The Mistress

Chapter 9. The Keys

9

1492, Italy

They are french, I was listening to them talk as the cloth bag was over my head. They were speaking french, I couldn't understand them because my french is not that good. They were drinking, I couldn't see them but I could hear the way they talked, and when they would talk to me they would get close to my face, I could smell the alcohol on them. They were pigs, they made me sick just being near them! They made me walk on my feet all day and would not let me rest, when I would stop they would just push me to keep going. The ropes around my wrist felt as if they were getting tighter, they made my hands go numb. What did these men want with me? Does this have anything to do with my father or was it just three thugs thinking they can get some quick money off selling me? I was traveling with two guards so it would seem to be that I was worth something. But then again it can't be just random, they knew me by name. I must be valuable to them otherwise they would have killed me already, right? I could not see where I was walking but we were no longer on the path, we were walking through the forest. I could feel the softer ground under my feet. I wonder where they were taking me? Also why they were taking me? I am of no value, at least that is what I think. I have nothing to offer them.
"Here is fine." One of them said with his deep french accent. They stopped me for a moment. "put her over there." I heard slight rustling of bags but still I could not see. He put his large hands on my shoulder and started moving again, I stumbled over the branches that lay on the ground but that didn't stop the french man from pushing me forward.
"Sit down." He turns me around and lightly pushes me to the ground. The ground is cold and wet, I could feel my hand slip into ice cold mud. Disgusting I thought to myself. How dare they make me sit in the mud! I am not common trash that you can just throw into the mud! I am the daughter of a Cardinal! I feel ropes being tied around me and they begin to get tighter. They get so tight they they pull me back into what I believe is a tree, they had me sitting at the base of a tree! "Good, now you go no where." I could hear him walk away from me. It was night time, I could tell because I don't see any light shining through the sack over my head. I could hear them moving around and shouting at each other in french. It was non stop fighting going on between them. I can't tell what they were fighting about but it is not about me.

I sat on the cold hard ground waiting for something to happen, anything. I could smell a fire burning and the french men had stopped fighting. It was quiet, too quiet. I could hear the rustling of the leaves, the crackling of the fire and the sound of a dog barking but nothing more. Do they have a dog with them? I was in the middle of the forest where God himself could not even hear if I screamed. That is probably why they did not even bother to cover my mouth because they know that no one is around to hear me. If no one would be able to hear me when I screamed then how am I going to get out of this? They were three strong men so I couldn't fight them to get away. Even if I did get away where would I go? I had no idea where I was. Then I thought about Cesare, he would notice when I do not return and there is no note from me. He would come for me, wouldn't he? He wanted to come with me but I said no; I should have said yes and maybe I would not be here right now. Then I smelled food, hot food. Those bastards were eating and they are not giving me anything. How dare they! I am a lady and they treat me worse than people treat farm animals. I hear gentle walking coming towards me. I could see the dark shadow of a man standing above me; I could smell him too. He rips the cloth bag from my head and it causes my neck to jerk back. My eyes adjust to the sudden change in light. One of the dirty french men stood in front of me. He was tall with a scruffy beard and long brown hair. He cracked a sinister smile at me that revealed his yellow and brown teeth. He held a wooden bowl in his hand and knelt down in front of me. "Now Lena before I give you something to eat you must tell me where the keys are." He said in a fake sweet voice. What was he talking about? I had no keys? And keys for what? I just remain silent as he stares and waits for my answer. "Tell me you stupid whore!" He yells at me an throws down the wooden bowl in anger. I use what energy I have to spit at him. I spit right onto his face.
"I am not a whore!" I defend. "I will tell you nothing, you dirty swine!" He grabs me by the neck and squeezes. I am gasping for breath and trying to hit him but it is no use with my hands tied.
"Let her go!" The other screams from behind him. He looks directly into my eyes when squeezing the air from my body. He releases his grip and I breath in a cold breath of air. I start choking and coughing as the air rushing into my body. "Stupid whore." He says when standing back up. "You will tell me where those keys are even if I have to beat it out of you." He wipes the spit from his face and walks away. I look at the bowl of soup that he had spilled every where and think about how hungry I am. I take my hands and lightly touch my neck. He could have killed me, he would have if it wasn't for the other one. I look up and still see him standing there with concern. He was young compare to the one that almost killed me. He had curly brown hair just like Cesare. I was still attempting to get air back into my body when he knelt down before me. He has his bowl in his hand. "Here have some of mine." He holds the wooden spoon out in front of my mouth but I turn my head away from him. "Relax." He says. "It is just soup." He takes the spoon to his mouth and sips it up. "See." He smiles and scoops more soup up with his spoon.
"Why should I trust you?" I say coldly. "You kidnapped me and beat me."
"I did not beat you." He defends. "I would never hurt a woman."
"What would you call this then?" I scoff at him. "You let your friend over there choke me."
"I did not know he would do that and I you saw I asked for him to stop." I stay silent. I do not care for what he has to say. These men will have to face the judgment of god when they die. No one should ever be treated in such a way and surely not a child of a cardinal. "Just eat something please." He raises the spoon closer to my face. I stare at him for a moment then take a spoon full. It was salty but as it went down my throat it warmed my whole body. It felt better to have some salty soup in my stomach than nothing at all. He tried to give me another spoon full, I hesitated but finally take another. Some of it spills from my mouth and he catches it with the spoon. "Kid!" The other french man screams for the one feeding me. "Get over here!" He quickly puts his spoon back into the bowl and runs back over to the angry drunk. I caught a glimpse of the kids eyes. He was scared just as I was. You could see the fear in his eyes when the drunk called him over. The drunk man stared at me, and I stared right back. He wouldn't kill me, he thinks I know something so as long as he keeps thinking that then I stay alive. Even if he did kill me he wouldn't get anything out of it other than the satisfaction of killing me. He does not get what he wants than he has failed. He knows he needs to keep his anger under control to get what he thinks I have. Honestly I have no idea what he was going on about. What keys does he want because I certainly do not have them. Why would he even think I have them?