I traced my finger over the titles on the books, but none caught my eye. There were many in the library in Monteriggioni villa: books on weaponry, on history, science, technology. But there were nearly none on biology.
Those dogs I saw back in Florence never left my mind. Huge, powerful, blood thirsty, they were a concept of nightmares, something you definitely do not want to see in real life. Then again, could you call this real? Maybe this was all in my head as it is. Italy, Florence, Monteriggioni, assassins, Templars, swords and armor. It was all a part of surreal history, almost fantasy-like. I still wasn't sure if this was a dream or not. But I still hadn't woken up despite that it'd been weeks...
"What are you looking for?" Mario's voice sounded from behind me, and I turned to face him sharply. I calmed down in a moment, and responded.
"Any book on dog breeds."
"I'm afraid I don't have anything like that," he sighed, sitting down behind his desk and gesturing me to the seat in front of it.
"I never seen anything like them, they are a whole new breed. But you can't get something out of nothing," I explained, and he listened with interest. "So if they crossed different kinds of dogs and I could identify, it would give us at least an idea of how to deal with them."
"That is a wise move, but like I said, there's nothing in here on dogs. Would you be able to draw them?"
I shook my head, "I can't draw. But they were about twice the size of a hunting hound, and twice as muscled. It's very easy to recognize them."
"Hm," he looked out the window thoughtfully.
"I don't even know who could manage to breed something like that. It must require special equipment, and changing genetics, and a lot of things that shouldn't even-" I stopped abrubtly, and he looked at me expectantly. "Shouldn't be possible," I tried to cover up for my mistake. He most likely didn't believe me, but he didn't question it.
"I wonder, though; why would they attack the messenger, only to leave all his belongings on him?" he thought out loud, and I shrugged.
"I can't think of any reason."
"Then I suggest you leave it from your mind for now. No reason to lose sleep over it. And who knows? Maybe the answer will come unexpectedly," Mario smiled at me. I grinned back, standing up to leave.
"Can you tell me about these?" I suddenly stopped, my eye catching the scattered codex pages on the wall.
"The codices? They are mostly instructions and teachings that Altair passed down," Mario seemed a little surprised. I came closer to the wall, examining the yellowed paper.
"Altair..." I muttered, as if tasting the name, "Ezio mentioned him."
"He was our ancestor. From what we could find out, he lived around three centuries ago."
"Ah," the one part of history I did listen to, "During the Crusades?"
"Yes, the third one. He was the one to kill Robert de'Sable, the leader of the Templars back then. He also recovered the Apple of Eden from the master of the Assassin order when he betrayed them."
"This Apple of Eden I keep hearing about," I turned back to Mario, raising an eyebrow, "What is it? Is it an actual part of a mythological place, or just simply a name?"
"We're not sure," he answered seriously, "It is very powerful though. The one that holds it can bend the wills of others. Not mention many more things I don't even know about."
"And where is it now?"
He looked at the codices, somewhat sadly. "According to our sources, it is hidden. But I think the Templars may be onto it by now. It's only a matter of time before they get their hands on it."
A sudden thought came to mind. "Are there more?"
"Yes."
"And these things are able to do nearly anything?"
"Theoretically, yes."
So that meant that time travel would be possible... the entire reason I'm here, then? Perhaps. I made a mental note to talk to Ezio about it later. Meanwhile, Mario continued. "We need all the help we can get if they get the Pieces. That's why Ezio is so important. So please keep an eye on him." He already leaned over his papers again, dabbing his quill into some ink.
"I intend to. And…Mario, thank you for telling me everything. This is obviously not something easily shared with anyone." He looked up with some surprise, as I stood in the doorway, my expression somewhat embarrassed. "I mean, just because I have a marking of an assassin doesn't mean you could trust me, and yet you do. I just...wanted to tell you that I appreciate it. Trust is not something I'm very used to," I bobbed my head awkwardly. Mario smiled slightly, his one good eye looking at me with a friendly gaze.
