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Italy: Tales of Friendship, Treason, Love and Death

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Castor94- Well, I'm still working on the next update, so you'll have enough time ;)

Miscreant- Very glad to have you onboard. Yep, it was almost an accident that I included my readers, I must thank Enewald and comagoosie for it ;) I hadn't realized you were doing that as well, I must read the must recent updates :) I'm glad you liked Giuseppe's dead, I wanted to make as tragic as possible. I'll think about your proposal about you and Ranieri, although I don't think EURO will be very happy about i :p

I have an announcement as well, I'm glad to announce that the ABC AAR will be returning to activity this very evening, so stay tuned!

 
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Hey! When did you update?! :mad:

I must have missed it. Let me read it and I'll tell you if I like it. :p ;)
 
soldiers, with the flags from Milan and Savoy flying above. And, in front of them, leading the army, mounted on a white horse, was Ernesto Ranieri VII, King of Savoy.
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Haha!

Giuseppe died because he was on the wrong side. Giovanni and co. should join the winning side. Come to the Dark Side, we have cake! Mwuahahaha!!!

And I wouldn't mind a duel with your heroes... :D
 
EUROO7 said:
Haha!

Giuseppe died because he was on the wrong side. Giovanni and co. should join the winning side. Come to the Dark Side, we have cake! Mwuahahaha!!!

And I wouldn't mind a duel with your heroes... :D
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Cake? I thought you had hats :p But still, it's good :D I'll think as well about the duel ;)
 
EUROO7 said:
And I wouldn't mind a duel with your heroes... :D
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You do know that since they are the heroes, and now have a vendetta against "you", you are likely to be defeated in a duel? :p
 
Too bad Giuseppe died, but at least it was noble. One G name down, two more to go :cool:

Anyways, nicely written battle scene. I see that you employed battering rams and ladders, no sap or siege towers? :D
 
comagoosie said:
Too bad Giuseppe died, but at least it was noble. One G name down, two more to go :cool:

Anyways, nicely written battle scene. I see that you employed battering rams and ladders, no sap or siege towers? :D
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Walls weren't big enough to use them :p Happened a couple of times when I used to play RTW and M2TW :D
 
Capibara said:
Lord Valentine- I'm sure it will be, specially if Lord Valentino is included ;)
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That's music to my ears. "Richard III" was always my favorite Shakespeare play you know. :D
Anyway I am greatly looking forward to the next installment. :)

~Lord Valentine~
 
Finally managed to catch up with all the June-July chapters. The story is getting better and better with all these new characters and plot twists. I can't believe Uccelo is a bad guy, I think he has a secret agenda behind helping Milan...

Any chance of an Alessandro Drique in the story? ;)

comagoosie said:
One G name down, two more to go :cool:
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Three to go, remember your character, Giacomo :D
 
aldriq said:
Finally managed to catch up with all the June-July chapters. The story is getting better and better with all these new characters and plot twists. I can't believe Uccelo is a bad guy, I think he has a secret agenda behind helping Milan...

Any chance of an Alessandro Drique in the story? ;)



Three to go, remember your character, Giacomo :D
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Good to see you around, and Ranieri is indeed up to something, you'll just have to wait. And don't worry, Drique will appear ;)

Griffin.Gen said:
So...Its been a while since an update :eek:
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I know, I'm sorry for that, school leaves without time, but I'll try to post a new update this weekend.
 
Capibara, i'm not here for the next few days, but don't wait on me. The people have waited to long already :)
 
AlexanderPrimus- Wow, thanks, I didn't expect that after so much time inactive, but still, thanks a lot! I'll go to check it soon.

