#eola

Close ups^^

Night fell, and Illario carefully steered the gondola in, following Cesario’s directions, and after parking up and mooring, it was in to the secret tunnel Illario had had no idea existed. Which led into the cellar then the kitchen. Illario talked his way past the staff, telling them not to worry, they were just having a few friends round for quiet drinks, let’s not bother Caterina eh, we’ll keep the noise down.

The servants, those still on duty, were quite happy to do that, and then it was off to Luciana’s room, Luciana and Illario leading the way, and the Ciceros slipping quietly behind, and sometimes even Illario forgot they were there.

Into the room, and then they set to work, Cicero lighting magelights in the window to signal Eola in, Cesario flipping open a bag to start filling it, while Illario and Luciana were handling the snakes, carefully waking them up and taking one each. Things were going quite well… until they heard the tapping of a cane on the marble outside, and Caterina pushed the door open.

Cicero was under the bed. Cesario hiding behind the door. Eola in crow form was hopping out of her line of sight, lurking on the balcony. Everyone waiting to see what would happen as Caterina Dellamorte stood in the doorway, staring at her grandchildren, packed bags on the floor and clearly in the act of moving Luciana out.

“What is this,” Caterina snapped. “Where are you two going. Luciana did not tell me she was moving out.”

Hard stare at the pair of them, Luciana and Illario exchanging panicked looks, and then Luciana spoke up.

“We’re leaving. We’re going to Villa Fabio. Permanently. We’ve got enough money to retire so we’re out. We’re giving our children a better life, Caterina. Don’t try to stop us.”

“Children?” Caterina gasped, still glaring at them both. “You need a husband for that. Try again.”

Illario glanced at Luciana. Luciana met his gaze, nodded and took his hand.

“And I found one,” Luciana said, finally admitting it and feeling the emotion surging through her as she finally claimed her lover. “I’m marrying Illario.”

Horror on Caterina’s face as she finally realised just why the cousins had been hanging around together so much lately.

“What??” Caterina exploded. “Impossible. He’s your cousin! Not only that, your hand is far too valuable to be wasted on him! We could have an alliance with one of the other Crow Houses, a merchant prince’s family, the Montilyets, the Royal Family! And you went for another Dellamorte??”

Caterina, incensed, had stepped forward, cane raised, aiming it at Illario as if a beating would talk him out of it, and Luciana cried out, pushing him behind her…

And out of the shadows came a black-gloved hand, seizing the cane mid-strike, and Caterina gasped as she found herself face to face with her former lover.

“Cesario?” Caterina gasped, and Cesario carefully lowered the cane, shaking his head.

“I know, Caterina,” Cesario snapped. “About Fabio. About Illario. I know everything! I know Fabio was mine, and I’ll never meet him. And I know Illario’s my grandson. And I will not abandon him. I have Red Cicero and the Blight Witch at my back, and you will never lay a finger on either of these two again.”

Caterina gasped as the point of a dagger came to rest against her throat, and she slid her gaze left to where Cicero had emerged, dagger at the ready, a smile on his face and the resemblance to Cesario undeniable.

“Hello!” Cicero chirped. “I’m his nephew. My mother was his older sister. I kill people for a living too!”

“I could have half the villa’s Crows here in minutes,” Caterina hissed at him, and Cicero just smiled.

“You’d be bled out before they arrived.”

And then Eola shifted back into human form, sauntering into the room, Staff of Magnus in hand.

“I could have half the Deep Roads in here dealing with your Crows while we made our escape,” Eola said sweetly. “I think we’ve all established we’re a room of trained killers. Maybe a little civility is called for, hmm?”

Caterina closed her eyes and nodded, stepping away while Cicero sheathed his knife, sensing the danger had passed.

“You’ve made your point,” Caterina said bitterly. “I’d heard you’d escaped the Circle. I knew you weren’t coming back. I’d heard of a connection to Red Cicero too. I didn’t know if he was truly a nephew or an illegitimate son, but I also knew he was best left alone. And here you both are. Taking my children.”

“They’re adults, Caterina,” Cesario said, shaking his head. “And they are making their own decisions. Ones I support, I might add. Had you treated them better growing up, they might have made other ones.”

