Chapter Twenty-four

Night of the Hunter

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Monteriggioni - 1479

Leaning over the wooden rail of the ship, she stared into the ocean. It was peaceful and calm for the first month, and it was now nearing the second month. Most of the sailors left her alone, but there were the few exceptions. Aldo, Captain Izzo, and another man named Giovanni were the usual costumers to her small talk and small quips of laughs came from her mouth every now and again. She leaned forward more, watching the fish breach the top of the cold water, and then soon bob back under. It felt almost natural for her to be watching them, like she was at peace with all this.

That's when her heart fluttered in her chest, and her breathing labored for just a few moments. Her eyes drooped and she closed them, feeling the cool breeze on her skin. It was nice, not having to worry about Ezio, Claudia, Maria, or Mario. When she opened her eyes, she felt tired. It had to be the middle of the day since the sun was already a bit past the mid-sky mark, and the sailors were lounging around.

"Are you thinking of something Senora?" At first, Arianna didn't reply since she was in deep thought, "or someone perhaps?" Arianna's head snapped up and looked at the tall man next to her, Aldo. He was leaning against the railing as well; however, he wasn't looking towards the water. He was looking towards her, curiosity swimming in his eyes.

"I'm thinking about home...and yes; all the people that are there as well." Aldo didn't answer back, but instead turned towards the water and watched as it splashed the side with gusto as the ship moved skillfully through the water's barriers. For a moment, Arianna was wondering what he was thinking about and then mentally smacked herself. It wasn't any of her business what he was thinking about. While she was scolding herself, Aldo glanced at her and cracked a small smile.

"You remind me of someone I left back home."

That caught her attention, "Who did you leave back at home?" the look on his face told her he didn't want to talk about it, "If you don't mind me asking." It was silent for minutes, but it felt like hours. He was staring straight into the horizon and pointed towards it finally.

"I lived in Roma. There are a many great inner wars going on there, and I wasn't strong enough," Arianna watched his expression change into remorse, "I left my wife and two children back there. I told them I was returning in five years time." She didn't know what to say to him. Did he think she was going to berate him possibly? Judge him?

"I lived in Fiorentina all my life, and lived a normal life. Just this last year our life, my family's, turned into the horrible. I've learned many things about my life, and about myself," Arianna stopped herself and smiled kindly towards the horizon as well, "I left many people back home."

It was quiet.
There were murmurs behind the two, and the occasional swearing of the crew. It was mostly the waves that filled their ears and the smell of the salt that drifted into their noses.

"I know that feeling," Arianna started again, "you feel like you've failed them, like you were a coward for doing what you were doing. If you believe that you're stupid." She watched his face turn.

"What?"

"If you believe that you're stupid," Arianna repeated again, "You're going away to get stronger for them. You're not here because you want to be here, but because you have to. Your wife and your children will understand this; they might be hurt and scared, but if they love you, they'll understand." She explained it to him while her gaze drifted towards the surf of the water.

That's where the conversation stopped. Aldo looked in deep thought for a while, but he finally left after about ten minutes or so. He was quiet for the rest of the day, even at dinner. While everyone else was drinking and slurring, dancing and playing cards, he sat in the corner of the lower deck. He scratched his light beard that had been growing and thought.

"What did you say to Aldo, Senora?" Arianna was eating her slop, as she liked to call it, when someone asked her that. She didn't look up because she knew it was Aldo's friend from the first day, the shorter man that she didn't bother catching the name of. She pushed a hair behind her ear and dapped her mouth with a napkin.

"Nothing of importance." She didn't look the man in the eyes. Truth be told, he scared her in more ways than one. She usually stuck to her cabin and only ate in there, but tonight she felt like doing something different; perhaps that was a mistake.

"He's clearly not himself," he swung a leg over the bench she was sitting on and moved her dishes away from her, "clearly you've said something to him. Or maybe you did something to him." He cracked a dirty smirk. Arianna knew what he was implying at, but didn't let it bother her. It was his aim, and her aim was to make him regret being a jerk.

