Aria Dulcina
Former resident of Parma, Italy
A fifteenth century Europe was coming to an end, yet it was only the beginning for Aria. Being brought under confinement by her father Lord Dulcina, a Spaniard, she could do nothing but marvel at all the prosperity she was very much accustomed to. Sadly it left her inner self desperately screaming to see what was outside the Dulcina walls. She already knew how to read, write, and manage her family’s property on her own; hence finding a husband who was not of English descent was of no importance. “Wealth, power, and cleverness are all you need in life.” That dictum always escaped from her father’s lips, and soon Aria breathed, slept, and prayed them herself. Upon the night of her seventeenth birthday only the words of her arranged marriage to Demetrius Peregrine of Modena soured the relationship she had with her father. Aria knew of Demetrius to be a rather handsome yet crude young man. He was certainly someone she did not want to be associated with, and becoming his wife led her to deeply loathe his existence from afar.
News of Demetrius’ death in battle followed not too long after their wedding announcement, and guilt filled Aria’s heart for several months. Her mind was then poisoned with both the appalling and cheerful memories she had of him, and her only means of escaping it was to not only leave Lord Dulcina, but Parma as well. Fearfully removing her most favored horse Panos far from her own guards upon nightfall, she then made certain that she carried her hoary dagger and golden bladed claymore as her only means of protection.
Still managing to get far enough to Mantua without losing any of the vast amounts of gold she carried, exhaustion had her before she fell off of Panos. She remained unconscious on those grounds, conditionally. Aria then found herself awakening to what seemed to be the bedchamber of someone of high authority, due to the presence of the luxurious layers of the new gown she wore, and the exquisiteness of the room itself. Cleanliness obviously was of a virtue there, given that the white walls, marbled floor, and immense basket of fruit placed in front of a large bath caught her eyes. She waited in there for countless hours, eventually realizing that no one would bother to welcome her personally; for only the sounds of Panos outdoors occupied the quiet. Confusion drove her mad, and she wanted to know who took the pleasure of taking care of her so that she may go on with her diminutive voyage. Aria spent numerous days alone wandering around what seemed to be a manor of some sort, and she fell in love with all the other rooms once she found it more difficult to leave.
She already knew that it was a man who brought her there, for the dark colored tunics garnished with silver and heavy weaponry she found in the largest bedchamber evidently told her that. Female undergarments were of an abundance as well, suggesting that the landlord was not only male but also an animal. The various combs she remembered seeing confirmed that her baffling savior kept his hair long and orderly; nevertheless it could belong to several other women. Aria still waited for any visitors and gradually became accustomed to the manor herself. She wore the innumerable amount of gowns and crucifixes that were in her favored room, read the inadequate English works of literature in the refined library upstairs, and managed to cook and farm on her own.
Tending the manor became more of an obligation for Aria. She sensed that she was brought there for a specific cause, and she saw the importance of being proper enough for her unknown liberator. She occasionally rides with Panos during dark hours to view the rest of the land of Mantua from a distance, and no disturbances were ever found once she returned to her Lord’s home. Aria found herself to be exceedingly privileged for a young woman; leaving her to believe that her life may only serve to such, but not for long.
