Accompanied by Salima, Anzhelika was walking towards her room when the girls heard a faint groan coming from the kitchen. Anzhelika resolutely opened the door to the kitchen, and the girls saw Mahfuz, one of the merchants, standing at the table awkwardly bent over. He tried to pour water from the jug into the cup with his left hand, pressing his right arm to his side.
"What happened?" Anzhelika asked, coming up and taking the jug from him.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMJtrd46JD
"The wound... something's wrong with my wound," the man muttered through his teeth, "probably... it became infected..."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfsCDTVHiz
"What wound?" Anzhelika frowned, pouring water into a goblet and handing it to him. "Only Kamal was wounded, wasn't it?"11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSNgTpE4He
Mahfuz greedily drank the water and then answered:11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrL0AUZHwYM
"I have a scratch below the elbow... I kept silent... I thought it would pass..."
Salima pressed her hands to her cheeks in horror. Anzhelika put her palm to the unfortunate man's forehead and stated:11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxwz3C2h8K
"He has a fever," then, turning to Salima, she ordered: "Call some of the guys and Zukhra. Do you have nettles in the house? We'll need them for a decoction against fever."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIc1fGcXwko
"Nettle is over, Lady," whispered Salima, "but Gulnara should have it. Gulnara..."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoY5nycI2L
"You can go to Gulnara later," Anzhelika commanded without listening to the end, "and now call someone here."
Salima ran away and almost immediately several guys ran into the kitchen. They brought Mahfuz to the bedroom and Anzhelika began to examine the wound. The wound was small, but had festered slightly.
"O Allah, blood poisoning..." someone muttered in horror - all the inhabitants of the house were one by one gathering in the room.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCIqizg5V0
"Not yet," Anzhelika reassured them. Then she turned to the maids gathered behind her and said, "We'll need hot water, a clean cloth, and spirit for the start. I'll clean the wound first, then wipe it with spirit to disinfect it."
The women went off to do their errands. When they returned, Anzhelika began the treatment together with them. The others who had gathered were of little use, but the girl did not ask them to leave. It was easier for them - and for her too.
Having provided Salima, who had returned from her neighbor, with instructions on how to boil nettles, Anzhelika bandaged Mahfuz's wound and turned to the others:11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvzKjmYwbI
"Is anyone else injured?"11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeL3aEmgSP
"On my back... they snagged me a little..." muttered young Bakhtiyar, hiding his eyes.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZpEy2OY1X
Anzhelika sighed heavily.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3WJ1c9Bj4
"Take off your clothes," she commanded. The guy looked at her hesitantly, and she added: "Well, I'm just a healer."
The girl was not in the habit of being embarrassed by someone's undressed appearance. At home, Anzhelika could smear sunscreen on the back of any of her friends on the beach, regardless of gender, with complete indifference (unlike these same friends, if their gender was the opposite). The girl noticed a slight shadow of resentment on Bakhtiyar’s face - apparently for her indifference to his charms - but she didn’t have time to worry about it, and she began her examination. The scratch didn't look dangerous at all, but Anzhelika still wiped it with spirit. She checked up the guy's temperature with her hand and found it normal.
The night was restless - the maids were on duty at Mahfuz's bed, giving him a nettle decoction from time to time. Anzhelika herself got up several times to check on his well-being. Quietly creeping around the house with a candle, she approached the man's bed and checked his temperature by touching his forehead with her hand. Fortunately, he was getting better and better by morning.
The next morning, Mahfuz felt quite well, and the wound didn't look so bad. Bakhtiyar had avoided any problems at all. The inhabitants of the house cheered up and vied with each other to praise Anzhelika for her skill.
"Where did you learn healing, Angelica?" Kamal asked.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZ1kPwaNbQ
"My grandmother taught me," the girl shared. "And moonshine brewing too," she added inwardly. Her grandmother, who grew up in a village in the post-war years, considered this skill necessary, and although over the years she abandoned the practice due to improved supply of goods to the village, she passed on this knowledge to her granddaughter "just in case."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxqzBBNR2w
"Your grandmother is very wise and talented, and she raised a worthy heiress," the spy responded respectfully. Anzhelika smiled absentmindedly, nodding. She wondered what her grandmother would say if she saw her granddaughter’s success in herbalism and the admiration of the inhabitants of the Middle Ages. "She would probably be proud of me," Anzhelika thought melancholically. "And she would say - well, I told you this would come in handy... So funny - who would have thought."
The next day Mahfuz was already completely healthy. And when the evening came another joy happened: Tahir's sons and their guards returned - all alive, unharmed and with money from the Sultan.
Anzhelika, standing in the courtyard among the crowd who had come out to greet them, glanced sideways at Salima. Salima clasped her fingers in excitement, standing among the maids and watching Gayar hugging and kissing her father. When the guy glanced at the crowd and his joyful gaze met Salima's, she silently lowered her eyes to the ground, blushing. "Good to see that it's mutual," Anzhelika thought, slightly smiling involuntarily.
The girl took the finished clothes from Zulfiya and paid for it; Salima had good reason to praise the craftswoman - everything fit just perfectly. Anzhelika happily twirled around in her new dress in front of a small mirror, which Salima turned in front of her so that she could see everything, at least one part after another, and rejoiced at the simplicity and elegance of High Middle Ages fashion. For God's sake, no suffocating corsets, no wires stuck into skirts or trains dragging on the ground. Only flowing ash-green silk, gently hugging the waist, slightly flared sleeves and a skirt that fell in soft folds to the ankle.
