A/N: Alrighty! Here is the next chappy. Warning: this one doesn't have Ezio in it (I know you all hate me now) but let me assure you that the next chapter will have MORE THAN ENOUGH! Ya know, if you catch my drift. It might be steamy and hell, I might have to up the ratings because of it but I think it will be worth it! We shall see... lol. Also, this chapter has some game dialogue but I tweaked most (not all) of it to my liking! Anyways, R&R and I hope you enjoy this chapter even though it's just Aria!

Disclaimer: I don't own Assassin's Creed but I'm sure you all realize that by now.

Thanks to all who reviewed (and alerted and favorited! BTW: 11K+ :D :D :D Thank you all so much!):

Anna Cahill - *Thanks! I've been dying to go for, like, EVER! lol, I'm very excited!*
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Akeira - *lol, that is soooooooo true!*
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kimaurameshi - *:( I will try to update faster! I don't want tears of sorrow! Happiness would be good, though! lol, and yeah only a couple XD*
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If I Surrender

Chapter 11: Triple Kill

I searched through the villa for my father but after I couldn't locate him, so I went outside to the next place he would be: the training ring. He stood there with his merc, Armando, who had taken Diavolo from Ezio and I earlier, seemingly discussing the upcoming attacks. Mercenaries were waiting nearby, joking and picking fights with one another. I approached the men and my father nodded a greeting before continuing to speak to Armando

"You will be taking a small group of men with you to go after Stefano in the abbey. Capito?" Armando nodded and gave a salute before making his way back to the mercenaries and picking a few men to follow him out of the city. Mario turned towards me and smiled.

"It saddens me to have to send you away so soon."

"It does me as well but, I will be back as soon as possible." Mario nodded but his thoughts appeared to be more focused on the mission at hand.

"I will be taking out Archbishop Salviati with a small group of my men." I nodded so he continued. "I have also sent a few men ahead to San Gimignano to gather information for you. Seek them out and they will put you on the right path to both your targets. Aria," My fathers' voice grew deadly serious and I gave him my full attention. "If you find any leads for Jacopo and you think the assassination cannot wait for Ezio to heal, then take the kill." He rested a hand on my shoulder and gave me the ever-famous, charming Auditore smile. "I trust in your judgment, piccolo."

I hugged my father tightly and he chuckled as he patted my head, tenderly. I stepped away and replied, "I will not fail you, padre."

"Si, I know. But first, I think you should change into a looser robe." I looked down at the outfit Maria and Claudia had made me; to match Ezio, is what Claudia had said. I gave Mario a inquisitive look and he complied. "If you do happen to go after Jacopo then we need to have the illusion that Ezio is the one doing the kill." I nodded, it sounded sensible. No need to blow my cover now. He shooed me off to go change and I made my way to Ezios' room. Maria and Claudia were no where to be seen and I guessed that they were visiting with Ezio downstairs.

I climbed the old, rickety ladder up to the room and took in the view before turning to the dresser. As I pulled out a robe, a thick piece of parchment that was wrapped up in the robe fell to the floor. I picked it up and started to put it back in the dresser but pausing as I saw the edge of the paper. It said: Aria Auditore, 1477. I looked around the room quickly before unrolling the parchment to reveal a sketch of me. I lowered my hood and held up the sketch to see it better.

I was sitting on the side of the training ring with one leg curled up underneath me and the other hanging from the edge. I had my arms crossed and I looked like I was looking over at someone. I was wearing a simple tunic and pants for training and without the hood, my long hair was haphazardly thrown into a tie. I wasn't smiling but there was a certain gleam in my eyes that made it seem like I found something amusing.

I stood in front of the dresser, frozen to the spot. I could remember that day clearly; Ezio told me to stay in one place and then stared me down intently. I had no idea that he was going to do a portrait of me. I didn't even know he could draw.

