The Mistress

Chapter 17. Return

17

1493 Pesaro, Italy

"Cesare let go of him!" I plead. "Your sister needs you!" Cesare was pressing harder on Giovanni's neck. The blood dripped so slowly and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. The sight of blood coming from a another person used to only turn my stomach but now it left me in fear.
"Do you know what he did to my sister!" Cesare was grinding his teeth, pushing Giovanni harder up against the wall. "He is a monster!" Now he knows the truth about Giovanni but he shouldn't kill him. Cesare does have a temper, not as bad as Juan but it's still bad. If I hadn't raced after him then Giovanni might as well have been dead.
"The Holy Father will not forgive you for killing his daughters husband." Cesare looks down at me, his eyes so full of rage I swear they were red. He breathed hard like a bull, his nostrils flaring. I had never seen him like this before. Though I had never seen him have to protect his sister from someone he so clearly hates. "He is of use to your father, your family needs him." I reminded him, the real reason Giovanni is even married into the family. Cesare slowly releases Giovanni and he falls to the ground holding his bloody neck. He would be fine, it was just a flesh wound but it still looked like a lot of blood. I had to get away from it before I start to shake. "Come on now" I start pulling him away but it is tuff since Cesare is stronger than me. If I wouldn't have found him he would have ripped Giovanni apart. Giovanni struggles to pull himself together as I pull Cesare down the hall by his sleeve. "You can't just kill who ever you want." I complain when we turn down the hall. We stayed in silence until we were far enough away. There were not as many people here as there were at the Vatican but walls still have ears. Anyone could hear us even if it didn't seem like Cesare cared. He attacked a man in his own castle.
"Did you know?" Cesare asks.
"Did I know what?" He pulled me into a doorway, we were so close together that any closer we would be embracing.
"What that bastard was doing to my sister!" He was screaming without being loud. In hush time I could still tell he was angry as he spit with gritted teeth. "You knew and you didn't say anything?"
"I was waiting for the right time, I didn't want you to react like this." He just looks at me, his eyes open wide and his face turning red. "I'm sorry!" I plead. My hands rest on his chest and I felt as it moved with his quick breaths. He tilted his head back and let out a deep sigh.
"Go to my sister" he took my hands in his, clutching them to his chest. "And if anyone asks tell them that you are taking her to the market. I will be back." He brought my cold hands up to his lips and kissed them gently. Cesare was able to calm himself but it was still clear to see how angry he was.
"Will I not be taking her there?" Confused as to what his plan was.
"No. I am going to have Micheletto take you somewhere away from here." His voice was quiet now, even more quiet than before.
"Why?"
"Just do it please."
"Where are you going?" So many questions that he will not answer.
"Don't worry about it." He kissed me on the forehead and leaves down the hallway. He says not to worry but I do, he almost tore Giovanni apart! The only thing that made me feel even remotely okay was the fact that Cesare went down the hall that leads to the outside stables instead of back towards where we left Giovanni. He is angry and I am worried that he might do something reckless. He might not like to compare himself to Juan but some things about them are similar.
"Lucrezia?" I wait for her to answer before I walk into the room.
"Yes?" I hear her say. Pushing open the wooden door I see that Lucrezia is sitting in her bed crying and holding a crucifix.
"We are going, get dressed."
"Where?" It's not like I could answer that question because I myself didn't even know. But it was with Micheletto so we would be safe.
"Don't ask, just hurry." I wait by the door just in case anyone would come by. I heard Lucrezia moving around, knocking things over but she still has not come out yet. I want to know what happened to Giovanni. Did he go get help to patch up his wound? I imagine him crying like a little boy like Juan. They are too similar, and I don't like either of them. But at least Giovanni is quiet, where as Juan was loud. At this time I had only heard Giovanni say just a few things and that seems to showcase his overall personality. While he isn't as loud as Juan they probably have similar interest and ideals.
"I am ready, where are we going?" Lucrezia asks when she emerges from her room.
"Just follow me." I take her hand and go out to the stables. To my surprise I find Micheletto there with horses ready for us. Lucrezia could not stop complaining and asking questions. She was acting like a child but she shouldn't be. She needs to learn that sometimes you just need to be quiet and do what you are told. "Lucrezia, you will ride with me." Micheletto orders. He seems like he is rushing to get us out of here. We jump on the horses and ride off. Micheletto was riding so fast that I could barley keep my eyes on him. Everything was shaking, my eyes could not keep still. What was Cesare's plan anyway? To steal Lucrezia away from her husband? Not only would he find out but he would also to demand for her to return. Then what would Cesare do then? Keep her hidden so no one can find her?
We arrive at a small villa on the other side of town. I remember this house, my father talked about it when I was a child. He said he would come here when he had "Vatican business" what ever that means. He talked about how he loves to get up in the early morning and watch the sun rise over the hills. He even painted a picture of this place once, it wasn't that good but it was good enough that I recognized it.
"Stay here, Cesare will return here soon." Micheletto opens the doors for us to go in. The place looked old on the inside, the furniture looked as if it had not been used in years. Micheletto lit a few candles then went back outside.
"What are we supposed to do here?" Lucrezia asks me.
"We are to wait for your brother to return, just as Micheletto told us." I lit a few more candles. "Please, go upstairs and rest. If you need me I will be down here." I tell her. She nods and goes up stairs to a room. I open up some windows in the kitchen to let some of this stuffy air out. I notice my reflection in the glass and I see how tired I look. I don't seen my reflection often but when I do I realize how awful I look, how tired and weak I look. I see a rocking chair in the other room and sit down in it. The chair was warn out and it creaked when moved in it. My father must have sat here a lot because on the arm rest there is nail scratches, my father would do that when he would get nervous. While sitting here I realized more and more how much I wanted to go home, my real home, not the Vatican. I miss my father more than anything and I wish more and more that Leonardo would finish.
I sat there in the rocking chair for what seemed like hours but was probably just a few minutes. I started to drift asleep. When I couldn't sleep my father would always have me sit in his lap in the rocking chair we had at home so I would fall asleep.
Then the door slams open and Cesare runs in. He looked tired and out of breath. "Get outside, we are going."
"Where?" I ask.
"Back to the Vatican." He shuts the door behind him.
"And what of Lucrezia, is she coming too?"
"No. She is going to stay here with Micheletto."
"Why?"
"Enough with the questions, lets just go." He grabbed my wrist and pulls me out side. Micheletto goes back inside and shuts the door. Cesare mounts his horse and puts his hand out for me to take it and I do. He lifts me up on his horse and we gallop away. I am so sick of people not telling me things. It is as if everyone has a secret, I hate secrets. I consider The Borgias to be family and family doesn't keep secrets. Cesare tells me them but when they are no longer are a problem. He would rather me be blind than know what is going on. Like why must Lucrezia stay here instead of coming to the Vatican?