Griffin. Gen, aldriq- Thank you both very much! :D

And now, to celebrate this new award, an update! ;)
 
Chapter VIII Fall of the Homeland​

The only thing he could see was flames and smoke. He could hear screams of pain and death, the clash of metal against metal and the sound of steel ripping through flesh. He felt weak and life escaped through his wounds. A flash of images ran before his eyes: his parents, the streets of a red city that fell behind as he ran, the face of a beautiful girl smiling at him, his friends laughing and singing, the look of death in his enemies eyes, an arrow and his friend falling for him, a running army being butchered and the weeks of agonic siege before a bird sung and the walls were stormed. Companions dying bravely and desperate attempts to hold the walls, his own effort and his failure, now he was at the brink of dead while his city fall to unmerciful enemies, but everything would be over soon, he just had to close his eyes and he would join Giuseppe in one more moment…

***​

“Let’s go!” Giulio shouted to a small group of soldiers that still were in shape for fighting. Everyone to the Piazza! One last stand!”

As the combined army and Milan and Savoy kept pushing forward into the city, the last defenders tried to hold what couldn’t be held, due to the clear enemy superiority, specially after the massacre the retreat from Pisa had become for the Sienese and Bolognese armies. It was clear that it was just a matter of time before the entire city fell. Captain Rossi had disappeared hours ago, so Giulio had taken command of the remains of his own regiment. Despite of being from Bologna, the last months along the Sienese had made him grown fond of the city and her people and he was ready to fight for it, even if it meant to die.

As they reached the Piazza, other groups of survivors joined them, ready to kill as much enemies as possible before dying. He had not seen Giovanni nor Petrucci since the start of the battle, however, he was sure that his friend’s abilities would be enough to keep them alive. As much as he was concerned about them, he had to worry on more important things at that time: his own survival.

He assembled the few soldiers left in a circle, leaving no vulnerable flank, trying to make the enemy’s task as hard as possible. Everyone was ready. The wait didn’t last long; soon the enemy appeared from all the streets that lead to the Piazza. They seemed confident, they knew the city was practically theirs and all they had to do has a clean-up before finishing.

“Come on, dogs.” muttered Giulio. “Let us kill you, more than one will go to hell with us tonight.” Tension rose and the soldiers held their swords with strength and desperation, knowing this could be their last fight.

After taking their positions, the Milanese and Savoian soldiers charged against the last defenders. As Giulio killed enemy after enemy, he kept shouting at his companions words of hope, trying to give them a reason to live.
“Think of your families, think of your city, these bastards are not going to have mercy, so let’s not show mercy either. For the homeland!”

But as the minutes passes, the situation became more and more desperate, despite the brave resistance the defenders were opposing. Giulio started to realize this as well, and knowing he would not serve dead to the cause he began to search for possible escape routes, for any weak point he and some soldiers could go through. He finally noticed to he left side that a group of Sienese soldiers were making a superb job containing the enemy and had almost broken the encircling. He ran towards them, calling some of his companions along. The combined effort soon made a hole in the enemy wall.

“Well done.” said Giulio “Now follow me.”

Only Giulio and a small group of soldiers managed to exit the encirclement before it closed again and enemies began approaching them.

“Run! Don’t worry for them, they’ll be all right” shouted Giulio, trying to get the attention of his companions, who were looking back to those that were being left behind. He knew this was necessary, but pain pressed against his chest. They kept running through the city streets, killing any enemy soldier that had remained behind.

“To the gates! To the gates!”

They were almost reaching the gates when something dragged Giulio’s attention: Lying on the ground, covered in blood was an unconscious Giovanni, this was possible to know because of his chest going up and down almost in an imperceptible way as he breathed.

“Giovanni! Hold it!” ordered Giulio as he ran towards his friend. He kneeled and made sure he was still breathing.

“Someone help me carry him.”

“Giulio, we must go, the enemy is almost here, and he won’t probably make it either way.” Said one of the few companions left of his regiment.

“Please” Giulio pleaded.

“We just left back about a hundred soldiers, a hundred friends, being slaughtered so we could save ourselves and you are asking us to stop for one man, we can’t to that.” Alleged one of the Siense soldiers of the group.

“Then go, I’ll catch up soon, you’ve done more than enough, you deserve to live and fight another day, if I can make it, I’ll see you in the woods east of the city, now go.”

“I’ll stay” offered one of the Sienese soldiers; it was Del Vecchio, a soldier he had met in the first days after his arrival to the Sienese camp. “Giovanni is my friend and I’ll help him.”

