EzioLeo || Devotion

Prologue (part 1)

"It's a good life we lead, brother."

"The best." 

"May it never change."

"And may it never change us."

Ezio stood with his older brother Federico on a rooftop with a strange feeling accumulating in him. He didn't know what this feeling was. Was it gratitude? He knew for sure, that he was thankful for his brother, that he was with him on this warm night, even though they were in Florence, literally in the middle of this town, he could bet that he saw a sing firefly above the street. 

Federico was Ezio's older brother, and despite the fact that they were both smart and good in almost every subject that they could learn, their father wanted Ezio to learn more and take his heirloom one day in the future. Federico never envied the fact that he wasn't the apple of his father's eye, but was happy for his brother. Federico's loyalty to Ezio knows no bounds. He is willing to go above and beyond to ensure Ezio's happiness, even if it means putting his own needs aside, because that's what older brothers do.

The wind was gentle, and Ezio could feel it blowing through his hair. He touched his chin where a small plaster was. He had fought before and could tell that the other person looked much worse.

15th-century Florence was magnificent, the city was coming to life with each passing day. There was truly never a dull moment in this bustling hub of creativity and progress. Recently the new artist has just moved in. His mother bought paintings from him to make their villa more colorful and more attractive. What was this artist's name? Ezio couldn't remember.

Federico gazed at the stars above them thinking about something, he looked as if he was rethinking all his life. Ezio wished he had known what bothered his brother, but he didn't say anything letting his brother be alone with his thoughts.

Ezio made a mental note to recall the artist's name, which he had forgotten for a moment. After a brief pause, he remembered that the artist's name was Leonardo da Vinci.

"Fratello, we should get back home, I'm certain the Mother started to worry about us. It's getting late" Federico said.

"Why do you want to come back home? It's not late yet, look at the streets, most of the merchants have only just arrived. Maybe they've got something we could buy to make our Mother to be less angry when we get home."

"You can go around the marketplace to see if something interests you. Besides I'm tired, I think I'll just go." 

Young Ezio observed as his brother leaped from the roof onto a haystack below, where they had been standing moments before. He was fascinated by his brother's daring act. Now there was only silence, making Ezio's mind calm. Bright stars above the town were stunning. But not as stunning as his girlfriend Cristina Vespucci.

Ezio stood at the edge of the roof, carefully looking down at the ground below. The wind was blowing gently, ruffling his hair and caressing his face. He took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. He knew what he had to do, but he was hesitant. He had seen his brother do it before. What if something went wrong? What if he fell and broke something? The thought of his mother's disappointment and grief made him shudder. He tried to push those negative thoughts aside and focus on the task at hand. He took another deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again. He could do this. He was brave and determined. 

With a wide grin on his face, he flung his arms out and leaped into the air, feeling the wind rush past him as he jumped

The wind flew over his body, for a second he felt free and worringless. Then he dived into the hay, just like he calculated before the jump. He made it with no harm and walked away from the main square.

Ezio turned into the streets of Florence. He made his way towards Cristina's place, She was the brightest star among darkness in his life. The young man hoped his mother wouldn't be disappointed that he wasn't going home for the night, therefor he could only hope that Federico would come out with some good excuse.

He climbed to her balcony using green vines and white stones protruding from the wall. He had done this so many times, he had been seeing Cristina for almost two years now, thus he was surprised to see Cristina waiting for him in her room as she somehow knew that he would visit her. He swung his legs over the balcony railing and asked her dreadfully "Is everything alright, Cristina?" 

As soon as his eyes met hers, a flash of concern crossed his mind. It was evident that something was amiss, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.