All Assassin's Creed II characters and references © Ubisoft
All OCs © Me

As always, a big thank you to my two wonderful betas La Bella Figura and MJE92for reviewing this chapter and giving it some polish.

We spent two days trying to find La Volpe, but either the guy wasn't in Florence or he just didn't want to be found because there was no trace of the thief lord. The three of us were getting frustrated, both with the situation and with each other. We each had our own ideas of how to go about finding La Volpe, but we just couldn't seem to compromise. I wanted to wait, remembering what Mario said about Volpe not being found until he decided to be. Federico wanted to search out all the thieves we could find to question them, and Ezio wanted to scour Florence from top to bottom until we found the man.

A third day of searching left us with even less time and shorter fuses as we returned to Paola's brothel. Ezio was in a particularly bad mood and it didn't take him long to start a heated argument with Federico. I was already fed up with them as it was, so I climbed out a window and onto the roof, but I could still hear them bickering. I sat down with an annoyed huff and stared up at the crescent moon.

"La Volpe, you better show up sometime soon." I mumbled to no one in particular.

"Or else, what?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the masculine voice that came from behind me and leapt to my feet, automatically reaching for my saber. But before I could even get turned around completely, a large hand clamped down on mine to prevent me from fully drawing my sword and the tip of a long knife was suddenly pressed against my throat. I froze as I was met with the sight of an older man wearing brown clothes, a short cape, and a hood. His expression was neutral, but the sharp tip of his blade against my skin said everything.

"You're fast girl, but not fast enough."

Instead of slitting my throat like I was afraid he was going to do, the man pulled his blade away and neatly tucked it back in a sheath on his belt.

"La…Volpe?" I asked unsteadily, reaching up to rub at my throat.

The thief lord gave a half bow. "The one and only,"

I was a little relieved, but still rather shaken from his unnerving appearance. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you—"

"For all of three days." Volpe interrupted nonchalantly. "Yes, I am aware."

"If you knew we were looking for you, why didn't you come talk to us?"

"I had nothing to talk to you about."

"So, you've just been watching us…for three days." I stated in exasperation.

"Indeed, and it has been quite amusing."

Great, I knew where this was going. Below us, Ezio and Federico's voices were slowly rising in pitch and volume, and I face-palmed in aggravation. Volpe cocked his head to one side.

"I would prefer that you do not alert your companions to my presence; I'd like to see if they discover it on their own. In my opinion, they are still too spoiled by their upbringing to truly grasp the seriousness of the situation. It was foolish of Giovanni to keep his heritage from them."

I bristled a little, not liking the way Volpe was talking about my adoptive father, and apparently he noticed.

"Don't be so offended, Kiara. I have known Giovanni and Mario since they were boys, and Giovanni has always been the trusting one. He is a good man, but becoming employed under Lorenzo as an Assassin was an unwise move. The only reason he lives today is because you had the good fortune of stumbling on Uberto's betrayal. He owes you more than just the Auditore name."

"It's enough for me." I replied.

"I see." Volpe said thoughtfully. "Of course, you were always a strange one."

I probably should have been surprised that the man knew so much about me, but for whatever reason, I wasn't.

"What about the Pazzi?" I asked, getting to the point.

La Volpe shrugged. "As I said, I have nothing to tell you, yet. Perhaps in a few days I will have information that will be useful."

"So how do we find you, then?"

I caught a hint of a smirk under the dark hood, "Don't trouble yourself too much about that. If need be, I will come to you."

There was a loud slam of a door under us, probably Ezio storming off to his room. I just hoped that the boys hadn't caused so much ruckus that Paola's customers were going to complain. Volpe looked less than impressed.

"Kiara, do remember to remind those two that subtly is of the utmost importance if they wish to remain undiscovered here. They do Paola's teachings, and themselves, a grave disservice by being so careless." He turned to go, but paused. "Oh, and if you are caught unawares again, I suggest you use your hidden blade or a smaller knife, they will be much faster than your sword."

With that, La Volpe vanished into the dark shadows, leaving me mulling over what little information he had given me. After a few minutes, I clambered back down from the roof and into the small room. Federico was still there and looked up in surprise as I slipped through the window.

"There you are, where have you been?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, "On the roof, talking to La Volpe."

"Oh, I se—what? You were talking to him?"

"Mm-hmm."

Federico looked flabbergasted, "Why didn't you come get us?"

"Maybe if you two hadn't been arguing so loudly, you might have heard us."

"That doesn't make a difference!" He sputtered. "We needed to talk to him!"

"Oh calm down. He didn't have any information for us, I asked already."

Federico ran his hand through his hair in an exasperated manner. "Did he say when he would have something?"

"In a few days. He'll come get us if he finds something."

Federico sighed, but relented. "Va bene. But next time come and get us, I don't like the thought of you alone with him."

I frowned a little in irritation, but made sure to keep the little knife incident to myself. The next morning Ezio was as annoyed at me as Federico had been when he learned that I had "found" La Volpe.

"So now what are we supposed to do?" He asked in exasperation. "Just wait here until he comes back?"

"After all the ruckus you guys caused last night, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea." I replied a bit snidely.

So while the two boys moped around for the morning, I took the opportunity to go back to bed for a few hours. When I woke up again it was midafternoon, and Ezio was nowhere to be found.

"Alright, where did your brother go?" I asked Federico finally. "Not getting into more trouble, I hope."

"He went to see Cristina, and since when was he just my brother?" Federico replied.

