Thank you all so much for all of the views, but please review! I would greatly appreciate it! I know the last few chapters have been a little... mundane. but things start to get rolling in this chapter, and especially the next! I have some great ideas! I hope you enjoy the direction I'm going with this story. Anyway, thank you readers! You make me happy!
"Ezio! Hurry!" Ophelia called behind her, seeing Ezio fighting off guards around the city walls of Firenze. Ezio's white horse snorted and reared as guards tried attacking the animal, though discontinued their efforts after one too many kicks from the horse's power legs and tough hooves.
"Go Ophelia!" Ezio looked over to Ophelia on her grey horse, Maria on her white horse, and Claudia on her black. All of the horses were well-packed. The family was headed to Ezio's uncle's villa in Monteriggioni. The Auditores couldn't stay in Firenze. They were all wanted by Francesco de' Pazzi, especially after the death of Uberto.
Ophelia obeyed Ezio and ordered her horse to sprint, looking back to make sure Maria and Claudia did the same. The family needed to travel, and fast. She hated hurrying the family like she was, especially after the public hanging of Giovanni, Frederico, and Petruccio. The family was devastated, yet, they were being forced to leave everything they knew behind, forever.
Ophelia knew the pain of leaving a place and loosing family. Unlike the Auditores, when her family was killed, the closest she had to anyone was her cold and unfriendly cousin, Rinaldo. Though he took her in after the family tragedy, he wasn't supportive or caring. All he wanted was to train Ophelia and set her back out into the world. He wanted to get back to his own work for the brotherhood, but knew he needed, the brotherhood needed, Ophelia to learn in order to keep the family's heritage alive.
A few moments later, Ezio was caught up with the ladies, his breath heavy. Ezio had a few scratches on his cheek and blood splattered on the front of his robes. "I finished the rest of them!" Ezio yelled to Ophelia, keeping his horse in a sprint. "Grazie for getting Claudia and my mother!"
"Si!" Opehlia replied, looking back to Claudia and Maria. "I'm moving to the back of them. You'll guard the front of them and I'll get the back. I do not want anything happening to them!" Ophelia slowed her horse slightly and allowed herself to fall in behind the two Auditore women. She then allowed her horse to keep pace with the rest of the pack.
Ezio looked back and shot Ophelia a smile. He really appreciated the woman's efforts to save his family. Her actions also showed Ezio how hurt she was when her family was taken from her. Ezio felt pain; his brothers and father had just been taken form him before his eyes by the hands of a traitor. Yet, Ezio would never know the pain Ophelia suffered. She lost not only her family, but her lover, and had only an asshole for a cousin to turn to.
The pack arrived at Monteriggioni three hours later. Maria and Claudia were tired and shocked. Ezio was upset and angry. Ophelia was crushed that her efforts failed in saving the other men of the Auditore family. Ezio and Ophelia unpacked the horses and took the items of the four within their hands. The stable boy took the horses to board and feed.
The four approached the villa toward the back of the town. A man approached them. he wore dark clothes and had slicked back, black hair. He had a scar over one eye, the incident form which it came blinding him in one eye. The man let out a loud belly laugh as he held his arms out wide. "Ezio! So good to see you nephew!"
Ezio looked confused as the man approached him and embraced him in a hug. Ezio had never seen the man before. "Who are you?" Ezio asked quietly, raising an eyebrow at the man.
The man laughed, patting Ezio on the back. "It's-a-me! Mario!" Ezio couldn't help but chuckle at his uncle's words. Mario looked to Maria and held her hand, kissing the top of it. "Maria, a pleasure as always." Maria was still rigid and stared at Mario as he kissed her hand. Mario gave her an apologetic look, knowing of the events that occurred in Firenze. The poor woman must have been in shock.
Mario then turned to Claudia and kissed the back of her hand. "Ah, Claudia! you would not remember me. I saw you once when you were very little." Mario moved his hand down to below his knees, showing Claudia how tall her was when he met her. "You've grown into a lovely young woman!"
Finally, Mario turned to Ophelia and his face lit up. He held out his arms. "Ah, beautiful Ophelia… I'm glad to see you made it out of Firenze alive. La Volpe told me about the… events in Firenze. I apologize to all of you for the loss. My condolences." Giovanni was Mario's brother and Mario felt the pain of losing family. Ezio sighed. He never wanted to relive those memories again. He knew his life was about to change drastically; he wanted to focus on avenging his family's death rather than wallowing in a horrifying memory that he would never be able to change.
