Florence 1479

The young man who made his way briskly through the streets seemed to hold no regard for those who surrounded for him, with a hand poised over his brow to protect his eyes from the offending brightness which appeared to be unescapable. The sunlight seemed to pour onto the cobblestone plaza and warmth hung in the air, however this young man didn't seem to notice the nice day, with his frown so firmly in place and his quick pace it might look obvious to one that he had other things on his mind. He threw a quick glance over his shoulder to the men clad in armor who trailed behind him, they struggled to keep up and he felt an odd dislike for them. He didn't much enjoy being escorted as though he were a child, although he had to admit he could scarcely remember the city which he had been to a few times in his childhood. He came to a halt at a nearly familiar bakery and pushed his hair back out of his eyes so he could better glare at the two men.
"Well?"
He glare intensified as they glanced at each other, he already hated asking for help and he despised talking to them, yet it annoyed him even further when they hesitated to answer him.

"Left, sir."

He scoffed before quickly turning on his heel, he was nearly stomping a few moments later. His eyes found the large estate of Signore Gallo, he couldn't focus on the exquisite architecture of the home and he didn't notice his steps slow or his mouth dry.

He couldn't hear the distant, "Sir?" That was behind him, he could only focus on the now looming home and he couldn't help but feel intimidated by what lie inside. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he snapped out of his sudden thoughts and his head felt somewhat clearer, he brushed the hand away roughly and made heavy steps toward the estate. He was soon walking towards the front door and he had to force himself to continue up the dark stone pathway. His eyes were trained upon the lineup of Cyprus trees decorating the property and the glittering blue of the pond which rippled with the movement of small fish. He heard the knock produced by one of the guards, however his eyes were still averted to his surroundings, then a woman's voice, and he couldn't focus on her words only on the small ripples. There was a silence that hung in the air which alerted him that something wasn't right, he looked up and one of the men was gesturing to the open door. He jostled into the cooler room, the heavy violet curtains protected the room from the strong sunlight which he knew was on the other side and the only sound audible was his heels clicking on the stone floor until he heard distant excitable chatter from the next room obviously coming closer each moment. He twisted his fingers together and backed away closer to the entrance, his eyes darted around the room as they refused to settle anywhere. He heard the voices clearly now, right on the other side of the door that lie only a few paces in front of him, then he watched the knob turn.

"Lovino!" He felt rough arms grabbing him shoving him into a hug and the scratchy stubble of a man. He struggled to pull away however his efforts were useless.

"Nonno, let go…" He muttered quietly, almost unsure if that's what he wanted.

His grandfather pulled away and seized his face roughly between his hands and began to observe his face, his eyes were narrowed with interest.

"How you've grown! I remember when I last saw you, you were just a tiny little boy, now a handsome young man?"

"Lovino!" A new voice chimed in that he remembered so well that he remembered the small boy that it belonged to.

"Feliciano?" His face was released and he peered behind his grandfather, however he didn't have to be curious for too long as he was grabbed into a tight hug.

He heard his brother whisper into the hug, "Oh my god, you're so tall now, and-" he heard a slight sniffle causing Lovino to pull away.

"Feliciano, why are you crying, you're messing up my new outfit-" He sighed and observed his brothers tears spilling down his face, it just looked so pitiful, he had to grab the other into a hug again.

"Yeah, and you've turned into a bigger cry baby."

He heard a small laugh from his younger sibling; however the reunion was interrupted by a man clearing his throat. He ended the hug and turned towards the source; A stout man with a drooping face, thin hair that would be all gone in about two years time, and he was obviously trying too hard to achieve the status of fashionable with his numerous frills and wide variety of colors that should never meet.

His grandfather gestured to the man, "This is Signore Gallo, a close friend and associate of mine. He was kind enough to invite us to lunch in his palazzo."

"How kind of him." The lack of sincerity was evident in Lovino's voice, however he suspected Signore Gallo didn't notice because he beamed at Lovino.

"Yes, thank you so much, Signore." Feliciano did a sort of bow of his head and tossed a charming smile.

Signore Gallo tossed his hand into the air dramatically and shrugged, "It's nothing. Now follow."