"Well I'm not related to him, and he's always your problem when he's up to something."

"That's hardly fair." Federico grumbled.

Ezio wove in and out of the crowds as he made his way to the Vespucci home. He wasn't sure why he hadn't thought of this the last time he was in Florence – he hadn't seen Cristina in two years. Federico had been hesitant when he had learned of his younger brothers' plans.

"Are you sure, Ezio? Much changes in two years, she may have found someone else."

Ezio, however, wasn't about to listen. If his older brother had managed to salvage his relationship with Amelia, he was certain he could do the same with Cristina.

Like he had done before, Ezio snuck around the back of the lavish home and began to climb. He reached Cristina's window in no time and cautiously peeked over the edge of the small balcony. As he had expected, the woman in question was sitting in front of her mirror pulling her hair back. Ezio pulled himself up and over the balcony, making sure to remove his hood.

Cristina gasped at the unexpected intrusion and jumped to her feet, her face paling.

"Ezio! What are you doing here?"

"I only just came back to Firenze." He replied with a smile as he stepped closer and gently touched her cheek. "Look at you, beautiful as ever."

Cristina pressed her cheek into his hand, "Ezio…"

The young man's smile grew, but as he moved to take a step forward, Cristina stepped back, her eyes full of regret. "It's been two years!"

Not to be deterred, Ezio reached for her hand. "And I've thought of no one else but you. I'm sorry, amore, I did not intend to be gone so long."

But Cristina pulled away again and Ezio was confused, why was she not excited to see him?

"What's wrong, cara?" He asked.

Cristina bit her lip, looking like she was about to cry. "Ezio…I'm engaged to be married."

For a moment Ezio's mind couldn't comprehend what she just told him. "Wh-what?"

"My father kept asking me to choose; I thought I would never see you again."

Ezio recoiled a step suddenly, eyes wide and betrayal starting to bloom in his chest. Engaged? How was this possible? His eyes darted around the room, searching for the necklace he had given Cristina right before he and his family had been forced to flee from Florence, but the piece of jewelry was nowhere to be seen. Ezio looked back at his beloved, seeing nothing but guilt and regret on her face. She had truly given up on him, and that was enough to send him reeling. Before he could say anything, however, a scream sounded from the street below the window. Cristina hurried to the window and Ezio stayed back out of sight as he listened.

"It's Manfredo, they are going to kill him!" A hysterical woman cried from below, clearly one of Cristina's friends.

"What?"

"The men he lost money to." Another companion put in, "They've dragged him out to the new bridge."

Cristina moved back from the window, her face white.

"Who the hell is Manfredo?" Ezio asked, still trying to grasp the situation.

"My fiancé." Cristina replied, wringing her hands. "He has gambled before, but I did not know that he still owed money. He told me that he was done."

Ezio made a split-second decision and pulled his hood back on. "Stay here, I will come back."

With that, he leapt out the window, climbed up to the roof, and ran towards the bridge that was still under construction. It didn't take him long to reach his destination, and he could see the unfortunate man surrounded by four armed men.

"I was going to pay you back, I swear!" Manfredo pleaded desperately.

"It's too late for that now."

"It wasn't my fault! A payment came in late!"

The men were done listening and they drew their weapons. Ezio jumped down from the roof and ran towards the group, quickly drawing his sword. With a ferocity he didn't know he had, he killed the thugs; his feelings of anger and betrayal smothering any remorse he might have had.

Manfredo paled as he took in the bodies, but was clearly relieved.

"Grazie, messere, you don't know how close—"

Ezio wasn't about to listen and grabbed the man by his doublet and held him out over the water.

"Do you love her?" He demanded, his voice harsh in his own ears.

"What? Who?" Manfredo asked, clawing at Ezio's arm frantically.

"Do you love her? Cristina! The woman you are about to marry!"

"Yes! Yes I do! Kill me here, and I will die still loving her!"

Ezio's free hand curled into a tight fist, whatever hope he had crumbling away. The man was sincere; he could read it in his eyes. Ezio yanked the man back up to his eye level.

"You are never going to gamble again." He ordered, his voice low and dangerous.

Manfredo shook his head vehemently. "N-never, messere."

"You will be a good husband to her." Here he gripped the other man's collar tighter and brought them almost nose to nose. "Or I will hunt you down and kill you myself."

Ezio yanked Manfredo back up and shoved him to the side, stalking off. He made his way back to Cristina's home, not knowing what to do with the hole in his chest. Everything he had hoped for…gone. There would be no happy ending for him.

Halfway back, he spotted Cristina hurrying down the streets, distress written all over her pretty features. Without a second thought, Ezio caught her arm, pulled her into a corner, and kissed her. He tried to put as much heart into as he could, but the knowledge that it would be their last made it bittersweet at best. In the end, he felt even emptier. When Ezio stepped back, Cristina's face was lightly flushed and he did his best to force a smile.

"He's fine, and will make a good husband to you. I made sure of it."

"What? Ezio—"

"Goodbye, Cristina."

Ezio turned and slipped into the crowds, not daring to look back.

When Ezio came back to the brothel, his face was set like stone and impossible to read and he didn't say a word to anyone as he went upstairs. Federico and I glanced at each other as his door nearly slammed shut; we had found out through Paola's girls that Cristina was engaged not long after he had left. I felt bad for Ezio, I really did. He had remained faithful to Cristina, often mentioning her over the two year period we spent at Monteriggioni, only to come back to this. I didn't know Cristina personally, but I couldn't help but feel that if she had loved Ezio as much as he loved her, she would have put up more of a fight.

