Hello and thank you for taking the time to read this story! I haven't written a fictional story in quite some years; collegiate research papers have done terrible things to my creative writing skills. I am currently on winter vacation and have been playing through Assassin's Creed II, and… I'm completely in love with it. I have been reading many fanfics on here and I have been inspired to write my own. I hope you enjoy and feedback would be greatly appreciated! I am going to try and write as much as possible before spring semester starts. I work two jobs and am a double major so time to update and write will be sparse. I really want to write this story though. I have read a few REALLY great romance/adventure stories involving Ezio on here, but many are written form the first person perspective, usually of the female. I'm trying third person omniscient centered around Ezio. If I hate it, I'll change it. Do enjoy and review!
"Insieme per la vittoria!" A tanned fist raised in the air, golden eyes looking out to a crowd of allies with a swelling passion for vengeance.
"Insieme!" The crowd shouted back to the man, excitement rising within all of them.
"Silenzio, my friends. Silenzio! " The leader of the crowd shouted. His deep voice easily controlled those of the anxious crowd. "Grazie. Do you know what brings us here tonight? HONOR! Vieri de' Pazzi slanders my family's name and forces his own miseries upon us." The speech was controlled, though full with fire. Ezio Auditore was a man who cared much about family and was prepared to go to great lengths to protect his own. "If we-"
The speech was interrupted as a rock rolled to Ezio's feet. Ezio turned his strong face to look toward the origin of the thrown to find Vieri de' Pazzi accompanied by a group of his own allies, waiting for Ezio lash.
"Enough of your nonsense, grullo!" Vieri called to Ezio. Vieri was average in height. He wore clothes of a nobleman and lacked true muscularity. His dark hair was cut to his chin, even in length around his head. In comparison to his challenger, Vieri looked like a child.
Ezio was tall and strong. His face was handsome and rugged, his jaw strong and eyes a piercing gold. He kept his long, dark hair pulled back with a red ribbon in a low ponytail. His stature was even stronger than his face; his muscles were defined and created broad shoulders that would intimidate any who challenged him. "Buona sera, Vieri! We were just talking about you," Ezio called to Vieri. The two groups were standing approximately twenty feet apart on a street in Firenze. A canal was nearby as well as the market. Ezio was cunning in his attacks and counters, whether they be physical or verbal. He wished to speak of the Pazzi family the same way Vieri has spoke of the Auditores. "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought the Pazzi hired others to do their dirty work," Ezio snickered, a menacing grimace on his face. Ezio's body was rushing with adrenaline; he was ready to make Vieri pay for his words.
Vieri became angry with Ezio's words but managed to retort in the same manner as Ezio: composed yet vengeful. "It's your family that cries for guards when there's trouble, codardo! Afraid to handle things yourself?" Vieri pointed a finger at Ezio, accusing him of hypocrisy.
Ezio couldn't help but play an immature card. Vieri, though had the confidence to face Ezio himself, was scum and Ezio decided to treat the upcoming fight like it was unimportant. He didn't want to give Vieri the satisfaction. "Your sister seemed quite satisfied with the 'handling' I gave her earlier," Ezio snickered. The crowd of Auditore allies 'ooh'ed and laughed.
Ezio had crossed a line for Vieri. "Uccidetelo!" Vieri screamed to his allies, pointing to his opponent. Vieri picked up another rock and threw it toward Ezio.
The rock hit Ezio square in the mouth, marking a great gash vertically across his lips. Blood dripped down from them. Ezio had a high pain tolerance though; he simply wiped away the crimson liquid and stared down Vieri as his allies rushed down the street, colliding with Vieri's allies. Ezio looked toward Vieri, squinting with anger. He lunged toward Vieri's men who shielded the coward from Ezio. Though the young Auditore was strong and a decent fighter, he lacked the skills to take on all of the Pazzi allies. Though Ezio brought a gang with him, the Auditore force was greatly outnumbered.
Ezio went from man to man, throwing punches and kicks at whomever challenged him. As he approached the fifth rival, Ezio realized his breath had become heavy and quickened; his endurance and stamina were declining. He was unsure of how many more he would be able to take. Many of his men lay on the ground, wincing in pain. Only three remained standing and in the position to fight.
