"Beauty is a Weapon at a Woman's Disposal"

[the_scandal_of_italy]

WHO: Lucrezia Borgia
WHERE: Bunglaow 27
WHEN: 6/07
OPEN TO: All
WARNINGS: None
STATUS: Open

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The shock of arrival had worn off as the day was nearing its end. To go from the Roman style celebrations to a vast wilderness had been a shock for her. The smell of Rome was familiar to her, the waste, food and people were almost comforting, even behind the walls of her mother's palazzo. To leave that and surround herself with...nothing, it was as much of a shock as the cold water she emerged from.

Villagers greeted her, others brought in through similar means. They apparently were confronted with new arrivals often, as their explanations seemed well rehearsed. They weren't disingenuous, just...memorized. She wasn't the first and she got the impression she wouldn't be the last.

Without Cesare or her father to guide her, Lucrezia followed the advice of those that found her. Once she was cleaned, she found a house to her liking and waited for the last of her daze to depart. Was this how her precious Djem felt when he arrived in Rome? So out of sorts and confused? The thoughts of her family weren't far from her mind, quickly chased by an overwhelming sorrow that threatened to suffocate her, as though she were drowning again.

Forcing herself to think of other things, Lucrezia collected a number of linens from the house and brought them to the front porch. She didn't know very much about cleaning, but she knew how to soak and treat linens, having sat beside Francesca as she tended to Giovanni Sforza's home. It took a bit of effort to bring a bucket of water to the house, but eventually she was seated on the front porch, singing to herself as she scrubbed the linens in fresh water. There was no soap, but did that really matter?

Comments

[tooktheblack]

Jon shook his head. "Kings should be good at ruling their people, just and fair. If they are fair to look upon, that is good news for their wives, but I do not think it is necessary to make a good king."

He did smile a bit, though, and watched Lucrezia's face carefully. "Do you think I am a handsome king, then?"

[the_scandal_of_italy]

"All of the greatest kings in tales have been handsome." Though she learned long ago that stories were often far from reality. "Honor is something rarely seen, even more so in Kings and rulers."

He received the same sort of smile that she had offered Paolo, knowing and seductive. "Of course. As handsome and good as Hector."

[tooktheblack]

Jon laughed a little to hide how he didn't exactly know who Hector was. It wasn't a name known in Westeros, anyway, and he shook his head.

"I just try to do my best, my lady. I don't know if that makes me a good king or a bad one but I try to make the best decision I can with the information in front of me. I'm plain spoken and I'm better with a sword than a quill. I don't know what that makes me, so far as kings go."

[the_scandal_of_italy]

"So long as you bear in mind how best to serve your people, you will have the makings of a great king." Though she knew that wasn't the way of ruling. Jon seemed to be idealistic in the way that she used to be, the way she wished to be. Better to hope that he could be a good king, full of kindness and hope, than a man as corruptible as the cardinals of the Vatican.

"But kings must have heirs. How have you not wed?"

[tooktheblack]

"I've only just become a king. We're at war. No time to marry anyone or think about fathering any heirs."

Besides, Jon was a bastard. He'd assumed that House Stark would continue to hold Winterfell and that Sansa's sons and daughters would inherit, not his own.

[the_scandal_of_italy]

"Marriage alliances often unite kingdoms and warring families." She frowned, glancing down at her hands as her thoughts traveled back to Giovanni Sforza. "I was wed to offer my father protection against his enemies, yet it seemed that he miscalculated my husband's arrogance and cruelty." His humiliation was the greatest gift her father could offer her.

"Perhaps you shall fair better. Your marriage will be more in your control." For how could he not wed? A king needed heirs.

[tooktheblack]

"My sister was forced into two marriages for political alliance. I am sorry you were married to someone cruel, Lucrezia," Jon said, his own fingers curling into a tight fist as he thought about Sansa being used as a pawn by first the Lannisters and later the Boltons. She shouldn't have been used that way. No woman should.

"A woman ought to have more control over who she's to marry. It's not fair to you."

[the_scandal_of_italy]

"Marriage is the only way to secure those alliances. I knew that I would be wed to a man of my father's choice. I thought perhaps that he might come to love him, but he was loyal only to his family name, not to his honor or anything else." He paid the price, at least.

She gave a small laugh, "I may have more control now that I am older. My father has not yet spoken to me of marriage, but he will likely allow me to say 'yes' or 'no' to whomever he suggests. As it stands, I have no desire to wed again." Her eyes trailed over the room. "Now it seems I don't have to consider it."

[tooktheblack]

"None of us have to consider marriage in this place. We have alliances that stand without it," Jon agreed. He was glad for it. While he had never been married and would treat a woman well if he had to, he knew that Sansa had been and he never wanted her to have to marry again.

"It makes this place strange, by my estimation, but not entirely bad."

[the_scandal_of_italy]

"There seems to be much about this place that is strange, but I am grateful that there is such kindness." She looked at him fondly, a warmth in her eyes. "So many have helped me settle in, but I will be able to rest easy tonight because of your work."

She grinned, "Thank you."