Song inspiration: "Cold" - Static-X

Mario, myself, and his army of men spent a considerable amount of time traveling to San Gimignano. I had never been to this part of Italy before; rather, I had never traveled much out of Venezia before. By the time we actually reached the borders of the city it was dawn. The sun was beginning to crest over the tattered buildings. I lightly patted Ombra's neck, for the animal had journeyed a good deal.

I didn't particularly like this place. It seemed full of secrets and betrayal. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I was picking up the vibe that many bad things had happened here in the past. Whatever the reason, I knew Vieri and Orazio were hiding within its walls and it was my job to bring them out into the light. I also knew that the only way to do this was to offer myself as bait to lure them from their slimy hiding places - especially Orazio. I knew that if I tempted him with my flesh, well, he couldn't resist.

"Diamante!" Mario broke my train of thought. "We are going to establish ourselves here, on the outskirts of the city. I'm sure Vieri has his men looking out for invaders, so be on your guard at all times."

He placed a firm, solid hand on my shoulder and looked me directly in the eyes. "Soon, I want you to go into the heart of the city and find the Vieri, and then Orazio. You are to bring them out into plain sight where my men can advance. Diamante, I want you to be absolutely fearless and show no sign of weakness. This man, Orazio, deserves whatever pain you wish to bring him, but remember, you must fight with honor."

"I don't know. . .I don't know if I'll be able to restrain myself from taking his life. He took so much from me and I intend to get it back," I replied.

"I understand. . ."

Since I only had an hour or so before I had to sneak my way into Orazio's inner circle, I took the time to remove myself from the watchful eyes of the men and to somewhere more private. I managed to locate a nearby tree, which provided shade as well, to sit and think under. Many questions rolled through my mind, but the one I couldn't seem to answer was why had I decided to travel to Firenze in the first place? What business did I truly have in stepping into the matters of a completely random execution? Sure, I knew the accusations were false and yes, I knew that Giovanni was a completely innocent man, but why? How did I even know that I could salvage the situation?

Secondly, why was I so damn concerned with where Ezio was? I had never, ever in my life worried myself over another being. Yet, here I was, contemplating Ezio's arrival. Part of me just assumed that he would come galloping into the city with that same damn smile on his face; The other half also assumed that he didn't care enough about his true self to take responsibility for his actions. I guess that discovering your family is a secret band of assassins really could be a large weight to bear, but at the same time, it's more of an honor than anything else.

And finally, the opportunity had I long awaited for was just under my fingertips, only a mere inch away from my hidden blade. The years of agony and pain I had spent alone, grieving the death of my parents were about to be repaid. My lips curled into a smile at the though of watching Orazio die.

At Mario's command, I entered the heart of the city completely alone. I didn't want to draw too much attention to myself, but I needed to make myself known to the bystanders and guards. Upon hearing the mention of my name, I hoped, Orazio would somehow be notified of my return. I could picture him, a smug smile plastered across his face, ordering my capture. I decided that I would mingle with the customers in front of a weapon shop. They were all men, decorated with shiny blades and well-crafted throwing knives. Definitely not assassins or even Templars, but wealthy nobles that insisted on showing off their coins instead of their skills. I made my way to the front, asking the merchant if he could repair a random dagger I just so happened to ruin. He slowly took it from me, examining it all the while, and nodded.

"So tell us, what is a pretty girl like yourself doing playing with knives?" one of the men laughed. I couldn't exactly tell if he was trying to make his friends laugh or trying to flirt with me. Either way, I was annoyed.

"My looks are deceiving," I replied, making direct eye contact with him.

"Huh," he huffed, clearly trying to gain the upper hand. "Is that so?"

With one fluid motion, I spun around to face the man and pulled out a smaller dagger; I pointed the tip at his throat. His friends gasped in shock. The eager man unwillingly put his hands in the air as if he was surrendering.

"Whoa, easy now," he laughed nervously. I only pressed the edge of my knife a little further into the thickness of his skin.

I heard a throat clear behind me and I realized it was the shop owner. Apparently my broken knife hadn't required much maintenance. "Signorina (miss)," he said softly, testing my emotions. "There wasn't much work to be done on your weapon. Just a dull tip is all," he explained to me.

