Disclaimer:I do not own Ezio or any other mentioned Assassin's Creed characters, they are the property of Ubisoft. As for the historical characters mentioned… well.. I guess they belong to history… or themselves…
Author Notes: I kinda have the feeling that this chapter might require some rereading and editing... will do that over the next week or so... but I felt I just had to get this chapter out. Before I fall out of inspiration and get "writer's block".
I thought this chapter would a nice break from all the misfortune that has surrounded this alternate universe version of Ezio thus far. I have tried my best to make him as realistic as possible, I hope that I'm succeeding at this endeavor. Also, I haven't written anything in this particular vein for a long long time… well, let me know what you think about this strange pairing.
Ezio glanced out the windows of the Tornabouni offices nervously. He spotted some of Vieri's friends across the street an hour earlier. In fact they seemed to be everywhere these days. He knew for a fact that Vieri was still alive through local gossip and that although he was recovering he was "not quite the same as before". However, the grapevine was eerily silent about what the Pazzis were going to do to the person or persons responsible. In fact, Ezio had expected Francesco Pazzi to barge into the Auditore home and demand an eye-for-eye, tooth-for-tooth reprisal, or otherwise a duel for honour. But strangely, nothing of the sort happened. In fact, local speculation had it that one of the families whose daughter had been raped by Vieri arranged this terrible punishment.
Florence, oddly enough breathed a sigh of relief at the misfortune that had befallen the young Pazzi. He was quite the terror about town, but no one dared to stop him because the Pazzis were a relatively powerful family. His own brother, Federico, shared the town's sentiment and declared, more than once that he would personally thank the man who had brought the villain down. Ironically, the only person who found little joy in this latest shocking piece of gossip was Ezio, who spent his waking hours in fear.
As a result, he would depart from his place of employment on the dot and return home as quickly as he could. It did not help that Winter was upon them and it was quite dark when Ezio walked back to the Auditore home. The evening sky was especially gloomy when Ezio stepped out onto the chilly streets. He looked around quickly to make sure that none of Vieri's followers were in the vicinity before quickly running over to the cover of a nearby street. Scurrying down the short but dark street as fast as he could, he made his way to an open marketplace that was quiet because many of the storekeepers had closed for the night. Walking, or rather, running as fast as he could to another connecting street, he spotted a cloaked figure at the far end of the market square looking in his direction. Fearing some kind of an ambush or assassination, Ezio ran down a small street, turned and headed down another street to try and lose whoever it is was following him.
He turned round another sharp corner as quickly as he could and nearly collided with a very familiar and terrifying group that he was trying to avoid.
"Bastardo! Get him!"
Turning quickly on his heel, Ezio found himself now running as fast as he could, a small crowd of angry youths chasing after him. Left, right and down some narrow alleys he raced, hoping to lose his attackers. However, they were still on his tail and closing fast. He felt his chest constricting, his body tiring rapidly from having to haul around all the extra weight from his rotund tummy and wobbly arms. He made another right turn and almost stumbled over the wheel of a cart of hay that was parked too close to the corner of a street. His chest had tightened so much he was starting to choke on his breath, a sign that he could not keep up in this race, he threw himself into the cart and crawled under the hay. A few short moments later, the group rounded the bend. Shivering, partly from the cold and partly from intense fear, Ezio put his hand tightly over his mouth so that they could not hear his loud panting.
"Cazzo! Where is that troia?"
This was followed by a few more oaths from members of the group before they left the area in frustration. As soon as they disappeared, Ezio crawled out of the hay and started running up the street he originally came down. Turning his head back frequently to make sure that the group had not spotted him, he did not see the hooded figure emerge from the shadows and collided into the stranger. Screaming in terror, he threw up an arm in a floundering attempt to block a possible attack. Unfortunately, the piercing cry, amplified in the silence of the night, drew the attention of the group who was hunting him. He saw them turn the corner and run down the street towards him.
"Come with me!" the hooded figure pulled at his arm. It was a female voice.
Ezio allowed himself to be led along by the hooded lady as they ran down a few narrow streets. Then suddenly, she led him down a narrow alleyway and pushed open a door whose entrance was almost hidden in a deeply recessed alcove. Stumbling into a warmly-lit, but rather shabbily furnished house, she slammed the door shut quickly behind them. The noise brought out some of the house's denizens from an adjoining parlour. Soon, the young man found himself surrounded by a few older ladies with thick makeup and dresses that exposed a lot of their bosom with skirts that were hitched up quite high above the thighs.
"Lucia, who have you brought tonight?"
The hooded lady removed the covering on her head. A crop of curly brunette hair that was done up in an attractive manner popped into view, as well as a face that he instantly recognized from the night at the Ponte Vecchio.
