[Ezio x Reader Fanfic] May the father of understanding guide us

20} Arranged What!?!?

Decided to do a quick update dedicated to @armari3 since they were my motivation to write this chapter. Thank you!!! Hope you enjoy it...

Y/N's POV

I dismount outside the house and hand my horse to the stable hand. I pull off my hood and run a hand through my (h/l) (h/c) hair.

"(Y/N)?" A strict voice comes from inside the house. I stride towards the front door and open it to find my father and Ferdinand standing in the entrance hall and discussing their latest plans.

"(Y/n), why are you back so soon?" My father asks, Ferdinand looking at me worriedly.

"Uberto Alberti is dead. The Assassin took him out at the party." I reply while receiving questioning looks from the two men.

"And you let this happen?" Rodrigo asks me.

"I couldn't have stopped it even if I wanted to. He was too fast." I spit out harshly earning silence from both men.

"No matter, he wasn't essential to our progress." Rodrigo turns and walks to his study motioning for us to follow.

"I have received a letter from Vieri de'Pazzi requesting a meeting in San Gimignano. We will be riding out in an hour so get ready." He dismisses me and Ferdinand to get prepared for the meeting.

~~~~time skip~~~~

Our carriage swayed slightly on the bumpy road as we made our way to San Gimignano to meet with Francesco, Jacopo and Vieri.

"There have been reports of the mercenaries led by that thug Mario  causing havoc in and around the city. If the meeting goes as planned then I will most likely leave you to help Vieri deal with them." Rodrigo says absentmindedly staring out of the window across the beautiful landscape.

"I haven't spoken to Vieri since we were young children, although I've heard he's grown up to be an arrogant-" I am abruptly cut off by my father.

"You would do well to remember that the Pazzi are valuable allies. Vieri especially. He is your age too, try to get along with him." He's being all vague and I don't like it. Why did he have to bring me along anyway? And then insist that i work with Vieri? It doesn't make sense to bring me to a meeting with the higher up Templars since I haven't even been inducted yet- for that I'll have to wait till my 18th. (P.s not sure what age you guys are and I'm not sure if I mentioned your age earlier but I'm picturing a 16/17 year old)

Something's going on here and I'm in the dark which is my least favourite place to be.

I have no time to complain since our carriage pulls up outside the main gates of San Gimignano. Pulling up my hood again I open the carriage door and begin to step down. A hand is presented to me.

"(Y/N), a pleasure as always." Vieri smirks at me and I halfheartedly glare at him. I avoid his hand and place both hands on his shoulders, using him to jump down the few steps to the muddy ground. Father obviously disapproves but I really don't care.

"Haha, haven't changed one bit have you? You never liked being helped even when you were younger." He smiles warmly and I laugh, remembering when we used to train together as young children.

"I never needed help then and I certainly don't need it now. I was always better than you anyway!" I joke, punching his shoulder lightly.

"Stop fooling around, we have business." His father, Francesco, puts a hand on your shoulder and squeezes lightly. I never spent a lot of time with him but what little I did see of him he was very serious and much like his son; full of himself. Nonetheless, I had grown up with Vieri and trained with him so ,as much as he annoyed me, he was one of my only childhood friends.

The meeting was mostly about the mercenaries with the occasional mention of Ezio and his Uncle. The meeting ended as we made it through the gates and into an open area surrounded by lower buildings and the walls of the city.

My focus is snapped back to the conversation with one question muttered under someone's breath.

"Does she know yet?"

I freeze and turn to be met by three pairs of eyes all locked on me.

"No, I don't know...is there something I should know then?" I ask Francesco who posed the original question.

"Ah...I had been meaning to tell her but it escaped my mind. (Y/n), since we are good friends to the Pazzi, Francesco and I have made arrangements for you to marry Vieri. There will be a big ceremony in about a month." The air slips from my lungs and my heart is beating so rapidly I'm pretty sure everyone can hear it. I don't want this though!

"I...uh...I don't..." I look from my father's emotionless face to Vieri's which looks pained as if anticipating rejection. "I don't...know...if I can be ready in one month."

There are many reasons why I agreed to this: I didn't want to hurt Vieri; I had to stay on my father's good side; it's not like I have men queuing up to marry me. But it was mostly because I needed to stay in the order, if I had to marry Vieri then so be it. I have to stay in the order to keep updated on Ezio's whereabouts and his activity incase I need to intervene.

The statement registered in Vieri's mind and he looked at me almost apologetically before taking my hand and bringing it to his chest and then to his lips to kiss it. He brought a golden ring out of his pocket and slid it onto my ring finger. (Ring in image at the top is the engagement ring)

As he lets go a strong wind blows through my cloak and pushes my hood back. My (h/l) (h/c) hair whipping in the wind and framing my face.

The back of my neck tingles with the feeling of being watched. I turn around and scan the streets behind me only to see the fleeting shadow of a figure down a dark alleyway.

Strange.