They made their way into the room Lovino recognized as the room his family had been in previously making their loud chatter.

"…Now this is just my summer home so the property is rather small and unfortunately we are surrounded by other buildings rather than a nice isolation, however you must admit it has a certain urban charm."

Lovino turned to roll his eyes, the room they were in had bare lighting, a small beam made its way through the sloppily drawn curtain and seemed to showcase the large tapestry that hung on the wall adjacent to the window. Like the man the piece of art was far too frivolous and for his taste.

"…and this beauty, is the Gallo pride." Signore Gallo puffed his chest out and gazed at the wall as though he was watching his own child.

"My ancestor brought it back as a trophy from his brave fighting for retrieval of the holy lands."

"It's beautiful, Gallo." The grandfather smiled at his friend, however clear distaste was in his eyes.

"Mhm it is, isn't it? Anyway I'm starving, how about all of you? Let us go take our lunch on my balcony."

Lovino was reluctant to go back into the sunlight, the brightness temporarily blinded him and the heat seized him once more. When his eyes were adjusted he took note of the large balcony and the steel formed table and chairs, of course the man couldn't stand for a plain-beauty and the area was heavily decorated with various 'trophies' on stands.

Gallo patted his rounded stomach, "I am starving! Sophie! Sophie!" He called into the home before sighing deeply and stepping from under the shaded area into the sunlight. It was then when everything seemed to change, the moment was over in seconds yet it defined so much. A pale blur flew down almost gracefully onto its target; the deed was done swiftly and cleanly. Lovino stood directly in front of where the now-late Gallo had been and he watched the horror that played in his eyes, the choke that never got to escape as the man couldn't register shock fast enough, he saw the life flee from him. More importantly, he saw the figure commit the murder, in all of its swift grace. Its identity was protected by a hood yet in all of his shock-twisted perception of the moment, what he knew for sure was that the figure smiled at him. His smile was bright, teeth and all, a grin almost and Lovino couldn't move from where he stood, the awe seized him and he was almost sure it was grabbing him until he realized that it was his Nonno. The figure had disappeared across the roofs, he was no longer visible, Lovino was sure that the figure was gone although he didn't really know because his eyes would not move from Gallo's horror-stricken dead eyes, from the dark pool of blood that lie next to his slit throat.

"Damn it! Lovino wake up, come now!"

He felt his grandfather tugging roughly on his arm and he didn't break eye contact with Gallo until he was shoved into the previous room with its large decoration still proudly sitting.

"N-Nonno!" Feliciano's voice was shaking and the fear was righteously evident.

"Shhh, I'm sorry, don't worry my child. We need to get out of here." His voice was urgent and there was an air of seriousness which wasn't there often from what Lovino remembered.

Lovino's eyes bored into the tapestry, focusing on the small threads and the intricate colorful pattern, until his chin was grabbed and his eyes were forced to meet his grandfather's.

"Lovino, I'm sorry but I need you to focus."

He felt himself come into focus, he had to shove the image into the back of his mind, the deepest darkest corner which he would never pursue.

"Yes, Nonno."

His grandfather smiled weakly, the sides of his eyes crinkling however, the fear in his grandfather's eyes produced a sickness in Lovino's stomach.

"We must get a carriage, now!" His grandfather had already released his face and was grabbing his two grandsons' arms and nearly pushed past the young woman known as Sophie.

"Look with caution, Signora." His grandfather warned before taking a sharp turn down the stairs and exiting the home.

The once magnificent seeming lawn now held a malicious air and the once warm air now seemed cold. His Grandfather shoved the two into the carriage that waited before coming in himself.

"Palazzo Vargas, now."

AN:

Thanks so much for reading the chapter!

This story is basically a Hetalia Assassin's Creed AU, however it is not a crossover as no Assassin's Creed characters will be making any appearances in the story. The story is going to be Denmano, and yes I am aware that it's a crack pairing but it's a super cute one that works great in my mind, but if you don't like it, then you don't have to read it.

Translations (notify me if I missed any words):

Nonno- Grandfather

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or Assassin's Creed or any of its characters.