Chapter Text
The Fascinating Tale of Yasha the Deathless
By Terrenis
Art by Ivedoneit100times
Beta by Cryo-Bucky
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Part 1: Three Weddings and One Lonely Tsarevich
Once upon a time, long before Russia became the Great Empire, it was divided into many smaller Tsardoms that existed side by side - most of the time even peacefully.
The three most important of them were the Tsardom of Sil’no in the west with its golden acres and deep woods, the snow-covered Tsardom of Zimnii Morje in the north and the mountainous Tsardom of Bruklin in the middle.
But there came a day, when the tsar of the Tsardom of Sil'no started a vendetta against Zimnii Morje. The battles were long and ruthless, since both Tsars were strong warriors in their own rights and refused to surrender to the other.
And so the two Tsardoms held a vendetta and were at war for more than two decades. However as suddenly as it had begun, the fighting stopped. After Sil’no’s last attack, Zimnii Morje’s Tsar vanished without a trace. The only proof that he had been there was his blood-covered left arm on the battlefield.
But that wasn’t even the strangest thing to happen.
When Sil’no’s Tsar tried to enter and claim Zimnii Morje - he simply couldn’t.
An icy, impenetrable wall had appeared around Zimnii Morje, where it bordered Sil’no and Bruklin, stopping anyone from trespassing. The Tsar of Sil’no swore and raged at the Gods, but to no avail. The Gods told him that only the Tsar of the Winter Tsardom would be able to enter his realm again, but since he was missing…
It meant that the War had been futile and just a waste of precious time on Sil’no’s side.
In the end, the Tsar and his army were forced to comply and to return to their own Tsardom.
In the years following the war, most people started to whisper, whenever they saw the ice wall glittering on the horizon. Said that it was cursed and that it was a penance for disobeying the gods.
Whispering turned into rumours of a cursed tsar, an immortal sitting on a throne made of his enemies’ bones.
Now, over two centuries later, those rumours had become a legend.
The Legend of Yasha the Deathless.
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While Zimnii Morje became the stuff of myths and Sil’no isolated itself so much that it almost suffered the same fate, Bruklin continued to grow through the centuries into a flourishing and peaceful tsardom.
The latter was Bruklin’s most important goal. After all, most of his rulers still remembered the situation during the neighbouring tsardom’s war and how it had affected their own. They certainly didn’t want a repeat. So they did everything in their power to keep their people happy and the people loved them for that.
Tsarina Sarah was especially loved by them, as someone who didn’t take shit from anyone who tried to undermine her authority. She was a very modern and open-minded woman, trying her best to get people to think the way she did.
When she died, she left four children behind - three daughter and a son.
Stepan, her only son, was with his 24 years the eldest of Sarah’s children and at an age when most of his fellow Tsareviches were leaving their homes to slay dragons or other beasts to win a fair maiden’s heart. But then, Stepan wasn’t your average tsarevich. At least he had the same fair hair and blue eyes like his mother.
But where others were muscular and tall, he was small and wiry. Where others loved weapons and horses, Stepan loved art and books. Only that didn’t mean that he didn’t get into fights.
His outer demeanour only served as a facade for a highly developed hot-headed streak. More than once, his sisters had to pull him out of a fight with the local bullies, who either had insulted him, his mother, his sisters or some other innocent kid.
Tsarevna Jane was Sarah’s oldest daughter. Being twenty years old with long nut-brown hair and eyes of the same colour, Jane had no interest in sewing or stitching. Her heart beat for the stars and the secrets they were hiding.
Almost every night she would sneak out of the palace, which was located on the plateau of a table mountain, and into the Royal Gardens, where she’d lay and watch the sky with fascination.
The Tsarevnas Natasha and Margarita, who everyone called Peggy, were Sarah’s youngest daughters and non-identical twins, whereby Natasha was a few minutes older than Peggy. As different as their appearance was - Natasha with her fire red hair and intense green eyes and Peggy with her chestnut coloured hair and her warm eyes - so similar were their character traits and interests.
Both of them were tomboys and loved to fight like the boys from the village, whom they grew up playing with, when they were younger. Now, at an age of eighteen, they rather trained with the guards or Wanda, the three sisters teacher and distant cousin.
