I opened my eyes and glanced around. Making a conscious effort to calm my breathing, I pulled the covers off of me and turned on the mat I was laying on, so I could sit. The walls around me- almost everything- was a dull, tan grey. The architecture and design was something older, not modern at all. I looked down at myself. At least my clothes were up to date.
A woman came up to me, smiling and holding a rag.
"Where am I?" I asked. "When am I?" I said, looking at her Renaissance-age dress.
"You're at the edge of Rome."
"What year?"
"1500."
Things started flickering before my eyes. I saw lines, like everything was built on a graph. Even more startling was a disembodied voice, speaking as if right next to me.
"Hold on. We got a problem."
"What is that?"
"I've never seen this before. Her consciousness is bleeding into the animus. She's not living through her ancestor- she's living it as herself!"
"Well, make her stop!"
"Hold on."
Then there was an incessant tapping of keys. I tried to struggle, but my two bodies- two?- wouldn't respond. Then my eyes- my real eyes- flew open, and I spotted the white room briefly before launching out of the uncomfortable chair. The tech girl rushed to me, stretching out her dark hands to try and calm me.
"Get away from me!" I snarl at her, and then turn sharply at the man's voice.
"It would benefit you greatly if you calmed down, Miss Sheska."
"Do tell me why I have any incentive to help you. I don't even know who you are!" I wasn't handling this well.
"Because if you don't help, you won't make it out of here alive."
I didn't stop staring suspiciously, but I didn't say anything. Would it be better to die?
"You don't know what this is, do you?" The man proceeded, motioning to the machine.
"You called it an animus." I said cautiously, searching my recent memory.
"Yes. This is an animus, and it can read your DNA, in which is stored the memories of your ancestors."
I gave him a skeptical look. Still, if I look back on what I just experienced, it might be true. Could it?
"Alright." I said slowly. "So what am I doing here?"
"You are related to a particular Assassin who may hold the answers to a troubling question."
"Which is?"
"Why would a Templar and an Assassin put aside their differences and marry?"
"Templars? Assassins? What are you going on about? Are you talking about Crusades Templars?" Nothing but questions seemed to come out of my mouth, but I was drinking up the information.
"Yes. The Templars did not die, as the history books you love would tell you. They live on to this day, and are opposed to a group called Assassins." It was the first in a while the girl spoke up. I turned and examined her. Perhaps in her thirties, she had dark skin and bleached cornrows.
"And… you want this question answered in case it proves a threat?"
"Very good." Said the man. "You're close, at least."
"Well, that's all nice and dandy. But I'm still missing incentive."
"Killing you isn't enough?"
"I want nothing to do with a secret war through the ages. You're going to kill me anyways, right?"
"Probably."
"So why should I waste my time?"
"Sheska." The woman said softly, " if you don't lay in the animus and help us, you will be tortured until you do. Or forced. It's just easier to have you volunteer."
I could feel myself paling. I don't like pain. A bullet to the brain could be managed. What did I have to leave behind, anyway; a history nerd piecing together the course of the world in a cramped desk job? But pain I could not deal with. I would have to live through that.
"You'll be the Templars, then?"
I reluctantly trudged to the animus, putting the Abstergo sign on the wall together with this new image of the Templars I had in my head.
"Yes."
I lay down, shifting on the hard surface for a moment. A glass screen extended in front of my face and lit up.
"Alright." The girl said while the screen changed, highlighting a cluster of my DNA.
"This is when the two first meet. The memory stretches a little way back, so you'll have to work your way to what we're looking for."
"Fine." I sighed.
"And Sheska, you're living as your ancestor. Avoid being the one in control." The man said, almost gently. I still caught the threat he was suppressing.
"Don't expect much. I don't even know what happened last time."
I closed my eyes to the disapproving gaze. Then there was the sensation of being put under, like being pushed into deep sleep. I immediately tried to jerk out of it, but forced myself to calm down. Then I was me, and not me, at the same time.
