A/N: And here's the first lesson for the Assassins to get back to their lives! I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had fun writing it! (Seriously… I had the MOST FUN EVER while writing the amazing awkwardness and plot twists in this chapter!)
Connor's head throbbed as he slowly sat up. He groaned in pain as he forced his eyes open, finding himself underneath glorious, linen bed sheets. He noticed his robe hanging on the back of a chair and his boots beside it.
He rose from the bed and shivered slightly as he crossed the stone floor barefoot. The room was cold, and the fire in the hearth simply glowed with dull embers.
He picked up his robe and noticed something that would have gone by unnoticed…
His pants had been hanging underneath his coat and shirt, which meant…
Looking down, the Native's face instantly heated, and he could feel the heat flee to his face.
"Are you ready?" a soft voice purred in his ear, startling him and causing him to jump. The owner of the voice giggled softly as an index finger lightly trailed down Connor's spine, making him shiver.
The young man's eyes widened as he slowly turned his head…
A woman around his age stood slightly behind him, her hair long enough to cover her breasts. She smiled as she noticed his embarrassment. "Oh, don't worry, baby," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his waist, beginning to lead him back to bed. "I'll take good care of you."
"Who are you?" he asked as she set him down atop the mattress. "What do you want?"
She smiled. "I am your slave to do with what you please. I want you to dominate me like the powerful man you are," she purred as she crawled beside him, her tongue outlining his ear.
He scrambled to get away from the woman, knocking her over in the process. He quickly yanked on his trousers and boots and sped from the room with his other belongings in tow. He pulled on his shirt and overcoat while taking weapon inventory in his mind, which proved pointless, for he only possessed his cutlass, hidden blades, and dagger. No smoke bombs, no trip mines, no rope darts. Nothing other than the bare essentials—not that he needed more than that. If he was capable of killing Redcoats with only his bow and stone tomahawk, then his steel would be more than enough.
Working an irritated tic in his jaw, Connor knew at once that he needed to find the Italian.
Connor took in his surroundings and realized he had to be in a public building—an inn, perhaps? Multiple couples breezed by his stationary being in the hall, going to their own independent rooms. Connor watched as the men were generally led into the rooms by the women, who strangely enough, all wore similar provocative garb.
Dismissing the thought, he began treading up the hall when one of these women stopped him.
"Oh, sweetie," she purred with a deviant grin, "I thought you were with Rosa."
Connor shook his head. "No, I was not. I do need to find someone, if you are willing to aid me."
The woman giggled. "Why, of course, darling. I'll help you."
"Thank you," Connor replied as the girl attempted to lead him into a room. "Ah, you misread me. I am looking for a man named Ezio. Have you seen him?"
The girl deadpanned. "I see." She crossed her arms and furrowed her brows. "I may have seen him. He comes in here twice a week nowadays—pun intended."
Whatever the joke was flew over Connor's head as he urged for the girl to tell him where the other man was.
The woman shifted her weight from one leg to another, and she hmphed. Pointing to a door towards the back of the hall, she sighed. "You'll find him through there, but be careful, he… tends to be a while." She looked into Connor's eyes as she arched her brow. "Are you sure you don't need anything else? Not even a little tart?"
"I will have to pass on sweet pastries for today," he assured. "I just need to get him and leave."
The determined Native headed down the hall to the door. He leaned into the wood and concentrated on the noises from within.
"My God!" a girl's voice gasped as he heard the distinct sound of the Florentine Eagle's low chuckle.
"Belladonna," he began a few moments later as the sound of his feet hit the floor reached Connor's ears, "our time together was something I think I will remember for a long while as I fight the tyranny that is injustice. I will look forward to more time soon, but I am afraid that I must leave."
Connor stood back from the door and leaned against the opposite wall with his arms crossed.
A moment later, Ezio Auditore swaggered from the room with a large, toothy grin plastered onto his face. The girl behind him smiled at the wolf and gave him a wink. The eagle locked eyes with the wolf and arched his brow.
"How long have you stood there?" he asked, quickly regaining all composure.
Connor shrugged. "Only but a moment or so."
"Ah," Ezio replied as he motioned for the other man to follow him out of the building in silence.
Connor took in his surroundings once more and knew he was far from Boston or New York. "What is our location?"
"Firenze, amico. We are in Florence, my friend."
He led them down a few streets and stopped upon a bench, promptly sitting down. The other Assassin joined him.
"So, tell me this," Connor began, "where were we a moment ago?"
