Chapter 26
Ezio did not dare to speak a word on our way to the plaza. I didn't speak, either but I saw that a few men had begun to trail after us, watching me walk ahead of them. I gritted my teeth and waited for Ezio to come to my side before attaching our arms. Ezio was naturally confused but followed my eyes behind him to see the men that had been following us walk away, grumbling about bad timing. It pained me to be connected to him in any way but I didn't want any random men bothering at me when I had things to do. As we walked, I noticed Ezio looking at me every so often. I disregarded it and also ignored the times he looked down my body before looking away quickly. I figured it was killing him seeing me like this and earlier this afternoon, that would have made me happy and anxious for the night to end so we could be alone. Now I just wanted to punch him for looking at me like that.
Ezio cleared his throat and I closed my eyes in annoyance - I didn't want to hear his voice right now. He didn't notice or blatantly ignored the way I tensed up in agitation and said, "Aria, I don't know what to say except for that I'm sorry. If you'll let me explain, everything will make a lot more sense."
"Fuck you." I replied without hesitation, continuing to walk toward the plaza without even looking over at him. I wasn't going to give in to his excuses or even allow him to give me any. I could hear Ezio open and close his mouth several times, obviously not knowing how to respond to that but I didn't care. I was too busy drowning in my own emotions, trying not to cry and freak out and it was working. The mask I had set aside not so long ago was falling back into place firmly. No emotion crossed my eyes or my face and I could tell it was making Ezio uncomfortable but again, I did not care.
As soon as we entered the plaza the Master of Ceremonies, a very tall man in a ridiculously red cloak, ushered Ezio away from me - much to my relief and to a uplifted stage where the other competitors were standing. I looked over his competition while the Master of Ceremonies began to address the crowd, welcoming us all to Carnevale. There were a few un-extraordinary men standing there as well as the man called Dante Moro - the bodyguard of Marco Barbarigo. The Doge was nowhere to be seen but I spied Silvio standing nearby and Dante Moro never took his eyes away from the man for too long. Silvio, himself, was looking rather sickly; pale and gaunt. I wondered if the stress of being a Templar was finally getting to him.
I tuned back in to what the Master of Ceremonies was saying. "The first of our illustrious games is a simple footrace to a marked location that will be revealed in un minuto." The Master of Ceremonies turned back to the competitors, wishing them a safe and victorious race. I shook my head, boring of this quickly. I knew Ezio wouldn't lose a silly footrace after all the racing we have done over the years.
I watched as they took off down the streets after being told where they were headed. It wasn't too far and once the first made it to the checkpoint, the church bell would toll and they would head back here. I looked around the crowd and I spotted Dante and Claudia sitting at a table by themselves. They were laughing and joking and I thought I saw Claudia blush a few times. I noticed Dante would reach over and touch her hand for a moment before pulling away. The sight of the two of them made my heart ache for a moment and I sighed before making my way over to them. As I approached the table, Dante's eyes fell on me before widening tremendously. Claudia turned to see what he was looking at and when she glanced at me, I saw a flash of anger go through her eyes. She opened her mouth to give me a catty remark, I have no doubt but I raised a hand up, silencing her.
"I do not mean to intrude but I was wondering if I could sit with you both."
Dante, who was drinking some wine, recognized my voice and spit the wine out over the table. Claudia was confused and had an annoyed face as she dabbed a bit of wine off of her dress. "Aria?!" exclaimed Dante, who was furiously blushing and staring right at my eyes, determined not to look at my body again. Claudia turned toward me with an incredulous look. The church bell chimed then, signaling the race was heading back this way now.
"Aria, what are you wearing?" asked Claudia over the cheers at the bell chiming.
"It's a disguise." I replied defensively for the second time that night. I sat and nonchalantly pointed at Silvio Barbarigo and his new bodyguard. "See those two men?" Claudia nodded and Dante remained still for he already knew where I was going with this. "That is the uncle of my late husband and his bodyguard. If they recognized me then I would be killed. That's why Dante here has to wear an almost full face mask." Claudia's eyes widened and I could tell that she grew ever more suspicious of what Ezio and I were doing all the time but surprisingly, she did not push the subject.
Dante, who suddenly started looking at me strangely, said, "Aria, you looked stressed out. What's wrong?" I tensed up, not knowing how to reply. I thought I had hidden my emotions well enough but Dante seemed to know me better than I thought he did. I looked down at the table and shrugged, still unsure of what to say. "Come on, Ria. I can tell that something has you upset."
