Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed. This is based off of a roleplay I am in charge of, and I do not own Domenico de Mancini (Master Assassin Darkstorm). I do own my character, Franchesca Milan.
Author's Note: So, in the rp, Franchesca is married to Joseph Valencio (ValentineCat JobenX) and she runs into Domenico, who shows up at their joint reception with Arille de Gallo (nekozawa11) and Aquila da Milano (Lady-Madbeth). He warns her about the possibility of Templars attacking Forli and, when they've fended them off, he tells Fran that he has loved her and always will, and that he regretted not being there for her. So, it dawned on me: what would happen if Domenico did tell Franchesca that he loved her? Well, this is what I came up with!
Memories of the past flooded sixteen-year-old Franchesca's head as she sat on a nearby bench in the small, run down town of Monterrigoni. Memories of playing with her best friend, Domenico, whom she just called Domi. Memories of scaling the walls of the many buildings in the city, exploring the Villa Auditore land, sneaking into the run down church, and getting lost in the old mines outside the city. Domenico had gotten hurt in the mines, and begged her to get out and leave him behind. Franchesca had refused to do so, and dragged him out when she went.
Now, her best friend had upped and left.
Franchesca sighed. The rest of her friends had left years ago. Her mother had told her that their parents weren't happy about Monterrigoni dying, but Franchesca didn't want to leave.
Even though her father did, leaving behind an old Assassin's robe and his old hidden blade.
Franchesca sighed and brushed some of her amber brown hair out of her face. Her baby blue eyes scanned the nearly empty city for any familiar faces, although she knew that there wouldn't be anyone here she knew.
"Fran! Dinner!"
"Coming Mother!" Franchesca shouted from her bench. She stood up, dusted herself off,and walked over towards her place.
That was what the routine was each day, unless her mother decided to go to Firenze to visit her parents. Franchesca would then go out and play with whomever would play with her, even Ezio.
Except the Pazzi. Franchesca hated the Pazzi, and the Pazzi didn't care for her. That was perfectly fine with her.
One afternoon, while Franchesca and her mother were sitting down and eating dinner, her mother announced, "Franchesca, I have an announcement to make.
"Did you finally find somewhere where they would let you work?" Franchesca asked eagerly.
"No, dear heart," Franchesca's mother replied, laughing, "It has nothing to do with work."
Franchesca thought for a minute. "Did someone die?"
"No dear."
"Did you find someone to replace Father as the man of the house?" Franchesca asked hopefully. She knew her father wouldn't be coming back.
"Not yet."
"What is it?"
"You give?"
"Yes Mother!"
Franchesca's mother laughed. "Prepare yourself, because you're involved with this."
Franchesca gripped the seat of her chair.
"One of your friends is coming to stay for a while!"
"Oh boy!" Franchesca replied, "Is it Nikolai? Or Analise? Or Cora?"
"Neither."
"Who is it then?"
"Think about it. Who was it you got stuck in the mines with?"
"Domi?"
Franchesca's mother nodded.
"Domi's coming here? Why?"
"There are many reasons why he's coming back. The main reason is because he wants to see you."
"Why?" Franchesca asked, confused.
"You'll see when he gets here."
"When will be get here?"
"Well, he's coming from Roma. He's going to get a boat from there to Venencia, from Venencia to the docks outside of Forli, then arrive here by caravan. I'd say about a month or so."
"A month!"
"Don't worry sweetheart. Mario said he had some contracts in Firenze for you if you want to keep busy. Mario knows you'll be bouncing off the walls, and with the training your father gave you about being an assassin, he says you'll be great. You'll just have to stop by Leonardo da Vinci's workshop to get your hidden blade fitted."
"Great! When do I get started!"
((Because fanfiction will not keep the line I put here))
A month had long since passed. Franchesca waited anxiously on her bench, looking for Domenico's brown hair and green eyes. In that month that had passed, she had turned seventeen, and had gone into Firenze for many different contracts, each one requiring that she had to wear her robes.
She had even gotten her hidden blade fitted.
Today, Franchesca sat on her bench in her robes. She played with her hidden blade anxiously. It had been a while since she had seen Domenico, and she was looking forward to it.
Even when darkness came, she still sat there waiting.
"Fran, honey, you should probably come in before you catch cold." Franchesca's mother commented, sitting next to Franchesca on the bench.
"Not until Domi gets here." Franchesca replied, keeping her gaze right in front of her.
Franchesca's mother chuckled. "You really are your father's child." She turned Franchesca's head towards her and added, "You're stubborn like he is, and good with a blade. And now, seeing you in those robes, you really look like your father."
Franchesca blushed.
"If you insist on staying out here, then I won't stop you. If Domenico shows up at the house wondering where you're at, I'll come get you."
"Grazie, Mother." Franchesca replied, smiling.
Franchesca's mother returned the smile and stood up. She dusted herself off and walked back towards the house.
((because fanfiction will not leave a empty space here))
Franchesca didn't remember when she fell asleep, or how she got put in her bed, but she woke up the next morning in her bed, her robes and hidden blade missing off of her. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, saw her stuff on her night-table, and threw off the covers. She stepped into her slippers, yawned, and ran her brush through her hair.
"Oh my God! Domi!"
Franchesca slipped her boots on and ran out of her room. Her mother was sitting at their dining room table, eating breakfast. She looked up at Franchesca and said, "Morning sweetheart!"
"Where's Domi?" Franchesca asked.
"He stepped outside. He told me to send you out when you got up." Her mother replied, "He found you sleeping on that bench of yours and brought you here. I was surprised he recognized you with your robes on. Anyways, he carried you over here and took you into your room. I took all your stuff off. I thought you shouldn't be sleeping in it."
"Alright, thanks Mother." Franchesca replied, grabbing a pear. She took a bite out of it and took off running towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Franchesca's mother asked, laughing.
"To see Domi!" was Franchesca's reply before taking another bite out of her pear and dashing out the door.
Franchesca scanned the city, looking for Domenico. She had finished her pear and chucked it into a compost pile. Franchesca wondered the streets, keeping her eyes peeled.
"I can't find him anywhere." She mumbled, looking up at the rooftops. "Wait a minute."
Franchesca scaled the walls and pulled herself onto the roof. She dashed across each rooftop, looking for him, before she had finally found him sitting on the edge of an abandoned home. She walked up to him and said, "What'cha doin'?"
Domenico looked up at Franchesca, looked back in front of him, then looked back at her again. "Fran! You're up!" He stood up and wrapped Franchesca in a hug. "Look at you!"
"Look at you!" Franchesca replied, returning the hug, "I can't believe you're here!"
Franchesca felt Domenico rest his cheek on the top of her head. She felt him inhale deeply and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Taking in the smell of your hair again."
Franchesca frowned. "Why?"
Domenico let go of Franchesca, smiling. "Fran, there's been so much that has happened while I was in Roma. You wouldn't believe it! There was a fire at the chapel, and my father and I had to go make sure it was put out and no one got hurt. I picked up a blade and learned how to use it, and I discovered something about myself." He put his hands on Franchesca's shoulders and added, "Well, there were many things I discovered about myself, but there's one thing that I have to tell you."
"What's that, Domi?"
"Man, I missed you calling me that!" Domenico replied, smiling. His face went more serious and said, "Fran, what I am about to tell you is something that I have been waiting to tell you since I left. When your mother suggested I come see you, I jumped at the chance, because this might be the one chance I could tell you." He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, opened them and said, "Fran, I love you."