"For your information," she started loudly which cut down the dinner chatter, "me and Aldo were having a discussion about family and what it means to us. Nothing dirty or disgusting as what you're hinting at." The whole time she talked, she didn't look at him and held her head high.

"Well, look-y here," he cracked, "a virgin." It wasn't the comment that had her embarrassed, it was the way he said it, or more like the way he spat it out. She pushed the table away from her and got up from her spot.

"Excuse me gentlemen," she looked at everyone except Aldo and his disrespectful friend, "I'm retiring for the evening." And with that she stalked out of the lower deck, and climbed the steps to the top deck. It was dark out, but the moon was out and it reflected off the water's surface. For the second time today, she leaned against the railing of the ship and glanced into the water. She saw her outline in the water, the moon lighting behind her.

She wanted so much to reach out and run her fingers in the water as she ship sailed passed everything and anything.
It was strange that she was away from everyone she loved for so long, and she'd be away for as long as needed. With that, she leaned back onto the deck and headed for her cabin.

The next day was cooler than the ones before; the wind was more tempered and the clouds were circling above. Arianna looked at the railing hopefully, she wanted nothing more than to stare at the water; however, she lacked the courage to near the rocking ship's railing. Lifting the skirtings of her gown off of the deck, she forced herself to walk (or balance) her way towards the Captain's quarters.

She knocked politely and waited to be instructed to come in.
There was no invitation, so she let out a sigh of regret and glanced towards the small set of stairs leading towards the bow of the ship. If Izzo wasn't in his quarters, he was usually located at the bow.

Arianna carefully manuevered her way up the steps, but not without tripping because of the motion the ship was taking, and managed to spot Izzo at the bow.

"Captain," she cried out loosely, "Captain Izzo!" It caught his attention at least, and he turned around with a cracked smile at her.

"Yes m'dear?"

"Are we expecting a storm?"

"Yes, it seems a thunderstorm has come to greet us," he placed a hand on Arianna's shoulder as she greeted him with a small curtsy, "you should relocate yourself to your quarters untill the storm has passed. On deck is no place for a lady, especially during a storm."
Arianna looked frazzled for a moment and looked at the elderly man.

"I can help with something can't I?"

"Stubborness isn't a quality most men look for in a woman." It was a retort, one that was yelling at her to back down, but instead she took a stubborn step forward and repeated, "I can help."

And yet again, the captain denied, "on deck is no place for a lady, and work on deck certainly isn't either," he clasped a hand over hers and kissed her knuckle, "please, for your sake, relocate yourself down in your quarters untill I come, or I send someone to come, get you."
Arianna weighed the options of granting him the pleasure of seeing her obey him and openly disobeying him, but went with former. She merely grimanced and turned, walked down the steps, and back to her quarters; however, not without throwing a glance towards the darkening skies and waters once more.

When she shut her door, she paced the cabin a few times. The action made her feel more anxious than she was already, and the crack of thunder that was heard more than a few moments later didn't help either.

"Man the decks!" Someone shouted from above her, and it felt like cattle was racing across the deck. Even the ship sloshed to one side as the heaviness weighed in. Not two minutes after the shout was made, there was a million sounds that sounded like something was pelting the wood; rain. There was more thunder, and it even had begun to roll the ship with it.

In the months of being on the ship, she hadn't experienced the rain that sailors whispered about. It had always been sunny and heated, even to the point where one day she stripped down to her under garments and joined the sailors in the waters below. This weather seemed to jump out of no where, and now the lightning had started to show outside.
Arianna bit her thumb nail absently, watching the light flash from underneath the door. The thunder rolled as though it was God's own voice, and the rain raged down in sheets. Aimlessly, she grabbed The Holy Bible that was on her nightstand and began to read it. The weather was distracting, obviously, and Arianna could barely concentrate on the holy book.
She shut it after only reading a few pages and pressed her knees to her chin. She hid her head between them and grasped her ears with the palms of her hands. She hated lightning and thunder, especially the two combining there efforts. She could easily stand the rain, but all of them together? She sometimes wondered if God had something out for her, like a personal vendetta or something along the lines.