"Nice to see someone young for a change," one of the ladies tittered. In fact, his presence created quite a buzz among the ladies of this particular house. A number of them swished out their fans and started winking at him from behind an outspread screen of lace and silk.
Lucia quickly grabbed his arm and whispered into Ezio's ear.
"Pay the matron," she gestured to an extremely elderly woman with a cane who hobbled out from a back room.
Ezio opened his mouth to argue, but a sharp look from the brunette made him hold his tongue. After parting with some of his coin, the brunette pulled him up the stairs and into a rather small but comfortably furnished room with a window that faced the street below. Shutting the door quickly, Lucia moved to the window and peered out.
"They're still wandering around down there. I don't think they saw us come in here," she whispered.
"Uh… who are you… and why…"
"Payment," she replied rather candidly. "For saving me from the Pazzi the other night… and you look like you need help."
"… thank you," he whispered hesitantly.
He went over to the window and peered out. The group that was chasing him was now apparently searching the street for their quarry.
"I think it might be awhile before they go away," she removed her cloak and plopped herself on the bed.
"Oh God…" he whimpered. Sitting himself on a nearby chair he buried his face in his hands, silently cursing his lack of any kind of luck.
A moment passed, and then another.
Lucia cleared her throat politely, "You might want to make use of your time here…"
Ezio looked up at the courtesan in confusion.
"You DID pay for… tonight…" she purred, rearranging herself more sensuously on the bed so that her perfectly round and ample bosom was nicely positioned where he could admire them.
Unlike most of the ladies he saw here, Lucia was actually fairly young. She had pale, smooth skin and limpid hazel eyes that were now examining him with great curiosity. Sliding off the bed, she glided over to a spot slightly behind the hard chair he was sitting on. Carefully, almost tenderly, she wrapped one arm over a shoulder and slid the other under his arms and around the large velvet coat that he wore. With half-closed lids, she ran her delicate nose up his neck and nibbled his ear. Although she could not see the expression on his face, she could feel his body tremble with uncertainty. Lucia allowed her hands to descend playfully down the young man's body, till she found an opening in his coat close to the seat of the chair and slid her hand in.
With a sharp intake of breath, Ezio jumped out of his seat and flattened himself against a nearby wall. Frowning but undeterred, the courtesan stomped over to where the young man was hugging the wall, pressed herself against him and began unbuttoning his outer coat. Jerking away suddenly, as if being touched by fire, Ezio pushed the courtesan away.
"No," he gasped, his voice was trembling.
"Why, what's wrong?" a frown formed on the courtesan's perfect, ivory brow. "Is it true that you prefer… men?"
"NO!" he was panting heavily, whether from fear or excitement, Lucia could not tell.
He turned towards the window and stared downwards at the figures who were still moving around outside looking for him.
"I just don't want to."
A look of confusion crossed the brunette's face as she gazed upon the young man. Although he was quite tall, he walked and stood with a hunch. Deep lines crossed his smooth, slightly angular face. It was not altogether an unhandsome visage, except for the dark bags under his eyes, which had a particularly haunted look, and a nasty scar that ran down the side of his mouth. As she reached out to touch his face, Ezio quickly dropped his chin and allowed his shoulder-length hair to fall like a veil. He folded his arms, turned away from her and sat on the side of the bed that was partly shadowed in the dim light of the room.
"I'm so very tired," he whispered, carefully avoiding having to look into her large and liquid eyes.
"Then maybe," she sat down beside him and reached for his coat. "You might want to take off your coat so you'll be more comfortable sleeping."
He pulled himself away from the beautiful brunette. "It's a cold night… I would like to have it on."
"Well, suit yourself," her rosebud mouth crinkled up in a wiry smile. "I'll go get us a pot of warm tea."
There was a moment of silence, almost as if she was waiting for some other kind of response. Then he heard the door close as she left the room. He squeezed his eyes shut. He never did like others looking at him, not even Christina. Everywhere he went, people were always judging him with their eyes, and most of the time, he felt that he was beneath what was expected. It also really did not help that his father and elder brother were quite good-looking as were the rest of his family. He only ever felt comfortable with Petuccio, who was pale, sickly and bedridden.
Ezio lay on his side, arms wrapped close to his body, trying his best to rest a little. However, every time he shut his eyes, images of a beautiful brunette with limpid eyes flooded into view. Even now, he could feel her soft lips pressing against his neck, her warm breath on his cheek and her hands running down his body to touch his…
His entire body shuddered. There was a terrible aching in his chest accompanied by tremendous amount of fear. A hundred desires welled up like a spring from inside – his desire to live, to be respected, to be loved and to feel pleasure. His breathing became ragged as his eyes filled up with moistness. As much as he wanted to be with a beautiful creature, he could not bear the thought of a look of disgust on her face.
You are being silly. A voice in his mind chided him. He didn't really have to care what she thought of him. She was after all, only a courtesan.
