Disclaimer: My Italian is not the greatest and I am still learning the language, so I apologize in advance if it is grammtically incorrect. If you speak Italian, please let me know if something is wrong so I can go back and fix it. I understand that not everyone will understand it, so I try to make it easy to figure out what is being said in the dialogue. However, if that isn't enough, I suggest using Google Translate...I do not own the Assassin's Creed series or any other products that may be mentioned in this story. Please don't sue me.

Uno

I don't think I've ever been more tired in my life than I was at that moment. I was between the states of being conscious and unconscious; vaguely aware of the sun that was warming my skin, accompanied by a breeze that would cool me off when I started to get too hot. The sweet fragrances of hay, lilac, and jasmine filled my nostrils…along with the putrid odor of manure. A few faint voices and horses could be heard far away and I mentally told them to shut up so I could nap.

I was just about to let myself lull back off to dreamland when a voice shouted, "Signorina! Are you alright?"

It was too late for me to answer, for I had fallen back into a deep sleep.

...

I don't know how long I slept, but when I regained consciousness, it felt like I had slept for at least ten years. Before even opening my eyes, I could tell that I was in a soft bed, the cool sheets pulled up to my chin. Birds could be heard chirping cheerfully outside and a light breeze was creeping into the room, snaking up my body and making goose bumps jump to my skin. I wiggled under the covers and wrapped the sheets tightly around myself to stay warm. Sleepily opening my eyes, I found myself in a nice small room, with oak floorboards and soft yellow walls. A wide window next to my bed was open, the diaphanous curtains billowing in the draft.

I lay there for a few minutes, curling myself into a ball as I enjoyed the moment of absolute bliss. I was so comfortable…and the sun was hitting me just right that I thought I was going to fall back asleep…and then a rooster let out a cock-a-doodle-doo.

My body finally started to wake up and the rusty gears began to turn in my brain. I struggled to get up, but a headache started to pound rhythmically away at my head, therefore I got tangled in the sheets, lost my balance, hit the wooden floor with a sickening thud, and died. Groaning, I opened my eyes despite them protesting by being heavy as lead and again tried to get up. Feeling too weak, I just decided to lay there, willing to go back asleep on the floor.

The wooden door in the room creaked open and a voice softly asked, "Signorina? Are you alright?"

I grunted in reply, too tired and lazy to properly say a recognizable word in the English language. In a flash, a young man was by my side, asking again if I was okay.

"I fell…" I mumbled.

He nodded, picked me up as if I weighed only ten pounds, and gently placed me back on the bed. While he placed a warm hand up to my forehead, I took the opportunity to take a peek at his face. Pointed chin, dark chocolate eyes with long lashes, and short auburn hair…he was quite handsome, I had to admit.

"You do not have a fever…" he was saying, his Italian accent indicating that English was not his first language. "Perhaps we should call a doctor, just in case…"

The thought of the huge morphine shot came flooding back to me and I quickly shook my head back in forth, which only made me dizzy and my headache worse.

The man looked at me with great concern. "Do you speak English? Parla italiano?"

I nodded for the first question and just gave him a blank stare to the second. I had never spoken Italian in my life, but since it originated from Latin, as did most of the other European languages, I was able to guess what he was saying.

"Can you speak for me, signorina? What is your name?"

I drowsily looked at him and retorted, "Well, what's your name?"

"Antonio Lombardi, at your service."

Even though I felt like I was going to pass out any second, I still rolled my eyes. "Please, you don't have to compliment me so often."

Antonio flashed a smile of pearly whites. "Oh, but I must; you are very beautiful."

"I'm sixteen."

"As am I. May I please know your name? It must be as pretty as your face."

I had to admit, the compliments were very flattering, and with his handsome face, it was becoming increasingly difficult not to blush. I mentally shook the feelings off and tried to regain my composure, thinking of what I should tell him. I figured I was Italy, so I guessed it couldn't hurt to give him my Italian name; it's not like he would be able to stalk me back to SoCal.

"Maddalena Campana."

