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Tale of 7 Underground Kings. Alexander Volkov: "Seven Underground Kings"

26.04.2019

Alexander Volkov

SEVEN UNDERGROUND KINGS

Fairy Tale

INTRODUCTION

HOW THE MAGICAL COUNTRY APPEARED

This went on for many years, but then Gurricap got bored with people’s requests and gratitude, and he decided to settle in solitude, where no one would disturb him.

The wizard wandered for a long time around the continent, which did not yet have a name, and finally found a suitable place. It was an amazingly lovely country with dense forests, clear rivers irrigating green meadows, and wonderful fruit trees.

That's what I need! - Gurricup was happy. “Here I will live out my old age in peace.” We just need to make sure that people don’t come here.

For such a powerful sorcerer as Gurricap, this did not cost anything. Once! - and the country was surrounded by a ring of inaccessible mountains. Two! - behind the mountains lay the Great Sandy Desert, through which not a single person could pass.

Gurricup thought about what he still lacked.

Let eternal summer reign here! - the wizard ordered, and his wish came true. - Let this country be Magical, and let all the animals and birds speak like humans here! - exclaimed Gurricup.

And immediately incessant chatter thundered everywhere: monkeys and bears, lions and tigers, sparrows and crows, woodpeckers and tits spoke. They all missed you for many years silence and rushed to express their thoughts, feelings, desires to each other...

Quiet! - the wizard ordered angrily, and the voices fell silent. “Now my quiet life without annoying people will begin,” said a satisfied Gurricap.

You are mistaken, mighty wizard! - a voice rang out near Gurricup’s ear, and a lively magpie sat down on his shoulder. - Excuse me, please, but people live here, and there are quite a few of them.

Can't be! - cried the annoyed wizard. - Why didn’t I see them?

You are very big, and in our country people are very small! - the magpie explained laughing and flew away.

And indeed: Gurricap was so large that his head was level with the tops of the tallest trees. His eyesight weakened in his old age, and even the most skilled wizards did not know about glasses in those days.

Gurricap chose a vast clearing, lay down on the ground and fixed his gaze on the thicket of the forest. And there he could hardly make out many small figures timidly hiding behind the trees.

Well, come here, little people! - the wizard ordered menacingly, and his voice sounded like a clap of thunder.

The little people came out onto the lawn and timidly looked at the giant.

Who are you? - the wizard asked sternly.

“We are residents of this country, and we are not to blame for anything,” the people answered, trembling.

“I don’t blame you,” Gurricup said. - I had to look carefully when choosing a place to live. But what's done is done, I won't change anything back. Let this country remain Magical forever and ever, and I will choose a more secluded corner for myself...

Gurricap went to the mountains, in an instant erected a magnificent palace for himself and settled there, severely punishing the inhabitants Fairyland don't even come close to his home.

This order was carried out for centuries, and then the wizard died, the palace fell into disrepair and gradually fell apart, but even then everyone was afraid to approach that place.

Then the memory of Gurricup was forgotten. The people who inhabited the country, cut off from the world, began to think that it had always been like this, that it was always surrounded by the World Mountains, that there was always a constant summer in it, that animals and birds always spoke humanly there...

A THOUSAND YEARS AGO

In one of the states, in the western part of the country, King Naranya reigned a thousand years ago. He ruled for so long that his son Bofaro got tired of waiting for his father to die, and he decided to overthrow him from the throne. With tempting promises, Prince Bofaro attracted several thousand supporters to his side, but they did not manage to do anything. The conspiracy was discovered. Prince Bofaro was brought to his father's trial. He sat on a high throne, surrounded by courtiers, and looked menacingly at the pale face of the rebel.

Will you admit, my unworthy son, that you plotted against me? - asked the king.

“I confess,” the prince answered boldly, without lowering his eyes in front of his father’s stern gaze.

Maybe you wanted to kill me to take over the throne? - Naranya continued.

No,” said Bofaro, “I didn’t want that.” Your fate would have been life imprisonment.

“Fate decided otherwise,” the king noted. - What you prepared for me will befall you and your followers. Do you know the Cave?

The prince shuddered. Of course, he knew about the existence of a huge dungeon located deep below their kingdom. It happened that people looked in there, but after standing for several minutes at the entrance, seeing strange shadows of unprecedented animals on the ground and in the air, they returned in fear. It seemed impossible to live there.

You and your supporters will go to the Cave for an eternal settlement! - the king solemnly exclaimed, and even Bofaro’s enemies were horrified. - But this is not enough! Not only you, but also your children and your children's children - no one will return to earth, to blue sky And bright sun. My heirs will take care of this, I will take an oath from them that they will sacredly carry out my will. Maybe you want to object?

No,” said Bofaro, as proud and unyielding as Naranya. “I deserve this punishment for daring to raise my hand against my father.” I will ask only one thing: let them give us agricultural tools.

“You will receive them,” said the king. - And you will even be provided with weapons so that you can defend yourself from the predators that inhabit the Cave.

Page 1 of 17

Introduction: How did the magical land appear?

