AUTHORS NOTES
So. I haven't written fic in a very, very long time - please forgive me if this is super rusty.
Yes, I know, this is a slightly cliched story in the Assassin's Creed fanfiction community, but I'm trying to take a different approach to it. More action, more adventure, and a slightly more in-depth story line involving lots of twists and turns. I like to keep it interesting!
Feedback will keep me going - I am very busy with school and work but writing is an enjoyable pastime and a total release for me. If you like it, and want to see it continue, please rate and review and let me know! I certainly appreciate it.
Disclaimer: Assassin's Creed is owned by Ubisoft, and they are awesome. Aubrey is owned par moi, and I'd like to keep it that way. Thanks 3
PROLOGUE
The Assassin stood hunched, knees tight to her chest - her shape was formless against the dark shadows of Roma's nighttime skyline, her jaw set with the weight of her task.
This kill was hers. Her very first.
This was her mission, this was her task.
She was ready.
Months of training had prepared her for the moment when her blades would release from her forearms, and she would make her first solo strike. Hours of preparation and so much blood, sweat, and tears had been devoted to learning the task of an Assassin - to fight for what was right, and to keep the Templars at bay.
She knew that she had some time to remain on guard and wait for her target - a Templar informant - to cross her path. The rooftop she had taken refuge offered the perfect vantage point of the relatively empty street below; it was unlikely anyone would notice once her job was complete, and indeed, it would be easy to find the informant as he came down the vacant street.
For a moment, her thoughts faltered, and her memories wandered to only a few hours prior, as she was leaving the bureau...
"Signora, are you ready?" His voice was soft - more gentle than normal - and she could sense the huskiness in it. His hands rested on her hips.
"Only as ready as il mio maestro has made me," She replied, smirking slightly in the glow of the firelight, her skin alight beneath his touch.
He laughed heartily with her, his face silhouetted by the amber light. She never grew tired of the way the corners of his lips created perfect dimples on his face, or how his eyes lit up when he laughed genuinely - his ability to turn from a handsome young man to a trained killer within a matter of seconds both amazed and terrified her.
He took her suddenly in his arms, her heart pounding in her ears - she would never tire of his romanticism. Within the moment, his lips were upon hers, her arms immediately finding themselves comfortable embracing him. Their relationship was well beyond Teacher-and-Apprentice now.
Just as quickly as he had started it, he broke away. "Buona fortuna, Aubrey." His lips touched her forehead quickly as he moved to the door to see her on her way...
Her brain snapped back to the present as her target became clear in her sights. She crouched lower now, as if willing herself to invisibility, and triggered the hidden blade mounted on her left wrist.
Now was her chance.
Her body tensed, her muscles preparing for the inevitable leap from the rooftop. Slowly, she inched forward to the edge of the rooftop, just as the Templar informant was nearly beneath her.
Inhale. Exhale.
Jump.
The man's body crumpled beneath her, the force of her landing almost on his shoulders and the blade slicing primary arteries and veins within his neck rendering him dead within seconds. As quickly as it had happened, it was over
"Requiescat in Pace."
And with that, she was gone as fast as she had completed her task.
Her time as a true Assassin had begun.