CHAPTER 9
Ezio and I walk up the steps of the villa, tired from our mission and journey back. I'm just fantasizing about my bed when I hear a shout.
"And here they are; our champions, Ezio and Lia!" Mario exclaims.
I turn to see Mario and a group of mercenaries standing around the training circle. As the mercenaries see us, they too shout.
"All hail Ezio! All hail Lia!" Some hold their mugs up in toast.
"I see you've wasted no time starting the celebration." I say with a wide smile. My tiredness disappears in light of this.
"And why not? You've done us a great service! With Vieri dead, Tuscany will grow quiet once more. And do you know what that means?" Mario asks.
"No more work!" A mercenary exclaims.
"We can drink all day!"
"And with whores!"
A silence falls over the group as they look at me fearfully.
"What? It's true!" I exclaim.
The group laughs, and Mario claps me and Ezio on the back.
"Come. Walk with me." He says.
Ezio and I turn around, walking next to Mario in silence for a few moments before Ezio speaks.
"The Pazzi answer to another; a Spaniard."
"His name is Rodrigo Borgia, one of the most powerful men in all of Europe, leader of the Templar Order, and..." Mario trails off, looking at me.
"And a complete bastard." I say quickly, letting Mario know I'm not ready to tell Ezio about my heritage yet.
"That makes him responsible for the murder of my father and brothers." Ezio growls.
"Yes. And he will kill you too, given the chance." Mario replies.
"Then I must stand against him if I wish to be free... But not until every other Templar has fallen to my blade. Father's list will guide me." Ezio says.
"No, Ezio. Giovanni's list will guide us." I tell him. Ezio gives me a grateful smile.
"Where will you go next?" Mario asks.
"Firenze. Francesco de' Pazzi will share the fate of his son." Ezio replies.
"A sensible next step. No doubt he intends evil for the city..." Mario comments. "Alright, that's enough grim talk for one night. I'll be in my study if you need me."
Mario walks into his study, and I pull out the letter he took from Vieri.
"We should read this." I say, opening it. It's from Fra Giocondo. We both read through the letter, my eyes widening as I read on.
Fra Giocondo believes that Vieri is simply a misunderstood young boy, desperate for his father's love and attention. I snort when I reach the end of the letter, for Vieri was not misunderstood. He was simply a spoilt little boy with an ego bigger that Firenze and a mind which had long turned evil.
When Ezio's finished, he turns to me.
"That was interesting." I comment.
"Si, bella..." He replies, deep in thought. I let out a yawn.
"It's late." I realize, the fatigue from the mission and general lack of sleep over the past few days finally catching up with me. "Buonanotte, Ezio." (Goodnight)
"Goodnight, bella. If you get lonely during the night-"
"I'll find my own way to the stables. There was a rather beautiful stallion I saw earlier today." I reply with a grin.
Ezio raises his eyebrows before he smiles too. He turns around and heads up the stairs to his room, as do I. I prepare myself for bed, but something nags at the back of my mind, like a fly that just won't go away.
~!~
I walk silently down the hallway, heading towards the ladder which leads into Ezio's room. Part of me can't believe I'm about to do this, but with my hands on the rungs of the ladder, I make up my mind and start to climb. I reach the top and see Ezio sitting on his bed, reading the same book I took from Mario's library a few days ago. He's topless again; he takes every opportunity to remove his shirt.
"Bella! Changed your mind?" Ezio asks happily.
"Not now, not ever. I came for a different reason." I reply. "I feel you should know something about me, especially if we're going to work together."
"We're going to work together?"
"Well, if I unleash you upon Italy there's sure to be a trail of broken hearts and swooning young women wherever you go." I say.
"Va bene, I'd like that." Ezio concedes. (Alright) "So, what did you want to tell me?"
I take a deep breath, exhaling slightly nervously, before I talk.
"My father is the Spaniard. Rodrigo Borgia." I say quickly.
Ezio's whole mood changes from curious to tense.
"What? How? W-"
"My mother was a courtesan, and an Assassin. Like me. She died when I was a baby. One day, she was told to service Rodrigo Borgia. He wasn't the leader of the Templars back then, but he was important. She slept with him and fell pregnant with me." I explain.
"...And do you have any feelings towards your father?" Ezio asks quietly.
"Only those of hate and disgust. Ezio, if and when the time comes I will be only too happy to end that bastard's life. Do not worry about where my loyalties lie – they are alongside the Brotherhood."
Ezio nods. "Is there another reason you came?" He asks with a sly voice, lying back on his bed and folding his hands behind his head.
"None whatsoever." I reply. "Bonne niut, Ezio." (Good night in French)
"Bons rêves." Ezio replies. (Sweet dreams in French)
"You speak French?" I ask curiously.
"Si. There were a few French girls in Firenze..."
"I don't want to know any more."
"Jealous?"
"Merely terrified at what you may have done to those poor girls... But did you learn another language only for a group of girls?"
"I'm very dedicated."
"Obviously. I'm interested to see what elaborate plans you have in store for me."
~!~
I'm greeted by the faint sounds of conversation stemming from Mario's study as I walk downstairs. I enter his study to see he and Ezio staring intensely at the wall of Codex pages.
