NIGHT, I Rin [classic book list txt] 📗

interesting...” Angelica said. “What has the witch done with the body of Swein?”

Leya stood up, bent low over the table and whispered to Lica’s face:

“My mom said that the witch had embalmed his body.”

After that the goblin girl flopped back into her chair and covered her face with hands.

“But, please, do not tell it anyone. The witch... she is sometimes very dangerous! I am worried of my mother and myself!”

“OK,” the girl nodded. “I promise that no one will ever know about that! And now I really have to go! I was here a little more than I had expected. Thanks for tea!”

Lica went out of Elsa’s house, sat on her horse and continued her way...

Talking to the witch

Angelica left the City of Goblins and went across the wide valley. Soon she saw King Swein’s tomb in front.

“I need to visit him,” Lica decided and veered off the road.

She came to the tomb, jumped off her horse and tied it to the fence. Then she went inside. The moon was so bright that Angelica was able to see clearly the splendid tombstone and the portrait of Swein. She couldn’t get Leya's words out of her head and finally she made a decision.

“Well! Let’s see!” she said aloud to herself.

Then the girl came to the tomb and tried to push the coffin lid. It didn’t even move. Lica tried it different ways but nothing helped.

“Yeah,” she said grimly, “and I don’t think that I can find something as a lever here.”

Angelica passed the tombstone several times and then she saw an interesting picture on the one side. Lica kneeled down to examine it. As in the moonlight not all details of the ornament were visible, she began touching them with her fingers. At one point her finger touched the shamrock, carved on the tombstone. Suddenly she heard a click and the lid slowly began to move off to the side. Angelica did not expect that and sat on the floor shocked. With dreadful feeling she imagined that now she would have to smell the stench of the dead body and closed her eyes... She was sitting for two minutes but felt nothing. Then she slowly stood up and took a step toward the coffin and looked inside. She expected to see anything: the body, yellowed bones or mummy... But what she saw shocked her to the core! She saw the body of a very handsome young man in royal clothes. It had not been touched by corruption. The skin on his face, neck and wrists was pale and soft, long blonde hair was falling down his shoulders. His eyes... seemed to open now! It was the impression that the young man had been taking a nap and just about to wake up.

“It's crazy!” Angelica exclaimed. “Swein, you are so good looking!”

She couldn’t stand it anymore and gently kissed him. Then she pushed the shamrock again and the lid closed.

“That’s strange,” Lica murmured. “Now I do not understand anything! Why did the witch need the body of the Prince Night if the body of Swein was perfect? Something is not right here! And the witch is not as simple as she is...”

The girl came out of the tomb and sat on her horse. She felt pain in her heart. She could not understand what game the witch was playing. Although Lica was deep in her thoughts, she did not forget how she had got to the enchanted path because of her distraction and the ugly monster had nearly eaten her. So now Angelica was very careful looking for prints of her horse on the ground to follow them back. Soon she got the road and spurred the horse rushed to the witch.

A few hours later she reached the cave. She tied her horse at the door, took the bag with the dress and went inside.

In the first room she met Elsa, who was sorting out something at the table.

“Elsa!” Lica called her.

And suddenly as if she was the best friend, she added:

“I'm so glad to see you!”

The Goblin woman was also happy and hugged the girl.

“I'm glad you came!” she said as if she was going to cry. “The Prince feels much better and I see you are alright too!”

“Elsa!” the witch called her upstairs. “We have such a guest why do not you invite her inside? Take her to my room, hurry up!”

The Goblin woman smiled and pushed Lica forward.

“Go!” she waved her. “Talk later!”

Angelica nodded and walked down the corridor to the familiar room. The witch had been already waiting for her.

“Well, hello!” she exclaimed. “How are you? You don’t look like a vampire! Blood doesn’t attract you, does it?”

“No,” the girl shook her head. “I brought you the dress. Thank you very much!”

“Well, not at all, you should have left it for you,” the hostess of the cave smiled. “So, are you all right, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am!”

“That's good!”

“And what about the Prince? I would like to see him.”

“He's sleeping now. But he's all right. I have made the ritual and Elsa is always looking after him.”

“And can I take care of the Prince now?” Lica asked. “And Elsa can have a rest.”

“Can you?” the witch surprised. “Yes, please, if you want to.”

The witch clapped her hands and shouted:

“Elsa, you can go home! I'll give you a couple of days off!”

Then she took the bag with the dress out of Lica’s hands and put it on the chair.

“And could you,” the witch continued, “give the drink, which is on the table, to the Prince when he wakes up. Could you?”

The girl nodded.

“The room of the Prince is a bit further along the corridor, opposite this hall. Do you want something else?”

Lica was a bit hesitating but pulled herself together and said:

“I have told servant Henry everything about the Prince.”

A smile instantly vanished from the witch’s face.

“What for?” she asked. “Now that old dog will try to spoil everything!”

“No,” Angelica shook her head. “He promised to wait for as long as Swein has not finished his mission.”

“Well, it's all right then!” the woman said sarcastically.

“So, Henry wants to know whether you can bring the Prince’s real soul to his body back?”