Ezio made himself scarce for a couple hours and it wasn't until night was falling that I saw him again. I was walking down the hall towards my room when a door opened and a rather rough voice spoke up behind me.

"Kiara,"

I turned to see Ezio exiting his room, looking absolutely awful. I took a few steps back towards him.

"Are you alright?" A rather stupid question, but what else was I supposed to say?

Ezio sighed. "I'm not sure."

It was then that I noticed that the knuckles on his left hand were split and bruised.

"You didn't break anything did you?" I lightly reprimanded as I took his hand to make sure that there were no fractures.

"I don't think so."

Aside from the abrasions on his knuckles, his hand seemed okay to me. Ezio glanced down, and I couldn't remember a time I had seen him look so vulnerable and hurt.

"She didn't wait for me." He said quietly. "I never gave her a reason to."

"Cristina made her own choices Ezio – it wasn't your fault that you haven't seen her in two years."

"I could have done something while we were here last time, like Federico did. If only…"

He lapsed into silence and I could only stand there uncomfortably. All of a sudden Ezio hunched forward, his head bowed and his fingers curling into fists. I touched his arm, making him look up at me through the hair that had fallen in his face, and a pain that I could relate to showed in his eyes. I leaned forward to hug him without really thinking about it and he hugged me back tightly, his face pressed against the top of my shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He whispered hoarsely after a minute.

"It's alright." I replied softly, rubbing his back a little.

"No, it's not!" Ezio croaked, jerking back. "She chose to marry a damn gambler! I had to save his miserable life because he still owed money!"

He took a few aimless, frustrated steps, his face contorting somewhere between pain and anger. I could only imagine how betrayed he felt, but making himself miserable wasn't going to make the situation any better.

"Ezio, listen to me, please. You can't keep blaming yourself, it's not your fault that Cristina made the choice she did, some things are just out of our control."

Ezio sighed and nodded rather dejectedly, so I let go of his arm and changed the subject.

"Leonardo sent a message; he's done with our second bracers. It's good timing because Federico got a note from La Volpe, he wants us to meet him down by the market tomorrow."

Ezio scoffed a little, "Finally."

He turned to go, but I grabbed his hand one more time. "Hey, you know we're there for you, right?"

A tiny, but real smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he gave my fingers a light squeeze.

"Sí, I know."

The sun was hot on my hood as I stood at one corner of the market. Ezio and Federico were spread out in other places, but still close enough for me to see them. I edged further back into the shadow of the building as I felt a drop of sweat run down the back of my neck. We had been waiting for La Volpe in the market for hours, and the temperature was only getting warmer. To keep my mind off of how hot I was, I watched the people mill around as voices filled the air. It reminded me of times when I would watch the crowds from the safety of the rooftops before we left Florence.

I flexed my left arm absently, feeling the weight of my second, armored bracer strapped firmly to my forearm. It was a little heavier than the other, but it was just as well made. Leonardo had been so proud to give the three of us his newest creations, but he had insisted that we wait to pay him until we had used them a bit to make sure they worked properly.

My thoughts were interrupted by a startled shout from Ezio, and I turned to see him running after a wiry man who had started to climb a nearby building. I saw a pouch in his hand and suddenly realized that he had stolen Ezio's money, and we needed that to pay Leo back! Federico had also abandoned his post to help catch the thief. I started forward myself, but froze mid-step suddenly.

I looked up to the rooftops and, sure enough, a figure darted out of my line of sight to my right. I wove through the crowds as fast as I could to reach the other side of the square. Using an empty bench to jump higher, I started to scale the building, ignoring the murmuring of onlookers below. I reached the roof to sprint after the fleeing figure, but holy smokes the guy was fast! He led me on a merry chase for several minutes before disappearing right before my eyes. I continued to run in the direction I had last seen him, rounding a large chimney even as my brain started to spout warnings to me.

There was a flash of silver, and I ducked to one side, bringing my left arm up to block the knife that was aimed for my neck. The blade hit the armored bracer with a thwack as I flexed my other hand to eject the hidden blade and shove it at my attacker. My right hand was grabbed mid-strike, but I threw off the knife with my left and stabbed with my other blade. The man was faster, though, and in a flash he brought his wrist under mine, forcing my hand up and placing the tip of the blade, once again, at my throat.

Volpe gave me the smallest hint of a smile as he let me go. "Better, much better. Although it would seem your new blade has some issues."

I looked down to see that the hidden blade on my left arm had locked up halfway out. Oops, that wouldn't do me much good.

"Where are Ezio and Federico?" I asked as I worked to get the blade back in its sheath.

La Volpe looked up, "Almost here."

He pointed to three running figures not very far off and headed our way. I finally managed to get my malfunctioning hidden blade back where it belonged, making a mental note to talk to Leonardo later. As Ezio and Federico caught up with and cornered Volpe's man, I hung just out of sight as the thief lord made his way down to the small group. This was sure to be entertaining.

"Listen," Federico said, "we really have no interest in hurting you. Give my brother back his money and you can go."

"Not so fast." La Volpe interjected, making both boys jump at his sudden appearance.

"What do you want?" Ezio demanded. "Who are you?"

"They call me many things." Volpe explained casually. "Murderer. Tagíagole. Thief. But you may call me La Volpe. At your service, Messer Ezio and Messer Federico." He added with a rather exaggerated bow.

