Waves, seagulls, bells tolling. These were the sounds that replaced the gentle buzzing and breathy winds that had been the backdrop of Florence. Whenever Leonardo came to the old pier, he reflected on that. He really hadn't seen ocean, or even a large body of water, until he'd come to Venice. Always rolling hills and green forests… Venice was so… different. He'd never exactly become accustomed to the stench, but he could feel himself growing an affinity for the hard-working mindset of the average Venetian. Leonardo was simply a lover of life: wherever it dwelled, he would find a place to sit and marvel at it.
The old pier had become such a place. Since the supports were coated with algae, and the visible wood appeared an unattractively dark color (not to mention several missing planks), the dock authorities had deemed it a hazard for any boat. However, sitting was permitted. As long as you didn't take too many people with you.
It was here that Leonardo asked Ezio to meet him after hearing of the engagement. The move was so sudden, so random, that Leonardo refused to believe Ezio had no reasonable explanation for it. As the man's best friend and roommate of two years, the painter had a right to know.
So, when the younger man finally approached and swung his legs over the side of the rotting wood, Leonardo kept a firm demeanor. For a few moments, silence- or the Venetian version of silence- spoke for both of them. Ezio's weary expression suggested he already knew what Leonardo wanted to ask.
"I heard you are to be married," Leonardo began emotionlessly.
Ezio nodded.
"Why so suddenly? What of your 'expedition'?"
Your, not our.
The Auditore sighed, "Leonardo… I think I'm going to stop exploring."
"Any special reason?"
Ezio responded to each question as though it were a life or death situation. "I'm going to settle down."
"You speak as though you were twenty years older." Leonardo stated. Ezio had no reply.
Leonardo grew tired of his resigned stillness. "Do you even know her?"
"Yes, I do," Ezio snapped, turning to his friend in frustration, not anger, "and she is a very nice woman. I don't deserve her."
"Ezio," Leonardo's features softened and he raised a hand to his friend's shoulder. "I know you better than anyone. You can tell me the truth, get it all off your chest. I will listen."
Ezio sighed again and stared into the algae-bloated water.
"It's about Rosa…"
"The mermaid?"
"Yes," He nodded, "I want to forget about her."
"Dio mio, Ezio, why? You two are so well together!" Leonardo was genuinely surprised. The man speaking did not seem as childish as the usual Ezio.
"Because I can't love her!" he cried, "I want to! With all my heart, Dio caro, I want to. But it's impossible! Just think about it for a moment, Leonardo: we are too different. There is no logical future for us."
"Love isn't always logical…" Leonardo reasoned gently.
"No," Ezio shook his head, "I can't drift aimlessly forever. Even after Rosa tells me she will never be able love me, I can't wander around in search of work. I'm done with it all."
"And so by marrying Sofia, you're giving in?" Leonardo finished.
Ezio said nothing.
"This isn't about Rosa. This isn't about Sofia. This is about you." Leonardo realized, "This is all about you!"
"What can I say?" Ezio replied with a weak smile, "I'm a selfish and complicated person."
Leonardo saw he would not win this one. Ezio seemed completely set on ruining his life, mired too deeply in self-pity to acknowledge any way around it.
Finally, he gave one last effort, "Will you at least come with me to say goodbye?"
"Goodbye? To whom?"
"Well, since the expedition is ending," Leonardo shrugged, "I would like to say a final farewell to our mermaid friend."
"Yes," Ezio said slowly, nodding, "That's a good idea. Then…Then I can explain to her why I'll never be back." Not that it'll matter, he added bitterly.
Leonardo stood, stretching his sleepy limbs for a moment, "Then we'd best get going. I don't know how long the nice weather will last."
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When they'd first entered the boat, Ezio didn't notice the sketches. But as time went by, and Venice's port disappeared behind them, he realized that the splayed sheathes of paper hanging out of his companion's bag were actually very accurate portrayals of Rosa's legs. He nearly gawped at the insanely neat diagrams (all notes were illegible, courtesy of Leonardo's mirror-script) and beautiful drawings. It was almost as though Leonardo had drawn a thousand different mermaids, instead of just one.
"Leonardo," Ezio began cautiously as they drifted towards their destination, "How were you able to capture such detail without getting in the water?"
Leonardo merely grinned, "I have my ways, Ezio, I have my ways. Now why don't you focus on sailing, hmm?"
Ezio would've inquired further, but Leonardo was right. They were nearly there, and his anxiety to see Rosa had doubled since they'd hopped into the gondola. He hadn't even brought anything with him, as he hadn't been expecting to leave… But he had to see Rosa. He had to at least try to explain to her.
The Auditore ceased his rowing and the gondola slowly came to a halt. They had arrived. Leonardo reacted to this by very calmly pulling out some paper and a charcoal pen, but Ezio was a little less patient. He leaned over the side of the boat, squinting into the unusually dark water. Clear skies had looked down on them when they left port, but now the blue had faded to light shade of grey, and the sun shined through a smog of clouds. Finally, after several minutes of waiting motionlessly, Ezio grew restless.
"Rosa!" He called, hoping that somehow his voice could penetrate the water un-muffled, "Rosa!"
Leonardo watched silently as Ezio gritted his teeth and tried again, "Rosa!" No response. The green-capped mermaid was not one to keep them waiting, not anymore.
Ezio turned to his friend, edgy, "You think something's wrong?"
"I couldn't say," Leonardo shrugged, "Perhaps she's just being held up?"
Ezio considered it, but for some reason didn't quite believe it. He tried calling her one more time, but still there was no answer.
