54

Dimitri formed his own yard. Pan Mniszek put at his disposal a whole wing of the Sambir Castle, and now the prince had his own butler, kravchiy, bed-keeper, steward, chalice, treasurer and even huntsman. Demetrius was given royal honors, and many fugitive Russians, now living in Lithuania and Poland, already called him sovereign.

The prince sat in his office and wrote letters to be sent to Russian cities. In them, Demetrius announced that he was the son of Tsar John, announced his imminent arrival and urged to meet him with humility, without resistance, open the gates of the cities and recognize him as his sovereign.

Having finished another letter, Dimitri got up and went to the window. Through the multi-colored rhombuses of the stained-glass window, he thoughtfully watched how, under the leadership of one of the knights, Pan Mniszek, fifty soldiers were marching in the courtyard of the castle. Anyone else in his place would have thought about how he could defeat the powerful Russian