Chapter 22

WARNING: DARK CONTENT AHEAD. ADULT CONTENT! TORTURE, CHARACTER DEATH AND SO ON. You have been warned. If you're not into this kind of stuff then I would wait until the next update. Rated M, for sure!

As they dragged me along the cobbled streets, I fought against their restraints. After plenty fruitless efforts, I gave up and reserved my energy for the pain that was about to come. I would be lying if I said that I was not scared - in fact, I was terrified. Emilio and his son, Luca were dead by Assassin hands and I did not imagine Borgia would give me any mercy. It was understandable; I would not give him any mercy, either, if I were in his position. I contemplated my situation as we grew ever closer to Borgia's temporary palazzo. I knew that escape would be even more impossible than it is now once I was in the dungeons of his estate but I could not break away from the large man holding my arm. I wished for Ezio or Dante to come and save me from this fate but I knew that it was futile, so I simply stopped thinking of escape and began to think of how to endure.

I noticed that the streets were surprisingly clear and that the group that surrounded me was met by more uniforms the further we went along. I supposed they had cleared the streets before we had arrived and I wondered why they would go through the trouble - after all, I just appeared as a noblewoman being taken from her home in her nightclothes, which happened to be covered in blood. I hoped that Luigi, Alba and Ciro would be safe from the Templars but knowing Borgia, they may already be dead. I grit my teeth as I considered the deaths of those innocent people. I would kill Borgia if he hurt any one I cared about.

I began to resist walking more frequently, hoping to prolong the walk there in case Dante, Nico or Ezio were out and about. The large guard holding me huffed before picking my small frame up and tossing me over his shoulder. The nightgown I wore was short and I heard catcalls and whistles from the other guards, as well as a few slaps on my ass. I glared at them all as hard as I could so they would know I would kill them given the chance. They backed off after I began to cuss them and wish them slow deaths.

I heard a door open but I could not see it from the guards back. I assumed we had made it to Borgia's palazzo and not long after, I was carelessly throw onto the ground. The force of the impact made me groan and I caught my breath before sitting up. I attempted to stand but I was forced back down to my knees by the same guard who threw me. I saw a regal, marble staircase in front of me and Borgia was standing at the top, looking down on me with a morbid curiosity.

"What is this?" He asked the guards, looking at me - recognizing who I was. I could tell her remembered me as the noble girl that married a Barbarigo.

"Isabelle Grimaldi demanded that we deliver this wench to you."

"What for?" Borgia asked but I could see a gleam in his eyes as he watched me with strangely composed eyes.

"Isabelle witnessed her kill Luca Barbarigo and believes that she is also responsible for the death of Emilio Barbarigo." Borgia looked at the guard with a stunned look before turning the look to me. I watched him as he sized me up and as his eyes lingered on my hand with the missing finger. Slowly, he began to smile and the smile grew into an outright laugh. The sound was chilling, for I had never heard him laugh before and it was not a pleasant noise.

He directed his next words toward me. "I thought you seemed terribly familiar."

"Oh, really?" I replied, my voice flat and uninterested. I was fighting to keep my cool because I knew it would aid me in the time to come.

"Si, senorita. Te he visto muchas veces antes." I did not speak Spanish but it was close enough to Italian that I understood the meaning of his words. Yet, his words still did not make much sense to me. He spoke as if he has seen me multiple times before now but I could not recall these times. Surely, I would have seen him if he had seen me. Borgia smiled as he came down the steps toward me. "You do look so much like your mother, Aria d'Este."

"You knew my mother?" I said, without thinking and Borgia laughed again. I tensed up at the sound and gnashed my teeth in anger.

"I did, I did." Borgia answered then looked as if he was thinking. "I knew your father much better but I had met you and her on different occasions." He looked over my body again - at the sheer gown that clung to my curves. "You've grown so much."

I sneered at him, my anger at him intensifying as if the bow was still with me. I silently thanked God that I had trusted my instincts and gave the bow to Ezio for safekeeping. "Do not speak to me as if you are my friend."

