Hey everybody, sorry for the long wait, but I had quite the trouble making this chapter, but it's finally finished! :D
And it's LONG, really long, but hope you like, even true I don't totally like it, sorry, but still, here you go.
A Piece From the Past
My eyes were blurry, incapable of focusing. My head ached slightly, making me grunt a little while I tried to move. To consider that I had a little pain must certainly meant that I was still alive. I blinked. This was so weird. My orientation was completely inoperative, but slowly my senses began to react to my surroundings. A sweet but strong smell was surrounding me; maybe I was dead. I certainly couldn't think of any places that were like this. It was soft, lightly tickling me. And when my eyes finally began to actually work, I was seeing pinkish red, which got me lightly shaking my head. It was flower petals.
It was then I found another thing. I was lying on something big, warm and it slightly comfortable, and something was holding me closer to it. I soon found a small but too charming smile on those smooth lips that could only belong to one person that I knew of. Of course it was him. Ezio was lying beneath me, holding me closer to him. I took a moment to think why exactly it was that I was buried in petals with Ezio, who wasn't saying anything at all, but he did look a little concerned.
"I see that you are awake. Thank goodness. I got worry for a small moment there when you passed out."
My eyes widened a little, but soon became sharper when I figured out where one of his hands was placed.
"Ezio..." I started out in a soft voice with a certainly big fake smile on my lips. He looked a little surprise by the tone of my voice and the smile. "Move your God damn hand from my ass!" I then snarled, hissing the words at him, but certainly showed a little teeth like a cat while I was trying to get out of his hold. But then he suddenly reacted fast, turning us round, making me gasp in the process. I was now lying beneath Ezio. He had a hand over my mouth not letting me speak any words, but what I had not anticipated was that he didn't even look at me, but only slightly over the wagons edge, trying to look out between the petals. I was so surprise over the whole event that I didn't even realize that some of Vieri's men had just walked by, and probably giving this wagon an odd look or two. But to our luck they just passed by, not stopping to investigate. Ezio sighed, letting breath he had held out. But I was nowhere near happy.
I got a leg up between his stomach and mine, making my leg tense a little, getting ready to use some of my strength, and then I kicked him away. He flew back out the petals with a surprised and surely shocked face. I would have loved to see it, but at that moment I was pissed. He had just grabbed my butt, lying over me, and made us fall from a tower.
I sat straight up in an instant, met by the orange sky, no people aside from Ezio and me, and I looked with an angry face and a deep frown at Ezio who sat up against the end of the wagon looking at me with some slightly surprised eyes. I guess that was his first time being thrown away by a girl.
"You IDIOTA! What the hell were you thinking? You just jumped out from a tower? Did you think you could fly or what? Well, sorry to break it to you, but you can't!" I yelled, still in shock over the suddenly 'lets-fly!' attempt, and I soon found my hands trembling. I had been so shocked that I didn't even notice it before. My fingers were curled hard against each other, with strangled petals inside; the tension made my knuckles go white.
"Clam down Oria, I knew what I was doing, nothing to be so hysterical over," Ezio simply said, making my blood boil.
"Don't you dare say that, or I am going to hurt your third leg!" I warned angry, and I think he got the message. But before I knew it, tears were dripping from my eyes, and slid slowly along my cheeks. He looked shocked but he wasn't the only one; I was too. I dried the tears viciously away, not even knowing why the few tears had gotten through the blockade I had so carefully put up. I hadn't even felt the tears prepare to fall down.
"Agh, this is so messed up!" I threw myself resignedly backwards, landing on the mountain of petals but not falling through them.
"Hey, are you okay? I am really sorry if I got you that scared by doing it." I looked a little at Ezio, but his voice sounded so hurt, so terribly hurt, and his dark hazel eyes didn't contradicted it.
I smiled a little, but it was more of a reassuring smirk, then shook my head lightly.
