Author's Note: Upon request by James Thomas.
Assassin's Creed: Double Life
Monteriggioni, 1480
The morning air was cold and damp, and all Claudia could think of was the fact that today was too thick and sleepy to be doing any actual work. She had long grown used to working as an accountant for the affairs of the villa, for the very city of Monteriggioni, but running her eyes and quill over the countless pages of scripted words and numbers was particularly tiresome when the smallest slip of her hand caused several of the notes to become smudged, and require rewriting. Hot days were distinctly just as uncomfortable, but at least her ink dried quickly.
As she wondered a little blankly since when she had started to care so much for the quality of her scripts, a voice speaking from the main entrance of the villa caught her attention, the tone ringing familiarly as it exchanged words with her uncle. She looked up, delighted, completely neglecting the splatter she left across the bankroll for the town's doctor. Her brother had returned, it seemed, after so many months in the Tuscan countryside, chasing the allies of the Pazzi who had been involved in the event that had so torn their family. The young noblewoman frowned at the memory, but reminded herself that to dwell on the past was only to pick at old wounds.
However, though she turned eagerly towards the door of the villa study, she was disappointed to hear Ezio's footsteps fade, as he turned instead in the other direction, likely to tend to his weapons. She huffed quietly to herself and wondered irritably whether he was more concerned for his equipment than for those who ever anxiously awaited his return.
Perhaps, she realized a little sadly, he simply cared more for the ones that aided him in his work, in his play with blood and lives, despite the fact that they were only tools. He seemed to depend more on steel and blades now, hardened as he was from constant battle, he no longer caring for the warmth of family. Too many times had he simply ghosted through the villa, barely staying long enough for a rest and a meal, before he was away again, and lost to the winds.
Today though, she decided that she had had enough, decided that despite the fact that Ezio had taken up the cowl of an Assassin, he was still her brother. She would not sit idly by as he threw himself back into the age-long conspiracy of shadowed enemies alone, would not smile and wave as she watched him leave, as if she were blissfully unaware.
Even Uncle Mario seemed to underestimate her. He had entertained a variety of guests—informants and allies alike—in the very room adjacent to hers, and yet had never even spoken of the conflict with her, never in passing, never once, as if it did not exist. Those men who came and went oft discussed their enemies at length whenever they visited, sometimes speaking for hours at a time, oblivious to her even as she leaned over her books mere feet from them, her pen still as she listened. They did not seem to realize it, but she was still an Auditore, more than willing to do her part in this war.
She stood abruptly from her seat behind the desk, setting her writing materials aside and distractedly wiping the stray ink from her fingers as she moved into the main hall of the villa, glancing around for her brother. Hearing the ringing clatter of metal from the armory, she trotted over to the door, speaking firmly as she reached it, "Ezio, I need to talk to you."
The Assassin glanced over to her with some surprise, mid-way from lifting one of his swords down from the rack. "Of course, Claudia, what's wrong?"
"I heard you speaking with zio earlier—you told him something about Venice?" she questioned, moving to stand at his elbow, and watching attentively as her brother thoughtfully shifted the long blade in his hand, evidently testing it.
"Yes," Ezio said a little distractedly, returning the blade to the stand and reaching for a different one. "It seems our enemies have fled farther than we thought. I need to go to Venezia a while, and root them out from there."
"So you're disappearing again." There was no inquiry in her tone now, only bluntness, and a hint of disdain.
"It's necessary," the young Assassin replied, evidently a bit taken aback from the edge in her tone. "You understand-"
"No. No, I don't," she cut in adamantly, glaring directly into his eyes, which were easily visible without the shade of his hood.
Ezio hesitated, seeming unsure on how to respond, until Claudia impatiently clarified, "I mean, I understand that you need to leave, but I don't know why you didn't even consider mother's and my feelings about it. When were you planning on telling us?"
"I was going to," the young Assassin answered a little irritably, defensive. "But really, you don't need to worry. I'm not a child, Claudia, I can take care of myself."
"I know, but what about us? Do you really not worry about us at all?"
"That isn't it, you know that," Ezio replied with a frown. "I'm sure you'll both be fine here without me."
"Will we?" she questioned slowly, before continuing eagerly, "Then you agree, I'm capable of fending for myself, right?" Her eyes lit up somewhat as she spoke, as they finally touched on the subject that she truly wanted to discuss.
Her brother paused, before laughing lightly upon realizing her intentions, lowering his long sword to his side to meet her gaze with some amusement. "I don't think there was ever any question of that."
"Good," she replied with a grin. "Then you agree that I should be training to be an Assassin as well."
"…What?" The smile vanished at this point, but Claudia continued nevertheless.
"You don't know what it's been like," she complained in a rush, folding her arms irritably. "Zio keeps throwing me out of the training field to 'attend to the books,' whenever I try to join the other mercenaries, insisting that I'm not built to carry a sword. But you know me better, right? I can keep up with you, if you just give me a chance-"
"Wait, Claudia, that's not what I meant," Ezio said hastily, eying her stubborn gaze with some apprehension. "Swordplay and battle aren't things to be taken lightly. There are dangers in what I do. Understand, I didn't choose this, and I wouldn't force this life on anyone else."
"But you wouldn't be forcing it," the younger Auditore insisted, her tone hard and unyielding. "I want to learn—if not so I can fight beside you, then at least so I can protect mother when you're gone. I have responsibilities in our family too, don't I?"
She eyed the other's indecisive expression before giving an impatient breath and snatching at the rapier he still held, hefting it determinedly in both hands and shifting into a stance that she had picked up from watching zio Mario's soldiers train. "Look, I'm more than capable, Ezio, if only you'd teach me," she spoke, almost demanding, keeping the strain from her voice as she gripped the awkwardly balanced weapon and leveled it to the taller man's face.
The young Assassin merely looked at her for a span, his expression unreadable. Then finally, he smirked and carefully pushed the blade away with one hand, good-naturedly ruffling her hair with the other. She only glared at him in response, unwilling to let him brush off the issue, and did not move until Ezio spoke gently, "If you really want to learn how to fight, you might as well play to your strengths. Zio was right, you aren't really fit for a sword, but that doesn't mean you can't handle other, lighter weapons."
Claudia blinked then gave a bright grin, taking on the challenge. Perhaps this was only a small victory, nowhere near convincing her brother to allow her to follow him on his missions, but she would work hard, would train to keep up with him, no matter the time it would take. In afterthought, she found this double life would suit her, she the accountant and the Assassin. It prided her to think that she would be like her father.
"Just tell me where to start."
Author's Note: Perhaps not quite following the request, but I hope this prologue of sorts will suffice. I really wished that Ezio's and Claudia's relationship had been developed more in the game, I can't count how many times I tried speaking to her, hoping she would say something different.
But anyway, as I previously mentioned, this is just one of the many one-shot requests I am open to. If you have any suggestions for more stories, please go to my page for more details. Thanks very much for reading.
(Update) Though by popular demand, I've decided to continue this story for at least a couple more chapters. Thanks to everyone for the reviews.