Chapter 1 Once Upon a December (It was Really Cold)
The city of Rome was a buzz with the latest gossip. A man with chin length brown hair with a fountain spray like curl and sleepy green eyes bought a paper. He read out the title softly a small smile pulling at his lips, "Princess Lovina still alive?" He looked up at the newspaper sealer knowing that if that man was caught selling these kinds of things he would be as good as dead. The deposed royal family had become a sort of taboo. Most people didn't openly talk about them because of fear of the government finding out and them losing their jobs.
The man was pitching his story to a new customer. "Though the king and queen did not survive both daughters may be still alive. Queen Felicia of Germany will pay a royal sum to anyone who can bring her sister back to her." He looked side to side. "But you didn't hear that from me."
Heracles laughed slightly at all the secrets that he knew lived in Rome. He put the paper in his pocket and entered the black market after giving the password to the man on the other side of the door. As he passed a pillar someone whispered sharply, "Heracles."
Heracles turned around sharply to come face to face with Antonio. "Antonio!" Heracles greeted his friend. "I secured the theater."
Antonio pumped his fist his ever present smile widening even more. "Great everything is in place. Now all we need is a girl to play the part. This will be the greatest con in history!" Antonio said walking past people bartering stolen goods from the castle. He opened the door to Heracles and his office.
"Are you sure this will work? What if the queen-"
"Remember once we show the queen this," Antonio held up the gold box, "she won't question it until we are far away living like kings. Come in Heracles think of what could happen if we pull this off. No more stolen goods. No more lying or cheating. This is our big break. We have to pull this off." Antonio jumped up and down like a child in a candy store and Heracles couldn't help but smile at his partner in crime.
"Lovi are you even listening to me?" The Austrian woman asked.
Lovi did a short bow with her head finishing her goodbyes to the children. "Yes-a Miss Annelise." She hadn't really been listening of course.
"Then what were my instructions then?"
"Um… new job-a at big mansion in the hill, blah blah blah, cooking for-a the family, blah blah blah, when I-a get to the fork in the road-a turn left, blah blah blah." Annelise grabbed Lovi's ear dragging her more towards the gate.
"Ever since you came here two years ago you have been a thorn in my side acting like the Queen of Florence." Annelise let go of Lovi to open the gate. "For two years I have clothed you," Lovi joined in sarcastically on the familiar speech making it in first person for her, "fed you, and kept a roof over your head." Annelise looked back at the girl and said, "How is it that you remember all that but when it comes to before you got here you have no idea. How can at least twenty years of someone's life just not be remembered at all with no clue?"
"But I do have a clue-"
Annelise grabbed Lovi's necklace and said, "I know, I know. Together in Berlin. Well Lovi let me tell you something you will never meet any of your family in Berlin even if they are even alive because you are a peasant girl and peasant girls from Italy don't travel to Germany. It's just too expensive. Now it's time you learned your place in life, a servant and be grateful! And take Oliver with you. You're both worthless as it is." She pushed Lovi and one of the other orphans out the gate closing it behind them with a loud bang.
Oliver gave Lovi a sheepish smile as he picked himself up off the ground. "Don't-a look at me, boy." He looked away at an instant and they walked in silence, Oliver fidgeting as they moved. When they got to the fork in the road, she let out all the steam she had been holding in. "I am grateful. Grateful to get away!" She yelled back in the direction of the orphanage she had helped at for so long. Oliver snickered. She looked at the roads in front of her. One led to the mansion and the other led to Rome the capital of Italy.
"Come on, Lovi. We need to go to the city." Oliver urged, pulling her towards the mansion's road.
"But-a I don't wanna." She growled. "You-a go on-a ahead."
"But-"
"Go!" Oliver ducked his head and ran off, and Lovi only felt a little sorry.
She looked down the road to the mansion, "Well I know-a what's down-a that road. I'll be-a little lost stupid-a Lovi forever." She looked down the road to Rome. "But…" she trailed off thinking of what might happen. "Oh just-a give me a sign!" She yelled at the sky and sat down on a rock.