"I hardly think you are in a position to demand things from me." Borgia stated with a flippant wave of his hand and the guard closest to me pressed his blade to my back. I did not flinch from the cool steel and instead looked at Borgia with even more contempt. "So, why are you here? I want to hear your side of the story."

I looked to the ground and said with a strong and steady voice, "I've come to end the Templar order."

Borgia laughed a long, cold laugh and dismissed my words. "Impossible. What is the real reason?"

I looked up, straight into his cold eyes. "I've come to kill you, Spaniard." Borgia did not seem amused by my answer but held my eyes with his own. A guard grabbed hold of my arms as Borgia kneeled and came so close to my face that I turned it away to avoid him touching me. He grabbed my chin roughly and forced me to meet his eyes.

"You are an Assassin." He stated before a sneer spread across his face.

"Just figured that out?" I asked rhetorically and was answered by a slap across the face. My cheek stung but I looked back at him with mirth in my eyes. "Is that all you've got, figa?" His face contorted in anger at the name I called him before he slapped the other side of my face, causing me to bite my tongue. I laughed as the taste of copper filled my mouth before I spit the blood out on his robes, at which he looked down in disgust. "I've endured worse from fresh recruits."

Borgia seemed tremendously displeased but ignored my words and gestured to his guards. "Take her from my sight to the lowest dungeons we have. She will never see the light of day, again." The guards complied and dragged me to my feet, though I still refused to walk for them and they drug me across his marble floors. I turned my head back to Borgia, who had not moved from his spot and smiled at him maliciously; I was sure that my smile was covered in the blood of my tongue but I supposed it added an extra effect to my sinister look. Borgia merely turned away and went upstairs. I laughed loudly, so he knew I was laughing at him and his cowardice.

We went down stairs into a dark corridor and I was forced to wait in darkness as a guard struggled with lighting a sufficient torch. Once the torch was lit and our eyes adjusted, I was being pulled forward. I studied the hallway and noticed the lack of windows and knew that I was now underground. It was cold and damp - the feeling made me uneasy as if I was already dead, rotting in the ground. I shook off that thought and watched a guard walk in front of me, lighting every other torch as he went back them. Finally, we exited the hallway to a long room. There were cells lining the walls; about five or six cells and one of them seemed to be occupied but I could not see the occupant clearly through the bars.

The uniforms pushed me into a cell roughly and locked the barred door behind them. I scrambled back to the bars and I noticed them about to leave. "Wait! What about my binds?" The men paused and looked between each other, asking in hushed voices if they were supposed to release me from my binds. After a moment, the large man walked closer to the bars and said in a deep voice, "Turn around and I will cut them." I complied and backed up toward the bars. He did not notice that I was looking over my shoulder and as soon as he cut my bounds, I managed to grab his hand and force the dagger to fall into my cell. I released him and grabbed the blade before rolling to a corner of my cell that no guard could reach without coming in. "Merda! She got my dagger!" The large guard shouted and they all started to panic - each yelling about what they had to do. I laughed as they fought over what to do before deciding to go consult with Borgia. I chuckled as the iron door shut behind them, leaving me alone in a pitch black darkness.

I rolled the dagger in my hands, it was a little heavy for my size but it was something I could use to protect me. It was a small victory but it could go far if I waited for the opportune time to use it. After an hour contemplating my confinement, I began to wonder who the other person in the cell next to my own was. I had not heard them stir or make any sound at all while I, myself, had paced my cell for the duration of time I had been here.

"Hello?" I said toward the other cell, hoping for a response but I received none. I lowered myself to the filthy floor with my back to the wall away from any place that a guard might be able to grab me through the cell bars and closed my eyes, wanting to sleep so I could gather energy for whatever Borgia was planning for me. I clenched the dagger in my hands, unwilling to let the feel of the cool steel leave my presence; just touching it made me feel calmer and more relaxed.

I drifted off to a restless sleep; I dreamt of maddening torture from Borgia that when I had awoken I was in a cool sweat. I took a few deep breaths and wondered what time of day it was - it was impossible to tell this far underground. I started running the dagger against the stone wall at my back, sharpening it and preparing for the guards to enter for the day.

