A/N: Alternate ending where Jacob almost dies and Evie has to save him. I loved the whole end where they assassinated Starrick together as siblings to show their complete equality in everything, but it also wasn't as dark as I was expecting it to be, considering the ends of each previous game. Also there aren't enough stories of the female saving the male counterpart instead of the other way around. Also THEY HAVE THE SHROUD, THAT WAS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO HURT SOMEONE BADLY WITH NO REPERCUSSIONS. I hurt Jacob because I figured he would be the most likely to get killed, with his habit of running headfirst into danger without thinking first. So yeah, please enjoy.
TW: graphic stabbing! It's Assassin's Creed, there's always graphic stabbing.
The moment Jacob felt that hand on his throat, sucking the life out of him, he knew he should have waited. There wasn't a bumbling shite he could do alone against a man with a Piece of Eden.
As he knelt in front of his nemesis, his nerves screaming and his lungs aching for breath and his vision growing blurry and dark, he regretted every terrible thing he'd ever said to Evie. She was always right. Jacob should have been the one in the dress, for all the use he was. Evie would have judged the situation better, and waited for him to change out of his 'infernal contraption' and come to back her up. But Evie was the one in the dress, and Jacob was the idiot who had run in, facefirst, into a man wearing the Shroud.
It wasn't Evie's fault he had been angry. It wasn't even Father's fault, even though Jacob liked to blame the man for everything-for pushing them so hard, and putting Evie up on a pedestal while Jacob fought to merely keep up and not start fights at the local tavern. Everything Evie had ever said had been true, and from her heart, and Jacob had rejected it all like an angry child, taking his frustration and disgust with himself out on her, when really she was the one person in the world who would have understood if he'd only talked to her. And now, he'd never get to apologize. His lungs screamed and his head pounded and his vision finally went black, his arms immobilized at his sides, unable to even protest as he fell into unconsciousness.
And suddenly he was floating. Flying? He didn't feel Starrick strangling the life out of him anymore, at least. The next thing he felt was a painful slam of his back and head against the stone floor of the cavern, and it jolted him out of his oblivion enough for him to notice that he could breathe. He gasped and coughed, ignoring the pain in his head as he pushed himself up and looked up to where the deafening sound assaulting his ears was coming from, and he saw Evie. His eyes focused to see his beloved sister locked in combat with the templar grandmaster, where he had been seconds before. His stomach dropped and he jumped to his feet, scrambling for his cane-sword, then dashing toward the fight. "Evie!"
Then he noticed the shimmering barriers in front of him. He skid to a halt then dodged around them, deciding to actually think for once before barging in, just in case those barriers were made of fire or some other magic bullshite and he got incinerated. That would be quite a way to go, wouldn't it? He raced forward, wondering how in the hell Starrick had thrown him so far back and damn it he was choking her!
He snarled as rage filled him to the brim, and he brandished his weapon, ready to beat the living shite out of Starrick's self-righteous arsehole. Evie, like Jacob before, was unable to fight back as the Shroud forced her to hang there by her neck, as it sucked her life away. Jacob roared and drew his cane back to strike, and Starrick bared his teeth and threw Evie away again.
In hindsight, Jacob still should have waited for Evie to get up again and help, but the sight of Starrick with his hand on his sister had driven him to see red, and he struck out again. He mercilessly hit the man several times with the blunt head of his cane, then activated his hidden blade and sliced one, two times, then drove it straight into the man's chest, growling as his rage ebbed at his apparent victory. But Starrick merely grunted in pain, then grabbed Jacob's wrist and pushed it away, the sick sound of the blade sliding out of the wound still audible over Starrick's laughter. Jacob stared in horror and disbelief. He was fine?!
Without giving Jacob any time to process what was happening, Starrick threw a hand around to the back of Jacob's head and slammed it into the altar behind him, earning a cry of pain. Jacob couldn't even register the damage before Starrick grabbed him, threw him around again and headbutted him in the forehead, then proceeded to choke him again.
Fuck. Fuck it all to the deepest shite-pit in Lambeth, he was an idiot. And his vision was going black, again. At least he'd saved Evie once-
Suddenly he was flying again. He crashed into a pillar and cried out in pain, his head swimming from the effects of that damned Shroud, and he pushed himself up off the floor again. Evie had saved him, again. He couldn't blow it, this time. He forced himself to run forward again because fuck this back and forth shite, the only way they were going to stand a chance against Starrick would be to take him on together. They could damage him enough that the Shroud couldn't heal him fast enough. Then they could rip the bugger off, kill Starrick, and throw the Shroud back in its case and blow the entrance. Right. Fuck these artifacts, all they ever did was get people hurt.