“I lost everyone else, Cesario!” Caterina cried, glaring at him. “Everyone! I wasn’t losing them too. They needed to be strong. So I made them strong. No sentimentality. No weakness. They would be the perfect Dellamortes.”

“I’m not even a Dellamorte!” Illario cried. “It turns out I’m a Di Rosso!”

“I know,” Caterina said bitterly. “You’re exactly like your father, except you’ve got your mother’s seduction skills. I tried to counter it. I tried to bring out my blood. But no. The LaRose blood won out.”

“Was that so bad?” Cesario asked, looking a little hurt, and Cicero was pouting too. “You loved me once! I know you loved Fabio too. You made him take music lessons and learn my songs. You were trying to share my legacy with him! But he died and you’ve been disfavouring his son ever since. Why??”

“Because it was easier!” Caterina cried, and her vehemence seemed to surprise even her. “I lost you and I never got over it. Then I lost Fabio, and it broke me. My little songbird! My little boy, the last of them! Gone. Gone and lost to me and… I made up my mind I was never loving another LaRose. I was not having my heart broken again.”

Silence in the room, because that had been deeply personal. Caterina never got that emotional about anything. Luciana had let Illario go, moving nearer with her hand outstretched, whispering her name, but Caterina shook her head, clearly rattled herself.

“Go then,” Caterina said quietly. “Take your things and leave. When you realise that truth for yourself, girl, that that family will always break your heart, there’ll still be a place here for you.”

“Caterina!” Luciana cried, but Caterina turned and left, apparently giving up. Victory… but it didn’t feel like one.

“Well, no one died,” Cesario sighed. “I suppose that’s a win. But… ah Talos. This is my fault, isn’t it. For leaving her.”

“You had your reasons, Uncle,” Cicero said, coming to place a hand on his uncle’s shoulder. “I mean, you didn’t leave her because she was easy to live with, did you.”

Cesario did laugh at that.

“No. Although I never did live with her. I think her husband would definitely have complained.”

Cicero cackled before remarking he wasn’t so sure, he was fairly certain his uncle could have charmed his way into being allowed to move in, and Cesario just smiled and patted his shoulder before turning to Luciana and Illario, who were cuddling each other. Or rather, Luciana was comforting Illario who seemed to be crying.

“Ah,” Cesario breathed. “Illarito. Are you all right.”

“No,” Illario said, voice muffled as he held on to Luciana. “All that time, all the years trying to please her, trying to be the perfect Dellamorte, the perfect Crow, and it never worked and the whole time she’d already made up her mind to hate me?? Because she lost my father and wasn’t going through that again??”

“That’s often the case,” Eola was saying, approaching from the balcony to pat Illario’s back. “Half the time, it’s not about you, just who they’re seeing in you. It wasn’t your fault. There was nothing you could have done to change anything. You were just a kid. It wasn’t your fault.”

Illario dried his eyes, let Luciana go, before turning to smile at Eola.

“Thank you, amiga,” Illario said, reaching out to put an arm round her. “You know, you didn’t have to come tonight. I’m glad you did.”

“Oh, someone needs to keep the Ciceros out of trouble,” Eola said, smiling at Illario before turning to put an arm round Luciana as well. “Come on, you two should get going. I think we’re nearly done here.”

Nearly. There wasn’t a lot left to grab, and Cicero was soon stuffing the rest into bags before it was time to go. It took a few trips, but they did eventually have it all in the gondola. Not enough room for Eola or the Ciceros though.

“Don’t mind us,” Cicero said cheerfully. “We’ve got lodgings in the city, we’ll find them for the night. Get home to your villa and rest. You’ve earned it.”

“We’ll make our own way there and check in tomorrow,” Eola promised. “Take care now!”

The gondola set off, leaving two Ciceros and the Blight Witch watching it sail off. Well. Two of them were. The elder Cicero was staring back into the tunnel, regretful look on his face.

“Do you think she’s all right,” Cicero Senior whispered.

Eola and Cicero both turned as one, followed his gaze and then realised.

