– And the Royal Palace is over there. Do you see that huge white building?
Lately Leolik noticed, while sitting in the caf;, something resembling a white skyscraper or a huge castle, it was towering over houses, in the distance.
– Now we’re entering the main road, and you’ll see everything.
In about eight minutes time they left the street and found themselves on a broad alley, with green bushes growing on its edges, the bushes were covered by small leaves. Milena accompanied Leolik from the left, while he carried two empty baskets with his right hand. Some ladies were also walking along the avenue but Leolik did not notice them yet. There was the palace in front of them. The exterior resembled an enormous three-level white cake or a towering skyscraper. It seemed to be three great buildings, constructed one above another. And each following was smaller than the previous one, which it stood on. The palace was built of white stone, completely. The first building was surrounded by city walls, with small towers and castellation. But they had most likely decorating functions because in the walls, excluding every kind of logic, there were huge lancet windows resembling archways in appearance. Every window was surrounded by carved twisted pillars. The first layer of the cake was about nine floors high. Leolik figured out for himself the height and quantity of storeys. The second tier of that pie-shaped building was somehow situated inside the walls of the first layer, a bit smaller. It was also encompassed by walls with battlements and small towers. At this time the towers finished by sharply-sloped roofs with flags on spires. The third layer was capped by four high towers, connected with each other by open-work bridges. However it was pretty difficult to examine anything in detail. But on those towers, again excluding every kind of logic, there were some windows.
– Oh, that’s tremendous! – Leolik was admiring it.
– Also the walls around the city, – Milena answered, – in our town there are about one hundred thousand people living. Generally in the city walls there are stores, inns, for tourists, dormitory accommodation for students and slaves
situated. It’s impossible to visit all that walls in one day time. We don’t have any wars, so the walls are just decorations.
Subtly, they were already walking in the middle of that strange avenue. In front of them the main entrance archway was rising.
– Mila, you sold that cream for five coins. Is that a lot or a little?
– Yeah, that’s good money, it’s well enough to kick around for a month, spending that five coins. What’s more, we have summer here almost all the year, and food is very cheap. Clothes are much more expensive. Our women love dressing up, you’ve seen that.
So, chatting in a friendly way, they were approaching the pie-shaped Royal palace, hand in hand, without any ideas that everything would turn around in their fate in several minutes, in the most unpredictable manner. Leolik was still listening to Milena’s replies when, all of a sudden, he heard a whistling sound. He did not even understand what that was. The whistling sounded from behind. Leolik turned his head over his left shoulder and saw a gilt carriage with nice grey horses going right towards them at a mad speed. Leolik did not even manage to think about anything, his hands did the whole job. With his left hand he seized Milena’s clutch belt that was fastened to her waist, and turning round on his right heel, in a twist, he tossed the girl into bushes, with all his strength. She bounced away in some bushes across half of the road, and Leolik found himself in a meter and half distance from wheezing horse faces. Suddenly time began stretching very slowly for him. It was as if he was watching everything happening in slow motion, managing to notice that he was not afraid at all, he saw and perceived all that in absolutely calm manner. He could see grining, neighing horses, their teeth, bar bits, mad eyes of the animals and their eyelashes. With his right hand Leolik threw two baskets into the horses’ faces. The horses, terrified, made a jerk left, giving a desperate neigh. The carriage quickly turned around, drifting, and hit Leolik into his right shoulder, with a swing. Something hit his leg, painfully. He got caught in his blouse by some decorating swirl of the carriage and the carriage began dragging him. Moreover, the collar awoke. Leolik’s jewel fell off from him and the
collar suddenly aroused, decided that the situation was critical and started suppressing Leolik.
Pain, shouts, neighing, the blow. All at once, everything faded in the eyes of Leolik and it became dark for him. All that happened not more than in 6 seconds time, however it seemed for Leolik that everything lasted terribly long. When, unexpectedly, the collar began strangling him, he thought:
– Milena! I hurt her, the collar’s choking me! Idiotism, I’ve just saved her!
The carriage tilted, stood on two wheels for a second, then it fell heavily on the whole four wheels. The horses dashed into bushes with their faces. The coachman managed to stop the horses. The carriage was standing across the alley. The teamster jumped off, came up to the gilt carriage door and opened it, with trembling hands. Out of the carriage a gorgeous woman appeared, in a beautiful embroidered dress:
– Oscar! Bastard! You’ve come close to killing me! I’ll punish you!
– Yes, my Queen! – the coach driver leaned on one knee in front of her, humbly, – The horses went mad…
Leolik already could not see that, he bounced away after the blow from the carriage, lolling onto the avenue. His wig fell off. The Queen saw him spread on the road.
– Oh my God! Oscar, I’ll execute you! Have a look on what you’ve done! You’ve killed this girl! Examine her, if she’s alive, if she’s breathing, quickly!
Oscar bounced up to Leolik. The right sleeve of Leolik’s blouse was torn and covered with blood, all of that. Oscar tore that blouse on the breast. With the blouse he tore the pink brassiere and Leolik’s artificial breasts appeared before him. Surprised, he jerked them, and they stayed in his hands:
– It is not a girl, my Queen!
The Queen came up a bit nearer:
– Are you sure that this is not a girl?! Maybe, she has a small bosom and…
She did not manage to finish her phrase, Oscar energetically lifted Leolik’s skirts and, with a jerk of his huge hands, he tore Mara’s beautiful pink underpanties.
– Oooh! Yeah, that’s a boy! And such a lovely one! Who is he? And why dressed like that?
At that moment the Queen noticed the collar on Leolik’s neck, it had still been shrinking his throat. She touched the collar, suddenly it weakened, and Leolik took a breath in, having a frog in his throat.
– Oscar, he’s injured and unconscious. We’re going to the palace immediately!
Oscar extricated the horses out of the bushes then he placed Leolik carefully into the coach. A crowd of ladies had gathered already. They assisted Oscar with making room inside the carriage, talking with excitement. The Queen sat into the caroach. After Oscar’s whistle, the equipage rushed to the Royal Palace, picking up speed.