Francois Charles Dorian stood on the docks of Cherbourg, eagerly awaiting the arrival of his sister, Master Assassin Juliette Marie Dorian, from Crawley, England. Juliette was sent to Crawley when she was eighteen, to train under the Assassins in London. It was a fact that Francois never fully understood, although he did hear rumors that Juliette was called useless by Sophie Trenet, and that his mother, Elise, suggested that she go train in London. Juliette's departure to England left Francois in a state of depression, and to cope with it, he abused opium, which in turn made his life worse. It was only until the love of his life, Marie Albertine, saved him from himself, and helped get his life back on track. Francois married Marie in an intimate ceremony in March of 1830, and go on to have a son with her, whom they named Michel. Francois looked down at his pocket watch, and looked up to see a ship sporting the British Union Jack enter the harbor. Francois spied a woman with brown hair, and wearing red and black robes walk off of the ship. Francois noticed that she had a kukri strapped to her left thigh, and what looked like a hidden blade on her right wrist. Francois ran his hand through his dark red hair, and approached the young woman.
"Juliette Dorian?" Francois asked, after clearing his throat. The woman turned around to greet him.
"Yes, I am." she replied, looking sternly back at him. "And you are...?"
"I am Francois, your brother. Don't you remember me?" Francois asked, a smile coming across Juliette's face.
"Francois!" Juliette exclaimed, hugging Francois tightly. Francois hugged her back, patting her on the back. "It has been far too long. How have Mother and Father been?
Francois and Juliette let go of each other.
"Mother and Father have been doing well. They are having their issues with Trenet again." Francois replied sternly. "Not much has changed since you've left Paris eleven years ago, but I know for a fact Mother and Father will be really excited to see you. How has London treated you, Juliette?"
"I don't live in London, Francois. remember?" Juliette stated. "Our headquarters are in Crawley. We have been on the outside looking in for several years, actually. Crawley is a quiet town, perfect for our headquarters. My Mentor, Leonard Frye, through his knowledge transformed me into the woman standing before you."
"Amazing." Francois replied to his sister, as they walked to his carriage. "I'm glad Crawley has treated you well, sister. I insist you are ready for the mission, are you?"
Juliette looked at her brother.
"Mission?" Juliette asked, sounding confused.
"Yes, the mission." Francois told his sister. "Mother wrote to your Mentor talking about this mission, but I will tell you more when we get to Paris."
Juliette hopped up into the right hand seat in the carriage, while Francois hopped into the driver's seat. Francois snapped on the reins.
"Paris awaits, Juliette." Francois said, with a smile. Juliette smiled back at her brother as the horses galloped on towards Paris.
Three Days Later
The carriage driven by Francois Dorian arrived at Cafe Theatre around noon. Francois tied the horses to their posts as Juliette got out of her seat.
"Should we head down to the headquarters, Francois?" Juliette asked her brother.
Francois looked down at his pocket watch.
"No, they are in their meetings right now. It would be wise not to bother them." Francois replied, tucking his pocket watch back into his pocket.
"But, on the other hand, have you heard the tales of mother and father's adventures?"
Juliette returned a look of confusion to Francois.
"No I haven't." Juliette replied. "Mother and Father never told me about their adventures."
Francois smiled, and looked back at his sister.
"They told me about their acts of heroism during and after the Revolution, I know where they took place." Francois stated. "I can show you where, if you'd like."
Juliette looked up at her brother.
"What about Mother and Father?" Juliette asked, sounding a little confused. "Won't their meeting be over already?"
"No it won't be." Francois said, with a smile. "Their meetings usually last a few hours. Hop on the carriage, and I will show you these places."
Juliette hopped on the carriage, as Francois untied the horses from their poles, and hopped on himself. Juliette looked to her right, and could see the beautiful church of Notre Dame loom over the city in the distance. Francois snapped on the reins, and the horses trotted south past Cafe Theatre. Juliette looked down the streets, noticing how nice and peaceful they looked.
"Just imagine how the streets would have looked during the Revolution." Juliette inquired, looking down the street in front of her. Francois turned his head to see his sister.
"From what Mother and Father told me, there were crowds as far as the eye could see, streets were very congested, and there were poor people begging for money." Francois stated, taking a deep breath. "It would have been an interesting sight to see."