Without removing my blade from the other man's throat, I outstretched my arm to receive my knife. In exchange for the newly sharpened tool, I handed the shopkeeper a few coins. Then I fixated myself back to the outspoken noble. I leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Oh, I'm sorry. I should be more careful with my toys." With that, I swiftly sheathed my dagger and was on my way further into the city.

My small excursion with the men only set my plan even more motion. Now my image was stuck in the heads, and they would recall the events that took place to other friends and, hopefully, even the guards.

I kept my hood low on my face as I slowly continued my escapade through San Gimignano. By this time, most of the eyes in the city were transfixed on me. I smirked at the attention, the pride showing in my gait. However, I was on a mission. I had yet to make any actual advances toward the main goal - which was to find Vieri or Orazio. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a group of guards pointing at me and whispering amongst themselves. As much as I strained to hear them, I couldn't. One of them nodded and began to stray away from the group. . . and in my direction.

"You, woman! Stop!" he shouted.

I turned to face him. I straightened my back and locked my knees in place to seem taller and even more menacing. "Yes?"

"What's this I hear of you threatening a noble's life at the weapons shop? Is this true?" he questioned.

"Care to find out?" I asked sweetly before forcefully throwing a small knife at him. It stuck on the left side of his chest. Blood began to slowly ooze from the wound and the guard held his injury in shock.

"Assassino (assassin)!" the fallen guard called to his fellow soldiers.

This was the perfect opportunity to call complete attention to myself now. I was sure that these men operated under the authority of Vieri or Orazio, so perhaps if I caused enough trouble, I would be taken away to one of them. I flexed my fingers and waited for one of them to strike. There were four men, each of them with their swords raised in anticipation. I taunted them to strike.

In just a matter of minutes, one of the men advanced and the clanging of metal resonated throughout the city streets. Onlookers were wide-eyed with fear, hoping not to become involved. Others were completely surprised to realize that I was a woman and not a criminal. Yet, I expertly deflected the attacks being thrown at me. In fact, the fight wasn't even that much of a challenge.

Then I heard the voice. The slimy, rigid voice I had worked so hard to suppress.

"Well well, look who it is," Orazio cooed. "Back off, boys," he ordered with a wave of his hand.

The guards sheathed their weapons but didn't give me much space, probably because I was about to be apprehended.

"How have you been, bambolina (baby)?" Orazio inquired with severe sarcasm.

"Vaffanculo (fuck off)," I hissed.

He chuckled. "Oh, Diamante, it has been too long!" He took a step forward and leaned into my personal space. "Too long, indeed."

I smirked.

"So what have you come to do? Kill me?" he laughed. "Well, you've done a great job so far! Some assassin you are, huh? You've already drawn attention to yourself and you haven't even gotten to me yet. I'm not surprised, though. You were trained by your father, right?"

That remark hit me hard, and I lunged for his throat; However, two guards grabbed a hold of my arms and held them fast. I'm a strong girl, but two stronger men were of no match to me. I was helpless. I mentally cursed myself for letting my guard down and not carefully planning my attack. I hoped that Mario would charge through the city soon.

"And then you insist on attacking me? Tsk tsk, you haven't learned much, have you?"

Dumb ass. There's a fucking army outside these walls.

"Boys, take her to Vieri. Let him have his fun." He turned to me, "You know, Vieri isn't that bad of a guy. A little rough, I'll admit, but he knows how to handle his business, if you know what I mean. You see, he told me how he was ambushed by the Auditore boy and a girl. . .who sounded just like you. And you know what? That pissed him off."

"Bene (good)."

He cocked his head and looked directly into my eyes. "You'll soon be regretting that."

I let the soldiers lead me into a large villa in the heart of the city. It was rather grand with a large entrance, so I assumed that Vieri and Orazio were currently living here. They ushered me through the large doors and into a smaller room, which I took to be an office. It wasn't very extravagant, yet I couldn't hold much to Orazio. He was a simple man.

Then, things took a huge turn for the worse. It seemed that Vieri was extremely pissed off that he had been embarrassed in front of his own friends, so he was planned on taking it out on me. The worst part? He wanted to hurt me to get back at Ezio. Sure, I played a part in his demise, but he had pent up anger for Ezio that overpowered whatever he felt towards me. So, as a final act of revenge, he planned on torturing me until I cried for Ezio Auditore to come rescue me. And then, he'd kill Ezio, too.