Claudia intervened then as well, saying, "Even I can see it." I sighed loudly and looked at Ezio entering the plaza, the obvious winner of the race. His eyes met mine - the golden brown shining in the torchlight and I looked away, unable to hold eye contact with him for much longer. Dante and Claudia both witnessed this and Claudia's face grew red. "What did he do? He didn't make you do anything you didn't want to, right?! I swear I will kick his ass. He should know better than to act anything less than a gentleman - he's a noble per amor di Dio. I can't believe -" Dante touched her back, silencing her rant but she still scowled in Ezio's direction. I usually enjoyed it when Claudia got all riled up but tonight I could only sigh morosely.
"Nothing like that, Claudia. Do not worry yourself." I tried to assure her but my voice shook a little, causing both of them to stare me down. I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms across my very visible cleavage and stared back at them. "It's nothing of importance and I will take care of it after the mission is over."
Claudia looked as if she wanted to push the subject further but Dante touched her hand, drawing her attention to him and asked her to accompany him to get drinks. Claudia smiled briefly before looking at me for what seemed to be permission. I shrugged, assuring them that I would keep their seats from other patrons. As Dante took Claudia's hand and began to lead her away, he looked back at me and I nodded my thanks to him, making him smile lopsidedly. I was looking around at the crowd when someone sat down at the table - I turned to tell them to leave but realized it was only Ezio. I did not break the silence between us and only looked at him for a moment before turning my gaze back onto the crowd. Ezio sighed loudly from across the table but I ignored it, willing him to give up and leave me alone.
It was too much to ask for, though and he eventually broke the silence between us. "I love you, Aria." I closed my eyes and turned back to him slowly. Why was he still lying to me? Couldn't he see that he was breaking my heart? I opened my eyes, surprised to find them full of furious tears and met Ezio's own.
"Yes, it seemed that way when your tongue was down Cristina's throat." I replied, coldly and I clenched my fists tightly at the thought. Ezio's eye flashed with guilt, regret and with something else: vindication. He really didn't think he had made a mistake, I thought to myself in anger.
"Just let me explain my reasoning behind my actions, Aria." Ezio pleaded, looking at me with hopefulness and sincerity.
"Later," I replied much more softly than I had previously. I knew that the right thing to do was to hear him out even though I was hurting and didn't want to. There are some things that you have to hear and yes, they might hurt but it was the right thing to do. Ezio let a flicker of optimism flash through his eyes and he reach out to touch my hand just as the church bells chimed. I moved my hand away while he was distracted and when he continued to reach for my hand and came into contact with the table, he frowned before standing and heading toward the next footrace starting point. This one more strategy and involved stealing the other opponents flags but I had no doubt in Ezio's skill.
The master of ceremonies was calling out for women volunteers for the next games and I walked to the stage confidently, side-stepping men calling out for my attention. As I approached the platform, the Master of Ceremonies looked me over and smiled before passing me a long red ribbon which I tied around my wrist. I listened intently as he explained to me that I had to give it to the man that charmed me most and I nodded, thanking him before taking a seat back at the table. Dante and Claudia had still not returned and I tapped my fingers against the table in exasperation and impatience for the next games to begin. Nearby, the bells chimed again and Ezio approached the platform, the obvious winner for the second games.
I twirled the ribbon around my wrist anxiously as the Master of Ceremonies explained the next game to the contestants and the crowd. As he released the men to go collect ribbons, Ezio made a bee-line for me and I gave him the ribbon without any words from him. He smiled hesitantly and said, "I'm supposed to charm you for this."
I frowned at him. "You don't have enough time to charm me tonight, Ezio. Besides, I would hate for you to lose this competition just because you cannot charm one woman. It would ruin your reputation." I ended my sentence with a tone of conclusion on my words. Ezio frowned but nodded, making his way through the crowds to find more unsuspecting women.
"Mind if I join you?" A deep, masculine voice came from behind me and I turned to look to see if I recognized the person. I did not so I looked him over. He was tall man but it was hard to tell how tall from my seated position. His outfit intrigued me, though - it looked like an older style of robes from the Brotherhood. I glanced at his hand and was surprised to see that he was missing his ring finger. I knew I was in the presence of an ally but I could not, for the life of me, remember seeing this assassin in the city anywhere before. I nodded, wondering who this mysterious assassin was and he sat, sitting down a single goblet of wine and pushed it towards me. I took it and sniffed it, making sure it was not poisoned or drugged before taking a slow drink, watching the other man the entire time.
