Night 7
The Sky Above Mythograd
Father today is serving the all-night service; I won't be writing about it. I will write instead. What should I write? Well, here I am. Lying down and looking at the sky. It’s a beautiful sky, yes. The stars are small. They shine. Beautiful, yes. I wouldn’t look at them if I weren’t lying down, and I wouldn’t be lying down if I wasn’t drinking. So, it’s good that I drink so I can look at the sky. The sky is nice. But this Sky is bad. My campaign got boring for him, and he left. Bad Sky. And this Sky is good.Dgak's and
Nebo's plan was put into action. Both of them were approaching the house where they believed
Lynx was. However, upon arriving, they found the house empty, as was the horse stable next to it.
--She must be somewhere nearby,-- noted
Nebo.
--Don't make me laugh; she ran out of town long ago! She knows better than to mess with us!
Just then, a rider appeared in their field of vision. He raised his spear, showing every sign that he was ready to attack.
--Still not gone! How foolish of her,-- smiled
Dgak and raised his spear in turn. When
Lynx spurred her steed, he waited a moment before whipping his horse three times. But then something unexpected happened:
Hermit stepped between the two participants in the fierce tournament.
--
Dgak, I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Where have you been wandering? -- these were his last words because in the next moment, he was mortally struck by
Lynx's weapon, which confused her. From the sudden blow of the spear on
Hermit, she even jumped out of the saddle, although
Dgak also could not keep his balance, suddenly seeing such an obstacle in front of him. The fight continued on the ground and ended quickly: clad in armor, heavily armed
Lynx was formidable in the saddle but could do little against the agile
Dgak on the ground. A couple of swings with a saber, and she lies bleeding on the ground next to the unfortunate victim of circumstances,
Hermit, while
Dgak wipes drops of sweat from his forehead.
--It's good that it all ended well. It's just a pity about
Hermit; I need to tell his relatives. And what will I say? He was drunk and got run over by a horse... Although there are no casualties in war.
Dgak hoisted the body onto his horse and led it unhappily under its bridle towards the temple. Mythograd is cleared of enemies, but at what cost...
Warsaw, spring of 1604 from the Nativity of Christ.The city enjoyed a warm spring day; after a relatively harsh winter, it seemed almost magical to the Poles. Therefore, it was strange to see some animal rushing between people, horses, and carts on this fine day.
If the Poles had been more attentive (although they would have needed much more attentiveness), they would have recognized the running animal as a chicken. A couple of minutes later, it was near the royal palace, which surprised two guards guarding it.
--Oh, look, Bolek! What do you know, a chicken! Since we don’t really have anything important to guard right now, let’s catch it and eat it?
--Are you crazy, Lolek? We received a clear order just two weeks ago: if we see a chicken, we shouldn't touch it and should let it pass freely.
--No, no, no, Bolek, you got it all wrong. The order was about a goose! You can’t touch a goose!
--But three days ago, we already saw a goose with you, and then we concluded that the order concerned precisely the chicken! Remember, you even ran home with a goose carcass so your wife could stew it?
--No, no, there wasn’t. Three days ago, it wasn’t even my shift.
The chicken didn’t wait for them to come to any conclusion and deftly flew into the palace when one of the courtiers entered. Arriving in the throne room, she witnessed Sigismund III talking to his subject, the Lithuanian prince.
--I hope this misunderstanding will not happen again, Prince. I give Lithuania certain privileges and many freedoms, so you are almost like a separate state. But sending someone to Mythograd behind my back and giving no instructions regarding the Polish soldiers stationed there is unheard of!
--I assure you that this will not happen again, Your Majesty.
--Well, I hope so,-- at that moment, his eyes fell on the guest. The monarch's mustache rose almost to his eyebrows, which meant the highest degree of satisfaction. -- And here you are, Ryaba! I have been waiting for you for a long time. What delayed you? Never mind; better report the situation.
--The most important task, namely the elimination of the prince, has been completed. His daughter is also dead, which strengthens our advantage. Unfortunately, all our scouts died while performing their duty.
--How does this bird behave in your presence?! -- the Lithuanian prince was indignant.
--It doesn’t matter; it can do whatever it wants, unlike you. Continue, Ryaba.
--Actually, there isn’t much more to say. Except that I want to request that all members of the group be awarded the title of Hero of the Kingdom of Poland posthumously.
--I agree; they deserve it. And you too, by the way, Ryaba. Now you can rest.
The chicken bowed and left the hall, thanking the king.
--So, Prince, what shall we do now? Attack Mythograd?
--Won’t we lose the element of surprise? I am afraid Boris might prepare troops if he learns that we are going to war against him.
--Firstly, there is no “we” here; please don’t forget that. Secondly, Mythograd will not be able to offer any resistance to our troops right now. You know these Russians; without a prince, it's complete anarchy, and the army is drunk... In the worst case, there will be a half-hour siege of the city, but most likely, it will surrender without a fight. And finally, thirdly, I have a very good idea on how to defeat the Russian Tsardom with minimal risk for us.
--Forgive me for daring to doubt you for a moment.
--That’s why! You can go, Prince.
The Lithuanian prince, like the chicken before him, bowed and headed towards the exit.
--Excuse me again, Your Majesty, but what happened to the spy you sent to Moscow?
--I don’t even know; I haven’t received any news, although according to my information, he should have been in Warsaw long ago,-- Sigismund was embarrassed. -- Now go away; I want to be alone with the luxurious table already laid out for me.
Mythograd, June 1654 from the Nativity of Christ.The inhabitants of the small town, which had been under Polish rule for many decades, welcomed their liberators. The Russian troops had just inflicted a terrible defeat on the Polish garrison. And now they marched triumphantly through the streets, receiving enthusiastic cheers from the people of Mythograd. No, they were not vain, but everyone knows that after greetings comes a feast, food, drinks, then sound sleep... For this, one could “warm up” the crowd a little because the soldiers had spent quite some time on meager rations and slept on damp ground, using a horse blanket as bedding. Well, those who had a horse.
This was the beginning of the end for Poland and Lithuania, but the beginning of revival for Russia. And who knows, maybe if it weren't for this tiny town on the outskirts of the lands, everything would have turned out differently...
The city has won!
