Page 7. Prince

That took place a long time ago, at the remote past, when foreign hordes surrounded Saint Russian Land and the State was moaning from overwhelming yoke of invaders. Plunder and terror reigned in the country, divided into small principalities. There was no unity on the Russian land; there was no unity in people’s hearts.

…Early in the morning in the chamber of the Princely Tower, near the opened window there stood a Boy. He looked about thirteen-fourteen, he was tall, strong; one could hardly say that he had recently celebrated his eleventh anniversary. His adultly serious gaze was steady, and unchildlike thoughts occupied him. The country was torn by intestine strives - appanage princes made war on each other every now and then. While his peers played lapta game in the backyard, the Boy held real mace, sword and lance in his hands. He was growing to be a warrior.

At that moment he was looking fixedly at the tops of the mighty trees that turned golden from the sunrise, he remembered a strange dream he had had recently. It was a dream about him being extreme old in the small house located on the slope of bushes, no grass on them – only the snow and rocks. He knelt; above him was a figure of the big man with thick fair beard and piercing look. The Boy wanted to scrutinize the mysterious stranger better, but… he awoke. And, though there were no reasons for joy – his father was seriously ill, the Boy was filled with the feeling of unprecedented happiness, as from touching something great.

Boy’s father and grandfather were great princes – they did a lot for making their motherland stronger. Petty appanage princes accepted the thought that they would have to be subordinate. But not all felt that they, after the death of his father, when boyars brought the yarlyk of the great prince to the Boy, he had to forget about the childhood and to stand up for the conquests of his relatives with a sword in his hand.

In campaigns and battles his youth flew by like a swift-winged falcon. The Prince matured and became a real strong man. And the might of his princedom grew stronger together with him. But the severe ordeal did not take long to come. Faithful people informed the Prince that the enemy, dissatisfied with the weakening of his influence on the Russian Land, raised big troops to walk through the country like the devastating avalanche, to spread terror, to lay people under tribute. Realizing that it was impossible to avoid a decisive battle, the Prince went to assemble troops under his banner. However his soul was harried by doubts. Did they have enough forces to repulse hordes of invaders, who inspired the Russian Land with fear for a long period of time?

Such gloomy thoughts accompanied the Prince on his way to the small forest Cloister, where Father Superior was famous among folks for being a righteous man and a miracle-worker. The Prince, who did not experience fear in battles, now felt strange agitation before the first meeting with the Holly Old Man.

At the gates of the cloister dear guests were greeted by the Father Superior himself in the modest monastic clothes, he had a meek face and extremely kind, clear eyes. The Prince started when he looked into those bottomless eyes: he seemed to notice in them the fire flash of the piercing look of the stranger from the remote child dream. “Come in, Prince, - the Father Superior bowed. – Try our bread-and-salt.”

After the frugal meal the Father Superior said: “I know your grief, Prince, and the adversary forces are known to me. Our motherland got tired to endure constant humiliation and attainder. But the price of victory will be high. Many glorious warriors will be killed at the bloody battle. But the Great Russian Land will acquire faith in itself; the Russian folks will hearten up and unyoke in the name of the Blessed Virgin. I’ll give you two powerful warriors. The two are certainly not troops, but their role will be important in the decisive battle. Make your spirit stronger, Prince, as you will defeat the filthy enemy not by quantity, but by unity and Faith. Keep this Faith in your heart. I give my blessing to you!”

The Prince returned from the Father Superior being calm, he reinforced his fighting squads with two knights and now he did not feel any uncertainty about the forthcoming battle. He realized that to gain the victory at the battlefield it is necessary to win it in spirit, and that victory in spirit was unquestionable for him after receiving that unconquerable weapon from the Holly Father.

In several days the Russian troops were located at the bank of the river. The Prince was going to have a sleep, when everything lighted up inside the tent and the image of the Holly Father in snow-white brilliant clothes with a radiant face appeared in the beam of light. “My beloved brother, I say it for you! – The words rang in the head of the Prince. – Gather all mighty of spirit before the decisive battle. Remember that you will win not by quantity but by the unity and faith. Don’t linger – defend the Russian Land from the mortal enemy. I’ll be together with you at the fated hour. Not only me – but the whole Holly Russian land will pray for you victory. In the name of Virgin Mary - Amen!” The image of the Holly Old Man in the beam got extinguished, and the Prince remained sitting for some time with his head bent, then he stood up with a jerk and informed about the get-together of his generals. “Don’t go to bed! - The command was. – Cross the river at night and in the morning be ready for heroic deeds to the glory of the Russian Land!” And the work turned out to be in full swing.

Warriors made bridges, found fords, and soon the first knights came to the plain of another bank. At noon, when the morning mist cleared away, advanced enemy detachments suddenly found the large troops in fighting order. From the early morning the black ravens were making circles above the battlefield in anticipation of the plentiful prey. Like a flight of ravens were heaving hostile hordes. There was the Russian watch regiment taken a firm stand before them; it was sheltered from phalanxes by regiments of the Right and Left hands. The ambush regiment contained the most selected forces; it was hidden from strangers for the decisive attack.

