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HISTORY. (WIP)
CONTENT WARNINGS: abuse, domestic violence, suicide, eating disorder, adopted sibling incest, (minor) attempted sexual assault
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A DREAM?
Rudbeckia de Borgia was born in Romagna to Pope Alexander VI and his lover: a courtesan who, in truth, was already in the early stages of pregnancy prior to her relationship with the Pope. Despite her doubtful parentage, when the Pope eventually discarded his lover, he kept the child. This made her the youngest of the three Borgia children, below the middle child Enzo and the eldest Cesare.
Becoming part of the Borgia family was not a great fortune for Rudbeckia. She was sent to a monastery for her housing and education, where she suffered greatly under the brutal abuses of her caretakers. It was the Pope's oldest bastard son, Cesare, who saved her from that hell and convinced his parents to take over her education, officially bringing her into House Borgia.
But the Borgias were no better, as both the Pope and Cesare soon turned out to be cruel and abusive; they controlled every aspect of her life, using her as a chess piece in political games and punishing her harshly when she failed to obey. Trapped and isolated within the corrupt Borgia family, Rudbeckia grew into a cold and haughty young woman.
From the age of 15, her family began to essentially sell her off, marrying her into another family to secure assets or allies, and then having the marriage annulled once they had gotten what they were after. She went through four marriages this way, and at 18, she met her fifth and final husband: Iske van Omerta, the heir to the Omerta duchy and the nephew of the King of Britannia.
Their marriage lasted six months. Rudbeckia and Iske shared a toxic and tumultuous romance, one of genuine feeling that was impeded by Rudbeckia's warped personality. Despised by everyone in the North, she responded to their silent disdain with outright cruelty, playing the part of the typical villainess as they expected her to be. Freya van Furiana, Iske's childhood friend, was a particular target of her ire, as well as his younger sister, Ellenia van Omerta.
With no more need for the military forces they had secured via the marriage, the Borgias annulled the relationship, sending Rudbeckia home to Romagna. Two weeks after her departure, Ellenia died of poisoning, and the Holy Grail went missing from the Vatican's vault.
A war broke out between the Borgia and Omerta families, but it was the Omertas that triumphed. Iske stormed the Vatican with a large cohort of supporters who were eager to take down the corrupt Borgias, and massacred everyone in the estate. With all of her family dead, he found Rudbeckia overlooking the flames and bloodshed, and confronted her about what she had done.
Rudbeckia told him the truth: that for her, this was the only choice. She would rather die than return to her family; at the same time, she could not bear to live a better life at Iske's side. While she could have easily betrayed the Borgias at any time, she confesses, she felt she was someone too broken to ever have a chance at happiness. In the end, she decided she would simply make sure all of the Borgias died with her. The decision to kill Ellenia was not ordered by Cesare: it was hers alone, done to ensure Iske would kill her too. "I would've probably spent the rest of my life testing your feelings," she told him, "and even in my dying moments, I would need to be assured that you were on my side."
She apologised and confessed her love to him. Finally, as "the last wish of a broken person," she asked Iske to kill her, and he granted her wish.
---
█████ awakens after her sudden death in the body of the villainess from a novel she had once read: Rudbeckia de Borgia, at age 15.
After a long adjustment period, the first days of which are spent scared out of her mind and hiding in a closet, "Ruby" comes to regard her transmigration as the opportunity for a new and better life. Everything that previously tormented her is left behind with her death: her new family is kind and loving, and so their corruption doesn't matter to her. By using her knowledge of the novel's plot, she decides, she will be able to avert the Borgias' tragedy and live happily with them.
Knowing that the beginning of their downfall is the humiliation of Rudbeckia's first fiancé, when her family comes to her with the news of her betrothal, Ruby tries to reject the marriage. She argues stubbornly with her father and older brother about the matter, certain that the strife will be temporarily and this decision is for the best.
Immediately, her vision of a happy life is destroyed. Her family turns against her without a moment's hesitation. After Cesare kills the pet bird Enzo had once gifted Ruby as a demonstration, to punish her for her defiance, the Pope has him beat her until she begs for her life.
