several roughly made wooden shelves above the headboard of the bed. There she put the sword and dagger. The girl plopped down on the bed and immediately fell asleep.
…
Sofia spent the whole morning packing. After lunch, she didn't know what to do with herself, so she decided to wander around the city. Her friends were busy: Agatha was preparing provisions, Mikhail was learning how to use onions, and Caroline was with Her Majesty all morning. The Queen gave all four of them money so that they would have enough for the whole trip. It was quite a large sum. Sofia went into the bakery and drank a cup of coffee with a pie. After that, she practiced fencing and defeated all her rivals. The streets of the city were empty at this hour, so it was quite pleasant to walk around the city. Finally, Sofia wandered into a God-forsaken street, where she wasn't going to linger. She walked along the poor houses, looking at the signs. A pub! At first, this idea seemed disgusting to Sofia, but on reflection, she decided that a couple of mugs of beer would do no harm. She went inside. The place was pretty clean, so the girl decided to stay here longer. She took three beers and sat down at a nearby table. The girl began to look around the audience. There were only a few people in the pub. Sofia began to drink her beer– it was delicious. An hour later, she drained all three mugs, and then took four more.
In the evening, Caroline, Agatha and Mikhail searched all over the city for Sofia, who had left in the morning. She was nowhere to be found, so the friends decided to ask the locals if anyone had seen a girl in armor with dark hair. Finally, somewhere at the other end of the street, they shouted that a noisy evening was planned in some tavern. The friends hurried straight there. When they entered the establishment, they saw Sofia, who was dancing, brandishing a sword. There were at least twelve empty mugs on the table next to her, and three full ones.
"We have to get her out of here," Mikhail said. Caroline and Agatha agreed and hurried after him.
The guys tried to pull Sofia out of the pub, but she resisted and continued to have fun, pushing her friends apart. The girl finished all the mugs and went back to the counter for a new drink. After turning out all the pockets of the bag, she found that there was no more money. Then she sobbed and went out of the pub into the street. The sky was dotted with stars, but Sofia's eyes were swimming, so it was difficult for her to concentrate on the stars. Her friends followed her out to support her. Agatha took Sofia by the right arm, and Mikhail by the left. Caroline led the way, glancing back at her friends who were dragging Sofia. When they arrived at the palace, they carefully put Sofia on the bed and left her room.
-She's heavy,- Agatha said, sighing.
- Of course, such a huge piece of iron! Mikhail exclaimed, -And I had to carry a sword on my back!"
- We will have to rely on such a person for our journey!- Caroline said contemptuously, glancing at the door of the room where Sofia was sleeping.
-You're wrong, Kar,- Agatha said softly. The girls were able to make friends a little in this short time - Sofia is very good, she has a lot of positive qualities that will soon reveal themselves in full force. It's still very difficult for her to be here, no matter how hard she tries to hide it. We all know that she had a difficult relationship with her family. Without realizing it, today she remembered her loneliness, remembered her parents, her sister. It all put pressure on her, and she coped with the pressure like that... in a strange way.
- How do you know that?- Mikhail asked.
- I've always seen it. I've always seen that she has problems with someone very close to her. When she got grades below A, she didn't have a face on her. She always tried to be ahead, to get only the first places. But the most important thing is that she never had her parents with her. No one even came to this game with her. Now she's trying to forget herself... You know, I'm worried about Sofia. Her eagerness scares me. She could get into serious trouble because of this.
Mikhail and Karolina thought about it. They had a great relationship with their parents, so they didn't understand Sofia's problems. A person who has not faced a problem will never understand a person who has been living with this problem all his life. You can't blame them, because that's how the world works. Agatha understood Sofia because she was more sensitive than Mikhail or Caroline. The three of them went to their rooms. At home, Agatha talked for a long time about how to help Sofia, because you can't leave everything like that, she can really suffer a lot. But what can be done?
…
In the morning, Sofia woke up with a severe headache. She remembered the evening in fragments: here she was dancing on the table, here she was drinking her eighth beer, here she was falling. The girl leaned back against the pillows. What a nightmare! It's terrible! Then, about ten minutes later, she got up, took the sword and left her room. Agatha was already in the kitchen, busy with the last preparations.
- Sofia! How are you feeling? Can you walk?- she asked, noticing Sofia.
-Yes, yes,- she replied absently, -I have a little headache, but I'll go out and everything will pass.
Agatha handed a cone to her friend.
- It's from the pain. If it doesn't go away, you'll drink it. Ok?
-Thank you, Agatha,- Sofia said, looking at the girl with a smile. Agatha understood everything so well... I wonder if she knows what's going on with her–Sofia? Probably, yes.
Sofia was just about to talk about it with Agatha when the royal page ran into the kitchen and said that Her Majesty asked them all to come to her. Sofia decided to postpone the conversation.
When Sofia and Agatha came to the throne room, Caroline, Mikhail and Edward were already waiting for them there. Her Majesty was sitting on the throne, but when everyone was gathered, she jumped up and said:
- Today you are going on a very difficult task. This is a challenge where you have to work together. You complement each other. You can't do it alone. Remember this, brave warriors!
