Bonus Short Story. "A Special Day."

The apple trees in the orchard had long since blossomed, and now their branches were strewn with tiny, still green apples. Master Carlon took a breath in the shade of the trees - though it was evening, the sun was beating down without mercy. The normally cool Elvartian summer had decided to change tradition this year; the weather of recent months reminded the mage of his native south. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Carlon strode down the sandy walkway and saw that the door to the mercenaries' cabin was open, and a lizard was sitting on the porch. The scaly visitor from across the sea was smoking a long pipe on the top step, tucking his crooked paws under him. He was dressed in new leather pants and a patterned steppe sleeveless jacket. At the sight of Carlon, the lizard put down his pipe, opened his jaw wide, and made a hissing sound.

- Hello to you, too, - Master nodded. - Is Valria in?

The lizard squeaked and clicked, then slammed its mouth shut and simply pointed his clawed hand toward the door.

- Thank you. - Walking past the lizard, Carlon sniffed. The smoke from the pipe smelled far from tobacco - the mage would have bet on dried wildflowers and mint.

He found the girls in front of an open closet. The contents of the closet were piled on the floor, Valria was kneeling and fondly rummaging through the clothes, and Dallan, sitting on the bed, was watching her with her usual impenetrable expression.

- The invitation from the Duchess arrived the day before yesterday, - Master smirked, stopping on the threshold. - And you still didn't have time to find a dressing suit?

- You could have said hello, barbarian, first of all, - the elf mumbled, not even turning back to the wizard. - Secondly, I don't need a suit, I'm looking for a dress for Dallan. Third, screw the duchess. I lit the fire last night with an invitation.

- What? - The master was stunned. - You burned an invitation to Her Highness' birthday party?

Three days ago, a messenger from the palace delivered a letter to Carlon. In the letter, Christina II personally requested that the mage and the Lady Valria attend a ball in honor of her twenty-fifth birthday. The master appreciated the young ruler's gesture. The official birthday of the monarch in Elvart was celebrated in early autumn, regardless of when the monarch was actually born - with a parade, banners, and a solemn speech. The real date of the duchy's overlord was usually celebrated in the company of loved ones. An invitation to this humble ball has remained a sign of great trust for centuries.

- Well, it didn't burn well, in fact, I had to throw in some straw. The paper was too thick. - Valria pulled a dark green dress with a black collar out of a ball of tangled rags, and showed it to her partner. She silently shook her head. With a sigh, the elfess tossed the dress aside, turning at last to the mage. She sat down on the floor, put her ears perked up, and said:

- I'm actually an imperial noblewoman, and I don't have to show respect to all sorts of upstarts from vassal duchies. And she didn't invite Dallan, either.

- She couldn't, - the sergeant reminded her.

- I know. And what? - Valria shrugged. - Anyway, we're not going to the palace. We're having our own party. I'm taking Dallan to Maestro Ricorzi's tonight. The best cuisine in the capital, and absolutely terrific sauces for meat.

- Have you any money for Ricorzi? - Carlon raised his eyebrows.

- Of course I have money. - She scratched behind her ear. - I saved it from the last job... Enough for a pig and vegetables. And enough for wine.

- You may come with us if you wish, Master, - the sergeant suggested politely.

- He doesn't want to, - the elf protested firmly. - We have dinner tonight, just the two of us. And for the night we'll rent a room from the same Ricorzi. There are beds there with silk sheets. And a canopy!

- All right, I understand. - Carlon grinned involuntarily. - I won't disturb you. Have a nice evening.

- Did you buy a present? - Valria suddenly asked. - Who goes to a party like this without a gift?

- I have considered my resources, and decided I would rather have no present than a bronze inkpot or a gemless brass ring, - sighed the mage.

- Now would have been the perfect opportunity to get rid of that watermelon.

- If you had not given it for debts ... I still can not believe that you were able to borrow money from people who first saw ...

- It's my charm. Well, go already. - Valria waved her hands at the master. - Have a good time.

The mage said goodbye to the lizard as he left the hut. It hissed back in a friendly manner and offered its pipe. Master declined...

* * *

Carlon was late for the appointed hour. He had only himself to blame. To shorten the way to the palace, the master decided to walk through the crooked alleys of residential neighborhoods. And in one of the narrow streets on his head from the second floor poured out a bucket of slop. Not on purpose, of course - the magician was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But that did not make it any easier, for the black and silver doublet was the only dressy garment in his closet. And even magic would not help to wash and dry it in the remaining time before the festivities. Had to run back to the hotel, wash his head in the bucket in the kitchen, scraped out of the stash of saved gold coin, rush to the bank to exchange it for silver, then find a tailor, who sells ready-made dress ... When Carlon appeared before the gates of the palace in a wonderful new doublet of scarlet velvet, the sun had already hidden behind the roofs of houses, and the ball was in full swing. The officer on duty measured the panting wizard with an ironic look, checked the invitation carefully, and sent the man to the palace.

