The Fiasco at Scala

The Forsaken, part four

4. Ilaria tied up Ennio and held him on her horse, not long before a group of bandits carrying bows and swords emerged from the shrubbery to ambush the travellers. One by one, Ilaria fought each of them off, forcing the would-be thieves to retreat back into the dark depths of the dense forest. Back at the palace, Vico stole the crown jewels from the drawers in his parents' master bedroom. He told the guards that his sister had taken them and made off with them, blaming her rebellious nature and thirst for adventure to deem her unfit to rule as a common thief. The palace guards had no choice to believe him as he was the only royal still present. Vico then commanded them to search the town for his sister and her quarry, to be brought to him alive. 

On the edge of the forest, Ilaria was about to bring Ennio into town when a trio of royal guards saw her on her horse. The guards passed off her calm greetings to demand she come quietly into custody for grand theft. Ilaria denied the claim, causing the guards to raise their weapons to her. Before they could come closer, Ilaria steered her horse around and sped deeper into the woods away from the guards. After stopping at a lightened clearing, Ennio asked for an explanation, but the only one Ilaria could think of was a feeling her brother had been involved in a greater plot to expel her from power. Realizing they were now both outlaws, Ilaria untied Ennio and proposed a pact, whereby they would clear their names and take revenge on Vico for what he had done to them. Ennio offered a place of safe sanctuary for the two and rode with Ilaria off to find it elsewhere as the sun was setting. 

At the palace, Vico was conversing with royal officials in the throne room. He knew his plan had come into fruition as he had succeeded in banishing his sister, but he knew she would not go quietly. Vico reasoned with the officials that his sister was still alive and still on the island, not to mention unable to fulfil the duties of her office. With this in mind, the officials made Vico the provisional king of Scala until the queen returned and power could be properly transferred to him. 

With his newfound title and authority, Vico called for a notice to be strung up on every wall. The notice stipulated that there was a hefty reward of one bag of fine cut rubies for the capture of Ilaria and Ennio, and for anyone interested in such a reward to report to the royal palace for an audience with king Vico. As night fell and torches lit the empty streets of the town, Vico looked out onto the front lawns of the palace, gloating at his perfect scheme and the gathering crowd of potential bounty hunters below him.