Chapter 17

"Dante?" I said his name as we walked back to my home after that dreadful party. I was glad to be out in the clear air and away from all of those people. He hummed thoughtfully at me as he looked out of the corner of his eye. "A woman at the party… She was rather rude to me and I don't know why."

"What was her name?" Dante asked, sounding bored with what he thought was typical woman angst.

"Isabelle." Dante raised a brow as he looked at me. "You realize that she's like the head woman for their little society." I glanced at him when he said society. I tilted my head at him and wondered briefly if perhaps Dante was more on my side than I imagined because that was the second time something like that had been said to me on this night. Dante then looked at me with something akin to pity in his eyes. "I had also heard some rumors…"

"Like what?" I asked, interested now. I wondered why kind of secrets that snake had.

"Come on, Maria." Dante asked, looking around us with an annoyed expression on his face. "It's petty drama - don't get dragged into it as well."

"You can be sure that I will not let this drama get to me, Dante." He eyed me with piercing eyes before sighing.

"I heard that Luca and her were kind of an item before you came along. Or rather.. When I was at his fathers home, I saw them together often despite that she is married to Grimaldi."

"Lovely." I murmured but I was not surprised. Luca seemed very familiar with her at the party and it wasn't as if I thought Luca was a saint before I got here. I laughed light heartedly, causing Dante to gaze at me strangely. I spoke my mind to him by saying, "I am honestly not surprised."

"I'm sorry you had to find it out from me…" He trailed off as he looked around us before looking back to me and continuing, "Aria."

I sighed and began to walk again but I felt Dante's hand on my shoulder. "Aria… I need to tell you something."

"What?" I asked but a bloodcurdling scream broke out from an adjacent street. Dante looked put off by the interruption but he went to investigate anyway. He asked me to stay put and I complied, looking afraid but after he turned the corner I went after him.

As I went around the corner I saw Dante approaching a pair of figures.

"Ah, hello Dante."

"Hello there, Dario. What was that horrible scream I heard a moment ago?" Dante asked the man who spoke to him as he nodded a silent greeting to the other.

"This wench from the tavern has suddenly decided that she does not wish to come with us. Which reminds me, Dante - We haven't seen you at the tavern in a long while." The man replied. I edged a little closer, trying to see and hear everything but I couldn't get much closer without being seen.

"I've been busy with a real job." Dante said and I could hear the frown in his voice as he gestured at the woman. "Let the woman go, Dario."

"Why should I?" Dario argued, not happy at losing his company for the night. "She wanted to come!"

"And now I want to leave!" The woman - actually sounding more like a young girl, yelled from behind the other man.

"Dario… Don't do this." Dante pleaded but I could see he was getting tense as the girl continued to squirm to get away. Dario snorted and turned away from Dante without releasing the girl and began to walk away with his friend. I gaped as Dante just watched them for a moment then watched as the girl started to break free. He started running towards the pair as they attempted to get the wench back and jumped on ones back then stabbing the other in the throat. I stared in shock at what I had just witnessed. I watched him clean off his hidden blade on the mans tunic as the girl continued to run down the long street. She never even heard or noticed that Dante killed those men.

I slipped back around the corner to my waiting spot and waited for him to reappear to me. I kept my hands behind my back and stared at the wall, thinking about what happened. Dante was hiding something big from me, I decided as I thought about the strange etchings on his hidden blade. It was just one word: proteggere.

He came back around the corner and explained that he had chased off some men from a young woman but everything was fine now. He also said he hoped I did not have to wait too long. I shook my head and smiled but was quiet on the way back home. I let him walk ahead of me and studied him from behind. I couldn't see the hidden blade now but I knew it was there. I glanced up at Dante - I would be keeping a closer eye on him now.

A few months had passed since that party and the encounter I had watched in the streets. I was never truly comfortable around Dante anymore. There was just too much I did not know about him. He had a wrist blade - I watched him stab a man straight in the throat. What did that mean? Was he an Assassin, positioned in Veneziaas I was? Why wouldn't he say anything, then? I groaned as I put my head in my hands. I hated all of this crazy stuff that was my life.

He could sense my tenseness near him but surprisingly had not questioned it and we both went on with our lives. Mine - being a bored noblewoman during the day and a vigilante during the night and his - protecting my bored noblewoman ass all the time. I was tired of being treated like I was so weak but I knew that I must keep up the charade.

I sighed for the tenth time that morning and Dante looked up from the table with an amused grin. "Is something wrong, signora Maria?" Luca looked over at me as well, wondering himself what was wrong to make me sigh like this.

