Episode 18- Sweet Polly Oliver!
More soap opera! Yay!
Naples, 10 May 1453
Alberto de Valois was always a timid kid. It was most likely caused by his upbringing- being the only son of the King of Naples, he was always surrounded by an atmosphere of care and understanding. The only bad influence he might’ve had was Crowley and fortunately he was completely content with making minor mischief. As a result, young Prince have become a polite, quiet individual.
Many rumors were circling around the town. People were talking about the end of the war between Austria and Venice and the subsequent opportunistic aggression by Genoa.
Alberto cared for none of these things. He preferred to spend his time in a city library and lose himself in lecture. He could’ve stayed in the palace, but he thought the library had an atmosphere better suited for learning. Especially now, with Leandro’s death it was difficult to stay at home. Not that he didn’t care about Leandro’s death- far from it. He preferred to contemplate his feelings alone though.
Alberto was part of the generation that rediscovered the classics. The unexpected resurgence of the Byzantine Empire, coupled with the collapse of the Mongol Horde, caused the rebirth of the Mediterranean trade. Merchants returning from the Levant have brought back ancient literature, art and scientific and philosophical treaties that were once lost to time. Naples, Tuscany, Bologna and other prominent Italian cities became the centers of a new golden age of culture- a ‘Renaissance’- the rebirth of civilization.
As the member of a royal family, he has able to study at the most prestigious universities in Europe (It helped that most of them were situated in Italy.). He went to the university hoping he’ll learn something new. He did- though most of this knowledge was about human body’s tolerance of alcohol and sleep deprivation.
Since his childhood, Alberto preferred to surround himself with books rather than people and his university days did little to change that. That’s why he always enjoyed spending time in a library.
His plan was going to be exactly the same as always- grab a bunch of books and read up until evening. He was approaching the bookcase, pondering whether to get Saint Augustine’s Letters or Aristotle’s treaties when his train of thought was interrupted in a rather violent fashion.
*THUD!*
Alberto stumbled a bit while a sharp pain filled his head. His walk towards the bookcase was interrupted by some sort of obstacle. Judging from the yelps of pain coming from the floor, said obstacle was a person.
“Aww… what happened?”
“That’s a weird way of saying ‘I’m sorry’, you know.”
Indeed, in his rush towards the bookcase, Alberto accidentally bumped his head with someone else. He was now lying on the floor, covered with books of various sizes.
“Don’t just stand around, help me!”
“Umm…. Oh, yeah, right…”
Alberto helped him get up and pick up his lectures.
“Thank you kindly” said the stranger while dusting off his clothes. “
though you didn’t have to help me get up, I was talking about the books…” He felt his face with his hand. “Oh, no… Have you seen my glasses by chance?”
Alberto looked around. He didn’t notice that he was wearing glasses- in fact, he didn’t notice him at all, that’s why they bumped into each other. Fortunately, they were lying on the floor nearby, undamaged.
“Here you go.”
“Oh, thank you.” He took the glasses out of Alberto’s hand and put them on his nose. “I should really pay more attention to my surround….” He stopped when his gaze met Alberto’s. The Prince hadn’t have a chance to take a look at him until now. He was quite short and very young, probably fresh off the university. His long red hair were tied in a ponytail. There was something almost feminine about him, though he obviously was a man, as his mustache confirmed.
They were staring at each other for God knows how long (his eyes were a nice shade of green, as Alberto noticed; quite similar to his own, inherited from his mother, only darker). The Prince was the first one to regain his composure.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t want to stare like that.”
“It’s all right. I shouldn’t be staring either.” He looked down in embarrassment, which Alberto found cute for some reason.
“Well, I was hoping for a better start of this relation… by the way, I didn’t ask for your name, did I?”
“Oh, right… My name is Oliver Bieleucci… You seem familiar, sir. Have I seen you before?..”
“That’s…. possible. Did you study in Padua by chance?”
“Oh, yes! I just came back home a week ago!”
“That’s cool. I’ve been studying there too! I’ve actually been to a lot of universities.”
“Wow! The world sure is a small place, isn’t it, mister….”
“Right, I didn’t introduce myself…. I’m….. ugh…. Alberto.” He was reluctant to reveal his family name. People were usually being either mean or pandering when they heard he came from the royal family.
