Sara walked to the nearby marketplace to get the food for the week some two months later.
She heard people murmuring things like, "oh wow, Mark Anthony is such a coward." "Didn't even know how to defend the woman he calls his "wife.". Other comments included "thank Jupiter and Mars for the legion commanded by Prince Francis and Antonio," "The legion is coming back victorious," and "the legion is doing so well."
All the rumours about the Battle of Actium and the legion made Sara smile a bit.
The memory of the boy she used to play with back when she lived in the imperial palace came back to her mind again, but Sara remembered she was running away from someone that day. The entire image was blurry, but Sara could make out a light yellow and orange Gaelic style tunic when her younger self turned back as she was running. She saw the boy extend his hand for her to grab.
Sara snapped out of the memory when she reached the market about 20 minutes later. It was an ordinary farmer's market in the middle of the capital city with everything from food to fine jewellery brought from everywhere in the Kingdom.
Sara looked around the stock market, knowing just where to go. Sara spent about half an hour grabbing fresh eggs, cheeses, cold cuts, fruits, and vegetables.
"Salve, miss Vargas," the merchant said, making a small reverence to Sara as he continued to say, "The gods have blessed us with another beautiful day, don't you think?"
"Ave, good sir," Sara said as she gave the merchant the food she had gotten. "Yes, we can thank Sol for giving us another wonderful day.
"That'll be another 60 gold pieces as a discount from the original price for this week," the merchant said, ringing all the groceries.
Sara took out the 60 pieces of gold and handed them to the merchant. "Here you go, thank you so much," she said.
"You're most welcome, miss Vargas," the merchant said, smiling at her.
Sara asked her guard to get her a carriage so she would not have to walk back home with all the food she had gotten.
It took less time to get back home, and Sara went straight to the kitchen on arrival. Sara found Rhea standing in the kitchen waiting for her, saying "Good morning, Sara."
"Ave Rhea, I have gotten all the food we may need for the week," Sara said, smiling as the guards brought all the food into the kitchen.
Rhea nodded, smiling at her. "That's very good, Sara," she said, walking up to her student.
"Thank you, Rhea," Sara said, nodding back in reverence. She had been wondering about the rumours she had heard in the city, and she asked, "May I ask you something, Rhea?"
Rhea put her hand on Sara's shoulder and said, "of course you can ask me anything."
"Have you heard of the rumours and gossip about the Battle of Actium?" Sara asked. "My brother Francis is coming home?"
"The Kingdom of Diamonds rejoices over the Battle of Actium news," Rhea said, smiling at her. Rhea helped Sara put the groceries away as she continued to say, "King Romulus came over and told me there will be a big celebration on the day of the victory march. You are in charge of the food for the celebration."
"I..." Sara hesitated, thinking about the great honour her father had given her. Sara smiled and nodded as she said, "it would honour me to make the food for the victory march celebration."
Rhea nodded, smiling at her student. "I knew you would be happy to make the food for this most joyous occasion, but you must remember not to get too involved."
"Yes, Rhea, I understand, and I will not let you or mamma Vesta down," Sara said as she nodded in agreement.
"Good. I will let you make the food preparations for this celebration," Rhea said. "It is in a couple of weeks."
Sara watched as the Head Vestal walked out of the kitchen and squealed out of pure joy. She was excited to get started on the food, but her happiness became sadness and fear as she started thinking about her vow of chastity. The one thing keeping Sara going was that she hoped she would own that ice cream parlour one day, when she retired from her religious life.
Sara wrote letters to the best female cooks from sectors six to ten of the Kingdom of Diamonds, which made up the upper-middle-class social rankings in this Kingdom. This was so they would help her make the food for the banquet and so she could balance this task with everything else she had to do. In the timeframe she had spent waiting for the chefs to go to her kitchen, Sara ordered various exotic foods from all over the Kingdom. These foods include venison, wild boar, rabbit and pheasant, and seafood like raw oysters, shellfish and lobster. Sara made sure she and the rest of the women who helped her cooked each of these meals ideally during the days. Of course, Sara had to tend to the flames at the same time slot Rhea had given her months prior, and she even told Vesta that her little brother was coming back home from his first battle.
The morning of the scheduled victory march came sooner than later for Sara, since she enjoyed every moment of the cooking process.
Sara told Claudia to help her get ready as soon as she got out of her daily bath.
"You must really be excited to see Prince Francis again. Am I right, my lady?" Claudia asked, fastening the belt around Sara's low-sleeved dress.