Ezio smiled at the young man's curiosity. "We were in my favorite bordello, where there are plenty of women to bed and spend time with." With a grin, he glanced at the other's face. "Tell me. How was yours?"
Connor's brow shot up quizzically. "What do you mean?"
"Um," Ezio gave a nervous laugh. "Did the courtesan do her job well?"
Connor did not respond verbally. His face remained in a confused contortion, and instantly, Ezio knew the truth.
And he laughed. Hysterically.
"You mean to tell me that… No, it is not possible." He studied the man's face, and after a moment, began laughing once more.
"What is your problem?" Connor asked, confused as ever as Ezio clapped him on the shoulder.
"You've never bed a woman, have you?" Ezio questioned as his hand received a dagger-stare. "I can't believe that you have my blood in your veins, and you have never fucked a girl."
To Connor's own dismay, he could feel his cheeks tinge slightly with heat. "And what is your point, exactly?"
"That's what I am going to teach you. That is our first step back to our own lives."
Connor sighed. "You can't possibly mean—"
The Florentine man grinned devilishly. "Ah, but I do. You are going to learn to fuck a woman, Connor."
"You can't be serious," Connor reasoned as he could feel the slight tinge of embarrassment on his cheeks. "Why will you waste valuable time teaching me that when you could teach me skills that will prove useful?"
"But bedding a woman is one of the most useful skills there is, amico!" the Italian countered. "If you can bed the finest women in the land as I have, you will reap the rewards like a king!"
"Or I can reap in the diseases of trollops," Connor muttered.
Ezio chuckled at the young man's naïveté. "You are wrong, amico. You will see soon enough what this Mentor can teach you."
Connor felt like an idiota, as Ezio so liked to call him for disobeying, walking the streets alongside his "Mentor." He felt out of place and just… awkward.
He had seen Ezio saunter up to countless women again and again, charming them instantly with his ravishing good looks and gleaming smile—all for demonstration, mind you. Ezio would then return to the learning pupil, asking him to attempt the feat of charming a woman.
Whenever the Mentor asked his pupil to display what he had learned, the pupil failed miserably. His words would catch in his throat, or his demeanor would seem insincere and crude.
Growling in frustration, Connor leaned against the wall of a brick building.
Ezio smiled at the man's self-loathing. He remembered a time when he was afraid to simply walk up to a girl and say even the slightest and smallest word, fearing embarrassment. He remembered learning from his older brother all of the tricks in gathering and charming ladies, and he realized his tricks may not work for the brooding wolf.
Connor needed to catch his own prey with his own bait.
Ezio joined the man with a smile. "I see you've bed as many women as I have," he remarked sarcastically.
The Native narrowed his eyes at the Italian. "I see that you've been a wonderful mentor," he countered coolly. He casted a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes. "I honestly don't think that I am cut from the same cloth as you."
"As much as you may doubt, you are," Ezio assured him. "It takes time, skill, and perspective to accomplish what I am asking." He gave a warm brotherly smile, one that he himself had gazed upon as he was in Connor's exact position. "Let me tell you something that may help."
The man recounted his earlier troubles with women to Connor, who merely listened with no noticeable facial expressions. He remained silent as Ezio's tale began to become simply too humiliating to even listen to, but he never changed expressions. Instead, his cheeks varied from normal to flaming embarrassment by merely imagining some of the unfortunate results of Ezio's countless crusades.
Ezio gave an uncomfortable laugh. "So, you see, Connor," he continued, giving the Native a sideways glance, "it's all about delicacy, grace, and your own skill—whatever that may be. I had to hone my charisma and charm, which may not be your strong suit."
Connor nodded, soaking all of this information into his mind. He knew that everything took practice, especially hunting wild game on the Frontier. Was bedding a woman the same tactic? Lay out bait and a swift end? Seemed easy enough, but it just didn't seem to set into motion well.
The two men settled into a silence as the sun began setting. Ezio motioned for the descendant to follow him.
Connor's arms remained crossed as he shuffled behind the eagle.
As they wound through back alleyways, Connor made a mental map in case he ever needed to return to this place—not that he intended to. He rotated his shoulders nonchalantly as Ezio led him into the unknown.
The duo passed a woman who was leaning against a wall, minding her own business. Paying her no attention, the Assassins moved onward.
Then she shrieked.
Connor whipped his head back, witnessing a cloaked figure whisk her away as she flailed and struggled to escape him. Connor knew exactly what had to be done, and he turned sharply around, his feet pounding on the paved street. Catching up to the fiend quickly, he activated his hidden blades, which turned into two hand knives.
