Chapter 3: A Chance to Change One's Fate
Luckily, finding the places Seona was searching for was not a difficult prospect.
There were several inns around Florence, which were easily distinguishable. Seona managed to pick a fair, friendly looking one not too far from the marketplace. She nervously entered the place, looking up at the Innkeeper who was minding the front and dusting off tables and furniture to spruce up the place. It was quiet, with plain stone floors, several tables and chairs, and what looked to be a small raised platform in the back. On the other side was a staircase disappearing into the upper floor. That must be where the rooms are, she thought.
The man noticed Seona standing there and laughed.
"Scusa, non ti ho sentito entrare. Posso portarti qualcosa, signorina? (Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. Can I get you something, miss?)"
The man's accent was especially thick, so she had to think hard to understand what he said.
"Tutte le camere rimaste? (Any rooms left?)" She asked hesitantly. He nodded firmly and went behind one of the counters. He pulled out a logbook of some sort, eyeing it carefully.
"Sì, abbiamo diversi. Le preferenze? (Yes, we have several. Any preferences?)" He replied.
"Oh, no ... se qualcuno di loro... sono... più economici, anche se ... (Oh, no... If any of them are cheaper, though...)"
"Si può soggiornare in una stanza abbastanza confortevole per ... come circa venticinque fiorini per la notte? (You can stay in a fairly comfortable room for...how about twenty-five florins for the night?)" He offered her. She readily accepted it, handing him some of her coins.
"Pagare un po 'in anticipo? Bene, allora non ho bisogno di chiedere. (Paying some in advance? Good, then I don't need to ask.)" He shook his head approvingly. He motioned to a woman who was sweeping in the corner. He smiled at her, pointing to Seona as he spoke. The woman nodded, motioning for Seona to follow her. Seona diligently followed behind until she was led to a room on the upper floor towards the far right. The floor above was wooden and creaked a bit, she noticed.
"Grazie," she thanked the woman. She was given a key before the woman departed. She stepped into the room. It smelt a bit musty, she thought. There was a plain bed with a thick blanket, and a table and chair off to the side, and a couple of small accessories. The walls were smooth grey stone, and cool to the touch. There was a window overlooking the streets outside, which would be useful for scoping things out.
She fell on the bed, resting for a moment. It was not as comfortable as the beds back in modern America. She was grateful, though. She had a place to stay, one less thing to worry about. Now, she thought after quickly getting back up, it was time to get a change of clothes. She left the room; locking the door behind her with the key she was given.
Many vendors and merchants had items on display at the front of their shops, and finding a tailor was as easy as spotting a sign with a bright red dress next to the name of the shop. Seona peered in, noticing a man at the front waiting on a couple of customers and a woman closer to the back sewing a sleeve. There were several articles of clothing on display, confirming to Seona that she had found the right place.
She stepped in, eyeing the various dresses and gowns on display. Some were quite over the top, she thought. At least to someone from a time and place where such dress was considered very formal, it was. But to the people here, it was probably quite normal.
The young woman browsed through them, finally noticing a light jade green dress in a far corner of the shop, on display, complete with under layers. It wasn't covered in lace and ruffles from head to toe, but it had delicate darkly colored embroidery on the sides, around the edges, and tapering off the sleeves. It was quite attractive, actually, she thought. And from the look of the sizing, it would probably fit her. It would serve its purpose well. Now, the question remained of whether she could afford it.
She waited for her turn, and after waiting a while was greeted by the man attending to customers. He was rather young, she noticed. He was probably only a couple of years older than her, if that.
"Come posso essere d'aiuto, signorina? (How may I be of service, miss?)"
Seona gulped and pointed over to the corner where the green dress was on display.
"Quel vestito verde ... quanto? (That green dress...how much?)"
The man saw the dress she was pointing to and nodded gracefully, keeping a cordial but tranquil appearance. She started to pull the florins from her pouch, which he noted as she gathered them in her hands.
"Ah, sì, quel vestito. Posso vendere che a voi per centosettanta fiorini. (Ah yes, that dress. I can sell that to you for one hundred and seventy florins.)"
Seona quickly counted out the money, realizing she had just slightly more than enough. She sighed with relief and gave him the money. She exited with the dress in tow, stopping by another stand to grab a cloth bag to carry things in. It was only a few florins she found, which was a great help to her. If she had to leave and go elsewhere, she would now have something to store her clothes in. She set the dress inside of the bag.