"No, don't worry, I'm fine – I don't even know what the hell got into me." He didn't understand it, I could tell, but I wasn't in the mood to explain it; I couldn't even explain it to myself. But then he jumped out of the wagon and held a hand towards me. I raised a brow a little, but just sighed at his telling face, took the hand and got out of the wagon with his help.
We had petals all over us, and we silently began to brush the pink off each other. I especially had a lot in my hair, which surely looked like a messy nest. I had lost the basket, the food and was about to go empty-handed home.
What a great day.
Actually, that wasn't entirely true: I had gotten to see the most amazing scene I could ever image or remember.
I looked up at the tower where we just had been, and something was poking inside my head, but I didn't knew what. There was something I was missing, something that had happened just now, I had heard something, someone…
"Ezio, that jump you just made...does it have a name?" I knew that couldn't be just a normal jump-not with that somersault he had made (which was quite good considering that he had me in his embrace). He looked surprised by my question but just shrugged at it, he answered me when he could see that I was asking seriously.
"Well, Federico calls it Leap of Faith."
I froze by the name, and then it was like I got hit in the face. A child. I was certain. something in my head had been triggered to let this sentence get out in my head. A child had said a sentence with that name in it when he had jumped. The child had called for me, wanting me to make that jump. That must have been from my past.
Ezio just stared at me blankly, like he didn't understand why I had asked and why I was suddenly so lost in my thoughts, but he was looking like he was beginning to get used to it. He didn't ask about my sudden turn of facial expression. Again, I looked up at the tower, totally in my own thoughts.
"Is this where I am supposed to ask or just leave you be?" I got ripped from my thoughts, staring at him like I had to divert my thoughts to the present.
"I-I guess that jump isn't that normal?" It was quite a surprise for him to see how swallowed I was about this jump, especially when I had been so mad about it just a few seconds ago.
"No it is not. But why are you asking me all of this so suddenly?" My eyes weren't upon him anymore; again, I was wandering in my own thoughts. If that jump wasn't normal, then maybe I shouldn't say anything about the sudden memory that had appeared. Giovanni's reaction the days before had me hesitating. You never know what a hidden past could hide, and until now, a lot of unusual things had happened to me.
Blood, bruises, daggers, knives, odd clothes… that reminded me of something.
"Oria? Hello? I am asking you something here?" Ezio waved a hand in front of my face, got me to quickly look at him where I got caught by his eyes, and there they stayed, captured, unable to break free.
"Nothing, I just have my mind full – nothing to worry about. We should get back now," I said quickly, not too convincing. He just stood there, looking like he tasted my explanation, but he didn't look too pleased.
"Hmm, if you say so, but don't think I'm convinced." A soft smile went to my lips as I saw how he was assessing me for at short moment but then let it go, beginning to walk the way back home.
We both knew it would be a waste of time to go to the marketplace so we just headed straight home. It was getting chilly as the night crept closer, making the shadows filled with mystery and unseen things. But luckily, it wasn't so dark that no people were around or the last sun rays over the sky were gone, but they were surely the last for this day. As we walked, I secretly looked at Ezio, surprisingly finding his eyes lighter, honey brown with a little twist of gold in them. That couldn't be normal, but I didn't say anything, just took my eyes back to myself, looking straight ahead once again.
Two days had passed since Ezio and I had been on that little trip to the tower, running like idiots and losing all the food. Annetta had been over me the minute we had step inside the palazzo, attacking with questions about where I had been, why I didn't had the food, and what I was doing with the young Ser Ezio. Of course it was all friendly, but by that time I was getting tired, saying that I would tell her the next day. Well it was a failing attempt, while Ezio just smirked at me going to his room I had to explain every little detail about why I had been so long to get some few ingredients.
That evening, the bag had come in mind. It was still under my bed, and still with sharp tools in it. Maybe I should look at them, and then decide later what to do with them, if they really were mine, then they probably hold a bigger meaning to them. Not that I thought that I would need them again, but something inconclusive had filled my mouth with a bad, dry taste and my stomach to tighten by the thought. But I never really got the chance to do it that evening, for I was too tired.
