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.

Tre

When I awoke the next morning, Ezio had already left for Paola's, leaving me with Leonardo all morning…which wasn't all that bad. What all the history books had said turned out to be completely true: Leonardo da Vinci was a very likeable and social man, always talking and trying to lighten up the mood. I enjoyed his company very much and I think he felt the same. Who else wouldn't be lonely in that dark little workshop of his?

By noon, Ezio had returned, but he only took Leonardo outside to tell him something, not me. Irked, I put my ear to the door to eavesdrop and found out that Uberto Alberti was going to an art showcase at the Santa Croce cloister that afternoon, giving Ezio a chance to kill the man that had betrayed his family. Leonardo agreed to look after me and keep me clueless while he was gone, but I wasn't about to let that happen.

After they had finished talking, they came back into the workshop, acting as if nothing had happened and that nothing was wrong. They even tried to make it look more natural by preparing a lunch and having the three of us sit down together. Auditore was as cool as a cucumber, but Leonardo was a bit tense, awkwardly trying to start a conversation every five seconds. Even Ezio was attempting to be cheerful. All the while I just stared at them in disbelief. How stupid did they think I was? Even if I hadn't listened to their conversation and was completely oblivious to what was going on, they were being so transparent that I would still have been able pick up on the fact that something wasn't right. However, I kept my mouth shut and stuffed it with eggplant instead. I would make sure that to get my message through to them, that I wasn't about to be left behind.

At last, the awkward meal was over and done with, and after helping clearing the table, Ezio said he was "going back Paola to discuss our next move" and would be back shortly. I was sprawled in an armchair, reading the Iliad, when I caught both of them looking at me out of the corners of their eyes as they were saying their goodbyes. As Ezio made his way for the door, I set the book down, got up, and quietly followed him out.

Before he could even turn around, I was already speaking, arms crossed over chest. "How stupid do you really think I am?"

A look of surprise crossed his face and he scrambled to find an excuse. "I'm afraid I don't kn-"

"Don't play dumb with me, Ezio. Did you really think that you could fool me and sneak off to go kill Uberto by yourself?"

He threw up his hands in frustration. "Why can't you just let me do this myself?"

"Because your family wasn't the only innocent ones he killed."

Ezio heaved a heavy sigh and looked at me with doubtful eyes. I stared right back critically, ready to kick him in the balls the second he said no. One could have literally cut the tension with a butter knife.

He eyed a blacksmith's shop and started to walk over, motioning me to follow. "Fine, but you will have to have some means of protecting yourself, capisci?"

I shrugged. "You can be the one to kill him if you want it that badly, I can just be a distraction in order to give you an opening; I just want to make sure I get in my two cents worth too."

He started to protest, but we had arrived at the shop's front and he was forced to shut up. Since our budget was tight at the moment, Ezio only got me some small throwing knives and a dagger, promising that we would find something more effective like his hidden blade once things settled down. I agreed, just glad to have something I could use to defend myself if needed.

Once we had paid for everything, Ezio led me towards Santa Croce, considering the fact that he knew the city like the back of his hand, whereas to me it looked all the freaking same. We still had to be extra careful, for we were notorious and were wanted captured dead or alive, as seen on the hundreds of posters pinned up in the most inconceivable places. Unfortunately, we were spotted by a couple of guards a few times, but we managed to sneak away without being pursued. Finally, we came to a rooftop that overlooked an enormous square, the supposed cloister just within our grasp. Below us, Uberto Alberti and a man dressed in lavish clothing were seen walking together, making the two of us take cover in the shadows, though it was highly unlikely that they'd spot us.

Ezio suggested that we separate and stick close to the crowds in order to get into the heavily guarded area. Once inside, I would be the one to distract Uberto while Ezio would come up from behind and give the bastard what he deserved. It seemed like a pretty good idea; I was just nervous about us getting trapped once the deed was done.

Ezio noticed my hesitation and took a step closer. "Are you sure about this, signorina?"

"I'm not the one going to be stabbing him, am I?" I gave a fake smile.

"Yes, but once you become part of something like this, there is no turning back."

"Please, I should be saying the same thing to you," I retorted irritably.

He gave up and with one last look, leapt off the roof gracefully and dove into a cart of rose petals. I watched him emerge and quickly make his way into a large crowd, hood pulled low over his face. Sighing, I made my way down to the ground and too joined a group of people, not daring to look up out of fear that I might be noticed. Unfortunately, they turned down the wrong street and I was forced to sit at a bench, uneasy, until another cluster passed. Casually slipping among the other bodies, I was able to make my way into the cloister unnoticed, save a few guards who eyed me, but they were probably thinking about other things than the fact that I was a wanted "criminal."

I followed my group with relaxed steps and carried myself confidently, thinking that if I tried hiding myself then that would make me seem suspicious. I finally took a seat at a stone bench and observed the area, hands folded in my lap. The quad was small and packed with appreciators of art who slowly made their way around, sipping glasses of wine, stopping every so often to gaze at a painting and discuss it with their fellow companions. In fact, the atmosphere was so peaceful and everyone was enjoying themselves so much, that I started to have second thoughts about what I was about to do. I remembered what Antonio had said about me being a good person, that I would never be able to kill.

Was I really going to sacrifice my sense of morale just for the sake of revenge?

In the middle of my thoughts, I happened to look up and spotted Ezio in the shadows, sitting at a bench across the other side of the quad, his chin resting on top of his knuckles. When his eyes met mine, he nodded. I buried my face in my hands and rubbed my temples, a headache starting to pound away at my skull.

I couldn't get cold feet now, not when I had fought tooth and nail to get thus far.

Just then, a conversation made me perk up my ears. Slowly looking up, I found a couple chatting with Uberto Alberti, saying how they never knew the Auditore were traitors and that they were glad that they had been caught. They also mentioned how much of a criminal that man (Antonio) had been for keeping the treacherous foreigner (me) safe and it was good riddance that he had been hung.

In a second, all of my uncertain feelings were gone and it took all of my will power to sit there calmly and hold myself back from strangling Uberto right then and there. I was able to hold out until the two excused themselves, because once they were gone, I immediately stood up and nonchalantly walked over in Alberti's direction, pretending to take interest in a painting next to him. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and when I found that he wasn't suspicious of me, I whipped around and punched him in the jaw as hard as my strength would allow.

The nerves in my fist immediately screamed out in pain, the bones feeling like they had been smashed into a million pieces. I gritted my teeth, ignored the throbbing, and grabbed Uberto by the collar. He was too fat and far taller than me, so from a witness's point of view, it probably looked ridiculous that I was challenging him. Alberti looked fearful at first, but then a smirk spread across his face.

"Ah…the blonde foreigner," his voice was laced with overconfidence. "I must say, it is quite impressive that you have not been captured yet since the hanging of your man."

I slapped him across the face with my tender hand, sending it on fire. He took the hit and only continued to grin, which promptly made me knee him in the gut. As he gasped to recover the wind that had been knocked out of him, I managed to hull him back to his feet roughly.

"You will never mention him," I snarled. "He did nothing and you know it."

Uberto still managed a weak smile. "What are you going to do, signorina? Kill me? I can see it in your eyes; you do not have the intention of murdering me…you do not have the ability to kill."

"Maybe not," a low voice said behind him. "But I do."

I released Uberto and as if we had rehearsed a hundred times, Ezio grabbed him by the shoulder and furiously stabbed him with his blade. Alberti gasped as blood exploded from his chest, knife being driven in and out of the bony sternum…definitely not a pleasant sound. Despite my stomach from screaming at me to look away, I couldn't help but just stand there and stare, neither fascinated, happy, nor frightened.

I just watched without any emotion.

Screams erupted from the crowd of people in the quad as they backed up from us and I knew we were then running on limited time. Ezio kneeled and laid Uberto on the ground, the traitor coughing consistently, both blood and vomit escaping his open mouth.

"You would have done the same, signore," he heaved, "to save the ones you love…"

Ezio's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Yes, I would, and I have."

Uberto slowly looked from me to him, let out what I thought was a snicker, and died. For a moment, the two of us knelt next to the body, trying to comprehend what had just been done. As I picked up a few letters that had fallen out of Uberto's bloody robes, Ezio stood up and faced the shocked crowd.

"The Auditore are not dead!" he cried, his voice cracking. "I'm still here! Me! Ezio Auditore!"

Then, the sounds of guards brought us back to reality and without a second thought, we made a run for it. However, all the guards were heavily armored this time and proving to evade them was more difficult than expected. I actually almost had my torso sliced in half had it not been for a stone column I had dove behind the last second. The two of us ran in circles around the quad several times before managing to slip through a doorway and escape to the rooftops.

We luckily were able to get away, but while in the middle of leaping a gap, the red roof tiles crumbled beneath my feet and I tumbled down to a balcony, its iron bars slicing my arm clean open…down to the bone. Blood immediately gushed from the wound, dripping everywhere, my forearm feeling like it was on fire.