Dim sunlight from a wintry sky flooded into the room when he opened his eyes again. Turning over, he found himself face to face with the ivory-skinned brunette. She had fallen asleep beside him, the bedcovers draped over the perfect curve of her hip. On a side table was a pot of what was likely now cold tea. She was completely still, almost serene, except for the rising and falling of her chest. Ezio reached out carefully and with a finger, lightly touched the perfect skin of her cheek. He hesitated for a moment, then leaned over quietly and brushed his lips gently, like the wings of a butterfly scooping the air to take flight on the creamy surface of her cheek.
She murmured something indistinct and a hand came up to brush the area that his lips met. Startled by the motion, the young man quickly got up and exited the room. A moment later, Lucia calmly opened her eyes as the clatter of boots descended the wooden stairway.
Ezio peeked around the corner, just to be sure. There she was, standing at the side of the street, with a group of other courtesans. It was the third time this week that he bumped into the courtesan called Lucia. The first time it happened, he practically walked into her, because he was looking over his shoulder to see that he wasn't followed by more of Vieri's friends. He saw her again one evening, walking outside his workplace with a gentleman on her arm. Ezio highly doubted that it was purely the whim of Fate alone that caused her to pop up so often near him.
Gritting his teeth, he quickly turned the corner and walked past the group as fast as he could. With Vieri's gang still hot on his tail, it was the most inconvenient time to have some strange, beautiful woman stalking him.
"Signor Auditore!" a voice that was all too familiar rang out from behind him. He quickened his pace so that he was almost running down the street. However, since running was his Achilles' heel, it wasn't too long before his pursuer caught up with him.
He found himself staring at a red-faced courtesan.
"Why are you following me?" she demanded.
"I'm NOT following you! If anything, I would say, you are following me!" he retorted.
"Oh, so you mean it was just PURE COINCIDENCE that I find you hiding in the bank, staring at me?"
Ezio rolled his eyes, "I WORK there!"
"And how about in front of the fishmonger's? I daresay you walked into me on purpose!"
"My home is just across the street!" Ezio spluttered.
"And what's your excuse… this time?" she stared into his eyes in a challenging manner.
Ezio realized that their shouting match was gathering quite a crowd in the middle of the market square. Not wanting to make yet another foolish spectacle of himself, he pulled Lucia to a quiet side street.
"I was trying to avoid… Vieri's gang…" he finally replied. "I'm not following you… you just happen to be at every… place I frequent…"
Ezio frowned.
"So why ARE you at every place I frequent anyway?" he demanded.
"I have one or two… customers… older men… bankers to be precise… I buy fish from that fishmonger's every Friday… and that's my corner… in the afternoon at least…" she replied.
"So how come I've never seen you… ever?" Ezio was quite puzzled.
"Maybe because you keep looking at dirt like its gold…" she shot back with a flick of her head that sent her hair flying in his direction in an impertinent manner.
"I… I do not!"
"So why haven't I seen you? I practically walk to your house once a week!" she queried.
Ezio turned his head away and started staring at the cobblestones on the street.
"I don't know."
Truth be told the answer popped into his head the minute Lucia asked her question. He was quite an unremarkable fellow that would never be picked out by an observer on the street. There was a tense silence, before Lucia laughed. She glided up to him playfully, leaning on his chest.
"Maybe…" she drew tiny circles with her slender finger, tracing out the embroidery on his coat. "Maybe this is Fate… Well, I do not mind having … YOU … as a patron."
She was close, so close he could smell the delicate fragrance of her hair. Unconsciously, he wrapped an arm around her waist and closed his eyes. He felt the courtesan lean closer towards him, and then something soft and moist brushed against his lips.
"Why is it that every woman I desire chooses you, Auditore?"
Ezio's eyes snapped open in panic. Turning his head towards the sound, he saw the familiar figure of Vieri, except that instead of a hat, a long cloak and a deeply cowled hood now shadowed his face. He moved towards the pair in an awkward manner, his shoulders jerking strangely, throwing the head into an odd tilt, as though he were unable to pull his shoulders and head into the correct alignment.
Immediately, Ezio moved Lucia behind him.
"Leave us alone, Vieri!"
"If you really wanted to be left alone, Auditore, you should not have interfered that night at the Ponte Vecchio," he replied in a threatening manner. "Our fates are tied, Ezio, especially after… THIS!"
He pushed back the hood.
"God in heaven!" Lucia gasped.
Vieri's face was distorted to the point where he was almost unrecognizable. His broken jaw did not heal properly and was strangely twisted. The orbital bone of one of his eyes was flattened, so that the eye seemed to bulge out grotesquely. His nose was obviously badly broken and the head was tilted in an odd manner, as were his shoulders, which looked as if it had a hump.
