The beginning of Franka and Tybalt

Jacob returned the next evening at Franka's request. He had thought she would want some more time to recover, but she seemed to want to continue while it was still raw. Renard met him as usual. Their small talk had become habitual. "The Lady is a bit of a masochist. She gets pleasure from digging around in wounds. Even if they are her own. Catharsis though pain I suppose."

Jacob smiled as they walked to the study. :Well I guess after all these years one would have to be slightly masochistic to continue on. How else is she to resolve all she's experienced over the centuries if she can't find some pleasure in the pain?"

"Very true. She and Tybalt seem to very alike for being so different. They both carry their demons close to the heart. Do you require anything while you wait?" Renard moved to the door anticipating Jacobs response.

"No thank you Renard. I'm familiar with the bar by now so I think I will be okay." He smiled and set up his table. He noticed someone from the staff had placed a tray of cookies on the end for him.


Sitting on an antique couch in Franka's dressing room, Tybalt was making a futile attempt to convince Franka to take a day to rest. "I just worry about you bringing up too much at once and ripping open old wounds."

From behind her screen Franka was attempting to appreciate Tybalts concern. She came around the screen pinning her hair up into a french twist. "So you would have me ignore my history in my own memoir? It happened Tybalt! I killed my child under the power of a narcissistic Giovanni. It happened. It hurts and it makes every day a little harder, but it happened almost 500 years ago. It created me as I am now. Had it not gone the way it did, a naive little farm girl would have been embraced Giovanni and lived her life in their world."

"I doubt that. You have too much passion to have let that happen and Adriano definitely would have ended it before it began. I still remember the day he came to have me guard you. He loved you. No Giovanni would have gotten through him and you know it." Tybalt stood to escort her out.

"Do you remember our introduction? I was so full of myself. I had already been through so much and had just gotten used to not being on my land in his home instead. The last thing I wanted was a babysitter."

"I seem to recall you telling me that almost word for word." He kissed her cheek and left her to Jacob. He gave the writer a glance. He had done extensive research on the young man before ever allowing him in their home. He knew more about the Cross family than they most likely would ever know about themselves. He just wondered how much they knew about him.

"Good evening Jacob. Start a new page. We're jumping forward a few years. Tybalt just reminded me pf a lovely memory. Are you ready?" Jacob nodded. "So after my embrace Adrianno and I spent most of our time on my estate. I was now the Duchess, in charge of the land and business holdings. Much to the disappointment and embarrassment of the local Giovanni. The Duke had really screwed them over by dying. Adriano and I spent time painting and shopping. We took in Operas and enjoyed all the Renascence had to offer. He taught me what it was to be Kindred and what it was to be of the Rose. And then it was time to move on. Adriano was needed back in Sicily. The Torreador had appointed an alternate Primogen while Adriano educated me, but it was time for him to return and get back to his duties. I moved my family from the farm to my home and appointed my sisters husband the new Duke. Not exactly how it should have been done, but who was going to argue with me? We were in my new home a little over a year when I was attacked. The Giovanni weren't very interested in allowing me to live. I knew too much about them and should have been one of them. Letting me live was not acceptable. I'm not sure why it took so long for them to make a move, though I suspect Adriano had been hiding other attempts from me.

Adriano and I were in the library discussing a recent meeting he had when we heard shouting out front in the courtyard. As we entered into the hallway there were staff members running all over the place. Adriano had me follow him into a side room where he handed me two guns. We had been practicing with them, back then they only had one shot a piece so he wanted to make sure I could make them count, but I really never expected to have to use them. As we headed out towards the front of the house the two Brujah guards we had came running past us. I remember them telling Adriano that we were under attack and they suspected Giovanni by the manner of the attack. No sooner had they continued on and we had entered the kitchen to see a ghost come through the wall." Franka eyed Jacob. He believed in vampires, how did he feel about ghosts? He didn't seem to have any reaction at all, he just concentrated on Franka and his papers. So she continued.

