I'm not sure if anyone else knows this but, I just found out recently that Lita Tresierra, the voice actor for Rosa in ACII died in 2010 after an accident that left her in a coma for two days. Its been hinted that this is why our favorite character Rosa has not appeared in any of the following games. I wrote this short story in honor of , and for Rosa, because I don't think Ubisoft should have just thrown away and made dissapear in my opinion the best female character in the series.
Time and space had become the enemy to a once passionate relationship. From the outside, Ezio and Rosa's relationship looked to be a fling of two young lovers, who became tangled in each other's sheets from time to time, coming and going as they pleased. That indeed was how their relationship began, constant mindless flirting leading to midnight tumbles between the sheets. Over time though, this routine developed feelings inside each of them, feelings they hadn't shared with anyone, nor each other before. But that didn't mean either of them were going to admit it.
Pretty soon, their chemistry became undeniable, and they no longer could hold back what they felt for each other. In a word, it was love, but it could not be put as simply as that. What they felt was a burning desire for each other's company. They craved the physical touch sent shockwaves through them every time. When they weren't together, they longed for each other much like a flower longs for water. No matter the cost, the two found a way to be together on a daily basis. The only thing that could separate Ezio and Rosa was their careers. In the end, that was the damning to their relationship.
The brotherhood called Ezio to Roma where the Papacy, headed by Rodrigo Borgia threatened to enslave all of Italia. When asked by Ezio to accompany him to Roma, Rosa painfully declined. She could not leave her thieves in Venezia. Its all she had ever known, although by then her love for Ezio was immeasurable, that still was not enough to overpower her fear of love itself and abandonment. Two things she swore to herself she would never allow to hurt her again. It was a crushing blow to both of them, but each of the two stubborn in their ways could not be wavered. They spent one last passionate night together, and the next morning Ezio was gone on horse back to Roma without so much as a goodbye. He did this not because he had done it to countless women before, bedding them then leaving them, he had done it because he feared when faced to say goodbye to Rosa, he could not do it. All he left behind was a necklace and a placed on a piece of paper that read, "goodbye amor, I promise one day we will be together again."
Rosa had expected this, but that didn't mean it numbed any of the pain. For months she cried alone at night in her room, staring out the window hoping that today would be the day her hooded lover returned. After a year of waiting, she gave up. Assuming Ezio had forgotten all about her she tried to do the same, but a constant reminder kept him at the forefront of her mind.
Meanwhile, Ezio hadn't forgotten about her. He couldn't. Being appointed leader of the Brotherhood kept his mind busy during the day, because lets face it, Rome couldn't rebuild itself. But every night without fail as his head lay on his pillow his thoughts drifted back to his younger days when he romped around Venezia with his thief. He dreamed of returning to her, settling down and enjoying life, but at the rate things were moving with the Borgia and Roma, he'd be lucky to finish his duties before he turned forty.
Still, a man had his needs. He satisfied those with noble woman of Roma who unlike Rosa, fell for whatever trick he decided to pull that night in order to bed them. All of these flings felt meaningless until one night while alone in his Tiber Island hideout, Ezio received a message. It was from a Sofia Sorto, the woman Ezio was entertaining a relationship with at the time. It demanded that he meet her the next day at her house which was located near Rosa in Fiore, his sister's brothel. Ironically, this was where to two met, not because Sofia was a employee of the brothel but because she had caught her fiancé thereand was in need of some of consoling. Easy pickings for Ezio who wooed her into his bed. He wondered what could he have done that required his immediate attention.
The next day around lunch time, Ezio rode to Sofia's house and knocked on the door. She shushed him inside and immediately began talking.
"How could you do this to me? Do you realize what this could do to my reputation? I am a lady and I can not be seen as some kind of play toy for you, its time you manned up and pay the consequences for your actions." Ezio wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion. "What in the hell are you talking about?" Ezio fired back. "You impregnated me you figilo di puttana!" Ezio was sent back in his chair, how is that possible? Not wanting to go into the details, he knew what this meant, he just did not want to admit it. "What do you want me to do about this situation? If your father (who happened to be an extremely powerful nobleman in Milan) ever found out you were pregnant before marriage, he'd surely kill me." The word marriage in itself scared Ezio to no end.
