Hello everyone! How are ya'll doing? I hope everyone is doing fine and that you guys are still trucking even though this world seems to have gone crazy. With that in mind, I am pleased that I am able to offer you guys a bit of an escape from all of that. I think it is very important to lose yourself in a book or game or whatever when there is so much in life that can bring you down.
I am going to mention that there will be some changes to the AC2 game plot here and there, one of them being more of a character change with a certain lady. Other than that, it should keep mainly to the plot of the games, only that it will be rearranged.
At dawn, Contessina was pulling weeds again out of frustration. All night she found herself wide awake without Ezio's warmth next to her. Fiona had slept in the bed next to her, but there was just a strange feeling of being extra careful around the girl. She hoped pulling weeds would undo her frustrations, but all it seemed to do was frustrate her more. Nannia's words from the day before sometimes ran through Contessina's head giving her this angry feeling that took time to go away. She could not stand it, so she pulled the weeds from the ground angrily.
Before long she had a pile of plants beside her and she was covered in dirt once again. Soon it would be time for breakfast, but she did not want to go into the villa feeling as she did. If anything, she wanted to sleep, yet she knew that sleep would not come to her until Ezio was back. She needed to know how he felt just as much as she wanted to tell him, and she did not know if she could hold out any longer. Especially if Nannia's words were true.
"What did those weeds do to you, Niece?" Mario's voice caught her off guard as she pulled on a particularly hardy plant that refused to give up. She huffed before sitting back on her heels and wiping her hands on her apron.
"Nothing." She said with an annoyed grunt before turning to look at her uncle and seeing him standing there with a letter in his hands. "What is that?" Contessina eyed the letter knowing there was some news within it.
"A letter for Giulia." He told her before handing it to her and she gladly accepted it. "It came just before dawn." He did not have to say any more when she popped the wax seal and opened the paper to begin reading it. Her eyes read every single word closely before taking a sharp breath at the words Poliziano wrote to her. The news was not good. "Well?"
"Sixtus has ordered Salviati's body delivered to Roma immediately." Contessina told Mario before handing the letter back to him. "They know that Salviati is still alive and that they hung a farmer in his place. They are looking for a reason to place a siege on Firenze and if Salviati's body isn't given to them, they will have an excuse."
"They will have an excuse regardless. Even with a body, Sixtus will find a way to underhand the Medici." The man said as Contessina stood up brushing herself off. "This is not our war, Contessina. Lorenzo must fight the battles he brought on himself and you know this. Your concern for the people gives you credit, but you cannot get involved." The thought of Ezio fighting for Lorenzo did not sit well with her, but at the same time she did not want innocent lives to suffer.
"Then what can we do?" She stopped to look Mario in the eyes, pleading for him to give her a suggestion. She dearly hoped he would say something that could ease her fears or worries over the place she had lived for so long. "Uncle, there must be something I can do."
"There is." He put a hand on her shoulder to give her comfort. "Continue your correspondence with your informants in Firenze and wait. You are part of our family now and the wife of an Auditore, this is what you are meant to do." Contessina saw a glint of pride in his eyes at her willingness to help others as much as she did. She had proved it to him with taking care of Fiona during the night. "There will be a time when we can do more."
"Alright." She nodded as she looked down at her hands feeling useless again. Mario must have caught on to her emotional state before putting his arm around her shoulder.
"You are a very good woman, Contessina and I see why Ezio holds you in such high esteem." He squeezed her closer to him as she seemed beat down by her sleeplessness. "Not to mention, you have earned my respect as well." He let her go before standing in front of her and putting both hands on her shoulders with a jovial smile on his face. "You have done so much for my Nipote and by doing so you have done a lot for Monteriggioni. That in itself is something to rejoice about."
"If that is so, then why does Nannia say the things she says to me?" The smile Mario had on his face went away in an instant seeing Contessina so melancholy. This was not like her at all, at least not like she has been for the last couple weeks. "Or why do the villagers seem to talk about me when I am not looking? Do I offend them because I am Medici?"
"No. No, Niece, it is not like that at all and you will see. As for Nannia, what did she say to you to make you so upset?" Mario removed his hands from her shoulders and held one out for her to take. Contessina took it and he clamped her hand in-between his larger ones giving her a little comfort. She had come to like the conversations she had with her new Uncle. He was easy to talk to and he treated her as though she were actually family.
"You must not tell Ezio" The blond pleaded with him. She felt that if Ezio knew, he would never confess to her how he felt.
