Author's Note: Sorry about the long delay and the filler in this chapter. Though Claudia will be playing a role as the story unwinds, don't worry, as I'm swinging back to Ezio/Rosa focus the next chapter.

September, 1488: Milano

My Dear Sister,

I hope all is well, and that my niece and nephews aren't driving you too daft in the head with their usual antics. Then again, likely they are, considering how troublesome we both were in our youths…

Claudia couldn't help but laugh out loud, almost hearing Ezio's voice echoing in her head. Despite that hadn't seen her brother in nearly a year, when he put quill to parchment, he wrote exactly as he spoke.

The twelve years since the murder of half of her family had thankfully been relatively kind to the now-youngest Auditore child. Much like her brother, Claudia had barely aged. However, at 27 years-old, she was a woman full grown. Tall for her sex, she now stood a bit above her brother's shoulder. She also shared his features, with her full lips, striking cheekbones, glittering hazel eyes and attractively dusky olive complexion. Their mother's contribution was unmistakable as well, her nearly black hair, button nose and curvy figure evident. She also carried herself with far more confidence, the volatile, fiery temperament of her youth not quite as obvious.

However, she frowned as she continued reading. Taking in how his letter suddenly became sloppier, her brother's usual fanciful, elegant script was now sloping and ink stained. It was almost as though he set aside his message for a while before continuing it. For he abruptly skipped over his greetings…

The battle in Forli proved far more serious than I assumed it would turn out. For the Lady of Imola and Forli was ambushed by the Borgia troops. Thankfully, the Brotherhood was there to repel the attack, and we soon found ourselves victorious. And so Caterina still holds the town, her subjects thankful for their mistress' rule once again. She also sends your husband her regards, especially for the battalion he convinced the Duke of Milan to send in aid. If not for her cousin's persuasion, I do not know if the Duke would have so readily assisted his niece in her time of need…and I shall leave it at that.

Unfortunately, I was injured during the melee. However, it was but a scratch. So please do not worry yourself into any sleepless nights, piccina, for the Eagle of Florence still finds himself whole, and with nothing in the way of any sort of permanent damage…

Glancing up from the missive, Claudia couldn't help rolling her eyes; Ezio had never been one to hold back in his almost constant bragging about his kills. Which is why she shook her head in disbelief as the blonde-haired woman sitting across from her relayed the tale of the aftermath of her brother's exploits in Forli. And of the true nature of his injury.

"You don't seem too surprised," her guest drawled after she finished telling of how Ezio collapsed at the Seta, near-death. Pouring them both another goblet of wine from the decanter between them, she chuckled, "Or worried." They both sat at a small, square table in Claudia's study, on the third story of the palazzo she and her husband shared. Along Via Pontaccio road, the palazzo lay in the shadow of Castello Sforzesco, the Duke of Milan's stronghold and residence.

"Oh, trust me, Cecelia, I'm worried," Claudia huffed, "Especially when Ezio comes so close to dying!" she nearly growled before taking a long sip of wine. "Though thank you for delivering the letter." While he did try to write her as often as he could, due to the nature of his profession, Ezio had to pass his letters through mutual acquaintances, such as Leonardo and others of the Brotherhood that operated in Milan. That way, it was harder for their Templar enemies to track him.

"È niente. especially for a friend," Cecelia smoothly replied. "No doubt Ezio has little wish to worry you…but," she quickly added, seeing Claudia heated expression, "I can understand why you'd wish to know of his well-being. By all accounts, he is back to full health now, going about his usual duties with his typical…aplomb."

"Well, that's a relief," Claudia sighed, "I'm still going to give him a sound talking too next time I'm in Venice!" she snorted, "Ideally, sooner rather than later."

"It's been a while since I've made a trip to the famed City of Canals," Cecelia shrugged, "Considering the Templars are on the move again after they lost the Apple, I'd say it's high time Antonio and I gather our resources."

"Do all the Thieves know each other throughout Italia?" Claudia knowingly chuckled.

"Considering most of us are the only family we all have? Yes," Cecelia enigmatically replied, even as she smirked. Her blue eyes sparkling in the morning sunlight that streamed through the windows surrounding them, she tossed her boot-clad feet upon the table. Claudia didn't mind in the slightest, thoroughly used to the other woman's more masculine traits. It was to be expected of the leader of Milan's Thieves Guild.