In an old time, so long ago that no one knows when it was, there lived a mighty wizard, Gurricap. He lived in a country that much later was called America, and no one in the world could compare with Gurricap in the ability to work miracles. At first he was very proud of this and willingly fulfilled the requests of the people who came to him: he gave one a bow that could shoot without missing, he endowed another with such speed of running that he overtook a deer, and he gave the third invulnerability from animal fangs and claws.
This went on for many years, but then Gurricap got bored with people’s requests and gratitude, and he decided to settle in solitude, where no one would disturb him.
The wizard wandered for a long time around the continent, which did not yet have a name, and finally found a suitable place. It was an amazingly lovely country with dense forests, clear rivers irrigating green meadows, and wonderful fruit trees.
- That's what I need! – Gurricup was delighted. “Here I will live out my old age in peace.” We just need to make sure that people don’t come here.
For such a powerful sorcerer as Gurricap, this did not cost anything.
Once! – and the country was surrounded by a ring of inaccessible mountains.
Two! - behind the mountains lay the Great Sandy Desert, through which not a single person could pass.
Gurricup thought about what he still lacked.
– Let eternal summer reign here! - the wizard ordered, and his wish came true. – Let this country be Magical, and let all the animals and birds speak like humans here! - Gurricup exclaimed.
And immediately incessant chatter thundered everywhere: monkeys and bears, lions and tigers, sparrows and crows, woodpeckers and tits spoke. They all got bored over the long years of silence and were in a hurry to express their thoughts, feelings, desires to each other...
- Quiet! - the wizard ordered angrily, and the voices fell silent. “Now my quiet life without annoying people will begin,” said a satisfied Gurricap.
– You are mistaken, mighty wizard! – a voice rang out near Gurricup’s ear, and a lively magpie sat down on his shoulder. – Excuse me, please, but people live here, and there are a lot of them.
- Can't be! - cried the annoyed wizard. - Why didn’t I see them?
– You are very big, and in our country people are very small! – the magpie explained laughing and flew away.
And indeed: Gurricap was so large that his head was level with the tops of the tallest trees. His eyesight weakened in his old age, and even the most skilled wizards did not know about glasses in those days.
Gurricap chose a vast clearing, lay down on the ground and fixed his gaze on the thicket of the forest. And there he could hardly make out many small figures timidly hiding behind the trees.
- Well, come here, little people! – the wizard ordered menacingly, and his voice sounded like a clap of thunder.
The little people came out onto the lawn and timidly looked at the giant.
- Who are you? – the wizard asked sternly.
“We are residents of this country, and we are not to blame for anything,” the people answered, trembling.
“I don’t blame you,” Gurricup said. “I should have looked carefully when choosing a place to live.” But what's done is done, I won't change anything back. Let this country remain Magical forever and ever, and I will choose a more secluded corner for myself...
Gurricap went to the mountains, in an instant erected a magnificent palace for himself and settled there, strictly ordering the inhabitants of the Magic Land not to even come close to his home.
This order was carried out for centuries, and then the wizard died, the palace fell into disrepair and gradually fell apart, but even then everyone was afraid to approach that place.
Then the memory of Gurricup was forgotten. The people who inhabited the country, cut off from the world, began to think that it had always been like this, that it was always surrounded by the World Mountains, that there was always a constant summer in it, that animals and birds always spoke humanly there...

Part one Cave

The population of the Magic Land kept increasing, and the time came when several states were formed in it. In states, as usual, kings appeared, and under the kings, courtiers and numerous servants. Then the kings started armies, began to quarrel with each other over border possessions and started wars.
In one of the states, in the western part of the country, King Naranya reigned a thousand years ago. He ruled for so long that his son Bofaro got tired of waiting for his father to die, and he decided to overthrow him from the throne. With tempting promises, Prince Bofaro attracted several thousand supporters to his side, but they did not manage to do anything. The conspiracy was discovered. Prince Bofaro was brought to his father's trial. He sat on a high throne, surrounded by courtiers, and looked menacingly at the pale face of the rebel.
“Will you admit, my unworthy son, that you plotted against me?” - asked the king.
“I confess,” the prince answered boldly, without lowering his eyes in front of his father’s stern gaze.
“Perhaps you wanted to kill me in order to seize the throne?” – Naranya continued.
“No,” said Bofaro, “I didn’t want that.” Your fate would have been life imprisonment.
“Fate decided otherwise,” the king noted. “What you prepared for me will befall you and your followers.” Do you know the Cave?
The prince shuddered. Of course, he knew about the existence of a huge dungeon located deep below their kingdom. It happened that people looked in there, but after standing for several minutes at the entrance, seeing strange shadows of unprecedented animals on the ground and in the air, they returned in fear. It seemed impossible to live there.
– You and your supporters will go to the Cave for eternal settlement! – the king solemnly proclaimed, and even Bofaro’s enemies were horrified. - But this is not enough! Not only you, but also your children and your children’s children - no one will return to the earth, to the blue sky and the bright sun. My heirs will take care of this, I will take an oath from them that they will sacredly carry out my will. Maybe you want to object?
“No,” said Bofaro, as proud and unyielding as Naranya. “I deserve this punishment for daring to raise my hand against my father.” I will ask only one thing: let them give us agricultural tools.
“You will receive them,” said the king. “And you will even be provided with weapons so that you can defend yourself from the predators that inhabit the Cave.”
Sad columns of exiles, accompanied by weeping wives and children, went underground. The exit was guarded by a large detachment of soldiers, and not a single rebel could return back.
Bofaro and his wife and his two sons descended into the Cave first. An amazing Underground country opened up to their eyes. It stretched as far as the eye could see, and on its flat surface here and there rose low hills covered with forest. In the middle of the Cave the surface of a large round lake brightened.
It seemed that autumn reigned on the hills and meadows of the Underground Country. The foliage on the trees and bushes was crimson, pink, orange, and the meadow grasses turned yellow, as if asking for a mower’s scythe. It was dark in the Underground Country. Only the golden clouds swirling under the arch provided a little light.
- And this is where we should live? – Bofaro’s wife asked in horror.
“Such is our fate,” the prince answered gloomily.

