This story is set towards to beginning of Assassin's Creed II.

I'm not sure if I am going to have it follow the story of the game, necessarily, but… WHO KNOWS?!

I have been working on this story for a long time, and I am glad that I finally got my thoughts together on paper.

I would like to give a shout-out to Mochassassin who has waited patiently for an extremely long time for this story to become a reality. Thanks for your support and excitement! Hopefully it doesn't disappoint!

The characters and events of Assassin's Creed are not owned by me… sadly.

ENJOY! :)

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and pleading for strength.

"Finally, I have stolen you away for myself, la mia signora prezioso,"he whispered, dramatically looking over his shoulder and pulling me roughly against him. (my precious lady)

His arm securely held around my waist and his other hand tilted my chin up, forcing me to gaze up to his shimmering chocolate eyes.

"Ezio!" I whispered with a giggle. I placed both of my hands on his chest, but not necessarily wanting to push him away. "I am soon to be your sister-in-law."

He dipped his chin and the heat in his eyes made my cheeks warm quickly.

"Then I will be quick, carissima" he breathed, sending shivers down my spine and all the way back up. (dearest)

I nervously laughed and pushed out of his grasp, gently.

"Will you ever give up?" I asked, walking over to lean over the railing and silently pleading my cheeks to cool.

"Never," he swayed up and leaned over the railing next to me.

After a few seconds of silence, he exhaled loud and long. Leaning on his right elbow, he looked over at me.

"Aw, come on, Elena. You know that you have had my heart since we were nine years old," he said teasing eyes.

I smiled, instantly recalling the memory.

Eight years earlier, my family had moved from our villa in Tuscany to Firenze for my father's work as a banker. Arriving to the city, I knew no one beyond my own siblings. One day, when I was nine years old, I decided to explore the unfamiliar city that I was now to call home.

My mother was pregnant with my youngest sister, Carmelita, and had been keeping to her bed during most of the day. Sneaking out of the house during to day, I headed to the nearest market. I remember being awestruck by the amount of people crammed into one street. I was amazed by the busyness and constant energy around me. Every sense of my body was being overwhelmed. The smells of fish, flowers, and bread flooded my nostrils and caused my stomach to growl.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment to savor the feeling and suddenly a pain in my hip brought me back to reality. My eyes snapped open to see the crate beside me spill an abundance of apples and oranges. I squealed, trying to not trip and embarrass myself further. The crowd around me did not take a second look at me and I shyly, bent down to try to somehow herd to runaway fruit.

"I certainly hope that you are planning to pay for those," I heard a booming voice come from above.

I looked up from my crouching position, squinting against the sunlight to see the most massive man I had ever seen in my entire life. My jaw dropped, and I squeaked, "Perdono?" (pardon)

"My fruit. It is damaged. Rovinato! Non va bene!" He yelled, raising his arms in the air. (Ruined. No good)

"I-I-I…" I stammered, trying to gather as much of the loose fruit as I could in my small arms.

"You WILL pay for them, monello," he glared down at me, placing his hands on his wide-set hips. (brat)

"Leave her alone, Sergio!" I heard a voice from behind me.

I spun around to see a boy, about my age, dressed nobly in a scarlet tunic. He had the darkest eyes I had every seen. Those eyes were narrowed, and he stood with his hip cocked, arms crossed, as though he owned all of Italia, itself.

"What do you want, Auditore? This is none of your affair, ragazzo!" The big man, Sergio, I assumed, spat back. (boy)

"You heard me," he walked closer, picking up a stray apple. "Your damn fruit is fine, and you know it. It is the same quality it always is. You know you are simply ripping off everyone anyway, maiale. Besides, it was an accident." (pig)

The boy shoved the fruit in Sergio's face with a cocked eyebrow and a challenging gaze. The big man's eyebrows remained drawn together. "She ruined my merchandise," he muttered through ground teeth.

"It was an accident," the boy countered, unwavering. Throwing the apple into the, now half-empty, crate, he continued, "Go bully someone else."

Sergio looked from me back to the boy several times. I sat in my crouched position, with a slacked jaw and wide eyes, fearing the worst. I was going to get a boy killed. This man was going to snap the boy's neck and then mine.

"Just put it all back. Velocemente!" he spoke, waving his hand in the air and walking over to his other stall of food. (quickly)

The boy turned to me with an adorable smile and an open hand, "You should probably walk with your eyes open next time."

I released my breath, that I had apparently been holding, and fumbled with the fruit in my hands, managing to grasp his own.

"Grazie," I mumbled, as we both continued to pick up the rest of the fruit and toss it in the crate.

He simply nodded, and wiped his hands on his trousers with a smirk. "Do you always walk with your eyes closed?" he asked, with his teasing eyes.

My cheeks heated and I wiped my own hands on my skirt, "No."

"What were you doing?" he asked, tossing the final bunch of oranges into the crate.

I sighed, tucking my unruly hair behind my ears. "I was… concentrating."

"On what?" he asked, coming beside me. I heard him chomp into an apple. I glanced over to see him looking over his shoulder with a smirk at Sergio's obliviousness to his sly trickery.

I rolled my eyes at his pestering questions and started to walk toward home. Quite frankly, I was incredibly embarrassed, and I regretted ever leaving home in the first place. My heart dropped to see that he was still walking beside me.

"On what?" he asked once more, louder this time.

"On the market! The smells!" I exclaimed, waving my hands above my head.

"Why on earth would you want to concentrate on that, manichino?!" (dummy)

Huffing loudly, I continued walking faster. "If you must know, I enjoy writing. And I… wanted to remember every detail of today to write about."

"What's so special about today?" he asked, struggling to keep up with my near-running pace.

Giving up on losing the boy's company, I slowed down leaning against the wall of a building, trying to regain my breath. I looked up to see him with his arms crossed and those dark, gorgeous eyes with a curious glint. He had a crooked smirk on his face and never took his eyes off of me.

"It is my first day in Firenze. My new home." I finally muttered.

After a few seconds of silence, the boy stuck out his hand with a grin.

"Welcome to my city. I'm Ezio Auditore. And you are?"

I looked from his hand, up to his face. His city? What a strange boy, I thought to myself.

"Elena," I mumbled, shaking his hand. "Elena Arconato".

"Well then, Elena Arconato. I am quite certain that we shall see more of each other. Because, quite frankly, you intrigue me," he replied. "And I am sure that I will capture your heart as you have captured mine today."

He gave me a broad smile, showing white teeth, and one adorable dimple. Taking an orange from his back pocket, he tossed it to me with a wink.

I remember staring after him with a gaping mouth, and shaking my head at the prospect of ever seeing the boy ever again. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Sorry for the Super short and shallow starting chapter.

I have already written the next two chapters and they will be up REALLY soon!

I promise it gets more exciting! :)

Please leave comments and let me know what you think.

Thanks so much for reading, and I hope to hear from you all!