“Well, nice to meet you, don Alberto!”
They shook hands. His handshake was surprisingly firm.
“Well then, weren’t you supposed to get some books? I won’t stop you any longer.”
“Ah, thank you. I’ll go then. Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“That would be nice. I come here very often.”
…………………..
Alberto’s library run was just about complete and just in time too- evening was coming and the building was about to close. He was just about to leave when he saw Oliver from earlier, still sitting over a book.
“Hey there! Still busy?”
“Huh…? Oh, sorry. I got lost in lecture.”
“Aren’t you going home? The library will close soon.”
“Really?.... Oh, I didn’t finish my lecture though!”
“Can’t you borrow it and take it with you?”
“I’d like to, but since I’m not from a noble family they won’t let me.”
Alberto nodded- he was aware that, since the books were still expensive (The printing press was barely 20 years old and still relatively obscure), they weren’t given to just anyone. He didn’t think about that much until now.
“Aww, this book is so hard to come by, I bet someone will snatch it tomorrow!”
He took a glance at the book’s back: it was Plato’s “Dialogues”, a pre- print version, probably quite valuable.
“Well, that’s problematic…. I know! Let me borrow it for you! Then you can finish it!”
“Wait… but, won’t that be a problem for you?”
“Not at all! I come here almost every day, so when you’re finished with it, just find me here.”
“In that case, I guess it would be rude to decline!”
……………………….
The sky was already pitch black as Alberto and Oliver, the latter with a book in his hands, were walking down the streets on Naples, unaware of the dangers that could represent.
“So, did you like being to the university?”
“Oh, yes. There was always so much going on! It was great to see so many new places.”
“So, you like to travel?”
“I do. It was my dream since I was little. Unfortunately, since I was the oldest child of my family, I had to look after them. My mother died when I was six, you know.”
“Oh, sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t worry about me. I really love my brothers, even if they can be a bother sometimes.”
“Tell me about it. I have a younger sister myself.”
“It’s really dark now. I hope we won’t run into any trouble..”
“Oi, Fernando, look what we have here!”
They turned around to see three rather large individuals coming from the back alley. Their intelligence seemed to be on par with their number of teeth.
“I see, hem hem! Some lovebirds have decided to go for a late night walk it seems! Didn’t your mothers tell you that it’s dangerous to go out in the dark?”
“Oi, I don’t know. The short one kinda looks like a man to me.”
“What, with that pretty face and the long hair? No way.”
“He has a mustache, though.”
“So does your mother, Luigi.”
“Shut your mouth or else I’ll whack your teeth out! What’s left of it!”
The thugs started arguing. Alberto took a good look at them all: three of them to be exact. They were quite intimidating, both in appearance and, maybe ever more so, in smell. They were armed with short knives and wooden bat, a light weaponry considering the time and place, though they still had an advantage over two unarmed people.
He looked at Oliver. It was difficult to read his expression in the dark.
“You know, maybe it would be best if we beat it while they’re busy…”
“Hey, you two! We’re not done with you yet! You see, you’ve had a great misfortune of walking into our very own corner…”
“So you own only this corner?”
“You’re laughing at us?! It’s so hard to be a thug over here, the competition is huge…. We’re happy with what we’ve got!”
“All right, so, what do you want from us?”
“Ain’t that obvious? You have to pay us a toll!”
Alberto gasped. He didn’t want to part with his pocket money, even though he didn’t have much on him right now. Frankly, he worried more about getting beat up, and he thought it might be difficult to avoid that.
He didn’t have the chance to ponder on that much more, as Oliver decided to quip in on the conversation.
“Look, we don’t have much money, but take a look at this. What I have in my hands is a very rare and valuable book. Just think how much knowledge you could get from it!”
“Are you making fun of us, fancy boy?! Do we look like schor… schlar… people who read books?”
“You could always sell it for a profit.”
“Oliver, are you serious? This is a…” Alberto tried to interject but was gestured to remain silent.
The bandit leader scratched his bald. You could almost see the big, rusty, worn up gears turning inside his head.
“Well, all right then! But we better don’t regret it!”
“Oh, trust me, you won’t.”
The leader approached Oliver, who was now holding his book in front of him. Alberto thought there’s something suspicious about it and he was correct.
It happened fast. Alberto was certain that blinking has caused him to lose some important details.