From that point on, Ruby never again believes in a happy future. Her life proceeds as written, though she suffers in ways that the novel never warned her of. For three years, she endures the torture her family inflicts upon her, and she waits for her only opportunity to derail the narrative and avoid her fated death: Iske van Omerta. If she can prevent Ellenia's death at the hands of the Borgias, there will be no reason to execute her; if she can't prevent it, then at least she can present herself as a harmless, insignificant fool who won't be seen as a culprit. All she can do is gamble on the protagonist's mercy and appeal to his noble character.
Her fifth and final marriage arrives when she is 18. Rudbeckia is sent to the frigid North, to Britannia and the Omerta duchy. In the castle town of Arundel, she is unwanted from her arrival; her husband does not appear until her first night, when the head maid extinguishes the torches in Ruby's bedchambers, which leaves her vulnerable to the demonic monsters that lurk in the North's freezing dark. As a protagonist should, Iske van Omerta saves Ruby's life – and then scathingly rebukes her for deliberately endangering herself, no doubt a Borgia scheme so that she can accuse the Omertas of neglect.
Their marriage begins poorly, and continues the same way. Desperate to establish a reputation for herself as a fool, as well as gain the tiniest sliver of sympathy from the protagonist, Ruby quickly claims to have fallen in love with Iske. Unfortunately, Iske despises the Borgia family, bitter and resentful about the arrangement. He is suspicious of Ruby, seeing her only as an extension of the Borgias, and treats her with hostility and coldness no matter how well she plays her part.
However, as time passes, he begins to grow more uncertain what to make of his new wife. She is not the scheming witch he expected. Although he continues to push her, he is only ever met with submission. She cowers from his anger, and she begs forgiveness by offering to accept punishment as though she's accustomed to it.
While Iske tries to turn a blind eye to his changing feelings, Rudbeckia continues to be tormented by those around her. She is sabotaged and neglected by maids, tricked and framed by Freya van Furiana, insulted and harassed by knights. Her relationship with Iske progresses, but because he is oblivious to her situation and she is unable to ask for help from someone who she believes could turn against her in an instant, Ruby's circumstances only grow worse.
It comes to a breaking point when Freya is the victim of an attempted murder. Given the nature of the poisoning, many view Rudbeckia as the suspect without hesitation; though the Omertas themselves do not accuse her, it does very little to protect her. After days without Iske speaking to her, Ellenia berating her about the eating disorder she has been hiding, and overhearing Freya's younger brother making violent threats towards her, Ruby is at the end of her rope. Unable to endure the stress, she collapses from illness outside the castle.
Her saving grace is the kindness of a monster she had encountered earlier in her time in Britannia, when Freya had previously gotten her lost in the woods – a gigantic rabbit-like creature known as a popori, which Ruby names Popo. She'd found that Popo could understand her speech, and it had tried to protect her when she was lost. Now, when she is driven from the castle, it comes to her aid again and carries her off into the woods.
Ruby spends several peaceful days with the monsters that live around Arundel. She learns that many of them are drawn to her, treating her like one of their own and taking care of her. For once, she's happy.
Meanwhile, Iske searches for his missing wife with dogged determination, finally confronted by the cruelty she's been enduring from his own people and deeply regretful of his neglect towards her. Despite his knights insisting he give up on the attempt, he persists, and tracks her down at last — only for Ruby to flee in terror from what she is certain will be her executioner.
When Iske pursues her to the cave of a frost dragon that is sheltering her, Ruby breaks down, cornered and afraid. She begs for Iske to leave the monsters alone, and punish her instead; she tells him that she didn't deliberately run away, and that she had nothing to do with Freya's poisoning, though she knows her words will mean nothing to him. I didn't do anything, she sobs.
I know, Iske says. He believes her. He accepts her words, reassures her that he will protect her from now on, and takes her home.
From then on, their relationship undergoes a significant change. Iske remains brusque but he is warmer towards Rudbeckia, more attentive, gently prompting her to speak whenever she tries to swallow her anxieties. He defends her wholly from everyone around them, willing to violently punish anyone who causes her further suffering. They consummate their marriage at last, making it official in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Ruby finds herself genuinely falling for Iske, and treasures her time with him.
