Chapter 10 of the Dreaming.
I am sorry, forgive me, for the late update. Exams, my main reason and hindrance to writing.
Water-Sirene: Yes, she is quite young, but you must remember they are in the Renaissance, girls are allowed to marry when they are of age, which is 12 to 33, beyond that an a woman can wear the veil.
Canto X
When Vieri executes a joke it is always cruel and offending, vulgar and grotesque, and Serafina has difficulty comprehending his folly. She had gained enough strength to rise from bed, Signore Carlos advised her to take some sort of stroll around the city, but then again she was too afraid to see a familiar lad with long brown hair. She wore a simple white gown, embroidered in silver threads and pearls; if she were to go to church she would be mistaken for a bride. Her white veil made it even more convincing.
She sat near the fireplace of a lounge, waiting for the rain clouds to pass the city. Vieri entered, telling her that their father was now imprisoned under suspicions of murder. Serafina did not want to believe what he had said, he was so treacherous, indeed, and she had already enough of his wrongdoings. The wood crackled in the hot flames and the siblings said nothing to each other after the news have been told, Fiorella was humiliated socially, she hid herself in her bedroom, refusing any sort of conversation.
"I plan to fight the Auditore sons this afternoon by the Ponte Vecchio," said Vieri.
"A duel once again I see, when will this ever stop?" replied Serafina quietly. "Oh no dear sister," he retorted sarcastically "I won't be alone, I have my servants and friends to fight with me, and I'm sure your beloved Ezio—" "Vieri, can we not mention about him?" Vieri saw how she avoided his gaze, her eyes were stern, and her pupils dilated just a bit at the mere sound of his enemy's name. He took off his hat and got down on one knee, he bowed his head formally, as if he stood before a queen. Serafina looked at him, pondering his all too abrupt gestures. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and asked.
"If you are asking for my consent then I shall let you go, for you are a man, and I am simply a young and foolish girl who was blinded by love. Although, I will not forgive you, if you do any bodily harm to the man that deceived me. Do not look at me that way, you must be wondering why I continue to be merciful towards him, you should know by now, a lady should always be forgiving to those who do wrong." Serafina hiatuses to look at her brother; he stood from the floor, rapidly, and glared down at her like an angry god.
"You used the term 'lady' instead of maiden," said he.
It was a custom for a young girl, unmarried and with virtue still intact, to be called a maiden. When she is married and their wedding has been consummated, then that shall be the time where she is referred to as a lady. Serafina had forgotten that simple rule. She placed a hand to her mouth, regretting what she had told, and rose from her seat to explain. But then Vieri pushed her back down to her seat harshly, his very blood boiled to an extent that he grasped Serafina's small neck in his large hands. She gasped, clutching helplessly at his fingers.
"Did you or did you not sleep with him?" he questioned her. Serafina choked, trying desperately to breathe. "Tell me!" her brother shouted into her ear, followed by a long ring inside her head. She felt the tears forming in her eyes and she had no choice but to confess.
"Yes, yes I have slept with him. I have committed a sin in God's eyes, but we did it out of love," said she and Vieri released his hold on her. He snatched his hat from the chair, scowling monstrously at her words, and warned her that if she ever leaves the house she will be greatly punished. Serafina breathed heavily, her chest heaving uneasily, and flinched when her brother closed the doors frustratingly. She stared out of her window, imploring that all will end shortly.
The Pazzi chapel looked nearly abandoned when Serafina arrived to give her prayers. As her young lady sat on the church chair to begin her daily petitions, Ursula heard someone calling her. The maid turned, surprised to see Ezio Auditore hiding behind one of the pillars, she ran to him, telling him to leave before her lady finds out. Nevertheless, she was sort of glad he came; he was the only one who knew how to bring cheer to Serafina.
"You must make it quick though, my young lady has been weeping since yesterday, and do not forget, you must not try to offend her well-being as it is." Ezio nodded, warily taking slow steps towards the altar where Serafina was. His footfalls were soft, he did not want to disturb the angel praying, and as soon as he stepped within her circle, she turned to him; the white veil glistened in the candlelight. She looked like a bride awaiting her groom. Her eyes went wide at first, till her brows furrowed in rage, and she looked away. Ezio calmly sat on the unoccupied chair beside her, unsure of a conversation starter, and he simply told her how beautiful she would be as a bride.
"Thank you Messer, but as you can see I am praying, please do not disturb me." Harsh, her words were too harsh! Ezio sighed and rose up from his seat; he stood in front of Serafina, and got down on his knees in some sort of lamenting prayer. He began to utter some sort of litany, forgiveness he begged, and he would not stop till she forgave him. Yet, she was unfaltering, she ordered him to stop, and he looks up astonished.