He smiled. "As I expected, a beautiful name to match a beautiful face. Your English name should be Madeline, no?"

I gave him a strange look, but nodded. How could he have known that?

A perturbed look crossed Antonio's face and he shifted uncomfortably away from me. "Mi dispiace. I didn't mean to frighten you, signorina."

I rubbed my temples and managed to sit up. "No, it's not your fault. You just speak very good English and it confuses me because you sound Italian…"

Antonio stood up and offered me a hand. "I've made an effort to practice, so that if I meet a bella donna as pretty as you, I'd be able to communicate with them. Can you stand, signorina?"

I nodded, accepted his hand, and shakily got to my feet, Antonio's arm around my waist to assist me in balancing. Once I had gotten used to being on my feet, I told him that his help was not necessary, that I could stand on my own. I then proceeded to slowly navigate out of the room, Antonio right behind me, ready to catch me should I fall. I had maybe traveled forty feet down a small staircase and into a small rustic kitchen, and the sedative's effect on my body was definite, even though I had already started to feel a bit better. I ignored Antonio when he asked me if I wanted something to eat and wandered over to a door that when opened, led to the outside.

I found myself staring at a gorgeous garden filled with red poppies, jasmine, lilac, roses of various colors, and honeysuckle. About ten feet away, separated by a red brick planter box, were growing tomatoes, peppers, garlic, artichokes, eggplant, and zucchini. Over a white fence covered in bougainvillea were orchards of orange, olive, and fig trees and fields of grape vines. To the left of these were green pastures dotted with grazing cows, horses, and pigs. I turned around and found that the house I had been in was a little stone cottage covered with a red tiled roof.

Antonio walked over and stood next to me. "Do you like it, signorina?"

I turned to him. "Yes, I love it…but I don't know where I am…"

"You are on the Lombardi's farm, mia cara. We are about a day away from Firenze. We found you lying on the road near here."

My eyebrows shot up. "Then we are near Monteriggioni?"

"That is correct, bella."

Well that just proved it. That guy's machine actually worked. It seemed like I was in Italy, but I just had to make sure. I asked Antonio what the year was because I couldn't remember due to fainting and he answered 1476. A huge swell of happiness filled my chest and I felt like barfing butterflies. From the smells to Antonio's dazzling smile, everything seemed so real that I repeatedly had to convince myself that that guy really had created something revolutionary.

It could all just be a dream…with that ridiculous amount of morphine he gave me, I could easily be knocked out in that silver chair of that his, dreaming about running around in Italy during the Renaissance, thinking I'm in Assassin's Creed.

The whinny of a horse brought me back to reality and I turned towards the direction in which I heard it come from. Antonio noticed this, smiled, and led me over to the pastures where all of their animals were grazing. In about three seconds I was frolicking with the pigs, chilling with the cows, and brushing the horses. I was so in my element that I barely noticed that my new acquaintance Antonio was there next to me the whole time.

"So tell me, Maddalena," Antonio chewed on a piece of hay. "Why did you faint along the trail? I do not mean to intrude, I am just curious."

I paused in the middle of petting the piglet at my feet, quickly thought of a lie, and played the part of a suddenly sad girl. "I just recently moved to Monteriggioni from England…my family is poor and we cannot afford a horse…and sometimes there are no horses in the stables for me to use…and since my father is in the tailoring business, he needs to communicate with others in Firenze…so I need to train myself in case I need to deliver important messages if I cannot get a horse…I think I worked too hard yesterday, and that's how I fainted…"

After a few moments, Antonio touched me gently on the arm. "I am sorry, mia cara. Is there anything I can do to help? You can have one of our horses."

I wiped away some fake tears and switched to a more positive attitude. "No, it's alright…I'd rather do things by myself…it makes me stronger that way…plus, training this way keeps me healthy."

He smiled and said that he had noticed my clothing was rather revealing for a woman and asked if my father was designing some new clothes so training would be easier for me. I gave the affirmative, glad that he had just given me a lie to tell him…and then realized that he had probably been checking me out the whole time. I angrily glared at him and before he could respond, I punched him in the shoulder. He was about to protest, but a woman's call stopped him.