"I'm not sure that you've ever seen a ghost come though a wall, but it was a first for me. My first instinct was to scream, and then shoot the horrid thing. It looked as if it had been a fallen soldier from some past war. Half of it's head was caved in and even though I could see right through it, when it floated forward and struck me with it's sword, the wound was very real.

My scream and the gun shot got the attention of a few of the staff who were still inside. They rushed in to defend me. The poor fools stood no chance, the monster just ripped them apart as they tried to attack it. After killing the third servant, it turned it's one glowing baleful eye to me and advanced. I shot it again and noticed that it was significantly less...there. Less real than before, but it was still coming. That is when Adriano got involved. I had never seen him move so fast in my life. He was literally a blur as he moved. I couldn't even make out what he was doing. All I know is that a moment later, the ghost was gone and he was standing there.

We gathered our wits and began taking stock of the damage. Adriano wasn't forthcoming with any information so I let him be. We learned that we lost both Brujah to a pair of ghost dogs. We pieced together that several Giovanni and their ghouls had attacked the front of the house as a distraction. Was all of that clear? It's a bit fuzzy after all this time?"

"Yes Ma'am. Just one question. What the hell came through the wall, and okay two questions, ghost dogs? Really?"

"Franka smiled. She enjoyed his clarity and ability to make light of something that many had a hard time comprehending. "Yes, ghost hounds. I really can't give you more than that. But similar to the ghost in the kitchen, ghost hounds. Later as we went to sleep, assured that the proper safety measures had been taken, Adriano explained the ghost to me. Giovanni necromancers essentially have pet ghosts called wraiths. They can be damaged or even sent back to the beyond, but they are under the necromancers control and are usually called back to their master before being killed, again.

Adriano was furious. Not only at the personal losses, but also because it wasn't hard to figure out why they were there. He was also very frightened. He was grooming to eventually take his place as primogen and not all the Torreador were okay with it. He also had an upcoming trip that would take him away from the house for quite awhile. With the Giovanni becoming more blatant in their attempts to take me out, he was nervouse to leave me alone.

I of course was convinced I'd be fine. And if he was so worried he could always take me with him. That wasn't an option though. For one I needed to be there to act as primogen in his absence and earn my place. And for two, he said it was too dangerous for me to go. He did have a fabulous plan though. He was hiring a babysitter. A freaking babysitter! That was a fight. I'm sure the staff talked about it for quite some time. I was a fucking Duchess and he wanted to hire some sip shit Ventrue to keep me safe. A Ventrue! What the hell was he going to do, ride in on his white horse and joust the wraith to death? He could sit on his thrown and hang himself with the strings he pulled for all I cared. Damned blue blooded coward hiding behind great stone walls and titles probably never had dirt under his nails before. And if he dared come into my home and start ordering people about, Adriano was going to be down one Ventrue in his ally pool." She poured herself some wine. She was pretty riled up and wasn't even at the best part. Christina made an appearance, peaking around the door. "Excuse me Lady Franka, the Master told me to come check on you. He said you would be less likely to throw crystal at me for interrupting like you would if it were him."

Franka laughed a full and throaty laugh. "He is probably right. I'm fine though. I chose a new direction for the evenings theme. You're just in time to hear about the first night Tybalt and I met, if you'd like to stay." She motioned for the couch.

"Story time!" She jumped up and down grabbing a cookie off of Jacobs tray and bounced to the couch.

"Oh child to have your energy again. So as I was saying, Adriano decided I needed a pompous Ventrue to come babysit me. Adriano went to France to gather him and sent word that he would be leaving for his trip from there and that Tybalt would arrive shortly. His carriage made it's arrival in the middle of a fall storm. One of the servants little girls came running to the parlor to get me. She was so excited to have someone new staying with us. While it pained my heart a little, it did me good to see a young girl so full of life. She grabbed my hand and nearly drug me to the porch.

As I expected he arrived in true Ventrue form. The carriage was well made and had handled the long trip well. I caught glimpses of the blue velvet interior as the lightening flashed. Tybalt emerged and removed his hat to bow. The wind played with his long hair causing it to dance and float behind him. The wind also caught his dark blue cloak, pulling it back to reveal a fully dressed french highway man. Not exactly what I expected. The servant rushed to unload the carriage as my young charge took off into the rain to meet her new guest.

