It was a dream. It had to be. There was no other way of explaining the scene that was unfolding before her. The walls of her room in Monteriggioni were in need of repair. The windows had no glass or doors but wooden boards to shield her from the harsh winds and her bed was a small cot stuffed shabbily with hay. But the room in front of her now was far from all that.

The walls were patterned with red flowers, the curtains were red and made of rich fabric, and her bed was large and comfortable. Outside the window was a box of flowers and she could smell the jasmine spreading its sweet scent throughout the entire room. She had a dresser (in Monteriggioni she had only a small mirror and a clumsily constructed small table to hold her comb and pins) on which lay a range of different scents gifted by her Father whenever he returned from his travels.

No, she wasn't in Monteriggioni anymore. This was a dream because she was in Firenze and her life hadn't fallen apart yet.

It was 1476 again and she was humming to herself in her room when the front door burst open. At first, she thought nothing of it. Her brothers were always up to some mischief and it wasn't unusual for neighbors to come in such a fashion and demand that they be left alone by them; especially their daughters. So she went to her bed and straightened her sheets, lost in her thoughts of what she would wear tomorrow, when a shrill cry broke out.

Her heart skipped a beat and she paused midway of picking up her pillows.

"Mama!" Petruccio cried.

Claudia immediately left everything the way it was and rushed downstairs to find her Father being dragged from his office by two guards. Her heart thudded loudly and a chill went up her spine.

"What is going on?" she asked, although she very well knew what was going on. It was a dream after all- a recurring one.

"Go into your room." Her father ordered.

But she still stood there. From inside the room she heard a scuffle and a cry of pain.

"Mother!" she called.

"Go inside!" her Father repeated and struggled as the guards put his arms behind his back.

Claudia put her hand on her mouth as Federico was dragged out from his room. "Let me go stronzo!" he screamed. The guard hauling him struck him hard across the face.

"Aiuto!" Petruccio cried. Claudia started towards him only to be reprimanded by her Father to go inside her room.

"Where are they taking you?" she asked. In her mind she already knew the answer and what was about to happen next.

Before her Father could open his mouth, the scene vaporized in front of her and she found herself a few hours later. Ezio was talking to her and she had to take a couple of seconds to clear away her mind before she could understand what he was saying.

"Do not worry piccina." He consoled her.

Claudia hugged him tight. "I am so scared."

"Annetta will take you to her sister's." he said in a calm voice, although she could hear his heart thudding wildly in his chest.

"Where will you go?" she asked.

Ezio smiled down at her. "I will return soon with our family." He promised.

Claudia jolted violently from her dream and gasped for breath. Her hands and feet were cold while her forehead dripped with sweat. She clutched at her bed sheets and waited until the dream receded back in her mind.

She was safe now. Her Father and brothers weren't, but she was. In the other room she heard a low voice and found herself close to tears. It had been more than ten years, yet her Mother was still in a state of shock after the terrible events that had befallen the Auditore family.

Claudia got out of her bed and looked at the curtains fluttering in the wind. It was a cold night, but it was nothing compared to the coldness in her heart. She started to close the windows when she heard voices from outside. In the darkness, she spotted seven figures coming towards the Monteriggioni Villa.

She recognized two of them as her Uncle and Brother. The rest were unknown to her. She closed the windows and crept downstairs. The people had entered through the doors and heading towards her Uncle's office.

"I can't believe we failed!" a woman said.

Claudia felt her heart sink. These were the words she had been hearing for quite some time now. Her Brother would be trained exhaustively and then sent on a mission, only to produce the same results over and over again. It wasn't his fault that he had been thrust into the world of Assassins and he did try earnestly, but clearly he didn't possess the same skills their Father had. That was something else her Uncle had repeatedly said.

"Uncle." She called when she saw him enter dejectedly.

"Claudia." He said tiredly. "Go back to sleep."

"What is going on?" she asked and walked towards him.

"We have failed once more." He replied and shook his head. "The Assassins need your brother to be capable."

"He is trying, Uncle." She assured him. "He practices day and night. But it is his health that hinders his progress."

Her Uncle said nothing, but she could see that he looked disappointed. The Assassins were losing to the Templars and if something wasn't done soon enough, they would lose everything they had fought so hard for.

"Can I get you and your guests anything?"

Her Uncle looked towards his office where she heard her Brother arguing with someone about how he had tried his best and that he didn't want to be here in the first place.

"I cannot believe you are an Auditore!" She heard someone say.

"Scusami." Uncle Mario said and walked into his office. "Silenzio. Must you all argue so loudly? You will wake up the whole town!"

Claudia sighed and walked into her own little office. She pulled out her chair and sat down. It was still the dead of night, but between the nightmare and the argument going on, there was very little chance that sleep would be coming.

She lit a candle and then opened her accounts book. Like everything in her life right now, the accounts were dismal. There was very little money coming in Monteriggioni and more going out. Due to the lack of funds, the Blacksmith stall had to be closed down and the only shop open here was the Doctor's. Not many travelers chose to come this far to Monteriggioni to just visit the Doctor.

She looked at the adjoining table and saw the model the Architect had made up. So far, none of the buildings had been fully renovated and it cost too much to bring in the guilds here. Claudia tapped her quill in her book and tried to block out the raised voices coming from the other room.

Sometimes she wished she knew someone here. It had been very lonely over the past few years. Her Mother still hadn't spoken to her, her Brother was always travelling and even the architect whom she shared the office with, was too busy to even acknowledge her existence. The little interaction she had was with her Uncle who was always busy with his own affairs.

Claudia frowned and closed the book. There wasn't much work to do anyway. She considered going into the office and introducing herself, but chances were that no one would notice her, or worse, pull her into their quarrel.

She leaned back in her chair and found herself unable to stop herself from going back to the night that had invaded her dreams. That horrible night had changed everything for her. What was worse were the following events. She would never forget Ezio for what he had done. Never!

"May I come in?"

Claudia blinked as a man entered the doorway. He had short brown hair, dark eyes and a narrow mouth. Dressed in red elegant clothes, he appeared to be a nobleman.

"Si?" she said and started to get up.

"Do not trouble yourself." He said. "I was only looking for a pitcher of water."

Claudia sat back down and fumbled with her quill. The man was clearly one of her Uncle's guest and also her very first interaction with someone else other than her own family member.

"I…" she swallowed. "I could get you some."

The man considered this and then smiled kindly at her. "If it is no trouble."

"None at all." She said getting up. "I'm sure all of you must be tired from your journey. I would gladly make arrangements for food and water."

The man bowed his head. "Grazie."

Claudia smiled at him and stepped forward, slightly disappointed that her interaction had come to an end. The man would undoubtedly go on his way and she would never see him again or she would, but he would be too busy to ever talk to her again.

Claudia chewed on her lip. She was being a little pathetic, she scolded herself. But the truth was she did long for company after spending so many lonely days in Monteriggioni.

"You must be Claudia." The man spoke again.

She turned around and smiled. "Si. How did you…?"

"Mario speaks very fondly of you." He smiled.

"Oh." She said in a small voice. If anything, she sought happiness in the fact that her Uncle spoke of her if not to her, that often.

The man put his hands behind his back. "I must apologize for not introducing myself." He said. "I am Niccolò Machiavelli."

Claudia smiled back at him. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you too." He said and kissed her hand.