When the Bulgarians pressed the stone walls, the Romans were firmly locked inside and did not let a bird fly. They drained the canals that brought the hot water out of the fortress and the camp of the Bulgarian khan was left without water. This made it difficult for his army during the cold days. One evening a young Slavic woman came to the Bulgarians, beautiful and slender, with a pitcher on her shoulder. They asked her what she was looking for in them, and she replied that she brought them hot water and that she would tell them about the secret entrances to the fortress. As they drank from the water, the attackers felt its miraculous power, because it made them cheerful and the nights passed imperceptibly. That's what she did every night. Every time she appeared, they shouted from afar: "Toplica!… Toplica…" The Slavic woman did not understand their language, but guessed that they wanted hot water.
One evening she connected them with the first people of her tribe and in the morning, before the sun rose, the Bulgarians attacked the fortress. When they conquered her, the Slav grabbed the long pole with a ponytail, climbed like a goat to the highest place and shouted with all her might:
- From today on the city will be called Toplitsa! …
From that day, already with a new name, the city remained forever a Bulgarian fortress.
