Chance Encounter

The sun began to set over Venice, Italy. Another day in the Renaissance ended, only to give birth to the Renaissance night. Lively chatter buzzed beneath as another party began to take life. Ezio’s target would not be inside another one of these parties. He would be hanging out on the edge of it, watching. These people didn’t like to interact much with the Venetian crowd as much as they used to. Perhaps it was because they knew that their life was at risk?

The young assassin crept along the rooftops. His eyes were focused on observing the scene, calculating how quickly he could assassinate and get out without being caught. He stopped and tentatively looked over the edge into an alleyway. It was dark and empty. Perfect.

He leaped onto a nearby ledge and began to crawl downwards. The shadows covered him well, enveloping his descending form with black veils. Ezio let go of the ledge when he was only a few feet off the ground, landing with a thump. Thankfully, these Venetian gatherings were loud.

The assassin blended in with the crowd. Surely with the dark and the hood covering his head, his face remained hidden by shadow, which was what he needed. Being surrounded by so many people during an assassination like this could reveal his face and make him even more recognizable and wanted than before.

His eyes fell upon the man. He was portly, as was the men he had killed only a few weeks ago, and had on red colored mask. The man’s hand swayed to his right, and a woman approached him, smiling. She spoke something to him. A seductress’ words, Ezio supposed, as the man chuckled.

Ezio cursed inside his mind. He should have seduced some women and gotten their help beforehand. They would have made the job of assassinating this target much easier. Ezio took a step closer, careful not to draw any attention. As a novice assassin, he had to be careful in his movements, lest he be exposed and forced into open combat. He would approach from the back, find a weak point, and head in for the kill with an eagle’s swiftness.

The assassination target waved his left hand. Ezio expected another woman to approach him. Instead, it was a man in a hood similar to Ezio’s. The man swiftly grabbed the target’s shoulder and punched him in the neck. The gurgle was released from the target’s dying throat, promptly followed by screams of terror. The hooded man pulled back his arm, revealing a blade now stained with red. An assassin.

Ezio did not stand there and gawk any farther. He had to get out of the area, or else he could be caught as well. He lunged for a crate and propelled himself off of it onto a ledge. Ezio scrambled up the wall. Cries of “Assassin!” echoed in his ears, though they were not directed at him. As soon as he cleared the roof ledge, he gazed down.

The assassin that had stolen his target was in open combat with several other guards. He was deflecting and counterattacking with extreme accuracy, but even he knew he could not survive in open combat much longer. He bolted from the area, using the crowd’s confusion to his advantage. The guards chasing after him were not as nimble as he was. Ezio followed them on the rooftops. He would find out who this assassin was and why he stole his target.

Ezio jumped off a ledge and into a cart of hay. He looked around and saw no guards coming to poke the stack, so he was safe. The cries of “Get him!” and “Kill him!” got louder and louder. Footsteps increased in volume. Ezio peeked out of the stack to get his surroundings. The people were running away in a frenzy and paid no attention to the hay. The increasing sound of footsteps came from the assassin. He stopped to look for a hiding spot.

Immediately, Ezio’s arm lashed out and grabbed his arm. The assassin was startled, but quickly realized the hiding spot and crawled in as quickly as he could. They adjusted themselves to make room for two people in the hay. Both assassins held their breath as the guards came by.

After several moments, they began to retreat. “We’ll find that assassin!” one said. “Nobody murders and gets away with it on my watch!” cried another. Their retreating footsteps soon gave way to silence.

Ezio peered out of the hay, making sure the coast was clear. The assassin in front of him shifted. They had been in rather uncomfortable positions for a while, and the other assassin relieved this by jumping out of the hay himself. Ezio followed suit.

“Thank you,” was all the assassin said before he bolted off towards a wall. Ezio ran after him.

“Wait! You’re not leaving so soon!" Ezio was neck and neck with the assassin. He would not loose this person! When they both crawled onto the rooftops, the other assassin turned around.

“Why are you following me?” His voice had a clear hint of annoyance.

Ezio’s voice returned that annoyance. “You took my target.”

“Am I supposed to care?”

“Well, I demand to know why you killed Alexandro. What was your reason, assassin?”

“I don’t need to tell you. You’re an assassin as well, you should know better. Or do you not follow the Creed?”

Ezio realized what he was talking about. The Creed was mentioned in Altair’s Codex. The first tenet was to stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent. The second tenet was to hide in plain sight. The third tenet was to not compromise the Brotherhood.

“You…know of the Creed? I thought some assassins had fallen out of living by it long ago…”

The assassin across from him flashed his left hand. On it, his ring finger was gone, only a stub of it remaining.

“And some still live by it to this day.”

There was a pause. Ezio started. “Then you must know of Altair Ibn La-Ahad?”