But the happy dream cannot last forever. As Britannia's annual gladiator tournament approaches, Ruby is brought back to reality by the arrival of Romagna's delegation, headed by the Cardinal Valentino: Cesare Borgia.
In public, her brother is polite and charming, quick to congratulate her on her marriage. In private, he makes his displeasure with her known. Although she begs for his forgiveness as expected of her, Rudbeckia is also puzzled by the intensity of Cesare's anger. She is, ultimately, only a minor piece in his plans. She begins to wonder if there's something she's missing.
Her answer comes a few days later, on an evening walk with Cesare, when he kisses her and vows: It will always be you and me.
As he walks away, Ruby sees that they had an audience: Ellenia, Freya, and two of Iske's knights. She knows it will only be a matter of time until Iske learns of it. All of her fragile happiness and burgeoning hopes shatter at once. Iske will never love her again. She can't bear the weight of understanding Cesare's true feelings for her, after all the misery he's put her through. Her life is just a wretched, unending nightmare that she can't escape. She gives up. Devoid of any will to live, Ruby merely awaits an execution at the hands of her beloved.
On the final day of the tournament, Iske claims victory in front of a cheering crowd, and is awarded with a ceremonial wreath known as the Flower of Glory. If events proceed as they do in the novel, he should bestow the prize upon Freya, a sign of their future marriage. Instead, without hesitation, he lays it at Rudbeckia's feet. A flicker of hope reignites in her heart.
When Cesare takes Ruby away at the conclusion of the tournament, she makes certain that Freya sees them.
The Borgia siblings retreat to a private room in Arundel Castle, where an explosive argument ensues. Cesare confesses his desire to seize control of the Pope's throne, and his intention to make Ruby his queen; she laughs at the depths and sincerity of his feelings for her. She rejects him utterly, declaring her love for Iske and her hatred for Cesare, fighting his attempts to drag her to a waiting ship that will take them back to Romagna. Cesare's patience snaps, and he lashes out at her with violence.
Lead by Freya, this is how Iske finds them: his wife pinned beneath her older brother, her hair seized in his fist, with shards of mirror embedded in her skin, rivulets of blood trickling down her face as she laughs.
Cesare escapes the fight that follows, and flees from Britannia. Rudbeckia is able to calm the frost dragon that had been aggravated into attacking Arundel as a distraction for Cesare's plans. Iske listens to all of his wife's honest confessions and loves her no less for it. Their happy and meandering days continue for some time. No news of Cesare reaches them, though the second eldest Borgia child, Enzo, comes to visit and discuss the situation.
It's while Enzo is in Arundel that the next upheaval occurs. In the midst of an audience that Rudbeckia is having with the Queen of Britannia, a foreigner that the King fell in love with long ago, the Queen reveals herself as a practitioner of pagan magic — which she uses to transport Ruby directly to Romagna, where Cesare awaits her. The magic comes at the cost of Enzo's life, used as a blood sacrifice.
For Rudbeckia, it's an anticlimactic outcome. Trapped in Romagna, the time passes slowly. She doesn't expect to be rescued, even by Iske. The Pope is near death; Cesare has poisoned him, tired of waiting for his father's reign to end. She and Cesare have quiet, bitter conversations that lead to nothing in particular. Her future remains uncertain, a life wrenched from the ground just as it was beginning to take root.
One particular argument between the Borgia siblings in the Sistine Chapel takes a darker turn. It might have been a lot easier if I had just taken what I wanted from the beginning, Cesare says, as he rips the front of Rudbeckia's bodice open.
And then the frost dragon crashes through the roof of the chapel, with Iske van Omerta on its back.
(This is not a cliffhanger — this is the actual end of the novel, I swear.)
,
NAME
███████ █████
BIRTH NAME
███ █████
DATE OF BIRTH
18/07/1998
PLACE OF BIRTH
Seoul, Republic of Korea
PLACE OF ADOPTION
Madrid, Spain
???
idk what to put here
???
here either
STATUS
Deceased
█████ was born in South Korea, and spent the first year of her life in an orphanage. Adopted as a charity case by a wealthy white family for the sake of their image, she was then taken to her new home in Madrid, Spain. She grew up the envy of all her peers, with an upper class education and a suite of extracurricular hobbies including ballet, horse riding, and tennis.
From the outside, her new family appeared to be perfect. In reality, they were deeply dysfunctional. Both of █████'s adoptive parents had affairs, often leaving on trips to spend time with lovers; her second eldest brother was a well-known tennis player, embroiled in scandals and gambling habits; her oldest brother, who she had once thought normal, was a cruel and sadistic monster whose favourite target was his adopted sister. The only exception was her older sister, who at the very least was kind, and who would later commit suicide at the age of 21.
█████ came to understand her situation at a young age. Her parents ceased to be generous the moment they realised she would not be the flawless daughter they had expected her to be, and quickly became both verbally and physically abusive. Her eldest brother controlled much of her life at home, and would go so far as taking her to the stables and whipping her bloody when displeased. Even outside of her home, she was always shunned and bullied severely by her peers because of her race. As a result of her surroundings, she developed clinical depression as well as anorexia, which her older sister had suffered from before her suicide.
In the end, she died at 20 in a helicopter crash, after a wretched life spent silently hoping for death.
From the outside, her new family appeared to be perfect. In reality, they were deeply dysfunctional. Both of █████'s adoptive parents had affairs, often leaving on trips to spend time with lovers; her second eldest brother was a well-known tennis player, embroiled in scandals and gambling habits; her oldest brother, who she had once thought normal, was a cruel and sadistic monster whose favourite target was his adopted sister. The only exception was her older sister, who at the very least was kind, and who would later commit suicide at the age of 21.
█████ came to understand her situation at a young age. Her parents ceased to be generous the moment they realised she would not be the flawless daughter they had expected her to be, and quickly became both verbally and physically abusive. Her eldest brother controlled much of her life at home, and would go so far as taking her to the stables and whipping her bloody when displeased. Even outside of her home, she was always shunned and bullied severely by her peers because of her race. As a result of her surroundings, she developed clinical depression as well as anorexia, which her older sister had suffered from before her suicide.
In the end, she died at 20 in a helicopter crash, after a wretched life spent silently hoping for death.
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Rudbeckia de Borgia (character)
This article is about the fictional character. For the historical figure the character is based on, see Lucrezia Borgia.
Rudbeckia de Borgia is one of the primary antagonists of the online novel Sodom and the Holy Grail by an unknown author. The only daughter of the corrupt Borgia family, she is a vain and cruel villainess who assists in her brother Cesare's schemes.
After going through a series of arranged marriages that are used to destroy the Borgias' political enemies, Rudbeckia weds the protagonist, Iske van Omerta. Her time in Britannia is spent getting caught up in social and political strife, antagonising Iske as well as those closest to him—particularly his sister, Ellenia, and their childhood friend, Freya van Furiana.
When Britannia arranges a marriage between Ellenia and a foreign prince to secure an alliance, the Borgias interfere. Under Cesare's orders, Rudbeckia poisons Ellenia just before her own marriage with Iske is annulled, and Ellenia dies soon after Rudbeckia's return to Romagna. Around this same time, the Holy Grail goes missing from the Vatican's vault. A war breaks out between the two families, with the Omertas supported by many eager to oust the Borgias from power due to their extensive history of corruption.
Iske personally claims victory in the conflict, storming the Vatican and slaughtering the Borgia family, including his wife Rudbeckia. In the epilogue, he marries Freya van Furiana, and the two of them dedicate themselves to strengthening the North.
After going through a series of arranged marriages that are used to destroy the Borgias' political enemies, Rudbeckia weds the protagonist, Iske van Omerta. Her time in Britannia is spent getting caught up in social and political strife, antagonising Iske as well as those closest to him—particularly his sister, Ellenia, and their childhood friend, Freya van Furiana.
When Britannia arranges a marriage between Ellenia and a foreign prince to secure an alliance, the Borgias interfere. Under Cesare's orders, Rudbeckia poisons Ellenia just before her own marriage with Iske is annulled, and Ellenia dies soon after Rudbeckia's return to Romagna. Around this same time, the Holy Grail goes missing from the Vatican's vault. A war breaks out between the two families, with the Omertas supported by many eager to oust the Borgias from power due to their extensive history of corruption.
Iske personally claims victory in the conflict, storming the Vatican and slaughtering the Borgia family, including his wife Rudbeckia. In the epilogue, he marries Freya van Furiana, and the two of them dedicate themselves to strengthening the North.
Rudbeckia de Borgia as depicted in the novel's official art
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Rudbeckia de Borgia was born in Romagna to Pope Alexander VI and his lover: a courtesan who, in truth, was already in the early stages of pregnancy prior to her relationship with the Pope. Despite her doubtful parentage, when the Pope eventually discarded his lover, he kept the child. This made her the youngest of the three Borgia children, below the middle child Enzo and the eldest Cesare.
Becoming part of the Borgia family was not a great fortune for Rudbeckia. She was sent to a monastery for her housing and education, where she suffered greatly under the brutal abuses of her caretakers. It was the Pope's oldest bastard son, Cesare, who saved her from that hell and convinced his parents to take over her education, officially bringing her into House Borgia.
But the Borgias were no better, as both the Pope and Cesare soon turned out to be cruel and abusive; they controlled every aspect of her life, using her as a chess piece in political games and punishing her harshly when she failed to obey. Trapped and isolated within the corrupt Borgia family, Rudbeckia grew into a cold and haughty young woman.
From the age of 15, her family began to essentially sell her off, marrying her into another family to secure assets or allies, and then having the marriage annulled once they had gotten what they were after. She went through four marriages this way, and at 18, she met her fifth and final husband: Iske van Omerta, the heir to the Omerta duchy and the nephew of the King of Britannia.
Their marriage lasted six months. Rudbeckia and Iske shared a toxic and tumultuous romance, one of genuine feeling that was impeded by Rudbeckia's warped personality. Despised by everyone in the North, she responded to their silent disdain with outright cruelty, playing the part of the typical villainess as they expected her to be. Freya van Furiana, Iske's childhood friend, was a particular target of her ire, as well as his younger sister, Ellenia van Omerta.
With no more need for the military forces they had secured via the marriage, the Borgias annulled the relationship, sending Rudbeckia home to Romagna. Two weeks after her departure, Ellenia died of poisoning, and the Holy Grail went missing from the Vatican's vault.
A war broke out between the Borgia and Omerta families, but it was the Omertas that triumphed. Iske stormed the Vatican with a large cohort of supporters who were eager to take down the corrupt Borgias, and massacred everyone in the estate. With all of her family dead, he found Rudbeckia overlooking the flames and bloodshed, and confronted her about what she had done.
Rudbeckia told him the truth: that for her, this was the only choice. She would rather die than return to her family; at the same time, she could not bear to live a better life at Iske's side. While she could have easily betrayed the Borgias at any time, she confesses, she felt she was someone too broken to ever have a chance at happiness. In the end, she decided she would simply make sure all of the Borgias died with her. The decision to kill Ellenia was not ordered by Cesare: it was hers alone, done to ensure Iske would kill her too. "I would've probably spent the rest of my life testing your feelings," she told him, "and even in my dying moments, I would need to be assured that you were on my side."
She apologised and confessed her love to him. Finally, as "the last wish of a broken person," she asked Iske to kill her, and he granted her wish.
---
█████ awakens after her sudden death in the body of the villainess from a novel she had once read: Rudbeckia de Borgia, at age 15.
After a long adjustment period, the first days of which are spent scared out of her mind and hiding in a closet, "Ruby" comes to regard her transmigration as the opportunity for a new and better life. Everything that previously tormented her is left behind with her death: her new family is kind and loving, and so their corruption doesn't matter to her. By using her knowledge of the novel's plot, she decides, she will be able to avert the Borgias' tragedy and live happily with them.
Knowing that the beginning of their downfall is the humiliation of Rudbeckia's first fiancé, when her family comes to her with the news of her betrothal, Ruby tries to reject the marriage. She argues stubbornly with her father and older brother about the matter, certain that the strife will be temporarily and this decision is for the best.