"Dear God, the statue of a saint just talked to me!" he said, placing his hands atop her own small hands. "And her once cold fingers, they are now warm as the sun!" Serafina closed her eyes, wishing that he would stop there at least till she felt his lips press softly against hers. "And her lips, they were so hard and compassionless, now they are soft and full of life; I wish to kiss this lovely statue again!" So he did, this time passionately, and Serafina felt so repulsed. Why though, was she kissing back? She promised herself to become a stranger towards him, she said she would never love again as she did to him, and yet, here she was, feeling the same sensation go through her body. Serafina pulled back, breathing in deeply that she had to stretch her neck, and showed Ezio the bruises her brother had left behind. He kissed her there too, he held her firmly when she baulked away, and promised her that the pain will be gone. She sighed and looked at him.
"Oh my dear and foolish little boy," she whispered, holding his face in her hands like he once did. "You gave me love on such a wrong time; I would have loved you greatly if you did not lie to me." Ezio held her hand, kissed it, and pressed his cheek against it. "And I will not lie to you anymore, have I not told you? That you have captivated me? Ensnared me in such a trap it is difficult for me to forget you?" said he to her. "But you love Cristina Vespucci—" "I love you dearly as well." Serafina smiled pitifully, she brushed away a few strands of hair away from his face, and lightly kissed his brow.
"As I have said, you cannot love two women at once Ezio. I forgive you; however, I cannot return our flame. I will miss you, which I confess with my heart and soul, but I will move on. I respect myself immensely. I do not wish to be a part of someone's life if they forget me so easily, I wish for a more permanent place in their memories and in their hearts, and I fear I will be none of those in yours. Are you crying my dear? Your shoulders are shivering, are you cold?" She placed a hand on his broad shoulder, feeling his body shuddering ever so slightly, and she felt his grip on her arms tighten. Ezio looks up at her, his eyes were shimmering in tears but they do not fall, a man cannot cry. They shouldn't.
"What have you done to me?" he said in a low whisper "You have placed a curse on me, I cannot abandon you or Cristina, and it will hurt me if either one of you leaves my side."
She can only stare down at him passively, he buried his face onto her knees, and there she felt the tears staining her dress. Serafina stand up, quickly, forcing Ezio off her form.
"I am not an embellishment Ezio, I have feelings, and I—" she licks her lips, blinking back her own tears, "I cannot live with myself if the man I treasure is in love with someone else." Ezio held her skirt in his fists, whispering 'Don't go!' and 'Please, I'll learn how to love properly!' into the fabric. Serafina pulls at her dress, tearing them away from his hands, and walked away from him. "I was not born to be a fool, it is not because I do not want you, but because I believe that man can only have one partner in their life, to have and to hold, to cherish and to love, for all eternity. God, please help me."
How funny Ezio was that day. He was crying all over the chapel floor after she had left, and the next thing she knew, he was lively and ready to fight. Vieri had lost, predictably, cursing halfway before retreating, and he asked her if she had met Ezio that day. She lied; he believed her story after Ursula explained that she accompanied her in prayers, and Serafina was grateful that he was lost in his anger, although he planned to pursue Ezio and Federico again tonight. The palace was unusually quiet, Jacopo has not returned home, perhaps he was trying his best to save his nephew from the clutches of injustice or maybe he was ashamed, much like Fiorella. Serafina closed her book of the Aeneid, she was tired, very tired, and December will end in a few days. She stared at her window longingly, waiting for that familiar face to appear, but nothing happened.
No one entered her bedroom that evening.
On the twenty-ninth day of December, Serafina volunteered to help in the shopping. She put on an emerald green gown with gold lining along the square neckline, high-waist as usual, and a green cap to keep her long hair in place. Ursula, along with other maids, accompanied her to the markets. The winds were harsh on all women, but they were more bent on protecting their young companion, and they did so by forming a circle around her. Wild berries in baskets caught her silver eye, Turk merchants were selling strange devices called hookahs, and an array of colorful Persian rugs met her eyes, and so did a familiar Auditore man. Federico Auditore peered from the stall and Serafina paused from her walk, nearly dropping the basket of cabbages she held. They greeted each other formally, like they always had, and asked her if he could join her in her errand. She complied, seeing there was no problem in that, and linked her arm around his. They talked mostly about the weather, the people, and of their Christmas dinner.
"It was the best," said Serafina till she kept her mouth shut. Federico looked into her face and saw the hint of sadness in them, he smiled at her, and brushed a stray lock of hair.
