Lord of the Seas: Louis d'Avranches
Act IV
Table of Contents
Chapter I
23rd of March, 1133, Palazzo della Ceresara
The three men made their way at dawn to the grand estate of the Ceresaras and arrived around 8 am. The trip turned out to be much faster this time since apparently the old man from before had taken him on a 40km detour for no reason it seems. Louis couldn’t help but laugh at this, what was a 13 km journey that with bad roads should have only taken 3 hours at most took 8 hours. Louis was happy to be in the company of the Ceresaras again, his screw up he believed soured it all but he was really thankful it had not. Now it was time to have some good fun with Nando, and tease the brat, Lucrezia.
Unfortunately, the fun time was not to be yet, as poor Ferdinando would find himself with a broken foot. He had no one else but himself to blame, as he carelessly rode his steed into a ditch and was thrown from it. Louis and Ambrosio rushed to help him, but when Ferdinando tried to stand back up after saying he was fine, he couldn’t place weight on his left foot. He was soon placed behind Louis, as his father led the other horse the mere 1 km that was left to the estate. Stopping at the front gate, Louis got him a makeshift crutch to get him inside in the form of a broomstick that was lying in the garden. He then wrapped his arm around him to help him inside as his mother came out in horror to see her boy injured. Louis was thanked by her, and the two made small talk as they laid Ferdinando on a bench outside in the cool breeze while she looked at his injury. She told him that they all greatly missed him and were worried that they did something to send him away before. Louis just laughed and said something came up. He looked back and saw Lucrezia watching the scene from the window and gave her a wave with a smile. She returned it before casually coming down to investigate the whole matter herself.
“Well well.” she said with a slightly sarcastic tone. “It looks like you have returned Commodore d’Avranches, and… with this fool injuring himself as expected… What happened this time.”
Louis with a smile replied. “He rode into a ditch and got bucked off his horse, think he broke his foot.”
“Heh, typical.” she smugly replied before approaching close to her brother who was in a good amount of pain and biting down on a piece of wood as his mother wrapped him up. She then said to Nando “Here is the most careful person alive… hehe.. When will you learn to look where you are going?” Ferdinando rolled his eyes at her, as her mother turned around miffed to tell the brat “Lulu, don’t be so mean to your brother! And please treat Mr. D’Avranches have something to eat after this long journey.
“Sorry mother.” she looks at Louis. “I guess I will if you so demand…”
“Thank you! Also grab someone to get some ice to put on it dear!”
“Sure.” she then signalled for Louis to come on in. “Please come with me, most esteemed Commodore.”
“Very well.”
Louis followed her, and as soon as they were inside, she stopped in front of him and turned around. “It is good to see you again, what has happened since.. Umm we, you know.”
“Good to see you too, Petite Dame. Many things have happened, I have the most curious life haha.”
“So it seems… Indulge me over breakfast.”
Louis replies with a smug expression. “Rather lewd of you to ask that.”
“Oh stop it! Not in that way nor ever that way!” she said with a degree of irritation. “But I do want to hear about what happened.”
“Can do.”
Lucrezia tells a servant to bring ice to her brother and walks into the dining room with Louis. The two sit across from each other as the scent of breakfast comes steaming from the kitchen. Lucrezia stares at Louis for a moment before saying with a bit of curiosity “Well get on with it!”
Louis laughs. “Well quite impatient are we? No matter. Where to start…”
Louis, much to the annoyance of the girl with OCD, tells his tales in reverse chronological order. He tells of the near madness at Strozzis’, his prolonged stay, his meeting of Constans, and the time in Cittadella, with Lucrezia listening with intent. Food comes out about half way through this, still without sign of any of the other Ceresaras to the confusion of all, as they were all attending to a matter outside that was most unusual as the rest would find out later. Right before Louis tells his tale about Carmen, he stops to ask Lucrezia something.
“Petit... do you mind if I ask you a question about another woman?”
“Pfft… tis no matter to me!”
“Good, really I have been quite perplexed about something and if my intuition is correct, it has something to do with you as well.”
She looks at him with a questioning look “Go on…”
“As you wish… how should I ask this…” he thinks for a moment. “Do you happen to know a Carmen Eruzione by any chance?”