Before he knew it, Ezio began living the lie Sofia demanded in order to cover up her pregnancy. A few days later, Ezio proposed to Sofia who not surprisingly agreed, and rushed the marriage into the coming months. Ezio's mother and sister's heads were sent spinning when he announced his engagement to a woman they had only met once before. Nonetheless, they were ecstatic that Ezio was finally marrying a noblewoman and becoming the man they once dreamed of him being.
It all happened so fast, Ezio had to take a moment to stop and thing about what he was doing. After all it couldn't be all bad. He was marrying an attractive noblewoman who was pregnant with his child. This is what he dreamed for himself before becoming an assassin, but now his victory didn't taste as sweet as he imagined. He wanted a marriage based on love, not as cover up for a pregnancy. He had only had relations with this woman for a few months, a far cry from what could be deemed as love. But he reveled in the fact that this was as close to a normal life as he was getting, and he was determined to make it work. If not for him, but the child he was to father.
The time flew by fast, and the marriage between Ezio and Sofia was quickly approaching. It was to be a grand ceremony in Roma at the cathedral Sofia grew up in. Her entire family was coming in from Milan to witness their wedding, oblivious to the fact that she was pregnant. Being a noble family, the Sortos invited every other noble family in Italia they were in alliance with, as this was the politically correct thing to do. This amassed to about one hundred strangers to Ezio who only invited his mother, sister and Bartholomew along with his wife Pantisela. Ezio was overwhelmed to say the least with the guest list, but if it made Sofia happy, he couldn't argue. This marriage had to work.
Day by day Ezio became more and more comfortable with the idea of a marrying Sofia, it was the right thing at the time to do. Two nights before the wedding, Ezio was sitting at the table in Tiber island when one of his recruits who was just returning from a mission in Venezia approached him.
"Permission to speak Maestro." The recruit bowed before him.
"Va bene what is it?"
"I have returned from Venezia with urgent news from Messer Antonio." Ezio's head perked up, he hadn't heard from Antonio since the days before he left Venezia. "Its about a thief, forgive me Maestro but I cannot remember the name-"
"Rosa?" Without thinking the name short out of his mouth.
"Si! It was Rosa, she is in grave condition, and she specifically requested you before she fell into a coma yesterday. I came as fast as I could ride, il doctorre fears she does not have much time left." Ezio held up his hand to stop him from continuing. "Thank you for being so vigilant now return to your quarters" Ezio had to go, now, but he couldn't without saying something to his bride to be first.
Rushing out of the hideout, Ezio flew through the streets of Roma on horseback, not caring who or what he knocked over in the process. Ezio burst in what was now he and Sofia's house to find her gingerly sewing what was to be the veil for her wedding dress.
"Ezio! Your aren't supposed to see this before the wedding! Look away!" She shouted.
"Mi dispace Sofia but I have urgent duties in Venezia that require my immediate attention." A look of shock came over Sofia's face.
"Two days before our wedding? Are you kidding me? Whatever or whoever it is, they can wait until next week. We are getting married for god sakes."
"It cannot wait!" Ezio yelled out angrily. It scared Sofia, she had never seen him this angry or anxious about anything in his life. "Tell me then what is it that requires you attention at such a time!"
"A dear friend of mine in Venezia is ill and has requested me to be by her side." Sofia cut her eyes. "Who exactly is she, some worthless whore you impregnated as well?" Ezio couldn't hold back his frustration and before he knew it he was yelling again. "Don't you speak of Rosa like that!"
That name was one Sofia had heard before. Not in casual conversation with Ezio, but she had heard it before many times. She remembered the times Ezio muttered it in his sleep, or worse when they were making love. That name was one she would do anything to replace her own with as this was to be her husband. Not Rosa's.
"I-" Sofia started but was quickly interrupted by Ezio.
