to my world! Never!
- Do you have a family? Shelt asked suddenly.
- One name. It's there, but I've never felt it. You know, even when I went here, they didn't come. They have jobs, things to do, and I don't care about them... They weren’t at any event related to me. I have never felt love or affection in my life... It's hard...
- I know, I know..., - said Shelt, - I also left home at the age of ten, not from the best life. Nobody cared about me, so I left this place and came here.
-It's the same with me,- Sofia said, -how quiet it is... Everything seemed to be frozen in anticipation of something...
- The calm before the big storm. I can't even believe that tomorrow everything will be rattling and collapsing here, in this corner of paradise.
Sophia looked at Shelt. It was so peaceful next to him that she forgot for a moment that a big battle would break out here tomorrow. So, Sofia and Shelt walked until dawn.
…
As soon as the first rays of the pale, sick sun lit up the horizon, the drums began to roll. Since the Black Kingdom hadn’t slept all night, people immediately saw legions of White figures advancing very, very soon. The Black Queen's army had already been built according to the plan they had discussed the night before. Her Majesty the Black Queen was on the wall at that moment. She immediately noticed that there were far more White troops than she had expected. This circumstance strained her even more. The people in the formation whispered – each of them was afraid to engage in battle with such a strong army. The infantry was moving ahead – heavily armed knights, with huge swords and spears. The cavalry rode behind them, even their horses were armored. Several dozen men and horses were dragging cannons and catapults. Next came the archers, followed by the drummers. The queen rode behind her army, and next to her several people held banners fluttering in the wind.
- Raise the flags! The Black Queen commanded. The flags were raised immediately.
The army of White figures stopped, the White Queen, seeing the raised banners on the towers, immediately signaled to attack the city. The first volleys of cannons rang out. Several of the cannonballs hit the wall directly, but failed to cause too much damage. The response was immediate. Several cannons of the Black Figures fired heavy cannonballs that landed right in the even rows of White figures. Those, despite a rather powerful blow, quickly lined up back. There were no more shots fired. There was a commotion on the wall, but it was too late. The white chess pieces took good aim, and hit right where their previous projectiles hit. The wall could not withstand the secondary impact and collapsed right in the middle. Seeing this, the White Infantry launched an offensive. As soon as she noticed the movement of the troops of the White figures, Sofia immediately stepped out to meet them. She knew that in their situation, any delay could cost the life of the city. The warriors broke into a run, and very soon grappled with the enemy on the plain in front of the fortress. The black army fought with such ferocity that the enemy was even taken aback. Sofia herself has already managed to knock down several figures. Finding that the Black Infantry was fighting much better than she expected, the White Queen signaled to the cavalry, who in turn rushed at full speed into the thick of the battle. They did not realize that the enemy's cavalry was rushing towards them with the same frenzied speed. They soon encountered such force that the front ranks of both squads were crushed. Now a second battle has broken out. The horses kept falling, crushing the riders with their might, crushing the fallen. Volleys, the clang of swords, the screams of the wounded, the neighing of horses were heard everywhere. Agatha, who found herself in the thick of the battle, was scared, but she fought with dignity. Suddenly, the horse under her tripped over a wounded soldier and fell head over heels to the ground. Agatha was crushed by the horse's carcass, so much so that it darkened her eyes. Agatha barely got out, grabbed a sword lying nearby and continued to fight on foot. The sky darkened from the invasion of witches on both sides, and the air was filled with screams and curses. Bodies and brooms kept falling from the sky. Volleys were coming from the river, which meant that a battle was raging on the river.
An hour later, Sofia and Agatha began to push back the army of the White Queen. The soldiers were delighted, but the joy was premature: a thousand White figures on horseback and on foot ran out of the forest. Then Sofia and Agatha realized that it was time to retreat, otherwise their people would simply be trampled into the ground. How shameful it was to retreat, but it was the wisest of all possible solutions! People have already understood without a team – they have to run. Horses, people – all mixed up in a single pile, no one remembered about the formation anymore! The heavy gates were already open in front of them.
- Besiege the city! The White Queen ordered, -Immediately! Tomorrow I will go there as a full-fledged ruler!
Ladders were attached to the walls, but the defenders of the city threw them off with amazing speed. The siege lasted six hours, but none of the White Chess Players penetrated beyond the wall. A couple of times they climbed the wall, from where they were thrown right from the height.
- The city isn’t giving up!- the captain reported to Her Majesty the White Queen.
- Break down the gates, you fools!- The queen shouted in anger.
