Bodyguard's Secret

 Savigliano, Italy 13th century   In the village of San Salvatore, two people meet at an old stone bridge in the outskirts of the village that leads towards the woods. One was Nicola De Luca, the heir of the De Luca estate. He stood tall and has a great physique, and his aristocratic facial features made every woman in their village swoon with his looks. His father is a count and he wanted him to marry a girl from another Countess named Isabela.    The other person is a girl named Priscilla. She on the other hand is a servant girl that caught the young count’s heart. She’s a simple brunette girl that has the calmest eyes and sweetest smile. If she wasn’t born in a servant family, she could be mistaken as a woman of nobility. Her beauty ensnares a lot of men in their village, young and old. The two of them fell deeply in love and have been sneaking out to meet on the bridge. “I don’t love her; I don't want to marry her.”The young Count Nicola told the woman he loves.   Priscilla sighed and looked down at her hands. It pains her that the man she loves is set to marry someone else, but it is something that he has to do. “But you have to heed what your parents wanted.”She mumbled.   Nicola never wanted to marry anyone else but Priscilla. He doesn’t love Isabela, but his father is very persistent. Before meeting Priscilla, he has already decided that matter. And then Nicola grabbed her arms and she looked up at him. “We shall elope, my love,” Nicola said and Priscilla was taken back. “Elope?" she asked. “Sì.” “We’ll go away together. Far from here, from everyone who wants to tear us apart.”He said and then he cupped her face and kissed her lips.   When he pulled away, he smiled at her but Priscilla still looked apprehensive. “Are you sure about that Nico? You are giving up your birthright, your family.”Priscilla asked.  “I am more than sure about my decision; about us. We'll leave this place and start a life somewhere else. Together.” Nicola told her.   A few seconds later and Priscilla smiled and nodded at him. Nicola smiled at her and cupped her cheek. “Let us meet here tomorrow night.” ***********************************.   The next evening, Nicola just finished packing some of his things and valuables that can help them start a new life in another place. He also wore one of their stable boy’s clothes. He was on his way out of his room to meet his woman when his father, the current Count de Luca barged in. “Padre..."Nicola mumbled, surprised by his father’s appearance. (Father) “Where do you think you are going?” Count de Luca asked as he pushed his son. “Father, I do not wish to marry Isabela Conti. I do not love her. Priscilla is the one I love. Please let me leave.” Nicola pleads, but his father slapped his face.  “You insolent boy! You are of noble blood, to be the next Count De Luca! You need to marry a Countess, and you will.“ His father paused.  “But father... Priscilla. She’ll be waiting for me –“  “I will take care of that peasant!”    The count hissed cutting off his son. “I will make sure that that peasant will get what she deserves.”  The Count hissed and Nicola suddenly feared what his father could do to her.  “Father, please. Don't hurt Priscilla, I will die if something happens to her.” Nicola pleads as he dropped to his knees.   The Count looked down at his son’s kneeling figure and scoffed. “I won't kill her but you will marry Isabel, like what was planned.” The Count told him.   Nicola closed his eyes and clenched his fists. “Sì, lo farò.” Nicola answered and it made his father smirked in triumph. (Yes, I will.) “Very well, you will not leave this house until the day of your wedding which will happen in two days.” The Count said and then he pushed his son before slamming the door close.   Then he locked the door from the outside and put the key into his pocket. And then he turned towards the two soldiers. “Guard this door. He shall not leave this room until I say so.” The Count ordered.  “Sì, mio Signore.” The two soldiers said in unison.   (Yes, my lord.)   Nicola cried as he cannot comprehend if he did the right choice. He stood up and still tried to leave; he tried to pry the door open but he can’t. He tried his windows but he’s too big to fit through it. He let out a sigh of frustration at the situation that he is in, and then he thought of Priscilla, the woman he loves. He’s sure she’ll be heartbroken if he didn’t come. And she will be devastated if she finds out that he gave in to what his father wanted.   When the night came, Priscilla sneaked out of their cottage with just a handful of her belongings and went towards the place where she will meet the man he loves. It was a great risk, leaving her whole family for the man her heartbeats but it’s what she wants; what her heart wants.   She walked the path towards their meeting place with a smile on her face. She imagines what her life is going to be once she and Nicola escaped their village. She imagines herself having a daughter and son, playing in the backyard of their cottage with Nicola. It’s such a wonderful dream for her, and she cannot wait to start that dream with him.   When she finally arrived at their meeting place, her lips stretched to a bigger smile when she saw a figure standing in the middle of the bridge, waiting for her. She jogged her way towards that person, with her excited smile. “Nico!”   She called as she approached him. She grabbed his arm and as he turned towards her, her smile slowly dropped. The man standing in front of her was not Nicola but his father’s right-hand man –Sergio.   