MEDICI || THE WHITE QUEEN

prologue.

Florence, January 3rd 1465

The streets that day in Florence were as busy as any other day, lined with the poor and destitute begging for just a coin or a loaf of bread, people walking in one direction or the other going about their daily business. Vendors called out trying to attract somebody, anybody to buy what they were selling.

A young woman walks down one of these very streets as the sun rises to it's peak in the sky but unlike most that find themselves walking down these streets she finds herself unable to ignore the calls of the unfortunate so within the blink of an eye she steps away from the gathering of guards and ladies that surrounded her as she made her way toward one of these unfortunate. A woman perhaps just a few years older than her own sixteen years crouches against a building, an infant cradled in her arms, she is surrounded by three other children, all young no more than six. The young lady observes her for just a moment as she hushes her starving children, she rocks the infant in her arms whispering soothing words in attempt to soothe the babe before her head turns upwards and she glares at the sky.

Once more the young lady makes her approach while three other young ladies run after her, when she gets close enough the woman before her looks up. The woman does not recognise her but she knows enough to tell that the young lady is of a very rich breed if the fine dress and well made jewellery are anything to tell by. The woman makes a move to stand , her arms shaking with the effort when the woman holds out a delicate hand as a  sign for her to stay seated and so hesitant the woman once again lowers herself. The children around her stop their cries to turn the attention to the beautiful lady before them. When the young lady makes a move to kneel down before the woman, a sign that she does not see herself above anybody, the ladies behind her call out in pleas of worry for she will surely ruin the finely made dress she adorns but still she kneels not seeming to notice the mud below her staining through her gown. 

For a moment the young lady does not speak, she reaches out a hand and gently moves to rest it atop the small infants head before she once again moves her hand to delicately cradle the other woman's cheek. The woman unwittingly leans into the warm touch, this young ladies hands gentle and soft. Softer than she could ever remember her own being. The very touch seems to radiate warmth and love, so much so that when the young lady pulls her hand back the woman finds a plea for another gentle touch of the cheek on the tip of her tongue. Though she does not speak it before the young lady is reaching down to her belt and unclipping a finely made velvet pouch.

The young lady does not seem to hesitate before she is taking the woman's dirty hand into her own clean one and places the pouch into her palm. The woman hesitates for just a moment until she makes move to open the pouch, inside she finds florin, more florin than she had ever seen before. More than her husband will make in over a year. She can't seem to tear her eyes away from the gold coins even as tears begin to roll down her cheeks and the young lady moves to wipe them with the soft sleeve of her gown.

"Nutri i tuoi figli e confida in dio" (feed your children and trust in god) the young lady all but whispers to the woman before her before she waves to her ladies and one moves to hand her lady a still warm loaf of bread that the lady wastes no time in divining hand handing to each of the children and the woman before her.

"Non ho modo di ringraziarti Madonna" (I have no way to thank you my lady) the woman cries out before the young lady gently hushes her.

"Non ho bisogno grazie, faccio semplicemente il lavoro degli dei" (I need no thanks, I simply do God's work) the young lady replies before she moves to kiss the woman on each cheek and then one of her ladies aids her in standing and almost as though she were never there at all she is gone.