Assassin's Creed: Youth

Chapter 2

Flora rose from her sister's body. She was too young to understand what had happened, so she thought her sister was in a very deep sleep. She walked around the dusty street, as if she was waiting for Candida to wake up. After a moment, she felt something strange under her feet. She looked down, and found a ripped piece of red fabric.
She picked it up, but just before she could examine it, she felt a cold shadow towering her from behind. She turned around, and behind her was a row of tall, scary-looking people, all dressed in white. She gasped in fright, but a lady held her hand out, to show she meant no harm.
'Are you okay, little girl?' She asked, her voice soft and tender.
Flora slowly shook her head. 'My sister..' She said, her arm pointing to the body. 'She won't wake up.'
The lady swallowed hard, finding it hard to calm down the child. 'My name is Marcia del Rosa. What is your name?'
'Flora...' She shyly answered, looking around for a surname. Her eye caught sight of the courtesan house sign. 'Flora Masini. '
'Can you give me that red fabric, Flora?'
Flora reluctantly handed it over. Marcia unfurled the fabric. Woven into it was a picture of a yellow shield, with five red circle inside it.
'The Medici crest. ' Marcia whispered to herself. 'Those bastardos.'
Marcia gave back the fabric to Flora, and asked 'Where is your mother?'
'Inside there. 'She pointed to the House of Night, which was just behind them. All of the hooded people turned at once to face the building. Marcia turned back to Flora.
'Come with me,' she said. 'I need to talk to your mother.'
Marcia went to see Daniela. Flora could not understand what they were discussing. She sat on a chair near them, staring blankly into space.
'What kind of monster would do such a thing?' Daniela asked. Marcia showed her the crest. Daniela gasped.
'The Medici? They would never-'
'Please, signora. Let us take Flora with us'.
'I don't know, I don't want my daughter to be a murderer...'
'We won't force her into anything. If she wants to leave, she can. I just want to help.'
Daniela sighed. 'Okay, you can take her. It's what best for her'.
Daniela crossed over to Flora, and hugged her.
'Stay safe, my child. I'll always be here if you need me'.
Flora nodded in reply.
Marcia turned to Flora and took her hand. She led her out into the street, and the pair stopped at a graveyard. Marcia held Flora's hand tighter, trying to reassure her it was safe. She took her to an old mausoleum, and led her down the stairs. She knocked on the old, redwood door with an iron knocker, and two eyes appeared behind a slide window.
'Who goes there?' Asked the voice.
'It is me, Marcia.'
The door slowly opened, and the white clothed assassin led them in.
The walls were made of chiseled marble, adorned with red and blue banners, each bearing a triangular symbol. The hall was lit up by glowing orange torches, in thick metal sconces. Marcia led Flora down the hall, stepping on a blue carpet, over to a smaller room to the left. Flora gazed in awe.
'This is where we train our novices,' she explained. 'Go on, talk to the other children'.
There was a row of hay-stuffed scarecrows, and several children were swinging silver swords, parrying with the dummies. She walked over to a boy with long black hair, who was jousting with the dummy.
'What's your name?' Flora asked, standing at his side. The boy put his sword down.
'My name is Giovanni Auditore'.
'I'm Flora. Flora Masini. '
Giovanni smiled.
'Why are you here?' Flora asked.
'I'm training to be an assassin. My father is an assassin, and my grandfather was, and his father after that and-'
'Ok, I get it'.
'What about you? Why do you want to be an assassin?'
'My sister is asleep and won't wake up. '
'Oh. ' Giovanni paused. 'I see. ' He picked up his sword, and gave it to Flora.
'Here, have a go at the dummy'. Flora took a few strikes at the scarecrow. Giovanni laughed. Flora was five years younger than him, and he found it funny for a little girl to fight so fiercely.

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'You be quiet!' Shouted Piero to the psychic. 'You-'
He was interrupted by the entrance of a guard.
'Ser Medici, the girl has been killed'.
'Excellent. You are dismissed'. The guard strolled away. Piero turned back to the psychic.
'You see! Crisis averted. Now show me how I will die, seeing how that problem is gone'.
'Very well,' the woman replied. She waved her hands over the crystal ball, and an image formed, showing Piero being stabbed by a white hooded assassin.
'You will be killed by a figure in white.'
Piero mouth gaped in shock. He fell to his knees. At once, he stood up again, and shouted at the psychic.
'Liar! You only wish to spite me! You will spite me no more! Guards! Take her away!'
A stampede of guards approached and grabbed the woman by the arms, taking her away. As she was being dragged, the woman shouted and cursed at Piero.
'You can't run away from your fate! No matter what you do, you will die one day'.
Piero, ignoring her advice, returned to his desk.