". . .And when he comes here to find you, I'll have my way with you right in front of him. I'll make him watch. And when I'm done, I'm going kill you, too," he threatened.

By this time, I was breaking down inside. Those dark memories were flooding my mind again. All the while the men in the room were laughing at Vieri's plans. I just hoped that Mario was well on his way into the city. Then I thought about Ezio and the mistakes he was currently making. If he showed up here, he'd be walking straight into a trap.

My arms ached from being behind my back for so long. I was kneeling on the floor in front of Vieri - which suggested that I wasn't able to hold him off any longer. Just like that horrid night many years ago, the men surrounded me. Rage filled my body and anger pulsed through my blood. I hated these people. I hated them! I despised Orazio and I thought nothing more of this Vieri. They could go to hell for all I care. Nobody has their way with me, not anymore.

As Vieri made a move towards me, I violently tried to shake off the two guards holding me still. I failed. They were just a bit too strong. Just as I thought my life was about to shatter, Vieri stopped. His face had this awful pondering look to it, and I for the first time in my life I was afraid of what he was thinking about.

"Better yet, I'll drag you outside these walls myself. I want the Auditore to come to me. What better way to lure him in than to have you tied up against your will? Oh, this is absolutely perfect!" He explained with a little too much enthusiasm.

But this sent a wave of relief over me. If Vieri was concentrated on murdering Ezio, his attention would be somewhere else and not on me. That left Orazio to me. His life was mine. I had a small spark of hope that Ezio was on his way here. Something, whatever it was, in my heart told me that he realized the errors of his ways. He realized that he needed to be here alongside his uncle and hopefully he realized he needed to be at my side.

The men pulled me up off the ground and proceeded to tie my wrists together behind my back. For added measures, they pulled the strings extra tight against my skin. Still, I kept my head held high and my trademark "don't-give-a-fuck" smirk plastered on my face. The only thought running through my mind was my parents and the fond memories I had of both of them. My mother and her long, luscious blond hair. My father and his tall, muscular frame. Vieri took a rough hold of my upper arm and pulled my along as we went back outside the villa. It was still peaceful inside the city, so I assumed that Mario was waiting for some kind of signal from me. Since Vieri's idea was to draw attention to me and bring Ezio forth, we traveled up to the top of the city walls. Orazio trailed behind, obviously enjoying the sight of me all tied up and helpless.

When we reached the top, Vieri was completely dumbfounded. Mario's army had assembled outside and was ready to attack at my command. Mario saw my tall frame, bound to the will of this wicked man, and ordered his troops onward. Vieri yelled something to one of the guards who nodded in return and ran to assemble their own army of soldiers.

As if my own wishes had been heard, I spotted Ezio amongst the sea of armed men. He stood out like a brightly colored flower in a field of green grass. My heart soared at the sight of him, which I found to be odd. His hood was on, but he was staring up at us, giving Vieri and myself a full view of his current facial expression. First, I saw immense anger. Second, I saw a twinge of hatred. And lastly, I saw regret. The last time we had spoken had been in an argument and Ezio had clearly stated he didn't care about me. This was eating at him as I could tell. His eyes locked on with mine after making a once-over of my frame. I tried telling him with my expressions that he needed to be careful, but I don't think he cared.

"What's the matter, Auditore?" Vieri teased.

Ezio said nothing.

"It's a shame you let her come here alone," he continued. "She was such a fun time."

Ezio's fists balled at his sides. He was so pissed off. I was surprised that I was taking this whole hostage thing so well.

"She has yet to submit to me, though. I'm sure that won't be a problem, right, Orazio?" Vieri shouted.

That's when my emotions went plummeting to the ground. Orazio came from behind and roughly pulled me by my hips towards him; It looked as if I was their play toy, and the fun had only just begun. Orazio's lips grazed my exposed neck and his hands roamed my body. I felt so disgusting that I wanted to vomit. He felt wrong. Everything about him made my body want to convulse. I shuddered at his touches.

I glanced back down at where Ezio was watching us. I couldn't even tell what kind of expression he wore, but it was a mixture of sadness and fear. And with that, he was gone. I assumed he was coming for me.

"I've missed you," Orazio whispered.

"I wish I could say the same," I replied, the ice apparent in my words.

He laughed an evil, cold-hearted laugh. I pictured his blood spilling from his body.

