#creedwork

“Meh,” was his response to his overly-enthusiastic partner, but then he continued, "Oh, and pray tell, why did Rodrigo decide to partner you up with me, hmm?! With such a brain of a cow, you’ll get nowhere in your life!”

“With an attitude like that, Lady Luck will no longer smile upon you!”

Pietro could feel the anger boiling inside of him. Who did that insolent bastard think he was?! A genius?! He could only picture how they’d face Rodrigo Borgia together. He would certainly introduce his boot to their asses if his brainless partner continued to babble like an over-excited five-year-old…

“Al diavolo with your Lady Luck! If you don’t shut up this instant, I won’t hesitate to throw you to the wolves down the road!” Pietro shouted in anger. Edric clamped his mouth shut in shock, averting his eyes from his companion to your unconscious bodies.

“Grazie a Dío for the silence!”

Their journey would be a long one indeed…

*****

“Ho there, Manfredo! Did you hear the news?!” a guard, no younger than 25 years, shouted to his friend, who was standing outside on the walls of Castello D'Agnano, a fortress in the middle of the mountains that was well-fortified and comparable to none.

He received a sarcastic snort in response, “What news? That Rodrigo Borgia’s big stomach has always been a fake one?! Ahahahahaha!,” he burst out laughing, making the other guard frown. Then his laughter stopped abruptly, “Don’t make me laugh, porcellino.”

“For one, stop calling me a ‘piggy’. My nose ain’t that flat and my nostrils ain’t that big! For two, no, you knucklehead! The news is not about the Grandmaster!”

“Then what about?”

Emril leans close conspiratorially, “It’s about Ezio Auditore and Y/L Y/L/N! They’ve finally been caught! Can you believe it?!”

“Huh? I certainly did not expect that, but it’s a good thing, I guess.”

“I thought you’d be more excited than that!” Emril huffed exasperatedly, clearly disappointed by his comrade’s response. To be so dismissive of the two notorious Master Assassins’ capture was…cold and appalling if one asked him. He wasn’t against the Assassins per se, finding them very skilled and intelligent, but boy, was he excited to hear that they would be held where he was stationed. If only he could get an audience with th-“

"Stand straight!” a stern and commanding voice was heard from behind them, the footsteps of its owner coming closer and closer. It was the Captain of the Guard, Ignacio Lavola, the cruellest and most sadistic bastardo Emril has ever seen. He hadn’t seen it for himself, but those that have, have told him of his torturing ways - how he preferred to flay the prisoners alive while interrogating them or use some of the outdated torture devices to prolong their pain and agony. He shuddered at the thought of seeing people, both men and women, suffer at his hands. If he ever got to children…no, he couldn’t continue that track of thought.

He had to try and keep his composure, but Ignacio’s presence alone made him stutter uncontrollably, “Y-yes s-sir!”

Ignacio eyed him like a hawk, his facial expression giving nothing away. Emril could not stare back at him, lest he peed in his own breeches out of sheer fear. Luckily, his stutter was ignored. ’Bastardo ’ he thought to himself.

“I expect you to keep a close eye on our newest prisoners. If you treat them like 'royalty’, talk more than a word to them, or let them out of your sight, expect… severe punishment,” Ignacio continued, emphasizing his last two words with a cold but intimidating stare. His brown eyes held a clear threat in them, and knowing the man, or of his reputation at least, Emril knew that he would go through with what he just told them. As much as he was excited to meet the notorious pair of assassini, he had to swallow that excitement and distance himself mentally as much as possible. He didn’t want to die. Not just yet.

“Ehi, you alright, amico mio? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost! Which was more like seeing Satan himself, but still…,” the worried voice of Manfredo interrupted his thoughts, bringing him back to the reality. Manfredo saw his friend losing that spark in his eye he had just a few moments prior, making him worry like a big brother would. 'Piggy’ or not, this was his comrade - his friend - and he’d be damned if he didn’t help him with whatever was on his mind.

Emril eyed the retreating form of Ignacio, boring daggers into him. Oh, how he wished that figlio di puttana to die the most painful of deaths…but alas, he knew that he would never be able to do so as he was too much of a coward, or that’s what he thought. There was no point in thinking about such dark things though, so he forcefully tried to shake off his thoughts.

Turning back to Manfredo, he spoke…or more like whispered his next words, “Sto bene.”

His friend wasn’t convinced in the slightest.

“No. No, you’re not,” he paused to look around them. When he didn’t see anyone, he continued, “Is this about the Captain?”

When Emril didn’t answer immediately, he sighed. While he didn’t have a problem with the Captain personally, he too knew of his supposed reputation, and he did not want to be in his line of sight when trouble happened. Ignacio Lavola was not a merciful man.

“Look, I don’t like him either, but we can’t do anything on our own! Trying anything will only get us killed!”

“But we don’t actually know that!” Emril retorted.

“And what would you have us do then, huh?! Coddle up to him and then stab him in the back like Brutus did Caesar?! We already have to lick his boots and you see where we are?! We’re still lowly guardsmen! It’s good enough that we’re both stationed here, on the walls! Why make it worse?!”

“Then what about those Master Assassins? They’re already being brought here! Knowing their skills and reputation, perhaps they can get us out of here!”

“And where exactly would they take us?”

“O-out of here! Somewhere! Anywhere! Anywhere better than this place!”

“Yeah…right.”

Emril huffed in frustration, “Stop being so sceptical for a change, va bene?! I’ve seen what they can do! They have it in them to escape this place! We only have to give them the opportunity…”

“And get ourselves killed in the process?! No. Fucking. Way.”

“Do you trust me?” Emril took Manfredo’s face in his young hands, making the man just a tiny bit uncomfortable.

Manfredo nodded.

“Then trust me when I tell you that we can do this! We play it smart, we get farther than anyone else ever has in here. Now, I’ll ask again - are you with me?”

Hesitating for just a moment, his friend agreed, “I am, amico. I am.”

“Then listen closely. First, we’ll have to see who guards the cells, and then…”

*****

Ignacio was back to pacing in his office. After seeing to it that all the guards were aware of the arrival of his future 'guests’, he went back inside to make some additional preparations. Namely, sharpening his various hooks and blades. After all, they would need to receive a 'warm and royal’ welcome befitting their station.

Capturing them was his idea and his alone. If Rodrigo got wind of that, he would be ecstatic, or so he thought. Technically, he wasn’t going against the Templars’ principles or disobeying his higher-ups’ orders. He was just doing what he thought was right - what would benefit them all.

Looking at the map of Europe on the wall, he thought of Antonio. He knew that the man was a weak link in their Order, preferring to ignore his numerous duties throughout the years (which had to be completed if one wanted to move higher up the ladder…and avoid getting executed). He met him only once, on a grand masquerade ball in France, securing yet another marriage between one of his cousins and some fool of a noble, who immediately fell for the pretty eyes and a big bust.

He remembered their last conversation quite clearly.

  Lyon, France, 1470

“My, what a pleasant surprise to see you here, mon amie!”  Antonio threw his arms around one of the nobles, who judging by their cheerful expression, was very much happy to see him.

  “Indeed, we haven’t seen each other for two years! Can you believe it?!” the nobleman paused, “Oh, it’s been just horrible without seeing you here!”

  Was that a blush creeping up Antonio’s cheeks? No, it must have been the heat of that place getting to him.

  “Well, I was very very busy. Making deals, investing, and-”

  “-partying, hmm?” the nobleman teased playfully.

  “Uh, well…yes. That’s not why I’m here though.”

  “Oh, I’m all ears.”

  “Forgive me for being blunt, but I’m here to find my cousin a suitable husband.”

  The nobleman raised his eyebrows, “Who?”

  Antonio gave him a meaningful look, making his friend raise his eyebrows into his hairline even further.

  “Oh. Oh! Now I get it! Pardon me, my friend, but I wasn’t expecting you to be so forward!”

  “One has to be a little forward to get on this life. Trust me, I’ve been mulling over this very conversation all week before arriving here.”

  “Hah, well…I don’t know about that. How does your cousin look like? What is her name?”  

  “Violetta, and she is standing right over there!” said Antonio while pointing to a woman in a yellow-green dress chatting with the other women.

  “She does look beautiful, but before you make me choose, please consider making another man her husband. I have a close friend here this evening and I’d very much like you to meet him.” He waved for Ignacio to approach them. He sure hoped that he wouldn’t be forced to endure another boring conversation about women, wine, and politics. He was far above those things.

“There you are, amie!  Antonio, this is my friend, Ignacio. Ignacio Lavola,” the nobleman gestured to the man beside them. A dark look passed Antonio’s eyes. That man…he knew him. He knew him through his reputation as a sinister sadist alone. A lot of templars trembled at the mere mention of his name… the Butcher of Souls.

  “A pleasure to meet you!” he forced the words out of his mouth. “Any friend of Christophe’s is a friend of mine!”

  “And mine as well…”

  They were ready to shake hands, and when they did, Ignacio squeezed Antonio’s hand just a little harder than necessary. The man recognized him. If he played his cards wrong, he’d be another one of his victims, he just knew that.

  Ignacio let a cold look pass over his present company, seemingly unbothered by the tense atmosphere between him and the lesser templar, “So, why I am here, Christophe?” Always blunt to the point.

  “Ah, but weren’t you standing there all bored just moments ago? Armaund’s new political ideas were clearly failing to keep you interested. You looked like you would fall asleep at any moment! I decided to save you from that.”

  “And for that, you have my sincerest thanks. I sense that there’s more to it though.”

  “And you are right about that! The thing is, Antonio is looking for a good husband to his cousin, Violetta. I told him to speak with you before deciding. After all, you’re not married too!” 'But clearly not a good man,’ Antonio thought to himself.

  Ignacio was undeterred by his 'friend’s’ request. He wasn’t looking for marriage. He wasn’t looking for love at all, but the least he could do was amuse him. And make Antonio squirm a little in the process.

“Ah, yes. Violetta. That woman in yellow, oui?”

  Christophe answered before Antonio could speak another word, “Right you are! She is very beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “She is. Though I…fail to understand what makes her so special. Besides being Antonio’s cousin, that is.”