Wanda and her brother Pietro had been taken in by Sarah after their parents, a distant relative of the Tsarina, had been killed during an ambush by Nightingale the Robber. Ever since then, Wanda had been the girls’ tutor, teaching them writing, reading, sciences and fighting with various weapons, while Pietro made it to Head of the Royal Guards.
After the Tsarina’s death, life in Bruklin came to a halt for several weeks. Everyone was heartbroken that their beloved ruler was gone, but it was the worst for the siblings.
Stepan had to take the throne just a few days after his mother’s death, since he was the eldest– a burden that weighed heavily on his shoulders. However it was a burden he was willing to take, if only to make his late mother happy, wherever she was. And momentarily he was only acting as a prince regent, since he only would become a full fledged tsar, when he finally found someone to marry. Which wasn’t exactly easy with him preferring maidens and males both.
And so more than six months went by and with each passing day, the hurt of Sarah’s absence became a little less.
One sunny day in the first month of spring, Stepan and his sisters spent the time after dinner in the Royal Garden, lounging near a pavilion at the largest of the small ponds there. Stepan enjoyed one of his now rare free afternoons reading a book from his private library, while sitting on a blanket next to the picnic basket his sisters had forced him to bring from the kitchen.
Jane was wearing her favourite pale lavender sarafan dress and sitting next to him, several lenses and pipes of various sizes in her lap as well as some tools which she had borrowed from the Royal Smith to use them to build her new telescope.
A few metres away, their younger twin sisters were engrossed in a mock sword fight with Wanda, the blades ringing out whenever steel met steel. Natasha’s royal blue and Peggy’s green dress whirled around their feet, while they danced back and forth to duck Wanda’s attacks.
The older woman, dressed in red, had just started a new attack on the twins, when a sudden gust of wind lifted her long plait upward and she automatically used her free hand to catch it. Natasha and Peggy used that opportunity to strike back. To avoid the sharp blades, Wanda took a step back, but stumbled over her dress and fell on her butt. When she looked up, her brown eyes faced the tips of the twin’s blades.
Holding up her hands, she smiled and said:
“Okay, I give up. You win.”
Peggy and Natasha cheered and gave each other fist bumps, before they threw their weapons away and helped Wanda getting up.
“Thanks!” Wanda replied and smoothed the wrinkles of her dress, before she looked back at her protégées, a mischievous grin on her face.
Natasha and Peggy looked with wide eyes at her and then at each other, knowing what was about to come now. They squeaked and started running around the edge of the pond.
“You better run, yeye dva.” Wanda sing-songed before she chased after them.
Stepan, who had watched his sisters in the last few minutes, smiled at their antics and shook his head. He was glad to see that his siblings were faring better than they had after the funeral. It had been a hard time for them all, but now he could see that the worst was over.
The small tsarevich turned his attention back to his book, when another gust of wind hit him with full force, forcing its way under his grey tunic and making him shudder. He looked upwards at the suddenly not so sunny sky and frowned.
Where there had been an azure sky just moments ago, there were now dark storm clouds gathering. Stepan could hear the distant rumble of thunder and see a sheet of lightning on the horizon. The temperature dropped noticeably and the speed of the normally moderate wind increased by the second, until it turned into a downright storm, forcing Stepan and Jane to seek shelter in the pavilion.
From there, Stepan could see Wanda shielding Natasha and Peggy from flying branches, her plaits being toyed with by the wind. Loud thunder shook the sky and lightning streaks split the sky, before it flashed brightly and a thunderbolt hit the ground with a deafening sound.
The women, and even Stepan, couldn’t help but let out a shriek, when the ground was burnt in front of their eyes. To everyone’s surprise, the storm vanished as quickly as it had come and where the thunderbolt had hit the ground, a man had appeared, kneeling on one knee.
From what Stepan could see, the man was clearly not from around. He had shoulder-length, dark blonde hair with some of it braided behind his ears and a beard of the same colour. He was wearing a silver, shining full body armour and a long red cape. The strangest thing by far was the huge hammer, which his right hand was gripping tightly.
Stepan took a deep breath and slowly stepped out of the pavilion, Jane staying behind him. The strange man didn’t move until he had the Tsarevich within eyesight. Only then he heaved himself up and bowed deeply.