Dressed in a plain black doublet over a crimson red tunic, black leather pants and tall, soft leather black boots, Cecelia 'La Strega,' or 'The Witch' could have been mistaken for a man, at least from behind. Of medium height, she contained an athletic build, slim of hip and small of breast. Her straight, golden-blond hair was cut boyishly short, in feathery, razored layers that couldn't be tied back. She also wore fingerless black gloves, which covered the tell-tale brand upon her left ring finger.

Within her black swordbelt was sheathed a beautifully wrought Milanese sword on her right hip, a silver dagger on her right one. Sitting on the floor next to her was her signature, compact crossbow. A handful of its small bolts were also sheathed on the back of her swordbelt. Draped over the back of her chair was a black cloak. Its inside lined with scarlet silk, outside of her weapons, it was the only obviously expensive thing she wore.

Round-faced with a spray of freckles across her aquiline nose, she had relatively plain features. However, her eyes were utterly captivating. Large and blond lashed, they were a bright, warm blue, flecks of green reflecting in the light.

Claudia went back to reading the letter, which went into more detail about her brother's exploits. Unexpectedly hearing a rustle of paper in front of her, she looked up to see Cecelia flattening out a small roll of parchment across the table. Approximately two feet by one foot, it was rectangular, small enough to be rolled and stuffed into a pocket. Covered with various colored numbers within wavy borders, it looked to be a map of some sort. Yet it bore no labels or a legend, despite that page was nearly filled with scribblings. They seemed to spread from its edges inward, in a counter-clockwise spiral.

"What's that?"

"No idea," Cecelia shrugged, "But it's another reason why I dropped in," she nodded upwards at the open, stained-glass skylight. "I received this a few days ago, before one of my thieves delivered the letter from Antonio that he passed from Ezio for you. The envelope that held this," she gestured at the parchment on the table, "Had nothing to identify its sender. So I figured it was from Ezio."

"Well, he does include this in my letter." Claudia held up an envelope, which was sealed with simple circle of red wax that bore no identifying mark, "He doesn't mention it in here," she pointed to the letter. Carefully opening the blank envelope, she unfolded the parchment she found within it. Like Cecelia's, it was the same size, also containing a random array of multicolored numbers. Moving it about on the table, she quickly saw that it indeed matched Cecelia's scrap as well. Even though the notes on it still made no sense.

Cecelia narrowed her eyes, running a calloused finger along the edge of one of the pieces. "Any idea of what exactly it is?"

"Another codex, perhaps? Though it's awfully big…do you mind if I take your piece to Leonardo? Somehow, I think he may be one of the few who can make this…work."

"Do with it what you wish," Cecelia chuckled, sliding it across to her. "I have the feeling it's meant for you anyway, considering Ezio usually sends those codex pages to you to pass onto Leonardo, now that he has his commission is here."

"Grazie."

"So, where are you headed to now?" Cecelia asked of Claudia, who moved to her feet, sweeping her silken dark green skirts behind her.

"To drop these off to Leonardo's shop, up near Castello Sforzesco," Claudia declared. "With his commission, it'll likely take him a bit longer than usual to translate it."

"Ah," Cecelia smiled, jumping to her feet as well, "Send him my greetings, eh? Antonio wasn't speaking in long truths when he sent word of signore's arrival to the Duke's court; that man is an absolute genius…until later?"

"Certemente," Claudia inclined her head.

"Safety and peace, mia cara." With that, La Strega quickly said her goodbyes, gracing her with a kiss on each cheek.

Tying on her cloak and sheathing her crossbow on her back, she effortlessly scaled the stone wall behind them, pushing open the skylight a bit more. From there, she disappeared up to the roof without a sound. Watching by the window, after a few seconds, Claudia took in how the woman cautiously skirted across the courtyard before melting into the morning crowds along the street. Moments later, she vanished, swallowed up by the populace.

A week or so later, Claudia awoke just before dawn. Rolling over and looking to where her husband lay, his arm draped over her in protective embrace in their large, four-poster bed, she grinned. As per usual, he'd come home late from the Ducal court, his clothes scattered on the dresser of the far side of room. The fact that he didn't even bother to loosen his auburn hair from the green ribbon he tied it back with also signaled as much.

Gently removing his arm from around her, she silently slid out of bed, throwing on a robe over her sleeping dress. "See you in a bit, Alessandro," she murmured, leaning down and brushing her lips across his cheek. He didn't respond, save a mild mutter, still deep in the throes of sleep.