Starrick punched Evie in the face and she staggered back, and Jacob ran up to cover her. It had been a long time since they'd fought alongside each other like this-but the tells they'd developed while training with Father, and their telepathic language that only siblings could understand took over immediately. When he made Starrick stagger Evie was right there with another blow, and they didn't even have to say anything to each other. Between the two of them, they had the power to defeat even a Piece of Eden.
At least they hoped so. They caused Starrick more and more damage, but he was still incredibly strong and inhumanely quick, and Jacob found himself unable to dodge a grab for his neck again. He gagged as Starrick immediately threw him through the air again, since Evie was right there to counter and wouldn't let him suck any energy out of Jacob. Starrick had realized the two of them were too much for him, so he got rid of the weaker one first.
Jacob hit the floor again with a pained grunt, his whole body throbbing and trembling from exhaustion. He forced himself up again with a roar of exertion, and noticed the stupid shimmering walls again. There were more of them, overlapping and shifting in and out from behind each other, trying to trap him between two so he'd touch them. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he touched one, because the pattern was hurting his head and it was looking pretty damn likely that he would. His heart raced as he dodged one oncoming wall, desperate to find an opening in front of him. "Evie, hang on!"
She was barely hanging on. She did better than he did, at least. Jacob dove through an opening in front of him before hearing Evie yell again, and saw Starrick's hand around her neck. Jacob was going to tear the man's hands off if he didn't quit that domineering shite. He could have grabbed her anywhere, but it had to be around her neck. He raced around another wall, but another jerked back in the other direction before he could react and he crashed into it.
An incredible surge of energy tore through his body, and he yelled in pain as he collapsed to the floor. He could feel his insides burning and his skin tingled painfully. But he was alive. Damn! He jerked his head up and saw that the barriers had disappeared. Seriously, all he'd had to do was run into one and they would disappear? He could have handled that! He jumped up and raced towards his sister.
Starrick growled and threw Evie straight at Jacob, but he was ready. He caught his sister after bracing himself with his back foot and he set her down on her feet. "Come on, no time for a rest!" Then he ran towards Starrick again, knowing Evie was right behind him.
They were wearing him down, slowly. They just had to keep going, and they would win! Jacob's senses were on fire as he relaxed into the rhythm again, trading blows with Evie against their opponent. He ignored his pain and his exhaustion, and didn't even think about how if he made another mistake they could both die. If he did that, he'd lose his concentration and fail for sure.
Jacob kicked Starrick back into the altar and Evie dashed forward, jamming her blade into the man's heart. Starrick, in the most unfair show of resilience, only yelled in pain and anger, and threw Evie away. Then the barriers came up again.
Jacob cursed to himself. He looked back to see Evie racing around, trying to find an opening, but the final one was solid and went from wall to wall and up to the ceiling. Jacob looked to Starrick hesitantly, as the man sneered. Then Evie yelled in pain behind him, and he jerked his head to see her pound on the barrier, but it wouldn't disappear as it did with him. What the fuck?
Starrick strode towards Jacob with a menacing glare in his eyes, and Jacob's breath caught in his throat again. Maybe Evie could find a way through the barrier, but that would take time. He could be cautious, but then Starrick would be able to heal without Jacob giving him more wounds, and they'd have to start all over-!
He couldn't do that. He had to keep fighting, on his own, or they were both dead. He stood firm and attacked again, swinging with all his might and slashing when he got an opening.
And with all his horrible luck, Jacob slipped on some blood Starrick had dripped onto the floor from his multiple healing wounds. The fraction of a second Jacob used to steady himself was all Starrick needed to grab him by the neck and lift him into the air. Jacob gagged, all his pain and frustration and disgust threatening to overwhelm him.
"Enough of this pathetic flailing, boy!" He held Jacob by the neck and turned so that Evie could see his handiwork. Then he spoke to Jacob, his eyes burning with determination and finality. "Do you have any last words for your sister?" Then he pulled a menacing-looking hunting knife from under his coat.
Jacob's heart leapt into his throat. Evie was still stuck behind the barrier and even thinking of moving took all of Jacob's concentration. There was no way he was getting out of this. This was the last time he'd be able to speak to his sister, and nothing he thought of was enough. His terrified thoughts raced to find at least something worthwhile. "Evie, don't stop!" he wheezed. "Kill this bastard, don't ever stop! Agh-!"