"That is Mother," Antonio sighed and stood up. "It is time for pranzo. Come, you must be hungry."

Once back inside, I met Antonio's mother, father, and older sister, who all turned out to be very warm and welcoming. Of course they all had the same questions as Antonio had, but once he had finished explaining my story and situation, they seemed more than happy to have me over for a few days 'until I got my strength back.'

After a nice lunch, I headed back to my bed for a long nap. As I lay there, relaxing, I tried to figure out an excuse to head to Florence. I was obviously in the game, so what was the point of sticking around here if I wasn't going to see any action? I rolled over on my side and closed my eyes, deciding to deal with the matter later.

...

Before I knew it, a couple of days had already flown by and I soon found adapting to my new life wasn't going as smoothly as I had hoped. Since I had no other time to do it, I would have to get up early each morning in order 'train' before having to help out with the farm all day. Sure, I didn't mind working, but that meant getting sweaty and dirty 99.99% of the time, and hygiene wasn't as enforced as I had previously thought.

And going to the bathroom…well at least they had a convenient hole in the ground…a.k.a. an outhouse.

I was lucky enough to get away with wearing some of Antonio's tunics and pants while working, but I was forced to wear some of his sister's dresses when I would just be lounging around the house, which sucked major balls.

Besides that, all in all, I was fairly enjoying myself.

About a week later after my 'arrival,' Antonio confronted me, asking if I wanted to accompany him to Firenze, for he was going to the city in order to sell some of his family's homegrown produce. I agreed at once, finally glad that an opportunity to travel to the city had presented itself.

On the morning of the day of travel, we saddled up the horses. We had packed enough food and money for about five days, though we were probably going to be back in two. After many failed attempts, I finally managed to mount my horse, grab the reigns, and steer it in the direction of Florence, Antonio laughing the entire way.

By the time dusk rolled around, I was seriously a master at riding a horse. Antonio had made sure that this was so, even if it meant acting like a total pervert the entire way in order to get me angry. Regardless, the tactic worked, and as the towering city walls of Florence came into sight, I raced him to the main gate. Even with my head start, he still ended up winning and made sure that I remembered the fact well into the night.

We decided to spend the evening in an abandoned cottage outside of the city, for trying to find a place to stay in a populous place like Florence after the sun had gone down would be nearly impossible and quite unsafe.

"Do you remember when I beat you on horseback, Maddalena?" Antonio mentioned for the tenth time.

"No, I forgot Antonio," I said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "In fact, why don't you tell me the story again for the trillionth time?"

He laughed and actually started to, but a quick slap to his arm and a change of subject was the only thing needed to shut him up. "Where exactly are we going to sleep? I'm exhausted and there's only one bed in here…"

The grin on Antonio's face scared me and I instantly understood what he was thinking. "Fuck. No. You can sleep on the floor, but not with me."

I threw some blankets we had packed onto the bed and leapt onto the mattress, trying to take up as much room as possible…which really didn't work because the double sized mattress was about twice my size.

"Why do you treat me so badly, mia cara?" Antonio gave a fake puppy-dog frown. "I have done nothing wrong."

I just rolled my eyes and buried myself deep under the blankets, shivering as a draft managed to creep its way through a slightly open window. Even though I knew he was faking his sadness, I couldn't really stay mad at Antonio. I didn't know what it was…it was like he was my older brother and even though he was annoying, I couldn't be remain angry or hold a grudge against him…Plus, it would be unfair that he had to sleep on the cold hard floor.

At last, I softened up and sighed, "Fine, you can sleep with me, but so help me, if you try anything funny, I will personally make your life miserable as long as you live."

He grinned, slid off his shirt, and hopped in next to me. "You have my word, signorina."