"Master Tybalt, how kind of you to join us." She said in the adorably flirtatious way young girls have always used. She curtsied pulling out the edges of her dress as we had practiced. She then quickly forgot propriety and grabbed his gloved hand rushing him to the covered porch. "This is the Duchess Franka-Rita Vincini the lady of the house." She giggled with the thrill of finally meeting him.

"Duchess." The word almost sounded like an insult on his lips. No one had called me Duchess outside of the title. He made a quick bow to me, keeping his eyes on me but not quite making contact. His rain soaked hair dripped onto his face, the droplets catching the light and almost highlighting his amber eyes.

"Franka will do. A pleasure to have you in our home. I'm sure the little one will show you to your room. Should I have a meal sent up?"

"The journey was long, a meal would be greatly appreciated." I remember him giving our young friend a quizzical glance and looked back to me unsure of what I was offering. I turned to her to ease his mind. "Take our guest to his quarters and then let the kitchen staff know he requires feeding. Be polite, he's a guest not a new toy." The girl blushed slightly and took Tybalt away. Much to my relief. There was something about his eyes. They chilled me in a way I thought impossible since my embrace and yet drew me in. I hoped Adriano was quick with his business. I wasn't sure how long I could deal with polite small talk from the strange Ventrue.

After I was sure he had eaten I went to his room. My intention was to make sure he approved of his accommodations. His door was slightly ajar and he seemed to in some sort of trance. I knocked and he came out of his altered state. It took his eyes a second to focus and realize where he was and who he was seeing. "Duchess, a pleasure." He motioned for me to enter.

"I told you Franka is fine. I came to make sure your room and meal were to your liking."

"I prefer Duchess. And yes thank you. Both will do nicely."

"Well prefer what you wish, but my name is Franka and that is what I expect to be called. Although, given that you are here under my employ, Lady or Mistress will also suffice."

His lips moved slowly to a lop sided smirk. "Under you employ Duchess? Forgive me, but I am here with the understanding that I am to protect you, at the request of your sire."

I was infuriated. "You would do well to remember your place. You are here to appease an over protective man and in his absence I AM the Lady of the home. I do not require a babysitter. I am quite capable of protecting myself and I certainly do not need a pompous assed miscreant  with no sense of propriety to pretend he knows how to wield a weapon." I spun on a heel and started to make my way out when a throwing knife breezed past my ear and stuck in the wall in front of me.

"I apologize Duchess, but I don't want to be here any more than you want me here. But your sire made a request and here I am. I have no intention to babysit you, but I will remind you that I was chosen for a reason. I don't tend to find screaming at a wraith to be a proper method for destruction. Now if you'll excuse me I'd like to get back to what I was doing before your tantrum."

I continued to the door, "You insufferable horses behind! I will tolerate that no more. If you're to stay you will show more respect. Good evening." I slammed his door behind me and went to my own room. Never had I been spoken to in such a way. And to throw a weapon at me! And damage the walls! Yes Adriano really needed to hurry or there would be a need for apologies to Tybalts Sire for the loss of his childe."

Jacob laughed almost spitting out the drink he had just taken. "So Tybalt really was worried about you throwing crystal at him. I thought Christina was exaggerating.

Christina just sat wide eyed watching Franka and thinking about another cookie before Tybalt demanded she do her school work.

"No, I've mellowed quite a bit over time. But back then I was fighting for every ounce of respect I had. To me it was an insult to everything I had fought to become to have Tybalt waltz in to protect me. And to be honest, he didn't really waltz in, he wasn't given any more choice than I was. But that didn't matter to me. He was there and that was insulting."

As if on cue Tybalt entered. "Yes I was quite the pompous horses behind wasn't I love?" and he winked at her. " Let's call it an evening. We have guests in the library and someone has work to do if she's to keep her grades up."

Christina lowered her head. "Yes Master Tybalt. It was a lovely story ma'am." and off she scurried.

