Journey to the East
Chapter 1
Conner felt the warm breeze against his face, he never been this far from home before. The sea was the calmest that it had been since he started his journey from the harbor of Boston. One day while cleaning out his old mentor's attic, he found an old journal of Achilles, documenting his many adventures outside of the colonies. As Conner flipped through the pages and read the fascinating accounts left by his mentor, he was seized with the sudden urge to follow in the footsteps of the man, who taught him the ways of Order. Achilles had been more than a mentor but also a father figure to him. He felt he never had enough time with him; he wanted to know the man more. Not only that but he desired more knowledge of what it really meant to be an Assassin.
For days, he read and reread the journal, the names of so many mentors and masters caught his eyes. His obsession became so apparent, even his friends started to comment on it. In the end, Conner came to the conclusion that the only way to cure his obsession was to set out and find these mentors and the knowledge that he wished to acquire about the Order. So after months of travel, bad weather and being on a ship with little space, Conner saw the small form of an Island. He gazed at the small sketches of the Island, drawn into the journal. It was named, Peach Island, he home of the mentor that once served with Achilles back in his youth, a man by the name of Fong Shoo. From what Conner read of Master Fong, he was a genius. A man that his mentor both admired and shared a rivalry with, of all the people mentioned in the journal, his mentor wrote the most about Master Fong.
"You are an interesting fellow aren't you?" A beautiful blonde woman walked toward Conner. She came to stand beside him. "What is it that you are always reading?" She peeked over his book a little.
Conner put the book away, the beautiful blonde always made him nervous. She was the daughter of the captain, a man Conner did a favor for. She stood as tall as him, which made him even more uncomfortable because her blue eyes always met his when conversing with him.
"I love the sea, don't you?" She fixed him with her pretty eyes and smile.
"It is…very beautiful." Conner mumbled distracted by her breathing, the way her chest heaved up as she sniffed the sea air.
"I think so too," The woman smiled and extended her hand out to Conner. "My name is Alice Wilkins; I have not introduced myself yet. How do you do?"
"I am R- Conner," He replied politely, taking her hand. "I am quit fine…Miss Wilkins…"
"Just Alice, Wilkins sounds too formal and stuffy. Besides, I should like us to be friends." She gave him a mischief smile; she clasped his hand with both of hers.
It took Conner a good moment for him to register her meaning. Slowly, he slipped his hand out of hers. "Alright…Alice…the sea is very nice also."
"I love your braids," She reached out to take one in her hand, rolling one of the beads with her fingers. "I find them very attractive on you." The woman winked. "Perhaps you can make me one or show how to make one."
"Ummm…well…my mother showed me how to make it…maybe later." Conner stammered.
"I would like that very much," Alice smiled warmly at him, placing her hand on his arm. "Perhaps you may come by my room later."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Yue woke up in a terror as she ripped off her blankets. Her feet, were they smaller? Were they bleeding?
"Young Mistress! What is the matter?" A young woman burst into the room, her face filled with concern.
"My feet! Look at my feet!" Yue continued to shriek at the startle woman, the woman stopped to examine her mistress' feet.
"Mistress…I am afraid that I do not understand yo-" The younger girl cut off the other woman abruptly.
"They are not smaller are they? They are normal right?" The younger girl proceeded to inspect her feet franticly. "Please tell me that they are not irregular or smaller than they were yesterday."
"Mistress, you must have had a nightmare. Your feet are fine, nothing is irregular about them." The woman informed the young girl kindly, walking over to her, she place a hand on her normal yet tiny feet. "You must have been dreaming."
"Oh…" The young girl fell back on her bed in relief. "I was so scared…I had the most horrid dream. I dreamt that my auntie cut off my feet and bonded them by force. And the worst part was that I was married to a moron." Yue rolled to her side and held herself. "The horror."
"Now little bird," The woman patted her head gently with a sweet smile. "You know that your aunt would never do such a thing to you," She paused for a second. "At least not forcefully without your consent."
"Of course I know that…" There was a hesitation in the little mistress's voice. Yue scooted over to her maid's lap and laid her head down. "I know that…but the dream auntie scared me.
"You know your father would never allow anyone to bind your feet," Her maid giggled softly. "He loves you too much to let you marry."
"When is father returning home? And my brothers?" Yue looked up at her maid.
"A few days maybe, but they should be back by the end of this week. You never know with Master Fong." Her maid pulled away from her. "This reminds me, you must get dress immediately. You are aware that your aunt has invited you to tea today and you must be presentable."
"Is it today?" Yue whined like an unhappy child, being told she needed to eat her vegetables. "I could have sworn it was tomorrow."
"Yes, now rise up. You are already late as it is and you know how your aunt is about tardiness." The maid went over to the closet. "I already picked out what you should wear and sent a message to your aunt about the delay."
"Mo Li, what would I do without you?" Yue smiled. "I would surely perish."