From the enemy formation one of warriors came out, he was of sturdy built, on the black warhorse. “Who dares fight with me?” – He cried waving his sharp lance. Hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to the Prince, hundreds of chain armors lifted up in the single breath, hundreds of hands squeezed staffs of lances.

But the Prince kept silent peering at the flight of ravens darkening the sun as if in expectation of something. And then – three fair falcons flocked together from three directions as if displaying the unity of the Great, Minor and White Russian Land, they drove away the flight of ravens, and the Sun began to shine above the battlefield. The Prince lowered his gaze and met eyes of one of the Holy Father’s lay brethren. Short instant was enough for the Prince to get amazed by the great fortitude, blazing in those steel-blue eyes. The Prince nodded in silence, and the warrior flew like an arrow from the rank towards the foreign fighting man. One moment – and both knights are lying on the ground, having speared each other in the internecine battle. Loud call of Russian warriors spread over the battlefield, and heartrending wail answered, as the Russian knight was above, and the foreigner - under.

The Prince saw the outcome of the duel; he looked one more time in the sky and raised his hand over his regiments.

Forward, brothers! For our mother – the Holy Russian Land! The sign has been shown – our Heaven Father is here with us! Let’s drive away the lousy flock of ravens! Come on, for the Russian Land!

“For the Russian Land!” – Troops of many thousands caught up in single exhalation. And the fighting burst out! Chain armors got torn, helmets got broken, blood flew like water and the ground cracked unable to endure the tension of the great battle. High in the sky there were three falcons as if sending encouragement and support to the warriors. And the Prince did not know that far away, at a distance of hundreds of versts from the battlefield, the Father Superior, enveloped in invisible flames of spirit, was praying passionately calling by name the killed.

Russian warriors had a rough time. The enemy troops started to press them, in spite of reckless fortitude and the great power of spirit. There the second lay brother of the Holy Father hung his head, pierced all over with the enemy arrows. And being dead, by some miracle he stayed riding a horse, terrifying the foreign regiments. Now the Prince himself rushed in the battle as a common warrior to encourage his people. His enemy rejoiced taking that brave move as a display of despair and expecting quick victory. And at that moment the ambush regiment rushed out from the shelter, splitting avalanche of the attack. The outcome of the battle got determined.

The uniting of the Russian Land was initiated by war of emancipation. There were many inroads, devastation of cities, ravage of lands ahead, but the main, decisive victory – victory in spirit – was achieved. The Prince scarcely recovered from wounds as he came to bow to the Holy Father, who became his spiritual leader from now on…

…Years passed. At the last time the Prince talked to the Holy Father being fatally ill in the same Princely Tower, where once the Boy tried to understand his strange dream. “Tell me, Father, you know the meaning of that dream, don’t you?” – The Prince dared ask.

“I know, my Prince, – The answer followed. – That was not a dream, but one of our former meetings. There were many of them and there will be more as we live not on the earth, but in Eternity being spiritually in each other. And, if the eyes of your spirit opened, there are no limits for your inner all-seeing vision. So look!”

Colorful and real scenes – remote, but, at the same time, so close and dear flashed before the Great Prince. He saw boundless sands and the broiling sun, majestic pillars of the huge temples, tops of palms on the bank of the wide river… An instant – and he is sitting, chained, on the boat, heading for the remote island in the open sea… The other instant – and he is standing on the city square before the large amount of people, on the altar decorated by heads of Feathered Serpent… One more instant, and one more – scenes quickly replaced each other, the Prince’s mind refused to believe, but his heart answered with joy and pain. The Prince did not have time to get amazed. And the Great Old Man was standing above him in the beam of light, he said:

“My beloved brother, not many can see what you’ve just seen. Blessed your way is - the way of a devoted assistant of the Heaven Army. You’ve helped us many times affirming love and spiritual uniting on the earth. And now, accompanying your spirit to the next travel, by power I’ve given, I turn your eyes to the future as it is wonderful. The great mission is in store for our country, the favorable fate is ahead for the Russian people. Having overcome many obstacles, baptism of fire and crucifixion, the Holy Russian Land will have a revival and will become a mother of the new Savior of humanity. And then, in many centuries, we will meet again on our earth to greet His coming and to affirm new kingdom of the released spirit in the transformed country. Rejoice at your way, rejoice at the fate of your country, and rejoice at the greatness of spirit of your people! In the name of our mother – the Blessed Virgin – HELLO!”

With those words the Holly Old Man touched the Prince’s forehead – and it seemed that the sun lighted the room. That light filled each cell of the tired body and his soul turned to the light, vanished in it, throwing away everything that bound it to the earth to continue its great service to the common good in the Eternity.