I was with a free smile almost dancing around in the streets the day that the excitement level sky-rocketed. The weather was warm, sunny and just looked so bright. Nothing could possible go wrong on a day such as this. So, in my own thoughts, I walked, looking at all the items there was in the stands. The air was overflowing with voices, each with its own thing to tell. One salesman after another trying to sell their things to the bypassing people. This was Florence alright. A living city would be a good way to describe this place.
While looking at some long beautiful fabric in a stand, I began to hear some dark, deep voices; obviously men. They were talking a little too loud, which meant I could clearly hear every word that they said, and for every word I heard, I became irritated and angry.
"The Auditores are nothing than big fat cowards that only know how to swim in money and puttane (whores)." After making a sign to the salesman that I wouldn't be buying anything, I made my way over to the men. Not really knowing why I did so, I was soon close enough to them that I could touch one of them if I reached out to him. People had past them with a big circle around them, not really wanting to get to close. The men weren't weak in anyway; they were actually kind of tough looking and rough. They obviously meant no good, but that didn't stop me from approaching them.
"Excuse me, could you say that again?" The man turned around, looking confused at me, a little girl compared to him. They all turned, but they probably hadn't thought that a girl would actually ask them of something, and not even with the slightest hint of fear. A strong odor of beer, sweat and something I didn't want to know hung around them, and it tore into my nostrils. It was almost enough to make me flinch away, but I stood my ground. The man looked back to his friends, then to me, not really knowing what to do about this sudden young woman stand before him.
"I guess for such men without any kind of honor, like yourself, it wouldn't be that hard, would it now?" The faces of the men suddenly turned to stone, like they couldn't believe their own ears, but then they got angry by the insult that had just been thrown at them.
"Why you little puttana (whore), how dare you say such insulting things!" The man looked like he was about to hit me, standing threateningly before me, ready to slam that bear hand of his into a swing with my head as it goal. I would for sure be lying on the ground in a minute if I didn't get my ass moving from the spot I was standing.
Then the hand was flying through the air like a spear, but not with that much speed and sharpness, but enough to make my body react on its own. It was like my surroundings got blurry for a moment, and then everything happened so fast.
With a quick motion I stopped his whistling hand with my forearm. I pushed his arm away, spinning around, getting closer to this smell of hell, and hammered an elbow in his stomach. He bowed a bit forward, but didn't seem to suffer of pain. It was like it was natural for me. I turned around and smashed a knee in his chest. That most certainly hurt! And it did; the guy lost all the air in his lungs, getting a little red in his cheeks, and I just stood there in a sudden shock. I couldn't believe what just had happened. I was sure that whatever I had just done, I couldn't do it again. I felt a little breathless, my chest moving up and down in tired movements.
"You bitch! I am going to rape you then kill you!" I was surprised by his eruption and slammed my basket over his head, making him fall on the ground in agony. It actually wasn't on purpose, but they wouldn't stand down and hear a little girl's crazy explanation on how her body just suddenly had moved by itself.
"I'm sorry?" I let out, trying to look sorry plus biting a little on my lip, but the men obviously weren't going to let a girl like me, humiliating them and then get away with it. Time to run like hell.
Run, run little lamb or the big bad wolf will get you.
This had been such a great day; why did it have to end like this? So I was running, running with a big group of angry men that could be called a herd of bulls, knocking all the people that came in their way onto the ground, leaving a long trail of scared people. That fact simply made me angrier and a little thought began to sprout in my head: how I should stop running and kick their asses. But when my eyes laid upon them, that idea crumpled almost immediately. They were so much bigger and angrier than before when I had given their friend a little friendly clap. I hadn't even known how I had done that, so stopping and kicking their asses was just not an option.