“Yes. A great assassin rumored to have killed every Templar in the land. I guess he didn’t. They still live here among us.” The assassin’s eyes wandered down to Ezio’s left hand. “You don’t have a finger missing for a blade. Yet you are still an assassin of the Brotherhood?”

“I have read Altair’s Codex. I am his descendent.”

The assassin seemed startled. “His…descendent? You are related to Altair?” He paused. “I am related to an assassin like him. His name was Hakim.” The assassin looked up at Ezio. He paused, as if debating within himself as to what to say next. “I am Luca.”

“Ezio,” the man replied to Luca. Both assassins felt as if they could have a hint of trust for each other.

“Pleased.” There was a brief moment of silence. Luca’s head turned to look to his right. The assassin seemingly was not that great in social situations. Luca’s arm suddenly moved to his side like an instinctive reflex. His mouth stretched into a grimace of pain. Ezio’s eyes quickly evaluated the assassin was hurt and rushed to him.

“I know a man…he can get you aid.”

“No. I will deal with this on my own.”

“I’m serious.” Ezio tried to wrap his arm around Luca to support him. Luca’s hand pushed him back.

“I will deal with this by myself. It isn’t bad…just a flesh wound.” Luca lifted his hand to inspect. The white cloth of his clothes was being stained, and red blood was stuck to his hand. It was just a graze from one of the guard’s swords. Ezio attempted to approach Luca again.

“This man I know, though…he knows many things. I’m sure he can find a way to heal you. You don’t have to do it yourself.”

“Your kindness is appreciated…but I must decline.”

Before Ezio could respond, Luca dashed towards the edge of the roof and jumped onto the other roof. Ezio contemplated on whether or not to go after the wounded assassin; he decided not to. The assassin, Luca, disappeared into the Venetian night. As did Ezio. He swiftly leaped the rooftops back home with an eagle’s speed.



Weeks passed, and the thought of the assassin that still followed the Creed slowly began to fade from Ezio’s mind. He was preoccupied in taking out another target. The young man had gained more experience as an assassin, and put this experience to use.

Ezio approached three young women inside a building—prostitutes. They smiled and giggled as he charmed them. To seal the deal, Ezio gave them a smirk-like smile as he passed the bag of money off to one of the prostitute’s hands.

“We just bring them into the middle of the dance, am I right?” one asked. She shifted closer to Ezio, smiling enchantingly. The young man nodded. He wrapped his hand around the prostitute’s and lifted it to his face. Gently, he placed a kiss onto her hand.

“Many thanks, ladies,” he told them. His voice was warm and sweet, like honey. The flattered women burst into another fit of giggling and smiles. Ezio bowed, channeling his learned noblemen manners, and turned to leave. Once outside, his face hardened back into a determined expression. Orlando Rambaudi was the name of the man he had to kill. He assisted in the killing of his father. For that, Orlando needed to die.

Ezio scaled a nearby wall and perched himself on the edge of the roof. He stared across the city. The party would begin soon. He had to go join them. The assassin ran across the rooftops towards the location that his assassination target was headed to.

Several hours later, fireworks began to explode, sending a sharp crack throughout the city. Music started to fill the air with melodious notes of merriment and joy. Dancing was taking place. Ezio looked towards the setting sun; it was nearly gone now. Ezio noticed a small group of people striding towards the party, one of them being his target. He couldn’t have asked for a more perfect time.

The assassin dropped from the building into a haystack and blended into the crowd. He stared intently at his target. The man had no clue. He joined in with the festivities, completely absorbed by his hedonistic lifestyle. The prostitutes Ezio had paid were doing their job well. They flirted with Orlando and drew him into the middle of the crowd. Orlando’s naiveté would be the death of him. Ezio weaved his way between people until he was near Orlando. The man turned in a dance movement, a smile on his lips. The prostitutes moved away quickly, disguising their moves in the dance, careful not to be caught associating with Ezio and getting their hands bloody. Ezio’s left Hidden Blade slid out, and Ezio plunged it straight into Orlando’s throat. The stabbed man let out a gutted cry of despair. Ezio pulled his blade back, allowing Orlando to drop backwards. His terror-filled eyes looked at Ezio in realization before they glazed over with death.

His guards had taken notice when the screams began. The crowd went into a mad frenzy. Ezio made his way in between them; he had planned the assassination to be in the middle of the crowd due to how it would prevent the guards from catching him fast enough. Still, some of them were lucky enough to make their way through the crowd and catch up to him. A guard charged him with a spear. Ezio jumped to the side and slammed his fist into the guard’s mouth. He promptly took the spear from the guard and smashed the butt end into the guard, knocking him to the floor.

