Chapter 20 of the Dreaming.

Here is a short, yet eye-opening, chapter for all you. Happy Valentine's day to all, and having a warm and cheerful day with your loved ones.
For those who have no Valentine, you are not alone, I am here for you.

Canto XX

Cristina Vespucci had awoken miserably that morning. She sat on the edge of her bed, contemplating the events that had occurred: The love of her life had left her, allowing her to wed someone she did not truly love at all, her mother saw through her mask, but had no initiative to protect her from her father's commands. She sighed, and picked up a nearby brush to straighten out the tips of her long hair. She then recalled a certain gray-eyed, auburn haired young girl, for no reason, and recalled her being one of Ezio's conquests.

The youngest Pazzi was rarely seen in public, yet some have claimed her to be a great beauty of sorts, her skin was naturally pale, and she moved lightly, as if she were dancing gracefully. Cristina frowned deeply, she overheard from the maids that the artist Botticelli, her supposed admirer, had began to use the said Pazzi maiden's hair as a standard color for his artworks. She had seen that hair before, and it had never been touched by any chemicals used by those other girls (apparently, most of them had lost their hair, and were now sporting wigs.)

Even her name was whispered to every young nobleman's lips upon her debut in the Medici gathering. They spoke of her, like a spirit passing through them, and like a spirit, she wished for her to disappear. What did Ezio see in such an inexperienced spoiled child? Serafina was often too formal, and she kept to herself. How was she able to captivate such a wild man without presenting herself every day? Cristina scoffed at herself, was she being jealous over a girl younger than her? Definitely not. It was unruly.

She put on a beautiful green gown with gold embroidery, and then a pastel overgown to finish. Her hair had been brushed up to a simple knot, and she walked over to her jewelry box, seeing the necklace Ezio had given her. Cristina smiled pitifully, placing the gold chain around her neck, and allowed the pendant to be seen by the world. While she pondered on what to do that day, a maidservant approached her, telling her that a young girl was in need of her presence.

She inquired of her visitor's name, and the maid simply responds with: "I have forgotten to ask Signorina" Cristina sighed, ordering her to leave, and that she will meet with her anonymous visitor, breakfast had not been served yet in the dining hall, and she had time left for a little tête-à-tête. She descended the stone staircase, arriving at the courtyard beside her house. She was taken by surprise, never expecting to see the very subject of her current disposition.

Serafina de' Pazzi stood up from the stone bench she sat, she was wearing a dark emerald kirtle underneath her bright yellow overgown, and her auburn hair was kept neatly away from her face. Beside her was an older woman who wore less attractive clothing than her, and Cristina recognized her as some sort of courtesan. Serafina whispered to her escort, the woman nodded once, and curtsied politely before leaving. They were alone now, nothing else bothered unless it was a servant. Before Cristina could speak, Serafina had already prepared herself.

"I came here just to notify if the rumors are true: Are you really married to another man?" she said. Cristina scoffs instead, "Naturalmente, is it not obvious enough for the likes of you?" The young girl pauses, and speaks again to respond to Cristina's statement, one that the beauty of Florence did not presume. Serafina casted her gaze to the courtyard stones, and sighed deeply.
"Ezio came to me just the other day, he was depressed for some reason, and immediately I asked if it involved you. I now know that you were the cause of his temporary misery, do not look at me that way, I too have caused him despair before. But let me ask you another question, did he do anything when he discovered your engagement?" Cristina walked to the perennial vines crawling up against the wall of her house, and touched the small statue of Cupid at the side.
"Yes, he did, when I revealed it to him, and when he had gone out, I thought he had killed Manfredo, to take me back into his arms, but he didn't. Instead, he left me in the hands of someone I barely knew…" What she heard next was surprising, mocking even.
Serafina chuckled, as if her entire explanation was a mere joke. She apologized for her outburst and said: "Forgive me in advance for telling you this, but you are stupid." The way she emphasized the last word was harsh. Years of being in her lonesome, of being pushed to the side had changed Serafina in some way, and it was sort of shocking for Cristina.

