NIGHT by I. Rin (fantasy books to read .TXT) 📖

Only now did Lica realize that if the Prince went away, she wouldn’t be able to talk to him anymore. So she ran after him through the crowd of the guests who seemed to deliberately stop her and block the way. And only in the corridor Angelica had caught up with the young man then turned him around and kissed on his lips. Meeting Elsa

 

 

Lica came to herself when the guests had begun to laugh at her. She pushed Edward and ran away to the room, where she had arrived with Henry today.

 

Running into the room she slammed the door and burst into tears. All her hopes were dashed. Not only didn’t the Prince love her but he even did not remember her!

 

A few minutes later she heard the footsteps in the corri-dor. Angelica hid behind a high throne, which was standing in the room. And soon Henry came into.

 

“Lica!” he called her quietly. “Lica, are you here?” Blubbered girl came out of the throne.

 

“The Prince did not recognize you, did he?” the man said.

 

Angelica nodded and began to cry again.

 

“And did not you see that he had changed?” Edward’s servant asked.

 

“Absolutely everything had; if you start with his appearance and finish with his behavior.”

 

“So, I was right. Something had happened to him on that journey... when he had gone to take a potion for the Princess. We need to know but what...”

 

“And how will we know?”

 

“You just must go to that witch, who gave him a potion, and ask her about everything. I would have gone myself if I had been able to, but the Prince does not let me go a step. I have a feeling that he even does not know anything about our castle but he is just trying not to show it anybody. So he needs me to be close all the time as a consultant.”

 

“I will go!” Angelica said firmly.

 

“I would have offered you to do it before if I had known your reaction.”

 

“No more words. Can you tell me where this witch lives and how I can get there?”

 

“She lives on the edge of our kingdom. You need to leave the castle and go to the opposite direction of the Nightmare Forest. Behind the Dark Canyons you will see the big City of Goblins. Passing it, you will be at the foot of the high mountains. There in one of the caves this witch lives.”

 

“My clothes for travel are still here?” “Yes! They are in that trunk!” Henry said. “Give me a couple of minutes!”

 

“See you in corridor!” the old man nodded.

 

Lica changed clothes quickly and they both unnoticed sneaked to the royal stables.

 

“While you were dancing, I was able to prepare a horse for you.” Henry helped her to climb the horse. This time she managed

 

to do it much easier than before.

 

“Do not stay in the Dark Canyons for a long time and be careful with the Goblins! They will not harm you a lot but they may play a prank. It’s in their blood. All right, go! And good luck!” Edward’s servant counseled her.

 

Angelica hugged the old man and yanked the reins.

 

“If she always hugs me, I’ll get used to it,” Henry said to himself.

 

The girl left the royal courtyard and went into the opposite direction of the Nightmare Forest. The Moon was high in the sky and brightly lit all around. Lica was riding at full speed. A few hours later her horse suddenly began to stumble. The girl looked around and no-ticed that the road was not as flat as before. Here and there she came across small ravines and ruts. And soon they turned into the canyons.

 

“Well I have reached the Dark Canyons,” Angelica made glad. “They are not so far from the castle.”

 

She went on choosing the road carefully. After a while Lica noticed that her eyes began to stick together and she feels dizzy.

 

“That’s it!” the girl said in the hearts. “It looks as if it was at Sleepy Lake! I hope Henry had put some salt for me.”

 

She got down the horse to check the food basket. To her de-light Lica had found the desired bag. As before on the lake she made a cut on her hand and sprinkled it with salt. Then she thought for a while and made a cut on the horse’s back. The animal was kicking but the girl managed to sprinkle the cut with the salt.

 

Their doze had immediately disappeared. And Lica continued going without any drowsiness. Very soon she saw the lights ahead.

 

“It must be the City of Goblins,” she decided.

 

When Angelica came closer, she could see the high wall and the gate to the city. Two guards were standing at the gate, they looked very ugly and not so tall and both had very big heads and rugged features. Lica got nearer to the gate.

 

“Where are you going?” one of the guards shouted sharply. “I need to ride through the city. I’m going to the witch!” “Wait until the morning. At night the way through the city is closed!” the guards said and “snickered.”

 

“Are you kidding me?” Angelica said raising her voice. “What a morning are you saying about in the Kingdom of Night?”

 

Goblins continued laughing.

