Disclaimer: I don't own.
: Escape :
Bellezza held as much space in Luciano's heart as the people in it did. At first he was enthralled and enamored by the novelty of the city: its waterways, the boats skillfully skimming by, the celebrations the loyalty, the love. As time past, he began to love the city in its own right, not for its newness or excitement; the city was beautiful, yes, but he loved it for other reasons, the people in it for one. And of the people in Bellezza, the one that held the staunchest grip around his heart was Arianna, who enchanted him as a free-spirited, stubborn girl as much as she does now, as the refined, enigmatic Duchessa of Bellezza. Even without her silk mask, her face was still and impassive yet never cold. And what Luciano loved most was the way her eyes would light up with pleasure and understanding every time they fell upon him without fail.
Yet there were some things Arianna could never understand, despite her convincing eyes. She couldn't understand the pull the 21st century still had on Luciano, one that years would not weaken. If Bellezza had a grip around Luciano's heart, his old world had a stranglehold, a desperate grasp that refused to give. And though he hardly spoke of it, Luciano thought of that world often and Arianna knew so. And it frustrated her; she offered him everything he could desire, did she not? Bellezza was his home now; what did it lack to that modern Anglia anyway? Sometimes she wished he would destroy his talisman as Georgia and Falco had, so that Luciano could belong to her and Bellezza entirely. But she knew these were selfish thoughts so she did not protest whenever she came into their private sitting room to find Luciano slumped in one of the velvet, high-backed chairs, his talisman clasped innocuously in his hand. Instead, she smoothed back the soft, dark curls from his forehead, carefully covered him with a well-woven blanket, and enjoyed the silent, undemanding company, a luxury she rarely could indulge in now that she was the most powerful ruler in her city. Arianna often wondered where Luciano's mind went; but of all the thing she imagined, she could not come close to the reality of pounding music, flashing lights, and madcap dancing.
In Bellezza, one danced with style, not abandon.
Lucien found himself near his parents' house after his stravagation. Rodolfo was right; it did get easier the more he did it. There was a slight perspiration on the back of his neck and upper lip, and his heart was beating just a little quicker than normal, but he felt exhilarated, adrenaline coursing through him right down to his fingertips and toes. Neither of his parents seemed to be awake at this hour, which didn't bother him; he came back often enough now that he felt he didn't need to see them every time, though he would have liked to. Instead, he found a payphone (though they were rare now, since everyone had mobiles) and dialed a number he had memorized.
After two rings, a girl answered, "Hello?"
"How are you, Georgia?" Lucien asked, smiling into the phone. "Are you busy?"
"Give me one second," she said and put her phone down next to her with a 'clunk.' Lucien could hear her typing furiously on a keyboard and less than a minute later, picked up the phone again.
"Lucien, is that you?" she asked.
"The one and only," he teased.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Georgia answered, sounding amused. "You sound freakishly similar to Nick, especially on the phone. But it wasn't his mobile number so I was confused."
Lucien had grown used to the comments about his and Nick's similarities; even his parents offhandedly had mentioned it a couple of times. At first, Lucien couldn't help but feel a little slighted, especially concerning his parents, but now grew to find it complimentary; Nick was a nice, good-looking guy. There could be worse comparisons made.
"Are you busy?" he asked.
"No, I just finished this English paper," Georgia said, and Lucien smiled at the thought. It seemed so simple and innocuous compared to his own duties and obligations. As the Consort to the Duchessa, he had to attend every council meeting alongside Arianna and help her deliberate new treaties, laws, and amendments. His morning had been particularly grueling since he and Arianna, along with Rodolfo and a couple other senators, had haggled long and hard about new trade agreements with the East. They were interested in importing the exotic spices and silks while the ambassadors were interested in Bellezza's merlino blades. And after that, he had to help Arianna deliver a sentence to a convicted thief; Arianna hated delivering crime punishments the most. She was easily persuaded to empathy, though Rodolfo and Silvia cautioned her against it.
Every decision Lucien made in his other world seemed to be filled with consequences that he couldn't even begin to fathom; he envied Georgia because she could turn in a term paper and know what to expect. He didn't have that same luxury. But tonight, he would at least pretend like he did. He was in the 21st century now and as far as Lucien was concerned, he was a 21st century boy through and through at least for a little while.
"How long are you staying?" Georgia asked. "Don't you need to get back?"
Lucien craned his head out of the booth and caught sight of a clock at a darkened store window. "I have time," he said. "All night; no plans for the afternoon back in Bellezza."
