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Chapter 2:
Even after all these years, Ezio remembered this day. Every infinitesimal detail seared into his memory, haunting him. It seemed that even in death this day taunted him…
Lost in thought, he instinctively tread his way to his childhood home as he had done so long ago.
He remembered his father's instructions. To go to his office, find the secret room & the chest hidden within and take all the items inside it. To take the documents within to the Gonfaloniere, Ulberto Alberti.
That had worked out well. Alberti was a Templar. A puppet of the Spaniard, Rodrigo Borgia. Willing to sell out his oldest of friends for a few Florins. Handing over those documents had been a waste of time & may have cost his family their lives.
Now, as he stood looking up at his old home, Palazzo Auditore, contemplating his next move; Ezio wondered what the point of this was.
His family had been dead for years.
He himself was dead.
Was this the afterlife? He had done many things in his life, killed many people in his quest to avenge his family and afterwards as an Assassin.
Was this his punishment? Forced to watch his worst memory repeated? If that was the case then why play along? Why enable this torment?
Or was this real?
Did Minerva truly find a way to send him back? Was the Apple really that powerful? To be capable of this?
For years this day had haunted him. Taunted him with ideas of what could have been. What even the slightest of changes could have done… And he'd dreamed of going back, of being able to make those changes.
Was this his chance? Did Minerva really give him a second chance? To right all the wrongs. To make what could have been, be?
His father would be there to guide them. Federico would be there to fight alongside him. Petruccio would get the chance to grow up, and finally make that gift for mother. Mother wouldn't fall into depression & Claudia would never feel like he had abandoned her.
Not to mention that with his knowledge of the future, the Assassins would be able to put an end to the Templars' plot years in advance…
Either way, he had to take that chance. He could not... No, would not abandon his family to their fate.
Entering the Palazzo, Ezio made his way to his father's office. Quickly locating the hidden doorway, he walked to the chest and pulled open the lid.
Reaching in, he pulled out his father's robes, His old robes, and held it up. The beak of it's hood gleaming in the light.
With practiced fluidity, he donned the garments. Strapped the simple sword to his belt, grabbing the, currently broken, hidden blade & raised the hood.
He had work to do.
After collecting the items per his father's instructions, Ezio exited the office, only to be confronted with two guardia entering the Palazzo, swords drawn.
"Traitor!" one of the them shouted.
"Hey now, what's with the swords? Aren't you supposed to arrest me?" Ezio replied, as he remembered doing before.
"No" the other guard spat.
"What do you want, then?" he queried.
"For you to die."
Ezio frowned. "Well, that's not going to happen. So why don't we explore other options?"
"There are no other options." Came the ominous reply.
With that they closed in, swords held high, for what they assumed would be an easy kill. They were wrong.
As the two approached, Ezio's instinct, honed by years of training and experience, came to bare. With deft movements, Ezio drew his sword and lashed out, slashing up, below their guards and slitting the throat of the guard on the right. Said guard released a wet gargling sound as the blood spurted from his neck, like water from a demented fountain.
His partner could only stare in shock, his guard momentarily lower.
Taking advantage of this fact, Ezio struck. Burying his blade into the man's stomach, angled up diagonally to pierce his heart. He was dead before he hit the ground.
Swiftly wiping the blood off of his blade, Ezio sheathed the sword, and casually searched the bodies, coming up with a few Florins and some throwing knives, before he walked away. As he neared the exit, he paused, looking briefly over his shoulder & whispers a low "Requiescat in Pace." Then he was gone.
As he walked, Ezio considered his options. Tomorrow Alberti would stage that sham of a trial and have his family executed. His father had told him that the documents contained evidence to clear their names. Last time he had went along with his father's plan & given these documents to Alberti who promised to present them at the hearing. He had trusted the man's word & the traitor had denied their existence.
Hmph. It should have been clear to all that the 'hearing' was a farce. What sort of fair trial starts with a noose around the defendants' necks. Not even little Petruccio was spared. Bastardi.
He would not make the same mistake as before. But if he didn't go to Alberti, then the bastardo would be able to deny them truthfully. Which meant he had to somehow show him the documents, but keep it to present again at the hearing. Thus clearing his family's name.
On the other hand, he could just break them out. It wasn't like he had not done similarly before, with Caterina Sforza. They could escape. Then, when Lorenzo de Medici returned, he could clear everything up. But doing so was hazardous. If it went wrong, the escape could be seen as an admission of guilt, making it difficult to clear their names. Not to mention, with all those guards… he knew that he could get in and out without a problem, but could the others keep up?
His father had been badly beaten. He didn't know if Federico had started his training yet & Petruccio had always been a sickly child. The poor conditions of the Palazzo Vecchio could not have helped his health.
No, he could not risk it.
He didn't even have any of his equipment. No armour, barely any weapons. Only an old sword and his robes.
Hmmm.
It would be easier to go with his first plan, but he knew he couldn't trust the justice system.
He would present the documents at the hearing and hope for the best; but plan for the worst.
Staging a rescue in the Palazzo della Signoria would be dangerous, but infinitely less difficult that from the prison itself.