Siege

The exiles walked for a long time until they reached the lake. Its banks were strewn with stones. Bofaro climbed onto a large piece of rock and raised his hand to indicate that he wanted to speak. Everyone froze in silence.
- My friends! - Bofaro began. - I am very sorry for you. My ambition got you into trouble and threw you under these dark arches. But you can’t turn back the past, and life better than death. We face a fierce struggle for existence, and we must elect a leader to lead us.

Loud cries rang out:
-You are our leader!
- We choose you, prince!
– You are a descendant of kings, it’s up to you to rule, Bofaro!
No one raised a voice against Bofaro's election, and his gloomy face lit up with a faint smile. Still, he became a king, albeit in the underworld.
– Listen to me, people! - he spoke. “We deserve a rest, but we can’t rest yet.” As we walked through the Cave, I saw vague shadows of large animals watching us from afar.
- And we saw them! – others confirmed.
- Then let's get to work! Let the women put the children to bed and look after them, and let all the men build a fortification!
And Bofaro, setting an example, was the first to roll the stone towards the one drawn along the ground big circle. Forgetting about fatigue, people carried and rolled stones, and the round wall rose higher and higher.
Several hours passed, and the wall, wide, strong, was erected two human heights high.
“I think that’s enough for now,” said the king. “Then we will build a city here.”
Bofaro placed several men with bows and spears on guard, and all the other exiles, exhausted, went to bed in the alarming light of the golden clouds. Their sleep did not last long.
- Danger! Get up everyone! - the guards shouted.
Frightened people climbed onto the stone steps made with inside fortifications, and saw that several dozen strange animals were approaching their shelter.
- Six-legged! These monsters have six legs! - exclamations rang out.
And indeed, instead of four, the animals had six thick round paws that supported long round bodies. Their fur was dirty white, thick and shaggy. The six-legged creatures stared, as if spellbound, at the unexpectedly appeared fortress with large round eyes...
- What monsters! It’s good that we are protected by the wall,” people were talking.

The archers took up fighting positions. The animals approached, sniffing, peering, shaking their large heads with short ears with displeasure. Soon they came within shooting distance. Bowstrings rang, arrows whirred through the air and lodged in the shaggy fur of the animals. But they could not penetrate their thick skin, and the Six-Legs continued to approach, growling dully. Like all the animals of the Magic Land, they knew how to speak, but they spoke poorly, their tongues were too thick, and they could hardly move in their mouths.
- Don't waste arrows! - Bofaro ordered. – Prepare swords and spears! Women with children - to the middle of the fortification!
But the animals did not dare to attack. They surrounded the fortress with a ring and did not take their eyes off it. It was a real siege.
And then Bofaro realized his mistake. Unfamiliar with the customs of the inhabitants of the dungeon, he did not order water to be stocked, and now, if the siege was long, the defenders of the fortress were in danger of dying from thirst.
The lake was not far away - only a few dozen steps away, but how could you get there through a chain of enemies, agile and fast, despite the apparent clumsiness?..
Several hours passed. The children were the first to ask for a drink. It was in vain that their mothers reassured them. Bofaro was already preparing to make a desperate sortie.
Suddenly there was a noise in the air, and the besieged saw a flock of amazing creatures quickly approaching in the sky. They were a little reminiscent of the crocodiles that lived in the rivers of Fairyland, but they were much larger. These new monsters flapped huge leathery wings, strong clawed feet dangled under a dirty yellow scaly belly.
- We are dead! - the exiles shouted. - These are dragons! Not even a wall can save you from these flying creatures...
People covered their heads with their hands, expecting that terrible claws were about to plunge into them. But something unexpected happened. A flock of dragons rushed towards the Six-Legs with a squeal. They aimed at the eyes, and the animals, apparently accustomed to such attacks, tried to bury their muzzles in their chests and waved their front paws in front of them, standing up on their hind legs.
The screech of the dragons and the roar of the Six-Legged Ones deafened the people, but they looked with greedy curiosity at the unprecedented spectacle. Some of the Sixpaws curled up into a ball, and the dragons bit them furiously, tearing out huge clumps of white fur. One of the dragons, carelessly exposing its side to the blow of a powerful paw, could not take off and clumsily galloped along the sand...
Finally, the Six-Legs scattered, pursued by flying lizards. The women, grabbing jugs, ran to the lake, rushing to give water to the crying children.
Much later, when people settled down in the Cave, they learned the reason for the enmity between the Six-Legs and the dragons. Lizards laid eggs, burying them in warm ground in secluded places, and for animals these eggs were the best treat, they dug them up and devoured them. Therefore, the dragons attacked the Six-Legged Ones wherever they could. However, the lizards were not without sin: they killed young animals if they came across them without the protection of their parents.
So the enmity between animals and lizards saved people from death.

Morning of a new life

Years have passed. The exiles are accustomed to living underground. On the shores of the Middle Lake they built a city and surrounded it stone wall. To feed themselves, they began to plow the land and sow grain. The cave lay so deep that the soil in it was warm, warmed by underground heat. There were occasional showers of golden clouds. And therefore the wheat still ripened there, although more slowly than above. But it was very difficult for people to carry heavy plows on themselves, plowing up the hard rocky ground.

And one day the elderly hunter Karum came to King Bofaro.