Juliette pictured the streets, crowded with people pillaging and looting buildings, with refuse and waste littering the streets. The carriage came to a stop in front of a large building. Francois tied the horses to a pole, as Juliette got out of her seat. Francois walked up to the building across the way, and began to climb up to the roof. Juliette followed suit, and climbed up the building. Juliette looked in front of her to see a building with a very elegant facade, with a square roof on each side. It reminded Juliette of the Palace of Versailles.
"The building before us is the Palais du Luxembourg." Francois stated, holding his hand out. "The home of the Paris Senate, once formerly a prison."
"What happened here, Francois?" Juliette asked, marveling at the palace. Francois cleared his throat.
"Father assassinated a notorious Templar, a woman who went by the name of Marie Levesque, inside of the palace, in 1792." Francois stated, pointing towards the windows in the middle of the building. Juliette looked at her brother with bewilderment.
"It gets better. In 1799, shortly after my birth, Mother and Father took the guises of two Templars, and infiltrated the palace, where Mother was successful in assassinating Grand Master Louis de Gaulle, on the roof over there. Mother told me she fell off the roof, and injured her ribs."
"My word. It sounds like Mother had quite the fall." Juliette replied, examining the height of the building. Francois looked back at his sister, and began to descend down the building. Juliette followed her brother back down, and met him back at the carriage. Francois untied the horses, and hopped in the driver's seat, while Juliette hopped in the passenger's seat. Francois snapped on the reins, as the carriage began to move to the east. Francois made a sharp turn onto a bridge, and upon doing so, turned left, and parked his carriage. Francois tied the horses to a pole, as Juliette got down from the carriage seat.
"Fancy a walk in the Tuileries Gardens, Juliette?" Francois asked, with a smile. Juliette turned to her right, and saw the Tuileries Palace loom over the gardens in front of the building.
"The kings of France lived here, correct?" Juliette asked, glancing at her brother.
"Correct." Francois replied, as they walked through the gardens. "You see the square part of the building over there? Father had a confrontation with Napoleon in there, before he was the Emperor of France."
Juliette returned a look to her brother, and then returned her gaze to the Tuileries. Francois began to walk back to the carriage. Juliette stood in the gardens for a few moments. She remembered the times she would always hide on Francois every time the family would come to the gardens for a walk, forcing him to go look for her, a task which took Francois hours to do sometimes. Juliette let out a deep breath before following her brother back to the carriage. Juliette hopped onto the front of the carriage, while Francois untied the horses. The horses whinnied as Francois hopped into his seat and grabbed the reins. Francois turned the carriage around, and went north, trotting past the palace entrance. Juliette looked down the streets as Francois guided the carriage. Juliette smiled as she saw people walking up and down the streets. Francois brought the carriage to a stop, and tied them to a pole. Francois beckoned Juliette to climb up the building with him. Juliette nodded her head in confusion, and followed her brother up to the roof of the building, which overlooked a marketplace.
"Why are we looking at this marketplace, Francois?" Juliette asked, scratching the back of her head.
"This marketplace was built on the grounds of the Temple, an ancient Templar fortress." Francois replied, looking down onto the marketplace. "In 1799, Mother was captured by Templars who wanted her dead, and intended to hang her from the top of the Temple. Luckily, mother escaped their grasp."
Juliette looked back at her brother, awestruck.
"That must've been quite a fall, because I've seen paintings of the Temple before, and it was bloody high." Juliette said to her brother.
"It was indeed." Francois said, with a smile. "The Temple was demolished by Napoleon in 1808, but the vault underneath was not. If you follow me, I can show you the entrance to the vault, left untouched by Napoleon's demolition crew."
Juliette looked back at her brother, and nodded her head.
"Lead the way, brother." Juliette told her brother. Francois and Juliette descended down the building, and walked through the marketplace, which smelled like freshly caught fish and fresh fruit. After walking through the marketplace, Francois located the entrance to the catacombs.
"Here it is." Francois said, with a smile. "Coming, Juliette?"
Juliette smiled, and followed her brother down into the Paris catacombs. After navigating their way through the catacombs, Francois and Juliette came across a door in the wall, with a Templar emblem on the door.
"Is this where Jacques de Molay was buried?" Juliette asked, running her hand across the emblem. Running her hand across the door activated the door. Francois and Juliette walked into the Temple Vault, to see statues toppled over and a collapsed pillar to their far right.
"More like a place to store his objects of value." Francois replied, as Juliette studied the emblem on the floor. "Inside the vault lied a book called Codex Pater Intellectus, and a mysterious artifact called the Sword of Eden."