"I heard from Ezio that you have rejected him," he said. She gazes up quickly, her brows furrowing warily. "Are you mad at me Ser?" she inquired him. "No, it is just that, he has never been rejected this…painfully, I guess. You see, my young maiden or should I say lady now? Well, there are a many women in Firenze, but only two have become surpassing beauties, and having an Auditore lad is quite unique in a way. It shows how adventurous, how brave you are to be handling one like a needle and a thread, and to keep one of us faithful to you is very rare indeed." Federico explained, he was merely trying to reconcile both his brother and Serafina, and if all else fails then they should remain as friends. It is strange how easily men can fall for women, Serafina always thought of them as strong and compassionless creatures, and they can never satisfy themselves when they finally eat the forbidden fruit. She sighed, staring at the people passing them like they were mere ghosts, and she looks up to see a dove flying away.
"I have my beliefs, Federico, and Ezio has his. We do not think alike when it comes to love. Having faith in a person is all I need from him. He can have Cristina Vespucci and all other women in the city, but he can never have me, ever again. I feel as though I cannot retrieve what I have lost to him." They parted ways after the maids have finished their part of the chore. Serafina leaned up, kissing Federico's cheek as a way of saying farewell, not knowing that this was their last conversation with each other.
"Dear God, please help them!" A maid muttered under her breath when she entered the kitchens that day, she whispered something to another colleague, and she in turn went running up the stairs to find Ursula. They were in the library, practicing Serafina's dancing skills. She paused at the doorway to fix her skirt and apron before entering calmly as she could. Serafina paused in mid-dance to look at the anxious maidservant.
"There has been tragic news spreading across the city, the House of Auditore has been accused of treason against the Medici, and they were arrested this afternoon. They say if they cannot come up with any evidence to prove their innocence tomorrow, they will be hung at the Piazza della Signoria." Serafina stood there, transfixed at the maid's words. "Are you sure?" she said. "Positively, they brought all Auditore men to prison. However, they did not manage to find Ezio Auditore, he was, fortunately, absent when the guards came and arrested his father and brothers." She did not know what to say, everything had gone by so quickly it made her head spin. Serafina excused herself, wanting to be alone at the moment, and she shut her bedroom doors quietly. She sat down on her window seat, placing a hand to her chest and whispered something to the air.
It wasn't long till she heard a low grunt from outside her window and a young man crawled into her bedroom. Serafina welcomed him with a warm embrace and he returned the gesture momentously. She kissed his cheek, saying how worried she was, and how regretful her words were to him. Ezio laughed, trying his best to calm himself after what he had experienced, and he kissed her, impatiently. She had nothing else to say, as she began to untie the laces of his doublet, and comforted him in the best way she can. His movements changed, his thrusts were cruel, and he left little marks all over her neck and shoulders, telling her that she was his. Serafina stared up at him, her body never felt so hot before, and she clutched at his arms when they both reached their end.
Ezio breathed heavily, he landed on his side next to her, and kissed her forehead. He was angry, she could see it in his eyes, and at the same time he was sad. She felt pity and guilt flood her emotions, she felt sorry for ever hurting him, and although she wanted to be a stranger to him again, she could not. She loved him too dearly. He told her of his experience, how happy he was to do some errands for his father, mother, and even his littlest brother. Ezio chortles then slowly grits his teeth in anger, Serafina held him close to her bosom, allowing him to weep there. She did not know how long he slept but it was already near sunset when he awoke. He put on his clothing once again and asked her, if he was Perseus or any heroic character from the myths, how was he to save his family?
Serafina sat up in her bed, forgetting to wrap the sheets around her bare breasts, and told him that they were all humans and chances of possessing something magical was beyond their beliefs. He laughs, saying how cruel her words were at the moment, but she did not care. He will find a way of his own then; he kisses her, telling her not to speak about any of this. Serafina smiles and it reinvigorates him. She whispers a quiet prayer, asking God to guide him on his dangerous path, and gave her final kiss.
"We will see each other again, I promise you that and nothing more," said Ezio as he sat at the sill. "No Ezio, you and I can never see each other again, after this, you will run away, and I am unable to pursue you for I am bound to this house till my death." Serafina replied. "Then I shall come back for you then and break these heavy chains!"
She laughs, mockingly, and sighs. "Go then Perseus, cut off Medusas evil head and return in time to save me from the water demon." Ezio smiled at her, saying a quiet goodbye, and disappeared from the window.
The following day, Serafina received the news, and fainted upon hearing the execution of all three Auditore men.