20 was sprawled on her back, one man on top of her and the other pinning down her wrists. Alessandro didn't pause to think, reacting solely on instinct. He strode towards them and hauled the lanky man off of her, grabbing him by the back of his shirt collar and throwing him forcefully on the side. When he saw that 20's sleeves were bloody and the edge of her skirt was torn out, he lost all reason for logic.
He had never been so consumed by so much anger before, had never been driven by such intense need to kill – even during wars. "What the –" Partially recovering from his surprise, the lanky man attempted to get up and attack Alessandro, but he simply kicked him down, using the heel of his boot to capture him by the neck. Unsheathing his sword, he stabbed the man, catching him cleanly on his side. The man screamed in pain and staggered back.
Alessandro pulled out his sword and directed his lethal gaze at the burly man, who had already let go of 20 and scooted to the corner, eyeing him in shock and fear. "Y-your M-majesty," he stuttered when he recognized the insignia on the emperor's shirt. "P-please forgive me, Your Majesty." He prostrated himself on the ground but Alessandro wasted no words to answer him. Taking the bloody sword, he stabbed the man deeply on his hands, making him grovel in agony.
Alessandro looked at the two bastards vainly attempting to crawl their way out of the alley, and he marched up to them, having no intention to leave either of them alive. But then from the corner of his eye he caught sight of 20, who had managed to sit up, visibly trembling as she watched the violent scene before her. Her face was tear streaked and smeared with dirt, and she was trying to hold the front of her blouse together because some of the buttons were lost.
He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, making a colossal effort to calm himself down so she wouldn't see murder in his eyes. She needed him now, and that was far more important than ending the lives of these despicable creatures. That would come later. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he draped his jacket over her. "I'm so sorry I got here late."
The haze was gradually clearing from my mind and I turned to look at 1. It was the first time I was this close to him, so close that I could see the shade of his sapphire blue eyes. He was staring at me with so much remorse that I wasn't sure which one of us was actually feeling worse.
"Do you think you can stand up?" Alessandro asked softly. He didn't want to invade her personal space any more than he had to, worried that she might reject his touch after the ordeal she had just been through. But when she swayed on her feet as she tried to stand, Alessandro discarded his resolve to keep his distance and instead carried her gently, holding her close to his chest. "I'm here now," he said. "You're safe."
*****
Caio was not usually prone to swearing, but as he futilely scoured the town square in search of 20, he had probably recited in his head all the foul words he had ever heard. For such a considerably small commercial space, he couldn't believe the number of nooks and crannies the place had. He got off his horse by the fountain, and debated where he would go to next.
From a distance, he saw four of his soldiers heading towards him, their horses on full gallop. They got off their horses and formed a line in front of him. "General," they saluted in unison.
"Arrest anyone who looks suspicious," he ordered. "And bring them over to me."
"Yes, sir," they gave him another salute before scattering in different directions.
Caio dashed to the alleys surrounding the fountain. He had already taken a quick look at some of the narrow passageways when he got to the square, and initially didn't find anything amiss. But his instincts were telling him he may have overlooked something. So he went to the opposite side this time, and when he got to a poorly lit alley separated from the main stores, he saw a trail of blood on the ground.
His heart constricting in fear and worry, he scooted down and felt that the blood marks were still wet, as though a fight had just been preempted.
"General," one of his soldiers called him, and he looked up to see him hauling a wounded man to his feet, his dirty white shirt soaked bloody red. But it wasn't the wound that arrested Caio's attention; it was what the man was holding – a piece of black fabric with small, white flowers. 20's skirt that morning. He immediately drew his sword and pointed it at the man's neck. "Where did you get that cloth?" he asked, letting the sharp blade cut through the man's flesh.
Before the man could stammer a reply, another of his soldiers brought a second man before him. He was also injured except it was his hands that were bloody. Caio looked from one man to the other and rehashed his question, deciding to address both of them at the same time. "If you value your lives, you will tell me what happened now."
The burly man briefly struggled from the hold of his soldier in order to kneel before Caio. "Please forgive us, Your Grace," he begged. "His Majesty already punished us." He held out his bloody hands as proof. "We won't cause any more trouble so please let us go."
There was one thing that Caio desperately wanted to know, something that overrode his concern for anything else at the moment. "Where's the girl?" His voice was still and quiet, but it held the promise of death. He continued to look at the two men. Their pathetic lives literally hung by their answer to his question.
"The emperor took her with him, Your Grace," the burly man replied, shaking like a leaf.
"Throw them into the imperial prison," he ordered his soldiers before running back to his horse. He would deal with them later – he had to make sure first that 20 was all right. He needed to confirm it for himself.
*****
Alessandro hovered by his bedside, looking down at 20 as she slept. Her wounds had all been bandaged, and she was warmly bundled in a blanket to cover up her torn clothes. "She will be fine, Your Majesty," the imperial doctor informed him as he stood up. "Fortunately, she didn't sustain any major injuries."
Alessandro nodded. When he had rode back carrying 20 in his arms earlier, shouting for Vincenzo to summon the imperial doctor, it had caused an uproar in the palace. The chief steward, along with the head housekeeper, his butler, and a few of his maids trailed after him as he issued one order after another. Now his quarters were once again quiet, and there was no one else in his bedroom except Rocco and the doctor. But he knew the news had already been widespread. One hour was more than enough time for rumors to fly in the imperial palace.
"Your Majesty, the archduke is here to see you," Rocco announced after he had escorted the doctor out.
Alessandro sighed. It wasn't surprising that Caio was the first one to confront him about the situation. After he had seen their interaction at the ball, and how his last private conversation with him had ended, Alessandro was left without a measure of a doubt that Caio cared for 20 a lot. But then, so did he. "Send him in, and leave us."
"Right away, Sire," Rocco bowed as he headed for the door.
Caio walked over to Alessandro and stood beside him. "How is 20?" he asked. She looked so pale and fragile in the big bed, and his heart went out to her.
"She will be fine," Alessandro replied, not taking his eyes off her as well.
"Did they…?" Caio began, but he couldn't muster enough courage to complete the sentence, letting it hang in midair.
"No," Alessandro answered vehemently. "I arrived in time."
Caio nodded. After a long pause, he looked at Alessandro. "I haven't asked yet for my reward in helping you win the last war."
Alessandro slowly turned his gaze to Caio. He didn't like where this topic was leading to.
"I'll ask for my reward now," Caio continued. "Give me Concubine Number 20."