- You'll be escorted out in a moment, - the guard said as he returned the invitation to the wizard.

- And... why didn't your messenger escort me? - Carlon wondered. The officer was silent, but a few minutes later the mage got an answer to his question.

- Master Carlon. - Entering the cordegarde, Lady Maria smiled. The smile of the duke's bodyguard was, as usual, pale and unexpressive - but the mage himself did not notice how he smiled back.

- Lady!

- I have been expecting you. - The girl-guardsman bowed her head for a moment. - Come.

Already outside, Carlon realized and stopped smiling like a fool:

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

- Lady, you've been waiting for me here... Because of me you're missing the ball...

- Her Highness Christina has relieved me of my duties for the day. - Maria no longer smiled either, but there were cheerful lights dancing in the girl's bright blue eyes. - You see, I am unarmed.

And indeed, the lady wore the usual guardsman's uniform - but no armor and no sword-bandage. Her cuirass was replaced by a ribbon of silk over her shoulder, and her elegant fingers were not shackled in silver steel but in white silk gloves.

- Her Highness is very kind, - the master hummed. The girl nodded:

- Absolutely. But it is actually a gift. After all, today is also my birthday.

- Really? - Carlos almost stumbled. And Valria had told him to bring a memento of sorts! Now would be a good time... - That's a curious coincidence.

- Indeed, the Guardsmen all have their own birthdays on the same day as their suzerain, - Lady Maria laughed, almost inaudibly. - Didn't you know? No one knows when we were really born. It's easier that way.

- Anyway, I apologize for making you wait. There's been some trouble...

- Stop it, master. I'm very patient. You have no idea how much. Waiting is no problem for me.

Entering the north wing through the servants' door, they stopped at the intersection of the corridors. Lady Maria put her hands behind her back and said:

- If we go straight ahead, we'll get to the hall where the dancing ends now. But if we turn to the left, we will see the stairs to the second floor. If we go even higher, we will find ourselves near the palace library. I confess that on our trip to the Empire together, I thought it would be fun to show it to you, master.

- So we shall take our chance. - The hint was so direct and clumsy that the mage could scarcely contain a smile. - Her Highness will not be offended by our absence, will she?

- I think not, - the guardswoman assured him.

The entrance to the library of the ducal palace was covered by carved wooden doors, decorated with images of strange birds and beasts. At a glance, master recognized only the unicorn and the long-tailed phoenix. Lady Maria determinedly pushed open the doors and entered first, stopping just beyond the threshold. Carlon stood beside her. Exhaled:

- Wow.

The library stretched along the entire wing, a narrow hall as far as the eye could see. No walls were visible behind the bookcases, and a chain of reading tables stretched down the center of the hall. In front of the tables and under the lancet windows were a row of comfortable armchairs and sofas. Gold magic lamps flickered on the ceiling. He could see no candles, lamps, or other fires. Neither any fireplaces.

- It's even bigger than you think, master, - said Maria, very pleased with his reaction. - It's half-ringed around the floor. There's no one here now but us. Let's go.

The girl walked to one of the tables, which revealed several books. Sitting down in a chair, she invited Carlon to sit across from her. She took a massive square tome, bound in black leather, from the table and handed it to the magician. He read the title:

- "Tales of the North."

The inscription was faintly legible - the gilding with which the letters had been inscribed on the cover was worn away. In general, it was easy to tell from the spine of the book that it had been read and reread very often.

- I wish I could say it was my first book. - Maria leaned back in her chair. She was smiling again - but with a soft, dreamy smile that was unfamiliar to Carlson. - But actually, my first book was a primer, of course. Then a history of the Ducal family of Elvart, then a book about the wars of the Empire, then a textbook on tactics, then a fencing book... None of that counts, though. My love of books began with these tales.

Carlon carefully opened the book, flipped through a few pages. Looking at the picture of a ferociously snarling dragon, he said:

- My mother used to tell me fairy tales when I was a child. But there aren't any here, I guess. The South has its own stories.

- So much the better. - The guardswoman smiled wider. - I want to give you this book. Read it. Let us have... a little more to talk about in the future. Don't worry, Christina let me take the book from the library.

- Usually when it's a person's birthday, gifts are given to them - Carlon said after a short pause, carefully closing the book of fairy tales. He stroked the cracked spine lightly with his thumb.