"Jacob, Renard will schedule the next meeting. I'm sure you can see your way out, I have plans for my Duchess." Tybalt grinned that same lop sided grin and took her away. Jacob once again gathered his pages and took them out to Renard.

The Child.

Careful that no-one was following him, the young author had circled the block several times.  Franka watched the security cameras with amusement.  Seryph, her all grey familiar, purred contentedly in her lap.

Jacob Cross, the young author hired to write Franka's memoirs, took his normal seat in the small den off the library.  He had not been through much of the house.  The den was where Franka always chose to meet.  There was always a fire going when he arrived, candles lit, and Renard would have his papers and pencils ready to go.  Christina, the tiny British girl recently brought to the house, came into the den with a tray of snacks.  "The lady will be with you soon.  She's freshening up."  And as quickly as she appeared, she was gone.

His thoughts drifted, wondering if they would finally reach the story of Franka's embrace.  To his surprise the next person to enter was not the lady of the house, but the gentleman.

"Tonight you write and you listen.  No questions, no prodding.  Am I understood?"

"Of course Tybalt.  I mean to cause her no more pain than what is already apparent in her stories."  He had started to say more when Franka entered.  She appeared to be having a day of leisure.Her long hair hung straight, free of its normal pins.  She was in jeans and a grey hooded sweatshirt with a green animal paw painted on the front.  As she passed him he saw 'OU Bobcats' printed on the back.

"Tybalt, really?  How will we get an accurate telling if the man can't ask questions?  I honor your concern, but this Rose is not a delicate flower.  You'd do well to remember that."  She kissed his cheek and moved to sit on the comfortable old couch by the fire.

He chuckled a bit, taken aback by her sudden appearance, but relieved that she was showing some of her old fire again.  "Of course.  'Delicate'  is not a word I would ever use to describe you, love.  At times my concern overshadows what I know you to be capable of".  He turned to Jacob and said "Do as the lady asks, then," a smile still on his face as he strode out of the room.

"So where did we leave off?"  she asked Jacob, as if Tybalt had never been there.

"You were telling me about the first time you were with Adriano and your life with the Duke."  Jacob was poised for the story he was about to get.  Pen to paper and eyes on the woman casually strewn across the couch.

"I still miss him.  Still love him, Adriano that is.  I don't know that I could ever have loved my husband.  We kept our affair quiet.  If the Duke were to find out he would strip away the one thing that made my life worth living again."

"He seemed very pleased with himself.  Adriano's presence had created a need deep within my soul.  I don't think my darling Duke really knew what he was getting into.  My interests were not just in art and running our home.  Adriano encouraged me to take on a role in our business affairs as well.  I had helped our father grow the profits of our farm and had a talent for managing people and money."

"Women of the time were not to be burdened with the weight of business, but my husband knew what he had.  Behind the doors of the siting room where no one would question his manliness, we turned already profitable ventures into a small empire.  It became that he never made a single decision without consulting me."

"Having finally proven myself to him, he also began discussing his other life.  He went slowly, explaining how the mafia really worked and it's purpose.  His role in it was quite large, overseeing most of the region.  He told me of the others in the business, who did what and how.  I helped him create cover stories, some of my best work."  She laughed almost to herself.

"I was so carefree as a child.  I truly believed everyone had good in them.  And maybe they do.  But maybe all of humanity fights the beast without even knowing it.  Maybe the beast is not our curse, but everyone's.  It would make sense for those of us walking in the shadows to be more connected to it, but for it to be in all of us, mortal and immortal alike."

"My daughter was born of that beast.  The one that lurks within humanity.  She was beautiful.  No hint of the evils that created her.  I may have been running our empire, but I was still nothing but a pawn to my husband.  He decided we needed an heir, but for his own reasons he refused to father our children.  He arranged for one of his employees to be her donor, but back then it wasn't as anonymous as it is now.  I obeyed my husband and created that beautiful little girl.  And then the world caved in."

