Oh gosh, thank you all so much for the adorable comments. They really motivated me to keep writing asdfghjkl; I am terribly sorry for the delay on this chapter, I was out of town and when I decided to start writing, I changed some things in the last minute, which got me rewriting some things. Speaking of which, this part contains heavy spoilers for the end of Liberation, although I took the liberty to bend it a little for the story as well, oops. Anyway, enjoy!
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In the week following the events at the Opera House, Haytham spent most of his time planning his next mission thoroughly. Everything had to be perfectly detailed and thought out. As such, Connor will have to attend the party without him. He will be there, but he can’t risk being seen by Church or his men, so he’ll have to hide and infiltrate the place without being seen. All their target’s ever seen of the Assassin was his hood, so he should be fine if dressed formally and with his hair untied (perhaps an unnecessary touch, but better safe than sorry, Haytham decides). He will have a woman accompany Connor, perhaps one of the girls Hickey likes to hang out with, but he could think about that later.
If Johnson had been alive, he would send him to help Connor’s assistants to retrieve the goods, but thanks to the Assassin himself, Johnson is no more. He debated whether to send Lee instead, but decided against it. Surely the recruits can do the job by themselves and Haytham’s protégé is too busy to lend a hand at the time. It would be best not to disturb him as things stand.
With a dip pen firmly held in one hand, he unscrolled a map of the area on the table. Two recruits would guard and take care of the posted guards around the perimeter. The others will take the carts out and hide them in a hidden hut outside the city - Haytham will provide them that much.
As for Connor’s companion...
Haytham looked to the side of the burning candle. The green amulet reflected the light when he took it in his hands. Perhaps he knew just who to call.
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The days passed by fast. Soon it was already the last day of December. As imagined, the cargo had been moved to the port, as confirmed by one of his men. He anticipated Church being less strict with the cargo - it was, after all, hidden amongst other cargo, like hiding a tree in a forest, but he never expected carelessness. Two guards only made rounds around the area, and they were poorly equipped with old muskets and no appropriate clothing. Well, it only made things easier for them, so he didn’t complain.
As soon as the sun hid in the horizon Haytham stepped outside the Green Dragon to find his carriage ready to go and Connor standing beside it. He was wearing different clothes this time (he couldn’t have Connor complaining about the tightness in the middle of an important mission). They were lighter, with less layers of clothing, which would make moving and climbing around easier. Less details suchs as embroidery and fancy buttons also allowed for discretion, which would be very important in making him as imperceptible as possible in front of Church. His hair was, as planned before, down to his shoulders. All that and the man standing in front of him still looked damn fine, which made him feel a bit narcissistic about it. Shaking his head slightly, he opened the door to the carriage, coming in first and motioning for his son to come in.
The road to the mansion was mostly quiet, though Haytham still explained a few things - like how Connor would be accompanied by a woman and how he would avoid entering the house so as not to get discovered. His son didn’t seem to enjoy neither ideas very well, given how his shoulders became tense and his eyes narrowed to show his disdain. There were no verbal complaints however, so Haytham ignored his body language.
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The first thing Connor noticed after they arrived was that the land was big enough and there were already many guests strolling through the well lit yard, but the mansion itself was a small two-story house. The carriage left them a little farther from the area so that they wouldn’t risk his father’s cover. As Haytham motioned for the back of the site, he followed. There was a small, frail and unguarded wooden door at the back, which Haytham quickly managed to unlock. Connor made to enter, but his father blocked his way with a hand.
“Watch.”
It didn’t take long for a woman dressed in green to show up from the side of the mansion and head to the back door of the house. Two guards looked her up and down, but did not let her in. Despite that, she simply nodded and kept smiling.
“Good evening gentlemen. I just wanted to talk to one of the slaves preparing tonight’s food, since he used to be mine before we sold him.” At that she waved to someone past the guards, but they couldn’t see whom from the distance.
The guards looked at each other before one of them nodded and let her pass. As soon as she did, they went back to their positions looking outside. They never saw her turn on her heels and stab both from behind. They fell silently on the ground.
That was the cue, it seemed, for Haytham started walking towards her immediately. When they approached her, she nodded to his father before turning to him and he immediately recognized her.
