Note: Some italian words are used in dialogues. Pardon me if some were not interpretable or if it got annoying.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ubisoft and its content.

Centro District, Roma

Year 1502

"Vieni con me."

Had he not spoken those three words to me silently such that following him would be a mystery, I would not have been curious as to what he had asked me to come with him for. I strolled along with him and crossed a bridge to Isola Tiberina, a small island near the center of Roma. Several citizens looked upon him and I pondered who he was but I had no clue. We turned to the tallest building in that small island and he opened the wooden door widely. I slipped in before it closed, not bothering to hold it out for myself.

I stepped into some sort of tunnel constructed by stones that led to the basement. Plain red banners hung on the walls and on the platform down the flight of stairs. The man who brought me here took the steps and I trailed him.

The basement showed itself to me once I got on the platform; it was bigger than I initially thought. On the wall above the arched doorway ahead from where we were at was a tattered red banner, different from the ones I saw behind me. The only difference was it had a white ornate symbol on it.

I stepped into the main hall to get a better view and the entrances to other different rooms showed itself to me. To my right was a wooden table set and a bookcase that leaned against the rock wall. Beside the bookcase was a desk filled with stacks of books and a cushioned oak chair with a footrest in front of it. Two doorways were on either sides of the corner diagonal from me. Diagonally to my left was a smooth wooden desk, longer than the other one, and behind it were bookcases that met at the corner just behind. A lit candle was on top of the desk along with scattered books and papers.

"Buon giorno, Signore Ezio."

A voice broke through and I noticed that someone had stood in front of us. He wore a faded white robe with red accents that trailed down just above the ankles and were much similar to the man - Signore Ezio, I presume. He also had a red sash that was wrapped around his waist with that complex symbol I saw from the banner at the middle and a white cape that was draped over his left arm.

"Give this boy a room upstairs. Have him wash up and eat," Signore Ezio spoke with a friendly authority towards the man. The man bowed at him and laid his eyes on me. "This way, boy," he said to me. Signore Ezio stalked off, leaving me alone with a new escort.

"What have you done to gain the attention of Signore Ezio?" My escort asked me as we climbed the stairs. I had also asked that question to myself but there was definitely no reason for him to have me come to this place.

"I don't know," I muttered, my voice sounding weak. He asked no further questions and brought me to a room quietly. He had me go in first and it creaked as I pushed the wooden door open. I squinted my eyes, slightly blinded by the light coming in through the two windows across the room. A wooden bed with a pleasurable mattress was pushed to the corner on the left side. I jumped onto it, feeling its softness.

I noticed he had left when I heard footsteps down the hallway. I inclined my head and looked back at the widely opened door, wondering why I had been given such a blessing to finally have a place to stay after seven years. Well, if they were to let me stay.

That same man entered the room once again with a set of folded fabric in his hands. "Have a bath and change into these," he laid the pile on the desk and then added, "The bath is at the end of the hallway. Meet me downstairs when you're ready." He left as quickly as he came in, leaving me to get myself ready. I climbed out of the bed, took the pile of clothes and ambled over to the bath.

I walked into the main hall barefooted, unsure of what to do next. The clothes did not fit me right - the shirt was very roomy, the collars went wider around my neck and the elastic gather at the end of the billowed sleeves reached my thumb. I pulled both of the gathers back up to my wrist but it still dropped down, the elastic looser than it was suppose to be. The pants were not so bad, just comfortable enough for me to move around. I sighed but accepted the clothes anyway; beggars can't be choosers.

I looked up and two pairs of eyes locked with mine - one was the man who helped me to my room and the other was a woman, one I had not seen before. She had the same attire as the man and I figured that was their uniform, whatever kind of organization they were. Her dark brown tresses framed her face on either sides but the rest were hidden beneath her beaked hood. I noticed her eyes look me over from head to toe and then she commented with one raised brow, "What a fine-looking man."

The man sitting across the table from her scrutinized her. "Get those hungry eyes off him, Eva, he's only.." He gazed back at me and asked, "How old are you boy?"

"Fifteen, Signore," I responded.

"Hmm, what a shame," The woman, Eva, sighed and stood up from the bench she was settled on. The man rolled his eyes and muttered something to himself. She strutted past me with a smirk on her face as her fingers and her cape brushed against my arm through the airy sleeves. I quivered just slightly, not used to such a gesture.

"Come here boy, have a seat," The man instructed once Eva was out of sight. I settled in front of him and rested my elbows on the table. He pushed a plate of.. prepared food, should I say, and then said, "Eat up. Signore Ezio would like to meet you soon."

He handed me two metallic rods, one with a smooth bowl shape on one end. The other rod was similar but with four prongs. Holding it seemed odd but when I twirled it around in my hands, I was struck with familiarity.

"Spoon and fork, you use them to eat," The man voiced my thoughts. I only nodded, a slight embarrassment coursing through my veins. He chuckled and I tried to ignore him as I dug into the god-given food.

You can call me Salluci. Signore makes me feel like an anziano," He said while I was eating halfway. I smiled up at him and from the corner of my eyes, I noticed Signore Ezio sauntering over to us. He had a pair of boots in his hands and a leather-like doublet vest in the other. I placed my cutlery down on either sides of the plate as he stopped at the side of the table. He eyed me with such seriousness in his eyes that I could have withered there.

"The shirt is big, I suppose," He placed the boots beside me and instructed me to put on the doublet vest. It made the shirt look fitted on my torso but the sleeves were still something else.

Signore Ezio hummed, the expression on his face unreadable. As I sat alert for anymore further instructions, I decided to try on the boots. My feet slipped into it easily and the sizing was comfortable enough. The leather footwear wrapped my leg protectively from the sole to just below the knee, with a bendable leather hovering over the kneecaps.

"Did it fit alright?" Salluci asked, peering under the table to my legs.

"Si, Salluci."

"Remove that shirt. I'll have the tailor down the street make a shirt for you," Signore Ezio instructed. I lifted the vest off my body and removed the shirt. The chilly air in the hall nipped at my bare body at the sudden change of temperature.

"Don't put that back on. You're coming with me to be measured." I dropped the vest back down beside me on the bench at his command. I gazed back at him and he made no move to get going. I must have looked confused since he pointed at my plate of food that was eaten halfway.

I nodded, getting his instruction. I finished up my plate and got off the bench. Signore Ezio looked down at me. "Va bene, let's go," He turned around and proceeded to exit the main hall to the outside.

Salluci's arm reached out to me and stopped me for a moment. "What's your name, boy?"

"Davide D'Innocenzo."

Shitty start but I'm working on making it better. Please put in your feedback.

Thank you.

- CA