ARIANNA - City of Masks
 
I was the Figlia dell'Isola
At least I thought I was
Until one day
My world was turned upside down
 
I was arrested for braking the Bellezzan law
Only to find I hadn't.
One visit from the Duchessa
Changed my life for ever
 
"Arianna," she said. "I'm your mother."
Those  three words: "I'm your mother"
 rushing through my head -
It couldnt be true.
Valeria was my mother
 
A few weeks later I'm here
sitting in the Duchessa's palazzo
The woman I now know to be my mother
believed to be dead
although i know she's not
my father and my best friend by my side.
 
I'm expected to rule this city
But I dont know where to start.
Life was simpler on Torrone
when all I wanted was to be a mandolier,
——— Sian

The City of Masks
 
Among blue waters,
A city stands.
A city of islands,
The City of Masks.
 
Mandoliers, smiling,
Invite you into
A charming mandola
In the City of Masks.
 
So go on, explore,
Cherish your time
"Where beauty wears a mask,"
In the City of Masks.
——— Ysabella Di Vaco

Carnival

Now is the time for laughter,
Put your cares and worries behind,
Grab a mask and find a partner,
To soothe your savage mind.

Become an artist, or a beggar,
Or a king all clad in blue,
Come with me and watch the show
Where the fun waits for you.

Here are the fireworks; come and see!
There's the ram all glittering white!
Look at the beautiful goddess who
Is shining in the night!

Too soon it is over,
We must go our separate ways,
I hope to see you through the year
And the next Carnival days.
——— Leonarda Ze Maria

Shadows
I dedicate this to all who walk in the shadows because you are afraid to see what your own shadow hides   
 
lurking behind the shadows
wary eyes watch
seeking out its quarry
the girl who walks in shadows
 
Eyes are watching
Everywhere you go
You are not safe
Anywhere you go
 
lurking behind the shadows
a mind reels
who is that girl?
the girl who walks in shadows
 
You think you know
But there is much more
You cannot ever see
How much the story hides
 
lurking behind the shadows
a cold heart beats
watching that girl
the girl who walks in shadows
 
Questions and Answers
Truths and Lies
Do you believe it?
Can you see it?
 
lurking behind the shadows
a slow breath draws
I know that girl.
the girl who walks in shadows
 
I do not know what she is thinking
I do not know what she is feeling
what she sees
what she knows
 
lurking behind the shadows
hand clasps sword
watching that girl
the girl who walks in shadows
 
I know your secret
I can see your heart
It is beating faster than it has ever
Just like mine
 
It is beating faster than it has ever
You know not where you are
Where this is
This strange place
 
You heart is beating faster
It is unreal
It cannot be real
A fairy-tale, thats all it is
 
But that does not explain
Why your heart beats so fast
Why are you here?
The girl who walks in shadows.
——— Aliaa Misaco, a lover of mary hoffman and the stravaganti's beautiful and mysterious world

Remember Venice

By the lagoon
Hold my hand
Lookout over the world
Lookout over Venice
As the sun setts
In blurred painting
Remember our lives
By the lagoon
Hold me here
Lookout over Venice
Out over our lives
Remember the sun setting
In blurred painting
Remember the blue lagoon
Remember as we look
Out over our lives
Remember Venice.
As the sun setts
In blurred painting.
——— Gabriella

Blackbird in the Sky

Once upon a time,
long, long ago
There was a horse named Starlight
who gave birth to a foal

She gave birth at midnight,
with the last ring of the bell.
We should have known it was a sign,
though at the time, we could not tell.

This foal, a filly
was no special thing;
Until we realized
that she had wings!

We named her Merla
and she lived up to her name.
Soon she was flying,
with wind in her mane

I flew her once, up in the sky
while many looked on with gawk and awe.
I felt like Bellerophon on Pegasus,
and none believed what they had saw.

Soon she will become a myth,
as few can truly believe.
That there could ever be,
As fine a horse as she.
——— Liara

The Silent Stravaganti

It was a humid June day in London. It had been close for a few days now, there was definitely a storm on the way. Although for now, the raging sun blaze d high over the city, and into the small attic window of a terraced house. It shone on to the sleeping face of a seventeen year old girl, with long wavy chestnut hair fanning around a blemish-free face and very fair skin. Her eyes flickered open, their colour was most peculiar, a sort of grey-violet.

