How is everyone doing? Making it through this pandemic, I hope?
That being said, I really like this chapter. It's not action packed, but it is definitely dramatic (the action will be in the next chapter). I set up a few things with this one that will kind of change some things from the game and will be geared to the actual history of what happened on Easter Sunday in 1478. Also, please leave comments if you want too, feedback is always nice!
With that said, Happy Reading!
Ezio did not hesitate to knock on Leonardo's door before entering with Contessina directly behind him. The shop had not changed since he had been there the last time; maybe a little messier than the last time with papers thrown everywhere. He looked at Contessina who only shrugged as Leonardo came from around the corner.
"Ezio!" The artist was shocked to see the both of them standing there. "You're here! In Firenze. And alive!" Leonardo let his shock dissipate into excitement on seeing his friend for the first time in over a year. The artist went up to Ezio with a broad smile on his face and put his hands on the younger man's arms.
"Look at this place, the past two years have been kind to you." Ezio motioned to the workshop around them seeing all the different inventions and paintings Leonardo had been working on.
"But you are not the same, are you?" Leonardo said backing away from the Assassin with a sad look on his face. "I thought so. And Contessina, how could I forget!" He went over to the blond woman behind Ezio and kissed both her cheeks in greeting. "As lovely as ever." He turned back to Ezio. "It is good to see you both here together."
"Leonardo, do you have parchment and a quill I can borrow?" Contessina asked her friend.
"Si, over there on that table." The artist said pointing to the table in the center of the room. "Take what you need." He smiled at Contessina as she went to the table and sat down to write a letter. Ezio watched her for a moment wondering what she was up too and then turned his attention back to Leonardo.
"I was hoping you could help me with something." The young man pulled two codex pages from the inside of his robes and handed it to Leonardo. "This one is in better shape than the last one and this one has seen better days."
"I see that." The artist unrolled a scroll and looked at the drawings. "This one is quite different from the last, but it looks as though it has the same pattern." Leonardo moved to the table where Contessina was busying herself with the letter. "And this one looks like a diagram of different assassination techniques." The words caught Contessina's attention and she looked up to see Ezio looking down at the scrolls in front of Leonardo.
"What is this?" She asked looking at the second scroll. "It looks like a weapon."
"Can you make it for me?" Ezio asked as he looked down on the designs in front of him.
"If I can hollow it out without destroying the integrity of the blade, it shouldn't take too long. In the meantime, I'll have my assistant set up some dummies in the yard so you can practice these." Leonardo handed Ezio the scroll with the diagrams on it. "Eh! Vincenzo!"
"Are you coming Contessina?" Ezio asked her and she looked up at him with a smile.
"In a moment, I need to finish this." She said before going back to writing. He sat down next to her while there was a commotion in the back of the workshop as Vincenzo came running in.
"Who are you writing to?" He leaned over closer to her to see what she had on the paper, but she shirked away and glared at him. "What?"
"I'm writing to Giuliano." She said hiding the contents of the letter from her husband. "To make sure he goes to church in the morning."
"Oh." He knew it was a complete lie, but he did not pry any further.
"Don't look so disappointed, I have sent you plenty letters during our time apart and you didn't reply to most of them." Contessina said making a jab at Ezio's ego for fun. "I should have told you I was writing to my lover."
"You have a lover?" He smirked knowing she was lying from the blush on her cheeks in response. "What is his name?"
"Wouldn't you like to know." Contessina put the quill down after signing her name at the bottom of the page and then folded it up before stuffing it in the inside of Ezio's doublet.
"Hey, I thought that was for someone else." He said reaching in, but she stopped him.
"It is and you will know who it's for when you see them." She patted his chest where the letter sat and then stood up. "Now, for those assassination techniques." Ezio was not sure what to do with Contessina at that moment because it was a totally different woman than what he had left behind. He had no choice but to stand up and follow her out of the door.
Ezio stood next to Contessina in the yard where Vincenzo had tirelessly climbed up the trellis with the dummy on his back for Ezio. The poor boy worked hard to get the bags of straw and sand up there, while doing a marvelous job. Ezio had to give the boy some praise before he left the couple alone.
Contessina held the scroll open so Ezio could look at the diagrams carefully. One was from a hidden spot, like in a haybale. That was easy enough. The second was from a high position where he would have to jump down without hurting himself and land on his target. That would not be a problem. The third one was hanging from a ledge below the enemy and pulling them down. That could pose a problem.
