Thanks for reading, your comments encourage me so much.



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Over the next week Lana improved immensely growing stronger every day physically and emotionally. The palace doctor who saw to her every day reported that by the end of the week she would be well enough to be removed from bed rest to be able to move about the palace. I was anxiously awaiting for the day that she was allowed out and about. I spent every passing day with her in her room, me in the green plush chair beside her bed, and her in her bed burried under layers upon layers of blankets. We were not allowed allone though, a servant was always in the room to "monitor" out behavior. The palace physician told me that Lana was severely dehydrated, malnourished not to menchin savagely beaten to almost the point of death. Every time I thought of how that sweet girl was treated by those ruffians and thugs the monster burried in the depths of my chest threatened to burst out and murder them my self with my hear hands.

I would do it too if my father did not have them so securly locked up in the dongeon under constant watch and supervision they would have been dead long ago. Believe me. But my father was a noble and just man. They would be held until their trial where they would have a chance to plead their case before the Senate of Elders and my father and I. Then, the rebutal would be given, and finally a verdict would be given. It was common knoweledge that they were guilty but all citizens were allowed a fair and just trial as much as it pained me to say I knew waiting until that time was the proper and honorable thing to do, not only as a citizen but as the Duke-Regent.

At that moment I was barakated in the private library researching all the records known about  the Forbidden Arts, not to pratice, I knew the law. But to understand the history behind the trials of the witches accused of meddeling in them. There was a chance I knew, that perhaps she was infact guilty, sorceressess are known to be cunning women, experts in deception and kerdia or trickery. Medea the second most powerful sorceress in the world was able to connivence Jason to marry her with her great cunning and sonorous words. That was my greatest fear, that she would be a descendent of the terrible Serfine come back to destroy us all.

I had to figure it out before I became too bestottled with her, too engrossed with her to decipher my feelings with her compelling spells.

"My Liege, Talan, Your Grace?" I heard my personal man-servant and closest companion Erick call out for me. I leaned out from behind my pile of books I had stacked up around me, creating a kind of fort -like cage around my self. "Yes Erick, I am here. What is the matter my good man?" I asked concerned. Erick was a calm young man who never barged into any thing but the way he bounded into the room the way he did had my mind realling at the possibities of what could be wrong. Seeing him though I calmed down, he was blushing red from running but excitement emoted from him not trepitdation or disquietude.

After catching much needed beathe he said excitedly "It is Lana Sire. Berkin's the physician instructed me to tell you at once that she is well. He wants her to walk about to assess fully how she is."

I bounded up from the desk, knocking a few books to the flood where they landed with a thump in the process, but I was too excited to stop and pick them up off the ground and stack them properly. I was going to get a long lecture and hear it from Gibbons, the head librarian, but seeing her well would be well worth it.

Bursting into the room I quickly found Lana with my eyes. I lighened immensely upon seeing her blushing cheeks filled with color agian. I smiled brightly at her and she in return smiled at me, her cheeks glowing an even darker red than before. Catching the knowing smirk of the doctor and his attendants I glowered at them. They quickly lowered their heads in submission to my authority. Turing to the beautiful girl who had gotten under my guard and into my heart. "How are you doing Signorina Rosso, I hear you are greatlu imporved and ready to be out of bed rest."

"Si la tua grazia I am, staying here any longer and I might have gone crazy." She answered truthfully and with out qualms of seeming improper. Odd.

"Well then meet me in the courtyard behind the palace and I will show you the gardens, then we will talk. Va bene?" She nodded her head in agreement. With a final nod to the doctor I left her to dress. The gardens were my great-grandmothers doing. She wanted something to do, wanted something beautiful to see while her beloved was away at war. He returned of course but the garden had become an very important part of her life. It was still kept up by the gardeners and my self in memory of my brave bisnonna, Beatrice.

