"Alesana! Jump right and then throw the blades. Flip left and use sorcery. You'd get 8 seconds roughly. Give or take a few. I'd take it down to 5 to play it safe." Nicci said, going through the plan for what seemed like the millionth time.
"I got this! I've been doing this shit since the crib!" Alesana said. She wasn't in focus today. She had a bad feeling this morning, as if something awful were going to occur. She had been trying to fight it off by distracting herself. Training seemed to not be the best way.
"Alesana! Nicci! Non crederai mai questo! The Auditore's have been found!" Axel yelled running towards them. There was emotion in his voice. It sounded of pain and sadness, something they were strictly taught to never show.
"Dannazione! Where are they now?" Alesana asked. She knew this is what she had felt earlier.
"They're all at the noose except for young Ezio. He's no where to be found." Axel sighed.
"Smart boy. Hiding is probably the best thing at the moment. What of Giovanni's daughter and wife? Are they accompanying him at the gallows?" Nicci asked looking up from her writing pad. Her red eyes making her seem angry more than saddened.
"I'm not sure. Alesana, we must go to see them!" Axel said. His emotions were more prominent than Alesana's and her eyes changed to depict her mood.
"Axel, you know the rules! If an assassin is captured and proven unmistakably guilty, we can't save him!" Alesana said coldly. She wanted to help, really, but she knew the obvious risk in it. Being near Nicci had taught her to be more rational then emotional. She hated it quite frankly.
"Alesana! What of Giovanni's innocent children?" Axel asked seeming angry
"Their father knew of the risks in having children. He's damned them along with himself." Alesana sighed. She was starting to become saddened by the situation at hand, even though she had only met Giovanni briefly a few times, she knew his brother Mario well. He was a wonderful man and thought highly of his brother. She knew of Giovanni's strength and could only hope his son had that same strength if he planned on surviving. Florence was probably looking everywhere for him.
"Alesana, Axel, I think you two should go to the gallows. The rarely hang men before high noon so you should have ample time if you run swiftly. Alesana, Giovanni was a good man, as were his children. Please make sure their spirits cross over." Nicci asked quietly. She seemed on the brink of tears. Neither Alesana or Axel questioned it. They flipped their hoods up and strapped their well concealed weapons securely against them. They were always told to expect attacks at any moment. They turned to each other and nodded before running full speed towards the city.
Nicci wiped a tear from her right eye before letting out a silent laugh "Why can't they move so precisely when I ask them to train?" she sighed then smiled before looking down at her writing pad and going to a new page. Her new strategies were all going to be related to protecting Giovanni's second eldest son, Ezio, from all harm.
Alesana and Axel sprinted to the Piazza della Signoria to find that a dense crowd had already assembled. Something didn't feel right to Alesana, not just the fact the the Auditore men, minus Ezio, were standing on a platform with three nooses hanging nearby. Alesana noticed Uberto Alberti and a strange man, a spaniard according to his dress, standing to the side or the platform. Something definitely wasn't right here. She was close to positive that Alberti had always been on the assassin's side.
A movement at her right distracted her attention. It was a man by the looks of it, wearing a white hooded cloak similar to hers. He was trying to push his way through the cluster of people, but it was like trying to fight your way through a fortified wall. Although his face could be seen, his body language told Alesana that he was anxious.
"Giovanni Auditore," Alberti began and a silence fell over the crowd, " You an your accomplices have been accused of treason, do you have anything to counter this?"
Giovanni looked puzzled and surprised. "Of course we do, its all on the documents that were delivered to you last night."
"I received no such documents, Auditore." instantly the crowd began to shout. Some were protests, others not. Next to her, Alesana felt Axel's anger.
"We have to do something!" he growled, "We have to stop the execution!"
"Axel, you know damn well if I could I would, but law says we can't!" Alesana said angrily, her eyes blue with red highlights showed her feeling of sadness and anger just as a compass shows a man north.
"Alesana, I command you!" Axel said with a growl.
"Don't pull that shit with me bastardo!" Alesana said angrily. She knew Axel was technically her owner, but he knew she could kick his ass to the Indies if she set her mind to it. She looked at the hooded man. His figure, his movements, his aura, it all mimicked the man on the platform with a rope around his neck. "Axel, hold onto this for a minute." She said taking her hood off. This man, or boy so it seemed, was Giovanni's son, Ezio. Hiding in plain sight! Nicci would think it was insane, but it honestly seemed genius.
