20-04-2019, 09:51 PM
Maria searched for a word before answering.
"Manageable," she said at last. "Your advice has worked out very well. 'Once they understand who's in charge, your advisers will do most of the work for you. Keep an eye on them, and you can concern yourself with more important matters. After that, the job's largely about looking beautiful for photo ops, and you're already covered there, young lady.'"
Maria's smile broadened. So did Helena's.
"I always knew you could do it, Maria. You come from the blood of our greatest ruler."
"You've been thinking a lot about him lately," Maria said, putting her hand on Helena's shoulder. "I've seen you having your alone time with the paintings. I miss him too."
"I may be there more often, now that the collection is complete, but yes; I've been missing him a lot since..." Helen tried to search for a better phrase than 'the day I got stabbed.' It ended up coming out as "... the day I almost went to be with him."
Helen saw Maria's eyes begin to water and wrapped her arms around her great-granddaughter.
"I wouldn't have left you alone, Dearest One. I didn't see the bright light and hear him and Propappou calling like I expected. Like everyone says. I saw... something else."
"I would have been sad," Maria said, half muffled by her face being buried in Helena's good shoulder. "But I would not have been alone. I would still have Stavro. And the rest of La Familia."
Helen let out a small laugh at that.
"The 'Sackville San Finziones,' who were probably praying for my death that day? Vincenzo was right about them. 'Put them over on the corporate side, where we can at least TRY to harness their greed and power lust for the benefit of The People.' They would have been back here in seconds, pocketing the silverware and anything shiny, like they did with him."
Maria looked up with love and a touch of anger on her face. She knew that everything that Helena was saying was true, but still didn't like hearing ill of La Familia de San Finzione. Helena gave her a little smile and changed the subject.
"Maria, do you know what your Great-Grandpapa used to say about you? He called you 'the last little piece of me that will remain in this world after I am gone.' And that thought has been on my mind; that you really are the last of his line. He and I would have been happy to give you a grandfather or grandmother." Her smile started to fade. "We never thought to have him 'frozen.' We knew we didn't have forever, but we..." Tears began to trail from her eyes. "Always HOPED we'd have more time..."
It was Maria's turn to hug Helen.
"That is not true, Great-Grandmama. I am not the last piece of him. I see the piece left in your heart."
"Forever does he reign in our hearts." Helen whispered through her tears.
Maria kissed her on the cheek and held her closer.
"Just as you will forever reign in mine." Maria sighed. "But I understand the thing that you are trying hard not to say. Without another heir, La Familia is finished." She looked at Helena with a determined gaze. "I am the last of the bloodline. He will not appreciate the break in tradition, but he will adjust. In the morning, I shall propose marriage to Stavro."
Helen broke the hug and rose to her feet. The pain of her wounds reminded her that it was too soon for a sudden movement like that, but she carried on.
"No, Maria! Not like that. One day, if you and Stavro wish to marry, you shall have a royal wedding so grand as to surpass my own. The past few weeks aside, you've seen what's ahead of you. I want you to have a life before it becomes all about duty. Before you have to spend all of your time weighing decisions that affect the lives of the entire nation. I cannot and will not ask that of you!
"A child of my own would not be of the bloodline, but he or she would still be an heir of Vincenzo's; and would not replace you in the line of succession. I talked to Maisson earlier. He says there was no damage to my reproductive system; and that once the stitches and the pain are gone, it would be safe for me to conceive. I'm not going to get right on it..." She thought a second. "I mean, Yeah, after two weeks, I'm gonna get right at it, what I mean is that this is too important to do on a whim; it requires a great deal more thought than just this discussion, but it's on my list of priorities now." She looked at Maria, still on the bed. "So, don't even think about putting it on yours, yet. We can preserve the bloodline later. Let's take care of Great-Grandpapa's legacy first."
"Ok," Maria said, smiling and standing up. "If that is what Great-Grandmama wishes, then that is what shall be. But who shall be the father?"
Helena responded with a smirk.
"Therein lies the problem," Helena said, lighting a cigarette, and checking the time. There were still a few minutes before the call. "And I suppose these'll have to go if it happens. I could tell the media, and have a line of men stretching from the bedroom door, through the castle, and all the way back to the airport. Or I could tour the globe, dating other world leaders, scientists, athletes, movie stars, etc.; until I found someone suitable. Or I could try simply NOT turning my life into some 'baby crazy' wacky comedy and accepting the obvious conclusion that I came to hours ago."
Helena walked over to the other side of the bed for her ash tray and looked Maria in the eye.
"That realistically, with him gone, there's only one man with whom I could produce an heir worthy of Vincenzo Ramon de San Finzione." She took a long drag of her cigarette. "And I suspect it's going to be much harder to get a baby out of Troy Equals than a painting."
