"So what now?" Ezio asked, pulling the thin blanket tighter around himself as the evening chill set in.
Leonardo folded his hands in his lap and sighed, kicking his feet lightly in the water. Rosa had both arms draped across the canal's tiny stairway and her head rested on its lowest step.
"Rosa," Leonardo said softly, causing the mermaid to raise herself, "You know you can't go home. You will have to remain in Venezia now."
"Yes," She replied, gaze lowering itself once more, "I know." Disappointment.
"And you, Ezio," Leonardo turned to him, "You've had quite a few visitors during your vacancy. I took names, and a large portion of them are related to your bride-to-be. It would be in your best interest to speak with them-"
"Of course, Leonardo, of course." Ezio muttered, waving a hand.
Suddenly, the artist lit up, "Oh! Rosa, I'm sorry, did you-?"
"It's alright, Leonardo, I know." Rosa reassured him, "And I wanted to add that the marriage is very blessed indeed. I wish our friend much happiness and a long life."
Ezio said nothing, and Rosa's comment hung limply in the night air. The silence stretched on until Leonardo finally cleared his throat.
"Well, I'd best be heading back to the workshop," He grunted as he stood, "You, too, Ezio."
"What about me?" Rosa asked tiredly, looking up at the man with hollow green eyes.
"I think for now you should stay in the canals," Leonardo suggested, "If you're careful, you won't be noticed. Give me some time, signora, I will find a solution to your problem."
"Va bene," Rosa answered and watched as the genius turned to walk away. However before he'd taken two steps, he stopped.
"Rosa?" He pivoted halfway, so that she could see the seriousness in his eyes, "Thank you for saving him."
"Go to sleep, Leonardo." Was all she said.
Once Leonardo was gone, the silence returned. After a while, Ezio found that Venice became quite cold at night for those not wearing proper clothing. But before he left, he too had some words for the mermaid.
"Rosa, I-" he hesitated, "Thank you. But about Sofia…"
"It's fine, Ezio," She told him smiling, "I love you. And I don't care if you're married or not."
Ezio grinned, exhausted though he was. She had finally learned his level of commitment. Not only that, but she understood it as well.
"I love you too."
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Several weeks later…
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The ceiling was a very interesting shade of beige. The perfect blend of yellows, browns, and whites created the most boring color ever imagined. But that wasn't all there was to enjoy. The ceiling also featured different sized lumps of paint, elegant slices of wood where the paper peeled, and what appeared to be a squashed insect of some kind.
However the ceiling, beautiful and unique though it was, could not distract Ezio from the outstanding thought that he was getting married tomorrow.
Despite being engaged, Ezio still did not live with Sofia. Apparently, the Sorto family believed that a couple should not become intimate until after they had exchanged vows, lest the woman be impregnated early. In fact, Ezio hadn't actually spoken to his bride in quite a while, as she was very concerned about the wedding. To her parents' surprise, Sofia nearly took charge of the entire operation- and preferred that the men stay far away from it.
Ezio's thoughts drifted from Sofia, to the wedding, to the elaborate outfit Leonardo had given to him as a gift, to children, to Venice, and somehow to Rosa.
In the past few weeks, as Ezio was unofficially forbidden from the wedding preparations, the two had spent a lot of time talking in the canals. When they weren't talking, the man and the mermaid discovered that they both had an immense love for pranks and tricks. This quickly escalated to some of the greatest hoaxes either had ever had the ability to pull.
The joke they pulled most often could be repeated in any district with a large bridge. Ezio would stand at the bridge's edge, singing eloquently written poetry to Venezia about the beauties she possessed, and Rosa would either interrupted or join in the song from under the bridge. Passersby would be momentarily stunned that the city responded to its own praise, and if any tried to check for an accomplice under the water, Rosa could easily escape. The expressions were priceless, and the prank itself was amazing fun to pull off.
The chats they had were also pleasurable. Every day the mermaid would complain of the water's slickness, or its smell, or some other reason why Venice's grand canals were truly the sewage dumps of the century. Her whining would always make him smile, as none of it was serious. He knew her that well. And it reminded him of his first visit to the floating city, many years ago. The stench was always what got to him first.
But he presumed that these meetings would end now that he was getting married. He'd have a household to attend to, a wife to entertain… And in the end, Rosa was just a fish. She would never leave the canal. But nothing could force Ezio to sever the tight bond of friendship they most certainly had, not even marriage.
Gentle knocking pushed him from his thoughts and made him lower his stare from the ceiling. The door creaked open and Leonardo poked his head in.
"Ezio, you're still awake?" he asked.
"Si," the Auditore answered with a shrug, "I have a lot on my mind right now."
Leonardo laughed, "I don't doubt it. However you really should try and get some sleep. You will sorely need it tomorrow."
"Of course. Goodnight, my oldest friend."