“It’s good to see you again, brother Connor.”
It took Connor a while to remember her name, though it was probably because he was trying so hard to understand why she was here.
“You are Aveline?”
She nodded with a smile.
“Oh, you two know each other?” Haytham looked from one to the other.
“Yes, we met on a mission to New York about a month ago.” She replied.
“Excellent, then I believe the two of you will--”
“Why do you know each other?” Connor asked angrily, not even caring that his father glared at him for the interruption. Something about it just didn’t feel right.
“Aveline was accepted into the order a few days ago.”
For a second, Connor didn’t really believe what he had just heard. When it dawned on him, he somehow managed to keep his composure, but it was hard to swallow. He glanced at Aveline who didn’t seem ashamed of it and was already talking with Haytham about tonight’s plan. Maybe he could talk to her about it later.
“Very well then, you’d best get inside and start looking for Church.” With that, he jumped up the walls surrounding the area and from there, made a higher jump towards the roof.
Connor looked at Aveline again as they moved inside. So many things went through his mind at the moment. Why did she defect? Why was he not informed of it, or for that matter, why didn’t anyone else inside the brotherhood realize it? What made her leave the brotherhood in the first place?
“Connor?” She seemed more puzzled than annoyed that he glared so fiercely.
“Why did you leave us? Why join the templars?”
Then something he did not expect happened - she chuckled. Not in a mocking way, but it still felt weird to him.
“Well, a lot of things happened since our mission together. In a sense, it was the consequence of that mission. When I returned to New Orleans I found out my stepmother was a Templar. She convinced me to join.”
It did not sate his curiosity. In fact it did not answer anything.
They made their way through the kitchen’s entrance to a corridor. It was empty save for one or two slaves that entered one of the many doors in the place. When Connor believed no one was in earshot, he pressed further.
“Why? You didn’t seem unhappy with the brotherhood when we met. What did she say that made you change your mind?”
Aveline frowned at that and avoided eye contact by looking at the end of the corridor. “One thing is not related to the other. It’s not that I was unhappy with the brotherhood. She needed me here, so I entered the order, that’s all there is to it.”
“And are you happy now?”
As they moved further down the corridor, just before reaching the main hall, Aveline turned to him with a sad smile. “I believe no one related to the order, or the brotherhood, is truly ever happy. But I can say that I am... content. Being here, that is.”
There was one more thing Connor wanted to ask her, but just thinking about it made him fear the answer. Are we enemies now? First his father, now a former brother. How many close to him would he have to fight on his way to freedom? In the end, would it be worth it?
The hall was lit by a big, central chandelier with two other smaller ones hanging upstairs. While most guests were chatting in the yard, a few were inside already, drinking a white liquor he didn’t recognize. As if they could read each other’s minds, Connor glanced at her and she nodded before they both activated their skills. It was faint, but there was definitely a small, golden trail leading upstairs. Aveline took his arm and they walked towards the stairs as quietly as possible.
“Church is probably in his chambers preparing to greet the guests.”
Connor nodded. To the people in the hall they seemed like a couple and that wouldn’t attract any attention. He was surprised by the fact that the second floor was completely unguarded and poorly lit, which made it perfect for the kill. Haytham wasn’t kidding, his target was so greedy he didn’t even spare any money for additional protection.
The corridor was dark, but there was a warm light coming from one of the last doors on the left side. Aveline went ahead and he followed closely from behind. Reaching the open door, they hid on either side and peered inside. There was no mistaking it, Church was there, completely vulnerable, sitting in front of a desk as he wrote something.
Once again they looked at each other, before nodding and heading inside. Aveline stopped in the middle of the room and gestured for Connor to continue. He did so and after he got close enough, Church finally noticed the shadow cast upon him and turned around.
“I let you escape the last time. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
The hidden blade met Church’s neck before he could say anything in return. He lowered the man down to the ground and put both of his hands on his chest.
“We should leave before anyone notice he’s taking too long to come down.” Aveline said already marching towards the door.”
“Aveline.” Connor got up and looked at her straight in the eye. His next words came so naturally he surprised himself. “Why is it that your stepmother’s words swayed you to the order, yet my father’s didn’t have the same effect on me?”
