This may or may not be a boring-ish chapter to some of you, but we are getting closer to the end of this story. There are a few chapters left and then we get to the sequel which will be fantastic (I have a lot of events planned that are in between the events of the game) and there will be a lot more relationship woes between Contessina and Ezio. Right now, they are in this honeymoon phase and it may or may not get interrupted by something unexpected. We shall see.
Contessina sat stiffly in her saddle when they approached the imposing fortress that was Monteriggioni. By all means it was not really a fortress, but it looked like one with its high walls and towers. The cold gray stone on the façade gave the village an unwelcoming feel to the blond causing her to grow more nervous with every step her little gelding made. Of course, Ezio had done his best to ease her nerves during the almost fifteen-hour ride from Firenze. Her nerves never let her relax and her poor gelding could feel lit.
The little horse was exhausted trying to keep up with the larger horse that Ezio rode and Contessina felt sorry for the poor creature. She patted the bay horse on the neck as they came to the gate of the ancestral home of the Auditore family. They rode in at a slow pace with Ezio leading while Contessina trailed behind with her blond hair braided down her back. Surprisingly, there were not many people on the streets when she rode in and she was thankful for that. The people who were on the street seemed to stare in curiosity of the woman Ezio had brought home with him. This made Contessina feel as though she were nothing more than a spectacle for all to see.
"Who is she?" The blond heard as she rode by the tailor's shop where two women were talking amongst one another.
"I don't know, you don't think it's her, do you?" The dark-haired woman said to the auburn haired one standing next to her.
"If it is, we better spread the word. She is finally here." The auburn woman said before turning around and speaking with the tailor as Contessina rode along nervously anticipating some sort of negativity. She nearly started panicking when she turned around to see the two women had disappeared to who knows where.
When Contessina looked forward again she was no longer worried about the two women. Instead she allowed her eyes to settle on the villa at the top of the hill and before her was a fountain with a very familiar symbol carved out of fine stone. On each side of the fountain was a staircase leading up to the next landing where a group of mercenaries stood looking down at her and Ezio. She watched as her husband stopped his horse at the bottom of the first steps and dismounted before she came to a stop next to him.
"Ezio! Is that her?" One of the men from above yelled out with a warm smile on his face as the other two men beside him beamed down with their own smiles. Contessina did not know if she should run, though she would not get very far because her legs felt boneless, or if she should hide.
"Ignore them." Ezio came up to her with a comforting smile on his face as he reached for her waist. He gently helped her down from the little gelding as a young man came running down the stairs to grab the reins of the horses. "They have been waiting to see what you look like since they found out about you." Contessina heard Ezio say as she let him guide her off the horse and set her feet firmly on the ground. "Careful." He said when her legs nearly gave out on her and she grabbed on to his lapels.
"It's been a long ride." Contessina said trying to right herself and after a moment or so her legs felt like they had bones again. She looked up at her husband's face with nervousness upon hearing the men above talk amongst themselves about how beautiful she was. "Who are they?"
"My Uncle employs them to spy and occasionally fight, but they live here in the village keeping the peace." Ezio said taking her hand as the young man unloaded the saddle bags from the horses before handing them off to a young boy beside him. "Welcome to Monteriggioni, Contessina." He said bringing the back of her hand up to his lips and kissing it.
"It is not what I was expecting." She said seeing the dreary village that could use a lot of improvement. Monteriggioni was a far cry from Firenze like Ezio had told her on the way, but he was working to slowly improve it in any way he could. The village was in dire need of a doctor as several children had been sick as of late.
"What were you expecting?" He asked before bringing her up the steps with him trying to remain hopeful that she was not speaking ill of the place he called home. She smiled instead of being negative.
"I was expecting something different; I suppose. Happy people content with their lives roaming the streets, maybe." She answered him honestly knowing that she had to be careful with her words. Contessina's first impression of the little village was that it was in need of help and like Ezio, she would do what she could to give the people here that happiness.
"It was a long winter." Was all he said as they came to the landing where the mercenaries stood with their arms crossed in front of the couple. Contessina suddenly wanted to hide behind her husband, but she outwardly stood her ground as the men stared her down.