"Eden, I would not call you good and pure. Please don't take any offense from that, but I know when a person is trustworthy. A good will is not something easily faked. I think your father knew that when he gave you that tattoo." That made me freeze.
"How would you-"
"Call it a lucky guess." He bent back down to his desk, and I took it as a dismissal, even though I still had at least a hundred questions spinning in my head.
---
I leaned on to the door frame, a light smile on my face as I watched Ezio take Claudia's quill away from her. Mario pushed a lot of paperwork onto her since we decided we were staying in the villa. She was not very happy with that, but now it seemed that she actually got into the habit of recording everything. And I mean everything. The money there was, the buildings repairs progress, the weapons in the armory, the things people bought, the things they sold here. Sometimes she got a little carried away and began counting those white feathers that Ezio brought his mother.
"Ezio, give it back, I have work to do!" she exclaimed, reaching for the quill, but he jumped out of her reach, laughing.
"Not until you go outside and take a walk or something. It's like you haven't moved from this desk ever since we left!"
"I have too! Come, on, just give it back!" They started circling around the desk.
"Now, now, Claudia, you'll have to try better than that."
"Ha!" she crossed her arms defiantly,. "I can just get a new one, you know."
"Ah, but can you get another record book?" he asked, and suddenly lunged for the said book, taking it off the desk, and jumping back a few steps.
"Come on, Ezio, don't be a child and give me the book and quill back," she asked again, getting somewhat desperate. I sighed very quietly. They were close. I've never seen such a warm sibling relationship between two people- siblings generally didn't get along, at least in modern times. But here, it was somewhat heartwarming.
They were laughing now, and Claudia was still chasing him around the small office. But he was a lot quicker and she was wearing a dress, which restrained her movements greatly. They barely noticed me, engulfed in their game. But when they came closer to me, Claudia suddenly shouted, "Quick, Eden! Grab it!"
I laughed and obeyed, joining in and reaching for the book as he held it away from Claudia and towards me. He realized what was happening not a moment too late, and suddenly it was out of my reach. I smiled, suddenly slipping past him and jumping in the air, and the book was in my hands. I took a quick step away from him before he could grab me, laughing. Claudia smiled at me gratefully, and reached for the book, but I had different plans.
"I don't think so!" I then made my way out the door with the book before either of them realized what I was doing. Then I heard more laughter as they ran after me.
Outside, I took a quick glance around and made a dash for the steps leading down. But instead of running down them, I hopped over the rail, landing on the ground lightly, under the confused glances of the mercenaries and villager, only to continuing running through the town. A quick look over my shoulder told me that Ezio was still behind me, and he did not look like he was going to give up. Claudia was standing on the platform above the training rink, following us with her eyes. She probably couldn't keep up with us, anyway, so she didn't even try to give chase.
I narrowly avoided smashing into a full lady walking down the street, though I threw her off balance as I raced past, and she made a surprised squeak as she fell. Obviously I didn't stop to see if she was okay, and made for the gates, thanking whatever gods were tuned in that the town was so small.
Ezio finally caught up with me when I began to slow down, out of breath, outside of the town walls. He tackled me by the waist and onto the grass, quickly rolling us over so he was on top. I narrowed my eyes, clutching the book to my chest.
"Are you going to give it back now?" he panted, and yet his voice was still joking. I mock-glared.
"Never!" I made a quick motion of sliding one of my legs from under him, and with my knee pushing him into the side of his chest, managed to get him off me. Swiftly changing our positions, now I was on top. "You didn't actually think it was going to be that easy, did you?"
"Well, I was beginning to get disappointed," he sighed, "But I see you're still on top."
"Of course," I laughed, "And quite literally, too," I glanced back at the walls of the town. "At least we got her out of the house for more than two seconds."
"She spends all her time over this book now," he didn't rush me to get off him for some reason. "Considering she was so against working when we got here."
"Well, no offense, but there's nothing to do around here," I sat back, crossing my arms over the tome. "There aren't that many options, unless she gets herself a man. But she seems a little anti-male right now."
