Ойкумена / Oikumena: Глава 24

Chapter 24. "The Collapsed World."

Camrad_RIP 31.01.24 в 13:12

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Camrad_RIP 31.01.24 в 13:12

Elena expected that she was waiting for a whirlwind of amazing secrets and secret affairs. But in reality, everything turned out to be dull and dreary. When the sky was just beginning to lose its deep blackness, the women, accompanied by guards, left the house. Flessa left three watchmen in the house, solid and armed to the teeth. Baala immediately started feeding them fresh pastries, and Baby woke up and, completely unafraid of the armed men, went to get acquainted. Elena left the house with a light heart, realizing that everything would be fine here. Or at least safe.

Camrad_RIP 31.01.24 в 13:14

They got to the duchess's mansion quickly, on horseback, and here again, Elena felt her inferiority. She had never learned to ride a horse because she didn't have one. So she had to sit behind Flessa, but that was a good thing. She could hug her friend tightly and snuggle against her clean, floral, essence-scented cloak.

Camrad_RIP 31.01.24 в 13:16

The square in front of the mansion was inhabited almost as it had been on the memorable night of the bowing, only the discipline had increased considerably. At a glance, one could sense the order and unified will that subdued the motley crew. Inside the house, the life was just as tense, with servants, couriers, armed men, brethren, and other dubious persons scurrying about, waiting, hurrying, alone and in company.

Camrad_RIP 31.01.24 в 13:17

It was like a headquarters before the start of a decisive operation, and Flessa immediately got involved in the process. After a short conversation with an almost bald uncle, who looked like a merchant and, for some reason, wore a thick chain of pure silver without jewelry, the duchess went up to her office. She quickly changed from a man's suit into a familiar dress and locked Elena in the dressing room.

Camrad_RIP 31.01.24 в 13:19

She was not particularly upset because the ducal dressing room was intended for long, thoughtful choices with fitting and philosophical reflections - what suited the fashion, the season, the time of day, and the owner's self-perception. So the room itself could replace a small guest room, where one could even take a nap on a sofa and drink good sangria-like wine.

Camrad_RIP 31.01.24 в 13:21

Elena dozed off to the accompaniment of slamming doors, indistinct conversations, and Flessa's quick, clear instructions. The words through the door were almost indistinguishable. She didn't want to eavesdrop. She only realized that something serious was going on that needed constant monitoring. Under other circumstances, sleep would have fled, especially since the healer hadn't shown up for duty yet, and that promised trouble. The sleepless night had taken its toll. However, anxiety about the future was eased by the workshop letter from Flessa. The tube didn't fit in her purse, but it had convenient loops for hanging it from her belt, so Elena put it on at once, partly to please her friend, partly just in case; the thing was incredibly expensive, and it was a pity to lose it.

Camrad_RIP 31.01.24 в 13:25

The newly minted shop medic lay in a half-awake state until about noon. Then the bustle abruptly lowered the degree, as if all orders had been given out, and there was a pause between instructions and reports of implementation. The Duchess took advantage of the interruption to wake her friend and take her mind off her current worries.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:28

The study had changed very little, except that a large, human-sized magical chronometer made of several circles of variable radius had been placed against the wall of bookshelves. On the duchess's desk appeared several pouches of money, not of copper. Some were untied, apparently for quick calculations, so gold and silver were mixed, sparkling solidly in the dim sunlight. A mysterious book with a black cover with a lock lay in a prominent place, now open, all scrawled with notes. At a cursory glance, it was an ordinary accounting calendar with many boxes, most marked with ticks and crosses, often with notations in the margins. For obvious reasons, Elena did not dare to go over and read it. There was a saber lying on the corner of the table and something rectangular and flat, wrapped in a cloth, nestled against one of the cabinets.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:30

The dummy with the ancient armor was pushed into a corner. The helmet was hidden under a carelessly thrown-on jacket of very interesting work - expensive cloth with embroidery on the outside, steel plates, and ringlets of small rings on the inside. Being in fact a brigandine, the garment concealed the outer rivets of the plates and seemed from the outside to be merely the mannered dress of a pampered aristocrat.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:32

Flessa didn't waste time on idle conversation and got straight to the main point:

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:32

"We're in a bit of a calm. I want to talk about something important."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:33

"Come on," Elena agreed, hoping to find out what this was all about.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:34

"Come with me."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:34

"Where to?" Elena didn't understand.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:35

"I'll be leaving Milvess soon," the Duchess stated instead of a direct answer.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:35

"For how long?"