She closed her eyes as the water pricked at the corners of her irises. The noise from above was deafening; there were cries and shouts, and the stompings of the sailors. The thunder blared out most noise however, and made the world around her seem numb.

It was a rainy, cold night in Fiorentina. For days, clouds gathered overhead and the skies darkened considerably, and tonight it was going to release the hellish fury down on the town.
There were flashes of lightening and snips of thunder before the rain, itself, had started to pour down onto the villas and chateaus. Everyone was in bed by then, and usually no one awoke due to the weather; it was normal for the Spring season after all. However, Arianna was different. She awoke every night if there was the slightest 'bump' to be heard, and it was no different for the thunder and lightening outside.
It was the lightening that first awoke her, and she stared out the shuttered window before laying her head back down onto the pillow. When the thunder rolled however, she let out a frightened whimper and pulled the heavy sheets over her head. The wind started to howl outside, and the rain lashed at the closed window. Arianna whimpered pathetically, but she tried to hold it in. She bit her lower lip in an attempt to keep them in; sadly, it was all in vain.

She soon found this out when her bedroom door creeped open and there was a silhouette in the door way. The pattering of footsteps drew her out of the covers, and before she knew it someone had slipped into bed with her.

"What's the matter Aria?" it was a low, worriedly whisper, "did you have another bad dream?" She shook her head and let the tears roll down her face. When they tried to brush her hair away from her face, they noticed she had been crying, "hey, hey, don't cry okay? Ora sono qui, mai lasciare solo (I'm here now, I will never leave you alone)."

"Ezio...?"

"Si mi fiore?"

"I'm scared," she clung to his nightshirt in an attempt of comfort, "I don't like this weather." She buried her head into the center of his chest and let out a childish sob. He pet her hair adoringly and clutched back onto her.

"Arianna," he soothed, "Arianna, esso è solo pioggia (it's only rain) and I am here, I will never let anything hurt you, okay?" Arianna nodded her head, and pushed the tears back with her fingers. Ezio interrupted her and ran the pad of his thumb against her cheek bone affectionately and smiled lightly. He kissed the top of her head and enveloped her in an embrace.

"Go back to sleep bambina."

"Will you stay with me?"

"We will see." She could feel him smirking and he kissed her forehead once again and rubbed her back in soothing circles.

"Thank you Ezio." She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of Ezio's heartbeat and the noise of thunder outside her window.

Arianna abruptly looked up as her door slammed open, crashing into the backside of her cabin. Rain poured in, along with the ocean water since the ship was sloshing back and forth. Untangling herself from the bedsheets, and herself, she went towards the door and began to pull it shut. The wind pushed back with more intensity, and pushed Arianna out the door as well. The rain pelted on her back-no, the freezing rain pelted on her back, and matted down her hair. She let out a surprised cry when the ship rocked back, sending her flying onto her backside. She slid back a few yards before the ship rocked forward, sending her the other direction.

When the ship seemingly stopped for a moment, she attempted to stand up right. The end result was her backside getting smashed against the railing, and she made the mistake of looking down into the waters below. The dark water didn't look too inviting as she pushed herself away from the railing, and with little effort she made it back to her room. That was until the ship slammed against a wave, sending her sprawling backwards onto the railing. She cried out once more, and brashly gripped the railing tightly, praying not to be thrown over board.

"Arianna!" Someone grasped her forearm and pulled her into a safe-guarded embrace, "what are you doing out here!" It was an angry voice, an almost worried voice that soothed over her. She didn't look up, only grappled onto the person's strong upper body. She shivered against him and dared to open her eyes. She was confused for a moment when she saw Ezio.

"Ezio?"

The person froze, but instead of answering they pulled her back into her cabin once more and shut the door.

