The morning sun had not yet begun to bake when Anzhelika, dressed in the finest silk blue blouse and jeans, walked up the steps of the palace. In her hand she held a medium-sized bottle of life-giving moonshine, which she had brought from home. The girl greeted the gatekeepers with a friendly "Good morning, guys" - the faces of the guys bored at their post brightened as they answered her - and stepped under the high marble vaults. Looking around for the Sultan, she involuntarily adjusted her hair, even though she knew that her long, silky hair falling down her back looked great.
"Lady Angelica?" a short girl approached her, looking at her with curiosity and trying to hide it.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpbPRV0FqQ
"Yes, it's me."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfoiYsBmXJ
"I'm Madina. Sultan Salah ad-Din ordered me to take you to the hospital," the girl made an inviting gesture with her hand.
Anzhelika raised her eyebrows in surprise, but tried not to show her disappointment in any way - she didn't want to offend the friendly girl. Anzhelika's face remained calm and friendly, and her tone of voice was completely even when she addressed the guide:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaSpW8XLVl
"Nice to meet you, and thank you for your help. And where is he, by the way?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSf3zqvll4G
"I can't know, Lady," the girl answered, dumbfounded.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdNVndfLIp
"Well, it's okay. Let's go to the hospital. Is it far?" Anzhelika responded politely and didn't listened to the answer, thinking about the fact that she had not expected Salah ad-Din's absence at all. "And I moved here because of you, handsome," the girl sighed to herself, but immediately reminded herself that there was a war going on and the Sultan could have many reasons not to meet her in person. Following Madina, she went back out onto the porch and down the steps. The hospital was on the next block.
Entering the spacious building, Anzhelika looked around and was pleased to notice that the hospital looked quite decent. The ceilings were high and the rooms were large. Salah ad-Din had not been stingy with the excellent premises for the hospital. Although the local maids, Anzhelika thought, had not been so diligent - the dust in the corners could have been cleaned up.
Madina called three more maids, introducing them and Anzhelika to each other, and the whole company proceeded into the room where several boys and men were lying on beds. They looked at Anzhelika with usual for her surprise and interest. These were feelings Anzhelika evoked in those around her at home - often, in the Middle East - very often, and in the medieval Middle East - almost always. Tourism from the Nordic countries and bleaching hair dye were not popular here, and Anzhelika enjoyed the lack of competition.
Some of the future patients pulled the blanket higher over themselves, embarrassed.
"Good morning everyone," Anzhelika greeted everyone cheerfully with her usual friendliness, "I am your new healer, my name is Anzhelika. Please complain about all scratches, cuts and other things in the same kind, as well as fever, without leaving anything out (the girl remembered two cases at Tahir's house)."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoECMfYGXSJ
"The Lady just tell us what needs to be done, and we will do it," said Madina.
A young man appeared from the corridor, short, thin, dressed in a light blue robe and turban. He was about the same age as Anzhelika, but it was hard to call him a guy - the gray hair that slightly silvered his temples and the very serious look of his small dark eyes interfered.
"As-salamu alaykum," he greeted her in a soft and quiet voice.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdghysAdAo
"Good morning," Anzhelika responded.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwTFQAvnzu
"I am Abdul Latif ibn Yusuf al-Baghdadi, a healer," the man introduced himself. "And you must be Angelica?" The girl nodded. The man continued: "Nice to meet you. I have heard many interesting things about your healing methods. Perhaps you could share them with me?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlOuBm3Nvy
Anzhelika remembered Salah ad-Din's words - "rumors in the palace spread in an instant" - and smiled, answering everyone at once:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1v2JGKpdU
"Of course, no problem. For the best disinfection, we first wipe our hands with this thing," she shook the bottle of moonshine, "which is called "spirit". For now I have some spirit with me, and later we will cook it, I will tell you how... First we wash the wounds with clean water, precisely clean - it is very desirable that it has been boiled before."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB41dtd8JAl
"Boiled?" Madina was amazed. "Like for soup?.."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkxbSRy9YC
"Yeah, exactly," confirmed Anzhelika. "Until bubbles start to appear. Only the water should be absolutely clean, without meat, salt, and the like. Boiling kills all the infection that could be in the water."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxqp7JSVFu
"Just like that?!" another maid responded in shock.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xA6vjuy59
"Well, yes," Anzhelika shrugged and chuckled: "We must have had a lot of dissatisfied people for sure when this fact was discovered. Because the disinfection of food and drink by constant ingestion of alcohol has fallen out of use..."
All the assembled people burst into laughter.
"Then we treat the wounds with spirit and wrap them in a clean cloth," continued Anzhelika. "By the way, if you are going to stitch something, wipe the needle with spirit too."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOPqJrCiI0
"Do you know how to stitch, Lady?" one of the maids asked timidly.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EFJqmCrvH
"No, I don't know how," Anzhelika admitted honestly, and thought to herself that she would probably faint at the prospect of stitching something up on a living person.
