Farnese. (Francesco Pazzi x Reader)

Chapter Nine

"Clarice d'Orsini is a woman of God--" 

"She is the daughter of the Devil!" Y/N exclaimed, slamming her fist on the table. Every glass rattled under her fist, "I was twelve when they took me, Lorenzo. They kidnapped me. They beat me. They violated me. They slaughtered my father's men and they threatened our lives! You dare insult us through this!" She was burning with fury. It was even beginning to intimidate Lorenzo, and it already managed to subdue Giuliano into silence. 

"You would marry a Pazzi!" Lorenzo countered, raising his voice against her, "He is my family's adversary! Is that a threat to this alliance as well?"

"That is banking, you fool! This? This is war! If your father was alive, this never would have happened. He understood the power of the Farnese."

"Siena is barely a sixth the size of Florence!"

"Yes, but we are more than Siena now! We are the Papal Armies! We control Milan's troops! We strike deals with French mercenaries -- we have the power to take over Florence on a whim!" Y/N shouted back. Sandro thought for a moment how she really did, in that moment, seem like a much bigger man than anyone else in the room. 

Lorenzo sat back down, and stared straight ahead -- effectively dismissing the conversation. 

Y/N kicked her chair out of her way, causing it to crash and break against the wall. 

"Leonardo and I will be out by morning. Let it be war against you, Lorenzo." 

Y/N exited silently, hearing another bang before her brother left the room after her. They went into their rooms, and ordered that their things be packed. 

"Where do we go? To Rome?" Lorenzo asked. 

"We cannot allow the situation to go unmonitored... You will go to Rome and work with father to have the Pope align himself with us. It we can severe Lorenzo's ties with the Vatican, we can subdue him. I will purchase a home here and monitor the situation, sending reports. In a few months, I'll leave as well," She whispered to him as she put her belt and sword on. 

"Where will you purchase a home?"

"There is an estate that belong to a previous Signoria member, he died without heirs. Its by the market, and well within my budget. I'll go there now and speak with the seller."

"Who is selling it?"

"The Pazzi Bank," Y/N smiled at her brother, almost devilishly so. 

When she left the home and mounted her horse, it was still very light out. The sun had only just began setting, and she hoped this meant the Pazzi Bank would still be opened. To her luck, it was. 

She entered brazenly in her pants and armed with sword, too tired and angry to care and she went directly into Francesco's office. He looked up to her from his desk, startled by the opening door. 

"Are you alright?" He asked. He could see the look on her face, one fraught with pain and anger.

"No, I am not -- I am here to purchase Messer Menrazi's home. i understand the bank inherited it after his death." She sat down in the chair in front of him, her face and voice devoid of the flirtatious banter that had occurred between them the last time they were in this room, in these chairs. 

"It is still available. Would you be willing to pay for it now?"

Y/N reached into her pocket and threw two fist-sized bags of golden coins onto his desk.

"Is everything okay? I am rather concerned," He asked in a low voice, his face softening her heart just a tad. She realized how exhausted she was, the high of the anger wearing off. 

"Did you hear about Piero's death?"

"I had."

"That means Lorenzo is left in charge," Y/N spoke, "And he has desecrated our families' alliance. Leonardo and I are moving out of the Palazzo de'Medici, and Leonardo is traveling to Rome to see our father."

"I am deeply sorry, Y/N," Francesco said, reaching over to place a hand on hers, "I am always here, if you need someone to support you."

Y/N looked at him, and could feel tired tears forming in her eyes, and she began crying. She was suddenly flooded with grief over the death of Piero, over memories of the Orsini's kidnapping of her, the pain of betrayal, and the exhaustion which came from action and uncertainty. Within a moment, Francesco was hugging her, pulling her head into his chest and stroking her hair. She sobbed into his chest, holding onto him in a moment of embarrassing weakness, which somehow seemed to be okay in his arms. 

When he could finally feel a slowing of her sobs, he pulled away to wipe the tears from her cheeks, and kiss her forehead.