Bad Ideas Make the Best Stories (AC:B ch11)

It wasn't a safe undertaking, strolling through the city in broad daylight with an unconscious man jouncing on his shoulder, but he tried not to worry about it too much. At the moment, he was more concerned about the condition of the young man, specifically the seriousness of the wound on his arm. The blood stopped oozing but it still looked like his arm served as a chew toy for a dog; the sleeve of the robe was ripped, it hanged in ribbons which were tainted red from the blood. As he crossed from one alley to another, he considered whether he should take the boy to a doctor first before taking him back to the safe place. Time was running short and with the assassins on their trail, he couldn't afford to stay too long out on the streets.

He still took some time to stop at a small fountain; he laid down the boy onto the ground with his back against the wall, then drew water from the marble basin with his hands and washed the young man's arm. A couple of people passed them by, paying little attention to the strange duo. One woman stopped to ask if they needed any help; he reassured her with a smile, that it wasn't necessary, the young man simply had one too many drink and got into a fight. He knew that he could smile reassuringly but ultimately, it was the Borgia guard outfit, that made an impact on people. Wearing the uniform, he could practically say anything and nobody would dare to question a word.

Gaining confidence from the experience, he resumed his way throughout the city, completely oblivious of the fact, that his every movement was being observed from above. Lucia kept her gaze fixed on the duo. There were thousands of moments, when she could have stepped in to try and stop him. Right now, she saw about fifteen different spots from where she could execute an ambush, take them by surprise, take the man down and then retrieve his hostage. Two birds with one stone. It was tempting but she reminded herself that there was more at stake in this situation. It was crucial that they could identify who was behind the attacks against the brotherhood to be able to stay ahead of them.

The man started moving again so she followed him, always staying on the rooftops because it was the safest and fastest way to keep on their track. She also had to pay attention to the archers standing guard here and there. She could avoid being detected with ease, however, as the journey grew longer and longer, she started to get suspicious as to where the man was leading her. At first, it seemed like his destiny was the Castel San't Angelo but when they reached the river, instead of crossing the bridge, the man got on a boat and started paddling in the other direction, towards the Vatican. At this point, Lucia was at an impasse. She could find a way into the district, even with its heightened security, but then she would be stuck there for a considerable amount of time and wouldn't be able to get back to headquarters anytime soon. On the other hand, if she turned back now, she could only provide a few vague pieces of information and the brotherhood couldn't move past square one with that.

The boat was moving farther away from the shore with every second and she had to make a decision quickly. When she did, she did so without any second thoughts. Lucia climbed down onto the ground and started running towards the river, looking for another boat to borrow. As she couldn't find any, she decided to go after one that was already occupied.

She plunged into the water and swam to the boat that was nearest. The poor gondolier noticed her too late, when she was already climbing into the vessel. The boat swayed heavily, the steersman tripped and tried to maintain his balance by holding onto the rudder. Lucia finally got a hold of herself and practically dived into the dinghy. She quickly got up, staggered to the terrified gondolier and grabbed the rudder.

"Do you swim?" she asked him. The man blinked in surprise.

"Erhh... what?"

"Do you know how to swim?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's too bad."

"Why is that?" asked the man, eyes widening in horror.

"'Cause if you had said 'no', I would have taken you back to the shore. But now that I know you can manage it on your own- " she pushed the man into the water"-I don't have to waste my time with that."

Lucia grabbed the rudder and pushed the boat into direction, leaving the floundering and screaming gondolier behind. Her targets were already far ahead and on the other side, about to dock. The assassin paddled like crazy, to catch up to them, all the while keeping her eyes on the man in the uniform. He jumped out of the boat onto the bank, balancing the young man on his shoulder. There was someone else with waiting for him on the ground; a tall person clad in black clothes and a hooded cape that covered his entire figure. At one point, the stranger stepped closer the Borgia guard and grabbed Fabio's body as if trying to help carrying him. From the sudden movement, the hood moved back a little, uncovering the stranger's face for a few moments. It was far away and Lucia had to really strain her eyes to catch a glimpse of the stranger's features. She saw blonde locks glimmering in the sun and a portion of a face with bright eyes and rose-colored cheeks. Lucia couldn't believe her own eyes, when she finally recognized the person under the hood.

The messenger knocked on the heavy wooden door. His taps echoed the nervousness and worry that resonated in his own heart as he was about to gain entry to one of the most dangerous and powerful men in Italy. Since this was a high profile job and he was supposed to impersonate an ordinary messenger, the lonesome thief had to leave his usual shabby clothes behind. Before he departed he cleaned himself up and changed into the garments which the assassins had provided for him.

Even though, he volunteered for the assignment, he still had his doubts about this whole plan. As he stood in the dark hallway - lit by nothing more than a torch hanging from the wall - he wondered just what he is about to get from the man, whose voice could be heard from behind the door seconds later.

"Step in!"