Her face suddenly turns from its normal look towards a somewhat angered face that wasn’t the same one he saw during their incident, but she calmly looking down replied “I do, yes. She is a cousin of mine… under her breath regrettably… Why do you ask?”
Louis, believing that he was indeed on to something about both of them, presses forward: “Most interesting… I believe that explains a lot to me actually. The look on your face and your answer told me everything I need to know about the events of December 27th and perhaps some things about both of you.”
Lucrezia looks at him with disdain and a bit of anger. In her mind, this also confirmed some wicked thoughts that she was thinking recently. With a contemptuous voice, she speaks up: “Well now, so it is true!” Louis is bewildered at this sudden turn but she goes on. “Some of my suspicions about you are indeed true!” She stands up and starts to walk slowly towards him. “In the back of my mind, I knew that shrew was behind all of it. I knew it the moment I saw you dancing with her. Not only did she set me up to be humiliated, but she has cleverly made me a fool in front of her mole and spread all sorts of rumours from you.”
She is now right next to Louis, who continues to be utterly confused but speechless “But now, I will end it.” She reaches inside her coat grasping at her stiletto, Louis immediately knows what is about to happen and prepares as time seems to move in slow motion. “Starting with y-” she strikes towards Louis but he starts to stand up, wrangles her by the arm before the blow can land. His strength causes her to drop the blade harmless and he then proceeds to wrestle her to the ground as she screams at him: “YOU VILE WRETCH!”. She bites his arm in the process of trying to pin her and Louis, normally who is calm, but now infuriated screams “SHUT UP YOU FUCKING IDIOT AND LISTEN TO ME BEFORE I BREAK YOUR LITTLE NECK!”
Utterly in shock, and absolutely terrified in part because of the utter fury in his voice, Lucrezia says meekly: “ok…” as he lets her go..Louis stands back up, grabs a tablecloth to put over the bleeding from the bite mark and brushes himself off. Servants rush into the room to find out what the commotion was about but they both wave them off as Lucrezia sits up in silence. Louis picks her up and carries her over to one of the arm chairs, still utterly pissed off at her. Still in another fright, she says to him: “im sorry…” but Louis isn’t hearing of it right now and walks away for a moment still in pain over being bit. He lights up a cigar, calms down by smoking it for two minutes, staring at her with absolute rage before he gets back a hold of himself and walks over.
“Look me in the eyes, and you better listen to what I have to say you fucking crazy bitch! I have never, not once, mentioned a WORD about you to anyone as you think. I am a man of honour and status within a foreign navy. Do you REALLY think I would be persuaded to do such things, such petty things, in a land I am not native of, for a woman? If ANY word came out about what happened, it assuredly was not me and if you do not believe me then piss on you!”
Tearing up, Lucrezia says. “i-i-i mm sorry, m-my emotions got to me…”
“Is that any excuse to try to murder a man? You are bloody insane!”
“sobbing i know i know i know, just please hear me out.”
Louis, realising that something probably happened while he was gone to provoke this and her emotions being clearly of a girl that was hurt greatly changes his mood. Had this been a man, he would have killed the bastard but this was different. He puts his hand on her shoulder as she cries and says: “Something happened while I was gone, right Petit Dame? Tell me please.”
She stands up and then sits down on the floor. “yes…” Louis sits down next to her and listens to what happened. Apparently while he was gone, Carmen had spread some wicked rumours about her incident (In truth, Carmen just made up something similar) and that she was a whore. Louis comforted her and explained his side, about the strange disappearance of her at the dance, and how she knocked him out. He never thought Carmen was as vicious as she now appeared to clearly be, but it was adding up for him and he felt awful for the poor girl next to him. She might have nearly killed him but he understood her reasoning deep down. As he stroked her hair and comforted her, she asked him if he thought that she was really a whore. Louis simply said that she was the furthest thing from that imaginable, and asked why she thought he believed that. As it turned out, poor Lucrezia had lost attention from a suitor because of these rumours. Louis assured her that the truth would win out despite the false allegations. Suddenly, it came over them that the rest of the family was oddly absent and feeling better, the both went out to check out what was going on.
