Chapter 3 Yes! Curves come to me!

Cocking one eyebrow, I stared back at him, then finally released a irritated 'What?'.

Blinking, Ezio kept staring at me. Finally, he shook his head like some confused whelp and returned his gaze to Paola. Letting out a soft grumble of my own, I diverted my eyes to the ceiling and crossed my arms, annoyed.

'Thank you for offering your home for my family, Paola.' Ezio spoke, utterly ignoring me.

'It was the least I could do. You must be tired. Perhaps you'd li-'

Ezio threw up his hands to stop her. 'No, grazie, I can't stay.'

'Why? Where are you going?'

'To kill Uberto Alberti..' Ezio muttered darkly, turning away from both me and Paola. I snorted, grabbing the opportunity to throw some mental accusations at Ezio. Like you would be able to kill, cazzo, if it weren't for me you probably wouldn't even be sitting here! I thought while silently glaring at the back of Ezio's head.

'I understand your desire for vengeance, but the Gonfaloniere is a powerful man. You're not a killer, Ezio-' She began. I silently thanked Paola for stating once again my thoughts on Ezio not being able to kill.

'Spare me the lecture.' Ezio spoke, annoyed with everyone trying to tell him what he was and what not.

'- But I can make you one.' Paola continued, a smile playing along her lips. Gratitude for her disappeared like snow on a sunny day.

'And why are you going to teach me how to kill?' Ezio laughed. He turned back again, facing Paola, curious with her next response.

'I'm not. I'm going to teach you how to survive.' She spoke with a smirk. Then she made a motion for Ezio to follow her, then walked away. Ezio shot a reluctant look at me, as if he wanted to ask me something, but refrained and followed after Paola.

'She is so not going to have all the fun.' I grumbled under my breath, and casually walked after the elder woman.

Paola led us around the back, into a small, indoor garden where two groups of courtesans were already waiting for us. Not wanting to miss anything, I sat myself down on a nearby bench, crossed my arms and legs and stubbornly waited for Paola to speak.

Ezio shot me an annoyed look. He didn't feel very nice sharing more time with me. I frowned at him, and a look on his face appeared, as if he was remembering why he didn't like me.

Paola started to talk about discretion, moving freely through the city and more stuff like that, and I found it ominously boring. I yawned several times through her speech and although she carelessly carried on, some courtesans shot me very, very threatening looks.

The remainder of the afternoon and following days Ezio practiced with Paola and her girls, why I was a silent bystander. Ezio learned to pickpocket and to blend in plain sight, making him invisible to guards. The lessons were kind of interesting, but I refrained from participating. I was torn between the desire to go home and the urge to stay as far away from it, so I just stayed here, hanging around the brothel. Paola did not offer to teach me and nor did I ask, so to pass time I watched Ezio learn and practiced with my sling from time to time. If I went out of the building, however, guards would pick me out and hang me for what I'd done to their colleague.

The days between me and Ezio were very, very silent, and mostly filled with annoyed looks from his side and daring gazes from mine. We had more than one little staring contests, in which he mostly turned away, rolling his eyes in the process. The sole entertainment of my days in the brothel were to annoy dear Ezio, and making him remember every time of the day that I had actually played a vital part in his escape from the Piazza della Signoria.

When Ezio went to visit Leonardo da Vinci to repair of his father's weapon, I experienced such a boring day, that I ended up walking in circles in the indoor garden. I didn't hear Paola approach, and she startled me from my thoughts.

'You shouldn't be so hard on him, he's barely got any family left now, just like you.' She spoke calmly.

'I don't need family.'

'You do need one. Notice that every since you got involved with Ezio, you've lost your purpose.'

'Who says I'm looking for a purpose?'

Paola snorted. 'Everybody has a purpose, and we're lost without one. Which is why I want to make you an offer.'

I flared my nostrils subconsciously. Having something else on my mind than a dead guard haunting my dreams and a mad Ezio refusing to even look at me, would be kind of nice..