"I'm sorry." I replied, looking to the both of them so they knew that I was. "I was just thinking of your trip, Luca. You will be gone for months." I pouted as I pushed my breakfast around my plate while Luca smiled at me. He looked a bit smug if you ask me.

"You know that my father has great business interests in the Kingdom of Naples, cara. He's chosen me to go check these interests out. It's not like I haven't went on trips before."

"Not for months, though, Luca! That's so long."

"What?" He smirked at me with his onyx eyes glittering and asked, "Are you going to miss me?"

I rolled my eyes and huffed, not speaking another word for the rest of breakfast. Luca stopped me as I stood to leave. "Maria… I'm sorry I have to go. Don't be mad at me… I'm leaving Dante here to protect you!" He said that as if it made everything better but with my increasing tenseness near Dante, it just made me feel worse.

I stared at him and he looked away, as if he felt a little foolish. I excused myself and went into the library and sitting heavily in an armchair. I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Without Luca here it was hard to get near any of the other Templars. I shrugged a little to myself. I could always just finish collecting from that list Armando brought Antonio and I. Or maybe even search for some codex pages. I smiled to myself as I looked out of the library window. Maybe this wouldn't damper my mission so bad and I could finally get peace and quiet without Luca around.

Later, after breakfast, Luca and I went upstairs to begin packing his things for the extended trip. I was folding some shirts when he wrapped his arms around my waist and laid his head on my shoulder. He rubbed my stomach slightly and whispered in my ear, "I wonder if you're pregnant, yet. Maybe we should make sure." He chuckled as he nipped my ear.

"You'd leave me to fend for myself during the pregnancy?" I asked, slightly joking but not really. I silently thanked Maria for the herbs she had given me to take afterwards. I was getting low on them now, actually and if Luca and I did anything I would have to go get more before he came home. I went ahead and mentally prepared for it because it wasn't a matter if we did anything but when.

"I would be back before you gave birth." Luca replied, completely serious. I rolled my eyes when he was looking down at my stomach before turning around in his grasp and wrapped my arms around his neck.

I stood on the docks of Venezia with Luca and we both looked out over the bay while holding hands loosely. I stared at the water without blinking for so long that it caused tears to come to my eyes. I did not waste the opportunity and turned to Luca, letting my eyes sparkle with fake tears. He smiled as his brown hair whipped in the wind and kissed my forehead before wrapping an arm tightly around my waist.

"I'll be back before you know it, mia moglie." I nodded at the man as I squeezed him and released him so he could get on the boat. Borgia stood on the ship, watching our interactions with calculated eyes before he called for Dante to come to his side. Dante looked a little surprised of being called over but went and listened as Borgia said things that I could not hear. They both looked at me suddenly and I smiled, a little unsure and wondered just what Borgia was saying about me.

Dante looked annoyed for a moment but when he turned back to Borgia, the look was gone and he nodded before saluting and walking back to me. We waved as the ship set off, leaving the port quickly.

"Why did you and Rodrigo look at me like that?" I asked Dante once the ship was out of sight and we were on the way back to home. Dante eyed me for a moment before mumbling something about it not being important at the moment. I huffed and crossed my arms. "Fine then. Be that way."

I avoided Dante the rest of the day by staying up in my room. After a while of playing my harp and trying to read a book, I got frustrated from the boredom and went into my secret room. I noticed that there was two unopened letters laying on the desk.

I opened the first and it was from my padre.

A,

It is wonderful to hear from you, cara. I'm glad things are working out in your favor so far. Although, that Dante situation seems a little coincidental to me… Ah well, Maria and Claudia are in the room at the moment and they both say hello and that they cannot wait to see you again. Maria told me that you both talked and I have to thank you for the change in her behavior. She's opened up a lot more since you left. Ezio is another story, though. He comes and goes at all hours. Never misses a training or a meal but he doesn't stick around much. He hasn't spoken with us too much lately but after your letter came to him, he perked up a little.

I hope the Assassins of Venezia are treating you well. An and T are both just fascinating people. And T is a nun! Who woulda thought.

I laughed at that part. It was hard to picture but Teodora was a real woman of faith where I was not. She had tried going over some verses in the bible but I couldn't sit still long enough to really pay attention or care. I smiled as I continued to read my fathers letter.

Anyways, I was thinking of sending Ezio on to Venezia. He needs some excitement to keep him entertained. I may do that but it still might be a few months before he actually gets there. Keep an eye out.

Amore sempre,
tuo padre.

