Amaranta - Rival of Fairies' Queen

Magic boiler

Coals in it have already begun to burn out. Beautiful and creepy faces of super beings, engraved on the walls of the boiler, were displeased. The boiler moaned. It requires blood. Blood of mortals! But Dagda swore no longer shed her.

So what to do? The blood of animals, birds or fish is definitely not suitable.. Enchanted boiler will not accept it. Yes, and he himself will not dare to kill the animal, even cattle. Beasts are part of the magical nature. They arose on Earth as long as the fairies and elves. But people at first were cattle without reason, only with instincts. They were born n***d, without wool or wings. They dangled on wastelands and forests, becoming the prey of his people. They were easily caught and killed. And the most important thing is not a pity. As you can regret the creature that does not understand itself, as it turned out in this world, why was born and why lives. But time went, and people suddenly began to change. Initially, they began to spoil the stone to rebuild their home and make a weapon for defense, then climbed further. Push-headed dolls suddenly began to figure out something. They pulled them to the fire to cook on it, they began to collect herbs and fruits. And then the murders began. Representatives of humanity ruthlessly straightened with birds and beasts to get lunch. But how for this not to kill them themselves?!

The worst thing is that intelligence has woke up in people, almost equal reason for centenary creatures. Fairies and elves existed in centuries and gained a mind. Each person quickly older and died, but their root races began to move from generation to generation. And now, people have formed in such an army, which managed to challenge the magic kingdom.

"It's time to pacify them," Pak whispered, twisted nearby, but Dagda dismissed him.

It is better to go to the peace. He never wanted war. The battle for power, which many times ago occurred between magic beings, completely drained him. Creating one race should not kill each other. The same can be said about people. They have no wings, horns, claws and supernatural power. But many girls resemblance are like beautiful fairies until they are, of course young. Their century is not a long.

“Will Amaranta be old?” It was again a whisper of Pak. She interests you alone, and not all of humanity!|

He pressed toward his lord's ear and echoed:

“Amaranta! Amaranta! Amaranta! What a wonderful name! It would be very good for fairies. But she is just a mortal. It is a pity that such a flower ever to be old and die. Let's call in honor about she one of the wonderful flowers in our garden. And what else could we do in honor of Amaranta to give tribute to the mortals with whom we are friends?”

Pak began bending the fingers, which suddenly there was more dozen on each hand.

“If they stop dying, the places in the world will not remain for them. They are not us. They are not perfect.”

"We too," Dagda cropped him. “Look at your horns and hooves. Previously there were no.”

“Well! I guessed, like all of us. But I'm still immortal and very capable. I can fly to the castle and learn how is Amaranta. Does she have now a marriage night?”

Dagda crossed.

“Leave people alone.”

“Let's take one mortal to us as a date, and we will leave everyone else for the century. It will be easier for you!”

He reads his soul like a manuscript. Dagda with annoyance shook wheat curls.

“It will be easier for me if we stop fighting.”

“ Maybe enough to give a sorrowful tribute to those who interrupted in a magical war. People are cattle.”

“No more!”

“Suppose among them is one star named Amaranta. It must be appropriated, that's all. We will take her how the tax farming from our attacks. And everything will be, as before.”

"Sometimes you need to change something," Dagda took out a little gold and precious stones from the magic boiler. That's all it was able to give for the knights killed over it on the remnants of the old blood. All stones were overflowing with different colors. They must have magical properties. What is each different.

Engraved faces on the walls of the boiler hide more displeasure. They demanded new victims. In the frame of horns, spikes and snakes instead of hair, these people looked frighteningly, despite their beauty. Once all these creatures were alive associates, then opponents. Now they have become miniature. He won them, but even touched upon them a finger would be dangerous. They immediately bite it off and drink blood. After they reduced them, they became very hungry. And they do not care, whose blood drink: supernatural or human.

“And who is to blame?” helpfully asked his conscience. “You did not begin the war for the first time.”

Then the war was inevitable. Now it can be avoided. But the price is high. Do not touch the beautiful Countess. Who would think that at the wedding of a new friend he will be waiting for such a temptation.

“A man's wife!” Whispered the faces on the boiler. “Give us to drink her blood, and we will give you such power as you do not have before.”