"I've spent considerable time thinking about how to "repay" you…" he drew a dagger from his belt. "I think I'll take your nose and ears… carve a few more holes in your face!"
He lunged at the young man with his blade, but Ezio managed to jump backwards just enough so that its wicked edge missed him by a hair. Vieri immediately reversed the flow of his strike and the sharp edge was now speeding in an upward arc. Realizing too late that he would likely not be able to dodge the second blow, Ezio threw his arm up in terror. Thankfully, the thick fabric of his coat only caused the sharp dagger to tear at the sleeve. Vieri pushed Ezio's arm roughly to the side, causing the young man to lurch forwards with the motion as he brought the dagger downwards in a curving arc.
Suddenly, he heard a thud and a short, hoarse shout from Vieri. Bringing his arm up again to block any further blows, Ezio peeked over his raised elbow and into the familiar face of his brother. Swinging down from a ledge on the wall, Federico kicked Vieri in the face before he could do further harm. Seeing that the assailant had reeled backwards from the force of the kick, Federico landed on the street and stepped forward, his fist shooting out to break Vieri's nose a second time. Blood spurted like a fountain as Vieri stumbled to the side. Seeing that he was out numbered, Vieri brought his hand up to his nose to stop the bleeding and ran away as fast as he could.
"Oh Ezio! Thank God!" Lucia threw her arms round shaken youth and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Federico raised his eyebrows at the pair. Then with a knowing smile reached out and offered a hand to his younger brother.
"I see you're becoming quite the local hero, little brother," he grinned.
"It was nothing, just… bad luck that I bumped into Vieri," Ezio growled.
"THAT was Vieri?" Federico was quite shocked. "… He doesn't look like he has recovered…"
"He DESERVES to wear his black heart on his face!" Lucia piped up.
"Who is this lovely lady?" Federico asked his brother. Now that the courtesan stepped forward, his eyes ran up and down the length of her body, almost in appraisal.
"You may call me Lucia," she smiled.
"Where are my manners?" the older Auditore brother bent down and kissed the dainty brunette's hand. "Federico Auditore."
Ezio's heart sank. This scene was all too familiar. As the pair went through the usual introductions, he turned away quietly from them, and started to make his way out into the market square.
Ezio carefully avoided all the places that he knew she would be. It was almost a week since that incident with Vieri. Although he was glad that he wasn't hurt during that unpleasant encounter, Ezio was not altogether too happy that Federico showed up when he did. He did not feel much animosity towards Federico regarding Christina, because he rationalized that family was more important than any petty squabble over an outsider. However, something was definitely different now, and he was feeling quite ill at the thought of his brother with Lucia. He quietly chided himself repeatedly for leaving the two of them together. He wanted to say something about it, to protest, to claim something as his own, but every argument that popped into his mind sounded quite infantile and childish.
The thoughts were so intense he was unable to concentrate during his working hours at the bank. It got to the point where Signor Tornabouni actually asked him if he was feeling well.
"Take a few days off, Auditore. You look like you caught a fever from this cold spell we are having," the old banker remarked.
"I'm so sorry, Signor Tornabouni."
"No need for apologies," there was an almost fatherly look in Tornabouni's eyes. "The winter festivities are almost upon us and you most certainly deserve a rest after dedicating yourself to this institution for the whole year."
Ezio nodded. Perhaps a few days of rest would clear his head. Maybe he would take the time to have a little talk with his brother. Something that was overdue since they hardly talked these days.
He was relieved when evening approached and he exited the bank. The distractions were so bad that some of the other apprentices were beginning to look at him rather oddly. He quietly hoped that none of them would probe further regarding his "fever".
Stepping away from the doorstep of the bank, he walked straight into a woman with a hooded cloak. As he snapped out of his reverie he found himself staring into the face of a familiar courtesan.
"W…What on earth are you doing here?" he spluttered.
"Waiting for you," Lucia replied.
"What for?" he started walking away fast, however, the brunette seemed determined to keep pace with him.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm NOT avoiding you," he retorted.
"So where have you been this past week?" she peered into his eyes.
"Working at the bank," he replied.
"Why did you leave us so abruptly… that evening," she pulled at his arm to slow him down.
"So you could both spend some time alone… together," he bitterly replied. "Isn't that what you want? It's good for your business… Federico would make an excellent customer."
Smack!
A stinging slap found its way across the young man's face. Although what he said was true, she hated the way he said it. No one had made her feel this badly about her profession in a long long time.
"You stupid, stupid fool!" her words were strangled by the tears welling in her eyes. "How DARE you presume to know what I WANT! I don't need or want your brother, I want YOU!"
Ezio was stunned by her admission. There were a million questions spinning in his head, but wisely for once, he kept his thoughts to himself. Reaching out gently, he pulled the courtesan into his arms.