Spinning on her heel, Claudia quickly lit the lantern sat on one of the bookshelves that lined the wall, just to left of the bed. Pressing in two unmarked stones that sat in the wall at eye level in turn caused the wall to immediately slide back. It revealed a short, dark tunnel that led further into the house. Knowing it like the back of her hand and depending on her hereditary, heightened senses, Claudia required no other light besides the lantern guide her.

Stepping through the entrance, the door sliding closed behind her, she took the spiraling, stone steps downwards. Within a few minutes, she came to another wall that seemed to be a dead end. Pulling the down the metal alcove that would normally be used to hold a torch, a soft groan echoed around her. The brick wall then swung inwards. A little ways longer, and she was in the stables, clear on the other side of the extensive grounds of the palazzo.

In the unused corner, furthest from the entrance of the stables, was a small storage closet. Unlocking it with a key she pulled from within her bodice, buried beneath a pile of horse blankets and hay was a plain wooden chest. Glancing around to ensure no groomsmen were about and closing the door behind her, Claudia opened it, revealing a plain set of male livery: a plain, dark brown hooded cloak, an unadorned, brown doublet, a white, lace-up tunic, and brown leather pants. At bottom was a pair of well-worn, tall brown riding boots and a brown belt. Though the belt held no visible sheath for weapons within its front, on its back was a set of five throwing knives and a small, but sharp dagger.

Claudia quickly dressed, stashing her clothes in the chest. Tying her long, curling hair back into a simple bun, she pulled the hood over head, her face now hidden in its shadow. Slipping out the closet, she easily climbed the stables. Nimbly running across rooftops soon led her to the palazzo's barracks. Silently dropping into the window of the second floor, she wasn't surprised when she startled her trusted Captain-At-Arms from where he was reviewing paperwork at his desk. Nor when he swiftly leapt to his feet, his sword out and at her throat.

"It's me, Duilio," she murmured, throwing back her hood and revealing her face. Eyes widening, he sheathed his weapon, rapidly throwing up his hands in apology. However, Claudia quickly waved him off. "No time for such formalities now," she grinned, pleased that she still moved so gracefully after all these years and having two children of her own.

"Che cosa?"

"I have a friend I have to see and wished for your company," she blithely said, "The streets can be dangerous, you know." With nary a word and a nod of agreement, Duilio accompanied his mistress. While she descended to the first floor via the window, he took the more conventional route of the stairs, meeting her at the back porch. With the guards out on their usual morning exercises, the barracks would be deserted, they both knew

Soon, the two slipped out of the palazzo and onto Milan's deserted roads.

She wasn't surprised to find Leonardo already awake when she knocked on the door of his studio, despite the sun just breaking over the horizon. For years, she'd known the polymath required little sleep. It was almost as though the constant deluge of ideas wouldn't allow him much of it. Despite that, he still looked as young as ever, especially in the soft light of the rising sun.

After gracing her with a customary greeting of a kiss on each cheek, he quickly waved her over to his draft table. Pulling out a large piece of rolled-up parchment from a secret compartment built into the bottom of it (which Claudia suspected the artist added to the table himself), he swept away the sketches, sticks of chalk, paintbrushes, and bits of wire and wooden sticks he used to build models, laying it out. Ezio's documents were now bonded together to form one, large piece. Yet, it certainly didn't look like any codex page they'd ever seen. Not to mention, the parchment was new, rather than the aged, yellowing, papyrus-hewn pages Altair seemed to prefer centuries ago.

"So, rather than a codex page, he sent us an encoded map?" Claudia asked, inspecting it from where she stood next to him.

"Precisely."

"And you mean to tell me that back in Forli, someone gutted my brother and left him to die on the side of the road over an infernal…map?" she hissed.

"That and the Apple," Leonardo muttered

"Cazzo!"

"Thankfully, Ezio survived the attempt?" the artist blithely said. Seeing her cheeks beginning to burn with indignation, he shook his head in agreement as she set her mouth set into a grim line.

"Barely!" she snapped with a furious wave of her hands. However, she closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a long sigh. "Mi dispace, Leonardo, I have no quarrel with you," she assured him, meeting his worried gaze. "I swear to God," she breathed, "You'd think after over a decade of this, I would've long ago make my peace with him nearly getting himself killed all the bloody time!"