“Your Majesty,” he said, “the plowmen will soon begin to die from overwork.” And I propose to harness the Six-Legs to the plows.
The king was amazed.
- Yes, they will kill the drivers!
“I can tame them,” Karum assured. “Up there, I had to deal with the most terrible predators.” And I always managed.
- Well, act! – Bofaro agreed. -You probably need help?
“Yes,” said the hunter. – But, besides people, I will involve dragons in this matter.
The king was surprised again, and Karum calmly explained:
– You see, we humans are weaker than both the Six-Legged and the flying lizards, but we have intelligence, which these animals lack. I will tame the Six-Legs with the help of dragons, and the Six-Legs will help me keep the dragons in subjection.

Karum got down to business. His people took away young dragons as soon as they had time to hatch from their eggs. Raised by people from the first day, the lizards grew obedient, and with their assistance, Karum managed to catch the first batch of Six-Legs.
It was not easy to subdue the ferocious beasts, but it was possible. After a multi-day hunger strike, the Six-Legs began to accept food from humans, and then they allowed them to put on harnesses and began to pull plows.
At first there were some accidents, but then everything got better. Hand dragons carried people through the air, and Six-Legged Dragons plowed the earth. People breathed more freely, and their crafts began to develop faster.
Weavers wove fabrics, tailors sewed clothes, potters sculpted pots, miners extracted ore from deep mines, foundries smelted metals from it, and metalworkers and turners made all the necessary products from metals.
Mining ores required the most labor; many people worked in the mines, and therefore this area began to be called the Country of Underground Miners.
The underground inhabitants had to rely only on themselves, and they became extremely inventive and resourceful. People began to forget about the upper world, and children born in the Cave never saw it and knew about it only from mother's stories, which finally began to resemble fairy tales...
Life was getting better. The only bad thing was that the ambitious Bofaro had a large staff of courtiers and numerous servants, and the people had to support these slackers.

And although the plowmen diligently plowed, sowed and collected grain, the gardeners cultivated vegetables, and the fishermen caught fish and crabs in the Middle Lake with nets, food soon became scarce. Underground miners had to establish barter trade with the upper inhabitants.
In exchange for grain, oil and fruit, the inhabitants of the Cave gave their products: copper and bronze, iron plows and harrows, glass, gems.
Trade between the lower and upper worlds gradually expanded. The place where it was produced was the exit from the underworld to the Blue Country. This exit, located near the eastern border of the Blue Country, was closed by a strong gate by order of the King of Naranya. After the death of Naranya, the outer guard from the gate was removed, because the underground miners did not try to return to the top: after many years of living underground, the eyes of the cave dwellers had become unaccustomed to sunlight, and now miners could only appear above at night.
The midnight sound of a bell hanging at the gate announced the onset of another market day. In the morning, the merchants of the Blue Country checked and counted the goods carried out by the underground inhabitants at night. After that, hundreds of workers brought bags of flour, baskets of fruits and vegetables, boxes of eggs, butter, and cheese in wheelbarrows. The next night it all disappeared.

Alexander Volkov

SEVEN UNDERGROUND KINGS

Fairy Tale

INTRODUCTION

HOW THE MAGICAL COUNTRY APPEARED

This went on for many years, but then Gurricap got bored with people’s requests and gratitude, and he decided to settle in solitude, where no one would disturb him.

That's what I need! - Gurricup was happy. “Here I will live out my old age in peace.” We just need to make sure that people don’t come here.

Gurricup thought about what he still lacked.

Let eternal summer reign here! - the wizard ordered, and his wish came true. - Let this country be Magical, and let all the animals and birds speak like humans here! - exclaimed Gurricup.

And immediately incessant chatter thundered everywhere: monkeys and bears, lions and tigers, sparrows and crows, woodpeckers and tits spoke. They all got bored over the long years of silence and were in a hurry to express their thoughts, feelings, desires to each other...

Quiet! - the wizard ordered angrily, and the voices fell silent. “Now my quiet life without annoying people will begin,” said a satisfied Gurricap.

You are mistaken, mighty wizard! - a voice rang out near Gurricup’s ear, and a lively magpie sat down on his shoulder. - Excuse me, please, but people live here, and there are quite a few of them.

Can't be! - cried the annoyed wizard. - Why didn’t I see them?

You are very big, and in our country people are very small! - the magpie explained laughing and flew away.

Gurricap chose a vast clearing, lay down on the ground and fixed his gaze on the thicket of the forest. And there he could hardly make out many small figures timidly hiding behind the trees.

Well, come here, little people! - the wizard ordered menacingly, and his voice sounded like a clap of thunder.

The little people came out onto the lawn and timidly looked at the giant.

Who are you? - the wizard asked sternly.

“We are residents of this country, and we are not to blame for anything,” the people answered, trembling.

Gurricap went to the mountains, in an instant erected a magnificent palace for himself and settled there, strictly ordering the inhabitants of the Magic Land not to even come close to his home.

This order was carried out for centuries, and then the wizard died, the palace fell into disrepair and gradually fell apart, but even then everyone was afraid to approach that place.

A THOUSAND YEARS AGO

Will you admit, my unworthy son, that you plotted against me? - asked the king.

“I confess,” the prince answered boldly, without lowering his eyes in front of his father’s stern gaze.

Maybe you wanted to kill me to take over the throne? - Naranya continued.

No,” said Bofaro, “I didn’t want that.” Your fate would have been life imprisonment.

“Fate decided otherwise,” the king noted. - What you prepared for me will befall you and your followers. Do you know the Cave?

You and your supporters will go to the Cave for eternal settlement! - the king solemnly exclaimed, and even Bofaro’s enemies were horrified. - But this is not enough! Not only you, but also your children and your children's children - no one will return to the earth, to the blue sky and the bright sun. My heirs will take care of this, I will take an oath from them that they will sacredly carry out my will. Maybe you want to object?

