Saddle and Silk

IV

"In 1259, a great wedding was celebrated. King Kastor I. of Veluca married Anežka Palaigolovna. Although the nations were celebrating, there was no joy at the royal residence, as was said among the people. The king was not even at the feast, because right after he left to fulfill his marriage duty, he had to go to the royal governor, Tiberius, who was raising a new army against the King of Swada. These revolutionary wars will continue for many years to come, and their outcome is uncertain, but one thing the common people know for sure. Many more times from the wild fields will come ruin and destruction, death and uncertainty. The common folk sang that the young princess was left alone in the castle because her husband was at war."
,,The old chronicler thought for a moment and decided to continue with the words - "however, the princess was of a friendly nature, and so..."
She wasn't alone. She knew that. She made many new friends that she could trust as she quickly gained their trust due to her friendly nature. Grand Duke Tiberius himself liked her precisely because of her open nature. But they were all gone now, so she had only two people left who were closer to her than her husband, who was so distant from her that she had last seen him a month ago, and she only looked cheerful in front of people. Kastor was not evil, he was kind, but he was rude in his speech, one could say even obnoxious, if it wasn't about something important from his point of view, and moreover, the felchar told him that he should start avoiding wine. On top of all this, he lacked feeling for his wife, and as a result, she increasingly went on long rides, accompanied by the voivode flag-bearer and the voivode royal waiter (as their new and too impractical titles sounded). At first it generated some talk, but after the king's speech itself, which put an end to the speculation, and also proved that they were acting at the king's request, most of the gossip's attention shifted elsewhere. It was Baheštur's job to watch over her, and he liked her quite a bit, maybe more he wanted to admit. Thanks to these trips, she opened up to him more than to Wígláf, who was relatively receptive, more receptive than his master, but silent beyond the grave.
*
"Baheshtur, please come here. And you Wigláf, look at this." The two men in armor bent down and saw her drawing. It was a black charcoal drawing of a horseman receiving a flower from his sweetheart. "You should stop reading those books, it's not usually like that. " Wigláf said what he thought. Baheštur joined. "Once, when I was eighteen, I asked a noblewoman who was nineteen for something similar, true, she was from the steppe, but even so I didn't expect to get hit on the head." The princess laughed. "What on earth did he say to her?! " Baheštur looked proud. "It doesn't matter anymore, but I didn't deserve it with a slur, she broke my nose, and then the blacksmith had to fix it, believe me, it hurt like hell." Wiglaf looked towards the nearby hill and saw the messenger on them. he called from a distance. "Your Highness, terrible news! Your husband is calling you because Swadie has declared war on your kingdom!" Then everyone became gloomy. "War?" Anežka looked a little sadly at Baheštur. "War, Your Highness. War."