"Fascinating, Francois." Juliette said, as she was still studying the emblem. "What did Mother and Father do in here?"
Francois let out a little sigh.
"Mother and Father had an encounter with the radical Templar Grand Master, Francois Thomas Germain, who claimed he could speak to the long dead Molay." Francois stated, as he let out another sigh. "This was ack when Mother was still a Templar. Mother, Father, and Germain got into quite a skirmish, and Germain shot lightning from the Sword to knock Father back under some rubble. Mother came to help him, but left once she noticed Germain limping away. During their confrontation, the Sword shot lightning at Mother, who got hurled into that pillar over there."
Francois pointed over to the broken pillar. Juliette walked over to it. Francois approached his sister at the base of the pillar.
"The force of the blast sent Mother into the pillar, concussing her and sending her into an unconscious state." Francois informed his sister. "Father mistook her for dead, and took her to a hospital."
Juliette looked at her brother.
"Father told me about the time he mourned in Franciade, but never told me why he went there." Juliette told Francois.
Francois smiled.
"He desired to leave for Egypt, but received word from the hospital that Mother was alive and well just as he was about to leave. He rushed to the hospital to see her alive and well, smiling upon arrival."
Juliette got up from the ground, and returned a smile to her brother.
"Such a touching story. One I will never forget." Juliette replied, as she followed Francois to the exit of the vault. Francois and Juliette watched the door close behind them.
"Hopefully this vault will not be discovered by human eyes for a long time." Francois replied, looking at the emblem on the door for the final time. Walking through the catacombs, Juliette noticed that the walls of the catacombs were lined with human bones and skulls. Juliette cringed when she saw the bones.
"Just noticed the bones, eh?" Francois said, patting Juliette on the back. "I've got a fact for you. In August of 1808, Father came back here with Napoleon, to remove Germain's remains. Father said he placed Germain's skull somewhere in these catacombs."
"Fascinating." Juliette replied, as the exited the catacombs, and walked through the marketplace. The smell of fresh fish and lettuce returned to Juliette's nose.
"Is there any other places you would like to show me, Francois?" Juliette asked.
Francois pondered for a few moments.
"There is, yes. A place I want to go to as well." Francois replied. Juliette looked at her brother.
"Where might this place be, Francois?" Juliette asked?
Francois cleared his throat.
"Versailles." Francois replied. "I want to see the mansion Mother and Father grew up in."
Juliette opened her mouth slightly.
"What about Mother and Father?" Juliette asked. "Won't they be expecting us?"
Francois untied the horses from the pole, and looked at his pocket watch.
"We may have to make a stop at Cafe Theatre." He said, as he hopped up into the driver's seat, and grabbed the reins. Juliette followed suit, and hopped into the seat beside her brother. Francois snapped on the reins, and the horses began galloping south towards Cafe Theatre.
"Have you married yet, Francois?" Juliette asked. Francois looked back to Juliette.
"I have married. I am married to a woman who goes by the name of Marie. We also have a son together. His name is Michel. What about you?"
"Congratulations on the birth of your son, Francois." Juliette replied, as she was beginning to blush. "As for marriage, I am indeed married. His name is Samuel Marshall, a fellow Assassin in the British Brotherhood."
"Congratulations, dear sister." Francois said, with a smile. "I am proud. As will Mother and Father be when they hear the news."
Juliette smiled, as the horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of Cafe Theatre. Francois got down from the driver's seat and approached a man at the door.
"Excuse me, Monsieur." Francois said to the man. The man turned around to meet his face. "Would you be able to let Mademoiselle Elise de la Serre know that her children will be in Versaillles for a few hours, and that we will be back later in the evening."
The man nodded his head. "For sure, Monsieur."
"Merci." Francois replied, as he watched the man walk back into Cafe Theatre. Francois hopped back into the driver's seat. The horses whinnied as he hopped into his seat. Juliette let out a little chuckle. Francois smiled, and turned back to his sister.
"Well then. Let us go to Versailles, Juliette!" Francois said, with a large smile coming across his face. Juliette returned a smile to her brother's face, as the horses trotted past Cafe Theatre onto the suburb of Versailles.
Francois and Juliette arrived in the small suburb of Versailles just before evening. Looming over them was an elegant mansion. Juliette remembered the building's look from a long time ago, but couldn't remember who lived in it off of the top of her head.
