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Firenze, 1476
"Ezio," Federico said, placing a hand on Ezio's shoulder. His tone was hushed and urgent, but not without its own hint of amusement.
Ezio turned, a bit startled.
"What?"
"Go to the roof," he said.
"Why?" Ezio frowned.
"You'll see," Federico said. When Ezio gave him a critical look, he continued: "That girl you met the other day. Cristina. Her parents are in the courtyard. They're here to talk with mother and father."
Ezio couldn't remember ever moving faster. He pulled away from his brother's hand and booked it down the hall, and down the stairs to the foyer. He couldn't go out through the courtyard, obviously, but he could scale the outer wall, as long as he was willing to endure a few jeers. Federico's laugh followed him down the hall.
He probably had never climbed faster, either. Within minutes, he was pulling himself up onto the tile and picking his way across the top. He crouched down at the edge, close enough to see her parents but obscured enough to stay out of sight. Why were they here? Had Cristina told them? How had she known his family name?
And there were his parents, meeting them in the courtyard. He watched his mother dismiss the servant that had led Cristina's parents in, leaving them in relative privacy. Ezio felt his heart beat faster in anticipation. What was this about? It was obviously important enough to warrant a meeting, instead of just correspondence by letter.
"Messere Vespucci," Giovanni Auditore said, warmly. "To what pleasure do I welcome you and your wife into my home?"
Vespucci? Ezio grinned, despite himself.
"My daughter, Cristina, had an encounter with your son Ezio the other day."
Ezio could imagine the looks on his parents' faces, even if he couldn't properly see them from his place on the roof. His father would be vaguely amused but appropriately concerned about what his son had been up to, and his mother would already be wearing a look of disapproval, sure that her rascal of a son had moved on from fumbling with the courtesans to trying his skills on the local noble beauties.
"He didn't cause any trouble, I hope?" Giovanni replied.
"Quite the opposite," Cristina's father said. "Cristina's virtue was threatened by one of the Pazzi boys, and your son sent the scoundrel running."
Maria Auditore gave a pleased noise, and Ezio could hear the warmth in his father's voice when he spoke next: "Would you like me to summon him, so that you might thank him yourself?"
"I hope that we might first discuss other matters," Mr. Vespucci replied. "My Cristina has been asking about seeing him again, but we want to know more about your son. We've had many offers for her hand, but she isn't interested in any of them, and we're reluctant to accept an offer from men solely after her dowry." He sighed –– the same sigh Ezio had heard from his own father a number of times, given the theatrics involved in getting Claudia betrothed. "I was surprised when she expressed interest in someone. Are you looking for courtship for Ezio?"
Ezio's jaw dropped, and he was simultaneously torn between a visceral joy and sheer terror. Courtship? With one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen? He'd only met her once!
"She took a liking to you," Federico said, suddenly, and Ezio almost yelped in surprise. He turned to see Federico grinning behind him.
"Fuck off," he hissed, under his voice.
Both boys watched their parents exchange a look, but what it was a look of, they couldn't see. Then, Giovanni spoke: "I am not sure if my boy is ready for marriage. We would like to get him an apprenticeship first, so that he can properly support a wife when he is ready. Even if they proved to be suitable for each other, it may be years before he is prepared. My older son, Federico..."
Ezio shot Federico a warning look, and Federico shrugged.
"No, no," Vespucci replied. "This may sound foolish, but I want my daughter to be happy. She insisted on seeing Ezio again."
"Well," Maria said, "perhaps a wife would keep him more focused on his studies, so that he might complete them earlier."
"Hmm," Vespucci hummed.
"Maria," Giovanni said, "Why don't you summon Ezio? We'll see what how he feels about a courtship."
Maria disappeared from view. It occurred to Ezio, belatedly, that she wouldn't find him on the roof, and that he had to get down to where she could find him. He certainly did not want to miss this conversation.
Unfortunately, in his haste to stand up on the tile, he slipped.