"You have my word." Mario gave her a serious look. She knew she could trust him because he was an honorable man who did have a care for the women in his family. He treated Maria as his sister and often sat in silence with her in order to at least provide comfort to her.
"After you walked away, I attempted to explain myself to Nannia after the remark she made about me." Contessina was shaking now trying to calm the angry feeling that had risen up within her upon recalling the conversation. "I let it slip that I love Ezio and his family. She went quiet for a moment and I thought she was going to back off, but she did not. Instead she said something about half the women of the village love him too." A single tear rolled down her right cheek as she shook with anger and nervousness at the reaction she was going to get from Mario. Instead of being shocked about it, Mario had a very understanding look on his face and then pulled her into a hug.
"Such cruel words from that vile woman." He said before letting her go after a minute or so. "Come sit with me. I think it is best you know Nannia's story." Mario said pulling her to the nearest bench in the garden. "I suppose I should start with Rita, or Margherita de' Farnese."
"The name is very familiar to me." Contessina swore she had heard the name before, but she could not recall when or where. "There were some Farnese' in Firenze who worked for the Medici bank when my grandfather had control of it. I never knew what happened to them after my Uncle took over."
"After Cosimo died, there had been rumors that the bank had dried up, when that happened the Farnese sold off everything they could to pay off the loans that Piero called due. They lost everything. When Rita left Firenze with her son and her daughter-in-law, Nannia, they came here knowing that the Medici would not cross Siena's territory." Mario told her and Contessina understood why Nannia despised her so. The full weight of what her family had done to the Farnese of Firenze had come crashing down on her shoulders. "Nannia and her husband loved each other, but after Piero forced them out, Matteo lost interest in her. He began to see this other woman in San Gimignano who gave him two daughters, Dina and Fiona."
"I understand now." How painful it must have been for Nannia to lose not only everything she owned, but her husband's love as well. Contessina felt a chill run up her spine at the thought of Ezio's love never coming to be or even worse, gaining it then after time losing it to someone else. Cristina's face flashed through Contessina's mind for a moment and the blond knew that she had taken Ezio away from her friend. She felt horrible in that moment realizing love can turn people into monsters. It also seemed as though Nannia was never able to have children of her own which can turn a woman into a bitter mess full of jealousy.
"I cannot say any more than that, but do not let her words cloud your mind." Mario said before standing up and putting a hand on her shoulder with a smile. "Or your heart." He must have seen the solemn look on her face and knew she was thinking on Nannia's words once again. Contessina did not say anything more as Mario walked away towards the rear entrance to the villa whistling an old tune.
With all the new information on Nannia, Contessina felt she had a better grasp on the reality of the situation. Perhaps talking to the woman would solve the issue or even help her and that was Contessina's goal. There was no doubt in her mind that if she did things right, Nannia would come around and learn to forgive past grievances. If she could just explain to the bitter woman that she was not like her family, then there could be a way to see eye to eye.
Contessina sighed as she stood from the bench to go back to her weeding knowing at some point, she would have to go find suitable clothing for Fiona. Until then, she was going to pour her frustrations out on innocent weeds who were choking out the beautiful flowers. The whole time she was on her hands and knees pulling weeds, her mind always went to Ezio. Did he long for her as much as she did him? Maybe so, but he had to focus on what he was doing. She did not want to be a distraction to him out in the field where all attention had to be on not coming to harm. Contessina was so lost in her thoughts about Ezio the she had not noticed how much time had passed.
"Contessina?" Claudia's voice said from behind her and the blond shook her head to clear the thoughts she had of Ezio. She slowly turned around after wiping her hands on her apron to see her sister standing there with Fiona at her side.
"I'm sorry, I was caught up in my mind I suppose." The blond said with a smile as the little girl came running over in her tattered dress from the night before. "What is it?" Contessina looked up at Claudia who had a curious look on her face.
"You were thinking about my brother." The Auditore girl said with a smirk coming over her face causing Contessina to blush hard as Fiona came up to her. She held her arms open wide for the little girl as she tried to contain the heat on her cheeks. Fiona wrapped her little arms around Contessina's neck before sitting in her lap. "Anyway, Fiona was wanting to know where you were, and we decided to find you. Although it is not hard to find you these days."
"Yes, well, someone needs to weed the garden around here." Contessina huffed as she tightened her arms around Fiona and smiled. "Perhaps we should let Claudia weed the garden while we go find you a new dress." She looked at Claudia who crossed her arms and huffed at the ridiculous thought of pulling weeds.
