Siege of Viana

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"They have taken the fight out to the enemy, and there have been bloody battles in the fields outside the town. I would not go any further in that direction, my son; there lies only devastation and blood."

―A Spanish man to Ezio Auditore on the siege of Viana.

The Siege of Viana was a military conflict between the Kingdom of Navarre and the Earldom of Lerin, led by King John III of Navarre and his general, Cesare Borgia, against the forces commanded by Luis de Beaumont.

The inevitable

"It was the manner in which he said it. "Chains will not hold me.""

―Ezio to Leonardo da Vinci about Cesare's arrest.

In 1503, the Grand Master of the Templar Order, Rodrigo Borgia, died from a poisoned apple that was forced down his throat by his own son, Cesare Borgia. With his death, Rome was fully liberated from the Borgia's control. Subsequently after murdering his father, Cesare was arrested by the newly appointed Pope, Julius II. Following his detainment, Ezio Auditore - now "Il Mentore" of the Assassin Order - considered the possibility of Cesare as a future threat.

Discussing the matter at length with his closest friend Leonardo da Vinci at the Assassin stronghold on Tiber Island, Ezio worried about Cesare's claim that 'chains could not imprison him', along with his vow to not die by the hands of man. Responding to the Assassin's troubles, Leonardo encouraged Ezio to use the Apple, in order to see what would eventually become of Cesare. Proceeding to do so, despite his initial protest, Ezio gleaned information from the Piece of Eden, enough to see Cesare escaping from the Castel Sant'Angelo, where he resided as a prisoner.

With the insight that the Apple gave to him, Ezio immediately left in a hurried state to prevent the outcome that he had been shown. Curious to his departure, Leonardo questioned Ezio about the newly restored Order, to which Ezio replied that he had "built this Brotherhood to last, with or without him." As he departed, Ezio placed a bag containing a large amount of florins on the table where the two sat, and encouraged Leonardo to accept his gift, in order to supplement the artist's miniscule salary, before guaranteeing to him that they would meet again once more.

From there, due to Ezio's efforts in hunting him down for the first time, Cesare was recaptured shortly after his escape from the Castel, and in 1504, he was exiled to Spain to be imprisoned once more, at the Castillo of La Mota.

However, in the year 1506, Cesare managed to escape his cell with the help of Micheletto Corella, who provided him with a rope. After dropping 70 meters to the ground, Cesare landed on top of a servant who had accompanied him, breaking his fall. Despite several fractured bones, Cesare was able to evade the law in a disguise of merchant clothing, later joining his brother-in-law, King John III of Navarre, where he was granted full command over the Navarrese army.

Viana under siege

Reunion

File:CesareEzioViana.jpg

Ezio's first assassination attempt on Cesare.

"Kill him! Kill the Assassin! Tear the maldito bastardo (damn bastard) to pieces!"

―Cesare commanding his guards to kill Ezio before fleeing.

By March of 1507, Ezio had finally tracked Cesare down to the town of Viana. However, by the time of his arrival, the siege on the town and the castle was already well underway. As the infantry of Navarre and Viana clashed on the battlefield, with the forces' cannons destroying the town and surrounding countryside, Ezio wasted no time and charged into the fray, in an effort to find his arch-enemy.

Soon, he located Cesare alongside his men in the midst of the battle, fighting the Viana infantry. Without hesitation, Ezio lunged towards Cesare with his blade at the ready. However, Cesare was able to hold off the Assassin's attack, demanding to know how Ezio had discovered him. Ezio quickly claimed that the Apple that Cesare had stolen from his uncle, Mario Auditore, had led him there.

Despite Cesare holding off Ezio's killing blow, Ezio eventually gained the upper-hand and overpowered Cesare, striking him across the throat. However, Cesare's armor protected him, and he managed to push Ezio aside. As he fled, he commanded his soldiers to attack the Assassin, though Ezio fended them off with little effort. As he attempted to pursue Cesare though, Ezio was stunned by a wave of cannon balls that impacted the battlefield around him.

After regaining consciousness amidst several corpses of enemy soldiers, Ezio mounted a nearby horse and pursued his nemesis.

Besieged countryside

The Navarre continue their assault.

"He once ruled all of Roma. I heard an Assassin killed his supporters. Great rulers rise and fall like leaves in the wind."

―A Viana guard talking about Cesare's downfall.

Riding through the Viana warzone on horseback, Ezio charged through the battlefield in an attempt to reach the ruins of what was once an olive field, however a cannon ball eventually struck and killed the horse he rode on, forcing him to travel by foot. As Ezio made his way through the outskirts of the city, the chaos only grew worse, with the Navarre siege towers evidently closing in on the town. As Ezio drew closer to the crumbling town, making his way past the bodies of slaughtered soldiers, he eventually arrived at the olive field ruins, where an infantry of Viana soldiers had set up camp.