But they never came. Hours passed and there was no sign of anyone coming into the dungeon. After a good while, I began to hum to myself simply for something to do and keep my mind off what Borgia was planning to do with me. I paused in my humming when I heard a faint groan from the cell beside mine. "Hello?" I said and received another groan in response.

My eyes had adjusted to the light and I saw a dark outline in the next cell move and stretch before groaning again. "Che cazzo…" The prone figure mumbled quietly before turning over onto their back.

"Are you okay?" I asked, desperate from some human interaction. I always hated to be alone.

"I think so…" I sat up a little straighter since I could hear the person more clearly now that they were not flat on their face. The voice was familiar but I could not see the face - even so, I had a sneaking suspicion of who it was beside me. The figure seemed to recognize my voice as well for he exclaimed, "Aria! Is that you?"

"Si, Nico. It is I." I answered in a melancholy tone once I realized who it was. The last person I wanted or expected to be here with me was Nico for I knew that Borgia would use him against me. I planned on escaping if no one came to rescue me but now I had Nico to worry about. I put my head in my hands and rethought my plans of escape, not that I had had a solid plan anyways. "How did you end up here?" I asked him as I heard him shuffling around his cell. I saw an outline of his hand stick through the bars between our cells and I grabbed it, taking comfort in his touch for the moment.

"I was leaving the bordello when I was knocked out." Nico replied bitterly. "I had not even seen them coming. What about you?"

"I killed Luca in front of Isabelle."

"Merda, Aria." Nico said in a surprised and exasperated tone.

"I know!" I answered, feeling foolish for my actions now. "I should have thought it through before acting so impulsively."

"Well, it cannot be helped now." Nico said, not chastening me as his elder brother would have done. I was glad that he didn't and I squeezed his hand in gratitude. I think he understood because he squeezed back lightly before asking, "Where are we?"

"In the dungeons underneath the Borgia estate."

"Cazzo fantastico." Nico mumbled to himself in anger. He whispered to me quietly after that, "The bow? Is it safe?"

"It is. I left it with Ezio for safekeeping." I replied in the same undertone in case there were guards stationed in the corridor outside of the dungeon. I heard Nico's sigh of relief from my side and I silently agreed with him. Despite myself, I said to him, "What are we going to do?" I knew I sounded pitiful because Nico squeezed my fingers again. "I was able to take a dagger from them but they have not returned since. Maybe they intend to starve us out?"

I could practically feel Nico shaking his head. "No. Borgia is planning something - he will want to torture you -" He took a deep breath before continuing, "Us for information about the Brotherhood."

I started to reply when I heard the faint sound of footsteps growing closer to our position. I released Nico's hand and shuffled to the bars of the cell and waited until the door opened. A boy stepped through with a torch and held the door open for whomever the other footsteps belonged to - I thought it was maybe four or five men still walking this way.

"Cesare! So eager to begin, aren't you, hijo?" I heard Borgia say with fondness as he walked into the room, followed by several guards. The boy shook his brown head enthusiastically and gave me a shadowy smile as he closed the door once everyone was in the dungeon. Borgia stopped in front of my cell and I moved back a few steps with the dagger held behind my back. He looked me over before saying, "I apologize for your accommodations. I was not expecting a duchess to join us."

"I am no duchess." I ground out, upset that he would keep referring to a time of my life that I had trouble remembering.

"Ah, that is true." Borgia said with a false smile that made my skin crawl. "You could have been, though - if you had not tried to fool with things that you do not understand."

"I understand enough." I replied coldly and Borgia laughed at my tone before gesturing to my arms behind my back.

"Why don't you just give us the dagger, querido, before you hurt yourself."

"Why don't you just come here and let me shove it right up your -"

Borgia interrupted, "Ah, ah! We have sensitive ears in our presence!" He gestured to Cesare standing a little ways behind him.

"Fuck you." I replied without missing a beat and Cesare giggled from behind his father, who only looked at me in an amused irritation. He sighed severely and I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what he was thinking. He looked to the guards and nodded his head toward the cells and the guards walked forward as I readied a battle stance but they did not open my cell.

