Ismarus

Chapter Ten

     At night, every single villager had been invited to the feast, held in honor of the newly wedded couple. Ismarus, Calysto and the jester were especial guests. Nikolay and Velma, personally welcomed the invitees. The space in front of the temple of zalmoxis was chosen as the venue for the feast. Under a white pandal, the organizers placed five reclining couches for the bride, the bridegroom and the royal guests.

Earlier in the evening, the villagers sacrificed a healthy red bull. Skewed beef was the main attraction of the menu. Apart from that, glazed fish, fruits and drinks of all sorts adorned the long dinner table. Before the meal, a bard recited poems, young maidens sang songs, while musicians played the harp and the drum.

Calysto had been thinking of a way to convey to their host what they decided the previous night. They wanted to begin their journey to Sarmizegetusa, as early as possible. Behind the pandal, when the jester conveyed it to Nikolay, at first, he would not believe it. He thought it was just another joke. Gradually, as Nikolay realized, the jester had not made fun, he stood there quietly for a while. Very cleverly, the jester explained to him the reasons. It was for the village chief's own good, the jester said. Nikolay could not rule out the possibility of an assault on his village, in case the news of the royal presence leaked out. He did not fail to notice the suppressed anger among many of the villagers for providing shelter to the royal visitors. Had Elena not returned from the Hades, most likely, the hostile attitude would have continued with much greater intensity. Considering the unstable nature of many of the villagers, Nikolay agreed to bid good bye to the royal visitors, the following morning. However, the news of the departure was to remain confidential until the royal visitors had reached their destination.

"My dear husband, will it be too much for you to escort the royal visitors, all the way to Sarmizegetusa?" Elena pleaded with Papyrus when Velma had informed her of the plan.

"You know, I cannot say no to you, my dear. Just let me know when I have to embark on the journey for I have to prepare," Papyrus responded.

"Tomorrow at first light, they are going to leave."

"So early!"

"The news of their departure has to remain a secret until they reach Sarmizegetusa. The prince has assassins following him."

"Then I must take leave of you, this very moment. Let there be no regret for your wish is my command."

Papyrus kissed his bride before quietly slipping out of the ceremony. At gingerly pace, Elena followed her newly wedded husband for a while. Something made Papyrus stop and turn back his head. Elena stopped on her track as well. She pressed her right hand on her lips. Papyrus returned the kiss just as passionately.

For the first few days, Papyrus maintained a distance of roughly half a mile from the royal visitors, following and watching out for any unwarranted pursuers. When he was convinced, there were no undesirable elements on the trail, he started riding alongside the royal visitors. They spent the nights, camped on the hills, the valleys occupied by thick tall trees, but not on open fields. One of them stayed awake, while the rest slept on unfolded beddings. They rarely spoke, keeping their eyes and ears alert for any kind of danger.

After they had traversed half the distance from their destination, Calysto suggested to Ismarus to let Papyrus return. Ismarus, who had been riding alongside Papyrus, stopped his horse, and extended his right hand towards Papyrus for a handshake. Then he said to Papyrus, "We cannot ask you for more, my friend. Only a true friend will risk his life for his friends. Please return to your bride safely. Tell your fellow villagers, we shall never forget the debt we owe to them. We wish you the very best."

As Papyrus turned to Calysto and the jester to bid farewell, Calysto said to him, "I have another gift for you and your wife, young man. The small palace, the villagers had built for us, I have gifted it to you and your bride. Before departing, I conveyed this to Nikolay and Velma. Be kind to everyone, and especially to your newly wedded bride. She's an angel. Take good care of her and her parents. Nikolay and Velma, they are good people. Had they been like most people, they would not have allowed an orphan to approach their only child. Always remember this. Pay heed to their advices. And always try your best to live up to your vows."

All three, Ismarus, Calysto and the jester, kept staring at the trail of Papyrus, until the man mountain and his ride disappeared from their sight.

"I am totally exhausted," Calysto said to Ismarus in a feeble voice.

"Would you like us to erect the camp right here?" Ismarus asked.

"Not a bad idea. The view from here, it's spectacular. Sometimes I think why we have to live inside the walled structures. It's so refreshing out here in nature," Calysto remarked.

"The walled structures keep the hungry wolves at bay," Ismarus pointed out.

"What do you do, when the very walls of the castle conspire against you?" Calysto asked with a faint smile on her tired lips.

Being expert campers, Ismarus and the jester erected three tents prior to sunset. One for Calysto, one for Ismarus and the jester, and one for the horses. Dark clouds all across the sky suggested there could be rain at night. As expected, thunder storm raged after midnight. The jester placed thin iron rods at the top of the tents, connecting them to the ground.

"Why do you have the metal rods?" Ismarus asked the jester.

"If lightning strikes, it will pass harmlessly to the ground through the metal rods," the jester replied.

In his cloak, made of goat skin, Ismarus peeped into his mother's tent to check if everything was alright. Before going to the tent housing the horses, he told the jester to rest. With a reassuring hand, he stroked Petar's forehead. The animals needed the rest as well for the arduous journey ahead of them.

In the morning, the blue sky lifted the spirit of Ismarus and his companions. Breakfast time delayed resumption of the journey. However, just when they thought roads were clear from them to resume their journey, three horsemen appeared on the hilltop, perhaps a mile from the spot they had camped for the night. Ismarus and his companions had mounted their horses when they spotted the horsemen.