As it turned out, the whole reason they were absent was that Ferdinando’s horse ran loose into the garden and tore it up. They couldn’t help but laugh at the utter chaos that was before them. It was a crazy day for everyone. Lucrezia asked Louis if he wanted to go riding with her tomorrow as repayment for what she did to him. He agreed.
Chapter II
24th of March, 1133, Palazzo della Ceresara
Louis woke up on the 24th later than usual and totally mystified about the dreams he had the night before. He could not understand them at all, but fortunately for him, he knew that Lucrezia was adept at dream reading and he wrote down in detail everything he could remember for her to hopefully interpret. As he was getting dressed to make his way downstairs for a quick breakfast, Nando made his way into his room, crutches and all.
“Good morning, knucklehead.” said Louis with a smile
“Same to you scalawag!” Nando said while sitting himself down on the bed. “So… I heard you are taking a horse ride with Lulu soon?”
“Quite, she insisted on it after our scuffle yesterday.” Louis said while showing the bite mark.
“Ouch, I heard all about it from her last night. Laughs I would have probably knocked her out if she tried to do that to me. Haha.”
“Well, as I told her, if it was a man and would have killed the bastard… but that’s not how I treat women, and I fully understand why she acted the way she did.”
“Indeed, indeed my brother. I have been quite pissed over this myself, knowing such lies were told about her has barely kept me restrained from headhunting. That fool that dropped her I nearly challenged to a duel, y’know.”
“Hardly blame you, old chap.” said Louis as he was putting his trousers on. “I nearly killed a man who molested my own sister as you know.”
Nando smiles “I hope you would for my own too you magnificent bastard given my injuries.”
“You have my word.” Louis pats him on the shoulder. “You are my blood brother after all, your family is my family.”
Ferdinando laughs “Ah good man as expected…. Say just giving ya a bit of knowledge, that the little brat I believe has some feelings for you.”
Louis, who suspected it, humours him. “Oh? Why do you think so?”
“Ahhh, Well. I know my sister well enough. She is a girl of strong feelings and stubborn about them too. Given that she tried to end your life yesterday, but then told me how sweet you were to her after that, and how she was lookin’ forward to today; that’s all I need to know… Now don’t misunderstand me here, She…well, I am sure you know… Very much the enigma, so what I am saying might end up not to be true at all. But I would believe it given the many years we have together…” Ferdinando’s light hearted tone now turns stern as the protective brother he is and points right at Louis. “But you listen to me well when I tell you this. If you so much as hurt her feelings at all or even glance at her with evil intent today, I will tear you limb from limb, and mount your pretty head on a pike, so help me Suisei! Do you understand?”
Louis buttoning up his shirt nods with sincerity “Aye, I promise nothing of the sort will happen! Far from it, as you know.”
“Absolutely, but I need to make it clear regardless because I don’t fuck around when it comes to either of my sisters. But I cannot imagine a finer lad than you when it comes to handling this properly, well, that’s not true.. BUT nevermind that.. I trust you fully d’Avranches. Go make my sister happy, OK?” he said with a smile.
Louis shakes his hand and salutes him. “As you wish, it will be done… need some help up?”
“Nah, I am fine.” Ferdinando says as he stands up. “See you later” he waves but then stumbles and Louis rushes to prevent him from falling saying “You bloody fool!” with Ferdinando laughing. Ferdinando gets to the door and leaves, as Louis finishes up. Louis then makes it down stairs to eat breakfast, talking to the other Ceresaras before making his way out to the stables where Lucrezia is brushing her horse and humming a song.
“Ah there you are, looking fantastic and cute today are we Petite Dame?” Louis says with his hands in pocket smiling.
She smiles back at him. “Wish you wouldn’t call me that, but thank you. I ate breakfast early so I could spend some time with Antonio here.”
“Well, I cannot blame you there. They say a dog is man’s best friend but horse’s certainly are in my opinion.”
“I love many animals, but cats are my favourite personally.”
“Interesting.” Louis holds out his hand. "Shall I help you onto your steed?”
She smiles “Yes!” and Louis grabs her and lifts her up onto Antonio. Louis then walks over to the horse he took yesterday, Magnifico, and climbs on him. He then rides up to Lucrezia and says: “Where shall we be headed today?”
