vvv-Author's Note -vvv

Hello, and thank you for giving this story a try! I don't particularly like lengthy author's comments, but I just thought I'd start off by explaining a few things before you continue reading.

1. I see this a lot in other stories, but this IS my first fanfiction ever. I've been a part of this community for years before even making an account. I love reading fics but was never confident enough to try my hand at my own.

2. That being said, I'm not asking for you guys to go easy on me, but please no flaming etc. Constructive criticism is more than welcome! (I'm not sure how betas work but if someone is talented at proofreading, I would appreciate the help!)

3. I am no historian. I tried to do as much research as I could about the French Revolution, but I'm not an expert and I have tweaked a lot of things to better fit the timeline of this story. This story is more character centered rather then focusing on the actual events of the French Revolution itself. Also along those lines, I don't speak French but for the sake of the story, we'll just say they're speaking it.

4. The game itself comes out in October, meaning I (and probably you unless you secretly work for Ubisoft or are reading this in the future) have never played this game. Everything I've come up with for this story is based on the very short trailers and game play Demos I was able to find. The only description I could find of Arno himself was his age and that he's brash, charismatic, and apparently very stealthy (I don't even know what he really looks like under his hood yet!). I'm building his character on that basis so once the game comes out he'll probably be a lot different then the one I've created.

5. And last but not least, This story will be in the heroine's POV only. Mainly because I don't know much about Arno or how the Assassins and Templars work in this setting, and neither does she.

Also this story is rated M for a reason.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope you enjoy this story.

^^^-Author's Note - ^^^

-Paris, France 1789-

Alexandra Markovich trudged through one of the many grand entrances of Paris sweaty, sleep deprived, and utterly lost. She found it strange that there were no guards posted at the gates. She was supposed to find a soldier, and show him the letter of summons written by the King himself along with the ring her mother had given her before she had grown sick and passed away just two years prior. Why wasn't anything easy? She was to show up, find a soldier, and then be escorted safely to the King. She had spent the majority of her life's earnings just getting to the city from her modest home back in England. She only carried with her a small satchel secured by a strap over her shoulder, filled with a couple sets of travel clothes and some food, along with all the money she currently still had after traveling by ship and carriage all the way to Paris.

She ambled around the nearly deserted streets, wondering where everyone was. This was Paris after all, supposedly the most beautiful city in the entire world, and yet here she was standing in the middle of the streets surrounded by nothing save for a few haggard beggars, deteriorating buildings, and dusty air. This was not at all what she had been told Paris was like. She passed a a large window and caught a glimpse of herself. Her face was smudged with dirt and her grey eyes looked as weary as she felt. Her dark, auburn hair hadn't been properly brushed all day and was wildly tangling in the breeze. Sighing she tried to grasp all of the unruly strands of it and made a quick braid that would have been elegant had she had a brush.

A few shots of what sounded like gunfire rang off in the distance, startling Alex into scurrying off into the opposite direction. Her hand reached down to the hidden pocket sown into her travel skirts and clutched at the ring secured there. It was all she really had left of her mother and she felt better knowing it was still safe in her possession.

She was nearing the end of what seemed to be the main street when a group of disheveled men rounded the corner. Their clothing was torn and their faces were covered in dirt and grime, but they were running with urgency. A few of them rushed passed her, not even sparing her so much as a glance as they continued down the path she had just came from. A few of the slower ones approached her, all sorts of makeshift weapons in hand.

"Miss!" The man with an ax addressed her. "You are going the wrong way; everyone is meeting in the district's square. We need every able-bodied citizen to attend! Come, it has already begun," he said as he looped an arm around her waist and urged her back the way she had come. The other men followed suit, setting a brisk pace that she scrambled to keep up with.

"Pardon, but I'm not exactly a citizen," she protested, but it seemed he either didn't care or hadn't heard her and she wouldn't dare try to break free of his grasp. "I need to speak with a soldier," she tried again a little louder this time.

"Don't we all?" He scoffed "That's where we're going anyway, we've been planning this for weeks!"

"Planning what?" She hadn't even realized they had turned another corner. She began to hear a distant noise that grew louder with each step they took.

"Christ, Woman!" He huffed. "Were you dropped as a child? We're in the middle of a riot!"

That startled her. Rioting? In Paris? What on Earth is going on? She definitely did not want to get stuck in something like that. The distant noise had now become a roar of voices. She couldn't imagine how many people were just around the corner, waving weapons and shouting. She needed to get out of here and fast. She hoped that using the King's name would intimidate these men into letting her go.

"Please, I must speak to a soldier," she began again, digging in her heels. "I have a letter of summons from the King himself. He will be expecting me. I must go to him."

He stopped abruptly placing a strong hand on each of her shoulders and took a closer look at her. She instantly regretted those words.

"You a fucking noble?" he spat, and for the first time since she'd met this man, she feared him. She tried to twist out of his grasp, but his hold on her was too tight.

"She must be important if she was summoned," one of the other men that had been walking alongside them reasoned.

"She said she was expected," another man carrying a sword shrugged. "Why not use her as trade-bait? They must be wantin' her, no?"

Alex's heart dropped. She tried desperately to escape and managed to duck out of his grasp only to be grabbed by one of the other men and hoisted off the ground. She slumped over the largest man's shoulders, too shocked to really do anything until she spotted one of the other men taking off his belt. Thinking the worst, she shrieked and tried to throw a few misguided punches but her wrists were caught and bound together by the thick, leather belt. She realized then that she wouldn't be getting out of this one and decided to conserve her energy and to keep her wits about her.

