Yoana Valkanova

The sunlight was running over the rooftops of the village houses. The cocks were singing their salutation to the breaking dawn and the morning. The new day was coming slowly to the small village, hidden deep in the mountains, among dense forests, where no bad intentions or thoughts could reach it. In this pretty but small settlement lived Radoslava[1]. She was the most handsome maiden in the highlands. Such a beautiful girl no one had ever seen before – with hair as black as night, woven in a thick braid, that reached all the way to her waist; her eyes were big and lively and nothing could evade them, not even the smallest detail; her skin was white but her cheeks were bright red;  she was slender and tall. The whole village loved her because of her beauty, but also because she was hard-working and quick-witted. Young and old alike were sighing after her.

Each morning she went to the well with two coppers to get some fresh water. The lads were vying to still the flower in her hair, to drink water from her coppers, but she avoided them cleverly every time.

And this morning was not different. The maiden was making haste to reach her home sooner and to escape the teasing boys, as she stepped on a small serpent that was enjoying the sunlight. She felt sorry for the poor creature. It too was a child of nature and God. She lifted the serpent carefully and took it with her.

“Stay here until you heal,” she told the small snake as she released it in the garden of her house. “Here you will be safe and I will bring you food. In return, you can rid us of the mice and other creatures that run through the garden.” Afterwards Radoslava left the animal and return to her chores.

 

From all the lads the son of the wealthiest man in the village yearned after Radoslava the most. He was a headstrong and quick-tempered youth, who was used to receiving anything he wanted. He was tall and healthy, with blond hair and haughty grey eyes.  He often lied in wait with his friends for the handsome maiden near the well, but she always escaped him. He had started a rumour in the village that Radoslava would become his wife, but she remained unabashed and everyone believed her calm assurances that there was no such thing. Every time someone asked her whether she would marry the young lad, she would look proudly and say in a firm voice, “A black tongue is trying to shame my name, but God is the temple of truth and no evil words shall harm me.”

All attempts of the wealthy young man remained unsuccessful. Radoslava did not even look in his direction. And thus raging feelings filled the lad’s heart. He raved in the pub of the village and promised that she would be his. He would never give her to anyone else. Sooner or later she would agree to marry him.

In the beginning of spring, when the snow had not even completely lifted its white cover over the earth, Radoslava’s father gathered a party of a dozen men and went up the haidouk pathways. Radoslava and her mother leaved alone ever since. Two women could not handle all the house chores and the maiden would have to take a husband.

The rich young man knew she would come to him. He wondered what trick to play on her, so that she would be forced to bestow her attention to him, so that she would have to ask for his attention in return.

 

Weeks passed since Radoslava took the small serpent in. She kept her promise to take care of it. She brought the creature food every day. But one day she noticed that no one was eating the food. She understood that the serpent had left. She was said that it was gone, but also happy that it had healed. The maiden appreciated taking care of the creature, as she felt she was doing something good. But the serpent no longer needed her help and thus had left. There is nothing more important than health, the maiden thought.

She heard her sick mother calling and grew sad. Indeed, there was nothing more precious than health. Her mother was thin and pale, her body was weak and she often fell sick. Since her father had left, her mother had become plagued by worry and fear. The woman was always expecting a sign from God that the worst had happened. He would surely tell her. However, there was no sign and she continued to worry day and night.

Radoslava went in the house and asked how she could help her mother.

“Water,” the woman moaned from the bed.

The maiden startled. She had not gone to the well this day, fresh water to bring. She rushed to look for water for her poor mother. She gathered a few drops in a small bowl and then she hurried with the coppers to the well at the end of the village. This time no one was waiting for her and she did not meet any of the lads. She knew it was because she was late today. No one would go so late in the afternoon to the well water to take. Radoslava felt anxious. Who was she to overstep the traditions? Was she tempting evil in doing so? All kinds of spirits and magical creatures roamed near the well in the afternoon.

Such thoughts tormented her mind as she reached the well. There a man was standing on the path as if he had been waiting for her. Radoslava took a fright. What was that man doing here? Was he something inhuman? Was this her punishment that she had overstepped the traditions and had gone to the well for water after the sun was wearing down and the shadows were growing?

In a deep voice he said, “Do not be afraid, fair maiden. I mean you no harm. I am only a dusty traveller, thirsty from the long journey. I want some water from the well, however I have no coppers of my own. Please, oblige me with your coppers and in return I will tell you a wondrous tale.

She raised her eyes and looked shyly at him. She was anxious to give him her coppers. And he was such a tall, well-set and handsome man. He emanated strength and power. His hairs were pure black and his eyes were as green as the grass in spring. Those eyes could horrify a person and yet they were looking at her with warmth and gentleness. All fear left Radoslava as she met his eyes and she felt that something was drawing her towards that man. She felt as if she had met him before.

“Where are you from, traveller? Answer me and I will oblige you with my coppers,” she asked daringly.

The man laughed loudly and surprised the maiden. She could not grasp what was the reason behind his merriment.

“So be it, I will tell you. But promise you will not run away after you hear my story,” he warned her with a smile.

“I won’t.”