She was quiet, hidden in the shadow of a tower. The wind fluttered her hood, but she was otherwise as still as the shadow she crouched in. Her eyes shifted, and everything was suddenly given its own color-coded glow. A few blue-colored thieves and late-night peasants wandered about the streets. Borgia guards, a red glow emanating from their armor, went about their patrols.
More waiting. A hawk circled by and perched on her shoulder, gold feathers pale in the moonlight. Then, there he was. The target glowed gold. Now that he was identified, the glow from everything faded as she let go of Eagle Vision, and she watched the man walk past her. As she rose, the hawk spread its wings and took off with a screech.
The screech sent the man into frenzy. He turned and looked around. Sighting the hawk, he also spotted the hooded figure, a silhouette against the moon. He gave a cry and ran past the guards, shouting for them to protect him. The guards assembled on the street, but she was already leaping over them on the rooftops.
He was pathetic. This was her recurring thought. He was running no faster than her, knowing he was the target, and forgetting to tell the guards that she was on the roof. Then he unwittingly crossed in front of her. She jumped. With a solid landing, the hidden blade unsheathed at her wrist and dug into his heart.
"I'm not done yet." The man breathed before passing away.
"Requiescat in Pace." She said ritually, closing his eyes and their pathetic expression.
Everything started glitching again. The calmness that was both mine and my ancestor's for a while fled me in my wakefulness. Did I just kill someone? No, she had, long ago. Who was she?
I saw the real world again, all of a sudden. As if I had been forced underwater, I bolted upright. The lady's hands were immediately at my shoulder to stop me from fleeing.
"Calm down, Sheska." The woman pleaded.
"It's like being drowned." I gasped.
"Relax. Breath. Try again." She said soothingly.
I tried not to notice the man's accusing glare. Slowing my breathing, I lay back down and tried to surrender to the smothering sleep that the animus gave. It was difficult. I never fell asleep too quickly, even under normal circumstances.
"Can I at least get the name of my captors?" I asked into the darkness.
"Lyra."
"Warren."
The world was built again, rising from the ground up. She walked through the abandoned streets, moving swiftly to her house. After double-checking for a tail, she slipped into a hidden door.
The Assassin uniform was hidden away, the hidden blade wiped of blood. She was barely dressed in appropriate clothing when there was a knock at the front door of the house. Quickly, she closed up the hidden room and attended to the door. Behind it stood a man, smiling at the sight of her.
"Rosa." He said, and she allowed herself to be hugged.
"It's nice to see you."
"Nice hair." The man laughed as he was ushered in.
She busied herself, blushing ever so slightly.
"I've been out."
"I'll say. You haven't even had the time to make your house homely."
She moved to the fireplace, leaving the man to take care of his own coat. Rosa threw wood into the hearth and lit it. When she rose, the man was waiting behind her.
"This place isn't very warm when you're all on your own." He said softly.
"You make it warmer." She replied, and she stood on her tip toes to kiss him.
So this was Rosa, the Assassin in disguise as an apprentice tailor, and Corvin, the baker. Except I knew the baker boy was a Templar.
Rosa had already known Corvin for a few weeks, and gradually grew comfortable with his constant flattery and smiles. His visits were often random but she found herself waiting eagerly for him. She knew it was dangerous. What if it was a well-played trap?
A couple of months passed, and Corvin showed up more and more, his visits becoming more predictable than usual. He eventually was allowed to spend the night. It was at this point the Brotherhood started to worry.
Rosa went down to the Assassin's headquarters in Rome. She saluted briefly to Ezio Auditore and Machiavelli before heading to a bookcase to research a specific set of poisons.
"You two are well?" Rosa said, aware their eyes were on her.
"Yes." Machiavelli said.
"I do have an assignment for you, however." Ezio continued, taking a step forward.
Rosa turned, closing her book. She could feel a kind of tenseness from Ezio, and she heard a gentle tone from him that usually happened right before he was going to say something she wouldn't like.
"Good. I feel like you were giving the other recruits all the good ones."
