The Morning of April 2nd, 1503

…...

After a few hectic days of gathering supplies and equipment, the five assassin trainees were finally prepared to begin their journey. They assembled in the front hall of the Tiber Island hideout to say their farewells.

Annetta was late slipping into the hall. She had packed lightly- just the basic necessities. She would buy whatever else she needed in Francia. As she swept into the room, other assassins parted respectfully and murmured wishes of good luck. Annetta returned them, looking each one in the eyes. She never knew who wouldn't be there when she came back.

Ezio stepped forward.

"Buona fortuna, my dear apprendisti. I know you will succeed. We all await your return."

…...

The journey to Francia wouldn't be easy. The two routes available to them were equally treacherous. They could cross the massive, snow covered Alps- or they could sail across the Mediterranean Sea. The group decided to journey north and decide along the way.

Swinging into the saddle of his black horse, Alfonso watched as his companions mounted. Desideria was the best rider of the group- may God protect the idiot who stepped in front of her hulking mare's hooves. Guiding his horse to her side, he cleared his throat. "Desi, have you seen Ugo? He's conveniently gone missing, along with Giovanni."

The woman snorted through the scarf covering the lower half of her face. "Alfonso, you seriously thought they'd be on time? I think I heard Giovanni throwing up somewhere outside earlier. As for Ugo- Dio mio, that man could be anywhere."

Sighing, Alfonso swung around and raised an eyebrow at Annetta. She shrugged in reply.

He rolled his eyes and dismounted. Striding around to the back of the hideout, he found Giovanni leaned over a ledge and throwing up into the Tiber. He started to cough, and Alfonso hurried over to clap him on the back. Finally, Giovanni stopped.

"Dio mio, Giovanni, we aren't even in Francia yet! Don't die on me."

The other man gave a weak chuckle. "Sorry, it's just I'm kind of... nervous."

"No, I thought you were throwing up because you were ecstatic about leaving."

Giovanni shot Alfonso an annoyed look. "Oh, grazie, the support is just great. You're in a surprisingly good mood, aren't you?"

The muscular man let out a low chuckle, then grabbed Giovanni's collar and proceeded to drag him back to the horses.

Desideria eyed Giovanni. "I hope you realize we're behind schedule now. Next time, don't eat so much lasagne."

The two men mounted their horses and the party set out at a brisk trot. Annetta guided her horse over to ride beside Giovanni.

"Hey, have you seen Ugo? He's missing in action."

The gangly man nodded. "He said something about meeting us at the gate. I was going to tell you, but I was...uh, delayed."

Annetta thanked him. Continuing with their ride, they finally reached the north exit. Travelers and merchants bustled around, busily transporting goods or meeting with friends. They found Ugo arguing with a guard. Desideria groaned and dismounted. She marched over to the scene.

"Idiota, what are you doing?"

Ugo swung around. Upon seeing the short assassin trainee behind him, his face drained of all color. "Uh, Desi! How nice to see you. I, um, was just, uh..."

The guard cut in. "Just being charged for pickpocketing at least twenty civilians-"

"You don't have any proof!" Ugo frantically replied.

Desideria gave him a warning look. Turning to the guard, she asked how much was owed.

The man straightened, then unfurled a piece of paper and began to read off of it.

"Let's see...hmm, it looks like he owes 4,000 florins. Yes, that's it."

Desideria's smile seemed to crack a bit as she turned back to Ugo. "I ...see. That's...that's quite a lot, isn't it?"

The man seemed to shrink.

She pulled out a considerably large coin purse. Starting to count it out, she sighed and gave the whole bag to the guard. "That should cover it, plus more for your most appreciated silence on the matter."

The guard nodded eagerly and scurried off. Turning to Ugo, Desideria smacked him in the face. "Che diavolo? Now I only have a few hundred florins, you stupid idiota!"

After Alfonso had pried the infuriated woman off of Ugo, the group finally left the city. The road was congested with travelers entering and exiting Roma. For a few miles, the road continued to be quite crowded before the people began to dwindle in number.

Giovanni led his horse to trot beside Alfonso. "So, what do we know about the target?"

Alfonso ran a hand over his stubbly chin. "Not much, I'm afraid. His name is Pierre d'Aubusson. He's decided that the Jewish popolazione is, for some reason, not to be tolerated in his land. We don't know his motives or much about his personal life other than that, but rumor has it he's allied himself with the Borgia."

Annetta joined the two. "Are we reviewing our informazioni?"

Alfonso shook his head. "Not really. We don't have much other than the man's name."

She sighed. "Sounds like we'll be working on some ricognizione. Which means..." she shifted her gaze over to Giovanni- "we'll have to work on our information gathering skills."

He groaned. "Do I ever get a break"?"

Annetta grinned. "No."

