Bulgaria and his Dad #3
Chapter 2 here: Click
Chapter 3
Fanagoria, Old Great Bulgaria, 668
Khan Asparuh’s Bulgarians arrived at the battlefield to aid their brethren who had stayed behind in their old lands. Alas, it seemed they were too late. The few warriors that remained alive were exhausted. All the new forces could do was push back the Khazars to give everyone time to retreat.
The young country called, among other things, Danube Bulgaria, had another objective. 3 years ago his father, Old Great Bulgaria, had ordered him and his brothers to disperse and leave these lands. He told them to stay safe and keep on existing no matter what. He told them not to come back for him.
But this Bulgaria couldn’t obey that order. Luckily his boss, Asparuh, was of the same opinion. Asparuh had taken him to the lands immediately next to their old home, around the Danube river. They fought East Rome for them and won.
But now they had come back to aid what looked like to be the decisive battle between what remained of the local forces and their enemy - Khazar.
Bulgaria desperately searched for his father all over the battlefield, riding his horse in a frenzy. Was he too late? Could it be his father was already dead? Could a great old nation like him die just like that?
No, he wasn’t dead. Bulgaria could sense that this was still his father’s body, his territory. The land, even when overrun by by enemies, was still welcoming to him, it felt like his childhood home.
To return to your father’s house
When the night is humbly waning,
And quiet bosoms quiet night unfolds
To comfort sorrowful and hapless…
The young nation stopped in his tracks and shook his head. What was that voice in it?
It was then that he saw his father.
He was leaning on his dead horse, clearly heavily wounded. At least one of his legs was broken and his long dark hair was matted with blood. His eyes weren’t closed, he was looking at the sky.
His son ran to him and the older nation managed to shift his gaze to the child.
“You rascal…I told you not to come back here.”
He said that but he had a gentle smile as he, with a lot of effort, managed to lift his hand to brush off the tears that were streaming down his child’s face.
-Now, now. Remember what your uncle Hun used to say? Warriors should be sent off with blood, not with tears.
-But you aren’t dead yet! - Bulgaria yelled. - Come with me! Asparuh built me a new house…It’s still just a yurt but it doesn’t matter! You can…
-My dear boy, I don’t have a long time left…And that is your own house. Mine is here.
-It doesn’t matter! I’ll give it to you! I…
-You know there is no way I would accept that.
The boy couldn’t answer anything to that. He knew that damn well. That’s why his father sent him and his brothers off in the first place.
-But…Thank you for coming back. I’m…Not used to being alone. I’ve always had my brothers around…And then I had you children with me. Ah…My brothers…I wonder if I can meet them again soon…Dying feels very lonely.
-Dad! Don’t say that! Please, get up! Come with me!
The smaller nation tried to pull his father up, but it was no use.
-Stop it…I’m glad you came back to see me one last time. I wanted to see you too.
-Dad, please!
-Let your old man say his last words in peace…
They heard a horse coming up to them and looked up. It was Asparuh.
-I found Bayan…He’s also wounded. He told me to leave him here and run. We’re almost surrounded… - He looked at his wounded Fatherland and got off his horse.
-...Can you come with us?
Old Great Bulgaria shook his head in that way which confused foreigners because for them it meant yes, but for the Bulgarians it meant no.
It was clear enough to the khan.
-I’m sorry we let you down…You are our Fatherland…
-Asparuh, my boy…It is true I am your fatherland. But don’t waste your time on me. You have a new nation to look after now. It is I who should apologize. I couldn’t protect you all, my children, both human and nation. I’m very sorry.
Asparuh just shook his head, holding back his own tears.
The smaller nation was still crying. He had collapsed on the ground, sobbing while holding his father’s bloody hand. Old Great Bulgaria looked at his son, then suddenly a spark came back in his green eyes.
-Oh, that’s right. Asparuh, Kurbat left the Onogundurs to you, right?
-Yes.
Old Great Bulgaria smiled and managed to sit a bit more upright.
-I have something I can do for you before you go.
He took off his pendant - it looked like a gold coin with a symbol on it - ІYІ. Leader and nation stared at him in horror as he grabbed his own knife and cut his hand, then held the pendant as it was bleeding.
-Let it be know, as I say below the Great Sky and these witnesses that I, Bulgaria, transfer as I have my ruling tribe, the Onogundurs, all my remaining authority and power as a nation, to this son of my blood, and let him be henceforth known as Bulgaria.
Bulgaria was frozen in place in pure shock as his father sliced open his hand as well and put the pendant in it.
The gold glowed bright and Bulgaria’s head was filled with long forgotten dreams of ancient forests, riding horses and elks, golden palaces and wine, rich fabrics and warm yurts, castles made of stone and tales woven into tapestries, parchment, stone and song, in languages long forgotten by the people they belonged to.
-Dad…I…
His father gently squeezed his hand.
-Take this as my last gift to you, my beloved son. Carry this name proudly, and know that I am always proud of you, and I will always love you, and will watch over you, and root for you.
-I’m…I’m not ready…Or worthy of this…
-You are. Otherwise I would not have given this to you. Now go. Protect as many of my…No, YOUR human children as you can. They are now yours to guide and to guard. And for that, no matter what, you must live. I can’t survive in this world much longer. But you can - I know that you have what it takes to carry this name, to live in the new world.
-No, I can’t leave you!
-Go!