"Do you want me to instruct you?" Contessina said looking at him from over her shoulder. "Or would you just like for me to watch?" He smiled at her as he looked at his 'targets' and then moved to climb up the trellis first. "I suppose you would like for me to just watch."
He did not say anything as he hung from the ledge beneath the first dummy and reached up to pull it down. There was hardly any resistance, which he knew if it were a real man there would be some, but this would do. The dummy went crashing down headfirst into the ground. Ezio took the opportunity to climb up and run over to the next target which was on the ground standing beneath a balcony. He did not think twice before launching himself down and tackling the dummy with the sound of it giving way to his weight.
"Show off." He heard Contessina say before he moved to the haybale in the corner and dove into it. She was close enough for him to grab and she would not be expecting it at all because of the dummy. "Ezio, the dummy isn't going to kill itself." She said with a bit of sass. He smirked from withing the pile of straw and grabbed her while he could, pulling her in with a screech coming from her mouth. "Ezio! What on Earth!" She said as he held her close with both arms in the hay and he chuckled in her ear.
"I could not help myself. You were a better target than the dummy." He said before she turned over in his arms to where she was facing him. There was nothing said between them as they looked into each other's eyes. Some part of Ezio wanted to push her away, but the majority wanted to kiss her beautiful lips. Her beautiful light blond hair fell around her face like a waterfall even though hay had become tangled within the strands. "Contessina."
Her heart seemed to stop beating when Ezio whispered her name and she could not help but to look directly into his eyes which were full of longing. There was something she had not seen in those golden-brown orbs of his before, at least not that she had noticed. She did not expect him to put his hand on her cheek, but she was caught up in his gaze and it did not register. She was completely unaware of how close her face was to Ezio's and then she felt the urge to close in the distance. When her lips were about to make contact with his, she suddenly felt terrified and blinked.
"I can't do this." Contessina said before climbing off of Ezio and standing up out of the hay bale. She made her way out of the yard to the street before leaning against the wall where Ezio could not see her. Her heart was pounding and so many thoughts were running through her mind that she could not process. She was shaking from what she could only guess was fear, but at the same time she wanted to run back to Ezio and kiss him. It was so confusing.
"Contessina!" She heard him call out her name as he came around the corner. "Contessina?" He had a hurt look in his eyes, but they softened when he saw how she was shaking and confused.
"I... I have to go, Ezio. I can't help you with this next part and I must return." The blond said as she took a deep breath and composed herself. "Give the letter to La Volpe when you meet him. It will explain everything." She said before walking away from him in a daze.
Contessina opened the garden gate and walked in as though she had been in another world it seemed. She slowly went to the bench under the apple tree and sat there in quiet contemplation. She began to pick out the hay that was still embedded in her bright blond locks while processing what had happened within that haystack. She was so close to kissing him, but she panicked like a rabbit.
"There you are." Giuliano's voice interrupted her thoughts as he came to stand over her. "Did you sleep in a haystack last night?" He said picking a piece of the straw out of her hair and tossing it aside.
"No." Contessina said quietly as he sat down next to her on the bench.
"You had us all worried. Where were you?" He asked her.
"Giuliano, I don't know anything about being in love. I don't know what it feels like, what it looks like, or even what it sounds like, but I think I'm in love." Contessina said letting her hands fall into her lap and then she looked at her cousin. "I never wanted to be in love, but I guess it caught up to me." She had tears in her eyes and all of a sudden Giuliano was on his knees in front of her gathering her hands in his.
"He is back in Firenze then?" She nodded in reply. "Contessina, what am I going to do with you?" He pulled her into a hug. For the first time in her life, Contessina was in love with someone and it happened to be the boy she met as a child.
Sneaking about beneath Firenze was something Ezio had never dreamed of doing, but there he was silently walking through the catacombs. He had been born and raised in Firenze, yet he had no idea about the mass network of subterranean tunnels that spanned the city. This was a definite first for him. However, he had not planned for a chase or the outright killing of any guards, but it was expected in his line of work. He had found the meeting spot just in time as he heard the tail end of a prayer being said.
"Bernardo, would you do us the honors." The unmistakable voice of Rodrigo Borgia boomed through the room just as Ezio crouched down to listen through the small vent.
