I. Mentor

September, 1770

"Connor" A voice stirred him and he looked up upon hearing the name given to him by his Mentor. That seemed a strong word for the old, broken man he had found, but it was what it was and he was good at accepting what was. He had only been practicing writing in English. It wasn't as easy as one might have thought, but he knew he had to know how to read and write perfectly. He already knew how to speak English well, but he had never been taught to read it or write it. Achilles appeared in the doorway of the kitchen and he stood, pushing the paper away.

"I'm coming" He said simply, walking towards the older man.

"Today or sometime soon, there will be guests arriving" Achilles told him, leaning heavily on his cane. Connor opened his mouth to ask who and why but he was beat to it, an annoyed look coming over Achilles' face. "They are Assassins coming to assist us from far away"

"How far?"

"That's not the point; the point is you'll show these two even more respect than you show me, boy. They're both accomplished Assassins, even within our Order and the one was serving as the Mentor of the Assassins in their region until they set off to assist us – or you."

The way Achilles spoke made it sound as if they were coming just to help him. But that couldn't be…? "How do they know about me?"

"We've been communicating for some time now. " Connor could sense he was going to get no more out of the old man or if he did, it would come out painfully and at a price. He dropped the subject and returned to his writings. Achilles wandered off to do whatever it was that he did. Connor looked about the manor. They had restored it while Robert Faulkner was set to fix the ship down below in the bay. It was coming along nicely and he was told that any day now, it would be finished and ready to sail.

He wasn't sure how it would be an asset but he was sure that would come to light eventually.

He worked for maybe an hour more and stood, planning to get something to eat or something. He checked his wrists, here his hidden blades were strapped, almost as if he forgot they were there. They were such a natural part of him now, though it had only been a few months since he had gotten them. Just as he was about to clean up his work so he could make some food, Achilles stepped into the room once more.

"They're here."

"What? I thought you said 'sometime soon'" He was a little shocked. How could they be here, already?

"They had sent a bird ahead to say they would be arrive shortly if winds were kind. They were kind" Achilles began to limp away, towards the door. Connor followed him and out the door. They stood on the edge of the cliffs and watched a ship pull gracefully into the bay, onto the far side, clearing enough room for Faulkner's ship to leave if she wished.

It was an old ship, but her sails were proud and Connor could see people moving about her deck, many of the dressed in the traditional white of the Assassins. Achilles turned and walked away, leaving Connor to stand by himself, saying something about having to walk all the way down the hill. Connor stood a moment longer, watching as a boat was cast from the main ship and began to row its way slowly across the bay.

He turned then and hurried after Achilles who had made his way down to the shore in the time between. The two of them stood and waited for the little row boat to reach them. It seemed to take forever but before long, the two Assassins were walking towards them. As Connor got a better look at them, he realized that they were old and yet he had a hard time figuring out exactly what age either of them were.

The man walked tall and straight yet, his gait even and well-paced. His hair was Pale blonde, but mostly white, pulled back into a pony tail at the nape of his neck; he had a well-managed and short beard, which was mostly white on its own, sandy blonde patches here and there. His shoulders were broad and even under the layers of his robes, Connor could see he was yet a strong man. His skin was tan and he could see several scars upon the man's face and hands and while his face showed some sign of his age, his eyes were bright and alert, though they were focused on Connor.

The woman was much the same; she had what had to be once dark hair, lightened with time and age. It was long enough to be in a short braid that was thrown across her shoulder. She dressed much like a man, in trousers instead of the skirts that most woman seemed to prefer. While her face had some wrinkles on it, just as the man's did, the most striking feature of her face was the scar over her one eye that had partially destroyed the eyebrow it cut through. It was this scar that led him to look into her dark brown eyes, which were so fierce it was a wonder than he did not flinch away from her. Her eyes met his and then there was a sudden sadness in them. He was shocked by that as well. No sooner had he saw it than it was gone from her strict face.

The two of them walked up, arms linked gently, clearly speaking of a romantic relationship. Not that Connor had much mind on those, but he could tell that they were probably together in some form or another.

"It is good to see you are well Achilles" The man said, inclining his head ever so slightly.

"It's just nice to have some help training this boy." Achilles grumbled.

"We'll do what we can." The woman's voice was low and deeper than most women's but it wasn't unpleasant. Connor looked at her again, at the way she held herself. He found himself curious about her and the man next to her. Who were they? Assassins clearly from their robes and yet…

The two looked towards him again. "I'm Edward and this is my wife, Mary. I'm sure Achilles told you that we're Assassins from the south, come up north to help train you."

