I am a terrible person. So sorry! I've been super busy and I have no idea where my beta is, since she given me utter radio silence for a whole month. So this chapter is un beta'd.

Illusions

Chapter 3 - Outings

Once again she kept her eyes on the floor as she stepped fluidly from the carriage, her father helping her with a gentle hand. She looked just as pretty as last he saw her - her hair still free of restraint and curling wildly around her - yet she lacked the fire she had when they met at the market. It displeased Ezio slightly.

Ezio bowed slightly and shook Stefano's hand with a firm grip. They exchanged no words, and as soon as their hands broke contact, Stefano quickly moved on to speak with Giovanni, who was standing slightly behind Ezio.

Freyja curtseyed politely in front of Ezio, as she had been taught to do to any man, whilst he gently took her hand and laid a gentle kiss upon her knuckles. She still would not raise her strange eyes to meet his.

"Can you ride, bella?" said Ezio quietly, placing a finger under her chin to make her look at him. She did, eventually, but her eyes were filled with unsurety.

"I can, signore Ezio." she answered.

Ezio lead her to a small stable behind the Palazzo Auditore. "Perfect." he grinned, before speaking quietly to a stable hand at the side of him.

Two perfectly groomed mares stood before her. One was a dark chestnut brown, impatiently tapping her hoof on the ground as Freyja approached. She let the mare sniff at the back of her hand before laying it gently on the horses' nose. The other mare, golden haired with huge brown eyes and the longest eyelashes imaginable, nudged at Freyja's side, jealous of the attention her stable mate was getting. She stroked the beasts' noses and smiled to herself as Ezio turned back to her.

"They like you."

"I like them," She laughed. "Which one will I be riding?"

"Gina." he said proudly, patting the chestnut mare's neck. "She's the best behaved."

Freyja noticed the hefty saddle bags on each horse. "Saddle bags? Ezio, what are we doing today?"

A smile tickled the corners of his mouth. "You'll see, soon." he gestured to the saddle. "May I help you, signorina?"

An uncomfortable twinge blossomed in the pit of her stomach. Freyja tried to maintain a polite expression, but as she nodded and Ezio placed gentle hands around her waist, she knew her façade had slipped ever so slightly. Her body tensed as he deftly lifted her from the ground and into the saddle, and she watched his face slip into confusion.

She withheld a grimace. "Are we to be alone on this ride? "

He chuckled quietly as he lifted himself into the saddle of the gold mare. "Yes, bella. I feel it's more… tranquillo, no?"

She had mixed feelings about this. This whole thing, not just the lone ride. Perhaps, with no one to watch, she might see who he really is.

"Ezio, please, call me Freyja." she said quietly, adjusting herself slightly in the saddle.

"Why call something so beautiful by any other name?"

Then a sickness set in. Freyja began to fear for her own sanity if she allowed this engagement to go any further. Is beauty the only thing he sees? What if he tires of me? One day, when I am old, will he leave me for someone younger, more beautiful?

This time, she did not even try to hide her distaste. "I thank you for the compliment, Ezio, but I do have a name. I would prefer if you use it." she said with an undertone of venom. Freyja gently nudged her heels into her horse and it set off into a slow trot. Ezio followed behind.

"There she is!" He said happily.

"Scusi?"

"The woman I met at the market. I think I just saw her." He pulled up to the side of Freyja, gently leading the two through the winding streets of Florence.

WIth pursed lips, Freyja turned her gaze away from him. "Where are we going?"

"Just outside of Florence."

"Why?"

…

He picked the best spot he saw, the top of one of the many rolling hills just outside Florence. The ground was flat and covered in grass and flowers, and the sun was still ablaze high in the sky. The shadow of the walls of Florence was quite far behind them.

Ezio swung his leg over the saddle, jumped down and tied the horses reins to a nearby tree. Then, he turned to help Freyja down from her mare, but found her already with both feet on the ground, walking towards the tree to tie the horse down.

"Now, will you tell me what is in these bags?"

Smirking, Ezio reached into a bag and pulled out a large woven blanket. Freyja rolled her eyes. "A picnic, Ezio? Could you not at least try?"

He laughed along with her, opening the blanket and laying it down in front of him. Freyja curiously opened the other bags, which contained some salted meats, cheeses, a loaf of bread, grapes, tomatoes, olives, all wrapped in individual cloths. She couldn't help but admire his attention to detail.

Freyja and Ezio took the food from the saddlebags to the blanket, after which Freyja seated herself, her legs stretched out before her and her arms behind her back to admire the view before it. It really was a lovely day. Marginally less lovely with the company beside her.

Ezio had gone back to the horses, opening one last bag and bringing the contents back to where Freyja was seated. A bottle of wine and two goblets.

…

"You never told me of your interests when we first met, Freyja."

She recalled his question vaguely. "I doubt you'll want to know." She said, her cheeks flushing red as her head bowed.

"No, I want to. Really." he said, turning his body slightly to face her. He reached over to grab a grape and pop it into his mouth.

What could she say without boring him? Like she much cared about that, but her father however did not want this engagement to fail. "I enjoy foreign language." she said simply.

Ezio smiled, glad to finally get a response from her, however small. "How many do you know?"

Taking a small sip from her goblet, she replied, "Five, at the moment."

Ezio almost spat out his drink. "Five?"

"Yes, five. English, Italian, French, Spanish and Swedish."

Suddenly, Ezio's eyes brightened and something stirred in his stomach. She really was full of surprises, and intelligence and beauty and fire. Perhaps he really had struck the jackpot.

Translations:

Bella = Beautiful

Signore/signorina = sir/miss

Tranguillo = peaceful/tranquil

Scusi = excuse me

The rest of this little 'date' will be up as soon as I can get my shit together and possibly find a new beta. Review!