Preys and Predators 3 Love Binds, Family Destroy Cha8pter 29

 

29.

 

Bassanio got his loan from Shylock, but he was concerned about Antonio. He met the latter at the café and spoke of the surety.

“Antonio, I hold some bad news. The ship is delayed. As there will be war at Wallachia, most of the ships have redirected there to ship supplies. My shipment may be delayed. I was told that they had to delay my shipment.”

“Fear not, Bassanio. The ships will be fine. I will cover the loan. I will see Lord Gencio Capulet.” Antonio smiled. His confidence was there.

“Lord Gencio Capulet? I heard he left for Wallachia.” Bassanio said. “He is there to see the Voivode.”

“Then good news awaits us.” Antonio laughed. “I know Gencio well. His relationship with the Voivode goes back a long way.”

Unknown to Antonio, Lord Gencio Capulet was rushing there to see Vlad Tepes. He was alarmed that the letters of the Voivode were delayed, and he did not have the chance to reply. The ships were off the ports, and he had to take the land route.

On his ride, Lord Gencio Capulet stopped at a tavern for rest. When he was having his meal, he heard that Lord Dante Montague was there two days back. That news was from the tavern owner.

“Aye, he was here. He stayed the night but left early with his guards.” The owner told Lord Gencio Capulet. “I have to say that he was anxious to leave.”

“Do you know where he was headed?” Lord Gencio Capulet asked.

“The guards told me he was to Moldavia.” They got Lord Gencio Capulet to be intrigued as to why Dante was there. He had stopped his trades there for some years and focused on the western side of the states. Lord Gencio Capulet was in fear of what Lord Dante Montague was to do. He could be refocusing on the trade there.

“I will ride there.” A decision he made that will jeopardize his relationship with Vlad Tepes.

In Moldavia, Lord Dante Montague was still in wait to see the Wallachian. He was kept in the guest chamber, and his patience wore down. He approached the Chorbaji.

“I wish I could oblige you. Lord Dante Montague. But Radu remains at rest and refuses to see anyone.”

“Then I will return later. I have matters to attend to in other areas.” Lord Dante Montague said.

“That will be improper, Lord Dante Montague. If you leave and Radu wakes up, then I will be responsible. I will be reported to the Sultan, and my punishment will be harsh.”

“You leave me…” The lord was interrupted by the arrival of the trader, Indiao.

“Radu will see you now… alone.” Indiao looked at Lord Dante Montague. “Please wear this over your mouth and nose.”

A cloth was handed over to him. Lord Dante Montague wore it and then proceeded to the chamber. He was stunned by the appearance of the Wallachian seated there by the window looking out. The tale of the man who was called Radu the Handsome, who was then a figure withered to the bones and held a sunken expression. The lord approached him and was told to stand back.

“I am unwell.” Radu, as he was believed to be, sat there surrounded by the scented lamps. “I need to talk to you. I asked the Sultan for permission for that.”

The foul odor reached Lord Dante Montague, and he kept the cloth close to his nose.

“Pardon the inconvenience. You have waited long, and I am unwell, but I will be brief.” Radu said. “I hold a letter for my brother, Vlad Tepes. You may not know him, but your friend, Lord Gencio Capulet, does. You will now for this letter are to Vlad, and tell him I am ……. alive for now. My letter will explain more of myself to him.”

Lord Dante Montague was handed two letters.

“And another letter to my wife, Lady Maria Despina, Doamna. She resides in Hungary there with my daughter, Maria Vochita. They were told that I died in battle, but when my letter reaches them, I will be dead.”

“Why me? You could have asked Lord……. Capulet.” Lord Dante Montague found the courage to ask. “Between us, we have not met.”

“You are a noble man, from what I was told. We never met at the Palace, but I have seen you there. I have the others inquire on you.” Radu spoke briefly. “I would have asked for Lord Gencio Capulet for……”

“I held my trust in you.” Radu continued. “The Sultan did then. He knew you were cheated of the Empress jewel then by Lord Gencio Capulet, and despite that, he offered you a trade. He had sounded your name to many traders, although you seldom came to the palace after that. You traded elsewhere.”

“I did not know. I knew I had disappointed the Sultan then.” Lord Dante Montague sighed. “I would have……”

“Honor and respect are earned by trust.” Radu smiled. “You held off on that from me. Now I……”

Radu coughed then and wiped his blood off his lips.

“Tell me of the Sultan… On the jewels, I meant I was to trade them to him.”

“The Empress Jewels? A lot of people revolved their lives on them. The previous Sultan was immensely happy with the jewels. He had it with him in the palace, and when traveling, he took it with him. He gave it to his son as a keepsake. Mehmet II did that, and when we stood on the walls watching Constantinople, he was holding it; he held the red and I the black.”

“He told me that when he takes over Constantinople, he will place the jewels there as the symbol of his power.” Radu smiled weakly. “He was without it every time.”

“I was advised that it was missing.” Lord Dante Montague said. “Rumours of it.”

“Yes, rumours are unfounded. The jewels are with the current Sultan.” Radu smiled again. “The letters are with the Chorbaji. There is a small case to be handed to Vlad.”