Things seemed to go in slow motion. Ezio scrambled to catch his footing, even as his body teetered and his center of balance was pitched sideways. Federico reached out to him, despite being much too far away, and there was a huge, goofy grin on his face. Ezio willed himself to get his hands underneath him, catch himself SOMEHOW, but he didn't get it. Not quite, anyway. He managed to grab onto the tile and then tumble sideways, falling off the rooftop and landing on a horizontal trellis hanging over the garden. It shook violently with his weight, but it held.
It made a considerable noise, though, and to top it off, a roof tile displaced by his foot fell to the ground. The terra-cotta shattered on the courtyard cobblestone.
Giovanni and both Vespucci parents turned to look at the fallen tile. Ezio held his breath. All three adults looked from the fallen tile to its source, where Federico was standing, slowly backing away from the edge. Then, all three adults looked to the trellis, where Ezio was clinging to the lattices, staring.
And then the trellis gave out under his weight, dropping Ezio to the courtyard floor with a loud clatter of broken wood and a thud.
"Ah," Giovanni said, the joviality gone from his voice. "There he is."
Ezio picked himself up, sheepishly, and plucked up the courage to look at Cristina's parents. They were looking at him, father in disgust and mother in alarm.
"I overheard you looking for me, so I thought I'd drop in," Ezio said, putting on an awkward smile.
Up above, Federico burst out laughing. Ezio vowed to get back at him later. Giovanni and the Vespuccis looked up at Federico, looking even less impressed.
"Go inside, son," Giovanni said. His tone wasn't something to be argued with, or even joked with. "Your mother is looking for you."
Ezio, shamefaced, ducked his head and slipped by the Vespuccis and out of the courtyard, into the sanctity of the villa. He could see his mother in the foyer, and to his surprise, Cristina was standing with her. When Cristina turned to look his way, her expression was one of delight.
Unwittingly, his shame-faced look turned into a big grin.
"Cristina!"
And that is how their courtship began.
"Ezio," Federico said, placing a hand on Ezio's shoulder. His tone was hushed and urgent, but not without its own hint of amusement.
Ezio turned, a bit startled.
"What?"
"Go to the roof," he said.
"Why?" Ezio frowned.
"You'll see," Federico said. When Ezio gave him a critical look, he continued: "That girl you met the other day. Cristina. Her parents are in the courtyard. They're here to talk with mother and father."
Ezio couldn't remember ever moving faster. He pulled away from his brother's hand and booked it down the hall, and down the stairs to the foyer. He couldn't go out through the courtyard, obviously, but he could scale the outer wall, as long as he was willing to endure a few jeers. Federico's laugh followed him down the hall.
He probably had never climbed faster, either. Within minutes, he was pulling himself up onto the tile and picking his way across the top. He crouched down at the edge, close enough to see her parents but obscured enough to stay out of sight. Why were they here? Had Cristina told them? How had she known his family name?
And there were his parents, meeting them in the courtyard. He watched his mother dismiss the servant that had led Cristina's parents in, leaving them in relative privacy. Ezio felt his heart beat faster in anticipation. What was this about? It was obviously important enough to warrant a meeting, instead of just correspondence by letter.
"Messere Vespucci," Giovanni Auditore said, warmly. "To what pleasure do I welcome you and your wife into my home?"
Vespucci? Ezio grinned, despite himself.
"My daughter, Cristina, had an encounter with your son Ezio the other day."
Ezio could imagine the looks on his parents' faces, even if he couldn't properly see them from his place on the roof. His father would be vaguely amused but appropriately concerned about what his son had been up to, and his mother would already be wearing a look of disapproval, sure that her rascal of a son had moved on from fumbling with the courtesans to trying his skills on the local noble beauties.
"He didn't cause any trouble, I hope?" Giovanni replied.
"Quite the opposite," Cristina's father said. "Cristina's virtue was threatened by one of the Pazzi boys, and your son sent the scoundrel running."