"Ow," I groaned, sitting up. "Motherfucking son of a bitch…"

"Maddalena!" Ezio swung from the rooftop down to the balcony. "Are you alright?"

"You can see the fucking bone!" I snapped. "Does it look like I'm alright?"

He tore a billowing curtain from an open window and wrapped it around the cut, applying pressure as he went along. As he was doing this, I noticed that his arm and sleeve were soaked with dark blood…Uberto's. I shivered and looked the other way.

"We are near Paola's," he was saying, "so let's get you back and then we'll call for a doctor."

I grudgingly agreed and with great difficulty, managed to make my way down to the streets. Ezio hurriedly led me back to the villa, muttering angrily under his breath, me gritting my teeth in an attempt to ignore the intense pain in my arm. Ezio didn't even bother knocking on the front door; we just burst through it, almost hard and intense enough to knock it down. Paola immediately came down to the parlor, a shocked and worried look on her face, demanding what had happened.

"We killed him," I smiled weakly. "And then we escaped…and then I fell off of a roof."

Ezio glanced down at his bloody hand. "Yes…the deed is done. But we must have a doctor help you now."

"Not so fast," Paola sighed. "Unfortunately, if we let an outsider into this house, he may inform the guards about your whereabouts. There are hundreds of wanted posters advertising you two and many heralds informing the public of your actions. Ezio, you must go out and tear those posters down and bribe the heralds. If we can get to lower your notoriety, then bringing in a doctor should not be a problem. Can you hold on for a few more hours, Maddalena?"

I looked down at the makeshift bandage around my bloody arm. It still hurt like a bitch, but I was becoming so used to the pain, that it just felt like a dull throbbing.

I rolled my eyes. "No, I can wait, I'm fine. It's just a scratch. It's not that big of a deal that I can see my bone."

Ezio promised that he would be back in less than hour so that I could get medical attention as soon as possible. After he left, Paola had a group of her girls help me over to a couch, where I was seated on the edge to "tend" to my arm…but the only thing Paola really did was wrap by arm in a fresh white sheet and have it hang around my neck in a make-shift sling. By then, the skin around my wound was becoming inflamed and was warm to the touch, springing up fears that an infection might be on the rise. Paola had sent out some courtesans to fetch a doctor and by the time they had returned with him, Ezio had completed his mission.

"We will definitely have to burn this and then stitch it up," the doctor said after cleaning the deep wound. "You are not afraid of fire or needles are you, mia cara?"

No, but considering the fact that I was about to get stitches in 1476 when anesthetic wouldn't be invented for another four hundred years…that was what scared me. And what the hell was he going to do with fire? Castrate me?

The doctor grabbed a fire poker that was sitting in a roaring fireplace in the room and approached me, trying to calm my now hyperventilating self that was focused on the white-hot tip of the steel rod. I had no idea what he was going to do with it…until it touched my skin and instantly obliterated any arm hair in a six inch radius. My nerves screamed at the top of their lungs, the skin that had been touched immediately blistering. The reek of singed flesh filled the room, making me want to vomit from both the odor and the fiery pain that was traveling up and down my arm.

I screamed, letting out a continuous string of profanity as the doctor then whipped out a needle, sterilized it in the fireplace, and looped some black thread through it, all the while trying to reassure me that "the worst was over." I scoffed and then braced myself for the fiery needle that punctured my now-tender skin, sending my nerves running for the hills. I bit my tongue and groaned, breathing heavy, the doctor murmuring in Italian in an attempt to calm me.

Twenty stitches and one bloody tongue later, the doctor told me to have him revisit in a couple of weeks in order to remove the thread, but I highly doubted I would let him get within a hundred feet of my person ever again. Right as he left, Ezio's mother and sister came down the stairs, Claudia darting straight for Ezio, embracing him and asking where he had been. After the little reunion, she noticed my arm and I was forced to cough up a lie.

"I'm glad you two are alright," she said. "Father will need to have this all sorted out…Speaking of which, where is he? And Federico and Petruccio?"

I elbowed Ezio in the ribs with my good arm and gave him an irritated look, but he only sadly looked away and said nothing. A sudden look of realization dawned upon Claudia's face and she started to weep, making Ezio walk over and comfort her.

"I did everything I could, piccina," he whispered. "But right now, I need you to stay focused so we can all get somewhere safe. Capisce?"