I could practically see the two bristle with unease as La Volpe addressed them, and I couldn't help but smirk.

"You know us?" Federico asked cautiously.

Volpe chuckled. "It is my business to know everything in this city." Here he motioned for me to join them. "Isn't that why you're here?"

I hopped down to their level, ignoring the scowls I was receiving.

"Fine." Federico said in an exasperated tone. "We need to find Francesco de' Pazzi."

La Volpe didn't miss a beat. "There's word of a caravan that's just arrived from Roma, and of a secret meeting that's to be held tonight at sunset. You will learn all you need to know there."

"Do you know where this meeting is to be held?" Ezio asked, now intrigued.

"Ma certo. Let me know when you are ready, and we will go." Volpe turned to his man and took the small pouch. "Ah, yes, here is your money."

Ezio caught his money as Volpe threw it to him with a chuckle, an irritated frown on his face.

"Should we go now?" I asked.

The two brothers looked at each other, then nodded. Volpe seemed rather pleased at our decision.

"Very well then, follow me, but we must move fast. Think you can keep up?"

"Nessun problema." Ezio replied with a shrug.

I saw the corner of Volpe's mouth twitch upwards and inwardly groaned. This was not going to be pleasant.

Basically, Volpe left us all in the dust and even the boys were winded by the time we finally caught up with him at the Santa Maria Novella. I, being the slowest, was the last to reach our destination and was thoroughly peeved knowing that if Ezio had kept his mouth shut, Volpe might not have shown us up so badly.

"Here we are." Volpe said almost cheerfully, not breathing hard in the slightest as he pointed towards the large structure. "Francesco de' Pazzi is meeting with his people inside that church."

"Alright, how do we join them?" Federico asked, having gained his second wind.

"There are catacombs that run under the city. They should allow you to get inside so you can eavesdrop on the meeting." Our guide pointed to a small alcove in one of the outer walls. "Do you see that stone handle? Turn it and then slide it down."

Ezio nodded. "Thank you for all your help, Volpe."

The man inclined his head slightly. "Buona fortuna. Oh, and I would start following your young friend's example, she knows a thing or two about being discreet."

With a final nod to me, La Volpe darted away and was soon out of sight. There were no guards around so we reached the alcove in no time. The stone handle was carved in the shape of a skull, and Federico hooked his fingers in the eye holes and pulled. The skull came apart in about three or four pieces and then rearranged so that the carving was now upside down. The circular stone directly beneath the handle moved aside, revealing a very dark looking hole.

"Do you think it's safe?" I asked as I warily peeked down the opening. Dark places like that never set well with me.

"I don't believe Volpe would have sent us this way if it were not." Federico answered, lowering himself down to the waist. "Ezio, come down after me. We'll let you know when to join us, Kiara."

With that he disappeared and there was a heart-stopping moment of silence before he hit the bottom with a grunt. Ezio followed with similar results, and I waited until he called quietly back up to me to go down myself. The drop was farther than I had anticipated, and pain shot up my ankles when I hit the ground.

"Ow…" I moaned quietly as I straightened.

When my eyes finally adjusted, I saw that the catacombs we were in looked as if they had come out of a movie. There were holes in the walls occupied by old corpses, random bones were scattered on the dust-covered floor, and the air was cold and still. It was just plain creepy, but there was just enough light for us to see without using a torch. As we made our way deeper into the catacombs, huge rats scampered along the walls and away from us, but I was more concerned about spiders and other creepy-crawly things that liked to reside in dark places like this. The tunnels were a regular maze and I was astonished at how complex they were, and just how deep they went.

It took a while to navigate the winding tunnels, and some serious free-running to make it from one point to the next. Finally, the tunnels leveled out but the sound of voices not too far ahead us sent us scrambling for cover. Once it was clear that the owners of the voices weren't walking in our direction, we continued to sneak forward until we could see inside a large, circular room. It turned out there were several Pazzi guards patrolling around these supposedly abandoned catacombs. My heart rate started to increase as we observed the patrolling men.

"Well," Ezio whispered, "at least we know we're close."

"I don't think that we can get by them without being seen." Federico said grimly.

"Your bow would be very handy right now, Kiara." Ezio said, and I gave a half-hearted sound of agreement, but the thought of shooting someone still made my blood run cold.

That current line of thought was interrupted when one of the soldiers started complaining about the tunnels being cold and was reprimanded by his superior. They, and the majority of the other soldiers, walked into the tunnel beyond the room, closing the big door behind them and leaving only two men to guard the entrance.

Ezio quickly motioned to Federico to come with him and me to stay put. I ducked out of sight as the boys snuck into the room. I didn't have to wait long, the guards were disposed of very quietly and a soft whistle was my signal that the coast was clear. As soon as I joined them, Federico motioned to the remains of some kind of balcony above us.

"Ezio and I are going to open the door, go up there and wait. You should be able to pick a few of the guards off with your throwing knives."

Now feeling very green about the gills, I nodded and climbed my way up to the top. I could do this…I could do this. Once I was in position and out of sight, Federico yanked on the lever and the door shuddered open with a horrendous amount of creaking and groaning. Guards immediately filed through, their swords drawn. I pulled one of the small knives from my belt, and nervously fingered the sharp edge, my heart pounding in my throat. I watched the men milling about below, trying to pick out a decent target. Suddenly one man gave a strangled sound and dropped flat on his face, a knife protruding from his back. The other soldiers went on high alert and started searching the room in earnest, their voices raising in volume. One man stopped, and he was at just the right angle. I raised the throwing knife, ready to knock the man dead where he stood…who probably was married…and had kids…

Holy hell, what was I doing?

