Chapter One:
A Different Beginning
"...All my love, Élise"
Élise de la Serre put down her quill. Potentially her last letter that she would ever write to the man sleeping next to her. Germain would die tomorrow. She might as well. Élise sighed. "When you walk the path of revenge, be ready to dig two graves" the old saying rang through her head. Another heavy sigh. "Yes" she thought, "this might be my last night." She looked over at the sleeping Arno. His face was stern, and troubled, like he was plagued by nightmares. Élise thought about him a lot. More than he probably could guess. Every night at 'La Palais de la Misére', when she returned to Versailles she was sad to learn Arno wouldn't be joining them. However he'd always been a mischievous boy, when she saw him at the end of the hall she was glad nothing had changed. When she'd been told Arno was in the Bastille for her father's murder...she didn't want to believe it. Élise looks at Arno's face again. He was here now though. They were lovers. They shared a bed. And tomorrow they would kill Germai-
A large fox knocked over a pot outisde the Café Theatre.
Arno leaps up tense and ready.
"What was that? Élise? What are you doing up? Are you writing? What was that noise? Wha-"
"Arno my love please calm down, it was a fox or a dog or some other such creature, please go back to sleep, you will need your energy" Élise strokes his hair as Arno instinctively surveys the room while talking large deep breaths to calm himself.
"You're writing." Arno says, "Does it concern Germain?"
"It doesn't matter Arno please let's go back to bed" Élise persuades
"No Élise it does matter, you've been acting out of sorts since this morning and now you're up at 2 in the morning and have been up for God knows how long writing a letter it seems which must regard tomorrow otherwise it could wait until after Germain is dead!" Arno gets up from his bed to go to the desk.
Élise holds him back, "Arno please I needed to do this and I need you to trust me!"
Arno gently but firmly removes her hands "No I don't feel good about this whole thing" He picks up the letter and goes silent for the next few minutes.
"Sacré Dieu..." Arno mutters a little short of breath.
"Arno I..." Élise's voice fades.
Arno turns slightly toward her still holding the letter.
"This...I...Élise..." Arno struggles to form his thoughts.
Élise straightens herself up, "Arno you have to accept that we may die tomorrow, but he must die tomorrow. As the letter says if I survived you wouldn't have even gotten a chance to read that letter but I will stop at nothing to make sure that bastard pays for his crimes!"
Arno looks back down, "And what about me...?" He says quietly.
"What about you?" Élise says impatienty
"Where do I fit into you plans of death and glory?" Arno's says his voice rising.
"You might die too" Élise replies.
"But you don't care" Arno replies.
"Excusez moi?" Élise says shocked.
"I would do anything for you. I would let Germain rule all of France. I would let Paris burn for you." A familiar chuckle of a dead man floats through Arno's head. He shakes it off. "I walk this path with you for redemption and for you. But I think you would see me die to stop Germain. But i would not do the same to you. I'm glad I read this now. I know what you intend and how far you're willing to go." Arno walks to his armchair and picks up an older letter from Élise "...or will we retire quietly to the countryside to raise goats?" Arno looks back up. "I wanted that, you and me leaving all this merde behind. Was that just your silly mind rambling? It made me want to reach the end so that we could be together. How naive of me to dream and hope of such things. Arno doesn't win, he only always loses." Arno collapses into his chair.
Élise is still shocked. "Arno..."
Arno suddenly looks up and darts over to her. He puts his hands on her face and brings her in close.
"Tell me now Élise, could you do that? Could you live with me forever? I don't care where but I want to live with you happily without worrying about you dying to a the sword. Can you ever see it happening? Do you truely love me Élise?" Arno's breathing is rapid.
Élise puts her hands on Arno's arms "Arno Dorian je t'aime there is no one else and never will be but I cannot lie with you while he still lives. I will be with you, whether we both live or only one lives."
"But why must we die?" Arno stays close to her, "Why must we fight anymore? There is no one in our corners and why risk it all for the death of a man?"
Élise steps back. "Arno how could you? You of all people should know what it's like to lose someone. And given the chance to end your own father's killer would you not?"
Arno falls to his knees on the floor and looks down at it staying silent.
Élise gets down next to him. "We can go, we can be together like normal lovers do. I have no Templar contacts anymore to rebuild what they destroyed. I doubt the Brotherhood would take you back?" she asks.
Arno shakes his head "No they won't, once for Altair was enough".
"Who?" Élise asks.
"An old Assassin doesn''t matter." Arno answers.
"Germain is the only thing keeping me, us, here. We end him, and it's over." Élise reassures him.
"An ending" Arno breaths.
"Which we go forward from" Élise smiles.
They look at each, smile and kiss.
"To death" Élise says.
"And glory" Arno winks.