"GET HER! DON'T LET THAT PUTTANA GET AWAY! WE SHALL MAKE HER SORRY FOR WHAT SHE DID!" Damn, but I was already sorry for what I have done, wasn't that enough? Apparently not. I tried to get away, running into big formation of people, but they had to suffer for the men's brutal behavior, getting thrown on the ground, just like before. I needed a savor, a real one and not some twit. My thoughts got over to a certain young man, making me shook with my head. "Don't you even dare to say his name out loud!" I threatened myself mentally, biting a little harder on my lip.
"Excuse me, coming through, excuse me" I yelled while I pushed people out of the way, nearly getting caught by one of the men behind me, when a wagon got in between me and the man. I looked behind to see how far they where. Well I can say, they weren't far enough.
People and buildings were like a big giant, fast blur; just something I had to run along with, not stopping by any means, but even that I couldn't succeed in, because then, due to me being quite gauche, it usually ended up with me and another person toppled on the dusty stoned ground. My eyes shut as we fell, I didn't even look at the person I had knocked over before I looked behind me. They were getting too close.
"Well this is a surprise! Hello Oria. How nice of you to say hi." I blinked, surprised, but then shocked.
"Federico? I am so sorry if I had known -" He chuckled a little, getting up on his elbows.
"Then what? You would have run around me instead?" What was I saying? I felt pretty stupid now, but the thing was I just didn't have the time for this. I still had those stupid bulls after me. I didn't answer I just got off him, brushed a little of the dust off him, not noticing the people that stared at us, but then my heart suddenly felt like it was all the way up in my throat when I heard the men yelling again not too far away.
Federico glanced at them and then down to me with a raised brow."Friends of yours?" I shook my head vigorously, more than ready to run away, but I didn't just yet. "Well, they don't look too friendly. Do I even dare to ask why they are running after you?" I swallowed and then glanced briefly at him and started to talked with a little shaken voice from all the running and the adrenaline.
"I am pretty sure you wouldn't believe me, even if I told you, but I can tell you that they insulted the Auditore family and then I burst into the conversation, and now I'm running like hell."
Abruptly his face grew more taut, tightening at my words, but he didn't say anything. He took a hold of my upper arm, and then began to walk away from the place. I was a little surprise but just followed, happy to get away from the men, who had been just to close for comfort. As we walked he sped more and more, and soon I found us running down the Florence streets. He had let my arm go when he had seen that I could keep up the pace.
"So where are we running to?" I asked following Federico who just smiled at me when he looked back at me, ready to pull me along if it was necessary, which it really wasn't.
"Just a little place with not that many people around" I could clearly see what he had in mind. Why was it that I got into theses situation? Sometimes I thought it was punishment from something I had done but had forgotten about.
"You are not thinking about beating them, are you?" I run up along his side, looking a little sternly at him, waiting for that too well-known answered. He didn't say anything – his face said it all.
But he was right; as we ran, fewer and fewer people were around and soon the only noises I could hear was from the men behind us, but some of them had given up, simply not in shape to run so fast for so long—now there where only four men after us, all with red heads and almost dotted lungs. Then, Federico suddenly stopped, and I had to force my sore into the ground just to stop myself. I ended a little longer than him, I looked bewildered at him, not so sure what he suddenly wanted.
"Federico, you are not going to do what I think you are going to do!" He just smirked, the only answered I needed to understand, that he was going to do the very thing I hoped not to happen. Maybe as a punishment for saying things about his family, but that was more Ezio's thing then Federico's. Or so I had thought.
The men looked pleased that we finally had made a stop. Sweat was running down their faces, not making them any prettier than they already were before. I was still standing a little behind Federico, and I was still not all that crazy about the whole idea stop-and-face-the-bulls, but neither would I be a coward, so of course I stood my stand, waiting to see what would happen now.
"Give us the puttana and we will spare that girly face of yours." Girly? They sure hadn't seen a girl if they meant that Federico looked like a girl. I frowned a little by that. God, these were stupido men.