She looks into the distance thinking for a moment before replying: “Let’s just ride through the valley. It’s an awfully pretty day today!”
“Quite, let’s go.”
The two of them proceed down the valley road where Lucrezia tells him all about the wildlife around them. After about a 30 minute ride, they reach a village and dismount for a quick treat of Cider before riding off onto a back road that proceeds up to a forested lakefront. The two generally are enjoying their time together and have much in common as it turns out. Both of them are of the Romanticist school of thought, and a conversation about the role of nature in one’s life and how that lack of nature and its effect on one's spirit leads to the many ills that both saw in society as a whole.
The two stopped for lunch at Lake Pasome, a small lake that was seemingly cut off from civilization as the mystical beauty of it had long been a favourite spot of Lucrezia growing up. Surrounded by trees, and having some mist arising from it, it was a majestic site and Lucrezia told Louis how much she loved this little place of peace detached from the world around her. To her, with what some consider to be OCD today, this place was where all the stresses of keeping things in order left. Louis, being similar, related that he had a similar place back home. Lucrezia smiled and said she would love to see it one day.
As they unpacked their lunch, Louis remembers about the dreams and that he wanted her to interpret them. He explains that he has had some extremely odd dreams for quite some time and that he knows she is something of an interpreter herself, so askes her. She eagerly agrees and Louis tells her in detail not only from the night before but the other one involving Lize from many months ago.
The one from the night before involved Louis being placed into this mysterious region where many monsters roamed the land. He was approached by a Lady, nude but covering her privates with her long hair and carrying a magical sword. She told Louis to take the sword, for: “You must fall on it to truly love.” before disappearing into the mist. Suddenly, a giant appeared before him, and Louis tried to fight him with his weapon without success before he did what the lady told him to do and drove the sword deep into his gut. It did not kill him, but rather slew the monster before him. He pulled out the sword, which turned to doves before his very eyes. Suddenly, the dark land before him turned bright and almost heaven like before he woke up.
Lucrezia interpreted this to mean that he would have to “fall on his sword” to find love, just like the lady said and suggested to him that to defeat whatever demon was facing him, it would be love that does it and turns his life away from gloom. Seemed innocent enough, but as both of them unpacked and started to eat their lunch, perhaps a realisation came to both of them but mostly Lucrezia. The calmness of the nature around them was muddied by a sudden anxiety that struck her. She had no idea what this feeling was but the thought of the Marie she had seen in his letters came to mind. Could this be the demon?
Brushing her arm. “Ummm…. L-Louis, can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot away, Tulipe. What is on your mind now?”
“Uhhhh… how should I say this…” she brushes her golden blonde locks back. “When, ummm, I read the poems you wrote… and the j-journal with your thoughts… sorry I am being silly!” she sighs “I saw about this “Marie” and i have been curious to know… what was she like, you know?”
Louis opens up his cigar box and lights one up staring off into the lake, Lucrezia panics. “Wait, i am sorry fo-”
He stops her “Ah, ‘tis no bother to me to talk about Mimi. Heart still broken over the matter, but I can tell you all of it. But may I ask to know why it is that you wish to know of her?”
She looks down somewhat embarrassed before looking back up. “To better understand the man that is sitting here with me right now, and his heart; knowing whom he loved so much will tell me much of uuuh him and the dream even.”
“I guess it would give you a greater understanding of me and perhaps the dream too, very well.”
Louis goes on to tell her all about Marie. What she was like as a person, how their love was, and how it ended and how he has never recovered from it and that his vices seem to come from that.
“To this very day, I still am looking for another Mimi, but my efforts are in vain it seems. Women come and go, but none seem to replace her.” he says a bit teary eyed at this point. “But truly, the struggles of this man shouldn’t bother you Tulipe. Non, it is actually pathetic to know that a man such as myself is broken over by some girl from his youth still.”
“No no, i-it does bother me! For it is clear that you are… well a really good soul Louis and thus I do care!”
“Based on what? You hardly know me aside from our conversations!” says Louis inquisitively. He just came to the realisation himself but wanted to prod her.
