Duccio de Luca wasn't having a very good day. Having stolen prestigious artwork and books from Firenze, he had hoped to make a lot of money selling it in Constantinople. His small ship had barely managed to endure the rough seas on the way here and to top it all his sailors hadn't been very cooperative at all.
He was certain they hated him for forcing them to leave their menial jobs and travel with him. They should have been grateful for having this opportunity; instead they preferred playing dice games over following his orders. And his cook! He was the worst of all. Just because Duccio had told him that the food was undercooked and bland, the cook had taken it as an insult and served him cold food for the last few nights.
He wondered if the cook had perhaps dared to spit on his food too.
Duccio sighed as he stood on the deck, gazing at the city in front of him. Constantinople was beautiful and colorful. The smell of spices and freshly prepared dye lingered in the air and when night came and all the lamps came on, the city looked like a magical place that could only exist in dreams.
Coming to Constantinople was supposed to help Duccio's failing trading business as well. And today after meeting with a few merchants who had declined to buy his stolen goods, his dreams were cruelly dashed.
He let out another loud sigh and then noticed someone entering the harbor. She was a tall and beautiful woman with red silky locks that fell on her shoulders. Her forest green gown complemented her green eyes beautifully. She wasn't perhaps the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but her vivacious appearance against the dull background of crates and old ships, lifted his moods.
Duccio smiled and adjusted his brown cap, then turned it around so that the small hole in it would be hidden. Adjusting his brown vest, he sniffed his purple shirt and wriggled his nose. The sun was hot today and he hadn't bothered with bathing in days.
He shrugged and walked down his ship, hoping she would pass of his smell as a sign of manliness. Only real men worked hard and sweated, he told himself.
"Ah! Ciao bella donna!" He gave his most charming smile.
The woman looked startled when she saw him coming towards her, but she quickly gathered herself and turned her attention back to one of the ships. Duccio turned in that direction and saw some men sorting out the cargo.
"Are you going to tell me your name?" Duccio asked, trying to turn her attention back to him.
The woman glanced at him impatiently and crossed her arms.
"Such a beautiful woman must have a beautiful name." Duccio persisted.
"Is this man bothering you?" A familiar voice asked.
They turned around to see a man in grey robes and hood walking towards them. The top part of his face was hidden by the hood, yet the woman seemed to recognize him.
"Si, he is bothering me." The woman said.
Duccio gulped and when the man came forward, he heard the clink of metal and his eyes dropped to the sword hanging on the man's belt. The man adjusted his hood and Duccio gasped when he saw who it was.
Ezio Auditore!
Duccio would never forget the one man who had humiliated him repeatedly. The memory of his beatings returned in full force and Duccio put a hand on his cheek when he remembered how swollen his cheek had been after Ezio had punched him.
"You!" Duccio gasped.
Ezio narrowed his gaze. "Do I know you?"
Duccio considered just running away from there. The more time he spent in Ezio's presence, the more likely he was to be beaten up again.
He was about to turn on his heels when a thought occurred to him. Was it possible that Ezio didn't recognize him?
"You don't remember me?" He asked, instead of running the other direction.
Ezio studied his face and his attire and then shook his head. "No."
Pride and anger merged into a hot ball in Duccio's chest. How could Ezio not remember him?
"I used to live in Firenze." Duccio said.
"Ah!" Ezio said and Duccio eased. Finally! "You were our neighbor?"
"What? No!" Duccio frowned, some of his frustration returning. "I knew your sister Claudia."
"You went to school together?" Ezio shrugged. The woman looked at both men curiously but said nothing.
"No!" Duccio said. "I mean, Claudia and I were…" If he told Ezio that he was engaged to Claudia while flirting with six other girls simultaneously, he would be punched in the face in front of this beautiful woman.
It was then that he noticed that Ezio was waiting for him to reply. Duccio felt his mouth going dry. "I er…we knew each other very well. We also met briefly in Roma." He said, trying to change the topic from Claudia.
"Didn't you say you lived in Firenze?" Ezio asked. "What were you doing in Roma?"
"I'm a merchant." Duccio swallowed uncomfortably. "We talked when you were also…there. I gave you something."
Ezio came closer and Duccio moved back, putting a hand on his cheek to protect himself from any potential face-punching.
Ezio removed a pouch of money. "Oh? How much do I owe you?"
"No, not money." Duccio said and then bit his tongue. The truth was he could use a little extra coins at the moment. "I gave you something worth even more…look that wasn't what I was getting at. You don't owe me anything. I was referring to our meeting. You seriously don't remember me?"
"I meet a lot of people every day." Ezio said in a serious tone and Duccio noticed his brown eyes darkening with anger. "If there is anything you want, maybe you should just come out and say it. Or else, stop bothering this woman."
Duccio glanced at the woman and saw her looking crossly at him. She looked like she may be able to beat him up too.
"I…I was just…I didn't think you would ever forget me." Duccio said sheepishly.
Ezio slapped his shoulder and Duccio groaned. The beating was going to come now. His face would be swollen and his eyes would barely open. He would be left barely conscious on the docks while his men would steal away with all the wares.
"I really hate them." Duccio said in disgust. "They're useless."
"What?" Ezio asked.
"I wasn't speaking to you." Duccio said, realizing that it was a good thing he wasn't recognized by Ezio after all.
"Maybe you should leave now." Ezio said in a low angry tone.
Duccio thrust his hands in his pockets and walked away, muttering curses under his breath. "He must be senile."
"Hey! What did you call me?" Ezio called.
Duccio turned his head, saw Ezio charging towards him and ran as fast as he could. Only when he found himself in a district he didn't recognize did Duccio pause for breath. He saw a group of men passing a bottle of wine amongst themselves and went over to him. Plucking the bottle from their limp fingers, he used the remaining of his energy to run from them.
Finding a place near the river, Duccio sat down on a rock and drank from the bottle. The sun was setting on this dismal day and he was glad of it. Finishing the rest of the contents in one gulp, Duccio tossed the bottle aside and lay down, gazing at the evening star.
No one knew him. When he died, no one would even care, because no one knew him. He was just a nobody. Even his enemies didn't care for him much less recognize him. Duccio sighed and picked himself up. It was time to make his way back to his ship and sail far away. Perhaps it would be better if he stayed in Italia and tried his luck at business there again.
He was stumbling over his own feet and making his way to the Golden Horn when he bumped hard into someone.
"Uff!" Duccio said and tried blinking away his swimming vision. He rubbed his eyes with the pads of his thumbs and looked up to see an angry face looking down at him. His hood was still up, but his glare wasn't masked.
"E-Ezio?" Duccio stammered. "Y-you're…" He hiccupped and Ezio snickered.
"You haven't changed a bit, have you Duccio?" He said.
Duccio blinked rapidly. "You…you remember me?"
Ezio grabbed him by the collar of his purple shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Did you think I would forget the stronzo who cheated on my sister?"
Duccio felt a warm glow in his chest. "You remember me!"
Ezio regarded him as if he was a crazy man. "The only reason I didn't want to make a scene was because we were present in front of Sofia. I didn't want to upset her. But if you come near her again…"
Ezio dropped his hands and then punched Duccio hard in the stomach.
Duccio doubled over as he felt the breath knocked out from him.
"Don't let me see your face again!" Ezio warned and then walked away.
Duccio fell on his knees and despite the pain erupting in his abdomen, he smiled.