"Oh yes, don't save the Auditore's but take ur hood off? Alesana, this is more dangerous and punishable than saving one of our own!" Axel whispered angrily.
"Axel, trust me." Alesana said. Her grey eyes told him she had a plan. He held her hood and stared at the platform with a tear rolling down his cheek. He could only pray Alesana had a plan that'd work. "Si prega di lavoro" he said looking up to the heavens then around the crowd. Alesana was kneeling in a gutter.
"C'mon little guy, I promise you won't get hurt." she said grabbing a rat from the gutter and blowing a cold breath of air on him "Protect innocentis animae" she walked back over to Axel with the rat hidden in her hands "I may not be able to save all the Auditore's, but I'm saving at least one." she sighed and walked towards Ezio.
Axel watched her curiously. What the hell was she talking about? She suddenly tripped and fell on the ground. Something Alesana never did. "Geni!" Axel yelled out. That was the name they used if they ever had to use each other names in public. It was given to her by Nicci who considered her a little genius. He ran over to her and picked her up and noticed the rat was gone. "What the?"
"Move your lips like your talking to me but keep your eye on Ezio Auditore." Alesana whispered in a barely audible voice.
"Ezio?" Axel asked. He looked around until his eyes locked on a hooded figure trying to squirm through the crowds.
He moved his lips as if saying words to Alesana when a woman screamed, "A rat! Filthy vermin!" jumping to the side. All of the crowd did so as well. The hooded man saw this as his chance to run through the crowd. Axel smiled at Alesana, she really was a little genius.
She smiled back then a wave of terror washed over her face as her skin went pale and her eyes went black. Axel knew by the crowds cheers and cries what had happened behind him. Alesana covered her eyes and cried. He hugged her and looked towards the platform. Petruccio, Giovanni's youngest son seemed to have died instantly. His lifeless body was dangling as the crowds through stones at him causing his frail corpse to sway. Giovanni seemed to be crying. He was gulping in breaths of air though his body stay still.
Federicio, the eldest of Giovanni's sons, was thrashing around. He was fighting the hardest for his life. He kicked and flailed his legs but it was futile, he soon swung with his family as a lifeless corpse. Axel closed his eyes. It was a sight he wanted to erase yet so desperately wanted to hold onto. It was a last memory, a memory of an event he felt would soon change everything. He felt Alesana grab her hood from him. He opened his eyes and helped her put it on. Her cheeks were flushed and wet from crying and her eyes were the deepest shade of blue he had ever seen on her.
"Come Axel, their auras are a pure white. They deserve a few words to be said to make sure their souls pass." She forced a broken smile onto her face and walked towards the platform where the dead bodies now lay. The crowds were gone and the coroner should be arriving soon to take their bodies. Alesana stepped onto the platform, Axel jumped up behind her. She kneeled by the bodies. They had welting contusions around there necks.
She shivered and closed her eyes and chanted, "Opus mortui dormire. Ad caeli volantes lectus. Dona eis pacem. Animas suscitare Candida caelum" She smiled and looked to the sky. She kissed the forehead of each corpse. "God bless ye merry gentleman. May peace be found in death." she smiled and turned to Axel, "Ready to leave?"
"Yeah, I think I am." he nodded and jumped off the platform. He turned to help Alesana down but she had already flipped off and was looking at him.
"I fell a bit faint from all this horror. Do you think Nicci would be suspicious if we returned with a stallion?" Alesana smiled, throwing her head towards a black horse tied to a post near by.
Axel had to smile too. "Lets hope not, or we'll both be in for it!" Still, he made his way to the black horse untied it from it's post. Axel helped Alesana up on the horse then got on himself. "Hyah!" he shouted. The horse sped down the now deserted road and left an unlucky gentleman to walk home. The two soon found Nicci where they left her. Without bothering to look up she said, "Was stealing a horse honestly necessary?"
"It's like she has eyes in the back of her head!" whispered Alesana. Axel nodded in agreement. Nicci put up her notepad, that when Alesana thought of, she realized she had never seen the full contents of.
"Where is Ezio?" she asked. Axel and Alesana both shrugged.
"No idea, we gave him an escape route before anyone could realize who he was." Alesana replied. Nicci thought for a minute.
"The best course of action would probably be to find Ezio and protect him. Then assuming he has had no training it might be a good idea to take him to Paola's or Mario's."