Starrick drove the knife hilt-deep into his abdomen, and Jacob yelled in pain. Shite, that was worse than he thought it would be, and he would have yelled louder to curb the pain if he weren't so damned weak from Starrick's cheating piece of rubbish Shroud stealing his lifeblood away. He'd just been stabbed by a damned hunting knife.
He was dead. This was it. Fuck it.
He gasped as Starrick yanked the blade out, then stabbed him again. He cried again, tasting blood in his mouth. Wasn't once enough!? He vaguely heard Evie screaming from behind the barrier, and all he wanted was to tell her how sorry he was for everything, how he'd failed at the most basic fucking tasks and how he'd treated her like dirt for so long. His nerves screamed and his vision blackened a final time as Starrick drove the blade in once more.
He hit the floor again and rolled onto his stomach, and coughed as air rushed into his lungs but blood welled up from his ruined abdomen and impeded his airway. He tried to raise his head one final time, to see Evie one more time with his blurred and spotty vision, but everything went dark and his head fell to the floor.
Then, he felt nothing.
########
Evie's throat ached from screaming so loud. This couldn't be happening. She briefly considered that the Shroud could be making some kind of illusion, but she didn't see the point behind it. Starrick would have used that ability already if he'd wanted to, considering he could make a bloody wall. Starrick wanted them dead, and he'd just stabbed her brother three times and thrown him aside.
She was livid.
Jacob had continued fighting at the cost of himself to keep Starrick on the defensive, and she wasn't going to waste that. Starrick would die, or she would die fighting.
Starrick was toying with her-he proved it by letting the barrier down finally. She wasn't going to complain about it, however; his hubris would destroy him. She struck viciously, over and over, with only one thought on her mind: kill Starrick.
She fought well. Even though her form was perfect and she hit Starrick efficiently with every blow she could possibly land without a single mistake, it still wasn't enough by herself. Every time she stabbed him he found a way to grab her, and she saw it coming but he was just too fast with the power of the Shroud behind him. Starrick grabbed her by the throat again, sucking her life away. "Get… out… of… my… city!" He roared, each word more furious than the last.
Rage and indignation filled Evie. He had no right to do what he was doing. She couldn't just let him hold her there, for the simple reason that he could. If he was holding her there, then all she had to do was break out of it. He would not hold her any longer.
Evie gave a roar of exertion as her body screamed in protest. Her nerves were telling her that it was wrong to move her arm, but she didn't care. She pulled it up, activated her blade again, and stabbed Starrick in the ribcage and pushed herself away from him. Starrick roared back in fury, and grabbed at her again. Evie tried to yell as he lifted her into the air again, gathering her willpower again, but her body began to succumb to exhaustion and pain. She couldn't let it end this way, but she had given everything she had! She desperately clung to consciousness, just in case she saw an opening.
There must have been an angel watching over her, because Starrick suddenly yelled in pain and threw her away. She slammed into the floor and forced herself to roll to one knee, coughing and gasping. She was used to the attack by now. It was just a pattern, and she could exploit it now. But someone was fighting Starrick, and that was odd. That couldn't be right, because Jacob was on the floor. She looked up as she planned her next attack.
Henry was fighting Starrick.
Henry. Was fighting. Starrick. How in the world had he found them!?
Before she could react, Starrick had thrown Henry over his shoulder and into the floor behind him like a mere doll. Henry crumpled to the floor with a cry and didn't move again.
Evie's stomach dropped. "Henry!" she yelled, before racing forward again. She couldn't go to him, not yet. He would be okay, he couldn't have gotten hurt in such a short time-!
She calmed herself and struck again with precision. Starrick was weakened even more, likely from wounds Henry had inflicted. She could do this. She called upon her years and years of disciplined training and struck again, and again, blocking and dodging Starrick's slackening blows. Where he grew weaker by the second, Evie only fought harder and faster knowing that if she did not finish this now, the world would suffer forever under a madman's rule. If she didn't hurry and rip that stupid Shroud off his shoulders, Jacob would die. Her brother would be dead and there would be no bringing him back.
Evie snarled and struck at Starrick again, and again, until she saw the opening. Her arm shot out and grasped a fold of the sleek and alien fabric in an iron grip, and yanked the Shroud off of Starrick's shoulders. She tossed it aside and struck him again, then sank her blade into his chest again, kicking him away.
Starrick stumbled to his knees and grunted in pain, an expression of shock and offense on his face, as if he couldn't believe her gall at defeating him. But Evie wasn't going to give him a single chance to recover. He had to die.
