Bleeding Brotherhood   von Peacer
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                        Kapitel 6: Ezio Auditore, 1503
                        ------------------------------


It had already been late when Ezio had arrived in Firenze. Now, as he stumbled
through the mostly deserted streets of the city in which he had grown up, night
had fallen for good and covered everything in shadows, including the Assassin,
much to his convenience. He didn’t need to see his way to know where he was
going, being so familiar with the layout of his home city, but it sure helped to
shake off any possible pursuers.
Pain spiked through his shoulder and he grit his teeth, heavily leaning on the
wall behind him for support, trying to get his bearings back and stop the
trembling that stubbornly had taken control of his body. He might have taken out
the one responsible for this wound - he was thankful Mario had insisted he
learned to throw a knife as skilfully with his left as with his right hand - but
being attacked twice in a row had made him very cautious of any other possible
ambushes. He wouldn’t survive another fight, not in his condition. He needed
to both get to safety and his wound treated, all without raising too much
attention.
And there was only one person in this whole city he could trust with all that.
With a tremendous effort, costing him the last of his willpower, he pushed
himself off the wall and staggered to the corner of the street, quickly glancing
around to make sure it was as deserted as the one he was hiding in, and then
continued his way along the wall of the building until he finally reached the
door. He let go of his shoulder just long enough to knock exactly five times, as
he had always done when he visited, then slumped against the wall and waited,
willing his legs to bear his weight just a little longer and ignoring the sweat
drops that landed in his eyes, making his vision a bit fuzzy.
Then the door finally opened and the sleepy face of his friend appeared, already
in his nightclothes and turned into one of shock the moment he saw his wound.
“Ezio!”
The Assassin tried for a reassuring smile, but he wasn’t sure if it worked,
for the next moment the black spots hovering in the perimeter of his vision
expanded and he collapsed on the threshold.

He would only remember bits and pieces of the week that followed. Someone poking
at his hurt shoulder. His inability to defend himself. A cup of water at his
lips and the nasty taste of some broth. The cool feeling of a damp cloth on his
forehead. Soothing words, softly spoken to him, even though he couldn’t
understand for the life of him what they were saying. Flashes of a very familiar
face, constantly wearing a worried frown, something his instinct told him was
very unnatural on said face, even if he didn’t recognize it.
And pain. Lots of pain, foremost in his shoulder, but really everywhere: his
head, his ribs, his arms and legs and his back. There was not a part of him that
didn’t hurt. Even breathing was painful as if his lungs were on strike,
refusing to work anymore.
Being unconscious was a blessing, so he never stayed awake for very long, always
preferring to return to the soothing black void, safely away from the pain.
But he had to return to the world of the living eventually and his caretaker
made sure of that, after a very long week. The Assassin finally awakened, for
real this time, his mind more or less clear, and above all, without feeling any
pain besides maybe a little soreness, something he was more than used to.
Sitting up was a bad idea though, as he quickly realized as the sharp pain went
through his shoulder and chest, and he sank back onto his pillow with a low
groan.
“Ezio?” Light footsteps could be heard approaching and a moment later a very
familiar and very welcome face appeared above him, breaking into a radiant
smile. “Thank God, you’re finally awake.”
“More like thank Leonardo, isn’t it?” he rasped, smiling despite his dry
throat and his friend hurried to help him sit up and then passed him a glass of
water, carefully keeping a hand on his shoulder to make sure he wouldn’t fall
over.
Despite his pride, Ezio was grateful for the help. He felt weak, almost as bad
as he had after the Borgia had overrun Monteriggioni and shot him. He took
careful sips, remembering that it would do him no good to give into his urge to
gulp the water down, and didn’t protest when the painter took the glass out of
his hand, even though he was still thirsty.
“The dottore merits your thanks more than me. It was him that treated your
wound,” Leonardo explained, as humble as ever.
“And it was Messer da Vinci that cared for you afterwards,” a gruff voice
interjected, startling both Leonardo and Ezio quite a bit and thus proving that
the Assassin wasn’t fit yet, since it was normally impossible to catch him by
surprise.