It didn't escape Georgia that he didn't say "back home."
"Come to my place," she said. "You remember how to get here, right?"
"Be there in ten," Lucien said, and put down the phone. He took a lot longer than ten minutes, closer to forty, because he walked most of the way before catching a cab with a disgruntled driver who wasn't entirely convinced that Lucien wasn't just another drunk, young hooligan. When he got to Georgia's flat and buzzed the doorbell, she paid the driver and he left, satisfied.
"It's good to see you!" Georgia exclaimed, and they embraced with none of the embarrassment that Georgia's previous emotions would have produced. Lucien regarded her. She no longer had that multicolored hair; it was a solid hue of a rich auburn color. A fringe fell across her forehead, brushing her coppery eyebrows, and the spiky ends of her hair fell just below her shoulders.
"You've changed your hair again," he said, feeling a strand of it between his thumb and forefinger. Georgia was glad the dark hid her blush; she may have gotten over Lucien, finally, but it was still a little unnerving to have him stand so close, examining her hair.
"You haven't changed a bit," she said, smiling. He still had his hair worn long, and was in need of some normal clothes.
"Nick's not home today," Georgia explained, leading Lucien up a narrow staircase. They entered her and Nick's flat. They lived together in a cozy little flat, close to the university and their homes so that they could walk to classes as well as commute back home often. The Mulhollands were especially attached to Nick and so he went home nearly every weekend. Lucien looked around, though he had been here before, and felt both comfortable and a little lonely. Georgia and Nick's personalities were so obviously stamped everywhere and with that physical manifestation of their close relationship, he felt a bit excluded. Horse posters were plastered on walls; there were fencing foils piled haphazardly on one corner. There was a giant tapestry of a great wheel representing the divisions of Remora with all of its zodiac-like symbols at the end of each spoke. Georgia caught Lucien looking at it.
"We had to get that commissioned," she said. "Obviously, since no such thing exists here. But we drew it out and got a local artist at the market to make it. It's nice, isn't it?"
Lucien agreed that it was, passing a hand over it. It was thickly woven, rich in deep hues like purple and red.
"Where's Nick?" he asked.
"Spending the night at the lab," Georgia said, a little crease of concern appearing on her forehead. "He's studying engineering; I don't know how he manages it. It seems so time-consuming and difficult. Anyway, what do you want to do?" Her mood changed swiftly, as though by a conscious choice.
"I don't know," Lucien said, truthfully. Though he still felt, at heart, a modern boy, he still had been living the past five years mainly in Bellezza. "What's there to do?"
Georgia looked thoughtful then smiled.
"Do you like dancing?"
The club was nothing like parties in Bellezza. People there knew how to enjoy themselves as well but the celebrations were always either held outside, underneath the dark, moonlit sky hung heavy with stars, or inside grand, enormous halls of marble and giant chandeliers. The club was dark, full of flashing lights, and intimate, people packed into a tiny area. People were dancing with more than twice the promiscuity of what decorum would dictate in Bellezza, even at their rowdiest. He suddenly felt out of place, even in Nick's admittedly stylish clothes, a smartly cut pair of jeans and black shirt.
"Do you want something to drink?" Georgia shouted, over the music. She caught Lucien's initial stricken look and figured a drink might make him more comfortable. But he refused and she shrugged and pulled him into the center of the dancing fray.
Georgia came here often, usually with Nick, and they danced until either the dawn or their feet were breaking. She easily and comfortably raised her hands over her head and gave a little spin. Lucien smiled; something about the easy way she moved reminded him of Arianna just then.
"Come on, dance with me," Georgia said, and held up her arms. Lucien instinctively grasped one of her hands and placed another at her waist, as though to lead her in a waltz. Georgia laughed.
"You have stayed too long in Bellezza," she said. "And you've gone and forgotten how to dance like we do!" Then she placed both his hands on her waist and put her arms around his neck, pulling him close. She matched his hips to her own and they swayed to the pulsing beat.
Lucien missed this, this feeling like a normal boy. If he still lived in 21st century England, he would probably be studying at a university like Georgia and Nick. He would go dancing like they do and live carefree, without the weight of an independent city on his and his wife's shoulders. He wouldn't even be thinking of marriage if he still lived here; he was only twenty-one. Suddenly, Bellezza seemed trapping. He felt completely tied down to his obligations and responsibilities when he was supposed to be carefree and enjoying life in his prime like Georgia was, like Nick was. Suddenly it didn't seem fair. But Lucien resolutely pushed those evil little thoughts away and fiercely made himself have fun. That's what he was here for, right?
Instead, he danced, putting all his energy into his kicking limbs and swaying body. He smiled, wondering what Arianna would do if he brought her here. She would probably be scandalized at the dancing but he wouldn't put it past her to suddenly pull the pins from her hair, letting her tumbling hair loose instead of pulled back in a severe and elaborate manner, and entering the crowd.
Georgia had let go of Lucien once he got the hang of dancing, closing her eyes and letting herself go completely. She could feel herself starting to get sweaty along her hairline and raked her hands through her hair. The dance floor suddenly seemed to crowd with more people so that Georgia felt an elbow come dangerously close to jabbing her in the side. Seeing this, Lucien's hands returned to encircle her waist and pulled her away, positioning her away from more dangerous limbs. Georgia felt a sudden pang of remorse; if Lucien gave her this much attention, how attentive was he to Arianna? He must be completely devoted.
He wasn't quick enough to prevent another guy from running into himself, however, causing him to stumble into Georgia. Lucien caught his balance and whirled around in one smooth movement.
"Watch where you're going," he said.
The other guy was bulkier and smiled in a menacing manner.
"Or?" he challenged.
Georgia could immediately see where this was going and she was in no mood to watch a testosterone match.
"Let's go," she shouted, to Lucien, and grasped him around the upper arm and started to leave when the other man said something that was drowned out by the music for Georgia. But not for Lucien, who pulled his arm from her grasp and turned around to throw a punch at the guy.
"Lucien!" she cried, horrified. Lucien dodged a punch aimed towards his stomach, taking it in his side instead to hit the other guy again in the jaw. Georgia couldn't help rolling her eyes as she pulled Lucien away, shouting, "That's enough!" in his ear. They were out of the club and running, or as fast as Georgia could run in her high-heeled shoes, laughing in exhilaration, taking in the night air in giant gasps of breath.
"You're crazy," she finally said, when they stopped, panting, and seven blocks away from the club.
"You didn't hear what he said," Lucien shot back, stubbornly.
"What did he say?" Georgia asked, curious. He shrugged. "He said I looked like a girl," he said. "And something else."
"What something else?" she prompted.
Lucien looked uncomfortable and blushed. "He told me to share the wealth?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Georgia said, exasperated. Lucien gave her a pointed look. "What? You don't mean…me?!" Georgia spluttered.
"I don't think he meant my clothes," Lucien said, with a grin. "You've come a long way from the buzz-cut and shy demeanor."
"Watch it," Georgia warned. "You are a married man."
Lucien's smile was a little tighter than Georgia expected. They walked back the rest of the way in silence, enjoying the cool night air on their skin. Once they were back at Georgia's flat, she led them out onto the deck outside that was little more than a landing for the fire escape. She disappeared through the sliding glass doors to reappear with a couple of bottles of beer. She passed one to Lucien who opened it and took a long drink.
He was incredibly thirsty after all that dancing, running, and walking. Never having had the time to acquire himself to the taste of beer, considering he translated before he was really old enough to go to parties and sick for a long time before that, the alcohol he was most acquainted with was the rich, Bellezzan red wine. This cold, crisp beer was nothing like the sweet, luxuriant wine and he liked it.
"How's Bellezzan life treating you?" Georgia asked. She sat, leaning against the railings facing Lucien. He shrugged.
"Very demanding," he said, truthfully. "Do you remember that one time I told you you were special to me? Because you were a special link to this world and only you would really understand this part of me?"
Georgia nodded; she could sense a change in his emotion and settled down to be serious.
"Well," Lucien said, then hesitated. "I don't want to sound ungrateful because Bellezza is amazing. Arianna and Rodolfo have given me everything I could ever desire and more. But they can't give me what I really want."
Georgia waited, silently.
"I want this," Lucien said, gesturing his hand towards his surroundings. "I want this, a normal life. A normal, 21st century life," he said, correcting himself. "I'm sick of living in Bellezza with half my heart here. But I love Bellezza too. I just wish sometimes that I was never introduced to it so that I wouldn't always be torn like this."
"But if you never went to Bellezza…" Georgia started saying.
"Then I would have never miraculously lived, I know," Lucien said. "That's why I feel so ungrateful and awful whenever I start feeling like this."
"You can't help the way you feel," Georgia said, shrugging. "I can see how it might be hard."
