It was a moonlit night in Venezia. The full orb in the sky gave off enough light for Atronia and Ezio to see into the Palazzo del Setta, where Carlo Grimaldi and Emilio Barbarigo held a short meeting. Carlo was eyeing the Palazzo walls and roof, afraid of something that was unknown to Emilio.
"Why are you so nervous, Carlo?" Emilio asked, confused by his partner's strange antics.
"It's just, the assassins. They've been on a kill streak." the other Templar mentioned, anxiously rubbing his hands together. Once he did, Emilio stopped in his tracks a nervous twitch entering his voice.
"The assassins, they are in Venezia?" he stuttered, eyeing his companion.
"They have been here for weeks, Emilio! How could you not have noticed?" Carlo argued. For a moment, it was silent between the two as they both realized they were probably in danger.
"You cannot blame me. I have been busy supplying weapons!" Emilio cried, ending the pitiful argument between the two.
"Never mind that! The Spaniard has issued a meeting a few nights from now. He expects all of us to be there. I expect he is going to rant on about the assassin that we're targeting." Carlo said, still looking around warily.
"Fine, fine, I will be there." Emilio muttered, growing tired of the conversation.
"Assuming we are still alive by then." Carlo mentioned, quickly walking out of the Palazzo. Atronia glanced at Ezio, who stood next to her. They'd been sitting on the roof for the past few minutes, listening in on the Templars' conversation.
They want to kill off one certain assassin? She worried for Ezio. He'd more damage in two months than Giovanni had done in one year. But she didn't like to think her brother could be in danger.
"Well?" Atronia waved an offer at Emilio.
"Go ahead, sister. You can take this one." Ezio laughed, making the same gesture. Rolling her eyes, she walked away, scanning for the perfect point to strike. Once she found a good spot, she crouched there for a moment, waiting for the perfect time.
Fear hung in the palazzo, Atronia could feel it in the air. It was in every guard and especially in the Barbarigo. He paced, muttering at how Carlo was right. The assassins were going to make a move.
"You! Get my ship ready, we are leaving this place!" Emilio shouted, beginning to move towards the entrance. Balancing on her small ledge, Atronia was ready for the assassination. As soon as the Templar was in sight below her, she lept while unsheathing her hidden blade. A few seconds later, she was on top of Emilio with her blade in his chest. The deed was done, now to get information.
"No! It's too soon!" Emilio choked. He hesitated his pleading and studied her as if he wasn't expecting a female, "Ah, you're the one."
"The one?" she hesitated, "W-What do you mean?" stuttering, she grew more nervous and frustrated.
"See you soon in hell, assassino." he laughed and fell into darkness.
"What do you mean, pezzo de merda?" she argued. Without an answer, she shoved the dead Templar to the ground. Ezio landed a few feet away from her as she did so. There was no point in arguing with a dead man. As the guards began to notice, the two sprinted out of the Palazzo. A few blocks away, Atronia frustratedly kicked a wall.
"I could've gotten something out of him, Ezio. I swear." she sighed, leaning against the same wall. Ezio only watched in silence.
"Well, we know about the meeting. That's something." Ezio replied, encouraging his sister as much as he could.
Two months passed with no exceedingly daring events in between. The thieves had managed to get news and information of their next target, Carlo Grimaldi, and how he had broken down on security since Emilio had died.
Ezio's idea may have been insane, but he was right. In Atronia's eyes, the plan wouldn't work, but after all the banter they went through, the idea ended up working. You could say Leonardo's new flying machine came in handy.
Later the same night, Ezio returned to Leonardo's workshop in a fluster. It had been done, but like they expected security was tight. Ezio showed Leonardo a new codex page, which included a new design.
"A gun, for your wrist?" Atronia wondered, staring at the new contraption once it was finished. Leonardo nodded with a smile. The assassins then went outside to practice a new technique with their hidden gun.
A few days later, Marco Barbarigo became their next target, and that's when things got… interesting.
Why did I agree to do this? Merda, I look like an absolute idiota. Atronia thought to herself, looking down at the outfit she was wearing. It had been a while since Marco Barbarigo came out of hiding and Carnevale was their chance to get at him.
"Listen, Atronia, if we are to kill Marco Barbarigo, we need one of us in disguise. That would be you." Ezio had told her earlier that day.
"What? Why me? What would I go dressed as anyway?" Atronia replied, folding her arms. She was even more angry when Ezio's gaze moved to a group of courtesans on the other side of the street.
It had taken more than enough persuasion to get Atronia to finally give into the idea. She still disapproved of it, but it was for the mission, for Venezia. The local courtesans had helped of course, telling her she looked lovely. Ignoring their encouragement, Atronia left the room, feeling more revealed than she ever had in her life. They'd even found the most concealing outfit for her, but she still felt weird. Discomfort would reside in her stomach for the rest of the week, she knew it.
