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!
The prince, having hardly risen from the earth, stiffened as paralyzed, and the Fairy, having directed to it the stick, pronounced words of a paternoster. The snake flashed a magic blue-green flame and at the very same time turned into an ashes handful.
The face of the Prince in a deathlike way turned pale. It began to tremble all over. The fairy with a fright ran up to the husband, embraced him and kissed on a forehead on which big bruise already flaunted:
- Well, darling, you did not hurt? With you everything is all right? Forgive me, it was just necessary to work quickly, and that it would sting you …
The prince kneelt and, having hidden the face in hands, zaprichitat:
- Oh, the Creator, I nearly ruined you, my beloved Fairy! I nearly ruined you! What I settled!
- More silent-is more very silent, darling, everything well, I am living, isn't that so? - the Fairy consoled him, lifting from knees and tenderly ironing him on the head. - It is so easy not to kill me, I have an intuition … I feel everything …
The prince, having a little calmed down, sat down at a table on a verandah. And the Fairy, indifferently, told gentle and at the same time, as usual, preceptive tone of the teacher:
- The prince, my dear, on the future, know that even the most at first sight usual objects and bagatelles can be magic. And magic objects can possess absolutely unpredictable, and sometimes and dangerous properties, especially for people who are so vulnerable for any sorcery! And therefore I strongly recommend you: Or at once to show ANY suspicious objects to me if you found them somewhere or rather they "jumped" to you in hands, or it is better not to touch IN GENERAL them until I come and I will examine them. You understand?
The prince, scaredly looking in its serious and such acute, such executed by inhuman wisdom and intimate knowledge of an eye, only silently nodded in agreement.
- ANY objects, understood? ANY. And IN GENERAL do not touch them, IN GENERAL, you hear? - The fairy several times repeated these words as spells, attentively looking in eyes to Prinze so that he not in forces was to look away.
- Yes, my dear Fairy, I will not touch IN GENERAL ANY suspicious objects, the word of honor any more, - slowly, dreamily, Prinze repeated.
As soon as he told it how the person Fei was in a flash changed. Gravity and mysterious knowledge disappeared somewhere, her face became young, cheerful and womanly again. She smiled and playfully frayed Prinze for an ear:
- Well, here and remarkably, darling, everything is good. You did not suffer - and it for me the most important!
At this moment at Prinze by itself the somnolence was gone, and he smiled in reply.
- You understand, darling, I am afraid for you, but not for myself! We, fairies, for mile feel danger. We have an intuition, we have analyzers, - having concerned a celestial-blue stone on a rim, the Fairy told. - You, people, such fragile, such defenseless, so easily give in to suggestion and sorcery … - on her fine eyes tears seemed. - You are threatened first of all by danger! Present if you pressed that rychazhok before me what would be? This snake would bite you, and your poor wife would die of a cardiac rupture!. - and the Fairy quietly began to cry.
Then Prinze once again swore nevermore - to upset to himself the Fairy, to stop all the feats, to collect suspicious objects and in general, more rare to leave the house. And the Fairy, having wiped the eyes a silk kerchief, smiled and told:
- I had one similar case. Perhaps, - having thoughtfully squinted eyes, - years so passed couple of thousands since then … One traveler in we wash to the wood absolutely incidentally found a gold horseshoe. Then he fell asleep, and woke up already … Imagine, darling, whom? Donkey! Until he slept, in a full moon the horseshoe showed, so to speak, the magic properties. It is good still that I whereas time did round of the territory and saw this "donkey". Then it seemed to me suspicious that the pet in such solitude can do!
- And … what you made? - with curiosity Prinze asked.
- I scanned the Analyzer an animal and saw that soul at it - human! It was necessary then with this "donkey" to tinker, of course, because transformation of one look into another is an aerobatics in magic. Called to the aid all sisters with the district, even the Senior Keeper …
- And?
- Well, to a nasil removed a spell then from it, of course … - the Fairy thoughtfully looked somewhere afar, and then burst out laughing.
- You represent, darling, this poor creature with fear could not tell then couple more of days properly and tried to eat a grass! Amusing the odd fellow
was such … We with sisters accustomed him several days to food, learned to speak.
The prince felt somehow awkwardly. In his soul the wave of acute jealousy began to rise.
- And what became then with that … nu-u-u-u … with that, the person?
- And - and-and, you are jealous … - having cunning looked at it, with a smile the Fairy told and tenderly frayed Prinze for a cheek. - He married then my neigbour, from sector No. 1. Fell in love its with one of all sisters - by the way, all unmarried …
- Yes … Interesting story … Listen, the Fairy, and if you could remove a spell from it one, it, turns out, lived then at you and can be would marry then you … You did not think of it? - Prinze was not appeased.
- Silly! We, fairies, unlike you, people, know that everything always occurs as has to occur. You had to become my husband, and I am your wife, and he is a husband Hranitelnitsy of the Limit No. 1. Trade of the Creator such is, and we are just his humble attendants who we submit to this Trade …
Vision was gone. The prince realized again that he sits on hemp in the middle of the wood, and the hand feels it in a jacket pocket a gold pocket mirror. But in the head of it there was a persistent mental order of the Fairy: "Not to touch! AT ALL to touch nothing! ANY objects! Not to touch!". Arose a fancy in his head: strict eyes of the Fairy with the pupils expanded almost on all iris of the eye, his souls getting into depth. And invariable mental order: "Not to touch! AT ALL to touch nothing! ANY objects! Not to touch!"
At once felt better the prince. For some time ceased to pull it to look in a mirror, but he decided to carry him the Fairy by all means.
However this state lasted not for long. Then persuasive burning has an effect on a breast and than further again, that it became stronger. Arguments of the Fairy receded further and further in consciousness depths until disappeared at all. Mysterious treasure was stronger than magic of the Beautiful Fairy.
Unconquered Sun Page 8
