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Description
Ezio Auditore sat in his study, scribbling on a piece of paper with careful, practiced strokes. Setting his quill back into the ink well, a soft knocking came at the door. "Entra." he said. The wooden door creaked open, revealing Ezio's 18-year old son, Marcello. "I am taking Mother into town", he said, "She is buying you a sunhat since you won't get one yourself." Ezio smiled & said, "Tell her I think that is very kind." "Why don't you tell her yourself?" Marcello asked. Waving an arm behind him, he grinned & said, "As you can see, I am quite busy in the fields..." Marcello laughed & walked up, chuckling softly. "Pick up Flavia on your way back!" Ezio called after him. Picking up the paper & reading his work, he crumpled it into a ball in a tight fist & chucked it out the open window.

Grabbing his basket & walking slowly into the field, Ezio stopped at the first row & knelt down, picking grapes off the bundle. "Salute, Messer Ezio." one of the workers said as he walked by. Nodding, he reached for the next bunch when a sharp hissing sound caught his attention. "Cazzo!" he shouted, yanking his hand back as a large snake slithered out of the foliage, poison dripping from its bared fangs. Drawing his dagger, Ezio plunged the blade into the creature's skull, staining the dirt a reddish-brown. "Are you alright, Messer Ezio?" the worker asked as he ran up. "Si", he muttered, wiping off his dagger, "I think we need to double-check the field for pests."

As the worker helped Ezio up, a shadowy figure watched from the bushes. Speaking softly to himself, he said, "So the cobra didn't work, eh? No matter. This old fool will pay for killing off my bloodline." Sliding his hand down to the handle of a sword sitting in a scabbard, he said, "Ezio Auditore... Mark my words, you will die for destroying the Pazzi family.

Ezio coughed into the crease of his elbow as he opened the door to his villa, the cool night air washing over him as he stepped outside. Where is everyone? he wondered. They should've been back hours ago. Suddenly, a rumbling turned his attention to the road as a carriage rumbled up with Sophia at the reins. As it slowed to a stop, she stepped down from the platform, crossing the space between her & Ezio & taking his arm. "I have a present for you, Ezio." Grinning, he rolled his eyes & said, "However shall I guess what it is." "I'll give you a hint", she said, "It's something you've probably needed for a long time." "Is it a sunhat?" Ezio asked. "Good guess." she said, tossing him the hat. "Marcello already told me." he said, grinning. Sophia gasped & turned back to the carriage, shouting, "Marcello, you traitor! That was supposed to be a surprise!" As sounds of snickering trailed off, she asked, "So how was the harvest today?" "Same old, same old", he said, "I almost got snakebit." "Again? Ezio, you're smart enough to see that all these snakes popping up can't just be a coincidence." Sophia said. "All right, all right", Ezio said, "I'll look into it, see where all these snakes are coming from." "Funny", a voice said from behind them, "Getting snakebit seems the logical death for the biggest snake in Italia."

Spinning around, Ezio saw a masked man tightly gripping Flavia's shoulder & Marcello unconcious on the ground. A huge blade, sparkling wickedly in the moonlight, was clutched tightly in his fist, centimeters away from her throat. "Greetings, Ezio Auditore", the man said, "Allow me to introduce myself..." As the mask clattered to the ground, Ezio gasped as a familiar face was cast in the moonlight. "Vieri?!" he whispered. "No, not Vieri", the man boomed, "But his son, Salvatore de Pazzi. I have plotted & planned for 30 long years to take revenge on you for the massacre of my family." Inching the blade closer to the girl's neck, the young Pazzi grinned evilly & said, "And now, I think the perfect instrument of my vengeance is in front of me." "NO!!!" Ezio yelled, lifting his wrist & lining Salvatore up in the path of the hidden gun. The musket ball rocketed out of the gun & tore into Salvatore's hand, seperating the blade of the swords from the handle. "AAAAHHH!!!!" he cried, toppling to the ground as blood poured out of a ragged hole in his palm.

Striding calmly up to the wounded Salvatore, Ezio activated the hidden blade with a snik, jabbing the point into his neck & causing a thin trickle of blood to run down his neck. "Listen to me very carefully", he growled, "You ever come here again, I kill you. you send someone to do your dirty work, I kill them, I kill you, and I kill whoever told you to send them. Do we understand each other?" Nodding frantically, Salvatore leaped to his feet & tore off down the dirt road as Ezio stood up & retracted the blade.

Later, as he sat with Sophia watching Marcello & Flavia play, Ezio said sadly, "It seems like people from my past keep coming back to haunt me. First Machiavelli, now the Pazzis." Eyes full of sorrow & worry, he turned to her & said, "Tell me, Sophia-Will I ever be able to leave my past behind me?" Kissing his cheek, Sophia smiled & said, "I'm sure you will, Ezio. But until that day..." She waved an arm behind her to indicate Flavia & Marcello. "Every obstacle we face, we face as a family." she finished. Ezio smiled & said, "That does make me feel a little better."