A game, or real life? (Ezio x reader)

Don't leave me...

"Come, we'll talk inside." I urged, lightly caressing Mariana's silky jet black hair. The exhausted little girl, albeit excited to see us, quickly fell asleep in Ezio's arms as we walked back to the living room, and after lying her down in her bedroom, we went downstairs to the living room so we could talk. "What brings you here, my son? Is everything alright?" I decided to ask then, worried as I poured them a glass of wine.

"I fear it is not the case, Mother." Leandro shook his head, gratefully accepting the offer as he reached forth and took the glass of wine. "We received word from our brothers in the Chinese Empire that something is afoot. We have reasons to believe that our base is on the brink of collapse."

"Dio mio (My God)..." I breathed out. "Do we know why? Are there any reasons as to why this is happening?"

"My guess is that they were overpowered." Aurora shrugged. "The Templars are getting smarter, Mother. And we have reasons to believe they are going to try the same here, starting with Firenze." Immediately, Ezio's gaze hardened before such news. Oh, shit... my eyes widened in surprise.

"I have already taken Diana and Flavio away into hiding, should things go south." Leandro said. "I asked Pantasilea to watch over for them in my stead, at least until the fog has cleared."

"The reason why we are here..." Yusuf began, looking into my eyes with a serious expression. "...is because we need someone to watch over our little Mariana while we investigate. And there is no one I would rather entrust the life of my daughter to more than you both." He took a deep breath. "It is going to be difficult for us to stay away, but all I ask is that you watch over her for a week or two."

"Oh, Yusuf..." I breathed out, reaching forth to cup his hand. "You don't even need to ask us twice, kardeşim (brother)... we will watch over Mariana, and protect her with our own lives."

"You can count on us." Ezio nodded in agreement. "I beg you. Be careful. This might not be an ordinary threat."

"We will." They nodded. And with that, I stood up and pulled my children in for a tight hug. A hug they didn't even hesitate to return. They were worried, I could feel it. And they had every right to be worried. This was not a situation they could take lightly. This was a real threat. And if the Templars were truly becoming more cunning, then we'd need to be careful. Don't get me wrong, I was proud of them. They led dangerous, but wonderful lives worth living. But now, they weren't so young anymore. Especially Yusuf. He'd need to be careful. They'd all need to be careful.

The three Assassins left that next morning, and though Mariana was saddened at first, I managed to find simple ways of entertaining my sweet little 7 year-old girl. Either through horse riding, or even telling her stories beneath the shadow of our tall tree out by the house. She'd always fall asleep in my arms, relishing in the sweet summer warmth that the wind carried along. And sometimes, I'd even fall asleep with her, leaning back into the tree's strong trunk. But one particular afternoon...

"Leave her alone!!!" Ezio's yell swiftly woke me up. I looked around in surprise, and much to my horror, I couldn't see Mariana in my arms. Oh no... I stood up as fast as an old woman like me could, and rushed to the back of the villa, where I had heard that yell coming from. And much to my horror, someone was holding Mariana's hand. I watched in absolute fright as Ezio rushed towards that cloaked person and thrust himself between Mariana and it, holding it by the collar. I ran towards them, and pushed Mariana behind me as I watched the scene unfold. And before I knew it, Ezio let the person go. "An Assassin." He finally said, his breathing heavy and labored from running. And indeed, I watched as the person lowered its hood, revealing jet black hair and the soft features of a woman. She was hesitant and frightened, I could tell, as if she wasn't expecting Ezio to just pop out like that. "Mariana, tesoro (sweetheart), get inside..." Ezio finally said, needing to clear his throat so he could speak.