~~~Epilogue~~~

It was the day before Midsummer's Day. There was a certain serenity to the city of Florence which Ezio had long forgotten. He saw a ghost of his youth sprinting towards him, silk ribbon in hand an impish smile much like his own which could make girls swoon.

He moved out of the way quick enough for the young man to dart in an alley while the guards swore to themselves for losing him.

"Buongiorno, amici miei (good morning, my friends)" said the assassin, addressing Niccolo and Leonardo conversing on a bench. La Volpe was stood beside them, chattering.

"Ezio!" cried Leonardo, hurrying off the bench to embrace his friend warmly. He looked a little older but had lost none of his vigorous enthusiasm,

"It has been a long time. Over four years in fact", replied Ezio, facing the three men.

"I have immersed myself in the arts, Ezio. Science intrigues me most; it has swayed my heart and I am to leave for Amboise soon."

"Then I have no choice but to let you go, old friend."

Machiavelli smiled genuinely, longer than he had in a while, "Then we must all part our ways." He had contacted Chiara after she left, making sure to resolve any issues between them and move on. Now he was sure nobody held a grudge against him.

"How so?" asked Leonardo.

"I am staying here; I still have that book to write."

"What do you intend to call it?" asked Ezio.

"The Prince."

"If it is about me, make it short, will you?"

Machiavelli grinned, "I would not have it any other way."

"I must tend to my thieves. The number of guilds across the country are growing and managing them, along with La Volpe Addormentata is hard work."

La Volpe looked older than ever with wrinkles occupying his face and his neck much like Leonardo's. Despite age, he had not lost his spark and humour.

"Whenever you need my help brewing some Trebbiano, drop me a message. God knows you desperately need to bring in expensive wines."

"Give me the money and resources to do so and the job is yours!" replied the old thief, chuckling afterwards.

"Fear not, I was heading to Milano tonight; I have money waiting for me at the Medici bank there. Claudia kindly offered it in exchange for a gift as will not be able to meet with me tomorrow. I will reconsider your offer then."

"What is the occasion?"

Ezio shook his head attempting to frown,"It is my birthday tomorrow. Leonardo, you had promised to design a large birthday pageant for me once..."

The polymath's hand flew to his mouth, "How could I forget? Forgive me, friend."

"Not to worry, Leonardo. This final meeting is the greatest gift I could hope for at this age."

The four men realised it was time. They rose as one and embraced each other solemnly for the final time.

Later that evening, Ezio approached a stable where he and Machiavelli had hired horses what seemed like a lifetime ago. The stables were clean and clearly thriving in business now that the whole district had been taken off Borgia control. He wheeled his horse around galloped out of the town. Once he was in the countryside, gloom filled his heart. The semblance of Florence and the happiness of its residents had an effect on him temporarily but the isolation of the rural countryside snatched it away from him. When the town buildings were just mere specks in the distance, he knew he was now nothing more than a lonely, middle-aged man who had been given many chances at love and missed it. He thought of Chiara and everything that could have been.

"Ezio," growled a hoarse voice behind him as he rode closer to Milan. There was nothing but large blades of grass surrounding him.

Instinctively, he leapt off the chestnut horse and twisted on his heel. Federico was on his hands and knees, leaving a trail of blood as he came forward. He looked around for any signs of a pursuer.

"Big brother…"

Federico was no threat and as soon as Ezio realised this, he knelt down beside him, examining his wound. He had lost a great deal of blood.

"I do not have much time."

"But I have so many questions."

"I wish I had given you answers sooner, fratellino (little brother). I regret not doing so. This life you are leading…stop doing so. It will…it will be the death of you."

"The assassin in me died when Cesare's died. Tell me why you are here and not burnt to ashes at the bottom of a river like father and Petruccio. You owe me that."

"My allegiance with the Templar Order was merely temporary. I had joined Uberto Alberti before the executions took place. He promised me my life if I tampered with the evidence you gave him."

"Your life in exchange for someone as innocent as Petruccio? He was a child, Federico. Not even at the brink of adulthood!"

Tremors shook Federico's body as he coughed up blood, "Let me…let me finish. I was arrogant at that age, Ezio. I wanted to be much more than a banker or an assassin. Neither of those positions…would give me the riches I had desired."

"You sound just like Cesare. Father and mother raised you better than that."