"So, you are the bella that Ezio's been hiding in Firenze." The tallest one said coming forward with serious eyes that made the woman want to shrink under his gaze. "Ezio goes to Firenze and comes back with a Medici princess all to himself." The man said turning his head to the others behind him with a broad smile on his face. "That lucky dog." The others laughed before walking over and greeting the young assassin as if he were a long-lost brother.
"Gambalto, it is good to see you too." The two men clasped arms as friends do in respect for one another. "This is Contessina." Ezio motioned to the blond woman next to him who instantly put a smile to her face, but it was clear that she was mildly uncomfortable. This was to be expected since she had not left Firenze in years or had really been somewhere without her family there with her.
"Signora, it is nice to finally see you in the flesh." Gambalto said moving to stand in front of the girl and offering his hand for a shake. He was patient with her at least, but Ezio could tell that Contessina was trying to read Gambalto to see if he should be someone to worry about. She smiled a little more after giving it a few seconds and then took his hand. "I am Gambalto Bruni."
"A pleasure, Signore." She gave the man a little curtsey out of respect before smiling at the other men. "I'm sure I will learn all of your names soon enough, am I right?" They all smiled at her with chuckles from their good attitude towards her. Ezio almost sighed in relief as he saw Contessina warm up to the mercenaries and he was sure she would have them eating out of the palm of her hand in no time.
"Gambalto, would you excuse us? I need to speak with my uncle." Ezio did not say anything more as he grabbed on to Contessina's arm and pulled her away from the fawning men. They already seemed to be taken with her and that brought a small tinge of jealousy into the pit of his stomach. Not because they were possible suitors or that she would get more attention from them, but it was the way she handled herself and she was all his. He was jealous of himself, if that was even a thought or feeling. "They like you." He told her as they made it up to the last step before the courtyard.
"That is a relief. For a moment there I thought they were going to chastise you for marrying a Medici." Contessina said linking her arm through the crook of Ezio's elbow. He had to wonder why she thought of such a thing. Most of Monteriggioni were aware of his marriage to the woman they called 'The Medici Princess' or 'The Medici Girl'. Some of the women looked forward to seeing her and there was one little girl who really did think Contessina was a princess. "I'm sure I'm just being silly."
"Not that I can see." Ezio told her as they walked. She smiled at him before stopping to look at the villa in front of her and how badly the façade needed to be repaired. "It is no Medici palazzo, but it has its charms." He smiled down at her thoughtful face.
"Nothing a little hard work cannot fix." Contessina said looking up at him with a smirk. "Is there a garden?" She asked him with a hopeful look in her blue eyes. Ezio had to hold himself back because he would build a garden just to make her happy and just for her.
"There is and I can show it to you later if you want." He told her before walking towards the double doors of the villa. "I'm sure Uncle will want to have a feast to celebrate your arrival." The young man told his wife who gave him a slight giggle upon hearing the words.
"All this for me? Your Uncle sounds like he knows how to have some fun." Contessina said as they stopped in front of the doors.
"Uncle Mario is a very eccentric person and he can be a little much at first." Ezio warned her before opening the door to the villa and allowing her to enter first. The main foyer was big enough to fit a gathering of people within and covered in marble from the top down. On the floor was a large rug with many different shades of reds, blues, and violets that made up a gorgeous pattern accented with gold and silver. She did not know where the rug came from, but it was very old and full of images she had only seen from the shops in Firenze.
"It is beautiful." She said in awe at the room she was in. "The Medici could never find marble like this." She said moving to one of the many columns that lined the room and running a hand over the smooth white marble.
"The marble is from Greece, or so Uncle tells me." Her husband told her as he came up to lean against the same column. She smiled at Ezio before lifting her hand from the marble and putting it on his face. Her eyes searched his for a moment wondering if he felt the same as she did then with all the awe of where she was and who she was with. She loved him more now because he had taken her away from what seemed like a prison. Her castle guarded by dragons. "What is it?"
"Nothing." Contessina said removing her hand from Ezio's cheek and placing it back on the marble column. "I'm just seeing things from a new perspective I suppose." She had to admit that her own behavior surprised her since setting foot in the village and maybe it was because she was not surrounded by Medici. Still, everything was new and different, and changing faster than she could come to terms with. "I feel as though I have to get to know you all over again."