- Among normal people, yes, of course. - Lady Maria tilted her head to her shoulder. - But I told you, the whole guard celebrates on the same day, with the suzerain. We're used to giving each other gifts on our birthdays, ever since we were children.

- I'll take it, of course, - the mage nodded. - But... I owe you one.

There were faint melodic sounds coming from somewhere outside. Maria stood up, walked to the nearest window, and opened it. The music grew louder.

- The ball is over, - she said. - The feast is beginning. - The weather is fine, and the tables have been set in the garden. The musicians have moved there now. I think we should go down there now. But there's time, and...

She turned suddenly to Carlson and put her left hand behind her back and held out right hand to him:

- Will you not refuse me a dance, master?

- You're doing it all backwards again, lady. - This time, the magician couldn't hold back a chuckle. - Of course I will. Her Highness tells me you dance better than your sisters. But how are your thighs, have the wounds healed yet?

- Almost. Don't worry about that.

- And the tables, the chairs? We wouldn't be comfortable, and I'm not a good dancer...

- Just trust my dexterity, master. - Maria caught the wizard's palm and pulled him out of the chair almost by force. - You won't have a chance to step on my foot...

* * *

The moon was ending its cycle, to die and be reborn soon. The light from the thin sickle in the sky barely penetrated the transparent curtain on the window, but the room was as bright as day to Valria. The fireworks over the ducal palace had died down, and the city was in a sleepy silence, but the elven woman's long ears could hear the wheels of a carriage ride down the street, someone's footsteps on the floor below, the rustling of mice between the walls, the calm breathing of Dallan lying there. For her, there was no silence at all. It smelled of spices from the kitchen, of sewage from the cesspool, of delicate perfume from Valria herself, and of sea salt - so the wind outside was blowing from the sea. The smells were barely perceptible, a human nose would not have picked them up.

Valria managed to slip out of bed without waking her partner, who was sensitive and vigilant even in her sleep. The floor was lined with thick carpets, but the elfish woman's toes froze instantly all the same. The cool air touched her skin, making the girl shiver. She felt heat and cold very keenly, too, though she usually didn't let it show. Stepping as noiselessly as only elves could, she approached the window and leaned her palms on the window sill. The view from the second floor was not particularly imposing, but the palace, with its glittering lights, towered over all of Elvart, visible from anywhere. A dying moon hung in the sky just above its main tower. "Somewhere out there right now Carlon is having fun, - thought Valria. - Maybe he's still feasting at the communal table, or maybe he's found his pale beauty in her armor. They've secluded themselves in the guest bedroom, locked the door, and... they're sitting reading a book together. Those two will do. - Picturing Carlon and Lady Maria reading together on the couch, the elfish woman smiled involuntarily. Turning to the bed, she looked at Dallan sleeping under the thin silk blanket. In the moonlight, the swordswoman's delicate skin seemed marble-white and flawlessly smooth. Suddenly Valria's smile faded, her sharp ears drooping with the tips down.

- One more year, - she whispered silently, with only her lips. - One more year.

Elves don't celebrate birthdays the way humans do, usually celebrating only anniversaries -fiftieth, one hundred, two hundred years. People care about every year they live. And they can be understood. Half a century from now, Valria will still be here, just as it is today, with all its flaws and advantages. And Dallan will be gone. All that will remain is the memory of her kindness, her nobility, her courage, her loyalty. "Remember death, - Valria remembered. - Rejoice in life. Who would have believed that was an elven proverb, not a human one."

The girl returned to the bed, purposely stepping with a sound. Dallan opened one eye, saw Valria, smiled. She threw back the blanket from her chest. The elven woman didn't need a second hint - a few seconds later, she had already drawn the swordswoman to her. The silk blanket flew to the floor. As Valria's slender fingers touched the circular scar of the bullet above Dallan's right breast, her mind raced again: "Remember death. Rejoice in life." The girl laughed softly. She could do that.

* * *

- A fine book, sir. You won't find a more complete collection anywhere else, unless you go to the south yourself and ask around the local elders. - The owner of the bookstore, the seventh and last one Carlon had visited that day, was talking. Judging by the dilapidated shelves and shabby shop door, his business was mediocre, and he had no hope of selling this book.

- Wrap it... nicely, - Carlon asked. - It's a present.

- For the children, sir? - The merchant grinned understandingly. - Do you want them to remember their homeland?

- No. A friend. - The magician touched the brown leather cover with his fingertips, which was decorated with the title: "Tales of the Steppe and the Desert". - A gift to a very, very good friend...

The end.