Chapter 12

The Brotherhood

Guards had begun to swarm in great numbers around the three vigilantes. Alexandra lifted her head to survey the situation, grim for the two that where not trained like she was. Glancing from under her darkened hood she caught the expression of the larger of the men that stood in broken fighting stances behind her. His eyebrows where crossed and his dark eyes held a unspoken lust for violence, his mouth tight, his lower lip being bitten by his upper teeth, a small trickle of blood came from a cut that had been caused by his own violent intentions. The girl did not have time to look at the smaller man, for a call came out in front of her. Turning back she saw an armor clad man brandishing an axe, very familiar style of iron too. She frowned, though it remained unseen by the crowd around them. Alexandra fell into a comfortable stance, ready to pounce like a lioness on her prey, or maybe it was more fitting to call her a raven, a white raven. A roar came from behind her as now all the guards charged, the men behind her began to fight clumsily, but her charge came right at her. When he reached the halfway point in the empty space between them she rolled her shoulders, and dug her feet into the ground. "Rest in peace you bastardo." As he raised his weapon Alexandra took off in a sprint, her feet falling in front of her easily, her sight narrowed into a grey like state, her enemies that swarmed around her was all she saw. Pushing off of the solid stone ground, she took to the air, letting her cloak billow out and her blade spring from its sheath once more. It felt as if her movements that seemed so unfamiliar only a couple of days ago where not second nature. Lifting her arm above her head she let the blade be shown in the sunlight that was ever fading. The foolish guard called out in pain as the weapon found its resting place within the small crevices of his armor, the life blood coming from his neck and spilling onto the streets and her face, which was fierce with possession. Possession of her profession and her master, of the two men behind her and the very code which she carried and wore proudly on her wrist, and by the missing digit on her hand. As the anonymous man fell she let out a cry, one of a warrior ready to fight to protect what she believed in.

Alexandra would make the Assassin's known in this city.

Ezio looked up from his conversation with Machiavelli to gaze behind them at a spectacular event that seemed to be unfolding behind them. Richer citizens seemed to be scrambling to escape, cursing how they did not want to be part of a rebellion, while the poorer more humbler people went towards the scuffle. Cheering for whoever was causing such a ruckus. The elder man turned to his younger companion, his faces held distain and distaste at the actions of brawlers. Ezio turned ever so slightly, his shoulders and body still facing the mass, while his head and his eyes where inclined towards the writer. "You disapprove of their actions of self defense?" The Italian man had seen the two men that had been being harassed by the guards. They seemed capable enough, but also it seemed suspicious. They had not seemed like the fighting type, Ezio could tell that they held some sense of honor, and they did not seem to want to lower themselves to the Borgia's level. What had caused the scuffle to start? Machiavelli frowned at Ezio's words but gave a heavy sigh, one that caused his shoulders to heave, almost as if he was suddenly exhausted.

"I do not disapprove, but this makes our job much harder." He explained in a tone that was one of irritation and concern. Ezio gave an irritated grunt right back and swiveled to face the mass of people fully this time. Then after a moment's pause, he took a step forward weaving in and out of the crowd in an attempt to get into a good viewing position. Honestly, the young fiery man in Ezio still loved to see a thrilling fight here and there. As a group of heads moved ever so slightly the Master Assassin caught his first glimpses of the battle. The two men where holding their own, just barely though, the smaller one was bleeding profusely from his left arm, and he seemed to have gotten cut on the leg, the larger one was doing better, his knuckles where beaten up from punching the armored guards faces. He had a ferocious expression that made Ezio raise his eyebrows, thinking fleetingly that he would make one good Assassin before a mass of red velvet cloth and brown cloak caught his attention. Now his brown eyes where on the woman that was claiming one guard after another's life, as she twirled around her hood fell off, and her blue eyes shown out like a beacon for all to see. Ezio lunged forward slightly, but was stopped by the wall of flesh. His eyes widened, Alexandra was in the fight, she had been the one that had caused it. From his lips came a mesh of curses and prayers. Ezio wanted to reach out and snatch her up and away from the battle. To bring her back to their hideout and to check her for wounds. He had been so reluctant to let her go and buy them time as the rest of the villagers and the rest of his, no, their family escaped. But here she was just as she had promised, more or less, she was in a scuffle that he would rather her not be in, but she was alive and seemingly unharmed. For the moment at least. A clang of metal brought him back from his thoughts and back to Alexandra's spectacular fight. Ezio noticed that she had cuts lining her arms, and blood was all over her cloak and beautiful dress. Her expression was hard and focused, as if she was doing her best not to be killed. The Master Assassin watched as his student gave sweeping cuts with her hidden blade into a not so well armored guard's face.

