A/N: First time writing for Assassin's Creed and first time writing any fanfiction for a year and a half. Wow, time flies!
WARNING: this oneshot includes the spanking of a minor as a form of discipline.
Have fun reading :)
I don't own the cover photo and no copyright infringement is intended. All credit goes the artist (I think it says Stellanari).
Élise sighed deeply and let her eyes wander around the large room. She had always hated these parties and everything that came with them. The stiffness of being trapped in a huge dress, the generic smalltalk she was expected to partake in, the dancing! Mostly, she hated how almost all the women seemed perfectly fine being ogled by men who expected them to hold no opinion of anything of importance. Society's expectations of her as a female differed so much from what her own parents had taught her from an early age, and Élise knew that her mother had never enjoyed these things either. In spite of that, her father held a handful of yearly balls, and naturally Élise had to attend, carrying herself like a proper lady should all the while. Or she tried to, at least.
She nearly let out a disgusted shriek when a large spider suddenly dangled in front of her face, seven of its legs cycling wildly in the air while the last was being held in between two fingers. As the boy hoisted the spider away from Élise, the girl whirled around and sent her adoptive brother a nasty look.
"You know I don't like spiders, Arno!" she said in a low voice and felt a small shudder travel down her spine.
"Oh, come on," Arno countered, shooting Élise a mischievous smile, "the fierce fighter Élise de la Serre can't be that scared of a hairy beetle with an extra set of legs!"
Élise didn't dignify that with an answer and instead studied the many guests.
"So many empty words floating around these rooms," she mused and Arno grunted his agreement.
Much like Élise, he hated these balls, but for a different reason. Ever since he was a young boy, he had had the feeling that many of the guests in de la Serre's home were sending him displeased looks even though he had never done anything to upset them. This continued to happen even though Francois had tried persuading Arno that he was mistaken, and the feeling had resulted in a counterproductive urge for Arno to annoy certain guests as much as possible, usually without them finding out who had caused their distress.
"Do you want to make this party more interesting?" Élise asked, and Arno raised his brows.
"Do you even have to ask?"
The two 14-year-olds smiled at each other, and Élise sent the dreaded spider in Arno's hand another look.
"I dare you to get the "hairy beetle" into Madame Moreau's glass of wine!" she exclaimed lively.
Arno carefully closed his hand around the spider and took off towards the plump woman. She was standing to the side of the room, her dress a magnificent blue, and as usual she was overly loud, being her obnoxious self. Two men and a younger woman were standing around her, somewhat strained smiles plastered on their faces, and Arno turned his head to search for an opening to bring the spider to Moreau. He didn't have to look for long. On a small side table, just next to the four people, a tray with fancy glasses of champagne just waited to be picked up. Arno grabbed a glass and dumped the still struggling spider into the bubbly liquid while sending an apologetic thought to the small animal. Then he slowly moved to the side of Madame Moreau and deepened his voice slightly.
"A glass of champagne, Madame?"
Without so much as turning around, Moreau held out her almost empty wineglass and waited for Arno to give her the champagne instead, and as soon as she felt the glass in her hand she lifted it to her lips to drink. Quickly, Arno retreated, but after just three steps, a deafening scream echoed through the room, making everyone send the large woman asking glances.
Madame Moreau had obviously noticed the large spider, and as a result flung the golden liquid as well as the arachnid out of the glass to get it as far away from herself as possible. Both champagne and spider soared through the air before hitting the gentleman across from Moreau straight in the face. This made the man as well as the young woman next to him squeak loudly, and general chaos erupted within the small group of people as they worked to get rid of the spider as well as spot whoever had brought the incriminating glass in the first place. A snort of laughter left Arno as he watched the unfolding scene, but the smile on his face froze somewhat when a claw of a hand squeezed one of his shoulders.
"I hope you didn't have anything to do with whatever is happening with Madame Moreau!" Olivier sneered into Arno's ear, and the boy shook his head.
"I-I didn't," he answered dismissively and pulled free from the vicelike grip.
"Bien sûr. It certainly would not be an appropriate way of thanking the man who took you in!"
Arno felt his cheeks heat up, and he hurried back to Élise before the head steward could say anything else.
"I'd give you a ten for the result, but only a five for execution," Élise said in a low voice when Arno leaned against the wall next to her.
"What?!" the boy whisper-yelled, almost in outrage, "how could that only warrant a five? It went perfectly, except for Olivier at the end."
"I asked you to drop the spider into Moreau's wine not into champagne", Élise added matter-of-factly, and Arno stuck his tongue out at her.
"You're just jealous because you wouldn't have been able to pull it off at all!"
"Am not! But what will you have me do then?"
Arno scanned the room carefully.
"Steal the ribbons from Rousseau's, Dubois' and Aguillard's dresses and bring them here."
Élise quirked a brow. That was going to be quite the challenge! Especially since Arno had picked the three most angry and stuck up women at the party. Arno sent Élise a teasing smile.
"Do you forfeit already?"
The girl huffed.
"Jamais!"