"This one's not too exciting." Ezio admitted. "Your target's name is Atticus. We think he works for the Borgia and is a trusted Templar fighter. We don't know much about him, though. Follow him for a week, then report to us."
"As you wish." Rosa sighed, somewhat disappointed.
"There is," Machiavelli said with a lecturing look at Ezio," something else. You've been getting close to someone recently, yes?"
"Was there a rule against relationships that I missed?" Rosa said, surprised at the iciness of her own voice. Usually, she was above both relationships and emotions.
"No." Ezio assured her. "But we worry you haven't been cautious enough."
"Your first years as a recruit weren't quiet. What with your family deceased, you were more bold than an Assassin ought to be."
Why was it that everything Machiavelli said seemed to be an attack, even when he meant the best?
"So you worry he spies at us through me?"
"We don't know." Ezio said. "We'd like to be sure he's not."
"So have him followed." Rosa said simply.
"We had to make sure you would allow us." Machiavelli confirmed, although Rosa felt Ezio was the only one between the two who thought to check with her first.
"You are a recruit with so much potential, and your temper is… short fused." Ezio explained.
"I see. Well, if the Brotherhood thinks it wise, they may do as they wish. I have no qualms with you protecting yourself." Rosa said, somewhat officially.
The next week was somewhat stressful. Rosa followed her target, picking him out with Eagle Vision since he never took off his helmet. Nothing shocking turned up with him, but the job left Rosa home at odd hours, and Corvin turned up more and more. Rosa would come to her house, tired, dirty, and sometimes bloody or wounded. Even if Corvin found her hurt, he never asked questions.
At the end of the week, Rosa returned to the Assassins' guild and reported her findings. No one was struck by any piece of information, but a couple things were made note of. In return, she was given the report about Corvin.
"He's a soldier." Another recruit told her. "But he seems to be a regular conscript, so there's not much worry. He doesn't check in with the Borgia or anything. There's not even a messenger that takes any interest in him, though he did manage to give us the slip a couple of times. Not sure how that happened."
Rosa was both relieved and unhappy. Corvin wasn't part of the Borgia. It almost felt like the final piece of information that would let her love him. Yet, he was a soldier. As long as the Borgia were in control, she would not stand by a soldier.
That night, Rosa waited at home. She sat in her chair mostly, a fire lit in the hearth. By the time Corvin showed up, Rosa had just finished cooking dinner. She came out of the kitchen to watch Corvin come in. He glanced about, his eyes flicking upward before the door closed.
"Expecting someone?" Rosa asked.
"No, not really. Could've sworn I was being followed a few days ago, though." He said, pulling Rosa into a hug.
"Cooking for both of us?" He continued in the kitchen. "You've done so much for us both. I may as well just move in." he chuckled, but stopped when he turned to see Rosa's measured look.
"What's wrong?" Cecil said quietly.
"You didn't tell me everything." Rosa replied, her ill feelings leaking into her voice. She crossed her arms, feeling somewhat defensive. "You're not a baker. You're a soldier."
Corvin wondered, obviously, how Rosa knew. The tail probably flicked through his mind. Rosa waited for him to respond, knowing that if he gave the wrong answer, she'd have to put up the old walls again, maybe move.
"Alright. I lied." He confessed. "I am a soldier."
"So why'd you lie?"
Corvin sighed. Looking around, he pulled out a chair and sat down.
"People here don't like soldiers. I'm not stupid. So when I saw a pretty lady, I knew I couldn't be a soldier. There was a bakery nearby, so that's the first thing that came to mind."
Rosa remembered their meeting. The sweet smell of holiday bread came back to her, warm and sweet. It was always something she had accompanied with the thought of Corvin. Now it would be replaced with the iron scent of blood and the cold taste of metal. She didn't know if she could handle it.
"All right." Rosa breathed.
There was some uncertain silence. Then Corvin stood up, frustrated.
"See? Nobody likes soldiers. You're going to ask me to leave, aren't you?"