Francois tied the horses to a pole outside of the mansion entrance. Juliette and Francois walked into the courtyard of the Estate.
"The de la Serre Estate." Francois stated, looking around. "I'm surprised it's still standing, if you ask me."
Juliette looked back at her brother.
"It has certainly changed since the last time we lived here. That was what, twenty years ago?" Juliette asked her brother, as they walked into the mansion. Juliette looked around the mansion, bewildered by how well the mansion looked. "I barely remember what it looks like.
"It looks like it did when Mother and Father were children." Juliette said, still looking around. "As if the Revolution never touched it."
"It certainly does." Francois replied, with a smile. "Shortly after you left for England, Mother asked a renowned architect in Paris to renovate the Estate. They finished up a couple of years ago, and this is my first time seeing it." Juliette approached a window, and looked into the backyard of the Estate. Juliette spied two gravestones in the back left corner. Juliette hopped out the window, and walked over to the gravestones. Francois turned around to see Juliette out in the backyard by the gravestones. Francois leaped out the window, and stood beside Juliette. Francois read the gravestones.
"Julie de la Serre, 1738-1778. Francois de la Serre, 1733-1789." Francois said, with his eyes widening. Juliette let out a little gasp. "Our grandparents, Juliette. Grandfather was the Grand Master of the Parisian Templars. Mother was supposed to succeed him as Grand Master, but that never happened, as Grandfather was slain by the cronies of Francois-Thomas Germain at Mother's initiation ceremony. I'm not too sure about Grandmother, however. All Mother has told me was that grandmother died of an ailment, and nothing else."
Juliette kneeled down in front of the gravestones, brushing the dust off of her grandfather's stone.
"Imagine if they were still alive, to witness our births." Juliette replied to Francois. "It would have been nice to meet them."
Francois placed his hand on his sister's shoulder.
"It's something I always think about too, Juliette." He told his sister. "But come, let us continue our exploration of the estate."
Juliette nodded her head, and followed her brother back into the mansion. After leaping through the window, Francois and Juliette walked up an elaborate staircase made of marble. Francois and Juliette walked into an open room, lined with bookshelves filled with books. Francois approached a locked door at the back of the room.
"Hmm. This must've led to grandfather's study." Francois said, as he tugged on the lock of the door. "It's locked, tightly."
While Francois was still fidgeting with the lock on the door, Juliette looked at a painting of her mother, hanging up on the wall beside the door.
"She looks beautiful." Juliette whispered, loud enough for Francois to hear. Francois turned his head to observe the painting of his mother.
"Incredible." Francois said, as he ran his hand along the frame of the portrait. As he ran his hand along the frame, the wall pushed back, and slid to the right. Juliette looked into the slot in the wall, and pulled out a chest. Juliette opened the chest, and looked inside.
"My word. These letters were written by Mother to Father, over the course of the revolution. 1788-1794 were the years they wrote to each other. When Mother was a Templar." Juliette stated, as she passed the letters to Francois. Francois took the letters from Juliette's hand, and began to read through them.
"These are incredible. Mother never told me about these letters she wrote. I will hang on to them for safekeeping." Francois reassured his sister, as he placed the letters back into the chest. "I may have to ask her about them when I see her next."
Juliette paused for a few moments, and her vision darkened. Juliette saw a ghostly figure that looked like her father, holding a small letter in his hand, and watched as the ghostly figure slid the letter underneath the door, not too far away from Francois. She then saw the ghostly figure exit out of the room through the wall in front of her, and watched the figure walk on the other side of the wall. Juliette blinked a couple of times, and took a deep breath. Francois looked at his sister with confusion.
"Are you alright, Juliette?" Francois asked, with a tinge of concern in his voice. "You were just standing there with a blank look on your face."
Juliette looked back up at her brother.
"I saw a silhouette of a man who looked like Father slide a letter underneath the door not far from where you were standing, and watched it walk through the wall, as well as watching it walk on the other side of the wall." Juliette replied, with confusion in her voice.
"Hmm. The mansion could be haunted, or you could possess Father's gift, and I don't think it's the former." Francois informed his sister. Juliette shot her brother a look of confusion.
"What do you mean I have Father's gift?" Juliette asked, confusion still clouding her voice.
"The gift of Eagle Vision, Juliette." Francois replied, with a smile. "The ability to see targets, true allies, hiding spots, and manifestations of past events. I believe you possess it. Use it wisely, Juliette."