Asparuh saw Khazar was coming back, riding towards them with obvious intent.
-Goodbye, Fatherland. - he said and he grabbed his small nation, now known as Bulgaria, and threw him and himself on his horse.
-Dad, no! - Bulgaria was crying and screaming, but his boss didn’t let him go.
-LIVE! - yelled his father.
Khazar reached the dying nation and looked after the retreating smaller one, but decided against chasing him.
-What were you…
His eyes grew wide with horror as he sensed what Old Great Bulgaria had done.
-You…What did you do?
He could feel this territory - OGB’s body, suddenly snap into his domain.
Retreating from his old home, Bulgaria sensed it too - this place he had lved in for years suddenly became hostile, like it wanted to expel him. He didn’t know if the humans could sense it, but Asparuh bid his horse to run faster.
His father was already…
North-east of all of this another son of Bulgaria stopped in his tracks, halting his own horse.
-What is it? - asked Kotrag, his boss.
-My father…Old Great Bulgaria…Disappeared…
Nation and leader looked towards the direction of their old home solemnly.
This Bulgaria - Volga Bulgaria, as he would come to be known, also felt something else. His brother’s presence, the one who lived by the Danube, had grown stronger.
In Italy’s home, the third surviving brother, Alzec Bulgaria, named after his khan, was eating grapes and drinking wine.
He nearly choked when he sensed his father disappear from the map.
-Are you alright, you bastard? - asked a mildly concerned Romano.
Alzec put down his glass of wine and stared at the sky without saying anything.
-Hey, cut it out, that’s creepy…
He closed his eyes and wished his brother luck. They were, after all, all Bulgaria, together even if they were apart. He splashed his wine on the ground, to Romano’s horror.
-Rest in peace, dad. - he said solemnly.
Khazar was desperately trying to quell Bulgar’s bloodloss.
-Wait, wait, wait, you’re a nation! You’re not supposed to die this easily! Hey!
Bulgar laughed bitterly.
-I could sense my time was coming for a while now.
-That’s not true! Just come in my house! You can still exist, your people will still be Bulgarians, you can still…
-Khazar, I am sure you already know that won’t work. I gave everything I had left to my son.
-But…Why? Why would you do something like that! You’re a nation!
-You wouldn’t understand.
-That’s why I’m asking! Many nations have children pop up with time, but what you did…
-Khazar, I can’t let myself be captured.
-Why! You’ve lived with other people before, what makes this time different! Do you just hate me in particular?
-Kind of…I can’t have you using me to fight against my children.
Khazar was about to reply something, but he couldn’t really deny that he would do that. They were nations after all, family didn’t matter all that much.
But to this guy apparently it did.
-If I have to fight against my precious sons…I might as well just die gracefully.
His body started glowing in golden light, as did that of his horse.
Khazar was desperate now and lashed out:
-You wasted your name and royal clan on that twerp! He’ll be dead in no time! He can’t stop me, or Eastern Rome, or even Avar…
Old Great Bulgaria chuckled.
-Oh, Khazar... He’ll survive you all. You’ll see.
Khazar tried to think of something else to say, but he was full of rage and he couldn’t think of anything. He looked at his enemy, his fellow nation, the one he had wanted to conquer so badly, disappear in front of him, together with his horse, in a gentle shower of golden dust.
The territory was his. There were still Bulgarians here. Their local leader, Bayan, had finally given up, after his younger brother had retreated with whoever would follow back to his own lands.
His boss had come to him in a great mood and laughing, but Khazar felt as if he was under an ocean. Everything felt distant and muted.
This was the land he wanted. He had conquered Great Bulgaria. Bt…Why did this place feel so empty now?
Back in his own house, a small Bulgaria was crying inconsolably through the night.
Asparuh had tried to calm him down, but that hadn’t helped at all. After all, they had both lost their fathers in this war, after all. But the human leader couldn’t even begin to fathom what the right words to say to his young nation were. He knew these beings were fundamentally different from them and he knew that Bulgaria had grown up practically glued to his father for perhaps hundreds of years.
He had never been alone. He had always had his father and brothers around.
Now he was all alone and he would be forced to grow up fast if he wanted to protect what was left.
Asparuh understood how scary this was, for he himself felt the same fear.
-What are the two of you doing? - asked a female voice.
A beautiful woman walked in Bulgaria’s yurt - she was wearing a simple white night gown and her hair was long, dark and loose.
-Pagane… - Asparuh wordlessly asked her for help.
She smiled and kneeled by the crying Bulgaria.
-Bulgaria… - she said. He kept sobbing but he did look up at her.
-It’s alright to grieve, but you must rest. Everyone is very worried.
-I just…
-Are you lonely? You miss your father?
He nodded.
-I know we are just humans, but…Do we really not count?
He looked at her with horror.
-No, it’s not like that…It’s just…
-Then you are not alone. We are here. Isperih, the boila, the kolobers, all of the people and tribes living with you now…And your father may not be here in this world with us, but he is still watching over you, as are our fathers. And he would not want you to exhaust yourself like this. Let’s go to bed. Would you like to sleep together? Will that make you feel less lonely?
Bulgaria might have been at least a hundred years old but he was still a child. He had been too proud to admit he had been afraid of sleeping without his father and brothers, but he agreed without even thinking about it once the priestess offered.
The three of them slept together in the khan’s yurt, the shatra if you will.