The Auditore women hung their heads and were quiet. Maria was still in shock. Even though she had married an assassin, she never could fully prepare herself for the day that she'd loose her husband. She never imagined she'd loose two of her sons in the same turn of events either. The silence among the group was broken when Ezio's brain clicked and he looked at Mario with a questioning stare. "Are you an assassin, too, Uncle Mario? You said you knew Ophelia and La Volpe?" If he wasn't an assassin, Mario must be an accomplice of the brotherhood at least.
"Si. I, uh, do not work as extensively as I once did…" Mario pointed up to his scarred, blinded eye. "But I do a lot of research work for the brotherhood and train my mercenaries extensively. I'm glad you came here, and I'm glad you gained knowledge of your father's true line of work. I can train you and teach you more about the brotherhood." Mario paused and put a hand on Ezio's shoulder. "I think it best for you to stay here for a while. It's a safe place for Maria and Claudia. I'll be here to train you and help Ophelia further her skills. She can introduce you to nearby missions. Things will be okay, Ezio, and we will avenge the death of your father and brothers."
Ezio sighed and nodded. "Grazie, uncle. You are kind for allowing us to stay here."
"It was really our only option anyway. You could not have stayed in Firenze without endangering your lives," Ophelia added. "Now, I'm going to go bathe and nap. Ezio, would you like to join me on a walk later?" Ophelia's lips turned into a smile. She wanted to get to know the handsome assassin; they would be spending a lot of time together.
"That sounds lovely, bella," Ezio smiled as he gave her a nod. A walk with Ophelia would be nice. Perhaps they could talk about their troubles as they had the night before. Ezio felt like he bonded well with Ophelia. She understood him so much, yet he had just met her. Ezio knew only Ophelia's past and nothing of her attitude and mannerisms.
Ezio entered Mario's villa. The home was large and the inside white marble. The outside was run down, not hinting to the inside of the villa's beauty. Mario showed Ezio around the villa and finally to his chambers, an unfinished room only reachable by a ladder that existed down a long hallway. Ezio and Mario parted here. Mario told Ezio to come by his office later and ordered the young man to rest now. Ezio obeyed and found himself drift into a deep slumber moments later.
Ezio's room was dark, night having fallen over Monteriggioni. Ezio was awoken by a thump at his window, followed by a small creek. He shifted onto his elbows and looked across the room to the window. He saw the outline of a body. Long wavy hair blew with the wind, shielding the moon from Ezio's view. Ezio rubbed his eyes and groaned softly. "Si? Who is there?" Ezio asked, a small amount of nervousness in his voice.
A soft, feminine laugh came from the figure. Boots hit the floor of the bedroom as the figure approached him. "Ezio, I thought you were going to accompany me this afternoon?" Ophelia teased. She walked over to the small desk and sat down at its desk. She crossed her legs and rose an eyebrow at him.
Ezio stood up from his bed and approached Ophelia, smiling once he had heard his voice. "Ahh, le mie scuse, Ophelia. It seems I have overslept." Ezio rubbed his eyes once more before smiling at the assassin. He walked over to the desk and opened a drawer, looking for flint in the drawers. He did and took a small piece of paper. He used the two to catch the paper on fire. He then held the paper up to a candle to light it.
The room was illuminated and Ezio could finally see all of Ophelia's features. It was strange seeing her out of her white robes and armor. Tonight, she wore a dress. It was not fancy, but she looked beautiful. Her neck was exposed as well as the top part of her chest. Her skin was flawless aside from a scar that extended from her right collarbone to just below her right ear. One day Ezio would ask Ophelia about the story behind the scar.
Ophelia couldn't help but grin at how Ezio looked at her. She couldn't help staring back. Ezio stood across from her, his shirt off and his pants low on his hips. Ezio's muscles were toned and the perfect color of bronze. She wondered how his body would transform after his training. He'd become even more muscular. "Don't worry, Ezio. We have plenty of time. But right now, I must take you to your uncle's study. He requested I bring you to him."
"And you couldn't come up the ladder?" Ezio asked with a small smile.