“I have no home or birthplace. I have travelled many lands and I have seen an awful lot. I have fought black witches and lived with wood-nymphs. I have hunted in their woods and bathed in their rivers. Are you still not afraid?”

Radoslava could not believe her ears. Was this the truth? She knew that it was not right to give him her coppers to drink water from them, but she wanted to hear more. And he told her stories about fairy-tale-like places, where witches and hali live, where wood-nymphs dance and sing and where dragons fly in the skies. He described wondrous adventures and horrifying events. And he always won at the end and was victorious over his enemies. She felt as if he was a brave hero from a fairy-tale. The maiden had not noticed that the sun had started setting down and that it had hidden behind the mountain picks. The sky was coloured in gold and red. Radoslava startled. She grabbed her coppers and hurried home.

The young man shouted after her, “Fair maiden, tomorrow I will wait for you here. Come again so that we can talk more.”

Radoslava ran home to her sick mother. However, that man had made her lose her head and had thrown chaos into her soul. Her thoughts always returned to him and his magical tales. But the one thing she could not get out of her mind were those green smiling eyes. And so she continued going to the well late in the afternoon to talk with him. Every night she made a promise that this would be the last time, but some force pulled her towards that man and the next day she would forget her promises and go meet him again. She knew she was doing something wrong. She cursed her weakness and inability to withstand the temptation. Nevertheless, she hadn’t the strength to stop meeting him.

Days passed, and then the days became weeks.

 

The son of the village’s first man had come up with a plan how to capture Radoslava and make her his wife. He had his friends every morning and went to wait near the well. But the maiden never came. He marvelled and raged. What was she doing? Why was she not coming? Was she taking another path? But he could not figure out why the maiden was not going to the well. One day he decided to hide in the bushes around the well and wait for her. He was going to stand there until she came, even if he had to wait the entire day.

He lay down in the underbrush and waited. In the afternoon an unknown young man came. The wealthy young villager was wondering what that man was doing here, as he noticed Radoslava. She was coming down the path with her coppers. What was she thinking coming to the well at this hour? She should be at home, doing her chores. She greeted the foreign man and they sat down together to chat. It was as if the two were old friends. They laughed and talked a long while. Radoslava was glowing with happiness. She remembered to go home only when the sun had started setting down. The man also left.

The son of the village’s first man stood in the underbrush a long while after the two had gone. Dangerous anger was raging inside him. He was angry with Radoslava, but he was even angrier with the foreigner. He was not from around and still he dared to woo the village’s girls. That was not going to happen, he decided. He wanted Radoslava for a wife and he was not going to give up. He would ambush her tomorrow, when she returned home from the well. Let the villagers see them together alone at night. Then he would spread rumours that the two of them had been meeting secretly. The maiden would have no other choice than to marry him. She would be his and that was final.

 

When Radoslava reached her home in the evening, she heard her mother calling her through tears. The girl rushed to her mother’s bed and whispered soothing words. However, nothing could still the woman’s tears. She was pale and inconsolable.

“He is dead, child. He left us all alone,” she lamented.

“What are you saying, dearest mother!” the girl was caressing gently the woman’s forehead and hair. “Who has left us and where has he gone?”

“Your dear, kind, brave and strong father. I saw him. He came to me in a dream. God sent me this message. I saw my husband, your father, covered in blood. His lifeless body was lying on the cold ground and his empty eyes were staring directly through me.”

“What are you saying, mother? That was only a bad dream.” Radoslava was trying to soothe the woman. “You should not take such a horrid dream for a message from God. Your sickness is causing you to have nightmares.”

“No, child. I can feel it!” the woman pressed her hand over her heart.

“Don’t say that, dearest mother. You should believe that God will protect him and not that he is sending you dreadful dreams. Believe that he will return and not that he is dead.

“Radoslava, hear me. I love your father more than life itself. I gave him my heart a long time ago and this heart knows best, it is not wrong. He has gone ahead of me.” The woman started sobbing. Her beloved daughter remained with her throughout the entire night. She caressed gently her hair and sang lullabies.

 The maiden decided that she can no longer meet the foreign man. She could not leave her mother alone anymore. She liked the young man and his stories, she loved the time spent with him, but she had a duty towards her mother – the one that had given birth to her and that had protected and looked after her for so long. Now it was her turn to take care of the sick woman. She would say goodbye to him tomorrow and not meet with him in the afternoon anymore.

Radoslava finished with her chores early the next day and hurried to the well. She could feel a heavy burden weighting her down. She did not want to say farewell to the man, but she had no other choice. When she reached the well, he was already there waiting for her. His presence and those smiling eyes were enough to make her blush and smile in return. He made her feel happy.

He greeted her, but she did not reply.

“What do you want to hear about today, fair maiden?” he asked.

“I have not come today to listen to your wondrous stories, but to tell you goodbye.” she said grimly.

“Has something happened, dear girl?” the young man was confused.

“My mother is very sick and my father went up the haidouk pathways in the spring. I am their only child. There is no one else to take care of my mother. I have to fulfil my duty towards her.”

“You have a brave and generous heart, fair maiden. You are a wonderful daughter and an honour to your family,” the man met her eyes. “But still, I am sad that this is our last meeting. I hope, you will not think me presumptuous if I ask for something small to remind me of you. I will carry it close to my heart.