"Trust me," Leonardo shrugged, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "It is never something one 'becomes used to.' Nor his way of dropping in at all hours of the day and night. Or bandaging and stitching up his endless array of injuries. Or the constant looks of suspicion from the guards who patrol the district. One either comes to accept it…or they don't," he sighed. "Obviously, we have both chosen the former course of action."

Reaching out, Claudia took the artist's hand in both of hers and brought it her lips in silent thanks. Grinning in understanding, he gave her a quick squeeze of reassurance before withdrawing.

Jumping to her feet from the chair at the far side of Leonardo's drafting table, she swept her cloak behind her and began to pace the artist's large and extensive studio. Eerily similar to her brother, she was soundless upon her feet. The only noise was the purposeful, light jingle of her necklace. Her husband's coat of arms etched onto the back of the square, sapphire and gold pendant, she wound its long length of gold chain back and forth along her fingers. Pausing for a bit by the window, she quickly drew back the curtain, taking in trickle of Milan's crowds beginning their morning errands.

Gaze momentarily glowing tell-tale golden, she let out a barely audible sign of relief. For there were no enemies among them, all of them reflecting either neutral gray or the blue of allies.

"No one followed us, signora, I assure you," her captain-at arms quietly said from where he stood leaning against the wall behind her.

"Oh, I figured as much, Duilio," she muttered, "But I am always cautious, as you well know," she patted the sheathed dagger along her back, which was hidden by her cloak.

Duilio shook his head in disbelief at her gesture. However, a small grin crossed his face for a moment, lighting up his dark green eyes. "I do not blame you, signora."

"Leonardo?" Claudia called out, turning to face the artist again, "I don't think you've met my Captain-At-Arms…Duilio Sforza, this is Leonardo da Vinci," she formally introduced them with a deferential wave of her hand.

"It is a great honor, messere," Duilio quickly said, his smooth voice lilting with polite regard as he placed a hand over his heart and gave the artist a deep, respectful bow. "I have personally seen your work at the Duke's court. It is without equal."

"Grazie," Leonardo said with surprise, also bowing in greeting, "But I am afraid you flatter me, signore…"

"I do no such thing," Duilio insisted, eyes quickly flitting over the artist, "For talents such as yours are apparent to even the blind," he smiled. Leonardo suddenly found himself blushing. Especially as Duilio arched a knowing brow, smiling even more and revealing a straight row of flashing, white teeth.

The man looked to be no older than twenty five or so, with his pale complexion and curling red hair loosely tied back. Though he stood a bit taller than Leonardo, he was more lean and lithe than expected of a professional soldier. But his steps were assured, belying a deadly sort of elegance. Dressed in black leather pants and expensive, black buckled boots, about his hips was a matching swordbelt. Sheathed within it was a schinova sword and long dagger. The pommels of both weapons were wrought of swirling, warm gold, indicating his high station. No doubt, he also had other weapons hidden on his person as well.

His dark blue doublet shot through with silver thread and laced up over a bright white tunic, he also wore a heavy, deep blue cape. Tossed over his shoulders with a flourish, the inside of it was white and embroidered about the edges with swirling blue vines. Its interior was also emblazoned with a coat of arms. Comprised of a shield of four quadrants, in the upper left corner was a crowned, black heraldic eagle upon a field of yellow. The upper right corner bore a crowned, dark blue serpent, in the process of swallowing a flailing man whole. The images mirrored in the bottom two quadrants, its identification clearly marked him as a Sforza.

Claudia's voice snapping Leonardo out of his wandering thoughts, he heard her continue, "Duilio is my husband's cousin on his mother's side, and a dear friend."

"And how does Signore Paleologo?" Leonardo rapidly asked, tearing his gaze from the Captain and focusing squarely on Claudia.

She swiftly hid her fleeting grin, glancing between the two other men before she replied, "As per usual, my husband waits on his uncle up at court, at Castello Sforzesco." Rolling her eyes, she sniffed, "In other words? Alessandro's bored out of his mind. He's always preferred home or patrolling out in the field, with little patience for constant intrigue up at the castello. He's general of the Duke's cavalry, not some sniveling politician!" she snorted.

"Unfortunately for Signora Paleologo, one may not refuse the summons of the Duke," Duilio knowingly drawled from behind them, "Especially if he is the said duke's nephew."

"Ludovico has been rather jumpy lately," Leonardo shook his head with dismay.