The thug leader reached out with his hand, ready to take the book. He got it, though not in a way he expected- we was instead greeted by a rather large tome of Plato hitting him on squarely in the face.
He grunted in pain and stumbled. The other thugs, alarmed by the situation, rushed forward to help him. It was a mistake. One of them had a rather unexpected close encounter with the sidewalk when his legs were tripped by an unsuspected obstacle. The other went straight at Oliver. He was greeted by a knee in a very delicate area of male anatomy. The leader, after regaining his balance, launched forward, only to trip over the other thug.
Alberto looked at the whole scene with a mixture of amazement and horror.
“I think it’s better if we run before they get up.”
Alberto just nodded and ran after him. He couldn’t help but frantically look behind from time to time.
“Oh, don’t worry. The book is undamaged.”
“It was really risky, you know.”
“I know. It worked though, so does it matter?”
“I suppose it doesn’t. It’s thanks to you that I didn’t get up tonight. I guess I owe you thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I didn’t expect them to go down so easily. I didn’t even have to take out my mace!”
“You have a…. what…?”
“Hah, you know, my house is actually nearby.”
“So this is where we part then. Hope we’ll meet again soon!”
“ I hope so too. Do you live far from here?”
Alberto looked up to see the Palace rising high above the city landscape. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it.”
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Naples, 12 October 1453
The last few months in Naples went rather peacefully. The only significant issue was a minor religious uproar in the province of Morea, where people were getting restless over the increasingly invasive missionary activities.
Today though was a special day for a few people in Naples. After a few months of mourning, the King had to find a new chief diplomat to replace Leandro. After a few audiences, and refusing a bunch of nobles trying to push their incompetent relatives to the position, Alfonso has found a perfect person for the job.
“So, Mr. Bieleucci, do you think you’re up to the job?”
“I don’t know, my liege, but I’ll certainly do my best!”
Alfonso was pleased. It was very hard to find a fitting replacement for Leandro, but don Bieleucci was a perfect choice. Well, almost perfect- the one person he’d like to see more in this role was Irina, his wife. Unfortunately, she was a woman, and it was unheard of for a woman to take such a high position at that time. Alfonso was always eager to antagonize some of the more stuck up nobles, but he knew that there are some limits to that.
“So, Mr. Bieleucci, what can you tell me about the recent events?”
“Oh, yes…. The Byzantines are at peace at last after yet another war with the Ottomans. They have managed to push them away from the coast.”
“The Byzantines keep on expanding. We have to discuss this issue with the council.”
“There’s more, my Liege. The Teutonic Order is in a state of continuous decline. They have lost a war with Denmark and had to cede territory to them.”
“They are also plagued by rebellion. One of the rebel factions, Pomerania, even managed to declare independence from them.”
“I wouldn’t want to be them, that’s for sure. I’m surprised Poland wasn’t involved in any of this.”
“They were, you just didn’t let me finish.”
“Well, thank you for your input, Mr. Bieleucci. I hope we’ll have a fruitful cooperation.”
“Thank you, my King. When will you introduce me to the Royal Council?”
“We are meeting next week, so you’ll have to wait until then. But, I can introduce you to my family now. I bet they’d like to meet you.”
“I’d by honored, my liege.”
………………………….
“So, here we are. Mr. Bieleucci, meet my family.”
The chief diplomat and Alfonso were standing right beside the door of the living room.
“It’s always a pleasure to meet a new member of the court.” Irina got up from the couch she was sitting on and extended her arm. He seemed unsure what to do for a minute, but ultimately kissed her hand.
“Now then, let me introduce you to my dear children, Anastasia and Alberto.”
Alberto was sitting behind the cupboard, so he didn’t see the guest at first. When he saw him, he almost dropped the cup he was holding.
“Oliver?”
“Alberto?...”
The King gave them a curious look.
“You two know each other?”
“Actually yes. We’ve met in the city library.”
“That’s interesting. The world really is a small place, huh?”
“Indeed it is, father.”
……..
“So, congratulations on your new job.”
Oliver decided to wait for Alberto after the meeting was finished. He figured that the two of them might want to talk.
“Thank you. I honestly didn’t expect that I’d get that job. And I certainly did not expect seeing you here…”
“I was thinking…. You might be wondering why…”
„Why haven’t you told me that you’re the son of the King? Yes, that thought did cross my mind.”