After regaining her composure, she nodded and grabbed her mother's arm, murmuring to her quietly. Turning to me, Ezio asked if I didn't mind traveling to Monteriggioni and I said it was fine. I was sure he was wondering where the hell I lived and thankfully, he didn't ask any questions; the only thing probably going through his mind was how to get the rest of his family out of Florence. With a quick thanks to Paola for her hospitality, the four of us left.

It was pretty dark out, which was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, the shadows would provide us some decent cover and we'd be able to slip through most of the streets unseen. However, it was night, and that meant that more guards would be on patrol near the gates. Ezio led the way, carefully scanning the area before letting us know it was safe to move. I helped escort Claudia and her mother, assisting them over any obstacles and hiding them whenever a couple of guards happened to pass by.

We had crept through the city for a little more than an hour when we finally got to the main gate…the same gate that I had entered with Antonio only a few days ago, I noted. Of course, to our luck, there were about ten heavily armored guards in front, glaring suspiciously at whoever got within five feet of the exit. Ezio touched my arm and nodded to some groups of courtesans, indicating that if we could get them to distract the guards, then we would be able to slip past. Nodding, I discretely got out some florins and casually made my way over to them, where I handed over the dough and told them the plan. They all agreed when they saw the gold coins and strutted over to the guards. Within seconds, they were touching them everywhere and pulling off suggestive poses, giving us the chance to sneak away.

Taking my arm out of the crude sling in order to not have them raise questions, I helped Ezio lead his mother and sister out of the entrance. No one said a word until we got to the horse stables and the abandoned cottage, where we then all breathed a sigh of relief, except for Ezio.

"How could this have happened to us?" Claudia whispered.

Ezio turned his head away and looked out towards the horizon. "I don't know."

My shoulder was suddenly nudged and I whipped around, ready to face anything. However, it was only the innocent black eyes and wet muzzle of a horse I met…and then I understood. Hurrying over to the small house, I found the other horse that Antonio and I had ridden and the supplies we had brought with us.

A wave of sorrow and grief washed over me and a tear formed in the pit of my eye.

"What is it, Maddalena?" Claudia looked worried. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head, quickly wiped my eyes, and sniffed. "No, I just realized…these horses belong to a friend and I need to take them back to his family. Their farm is close to Monteriggioni, so I'll return them when we get you all settled."

The two women seemed to buy it, but Ezio only looked at me. I hid my face from him, helping his mother and sister mount the horses so they wouldn't have to walk. Grabbing the reins, the two of us led the horses away from Firenze and towards the mountain trail.

...

We traveled throughout the whole night, only stopping for very brief bathroom breaks. Claudia and her mother had both fallen asleep awkwardly on the horses, but as long as they were getting some much needed rest, it didn't really matter. I refused to join them in sleeping, as did Ezio, only increasing our irritation with each other. We actually argued over each other's stubbornness and if it hadn't been for the fact that Monteriggioni was coming into view, we probably would've strangled each other.

It was almost morning; a light fog had settled over the valley, coating every individual blade of grass and leaf in dew. The sun was just starting to peak over the grassy hills, reflecting off of the particles of mist and casting a golden glow in every possible direction. A few birds happily chirped their morning songs and a cool breeze made me shiver. The enormous fort-like walls of Monteriggioni were just within our grasp, perhaps only a mile away. The millions of red poppies in the grassy meadows enticed me to lie down and take a long nap, but we were so close, that I couldn't do that to Ezio and his family.

We started to advance up a small hill and as we were doing so, a cluster of men spotted us and made their way towards our group. A young man with short dark hair dressed in fancy dark garments and a cape approached us, grinning wickedly. Ezio and I stopped short and exchanged glances.

"Buon giorno, Ezio!" the man smirked. "How could you leave Firenze without saying a proper goodbye, eh?"

A man with a sword hanging at his side nonchalantly strolled behind us and I watched him suspiciously, fully alert. The atmosphere was becoming tenser by the minute.

Ezio too noticed the man. "What do you want, Vieri?"

The creeper started to list off some luxurious items before finally coming to the phrase "a prettier bride." At that moment, the guard circling us lunged for me, but I was able to dodge him just in time. Before doing anything else, I slapped the horses' rumps so that they would take off back down the trail in order to keep Claudia and her mother safe. Unfortunately, the sacrifice cost me the time to evade the guard and I suddenly found myself in a headlock. My hood was ripped off of my head and my hands roughly pulled behind my back and tightly bound.