Immediately, her vision of a happy life is destroyed. Her family turns against her without a moment's hesitation. After Cesare kills the pet bird Enzo had once gifted Ruby as a demonstration, to punish her for her defiance, the Pope has him beat her until she begs for her life.
From that point on, Ruby never again believes in a happy future. Her life proceeds as written, though she suffers in ways that the novel never warned her of. For three years, she endures the torture her family inflicts upon her, and she waits for her only opportunity to derail the narrative and avoid her fated death: Iske van Omerta. If she can prevent Ellenia's death at the hands of the Borgias, there will be no reason to execute her; if she can't prevent it, then at least she can present herself as a harmless, insignificant fool who won't be seen as a culprit. All she can do is gamble on the protagonist's mercy and appeal to his noble character.
Her fifth and final marriage arrives when she is 18. Rudbeckia is sent to the frigid North, to Britannia and the Omerta duchy. In the castle town of Arundel, she is unwanted from her arrival; her husband does not appear until her first night, when the head maid extinguishes the torches in Ruby's bedchambers, which leaves her vulnerable to the demonic monsters that lurk in the North's freezing dark. As a protagonist should, Iske van Omerta saves Ruby's life – and then scathingly rebukes her for deliberately endangering herself, no doubt a Borgia scheme so that she can accuse the Omertas of neglect.
Their marriage begins poorly, and continues the same way. Desperate to establish a reputation for herself as a fool, as well as gain the tiniest sliver of sympathy from the protagonist, Ruby quickly claims to have fallen in love with Iske. Unfortunately, Iske despises the Borgia family, bitter and resentful about the arrangement. He is suspicious of Ruby, seeing her only as an extension of the Borgias, and treats her with hostility and coldness no matter how well she plays her part.
However, as time passes, he begins to grow more uncertain what to make of his new wife. She is not the scheming witch he expected. Although he continues to push her, he is only ever met with submission. She cowers from his anger, and she begs forgiveness by offering to accept punishment as though she's accustomed to it.
While Iske tries to turn a blind eye to his changing feelings, Rudbeckia continues to be tormented by those around her. She is sabotaged and neglected by maids, tricked and framed by Freya van Furiana, insulted and harassed by knights. Her relationship with Iske progresses, but because he is oblivious to her situation and she is unable to ask for help from someone who she believes could turn against her in an instant, Ruby's circumstances only grow worse.
It comes to a breaking point when Freya is the victim of an attempted murder. Given the nature of the poisoning, many view Rudbeckia as the suspect without hesitation; though the Omertas themselves do not accuse her, it does very little to protect her. After days without Iske speaking to her, Ellenia berating her about the eating disorder she has been hiding, and overhearing Freya's younger brother making violent threats towards her, Ruby is at the end of her rope. Unable to endure the stress, she collapses from illness outside the castle.
Her saving grace is the kindness of a monster she had encountered earlier in her time in Britannia, when Freya had previously gotten her lost in the woods – a gigantic rabbit-like creature known as a popori, which Ruby names Popo. She'd found that Popo could understand her speech, and it had tried to protect her when she was lost. Now, when she is driven from the castle, it comes to her aid again and carries her off into the woods.
Ruby spends several peaceful days with the monsters that live around Arundel. She learns that many of them are drawn to her, treating her like one of their own and taking care of her. For once, she's happy.
Meanwhile, Iske searches for his missing wife with dogged determination, finally confronted by the cruelty she's been enduring from his own people and deeply regretful of his neglect towards her. Despite his knights insisting he give up on the attempt, he persists, and tracks her down at last — only for Ruby to flee in terror from what she is certain will be her executioner.
When Iske pursues her to the cave of a frost dragon that is sheltering her, Ruby breaks down, cornered and afraid. She begs for Iske to leave the monsters alone, and punish her instead; she tells him that she didn't deliberately run away, and that she had nothing to do with Freya's poisoning, though she knows her words will mean nothing to him. I didn't do anything, she sobs.
I know, Iske says. He believes her. He accepts her words, reassures her that he will protect her from now on, and takes her home.
