"Laa shay'a waqi'un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine." Ezio spoke as his nephew approached him, walking up the aisle to where him and Machiavelli stood. Either side of Giovanni were the trainee Assassins, below him in rank. He walked in a stride, almost showing off his new uniform. He nearly felt smug about it, but knew Isotta stood awaiting her turn, wearing the exact same thing.
The hall was dark but rich in colour, draped with tapestries and organised like a royal coronation. With each step, Giovanni felt like a prince, receiving a crown to make him king to rule all he surveyed. In a way, he was. He was receiving the honour of becoming an Assassin, to protect the land and free the people from their repression. He would not let his uncle down.
"The wisdom of our Creed is revealed through these words." He continued, both him and Machiavelli put their hands to their chests as Giovanni did the same, bowing slightly. His stomach did a flip as his uncle reached for the metal prongs, resting in a fire.
"We work in the dark, to serve the light. We are Assassins." Ezio said, holding out the prongs as Giovanni raised his hand, extending his left ring finger.
As the heat came in contact with skin, Giovanni winced, biting his lip. The skin sizzled and burnt, leaving a mark as Ezio put the prongs back. The Master Assassin put a hand on his shoulder.
"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted."
Giovanni bowed and left as an official Assassin. One by one, the trainee Assassins became actual Assassins, all receiving the same speech and same mark as Giovanni.
The newly declared Assassins stood at the rooftops, waiting for the ceremony to finish. As Isotta brought up the rear, there were four of them in total. Machiavelli and Ezio joined them and signalled, one by one, for them to perform the leap of faith.
Giovanni went first, stepping out onto the ledge that overlooked Roma. With a breath, he stretched out his arms and flew, soaring down to the pile of hay below. From that moment on, he would begin his new life to protect and to serve the people.
"I told you we should have left earlier!" Giovanni exclaimed, racing across the countryside to the d'Alviano's household. The sun was setting, creating pink and orange pigments in the blue sky, just before it darkened to black.
"I was tired! And don't you dare say you weren't either, I saw you smile when I said I wanted a nap." Isotta grumbled, pointing as accusing finger.
"Ah, I just smiled because you look so cute when you're tired." Giovanni grinned.
"Shut up." She tried to hide her smile but failed, making Giovanni laugh at her attempt.
Suddenly, they caught sight of an army, approaching their destination.
"They're not Borgia soldiers." Isotta observed, ducking down behind the ruins.
"No. French, I think." Giovanni suggested, joining her.
"Bonjour, général d'Alviano." Their leader said, greeting Bartolomeo as he sat upon a horse, his troops standing behind him. "Êtes-vous prét à vous rendre? (Are you ready to surrender?)"
"What is he saying?" Isotta hissed.
Giovanni shrugged. "I heard 'd'Alviano'."
"Grazie." She rolled her eyes.
"Why don't you come closer and say that?" Bartolomeo roared from behind the gate, waving his precious sword about.
"You must learn how to speak French." The man said on the horse. "It would mask your barbaric sensibilities."
"Perhaps you could teach me," Bartolomeo called. "And I would instruct you in fighting, since you seem to do so little of it!"
"As amusing as this parley has been, I'd like your unconditional surrender before sunrise." The French leader said.
"Hah!" Bartolomeo shouted. "My lady Bianca will whisper it in your ear!"
"I believe another lady might object to that." The Frenchman signalled to his men and Bartolomeo's wife was brought out to view.
"Mio marito vi ammazzerà tutti! (My husband is going to murder all of you!)" Pantasilea spat, squirming in the soldiers grip.
"I'll kill you, fottuto francese(you French fuck)!" Bartolomeo swore, pointing at the Frenchman.
"Calm down, for your wife's sake." Her captor sighed. "You know my terms. Enter my camp unarmed at dawn."
The French army began to leave, just as their leader stopped, calling over his shoulder.
"And practise your French. Soon all of Italie will be speaking it." He said and rode off.
"I wouldn't be so sure." Isotta growled from her hiding spot.
"I will get you pezzo di merda figlio di puttana (you piece of shit son of a bitch)!" Bartolomeo screamed at the army that left the household.
Once the coast was clear, Giovanni and Isotta bolted, racing for the building. As the gates were closed, they climbed them instead.
"Woah! Woah!" Giovanni held up his arms as he was greeted by his uncle aiming a hidden pistol to his head, surrounded by a group of mercenaries.
"Stand down." Sighed Ezio and the mercenaries did as he commanded.
The two Assassins jumped down and joined the Master Assassin as he went after Bartolomeo, heading for the horses.
"That Frenchman, who was he?" Giovanni asked as he almost struggled to keep up with his uncle's purposeful stride.
"His name is Octavian de Valios, general of the French army and a baron. Thanks to Cesare, he tackles us as at the same time as the Borgia." Ezio growled at the mention of Cesare as he pulled himself up onto the nearest horse.
