I slowly came to my senses as I felt sunlight shining directly onto my face. Ugh....too bright...! I groaned softly and buried my face against whatever my head was lying on. But alas, I was awake enough. No matter how many years went by, once I was awakened by too much brightness in the room, I wasn't heading back to sleep. However, it was only upon shifting my body slightly that I realized the situation I was in. This...rather warm pillow....felt much harder than usual. Furrowing my brows in confusion, I decided to crack my eyes open.
I was immediately greeted by a bare chest, instead of the inner tunic he usually wore for bed. I looked at my own body, and realized that I was just as bare as he was. I began to blush at the sight. What....on earth....happened last night?? Fortunately, Ezio still seemed to be asleep, otherwise he would've seen my cheeks flush violently as the events of last night rushed back into my memory. Yet, I couldn't help but scoot closer to his body and wrap an arm around his perfectly sculpted torso. His lips. Oh god, his lips. They should be a sin. That first peck back when we were sparring was far from being our last. No words were exchanged between us as I lay there, breathless, on the ground. Only smiles, heavy panting and caresses. We came back to Monteriggioni, and as soon as we entered my bedroom, his lips were back against mine. Passionately. Desperately. Our swords were carelessly discarded onto the wooden floor, soon followed by our robes. Still, his skin never parted from mine. Last night, as I became his, he held me close. As close as one could ever hold. My head had rested on his chest as he held me tight, a thin sheet of sweat covering our bodies.
I thought back to how handsome he looked, with his skin lightly shining beneath the moonlight. I kissed him then. Slowly, tenderly, as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He was my first, in so many ways. The first man I saved, the first man I shared my bed with, the first man I kissed, and now, the first man I offered my body and soul to. And I loved it. I loved this. Though I could feel my heart racing, my eyes trailed along his peaceful expression. At this, I just....couldn't prevent a soft, tender smile from painting my lips. I moved a hand up to gently caress those beautiful, soft brown locks, delicately pulling a stray strand away from his closed eyes. My hand then moved down to rest on his cheek. God, how could such a beautiful man be burdened with such an unforgiving destiny? Nevertheless, as I lay there by his side, I didn't even find myself questioning why Minerva had sent me to help him, of all people. Something within me just...felt this was the way things should be. And as his large hand moved up to lightly caress my own, I began to smile more. Yes. He was the one I belonged with. "Hey...." I whispered tenderly. "Buongiorno (Good morning)..."
Upon hearing my voice, he cracked his eyes open. And oh, sweet heavens....that soft smile he gave me was more than enough to make my heart soar. "(y/n)..." he whispered.
It is said that actions speak louder than words. And that one look can sometimes bear more emotion than entire novels. Well....I think this small moment just proved everyone right. With so much delicacy, he pulled me close with his free arm. His soft lips were so damn enticing, I couldn't resist. I leaned forward and kissed him. Was this what being in love felt like? Was this...overwhelming feeling of pure joy and content what love was? Was this what my former friends back in my era tried oh so often to describe? At last, I could understand them. How could one describe a feeling so overwhelming that it made you forget about everything but the man you love? Oh God, I felt I could fly just from this...
His lips danced with mine so gently, so lovingly. His lips felt so good that I barely felt him pull me up onto his lap. I broke the kiss then, panting softly as I looked down at him. Smiling tenderly, I decided to rest my head on his chest, sighing softly in content as I felt his fingers caress my scalp. "Dio mio (My God), last night was amazing....~" I breathed out tenderly, blushing. "You were amazing~"
"Me~? You underestimate yourself, amore mio~ (My love~)" he chuckled. "But, si. Last night was amazing....~"
"I wish we didn't have to go to Venezia. We could just stay here, forever..." I said softly as I looked up to meet his beautiful brown eyes. "I have just stopped assassinating for Lorenzo. I just got back to you. And now duty calls us yet again."
"Yes, but at least, this time...we aren't working by ourselves anymore." Ezio smiled tenderly. "Even if work gets in our way, I will always be around to take care of you~" I closed my eyes as I felt a thumb gently caressing my cheek. "Always~"
"Ezio...~" I sighed out amorously, lifting my head slightly so I'd be able to kiss him again. My lips were about to touch his, when suddenly, someone knocked at my door. We both froze. We were still completely naked!!
"(y/n)?" Oh shit, it was Mario! "Are you in there?"
"Y-Yes! I'll be right there, Mentor!!" I quickly called out, jumping out of bed in search of my nightgown. I could see Ezio slipping his clothes on as well, trying to look as if he was still getting dressed. Just as Ezio reached out for his robes, I opened the door. "Buongiorno, Mentor." I smiled softly. "Is something wrong?"
"No, not at all. I was just looking for Ezio. I had a feeling he was here." He smiled. "I would like the both of you to come down to my office, after you get something to eat."
"Yes, Mentor." I nodded. "We'll see you then." And with that, I closed the door. I signed in relief, and I could hear Ezio do the same. "God, that was too close..." I breathed out as I looked back at him.
"Grazie dio (Thank god) we had our robes close by." Ezio said as he fastened his belt. "We'll need to be more careful next time~" ....was he seriously smirking? We nearly got caught, and he's smirking?
"God, I dunno whether I should punch him or kiss him..." I muttered under my breath as I began to dress for the day. I slipped my head through my robes, but a pair of arms around my waist prevented them from covering my body. I looked back to see Ezio with his eyes closed, a soft smile painting his lips. A wave of peace washed over me as I leaned back against his chest. Yes. Actions spoke louder than words.
"Ahh, there you two are." Mario nodded as we walked through the door. He had been leaning against his desk, gazing up at the Codex wall. He had a big smile on his face as he walked to our side and hugged us. "You have been doing a wonderful job on finding the hidden tombs and the pages. I would like to congratulate you."
"Grazie, uncle." I looked up to see Ezio smiling softly as he wrapped his arms around his uncle, returning the hug.
"Though I fear the worst is yet to come." I said as I broke the hug. Mario looked down at me curiously. "Venezia is a big city. And I doubt we'll find all four missing tombs there. I can't help but feel like we haven't searched enough in San Gimignano and in Firenze."
"Hmm..." he thought. "How likely do you think it is to find two hidden tombs in the same city?"
"On normal circumstances, I'd say it's unlikely. But these tombs are so well-hidden, I'd say it's a genius move. After all, having found one already, they'll doubt there'd be another in the city." I said, deep in thought. "As for Codex pages, I found 5 other pages, without mentioning the one Lorenzo handed to Ezio two years ago. Throughout the two years that I spent assassinating for Lorenzo, I looked everywhere. Boxes, open doors guarded by paid soldiers, balconies, treasure rooms...I don't think we'll find any other pages in Firenze."
"There was also a hidden Templar base in the city." Ezio said. "I went to check it out while you were on a mission. But I have to admit, finding hidden tombs are often times the product of luck rather than skill. I stumbled upon the first one in Firenze by chance, and in Forlì, we never would have found it hadn't we gone into hiding from a group of guards."
"You still have long ways ahead of you, that much is clear." Mario nodded. "I will see what I can do to help. I have a map of San Gimignano stored away, I will try to see if I can find any potential locations."
"Grazie, Mentor." I nodded. "Now, I fear we don't have much time left. We need to head to Venezia. Ezio and I found 3 Codex pages yesterday in Forlì that need to be decoded."
"Bene. I will help you get ready for the trip." Mario nodded, and with that, we were out of the office. I went back to my bedroom to fetch my sword, the Codex pages and my notebook, before we all made our way to the stables. We were ready for another adventure, but most of all, I was ecstatic to finally meet the world-renowned city of Venezia.
I wiped the sweat away from my brow as I took a seat by the cliff, panting as I put my sword down. It was an unbearably hot summer day. To a point that only a few reckless recruits could be seen in the training grounds. The men had decided to carry on training, but were considerably less dressed than they usually were. So, it was pretty safe to say that I got my fair share of pecs and sweaty torsos.
I looked down at the river flowing beneath my feet. I could climb down and take a nice, refreshing swim. But something kept holding me back. Altaïr. He continuously stayed in his office, studying that wretched Apple. I stopped counting how many times Malik and I told him to stop his research, but he'd always reply the same way. "It is my duty, Maria!" I sighed as his voice echoed in my head. He had a wife and a son to look after, yet he barely spent 5 minutes with either of them. "Mama...!" I snapped out of my thoughts to the sweetest voice. I looked to my side, smiling tenderly as my son came running to my side. His hood was down as he gracelessly threw himself into my arms, giggling adorably.
"Darim." I smiled tenderly and wrapped my arms around him. My sweetest boy. "What brings you here, sweetie? I thought I told you to stay inside because of the heat."
"But....I want to play..." he pouted.
"I know, but it's too hot out today. Not even the recruits are training." I shook my head as I picked him up. "Let's get you back inside." And with that, I stood up and headed back to the castle gates. And, it was safe to say that what I saw surprised me greatly. It was Altaïr, sparring against Abbas. A lot more recruits had gathered around to see this glorious battle between respected Assassins. And glorious, it was. Though Abbas wasn't as gifted as Altaïr, he could hold his own. And even though I didn't like him, I sometimes found myself admiring him. But as soon as I stopped in front of the arena, the battle stopped. And a sweating Altaïr walked towards me, carelessly dropping his precious sword to the ground. It hurt to see him so obsessed with the Apple, but as he picked me up bridal style and carried us back to the castle, I couldn't care less. Actions spoke louder than words.
"(y/n)......(y/n)!" I was pulled away from slumber and back to reality by the sound of Ezio's voice. Ugh...where was I....? I looked around. We were on a ship, it seemed. It was in the middle of the night. Oh, right. We were on our way to Venezia and got inside a ship in Forlì. I must've fallen asleep on Ezio's shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, worried. "You were tossing and turning in your sleep."
I was about to nod, but I ended up shaking my head. "No....un'altro sogno (another dream)." I curtly replied, bringing my knees close to my chest. Ezio had an arm around my shoulders, and I couldn't feel more thankful to have him here with me. "It was hot. Unbearably hot. Not many recruits were practicing, preferring to stay in the coolness of the shadows. I....Maria was sitting by a cliff next to the castle, when her son came along. The two talked for a few moments, before she picked her son up and carried him back to the castle. And by the time she returned, she saw Altaïr training with one of his brothers, Abbas. But when he saw her, he stopped fighting completely. He picked her up then carried both her and his son back to the castle." I explained.
"It sounds like a calmer dream." he pondered. "Yet I feel you shaking in my arms."
"I could feel everything she was feeling." I replied honestly. "Loneliness, hurt, love... It was all flowing through her at the same time. She missed him. Apparently, Altaïr spent most of his days in his office studying the Apple. I could feel the longing in her heart."
"Ahh....capisco (I see)." he nodded. "She must have really loved him."
"Yes. But you know what they say: le azioni valgono più di mille parole (Actions speak louder than words)." I shrugged, cracking a smile as I looked up into his eyes.
"Infatti...~ (Indeed~)" he said tenderly, and in a matter of moments, I felt his lips against mine.