“Holy shit. You are not seriously worrying about Caterina,” Eola said, incredulous. “You left her for a reason!”

“I know,” Cicero Senior whispered. “But she’s all alone.”

Cicero was just gazing at his uncle, shaking his head.

“Uncle. Uncle, please. Please do not tell us you still find her attractive.”

Telling silence in the air, and Cicero Senior wasn’t meeting their eyes. Cicero just rubbed his forehead and turned to Eola.

“Apparently his terrible romantic decisions did not end with his youth.”

“Don’t judge me,” Cicero Senior muttered, glaring at his nephew. And Eola, who clearly very much was.

“Cicero, the old dragon mistreated your grandson and his cousin for years from the sound of it, and tried to force Luciana to get married against her will, and we just had to help them flee the place,” Eola sighed. “She’s a horrible human being.”

“I know, but if I’d stayed in Treviso,” Cicero Senior said wistfully, and Cicero just sighed, taking his arm.

“Ricardo Dellamorte finds out and runs you out of town, and you have to leave anyway,” Cicero sighed. “It would not have made a difference.”

Maybe not. And the past could not be changed, Cicero Senior knew that. But he’d looked into her heart with the powers Vile gave him and not seen hate or malevolence. Just the will to survive… and determination to ensure her grandchildren made it, no matter what. She’d destroyed their relationships with her in a daedric bargain to ensure that at least they lived. She couldn’t lose another Di Rosso, so she forged both in the fire. Didn’t matter if Illario didn’t love her. He just needed to live.

He’s going to. I’ll make sure of it, mi Catalita.