“Lodovico! How many times do I have to remind you to stop sneaking up on me
like that. You’re worse than Ezio!” the inventor reprimanded the young man,
but Ezio could clearly hear the amused undertone, as did Lodovico, whose smile
could even be seen under his hood.
“As often as it takes.” He lightly bowed in Ezio’s direction. “Messer
Ezio. It’s good to see you awake at last.”
Ezio nodded. “It’s good to see you too, Lodovico. How are things holding
up?”
“Everything is under control,” the recruit smiled.
Leonardo looked from one assassin to the other, before he turned to Ezio, a
little indignant. “Wait, you’re not surprised to see him?”
Ezio smiled. “How could I if it was me who sent him here in the first
place?”
The inventor blinked in surprise. Then he frowned when he understood what was
going on. “You’re keeping tabs on me?”
“We’re trying to keep you safe, Messer Da Vinci,” Lodovico corrected
quietly and Ezio nodded, smiling apologetically at his friend.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I didn’t want you to worry.”
But Leonardo was not one to hold a grudge and smiled. “Why would it worry me?
It’s reassuring to have a protector lurking in your shadow,” he joked,
before adding a bit more seriously. “You should have told me though. I’m
sure it’s more comfortable in here than perched on the windowsill outside.”
“I probably thought you’d have enough of assassins after knowing me,” Ezio
replied jokingly, but with a slight undertone of seriousness which the sharp
inventor didn’t miss, of course.
He smiled warmly and put a hand on his shoulder. “You know you’re always
welcome here, Ezio. As are your friends.“ Then he turned to Lodovico and added
in a lighter tone, “I guess you’re taking turns stalking me?” The recruit
nodded and Leonardo smiled at Ezio. “Then please tell them to show themselves
to me. Who knows, I might even be able to convert them! Fransesco seemed to be
really intrigued by my paintings when he last visited me for his Hidden
Bolt.”
“Then I think it might be better to entirely keep them away from you. I
can’t let you steal my recruits after all, “Ezio replied, a bit surprised by
Leonardo’s words. Fransesco had never struck him as the creative type, being a
silent young man with a no-nonsense attitude, but then again that was his
assassin personality.
Growing a bit more serious, he finally asked the question that had bugged him
ever since he woke. “So, what exactly did I miss?”
Leonardo and Lodovico exchanged looks, before the inventor decided to take it
upon him to tell the tale. “You really scared me when you collapsed on my
threshold. Lucky for both of us though, Lodovico had heard of the attack and
chose that moment to make his appearance, nearly giving me a heart attack in the
process,” he shot the recruit a look, who only grinned a bit ruefully, “but
together we managed to get you inside where I took care of your wound as best as
I could since Lodovico found it too risky to call for a doctor, not knowing what
was going on. It didn’t really work out though. The wound became infected.”
Lodovico continued the tale, his arms crossed before his chest. “By then I had
contacted Maestro Machiavelli, telling him what happened, and he asked me to
inform Messer Medici. When I did, he immediately sent out his personal physician
to help your recovery. And just in time, for your condition had worsened by
then.”
Ezio nodded thoughtfully. “It seems I have many debts to repay.” He looked
at his recruit. “You have stayed in contact with the Medici?”
Lodovico nodded. “Sì. I have scouted ahead to locate the enemy they asked you
to kill, but I waited for you to wake up before making a move.”
“So the only thing left to do is take him out?”
Lodovico nodded.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Ezio made to swing his legs out of bed, his
exhaustion completely forgotten in the heat of the moment, but was halted by an
unrelenting hand clamping on his shoulder. He looked up in the unusual stern
face of Leonardo.
“We are waiting for you to recover, which is exactly what you will do. I
won’t allow you to destroy the progress you made.”
Ezio was too surprised to protest when the inventor made him lie back down, not
even thinking of telling him that he was in no position to order him around.
After all, he really was, even if it was hard to admit.
Leonardo smiled to take the sharpness out of his words. “Lodovico did all the
preparations by himself, don’t you think he deserves to finish this
mission?”
The inventor had chosen his words very carefully, saying “deserve” instead
of “ought to”, thus appealing to Ezio’s pride to not steal the kill and at
the same time making sure not to sound patronizing. The Assassin was well aware
of the fact that the painter was manipulating him, that sly bastardo, but he was
right. Again.