Sergio is a tall and bulky man that lets out his sinister grin as he grabbed into Priscilla’s arms. “Ciao servo.” (Hello servant )   Priscilla’s eyes were wide with confusion and fear. She has always have feared the man as he has a very bad reputation. He is the one who does all the Count’s dirty work. “The young master isn’t going to come; he decided to marry Lady Isabel Conti. He even told me to tell you in person.” Sergio said and Priscilla’s heart was shattered that moment.  “N-No, non è vero.” Priscilla stuttered and Sergio chuckled. (N-No, that’s not true.) “Of course, he didn’t tell me. But he will still marry the Countess.” Sergio said and then he paused and grabbed her face.  “That's not true. He won't marry her.” She mumbled. “It's true as he just strikes a deal with his father to save your life.“ Sergio told her, and Priscilla was surprised. “The Count wanted to kill you but since the young master strikes the deal, he will just punish you, a little servant girl.” He added.   Then they heard a sound of horses coming towards them. Then Sergio made her turn around, and her eyes widen as she sees her whole family tied together and on their knees. Sergio’s men who are carrying blades stood behind them and holding a handful of their hair to keep them upright. They all looked terrified and that her younger siblings are all crying. Her sick father is coughing uncontrollably as her mother looks at her with a broken look on her face.   Sergio holds Priscilla in a headlock and hissed at her ear.  “Because you seduced the young master, the Count wasn’t happy that his eldest son is refusing to marry an exquisite lady for a low servant like you.” He told her. “Nicola ed io ci amiamo.” Priscilla hissed back at him and it made Sergio laughed. (Nicola and I love each other.) “Love? You make me laugh servant. Whatever you want to call it, the Count still got what he wants in the end. His son will marry the Countess and since my lord spared your life, he still wanted to punish you.” Sergio told her and smirked. “He ordered me to kill your pathetic family instead and let you watch it.” He added Priscilla’s eyes widened with what she heard.    And then the men standing behind her family pulled out their blades as her siblings’ cried became louder, even her mother pleads to spare them. Priscilla tried to get out of Sergio’s hold on her to run to her family but it was useless. Sergio continued to grin and then he gave his men a nod, signaling them to kill their hostage. “No!”    Priscilla screamed and still tried to get out of Sergio’s hold, but it was no use as the men swung their blades and cut off the heads of her whole family. Priscilla felt her heart leaped to her throat as her father’s head rolled near where she is standing. Their bodies dropped to the ground as their blood pooled around them. “Nooooo!!!”   As Priscilla screamed and cry, Sergio and his men laughed at her. Then Sergio pushed Priscilla and slammed the end of his sword at the back of her head. She lost consciousness and fell to the ground. But before darkness fully took over her, the last thing her eyes saw was her father’s eyes.   When Sergio made sure that Priscilla was unconscious, he told his men to leave. But before leaving one of them asked him. “Perché non abbiamo ucciso la ragazza?” (Why didn’t we kill the girl?) “La sua miseria la ucciderà di più.” Sergio answered and then they hopped into their horses and left the place.  (Her misery will kill her more.) **********************************.   When Priscilla woke up, the first thing she saw was the decapitated bodies of her family drenched in their dried blood. Her heart broke over and over, and cannot help but blame herself for what happened to them. She was the reason why they are dead.   She cannot find the strength to get up and just cried and just hoped that death will take her too. But after hours of crying, her thoughts went to the Count and Sergio; on how cruel is the Count for ordering his evil henchman Sergio to kill her family, just because she loved his son.   Nicola...   She thought of him and she cannot get her head wrap up if he betrayed her or not. He agreed to marry the Countess to save her but it only cost the life of her whole family. She started to blame Nicola as well; in her head, it’s also his fault why she lost her entire family. And after a few more minutes of pondering, her mind was clouded and she lets her anger and her resentment consume her. That is when she finally decided to get her revenge on the people that killed her family.   She slowly got up and started digging graves for her family using just her hands. It took her a couple of hours and when she was done, she placed a pointy rock as a mark for the graves.  “You didn't deserve the life you lived and you definitely don’t deserve this kind of death. I vow to get revenge on the people who did us wrong; I will take their lives as they took ours. And then, I’ll gladly follow all of you.” She said and then she turned around and made her way towards the woods.    Inside the woods, she gathered the things she needed for her revenge. She gathered some Belladonna, Hemlock, and Monkshood. Then she went towards an empty cottage that she found a few days ago and boiled all the plants until they reached the proper consistency. She then poured the extract into a flask medium-sized and a smaller one, then she smirked while looking at it.   She just created a very strong poison out of the three very poisonous plants. After preparing it, she got herself cleaned and prepared for her revenge. She also took a dagger with her and hid it under her cloak together with the flask, and then she made her way towards the De Luca estate. **********************************.   