And for some horrible reason Ezio found himself heavily turned on by the girls sadistic grin.

Biting his lip he tried to stand motionless as he waited for the fight to end, either the guards would give up and leave, or all die. That was the situation he favored, the other, brought a lump to his throat. Ezio had flashes of when Alexandra had gotten shot in the shoulder, how he thought he was about to loose her. Then the memory of her saying that they would be partners forever came to his mind.

And he nearly jumped into the fight right there.

But against his will he was captured by Machiavelli, whose hand turned into an iron talon on his shoulder. Ezio turned glaring at the man, "Cosa! What do you want Machiavelli, one of mine is in the fight, I must go help her."

Machiavelli had an impassive expression that was driving Ezio insane. The older man was being stared at, it was a questioning stare, curious at why the Master Assassin was acting so rash. Ezio bit his lip again, his blood was burning under his skin, Alexandra was his but he was also hers they where partners and belonged to each other. His blood burned for satisfaction, by either claming her in ways that he did not want to think about, or by saving her. Either way, he just wanted her by his side again. "Why do you care so much about her? Have you forgotten Theodora's words Ezio?" Machiavelli said in an accusing tone.

She cannot be something like that to you; I can understand if you care about her as a younger sibling but as a lover, I cannot tolerate that; I believe none of us can.

Ezio glared, "Does it matter how I think of my student? She is mine." Tearing out of his grasp he turned to face the struggle once more, he could tell that the guards where not giving up and the three of them where becoming exhausted. Their movements becoming sluggish. "Machiavelli, those words mean nothing to me. They fell apart a long time ago. We are Assassins, she and I, and we will.." Ezio's voice trailed off as his heart began to pound as she took down another man, she was looking up, towards him. "I don't even know how I think of her exactly. But she's is mine. That much I know." The two Assassins locked eyes, and a familiar smile was creeping across the girls face. Ezio gave a soft smile back.

Alexandra was facing her master. She was facing Ezio, even though her blade still was embedded in the man's temple she couldn't help but smile, he had come back to her. But in her absentmindedness she had become careless, forgetting that she was surrounded by their enemy. When Ezio's mouth opened up and let out a command she snapped back into reality. Turning she saw a guard coming up behind her, rolling she barely dodged the sword that clipped her cloak. Landing on her side Alexandra struggled to stand, the guard kept coming until the smaller man landed a punch on the guys jaw, causing her opponent to become a sprawling mess on the ground in front of her. Shocked she looked back up at the pale blue eyes of her savior.

"Shall we escape Madonna?" He said breathless, his hand extended in an invitation. Alexandra clasped the bruised palm in her bloody one. His grasp was hard which surprised her because he looked like a man who did not fight much, at least compared to his companion, who came over as she was finally on her feet once more.

"Chance," He said breathless, "Madonna, we will have to fight out of this circle that the guards have managed to create around us." Chance, the blonde shorter one looked helplessly around, looking for a way out without destroying anymore lives.

Alexandra looked around not seeing lives she was destroying but men that where already dead, some where in piles, but more kept coming, the live ones where relentless. Taking her hand back from Chance she pushed her cloak away and retrieved a croup of knives. "Riposa de pace." She muttered, quietly. "Che Dio volentieri le vostre anime." Then opening her eyes she threw the knives she had collected into the wave of men. Many held their wounds, some fell dead, but all of them cried out with undistinguished pain. Alexandra did not wait even a moment for the guards to regroup, or even for a glance at her master. Taking the hands of Chance and his companion she set off on a sprint, her old wounds throbbing and her newer ones aching, but she kept her legs moving at a quickened pace, they had to escape, one way or the other.

Ezio watched as she fled, she had not looked back, but she had no time to do so. He heaved a sigh at her retreating back, but frowned as he saw her hair flick to the side and her eyes straining back to look at him. She was teasing and beckoning him, daring him to come. He felt his eyebrows raise and his mouth split into a cocky smile. Oh, he would follow her, capture her and drag her back to the hideout, throw her in a closet and never let her out. All for her recent foolish actions. Ezio turned and slapped his companions arm. "I think I will be indisposed for a while my friend." He said with the grin still tickling his face. "I have a student to collect and punish. The writer scoffed but turned away with the dispersing crowd.

"Just don't forget that what I told you." He said with a raise of his hand.

Ezio watched the man go, then turned, facing where his student had been, tugging his hood into a more comfortable place he righted his weapons and smoothed out his new Assassins cloak. After a moments pause he took off in a sprint, eager to see what his student had to say to defend her new companions.

