Tuesday 15 May 2012

Bounty: The Proposition

A few weeks ago I got some time to revisit this chapter for my story Bounty.  I have continued where I left off last where the protagonist and her family had been captured and had come face-to-face with their captor.

I have decided to give my protagonist the name of "Angela" so that I'm not constantly referring to her as "the woman".  I think the discovery of her name to the player will be introduced within the first section.  After researching an appropriate name for this character I have decided to give her the name Angela as this was a common female name from the renaissance time.  It may change later but for now I'm content with it.

Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think.  All names of people and cities are placeholder at the moment.
The man rose from his gilded throne and slowly descended the few steps closing the gap between his elevated height and  Angela's.  Was he trying to give the impression that he was befriending her ? By physically lowering himself to her level she could view this as an act of good faith and be more willing to help him.  She'd seen this done countless times before, although this was the first time she had been in front of the throne instead of standing beside it.

He walked directly towards her, then just as he came within a few meters of her began walking around her in a circle.  Clearly he was still wary of her "talents" even though she was shackled.  He may even be scared of what she was capable of and what lengths she would go to in this restricted situation.

"I hear that you have gone by many names so far in your short life.  However, my sources tell me that you are now going by the name Angela." At the mention of her name he looked directly at her hoping to provoke an emotional reaction.  He got nothing so resumed looking around the splendor that was his palace.  "Angela, your abilities I hear are truly extraordinary.  You do know who am I?" He stopped pacing and asked looking to her for confirmation.  For a short moment Angela had the idea to fain ignorance and pretend not to know who had dragged her and her family from their home to the cold hard, marble floors of the italian palace.  Then she looked at her daughter.  An unending stream of tears poured from her large eyes breaking Angela's heart.  Her daughter looked terrified of what was going to happen to her and her father. Angela knew that to ensure her family's protection at least for the moment, she would have to answer truthfully.  She took a deep breath and began, "You are Giovanni Romano, regent of Rome.  You came into power when the late princess, your wife of a few months, died tragically in a hunting accident."

She thought back to the princess of Rome.  Medium height, with long dark hair a slender figure and very beautiful, however her most admirable trait was that she was kind to her people.  The city loved their princess, she was humble, devoted to her people, her father, the King, and her duties.

As soon as she was of age the number of suitors seeking her hand stretched from the palace entrance all the way to the limits of the inner city.  But despite all of the attention from several good standing men, she fell in love with a merchant whose wealth, she never knew, originated from his love of crime and greed.  The princess was head over heels in love with the merchant and he, always acted the dutiful and caring companion within her presence.

Suddenly the King fell ill and the princess was distraught.  She was an emotional wreck being high with love then feeling guilty for her father's predicament and plummeting into guilt and sadness.  He deteriorated rapidly and it was arranged that she was to be crowned when she was ready.  But the merchant wanted to rule, and the princess was his way to it.  Under his influence they were married within 3 months.  The fastest courtship and marriage within the history of the royal family.

Her father died on the wedding day and never got to see his daughter wed.  The merchant was crowned King of Rome.  The princess, while on a hunting expedition with her new husband met her tragic death a few weeks after.  The city mourned.

Many years ago Angela was commissioned to carry out a reconnaissance mission, her target was Giovanni.  During this task she uncovered that many speculated that the princess' death was in fact not an accident.  It had taken a while but she had tracked down a supposed eye witnesses to the event.  Unfortunately when she arrived at their home, she entered the building to find a pile of bloody dismembered body parts.  With no witness there was no evidence and nothing was ever proven.  But still the city speculated.

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