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

44} High Stakes

The door does well to stay on its hinges as I kick it open, making a loud bang and drawing the attention of all those in the room.

I'd taken the trousers and shirt off of the guard as well as his boots and I feel a lot more comfortable in this compared to the tight rigidity of that awful dress and those impractical heels. I also grabbed his bow and quiver.

I take no notice of the startled whores and instead I lock eyes with Ezio. As desperate as I am to say that I feel nothing but a cool, steely resolve to tell Ezio the plan and then leave, I can't deny the way my heart flutters and my strides falter.

Stupid bastardo, making me feel things!

"(Y/n)? What are you doing here?" He asks, silencing Antonio who was clearly about to intervene and ask me to leave.

"Shut up and listen to me Ezio, I'll only say this once." I continue to walk to him until I'm standing right I front of him, looking up at him whilst maintaining authority. "You can't kill Marco tonight."

"Why on earth not? This is our best chance!" Antonio buts in, me glaring at him as he does so.

"Because I said so that's why!" I turn back to Ezio who is deep in thought, looking at me intently. "I swear I'm not on their side on this one but they have someone very dear to me and if Marco is killed tonight I might loose them."

His eyes widen but remain hard and his arms fold.

"Please, Ezio. I'm begging you to just do as I say, I'll get you another shot at Marco just not tonight." I feel tears begin to well up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. "They have Fer. They have him and they're going to kill him."

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Ezio's pov

That idiot?? That's who she is so upset about?

I suppress the copious amounts of anger and think this through.

Marco needs to die, there's no other acceptable outcome. They all have to die to pay for what they did to my family.

There is no denying the quiver in her voice and the damp slowly glazing over her beautiful eyes. There's also no denying the tight grip she has on the bow hanging by her side, an arrow already partially notched.

"(Y/n).... as much as I want to agree, I can't let Marco live. An opportunity like this can't be passed up and I don't know when or if I'll get another shot." Her resolve shatters completely, for a moment it's as if I'm staring into the eyes of a scared child or a cornered wild animal and I hate myself for making her look at me like that. In a split second it's gone. Replaced by sheer anger as she grits her teeth and turns away.

"Wait!" I grip her shoulder and she spins around, whipping up the bow, arrow notched, and aiming it right at my head, the sharpened metal only half a metre from my face.

"No! If you can't contain your petty ideals of revenge then I'll find a way to stop you." She lowers the bow and walks away, not looking back once.

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(Y/n)'s POV

The music is loud but I tune it out. The courtyard is crowed but that doesn't matter to me.

My eyes were fixed on one thing and one thing alone.

He'd stolen Dante's mask, snuck into the courtyard and now he's hiding from the guards as he waits for Marco to come out onto his boat, which has been sitting in the calm waters since the early hours of the morning. Ezio Auditore.

Right on cue, my father gives me a signal as Marco opens the cabin doors of his ship and I silently hop down off of the roof, jumping off of beams and crates to reach the ground safely. I sneakily push through the cloud, pulling a dagger out of my boot and holding it tightly in my right hand.

It takes but a few seconds to reach Ezio and his face lights up when he spots me, although it fades when I press a blade against his abdomen.

"Ezio I told you I wouldn't let you kill him. I can't." I hiss, pressing the blade roughly against him and making him grit his teeth.

"It's not me you should be trying to stop." He hisses back, remorse evident in his eyes but not his voice. I can feel my eyes widen against my will as I glare at him before spinning around and searching the crowd.

Then I spot them. Antonio's thugs. They are on the roofs, welding bows and they all take aim.

But the shot doesn't come from them.

It comes from behind me and I turn to see Ezio's arm outstretched and a strange, smoking barrel attached to his wrist.

"(Y/n)!" A voice bellows from the canal shore. I find myself turning yet again but this time what I see makes my heart jump. They're loading Fer into a gondola, they've blindfolded him and from his ragged appearance I'd say they've been more than a little rough.

"Fer!" I shout back, pelting towards the gondola, pushing aside anyone and everyone in my way, that is until they grabbed me, two guards that is.

I pull against them with all my might and I still can't move, can't do anything but watch and cry as they row him away. Row him to his deathbed.

I turn around one last time and I lock eyes with Ezio.

And he looks at me one last time.....

before running away like a damn coward.

------time skip------

The square is completely packed, just like it was all those years ago.

After Ezio abandoned me, I was taken by my father and they must have knocked me out because they woke me up by throwing me onto my knees and tearing the burlap sack off of my head. They'd set up a special podium for me to kneel on, level with the overused gallows and only ten meters away from it. I would have a perfect view.

Two guards keep me kneeling there as I glare at them, trying to use some magical force unknown to man. Needless to say, I didn't shoot beams of light out of my eyes, instead there was just the makings of a steady stream pouring out of them.

My best friend was going to be murdered in front of me. Because of me.

All too soon the Palazzo doors are flung wide and Ferdinand is marched out of them by a host of guards. His head is hanging and it conceals parts of his bruised and bloody face.

"Fe-" I start to scream but a dirty rag is pulled over my mouth, muffling my screams.

But he still heard enough, he looks up at me, at my desperate eyes and my hopeless position. I can't save you Fer, I'm so sorry!

He nods at me and just smiles, it is a weak smile but it's all it takes for us both to break down, tears dribbling out of his eyes now too.

He is led to a stool which he stands on and his head is passed through a noose which they tighten.

We don't break eye contact for a moment and in his last moments he smiles and whispers his lasts words.

"I love you (your/nickname)."

Then the lever is pulled and the stage collapses underneath him.