Ophelia shrugged. "You'll come to find out soon, that's just not my style." Ophelia turned to walk toward the ladder. Ezio watched as she walked away from him. Her robes did no justice to her body. She was shaped perfectly. Her waist was small, her stature was confident and muscular, and her hips broad. Ezio's mouth hung open slightly as he watched the sway of her hips but snapped back into reality when he heard her throat clear. Ophelia hadn't turned around; instead she kept her back to Ezio. "Take a good look, Ezio, because this doesn't happen often." She grinned before she went to the ladder and carefully climbed down in her dress. Ezio couldn't help but turn red; he had been caught and he had no idea how. Ophelia had been trained to know when eyes were on her. It was a sixth sense that she gained control over. Not only did it give her an advantage when trying to be stealthy, it also gave her an advantage when men eyed her, giving her an opportunity to tease them.
"You don't have to tell me twice, bella," Ezio replied in a low, husky voice. The sound of his voice nearly made Ophelia stop and turn to him. But she didn't give in easily. It would take more than a few words from Ezio for her to give into temptation.
Little did Ezio know, the woman he was becoming enthralled with was a tease. She knew of her good looks and used them to her advantage. She was truly a kind and gentle soul; she hardly acted upon men's requests. Yet, she knew that in order to get things she needed, she sometimes had to bend the rules and go against morality. With a face like hers, it was easy to do. What she was doing with Ezio was just playful teasing. He showed a clear interest in her and, even though she was attracted to Ezio, she wanted to toy with him a little. She didn't mean anything by her actions; by prolonging the tension between the two, it would only heightened Ezio's longing for her. If their interests in one another still remained in the future, she would reward Ezio for putting up with her.
The arrived at Mario's study. He told Ezio that he wanted to show him something, something that Ophelia had apparently already seen. Mario removed a book from a book case. Ezio watched as the wall turned sideways, providing an entrance to a dark hallway. The three of them walked through the hallway and into a large room. Statues of past assassins stood against a wall, a gate in the center of the room protecting a statue and a set of armor. Mario explained that the armor was Altair's, the founder of the brotherhood. He also explained to Ezio that six tablets existed throughout Italia which would allow entrance to Altair's armor, suspected to be the best a man could find.
In the assassin's sanctuary, Mario continued to tell stories of past assassins, including Giovanni. He spoke of various missions, including ones to come. Ezio was immersed in the history and culture of the assassins. He was impressed that his father was able to hide everything from his family so well. Being an assassin was involved.
After Mario finished up with Ezio and Ophelia in the sanctuary, he announced that he would retire for the night and that he'd see them in the morning at breakfast. Mario them out of his study. Ezio turned to look at Ophelia once Mario disappeared down the hallway. He gave the brunette a small smile, his golden eyes looking down at her. "Do you have anything to do for the rest of the night, bella?" Ezio asked in his low husky voice. When he spoke with that tone, Ezio was in the mood for seduction.
Ophelia thought a moment and then shrugged her shoulders. "I don't believe so, Ezio, why?" Ophelia asked. She was admittedly tired and wanted to go to sleep, but she could amuse Ezio for a bit if he wanted her to.
"Would you like to come up to my chambers for a while? I saw a bottle of wine on the desk and I thought we could share it," Ezio proposed. His smile was dark and his eyes could have devoured Ophelia with their intensity.
Ezio's stare admittedly mesmerized Ophelia. She took a second to reply, slipping out of the trance he held on her. "Si, Ezio. I could use a drink." Ophelia began to walk down the hallway toward Ezio's room. She paused and smiled. She turned around to find Ezio eyeing her as she walked again. "Don't be so eager to look. You'll get to see all you want, bello." Ophelia shot him a wink before walking further down the hallway. Ezio stayed a few feet behind her, taking in the sight. He stopped at the ladder and watched as she climbed up. She reached the top and peaked down through the hole to Ezio. "Well, are you coming or not?" she teased, extending a finger and curling it toward her, motioning for Ezio to come hither.
Ezio smiled widely in delight. He saw Ophelia as a strong woman but didn't expect her to come on so strong or be so willing to bed with him. She was beautiful and Ezio couldn't wait to experience the sensations Ophelia was going to offer.
Hoo hoo! Things might be heating up next chapter! Or will they? Either way, you won't be disappointed. And if you are, let me know! Please review and thanks for reading!