The Boyana Church was situated on the outskirts of the city of Sofia, at the foot of Mount Vitosha. Jovan was almost as familiar with it as he was familiar with the layout of Lake Prespa near his grandmother Bojana's home back in Stenje. Not because he had visited the Church before, but because of the stories Bojana had read to him about the place. He knew about its history. Its layout. He knew about its strong exterior design and intricate interior artwork.
The Church itself was located not too far from the Boyana Waterfall. In fact, it was so close that Jovan grew mad at himself for not bothering to check out the place before figuring out where Jagoda was being held captive after speaking with Zora. It was a low key location for sure. It was off radar, so to speak. Yet it wasn't too isolated, and as such, it did not attract unwanted attention in case a lone wanderer happened to stumble upon the Church's door. Which was exactly what Jovan intended to do.
Leaving the Boyana Waterfall, Jovan made his way straight to the Church. As he walked there, disguised as a poor beggar, Jovan realized that knowing in his heart his beloved Jagoda was being held captive at that very location made his footsteps all the more determined. He couldn't tell whether his knowledge of the location made the journey quicker, or whether it was the fact that a man's conviction of righteousness in his heart showed him the fastest way to the Church.
He arrived at his destination shortly before sunrise. The cold and wintery morning air began to give way to the fog that enveloped the land, fueled by the thawing snow. If Jovan had any time to spare, he would have taken it to admire the mysterious aura of the grounds around the Church. The silence of the dawn mixed with the brisk breeze blowing gently along the bare tree branches. The gleam of first rays of the sun caressed the snow banks along the road.
He waited a while by the main road leading up to the Church, aware that waiting out in the open would cause less suspicion. As he sat on the snow-covered ground under tree branches playing the part of a makeshift roof over his head, Jovan looked toward the Church. He memorized the location of each and every window, door, and made it a meticulous point to count the number of bricks between windows and doors, from the ground up to the roof. Each detail, even the smallest one, was of utmost importance.
The moment the rays of the sun reached his face, Jovan decided that the time had come. It was time for action. It was time for hope and good to triumph over evil. It was time for his beloved Jagoda to be freed once and for all. Her people needed her. She needed his help, and as the sun was his witness - he needed her, too. He no longer carried any doubt in his heart nor in his mind. He was convinced that he would rescue Jagoda and bring her into his arms again, that his determination would help him win, and that the moment had come for Jagoda to reclaim her rightful place as the head of her people.
He knew he shouldn't waste any more time sitting beside the road, and should enter the Church, regardless of the danger waiting for him inside. So, he nodded to himself, rose, and dusted the snow off his vagrant coat. He adjusted his disguise to make it look even more beggarly and... all but toppled backwards over Anil, who rose beside him without so much as a whisper.
"For heaven's sake!" Jovan hissed out while trying to balance himself.
"Do I look that bad?" Anil replied and examined his clothes.
"Your looks are the furthest thing from my mind right now!" Jovan growled at him and leaned in to whisper into Anil's ear. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"
"Begging for a kind heart, a warm rabbit stew, and a sincere ear," Anil winked as he spoke in character matching Jovan's while holding onto a wooden stick made to look like a poor man's crooked staff.
"Wink at me again, and You'll be sorry You are not a rabbit," Jovan scolded Anil. "Why are You here and not with Zora and Kinga and the other women at the Mezek Fortress like we discussed?"
YOU ARE READING
THE TIDES OF TIME
Romance⚔️ "Being born and raised to respect life and its rules, Jovan Galanis made something of himself. He was ambitious, outgoing, disciplined, and righteous to his very core. His parents died when he was a young boy, and having been raised by his Macedo...
