Disclaimer: I own nothing except Marie and Sylvie. So don't sue me please!

A/N: This is going to hop about a bit, so excuse me if it gets confusing. Certain phrases will be in French and Italian, and there will be a glossary of terms at the end of each chapter. Any non-English is in italics. I hope you like it; all reviews are welcome, good or bad. Let me know :)

The Ruling House

Chapter One

Orléans, 1497

"Ave Maria gracia plena dominus tecum benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructus ventris tui ihesu. Amen."

Sylvie de Valois-Orlèans crossed herself, then kissed the rosary hanging from her fingertips. It was odd; she'd never been religious before her forced retirement; faith and espionage hardly went hand in hand, after all. But now…she had very little to keep her occupied, and years of sinning to make up for. She owed God His indulgence for a lot of things.

Once she rose, the five or so other women behind her also stood. She handed the rosary to her maid, then turned to her left. Her daughter remained on her knees, her own rosary still clasped between her hands and her eyes closed in prayer. Sylvie smiled. She admired the fervour of the young sometimes. Bending, she touched Marie's shoulder.

"Ma petite fleur. Come. We must breakfast if you are to be ready for your schoolmaster."

Marie opened her eyes with a happy smile. "Yes, Mama. Then can we go riding this afternoon?"

"Peut-être."

Once Marie had kissed her mother's cheek, then gone through the chateau to her school rooms, one of the footmen knocked on the door of the duchess's rooms. "Pardonez-moi, Your Grace. There is a man at the gates, asking to see you. He says he is an old friend, but…" His nose wrinkled, indicating how likely he thought that. Like all of the household staff, he had no idea of his mistress's past.

Sylvie put her cup aside. "What is his name?"

"Leonardo Da Vinci, my lady."

Instantly, a grin appeared on Sylvie's face as joy filled her. Leonardo was here? This was wonderful! She hadn't seen him in so many years…not since she'd left Italy, in fact. And…why was he here? He shouldn't be. She couldn't imagine Ezio had-

She cleared her throat. "Show him up immediately."

He couldn't hide the flash of surprise that crossed his face, but he nodded, bowing. "Of course, Your Grace."

A few moments later, a very welcome and familiar figure stepped in, a beaming smile on his face. He bowed. "Your Grace."

Sylvie kept her duchess-face on, giving the servants and ladies-in-waiting a dismissive gesture. "Leave us."

It took no more than a minute before they had cleared the room, and then she moved quickly over to her old friend, embracing him and speaking in rapid Italian. "Leonardo! How are you? You look well," she added, leaning back to look at him properly. "Wealth suits you, my friend."

He smiled. "Grazie, Madonna. As it does you as well — duchess?"

"Ah. Yes," she nodded. "In title only, let me assure you." She gestured for him to sit down. "How was your journey? You look tired," she noted. "Surely you have not ridden from Firenze without pause?"

"Yes," he grimaced. "I'm afraid I have." He took a deep breath. "Wonderful as it is to see you, Sylvie, I didn't come only for a social visit. I need your help."

She frowned. "With what?" Inside France, she — or at least her husband — had influence true enough, but in Italy they had little power.

Leonardo's next words made her blood run cold. "Ezio is in trouble. At least, I think he is."

"What kind of trouble? Where?"

"Paris. Word of another Templar conspiracy, brewing in France, reached us. Ezio set off to do what he does best. You heard no rumours of it?"

Sylvie nodded. She had had word of an Assassin operating in Paris, but hadn't dared to hope that it would be him. There were other Assassins in the world after all, and why would Ezio be in France? "Why do you think he is trouble?"

"I've not had any contact with him for more than a month now, and neither has his target been killed. I am afraid he may already be dead. Before I came here I went to Paris, to see what I could find."

"And you found nothing, am I right?" she guessed.

"No," Leonardo sighed. "The few people I found who seemed to know something were too afraid to talk. And of course no one inside the guild will talk to anyone outside of it."

"That would be too easy," she agreed. They were silent for a moment while Sylvie thought hard. "My sources may be somewhat more cooperative, but travelling to Paris without a valid reason…" She grimaced in reply to his questioning look. "My husband keeps me on a rather tight rein. He knows something — too much, regrettably — of my history."

"But not of Ezio?"

"He knows I had lovers before him; he knows I probably will again. But no, he has no idea of the identities of any of them. And he doesn't know what…"

"What Ezio meant to you," Leonardo completely softly.

