From the highest star

25

"Why do not I look for Sandro ... so you make peace with him ... he knows that you are not responsible for the death of Simonetta, but it is true that if you had respected the sanctity of marriage now maybe" Giuliano interrupted Lorenzo.
"Ah Madonna Ardinghelli, how are you" Giuliano asked the woman.
"Fine thanks"
The young men continued walking.
"Sorry, you were talking about the sacredness of marriage".
"Lorenzo replied, laughing and pushing him.
They sat down, one not far from the other and looked at each other one last time laughing.

The bell rang and everyone stood up.
The Cardinal entered.
At the same moment Francesco and Vespucci made their way through the crowd towards Giuliano.
A little later Bianca and Guglielmo arrived but did not stand with the family in the front row, they remained in the crowd.
"What's wrong with you." Bianca asked her husband.
"Nothing."
"It just started, we are still on time"
"No stop let's stay here" William looked at his brother behind Giuliano.
He was worried.

Lucrezia Ardinghelnon understood either.
"Why is Francesco Pazzi standing there?"
She asked her husband.
"I don't know."

At the same time the palace of the lordship was being occupied by Salviati.

Lorenzo noticed Francesco Pazzi.
Beatrice looked at Giuliano and smiled, he did the same.
The conspirators, when the Cardinal raised the host to heaven, took out their knives.
Incense perfumed the church, there was a festive air, everyone was quiet.
When the bell rang, everyone knelt down.
All except, Pazzi, Vespucci, Maffei and Bandini.
The Cardinal was about to break the host, it was going to happen.

Francesco pulled out his dagger, Lucrezia screamed, Clarice and Beatrice at her side raised their faces, Lorenzo looked at his mother and Francesco, Francesco pierced Giuliano.
The crowd screamed, ran away, Beatrice tried to approach her husband.
Maffei slashed Lorenzo's neck.
The boy fell to the ground, Clarice and Lucrezia fell.
Clarice held the woman down.
Beatrice was screaming, crying, desperate.
Vespucci tried to hit Giuliano, but he blocked him.

Bianca tried to reach her mother and brothers, but Guglielmo blocked her.
Giuliano bleeding approached his brother and handed him a dagger, but Francesco from behind pierced him.
"No! Giuliano!"
Beatrice screamed.
"Noooooo!"
Francesco stabbed him, just stabbed him, once, twice, three times, that's all he did.
Giuliano fell to the ground, fell out of the hands of Vespucci who was watching him fall.
Beatrice ran towards him with Lucrezia but Clarice stopped her.
"My son....my son."
"Giuliano!" Shouted Beatrice.
"Bring them in!" Shouted Lorenzo to his wife.
As Lorenzo tried to save his life from the attackers, Clarice, Lucrezia and Beatrice locked themselves in the sacristy.

"Lorenzo...Lorenzo come to the sacristy now" Clarice yelled at him, Lorenzo managed to escape but Francesco chased him, the Medici fell to the ground and Francesco was looking at him, he was about to stab him.
"Francesco, Francesco" Jacopo yelled at him to kill him.
But Lorenzo managed to escape and ran at his brother.
"Giuliano! Giuliano!"
Vesoucci struck Nori, Lorenzo grabbed the man.
"Hang on Nori!" He dragged him towards the sacristy but they chased him, so Beatrice got out and ran to Giuliano, Clarice instead hit Frncesco with a vase.
"Come in, come on, come in," Lorenzo yelled to his wife.
"Beatrice! Beatrice!" shouted Clarice.
The girl was leaning over Giuliano.
She was crying.
Vespucci approached her with the dagger.
"No...no no...Marco please" the girl crawled back.
"Beatrice!" Lorenzo screamed.
Marco dropped the dagger, Beatrice got up and ran into the sacristy.

As soon as she entered she slumped to the floor, crying.
Lucrezia was crying. She wanted to get out, to go to her son.
"You left him there...you left Giuliano there" Lucrezia asked trembling.
"No no no, go get him" continued the woman.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry, there's nothing left to do".
"He's dead"
Lucrezia threw herself on the small altar crying.
Lorenzo repeated his sorrow, Nori was on the floor, Clarice in front of the door was crying, Beatrice was upset, she was motionless, sitting looking at the void.
From outside they tried to open the door.