Ezio was waiting outside.
"I'm going to kill you, you pezzo de merda." she snapped, glaring straight at him. He let out a hearty laugh.
"Come on, Atti, show me your best acting." Ezio continued to mock her. Her annoyed gaze stayed straight on him. She took out her fan and let it fall open.
"Ta da." she deadpanned. Ezio chuckled.
"It's time," Teodora Contanto, the brothel owner, came up to them, "Marco will be out soon to speak in front of the people. There, you will take your chance to kill him. Now go, my girls will be willing to help you." Ezio nodded, looking intensely at Atronia, who returned that with a continuous glare.
"Let's just get this over with." she muttered.
"What do you say we go back casa mia, madonna?"
Grazie a Dio that's not me. Atronia let out a sigh of relief as another courtesan walked away with another soldier. There were only two of them left and Atronia was getting worried. If the last one left her, she would be lone prey for all the… men.
"Don't worry, Ms. Auditore, I won't be leaving you. I was assigned to stay by your side." the last courtesan murmured to her, as if reading her mind.
Atronia only nodded, but her mind flooded with relieving thoughts. Her eyes scanned the crowd for Ezio. He said he'd be coming around this time. A white hood finally caught her eye and she watched as he moved through the crowd in a group of courtesans.
Why couldn't he have dressed up?
There were only a few soldiers left in the area. Some other courtesans had taken care of a good number of the men. Although, the few guards left worried Atronia more than being approached by a drunk man. One particular guard had turned towards Ezio's group, slowly walking towards him.
"Stay here." Atronia told the other courtesan, walking slowly in the same direction as the guard. While she walked over to the guard, she fingered her knife.
"Wait!" the other courtesan quickly ran up to her, "If you kill him, that will bring too much attention and warn Barbarigo! Think of something else." An idea entered Atronia's brain quickly.
"Cazzo," she muttered, "I am going to regret this." She continued her approach on the guard, this time going a little faster with a plan in mind. She grabbed the man by the shoulder, spun him around and pressed her lips into his. The courtesan watching only face-palmed.
Even though the act was poorly executed and definitely not what a courtesan would do, it worked. The guard was to stunned to notice Ezio, which gave her brother the time to aim his new hidden gun at Marco and go through with the assassination. After a startled moment the guard finally pushed her away.
"What the-" he spun around again, noticing that Marco had been shot. When he turned back around, Atronia was nowhere in sight.
A few feet away, the other courtesan was scolding Atronia, "You realize that's not even close to how courtesans work, right?"
"Ah per favore, it was worth a shot and it worked!" Atronia didn't care about how courtesans worked or how well the mission went, all she wanted to do was get back into her normal robes.
Once they had returned to the brothel, Atronia had gotten into her robes within a few minutes. When she exited the room, Ezio entered the house, looking quite tired..
"Nice distraction, Atti. That was… unexpected." he walked in, smiling at his victory.
"I did what had to be done, but I am never doing it again." she replied, smoothing down her robes, enjoying herself much more now that she wasn't wearing nearly nothing anymore.
Atronia studied her brother, he wasn't just tired but exhausted. She felt sympathy for him. He'd done a ton of hard work in the past few months and the assassins had only stood in the background watching. He needed to at least sleep for one night.
"Ezio, I know this doesn't sound like me because I don't necessarily support what happens here," she hesitated, "stay and sleep, please." He looked oddly at her, but he understood her concern for his health. He nodded in return and walked away. After Ezio disappeared, Atronia sought Sister Teodora.
"Atronia, are you leaving?" the courtesan she'd worked with came up to her.
"Sí. I'm going to go see a friend. Grazie for all your help, amico mio. What's your name?" Atronia wondered, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Francesca." the courtesan replied, holding out a hand for her to shake. Atronia took it and a new bond was formed. Sister Teodora walked up to the two acquaintances, breaking up the conversation.
"Sister, I was looking for you."
"Are you leaving?" she asked urgently.
"Sí. Why, is something wrong?" Atronia warily glanced at Teodora, trying to find out what had happened.
"Oh, nothing too dramatic. Just a doubling in the guards. They're looking for anyone in a white hood. Anyone. Not just Ezio. I suggest normal attire if you are to exit this building."
"Do you have anything for me to wear?"
Now, Atronia was walking through Venice in a fine red silk dress that Teodora had offered. It came with her own personal fan and mask to hide her identity, in case someone tried to recognized her.