"A lot has changed, but most of it has stayed the same." Ezio said grabbing her hand and holding it tenderly within his palms. "You are still Boudicca." He gave her a smile which calmed her restless spirit and brought back memories of a happier time.
"Well then Spartacus, let us conquer Rome together." She said putting her other hand in his and looking up into his eyes once more giving him a promise of life unending.
"But first, I have to surprise my sister." Ezio told her with a smirk and she watched as he put a finger to his lips and guided her over to a door before moving her to stand behind the wall. "I'll be right back. When I say so, you can come in." She knew what he was up too, and she nodded going along with it.
Ezio walked in the office to find it empty. Claudia was not sitting at the desk as she usually was scribbling away at the ledger, but he heard her voice coming from Mario's study down the long corridor that went behind the parlor and a drawing room. She was complaining about something as usual and he noticed she most likely had the ledger with her as it was missing from the dark wood desk. He stood there for a moment trying to decide if he should sit in her chair or just stand there waiting for her to come in. Most likely she would be occupied with everything else she would jump when she noticed him.
"Put it on the list, Claudia!" Ezio heard Mario yell from his study as the young woman came walking into the room with the large book in her hands. She was so busy trying to remember what it was that her uncle was saying to her in the first place. She placed the book down on the desk before sitting down in the chair and opening it. Taking a quill in her hand she dipped it into the inkwell before looking up and screaming.
"Ezio!" She yelped with wide eyes and a flustered look on her face. Ezio could not help but to chuckle at his younger sister's reaction to him standing there without her noticing. "You monstro! How dare you sneak in here and scare me!" Claudia said before picking up one of the paperweights on the desk and throwing it at him; thankfully missing him entirely.
"An 'Ezio it is good to see you' or 'Ezio, you're back how was your trip', would've been nice." He said with a huff and crossed his arms over his chest with a small glare. Claudia only matched his glare before picking up her quill again and making a note of whatever it was that Mario wanted done.
"How was your trip to Firenze, Ezio?" She asked with an uncaring tone, not bothering to say anything else as her attention was solely on the book in front of her.
"Productive. Francesco and Jacopo de'Pazzi are both dead, but Giuliano de'Medici did not live to see it." Claudia's head snapped up at the mention of the deceased Medici man and she looked around the room not seeing who she was hoping to see. Ezio knew that his sister loved Contessina with all her heart and thought of her as an older sister, so when she looked up expecting her to be there it almost felt as though she were upset.
"What about Contessina? Is she alright?" The tone of Claudia's voice was one of panicked concern as the girl stood up from the desk. She looked to her brother wondering if he had somehow done something wrong for the Medici girl not to be there with him. "Did she stay in Firenze after all?"
"Contessina is fine, Claudia. She is managing well with the changes and she will be joining us soon." There was a look in Claudia's eyes went from disappointment to at least a little hopeful as he said his wife was going to be joining soon.
"Any notion of when she will be coming so we can prepare for her?" The Auditore girl asked and Ezio shrugged.
"I don't know, but it will be sooner rather than later." He said hoping his wife caught on to what he was saying as Claudia turned around and went back to her desk. The girl was disappointed for sure but out of the corner of his eye he saw Contessina slowly step into the room from behind the wall she was hiding. "I did bring something back for you and Mother."
"Oh good, I wonder if it's another trinket or..." Claudia stopped speaking when she looked up to see the blond woman standing over by the door with a smile on her face. The dark-haired girl stood up quickly before running to the blond and nearly tackling her to the floor. "You're here! You're here!" Ezio could not help the satisfied smile on his face when he saw Contessina squeeze the other girl tightly.
"I'm finally here." Contessina said as she pulled away from Claudia to look at her. "You've grown up a little since I saw you." The dark-haired girl had indeed gotten a little taller over the last two years and she had developed a beautiful face in the process. Contessina wondered if she had the attention of a man yet, but that was a conversation for another time.