“Care to elaborate on that, amie?”   Christophe looked over at pale-faced Antonio, not noticing how rigidly the man was standing. He was a good man, but oblivious to many things (such as Violetta’s jealous personality Antonio 'forgot’ to mention).

“I-I…,” the breath was stuck in Antonio’s throat. Why did he lose his confidence all of a sudden? Why couldn’t he utter a single word out of his mouth? Was it because of Ignacio? Was his presence that scary to him? The thoughts were rushing in his head like the busy cardinals when choosing a new Pope, and his heart was beating a hummingbird flaps its wings. All that insecurity about being a 'bad’ templar came forth as though something popped open a cork on that 'closed jar’ (or someone more like). And it was eating him alive.

  “Is something wrong?” Ignacio asked him, still as stone-faced as before.

  Antonio tried to muster up his courage again, praying that his voice wouldn’t betray his nervousness. He could also feel his eye wanting to twitch, so he blinked a couple of times to keep it under control.

Taking a deep breath he spoke, “No, I suppose nothing is wrong with you wanting to know about her. She is not as special as the queen of  Spagna  perhaps, but her impeccable skills with musical instruments and a talent for sewing make up for it, signori.”

  “And what else?”

  “Well…she does have a bit of a mean streak, but it doesn’t necessarily make her a nasty person…”

  “Hmm, you are honest, at the very least. Though I would not take such a woman for myself, she would still suit you all the same, Ignacio. You share a trait, however bad one, but that should bring you closer to each other, no?”

  “Yes-”

  “Now, let me go and announce the opening of the Grand Ball! The ladies are itching to dance!” declared Christophe and then left the pair in a hurry, seemingly excited to officially start the event. Antonio and Ignacio were finally alone (despite being surrounded by the crowd of people).

  “So what is a pathetic little worm like you doing in this place? Cementing another useless alliance, hm?”

Antonio bristled at his tone, his nostrils flaring, but he tried to reign in his anger so as not to cause a scandal, “You think you are smart,  ehi?!  My scheming with marriages may not bring much to our cause, but having hands in important people’s pockets brings something to mine.”

  Ignacio smirked in amusement, “And what might that cause be, exactly?”

“I…,” Antonio couldn’t find the right words, instead he huffed like a petulant child, “You know what?! Fottiti te e il tuoculo compiaciuto! (Fuck you and your smug ass!)”

  The man before Antonio chuckled lowly, taking his insult in stride. To anyone else, he looked like he was about to faint from the stifling heat, being all red in the face, but Ignacio knew that he was actually silently fuming at him, looking like he’d burst at any moment. Oh, how he enjoyed seeing them all get angry like that because of him. It made him feel the power he had over them - that he could manipulate their emotions just as easily as he could peel the skin off of his victims with a sharpened blade. They were like putty in his hands.

He placed his heavy hand on the templar’s shoulder, keeping him in place. Leaning in, he whispered in Antonio’s ear, “If you think the Grand Master won’t hear about you being lazy and far too selfish for your own good, I’m afraid you’re mistaken, amico. If nothing else, your tiny ass will still be served on a silver platter to me, one way or another.” With that, Ignacio left Antonio alone, but the man was once again trembling in his boots, his heart imbued with the fear of him, and the desperation to leave that place as soon as possible. Antonio would not stop fearing him until his own death.

Even after so many years, he still thought that the conversation between him and the tiny templar could not have gone any better. Before sending the hired mercenaries to capture the assassins, he mentioned (rather offhandedly) that he would pay them more if they took care of him as well. For once, he didn’t care enough to kill the man himself, letting someone else do the honours (frankly, the years have taken its toll on him and he wasn’t exactly in the mood to play the game of 'cat and mouse’). Thankfully, no one would miss Antonio - not even his numerous cousins.

Sitting back in his leather chair, he proceeded with polishing his knives, wanting the assassins to see their own reflections in it. He would have a good time carving them up…

  Two days later…

Your head felt so heavy that you thought it was filled with lead. Not only that, but the pain could not be more unbearable than what you were currently experiencing. Like someone had a knife stuck in your skull. Your temples were throbbing, your ears were ringing, and your mouth was as dry as a desert. All in all, you felt miserable.

Next to you, Ezio was sitting up against the wall, looking at anything but you. When you made a hissing sound, however, you knew you had his attention.

He didn’t spring up when he heard it (since he was still very tired after such a long ride), but his eyes were filled with concern for you. He spoke to you as quietly and as gently as possible, “Y/N! How do you feel?!”

You couldn’t look him in the eye due to the pain you were in, but you still answered, just as quietly, “Miserable. Tan miserable. You sure there’s no knife or an axe stuck in my head?”

He looked very confused at your question, not recognizing the joke, “What axe?! What are you talking about?!”

“Ah, just forget it. It was a poor attempt at a joke anyway,” you moaned in pain, putting your head between your legs. That action did not relieve it, however.

“We need to get out of here, wherever 'here’ is!”

You looked around yourself with tired eyes, seeing how dirty and damp the cell was. A rat hole near Ezio. And was that a big spider in one corner on the ceiling? The place was truly awful but despite the aforementioned conditions, you thankfully had enough space to move around if need be. Being cramped up in a tiny space (even if it was with Ezio), did not sound like a good idea, or rather like a comfortable one.

Your current wish was to get rid of the headache. Whoever dropped something heavy on your head should better be running away from there or else you’d stick one of your hidden-blades in theirs.

Ezio didn’t look any better. His hair was dishevelled, his eyes were tired but angry, and both of you were stripped off of your assassin robes and weapons. What a  great situation that was!

Sitting up a little, you inquired, “Do you know…who dropped us in here? I could have sworn I heard male voices talking at some point, or was it just a dream?”

Ezio nodded, “Si. I didn’t see their faces but I saw their clothes. They were mercenari.”

“Ugh! Wish we knew who hired them to do this! It’s like they were actually waiting for us in Basilica!”

“Templars.”

“W-what?!”

“It was the Templars. Turn around and you’ll see the banners with a red cross on them.”

Indeed, when you peeked over your shoulder through the iron bars, you saw what Ezio was talking about. The white banners with the infamous red cross. The true mark of any Templar stronghold.

“So we’ve gotten ourselves into one of the worst situations that could ever happen? ¡Mierda!” you swore under your breath. How could they have captured you both so easily? How could you not see the mercenaries? You thought back to it, trying to make sense of all the things that had occurred within the church.

For one, when you asked the girl to hand you some clothes, you saw a sorrowful look pass over her face, but it was a momentary one so you did not pay it any more attention. For two, the servants’ quarters were completely empty as though everyone was suddenly forced to leave. And last, when the mass had gone for some time and you decided that you couldn’t wait any longer, you spotted not one soul roaming the halls. The moment you went through all these memories, it finally clicked.

“Ezio, they knew we were coming. It was an ambush.”

He looked up at you, waiting for an explanation.

“Did you see the girl’s face when she looked at me? It displayed her sorrow over something, as though she was apologizing for something we didn’t know.”

“No. No, I didn’t. What about it?”

You continued, “She lead us through the servants’ quarters, but did you see how empty they were? Like everyone completely vanished? The mercenaries were already there, so by forcing them to leave, they ensured to no one would call for help…or see what they were planning to do. And then there were no priests in the halls because most of them were templars themselves, so they most likely decided not to interfere.”

“Most of the priests?”

“Ezio, it’s been a long known fact that templars take the positions of power, whether small or big, to ensure that no one would be suspicious of them. They smile in public but sneer behind the closed doors. And think about it, who would believe that a mere priest would order the deaths of people behind their backs?”

He should not have asked such a stupid and irrelevant question, but the worry for you both clouded his mind. He wanted to get you and himself out of that place and find your way back to Monteriggioni. He only hoped that Claudia wouldn’t throw a fit at hearing about your capture.

Before he could say another word, he heard numerous pairs of footsteps approaching. You perked up at the sound as well, lifting your head and straightening your posture. Ezio scooted over to you, and you gladly took his hand in yours - both for comfort and reassurance. Whoever approached you, you would face them together.

Unfortunately, it was a group of well-armed guards who judging by their faces, did not want to deal with any potential acts of defiance. The one without a helmet stepped closer to the metal door.

“Our Captain has requested your presence,” he pointed his gloved finger at you.

“Me? Why?” you asked, but then caught yourself and tried to ask something else, “Wait! Before you answer my previous questions, tell me what’s his name first!”

“Maestro Ignacio Lavola…commonly known as The Butcher of Souls, madonna Y/L/N,” he answered calmly.

“And how do you know my name?”

“You are not as inconspicuous as you think you are,” the guard eyed you and Ezio, his eyes carrying nothing but contempt in them. “All Templars in Italia know of you both.”

“So what will be done to us? Do we get to see a rope around our necks or do we get a chance to be purified by fire?” your voice was dripping with sarcasm, and Ezio gave you a warning look, already fearing what your fiery persona would do if unleashed.

Instead of answering, the guard gave a tiny nod to his comrades, who proceeded to lift your weak-from-exhaustion frame up. You decided not to fight them, knowing how futile it currently was to try and escape with a headache and tired muscles. You pointedly looked at Ezio, willing him to not do anything stupid. He clenched his jaw in anger but then looked at you sadly, not wanting for you to go. It wasn’t an ideal plan, but perhaps you could learn more from the Captain himself (praying all the while that you wouldn’t see his sadistic side).

Ezio was now all alone.

*****

The room you were brought into was lit by a large fire roaring within the fireplace, the orange tongues dancing in the air. Before the guards left, you were tied to a chair - so tightly that it actually hurt. You cursed yourself for drinking too much one night and then boasting to everyone about how you could escape any confinement like a professional. Damn Mario’s sweet wine to oblivion!

“Ahhh, I see you’re already wiggling about, my dear?” That voice, that smooth fucking voice laced with amusement, echoed from behind you, each word sounding clearer as Ignacio walked in.

“What exactly do you want from me?”

“Nothing exciting from you. Well…only your death,” he explained. “A prolonged one…,” he added darkly.