Maria Auditore gave a pleased noise, and Ezio could hear the warmth in his father's voice when he spoke next: "Would you like me to summon him, so that you might thank him yourself?"
"I hope that we might first discuss other matters," Mr. Vespucci replied. "My Cristina has been asking about seeing him again, but we want to know more about your son. We've had many offers for her hand, but she isn't interested in any of them, and we're reluctant to accept an offer from men solely after her dowry." He sighed –– the same sigh Ezio had heard from his own father a number of times, given the theatrics involved in getting Claudia betrothed. "I was surprised when she expressed interest in someone. Are you looking for courtship for Ezio?"
Ezio's jaw dropped, and he was simultaneously torn between a visceral joy and sheer terror. Courtship? With one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen? He'd only met her once!
"She took a liking to you," Federico said, suddenly, and Ezio almost yelped in surprise. He turned to see Federico grinning behind him.
"Fuck off," he hissed, under his voice.
Both boys watched their parents exchange a look, but what it was a look of, they couldn't see. Then, Giovanni spoke: "I am not sure if my boy is ready for marriage. We would like to get him an apprenticeship first, so that he can properly support a wife when he is ready. Even if they proved to be suitable for each other, it may be years before he is prepared. My older son, Federico..."
Ezio shot Federico a warning look, and Federico shrugged.
"No, no," Vespucci replied. "This may sound foolish, but I want my daughter to be happy. She insisted on seeing Ezio again."
"Well," Maria said, "perhaps a wife would keep him more focused on his studies, so that he might complete them earlier."
"Hmm," Vespucci hummed.
"Maria," Giovanni said, "Why don't you summon Ezio? We'll see what how he feels about a courtship."
Maria disappeared from view. It occurred to Ezio, belatedly, that she wouldn't find him on the roof, and that he had to get down to where she could find him. He certainly did not want to miss this conversation.
Unfortunately, in his haste to stand up on the tile, he slipped.
Things seemed to go in slow motion. Ezio scrambled to catch his footing, even as his body teetered and his center of balance was pitched sideways. Federico reached out to him, despite being much too far away, and there was a huge, goofy grin on his face. Ezio willed himself to get his hands underneath him, catch himself SOMEHOW, but he didn't get it. Not quite, anyway. He managed to grab onto the tile and then tumble sideways, falling off the rooftop and landing on a horizontal trellis hanging over the garden. It shook violently with his weight, but it held.
It made a considerable noise, though, and to top it off, a roof tile displaced by his foot fell to the ground. The terra-cotta shattered on the courtyard cobblestone.
Giovanni and both Vespucci parents turned to look at the fallen tile. Ezio held his breath. All three adults looked from the fallen tile to its source, where Federico was standing, slowly backing away from the edge. Then, all three adults looked to the trellis, where Ezio was clinging to the lattices, staring.
And then the trellis gave out under his weight, dropping Ezio to the courtyard floor with a loud clatter of broken wood and a thud.
"Ah," Giovanni said, the joviality gone from his voice. "There he is."
Ezio picked himself up, sheepishly, and plucked up the courage to look at Cristina's parents. They were looking at him, father in disgust and mother in alarm.
"I overheard you looking for me, so I thought I'd drop in," Ezio said, putting on an awkward smile.
Up above, Federico burst out laughing. Ezio vowed to get back at him later. Giovanni and the Vespuccis looked up at Federico, looking even less impressed.
"Go inside, son," Giovanni said. His tone wasn't something to be argued with, or even joked with. "Your mother is looking for you."
Ezio, shamefaced, ducked his head and slipped by the Vespuccis and out of the courtyard, into the sanctity of the villa. He could see his mother in the foyer, and to his surprise, Cristina was standing with her. When Cristina turned to look his way, her expression was one of delight.
Unwittingly, his shame-faced look turned into a big grin.
"Cristina!"
And that is how their courtship began.