Juliette nodded her head, and noticed that Francois had another chest in his hands.
"Where did you find that chest, Francois?" Juliette asked, pointing at the chest.
"While you were standing there, I discovered a second chest in the wall. In it, were letters written by Father to his deceased father, spanning the years 1776 to 1794. I removed them before the wall returned to its normal state." Francois replied, handing Juliette the letters. "Here. Have a read."
Juliette sat down, and read through the letters her father had written.
"Francois, do you think Father wrote this to cope with the loss of his father at such a young age?" Juliette asked her brother.
"I have no clue." Francois replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Perhaps that could be a question you could ask Father when we see him."
Juliette got up out of her chair, and placed the letters back in the chest. Juliette passed the chest to Francois, who put his hand on the chest.
"No Juliette. You keep these." Francois instructed his sister. "I have Mother's letters. You take Father's letters. I'm sure they won't mind that we have them."
Juliette nodded her head, and held onto the chest. Francois pulled out his pocket watch, and looked at momentarily. Francois let out a whistle.
"Now, I would like to think that Mother and Father are to be expecting us. We best hurry, Juliette."
Juliette smiled, and accompanied her brother out of the room. After exiting, Francois closed the door, and locked it securely. Francois and Juliette descended down the staircase back down to the first floor.
"Imagine Mother and Father in their youth, running around here, getting into all sorts of trouble." Juliette told her brother, as they both continued to look around the first floor.
"I bet Grandfather had one hell of a time trying to keep them both in check." Francois said, with a chuckle. Juliette let out a chuckle, and turned around at the entrance, while Francois walked out into the courtyard. Juliette's vision darkened again, and witnessed a ghostly figure of her father again, run through the entrance, only to freeze in front of a ghostly figure of her mother, holding out a pistol. Juliette let out a little gasp as she walked around the sight before her, and watched as the figures vanished right before her eyes.
"Juliette? Are you coming?" Francois asked from the carriage, with urgency in his voice. "We must get going if we are to make it before darkness falls."
"Sorry, Francois." Juliette replied, as she got on the front seat of the carriage. "I had another vision. But now, let us get going."
Francois nodded his head with approval, and untied the horses from the pole. The horses whinnied as Francois hopped in the seat beside Juliette, and grabbed the reins. Francois snapped on the reins, and steered to the right, turning the horses around. The horses trotted by the de la Serre estate for the final time, as Francois and Juliette turned their attention to arriving in Paris before nightfall.
Francois and Juliette arrived at Cafe Theatre in the early hours of the night. Francois got down from his spot on the carriage, and gave the reins to a man, who took the reins from Francois, and tied them to a nearby pole. Juliette got down from her seat, and approached her brother, who was standing by a dimly lit lamp post.
"Thank you for the tour, Francois." Juliette said, with a smile on her face. "Do you know if Mother and Father are still awake?"
Francois took a look at his pocket watch.
"Ten twenty-five. They should still be awake. They tend to stay up late. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious." Juliette replied, as her brother approached her side, and both walked into the dimly lit Cafe Theatre. Francois led Juliette to the entrance to the Assassin headquarters. He unsheathed his hidden blade, and successfully opened the door. Francois and Juliette each pushed a door open, and walked down a long cavern to get to the main corridor to get to the Assassin headquarters. A wave of memories hit Juliette as soon as they entered the main corridor. This was the first time Juliette had set foot here in eleven years. Francois pointed to the left set of stairs, while Juliette observed all the Assassin insignia banners hanging from the rocky walls. Upon arriving at the top, Juliette turned to her left to see her parents, Arno Dorian and Elise de la Serre, sitting in chairs across from each other, reading books. Elise looked up to see her daughter.
"Juliette!" Elise exclaimed, getting up from her chair to hug her. Juliette returned the hug to her mother. Elise placed her hands on Juliette's shoulders. Francois sat down beside his father.
"How have you been?" Elise asked Juliette, as they both sat down.
"I have been well." Juliette replied. "I earned the rank of Master Assassin six years ago, and married the man of my dreams, Samuel Marshall two years ago."
Elise and Arno both flashed a smile of approval for their daughter.
"It looks as if Leonard did his job." Elise said, with confidence.
"Congratulations on achieving your Master Assassin Rank, Juliette." Arno said, congratulating Juliette.