“Do your worst,” you retorted.

Ignacio smiled, showing his pearly-whites, “As you wish!” and just as he said that, he stabbed your thigh with a stiletto, that went through the limb like a knife through butter. You screamed loudly in pain, unknowingly making the guards shiver on the other side of the wooden door.

Ezio woke up from his little slumber with a start after hearing a feminine scream echo off of the limestone walls. He knew it was you up there. His heart clenched with worry at listening to your agony, making him stand up and rattle the metal door with a death-grip. Any second wasted in that cell, was bringing you closer to your end, and he’d be damned if he let that happen. Not before he told you he loved you…

“Hey, Ezio! You there?!” a boyish voice startled him out of his thoughts, confusion summoning a frown on his face.

“Who is that?! Come out from the shadows!”

“Not so loud, please! We don’t have long until the other guards come back, messere!” Emril stepped from behind the corner, holding a ring of keys in his hand.

“Who are you?”

“Your chance to be rescued. You have to promise me something though…”

Ezio was not in the mood for playing games, but for your sake, he was willing to hear the young man out, “What?”

Emril looked at the other man, now visible to Ezio, before turning his attention back to him, “You and your lover get out and take us with you. We want to leave this godforsaken place behind and start a new life!”

“But she’s not my lo-”

“Whatever! Do we have a deal?”

“I don’t like how suspicious it seems, but I won’t turn down your help.”

“Eccellente!” With a gleeful expression (reminding Manfredo how idiotic his friend could be), Emril opened up the cell door, letting the Master Assassin out.

Manfredo approached him with a pile of robes in one hand, and Altaïr’s Armour hanging off of his other. Changing as quickly he could, he was ready to leave that place behind, but not before rescuing you from Lavola.

“We have to hurry! Y/N’s life is at stake!” Ezio’s voice trembled with worry. His romantic feelings aside, he was desperate to have you back in his arms again, consequences be damned.

Thankfully and somewhat unexpectedly, the guards were all gone. Not one was in their vicinity. He looked at the pair of the now former guardsmen, and asked quietly and lowly, “Where is the Captain’s room?”

“Further ahead,” answered Emril, “it’s at the end of the hall to the right. You won’t miss it.” But before Ezio could take another step, Emril put a shaky hand on his shoulder, not wanting to anger the Master Assassin even more.

“Wait! What should we do?”

“Find ourselves some horses.”

“Will do! Be careful!”

“I will.”

*****

The moment Ezio stepped inside the room, he wanted to throw up at the sight before him. You were still bound to the wooden chair, but instead of seeing you well and awake, he only saw what the sadistic bastard had done to you.

Your body had suffered from multiple stab wounds, blood still seeping from some of them. One arm was completely covered with bruises, and all of your fingernails were removed. The sight was truly awful, but he couldn’t turn his gaze away.

Approaching your form, he brushed aside your hair had that was obscuring your face. It was completely bruised, just like your arm, but with additional cuts across your nose and left eye (which was thankfully left intact). At that very moment, Ezio wished you that you never were an assassin. That way, you would not have had a target on your back.  'But then I’d be left defenceless, ’ your voice echoed in his mind, reminding him that his wish was a selfish one, however he wanted it to be otherwise.

“A p-pretty s-sight, isn’t s-she?” a man’s voice gurgled behind him, making him turn around in surprise. It was Ignacio, lying in a pool of his own blood, that came from his crotch and gut. Following his line of sight, Ignacio weakly chuckled.

“That bitch m-managed to stab me w-where it hurts m-most. W-with a hidden-blade in her b-boot. I must say t-though, that was very clever of her.”

Ezio kept silent.

“Never knew I w-would go out like t-that. Still, I’ve m-made my peace with it.”

Now it was Ezio’s turn to speak. His voice was sharp and menacing, “You don’t deserve peace, you bastardo! Only your victims do!”

“Do you r-really t-think all the men and w-women I killed were innocent?! They were all bastards! Just. L-like. M-me,” with the last word spoken, he gurgled up more blood, his arms twitching for a moment and then falling beside him completely still. The Butcher was finally dead, though Ezio wished he could kill him with his own two hands.

Returning back to you, he untied you from the chair and picked you up bridal style, before leaving the castle. Outside in the courtyard, however, he was met with the man that took you out from your shared cell. He was looking at Ezio with a stoically.

“I am glad he’s dead. You have finally put an end to him.”

“Not me,” he looked at you. “It was her.”

“Doesn’t matter. He will never bother anyone again and that is enough for me. Rodrigo has wanted to get rid of him for a long time now anyway.”

“Then do send him my regards.”

“I will, Ezio Auditore. Today, you may leave. No man shall lift a blade against you. Let us leave the fighting for another day.”

Ezio couldn’t agree more. He did not want to shed any more blood - not with you in his arms.

And so he went outside the gates, spotting a wagon with horses waiting for you both. Emril and Manfredo were smiling at him.

“Let’s get you both home, shall we?”

Ezio nodded, and then carefully laid your body on the wagon with hay, before climbing up himself. The road home was a long one, but he would survive the wait, all the while keeping an eye on you and finding a doctor to sew shut your wounds in the nearest town or village.

  A week later…  

“Gah!” you suddenly shot up from the bed, clutching your side and breathing like you’ve been running several miles.

Noticing that you were awake, Ezio stood up from the windowsill and quickly approached you.

“Easy, Y/N! Easy…You’re still wounded, amore.”

“What?! Where am I?!”

“We’re back at the Villa Auditore. We got out of the castle.”

Memories rushed back to you - Ignacio. Him stabbing you. You stabbing him back. Then falling into oblivion.

Tentatively, you reached for Ezio’s rough hand. He readily placed it in yours.

“How did we get out of there? Who rescued us?”

“Manfredo and Emril. They were the guardsmen there, but had a change of heart and wanted to leave, just like us.”

“Then I suppose I should thank them later, if they’re still here, that is.”

“They are, and you will have an opportunity to do that later. I promise,” he spoke gently, but you saw that he wanted to say something more. There was that certain spark in his eyes, certain emotion, that made him seem like he was out of this world. And in a way, he was.

“Ezio, what is it? Stai bene (Are you alright)?”

“I…I almost lost you in there, Y/N. You were bleeding so profusely that I thought you would die in my arms that night…,” he answered quietly, the sadness creeping onto his face. You wanted to reassure him that you were still alive, but he placed a finger against your lips to keep you silent.

“I thought I would never tell you that I loved you before you died. That I would never have you in my arms again. You never really reciprocated my attempts at flirting, so I decided to use another approach - to just be there for you, and hope against hope that you would love me back.”

You gasped at the revelation, your thoughts racing in your head. So that’s why he ceased flirting with you incessantly. You thought that he was no longer interested in you.

“So I must ask you - is there a chance for us to be together?”

You squeezed his hand and looked him in the eye, letting your other one touch his face, “Of course there is, Ezio. I was afraid you didn’t like me that way. Sure, you flirted, but when you suddenly stopped doing that, it seemed like you lost all interest in me.

Ezio looked at you, shocked to the core. You loved him back. You. Loved. Him. Back! If he were a five-year-old, he would jump with glee, but instead, he embraced you, being mindful of your injuries.

You hugged him back, inhaling his scent. He smelt of fresh linens, roses, and of his own musk - that always drove you crazy.

”Te amo,“ you whispered.

”Ti amo anch'io, Y/N.“

After a moment, Ezio broke out of your embrace and immediately pressed his lips to yours - thus making a statement to the world (to his friends, family, enemies, and other women who would surely become jealous) that from now on, you and himwould never be separate souls again.

*****

"You know, our work is still not done, and I doubt it ever will.”

“Then let us do our best.”

You hummed in agreement, “Sí, let us.”

But they are always assured that they can still have families. As miraculous as that sounds, it’s true. Vampires can still procreate, even though their bodies are technically ‘dead’. Children born from such unions are called ‘true vampires’, and those who have only one vampire parent, are born as humans. It is unknown why it is so, only that if it happens, these children become ‘The Untouchables’ - people, whose blood is absolutely useless to the vampires. Their blood does not satisfy the cravings, and it is impossible to turn them into full vampires, only heal them to full health. And unfortunately, you were one of them.

Having been a Master Assassin for over ten years, you didn’t really struggle with keeping up with your vampire brothers and sisters within the Order. You were more than capable of taking down hordes of guards, and full-blooded and older vampires within a blink of an eye, or that’s how people who have seen you in action described your impeccable skills.

You were originally from Spain, a Mediterranean country with a scorching sun shining down on people’s heads, and a wonderful if not a bit spicy cuisine. You weren’t a full Spaniard though…Your mother was from an Italian vampiric family that once lived in Napoli but was destroyed by the Templars in a huge fire. By having ties to both Spain and Italy, you secured yourself a huge and very useful, if not necessary, amount of contacts. This didn’t go unnoticed by the Italian Brotherhood.

Ezio Auditore, a Master Assassin whose whole family consisted of ‘true vampires’, decided to track you down at the urging of both his dear Uncle Mario and the always stoic Niccolo Machiavelli. At first, he was very frustrated because no matter how close he got, you were always one a step ahead of him, and managed to elude his keen senses. But on one beautiful warm day, you ultimately made the decision to hear him out.

He had initially thought that your so-called ‘impeccable skills’ were just a myth made by bards and the like, but once he personally saw you in action, he quickly changed his mind and offered you a place within a still recovering Italian Brotherhood of Assassins. You wanted to accept his offer but had to refuse to join it. You explained to him that even though you worked mostly in Italy, you were still a part of the Spanish Brotherhood, and therefore couldn’t accept the transfer from one country to another without the Grand Mentor’s permission. He seemed disappointed but understood your reasoning.

A few months later, you received a letter telling you to come back home to help The Brotherhood deal with the growing Inquisition’s forces in both Central and Eastern Spain. Without hesitation, you sent that very same letter over to Ezio but not without adding a note, telling him to come there with you. Soon enough, he arrived on a horse to your location and proceeded to inquire from you the details of that mission. You told him that you didn’t have anything else to tell him about it, other than it taking place in Barcelona, your place of birth. During the time you both spent there, you hopelessly fell in love with each other. If one was called forward to describe your love in words, they would say that it was pure and full of empathy. The deep bond between you was indescribable, however, only shown through your passionate kisses, meaningful looks, and comforting embraces.