The young woman quickly returned to her room in the inn, closing the door behind her. She swiftly changed into her new garments, folding up her jeans, shirt, and robes and placing them in the cloth bag. She tumbled over onto the bed, pretty much ready to call it a day. She couldn't remember the last time she was running around for hours and hours with few breaks.
Her eyes started to close, her mind beginning to whisk her away into a dream. She could see the sun outside her window, looking out over the late afternoon scenery.
And then, the sound of a girl calling out reached her ears, causing her gaze to turn directly behind her. The sound seemed distinct, rising over the rest of the voices in the din of the city streets.
"Petruccio! Petruccio, dove sei!? (Pettruccio! Pettruccio, where are you!?)"
Curious, she rolled out of the bed once more, shuffling to the edge of the window and looking out over the street below. She could see a woman hurrying in the streets, calling out the name 'Petruccio' several times. Seona squinted. Upon closer inspection, the woman was actually a girl a few years younger than herself, with a round, innocent face. She was quite well dressed; her gown was gold with black and silver threads. She wore a head wrap over her black hair, though several curling strands were readily visible.
"Fratellino! Si prega di rispondere a me! (Little brother! Please answer me!)"
She seemed very distressed from the tone of her voice, and Seona recognized the word 'fratellino'. Little brother, she thought. Seona would be worried to if a younger sibling of hers had gone missing, she sympathized. And in a time and place like this, it would be especially troublesome. She left her room once again, heading out onto the streets.
She guessed rest will have to wait until nightfall.
Her vision was somewhat blurred by the large crowd now flowing in the streets. She felt her tension picking up. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, she tried to excuse herself. After all, her language skills were ok, she could tell from her progress so far. But, would she really be able to help this girl find her little brother?
Wait, she thought, but what if she can't find him? She needs help, she thought. Seona told herself she just needed to tough it out. She pushed gently through the crowd, catching a glimpse of the girl in her golden dress. The feeling of people pressing close, however, caused Seona's heart to start thumping in her chest. She needed to get out of there, she thought. This was too much. She rushed out into an open spot, catching her breath.
She wouldn't be much help like this, she thought. However, at that moment, the girl appeared out of the crowd as well, trying to get a better view of her surroundings. Seona seized the moment and approached her, gently tapping her on the shoulder.
"Siete alla ricerca di qualcuno, signorina? (Are you looking for someone, miss?)" Seona asked her, her face shifted showing concern for the girl. The girl shook her head, her own expression visible with worry and urgency.
"Il mio fratellino, Petruccio! L'hai visto? (My little brother, Petruccio! Have you seen him?)"
Seona tried to pick out the words, slowly making out her sentence.
"No. .. ma ... forse ... se mi dici ... ciò che tuo fratello sembra, mi può aiutare a cercarlo. Dopo tutto ... due ... teste ... sono meglio di uno, no? (No...but...maybe...if you tell me... what he looks like, I can help you look for him. After all... two ... heads... are better than one, right?)"
She tried to be helpful and reassuring with her tone. The girl didn't seem to relax much, but she seemed grateful that Seona was offering her assistance.
"Va bene, ma abbiamo bisogno di fare in fretta. (Okay, but we need to hurry.)"
The girl described her brother as best she could. Seona didn't understand every word, but she managed to pick out 'black hair', 'small', 'pale', and 'yellow shirt' when she asked about his clothing. The two of them resumed the search together, looking on either side. Seona checked allies and other hidden areas while the younger girl checked the main street.
"Petruccio!" Seona called. So far, she had run into maybe a child or two, but nobody by the description the girl gave her. The two of them crossed paths, and at that point, the girl seemed to begin to worry more and more with each passing moment, from the anguished look on her face.
"Oh, no. Petruccio. Quali saranno madre e padre? (Oh, no. Petruccio. What will mother and father say?)" The girl fretted under her breath. At that moment, Seona wanted to reach out and comfort her. But, was it appropriate for her to do that? She wasn't sure what was permitted for this sort of thing. Still, she permitted herself to reach out a hand and offer it to the girl.
"Andrà tutto bene. Te lo prometto. (It will be okay. I promise.)" She said reassuringly.