Ezio had stayed with the courtesans, and now Atronia wandered the streets, taking in the beautiful sights of Carnevale with no ideas of who to seek out popping into her head. Rosa didn't necessarily like her. Antonio? No, he was a mentor, that would be awkward…
Ah! Of course! Leo! Why didn't I think of him before? Finally, the thought had passed through her mind. She, confident that the night would be much more exciting with Leo, changed directions towards his workshop. Close to a skip, the assassin finally arrived at the engineer's doorway. A nervous twitch finally entered her stomach. She had a feeling he was still uncomfortable due to her antics in Forlí. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door. She heard a crash come from inside. It was normal that Leo took a few moments to get to the door. He didn't have visitors very often. The door finally swung open.
"Ah! Forgive me, madonna. I wasn't expecting anyone on a night like this!" Leo smiled, adjusting his beret and taking a few moments to realize it was Atronia he was talking to. "Oh! Atti! Come in, sorry, I'm just…"
"Distracted?" she finished his sentence for him, walking in after him.
"Heh, yes. You could say that." he replied, laughing to himself a little bit. He took a moment to notice what Atronia was wearing and what she actually looked like. He froze, studying her. This was not normal for Atronia Auditore. A dress? A mask? Hair down? She looked… beautiful. Breaking out of his gaze before she could notice, Leonardo continued, "Anyway, uh, what can I do for you?" Atronia hesitated. She was close to saying, 'Would you like to go out with me?' but deciding that was not the correct way to go, she chose a different route.
"Well, I'm bored and you… you are a person who doesn't get out much." Leonardo gave her a confused stare while she took off her mask. Realizing she had delivered that terribly, she went straight forward from there. "Oh, merda. Leo, we are going to go have a fun time tonight. Get a mask on and let's go." His expression turned to surprise, then to a strange version of disgust, as if going out would give him a disease, "Please!" she urged him on, even through his doubtful glance.
"Well, okay." he replied, still looking a little flustered from how fast the last few minutes had gone. He turned away to find a mask and after some digging and opening dusty old boxes, he found a sufficient one. Replacing her own, Atronia opened the door and gestured to the outdoors. Leonardo chuckled and shook his head, walking out of the ajar entrance.
They walked down many different Venice roads, talking and laughing. They dodged other people walking at them, managing to bump into each other, only causing more laughter. Later in the night, they found themselves in a small courtyard area. Music rang through the air, echoing off of the walls, as did the fireworks. Dancing and laughter was seen throughout the people. Everything was good, including Atronia's mood, which hadn't been that way for a very long time.
The crowd dancing caught her eye. Atronia had danced many time in Firenze with Ezio. The style seemed very similar in Venice. She turned to Leonardo with a smile, "Would you like to dance?" His face turned to surprise.
"Oh, I don't know. I'm not much of a dancer. You go ahead, I'll be here." Leo replied, his face going slightly red.
"Are you sure?" Atronia said, taking a step towards him.
"Of course, go." he waved a hand towards the crowd. Atronia gave him a sympathetic smile then walked to find a partner to dance with. She scanned the area, noticing a man standing alone, clapping along with the music. He was rather attractive. Tall, built and black haired. She walked up to him, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Ciao, messere. Would you care to dance?" she politely asked, curtseying. She noticed something about the man. It wasn't familiar, in fact he felt more like an outsider.
"But of course, Madame, it would be my pleasure." he bowed, and kissed her hand, causing her to blush. He was definitely from France, his accent gave it all away. His solid jawline was outlined, and his eyes glowed blue in the night and his dark hair gleamed in the moonlight.
"You are not from these parts, I presume." Atronia guessed as they entered the group of dancers.
"Oui, I am from Southern France. You are from here, are you not?"
"Firenze, messere," she replied, "but I have been visiting here for the past few months. Say, I never caught your name."
"Corbeau Boivin-Lebeau, and your name my lady?"
"Atronia Auditore da Firenze."
"Ah, what a lovely name, Ms. Auditore. It is Ms., am I correct?" he continued to flirt with her. Leonardo stared solemnly from a distance. After a few minutes, the dance was over.
"Grazie for the lovely dance, messere."
"It is I, who should be thanking you, Atronia." he winked, kissed her hand and wished her a good night. With a giggle, Atronia watched Corbeau walk away. She turned back to Leonardo who stood waiting for her on the other side of the courtyard. She began to feel guilty, or maybe regret for leaving him behind. Quickly walking over, she gave him a smile.
"Well, how was your dance?" he grinned in return.
"I've had better. For some reason, Ezio and Federico seems to be a better dancer than other men." she laughed, having it fade once she mentioned her oldest brother. He chuckled in return, the air beginning to feel a bit more awkward than usual.