"What are you looking at?" A feminine voice came from my side and I jumped slightly. Claudia had came to stand beside me and she was grinning at my hands. "Let me see!" I shook my head and started to roll the parchment back up but she grabbed it out of my hands quicker than I could blink. I gaped at the spot in my hands where the sketch had been and then at Claudia. "What?" She asked, innocently, as she held the parchment up to examine it. My cheeks heated up as she lowered the parchment and eyed me strangely. "This is of you."

"Yeah…" I ran a hand through my already messy hair and sighed softly. This was getting way too complicated. I still felt upset about the whole Cristina thing and now this? Ugh. I can't handle this type of stress before a mission.

"I like you, Aria. I really do." Claudia said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "But you shouldn't get involved with Ezio." A little late for that, I thought to myself.

"I.." Claudia held up a hand to silence me and I felt like a child as I quieted down to listen to her. She held up the picture.

"You have no idea what this means. Ezio doesn't draw just anyone." She sounded a little angry but I stood my ground against the younger woman. I didn't look away and she huffed and looked back at the portrait. Her voice softened as she looked back to me. "I know that you're leaving to be married, soon. I just don't want either of you to get hurt."

I nodded as Claudia rolled up the sketch and slipped it back into the drawers. She grabbed a shirt and pants that I assumed she had come to get for Ezio in the first place before turning back to me. Her chocolate brown eyes met mine and I thought I saw sympathy in them but I didn't have time to think on it as she pulled me into a hug. She stepped away from me and smiled before making her way down the ladder.

I gathered the rest of what I had came for before going back down to meet my father.

I was in San Gimignano quite a few hours later. I had left my father and his men to take out the other targets on the outskirts of the city. I thought about my two targets as I made my way down the street. After a little while of thinking about it, I decided to search for Antonio Maffei first. I leaned against a wall that was shadowed in darkness as I looked over the Mercato for the crier. I tugged on Ezios' loose robes uncomfortably; they even smelled like him. As if he wasn't on my mind enough. I shook my head and continued to search. I wish I had the sight like Ezio does, that would make this so much easier. I thought to myself as I looked through the growing crowds for the man.

I noticed one of my fathers' men standing a little ways away, looking around nervously. He looked younger than the other men my father kept employed. I walked over to him slowly and carefully to not draw the attention of the guards nearby.

"Salute, Aria!" The man, no, boy said to me once I drew closer. I greeted him likewise. "Maffei has taken refuge atop the city's tallest structure - spouting scriptures and arrows in equal measure."

"The man has clearly lost his mind." I looked towards the tallest tower and true enough, I could see a man standing at the top, waving his arms around like a madman.

The boy nodded. "Yes, but, making matters worse, he posted archers all around him."

"Will you tell the other men we have stationed here to clear them out for me as I climb the tower?" I pulled a pouch off my belt and passed it to him. He gave me a quick salute and ran off to relay the order. I made my way closer to the target but kept to the streets until my men had dealt with the archers. I hated getting shot by arrows, I thought, always bloody painful to take out. I could see the archers being distracted or taken out so I began the long ascent to Maffei.

I had been climbing for a good thirty minutes before I finally found some rope connecting the tower I was on to the one the target was on. I grabbed the rope and tugged to test its stability before I climbed my way over. Taking a breath of rest, I looked up for some more handholds. So much for this being easy, I thought to myself as I caught my breath.

I could hear Maffeis' voice from above.

"Why you ask? Because you have STRAYED and sacrificed your liberty to that wretch LORENZO DE MEDICI." I shook my head as the man paused, what the hell was he talking about, anyway? I continued to climb as he screamed to the crowds below. "You are puppets, enslaved by PURSE STRINGS! Won over by POISONOUS WORDS! You have lost your virtue. You have lost your dignity. You have lost your FAITH!"

Was I there, yet? I wondered. His voice was beginning to get on the last nerve I had left. I tried to tune him out but his words were too loud to ignore. Finally, I felt the edge of the tower on the tips of my fingers and almost rejoiced. Almost. I listened for the mans voice so I could pinpoint his location on the tower; so I could get the quickest and cleanest kill.

"KNOW that GOOD MEN have died protecting you from his evils. Men who sought to SAVE these lands, to PURIFY them!" I rolled my eyes at that statement and decided that he had his back to me; talking to the crowds, presumably.