And with that, she left Arno by the wall. His eyes followed her carefully, and Arno couldn't help but laugh quietly when Élise weaved her way past the first woman and stealthily untied the string of silk from around the waist of the dress. With skilled hands, she quickly stuffed the ribbon away before continuing through the room towards Dubois.
After seemingly waiting for a few minutes, Élise managed to trip the posh woman, making her tumble to her hands and knees, and as the girl helped Dubois back on her feet, Élise's light hands once again let her pull the sash free from the pompous dress. With a playful smile, she sent Arno a quick look before making her way towards her final target of the dare.
Madame Aguillard was a bony, tall woman with temper enough for ten. She towered over everyone around her, including her husband, and her hawk-like eyes were on constant lookout even when she conversed quietly with other guests. Arno didn't get a chance to see what Élise was doing to get her hands on the last ribbon, as Monsieur Gautier, a quirky old gentleman who was always nice to Arno, suddenly clapped the boy on the back.
"Ah, Arno," he chirped cheerfully, "been up to anything exciting lately?"
The boy smiled back at the suit-clad, old man and told him about the latest escapades in the de la Serre household. Not that that was a whole lot. With Élise off to the horrendous Maison Royale de Saint-Louis and most of his own time taken up by school and training, adventures were in somewhat short supply.
"Oh, I'm certain you manage to find trouble enough for all of France anyway, Arno," the old man smiled when the boy couldn't help but air his displeasure.
Arno gave a slight huff and sent Élise an awaiting look as she made her way towards them. Gautier turned, and, when he saw the girl, gave a slight bow.
"Mademoiselle de la Serre," he said and clapped Arno on the back again, "I shall leave you two to your endeavors."
Élise curtsied and sent the old man a bright smile.
"Monsieur Gautier," she greeted and then went to her adoptive brother.
"Did you get them all?" Arno asked as soon as only Élise could hear his words.
Élise winked and pulled out the three silk ribbons. They were soft and brightly colored, and Arno shook his head in slight disbelief.
"I bow to your mastery, Élise," he exclaimed playfully, and the girl punched him lightly in the arm.
"How about trying to better me instead?" she asked.
"Absolument," Arno answered, "how?"
Élise handed Arno the sashes, a mischievous glint shining in her bright eyes.
"By getting all the ribbons back where they belong!"
Arno had stuffed all the silk threads into his pockets, and as he made his way towards Madame Dubois, his mind was racing to come up with a solution to Élise's dare. Without a final plan in his head, he sprung into action when an opportunity showed itself.
Madame Dubois's husband had just left to get the couple something to drink, and Arno quickly approached the woman. He pulled the green ribbon from his pocket and discretely let it fall to the floor right behind Dubois.
"Excusez-moi," he said and picked up the sash again, "I think you must have dropped this."
Dubois turned to look at the boy and spotted the ribbon. Then she looked down herself.
"I think you're right," the woman said, "it probably came loose when I tripped earlier."
"Let me help you get it back on," Arno said and quickly tied the ribbon around the dress when Madame Dubois turned her back.
With a sly smile, he continued through the room towards Aguillard, slightly worried that he wouldn't succeed as easily with this challenge. Arno could hear the woman talking rather angrily to her husband, complaining about the sash, and with a meek nod the man moved away from his wife to search for the missing piece of silk. Arno quietly went to hide behind one of the beautifully decorated folding screens close to where Aguillard was standing, and then waited for his chance.
He was in the process of sneaking his hands out to lace the silk around the dress when everything suddenly started going south. Without noticing, Arno had placed a foot on the hem of Aguillard's enormous silk dress and, with a sudden move, the woman took a step forward towards her pale, approaching husband. An incriminating ripping sound made Aguillard turn around quickly, and Arno felt the blood drain from his face when he saw the massive tear in the dress. This would not end well!
"Quesque tu fait ici, garcon?" the bony woman asked angrily, and Arno didn't know what to say.
Just as he was opening his mouth to try to explain what he had been doing, Madame Aguillard noticed the severity of the rip.
"My dress!" she cried loudly, and Arno could see the anger working its way through her body.
She lifted a long finger, wagging it in front of the boy who could feel his heart beating fast.
"You've ruined it!"
Before Arno could say anything, the husband grabbed him by an arm.
"This dress cost a fortune, boy!" the man growled and gave Arno's arm an unpleasant squeeze.
"It was an accident," Arno tried and felt his cheeks heat up when he realized that everyone was looking at him.
Both Élise and her father were moving towards them hastily, and Arno could easily spot Francois' annoyance from across the room.
"What seems to be the problem here?" Monsieur de la Serre asked, gravely but calmly, when he reached Arno and the Aguillards.
"Your ward ruined my dress!" Madame Aguillard said loudly and sent Arno a seething glance.
"And just what are you doing with the ribbon?" Monsieur Aguillard asked accusingly.
Francois looked at Arno and raised his brows, expecting the boy to answer.
"I-" he started meekly and swallowed against a lump in his throat, "I was only trying to get the ribbon back on the dress"
"I demand the boy punished for this, Francois!" Madame Aguillard hissed, and Arno bit his lip.