"What would you like to do now?" Atronia piped up, breaking the silence. Leonardo shrugged then silently pointed to a small cake shop a few feet away, "Oh, I see, you're hungry?" Leonardo laughed as the two walked over to the shop.
"Well hello there, my friends! What can I get for you?" the shopkeeper belted out in a speech he used everyday, displaying what kind of delicacies he had to offer. All that talk drowned out in Leonardo's head and he looked over at Atronia. She looked beautiful, and he couldn't keep that thought out of his head. He didn't necessarily want the thought, but maybe he'd thought that every day he'd seen her. Everything came back to reality once the shopkeeper's speech ended.
"Ah, I'll take that one! What about you?" Atronia chose hers then looked up to Leo. Atronia silently watched as her friend sarcastically looked and chose his treat. She chuckled a little. After buying their food, they walked to a nearby bench and ate there. They watched the fireworks burst overhead and little ashes fall into the street. After another few minutes, they began to walk back to Leo's workshop. They continued to laugh and shove each other on purpose into walls and sometimes people.
Once they neared the workshop, Leonardo became very quiet. He stopped in the middle of the street and Atronia, concerned for her friend, turned back to him and put a hand on his arm. He seemed to be debating something in his own head.
"Leo? Are you okay?" she asked, trying to meet his gaze. His deep blue eyes were nervous and fidgeting until they met hers. When that happened, Atronia's stomach did a summersault and she inhaled sharply. He glanced away, grinning slightly. His inward debate had ended.
"Come with me." he murmured, grabbing her hand and pulling her in his direction.
"What? Where are we going?" she exclaimed as they turned a corner into a docked area. Small waves lapped up against the channel walls, causing drops of water to spray onto the top of Atronia's feet. Leonardo went onto the wooden dock and climbed into a gondola. The assassin smiled warily, looking around for guards.
"Don't worry, Auditore. I rented this boat, I promise." he said, grinning and stretching a hand for her to take. She took it and stepped into the boat, nearly falling into the water. Leonardo grabbed her waist, pulling her back on with Atronia blushing furiously.
"Careful." he smiled, helping her sit. He moved to the back and grabbed the helm. He began to paddle into the channel. Atronia gave him a confused glance, perplexed at the sudden change in plans. After a few minutes, they came into an opening where they could see the sky. Fireworks of green, blue and red exploded above their heads. Leonardo found his seat across from Atronia.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he murmured, staring into the sky then at his friend.
"Sí, it is." she smiled at him, still recovering from her near fall getting into the boat. The friends realized they had formed a real bond over the past few years, one that Leo had noticed much more than Atronia had. There was still a silence between the two, but it was no longer awkward or tense. The rest of the tension slipped away when Leonardo said what he said next.
"Atronia, I need to get something off of my chest that I've been holding onto for a very long time." Atronia looked at him, he seemed excited. Of course, that's who Leonardo was, but there was a kind of nervousness in his tone, "I-" he hesitated once more, "I think… I love you."
Atronia's side smile turned into an expression of awe and amazement. A particularly loud firework exploded over their heads, Atronia's mind exploded with it. After all this time, after all these years of loving Leonardo Da Vinci, she finds he feels the same way. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words escaped it. Her vocal chords quit functioning and she simply stared at him, but they were friends, he knew what she was thinking. She could hear her own heart pounding in her chest. He moved his hands forward to take off her mask, tilted her head up and leaned forward, letting his soft lips press against her own.
For a brief second, Atronia was surprised she was letting this happen, but her love for Leonardo overcame all doubts. Any nervous flutters in her stomach or brain simply vanished. Everything around them became silent, even the fireworks became muffled noises in the background. It was just the two old friends becoming more than just friends. All thoughts of anything else slipped away when Leo pulled her closer, one of his hands caressing her cheek. He ran his fingers through her hair as they let go. For a moment they sat there, staring into each other's eyes. It took a moment, but Leonardo finally spoke up.
"You were saying?"
"I do too." Atronia replied, smiling at him.
It was the perfect scene as the two laughed and talked in the channel on their gondola. He hadn't seen all of it, but it was the scene Ezio himself had witnessed. He watched from behind a pillar on the streets not too far from where they sat. He grinned slightly, chuckling to himself. Turning around and letting them have their privacy, he walked away while mumbling a single word, "Finally."
AAAAH GUYS! I've been so eager for this chapter that I wrote it faster than I've wrote any other chapters. I hope I edited it okay and all… I hope most of you have stayed too, things are gonna get a little more mysterious. I've been really stalling to finish this chapter but with some pushing from a friend, I've finally finished it. My next chapter will come soon most likely. As we're reaching the climax of the story, it will be getting much more fun to write! Anyway, leave comments and reviews and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next chapter and thanks for reading! - melvick462