"No. I don't hate you yet. I'm still figuring out if I'm alright with a lying soldier." She paused. "If you're staying, you'll have to do away with the lying."
"And the being a soldier?" he asked hesitantly. Rosa realized he was highly nervous about that one fact, and she wondered why.
"I'll search somewhere deep down so you won't have to lose your job."
The night slowly calmed. They sat down to eat, and before long the two were talking and laughing again. Rosa noticed there was a new ease between them that hadn't been there before. Secrets had caused the earlier tension. When would she be able to tell him she was an Assassin? How long could she stand it before she wouldn't be able to stay together with a soldier that served under the Borgia?
As the darkness blanketed the world, both Rosa and Corvin acknowledged a new urge when they lay under the covers. It was strange, upon reflection, that in the time when they should have separated, they were only brought much closer. Rosa had never before hoped she could stay together with anyone forever.
Rosa opened her eyes. It was still dark out, but Corvin was getting up.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. I only ate half of my bowl last night out of nervousness."
"Ok." Rosa laughed. "But put on some pants before you catch a cold."
He laughed and put on a pair of breeches. Then he kissed her on the head before leaving for the kitchen. And Rosa would have been content to lay in the warm folds of the sheets if it weren't for the numerous sounds of armor about her house.
Only a fleeting question delayed her, and then she sprang from the bed silently. She grabbed her undergarments and went to the hidden room with all swiftness, donning her Assassin's uniform. With all her weapons put together properly, she did her best to not be spotted outside her house.
It didn't take long for the arguments to carry. Even from another building, Rosa could hear the hollowed voice of a Borgia captain arguing with Corvin. The captain said Corvin had been taking too long, and Corvin argued the captain was too impatient. Rosa wasn't sure whether she should be enraged or not. She caught protective words from Corvin, and when Rosa was discovered to be missing, the woman felt the need to defend him. But he was a Borgia soldier, to report directly to Cesare himself. So he was more than just a conscript.
She left before she could linger for too long, heading straight to the Assassin's guild. By the time she had crossed Rome, her flustered feelings had been replaced by smoldering anger. This showed on her features and her manner of walk. The two books she found interest in were all but ripped from the shelves.
"Rosa. What seems to be the matter at this hour?"
The woman turned to view Machiavelli. Perfect. She didn't feel similar to Ezio's kind, reasonable ways at the moment. Machiavelli's cold steel dealt with Rosa's emotions much better.
"My ex was not a conscript. As I thought about it while fleeing my compromised estate, several things made sense. He answers directly to the Borgia. He is both Templar and a highly positioned soldier, but he pretended to be neither while acquiring a relationship with me. And it seems I was to be delivered only an hour ago."
All this came out quickly, clearly illustrating her irritation.
"You have covered your tracks?" Machiavelli asked apprehensively.
"They won't find anything but burnt pieces of paper." Rosa assured him.
"Good. This is most troubling, however. How certain are you of what he knows?"
"He should know very little. I slept lightly when he was about, and I don't recall a single moment when he could have found my hidden room. I cannot speak for the hours I was not at home, however."
"That is understandable. You did well. But what books have you grabbed now?"
"Poisons. I feel the need to study before I kill him."
"Hm..." Machiavelli looked at her, his expression guarded. "Perhaps you are too close to the situation."
"Hardly. I'm as distant as always."
"Right."
It was clear Machiavelli did not believe Rosa's words. Neither did Rosa. She was too close, and Corvin's betrayal had inflamed her. Like this, she would act too quickly, and there was the strangest thing- she didn't care if she was brash.
"Are there other duties you'd have me do?" Rosa asked, offering a way out.
"No." Machiavelli said after a thoughtful pause. "You are a good student and a wise, young Assassin. I trust you to do what needs to be done."
"Careful." Rosa teased. "You're starting to sound like Ezio."
The rest of that night and the next day, Rosa studied and slept. She planned her entry on Borgia territory, where she would find Corvin. Ezio had infiltrated the fortress several times before, and graced the Assassins hideout with detailed schematics. Although they weren't complete, they provided an efficient source of information. By the time night had come again, Rosa felt confident in her soon-to-be infiltration.
