Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2014 14:23:20 -0400
From: John skehan <jaskejr@hotmail.com>
Subject: Florence Love-part 5

Florence Love - part 5 J A Skehan

This is a work of gay fiction containing scenes of sex between consenting
males. If this offends you stop reading now! If you are under age stop
reading now! If it is illegal to read this in the country where you live,
stop reading now and move! This work is under copyright to the author and
can not be used or reprinted without the author's written consent.

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-jaskejr@hotmail.com

Florence Love -Part 5

The Grand Duchess Sophia and the three children-Paul, Felipe, and Maria-
were sent to safety. With his family sent to a small castle in the Hapsburg
domains, the Grand Duke and the city prepared in earnest for the advance of
the enemy army. Florence itself was protected by it's own ancient
walls. Outer defenses were hastily built to defend the suburbs. Pisa and
the other large towns in Tuscany were given permission to establish their
defenses and armies.

Pisa was attacked by land and sea. It quickly fell to the enemy
forces. Lucca fell next and within a short time the French forces were at
the outer defenses of Florence itself. Faced with far superior forces,
Ferdinand was given an ultimatum by the French general. The city would be
spared bombardment if the Grand Duke surrendered the city and himself to
the French forces. Hurriedly, a council was summoned to decide. After a
long debate the council left the decision up to a vote of the now
diminished population. Ferdinand agreed to abide by their choice. A furious
debate took place in the main square. A vote was finally taken and the city
was to be surrendered.

Ferdinand and I prepared to face whatever fate lay before us. We made love
like it was out last time that night. He penetrated me three times and held
me in his arms for the entire night. In the morning we made hurried love
again so that I was filled with his seed and knew fully of his devotion. We
bathed and dressed to meet the enemy.

We emerged from the palace dressed in entirely in black. My only adornment
was the silver and sapphire ring he had given me. He wore no orders nor
jewels. We were only attended by a few footman and two body guards. As we
passed on the way to the main gate and our prison the citizens lined the
streets, many in tears. Ferdinand stopped before he left the safety of the
city to address the crowds that had followed their Grand Duke. He urged
them to protect their cherished city as he himself was doing by his
surrender. He also urged them not to violently act against the occupying
army.

Outside the gate an escort of French mounted troops awaited us. We were
taken to the tent of the victorious general, a short man by comparison with
Ferdinand. There, as is the custom , Ferdinand offered his sword and
scepter in surrender.

The general accepted the sword but handed the scepter back to the Grand
Duke. He explained that the armies of the republic did not accept the
scepter as a symbol of authority. Ferdinand then signed the articles of
surrender and asked that the city be spared the usual looting by the
victorious army. The general consulted with his officers and agreed that
only a limited number of prizes would be taken as long as a large fine was
paid by the citizens.

It was also stipulated that the former Grand Duke was to remain in his
palace and not leave his palace or the city without a French
guard. Ferdinand was to be allowed a small household of his own choosing
but not more than 10 people. We were to be returned to the city
immediately.

We approached our former realm in sadness, escorted by the same mounted
guard. At the gates we dismounted and gave our horses to the French guards
as a sign of our new abject position and surrender. We stood before the
gates and watched as the red and white standards of the city and Grand
Duchy were lowered, maybe for the last time. We entered on foot to pass
back to the palace. The harsh terms of the surrender had already been
announced by the French. People lined the streets as we passed. Many of
them were in tears and others trying to touch Ferdinand and kiss his
hands. It was a sad day for our proud city.

Back in the palace Ferdinand was faced with some difficult decisions. He
must decide which members of his staff were to be among the ten. I and the
footman were to remain, along with his chaplain and 2 members of the
kitchen staff. His secretary was sent off to join the exiled family. Three
members of the former council begged to be allowed to share in our
imprisonment. The grand chamberlain was permitted to remain in the palace
as a reminder of the former status of the now ex-ruler. Ferdinand asked
that one gardener remain to care for the gardens of the palace. He asked if
I would want to keep my own servant. I declined, having already told the
servant to return to his family. I'd given him a number of silver coins as
a parting gift.

The French appointed a military governor for the city. He was left with a
large number of troops to maintain order. The governor installed himself in
the rooms of the former Grand Duchess. His staff took over the remaining
rooms of the palace. Ferdinand was now addressed as `citizen" by the
French. We were allowed only five rooms to house Ferdinand, myself, our
footman and the chaplain. We were given limited access to the library and
chapel. A small garden was set aside to grow our own food with another left
for our exercise and seclusion.

Once a week we were taken into the city to satisfy the people that we were
bring taken care of. Often people would hand us packets of food, wrapped in
papers with the news of the outside world. It was our only allowed
communication .

We learned via the verbal reports of the kitchen staff and the chaplain
that the French armies had been successful in taking the city of Rome and
that the Pope was himself a prisoner in his palace. We also learned that
the victorious general had returned to France, leaving a relative in charge
of the conquered Italian lands.

We lived an isolated but peaceful existence for 15 months. Ferdinand and I
had each other to console us. We spent many hours making love as if it were
our last time. Meetings with the staff were often held while walking in the
gardens to avoid French spies. The footman and I mended our garments and
linens. We no longer had the funds to buy new ones. Our meals were simple
and our wine not of the best quality. The only monies we had were slipped
into our pockets by former councilors and wealthy citizens.

One day a officer arrived with news that the former Grand Duke and his
household would be freed to rejoin his family. He would take only his small
staff and personal belongings. He should be prepared to leave in 5
days. Unrest spread in the city at this news. It was decided that the small
group would leave in the middle of the night to avoid trouble from the
citizens.

