Festina Lente

Chapter Eighty-Two: The Riot in Florence

30th of June 1535 - Florence, Italy

Taking Margaret of Austria's hand as they stepped out of the chapel, Alessandro de' Medici held his head high as they exited with their guards around them. 

The slow trek back towards the Palace lay ahead of them and the summer sun beat down upon those who had been inside the chapel for their Sunday mass. 

The dirty peasants stood feet from her and Alessandro, their dirt covered faces seeming to watch every step that Margaret made and eye the expensive gown that she was wearing. 

It had not been her choice to wear such finery, especially when the city was being besieged by an army and they were trapped inside the city with no supplies getting in. 

No, the idea had been that of her husband who was dressed in his Sunday best. Alessandro had spared no expensive in his new wardrobe when he had been made a Duke; no one would have ever guessed that he was from common origin. 

The royal standards of his wife were highlighted around him, he wanted no one to doubt his power or that which came from his marriage to the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. 

His guards pushed people out of the way as they secured the route that would led the Duke and Duchess back to the Palace, they surrounded them as they moved through the streets. 

Margaret cast a nervous look towards the crowd, most calling out blessings to the Duke and herself yet she could not place the uneasy that she felt about the crowd. 

The voices of well wishes were slowly being drowned out by others, voices that were angry and harbored such hatred towards the nobility that passed them by. 

"Please my Lord, my children are starving," one of the crowd spoke through the growing noise, other pleas slowly started to make themselves heard as others asked for aid. 

However, their words were met by indifference from Alessandro who continued on his way; it was almost as if he did not hear their words, their pleas for aid as the city crumbled around them.

Looking at the crowds, Cosimo eyed the gathering knowing that this could take a turn for the worse at any moment; he could almost feel the anger towards Alessandro growing as he continued on his way not offering the people any kind of comfort. 

The people were starving while the nobility hoarded whatever food was left in the city, there had been runs on any place that had once stored the cities food and thieves were popping up around the city. 

Despite the fact that they had known the army was coming, Alessandro had done little to prepare Florence for a siege that was now bringing the city to its knees. 

Before any could react or see what was about to happen, a cow pat struck Alessandro across the left side of his face; it knocked him off balance and he stumbled slightly as he tried to stay up right. 

The guards around him pulled their swords and turned towards the crowd, prepared to protect the Duke from the mob that was starting to form in the crowd. 

Wiping the crap from his face, Alessandro flicked bits of it onto the floor before he released his hold on Margaret's arm and made his way towards the crowd that had started to shove back against the guards that lined the street. 

"Who threw that? Bring me the man who dares strike down his liege lord," Alessandro demanded, he pushed through the guards as he grasped his sword and started to strike down the people that made it through the line of guards that had separated the crowd from the nobles. 

Margaret clasped at her ladies hands as she watched the scene before her, the fighting growing steady worse as more people broke the line of guards and made it into the street.