Hello! So, some of you may have read my previous story, Ophelia the White. I did a terrible job with keeping up with updating it and simply left it for about a year. After coming across it on my laptop, I decided to revisit the story; I really enjoyed working on it before I became swamped with school and work (as I stated before in my last story, I am a triple major and work two jobs. I'm very busy). I have a bit more time to work on it, so I'm just posting a brand new story. I'm tweaking the chapters I had already posted. There were a few elements in the plot that I wasn't too psyched about from my earlier version. Additionally, I will be putting a glossary of Italian terms used in the story. If I use the Italian language improperly, please let me know; I don't speak a lick of Italian and am relying on Google translate to provide me with the Italian terms. Hopefully you will find it much improved! Please review and give me feedback on the story! They are much appreciated! Thank you all for reading!
I do not own AC2. Many elements of my story, including Ezio and some major events that occur in the game, belong to Ubisoft.
"Insieme per la vittoria!" I raised my fist in the air, my golden eyes piercing out to a crowd of allies with a swelling passion for vengeance.
"Insieme!" the crowd shouted back. A deep sense of excitement arose from all of them which in turn excited me greatly.
"Silenzio, my friends! Silenzio!" I was always amazed by how my voice could overpower a crowd.
"Grazie. Do you know what brings us here tonight?" I waited a moment and scanned the crowd for an answer. When none came, I continued.
"Honor! Honor brings us here! Vieri de' Pazzi slanders my family's name and forces his own miseries upon us." An angry fire burned through me. Nobody spoke of the Auditores in the way he did. He would pay. "If we—"
My speech was interrupted when the sharp edge of a rock met my lip. I had to admit that it hurt, but I wouldn't let that show. I felt warm blood trickle down my chin which I swiftly wiped off. I looked down at my crimson stained hand and scoffed. I turned toward Vieri, knowing he was the source of the throw. I expected him in the street at any minute and it seemed he finally arrived. "Enough of your nonsense, grullo!" Vieri called, surrounded by his allies. Vieri was pretty average in height; much shorter than I. He wore the clothes of a nobleman, though I doubt his family was really that noble. He lacked true muscularity and he always surprised me when he wanted to fight. Every time we would duke it out, I'd win. I was simply much more built than he. His dark hair was cut to his chin, even in length around his head. It was a stupid looking haircut which he shared with his terrible father, Francesco. Simply stated, he looked like a child next to me.
"Buona sera, Vieri! We were just talking about you," I called to Vieri, doing my best to scoff and laugh at his presence. We were standing approximately twenty feet apart on the market street in Firenze. A canal was nearby which made an easy escape for any who wished to be a coward. I figured Vieri would probably jump in and swim himself away from the ensuing fight.
"I'm surprised to see you here. I thought the Pazzi hired others to do their dirty work," I snickered, followed by my allies' laughter.
Vieri became visibly angry with my words but managed to retort in the same: composed yet biting. "It's your family that cries for guards when there's trouble, codardo! Afraid to handle things yourself?"
I scoffed. If he knew anything about me, he knew that I always handled things myself. I was too prideful to not."You sister seemed quite satisfied with the 'handling' I gave her earlier," I snickered. I truthfully didn't do any "handling" with his sister. I'd never touch a Pazzi like that, even if his sister was a beautiful brunette. My crowd of Auditore allies "ooh'ed" and laughed. I could admit that it was a very immature comeback, but I didn't want to give Vieri the satisfaction of thinking I considered our little tiff a serious fight.
"Uccidetelo!" Vieri screamed to his allies, pointing directly to me. This guy was pissed. Vieri picked up another rock and threw it toward me and it barely missed my feet. I looked down to the rock and scoffed again.
Immediately after, Vieri and his allies rushed toward me and my gang who all took their defensive stances. My eyes were locked on Vieri, squinting with anger. I lunged toward Vieri's men who quickly swarmed me. he did come with a lot of backup, probably because he couldn't finish a fight himself. I was a decently skilled fighter and quite strong, but was unable to take on all of the Pazzi allies; me and my gang were simply outnumbered.
I went from man to man, playing nice and only using my fists. A few of my opponents decided to play nasty by using small knives in the fight, which I found very unfair. As I approached a larger rival, I realized my breath had become heavy and quick; my endurance and stamina were waning. I was unsure of how many more I'd be able to take on. Many of my men lay on the ground, wincing in pain. Only three remained standing and in a position to fight while Vieri had seven.
The large man I now faced was fueled with energy and looked practically unscathed. I swung a punch to the side of the opponent's head, trying to get in as many swings as possible before my opponent inevitably defeated me. He grabbed my wrist and socked a punch to my stomach, knocking the wind from me. My eyes went black for a few seconds. I fell to the ground, holding my stomach in pain as I gasped for sweet breath to return to my lungs.
The opponent was merciless; once I was face down on the ground, the opponent put his foot on my shoulder, pressing me completely down on the Florentine street. His boots were heavy and jagged on the bottom, adding a sharp pain to my shoulder blade. I heard the man draw his sword and soon after felt the blade pressed gently against my neck. My eyes grew wide. I knew the Pazzi hated my family and me but I never thought that he sought my head. I didn't intend to go beyond fists or a few scratches and cuts.