I rolled my eyes, shivered again, and allowed myself to cuddle closer to him in order to get warmer. I could literally feel the smirk radiating off of his face without even having to see it, making me want to turn around and smack him across the face. I had to admit though, snuggling up against his warm, sculpted chest wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it was great, but I knew that he knew that I was actually enjoying myself and that pissed me off. Suddenly, Antonio's arm snaked around my waist, making me freeze.

"Watch it," I growled, a blush starting to roam across my face.

He chuckled and only pulled me closer to him, his warm breath buzzing in my ear. "Good night to you too, Maddalena."

...

Morning came faster than I expected and when I awoke, I almost had a heart attack. My eyes met smooth, bronze skin and a muscular chest, and although the sight was pleasing to the eye, it scared me greatly. I tried to shift uncomfortably away from the man, but the lazy arm that was draped around my waist suddenly tightened slightly and held me firmly in place.

"Let go," my voice cracked, my heart starting to beat faster.

His voice was so soft that it came out in a whisper. "You were having bad dreams, signorina. Are you alright?"

I pushed his arm off of me and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing my eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine."

I couldn't remember having any nightmares, only faint fragments. A vague image of a huge needle and a man's voice saying something wasn't right came to my mind, making me shudder. Maybe I had dreamed about my experience going into the Animus 2.5 and subconsciously remembered the man saying that something was wrong. Now that I was actually awake and thinking about that, it concerned me quite a bit. This was only a simulation, right? I was only in a virtual reality version of the game Assassin's Creed II, right?

What could he have meant that something was wrong?

Curiously, Antonio hadn't inquired any further, which was strange for him. Usually he would be all over my case, probably continuously asking what my dreams were about. I turned my head to look at him and found him staring at me, concern written all over his face.

"Really, I'm fine."

He didn't seem to buy it, but before he could say anything else, I had changed and left the cottage to go on a morning run. When I got back, Antonio had set out a nice breakfast of a bread roll and grapes, but all I honestly wanted was water and a hot shower. The water wasn't that hard to get; we were able to get a hold of a bunch of it from a well behind the cottage. The shower, on the other hand, was inconceivable, and I ended up having to take a bath.

"But I hate baths!" I complained, watching Antonio carry buckets of water from the well to the 'bathtub' inside the cottage. "You sit there in your own wet dirt and sweat!"

He laughed and left the washroom, saying, "It is the only way to get clean, signorina. Now, hurry up. The markets will be opening soon in Firenze."

I reluctantly did as I was told and when it came time to change into some new clothing, I swear I fought tooth and nail with Antonio for at least an hour, him telling me to wear a dress and me not wanting to. Finally, I surrendered and changed into one of his sister's dresses: a ruby red with gold trimming along the waist, up the sides, and across the chest…and it also showed off my cleavage. Furious and embarrassed, I managed to sneak my more comfortable clothes and shoes past Antonio in case I were to go crazy in such an uncomfortable and slutty dress.

As we entered the city, all I could think about was beating up Antonio for checking me out through his peripheral vision…and every other man that looked at me.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" I whispered to Antonio through clenched teeth.

He snickered and wrapped an arm around my waist. "Two reasons, signorina. Uno: you are the most beautiful bella donna anyone has ever laid eyes on. Due: your blonde hair, Maddalena. It tells everyone that you are a foreigner. Also, no one wears it as short as you do."

At that Antonio playfully ran his fingers through my short bob of hair, and I knew he did it to piss my off. I roughly pushed him away and threatened to punch his lights out if he tried something like that ever again. Of course, he only shrugged off my threats and insults and led me to an open square where we set up our booth. In only a few short hours, we had sold all of the Lombardi's produce at pretty expensive prices and I honestly believed we got away with it because Antonio was showing me off every time a potential customer walked by.

After we closed up shop, I was shown around Florence, which turned out to be a gorgeous city. The architecture really caught my eye…and the odor of sweat and feces really caught my nose. It occurred to me that a proper system for transporting and treating human waste wouldn't come around until the 19th or 20th century, so I was forced into fits of dry heaving the few times I actually spotted a wagon cleaning up the stuff.