No one complained of fever, and the maids began to treat the wounds. Abdul Latif looked at Anzhelika softly but intently, and clarified:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7rOTnNN0q
"Does alcohol always help?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLV7ovnWHCR
Anzhelika thought honestly a bit and answered:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKNKeuovRO
"I don’t remember anyone having something festering after being treated with spirit. Oh, by the way! Although it is necessary to pour spirit on wounds, you should never pour wine on them!" the girl caught the interested glances of everyone present and shared: "One of my dad's friends went on a vacation to the countryside, injured his finger and poured wine on the scratch. And he lost his finger..."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoqDhGL3mv
One of the girls gasped.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrtRQC12ZJ
"Was your father a healer?" asked Abdul Latif.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2KlxPfq8M
"No, he was a manag... a merchant. My grandmother was a healer," explained Anzhelika, and, remembering her previous healing experience, added: "And one more thing: you shouldn't drink spirit. You can get seriously poisoned by it. Well," the girl thoughtfully rubbed her forehead, "at least you shouldn't if you have such illnesses."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLGJ9NM1DK
"And for what illnesses is it possible?" the boy lying on the bed by the window asked hopefully.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80RcJ34QJt
"Karim!" the older man cut him off.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CsDSW0jvN
"Come to me with your complaints, I’ll tell you when it’s possible and necessary," Anzhelika answered diplomatically, barely holding back a facepalm. Noticing that the maids were starting to bandage, Anzhelika examined the bandaging material and rejected a couple of rags of dubious cleanliness, and then continued: "And we will also need a healing decoction. For it we need sagebrush and chamomile..."
Abdul Latif called a passing servant and ordered her to bring paper and a pen, and while Anzhelika instructed the girls how to brew the decoction - they volunteered to go and get the ingredients themselves - the doctor carefully wrote down the recipe. Then he asked how to brew spirit, and wrote it down too. Anzhelika looked at him with respect.
"Well, I think that's all for today," Anzhelika summed up. "I would like to see the Sultan now, how can I find him?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwUxNps7dF
"Come with me, Lady, I'll talk to the guards and they'll help," Madina volunteered.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCscUtQOwB
"Thank you," Anzhelika responded and followed the maid, thinking to herself: "Eh, I wish I could just call him on the phone or in a messenger right now..."
Anzhelika and Madina returned to the palace, where Madina asked one of the gatekeepers where Salah ad-Din could be found. He went somewhere deep into the palace, and the girls barely had time to sit down on one of the sofas (Madina hesitated, but Anzhelika insisted that she sit down with her), when he returned and suggested to follow him. Madina said goodbye, and Anzhelika followed her guide down the long, wide corridors.
"How do you find the city, Lady Angelica?" the gatekeeper asked on the way. Anzhelika - no longer even surprised that he knew her name and that she had recently arrived - answered:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoBstc4joM
"I haven't seen much of it yet, but overall the city looks very nice, the architecture is attractive."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPziSZx7BNb
The gatekeeper was silent for a moment, and then answered seriously:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7qnB0US97
"Jerusalem is our pride. Salah ad-Din will not give it to the enemy... and we will not give it either."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFKnj0p4C6
"I wish you luck," Anzhelika also became serious, "and I will also help where I can."
The guy wanted to add something else, but they had already reached the courtyard, and the girl saw the Sultan standing surrounded by warriors and giving orders to one of them.
In addition to a shirt and trousers, this time he was wearing chain mail, a heavy cloak hung from his shoulders, and a long straight sword in a scabbard was fastened to his belt. Anzhelika looked curiously at his face, at his serious eyes under slightly furrowed brows, glanced at his entire posture - he looked as if he could break away from his place at any moment - his businesslike, precise gestures. His voice was serious and restrained, although he spoke to the warriors in a rather soft tone. Anzhelika marveled at the contrast with their previous meeting. Yesterday he was although an energetic, but cheerful and relaxed man. Today, his appearance and tone left no doubt - he was a ruler and a military leader. And in this image he was also stunningly handsome, the girl thought, lingering in the shade of a tree.
Anzhelika waited for the Sultan to finish speaking and dismiss his subordinates with a gesture, and then came closer and called out to him:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7TxFavxCk
"Salah ad-Din!"
He turned to look at her, his eyes flashing with surprise for a moment. It took Anzhelika a bit to realize that he was taken aback by her clothes - tight pants were not something customary here.
"Angelica! As-salamu alaykum," he responded joyfully, and the girl excitedly caught the attentive look of his dark eyes.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5enjcQzxxe
"Good morning. I visited the hospital, and I have a couple of ideas for improvement," Anzhelika said.