"What do you want?" I asked bluntly after sitting my cup down and the man across from me chuckled shortly before looking up from the table. I was able to see under the hood now and I noticed his white mask covered his entire face from top to bottom. I couldn't even see his lips or nose. His silver eyes considered me seriously and they seemed more wise than any eyes I had ever seen before. It took me off guard and I was leaning away without even realizing it.
"I wanted to see you." The man replied and I noticed that his rough accent was not Italian by any means. I looked at the hand he had left laying on the table and noticed that he had a darker skin tone than I did, which was saying a lot considering I was raised under the harsh Tuscan sun.
"Why?" I asked, still trying to figure out who this man was. I was still trying to figure out why I had not met this Assassin here before. "Who are you?" I asked as he remained silent, his silver piercing eyes watching me as if I was the prey and he was predator. I wasn't used to being in this position.
"My name is unimportant at this moment in time." He replied, leaning back in his chair casually. "I'm here to speak with you and that is all that matters right now.
I held up my hands, "Well, here I am."
"I see that." The man said as his silver eyes watched the crowds flowing around us. He looked over at me again and down my body at a slow pace. "I have to admit, you're not exactly what I was expecting."
"It's a disguise!" I half-said, half-yelled, feeling even more defensive about my outfit. His silver eyes seemed amused but the look passed from them again, leaving an ancient look to them. A few people passing by gave me odd looks and I sunk down in my seat with an embarrassed look.
"Whatever you say." The man said, his silver eyes tracing the crowd around us.
"Why did you want to see me?" I asked, sitting up straight and looking him dead in the eyes.
"You hold a Piece of Eden and I wanted to make sure it was in capable hands." I gaped at him before pressing my lips together in a strained way. I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering where he had gotten this information and how he knew who I was through the disguise. I edged away from him, holding my main hidden blade arm at the ready in case he was an enemy. The man noticed and glanced at my wrist meaningfully and I was not stupid enough to miss the threat in his eyes and I relaxed my wrist, realizing that if I moved to strike him then I would die. I opened my mouth to reply, to interrogate this mysterious man but the church bell chimed suddenly and I turned toward the platform to see the Master of Ceremonies holding up Ezio's arm in victory. I shook my head and turned back to the table, ready to question the man now but I was greeted by an empty seat. I stood up, looking around the crowd with calculating eyes. Ezio was at my side as soon as the Master of Ceremonies told the contestants to rest and prepare for the final competition.
I felt his hand wrap around my arm and pull me towards him. I continued to search the crowds for this mysterious man while I said to Ezio, "Did you see what direction that man went in?" I felt him tense beside me and when I looked at him, he was frowning deeply.
"I did not see any man here."
My eyes widened and I zeroed them in on my cup. I pointed at it as we sat. "He gave me that drink." Ezio took the drink and took a whiff of it and decided it was not tampered with before sitting it back down and looking around. I glared at the table - why did that man approach me just to leave again? What was the point of that? More importantly, would I ever see him again? Something about him made me uneasy but at the same time, I felt like I was around someone very important.
"What did he look like?" Ezio asked skeptically and I glared at him from my seat.
"Tall, dark and handsome." I replied coolly and Ezio tried not to tense up but did anyway. I scoffed at him before saying quietly, making sure the people around us wasn't listening, "He was an Assassin. Older style robes, rough accent and full facial mask." I made direct eye contact with Ezio and flinched as a piercing pain went through my heart as I looked into his eyes. "He knew that I had the bow."
"What?!" Ezio exclaimed as he sat up straight, looking over the crowd with his golden eyes flashing. I watched as he scanned the crowds before his eyes flashed again and he shook his head. "I don't see anyone out of the ordinary."
"Your vision," I said, not really sure where I was going with it. I had always wanted to talk to him about it but never found the right time or place. I wasn't really sure why I felt compelled to ask about it now. "It changes, I can tell. How?"
Ezio studied me for a moment, looking relieved that I was having an actual conversation with him. "When I change to that type of vision, I can see colors around certain people. Most are white - unimportant to me but my allies are blue, my enemies are red and my targets are gold."
"So I am blue to you?" I asked, extremely interested in this skill. I wish I had something so handy for my lifestyle like that. Ezio smiled softly at my question and his eyes flashed for a moment before he began to answer. As soon as he opened his mouth, the Master of Ceremonies asked for everyone's attention. The plaza quieted down quickly and each person was waiting anxiously for the next contest to begin.