Another guard pulled out a dagger and slashed at him. Ezio took impact on his arms and on the left side of his chest. He punched the guard in the face and pushed him to the ground. A guard dashed at Ezio with a sword drawn. Ezio attempted to turn to slam him with the pole, but the guard was struck by a projectile and sent flying to the ground. Several other guards were killed in the same manner. Ezio chanced a glance upward and found the same assassin he had met before, Luca. He nodded to Ezio.

More guards were slowly filing their way through to Ezio. The assassin slammed the spear into the front guardsman and charged him into the other guards. The force of the impact sent the guards behind the speared man sprawling and loosing balance. Ezio bolted down an alleyway and jumped up onto a pole. He swung himself upwards onto a ledge, which he climbed onto the roof. He could now see Luca only a few buildings away. The guards could see Luca and Ezio as well.

“There’s another one!”

Both ran down the same path looking for a spot to hide. Archer shot arrows at them. Luca was hit twice by the arrows. Ezio jumped and stabbed the two closest archers with his Hidden Blades. Luca took out the remaining two with his throwing knives.

“This way!” Ezio told Luca quickly as Luca pulled out the arrows from his body. He began to run in the direction of Leonardo’s studio. Surely the guards would not find them there. The two had broken the line of sight between them. When the studio came into view, Ezio guided Luca to the opening at the top. They both dropped down into a dimly lit room.

Luca and Ezio collapsed. They both sat panting on the floor of the building. They would be safe inside. Luca softly winced at his minor wounds. Ezio got up slowly, careful not to agitate his own wounds any further.

“Leonardo!” he called to his friend. Luca’s head shot up. He had finally noticed where he was once he gazed at the unfinished art littered around the room.

A man walked out from another room. He at first had an annoyed look on his face—clearly created due to him leaving in the middle of something important—but his face changed upon looking at the two assassins’ wounds.

The painter’s brows furrowed. “Ezio…,” he started. He seemed to not be able to find any words, and turned to look at Luca.

“An assassin. Luca,” Ezio explained. Leonardo simply nodded and went to get medicinal items.

Luca placed a hand on one of his arrow inflicted wounds. He stood up, careful not to tip over. “Leonardo da Vinci?” he began. “To think this was the friend you were talking about…”

“Yes. He is very helpful, and knows many things.”

Leonardo returned, a pan of hot water, several towels, items for making a poultice, and bandages surrounded by his carrying arms. He placed them on the table next to Ezio.

“Remember, for serious wounds I cannot help you. You must go to a healer,” Leonardo reminded him. His eyes gazed at Luca. He was studying the assassin. Silently, he left to return to his painting. He trusted that the two could help each other. Thus, his presence was not needed.

Ezio removed his shoulder cape and several harnesses. Luca sat in the dark shadows and peeled back the fabric on his arm to look at the wound. His arrow wounds weren’t as deep as he thought. Ezio rolled up his sleeves and stared at his wounds. Both began to tend to their bodies in the dim room.

Once finished, Luca stood up from his spot in the shadows. “Thank Leonardo da Vinci for me,” the assassin told Ezio.

“You won’t stay?”

“I need to leave.” He then ran up an empty wall and pulled himself out of the room via the roof entrance. Ezio stood watching the place where Luca had jumped out of. He turned his attention towards the things Leonardo brought to help him and began to clean up.



Ezio sat perched on a ledge jutting out from a tower. He mused on how eagles saw this every time they were on the ledge. The assassin let out a soft sigh. He had taken out some of the murderers, but there were still more to go.

Ezio propelled himself off the ledge. He spread his arm wide for the leap of faith. He twisted and landed on his back into the hay. A large gathering of people were forming in a plaza. Curious, Ezio approached the mass of citizens. He stuck to the edge and used the shadows to hide himself. A man came out dressed up as nobility. A decree by him?

The crowd became rowdier at his arrival. He attempted to calm them down with a wave of his arm.

“Denizens of Venice, I have wonderful news. More trade has been established with the East. Our city’s revenue will increase.” The man paused. “As for the assassins in white, we are trying our best to capture or kill them. They will not be allowed to…”

Here, an assassin rushed at the man. The speaker panicked and stumbled backwards. Guards ran forward to intercept, but the assassin nimbly kicked one of them to the ground and smashed the other with his elbow. Luca stepped on the guard’s body and used him to jump into the air. He brandished his Hidden Blade and slammed it into the speaker’s throat.

The crowd began to run around wildly. Ezio kept to the wall to continue watching. Luca stood up and looked around; guards were charging in, trying to make their way around the crazed citizens. Ezio took this chance to run in and grab Luca’s arm. Once they were both at a sprinting pace they climbed the wall of a building onto the rooftops.