He nodded, a little stiffly. "Don't just stand there. Introduce yourself" Achilles seemed tense, but Connor couldn't guess why.

"My name is Connor." He said simply, not knowing what else to say.

"Connor?" Edward looked towards Achilles who avoided his gaze. "I'm worried for you old, friend"

"It shouldn't be me you're worried for. You shouldn't even be here." Achilles looked towards them, his mouth set into a bitter frown. "He doesn't know mercy."

"Who?" Connor asked but Achilles silence him with a glare.

"I would say he would, considering you're still standing before us." Mary spoke now, her brown eyes focused on Achilles. "He couldn't…" She cut off and she turned her eyes back to Connor. He didn't know what she was looking for but she must have found it because she glanced at Edward. "See what the boy knows. We need to know what we have to work with" She didn't say it cruelly, just matter-of-factly.

"What will you do?" Edward asked.

"I have to talk to Achilles." She walked towards the old man and took his arm, allowing him to lean on her instead of his cane. Together they began to walk towards the house. They didn't speak, but Connor felt they were doing that to purposefully keep him out of their conversation. He didn't really blame Achilles, not really. The man didn't ever want to talk about anything in front of Connor. He wasn't sure if Achilles didn't trust him or…

Edward commanded his attention though and he turned to look at the old man before him. Edward had chilling blue eyes and as they regarded Connor, he would say they were sad. He didn't know what to say so he didn't say anything. He waited for Edward to speak but he did not. Eventually a small smile came upon Edward's face.

"You are patient." He said simply.

"It took time to convince Achilles to train me" He replied. Edward frowned and nodded, looking towards the ground.

"You have to understand what he has lost." Connor understood. "You may think you understand, but…he's lost everything. His wife, his child, his friends, his brothers and sisters. He was left here to rot. Do you understand?"

Connor thought he understood. He tried to, but it was hard to imagine. He already knew his namesake – or at least his English one. It wasn't hard to connect the dots with the graves on the property even if Achilles would never actually speak of them. He was a stubborn old man but with Edward putting it as he had, Connor could almost understand.

"Now, then" Suddenly, Edward's face was a bright smile, clearly ready to move on to another subject. Before he could even open his mouth, Faulkner came walking towards them. Edward turned to look at him and Robert stopped and looked a long moment at the elder Assassin.

"Whose this here, boy?" Edward asked him.

"Robert Faulkner" Robert introduced himself, seeming wary. "And who are you?"

"You can call me Edward, mate"

"That accent…" Robert's eyes went from Edward to Connor and then back. He seemed to mentally shake himself before heading towards Connor once more. "I came to get you, lad. The Aquila is ready and I figured you'd want to inspect her" He motioned to where the ship sat, at the docks, ready to set sail.

Connor nodded but then glanced at Edward. "No, no, let's go inspect this ship" He suggested and soon the three of them were walking towards the ship. They walked towards the ship together and Robert walked confidently onto the ship.

"Come aboard and feast your eyes, boy!" He seemed proud and Connor took a step towards the ship but Robert swung his arms down, crying "No, no, no, no, not the left foot!" Connor froze in his tracks, wondering what he was doing wrong. "Never the left foot! Horrible luck! Step with your right foot first!"

Connor glanced at Edward who seemed amused and then Connor made the needed adjustment, stepping onto the ship, right foot first. These men could be so strange sometimes. He didn't understand it, but he had never really expected to.

"She is…solid" He didn't know what else to say. He had never been on such a ship. Edward was walking around, looking at different parts of the ship. From the way he walked, it was clear that he was a sailor. He belonged on a ship.

"Aye. Weatherly and sleek. She'll fetch twelve knots in a stiff gale, ne'er a ship from here to Singapore can outrun her on her best day" Robert spoke proudly of the ship, his hands on his hips. Connor tried to pretend he understood everything he was saying. To be truthful, though he studied many subjects, ships and their bearings was not one of them he often looked at.

"She is a beauty." Edward said, rounding back towards them. "Shall we take her out so that I can see her in action?"

"Where would we go?" Connor asked.

"As it happens" Robert said, glancing between Connor and Edward, "she still needs guns and officers to command them. We'll launch straight away!" Connor opened his mouth to protest. He had limited experience on a ship and his...what were they called? His...His sea legs, that was it! His sea legs were not so sturdy and he could already feel the ship rolling slightly underneath him.