They went into Nico's cell and beat him until he was unable to stand and then pulled him out in front of my cell. Hoisting him to his knees, I watched impassively as Borgia held a dagger to his throat. I watched as he pressed ever so slightly and blood dripped off the knife slowly. Nico's eyes were rolled back in his head and Borgia held him upright by the hair on his head.

"Give us the knife or I will slit his throat." My glare wavered as I saw that he was not buffing.

"I will give it to Cesare." I said after a moments thought and Cesare brightened at his mention. He looked to his father pleadingly, who did not at all seem pleased by this. The guards looked at one another while Borgia thought and I could see focus coming back into Nico's eyes. He did not dare move because of the knife on his throat but his eyes met mine in an almost panic. Borgia nodded his head toward the cell at his son, who walked toward me cautiously. I got on my knees so we were face to face as he stopped about a foot away. "Come here, boy. I will not harm a child."

Cesare believed my words and stepped closer with a slight smirk on his young face. I noted that he appeared to be about four or five years old and wondered briefly why Borgia would bring the boy down to such a place. I felt badly for what I was about to do but I did not hesitate as I grabbed him and pressed his body against the bars with the dagger to his throat. I heard and felt him cry out and struggle against my hold as the guards and Borgia looked astonished. Borgia and I made eye contact - both of us held something that was extremely important to the other and neither would back down in fear that the other would turn on them.

"Remove the knife from Nico's neck and I will not kill this pleasant little boy." I said and stroked the boys hair in a taunting way. I could feel the poor boy sobbing against my hold and I felt blood running over my fingers as he cried and realized that he was moving so much that it made me cut him slightly. Borgia reluctantly removed the blade from Nico's neck but I noticed that he kept it pressed against his back. I shook my head, "Move away from him!" Borgia sneered at me but did as he was told and Nico scrambled to his feet, keeping his back to the guards so they would not kill him.

"I did as you wanted, now release him!" Borgia yelled but I shook my head, unwilling to give up this last piece of control I had over him..

"No, Borgia. I want out of this cell and I will keep hold of him until I am out of this palazzo."

"I will not allow that." Borgia replied defiantly and I tightened my grip on Cesare, causing the boy to shriek in terror. I did not hold the blade directly on his throat in fear that his squirming would cause him more damage than I would. Borgia gave me a cruel smile that disarmed me for a moment and I did not watch Cesare. It was too late when I felt his small hand wrench the blade from my hand, much the same way as I took it from the guard. He flitted to his fathers side, smiled up at the man and gave him the knife while looking quite pleased with himself. The guards advanced on Nico, beating him into submission - Nico fought back with all his remaining strength but I could see him faltering, before they threw him back into the cell. "It seems all is in my favor now." Borgia said as the guards locked Nico's cell door.

I met Cesare's eyes and I saw much ambition and his father in them. He smiled darkly at me for a child his age before leaving the room completely. Borgia remained and ordered his guards to bring in the pit. My stomach knotted up as I considered what the pit was. I had no leverage over Borgia now and he was free to do what he wished with me. I backed into a corner and made sure Nico was still breathing before preparing myself.

I clenched and unclenched my fists, thinking back on all of my unarmed training. I had never been very good at it, especially against men and their brute strength but I was fast and I would have to rely on that to get me through this. If the men did bring me down and submit me to some torture than I would have to rely on my mind. I cleared my thoughts and took deep and steady breaths while the guards came in carrying a pit of coals and fire; a single iron rod sat with its tip in the heat, causing the tip to glow a hot orange-red. Why did it have to be fire? I wondered to myself as the guards opened Nico's cell and chained him to the wall right across from it.

They turned toward my cell and I readied my position, though I could feel the weakness in my limbs from dehydration, lack of food and sleep. I knew that I wouldn't be able to win but I was willing to give them a fight until the end. I stood in the middle of my cell, watching the guards as they placed the key into the lock before opening the door. I didn't give them another chance before I was jumping forward toward them - I managed to punch one in the face but he only staggered before coming toward me again. I saw the large guard step into the dungeon and I cursed my luck for he had already bested me once. He pushed the other guards away before running toward me and wrapping me up in a suffocating bear hug. I thrashed against him without success before I was met with a darkness.

