Angelica decided to wait a while before she came back to the cave. She washed her clothes, and spread it on hot stones. Then she lay down on the grass and began to look at the clouds. She didn't notice how two hours passed. Her clothes nearly dried up, and Lica changed her clothes. All the other things she carefully folded to bring them back to Leila.
Approaching the cave, Angelica saw two riders. It was Isa and Edward. The Prince had changed in some way. First Lica could not understand what happened to him, but then realized that Edward had sunburned. In the Kingdom of Night where never sunlight, the Prince's skin was white as milk. Now he was quite brown and looked like a real macho. The riders dismounted.
"Edward!" cried the girl. "I'm so glad that you have recovered!"
"Angelica?!" the Prince Night surprised. "What a joy!"
He threw the reins and ran to the girl. Lica put the things in her hands on the grass, and hung with a squeal on his neck. Edward hugged and spun Angelica.
"I can't believe it," he whispered.
Neither Prince nor Lica notice what an evil light shone in Isa's eyes. The young man took the reins of both horses and took them away. At this time, Huron came out of the cave and exclaimed:
"Greetings, Prince Edward! Leila has already prepared dinner. So wash hands and sat at the table! We have a lot to talk about. Angelica, could you invite Isa, please.
"Welcome back!" Edward exclaimed, referring to the sorcerer. "A few minutes later I'll join you!"
The Prince kissed Lica's hand and went to the spring. The girl ran to the rock to call Isa. She saw him tying the horses to a tree.
"Isa!" Angelica called him. "Dinner is ready!"
"So, you love him, don't you?" the young man said quietly, without turning around.
"Who? Prince?" repeated Lica. "Honestly, I do not know. But he is very dear to me!"
"And me?"
Isa turned to the girl and looked straight into her eyes.
"You are also very dear to me!"
"And who is more?"
"Do not torture me, Isa!" said Lica. "I'm terribly confused. Do not make me chose right now!"
"What can I do? To watch in silence you hug and kiss another man? For me it is like a sharp knife in the heart!"
Angelica felt terribly ashamed. She came over and hugged the young man's shoulders.
"Forgive me, Isa!" she whispered. "One thing I can tell you for sure, I'm not going to marry the Prince."
"It looks like a beacon of hope!" the young man smiled. "Honestly, Edward is a nice guy, and I wouldn't like to quarrel with him!"
"And what about Leila?" asked Lica. "She is not a bad girl too. In addition, she loves you, and you, as I understand it, was her first man. She is unlikely to share you with me."
"Let's not talk about it right now!" asked Isa.
He pulled the girl and kissed her. At this time, they heard voice:
"Isa, Angelica! Where are you? Dinner is ready!"
Leila looked behind the boulder. She saw them kissing. Huron's daughter broke, said something through her teeth, turned and ran away.
"What have you done?" Lica exclaimed, pushing Isa away. "You've just ruined everything! Now she'll tell everything to the sorcerer and he will refuse to go with us, the evil will destroy the Kingdom of Night and then others!"
The girl hid her face in her hands and burst into tears.
"Take it easy!" the young man said quietly. "I have spoiled everything, and I will put it right!"
He stroked Lica's hair, smiled and said:
"In any case, no matter what happens, remember - I love you!"
Saying that, Isa ran after Leila. Angelica calmed down a bit and came to the cave. Edward and Huron were at the table.
"Where have you all gone?" asked the sorcerer. "First Isa, then you went to look for him and disappeared too and then Leila followed you and never returned! Magic!"
Huron burst of laughing.
"Sit down, Angelica!" Prince Edward smiled. "Today, Leila did her best. Dinner is just superb!"
She sat at the table, but her appetite had completely gone.
"While you were looking for Isa," proceeded to tell Prince Night. "Huron told me about your adventures and we began to discuss further details of our campaign. So, you have arrived just on time!"
"And what did you decide?" asked Lica quite indifferently.
"We go to the Kingdom of Night immediately! Just give you a little time to have rest!"
"I'm not tired," she shook her head. "We can go right now!"
"Tell me, have you talked to your friend Isa about what I had asked you?" Huron said.
"Yes!" Lica nodded.
"And what was his answer?"
"I do not know yet," truly said Angelica. "But I'm afraid that..."
Lica did not finish when Isa entered the cave with Leila. More accurately, the man first entered and then Leila, who was dragged by Isa. She resisted, trying to break free and run away.
"At last!" exclaimed the sorcerer. "We have been waiting for you!"
"Just a second!" Isa raised his hand. "I came here to ask for your daughter's hand!"
"Goodness me!" surprised Huron.
"Father, do not believe him!" cried the girl. "He does it on purpose!"
