And still it was somehow inconvenient to recognize the defeat before desire to Prinze, and therefore he pretended that he really just wants to have a rest and put in order the hairdress a little bit. For this purpose he even got the comb made of a nacreous sink from the breast pocket and put near himself. And only after that he after all got a mirror and began to look in it...
Chapter 2. The prince changed.
1.
At first Prinze saw nothing in a mirror, except own reflection, and already wanted was to set aside disappointedly a precious knickknack aside as suddenly the flat golden surface trembled, like a water smooth surface into which threw a stone. On it scraps of images, exactly as in a kaleidoscope lens, only much quicker chaotically started gleaming. Some unfamiliar persons, parts of the cities, some unknown landscapes, animals and plants, novel sun and constellations … From all this at Prinze the head began to spin. But here suddenly chaotic movement stopped and as it happens at a kaleidoscope pipe stop, before his look the one and only image was created.
The prince saw a peaked tower at top of the abrupt rock which brightly shone against is dazzling the blue sky as if it would be entirely made of gold. A tower the observation platform in the form of a disk on which someone was crowned. But who - the Prince could not sort: some small it is also dazzling a bright yellow point.
Suddenly Prinze's consciousness sharply pulled in its party and so that he could not oppose to this inclination just as iron cannot oppose to a magnet attraction. The prince wanted to cease to look in a mirror, but he was unable to take away the look from its sparkling surface. The soul it was captured by such intolerable burning as though in it poured in the melted gold. The prince felt that attractions, and burnings that small light point at tower top was a source and. She mentally called him, imperiously ordered to come to her, - and Prinze's consciousness right there responded to silent call of the new hostess.
In process of approach the point increased in sizes until Prinze did not see before himself rather accurately issued figure, in appearance reminding female, but all as if made of gold. However most of all Prinze struck not it, but the fact that the figure reminded the ghost rather, than the living being. Everything in it was - from features to details of clothes - some unreal, thin, air, transparent.
It was dressed in gold, kingly magnificent, clothes: a long dress with the cloak attached to shoulders by fasteners in the form of solar disks, the shoes decorated with diamonds on a high heel. On her head the diadem shining with a scattering of blood-red rubies reminding something a nimbus of some ancient pagan deity flaunted. Ideally roundish oval of her face reminded something a solar disk, and gold streams of its straight lines sparkling more brightly than the sun of hair, waves falling on shoulders, - a stream of sunshine. Also her skin was gold, even her eyes were gold …
Or rather, in usual sense of this word it had no eyes. There were empty eye-sockets, as on a theatrical mask from which the sunlight streamed bright bunches. Eye-sockets, thus, reminded the bright windows of houses lit at the night through which on streets light splashes. Only light streaming from THESE eyes was absolutely intolerable. It burned down soul, hurting it still big, than eyes are hurt by light of the visible sun, and at the same time it pulled it to itself(himself) as a next world that attracts to itself moths that then to ruin them. At the same time the face of this gold illusive woman was absolute not movably, passionlessly, is kingly majestic and … is ruthless as ruthlessly perfectly and perniciously there is a sun in the lifeless desert.
When Prinze appeared on the disk-shaped platform, a solar being attentively looked at him approximately the same as people usually look at the insect flying around them - with the mixed share of curiosity, feeling of own superiority and fastidiousness.
"From where you have my mirror? Who gave it to you?", - there was in Prinze's consciousness a mental question.
Control over own consciousness was given to Prinze by incredible effort of will, approximately with the same work as though he conceived to hold in hand a glass with boiled water. But, despite these torments, he nevertheless drove as he could, from the head of reminiscence of the dwarf Hnum, he promised it not to give out, and Prinze got used to keep the promise …
"Ah, you are silent, a cadaveric worm!" - after some pause spoke a silent Voice in his consciousness again. - "Well and, all right, it is unimportant now. Know, mortal that if earlier you owned my mirror, then now my mirror will own you!" From bright flash of gold light of an eye of Prinze rezanut as a knife. At it intercepted breath, for an instant he absolutely went blind. And then his soul plunged into the fiery abyss in which the last remains of consciousness drowned …
2.