“Based on how you have treated me and others, you absolute fool of a man!” she retorts fiery. “Gah, do you really think that I would have ever proposed for us to spend time together if I didn’t think you were a true gentleman at heart? How daft are you!”
Louis chuckles a bit. “Guess I am, and your brother was correct.”
“R-Right about what?”
Louis takes a smoke, smiles and says. “Well, it is what it is indeed. What I see before me is a young lady who has fallen for the troubadour again like many before her.”
“W-WHAT DO YOU M-MEAN!”
“But… unlike the many that before did, this little lady is one that is worthy.”
“W-WORTHY?????!!!?????”
“Indeed.” Louis stands up. “This one is even better than Mimi ever was, she is extremely intelligent, loving and truly a maiden worthy of what I deserve.” he reaches his hand out to her, but she refuses it.
“Ah, I see I must go on as expected or be more direct. Why not both, eh?” he laughs and adjusts his hat with a smile. “Signora della Ceresara, I fell on my sword, spilled my guts and the demon was slain as you told me, and I have indeed found love again. You may refuse all you want, tell me I am wrong about it all, and protest, but that is no good. For I am going to make you mine.”
Totally flushed, as red as an apple and unable to process this revelation, she just looks at him totally lost at what just happened. He holds his hand out again, but she snubs her nose up at him again. “n-no. It cannot be!”
“Oh, but it certainly is, and I know you feel the same deep down.” he sits down next to her, and she continues to look away “Listen here, deny it all you want but it is the divines that have made it so. And you better believe this little one, there is not a man alive that will treasure you, protect you, love you, or bring you as much happiness as the man next you now. Look all you want elsewhere, but you shall never find him. I can promise you that!”
She looks at him with hazy eyes and a bit of a reluctant smile. “So you think? Well… it seems to be so…” she looks away for a moment as grabs her by the hand. She breaks away the grasp and turns to him “If you truly mean what you say, then I certainly expect you to prove yourself correct!” she then grabs him by both of his hands. “You better be true to me in all ways, defend my honour with your life and love me like Pomerlane loves Emylia!” she smiles “But… I know you will… my gut tells me so!” The two embrace and she starts to cry a little bit over it. Louis brings her to her feet and holds her with gentleness whispering in her ears words of love.
The heavens rejoiced, birds sang and nature itself bloomed in this moment. Where two souls found each other in true and virtuous love. It truly was destined from the divines themselves, and time would prove that right over and over again. The two rode back that evening after spending more time with each other, knowing that March 24th of 1133 was a truly special day.
Chapter III
June 18th, 1133, Villa de Gianluca.
Legame di Due, or the Bonding of Two, is a crucial ceremonial part of many betrothals within the Stellite upper crust. It is the final test to see if a marriage will work in practice before it is actually carried out, being a period of two weeks which the couple will spend isolated from the rest of the world. In the growing age of romanticism within the Grand Principality, many tales of love have been recently written about the ceremony that have entered popular culture and imagination such as “Antonio and Martia” that try to paint the picture of the purity of the whole affair, and have given it an almost saccharine facade that “true love is formed in those 14 days.” that has made it go from its practicality that the upper class used it for originally, to a fad-like style that has extended to much of the growing middle class as well.
Beyond the growing Romanticist influence behind the ceremony, there is a more lewd but honest truth. It is not uncommon for the couple to have intercourse for the first time during this time, something that gets overlook entirely by the popular imagery. After all, this time can be seen as the honeymoon before the honeymoon as well. Several vulgar tales have also reached the popular imagination, though remain more of a curiosity that is not spoken of but still popular.
For the ever-romantic Lucrezia, it has been a long awaited dream to finally experience this bonding, and she knew they needed it. It had been to much surprise that her parents were more than happy to accept Louis as her future husband so easily. She had truly believed she would have to persuade them to allow the relationship to go through because of how little political clout it brought. But alas, it mattered little in the end to the Ceresaras that their future son-in-law was a foreigner from across the world, it was more that he was a good man that ultimately mattered.