The mission had gone smoothly, or so you thought…Once you had dealt with the Inquisition’s forces, you were invited to a celebration within the Spanish Assassins’ headquarters near Madrid. Ezio sensed that the invitation was fishy, and so did you but it was necessary to keep up appearances, and so to the party, you went with a stomach full of dread. At first, everything seemed normal and quiet, but once Ricardo, the Head of the Spanish Assassins, lead you into the meeting room, your fellow ‘brothers and sisters’ jumped out from the shadows and proceeded to stab you with sharp daggers and hidden blades. Since the attack was unexpected, you were in shock, and couldn’t call for help. When it was finally over, they left you all alone in the dimly lit room, struggling to move, and whimpering. Blood pooled from both your mouth and the stab wounds. You thought that that was it. You were going to die, betrayed by your once called friends and mentor.

Ezio wasn’t very far when it happened. Having followed you from the shadows, he immediately noticed your sudden disappearance from the party. He proceeded with searching for you, and ten minutes later he started smelling blood in the air - your very distinguishable blood. When he had finally found you in that room, he was shell-shocked by the sight in front of him. You, the love of his life, were lying in a pool of your own blood. He didn’t have the time to ask any questions from you though, he had to save your life. The heart, that was once loudly thumping against your ribcage, was on the verge of stopping completely, and you were starting to see black spots in your vision. Your vampire lover quickly bit into his wrist and placed it in your mouth. Since you were very weak because of the huge blood loss, you struggled to swallow the thick liquid with a metallic taste. Ezio helped you by putting his fingers on your throat and pressing it up and down. Once his wound healed, he picked you up and went back to your place of stay. Swallowing his anger, he decided to stay with you rather than going on a rampage against your betrayers.

When you woke up, you felt that something was wrong. You felt a strange thirst for something, your vision was much much clearer than before, and you felt even more powerful. Letting your eyes roam around the room, you spotted your love sitting in a not-so-comfortable chair staring ahead of himself. Your sudden movement woke him up from his stupor, and he was by your side in a flash, even though to you it seemed like he had just run over to the bed you were lying in. He started explaining to you what had happened two nights before, and once you had heard enough, you stopped him with a hand motion. The only question that was on your mind was: How did you become a vampire?

It was impossible for an ‘untouchable’ like you to become one, even if one wished it to be true. The man before you provided you with an answer that he himself had received from his long-time friend, Leonardo. He said that only if a vampire truly loved someone (and in your case an ‘untouchable’), his blood was potent enough to turn them into a full-blooded vampire with all the powers that come from such a gift. You were shocked, to say the least. Not knowing what to do, Ezio embraced you with all his might, not afraid to hurt you with his strength. You spent a few moments together in such a position.

When you sensed that the sun would soon come up, you stood up from the bed and went towards the curtains that were blocking the daylight from lighting up the room you two were in. Vampires didn’t enjoy walking under the sun, and because of that, Ezio quickly ran to your side and grabbed your arm in an attempt to stop you from opening them. Ignoring him, you pushed the curtains aside and let the sunlight caress your smooth skin like a loving mother would caress her child’s face with her hands. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt. At all. You both looked at each other in amazement. Unbeknownst to you, Ezio thought that you had become a thousand times more beautiful than you were before. The sunlight illuminated you as it would do to a goddess. You asked him how that was possible, and he explained to you that you were a ‘daywalker’ - a vampire who could walk in a broad daylight without any harm. Putting his arms around your waist, you stayed on the balcony to watch over a beautiful sunrise together, as only a true couple would do. Now you knew, that this was not the end, but only the beginning of something wonderful…

 You contemplated your options of attack. Usually, the contractors didn’t care enough to specify in which fashion the intended target had to be killed, leaving only the small description on a parchment. Antonio wasn’t that important of a Templar. Sure, he had a lot of connections in both Italy and France alike (most of them made through arranged marriages with his family members), but he didn’t care enough to further all of his Order’s goals, making him a rather untrusted member among his comrades. That is why your reward would only be some 1500 florins. A big disappointment for you.

 As he moved further into the market, you stood up to follow his party, using your Eagle Vision to keep track of him (something that only your closest friends and family knew - especially the Auditores). And while you were more silent and stealthier than La Volpe himself, you still prayed to whoever was above, that no guards would spot you on the roofs. They were annoying enough to be a huge nuisance to the assassins.

 Getting rid of his bodyguards would be an easy feat as you often come across such brutes in your travels. You knew all their weaknesses, and no matter what kind of armour they wore, they would always fall by your blade. But then again, you couldn’t just underestimate them. Such behaviour can often prove to be fatal when one isn’t careful.

 Continuing to keep an eye on him, you quickly and carefully moved across the roofs. From the sidelines, it looked like a graceful dance, with the way you moved your limbs. Your friends and comrades loved to point that out, much to your embarrassment. You knew that you were very skilled, of course, but you were not the one to brag about it, and that’s what Ezio loved about you.

 *****

 Unbeknownst to you, his heart always clenched at the mere mention of your name, finding out one night after fighting the traitors within the Spanish Brotherhood that he had fallen in love with you. At that moment, he couldn’t help but let his thoughts go back to Cristina, his first love. He had long ago let her go, as he couldn’t be with her while avenging the deaths of his father and brothers. He even beat up, or rather tried to talk sense into her fiancé to be a good and loving husband to her, for Dios’ sake! But when he thought about you, he knew he would do things for you so much more than that. Aside from you being very skilled and humble, he loved your divine beauty - the way sun shone down upon you, putting your auburn locks ‘on fire’; your freckles that dotted your cheeks and forehead; and your athletic figure, putting all the other girls to shame (with the exception of Claudia, of course). He loved how you were able to speak many languages besides your mother tongue with the greatest of ease. He loved how kind and caring you were to children. He loved how you aided him in searching for eagle feathers for his mother. And he loved how passionate you were about changing the world for the better. He loved everything about you, but even he had his own insecurities.

 For one, he knew that he had a reputation of a womanizer (something he was never actually proud of), and he didn’t want you to think that you would be just a ‘fling’ to him. For two, you had rarely reciprocated his attempts at flirting with you. While you had mentioned that you were very bad at flirting with men and women alike, he could never have imagined that you would be so oblivious when it was being directed at you instead. For three, he was afraid of being rejected. You were his best friend and he was yours, but even that couldn’t assure him that you wouldn’t tell him ‘no’ if he were to confess his feelings. He was a grown man, but with you, he felt like a shy little boy twiddling his fingers.

 Despite Maria being in a catatonic state for a long period of time, it didn’t stop her from being observant. She saw how much attention her second-born gave to you, always looking directly you with a gleam in his eyes that she could only describe as ‘being in love’. After you gave her the eagle feathers to complete Petruccio’s collection, she was immensely grateful for your support, already thinking of you as her second daughter. She could only pray that Ezio would man up and buy a ring for you.

 To Claudia, you were a complete stranger at first. You were a foreigner and an assassin on top of that. You were glad that Ezio had spoken to her about you, believing that face-to-face introduction would go easier that way. It did, of course, just not as warmly as you had envisioned. She wasn’t rude to you, but she still held herself with pride and a certain coldness you had a rather hard time shaking off. But after many attempts at befriending her, Claudia finally caved in, surprised that you were so relentless. From then on, she became your second confidant - someone, with whom you could speak about your growing feeling towards her brother. Boy, was she glad to start making future plans for your eventual wedding (as Ezio had confided in her about his feelings for you too). She wouldn’t, of course, dare to say such a thing out loud. Well, only to her mother, that is.

 Mario, oh Mario, was more than very welcoming. When he first saw you, he immediately went for a hug which you returned wholeheartedly. He was glad that Ezio was making friends while travelling (and he secretly hoped that you would keep him from falling over the edge with his vengeance). When he brought Ezio to his study for a talk, he told him that you were a keeper and that he shouldn’t let you slip through his fingers. He even mentioned he would be glad to attend your wedding, making Ezio choke on his water in surprise. You didn’t forget to tell him how much you loved his uncle’s joviality. After all, you did need someone to lift up your spirits after botched missions, or whenever one of your friends/allies was killed.

 Everyone around you saw that you were meant to be together. Where he was hot-headed, you were calm. Where you were shy, he was confident. You completed each other. You were soulmates.

 *****

 Antonio didn’t stop walking until they reached Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. The square in front of it was large, and far too open for your liking. You did not want to kill him in public, even though it was easier to do. Thankfully though, he entered the church. You would have to wear a perfect disguise...as a pilgrim.

 “It is a good day, is it not?” Ezio’s voice brought you out of your thoughts, effectively stopping you from proceeding with the mission.

 “Ezio! What are you doing here?! I’m on a mission!” you spoke with clear irritation. You hated being interrupted like that. He got the clue though.

 “Mi dispiace, Y/N. I didn’t realize.”

 “No, you didn’t,” you glanced at him,” but my target is in that church. Have to go inside and finish him off.” You didn’t care if you sounded rude, crude, or bloodthirsty. It was just a part of the job, and you didn’t care how you worded your sentences.

 Ezio squinted his eyes at the building, ”You need any help? I’m available.”

 “Of course you are,” you huffed, but without any malice whatsoever. You couldn’t stay mad at him for long. “Come along.” Before Ezio could respond, however, you were already scaling down the wall. Once you reached the ground, the two of you split up, so that you wouldn’t garner the attention of the guards positioned in small groups around the square.

 Avoiding them on any other day is fairly easy, but today, they seemed to be on high alert, eyes trained on people like hawks’ are trained on their prey. As far as you knew, there were no important celebrations planned today nor was the church being closed off for the visit of some nameless ruler within Italy. So to remain unseen, you had to blend in within the bustling crowd of people. Thankfully, no one seemed to care about a suspicious-looking hooded person walking around them (much to your - and Ezio’s - initial confusion at the people not recognizing the assassins moving right next to them, as you were quite     sure that wearing a hood in public was the most recognizable of all assassins’ trademarks).