"Really?" Fiona's face lit up as though she had not been affected by the loss of her grandmother. "A new dress?" There was so much excitement in the girl's brown eyes that Contessina could not help but feel overjoyed that the little girl was in good spirits.
"Of course. This one will be good for helping me in the garden if you like." Contessina saw the girl's eyes light up even more at the mention of helping her with the weeds. Claudia seemed to be annoyed at all the affection going on between the girl and the blond.
"Why don't I go find Fiona a new dress and you two can play in the dirt?" There was a moment of silence between the three of them before Contessina shrugged and looked at the girl in her arms.
"If we must." The blond said squeezing the little girl with a giggle before Claudia turned away.
"Oh, Uncle would like for us to join him for dinner so please clean up enough for that." The dark-haired young woman said looking back at the two people she left behind. If Contessina did not know any better, Uncle was giving one of his excuses to have what he called 'a feast' and she dreaded it this once. Without Ezio there she did not know if it could be called such a thing. She put those thoughts behind her before lifting Fiona from her lap and setting the little girl down beside her.
"Now, tesora, time for you to learn about weeding a garden." There was a broad smile on the girl's face as she watched Contessina show her the difference between the bad plants and the good ones.
There was no denying the feeling that came over Ezio the moment his hidden blade sunk into the flesh of Francesco Salviati. After he had scaled the walls of the Villa di Salviati and was spotted rather easily by the Archbishop, Ezio was quick to call the man a hypocrite concerning the doctrine of his faith. After all, a man of the cloth must not kill. The assassin may not have been a full believer of the church and its teachings, yet he did find some of the scriptures motivated people to do as their morals dictated. Salviati was consumed by his own lust for power and that went against his own faith.
Ezio was quick to put an end to it, but not without information spilling from the dying man's lips. In the moment of his death, Francesco Salviati repented to his God and confessed to his killer the makings of a great scheme. With the failed attempt at killing Lorenzo de' Medici and gaining control of Firenze, a darker plot was beginning to come into light. It was not just Firenze that Sixtus was trying to gain control of, but other important trade routes throughout Italia. With Genoa's naval armada Sixtus could easily conquer Naples and with Venezia's he could do even more.
Even with all the plotting and murdering going on, there was still a measure of peace within Italy that seemed to exist in sleepy little villages across the Tuscan countryside. As Ezio rode through the quiet San Donato on his way back to Monteriggioni, he realized that most people did not care what was going on in Firenze or Roma. They only cared for the simple things such as farming their lands and raising their families. Perhaps they were better for it.
On the side of the road there were rows and rows of green wheat where men and women alike were tending to the plants by spreading fine ground limestone on the dirt. In late summer, the wheat would be golden and ready for harvest if there was no blight. The crop was essential to life in Tuscany along with the many vineyards that produced the finest wines in the known world. One could not eat bread without their wine and the same went for the wine. For Ezio, the thought of golden wheat brought images of his wife's golden head. The feel of her silky hair in his hands as he held her close and the taste of grapes on her lips after a sip of wine. He wanted to ride faster. To get home to her and hold her in his arms or kiss her until neither of them could breathe.
"Thinking of la bella Contessina?" Gambalto's voice pulled Ezio out of his thoughts as the mercenary trotted up beside him. There was a smirk on the other man's face that Ezio deeply wanted to sink his fist into at that moment, but then there would be questions later. "If I did not know any better, which I don't, I'd say just ride home to her." The cocky man said. "Ride home to her and make sweet, sweet love to her all night long." Ezio gave him a glare.
"I wish it were that simple." Ezio was not very good at telling anyone how he felt. He was a man of action or at least he liked to think of himself as that. Of course, he had always been very easygoing with women, but talking to other men about his relationships, no. That was not going to happen. "Don't you have your own wife to talk about?" There was the sound of Gambalto's throat clearing and then an apologetic look on his face.
"Point taken." There was a moment of silence before the mercenary said more. "Are the rest of the villagers still keeping their distance from her?"
"Yes, and it is beginning to make her feel unwanted." Ezio said knowing that the reason behind all of it was not what Contessina believed it to be. In the past two weeks the secrecy between the villagers had put Ezio in a bind. Having to keep things from his wife was something he promised he would never do again, but in this case, it was for her benefit. The less she knew of it, the better off she was.