I hung from the edge with one hand and pulled out my stiletto and placed it between my teeth. Then, I grabbed onto the edge and hoisted myself up, quietly. The man kept screaming to the crowd and began to spout more scripture as I walked up behind him. I slit the back of his knees and he fell backwards with a shriek. I let my hidden blade slide out and nick him barely, to get the poison into his system. I only had a few minutes left with him until the poison gets him so I grabbed his robes and held him up to my face.

"Where is Jacopo de Pazzi?" I hissed and his eyes widened.

"You are not the demon they said would come." I gave him a shake and asked who he was speaking of. He spit at me but it barely made it out of his mouth. "Never, she-devil, I will not betray them to the likes of you."

He went into a coughing fit before growing still. Shaking my head, I closed his eyes as I whispered, "Che tu possa alfine trovare riposo nel corpo e nella mente. Requiescat in Pace."

Wiping my blade on the mans robes before slipping it back in my robes, I stood and looked over the city and wondered if my father was having any more luck than I was. I stepped up onto the ledge and spied a conveniently placed hay-stack and took a leap of faith.

I was walking through the streets of San Gimignano, looking for another one of my fathers men when the boy who informed me of Maffei came running up to me. He was flushed from his running and couldn't speak for a moment so I told him to calm down and rest for a second.

"I am so relieved to have found you!" He took a second to catch his breath before speaking again. "We have found Bernardo Baroncelli!"

"Ottima notizia!" I said with a little more confidence and the boy smiled shyly. "Will you take me to him?"

"Well, there is the problem." He said nervously and fidgeted on his feet.

"What? What problem?" I asked as he led the way through the streets.

"Lorenzo actually had him arrested days ago," I nodded not really that surprised at the news. Ezio had said that Lorenzo wanted to help us find the Pazzi conspirators. "But he escaped! We think that he might be near the Mercato by the city walls but we are not for sure."

"Va bene. Grazie for the information." He smiled as I turned to make my way to the Mercato. Why Baroncelli would stay in a city that he was being imprisoned in is beyond me. I shook my head, Templars would never make any sense to me.

I climbed onto a roof to have a better vantage point on the target. Why would a man in hiding be in a Mercato? Did he think that the people would be able to stop the attack? It wasn't very hard to spot the man, considering that he had two fully armed guards following him very closely. I needed to get the guards away from him, at least for a moment. I signaled one of my fathers men to come to my side. I dropped a small pouch of money in his hand before pointing out the two guards. He nodded and went back to his crew and they went over to the group.

They began yelling and taunting at the men while the guards attempted to get them to stand back. Baroncelli looked frightened and began backing away until he came in contact with the well. I made my way over to him without him or the guards noticing. I stood at his side as he watched the fight and he looked over at me and away before looking back at me and almost screaming. I stabbed him in the stomach and that halted the scream as he fell to his knees.

"Tell me where Jacopo is!" I demanded as the man sobbed.

"So you can kill him as well? No." His voice was thick and I could see blood beginning to fall from the corner of his mouth.

"There is time to clear your conscience, Baroncelli. There is no need to die harboring such a secret." I spoke softly, attempting to calm the dying man. His breathing slowed and I could tell it was coming to an end for him.

His voice was weak when he spoke again. "We gather at the church when a meeting is called…" And then he died. I looked back to guards and saw that they were still distracted so I searched through his robes. I pulled out a few letters and stuffed them into my robes to read after I got out of the area.

I bowed my head and whispered for him, "Mi duole dover guingere a tanto. Requiescat in Pace."

I stood and pulled the large man up with me before pushing him into the well. There were collective gasps from the few citizens that were watching us and not the fight between the guards and my fathers men. I bowed my head and made for a quick escape, which was much easier than I would have imagined possible. Stupid guards.

I made my way to the church as I looked through the different letters. Banking stuff, I started naming off the letters as I threw the unimportant ones to the ground; merchant stuff, family stuff, blah, blah, bl….wait. I paused in walking; there was an letter in the bunch that was addressed to Jacopo. Interesting. I looked around and decided to climb a ladder up to a roof along the side of the square, Torri del Salvucci, and settled down, leaning against the wall as I read the letter.