'What kind of offer?'

'An offer to shake the rest of your life. I'll train you, and give you the means to stand upright.' Paola showed off her ability with words again.. But on the other side, what else was I going to do? I could hardly walk back into my old ladies house and casually start a conversation. Nor could I simply flee the city, for I did not know anything outside Firenze. Even if I didn't do anything, I would have to stay in town for a while, until guards would give up on catching me. But while waiting.. I could do nothing really to provide for myself.

'Think about it. You'll tell me when you're ready.' Paola smirked.

She left me, standing in the middle of the indoor garden, pondering over what she had in mind for me.

Inside the main hall of La Rosa Colta, I heard the front door slam, followed up by an awkward silence. My curiosity was invoked, so I made my way inside to see what had happened. Inside, I found Ezio and Rosa, Ezio looking both confused and relieved. He looked up when I came in, and I inclined my head at him. He nodded back, and weirdly his eyes showed some delight in my For-this-time-I'll-not-mock-you-attitude.

'I think it's best I leave Firenze.' Ezio muttered to Paola.

'Where will you go?'

'My uncle owns a large villa in Monteriggioni. We'll be safe there.'

I took a step closer towards them both. 'You'd better hurry then, for the guards are doing everything they can to catch you.'

Ezio gazed at me again, another hint of delighted surprise. 'I will.'

Gazing at me ever still, Ezio and I shared a silent moment. I wasn't quite sure, but the golden glint in his eyes seemed to glow.

'Why don't you come with us to Monteriggioni?' He suddenly asked and I had to blink several times to even consider what he had just said.

Startled, I found my voice stammering. 'What? N-no.. I mean.. I can't!' I closed my eyes, seeing how silly I was showing myself to the others.

Taking a deep breath, I re-found my voice. 'I can't because I'm going to stay here. Paola made an offer to train me.' Train me for God knows what, my mind added sneeringly, but I refrained from saying it out loud.

Ezio nodded, and spoke slowly as if he was pondering his future. 'I hope then that our paths meet again some day.'

'I'm sure they will.' I replied, smiling. 'Let's just hope that by then you won't have to save me from falling.'

'Si, let's.' Ezio cracked up a small smile too. We both didn't notice Paola leaving the room, grinning like some scam had just succeeded.

I took place into one of the sitting corners, crossing my legs in the process. 'You know, you always talked about your uncle when you were little, always bragging about him, that is.'

Ezio gazed at me for a while, then snapped his fingers and lit up his face with a wide grin. 'I knew it! You're the girl that beat me in that chase bet! I knew I remembered you from somewhere!'

I snorted in return. 'Don't worry, it took me a while to remember too. Stupid I never realized it was you.'

'Better late than never, cara.' Ezio said smoothly, his careful flirting expression changing to alarmed when he saw my mood darken upon his 'cara'. I shot him another annoyed warning, then let it go. I rose from the couch, said goodbye to Ezio and wished him all the luck in the future. Then I left the main room, unable to convert the awkward, uncomfortable feeling into something good.

The heat of the day kicked in, and my days of pondering and anxious thinking about my future took their toll. I opened the nearby window to let some imaginary breeze make its way into the room, and nestled myself onto the bed, keeping the blankets at the end of the bed.

I slumbered only slightly, waken from time to time by the noises outside. Paola awoke me when noon was about to end, and for some reason hurried me downstairs, a large grin on her face. 'Cecilia! Wake up, you lazy whelp!'

I grumbled while I stumbled down the stairs. A whelp..? Geez.

Paola seemed determined, though, and met me downstairs.

'Please do brighten up a bit, training is going to be well worth your troubles.'

Troubles? She had just harshly awoken me from a very, very pleasant and peaceful slumber, and she asked me to brighten up? I thought grumbling.

'Must you then awake me when my eyes finally found sleep?'