The Master of ceremonies stretched out his arms to the crowd before saying loudly, "I hope you're all having a good time tonight!" The crowd cheered in response and the man chuckled before continuing, "The last contest, ladies and gentlemen, is a complete contrast. It concerns itself only with brute strength. The competitors will fight each other, until all but the last two are eliminated. The last two will fight until one of them is knocked out. And then comes the moment you've all been waiting for! The overall winner of the Golden Mask will be announced, but be careful how you place your bets - there's plenty of time for upsets and surprises yet." The Master of Ceremonies made brief eye contact with Silvio Barbarigo before looking away sharply and I clenched my fists at the sight. No one else seemed to notice and I looked back to Ezio to see that he had saw as well.
"Well," I began, turning back to him as I took a long drink of wine. "Dante Moro will be the one to win, it seems." I looked over at said man to see he was watching me closely. I stared back without fear although it did unnerve me that he was looking at me so intently. Ezio followed my gaze and made a sound of annoyance. I sighed and said, "I have a feeling that even if you do win, Dante will win the mask. It's already been planned between the judges and Barbarigo."
Ezio looked pissed and he was, rightfully so. I knew that he hated to lose but what he hated more was a cheater. "This is bullshit." Ezio said as he took my cup and drank from it himself. I glared as the empty cup was returned to me. I didn't say anything because I could tell that Ezio was mentally preparing for the fights ahead. Ezio left the table soon after that to begin his first fight. I wasn't too worried about Ezio in this competition but as I looked over Dante Moro, I could tell that he was a brute of a man. I watched Dante fight his opponents, hitting some of the men so hard that it knocked them out cold. I stood on the edge of the fighting ring that they had placed Dante Moro in for his next fight and looked over to see that Ezio had made it to the next fight with ease. I turned away a few men as the next fight was beginning. As I watched Dante plow towards the poor, drunk contestant, I saw him look up at me. I tilted my head at him as he punched the drunk man off of his feet - the man didn't get back up and Dante walked toward the edge of the ring, towards me. I stood my ground, even smiled seductively as he came my way.
He looked me over as he leaned over the side of the ring. "It's obvious that I'm going to win tonight. Would you like to come to the Doge's party with me?" I considered his words. It could have been a trap but it was unlikely. I knew that Silvio had bribed the judges once and would do so again to ensure Dante's victory and we needed a way into the party. I smiled at the huge man, Dante Moro and leaned over the edge, giving a generous view of my bosom.
"I would love that." He glanced behind him as another man entered his ring and smirked back at me. I noticed he was missing several teeth but I held back my disgust.
He touched my face that was uncovered by the mask. "Good." He replied as he turned back to the man before yelling out and running across the ring to the man before hitting him hard against the face. I looked back to Ezio was beginning his next fight and he was looking at me, then looked at Dante, then back to me. I mouthed to him, 'I'll tell you soon.' He nodded as he started his fight. I made my way back to my table - still keeping a look out for the mystery man that was there earlier.
Soon enough, Ezio and Dante Moro were selected as the last two standing to battle it out for the chance at the golden mask. They both entered the ring and circled each other as the Master of Ceremonies told them both that no breaks will be taken until one of them wins. The fight began quickly as Dante Moro was not a man to stand around and wait for an attack - he flung his fists at Ezio, who was dodging them all with grace. I had to admit that I was impressed by how well he was moving. Ezio threw in some upper cuts and right hooks, hitting Dante every time, making the man anger quickly. I watched as Silvio went to the judges and gave them several fat-looking leather purses. I scowled and saw that Ezio had seen the exchange as well. Ezio looked back as Dante Moro swung at him with all his strength but Ezio ducked and landed two quick jabs to Dante's chin and body causing the large man to fall backwards on the ground. He turned back to the Master of Ceremonies and the judges, lifting his arm, signifying his victory. The Master of Ceremonies merely replied,
"All of them? We cannot announce a winner until we are sure!" A distinct murmur went throughout the crowd because they saw who was the winner. Everyone knew that something strange was happening and while they were discussing it, I saw two angry looking men enter the ring with Ezio. I saw a flash of silver in their hands, nearly invisible and I called out to Ezio.
"Look out!"
The crowd turned their attention back on the ring and gasped as the two men lunged at Ezio while Dante Moro was trying to pull Ezio off of his feet by his ankles. He kicked Dante in the face once and the huge man released him, letting Ezio dance away from the two men. Ezio used the side of the ring to propel himself in the air as he kicked one of the men in the face. Once he landed on his feet, he smashed his boot into the other mans foot, causing them an to howl out in irritation. I watched as Ezio made a low punch straight into his stomach and as the man doubled over, Ezio brought his knee straight into the mans chin. I was surprised to see that move - I had taught Ezio the move when we first started training together years ago. The man collapsed on the ground with blood running from his mouth as Ezio vaulted over the side of the ring and made his way to the platform.