Jacopo,

We meet after evening mass in the old amphitheater outside of the city walls.

Make sure you are not followed or the consequences will be great.

Rodrigo Borgia.

Short and straight to the point. I rolled my eyes in annoyance of how easy it was; it was just like a Templar to not even try to encrypt the letter at all. I froze as a cold fear washed through me; what if he meant for me, or Ezio, to take this letter and follow Jacopo to the meeting. It was devious but I could definitely see the Templars doing such a thing. I jumped slightly as the church bell tolled and people began to file out one by one. I was lucky that I decided to take a break in the exact right place.

I spotted Jacopo come out in the midst of all the people, trying to stay out of sight but at the same time staying in sight. Interesting, I thought to myself as I watched the man look around at his surroundings, seemingly very paranoid. I didn't want to fall into the trap that Borgia was setting but if we wanted more Templar names for the list; I had no choice but to go and hope for the best. Sighing, I dropped down from the roof landing with a soft thud beside a woman. She gasped and I bowed my head at her before following after Jacopo. He stopped a few times, causing me to have to dive into cover or blend into the crowd quickly.

I was growing nervous as I followed Jacopo; this trap could be deadly for me to try and go alone. As I trailed after Jacopo, I spotted a group of mercenaries standing nearby. I signaled for them to walk with me.

"What do you need?" The leader of the mercenaries asked me, gruffly. I kept my eyes on Jacopo as I answered. He seemed to be switching his one guard for two other ones; how strange.

"I need you to follow me out of the city." I looked away from Jacopo for a second to convey the importance of this. "You must not be seen by any guards or my target. Can you do this for me?" I glanced at Jacopo again and he was starting to begin walking again. The mercenary looked me over once and smiled at me with hunger in his eyes. I grimaced and tried to keep Jacopo in my sight.

"For the right price." The man smirked as my lips slipped into a firm line. I didn't have time for this. Pulling off another pouch, I passed it to him as I started walking after the target. I could sense the mercenaries following me from a distance but it appeared that Jacopo didn't even notice.

He was nearing the city gates and I could see quite a few guards blocking the exit and not allowing any civilians to pass in or out. Spotting a small group of courtesans' nearby, I whistle once and they all looked my way. I tilted my head at the guards and they each smiled before the one standing in front rubbed her fingers together at me, indicating that they would for a price. Just like all the others. I pulled another pouch off hesitantly, I was running out of money before tossing it over to them. Jacopo was already out of the gates and I needed to hurry.

They stashed the money; where, I'm not exactly sure. It looked like it disappeared out of thin air and their outfits were too tight to hide it there. I shook my head, trying to get focused on the mission at hand. The women swayed as they made their way to the guards and lured them away from the gate. I slipped out, followed by the mercenary and continued following Jacopo.

There were many guards on the path; two falling into step behind Jacopo as he passed them, leaving the way clear for me. No doubt about it now, I thought to myself, it is most certainly a trap. We made it to the stairs of the amphitheater and I leaned my body against the side so I was hidden in the shadows still as I tried to eavesdrop on the men.

"I'm sorry, Maestro." Jacopo appeared to be pleading with Borgia as another man circled around them like a hawk; wait, was that my future father in law, Emilio Barbarigo? Oh lord, this trap could be very bad if they capture me. "But the assassin moved quicker than we expected.

"Clearly. Else the others would be here with you… To say nothing of the fact that Firenze is still in Medici hands!" Borgia spat back at him, angrily causing Jacopo to cower away in fear.

"It was Francesco's fault!" Jacopo tried to reason with Borgia. "His impatience made him reckless and I tried to be the voice of reason-"

"More like the voice of cowardice." Barbarigo cut in, walking toward Jacopo menacingly. Jacopo sneered at him, but stepped away nonetheless.

"You're one to talk, Signor Barbarigo! Had you sent quality weapons and not this garbage you Venetians call arms!"

