Prologue
Riario entered the Pope's chambers with haste. He had no idea what this summoning was about, he could only assume it had to do with the recent mess in Florence.
"Nephew, come here." The Pope called Riario over. Riario looked around in confusion upon seeing all of Pope's advisors present. He took a seat next to the Holy Father.
"I have some good news." The Pope said. "We are sending you on a very important task to secure our relations with Milan."
"Yes your Holiness." Riario said.
"You will marry one of the Sforza girls. Her name is Costanza Fogliani. This is very important nephew. In order to secure our hold over Florence we must have Milan as our ally."
Riario felt a wave despair overcome him. He was being punished for his failures. He had never desired too be married.
"Does this displease you nephew? It is God's will."
"Of course not father."
"Holy Father." The Pope corrected. "Besides, Milan has the best fleet of ships in Italy. If you ever hope to catch Da Vinci, you will need Milan to do it."
Riario looked up at his holiness with a flicker of hope. The Pope was letting him find Da Vinci after all. This news was enough for Riario to accept being married, perhaps it was God's will.