"I think we have a winner," Ezio told the Master of Ceremonies, who was beginning to look more nervous by the second. The man exchanged another look with the judges and Silvio Barbarigo, who was near the stage.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The man announced after clearing his throat rather nervously. "I think you'll all agree that we've enjoyed a hard and fairly fought battle today." I scoffed outwardly, but it was lost in the sounds of the crowd cheering. A fair fight of three against one and two had knives? Yeah, that was fair. The Master of Ceremonies continued, "And on such an occasion it's hard to choose a real winner -" The crowd began to look puzzled and I heard whispering all around me. Ezio and I made eye contact and I looked over to see Teodora watching from nearby with a scowl on her pretty face. "It's been a hard job for the judges and myself but a winner there has to be, and, on aggregate, mind, we have picked one." The Master of Ceremonies walked past Ezio to the ring and struggled to get Dante Moro into a sitting position. The crowd was beginning to protest this, understanding what he meant to do. "I give you the winner of the Golden Mask - Signore Dante Moro!" The crowd openly began hissing, booing and yelling their disapproval to the judges. The crowd began to grab all manners of food to throw at the judges and the Master of Ceremonies and the other men had to make a hasty retreat. I removed myself from the picture, heading back to Teodora's on my own, hoping that Dante Moro would look for me later if I needed a way into the party.
I made it back to the bordello before anyone else and I was surprised at how quiet the place was - it was always bustling with people but Carnevale moved the party onto the streets. Ezio entered the bordello in a flash, looking angry and annoyed as Teodora, Mario and Antonio followed him inside.
"I saw Silvio bride the judges and the Master of Ceremonies. There was nothing I could do." Teodora said as Antonio laughed derisively, causing Ezio cast him an irritable look which quietened Antonio quickly.
"What are we going to do?" My father said and we all stood in a circle in silence, thinking of what could be done.
Ezio said suddenly, "I'll get the mask off him somehow -"
"How?" Antonio asked, wanting to know what his plan was. "By killing the poor stronzo?"
Ezio turned to him with an angered look on his face. "Do you have a better idea? You know what's at stake!"
"Ezio." I said reprimanding him for acting like this just because he lost. Ezio drew back from Antonio and folded his arms across his chest. "If you kill Dante Moro then they will cancel the party and the Doge will go back into hiding. No, I have a better idea." Each of them watched me expectantly, even Ezio seemed to have calmed down by my words. "Dante Moro asked me if I would like to accompany him to the party. I could do the Assassination. They would never see me coming."
"No way!" Ezio said from my side and I glared at him harshly.
"I'm doing it. You'll just have to wait nearby the party to help me escape."
"You all aren't really going to let her do this?!" Ezio asked as he turned towards the group who were thinking to themselves. Ezio looked between each of them and they gave him a short look before agreeing with my plan. Ezio growled and began to leave when my father stopped him.
"Nipote, it is the best plan we have. If we made them aware that we are after the Doge by stealing the mask or killing the man for the mask then we may not get another chance." My father looked at me with pride before looking back to Ezio. "I trust Aria's skill to get the job done - do you not?"
Ezio looked at me with saddened eyes and I could tell that he was pleading with me not to do it but I looked away, biting my lower lip painfully. I may have not done it before I saw Ezio with Cristina and we would have decided on another plan but this was how it was going to be. I didn't live to please Ezio wishes and we had an important Assassination to complete.
"I suppose I will get my girls into position while you find Dante Moro." Teodora said and I nodded to her before exiting to go look for Moro. I noticed that Ezio was tailing me from the rooftops but I ignored it as I walked back toward the plaza. When I entered the plaza, I immediately saw Dante Moro sitting at the table I had been at. He had been cleaned up and put into nice, expensive clothes and the Golden Mask lay on the tabletop, gleaming. As I approached and he turned, I noticed that he had a spectacular black eye and swollen ear. It was really quite repulsing.
"So you decided to come with me, after all." He said as he stood up from the table, dwarfing me. I wrapped an arm around his and smiled up at the man.
"I'm glad you waited for me, bello." I answered him with a giggle and he smirked as we began to make our way to the party. We had civil, boring talk on the way there and I couldn't wait to enter the party so I could separate myself from this idiot. As the men that guarded the doors to the outdoor plaza checked his mask, I noticed that Teodora and her girls were already placed around the party. Teodora caught my eye before gathering the attention of a nearby nobleman. Dante moved me through the crowd, greeting many different people along the way. He started nearing toward Silvio when I tugged on his arm, causing him to lean down so he could hear me over the party.