"I found one!"

The shout echoed painfully loud and Ezio launched himself out of the corner he had been hiding in with a bellow, driving his sword through the unfortunate soldier. As the rest convened on him, Federico emerged and hit them from behind. Realizing my mistake, I held the knife ready to throw again, but everyone was moving too fast for me to get a clear shot, and in the end I did nothing as the rest of the soldiers were cut down.

"Help! Help! We are under attack!"

Ezio swore and darted after the soldier none of us knew had held back from the fight.

"Kiara get down here!"

I jumped a little at Federico's sharp shout to me and scrambled down the wall as fast as I could. I didn't get a chance to catch my breath before Federico grabbed my arm and yanked me along with him as he took off after Ezio.

"Come on!"

As I was pulled out of the room, one of my feet landed squarely in a large pool of blood with a splat, and splashed the red liquid all over my boot and the bottom of my cape. Gasping for air and trying to lengthen my strides so I could keep up with Federico, I suddenly realized with painful clarity that my earlier hesitation could have cost either of the boys their lives.

We caught up with Ezio a moment later, who had already dispatched the overly vocal guard. His hand shot up in a frantic gesture for us to hold still and be quiet, his own face pale under the shadow of his hood. We stood like statues for a few nerve-wracking minutes, our ears straining for any sound, but none came. We were safe, and we all exhaled heavily in relief.

Ezio pulled a throwing knife from the dead man's back. "Kiara, what—"

But a sharp shake of the head from Federico interrupted his brother's question about my inability to take action. Ezio resigned himself to silence and continued down the passageway.

I felt horrible, but an arm sliding around my shoulders interrupted my thoughts.

"Are you alright piccola?" Federico asked quietly as we followed Ezio, and I gave a halfhearted nod. His arm tightened around my shoulders in a reassuring half-hug.

"I'm sorry about that, I'll think next time before I throw you into something."

His statement was some comfort, but it didn't change the fact that I had choked. How were they able to jump into the roles of Assassins so easily while I struggled?

We hadn't walked very far when more voices could be heard, coming from higher up in the many crumbling levels. We located the room that the voices were coming from and managed to find a small window-like hole that was perfect for eavesdropping. I lifted my head as far as I dared to peer in, and felt a strange rush when I realized that we had indeed found the Templar meeting. I didn't recognize anyone, but I assumed that the man with the long black hair was Francesco. At the moment, one of the five men was chanting in what sounded like Latin and the rest were standing around a table filled with different types of weapons.

"Grazie, padre." One said once the Latin ceased. "Bernardo?"

A rather chubby looking man with a goatee and fine clothes motioned to the table. "It's all here; swords, staves, axes, armor, bows. Our men will want for nothing."

"I take this gift to mean the Pope consents?" A man in a friar's habit asked.

"He gave his blessing to the operation…as long as "no one is killed."

The hair on the back of my neck stood up straight and the air suddenly seemed too heavy to breathe. I knew that voice, I would know it anywhere. Rodrigo Borgia. I could just barely see him, dressed in a finely made dark cloak, but the hood was pulled too low for me to fully see his face.

"We're all set for the Duomo in the morning, Signore. The bait has been laid, but it wasn't easy." Francesco spoke up, and I saw both Ezio and Federico bristle. "His fool brother keeps changing his plans."

"Sí. We'll have to be on hand to make sure Guiliano even gets out of bed for church tomorrow." Bernardo quipped, and most of the men laughed. It was then I noticed that the blood stains on my boot and cape were starting to smell. Gross!

"What is it Jacapo?" Borgia asked calmly. "Do you think they suspect something?"

"Impossible!" Francesco interrupted. "The Medici are too arrogant or stupid to notice, and likely a bit of both."

"Do not underestimate our enemies, Francesco!" An older man at the foot of the table reprimanded sternly. "Or have you already forgotten how your son was murdered?"

A dead silence fell over the meeting for a moment, and Francesco spoke in a toned-down voice. "We will suffer no such surprises this time, Maestro. You have my word."

"Molto bene. I should be off. I've other business to attend to before I return to Rome. Gentlemen, tomorrow, a new sun rises over Firenze. May the Father of Understanding guide us."

"May the Father of Understanding guide us." The men intoned.

We watched as they filed out one by one until the room was empty and the torches extinguished, leaving us in near pitch black darkness.

"Are they going to try to kill the Medici family?" I asked in a whisper.

"Non lo so, but it can't good." Ezio said, to my left. "We need to contact padre."

"Even if we could, he would not be able to reach Florence before tomorrow morning." Federico reminded us. "Volpe may be able to help us…as soon as we can get out of here."

There were a few moments of shuffling as we looked around for the way we had arrived, and a tiny gleam of light caught my eye.

"Hey, I see something."

I carefully made my way over to the light with the boys almost walking on my heels, and nearly ran headfirst into a door. I pushed on it, and the door swung open much easier than I had anticipated, making the three of us hissed as blinding sunlight hit our eyes unexpectedly. Holding up my hand to block the light until my eyes adjusted, I looked into the room and gasped.

It was a burial vault, but there was no sign of the damage that filled the rest of the catacombs; it was pristine and untouched. The room was filled with all kinds of objects that looked very valuable, but it was the statue standing guard over a lavishly carved coffin that caught my attention. It was identical to the statue of Darius back in the villa Sanctuary.

