Souls Through Time (EzioxOC/DesmondxOC)

Chapter 3 - Amelia

1476 - Florence, Italy

Two Years Later

Age: 17-18

The city gates loomed over her as she dismounted her horse and handed it off to the stable boy. She paid him the amount he asked and made her way into the city. It had been ten years since she had been to the city she had grown up in. Her father had moved them outside the city gates after her mother died when she was little. However her original home was in the heart of the city near the Palazzo de Auditore and that was where her father had allowed mercenaries to live and guard the codex pages he had collected over the years.

Despite the fact that she hadn't been there in years her feet took her exactly where she needed to go. She soon found herself standing in the small courtyard of her old home and it brought a warmth to her heart that it hadn't changed very much in the time that she had been gone with her father. The mercenaries had done a good job of keeping it well kept to her surprise. She walked into the house without so much as a knock and wasn't surprised when she found a dagger at her throat.

"Who are you and what do you want?" The man sneered, pulling her into the house and slamming her against the wall. The door closed with a thud and she took a moment to catch her breath. Slowly and with an open palm she lifted her hand to pull the hood of her robes down. Immediately the man backed off and was apologizing profusely for his actions.

"It is alright. I deserved that for walking in unannounced." She chuckled.

"It has been some time since you or your father came here. We thought the worst." The mercenary told her and she gave him a sad smile.

"I am here for that reason. He passed not a month ago." She told the man. "My fathers dying instructions were to bring the codex pages to Giovanni Auditore as soon as possible."

"I fear you may be too late. Him and his boys were arrested this morning and will stand trial in the morning." He informed her.

"On what grounds!" She demanded.

"They did not say my lady. They will surely announce it in the morning but I fear the worst." He replied.

"Where are the pages?" She asked, desperate to get out of the house and into the city to track down Maria and Claudia if possible. If not she would have to wait until morning to witness the trial.

"This way." The mercenary replied and walked up the stairs to the house. He led her into her father's old study and to the fireplace where he pushed one of the bricks in. Suddenly one of the panels beside the fireplace fell away and opened into a lit hallway. She followed it down to a secret room where she found a chest. In the chest were the papers she was looking for and she quickly rolled them up and tucked them away into the inner pocket of her robes.

She left the palazzo, thanking the men for taking care of her home. She stood outside the main gate for some time, trying to decide what she wanted to do. Her first thought was to visit the Palazzo de Auditore from the street but she didn't want them to see her. Not like this. So she resolved to find her way to their home from the rooftops.

Having decided her path she looked at her surroundings and wasn't surprised to find many of the civilians looking at her. Some glare at her, while others just gave her a quizzical look. She returned the looks with a blank stare once she realized that it was her appearance that was gaining their attention. She rolled her eyes and approached the wall of her family's palazzo. Gazing up the wall she saw her path would be an easy one and she quickly began her ascent to the roof. The gasps and murmurs of the crowd didn't go unnoticed but she ignored them, hoping that they wouldn't alert some guards.

Once she had her feet firmly planted on the shingles of her home she could see where she needed to go. She headed south, towards the Auditore banners that were flying in the sky. She made quick work of the distance between their palazzos and upon landing on their roof she was appalled at the sight before her. Their courtyard was in ruins. The once beautiful flower beds were torn to bits and the main door had been ripped from its hinges. She could only assume that it was the work of the city guards who had arrested Giovanni and the boys.

Movement below caught her attention and she ducked into the shadows. Coming from the main entrance to the palazzo was a figure dressed similarly to her. From the figures build she knew he was male. Had someone sent another assassin to rescue the Auditores?

"You! Halt! You're the one that got away!!" A guard from outside the palazzo yelled.

"Are you here to arrest me in my own home as you did my father and brothers?" The figure spoke and she somehow recognized the voice, but she couldn't place a name to it.

"No. We are here to kill you, Ezio Auditore." She stood there in shock. This was Ezio? He was an assassin too? But he was so innocent. She knew that Federico had known about his fathers work but to her knowledge of the last time she saw him he had no clue of what his father truly did.

She watched the guards advance on him and he drew his sword. The first guard attacked and she found that Ezio knew how to use the blade that was in his hand but he was sloppy. As if he were new to the sport. He nearly tripped over his own feet several times and that was when she knew. These robes were not his. They were his father. He had no idea what he was doing or what was going on. She kept an eye on the second guard and when he went to attack Ezio's back she acted. She chose to stay out of sight and threw a knife at the man. She hit her target in the neck and his gurgling caught Ezio's attention after she had killed his opponent. He looked up and for a moment they made eye contact. She froze, not knowing what to do. She felt that it wasn't the right moment to reveal herself and so she did the only thing she could think of. She ran.

She could hear him calling after her as she jumped across the rooftops to put more distance between them. She looked behind her to find that he had made it to the rooftop and was gaining on her. She would have to find a hiding spot if she hoped to keep her identity a temporary secret. And she found her escape rather easily. Below her she could see a haystack in the streets and she didn't hesitate to jump. The landing was by no means soft and she would likely have bruises in the morning but she didn't care. She quickly jumped out of the cart and ran into a dark alley she could hide in. She ducked low into the shadows when she heard the familiar rustling of the hay, knowing he had also jumped down.

From her hiding spot she could see him. She could see that the little boy she once knew had grown into a man. His face had matured into that of a handsome young man and she could just barely see the scar on the right side of his upper lip. His physique was covered by the robes but she knew that he had filled out nicely, just as his brother had. He looked around for her but he could not see her.

"I know you're here. Please show yourself." He pleaded desperately. Her heart broke, hearing his voice and her resolve to hide from him broke. Ever so carefully she stepped out of the shadows, keeping her head down. "Who are you?" She didn't reply, instead she lifted her hands and pulled the hood back from her face to rest on her shoulders. She looked up at him and he gasped.

"Amelia? Is it really you?" He asked, taking a small step closer to her.

"Hello Ezio." She replied, looking him dead in the eyes. She barely had enough time to prepare herself as he rushed forward and pulled her into a tight embrace. She returned the embrace with just as much enthusiasm. "Oh how I've missed you my dear friend." She whispered into the crook of his neck.

"And I you. It's been ten years. When your letters stopped... I feared the worst. Why are you here after all this time? And dressed like this?" She could see that he had a lot of questions for her but she wouldn't be able to answer all of them right now.

"I promise, there is much I'll explain. But right now, we need to focus on your family. THey need us." She told him and he started nodding in understanding.

"You're right. I have to get these to Alberto Uberti - he can clear my father and brothers of all charges at the trial tomorrow." He told her and she nodded.

"Then lead the way. We will have time to catch up when this is all over." She replies, pulling her hood back over her head. He nodded and took off in the direction they needed to go. She smiled sadly after him before following, this time keeping up with him.