Malik stood defiantly from his perch atop the building, Acilino had not opened his door to see him, and he was wanting to blow of steam. Glaring down at a group of men dressed in black, he instinctually knew that they where Templar's, and Abstergo agents at that, but it wasn't like he could kill them in broad daylight. The cops would get involved, and there where usually no Templar's working in law enforcement now a days. All private companies. Fucking rich bastards. Irritated he threw himself down on the roof top and set his face on his right hand, his beard itching his palm.

But he wouldn't shave it.

No it reminded him of his father.

Back to the sky his eyes went, searching for where his family rest, and across Rome he could see it faintly, the graveyard where his mother had been brutally murdered and where his father lay peacefully.

"Here Lies Ezio Auditori, Father, Brother, Son, and Husband. Rest in Peace."

"More like a man who abandons everything he holds dear to go be a fucking Assassin." Malik muttered leaning back. He knew he didn't mean those words. He would do anything to be close to his father again, any-

In his peripheral vision a large man with a scruffy beard and white cloak took off across the roof tops. Malik sat up, his blue eyes staring after the ghost. That couldn't have been…

Ezio placed his hand against the battered brown building, his eyes scanning for his student and her companions. But he couldn't find them, had he lost them? His fist curled up on the wall and he resisted beating it. Alexandra did a good job escaping, although eluding him was doing a little bit of a too good a job.

Alexandra leaned heavily against the wall while the two men slouched on a nearby bench. Her breath was coming in gasps, but she had successfully lost their followers. They had been remarkably fast, for men probably in their forties. She paused and blushed, thinking about Ezio and how much more fit he was than those men. Raising her hand she placed it over her glowing red face, her eyes squinting shut and her other arm wrapping around her chest.

"Madonna, I think it is time we introduce ourselves." The soft male voice broke her from her perverted thoughts and forced her to refocus back on the men. "I am Chance." The short, pale skinned blonde said, introducing himself. He was hunched over, but his white shirt was stained with mixed blood and his leather pants where streaked with red as well. His face held a kind smile and his blue eyes perked with kindness.

"I am Malice." Alexandra turned to the curt introduction that Chance's companion gave. He was much bigger than his friend; he had long ink black hair, with dark foreboding eyes to match. His shoulders where by far broader than any man's Alexandra had ever seen and his black outfit was just as scary as Malice's name and expression. She swallowed a nervous lump in her throat before she spoke.

"I am Alexandra." She tried to give off a kind vibe, but in truth she was suddenly terrified of these two men. What had she gotten herself into? What if they where criminals? Or worse?

Malice got up from his seat and Alexandra winced as he came closer, his face was completely impassive, and for a frightening moment they stood staring at each other, she felt so small next to him. But he held out his hand and waited for her to take it, which she did, slowly. Then to her surprise a smile cracked across his face. "Thank you Alexandra for saving us, we are unsure of what we did to piss those guards off, but they did not seem to like us."

Alexandra gave a sigh of relief; maybe her overactive imagination just got the better of her. "It was my pleasure." The Assassin girl gave his hand a good shake and was about to let go when a question came from Malice's mouth.

"Can you teach us to fight like you did?" He asked all too curtly.

"We may not be much," Chance said giving her a smile. "But we are willing to learn if you are willing to teach. All too common are such commotions in this city, we want to be able to stand up against the Borgia. They have taken too much away from us."

Alexandra tilted her hand and cracked a devious smile. "I guess the liberation of Rome has begun?"

"Indeed it has my student." Came the deep voice from behind and above her. Gazing upward she smiled up at Ezio. "You where to efficient with your escape."

"Oh, but I thought you would enjoy a little work out! You seem to be getting flabby in your old age." She said with a giggle.

"You are a smartass piccolo." Ezio grumbled climbing down from the roof top. "And who are these two?" Ezio asked as he landed on his feet, turning he looked both of them up and down, and then glared at Malice who still had Alexandra's hand in his grasp. The bigger man promptly let go of the young girl's hand.

Malice raised his hands in surrender. "I see she is yours signore I was not going to take her away from you." Ezio raised his eyebrows in surprise at Malice's very correct deduction. The big man smiled. "I am smarter than I look signore."

Alexandra stared blankly at the two, Chance came behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you don't understand it." he whispered. "Don't try to, you may just hurt yourself."

Alexandra glared but then popped back into a perky mood, doing as Chance suggested and pushing the exchange between her master and Malice into a dark corner of her mind. "Ezio, this is Malice and Chance, and they are to be my students."