"Not right away.  We played the happy family for awhile.  Adriano was wonderful with her, teaching her to dance and paint.  I continued my duties, and the Duke went on as if she never existed.  I hated him for that, for forcing me to create her for his social gain but paying her no attention.  When she began to speak she called Adriano papa."  Franka looked away from the fire for the first time and Jacob could see the blood stain of her tears.  She pulled the little rag doll out of the front pocket of her hooded sweatshirt.  Slowly tracing the stitched lines, she continued.

"When she was about two, I decided I had had enough.  I was no longer going to live as an indentured servant.  I knew how to run our home and the estate.  It would be a fight to keep our home, but I wasn't interested in living like that anymore.  Adriano offered to help me, but this was my battle."

"What I wasn't prepared for was that the man would not die.  I tried every poison I could think of.  I'd place things just out of sight so he'd trip and fall down the stairs.  Not only would he not die, he was never hurt.  I'd always known something was odd about him, I could just never place it.  I had always figured his late hours had to do with the business he was in.  Oh, to be so young and dumb again."

"I didn't want to involve Adriano, so I called on my daughter's biological father.  I knew enough of his dealings to blackmail him.  The money he was paid to keep his mouth shut about his fatherhood could easily find a new purse to line.  And that was my mistake.  His hands were ice around my neck, his breath chilled me to the core as he spoke.  I remember it to this day.  He told me I didn't know what I was fooling with, that I was being groomed for something great and was soon to throw it all away.  He'd left several bruises on me.  Adriano was furious.  He stormed away from me that night.  It was the first time I'd ever angered him."

"I avoided my husband the next evening.  I didn't know what was being hidden from me, what I was being groomed for, but he wasn't the only one being deceitful, now was he?"  She needed a minute.  What she was about to reveal, she had never spoken to anyone other than Tybalt.

"A few nights later Adriano came to me.  He told me my daughter's father was dead, he told me he feared for me, and then he told me the secrets that everyone had kept from me.  It was hard to believe that vampires really existed.  The town had been murmuring about it for years, my parents had never let us go far from the house at night.  But I was an intelligent woman, how could I believe in tales used to keep children in line?"

"Much as my husband educated me in the mafia, Adriano educated me in the kindred.  He revealed that he was a high ranking Toreador elder, and my husband a Giovanni.  They worked together and that was why Adriano was brought into our home.  He was to spend the time preparing me that my husband couldn't, but ultimately I was to be embraced Giovanni.  The problem with this plan was that Adriano had grown attached to me and the Duke was not doing as well in Kindred society as he was in the mortal world.  He was breaking traditions and making enemies."

"Everything I believed about the world had been changed.  Everything I believed of Adriano and my life had been changed.  The next few weeks were very tense.  Adriano warned me not to let on that I knew, that I was already in danger and knowing this secret would bring it all crashing down.  Somehow though, the Duke was catching on.  He'd been warned of my plan to kill him before Adriano had disposed of the threat."

She laughed half to herself.  "Can you believe how long it took that fool to realize I was trying to kill him?  And even then it had to be spelled out.  He stopped Adriano's visits completely.  No more sneaking in to see me.  Suddenly the guards were everywhere.  But they didn't stop me.  Not much does once I have a want that needs filled."

"I'd had enough of his abuse, his lies, so I went into the forbidden wing."  She got up to pour more wine.  "There are times I wonder if Beauty and the Beast has been based on us.  I make poor Tybalt watch that movie all the time.  So where was I?  Oh yes, the forbidden wing.  I had been obedient for the most part, only going there when invited, but I had a good idea of where his room was.  Adriano had given me pretty detailed instructions on where to find him.  So I snuck down the hall and found the door that lead to a series of stairs and halls.  Eventually I found his casket.  Before I even knew what I was doing, I had opened it and raised the wooden stake over my head."

"It was ripped from my hands.  One minute he was there asleep in front of me and the next he had the sliver of wood.  He was enraged.  We fought.  Somehow the stake was laying on the floor right in front of me.  He had me on the ground, beating me.  I reached for the stake and he broke my hand.  The pain radiated to my core.  I didn't make a noise.  I wouldn't give him that satisfaction.  That is the mistake that haunts me to this day.