She wanted something more to say but Isa interrupted her and continued:
"Since your left, we have lived with your daughter, as husband and wife. Now, when you returned, I would like to ask for her hand in order to avoid the shame that can affect your family and your name."
"Leila, my daughter!" said the sorcerer. "Is it true?"
The girl burst into tears and buried her face in her hands.
"What a shame!" Huron gasped. "How could you do that?"
Leila sobbed much louder. Through sobs she said quietly:
"I love him, father!"
"Shame on my gray head!" exclaimed the sorcerer.
"Wait," suddenly chimed in Edward. "Well, it's not shame! Everything is fairly! He doesn't refuse to marry your daughter!"
Huron rose, walked slowly to Isa, staring into his eyes and said:
"Well, you are the honest man! Wherefore I'll give you my daughter and now you'll take care of her."
Then the sorcerer looked at Leila and said:
"Wipe your tears, shameless! Luckily, this man didn't abandon or got rid of you as a needless thing! And let's count today's dinner as a wedding one, because we have very little. Sit down at the table, Isa! Welcome to our family!"
Huron hugged the young man and took him to the table. Leila glared at Angelica but said nothing. She began to take care of men, giving them the one dish and then another.
"Wow!" Edward said in surprise. "Who would have thought that I am at the wedding party today?"
He raised a wooden cup of wine and said:
"I want to make a toast for the happiness and love of these two young and nice people. Let them always be lucky!"
The Prince drank wine and Lica looked at Isa and saw him sitting blacker-than-black. She realized that the man did it only to help her to complete the mission. Angelica wished to talk to Isa right now but Leila had her eyes on him.
"Well, if everything turned out so," said the sorcerer, "then I can go with an easy mind. Now I do not have to worry about my daughter, because her husband will take care of her. And tomorrow with the first rays of the sun we are going to the Kingdom of Night."
They were dining for some time but soon Huron said to Angelica and Edward need some rest to gain strength before tomorrow's trip. He asked Leila to prepare their beds and went to his room.
The sorcerer's daughter prepared a bed for Lica. The girl tried to speak to Leila, but she silently left the room. Angelica decided that the best way out of this situation is just go to bed. However, a vague sense of anxiety did not leave her. The girl did take off her dress and went to bed in clothes, putting, just in case, a sword by her side. Fatigue took its toll, and soon Lica fell asleep...
She dreamed of going in a very high grass, which clotting in her legs. Angelica tried to free herself, but suddenly felt that someone was following her. The girl looked closer and saw two bright yellow eyes burning among green grass. Lica bent lower and noticed a large wild cat, who was preparing to pounce on her. Angelica screamed and woke up. The candle almost burnt, but even in the dim light she saw Leila with a dagger in her hand ready to attack.
"Damn!" only managed to say Lica.
As soon as she rolled off the bed down, Leila daggered the pillow. Angelica grabbed the sword and knocked the dagger out of her hands. But she with a vicious hiss again got at her. Lica ducked as she had been taught in aikido, and struck Leila with her sword hilt. When she fell down, she sat down on top of her and put the sword blade to her throat.
"If you move, I'll kill you!" Angelica said quietly.
"Kill!" Leila said through her teeth. "You won't get my Isa!"
"Silly woman!" said Lica. "He did marry you!"
"He did it to make my father go with you, I know. He loves you!"
"So, listen! Now I'll take the sword, and you will not make any sudden movements, okay? Then we will sit down and talk. Agreed?"
Leila nodded. Angelica stood up slowly, just in case holding the sword at the ready. Then she took and hid the dagger that was lying nearby.
"Listen to me, Leila," Lica said. "If you kill me, Isa will never forgive you. I know his character! Besides, you will upset Prince Edward and your father's apple-cart. It can also bring you harm. I propose a compromise... You hate me, well and good. Just let me get out of here to the Kingdom of Night, and Isa will stay with you!"
"But he loves you! I saw how he was looking at you! And how gently he kissed you! He never looked at me as he did at you."
Leila sat on the floor and sobbed.
"Come on! If I'm there, and he is here with you, he will forget me and all his attention will switch to you. Of course, you should try to conquer him! Well, are we friends again?"
The sorcerer's daughter rose slowly, wiped away tears and said:
"Well, that's true! Have it your way! Friends!"
She held out her hand to Angelica, and the girls shook hands.
"I'll be patient a little more," promised Leila, "but in the future if you get in my way, I'll kill you, so no offence!"
"I'll try!" Lica smiled.
"Just give me my dagger! This is the gift from my father!"
Angelica took it out of her belt and handed to the girl.
"Well, good night!" Leila said.
She walked into the corridor but at the door, she stopped, turned and said:
"You are a brave girl! You can stand up for yourself!"
Saying that the sorcerer's daughter had gone.