Fresh, incomparable, the smell of birches and firs, familiarly tickled the nostrils. The lindens already smelled of honey, although the bees had just begun to work. The beginning of summer was felt in everything, in the smiles of adults, in the downcast eyes of girls, in the laughter of children.
The blond, blue-eyed Peresvet looked at the village that came alive in the morning, along with nature, standing at the edge of the forest, in a meadow. The guys, all young, strong and tall, were washing and warming up by the river. By some reason among them was not visible Yaroslav, the son of Veda. Probably returned yesterday at dawn.
Peresvet at midnight went to the Far Meadow, to watch how the shustiki bloom, then the healers prepare a pruga from them, which cures all diseases, and twigs, and even removes whammy to the wind. It was there that he saw Yaroslav with the Songa. And the fact that Songa is the bride of Arzhin, from a neighboring village, it’s not business of Peresvet, he’s still small. This spring, Peresvet turned twelve springs. And this meant that he had just begun to grow up, that is, from now on, he was entitled to work in full, and everything that brightened up the severity of adult life was not supposed to be at all. Peresvet’s parents drowned last spring, and it’s good that the family of his father’s brother accepted him. Otherwise, they would have given him immediately to the forest, for the good of Mleesey, the god of the forest. Who demanded his subjects every spring, when he came to the forest of the Sviyakh family.
Peresvet already had one road to be a student of the witch Shika, Fira, his father’s brother, had three wives and five sons, in addition to the adopted child. Everyone needs to allocate a share so that everyone can bring a bride. There was no share left for Peresvet, and therefore he should become a sorcerer. And live without a bride. Peresvet was not upset by this. Hearing the whisper of the forest, knowing what the birds and animals say, seemed to him more interesting than living in the countryside and working from dawn until late night, just to survive the winter. And you won’t see summer. Peresvet has never seen Shika works, on the field or anywhere else. He did not take payment for his sorcery, but he always had the most fragrant jam, the freshest vegetables and milk.

Peresvet loved the smell of a flowering meadow, as if from deep childhood, from which he had not really come out yet, but had already firmly forgotten.
Among the guys frolicking in the river, Wislav stood out in a sonorous voice, swarthy, handsome, and flexible. As it fell out of the night, the whole family of Sviyakhs was pale, that’s why they were called Sviyakhs — pure ones. He was obscure himself, but his father, a respected man, was, therefore, they accepted his son, and he did no harm to anyone, did not slander anyone. But he was obscure, that’s for sure, and he fraternized with Sihey, that’s someone who loved to slander, such incredible things that it would not even come to mind.

Sihey was the son of Takhom, a farrier, and also an obscure one, all white, with a clean face, with such a face only to look in the mirror, and not to go to battles. So he didn’t go. Either a guy, or a girl, and he wore long hair, right up to the waist, like an old man, sometimes even plaited it like a girl. Black eyebrows of straight, curved lines, any beauty will envy it. Sihey’s hands were thin, delicate, just like a woman’s. A coprs Sihey had a flexible, smooth gait, only there was not enough bulky chest, and in the bath there was a noticeable difference, in other case a woman like a woman. He should have been born a girl, but no, he was born where family was fed with a hammer. Takhom sighed many times, looking at his son, the handsome swan. And Darena, as luck would leave her, did not give birth to him any more sons, in order to pass on the business, or daughters, so that she would bring an heir to the house. It can be seen that the family of Takhom will get stuck. There is no continuation for him, what kind of swiyakh girl will marry Sikhey? He doesn’t know how to hold a hammer properly. How will the family be fed? After all, Takhom could not teach him anything. And how do he can learn? How many times he tried to give his son to apprenticeship, and he always ran away, and told such things that it was a shame to repeat.

In vain Takhom was worried, a lot of girls of the clan looked at his son, but he didn’t look at anyone, he arranged games with the guys, and as they had fun with the girls, in their young business, he went home. And what he made up — he loved to dance. He danced and you really can’t take your eyes off, but not like guys dance, and not like girls — although that’s good — but he came up with some tricky movements.
Peresvet knew all this, but only did not understand Takhom’s turmoil. Well, let he is not a farrier, but Sihey will dance, he can walk with matchmakers, and dance on all holidays, and he bakes well, he will not stay without piece of bread.
Or maybe he really, as the old sviyakhs used to say, from the forest Mleesey, came like a spirit-keeper. And what he likes to talk to people, it’s Mleesey gives a test. Maybe he will take him when he needs to, and maybe, if some kind of trouble happens, Sihey will call the forest for help, and Mleesey himself will come to help the sviyakhs. For a long time, the Slavic people were already many years old, several neighbor-clans did not begin to build cities, they did not accept strangers’ leaders, the elders of the clans gathered, and decided to leave for the forest. So it is more reliable.