"Of course." The rotund man said before clearing his throat. "I have everything you requested. Swords, staves, knives, and spears. Enough for a battalion to arm themselves." He said motioning to the weapons on the table in front of him. "I assume you have men ready to surround the city?"
"Enough to do the job. No one will leave Firenze once the Medici are dealt with." Rodrigo said confirming a serious plot in place.
"I take it the Pope has given his approval on this matter?" Jacopo asked. Ezio sighed knowing somehow that it always went back to the Pope of all people.
"He has given his blessing as long as nobody gets killed." The Templar Grandmaster said. The assassin felt that the words were in favor of the conspirators and the innocent not getting killed. This posed a problem.
"We're ready for the Duomo in the morning, Signore. The bait has been laid, but it was a little difficult." Francesco said. "His fool of a brother keeps changing his plans."
"Si. We may need to be on hand to make sure Giuliano even gets out of bed for church tomorrow!" Bernardo said and the men chuckled at his improper joke. All the while, Jacopo stayed silent with a worried look on his face.
"What is it Jacopo? Do you think they suspect something?" Rodrigo asked. Ezio could almost feel the air in the room go from light to dark in the matter of seconds.
"It is impossible. The Medici are too arrogant to notice. They are so concerned with tradition and favoritism to see what is going on under their noses." Francesco said with a little arrogance himself.
"Do not underestimate our enemies, Francesco. Do you not remember how the Auditore boy killed your son?" Jacopo was quick to be the man of wisdom in this conversation and of course he pointed out exactly who murdered Vieri.
"That will not happen this time, Maestro. I swear it. I have a backup plan in case the Auditore interferes." Francesco had something in mind and Ezio was more than positive it had something to do with Contessina.
"Molto bene. I should be off. I have some other business I must attend to before I return to Roma." Rodrigo said. "Tomorrow a new Sun rises over Firenze." He told them as the men gathered their things and began to leave, but Rodrigo seemed to want to speak with Francesco some more. "May the father of understanding guide us."
"May the father of understanding guide us." The men answered him together before they left.
"Francesco? A word alone if you'd please?" Rodrigo asked the younger Pazzi.
"What is it?" Francesco said approaching Rodrigo who pulled him into the corner right below where Ezio sat.
"This plan of yours to draw out the Assassin, what or who does it involve?" Rodrigo lowered his voice so that the other men could not hear.
"You may recall Contessina de' Medici, now known as Contessina Auditore?" Francesco elaborated and Ezio held his breath at his wife's name.
"Ah, yes." Rodrigo nodded. "She is to come to no harm. Use her as bait if you have to, but I do not want her blood on our hands."
"No, her blood will be on the Assassin's hands." Francesco said with venom in his voice. It was clear that he wanted revenge for Vieri's death and who better to take it out on than the wife of the man who did the deed. Ezio's blood boiled at the thought of Francesco even touching Contessina. "This is only if the Assassin shows his face, Maestro. If he is not here, there is no use involving an innocent woman."
"I do not like the idea of harming a woman, but do as you must." The Templar said as he left Francesco there to contemplate his next move.
The whole conversation put Ezio in a foul place. On one hand, there was something that was going to happen to the Medici the next day and on the other hand, Contessina was also in danger. It was even possible that she would be in danger no matter what he did. There was no avoiding the matter now and he knew that he had to tread carefully on how to deal with this next action.
Standing up Ezio moved to the end of the corridor where he came across a surprising sight. It seemed as though he had stumbled across one of the tombs his uncle spoke of and this put a smile on his face. There were a few chests full of gold and jewels that had been stashed there, however he could only take so much with him. He went over to one of the chests and opened it seeing a few trinkets made of silver within. One happened to be a silver hair clip with sapphires and pearls embedded in it. He smiled and put it into one of the pouches on his belt for later before he moved to the sarcophagus in the center of the room.
When Ezio came out of the manhole that lead from the catacombs, he saw Volpe sitting on a bench close by. The young man carefully put the cover back before going to sit with the master thief. Ezio had no good news for him, but a plan of action needed to be discussed in case of failure.
"I know where Francesco will be, and when, but..." Ezio paused to think over his words carefully.
"What is it?" Volpe asked.
"I don't like what I heard. They have enough weapons for an entire battalion and what is worse, the Pope has given his support." Ezio saw the look of concern on the other man's face as he mentioned it.