“You don’t have to be sarcastic. I know that’s my fault, it’s just… I’ve met people who were really mean when they found out who I am. I didn’t want you to become the same way.”
“It’s okay, I’m not blaming you for not telling me. It’s just…. You know…. Oh, nevermind.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re not mad at me. I hope there won’t be any more secrets between us from now on.”
Oliver looked down for a second.
“I’m still surprised that you applied for this position.”
“Actually, I did it to impress you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You were always encouraging me to do better. It was always my dream to work at the court and this position was just perfect. I didn’t expect I’d get it, though, with my rather un- noble background.”
“Don’t worry about that. You are the perfect person to be a royal diplomat and my father saw that. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”
“Thanks. I’ll make sure not to disappoint anyone.”
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Naples, 17 October 1453
“Thank you all for coming here as always. It is time to begin our weekly council meeting.”
All councilors sat down at Alfonso’s gesture.
“Today, we have only three issues to discuss. First: let me introduce you to our new chief diplomat, Oliver Bieleucci.”
Oliver stood up and bowed slightly.
“I’m glad to meet you all.”
“Mr. Oliver, this is don Alessandro Chigi, our Commandant, and these two fine individuals are Antoine Ziraphale and Mr. Alexander Crowley. They’ve been working for the royal family almost since I was born.”
After a couple of handshakes, the meeting was resumed.
“Mr. Alessandro, it has come to my knowledge that some people have issues with the way our soldiers are being trained.”
“That’s preposterous! Our soldiers are the pride of Italy! There is no army on this rock that’s mightier!”
“Nonetheless, I would like you to investigate the situation and address these complains. The only thing worse than an uppity noble is an uppity noble who feels threatened.”
“All right, your majesty! Me and Mister Nibbles will get right to it!”
“Excuse me if I’m being nosy, but who’s Mister Nibbles? The King did not introduce anyone of that name.”
Aziraphale and Crowley exchanged curious looks. The newcomer obviously didn’t hear about Mr. Chigi’s ‘condition’. It might be humorous to see the results of this.
“Oh, Mr. Oliver did not hear about the mighty and illustrious Mister Nibbles? I thought he’s very famous! Here, see for yourself!”
He took Mister Nibbles out of his pocket and placed him on the palm of his hand.
“Wait. Mister Nibbles is….. a hamster…?”
“Yes. What else did you expect him to be?”
“Oh. He’s….”
“Oh my God, he’s sooo cute <3!”
“Did you hear that, Mister Nibbles? Mr Oliver likes you!”
“Oh, look at his sweet little tail! Can I pet him?”
“*AHEM* May we get back to the matters at hand, please?”
“Oh, of course, my King. I got carried away.”
“Thank you. As our last thing today, I’d like to announce the retirement of our dear friends Antoine and Alexander. They have served Naples for a really long time. This place surely won’t be the same without them.”
“Oh, please, my King, don’t embarrass us. We’re glad we could serve such a great leader!”
“Antoine’s right. It’s not like we’ll be gone forever! We just thought that the time is right for a change of environment.”
“I know. It’s still sad to watch you leave.”
“Oh, don’t worry, my Liege. You’ll do just fine without us!”
“I’ll have to. All right, I know you might be tired, so the council meeting is officially over. Thank you and take care.”
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The end of 1453 marked an end of a significant era of European history. In that year Granada, the last bastion of Moors in Iberia, has fallen to the Castillans. The entire Iberian peninsula was in Christian hands for the first time in almost 1000 years.
Furthermore, it also marked the end of the Most Serene Republic of Venice. The city was conquered and annexed by Genoa shortly before the end of the year.
Despite all of that, Naples was still relatively calm, a safe haven in the middle of the storm. Everyone knew that this won’t last forever, so it’s best that they’ll prepare.
-----------------------------------------
Naples, 26 April 1454
“Good morning, Oliver! Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Oh, good morning, Alberto. I have an important message for your fa- the King.”
“What is so important that it requires his immediate attention?”
“The French have declared war on the English again.”
“Hmm, it’s troubling, definitely. The French are getting stronger, which is bad for us. We have a grudge against them, or so I heard.”
“You don’t seem to be interested in politics much.”
“That’s because it’s boring! I’d rather read a book.”
