Sorry it took so long! I couldn't get to my laptop long enough to write anything! A warm thank you to all who subscribed to this story! You make me want to write more everyday!
Disclaimer: Although it would be amazing, I don't own Assassin's Creed.
It didn't take Ezio long. In fact, I had just caught my breath when he arrived. Paola had come to the door when he knocked, greeting him with open arms when he walked in.
Ezio smiled at her before turning serious again. "I think it's best I leave Firenze."
"Where will you go?" Paola asked. Meanwhile, I sat on a small bench nearby, still concentrating on slowing my heartbeat.
"My Uncle Mario owns a villa near Monteriggioni," Ezio explained.
"You're still a wanted man, Ezio," Paola warned.
Ezio seemed exhausted. "What will you have me do, then?"
"I've seen posters all across the district. Tearing them down will help the city forget your face. No doubt the heralds also incite the public. Bribe them, and they'll speak of other things," she explained.
When Ezio left after Paola's many instructions on how to be rid of notoriety, I decided to wait until he got back. I had nothing else to do, really. I was in no mood to waltz around Firenze with a smile on my face, I was much too confused to even begin to smile. I sure as Hell did not want to befriend any of the men or courtesans in the brothel. So, I stayed in my spot on the little bench, and awaited Ezio's return.
About twenty minutes into my stupor, Ezio, once again, sauntered through the brothel's doors. "Benfornato, Ezio. Were you successful?" Paola asked. I stood up to stand behind her. I smiled at Ezio when he looked in my direction.
"Yes."
Paola clapped twice, and I turned to see Anetta stroll down the stairs, Claudia and Maria in tow. "Ezio! Where have you been? They wouldn't let us leave. And mother… ugh she hasn't spoken a single word since we left the house. Father will need to sort things out," she cried as she and Maria hugged Ezio tightly. I frowned, knowing what would have to happen next. "Where is Father? And Federico? And Petruccio? Hmmm?"
Ezio turned solemnly towards his sister. I placed my hand gently on Maria's shoulder, smiling warmly at her. "Something's… happened," he mumbled.
Claudia looked confused. "What do you mean?" she asked. It took her a moment, but she finally realized it. "No. It's impossible!" she cried, turning to bury her head in her hands and cry.
Ezio embraced his sobbing sister. "I did everything I could, piccina (little one)," he assured. I looked down at the floor then, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.
As Claudia cried in Ezio's arms, he held her by the shoulders, looking her sternly in the eyes. "Listen, right now what matters is getting us all someplace safe. But to do that, I need you to stay focused. Do you understand?" Claudia's sobs ceased as she nodded to her brother. "Good. Will you watch over Mother for me?" Claudia moved to take my place by her mother.
Ezio turned to Paola. "Then we are ready. Thank you again, for everything."
Paola looked to me. "Do you wish her to stay? I'm sure my girls would take good care of her."
Ezio looked to me for assurance, but I'm pretty sure the petrified look on my face told him what he needed to know. "No, thank you. I will take her with me."
Paola nodded, kissing Ezio gingerly on the cheek. "Stay safe, Ezio. Stay vigilant. I suspect the road ahead is yet long."
Hastily, I followed Ezio out of the brothel, where perfume and…other smells filled the area. Maria and Claudia said nothing as we followed Ezio, and neither did I. I was too wrapped up in the day's occurrences to form a coherent sentence. Ezio led us diligently out of the city. Once out, Claudia began asking questions.
"How could this have happened to us?"
"I don't know," Ezio murmured.
A little ways later, she asked, "Will we ever go back?"
Again, but a little bit more agitated this time, Ezio murmured, "I don't know.
"What will happen to our house?" she asked.
Ezio was fully angry by then. "I don't know!"
"Were they… were they given a proper burial?"
Ezio calmed down a bit. "Yes… they were."
About an hour later, I could see a town in the distance. 'That must be where Ezio's uncle is,' I thought. However, there was a bit of a roadblock.
"Buon giorno (good day) Ezio!" Vieri chirped sarcastically. Ezio put his arm in front of Maria and Claudia, whilst I stood on his other side, sneering in Vieri's direction.
"How could you leave Firenze without saying a proper goodbye?" Vieri jeered.
Behind us, guards began to circle. "Ezio!" Claudia cried in warning.
Ezio motioned us closer to him. "What do you want, Vieri?"
"So many things! A larger palazzo, two new steeds," he looked with greedy eyes to Claudia. "a prettier bride… Oh and yes! Your life!" he pulled his sword from its sheath, ordering the guards to attack.
The guards did not come at us with swords, but rather their fists. Ezio made quick work of any that came too close to him or his mother and sister, while I contented myself with kicking all who entered my bubble in the nuts. To be brutally honest, I enjoyed it.
Vieri was quite angered by the fact that we held our own against the guards and screamed, "I grow tired of this game! Finish them! And do not spare the women!"
My worries almost diminished when a rain of arrows fell upon the guards, knocking their brandished swords from their hands. Vieri was quite puzzled. "What sorcery is this?" he screamed.
"Not sorcery, boy! Skill!" came a voice, its owner unbeknownst to me.
"Show yourself!" Vieri yelled to no one in particular.
"As you wish!" With that, a man with black hair to his shoulders, clad in black sauntered up to Ezio. "Here, use this!" he said as he gave Ezio a sword.
"Kill them! Kill them all!" Vieri screamed at the guards, who ran up to us. The mysterious man drew his own sword, and began to charge a Vieri, who didn't seem to have a set and ran off like a scared little girl.
"Melina!" Ezio called. "Stay close to me!" I happily obliged, running up to Ezio's side, where Maria and Claudia were as well. He "took care" of every guard that came at us, with a little help from some of the mysterious man's… lackeys? I wasn't quite sure what to make of them, but they were big, strong, and had weapons of their own.