"You can't blame her. Her last suitor cheated on her," he looked past me, to the sky.
"Ah, yes, what was his name...Duccio? The one you beat up?"
"She told you that, did she?"
"Yep." I thought about it for a moment. "You know, my sister had a boyfriend once, before all the madness began. She was only twelve, but she claimed she loved him."
"And what happened?" he raised an eyebrow with interest.
"The usual story. She thought it would last, he chased after the next tail that came along, and I kicked his ass for making Eve cry. He came crawling back to her with an apology," I smiled at the memory. "I'm not sure what happened afterward. But I never saw him again, so I think my sister told him to hit the road."
"And she was twelve?" he asked with disbelief. I shrugged.
"Things are different in the future. Girls don't have to get married, or have children. They work and go to schools. They can actually pick who to date or not. They can leave men as quickly as they leave them. And they can delude themselves into thinking they're in love when they don't even know what love is yet."
"You think Eve deluded herself?"
"Do you think Claudia did when she was with Duccio? She can't be older than sixteen," I countered. He chuckled as I finally rolled off of him, jumping to my feet. "Come on," I continued, reaching down a hand and nodding as he grabbed it and pulled himself to his feet, "Let's get this back to her before she calls for a hunting party."
---
I watched as Ezio practiced in the rink with one of the mercenaries. There was nothing better to do at the moment. Without his cloak, hood or armor and in just a thin tunic and usual pants and boots, I can't say I didn't enjoy the view. I even asked if Claudia wanted to come along, but she looked at me like I was completely insane and went back to her precious book.
When they finally stepped away from each other, panting, but satisfied and leaned onto the rails, I stood up.
"Can I get a turn?" I smiled brightly at the two of them, and they stared.
"Eden, you're no good with a sword." Ezio reminded me, and I shrugged.
"I won't use one. I'm more comfortable with knives, anyway. What do you say?" I raised an eyebrow, and he chuckled.
"If you're so sure... I'll try to go easy on you."
"Please don't," I hopped over the fence, while the mercenary left the inside of the rink, but stayed along the outside edges of it. He wanted to see this. In a flash, I withdrew one of my daggers, the one that was sheathed in the small of my back, and held it in reverse grip. Ezio shook his head to himself with a light smirk. "I hate to be underestimated," I smirked in return, "Shouldn't you know this by now?"
There was no trigger, no signal- it simply began and we started moving simultaneously. First we just circled around each other, though I was already in my position. I was the one to attack first, dodging his arm easily, and slipping by his side. He deflected the blade as it came at his stomach, and moved away so he faced me again. My light smile never left my lips, even as I focused fully on my movements.
Very soon, I got into the familiar dance. Not even trying to deflect his blade, but rather just not being there when it struck, using the openings he gave me to make my own hits. I kept my breathing carefully regulated, while his became slightly heavier. It was easy for me, with years of practice. One target who thought me weaker than him was no challenge. The one thing that Larry ever truly gave to me, even if his intentions were to turn me into one of his weapons. I wielded the short blade as if it was an extension of my arm.
At one point, I stopped holding back. Ezio was taken aback by the sudden increase of speed, and his movements became a little more frenzied. I took his blade onto mine, holding it away to the side, and hooked my foot around his ankle, my free hand pushing him down. He didn't expect that, and fell onto the ground while I held the blade to his throat.
I smiled pleasantly, and he glared. I stepped away from him. "Come on, let's go again."
And we did. And again and again, he ended up on the ground, or disarmed, or with my knife at his throat, though the fight lasted longer and longer each time. But my only advantage over men like him hadn't failed me to this point. Each time, I'd step away, he'd recover, and we started again. As we sparred, we began gathering a crowd around us. Mercenaries, mostly, and a few curious villagers.
"What I don't understand," he gritted out when he fell down for the fifth time. "Is how the hell you manage to do that."
