I was almost a child - it seems that I hardly entered the time of adolescence, when my ancient nanny, who was still raising my mother, told me this legend for the first time.
"It's been a long time ago whether people are arguing about this, there was a great magician in the regions. He possessed great strength, he was glorious and valiant, brave in battle, wise with his disciples, always alive and dead, followed him... Virtually Asha was rewarded with virtue, and everyone around him revered him deeply, and others feared him. He lived for a long time, learned a lot, and offered him, one of the most worthy, the benefit of non-life, and the great magician agreed, but for his modesty chose the path not short, but long. The heavy changes in body and spirit were waiting for him, but he did not want instant miracles - he agreed to sacrifice for a long time both beauty and strength, in order to obtain a great gift and go through all the steps of initiation without skipping a single one ... And he rose on his way, and his will grew: his wisdom grew stronger day by day, but he weakened his body, emaciated, almost dried up, and although he was still alive, much for his flesh became beyond his power, even his sorcerous abilities for the time diminished ... He decided to use that his old enemy and summoned him, exhausted ie bodily torment, to fight, threatening that, if he refuses, defames him all over our land as a coward. Disdained the threat of a wise magician, replying: "What do I have worldly chatter? Whether I am a coward or not, this is known only to Ashe, and the bad glory of my ministry will not interfere. " Then the scoundrel, seeing that not only his enemy is wise, but also modest, that not to catch him in vanity and fear of losing his praise, swore: if the great magician does not come against him alone, then our alien army will invade the lands, everything will burn and will spoil, live, neither dead, nor children, nor the elders, nor cattle, nor the field of the sown... And he forced the heroes of our threats to agree to a duel.
"What a scoundrel!"
"It's true, Arantir, a low scoundrel." He was going to kill the great husband, using his weakness, but learned that the faithful disciple of our hero, devoted to him with all his soul, and realized that the mentor was going to sacrifice himself for the sake of people, to go to certain death. And she was horrified, and fell into great anxiety, and secretly sought a way to help the teacher and the master of her heart, whom she worshiped without measure. Because of the futility of the searches, the student was close to despair, but Asha listened to her pleas, and she found in the library a secret scroll. And in the scroll it was said that if a wise man who has not yet entered completely into a lifeless life, will lose his strength, but there will be an innocent virgin who sacrifices his blood and flesh, then, having conducted a special ritual, after that the mage will return for a short time, spiritual and physical. A good schoolgirl was delighted - although she was not too young, but in the name of the ministry she kept herself untouched; forgetting about fear and shame, she rushed to the teacher and humbly offered him her help. The tutor refused, although he did not want to offend his spiritual daughter and appreciated her devotion, she was to his heart, but he was afraid of the unsuccessful ritual, did not want to defile her purity or harm her and herself.
"And what harm?"
"Now, child, listen further." The great magician told our apprentice that he tried to conduct a similar ritual in the old days. He stole the young virgin with deception and not only committed dishonest over her, but also blew all the blood out of her veins and drank, like an insatiable vampire, and ruined not only the unfortunate but herself. He did not find any great power, and the poor girl's relatives overtook him and tore him to pieces in rage... The disciple, after listening to the story, laughed and explained in simple words to the mentor: not only did the sorcerer perform a great evil, but also violated the ritual. It was said in the manuscript that the virgin herself must sacrifice her blood and her flesh, and the schoolgirl swore she was ready for this in good will, in love, but not motivated by criminal passion, but by great respect and the desire to save ... Seeing that the teacher is hesitating, although she recognizes her words reasonable, she took the ritual bowl, opened blood to his eyes before his eyes and filled the vessel to the brim, and afterwards, bowing humbly to his knees, brought it to the tutor. Unable to resist, he accepted her gift and after a short time changed - was stronger and was ready to finish what he had started. On the night before the duel he summoned the faithful disciple to the temple and, having prepared the preparations, proceeded to the ritual, and finishing it and feeling the proper strength, with great care, tenderness and reverence he performed and the sacrifice of the body... The ritual was executed correctly, and the thoughts of both were pure because on the day of the fight our hero came out on the battlefield as mighty and strong as before, and he struck his enemy, who was expecting an easy victory, and instead of food made ravens, and thereby defended our land, glorifying his name even more, although he soon lost his way time return power. The student, who saved his life, thanked him without end, and though he never dared to touch her, he declared her his companion forever and took care of her as he should.
"What a wonderful story, nanny!"
"That's not the whole story, my boy." Soon it became clear that the disciple after the night in the temple carried, and in due time she produced a child "the fruit of the connection of the purest, perfect, fastened before the eyes of the great goddess, and took him to the sacred cloth with the symbols of Asha, and foretold to the infant this glorious future."
"Then what happened to them, nanny?"
"They do not talk much about this, Arantir," the good old man answered leisurely, "but they say that other timid and sinful people were talking about a virtuous mother and her baby, because, fearing for them and not wanting to upset them, they sent their mentor and father to the big one and a distant estate..."
"Like ours, yes, nanny?"
"Such as ours, my little lord. And there the boy, the same as you, grew up free, in care and love. The great magician visited him often, until he died during the war, to the great grief of his faithful wife..."
She sighed. I also fell silent, especially as I heard a reproachful:
"Is it appropriate, nanny, to tell such a weak child?"
Entering silently into the room, my mother found the last words of the story, which impressed me a lot.
"Sooner or later she will find out, lady," the nanny answered serenely.
To be continued
Thank you for reading!