“Greetings, Stepan Sarasson, Ruler of this realm. I am Thor, God of Thunder and Son of Odin, King of the Northern Gods. I’ve travelled a long way from my home Asgard to ask for the hand of your sister Jane.” The man, no, Thor greeted him.
Stepan raised his eyebrows. Northern Gods? Well, his mother had told them stories about the different pantheons. But those had been just stories. Right? This man surely couldn’t be one of those gods.
Behind him, Jane punched his shoulder and hissed into his right ear: “ Say something, Stepan!” The tsarevich winced at the painful impact with his bony shoulder, but then cleared his throat and took another step forwards.
“Riiiiight…Well, welcome to our humble tsardom, Prince Thor. I hope you had no troubles on your way here. As for my sister…We live in a modern realm and she’s her own person. If she agrees to give you her hand in marriage, then I won’t say njet.” He retorted.
Thor’s eyes shot up and he looked at Stepan questioningly, before turning his gaze at Jane, who blushed, when she felt the God’s gaze upon her.
“I must say this is very unusual for your realm, but not for us on Asgard.” Thor gave as a reply. Then he turned to Jane, who had stepped forward from behind her brother, and took her right hand.
“Milady, I’ve travelled through five realms to meet you and I’d be honoured if you would agree to be my wife!” The Norse God asked, pressing a kiss on her hand .
Jane blushed, then cleared her throat. Thor was a really charming man, she had to admit. But she would not agree to this before he could give her an important answer.
“Well, before I say yes, I have a really important question. On this Asgard, do you have instruments to watch the stars? You must know that I love watching them.” She more or less blurted out.
Thor stared at her and then his gaze fell on the scattered lenses and tools on the blanket. He chuckled and a slight rumble could be heard in the clouds above.
“Surely we have what you desire. And there are a lot more stars there for you to admire. Of course…” Thor paused and also took Jane’s other hand. “…you are the most beautiful star. So, are you going to say yes?”
Jane looked at her brother, then at her two sisters and Wanda, who looked expectantly at her. She took a deep breath and replied:
“Well, then…Yes, I accept.” Jane breathed. Thor’s face lit up and squeezed her hands, while the twins and her tutor cheered loudly and joined them shortly after. Stepan had difficulties to calm them down.
“Okay, girls. If you’re done cheering, maybe I could say something?” he all but shouted.
Immediately, everyone became silent. Stepan sighed and turned to soon-to-be brother-in-law. “Since it seems like we’re going to related soon, I have only one condition.”
“Which is?” Thor demanded to know.
“You have to stay here until the wedding, so you and Jane can get to know each other.” Stepan stated.
“I guess this is a very acceptable condition.” Thor agreed.
Stepan hummed agreeingly and clapped his hands together.
“Great. So why don’t we head inside? I need to change and inform Pietro that we have a guest.” He said with a look at his dirty tunic.
The siblings quickly packed their things together, Thor taking Jane’s things, and headed inside for dinner.
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Much to everyone’s surprise, Thor turned to be a very entertaining fellow, besides his rough demeanor and stormy appearance. After a small dinner together, they had retreated to the Family Room, where the God entertained them with stories from his encounter with strange beasts and his travels to exotic lands that Stepan and his sisters never had heard of.
The small Tsarevich itched to draw the dragons and people Thor was talking about. He looked around and saw his sisters listening with eagerness. For a moment, he wished that his mother could be with them right now. She’d have loved them, too.
Stepan sighed quietly and stood up. He needed some fresh air before he started crying in front of Thor. Not that he was ashamed of it, but it had been a long day and only now he was slowly beginning to realize that things were about to change. His sister was getting married and leaving her home forever.
The small blond’s feet carried him outside on the adjacent terrace that led to the Garden. Leaning against the elaborately carved railing, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the cool evening deep into his lungs and letting his mind wander...
Until shrill bird cries pulled him out of his train of thoughts. He opened his eyes wide and looked around for the source of the noise. Behind the trees at the ponds, the night sky was suddenly bright as the day, a golden light that was becoming stronger by the second. By the end, it was so blinding that Stepan had to cover his eyes.