It had now been 3 months since that fateful March day, but things weren’t all well and dandy for the couple to be. Though they had much in common, and truly shared mutual feelings towards each other: things aren’t that simple within the world. Louis’ duty and curiosity often made him unable to spend as much time with his fiancée as he frankly should have. The fact that he seemingly spent about a month with Ferdinando in May inadvertently through touring several cities and hunting had not made things easy at all. It wasn’t just one sided either, as Lucrezia herself had not been the most active about the whole matter herself. Louis had asked her to come with them to Cometopoli, but she refused. Furthermore, her moodiness and immaturity at some points seemed to work against her. There was serious work that needed to be done between the two, what better time than the Legame to have this take place?
The Legame di Due of the pair, Villa de Gianluca was chosen. The villa is relatively isolated, being around 20 km from the Ceresara Estate. Situated on the far bank of Lake Pasome ironically, it is also a quite scenic location as well. It had a distinct amourous feeling about it, which is why Gianluca della Ceresara built the villa there 150 years prior. June 15th was decided as the start date of the Legame and its caretakers would be sure to leave it in a good state for the couple before they arrived.
It did not get off to a good start at all…
The tradition of the two going together alone sadly was interrupted half way when news arrived from Ravenna that required Louis’ immediate attention. He asked her if it would be okay if they just rearranged its start for the next day but the ever-superstitious and stubborn Lucrezia outright refused this. No, now that they had formally begun it, there was no way of turning back now. “Whatever, j-just get your business done.” she said with a hint of frustration.
After his business in Ravenna was finished, Louis finally made his way to Villa at sunset, arriving around midnight. When he got back, he found his fiancée waiting to chew him out for taking too long. He was much too tired to protest the verbal lashing he received for something that wasn’t his fault, and just went to bed.
Things didn’t get much better for the next three days between the two either…
Though they both tried to patch things up the next day in their own ways, these ways showed how little both of them understood how relationships work.
Lucrezia, in her romantic idealism and own naïvety, believed that her Prince would be the one who would do everything right to fix the issues that arose the day before, and that he would have some kind of epiphany that would bring him realise that he had done so poorly in for some time as well. She had watched her father always do this, had read about it, dreamed about it, and was totally convinced this was how it worked. Furthermore, her own problems of showing her real feelings betrayed her as well. In effect, all she did was prepare herself for the “romantic moment” that would patch things up on a simplistic level. “Oh if I make him breakfast, surely this will lead to it, right?”
Naturally, it didn’t. Louis did not apologise at all for anything he did as he didn’t think he did anything wrong. Instead, he tried to patch things up the only way he seemingly knew how to with women within a romantic relationship. Just after she finished her daily bath in the lake, he “presented” himself. It certainly did not help that his “drug” had been taken away from him for several months now, and that he had people such as Strozzi, and even Ferdinando himself telling him that “Legame is the time when you will likely get sex.” All of these hopes were quickly thrown away with a disgusted slap from Lulu and a stern lecture. After that, he just assumed that she would be too angry to talk the rest of the day and just resigned himself to indulging in his hobbies, much to her surprise.
A similar affair happened the next day, with a different angle. She once again prepared herself for the “romantic moment” only to be met with the friendly coldness that seemed to be the only thing that came from him. Where was the man from 3 months ago, she thought not realising that this was the same man in front of her? Things got a little better with some small talk, but the mutual angst boiled over that evening as dinner was presented.
Louis took one look at the meal in front of him, and was disgusted with it. She had tried to make him a classic from his culture, curry, but had no idea what she was doing and made something that not even a dog would eat. Louis, unironically, was convinced she was trying to poison him and threw it out immediately. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back for both of them.
“What is your issue? Y-” said Lulu.
“My ISSUE? You just bloody tried to poison me, you psychopath!”
“I DID NOT SUCH THING YOU ASS!” She stomped.
“LIKE YOU BLOODY HELL DIDN’T? NOT EVEN A DOG WOULD EAT THAT CURRY!”
slaps him “How DARE you! I tried my best t-”
Grips her hand strongly after she slaps him. “Non! Even if you just made an abomination of a meal by accident, what have you bloody done aside from treating me like a mutt this whole time?”
She pulls away from his grasp. “You…. you...”
“Yes, me? What about me? Tell me now you succubus…”
Tears start flowing from her eyes.