"No," Élise interfered, looking straight at her father, "I dared him to do this!"
"What?!" Francois exclaimed, his eyes mere slits.
"I dared Arno to tie the ribbons on the dresses," Élise said, her voice loud and clear.
"You two are going to be the death of me!" Francois mumbled, "go to your room, Élise, I'll deal with you later!"
"No, please don't punish Élise, Monsieur," Arno begged and lifted his chin, "I was the one daring Élise to get the ribbons in the first place."
"You mean steal!" Madame Aguillard shot.
"No, of course not," the boy sighed in obvious annoyance and couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Don't take that tone with me, boy! And when you ask Élise to get something that is neither her nor yours, I'd call that stealing!"
Arno hung his head a bit, his cheeks flaming red from humiliation. This was not how the dares were supposed to end!
"I will not stand for such insolence! This boy should be punished. Or are you fine with harboring a common criminal, Francois?!"
Monsieur de la Serre pulled Arno from the other man's grip, his hand locking harshly around Arno's upper arm.
"No, you are absolutely right, Madame, he needs to be punished!"
Aguillard's husband nodded and held out his thin, black cane to Francois who accepted it with a determined look.
Arno sucked in a quick breath as Monsieur de la Serre pulled him with him towards the small study next to the ballroom. It had been years since Francois had raised a hand against him, and though Arno was no newcomer to these types of punishment, only his schoolmaster had ever used anything other than his hand on him.
"Papa, non!" Élise tried desperately, but Francois stopped and sent her a strict look.
"Élise, not now! Arno will have to learn the hard way!"
And with that, Francois tugged Arno to the desk in the study and motioned for him to bend over. He did, but not without feeling slightly queasy. Monsieur de la Serre let the cane whistle through the air a few times to test its balance, and steeled his heart for the task at hand. Then he raised his arm.
It took a second for Arno's brain to catch up with his rear end, but when it did, Arno gulped in a breath. The cane had left a scorching line across the top of his backside, and before he could prepare for it the next blow caught him just an inch lower than the first one, and Arno winced. It didn't hurt as much as when his teacher laid into him, but Aguillard's cane was thinner and whippier, making the stripes almost unbearably stingy.
"Ow!" the boy yelped as the damned tool struck again, and Arno felt the tears pool in his eyes.
As Francois started to lecture, he also made the lashes marginally harder each time, and when the three last swishes of the cane all landed on the boy's sit spots Arno couldn't help the loud yowls that escaped him.
"Aarhow," he cried, "I'm sorry, Monsieur, I won't ever do this again! Please, don't cane Élise too, it was my fault!"
Francois placed the cane on the table and wiped his hand on his pants, almost as if the thin stick had burned his palm as well as Arno's behind.
"It's over now, mon fils," Francois said quietly and rubbed Arno's back, "I know you didn't mean to cause this kind of trouble. But you're a young man now, it's time to put that brilliant mind to use, Arno! No more of this nonsense, comprends?!"
The boy was still draped over the table, trying to compose himself, and when he finally stood up he realized that the door to the ballroom had been ajar the entire time, his punishment in earshot of every guest in the adjacent room. His ears burned at the realization, and Arno blanched when Monsieur de la Serre held out the cane to him.
"Give this back to Monsieur Aguillard along with an apology and then go to your room!"
Handing that torture instrument back and making an apology had been worse than the dozen cane strokes Arno had received, and to make matters even worse Olivier had sent him such a gloating look that the boy had wanted to throw a glass of champagne in the head steward's face.
Now, Arno was lying on his bed, nursing his still throbbing backside and thinking of all the ways he could make Olivier's life a living hell, but a sudden movement outside his window made him look up. When he spotted Élise dangling there, he jumped out of bed, the fast movement sending jolts of pain through his body, and Arno winced as he opened the window to let the girl in.
"Olivier is patrolling in front of your door, so I thought I'd find another way to come see you."
Arno smiled and motioned for Élise to sit on the bed. She refused with a shake of her head, and a sound outside the room made her squint suspiciously.
"Are you alright?" Arno asked worriedly and sent his adoptive sister a long look.
"I'm fine, Arno. Dad didn't cane me, if that's what you mean. But at the very least, I am in for an epic telling off, as far as I can tell. And I don't have much time before he comes to my room, I'd imagine. The guests are leaving now. But enough about me. How are you doing? It sounded pretty horrible in there."
Arno felt his cheeks heat up, and he studied the carpet intensely as he cleared his throat.
"I'm fine," he said, his voice betraying him slightly, "I'm just glad your father won't punish you this way as well!"
Élise sighed and ran a hand through her red hair.
"Arno, don't say that, it should have been me! This is all my fault, I started the dare wars."
"Today…" Arno added with a small smile.
"Today," Élise admitted and tilted her head. "But I'm sorry anyway. And I feel like I've been a bad influence."
"Don't be sorry. And by the way, I'm pretty certain that Olivier would tell you that I've been a worse one!"
I hope you enjoyed this little fic
As always, reviews are greatly appreciated :)