Therefore, he gave in with a heavy sigh. “Alright. Lodovico, I leave it to
you. Be careful. If the mission could wait a week, there is no need to rush it
now.”
“I won’t fail, Messer Ezio.” Lodovico bowed, then turned around and
disappeared through the open window, the same way he had entered.
Leonardo sighed. “At least you still use the door.”

“You’re the worst patient I’ve ever seen.” Leonardo let out an
exasperated sigh as Ezio kept pacing, unfazed by Leonardo's protests to stay in
bed. The dottore who had come earlier this morning to check up on him and change
his bandages may have ordered him to stay in bed, but he wouldn’t be him if he
didn’t blatantly ignore that advice. Besides, he had lost a lot of respect for
doctors since the time they had started calling him old.
“That’s not hard since your usual patients are already dead,” Ezio
answered amusedly and stopped for a moment to browse through Leonardo’s books.
Finding nothing that spiked his interest, he continued his pacing, much to the
inventor’s chagrin when he couldn’t concentrate on his work even if he
wanted to.
“And after having to deal with you, I know why I prefer them that way. Now
stop worrying and sit down at least. Lodovico will be fine.”
The Assassin finally relented and sat down at the opposite end of the table from
where Leonardo was sitting, and more importantly, from where he could keep an
eye on the window, and started to drum his fingers on the table.
The inventor shot him a pointed look. “You should have more trust in your
recruits.”
He knew that. And he also knew they were all more than capable enough to handle
the missions he assigned them, he had made sure of that himself, but he
couldn’t help but worry. All the more after what had happened to Nico. He had
the urge to do every slightly more challenging mission himself, to make sure his
recruits stayed safe, but that was, of course, impossible. There was way too
much to do to handle everything on his own.
“What happened?”
Ezio looked up in surprise to see Leonardo watching him, concern as clear as the
day in his light eyes. It shouldn’t surprise him that the inventor had read
his mood as easily as an open book. Not only had they known each other for over
two decades now, but the man was a real genius. Sometimes a bit scatter-brained
maybe, but nonetheless very observant, with the sharpest mind Ezio had ever had
the luck to encounter.
He hesitated a moment, but then decided to simply tell the curious inventor. Not
only because he would immediately spot any lie Ezio could try to feed him, but
foremost because he was his friend. So, he told him what had happened prior to
his departure for Firenze.
Leonardo was silent for a long while before he finally spoke, carefully choosing
his words which told Ezio more than anything how serious the usually rambling
inventor was. “You can’t save everyone, Ezio. I know you know, but you need
to accept it, too. You’re doing all you can and I assure you, you’re making
a difference, but you can’t be everywhere at once. And most of all, you
can’t do what you have to while bearing the burden of the dead as well as the
living.” He smiled reassuringly, reaching across the table to pat his hand.
“You’re not alone in this, Ezio.”
The Assassin nodded, feeling better than he had in days. Talking about his
worries had helped as much as hearing Leonardo’s words.  “And I’m very
grateful for that. Thank you, amico mio.”
The serene moment was destroyed when Lodovico swung himself through the window
and nearly gave them both a heart attack.
Leonardo frowned at the recruit. “Why can’t you use the door like a normal
person?”
Lodovico cocked his head. “Because I am no normal person, Messer da Vinci, I
am an assassin. Besides, if you wanted me to use the door, why leave the window
open?”
Ezio chuckled at that. Seemed like his recruit had quite the gift of gab. “I
assume the mission went according to plan?”
“Sì. The target is dead, the Medici are happy and we are somewhat richer.
Everyone is better off. Except for the target, of course, but since he was a
Templar, I don’t think it matters all that much.”
“A Templar?” That revelation somehow destroyed the relaxed atmosphere as
both Ezio and Leonardo leaned forward, interested.
Lodovico pulled a ring out of his bag and laid it on the table in front of them
so that the Templar insignia was clearly visible. “He had this on him.”
“So much for having some peace and quiet here in Firenze,” Leonardo sighed.
It was Ezio’s turn to send his friend a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry,
we’ll make sure no one will bother you.”
