Summary

The Word of Pyotr Vladimirovich – Several weeks later, after Pyotr’s wedding to Anna, he is prepare to return home when he sees the stranger from the marketplace. The stranger is with Pyotr’s horse, and is unusually calm. As Pyotr watches, the stranger is confronted by the volatile Kolya who, in turn, is suddenly grabbed and held at knifepoint by the stranger. Pyotr asks the stranger to spare his son’s life, and the stranger agrees – on condition that Pyotr give his youngest daughter (Vasya) a gift. Pyotr reluctantly agrees, and the stranger gives him a pendant with an ice-blue stone at its center to give to Vasya. He also promises that he will never harm Vasya, and, in turn, makes Pyotr promise to never reveal the circumstances of their meeting. After the stranger disappears, Pyotr realizes that the man has...