From then on, their relationship undergoes a significant change. Iske remains brusque but he is warmer towards Rudbeckia, more attentive, gently prompting her to speak whenever she tries to swallow her anxieties. He defends her wholly from everyone around them, willing to violently punish anyone who causes her further suffering. They consummate their marriage at last, making it official in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Ruby finds herself genuinely falling for Iske, and treasures her time with him.
But the happy dream cannot last forever. As Britannia's annual gladiator tournament approaches, Ruby is brought back to reality by the arrival of Romagna's delegation, headed by the Cardinal Valentino: Cesare Borgia.
In public, her brother is polite and charming, quick to congratulate her on her marriage. In private, he makes his displeasure with her known. Although she begs for his forgiveness as expected of her, Rudbeckia is also puzzled by the intensity of Cesare's anger. She is, ultimately, only a minor piece in his plans. She begins to wonder if there's something she's missing.
Her answer comes a few days later, on an evening walk with Cesare, when he kisses her and vows: It will always be you and me.
As he walks away, Ruby sees that they had an audience: Ellenia, Freya, and two of Iske's knights. She knows it will only be a matter of time until Iske learns of it. All of her fragile happiness and burgeoning hopes shatter at once. Iske will never love her again. She can't bear the weight of understanding Cesare's true feelings for her, after all the misery he's put her through. Her life is just a wretched, unending nightmare that she can't escape. She gives up. Devoid of any will to live, Ruby merely awaits an execution at the hands of her beloved.
On the final day of the tournament, Iske claims victory in front of a cheering crowd, and is awarded with a ceremonial wreath known as the Flower of Glory. If events proceed as they do in the novel, he should bestow the prize upon Freya, a sign of their future marriage. Instead, without hesitation, he lays it at Rudbeckia's feet. A flicker of hope reignites in her heart.
When Cesare takes Ruby away at the conclusion of the tournament, she makes certain that Freya sees them.
The Borgia siblings retreat to a private room in Arundel Castle, where an explosive argument ensues. Cesare confesses his desire to seize control of the Pope's throne, and his intention to make Ruby his queen; she laughs at the depths and sincerity of his feelings for her. She rejects him utterly, declaring her love for Iske and her hatred for Cesare, fighting his attempts to drag her to a waiting ship that will take them back to Romagna. Cesare's patience snaps, and he lashes out at her with violence.
Lead by Freya, this is how Iske finds them: his wife pinned beneath her older brother, her hair seized in his fist, with shards of mirror embedded in her skin, rivulets of blood trickling down her face as she laughs.
Cesare escapes the fight that follows, and flees from Britannia. Rudbeckia is able to calm the frost dragon that had been aggravated into attacking Arundel as a distraction for Cesare's plans. Iske listens to all of his wife's honest confessions and loves her no less for it. Their happy and meandering days continue for some time. No news of Cesare reaches them, though the second eldest Borgia child, Enzo, comes to visit and discuss the situation.
It's while Enzo is in Arundel that the next upheaval occurs. In the midst of an audience that Rudbeckia is having with the Queen of Britannia, a foreigner that the King fell in love with long ago, the Queen reveals herself as a practitioner of pagan magic — which she uses to transport Ruby directly to Romagna, where Cesare awaits her. The magic comes at the cost of Enzo's life, used as a blood sacrifice.
For Rudbeckia, it's an anticlimactic outcome. Trapped in Romagna, the time passes slowly. She doesn't expect to be rescued, even by Iske. The Pope is near death; Cesare has poisoned him, tired of waiting for his father's reign to end. She and Cesare have quiet, bitter conversations that lead to nothing in particular. Her future remains uncertain, a life wrenched from the ground just as it was beginning to take root.
One particular argument between the Borgia siblings in the Sistine Chapel takes a darker turn. It might have been a lot easier if I had just taken what I wanted from the beginning, Cesare says, as he rips the front of Rudbeckia's bodice open.
And then the frost dragon crashes through the roof of the chapel, with Iske van Omerta on its back.
(This is not a cliffhanger — this is the actual end of the novel, I swear.)