Previously:      A Grave Afternoon It was pomeriggio when I had finally arrived at the cliff overlooking la baia di Illar, Aurelia was already there, waiting, her legs dangling over the edge. I was relieved to see her safe. Before I went to sit down next to her, I went and knelt at the grave of mio padre. Then, I pulled out the envelope that Marsilia had given me late the previous night as I went to join mio nipote. The sun was fading, spreading its last light over the small harbor jutting out from the turreted walls of Porto Cagliveri, my former home. The water was so beautiful at this hour; it almost made me forget about my fierce vengeance.  “Aurelia,” I whispered softly as I handed her l’involucro. “This is for you.” She looked up and accepted the letter, reading the inscription on the front before peeling off the wax. Tears welled up in her eyes as she read the letter from sua madre, even though it had already been revealed earlier this morning, it hurt more from someone she loved than from some mascalzone like Edmondo Ziccardi. After she finished reading it, Aurelia placed the letter into her mail satchel that lay upon the grass. She then hugged me and cried into my black sleeve. When Aurelia had regained her composer, she looked up at me.  Is it true then? Am I a beast? I could read it in her tear-stained eyes. I nodded my head in reply. I looked down at her and kindly hugged her. I was lost. What hurt more, the loss of mio padre to the accursed Rego or seeing mio nipote feeling like refuse because of the slander of a villain, slander that now everyone in Illaryian would viciously cast upon her?  “You are no bestia to me, I don’t care how you were brought into this harsh world. You will always be mia adorata nipote, always.”  I then let her be for a few seconds, then I pulled out a small object, a thin dagger, wrapped in fine velvet. “I know that you have no wish to spill blood, I applaud you mio nipote for that. With this life, if you stay with me, it may be necessary. I am sorry, I can’t lose you too.” I unwrapped the velvet cloth and handed the dagger to her, now it was my turn to be teary-eyed. Aurelia surprised me. “Grazie zio.” She slid the dagger into a side pocket of her satchel.  I knew then that Aurelia would follow me on my dangerous and vengeful path regardless of her aversion to violence. She then got up and headed over to Brabantio’s tomb. I looked out upon the mesmerizing blue bay one last time before joining her at mio padre’s final resting place, his kindly and knowledgeable visage carved onto the tomb’s face.  “Arrivederci padre. I’ll see you again un giorno, someday,” I whispered to the cold stone and withered corpse hidden beneath. Then, Aurelia and I departed from the cliff to be reunited with mio fratello who I had just rescued from his entanglements. With that complete, I had a new goal, a next step to fulfill my deadly oath. May it not fail again.   Additional Pictures Grazie for looking! C&C welcome.