I laid the letter down, smiling at his words. Ezio coming to Venezia so soon? I was more excited than I wanted to admit but I could feel the excitement bubbling up inside of me in anticipation. I picked up the other letter and smiled even more widely when I recognized Ezio's scrawl.

Dear Goddess Nemesis,

Quite the reputation you have now.

I cannot even begin to explain how relieved I am to have gotten your message. I wrote this reply as soon as I read it. Tell me, how is Venezia now? I want to know all that you have figured out and I wish that we could speak properly instead of through letters. They take so long.

I also wanted to speak with you about this Dante fellow. So, someone from your past is suddenly in your double life now? Something sounds off about that, A. Don't let your guard down. (Not literally, mind you.) They may know about your existence and are trying to lure you in with a false sense of comfort.

Moving along, I want to leave soon. Mario has been thinking about it and is training me four-fold what I was doing with you here. Perhaps we will be on equal footing in a fight for once. We should test that theory out when I arrive.

I have a few other things that we can test out as well.

I immediately blushed at that comment and laughed as I read on.

Okay, okay. I'll stop just because I know you have a beautiful red blush over your face right now. That's all I wanted.

I'unico e solo,
E.

I laughed as I laid the letter down. I was feeling so much better now that I had read that. I couldn't wait for him to be here. I would hug him so tight as soon as - I stopped myself. Hug Ezio? Did I really just think that? I blushed as I realized that I thought about more than just hugging him but I pushed the thoughts away as I wrote both my father and Ezio back. The letters were pretty generic and I told Ezio all about the thieves guild and the boats that took you everywhere. I sealed them once I was done and dropped them down the chute before wondering back into my room.

I went to the balcony and leaned against it as I waited for the sun to go down so I could have dinner and go to bed. Or so Dante thought. In reality, I was going to go to the thieves guild and out gallivanting with them tonight.

Dressed from head to toe in black, I took off over rooftops. I felt strangely energetic tonight as I soared through the air to another rooftop. As I walked into the Thieves Guild, Antonio walked through the doorway of his office.

"Ciao, Aria!" Antonio said with a small smile.

"Ciao." I replied as I followed him back into his office.

"You're here to join the team going to the richer district tonight?" He asked and I smiled, nodding excitedly. To steal from the rich and keep for ourselves. It was exhilarating even though I had never really condoned stealing from others. Templars didn't really count, though. "Good! You and Rosa are going to be together."

"What?" I asked looking at Antonio with a raised brow. Rosa was still sore with me over her finger. There was no way we could work together now. "Honestly, Antonio…"

He held up a finger and I became quiet, not at all pleased with the situation. "Aria. As an Assassin, you're going to have to work with many different types of people. You and Rosa obviously have a few problems getting along and I think it could be a real learning experience!"

"Antonio," I whined and he laughed at my tone. I huffed as I straightened up, "Fine, but don't blame me if I come back one thief short."

"She better come back, Aria." Antonio replied with fire in his gaze. "I care deeply for her." I nodded, not wanting to argue but still hating the entire idea and left his office in search of Rosa. She was with a few other thieves and watched me apprehensively. I noticed that the cast was off of her finger now.

"Ciao, Rosa." I said - trying to be as friendly as possible as I approached but she only smirked at me. "We're together tonight."

"What?" Rosa said and her face grew red as she looked over at Antonio, who had just came back out of his office. He gave her a very serious expression and she mumbled to herself, sounding as annoyed with the situation as I was. "Fine." She said as she rolled her eyes and stuffed some lock picking tools into a pocket. "After you, ms alta e potente." I glared at her as I secured my veil and went to door with her. We both tried to go out of it at the same thing, causing our shoulders to hit and us to get stuck. We both struggled to get out first before Rosa shoved me back into the room and sauntered out. I looked at Antonio with one last pleading expression but he refused to meet my gaze but I could still see the smile playing on his lips. Jerk.

When I got outside, Rosa was not in sight. I looked up at the sky and wondered why God hated me so much. I heard a whistle and I saw her on the roof of a building close by. I glanced up the wall and saw that it was one of those walls she liked to climb and jump up. She grinned down at me as I spotted a ladder and went up it instead. Perhaps I should ask her to teach me how to climb such a place but as I saw her smirking face, I decided that unless we both changed personalities, it was not going to happen.

"Where to first?" I asked as I came to her side.

Rosa thought for a moment then shrugged at me before asking, "You still have Armando's list?"

"Yes." I replied as I pulled it out of my pocket on the side of my robes.

"Read it to me."

"Read it yourself." I growled and shoved the paper at her. She just looked down at it with a small frown on her mouth. Her cheeks flushed a little and she coughed awkwardly.

