-2-
The man in white robes looked at the two potential paths he could take to get to the hideout. Both of them were still guarded by the four guards, who were having some deep conversations with each other that made them ignorant to what had happened between the two siblings. He did not have any time to spare to debate between the two possible paths; time was running out for Gabriela.
Knowing that his hideout was in the direction that she had initially ran from, he fast walked towards the direction where Gabriela would have gone if she had not taken the time to catch her breath. With his free hand, he raised his arm and clenched his fist. And in moments, another man garbed in white robes with a hood concealing his head jumped off of the nearby rooftop in the same manner the savior had done. He used his hidden blade to deliver the final blow to one guard, and without hesitation or a moment to spare, the same blade punctured the other guard's abdomen, killing him swiftly and pulling the blade out.
"Grazie, Guido," said the man carrying the wounded Gabriela. He slightly bowed in return as the carrier had started picking up the pace and began to slightly jog towards the two corpses of the guards.
"Ezio, what has happened here?" asked Guido, beginning to slightly jog in unison. "I thought that the mission was to assassinate Orazio Merlo only while he was alone."
He sighed, continuing to lightly jog. "This signorina has somehow gotten herself involved in Orazio's mess. It seems that they are both siblings. If I had not done anything before…" Ezio examined her facial features. Her face was paler in comparison to earlier when he had found her.
"What makes you believe that she has gotten herself involved against Orazio? For all we know, she could be a Templar," replied Guido, his face expressing concern.
"As I was climbing across the rooftops," began Ezio, jogging up the stairs, "I heard a bit of their conversation through the alley. It seems that…she may be against the Templars."
...
Rome, Italy – September 1484
"Orazio! Come climb this tree with me!" a young girl around the age of six bellowed from the thick trunk of a large tree. Her brown hair was wavy and slightly unkempt; she wore an orchid Renaissance gown and was barefooted. The pair of gray-green almond eyes gave off a warm glow towards the young boy, roughly the age of eleven, with thick, curly brown hair.
"Coming, Gabriela!" replied Orazio in return. As he ran towards Gabriela, his exposed bare feet from his black chaps crunched against the soft grass, causing it to rustle. The sandy-colored tunic he wore hugged his body as the slightest breeze and the act of running itself caused it to hug against his body. Gabriela giggled and began to climb up the tree as soon as Orazio was in proximity.
A woman carrying a basket of apples nearby observed them briefly with her almond gray eyes. "Careful, i miei figli!" she shouted, her long, light brown wavy hair softly flowing in the breeze. She walked towards the closest bench in her emerald gown, wrapped in a golden outer corset and set her apples down on it, just before sitting down.
"We'll be fine, mother!" assured her son. A faint smile emerged from her lips. While sitting on the bench, she examined the pale orange sky. The sun was going to set in a few hours off in the distance; she had taken her children to the open space about a few blocks away from their home to enjoy the newly autumnal sunset.
"Ciao, bella."
The siblings' mother flinched. She looked over her shoulder to find a man with straight dark brown hair tied in a ponytail and a scruffy, thick brown mustache. A heavy sigh of relief came from her chest.
"Ah, mio dio, Giuliano!" she gasped, the two sharing a quick inverted kiss. "How has the plowing and sowing of the wheat seeds been, mio amore?"
He shook in head in sorrow and frowned. "It seems that our surplus of seeds have been very low compared to other seasons." Giuliano stroked his mustache. The navy in his farming clothing was slightly wearing off, and the belt around his clothing was tattered as well. His light brown chaps hugged his legs and were accompanied by the dark brown leather boots covering his feet.
He glanced over at the children, his frown slightly changing to a smile as he watched his daughter and son in happiness. But Giuliano's expression changed to the same frown as he looked back at his wife. "I fear that we may have a shortage and it may not be enough to provide for all of us until the next season. How many apples were you able to harvest, Amalia?"
"The apples we have harvested this season have not been as high as it normally is." She shifted her head and stared back at her two children as well, watching them play. A pause. "Perhaps…perhaps it may be time for—"
"You mustn't, Amalia!" barked Giuliano. "You mustn't go down the route of a low-life…a…a whore."
She sighed. "But…I do not want to see our children suffer, Giuliano. If our goods will not bring enough florins this season, then it must be done, to support not only our children, but us as well."
"I do not approve of this at all."
"Nor do I. But it will benefit our family in the long-term."
...
Ezio and Guido continued to hurry down the cobblestone path to the hideout. Gabriela's wound had not only stained his hand with a blood-red imprint, but her side cut had also stained his assassin robes. They were so close to shelter, he did not want to see another innocent woman die in his arms…
Please, hang in there, the thought echoed in Ezio's mind.
They had crossed the bridge over the river in the Centro district. There were only a few more blocks to go to reach the brotherhood safe area. Immediately, the master and the apprentice bolted off around a corner, and found one of the shops to be open. A large wooden sign with the word "DOTTORE" and a cross next to it hung from above the opening. Within the opening, a man dressed in a wax-covered black robe, accompanied with a black hat and a bird-like mask, stood on standby.
"Dottore! Dottore!" shouted Guido from the corner.
"Si, si, what can I do for—"
"This signora needs medical attention, ora!" interrupted Ezio. The doctor eyed the injured woman and immediately grabbed his medical supplies, blowing out the lit candle in the shop before jumping out of it.
"We must hurry to the hideout then," stated the doctor, following the two assassins to the entrance.