"Thank you, Father." Juliette replied, with a smile. Arno smiled back at her. "I believe Francois has something he would like to share."
Francois picked up the chest containing Elise's letters, and placed them on the table before everyone.
"While we were in Versailles, we visited the mansion, and discovered these letters behind a painted portrait of you, Mother." Francois informed Elise, and Elise gently grabbed the box, bringing it closer to her.
"I remember these, indeed." Elise replied to her son. "The letters I wrote to your father over the course of the Revolution. There were ten here, but the last letter was burned some time ago. I stored them away many years ago, and I'm glad you've found them again."
"Juliette also has something to share." Francois stated, as he beckoned Juliette to place her chest on the table. Juliette nodded her head, got up from her seat, and placed the chest in front of her father.
"In the same location as Mother's letters, Francois found another chest, with letters written by Father addressed to his deceased father." Juliette informed everyone, as Arno opened the chest, and began to skim through the letters. Arno wiped tears away from his eyes as he read through the letters.
"Father, I have a question for you." Juliette began. Arno looked up. "Did your write your letters to cope with the loss of your father?"
Arno looked down to the ground, and then back up at Juliette.
"Yes, in a way." Arno replied. "Elise's father suggested I do it, and it did work to an extent. I still miss him to this day."
Juliette sat beside her father, who began to tear up. Juliette patted him on the back, comforting him.
"I thought you would like them back." Juliette stated, as she closed the chest. Arno took the chest and placed it back on the ground in front of him. Francois got up and sat beside his mother.
"Would you like to keep your letters, Mother?" Francois asked, as he watched his mother close her chest, and place it on the table. Elise looked up at Francois.
"I will hang onto them, yes. But when I pass from this world, they will come into your possession." Elise reassured her son. "Thank you for bringing these back to me. It felt really good to relive past events in my life."
"Anything for you, Mother." Francois replied, with a bow of his head. Elise grabbed Francois gently, and brought him back beside her. Juliette looked around the table.
"So, if I may ask, why have you asked me to come to Paris?" Juliette asked. "Francois spoke of a mission, but didn't shed any details."
Francois smiled back at her sarcastically. Juliette returned a sarcastic smiled right back at her brother.
"There is a crisis in Constantinople, and it requires the help of two Assassins." Elise informed her children. "Vital Assassin documents that were found when I was in Constantinople thirty years ago have been stolen by Templars from the Yeteraban Cistern, and need to be retrieved and returned. It is why I wrote to Leonard, asking him to send you. He complied, and here you are."
"Trenet will provide you with more details in the morning." Arno added. Juliette squinted her eyes when her father mentioned Trenet's name. "But for now, you must rest, Juliette. You will have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."
"Yes, Father." Juliette replied, with a bow of her head. She then turned to her brother. "Come, Francois. Let us head to the sleeping quarters."
Francois nodded his head, and began to walk to the sleeping quarters. Juliette got up to follow her brother, as Elise and Arno picked up their books, and continued to read. Juliette arrived at the sleeping quarters, and went behind a curtain to change, while Francois took off his overcoat, undid his hidden blade, and placed both on a drawer beside his bed. Juliette came out from behind the curtain wearing her frilled white shirt, and brown skin tight breeches. Juliette undid her hair, placed her hidden blade beside Francois' blade, and laid down on her bed. Francois walked over to his bed, and sat on his bed. Juliette looked over to her brother.
"Looking forward to Constantinople, Francois?" Juliette asked, placing her hands on her stomach. Francois ran his hands through his hair.
"I am, yes." Francois replied. "I'm just nervous about how Trenet is going to react when she sees you tomorrow morning. The words she screamed at you still haven't left my head."
Juliette looked back up at her brother.
"I remember them like they were yesterday." Juliette stated, sitting up on her bed. "Juliette Marie Dorian! Your understanding of the concept of the French Assassin teachings has been below par. You are holding back your ability to learn about the Creed, which makes you a useless asset to the Brotherhood."
Francois chuckled when he heard his sister mimic the voice of Sophie Trenet.
"It was at that point where Mother had heard enough, and her and Trenet got into a heated arguement, before I nearly broke into tears. Even Father and yourself couldn't separate them." Juliette said, as she looked down to the ground. "Mother suggested I train in Crawley, under the tutelage of a friend of hers, a man named Leonard Frye. Under him, I flourished, and was able to get a firm understanding of how they interpreted the Creed. He taught me everything, from freerunning, to maintaining my Hidden Blade. I earned my Master Assassin rank at the age of twenty-three. It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings, and see what Trenet thinks of me now."
