Her Mother came to visit her again, but instead of waking her up and speaking to her, she sat by her bedside, with her hand on her forehead and singing a soft lullaby to her.

"Madre." She had wanted to talk to her, but her Mother would shake her head slowly and keep singing.

Then she bent her head and kissed her forehead whispering for her to take rest and get better. A week later, Claudia was able to sit properly and even walk a few steps without feeling as if her leg was going to burst into pain.

Her Mother brought in a bowl of soup for her and raised the spoon to her lips.

"I can eat myself." Claudia said and pushed away the spoon. She still wasn't hungry but remembering her promise to Machiavelli to get better, she had tried to eat and get better quickly. But anything she put in her mouth tasted like mud.

Her Mother frowned. "You think I haven't noticed you dumping food?"

"I was…" Claudia tried thinking of an excuse and couldn't. "I'm not hungry."

"You know you have to get better and you can't if you don't eat."

"That's what Machiavelli says too." Claudia shifted in her breath and winced when she accidentally used her bruised wrist. The bruise had turned into a sickly greenish-yellow, but it still ached.

Her Mother put down the bowl of soup and sat down on the bed beside her. She put her hand on Claudia's hair and smoothed it. "I was so worried when I heard you had disappeared."

Claudia took her Mother's hand in hers. "I am fine now."

"I thought I had lost you too." Her Mother's lips trembled. "I can't lose you. You're all I have."

Claudia put her arms around her Mother. "Nothing is going to happen to me. I am stronger than I look."

"Those were the words I told you myself." Her Mother said, drawing back and wiping her tears.

"I am your daughter after all." Claudia said.

Her Mother smiled sadly. "Claudia, I must ask you something and you must tell me the truth."

"Of course." Claudia said.

"When you were held captive, how badly were you…" Her Mother hesitated and then leaned closer to whisper. "Were you…did he…"

Claudia squeezed her Mother's hand. "No!" she pushed back her sleeves and showed her the bruises and then the cuts on her back. "I fought back and then was punished for it."

Her Mother hugged her again and wept softly. "You've been through so much on your own and we were all sitting here and doing nothing."

"She is brave." Her Uncle said coming in.

Her Mother quickly wiped her tears and adjusted her dress. "Mario, you're here."

"How are you feeling?" Uncle Mario asked.

"Better." She said. Behind him, Antonio, La Volpe and Machiavelli walked in.

"That is a relief to hear." Antonio said. While everyone circled around her, Machiavelli went over to stand by the window, looking out and lost in his thoughts.

"So tell us everything." La Volpe said. "It was the Borgia who took you?"

Claudia nodded and then told them the whole story while trying not to put forward how scared she had been through the whole ordeal and how she had started to give up on the Assassins ever coming for her. That part she would have to leave out but only for Machiavelli's sake. He looked guilty as it is without her telling him how she had lost hope in him of ever finding her.

"So you were in Roma then." La Volpe said.

"Il Vaticano." Machiavelli corrected. "Rodrigo is Pope now."

La Volpe scowled at him. "Whatever. And what did he want with the Apple?"

"That clearly matters little now since he has the Apple in his possession now." Machiavelli replied, looking irked.

"What?" La Volpe and Antonio said in unison.

"Savonarola was excommunicated and then executed." Machiavelli said, still looking out the window. "Rodrigo stole the Apple from him."

"And how do you know this?" La Volpe asked suspiciously.

Machiavelli did turn to face him then, his expression stormy. "Are you going to throw accusations at me how about I overthrew the Medici again?"

"I was wrong about that, but…"

"But this time you have concocted another ridiculous theory that we have no time to dwell on." Machiavelli said sardonically. "We are here at MY house, to discuss the next step to take."

La Volpe slithered back and stayed silent.

"We must head to Roma." Uncle Mario said. "The Borgia have no doubt spread their tyranny there. If we can destroy their rule, we can destroy them."

"How?" Claudia asked.

"Not you, piccina." Her Uncle said. "You have to heal first."

"I am much better and ready to fight." Claudia said.

"But you're not strong enough yet." Machiavelli said. "You need to train and gain your strength back."

"Then I shall. But I have no armor anymore. They took it all."

Her Uncle grinned then." Even though we cannot replace that for you, we have a surprise for you." Her Mother got up and hurried out the room. When she came back, she had a large package in her hands.

"It doesn't have the same sentimental values as the other one." Her Mother said, unwrapping the package. "But this is something that you earned."

She pulled out a black hooded outfit with a metallic chest guard and belt with the Assassin insignia on it. "The boots and sword are downstairs."

Claudia inspected the robes and then gasped. "Altair's robes?"