Federico, on the other hand, just smirked a little at them while taking a step towards them with an attitude they didn't understand. They looked cautiously at each other, as if they suddenly became nervous over some unknown danger.
"My apologies, but I can't do that. What kind of gentleman would I be then? Letting such a bello into hands of beasts wouldn't be fair, would it now?" Hoping that Federico knew what he was doing was the only thing I could do for now, but of course being more than ready to run like the wind if necessary.
"You piece of shit" One of them suddenly screamed and then they all were running like idiots towards us.
"I sure hope you can fight, because I am not going to save your sorry ass!" I said in a serious tone while looking at Federico who just looked pleased, like he had been bored and finally received some entertainment. "Don't worry. I can take care of my sorry ass more than just fine, thank you for your sweet concern." I just rolled with my eyes and sighed a little. He was Ezio's brother alright. Next the four men were over Federico, and I was just biting my lip, making some weird movements with my arms, not really knowing what to do, but I must say, Federico sure could fight.
There was something about his movements that made me stare in wonderment. They were dangerous, unpredictable and fast. Not something that I had seen before, and I was quite taken by it. He had already taken two out with his unbelievable speed, and they were now lying on the ground, unconscious. One of the men abruptly remembered me and changed his target on me instead. He lashed out at me with a fist, and I managed to duck at the right time, the swift sound from the rushing swing played over my head. That was too close, and he wasn't finished with his dance of blows, he tried over and over again to hit me, and I was just really lucky that the guy was tired from all the running, or else I would already be lying on the ground with a bloody nose, knocked out from the battle.
Then I felt how the brick of the house behind me suddenly ceased me. I was dead meat. And like most damsels in distress, my eyes shut together in a strong hold, not wanting to see when the hand would penalize its target. I felt how my body squashed itself up against the wall in an attempt to disappear, not wanting to feel the pain to come.
But it never came. Instead I could hear loud painful husky groans. I gently open my eyes, just to see a big shadow in front of me, holding the man in a strong, twisted hold, and soon flung the man against the ground. He whined when he hit the ground, looking with a glare that pleaded for mercy.
"Incazzare (Piss off)." The words were dark, coming from a seriously pissed of...wait, that wasn't Federico's voice. I blinked a little, seeing that Federico was standing a little farther away. Wait that couldn't be –
"Ezio, you came as called!" Federico said with a fresh, happy voice and an Auditore smile on his lips. I was just stunned and not really in the believer-mode. This was weird.
"Well, I saw you two run like crazy, so I decided you could surely use a helping hand." Federico was now holding a hand on Ezio shoulder, while making a brotherly pat, they grinned a little and exchanged smiles. "But it doesn't look like you, running away and get into fights, but I can see you have Oria with you, so I guess it makes more sense" Ezio teased while glancing at me with that all too well known smirk of his.
"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" I glared at him with my eyes narrowed. He rolled with his eyes a little with a smile spread on his lips. "Well, if I'm not wrong, it was your problem to start with, and then Federico got into it; seeing a damsel in distress, he couldn't possible say no." Well, he was right, but that didn't make me feel any happier about it.
"Well excuse me for beating some sorry ass that was even was saying shitty things about your family!" I defended myself as we began to walk out on a bigger street with big population of people. Ezio looked stupefied at me, not really believing what I had just said.
"Then why didn't you kick the last man's ass? And you shouldn't play with guys bigger then yourself." I went mute by that, not something I had expected from him. Federico just chuckled a little by my surprised face, but he did looked a little interested.
"Well, I didn't know how I did it, I just did it – and what do you mean? How come you suddenly became my mother?" A questionable but still teasing brow raised itself on my forehead while my glance was a bit foxed.
"Haha, don't tease mother-Ezio, he must be exhausted" Federico said with a big teeth filled smile, while he tugging Ezio's hair, making it a tousled and stick out in all directions. Ezio pushed his hand away, trying to save his hairstyle with an exasperated grimace on his face.
