The Medici Girl

In the Darkness

The sound of wood hitting wood could be heard at the small group of trees outside of Firenze where a man and woman were practicing sword fighting. The woman was slower than the man in her reactions to his swings, but overall he thought she was doing well. Nearby, their horses were tied in the shade to keep them cool while they were able to stand and rest. The blond woman wore brown trousers with a linen shirt and her riding boots as she worked hard to keep up with her opponents moves. 

"You are getting good at this." Giuliano said as Contessina blocked his swing and pushed his wooden sword away from her. "Who knew only a few weeks ago you could barely stand on your own two feet." 

"And who knows Giuliano, I may be able to knock you off yours in a few weeks more." She said with a cocky smile before swinging back at him only for her sword to be knocked out of her hand. 

"Right, well, when that happens you can be sure that Lorenzo will be the one to avenge me." He held the point of his sword at her chin. "Until then, you are still not that great." He said with a wink while she caught her breath. 

"Not if I hide your body first." She said picking up her sword and hitting it against Giuliano's as quick as she could. 

"Are you threatening me?" He said as he blocked her attack and held her there. "That sounds like a threat. Maybe I should let you walk home." 

"And have Lorenzo yell at you for leaving me alone?" Contessina said grunting as she pushed her weight against him. 

"I can always say you've been kidnapped by a band of misfits. I'm sure you would fit right in with them." Giuliano did not blink. He had her attention long enough to put his right leg behind her left and pull her stance apart. She yelped as she fell backwards onto the green grass and dropped her sword. "Lesson number eighty-seven, don't have a conversation while fighting." He laughed at her when she looked up at him. He held out his hand to her. 

"Yes I know." She sighed sitting up and taking his hand to let him pull her up to her feet. "Because it distracts, but you can use it to your advantage." She dusted herself off before picking up her sword again. 

"Right. Only if you can get your opponent riled up enough by taunting them. The objective, Contessina, is to let their cockiness be their downfall." Giuliano pointed his sword at her again. 

"Unless you are Lorenzo." Contessina said with a sly smirk as she readied herself again for an advance from Giuliano. 

"Yes, unless you are Lorenzo who does not know how to smile." Giuliano took a high guard and swiped down at Contessina. She was barely able to move backwards out of the way when he went to thrust at her, however she was able to spin herself to miss being 'impaled' by the wooden sword. "Very good." He told her as she came back to block him again. She looked down when she felt something poking her in the flank to see Giuliano holding a stick he had picked up earlier like a dagger. "But not good enough." He chuckled as he put his sword down and tossed the stick aside. 

"That was really dirty, Giuliano." Contessina said as her cousin sat down in the grass to take a break. "I thought we Medici are supposed to fight with honor and dignity?" 

"Your enemy is not always going to fight with honor Contessina. Sometimes they fight dirty too and you have to be prepared for their tricks. Sometimes fighting with honor will get you killed." He said laying on his back as she sat down beside him wondering what was going to happen next. 

"So you are saying that I should fight dirty then?" Contessina asked him as she began to play with the blades of grass at her sides. 

"No, only when you have to." Giuliano sighed as he looked at the sky above them. "We should go home, but I don't feel like it."