"Enough!" Borgia yelled and the two men glared at each other but stayed quiet as Borgia paced back and forth in front of them. He turned back to Jacopo and closed the distance between them. His voice lowered to a hiss but it was still loud enough for me to hear. "We put our faith in your family and you repay us with inaction and incompetence!" Jacopo started to protest but Borgia stepped forward again, cutting the man off. "Then, when you are asked to account for your failures, you make excuses and insult us! How do you expect me to respond?"

Jacopo had his eyes lowered from the man and he looked nervous as he rung his hands together. "I don't know…" His voice was quiet and filled with fear and for a moment, I felt a little sorry for the man.

Borgia smiled suddenly and it was a feral, scary smile. He rested his hand on Jacopo's shoulder as if he was trying to comfort him and Jacopo looked relieved. "It's alright. I do…" Then he pulled out a knife and harshly stabbed Jacopo in the stomach. The mans eyes widened as Borgia withdrew the knife.

"Please…Don't!" Jacopo was backing away and Barbarigo walked forward with a knife in his hand as well. I was frozen to the spot; do I just stay silent as all this is happening? Emilio grabbed him and stabbed him before pushing him down onto the ground to die in agony. Jacopo rolled around, clenching his wounds and attempted to crawl towards Borgia. Reaching his hand out, he begged. "I can fix this all. Just spare me!" His words were choppy and Borgia seemed unmoved as he withdrew his sword.

"No." Then he stabbed through the mans shoulder while also slicing the side of his neck. Emilio laughed as this all happened and I was petrified; they were so brutal! Even to a man that they were allied with! Those Templar monsters…

Then Borgia turned my way and I tried to lean back further into the shadows as he spoke. "So sorry to have claimed your kill, Assassin." I started to back away to run but I felt cold, armored hands grab my upper arms and start to pull me towards the men. I kept my head lowered and tried to break free as they dragged me over to the Templars.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't expect you to follow?" Borgia asked smugly and I ground my teeth together to fight against the urge to yell at the man. "That I didn't PLAN for it all? We've been at this much longer than you, boy." I already knew of your plan, you stupid old man, I thought to myself as my eyes strayed to Jacopo's body. The man was laying on the ground, not quite dead yet and staring up at me. I knew he could see under my hood and see that I was no boy; even though his eyes widened, he didn't say a word.

Borgia looked me over from a distance and turned away, looking unimpressed. "Kill him." I tensed up and waited for the death blow. I figured Borgia would want to watch but I could see him walking away with Barbarigo.

"You are going back to Venezia soon?" Borgia asked him casually, like this was something they did everyday. Which, of course, they probably did.

"Si, I plan on calling on my sons' betrothed to us a few months after I return as well. He is seven and ten and has had plenty of women to fill his thirst before I put him into a political marriage with that broken girl." Emilio and Borgia chuckled.

They were too far away for me to hear Borgia's comment to what Emilio said but I was still in shock. I will have to go to Venezia soon. Feeling very angry, I looked up to the men holding me.

"Release me and I will spare your lives." I started struggling and one of the mens' grasp went to my wrist instead, holding it near his head. I smiled darkly, this was too easy. "Hah! What do you know boys, we got ourselves a woman assass-" I flipped my wrist back and the back went through his jaw and into his head, cutting off his words. His grip on my wrist loosened instantly as he gave a gurgled scream and with my newly freed hand, I turned and stabbed the other man in the stomach with my hidden blade. There were at least twenty guards in the courtyard with me still and they all turned at the screams of the other guards. Each pulled out their weapons and gave me evil looks. Giving a sharp whistle, I pulled out my blades as mercenaries stormed into the amphitheater.

They ran past me to the guards and began to fight. There were more than I paid for, so I assumed that they had some other mercenary come as well. The guards seemed distracted so I dropped beside Jacopo's broken form; his breathing was faint and he stared up at me in wonder. He reach a hand towards me and whispered please so I slid my blade across his throat.

"Vai, amico, libero da fardeli e paure." His eyes rolled to the back of his head. "Requiescat in Pace."