"Little whore!  Filthy, pathetic excuse for a wife!" he screamed at me.  "If you won't give in to the pain, I will make it hurt more than you will ever feel again."  He ripped me up by the high collar of my dress.  He half drug me back up the stairs, banging my beaten body against the steps as we went.  He ranted the entire way, bashing me into the hard walls for emphasis.

"I have had it with you and your games.  You had so much promise.  You could have been something great! I should have gotten rid of you when you were unfaithful.  Sleeping with your teacher, trying to kill me, whining about that horrid child!  She is nothing!"  He smacked me for emphasis.  "Nothing!  She is there for appearances sake.  The only thing that kept you alive was appearance.  You could have died birthing that foul creature and saved us all.  But no, you just keep going, keep pushing!"  He smacked me again at this point.  "I am done with your disobedience.  If you are so intrigued with this dark world, you will see what we really are.  You will see what you could have become.  The power you could have had at your lips."

"We arrived at my daughter's room and fear finally gripped me.  What was he going to do to my baby?  I tried to fight him, but he just laughed and threw me into the room.  I mustered all the strength I had to charge at him.  He shoved me down and grabbed my chin.  Staring at him with pure hatred in my heart, he kissed me and my body began acting on it's own.  He handed me a dagger and I moved over to my crying baby.  Tears.  I remember feeling the tears on my face.  I remember every fiber of my being fighting, but not being able to stop it."  Franka moved to standing by the window.  Her emotions seemed to feed the storm outside. "I plunged that dagger into my baby.  I killed her.  I vomited right there beside her bed.  The one pure thing in my world.  The one pure, innocent, beautiful thing, and I killed her.  And he just laughed.  He just stood there and laughed.  He told me that he could bring her back.  That he could give me the power to bring her back.  The rest of the night is just flashes.  He left me there in a heap of vomit, tears, and despair."

"I remember Adriano appearing.  I remember him bathing me.  I remember questioning him, how was he there?  From what I was able to put together, Adriano had killed my husband.  He had arrived to check in on me and my daughter and found me babbling.  I know he left me there.  I know there was a fight somewhere in the house.  It took me the better part of a month to come back to myself.  Adriano had taken over the estate.  He removed all of the old staff and brought in his own.  I felt safe for the first time in years."

"Adriano and I took walks in the garden each night.  Somewhere around the first month of coherency I asked him to make me like him.  I wanted that power and I wanted to avenge my daughter.  No beast so foul and cruel would ever get away with that again.  He spent another month educating and questioning me to make sure it was really what I wanted.  And when I'd passed his test, under the roses and a beautiful moon, he embraced me."

"I lived as the lover of the Toreador Primogen and the Duchess of our land.  No one questioned the change of my rule.  Adriano had worked a lovely cover story for my husband's death and I was able to do what many women of the time could not."

"I think that is all for tonight.  Please, have Renard bring Tybalt to me on your way out."

And with that, she left for her quarters and Jacob left to sort out the nightmare he had just been told.  Renard met him in the hall as always.  "They keep many dark secrets.  That was just the beginning.  You'll need to be a tough soul to hear the horrors seen in their unlives."

The farmer's daughter.

"I don't remember exactly when I fell in love with him. It was a delicate dance of disdain and obsession. One more man there to make me the proper socialite. I was taken from my family, from our farm, from all I knew and was expected to find security and be fulfilled with the life of a Duchess. I suppose a lesser woman would have found it a blessing, but I hated that life. And now yet another man was telling me how to live it." Franka walked to the bar she and Tybalt kept fully stocked. She poured herself a glass of a few shots of jack infused with blood. This retelling of her early life with the Duke was taking a toll on her, but Tybalt felt they needed their stories to be documented. So much time, so many adventures locked away in their minds needed to be recited and bound on paper.

The young author Tybalt had chosen sat patiently. He had no desire to ruin this opportunity by rushing the Duchess. He was well aware of Franka's shortening patience. Her tirades were legend among the staff. He was told she could be a very kind and gracious employer, but she held strong to the traditions, both of her kind and those of polite society. To cross her was to chance torture unimaginable in the feeble mind of a mortal. He was not a stupid man, so he sat patiently waiting for the lady to gather her thoughts.

