#stan livia the way irl cesare stanned ceasar

[the-wavesinger]

so I am writing a thing involving f!ShowtimeCesare and it will never be finished, probably, so here, have a snippet:

—

The Pope sends her off to France. “If you will not take a husband of our choosing, then at least find one for yourself, Livia. We grow tired of this…this dithering.”

She laughs at his fluttered hand, kisses his cheek. “If I see a handsome French lord to my liking, Father, I will marry him then and there, I promise.”

“We know all about your liking.” The long-suffering sigh he heaves is the one reserved for his stubborn daughters. “The at least convince the queen that the absence of a husband has its own advantages, hmmm?”

“That I can do.”

—

I have made good on my promise, Father, Livia’s letter to the Pope reads. The king is a free man, I have a husband, and I have secured Rome some unforeseen advantages besides.

To Vanozza she writes only, Mother, I am married again at last.

And then word comes of soldiery and canon and horses and supplies gathering at La Spezia.

Livia Borgia returns to Rome clothed in glistening armour gifted by the French king, new-made a Duchess in her own right, Charles d’Albret by her side and a French army at her back.

All of Italy holds its breath.

—

When the Pope takes private council it’s with Livia alone.

There are whispers, of course, and even more whispers when Livia’s belly grows round with her daughter and still she strides out in armour by the side of her husband who is gonfalonier in name but is of Albret no longer.

Then little Luisa is born, Luisa Borgia not Luisa d’Albret, heir to the Romagna and to Valentinois. The whispers grow to shouts on the street, in the halls of the Vatican, around the tables of great houses.

Still Livia marches to war, and still the Romagna bows to her.

—

There are many ends to this story. Alexander lives, and dies. Livia throws her weight behind Julius, and makes another choice. She flees to Naples and to Ferrara and to Navarre. The Romagna and Tuscany rise at her call, and rise against her. The bars of every prison entrap her. She lives and dies, becomes murderess and poisoner and adulteress and serpent, Madonna and saint and mother, as all women do.

But one thing is clear: the Rome of old has faded past memory. Livia Borgia is no Empress of the shadows; what she holds is hers and hers alone.

#cesare borgia #in retrospect the drabble series thing was not a good choice #but i have like 5 interconnected drabbles and i always stick by terrible decisions #so #(but i am v. attached to the name livia for f!cesare #which again is a bad choice! #b/c i could have chosen literally anything else to make the latin/italian/valencian differences more obvious #but ofc i chose livia #julia would have been more equivalent and there's an easy italian/spanish distinction #but in this house we stan livia drusilla #and so does livia borgia btw #stan livia the way irl cesare stanned ceasar #anyway my f!cesare is called livia no i will not be accepting any comments on this decision at this time #i stand w/ my choices) #the borgias