She begrudgingly sat up, realising the time, it was 7.00am, and her mother would need to go to work soon, which also happened to be the school the girl attended. Her name was Clare, and she'd lived in London her whole life, although her mother was Spanish and her father Italian. She watched the crowded rows of cars below, already heading to work.

Horns beeped, engines roared and the occasional pigeon cooed over head. Clare didn't hear a one of them. Struck down with meningitis when she was three, she lost her hearing, although she recovered, she had since been completely deaf. Her illness along with her younger sister, Ruth's, arrival had put a huge strain on her parent's marriage, and they divorced when Clare was seven and Ruth three.

They still saw their father at weekends and for half of the holidays, but it wasn't the same, especially since his second marriage had come about. Their stepmother, Helen, was a sweet woman, but they had recently had twins, Sarah and Adam, and their attention was always focused on them. Clare loved her siblings, but couldn't help being a little jealous of them.

The door of her room opened and sensing the movement, Clare turned her head and came face to face with her mother, Adelina. Adelina and Clare looked so much alike it was impossible not to notice. They had the same slim, graceful figures, the same peculiar eyes and the same bone structure. The only difference was that Adelina had black hair, and it was tied up in a French knot. She was a teacher at the special needs school that Clare attended. Ruth went to the local Comprehensive, and was very popular there.

"What would you like for breakfast chica?" asked Adelina.

Clare was an expert at lip reading, so caught every word her mother said. She fluently replied "Hello, pancakes please." But she didn't speak, she signed. Adelina nodded and went downstairs again, leaving Clare once again in her eternal silence.

It was a Friday, which meant Clare and Ruth were due at their father's house. Strangely, over the course of the day, the weather turned from boiling to freezing, and as Clare, Ruth and Adelina drove across the city to where Savio lived, they saw many people hurrying in to buildings as fast as they could, the cold snap taking them by surprise. As they arrived at the ground floor apartment, they were greeted by a handsome middle-aged man, with the same chestnut hair as Clare and her sister and the same hazel eyes that Ruth had. Ruth was small for her age, fourteen, with shoulder length hair and caramel skin. She hugged and kissed Savio in greeting, before hurrying through to the kitchen to see the babies.

"Hello Adelina." He greeted politely with a kiss on the cheek, "Clare, you're looking beautiful as ever. Just like your mother."

Clare blushed as she caught up with the compliment, because of the accent it was a little harder to work out what he said.

"I have a surprise for you. Come on in, don't get cold out there."

Adelina and Clare obliged, and stood awkwardly in the hallway, each wondering what this surprise was. Clare looked over at Adelina, who was at least two inches shorter.

"Did you know about this?" signalled Clare. Adelina shook her head.

They didn't have to wait long. Savio came back holding a little deep purple velvet box, and handed it over. Clare smiled, expecting some more earrings from her aunt in Padua. Instead, she opened the box, and gasped. Inside it was a beautiful fine silver chain, and on the end a silver Dragonfly, with a purple jewel in the middle. Clare beamed, and Adelina looked impressed. She hugged her father, who grinned.

"Silver and Amethyst. It was your great grandmother's. I felt that now was a good time to give it to you. It was always her good luck charm, and I thought it might help you relax in your AS exams."

"Thank you." She 'said' gratefully.

"You and Ruth have your usual room. I apologise in advance if the twins wake you up in the night, they're next door. You go and put your things down."

Clare nodded, grabbed her knapsack and walked down the hall, turning in to the furthest room on the left. She laid her bag on a chair, and laid down on the bottom bunk of the bed she shared with Ruth when they were here. She stared at the walls, full of pictures starring her relatives and ancestors and other reminders of Italy. She fiddled with the dragonfly on the necklace which she now wore, and found herself dozing off.

When she woke up, she wasn't in the light blue and white bedroom in North London. She didn't know where she was. Except that it appeared to be the corner of some kind of courtyard. Looking around, she saw an impressive-looking medium sized house, or the back of it anyway.

