Yes Haytham you are always doomed to fail plans, guess it’s just all the bad luck that came with Washington’s control of the Apple. Anons we are approaching the last few parts, I can’t say how many updates it will take before the end, but everything is close to being wrapped up. Thanks for coming along for the ride and I really enjoyed writing out this filling this prompt. Thank you for the constant amazing reviews!
***
Connor wishes he could say he was glad to be back.
But to say that would mean he would have to ignore the fact that surrounding bay had now been blockaded by an impenetrable wall of ships, that Achilles discussed their next move in secrecy to Kanen'tó:kon alone, that he had been confined to his room by the old man even when he had discussed his displeasure of being kept in the dark. He glared at the locked door with fury even though he knew that once the two were done talk the door would be unlocked once more, allowing him to go where ever he wanted to again. However he they would never answer his questions about what should be done next, about how they should deal with Washington’s forces that remained upon the water. It also didn’t help that Connor was not allowed to leave the house to discuss matters with the surrounding homestead residents, nor was he to even show them that he was alive. Achilles said it was better for them to be as ignorant as possible, just in case Washington attempted to extort the information from them with the Apple. The few days only grew worse when the homestead received another unexpected arrival who had to be kept away from him at all costs.
Charles Lee.
When he opened the door only to be greeted with the loathed man’s face he tackled him onto the icy steps in front if the manor, pleased when he heard his head bang against the ground. No sooner that they had fallen however he felt hands grip his shoulders as Kanen'tó:kon pulled him off from Charles, hissing in anger as he watched the man stand up and brush the snow off of his coat.
“What a fine welcome this is.” He said stuffily as he raised a hand to touch the back of his head, wincing from what would probably form into a bump. Good.
“What are you doing here?” Connor snapped as he shrugged his friend’s hands off of him, glaring at Lee.
“Well I did come bearing news from Haytham on Washington. He has sent a fleet of ships for you-” He started and Connor cut him off quickly in annoyance.
“Did you not notice the massive ships that have squeezed themselves into our bay? Or were you blinded by your need to please my father?” Lee narrowed his eyes and Connor nearly smirked in satisfaction when he realized he struck a chord.
“I didn’t come here to make petty arguments with you boy.” Charles responded lowly as he stared down at him. “I came to warn you, even if I was a tad too late I can assure you I didn’t come here just to get a rise out of you.” He sighed and tried to relax his shoulders but failed miserably. “Haytham hopefully has snuck aboard one of the ships and should be working his way through them to dispatch the fleet or maybe even Washington himself. I suggest we wait until he does so or gives a a signal that he needs help in doing so.”
“What kind of a signal would he send?” Kanen'tó:kon questioned from behind Connor. He couldn’t believe this! How could his friend believe Charles Lee, a snake of a man? The man who had seen him imprisoned in Washington’s hold because he worked for the tyrant king. Who knew that he wasn’t here on Washington’s orders either? He growled, wishing he had his tomahawk or hidden blades instead of nothing but his fists. He hated to admit it but if they got into a fight Charles would easily win with how weak he was. Even with all his strength he still wasn’t as great as Charles was in hand-to-hand combat.
“That is something I don’t know. It could be one of the ships in the harbor firing upon it’s brothers, a ship catching fire from below decks, just something completely out of the ordinary.” Charles answered as he pushed past him, making him snarl lightly in anger. This man deserved little if not any of their help and he wasn’t about to just listen to the fox’s tongue with hissed nothing but lies.
“Connor.” Achilles was looking at him from the bottom of the stairs, with that look on his face that made him growl lightly. He was getting sent up to his room while that man was here? No, he wouldn’t do it.
“No.” Connor frowned angrily as the old man’s face hardened, “I will not.”
“This isn’t open for discussion, boy. Now go upstairs to your room!” He demanded fiercely, making Connor take a step back in slight fright.
“Not while that man is in this house.” Connor hissed after a moment as Achilles sighed.
