The Serpent Queen

28. The Florentine people

12th of december , 1535
Florence, Italy

After the mass, Margarita, followed by her servants and guards, walked out of the Florentine dome. Outside, a large group of civilians was already gathered on the sidewalk.

Today, as agreed, she would give the Florentine citizens money to calm them down.

"Distribute them the money." Said Margarita to her servants who carried sacks full of gold coins in their hands. She herself also had a bag in her hands.

She started handing out the gold coins. "May God bless you." She said every time she pressed two coins into someone's hands.

Soon the pockets were empty, and although Margarita felt satisfied, the citizens thought the opposite.

"Can the duke only afford to give two coins per citizen?" a man whispered to someone next to him. The man next to him sniffed his nose. "The duke wants to save all his money for his expensive parties."

It wasn't long before the disgruntled buzz was replaced by loud shouts.

"With two coins we can barely afford enough food to feed our children's mouths!" cried a woman angrily.

"While the duke's bastards enjoy the best food that can be prepared, our children here are dying like flies in winter!" someone added.

Margarita looked around startled. She had thought they would be pleased with their favour, instead they were dissatisfied.

The crowd of people gradually came to Margarita and she felt suffocated. Frightened as she could be, she reached for the little dagger she always carried with her in the sleeves of her dress.

Although the dagger wouldn't save her if the masses decided to attack her, it brought a sense of security.

"The duke and I sympathize with you and do everything we can to take the famine and discontent away from you, but that takes time. Accept this favor for now and wait patiently until we can help you better?"

A woman pushed forward through the crowd and stood in front of Margarita. The guards surrounding Margarita tried to push her away, but the woman did not give up. "Be patient? My Piero here only eats dry bread. Look at him duchess? Do the duke's children whom you love so dear look like this child who is the same age as them."

Margarita looked at the boy the woman was carrying on her hip. The boy was so thin that Margarita could see his bones protruding from under his gray, soiled skin. The boy was dressed in a torn shirt that, like himself, was covered in dirt and too big for him.

The woman continued. "You wear jewelry whose value could feed and keep warm several families. Your dresses are made of silk that the workers had to cut open their hands to make for you. You have everything, my duchess, but we, we have nothing."

It seemed that the moment Margarita saw the child, realization began to sink in.

These people were suffering. They were cold and they were hungry and instead of helping them, and all the wealthy of Florence, were feasting, wasting pounds of food and burning piles of wood to keep unused rooms warm.

Margarita looked around at everyone around them. One by one they were poor and angry. Angry at her, angry at Alessandro and everyone who looked down on them.

These people probably had to bury dozens of loved ones because they starved or got sick and couldn't afford medicines.

Tears formed in Margarita's eyes but she swallowed them. She couldn't show weakness now. She had no right to cry, she had it all.

Margarita reached to her neck and undid the knot that held her necklace around her neck. "Take this and sell it." She gave the necklace to the woman.

She took off the bracelets and rings on her finger, keeping only her wedding ring, since it held value, and her earrings. She handed out the jewelry to the people standing around her.

It was a small act. But she hoped they would see that she meant the best for them.

༺༻

Back at the Palazzo Medici, Margarita hurried to Alessandro's rooms, where he would most likely be at this moment.

She had been crying all the way to the palace. She was scared and sad at the same time. She was afraid something would happen to them if she didn't change soon.

Margarita walked into Alessandro's room where he was writing a letter behind his table.

"Husband!" She called. Alessandro looked up at his wife who had come to stand in front of him.

"Margarita, how was it?" he asked her, seeing her distraught expression. He immediately got up and walked over to his wife. "What happened?" he asked worriedly now, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"This has to stop Alessandro, our people are suffering and we are rubbing our wealth in their faces." Margarita rattled.

Alessandro looked at her with incomprehension. Margarita's panicked answer didn't answer his question just now.

"Margarita answer: What happened?" he cried now.

"No more parties, no more expensive clothes and jewelry and we have to pay attention to how much we waste as a household." Margarita rattled on. She hadn't heard Alessandro's question, all she could think about was Pietro's thin body.

"Margarita!" shouted Alessandro. Margarita's eyes immediately fixed on Alessandro and it seemed as if she finally jumped out of her delirium. "What happened?" He asked again now, in a soft tone.

Margarita took a deep breath. She looked at Alessandro with a look of sadness and fear.

"They all hate us Alessandro, and I'm afraid if we don't satisfy them very soon, this will end very badly for all of us."