Farnese. (Francesco Pazzi x Reader)

Prologue

In the countryside of Siena: Military Grounds

***

Ranuccio Farnese was a great man. Born into a commune in the north with nothing to his name but his passion for the sword, he was the true definition of a "self made man". 

At twenty-six, already father to his ten-year-old son Leonardo and seven-year-old daughter Y/N, Ranuccio became both Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Siena's troops and a single father, following the death of his wife Agnese. 

Ranuccio, unlike so many men in his age, did not shy away from fatherhood -- he sent little Leonardo (who was already strikingly like him in looks, both of them sharing a dominating physique and waves of blond-brown hair) to a school in Rome, where he would gain a classical education in philosophy and law. As for his daughter, little Y/N, with her big green eyes and pale skin, he raised her the only way an army man could -- on the battlefield. 

***

The first day Ranuccio brought little Y/N to the military camp, there was absolutely no doubt in his mind that everyone thought he was insane. Ranuccio, a man of over six feet whose clothing failed to conceal his muscle mass and whose face was stern in the eyes of his men, arrived in front of his soldiers holding the hand of a girl who wore a dress and shyly hid behind her father's legs as he addressed the troops. 

"Men, I trust you not only with victory over the Orsini in the upcoming days, but with my daughter's life and education. You will treat her with kindness, respect, and the utmost generosity. Teach her as you would your sons, and love her as you would your daughters."  

So it went. He first left her with a calvary man, a stout fellow by the name Pietro who came from the main city and who had three daughters of his own. Pietro brought Y/N to the horse stables, and introduced her to each animal -- explaining the heritage and importance of each of the gentile beasts. 

"Have you ever ridden a horse before, my little soldieress?" He kneeled down to be at eye-level with the young girl, turning to her for her answer. 

Y/N shook her head 'no', looking at to Pietro with a curious expression. The man motioned for her to stay as he stood and went to a far stable, retrieving a small brown horse meant for carrying supplies. 

"Meet Sporco, a little supply horse. Do you care to take a ride with him?" Pietro spoke with a vibrant tone, the same one he used with his own girls when they were younger. 

Y/N nodded excitedly, prompting the stout man to lift her onto the horse and take her step-by-step, until she was able to lead the horse around the camp herself, even galloping quickly in circles. She rang out with a childish laugh, causing almost every man in the camp to smile at the child. 

***

The second man her father left her with was Nardo, her father's left hand and one of the best swords in Italy. Nardo was a few years younger than her father but lacked his bulky build. Instead, he was slender yet equally as tall, with shaggy brown hair and an all-over disheveled look.

 From the moment she was left in his custody, the young man placed a blade in her small arms and asked her to mimic his movements as he showed her how to swing and stab and cut. By the end of the day, he was playfully dueling her back. When her father came to pick her up and bring her home, he was overjoyed by the site of his little girl lifting a blade with such determination. 

***

The third man was Gasparre, an elderly man who wrote accounts of the battles but did not fight himself. He had been a school teacher a few years prior, and seemed overjoyed to have a student once more.