"Then we better pick up the pace." Gambalto said with a smile before turning around to yell at the other mercenaries behind him. "Move your asses! I'm hungry and tired!"
"Shut up! We are all hungry and tired, but you don't see us complaining, Gambalto!" One of the sixteen men yelled back with a chuckle as the others laughed. Ezio chuckled at the look on his temporary second's face as it went from cocky to crestfallen in a moment.
"Fine then, I'll tell all the ladies that the rest of you lazy dogs couldn't make it home to them in time." Bringing women into the conversation was always a way to get the men motivated to move faster. Ezio took a little delight in it before kicking his horse into a good lope down the road leaving Gambalto to deal with the rest of the men. The only thought he had on his mind at that moment was seeing Contessina's smile when he returned to her.
Even though it had been nearly a full day since Ezio had left Monteriggioni, it almost felt like a week or even a month. Contessina sat there in the warm water of the tub thinking of him again, only this time the images got a little more heated in nature. She remembered their wedding night and how awkward it had been for her while Ezio knew the ins and outs of pleasing a woman. She could not say she was pleased because of her relationship with him at that time was not what it was at present.
There was no denying that he had tried to make it as comfortable as possible, but there was a distinct lack of acknowledgement that night. Not because he knew it was her, but because they did not know where they stood with each other. It was formal and there was no real emotion to it other than the cold doubt that she had. She never bothered to ask him if she had pleased him after that night because it was obvious that he had more pleasure from another woman than he did with her. With those thoughts came the fleeting doubt that Nannia had placed into Contessina's mind. How could she be so stupid to let that bitter woman have control over her emotions? The comment that Nannia made was quickly becoming a festering wound that refused to go away.
Contessina hugged her knees to her chest in the cooling water. There was no mistaking the mixed feelings she had within her as a woman in these times was difficult enough. Fidelity was rare in a political marriage, although she could not call hers that since her feelings for Ezio had always been there. Now she had to wait another day for him to come home and finally relieve her worries. She wanted the torment to end and the only way to resolve it was to say something to him and hope he answered her with the same feelings.
"Contessina! Get out of there already!" Claudia's voice yelling through the door brought the blond out of her thoughts. The water was getting cold but at the same time it was soothing on her skin. "Contessina!" There was banging on the door and she grabbed the drying cloth on the stool next to the tub before standing up to wrap it around her.
"Alright! I'm coming." She told her sister as she worked to dry herself off before grabbing her clean shift and robe. "You can come in now, Claudia." Contessina said tying the sash on her cover as the door opened to reveal the young Auditore girl.
"You have been here for over an hour. It's a wonder I did not find you shriveled up like an old woman already." There was a hint of sarcasm in Claudia's voice that made the blond roll her eyes. The younger woman had always had such a cool wit about her, but it was obvious that Monteriggioni had changed her in ways Contessina did not even know. Sometimes it surprised the older woman in such a way that she wondered if Claudia losing her half her family turned her into this grim person. "Anyway, hurry and get dressed, Uncle would like to see you out in the garden." Claudia said before disappearing out the door as quickly as she had come in. Contessina shook her head wondering just what was going on.
After she was dressed, Contessina made her way to the garden as Claudia said. However, Mario was nowhere to be seen so she sat on the edge of the dry fountain in the middle of the courtyard alone with all of her thoughts going back to where they had been all day. She started to pull at the dead vines on the fountain as the sound of footsteps came from the villa behind her. Turning around she saw Ezio standing there with a smile on his face and her heart began to beat faster. He was not standing there as an assassin, but as the boy she knew all of her life. He wore a dark green doublet vest like when they lived in Firenze. Somehow this brought a sense of nostalgia of old times when there were dances to be had. She stood up and went to him as if she had not seen him in over a month.
"Signore, I think you may be lost." She said with a smile on her face trying to contain her excitement at seeing him home so early. "You seem to have wandered into my garden." She put a hand on his chest, and he put his hand over hers.
"This is your garden? I thought it belonged to a queen." Ezio could not help the smile that made its way to his face before he leaned his head down to join his lips with hers. His vacant hand found its way into her silky hair as he deepened the kiss. It was like he was being pulled down into the sea with her and he knew from then on, that his heart would never be his own again. This woman was the love of his life. "A very beautiful queen." He said to her breaking the kiss and putting his forehead on hers. "Will you come with me?" He asked her.
"I will go with you anywhere." Contessina said without hesitation as he pulled her away from the garden.