“You must be a fool if you thought I am actually planning to let this man stay inside the house, knowing that you would destroy half of it in the fight you will most obviously start. He will discuss just what he is here for in detail to me and once he is finished Kanen'tó:kon will escort him to his home on the property where he shall remain until this mess is sorted out.” Achilles stated as gently as he could, a flash of worry crossing his face as he watched Connor wobbly lightly. His body still wasn’t used to standing up on its own let alone ready to walk, making him sigh lightly in frustration and sadness. It seemed like he was never going to be able to get back to how he had been before what happened. He knew that recuperation was a long and slow process--it had been that way even with the smallest of cuts--was he expected to just wait years for his body to get better? He frowned as he headed upstairs, Achilles trailing right behind him before he entered his room quietly. He tried not to hear the sound of the door shutting and locking behind him, but his mind wouldn’t let him ignore it. He went over to his window, peering out of it to look at Washington’s fleet that rested in the harbor, their masts leaving shadows that looked akin to claws that stretched across the water. Connor sat down and continued to watch out the window, observing the crew of the Aquila move around along the docks in their normal routine. Because of the constant sending to his room Connor had quite a lot of time to watch just how the crew of the Aquila move around, noticing that they had a very uniform like way they went about each day. The steps were always the same as they wore down a line into the dirt from where they walked, each foot falling in exactly the same place each day, that same monotone like pace.
The footfalls echoing in his very mind as the emptiness of their eyes bore into him.
Connor blinked in shock as he felt his heart seize up in panic at the sudden memory that assaulted him, making him look away from the dock. He nearly screamed in frustration, was he really going to let things like that remind him of his time in the palace? Was he really going to let Washington’s memory cling to him like a tick and haunt him through every waking moment? The tyrant already had free reign over his dreams, making him twist and turn in an effort to somehow wake up and escape only to have his eyes remain open for no less than a few moments before being dragged back into the nightmare that awaited him. He was free of that man! He shouldn’t have to remain awake in the dead of night, curling up in his blankets to give himself the illusion of comforting arms. He had escaped and his mind should be free as his body had been, not still in the same shackles he had spent a whole torturous year in. He wonders if maybe it was the Apple’s influence upon his mind for those four years, although he hadn’t been awake the it still had possessed his mind, perhaps these were the effects that happened for being controlled for so long.
He looked down as he picked at the edge of the windowsill, confused and upset now. He wished he could talk to Achilles about these feelings or something, but the old man was too busy to be bothered by such trivial matters right now. Glancing back outside he watched the water of the bay that swayed back and forth in between the cliff walls. He noticed the rippling of the water before he spotted the small rowboat making it’s way to shore and the gathering of the Aquila crew among the docks. He squinted his eyes trying to see the figures inside the rowboat, only able to make out what looked like four people. Two were soldiers, he knew because the colors of their uniforms had become ingrained upon his skull, but the others were too far away to know. He heard the front door of the manor open and he watched in surprise as Lee, Achilles and Kanen'tó:kon moved to the edge of the cliff to watch the rowboat dock by the Aquila and the occupants get out. He heard murmuring from the trio below him as they walked back inside the house, their voices taking on a tone of worry, which didn’t bode well in Connor’s gut. He watched as the forms that had boarded the rowboat settle upon horses that had been given to them by the crewmen before they rode up the trail to the homestead. Connor moved back into his room and began to pace, his breathing catching in his throat anxiously as he wondered just who had arrived on shore. He froze when he heard the front door open once more as Achilles let the strange men inside without a fight making him twitch in trepidation. The awkward silence that descended upon the house made him shift in uncomfortableness as he leaned against the door, trying to catch anything from the conversation downstairs. When he was greeted with nothing he stepped back in anger. That was enough, he was tired of being left in the dark and if his friends were in trouble he would never forgive himself for not being able to help. He looked at the door for a moment before he grimaced, there was no way he could push that door with what little strength he had. Besides even if he did there was no telling what would happen to his friends, if they had muskets pointed at them they’d be dead before he’d even get to the staircase. His gaze fell upon the window as he continued to look for a way out and gulped, the only way to get to Achilles and Kanen'tó:kon silently would be having to climb down the edge of the mansion. Sure he was only on the second floor and the fall wasn’t too bad, however there was no telling what his body would do when it came in contact with the ground.
He took a deep breath before he cracked open the window, taking a long moment to ease himself out of the threshold and grip the edge. His arms screamed in protest as he lowered himself down, biting his lip in pain as his feet desperately searched for the windowsill below to brace his feet upon. When he found it he nearly let his hands slip from the edge he clung to, making his adrenaline rush for a moment. He took a second to catch his breath before he lowered himself down completely, his hands taking ahold of the top of the next window as his feet reached down and touched the ground. He sighed in relief, shaking slightly as the doubts that had entered his mind when he began to descend left. He ducked down below the windows as he crept along the side of the building and to the back door. He quietly opened it, before peeking inside, the sounds of hushed voices reaching his ear. He moved inside the house before shutting the door behind him, sneaking through the kitchen and to the living room where the voices grew louder.
“I will make no such deal!” Achilles snapped suddenly and furiously, making Connor jump back in surprise, catching himself before he stumbled back into the jars of preserved food. Leaning against the wall he continued to listen in on the ongoing conversation.
“Achilles please think about this.” That was Haytham’s voice, making him raise his eyebrows in surprise. Had Haytham already taken care of business so fast and so stealthily. He felt however his blood turn to ice when the next voice spoke.
“I can understand your hesitance in the trade, considering Haytham is not particularly an amazing offer. However I can throw this into the mix as well, I shall leave the Homestead unharmed instead of burning it to the ground.” Washington’s voice nearly trigged the nightmares that were hiding inside his head, tearing at the confines Connor wrapped them up in when he was awake. He hadn’t expected the tyrant to get so close to him again and so soon either, he felt his body relax when he heard Achilles’ voice once more.
“We can survive. You can keep Haytham and your offer, you will not have Connor back.” Achilles responded, not bothering to hide the anger that seeped into his tone. The old man was incredibly brave.
“Or I can kill you. It won’t take much you old fool, I was trying to be diplomatic, even save you from suffering, but it seems that you like to spit in my face.” He heard the lowering of muskets and he jumped out from his hiding spot before he even knew what he was doing.
“Wait.” He started quietly, surprised with how much he felt himself shrink when Washington’s gaze focused on him. It felt like his breath had been stolen from him when the two locked eyes for a moment, frozen in that spot by his glare. He only felt his breath return when he shifted his eyes to the ground. “I will go with you, in return for the safety of the homestead and the residents along with my father.” He bargained quietly, expecting to be bound in chains once the words left his mouth, until that was Kanen'tó:kon snarled and moved in front of him, making him look up..
“You shall not have him again! Nor shall you kill the innocents who live here and Haytham.” His friend threatened his arm stretched out and pushed him back, away from the scene as Kanen'tó:kon focused Washington’s frigid gaze upon himself. He heard Charles cough softly before the man decided to speak up, looking at everyone before he spoke.
Welcome to the New Age - Part 18/???
***
Connor wishes he could say he was glad to be back.
But to say that would mean he would have to ignore the fact that surrounding bay had now been blockaded by an impenetrable wall of ships, that Achilles discussed their next move in secrecy to Kanen'tó:kon alone, that he had been confined to his room by the old man even when he had discussed his displeasure of being kept in the dark. He glared at the locked door with fury even though he knew that once the two were done talk the door would be unlocked once more, allowing him to go where ever he wanted to again. However he they would never answer his questions about what should be done next, about how they should deal with Washington’s forces that remained upon the water. It also didn’t help that Connor was not allowed to leave the house to discuss matters with the surrounding homestead residents, nor was he to even show them that he was alive. Achilles said it was better for them to be as ignorant as possible, just in case Washington attempted to extort the information from them with the Apple. The few days only grew worse when the homestead received another unexpected arrival who had to be kept away from him at all costs.
Charles Lee.
When he opened the door only to be greeted with the loathed man’s face he tackled him onto the icy steps in front if the manor, pleased when he heard his head bang against the ground. No sooner that they had fallen however he felt hands grip his shoulders as Kanen'tó:kon pulled him off from Charles, hissing in anger as he watched the man stand up and brush the snow off of his coat.
“What a fine welcome this is.” He said stuffily as he raised a hand to touch the back of his head, wincing from what would probably form into a bump. Good.
“What are you doing here?” Connor snapped as he shrugged his friend’s hands off of him, glaring at Lee.
“Well I did come bearing news from Haytham on Washington. He has sent a fleet of ships for you-” He started and Connor cut him off quickly in annoyance.
“Did you not notice the massive ships that have squeezed themselves into our bay? Or were you blinded by your need to please my father?” Lee narrowed his eyes and Connor nearly smirked in satisfaction when he realized he struck a chord.
“I didn’t come here to make petty arguments with you boy.” Charles responded lowly as he stared down at him. “I came to warn you, even if I was a tad too late I can assure you I didn’t come here just to get a rise out of you.” He sighed and tried to relax his shoulders but failed miserably. “Haytham hopefully has snuck aboard one of the ships and should be working his way through them to dispatch the fleet or maybe even Washington himself. I suggest we wait until he does so or gives a a signal that he needs help in doing so.”
“What kind of a signal would he send?” Kanen'tó:kon questioned from behind Connor. He couldn’t believe this! How could his friend believe Charles Lee, a snake of a man? The man who had seen him imprisoned in Washington’s hold because he worked for the tyrant king. Who knew that he wasn’t here on Washington’s orders either? He growled, wishing he had his tomahawk or hidden blades instead of nothing but his fists. He hated to admit it but if they got into a fight Charles would easily win with how weak he was. Even with all his strength he still wasn’t as great as Charles was in hand-to-hand combat.
“That is something I don’t know. It could be one of the ships in the harbor firing upon it’s brothers, a ship catching fire from below decks, just something completely out of the ordinary.” Charles answered as he pushed past him, making him snarl lightly in anger. This man deserved little if not any of their help and he wasn’t about to just listen to the fox’s tongue with hissed nothing but lies.
“Connor.” Achilles was looking at him from the bottom of the stairs, with that look on his face that made him growl lightly. He was getting sent up to his room while that man was here? No, he wouldn’t do it.
“No.” Connor frowned angrily as the old man’s face hardened, “I will not.”
“This isn’t open for discussion, boy. Now go upstairs to your room!” He demanded fiercely, making Connor take a step back in slight fright.
“Not while that man is in this house.” Connor hissed after a moment as Achilles sighed.
“You must be a fool if you thought I am actually planning to let this man stay inside the house, knowing that you would destroy half of it in the fight you will most obviously start. He will discuss just what he is here for in detail to me and once he is finished Kanen'tó:kon will escort him to his home on the property where he shall remain until this mess is sorted out.” Achilles stated as gently as he could, a flash of worry crossing his face as he watched Connor wobbly lightly. His body still wasn’t used to standing up on its own let alone ready to walk, making him sigh lightly in frustration and sadness. It seemed like he was never going to be able to get back to how he had been before what happened. He knew that recuperation was a long and slow process--it had been that way even with the smallest of cuts--was he expected to just wait years for his body to get better? He frowned as he headed upstairs, Achilles trailing right behind him before he entered his room quietly. He tried not to hear the sound of the door shutting and locking behind him, but his mind wouldn’t let him ignore it. He went over to his window, peering out of it to look at Washington’s fleet that rested in the harbor, their masts leaving shadows that looked akin to claws that stretched across the water. Connor sat down and continued to watch out the window, observing the crew of the Aquila move around along the docks in their normal routine. Because of the constant sending to his room Connor had quite a lot of time to watch just how the crew of the Aquila move around, noticing that they had a very uniform like way they went about each day. The steps were always the same as they wore down a line into the dirt from where they walked, each foot falling in exactly the same place each day, that same monotone like pace.
The footfalls echoing in his very mind as the emptiness of their eyes bore into him.
Connor blinked in shock as he felt his heart seize up in panic at the sudden memory that assaulted him, making him look away from the dock. He nearly screamed in frustration, was he really going to let things like that remind him of his time in the palace? Was he really going to let Washington’s memory cling to him like a tick and haunt him through every waking moment? The tyrant already had free reign over his dreams, making him twist and turn in an effort to somehow wake up and escape only to have his eyes remain open for no less than a few moments before being dragged back into the nightmare that awaited him. He was free of that man! He shouldn’t have to remain awake in the dead of night, curling up in his blankets to give himself the illusion of comforting arms. He had escaped and his mind should be free as his body had been, not still in the same shackles he had spent a whole torturous year in. He wonders if maybe it was the Apple’s influence upon his mind for those four years, although he hadn’t been awake the it still had possessed his mind, perhaps these were the effects that happened for being controlled for so long.
He looked down as he picked at the edge of the windowsill, confused and upset now. He wished he could talk to Achilles about these feelings or something, but the old man was too busy to be bothered by such trivial matters right now. Glancing back outside he watched the water of the bay that swayed back and forth in between the cliff walls. He noticed the rippling of the water before he spotted the small rowboat making it’s way to shore and the gathering of the Aquila crew among the docks. He squinted his eyes trying to see the figures inside the rowboat, only able to make out what looked like four people. Two were soldiers, he knew because the colors of their uniforms had become ingrained upon his skull, but the others were too far away to know. He heard the front door of the manor open and he watched in surprise as Lee, Achilles and Kanen'tó:kon moved to the edge of the cliff to watch the rowboat dock by the Aquila and the occupants get out. He heard murmuring from the trio below him as they walked back inside the house, their voices taking on a tone of worry, which didn’t bode well in Connor’s gut. He watched as the forms that had boarded the rowboat settle upon horses that had been given to them by the crewmen before they rode up the trail to the homestead. Connor moved back into his room and began to pace, his breathing catching in his throat anxiously as he wondered just who had arrived on shore. He froze when he heard the front door open once more as Achilles let the strange men inside without a fight making him twitch in trepidation. The awkward silence that descended upon the house made him shift in uncomfortableness as he leaned against the door, trying to catch anything from the conversation downstairs. When he was greeted with nothing he stepped back in anger. That was enough, he was tired of being left in the dark and if his friends were in trouble he would never forgive himself for not being able to help. He looked at the door for a moment before he grimaced, there was no way he could push that door with what little strength he had. Besides even if he did there was no telling what would happen to his friends, if they had muskets pointed at them they’d be dead before he’d even get to the staircase. His gaze fell upon the window as he continued to look for a way out and gulped, the only way to get to Achilles and Kanen'tó:kon silently would be having to climb down the edge of the mansion. Sure he was only on the second floor and the fall wasn’t too bad, however there was no telling what his body would do when it came in contact with the ground.
He took a deep breath before he cracked open the window, taking a long moment to ease himself out of the threshold and grip the edge. His arms screamed in protest as he lowered himself down, biting his lip in pain as his feet desperately searched for the windowsill below to brace his feet upon. When he found it he nearly let his hands slip from the edge he clung to, making his adrenaline rush for a moment. He took a second to catch his breath before he lowered himself down completely, his hands taking ahold of the top of the next window as his feet reached down and touched the ground. He sighed in relief, shaking slightly as the doubts that had entered his mind when he began to descend left. He ducked down below the windows as he crept along the side of the building and to the back door. He quietly opened it, before peeking inside, the sounds of hushed voices reaching his ear. He moved inside the house before shutting the door behind him, sneaking through the kitchen and to the living room where the voices grew louder.
“I will make no such deal!” Achilles snapped suddenly and furiously, making Connor jump back in surprise, catching himself before he stumbled back into the jars of preserved food. Leaning against the wall he continued to listen in on the ongoing conversation.
“Achilles please think about this.” That was Haytham’s voice, making him raise his eyebrows in surprise. Had Haytham already taken care of business so fast and so stealthily. He felt however his blood turn to ice when the next voice spoke.
“I can understand your hesitance in the trade, considering Haytham is not particularly an amazing offer. However I can throw this into the mix as well, I shall leave the Homestead unharmed instead of burning it to the ground.” Washington’s voice nearly trigged the nightmares that were hiding inside his head, tearing at the confines Connor wrapped them up in when he was awake. He hadn’t expected the tyrant to get so close to him again and so soon either, he felt his body relax when he heard Achilles’ voice once more.
“We can survive. You can keep Haytham and your offer, you will not have Connor back.” Achilles responded, not bothering to hide the anger that seeped into his tone. The old man was incredibly brave.
“Or I can kill you. It won’t take much you old fool, I was trying to be diplomatic, even save you from suffering, but it seems that you like to spit in my face.” He heard the lowering of muskets and he jumped out from his hiding spot before he even knew what he was doing.
“Wait.” He started quietly, surprised with how much he felt himself shrink when Washington’s gaze focused on him. It felt like his breath had been stolen from him when the two locked eyes for a moment, frozen in that spot by his glare. He only felt his breath return when he shifted his eyes to the ground. “I will go with you, in return for the safety of the homestead and the residents along with my father.” He bargained quietly, expecting to be bound in chains once the words left his mouth, until that was Kanen'tó:kon snarled and moved in front of him, making him look up..
“You shall not have him again! Nor shall you kill the innocents who live here and Haytham.” His friend threatened his arm stretched out and pushed him back, away from the scene as Kanen'tó:kon focused Washington’s frigid gaze upon himself. He heard Charles cough softly before the man decided to speak up, looking at everyone before he spoke.
“May I perhaps offer another suggestion?”