Conner stepped off the boat, waving goodbye to Alice and her father and the other friends he made on the ship. He could feel the stares of the locals. Some were discreet while others were just plain obvious but it didn't deter him. Even back at home, people would either staring at him with fascination or dislike. He reached for his bag when he noticed a young boy hovering dangerously near the edge of the dock. The parents were too busy staring at him to noticed, the child went head first into the water, the splash broke the spell for the parents. Screaming, the couple ran toward the edge of the dock. Before anyone could react, Conner stepped in. Tossing his bag to the side, he leaped into the water and grabbed the boy.
Everyone stopped to stare as Conner rescued the young boy and brought him out of the water. The parents ran toward him, the mother grabbed the child in her arms. She cried and kissed the crying child.
"Oh thank you sir…thanks you." The woman said to him through her tears, she hugged the child tightly. "Oh my sweet Tenten…my baby."
"Thank you young man, you saved my boy." The father held his hand out to Conner. "I am forever in your debt."
"It was no trouble, I was only glad to help." Conner replied cordially to the man.
He turned to leave when the man stopped him. "Please young man, I am in your debt. You have save my only son, is there anything I can assist you with?"
Conner paused; perhaps the man could be of some help. He turned back around. "Actually, I am looking for a Master Fong Shoo. Do you know of him?"
The man brightened up. "Of course, you must be a friend of Master Fong. It would make sense."
"What do you mean by that?" Conner raised a quizzical brow.
"Master Fong often has foreigners such as yourself visit him from time to time. I should have known by the way you dressed. The hood should have given it away." The man answered him. "You should come to my noodle shop first, I will feed you and afterward I shall take you to his manor."
Conner followed after the couple and their child, grateful to find a friend in a foreign country so soon. "Tell me friend, what is Master Fong to the people of this Island? You spoke of him in such a respectful manner?"
"Master Fong practically owns the Island; he is a very kind and generous man, if not a bit eccentric. His family has made their home on this island for several decades now." The man chatted away. "Oh, where are my manners though." He stopped suddenly and cupped his left hand over his right and raised them in a salute to Conner. "My name is Tang Kong and this is my wife, Mei and our son, Tenten."
"My name is Conner…Kenway." Conner replied to the man, adding the last name for some odd reason. He didn't know why he just used his father's named, it sounded odd yet right at the same time. Conner imitated the man's form of greeting as best as he could to show respect.
At that moment, a carriage passed by them, Conner nearly got hit but moved out of the way just in time. A bored looking young girl was staring out of the window, Conner never seen a girl like her before. He could tell that she was probably from a noble or aristocratic class by the clothes she wore and her strange head piece. The bored expression disappeared from her eyes the moment they say him. Her eyes lit up immediately, she smiled at him but the curtains were suddenly pulled over her face. A moment later, the curtain from behind the carriage was pushed aside and the girl appeared again. Conner thought she had an infectious smile, her eyes lit up along with the smile. She waved at him and he found himself waving back at her.
"Who is she?" Conner asked his new friend.
"That is Madam Wu's carriage; the girl waving at you must be her niece. A strangely bright girl but very sweet none the less." Responded Tang Kong to his question. "Shall we go Conner?"
"Yes, lead on." Conner followed after the man after one last glance at the carriage.
Madam Wu stared at her niece's feet; they were tiny but not bond. If they lived in the mainland, she would be deemed unmarriageable now at the age of eighteen. If only she had her way, her beloved niece would be happily married and out of the influences of her family's business. Every day she worried more and more about the girl's well-being. Her greatest fear was to have the girl end up like her mother.
"Oh look, a foreigner." Madam Wu paled when the girl spoke up suddenly, glancing out the window, she saw a man in a hood. Suddenly she felt chills run down her spine, not another one. She watched her niece's eyes shone brightly with fascination; it made her sick to her stomach. The same look her sister wore the day she met Yue's father. "Settle down child, I should hope he is not one of your father's strange friends." Grabbing the curtain, she closed it quickly.
Yue wasn't deterred by her aunt's action, twisting around. She opened the back window. "I hope he is a guest of father, he hasn't had a foreigner visit in a while. He looks interesting."
Madam Wu sat back in defeat for the moment; she blamed her niece's behaviors on her father. Yue suffered from an affliction, an affliction caused by over indulgence from her eccentric father. The girl for all her brightness did not understood the rules of the world; she lived in the one her father created for her behind the Fong manor walls. She feared for the innocent and naïve child. But most of all, she feared the girl would one day fall under the allure of her father's secret world as her mother before her. "Nothing is true, everything is permitted" Madam Wu scoffed at those words; "Peace and Safety" is what should be important.
When they arrived at the manor, Yue quickly jumped out of the carriage much to her aunt's disapproval. She smiled back at her aunt sheepishly and began to enter the gate with all the dignity of a noble lady. Sighing, Madam Wu followed her but not before stopping one of the servants.
"Turn away any foreigners or strange man that comes calling, tell them that Master Fong is not taking any visitors now." She instructed the servant.