"It is not up for discussion cara, I have to leave now, she does not have much time left. I must say my goodbyes before it is too late." Ezio had calmed considerably as he realized she was in no position to stop him.
"I understand bello but please return soon. This wedding cannot wait another month, my stomach is bursting at the seams. It wont be long before someone notices." She begged from him.
"Thank you for understanding. I will return as soon as possible." Ezio kissed her on the forehead and went back to his room where he gathered a bag and left without another word.
Ezio rode for hours into the night until he reached the city of Forli where he boarded the midnight ship to Venezia. Exhaustion began to set in but he refused to let his eyelids close, he was in a race against time to see Rosa, praying nothing had happened since his recruit saw her last. The ship ride was only an hour long, Ezio was the sole passenger amongst crates of cargo that were being shipped to Venezia. A full moon illuminated the city in a way no candle ever could.
As soon as the ship pulled into the dock, Ezio's feet hit the pavement. Unfortunately the thieves guild was all the way on the other side of the island, so Ezio had to take his path to the rooftops to maximize his time. As the leaped and bounded from building to building Ezio took in the landmarks he remembered from his days here with Rosa. The palazzo, where he flew for the first time, in aid to the thieves effectively ending templar presence in Venezia. The Campanile di San Marco which was particularly special to Ezio. This was where Rosa taught him to leap on a wall and catch himself at a higher foothold than what he could ever hope to achieve without jumping. The pair raced to the top countless times, often where his victory would be awarded with affectionate kisses from Rosa, or even more. This was also where he professed his love for her, after he told her he was leaving to Roma and asked her to accompany him. He found her here because he knew this was her favorite spot to go and think when she truly needed to be alone. As the memories of all the times he had with Rosa flooded back in, he had to fight back a tear as he thought about what he could be losing, or already lost. This only made him run faster and harder.
Ezio entered the guild where a sole window was illuminated by a candle on the second floor. He instantly recognized it as Rosa's room. Not wanting to intrude, instead of climbing through the window like normal, the used the stairs and walked down the hallway. Two thieves, Ugo and Tankredo stood at the door to Rosa's room. They squinted to recognize who was in front of them but as soon as they recognized Ezio their jaws dropped in amazement.
"Messer Ezio, we were not expecting you so soon. We didn't send the messenger more than twelve hours ago." Ugo spoke up, Ezio could see it in his face, his eyes were bloodshot from the lack of sleep as well as the swelling from tears. Ezio prayed that he wasn't too late.
"Is she…" Ezio motioned towards the inside of the room.
"Oh, how foolish of me for holding you up. Go on inside, Antonio hasn't left the room since we laid her in there. He will be happy to know you have arrived so soon."
"I did my best. Thank you amico." Ezio touched Ugo's shoulder then entered the room. A single candle illuminated the space, providing enough light to see Antonio sitting in a chair directly across from Rosa's bed, where she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Ezio lifted his hood from his head and walked over into the room. His eyes instantly fell back to Rosa who was laying in bed with her hands interlocked on her chest. As Ezio reached the side of her bed, one after the other, his knees buckled and landed loudly on the ground. Tears began to well up inside of him, as he looked over Rosa who laid in bed, pale and lifeless. Her chest was lightly rising then falling.
"Ezio!" Antonio was startled as if he had not heard him enter. "I did not expect you so soon. I am glad you are here."
Ezio didn't care about the small talk. "What happened." His voice was deep and threatening.