"I can't…" We both stared at each other as I tried to discern if she was being truthful. She looked away and I saw a part of Rosa that I had not seen before.

"I'll make you a deal." I said suddenly and she glanced at me with uneasiness, not really sure what I was about to offer her.

"I'll teach you how to read if you show me how you climb like that." I held out my hand to her and she stared at it for a few minutes, thinking about the deal. She smiled at me and it was the first friendly expression I had seen on her face directed at me since we had met. She grasped my hand in hers and shook it once before releasing me.

"You got yourself a deal, Auditore."

From that moment on, Rosa and I connected a little more - tolerated each other a little more. It wasn't anything perfect and we certainly weren't the best of friends but it helped ease the tension between us. As we walked to the end of roof after I read off a few noble names that I had not crossed out yet, I asked her, "Rosa, how many more ducati do we need?"

She looked to the sky and counted lowly to herself. "We have about five hundred now that you and Ugo gathered a few weeks ago. We need about… Two thousand now."

I sighed and replied, "That's an awful lot of ducati."

"Si, but don't let that worry you. You're with the best of the best, now." She grinned proudly as we hopped over to the other roof. She continued, "We will have those ducati like… that!" She snapped her fingers as she spoke and I smiled underneath my veil. Perhaps Rosa wasn't so bad after all.

As we ventured closer to the richer district of the city, I felt a tugging in my soul toward the east. I looked over that way and I wanted to go so badly but I knew I couldn't yet. I would have to do that on my own free time. I was afraid to ask Teodora or Antonio about it since I dreamt of it. I wasn't even sure if it even existed but I knew the pull toward that direction was much too real. I sucked in a deep breath as we passed my own home; no candles were burning and I suspected Dante was already asleep by now.

After we made it to a certain plaza - Rosa and I agreed to target the fanciest looking house in the bunch. She got down on her knees and started fiddling with the lock pick in the door. I kept an eye out for any guards while she cursed silently and kept trying to get the door unlocked. I sighed and grabbed the knob tightly before twisting it as hard as I could. The knob broke and the door creaked open quietly. I smiled as Rosa mumbled something about tact.

Sneaking by occupied bedrooms and guards roaming the halls was a little nerve wrecking but it did help me practice my stealth. I briefly considered bringing Ezio on a similar mission as this so he could learn better in a real hostile environment. Rosa slipped into an occupied bedroom much to my displeasure but returned with valuable jewels and ducats. I grabbed a few things but I knew I mostly there for Rosas' protection - she knew more about the value of things anyways. I rushed her out of the house without being noticed and we ventured onto the next home.

I kept an eye on the time before I finally told Rosa that I needed to get some sleep. I walked her back to the Thieves Guild and as I turned to leave she said, "Aria." I turned and waited for her to speak and she took a breath before continuing, "Tomorrow we will skip the thieving and stick to practicing climbing and reading. Is that good for you?"

I took off my veil and my hood and nodded at her. "As long as it is fine with Antonio." I thought about the deal for a moment before asking, "Should I bring a book?"

"No!" Rosa said but grew more quiet as she looked around awkwardly - wondering if she woke up the whole guild. "I have one."

"Ciao, Rosa. Tell Antonio that I will see him tomorrow." I said my goodbye and began to walk away before she replied.

"Ciao." Rosa replied as she went back into the Thieves Headquarters and I walked through the dark alleyway to the streets. I decided to have a nice walk back instead of jumping from the rooftops. I was rather tired tonight. I turned a corner and went back quickly as I noticed a man in white robes at the place where carrier pigeons are kept. The robes looks Assassin-like in nature but I couldn't see any of the Brotherhoods symbols.

As I started to look back around the corner, my eyes came in contact with a startling white robe a few feet in front of me.

"Nemesis." The voice sounded familiar but I backed up before tugging my hood a little to hide my eyes even if I looked up at the man. There was apprehension building in my stomach but I knew that voice and I was suddenly very confused and afraid. I growled as I looked up before I stepped backwards, suppressing a gasp from coming out. I don't know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't this.

Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. R&R.

Translations:

Proteggere - Protect.

Mia moglie - my wife.

Amore sempre - Love always.

tuo padre - your father.

I'unico e solo - The only and only,

ms alta e potente - ms high and mighty.

Special thanks to the two people that reviewed the last chaper (You are both AWESOME :D)! Also, thanks to everyone that alerted and favorited! It makes me happy, fo sho.

Maple Syrup & southern pride.

See ya next time!