“I am obliged to your assistance. Now go.” Radu then turned to look at the Lord. Lord Dante Montague took his leave and met the other two at the living area.

“Indiao, what is ……”

“If you must know, Radu is unwell. His ……” Indiao looked towards the Ottoman officer. “You tell him.”

“I brought the Commander here when he was defeated in battle. He fled Wallachia and was unwell. I sent the column back to our borders and took him here. My officers will report Radu’s demise as in battle, and his body will be cremated. The Sultan will not be displeased there.”

“Then you lied to me.” Lord Dante Montague was brave to confront the Chorbaji.

“I did. The Sultan knew of Radu’s condition and told me to seek the trader, for he is known as a healer and supplied many herbs and medicinal items to us. Our men in recovery required them. He did his best for the Commander.

“Radu is with the pox.” Indiao cut in. “His body was ravaged by it, and he needed the mercury ointments, some of which caused patients great pain and even killed them. Sweat baths were also used, as some healers believed sweating purged the body of syphilitic poisons.”

“The odor…” Lord Dante Montague stepped back. He tossed the cloth away, held still in his hand. “He is ….”

“Unfortunately. He was not only with the pox ……. He was careful, but it could be …….” Chorbaji lowered his head. “I had the soldier removed.”

“Removed? You mean executed.” Lord Dante Montague cut in. “How was it? I mean ……. Was he? There will be talks…….”

“The Commander was careful. He was once with the Sultan, as you may have heard, but he curbed his desire and married Doamna Maria.” The Chorbaji explained. “He was happy, and they have a child. Then the war resumed. He refused to be unfaithful to his wife, and there were ……. urges. In the war, we are faced with all sorts of misery, and temptations are there. He became involved once more.”

“And paid the price.” Lord Dante Montague sighed. “Why the……. I give up trying to understand the conflicts there.”

“The death of Radu will be known only to us when it comes then. If we are asked, the cause of death was his battle wounds frombattle. Here, he will die with honor.”

“Here are the letters. Please do your part.” Chorbaji handed the letters and case over to the Lord. Lord Dante Montague was reluctant to take the letters and case for fear of pox.

“The letters were written to me as how the Commander wants it to be read. It is safe to hold.” Chorbaji assured the other. “The case was handed personally by me.”

Other letters were handed over at Genoa, well, more like poetry, to be exact.

Beheld maidens seen gathering flowers;
They searched the pluck; they looked; they tossed them.

“See these beholders there.” One will call.

“What hast thou picked?” Another will cry out.

“Oh, lilacs and violets in one bed.” The second said.

“A bed, no less, but of two in one.” The cries went out.

“Joyous to the delight, union for them.” The joys were shared.

“A thorn has pricked my finger through!”

“Alas, alas! Does it hurt so much?”

“Who pains them? A thorn it was.”

“A rose among the flowers, a thorn in the bed.”

“Behold the pain of union; pains may be there.”

(Adapted poetry words from the 1400s era; Jimmy Loong, April 17th, 2025).

“Is that who I think is there?” Juliet rushed to the window balcony after having read the poem.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other word would smell as sweet." (Taken from Romeo and Juliet plays.) Juliet had heard the words from the Capulet below her balcony. She looked down and saw the moon shone on the man below.

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?" Romeo, holding the stalk of rose, smiled at her. "It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." 

“Romeo, you must ……” Juliet said to him. She looked around for any servants who may have seen him there.

“Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet." Romeo bowed towards her.

"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep," and "If they do see thee, they will murder thee," Juliet cautioned the man. “Meet me tomorrow at the bridge. We can talk there.”

It was then the elderly maid in her rounds called out.

“Who is there? At this hour to be calling on.” The maid stepped into Juliet’s chamber. “Oh, my. Dear young lady, please step back in. The night air is cold.”

“Cold is the night, but what of my heart? It feels warm, and I only wish we had more … understanding among us as families.” Juliet stepped back to the chamber while the maid closed the window.

“I do not understand why, but the hour is late. Do get some rest. Let me puff up the bedding covers for you.” The maid approached the bedding.

“Tell me, Angelica. Did you love a man?” Juliet looked to the elderly lady.

“Does a baby not take milk from his mother’s breast? That, Lady Juliet, is the result of love, if you were to ask me.” The maid was busy puffing up the bed's cover.

“You have four children, I was told.” Juliet smiled.

“Five, to be exact. There was one that did not make it past the second day.” Alice said without looking at Juliet. “Aye, I had love. He was to die in the war with the Turks. I told him not to go, but he insisted on battling the heathens. Never made it back though.”

“I am so sorry, Angelica. I did not know. I thought George was ……” Juliet did recall that Angelica was with the butler.

“Nay, he is not my love, nor am I his. We just roost for the cold nights and then be done by morning. He lost his wife to the plague and since then had been…… unattachable to any lady.” Angelica smiled. “Our roosting did not involve any roasting though. The oven in me has died on the flame. It was just body warmth.”

Juliet laughed. She was still too young to know much about roosting and roasting, but she does.

“Sleep right, my dear. And close the window. Tell the wailing rooster to tone down. The walls have ears too.” Angelica left the chamber.