History tries to pin me down as a whore, a harlot, or some useless little thing... I wasn't anything like that. They made up those lies to hide what I really was, they are afraid of my power, and they should be. In the end of it all I may have been stupid, but I was not useless... I think its time I set the record straight. My name is Christina Calfucci and I'm not what you think.
In the southern corner of Firenze, just East of Ponte Vecchio, there lay a district of people that lead quite shady lives. One man by the name of Salvestro Galeazzo is a talented boot maker, but a cruel man. Though most people have never seen her, it is said that he keeps a little girl as a slave in his shop. From time to time at the hour after dusk you can catch a glimpse of her emptying a bucket. Those who bother to approach the clearly battered child recount that she is extremely skittish, and doesn't seem to speak any known human language. Most of the time, as the stories go, she is filthy, and covered with cuts and bruises that are obviously from severe beatings. Of course, the people in this part of Firenze have grown to fear Salvestro for his suspicious activities with members of, as the rumors go, the Pazzi family, and even of the papacy. Therefore, people tend to keep to themselves.
Further North, some way passed San Trinta, and Duamo, there lives another man named Antonio Calfucci. He resides in a splendid estate he'd built for his wife, daughter, and sisters just two years ago. Word on the street is Antonio is the fiercest, and one of the most successful merchant in all of Toscana. Over half of the blacksmith, jewelry, and tailor shops are owned in some part, or were started by Ser Calfucci, though he wasn't always like that. Originally he was a poor farmer's son from Lucca who started a small business in Firenze to help support his mother and nine sisters after his father died of pneumonia. Much like the Medici, Arzenta, and Auditore family, the Calfucci take pride in finding and raising talented business owners to help Firenze prosper in the best ways possible. This, of course, is where the seemingly random gossip begins to make sense, and this is where our story truly begins.
The date is Tuesday the 20th of October, 1466 A.D.
In Firenze the days are growing shorter, the trees are loosing their leaves, and freezing rain is a common occurrence. The nobility of the city often get their footing repaired around this time, and Antonio Calfucci has gotten word that a talented boot maker lives here near the Ponte Vecchio. Sometime in the afternoon he sends his daughter, sisters, and wife out shopping while he goes to visit the boot maker, Salvestro Galeazzo.
Once again, that not-so-pleasant-anymore bell rings a customer in for the 15th time today. Frigidly the little girl grunts to alert her master that someone has arrived. The man is quite tall, and despite his bearded appearance, his features are soft and well groomed. Eagerly the man bends down to greet the tiny, green-eyed little girl until he is interrupted by the ragged, scruffy haired boot maker,
"Buonjourno Messer Calfucci, I am pleased to finally meet you. Ser De Pazzi told me you'd be stopping by."
A bit surprised, and a little on edge, Antonio nods and shakes hands with the hard faced leather worker. They chat for a while, then Antonio sits down in a chair in the middle of the room across from Salvestro, who also sits down.
"Lupa, go fetch my measuring tools." Growls Salvestro to the small child.
Obediently the bruised, beaten, puny little thing scurries to the back room. She reaches high above her matted hair to carefully pull an extremely heavy box off a dusty wooden shelf, onto her head, and into her arms. It is very obvious as one observes her straining muscles, that she is fed little, and does not rest often. Nervously she shuffles her feet across the old oaken floor. Before she has the opportunity to reach the step up to her master, the heavy box suddenly shifts in her grasp and crashes to the floor. Frantically, the clearly afraid, young girl rushes to her knees to pick up all the things that had fallen from the box. Enraged, Salvestro quickly gets to his feet and grabs the little girl by her greasy, knotted locks. With each angry shout he beats her in her tiny face with an open hand.
"Dammit Lupa! How many times have I told you not to drop those boxes? I wonder..."
Immediately Antonio rises and growls with such ferocity, that people outside stop from hearing it,
"Salvestro! You take your hands off that little girl! That much harshness isn't necessary! She's just a child!"
Swiftly Salvestro stops and drops Lupa onto the ground. He seems to regain his composure and beckons Antonio to sit down again,
"I'm sorry about that Messer Calfucci... let me tell you, she may look like a sweet little girl, but she's really nothing more than a rutty animal. Useless little creature."
"That will never be reason enough to hit a child like that." The fearless ser Calfucci continues.