He regained consciousness lying flatwise directly on a grass. In both hands it convulsively squeezed a gold mirror.
The prince did not understand at all what happens to him. He just felt that some other, alien beginning lodged in his soul since some moment, and this other beginning burned down his soul with insatiable and passionate desire - still at least once to look in empty gold eye-sockets of that stranger, to feel intolerably burning delightful touch of her solar look to the heart. The heavy melancholy shrouded in a black cover Prinze's soul, but how many he peered into a metal surface of a mirror again and again, he saw in is mute only the reflection …
The prince did not remember how he came home.
The beautiful Fairy met him, as always, joyfully. She embraced and kissed him, having thanked for collected herbs. The little son and the daughter came running and rushed directly on hands to the father, showing what beautiful wreaths they weaved today, walking on a meadow under the vigilant guide of Oslenk, and the Kitten and the Puppy and curled at his legs nearby, expecting when he pats them on a soft skin.
Soon all happy family, as usual, already sat at a dining table. The hostess put all new and new dishes on a table. Here were both the sweet and useful porridge from pink pollen giving health and eternal youth, and to children - forces for growth, and soup from pink dandelions from which there was always a wish to sing cheerful songs, and cotton candy from pink clouds, - the most favourite delicacy of children and Prinze. Besides the main, "pink", dishes there were numerous vegetables and fruit, and also sweet and fragrant milk from dairy trees.
All were cheerful and ready for communication. Really, the most cheerful talk usually was at dinner carried on, and after it songs were sung and fairy tales were told. The fairy preferred to sing fairy tales under a lute, and Oslyonok carefully wrote down them as he dreamed to publish sometime them the separate collection. The prince told them prose, but it is very interesting as he loved any sharp subject turns which captured imagination. And the Puppy and the Kitten liked to tell jokes - where they them were only gathered in such solitude? - accompanying them with almost circus numbers so all laughed to exhaustion.
But what surprise all when this time the habitual order was broken had. The prince was silent, did not look at the Fairy and in general was some stranger lost as the raincoat forgotten by someone on a chair. He saw before himself only two is dazzling sparkling solar a sphere and heard only a metal heartless voice in the head: "Come, come to Me, melt in the Stream, become absolutely gold, become the Sun!". And from these images Prinze wanted nothing. He did not see the Fairy, did not see plush friends and the food did not climb to him in a throat.
At first the Fairy understood nothing.
"Probably", - the Fairy thought with alarm, - "has again a longing him for deeds. Probably, the feat offered by me appeared to it not on temper. It is necessary to feed him with pink food - it drives away any melancholy, and then we together will decide what other feat he will be able to make to return self-confidence and fine mood".
Having thought so, the Fairy decided to apply the same method, as usually: she sat down near Prinze who was persistently looking somewhere under a table and told:
- You something at all eat nothing darling and do not drink. You so will remain absolutely flat-out! On, bitterns at least a gl
ass of pink juice: it is such tasty, such nutritious, such invigorating … Here you will see, at once it will become easier for you! - And the Fairy, having taken a glass of juice in one hand, as usual in such cases, another tenderly stroke-oared Prinze on the head. Earlier it always brought it to the pacified state and did obedient as a lamb. Touching Prinze's hair, the Fairy mentally read special spells which started invisible beams of the Analyzer in action. They also made impact on certain centers of a brain.
But this time nothing similar occurred: she felt some strange and very strong barrier which, like a mirror, reflected Analyzer beams in Prinze's consciousness, without allowing to get them into his brain. On the contrary, at the Fairy the head strongly ached. And Prinze did not begin to drink pink juice.
The fairy understood nothing and clung to a straw.
"Perhaps, everything can be explained more simply", - she thought. - "The prince caught a cold in the wood and was unwell or walk tired him. Or perhaps he just met on the way some misfortune: you never know, suddenly these irrepressible dwarfs cut down the whole grove of young growth or a monster which escaped today because of the Limit, bit to death on the way some animal - everyone happens!".