"Stai zitto (shut up)" Ezio said, clearly annoyed.
I chuckled a little and looked at the two brothers with smiling soft eyes. They didn't seem to care that I was present and just continued their teasing playing with each other. I was fine by that. It was actually fun to watch the two brothers in their own play full world. But that only lasted for a little while, because suddenly a young boy ran over to us, looking with large eyes, as if he didn't believe his own eyes.
"Signora, I have been looking for you everywhere" I got a little wondering, I glared a little on the two brothers as if they would give me the hint to why this young, small boy had been looking for me. They were silent, waiting, and I just looked with a questionable look at the boy. He breathed a little loud, then finally giving the reason to why he had wanting to find me.
"Your horse is still in my masters stables, and he was wondering when you would come and pick up your horse."
Oh, so I had a horse? That one was new. I looked a little on the boys standing at my side, not really knowing what to do, but I decided that I should get going to this stable. But Federico got ahead of me.
"Well what are we waiting for, let's get going then," Federico said, taking my arm in his, making a gesture to the boy to show the way. Ezio just shrugged when I looked back at him, and then we began our way to the stable. I didn't pull my arm to me but just followed along. He seemed warmer than before, the small battle had put a little influenced on him, but not so much as a drop of sweat had ventured on him.
I must say, I was in shock when we were at our destinations and standing outside the stable. I felt like the whole building could fall down any minute, not because it was badly built, no, but because of the big noise of strong hits that were falling against the walls, and when the wall would give into the tremors the hits made.
"I am glad to see that you are here, I guess you're here to get your mare back?" The stable owner said. He sure looked happy to see me, but I was just in a totally addled state. "She has been giving us a lot of trouble. At first she was easy, nothing wrong, but then suddenly she became the devil itself." The older man said while giving one of the younger stable boys a sign to get the horse. He looked like he was about to die, but nevertheless, he did as he was told. I couldn't see what was going on in the dark stable. Through we were standing not that far away from the big door to all the horses. We could hear curses, noises and the stroke of hooves tramping on the floor as a wild dance. They were wild and untamed, nothing inside that stable was silence or peaceful. I looked a little uncertainly at Federico and Ezio, who didn't knew what to say or meaning about this. This was something none of us had expected.
It sounded dangerous and I got more and more nervous to see this horse they proclaimed mine. "È stupido cavallo (You stupid hose)!" a curse came from the stable, and then it was like hell broke loose. It was like thunder came closer and closer and we knew something wasn't right.
Then emergent, Federico pulled me out of the way and Ezio reacted just as fast. The half closed door to the stable got slammed up in a loud bang, and a big black shadow ran in front of us in a viciousness gallop. Fiery whinny surrounded us in their intensive tones, as the hooves danced over the dried ground, making cloud of dust whirled around. She kicked and screamed as she danced across the ground, not wanting to stand still, getting captured again. She was black as a sky of night, but with a white bliss making its way down her head. The mare ran a little around, getting farther and farther away from us, just to turn around, in the direction where we were standing. She was bucking and trampling hard on the ground. She reared and threw her head sideways, protesting in her own angry way.
"Marco, get that horse!" The stable owner hissed, making the young boy from before running over to the horse, who yet again reared and kicked with her forelegs towards the boy. He was almost getting hit, and I got angry that the man would send a boy over to a horse that could kill him if it wanted to. I wasn't the only one with that thought, but they didn't get the chance to react before me.
"ORIA!" They both yelled at once, trying to get me to stop, but I ran over to the boy, who was inches to get threading hooves in his head and certainly getting himself badly hurt if not killed. The boy froze, as if he became suddenly stuck to the ground beneath him, sudden became scared of this black mare, who only wanted to show that she wasn't going inside that stable until she had done something unknown.
I pulled just in time to get the boy out of the way. He shrank back a little, but I got him behind me. Trying to be a shield from the horse, who didn't do anything after that, only making some angry steps back and forth but then slowed down a little, getting herself a little under control.