"I'm thirsty." I said as my breath went over the mans swollen ear. He smiled and promised to be right back and went to fetch a drink. I watched him as several of Teodora's girls surrounded him, leaving him unable to return to me. I made my way to a bench that had a clear view of the harbor, where I assumed the Doge would make his appearance from the state barg docked there. As I looked around, I noticed Agostino Barbarigo standing with another noble nearby. I focused on them so I could hear their conversation.
Agnostino was speaking, "Honestly, my brother embarrasses himself with this display."
"You have no right to speak of him that way," replied the noble. "He is the Doge!"
"Yes, yes. He is the Doge." replied Agostino, stroking his beard. The noble pattered on about it being the Doge's party - the Doge's Carnevale and I rolled my eyes as Agostino replied more sharply, "He's the Doge in name only and it's Venetian money that he's spending, not his own."
"Marco was the man chosen to lead. It's true your father may have thought that he'd never amount to much, and so transferred his political ambitions to you, but that hardly matters now, does it, given how things stand?"
"I never wanted to be Doge -" Agostino began but the noble cut him off, saying rather coldly,
"Then I should congratulate you on your success." He walked away from Agostino and the elder man shook his head and met my eyes. He tilted his head at me, giving me a long look before smiling and walking away. I could tell that he recognized me and wondered how he would feel knowing that I was about to Assassinate his brother. I watched as more fireworks lit the skies and I was in awe before a loud fanfare erupted, gathering my attention again. Everyone at the party fell silent before breaking into applause as Marco came to the portside of his state barg to address them and was introduced by a page, "Signore e signori! I present to you the beloved Doge of Venezia."
Marco began his address to us all, "Benvenuti! Welcome, my friends, to the grandest social event of the season! In peace or at war, in times of prosperity or paucity, Venezia will always have Carnevale." I watched as another set of fireworks came up after his words and I realized that he had planned the fireworks to go off at every end. I waited for the right time - for plenty of fireworks to shield the sound of my small firearm. His speech went on, dreadfully long but I could tell it was coming to a close. Marco raised his hands to the crowd again and declaimed: "And Venezia shall always stand - the brightest jewel in all civilization!" The crowd cheered as his arms fell down and a bright display of fireworks erupted - it turned night into day and I lifted my arm with purpose, aiming before pulling the release mechanism. You could not hear the sound of my firearm over the crowds cheering or the fireworks but I saw the Doge's body jerk a little and knew I had hit my mark.
"Requiescat in pace." I whispered as I turned to walk out of the party. I started hearing screams from behind me and glanced back to see Marco Barbarigo fall to his knees, holding his chest right over the heart before falling backward - dead. The guards noticed my hasty retreat and yelled for me to stop so I began to run. There was no way in hell that I was going to be captured again. They chased after me but I was faster and I evaded them without problem. I had yet to see Ezio so I kept running, looking for a place to hide out for a time.
Passing by a darkened alleyway, I was pulled roughly into the darkness by a familiar looking white robe. I remained clutched to him as the guards ran past and pushed away from him instantly. I looked up, expecting to see Ezio but was instead greeted by the cool gaze of the mysterious Assassin from earlier that day.
"I thought you could use the help." The man said in a mocking tone and I scowled at him in anger. I didn't even know this guy and he pissed me off.
"I didn't need your help." I replied as I turned to walk out of the alleyway. The man touched my arm and I turned quickly, holding my hidden blade to his throat. I felt a prick against the skin of my chest and looked down, noticing that his blade was positioned directly over my heart. We stared at one another for a time and suddenly, the man reach up and took off his mask. I struggled for words but was unable. I had thought the man under the mask was older because of the ancient look in his eyes but I was staring at a man that was not much older than I was. His skin was a smooth, dark brown color and I ran my eyes over his prominent cheekbones before I glanced at his thin lips, noticing a scar in the exact spot that Ezio had a scar. I stepped away from him and his blade retracted before he dropped his arm. "Who are you?" I asked.
"An ally to you." He turned his head toward the opening of the alleyway and I looked as well. Ezio passed by it before retreating and coming down the alley way.
"Are you okay, Aria?" Ezio asked as he approached me.
"Yes, thanks to him." I said, looking back to where the mystery man was but he was gone again. "Dammit!" I yelled, sick of him disappearing and making me look like I was making things up. I looked down at my chest, noticing a small prick of red right over my heart and knew that I hadn't imagined him. That made me feel a little better.
