La Partenza

[Aurinko]

“La Partenza”

London, England

November 1940

Ecco quel fiero istante

They stared at each other, blue eyes meeting green, in swirl of colors and emotions too complex for any artist to capture properly. Strangers bustled about them, each fixed upon their own business. There were perhaps twenty young couples there, each absorbed in their own private lives, in their own private tragedies.

Nice, mia Nice, addio

He looked smart is his new uniform, the brown outfit freshly pressed, gold buttons done up and shining. And for once, his auburn hair was combed back neatly.

She was standing a few feet away, in an unusual state of undress that betrayed her distress. Her blouse was a little crooked, her blue skirt slightly wrinkled. The wind played capriciously with her hair, whipping the thick black strands around and behind her.

He thought she had never looked more beautiful.

Come vivrò ben mio, così lontan da te,

A few years only, he promised her. He’d fight those bloody Nazis something fierce, he swore, just to get back to her. Nothing, nothing was going to keep him away. For how could he live, so far from her?

Come vivrò, come vivrò, vivrò così lontan da te?

A few years only, he promised her. A few years, a few lifetimes—how would she live, without him? Without his coffee waiting for her when she awoke? Without his smile to start her day? Without his teasing to lighten her mood? How could she live, so far from him?

Io vivrò sempre in penne, io non avrò più benne;

They stared at each other, neither daring to admit the truth.

They would live.

And it would hurt.

E tu, chi sa se mai ti soverrai di me,

E tu, chi sa se mai ti soverrai di me!

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. He would forget, she knew, their peaceful life together. The guns and the shells would tear it from him, memory by memory, until all he knew was war. She had seen it in her father, and she feared for him.

He looked down at her, raising a hand to gently wipe the tears from her face. She would forget, he knew, their easy life together. The long days and the longer nights would tear it from her, memory by memory, until all she knew was loneliness and fear. He had seen it in his mother, and he feared for her.

Ecco quel fiero istante

Nice, mia Nice addio!

The captain called, and the men were forced to answer, though they lingered as long as possible. The lovers shared one last desperate kiss; one kiss to last the hard days and the long nights, to keep back the pain and the cold and the loneliness and the hunger; one kiss to outlast them all.

And then they were parted.

Come vivrò ben mio, così lontan da te,

He forced his way to a window seat on the train, shoving another gentleman out of his way with a muttered apology so that he faced the station. Her eyes followed his progress steadfastly, and their gazes locked automatically, even as the train began to pull out of the station.

A single question was asked, and a single answer given before they were torn from each other’s sight. It was all that they would have. A promise and a kiss and the faint hope of a future would see them through.

Come vivrò, come vivrò, vivrò così lontan da te,

One question remained unasked, running through their minds and hearts and dragging their souls into darkness, but they had no answers for it yet. They would face it alone, in those long years apart.

They did not know how.

They knew only that they would.

Così lontan da te, così lontan da te.




A/N: My high school chorale teacher actually assigned this as homework a long time ago. It's a pretty song, Italian, and the lyrics are something along the lines of In this fierce moment/Goodbye, my love/How shall I live/How shall I live, so far from you?

Naturally, I thought of Albus & Minerva, and we had to write a songfic, so I did.