In order to cheer me up, Antonio was actually kind enough to take me to a local tailor to buy me some more comfortable clothing: a white tunic, a pair of brown gloves, white stockings, leather greaves, and a comfy pair of khaki pants. He put it all in a brown satchel and handed it to me.

"This makes me so much happier," I smiled, hugging him around the waist. "Thank you."

Antonio returned the hug, grinning. "I knew you couldn't resist me."

I pulled away from him and stomped away, rolling my eyes at his stupidity. He only laughed and ran to catch up to me before putting an arm around my shoulders.

"You are a very strange girl, signorina," he laughed as I tried to fend him off from his affection. "You are actually very caring, but act tough to cover it up. I do not understand you at all."

I just scoffed and tried to hide the blush that was spreading across my face like wildfire. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stay mad at him. Maybe it was his face…or his personality…or the fact that he complimented me every other sentence.

Sighing, I turned around to apologize when a man clad in filthy clothing ran past us, bumping into Antonio in the process.

"Watch where you're going!" I yelled.

"Bastardo!" Antonio angrily shook his fist.

"Jesus, don't get your undies in a bunch. He only bumped into you."

"No, he stole my money! That had all of our earnings that we made today! If I don't get it back, my father will be very angry with me."

"Let's go after him then!"

He looked at me seriously and led me over to a stone bench. "It is much too dangerous for you, signorina. You should stay put until I catch him."

"Oh come on! You know how fast I can run! If I can just get out of this ridiculous dr-"

"There is no time," he interrupted. "Please stay here and wait for me. I will be back soon, bella."

He totally was trying to be the macho man. But he was right; I would just be useless running around Florence in a dress. Sighing, I reluctantly agreed to stay put and told him to be careful. Antonio smiled and bent down to give me a peck on the cheek before taking off down the alley the robber had gone. Stunned, I just sat there, holding a hand to where his lips had been, red as a tomato.

Why did he have to act like such an ass and then go and do something like that?

I figured it would only take him about five minutes or so to catch the guy, but when Antonio still hadn't returned after twenty minutes had passed, I started to get worried. The sun was starting to dip behind the buildings of the city, throwing long, dark shadows everywhere. I got a really bad feeling that something had gone wrong, so I stood up and anxiously started to walk around the square. As I nervously look down some alleyways, the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up, and I started to feel like I was being followed. I suspiciously looked around and managed to spot some guards a little away, eyeing me. The leader caught me looking in their direction and slowly began to advance in my direction, grinning, 'I'm totally gonna rape you now' clearly written all over his and the others' face. I quickened my pace and tried to blend in with a crowd of people, but that served to be utterly useless since I stuck out like a sore thumb with my short, dirty-blonde hair.

I quickly headed down a dark alley, getting tangled in the dress I was wearing in the process. Suddenly, I tripped…but was able to catch myself and keep going. Taking a quick look behind me, I found the guards walking coolly behind me, still smiling evilly. My heart broke out into sprints and I decided to sling my satchel over my body and make a run for it. I squeezed through the dark and smelly allies as fast as I could, motivated by the shouts of the guards to keep moving.

It was getting harder and harder to run in the ridiculous dress I was wearing and the guards were slowly gaining. I ran up another alley and came to a fork, where I could either make a sharp left or right. As I stopped for a split second to choose what direction to go, Antonio suddenly came running from the left side, about five guards behind him.

"It was a trap, Maddalena!" he cried out. "They're after you! Run, signorina, run!"

I stared dumbly at him like a deer frozen in headlights. When he saw that I wasn't running, he grabbed me, embraced me quickly, and shoved me towards a ladder that was leaning up against one of the surrounding walls. He angrily told me to go and I didn't hesitate any longer do what I was told. Clutching the wood, I hastily made my way up the ladder, watching Antonio navigate through the various alleyways as he tried to distract the guards. However, a shout could be heard down below me and when I looked down, I found three guards climbing up the ladder.

I panicked and quickly found my way up to the top of the building. I desperately looked around to see where I could go and it turned out the only option was to hop across to the next couple of roofs. The buildings were all close together, so the gaps were only about two feet and fairly easy to jump over.