"This is one of the Assassin tombs Uncle Mario was telling us about!" Ezio said excitedly as he nearly bounded into the room. "The seal must be here somewhere, and look at all that treasure!"

"Incredible…" Federico murmured as he approached the statue. "They say Darius was the inventor of the hidden blade as we know it."

He paused at the coffin, and then reached down to a familiar skull carving on the side. The lock came apart, rearranged itself, and something inside the coffin unlocked. Federico pushed the lid aside, and gave a triumphant chuckle as he pulled out the seal we had been looking for. It was about the size of a dinner plate, and looked very heavy.

"Mario will be happy to see this."

We eventually decided to leave most of the treasure out of respect, but took some of the gold coins so Mario would have some money to start restoring Monteriggioni. The crypt had another door that took both Federico and Ezio to open, but led to what looked like a way out. The small, winding tunnel led us to a covered opening that strongly resembled a manhole, and opened up to one of Florence's back streets. The sun was setting as we returned to fresh air and slid the cover stone back into place.

It was decided that we needed to find La Volpe and see if he had any advice. The problem was, however, we couldn't keep lugging that heavy seal with us. I volunteered to take it back to Paola's while Federico and Ezio talked to Volpe. I wanted a little time to myself anyway; I still felt really bad about what happened in the catacombs. So, Federico handed the seal to me and the two boys went bounding off over the rooftops while I walked back to the brothel with the circular stone tucked under my arm.

I had been walking for about ten minutes when someone whistled to me from the rooftops. I looked up to see Ezio shimmying down to me.

"We've found Volpe, and padre is with him." He informed me once he was in earshot.

"Giovanni's here?" I asked in surprise.

Ezio nodded. "It would appear that La Volpe contacted him before he spoke to us. They want to talk to you too."

All of a sudden the only thing I could think about was how I screwed up in the catacombs, but I nodded and followed Ezio down the narrow streets. It didn't take us long to reach our destination and, despite my apprehension, it was certainly reassuring to see Giovanni.

We explained to Volpe and Giovanni everything we had overheard, and the two men looked at each other concerned.

"Typical of Sixtus to pledge assistance." Volpe muttered. "But what exactly do they plan to do?"

"Bring down the Medici family, one way or another. I'm sure of it." Giovanni answered.

"Their plan takes action tomorrow morning at the Duomo." Ezio put in.

"The Medici will all be there for Sunday service," Volpe said, his eyes widening in realization, "along with the entire population of Florence."

"They plan to take action right before High Mass," Giovanni finished for him, "and everyone will be present to witness it!"

"What do we do, padre?" Federico asked.

Giovanni's brow furrowed under his hood in deep thought for a few moments before he spoke again. "We can use the crowds to our advantage, to blend in and get close, and hopefully avert this madness."

"We cannot lose Lorenzo, or allow Firenze to fall to the Pazzi." La Volpe warned.

"It will not come to that." Giovanni stated. "It's time Francesco paid for his actions."

Volpe put his hand on Giovanni's shoulder. "I hope you are right, my friend. Good luck, to all of you."

As we made our way back to the brothel, Ezio, Federico, and Giovanni discussed the plan of attack as I tagged along behind. We entered the building the back way and hung out in a back room as Giovanni gave out the final instructions.

"Tomorrow, Ezio and Federico will be with me in the crowds. Kiara, I brought your bow with me and I want you to stay up on the rooftops. The Pazzi will no doubt have many of their men attack as well; I need you to do everything you can to protect the Medici when we can't."

I nodded, and pulled out the seal to put it down somewhere. Man, that thing was heavy. Giovanni's mouth nearly fell open.

"Is that what I think it is?"

It was dark when I ended up back in my room, trying to figure out how to get the blood off of my boot and cloak. Federico had graciously taken my armored bracer to Leonardo so it could be fixed, and pay the inventor for all his help. I was considering using a knife to try and scrape some of the dried blood off when there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

The door cracked open and Giovanni poked his head in. "May I come in?"

I nodded as I folded my cape back over so the bloody stains weren't visible. "Of course."

Giovanni walked in and picked up the dirty end of my cloak.

"This isn't your blood, is it?" He asked calmly.

I meekly shook my head, knowing where this conversation was going.

He smiled a little. "As long as that's the case, I'm happy. I understand you had some trouble in the catacombs."

"I couldn't do it." I said. "It suddenly occurred to me that the man might have had a family, and I just couldn't do it."

Giovanni nodded understandingly. "I know how hard it is, Kiara, but it's something you are going to have to learn."

I shook my head. "I don't see how Ezio and Federico can kill a bunch of guards and come out unscathed."

"They struggle more than you know, cara. They're just very good at hiding it."

Silence fell over the room for a few moments before I spoke up again.

"I understand why we're trying to stop men like Francesco and Borgia, but what about their men? Do most of them even realize what their leaders are doing?"

Giovanni chuckled softly. "You are wise beyond your years, Kiara. You value life, and this is what separates you from men like Rodrigo Borgia; and it is what separates Assassins from Templars. Yes, there are those within our ranks that have shed more blood than they should, but everyone is different, and everyone has their own way of carrying out their tasks."

I mulled over this information before asking, "So what do I do tomorrow?"

"Two things: protect yourself, and keep Francesco's men off our backs." Giovanni put his hand on my shoulder. "I trust you, Kiara. I know you will do what needs to be done."

"Well, that makes one of us." I muttered, to which my adoptive father chuckled again and pressed a quick kiss to the top of my head before standing.