"You found all the seals and the gate opened. Leonardo sent them and Machiavelli had one in his possession." Uncle Mario said excitedly.

"We'll have to make some alterations for you, though." Her Mother said.

Claudia held up the outfit and winced when her wrist throbbed with the weight of the outfit. She put it down and hoped no one had noticed her tiny gasp of pain, but apparently they had.

"Don't worry." Uncle Mario said. "As soon as you start training, you will be able to carry a whole horse in your arms."

Her Mother burst out laughing. "Mario, you exaggerate too much."

"It is true." Uncle Mario said. "We will make our Claudia that strong."

Claudia laughed at them and when she turned to Machiavelli, she saw him leaving the room in silence.

Three days later, when she was finally able to walk downstairs without any pain, she made her way to the tiny enclosure to meet with her Uncle who was talking to a broad-shouldered man wearing a sleeveless shirt that showcase his bulging muscles. He had a headband around his forehead and was holding a rather large axe in his hand.

"Claudia." Uncle Mario said. "Meet Borso. I have asked him to help you train."

Claudia smiled politely at the large man and then considered telling her Uncle that she would rather have Machiavelli train her. And then she hesitated. Machiavelli had been avoiding her these past days and barely even looked at her. He would come late at nights and leave early in the morning.

She would only know when he had come when his housekeeper told her. It was work, she had been told. He had been given an important position in the office that took up all his time. But she wondered if there was another reason for him to keep away as well.

She had decided last night to stay awake no matter how late, to wait for him. But as the hours passed, her eyes had closed and she had drifted off. When she opened them, an hour later, she had heard a few voices and rushed downstairs as fast as her aching leg would let her.

When she reached the last stair and peeked inside the room, she had seen Machiavelli, but he was with four other men and they were all discussing work. Claudia had regardless, wanted to go in and ask him th reason for his odd behavior, but creating a scene in front of his colleagues didn't seem like a good idea.

So she had crept upstairs again and waited, only instead of hearing him coming upstairs, she had heard the front door slam shut. Rushing to the window, she had seen him walk out with his colleagues and then he had turned to look back and seen an expression of regret on his face. Then he was gone.

"So we shall begin?" Borso asked her.

Her Uncle took his leave and Claudia stared at the sword he was handing over to her. She did want to get start practicing again even if it meant her trainer would not be Machiavelli. She took the sword and walked into the small ring.

"Do not worry Madonna, I will go easy on you." Borso grinned.

Claudia couldn't help but smile back at him. Despite his heavy built, Borso had a rather friendly face and when he smiled, he looked almost boyish, although she guessed he looked about her age.

He started to attack and Claudia easily deflected it and then cried out in pain as the movement caused her wrist to throb.

"Did I hurt you?" Borso asked worriedly.

"No, I just…I don't know what happened."

"Maybe we shouldn't train today."

Claudia clenched her jaw. "No, I am fine. Let us continue."

Borso looked reluctant, but he continued with the training and by the end of an hour, Claudia had to grab the rope of the makeshift ring to catch her breath.

"That took a lot out of you." Borso remarked.

Claudia could hear her heart beating soundly in her ears. "I'll do better tomorrow."

"I'm sure you will." Borso said. "You are recovering from your injuries, yet you had me feel as if I was the one who was ill."

Claudia laughed at that. "You flatter me." She said clutching her stomach tenderly. Laughing still hurt the nearly healed wound in her stomach.

"It is the truth!" Borso exclaimed. "I thought I would collapse the way you had me running around. Or lose my head the way you were swinging the sword."

"Well you better watch out then." Claudia laughed. "Get a helmet for your head tomorrow."

"I'll encase my whole body in metal!" Borso joked.

Claudia couldn't help but laugh harder at his witticisms. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed hard or even laughed for that matter. And then she did. It had been that night in Venice when Machiavelli had shown her other modes of distracting the guards and then he had kissed her in a bank.

Claudia felt herself glowing at the memory and then felt her face getting warmer. How long ago had that been? Now it seemed like a dream, so surreal. She turned back to the house and gasped when she saw Machiavelli standing by the door with a bundle of papers in his hands. He looked almost furious and then disappointed.

She headed towards him, but he turned away sharply and walked away in a huff.

"Is something the matter?" Borso asked.

Claudia contemplated going after him and then thought that it was better to wait for him and have a discussion at home rather than on the streets.

"No." she said. "Let us go another round."

"But you look tired and your Uncle specifically said to train for only one hour a day."

Claudia picked up her sword and readied it. "I'll let you know when I'm done." She said and struck his axe with her sword.