Keeping his friend safe after all, was the least he could do after what Leonardo
had done for him, not only this time around, but every time really. And taking
care of his friends was something Ezio took very serious.

A few days later, Ezio finally felt good enough to depart, even if neither the
doctor, nor Leonardo, agreed and would have liked to keep him confined to his
bed a bit longer. But he was growing restless, and not even his friend could
manage to hold him when his thoughts were already back in Roma.
“Be careful,” Leonardo said with a worried smile and when they clasped hands
in goodbye, not even Ezio’s reassuring squeeze managed to make the inventor
feel better.
“You too. I’ve sent for Fransesco to keep an eye on you, but please don’t
seduce him into becoming a painter, alright?”
That finally earned him the warm grin he was used to. “I won’t make any
promises,” Leonardo answered with a wink, then Ezio finally got on his horse
and the long and slow journey back to Roma began.
And it was thanks to the inventor it stayed slow the whole way, he had made sure
of that by sending Lodovico along to keep an eye on him and make sure that he
didn’t push himself too hard, setting a slow pace with numerous breaks and
ignoring Ezio’s complaints about being perfectly capable of going faster.
The next time he saw Leonardo, he really needed to ask him how he kept his very
own recruits under control and made them ignore even his wishes. But despite all
the complaining, he was secretly grateful Lodovico didn’t give in, for at the
end of the day he was always exhausted to the brink of passing out and his
shoulder and ribs hurt all the more from the jolting they received on
horseback.
Due to that slow pace, it took them a good week to make it back, which was
plenty of time to think about what had happened in Firenze. He didn’t like it
one bit, but it was obvious that someone had tipped his attackers off that he
would travel to his home city, or else he wouldn’t have been ambushed right
after his arrival. Word tended to spread that he was in the city, but only after
he did something to warrant such attention, and he had certainly lain low, no
different than any other traveller.
Which meant that there really was a traitor in their ranks, since it hadn’t
been known to all that many that he had this mission. If La Volpe found out,
Ezio would probably have to hold him back from jumping Machiavelli’s throat.
He trusted the man and needed to find out as soon as possible who was
responsible for this, before anything else happened, or the Brotherhood started
to fall apart thanks to the distrust in his ranks.
He was relieved when they finally arrived in Roma, three weeks later than he had
anticipated when he had set out, and even Lodovico seemed happy to be back as he
didn’t protest for once when Ezio picked up the pace.
Unfortunately, the good mood didn’t last all that long when Machiavelli
welcomed them with an unusually grave face. “Bartolomeo won’t be able to
hold the fronts against the French for much longer,” he immediately came to
the point, not even waiting for Ezio to get out of his saddle. “Their force,
combined with that of the Borgia, is simply too much.”
Ah, sweet Roma. It seemed the city had missed him as much as he had. Hearing the
news, he simply unfastened the saddlebags, not even bothering to get off the
horse. “I’ll see to it immediately. Tell the recruits to ready themselves
and come to the caverns. I might need their assistance.”
With that, he turned his horse around and rode on, Lodovico not far behind,
leaving a rather surprised Machiavelli.

Defending the caverns and then taking down the Baron, while at the same time
making sure Pantasilea was kept safe was no easy task, especially with his only
partially healed shoulder and ribs, but with the help of his recruits he
managed. Well, the fact that his opponents tended to underestimate him when they
saw his bandaged shoulder helped too. It was a good thing Mario had made sure he
was ambidextrous.
It had been a very long, yet very successful day for the Assassins. With the
Baron gone, Cesare’s army was in disarray and that, coupled with the loss of
his funds after the death of his Banker, now made him much more vulnerable. The
time had come to strike directly at the thread puller of the Borgia, and La
Volpe had already found a possible way in.
But that had to wait until tomorrow. After the long travel and very exciting
day, he was on the brink of passing out from exhaustion. That his shoulder and
ribs hurt like hell after having been strained this much didn’t add to his
comfort.
He was more than ready to fall into his bed and not get up again till much, much
later, but he still had to get his armour off. And with only one hand, it was no
easy task.
Ezio was on the brink of ignoring the dottore’s order to keep his shoulder
still once again - after all he had done today it wouldn’t make much of a
difference -  when he heard the door open. Light footsteps approached and a
moment later skilled fingers were helping him out of his armour. 