Radoslava fell quiet for a moment and then took the flower from her hairs and gave it to the man. “Take this flower and do not forget me.” Afterwards she turned and hurried back to her sick mother.

 

The son of the village’s first man lay hidden in the underbrush waiting for Radoslava. He saw her she hurry towards the well and now expected her return. His friends had also hidden nearby.

Not long after Radoslava came back. She seemed restless and her coppers were empty. The young man noticed that the flower in her hairs was gone and anger consumed him. She had dared to give her flower to that foreigner. He jumped out from his hideout and startled the maiden.

She was deep in thought as someone suddenly appeared in front of her. She jumped back like a frightened doe, ready to run away in a moment. The friends of the wealthy young man quickly surrounded her so that she could not escape. The young man rushed towards Radoslava and tried to grab her but she evaded him skilfully. Graceful like a deer, she went around him and tried to run away. The young man swung and seized her braid. The maiden looked at him scared by his daring actions.

“What do you think you are doing!” she said harshly. “With such ugly actions will you try to win my love? Let go now!”

“And where will you go, Radoslava?” he looked at her angrily without letting go of her hair.

“Where can I go? I am headed home!” she snapped at him. “Let go of me quickly or I will scream so loudly that the whole village will gather here. I will make sure that from shame and disgrace you will find no place to call yours in this village.”

The young man opened his mouth to reply to the brave treats of the maiden as he felt a hot wind envelop him. It pushed him down and burned his skin.

“Who dares!” he shouted but then he saw that no one was around.

Fear filled his soul. He quickly jumped to his feet and looked around like a frightened hare. His friends ran away and when he found himself alone, the young man also made his escape.

Radoslava could not understand what was happening and why her attackers had all ran away. It was as if the devil was chasing them. What had scared them this much? She looked at the pathway and saw the foreigner. He smiled and then left. She too turned and went home.

 

Autumn was coming to an end and winter was slowly stepping closer when Radoslava’s mother passed away. In September they heard that her father’s party had been ambushed and no one had survived. Afterwards, the health of the woman had quickly worsened and soon she died. All knew that she was in a hurry to rejoin her husband.  No healers could help her and the entire village knew that God would soon take her. Radoslava was inconsolable. She had given her all, but even that was not enough. She was all alone now. And everybody was trying to use her weakness and despair. They believed that now she would come around and agree to marry. She had become an orphan and she needed to find a new family.

Radoslava was suffering deeply. She missed her dearest mother and father, but she felt the most sorry for herself. She was left behind. The pastor, a good man, had told her at the funeral, “Do not be sad, child. She is with God now. She loved your father greatly and she could not stand to be separated from him. Now they are together and they are happy.”

But there was no one to soothe Radoslava, to share her pain and misfortune. She stayed in her empty home all day long and the silence weighted on her. She had cried all her tears and now her eyes had dried up. Still a stone crushed her chest. What was she to do? Where should she go? The whole village seemed unfamiliar and unfriendly to her.

One day she went out in the garden and startled. There the handsome and charming foreigner was standing in the shadow of the walnut. A long time had passed since their first meeting, but her initial fears returned.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Don’t you remember, fair maiden?” he replied with a kind smile, his eyes looking directly at her. “You brought me here not that long ago.”

“I have never brought you here!” Radoslava argued. “The only guest I have had was a small poor serpent that I hurt a few months ago. I took it home with me to take care of it until it heals.”

“Oh, fair maiden, you were so kind to me then. Another would have left me there in the throes of death. But you brought me to your home and shared your food with me. I fell in love with you in that very moment.”

Radoslava was astonished but the man still looked at her with those smiling eyes. What was he saying? Was that the truth?

“I had no idea. I thought it was just a normal small snake,” she replied.

“And then I appeared in front of you as a human and told you stories that no one would have believed. But you believed me and you were not frightened. That gave me hopes, that even if I told you the truth about me, you would not be scared.”

“Why should I be scared?” she asked. “The eyes are the door to the soul and yours always meet me with kindness and friendliness. Few people have such eyes. Most only think how to use you to their own benefit, they study you and look at you with judging eyes to see whether you are any good. And in your eyes I see love.”

“Will you come with me, Radoslava?”

“Where?” she asked.

“Does it matter? Nobody waits for you here?”

“That is true. I have nothing here.”

“If I have you, I do not want anything else, Radoslava.” he met her eyes. “The decision is yours.”

 

All men and women in the village remember that day and there are still tales about it. Such a strong wind appeared that it carried away the roofs of the houses. It disappeared just as suddenly. The people believe that a dragon had flown over the village and the strokes of his wings caused the hurricane.

That day Radoslava disappeared and no one saw her afterwards. The villagers talked about the foreigner and his meetings with the maiden. Nobody knew who he was, from where he was or where he had gone. People believed that he was a dragon and that he had kidnapped Radoslava because of her beauty and kind heart. Since then they call the well a Dragon’s and girls do not wonder there alone in fear that they too might meet a dragon.

 

[1] Radoslava means glorious happiness