"That is not surprising, Sixtus wants Firenze bad enough he would do something like this, but what is their plan? To starve out Firenze?" Volpe had his own ideas of what the conspirators where planning, but he was close to the right theory.
"I think that is only part of their plan. The other part is what concerns me the most because it involves the Medici and they plan to act tomorrow morning at the Duomo." Ezio said and the man beside him sat up straight in realization. It was then that the same thought crossed the Assassin's mind as well.
"Tomorrow is Easter Sunday! All of Firenze's nobility will be in the Duomo for the service..." The older man said with a little shock in his voice at the audacity the Pazzi had. "They are going to do it in the middle of High Mass!"
"Yes, but I can take advantage of the crowds outside and find a way to get into the cathedral. If they were to try something, it would be during prayer when heads are bowed, and eyes are closed." The plan had formed in his mind so clearly, but he would have to pay a visit to the Duomo and find a way to get in without being seen. This was where his mind and heart diverted. "I can stop this madness." But there would be a high price to it.
"If this fails, we will lose Lorenzo and the Pazzi will gain control of Firenze!" Volpe said almost in a panic, but he calmed himself after seeing Ezio's even temper, yet Ezio was trying not to let his heart rule his mind in that moment.
"That will not happen, Volpe. I won't let it." The young man had to give some reassurance. "There is much more at stake for me personally." He reached into his doublet and pulled out the letter that Contessina had written to Volpe and handed it to the man next to him. "I was told to give that to you."
"Ah yes, Contessina." There was a smile that came to Volpe's face when he saw the handwriting on the front of the letter. Ezio was curious as to how his wife could get such a reaction from a man like Volpe, but then again, this was Contessina he was thinking of. He often had the same reaction when it came to her letters as well. "Walk with me." Volpe said standing up and Ezio followed suit as they made their way up into the streets away from the river.
"I have no idea on the contents of the letter, but I am sure it has to do with something of importance." Ezio told the thief as they came to a small square.
"It is most likely an account of her latest discoveries." Volpe looked at Ezio with a small smirk and then put a hand on his shoulder. "If anything were to happen to her, Amico, you will regret it."
"Is that advice or a threat?" Ezio asked feeling a little threatened by the serious look that suddenly graced the older man's face.
"Call it a warning." Volpe told him before opening the letter and reading its contents. "Hmm...I suppose she will be leaving Firenze soon?"
"To be honest, Volpe, I should have taken her with me when I left the first time." Ezio said with a sad expression on his face. He had known for a while that Contessina's life had been miserable since he left even if her letters stated otherwise. She was trapped in Firenze and unable to grow like the wildflower she was.
"It is not sensible to regret things that are out of your control. I have watched over her and she has learned to make do; that should be enough. Whether you realize it or not, Ezio, Contessina is your greatest ally in this madness and I have taught her the skills she needs to help you." The older man said giving the younger support and confidence. Ezio let the words sink in for a moment before realizing that Contessina was truly the only one he could rely on for anything.
"Volpe, can I count on you for something?" Ezio asked the older man.
"What is it?"
"There was something else I overheard between Francesco de'Pazzi and Rodrigo Borgia. It involves Contessina directly. I am not sure how to go about this because Francesco is daring enough to use her to bait me in. Could you get her to safety tomorrow?" He was positive that no matter the outcome for the Medici, Francesco would do anything to get vengeance for Vieri's murder. Volpe seemed to have the same thought and nodded.
"Si, I will. Do you have a plan?" Volpe asked as they walked off and Ezio began to explain in detail of the plan he had formed in his mind concerning Contessina.
The Medici family sat around the table that night eating dinner. Lorenzo at one end of the table and Clarice at the other in typical fashion while Contessina sat between Giuliano and Cammillia. It was tradition that the eve before Easter was a celebration of things to come with the family, however there was a lack of festivity coming from Contessina. She picked at the food on her plate which seemed to catch her mother's attention more than once and the older woman would make a look at the blond to encourage eating. This did not work as the blond continued to pick at the food and sigh.
Giuliano seemed to notice as well, but he understood her feelings. She was heartsick as most women would say. She loved someone who may not love her back as much as she loved them and that was something Giuliano knew well. She was glad that he understood. When he put a hand on top of hers to lend her support, she looked at him with a thankful smile. Cammillia seemed to be in a strange mood herself, most likely because she was being forced to leave the Palazzo to attend mass in the morning.
