The Game in Wonderland

depths. It seemed that nature itself wanted to confirm Shelt's words. Sofia went ahead, Shelt following her. A young sailor met them near the ship.
- Shelt! By what fates?- He greeted cheerfully.
-Listen, there's a squad of White Knights nearby. We need to sail as soon as possible, just in case.
-I'll tell Her Majesty and the captain about it,- said the sailor, scared to death.
- Is the Queen here!?- Shelt was surprised.
"Yes, she arrived here two days ago," the sailor replied on the move, and then quickly left.
- Sofia! Hurry up to the ship! Shelt shouted cheerfully, "Now you're going to meet Her Majesty!"
Sofia hurried after the poet. She was glad that now she would see the one she had been afraid of before. The friends went on the deck of the ship. It smelled like seawater. Shelt found out where Her Majesty was now and led Sofia after him. The Queen was in the mess. She had been sorting out maps and important papers since the morning, discussing routes and defense plans. When Shelt and Sofia entered the cabin, she looked up from her business. Sofia liked the Black Queen much more: unlike the White Queen, she was dressed in a simple factory worker's suit, her black silky hair fell over her shoulders, and her blue eyes radiated warmth.
- Shelt! The National Poet! I'm glad to see you! Where are you from here?- The queen exclaimed when she saw Shelt, - Who is that with you?
-Your Majesty, this is Sofia– the bravest of the knights. The one of the four mentioned in the prophecy.
- Nice to meet you, Sofia! But where are the other three? Do you have the amulet?- The Queen asked anxiously.
- No, unfortunately, I don't have the amulet. He is with Caroline, my friend and keeper of the amulet,- Sofia replied, -Shelt and I are looking for our companions to stop them, because they are carrying it up a Big Mountain.
-Is there someone with them?- The Black Queen suddenly asked.
-Yes, Edward with them,- said Shelt.
- Edward...,- Her Majesty drawled, - Dangerous, dangerous...
She looked down at the map again.
-They're supposed to be here now,- Shelt said, pointing at the map.
- Well, that's great! You manage to intercept them on the way, - said the queen, - Go for now, rest. You have a very important task ahead of you tomorrow, so you need to be rested.
The friends left the cabin. An hour later, the ship started moving and went with the flow. Sofia stood on the bow of the ship, breathing in the beautiful sea air. She felt much better. Shelt came up to her and stood next to her.
- It's beautiful, isn't it? Are you feeling better?" he said.
- Yes, Shelt, yes! That's great! I haven't felt so good in a very, very long time,- Sofia said, looking at Shelt.
- I'm glad. How do you like the queen? Has your opinion of her changed?
- Yes, it has changed. I didn’t think that something could change so quickly.
-Everything changes very quickly, but sometimes we don't notice it or don't want to notice it,- said Shelt.
                                                                       …
It was a cold night. Shelt left the cabin to freshen up a bit. He walked slowly along the deck, breathing in the clean air. At the bow of the ship, he found the queen, who had apparently just left.
- Shelt? It's you? What is it?- she asked without turning around.
-Yes, Your Majesty,- Shelt replied and stood next to her.
- I liked Sofia. A very smart girl,- said the Black Queen, -you are similar in you characters.
- Really? And with what?
- You are both very smart and excellent warriors, but you do everything in a hurry, which is why you suffer afterwards. However, sometimes you harm not only yourself.
- Okay, I know about Sofia, but what does that have to do with me?
- Here is another distinctive feature of yours. You notice other people's mistakes, but you very rarely see your own. Shelt, you staged a riot in the White City, overestimating your strength, just as Sofia rushed at the forest troll, not calculating his true power. Shelt, if I hadn't sent my people to the White City, you'd be hanging in the main square right now, laughing at the residents.
-It was for noble reasons,- Shelt defended himself, -Sofia was fighting with a troll to amuse her ego.
-Don't tell me you're rioting for the state. I know you too well.
Shelt had nothing to say. Yes, deep down he admitted that the riot was a stupid idea, and that he staged it for his own amusement.
- Only now, you both should remember that this war isn’t a joke, - the queen said sternly, - Let's make at least one mistake, and the White Queen will smear us against the wall. Shelt, you know as well as I do that we are not ready for this battle. We don't have an army or weapons, so we mustn’t make mistakes. The decisive battle is already close, but who will win? Our enemy has a strong army, powerful fortresses, the best weapons, and we have a couple of fortresses, a bunch of untrained military workers, they work day and night to make as many weapons as possible, the treasury is almost empty. The most terrible thing is that the other day the amulet of the White Kingdom was stolen. Our last defense collapsed, leaving only us...
- Tomorrow we will intercept the amulet, I promise, - Shelt said fervently, - It shouldn't be too difficult...
- Who knows, who knows, - the queen drawled.
-Your Majesty, why did you ask about Edward?- Shelt asked suddenly.
- Edward is a very dangerous figure in this game. The White Queen promised him the title of count and a high position at court for overseeing the destruction of the amulet. He is unlikely to let go of such a profit. Tomorrow, you can't let on that you've seen me, know the situation, or anything like that. Edward should never suspect anything. Do you understand, Shelt? Tell Sofia about it!