Why does he need it? He was so strong enough. Once he won the honest battle of them all, but he did not feel joy and pride. Keep defeated in miniature, as in captivity, also turned out to be unpleasant.

"Fly and find out how things are of our new friends and allies, but only offend no one," he commanded Pak.

Pak was offended, but still flew to execute the order. None of the magical creatures, even those who arrived under his banners, once in their own aspiration, did not have the right not to obey.

Left alone, Dagda dismissed from the annoying disembodied advisers who are always visiting him from the darkness, and thought about Amaranta. She hurries to the altar. Her dress is air and light, like wings of a butterfly. Blond curls descend to the belt. The camellias from a wedding bouquet are scattered on the floor. The cloudy temple was quite suitable for her. It could be the place of her habitat. She herself looks like a cloud fairy. Such creatures once drove him from heaven. So why does she entail him so?

Dagda squeezed his hand with force in his fist so that it became painful. He tried to imagine Angus. The count is fitted as a summer elf, strong enough and traveled in battle to repulse, anyone. And he is smart - a rare quality for the knight. Which of them is literate now? But Angus was treated closely not only with the weapons, but also with the library. It is worth to respect. He read about the magic people and managed to reach an agreement with them. A wise mortal! If he were immortal, he would become the right hand of the magic ruler.

Dagda has a sympathy for him. But the stumbling block suddenly became his wife. What a joke of fate? Why he did make up his mind to get married the overseas beauty instead of choosing the bride in his county. Or is it all the jokes of Medea Shai, who having heard about an unusual wedding, where, by the way, the count did not call her, decided to replace the girl with one of his fairies? If so, then the real Amaranta has long been lying in the ravine with a rolled neck or languishes in the magic cage, and the evil spirit took her place.

Dagda immediately shakes this guess. Unlikely! The girl is exactly from the human race. Therefore, it seems such a striking thing that the magic bird is attached to her. Usually this does not happen. These freedom-loving and wise creatures do not accept people.

The boiler came across again. It seems that it was filled with raging blood, which, by the way, no one spilled now. At the bottom of the boiler there was one gemstone size with a female head. Dagda took him out and for the first time in eternity shuddered. It was the head of Amaranta. Who is so brave? All turned over in him. He wanted to destroy the country of mortals, and his own with n***d hands.

But the head remained fixed only a moment. Suddenly it jerked, turned over in his hands and gave it to such a penetration and crap smile, which could not belong to Amaranta. And in fact, the features of the face began to change, turning from the human in the elf’s one.

“Sorry, my sovereign!” Someone's hands took the head, played it like a ball and put back to his own headless body. Quentin liked to joke. Since Medea Shai cut off his head for some kind of mistake, and he did not die after, he makes fun of the queen and played with his head, as a ball. How he did it, his devil knows. It is true one - the head on his shoulders never held tight. Both in direct and figurative sense.

“Are you sent from Corund?”

"From the kingdom of Fairies," Quentin corrected. “I do not like to call it otherwise only because of the strength of a huge gem, from which we all allegedly dependent.”

“What does your sovereign want?”

“She was naturally offended that she was not called for a wedding.”

“I believed, she does not endure the mortals, and even more so their entertainment.”

“Yes, but if we were talking about the wedding, where among the guests were representatives of the highest race, and the queen of fairies was not invited. She is very annoyed.

“I myself was just a guest and only because I concluded the Union. Not in my power was to invite her.

“But in your power it was advised. The count is listening to you like a dog.”

"And you imagine what it would be if the evil crowned fairy arrived to a human wedding on his faithful black dragon. Where would we post it?”

"The cathedral seems to be big," Quentin caught on the word. “With a dragon, there were no problems. But with the fact that Medea Shai would clutch the bride who she considered as the rival. She would have bald and burned from her claws.”

“I did not think that your sovereign plans to get a mortal count.”

“Not at all. She wishes to get you. By the way, she asked when the two our kingdoms are planned to join with your wedding. Does she invite mortals too? She will make a list herself.”

“You have lost your head one day for your sharp language!”

“I'm serious! She really hinted that you had to get married.”

“She hints at this already the whole century.”

“So far, alas, unsuccessfully. Such a ruler, as you, humble her so much that she would cease to take their eternal discontent on us, and we would have healed almost like in paradise.”

“Yes, you are looking for everywhere only your benefit.”

