Caribbean Sea
1778
"I always wondered what life might have been like had she and I stayed together. How is she by the way?"
"Dead. Murdered."
Those last two words replayed in Haytham Kenway's mind over and over again as he laid below the deck of the Aquila. The image of the beautiful Ziio trapped in her village and being burned alive began to haunt him. If only he had been there to stop Lee from setting flame to the Mohawk village; then she would still be alive and perhaps things would have turned out differently for him, Ziio, and Connor. Maybe, he would have even stayed with them, and taken up his position as a father. But, that could never happen now.
Haytham closed his eyes and envisioned a young Connor playing in the town, while him and Ziio held hands and smiled as they watched their son.
"Damn you, Lee," The Templar muttered under his breath.
When Connor had told Haytham what had become of his love, for the slightest of seconds, a rush of hatred raged through him. He hated to admit it, but just in that moment, he was sympathetic towards his son's aim. He had specifically told Charles to give up the search for the Precursor Site and that there was no need for the Natives' assistance anymore. Instead of listening, Lee acted on his own accord. Haytham was sure Charles was doing what he thought would be best for the Templars, however, he had still disobeyed Haytham's orders. And because of that, it resulted in death and a raging and confused Assassin, who just so happened to be his son.
The Templar let out a heavy sigh. Ah, Connor. He really did feel bad for his son, and loved him in his own way. If only Connor wasn't blinded by revenge and so ignorant of the Assassin's goals. Haytham tried to reason with him, but after many attempts he could see that it was a hopeless cause. The boy was already too far gone.
If only things could have turned out differently...
Haytham could see the beams of sunlight seeping through the little windows below deck. How long had he been laying there? Two hours? Three? They must be getting close to the Welcome by now. Just then, he heard the sound of scurrying feet above and the voice of Bobby Faulkner yelling to go to full sail.
As he decided to get up and see what all the ruckus was about, Connor made his way down the steps from the deck. He stopped at the last step when he spotted his father.
"We've spotted a ship that looks like it could be the Welcome. You should come up and join us," he said simply.
"Very well." Haytham nodded, slowly got up from his cot, and followed Connor up the stairs. Just as they reached the deck, he paused and placed a sincere hand on Connor's shoulder.
"I truly am sorry, Son."
Connor removed his father's hand and stared at him with contemptuous eyes.
"Your apologies mean nothing," He replied flatly. "They do not comfort me. Like I have said, I am all out of forgiveness. You are too late."
With that, Connor turned and made his way to the helm, leaving his father standing alone. Haytham stood there a moment, and then came to a conclusion. The curiosity that had stopped him from killing Connor when they first met had been satisfied, and all of his second thoughts had vanished. Now it was clear that the boy wasn't going to change, and he indeed was a threat to the Templar Order. It was decided. After they caught Church, Haytham was going to kill his son.