A little black puppy with two white spots above its eyes like bull horns ran up behind her grabbing her hat in its teeth letting the brown almost curly hair stuffed under the cap fall down to Lovi's collarbone. "Hey!" She yelled after the dog. "Give-a that back!" The dog danced away from her, pulling her hat with him, down the path that led to Rome. That was when Lovi realized what she needed to do. The dog gave her a cute- she meant annoying little look. Grabbing the dog like it was some filthy thing she said, "You are annoying and I hate-a you… however you are a sign so I-a guess I have-a to keep you." The dog licked her face in response and she blanched, letting it go and she yelled at it as it ran away from her. "BUT-A NOT IF YOU-A DO THAT!"
Lovi followed her new dog, Biascicare, into what seemed to be an abandoned palace of some sort, a warning to keep out being ignored by the stubborn Italian. The building reeked of familiarity and she couldn't shake the feeling that she had been there before. As she looked at a picture of a two young girls in the middle of their parents she couldn't help but note the familiarity of one of the sisters, one with hazel eyes and an easy smile. She started to whisper a song as she wandered about the castle, hating herself for her voice that she knew was not as pretty as someone she strove to remember.
"Dancing bears, painted wings
Things I almost remember
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory"
She could almost see a room filled with familiar strangers dancing around, and she joined in and and danced across the ballroom floor.
"Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart used to know
Once upon a December
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory
Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart used to know
Things it yearns to remember"
She almost stopped, as she imagined a familiar man with brown hair, wearing a red cloak and a golden outfit in front of her, dancing with her in a family dance that even she could not forget. The image kissed her forehead, a kiss that spoke of goodbyes as she finished her sad song.
"And a song someone sings
Once upon a December"
She sat on the floor, picking at her dress when she finally heard footsteps approach. "Hey what are you doing here?" A man with a spanish accent called out. She looked to see two men on the stairs. Panicked, she started running to the other side of the room, tripping over her feet a bit. "Hey! Stop! Just stop! Hold on a minute, hold on!" The man called running after her, the other one following at a lazy pace. She, for once, followed his calls to stop, something in his voice making her do as she was told. She looked at the ground embarrassed. "Now, first off how did you get…" His voice seemed to trail off as he stared at her, eyes flicking between her and the portrait behind her. slowly his looks turned into a dumb smile that made him look brain dead. He whispered with the other man once he made it to the stairs.
She shrugged. "Excuse me, carogna's, what are you-a staring at?"
"You." The dumb looking one said.
"No-a duh, stupid. Were you two-a vultures in-a another life?" She scowled.
The dumb one blushed and looked away. "So um… what's your name?"
"Why-a do you want to know, merda?"
"No reason." She could see him scheming. "You just seem like… you know what, nevermind."
"Lovi."
"Huh, oh yeah. I'm Antonio and this is my friend Heracles."
"Whatever."
"So, are you, uh, looking for something?"
Lovi deliberated with herself for a while before blurting out. "I need-a to get to Berlin."
"Why?"
"I-a… I just need to you jerk!"
The insult didn't seem to put Antonio off like it did with most people and he simply smiled. "I can get you travel papers if you want so you can't be stopped by guards. I'll just need your last name."
"Don't have one, che cazzo."
"Why?"
"What's with-a all the questions?"
"I'm just a curious guy." He defended himself, and the dog from earlier rubbed against his leg like a cat and he picked it up, and squished it to his face. "And where did you get this fella? He's so adorable!"
"He's-a from the streets." Lovi didn't feel like explaining what had happened on the road. "And I-a was found on the streets without my-a memories." Antonio seemed to only pay attention to the dog but nodded none the less. "But-a I do have a few-a clues. Like Berlin." She held up her necklace as an explanation. It stole Antonio's attention and he looked at it closely.
"Well lucky for you we happen to be going to Berlin-"
"Great. That'll be such a wonderful-a thing." Lovi mumbled. Antonio frowned but continued.