- Yes, Your Majesty!- Shelt said.
- Okay, now go get some rest. Tomorrow you have an important job ahead of you, on which our future fate depends.
Shelt left, and the Black Queen remained at the bow of the ship. She stared into the dark blue water and pondered. She got the throne too early, she wasn't ready for this. Her father died unexpectedly, and the throne went to her – a sixteen–year-old girl, completely unprepared for this, unlike her rival, the White Queen, who had been trained for the throne since childhood. She immediately started a war. Thanks to her father's chief adviser, the Black Queen repelled all attacks by white troops, but after his death, things deteriorated sharply. The white figures had captured all the mines, rivers, and outlets to the seas, except for one small river, which they were currently sailing along. The Black Queen felt that a decisive battle was about to take place, so preparations had to be hurried...
                                                                         …
Early in the morning, the ship arrived at the fortress. There, the reinforcements were joyfully welcomed by the defenders of the fortress. They were pretty battered, as they had repulsed several attacks by white figures the day before. Stones, cannonballs, weapons, and wounded warriors were scattered here and there. Sofia went ashore, looking forward to the new day. Today she will see her companions again. But how will they take her appearance? After all, she left without saying anything, leaving them in such a dangerous situation. The girl felt awkward. After a short breakfast in the fortress, Shelt and Sofia set off on a fateful journey with renewed vigor.
- How will I show myself to them?- Sofia suddenly asked. During this short period of time, she managed to get attached to Shelt.
- Sofia, I'm sure if you talk, everything will be fine. The power of words is huge, so use it.
-And if they don't want to listen to me?
- There is always at least one person who is ready to listen to you. All you have to do is find this man,- Shelt said softly.
Sofia began to think hard about who would want to listen to her. Agatha! She remembered the kind face of a friend who wanted to help her so much. Agatha will definitely understand and forgive her, and then the others will follow her example. Sofia and Shelt accelerated, because by noon they had to be in the gorge to meet with the squad. Finally, they came and waited. It's been two hours and no one has come. Are you really too late? Had they timed it wrong? Suddenly, loud voices were heard in the distance. Sofia instantly recognized Caroline's shrill voice:
- Because of you, Mikhail, we were delayed! Now we'll never make it to the deadline!
- It's not my fault that my hat caught fire! It's the fault of the Black Figures!
- Why did you put on this hat at all!?
- My mother always told me that I can't go without a hat in such frosts!
- Mom told him!
- Yes! I told you! If you want to catch a cold and die, you don't have to wear a hat, but I want to live!
- Mikhail, we're in the game! Here you can die from a sword strike, from being trampled by horses or drowning, but not from a cold!
- Why did I sign up for this?!- Mikhail howled.
- It wasn't you who signed up, but our dear Sofia signed you! Damn her!
At that moment, all four of them came around the bend. At first, when they saw Sofia, they were confused. Sofia started the conversation first:
- Hello... I hope you're okay...
She looked at her friends. They were all rumpled, there were leaves and snow in their hair, they were all dirty. The last phrase seemed inappropriate to Sofia in this situation. Caroline beat her to it:
- Do we give the impression that everything is fine with us? We are dirty, hungry, beaten by life and you are well–fed, happy with life. What an interesting meeting! What are you doing here, Sofia? Are you looking for new exploits?- the girl looked at Sofia's scar, - Why did you come?
- I need to talk... I got it.. I was wrong...
- It's a little late to realize!- Caroline said critically.
-Hush, Caroline, the most important thing is that she realized her mistakes and came,- Agatha said softly, pushing Caroline aside.
- Did she really realize it?- the princess came out again, - Do you think I didn't see how you looked at the amulet? Do you think I haven't seen how jealous you are of me?
Then Sofia's patience snapped:
- What is there to envy? Oh, look at that, a trinket was given for storage! Ridiculous!
- That's enough!- Agatha shouted loudly, -You're both good! Both don’t know how to communicate, only one immediately shouts and calls names, and the second leaves without warning. Now, I want to talk to Sofia. Did you want to talk in private or can you do that?
-I think we need to talk to you and Shelt,- Sofia said.
-All right,- Agatha agreed.
All three of them moved away.
- What happened?- Agatha asked.
- I wanted to... First, ask for forgiveness. I acted on emotions and...
- We’ve already understood, - Agatha said with a smile, - As soon as you left, we immediately knew that you would definitely come back, and we weren't even offended, honestly!
- But Caroline...,- Sofia began.
- You know her! She's making noise just for show, but while you were gone, she was upset and worried about you. Now this reaction is natural.
Sofia calmed down.
-But there's something else, isn't there?- Agatha asked.
-Yes, and it's about the amulet,- Sofia said, lowering her voice.
Shelt and Sofia told about all the events of the past days. Agatha nodded understandingly. She believed it.
-But we need to warn Caroline and Mikhail,- she said quietly, -At night, when Edward falls asleep, we will confer and decide how to proceed. One thing is clear, you can't go to a Big Mountain.
Sofia and Shelt announced this decision. Then the guys returned to the squad.
- Well, shall we move on?- Edward asked, -You're not going to run away anymore, are you, Sofia?"