I woke up with a searing pain going throughout my right side. I groaned as Borgia's ugly face came into focus and I realized that my arms and legs had been chained to where I could not move them at all. My arms were drawn above my head while my legs were straight out. When I looked to my right side, I could see the heated rod sticking against my skin, drawing blood and melting my skin away. I grit my teeth and tried not to let the pain affect me but it was extremely hard to do.

"Back with us, I see." Borgia said viciously as he loomed over my chained body. I sneered at him but did not trust myself to speak - I was afraid I would scream if I opened my mouth. I turned my head away from him and saw that Nico was chained up beside me in the same way. His blue eyes shined as he looked at me and to my side, where Borgia was lifting the hot rod and placing it back within the flame. Borgia grabbed my chin and forced me to rip my eyes away from Nico to look upon him. I scowled at him angrily, wishing that this wasn't happening as he said, "How many more Assassins are in the city?"

I did not speak and I would not; I would never betray the Assassins, especially to a Templar. Borgia rolled his eyes before picking up the hot rod and walking over to Nico, who kept an inexpressive face as he approached. "And you… What did you call him? Nico? Will you tell us of the Assassins in the city?"

"Never." Nico replied, his voice strong and betraying the look of fear in his eyes as Borgia brought the rod into the soft skin of his bicep. Nico hissed but did not scream, keeping his eyes on me the entire time. I tried to give him a comforting look, to let him know that he was not alone in this. Borgia began to push harder into Nico and I could see a thin sheen of sweat appear on his forehead.

"Stop it!" I yelled and Borgia moved the rod away and back into the pit of fire.

"Will you tell me what I wish to know?" I looked at Nico, who was shaking his head behind Borgia vehemently. I closed my eyes and ignored him before nodding my head.

"We cover the city in our numbers." I lied and looked up at Borgia, who smirked at my words. "You will fail."

Borgia sighed, seeming annoyed with my answer before he picked up the rod. "How could you lie to me, Aria? I guess you will have to learn what happens when you lie to me." He turned and thrust the pointed, red-hot end of the rod into Nico's throat as I screamed.

"NO! NICO! NO!" Tears streamed done my face as I thrashed against my chains. He couldn't die, not here - not like this. It wasn't right. How could I ever face Dante again, knowing that I was unable to save his little brother. Nico did not die immediately to my horror and blood gurgled in his throat as he struggled to speak. He could not but I knew what he wanted to tell me by the look in his eyes. He was prepared to die and that I shouldn't blame myself. But I did blame myself - he would have never been killed if I had not been here. Borgia began to laugh sadistically as I screamed and struggled against my restraints. "I WILL KILL YOU, BORGIA. YOU HEAR ME? I WILL MAKE SURE YOU DROWN IN YOUR OWN BLOOD! SI MALEDICONO IL GIORNO IN CUI DECISE DI ATTRAVERSARE ME! PEZZO DI MERDA!"

Darkness came over me then and I remembered no more until I had awakened. They had left me chained in the same spot and a torch burned at my side. I knew why they had left the torch when my eyes fell onto Nico's lifeless body hanging at my side. I began to sob in earnest at the death of my friend. "I'm so sorry, Nico." I cried out to the body beside me, even though I knew he would not hear me ever again. My words were chopped and broken when I said, "Requiescat in Pace, mio amico."

I lowered my head, my chin rested against my own chest as I continued to cry. After a few hours full of tears, I could cry no more and I sat in silence - unable to look over at the body beside me. Where was Ezio and Dante? I wondered to myself. Why hadn't they come to save us? The door creaked to my other side creaked open quietly and I allowed my hope to get the best of me and thought of Ezio again. Instead, Cesare came out from behind it and came to stand in front of me. I looked at him in confusion. The little boy did not seem to be scared of the dead body near me and kept his dark eyes on me.

"Che cazzo vuoi?" I spoke harshly but my voice sounded strained and scratchy from my crying. I had hoped that my insensitive words would scare the kid off but he only smiled at me. It really pissed me off.

"Padre let me come see you!" Cesare said in a childish enthusiasm. I glanced at his neck where a small, fresh scar cut across. I was surprised that he wanted anything to do with me after I held him against his will.