“And here I thought you had finally learned to ask for help,” Veronica
softly reprimanded him as she hung his chest plate upon the holder.
“Why ask for it when it is provided on its own?” Ezio answered with a smirk
as she got his arm guards off.
She rolled her eyes. “So you knew I was coming?”
“What can I say? I draw in pretty women like the fire draws in moths.”
She pinched his arm as she helped him out of his robe and carelessly threw it in
a corner. “You won’t need this anymore.”
Ezio, finally rid of all his armour, lifted a suggestive eyebrow. “Is that
so?”
She only smiled as she lightly pushed him backwards to the bed, and he readily
sat down as she climbed on his lap, one hand toying with his hair, the other
trailing down his unhurt shoulder while his left hand rested on her waist,
lightly caressing it. “I am quite sure.”
Ezio blinked at her unusually predatory tone. He was quite used to her flirting
by now, but this was new and off somehow. It was the only warning he got before
she pushed him back on the bed, and it was only his fast reflexes when he saw
the light glinting off metal that made it possible to grab her wrist before she
slit his throat with the knife she now held.
He glared at her as the realization dawned on him. “You are the traitor.”
“Yes, I am.” Her eyes glinted, this time not with amusement, but pure
hatred. “And if it weren’t for that incompetent fool in Firenze, I
wouldn’t have to clean up after him.” She put her second hand on the knife,
doubling her force and making it that much harder for Ezio to counter with his
hurt shoulder. He was lucky he had caught her wrist with a straight arm, or he
wouldn’t stand much of a chance, compromised as he was.
He needed to get the upper hand, catch her off guard. His best bet was to
distract her, make her loose her focus. “Then why did you wait till now? You
could have saved Cesare’s generals.” Then his eyes narrowed as he realized
something else. “You tried to warn the Banker, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but then Rodrigo called me off. Sacrificing his own people just to teach
Cesare a lesson, I was a fool to follow his orders until now. Cesare is a much
worthier leader of the Templars than he ever was!”
Her rage increased the power behind her pushing and Ezio grimaced as it got ever
harder to keep the knife away from him. Well, at least she wasn’t thinking
clearly anymore, that had to help. Then he had an idea. He just hoped he was
right.
“You mean he’s that good in bed? I thought he spent all his time with that
sister of his.”
She screamed in rage and put all her weight behind the knife, which was exactly
what he had anticipated. He hooked his legs around her, grit his teeth as he
grabbed her elbow with his right arm, ignoring the soaring pain in his shoulder
and ribs, and flipped them around while twisting the wrist holding the knife
until she let go of it.
Now it was his turn to be on top and hold a knife at her throat. He hesitated a
moment. “It hurts me to do this, Veronica. I really liked you.”
She stopped struggling and smiled that sweet smile that had spiked his interest
in the first place, accepting her fate. “I know. That was the plan after
all.”
He slit her throat and watched the light in her eyes fade as her life energy
slowly left her body. “I’ll pray that you’ll find true love in the next
life. Requiescat in Pace.”

Ezio stayed until the pyre had completely burned down before returning to the
hideout. Veronica may have been a Templar agent, but in death they were all the
same and the assassins treated even their enemies with respect.
He also felt as if he was saying goodbye to more than just the woman. She may
have played with him from the very beginning, but his affection for her had been
real. It hadn’t been love, of that he was sure. He hadn’t loved anyone since
Cristina, and until now he had been sure he never would again. But even though
it hadn’t been real, Veronica had still helped him see that not all was lost.
Therefore, this was as much a goodbye to her as it was finally a goodbye to his
lost love, something he hadn’t even realized he hadn’t accepted till now.
And for that he was grateful, would it finally help him to move on.
When he entered the hideout, the whole Brotherhood was waiting for him:
Machiavelli, La Volpe, Bartolomeo, his sister and of course his recruits, old
and new, that had joined the order in his absence and, according to Machiavelli,
were very promising.
He smiled at what he considered to be his family and straightened up. Now there
was only one thing left to do to finally liberate Roma once and for all.
“Our next target will be Cesare.”

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