"You're delirious, we need to strip you and warm you up." He turned her around and began to tug at the loose strings and bindings of the dress. Soon the dress slopped onto the floor in a wet puddle of material, and his hands began searching for a way out of her under garments. She made a noise of disapproval and swiveled around.

"If you wanted me out of my under garments, why not just say so Ezio?" She was pouting slightly, and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks; however, this heat felt different.

"It's Aldo, Arianna. I don't know who Ezio is, but we need to warm you up. Help me undress you." It was an awkward statement, one that Arianna didn't fully understand herself. A dumb, 'What?' left her mouth, but she was met with a sharp tug and a sound of a ripped strap of her undershirt. She gasped and crossed her arms across her chest, in a resort to keep some of her dignity. Aldo pushed her back onto her bed and fumbled her finally under garment. When it was removed, he quickly forced her completely nude body under the covers and tucked her in snugly.

"Stay here, and when the storm has passed I will bring the doctor, alright?"

Arianna didn't reply, but instead smiled knowing that Ezio would take care of her.

"How is she doctor?"

"The fever has broken; however, I am worried about the bruising on her back and wrists. It's nothing too serious."

"That's good to hear..."

"Worried for her Aldo?"

"What? No. I mean, we're getting good money for escorting her; that's it."

"Uh huh. She does quite so resemble your wife if memory holds true. All she is missing is the blue eyes and beauty marks."

There was silence. Arianna opened her eyes, blinking back the fuzzy vision before she groaned at the pounding headache. It was like after a night of bad drinking with Federico and Ezio.

"Ah, she awakens. I will leave her in your care Aldo while I make my rounds." Arianna blinked a few more times, and her vision cleared considerably.

"Aldo?" She whispered, though her voice gave way.

"Arianna, do you feel better?" A hand was pressed against her matted hair. She smiled lightly.

"Ah, yes, but I don't... I mean, where-" Arianna looked around the small cabin quarters with a frown on her face. She could've sworn she saw Ezio was here not a few hours before, with her. "I'm guessing you're looking for this Ezio fellow," she snapped her head towards Aldo, "Arianna, he isn't here. You were delirious with fever; what were you going outside in the storm?"

"I went to close my door, it flew open!" Her temper got the better of her since he was scolding her like a father would a daughter, "it isn't my fault you know. Plus, I thought you were ignoring me."

"Mio Dio (My God), I wasn't ignoring you Arianna, why must you react like a spoiled child? I was thinking about what you said, and it was dangerous! You shouldn't have done that..." He grabbed his temples with his index finger and thumb and began rubbing them. His anger simmered down and he sat on the edge of her bed, "I was just worried okay? A ship is..."

"No place for a woman. I've heard that excuse enough for one day." Arianna finished for Aldo as she simply glared at him. He sighed and looked at her with softened eyes, "apparently."

There was an awkward silence for a while until Aldo spoke up, "anyways, I thought I'd wait for you to wake up to tell you that you've been asleep for about three days, and we'll be reaching Venice's port in about a day." Arianna looked at the side of his face, which was turned towards her, and faltered a smidge.

"What happened to your face?" She gingerly laid her fingers on his cheek bone which was black and blue, with a yellowish tint to it.

"I hit Rocco after you left, and he hit me back."

"Why?"

He stood up and stretched his back out, "I was defending your honor?" It was more than a question than a statement, and he gave her a slight smirk as well. She playfully punched his shoulders as she felt a racking cough come from her lower lungs, "looks like I broke you huh?"

"Chiuso il buco del culo pomposa (Shut up you pompous asshole)."

Finally.

She stepped off the ship, her legs weak from being on sea for so long. A couple of sailors were falling instep behind her, carrying both her trunk and her bags. She smiled back at both of them as they carefully dropped her things on the dirt road.

"Grazie mille," She said lightly as she handed both of them some change from her coin purse, "can you tell Aldo to find me in the city later?" They both nodded at her and exchanged good-byes with her as well. When they left, they flipped over the coins and exaimed them closely. She chuckled from the back of her throat and gently tied her coin purse around her wrist.