The men continued on, grumbling about food shortages and the royal family, but the shouting was so loud by now she could barely hear them. When they at last turned the corner Alex swiveled around on the man's shoulder to try to get a look at what all the commotion was about. It wasn't hard to miss. There were people everywhere, all holding some kind of weapon and angrily demanding food and lower taxes. Alex had never seen so many people in one place. They were packed in so tightly that she had to wonder what it would be like to be trampled.

As they got closer and began to pass a few of the members, no one seemed to even notice her. Two of the men that had accompanied them here ran ahead, weaving through the crowd leaving just the man with the ax and the man who was currently holding her.

A few more shots rang out, dangerously close, but Alex couldn't tell who had shot them from her position. The crowd went silent for a second before becoming even more chaotic, charging forward.

"Shit," the man with the ax bit out. "Quick set her over there, behind those crates, next to the wall. I need to get their attention." He pointed as he ran off towards the crowd.

Alex didn't know exactly who 'they' were but she was glad to finally be set upright again. A hand on her shoulder pushed down, gently at first and then much harder and she got the message. She sank to the ground, her arms in front of her still awkwardly bound. She was facing the direction they had come from, away from the crowd, with her back to a set of large crates.

It was then that she saw him. A heavily armed man under a hood of blue approached. He seemed to be making a bee line to whatever the crowd was after, but then his head swiveled in their direction and he abruptly changed course. She did not like the look of this man. In only a few, purposeful strides he was upon them.

"What is going on here?" he questioned, his voice low but demanding. He waved an arm in her direction and she saw the glint of steel on his wrist.

"She claims the King summoned her, we were planning on using her as trade bait of a sort. Her in exchange for food or something of the like." The man who had carried her answered. Alex thought she noted a hint of fear in his voice.

The man in blue stepped closer and she felt herself shrink back under his scrutinizing gaze. His hood covered a great deal of his face and she hated not being able to read his expression. In the end, the grim line of his lips was all she really needed to know that things would not be going well for her.

"Keep her here, I have a better use for her," he said shortly, not even looking at the man he was talking to. They had exchanged a few more words but Alex wasn't paying attention. A better use for her? Like she was some sort of livestock to be sold at the market. To hell with that! She was about to stand and tell them exactly that when for the third time, gunfire rang out, only this time it wasn't a mere few shots. It continued to sound as screams burst out in answer. The man in blue lunged to the side, ending up right next to her with his back against the large crates, his torso twisted against the corner of them as he peeked around the edge.

"Stay here, I'll be back" he rasped, not even looking at her, before vaulting himself up the pile of crates and onto the nearest building. And then he was gone.

It was only then that she noticed the man he had been talking to, the man that had carried her here, was lying face down in a pool of his own blood. More gunfire rang out and she was sure she was one of the answering screams this time as she curled behind her makeshift wall, praying for protection. She wasn't sure what was happening people were running towards the gunfire just as people were trying to flee from it. She watched a woman get trampled by the chaos.

The gunfire seemed to be getting closer now, and more people seemed to be fleeing from it. She needed to get out. These wooden boxes wouldn't hold up against heavy artillery and she didn't want that man coming back for her. She rose on shaky knees and reached out for the sword still sheathed in the dead man's belt. She grabbed it with both hands, yanking it up and then positioned it over her bound wrists. The leather was thick and didn't cut easily, but adrenaline was coursing through her and she managed to at least loosen it enough for her to slip her wrists through.

She kept the sword awkwardly in one hand and she took off down the street. Alex turned down the first alleyway she came across, wanting to put as many walls between her and the gunfire. She turned down as many pathways and streets as she could, just trying to get as far away as she could. Only when she could no longer hear it did she stop and actually look around her.

The part of the city she was currently in looked quite a bit nicer then the section she had come from. Looking around she noticed she was in some sort of market district but the stands were empty and all the signs were labeled as 'closed.' At the end of this street was a grand church, the largest she'd ever seen. As she passed alleyways and streets, she started noticing more and more people scattered around. They were dressed much nicer and didn't look like they had just escaped a riot. Feeling out of place she set the bloodied sword against a building and left it behind.

There were still no signs of any soldiers around her, but at least things were calmer here. She must have been closer to the heart of the city now because the Seine River came into view. There still wasn't a large amount of people bustling about, but that could have been because the sun was beginning to set. Alex hadn't realized how long her little 'ordeal' had taken. She needed to get off the streets and into safety. She needed to hide from that man who would surely be looking for her by now, if he was even still alive.

She entered the first tavern she saw, deciding to lay low for a day or two before trying to find a way to reach the King. She was expected a day ago and she hoped they wouldn't mind the delay. The tavern had quite a few more people then she was expecting, and she hoped they still had room available. She spoke with a lovely woman, whose bosom was nearly spilling out of her corset, that sold her a key to an upstairs room for a few nights. After she thanked the woman she hurried up to her room, grateful that no one seemed to have paid any attention to her.

The room was small, but clean. It consisted of a single a moderately-sized bed, a small dresser, and a table with a set of candles that were lit and flickering, casting a golden glow on the room. There was a wooden wash basin in the corner, already filled with water and a washcloth hanging over the side. The room's single window was open and looked out over the river. The view was quite beautiful now that the sun had almost fully set. She tried to close the window, but it seemed to be jammed and wouldn't go all the way down. She supposed it was for the best anyways since it was late summer and still hot during the days. The breeze off the river would be welcome come morning and she was on the second story so it shouldn't be an issue. She still found herself drawing the curtains though, as if the thick cloth would keep out anyone who truly wanted in.

After spending a few minutes just sitting on her bed, she convinced herself that all was well, for now. She sighed deeply, feeling all of the stress and weariness from her long travel and the day's event begin to weigh her down. She resolved to use the basin to wash off what dirt she could and changed into a sleeping gown. Feeling satisfied and at least a bit cleaner she returned to the bed and ducked under the covers. It wasn't long until she drifted off.