The wind whispered through the trees around me as I tried to focus my aim at the target carved on the tree ahead. I readied my bow, took a deep breath, and focused. I released the arrow and watched it fire through the air, striking the bark a few centimetres wide of the cross. I cursed under my breath while reloading and was about to try again, only to be disrupted by the sound of disturbed trees behind me.

I noticed a robust figure free running through the trees with remarkable finesse. It was coming towards me.

As soon as he saw me, he stopped in his tracks and then jumped down to the forest floor. He stood tall, with tanned skin, and wore the typical Assassins' robes along with worn Mohawk trousers.

We stared at each other in silence for a moment, until I realised who he was.

"Haven't I seen you before?" I asked. "You knew my mother, didn't you? Élisabeth Hale?"

"Yes, I knew her," He replied. His voice was mellow, in complete contrast to his intimidating appearance. "You must be Marie-Charlotte,"

"Just call me Marie… and you are?"

"Connor,"

"Yes, that's right. I remember you visited my mother around a year ago."

He must have known that she died a few months ago, because he said, "I did. I had only spoken to her a few times, but she seemed a brave and compassionate woman, dedicated to the cause."

My mother left home on a mission days before she died. I was told she was killed when her group was ambushed by Templars. It was agonising to think about, so I tried not to as much as possible, but I still had countless nights where I would lie awake with horrible thoughts inevitably clawing at my mind. I nodded and smiled weakly before changing the subject.

"What are you doing here?" I said, putting my bow back over my shoulder.

"I have been sent to find some bandits who have stolen supplies from freed slaves. I seek to retrieve the supplies, otherwise they will starve."

"Would you like some help?"

"If you know how to fight, then I would be grateful for your assistance."

"Of course I do," I proved my point by lifting my right arm and revealing a hidden blade.

He raised his eyebrows in amazement. "Your mother told me that she had an apprentice, but I never realised it was her own daughter."

I smirked and went on. "Do you know where these bandits are?"

"A fire I saw nearby had only recently been extinguished. They must not be far from here."

After walking for a while, we came out to a path with fresh cart tracks. "We should follow these tracks. This road seems disused, so it's likely to be from them."

"Let's go, then."

We eventually found the bandits gathered around a campfire, so we approached discreetly, using the dense woodland and darkness to our advantage, in the hope of ambushing them.

I didn't intend to stay in the forest this long. I knew Father would be furious at me for being out this late. Ever since Mother died, Father suddenly changed his opinion of my aspiration of becoming an Assassin, claiming that I'll just end up suffering the same fate as she did. I know he was just trying to protect me, but at the same time he was depriving me of the only path that gave me true purpose.

A nudge on my shoulder from Connor brought me back to the task at hand. With his russet eyes he indicated the convoy parked at the far end of the camp, and then whispered "We need to protect the convoy at all costs. The supplies are in there."

I nodded.

"You stay here while I take position over there," he pointed at the far end of the camp. "Attack as soon as you see me do so."

"Okay."

I waited, but not for long. Connor leapt out from the darkness, simultaneously stabbing two men from behind. I immediately shot one down while the others swarmed him, managing to pick off another before the remaining four noticed my presence. Two of them rushed towards me, giving me just enough time to sling my bow over my shoulder and engage my hidden blades. The man that reached me first messily attempted to launch at me with his dagger, which I countered fluently with my left blade and instantly drove the other into his chest. Then came a swing of an axe from the left that I leaped back to evade before I charged forward, kicking the stocky man in the crotch at the same time as tearing the axe from his grip and throwing it to the ground, finishing him off with a cut to his throat.

I looked to the far end of the camp to see that Connor had already ran through the rest.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he caught my gaze.

"I'm fine." I said, but I was honestly shaken from the fight. I had never taken on so many men before, and I was surprised how well I managed to hold my own through it.

"You have remarkable skill, especially when it comes to archery. Did your mother teach you to shoot like that?"

"Yes, she did. That and using hidden blades are the only disciplines I'm any good at though. She made me wait until I was old enough to make my own choice on what to do with my life, so I only began training about a year ago."

"You made your own choice to start training?"

"Yes, it was a simple choice to me. After the British were defeated, it soon became clear that freedom and liberty only applied to white men with wealth. It made me determined to fight for everyone else whose rights were denied."

"I agree entirely. You would make a great addition to the Brotherhood."

"I wish I could be," I sighed. "But I don't know of anyone who could help me complete my training…"

"Which is why I will help you… if that is what you want, of course."

I looked at him in pure disbelief. One of the most notable Assassins of the century offering to train me? I must be dreaming. "R-really?" I managed to utter.

"Of course! You have proved yourself more than capable."

"I… don't know what to say. Thank you!"

He gave me a slight grin and said, "We should get this cargo back to the camp. I will tell you more on the way."