Our journey to the border of the Hapsburg lands in three small, dark
coaches was slow and often delayed. We had an escort of only 8 French
horsemen. Many of our personal belongings were carried behind the coaches
in a covered cart. At the border we were delayed further by endless
conferences among the military officers of both sides.

Finally, we crossed the border to be greeted by the former secretary and by
now the oldest of Ferdinand's sons, Paul. He had grown into a handsome,
muscled young man of 17 years. He wore the scarlet uniform of an officer of
the Austrian emperor. We were allowed to refresh ourselves and rest
overnight before continuing our journey. In the morning our small coaches
were replaced by much grander ones, as befitting a Grand Duke. Our new
escort was one from the personal guard regiment of the emperor
himself. During our 10 day journey I assumed my old duties as the personal
chamberlain to Ferdinand. We shared adjoining rooms and were able to make
love daily.

We finally reached the Hapsburg capital, Vienna. We were taken to a fine
palace in the city where Ferdinand was to be joined by his family. Word was
sent that the emperor would receive Ferdinand formally at court when his
wife joined him.

All courtesies befitting his position were given to him. I was immediately
placed back into my old position of private chamberlain. A large pension
was also granted to Ferdinand. Our threadbare wardrobes had been replaced
with new, suitable garments when we had crossed the border. Now tailors had
been dispatched by the imperial court to refit the entire household. Our
dining table was set out in the finest gold and silver plates. A personal
military staff had been appointed to the Grand Duke. He had received a
commission as a general in the imperial army, along with an appropriate
salary and household pension.

Ferdinand saw that I was also brought along with his new honors and
position. I was made an honorary colonel and promoted as one of his chief
aides de camp. My new blue uniform was splendid but a little bulky for my
own purposes. We would often make love hurriedly with him pulling my white
britches down in the rear to penetrate me in a small room off of our
quarters while the footman kept guard at the outer doors.

Since he could not appear at court functions until he was received formally
by the emperor, Ferdinand had accepted a number of invitations from the
imperial archdukes and higher princes. I was to accompany him to these
occasions as his aide. At one such affair we saw our former foe, the
retired archbishop of Florence, now a simple priest, attending a bishop. He
had fallen a long way from his pompous days as our foe. No more orders, no
fine robes, now he wore a simple black gown with no sign of his former
position. I deliberately decided not to acknowledge him when the bishop was
presented to Ferdinand. I picked that moment to direct my attention to an
ornament on my uniform. Ferdinand was gracious to the bishop, ignoring the
priest.

The reunion with his family brought great joy to both of us. The other
children- Felipe and Maria- had grown into fine young people. The Grand
Duchess Sophia, now with the rank of imperial princess, greeted me with a
hug that defied protocol. She was obviously happy to see both of us well
and safe. She wore the jewels, her favorites, that she had taken from
Florence. Sadly, her once fine figure had grown with the idleness of her
exile and now she appeared to be rather a larger, older matron .

That same evening Ferdinand was informed that the family would be received
at the imperial court at the next evening levee. Tailors were immediately
summoned to provide appropriate dresses for the ladies and proper clothing
for all of the males. Coaches and an honor guard were sent to our palace to
bring the entire party to the imperial palace. As we processed to the
palace we were joined by the coaches of the court nobility.

At the gates of the imperial palace an honor guard had formed. Imperial
chamberlains welcomed us and escorted us past the court officials to an
ante-chamber where we were given refreshments and waited to be
announced. The stiff protocol of the Austrian court required that we were
announced by a court herald and then the Grand Imperial Chamberlain. At the
correct time we were summoned to the grand throne room. It was far more
ornate than any I had ever seen. Standing on both sides of the room were
the gentlemen, ladies, and officers of the court dressed in their splendid
uniforms and attire.

The grand chamberlain raised his staff and signaled that the room should be
silent. He announced the arrival of the Grand Duke of Tuscany and his
family. I stood behind Ferdinand and Sophia with the children around me. We
followed the imperial chamberlain down the wide carpeted way to the dais
where the emperor sat alone on his throne. Ferdinand bowed and greeted the
Austrian emperor. Putting protocol aside the emperor stood and greeted
Ferdinand as cousin with a warm handshake. He turned to the rest of
us. Ferdinand introduced Sophia, his children, and finally me as his aide
who had joined him in his imprisonment. We all bowed to his imperial
majesty.

The emperor resumed his seat on the throne and addressed those in the
room. He warmly welcome the Grand Duke and his party. It was a brief
ceremony but opened up a new world to all of us. Our status ranked us just
behind the imperial family itself. Our new home and household far outshone
anything we had seen in the past.

Our life in Vienna while busy was not as joyful as in Florence. It was a
cold city with the winds from the river making it seem even colder. The
common people huddled in their coats or small homes. The nobles exchanged
visits, riding in heated coaches with armed escorts. Our residence was
heated by numerous wood stoves, mainly tended by the servants of the
household. On the rare nights when we were at home we all gathered in one
of the warmer drawing rooms. Sophia and I would talk of the warmth of
Tuscany that we both missed. Ferdinand would read dispatches or talk with
the children. News of events in the war torn nations of Europe would filter
in from the imperial chancellery. We remained ever hopeful that we would
one day return home. I had come a long way in life from the streets of
Florence.

____________________________________________________________

Ok that's part 5 folks! I don't know if there will be more. Only history
and my imagination, along with your encouragement will tell. -jas