Rosa couldn't believe she was a white spot on the wall now. The Borgia's fortress had a sheer rock wall separating them from any attackers. No amount of heavy barrages could have brought it down. Only the light touch of an Assassin could open the fortress to espionage, it seemed. Still, the height was dizzying, even for an accomplished free-runner. Rosa had made the mistake of looking down once before. The resulting sensation had not been a pleasant one.
The guard at the window was oblivious when the sound of a rock drew him away from his post. Rosa then maneuvered the cold stone hallways. More than once, she was almost spotted. But the stone she was beginning to detest provided excellent footholds, and decorations often offered enough space to hide behind. Eventually, she made it to the rafters of a dining hall, and she waited.
Cesare entered eventually, and his father also made an appearance. Rosa did not move. She was a statue until Corvin entered, asking forgiveness for his lateness.
"I do not care for your apologies." Cesare frowned.
"Tell me why you have not brought us the Assassin." The Pope asked, more calm than his son.
"She sensed your soldiers outside her house and fled without delay." Corvin said simply.
"And why were you not in the same room, to constrain her?" Cesare pressed.
"I would have been if the good Captain Cato had let me know about his plan. As it was, my mind was preoccupied with a different means of capture."
"Perhaps if you were more willing to work with him-" Cesare started venemously.
"No, Corvin is a good and loyal Templar." The senior Borgia stated. "I trust there was little else he could do. You did, however, get close to her?"
There was a slight hesitation, then: "Yes."
"Then I'd watch your back. However unavoidable, you've just angered an Assassin."
Oh, yes he did. And Rosa intended to make him remember it. Quietly, she stalked her ex out of the dining hall, making sure to remain unseen by the Borgia. Corvin moved almost as silently as Rosa, despite his armor. Perhaps the girl should have been less surprised that his footsteps took them to another room instead of outside and to the rest of his duties. By this time, Rosa had found it better to jump along the walls in order to stay out of sight. Corvin eventually entered his quarters, the window of which was open.
The man sighed as soon as he was inside. He rubbed the back of his neck and stretched, trying to relax. Corvin then glanced around the room, almost nervously. His eyes alighted upon the open window, and he quickly crossed to it.
"Strange that I noticed you glancing over your shoulder only when I knew you were being followed." Rosa said as the man's hands touched the window panes. Corvin turned, all tensed up again.
"I was hoping you would show up."
"Is that why you've closed my way in and out?"
"I keep imagining you breaking in, but I supposed Assassins are a bit quieter than that."
"And Templars less kind."
"You think assassination is kind?" Corvin said disbelievingly.
"At least I don't go out and personally break people's hearts." Rosa replied with more venom than she had intended.
"About that..." Corvin's voice dropped, and he glanced at the door. There were guards on the other side. "I need to explain."
"There's nothing to explain." Rosa said quickly.
"Oh? So you understand everything, and have therefore come to kill me?"
The sound of the hidden blade emerging was her answer.
"Then how come I'm not dead?"
The question hung in the air, hovering awkwardly between them. No answer joined it, and Rosa did not move forward, so Corvin continued.
"Captain Cato wasn't supposed to be there."
"Oh, he was supposed to show up some other time, was he?" she said icily.
"No. He wasn't supposed to be there at all."
"Well he was!" Rosa exploded.
"Will you listen to me?" Corvin said with such force that he was able to slip into Rosa's stunned silence. "Yes, in the beginning it was just another job. I didn't want to do it, but Cesare and his father said it would help the Templars. And then I met you and suddenly I was a bread baker.'
"That's all fine and dandy, but I don't understand the point." Rosa said with a suspicious glance at the door.
"Rosa." Corvin sighed, calling attention back to him. "I fell in love. No, listen to me. The more I stayed around you, an Assassin, the cowardly enemy of the Templars, of everything I ever knew, the more I wished I wasn't a Templar."