Ezio fighting off the Viana infantry.

Stealthily killing any patrolling soldiers and dispatching any who challenged him, Ezio also overheard the soldiers speaking of Cesare's downfall, and the Assassin responsible. Upon reaching the peak of the hill, Ezio caught sight of Cesare, accompanied by several guards, entering the besieged town. As he did so, a woman rushed to Cesare's side, seeking assistance in looking for her injured son, but she was promptly killed and discarded by the Spanish general's men, with Cesare continuing to the city fortress.

Onward assault

Ezio performing a leap of faith from the burning siege tower.

Ezio: "Cesare! The walls surround you. There is nowhere to run."

Cesare: "Come then, Ezio!"

—Ezio and Cesare, before their final battle.

Following some distance behind, Ezio continued onwards to the town, while the Navarre infantry reinforced their assault, attacking the city guards and torturing the civilians. Ezio made his way up a small slope and along the rooftops, avoiding the chaos below and dealing only with those that got in his way. Upon reaching the town square, he intervened in the battle, fighting off both the infantry of Navarre and Viana, before proceeding to climb a burning siege tower, in the hope of proceeding onto the castle battlements.

Cesare preparing for his final battle with Ezio.

As he climbed the interior of the burning siege machine – which had sustained heavy damage from cannon fire – Ezio was forced to perform a Leap of Faith off of the top once he had reached it, due to the tower crumbling under its own weight. Landing safely, he began to search for an alternative route onto the walls. Arriving at the foot of the castle, Ezio was immediately attacked by several waves of soldiers from both sides of the conflict, but despite being outnumbered, he managed to successfully fend them off, before discovering another siege tower that had managed to breach the castle's walls.

Before proceeding, Ezio noticed Cesare and his men battling across the ramparts, indicating that it would only be a matter of time before the Navarrese forces secured victory, which would secure Cesare a major hand in his attempt to retake Rome. Successfully climbing the tower and defending himself from the attacking soldiers, Ezio ran across the battlements to face Cesare directly.

Final confrontation

Ezio battling Cesare with the hidden blade.

Cesare: "You cannot kill me. No man can murder me!"

Ezio: "Then I leave you in the hands of Fate."

—Cesare's final words to Ezio before his death

Finally reaching his arch-enemy, Ezio called out for Cesare's attention and warned him that there was nowhere to run. After killing the guards attacking him, Cesare responded to his claim by immediately challenging the Assassin to one last duel.

As the siege raged all around them, the two men battled face-to-face for the first and last time. Cesare skillfully attacked Ezio with his sword and pistol, dodging his incoming blows and countering his attacks, while also periodically calling in waves of Navarrese soldiers to reinforce him. Despite this, Ezio's own speed and skill were enough to defeat the soldiers and overpower Cesare, slowly breaking off the pieces of his armor that protected him from his hidden blade.

File:Cesarefaith1.jpg

Cesare, seconds before being thrown from the Castel walls.

After a lengthy battle, Ezio eventually managed to pin Cesare down beneath him, holding his hidden blade at the Templar's throat. Still convinced in his ways, Cesare claimed that the throne was his right, to which Ezio responded that a leader could not merely take what he wished, and that a true one "empowers the people he leads." Cesare then declared that he would "lead mankind into a new world", but Ezio dismissed him, replying that no one would ever remember Cesare Borgia's name in history.

Enraged, and knowing his death was inevitable, Cesare repeatedly shouted that no mortal man could kill him, to which Ezio declared he would leave Cesare "in the hands of fate", before throwing him from the castle wall to his death. Subsequently, the siege concluded, and Cesare's body was buried in a marble tomb beneath the altar of the Church of Santa Maria with the inscription: "Here lies in little earth one who was feared by all, who held peace and war in his hand."

Aftermath

Ezio: "Goodbye."

Leonardo: "Goodbye."

—Ezio and Leonardo, parting ways, 1507.

Shortly after the death of Cesare, Ezio returned to Rome and was reunited with the other Assassins, and in the June of 1507, Ezio, Leonardo and Niccolò Machiavelli met at the Assassin' headquarters on Tiber Island for Ezio's birthday.

Discussing their future intentions, Leonardo announced that he would soon leave for France, claiming it was a noble country. Niccolò also informed the two that he would return to Florence and finish his work in literature. Ezio however, decided to remain in Rome to continue his tenure as the Grand Master of the Assassin Order.

With this, the three men parted ways, knowing their work was finally complete.

Source

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood