Siege of Viana

"Roma, Italia, España, they will all be mine!"

―Cesare's claim as he fought Ezio. A claim that was falsified by Ezio's actions.

The Siege of Viana was a military conflict between the Kingdom of Navarre, whose forces were led by King John III of Navarre and Cesare Borgia commanding the Navarre army, and the Earldom of Lerin, under the command of Luis de Beaumont.

Inevitable matters

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

―Ezio to Leonardo about Cesare's arrest.

In 1503, Pope Alexander VI, Grand Master of the Templar Order, died of poison courtesy of his son Cesare Borgia. And with his death Rome was fully liberated from the Borgia's influential control. Subsequently following the murder of his father, Cesare was arrested by the newly appointed Pope, Julius II. In 1504 Cesare was later exiled to Spain and imprisoned at the Castle of La Mota, Medina del Campo, for several years.

However, in 1506 Cesare escaped, after the Count of the city provided him with a rope to aid him in a escape attempt. He dropped 70 meters to the ground, landing on top of a servant who had accompanied him, breaking his fall. Despite several fractured bones, Cesare was able to escape dressed in merchant clothes and later joined his brother-in-law, King John III of Navarre and to his luck was granted command of the Navarrese army. Following Cesare's arrest and exile to Spain, Ezio Auditore - now Il Mentore of the Assassins Order and who had remained in Rome - was considering the possibility of Cesare's future threat with his closest friend Leonardo da Vinci at the Assassin stronghold of Tiber Island. Ezio believed this after the manner in which Cesare claimed that chains would not imprison him for long and his vow not to die by the hands of man. Leonardo then encouraged Ezio to use the Apple and see what would eventually become of Cesare.

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Ezio and Leonardo, discussing whether to use the Apple or not.

Ezio proceeded to do so despite his own initial protest and, upon gleaning information from the Piece of Eden, immediately left Rome. As Ezio made his decision to leave, Leonardo questioned Ezio about the newly rebuilt restored Brotherhood, to which Ezio replied that it was rebuilt to last with or without him. With their departure, Ezio encouraged Leonardo to accept his gift, a large settlement of money to help with his miniscule salary, after guaranteeing him that the two would see each other again.

Viana under siege

Reunion

"Kill him! Kill the assassin! Tear the maldito bastardo (damned bastard) to pieces!"

―Cesare commanding his guards to kill Ezio before fleeing.

Ezio's first assassination attempt on Cesare.

By March of 1507 Ezio finally tracked Cesare down to Viana, however by the time of his arrival the siege on the town and Castle had already commenced. As the Navarre and Viana infantry fought on the battlefield and the cannons destroyed the Castle, town and countryside, Ezio wasted no time and immediately charging into the fray. Soon, he located Cesare alongside his men in the countryside, fighting the Viana infantry and without hesitation, he 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 discovered him. Ezio quickly claimed the Apple that Cesare stole from Mario Auditore had led him there.

Despite Cesare holding off Ezio's killing blow, Ezio eventually gained the upperhand and overpowered Cesare, striking him across the throat. However, Cesare's armor protected him and he managed to push Ezio aside, then flee, commanding for his soldiers to spill Ezio's blood. Without effort, Ezio fended off the reinforcing soldiers and attempted to pursue Cesare, however Ezio was then stunned by a wave of cannon balls that impacted the battlefield all around him. After regaining consciousness amidst several corpses of enemy soldiers, Ezio then mounted a nearby horse and pursued his nemesis.

Countryside chaos

"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.

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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 cannon balls eventually killed his horse, forcing him to travel by foot. As Ezio ran through the Battlefield the chaos became worse, with the Navarre siege towers evidently closing in on the town and the bodies of the slaughtered soldiers. As Ezio drew closer to the besieged town, he eventually arrived at the olive field ruins, where a infantry of Viana soldiers had set up camp.

Ezio fighting off the Viana infantry.

Stealthily killing off any patrolling soldiers and dispatching any who challenged him, Ezio also overheard the soldiers speaking of Cesare's downfall and the assassin responsible - Ezio - however he continued and subsequently rushed up the the countryside hill and arrived at the besieged town. Ezio then noticed Cesare, accompanied by several guards, approaching the town, and witnessed a woman rush to Cesare, seeking assistance in looking for her injured son, but she was promptly killed and discarded by the Spainish General's men, with Cesare continuing onwards to the city fortress.

Onward assault

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

Cesare: "Come then, Ezio!"

—Ezio and Cesare before their final battle.

Cesare preparing for his final battle with Ezio Auditore.

Following some distance behind, Ezio continued onwards to the town, while the Navarre infantry reinforced the assault against the town, 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 until he reached the town square. There he intervened in the battle and fought off the Navarre and Viana infantry before proceeding to climb a burning siege tower, which was preventing him from progressing to the Castle.

Attempting the climb the burning siege machine from the interior the tower - which had sustained heavy damage from cannon fire - Ezio was forced to perform a Leap of Faith off the top once he reached it, due to the tower having started crumbling under it's own weight, and began to search for an alternative route to the Castle walls. Safely landing in a bale of hay, Ezio continued his onward assault towards the castle, charging through the chaotic destruction of the siege and arriving at the foot of the Castel. However he was immediately attacked by constant waves of soldiers from both sides of the conflict. Despite being completely outnumbered, Ezio managed to successfully fend them off, and then discovered another siege tower that had managed to breach the Castle walls.

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

Before proceeding, Ezio then noticed Cesare battling above, meaning it would only be a matter of time before the Navarre forces could secure victory and gain a major hand towards Cesare's re-taking of Rome. Successfully climbing the tower and fended off the the attacking soldiers above before proceeding to confront his nemesis, Ezio continued on and found himself on the ramparts of the Castle walls.

Final confrontation

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

Ezio battling Cesare with the hidden blade.

Ezio then ran through the battlements and finally reached Cesare, calling out for his attention and warned him there was nowhere to run. After killing his attackers, Cesare immediatey challenged the Assassin to a final duel.

As the siege raged all around them, the two men battled face-to-face for the first and last time. Cesare attacked Ezio with speed and skill, aided by his sword and pistol, dodging his incoming blows and countering his attacks, while also periodically calling in waves of Navarre soldiers to reinforce him. Despite this, Ezio's own speed and skill, combined with his arsenal of weapons was enough to defeat all of the soldiers and overpower Cesare by breaking off pieces of his armor until the Templar stood only in his nobleman attire.

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Cesare seconds before being thrown from the Castel walls.

After a long battle, Ezio eventually managed to pin Cesare down beneath him with his hidden blade on the Templar's throat. Cesare then claimed that the throne was his right, which Ezio responded that he could not merely take as he wished and told him that a "true leader empowers the people he leads". Cesare then declared he would lead mankind into a new world, to which Ezio then wished no one would ever remember the name of Cesare Borgia.

Enraged and knowing his death was inevitable, Cesare repeatedly shouted that no mortal man could kill him, thus Ezio then declared he would leave Cesare in the "hands of fate" and threw him off the castle wall to his death, ulitmately finshing his long war against the Borgia. 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

After the death of Cesare, Ezio then returned to Rome and was reunited with the other Assassins. Ultimately deciding that the Apple was too dangerous for the hands of man, Ezio would later seal the Apple away in a Vault beneath the Santa Maria Aracoeli near the Colosseum and continue his tenure as the leader of the Assassin's Brotherhood in Rome.

Source

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood