Fic: Another Story - Cesare/Lucrezia
Title: Another Story
Fandom: The Borgias
Characters: Cesare/Lucrezia
Rating: T
Story: AU set in the future, where Cesare and Lucrezia did their runaway.
Warning: Incest, because Cesare and Lucrezia after all.
A/N: Not betaed and probably made few typos, but I hope they are not too many. lol Anyhow, enjoy!
Rimini, 1500
The weather was great. Nice breeze was coming from the Adriatic Sea. Everything was almost perfect. Crezia's eyes were gazing the sunset and a smile was playing on her face. She was sitting on a small rock down the beach, near her palace. Her bright green eyes were dreamy and alive at the same time. She closed them just for a moment and a small smile appeared on her face. Just then a pair of smooth and yet strong hands touched her shoulders and her smile grew bigger.
"You came home." She sighed and leaned back, just to feel the support of a strong man's body.
"Always, my love." His deep voice was like a cares to her senses. He was careful, but yet she could feel the tension in his words.
"Something happened?" Crezia turned around to see her husband's green eyes. "Tell me."
"The Pope is coming here for a visit tomorrow."
"What?" Her blood ran cold. "This is impossible! You promised me that we'll be safe here, Valentino! You told me that he would never come that North!"
Valentino sat close to his wife, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She nestled her head on the crook of her neck and sighed. Her face was pale and she looked worried.
"I'm afraid that I was wrong this time, my love." Valentino said quietly. "Maybe our runaway wasn't that smart."
"No, you're wrong." Crezia took his hand and rubbed a side of her face against his palm. Her eyes closed and she sighed again. "That's the best thing we've ever done, my dear Valentino. It was your idea, right?"
"Your trust in me sometimes makes me feel guilty, my love." She couldn't see his eyes, but she was sure that he was frowning.
"I'd be married to Alfonso by now, remember?" Crezia said quietly, knowing that's a touchy subject for her husband. "I'd be far away and you'd be… "
"… a captain of the papal armies." He finished her sentence with clenched jaw. "See, that would be good, but… your marriage on the other hand, I don't like it."
"You never liked my candidates." Crezia said quietly and she looked up at him, touching his rough face. His stubble tickled her fingers and she bit her lower lip, looking at him with her devious eyes. "I wonder why?"
"Do you really have to ask, my dear Crezia?" Valentino lowered his look to her lips and his thumb touched them for a moment, rubbing the smooth skin there. "I killed for you." His eyes grew cold for a moment. "I'd do that again in a heartbeat."
Crezia shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder if you're happy here, Vale." Her smile was sad now. "You're born for great things, my dear and I have the feeling that I'm only stopping you."
"Never say that again!" Valentino grabbed her face, staring at her eyes. "Never! Do I miss my old life? Yes, sometimes. Do I want to be a soldier? Yes, I do… even less. Being here, with you was the best thing happened in my life."
"Really?"
"Really!" Valentino nodded and a small smirk appeared on his lips. "Besides, I can satisfy my need for a battle defending that small town. We don't suffer from piece here, my love."
"Oh yes." Crezia shook her head again. "I remember the time when we arrived here. We were foreigners and you have to save that place from the German attacks. They could've burned down the place, but then you showed up and…"
"… they were stupid enough to attack us few more times." Valentino frowned. "Maybe I wasn't convincing."
"The people here made you their leader, my dear. You're doing what's necessary." Crezia touched his troubled face. "I'm sure you're going to…"
"The Pope!" A bearded guy was running down the beach. His words interrupted the couple. "The Pope is here and wants to see you, milord!" The guy barely kept his balance when he reach them. "What shall I say?"
"He saw you, Mikele?" Valentino's eyes went cold again. His face showed no feelings. His features were like a rock right now.
"No, milord." Mikele shook his head. "He only saw Giovanni."
"No!" Crezia was ready to scream and only her husband's hand prevented that. Valentino was holding her tight right now.
"You don't have to fear, my love." He touched her face and his lips touched hers in a soft kiss. "I can deal with this."
"What if-"
"No!" Valentino shook his head. "I'd never let anything bad to happen."
"I'm coming with you!" Crezia took his hand.
"You don't have to my dear. You can go and take care of our beautiful daughter Lucreiza instead. I can deal with the Pope."
"No! I'm coming with you!" Crezia squeezed his hand tighter. "We started this together and I'd never leave your side. We promised that to each other, remember?"
Valentino sighed, but he knew she'd do whatever she thinks it's right. She'd never leave him, just as he'd never leave her. He lifted up their united hands and kissed the back of her fingers. "Sure, my love." He said and turned around, just to see his father, the Pope standing at the beginning of the beach. Right beside of him was standing a young boy, holding his hand. His people was standing behind him, including his personal taster. Alexander VI was really careful these days.
"Father!" The little boy ran to him and Valentino smiled when he finally reached him. He took him in his arms and the goy giggled, pointing at the Pope. "The Pope asked for you, father and I brought him here."
"Good boy, Giovanni." Valentino ruffled his son's hair and put him back on the ground. "Go back to your nurse now."
Giovanni looked at Crezia for a moment and after she gave him a soft smile, he did what his father asked of him. He ran back to the palace to his nurse, waiting for him at the front door. Just then Valentino laid his look on Alexander VI. He looked older than the last time he saw him few years ago. His face was more pale and wrinkled now and his gray hair was getting white.
"I've never thought you're capable of this, my son." His voice pierced the silence. "Running away like this? And… with her?"
"How did you find us?" Crezia spoke before Valentino was able do that. "Who told you?"
"I didn't." Alexander IV sounded tired. "I thought I could visit the North. Rome became too… dangerous."
"You never before thought like that. You wanted to make it great, remember?" Valentino tilted his head.
"That's when I've had your brother and you. We were a family back then, and now? Now everything's falling apart."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Valentino's face didn't show any emotion. "I can't help you now, I have my own life."
"I thought you'd love to take your brother's place Cesare." Alexander stared at his son's eyes. "I could've had everything you wanted. You could've been the greatest leader of them all."
"I have what I want." Cesare squeezed Crezia's hand. "She's here with me now and she's safe."
"That's wrong my son."
"I know." Crezia answered instead. "We both know that, but we didn't really have a choice."
"You've had a choice, my daughter." Alexander looked at her right now. "You could've stayed with us in the palace. In Rome… you could've marry to anyone you wanted. Like… we thought that Alfonso is a man of your liking."
"He wasn't Cesare." Crezia spoke softly.
"I see." Alexander rubbed his forehead. "So there's no way we could convince you to come back with us?"
"No." Cesare shook his head. "We don't exist anymore, remember father? In fact… my name is Valentino and this… is my lovely wife Crezia." He looked down at Lucrezia's face and his eyes shone. "We welcome you to stay in Rimini as long as you like… Holy Father."
Alexander VI just stood there, watching them and their closeness. He couldn't forgive himself that he had let them to reach that far. However, there was no strength that could separate them now. He shook his head and turned his back on them, going back to that old place, called Rome.
He never returned in Rimini ever again.