The evening was devoted to a noisy feast, the whole company listened with interest to the guys' stories about how they waited out the showdown near Jerusalem and met with the Sultan. His generosity was unanimously recognized by all as outstanding. The next morning, everyone was getting ready to leave. Anzhelika was woken up by Salima at her request a little earlier than noon, and lazily lay in bed while Salima packed her things. The maid was happily humming something under her breath and seemed to be glowing from within. Angelica couldn't help but catch her eye and wink meaningfully. Salima giggled shyly.
There was a knock at the door and after permission to enter the room, another maid looked in.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGyuQT0cqj
"Lady Angelica, master Tahir asks you to come speak to him," she said.
Anzhelika nodded, got out of bed and went to wash herself, accompanied by Salima's gaze, which for some reason became anxious. When asked if something had happened, the maid shook her head.
Anzhelika went down to the living room to see Tahir, wished him good morning and sat down next to him on the sofa, curiously waiting for what he would tell her.
"Honorable Angelica," he began, "paying tribute to all your innumerable virtues, I want to ask you: would you agree to marry my son Gayar? Since today, perhaps, you will leave, it is worth talking about it now. I hope that my son will be able to make you happy."
Anzhelika looked at him slightly shocked. She blinked, thought for a bit and decided to keep the remark "maybe the dude will figure it out himself somehow?" to herself out of politeness. The girl thoughtfully rubbed her nose and answered in the appropriate style:
"Here's the thing... at my home, according to tradition, people usually get married only after they've communicated with each other for quite a long time. This is at least a year, as a rule... Therefore, with all due respect, I'll refuse. But Gayar is a wonderful, brave guy, and I think some good girl would be happy to marry him. For example, Salima," Tahir looked slightly surprised, and Anzhelika continued: "She is very kind, smart, and in a couple of days she has made really great progress in learning healing. It would be harder for me here without her. But, of course, decide for yourself..."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Anzhelika left the thoughtful Tahir alone and, leaving the living room, ran into Kamal, who also wanted to talk to her about something.
"If he also asks for my hand in marriage, I'll laugh out loud," Anzhelika thought to herself as she followed the guy into the yard. After sat down on a bench and wait for her to sit down next to him, Kamal began:11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRuSf4yIjF
"Angelica, I am very impressed with how you cured Mahfuz. I didn't think he would survive, but thanks to your potions and skill, he is completely healthy in a couple of days. I have never seen anything like that."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmRk0gCGyn
"I was pleased to help him," Anzhelika replied, smiling warmly.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwIujA61CZ
Kamal paused for a moment and continued:11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59wTlYnkpw
"Your help would be invaluable to Salah ad-Din's army. If you wish, I can recommend you to the Sultan as a physician."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgcYw3Rlsh
Anzhelika gasped, rising to her feet and pressing her hand to her mouth.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPYm4S12yP
"Right now?!"11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhm2RDlf1q
Kamal nodded:11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoC8iDMcXU
"You can come with me today and talk to Salah ad-Din when you arrive. I'll introduce you. Think about it, and if..."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzkniB0UB4
"I agree," Anzhelika said, exhaling and looking into space with a disbelieving gaze. So fast? So easy?!11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1ABq6hLYH
Kamal smiled warmly and a bit thoughtfully.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIS2x3NtZE
"Then we'll go to Jerusalem. You'll stay with me - I have a house there."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeU9xORcLN1
"Thank you very much!" Anzhelika exclaimed.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCnyNkfOlb
"Thanks be to you," Kamal responded.
With her heart beating fast, Anzhelika ran to tell the rest of the company. Many thoughts were spinning in her head. "I wonder if Salah ad-Din is handsome?.. And how tall is he?" Anzhelika herself was one meter seventy-two centimeters in height... And... Hmm, the job... Well, she'll most likely get a job. For the Middle Ages, she really was a remarkable doctor - although at home she never thought about a career in medicine. Anzhelika loved her job as a translator: it was easy (if you had talent - and she had talent), it allowed her to communicate with new people and travel...
The girl entered the living room, where the inhabitants of the house had gathered, and said:11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtjCj9YQfX
"Comrades, Kamal suggested that I go with him and talk to Salah ad-Din - perhaps he will take me to work as a healer in the army. I agreed."
The men greeted the news with joyful cries.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pbFu4fhKn
"May Allah bless you, sister," said Fazel, smiling.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAn7PWQ6Mh
"Thank you, Fazel! I hope you are not offended," said Anzhelika, taking the guy's hand with both hands.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwckkY7q28w
"No, of course not," he laughed, "such a chance comes once in a lifetime," turning to Kamal who just entered, he added: "Brother, please take care of Angelica. If she don't get the job, we'll come soon and I'll take my sister with me."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrewizxAdPo
"Of course," the spy assured.
Anzhelika accepted the care with gratitude. At home she, a grown-up girl, could easily travel even to another continent alone without any problems. But here, when bandits, crusaders, and other evil were hanging around, and traveling was unsafe even for a squad of healthy men, precautions were not at all unnecessary.
The company finally gathered in the courtyard and began preparing to leave. Thank God, the day was surprisingly cloudy, and Anzhelika cherished the hopes of not being boiled alive on the way. The girl was sitting on her stolen horse, with the bags carefully packed by Salima and tied to the saddle - the shaytan knows what needed to be put there for a trip through the desert, Anzhelika certainly wouldn’t have been able to handle it alone. The girl thought that in a couple of days she had managed to become attached to both her fellow prisoners and the residents of the house...
"May Allah make your path easy," said Tahir as they were leaving.
The departing company set off from the courtyard to travel a little together and then split up. The caravanners were heading home, while Anzhelika, Kamal and the guards which Tahir had given them were heading to the Golden City, Jerusalem, to meet the Sultan.
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