The man Ezio faced was fueled with energy. Ezio's greater stature was no upperhand in this match as the opponent was in a better position and health to fight. Ezio swung a punch to the side of the opponent's head. The opponent grabbed Ezio's wrist and socked a punch to Ezio's stomach, causing the young Auditore to bend over and grab his stomach in pain. The opponent was merciless; once Ezio was on the ground, the man put a foot on Ezio's shoulder to pin him to the ground and drew a sword, resting the blade gently on the side of Ezio's neck. "You heard the boss's orders… 'Uccidetelo!'" the opponent repeated, drawing his sword out to the side to swing back to Ezio's neck. Ezio was in a panic, kicking and flailing his legs underneath the opponent. He squeezed his eyes, believing his last moments of life were upon him. He winced as he felt the sword leave his neck. Suddenly, Ezio felt a relief of weight and heard a gasp as metal hit the ground. Ezio slowly opened his eyes to look around, shocked. To his left, he saw a small figure dressed in robes of white and red crouching over Ezio's opponent. A blade stuck through the opponent's neck. Ezio gasped at the sight; he had never seen the person in robes before and was impressed on their strength. Looking around the street, he noticed a great number of Vieri's men laying dead. the robed figure approached Ezio and reached a hand out to him. Ezio looked at the petite hand in front of him and took it gladly. The mysterious person helped him up. Ezio found that he towered over the robed one, standing over a foot higher.
"Come," said the voice. Ezio's eyes widened in pleasant surprise; the voice came from a woman. Ezio kept a firm grasp on her hand as she began running through the streets. The mysterious woman let go of Ezio's hand as she approached a building, grabbing onto a window ledge and scaling the wall. "Try to catch up," the woman teased, smirking down from under her hood. Ezio was only a quarter of the way up the wall, clearly not as experienced at free running as the woman.
"I'm doing my best, bella," Ezio smiled up to the figure. Ezio still could not make out her face; it had been shadowed by a hood. Even looking up from below into the hood, the shadow was too great for Ezio to make out features. Based on her voice, stature, and the few dark, wavy locks spilling form her hood and onto the white of her robes, Ezio felt safe assuming her beauty. In addition, the least he could do for his savior is be a charming gentleman, something Ezio knew how to do very well.
The woman did not seem impressed with Ezio's charm and didn't flinch from her teasing expression. Instead, she just waited for Ezio to climb onto the roof of the building. "Follow me," she told Ezio, beginning to run along the rooftop. She braced herself and leapt the distance between two buildings. Ezio would have protested, but seeing as a woman was outdoing him in activities he felt he should be better in, he didn't and leapt to the other building. Ezio was surprised to see he was home. The woman stopped and turned to Ezio. "Here is your home, Ezio."
Ezio was puzzled how she knew his name. "H-how do you know my name, signora?" Ezio asked, an eyebrow risen as he glanced around the rooftops. He didn't know if she had company with her or not and if he had been watched. An eeriness rushed over him, mixed with confusion.
"Don't worry. I am a friend of your father's. He does not know I am here and do not tell him that I am. Some… events may occur that involve your family. I am here to prevent them from happening and I feel it is best that you do not alarm your family. Can you do me a favor, though, Ezio?" The woman spoke in a dark tone. Ezio took her words as a warning. Based on her skill set, he believed her. If she was an enemy, she would have let him die in the street by the oponent's sword; therefore, he took her word.
"Si," Ezio replied shortly. Anything he could do to protect his family and assist his hero, he would do.
The woman lifted her hood slightly to reveal her face. Her skin was tanned, much like Ezio's. She, too, was Italian. Her face was striking and beautiful, yet her green eyes showed the stress of her duties. Her hair was dark, long, and wavy and parted slightly to the right atop her scalp. Ezio's lips curled slightly into a grin as he eyed his beautiful savior. She looke up to Ezio's handsome face. She admittedly was drawn into his golden eyes but knew not to focus on them or become attached. Very bad things may happen to the Auditore's and she knew fantasizing about him was dangerous as he may not be alive the next day. "Remember my face Ezio. You will see me again and I want you to know, if we cross paths in a messy situation as in today, that you can trust me. Do not panic. Pray, amico, and all will be well." The woman turned her back to Ezio, pulling her hood back down across her brow.
"Aspetta!" Ezio called toward the white robed woman.
She turned around, silent. She was busy and needed to head back to the palazzo to watch the Pazzi.
"What is your name, bella?" Ezio wondered, curiosity spreading across his face. The woman was silent as he waited for an answer. The woman simply turned away again and dropped from the edge of the Auditore home, running back through the streets of Firenze. Ezio sighed, fearing he would never know the name of the woman who saved him, the beauty in white.