“Well... There is nothing impossible in the world,” the witch grinned

“And then what will happen to Swein’s soul?” she asked quietly.

“I will free it in the Valley of Oblivion so as the Goblin King would find eternal peace at last!”

Lica was about to shout that she had just seen the perfectly normal body of Swein in the tomb but remembering that the health of the Prince now depended on the witch, decided to keep silent. She nodded and the hostess of the cave told her:

“Take the drink and give it to the Prince. I think he has already woken up.”

Angelica took the glass with potion, which smelled like herbs and went into the corridor. She walked a little further and turned into the room opposite the hall.

A new mission

There was a bedroom. The fire was burning brightly and a wide four-poster bed was in the far corner of the room. The Prince was lying there on the high pillows. When Lica saw him, her heart ached with joy.

“Prince,” she said quietly. “Aren’t you sleeping?”

“I think, I am sleeping if I am dreaming of you again,” the young man said.

“It’s me, I'm real. I came here to look after you!”

“It’s not true!” the Prince exclaimed and tried to sit up.

However, he was still too weak, so he fell back.

  “Drink it,” Lica said, giving him the herbal potion. “You’ll feel better.”

The Prince Night made ​​a few sips and lay down on the pillows.

“But how did you get here?” he asked. “Margo told me that you had left.”

“Margo?” Angelica did not understand.

“The witch. Her name is Margo!”

“Yeah, she was right, I had been away for a short time but I could not leave you here alone.”

At that time the witch entered the Prince’s room.

“I see, Swein, you're in good hands, so I am leaving for a while on business. I'll be back tomorrow. And you, my dear, come here. I'll show you where the food is.”

The hostess took Lica to the store-room and showed her everything. Then she said goodbye to her, came out of the cave, snapped her fingers and... disappeared. The girl went back to the Prince’s room.

“Swein, are you sure that the witch has really left the cave?” she asked quietly.

The Prince nodded.

“Then I have something to tell you.”

And Angelica told Swein everything: about her conversation with Henry, about her visit to the tomb, that when she had opened the lid she had seen the normal body of Goblin King. But she said nothing about Leya, the daughter of Elsa, because she had promised not to give her out. Swein was greatly impressed by Lica’s story.

“But why?” he couldn’t understand it. “Why hadn’t Margo brought me back to my own body? Why did she need the Prince Edward?”

“I do not know,” Angelica shrugged. “In any case, we’d better to keep silent. Promise me, Prince!”

Swein agreed.

“Now I am more interested in this story,” he grinned. “Angelica, what about going for a walk with me! I have been here for a long time.”

“But you are too weak!”

“I would be even weaker if I didn’t move. Give me my clothes and leave the room for ten minutes. I'll call you when I'm ready.”

The girl brought the Prince’s clothes and put it next to him.

“Are you sure that you can do it yourself?” she asked.

“You cannot wait to see the Prince naked?” Swein chuckled.

“You, you...” Lica blushed. “You are, Swein, always the same! You used to be the boor and you still are!”

She ran out of the room and stopped in the corridor, leaning the stone wall. After a while, the Prince called her:

“Angelica, can you help me up! I have really got excited and slightly overestimated my power.”

Lica came into the bedroom and saw the Prince, already dressed, was sitting on the bed. She came closer and said:

“Hold on to me!”

“But I am a man and you are a delicate girl!”

“It won’t be difficult!”

She held the Prince around the waist and helped him to stand up. Then walking slowly they came out of the cave.

“How nice!” the young man said, taking a breath of fresh air. “Look how starry the sky is!”

“The sky, yes, it’s starry,” Angelica agreed. “But I don’t recommend you to stay here for a long time. You are still too weak.”

“You know,” the Prince said, “I suddenly felt hungry! Do not you cook something for us?”

“I hope not red meat?” Lica asked suspiciously.

“No,” Swein smiled. “You can make the usual bread and cheese.”

“Then let's go inside!”

The girl took the Prince into the room, where she usually had spoken to the witch, and sat him on the sofa. Then she went to the store-room and brought out some cheese, bread and a jug of milk. After having dinner, the Prince said:

“You know, now I feel much better. Can you stay with me and we can have a chat? We never have enough time.”

Angelica nodded and sat down in the chair opposite the young man.

“What was Henry reaction to your story?” the Prince asked. “He was probably requiring taking the Prince’s soul back to his body?”

Lica nodded again.

“And you? What do you think of it?”

“I do not know,” she shook her head. “I think, probably, it would be fair. But...”

She stopped and blushed.

“But what?” the Prince asked, gazing at Angelica.

“But I wish Swein wouldn’t go to the Valley of Oblivion forever,” the girl said very quietly.

“You have been at my tomb and seen me,” Swein said slowly. “Tell me if you like me? Or do you like more Edward, whose body I am now in?”

Lica looked at the Prince’s face, his black eyes and remembered that Swein, who she had kissed in the tomb. She hesitated and did not know what to say.

“Angelica, please, tell me!”

“Yes! I like you, Swein,” she said finally. “But, please, do not consider