Antonio sighed heavily, holding back tears. "There was an accident." He had to pause before continuing, tears already began to well up in his eyes. "Rosa was leading a group of thieves that were sent to go rescue Ugo who had been captured the day before. They successfully freed Ugo, but on the way back they encountered problems on the rooftops. They were ambushed by guards of the Doge who thought they were fleeing a scene of a crime. A battle ensued, and the thieves were outnumbered. They battled it out valiantly but the four thieves who accompanied Rosa were killed, but not before they ended the lives of nine guards. During the fight with the last guard, Rosa was overpowered, she slashed and slashed at him until he finally let her go. He threw her to the rooftop and as she tried to get up, he booted her in the stomach which sent her tumbling off the rooftop and onto the pavement below. Ugo fought off the last guard from finishing her, and he ran for help. By the time we reached her all she was calling out for, was you." Ezio's heart sank. He was the one man she trusted to protect her, and he had failed. Antonio broke down crying, something Ezio had never seen before. "We brought her to the doctor and he said there was nothing he could do. The cuts in her were severe, all he could do was stop the bleeding but the damage had been done. Her head had severe injuries from the fall, he said it was a matter of time before she fell into a coma, never to wake up again. Now we can do nothing but wait and see if she pulls though, but the doctor wasn't confident. She's been like this for a day now, I cant do anything to get her to come back to us." Ezio simply shook his head, disgusted with himself. How could he let this happen? Antonio sensed he wanted to be alone so he got up and left the room sobbing.
Ezio watched him leave then returned his attention to Rosa. He noticed she was still wearing the necklace he left her that day years ago. He brushed aside her bangs and leaned in to kiss her forehead. As soon as his lips felt her warm skin, the electrifying feeling he craved that he only got when his lips met Rosa's body returned. He held his lips there as he began shaking uncontrollably. His breathing became irregular and it was only a matter of time before he started bawling. Ezio removed his lips and placed his head on hers to where his mouth was right by her ear. Through his erratic breathing Ezio began whispering to Rosa.
"Rosa, I'm here, I'm here bella. Please come back to me. Please." The words came flowing out of him. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you bella. I'm so sorry I didn't come back sooner." Ezio reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. It was a diamond set in a silver ring, surrounded by blue sapphires to symbolize Rosa's love of the city on water. He took the ring and slid it on her left hand. He kissed her hand and held it as he continued talking. "I've been carrying this with me since I first told you I loved you in Venezia. I never gave it to you because I was so scared you would reject it. I was a fool for never proposing to you, and an even bigger fool for giving up on us and not coming back until now. I have always know how I felt about you, I just never had the courage to tell you. Please forgive me bella." Every time he didn't get a response from Rosa his heart sank deeper and deeper into his stomach. "I want it all back. The time I had with you was the best in my life. I want the time back, I want to do it over, but I cant. You are stronger than this, bella please, come back to me." Ezio began feeling that his heartfelt ramblings were futile. He buried his face into her neck just let go. He began crying even harder than he ever had since the passing of his father and brothers, not caring who heard him. That's when he felt it. A soft petite hand slid itself over his hand. He looked up at Rosa's face. He watched as her eyes opened slowly, revealing the hazel-green eyes he had fallen in love with the first time they met his. His heart jumped.
"Ezio." Rosa's voice was weak, but could be heard.
"I'm here bella." Ezio said eagerly.
"I'm sorry. I-" Her breaths were shallow, she couldn't get much out at one time.
"No, don't be I-" She raised a finger to his lips.
"Listen to me. I fear that I cannot win this fight. I heard everything you said. I too wish I could take it all back, make things happen differently. But I cant." She took a deep breath. "I've always loved you Ezio Auditore. One of the biggest mistakes of my life was letting you go and then not going after you."
"Bella please, its not your fault."
"And neither is it yours. We are victims of our own choices and for that fate has brought us here." Her hand moved to his cheek where she affectionately felt on the scruff of his beard. He leaned into her hand, savoring every second that they were touching. Ezio smiled as her thumb caressed the scar on his lip. Her hand then moved to his chin where she led his lips to hers. They kissed just like when they did the very first time atop the Campanile. It was gentle yet passionate, speaking a thousand words neither had the time to say. In that very moment, it was the only thing in the world that ever felt right to the two of them. Rosa slowly pulled away and stared back into Ezio's stunning hazel eyes. She could feel the end nearing, Ezio's eyes pleaded with her to stay, and fight through it.
Ezio brought his forehead to hers again and whispered. "Please…stay with me. I need you." He grit his teeth in an effort to fight off more tears. Rosa placed her hand on his chest and stared straight into his eyes. "I'll always be with you amore. I never left you." Ezio's hand went and held Rosa's over his chest. "I love you Ezio Auditore."