"Years of practice. But rest easy with the knowledge that things would be quite different if I was trying to fight with a sword," I smiled merrily, and to my surprise, he returned the smile. "There's a moral in there somewhere. Like, don't underestimate girls with sharp objects."
"And also, if you see Eden with a sharp object, run in the opposite direction."
"Hush," I steadily replied, holding out a hand and grinning as he took it and moved back to his feet, "Let's go again."
---
"Ezio," his uncle began speaking as he turned away from the window, "You have to do something with Eden."
"What do you mean?" Ezio raised an eyebrow, "I though you were alright with her."
"I am. But did you know that in the last few days she fixed every wobbly chair, table, cabinet and other furniture in the entire villa?"
"How's that a bad thing?"
"I'm a little afraid of what she'll start doing once she runs out of things to fix," Mario said seriously, and Ezio smiled.
"She's just bored. Eden can't stay in one position for too long," he chuckled at his uncle's slightly fearful expression.
"Well, you need to find a way to occupy her, then, before she starts getting... creative in her entertainment."
"What do you propose I do?"
"I don't know, nipote, but whatever you do, do it quick. We don't want anymore accidental marriages."
Ezio sighed. Eden was unpredictable. Though his uncle was wrong- this time, it wouldn't be a supposed drunken marriage. It would be a full-blown explosion or whatever else her unoccupied mind could come up with.
He found her walking back and forth on the thick railing above the fighting rink, her hands stretched out on either side of her.
"Eden, che cosa?!" he asked. She glanced at him, losing her concentration for a second but regaining her balance quickly.
"I know, right? The stupid workers have been drinking since midday, yet they haven't even invited me to join them!" she pouted, but didn't stop walking along the stone fence.
"I mean why are you up there?" he sighed. He learned that when talking to her, you had to be patient, or you'd lose your sanity fast.
"Because the view here is awesome!" she laughed lightly. "Seriously, you can see the opposite wall from here."
With sudden inspiration, he stated, "The view is better at the top of the villa, you know." She looked at him thoughtfully, and then suddenly lost her balance. Flailing her arms in a vain attempt to fly, she started falling. Quick as lightning, he caught her, setting her upright.
She smiled in thanks, saying, "Yeah, but those frames are annoying as hell. The splinters take ages to get out," she contradicted him. "Last time I tried, I ended up getting one in my shoulder blade. Don't ask how, but it took a long time to get out."
"Then there's got to be something else for you to do. Uncle is already worried you'll start breaking furniture so you'd have something to do."
"I wouldn't do that!" Eden crossed her arms. "And those chairs were driving me mad! Always creaking and wobbling..." she shuddered, and he couldn't help but grin. "Besides, there's nothing to do here! The sooner Mario's men find the conspirators, the better."
"How about we get to those lessons you wanted to teach me?" he suddenly asked, "The sneaking and stabbing and all that."
"Hm," she ran a hand absently through her short hair. "We need a dummy then. Preferably alive, though I can work with dead ones."
"Well, I probably can't find a dead one for you, but I'm sure one of the mercenaries will help out. As long as we don't hurt him," he hurried to add. She smiled widely.
"Then sure!" Then a thought seemed to strike her. "Hey, do you think Lars would let us practice on him?"
"I really, really doubt it."
---
"Okay, so," I extended Ezio's arm, rolling back the sleeve. We didn't find a willing mercenary, so he allowed me to show the simple pressure points on him. He looked at me with some distrust, but didn't pull away. "Alright, there are about three or four near the elbow."
"Four?"
"Yes, they're close together, but give different results. So here we have one..." I traced the skin very lightly at the tip of the muscle on his forearm. "You can hit it at three angles. Straight down…" I demonstrated, and he moved his shoulder blade backwards reflexively. "Or you had go upwards or downwards on it. Really simple, and useful if someone is throwing a punch at you, or trying to strangle you or something. You hit the point, and it will weaken their arm, giving you the pause to counter," I glanced up, meeting his eyes. "Why are you staring at me?"
