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Chapter 101

"I thought I might find you here."

"Here" was on the roof of the Torre Grossa, at the edge of which sat Rosa as she silently observed Ezio pull himself up with a grunt.

"Thank you for helping me up," he joked when he was finally on his feet, but Rosa didn't find much humor in it (at least, not that she was willing to show at the moment).

"How did you know I would be here?" she asked, not breaking her eye contact with the dark landscape.

"You wanted to find a place to think without being interrupted by any guards," he answered as he sat down next to her. "It's what I would have done, and you're as good a climber as I am."

She let out a deep sigh. "I suppose you want to talk about what happened today?"

"I want whatever you want. "I'm only here if you need me."

"I've killed before, Ezio. You've seen it."

"Sì, but there is a difference between killing a guard who is threatening your life with a sword and killing a man who is unarmed, apologizing, and begging for his life."

"You think I made the wrong decision?" she asked him.

"No, I think you made a difficult decision with no right answer."

"His actions almost got us killed once, but there isn't much justice in killing a man who was only doing what he needed to survive. I thought he could put us in danger again, but I didn't know for certain what his intentions were."

"And you likely never will." He paused. "But...I am glad this upsets you."

"What do you mean?" she asked, finally looking at him.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Machiavelli has a point. The life of an Assassin is filled with these difficult choices. If they don't weigh on you, then..." he trailed off.

"Then what?"

"Then maybe you are killing for the wrong reasons," he finished the thought. After a pause, he added, "Did I ever tell you about the first man I killed?"

She shook her head. "Only briefly, I think. Uberto something?"

"Uberto Alberti, the Gonfaloniere of Firenze at the time. He sentenced my father and brothers to death when he knew they were innocent, and he would have done the same to me."

"Then it sounds like you were right to take his life. He was a threat to you and the rest of your family."

Ezio shook his head. "Perhaps, but we could have escaped Firenze without killing him. When I found him, he was unarmed, and he told me that he had only killed my family to save his own. But I didn't care...I spat in his face and cursed him. It did not bother me because I hated him for what he had done. I felt nothing for him." He sighed. "I do not regret ending his life, but I regret my reasons for it. Zio Mario was with me when I killed the next man on my list, Vieri de'Pazzi. I treated Vieri the same way, but Mario taught me to have respect for those I kill...to think like an Assassin, not a murderer. Now that difference is clearer to me, but that does not always make things easier."

After a pause, he got up and walked to the other side of the roof, taking another moment to look at the ground below.

"Come here," he beckoned to her, "I want to show you something."

She reluctantly got up and walked over to look where he was pointing.

"Do you see that bale of hay on the ground?"

"Sì, I...wait, you're not going to-"

"It's easier than climbing," he interrupted with a shrug. "You taught me how to climb buildings quickly, and now I'm going to teach you the best way back down."

"Franco taught you," she corrected him, "and I'm not going to jump off this building with you."

"Of course not!" he laughed. "You can start from shorter buildings, but eventually..."

With that, he turned and leapt off the edge of the tower, falling effortlessly onto his target below. He got out of the hay bale and looked to the top, where Rosa still stood so she could make sure he had survived the fall. Ezio waited patiently as she slowly made her way down to join him.