I had maybe traveled a football field in length along the rooftops when I got tangled up in my dress again and landed face first on the hard, unforgiving tiles. To make the matter worse, I had fallen on the slanted part of the roof, so I was now sliding towards the edge, and the guards were still fucking chasing me. I frantically tried to grab on to something, anything that could prevent me from falling off. Right as my feet met open air, a strong hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back on to the roof.

Before I could even see who had saved me, the owner spoke in a rushed tone. "You can hide in that wooden structure over there across the rooftops. It is covered by white sheets and there is hay inside. I will have my friends help distract the guards and will tell you when it is safe."

I didn't waste time in asking any questions and leapt to the other roof perpendicular to us. Quickly looking around, I found the wooden frame he had described and dove through the white sheets and into the hay pile that lay inside. Blood pounded though my ears as my heart slowly started to relax, me trying to control my breathing.

After my respiratory and cardiovascular systems had calmed down, I peeked through the hay and fluttering sheets to see what was going on. There were five men that were scampering up the sides of buildings and flying across the rooftops, angry guards wielding swords behind them. They all worked as a team, some throwing stones at their attackers and the others pushing them off of the rooftops when distracted. Soon, all of the guards in a two hundred foot radius were eliminated and my group of saviors started to head in the direction of where I was hiding. Seeing this, I ducked back under the hay, for I didn't know if they would get mad at me for taking a peek at their fight.

Not even a minute later, a male voice with an Italian accent said, "It is safe now, signorina. You can come out now."

I peeked out from underneath the strands of hay to make sure the coast was clear before crawling out into the open. After standing and brushing myself off, I took the opportunity to finally get a good look at my rescuers. Four out of the five looked like bandits; fairly young and dressed in dirty tunics, pants, and caps. The fifth, on the other hand, was dressed quite well and looked very young, probably around my age. His face was absolutely gorgeous: tight jaw, almond-shaped eyes with chocolate irises and dark lashes, full lips, and long dark hair pulled back in a red ribbon. He wore a fancy green vest and a clean white top underneath, the dressy sleeves slightly dropping, as if they were too big for his arms. He also had on a pair of khaki pants and black shoes.

His voice was deep and rich and his Italian accent made me want to melt. "Are you alright, signorina?"

I nodded. "Thanks for saving me. I don't think I would've survived if you guys hadn't shown up."

The young man flashed a smile of pearly white teeth. "Non c'e di che. May I ask what your name is?"

I smirked and crossed my arms over my chest. "I think I'd like to know the name of my rescuer first."

"Attitude, eh?" he grinned. "Ezio Auditore da Firenze."

"Maddalena Campana."

Ezio pretended to rub his chin thoughtfully. "Why were the guards chasing you, signorina?"

I motioned to my hair and then to the revealing dress I was wearing...and shrugged.

He chuckled, looking me up and down. "I wouldn't be surprised if they went after a foreign bella donna like you. Now, where do you live? I will escort you back home to make sure you remain safe."

The way he said the last sentence made me blush and mad at the same time. I had only just met the man and I could already tell that he was totally a pervert and womanizer…and I wasn't about to fall for his little tricks.

Speaking of perverts, what had happened to Antonio? I suddenly thought, the air getting caught in my throat.

One of the bandits asked if I was alright and I shook my head. "Listen. If someone were to get caught by the guards, where would they take him? I'm really worried about a friend and I'm afraid something might have happened…"

Ezio suddenly swore in Italian. "Oh no, Father! I forgot…he and my brothers are being held in prison at the Palazzo della Signoria! I must go and see them right away!"

He then instructed one of the bandits to escort me home and started to leave, but I stopped him. "Hold it, pretty boy. You aren't going there without me."

"And how are you going to follow me in that dress?" he retorted, a slight undertone of irritation in his voice.

"Don't underestimate me," I growled, poking him in the chest. "I have a change of more comfortable clothing. I may not be able to keep up with you, but you know what? You aren't the only one who is concerned about someone who is close to you."