Francois got up from his bed, and placed his hand on Juliette's shoulder.
"I'm hoping it will go a lot better than it did eleven years ago." Francois said, with a smile, as Juliette untied her thigh-high boots. Juliette placed her boots at her bedside, crawled under the blanket on her bed, and drifted off to sleep. Francois, after watching his sister fall asleep, crawled under the blanket of his bed, and let tiredness consume him.
Juliette awoke early in the morning, and walked behind the curtain to change. A few moments later she emerged, wearing her red robes, an outfit she dubbed her Defender's Garb. She grabbed her hidden blade, and fit it onto her wrist. Juliette then dusted off her robes, before opening the drawer to pull out her kukri, and place it in the scabbard on her left leg. Francois yawned, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Juliette looked up from tieing her boots when Francois groggily got out of his bed, and watched as he put on his overcoat, and buttoned it up. He grabbed his hidden blade, and slid it on his wrist.
"You ready, Juliette?" Francois asked, as he walked towards the door. Juliette got up from her bed, and nodded her head as they walked out the door, heading for the main hall of the headquarters.
Francois and Juliette arrived in the main hall. Elise looked up, a smile coming across her face.
"Good morning, Francois. Good morning, Juliette. Did you both rest well?"
Francois nodded his head. Juliette followed up with a nod of her head, as they both took a seat at the table, across from Elise and Arno. Arno looked down at his pocket watch.
"Trenet should be arriving momentarily..." Arno stated, as he put away his pocket watch.
After Arno finished his sentence, Sophie Trenet entered the room, and looked towards Francois and Juliette before taking a seat between Elise and Arno.
"Hello Francois, hello Juliette." Trenet began. "I assume both of you know why you are here."
"Yes we do. Mother informed us about the miss..." Juliette began, only to be cut off by Trenet.
"Never mind what your mother said. She never gave you any information about this. Now..." Trenet stated sternly. Elise glared at Trenet, as Juliette got up from her chair, and slammed her hands on the table, looking the French mentor in the eye.
"How the hell can you say my own mother didn't give me any information when you weren't even with us last night?" Juliette said, questioning Trenet with a raised voice.
"Enough, Juliette!" Francois said, tugging on Juliette's arm, forcing her to sit down.
"Now, as I was saying." Trenet continued, returning a snide look at Juliette. Juliette glared back at her.
"It seems some Assassin documents in the Ottoman capital of Constantinople have fallen into Templar hands, as the Assassins have a weak presence in the city. The lone Assassin in the city wrote to your mother, requesting the aid of two Assassins to re-acquire these documents. Your mother then wrote to your mentor, Juliette, to send you here to aid Francois in Constantinople. Your mission has been laid out. You will be leaving later this evening. Do you both understand?"
"Yes I do, mentor." Francois replied, bowing his head.
Juliette looked back up to Trenet.
"I do now, after you explained it." Juliette replied sarcastically, smiling as she bowed her head. Francois nudged her with his elbow. Juliette returned a smile to her brother as they got up from their chairs, and walked back to the sleeping quarters.
"I can't believe that she did it again!" Juliette said, with a raised voice. "She had the audacity to cut me off, and deny that Mother gave us information. I don't know where it came from, but I think she has a vendetta against me."
Francois grabbed his cutlass, and placed it in his scabbard.
"I don't understand it either. Trenet has been acting quite stubborn the past few years." Francois replied, sitting on his bed. "She's even been stubborn with Mother, myself, and even Father at times. I guess old age is really getting to her."
Juliette chuckled, as she pulled her kukri out of her scabbard, and began to polish it. Francois looked down at Juliette's kukri.
"What kind of sword is that, Juliette?" Francois asked, looking confused.
"It's called a kukri, Francois." Juliette replied, handing Francois her kukri. Francois looked at its obsidian blade. "They are a type of short-blade from India."
"A beautiful weapon." Francois told his sister, as he handed her the kukri back. Juliette placed it on the nightstand down beside her bed.
"I'll be in the study if you need me, Juliette." Francois informed his sister, as he left the room. Juliette nodded her head, and let out a sigh. She then removed her hidden blade bracer, and placed it on the nightstand beside her kukri. Juliette then lifted her feet onto her bed, and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the trip to Constantinople later in the evening.