Two days later when Ezio made his way to destroy the last Borgia tower, he kept his concentration only on killing off his enemies. He tried not to think of Claudia and how she had betrayed not only him but their whole family. He could bear the fact that she was plotting with Cesare, but to marry him? A Templar?
Ezio used the surge of rage to enter through the gates and kill the two guards standing with his hidden blades. He didn't spare a glance at them as they fell lifeless to the ground. There were still several guards inside but instead of turning back or calling on his recruits, he removed his sword and prepared for battle.
He would never trust anyone ever again. If his sister could betray him then so could anyone else. It was better this way- to be alone and only depend on himself.
Three guards rushed over to him, crying out for others to join him. Ezio swung his sword and slashed the nearest guard. The guard clutched his chest and fell to the ground as blood spluttered everywhere. Ezio was only vaguely aware that some of the blood had stained his white robes.
He was glad he had told no one of his plans. Another guard came forward and received the same treatment with his sword. Then ducking the third guard's attack, he bent and plunged his sword into the guard's stomach.
If Claudia could break his trust then no one in the Order could be trusted entirely. There were probably more traitors in amongst them. La Volpe, Machiavelli, Caterina…any one of them was capable of stabbing him in the back.
Four brutes charged at him with their axes raised. Ezio tossed a smoke bomb at them and while they coughed and complained of their watering eyes, Ezio moved in the center and finished them off with his hidden blades.
His blades were not stained and dripping with blood, but Ezio decided that he would kill each and every one of his enemies today. None of them would be spared. He looked up and saw the Borgia captain pacing the top of the tower.
Ezio made his way to the tower and quickly scaled it, not thinking about how his limbs ached from making such high jumps or the fact that there were still guards below him calling for reinforcements. He wanted them to call more guards…he wanted to kill them all until the pain in his chest abated.
Once he reached the top, he jumped in, startling the guard inside.
"Che cazzo!" The guard said and before he could remove his sword, Ezio plucked the matches from his pocket and lit them. The Captain's eyes widened and he screamed when Ezio tossed it on the barrels of gun powder. Then he quickly spun around and jumped into a haystack below.
The captain's screams grew louder as he was burned alive. Then there was a loud explosion and the top of the tower crumbled down. Ezio spotted a guard coming towards him and grabbed him, throwing him towards the tower that was falling apart.
Part of the roof fell on the guard, killing him instantly and Ezio charged ahead, looking for more guards to kill. They weren't just Cesare's men anymore. They belonged to his sister too.
The door to the captain's quarters burst open and Leonardo peeked out. Ezio saw the frightened look on his friend as he studied his bloodied appearance.
"Ezio?" Leonardo asked, his voice trembling. "What is going on?"
His friend's haggard appearance made Ezio stop and realize he hadn't even checked to see if any innocents were nearby. He turned to look at the carnage behind him and then down at his clothes which was stained with blood.
"Leonardo, you were here?" Ezio felt his throat clench when he recalled the way he had ruthlessly slaughtered the guards behind him. What had he become?
"Si, I was working and…" Leonardo opened the door wider. "Are you alright?"
"No." Ezio replied and then came to him. "We have to leave. Now. I am taking you with me and I'll not take no for an answer. If those stronzi follow us I'll kill them all!"
"Ezio…but…" Leonardo started to say, but Ezio found his rage returning. He was done losing out to the Borgia. He grabbed the artist's arm and dragged him out.
"We are leaving right now. Get up on the horse." Ezio ordered.
"If you will just listen to me." Leonardo pleaded. "What has gotten into you Ezio?"
Ezio pulled on the reins of the horse and then pushed Leonardo towards it. "Get on the horse now, Leonardo. I am getting you out of here. You will no longer be a prisoner of the Borgia."
"But that's just the thing." Leonardo said, even as Ezio put his hands around his friend's waist and raised him. Leonardo got up on the horse and sighed. "They've let me go, Ezio."
"What do you mean?" Ezio asked, whistling for his own horse.
Leonardo scratched the back of his head and grinned. "I made sure the war machines wouldn't work." He said. "Each one of them had a design flaw that prevented them from working properly. Rodrigo hurled insults at me and called me a pathetic artist with foolish dreams of becoming an inventor. Then he let me go."
"Then why didn't you come to me?" Ezio asked, getting up on his horse.
"Rodrigo came to me just last night. I came here to collect my plans so another architect wouldn't see what I had done and rectify the mistakes." Leonardo said. "Then Cesare came to see me and asked me to attend his sister's wedding in five days."
Ezio froze. "Lucrezia's wedding? Cesare invited you?"
Leonardo shrugged and tried to pull his horse into attention as the animal bent his head to graze. "He was very amicable to me as well. After all that I heard of him, I was surprised he was asking me to come. Apparently he knew that I was friends with Lucrezia and he said his sister would like it if I was there."
Ezio swallowed the lump in his throat. So Lucrezia was getting married. Well, if that was what she wanted, then who was he to stand in her way?