"You heard the boss's orders… 'Uccidetelo!'" my opponent repeated. I felt the blade leave my neck and knew that he was getting ready to swing the blade back onto my flesh. I was in a panic, kicking and flailing my legs underneath my opponent. I squeezed his eyes shut, believing my last moments were upon me. I was humiliated; I wasn't afraid of death but I didn't want to go by the hand of the Pazzi. My death would bring my family's name shame.
To my shock and pleasant surprise, the weight of the man's foot was relieved from my back. I heard a gasp as the sword fell down next to my right side. I stammered getting up, my back still in slight pain from where the boot pinned me down. I looked to my left to see a blade through my opponent's neck. I never intended anyone to die in the fight today and was shocked by the gruesome sight in front of me.
Looking up from my opponent, I saw a small figure dressed in robes of red and white swiftly and skillfully taking down each of Vieri's opponents. My mouth hung agape at the skill of this mysterious fighter. Never before had I seen them.
Once the last Vieri ally lay dead in the streets, the figure approached my, reaching out a petite hand to me. I took it gladly. Though I didn't know who this person was, I trusted them completely; they had just saved my life.
"Come," said the figure. My eyes widened in pleasant surprise; the voice came from a woman. The voice certainly fit the stature of the figure; she was at least a foot shorter than me.
I kept a firm grasp on her hand as she began running through the streets of Firenze. She was quick—too quick for me. I struggled to keep up. The mysterious woman let go of my 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. I was only a quarter of the way up the wall, clearly not as experienced at free running as the woman. Where and why she had her skill set, I didn't know, but I was definitely impressed.
"I'm doing my best, bella," I smiled up to the figure. I still could not make out her face as it had been shadowed by a hood. Even looking up from below into the hood, the shadow was too great for me to make out her features. Based on her voice, stature, and the few dark, wavy locks spilling from under her hood and onto the white of her robes, I felt safe assuming her beauty. In addition, the least I could do for my savior was be a charming gentleman, something I knew how to do very well. I was notorious around Firenze for being a charmer, which is admittedly prideful and cocky.
The woman did not seem impressed with my charm and didn't stray from her teasing expression. Instead, she just waited for me to climb into the roof of the building. She would be a challenge, which I always appreciated. Far too often, women threw themselves willingly at me.
"Follow me," she told me, beginning to run along the rooftop. She braced herself and leapt the distance between two buildings. I would have protested, terrified by the distance between the rooftops, but seeing as a woman was outdoing me in activities I felt I should be better at, I didn't and leapt to the other building.
I was surprised to see I had finally been lead to his home.
The woman stopped and turned to look at me from under her white hood. "We've made it to your home, Ezio."
I was puzzled by how she knew my name. "H-how do you know my name, signora?" I asked, my eyebrow raising as I glanced around the rooftops. I didn't know if she had company with her or not and if I had been watched. An eeriness rushed over me, mixed with confusion. Who was this woman and how did she know him?
"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. I took her words as a warning. Based on her skill set, I believed her. If she was an enemy, she would have let me die shamefully in the street by the opponent's sword; therefore, I took her word. But how did she know my father? And from where?
"Si," I replied shortly. Anything I could do to protect my family and assist my hero, I would do.
The woman lifted her hood slightly to reveal her face. Her skin was tanned, much like mine. She, too, was clearly Italian by her complexion and accent. Her face was striking and beautiful, yet, her green eyes showed the stress of her duties and a deep sadness. Her hair was dark, long, and wavy. She parted it slightly to the right which framed her face perfectly. My lips curled slightly into a grin as I eyed my beautiful savior. I really was taken a bit back by how gorgeous the woman was.
She looked up to my own face, piercing my eyes with her own. She smiled back to me with a very soft smile. She seemed to look at me longer than I would have expected. I swear her face showed an interest in me, but that was the first time I ever saw her. That look could have been normal for her.
"Remember my face, Ezio Auditore. You will see me again and I want you to know when the time comes, that you can trust me. Do not panic. Pray, amico, and all will be well." The woman turned her back to me, pulling her hood back down across her brow. I was disappointed to see her go. I had questions that I had a feeling she knew that answers to.
"Aspetta!" I called toward the white robed woman.
She turned around, silent. She seemed busy, but I at least wanted to know her name.
"What is your name, bella?" I wondered, curiosity spreading across my face. The woman was silent as I waited for an answer. She simply turned away again and dropped from the edge of the my home, running back through the streets of Firenze. I sighed, fearing I would never know the name of the woman who saved me, the beauty in white.
Italian terms used in this chapter:
Insieme per la vittoria!- together for victory
silenzio- silence
grazie- thanks
grullo- stupid
buona sera- good evening
codardo- coward
uccidetelo- kill
bella- beautiful
signora- lady
si- yes
amico- friend
aspetta- wait
