A game, or real life? (Ezio x reader)

A perilous homecoming

"I'll tell you all about it once we get there." I giggled out softly, but I was suddenly interrupted by the captain's yells as he told us to get "all aboard!!". I gave him a short but piercing glance, internally murdering him for having ruined this precious moment. But I decided not to spend more time on that fucking captain as I suddenly felt two pairs of arms holding onto me like their lives depended on it. Oh fuck, I hated this so bad...

"I wish I could go with you..." Aurora breathed out against my neck. Fuuuuuuuck...

"I know, baby girl, I know..." I cracked a smile. "I wish you could come along as well. We'll be back soon, okay...?" I could feel her nod slightly against my neck. I left a soft kiss on her forehead before I did the same to Leandro, and finally looking at Claudia, I pulled her in for a tight hug. "Take care of them for me..."

"Always, (y/n)." She nodded. "Buon viaggio, sorella mia (Have a nice trip, my sister)...sii cauta (be careful)..."

"As our brothers used to say: "Safety and Peace to you, sister". With some luck, this voyage will give me both." With one last hug and a wave, Ezio and I began to board the ship. Goddammit, my heart felt like it was being ripped apart... A part of me wanted to stay, but the other part....the other part was quite literally dragging me forward, oblivious yet all-mighty before the obstacles I knew we'd face. It was terrifying, insane, but it also felt exciting and, for some reason....it felt comforting. We politely greeted the captain of the ship and the sounds all around us indicated that we were raising anchor. But our eyes weren't following those noises. Ezio and I watched as our friends saluted us like Mentors. At least, most of them were. Aurora wasn't. Leandro wasn't. Claudia wasn't, and neither was Bartolomeo. They were only waving, watching us leave not as Mentors, but as family. And I didn't even hesitate as I waved back.

Corfu wasn't what I expected, to be honest. As we were travelling light, I had honestly expected our journey to become difficult the moment we left the Italian docks. But upon reaching Corfu, we were greeted like royalty by its governor, an Italian, who even invited us over to his Villa for us to rest. Ezio accepted the offer, so I followed. And that night, after dinner, we found ourselves conversing with the captain who brought us here. From what I gathered from the conversation, these sailormen were of Ottoman roots, trained under the great pirate-turned-captain Piri Reis. The name didn't ring a bell to me, but he seemed to be a man who earned Ezio's admiration. And so, with a bit of coined persuasion, Ezio convinced the captain to take us to our next destination, Athens. However, things didn't go exactly as expected.

The day we sailed away from shore, it was perfect. The February sunlight wasn't yet warm enough, but the sky was clear and the winds were blowing. However, there was one thing the captain hadn't predicted: a pirate attack. And sadly, we weren't nearly as ready as we should've been. Having kept our hidden blades stored away in our bags, I was only equipped with a sword while Ezio had his gun and bracer. But we didn't even hesitate as the first pirates hauled aboard. Slashing foe after foe, the upper deck was soon drenched with the metallic stench of blood. But I didn't stop. Not even when I felt the familiar surge of pain of a sword's sharp blade grazing my skin. Not even when our ship was suddenly set ablaze. And not even when Ezio threw our captain overboard. I found it surprising, and I nearly jumped out to his rescue as he pleaded that he couldn't swim! But from the way Ezio acted, I knew: he had a plan. And I was quickly proved to be right as the pirates allowed the sailormen to work on extinguishing the fire instead of just slaughtering them. But soon enough, we got rid of the pirates, the fire was under control, and we were able to carry on. But things weren't as before, as the captain assured us that, upon reaching Athens, he'd make sure we'd be in good hands.

As expected from the captain's stories, upon reaching Athens, we were happily greeted by the captain's brother-in-law. They even had a feast made for us, and urged us to stay in their residence for as long as we'd like. Such hospitality was humbling, to say the least. However, just as we planned on leaving, we were very delayed by harsh storms and rough seas which caused us to stay in Athens and wait for the seas to settle. In the meantime, I took the opportunity to write a letter to Aurora and Leandro, detailing how our journey was going along. But we still had a long way to go, and the months were getting warmer, welcoming the incoming warmth of spring. I gave the letter to the captain that next morning, begging him to have it delivered to the Assassins in Roma during his next voyage. And much to my relief, he agreed. Though I knew I couldn't yet receive a letter from them, to be able to send one to them was enough of a relief. Because I knew they'd be there, waiting to read it.