Around the world
As I walked through the once familiar streets of Firenze I began to think about the family I once had and the close friends as well. I have begun to grow older, reaching the ripe age of 25, I remembered a close friend of mine from when I was small. Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I walked by his former place of residency remembering how his brothers and father convicted and hung for being conspirators against Firenze.
-Where has the time gone?- I thought as I walked down some winding streets to a once familiar door to an artist I knew, Leonardo Da Vinci. Leonardo was a close friend like Ezio except he enjoyed using me as a model for some paintings, I never minded because I had nothing better to do since my family didn't care about me most of the time. My family always had close ties with the Auditore family, growing up Ezio was my best friend him and I would always be getting into some sort of mischief. He taught me how to climb buildings and go free running across rooftops and in return I taught him how to ride a horse. My parents wanted me to have an array of activities to keep me busy and since we were high class citizens I had a tutor who taught me how to properly ride horses. Over time the more mischief we got in the more it drove our families apart and eventually we had to use a carrier pigeon to chat. Soon the pigeon stopped coming back and we stopped talking and our families stopped seeing each other. After the death of my father who I loved very much my mother kept strict tabs on my activities and never let me leave the house. Her reasoning was she thought the local 'puttane' (whores) would kidnap and make me work in the brothels. But after she remarried I would sneak out almost all the time since we didn't have money for my tutors. I never liked my new father, he was a drunkard who also was very abusive. On one of my many adventures I accidentally bumped into a man shopping in the market buying canvas and paints. After I helped him pick up his things he asked if he could paint a picture of me because he was intrigued by my black hair with greying streaks in it caused by the stress of my family. When he was finished with the painting of my portrait we became good friends frequently requesting I come back and model for more. A whole year past when my family was starting to go broke from my step-fathers drinking habits, he also started going to the local brothels more and more. Much to my mother's dismay I might add. Not too much later I left the sorry excuse of a mother and brother, who was never around after joining the local military, to him taking my meager possessions and wound up working for Leonardo as an assistant. And one day as I was cleaning up the place while Leonardo stepped out someone knocked on the door. When I answered the door he was standing there, Ezio Auditore.
"Buon pomeriggio, bella donna.(Good afternoon pretty woman) Is Leonardo home?" Ezio asked as I stepped aside letting him in smiling at the compliment.
"Leonardo stepped out for a bit but if you would like to wait a little bit I am sure he will return shortly." I replied getting a closer look at my former best friend. He was wearing strange clothes, a white robe with a hood pulled over his eyes casting a shadow on his face, metal armor with dings and dents in it, and carrying various weapons some visible some not. Hard to believe we used to go free running on rooftops together. Before either of us could speak again the door flung open to Leonardo standing at the doorway with arms full of art supplies.
"Ah Ezio what brings you here today? Another codex page perhaps?"He asked as Ezio smiled and nodded the two then walked off to decode the weird page. That was the last I saw of Ezio for a long time because Leonardo got his entire workshop moved to Venice in return for doing some paintings for a rich gentleman.
"Ahh so Caternia you are leaving me after all I done for you?," Leonardo spoke in a saddened tone, "Either way good luck on your travels and please if you ever need anything come find me in Venice. Also don't forget to write." He laughed a bit as I hugged him. It was then when Leonardo was moving to Venice I decided to go and see the whole world with my own two eyes. For six long years I traveled all over Europe and Asia, I saw as many things I could going on as many adventures I could find in my travels. And before long I saw myself returning to Italy, more specifically Roma.