Slowly he bends down to little Lupa and reaches for her. Shaking like a leaf, the little girl fearfully cowers away from him. Quivering, she pulls herself from the floor and wipes her tears with then ends of her tattered dress. Instantly Antonio feels so attached to her that tears nearly fill his eyes. It has been a long time since he's seen someone so defeated. It burns his heart with not only anger toward the person responsible, but sadness that it has come to this, especially in one so young. With a fire in his eyes, Antonio rises and calmly looks at the mean old man,
"Is she a slave to you, Salvestro?" Smoothly he questions.
The black haired boot maker, despite of knowing slavery is severely frowned upon in a republican society, tells him this,
"W-well... I suppose in a way. I bought her from a wolf hunter who found her roaming around in the forests of Milano."
Antonio replies,
"How much did you buy her for?"
Suspiciously the shop owner narrows his eyes and hesitates to answer at all, however, Antonio's glimmering, intimidating glare causes him to falter.
"Quite a bit..."
Curiously Antonio tilts his head and smiles just slightly as the little girl seems to ignore their conversation by picking up the mess on the floor.
"How much exactly, Ser Galeazzo?"
Defensively Salvestro retorts placidly,
"She doesn't know how to speak Ser Calfucci, and she doesn't have any manners."
"Well, of course she probably doesn't know many words, she's only about five, isn't she?"
"When I got her, they told me she was about five, that was two years ago. She's seven now."
Quite surprised, Antonio glances down at the frail little girl. By some chance, she stares up at him, and their eyes meet. Her beautiful, dark green eyes sign of so much torment and pain... but their curious glint shows such sweetness, and innocence. Antonio glares hard at Salvestro,
"Ser Galeazzo... how much did you pay for her?"
With a slight stammer, Salvestro's eyes seem to fixate on a gold coin, he spouts a number,
"I paid well over 1000 fiorini for her."
"I see..." Antonio begins to pull out his purse when Salvestro interrupts him,
"Y-you didn't think I was going to sell her? Did you?"
"I don't see why not, with the money I'm prepared to give you, you can hire a servant that is far more useful and sturdy than a frail, speechless little girl."
Suddenly rather excited, Salvestro's eyes glitter with a false light that can only be called greed. Stepping toward Antonio, he responds lucidly,
"Oh, and how much would you offer for such a one? She may look useless, but when she grows up she's going to be beautiful-"
Antonio's eyes instantly flare with such anger that his fists tighten in agreement, he interjects Salvestro swiftly,
"I can see that with my own eyes, but she'll never get the chance to grow up if you treat her like this."
The thought of what this man might think to do to this child causes Antonio's temper to irritate the atmosphere to great intensity. As a precaution, Salvestro stands back and stutters,
"W-well, how much would you pay?"
Seeming to have made up his mind, Antonio stares the old boot maker down for a moment. When his immense intensity swallows the world, Antonio articulates,
"Double."
Wide-eyed, and uncertain, Salvestro glances back and forth at the little girl and the tall man standing next to her. Who could pass up such an offer? 2000 fiorini? Then again, the potential the girl is said to have... all of these things Salvestro considers briefly until Antonio begins counting out silver and gold coins. Whatever rational thought process he had before, Salvestro now forsakes it to smile gratefully and nod,
"I'll take it... 2000 for the little monster."
To himself Antonio smiles and remarks,
"I'd pay any price to free a child from bondage such as this."
Ever so swiftly Antonio hands the proper amount to Salvestro, and slowly kneels down to eye level of the small slave. Her shaking has not stopped since he arrived. The cuts that adorn her pale, off-colored skin are either infected in some way, or still bleeding. Her hair is so dirty that no definitive color can be claimed from it. Adversely, when Antonio reaches for her small face, the poor thing stiffens like a stupefied rabbit. With whatever composure he has left, the horribly furious Antonio Calfucci scoops the extremely light child into his arms and coddles her closely as she shudders and clings to him for fear of falling. It takes all of his might not to beat that terrible man to a bloody pulp for causing such damage to a sweet, innocent, harmless little baby. Just before he reaches for the door to leave, Salvestro is reminded,
"Are you sure I can't make some boots for you Ser?"
Heartily Antonio laughs,
"I don't think I'd ever come here, even if you are the most talented boot maker in Italia."
Once on the street, his heart crumbles as he feels her shivering grow profuse, and his shirt dampen slightly. He can tell from the sound that the poor girl is sobbing, and terrified. Softly he cuddles her and whispers,
"Don't worry little one, if I can help it, no one will ever hurt you again."
Even if she may not understand his words, his tone seems to soothe her as he carries her to her new home. God only knows what opposition awaits him when he gets there. He'll have A LOT of explaining to do to his wife.