I turned and began to run back to the gates and stable before the guards noticed I was missing from the fight. Hopefully they wouldn't. As I made it to the gate and waited for the man to bring me the brown mare that my father let me take, I leaned against the tall walls of the city to catch my breath. My mind and heart were racing. I would have to leave soon to be at my "parents" house when Barbarigo arrived. I slid down the wall and put my head in my hands.

I would have to leave Ezio, just when I was starting to understand these feelings between us. I fought back a sob as I thought about how I was to tell him I was leaving. Ezio would bounce back quickly and I'm sure his list would lead him to Venezia eventually. Shaking my head, I stood as the man approached me with my mare. I paid him and grabbed the reins to go and meet my father at our usual meeting spot outside of San Gimignano.

I arrived there a few minutes later and my father and his men were waiting and had already started the celebration that they always had after a successful mission. Mario spotted me and came over as I slid off my mare. My father had two ales in his hands and a relaxed smile on his face.

"Jacopo de Pazzi is dead." I said grimly and my fathers' smile faded at my tone. He reach me one of the ales and I took it and chugged it down without another thought. His eyes widened, knowing that I didn't drink all that often and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Is everything alright, Aria?" He asked, gently as he lead me to a nearby bench.

"No." I said, bitterly, shaking my head. "Everything is not alright." I sat down heavily and pushed off my hood before rubbing my temples.

"Tell me, figlia and I will try to help to the best of my abilities." Mario said as he rested a hand on my forearm. I shrugged his hand off my arm and stood and began to pace in front of him. I knew that I was panicking and that we knew I would have to go soon but this was almost too much for me to handle.

"There's nothing you can do!" I exclaimed, feeling angry all sudden. "I knew this would happen eventually. Oh, merda! I am so stupid!"

"Why? What happened?" Mario urged gently, knowing that to push me would only make me more upset. I ran a hand through my hair, sighing as my fingers got stuck in the tats.

"I have to go to Venezia and soon at that." I said as I threw my arms into the air.

"Venezia?" Mario said and jumped to his feet. I stopped pacing and turned towards him. "So soon? I thought it would be a few more years, at least!"

"Yes, I did, too. But we were obviously wrong. As my future father-in-law was at the meeting with Borgia and I heard him say that he was going to collect his son's betrothed a few months after he arrived in Venezia!" My voice was raising with the panic that I felt inside. Mario shushed me and led me over to my mare.

"Come. We will begin the journey home." My father signaled to his men and they brought his horse and a bottle of ale with them. He climbed atop his palomino steed and passed me the ale. "Try to relax, figlia."

I nodded as I opened the ale and took a long swig. We began the ride home and I told him of the assassinations, the trap that was set for me (er, Ezio) and the meeting overall. I also had stopped and stole a few codex pages from some banks that had guards protecting it; I passed them over to him and he smiled as he looked them over. I went into a pensive silence, wondering what to say to Ezio as I swayed on my horse from exhaustion and the alcohol. I could see my fathers' men ahead of us, throwing bottles at unsuspecting birds as a game but they were never able to hit them.

"Aria?" I hummed a little to show that I was listening but I didn't look his way. "Ezio will understand." I turned my head towards him quickly, making myself a little dizzy, not bothering to hide my surprise. Mario knew my emotions too well for me to try and hide it from him, anyway. I nodded, solemnly and took another drink of my ale before throwing the empty bottle far away from me. I heard an angry crow from a bird and smiled half-heartedly as the men ahead of us cheered for me.

I could see Monteriggioni in the distance now and I whispered, mostly to myself but I'm sure Mario could hear me, "I hope so."

Thanks for reading my story! Don't forget to review :3

Capito? - Understand?

Che tu possa alfine trovare riposo nel corpo e nella mente. - May your mind and body at last be still.

Ottima notizia! - This is good news!

Mi duole dover guingere a tanto. - I'm sorry it came to this.

Maestro. - Master.

Vai, amico, libero da fardeli e paure. - Go forward, friend, unburdened and unafraid.