"Nothing," he smiled fleetingly, and I felt a strange, somewhat familiar tug in my chest. "Alright, this sounds simple enough." He looked down to his arm, where my hands still rested.
"Trust me, it's very effective. How do you think I disarmed you so easily?"
"Ah, yes, I was wondering that. I didn't notice you strike anywhere particular though."
"Well, I did. Generally these points cause a lot of pain, and weaken the parts of the body temporarily," I continued. "Watch," I hit the elbow, and in result, his knees bent, his body going back slightly in reflex, at which I hooked my leg with his knee and pushed down farther onto his chest.
"That was uncalled for," he muttered from the ground, and I laughed.
"The best way to learn is to experience. Just keep these things in mind if you find yourself without a weapon, or being strangled. Or when you didn't even get the chance to draw your weapon."
"And when I get them off me, what do I do?"
"What you would normally. Keep punching until they're knocked out," I shrugged, "Or take their weapon, if they have one, and use it against them." I extended my hand to him, helping him get up. "Some people are stronger than you, but that doesn't mean they'll always have the upper hand. Sometimes you don't need strength to win."
"When did I hear that before?" he grumbled, and I chuckled again.
"Probably a lot of places. I stole it from Jake, he was the one to teach me this. Anyway, most of the joints are pressure points, you just need to know where to strike. You're a big boy, you can probably break someone's leg easily by kicking their knee caps, but I can't. So, I do this..." I slid under the arm that I still held, and kicked at the backs of his knees, pulling him down again.
"Okay, Eden, I'm getting tired of ending up on the ground all the time." He was beginning to get irritated, and I grinned.
"Oh, as if you don't spend most of your time on your back anyway,"
"Beds are softer than the ground, you know." He stood up and moved away from me, as if afraid I'd knock him down again.
"Then I'm sure this is a nice change of pace for you. Besides, no one said this was going to be comfortable."
"I'd say. My entire arm is sore now."
"It'll pass in a few moments." I sat beside him on the bench as he leaned back to look at the sky.
"It's getting dark."
I was shocked to find out he was right. "Holy crap... Time does fly when you're having fun, doesn't it?"
"Maybe you're having fun knocking me down, but I'm not enjoying it very much." he grumbled again. I grinned widely, pulling up my legs to sit cross-legged on the bench.
"This was your idea," I reminded him.
"Ending up on my back twice in two minutes was definitely not my idea," he suddenly sighed, "But thank you for teaching me. It might come in useful."
"We're just getting started, my little assassin! Just wait until we get to torture!" Shooting me a horrified look, his eyes widened. "Woah, there, I'm just kidding! Entrails smell really bad when they're on fire, and I don't think your uncle will appreciate us sticking up the villa." As he sighed with relief, I smirked, "Oh, geez, you have such a weak stomach. Anyway, I was just kidding!"
---
"Alright, now," Mario instructed Ezio as we circled each other, "Read her movements, look for signals in her actions. Observe her strategies."
I didn't like this entire exercise, considering this was like giving away all my secrets. Letting someone learn my way of fighting was a dangerous thing. The old principles urged me to be more careful in the way I moved, but I forced myself to calm down. Ezio was my friend, and I was trying to help him. This is not the time for distrust.
I attacked first, like I usually did in single combat. Provoking him to defend himself before backing away again, he'd automatically go on the offensive. Generally that's where I'd start to slip past his defenses, hitting the key points with either my knife or my body. But he was more ready now, having learned the techniques I used. Every time I'd try anything, he intercepted me before I could do any harm.
While my key advantage was speed and strategy, he was strong, agile, and smart. While I had years of experience on him, he was still a very capable man. And let's not forget that his uncle taught him as much as he could during the weeks we stayed at the villa. I couldn't actually harm him, though stabbing would make everything a lot easier.