Sara smiled at her lady-in-waiting as she put the gold bracelets on each of her wrists. "Yes, Claudia, I am so proud of him for fighting for the kingdom like he always wanted to," she said, nodding "yes."
"That's a good reason to be happy. If that was Prince Francis' dream, my lady," Claudia replied, getting the veil and sash.
Sara had gone to her night table drawer in the meantime, and she had taken out another jewellery box. Inside was a gold chain with a malachite amulet in its middle.
"Claudia, may I ask you to put this on for me first?" she asked.
"Oh, yes," Claudia said, walking over to her as she continued to say, "I can certainly put it on for you, my lady."
"Thank you, Claudia," Sara said, turning around so Claudia could put the amulet around her neck. She turned around, facing her maid, asking, "how does it look?"
"It looks beautiful, my lady," Claudia said. "May I ask where you got it?"
"My brother's best friend gave it to me before I left," Sara said. "Queen Clotilde hated him and wanted to send him to the afterlife."
"I have heard my parents talk about that since they used to work in the castle." Claudia said." They said it was because he was another one of King Romulus' illegitimate children."
"That's far from the truth," Sara said. "The truth about Antonio is that his aunt brought him to the castle after my father executed Anibal Carriedo, the former Ace of Diamonds and his mom Violeta Fernández died,"
Claudia looked at her, her eyes wide in shock as she said, "I did not know, pardon me, my lady,"
"It is okay, Claudia," Sara said as she put a hand on her maid's shoulder as she continued to say, "you only knew one side of it."
Claudia went to get Sara's veil, sash on the bed, and placed them on Sara's head and over her right shoulder.
"You are all ready for the celebration, my lady," she said. "May Vesta bless you, and may the Gods bless Prince Francis and Antonio."
"Thank you, Claudia," Sara said. "I must get the food to the triumphal arch, and my shift starts soon."
Sara left her room and went straight to the temple to tend to the eternal flames of her "mother" Vesta. She told Vesta that it was the day of her brother's arrival and that she couldn't wait to see him. Vesta was concerned, but Sara reassured her she would be careful at the celebration before leaving for the kitchen.
Sara walked about 15 minutes from the temple to the kitchen, and she said, "Ave ladies, we must take all the food to the triumphal arch."
"Of course, Miss Vargas," the head chef said, ordering the rest of the women to take the food out of the kitchen.
The 20 women carried out the food for the banquet outside the kitchen, and Sara ordered her guards to get 21 carriages to get to where the parade was going to take place.
It took 30 minutes to get to the arch of Septimus Severus, a triumphal arch made of a rare and expensive Greek marble called proconnesian.
The rest of the vestals, the rest of the royal family, and the noble families in the Kingdom of Diamonds were waiting for the parade to start.
Sara sent the 20 women to the other end of the arch, each with a gold food platter.
Romulus looked at his daughter with a smile on his face while Clotilde rolled her blue eyes and crossed her arms as she watched her husband approach his first-born daughter while her ten-year-old son Roger tugged on her skirt.
Sara smiled as she walked up to her father and hugged him. "Ave father, I have made all the food for my brother's victory celebration like you have asked me to," she said.
"Rhea told me you have put a lot of effort into it, too," Romulus said, pausing and hugging his daughter."I am very proud of you, and I am certain your brother and Antonio will be thrilled."
"Thank you, father. I really hope Francis and Antonio will be happy too," Sara said. She paused, and grinned. Taking a deep breath, Sara looked at her father and said, "May they always be victorious when they are defending the kingdom."
It was a beautiful day Sara noticed her father looked at the sky with her. Not a cloud was in the sky, and the sun was shining bright and burning hot.
Sara glanced back at her father after a while and they both saw a gold eagle. "I think your prayers have made them come home sooner, my sweet daughter," he said. "Look over there."
"I must go with the other vestals, father," Sara said, her smile slowly fading away.
"I think it is best if you go, or Rhea will start to worry," Romulus said. "Don't be sad, Sara. The gods chose you to serve the eternal flame, and therefore you too have a special role in the Kingdom."
"I know, father," Sara said as they parted ways. Sara looked beside her father and saw her stepmom. How can he live in the same house as that woman? She asked, thinking of how Clotilde had made her feel like she did not belong in the palace.
The bustle of the crowd cheering as the eagle banner got closer and closer distracted Sara from her thoughts .