Bright sunlight streamed over the whole area, giving it a golden glow. Clare included. All of a sudden, an elegant woman suddenly walked down the path with a red-haired boy and a woman who seemed to be a maid. Those two hadn't noticed Clare, but the figure in the middle had. Clare flushed scarlet, she couldn't quite make sense of what was going on, but it looked like she had just trespassed on her property. Everything seemed to be like any other house, but the three people were in the strangest clothes. The lady sent the two others away, and headed towards Clare. Panicking, she turned and ran, no idea exactly where she was going, but she was certain that the two had been sent to fetch the police.

"Wait!" the woman called after her.

Clare, if reluctantly, stopped and slowly turned round as the woman approached her. It wasn't the fact that she was dressed so finely, in a gorgeous pale blue gown, or the fact that her similarity to Adelina was remarkable, or even the fact that she seemed almost pleading for Clare to halt which had made her do so. It was the fact that she heard the woman ask her to.

For the first time in fourteen years, Clare could hear the gentle breeze swaying the trees, the birds circling ahead, and even the splashing of water somewhere. What on earth was going on? Clare's knees buckled she was so shaky, luckily she was just above a bench, and collapsed down on to it. She stared at the woman, with eyes not dissimilar to her own. The woman stared back, evidently registering the same likeness. Clare wondered who she was, and wished desperately to ask her just that, and where she was. But she couldn't.

"My name is Silvia Bellini, and you are in Padavia, City of Words." She stated.

Clare laughed inwardly. How ironic, she couldn't speak exactly perfectly, and only recently realised she could hear, and she was in the City of Words. Silvia looked at her expectantly.

"C…Clare." Stuttered Clare, only just managing to speak. "Clare Nucci."

The last name seemed to startle the woman momentarily, but she carried on, used to overcoming surprises. "No, not here. Here you must be Chiara. Look behind you Chiara."

Clare, newly called Chiara, for a reason she didn't yet know, obeyed, and paled. She had no shadow.

"You appear to be a Stravaganti Chiara." Silvia seemed rather amused at the thought.

Clare wondered what on earth that meant. Was she some kind of opposite to a vampire? They had no reflection.

A tall, regal looking man appeared next to Silvia, with the red-headed servant next to him. Silvia smiled and motioned towards Clare. "Meet Chiara Nucci."

The man took a step forward and scanned the terrified-looking girl. He caught sight of the dragonfly around her neck and smiled. "My dear, I do believe we need to talk."
——— Sophia

Stavaganza - City of Shadows

'Georgia!' Luciano gasped, the girl that he hadn't seen in ages had changed, she no longer had short hair, but now longer, he hugged her.
'Cesare said you'd be here.' Georgia grinned
'You've seen him?' he asked
'Yeah, about two weeks ago, he said you were coming up today so I came to see you.'
'How's Falco?'
'Whens the next Stellata? I heard Cesare's going to be the jockey again?' Geogia asked, changing the subject
'I'm not.' Georgia turned to see Cesare, 'You are.'
'I am?' she gasped.
'Yep, you had better get practising.' Cesare grinned.
Georgia headed for the stables.
'Georgia's got a shadow.' Luciano said, quietly
'I know.' Cesare said, she was out of sight now.
'How did she?' He asked, 'Die, I mean.'
'The man that got me...got her, no one knows why' Cesare said
'What?' He was shocked. 'I can't believe it...'
'I know, she was crying when she knew. I don't blame her.'
Cesare sighed, 'She was asleep her when she died. She only knew the next morning. She's trying to hide the fact that she misses her family.'
'I feel sorry for her now... I know I lost my family...It's hard to explain...'
'I know what you mean.'
'When did she die?' Luciano asked
He paused for a minute, 'Last night'
'Last night?' he echoed
'Yep'
——— Karina

Silvia

“Where beauty wears a mask”
This wondrous place
Where nobles and servants both
Wear a different face

A city of lies
Of beauty and deceit
Masked faces see all
The masqueraders greet

Behind a sequinned mask
My violet eyes see
Those who think me dead
Now, I am free

Feathers and jewels
Silk and lace
At Carnival, everyone
Hides their face

I shall miss
My beautiful Bellezza
The people mourn for me
Their beloved Duchessa

More masqueraders.
Behind my disguise
I see startled recognition
In other violet eyes

My dear Arianna
Never will you know
How my heart breaks
To leave you so

I lost the title mother
When I left you before
Yet my sister Valeria
Could not love you more

Although I am going
It will not be goodbye
And when we meet again
I will wear no disguise

I go to a city
Where I will wear no mask
Bellezza, forgive me
That is all I ask

—— Ceris

Untitled

  Beatrice could not sleep. She tossed and turned but the nightmare seemed to
surround her. She could not get out and the figure was drawing closer and
closer.