"Goodnight."
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Bells tolled, informing the public that the hour was now seven. The wedding was not schedule to commence for several more, but Ezio found he did not have the will to sleep in. He had tried to return to the troubleless world of sleep, but it had proved impossible. As he marched down the misty streets, he told himself that it was best to simply get it over with.
Birds and bells. Boats and waves. These sounds were his only companions as he approached the chapel where no one had yet arrived. He was so early not even the musicians had come to set up.
As he rested his hands on the doors, he was surprised he had never heard of the church before. Sofia did not pick San Giacomo, or the Frara, or any other famous landmark. She picked only the simplest, smallest church for her wedding.
When Ezio swung the ancient oak doors open, he could understand why. The place had a certain charm, something that made its humble appearance satisfying. As he expected, the inside was deserted, though there was evidence of a massive cleaning yesterday. No one was there except…
If he squinted, Ezio could see a pale figure at the end of the aisle. In its flowing white robe, the shadow was easily camouflaged, but the close he came the easier it was to recognize. Sofia.
It figured she would be as early as he would, as she was the coordinator. She was so excited she already wore the wedding gown, complete with veil. But Ezio couldn't blame her. He too was wearing formal attire.
As he strode down the carpet, Ezio tried to put a smile on his face, though he knew it must look forced. Rosa would notice and ask why, but Sofia wouldn't care. She was too preoccupied today.
Finally he reached the end. The groom put his hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him, reaching for the veil and gently tugging it down.
"Good morning, my love."
Ezio felt his jaw hit the floor. His eyes were bulging out of his head and soon would plop on the carpet next to it.
"R-R-Rosa?" His mind shattered and sentences could no longer be formed. Fragments swam past incomplete.
"What, you don't like it?" Rosa grinned, pulling at the wedding gown daintily.
"Where did-?" He stuttered, "Who gave-? What did you-?"
"Come on, what is it?" Her smile widened and widened.
"Rosa, HOW?" The question, or demand, finally escaped him.
She didn't answer. Instead there was laughter. Amused laughter coming from the church's side entrance, where Leonardo was just making his presence known.
"Leonardo…?" Ezio whispered in disbelief.
"Ezio, my friend," Leonardo approached him with a slap on the back, which rattled the poor Auditore to the core, "I'm afraid I told a little white lie."
"What?"
"You see," he continued, "those anatomy studies…Those pictures you found in my shop? They didn't come from Rosa. None of them did- in fact, she made me swear not to touch a hair on her head."
"Huh?"
"Allow me to introduce a close friend," Leonardo explained, and then whistled.
Through the side door, a young man with curly blonde hair and a crooked smile made his way in. He had a slightly odd gait, but this detail was wasted on the stunned groom.
"Please meet Salai," Leonardo said with flourish, "a former merman."
"Replacing Sofia with Rosa was my idea," Salai grinned, "and the dress- you should have seen your face!"
"Salai came to me on the third day of our expedition," Leonardo began, "He was a very ambitious merman, and he explained to me that he had been exiled from his village. He wanted to experience human life for himself. He wanted to be somewhere where his talents would be appreciated."
"And the food is edible and clothing is made of silk." Salai added briefly.
"I agreed to help him to the greatest of my ability, and so he allowed me to study him. It was a…painful process, but eventually I learned enough to discover that there is a way to remove fins and scales without harming the bone structure or skin. You see, the mermaids' flesh is very adapted to cool-"
"Leonardo," Ezio interrupted sharply, "I really don't want to know. But thank you." Ezio breathed in and smiled at his genius of a best friend, "thank you so much."
"Oh, di niente," Leonardo blushed and folded his hands.
"Hey, idiot!" Rosa snapped, "I'm still here, you know!"
"So you are," Ezio turned back to his lover and fastened his hands around her smooth-skinned waist, "So you are…"
It was Rosa who went in for the kiss first, but Ezio caught on so fast it was easily forgotten. Rosa leaned into him, still somewhat shaky on her less sturdy human legs, and Ezio welcomed her. As the kiss deepened she laced her fingers in his hair and moaned, allowing him to slide his tongue into her mouth.
"Just look at them," Salai commented to his master after a few seconds, "so uncivilized. I learned quickly that humanity is not at all what I expected."
"Me too, Salai," Leonardo sighed, patting the young man on the shoulder.
"Hey!" Salai shouted, approaching the two impatiently, "Finish up, please? I would like to remind Ezio that his bride will be arriving in a few minutes!"
Ezio looked at him, dazed. Then he shook his head and told him quietly, "She's already here."
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The church was still empty when the Sorto family arrived. Contrary to Ezio's beliefs, Sofia was not present when they opened the chapel doors. However, as the servants began clearing the area for the wedding, they did find one thing.
A single white rose sat by the altar, waiting patiently for its namesake to return.