The Vatican buzzed with the usual gossip, but today the news was about a small brigade coming toward Rome. A courtier ran through the halls searching for His Holiness, Pope Alexander.
Though he was sitting with his sons, Cesare and Juan. Juan spoke solemnly. "My wife is dead, in childbirth. Her family buries her without me, they say that I am to keep away and my children are kept from me... Am I so poisonous?"
Before anyone could speak and answer the courtier burst in, panting like a dog. "Your Holiness! There's.." He was cut off by Juan who stood and stormed to the boy and held him by the throat. "How dare you!" Yelled Juan. "You dare interrupt us!"
Cesare leaped forward, grabbing his brother and pulling him back. "He did not know, Juan!" He looked back to the boy. "What is it, boy?"
The boy spoke frightened still. "There is a letter... There is a brigade of soldiers coming this way, they sent me with news, it's a princess looking for a husband. And she requests an immediate audience..."
They men gaped at him, in utter shock... Alexander spoke. "A princess? One that We did not expect and one that no one even knew was coming... Who is she? Her name?"
The courier looked down. "Her name Your Holiness is..."
The scene cuts to the great Vatican Hall, in it stood a several soldiers and servants all dressed in colorful Russian attire. A woman covered in a heavy dress and veiled stood before the Borgia men and the Cardinals. The woman spoke with a thick accent. "My name is Alena of Ryazan." She gave a small curtsy. "I am here to see about a husband. I was told you have an elder son, Cesare, yes? I wish to marry him." Chuckles began to fill the room. Alena looked around, confused. "What? What is the joke?"
Cesare stepped forward in his cardinals robs, bowed and smiled. "Well, my lady, I am Cardinal Cesare Borgia, and due to my vows I am unable to happily marry you..."
Juan stepped forward. "But I gentle lady, am Juan Borgia, gonfalonier of the Papal Armies." He bowed deeply.
Alena looked at him up and down, at this Cesare began to notice a faint clicking sound coming from behind the princess. "We have not heard of you..." Alena said. "You are not who we want..."
The room fell into baffled gasps and murmurs, Juan looked at her with rage. "How could you not have heard of me, the favored son of the Papal States?! I am a duke! And a soldier! If anyone should marry a princess it should be me!" As Juan continued his rant, Cesare still followed the clicking, finally allowing his eyes to fall on a handmaiden to the princess, her eyes never looked up but he could see a small smile on her face.
Soon Alexander spoke. "Well my lady, unfortunately this is the only son available and he is a very good son...but a question." Alena raised her eyes to meet Alexander's and smiled behind her veil. "Ask anything, Your Holiness." Alexander sat back thinking how gentle her eyes were. "May we see your face?"
Alena nodded. "Of course, Your Holiness. Keket! Come forth and remove my veil." The handmaiden that Cesare was looking at stepped toward the princess, her eyes never rose to meet anyone. She reached for her lady's veil and pulled it off. The room gasped and Juan stepped back, the only person seemingly unaffected was Cesare. Alena had a deep scar across her face, it looked to start inside her hairline and dragged jaggedly across under her right eye, clipping the edge of her right nostril and through her mouth. "Problem?" Alena asked.
"You're disfigured! No wonder you came here from a far off land, to seek a husband!" Juan shouted.
Alena looked to the ground. "Yes I am scarred but that doesn't take away from who I am and what I offer, this was a wound inflicted unto me, not a birth defect."
Cesare noticed the soldiers becoming agitated and the clicking continued. "How am I to make love to something like that?!" Juan continued to shout.
"NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR HAND, YOU HORSE'S ASS!" The handmaiden yelled at Juan.
His mouth gaped open and the entire hall fell silent, fumes could be seen forming from Juan's ears, he began to walk towards the girl when Cesare stepped forward. "Holiness! Perhaps this is a good time to have a private audience with the princess!" He looked at his father pleadingly.
Alexander looked at him, seeing his son's desperation, he cleared his throat. "Um, yes, Juan! Come! Princess if you and your entourage would like to follow us." He got up and led the way out, followed by an infuriated Juan, and a smirking Cesare; the princess quickly followed with her handmaidens and a couple of her private soldiers.
As they entered Alexander's private chambers Juan began to rant. "How dare that common girl speak to me that way! I want her flogged! No! I want her racked!" He paced back and forth between his seated father and the princess. This made Cesare laugh out loud, stopping Juan in his tracks. "And what pray-tell is so funny, brother?"
Cesare stopped momentarily and cleared his throat. "You still haven't realized it?" His brother and father both looked puzzled, which caused Cesare to laugh once more. "The handmaiden is Princess Alena!"
Alexander looking baffled between the two woman. "What? What nonsense is this?"
The handmaiden stepped forward still looking at the ground, and smiled deviously before looking up at the Pope then to Cesare. "What gave us away?!"
Juan looked at the real princess with wide eyes. "What? It's true?"
Cesare spoke quietly. "The clicking. Though it was subtle, I could hear it and I began to notice a pattern."
Alena walked towards him. "Then you, Cesare Borgia, must be my husband."
Alexander stood up and rushed toward Alena. "No, my lady, that is impossible. As we have already told you, we only have one to offer and that is Juan."