As I ducked under his arm as he struck, attempting to move behind him. But his free hand shot out just in time, catching my elbow and yanking me to him. Without warning, my back was flat against his chest, and his sword darted back to hover at my neck. I was not about to give up, though and there was still a window open. I twisted my arm out, elbowed him in the stomach, and brought my dagger to stand in between his blade and my skin. It allowed me some seconds respite, giving me the chance to get away again. And the dance started again.
"That was certainly..." I licked my dry lips as I climbed to sit on the stone rail. I was exhausted; we've been trying to see who would get the upper hand for hours by that point. He showed a little bit of strain as well, but was so far holding up better than me. I decided this couldn't last for much longer, and allowed him to pin me. He would've had anyway, sooner or later. I was much less used to fighting hand-to-hand than him, having the advantage of guns where I came from. "A lot better."
"A high praise from you," he smiled slightly. "I must be good."
"Don't get cocky," I reminded him. "I did hand over all my strategies to you on a silver platter."
"After putting me on the ground using them more than a few times." he muttered, and I rolled my eyes.
"Everything comes at a price, my little assassin. Just be happy I agreed to teach you anything with only a little bit of back pain as payment."
"That was very well done!" Mario praised, walking around the rink, closer to us. "I can tell you are both capable. Different styles, of course, but..." He let the sentence hang. He looked extremely pleased with his nephew, as was I. There was great improvement in his fighting, and the speed at which he learned and adapted was amazing. What took me years to figure out properly, he took advantage of within weeks. There was a great deal of potential in him, plain as day. It was easy to believe that he came from a line of assassins now.
"Why are looking at me like that?" Ezio finally asked as we walked back up to the villa. The sky began darkening nearly an hour ago, so now, only a trace of sunlight remained. I looked away from him, my smile still in place.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I patted his arm as I skipped off to the bathhouse.
---
I woke up to sunlight, the cheerful rays battling with the dust in the air, swirling around. I lay there with my arm under my head, and I decided that I didn't want to move. At all. Ever. I didn't want to do anything, I didn't want to practice with the sword, I didn't want to walk, talk, think, just lie here, like a content cat, reveling in the comfort…My eyes slowly began to close again, and I heard a familiar voice.
"Good morning." All traces of sleep suddenly gone, I shot up, my hand feeling around for the handle on my dagger that was under the pillow. Then I sighed in relief.
"Don't scare me like that!" Ezio chuckled. He was sitting at the small desk, supporting his cheek with his hand. "Isn't there some sort of weird etiquette rule that says it's not proper to be in a lady's bedroom?!"
"Somewhere beside the rule that women should not wake people up by jumping onto their stomachs," he reminded me, a lazy smile on his face. I grinned in return.
"Touché. But seriously, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, just wanted to give you something. Didn't I promise to buy you a new set of knives a fortnight ago?"
My eyes widened. "I didn't think you actually would."
"Well, I did." He was still smiling, and gestured to the bundle on the table beside him. I managed to get up, somehow getting the sheets off me, and walked over to him. I was wearing a loose shirt and pants to bed, so neither of us minded that part. Taking the bundle into my hands, I couldn't hold back a gasp.
There were ten of them, the original number I had, all gleaming, as if they were cast just yesterday at the blacksmith's. Perfect balance for throwing knives, they were a lot better than the ones I had, which I bought illegally, off some backstreet contact of mine back home.
"What's wrong?" he asked, seemingly alarmed by my lack of response as I put them back down onto the table. The next moment, a wide grin spread on my lips, and I nearly launched myself in his arms. After a moment of shock, he laughed. "I'll take it that you like them, then?"
"Yes, thank you so much!!" I nearly squealed, my excitement barely contained as I kissed his cheek. And immediately realized exactly what I just did. I think he did too, because he stared at me with confusion. I took a step away from his chair, awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck. "Hm. Well, then."
"Right."
"Well, thank you for the knives," I shrugged, failing to hide my smile.
"Is that a dismissal? Because you know, I can stay..." there were playful sparks in his eyes as he said it.