In the meantime Florence was in panic, people were running all over the place, screaming and Sandro, who was not at mass stopped Poliziano.
"Poliziano, Poliziano what's going on?"
"They killed the Medici brothers, Giuliano and Lorenzo are dead" Sandro had remained motionless.
Then he began to run toward the church.

Palazzo della Signoria had been occupied, Petrucci did not know what to do anymore.
In front of the doors of the palace everyone was rushing, but there were Montesecco's men.

Francesco, Vespucci, Maffei and Bandini were trying to break down the door, inside Lucrezia was screaming with every bang, Clarice was meditating Lorenzo with what she could.
"I must...I must go to Giuliano."
Clarice stopped her.
"There was...there were hundreds of people and they just stood there."
"They were afraid"
"Afraid of five men"
"They were upset and ran away"
"I had to do something...I had to save him" Lorenzo repeated to himself.
"They killed him...." whispered Beatrice, she touched her leg.
It was bleeding.
"They killed Giuliano...they...they killed him."

Lucrezia threw herself on her son.
"I had to imagine it, I had to believe his words, he always knew, always, he would still be alive now."
Beatrice stood up.
She stood in front of the door.
"I have to...I have to get out...I have to do something, we can't just leave him there!" Screamed Beatrice.
"No no Beatrice no, please they will kill you."
"He's dead, he's dead!"
Lorenzo hugged Nori who was about to die.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, it's my fault."
"I was a farmer's son...son of people who counted for nothing...but I knew how to do math and you...you took me to the bank...under your wing...I'm happy to give my life for you" he took his last breath and died.

"Can you hear me?" A child from outside asked the family or what was left of them if they were okay.
Everyone lifted their faces.
"You can come out now....they're gone."
"Who is it, who are you?" Clarice asked.
"A child from the choir."
Lucrezia stood up.
Clarice did as well.
"It may be a trap."
Lorenzo looked at the empty space and stood up.
"No no Lorenzo, no Lorenzo please."
"I can't wait any longer"
Lorenzo opened the door and pointed his dagger forward. He looked around the child emerged. Lorenzo pointed the dagger at them.
"They went to the Palazzo dei Priori" said the child.
"Lorenzo leave him he is a child" Beatrice told them.
Lucrezia ran to Giuliano, Beatrice and Clarice followed her.
"My son" Lucrezia collapsed and took him in her arms.
"Wake up Giuliano...wake up."
Beatrice began to cry, shaking their hands, she looked at the flower, the white lily, the sign of the family.
It was stained with blood, Medici blood, that sangye that had been spilled.
Giuliano opened his eyes, blood gushed from his mouth.
"Thank goodness," Lucrezia said.
Giuliano looked at Lorenzo.
"I should have listened to you" he told them.
"Better late than never" replied Giuliano.
The four of them laughed, those laughs were mixed with the pain, the suffering they were feeling.
"Giuliano, Giuliano my love...don't go please, we will win against everyone, we will do it for you, we will make you justice, remember us Simonetta, Federico, you have been a good father, she is waiting for you...she can't wait to see you, you will be together finally"
"Together...in heaven...and Vespucci will go to hell for this..." Giuliano was dying, he was proclaiming his last words.
"Don't...don't die please" Lucrezia said.
Sandro ran to him.
She looked at him.
"Sorry..." he let go, he was dead.
"No, no...no....nooooo!" Beatrice screamed, Lucretia as well.
"I...I have to...I have to do them justice I..." Beatrice stood up, grabbed a dagger that was on the ground and limped out.
"Beatrice don't"
"I have to."
"Beatrice!"
She ran around the square, looking for Francesco.
Lorenzo did the same.
"Lorenzo you can't go out there alone, let's go home, you have to gather your strength"
"They need to know I'm alive, I won't be alone, there's Beatrice, and there's the people of Florence."
"So you won't be for long, your mother is right they left us alone, come back here...live to keep fighting...oh god follow him" Clarice said to Sandro.

Beatrice ran, ran through the streets, through the squares, among the people, in her mind memories surfaced, she stopped.
She looked at the sky.
"Simonetta take care of him," she whispered.
In the meantime the memories continued to appear, he smiled.
He thought about him.
He thought of him with his children, with her, with Simonetta, with his brother, his mother, with Sandro, with the family, the Medici family.