He made note of the home she shared with Tybalt. It was large, but filled in every possible space with their collections. Reminders of their travels, their adventures, their lives long lost. The furnishing was a mix of modern convenience and old world history. He knew the table they sat at would easily pay his mortgage for at the next few months. And the 'dust collectors' as Tybalt had referred to them, Franka's little trinkets, would fetch him quite the king's ransom on the right market. But again, he was not a stupid man. He knew who he was dealing with and was being taken care of very well for his services, he had no intention of messing that up.

Ever poised and ready for a social call, Franka was dressed in a dark gown. He couldn't quite decide on its color, the candle light Franka preferred to use in place of electricity played on the shading. She was adorned in jewels of a matching tone and her hair was pulled up high on her crown, showing off the hints of olive skin that was once her mortal tone. There was no doubt to him that she was a woman who paid attention to detail.

"He was there to teach me of art" she began again, noticing the authors gaze trailing over her, as if she were a piece of the art she worked with. She drew her dark painted lips back in a rare smile and continued. "At the time I had little care for it. Knowing the hard life of a farmer I had little need for trivial things my husband and his friends surrounded themselves with. I would walk the halls of our estate and imagine that my entire village could be housed there. I tried several times to bring my family to live with us, but my father was proud of his home and I had been sold to the Duke to secure that he always would have his land to work. But I am drifting, I apologize. Adriano had been brought to the estate to educate me. He was also to become a confidant and friend. My husband had little desire to entertain me. I was as is it is called now, arm candy. Adriano opened my world to appreciation for something I had once hated. He taught me to paint, to sculpt, to feel the emotion pouring out of a piece of wood before it was carved. He often told me that the medium would speak to me when I was ready. It would tell me what it wanted to become. I'd laughed at him the first time. Told him he had been touched by an enchantment. Little did I know."

"As we grew closer he began taking me out. We saw Operas and plays, always having the best seats and several servants scurrying around to be sure we had all we desired. Adriano loved it, the physical art of the stage, almost as much as he loved his own creations. I began regarding him in a new light. My husband's ignorance drawing on my needs to learn and grow, only further pushed Adriano and I together. Art was not his only area of expertise. He began to teach me how to run the estate. To take pride in being the mistress of the home. The balls I once detested attending were suddenly something I took great pleasure in. I began making my own political contacts. Began hosting my own dinner parties, inviting the highest members of the areas society. Adriano knew his place and would back out quietly, allowing my husband to be at my side. It became a game to us."

"I was innocent the first time he took me. My husband never once tried to consummate our marriage. Adriano was teaching me to weave, reaching over me, taking my hand to guide the thin threads. Maybe that was it, maybe that was the magical time that I fell in love. That I learned what it was to love another outside of the familial realm. It was a beautiful night. I felt like I had been snapped awake from a dream. Here was the man I should be with. This was what a relationship should be, not the business contract that was my marriage. " She paused again, sipping her drink."I think that will be all for tonight, the next chapter will bring you more enlightenment to my rise of power, but also one of my greatest losses. I'm not ready to go to that place quite yet."

"I understand my lady, thank you for your time. I will gather my things and see my way out." The author was disappointed. He'd been hoping to at least get to the time of her embrace on this night. But he knew there was some darkness lurking in those specific memories and he knew better than to push her. They'd get there eventually and he had nothing but time. The salary Tybalt was providing him allowed him to quit his job at the local paper and still live much above the means he'd become accustomed to. The longer it took dear Franka to retell her history, the more he benefited. He gathered his papers and pens, as nothing was allowed to be digitally recorded and went to the hall where Renard was always waiting at the end of a session.

"Another good bit of work done I presume?" Renard asked as the author handed over the supplies.