"Bullshit." Rosa whispered after a moment's silence.
"Rosa." Corvin said again, then time taking a step closer. He took another step, and then another until he was less than a foot away. "If I'm lying, you can easily strike me down. I won't raise a hand against you."
Rosa was stunned. What was she to think? Was this a ruse? She listened hard for approaching soldiers, watched Corvin for some cue for a quiet soldier to come in and arrest her. Nothing happened. He was waiting on her.
"So," Rosa said haltingly. "I'm an Assassin. You're a Templar who claims distaste for his position in life. We both love each other." Her last sentence was said with the quietest hush. "What do you suggest?"
With a great, relieved sigh, Corvin wrapped Rosa in his arms. She became aware of his strong chest and arms. It made her feel safe.
"I'm not sure. There's no place here, as a Templar, but your Assassin friends won't accept me."
"Not immediately. I've been fuming about your betrayal for the last day.
Corvin sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"I feel tired. That I even thought to help the Borgia use you against your brethren is unforgivable."
Against this impossible situation, Rosa found herself lost.
"What if we left?" the words came out without thought.
"What?" Corvin let Rosa go, to watch her from arm's length.
"You don't want to be a Templar. You'll never be truly seen as an Assassin if I bring you there. It seems simpler just to leave."
Corvin walked about the room for a few moments, thinking intensely. He rubbed his chin and walked to a chair, then paced to a window. Finally, he turned to Rosa.
"We'd be out of the war. Leave it to them. Disappear. We won't have to think about this battle again."
"Precisely."
"But could you do it? Could you leave your good brothers and sisters?"
Rosa hesitated.
"Do you have paper and pen?"
Rosa wrote a letter to the Assassins, explaining her situation and decision in as detached and limited an explanation she could offer. Then she asked for no further connection. After, Corvin wrote his own brief refusal of all orders, making it clear he was resigning. Corvin left his letter in his room. Rosa delivered hers with a respectful bow. Under the cover of night, they left Rome, not once to be found again.
The lightness of this clean room faded into sight slowly. I looked at the glass that curved over my face, noticing that I had reached the end of the DNA strand Warren had been so interested in. The picture flickered and faded and then the glass slid back into the Animus.
"You can stand up." Lyra said kindly.
I sat up and rolled my shoulders, stretching out.
"How long was I in there?" I mumbled.
"Long enough." Warren said, approaching me. "Thank you, Sheska. We've gotten exactly what we wanted. If you're tired, you may retire to a bedroom just over there."
I looked to where he motioned, bells going off in my head. My mind was still buzzing with what I had learned in the animus. There were Templars and Assassins fighting a war for control vs. freedom. This fight went on to present day, and Abstergo was a face company for the Templars. Now that I knew this, could I trust Warren not to kill me? Was it safe to even sleep?
I glanced further about the room. everything was password locked. Even if I struggled, I wouldn't be able to make it out. After all, I was just a history major. I wasn't a trained Assassin like Rosa. In fact, I was confused at the feeling of jealousy I felt toward my ancestor.
"Alright." I sighed, trying to act naive to the danger around me.
I got up, yawning widely. My captors were watching me, but I couldn't find the nerve to ask them any more questions. The door locked behind me, confirming earlier suspicions.
I lay on the bed without pulling up the sheets. My thoughts recited themselves, over and over, as I closed my eyes. Templars and Assassins are real. The war went on to today. I am the descendent of the union of both sides. I may die tonight in my sleep, or tomorrow be murdered.
Shieb: A few fun facts: Sheska would be a very early subject of Warren's, from before Lucy was his assistant. All of my Assassin's Creed short stories are connected unless said otherwise, so if you've read this week's 'Close and Personal', you'll recognize the name Captain Cato, which gives you a hint as to when Rosa lived.
This chapter is a bit sappy and feels a bit rushed to me. Do me a favor and drop me a review if you sight the name 'Cecil'. I changed Corvin's name from Cecil, and I may have not sighted some mistakes.