If he could create a diversion, as Yusuf had shown him in Constantinople… The crowd would panic. The guards would have to struggle to control it. He could use the ensuing chaos to free his family and flee. He had escaped before, with no training. Federico new the streets well, so would be able to escape easily enough. Father was a trained Assassin. But Petruccio; either he or Federico would have to carry his youngest brother to safety.
Bene.
It was not the best plan, and Ezio was unhappy with how much danger it put his family in, but it would have to do.
He had a lot to do and little time to do it in.
A determined glint sparked in Ezio's eyes, & his stride took on a sense of purpose as he approached the Gonfaloniere's home.
Show time.
The night had started to pale by the time he reached the Gonfaloniere's residence.
Painting a panicked expression onto his face, Ezio rushed to the door, beginning to bang incessantly.
It was not long before he began to hear voices beyond the door and steps, the turning of the latch. Panting, inwardly cursing his young & untrained body, Ezio stepped back and yanked down the hood; looking this way and that to see if any of the night guards were about to see him.
The door opened and there he stood. The traitor. The man who had ordered the death of his family so long ago. The man he had killed in revenge.
"… Ezio Auditore? What are you doing here at this hour?"
Alberti appeared in his splendorous garb, the immaculate robes doing little to conceal his girth.
Keeping up the panicked appearance, Ezio hurriedly responded, emotion flooding his voice.
"It…" he started, trying to get the words out. "I don't…"
"Wait, child," Alberti said, "Take a breath," he said slowly, gently. "Collect your thoughts."
Ezio paused, making a show of doing so as he analysed the man, and what he could see of the room behind him. The judge's posture was relaxed, yet held a look of tension. Ezio's eyes narrowed as the reason became clear, as the other man in the room revealed himself, glancing sidelong out the door, face concealed by a black hood, as he stepped past.
Rodrigo Borgia. The Spaniard. The Grand Master of the Italian Templars.
It seemed he had interrupted a meeting. Possibly the very same meeting in which his family's fates were decided.
Focusing back on Alberti, Ezio let it all tumble out in one great huff. "My father and brothers have been imprisoned! I don't know why, but they attacked them at the villa, my mother has been traumatised, she won't speak! I saw my father at the Palazzo and he wouldn't answer my questions, I don't understand why all of this is happening; none of it makes any sense."
Here Ezio paused, shaking his head to appear confused. "I was told to bring you this, please, help my family!" He all but shoved the parchment into the Gonfaloniere's hands.
Alberti unfolded the letter and held it to the light flooding out from the door. The heavy-set man read though everything, nodding here and there, with an air of nonchalance that infuriated Ezio.
"Ah," Alberti said after going through another page. "I see now." He looked up to the young noble, stepping back slightly, placing the documents down on a stand next to his door. "It's a misunderstanding, Ezio. The documents you've given me contain evidence of a conspiracy, against your father and against this city. I'll present these papers at their hearing in the morning and they'll be released."
Instantly Ezio rushed forward with a relieved expression, grasping the man's hand and shaking fervently. "Thank you, Signore," he said with a great sigh. "Thank you. Thank you."
"Of course, my child," Alberti said, placing a soothing hand on the young Florentine's shoulder. His eyed studied Ezio's lacklustre appearance before adding, "Do you need a place to stay? You are more than welcome here."
"No, grazie," Ezio said, pulling himself upright. "I'll meet you at the piazza,"
He turned to leave.
"Don't worry, Ezio," Alberti said from the door. "Everything is going to be fine."
He flashed a winning smile as the door closed before taking off down the street.
As he fled, Ezio looked down at the documents in his pouch, having swiped them as he thanked the Gonfaloniere.
He'd confront the man with these tomorrow. For now, he had preparations to make, should the honourable approach fail.
He needed weapons. The light was dimming, and he had little time.
His best bet was Leonardo. He had always been able to rely on his old… or rather, young, friend for help before. With the Codex page, Leonardo could repair his hidden blade.
With confident strides, Ezio swiftly followed the familiar path to his friend's old studio.
Knocking, there was no immediate answer, and so Ezio tested the door to find it unlocked, and he entered the studio.
It was an unmitigated mess, every inch of space covered with parchment and quills, protractors and compasses and straightedges. No less that three easels were set up with paintings in various states of completion – one of them had bits of mathematics written on the sketch, an equation of some sort, and a man inside a circle and a square. The walls were covered with drapes half hung, attempts at still life that were overgrown with pots of powders an oils waiting to be mixed into paint. The room was filled with the scents of oils and paints, and something rotten. No doubt the corpses Leonardo receives, for his studies into anatomy.
Overall, it was just as he remembered.
Leonardo was crouched over a table, studying something in the dim candle light, muttering to himself before looking up.
"Oh!" he said, eyes widening in surprise. "Ezio Auditore!" He smiled; suddenly flush, as he manoeuvred around the table to approach him. "I… I didn't expect to see you again, with all the commotion recently... Ah! Where are my manners? It's good to see you again!" His stumbled speech was punctuated with a sudden hug, the painter throwing his arms around Ezio in a friendly manner.