Illario was going to live. And be happy. And be a famous musician. Cicero Senior would make certain of it.

~~~~~~~

Back at Villa Fabio, the snakes soon settled in their new home and the bags of stuff awaiting packing loaded in and left in the hall, but sorting those was tomorrow’s job. Right now, Luciana was lying on the double bed in the room that was rapidly becoming hers while Illario lay by her side, staring at the ceiling.

First Talon. He’d wanted to be First Talon so badly and decided taking advantage of his cousin by chatting her up would be a great way to claim it, or at least rule as power behind the scenes. But now it was all out in the open - his father wasn’t legitimate - and Illario realised he didn’t even want it any more.

I’m a Di Rosso. Or LaRose.

Quirk of linguistics, a Cyrodiilic family name rendered into an Orlesian equivalent then pronounced by Antivans. Cesario himself had about three different versions of his first name by this point – a hazard of being an international spy. All the same, Illario was fairly sure Cesario had a very firm idea of who he was.

How ironic that Illario had just the one first name and not a clue who he was any more. Once he’d have said Antivan Crow, arch-seducer, master manipulator, making his cousin dance to his tune as he took over her life.

He felt like none of that now. Just Illario, lying here, realising the reason he’d started all this in the first place was gone. He didn’t care about the First Talon seat, House Dellamorte, none of it, not even spiting Caterina. Not any more. He’d looked into an old woman’s eyes and realised she’d cut him off from the start and not even because of him. Because of his father and grandfather leaving her.

It stung. It truly did. But there was also something very freeing about realising there was nothing he could have done. It didn’t matter. He was never going to win her approval. He didn’t need to try. He could just live free of her instead.

Illario glanced over at Luciana, wondering how she felt. Caterina had actually shown affection to her. Conditional affection, of course, but still affection. Luciana was the true Dellamorte here. She didn’t need to leave it behind. She didn’t have family waiting for her. She’d walked away and she’d done it for him, and Illario knew full well he didn’t deserve it.

Of course he was still marrying her. He wasn’t not going to, not now. But he’d done terrible things to his sweet, innocent cousin. Taken her virginity. Had filthy, kinky sex with her. Used her for pleasure and left her pleading for more. He was not proud of himself, despite the sex being fantastic. Job done, she was out of Caterina’s corner and firmly into his but… this was a victory but he didn’t feel triumphant. Just empty.

“Are you all right,” Luciana asked, rolling over and snuggling into his arms.

“No,” Illario said quietly, reaching out to hold her. “No, I’m really not. Are you?”

“Of course!” Luciana said, surprised he’d even ask. “I mean, you’re the one who just had your life turned upside down, not me.”

“You just walked out on a grandmother who actually cared about you and left House Dellamorte behind,” Illario said, feeling his emotions settle as she nestled on his chest. “Me, I’m just the unwanted bastard finally taking advantage of that. You’re the legitimate heir and you’re throwing it all away.”

“Perhaps I don’t want to be,” Luciana said, eyes narrowed. “Perhaps I just want to tend to my snakes and cook for my loved ones. I had a brother, Illario. Ricardito, my older brother. He’s the heir, not me! That was his job! But he died. He died, and it’s all on me, and I have had enough. Let House Dellamorte fall if that’s what it takes. I don’t care any more.”

Illario closed his eyes and kissed her forehead.

“Do you definitely still want to get married,” Illario wanted to know. “It turns out I’m truly not who you signed up to be with.”

“You mean, do I still want my handsome musician,” Luciana said, smiling with her eyes closed. “Yes. Yes I do.”

Illario pulled her closer, a quiet relief and happiness in his heart on hearing that.

“I don’t deserve you,” he told her. “I am a horrible person. At least part of the reason for seducing you in the first place was to spite Caterina but… I don’t care about that any more. Half my life has been about trying to please her, and now… I don’t know what to do. But I do know I don’t want you to go. You are my dearest and truest friend, you know.”

Luciana hadn’t answered, flinching a little at his words but not leaving.

“And you mine,” Luciana said softly. “Don’t go. I do still love you. You could have anyone but you’re here with me, and I am so grateful…”

“Don’t be,” Illario said, shivering. “I’m a very bad man. The last thing you should be is grateful for me. Mierda, if I was a good man, I’d have offered to be your wingman and taken you out to socialise and meet people and find dates for you – Luci?”

Luciana had flinched in his arms, not liking that at all.

“I hate socialising!” Luciana cried. “I’d have just spent the entire evening clinging to you anyway! You’re about the only one I feel remotely comfortable with!”

That was true enough. Illario still couldn’t shake the guilt and the feeling she could do better… but at the same time he was also fully aware what she was like around strangers. And he knew that he truly didn’t like the idea of her with someone else who might hurt her.

Luciana was family. And Illario would take care of family forever if he had to. He just wasn’t sure where the line between family and passion was any more. Once there’d definitely been one. High-drama passionate relationships on one hand and coming home for a rest and to chill out with Luci on the other. And somewhere along the line, that divide had fallen apart completely. It bothered Illario… but not enough. He drew Luciana closer, glad more than anything that she was still his.

And then Luciana’s siara-bell chimed and Luciana grabbed it, realising the Queen of Dragons update had just dropped.

“She’s posted!” Luciana squealed, opening it up to see a picture of a great red dragon soaring over the green landscape below, red sun visible in the background setting over a gleaming ocean, and an eagle was flying at the dragon’s side.

“The right flying companion makes all the difference. Don’t clip your wings when you can have someone who can also fly,” Luciana read, and then she smiled, kissed the picture before snuggling into Illario. Who was still a little unsure, but wasn’t turning her away.

He didn’t think he could fly exactly. Or maybe he could but Luciana was the landbound one. There’d be plenty of places he’d go that she couldn’t or wouldn’t follow. But what he did like the idea of was a safe place to land. Somewhere to come home to where he could truly rest and feel safe. He wasn’t used to that. He’d like that.

He looked down at Luciana in his arms and felt himself relaxing. This place could be it. But wherever he was, home had to have Luciana in it. With her snakes and her craft projects and her romance novel collection and taking pictures of everything for the Llunwaith. He’d got used to it now. He’d miss her if she left. Best to make sure she didn’t do that then.

Illario lay back on the bed, bringing Luciana with him and noticing, not for the first time, how pretty she was, and he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. Luciana smiled and hugged him, before looking up and meeting eyes with him. And then she very deliberately reached up to kiss him.

Well. Perhaps he’d been thinking this through a little too much. Perhaps he was through thinking. Returning the kiss, Illario rolled Luciana over on to her back and climbed on top of her. What was the point of marrying his beautiful cousin if he never had sex with her, hmm?