EPILOGUE

Queen Olga smiled, thinking back to those moments of a past some long years distant by then, but still capable of making her heart race.

As she would repeat to her closest friends, that had been by far the best voyage of her whole life, even though for obvious reasons she had not mentioned to her parents the most delicate and embarassing details.

Just like that, she thought about her life, in the light of the promise that she had done back then both to her Roman friend and to General Garibaldi.

In the end, she felt that she had upheld it: as a queen, she had never forgotten the duties coming with her status. With body and soul, she had fought to improve the life conditions of her people, especially the poor and the downtrodden, always striving to give something more that she had not given them yet. And the results, no matter how ephemeral and certainly not important to her eyes, could be seen: her people loved her, and from the humblest of the beggars to the first of the nobles, everyone knew she could be counted upon.

Even taking care of her turbulent niece had been a way to offer her hand to someone in need, as she had promised herself she would do in any single moment of her life, without asking for thanks or rewards, to be able to show she deserved the crown upon her head.

She hadn't since Grazia since then. On the other hand, she had seen again mister Govone, when under the orders of his kind he had infiltrated the palace in Saint Petersburg to keep an eye on the future spouse of his second-born son, posing as a tutor, although she had taken care not to say a word about his true identity; from him she had learns that Grazia in the meantime had gone back to Italy, after having spent several years sailing all over the globe, always at the side of General Garibaldi.

Still smiling, as the memories of that far away summer kept playing in her mind, the sovereign opened the letter, and after sipping a bit of tea she began to read.

To my most dear friend Olga,

How does life go?

I learnt that you settled down quite nicely.

I knew that you'd end up, sooner or later, with one of those pompous crowns on your head, but from what I gather you're doing your best to deserve it.

It was rather difficult to get to know where you are, especially because as of late it's hardly a good idea for me going around and ask questions.

You can't even imagine how many people out there would be anxious to exchange a few words with me. Since the last time we saw each other, a lot of things went down.

I admit that at first it wasn't easy to get accostumed to this new life. I though I knew the world, but from the very first day the harsh reality gave me such a hard slap that I took my sweet time to recover.

Luckily, I was not alone.

The General has always been close by, and so were his several friends all over the world.

I saw a lot of countries, can you figure?

We didn't actually stay for long in New York, even though in that brief time I was able to gain a nickname. Since I'm good at adding, the General's friend – a mr. Meucci – had found a job for me in a plant for the canning of the fish, managed by a friend of his. I took care of anchovies, so very soon they started calling me that. Anchovy.

After New York, we went to South America, but also to China, the Philippines and Australia as well.

Since we came back to Italy, then, we barely had a breather.

We kicked Austrians, Borbons, even Swiss and Romans in their asses.

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to go back to Rome yet, but at last Italy is starting to look like something more than a mirage. Actually, we would have been well able to get into the Papal States and give the white arse of Pius IX some good kicks, but that craven of a king and his lunch buddy the Count of Cavour pissed themselves at the mere thought of pissing off the other buddy, Napoleon.

Right now I'm at Caprera, together with the General. It's a small island near the coast of Sardinia, and as things are looking, I have the feeling we'll be here for a while. If nothing else, the Almighty, if there is one, has finally decided to come and get that pain in the ass Count, so we can hope that, sooner or later, the king might decide he still needs us.

If you could only see it, Caprera. We took a bunch of dirt and rocks that stood above the sea, and turned it into a pearl; we built a farm, a patio, some stables, we tamed wild vineyars, and now we produce wine, oil, milk, honey and meat in good quantity.

The General keeps repeating that, when the moment comes, he wishes to be buried here.

But of course he can't die yet. No, sir.

First we have to enter Rome.

Because we will get there, one day.

Carlotta in the meantime has come and joined me; poor Bixio almost had a stroke when she saw her coming ashore from the ship, arm in arm with a gentleman from Ancona and two small girls behind them. I've always thought he used to give her some weird looks.

Salsiccia is still in Rome, all busy spreading discord with her girls, waiting for the moment where her services will allow us to get through the walls without firing a show.

What else?

Ah, right, my father has disowned me.

He never answered to the letters I sent him, but one of the staff that I was able to contact in secret said that he even had my portrait removed from the dining room. It seems he said that I am a calamity, that he no longer considers me his daughter, and if I were never born, maybe mother would have lived longer.

On one hand I would like to say that I don't care a bit about that old fanatic, but in the end he is and remains my father, and in my heart I hope he lives long enough to allow me to see him again, when Rome will be Italian at last, and we'll be able to enter without danger-

Well, I don't know what else to write you about.

I wish all the best for you. The adventure that we had together made me understand what I really wanted, and it's especially thanks to you that today I can say I feel realized.

After we parted ways, I got to know what happened that time, when I left you in the middle of nowhere. You should have told me how much it had costed you that horse for Rome. Luckily, Salsiccia knows more people that I can hope to get to know in all my lifetime.

In the end, best wishes to you.

If all the kings and queens were like you, maybe in the end it wouldn't be such a bad idea to let some thing of this old world go on.

Take care.

See you soon, Your Imperial Highness.

Grazia "Anchovy" Orsini

Only after reading the last bit Olga thought about looking more closely to the inside of the envelope, that, after a quick shake, dropped a photograph with Grazia, Carlotta and the General before a large limestone house, and a rolled-up cloth.

Opening it, the queen saw a ring fall into her hand, the ring she had not seen in several years, that she had never, not once in her life, regretted to surrender for the chance to help a dear one when she was most in need.

"See you soon." she said, with a kind smile, holding the jewel in one hand and the photograph in the other. "My friend."