Meanwhile, inside the De Luca estate where the wedding will be held, the Count was glad to see the decorations for the wedding in his courtyard. He is in high spirits when his henchman Sergio told him that the job was done; and not only that he finally got rid of the servant girl, his son is finally marrying the young Duchess Isabela.   While they wait for the ceremonies to start, refreshments were served to all the guests. As the bride is still getting ready, Nicola remained inside his room. He was crying, heartbroken that he is now going to get married to someone he doesn’t love. But he had to, to save the life of the woman his heart desires.   His servants already helped him get into his suit and he’s all ready for the ceremonies. If everyone around him is all excited for the celebration of his marriage, he on the other hand felt like it was his funeral. Priscilla was the only woman that he dreamed of marrying, but it can’t happen anymore.    He was pulled out of his thoughts when a female servant came in. “My lord, your father wished to speak to you in his office.” The servant told her.   Nicola stood up from the armchair and walked out of his room. The servant closed the door and followed the young Count.   Meanwhile, inside the Count’s office, he was talking to Sergio. “Now that the De Luca and Conti will be joined by marriage, it also gave me additional lands and power.” The Count said. “Tutto il tuo duro lavoro alla fine è stato ripagato, mio signore.” Sergio said. (All your hard work finally paid off, my lord.)   The Count nodded and smirked. “Lo ha fatto, infatti.” (It did, indeed.)   Then the Count gave Sergio a glass of wine. They clinked their glasses before chugging down its whole contents. They refilled their glasses and drank them once again. “By the way, after the wedding find the servant girl and kill her.” The Count ordered. “Sì, mio Signore.” (Yes, my lord.)   Then there was a knock and Nicola came in. “Volevi parlarmi, padre?” Nicola asked. (You wished to speak to me, father?) “Come and celebrate with us, son. You're finally getting married.” The Count said. “No thanks, father. I rather that we get this over and done with. ” Nicola said nonchalantly and then he turned around and left.   The Count scoffed and drank a bit more before he followed his son out into the courtyard. When they got there, Nicola just chose to stand far away from all the guests while the Count started mingling with the people.   A few minutes later as they were told to take a position as the bride is about to walk down the aisle. Nicola stood at the end of the aisle with the priest as Isabela walks towards him. But she halted her steps when one of the guests suddenly dropped in the middle of the aisle.       Isabela screamed as everyone was alarmed. But then everyone started to panic when one by one, the guests started to drop on the ground; their bodies stiff and having difficulty of breathing.   Isabela’s servants pulled her back inside the manor, while the Count started barking orders. Not too far from them, Priscilla was standing behind a marble pillar watching everyone die because of the poison she put in all the wines that were served.   Sergio was looking around when his eyes fell on a familiar face. “The Servant girl.” Sergio hissed and it caught the Count and Nicola’s attention. “Get her!” The Count exclaimed and Sergio chased after her.   Priscilla noticed that Sergio was out to get her; she started running towards the back of the estate. The Count followed them while Nicola waited a few seconds before following his father. When Sergio managed to catch Priscilla, he held her by her throat, squeezing it. “You dare show your face here. I should be killing you after the wedding but there is no harm if I will kill you now. ” Sergio snarled.   Sergio slammed Priscilla against the wall and continued to choke her. They were at that position when Count De Luca came. “Uccidi subito quel servo Sergio.” The Count said. (Kill that servant now Sergio.)   As Sergio continued to choke her, she was slowly starting to lose consciousness when Sergio froze and his hand let go of Priscilla’s throat. The Count was confused as to why Sergio let her go. When Sergio fell on his knees and he looked like he cannot breathe, Priscilla coughed up before giggling. “At first, you won't feel anything. And then your eyes getting blurry, you'll stager, your head will hurt like it was being split in two. Then you'll feel your mouth and throat dry before your body finally turns stiff; as you find it difficult to breathe. And then you will slowly die. ” Priscilla said.   The Count was confused as to what was she saying until Sergio started heaving and he feels like his visions started to blur. “The magic of Belladona, Hemlock, and Monkshood,” Priscilla said with a smug look on her face. “Voi! L'hai fatto tu!” Sergio still managed to snarl at Priscilla. (You! You did this!) “Of course, I did. Do you think after taking my family from me I will just let it go? ” She said. “In just an hour or less, your whole courtyard will be filled with your guests dead in poison.” She added, and then at the same time, Nicola came into the scene.   He saw Priscilla and heard what she said but he didn’t pay attention as he sees a very sick-looking Sergio on his knees. His father on the other hand looked really angry. “Diavolo!” The Count yelled at Priscilla (You devil!) “If I am the devil then what would that makes you?” Priscilla asked the Count.   