Edward winked at her. Sofia quickly turned away so as not to betray her anger. Shelt gently touched her arm, reminding her not to let on about any changes.
In the evening, Sofia was on pins and needles. She was worried about an important conversation with Mikhail and Caroline. She wasn't sure about Caroline. She was afraid that princess would make a lot of noise or not believe them at all. Soon the squad went to bed. Then Sofia, Shelt and Agatha woke up Mikhail and Caroline.
-We need to have a serious conversation,- Agatha said quietly.
- And Edward? We need to wake him up too,- Caroline said.
-No, don't you dare,- Sofia croaked. Now their important mission has almost been thwarted.
-Okay,- Caroline drawled, glancing at her friends.
There were fewer problems with Mikhail. As usual, he didn’t ask unnecessary questions, but just went where he was called.
- So what?- Caroline asked when they were out of earshot.
Sofia and Shelt told the story again. Mikhail listened with his mouth open.
-Have we been serving evil all this time? What's the horror?- he asked softly,- Why did I get involved in this adventure! I would be sitting at home right now, playing games!
- Don't whine, Mikhail! You're not at home anymore! Sofia said. Her words had an immediate effect – Mikhail stood up and stopped whining.
- It's not true!- Caroline declared, - This can't be true! Edward is so sweet and cute! And the White Queen received us very good-naturedly!
- Caroline, I have a feeling that you are deaf, - said Sofia, - Well, or dumb...
Sofia did not finish, because Agatha pinched her painfully.
- No, Caro, it's true!- a voice was heard from the darkness, - Yes, it's really like that!
Edward came out to them.
-Did you really think I wouldn't wake up to Caro's piggy squeal? It's funny! Well, since you know everything, then Her Majesty doesn't need you anymore! So give me the amulet, dear Caro!
Edward rushed at the girl, but Sofia beat him to it. She pushed Edward away, and he flew back a couple of steps.
- Tie him up so he doesn't run away and warn the White City. The Black Queen will decide his fate,- said Shelt. But before they even got to the knight, he jumped up and ran to the horses, -Catch him!
Edward jumped on his horse and rode away.
- Damn it!- Shelt swore.
-It's a good thing we have the amulet,- Agatha said.
-Yes, but now that Edward is going to the White City, we must get to the Black Kingdom as soon as possible and warn Her Majesty!- Shelt said loudly, - Now let's hurry up!
Chapter 11
The squad was in such a hurry that they were in the city in the morning. The horses were sweaty and tired. The riders were tired too, but since they had important business, they did not notice this fatigue. They were informed at the palace that Her Majesty was ready to receive them. The Queen met her friends in the throne room.
- Greetings to the Keeper of the Amulet!- She said, bowing low to Caroline. She was flattered, -What happened?" Why did you drive here so fast? Bad news?
-Very bad,- Mikhail said, not calculating the volume of his voice. He was embarrassed.
- Tell me, please?- The Black Queen asked.
- Well, in general ..., - Mikhail hesitated, but quickly gathered himself and said, - Edward knows everything, and now he's probably already in the White City.
Sofia was amazed. This is the first time Mikhail has said anything important! She was very happy for him.
-Then we should expect an attack tomorrow,- the queen said. She was clearly scared, -I didn't expect a decisive battle so soon. We are not ready, but we will have to cope somehow.
Her Majesty called the courtier, said something to him, and he quickly ran away somewhere. Half an hour later, life in the city was in full swing. The blacksmiths worked tirelessly. Builders were strengthening the walls of the city. Cannons were placed, next to which the cannons were stacked. The pirate ships were unloading at an incredible speed. People were preparing for a bloody battle.
Evening. After dinner, Caroline, Sofia, Mikhail, Agatha and Shelt came to the throne room. Her Majesty, the captain of the pirate ships, and several witches have already gathered there. Among them was the witch from whom Mikhail had taken the broom. The young man noticed her immediately and was terribly embarrassed. The girl recognized him too and came over.
The meeting has begun. The commanders are talking about the best way to deploy troops. Finally, they came to a common decision and the Black Queen announced it:
-My army is on the front wall. The pirates, with their fleet, are defending the river. Witches are responsible for the airspace. Sofia with the infantry of the knights and Agatha with the cavalry are standing outside the gate. Mikhail stands outside the main gate in case they are defeated. Caroline, you're standing on the back wall. Shelt defends the side walls.
The plan was good, but the problem is there are very few guns. The blacksmiths promised to work all night, but is it possible to complete such a volume of work in one night?
Finally, the meeting was over, and the commanders were allowed to rest before the battle. Mikhail was like in a dream.
- Trixel is so cute...,- He whispered.
- That's not a good time!- Shelt laughed, - It isn’t a good time at all!
The friends laughed. After walking a little more, Agatha, Karolina and Mikhail parted, and Sofia and Shelt continued their walk.
- It's a good city. We must protect him with all our might. Perhaps even at the cost of his life,- Shelt said.
- Shelt, I'm so attached to this world! Shelt, sooner or later I'm going to have to go back to where I came from, but I don't want to! If I survive in this war, I will never return