"The Borgia surprise me every day." Leonardo said. "I never thought Cesare would ever speak to me kindly."
"He murdered my uncle." Ezio reminded him. "He's responsible for destroying Monteriggioni. Let us not speak highly of such a despicable man, Leonardo."
They started to ride the horses in a slow gallop so that they were side by side and able to speak.
"I am not." Leonardo said, guiltily. "I was merely surprised considering what I have heard of them both." He clutched his pocket suddenly and then breathed with relief.
"What is it?" Ezio asked.
"The plans." Leonardo said. "I was checking to see if I had them. So, did you kill Juan Borgia?"
Ezio stared ahead and clenched his jaw. "No. I got distracted." Then an idea hit him. "He will be present at the wedding, will he not?"
Leonardo shrugged. "I suppose. The whole family will be attending including the nobles and…er..I haven't decided whether or not to go."
"We will go." Ezio said, an idea forming in his mind.
"We?" Leonardo asked.
"I'm going to get back everything the Borgia took from me." Ezio said, determinedly. "First I'm going to kill Juan Borgia and then reclaim the Apple. It has to be somewhere in the Castello."
*/*/*/*/*/*
For two days, Claudia refused to budge from her spot near the window. The cold air was merciless against her exposed skin, but she wouldn't wear the gowns Cesare had sent her, nor eat the food she was served or sleep on his bed.
Fortunately, it had rained for two days in a row, allowing her to quench her thirst by cupping her hands and drinking rainwater. It had tasted sweet and for a brief second she would forget all about the fateful night when she had been branded as a traitor. Ezio's look of utter heartbreak and disgust still haunted her dreams.
Then she would begin to cry and the sweetness in her mouth would turn bitter with her own tears.
Cesare had not come into the room for two days and though she had never asked, the lone servant in the room informed her that Cesare had gone away for work. Claudia was glad to be rid of him. The more she stayed in her presence, the more she would break down and right now she had to stay strong and find a way to get to her uncle.
On the third day, when she woke up early in the morning, she heard the sounds of clanging metal. At first her groggy mind made her imagine Ezio coming to free her from Cesare's clutches, but when she hurried to the window and looked down, her illusion was cruelly shattered.
Cesare had returned and he was practicing his sword fighting skills with one of the guards. He had discarded his red silk coat and Claudia realized that it was the first time she had seen him in a simple white undershirt. Even when he was pretending to be a commoner in Monteriggioni, he hadn't been dressed so simple.
He had even tied his long hair back with a golden ribbon, displaying the angular curves of his face. Claudia shivered in the early morning cold air as she saw Cesare quickly overpower the guard. Tossing away the guard's weapon, she saw him grin.
"Get the next one." He commanded.
A guard in a heavy suit came rushing over and took his position before him with his axe raised. Cesare came forward, kicked the heavy built guard in the knee and then knocked him on the head with his elbow. Then when the guard was lying on the ground, Cesare put his blade at his throat.
"Get up and try again." He said.
Claudia wished the guard would bring down his axe on Cesare's head. She started to turn away, when Cesare suddenly looked up and saw her. Putting up a hand to stop the guard, he sheathed his sword and smiled at her.
Claudia frowned heavily at him and walked back into the room. She sat down on the carpeted floor and hugged her knees. She hated him. She would always hate him.
She waited for the sounds of metal against metal to continue, but when she heard the bedroom door open, instead, she felt her heart still.
"Claudia?" Cesare said, coming in. He closed the door behind him and then walked forward. "Why are you hiding here?"
Claudia turned her head away and she heard Cesare sigh.
"Buongiorno Claudia. Aren't you going to wish your husband the same?" He grinned.
Claudia hugged her knees tighter and avoided looking at him, even when he came to stand right before her. She saw him notice the dozens of gowns laid out on the bed.
"When are you going to let go of your stubbornness?" He said. "It's cold outside and you're dressed in so little. I've ordered the warmest and most expensive gowns for you." He reached out to pick one. "This color would suit you well. It's identical to the one you were wearing the first time we met."
Claudia looked up at the rich purple dress he was holding up and then glared at him. "Gina had given me that dress. You remember her, my best friend whom you had killed."
Cesare dropped his gaze and put the gown back down. "I didn't ask her to be killed. It was a misunderstanding. My men weren't supposed to kill her."
"But they did." Claudia said. "She was my confidant and I my companion through all the lonely years I spent in Monteriggioni. In Roma, I thought I could finally live with my family in peace. But you had to take that away too, didn't you? You turned my own brother against me."
Cesare walked over to the small table which was laden with dishes she refused to eat. "You're not eating either?"
"I refuse to." She said.
Cesare turned to the servant and snapped his fingers. The servant left the room and returned moments later with a large package in brown paper, tied with a string. Cesare took it and came to her.
"Here." He said.
Claudia looked at it and then away.
"It's not a gift. These are yours." Cesare said.