"Contessina? You have been picking at your food all night. Is everything alright?" Clarice spoke up from her end of the table and Lorenzo put his fork down to hear what his cousin had to respond with. Contessina looked up with a smile on her face.
"It is nothing, I just do not have an appetite tonight." She told them, but Clarice did not seem to buy it.
"Are you ill?" Lorenzo spoke up in concern. Also not seeming to buy her excuse.
"No! No, I am fine. Really. Please do not worry about me. I just have a lot on my mind." She said picking up her fork and poking the pheasant meat in her plate before bringing it up to her mouth.
"They aren't buying it." Giuliano leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Maybe you should just retire for the night."
"Giuliano, you seem to know something we don't." Clarice was adamant on finding out what exactly was causing Contessina's lack of appetite and the blond woman was starting to simmer. Giuliano sat back in his chair and gave his sister in law an indifferent look. "Come on then, tell us what you know?"
"It is none of your business." The look on Clarice's face hardened as Giuliano defended Contessina. "She is a grown woman and she doesn't have to tell any of you anything."
"We are her family. We should be able to know what is bothering her so we can help her. If she has something on her mind that is making her ill, then we must deal with it." Clarice said with the snobbish stare she always gave when she believed there was nothing really wrong. Contessina began to feel like she was being trampled on and her self-esteem was being flattened. "Don't you agree, Ginevra?"
"Perhaps going to Mass will clear the distractions. A good confession is always the key to emptying one's mind of demons." Between Clarice and Ginevra, Contessina had enough and stood up before throwing her fork down.
"There is nothing wrong with me!" Contessina said while Lorenzo stayed silent at his end of the table. "I have to ask what is wrong with you!" She started to tear up. "I have been stuck in this family since I was a child, taught to be something I am not, yet you think it is fine to assume that I am 'ill'. That I have 'demons' in my mind?" Contessina huffed and then gave an unbelieving smile. "The nerve you have. All of you. I have always hidden behind the name Medici, but no longer."
"Contessina! Enough!" Lorenzo said loudly from where he sat. "You will not talk about your family like that."
"But I'm not your family am I, Lorenzo?" She said putting he foot down and looking at her cousin. "You do not get to command me anymore. You are not my father, nor my husband and I do not have to obey you anymore."
"Contessina! How dare you!" Clarice said standing up.
"I don't want to hear it anymore. I am tired of this and I will be glad when I can leave this place." Contessina said before leaving the room and going to the garden. She sat on her bench beneath the apple tree and cried until she felt someone sit down beside her. When she looked up, she saw Cammillia's face. "I can't stay here anymore." She cried and the auburn-haired woman nodded before pulling her close.
"I know that Ezio is back in Firenze." Cammillia said. Contessina figured that her friend knew exactly what was going on. "I also know what you are going through." The woman sighed as she held on to the younger girl.
"I love him, Milia." Contessina sniffed and rubbed the tears away from her eyes. "I love him so much it hurts, but I don't know if he feels the same and that is what scares me."
"That is the scary part of love. When you fall, you fall hard, but it is the unknown that is the hardest part." Cammillia said to her. "As far as your family goes, they are in Monteriggioni and they are waiting for you."
"You are not going to leave Firenze, are you?" Cammillia shook her head in reply to Contessina's question. "Why?"
"I have to provide for Renato, but I cannot ask Ezio to raise him. Not when you two have your own children to raise in the future. It is unfair, so I asked Lorenzo to find me a husband and he did. I am to be married again in the summer." Cammillia dropped the news on Contessina and the blond removed herself from the older woman's grasp.
"To whom?" Contessina could not believe it.
"One of Lorenzo's associates, Paolo Torretti. He is a good man and has agreed to raise Renato as his own." Cammillia said smiling and Contessina had a hard time accepting the news, but she knew that Cammillia was right to do as she dictated. "Don't worry about me, Contessina. You need to worry about getting home where you belong." The auburn-haired woman said running a hand over Contessina's hair in comfort. "You are an Auditore."
The words ran through Contessina's head over and over again. She did not say anything when her friend stood up and left her there alone to think. Tomorrow, she would go with Giuliano to church, but after that she was going to find Ezio and she was going to tell him how she felt. When the Pazzi were dealt with, she was going to go home with him and stay by his side.
She was a Medici, but now she is Auditore.
