Cards
Chapter 1
His name, in fact, was Teodor, not Ivanushka, and although he was the youngest son, he had only one older brother. He also insisted he’d got through the entire ordeal just to get to her. The lengths I’ve gone to find my white dove, he said, laughter in his eyes, and there she is.
Of course, he knew better than to say this to the girl herself. He said it to her father instead, who was much more of a romantic. He rather enjoyed the fairytale too, which was perhaps surprising for the owner of several town businesses, but Teo could see the twinkle in the man’s eye as soon as they shook hands.
Her name was Katya. Katerina Pasheva to the town priest, Katya – to everyone else. She worked at her father’s pub and went hunting with her brother on Sunday mornings, when her father thought she was at the market. Yuri called his sister Kat, because she was moody, suspicious and could walk right up to a stag and pet it before it even knew she was there.
“What’s he like?” Katya asked him the night before the wedding. They were playing cards on the soft carpet in her room, the fire burning low in the hearth, dinner settling nicely in their stomachs. And even though she was forbidden alcohol as a bride-to-be, her brother had smuggled her a flask of brandy along with a worn pack of playing cards.
“Who?” Yuri asked, focusing on his cards.
“Teodor Kalev.”
“Ah. Youngest son to the king.”
“What?”
“Says he’s been searching for you past nine kingdoms and thrice forgotten lands.”
Katya eyed her brother suspiciously, trading a jack of hearts with the pool on the table.
“Or was it forests,” he muttered. “I can never remember.”
“Are you having a stroke, Yuri?”
“I think perhaps there was a dragon involved…”
“What are you talking about?”
Her brother laughed and collected a hand.
“It’s this story he told father. This odd fairy tale about kingdoms and princes and all the trials he’d gone through to get here… I think there were dragons… or maybe witches? Dragons are much more macho though, don’t you think?”
“Pfft,” she traded another pair.
“What? Are you questioning my manliness?”
“You couldn’t even kill time successfully, Yuri.”
“What are you talking about, I’m absolutely beating you at---” he hushed as Katya laid her cards down and revealed a winning hand. “Oh. Well, that was unfortunate timing.”
“Tell me more.”
“Well, I could have probably beaten you if I hadn’t traded that six at the beginning,” he grumbled shuffling the deck.
“About Teo! Tell me more about Teo.”
“He’s just a guy, Kat.”
“Who’s about to be my owner-“
“Husband.”
“Who bought me for a rose bush-“
“A seasonal supply of highest quality refined rose oil,” her brother kept correcting, eyes focused on the cards between them.
“-and never thought it necessary to introduce himself to me-“
“It was your idea, Kat!”
“Still, I think I’m entitled to some curiosity.”
“You’ll get to ask him all the questions you want tomorrow,” Yuri shrugged.
“Before or after I’ve agreed to marry him in front of the whole village?” Katya said, bitterness turning the question into a statement.
Her brother was quiet for a second assessing his hand, but his face was dark.
After a few moments he said:
“He says you’re his white dove.”
“His what?”
“His white dove,” Yuri repeated. “Sort of like a unicorn I think. You know,” he dared a quick look into his sister’s disbelieving eyes, “mythic creature, hard to catch. A great boon…”
“I know what a unicorn is, thank you.”
“So… that’s what you are. Precious.”
Katya stared at her brother for a long moment.
“It’s your turn,” he prompted hesitantly.
“So he’s insane,” Katya declared horrified, her interest in the cards clearly forgotten.
“I think it’s what the ladies call romantic.”
“What ladies?!” she exclaimed.
“You know-,” Yuri began but was quickly interrupted.
“And don’t say Sasha.”
“…and her sister,” he added sheepishly.
“Yuri, they read novels!”
“So?”
“When was the last time you saw me read a novel?”
“You were walking around with one of those thick Russ classics just the other day.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
“That was a weapon.”
“What?”
Katya lift her chin in a poised gesture of defiance:
“Kosta was hanging around the bar again,” she said calmly and exchanged a card with exaggerated calmness. “I was preparing to throw it at his head.”
She waited for her brother to return to the game and when he just stared at her she went:
“What?”
“Nothing, I’m just a lot more sympathetic to poor Teo all of a sudden.”
“Oh, ha-ha,” Katya scoffed.
“Should I ask cousin Zora check your garters for emergency tomes of Balzac tomorrow?”
“Why? Do you think they’ll help?”
The two laughed, shoulders loosened a bit and dealt a few turns in silence.
“Oh dear,” Katya whined suddenly as Yuri showed a winning hand.
“It’s not that bad, you’re still leading.”
“No, it’s just…”
“What?”
“Can you imagine… what if he reads?”
“Oh, I think it’s worse than that, sis. I think he’s a teller as well as a reader.”
“Oh God!” Katya exclaimed in horror, burying her face in one of the pillows nearby and her brother laughed at the outburst:
“Well, at least you’ll both be equally dramatic,” he teased and she threw the pillow at him.
“It’s not funny, Yuri! What if he is insane?”
“Then I’ll help you bury the body.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I! But I won’t have to and you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because you’re better than me with a shovel.”
“Yuri!”
“Because you’ll like him,” her brother said more seriously.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because, and I say this with love sis, you’re also insane.”
Unsure if she should sulk or laugh, Katya snorted with a half smile.
“You better be serious about helping me dig,” she said finally.
“I’ll hold the lantern,” he bumped her shoulder gently and handed her the shuffled deck: “Go on then. It’s your turn to deal.”