She smiled sadly at him; they were both well-aware that what Ezio meant to her, he meant exactly the same to Leonardo. "No." She took a deep breath, moving over to the fireplace and stoking the fire. Then she turned back to her friend, fixing him with a steely eye. "Do you truly believe his life may be in danger?"

Leonardo nodded. "Yes, my heart tells me it is so."

Sylvie nodded. "Then I will go to Paris. I'll find him, rescue him, and take him back to Italy."

"Sylvie, what if- What if he is already dead?"

"No," she said decisively. "If he was dead, they would have trumpeted his death and their victory. He is alive, and for one purpose; they want the information he has."

Leonardo blanched. "So they are torturing him?"

Sylvie nodded. The idea made her nauseous too, but she had more experience of torture in the field. It was near the top of the list of penance she owed to God. "They will be. But he is alive, Leonardo." She clasped his hand briefly. "And I will find him."

Finally he smiled. "I believe you will."

She returned his smile, but then sobered quickly. "But I need you to do something for me." She crossed to the door, speaking to one of the ladies waiting outside. "Fetch my daughter."

Lady Annette looked startled. "Mais, my lady, Monsieur Dupont hates being interrupted-"

"I am equally sure he will hate his employment being terminated," Sylvie replied stonily. "Now, fetch my daughter."

The woman bobbed a curtsey. "Yes, Your Grace."

Sylvie moved back inside, seeing Leonardo's raised eyebrow. "Marie," she told him. "And it is she I need your help with. Once I leave for Paris, I won't be able to come back here. I will not leave my daughter here alone."

"Will she not have her father?"

Sylvie forced out a bitter laugh. "Leave her to the tender mercies of my husband? Not for a guaranteed place in Heaven, Leonardo. And this is where I must beg you for your help."

"Anything, you know that."

"I need you to take Marie back to Italy with you. Once I have Ezio, we'll come to Firenze and I'll take her off your hands. But I need to know she will be safe."

Her friend looked startled. "Well, of course, but I do not understand why the duke would wish her harm!"

Sylvie sighed, relief flooding her. "Thank you. And as for the duke…you will understand when you meet Marie."

Sure enough, the door opened, and Marie came inside. Sylvie beckoned her forward. "Come here, Marie. There is someone I wish you to meet."

The little girl moved forward, bobbing a curtsey to Leonardo. "My lord."

"You need not be so formal, piccina. I am extremely pleased to meet you."

She looked up, beaming — and as Sylvie has predicted, eager to show off her linguistic skills. "Grazie molto."

Leonardo had more sense than to freeze and stare in shock at the little girl before him, but Sylvie also saw his blue eyes widen for the briefest moment when they met Marie's. They were a deep, dark brown. Bottomless in their depth. And familiar to both of them.

Leonardo's gaze flicked to Sylvie's. She nodded once, then spoke to her daughter. "Marie, come here. I need you to listen to you very carefully, do you understand? What I will say to you is very important."

Marie nodded. "I understand, Maman."

"Good. Now, tomorrow, we will both leave Orlèans. And I am sorry, chérie, but neither of us will be coming back."

Marie brightened. "Like an adventure?"

"No," Sylvie said firmly. "This is not an adventure. One of my friends is in trouble, in Paris."

Marie's jaw dropped. "In Paris? Are we going to court, Maman?"

"No. You are going with Leonardo, to Italy. You will be safe there. I am going to Paris alone, to rescue my friend. And once he is safe, I will come to you, and we'll be reunited. Until then, you do whatever Leonardo asks of you. You will be obedient and calm under all circumstances, do you understand me?"

Marie nodded, casting a doubtful look at Leonardo. It was clear she did not think too much of him — Sylvie had tried to impress upon her daughter that she must not set too much store by rank, but she had been brought up as French royalty, after all. "I understand, Maman. But what about my tutors?"

Sylvie smiled, genuinely for the first time since her daughter's entrance. "You will never find another genius such as Leonardo anywhere in the world, chérie, I promise you that."

Marie gave Leonardo another look. "Are you a scientist, monsieur?"

"I am. And an artist. And I have been known to invent things, on occasion."

"Really? Like what?"

"Well, most recently I have been working on a flying machine."

And that was it, Marie was captivated. Sylvie smiled as her daughter burst into excited and rapid conversation; a mixture of French and broken Italian. She would be safe now.

Which was more than Sylvie could say for her father…

Glossary:

Ma petite fleur — My little flower

Peut-être — Maybe/Perhaps

Pardonez-moi — Excuse me

Mais — But

Piccina — Little one

Grazie molto — Thank you very much

Maman — Mommy/Mama

Chérie — Dear

A/N: Review please!