"You will learn. Now, get some sleep, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

La Volpe had been right about the entire city showing up for High Mass, the square in front of the church was completely full of people. I currently had a birds-eyes view of everything as I crouched atop a building adjacent to the Duomo with my bow in one hand and a very full quiver strapped across my back. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was just as hot as it had been yesterday, but my hood kept most of the sunlight out of my eyes as I scanned the crowd for any of the Pazzi. I could see Giovanni, Ezio, and Federico floating through crowd, slowly working their way to the front.

There was a commotion to the right of the crowd and I tensed as the Medici family came forward. First came Lorenzo and his wife, followed by Guiliano and his wife. I climbed down a level and pulled an arrow from my quiver, watching the crowd even closer, trying to spot any conspicuous movement…there!

I bit my lip so hard it almost bled when I saw Francesco and Bernardo emerge from the crowd and out of range for me. Giovanni and Ezio were trying to get to the Pazzi, but they weren't going to make it in time. Francesco pointed to Guiliano, and Bernardo drew a knife. There was nothing we could do as Bernardo ran forward and slashed Guiliano in the neck, and the scream from the man's wife echoed through the square. Giuliano fell back, got back up as blood stained the front of his robes, only to be grabbed by Francesco and thrown back down.

"Giuliano, no!"

But even Lorenzo couldn't save his brother as Francesco stabbed the younger Medici to death. The ruler of Florence was struck from behind by a monk I recognized from two years ago, but was quickly fought off when Lorenzo drew his sword to defend himself. The crowd panicked and people started running everywhere, by that point it was easy to pick out the Pazzi's men as they surged forward to overwhelm the rest of the Medici party. I notched the arrow to the string and took a very deep breath, zeroing in on Lorenzo. I may have not been able to do anything for his brother, but the men attacking him were still in range. I drew the arrow back to my ear and felt the familiar snap of the string as I let go and, a second later, one of the Pazzi's men fell dead.

That's when I understood.

"Protect Lorenzo!" Giovanni thundered above the screams of the fleeing crowd as he rushed Francesco.

I had no shortage of targets but had to keep the number of arrows I had left in mind. Ezio and Federico were fighting as fiercely as I had ever seen and had managed to get themselves between Lorenzo and his attackers. From there, I picked off the men who tried to get around them and attack from behind. The madness continued as the rest of the innocent people rushed out of the square, but I could hear the fight spreading to the rest of the city. Giovanni suddenly appeared and I had just a moment to look for Francesco's body, but it appeared that the man had run instead.

Then it was over for the moment, and I found myself breathing hard like I had been down there fighting with the rest of my family. I started to climb down, but a quick hand motion from Giovanni made me stay put, and I could just hear the conversation taking place.

"Giovanni Auditore!" Lorenzo gasped as he clutched at his bleeding neck.

"Please your Magnificence, we must hurry." Giovanni replied as he supported the man. "Is there a place we can take you?"

"To my home, I have people I can trust there."

Giovanni looked up and nodded to me, and I nodded back, understanding what he was asking. As Giovanni helped Lorenzo, Ezio and Federico flanked them on either side and I followed on the rooftops. The Pazzi's hired men were rampant on the streets, and our progress was slow as we continued to fight them off. Even then, I could hear Lorenzo venting his rage.

"Francesco de' Pazzi, I'll kill him! I'll wipe his entire family from the city!"

"Please, Lorenzo, conserve your energy." Giovanni pleaded as he directed our small group down a side street. "I have no desire to deliver your corpse. We're almost there."

True to his word, we arrived at Lorenzo's home without further incident, and Federico pounded on the door.

"Aprita la porta! Lorenzo's been wounded!"

I threw my bow over my shoulders and climbed down, just in time to hear something slide open.

"What's the password?"

Lorenzo, in no uncertain terms, snapped at the man to open the door. A frantic-looking guard flung the door open and ushered us inside.

"By the Thrice Greatest! Come in, quickly! The whole city is at war!"

Giovanni was nearly supporting the full brunt of Lorenzo's weight as we ducked inside, and he helped the injured man to a nearby bench.

"Giovanni…" Lorenzo began, but sighed. "Forgive me, old friend. There is much I could have done – should have done – for your family, and yet it seems I am in your debt once again."

Giovanni shook his head. "The past is the past, Lorenzo."

The man nodded, and then looked up to us. "I know these two; Federico and Ezio. Your father spoke very highly of you both." He turned to me, "You, I do not know."

Giovanni ushered me forward. "Lorenzo, this is my adopted daughter, Kiara."

"Ah, you were the archer then? You have my thanks."

Any further conversation was ended when another guard burst through the door.

"The Pazzi thugs are storming the Palazzo della Signorina! We can't hold them off much longer. If they get inside, they'll murder our supporters and put their own devils in power."

"Then my survival would mean nothing." Lorenzo growled. "I have to—"

"No." Giovanni interrupted. "For the good of Firenze, you must stay here."

The Florentine ruler looked up at us, and his eyes narrowed. "Then put an end to this madness, Auditore. Save our city. Kill Francesco."

Giovanni bowed, and we followed suit. "With pleasure."

The guard who had brought the news of Francesco's attack led us back outside.

"I saw Francesco lead a battalion behind the prison, I fear they might be trying to find another way inside."

Giovanni nodded and motioned for the three of us to follow him. We climbed our way to the rooftops and made a bee-line for the Palazzo della Signorina.