 Despite you hailing from Spain and training under the hand of the then-leader, Benedicto, La Volpe was the one to teach you how to remain unseen in the crowd. While he himself never gave out any of his secrets, you still pointed them out, much to his shock and surprise, having never expected to be so translucent in his actions (at least in front of you anyway). You even knew his real name, which he pleaded you not to reveal it to anyone. You understood him. Very few people did.  

 From the corner of your eye, you spotted Ezio, calmly moving forward like he was just a regular person enjoying his day. You admired that about him - how he never seemed to be nervous or indecisive when he was on a mission, and sometimes, you wished you could be the same (as many of your former friends and comrades have pointed out how tense and serious-looking you were when working for your Order - you simply did not take the duties of an assassin as a joking matter). And while neither of you were great thinkers like Leonardo, you still had that certain air of wisdom around you, having seen things that most people would never see in their lifetime. Knowledge was power, and both of you recognized it. Your shared experience within the Brotherhood was what made you two unique in a way - you understood what being a real assassin entailed, and how much one had to sacrifice for the sake of others.

 Only a few moments later, you arrived at the east entrance of the church, walking into shadows. To blend in with the pilgrims, you had to shed your assassin robes for a dress or remain in your own pair of breeches and a white shirt (which were quite form-fitting and would most certainly attract the attention of men inside the building).

 “What next, uccellino?” you heard from beside you.

 “Get me a new dress, for one. I want to get inside but not by sneaking.”

 Ezio placed his hand under his chin in thought and hummed, “I see. Perhaps we can ask a servant for a spare change of clothes for us both.”

 You had to suppress a laugh at the thought of Ezio looking like he wanted to pray to the God he didn’t believe in. He narrowed his eyes at you, “What is it?”

 “Nada. Nada. It’s just that I have a hard time with picturing you as a devoted pilgrim wanting to do all that stuff with drinking ‘Jesus’ blood’, ‘eating a piece of his flesh’, and making a cross in front of yourself.” To think, any other religious person would strike you down for that comment alone. You really don’t care about that though.

 “So you’re saying that I don’t have the looks of a pious man?” his eyes were glaring at you, but his voice was teasing.

“No, you don’t have the ‘looks’ of a pious man, you have the ‘looks’ of a handsome asesino,” you retorted.

 “You think I’m handsome?”

 He was, but you didn’t dare to admit that out loud, so instead, you just walked inside the church to find a servant, leaving your enamoured friend behind.

 Soon enough, you spotted a young girl (perhaps of the age of twelve) carrying a crate full of candles. Before she could walk out of the room, you jumped in front of her, making her shriek in surprise. You quickly put your hand on her mouth while making a ‘be quiet’ gesture.

 “Promise me you won’t scream,” you told her. The poor thing looked frightened, wanting to run away the moment you released her. Ezio was watching from the corner, unseen.

 The girl looked around frantically, trying to see if she had an escape route or if she could grab anything to help her push you off of her. Grabbing her chin with your free hand, you forced her to pay attention to you.

 Looking her right in the eyes, you repeated, “Can you promise me that you won’t scream? I am not going to harm you, little one.” The girl gave you a single nod, no glimpse of a lie in her hazel eyes. You released her.

 “Di cosa hai bisogno da me?” she spoke.

 “We want some regular clothes for us both,” you gestured at yourself and Ezio. At the sight of him, the girl's eyes widened. He wasn’t that tall of a man but he still looked intimidating with his dark robes and Altaïr’s armour on.

 The girl motioned with her hand to follow her downstairs to the lower level of the church. ‘Servants’ quarters. Of course!’ you remarked, mentally cursing yourself for not thinking of those before. Yes...you and logic were not as good friends as anyone else might think. That didn’t stop you from being very skilled in other areas though.

 Without breaking your quick strides across the long hall, you glanced around from beneath your hood, noticing that not one soul was inside. It was a bit strange but not overly so since it was almost noon and they were most likely just performing their daily duties. Ezio, on the other hand, did not feel at ease at all. While he has never seen anything like that before, he knew that children could be used for sinister purposes as well as any grown-up, mostly for leading men and women into ambushes by lying; playing on their innocence to charm their way into people’s hearts, or even getting paid for killing their hirers for killing their enemies (and even that was a rare case). Dread was twisting his gut.

 No sooner than his chain of thought had ended, did they arrive in a well-lit room with a lot of big cupboards.

 The girl approached one of them, pressing her hand on the wooden door, “I vestiti di cui hai bisogno sono qui, signora.”

 You took a look inside. There were plenty of simple shirts and breeches. Even a couple of brown-coloured dresses. Good enough for you both. With no further thought, you grabbed a pair of each, tossing one to Ezio. You did hope they would fit him, or else, they would tightly cling to his physique...distracting you. Walking into an adjacent room, you redressed quickly, and neatly folded you assassin robes before hiding them in an empty chest.

 “Are you ready?” you heard Ezio asking.

 “Si. Let’s get going.” You walked a few steps before suddenly pausing in the doorway, “Wait a moment. Where’s the girl?!”

 Ezio looked around. Indeed, the girl had vanished, probably the moment you started taking off your robes. His heart clenched at the thought of her running upstairs to rat them out, but he had to remain focused on your task. Come what may, you two would have to improvise if it came to Antonio being alerted of your presence.

 Sighing, you continued walking back to the stairs while subtly checking if your blades hadn’t fallen off of you. The Bells signalling the start of a mass were already being rung. When you reached the ground floor again, you saw a sea of standing men and women before you, neither your target nor his bodyguards in sight. Even by briefly activating your Eagle Vision you couldn’t spot them.

 “Fuck,” you quietly swore under your breath, already getting frustrated at how your mission was proceeding. Ezio noticed the brief furrow of your brows, not enjoying the sight of a frown on your beautiful face in the slightest. Even he tried using his special sight, but like you, he had no luck. Was this Antonio that slippery of a bastard?

 You pulled Ezio in the middle of the huge room and made the sign of a cross on your chests. It felt absolutely distasteful to you, for you did not believe in ‘God’. If he ever existed, why hasn’t he shown his face? Did he think of you ‘mortals’ as too inferior to actually see it? You never believed in all that bullshit the church was propagating and its priests were spewing, and yet, you couldn’t deny that people needed something to believe in, even if it was a ‘nobody’ above your heads.

 The head-priest started with a simple ‘Preghiamo’, before reciting the prayers. People around you murmured along, some of them with heads bowed, others were keeping their eyes on the man and their hands clasped together. You acted as the latter, not daring to miss Antonio. After a few minutes though, you started to fidget, just waiting to dash forward and out of the stuffy room. At the end of each passage, everyone murmured ‘Amen’.

 You jolted a bit when a rough hand was placed on your shoulder.

 “Calmati, amore,” Ezio whispered, attempting to calm you down with his smooth baritone voice. It helped, but you turned your head to the side to prevent him from seeing you blush at his use of the word. The man had too much power over you already.

 “We need to get going, Ezio,” you whispered back. “We’ve been here for some time already and we still haven’t spotted him. My guess is that he’s still within these halls, as I haven’t heard the guards opening the big door.” With that you swiftly moved away from him, gently weaving through the throng of people until you reached the entrance to the side passage leading further into the church. Ezio was right on your heels.

 “I can’t wait to get out of this dress! Ugh!” you pulled at your scratchy collar. “But unfortunately, we don’t have enough time to change our clothes.”

 “I rather like seeing you in one. You wear them too rarely.”

 “I am a woman, but in our line of work, they’re simply impractical. They’re good whenever I need a disguise but they simply won’t do for assassinating people...or escaping enemies.”

 “True.”

 “There,” you pointed at the stone rafters above, ”we climb them, get a better view of this place. Before you get that thought inside your mind though,” you waved your your finger at him, “do not look up.” You immediately started scaling the wall, not being that mindful of your dress, of course.

 Now, while Ezio once loved looking up the skirts of women, he dropped doing that the moment he realized he was in love with you, the thought of it suddenly becoming disgusting to him. He wouldn’t dare to allow such indignity to happen. Not from himself. Not from anyone. Instead of retorting back, he kept silent and followed you up to the rafters. He too wished he had his assassin robes on. No good would come out of it if you two got spotted by either the priests or Antonio’s entourage.

 “Shhh, be silent for a moment.” You listened closely to all the sounds around you.

     The water dropping onto the stone ground below.  

     The murmurs of the praying pilgrims behind you.  

     The sound of someone unsheathing their sword -  

 “Wait! Did you hear it?!” you inquired urgently, stopping Ezio from moving altogether.

 “The sound is coming from over there,” he pointed at a small but heavy-looking door at the far east corner.

 “Then let’s get to it.”

 Thankfully, that part of the church was empty of the priests and the servants, making it easy to sneak around. You doubted that Antonio’s room had more than one door, but even then, you could be wrong, as the door could lead into basement instead. Normally, you would do some reconnaissance in order to plan ahead and keep the chance of a failure to a minimum, but now, you’d have to improvise.

 “We have to go inside through that door. I see no other ways to enter the room.”

 Ezio cast a glance at his steel gauntlet, the hidden blade ready to be sprung out at any moment. You readied your own.

 With a quick inhale, you opened the heavy door with force...only to find Antonio lying in the pool of his own blood. Your eyes widened at the sight. You and Ezio arrived too late, but you had to keep your head cool and eyes focused.

 Turning him over, you saw the wound in the centre of his chest, dark red blood staining his overcoat.

 “Stabbed through the heart. What a painful way to go…,” you murmured quietly as you closed the man’s eyes with your hand. Ezio put a hand on your shoulder.

 “It’s not your fault, Y/N.”

 “No, it isn’t, but it doesn’t make me feel any better about it,” you paused, looking at Antonio’s corpse again. “Did his guards kill him?”

 “Possibly, since I don’t see them in here.”