"However, we have only enough money for three people, and we're saving money for Princess Lovina so that we can return her to her sister, Felicia."
"You do resemble her." Heracles piped up as they both started to pull her behind them, though she fought them the whole way.
"The same eyes." Antonio said.
"The non-existent smile."
"Same age."
"Same hair curl."
Lovi scoffed. "Are you trying to tell me that I'm-a the princess. Wow, you-a two idiots are-a more brain dead than-a I thought."
Antonio replied with, "All I'm saying is that I've seen muchas chicas in this country, and not one of them looks like her more than you. I mean look at the portrait!"
Lovi finally got out of their grips and jabbed a finger into Antonio's chest, earning a whimper. "I knew-a you were crazy from-a the start!" Antonio jolted into action as she started to walk away.
"But you said it yourself that you don't remember anything." She stopped.
"And no one knows what happened to her." Heracles spoke again.
"You're looking for family in Berlin."
"And her only family is in Berlin."
"Have you ever thought of the possibility?" Antonio asked her, leading her back to the portrait they had been standing at before.
"That-a I could be-a royalty?" They both nodded eagerly at her sides. She took a look at them and then the portrait. "N-not-a really."
"Well, why don't you think about it." Antonio said with a dumb smile that turned into a devious one when she turned her back to him. "And remember, our money is saved for Lovina only!" He led Heracles away who gave him an odd look.
"What about the-"
"Hush and watch." Antonio counted under his breath with a knowing smile when Lovi ran down the stairs behind them, calling their names. Heracles gave him a rather surprised look, like he had once again underestimated his partner.
"If-a I can't remember who-a I am then who-a isn't to say that-a I'm a princess! And-a if I'm-a not then this Felicia person will-a definitely know and-a it will-a all be an honest mistake." Lovi quickly added a quick. "Not-a that I believe-a you."
"And we can get you to Berlin, what do you say?"
Lovi thought for a minute longer and gave them a sure look, the stray curl arching up proudly on her head. "I-a will do it." She took his hand squeezing it a little and he immediately yelped in pain and took it away.
The shake in his voice was evident, as if Antonio was reliving something as he yelled. "Let's go!"
A white bat watched Antonio as he and Heracles led Lovi through the castle back to the outside world. The white bat shook his head, "Only one problem with that sir Princess Lovina is dead. All the Vargases are dead. Except Felicia of course. Wait would it be Vargases or Vargusi?" He mused. He looked to the side seeing a green ghostly bat like creature. "Which one do you think it is my friend?" He realized who he was talking to and squeaked. He turned around, the relic he had been guarding was glowing with a lime green light. "If that thing is active…" he looked down at Lovi. "She must be Lovina!" The relic let out another green ghost. "I get it enough with the green ghosty guys." He huffed at the relic. The relic suddenly shot up the loop coming from the bottom of the relic wrapping around the bat's leg and pulling the bat with it.
The relic pulled the bat through a cold blackness until it pulled him through what felt like a membrane. With a pop he slipped through the membrane and into an area filled with blue light. He landed in a room filled with bones.
"Who's there?" A Belarusian accent asked from a dark corner.
"Um… hello there Master how has the past two years of being dead been?"
Nikolai came out of the shadows his skin rotting and his eyes and teeth yellow. He walked up to the white bat. "Horrible! I've been stuck here in limbo for two years without any way to go forward."
Nikolai's eyeball popped out of his eye socket. "Wow that came right out there." The bat commented holding back out his master's eyeball. As Nikolai put his eyeball back into place the bat continued, "Sir I saw her."
"Who?"
"Lovina sir."
Nikolai slammed his hand down on the table. "So that brat got away. That's why I'm stuck here in limbo." He picked up the relic and said a word the green mist showing Lovina getting into a carriage.
"Oh well looks like a curse isn't what it used to be. That's too bad sir. Nothing you can do about it here though."
Nikolai laughed. "Don't be so sure. I have this now." He held up the relic, "Soon little Lovina will see that her nightmares can come true."