"There are those who wish him to share the same fate as his brother, I am afraid," Duilio muttered. Claudia remained silent at that admission, though she did close her eyes for moment, pinching the bridge of her nose in worry.

What Duilio spoke of also happened twelve years ago, just a few days before the betrayal of the Auditores. Ludovico's brother, the reigning Duke, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, was assassinated the day after Christmas, in San Stefano church. It wasn't until years later that Claudia and Ezio found out the full truth of their father's involvement with the affair. As Lorenzo de'Medici released Giovanni Auditore's private journals back to his surviving children, the siblings came to know the extent of his attempts to stop the unfortunately successful Templar conspiracy.

In the meantime, as a result of the murder, Ludovico took his brother's position as the current Duke of Milan. However, he was technically the city's regent. For after Galeazzo's death, the duchy passed to his legitimate, seven year-old son, Gian Sforza. Some even whispered that Ludovico openly usurped the position from his own nephew. But of course, such people were…permanently silenced. On the other hand, as the Sforzas never forgot an insult or favor to their House, Ludovico was all too happy to welcome the Assassins into his extensive spy network. Hence, the alliance endured to this day.

Crossing his arms, Duilio gracefully leaned back against the banister of the stairs that led to the second floor of the studio. "Fortunately," he rapidly added, "There are those such as myself and Alessandro who shall do everything in our power to put down any plots of assassination."

"Not to mention his allies within the Brotherhood," Claudia quietly replied, "Speaking of which, what of the codex…I mean, the map?"

"I'm afraid this is not the usual encryption one finds in the codex," Leonardo sighed. Utterly confused, Claudia could only arch a brow of retort as Leonardo gestured for her to come closer to inspect the map. "Here," he said, pulling a small, gold cylinder from the table's hidden compartment, "Look at the page through this and you shall see."

Doing so, Claudia let out a gasp. For the cylinder contained a large piece of multifaceted glass within it, similar to a kaleidoscope. That in turn caused certain sequences of the numbers to meld together, forming straight lines of text versus their spiral to the center of the document.

"It uses the Alberti code," she swallowed with discomfort.

"How do you-?"

"Alessandro's received documents just like this that Duke's spies have intercepted from their various enemies," she replied, still looking through the glass. "Of course, no one in Milan's employ has been able to decode any of the damn things…"

"Because you need the physical cipher to do so," Leonardo frowned, his tone causing her to look up from the map. "The code, or rather the Alberti Cipher, employs a polyalphabetic method that was developed by Leon Battista Alberti of Rome, about twenty years ago," he waved, as though she should've known all this already. She shrugged at his gesture, long ago accepting that he would almost always have to diligently explain his theories to mere mortals such as herself. "While it's similar to substituting letters and shifting them over, it's far move complicated...which explains why it's the desired code used by Papal spies," he cleared his throat.

"So this comes all the way down from the Pope?" Claudia strangled.

"Perhaps…though Rodrigo Borgia is a Cardinal. Likely, he'd have this sort of thing at his disposal," he snorted. Gaze sliding to Duilio, who was flipping through some of his sketches stacked on a small table along the wall opposite them, Leonardo leaned in closer to her, "Can he be…trusted?"

"Yes, as he's a Sforza first," she grinned, "And they certainly have no love for the Papacy, considering how often the men of the family have hired themselves out as conditierri against the papal armies over the years. Not to mention, the pope constantly threatens to place Milan under interdict for some perceived insult or another. As for this?" she waved at the map. "Merda! What the fuck has Ezio gotten himself mixed up in?" She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples with both hands. "So," she grit her teeth, "You said something about a cipher?"

"Aye." Leonardo muttered. "I've only heard rumors of it, but it apparently consists of two metal discs. One lies on top of the other, attached by a common axle so that the inner disc may be rotated." Grabbing a piece of chalk and beginning to scribble on a bit of parchment he snatched the floor, he began talking faster and faster, continuing with the description as he drew it. "The outside of the outer disc is carved with uppercase letters in the Latin alphabet, as well as the numbers one through four. However, the Latin letters don't include H, J, K, U, W, or Y."

"Oh, that's not complicated at all," Claudia sarcastically replied, though Leonadro quickly waved a finger to quiet her.

"It gets better," he chuckled. "The letters correspond with a codebook, which contains hundreds of commonly used phrases. On top of that, each phrase is assigned a four-digit value. So even if you have the cipher and order the numbers properly, you still have to know what the numbers represent and translate them to language."