"I thought we had it under control?" Giovanni questioned, jumping up onto another horse as the three Assassins chased down Bartolomeo.
"So did I." Ezio said, half sadly, half angrily.
The four of them burst out of the d'Alviano household and thundered across the countryside. The moon hung low in the sky as they made their way towards the French camp, scattering civilians as they went.
"This is their camp?" Ezio said as they approached a castle like building much like Bartolomeo's home.
"I suppose so." Isotta replied.
As they reached the gate, they stopped, dismounted and followed Bartolomeo as he marched angrily up to it. Beside him, mercenaries stood on guard just in case.
"You steal a man's wife and then go hide inside a fortress?" He shook his fist in fury at the camp. "Nothing hangs between your thighs! In fact, there is a hole there so deep it reaches into the maledetto inferno (fucking underworld)!" A gun shot cracked beside his head, striking the wall next him, but Bartolomeo didn't even flinch.
"What good are you to her dead?" Ezio said from his side. "We will regroup and fight through the gates as we did at the Arsenale."
"The entrance is thicker with Frenchmen than the streets of Paris'" Bartolomeo pointed out.
"So we will climb the battlements."
"They cannot be scaled. Pantasilea would know what to do." Bartolomeo hung his head and paced the ground. "Maybe this is the end. I enter at dawn bearing gifts and hope that coward spares her life."
"Perché non ci pensato prima? (Why didn't I think of it before?)" Ezio exclaimed.
"What did I say?"
"Call your men back to the barracks. I will explain there."
"You better have something good." Bartolomeo turned from Ezio to his mercenaries. "Fall back!"
"Uncle, what is it?" Giovanni asked as they returned to the horses, Bartolomeo and the mercenaries storming back to their home.
"Wait, Giovanni. I'll tell you with the others." Ezio told him, jumping onto one of the horses and racing after Bartolomeo.
Giovanni rolled his eyes and the three Assassins thundered back across the countryside. Whatever Ezio had in mind, he hoped it worked. They only had until sunrise or Pantasilea would die.
They arrived back at the d'Alviano household, opening the door to see Bartolomeo pacing again, swinging his sword anxiously.
"So, you have a plan?" He asked.
"Once inside, your men can overpower the camp's patrols, correct?"
"Yes, but-"
"Especially if the patrols are taken completely by surprise?"
"Ma certo. (Of course.)"
"Then we need to liberate several suits of French armour. At dawn, we are going to walk right in."
"Hah!" Bartolomeo exclaimed, grabbing Ezio's shoulders. "Ezio Auditore you are truly a man after my own heart. Magnifico! (Magnificent)"
"I will get the armour." Ezio promised.
"My troops will gather it from the dead. We will then depart from the north, so as not to arouse suspicion. And Ezio." Bartolomeo called after him as the Master Assassin began to leave. "Make sure to kill them without a fight. The armour has to stay clean."
Ezio nodded and the three Assassins made their way across the city, hunting down the patrolling guards.
"You two, go higher." Ezio commanded as he hid behind a pillar, noting the three guards that marched along.
Isotta and Giovanni climbed up the ruins and perched at the edge, waiting for the signal. As they heard the whistle, almost like an eagle's cry, they flew down onto the guards below, pinning them to the ground. Before the third could even react, Giovanni pierced the guards neck, driving his hidden blade in between the armour.
"Quick, hurry! Before more guards come!" Isotta said as she tugged off the armour from one of the guards, urging Giovanni to do the same.
They kicked the bodies into a nearby hay bale as they made off with the armour. Ezio had already left, the white cloaked figure could be seen taking down two guards at a time.
"Here, we will take those. Go and help Ezio." A mercenary said to the pair and they nodded, passing him the armour as they darted off, hearing the whistle again
Giovanni and Isotta returned to the group of mercenaries as they dressed in the stolen armour, just as Bartolomeo and Ezio joined them.
"Bring me a suit of that perverted armour." Bartolomeo called to one of his men.
"You are not wearing one." Ezio told him. "And neither are you two." He turned to the two Assassins.
"Why not?" Giovanni asked as he put down one of the suits of armour that Isotta had passed to him
"I need you on guard, circling the battlements in case I need you. And besides, a woman in armour would stick out." Ezio said.
Isotta grumbled and put the armour down. It would be so much easier if they had women in army.
"What about me? Why can't I wear one?" Bartolomeo asked.
"It is part of the plan. You surrendered to us. We are bringing you to the Baron."
"Ah, yes. Then what?"
"Your men attack on my signal."
"Bene. Go change into costume. Dawn approaches." Bartolomeo turned to the disguised mercenaries. "Get into formation!"
"You two, go. Keep an eye out and listen closely." Ezio said to them as he left to change.
"Sì, we will." Giovanni nodded and raced away, Isotta by his side.