“To the canals,” Luca started quickly. They dashed off again towards the Venetian canals. At the edge they took a quick glance at the water and then jumped off into it at a dive. Both assassins splashed into the murky surface of the water in the canals. Several moments passed.

Their heads broke the surface of the water in between several gondolas. They listened for the cries of the guards. Nothing but splashing water came to their ears. Luca turned to Ezio and pointed to a deserted area several yards away. Ezio nodded, and they both dove underwater in that direction. When their heads broke the surface again they dragged themselves up onto land. Trails left by water droplets streamed down their face, and their eyes looked around cautiously.

Their wet clothes stuck to their skin and made it slightly difficult to move. Luca was wringing out his clothes, letting the excess water splash onto the ground beneath him. Ezio’s own wringing formed a larger puddle than Luca’s, mostly from the type of clothing he had on. It was during their silence that Ezio observed Luca. His clothes stuck to him a bit oddly…it seemed to be the figure more attributed to a feminine type of person. Luca was an effeminate man?

Luca’s chest was also odd. Ezio didn’t know if the water had blurred his eyes, but it seemed as if there was some sort of bulge in his chest. Like breasts for a woman. It was barely there, though, like it had been bound.

“What are you staring at?” growled Luca. Ezio’s eyes looked into Luca’s eyes. He had also been staring at Ezio whilst Ezio was observing him.

“The ground,” Ezio lied curtly.

“Hmph.” The assassin turned to look out at the canal, paying attention to his weapons. He activated his Hidden Blade, checking to see if it still worked. At the angle Luca was at Ezio became more confident in his assumptions.

“Luca.”

Luca’s blade retracted into the gauntlet. “Yes?”

Ezio’s voice strained, as if he still held a form of doubt. “…Are…Are you a woman?”

Luca’s turned his head to look at Ezio. His hood covered his eyes to the Auditore. He seemed as if he wanted to answer with something, but didn’t know what to answer with. He turned to look back at the canal. It was awkward. Luca had little social skills in awkward situations.

Luca answered simply, albeit a bit strained, with, “Yes.”

Ezio showed no visible surprise. He had suspected, and it was true. He still had thought Luca to be a man…was Luca intentionally dressing as a man?

As if Luca had read his mind, she answered. “I am an assassin. People may assume anything of me. I won’t correct them. That is not my job.”

Ezio touched her shoulder; she flinched and moved a bit away from his hand. Luca showed signs of never having been touched in such a close social manner. Ezio pulled his hand back.

The sun was setting. The deep yellow of the sun started to give the sky an orange hue wash. “Ezio, we should depart for the night.”

“I can pay board for the both of us,” he suggested. Luca’s face hardened. She was conflicting with herself. “You must allow me to help you. Stop debating,” Ezio promptly told her. Luca looked at him. She hesitantly nodded. She was accepting a small form of help, but help nonetheless. She seemed to give in.

Ezio thought about holding her hand and bowing from manners, but with her apparent lack of social skills, and how uncomfortable she seemed to become when placed in a situation like it, he shot the idea down. Instead, he grinned at her. “Let us go then, shall we?”

A shoulder to lean on…was that what they both wanted?


Luca sat next to the window. She stared down at the party in the distance. Ezio peered over her shoulder to them as well. Both had killed during such parties. Luca gritted her teeth from a thought. Quietly, she broke their silence.

“…Ezio, you must know how to dance like everybody else, right?”

Ezio was confused by such a question. Why would Luca say everybody else? Did she mean the nobility? He answered despite his persisting questions for her. “Yes, I do.”

Luca rubbed the back of her neck. “I…I never learned how to dance. My parents never taught me. All they taught me was how to kill people.” Luca’s eyes stared at the ground. She seemed to be thinking hard about her family. Ezio was sympathetic to her, and the expression flashed briefly across his face.

Ezio offered her his hand. “Do you want to learn?” He smiled softly at her. Luca just stared back. He couldn’t tell what emotions she felt now.

“No,” she answered. She flopped back into her bed and turned on her side so that she faced away from Ezio. The young man let his hand drop. He sat on his bed and lay down too. “…Not now, at least,” Luca added to herself in a whisper, staring at the wall. Ezio heard her vague words. He closed his eyes to them, making a note to one day teach her when she requested it.

The next morning, Ezio awoke to find Luca missing from her bed. In her place was a note and a feather.

Ezio,

I thank you for the hospitality. I must depart early, though. If we should ever chance upon each other again like we did those times before, I shall remember to repay you.

-Luca

Ezio smirked. Chance? Yes, it must have been chance that kept letting them meet each other. The Lady must have been sleeping on the job. That would explain why the two assassins kept on meeting each other. He wasn’t complaining, though. Luca could become a good ally and friend. Ezio would need all the help he could get to complete his goal.