"Slow, yet detailed as always, I am sure our employer will be satisfied. I'll return at the assigned time next week. Have a lovely evening Renard." The author took his coat out of the butler's other hand and saw his way to his car. He was still amazed at the opportunity given to him, but also very aware of the lengths both Tybalt and Franka would go to to keep their secrets. He kept nothing of his work on his person, it was turned over to Renard to look after, he was allowed to speak to no one and could not even turn down the long entrance to the estate if anyone were on the street or another car was passing him. Very strict rules and security for a book that would never leave their personal library, but again, he was not a stupid man and he was greatly enjoying the gifts his employer bestowed him.

He Calls Her Duchess

C'est La Mort
Long ago, long before the memories of memories, he called her Duchess for the first time. Neither of them remember when it started. They know it was his way to get at her. To knock holes in her polished exterior. She was a Duchess. In her mortal time. She was one of the only women of the time to hold her husbands land and run his affairs (both in and out of the bedroom). She had been sold to the position. Her father needed the Dukes money to keep their family farm out of the hands of the growing Italian Mafia. The Duke had the means to provide such security, given that the mob worked for him. It was a different Mafia than those of today know or hear stories of. Remember this was before the memories of memories. This was a time only told in fable and lore. A time few can even fathom having ever existed.

Yet they knew it existed. They were a part of it. Tybalt had little care for titles. In his younger times he had little care for anything. But Franka held her title with esteem. She had earned it and she intended on continuing to do the title justice, even though it no longer served her. But when Franka-Rita Vincini was introduced to Tybalt, he saw pomp. He saw protocol and a society he missed yet rebelled against. Franka was everything he had grown to dislike. She wielded a power he had not even begun to understand. And while he despised the title, he was mesmerized by the woman.

What began as a way to break her down became a term of love and endearment. She was no longer annoyed with the tone he used. She looked forward to hearing it. When they were apart she would long to hear his voice say that one word. She had long since proven herself to him, and he to her. Their lives intertwined like the fine weaving of the tapestry that hung in their home. The man who she was once forced to have beside her, was now the only one she wanted to take up arms beside. The only one who call her Duchess and survive.

Cold Nights

Born in Winter

Drops slid down racing each other to to the edge of the window. She sat in an old rocker that was slowly creaking out a rhythm that was only in her head. On cold, wet nights she could almost always be found there by the fire. She clutches an old rag doll, tears rolling over her cheeks as the fire light pays on the dark wall. The cold rain of autumn was hypnotizing. After 500 years she still wept for her. She would lose herself back to that time without even realizing it.

Tybalt knew that to leave his love alone as requested would only lead to more thoughts, more tears, more sorrow. He slowly opened the door, the cold damp air played on the hinges and he didn't want to frighten her. He knelt before her on one of the soft woven rugs Mohegan had given them on their last trip out west. Placing his head in her lap, his strong calloused hand found hers. "Duchess it's time to eat. Don't continue to torture yourself this way." He rubbed his thumb over the softness of her skin. He loved the contrast. Her callouses were on the inside helping the scars to hold her together. "It's time my love. Torturing your soul is not good for either of you. Let her rest."

Light flashed across her face, quickly followed by the crack and rumble of the storm. He saw the tears as they slid over her jaw and onto her lap. The lightening mixed with the red of her tears made the droplets on her dress almost appear purple. "Franka! You're ruining your gown! Come hunt with me my love. We have so much fun hunting in the rain."

She finally smiled. Her first recognition that he was even in the room. Her porcelain skin tinted by the tears made her look like a painted doll. She patted his hand then kissed it. "I'm sorry darling, it just gets harder and harder to shake off. Sometimes the ache of losing her becomes an obsession. Let me cleanup and we will go. I request a club. I am sick of looking for passer byes. I long for the pulsing bass and strobing lights and the energy of fools to blind to know what's right around the shadows."

Tybalt stood taking her hand with him, pulling her out of the chair. "Alright my love. Ladies choice tonight." He bowed and took his leave to go and change. It was rare for Franka to make such a request, so he was more than willing to appease her. Once upon a time they had owned several nightclubs and she had tired of those it attracted. He hoped this was what she needed to bring her out of her own thoughts.

Franka delicately put the little doll down. It was a small child's toy that anyone else would have long since sold or given to a collector. But to Franka it was all she had left of her little girl. The one she left behind on a night so similar 500 years before.