All five straightened up. Everyone was proud that their queen had chosen them to complete this task. They did not waste any time, immediately after the queen's instructions, they left the hall, heading straight to the stables, where their faithful steeds were waiting for them. Amid the joyful rejoicing of the people, a small detachment was approaching the gate. They walked with their heads held high, thinking about how they would save these people, eager for the end of the war between black and white figures. The heavy gates creaked open, releasing a small detachment from the walls of the city. The sun was rising, staining the trees and snow. The rays played on the smooth surface of the weapon, and gave the faces an even more solemn look. So began a great journey in which friends learn a lot about each other, about the world, and most importantly about themselves.
Chapter 6
The whole day the party continued their journey without rest. The day turned out to be quiet and calm. It could even be called pleasant if it weren't for Sofia's headache and the amulet. The girl kept looking at Caroline and the amulet. She was tormented by the thought that she was not the first in this story, but only a minor character. Making this thought worse was the realization that Caroline had never dreamed of this, but Sofia had imagined this world all her life! What went wrong? Why is she the second?
Very soon the trampled road ended, and impassable snows began. In these difficult days of the harsh struggle between the peoples, the inhabitants of the White City did not stray too far so as not to be captured by the enemy. The horses' legs were knee-deep in snow. Because of this, the road took almost half a day. The riders and horses were exhausted, so it was decided to stop for the night in a small cave. The friends tied the horses to the nearest tree and went into the cave, laid out their things. Then Sofia said she was going to get some firewood. ----Alone!- she said rudely as Edward followed her.
-It's dangerous out there,- he warned, smiling.
-I can defend myself without the help of an arrogant knight!- Sophia snapped.
Edward frowned, but stepped back so as not to annoy Sophia. The latter, taking a sword, went into a dark grove. Sofia's thoughts were spinning wildly in her head, the amulet was haunting her. The girl tried her best to suppress these nasty thoughts about taking the amulet from Caroline, stealing it. It would be mean to my friends... But this is her story. No! She will play the role she was assigned, but she will never betray, even for the sake of the championship. Having come to this decision, she began collecting firewood, going further and further into the grove. Finally, she noticed that the trees had run out. Looking up, she saw the houses, that is, what was left of them: the huts were burned, the snow around was strewn with ashes. There were scarlet bloodstains here and there.
-They did it,- Edward's voice came from behind. Sofia turned around quickly.
- Have you been following me?!- She exclaimed, choking with indignation.
Edward lowered his eyes, but then quickly looked at Sophia. He went up to her, took some of the brushwood and went back.
- Are you coming? Mikhail and Agatha are already preparing dinner,- he said, -You have a strange friend. He's too hothouse.
- Are you talking about Mikhail? Sofia asked, -He's very good. I'm used to this kind of Mikhail. I think that's the way I like him the most.
- Good warrior! This is very strange! Edward chuckled, -As strange as a woman in armor!
Sofia blushed with anger, threw the brushwood on the ground and pulled out her sword.
- Quiet, quiet. You understand, a decent girl nowadays stays at home, goes shopping or something like that...
- Shut up! Did you see yourself? You should have perfume and powder, not a sword and armor. I don't even want to cross my sword with such trash! Sofia said, putting away her weapon, and taking firewood, she headed to the cave where her friends were waiting for her
The bonfire illuminated the small space of the cave brightly. All five of them settled around him and discussed their next steps. The amulet had to be delivered as quickly as possible, so Edward, who knew the area better than anyone, suggested going through the Dead Mountains.
-The name is promising,- Mikhail said skeptically, thereby causing a grin on Edward's lips. No one noticed this except Sophia, who was watching Edward closely. She felt very disgusted, so she pretended to stir the coals in the fire so as not to look at that face.
-There's going to be a storm tomorrow,- Edward said suddenly.
- Why did you decide that?- Caroline asked.
- Do you see the whole sky is covered with clouds? There will be a very strong storm tomorrow evening,- Edward explained, clearly pleased with the attention to his person.
- Nothing, we'll manage! -Mikhail bravely declared, but Edward's reaction to his words remained the same.
Very soon the squad fell asleep. Sofia slept for only a few hours, and then, waking up, decided to go out for a walk. A solitary walk was absolutely necessary for her, so she got up and went to the exit of the cave. Halfway there, she remembered that she had picked up several bottles of beer when leaving the city. Sofia took one and went out, taking a long sip. How strange, the dream has come true, and she is not happy. Something is wrong... Edward's words struck a chord. He put so much pressure on the patient. The faces of her parents and sister, their words, came back to her memory. Another sip of beer. Damn Edward! A branch snapped somewhere nearby. The girl turned around. Agatha was standing right behind her.
- This is not the way out, Sofia. Washing down a problem does not mean solving it. To solve it, you need to talk, because you won't solve anything in silence.
- It's easier this way.
- That's right. It's easier to just drink it down, and not say anything, not think about it, and not make any effort. Yes, solving this kind of problem requires a lot of effort. But you have to fight. Do you think strength is just the ability to wield a sword? No, strength is the ability to see your problems and solve them.