"Don't worry lad, you'll sprout good sea legs in time. It only took me less than a week to get used to the rolling of the sea" Edward assured him. "Once you get them, you'll never forget."

Robert grinned. "It's settled! Haul in the mainsail! Get up the rigging! Hand over fist! Come on, men! Let's get her out where she needs to be!" The men began to swarm, preparing the ship to leave. Connor looked at Edward.

"I hope you don't mind if I'm tempted to try my hand at the wheel, Mister Faulkner" He said to Robert. "And I hope you don't mind if I don't take charge of teaching Connor the basics of sailing after he gets his sea legs."

"I wouldn't mind at all." Robert said, surprising Connor. He looked between the two men.

"Have you sailed, Edward?" He asked.

"I've spent more time at sea than I have on land, I think" He said with a laugh. "You'll do well enough on the ship I'm sure" It lurched as it began to move and Edward caught him as he stumbled. Another laugh passed the old man's lips and he gave Connor a rough pat on the back. "Give it time lad, give it time"

And Connor did. Within the first two days of setting sail, he wasn't stumbling half as bad when he walked and when he stood still, the rocking of the boat hardly bothered him. He often, in this time, saw Robert and Edward talking to each other. They seemed like old friends and he wondered if they had known each other before. He didn't ask, seeing as it wasn't his place.

Edward spent a lot of time at the wheel as well. He sailed easily and he often heard Robert boasting of how well Edward sailed (almost as well as Robert himself, to hear tell of it). Connor itched to take the wheel into his own hands and steer it. He had never done so but he just had a feeling of how to steer the ship. He watched the men work the sails, tie their knots and he itched to do that as well. There was just something about the salty air and sound of the sea that called to him.

Edward found him staring off into the sea on the fourth day of their journey. He said nothing, but came to stand besides Connor.

"Enjoying the view, lad?" Edward asked.

"There is something calming about being at sea" He just gave his honest answer, seeing no reason to lie.

"There is. The sea can be a fickle lover, but I'll always hold a tenderness for her. My first wife could never understand that…"

"You were married? Before Mary, I mean"

"Yes. We both have past marriages. That's just a part of life though I suppose." He shrugged. "Mary understands though. You probably saw; she's not a normal woman." There was a fond smile on his face as he said that and Connor could see he loved his wife very much.

"She must have been proud that her husband was once a Mentor then"

"Oh, no lad. You got that wrong. I wasn't the Mentor, she was." Connor was a little surprised but then he remembered the fierceness in her eyes and didn't doubt Edward. "She's been an Assassin longer than I have. Years longer…well…" He sighed. "That's complicated actually"

"How?" Connor was curious.

"I…I honestly don't even know how to explain it" Edward smiled at Connor, a sort of grim smile. Connor couldn't explain it, but somehow the look in Edward's eyes at that moment reminded him of his Spirit Journey, the vision that promoted him to come and find the Assassins. He had a feeling Edward saw something in his eyes because he narrowed his own blue eyes for a moment and then turned away a little bit.

Just then the rough voices of the crew rose over them, singing some shanty. It seemed to serve as a distraction for both of them and it was a much needed one. They looked at each other and there was a unspoken word between them that they both knew something, something that not many others did.

Connor could only wonder what it meant for him. He would have to question Edward later, he knew that for sure. Edward turned away and motioned for Connor to follow him. He did, following him towards the wheel.

"Let's teach you how to sail this beauty, eh, lad?"

And so I've finally published the first chapter to Another Hope's sequel. I've been without internet for some time so this has been sitting on my computer a while. Now, there are some issues to attend to; obviously I'm going to somewhat follow the major events of the third game, but I plan to try and rip myself away from that timeline, as interesting as it is. I have my own goals to accomplish here. And I wanted to ask everyone opinion of a romantic interest for Connor. It wouldn't happen for some time, but I didn't know if that's something anyone is interested in. I mean I have Mary and Edward together, maybe Connor deserves love by the story's end too? If anyone has any ideas for a romantic interest for him, I'd be willing to hear them out. Or if you guys think he should stay single the entire story too, that's fine as well. Honestly, a romantic interest for him isn't going to be a huge deal either way, just sort of a secondhand thought on my part.

Anyway, that's all for now. Thank you for reading!