Do I even need to explain what does "Addio, Fratello" mean?


Chapter 7: Addio, Fratello

Rome, Italy 29 December 1493

10:10 am

Cesare was at the church where he and his brother Ezio caused damaged to during their horse race yesterday. Since there was so much damage, more slaves were called on to work and rebuild the church. Since Cesare was named a representative of Rome, he had become responsible for overseeing all the churches. He would do his best to live up to his father's legacy and soon, take up the zucchetto his father will give to him. He was standing behind a desk where he had blueprints of what the churches will be like. Next to him were some guards, Octavian de Valois, Juan Borgia, and a few architects looking over the designs.

"Last night, God has granted me a vision. I'm not merely going to restore this church. I will make it more grand, more splendid than any other in Rome and all of Italy."

Ezio arrived at the construction site and looked at the whole multitude of slaves. He watched as guards whipped the Assassins into working, the slaves trying their hardest to work, and slaves picking up more materials and scrap. He never felt sorrier than he had before. He had been blind to his own people's calamity. Cesare noticed Ezio walking and watching the slaves, so he ran to get him.

"Ezio, there you are!" Cesare put his arm around Ezio and took him to his desk. "Look. Fate has turned our little misadventure into a great opportunity. Father will be so pleased with us." Ezio was too busy worrying about the slaves, he barely heard his brother talking. He looked up at the construction platforms and noticed a guard was forcing an old Assassin slave into working.

"Get up, old man!" the guard shouted. "Put your back into it! Faster!" What Ezio didn't notice was that his bio sister and brother were working up on the platform. Claudia tugged at her brother's shirt to notice what was happening to the old man who was a few feet from them. Federico saw and then went back into working for it was none of their business and there's nothing they could do.

Cesare continued rambling on about how the rebuilding of the church was going to be a new beginning for Rome and he described on how the churches will be made, what materials will be used, where will they be located, and so on. Ezio couldn't care less because he focused more on the slaves. He saw that the old man who was being tortured by the guard on the platform was suffering more and not getting up. Ezio wondered why no one is doing anything to stop that sadistic guard. He heard a whip and a second one. The man whimpered and screamed in pain.

"Stop it!" Ezio heard his sister scream. "Somebody's got to stop this!"

"There's nothing we can do." Federico pulled back his sister to prevent her from getting hurt.

Ezio ran over to see the commotion. He looked at the man writhing in pain and couldn't let the guard continue to whip him. Every whip sting on the man created more pain and more agony for him and for Ezio. His eyes were shaking at seeing what was happening.

"Stop it," he quietly said, but with every sting he heard, his voice got louder and stronger. "Stop! Stop it! Leave that man alone!" Ezio ran up to the platform trying to get out of the slaves' way. Cesare turned to see where was Ezio going and so did everybody. Before that sadistic guard could whip the tired old man another time, Ezio jumped at him to make him stop. Ezio accidentally pushed him off the platform and he watched him fall into the ground breaking a scaffolding.

Everybody who were below crowded to see the dead guard. Another guard was pushing the slaves away to see what had happened. He was shocked to see the dead man's body. "Who did this?" he questioned to the slaves. None of them had an answer.

"Up there!" a slave shouted and pointed up at Ezio. Everyone looked up to see who the culprit behind all of this was.

"It's him. He did it."

"He must have pushed him."

Ezio looked down at what he had caused. He breathed heavily. Ezio turned around to see some slaves help the old man up. When they saw him, they backed away except for his bio family: his mom, brother, and sister. They were speechless at what they saw: the youngest member of their family had killed a man. A man who was whipping a slave.

Ezio couldn't handle all of what was happening, so he ran off. Claudia stopped him, but Ezio backed away because even knowing that he was born an Assassin slave made him even want to run away more. He gave chase, but Claudia followed him.

"Claudia, stop!" Federico and his mom stopped the young girl from following. "He ran from us once, he'll do it again," he coldly said. He couldn't believe his brother would abandon his real family again. Maria looked down as she saw her son run, feeling gloom and sadness as her only hope of freeing her and the Assassins extinguished.

Ezio ran and almost tripped himself. He ran further, until Cesare stopped him. "Ezio, what's going on?" Ezio pushed his brother away and ran. The slaves who were busy working and the guards saw him run so fast.

Ezio was reaching the gates out of Rome. He was so close until he turned around and saw his brother giving chase on his horse. Cesare made his horse run to the gates and block Ezio's departure.

"Let me go!" Ezio shouted.

"No, wait!"

"You saw what happened. I just killed a man."

Cesare got off his horse and ran up to his brother who was walking to catch his breath. "We can take care of that. I will make it so it never happened."

"Nothing you can say can change what I've done."

Cesare ran in front of his brother and walked backwards as Ezio walked forward out of Rome. "I am Rome! The supreme pontiff. If I say day is night, it will be written. And you will be what I say you are. I say you are innocent." Cesare put his hands on Ezio's shoulders to make him stop, but he shoved them away.

"What you say does not matter! You don't understand. I can't stay here any longer."

"Ezio!"

"No!" Ezio shook his brother into making him listen. "All I've ever known to be true is a lie!" Ezio then panted and calmly spoke, "I'm not who you think I am."

Cesare was confused and didn't know what Ezio was trying to say. "What are you talking about?"

"Go ask the man I once called Father." Ezio then went off in the direction out of Rome, where he knows he probably won't survive. Out into the wilderness, where he'll be hungry, thirsty, and helpless. He'll probably be in some cities where he'll have hospitality, but no money.

"Ezio?" Ezio turned around and was tired of hearing his brother call out his name. What more did he want? Just let him go already. "Please." Ezio's annoyed frown turned into sadness when he saw his brother reach out for him to come back home and resolve the issue, but he couldn't stay knowing he would be living a lie again.

"Goodbye, brother," he kindly said. He then ran off as fast as he could.

"EZIO!" Cesare cried out his brother's name, but he didn't respond. "EZZZIOOO!" Ezio ran off into the wilderness not looking back and not worrying about anyone. Not even the family that took him in nor the family that gave him up for his own safety.


Author's Notes:

So I'm trying to figure out how Ezio would get to Venice which would be paradise for him, how he would learn to become a thief/Assassin, and how he would meet you know who to give him the task on freeing his people. No, it's not God, but someone else. You'll find out.