"Oh, Mother is going to be so happy to see you." Claudia hugged the blond woman again before grabbing her arm and pulling her through the door and into the foyer. "Mother! Come see who is here!" Claudia yelled as Ezio followed the two women when they went up the stairs to their mother's bedroom. Maria Auditore came out of her room to see the commotion going on and when she saw Contessina it was like a candle had been lit within her eyes.
"Maria!" Contessina ran to the older woman and embraced her with tears in her eyes. Maria's silent façade cracked a little as tears came to her own eyes upon the blonde's embrace. The girl was her second daughter and the love of her son's life that brought so much joy in the darkness of their lives before it was cruelly ripped away from them.
"What is going on up there?" A voice yelled from downstairs making Contessina and Maria pull apart from their tearful reunion. Contessina looked to her husband and he huffed before looking over the railing and shouting down to the voice.
"Nothing bad, Uncle, I swear." The young man said before leaving the women behind to go join his uncle on the bottom floor. "You might want to prepare that feast you've been wanting. I brought something back from Firenze." Ezio smiled putting a hand on Mario's shoulder and the man's eyes widened along with the grin on his face.
"She's here?" Mario asked and Ezio nodded. "Well then we must be introduced properly!" Ezio could not help but shake his head at his uncle's excitement upon hearing Contessina was there in the villa. It was only moments before she walked down the stairs arm in arm with Claudia while their mother followed behind silently with a smile on her face. Ezio had not seen his mother smile like that in two years so having Contessina there was a blessing. "Ezio my boy, you are very lucky indeed to have such a beautiful woman as your wife."
"She has her flaws, Uncle, but she is one of a kind." Ezio said holding his hand out to his wife for her to join him. "Uncle, meet Contessina de'Medici now of house Auditore." Contessina politely curtsied to her new family member as he took her hand and kissed the back of it with a bow of his own.
"What an honor it is to have a Medici in our family now, even though you have been in our family for two years now. Even so, welcome to the Villa Auditore." Mario said before whistling loudly through the house making everyone cringe at the loud sound as two women and a man emerged from what Contessina assumed was the kitchens. "Prepare for a feast tomorrow! Contessina is finally here." The young woman blushed as her new uncle had plans to celebrate her arrival with a feast.
Later on, Contessina found herself being led by Claudia to the room she was to stay in. On opening the door, Contessina was surprised at the color of the walls in the room. The walls were a soft white that let light into the room and made it look bigger than it was. The four-poster bed was covered in fine blue silks woven with beautiful patterns that reminded her of the fabrics she had bought before. The covers on the bed matched the silks that hung from the canopy completing the look. On one end of the room was a fireplace that had been lit for her and on the other was a wardrobe that had been carved with intricate designs.
"I hope you like it." Claudia said as she stood behind the blond. "We knew you were going to come one day, and we wanted you to feel at home when you got here." The younger girl said moving over to the vanity across from the bed.
"Claudia, this is perfect." The blond turned around and gave her sister a hug before moving to sit on the comfortable bed. "Thank you." She said placing her hand on the silk and feeling the smooth fabric.
"Don't thank me yet, you will have all of Monteriggioni talking before long." Claudia said crossing her arms. "Then I will have to hear about it." She rolled her eyes as Contessina giggled. It seemed Claudia had grown a sharper tongue in the last two years. "Well, no matter, I more work to do now since Uncle decided to plan a feast."
"I do not mind helping you if you need it, Claudia." Contessina did not want to feel useless in her new home, especially since she was educated in the ways of banking like every Medici had been from the time they could speak. The last thing she wanted was to take up space.
"It is no problem. I actually enjoy it and it keeps me occupied." The younger girl said before smiling. "Although, maybe you could come up with a way to bring in more coin. We could use it."
"Ezio said the villa had a garden, could I see it?" Contessina knew that daylight was limited as it was late afternoon, but she felt like a tour of the villa was in order before she went to bed that night.
"I suppose a few more minutes could not hurt." The younger girl said before the blond stood up from her new bed and followed her out the door. Claudia took her to the balcony that overlooked the fountain in the courtyard. "Here it is." She motioned to the dry fountain and the garden that looked very unattended. "We had a gardener, but he was stealing from us, so I had to do something about that. Ever since, we have not had the money to hire a new one."