"I am only saying this because I have spent quite a lot of time with Ezio more than you, and because of that, I knew him a lot better. Studying people are one of my favorite interests, it makes it easy for me to understand them, even if they are closed books. Reading, starting from a young age, has helped me to comprehend, and yet, there are other subjects that are beyond the leaves of a volume. Now, about Ezio, to you and I, he is a man, just a man with a strong appetite for women, young girls especially.
However, by examining his gestures, his words, and his feelings. He is just a little boy, a little boy who needs more education when it comes to relationships and comprehension. He tells me that he cannot liberate us both from his heart, and that he has fallen in love with both of us. However, I reminded him over and over that I cannot love a man who is in love with someone else, but I kept returning to him, knowing that no one else would ever offer me such warmth."

Serafina paused, to pat her cheek, wiping an imaginary tear from her face. "Even when he ran off with his family to escape the law, I waited for his return, till I could wait no longer. Like you, I was engaged to be married as well, but I refused, and I ran away. I found Ezio, hiding in his uncle's villa in a town near Siena, and I had thought we were going to last, and then he spoke of you, and how he missed you. I had no right to be jealous because I could see it in his eyes, he loved you dearly, and even I cannot produce such emotions from him. Yet, this is how you repay him? By marrying someone else?"

Cristina turned angrily at the young girl, "How dare you, how can you say such a thing when you barely even knew what Ezio and I had to go through!"
"You and I share the same story Cristina Vespucci, we love the same man, and you were the first one to leave. You have no patience, you weren't courageous enough to face your father, and to deny the engagement!"

"I never expected him to return! I thought he would never come back for good!" Cristina exclaimed. Serafina stood still, grasping the other girl's situation at last. "Then…you had lost faith in Ezio's return, after he had left you?" Silence, then suddenly, a loud slap. The Vespucci lady held her cheek, shock evident in her dark eyes. Serafina pursed her lips, blinking rapidly till a tear trickled down her rosy face.

"How dare you diminish your bond for Ezio, when he had left Florence, did you think of him dead? How dare you for thinking of him an idiot, never to come back for you. If you truly loved him, you would have run away, even if it meant banishment from your house! I do not care what you have to say! You broke Ezio's heart, and you do not have a solution to fix it!" Serafina stopped to angrily wiped he tears from her eyes.

"If he had left you in the hands of another, you should have chased him, confess to him that he was all that matters to you, either way, you would have been happy, and I wouldn't have to slap you in order to awaken you from the reality in which you are trapped in. So long then, Cristina Vespucci, I hope you understand my words and actions, and please, Ezio still does not know how to sustain a stable relationship. I myself cannot handle him very well."

With a polite, yet rushed, curtsy, Serafina left the Vespucci courtyard, and Cristina fell to her knees, crying. Not because she had lost Ezio, but because she had not been brave enough to protect their love.

Calvina and Serafina walked silently in a small piazza, the people moved about, having no knowledge of what has occurred moments ago. The young maiden sighed, and the courtesan opened her fan, raising it to cover the girl form the harsh sun.
"We do not want that pale skin to darken now do we?" she said with a sincere smile.

Serafina did not respond, and Calvina passed an arm around her shoulder.
"You did what was best. You opened Cristina's eyes to new possibilities, and you have protected Ezio at the same time. Alba would have been proud." They now returned to the bordello, happy to see the other girls and their madam. Serafina sat down on the same bench from earlier, and gazed up at the climbing vines. Calvina excused herself to change into her working attire, and left the young girl alone. She did not move an inch till she saw a flash of white in her peripheral vision, she stood up instantly, and welcomed Ezio with an embrace. He said he had no luck in finding La Volpe, but he swears he will find him again this evening. Serafina sighs, resting her head against the man's strong chest.

"What is the matter la mia bella luna?" Ezio inquired. "Nothing Ezio…it's just that…I love you too much…" She felt him stroke her head, and he kissed her hair, inhaling the sweet citrus scent she adored. "…You are all that I have left that keeps this heart beating…"