"Arianna hasn't known any other life so she doesn't understand why I'm so restless," Lucien continued. "But she doesn't realize that in this world, your world, my world, we're not all grown up yet. We've barely started growing up. We're so young! But in Bellezza I'm already considered an adult. I'm married! And I know Silvia and Rodolfo will be expecting kids soon and it terrifies me. I'm not ready to be a father. I'm not ready to rule Bellezza with Arianna. She does most of the work and I don't know how she can handle it."
"Because, like you said, she doesn't know of any alternative," said Georgia. "If she heard you, she would think you were being childish."
Lucien sighed. "That's why I can't ever tell her any of this." He ran a hand through his curls.
"Am I horrifically ungrateful for feeling like this?" he asked.
"Not horrifically ungrateful," Georgia said, teasing but grew serious. "I only saw the glamorous side of your life in Talia, you know. I thought you had the perfect life, suddenly being a some royal socialite, adopted by Dethridge, taken on by Rodolfo, and then getting married to a Duchessa! But none of that changes what you grew up with, huh?"
"I'm still a 21st century boy," Lucien said, looking pained and guilt-ridden. "And it feels like no amount of time can change that. I can't destroy my talisman either, like you and Nick did. I need to keep seeing my parents; I don't know what would happen to them if I stopped visiting."
"Concentrate on what you love about Bellezza," Georgia said. And then she hesitated before saying, "Concentrate on Arianna."
Lucien closed his eyes. "Does it bother you that I come visit?"
Georgia was silent. Sometimes she did feel as though every time he came, he just reopened an old, sore wound. But seeing him, in a way, started fostering the more platonic feelings she started having, despite the fact that the attraction seemed to refuse to die.
"No," she finally said. And it was the truth; they still had good times together and usually Nick was with them. "I think we would miss you too much if you never came back."
"We?" Lucien echoed and smiled. "Speaking of marriage, what about you and Nick?"
Georgia shuddered. "I'm only twenty!" she protested. "And Nick is only eighteen. I couldn't imagine being with anyone else but we're definitely not even going to consider marriage for a very long time."
"And here I am married at sixteen," Lucien said, smiling slightly. "What would my old friends say?"
They both turned their heads to find that the sun was starting to rise, dawn breaking over the silent, gray city.
"London's beautiful too," Lucien said, softly, echoing Georgia's thoughts. "It's not glamorous like Bellezza but it's still my city."
"You should start heading back," Georgia said. "It'll be getting on to be evening there; Arianna might get worried."
Lucien got up and stretched.
"These visits though," said Lucien. "I think they keep me sane. No matter what, I don't think I'll ever become fully Bellezzan."
Georgia got up beside him and he pulled her into a hug. She closed her eyes and let herself relax her head against his chest.
"Well, let me give these clothes back first," he said. "And then I'll be off."
After he had changed back into his Talian breeches and full sleeved blouse, he sank down onto a well worn chair, so unlike the luxury back in Bellezza. Grasping the talisman in his hand, he gave one last smile to Georgia and closed his eyes.
Feeling his surroundings melt away into nothingness around him, Lucien made sure not to open his eyes again until he felt velvet underneath his fingertips. He blinked, finding himself back in his and Arianna's private sitting room. A fire blazed cheerfully before him, a marked contrast to the big lamp in Georgia's flat and he saw from the window that the sun was setting. Turning his head, he saw Arianna sitting in a chair that matched his own, reading what appeared to be state documents with a small frown on her face. She was so deep in concentration that she didn't realize Lucien had awoken.
Not giving himself away yet, Lucien looked at Arianna and was once again reassured that even though they were only twenty-one, only sixteen when they married, he did love her with every fiber in his being. He could decipher her sweetness, intelligence, spirit all in the slight curve of her neck, the graceful lines of her arms, and large, bright eyes. Those eyes suddenly looked up and saw that Lucien was awake. Arianna smiled openly.
"Hello," she said.
"Sorry I was late," Lucien, now Luciano again, said.
"Has your old world charmed you so much you could not leave?" she asked.
Luciano reached out his hand and Arianna placed her slender hand in his grasp. He gently pulled her from the chair to come to his lap and held her.
"No world could ever enchant me away from you," he said, truthfully. She was truly the real reason why he never translated back. Despite the difficulties of shouldering on the responsibilities of an adult and even more, being the Duke of Bellezza, he would keep on doing it if it meant he would be able to keep Arianna at his side.
"You will always have my heart," he said. "No matter what world my body is in."
Arianna smiled and took up his talisman in her hand and carefully placed the preserved rose back around his neck.
End