Then Sergio snarled and with what was left with his strength, he grabbed Priscilla. But she was ready for him; she pulled the dagger tucked underneath her cloak and then she slashed Sergio’s neck before stabbing his eye. “NO!”   Priscilla whipped her head when she heard Nicola’s voice. She glared at him and pushed the dead Sergio to the ground. Nicola looked at her with wide eyes as her hands and her face were splattered with blood. “P-Priscilla, why are you doing this?” He asked. “It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault.” Priscilla chanted and it confuses Nicola more. “Do you see what kind of person that servant is?! She’s a killer! ” The Count told his son but it only angered Priscilla. “You killed my family! You told your men to kill my family and let me watch them chop off their heads! ” Priscilla snarled and Nicola’s eyes widened with what Priscilla just said. “Che cosa?” He asked and Priscilla turned towards him. (What?) “And you, you should've just let them kill me! My family! My siblings! They are all dead because of you! I hate you! ” Priscilla snarled and that is when Nicola realized what happened.   Because he made that deal with his father, instead of killing her he had her family killed. Now he understands why Priscilla would act that way; she lost her entire family. “Priscilla, listen to me. I understand, but you have to stop this. Killing them is not the answer. The guards are coming and they will only kill you. Nicola said, trying to reason with her.   Priscilla looked at him in the eye. “Ho intenzione di morire con tutti gli altri oggi.” She said. (I intend to die with everyone else today.) “Allora morirai!” The Count hollered and then he attacked Priscilla with a sword. (Then you shall die!)   Nicola immediately saw his father’s movement and rushed towards Priscilla to protect her. But in the end, his father stabbed him when he stood in front of the woman he loves.   The Count’s eyes widened with what he has done and he lets go of the sword at the same time Nicola fell on Priscilla. The Count also dropped on the ground as he started feeling the other symptoms of the poison. And while he was gasping for air, Priscilla cradled Nicola’s head as she cried.   Blood poured out of his injury and Priscilla was trying to stop the bleeding while bawling her eyes out. “Don't cry, I hate it when you cry. I'm sorry about your family; I thought I was doing the right thing. ” Nicola paused as he chokes on blood. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me and I never regretted any second that I was with you. I will love even beyond death, and I will pray that the next time I see you again, I can keep my promise of marrying you and building a life with you.” “Stop talking. You need to live; I was the one that was supposed to die. ” Priscilla told him but Nicola just gave her a small smile. “You need to live. I want you to live a life away from this place. I love you, my precious Priscilla. ” He told her and then he choked again until he finally breathes his last breath.   Priscilla shakes her head and started shaking Nicola’s body. “No, no, no, svegliati. Per favore svegliati.” She cried. (No, no, no, wake up. Please wake up.)   The Count saw his son died and in just seconds, he can no longer breathe, and then he died. As Priscilla weeps and hugged Nicola’s body, she heard guards coming her way. She pulled away and kissed Nicola’s forehead, and whispered. “Ci vediamo presto, amore mio.” (I will see you soon, my love.)   Then Priscilla kissed his lips one last time before she stood up and run away towards the woods. She runs and runs, as fast as her feet can take her. She can hear hunting dogs from a distance so she dropped her cloak and run the opposite way, towards the deep dark part of the woods.   When she was finally out of breath and she felt as though her lungs are burning she stopped running and plopped down to the ground. As she pants hard, she cried for the loss of the man she loves.    A few minutes later, she pulled out a small bottle from her pocket. It contains the poison that she concocted earlier. She removed the cork and took a deep breath before she chugged down its contents. Once she drank everything in the bottle, she leaned back on the tree trunk and closed her eyes, and waited for death to take her.   Not long afterward, she started to feel all the symptoms. When she can no longer breathe, she welcomes her death. But as she took her last breath and last beat of her heart, the wind picks up as a hooded figure appeared from the tree line.   That figure slowly glided towards Priscilla’s body. Once it was standing in front of her, the figure raised what looks like its arm revealing its grayish, boney fingers which opened up and held its hand up. Then a yellowish light came out of Priscilla’s mouth and it formed into a small ball of light and flew into the center of the waiting palm of the hooded creature. The figure clasped its hand close before opening it again and the light disappeared. And then from the tip of its index finger, a red light emits. “You who sinned wrath shall remain on earth; never to age, never to die, and never to forget everything that you have done.”   The raspy- creepy voice echoes around the dark forest.  “Reap a million evil souls and save a million good souls, and by then you can only claim your life back.” The figure said, and then the tip of its finger touched Priscilla’s forehead.   After the last words, the hooded figure disappeared in the dark. And once it was gone, Priscilla’s body glowed with a red aura before she gasped and opened her eyes.