"Ah yes," Vieri strolled over to me, watching me fight back. "The infamous blonde foreigner. Yes, you will make the perfect wife."

I spit in his face, earning me a slap across the face.

"Feisty!" he smirked. "Even better…kill the rest, this one is coming with me!"

As I was led over to a horse, the rest of the guards charged towards Ezio. While being lifted to be put on the saddle, I kicked the guard in the jaw and fell face first into the dirt. I was struggling to my feet when Vieri grabbed my bad arm cruelly and slashed at me with a knife, a deep cut forming as it ran from my collarbone to my sternum…which got him an unforgiving boot to the balls. He instantly dropped to the ground, clutching his groin, writhing in pain.

Suddenly, the guards fighting Ezio fell to the ground, dead, arrows sticking out of their backs. A group of men dressed in dirty tunics and pants waving swords around wildly came down from the hills, attacking the men who were attacking us. I figured they were on our side, seeing as they were assisting Ezio in killing the guards, and somewhat hurried over to a fallen guard's dagger despite the enormous pain in my chest. I awkwardly tried to grasp it from behind my back and once that had been accomplished, I was able to slowly slice the rope around my wrists. By the time the time-consuming task had been completed, Vieri had somewhat recovered and was trotting away on his horse.

"Get back here, you son of a bitch!" I shouted, throwing the used dagger in his direction. "Come back and fight like a real man, you coward!"

A hand fell on my shoulder. "He is not worth it, signorina. Are you alright?"

I turned and found a middle aged man with balding hair and a glass eye looking at me with concern. Glancing down at the gash across my chest, I shrugged weakly and watched Ezio walk over, his family right behind him. One look at my blood soaked vest and he called over some men to help me before turning to the man.

"Thank you, signore," Ezio bowed his head. "Mi dispiace, but do I know you?"

The man looked shocked. "Don't you recognize me? It's a-me, your uncle Mario!"

He embraced a stunned Ezio and then turned to me. "And who is this, nipote? Another lover?"

Ezio and I glanced at each other in disgust and I snorted, "This guy wishes he could get some of this. I swear-"

"She just happened to be there at the wrong time," Ezio interrupted, glaring daggers at me.

Mario smiled and then glanced at my wound. "We must take you to a doctor immediately, signorina. Can you make it until we get inside the city?"

I was about to give the affirmative, but I suddenly became extremely dizzy and clutched my chest, breathing starting to become difficult. I was immediately picked up bridal style by Ezio and he hurried into the city, speaking with Mario about his family's situation on the way. I knew the gash across my chest wasn't life-threatening, but I could tell that I had lost a lot of blood and that's what was making me feel weak.

"How are you feeling, Maddalena?" Ezio's voice sounded strained.

I squeezed my eyes shut as a shot of pain ran through my whole upper body. "It hurts a lot…but it looks worse than it actually is, right?"

His eyes were shining with anxiety and he only looked away, which only left me to glance around the town that I was being carried through. The poorly contained buildings were literally falling apart, crumbled stone was strewn everywhere, and gutters of mud ran along every street and alley. There were very few people wandering around and those that I managed to spot were stick thin and dressed in ragged clothing, their eyes sunken into their skulls.

Ezio climbed a case of stone steps and came to an enormous villa. Though large in size, the residence was a little rough around the edges, with chipped stone ledges and rotting wooden window frames. One could tell that the house was once magnificent, but it looked like it hadn't been cared for in a while.

"So much for casa dolce casa," Mario sighed as we hurried into a gorgeous, marbled parlor.

I was carried into an extravagant bedroom and set down onto a comfy bed. A doctor, who I assumed had joined us as we ran through the town, was immediately at the bedside, stripping off my bloody vest and tunic. I didn't protest when I was just lying there in only my sports bra with all the men present; I was too weak to yell or fight back.

I noticed Ezio watching with great concern and pathetically sat up. "Don't worry about me, Ezio. Go get your family settled and talk to your uncle…I'll be fine…"

Mario nodded, touched his nephew's arm, and with that, they left the room. I relaxed…but only for a second, for the doctor had whipped out a fire poker and was heating it up in a hearth. I stared in horror, the memory of my last experience with a doctor still fresh in my mind. If it hurt that much with just my arm…

What the fuck was wrong with doctors and burning wounds during the Renaissance? Had they no common sense?