“You know, it’s not a good attitude to have if you’re going to be the next king.”
“Yeah, it’s just…. Everyone expects me to be as good as my father. That’s a lot of pressure. They’ve always said ‘Oh, you need to go to the ball to represent your family’ or ‘you need to find a good wife’ or ‘you need to wash your head every month’…”
“You were never interested in these kind of things?”
“Can’t say that I am…. Wait, are you suggesting that I don’t like women?...”
“Certainly not. Though I haven’t seen you with many women at all. Maybe you have someone in mind?”
“Me? Well, no, I mean, I don’t know. Haven’t thought about that much to be honest. What about you?”
“Hmm, maybe? Well, I might have someone but, ah, it’s complicated. Let’s talk about it some other time, okay?”
“All right, I won’t stop you any longer!”
------------------------------------------------------------
Azirahpale was packing his stuff when he heard the knock on the door.
“Angel, are you ready?’
“I told you not to call me that when people might be hearing! I’m almost done.”
Indeed, he had just packed the last of his stuff in his worn out bag.
“Okay we might go.”
“Splendid.”
“Remind me why are we sneaking out in the middle of the night?”
“It’s not like we’re running or anything, we already went to the official goodbye ceremony. Besides, I prefer to travel when it’s dark. It’s more mysterious.”
“How can you even see anything in those spectacles of yours?”
“My vision is augu…. I mean, I can echolocate, like a bat. That was sarcasm, by the way.”
“Okay, forget it.” Aziraphale looked behind him, at the Royal Palace of Naples. “I’m going to miss this place.”
“Don’t get too sentimental. We’re be going back there. Speaking of, you owe me a bit of exposition, remember?”
“Ah, yes. Well, let me explain it to you this way: Neapolitan Greece.”
“What about it?”
“Do you think that’s a thing that could realistically happen?”
“Well, it DID happen.”
“*sigh* Let me try this differently: have you ever heard about The Book?”
“The Great Book of All Things That Happened and Could Happen? I thought it’s just a rumor.”
“No, it’s real. Though I think no one but The Boss really knows what’s inside. I have only seen small glimpses of it and I might consider myself lucky.”
“From what I’ve heard it doesn’t contain the exact visions of the future, only more or less accurate predictions.”
“That’s true, but I’m almost certain is says nothing about the Morrocans owning Brittany or Hungary conquering lands in Italy.”
“Get to the point.”
“As you wish. My point is: something, or someone, is changing history. That’s why all these strange things are happening: countries owning lands where they have no business being, nations thrive when they should fall, people believing hamsters make good military commanders, you name it.”
“You know that’s pretty far- fetched, right?”
“I did not think you’d believe me right away. That’s why we’ll go meet someone who can shed some light on our situation.”
“Who exactly?”
“I’ll tell you when the time is right.”
“Gah, you’re such a jerk sometimes.”
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MEANWHILE AT THE DOCKS
It was already way past midnight and The Deceased Crab Tavern was about to close. The bartender was ready to close the inn when he saw a lone customer marauding at the counter. Unusually, the customer was a woman.
“Sorry, miss, but we’re closing.”
“Huh?... Ah, sorry, I got lost in thought.”
“Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know if that’s okay for you to hear about my problems.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I do counseling for the half of this damn town. *sigh* Now, what’s on your mind?”
“You see, there’s this guy…”
“Ah, so it’s about love… That seems to be one of the major issues I deal with here.”
“So what do you usually suggest?”
“I’ve found out that the acceptable solution is alcohol.”
“Does it work?”
“No, but it does take your mind off it for a while. So, what’s the matter? Does he like you?”
“I’m afraid he might…”
“So what’s the problem? Is he engaged?”
“No, he’s just…. God, that’s stupid…. *sigh* he thinks I’m a man.”
The bartender smiled and nodded, then he went to the cabinet and took out a long bottle with a clear liquor inside.
“You know, my friend, I think this one calls for a special treatment.”
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Oh man…. Right off the bat I want to apologize for not updating for almost three weeks. It was a really hectic time for me with the school time and everything; as a result, I felt a lack of inspiration. Thus, I decided to take a break to get some fresh ideas. On top of that, it took me like a week to finish this update.
I hope you enjoyed it, as I think this is the longest one yet. As always, thanks for reading!