"He has to learn how to use his instincts on his own. What do we know about Ezio Auditore?" Axel asked.
"One second!" Alesana said rummaging through her bag that was conveniently on the desk Nicci was working on and pulled a bound book out of it. "Here we go, Ezio Auditore. he's probably your typical teenage boy at this age. He is intellegent, but very childish and adventurous. He's in shape which is good and a womanizer of sorts." Alesana said shutting the notepad with a nod.
"Oh my god. You're becoming a little Nicci!" Axel said slightly paniced.
"Haha, i hate to agree, but it seems you are. In this case it's a good thing. Where did you get this information Alesana?" Nicci asked looking over to an obviously distracted Alesana. "ALESANA GENI VALENTINO!" she yelled.
"huh?" she asked looking up.
"What are you distracted with?" Nicci asked wishing she hadn't the moment the words escaped her lips.
"I was wondering why we have 5 toes." Alesana stated. Nicci looked at her with a slightly annoyed face. Axel laughed.
"She's baaaack!" he smiled and ruffled Alesana's hair.
Nicci's red eyes met Alesana's. They were a mixture of anger, humor and honest curiosity.
"I always wondered what goes through your head, now i'm not so sure i want to know." she said shaking her head. "Back to the topic though," she continued, "Where did you get that? Files like this don't even exist to my knowledge."
"To your knowledge," said Axel, "That doesn't mean they don't exist." Nicci glared at him.
"I know more about the order then you do, and until you do, don't question me."
"Actually my dear friend, I may have one upped you in that area, but that's a later conversation. I found these documents specifically in the library. secret compartments are hidden all over. I found multiple documents like these at the sorcerer 's house and I've stolen a few from the banks and our enemies. Some are quite interesting. You may borrow them sometime if you'd like Nicci. They're quite enlightening!" Alesana said cheerfully, her green eyes glowing against her face that was slowly regaining it's light tan color. Nicci looked shocked. She wasn't sure whether to be proud, angry, or scared that Alesana was in possession of stolen documents.
"Damn Alesana! That's pretty amazing!" Axel said glancing through the books. "Woah, what's this language?" Axel said pointing to a page of doodles it seemed.
"They're hieroglyphics." Alesana said popping her neck
"Hieroglyphics, codex pages, good lord what else will we face?" muttered Nicci to herself, "Just lie low for a while and keep an eye on Ezio from a distance in case some complications develop"
"Yes ma'am!" Alesana and Axel both said bowing in respect to Nicci.
Nicci smiled a little, "Alright kids, time for bed, we have a lot of training to do tomorrow." she said in a motherly tone.
"Aww ok." Alesana grumbled and hugged Nicci, "Night!" she said before running out side of the doorway, "C'mon Axel!" she said bubbly.
"I'm coming! Impatient! Night Nicci!" he said kissing her cheek, "ti amo!" he said running to meet Alesana at the doorway. She quickly jumped on his back.
"Carry me. I'm still sick from today's deaths." Nicci could hear her whine.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course you are. Now am I mistaken but don't you have the most kills within our rank?" Axel asked.
"Yeah. Your point?" Nicci heard Alesana ask. She laughed to herself. She couldn't hear anything past that, it was all mumbles.
"I'm glad those kids have each other if nothing else in the world." Nicci sighed. She looked down towards Alesana's bag and grabbed a book out of it and began to study the hieroglyphics. "I wish I knew what that sorcerer taught her. Now I have to here her logic if I want to ever understand these." She smiled to herself then blew out the candle lighting the study and crawled into her bunk stationed in the back and drew the curtain around it, "Tomorrow. Figure out the survival rate for them and practice these new strategies. Fighting our battles and Ezio's isn't going to be easy. It's almost foolish, but it must be done." She told herself, "If any rookies stupid enough to take this task can do it, It's Alesana and Axel." she smiled to herself and fell asleep, multiple strategies and scenarios rushing through her head. All revolving around the same idea: Keeping Ezio, Alesana, and Axel alive and keeping the Spaniards away from them.
A.N.
Sorry for not updating in forever, I know your not interested in excuses so I will not give you any! Monochrome no Sakura Kiss will be updated as soon as Alesana will send me the stuff she's written -_-
We do not own Assassin's Creed, we only own our OC's, and I guess that is it, hope you enjoyed :D
~Aira~