"You are Pope. You can make him a man again. This should not be hard. I do not want to marry a second son, especially if it is this second son."
The fake princess stepped forward. "My lady, your robe." The girl removed the beautiful robe and held it out to her mistress.
Alexander sighed deeply. "Before we can discuss that, will you please explain all this?" He went back to his chair a slumped deeply into it, rubbing his forehead.
Alena took the robe and put it on. "At once, Your Holiness. You see I am being hunted by a bastard brother that wishes to be king. See, my eldest sister has the throne but she is sickly and will surely die, when that happens I become Queen. My half brother, Elijah, does not want this and the only way to his succession is my elimination. Since we have had little to no interaction, he does not know what I look like so we use this ploy. We have also found that many prince show their true colors when they face something the find...distasteful." She turned to her scarred maiden. "You are truly lovely, Keket."
Juan crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "She is of no ones taste..." He said under his breath.
Alena looked at him with narrowed eyes. "She is married to one of my soldier and he loves her very much! The fact she is scarred does not take from the beauty of her soul, if only the ugliness of your soul would show on your face, then the world would look upon you like the monster you really are." She took a deep breath, regaining her princess composure. "If you are truly the voice of God on Earth then give me the husband I rightfully deserve, give me your son, Cesare Borgia, and I will be a dutiful wife and daughter in-law...and I will give you my army." She lowered herself to her knees and placed her hands before her, bowing to Alexander.
Cesare leaned over to his father. "Father, may I ask for a private audience with you?"
Alexander looked to his son. "Yes, of course. Everyone out." He stood and went over to the princess, lifting her by the shoulders. "Go princess, allow Us to speak to Our son, please stand."
Everyone left, Juan stood in a corner with his arms crossed his chest. "Can you believe the gall of this princess, she believes that you will allow her to marry Cesare." He looked out the door toward the entourage then back to his brother and father.
"Juan, you as well..." Alexander waved him off.
"Father!" Juan said in disbelief.
"GO!" Alexander yelled and Juan slinked out of the room and as soon as he was out of sight Cesare was before his father. "Father, please." Cesare began kneeling before his father. "Let me marry this girl, let me bring you an army and let me..."He trailed off, looking down to the floor.
"What, my son, what should We let you be?"
"...Happy...or at least let me find happiness with her..."
Alexander leaned into his son resting his chin on Cesare's head. "We would have one son in the cloth and the other in armor... Let us have dinner at your mother's villa and perhaps find a better suitor for the princess."
Cesare pulled away, getting up and bowing before Alexander. "Yes, Holy Father. I'll arrange it." With that he turned and left. He slipped out a side corridor and began huffing and cursing under his breath. Soon he marched back to his quarters and disrobing.
"Is it true?" An angelic voice could be heard.
He turned startled, to find Lucrezia walking out from an adjoining room. "Is what true, sis?" He sat on his bed in his black pants and a white billowy shirt.
She inhaled taking him in. "Well that there's a princess in the Vatican?" He nodded and she continued. "And she's looking for a husband?" Again he nodded. "And she's now engaged to Juan?"
He looked at her wide eyed. "What? Who told you that?"
She got close to him. "It's being talked about around the Vatican. A princess from a far off land came to ask to marry our Juan."
Cesare stood up. "No that is not true! She wants to marry me!" He turned to walk away but Lucrezia grabbed his arm.
"What do you mean she wants to marry you? That's impossible, you're a cardinal." She looked at him in disbelief, shaking her head.
He grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes. "She has asked our father to relieve me of my cardinal's robes and make me a man again."
She looked up and smiled, then placed her hand between his legs. "I already knew you were a man."
He gasped and kissed her deeply, they moved their hands over one another, looking to fall into bed. Lucrezia pulled him close and began falling, but Cesare put his arms out and caught himself, hovering over her. He could smell her perfume, she smelled like roses and honey, he wanted to kiss her and make love to her but he could not bring himself to it.
"I can't." He said as he climbed off the bed.
She sat up. "Why not? Have I done something?" she stood up and reached for him.
He put up his hand to stop her from coming closer, he stared at the floor. "No, I just think that I can be happy with her. This princess seems to call out for me and my love and I want to love her. I saw her and even though she was disguised as a handmaiden, I knew I wanted her." He finally looked up at her and saw tears in her eyes. "Oh no, sister, I am so sorry. I never wanted to make you sad." He hugged her and held her.
She spoke through tears. "You have not made me sad, brother, but extremely happy. I want you to love and be happy. Even if the rest of us are fated not to be."
He sighed. "Can you not be happy, sis? You have your child and your husband so can you not be happy?"
She pulled away and smiled. "I have only found happiness once and then I thought once more but it seems that I can only be content in my life." She began to walk out of his room.
"Lucrezia..." She turned to Cesare. "Father has requested to have dinner at our mother's with the princess. He feels he can change her mind and have her marry Juan instead of me. He wants me to stay a cardinal...but that's another matter. You are to attend."
She curtsied. "Yes, brother." With that she left.
Cesare sighed and redressed in a simple outfit to go see his mother, so he left his quarters with a door slam.