There was a long pause but neither broke eye contact.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I cannot answer your question. But I can say this - when I was in the brotherhood, my mentor, Agaté, told me: where men blindly follow the truth, remember nothing is true.”
Connor immediately recognized the words Achilles had taught him long ago.
“I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to join the order, Connor, nor is it my intention to convince you we are right. You obviously belong where you are. But the Templars’ way of thinking isn’t wrong either. I admit I don’t agree entirely with the way Haytham runs the order, but if I want to change that, then I need to stay to change it from within. Maybe you just need to open your eyes too.”
No more words were exchanged as they left the building.
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Connor could almost hear Haytham tapping his foot in impatience when they approached the carriage. His father nearly rolled his eyes after spotting them.
“Thank God, I thought you’d keep me waiting here the entire night.”
There was no response from Connor, but Aveline smiled a bit as she replied.
“It is done, Haytham. Church is gone.”
He nodded in satisfaction. “I also bear good news. I was just informed your lot” he gestured towards Connor “have already crossed the frontier with the caravan containing the stolen cargo.” With that said, the Assassin seemed a bit more at ease. He turned towards Aveline. “If you hurry you should catch them just outside. Make sure to keep them out of trouble and lead them to the marked place.”
“At once.” She bowed quickly and went off.
“I should go with her.”
“You can join them in the morning. For the time being, why don’t you come with me? Given how successful this truce of ours was, I was hoping we could make further plans.”
Despite the apparent sincerity in his father’s voice, Connor snickered.
“What other plans? This truce of yours was just until we got rid of that thief. He’s gone now, and there are no more reasons for us to stick together.”
“Don’t be like that.” Haytham opened the door to the carriage and motioned for his son to get inside. “There’s no reason to end such a good partnership either.”
Connor wanted to say something, anything to counter that, but he would be a fool not to listen to him. He hated to admit it, but his father was right. Against his will, his feet dragged him inside the carriage. Soon after Haytham was inside and he couldn’t really tell, but he was sure that his father was sitting too close, with his leg touching his own, but made no comments about it.
On the way towards whatever inn Haytham was spending the night, Aveline’s words ringed inside his head. He never thought about leaving the brotherhood and the mere thought of it made him shake his head. But truth be told, he didn’t want to leave his father’s side either. Was it really possible for an Assassin and a Templar to work together?
Satahonhsatat (Listen) - Part 3a
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In the week following the events at the Opera House, Haytham spent most of his time planning his next mission thoroughly. Everything had to be perfectly detailed and thought out. As such, Connor will have to attend the party without him. He will be there, but he can’t risk being seen by Church or his men, so he’ll have to hide and infiltrate the place without being seen. All their target’s ever seen of the Assassin was his hood, so he should be fine if dressed formally and with his hair untied (perhaps an unnecessary touch, but better safe than sorry, Haytham decides). He will have a woman accompany Connor, perhaps one of the girls Hickey likes to hang out with, but he could think about that later.
If Johnson had been alive, he would send him to help Connor’s assistants to retrieve the goods, but thanks to the Assassin himself, Johnson is no more. He debated whether to send Lee instead, but decided against it. Surely the recruits can do the job by themselves and Haytham’s protégé is too busy to lend a hand at the time. It would be best not to disturb him as things stand.
With a dip pen firmly held in one hand, he unscrolled a map of the area on the table. Two recruits would guard and take care of the posted guards around the perimeter. The others will take the carts out and hide them in a hidden hut outside the city - Haytham will provide them that much.
As for Connor’s companion...
Haytham looked to the side of the burning candle. The green amulet reflected the light when he took it in his hands. Perhaps he knew just who to call.
----------
The days passed by fast. Soon it was already the last day of December. As imagined, the cargo had been moved to the port, as confirmed by one of his men. He anticipated Church being less strict with the cargo - it was, after all, hidden amongst other cargo, like hiding a tree in a forest, but he never expected carelessness. Two guards only made rounds around the area, and they were poorly equipped with old muskets and no appropriate clothing. Well, it only made things easier for them, so he didn’t complain.