Ezio stood there and just stared at me, his eyes challenging and doubtful. I stared right back and could see the gears turning in his head. Finally, he looked away and gazed out towards a tall stone building in the distance.

"Hurry up and get dressed then, signorina," he muttered. "I will show you the way."

...

We waited until nightfall came, until the sky was a navy blue canvas with the stars strewn across it like spilled sugar. The moon, full and round, shone brightly and bathed everything in its silver light. It was fairly late and although most lights were out in the majority of buildings, there were still quite a few people out and about. But it didn't matter.

We were sticking to the rooftops anyway.

With the help of the bandits, Ezio and I were able to sneak over to the prison in record time…if one didn't count me almost falling five times and having to take the easier, longer routes.

"I thought you told me not to underestimate you," he teased, helping me up from a ledge to a higher roof.

I ignored him and made an effort to keep up. Though no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't even do half the things he was doing. He was seriously a spider monkey in human form.

Finally, the looming shadow of the prison's tower was cast upon us and we used it to our advantage. Creeping along a roof, we approached the building from the southern side, trying to stay out of sight as much as possible. We were able to get so close to a stone platform, that even I was able to jump the gap of three feet effortlessly. Suddenly, a sneeze was heard above and Ezio immediately grabbed me and hid ourselves under some boxes in the shadows.

"Guards," his voice was barely audible. "I will take care of them. Stay here."

"I'm not so defenseless!" I whispered back. "Let me help you!"

He looked at me with hardened eyes. "Please, signorina, let me do this myself. I will whistle when it is safe."

I said nothing and watched him sneak away. The boxes above me creaked, indicating that he was slowly climbing them. In a couple of minutes, punching and kicking could be heard, but not a single cry pierced the night's stillness. I wondered what he would do with the guards. Perhaps knock them out and hide them in a pile of hay…or maybe hang onto a ledge unseen and wait until the opportunity presented itself so that he may grab them and throw-

A whistle sliced through the silent night, two quick notes, the first lower than the second.

I crawled out from underneath the boxes, but then hesitated. Perhaps there were still some guards left that Ezio had happened to miss? I didn't want to get in his way if he still had more people to fight…No, he wouldn't whistle for me to come out if there were more guards to take care of.

The same whistle came again, this time in two quick bursts.

Deciding that it really was safe to come out, I quietly made my way up the wooden crates and onto a wide stone platform.

"Maddalena, up here!" Ezio whispered.

I looked up and found him motioning me to come up the stone wall he was leaning over. At first, I just stared at the fifteen foot wall in sheer disbelief. There was no way I was going to be able to climb that monster.

And then I noticed the frames from some wooden platforms that literally created a ladder all the way up to the top of the wall. I mentally slapped myself for being so stupid and made an effort to climb up the network of wooden beams as quickly and carefully as possible. When I crested the top, I found myself looking at two adobe-sized buildings on either side of where I was standing, the prison's tower soaring above my head in front of me.

"Your friend is over there, signorina," Ezio pointed to the stone building on my left. "My father is in the tower…I will be back shortly."

I nodded and watched him as he ran over to the left side of the tower, jumped, grabbed a hold of a ledge, and started to scale the wall with incredible speed. I stared in amazement at him for a few seconds before running over to the building he had indicated. After circling it a few times, I found a barred window and peered through the spaces.

"Maddalena?" a familiar voice came from within. "Is that you?"

My eyes widened. "Antonio?"

Indeed it was. His face appeared in front of mine, half of it masked by dramatic shadows, the other half illuminated by moonlight.

"Antonio, what the hell happened to you?"

He sighed, "It turned out that that burglar was only a distraction in order for me to get away from you…the guards were trying to get to you the whole time because they…"

I didn't need him to finish the sentence; I was there. I saw the looks on those guards' faces when they chased me.

"I'm gonna get you outta here," I whispered.

Antonio shook his head sadly. "Do not bother, signorina. The only one who has the key is a guard that left hours ago and has not been back since."

I stared. "There has to be a way."