The aquilifer announced, "It is with great honour I present the victorious ninth legion of the mighty Kingdom of Diamonds, commanded by His Royal Highness, Prince Francis Bonnefoy and the honourable Ace of Diamonds, Antonio Fernández-Carriedo!!!"
The parade of soldiers marched into the city in rows of ten on each side of the road. Altogether, 5,000 men walked into the city. Like the other vestals, Sara cheered and blessed the soldiers as they passed by her. She tried not to cry of pure emotion as she saw her brother, Francis, as he passed by her.
her eyes trailed to look at the soldier marching next to Francis.
Sara felt like she recognized him from the time she lived in the imperial palace. Those memories of her childhood were so dear to her and they flashed before her eyes as she kept subconsciously smiling at the soldier.
...
As I rode through the city I couldn't help but catch glances of the people. Many had wide smiles on their faces. More often than not I would smile back and wave.
One person stood out to me. A young girl about my age, who stood in the front with the other vestals and had locked eyes with me. She was dressed in an elegant robe with diamond accents all over the skirt. She also wore a veil, which she covered her face with as she caught a glimpse of me. What stood out to me most was the jewel around her neck. The chain was gold and attached to it was a smooth malachite stone. The green colour stood out greatly from her yellow colour palette.
I began to feel a bit strange at that moment. I felt like I knew her, and I knew the necklace. I couldn't explain it, but it was such a weird feeling.
...
Sara noticed that he had a scratch on his cheek as if someone had hit him as he passed by, and the memory of that one fateful day came back into her mind.
This time it was more clear than any other time she had experienced this memory.
Sara's memory
The young boy with the same features as the soldier her current self had seen extended his hand as she frantically ran away from Clotilde, saying that he would help her escape the Queen.
She could run away thanks to him. The two run up to his room.
"Oh Tonio, I am frightened," she said as she felt a tear roll down her cheeks. "My stepmother wishes to send me to the temple of Vesta to take a vow of chastity... one that I do not want to take."
"Do not worry, Sarita," Antonio said as he smiled at her. "I am certain we will cross paths one day."
He went to his desk and took out a box and passed it to her.
"This is for you, Sarita," he said. "Open it."
Sara did as she was told, and there was the same malachite amulet.
She didn't know what to say, but "thank you, Tonio..."
the Queen opened the door, and she yelled, "Sara, come here right now!!!"
Antonio sent Sara behind him and yelled out, "I will not let you take her away!!!"
"Get the hell out of here, you bastard child!!!" Clotilde yelled as she walked up to them.
"No!!!" Antonio yelled.
Sara saw Clotilde tower over him. It looked like her normal blue eyes were replaced by flames as the queen's shadow loomed over them as she yelled, "What the hell did you say!!!??? I'm the Queen of Diamonds, and you are a damned peasant!!!"
Antonio tried to push her away from Sara as he yelled out, "she's my only friend besides Francis; I'm not letting you take her away!!!"
Sara saw Clotilde pick him up by the collar of his tunic and slapped and scratched him hard on his right cheek.
Then she threw him on the bed. "I hate you! You should have died alongside that witch, Violeta Fernández...."
Sara got up off the floor and said, "Don't listen to her, Tonio," as she went out of the room to call her brother to bring the bandages. Sara and Francis put the ointments on the wounds as usual.
"Gracias," Antonio said under sniffles and sobbing, smiling at both of them.
"Thank you for trying to save me again," Sara said, with an Italian accent coming out.
"I had to, I was not going to let her...."
Clotilde came out of nowhere and grabbed Sara, forcing her to let go of his hand, which she was holding.
"NOOOO, SARA!!" Antonio yelled out, and little Sara noticed tears of sadness rolling down his cheeks as the queen took her away.
End of memory:
Sara ran to a nearby fountain and looked both ways to ensure that no one was following her. She sat down and looked at the malachite amulet and held it close. She smiled to herself and tried to catch her breath.
Sara's happiness soon turned to fear: her smile slowly turned upside down as she looked at herself in the crystalline water. Sara's worries concerned the considerable risk she faced if she rekindled their friendship.
Francis came up right next to me. He had a very bright smile on his face.
"You sure look happy." I said jokingly as I nudged him in the arm.
"I saw sooo many beautiful girls in the crowd! You think I might have a chance with them?" Francis replied, his face growing a bit red.
I rolled my eyes and laughed for a second. "I'm sure you'll find someone that's perfect for you. And I'll admit, I may have spotted someone myself..."