"No, no, kindly go away so I can proceed to avoid you for the next few years..." he stared at me for a second, and then began laughing, standing up.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure you have trouble keeping your hands off me as it is-"
"Out!" I flailed my arms in the air, trying to contain my own laughter.
"Aw, come on, admit you want me! Don't deny your feelings!"
"Stop laughing! I like the knives, but kissing them would be a very bad idea, so I settled for the next best thing…I said stop laughing!!!" I yelled over his laughter, now physically pushing him out the door. He didn't resist, still hysterical. As I shut the door, I slid down it, overtaken by a wave of giggling.
Arrogant, flamboyant, annoying…and way too damn charming for his own good.
--
Ezio walked through the streets of the small town, his concentration solely focused on not stepping into the puddles. He was simply taking a walk, for the lack of anything better to do. He wanted to check up on the renovations, anyway.
All of the shops that were boarded up before were now cleaned up and opened. The tailor and art dealer quickly took up their old work, as had the blacksmith and doctor. The brothel was also operational, and the church was just being finished up. There were certainly more people stopping at the town now, increasing the cash flow slightly, which was enough to pay for the bank and military barracks to be reopened. They were still in the process of renovation though, as the buildings were a lot larger, and required more work and time.
While he was walking, smiling in reply to greetings but not really heading anywhere, his mind kept on coming back to the morning two days ago. The childish excitement on Eden's face as she thanked him for the knives, the hug and kiss she gave him. It was meant as a grateful gesture, almost sisterly. Friendly. Maternal. Something he wasn't even sure she was capable of anymore after all that happened to her. She certainly continued to defy logic. She was a killer, and yet she showed remorse when she couldn't save someone. She was deprived of everything; family, friends, the ability to have children, something men were allowed to beat their wives to death for when they found out. Yet she remained a little ray of sunshine. Always smiling, always cheerful and childish. She had those moments where the past seemed to have caught up with her, but she never cried about it.
And she confused him to no end. He thought her a sadistic witch when they first met. But now realized that all this time, she was trying to help him in whatever ways she knew. Even after confessing that she never had anyone to comfort her. How she was not a bitter, heartless killer by now, he couldn't understand. The world literally turned against her, and yet there she was, just happy with another day, reveling in her freedom, remaining a good person even after all of it.
He came to a stop beside the tavern where half of the mercenaries were drinking away their time. Shrugging to himself, he walked in and headed to the bar, sitting down and nodding to the bar keeper.
His peace did not last too long, however. Someone leaned onto the bar beside him in a minute.
"Hello," he greeted, not looking up, though he heard a faint chuckle.
"Good day," Lars replied, sitting down. Ezio glanced in his direction. He didn't understand what girls saw in this man. Ezio saw dozens of Larsono's in Firenze, and none of them had the attention that Lars did in this small village. Girls flocked around him like they did with Ezio, somehow charmed by the snobbish, arrogant attitude. Eden's rejection must have hit home with him, considering he had probably never been shown to the door by a girl. Which brought the question back around.
"Out of curiosity," Ezio though out loud, "Why is Eden constantly complaining that you won't stop bothering her?"
"Is she now? I haven't seen her since you two were sparring," he grumbled, shrugging.
"Why is it that you want her attention so badly, anyway?"
"The same reason any other man would, I suppose." That answer surprised Ezio, and he threw a sharp look at Lars. "She's new and interesting. I don't know why she didn't want me though, while following you around like a little lost puppy."
"Maybe because I don't try to convince her that we're married," he archly replied, struggling to hold back a sneer. The guy was seriously grating Ezio's nerves now.
Lars snorted. "Any girl in this town would be thrilled to be married to me."
"The reason she doesn't want you is that she's actually smart." He didn't bother to hold back the sneer now.
"A smart woman doesn't hold a big price. She should be flattered that I even turned my attention to her. Her hair, wearing male clothes. She'll be lucky any man ever notices her. But even you don't seem to satisfy her..."
"Of course not. We're friends," Ezio retorted with building irritation. Lars snorted rudely again. He was too bold to be sober. Or maybe he was just an idiota.
