Hurried, she directed her horse behind her uncle through the narrow streets of the city. It was busy on the streets, everyone either bringing supplies to the city walls, or closing up their houses.
An hour ago, the bells had rung. The bells of alarm. The bells on which the gates of the city are closed and the soldiers are sent to the ramparts.
She climbed the stairs to the top of the walls and peeked over the crenellations. Outside, she saw soldiers. Rows and rows of soldiers. The dust from their march was still settling down.
The forces of the Fratelli's had arrived. The rival family had gathered allies to overthrow Florence. And now their army was in front of their gates.
Her uncle and Philippe also appeared on the ramparts.
A horn of negotiation sounded, and she saw some movement in the troops. From among the ranks, Marco and his nephew Lucca Fratelli came forward. Weighty, and beaming with confidence.
They halted in front of the walls, looking up at her uncle and Philippe.
'What do you want?' her uncle said, loudly.
Marco and Lucca looked at each other and laughed. It stayed silent for a while. Then Lucca, about 30, took the word.
'Well,' he said, with a loud and heavy voice, smiling viciously. 'We want Florence to surrender and the tirant Cadici's to be banished and never be seen again!'
Nervous, she looked at her uncle, and at the reaction of the other nobles on the walls.
'We can't surrender to them,' a noble said. 'They will sack the city!'
Not everyone was their friend, but not one noble seemed to favour the proposal of the Fratelli's. Even if they were suffering now, they knew the Fratelli's would make things much worse, if they took power.
The gonfaloniere, chairman of the parliament ruling Florence, took the word.
'We can not accept these terms,' he replied loudly. 'Turn your forces and leave this place!'
'Leave?' Lucca exclaimed. He laughed. 'We have food for months and warm tents with us. We are in no rush.'
'You on the other hand, would do better to listen to our demands.' He continued. 'We won't rest until the Cadici are undone. If you don't want to surrender Florence... give us the bitch who sold our Florence to the French!' he yelled brutally.
Her hands got cold and chills went down her spine.
'You can rest assured that we will leave the rest of the city and its residents unscathed!' she heard Lucca add in the background.
Shocked and questioning murmuring broke out on the ramparts. Her uncle exchanged words with Philippe and an advisor. What were they going to say? They couldn't just give her to them, could they?
'Why?' her uncle replied. 'To do what, with my niece?'
Lucca laughed again. He looked suggestively around to his troops, as if preparing them for something. Then he looked back, raising his eyebrows.
'To be paraded naked, and be given to the soldiers for their pleasure,' he growled, cruelly. 'As the whore she is!'
His words thundered over the ground between him and the city. Her heart froze and her knuckles turned white as she braced herself with both hands on the wall she was holding. She knew Lucca from when they were children. He had even courted her when her father was still alive.
Faintly, she registered how an indignant clamour broke out amongst the Florentine nobles on the walls. But soon they were drowned by an eardeafening calling outside the walls.
'Strip her!'
'Lower her down now!'
'We want to see her naked!'
The troops roared and cheered. A rythmic scanding arose.
'Hand her over! Hand her over! Hand her over!'
She staggered backwards and fled down the stairs. Philippe flew after her.
****
He finally caught her when they entered the patio of the palazzo. He took her head in his hands. Her face was wet with tears.
'Ciara' he said.
'I don't want this anymore', she cried, desperate. Sobbing, she fell to his chest.
Slowly, her breath steadied. 'I dont want this anymore,' she repeated, more calmly. She looked up into his eyes.
'I wont let the choice to others anymore to decide when and where to take me or not. I'm tired to have my body be used as a weapon against me.'
She clenched her arms around his neck and pushed her body close against him, hugging him tight.
'I want you to take me.' She said in his ear. 'Take me now.'
She started to kiss his lips. His lips were soft and warm. He kissed back her wet face in a loving answer, exploring her mouth with his tongue. She allowed him, and kissed him back, as he wrapped his strong arms around her.
They kissed, with a passion becoming to lovers, for the first time. She let go of him and pulled him with her, up the stairs, to the bedroom.
They entered the room and he pushed her roughly against the wall. She sighed in an exhalation of bliss as he kissed her neck and pushed her dress off her shoulders a little, exposing her collarbones and the top of her cleavage.
She closed her eyes and gave herself over to pleasure as he fingered the laces between her breasts. He undid them, and her dress slid down further.
He backed up a little, and with attention, raised one of her arms and gently pulled the long sleeve of her dress off her arm. He kissed her shoulder. Then he did the same to her left arm.
Her dress fell down, halting on her hips, exposing her bare breasts. For the first time, he saw her naked body. And it was beautiful.
