Loving an Assassin [Ezio Auditore]

Loving an Assassin [Chapter 2]

The yelling comes from Palazzo Vespucci. My fiancée is at it again. Groaning, I pull my curtains shut and a pillow over my head. Please, someone tell me that by the time we are married, he will be faithful. Though I know I shouldn't cry, I still start to tear up. It isn't fair. What does she have that I don't? Is it beauty? Or brain? What is so wrong with me? The tears finally spill over. I refuse to grab a handkerchief and use my sleeves to sloppily wipe it away. My windows open and so do the curtains shielding my bed. "Please! Let me stay here until the guards stop chasing me!" It's obvious who this is.

"And why should I, Ezio?" I snarl angrily. My waterworks have finally stopped and is replaced with rage. Why should I have to defend the one person who will never really love me? "Because we are engaged and you care about me," Ezio's arms wrap around me, "Because on our wedding night, I will give you the greatest pleasure known to man." "Not good enough," I turn away from him as I say this. He cannot win this battle. "I will remain faithful to you for the rest of my life." Ezio says with a sigh of defeat. Smiling, I run my fingers through my dark hair. "Bene. You may stay. But lay down. I should t be up at this hour." Yawning, I remove the ribbon from his hair and I curl up in my bed. Ezio complies by pulling my curtains and windows shut, then he joins me in my bed.

A few hours later, I wake up to see Ezio crawl out of bed. How much I long to grab his arm, to beg him to stay by my side and never leave me. Instantly, I grip his sleeve fervently, but no words come to my mouth. Though we don't speak, it's like he knows every word I want to say. "Not today, Caterina," he removes his arm from my grasp "Not yet," Ezio continues. I reluctantly lay back; there really is no arguing with him. A few minutes later, he is gone. I am alone again. Gabrielle waltzes in, not even knocking, with my breakfast. While she chooses my clothing and explains today's schedule, I slurp my soup.

My heart aches a bit from his departure and it is evident on my face. "He visited you? Did he...touch you?" Gabrielle asks. I nearly spit out my soup from shock. "No. He only stayed for a bit. Nothing happened between us," I explain. She sighs in relief and pulls out a blue dress. Why is she so concerned? He would never touch me, not even for a million florins. Gabrielle lays the dress in front of me, along with the rest of my undergarments, and urges me to get up. "Why are you so concerned, Gabby?" I ask.

She shakes her head angrily and I know why. She wants me to be pure for my wedding night, since Ezio isn't. I slide my dress onto my thin frame, then Gabby ties it in the back. She combs the tangles out of my hair, making we wince. "I don't want him violating you. Caterina, you have a future and you must be pure," Gabrielle argues. Nodding, I pull my shortened locks back so it frames my face. She places a veil on my head to keep my hair out of the way. "Your tutor is sick today, so there will be no lessons. But your mother wishes to see you in the parlor for sewing." Frowning, I finish getting ready and slide my shoes on. Usually, this means a lecture on why I'm not married yet and how she needs grandchildren.

"Do I have-" "Yes you do. Your mother will yell at me if you don't go and I'm not taking the blame for this." Not another scolding. If I had a florin for every day this has happened. I could probably bathe in money for a few years. Maybe I could even be richer than the Medici bank. How much fun would that be? After proceeding with my morning routine, I walk downstairs into the parlor where my mother sits, waiting for me. Anna DeWinter had once been one of the most desired girls in Venezia. Then, she met Luigi Voltaire, married, and had a single teenage daughter. Now, she lives in Firenze, raising her sixteen year old daughter while her husband rules the family. Though she has aged considerably, I do see the resemblance between her and myself. In my mother's lap is a basket full of sewing supplies. Oh no, she's serious about this. "Caterina, I hear you're engaged to Ezio Auditore. Is this true?" She asks me. When I tell her yes, she drops the basket and dances around the room, happier than I have ever seen her. Quickly, I hasten to grab the fallen supplies, careful not to prick my fingers. "Mother? What about the sewing lesson?" "Oh! Yes, the lesson. The first thing we will talk about is-" Oh dear lord no!