Louis isn’t having any of this pity play, and goes on. “Ah, nothing. As usual. NOTHING. Now, you tell me, yes? What about me?” He stands looking at her with his arms on his hips with an evil eye.
“Y-You are such a disappointment to me with your behaviour sniffs... Not even trying to use this time as it should be used!” she somberly says.
Fully pissed, Louis lays into her. “Oh, do not give me any of that nonsense you self-entitled cunt! What have you even done aside from nag me, get on my case about my DUTY, barely converse with me, sulk about yourself, and now get on my ass about a meal that is unfit for even pigs! You want to use this time as it needs to be used? Stop blaming me you bloody witch!”
She starts crying.
“As for me, I am indeed sorry that I accused you of poisoning me but it is little surprise I came to that conclusion when you have tried to kill me before. I will not apologise for anything else, as I have done nothing wrong. I’m riding off to get a real meal and spend the night somewhere else. Don’t give a damn about omens, I need time to myself…”
He exits, mounts his horse and rides off.
Chapter IV
That Night
It was a depressing, yet an important night. Louis rode into the local village, got a room at the local inn. After checking into his room, he returned to the near deserted main floor and sat at a table, lighting up a cigar. Though it was not his intention mentally, the impression he gave off with his distressed demeanour attracted the attention of one of the regulars, a certain old man by the name of Gianni.
Sitting down next to Louis, he bluntly asked him why someone clearly of importance found himself at this inn and looking so melancholic. After giving a vague answer to him trying to brush him off, Louis soon found out that Gianni wasn’t the type of man that was going to just bugger off. Indeed, Gianni plainly told him that he didn’t buy his answer one bit and explained that it wasn’t about to do him any good to just sulk by himself. After further prodding by the senior, Louis opened up. He explained what was happening, and why he was now here before burying his face in his hands muttering about how he had “no bloody clue” what to do anymore.
In the wisdom that his many years brought him, Gianni offered condolences, but he also came to the realisation of who this actually was, and whom his betrothed was as well. He also understood that there was clearly more about this that this handsome sailor wasn’t leading on.
Looking into the sullen eyes of Louis, he remarked with a smile: “Many o’ men would die to be in yer boots laddie, y’know that?”
With a sarcastic chuckle, Louis replied ”Aye, ‘tis true. Whilst I moan and weep over such blessings, others live in destitution on the streets, right? My troubles are but yet a drop in the bucket compared to many others.” He takes a long puff from his cigar. “I say that with sarcasm, but reality doesn’t escape me either. Though it may be true that the poor can never understand the issues of the rich, and vice versa… it is rather clear that others bear greater burdens than me, no?”
“So it be not right for a man as yerself to not have a reason to complain if others have it worse aye?” Gianni chuckles. “Such words, Mr. d’Avranches, are the words used to shame us all. Indeed, out there be someone worse than us all, correct?”
“Yes, but it is clear that I am better off than most.”
“I don’t give a damn if ye were the bloody Grand Prince himself! You missed the point I was venturing after, but laughs, that be my fault I think… Anyways, yer feelings and problems are as valid as anyone else's. And I know ye not be giving me the whole picture either now. Spill yer guts to me, and this old man will do his best to help ye!”
Louis was surprised by the reaction Gianni gave him, and just frankly asked him if he had a few hours to spare as there was much to share. The retired soldier made it clear that he was willing to stay the whole night sorting this out, if need be, so Louis told him just about everything. From Marie, to his issues with love, to even how he felt with Gianni attentively listening and asking questions the whole time.
By the time he was done, it was about 2 in the morning, but Gianni believed he knew the real problem in the situation after getting the full story. It was rather apparent the issue all along was that Louis’ own past weighed heavily on his mind, but he also speculated that the Contessa’s immaturity was likely one of the main problems that he faced after Louis explained the way she acted. He told Louis as much, and said that when he returned the next day, he needed to realise that much but that he also needed to apologise for the way he acted regardless of whether or not what he did was wrong.
Louis thanked Gianni for his help, and offered to get him something as a gift, but the old man refused. He didn’t need a gift; the gift was helping Louis! With that, both retired for the night.