"And I love you Rosa. This isn't the last time…" Rosa's eyes stayed with Ezio's as her eyelids slowly began to slowly fall over them. As they shut, panic began to set in Ezio. Her head slowly fell to the side. "No! No! Dio mio I need more time". Ezio frantically laid his head on her chest and listened closely for her heartbeat.
Boom boom…Boom…Boom…..Boom….boom…..boom.
Ezio pushed harder to try and hear her heart, but the room was silent. The grip Rosa had on his hand fell lax. "No!" He repeated again refusing to believe she was gone. "Please….come back" Ezio pulled her body into his arms and rocked back and forth crying, trying to push whatever life he had in himself into her but it was no use.. All of Venezia would heard his cries. No one in Italia felt his pain.
Antonio and Ugo stood outside the door and heard his cries. They instantly knew what had happened. They too began weeping, but not as loud as Ezio.
"I'm so sorry" and "I love you" Ezio mumbled over and over as he sobbed, clenching her body close to his..
He laid her gently back on the bed, and looked down at her lifeless body. There was still no stopping the tears from flowing from his eyes. The harder they fought, the harder it became to breathe for him. His fist pounded the bed in anger. He ran his fingers through his hair to try to get it from sticking to his tear drenched face. Finally his upper body gave in and collapsed onto the bed beside her. The room fell silent, save for Ezio' erratic breathing and sniffling which were muffled by the sheets.
Someone entered the room, but Ezio cared not life his head and show his distraught face. They came and bent down next to Ezio, placing their hand on his shoulder.
"There was nothing you could do, that any of us could do." Antonio's voice was higher than usual, that being attributed to the fact that he too was bawling his eyes out. Ezio stayed silent. "We must arrange a funeral for her tonight. It is a cursed to leave a body for more than twelve hours unburied. Here in Venezia we don't bury the dead, we burn them as there is no space for a proper cemetery here." Ezio still didn't say a word, he just nodded his head and Antonio set off to gather his thieves for the funeral.
With his hood shadowing his eyes, Ezio sat in the chair next to Rosa's bed. His head rested on his hands which were clasped together. His crying had stopped by now, but he sat silently watching over Rosa's body. It had been over an hour since she passed, and no one dared enter the room since. The more Ezio thought about what had just happened, the more his sorrow turned to rage. Naturally, he blamed himself for her death. He had his chance to get her out of this life of thievery, but she refused. Damnit why wouldn't she just listen. There was a knock at the door.
After no one entered, Ezio decided to open the door himself. When he did, a pile of white linens laid on the floor waiting for him. He brought them into the room and unfolded them. It was a burial outfit for Rosa. Antonio trusted no one else to dress his daughter for her funeral, as he could not bear to do it himself. The outfit was simple, nothing like the burial dressings Ezio had seen at the burial masses for the nobles of Firenze. It was one bleach white blouse, no designs or trimmings, along with an equally white set of trousers.
Ezio's hands shook like they had on the day he first met Rosa, when he was asked to aid in the repairing of her wounded leg. Unlike then, there were no obscenities being yelled at him, nor was there blood gushing everywhere. Rosa simply laid there, cold and lifeless, a sight that sunk Ezio's heart. He unbuttoned her green blouse, revealing her midsection and brassiere. Ezio noticed that there were unusual marks on her lower abdomen, stretches of some kind, or scars, he could not tell the difference, just that they had not been there before. After removing the green blouse, Ezio carefully slid a sleeve onto her right arm, then lifted her gently to run the shirt over the other arm. Replacing her trousers were a breeze compared to the shirt. After he un hitched them he tugged the trousers lightly until they were free of her legs. He then took the white trousers and slid them slowly to her waistline, careful not to rustle the body too much. After rebut toning the necessary pieces, Ezio slid off her cap and necktie and placed it on the nightstand.
The scraping sound of a gondola against the docks alerted Ezio that the thieves had gathered a boat for the funeral and it sat in the tunnel exit of the guild. There was another knock at the door, this time Antonio let himself in just enough to utter the words "Its time."