 “Ah, then I guess that his ignorance of his superiors’ orders has finally caught up to him. He never was a ‘good’ Templar. Still, he could’ve told us at least something, but now, he’s dead and his lips are forever sealed. I’ll have to tell Mario about this.” Before you could leave though, Ezio pulled you into his embrace which you gladly returned. No words were spoken between you because they weren’t needed. They were unnecessary.

 Suddenly, the heavy door closed behind you with a loud screech. You ran towards it, trying to pull at the handle, but it didn’t budge in the slightest.

 “¡Maldición! ¡Estamos atrapados!” you shouted angrily. Ezio knew enough Spanish to understand what you meant, and he couldn’t help but be angry himself (something that hasn’t happened a lot in the past few years). You saw some kind of smoke coming from under the door.

 “Are they starting a fire behind it?!” You were not comfortable with the thought of being burned alive, even if it was beside the man you loved.

 “I don’t know, but...wait, do you smell it?”

 “Smell what?”

 “Something sweet and...calming.”

 Indeed, when you inhaled the air, it had a whiff of sweet vanilla and jasmine, almost instantly calming you down. Something wasn’t right though as your eyelids kept getting heavier and heavier, and all of your senses became dull. The last thing you heard before your mind shut down completely was a confused     ‘What-’.

Translations (Spanish):

Dios - God

Nada - Nothing

¡Maldición! ¡Estamos atrapados! - Damn it! We’re trapped!

Asesino - assassin (male)

Translations (Italian):

uccellino - little bird

Calmati, amore - Calm down, love

Mi dispiace - I’m sorry

Di cosa hai bisogno da me? - What do you want from me?

I vestiti di cui hai bisogno sono qui, signora. - The clothes you need are here, lady

Preghiamo - Let us pray

  While Desmond was your cousin (and one of the closest friends you’ve ever had), it didn’t stop him from foolishly pressing his palm against that damn pedestal. As grim as 'inevitable’ solar-wind/energy (you surprisingly couldn’t remember which one was right) collision sounded, it was far better than whatever Juno had in store for humanity. Everyone was devastated at his death, even his distant and cold father, who normally would never shed any tears. Fortunately, the team didn’t disband and together with Shaun and Rebecca, you somehow managed to move on - and that’s where the backstory abruptly stops.

  At first, you didn’t bother with socializing with the people around you. They kept themselves away from you, not knowing who you were but knowing why you were brought here. For as long as you could, you kept interactions with any of them at a minimum, not only because they were complete strangers but also because you needed some space to observe everything - the structure of the building, guard patrol schedules etc.

  On one day though, you saw the eyes of a person who looked like he had seen better days, had a better life. You didn’t know why he did it but when your eyes met, his lips whispered the words ‘Where am I?’, clearly stating that he knew nothing about Abstergo. Thankfully, the guards didn’t pay any attention to that, but you chose to look the other way and poke at your untouched steak.

‘Where am I?’   - the words kept repeating in your head, over and over again. ‘You have absolutely no idea what you have gotten yourself into, pal.’ you thought while laying on your bed, awake and in the middle of the night. You suddenly wished you could send a message to your teammates, let them know where you were but alas, you didn’t have a laptop at your hand’s reach, or even a simple phone to poke around in the Templars’ internal network and search for the Apple located in this damn building.

  Once they put you into the Animus the next day, they kept replaying Ezio’s memories - memories, that you had already gone through at the Auditore mansion - to find the place he had hidden the Apple in. What they didn’t know was actually your rather strange ability to directly interact with your genetic memories and ancestors. While no one could explain that - even Minerva - you found it useful, and right now, very comforting because you knew that all of them - Altaïr, Ezio, Connor, hell even Edward - were watching over you, unable to physically aid you but staying there with you as your pillars of sanity. 

  Callum, as you finally learned his name, was slowly getting accustomed to life in here. Moussa became his first friend, then Emir, and as bizarre as that sounds, even Nathan (the descendant of a traitor, Duncan Walpole). You kept noticing him glancing at you whenever you entered the hall to have lunch or spend some time playing basketball.

  Once you got your tray with lunch, you sat at the table next to him. You told him the words you first thought of after he first arrived here.

  ‘You have absolutely no idea what you have gotten yourself into, pal.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ you smirked.

  ‘We are prisoners in here. Forced to revisit the memories of our ancestors. Find what they seek.’ Suddenly he seemed very confused at your words.

  ‘Who’s “they” and what are we supposed be to looking for?’ You subtly shifted your gaze to your surroundings, looking for anyone eavesdropping on you. The camera wouldn’t be able to hear your conversation in this hall anyway.

  ‘Ancient artefacts. Not made by a human.’

  ‘Are you saying there are aliens out there?’ As amusing as that sounded, you kept your poker face.

  ‘It would be rather difficult to explain it to you here where we are not exactly alone. Besides, I’d need the artefact in my possession in order to show you how it looks like, and how it can be used.’ Now you saw him in deep thought, probably just processing your words. An alarm signalled for you to finish your lunch, and then go back to your designated cell.

  ‘I think I might be able to get one for you.’ Since the guards were already approaching, you had only enough time to give him a small nod. ‘Finally.’

  Some days later, Dr Rikkin asked for you to step inside her lab. Whether it was for another ‘interview’ or not, you frankly didn’t give a fuck. And then...you saw it. The Apple, laying inside a small chest, just waiting for you to come and get it. But you wouldn’t dare to do it. It wasn’t the right time.

  ‘I have an offer for you, Y/N. One that would benefit both of us.’ You already knew what she was about to tell you. ‘Not a chance.’ you thought.

  ‘Oh, please. Don’t tell me that I’m going to have to dig deeper, and when I’m finally finished, you’ll have your father pardon me. That scenario won’t happen, I assure you.’ For a moment she looked sad but the she made her face neutral again. She knew you were right but what else could she offer you for your cooperation? You wouldn’t budge so easily. She decided to be honest with you, for reasons she herself couldn’t understand. Perhaps you were just charming enough.

  ‘No. He won’t. But I do want to help you. I-’

  ‘Look, it will never work out between us. I know that you’re trying to bring Callum on your side by telling him a story about how both of your mothers were killed by an assassin but he won’t get you what you want. No one here will.’ you paused, to let her mull over your words a bit. Not giving her the option to open her mouth, you continued.

  ‘Your father, you, and your countless followers can’t seem to understand that the Order you’re all trying to achieve so hard will never be realised. While we Assassins fight for the Freedom, we understand that we can’t give people too much of it, or the world would become even more chaotic than it already is. The Order on the other hand practically equals slavery. You are trying to find the Apples of Eden like the one behind you.’ She turned to look at it but made no move to close the lid of the chest.

  ‘What do you think your fellow Templars would do to the innocent people? Enslave them. Make them mindless puppets to play around with.’

  ‘My father has always said that our the Templar Order would make our world peaceful. That we would never have to fight anyone again.’

  ‘Then you were either raised as a blind mole or an ignorant fool. Look around you. Why do we, perfectly normal people, have to be kept in cells and used as your personal Indiana Jones’ to find a thing that you have absolutely no real knowledge of? Oh yes, you have absolutely no idea how the Apples, or should I say any of the Eden Artifacts, work.’ She was stunned, to say the least. The things you just said...seemed baffling to her. She slowly and with a small hesitation, started to believe your words. The Templars had neither good and peaceful intentions nor the knowledge on any of the artefacts of Eden, and that one day, it would be their downfall.

  ‘I believe you, Y/N, but unfortunately, I don’t have the power to release you. My father would never betray the Order or its principles.’

  ‘But I see that you can. I’m not going to offer you a place within the Brotherhood. You can come there yourself if you want to. The only thing I’m actually pleased about is that you finally know the truth and recognize it. No one benefits from lies - everyone has to swallow the bitter pill in the end .’ With that, you left her lab, letting her think it over and decide for herself, whether she’ll betray her father or not.

  While you were talking to Sofia, Callum faced his shadowy ancestor in his cell, staring at him through the glass window, looking him in the eye. After the last Animus session, he began experiencing hallucinations, dubbed “the Bleeding Effect”. He couldn’t tell the difference between what was real and what wasn’t. Unbeknownst to him though, Alan Rikkin was looking at him through the one-way mirror, silently observing his moves. He was fascinated by it because as a Templar, he would never be able to experience such a thing. It just didn’t work on the Templars as a whole. But there was also that feeling of dread like he knew something bad would happen with his ‘guest of honour’, like he would be able to tear down the whole facility if he kept gaining Aguilar’s combat experience. He would have to keep a close eye on him.

  You don’t hear it when it happens. The Riot. You simply stare at the ceiling, doing nothing. Then suddenly, Moussa barges in through the door to your right. You jump up from the bed and raise an eyebrow, silently asking ‘What?’ He only smiles and throws you a strong rubber baton.

  ‘We goin’ hunting now?’ you ask.

  ‘After you.’ he motions to the door, and without a thought, you ran into the hall so fast, that Moussa is having trouble with keeping up with you. The more unconscious or dead bodies you pass, the stronger your will fight is. Spotting a guard stepping out of a hallway, you run up to him and jump in the air, just high enough to flip and land on his shoulders, twisting his neck with your thighs. Your companion is very impressed, to say the least. When you finally reach the main hall, you see the other Assassins having finished the fight in there. Emir runs up to you.

  ‘We need to find Cal.’ you’re quicker than Moussa.

  ‘In the Animus room. He’s there, I know it.’

  ‘Then let’s go!’

  The fight between you six and the guards doesn’t last long. Nathan lays dead on the floor along with Emir. It was safe enough to take a breath. Callum though has another idea in his mind apparently, and runs away to God knows where. Then you realize that he’s after Sofia. ‘She will escape, Cal. You won’t catch her in time.’ The three of you - Moussa, Lin, and yourself, leave the room, but not before bowing your heads in respect of your fallen comrades.

You and Callum escape the facility.

  ‘You want to get that Apple, don’t you?’ he asks you one night after your escape. You nod.

  ‘I was after it long before I let myself get captured by them. Sometimes it’s necessary to take such risks.’ You briefly thought of Lucy and her betrayal. ‘But they don’t always pay off.’

  ‘I assume you know much more about the Creed.’