The fairy carefully touched Prinze's forehead. It turned out such hot that it was wrinkled from pain.
"But the person can have no such temperature!" - the Fairy thought - and it strengthened her in thought even more that something here not so.
- My dear Prinze, what is with you? - anxiously the Fairy asked it. - You some lost today, do not listen to me at all and eat nothing also on kids and do not watch Animals at all … Something happened to you in the wood? To you nobody happened there?
- In the wood … - an echo Prinze responded, keeping the eyes glued on the knees. - In the wood … It …
- Who such "it"? - the voice of the Fairy foully trembled, and inside at her everything contracted and grew cold. - I do not understand you, the road at all!
- Supernal loveliness … Perfection … Mirrors … It is a lot of mirrors … It is a lot of gold … Stream … Pleasure … Infinite perfection and beauty … It … Infinite perfection … - various combinations of these words the Prince said everything again and again as though he sat not at a table, and lay seriously ill in a bed and raved. The prince did not react to surrounding at all. His unblinking eyes glazed over, as at a doll.
And the Fairy quietly began to cry. And everything it became sad.
The fairy felt that someone stole Prinze's heart and before her the empty cover sits. But she did not understand at all who and as was able to do it. The intuition prompted to it that something here not so. Probably, the Fairy would find some trace, but the word "it", in combination with "beauty" and "perfection" worked on her, as well as on any other woman.
The person Fei was filled in by bright paint, eyes became muddy from filled them got down, and on heart a heavy stone the offense laid down: "it" … "beauty" … "perfection" … What else the Fairy from these words could draw a conclusion? Well, of course, the same that would be made also by any other wife on her place! The fire of jealousy, offense and just anger captured all its being, eyes were lit by furious fire, cheeks flared a flush, and fingers by itself clenched in the cams which were not foretelling to Prinze anything good …
Of course, keep the Fairy the usual self-control, she would bring the magic book and would try to investigate more in details Prinze's consciousness regarding magical influence, to find sorcery traces … But the jealousy and offense absolutely saddened her reason and for the first time in the life it did not restrain. When Prinze once again said "It … - infinite perfection and beauty", the Fairy closed up to him such slap in the face that Prinze swept from a chair directly on a floor and only then his eyes accepted intelligent expression.
- What happens to me? Where I? - Prinze by the shivering voice said, hardly rising to the feet. His face expressed feeling of perfect confusion what is at the person who after a violent wine party woke up in absolutely unfamiliar place.
- I have to ask you that happens to you, the husband! - not in forces to constrain anger, the Fairy hissed.
The rough family scene became ripe.
The animals who before got sad put in a tight situation the plush ears now and were afraid to move. They were horrified: never for all the long life they saw the Fairy such and now did not even know that to do - quietly to leave or rather to escape, or to help, besides, unclear to whom - to the Fairy or Prinze.
Situation was saved by kids which suddenly howled unanimously as two small sirens so Animals, without waiting for team, seized both and rushed away from the house on a lawn. In soul Animals were even grateful to this case, having received a plausible excuse to be washed away from this the volcano muzzles threatening with fast eruption. However a curious Kitten, having provided children to Oslenk and the Puppy, remained to stand under a window to learn what will occur further.
And at this time Prinze, appear, recovered a little.
- Darling I do not understand what happens to me. I should be alone. To me it is very sad and I cannot speak with you now … - Prinze confusedly spoke, without looking in eyes of the Fairy, reddening more and more. He really wanted to leave as it is possible further from the wife and alone, alone with itself, once again to remember a fiery look of the solntseoky stranger which so painfully and so delightfully pierced his soul and to try to understand itself.
- No, you will not go anywhere, - firmly and imperiously the Fairy told, - yet you will not tell where you were with whom spoke, and who such "she"! - With these words Fairy rose between a door and Prinze, barring him a way to possible retreat.