The main stream of strikers moved to the goal, where they were not expected. The day before, the workers did not have time to strengthen the gate sufficiently, so after the first three powerful blows, they opened slightly. On the other hand, the Black Figures tried to hold them back, but in vain. A moment later, the gates were gone, and a bloody battle was raging in the city. The streets were quite narrow, so after an hour of battle, everything was covered in blood. Mikhail, who could not stand blood, was on his last legs, but continued to chop with his sword. The Knights of Sofia and Agatha helped well here. The White Figures were driven out of the city very quickly.
The White Queen was furious. Then she ordered the city to be burned. The catapults were loaded. The first shells were launched. Houses in the city caught fire, but residents who did not take part in the battle put it out. There were still White warriors in some places, but they tried to escape from the fortress as soon as possible. It was the first small victory.
…
Shelt was desperately fighting for the side walls of the fortress. He cut without mercy.
- An old friend! Well, that's it!- Edward's familiar voice laughed maliciously, -You're not in a very good position! You're losing!
Shelt quickly walked towards Edward, and they crossed swords. Edward was in new armor, with a new, well-sharpened sword, and most importantly with new powers. Shelt was exhausted, and his weapon suffered a lot of damage. He had to fight back with what he had. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Edward was two, if not three, times stronger than him. When he wrote pamphlets about him, did he think about fighting Edward with swords? Edward must have read these thoughts in his eyes.
- Is it easier to write poetry? Now you're going to pay for your filthy pen!
The memory of that humiliation angered Edward even more and gave him strength. The knight quickly began to push Shelt back against the wall, and the latter, although he continued to fight and repel attacks, understood how hopeless his position was. Edward was hitting harder, already anticipating the sweet taste of victory. He landed several skillful punches, and one of them tore Shelt's side. The poet dropped the blade and clutched at the wound. Edward realized that he had won, but he did not finish off the victim yet. He wanted to play with her enough and remember all the poems and ridicule. While Shelt was writhing in pain, Edward laughed, read him his own poems and called him names. Finally, the knight got tired of this, and he swung for the decisive blow, but Shelt, overcoming the pain, jumped up and pushed Edward with all his might. He took six steps back. There was a rather large window behind him. Edward staggered, lost his balance and fell screaming down from the height of the wall. Shelt went to the window and looked out. As soon as the danger passed, the torn side made itself felt. Shelt slowly slid down the wall. He was losing consciousness...
…
The white army bombarded the city with an endless hail of burning debris. Residents no longer had time to extinguish it. Everyone was terribly exhausted –soldiers, horses, workers. Her Majesty the Black Queen looked at the enemy's camp with horror. Everyone ate and drank in it, celebrating the victory in advance. There wasn’t a crumb of bread left in her city, nor the strength to continue the fight. Despair has attacked the kingdom. Everyone knew the White Queen would spare no one and nothing. Everything will be destroyed and trampled by the White Figures. Soon, movement was noticed in the White camp. The army was moving towards the city with all its might. They did not have time to restore the gate, and even more so the wall, so it was not worth much effort to get into the city. The White Knights did not meet strong resistance either. They fought off all the attacks of Black Chess, as if they did not exist at all. When the enemy drove them into the very center of the city, blacksmiths and other workers ran out to help the soldiers. With grief, the Whites were beaten out in half again. --I didn't think they'd last that long,- the White Queen told her assistant at dinner that evening. Yes, no one expected this from them, not even themselves. The love of the Black Figures for their hometown and for each other was so strong that they, having practically nothing, bravely fought. The siege continued for another two hours, but then the White Figures retreated. In their camp, it was decided to take the Black Kingdom by starvation. It was Her Majesty's fatal mistake.
When the Whites retreated, the townspeople had almost lost the battle. A council was urgently convened. The commanders offered their options for the development of further events. Someone said that it would be necessary to retreat further away, someone suggested just waiting, but the Black Queen did not see the point in this.
- What's to wait for? While they starve us out? No, we need another plan... We have to strike first. Tonight!
The plan seemed too risky to the commander-in-chief, but then, after thinking a little, they came to the conclusion that this was the only right decision in the current situation.
Late at night, absolutely all the troops left the city under the cover of night. Scouts were sent forward, who reported that the camp was fast asleep. The white figures believed in their victory so much that they completely forgot that their enemies were still alive and were now within walking distance of them. There weren't even any guards in the camp. Bonfires were burning down, soldiers were lying everywhere. The snoring echoed throughout the valley. The blacks cordoned off the camp, drums and trumpets sounded loudly, waking up the whole camp. As soon as the White Figures began to scurry, grabbing weapons, putting on helmets and looking for shields, the attackers went on the offensive. The decisive battle turned out to be ridiculous and short: some of the soldiers, frightened, ran away, some surrendered to the Black Queen. The White Queen was captured. A little later, at dawn, she appeared before the Black Queen. She raised her sword and struck her opponent's crown, knocking her off her head. The crown fell and broke into thousands of pieces, which meant the complete defeat of the White City and its ruler. The war is over!