“Of course!”

Quentin was never embarrassed. He has a spring, eternally grinning face and red hair as a joker from the earth's circus. For such he usually seemed to the amazed people who saw him at sunset, as he juggles his own head on the edge of the hill.

“What do you want from me?”

“I want nothing, but Medea Shai will really crave to get your wonderful boiler as a wedding gift.”

“This is hardly waiting,” answered Dagda honestly.

"I understood that," Quentin gently spent his finger on the bas-relief of individuals on the hot wall of the boiler and turned. One person was illuminated and threw him for the finger. Now the magic blood irrigated the greedy mouth, and the boiler happily sings.

“It bites!” Complained Quentin.

“And what did you want, they are hungry.”

“Medea Shai would know how to use this boiler.”

“I did not know that you were on her side. Until now, even after the truncation of your cunning head.”

"I was her vassal," Quentin again removed his head instead of a hat and bowed. “But I'm not on her side. Just go nowhere else.”

“Move to me!”

“And provoke a war?” Quentin hoisted his head again. “It is dishonest! But you could ask me as a wedding gift. In advance. Before the wedding. Let deploy me to you, and with the wedding itself we will pull.”

"And after you, she will send dragons to hurry the promised celebration, and they knocked into my fortress in the green hills.”

“Dragons it becomes less and less with each century. And you know why? She treats them no more kind as me.”

“Do they leave her? Usually they love beauties stronger than the faithful dogs the people. You can beat them and curse them out, and they still really serve.”

- Mrs. does not just chain them up, she destroys them.

“And why do you still not overtake her?”

Quentin was suddenly sad.

"The fact is that re-election now is too difficult," he confessed.

Why? Previously, they re-elected everyone. A trifle was enough for new elections.

"But now ... Honey Shai ... She, you know ... It turned out to be a stronger nut than everyone else. The kingdom of fairies moans from her. But I came to talk not about her. But about you and the wife of a man.”

“Man's wife! How exactly you said.”

“And what to do so that she stops being a man's wife and became an elf's wife.”

“About what are you talking?”

“You need to entertain and to take care of her. Mortals, however, like many fairies, like precious gifts. And you have so many wonderful roses from pure gold and precious stars who have fallen once from heaven. Give something to Amaranta. She is beautiful. She is worth the trouble. Few fairy can boast such beauty as she.”

“Your mistress does not like these words.”

“I know! She considers the only beauty in the universe of herself and is too talked. She seeks eternity in front of the magic mirror, and the Earth, meanwhile, melts mortal beauties, which we did not dream. It will be a shame if one of them will be old and die. Take care of her!”

“And start a new war? You are sly! You know how to fit rivals to a new battle. But what is your benefit? Or does it need your mistress?”

“I admit, Medea Shai does not like people, but she also does not love the fairies. Sometimes it seems that she hates everything besides her. Only to you, your magic majesty, she is experiencing a genuine attraction. And I'm afraid only because of your lands, and not because of you.”

“She could not send a little more diplomatic matchmaker. You are not talking to moderate.”

"I am honest and try to warn everyone from mistakes, but few people listen to me. I'm afraid I myself rarely listened to myself, otherwise I was with my head.”

He removed her, as if a headdress, before to take a bow.

"Do not miss a chance," he advised with a joking smile, "if I have a second head, and I, without thinking, sacrifice it for the sake of one smile of Countess Amaranta.”

It was not clear whether he was joking, or he says seriously. What's on the mind of Quentin, you will never say. He is a mischievous and mysterious as the ghost of the jester. In no war with mortals he himself did not participate, but constantly cares to this. What did he conceive? Are there intrigues of Medea Shai? Dagda rejected her too often, and the magic beings across the entire district already fought on the mortgage, as sooner their wedding. For some reason, they were absolutely sure that the king of the elves and the queen of fairies would certainly be married. Not after a couple of centuries - so after a dozen. The century was put on the bows, when the wedding is accomplished, and not the questions to be it or not.

Dagda thought, recalling Amaranta, light and gentle, as creating of a cloud kingdom. To take care of her  is a sign of attention, he really will not do anything against the conditions of the Union. But how to keep your passion under control. Even seeing Amaranta from afar, he wasn’t quick-witted, and what will happen when she is near?