"This is perfect," Vieri commented, taking no notice of Orazio's fascination with me. "The Auditore is obviously on his way up here."

Vieri and Orazio led me off the city walls and down onto the streets where we met with a group of men. They were well dressed in noble-like garb. I assumed they were working with Vieri and Orazio.

"It's settled: Vieri, you and Orazio will remain here to coordinate the mercenari (mercenaries). Francesco will organize our forces in the city and send word when it's time to strike. Jacopo, your job is to calm the citizens once the deed is done," one of the strange men spoke. "Who is this?" he pointed to me.

"Diamante Aldrovadina," answered Orazio. "She's a dear friend to Ezio Auditore. With her bound to us, he'll be here in no time to save her."

"What about that ubriacone (drunk) Mario? He continued to harass my forces and I fear he'll discover what we intend," Vieri questioned.

The man called Jacopo added, "He's always been trouble. Just like that bastardo (bastard) brother of his."

"He was more of a man than you'll ever be," I spat. This earned me a forceful jerk, which jostled my nerves.

"Then let me reunite them, father!" Vieri pleaded.

The man that spoke earlier dismissed the idea. "There will be plenty of time to clean up the rifiuti (trash) when we're finished. Now, is there anything else? May the Father of Understanding guide you."

My brows furrowed together in complete confusion. What the fuck was going on?

"Commandante (commander)!" a soldier called to Vieri. We all stopped to look at the man.

"What?" Vieri asked, annoyed.

"Mario Auditore has invade the city! He comes for you!" the soldier explained.

Orazio and Vieri both laughed. "Then let's not keep him waiting!"

Before long I was being pulled again, but this time by Orazio. We followed Vieri up onto a high tower to overlook the battles taking place below. Four guards stood watch as we waited. . .and waited. Orazio still had a strong hold on my frame, which was entirely unnecessary.

"I'm going to enjoy killing your little love interest," Vieri cooed.

I shot him an ice-cold stare.

"You know, I can think of a few ways to get you to talk. . .maybe even scream," Vieri suggested. I felt Orazio's body shake from his laughter. His hand then began to travel lower and lower, until he rested his hand close to my inner thigh. I felt to violated, so wrong.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the side of the tower and took out one of the guards standing watch. The others were suddenly extremely alert. Vieri pushed his men forward and came to cower by myself and Orazio. Ezio danced with the guards, effectively dodging their attacks and pushing his blade into their stomachs. My nerves were so fucked at this point that I couldn't even comprehend what was really going on. However, while Orazio's attention was diverted, I began to wriggle the ropes off of my wrists; Just enough to move my wrist to activate my hidden blade incase I needed to use it.

Ezio took down the remaining three soldiers; That left only him and Vieri to settle their battle once and for all. Ezio wasted no time in attacking. He swung at Vieri's head, but the snake maneuvered out of its way. I flinched as their swords slammed together again and again and again. Vieri managed to strike down Ezio and he laughed as the Auditore fell to the ground.

"You should stay there, Auditore. It's where you belong!" Vieri spat. Then, his eyes fixated on me. He had a crazed look about him as he pulled out a smaller dagger. I knew what he was about to do. In one quick motion (as Orazio held me still) he pushed the tip of the blade into my side. Pain rushed through my body as I cried out. Immediate, blood started to pool in my clothes. It was unbearable. Orazio's grip on me loosened. I mustered enough strength to perform one final blow and I jerked backwards and knocked Orazio back a few feet. I turned, and with one final kick to the chest, I sent Orazio sailing over the side of the tower to meet his death.

Then, I collapsed. My world turned dark and I could barely see the outlines of Ezio and Vieri anymore. I didn't care, either. I managed to kill the only person that had ever brought me such pain and misery. I pictured my father with a proud look on his face, knowing that I had done the family an incredible and honorable deed. I saw my mother, cupping my face in her hands, telling me that I was the most beautiful girl in all of Italia.

I faded off into the darkness, not sure of what to expect. If this was death, then Ezio was the angel. If this was death, then it was warm. If this was death, then it was final.

So, I really liked writing this chapter because I have some GREAT ideas for the next few! I promise there will be some intimacy! ;)

Thanks to my beta. She rocks!

Thanks to all the fans who have been reading/reviewing. It means so much to me! I'm going to work on a new drawing of Diamante here soon, so keep checking back to see if she's done!