"Why is Francesco attacking the prison?" I asked loud enough for Giovanni to hear.

"The officials of the city were moved there to keep them safe once Francesco's attack started. It is a nearly impenetrable fortress."

I couldn't help but grin faintly at Giovanni's use of words, remembering how he saved me from that very prison two years ago. The sounds of the Pazzi's men clashing with Lorenzo's soldiers echoed all around the city, the most prominent fighting coming from the prison. We reached the looming structure, which was eerily lit by fires that had been started in an effort to burn the doors down.

"Auditore!"

An enraged bellow split the air and we looked up to see Francesco de' Pazzi standing on one of the battlements of the prison, shaking his fist at us.

"I'll have your head yet! Men, slaughter them!"

Giovanni quickly relayed his instructions. "Scatter, do what you can to keep the Pazzi's men from getting inside. Francesco is mine."

He took off running, and I turned to see that the soldiers at the front gate could use an archer. By this point, the fact that the idea was dangerous wasn't even registering; it was just something I could do. I ran for the gate, hearing Ezio's shout behind me.

"Kiara, be careful!"

Giovanni scaled the walls of the prison with ease, avoiding Francesco's men. He could feel the Assassin in him taking over, blocking out any distractions, focusing only on the task at hand and his target. He reached the top, but waited until one of Francesco's thugs walked by to pull himself up. Using his hidden blade, Giovanni dispatched the man and eased the body down without a sound.

"What are you trying to prove Giovanni?"

The Assassin wasn't concerned with Francesco's ranting from above; the Templar lackey didn't even know where he was anyway.

"Are you still loyal to that dog, Lorenzo? You are a fool!"

"Keep talking, bastardo." Giovanni muttered under his breath. "It just makes you easier to find."

"The Maestro should have sent me to find you, instead of that monk! I would have done the job right the first time, and finished your whole family!

Francesco had always talked big, but lacked any semblance of courage in a fair fight. He had turned tail and run for his life earlier when Giovanni confronted him in front of the Duomo. Even now, as Giovanni killed two more of Francesco's men, his fear was audible in his voice.

Blood now stained the front of Giovanni's robes in places, but he had finally located Francesco. He stepped into sight, and the Pazzi's false bravado evaporated in an instant.

"Guards! Guards!"

"You have no more men to hide behind, Francesco." Giovanni said as he drew his sword. "It's just you and me now."

"Maledetto!" Francesco nearly shrieked. "Che il diavolo ti porti! Stammi lontano!"

He suddenly turned and jumped over the edge of the battlements. Giovanni cursed and rushed to the edge, eyes narrowing when the coward emerged from a haystack below and started running. The Assassin sheathed his sword and followed Francesco's example with a quick leap of faith. He rolled from the cart and bolted after his target, feeling the building tension as he closed in. Francesco ran like the hounds of hell were on his heels, but even that wasn't fast enough. Giovanni ran up a set of boxes and leapt, flying for one heart-stopping moment, and then landed on Francesco's back, driving his hidden blade home. The Templar was dead before he hit the ground.

In retrospect, the front gate was probably the best place I could have been. The problem was, we were losing. I had used up all of my arrows, but the Pazzi's men just kept coming. Eventually, the mercenaries found some high ground and started shooting back. I was nicked twice before I managed to hide. The rest of Lorenzo's men were overwhelmed or captured, and I could only watch as the execution square was filled with more and more people, calling for liberty from the Medici's rule.

An older man rode in on a white horse – Jacapo, I believe – and started chanting right along with everybody else.

"Libertá! Libertá! Libertá! Popolo e libertá!"

I grit my teeth as I watched him put on an act, but was startled when someone hopped down next to me.

"Giovanni!"

"Kiara, are you hurt badly?" He asked, touching a bleeding cut on my leg where an arrow had caught me.

"No but…what do we do now?"

Much to my surprise, Giovanni wasn't troubled at all and motioned behind me. "Watch."

I looked over my shoulder and gasped when a body suddenly fell from the battlements and hung suspended by a rope around the neck.

"Francesco?" I asked.

Giovanni nodded and I heard cheers coming from above us. "The reinforcements have arrived."

Screams erupted from the crowd, and I looked down to see Jacapo fleeing for his life. Giovanni took my arm and helped me up.

"Our work is done. Let's find the boys and get the hell out of here."

I couldn't agree more.

Va bene – Fine
Cara – dear/darling
Tagíagole – Cutthroat
Ma certo – Of course
Nessun problema – No problem
Buona fortuna – Good luck
Piccola – Little one (feminine)
Grazie, padre – Thank you, father
Maestro - Master
Non lo so – I don't know
Aprita la porta! – Open the door!
Maledetto! Che il diavolo ti porti! Stammi lontano! – Damn it! Damn you to hell! Stay the hell away from me!
Libertá - Liberty
Popolo e libertá – The people and liberty

Ok, again I apologize for the long delay. My internship takes priority over my fanfiction, so I haven't had as much time to dedicate to write. However, this insanely long chapter should give you guys something to chew on for a while.

It has been suggested that I go back to putting the Italian translations in the text like I was doing before, and I wanted to find out what you guys preferred; translations in the text or at the end of the chapter.

To those lovely readers who took the time to review the last time around, I am very grateful.

Reviews:

Xxnikiigirl123xX
Sophie Aiyana
HikariNoTenshi-San
the one and only riot
La Bella Figura

(You want to motivate me to write faster? Review! Seriously!)

~TKD Dragon