When she looked around and saw a carriage heading her way, and it stopped for her. She was surprised, trying to get a carriage in Florence was bad enough, but here? They stopped for you; interesting to say the least.

"Do you need to get somewhere Senora?" The driver asked. He was an older gentleman with graying hair and specks of a white goatee, he wore nothing regal or special; it was ordinary clothing. Arianna nodded her head and smiled.

"Do you know where I could stay for a couple days? A boarding house perhaps...?" She grabbed some coins from her purse and handed them to the man. He inspected it for a moment, holding it up to the sky, and biting down on it. After doing so, he smiled cheaply, and Arianna could see the holes in his smile.

"You want to go down to Senora Bene's place then?" Arianna quietly said that she supposed so, and in a matter of minutes the driver had picked up her luggage and loaded it into the back, "it will take an hour or so from here since we're taking the back ways."

"The back ways?"

"The lanes here are too small for a carriage or caravan to get through; horses barely fit in with the crowds of people filtering among the buildings." The driver whipped at the horses, who started up with a whiney before taking off down the broken road. Arianna took a moment to look back at the ship. The Siren's Call, was resting her masts and sailors scurried off and on the boats once more. She let out a sigh and turned right round again.

"May I ask why you're here in Venice Senora?" Arianna was about to answer when she was sharply cut off again, "you're too young to be a spinster, and too old to become elligable for status; what say you?"

"I'm visiting family friends; my father recently passed away and I've come to live with them for a few months." She lied. He looked at her with an upturned brow.

"Then why aren't you staying with them?"

Her heartbeat quickened, "they recently had some medical and social problems. They didn't want me in the house until it was fixed." The driver looked at her suspiciously, but shook it off with a hearty 'alright'. He whipped the horses once more before they started galloping down the road once more.

Ezio rode into Monteriggionni. He was tired and slightly injured from a fight with city guards before he fled the city once more. A smile was upturned on his lips when he rode passed the blacksmiths and the doctors small shop that was recently set up. When he reached the steps of the Villa, Ezio prompty hopped off the horses and took the steps two at a time. However, when he reached the top of the steps he was greeted by a smiling Claudia; he for one was expecting someone else, but he hugged his dear sister back with no effort.

"Claudia! You've grown in the few months I've been gone." Ezio teased slightly as he pushed her back by her shoulders to give her a scolding glance. Claudia's smile was knocked off her face and replaced by a frown, and then she hit him playfully.

"I haven't seen you in three months and that's all I get?"

"It's been three months has it?" Ezio repeated, thinking deeply for a second, "have I missed your birthday?" Claudia crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head, looking a little off.

"You should go see Mama, she'll be happy to see you back in one piece." Claudia smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes this time. Ezio looked suspicious at her, but then again he was gone for three months, and brushed it off as nothing. He nodded his head jovially and bounded up the steps in the villa to reach his mother's room. When he reached the room, he pulled his hand into a fist and rapped on the door softly, "Mama?"

The door burst open and Maria stood there with sorrowful eyes, but also happy eyes, "Oh my Ezio!" She took him into her arms and kissed both of his cheeks, "how good it is to see you in one piece!" When she pulled back to inspect him, he noticed her suddenly greying hair and pale skin. Not only that but she looked thin, to the point to illness, and the bags under her eyes were dark and ominious.

"Are you well Mama?"

"Yes child, why do you ask?" She looked up at him, the spark gone from her eyes. Ezio shook his head, smiled, and said it was nothing. Maria pulled him into a hug once more and squeezed him, "write a letter when you'll be gone that long again, do you hear me Ezio? I was scared for a while, I didn't know it you were harmed or..."

"Shush Mama, I'm well." He glanced around the room and placed something in her hands; soft, silken feathers. She grasped them in her hands and looked down at them shamefully.

"Are these...?" Her voice cracked and she pulled them up to her face, tears swelling down her cheeks.

"Si Mama," he pulled her into a tighter hug, "per favore non piangere (please don't cry)." He wiped the tears away from his mothers face and she sniffled.

