Тимур Джафарович Агаев
The Universe of Nothing (collection)
The Cruel Princess
In the heart of the ruined city, where the streets were more like ruins, there was a huge Snow Government Castle. It rises like a dream, covered in sparkling ice, glittering in the sun like the diadem of a forgotten queen. Of course, it wasn't snow, it was a rare and very expensive ore.
Peace reigns inside the castle. Huge halls are filled with gentle light reflected from crystal chandeliers. The snow princess, surrounded by soft furs and silver jewelry, majestically enjoys delicious dishes – morning berries, fragrant honey and sweet juice.
Outside, amid the devastation and suffering,hungry and exhausted people looked out through the gates at this castle, trembling with dreams of a world where winter brings not only cold, but also hope. The Snow Princess, who seemed tobe frozen in this fairy tale, remained a symbol of the fact that this was impossible.
The princess was insanely beautiful, her snow-white hair and pretty face will become the dream of every man позаритсяwho looks at her, but also excessively brazen. That day, she actively listened to what her father, Lord Snow, was saying, and heard that he was going to execute an orc.
The Snow Princess was very interested in this. And as soon as she got to her apartment, she started looking at the city with her binoculars and interrogating her subordinates. One of them took a picture of this orc for the Snow Princess. There was a pretty girl standing next to the orc, and the princess immediately started asking who it was and where it came from. When she learned that she and the orc had come from the borders and were refugees from the Chariot, she scoffed and called Maria a "worthless ragamuffin", going back to eat berries and try more and more new dishes.
Meanwhile, the people were preparing an uprising. People were burning with hatred and they, seeing all this mind-blowing picture, were ready to tear the castle to shreds. First of all, to select food…
The snow princess became bored with life: everything is there, nothing else is needed, just go and eat. The princess had an idea of how to make her leisure time more diverse: murder and gladiator fights. She begged her father not to kill the orc, but to spare it and make it fight in the arena with her future fiance Artemius. Artemius agreed to the duel, despite his fear, because it was the princess's will, and Tom really wanted to stay at court and get all the same privileges as before.
Separatist forces (or already Snow Forces, Snow Army) captured Orc and Maria and led them to the castle. While Maria wondered what the king suddenly wanted from them, the Orc sensed something was wrong and knew that it had something to do with the Clear Wind. The orc appeared before the new king, and Maria was seated next to him and listened to the dialogue.
For some reason, Lord Snow called the Orc "Clear Wind". The orc didn't resist, because it meant exposing the Clear Wind, and therefore the whole nation. Maria began to protest and say that this is not so. No one listened to Maria's screams…
"As a punishment…" The Lord regarded the Orc with extreme caution and watched the reaction of what he thought was the "beast". – you will have to fight Prince Artemius.
The lord began to watch the brooding orc's reaction.
"What if I win the fight?" The Orc was serious.
The Snow Lord definitely hadn't expected such an answer. But after thinking about it and looking at the princess, who would need a husband in any case, he said:
"In that case, I will give you our princess as my wife." "Lord Snow thought that even if Artemis died, his daughter would still have a husband. And in that case, they might even be able to establish a relationship with the Orcs that no human state has managed to do in the past thousand years.
The battle for the throne passed quickly. The orc, without thinking twice, simply killed his opponent, lifting him off the ground and throwing him into the wall. After such a blow, it was hardly possible to survive. The orc looked at Lord Snow and the white-faced princess.
"Let Maria go.
Since then, Maria has been one of the most affluent women in the Snow Republic, as well as being an official and helping the Orc help the city's residents cope with illnesses and hunger.
The Orc overthrew Lord Snow and began to fully rule the republic. Most of the people from the Snow Army and the Snow Government joined him as a kind, understanding, and just ruler. But, of course, the government was then reshuffled for a long time and all those who sentenced the Orc to execution were removed from their posts.
People liked Orc as a ruler, he provided them with food, work and, most importantly, gave them peace. Under Orcus, the Snow Republic finally signed a peace treaty with the Chariot Republic. The war was over.
Land of the Orcs
The Land of Orcs is a harsh and mysterious world full of contrasts. Huge mountain ranges cut through by deep gorges, side by side with endless steppes covered with thick grass. Forests made up of giant trees hide many secrets and dangers in their depths. The climate is diverse: from hot deserts to cold polar regions, where permafrost covers the earth with a thick layer of ice. But everyone knows that where the ice begins, the human world begins.
The first Orcish settlements appeared on the banks of rivers and lakesе, where water was the main source of life. These places became centers of trade and culture, around which the first clans began to form. Gradually, the Orcsdeveloped more territory, building fortresses and citiesеprotected by high walls and towers.
However, the Land of the Orcs wasn't always so calm. Beneathitssurface, there are huge reserves of rare metals needed to create weapons and protective armor. It was these resources that caused the endless wars between the clans to start. Everyone wanted to control as many deposits as possible to ensure theirе superiority over others.
Thus began the era of great battles, when the Orcs divided territories among themselves, creating empires and developing their technologies. But before you dive into this era, it's worth finding out where the Orcs themselves оcame from and how they ended up in the Land of the Orcs.
The history of the appearance ofOrcs in the Land of Orcs is shrouded in many legends and myths. According to one of the most ancient legends, theOroki were created by powerful gods who wanted to populate this world with strong and hardy creatures. The gods gave the Orcs strength and resilience, but also gave them a thirst for power and extraordinary cruelty. Maybe the Orcs were created by humans with the help of their advanced technology, but this theory is rejected by the Orc scientific community…
Another version says that the Orcs came to the Land of the Orcs from another dimension through a portal to escape from a world shrouded, as adherents of this theory say, by a Great Catastrophe. No one knows what kind of disaster it was, and there are many views on the subject in Orc culture, but everyone is sure that this portal was opened by an ancient magical ritual performed by an unknown magician.тот портал был открыт древним магическим ритуалом, проведенным неизвестным магом. This magician was called the Great Magician and there are also cults around this magician. One of the beliefs says that the magician lives among the Orcs and sooner or later will open a portal back so that the orcs will fight for their past land.