"I..I know. But I will be dead in a matter of minutes. I have felt nothing but remorse. Grant a dying man his wish of being forgiven by his little brother." His skin was cold.

"I am not sure whether you deserve such kindness from me."

"I beg of you, Ezio."

"Every man is mortal, every life bounds to an end but certain things will never change. Remember that quote of wisdom?"

"I am mortal. I have changed. Death has perched itself on my shoulder just as an…eagle perches on a ledge. It has taken me much...much too long to realise my mistakes."

Federico wheezed, spluttering even more blood; his time was coming to an end.

"Wait, who did this to you?"

"Nobody important…a guard. I got...I got into a serious fight."

"You are forgiven. Requiescat in pace, fratello."

Federico breathed his last and the little fragment of light disappeared from his eyes.

Ezio's heart hung heavy with sorrow and picking up Federico's body, he dragged his feet along to a weed-less patch of soil. Federico is supposed to be at the bottom of a river, he thought through gritted teeth. He spent the next few hours digging up the soil with the ineffective tools he had and buried his brother; a dagger and Federico's sword.

Ezio then tied his horse to a huge tree, breathing in the cold air beneath its shade. He fell asleep, crippled by the eventful day.

The next morning, Ezio woke up feeling lonelier than ever. He silenced his rumbling stomach with an apple and arduously proceeded to ride into Milan. The sun shined bright. Architectural beauty in the form of churches and villas transcended above him as he walked through the piazza del mercato centrale (central market place). He was now passing through a flower market; Mercato dei Fiori e delle Piante. The vibrant colours and organic smells overwhelmed him. Stalls were bursting with typical Northern plants such as spring pasque flowers and pansies. Other flowers peeked through the rows of leaves such as red lilies, bougainvillea and roses.

A particular set of lilac-coloured flowers caught his attention. The bellflowers took him back almost five years ago to when he had rescued Chiara and attempted to flirt with her regarding Lucrezia's same flowers. A smile eased onto his lips. He wondered where she lived now. It would not be far since he was in her hometown. Unless she had married and moved away. He would not be surprised; a smart and diligent woman like her would attract many suitors. She would have bore that lucky man beautiful children with soft features like hers. Getting a grip on reality again, he moved away from the flowers only to collide with a small child who slammed into his knee and tumbled backward.

"Attenzione, piccolo (careful, little one)," cautioned Ezio, crouching down and giving the boy a helping hand. He seemed lost, looking around for someone.

The little boy had cherub cheeks and dark brown locks. He had a striking set of eyes which were pale grey, almost like marble.

"Scusi!"

Ezio looked amused, "No worries, bambino. What is your name? Are you lost?"

"Matteo!"

There was sharp intake of breath from Ezio the moment he heard her concerned voice.

"That must be your mother."

"Mama!" cried the little boy in glee. He turned and ran into his mother's arms who held him tight against her chest, cradling his head.

"What happened to you? I thought I lost you." she asked him frantically, searching his face for any injury.

Matteo simply pointed towards a man in the distance. Before she got a good look at Ezio, he turned around to hide his face, aware of his heartbeat all of a sudden. She advanced towards her comely-looking saviour with her son in hand.

"Grazie for finding my son. I owe you my life."

"That would be the second time," he replied, turning around. She looked mesmeric. Her figure was full; motherhood had obviously been kind to her.

His voice left her in a state of inconceivable thought. She whispered his name, barely audible, "Ezio…"

"Chiara," he replied in the same manner. He regained his composure quicker than he had anticipated and asked coolly and directly, "Are you married?"

Her breath caught in her throat, "No."

"How old is he?"

She said nothing, parting her lips slightly and shutting them again.

"How old is he, Chiara?" asked Ezio, trying to make her look at him but she avoided his gaze for fear of her knees going weak.

"Four."

"Four years old," he repeated, "Is he…"

"Si," she replied biting the bullet which almost made her faint, "He is your son."

And that, my lovely readers, is it. You decide whether they end up together or not. Caterina's out of the picture for now. I originally intended her to go psycho and stay confined in Chiara's care but it would be a bit too long-winded; not that it isn't already. D'oh!
I must say I'm quite upset to see it end. You guys have kept me going with this for months and you cannot imagine how grateful I am for your support.

I owe it to all of you followers, readers, favouriters and guests for keeping me motivated. Thank you...truly.

I hope you enjoyed treading along the path of Chiara and Ezio's story as much as I did.

~Tanny