Kaniehtí:io; 1743, Kanatahséton Valley
When Kaniehtí:io was a little girl, her mother, Oiá:ner, the Clan Mother of the Kanien'kehá:ka Native American tribe always told her stories. Whether it be folklore from the past, how the Kanien'kehá:ka hunted and traded with the other tribes, or even just quick moral lessons, she listened to every single word her mother said with utmost attention. Young Kaniehtí:io especially loved when her mother spoke of spiritual tales and legends of the First Civilization Gods.
On one day particularly, Oiá:ner had a story to tell her daughter. She walked out of their shared longhouse and looked upon the village trying to find her spirited and tough-as-leather child. The Clan Mother knew that at this time Kaniehtí:io would be either playing with the other village children or climbing trees.
"Kaniehtí:io, would you come here please? I must speak with you," the Clan Mother asked when she finally saw her daughter skip into the village entrance.
"Yes? What is it, Ista?" she responded cheerfully after walking to their longhouse.
Her mother tsked her and said in a happy tone, "Hmmm, lately you have been playing a lot under the sun of the Kanatahséton Valley. No wonder you are caked with dirt in your hair and grass on your clothes."
Kaniehtí:io answered by attempting to brush off the grass and pluck out the dirt. The Clan Mother softly giggled. Remembering why she came to her in the first place, Kaniehtí:io asked, "What do you need from me again, Ista?"
Her mother said, "Ahh yes, I requested your presence because I wanted to tell you a story, but this one is special since you will be turning thirteen years old tomorrow."
Kaniehtí:io gasped, "Oh yes! How could I have possibly forgotten?! Thank you for reminding me, Ista!"
"It is not a problem," the Clan Mother said with a smile. "You will soon be a young woman, therefore I must tell you this legend." Now Kaniehtí:io was especially excited since she absolutely adored the myths her mother spoke of the most.
"What is it about?"
"Patience, my beautiful snow, listen up," Oiá:ner said. "Everyone in this world is meant for one another, but we do not know it. The word to describe this is 'soulmate'. Everyone has a soulmate they do not know that is somewhere out in the world. Eventually, time will come for you to meet them either physically or spiritually and that is a very crucial moment. You will feel so much. Some people feel utter bliss while others feel that fate is against them. The thing is, you do not know who your soulmate will be, not until time and fate reveal them. Even the Gods of the First Civilization were connected in this way. The Goddesses and Gods met their husbands, wives, and lovers because they were soulmates.
Kaniehtí:io kindly interrupted, "But Ista, why are you telling me this now? Why not in the future, or when I was younger?"
"The reason I am telling you this now is because when you were younger you were so carefree and loved to run around and play with the other children, which you still do now, but you did not understand yet. And I am not telling you in the future because you will not care to listen either. Your age right now is a very special time in your life; you are old enough to interpret and listen to what I am telling you yet young enough to not ignore me and act rebellious." Kaniehtí:io gravely nodded and apologized to her mother for interrupting.
"It is nothing to worry about, my child," her mother reassured her and continued with the story, "Once you meet your soulmate, you two will stay together forever, through life and even death. If a person passes away, their soulmate will continue on with their life but will deeply remember their lost significant other. However, even when they go on living their life's worth in this world, the deceased soulmate will become their guardian angel. They will look over their living loved one as a spirit. You see, Kaniehtí:io, this is what I mean when I say that you two will stay forever through life and death. Your connection with your soulmate is not magic nor is it a curse, it is one of fate. It is the power of love.
Kaniehtí:io had no words to say to her mother. She never knew such a force existed in the world. Love is a powerful yet beautiful thing, that she knew from the various stories her mother had told her. Usually what Kaniehtí:io associated with love was her adoration for running, playing, climbing trees, learning, and for her family and tribe. This was all very new for her and she struggled to believe what her mother told her, but she tried her hardest to hide it, not wishing to disappoint.
Oiá:ner interrupted her thoughts and said, "I understand that this myth I am telling you is very different from the other stories I have shared. My Ista told me this legend as well on the eve of my thirteenth birthday, thus I am telling it to you now, my beautiful snow."
The girl nodded her head slowly whilst staring at the ground. Yes, the Clan Mother was correct, she never felt love in that way before, only with her family. Now Kaniehtí:io was curious of how it will feel.
"Mother, this is all very new to me. Thank you for sharing this legend with me, I will consider it when I am older," Kaniehtí:io thanked.
Her mother answered, "Yes, yes you will."
Greetings! If you haven't already seen, this will be a Haytham x Ziio multi-chapter fic. I was inspired to write this after discovering a prompt about "Soulmates" on WattPad and Pinterest. Hopefully this story will stay canon to Assassin's Creed III, but things may change a bit.