  She woke with  start, her sweat drenching the soft blue silk sheets on her
bed. It was still dark.

  Pulling on a dressing gown she stepped onto the balcony into the cool
night air. The city of Giglia was never truly asleep. While some would be
waking to work others would only be settling down after the rowdy night in a
tavern. Sometimes the Principessa felt she was missing out on the nightlife.
But after dusk, the streets were a dangerous place to someone of her birth.

  The thing was, being a di Chimici was a dangerous business. The dark
assassin that haunted her dreams was the same one that must have haunted her
father, and Carlo, and even little Falco, before they died. It was their
killer and she could hear him dogging her every footstep.

  She knew that it was not the same man. Falco took his own life and her
father might as well have. Carlo had been killed at the hands of a Nucci.
But somehow twisted up in the web she was as sure as Fabrizio that the
mysterious brotherhood her younger brother Gaetano was involved with, the
Stravaganti, led by the wizard Rodolfo, were intricately involved. They were
also the safest people in Talia, where Beatrice’s own family could not touch
them. She was sure dark assassins never haunted a Stravagante’s dreams

  And tomorrow Fate was drawing her ever closer to them. Courtesy demanded
she visit the young Duchessa of Belezza to congratulate her on her
engagement. Fabrizio refused immediately after hearing the news. The
Duchessa had fled to Bellezza only on his attempting to arrest her fiancé
for murder. But Beatrice had spoken some quiet words of sense to her brother
and he had reluctantly agreed. There was no real proof that Luciano had done
anything wrong, only a grudge held against him after the strange
circumstances in which Falco had died. But Fabrizio was still sore on the
subject.

  After calming from her disturbance, Beatrice went back into her room and
at last settled into an uneasy sleep.

  A few days after this occurrence Beatrice was sitting in the presence of the
Duchessa who had greeted her warmly as had the boy with curly black hair who
would soon be returning to Padavia to continue with his studies. Whatever
else they were, the Belezzans were certainly polite.

  After a while the boy left the two ladies alone. Beatrice shifted slightly
in her chair.

  “Do you still ache after the journey?” asked Arianna with all airs of
politeness.

  “Only from being cooped up inside the carriage for so long”, Beatrice
smiled. She replied to the answering puzzled look by saying. “I was raised
by brothers. No matter what you are born as, there is nothing that will stop
young boys enjoying getting covered in mud and thorns and spending hours
outside no matter what the weather. And I was usually dragged along too.”

  “Ah, then we have something in common. My foster brothers trained me in
the same way. Shall we then, in the interests of your comfort of course,
take a walk on the terrace?”

  The di Chimici and the Duchessa smiled at each other.. There were no
thoughts of We’re not so different after all, because both already knew
that. Beatrice could see a lot of herself reflected in the twinkling violet
eyes.

  However when they reached the roof terrace, there were already people up
there. The wizard Rodolfo and Arianna’s betrothed Luciano, the boy with
curly black hair. And with them another. A shy looking girl of perhaps
fifteen years with unruly  brown ringlets and wide grey eyes. As the two
came up the steps, the girl was pushed into the shade. But Beatrice had
already noticed. The girlcast no shadowin the blazing midday sunlight.

  “Ah, my ladies,” began Rodolfo. “May I introduce my new arrival from
Anglia, Maria,”

  But Beatrice was not listening. She was staring at the girl and wondering
how she had managed to gain such an honour. What had she done to earn the
greatest protection in the country? Before she knew it, Beatrice was at
Rodolfo’s feet, his hand in hers.

  “Sir, I know relations between my family and your followers have been
strained. But understand no bad feeling is on my part. I beg and beseech
you,” She stared up into his gruff face and felt eight eyes upon her. She
took a deep breath.

  “I want to be a Stravagante,”

——  Athene

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