  ‘I do. I’m one of its current leaders actually. I know that you’re not familiar with the name of William Miles but he’s the one who is trying to keep the Brotherhood together. He’s given away a lot of things to keep it that way, and I’m trying not to let him down because he’s the only blood family I have left.’ You hug your shoulders, and Callum puts his jacket on your shoulders, trying to keep you warm and at the same time comfort you.

  ‘True, I don’t know him but you could introduce us to each other someday perhaps? Right now, we need to follow Alan Rikkin and retrieve the apple he’s stolen.’

  ‘That’s the part where you realize that we Assassins can never afford any holidays. We always have to be on the move, always have to be alert and cautious. It gets so tiresome sometimes that you wish you were already dead and at peace.’ He actually laughs at this. What would Moussa and Lin say about this? Perhaps the guy upstairs knows, you can’t tell.

  ‘Indeed. Now, let’s sleep. We won’t have enough time for it tomorrow

The next day is practically all a blur to you. Alan and his followers converge at a ceremony in a Templar sanctuary in London to celebrate their ‘triumph’. You all dress up into black hooded outfits. Rikkin begins his speech. His neck gets pierced by a hidden blade. He lies in a pool of his own blood, while Callum retrieves the Apple from his hands. Sofia cries for her father and vows revenge against Cal. The four of you depart, vowing to protect the Apple from the Templars.

Present day, Luxembourg

"How glad am I to finally have you back in my arms," Shaun sighs as he holds you close to him. You squeeze him tighter, letting a tear escape your eye.

"And I you, Shaun. Frankly, it was a mess in there. I’m glad that it’s finally over."

"Me too but I know that you were able to handle things in there just like you always do - perfectly."

"Don’t flatter me, you bastardo." you mocked him with a perfect Italian accent, which he loved, if anyone asked you. Rebecca went over to you two and gave you a tight hug which you happily returned.

"I was really worried, Ryder. Try to be more careful next time, okay?"

You rolled your eyes, “I always am. Now let me go and attend the Council. As rather useless as it is, I need to give them a full report about what happened in Spain."

”Alright, go but return ASAP. We’ll need you, and this guy over here specifically.’ She pats Shaun on the shoulder and he answers with an indignant ‘Hey!’

As soon as you leave the room, you spot Callum standing in the shadows at the end of the long hall. He looks you in the eye and nods. You nod back.

I stood right behind the corner, awaiting Pietro. He was supposed to come here and have a drink with an ‘old friend’ (i.e me) and have a talk about his apparently very important brother. Beforehand, I had checked his background and made sure that I had lots of escape routes if something didn’t go according to the plan. Thankfully, I had undergone such missions before, so this one shouldn't have been a problem for me. I only wanted to finish it as quickly as possible. As soon as that chain of thought finished, I saw my first target approaching you with a grim and displeased look on his face. He was wearing the usual nobleman’s clothes but his famed hat with peacock’s feathers was missing, and that meant he had been angry about something and had drunk before he went out of his house. When he saw me standing there in the shadows, he immediately sobered up and greeted me with a smile.

“Buona sera, mia amica!” I gave him a not-so-fake annoyed look.

“Where were you, Pietro? I’ve been waiting here for three hours now!” I really couldn’t hide your annoyance at this point. Normally, whenever I went on a mission with Ezio, I preferred him to do the talking because more often than not, I didn’t have the patience to hear the men saying their half-hearted apologies, and then offering me gifts to appease me somehow. This time though, I swallowed my impatience and went to tackle the ‘problem’ in front of me.

“My dear fratello couldn’t keep his mouth shut about my private affairs in front of the bankers from Firenze! They ridiculed me, and outright refused to conduct business with me!” he said venomously. As amusing as that display of anger was, I had to keep my head straight and my eyes focused.

“Want me to cut off his tongue then?” I asked him. He took a look at me and the weapons strapped on my back and waist and then shook his head.

“As much as he is a moron, I don’t want him to die by bleeding out all over the floor. Maybe he should be beaten up instead….Si, that does seem to an excellent punishment!”

“That, I can do, my friend. Just tell me where he is and I’ll deal with him. Molto semplice,” I told him with a light smirk on my face. I usually made a good judge of character but there were times when people proved to be much more cunning, and well trained to mask their true emotions. These people were usually either elite mercenaries or high-ranked Templars. I hoped that this time I would encounter neither of those, not that I couldn’t deal with them, I just didn’t want to waste time on sweet-talking them into giving me the information I needed. Just as Pietro was about to open his mouth, I felt the need to push him onto the ground, and my instincts didn’t fail me either, there was someone on the nearby building’s roof, already in the process of running away into the night. I knew that it was Gordono who sent that mysterious person to silence his brother. Guess he was expecting someone to come after him after all…

Pietro wiggled underneath me, giving me a signal to stand off him. He looked shocked but at the same time saddened because he didn’t expect an attempt on his life. I hoped he didn’t know it was his brother’s doing.

“You all right there, mio amico?” I calmly asked him.

“No. I am not ‘all right’. Someone just attempted to kill me! How can I be all right?! Ahhh, cazzo di merda, Gordono! Basta aspettare finché io ti soffrivo a morte con le mie mani nude!” said Pietro in a fit of anger. I wasted no time on getting information on his brother’s location.

“Where is he, Pietro?!” “In our mansion, on the slopes of that volcano.” I gritted my teeth at this. Why don’t people tell the full information about such things?!

“Which side of the volcano?! Be more specific!” He looked at me as if I was dumber than him.

“On the eastern side of it, of course! Don’t you know that?”

“No, Pietro, I don’t know that because I’ve never even been there before!” With that, I ran away from the tavern towards the alley nearby. I quickly scaled up the wall onto the roof and took in my surroundings. I remembered that I was in the southern part of the city, where all the best taverns and brothels were located, but I didn’t have time to ponder on those. I looked towards the volcano and spotted several medium-sized palazzos perched on the eastern slope of the volcano. That greatly narrowed the area of search, and with Moon being my only source of light, I hastily ran in the direction of the mansions.

Thankfully, I didn’t run into any guards on my way there. Since asking questions about Gordono was out of the question, I decided to use the information I had at my disposal. The heraldry of del Fazza depicted a hand holding three spears, and the colour of the banners was golden brown with a touch of green. I wandered in that district for about ten minutes, when I spotted the right house coloured in soft beige due to the numerous lanterns surrounding it. I counted all the guards patrolling the premises, and the number surprised me, only 28 them were wandering about. I supposed that Gordono used that number as bait in order to make me think that getting to him was so very easy. I was glad that I wasn’t THAT naive.

It took me no time to get past the guards and climb into an open window on the second floor. The room was barren of all things. Either someone of del Fazza family lived here and died, and his things were removed from here or it was simply unfurnished. I pressed my ear against the door, listening to the sounds on the other side. Having made sure there was no one walking around, I walked out of the room, only to spot that mysterious person shuffling some papers on a table near a huge plant. I assumed the figure was a woman because no man had such a petite body. Deciding on avoiding a fight with her, I went the other way towards Gordono’s supposed location. I repeated the same process of listening to the sounds behind the door, and then I opened it, only to find out that it was empty. I approached the desk in the center of the room. There were some papers about the management of this mansion, a few about this month’s bills, and one with a Templar cross on it. Without hesitation I took a look at it. What was written there, didn’t shock me the slightest.

 Gordono, as you well know, you have a price on your head. Since I cannot get involved in that, I can only tell you that it will be one of those Assassins that will come after you. Best be prepared for their visit because I hear that one of them is absolutely unbeatable when it comes to fighting and doing reconaissance.

 May the Father of Understanding guide you.

I heard someone clapping behind me. I turned around and saw that it was Gordono del Fazza himself.

“My, my, my, the assassino is finally here! What a surprise!” I inclined my head to the side and studied him. He was too cheery for my liking, and very arrogant by the look of his posture.

“You do realize, signore del Fazza, that you will not get out of this room alive. Your Templar friend won’t come to save you from me.” He gave out a loud laugh at this. Arrogance will get you nowhere, man.

“Then let’s fight! Show me how skilled you are!” He lunged at me with a sword in hand. I easily deflected his attacks, and with a precise strike, I stuck my hidden blade in his throat. That was one of the quickest fights I've ever been in...Ugh, men these days...

“I told you, you wouldn’t come out of this room on your own two feet. Should have listened to what I was saying.” The mysterious figure didn’t waste any time, and attacked me. I used my location to my advantage, and grabbed a hold of her collar, throwing her out of the window down on the streets below. Jumping out of the said window, I saw that the figure was gone, only black cape left in her place. Guess she didn’t die after all…

 A week later…

I was walking around Isola Tiberina to clear my head when I suddenly heard someone approaching. Without turning my head I greeted the man in question.

“Buon giorno, amore. Com'è stata la tua giornata?” He answered back in that familiar silky baritone voice of his.

“It was good, grazie. And what about you? How did your mission go?” Ezio wrapped his arm around my waist and took a look at my face. I raised an eyebrow.

“Do you really want to know?”

“Is that even a question? Of course I do!” I took a deep breath, to keep myself calm.

“I swear, if Machiavelli sends me on such a mission again, I will cut off both of his you-know-what! One, it took me a whole week to get there, two, the man I was supposed to meet with was a total idiota, and don’t even get me started on explaining what happened in del Fazza mansion!” I raised my hands in frustration, narrowly avoiding Ezio’s face. He put a hand on my face to focus my attention on him.

“Now, don’t get all fired up about beating up Niccolo. He is still very important to the Brotherhood.” I gave him a look.

“I know that Ezio. It’s just that sometimes, he really enjoys torturing me with long missions and ridiculous assignments, even though he knows that I’m a Grand Mentor of the Spanish Brotherhood and a Master Assassin. He is a cheeky ‘lil shit, I’ll give him that.” I heard my husband chuckle.

“Very true, amore, very true. You know what I suggest you do?”

“What?” There came that seductive look which my or should I say all the women’s legs weak.

“Come have a relaxing bath with me. There I can tell you all about my adventures in Venezia.”

“Oh relaxing, you say? My mind tells me not to pass up such an amazing offer.”