Ezio nodded. He slid his first arm carefully under her neck, the other under her knees. Gently he lifted her into a cradled position much like he did when they first met. Her booted feet fell limply over his arm, but her head was well supported. He made sure he had a good hold on her before taking his first cautious steps. Antonio waited out in the hall for him. He didn't once look back at Rosa's body as he led Ezio downstairs. Once they left the dormitories, Ezio was surprised to see that all the thieves in the guild had lined the way on either side of him, creating a path that lead straight to the gondola. They bowed their head as Ezio passed with their fallen mentor.
The gondola had been specially prepared for the burial at sea. Planks of wood were rested on top of the seats creating a resting place for the body while underneath those planks were bundles of hay. The planks were covered with white flowers and green leaves. A single white rose stuck up at the head of the boat. Ezio slowly went to his knees and leaned over into the gondola. He placed her body down gently, not rocking the boat at all when he placed her down. Ezio took a long look at her peaceful face, illuminated by the torch light. He leaned in and brushed the hairs off her forehead. He kissed her on the for the last time on the forehead while whispering to her. "Requiescat in pace amore mio".
Ezio stood and faced Antonio who held the torch. Anronio then handed the torch to Ezio then went down to Rosa in a similar fashion as Ezio did, only spending a lot more time whispering what sounded like prayers. Ezio never knew Antonio to be a holy man, but he was dignified in giving Rosa her last rite. Finally Antonio reached over and placed the white rose on Rosa's chest and laid her gently hands over it. He stood, made the sign of the cross with his hand then looked to Ezio. They nodded heads to each other then placed the burning torch underneath Rosa, where the hay had been stacked. It caught immediately, creating a bright orange light that shone up beneath her body.
Ezio then took the gondola by the tail end and gave it a strong push out into the Venetian sea, and stood back. He along with the other thieves watched as the glowing orange gondola drifted out to sea. It became a smaller and smaller glowing ball, as if it were a star burning out in the night sky. Ezio felt a lone tear escape from his eye as he watched the remains of his love burn away. He watched as the orange faded, engulfed by the darkness of the sea and the night sky leaving no trace that it ever existed to the naked human eye. In Ezio's eyes however, a part of him died along with that flame. A pit of emptiness welled in his chest, creating a familiar feeling. The burning desire to see and touch his love's body once again. A yearning he feared he would never be able to fill. He tried to feel what she said she left inside him. He tried desperately to feel her within him, but there was nothing. She had taken everything he had of her to the grave. Every thing but one. He still carried the memories of her within him. The games they played, and the nights they shared together. No one could take that from him. And no one could stamp over the mark she had made on his heart, claiming him as her one and only.
After the glow faded away, Ezio felt Antonio's hand on his shoulder once again.
"Ezio it is time you knew." Ezio looked up in confusion but said nothing. He let Antonio lead him into his office that connected to his private quarters. Ezio had never taken notice to this door that was always shut when he was in the room. Now that it was open he could see Antonio's bed as well as a piece of furniture that looked to be a large chest adjacent to the bed. Ezio followed Antonio over to the piece of furniture and peered over the open ledge. Complete and utter shock went through Ezio's body. A thousand questions surfaced as he looked down upon the two treasures that lay before him.
Antonio looked over as well and presented the two gifts to Ezio.
"This is Elana and Ezio…Auditore."
I think there is one more chapter to this story, I will add it as soon as I see it does justice to the story. I really dislike how ubisoft made Rosa disappear completely from the Assassins Creed Series. In my opinion she was the perfect female counterpart for Ezio because she was the only woman that didn't fall for his tricks and provided an actual challenge for Ezio. She didn't take any of his shit, but you could tell they had a romantic chemistry. I wish this relationship developed more in the games but after brotherhood I lost faith in ubisoft bringing her back. And the news that had passed only made it all the more probable that Rosa wasn't returning. If I wrote the game, Rosa would be the equivalent of Maria in AC1, but that's just me. This was written to honor as a wonderful actress as well as human being.