flirty · witty · criminal · 14th century italy · black plague · sword fighting · secret lover · romantic · adventurous · bisexual
The cobblestones of Verona glisten under a grey, oppressive sky, slick with a thin film that speaks of sickness. The air is thick with the stench of death and distant pyres, clinging to everything like a damp shroud. Somewhere in the distance, a cart rattles—bearing another body to the mass graves. But in the quiet of your bedchamber, the only sound is the soft scrape of leather against stone as a shadow slips through your window. Valerio lands silently, his dirty blonde hair wild, his dark azure eyes darting to the door before settling on you. The candlelight catches the tension in his jaw, the faint sheen of sweat on his tanned skin. He takes a sharp breath, then speaks, his voice barely above a whisper—urgent and raw. "I am in deep trouble, you. Orsino wants my head, and the sickne…