apparently, such a easily subject to check in the near future the topic is not discussed as the subject of divination. It is easy to lie only about what happens very soon, and therefore, it is impossible to catch a deceiver immediately. While you check that he lied, the years will be held.

«By the way, let’s meet in a year and check if your prediction came true,» which devil pulled her to offer him a bet. " «If a rival with the dragons and the second spouse appear in my life, I will give you everything you want. And if not, you will do everything I want, even frozen the entire district, if I don’t like it here.»

«I agree with you!» His whiten eyes lit up with a loose light. He even released the hand of Amaranta and rather loose palm. «I love deals with mortals and promise you that wherever you are, in a year I will come to you.»

Amaranta was very doubted that he could find her in some cozy castle tower, but still politely nodded.

«I will warn servants to exactly in a year they let you to me, as an extremely honorable visitor,» she promised, although, of course, such a stupid promise was not going to do. But it is necessary to console him at least before the eternal separation.

«It’s not worth it,» he almost joyfully responded. «Bypass the posts of guards is my favorite business. And I will give you a deposit.»

«What is the deposit?» Amaranta was alerted.

«Magic, so that you will believe in the predictions.»

He waved slightly with the ice fingers, and the carriage suddenly repaired itself. The grooms only shouted «Oh». They have already lowered their hands and began to argue who will go to the castle to have a help, and then suddenly the broken axis itself corrected and got into place.

«Like this?» Amaranta turned to the creature, but it was already crawled back from the bridge, deftly like a spider.

«Yes, remember your arrival in these edges marks the beginning of the war. And the war will not end until you make a choice between the magic and the earth,» the ice creature laughed, leaving the web of frost patterns. «Choose between the earth and the unearthly ruler it is difficult, Amaranta! But you better not to pester our king. Otherwise, my ice claws grab hold of your adorable throat. And it will be a year later on the night of our new meeting.»

He giggled for a long time. During their conversation, white creatures from the abyss seem to get almost close to the bridge.

Amaranta scolded to herself the winter and all ice creatures. Well, a joker! Why did you just need to come into conversation with this insane being? But she always pulled on the adventure.

The ice creature carried a complete nonsense. Like any predictor! It is necessary at least something to poison the brains for a good fee. By the way, he just did not take the fees.

But the merchant, too, waged on the bridge, offered some junk for money exclusively. Her companions, as discharged, became interested in his commodity and began to choose something. Amaranta was more interested in the axis, which was fixed by itself. She sat down and looked at the wheel. The axis on it turned out to be made of ice. And she did not melting. Where is the broken axis? And why did she suddenly replace the ice plant? Indeed, magic.

«The beautiful lady does not need a friend?»

Who said that? Amaranth looked around. Who can, seeing her escort, so brazenly impose.

«A girlfriend, which can predict the future, this is what you need,» the voice seemed to have come from heaven, for which the filament clouds crossed with a red sunset strip.

«No, thanks, predictions for me were enough,» she stopped, noticing that the merchant turned out to be a real wizard. He showed the tricks, and the girls applauded. The clothes on it was like on the eastern worship: a turban with a feather, a silk bathrobe, beaded jewelry and suspension. And she accepted him for an ordinary merchant! An instant and he won a white garden lily from emptiness to give it to Amaranta. The audience was applauded, and the lily revealed in her hands, and from the core of the flower was swept away to the upstream insect, suspiciously resembling a tiny fairy.

«Wonders! «Amaranth saw already at the court in Aluar the various magicians, but they were not capable of that.

«Who you are?»

He hid face behind a translucent cloth that did not close only his eyes. Of course, he did not answer her. But the luxurious white bird, sitting on his shoulder, shook:

«I want to her! I want to predict her fate!»

Well and miracles! It seems that this bird is a hostess of the merchant, and not he is her master.

«What is her name? And how much does it cost? «Amaranta stretched out her hand to a white fluffy bird. It was very royal she looked. And a major amber, as it turned out, grew right in her forehead, first seemed to be intricate decoration. Instead of sticking, the bird happily flew into the hand of Amaranta.

What is it lovely! She has a luxurious tail than Peacock. Feathers fluffy and gentle to the touch. Is there still paradise birds, white, like clouds? Or this is so unique.

«She is a great predictor of fate,» said the merchant.

«Yes, of course, I believe you,» Amaranta already pretended to the brain, as far as the poultry price will increase from this unrealistic praise. If the money taken on the road is not enough, you can pay for it with jewels. She has already prepared to part with the ring or with the earrings.

«This is a gift!» answered the owner of the bird.

Amaranta did not even bother him to believe. How can he give to someone such a miracle, and even gratis.

The mrchant meanwhile kissed her hand as a nobleman.

«You are beautiful as a fairy, lost far from her native magical kingdom,» he whispered so that the surrounding did not hear. «I’m so, believe me, I know how they look like. And the bird knows, so it will obey you. There are almost impossible to tame such birds, except for fairies. She still had no owners, so consider she as your girlfriend.»

«What is it called?»

«This bird is a fortuneteller. The magic bird. It is so called no reason, but because it gives predictions.»

And the bird really spoke almost the human language alternate with nightingale trills. Pure Magic! Amaranta smiled, and the merchant disappeared.

Or was it pulled under the bridge of ice creatures? Well, even though the bird remained.

«Let’s go, a white girlfriend with an amber in your forehead,» Amaranta wanted to bring her on her hand, but the bird was fought and flew over her.

She may spit on the prediction! Amaranta was going to leave the Ice Bridge and move to warm herself in a meadow from piercing cold. Let ice creatures scream in the abyss under the bridge. One of them warned her not to ride. Well, let! She made her choice. It’s time to go to the wedding! Amaranta turned around to look back to the bridge, whether all the same ice creature, threatening for goodbye. But there was only some beautiful blonde cavalier in clothes similar to the Eastern Bathrobe of the merchant and shook off the snowflakes from his hat suspiciously similar to the Turban.

The merchant was old, the cavalier on the bridge is young and handsome. A stranger smiled at Amaranta and waved for goodbye, as if she knew her well. Is it not strange that he suddenly found himself on the bridge in a deaf terrain without a crew and without a horse?

Amaranta dismissed from him some thunder from heaven. There is a thunderstorm or a dragon flies? Slightly leaning out of the window, the girl noticed the flying creature, something like a white dragon with a tiny silhouette of a rider. Did it stretched over the sky a sharp strip of fire or sunset? Probably, it was not a dragon, but simply the cloud-adopted cloud shape. Amaranta was distracted by observations, because the bird spoke to her again. And her tongue was human. It is good that companions are in a carriage sleep. You can talk with the great predictor of fate in bird plumage.

«Well, are we friends with you? «Amaranta tried to warm up the fingers, touching her fluffy bird.

«We are not be friends if you are so naive as today,» a luxurious bird said brazenly. «But since you yourself are very stupid, I’m going to become your adviser in everything.»

«Well, thanks,» Amaranta was offended. There would not be such a beautiful bird, she would immediately drive her for rudeness. Coach rolled forward, and the new girlfriend began to absorb residues of fruits from the basket without demand. She so highly appreciated her advice, which did not even notice sarcasm in the voice of a new mistress. Although no, as the merchant said there. The hostess of this bird cannot be, you can only become her friend.