"What is it?" Ezio asked, looking around the alley for another person but both of us was unable to locate anyone.
"The man I was telling you about - he helped me but he's gone again!"
"Are you sure it was him?"
"Are you calling me a liar?" I countered angrily and Ezio shook his head before reaching out to me.
"Will you come with me somewhere?" Ezio asked, looking at me with a slight fear of rejection. "You promised we'd talk about this once the Assassination is complete." I scowled, remembering that and wishing that I had not made such a promise for I had no wish to speak to him about any of this. But I was Aria Auditore da Monteriggioni and I was not a liar so I nodded, allowing him to lead me out of the alleyway. I glanced back once more to see if the mystery assassin was in sight but he wasn't. Neither of us spoke as Ezio lead me toward the guild. At the last second, he took another route and we were heading toward a secluded harbor nearby. We approached the side of the harbor and looked out over the water in silence.
"I never meant to hurt you, Aria." Ezio said out of nowhere, causing me to turn to him with a skeptical look. His golden eyes softened at my intense gaze and he turned to me fully, taking my hands in his own. I looked down at our intertwined hands and I suddenly felt very tired.
"Why did you kiss her, Ezio?" I asked quietly and Ezio pulled my head up by my chin and ran his thumb over my trembling lips slowly. "Why did you say she was your past then I find you all over her?" Tears started build up in my eyes but I didn't look away from Ezio. Finally, I blinked causing the tears to streak down my cheeks while I whispered, "I thought you cared about me."
"That's why I did it." Ezio said and I looked at him with a shocked and confused expression. That made absolutely no sense at all. I started to pull away but Ezio only wrapped me into his arms tighter, not allowing me to leave his grip. His golden eyes flashed and he said to me, "You asked me earlier what color you were when I see you with the other vision I have. To be honest, that's why I was so interested in you to begin with. You are covered in swirling colors - first, I see a bright and vivid blue; the truest ally I have ever seen. But then, as I focus my gaze on you… I see this magnificent gold tinged with pink around you. I've never seen anything like it. It is mesmerizing and I still don't know why you're different than everyone else but that doesn't matter to me." I was speechless and did not know what to say so Ezio continued. "Cristina, though I do care about her is only shown to me in that vision as white. She is unimportant to me and my fate but… a part of me wanted to say goodbye for one last time. She's all that's left of my life before I became an Assassin; when I was just some idiot of a nobleman."
"Ezio…" I said, unable to say anything else. I couldn't decide what I thought of his words. Were they sincere or another trick to capture me into his snares? And what about the colors that he sees all around me - what makes me different than the others, than Cristina? Ezio pulled me to a small boat that was docked nearby and jumped onto it before turning back to me and holding out a hand. "We can't just get on someone's boat." I said and Ezio smirked up at me.
"This is my boat."
"You own a boat?" I asked as I jumped onto the boat, ignoring his outstretched hand. He let it fall as he turned to me.
"I recently made the purchase." Ezio answered as he walked toward the only door on the boat. He opened it, revealing a dark stairwell that went to the lower deck of the boat. He looked over his shoulder at me and smiled, "It was supposed to be a surprise for you tonight." He rubbed his neck and asked for me to wait up here and I did, wondering what he was up to down there. I heard him call to me from below deck and I went down the stairs slowly until I came into the room that was below.
I stepped back as I took in the room. It was beautifully decorated and covered in the petals of roses. Candles were lit all around me and Ezio was standing on the opposite side of the room, watching my reaction as he removed his mask and hood. I removed my own mask before pulling off that dreadful wig and letting my own hair free of the tight bun on the top of my head. I looked around the room covered in candlelight, letting my eyes fall onto the large bed that encompassed most of the room.
Ezio made his way to me - he looked nervous and scared but he still came to me. "I wanted to surprise you with this but I really fucked things up."
"Yeah, you really did." I answered, still looking over the romantic room.
Ezio chuckled at my bluntness before he touched my shoulder and made me turn towards him. "Aria, I kissed Cristina tonight because she is my past." I started to protest when he held up his hand and I surprisingly stayed quiet. "I needed to fully let go of my past before moving on with my future." Ezio hesitated before dropping onto his knees in front of me and my eyes widened at the sight.
"What are you doing?" I whispered and Ezio grabbed my hands while looking up into my eyes.
