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Alicia woke up with a start. By the hour of their arrival, her and Cardinal Della Rovere were placed on rooms that shared a wall, no matter how improper that was on the long run.
Even so, it was a good thing. I allowed her to listen to him and care for him with easy, just as she did back in the monastery. Soon he would have to fend for himself, so she took her duty to care for him, with double the intent.
Rising to her feat and grabbing the outer robes of her habit, Alice tip toes out of her room and and straight to the one to her right. It did not cross her mind to get a candle, she was used to tending him in the dark, always careful not to disturb his sleep, that was already plagued by nightmares.
The door creaked when she pushed it open, and there was only darkness inside, no light coming from the high window, so she used the wall as a guide and went for the source of all that noise.
The labored breath of the Cardinal sounded on the room, making her rush to his side. When he first came the monastery, her night would be much the same, always waking up by the sound of him tossing and turning on bed.
Her eyes were starting to get used to the lack of light, she was able to make out the shape of the Cardinal’s body on the bed now. The only difference of now to the other nights was when she reached out a hand to him.
A much bigger hand shot out to her, grabbing her arm and pulling it forcefully. Falling to her knees and using her other arms as leverage on the bed, Alicia felt warm breath being blown onto her face, and the roughness of the Cardinal’s beard on her chin. She wanted to apologize, to beg forgiveness. She didn’t want to wake him, all she wanted was to make sure that the Cardinal had a good night of sleep.
“What are you doing in here, girl?” the fingers that held her arm in place practically dig into her skin, making her eyes water before a soft whimper leaves her mouth.
In one swift move, the Cardinal stood up, pulling her with him. It hurt her knees and shoulder when he dragged her up the floor, knocking the air out of her when he pressed her up against the wall.
“Have those treacherous Borgia finally given up on that silly notion that I’m interested in men,” fear welled up inside her, the words choked in her throat and any attempt to explain herself was turned into a sob. “and decided to send a little nun to do their dirty work?”
The Cardinal didn’t hurt her further, but the breath on her face and neck was enough to freeze her. And even in the dark of his room, she knew that his eyes bore holes on her.
“Forgive me” whispers were all she could offer, over and over, this was all she said. Even as the hands that held her in place backed away and her body slipped to the floor.
-
“I wanted to keep you safe, girl. I wished to protect you, to bring you under my wings, and this is how you repay me” looking at the outline of her prostrated form on the floor, the Cardinal could not see the plump lipped woman that taunted his mind.
There was a clear meaning in his visions of her, his own mind tried to warn him against her, but all he could see was her soft skin and warm smile.
“I only wanted to help” she was clearly crying, he could tell by her deep voice, but there was a steadiness in her voice. Even so, she remained on the floors, curled away from him. “Just like in the monastery. Please, Cardinal, I only wished to help before I took my leave”
“You won’t go. I won’t allow you to go.” her sobs started anew, but there was no room for pity in him. “If you want to protect me, you will protect me, but on my terms only”
Guiliano told himself that this was only to keep his eyes on her, that he wanted to see what she was going to do. If this was all but a intricate plot created by Borgias, he might as well have something to look at while her murder is on delay.
Rising off the bed and going to her general direction, he reaches out to her dark outline and hoist her up by the armpits, and only when she was nose to nose with him that he say anything.
“You are to comeback to your room, and tomorrow, when you see me again, you’ll act as if none of this happened.” cupping her face with his hands, the Cardinal places a chaste kiss on her forehead before pushing her towards the door. “And when I ask you to accompany me to Rome, I expect you to say yes, after all, you own me your very life”