him with scrutiny, but once he opened the pouch and brought out the simple golden band, her face filled with surprise. “A simple trinket, but for me it means so much more.”
“Nico…”
“Camilla, this was always supposed to happen, but our fathers were stubborn about the arrangement. Just two days ago, I brought them together and pleaded to take your hand. And, from this ring, I think you can tell what happened.”
“Camilla, will you be my wife? Will you make me as happy as Allegra has made my father? Will you finally let our story begin?” Niccolo asked as he smiled at the dark-haired beauty in the red dress.
“Nico… you know that woman has nothing on me,” she said as she took the man into her arms and kissed him passionately. After a moment of embrace, he withdrew and then grabbed her left hand before setting the ring onto her finger.
“I know. But her breasts…” He teased before she slapped him.
“Why must you be a pig?”
“Why must you be perfect?” he asked before drawing her into another kiss, the moon shining on their embrace.
Niccolo Vespucci had never been happier.
***
The merchant’s son woke up in his own bed and groaned as the headache set in. Niccolo was used to drinking in excess, but his father’s wedding had been a special occasion. Luckily, the young man did not drink enough to lose his memory. That was the one thing he did not want to lose; he wanted to keep that vision of Camilla in that red dress for the rest of his life.
He rolled over in his bed and realized that the young woman was nowhere to be found. It was expected, but he wished that her warm body was still entwined with his. Niccolo’s thoughts returned to their embrace in the moonlight and the dancing in the courtyard. From within his own mind he breathed in her scent and thought of all the things they would experience and the moments they would share. His whole future was in front of him and he could not wait for it to start.
Niccolo felt an itch on his arm and scratched at his sleeve, but almost immediately pain set in. His head was groggy, but there was no reason that he should feel such pain, so he sat up in his bed. Niccolo wiped the sleep from his eyes before drawing back his sleeve, trying to find the source of the pain. He was only able to roll back the sleeve halfway up his arm before it was too tight to continue, so in a hurry he rolled it down and then took off the entire shirt. In the process the sleeve seemed to stick to his arm, and when he pulled on it, a stinging sensation followed. When he was finally able to look at his arm, he sank into despair.
The rash that had been on his arm for the last few days had spread along his arm, but worst of all the skin seemed to be peeling away, exposing the lesions underneath. There were five different patches near the elbow on his upper arm where the skin had been ripped away with the shirt, the skin around it puckering and gasping for life. Niccolo’s face was filled with horror as he realized that some strain or sickness had claimed his arm.
He ran over to the dresser nearby, knocking over a bedside table and scattering glasses and bottles to the ground, and grabbed at a loose piece of clothing. It turned out to be a linen tunic, and he wrapped the material around his arm before grabbing at some twine, trying to keep the cloth in place. Niccolo was panicking as he realized that he had every potential to be cast out to the streets to live among the lepers. It was no place for a merchant’s son, but with his new wife, Carlo might not need him anymore.
Niccolo sat on his bed and despaired, feeling lost in his own home.
Chapter 3: Life after Death
“You saw Scratch die?” Niccolo asked, watching his friend struggle for a moment before leaning down and helping Cadmus to his feet.
“Among…other things, yes. The palace was on fire, Dis was in chaos, then it…ah!” the reaper
“Nico…”
“Camilla, this was always supposed to happen, but our fathers were stubborn about the arrangement. Just two days ago, I brought them together and pleaded to take your hand. And, from this ring, I think you can tell what happened.”
“Camilla, will you be my wife? Will you make me as happy as Allegra has made my father? Will you finally let our story begin?” Niccolo asked as he smiled at the dark-haired beauty in the red dress.
“Nico… you know that woman has nothing on me,” she said as she took the man into her arms and kissed him passionately. After a moment of embrace, he withdrew and then grabbed her left hand before setting the ring onto her finger.
“I know. But her breasts…” He teased before she slapped him.
“Why must you be a pig?”
“Why must you be perfect?” he asked before drawing her into another kiss, the moon shining on their embrace.
Niccolo Vespucci had never been happier.
***
The merchant’s son woke up in his own bed and groaned as the headache set in. Niccolo was used to drinking in excess, but his father’s wedding had been a special occasion. Luckily, the young man did not drink enough to lose his memory. That was the one thing he did not want to lose; he wanted to keep that vision of Camilla in that red dress for the rest of his life.
He rolled over in his bed and realized that the young woman was nowhere to be found. It was expected, but he wished that her warm body was still entwined with his. Niccolo’s thoughts returned to their embrace in the moonlight and the dancing in the courtyard. From within his own mind he breathed in her scent and thought of all the things they would experience and the moments they would share. His whole future was in front of him and he could not wait for it to start.
Niccolo felt an itch on his arm and scratched at his sleeve, but almost immediately pain set in. His head was groggy, but there was no reason that he should feel such pain, so he sat up in his bed. Niccolo wiped the sleep from his eyes before drawing back his sleeve, trying to find the source of the pain. He was only able to roll back the sleeve halfway up his arm before it was too tight to continue, so in a hurry he rolled it down and then took off the entire shirt. In the process the sleeve seemed to stick to his arm, and when he pulled on it, a stinging sensation followed. When he was finally able to look at his arm, he sank into despair.
The rash that had been on his arm for the last few days had spread along his arm, but worst of all the skin seemed to be peeling away, exposing the lesions underneath. There were five different patches near the elbow on his upper arm where the skin had been ripped away with the shirt, the skin around it puckering and gasping for life. Niccolo’s face was filled with horror as he realized that some strain or sickness had claimed his arm.
He ran over to the dresser nearby, knocking over a bedside table and scattering glasses and bottles to the ground, and grabbed at a loose piece of clothing. It turned out to be a linen tunic, and he wrapped the material around his arm before grabbing at some twine, trying to keep the cloth in place. Niccolo was panicking as he realized that he had every potential to be cast out to the streets to live among the lepers. It was no place for a merchant’s son, but with his new wife, Carlo might not need him anymore.
Niccolo sat on his bed and despaired, feeling lost in his own home.
Chapter 3: Life after Death
“You saw Scratch die?” Niccolo asked, watching his friend struggle for a moment before leaning down and helping Cadmus to his feet.
“Among…other things, yes. The palace was on fire, Dis was in chaos, then it…ah!” the reaper
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