"I'm doing something that I've wanted to do for a long time now. I wanted this to be right - to be perfect but I messed it all up. Aria, you have no idea how sorry I am for what happened and how hard this is for me but I… I want you to marry me. Please marry me?" I stared at Ezio in shock. I had expected that he would try to charm me to death tonight but I had not expected this from him. He watched me with hopeful eyes but I still didn't answer, unsure of what to say. Ezio seemed to expect my silence and said, "I know, after the day we've had today that you might not want to do that but I promise I'll be the best husband I can be. I will love you like no other could… I want you to be the mother of my children - to truly be the Auditore that you are meant to be."
I fell on my knees in front of him and we were back on the same level. I still didn't quite know what to say to Ezio but I tried to convey my feelings by pressing my lips to him roughly. Ezio wrapped his arms around me as we kissed and I noticed that we were both crying and our tears were intermixing on our cheeks. I pulled away, looking him in his beautiful golden eyes. "Ezio, if I said yes… You'd have to promise me something."
"Qualsiasi cosa per te."
"If I ever catch you with another woman when you should be with me, I will leave and never return. You have to promise me that you won't look for me if it happens. You have to leave me alone."
"Nothing like that will ever happen." Ezio assured me. "But I will promise you that."
I nodded and looked at him shyly, smiling for what felt like the first time that night. "Yes." Ezio beamed at me, knowing what I meant.
"So you will marry me?" Ezio asked, sounding pleased and full of mirth.
"Once we are back home in Monteriggioni, I will marry you." I replied and smiled at Ezio. He laughed, sounding quite relieved as he lifted me up and placed me on the bed. He looked over my outfit as I stretched out on the bed.
He ran a hand along my stomach up to my cleavage where my shit was parted and I blushed out of instinct. His golden eyes were a sudden auburn hue and I knew what he had on his mind. "Please tell me you're going to keep this outfit. I've been going crazy all night long with this on you."
"I may keep it." I replied impishly and Ezio chucked lowly at my words as he leaned down to kiss me passionately. I hugged him into my body, cherishing the feeling. I was worried that I would hate Ezio forever but now, with him in my arms, I knew that wasn't possible. I couldn't hate someone that I loved so much and as much as it had hurt me to see him with Cristina, I knew that he did it for me. So he could be my husband. My stomach fluttered at the thought or did it flutter because Ezio was kissing down my neck toward my stomach. "I can't wait to be married to you." I whispered suddenly overwhelmed by the thought of being a wife to someone, especially to Ezio and he came back up to kiss me before leaning away from me, smiling widely.
"Nor can I, il mio unico amore."
A/N: First off, thank all of you for the 11 reviews I got :D I was ecstatic when I saw all of them and I apologize for not updating last week. I actually had it ready to be uploaded on Friday but a few people I know got into a bad wreck and went over a cliff and one died so I didn't really have time to upload until today. I hope you all like this chapter. I've added a plot point that I've been thinking about for a long time. The Mystery Assassin. I'm sure you all have a good guess of who it is but what's he doing in the fourteen hundreds? Hmmmm? Also, I couldn't keep Ezio and Aria apart for too long and while some may think I rushed them back into the relationship, it is what I had planned the entire time. I hope you like the chapter but let me know what you think via reviews :DDD love you all. (And you all see what I mean about splitting the chapters!? It really would have been like 15000 words)
Translations: Not too many in this one.
per amor di Dio - for the love of god.
Signore e signori - Ladies and Gentlemen!
Benvenuti - Welcome.
Qualsiasi cosa per te - Anything for you.
il mio unico amore - my only love.
Thanks to everyone that favorited this story or put it on your alerts. Also mad props to the 11! that reviewed it. You guys keep me writing and I hope you all enjoy the story! Special thanks to:
Nerdman3000 - Thanks! Hope you liked this one, too!
xXspidercatXx - Haha, I hope you like the continuation of last chapter!
t-t mira - Aww, thanks! You're so nice! :D
CatsGoMoo - I'm glad you found this story again and that you like it! I know that the first few chapters are a little rough but I wrote those like two years ago in high school XD Rewrite will happen after the sorry ends, hopefully. I hope you like this chapter as well! Thanks for reading!
Anne Elric - No worries! He's not choosing Cristina. And I understand, I totally am way over attached to my characters xD
SmileForMeNow0 - I thought it was rather typical of him as well! :P
Sera - Thank you so much :D
JLuvie - I'll try to update sooner from now on but college is starting back soon so the updates may become more spaced D:
Flowers of Dusk - No worries! You won't have to find a way into the fanfic to reunite them lolol I hope this answered everything good !
tbroksi46 - Haha, I hope this chapter makes you feel better!
xVentressx - This is a very emotional story, lol.