He could hear the rustling of feathers nearby and briefly wondered what kind of bird was approaching him. Finally, the light grew dim and so Stepan dared to take his hand from his eyes. What he saw, left him speechless.
In front of him sat a large bird with a majestic plumage glowing brightly emitting red, orange and yellow light. On its head was a crest held by a small golden crown. But the most noticeable thing were the long tail feathers with what looked like glowing eyes and the mischievous expression in the bird’s brown eyes.
Stepan barely suppressed a gasp. It was a Zhar-ptitsa. A real firebird in front of him.
The Zhar-ptitsa bowed his head and began to glow brightly anew that Stepan had to close his eyes. When he opened them again, the firebird had changed his form. Instead of the bird, a dark-skinned man stood there. He was wearing a red caftan with glowing golden embroideries and trousers of the same colour as well as brown boots. Covering his shoulders was a long orange cape with a glowing eye on it. On his head rested a not so fancy golden crown.
The man bowed again and sent him a reassuring smile, which revealed an admittedly cute tooth gap.
Stepan took a deep breath, holding out his hand.
“Well, that was unexpected. And who are if I may ask? Are you here to scare me? Because I certainly hope you aren’t.” He managed to get out.
The man chuckled and shook Stepan’s bony hand.
“No, I’m not. My name is Samuil, Koról of the Zhar-ptitsa. But you can me Sam. And no, i’m not here to scare you out of your mind. Actually I’m here to ask you for the hand of your sister Natasha.”
It was then that Stepan almost fainted. Two suitors in the course of one afternoon? And magical ones, too? That was almost too much for him. But luckily he was able to pull himself together, before it was too late. There was something about Sam that made him trust the king. Something in his gut told him that Natasha wouldn’t mind if he gave his blessing.
“Well, you still have to ask her yourself, but you have my blessing. However, just under the condition that you stay here until the Wedding.” he declared.
Sam let out a musical laugh.
“I think that’s manageable, Stepan...Can I call you Stepan?” he asked.
Now Stepan had to laugh about the absurdity of the moment.
“Sure. Why not? It’s not like we’re not going to be related very soon. It’s just...Now all that’s missing is a suitor for Peggy.” he all but hysterically laughed.
As if the sky had heard him, one of the stars above intensified his starlight, building a bridge made of pure light towards Stepan’s and Sam’s location. When it touched the ground, a veil made of myriads of glittering stars slowly sailed down to them.
With wide eyes watched the tsarevich as the veil assumed the shape of a brunette young woman wearing rich golden robes combined with a formfitting harness. A long glittering veil covered her long thick plait and was held by a simple golden kokoshnik tiara with beautiful filigrees, which matched the earrings in her earlobes perfectly. Her gloved right hand rested on the decorative hilt of her shashka that was fastened around her hip.
Stepan stared in awe at her, while Sam’s face lit up, glowing slightly.
“Angie! Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming here? We could have made the trip together.” he exclaimed, stepped forward and gave her a friendly hug.
“Ah, you know...duties. Couldn’t get here before Otjets has driven through the gates.” the woman answered after she let go of him.
Sam snickered.
“Tell me about it!” he responded.
The woman only laughed at that.
The small Tsarevich watched their exchange with wonder. Sam and the woman must have known each other for a long time to have that level of friendship.
“Sorry, if I disturb your reunion, but I guess you’re here for Peggy?” Stepan interrupted them, looking first at Sam and then at her. The woman nodded and held out her gloved hand to Stepan, who took it and shook it.
“I am Anzhela, the Zorya Utrennyaya. And yes, I’m here for your sister Margarita.”
Stepan was impressed. The Morning Star was here for Peggy?
“Well, don’t let her hear you call that, Morning Star. She hates that name. Better call her Peggy. Are you sure you can stay until the wedding? Because that would be my only condition if you really want to marry her.”
Anzhela eyed him.
“This will not be a problem.” she stated. Holding up a hand, she directed her blue gaze towards the night sky. “Just need to arrange something.”
The Morning Star stared for several moments at the stars, clearly communicating with someone up there, without saying a word though.
“What is she doing?” Stepan whispered to Sam.
“Probably getting someone to take over her duties, as long as she is here.” the firebird explained.
