This is my first Assassin's Creed fanfiction! This takes place during Brotherhood, but not before or after any specific missions. I am not the best proof reader (I gots my partner to do that, but they're not here now) so if there are any mistakes please feel free to tell me. I do not own Assassin's Creed or any characters therein. They are all property of Ubisoft. No copyright infringement intended!

Alessandra Carracci was seventeen when her entire life changed. Not that she'd led a particularly boring life, though it could be called that by some. Alessandra's parents had died at the hands of bandits while the entire family was moving to Rome when she was only ten. Her older brother Raphael had raised her and her little brother Horatio since. Despite his job as a blacksmith's apprentice the siblings were barely scraping by. Alessandra did any job she could find to try and support her tiny family.

Alessandra was walking home from a long day at the tailors, in the back dying cloth, when there was a sudden commotion before her. The small brunette barely had time to pull back before a large…something…fell before her. She recognized it as human just before it grabbed her leg and tried to pull itself up. Fear and shock running through her, Alessandra acted on instinct. She screamed and began to bludgeon the thing on the head with the small basket of bread she was carrying.

"Ey!" It yelled in a rather masculine voice. Alessandra screamed again and kept bashing. Bread was flying through the air as the thing, presumably a man (or a very butch woman), waved an arm weakly about trying to fend off the assault. A small crowd had gathered around the pair and the gathering itself was drawing the attention of the guards. The figure on the ground seemed to lose all strength and collapsed.

Alessandra stopped screaming and took a few steps back. It was then she noticed the blood. The man was covered in it, and judging from the gashes on his sides and back, it was all his. Suddenly conscious of the crowd Alessandra approached the man, who seemed to have passed out, and knelt before him.

"Miss, are you alright?" Asked a gruff voice from behind her. She jumped and turned her head to find an armored guard standing behind her looking concerned.

"Oh, oh yes sir." She answered immediately. The guard gave her a look that quite obviously said he knew different then ran his gaze over the bloodied man.

"Hey, I know him…" He began to say suspiciously.

"I'm sure you don't sir!" Alessandra replied brightly. She'd never trusted the guards, not since the day they'd beaten Raphael seven years ago. Her natural instinct was to foil them whenever she could.

"This is my uncle, um, Carlo, he's often like this. He gets drunk, and gets into fights then stumbles around the streets making an annoyance of himself until I or my brother come and find him." Alessandra was surprised at how quickly the lies rolled off her tongue. She flashed the guard a smile in the hopes of consoling his doubts.

"Why were you screaming then?" he asked. The man appeared to have a small amount of brains, something rare in city guards.

"He surprised me. I'm sorry for worrying you; I'll take him home now if you don't mind." She placed her hands under his shoulders and tried to life the unconscious man to no avail. He was heavier than he looked. The guard approached,

"I'll help" He nudged her aside and hefted the injured man up, propping him against a nearby building. Alessandra smiled at him and placed herself under one of the stranger's arms, supporting his weight. With a small shock she noticed that the extra weight came from a fair amount of armor, and what appeared to be a sword amongst other weapons.

"He's too heavy for you; I'll help you get him home." The guard remarked. Alessandra shook her head, the man had been kind already, but she didn't want to push her luck.

"I'll be alright now, I'm stronger than I look. Thank you for all the help guardsmen…"

"Antonio" He supplied with a bow of his head and a slightly cocky smile.

"Thank you Antonio." She replied, returning the grin. The guard was young, perhaps a few years older than her and he didn't come across as a bully like the other guards. He seemed to genuinely want to help her. The gesture was enduring and surprising all at once.

The man leaning on her stirred and seemed to be waking slightly. With a nod to the guard she turned down an alley half dragging her "uncle" beside her.

Chapter one! Woohoo! Remember reviews are love and incentive to write more!