He pounced on the man, slashing at him. The man grunted in pain as he dropped the woman on the ground and faced the Assassin. Connor steadied his stance and slowly shuffled to his left, watching his opponent intently. His opponent drew a sword and began to swing. Connor avoided the swing with a quick side roll lunged at the man from the side, plunging his blades into the man's lungs. The man dropped his sword and bugged his eyes, his breath fleeting from him.
Connor eased the man down as he died and then turned to the woman. "Are you alright?" he asked, holding his hand for her to lift herself up.
The woman smiled and took his hand, easing herself up. She dusted her dress off and folded her hands on her stomach. "I appreciate your actions, Ser."
Ezio, who had watched the entire scene unfold, eyed his progeny closely as he leaned on a wall not far from them.
"It was no trouble," Connor insisted as she began walking towards him.
"I don't know how I could repay your heroic deed," she admitted with a gleam in her eye as she stopped directly in front of him. "Maybe I could take your mind off your troubles?" she suggested, unfolding her hands and trailing her index finger from his bicep to his forearm, making him tense.
The woman noted his reaction and smiled. "You're not like most of the bastardi in this city, are you?" She giggled softly. "Better yet," she began as she placed her hand over his heart, feeling it quicken. "You aren't like any man I have ever had the displeasure of associating with." She studied his face a moment before she giggled softly once more. "You are a pure man, are you not?"
Connor arched his brow slightly, feeling heat creep slowly up his neck. "I do not understand."
The woman smiled. "And that is why you are pure. You have the heart of a pure soul, one that has not been tainted by the temptation of foul deeds." She looped her arm around his, facing forwards and began to walk with him away from the scene. "You have a kind heart," she continued, glancing at her savior. "You aid those in need and expect nothing in return, do you not?"
He slowly shook his head as they passed Ezio's nonchalant form. He made eye contact with the man, as if pleading for assistance.
The Florentine man only smiled and dismissed his progeny as he himself began to walk in the opposite direction.
In that instant, Connor knew what the Mentor had suggested. He was to prove that he had been paying attention to the Italian's lessons of that day.
"And that makes you unlike the majority of the men that populates the world," the woman continued with a kind smile as they turned onto another street. "That is a rare quality in anyone, and you should hold it with pride."
Connor mulled over the woman's words, knowing that she was correct. He didn't ask for anything in return; it was a trait that he had inherited from his mother when he was but a boy. Maybe it was time to receive a small payment for his deeds.
"And that is why I am going to repay you in the only way that I believe that you deserve," the woman concluded as they reached a door a few moments later. She pushed it open and unhooked her arm, motioning him. "Please come inside."
He entered the threshold, the door shutting behind him. The woman lit candles along the way, instantly allowing the room to glow. She travelled up the narrow staircase to their right as she took his hand, pulling him with her.
The staircase led to her small bedchamber, and she shut the door behind them as they entered. She then drew the drapes that hung on the window, allowing moonlight to stream in the room. She smiled as she glanced at the man she had let into her home, wrapping her arms around his neck and her craning her neck to peer up at him.
She pulled his head to her level and gingerly placed her lips on his. She kissed him softly, and he followed her actions, lifting her onto his hips and feeling her legs wrap around his torso.
The heat between them began rising as they both became breathless and collapsed on the bed.
Connor's mind raced as he wasn't exactly sure what to do next. Luckily for him, the woman—whose name had not been given—led him.
And the heat of passion overtook them both into the bright moonlight.
The following morning, Connor awoke with a start, his eyes shifting around the strange room. He noticed his clothes scattered throughout the room, and a flaring heat overtook his face, causing him to curse under his breath.
He remembered everything that had transpired that prior night, and after a moment of hesitation, his lips slightly curled into a small smile. He glanced at the woman lying beside him, her brown hair fanned across the pillows. He watched her slowly breathe.
It was peacefully serene as if he was watching a creek gently roll.
He attempted to untangle his legs from her without stirring her, but he realized it was futile as he noticed her eyes flutter open.
She smiled at him and placed her hand on his abdomen, tracing the defining lines that were etched into his skin. "I thank you again, my savior," she whispered with a slight giggle attached, "for both heroic deeds."
"You are most welcome," Connor replied, his face beginning to return to its favorite color of crimson. He peered into the woman's eyes, and arched his brow slightly. "I believe you owe me one last thing."
"Oh?" the woman smirked. "And what might that be?"
"Your name."