"I miss them Ezio, all of them."

"I do as well Mama..." he looked around at the hallway, "where is Arianna? I expected her to jump me when I arrived." Maria froze and wiped the lasting tears away from her cheeks and hurried back into her room.

"She.. she left Ezio," she rustled around in a box and handed him a vanilla letter, "she told Claudia to give this to you, but Claudia had spilt something on it..."

"She left!" Ezio yelled, almost ripping the letter from his mother's hands. He sat down on her bed and opened the waxed closed letter. His eyes scanned over the letter before he threw it down on the floor, "quella ragazza stupida! si è tenuto a farsi male, o peggio! (That stupid girl! She is bound to get hurt, or worse!)" Maria looked at her son and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Ezio..." she started.

"No, no Mama! I am not chasing her around; I will not lift a finger for her anymore!"

"Ezio, you're mad it's understandable, but please... she only wants to-"

"She only wants to do what! Have an adventure? Find happiness? Mama, I can not afford to waste time on the choices she makes... she.. she..." he got up and flung his hand in the air, "I'm going to my room." Before Maria could say anything else, Ezio was out the door and down the hallway. Sighing, Maria sat on the bed; curiousity got the better of her and she picked up the letter and had begun to read it.

Her eyes widened.

Ezio-

I know how angry you must be at me when you discover I'm gone; however, I can, a word was crossed out and in it's place was, I must explain to you. I want answers, and yes I know what you're thinking right about now. Something along the lines of: stupid girl, how could she do this! Something else was crossed out, Maria squinted her eyes to make it out, but alas it was in vain and she continued on, Ezio, we all want revenge, but I can not simply stand around and wait for you. I'm leaving for Venice, and if you ever, something else was scribbled out, want to visit me, just ask around because I'm sure I've made a fool out of myself by the time you get this. And Ezio? Please don't come after me right away, I need some time to myself.

Good bye Ezio.
With all my love,

Arianna.

It wasn't the letter that got Maria though, when she had flipped it over there was another draft of the letter. It was scrambled, unorganized, and scattered.

Ezio-

Please don't be angry, she had scribbled that out and put 'mad' in it's place, I am leaving for Venice, please come and find me as soon as you can. She scratched out that whole sentence, and Maria read on with shocked eyes, Please don't come and find me. I need to do this, scratched out, no I want to do this.

However, it wasn't this that even caught her gaze, it was the three words scribbled in the lower corner of the paper, followed by an unsteady autograph.

I love you.

It was written in beautiful caligraphy, Maria knew it was no joke; had Arianna wanted Ezio to accidently read this? Or had she simply forgotten the sheet on the back? Either way, Maria shoved it into her desk and shoveled piles of papers on top of it.

How has her son been this blind all this time?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: ...

I'm horrible I know. Unforuntately, I was in a car accident early February; it wasn't that serious, but I managed to sustain a severe concussion and spinal trauma, plus a dislocated shoulder. I just got cleared from physical therapy (for my back) and I'm back baby!
Oh and don't worry, everything is healed and as it should be now (I just have trouble sleeping and my back has been killing me!) and it wasn't my fault! I stopped at a red light, and the person behind me was heading 45 miles/per hour down the road and didn't hit the breaks. (She was texting and hadn't notice the red light change.) My baby is totaled and in the shop, but she's paying for all medical and repairs I need, so we're cool.

Anywho, I've been working on this baby as an apology for it being late. I was originally going to post this as three chapters, but combined them all to give you a 5,000+ word chapter. I hope you've enjoyed and I'm already working on the next chapter! Oh, and be my guest to nip pick at stupid errors because someone *cough*ALISTAIR*cough* hasn't read through it yet.

OH AND I MUST SAY CONGRADULATIONS TO NIGHT OF THE HUNTER FOR REACHING 100+ REVIEWS! THANKS GUYS, AND WE'VE PASSED OUR ONE YEAR MARK IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY! Remember to review and favorite ;) Thanks guys!