'You must open your eyes, and see the world that lies beyond!'

'When slumbering in peaceful sleep, one does not care for the world beyond, but for the world of their dreams.' I spoke, grumpy still, and slightly rubbed my eyes in the process.

Paola's mouth took on a sharper edge, and one eyebrow lifted. 'You agreed to my offer, and so you shall listen to me. Now, I want you to apply the theory I provided you with, when I taught Ezio. I want you to pass through the northern gate without alarming any of the guards.' She left without saying another word, and I knew she had set some of her girls up on tailing me, to see if I would succeed without cheating. I grunted. Hell I would.

The assignment was, however, harder than I thought. I tried several times to bluntly walk my way through the gate, but every time one of the guards would eye me curiously, forcing me to turn. Ultimately, I created a small distraction, by pickpocketing one of the citizens gathered on the plaza. Even the pickpocketing was a disaster, because I only managed to cut the man's purse, but not retrieve its contents.

Then, when the guards had left their posts to check out the commotion (me cutting the purse had spread its contents among the area, making citizens stumble towards the floor like frantic fish), I had managed to get through the gate unnoticed, but I had not thought about the way back. Let's just say that I had to hide in a haystack for over half an hour, before the guards finally left the area.

Paola wasn't very pleased with the chaos I had created, and simply stated that 'at least I was creative', but I wasn't sure to take that as a compliment or as a warning. The remainder of the evening and night, Paola had me chase around the city, for little, in my opinion, meaningless tasks. For example, she had me fetch a series of heavy boxes filled with tinder, and had me deliver them to a house on the southern part of town, or she would have me follow some of the courtesans, while they went through the city to hear out several important men. They did so while showing of bare areas of their bodies, and to my uncomfortable attitude, one of them even explained how to influence a man's body.

This continued for the next weeks, with me sleeping a few hours at dawn, and then doing tasks with either Paola or one of the courtesans. At first my chest had heaved and every breath had pained me, but slowly, as the days passed by, the strain in my shoulders and legs ceased, and I could jog from one side of the city to the other without huffing much.

When Paola was finally happy with the fitness of my legs, she asked one of her mercenary friends to train me in the art of fighting. Giulio, a large, bearded man who looked like he ate a bear, just handed me sword, and started swinging at me. The first tine I would squeal loudly and back away, dropping the sword to the ground. I also noticed my hand automatically reaching for my belt, at which I had fastened my sling.

Giulio would ignore that part, yell at me, and just continue banging his heavy two-handed sword at me. I ended up with several serious gashes on my arms and sides, and bruises covering about all parts of my body. They throbbed like crazy, and teeth gnawing pain erupted from my skin every time I moved.

I started to bring up my sword more often, just to be knocked out of the way, but at least I stood my ground longer before backing off again. Paola made it an awkward habit of coming every time to my training, and letting out her shingling laughter whenever I would chicken out. I would gnash my teeth together, and try again, determined not to provide any more entertainment for Paola.

After what seemed years, but were only weeks.. Okay, maybe months, I finally managed to hold of Giulio for an entire fight. After what seemed an eternity of clashing metal, I finished our little battle with a nicely placed dodge before Giulio's sword crushed me, then using his momentum to pin his sword to the ground, knocking it out of his hands. Giulio straightened his back, his arms raised, and widened his eyes in surprise when he felt the cold steel against his throat.

I continued my training for more months than I could count on my fingers, and Paola's laughter subsided to some proud nods. Giulo's yelling was replaced by his bear laughter whenever I succeeded again in knocking his sword out of his hands.

Slowly, I became more comfortable with everything going on, and I started enjoying simple things, like the breeze I felt on my face whenever I sprinted across the red-tiled rooftops, or the smugness I felt spread across my face whenever I would prevail again in fighting.