"There's something underneath it all... Some kind of map." Ezio mutters. "Where is it supposed to lead?"
"Your father and I managed to make out bits of a prophecy scrawled across these pages. It was written by and Assassin like us, who long ago held a 'Piece of Eden'. His name was Altaïr. He spoke of something powerful and ancient hidden beneath the land." Mario replies.
"What is it?" Ezio asks.
"Solving that little mystery is exactly why you collected these pages – isn't that right, Mario?" I say, startling both of them. After the two have recovered, Ezio speaks again.
"Then let me help. It's time I take on my father's work. All of it. I'll start with the page I took from Vieri. Leonardo will decode it for us."
"Good. Return here when time permits and we'll add it to the wall."Mario replies.
Ezio walks out of the study, into the room with the fireplace. I follow from lack of anything else to do. He approaches the desk, and behind it sits his spoilt-brat sister. Honestly, I've never really liked her. She isn't very tolerant of hard situations, and I've always felt like she needs a hard whack on the back of her head.
"Hi, Claudia-" Ezio begins.
"Our uncle is a monster! This is outrageous!" Claudia bitches.
"What's happened?" Ezio asks, resigned.
"He's making me work!"
Oh, god. Well, if that's not cause for a hanging I don't know what is.
"If Father was here, I'd never be stuck behind a desk like this!"
"And what are the terms of this supposed enslavement?" Ezio asks.
Claudia narrows her eyes at her brother. "Since someone decided we're going to stay here, Uncle Mario suggested we try and find the money to repair the villa. Problem is, there isn't any."
"We could bring in some money." I suggest.
"And who are you?" Claudia asks rudely.
"Natalia Cupelli. A friend of your uncle and brother's." I reply.
"Ah, yes. I've heard of you... La Rosa Colta's business must be declining since you brought in most of the money." Claudia replies condescendingly.
"Claudia!" Ezio exclaims.
"Well, it's true. Word is, your friend here was quite a frequent patron of many powerful men in Firenze." Claudia says.
"At least my dowry didn't have to be raised before men would come near me." I snap.
Claudia gasps, looking quite hurt, and I walk off feeling quite satisfied. Ezio and Claudia exchange a few words while I approach a man who stands in the middle of the room looking quite lost.
"Buon giorno. Is there something wrong?" I ask him. (Good day)
"Ser Mario hired me to deal with this mess, but I'm an architect, not a miracle worker." The man replies. "Without money, I can't fix any of these buildings."
"And if someone brought you money?" Ezio asks from behind me.
"Then we'd be in business! You must be Ser Ezio. Am I right?"
"Uncle!" Ezio shouts. "I like this architect!"
"He gets very observant when he smells money!" I hear Mario reply from somewhere within the building.
"If you want to fix up this town I'm going to need it. I have a price list here for new shops and renovations. Just bring me gold, make a choice and I'll begin at once." The architect blabbers on more about renovations, but I zone out, still irritated at Claudia. I have a feeling we're not exactly going to get along.
"Ezio! Come here!" Mario calls from his study. We bid the architect farewell. Claudia and I exchange a death stare as we walk past the desk before we enter the study.
"I think it's time I showed you two something." Mario says, facing his bookshelf. I'm quite confused – I thought I knew all there is to know about Monteriggioni. Mario pulls a book halfway off the shelf, and I hear a grating noise. Then, before my very eyes, the bookshelf moves.
"Cazzo! Mario, what is this?" I exclaim. (F*ck)
"Follow me." He replies.
Ezio and I follow him into this 'secret room', down several flights of stairs. My curiosity rises as we walk deeper into the earth. The stairs suddenly flatten out, and at the end of the hallway I can see a large marble room with several statues around the edge of it.
"This is the Sanctuary. It was built by my great-grandfather to honour the memory of the Assassin order and protect its secrets. Look around! These are the Assassins who guarded the freedom of humanity when it was most threatened." Mario says.
My eyes search the room in awe. There are six statues along the edge of the back wall, and a section of metal bars. They appear to be kept shut by six locks, and behind the bars is another statue, along with a set of armour.
"This is the armour of Altaïr. Little is known about Altaïr's life, but his armour is light and very strong. I'd give it to you, but I don't know how to retrieve it. My great-grandfather told me it would remain locked away until all its protectors were made whole. I heard rumours of crypts located throughout Italy, hidden tombs filled with treasures where these six were moved centuries ago. Maybe they have something to do with it." Mario says. "In my younger days, I sought the six myself... with little success. Perhaps you will have better luck."
"And I'm guessing a lady wouldn't fit into this?" I ask.
"Unfortunately, no." Mario replies.
"So it should be a perfect fit for you, bella!" Ezio exclaims.
"Careful, Ezio. I still haven't ruled out breaking your nose to prove a point." I reply.
"Anyway," Mario says loudly, "didn't you say you were going to Firenze?"
"Si, Uncle." Ezio replies.
"We leave this afternoon." I add.
I'm so proud of this chapter. I translated the French myself (no Google Translate!) which I'm pretty happy with. Feel free to correct me. Anyway, follow and favourite if you enjoyed reading this chapter – I definitely loved writing it! And I'll see you after 5 reviews!