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We rode all night and into the next morning. I was more than tired, I was exhausted. Cesare would not stop and let me rest, he was too angry to rest. Voice was just full of anger every time he spoke. I was just happy that I didn't fall asleep and fall off the horse. If that horse doesn't die from exhaustion when he is put back in the stables than I will really be surprised.
I slide out of the saddle and I could barely stand when my feet touch the ground. I had no idea that one could go from Pesaro to Rome in a matter of a day. Cesare picks me up and carries me into the Vatican apartments. He all of a sudden was calm and not as angry as he was before. He was humming a song to me as I drifted to sleep in his arms. He was just as wild as a fire but now he was as calm as a lake. I don't understand how he can do that. He changes when he is around certain people. I can't imagine what he is like with the College of Cardinals. He must have his head held high and an attitude with most. But when he is with me and his sister he is a gentle giant, or at least he is most of the time. When issues of family involved he because very serious, he loves his family more than anything and he would do anything to save them.
"I will be back soon." Cesare lays me down in my bed and kisses me on the forehead. "Get some sleep my love." He covers me with the sheets and leaves the room. It wasn't hard for me to fall asleep. I could barely feel my legs since I had been riding for hours and my eyes felt heavy.
It must have been the early afternoon when I woke up because the sun was no longer shining directly into my room. I raise my arms above my head and stretch out. I heard birds outside my window which I don't normally hear this time of day.
"You're finally awake." I look up and see Juan standing at the door " I like it when you sleep because it is the only time you will actually shut up."
"Go away Juan."
"Relax whore, I only came here to tell you that your friend Leonardo is here to see you." He opens the door and walks out as Leonardo comes in. He closes the door behind him and makes sure it is closed.
"I've got it!" He says when running over to my desk. I jump up from bed, ignore my sore legs and run over to his side. "I figured out what those numbers mean!"

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Updates are slow right now, I know. School is keeping me very busy and it sucks. But when this semester is over than I will update more.

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