FicWad

“My people can rule the world. After all, my ancestor, Ostromir, ruled. He brought the army to the distant shores of Varna. He had nothing more to conquer. But Ostromir died, the kaganate fell apart and we live in black times. The people of the state went to war against each other, forgetting who their true enemy is. Ostromir probably weeps if the dead know how to cry. I would weep in his place, but I would also hope. The world is changing and the old days may return. Makosh fancifully weaves the threads of human destinies and maybe the gods will make my country great again? Maybe a new Ostromir will appear and bring order to the world? Change the world for the better? May be…"

Entries from the diary of Tsar Budimir the Quiet.

Chronicle 1
The day promised to be hot. Not a single cloud, only the hot summer sun. The forest not far from the royal palace was waking up. The bustling servants were no longer asleep. The princess was about to come. The sovereign strictly punished that everything went as it should.
When the boy ran into the courtyard and shouted: "They're coming!", The whole courtyard prepared to welcome the new governor of the sovereign.
Iya looked out the windows of the carriage and could not come to terms with the thought that now she, along with her brothers, would represent her father's power in this lot, even if it was distant.
She knew what rumors were circulating about the local people. The people who lived here have absorbed the severity of the local climate. Winter here lasted almost half a year and legends were made about the terrible cold that killed people. The sovereign even had to intervene and cancel the sacrifice to the winter god Frost, since the inhabitants believed that only by giving human life to God, one could deserve warm days.
And nevertheless, the princess was not going to be afraid of everyone she met here. Even if an attempt is made, her father's warriors are always next to her, who are unconditionally loyal to him.
Finally they stopped. Iya set foot on the land, which for the near future was to be under her rule and protection. Green eyes looked with curiosity at the servants who crowded to see her, at the dense and huge forest and the royal palace.
No one dared to say the first word and therefore the princess decided to do it first.
"Peace to your people"she said. “The gods will not leave us"
And the people, smiling, nodded and said "So it will be."
The tension disappeared and the new Empress Artania realized that the first impression of her was not so bad.
Pay attention to the tower, which she really did not have time to consider, Iya was pleasantly surprised. He was no different from her home. And when she saw the paintings on the windows and walls, the princess understood why her father invited masters from Artania to build new houses.
The inside of the tower was as beautiful as the outside. Finding her quarters, Iya remembered the promise to write to her father and brothers as soon as she got there.
Having sent messengers, she thought, looking at the portrait of her parents, which they had already hung on the wall. Father - in chain mail and a pointed helmet and mother in a royal dress with jewelry. The sovereign often says that his only daughter is like two drops of water like her mother.
Burning heat filled the whole room, transforming the feeling of comfort and tranquility into a suffocating cacophony of thoughts. At such moments the air itself feels heavy, and the usual pieces of furniture begin to seem superfluous, oppressive and unusual for a person's environment. The stream of thoughts, which already filled the mind of Iya, now turned Even the portrait of her parents, emitting light and warmth, seemed like a red-hot mass. She wanted to escape from the captivity of this gilded box and feel the flight of a thousand wings of the wind on her face, rushing away from all this dusty and stifling earth. To the great happiness of Iya, the servants had already laid the table in the street, and the clatter of boots, mixed with the creak of the wooden floor, indicated that soon she would be invited to a meal.
The boyars did not even stand up as a sign of respect for the new empress and continued to talk as if nothing had happened. The princess was not surprised, but a pleasant aftertaste remained. She silently sat down in her new place in the center of the table and began her meal.
The boyars looked with interest at Iyu. She could swear that most of them did not even hide their contempt, and only the status of the beloved daughter of the king stopped those present from caustic comments.
The meal passed in silence. The servants said that the princess, having finished her dinner, without even glancing at the boyars, silently left.
*
Iya understood that it was time to act.
"Pen and paper!" she shouted to the servant.
*
The messenger realized that he was lost when he once again came across a stump, which had already passed 4 times.
"Where is she?" the messenger exclaimed in despair and sat down on a tree stump again.
"Lost, falcon?" - he heard a girl's voice. Literally on a nearby branch sat a girl in pants and a spacious shirt and a basket in her hands. A blue handkerchief that covered the stranger's shoulders was striking.
"Who are you? " the messenger raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"It's bad form to answer a question with a question! " - the girl jokingly reproached the young man, - "Didn't your queen explain to you the rules of behavior?"
"Where are you from ..." - the messenger wanted to ask and stopped, guessing who was in front of him. - "You're the granddaughter of Baba Yaga herself?"
The stranger removed the black curly curl from her forehead and nodded impatiently.
"Yes it's me. And you have one important message from the Empress. And it is for me. Isn't it, iris?"
The messenger remembered the order of the princess. "Give the letter in person! When you are in the forest, do not talk to strangers!"
"Why should I trust you?" - he asked.
"Well done", - the girl smiled. - "Do you remember the royal order."
Suddenly she got off the branch and went up to the boy. Dark, almost black, eyes looked straight into the soul.
- "It is gratifying that you have parents who, with joy, watched how you grow and mature. But remember, the older we get, the less innocence we have. Over the years, it becomes more difficult to resist the temptation. Remember this. And never forget, especially when you have to choose.
The messenger without taking his eyes off the stranger handed the letter to the stranger."
She smiled again and took the royal message. Having opened and read the letter, the girl's hands tensely pulled the scarf over her shoulders.
"Tell the queen that I will be arriving shortly."