     New York, a week ago  

 “Guys, are you absolutely sure I should be the one to do this job?” It wasn’t as though you were hesitating - you never were - but you had a feeling that this would turn out to be a trap, set by the Templars in Switzerland, far away from where you were staying with Shaun and Rebecca.

 The raven-haired hacker turned to you. As always, her voice was as encouraging as ever: “We are. William wouldn’t send you there if he wasn’t sure in your abilities to complete it. Besides, Shaun here is a wimp, so he gets to stay here with me.” You could’ve sworn the Brit’s ears twitched.

 “Now, who are you calling a wimp, Becca?! You yourself aren’t exactly a Wonder Woman, now are you?” You shot your friend a look ‘Really?’. She looked away, but there was still that satisfied smirk on her face. Shaun just stared at you both, and boy, did he look unimpressed!

 “Fine. Don’t answer.” With that he turned his gaze back to the laptop on his desk, the sound of the buttons being pressed, echoing around the spacy warehouse room. You sat beside Rebecca and leaned closer so that the guy in a grey sweater a few meters away from you wouldn't hear your conversation.

 “I’ll do it, Becs, but I’m sure that this is going to be a trap.” She stopped typing.

 “Well, you know yourself what would happen if we don’t do it…”

 “Oh, don’t tell me Mr Miles’ will blow off? He’ll spank me over his lap? *you both giggle; Shaun is as immersed in learning history as ever* Remove me from existence?” Suddenly, Rebecca looked grim, and the joy was gone from her face.

 “Then we - or you - will be forced out of the Assassins. No more killing Templars. No more protection from our allies.” You rolled your eyes.

 “Well, doesn’t that sound great?”

 “And what’s most important: Assassins will be forced to kill you - WE’ll be forced to kill you!” Shaun almost turned around but decided against it.

 “Calm down, Becca. Nothing will happen, I promise, “ you gently whispered, “I’ll just go there and finish the task, and then I’ll come back and we’ll share a huge pizza in front of the TV, watching Netflix. How does that sound?” She just hugged you. Tightly. You returned the hug with just as much force.

 “Let me pack, okay? I’ll try to be quick.” With that you went to your room, or your ‘peace corner’ as you liked to call it. There was almost nothing to actually pack. Just the basic necessities. You looked out of the window, watching the bustling city below you, as the sun went down the skyline. You’ll have a talk with William about this. Later.

     Present  

“Hellloooo, you still there, Barty? I’m getting booooreeeeeed heeeeereeee…” The silence was unbearable. You wished he’d turn on the radio at the very least. Anything else but that damn silence!

Soon enough, he came back. His menacing smile made you feel a little uneasy, but given your training, it was easy for you to ignore it. He was carrying a tiny blade in his hand.

“Want to shave my legs or something?” you snarked.

“If only…but alas, I have something else in mind.” Suddenly, you felt the rope around your hands become more lose, and before it could completely slip off, you caught it. Now you had the chance to strangle the life out of that Templar bastard! ‘Come closer you idiot!’

“Perhaps I can carve a better smile on your pretty face…or tribal markings on your stomach,” he pressed his free hand against it,”your thighs,” his hand moved lower,”or here,” he pointed at your crotch, and right before he could touch it, you put the rope around his neck and pulled it as hard as you could. ‘Come on, come on!’ You quickly jumped on his back, preventing him from grabbing you. A few seconds later, he fell on the basement floor unconscious. It was finally done. Never again would let any Templar tie you to a chair and ‘play’ with you.

On the ground floor of the small cottage, you found various things strewn around: weapons, clothes, food wrappers, and a pair of thongs? ‘Ugh! Need to find something to reach them….and food, definitely some food.’ Soon enough, you spotted a telephone near the wall and grabbed it, only to find out that the cord was cut. ‘Fucking hell!’ you thought angrily, throwing the phone over your shoulder. You searched further: the drawers, cupboards, you name it. When you stopped to look at the mirror, you squinted your eyes, seeing a red dot on the glass wall behind you. The Templars apparently had a backup plan. Great.

As you didn’t want them to think that you had spotted them, you continued looking for anything closely resembling a phone, and so you went upstairs, immediately entering the first door on your left. And there it was - a laptop, laying on a huge mahogany desk, just waiting for you to turn it on, and so you did, finding out that it was still in working condition. ‘Phew. Now onto accessing the internet. Would that even work here?’ you wondered. Looking out of the window, you saw only the snow and mountains surrounding the cottage. The Wi-Fi icon showed zero connection. ‘I guess I have to connect to the satellite directly. Hopefully, no one will notice. Not if I’m careful.’ It didn’t take very long for you to accomplish it. The moment you secured the connection, you opened up Skype, knowing that from now on, the clock started ticking.

You decided to call Rebecca since you knew she wouldn’t panic upon hearing about your current situation.

 *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*  

“Oh, pick up the call already, Becs!” The moment you said it, her sleepy face appeared in front of you. Once she fully opened her eyes, thoroughly rubbing them from sleep beforehand, they went wide. You gave her a little wave.

“Woke you up, haven’t I?”

“What’s going on?” her voice sounded hoarse.

“Well, first things first: The job’s done. He’s dead.” She didn’t appear to be bothered by the news, probably not even fully acknowledging them.

“Why are you calling me at night? Through Skype of all things?!” You sighed. This conversation would stretch for too long if you didn’t tell her what was happening right now.

“Listen! *pause* I’m currently in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by Templar snipers, and without any phone to call for help. Right now, the computer is connected to the satellite, meaning I don’t have much time until the Abstergo finds me! What you need to do, is to tell William he doesn’t need to come after me.”

 “What?! Why?!”

“I don’t know how many people are outside, much less how I’m going to get out of here! I don’t want any other assassin to risk their life for me…” You thought about your former comrades, how all them died on missions, protecting each other and the Creed. But there was no time to dwell upon it.

“Shut up, Y/N! Just let me track you down…” Suddenly, a bullet pierced the window near your head. ‘Damn it! Can’t you let a woman finish up her conversation first?!’ You quickly got under the table, and then you remembered that you didn’t have any weapon on you. All the guns were downstairs. You turned your gaze back to the screen. Both Rebecca and now-awake Shaun were looking at you worriedly.

“Are you alright, Y/N?” Thank God for creating such a man! While he was always sarcastic, with everyone except Mr Miles, he deeply cared about his friends, even if he didn’t always show it.

“Not a scratch on me, Teapot, thanks.” you snarked. Becca jabbed in.

“Do you have any weapons on you?!” You peeked out from under the desk. All was quiet again.

“On the ground floor. But here’s the problem: Most of the walls down there are made from glass, and if I am correct, they should be bulletproof, but again, I cannot be certain. Don’t want to find it out the hard way, you know?”

 “We know you’re fast enough to dodge all the bullets. Just grab one and run back here.”

“If only it were that easy…but okay, I’ll do it. Keep the line open, just in case.” They both nodded.

 “Will do.”

     Outside the cottage  

“Should we finish her off, sir?” There was a pause on the other side.

 “Keep toying with her. Let her lower down her guard, and then strike.”

 “Affirmative.”

You quietly crept downstairs, keeping your head down as low as you could. Once you got there, you assessed the perimeter, noting only two snipers watching the cottage. Judging by how far they were positioned, there was only a two-seconds window available for you to grab another sniper rifle by the white couch. ‘Excellent. Now I’m going to play…by my rules.’

You jumped ahead, grabbed the gun and rolled behind the couch. You heard nothing. Peeking up, you saw that the glass walls remained intact. ‘Ahh, so you want me to think I’m safe? You can’t fool me, boys.’ Carefully positioning the barrel of your rifle, you aimed at the closest sniper to the east. Since the glass walls were closer to you, the bullet would probably just pierce it and not reach the intended target. You surveyed your options: You had one pulse grenade, a smoke bomb, and a mine. All of those would work, you knew that. And fortunately for you, the cottage wasn’t made out of wood.

You grabbed the mine and placed it behind your back. It would only take three seconds to activate it, but you had to remain calm and not show any signs of holding an explosive in your hands. Once you stood before the wall, you saw how clear the skies were, but the sun was shining behind the snipers’ backs, blinding you instead of them. ‘Can’t waste any more time! Now!’ You pulled out the mine, and placed it on the bulletproof glass wall, punching in the activation code. The red dots were pointed to your chest. ‘The game’s on, bitches.’ You got behind the couch just before the mine exploded, the wave of heat washing over you, almost making you feel being on fire. The glass shards were strewn across the floor. The black smoke completely covered the eastern side of the cottage. You didn’t know how many bullets you had. You couldn’t take any chances. Through the tendrils of smoke, you saw that the men were still laying there, waiting for you to step out. Not this time.

Aiming at the closest sniper, you took a shot, the bullet piercing him through the head. ‘That’s right, baby, you’re going down! Hmmm, I guess Miles’ shooting lessons actually paid off…’ You wasted no time on shooting the second man right in the middle of his eyes. Dead. Finally.

You went back upstairs.

“Are you still there?! Y/N?!” you heard, when you were right outside the room.

“I’m here. Still alive and well, as you can see.”

“They’re finally dead then?” you nodded.

“Now, the only thing remains, is to drive back to Bern. I’ll call you again from there.” They exchanged a look, making you feel a little uneasy. Shaun took over.

“William wants you to call him immediately.” It was inevitable. You knew that., but the sigh that escaped your lips was anything but relieved.

“Fine. I’ll call him once I’m inside the car.”

 “Please do it now, Y/N, don’t make our boss wait.”

“Kiss my ass, Shaun.” You closed the laptop. You were tired and you wanted to have a long shower, but as your friends said, the ‘boss’ was waiting for a call from you.

Before heading out, you grabbed packages of food, the weapons, and a few pieces of available spare clothing. The car, a black SUV, was waiting for you outside. The ride was going to be a long one.

When you finally got out of that town, you dialled the number you had memorised so well.

“William?”

 “I assume it is done?”

“Yeah, it is. I’m heading back to the capital now. Going to catch the first plane to the US.”

“I’ll be waiting for the full report. Miles out.” The line went dead.