"Why?" I asked, wanting to get this conversation over with.

"A man is coming to see you." Cesare's young face darkened for a fraction of a second before going back to an indifferent look. I thought his emotions seemed a little mature for one so young. "I wanted to see you before he messed you up!" I did not know how to reply as Cesare reach forward and touched my cheek. I flinched at his touch and glared at the boy but it did not seem to faze him at all. He brushed a strand of messy hair behind my ear. "I asked padre for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, annoyance giving way to a momentary curiosity.

"You're pretty and I want you when I'm older!" Cesare said brightly as I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm a little old for you." Cesare ignored his and continued to play with my hair. It was starting to annoy me badly. "Plus, I hate you."

Cesare's smile ceased and he tilted his small head at me. "You shouldn't." I gave him a confused look and the boy laughed, the sound was eerily similar to his fathers. "I'm the reason you're alive!" He looked around and leaned toward me, "Padre wanted you dead but I asked him for you." He pressed his lips against mine and I jerked away, spitting on the ground in disgust. That was so fucked up, I thought as Cesare laughed childishly and left the room. I shook my head - the Borgia family was messed up.

I had been in the cell for about a week now. After a day or two of hanging on the wall, they came and cleared Nico's body before they put me back in my cell. My body was sore from hanging there for so long and the burns still seared my sides so I just sat in the corner, curled up in a tight ball. I kept pondering Cesare's words - some man was coming to mess me up. But why would Borgia want someone else to come do his dirty work? It didn't make sense. I dipped the stale piece of bread in the small amount of water I had left before taking a rough bite. I hadn't had much of an appetite after seeing Nico brutally murdered in front of me. Death had never bothered me before until I saw someone I cared about die. It was painful and it made me rethink of how I lived my life - I wondered if this pain paled in comparison to what it would be if Ezio died and I suddenly felt a strange compassion for Isabelle.

If I got out of this alive, I thought to myself, I was going to tell Ezio every thing I felt - no matter how daunting it seemed.

Suddenly the door swung open and Borgia came in. I did not stand or acknowledge him as he came to stand in front of my cell. I stared at the ground as he watched me before hearing another pair of footsteps enter the dungeon. I looked up, expecting to see Cesare but instead I saw the slaver. The one who took me from my home; the one who left me for dead in the wilderness of Toscana. The reason my mother was dead.

I stood immediately, growling at his sight. Anger flooded my entire being and suddenly I did not care for ignoring Borgia. I wanted to kill that man standing beside him and I would if it was the last thing I would ever do. The slaver looked over me with a large grin - the man was much older now but still was fit and lean. I thought of the different ways I could accomplish his death before Borgia could intervene as the two men watched my violent reaction.

Borgia turned to the man. "Keep her alive, if you will. My son wishes for her after you have broken her spirit." He began to walk out of the dungeon before turning back to the slaver, "Oh, and Gregario, I am going to the Grimaldi's with Cesare and we will be back later tonight." Borgia looked at me now and I glared back at him in fury. "Have fun."

He left and Gregario and I stared at one another until his footsteps faded away. "My, how beautiful you have grown. You look so much like your mother."

"I will kill you if you touch me."

"So feisty." Gregario said with a relaxed smirk. It sickened me to see him smile at me like that. "I like that. You always were spirited."

I gestured from him to come in the cell. "Come in and I will show you how spirited I am, bastardo."

"Oh, you wish for mi polla so soon? I didn't think it would be so easy to get you wet." I only stared at him and waited for him to enter. I was going to fight him until he killed me or I killed him. Gregario continued, aware of my growing anger and reveling in it, "I understand, though. Girls always hold their first in their hearts."

I snarled loudly at that and he began to laugh and mess with his keys, looking for the correct one to my cell. While he was looking down, I climbed up the side bars silently and waited once I reach the top. He would notice me once inside the cell but hopefully I could surprise him before he did. He opened the cell and stepped in, looking around confused and saw me as I leapt toward him, a battle scream erupting from me.