"Friends, of course. With benefits too, no doubt. So, tell me, how was the little who-"
His next words were cut off as Ezio's fist made contact with the man's jaw.
---
"So let me get this straight," I crossed my arms sternly, standing in front of Ezio as he sat on his bed. "You attacked Lars?"
"Well, yes, that's about right," he nodded, not impressed.
"And you were supposedly defending my honor?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it that exactly. But he was plainly asking for a punch!"
"Oh dear God, Ezio, what am I going to do with you?" I sighed. "Here, let me take a look." I gently tilted his chin so I could look at his bleeding cheek. "Well, you're lucky to just get away with this. It could have been worse. Lars is a big guy."
"And I'm an assassin," he offered me a smirk.
I couldn't help but smile, inspecting for any infection. "That you are. But you're forgetting that I am too." Dipping the clean rag into a bowl of steaming water sitting on the nightstand next to his bed, I wrung it out, preparing to wipe down his wound. I'd requested it along with some bandages from Lisa.
"What's your point?"
"Pull another stunt like that and I'll hurt you," I elaborated, still smiling as I washed off the blood off his skin.
"Hey, it was you I was defending!"
"Well, you know perfectly well that I could defend myself. I don't care what Lars says behind my back. If he said it to my face, however..."
"You do know that he's telling everyone you're…uh, well, actually, you're right," he suddenly changed his tone. He sounded nervous now, "I won't do anything like this again."
"What is he telling everyone?" I asked, pressing a little bit to hard into his skin. He grasped my wrist, in a somewhat calming gesture.
"Nothing! It's all fine, don't worry about it."
"Ezio, so help me god, if you don't tell me right now, I will use you as a live target for knife throwing practice," I fumed, vainly attempting to yank my wrist out of his hand, "What does he say?" He must have felt the change of tone, going from stern to cold and dangerous. I wasn't kidding around.
"Well... he might have... been telling everyone you're a whore he spent the night with after one too many drinks?" I froze as he said that, Ezio shrinking away from me slightly. My hand was still in his grip, which he was now restraining.
"Is he, now?" my smile became a little more menacing, "Well, his life expectancy keeps getting shorter and shorter." I took a calming breath, and looked back to Ezio. "Please, don't get into fights over me like that again. I'm a big girl, I can handle things. Alright?" I gripped his chin, making him to face me fully. He sighed and nodded. "But... thank you. I suppose I should be flattered." I smiled at his surprise as I started walking away. "Oh, by the way, Mario was looking for you. I think they finally found the conspirators."
I was cheering on the inside- I was dying to get a move on from this place for the last month. I barely managed to pass the time by training, reading, or simply staring at the wall opposite my bed. It felt like I'd gone through the entire library by now, searching for some sort of hint to those huge dogs. They never left my mind. The mystery of what the attack on the messenger was for was bothering me constantly, the one question burning a hole in my head.
Why would they attack, but leave everything behind?
I froze in the doorway, realization hitting me like a ton of bricks. "Oh."
"Eden?" Ezio got up behind me, "Are you alright?"
"They weren't trying to steal anything," I whispered, my eyes widened as I spun around.
"What are you talking about?" he looked worried.
"The messenger, the dogs with the soldiers from Rome...they weren't trying to steal anything."
"What do you mean?"
"If, say, Leonardo invented something new, what would he do first?" He was getting more confused by the second.
"Probably test it out, right? Wait a moment..." His eyes widened as well and understanding dawned on his face.
"The dogs were a new breed, not one I've ever seen. They were just... testing them out!" I felt sick. "This wasn't about the messenger at all! God, how did I not see this before?! They simply wanted to make sure the dogs were able to rip a large group apart!"
"But that's just..." he swallowed hard, his face pale. He, like me, was probably remembering the massacre we came across almost a month ago, "Immoral, horrible and sick." I nodded in agreement.
"And also proof that Templars are a lot more sadistic than we gave them credit for. We'll have to be extra careful now."