Well I hoped that, but she then again reared before me, as if trying to show how strong and powerful she was and I shouldn't think that she couldn't beat me. But then I got stubborn, frowned a little, and made a little step towards her, raising my voice.
"Easy now girl, calm down. Shh, it's all right." Still with her head held high she got herself onto the ground, carefully trying to look at me, as if she was trying to believe that it was really me, if I really was trustworthy. Her head was still held high, ready to kick and rear if necessary, looking down upon me.
But after she had assessed me a little she began to let her black head lowered more and more, suddenly so calm as if she never had been heated up. Her nostrils breathe calmly and deeply out, making her body move along with the rhythm and then she came closer, as if she had remembered me in her state of calmness. I hold a hand out towards her, along her nasal bridge but I didn't touch her. She came to me, making my hand feel her warm skin. I took a long look in her deep hazel brown eyes, they had been so wild, filled with white, but now only as brown as the fruity soil.
"Hey girl, you are a temperate one, huh?" I whispered in tranquil, getting a little closer to her and scratched her a little on her big round furry cheek. I couldn't help but smile. She was beautiful and suddenly like a totally other horse than before. My eyes had a warm, soft glow as I assessed her. She was black, with a white bliss, some black stripes in her already dark mane and then two socks, one on her foreleg and the other on one of her hind leg. She had a well muscled body, but with long slender legs.
"I must say, that is one hell of a horse you got yourself there." I looked back at Federico who had taken the first lead to the intention to break the astonished silence there had been since I had taken action. The stable boy had already run to some safety, not wanting to get close to that animal any time soon.
I smiled a little, I wasn't afraid of the mare considered her little performance before. There was something familiar by her, so maybe she actually was my horse.
"I know. And here I thought I was all alone in this world, but I guess I still have something from my past left." I said while smiling, and the mare began to nodded eagerly, and a little rough, but still kind hearted. She made me chuckle a little under my breath.
"Yes, she was like that at first; calm and sweet, but still a little careful, not giving us much trust. But then some days after you had left her here, she became wild and tempestuous, the stable boys got quite their hands full with that mare. She has ruined a lot of my horse stalls too." That didn't sounded so good, and I ended up biting a little on my lip, looking a little questionable at Federico and Ezio, as to ask what to do.
"How long has this mare been here?" Ezio spoke and I got another thing to think about; the payment. This would surely cost me everything I had earned so far.
"For almost a month now, and with the damage that mare have done, it's going to be expensive." Of course. Now I liked this horse less and I guess she could feel it, because she was suddenly really kind and touchy, rubbing her head up against me. I had to take a step or two back just to gain my balance again.
"Don't worry Oria, we will come up with something, I will talk with the stable owner," Federico said assurance, smiling a little and then getting himself into a conversation with the old man. I nodded only for a bit, feeling like a child, but then the mare required my attention.
Ezio had his eyes laid on the girl who suddenly looked like she was captivated by the horse, not having the slightest time for the world around them. Her eyes was like mesmerized by the mare, she was looking like she was in a totally other world, a world that nobody other than her could get into. She was petting the horse, that weird horse which had been so tempered one minute ago, and now was like a little lamb. He had never seen anything quite like that.
He abruptly felt like he had to pull Oria back into his world again, but when standing beside her, he heard a low, whispering, but far away voice from her. He frowned a little. She wasn't even paying attention to him, and the thing she had been saying wasn't making any sense, he could almost nothing hear of it.
"Oria? Hello?" He said in his low dark voice, trying to get her attention. The mare snorted at him, laying her ears back a little, he had a feeling that the horse certainly didn't like him that much, but then Oria came back to herself again, but seeing something that wasn't expected so close, got her to almost jump in the air, then seeing bewildered around.
"Ezio?" She said surprised. He had gotten a little shock by her sudden reaction, but had got his composure quickly back.