“And what exactly are her duties?”
“Well, do you know Simargl?” Sam asked the tsarevich.
Stepan nodded.
“Who doesn’t know the doomsday hound chained to Polaris?” he retorted.
“Since she is Dažbog’s daughter, Anzhela is not only the Morning Star, but also Simargl’s guardian to make sure he doesn’t get loose. Or else…” Sam elucidated, only to be cut off by Anzhela.
“...he’d devour the universe. And you don’t want that to happen.” she clarified.
“Riiight.” Stepan deadpanned, feeling a little bit overwhelmed all of a sudden.
He took a last deep breath to clear his head.
“Fine, why don’t we head inside? The others are so in for a surprise.” all but giggled. But who could blame him? He had just gone out to get some fresh air and was now coming back with the king of the firebirds and the Morning Star in tow.
What a weird day!
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To say that Stepan’s sisters were surprised was the understatement of the year. As soon as their big brother came back from his break with not only one, but two guests, the whole room went silent at once.
Peggy and Natasha stared with wide eyes at the dark-skinned man and the beautiful warrior woman - a woman, who Peggy knew very well and who she had known her whole life, besides her family.
“Oh my gosh, you’re the Morning Star!” she all but yelled and jumped up, her feet carrying her quickly to the Solar Goddess standing on Stepan's left. She stopped only a few centimeters before her, taking in Anzhela’s aethereal appearance.
“I always talk to you in the mornings. About my mother, my siblings, everyone. And I’ve always hoped that you’d hear me.” Her babbling became a whisper.
Anzhela smiled softly and took her hands, squeezing them slightly.
“I know. I heard all of it and I...I liked it very much. I like you very much. You could be my Zorya Vechernyaya, my Evening Star, my fellow Guardian Goddess. But only if you want to…” she asked the youngest Tsarevna.
Peggy’s facial expression changed from surprised to excited within split seconds. But the squealed “Yes” and the following “Please call me Angie” could be heard by everyone present.
Meanwhile, Natasha eyed up the other newcomer. Although she never had shown any interests in men until now, there was something about him that made her want to get to know him better. And his tooth gap was cute.
“Stepan, who is your new friend? Aren’t you going to introduce me to him?” she asked her brother with a voice which was better known as her Don’t-fuck-this-up-brother voice. she got up from her dark wooden armchair and wandered over to the two men.
“And?” She demanded to know.
Stepan blushed and cleared his throat.
“Nat, this is Samuil, King of the Zharp-titsas. He’s here for you.” He introduced. The Tsarevna took another close look at Sam.
“Firebird, huh?” she mock-huffed.
“Looks like it!” Sam good-naturedly played along.
“I hope you don’t expect to be an ordinary housewife.”
“Wouldn't dream of it.” The Firebird King deadpanned.
“I’m a trained fighter and not a stay-at-home mommy.” she retorted.
Sam chuckled. “I know.”
“I don’t and won’t do girly things. EVER!” She sassed back.
“Believe me, that’s the last thing I want you to do. You want to know why I’m here? You’re just like a Firebird - fiery spirit, extraordinary and always up for a challenge. That’s what I love about you and the reason why I want to ask you for your hand in marriage.”
Natasha didn’t answer right away, but scrutinized him more. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a small smile appeared her on her lips.
“Well then, I don't want to be awkward. You may marry me if you really feel the urge.” she replied, holding up her hand with a completely serious expression on her face.
Sam dissolved into laughter at that.
“Oh, you’re a sassy one. I like that.” he snickered but took it anyway. “And I’m afraid you’re stuck with me now.”
The redhead sighed.
“Damn. That’s too bad.” She said in a deadpan voice.
Stepan shook his head at his sister’s antics. Trust her to be so damn nonchalant about it.
“THAT CALLS FOR A CELEBRATION!” Thor thundered, positively excited about gaining a new brother-in-law and a sister-in-law-in-arms.
Needless to say that the evening ended in a preliminary celebration, after everyone agreed that the weddings were to be held seven days later.
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The day of the weddings themselves was bittersweet for the small tsarevich.