The girl took her hand, and squeezed it for a moment before shaking her head and letting go.
"Hai ragione. Non riesco a perdere la speranza. Petruccio è qui da qualche parte. (You're right. I can't lose hope. Petruccio is here somewhere.)" The girl nodded.
The two of them went further down the street, calling the girl's brother's name. After what felt like an eternity to Seona, something yellow flashed across her vision.
"Petruccio?" She wondered aloud. She motioned for the girl to follow her. The two of them gently pushed their way across the crowd. Seona was feeling her chest tense up again, and she grew short of breath. Even her emotions were beginning to become turbulent in this crowd. It was becoming harder and harder to keep herself in check.
No, she thought. They needed to find Petruccio! However, a voice in the back of her mind pleaded for her to get out of the crowd. Please, there were just too many people, it said. Seona felt herself growing faint. But, she was almost there…
She felt someone grasp her arm and prop her up. Her vision grew a little blurred, but she could tell it was the younger girl. She was pulling Seona along gently. The two of them managed to get passed to the other side of the street. The sun was still high enough in the sky, and there were no signs of evening yet. But, time was still of the essence. Seona grabbed her head in embarrassment.
"Ti senti bene? Che cosa è successo prima? (Are you okay? What happened back there?)" The girl asked her. Seona shook her head, just wanting to proceed with the search. However, as the two of them walked along the edge of the main body of people, Seona tried her best to explain.
"Un sacco di gente ... (Lots of people…)" She pointed to the crowd and groups meandering up and down the street. However, she couldn't remember the words. How did one say that something frightened them? That she was having trouble controlling that anxiety that was so deeply rooted within her? Her luck with remembering Italian was running out. She struggled within herself. What was the word?
"Mi dispiace. (I'm sorry.)"
The girl could see her troubled face. Before she could say anything, she saw a small figure by a pair of stacked up crates. She immediately recognized it as the figure of her little brother and rushed over to him.
"Petruccio!"
Seona could see that he was reaching for something on top of the tall piles of crates before he heard his sister's voice. He was about to turn around, as if looking for a way to climb on top of them. However, as soon as he heard her, he immediately stopped and swerved around in her direction.
"Sorella! (Sister!)"
The girl gently gathered her brother up in her arms, briefly embracing him for a moment. He embraced her back before she lightly set him down.
"Stavo cercando ovunque per te! Perché hai vagare fuori? (I was looking everywhere for you! Why did you wander off?)" The girl gently scolded the boy. Seona couldn't help but find herself smiling even though she couldn't understand most of what was being said. She peered over to the object on top of the crates.
"Ho visto alcune penne da quella parte e voleva andare a prendere loro. (I saw some feathers over that way and wanted to go get them.)" The boy explained to his sister.
"Ma, se fosse successo qualcosa a te? Sai che non dovresti essere fuori dal letto per molto tempo durante il giorno! (But, what if something had happened to you? You know you're not supposed to be out of bed for very long during the day!)"
Petruccio's pale face turned down in regret.
"Mi dispiace di averti spaventato, sorella. Non volevo farti preoccupare. (I'm sorry I scared you, sister. I didn't mean to make you worry.)"
In the meantime, Seona had come upon the crates, and attempted to reach for the feather. It was just barely out of her own reach as well, when she noticed a couple of crates behind the others. She used them, carefully climbing up them as if they were the ladder on her bunk bed back at college. She took a hold of the feather before losing her balance and landing on her hands and feet.
"Ow!" She snapped. The feather was still firmly in her hand. The petite woman got up and dusted off her dress.
"Promettimi solo che abbiate mai stare vicino a casa, va bene? (Just promise me you'll stay close to the house, okay?)" The sister smiled at him, finally taking a deep breath.
"Va bene, lo farò. (Okay, I will.)" The boy agreed, slowly nodding his head.
Seona strolled up behind him, carefully tapping Petruccio on the shoulder. She presented the feather to him in her hands as he turned to face her. His face lit up with an energetic grin and he took the feather from her.
"Grazie, signorina! (Thank you, miss!)" He replied gratefully.
"Prego, Petruccio.(You're welcome, Petruccio.)" She nodded cordially. The girl laughed and thanked Seona as well.
"Non c'era bisogno di ottenere che per lui. Ma questo è molto gentile da parte tua. (You did not have to get that for him. But that is very kind of you.)"