"Seriously Oria, you are freaking me out now, you where totally in your own little lala-land, you know! What were you thinking about?" He asked, knocking her a little on her head, as to show her, that her head had been as if it was empty.
"I-I don't know what you are talking about" The girl busted out, a little uncertain about something he didn't quite understand, but he could feel and see that it was something she wanted him to let be, so he did, although he was beginning to die of curiosity inside. Oria was starting to be a little too secretive for him, but maybe it wasn't actually something he was supposed to reading too much into.
"So, do you have a name for her?" Ezio asked. At first I didn't understand what he meant but then the mare pushed me a little, making me understand it was meant for her. It was strange and a bit intimidating, but when I had seen into this mare eyes again, it was like she had captured my whole being, and for a second, I felt like I was in a totally other place. Dimmed sounds had rang in my head, not making themselves clear enough to be understand, but a name had been the only thing I had could get through. Scura. Her name was Scura, I was sure about that.
"Yes, I think I do actually. Her name is Scura"
Scura sudden lifting her head high and began to nod as in I was correct. I didn't say anything to her behavior, but this meant that some of my memories were coming back, although it was a little and faint, there was something there, ready to get known again.
"Scura? Like in "dark"?" I nodded. Scura indeed meant dark in Italian. It fit her pretty well actually, with that dark fur of hers. Our little conversation got interrupted by Federico who came walking with a face that didn't said trouble, but more like a good settlement had been made.
"Things should be alright now. I have made the deal with the stable owner that you can pay him off a little by time, and your mare can stand in our families stable, we still got some stalls empty, so I am sure you can keep her there for now." I almost jumped of happiness, glad how the outcome came out, and I actually had a stall to put Scura in.
"Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you for your kindness?" I asked humbled but he just shook his head, like it was nothing.
"Don't think about it, I am glad to help." Ezio just smirked a little mischievous at his brother, but I didn't pay attention to that. I went my aid yet again to Scura, patting her a little eagerly with a satisfied smile.
"I'm sure you are," Ezio teased Federico behind me, which got me to chuckle a little, but I just pretended as if I didn't hear them.
"Well, let's get going to that stable of yours" I said while turning around just to see the two brothers in a little finger fight against each other. I sighed a little. They were pretty childish. But they just send me a long innocent look at me, as I raised my brown at them. They were indeed brothers.
After I had giving the first payment to the owner of the stables, getting Scuras things, which was a lot actually, we made our way to the Auditore stable Federico had talked about.
"So, do you ride?" I asked. I had the calm Scura a little behind me in a rope. Her hooves hit the ground in a pleasant, relaxing pace as we were walking outside from the city, to her new home. She snorted occasionally, shook a little with her neck, but otherwise she just went at her own pace which was perfect with ours.
"Yes, sometimes we do in fact. Our father wanted us to know how to ride, which is a pretty good thing in our country." Federico answered. He was walking in the middle. I was at his right and Ezio at his left. "I see. Hmm, I guess I can ride too, but I can't remember how..." I felt Federico's hand on my shoulder for a short moment before I looked at him, saw how he had that naturally and calm expression, as if everything would be alright.
"Well, we can teach you, or, try to make you remember again, right Ezio?" Federico then turned to the silent Ezio, who hadn't said much on our little trip. Which felt a little off, I must say. But when I looked at him, he didn't look like something was wrong or off, so I was probably just over thinking.
"Of course we can. Oria, when do you have your next day off?" I turned to my own thoughts for a moment to think, but quickly remembered.
"Actually tomorrow"
"Great, then let's take you for a ride tomorrow. Then you can also find out what that mare of yours actually can do." I looked a little at Scura, who suddenly looked really pleased by this deal, I smiled at her and then put my attention onto the boys who both was looking at me.
"Bene. That's a deal."
And that's chapter 4 for you :D
Please review! :3 That would make me really happy!
Don't worry, Ezio will soon be a fearful Assassin ;) *or, maybe not that fearful at first.*
Chapter 5 will hopefully come soon!
