The Borgia's - NATALIA

Natalia - Chapter Eight

I look out a window at the night sky I felt a pair of hands rest on my shoulders. I jump.

"Cesare do not scare me so." I held a hand to my heart.

"Please forgive me my love." I smiled

"I am your love now?" I asked looking back up to the sky.

"If you would allow me such a privilege?"

"You are my guardian dearest Cesare. My guardian and my saviour. I thank God himself for bringing you to my aid." I take one of his hands and sigh.

"What troubles you, my love?"

"The fear of sleep. The death of Djem has awoken such a plague of nightmares. The haunt me as I rest and scare me thus."

"What do you see?"

"I see Djem screaming in pain as it reminds me of my own, I then am reminded of the terror I faced the terrors that you my saviour banished when you returned my security. I fear that my sleep will bring me to insanity. Thus sending me to the madhouse" he shushed me.

"You would never be sent to such a place." I turned round.

"But they are so terrible so frightening. Cesare it remains my weakness that the past cripples me. All I think of, if I am not distracted I will be reminded of such images and they will not leave me alone."

"Then I will protect you as promised, my love. You are my ward and piccolo."

"You cannot be there as I sleep it is impossible"

"Nothing is impossible when you are the son of the pope"

"What would you do for such a meagre thing"

"It is not meagre if it frightens you thus. I will have your belongings moved to the room next door to mine. If you scream in terror I shall be there to comfort you. If you wake in a sweat come to me and I shall be the guardian of your dreams."

"You needn't bother it is not something a cardinal should..."

"I am not doing this as a Cardinal, but as your guardian. Now not another word of it. Until you are tired so I shall distract you"

"And pray tell how would you?"

"We shall visit our dear Lucrezia, to see how she is fairing" he lead me to the stables and took just one horse. We arrived at Vanozza's villa and made our way through the halls. I heard giggling.

"I miss your company, Vanozza." we heard a male voice and stood at the doorway. There was a man with greying hair. As he sat down he saw us.

"Your Eminence, My Lady"

"Am I eminent to you?" Cesare asked walking us in. "The husband of my mother."

"I should" he started

"Sounds like a riddle. If the husband of my mother is not my father, then who is?" He kissed his mothers cheek.

"I'm sorry you should what?" he asked

"Retire"

"Back to the farm the pope bought for you? Oh but he wasn't pope then, was he?" I kissed Vanozza in greeting and sat down.

"No, no, no, sit, sit. We're all friends here."

"I should hope so."

"If not family" he sat the man down. "To think you could have been my father." Cesare poured me a drink and handed it to me

"I think not" Vanozza answered

"Would I have been different, Mother?" Cesare asked giving a drink to the man then grabbed a last one for himself.

"More at ease. Perhaps dare one say it...happy?" he poured himself a drink "How rude of me Natalia this is Theo my mother's husband. Theo this is my ward the Lady Natalia" I nodded to him

"Tell me Theo do you have do you have shepherds on your hills?" I wondered taking a sip of my drink

"Indeed, My Lady."

"Do they play the pipes of Pan. As in Virgil's Georgics?" I smiled at my guardian

"Do they fall in love with shepherdesses?"

"They sleep on the bare hillsides. In the summer, the scorch, in the winter they freeze. It is not a life to be envied." Cesare messed with a dagger on the table.

"Et in Arcadia ego." Cesare said

"You must translate for me, Your Eminence. I am a poor farmer."

"Death also is in paradise." he translated

"Cesare!" Vanozza scolded

"I merely quote, Mother from the great poet, Virgil. But speaking of paradise how is the betrothed one?" he asked of Lucrezia

"She's better, she's sleeping soundly"

"We must let her rest then, right Cesare" I looked over at him.

"Of course. You Theo you must tell me about sheep, or goats."