Of all the places in my city, this garden was my favorite of them all. There was a small labyrinth made of winding green tressels that made a octagonal shape around the centre of the garden. At the centre of the labyrinth there was a small wooden bench set up for those cleaver enough to decipher the labyrinths twists and turns and dead ends. Along the edges were soft flowers lottering around in the individual grassy plots. There were many different types of flowers, much more than I could ever name. This was my safe haven, my solitude. Where I came to do my deep thinking and breath in peace for once. The fact that I was sharing this with a young girl that I barley knew was shocking to every one even to me.

"Ahem, Your Grace. Sire." A soft gentle voice broke through my deep thoughts.I turned around to face her, my jaw dropped at the beautiful woman before me. Lana was a radiant beauty. Her drk hair shone in the  sunlight, glinting in the afternoon sun. The dress she was wearing was lightly dragging the grass benieth it, it was a deep crimson red and clung tightly to her skin hugging her curves and showing a bit of the pale skin of her chest. Not enough for me to notice but enough for my mother to be scandalized at the sight. I grabbed her hand and gently pulled her to my side. "You, you look amazing Signorina Rosso." I whispered in her ear causing her to shiver against my shoulder.

"Th--thank you. Your Grace." She whispered bowing her head respectively, hiding her blush. That blush was enough to cause my heart to race against my chest. "Please call me Talan, No need to be formal with me." I despised the constant formality that people kept up around me. I might be the next Duke but I loved my people too much to subject them to proper and formal actions.

"Yes, Your Grac--Talan." She whispered uncertaintly. I smiled down at her. She truly was a sight to be hold. "Come my dear,  I want to show you something." And gently pulled her along be hind me toward the entrence of the labyrinth.

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"Oh my, this place is incredible Talan." We stood at thre centre of the labryinth where the tendrils towered over us, tall as the trees in the forest casting shadows around the corners, not imposing but tranquil. And at the very center was a fountian spouting water from the top spilling down along the sides dropping into the bowl below. This was my favorite spot in all of Venice, in my opinion that is. To share it with her was the equivalent of giving her my heart, which was actually I was close to doing. "Yes mia bellezza, this is my secret place where I go to seek solitude from the outside chaotic world of the Dukedom." I told her stepping up beside the bench resting my hand against it. This truly was the most beautiful place in the world, it was a shame that more people could not experience its beauty and grace.

"This is your favorite spot, why pray may I ask did you show me?" She asked me surprised. If she did not know by now what she meant to me then she was blind, everyone in the palace knew. I could see the looks of encouragement and some distastful ones from people who had hoped that I would marry their daughters. But I had never had eyes for anyone before this girl before me, I hoped I never would again. "Do you really not know mio cuore, my heart, how I feel about you?" I leaned down toward her, closer than what was probably appropriate. Her face glowing with realization as it slowly dawned on her how I truly felt about her.

"I think I do, but Talan. you do not know me, who I am, where I come from. How could you.....love me?" She was taken aback at my outlandish statement and scoffed as if it were the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. "What is there to know, I know you already, you are kind, loving, brave, courageous, beautiful. You are everything that I have ever and will ever want as a wife and life--long compainon" I knelt down to the ground on one knee and took her hands lovinly in mine. "I love you, is that so hard to believe? That I could love you, il mio amore? I swear to you here, under the heavens that I love you forever and until the end of time itself. After the trial in a few days I wish to marry you. Do you agree?"

She contemplated this for a while, then her smile grew giving her a heavenly angelic glow. "Yes I believe you, I know you and you know me. I love you too. I truly do Talan, I will marry you and be your wife. I will." She pernounced joyfully tears sparkeling in her green eyes. I swept her off her feet spinning her around in circles laughing until we were dizzy. "Come mio amore, let us tell my parents the joyous news." We made our way back out of the maze and back to the reality of the real world.

Just as we made it to the entrance of the palace doors I heard her speak softly to her self. "mais vous ne savez pas moi mon duc, vous ne me connaissez pas du tout." I was not sure if I had in fact heard her correctly but her words shook me to my core. Maybe I did not in fact know this girl as well as I thought. Who was she before comming here? Where was she from? I was already planning how I would find out her past.

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Sorry for the wait, I was sick and I really did not feel up to doing anything but sleeping. I hope you like it. Please comment and vote!!!!