No,” said Bofaro, as proud and unyielding as Naranya. “I deserve this punishment for daring to raise my hand against my father.” I will ask only one thing: let them give us agricultural tools.

“You will receive them,” said the king. - And you will even be provided with weapons so that you can defend yourself from the predators that inhabit the Cave.

Sad columns of exiles, accompanied by weeping wives and children, went underground. The exit was guarded by a large detachment of soldiers, and not a single rebel could return back.

Bofaro and his wife and his two sons descended into the Cave first. An amazing Underground country opened up to their eyes. It stretched as far as the eye could see, and on its flat surface here and there rose low hills covered with forest. In the middle of the Cave the surface of a large round lake brightened.

It seemed that autumn reigned on the hills and meadows of the Underground Country. The foliage on the trees and bushes was crimson, pink, orange, and the meadow grasses turned yellow, as if asking for a mower’s scythe. It was dark in the Underground Country. Only the golden clouds swirling under the arch provided a little light.

Very briefly In the underground kingdom of the Magic Land, the Sleeping Water has disappeared. The girl Ellie, who again finds herself in the Magic Land, helps return the water and leaves the country forever.

Introduction

The magical land was created by the wizard Gurricap. He searched for solitude for a long time until he found a picturesque place. He surrounded the country with impassable mountains and desert so that ordinary people could not penetrate there. Eternal summer reigns here, and animals and birds can talk. The wizard built a palace for himself in the inaccessible mountains and ordered no one to approach it. Soon he died, people forgot about him, only a dilapidated palace remained, and no one dared to approach him.

Years passed, the Magic Country was divided into parts at war with each other. In one of the states, Prince Bofaro planned to overthrow his father King Naranya from the throne. The conspiracy was discovered, and the father forever imprisoned his son and his family, with all the conspirators and their families, in a dungeon. This is how the country of underground miners appeared. Its inhabitants tamed the terrible monsters with six legs and dragons that lived in the dungeon. Gradually, these people became unaccustomed to sunlight and came to the surface only at night to exchange the precious stones they mined underground for food.

Prince Boforo had seven sons. In order not to offend anyone, Boforo decreed: each heir would rule the country in turn, for a month. The heirs lived in a palace divided into parts, each of which was painted one of the colors of the rainbow. Each king had his own ministers, and they made their own laws. Ordinary people worked hard to satisfy the whims of the rulers. Since there was no change of day and night in the underground country, time was recognized by the hourglass, which was monitored by the Time Keeper.

Years have passed. The reign of one of the kings was ending, and he had to transfer power to another. But he was a baby, and his mother ruled for him. She forced the Keeper of Time to change the clocks, and confusion began in the country, as the people did not know which king to obey.

Six-legged animals were caught by specially trained hunters. One day, while hunting, one of them saw a new source of water. He decided to drink and fell asleep. Seeing that the hunter had been gone for a long time, the king ordered to find him. The hunter was found near a small depression in which there was no water. While the doctors were arguing whether he was alive or dead, the hunter opened his eyes. He was like a newborn, he didn’t remember anything, he couldn’t drink, eat, or talk. But he soon recovered and told what happened. Having examined the water, which appeared and disappeared, the inhabitants of the underground country came to the conclusion that it was soporific.

Each king had his own staff of servants for whom the people had to work, so it was decided during the reign of one king to put the rest to sleep with their entire family and retinue.

Meanwhile, four sorceresses came to the Magic Land: Gingema, Bastinda, Stella and Villina. After a dispute, they divided the country into four parts, leaving the central part free. But soon Goodwin from Kansas fell into it, whom people mistook for a powerful wizard. Goodwin built the Emerald City and lived in it until Ellie exposed the “sorcerer”. Goodwin returned to Kansas, leaving Scarecrow the Wise as ruler.

After the defeat of the wooden army of Oorfene Deuce, a traitor from the Emerald City, Ruf Bilan hid in the dungeon. Wandering in the labyrinth, he found a pickaxe forgotten by the masons and, cutting through the wall, destroyed the pool with Soporific water. He was captured and brought to the king. The story of Ruf Bilan aroused contempt among the king, but he could not judge him for betrayal. Since the pool was destroyed unknowingly, the king made Rufus Bilan a palace footman.

The disappearance of Sleeping Water led to tragedy. Getting used to artificial sleep, people could not fall asleep on their own and suffered from insomnia until nature took its toll. Now all the inhabitants of the underground country were awake, and there was not enough food for everyone. A council urgently met, the meeting of which was interrupted by the news that a boy and a girl were approaching the city, accompanied by an unknown animal.

Long walk

Meanwhile, Ellie and her pet Toto go to visit relatives. She walks with her cousin Fred, who is two years older than the girl, and talks about her travels to the Magic Land. One day the children decide to explore a nearby cave. Having discovered their disappearance, the parents run to the cave and see that there has been a collapse. They consider the children dead.

But the children survive and begin to look for a way out. Having wandered through the labyrinth, they come to an underground river. He put an inflatable boat in his backpack, and now they found it useful. After ten days of sailing, food supplies have run out, and the children are forced to eat fish. Finally, the boat takes out into the underground land of the miners.

The inhabitants of the underground country bring their children to the king. Seeing Ellie, Ruf Bilan recognizes her and tells the king that she is a fairy who destroyed two evil sorceresses. In response to Ellie’s request to help her go upstairs to return home, the king sets a condition for her: to return the Sleeping Water.