Awarding my progress, Paola had ordered a nicely made tunic for me, black with small decorations of blue vines. A black hood obscured most of my face when I wore it, and a belt shining with a silver symbol resembling the Order, held everything in place. I was most pleased with it, and I was even more stunned when Giulio took me to the armory, and let me pick out a heavenly balanced sword.

Aside from every physical thing Paola and Giulio learned me, I also learned much about why I was training. One day, about two years into my training, Paola started the story of the Order. At first I was reluctant on believing her, but Paola only smiled and said she would take care of my disbelief.

She kept her word, and Paola send me out to meet La Volpe, master of the thieves guild, and master in free-running. After having me chase him around the city, La Volpe sat me down upon one of the buildings near the Plaza della Signoria, and together we watched the sun play with its last beams, coloring the world around us into shades of gold and orange. We sat in silence, and when I would look sideways, a small smile played along La Volpe's lips.

'It is always nice to see new apprentices who train as hard as you do, Cecilia.' He spoke softly.

'Who said I'm a new apprentice?'

'You just are. Once we've started training, you became part of something bigger.'

'The Order?'

'Si. You sound.. hesitant.. Why affirm Paola's offer, when you do not want to be more than a freelancer?'

I grinned. 'It's not like I do not want, Volpe, I'm just reluctant to entering a society of which I know so little. I've always been on my own, stayed away from people I didn't really like or trust. When I recognized Ezio and helped him in escaping, it was caused by some urge I can't behold. I had to help the checca.' The last word I spoke with silent, but clear admiration. The last months I had grown an unknown adoration for Ezio.

La Volpe smirked at me. 'Paola informed me that there is little left to teach you here. Maybe its time you go pay that checca a visit.'

My own grin widened, and I could see some delight in Volpe's gray eyes. 'Maybe I should.'

We sat in another moment of silence, but then I contently closed my eyes and rose from the roof. I eyed La Volpe curiously, then smirked at him.

'Please tell Paola I said thanks, she has done so much for me. And to you my regards as well.'

'Just go, cara, I'll break the news to Paola, she'll be most delighted to have the house to her alone again.'

'Like she'll ever have that. Her courtesans are never restless with all the men knocking on the door.' I joked back, then winked at the man, grown fond of him in the little while I had known him.

Turning, I left the man on the roof, and took off across the roofs, sprinting across them while the tiles tingled underneath my feet. In two years of training, my stride had become longer, and more powerful. I had grown a few inches, and what little curves I had before, had now developed further on, making me just about average when among other girls. Average was fine by me, for I had always been.. sort of flat.

Paola had at one point insisted upon me wearing a tight corset with dress, which nicely showed off my cleavage. I wasn't so sure about that, however, but I must say it was very flattering upon walking through the streets, and young men turned their heads as I passed by. In addition to that, Paola's never ending pushy behavior had made any little fat I had be converted into muscle, and the sun had made my skin tawnier than it had ever been.

Feeling an unknown exhilaration, I sprinted towards the main gate, stormed past the guards before they could stop me, and high jacked a horse near the entrance. The stallion, a huge animal with a shining, black hue, seemed to sense my euphoria, and decided to play along. Rearing happily, it galloped away, and I bowed down closer to his neck. Throwing down my black hood, I let my brown curls move freely in the wind, and a sense of adventure took over my muscles, a grin spreading across my face.

I was on my way to Monteriggioni, and with the sun's last rays caressing my face and my black stallion's muscles contracting beneath me, I felt as not one man in the world could stop me.

A.N.

Apologies for the length of this chapter, but now at least I could say everything I wanted to say!

I am personally thinking of following the original storyline of Assassin's Creed II, but then halfway through I want to follow my own story.. But.. the problem is I have no clue what that story is going to be!

So do you want Cecilia and Ezio to save some Assassins from the claws of the Templars? Or should Cecilia sacrifice herself at one point, and Ezio be her savior? Or Cecilia Ezio's savior :D ? Set loose thy fantasy and let me know!