When the guards were all taken care of, Ezio handed the man back the sword. "You have my thanks."
"Keep the sword, Ezio," the man said. I couldn't help but turn my head to the side. How did this man know Ezio?
Ezio seemed to be thinking on the same wavelength. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
The man seemed taken aback. "Don't you recognize me? It's a-me! Mario!" I snickered quietly. 'If only I could find a Luigi,' I thought absently.
Ezio's fell into recognition. "Uncle Mario!"
Mario embraced Ezio, who grunted from the sheer force of his hug, and lifted him from the ground. "It's been too long nipote (nephew)! Far too long!" Suddenly, his features changed to sympathy. "I heard what happened in Firenze… terrible. Come. Let's get you all away from here."
I stayed a bit behind the group as Ezio, Claudia, and Maria followed Mario into Monteriggioni. "So, tell me everything," he said.
"They executed Father for treason. Federico and Petruccio too. Then they came for me," Ezio explained.
"Do you know why?"
"I have no answers, uncle… Only a list of names taken from a man who wished me dead." Ezio hung his head. "I still can't believe they are gone." I had a sudden urge to hug him again, but I kept my distance.
"Don't worry. We will make some sense of this," Mario assured.
"I wish I shared your optimism," Ezio said solemnly.
"Come on, keep pace! We're almost there. I think you will find much to like in Monteriggioni."
"I thought Monteriggioni was an enemy of Firenze?"
"For now… Next year it will be its friend. The after its enemy again. And on and on. I cannot keep track. So I have stopped trying," Mario sighed. "These are honest, hard working people. Our shops may only carry simple goods, but they are well made and dependable. There is a chapel here, too. The prete (priest) seems a nice enough fellow, but I've never been much of a believer," he explained. "Did you know the Villa Auditore is almost 200 years old? It was built by my great-grandfather, a strange man, who carried all kinds of secrets. Keep your eyes open, and you might discover a few of them yourself..." Soon, we neared the Villa itself. "With all the fighting that's been going on, this place has started to get a bit rough around the edges. I wish I could do something about it, but I just don't have the time or the money to fix things up. Guess that's life, eh?"
We had come upon the Villa. In all honesty, it was a sad building, with boarded windows and crumbling roofs. Vines and weeds had made the walls their home, and they had snaked their way to the top. "Here we are," Mario stated. "Casa dolce casa (home sweet home). So? What do you think?" he asked.
Ezio stumbled for words. "It's most impressive, uncle."
"She's seen better days, I suppose. Believe me, I'd have her shining again, if only I had the time." Mario stopped at the entrance, turning to face Ezio. "Now that you have had the tour, nipote, you should go and outfit yourself. My men in the market are expecting you," he said. "Return here when you're finished and we'll begin." 'Begin what?' I thought absently.
"Begin?" Ezio asked. "Begin what?"
"I thought you'd come here to train?" Mario asked, obviously surprised by Ezio's lack of knowledge on the subject.
"No, uncle. I came here to escape Firenze- and I intend to take my family further still."
"But what about your father? He'd want you to finish his work."
"What work? My father was a banker," Ezio stated. I began to think. The robes, the strange mechanism, and now what Mario was saying. Perhaps Giovanni was more than a banker?
"Wait… he did not tell you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about…"
"Ma che mi combini, Giovanni (What were you thinking, Giovanni)? Where to begin?" Mario murmured under his breath, only confirming my previous assumptions. But if Giovanni wasn't a banker… what was he? "Go and fetch the gear in the market. It will give me some time to think."
"But—" Ezio began.
"But that's that," Mario stated simply. "We'll talk more later." He took Ezio's hand, placing a bag of money in his upturned palm. "Some spending money, should you need it. And if you find yourself in need of rest, I've prepared a room for you on the top floor of the Villa." Mario continued into the Villa, and I began to follow with Maria and Claudia, but Ezio caught my wrist.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Does any of this make sense to you?" he inquired.
"Sort of… I mean, think about it. Didn't the robes and that blade seem suspicious to you? And when your father was talking to Uberto before… it happened he said that Uberto was one of them. Perhaps your father was part of a bigger organization?"
Ezio nodded making some sense of it. "Yes, maybe. But what?"
"I do not know. But your uncle holds the answers. Ask him when you return." With that Ezio and I went in separate directions, I to the Villa while he went to buy whatever Mario requested.
The Villa was much prettier inside than outside. With granite flooring, steps, and walls, I could only imagine the time and effort put into making it. Above me, in the entranceway, was a beautiful chandelier.
"Ahh, miss!" I turned to face Mario, who sauntered up to me in a friendly way. "I see you are close to the family, but I do not know who you are!"
"O-oh… mi dispiace. I am Melina. The Auditore's took me in when I stumbled upon them without a home. For that, I am very grateful. Although, I am saddened that I came at such a devastating time. I'd hate to be a burden. As soon as I find a way home, I intend to leave," I explained.
"That may be so, but Ezio seems to have taken a liking to you. At a time like this, I'm sure he needs a friend." Mario smiled at me. "You are welcome to stay until you find a home, mia cara (my dear)."
"Thank you."
"On the top floor, by Ezio's room, I can have someone prepare a room. It isn't much, but it'll do."
I smiled warmly at the kind man who stood before me. "Grazie messere. I wouldn't ask for anything more.
I was planning on writing more, but it's already one AM and i'm pretty tired :/ I shall get more in tomorrow! (✿◠‿◠) I'm really starting to like my character, Melina^_^ I guess since i'm writing this a lot more than anything else, she's starting to grow on me ლ(́◉◞౪◟◉‵ლ)
(◕‿-)Review please!