The prince wanted to open a mouth that to tell all to the beloved wife from whom he never and hid nothing, but for some reason at the last minute to it it was suddenly ceased to want to do. He felt as the pocket mirror which was at it in an inside pocket of a jacket begins to vibrate hardly considerably. In his head the thought was distinctly created: "be silent, be silent, be silent …". And instead of telling all as was actually and in addition to stretch to the Fairy the pocket mirror received from the illfated dwarf Hnum, he that without wishing, began to spin some frank nonsense. And from where only all this undertook in Prinze's head?
- Darling everything is all right, do not become angry! - made Prinze's helpless gesture and tried to smile friendly, but could not lift a view of the Fairy. - All very just speaks. "It" is a beautiful and slender fallow deer - I met her in the wood, at the Hare Ravine. You represent, it was the fallow deer whom you never before in life saw the word of honor: absolutely black, without uniform speck, with hooves of color of pure gold, unusually harmonous and graceful … I swear the Creator!
- Well and …?! - threateningly the Fairy growled.
- And so … This fallow deer was not simple: at each blow of a hoof about a stone it beat out on a sound royal ducat, the word of honor I do not lie! I wanted was it to shoot, but did not sustain - and started collecting gold and so far filled the pockets with them - it already - tyu-tyu! - ran from me away! - The prince briskly gesticulated, waved a hand in air as a windmill, even the forehead his all became covered then. It attracted to the aid all the imagination, all power of imagination. But the person Fei, in process of continuation of the story, all flushed with anger stronger, and the look became really furious.
- Well and, we will put, you did not manage to remove it and where ducats? - the question was asked by the Fairy with obvious calculation to expose the husband as a liar especially as Prinze could have no ducats - only the Fairy had all money which is available in the house.
- Ducats? Ah and, Duca - and - and - aty-y-y-y … - hasty said Prinze, feverishly licking the dried-up lips and on the run thinking where they, really, could get to. But thoughts persistently did not want to gather, and ran up in the head as herd of the scared lambs. - Remembered! - at last, having loudly slapped a palm on a forehead, Prinze exclaimed. - Yes they drowned in the river, expensive!
- Ah, I will drown - at -
at - at - whether … Well, of course, drowned where they still, really, could get to, - with bitter irony the Fairy grinned, convulsively squeezing and unclenching cams.
- Yes, yes, quite right, drowned! The matter is that this strange fallow deer rushed from me to the river and began to cross it, and I, of course, - behind it in a pursuit, directly in clothes, well and ducats fell out at me of a pocket and drowned in the river. And a fallow deer - she be wrong, such beautiful, the most beautiful on light, - was such is! - and Prinze waved a hand towards alleged flight of a fallow deer.
The fairy looked at Prinze furious up and down. Lips turned white and clenched in one thread. At this moment the Fairy reminded something the angered panther: it seemed, it was just about possible to see a tail with which it angrily misses on the sides. One was clear: such situation could not proceed infinitely. Anger, having been at a certain boiling point, by all means it had to be splashed out outside …
The prince, of course, would continue to speak more and more, and it is unknown how many time this strange conversation would last if was not hit the second box on the ear directly in the right ear. Without having resisted standing, Prinze failed on a cover of a table which under it broke, overturning with a great roar on a floor all food, ware and drinks.
Kitten, sitting under a window, for fear even hiccupped: he even did not suspect that his hostess, usually reserved and tender, can get up such things! But what will not be made with any woman by jealousy even if it and the fairy?! On the contrary, just because she is a fairy - effect of her boxes on the ear and was such shattering. Any its uncontrollable movement could cause action of the great magic force which rested on it …
- You what, my dear, you take me for the little fool?! - as the snake hissed she. - You what, it is drunk, perhaps?! Why you spin to me this nonsense?! Unless you do not know that fairies feel lie for mile because never lie?!
- If you want, then trust, and you want do not trust, and all this the truth, - without recognizing itself, Prinze unperturbably told, hardly getting out from under fragments table.
Unconquered Sun Page 9