…...

They rode on for the rest of the day, finally stopping at an inn along the road. Inside waited a huge compilation of thieves, swindlers, thugs, and mercenaries. All in all, the trainees' kind of people.

The group settled in for the night. They rented two rooms, splitting them by gender. As darkness enveloped the sky, Desideria decided to drag the new guy out on a walk.

She marched down the hallway and proceeded to bang on the door to the men's room. A tired Ugo cracked it open.

"Ugh, Desi, came to make sure I'd have nightmares?"

Giving him a warning look, she demanded to see Giovanni. The thin man tentatively slid into the hallway, eyeing the woman warily. "You wanted to see me?"

Grabbing his wrist, she proceeded to lead him down the hallway. "Annetta said you needed training. So-" she gave him a lookover- "we are going to train you. There's a town a mile or so back; we're going to practice a few techniques."

They left the inn and grabbed their horses from the stable. Mounting, they rode until they entered the small village. Jumping off of the horse, Desideria waited impatiently as Giovanni clambered off of his. "Now, I'm going to blend into the crowd here. Your job is to find me and 'assassinate' me. If you can. I'm fairly good at hiding." She gave him a sly grin. "Close your eyes for three secondo."

He complied. When he opened his eyes, she was gone. Giovanni eyed the town square. It was a puny little place, filled with impoverished peasants, merchants, and travelers. A tall tree grew in the center of the square. Bushes grew haphazardly beside the buildings, and beggars lurked in the alleys.

Giovanni scanned the faces around him; none of them belonged to the fiery black-haired woman. He kept his eyes peeled for her Assassin robes. Beginning to merge within the crowd, Giovanni found himself actually enjoying the experience.

As he continued to search, he realized he would have to look for more than just the white robes Assassins wore. Desideria was short, so she wouldn't exactly be easy to spot from far away.

"Cazzo...why couldn't she have red hair or something?" he thought to himself. Continuing to weave in and out of large groups, Giovanni finally saw a flit of white clothing and a half-hooded face. Smiling a bit to himself, he began walk a bit faster. Then, he stopped, a puzzled look on his face. "I swear, she was right there!"

A beggar slumped against a wall and surrounded by pigeons noticed him. "Lookin' for someun?"

Giovanni hesitated. "Actually, si. I'm looking for a woman dressed in white with a half-mask over her mouth."

The beggar snorted. "Saw someun' dressed like that jump into a bush over there. What a weirdo," he replied as a bird climbed onto his bald head.

He gestured to a particularly large shrub next to the baker's shop. Giovanni was ecstatic. "Grazie! Here, take this." He gave the unkempt man a handful of florins, to the beggar's delight.

Pretending like he didn't see the bush, Giovanni began to walk over to the baker's. Finally, he tackled the bush and crushed an unsuspecting Desideria.

"Gotcha!" he crowed happily. The two crawled out of the poor shrub. Desideria gave him an approving look. "Not bad...for a novizio. Next time, though, you crush me and I'll punch you."

Happy he had finally won a bit of approval from the woman, Giovanni beamed. "I might actually be able to do this!"

Desideria rolled her eyes. "Sul serio? With an attitude like that, it's a miracle you haven't killed yourself yet. Now, as a reward, let's go and view the baker's wares. He has some fantastic smelling pastries, and I am hungry."

…...

After purchasing a few cream puffs, the two sat side by side on a bench in the town square.

"So, Gugliemi, how exactly did you become an Assassin trainee again?" Desidera asked, curious.

The man grimaced. "Well, it's not a story I like to talk about."

She nodded. "I didn't mean to intrude."

He shook his head. "No, you aren't intruding. It's just...I don't know, it's kind of painful still. I was stupid and people got hurt. What about you?"

Desideria sighed. "Long story. It's boring, and you probably don't want to hear it. Not the nicest story, either."

Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "Oh, woe, we both have tragic pasts. I guess that's one thing we have in common."

She smirked. "Who said mine was tragic? It's just bloody."

"Is there a difference?"

Desideria quirked an eyebrow. "It depends. Is it tragic if you enjoyed the killing? Now shut up and eat your cream puff."

Giovanni ate the rest of his pastry in silence. The two rode back to the cheap inn and returned to their rooms.

As Giovanni lay on the floor of the room, he smiled at the ceiling. This assassin thing was kind of fun sometimes.

…...

I apologize for the lack of updates! For some reason, this chapter was a bit harder for me to write than the other two. Hopefully, I'll be able to update more.

Reviews are always appreciated!

Speaking of reviews, a special thanks to Wanna Be Formal, Predator Drone, Vex Uzumaki, and especially Iguanablogger for their reviews! They're truly appreciated. Thank you!

Response to Vex- Ooh no. I don't write lemons. Never have, never will. : -)