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:35

"Forever, I guess."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:36

"Is Father unhappy?" Elena suggested.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:36

"No way!" snorted the Duchess. "On the contrary! That's why he will come here with my brother, to take care of the family affairs, to protect our rights. And I..."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:37

Flessa continued after a short pause, and now you could hear barely restrained triumph in her voice, a tightly harnessed anticipation:

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:38

"And I will begin to rule our entire domain. And if the Pantocrator is merciful, I will become the matriarch of the Wartensleben family. The third in the family's history."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:38

"I... I'm happy for you," Elena hid behind her duty approval, trying to figure out how to behave next.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:39

"Come with me," Flessa suggested, not waiting for her to continue.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:40

"To Malersyde?"

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:41

"Of course," Flessa wasn't the least bit surprised by the silly question. "It's not as big and famous as Milvess, of course. But it's a big city by the sea. Our port is one of the richest in the entire west. Here, I'm just one of the provincial noblewomen. There, I'll be a lord and master of life and death. And you..."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:58

"Yes, I am," Elena smiled through her strength. "What am I going to be?"

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:58

She knew the answer to that question and didn't want to say it. The healer was sad. It was not a gloomy, hopeless grief but rather the sadness of an autumn forest. The realization that happiness is transient and that a rise is always followed by... not a fall, perhaps, but just something else. Not a rise. Not happiness. Change.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 19:03

"My companion?" It sounded both like a question and a suggestion and with a touch of fervent conviction at the same time. "A trusted healer?

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 19:00

Flessa stepped closer, absently stroking the narrow hem with her palms. The dress made her feel constricted, unaccustomed.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 19:01

"Be whatever you want," said the noblewoman. "Whatever you want. Only be with me."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 19:01

"It's a generous offer," Elena tried to maneuver, to play with words, to avoid answering. And it wasn't that she was so against the idea, but it was too sudden. And drastic.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 19:02

The Duchess hugged her friend again, tightly, very tightly, with a kind of incomprehensible desperation.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:59

"It will be hard for me," Flessa said quietly. "I've been involved in the family business for a long time, but as a representative of the Grand Duke, as a conduit for his will. And now I will rule in my name. That means there will be a lot of flattery in the eyes and streams of venom behind my back. I will be lied to, defamed in my father's eyes, and intrigued. Perhaps an assassination attempt."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 19:05

The noblewoman's voice grew quieter and more feverish at the same time. Flessa seemed to be completely sincere. And it was obvious that the iron vice-duchess was mortally afraid. But still, she was ready to accept the challenge, to start climbing to a new peak.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 19:09

"I need someone close to me. Someone who won't fawn over me. Someone who won't beg for themselves, their greedy relatives and lovers. Someone to remind me that life isn't all intrigue and assassination."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 19:09

Flessa loosened her embrace, as if ashamed of the sudden impulse, stepped back a couple steps.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 19:10

"And probably drink a goblet of poison for you." [1] - Elena thought but did not speak aloud. It was sad and a little amusing. The Duchess did not even think about the dangers of bringing her companion to a foreign city, bringing her into a tangle of long-standing ties and conflicts as a close person, privy to the secrets of secrets, secrets of all secrets. It was as natural to the Duchess as air or the hourly chance of hearing the silent footsteps of assassins.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 19:11

//"What have I got to lose?" - the thought seemed surprisingly sobering.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 19:11

Baala. Home. Lessons from Draftsman. However, the dwarf would be only too happy for the innkeeper, as she said outright. And the fencer... Surely, there are mentors in the seaside city. Someone taught Flessa the art of the sword, and as if not better than Figueredo Elena.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:51

//"And what in return?"

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:52

Affluence. Confidence. Protection from the monsters that lurk. And an amazingly beautiful blue-eyed woman.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:52

"I won't answer you right away," Elena said honestly, looking into Flessa's eyes. "I need to think about it. And I'm not playing around. I'm not bidding up the price. I really want to think about it. It's a big step, a big decision."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:53

"Think," Flessa agreed. "But you will."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:45

"Really?"

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:50

"Of course. You're very naive... in many ways. But clever. You already realize you'll be better off in Malersyde than here. But you want to make your own decision. I don't mind. That's why I'm telling you in advance, so you have time to think it over."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:45

"Thank you," Elena thought it was time to take the conversation in another direction. "What's this?" she pointed at the mysterious object under the cloth.

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:44

"Ah, it's from Malersyde," Flessa said casually. "My father had requested that we exchange height portraits so that even when we were apart, the family would remember each other. Damn it, I completely forgot! Now I have to find an artist and copyists. Wasting time and money on useless scribbles. Father, brother, two sisters, each of them a good copy, I'll go broke!"

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:43

"We're in the capital," Elena remarked with barely contained laughter. "There are enough artists here. And I wouldn't say the thing is so useless. Imagine, years, centuries will pass, no one will be alive, but the Wartensleben family will remain on the canvas and in the memory."

Camrad_RIP 01.02.24 в 18:42