"Sono stato ... (I was...)" Seona began, but was interrupted by the girl.
"E 'abbastanza bene. (It's quite alright.)"
For a moment, the girl seemed to look Seona over, as if she was trying to remember her from somewhere.
"Sei nuovo a Firenze? Non credo che abbiamo mai incontrato prima. (Are you new to Florence? I don't believe we have ever met before.)"
Seona hesitated.
"No. .. Devo ammettere che appena arrivato questa mattina. (No...I admit I just arrived this morning.)" She admitted.
"Hai anche un accento pure. (You also have an accent as well.)" The girl noted.
"E 'il mio italiano così male? (Is my Italian that bad?)" Seona joked, trying to push away the feeling of anxiety that was beginning to creep up inside of her. Whoever this girl was, she was the first to comment. Was she the first to even notice that she was having trouble?
"Non si preoccupi. Ero solo curioso. Non ho incontrato molti stranieri. (Don't worry about it. I was just curious. I haven't met many foreigners.)" The girl chuckled at the fact Seona's face was a bright pink, slowly becoming more red in color.
Oh, nuts, Seona thought. She had been caught. But, the girl didn't appear to be hostile or suspicious. Why was that? Perhaps she was grateful for the help in finding her little brother, Seona thought to herself.
"Posso sapere che sei nome? (May I know your name?)"
Seona blinked rapidly. Nome? She wanted to know her name.
"Seona... Il mio nome è Seona. (Seona...my name is Seona.)"
"Piacere di conoscerla , Seona. Tu conosci il mio fratellino è Petruccio. Il mio nome è Claudia. Claudia Auditore di Firenze. (Nice to meet you Seona. You know my little brother is Petruccio. My name is Claudia. Claudia Auditore of Florence.)"
Seona paused. Auditore? She had a last name, Seona thought. Were surnames still a mark of the upper class in this time period? Or were they starting to give names to the lower classes as well? However, from the elegant dress of Claudia and her brother, they looked to be at least of a comfortable socioeconomic status.
Here, Seona was nobody. And her own last name was Watson. Not exactly something that rolled off the tongue well during the Renaissance, she thought. Even if she was in England, speaking the king's English. Still, she was happy for their gratitude and appreciated such a friendly introduction.
"E 'stato molto bello conoscerti, Claudia. E voi pure, Petruccio. (It was very nice to meet you, Claudia. And you as well, Petruccio.)"
She was about to walk away, when Claudia called her name.
"Seona, aspetta! (Seona, wait!)"
Seona stopped and looked to her. Claudia was now holding her brother's hand as she began walking down the street.
"Ti fermi a Firenze a lungo, per caso? (Are you staying in Florence for long by any chance?)"
Seona thought for a moment. It wasn't like she could go anywhere, she thought.
"Probabilmente. (Probably.)" She replied.
"Forse ci vediamo domani dopo mi sono fatto con il mio tutor? Forse potrei farti visitare Firenze come i miei ringraziamenti per avermi aiutato?(Perhaps I will see you tomorrow after I am done with my tutor? Maybe I could show you around Florence as my thanks for helping me?)"
Seona only understood a part of her request. However, if it meant learning more about Florence and getting better with her Italian, she would take whatever she could get. And Seona liked the idea of having someone she could talk to. Claudia seemed liked a pleasant enough person. She could even turn out to be a very nice girl. Maybe even...a friend?
Hold on, Seona scolded herself. She needed to not get ahead of herself. She was still stuck in an unfamiliar city, in an unfamiliar time, with unfamiliar people. But this was a good place to start changing that, she thought.
"Mi piacerebbe che. Molto. (I would like that. Very much so.)"
…
…To be continued…
Author's Notes: Thank you again everyone for your subscription, favorites, and feedback. I want to make this story an enjoyable read for you. (Also, are you even reading these notes?) Either way, I hope I will succeed in my efforts, but I know I will need your help and guidance to do so. After all, even though I have been writing for several years, I am fairly new to this fandom.
As I have said before, my original plan was to possibly develop an Ezio x OC relationship over the course of the story, as part of something to add some nice flavor and the occasional squeal of delight. Nothing has been made definite, but if you have any thoughts on this matter, please let me know.
Thank you all again and I hope to hear from you again next time!