Chapter 12
In honor of the victory, the population of the Black Kingdom staged a noisy feast at the place where the enemy camp stood. The banners of the White City were given to the owners, and they were allowed to go home. The White Queen was imprisoned in the highest tower of the Black Kingdom, where she will spend the rest of her days. A long-time friend of the Queen took her place on the White Throne. There will be no more wars here in the near future.
Sofia looked for Shelt among the crowd, but he was nowhere to be found. Then the girl asked one of his troops where they had fought and went straight there. Sofia walked slowly, examining every dark corner of the wall, peering into the faces of the wounded and the dead, but she could not find a friend. When she reached the very edge of the wall, she noticed that someone was lying near the window. After looking more closely, she realized that it was him – Shelt! The girl quickly ran up to him and saw the wound.
- Shelt! Shelt! Sheltie!- she cried desperately. Don't die... Please...
Hot tears flowed down my cheeks, dripping onto my pale face. The long eyelashes twitched faintly. Shelt opened his eyes with difficulty.
- Sofia...,I'm glad,- he groaned...
Sofia looked at him, wiping away her tears. She was so happy to hear his voice, to see his eyes.
- Shelt... Shelt... You're not dead...
- Don't bury me... earlier... time,- Shelt said softly.
Sofia just sobbed.
- You have it... beautiful eyes,- Shelt croaked, -I... love you...
- I love you too, Shelty,- softly whispered Sofia, wiping away a tear.
Shelt closed his eyes again and cocked his head to one side. Only now did Sofia come to her senses, picked up Shelt and carried him to the infirmary. They accepted him there and promised to start work immediately. Sofia waited for at least two hours for any news. Soon the doctor came out and said that the operation was successful and Shelt could be visited. The girl went to the cot where a young man with a bandaged side was lying. He was still unconscious, but Sofia stayed by his side anyway.
…
Three days later, the city was almost put in order. The bodies of the Black Knights were buried, and the White Knights were sent to the White Kingdom. Edward was among them. Gates were put up again, walls and buildings were being repaired. People were happy to work day and night to restore their hometown as soon as possible.
Shelt was soon allowed to walk, and he and Sofia never spent a day apart. They discussed the past days, their lives, or just chatted about little things. They were happy.
Mikhail didn’t part with Trixel. She taught him how to fly on a broomstick, and even how to brew some of the simplest potions. Mikhail liked studying herbs and flowers the most. He was glowing all over. The same could be said about Trixel.
Caroline became friends with the Black Queen. They became good friends. Caroline helped Her Majesty sign decrees, received guests and advised on how best to decorate a particular room.
Agatha helped to equip the city. Now she was helping the builders to rebuild the wall, and in the evenings she went out on clean-up days. She liked this kind of life. Everyone treated her the same way she treated people–kindly.
The Black Queen has bestowed rewards on all of them. Sofia and Shelt now wore the uniforms of the royal army and were elevated to the chief advisers of Her Majesty, Caroline received a large sum of money, dresses and jewelry from the Queen. Agatha was awarded a medal for bravery and presented with a collection of beautiful paintings. Mikhail was presented with a medal and the position of royal herbalist. Everything was fine!
Soon, the friends gathered to discuss a serious problem. They had completed the task, and now they had to go back... As soon as they thought about it, a guardian appeared in front of them – the one who came to Sofia before the game began.
- You have completed the game, and now you can return to your world!- he said, - If you agree, step over this line!
A golden line appeared on the ground.
- I'll stay! Sofia said, -After I found a home here, I... I... can't lose it again.
Silence.
- I'm staying too!- Mikhail declared. No one expected this from him - My life was divided into before and after, so now I won’t be able to live normally in that reality.
- I warn you that after you refuse, there will be no way back, and everyone on the other side will forget you! Even those of you who will return,- the guardian announced.
- Then I'm staying!- Agatha declared, - After what we've been through together, I just have no right to leave you and forget!
Caroline thought for a long time, but finally said:
- I'll be with you. I’ve loved you very much. I don't want to lose you! I will be with you until the end! Maybe someone would regret it, but not me. I even got used to Sofia's stubbornness.
The friends hugged. They will stay here together! Finally, they were happy!
The friends galloped back to the city, because there was still so much to do!
…
The real world:
The machine abruptly turned off. After her, all the lights in the hall went out. The darkness didn't last long, just a minute, and then the light turned on. People in the hall began to look around: They were remembering what had happened. They came to see the test of the new unit, but it never worked. Slowly, the people began to disperse. Scientists disassembled the machine, deciding that something was incomplete. Finally, the chief engineer looked at his invention, not understanding why nothing worked...
The End
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