* * *
"Manageable," she said at last. "Your advice has worked out very well. 'Once they understand who's in charge, your advisers will do most of the work for you. Keep an eye on them, and you can concern yourself with more important matters. After that, the job's largely about looking beautiful for photo ops, and you're already covered there, young lady.'"
Maria's smile broadened. So did Helena's.
"I always knew you could do it, Maria. You come from the blood of our greatest ruler."
"You've been thinking a lot about him lately," Maria said, putting her hand on Helena's shoulder. "I've seen you having your alone time with the paintings. I miss him too."
"I may be there more often, now that the collection is complete, but yes; I've been missing him a lot since..." Helen tried to search for a better phrase than 'the day I got stabbed.' It ended up coming out as "... the day I almost went to be with him."
Helen saw Maria's eyes begin to water and wrapped her arms around her great-granddaughter.
"I wouldn't have left you alone, Dearest One. I didn't see the bright light and hear him and Propappou calling like I expected. Like everyone says. I saw... something else."
"I would have been sad," Maria said, half muffled by her face being buried in Helena's good shoulder. "But I would not have been alone. I would still have Stavro. And the rest of La Familia."
Helen let out a small laugh at that.
"The 'Sackville San Finziones,' who were probably praying for my death that day? Vincenzo was right about them. 'Put them over on the corporate side, where we can at least TRY to harness their greed and power lust for the benefit of The People.' They would have been back here in seconds, pocketing the silverware and anything shiny, like they did with him."
Maria looked up with love and a touch of anger on her face. She knew that everything that Helena was saying was true, but still didn't like hearing ill of La Familia de San Finzione. Helena gave her a little smile and changed the subject.
"Maria, do you know what your Great-Grandpapa used to say about you? He called you 'the last little piece of me that will remain in this world after I am gone.' And that thought has been on my mind; that you really are the last of his line. He and I would have been happy to give you a grandfather or grandmother." Her smile started to fade. "We never thought to have him 'frozen.' We knew we didn't have forever, but we..." Tears began to trail from her eyes. "Always HOPED we'd have more time..."
It was Maria's turn to hug Helen.
"That is not true, Great-Grandmama. I am not the last piece of him. I see the piece left in your heart."
"Forever does he reign in our hearts." Helen whispered through her tears.
Maria kissed her on the cheek and held her closer.
"Just as you will forever reign in mine." Maria sighed. "But I understand the thing that you are trying hard not to say. Without another heir, La Familia is finished." She looked at Helena with a determined gaze. "I am the last of the bloodline. He will not appreciate the break in tradition, but he will adjust. In the morning, I shall propose marriage to Stavro."
Helen broke the hug and rose to her feet. The pain of her wounds reminded her that it was too soon for a sudden movement like that, but she carried on.
"No, Maria! Not like that. One day, if you and Stavro wish to marry, you shall have a royal wedding so grand as to surpass my own. The past few weeks aside, you've seen what's ahead of you. I want you to have a life before it becomes all about duty. Before you have to spend all of your time weighing decisions that affect the lives of the entire nation. I cannot and will not ask that of you!
"A child of my own would not be of the bloodline, but he or she would still be an heir of Vincenzo's; and would not replace you in the line of succession. I talked to Maisson earlier. He says there was no damage to my reproductive system; and that once the stitches and the pain are gone, it would be safe for me to conceive. I'm not going to get right on it..." She thought a second. "I mean, Yeah, after two weeks, I'm gonna get right at it, what I mean is that this is too important to do on a whim; it requires a great deal more thought than just this discussion, but it's on my list of priorities now." She looked at Maria, still on the bed. "So, don't even think about putting it on yours, yet. We can preserve the bloodline later. Let's take care of Great-Grandpapa's legacy first."
"Ok," Maria said, smiling and standing up. "If that is what Great-Grandmama wishes, then that is what shall be. But who shall be the father?"
Helena responded with a smirk.
"Therein lies the problem," Helena said, lighting a cigarette, and checking the time. There were still a few minutes before the call. "And I suppose these'll have to go if it happens. I could tell the media, and have a line of men stretching from the bedroom door, through the castle, and all the way back to the airport. Or I could tour the globe, dating other world leaders, scientists, athletes, movie stars, etc.; until I found someone suitable. Or I could try simply NOT turning my life into some 'baby crazy' wacky comedy and accepting the obvious conclusion that I came to hours ago."
Helena walked over to the other side of the bed for her ash tray and looked Maria in the eye.
"That realistically, with him gone, there's only one man with whom I could produce an heir worthy of Vincenzo Ramon de San Finzione." She took a long drag of her cigarette. "And I suspect it's going to be much harder to get a baby out of Troy Equals than a painting."
* * *
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