I begged the doctor to not burn my wound, that I didn't mind losing a bit more blood if it meant that I wouldn't have to go through the painful process of blistering the skin across my chest in order to "stop" the bleeding. He looked at me like I was crazy, but reluctantly agreed and proceeded to bandage my entire chest in white cloth. After it was all over and done with, I sank into the pillows and fell into an exhausted and painful sleep.

...

I woke up what seemed like decades later, my chest feeling like there was a giant boulder on top of it. Slowly opening my eyes, I found the window open, letting in a draft that made me shiver uncontrollably. Wrapping a quilt tightly around my body, I sat up with great difficulty and managed to balance on my two feet, slightly swaying. The faint sounds of clashing blades and shouts made me perk up my ears and head over to the window to see what was up. Looking out, I saw Ezio and a man in a small dirt arena, swinging at each other with swords. After watching for a few minutes, my stomach rumbled and motivated me to turn the house upside down for some food. After grabbing an orange, I headed out to the front where Mario was observing Ezio training.

He turned as I approached, slightly staggering. "Signorina, you're up! How are you feeling?"

I felt my tight chest and found that there was a dull pain every time I inhaled.

Ignoring the fact, I motioned towards the ring. "What you can expect from having your chest sliced open. When do I get to start doing that?

Mario looked at me like I was insane. "You were only seriously injured two days ago, signorina. Are you sure you are alright?"

"Don't listen to her, Uncle!" Ezio hopped over the stone wall of the arena. "Maddalena, you are not even well enough to be out of bed!"

I flashed the white bandages around my shoulder and chest. "Look! There's no blood! I'm fine. I want to learn how to properly defend myself!"

The two exchanged looks and after a few awkward moments of shifting feet, Mario finally agreed and had a guard of his to be my teacher while Ezio would continue to train with his.

That day, because of the fact that I was recovering, I was only taught simple combinations of punching and kicking, but it made me happy that I had learned something. I was in my bedroom, hanging off of the side of the bed and reading a book upside down when Ezio knocked and entered. He sat on the edge of the mattress next to me and awkwardly fiddled with his hands.

"How are you feeling?" he finally asked.

I shrugged. "Can't complain, I guess. Better than the last time I was conscious."

He was silent before speaking again. "Why are you so stubborn? Why can't you just be like all the other normal women?"

I looked up from the book at him. "Because that would be boring. Why do you care so much anyway?"

"…I think it is time that I get you back home."

I immediately sat up and once the blood was done rushing out of my head, I stared at him, but he only continued. "Antonio is dead…and we are finally somewhere safe. My family sails for Spain in three days and I need to help my uncle take care of some unfinished business first…"

This couldn't be happening. Was he really just going to ditch me after everything? I had to think of a lie, and fast. I didn't have a home and without overly kind people like the Lombardi or Auditore, I would probably have to resort in becoming a courtesan or thief in order to survive. If I were to be thrown to the side, I wouldn't last a week. If I was going to make this work and find out what this game was all about, I would have to make my lie very convincing…of course there would be some truth to it too.

I buried my face in my hands, sighing in frustration. "But…you can't-"

"Maddalena," Ezio put a hand on my shoulder. "I can't risk your safety anymore. I promised Antonio to keep you out of harm's way. But, you didn't think you would stay forever, did you?"

"No…but-"

"But…?"

I stared down at my feet and took a few dramatic moments before speaking. "My family is dead…even though they were foreigners, they were killed because their identities were "mistaken" for some other criminals and were executed without question. I was able to escape out into the wild, but I didn't last very long…I passed out and that's when Antonio took me into his home…and now that he's dead…"

Just the thought of him brought real tears to my eyes and I sniveled while Ezio only sat there, gazing at me silently, a…empathetic look on his face.

I looked out the window, irritation creeping into my tone. "You know what? It's fine. I'll leave first thing in the morning and you'll never have to see me again. I'm sorry I've been such a burden to you this whole time."

The bed creaked as Ezio stood up. "Mi dispiace, signorina, I didn't know…"

"It's fine," I snapped.

He walked over and placed a hand on either side of my shoulders. "No, it is not. Listen, Maddalena…I am willing to let you accompany me, but I do not want this to be your life. There are so many other things you can do besides hunting down others."

I looked him straight in the eye. "The only thing I want to do right now is figure out what really went on to cause Antonio's death."

Ezio studied my face and when he saw that I was serious, he started to pace the room before finally agreeing.

"I swear," he sighed, chuckling a bit. "By the time this is all over, I think I'll be tired of women because of you."

A few irritated slaps and insults were the only things needed to get him out…and also lighten up the mood.