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by NarnianAtHeart » Thu Nov 03, 2022 7:43 pm
CHAPTER 4
On the following day, they made it as planned to the enigmatic tower of the sorcerer. When they arrived at the foot of the tower they did not hear or see anything. Maybe he left, taking the princess with him,” Bogdan said sadly.
“No,” said Kostya. “The sorcerer and Anastassia are still there.
“I think we should send some of us up.” said Motka, “Leave the bulk of the force at ground level to surround the tower in case the sorcerer tries to flee. Bogdan, you take your 50 men, and go into the tower. Try to find Anastassia, and don’t let the sorcerer get away. The rest of us can also cut off the sorcerer if he tries to escape. We will wait here, and help if you need it. Agreed??
“Yes sir!” everyone said in unison.
“All right,” Bogdan said. “Fyodor, Zhivago and Kostya, you and your squad stay here. Motka, you and your men come with me. What should our call for help be?”
“What about a wolf howl? I’m pretty good at one” said Motka.
“Great. Forward troops!”
As they advanced toward the tower, Bogdan thought about Anastassia, and wondered if she was alright. Bogdan knew he would find out soon enough. They made it to the tower, and snuck inside. The sorcerer obviously didn’t expect an attack, because he had no guards on duty. They soon made it to the place where the sorcerer was eating dinner. Bodgan’s troops stayed outside the door, and the rest pounced on the sorcerer. His back was to the door, so he didn’t see them, and Bogdan’s men took him by surprise. Bodgan slipped away to find Anastassia. He found her in the attic; malnourished and weak, but alive. He carried her down stairs to where the troops were fighting the sorcerer.
Amidst the commotion, Bogdan saw the sorcerer slip out the window. “Wait here with Motka,” Bogdan said urgently to Anastassia as he gently put her down. The troops that were stationed outside had gone in to fight. This gave the sorcerer ample time to escape before anyone noticed. Bogdan ran down the stairs, and after the sorcerer. Anastassia alerted Motka about Bogdan and the escape of the sorcerer, and he may need help. Motka whistled, and everyone became quiet. “Men,” he said. “Bogdan has run after the sorcerer, and will need help post-haste. I will go after him. Anastassia will tell you about what you are to do. I leave Zhivago incharge. Goodbye!”
Anastassia explained about the troops in the basement. They used the same strategy that they used for the sorcerer, and quickly overtook 2 score knights. They took the knight's captive on their horses, made a rampage of the tower, and stripped it of everything valuable. Most of the valuables were found in a secret tunnel. When Zhivago tore a picture of the wall, he found a safe. Inside was money and coins. When they had emptied the safe, Zhivago noticed the back had an odd shape. When he tapped on it, it sounded hollow. He took it off the wall. Once he had gotten it off the wall, he saw a hole, just big enough for him to slide through. When he did, he entered a room with a candle burning.
What he saw astounded him. He saw by the light of the candle, a room full of treasure. The treasure was alexandrite, tapestries, jewels, gemstone watches, a gold and diamond owl. There were also treasures that had been missing for years like jeweled Easter eggs, a 2,930-gem necklace, gold encrusted swords, shields and armor, the only Florentine gem ever found, and even a royal casket from Valentina Astapkovich, the wife of King Andros’ great-grandmother. After all of these things had been loaded onto pack mules, Kostya and his men opted to stay at the tower, while the others located Bogan and Motka.
When Bogdan ran out of the castle, the sorcerer didn’t realize he was being followed until it was too late. Much to his disadvantage, he was on foot, and Bogdan on horseback. While Bogdan was galloping, he cleverly made a lasso out of rope. When he could, he threw the rope over the sorcerer, and brought the sorcerer in. He was unaware of Thunderbird's death, nor did he know of Bogdan's new power due to it. He tried to use his wand to overpower Bogdan, but all that did was bewitch himself.
By this time, Motka had caught up with Bogdan. The two bound the sorcerer, tied him to Motka’s horse, and made their way back to the tower. When they got there, they saw a caravan of horses, ponies, and pack mules, all covered in precious items.
“Three cheers to Bogdan! The hero of the day!” Everyone cried happily. “He caught the sorcerer!”
It was a happy day to say the least. On the way home, nothing of importance happened. If you could ask Bogdan today, you would find nothing about the trip home because he was so focused on Anastassia.
When they got back to the palace, the king, queen, court, and all the city were waiting. They had heard that the princess had been freed and was coming home. Some of the people of the city ran out to greet them but most were content to wait for the procession to come and then came to greet them. When the hugging and crying was done, Bogdan related his story, and Anastassia likewise told hers. Then Andros said, as promised, that Bogdan could marry his daughter.
At the wedding, Anastassia looked especially beautiful in her dress with its rich hues of red, blue and gold lace wedding dress. Bogdan thought that he could never get tired of looking at her. After the ceremony, they had a big ball. The next day, they rode off into the distance on their honeymoon.
When Bogdan and Anastassia came back from their honeymoon, they found a palace waiting for them, adorned with the jewels they helped uncover. King Andros crowned Bogdan as Prince Pyotr. Anastasia bore him thirteen healthy children. Both parents lived to a ripe old age, and Pyotr never fully understood why he had been deserving enough to marry Anastasia.
As for the sorcerer, he was put in jail. He was found guilty on the charge of theft (the gems) and attempted murder (for what he planned to do to Annastasia).
The End
"Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage....."
-C.S. Lewis