The children are given beautiful rooms in the palace and guards are assigned to them. The chronicler Arrigo tells them the history of the underground country. Ellie asks the king to inform the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman about her arrival, but the king refuses: his friends will demand the release of the captives, and this will threaten great trouble for the underground inhabitants.

Ellie and Fred decide to cheat. Under the pretext of visiting the pool with Sleeping Water, Toto will try to escape. The children also count on the help of Arrigo, who sympathizes with them.

The end of the underworld

Having hidden Toto under his jacket, Arrigo brings him to the surface during an exchange of food with the Munchkins. With the help of the ruler of the Blue Country, Toto finds himself in the Emerald City. The Scarecrow calls the Tin Woodman and the Brave Lion for help, and the friends consult on how to free Ellie. With a letter in his collar, which says that the Winks, residents of the Emerald City, and forest animals will come to Ellie’s aid, Totoshka returns to the underground country.

Ellie pretends to cast a spell over the spring, but no water appears. She explains this by saying that the powers of the underground spirits are stronger than her spell.

Ellie presents the King with the Scarecrow's ultimatum: if underground inhabitants If they don’t release the prisoners, the ruler of the Emerald City and his allies will go to war against them. The king is ready to fight, but only underground - the miners are not going to go up. Since Toto was put in a cage after returning, Arrigo helps Fred get out.

Fred gets to the Scarecrow and tries to talk him out of the war. The skilled craftsman Migunov Lester offers to make a water pump for the underground inhabitants. With such a proposal, a surface delegation arrives in the underground country.

A magnificent feast is held in honor of the noble guests, and with the help of blockheads the source is restored. During the work, it turns out that water puts you to sleep with its fumes, but diamonds protect against this.

Having received the Sleeping Water, each king began to weave intrigues against the others, wanting to become the only ruler, but the Wise Scarecrow outwitted everyone. He put all the kings and their retinue to sleep, and when they woke up, they were raised as simple workers. One of the Time Keepers, Ruggiero, was elected ruler of the country, and the rest of the inhabitants had to remain silent and not tell the kings about their past. Only Ruf Bilan did not inspire confidence, and he was taken to a cave and put to sleep for ten years.

Ellie, Toto and Fred must return home. The mouse queen Ramina predicts that this last trip girls to the Magic Land. The pet dragon Oykhho is entrusted with bringing the children home. Friends tenderly say goodbye to Ellie, feeling that they are seeing her for the last time.

This went on for many years, but then Gurricap got bored with people’s requests and gratitude, and he decided to settle in solitude, where no one would disturb him.

- That's what I need! – Gurricup was delighted. “Here I will live out my old age in peace.” We just need to make sure that people don’t come here.

For such a powerful sorcerer as Gurricap, this did not cost anything.

Once! – and the country was surrounded by a ring of inaccessible mountains.

Two! - behind the mountains lay the Great Sandy Desert, through which not a single person could pass.

Gurricup thought about what he still lacked.

– Let eternal summer reign here! - the wizard ordered, and his wish came true. – Let this country be Magical, and let all the animals and birds speak like humans here! - Gurricup exclaimed.

- Quiet! - the wizard ordered angrily, and the voices fell silent. “Now my quiet life without annoying people will begin,” said a satisfied Gurricap.

– You are mistaken, mighty wizard! – a voice rang out near Gurricup’s ear, and a lively magpie sat down on his shoulder. – Excuse me, please, but people live here, and there are a lot of them.

- Can't be! - cried the annoyed wizard. - Why didn’t I see them?

– You are very big, and in our country people are very small! – the magpie explained laughing and flew away.

Gurricap chose a vast clearing, lay down on the ground and fixed his gaze on the thicket of the forest. And there he could hardly make out many small figures timidly hiding behind the trees.

- Well, come here, little people! – the wizard ordered menacingly, and his voice sounded like a clap of thunder.

The little people came out onto the lawn and timidly looked at the giant.

- Who are you? – the wizard asked sternly.

“We are residents of this country, and we are not to blame for anything,” the people answered, trembling.

“I don’t blame you,” Gurricup said. “I should have looked carefully when choosing a place to live.”

But what's done is done, I won't change anything back. Let this country remain Magical forever and ever, and I will choose a more secluded corner for myself...

Gurricap went to the mountains, in an instant erected a magnificent palace for himself and settled there, strictly ordering the inhabitants of the Magic Land not to even come close to his home.

This order was carried out for centuries, and then the wizard died, the palace fell into disrepair and gradually fell apart, but even then everyone was afraid to approach that place.

Part one
Cave

A thousand years ago

“Will you admit, my unworthy son, that you plotted against me?” - asked the king.

“I confess,” the prince answered boldly, without lowering his eyes in front of his father’s stern gaze.

“Perhaps you wanted to kill me in order to seize the throne?” – Naranya continued.

“No,” said Bofaro, “I didn’t want that.” Your fate would have been life imprisonment.

“Fate decided otherwise,” the king noted. “What you prepared for me will befall you and your followers.” Do you know the Cave?

– You and your supporters will go to the Cave for eternal settlement! – the king solemnly proclaimed, and even Bofaro’s enemies were horrified. - But this is not enough! Not only you, but also your children and your children’s children - no one will return to the earth, to the blue sky and the bright sun. My heirs will take care of this, I will take an oath from them that they will sacredly carry out my will. Maybe you want to object?

“No,” said Bofaro, as proud and unyielding as Naranya. “I deserve this punishment for daring to raise my hand against my father.” I will ask only one thing: let them give us agricultural tools.

“You will receive them,” said the king. “And you will even be provided with weapons so that you can defend yourself from the predators that inhabit the Cave.”