"Just wait, Ezio," Leonardo urged, looking up from his sketch for a moment, "Give her a few more minutes."
The younger reluctantly agreed and sat on the bench, tapping his fingers on his knees. Time seemed almost still, as though out on the ocean it never passes. The foggy sky made it impossible to tell whether the sun had moved an inch, and the air was thickening. This was unmistakably storm weather, and it didn't do anything to encourage Ezio to be patient. He twitched, fidgeted, tapped his foot, anything just to faintly entertain himself. And still Rosa showed no sign of her approach.
Leonardo relented, "Alright, I may have been wrong. She may not come. Do you want to go home, Ezio?"
He shook his head quickly, "No, I'm going to talk to her."
"I understand."
Finally, Ezio couldn't take the waiting any longer. He bent down, undid the laces of his boots, and set to work removing his shirt.
"You're going in after her?" Leonardo asked quietly.
"Yes," Ezio replied, bracing himself for the leap into the water. He put one foot over the edge, about to slide in, when Leonardo stopped him.
"Ezio?" the man turned his head and noticed Leonardo staring at him, a certain firmness in his blue eyes that hadn't been there previously, "Try not to drown, okay?"
"Okay," Ezio nodded, smiling. Leonardo swiftly returned to his drawing.
The Auditore slid into the ocean and dove under, getting a good look at his surroundings. The water wasn't as easy to see through as he remembered it, but then again, Rosa had always been there before. He kicked his legs, propelling himself deeper into the sea. They were not so far away from shore that he could look straight into the black abyss of the ocean floor, but the sandy bottom was quite far from the surface. Ezio could hardly make out what looked like a hole in the rocky ground, and if he'd had some more air he might've made a dash for it.
Instead he twisted and kicked downwards, moving up towards the gondola's silhouette. His head broke the surface with a loud splash, startling the poor artist sitting merely a foot away.
"Back so soon?" Leonardo asked with arched brows.
"Leonardo," Ezio sputtered, water still clogging his ears, "I think I found the entrance to an air pocket- I'm going to try for it. Rosa might be there."
"Alright," Leonardo replied, "See you soon, amico mio."
Ezio filled his lungs with salty air before diving beneath the waves. Not sparing a moment to look around, he swam straight down, heading for the sandy shelf. The Auditore had always been an exceptional swimmer, and the hole he'd spied earlier did indeed turn out to be a cave entrance. Ezio was making good time and had almost reached the bottom when something penetrated his veil of concentration.
He looked up to find two shadows moving towards him rapidly. The water dulled his senses, and instead of fear he felt merely curious of these objects. He didn't realize what danger they posed until it was too late.
By the time the cloudy liquid had cleared enough for Ezio to see that they were in fact mermen, they were already upon him. Cold, scaly hands grabbed his arms and dragged him effortlessly away from the hole. Ezio's eyes widened as the mermen's grip tightened, and he attempted to struggle. He could feel his arms numbing from the sheer cold, and his lungs began to ache. The strangers only pulled him further down into the misty water, where his sight quickly diminished until he could hardly see his legs dangling above him. Ezio held on for as long as he could, still weakly attempting to kick himself free, though at the same time he admired the beautiful sails of the mermen's tails.
Whether Ezio had finally lost consciousness or they had simply entered an underground cavern was hard to tell, but either way, everything went black…
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As the dark edges receded from his vision, Ezio found himself staring at a jagged surface with teary eyes, vomiting water. There was a hand on his back, thumping him to force the suffocating liquid out. Ezio began to cough more forcefully and soon he was able to breath, though raggedly.
Sharp nails pulled at his shoulders and hoisted him up, supporting him for a brief moment as his knees wobbled. Ezio took the time to observe his environment. It was another lagoon, though much bigger than the one Rosa usually took him to. In fact, it seemed to be populated by a large number of merpeople, all staring at him. Some looked horrified, others looked disgusted.
Ezio turned to his captors, studying them. The first seemed utterly vacant, but the second was much more animated. His dark curly hair almost blocked out his grey eyes, which he used to scowl malevolently at Ezio. His mouth was pulled into the ugliest sneer possible, and his entire visage just cried: 'I hate you. Go die'.
Suddenly, the attention in the room shifted to the opposite end, where another merman was entering. This one was clearly different from the others, an authorative figure, possibly. He wore a sort of circlet atop his black, wavy hair, and he moved with grace across the stones of the lagoon. His eyes were dark and watchful, though his expression was blank. When he approached, Ezio was forced by the guards to kneel.
"What are you called?" The new merman asked coldly.
"Ezio," he replied, "sir." Ezio added nervously. Something about this man was just commanding. "And what do I call you?"
The merman seemed off-put by his question, but answered nonetheless. "By the few men who have known me, I have been called Antonio."
"It is…an honor to meet you, Antonio." Ezio said awkwardly.
"And what is your purpose here?" Antonio asked, and Ezio could feel his gaze even though he could not look up.
"I came to-"
"-Father!"
As the mermaid ran in, dozens of pairs of eyes whirled to lock on her. The young woman seemed out of breath as she came, hurling towards Antonio.
"Father, I'm sorry, but-" She stopped suddenly as she noticed Ezio. Ezio shook the guards' grip enough to look up at her, and when he did he couldn't stop himself from blurting:
"Rosa!"
Rosa's jaw dropped and she stared at him in complete bewilderment, "Ezio?" she mouthed.
Antonio did not take to this development kindly, "I see you've met my daughter." He stated icily.