“Thanks” responded Giulio. The others soldiers were already gone.

Between both of them they carried Giovanni, trying to walk as fast as they could, but it was difficult, having to carry the whole weight of his friend on their shoulders after days of continuous fight. Fortunately, they didn’t cross with any enemy soldier in their way to the gates; their companions had made a good job. They reached the gates, destroyed by a battering ram that still laid motionless in the entrance of the walls. They were safe now.

***​

“Well, well, look what we have here, the own Francesco Petrucci.” Said a cheerful voice.

Petrucci opened his eyes slowly, trying to get accustomed to the light in the room. He was tied to a chair, with both hands tied behind to his back. Two men were standing in front of him. One was tall, and thin, with a serious expression and several scars deforming his face: Duke Visconti. The other one was unmistakable, a patch in the left eye, a burlesque expression in the face and an enthralling voice: Ernesto “Uccello” Ranieri, the seventh, king of Savoy. Two guards were at the entrance of the room.

“What do you want?” said Petrucci with an extenuated voice full of hatred and despise.

“Come on, why so serious? After, we are celebrating tonight.” Responded Ranieri in his same, jovial voice.

“May I know what are we celebrating?”

“The conquest of Siena, of course, what else could it be?” Ranieri said almost singing this time.

“Please, Ernesto, let me handle this” interrupted Visconti. “Hello Francesco.”

“Filippo.”

“As Ernesto has already told you, Siena has just fallen to our troops, and we are here to negotiate the peace terms.”

“You know that is not of my incumbency, I’m not into politics anymore.”

“But this time it does. You see, the other members of the families of Siena are either death or have fled from the city; you are the de facto ruler of Siena right now, so he must do this deal with you.”

“I see, what are your terms?”

“They are simple: Siena will pass to be an integral part of the Duchy of Milan from now on.”

“Do you expect me to accept that?”

“You don’t have too much of a choice, your army has been completely slaughtered and the Pope it’s to busy with Naples again to be of any help this time. So, what do you say?” asked Visconti, handing him a parchment and an inked quill, knowing he had to accept.

A soldier Petrucci hadn’t noticed untied his hands. He gave a quick look to the parchment and sighed.

“Then, under these terms, I surrender the city of Siena to the Ducky of Milan.”

“Good choice” said Visconti taking the parchment and smiling.

“Let’s go” he said to Ranieri, who looked with an amused expression the face full of pain and grief of Petrucci.

As they exited, Visconti muttered to one of the guards next to the door two words: “Kill him.”

***​

“Giovanni! Giovanni! Wake up! Come on man!”

His eyes opened slowly, to close and open them again in the next few seconds, he noticed blurred figures over him, a group of people watching him.

“Where I am?” he asked in a weak, quiet voice.

“You are safe” said Giulio smiling, barely hiding the joy that filled him.

“Safe? Mi sento come merda.” Said Giovanni laughing. Giulio and the others laughed too.

“I’m glad you are fine too, but, what happened to the city?”

Everyone stopped laughing after the question, but their eyes turned towards the west, full of grief. Giovanni turned with some effort his head towards that direction and saw with horror a red sky in the horizon, and smoke coming out of the city.

“But… what…?”

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow, you are weak and need to rest to replenish your energies, we’ll have to move from here soon.” Said Giulio.

The image of burning Siena hadn’t sank completely into Giovanni yet, but he nodded, wanting to rest as well.

“Good night Giulio.”

“Good night Giovanni.”

Giulio stood up and separated a little from the group, which was still next to Giovanni. He thought about the whole night, a mixture of feelings swirled inside his chest: relief, pain, grief, anger… He thought about all those soldiers that had been left behind so the could escape, a sacrifice that seemed worthless that very moment. He realized that, and leaning against a tree, he cried.
 
Capibara said:

“Come on, why so serious? After, we are celebrating tonight.” Responded Ranieri in his same, jovial voice.
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I think there is a little bit of the Joker in Ranieri :p

Nice update, though I hadn't expected Gulio to leave his comrades behind. You have made his character a lot more interesting.
 
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