 

“Well, you’ll see,” the girl said. “When I get to the witch and ask her to have turned you into frogs!”

 

“Go, go away!” the guards cackled.

 

Lica turned her horse around and pulled away from the city.

 

“What should I do now?” she thought.

 

And then she saw an old goblin woman. The woman was go-ing towards the city carrying a large basket. Apparently, the basket was heavy because the woman often stopped and had a rest.

 

“Shall I help you!” the girl asked the goblin woman.

 

“Go on your way!” the woman answered rudely.

 

“I would love to but the guards do not let me,” Lica replied. “Where?”

 

“To the witch!”

 

And the goblin woman looked at the girl with interest. “Why do you want to see her?”

 

“I want to know something about the Prince Night.”

 

“Ok, help me with the basket! Just be quiet all the time who-ever will come across and whatever they’ll tell you!”

 

Angelica came down her horse and helped the woman to put the heavy basket onto the seat. Then, holding it on both sides, they went to the gate of the city.

 

“Who, who is going?!” the first guard shouted.

 

“What are you yelling?” the goblin woman snarled. “Can’t you see it’s me Elsa!”

 

“I see you. But who is the ugly mug that next to you?”

 

Lica flushed with anger but remembering the woman’s words said nothing.

 

“This is my new maid! She is helping me to carry something.” “Oh, I see then, why she was going to the witch,” the guards

 

jabbered.

 

They opened the gates quickly and let Elsa and Lica to go into the city.

 

“Hey, you...” the other guard pushed the girl in the shoulder, “don’t tell the witch about us...”

 

Lica grinned and looked at the goblins emphatically.

 

And the women entered the city.

The Goblins’ story

 

 

The City of Goblins looked like a strange heap of houses, huts and slums. It was as if they had built in a hurry. Passing along the nar-row streets, Elsa turned into a small lane and stopped in front of the low house. They put the basket down out of the saddle and Elsa said:

 

“Help me to take it to the house!”

 

The girl helped the woman with the basket then the goblin woman invited her to come in and get some rest.

 

Angelica had to bend down a little because the ceiling of the house was low. She sat down in the old but comfortable armchair and waited for Elsa. After a few minutes the woman came in hold-ing awkwardly a metal tray.

 

“I have made some herbal tea,” she said. “If you want to - drink!”

 

 Lica thanked Elsa but refused to; referring to the fact that she was not hungry or thirsty.

 

“It’s up to you!” the goblin woman shrugged. “You’re going to the witch, aren’t you?”

 

“Yes, I am!”

 

“To find out about the Prince?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And I serve the witch!”

 

“Do you?”

 

“Yes, I do! I pick up some roots and stones for her... then I take them to her. And she makes potions from them.”

 

“How long have you been working?” “For ages! Since our young King died.” “Did he?” Lica repeated.

 

“Hey, you do not know anything at all?” the goblin woman surprised. “I think you are not from our kingdom.”

 

The girl nodded.

 

“Ok, listen... Before the goblins were not as ugly as they are now. We were exactly the same as other people. We used to live and work together until the evil Wizard and his army captured our kingdom. He vowed that he would destroy all our people including the old and children. That’s why all of the people went into the caves by secret passages. We had been living there for years. The men had been mining ore and precious stones, the women had been farming and bringing up their children. We have changed over time. Our bodies have adapted to the living underground. We had become stunted and our hands and feet had been thickened. Our eyes stopped seeing during the day. But in fact the life in the caves was awful. Therefore, when the Prince Night had allowed our King to build the city in his kingdom, we were very happy! No matter that it was night all the time but we could live in the open air and not un-derground! Here, our King’s son was born. His mother died during childbirth. The boy looked like the man - not the goblin. Our King was afraid and went with that child to the witch that you were looking for. The witch told him that there were some magic books where was an old legend about the goblin with the appearance of a man who would be able to return his people to life in the daylight.

 

However, the fate of this goblin was sad... he would die young.

 

The King listened to the witch and came back to his palace. He named his son Swein. Since then the King never took his eyes off the boy. The child grew up handsome but very spoilt. All his whims were immediately performed. But despite the arduous nature of Swein, our King was able to bring up a smart, brave and responsible goblin. When the boy was eighteen, the King took him to the witch.

 

‘You must fulfill your destiny and return the nation of gob-lins to real life,’ the witch said. ‘To do this you have to go