The woman's face hardened. She remained silent for a moment and opened her mouth, pausing. She shook her head and closed it. Sighing slightly, she smiled lightheartedly, as if remembering a painful memory. "It's Cristina." She ran a hand through her hair shifted positions to her back, returning her eyes at him. "What might I call you?" she asked coyly.
"Connor," he answered.
She nodded in acknowledgement as she opened her mouth but then shut it. She smiled as a tear slowly rolled down her cheek. "You should go," she said as she caressed his cheek. "I didn't mean to keep you long, Connor."
He shook his head and wiped her cheek. "You kept me from nothing."
She emitted a small giggle as another tear rolled. "You are very similar to a man who I loved with all of my heart long ago. He was the best—and worst—person I had ever known. I gave him my heart, but he abandoned me, and I vowed never to do the same with another man." She wiped her tears as she sat up, clutching the covers to cover herself. "Yet I find myself in bed with a man very similar." She leaned close, pecking him on the cheek. "Never forget who you are, Connor. Never forget the people who care so much for you, for if you do," she paused, holding back a sob, "your world will collapse."
She motioned for him to leave, and he grimaced. He couldn't leave her so broken. He simply embraced her, softly running his fingers through her hair comfortingly. She tried to escape, but discovered that he wasn't about to abandon her like she had been before. She smiled at the thought and softly sobbed into his shoulder.
He was going to make a wonderful husband to the right woman, and she knew it. She knew that the fortunate woman to embrace him lovingly forever was not her, and she mentally winced as she thought of another man. She had loved him and given him her heart and everything else in between. And he had abandoned her.
Well, it wasn't as if he had that much of a choice.
But at the same time, they could've eloped as they had dreamed of doing before… it happened.
But that was long ago, and she wasn't in the mood for brooding and grieving over her lost time.
She stopped her emotional state and pulled away from Connor's embrace. She kissed his lips softly and sweetly, pulling away as he began to follow her motions. She shook her head. "You have saved me, and I have repaid you. You may leave." She held her face as stern as she could muster and motioned once more for him to leave.
He nodded, gathered his belongings, and slinked downstairs as he quickly dressed himself, leaving the building.
He pulled his hood over his eyes as he hunched his shoulders while he walked. He needed to find the Italian and tell him of his success. He smiled slightly as he recollected the memory of last night, but his heart cringed as he felt the woman's pain.
"Never forget who you are, Connor. Never forget the people who care so much for you, for if you do, your world will collapse."
She had offered wise words to him that morning, and he wasn't about to forget them.
As he rounded a corner, he found the man who he had been searching for.
Ezio gave his pupil a lighthearted smile as they walked side by side. "How was she, amico?"
The corner of Connor's lips curled upwards. "Better than you could imagine."
Ezio's throat emitted a deep chuckle. "Ah, Cristina always was the best, I must confess."
Connor stopped dead in his tracks. "What? How do you know her?"
Ezio shrugged as he faced the man. He inhaled deeply, remembering a painful memory. "She was my first love," he admitted. He then returned his lighthearted smile to his lips. "She was incredible in every way. She knew how to lighten my darkest days, and she let light in to the night.
"I loved her, and she returned the feeling." He continued, a haunting gaze in his eyes. "She was the best thing that had occurred in my young life, and I abandoned her. I had no choice to leave this city and not return after the Templars executed my father and brothers under false accusations. She wanted to leave with me, but she knew that under the implications, she would be, essentially, just as wanted as I was.
"So I left, my thoughts never straying from her," he concluded. "The next time I had reunited with her, she was to be engaged to another man. I had blown my chance with her, and I never forgave myself." Ezio shook his head, ridding himself of the pain. "Ah, but I digress," he said with a smile. "I assume you two had a connection?"
"Of sorts," Connor replied. His eyes hardened, and he grimaced. "She misses you. She told me that I reminded her of you." He slightly smiled. "Then she kicked me out of the bed, ordering me to go."
Ezio barked a laugh. "Trust me, amico," he began, clapping the man on the shoulder. "If you continue your actions, you'll be kicked out of more beds than I have."
And the two Assassins shared a smile as they walked into the crowd, instantly vanishing from sight.
A/N: Dun Dun DUUUN! I enjoy a good twist and surprise in stories, including my own! I truly enjoyed writing Connor as an innocently pure man! He's so much fun to write, and I love his interactions with Ezio in this! I honestly didn't think that I'd write this much, but I just kept having ideas popping up all over the place! :)
I appreciate all of those who have read this story thus far! It truly makes my day bright and shiny new! :)