Sad columns of exiles, accompanied by weeping wives and children, went underground. The exit was guarded by a large detachment of soldiers, and not a single rebel could return back.

- And this is where we should live? – Bofaro’s wife asked in horror.

“Such is our fate,” the prince answered gloomily.

Siege

- My friends! - Bofaro began. - I am very sorry for you. My ambition got you into trouble and threw you under these dark arches. But you cannot undo the past, and life is better than death. We face a fierce struggle for existence, and we must elect a leader to lead us.

Loud cries rang out:

-You are our leader!

- We choose you, prince!

– You are a descendant of kings, it’s up to you to rule, Bofaro!

– Listen to me, people! - he spoke. “We deserve a rest, but we can’t rest yet.” As we walked through the Cave, I saw vague shadows of large animals watching us from afar.

- And we saw them! – others confirmed.

- Then let's get to work! Let the women put the children to bed and look after them, and let all the men build a fortification!

And Bofaro, setting an example, was the first to roll the stone towards a large circle drawn along the ground. Forgetting about fatigue, people carried and rolled stones, and the round wall rose higher and higher.

Several hours passed, and the wall, wide, strong, was erected two human heights high.

“I think that’s enough for now,” said the king. “Then we will build a city here.”

Bofaro placed several men with bows and spears on guard, and all the other exiles, exhausted, went to bed in the alarming light of the golden clouds. Their sleep did not last long.

- Danger! Get up everyone! - the guards shouted.

Frightened people climbed onto the stone steps made on the inside of the fortification and saw that several dozen strange animals were approaching their shelter.

- Six-legged! These monsters have six legs! - exclamations rang out.

And indeed, instead of four, the animals had six thick round paws that supported long round bodies. Their fur was dirty white, thick and shaggy. The six-legged creatures stared, as if spellbound, at the unexpectedly appeared fortress with large round eyes...

- What monsters! It’s good that we are protected by the wall,” people were talking.

- Don't waste arrows! - Bofaro ordered. – Prepare swords and spears! Women with children - to the middle of the fortification!

But the animals did not dare to attack. They surrounded the fortress with a ring and did not take their eyes off it. It was a real siege.

And then Bofaro realized his mistake. Unfamiliar with the customs of the inhabitants of the dungeon, he did not order water to be stocked, and now, if the siege was long, the defenders of the fortress were in danger of dying from thirst.

The lake was not far away - only a few dozen steps away, but how could you get there through a chain of enemies, agile and fast, despite the apparent clumsiness?..

Several hours passed. The children were the first to ask for a drink. It was in vain that their mothers reassured them. Bofaro was already preparing to make a desperate sortie.

Suddenly there was a noise in the air, and the besieged saw a flock of amazing creatures quickly approaching in the sky. They were a little reminiscent of the crocodiles that lived in the rivers of Fairyland, but they were much larger. These new monsters flapped huge leathery wings, strong clawed feet dangled under a dirty yellow scaly belly.

- We are dead! - the exiles shouted. - These are dragons! Not even a wall can save you from these flying creatures...

People covered their heads with their hands, expecting that terrible claws were about to plunge into them. But something unexpected happened. A flock of dragons rushed towards the Six-Legs with a squeal. They aimed at the eyes, and the animals, apparently accustomed to such attacks, tried to bury their muzzles in their chests and waved their front paws in front of them, standing up on their hind legs.

The screech of the dragons and the roar of the Six-Legged Ones deafened the people, but they looked with greedy curiosity at the unprecedented spectacle. Some of the Sixpaws curled up into a ball, and the dragons bit them furiously, tearing out huge clumps of white fur. One of the dragons, carelessly exposing its side to the blow of a powerful paw, could not take off and clumsily galloped along the sand...

Finally, the Six-Legs scattered, pursued by flying lizards. The women, grabbing jugs, ran to the lake, rushing to give water to the crying children.

Much later, when people settled down in the Cave, they learned the reason for the enmity between the Six-Legs and the dragons. The lizards laid eggs, burying them in the warm ground in secluded places, and for the animals these eggs were the best delicacy; they dug them up and devoured them. Therefore, the dragons attacked the Six-Legged Ones wherever they could. However, the lizards were not without sin: they killed young animals if they came across them without the protection of their parents.

So the enmity between animals and lizards saved people from death.

Morning of a new life

Years have passed. The exiles are accustomed to living underground. On the shores of the Middle Lake they built a city and surrounded it with a stone wall. To feed themselves, they began to plow the land and sow grain. The cave lay so deep that the soil in it was warm, warmed by underground heat. There were occasional showers of golden clouds. And therefore the wheat still ripened there, although more slowly than above. But it was very difficult for people to carry heavy plows on themselves, plowing up the hard rocky ground.

And one day the elderly hunter Karum came to King Bofaro.

“Your Majesty,” he said, “the plowmen will soon begin to die from overwork.” And I propose to harness the Six-Legs to the plows.

The king was amazed.

- Yes, they will kill the drivers!

“I can tame them,” Karum assured. “Up there, I had to deal with the most terrible predators.” And I always managed.

- Well, act! – Bofaro agreed. -You probably need help?

“Yes,” said the hunter. – But, besides people, I will involve dragons in this matter.

The king was surprised again, and Karum calmly explained:

– You see, we humans are weaker than both the Six-Legged and the flying lizards, but we have intelligence, which these animals lack. I will tame the Six-Legs with the help of dragons, and the Six-Legs will help me keep the dragons in subjection.

Karum got down to business. His people took away young dragons as soon as they had time to hatch from their eggs. Raised by people from the first day, the lizards grew up obedient, and with their assistance, Karum managed to catch the first batch of Six-Legs.