I knocked us both to ground and I punched him repeatedly as he twisted to release his dagger from his side. He punched me hard and threw me off of him and my breath was knocked out of my lungs. I ignored the burning in my chest as I kicked his legs, making him fall down. I stood and went to kick him in the face when he pulled me down. We wrestled in the floor and I knew that he was winning by the way he had me pinned. I kneed him as hard as I could in the crotch and he hissed in pain as he pressed his dagger into my side. He rolled off of me quickly.

I howled in obvious pain and a sadistic smile came over his face as he cradled himself. I looked down and from my knowledge of the human physique, I knew that the stab wound was not fatal but it could become that way over time. I grabbed the hilt and pulled it out of me quickly before stabbing him in the lung. His eyes grew wide as I pulled the dagger out at an angle and then thrust the blade straight into his crotch. I could see the blood falling from the corner of his mouth as I continued to stab him in various places, my fury growing and my hatred consuming me.

I did not even notice when two other people entered the dungeon, for I was too busy mutilating the body on the ground. When a hand grabbed mine, I fought back against the grip. I was so close to escaping! I can't be stopped now!

"Aria… It's okay, cara. I'm here - please calm down." Ezio's voice floated to me as I looked up at him while Dante pulled the dagger from my grip. The adrenaline inside me lessened as I saw them and I began to cry tears of relief. Ezio seemed surprised, having never seen me cry so hard before and cradled me against him, whispering comforting words in my ears.

Ezio released me and Dante looked over my wounds before looking me straight in the eyes. I burst into fresh tears when Nico entered my mind. "They killed him, Dante! I couldn't save him…"

Dante's blue eyes filled with tears at my words. "It's not your fault."

"It is!" I cried, feeling broken and Ezio touched my hand, trying to calm me down. "He wouldn't have died if I hadn't been here."

"No!" Dante said forcefully and looked away from Ezio and I as one tear slid down his cheek. He spoke quietly and I had to strain to hear him. "Never blame yourself for his death. We are all prepared for the inevitable. He wouldn't want you blaming yourself, Aria." He stood and left the dungeon, saying that he was going to find his brothers body - to give him a proper burial.

The pain in my stab wound began to intensify as I relaxed into Ezio's touch. I could feel darkness threatening to overtake me yet again but I fought it. I didn't want to pass out now. Not when my saviors have finally found me and the slaver was dead by my hand. Ezio rubbed my cheek with his thumb and the feeling comforted me to no end. "It's okay, Aria. Rest and we will get you out of here."

"No." I answered him, resisting the urge to pass out. What if someone came back here?

"I have you, il mio amore. You are safe now." I looked up at Ezio in shock and he smiled down at me tenderly.

I gave him a slight chuckle, though the pain wracked my body from the movement, "I-" I paused and shook my head, attempting to clear the darkness coming over my vision but failed as I was barely able to continue as I looked up at Ezio, losing myself in his golden-brown eyes, "I like that one."

A/N: This was actually a hard chapter to write despite getting it out so quickly after the last one. I had some time before work and decided to finish and post it today. I want to know what you all think! I haven't ever wrote such an emotional chapter and I would like to know if it was executed properly. It saddens me that Nico had to die but as you can tell, it's really affected Aria deeply. Everything in this story happens for a reason, keep that in mind. Also - I've always imagined Cesare as a fucked up kid especially after finding out about him and his sister (WTF). lol. I may not update any more this week or even the next so review and lemme know what you think! PLEASE lol :P I hope you enjoyed.

Thanks to all that alerted, put this story as a favorite and so on. ALSO THANKS TO xVentressx for her review! I do agree, Aria can be mean-hearted at times but she means well... Usually LOL :P

Translations:

(Spanish from Borgia)

senorita - miss.

To he cisto muchas veces antes - I have seen you many times before.

querido - dear.

hijo - son.

(Italian)

figa - pussy.

Che cazzo - what the fuck.

Cazzo fantastico - fucking fantastic.

Si maledicono il giorno in cui decise di attraversare me! - You will curse the day you decided to cross me.

Che cazzo vuoi - what the fuck do you want?

mi polla - my dick.

il mio amore - my love (AWWWWW :3)

Thanks again for reading. Review now ! \/ \/ \/ lol, those are my arrows to the review button :)