Sure, they had a lot of guests from here and there, peasants and nobility alike. Stepan got to know Thor’s family and friends. Although no one from Sam’s and Angie’s families were present, Stepan could understand that important people like the Gods had important duties to fulfil. Anzhela and Sam had assured him that they still were going to be with them, only not in flesh.
Sure, the ceremony performed by himself and Odin was beautiful. His sisters looked beautiful in their jewelled wedding dresses and their long veils. Stepan found himself choking at the end and more than a few tears ran down his cheeks.
Sure, the reception was awesome. Lots of drinks, delicious food and the best speeches from the best men.
But all in all, it made Stepan realize that his sisters would be leaving their home forever and he would be alone soon. So it was no wonder that he found himself retreating into a dark corner to wallow in misery, but not before bumping into the hard armour of someone. Who the fuck wore an armour at a wedding...well except for Thor and his family?
“Sorry!” Stepan sniffled.
“Hey, no problem. I’m made of Iron!” a male voice joked.
Stepan looked up to see a bearded man wearing a golden and red armour standing in front of him. He was older than Stepan and had a full wine goblet in his right hand. Holding out a hand, he introduced himself.
“Anton, Tsar of Sil’no. And you must be Tsarevich Stepan. Nice party by the way. I don’t think we have met before, because I’d remember meeting such a handsome man!” he smirked.
Stepan felt himself blushing.
“Well it’s nice to meet you, Tsar Anton. You’re really of Sil’no? I always thought they’ve shut down their borders for good.”
Anton rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, that’s right. But when I took the throne, I changed that. Isolation is gravely underrated and deadly for any kind of trade between tsardoms. So, borders are open again and I am here at the weddings of the year. So wanna explore the Garden with me? Surely we can play hide and seek.” he asked, waggling his eyebrows all the while.
Stepan raised his eyebrows at Anton’s failing attempt to flirt with him. Flirt with him. Him.
“Riiiight...Sorry, but my sisters leave soon and I want to send them off properly. It was nice to meet you, Tsar Anton.” he countered, before turning to head back to the Ballroom, where the reception was held.
“Me too. You should come and visit me in Sil’no. It’s beautiful at this time of the year. Although not as beautiful as you.” Anton shouted after him, winking at the tsarevich. Stepan stopped short, took a deep breath, before turning his head and called back:
“Will do. See you later!”
He then hurried back to his table, crimson-faced.
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Saying goodbye to his sisters was the second worst thing Stepan had to do in his life.
Jane and Thor.
Natasha and Sam.
Peggy and Angie.
So many tears were shed when the siblings finally had to say goodbye. And of course, his new in-laws had a few gifts for the tsarevich.
Thor gave him a small bag filled with golden apples from Asgard for a time when he would need them the most. Stepan had no idea what Thor had meant, but he appreciated the gesture.
Sam gave him one of his feathers, which glowed so brightly that he had to hide it under a cloth, and the King gave Stepan the promise that he just had to call his name in case he ever needed his help quickly.
Anzhela gave him an amulet in the shape of a star in the middle of the sun, meant for protection and to give to his True Love.
And of course, his sisters told him just to give a shout to their spouses and they would be with him right away.
Stepan thanked them and hugged his sisters one last time.
Then Thor and Jane disappeared in a storm, swallowed by a lightning flash.
Sam engulfed Natasha in his firebird glow, which turned brighter and brighter until they both were gone.
Peggy and Angie waved Stepan goodbye, before a veil made of stars enfolded them and they shot up to the sky like a rocket, leaving a comet-like tail behind. His eyes followed them all the way up to Ursa Minor, where they disappeared at last. Two small stars lit up next to Polaris and suddenly Stepan knew that they were going to watch over him, wherever he would be.
Especially now that he was alone.
Again.
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Glossary and Translations
Sil’no - Stark
Zimnii Morje - Winter Sea
Bruklin - Brooklyn
Sarafan - a traditional, sleeveless women's dress, usually worn over a long-sleeved shirt
yeye dva - You two
Njet - No
Zhar-ptitsa - a magical glowing bird from Slavic folklore
Koról - King
Kokoshnik Tiara - crescent-shaped tiara made of gold or silver, usually gemmed
Shashka - special kind of sabre; a very sharp, single-edged, single-handed and guardless sword with a slightly curved
Otjets - Father