It was not easy to subdue the ferocious beasts, but it was possible. After a multi-day hunger strike, the Six-Legs began to accept food from humans, and then they allowed them to put on harnesses and began to pull plows.

At first there were some accidents, but then everything got better. Hand dragons carried people through the air, and Six-Legged Dragons plowed the earth. People breathed more freely, and their crafts began to develop faster.

Weavers wove fabrics, tailors sewed clothes, potters sculpted pots, miners extracted ore from deep mines, foundries smelted metals from it, and metalworkers and turners made all the necessary products from metals.

Mining ores required the most labor; many people worked in the mines, and therefore this area began to be called the Country of Underground Miners.

The underground inhabitants had to rely only on themselves, and they became extremely inventive and resourceful. People began to forget about the upper world, and children born in the Cave never saw it and knew about it only from their mother’s stories, which finally began to resemble fairy tales...

Life was getting better. The only bad thing was that the ambitious Bofaro had a large staff of courtiers and numerous servants, and the people had to support these slackers.

In exchange for grain, oil and fruit, the inhabitants of the Cave gave their products: copper and bronze, iron plows and harrows, glass, precious stones.

Trade between the lower and upper worlds gradually expanded. The place where it was produced was the exit from the underworld to the Blue Country. This exit, located near the eastern border of the Blue Country, was closed by a strong gate by order of the King of Naranya. After the death of Naranya, the outer guard from the gate was removed because the underground miners did not try to return to the top: after many years of living underground, the eyes of the cave dwellers had become unaccustomed to sunlight, and now the miners could only appear above at night.

The midnight sound of a bell hanging at the gate announced the onset of another market day. In the morning, the merchants of the Blue Country checked and counted the goods carried out by the underground inhabitants at night. After that, hundreds of workers brought bags of flour, baskets of fruits and vegetables, boxes of eggs, butter, and cheese in wheelbarrows. The next night it all disappeared.

Testament of King Bofaro

Bofaro reigned in the underground country for many years. He descended into it with two sons, but then he had five more. Bofaro loved his children very much and could not choose an heir from them. It seemed to him that if he appointed one of his sons as his successor, he would terribly offend the others.

Bofaro changed his will seventeen times and finally, exhausted by the squabbles and intrigues of the heirs, came to an idea that brought him peace. He appointed all his seven sons as heirs, so that they reigned in turn, each for a month. And in order to avoid quarrels and civil strife, he forced the children to take an oath that they would always live in peace and strictly observe the order of government.

The oath did not help: strife began immediately after the death of his father. The brothers argued about which of them should reign first.

- The order of government should be established by height. “I am the tallest, and therefore I will reign first,” said Prince Vagissa.

“Nothing like that,” objected fat Gramento. - Whoever weighs more has the same more intelligence. Let's weigh in!

“You have a lot of fat, but not intelligence,” cried Prince Tubago. “The affairs of the kingdom are best handled by the strongest.” Well, go three against one! – And Tubago waved his huge fists.

A fight ensued. As a result, some of the brothers were missing teeth, others had black eyes, dislocated arms and legs...

Having fought and made peace, the princes were surprised why it did not occur to them that the most indisputable order was to rule the kingdom by seniority.

Having established the order of government, seven underground kings decided to build themselves a common palace, but so that each brother would have separate part. Architects and masons erected a huge seven-tower building on the city square with seven separate entrances to the chambers of each king.

The oldest inhabitants of the Cave still retained the memory of the wonderful rainbow that shone in the sky of their lost homeland. And they decided to preserve this rainbow for their descendants on the walls of the palace. Its seven towers were painted in the seven colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow... Skillful craftsmen ensured that the tones were amazingly pure and not inferior to the colors of the rainbow.

Each king chose as his main color the color of the tower where he settled. So, in the green chambers everything was green: the king’s ceremonial attire, the clothes of the courtiers, the footmen’s livery, the coloring of the furniture. In the purple chambers everything was purple... The colors were divided by lot.

In the underworld there was no change of days and nights and time was measured by an hourglass. Therefore, it was decided that the correct rotation of kings should be monitored by special nobles - the Keepers of Time.

King Bofaro's will had bad consequences. It began with the fact that each king, suspecting the others of hostile designs, got himself armed guards. These guards rode on dragons. So each king had flying overseers who monitored work in the fields and factories. Warriors and overseers, like courtiers and lackeys, had to feed the people.

Another problem was that there were no firm laws in the country. Its inhabitants did not have time to get used to the demands of one king in a month before others appeared in his place. Greetings especially caused a lot of trouble.

One king demanded that people kneel when meeting him, and another had to be greeted by making left hand with your fingers spread out towards your nose and your right hand waving above your head. Before the third one you had to jump on one leg...

Each ruler tried to come up with something weirder that other kings would not have thought of. And the underground inhabitants groaned at such inventions.

Each inhabitant of the Cave had a set of caps in all seven colors of the rainbow, and on the day of the change of rulers it was necessary to change the cap. This was closely watched by the warriors of the king who ascended the throne.

The kings agreed on one thing only: they came up with new taxes.

People worked hard to satisfy the whims of their overlords, and there were many of these whims.

Each king, upon ascending the throne, gave a magnificent feast, to which the courtiers of all seven rulers were invited to the Rainbow Palace. The birthdays of the kings, their wives and heirs were celebrated, successful hunts were celebrated, the birth of little dragons in the royal dragons and much, much more... Rarely did the palace not hear the exclamations of the feasters, treating each other with the wine of the upper world and glorifying the next ruler.