Francis' eyes grew wide and he ran right in front of me, which made me stop in my tracks. "Who? Who is the lucky lady?" Francis ushered as he got right in my face.
"I don't even know her! At least I don't think so. She seems familiar in a way..." I said, pushing his face away.
"Okay..." He questioned, "What does she look like? Surely you know that!"
I did know what she looked like, how could I not after staring at her for quite some time on my horse.
"Well, she has amber hair and hazel eyes like your dad. She was wearing something really flowy and it looked a bit expensive. She was also wearing this malachite necklace, and-"
"Hey, that's my sister... Sara!" Francis shouted. I knew that name, and I had a slight flashback to my childhood. Precisely the day she was taken away, and finally knew who she was once again.
"I can't believe it..." I sighed, "How could I forget about Sarita, she was my best friend from youth aside from you and Gil! I haven't heard from her in so long!"
Francis chuckled and gave me a weird look, like he was silently saying, "You want to go after her!"
"Well," Francis said. "Remember she was taken to the temple by my mother and started her training as a Vestal Virgin when we were nine years old."
I nodded as the memory came back into my mind, and I touched the now faint scratch mark I had on my cheek. "How can I forget about it when I have the proof of when I tried to stop her from doing it?" I asked. "I remember how scared Sarita was of going."
"Yes, I've heard she's doing well now though, so that's good," Francis said "Antonio... this might be a problem..."
"Problem?" I questioned, "What do you mean? So what if she's a Vestal. I wanna go find her, I wanna get to her before the crowd totally disappears!"
"Being a Vestal is the problem, Antonio..." Francis muttered, suddenly getting very nervous. "She can't be in a relationship until her time as a Vestal is done. If you two are caught together things could get very bad!"
My enthusiasm was suddenly drained, and a slight frown replaced my usual smile. Being around her could get her killed. I didn't want to ruin anything for her, and more importantly I did not want to lose her like I did my mother.
Francis fidgeted with his hands for a bit before looking back up at me."You know, if you want to go after her, just do it. I won't tell anyone. Just please be careful."
I nodded quickly. He turned me around and pointed to where Sara was sitting at a nearby fountain. I turned back once more. Francis only ushered me forward quietly with a smile on his face.
This was my chance. It was finally time to reunite with my old friend. I coughed slightly to get her attention.
She whipped her head around and almost seemed a bit scared.
"Oh, hello..." Sara said politely. "You must have seen me staring at you in the crowd, I apologize for my acting strangely. You just remind me so much of a friend I had."
"Yes, my lady," I said as I smiled at her. I was making sure no one was watching the reunion happen, but then I looked back at her and said "I apologize if I offended you as well, you also look like a friend of mine who was taken away from the imperial palace a long time ago."
She looked me up and down, then looked down at the ground, as if she were trying to figure something out in her mind.
"Antonio? Is it really you?" She finally said as she lifted her head again with a little smile.
I nodded awkwardly and noticed her eyes gleamed for a moment, then she threw her veil around her head.
"It's...really good to see you again, Antonio. I've wondered what you have been up to."
"Same to you" I replied. "You seem to be doing very well for yourself. I'm glad to hear that."
We had stood there awkwardly for quite some time. Sara had looked around anxiously, like someone was watching her.
...
"Sara, it's time to go!!!" Rhea called out, interrupting the conversation.
Sara looked up at Antonio and smiled. "I must go now, Tonio. The head vestal awaits me, and I must not keep her waiting," she said as she turned around and walked away.
"May I ask you something, my lady?" Antonio said before she could get too far.
Sara turned and faced him. "What is it you wish to ask me, Tonio?"
"Francis told me of your status and position in the Kingdom of Diamonds," Antonio said. "You were my best friend, the last thing I want is to dishonour you. I wish to know if you would do me the honour of meeting with me again?"
Sara sighed when she heard Antonio's question and smiled a bit. "I do not think mamma Vesta will approve of it but I will send word when I have reached my decision."
"I look forward to it, Sarita," Antonio said, smiling at her as she left.
The affectionate nickname "Sarita" rang in her mind as she walked home. Sara thought she would never hear that nickname again.
YOU ARE READING
The Cardsdale Romance Chronicles Book 1: The tragic story of Antonio and Sara
Historical FictionThe first Prequel to "the Cardsdale Romance Chronicles: The Story of Dante Vargas and Catarina de Castellet''. Antonio starts telling his son, Dante the story of how the intergenerational love curse cast by Queen Clotilde had affected him. Antonio i...