The messenger obeyed and pushed the handle down to enter the room. He stepped into a comfortably furnished study; the furniture and the decorations spoke of the excellent taste of the owner, not to mention his considerable amount of wealth.

But then, these are the Borgias we're talking about, so no surprise there. The thief thought to himself as he stood face-to-face, with the man himself: Cesare Borgia. The messenger had to admit to himself, he was an impressive sight from up close: half Spanish and half Italian, Cesare got the best traits from both side of the family, at least as far as appearances go. He was taller than most of his contemporaries, broad shouldered and rather handsome, which no doubt helped him in his endeavors with the ladies. As nervous as the thief was before entering, he was rather calm in that moment. He explained his business in short words and handed the letter over to Cesare, who seemed surprised. Must not be accustomed to people handing him things like that. The thief thought, somewhat amused.

Cesare unfolded the letter but before reading it, he looked sharply at the messenger.

"Is there anything else?" he barked the question with a mocking tone. The thief had to clear his throat before answering.

"I was told to wait for an answer." he said as calm as he could manage. He prepared for a hard reply, maybe something thrown at him but surprisingly, got none of that. Instead, Cesare seemed intrigued and started to read the message immediately. The carefully composed letter was written and signed by Ezio himself and contained (almost) everything that happened in the last 24 hours. According to the plan, this was supposed to alert Cesare of what appeared to be a conspiracy among his ranks against him that was (supposedly) organized by someone he trusted. If the facts alone weren't enough to raise his attention, the signature at the bottom and the crest of the Auditore family as well as the Brotherhood's seal was sure to blow his royal lid off. And boy, it did.

A whirlwind at its fullest was nothing compared to Cesare's fury. The man marched out the door with long steps shoving the messenger out of his way and howled through the hallway calling any servants standing within hearing distance. The guard posted at the other end of the hall staggered to salute him and then got pushed out to the corridor when he failed to move out of the way fast enough .

"You half-witted, idiotic pile of complete imbeciles!" he shouted "Message to my Captains: assemble to the courtyard immediately! Double the guards- actually no, forget that last one."

Cesare raised his hand in the as if trying to shoo away the idea. He sighed and slowed down a little to try and start to think strategically. Half a dozen guards have already appeared in front of him and now stood clueless as they waited for orders. Cesare walked up and down in the hallway like a caged lion, his cape flowing majestically around him with every turn.

"You!" he snapped and pointed a finger at the messenger. The thief gulped but remained in his place. This is the point where the game was about to get tricky, as he had to play the role of an innocent courier. Luckily, he prepared for the part on the way there and he rather liked what he had come up with.

He took his cap off and started to fumble with it as Cesare walked up to him and waved the letter in front of his nose, showing him the seal at the bottom.

"You dare to walk up to ME with THIS? I should behead you myself right now!"

At this point, the thief disguised as a messenger started to shake, and it wasn't like he had to fake it that much. He was legitimately scared of the man. Cesare grew impatient.

"Do you know that symbol? Have you ever seen it?" he growled fearfully at the shaking courier.

"Your Excellency, I..."

"Answer the damn question!"

"Never! I've never seen it before!"

"Oh, really? Who gave this letter to you?"

"A-A-A man in a robe. White robe, the hood pulled onto his head. Cou'n't see 'is face. I didn't want to take the job, you have to believe me! I'm an honest man, I'm married, signore... I mean, your Excellency. Not trying to get meself into anything, but I had to agree. He..." his voice turned so high-pitched at this point, he had to take a moment to breath. The thief was rather proud of his performance, he even managed to fake his accent a little. He gave the message over, the only thing left now was getting out of this mess with something to deliver. He resumed his act.

"He gave me no choice and swore, he'd gut me if I didn't do as 'e asked. He also emphasized, that he needed an answer urgently. If I were to show up without it or failed to return at all... my family... please, he'll do horrible things to them!"

"Alright, alright, calm yourself!" Cesare stood still, looking back and fort between the letter and the fidgeting courier. He was still furious but he was acting more like a general planning strategy than a spoiled prince, which was a good sign. Maybe, he will bite on the bait...

After a minute or so, he finally seemed to come to a decision, just not the one the courier was expecting.

"Guards! Put this man into a cell!" he ordered. The shock on the messengers face was now one-hundred percent genuine.

"But... Your Excellency..." he tried to beg but Cesare waved him off.

"Silence, peasant! You'll stay put until I decide what to do about this... this... whatever this is."

"But sir! My family...!"

"I'll make sure, they get a proper funeral." Cesare seemed awfully amused when he said. "That is, if they even exist. Now off with you!"

He snapped his fingers and the two guards standing at his side stepped forward. They grabbed the thief by his arms and led him away and down into the belly of the Castello, where he was cast into a tiny cell. He wouldn't be released until the evening but it doesn't matter, as the events will have taken a different turn by then. The plan of the assassins was only a half-success.