Sofia thought about it. Agatha was right, she needed to solve these problems. You can't leave everything as it is, you have to fight. Otherwise, it is unknown what might happen to her next, because she is already obsessed with the idea of primacy and the amulet. What will these thoughts lead her to tomorrow? Sofia doesn't know. The only thing she knew for sure was that she wasn't ready to work out the problem with her parents right now. Now she has to take care of the amulet and Caroline.
A fine snowball began to fall in the morning, and has been increasing ever since. Sophia did not pay much attention to this, but Edward continued to convince her that it was necessary to hide before it was too late. The struggle between two people who are madly in love with the championship began. So far, Sofia has won, because Agatha and Mikhail trusted her more than Edward. Caroline wasn't on anyone's side, she was on her own. She sincerely believed that she was the leader of the team, but deep down she still understood that she was far from the leader.
- We must urgently seek shelter. Then we will be covered with our heads,- Edward continued to insist, "We will not be able to cope with the storm.
-No,- Sophia snapped, -we can't delay now. Do you really think that the enemy will doze off and wait for us to take the amulet to the mountain? It's funny!
-Whatever you say, Sofia,- Mikhail said meekly, clearly not wanting to think.
Agatha said nothing. She usually expressed her agreement in silence. So it was decided to go until the storm starts. Edward was deeply outraged by such frivolity, but he could not change anything.
Dusk was gathering. Heavy dark clouds covered the sky. The snow was already falling in full force, covering all traces of the travelers. They were all covered in snow, wet and very tired. The wind was blowing in my face, and flakes of snow were blinding my eyes. Sofia rode in front of everyone. She convinced herself that she could do without shelter, although soon even she realized that she still needed to rest. She turned to her friends. Yes, they are unlikely to last long. Sofia began to look around for at least the smallest cave. Finally, after taking a good look, she noticed it – almost unnoticeable, but suitable for sleeping.
-Friends, I suggest we stop in that cave over there and rest until morning,- Sofia said, trying to shout over the wind whistling in her ears.
- I'm all for it! Mikhail replied, adjusting his cap.
- It's finally come to that! Edward exclaimed, -It had to be pushed to the extreme!
- But we have covered a good distance! Agatha objected.
- And soaked to the skin! Caroline said, displeased.
-That's why I suggest you take a break,- Sofia replied irritably. Can't they see that she's trying for them all? It's hard to work with fools.
The whole company came to the entrance to the cave.
- This cave confuses me. Something's wrong,- Edward said, looking around.
- Shut up, Edward, - Caroline shouted, who was already impatient to go to bed, - There is no other cave here, and we can't go any further! You're going to have to put up with that feeling.
Edward frowned. He seems to have lost all power in this squad... Meanwhile, Agatha, Karolina and Mikhail entered the cave. There was an amazing stench in it, and some sticks were lying on the floor. After looking closely, Sofia realized that these were bones!
-Troll,- Edward whispered, turning pale, -Let's run.
-It's too late,- Agatha replied in the same tone.
A growl came from the depths of the shelter. All five of them backed away from fear.
-We're going to die, we're going to die in a dark, damp cave at the hands of a troll,- Caroline moaned, sliding down the wall. Agatha tried to support her friend, but she also slowly sat down next to her. Sofia looked at her friends. She was pretty scared too, but she was still on her feet. Suddenly, a hunch dawned on her – this is her chance to prove herself! If she defeats the troll, then glory is assured for her! Then she abruptly pulled out her sword and rushed into the darkness to attack the enemy. Agatha jumped up and tried to stop her:
- Sofia, no! The team! We have to work together! Stop! You can't do this alone!
But Sofia was not up to it. She was obsessed with the idea of victory, and did not even think about the fact that the enemy might be stronger than her. In the darkness, she could make out a huge figure that was approaching her at full speed. Then Sofia quickly put the sword forward. The troll stopped. At that moment, the girl ran at him and stabbed him in the side with a sword. The creature roared in pain, tried to knock her down with its paw, but she managed to jump in time. A battle ensued. Although the troll was wounded, he fought with dignity. Sofia kept stabbing him, but he wouldn't give up. He tried to knock the sword out of the girl's hand, but she held it tightly. Finally, the troll made a fatal mistake: he bent down to jump, and Sofia, taking advantage of the moment, jumped on his back and plunged her sharp blade into him to the hilt. The troll howled, quickly straightened up, throwing off the girl, and then fell to the floor with his whole bulk, not getting up anymore. Sofia got up and went to him to get her sword. Her friends came up to her. Their gazes expressed both admiration and condemnation.
- You could have died!- Agatha said indignantly, - It seems to me that you forgot that this game involves teamwork, that is, working with us!
- Agatha, well, I'm not dead! Sofia replied simply, pulling the sword out of the troll's body and wiping the blood on it.
- Sofia, understand, you are our strongest player, we cannot lose you. If you're not there, we'll lose the final battle, because we have to hold on to each other. Our complementary