"Yet we have no idea of where to find either!" Claudia balled her fists in frustration.

"Venice, of course," Leonadro shrugged.

"What?" That…you know that how?"

"Ezio took this map from Caterina Sforza, aye?" Leonardo smiled, "And her husband…well, her recently deceased husband, Girolamo Riario drew up the map, from what I understand."

"Si," Claudia curled her lip with derision, "All the Riarios are Templars. Girolamo was even supposed to rule Florence upon Lorenzo's assassination. Except Ezio saved Il Magnifico, foiling the Pazzi conspiracy. Meanwhile, Girolamo's brother, Giuseppe, has close ties to the Templar side of the Barbarigos."

"The same Guisseppe who still lives in Venice?" Leonardo smiled.

Realization slowly beginning to dawn on her, Claudia's expression slid to pleased. Baring her teeth in a predatory smile, she declared, "Considering I haven't seen my brother in what seems forever, it's as good an excuse as any for me to head there. Ezio will appreciate getting all of this information in person, for it's certainly far too dangerous to send by messenger, Assassin or not."

"Will Alessandro be accompanying you?" Leonardo asked.

"It's yet to be seen as to whether or not the Duke can spare my husband from court," she shrugged. "What of you?"

"I shall have to ask permission, since I've, ehrm, fallen a bit behind on my commission of the interior frescos of the cathedral…" he trailed off.

Claudia arched an obvious brow of disagreement, causing Duilio to give a lighthearted chuckle from where he stood behind Leonardo. "I think signora has some ideas forming in that rather cunning head of hers," he said in reply to Leonardo's arched brow of question at his reaction.

"Quite so, Duilio," she exclaimed, "For that won't do!"

"I know," Leonardo sheepishly grinned, rubbing at the back of his neck, "I'm a rather terrible procrastinator, unfortunately-"

"What?" Claudia retorted, "Oh no, I wasn't talking about you finishing your commission. What won't do is you not coming to Venice with me." Eyes lighting up, Leonardo shook his head in immediate agreement. "Si, si," she continued, plopping down in a chair and leaning forward to rest her elbows on his worktable. Steepling her fingers together, she thoughtfully said, "Paintings can wait. Especially," she conspiratorially whispered, leaning in closer to him, "When there are Templar plans afoot."

"Whatever Madonna requires," Leonardo laughed, racing to his feet and giving her a grand bow. "Dio mio, I could use a little excitement!"

"Excellent!" Claudia clapped. "I'll have Alessandro put in a word for you with Ludovico. The Duke has always considered my husband one of his favorites among his nieces and nephews, so I've no doubt he'll be convinced to spare you for a couple of months. May I use a quill and some parchment?"

"Of course!" He quickly dug them up from the bookshelf on the wall to their right.

"I take it you wish this delivered as soon as possible?" Duilio asked, moving to Claudia's side as she swiftly penned her missive.

"It would be greatly appreciated, grazie," she gratefully replied.

"Sarà fatto, signora."

After she finished with her message to Alessandro, Claudia asked Duilio to deliver it to Castello Sforzesco. Swearing to return to the workshop as soon as it was done, he slipped out the back entrance of the studio, quietly closing the front door behind himself.

"He certainly is…helpful," Leonardo offhandedly said, still looking at the door.

"Just helpful?" Claudia smoothly replied. Spinning on his heel and taking in her mischievous, hazel gaze, the artist was uncannily reminded of Ezio. Right down to their shared smirk of amusement and the pleasant blush of their cheeks whenever they held back a laugh.

"So," he quickly replied, "What about getting close to Giuseppe Riaro to get the cipher and codebook?" he speedily changed the subject. Despite her nodding in agreement, judging by her arched brow, he knew that she knew that he was avoiding any further mention of the handsome Sforza Captain…

"Well," Claudia began, "How much do you want to bet Giuseppe has it locked up somewhere in his palazzo?"

Leonardo scratched his chin in thought. "That may be true. But getting our hands on it shall be difficult. No doubt the Templars already know Ezio has the map, considering Borgia launched the attack on Forli in the first place. Which means, Riaro likely has the cipher under rather heavy guard…cazzo! How are we going to get our hands on it? It will be nearly impossible!"

"Ah, but nothing is absolutely impossible," Claudia replied with authority.