He just gave me a miserable look, staying silent. We stared at each other for a long time, not making a sound.

Antonio suddenly looked down and snickered, but I could tell that it was forced. "You are not wearing your dress anymore. How am I not surprised?"

"You expect me to come all this way in a dress?" I tried to smile.

"I did not expect you to get here without any help."

When I didn't answer, he only continued, "He is a good man. I am sure he will keep you safe."

"He is…" I agreed, and then suddenly understood what he was saying. "Wait, what do you mean? You're talking like I'm not going to see you again."

Antonio only remained silent and I desperately slipped my arm through the bars to reach out to him. Wordlessly, he took my hand, brought it to his lips, and lightly kissed it.

"I do not know what will happen, bella…" he said softly.

His other hand wiggled through the iron bars and gently touched my cheek. A lump started to form in my throat and I desperately swallowed to make it go away.

Antonio chuckled his fake chuckle again. "No resistance this time?"

My eyes became wet. "You know I can't be mad at you at a time like this…"

"Ah, but you must, mia cara…it gives me hope that you think everything will be fine…" his finger wiped away the stray tears that were rolling down my face. "Please do not cry, Maddalena."

I grabbed his hand and held it to my face, my eyes squeezed shut.

"I can't," I whispered.

The despair inside my chest exploded and my whole body shook with great, silent sobs. What made it worse was that Antonio had stopped trying to comfort me, to tell me that it was alright.

He just gazed at me and said nothing.

It felt like I was about to lose my brother…because that's how I thought of him. From his constant teasing and annoying ways of getting under my skin, to his random acts of affection, Antonio treated and took care of me like I was his little sister…and because of that, I had subconsciously adopted him into my family.

In the middle of my episode, there was some rustling and without looking, I knew it was Ezio. I didn't want him to see me like this, but nothing in the entire universe could've made me stop crying.

I heard him walk over and ever so lightly touch my arm. "We have to go, signorina."

I didn't look at him, only shook my head, indicating that I could never just abandon Antonio like this.

Suddenly, Antonio's hand I was gripping gently grabbed my chin and pulled my face closer to the bars.

"Listen to me, Maddalena," his voice was almost inaudible. "No matter what happens, I want you to know that ever since I met you, I have always loved you like a sister."

I pursed my lips as I tried to pull myself together, my chin quivering. I couldn't not be honest with him and tell him how I really felt…it would tear me apart if I didn't.

"And I've always loved you like a brother…" I whispered back, trying to smile.

Antonio pushed his face close to the bars, so that his nose and lips were barely sticking out. He looked honestly happier, but his eyes were shining, the first sign of tears.

I pushed my face so close to the window that our noses brushed up against each other. "I don't want you to cry, Antonio."

His eyes averted mine for a spilt second and he managed to let out a chuckle. When he looked back up, he had a genuine smile on his face.

"Non ti preoccupare, bella," Antonio breathed. "I will not cry."

He totally was lying; I could see it in his eyes and the way his facial muscles were slightly contorting. Then, there was a faint shout that sounded like it came far below us, probably all the way down at ground level. My heart stopped and I looked over at Ezio, who swore and ran over to the edge of the platform, saying something about someone finding a body. At that moment, Antonio's hand gently took a hold of my chin and turned it back towards his face. And then, before I could react, his lips ever so lightly touched mine…but only for a second and then he pulled away. I stood there dumbly, staring at him, not knowing how to express the many emotions that were swirling inside of me.

Suddenly, Ezio appeared beside me. "I'm sorry, signorina, but we must hurry."

When I didn't respond, Antonio took my hand and turned to Ezio. "Come si chiama, signore?"

Ezio bowed his head respectfully. "Ezio Auditore da Firenze."

Antonio smiled weakly and put my hand into Ezio's. "Antonio Lombardi…I know you will take good care of her, Ezio."

"Sì..." he squeezed my hand."Capisco."

Antonio nodded and turned to me. "ArrivederLa, Maddalena."

And with that, he ducked away and disappeared into the darkness.