Salah ad-Din smiled warmly at her and nodded, gesturing for her to follow him. The girl followed him out of the courtyard and down some well-lit corridors, watching with curiosity as everyone they met along the way bowed and greeted them, both those dressed up and not so much. The Sultan responded to everyone's bow with a nod and to their greeting with a greeting. Anzhelika looked at him furtively with pleasure - his quick steps, his shoulders straightened, his chin slightly raised. His cloak was fluttering slightly behind his shoulders. It was not at all difficult for the girl to keep up with Salah ad-Din - her healthy lifestyle was having an effect.
Finally, the Sultan unlocked the door of some room and entered. Anzhelika followed him into a spacious room that was apparently his cabinet. The furniture consisted of a carved table of dark wood, a low table with a bowl of fruit on it, several armchairs, and a bookcase.
Anzhelika sat down on the wide windowsill, crossed her legs, and began:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDd1EnmEJ3N
"In general, the hospital is very good, there is a lot of space, and therefore, air..."
Salah ad-Din cast a fleeting glance at the girl's figure and then looked away, directing his gaze somewhere out the window, but Anzhelika managed to notice it. Looking with curiosity into the black eyes of the Sultan, which had suddenly become impenetrable, and at his long dark fingers, slowly twirling a silver ring on one of them, the girl continued:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGizJleYlUZ
"...But there is something that can be added to this. At my home, they really care about the cleanliness of the hospitals, they boil everything that can be boiled and wash everything that can be washed," Anzhelika was already enthusiastically describing her native healthcare, helping herself with gestures. "Wet cleaning is done every day. And this really bears fruit - so much infection is eliminated..."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuaMtB7hAe
Salah ad-Din took another quick look at Anzhelika. Her perfectly slender legs were hugged in pants of some kind of hard fabric that didn't hide a single line - from her graceful ankles and slender knees to her toned (and elastic for sure) thighs. An absolutely incredible sight. Usually, Salah ad-Din had to see only the outlines of the lower part of the silhouette, wrapped in airy fabric swaying as girls walked, and he could only guess what the figure was like - until the moment when the fabric fell to the feet of the beauty, revealing smooth skin. But Angelica was as if open and covered at the same time, close and far away. It was disconcerting. It was pleasantly disconcerting...
Salah ad-Din looked at her fair face, slightly marked by a golden tan, and her light eyes. The girl's dark eyelashes trembled for a moment under this slightly clouded gaze, and for a moment she faltered a little, but after a short sigh she continued:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATKMvBnAWt
"We had a nurse who invented all these rules with cleanliness, Florence Nightingale. And she reduced the mortality rate in hospitals from, like, forty percent to two..."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMWI6uJVzk
"Percent?" the Sultan asked, looking closely into Anzhelika’s eyes.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIDqefPAbX
"A percentage is one hundredth," the girl explained. "Well, that is, a hundred people were admitted to the hospital - and instead of sixty, as was usually the case, ninety-eight came out alive..." Salah ad-Din raised his eyebrows slightly in amazement, and Anzhelika finished: "And it seems she even didn't have any moonsh... spirit back then. That's why I propose introducing such a system here too."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDLfKnd89w
"Yes, of course," the Sultan answered seriously, rubbing his beard with his fingers, "that would be excellent."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dlj2m60mR
"It will be," Anzhelika assured him cheerfully. There was something beautiful in this concentrated, thoughtful expression on the man's dark face. "And at the same time," the girl thought, "for some reason I incredibly want to distra-act him..."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kdZbG5UXm
"You can give any orders to the maids, Angelica," Salah ad-Din said confidently, “I will order them to be carried out strictly."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oq2XQYMhA
"Thank you," the girl responded with a smile.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUeQjqxlHJ
"Thanks be to you," the Sultan replied and added: "There is one organizational issue on which I would like to know your opinion. Where would it be more convenient for you to live: in a separate house or here, in the palace?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1eyf0q2AC
Anzhelika exhaled in admiration and answered immediately:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAIK4cu1ot
"If possible, then in the palace. It's closer... to work."
Did it only seem to the girl that Salah ad-Din's eyes flashed for a moment?.. But he immediately nodded and turned away, going out the door and calling the maid in the corridor. Briefly giving her instructions to prepare a room for Anzhelika, he returned to the girl and said to her slightly slyly:16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyR73pOW8da
"Move in and make yourself at home, Angelica. And after sunset, wait for me in the courtyard. I will have a gift for you."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSaogEFZLT
"Wo-ow, what kind?!" Anzhelika exclaimed enthusiastically, but Salah ad-Din only put his finger to his lips and smiled cunningly. Anzhelika laughed and said, getting off the windowsill: "Well then, see you later!"
Wandering down the street to Kamal's house, the girl went through one option after another, but not a single fantasy turned out to be as wonderful as the reality that awaited her a little later...
__16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzR5nl6DPh
Abdul Latif ibn Yusuf al-Baghdadi (1162-1231) was a physician who worked for Saladin, including in Jerusalem in 1192.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajOlLX7aHA
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was a nurse, who invented sanitation and reduced hospital mortality from 42.7% to 2.2%.