As soon as the sun hid in the horizon Haytham stepped outside the Green Dragon to find his carriage ready to go and Connor standing beside it. He was wearing different clothes this time (he couldn’t have Connor complaining about the tightness in the middle of an important mission). They were lighter, with less layers of clothing, which would make moving and climbing around easier. Less details suchs as embroidery and fancy buttons also allowed for discretion, which would be very important in making him as imperceptible as possible in front of Church. His hair was, as planned before, down to his shoulders. All that and the man standing in front of him still looked damn fine, which made him feel a bit narcissistic about it. Shaking his head slightly, he opened the door to the carriage, coming in first and motioning for his son to come in.
The road to the mansion was mostly quiet, though Haytham still explained a few things - like how Connor would be accompanied by a woman and how he would avoid entering the house so as not to get discovered. His son didn’t seem to enjoy neither ideas very well, given how his shoulders became tense and his eyes narrowed to show his disdain. There were no verbal complaints however, so Haytham ignored his body language.
----------
The first thing Connor noticed after they arrived was that the land was big enough and there were already many guests strolling through the well lit yard, but the mansion itself was a small two-story house. The carriage left them a little farther from the area so that they wouldn’t risk his father’s cover. As Haytham motioned for the back of the site, he followed. There was a small, frail and unguarded wooden door at the back, which Haytham quickly managed to unlock. Connor made to enter, but his father blocked his way with a hand.
“Watch.”
It didn’t take long for a woman dressed in green to show up from the side of the mansion and head to the back door of the house. Two guards looked her up and down, but did not let her in. Despite that, she simply nodded and kept smiling.
“Good evening gentlemen. I just wanted to talk to one of the slaves preparing tonight’s food, since he used to be mine before we sold him.” At that she waved to someone past the guards, but they couldn’t see whom from the distance.
The guards looked at each other before one of them nodded and let her pass. As soon as she did, they went back to their positions looking outside. They never saw her turn on her heels and stab both from behind. They fell silently on the ground.
That was the cue, it seemed, for Haytham started walking towards her immediately. When they approached her, she nodded to his father before turning to him and he immediately recognized her.
“It’s good to see you again, brother Connor.”
It took Connor a while to remember her name, though it was probably because he was trying so hard to understand why she was here.
“You are Aveline?”
She nodded with a smile.
“Oh, you two know each other?” Haytham looked from one to the other.
“Yes, we met on a mission to New York about a month ago.” She replied.
“Excellent, then I believe the two of you will--”
“Why do you know each other?” Connor asked angrily, not even caring that his father glared at him for the interruption. Something about it just didn’t feel right.
“Aveline was accepted into the order a few days ago.”
For a second, Connor didn’t really believe what he had just heard. When it dawned on him, he somehow managed to keep his composure, but it was hard to swallow. He glanced at Aveline who didn’t seem ashamed of it and was already talking with Haytham about tonight’s plan. Maybe he could talk to her about it later.
“Very well then, you’d best get inside and start looking for Church.” With that, he jumped up the walls surrounding the area and from there, made a higher jump towards the roof.
Connor looked at Aveline again as they moved inside. So many things went through his mind at the moment. Why did she defect? Why was he not informed of it, or for that matter, why didn’t anyone else inside the brotherhood realize it? What made her leave the brotherhood in the first place?
“Connor?” She seemed more puzzled than annoyed that he glared so fiercely.
“Why did you leave us? Why join the templars?”
Then something he did not expect happened - she chuckled. Not in a mocking way, but it still felt weird to him.
“Well, a lot of things happened since our mission together. In a sense, it was the consequence of that mission. When I returned to New Orleans I found out my stepmother was a Templar. She convinced me to join.”
It did not sate his curiosity. In fact it did not answer anything.
They made their way through the kitchen’s entrance to a corridor. It was empty save for one or two slaves that entered one of the many doors in the place. When Connor believed no one was in earshot, he pressed further.
“Why? You didn’t seem unhappy with the brotherhood when we met. What did she say that made you change your mind?”
Aveline frowned at that and avoided eye contact by looking at the end of the corridor. “One thing is not related to the other. It’s not that I was unhappy with the brotherhood. She needed me here, so I entered the order, that’s all there is to it.”
“And are you happy now?”
As they moved further down the corridor, just before reaching the main hall, Aveline turned to him with a sad smile. “I believe no one related to the order, or the brotherhood, is truly ever happy. But I can say that I am... content. Being here, that is.”
There was one more thing Connor wanted to ask her, but just thinking about it made him fear the answer. Are we enemies now? First his father, now a former brother. How many close to him would he have to fight on his way to freedom? In the end, would it be worth it?
The hall was lit by a big, central chandelier with two other smaller ones hanging upstairs. While most guests were chatting in the yard, a few were inside already, drinking a white liquor he didn’t recognize. As if they could read each other’s minds, Connor glanced at her and she nodded before they both activated their skills. It was faint, but there was definitely a small, golden trail leading upstairs. Aveline took his arm and they walked towards the stairs as quietly as possible.
“Church is probably in his chambers preparing to greet the guests.”
Connor nodded. To the people in the hall they seemed like a couple and that wouldn’t attract any attention. He was surprised by the fact that the second floor was completely unguarded and poorly lit, which made it perfect for the kill. Haytham wasn’t kidding, his target was so greedy he didn’t even spare any money for additional protection.
The corridor was dark, but there was a warm light coming from one of the last doors on the left side. Aveline went ahead and he followed closely from behind. Reaching the open door, they hid on either side and peered inside. There was no mistaking it, Church was there, completely vulnerable, sitting in front of a desk as he wrote something.
Once again they looked at each other, before nodding and heading inside. Aveline stopped in the middle of the room and gestured for Connor to continue. He did so and after he got close enough, Church finally noticed the shadow cast upon him and turned around.
“I let you escape the last time. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
The hidden blade met Church’s neck before he could say anything in return. He lowered the man down to the ground and put both of his hands on his chest.
“We should leave before anyone notice he’s taking too long to come down.” Aveline said already marching towards the door.”
“Aveline.” Connor got up and looked at her straight in the eye. His next words came so naturally he surprised himself. “Why is it that your stepmother’s words swayed you to the order, yet my father’s didn’t have the same effect on me?”
There was a long pause but neither broke eye contact.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I cannot answer your question. But I can say this - when I was in the brotherhood, my mentor, Agaté, told me: where men blindly follow the truth, remember nothing is true.”
Connor immediately recognized the words Achilles had taught him long ago.
“I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to join the order, Connor, nor is it my intention to convince you we are right. You obviously belong where you are. But the Templars’ way of thinking isn’t wrong either. I admit I don’t agree entirely with the way Haytham runs the order, but if I want to change that, then I need to stay to change it from within. Maybe you just need to open your eyes too.”
No more words were exchanged as they left the building.
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Connor could almost hear Haytham tapping his foot in impatience when they approached the carriage. His father nearly rolled his eyes after spotting them.
“Thank God, I thought you’d keep me waiting here the entire night.”
There was no response from Connor, but Aveline smiled a bit as she replied.
“It is done, Haytham. Church is gone.”
He nodded in satisfaction. “I also bear good news. I was just informed your lot” he gestured towards Connor “have already crossed the frontier with the caravan containing the stolen cargo.” With that said, the Assassin seemed a bit more at ease. He turned towards Aveline. “If you hurry you should catch them just outside. Make sure to keep them out of trouble and lead them to the marked place.”
“At once.” She bowed quickly and went off.
“I should go with her.”
“You can join them in the morning. For the time being, why don’t you come with me? Given how successful this truce of ours was, I was hoping we could make further plans.”
Despite the apparent sincerity in his father’s voice, Connor snickered.
“What other plans? This truce of yours was just until we got rid of that thief. He’s gone now, and there are no more reasons for us to stick together.”
“Don’t be like that.” Haytham opened the door to the carriage and motioned for his son to get inside. “There’s no reason to end such a good partnership either.”
Connor wanted to say something, anything to counter that, but he would be a fool not to listen to him. He hated to admit it, but his father was right. Against his will, his feet dragged him inside the carriage. Soon after Haytham was inside and he couldn’t really tell, but he was sure that his father was sitting too close, with his leg touching his own, but made no comments about it.
On the way towards whatever inn Haytham was spending the night, Aveline’s words ringed inside his head. He never thought about leaving the brotherhood and the mere thought of it made him shake his head. But truth be told, he didn’t want to leave his father’s side either. Was it really possible for an Assassin and a Templar to work together?
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