She raced forward and roared as she sank her hidden blade into his chest a final time, forcing him to the floor behind the altar.
Starrick grabbed her wrist and started talking. With his final breaths he said some pathetic spiel about how London would perish without him and that he would have created a paradise. All Evie could think about was how this rotten man was still holding onto her wrist, and she yanked it away.
Starrick choked on his blood as he attempted his final words. "I am at the very top of the Order!"
Evie sneered at him. "You were, Mister Starrick. And look what good that got you." She pulled her handkerchief out of her pocket out of habit and swiped it across Starrick's chest, since that's where the blood was. She should have stabbed him in the neck so he'd shut up quicker.
So that she could go to Jacob. And Henry. But Jacob was dying, shite-!
She bolted to her feet and jerked her head in Jacob's direction. He was lying on his front some ways away, unmoving. Her breath caught in her throat and she instinctively rushed towards him, before realizing that the Shroud was lying a yard away. It had healed Starrick while he'd worn it, so it would heal Jacob, right?
She dashed over and snatched the shimmering fabric up off the ground and ran to Jacob's side, kneeling next to him and turning him over with a small effort. His green vest was stained brown up to the lapels, from him lying in a puddle of his own blood. More blood had come out of his mouth and dribbled down his chin, but now he was still. He wasn't moving. His eyes stared ahead blankly, as if he were only contemplating something and were about to speak any second.
Evie's heart pounded in her chest as she cradled Jacob's limp head in her lap. "No, no no, you can't be dead," she said weakly, then brought the Shroud around his shoulders and wrapped it snugly around him, as if by doing so she could somehow ward off death more effectively. "Please, I tried so hard, you can't be dead! I can't be too late-!" Tears welled in her eyes and she forced them to stay put with pure willpower, as if keeping herself calm would will Jacob to answer her.
Jacob lay there, still and unmoving, his bloody mouth hanging open a fraction. The Shroud continued to shimmer with the energy it contained, but it did nothing for Jacob. Evie's chest clenched in pain and she trembled, tears welling in her eyes and threatening to overflow. She would have rather been stabbed a hundred times than feel this pain.
"Jacob, please don't be dead," she cried finally, and she pulled him closer to her and rested her head against his, sobbing quietly. "Please just heal, please!"
Evie refused to let go. If Jacob was dead, she would at least let herself wallow in denial for a little while. She sniffed and held her brother's motionless form tightly, and missed the fluttering of Jacob's eyelashes as he came back into consciousness.
Then air tried to rush into Jacob's blocked windpipe. His breath rattled and he coughed up some blood, and Evie jolted away from him. She looked at him in disbelief as he coughed again, clearing the blood from his trachea and wheezing. "Jacob!" she cried, still holding him tightly.
Jacob coughed again and grimaced finally conscious of his actions. "Agh-!" he wheezed.
"Don't try to talk, idiot!" Evie scolded, forcing her fingers not to dig into his shoulder as she trembled.
"Ow-!" Jacob winced, the exclamation coming out a little clearer this time. He fought for air and looked down at the shroud covering his torso, and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That's weird-"
"Jacob!" Evie scolded again. He might have been healing, but she didn't want him to somehow make it worse, and her little brother wasn't dead and she couldn't believe it. He was alive. Either the Shroud could bring people back from the dead or she had been just in time.
Jacobs's wheezes cleared up a little as he fought for breath still, and he looked up at his sister with eyes narrowed. "Are you crying?" he said, his voice strained.
Evie glared at him as a new tear fell from her eye. "Shut up! And don't you dare make a joke about you having to die to shut up because that is not funny!"
Jacob grinned, and Evie had to look away because of his bloody teeth. "You know me too well," he said with a chuckle, before wincing in pain again. Evie fumed at her infuriating brother, completely and utterly relieved that he was alive to be infuriating.
Jacob quieted finally and just lay in her arms, not protesting the position. "You beat him?"
Evie blinked tears away and looked down after hearing his soft voice. "With Henry's help."
Jacob's mouth dropped open a fraction and his eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Greenie?"
Evie's insides clenched at the thought of Henry lying over there by himself. Jacob seemed to be healing at least, and he could speak, now… She bit her lip nervously. "I… Are you okay? I wanted to check on him, he's unconscious."
Jacob hesitated, then shook his head to clear it. "Yeah, yeah it's working like a charm, go." He sat up on his own, to illustrate just how quickly the Shroud had worked on his injuries. Relief flooded through Evie, and she got up and ran to Henry, who began to stir and groan.
Jacob blinked and looked around him. He wasn't dead. Damn. He hadn't even thought to use the Shroud. He figured he never considered using Pieces of Eden because they freaked him out so much. But if one could bring him back from the brink of death, he couldn't very well fault it, could he? Still, this bloody thing had caused the deaths of too many people. He'd use it to heal his mortal injuries, but then he never want to see it again. He was just fine with his Rooks. And it felt weird having magic knit his insides back together. He didn't like it.
Evie had saved him again. She was always the one to clean up after him, like she'd said. Apprehension flooded through him when he realized that he wasn't dead, and could apologize for all the shitty things he'd said to her, and explain why he'd been so distant after… that shitty mission with Roth. Then again, that mean he had to apologize. And not make an ass out of himself like he usually did. Shite.
Then he blinked when he heard Evie say that Greenie had saved them. Surely he hadn't done that much…. But then again. He and Evie had barely been holding their own against him together, and once Jacob was out...
"We'd both be dead without you," Evie said, and Jacob blinked. He didn't like thinking about it, but that could very well have happened. He felt awful for failing and almost getting himself killed, but he had given everything he had. Evie had, too. And they'd both failed. Starrick was just too strong. It wasn't just Jacob who had been too weak.
He let himself feel a little better about that. All he could do was… do better in the future. Maybe he'd think the next time he saw that his target was probably stronger than he was.
Then Evie kissed Henry. Of course she did. He now had bragging rights for calling it the moment they'd set foot in London. He put on the best shite-eating grin he had and called over to them. "Oi, get a room you two!"
Evie pulled away from Henry, slightly embarrassed. "Aren't you supposed to be healing?!" she yelled back.
"I am!" Jacob countered. "I'm bloody fine now, look at me!" He stood up and pulled the Shroud off of his shoulders (he briefly pondered how ridiculous he'd probably looked, jeering at them while wrapped in a shiny blankey from Hell) and brandished his newly-healed torso for her to see. Well, she couldn't see it beneath his bloodstained clothes, but he felt amazing. Evie rolled her eyes and turned to speak to Henry some more. Jacob turned away and let them have their moment, folding up the Shroud and heading towards the altar. He dropped it back into its slot, not sorry to put it away in the least. Evie could do whatever she wanted with it, as long as it stayed far away from him.
Eventually Evie got up and joined him in staring at the accursed thing. He figured he may as well get the awkwardness over with and just say something. "Shame we won't be partners anymore."
Evie frowned, and didn't look convinced. "It's for the best, isn't it?"
Jacob felt his insides twist, and he lost his nerve and opted for more casual conversation. "Are you gonna wear the Shroud and run London?"
Evie hesitated, then looked up at him with a genuine expression. "Whatever it gives, it takes from someone else. You'd continue to age without me. You'd become like Father."
Jacob chuckled. "A fate worse than death." He hoped that hadn't been offensive, shite.
Evie wasn't bothered by it, it seemed. "Will you wear it?" she asked.
Jacob grimaced. "God, no. Keep that thing away from me, I've worn it enough. And besides," he took a breath, gathering his nerves again, "after you sorted out the boroughs? The mess I caused? I couldn't compete."
Evie gave him a curious expression. "Jacob Frye, stepping back? Who's blackmailing you? Is it George!?"
"He wouldn't dare," Jacob chuckled, knowing they were just joking now. It was comfortable. He could say it… He looked up with a genuine expression and just let the wall down. "I've missed you."
Evie's mouth twitched into a smile that Jacob was all too relieved to see. "Me too. Would it be possible to continue where we left off?" she asked hesitantly.
Jacob smiled, really smiled, feeling lighter than he's been in years. "I'd love nothing more."
Evie grinned at that. "I'm starting to think Father didn't know everything about… everything," she chuckled.
Jacob couldn't believe the words that had come out of her mouth. He hadn't wanted an apology from her, but if that wasn't one he didn't know what was, and now that he had it he knew how much he needed to hear it. Maybe they could go back to the way they were before they'd decided to take back London without the Council's permission.
Jacob felt for the first time in years, without any jokes or sarcastic remarks to hide his true feelings, that everything would be alright. He followed his sister and her love interest back out into the night without a worry on his mind, ready to take on the future.
I got a lot of inspiration for Jacob's characterization from But One Root by Tea_Logic on Ao3 so please go read that, it's so so good. I hope you enjoyed this!