"We can't just run in, kill the man and snatch map," Leonardo retorted with discomfort.

"As much as I wouldn't mind Ezio doing just that," she shrugged, causing Leonardo to shoot her a cautious glance, "It would be too obvious." Cocking her head to the side and resting her chin upon her hand, she worried her lip.

"Are you alright, Claudia?" Leonardo quickly asked, moving to her side. For silence had never been one of Claudia's attributes. "You look a bit pale."

"Eh, it's nothing," she waved in dismissal, "Just…I just never realized how dangerous it was!" she chirped.

"You're right…I need to clear my head," Leonardo muttered, taking his seat opposite her and quickly taking up his usual charcoals again, as well as a large pad of parchment. "In the meantime, how goes your usual work for the Brotherhood?"

"As busy as ever," she shrugged. "The assassins have far more assets among them than one would think just looking at them," she smirked, "Certainly far more than those at Monteriggioni. So managing their incomes and keeping records of all of their holdings and properties admittedly takes up much of my time. I'm constantly elbows deep in ink, quills and parchments!"

"Thankfully, you've all of years of practice from acting as Monteriggioni's castellan," Leonardo smiled. His fingers slowly becoming covered in red chalk, he balanced the pad on his knees, almost absentmindedly sketching away and every so often glancing up at her.

Immediately picking up on what he was doing, Claudia remained relatively still as he continued with her impromptu portrait. Inclining her head slightly, she replied, "True. Though if I never have to say 'Would you like to take a look at the book?' to Ezio ever again, I might strangle him!" she laughed. "Thank God mother serves as castellan now," she genuinely grinned, "It helps her to have some sort of routine back at the stronghold."

"And Alessandro doesn't mind that his noblewoman wife pursues such a vocation?"

She laughed, "Since when has my husband cared for the mundane? Or followed anyone else's example of what society views as 'acceptable?' Fortunately, he's so very similar to Ezio in that regard, it's sometimes uncanny…not that I've married my brother's twin," she quickly added.

"You know," Leonardo declared after a while, "There is a different approach to this conundrum."

"Che cosa? The map, you mean?"

"He could…'borrow' the cipher and codebook?" the artist slowly continued, setting aside his sketch. "Granted, getting in and out without be noticed I'm sure will be challenge. But," he waved at the map upon the table, "It's impossible to decode without the proper information. That's the only way I can think of doing this, at least for now."

"Well then," Claudia grinned, sitting up straighter in her chair, "Ezio will have to figure out some way to steal them, now won't he?"

Translations:

Piccina –Little one

È niente - It is nothing

Castello Sforzesco– Sfroza Castle

Grazie – Thank you.

Certemente - Certainly/Of course

Cazzo! – F**k!

Mi displace – Forgive me/I'm sorry

Merda - S**t!

Sarà fatto – It shall be done.

Che cosa? – What?

The Alberti Cipher – is real and was created by Leon Battista Alberti, revolutionizing encoding and encryption. Alberti describes the cipher in his 1467 treatise De Cifris. The cipher is used pretty much the way I described it, save for it being used exclusively by Papal forces.

Galeazzo Maria Sforza (January 24, 1444 – December 26, 1476) - was a real Duke of Milan and Caterina Sforza's father. Caterina's mother was his mistress, Lucrezia Landriani, a noblewoman. And the wife of one Galeazzo's best friends…considering Galeazzo was known to be a violent, treacherous, psychopath, I'm not surprised.

Galeazzo was actually assassinated on December 26, 1476. After that, his brother Ludovico Sforza took over as Duke, which makes Caterina Sforza the Duke of Milan's niece. Galeazzo's real assassination likely wasn't a Templar plot, as shown in the prequel Lineage movie. In Lineage, Giovanni Auditore fails to stop the Duke's assassination by the Templars. This in turn sets everything in motion in AC2, and unfortunately leads to the executions of Ezio's father and brothers *a moment of silence for the fallen Auditore men*.

However, considering that Galeazzo was killed six days before the end 1476, yet Ezio's family is executed that same year, it kind of doesn't make sense for Giovanni to be able to travel approximately 188 miles all from Milan back Florence in the matter of a few days. And we're not talking about traveling by car either, but by horseback, which I assume he'd take, versus a slower carriage...I guess you could argue that the Auditores were maybe executed around New Years's Eve, 1476? Oh, well, I'll just handwave Giovanni's mad efficient traveling skillz.