Claudia looked at the package curiously and then took it with shivering hands. She tore open the brown paper and found three dresses folded inside.
"These are mine." She said, removing a pale pink dress her mother had gifted her for her birthday.
"Since you refuse to dress yourself in the clothes I provide, I had my men steal your clothes." Cesare said. "Now can you dress yourself in something more appropriate? You're clearly freezing."
Claudia took the clothes and put the package beside her.
Cesare sighed and then sat down on the floor across from her. "Should I build you a small kitchen as well so you can cook your own food? Or will you let go of your pride a little and eat the food my cooks have prepared?"
When she still didn't respond, Cesare pushed closer. "I promise you they are not Templars. Or would you like fruit? They don't grow on Templar trees."
Claudia bit down hard on her smile. Cesare was being obnoxious but his kind voice was reminding her of the way he had been with her when they had met. She couldn't allow herself to feel for him after everything he had done.
"You know you can't survive only on rainwater." Cesare said and got up. He went over to the desk and poured a glass of water and picked an apple from the fruit bowl.
Claudia looked up at him and he offered her the fruit and water.
"I know what you've been doing for two days. And that is…nothing." Cesare said.
Claudia took the apple and water from him and then turned to look out the window.
"You'll be happy to know that Ezio finally succeeded in destroying that last of our towers yesterday." Cesare said, sitting down on his desk to look for something in his drawers.
Claudia bit into the apple and felt her appetite return. She smiled widely and wished she was with Ezio when he had brought down the tower.
Cesare glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. He took out a small book and then closed the drawer. "I see that piece of news has brought you some happiness."
"I can't wait to see what he does next." Claudia said, eating her apple.
"I'm afraid your happiness will be short-lived." Cesare told her as he traced a finger on the book cover before opening it. "We will be erecting more towers."
"And they will be brought down to." Claudia said. "The Assassins will win this battle. You can't blackmail them all, Cesare."
Cesare paused and then gave her a hurtful glance. He straightened and then went back to reading the book. "Lucrezia is getting married in two days." He said. "I would invite you…"
"But I'm your dirty little secret." Claudia said, tossing the apple core out the window. She hoped it landed on one of the guard's head.
"Are you always going to speak to me in that condescending tone?" Cesare asked, closing the book and returning it to the drawer. "And here I was going to do something nice for you."
"I can't wait to find out what you're going to do to me next." Claudia said dryly and drank the water thirstily.
"I was going to let you see someone." He said. "I invited one of your family friends for my sister's wedding. As a wedding present, he decided to paint a portrait for my sister. It is almost complete and for the finishing touches I've asked him to stay here for a few days."
Claudia blinked at him. Family friend? The only one she knew about had been Uberto- her father's closest friend who had betrayed him.
"I don't want to see anyone." Claudia said, stubbornly.
"I'm giving you fifteen minutes to bathe and dress." Cesare said. "Trust me, you do want to see him."
Cesare walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. The servant came to her with a basin of water and towels. Claudia looked at him and then at the door. Who could it be?
She dipped the towel in the warm water and proceeded to clean herself. The servant lay down the basin on a table and left the room. Claudia bit her lip and looked at the door, hoping Cesare wouldn't enter.
Then she started to undress and quickly washed herself. When she was done, she picked up the pale pink gown and wore it. She had just started to braid her hair, when the door opened and Cesare entered.
Claudia clamped down on her gasp and looked into the mirror as she braided her hair.
"Finally." Cesare said. "Now let us go. We can't be seen just yet by anyone else here."
Claudia scoffed, but walked towards him with her head held high. Cesare started to take her arm but she moved away.
"You can eat your breakfast with him." Cesare said. "I shall be gone for a few hours to prepare for the wedding."
"I don't care if you ever come back." Claudia retorted.
That just made Cesare smile and Claudia wished she knew how his weaknesses so she could exploit them. They went along an empty passage and she wondered if Cesare had distracted the guards so that she could pass through. She was wondering if perhaps she should make her presence known to Rodrigo, when Cesare spoke.
"Here we are." He opened a large door to one of the rooms along the passage and ushered her in.
Before her, Claudia saw a man standing by a desk and reading from the parchments strewn across. He then picked up a paintbrush and walked over to the easel set in the corner of the room.
She blinked when she saw the blonde man in a red beret and matching cape. He did seem familiar, although she couldn't quite place where she had seen him before.
"Leonardo, I would like you to meet my wife." Cesare introduced.
The man turned around and paused with a paintbrush in his hand. When he looked at her, she saw his eyes widen.
"Claudia? Claudia Auditore?" He said and came forward. Then he looked at Cesare. "Did you say, your wife?"
Cesare put an arm around Claudia's shoulder and leaned to kiss her cheek. Claudia shirked away and moved to take Leonardo's hands.
"I am Claudia Auditore." She said.
The older man smiled. "You don't remember me, do you? I'm Leonardo. Leonardo da Vinci."