"It needs to be weeded, but I do see promise with it and the fountain will need to be looked at." Contessina said pitching her knowledge of a well-maintained garden to Claudia. "What would it cost to have new flora brought in?"
"I do not know. I would have to look at the books and see what we can spare for flowers, but the problem lies with finding a good gardener." Claudia thought about a solution for a few moments, but nothing seemed to come to mind for her. "Unless gardeners come flying in free of charge, I don't see how this garden is going to solve our problems."
"That is something we can figure out together, in the meantime, I want to be useful. I may start weeding it myself until we can find a solution." The blond said.
"Why not, it isn't like someone else is going to do it." Claudia said with a sarcastic smile on her face before leaving Contessina on the balcony by herself to look over the garden thoroughly.
Ezio stood in front of the codex pages on the wall in Mario's study as the older man sat at his desk looking through reports from the mercenaries. The young assassin felt at ease with Contessina being in Monteriggioni where he did not have to worry about her. He knew she was under the same roof as he was, but there was a weight that had been lifted off of him. The one thing he did not want was to make her feel as though she was a prisoner here when she was not. If anything, he felt she could bring in some fresh ideas on how to make Monteriggioni thrive the way Firenze did under the Medici family. The people deserved it after living in poor conditions for so long.
"So, Salviati is in Toscana now." Mario's voice came from behind Ezio interrupting his thoughts about Contessina. Ezio turned around and nodded in confirmation before going to sit in the chair next to the desk. "Any ideas where the Villa Salviati is?"
"No, but I know it is not in the Florentine Republic." Ezio said leaning back in the chair with a small yawn. He was exhausted having not slept in over a day, and at the moment he wanted nothing more than to grab Contessina and throw her in the bed. They both needed rest.
"That leaves Siena and closer to home." The older man said putting the reports down. "I'll have the men keep tabs across the countryside for word on Salviati. The sooner he is found, the closer we get to our goals."
"That is not the only thing, Girolamo Riario is threatening to go to war with Firenze, more so against the Medici." This was also one of the reasons Ezio felt relieved to have his wife with him. He did not want her to be caught up in a plot to end her own family because of her name. She was safe there in the village with him. "Lorenzo wants all the men in the Pazzi plot to be executed and Salviati is a member of Sixtus' family. If Salviati is killed, Sixtus himself will direct Riario to raise hell against the Medici."
"That is a problem, but perhaps it is a problem for the Medici to handle alone." Mario said hinting at a plan. "Perhaps sending Salviati's body to Firenze may spare us in the long run while still keeping to our agenda."
"Firenze cannot go to war with the Papal States and knowing Lorenzo, he will not bow down to Sixtus' demands without a counteroffer." Ezio leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees. He was trying to strategize Lorenzo's moves along with the Pope's. The only insight he had into Lorenzo's mind was Contessina. "I will handle Salviati, but I must talk to Contessina first."
"Do you think she can be of help in this situation?" Ezio nodded in response to Mario's question before standing up and stretching. "Va bene. We will speak on this later, for now go rest. There is much to do in the coming days."
"Goodnight, Uncle." Ezio said as he left the study and walked up the stairs to the room that his wife occupied. It was so easy for him to just walk in and see her standing there braiding her hair as she stood by the bed. She looked at him with tired eyes as she finished tying her long braid together before walking over to him.
"You look dead on your feet." She said as she started to take off his bracers and cape before moving to his belt and putting it on the table by the window.
"I feel it." Ezio said as he allowed her to undo the buttons of his robes and then making him sit on the bed to remove his boots with a little difficulty. "How do you have all this energy?" He said groggily as he fell back on the bed as she put his boots on the floor next to the door.
"I don't, I'm just really good at hiding how tired I am." She said before moving to the bed to find Ezio already sleeping. "This is going to be an awkward situation." Contessina said nothing as she walked around to the other side of the bed and pulled the covers back before slipping into the sheets. She did her best to avoid hitting Ezio's head with her feet, but she supposed he would wake up eventually and find his way to her. Before laying down, she bent over and kissed him on the lips. "Goodnight, Spartacus." She said as she laid back onto her pillow after blowing out the candle.
She did not see it, but Ezio smiled in his sleep.