Same old Leonardo.
"Now, how can I be of service?" the eccentric inventor queried.
"I'm sorry for the late intrusion, but I was hoping you could repair something of mine."
"Of course!" the man replied enthusiastically, waving away his concerns. "Come, this way." He gestured to one of his tables, and tsked when he saw the state of it. "Oh, what a mess. I've spent the whole day looking for… Let me clear a space." And with a broad sweep of his hand, he shoved everything off to a corner, several pieces of parchment falling to the floor.
"Alright, let's see it," Leonardo said, nonplussed by what he had done. Smiling fondly at his old friend, Ezio handed over the pieces with great care. The blond painter took one look at it, however, and all but snatched it out of Ezio's hands. "Fascinating…" he muttered, turning it over and looking at all the pieces, eyes alight with curiosity. "I don't know, Ezio," he said after a drawn out examination. "Despite it's age, the construction is rather advanced. I've never seen anything quite like it…" he overturned it again, changing the arrangement of the pieces, as if the mystery would somehow reveal itself to him.
At length he studied the bracer until, "I'm afraid, there's not much I can do without the original plans," he said, looking up with disappointment. "Mi dispiace."
"I understand," Ezio replied to his friend with amusement. "Perhaps this will help." He said proffering the Codex page.
"Ah, a surprise indeed!" Leonardo exclaimed as he snatched the scroll. Immediately spreading it over the table, grabbing a quill to begin copying it down.
"The contents of this page are encrypted," Leonardo said, working furiously. "A puzzle, how exciting! I wonder if it is simply a letter substitution cipher… But if my theory is correct… based on these sketches it may very well… Please, sit."
Smirking in amusement, Ezio sat as his friend worked. As he waited, he began making other preparations. With Leonardo's permission, Ezio borrowed some of his materials, using the various metals and powders around the room, Ezio took Yusuf's lessons to heart as he prepared some distractions for tomorrows rescue.
For some time, silence reigned in the studio, only broken by the sound of Leonardo scribbling across several parchments and fiddling with the bracer, as Ezio skilfully constructed the necessary devices. After completing several devices, Ezio sat back and studied the studio, eyeing the paints and wondering what it would take to paint a portrait.
"There! It's finished!" Leonardo's proclamation piercing Ezio's reverie.
"What?"
"The blade," Leonardo said, a bright smile on his face. "I managed to decode that parchment of yours. It showed me exactly what to do. Quite fascinating, the cipher was brilliant, and the blade, it was a piece of art once I understood what to do! But it's fixed now, all that's left is to remove your ring finger."
"…Really?" he asked, feigning worry, deciding to allow Leonardo his fun.
"I'm sorry," Leonardo said brightly, in a voice that indicated the exact opposite. He held up a butcher knife as if to prove the point. "But this is how it must be done. The blade is designed to ensure the 'commitments' of whoever wields it."
"Bene," he said, his voice hard and flattened his hand onto the table. "Do it quickly."
Leonardo blinked, perhaps surprised at the conviction, before swinging the blade, burying it right next to his outstretched finger.
"I was only having fun, Ezio!" he explained with a laugh. "Though the blade once required a sacrifice, it's been modified. Quite a genius, it's inventor. You can keep your finger."
He held out the bracer and Ezio took it, glowering slightly at the joke, strapping it on. The inner lining causing the bracer to almost mould to his arm, the blade settled easily onto the inside on his wrist. There was a string with a ring on it, and Ezio looped it around his finger; the tugging made the blade spring out of it's sheath with a soft, almost inaudible hiss.
"Incredible…" he said, relaxing his fingers to make it sheath itself again. He had always enjoyed the elegance of the hidden blade, sleek and efficient.
"Yes it is!" Leonardo said. "Tell me, do you have other pages like this?"
"I'm sorry, only the one."
"Too bad, such a puzzle! I haven't been truly challenged like that in quite a while. The papers indicate that other pages exist; if you ever find them, please bring them to me, I'd love to have a look at it!"
"You have my word," Ezio said. "And thank you for fixing this. For everything." The moment held, Leonardo flushed with modest embarrassment, before Ezio spoke again. "Now, I really should be going, the guardia are still searching for me."
"Of course, be safe my friend." Leonardo responded worriedly.
With that Ezio bid the painter farewell & stepped out to once into the darkened streets of Firenze.
Next, Ezio headed to the Palazzo della Signoria to prepare his backup plan. At this hour, the square was deserted, the shadows easily allowing him to approach the gallows. Sneaking under the platform, Ezio quickly located the mechanism to release the trap doors.
The mechanism was simple. A single beam of wood attached to the lever, that when pulled, would move to the side, pulling the door jams with it; thus releasing the trap doors.
Taking the knives he had liberated from the dead guards earlier, Ezio speared the blades up into the floor of the platform above, just in front of the mechanism, thus preventing the beam from being moved. This way, even if something went wrong, his family would not hang.
Ezio quickly ducked out from under the platform & hurried off in search of a place to sleep, making sure to steal some more throwing knives from a guard that was snoozing nearby.
With this done, all he could do, is wait.