I write a lot of Evie and Jacob fics… I think the world needs a few more ?
Hercules AU anyone?
…..
The Assassin's Creed had been going on for as long as time itself according to most sources. Many people believed it was just some large family affair, the next generation replacing the old one as soon as they started to get a little too old.
The truth was far more mystical than that.
The truth was, that the main members of the Assassins were Gods… and they were welcoming two additions into the fold.
"Jacob!" Cecily, Goddess of Home and Hearth giggled merrily as her youngest, her son grabbed at her hair, the giggle sounding like musical windchimes in the breeze, "Behave yourself!"
Ethan, God of Fire and Metalworking, couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight, his daughter in his own arms as he wriggled his fingers above her, chuckling as Evie practically crossed her eyes trying to focus on them.
"He's going to be like you… I just know it." He chuckled, nodding his head at Jacob as the baby continued to try and grab his mother's hair, "He's already got your smile."
Cecily giggled at this, cooing at her son and rocking him from side to side.
"Scusami! Attraversando! Scusami!"
At the familiar Italian accent, Ethan and Cecily turned as watched as Giovanni Auditore, God of Banking and Finances, headed towards them, his own son Ezio in his arms and a bouquet in the other.
Giovanni beamed at Cecily, handing her the bouquet, which she accepted gratefully. "Oh, they're lovely!"
"Eccellente! Maria will be thrilled to hear it!"
Maria, the Goddess of Spring, was Giovanni's wife and had been by his side through everything, bearing him two sons, with another child on the way.
Giovanni then turned his attention to Ethan, "You should be very proud Ethan, two healthy children, twins!"
As the pair were talking, Evie was examining her Father's wrist with interest, curious hands roaming over the Hidden Blade that was concealed under his dark coat.
"Ethan!" Cecily called out, an admonishing tone in her voice, "Don't you think you should have removed those before holding your daughter?"
Ethan chuckled, pulling his wrist away and activating it with a loud CLICK, beaming as Evie's eyes widened in amazement, "She might as well get used to it…. A little curiosity never hurt anyone."
"Hmmm, until she activates it and it goes in her eye."
"… I take your point my love." Without placing his daughter back in his cot, Ethan niftily removed the Hidden Blade device, letting it drop on a nearby table. Shifting Evie slightly, he then turned his attention to the rest of the guests.
"On behalf of Evie and Jacob, I would like to thank you all for your wonderful gifts!" He gestured to a large pile of toys… and the teddy that Jacob was currently curiously playing with.
The crowd clapped, several of them cheering as Cecily weakly got to her feet and walked over to her husband. "Swap?"
Stunned, Ethan allowed Evie to be removed from his arms as Jacob was placed in them.
"Mind his head sweetie."
Jacob clearly wasn't too happy being handed over to someone who wasn't his mum, but he settled down quickly enough, his eyelids soon growing heavy and sliding shut.
"…. He's so tiny… how is he smaller than Evie?"
"He's not that much smaller dear." Cecily rocked Evie from side to side, watching as Ethan finally relaxed, heading over to the twin-sized cot and placing Jacob inside. "Sleep well my little Assassin."
"How sentimental…."
Now, if the Assassins were Gods, the Templars were… something else entirely.
One could call them monsters.
Creature of myth and legend that are included on stories to scare the children into behaving.
And Starrick was one of the worst.
Everyone turned to the entrance, Hidden Blades already being activated as the Templar Grandmaster strode into the room, a smirk on his face.
"You know, I haven't been this choked up since I got a hunk of caviar caught in my throat."
Silence.
Starrick seemed to love it, the smirk widening on his face, "Is this an audience or a stained-glass window?"
Uncaring of the tension in the room, Starrick strode further into the room, brushing past the guests like they were nothing to him.
Altair, Grandmaster of the Gods and Malik, his second-in command, rose to their feet and met Starrick in the middle, clearly unwilling to let him go any further.
"I don't recall you getting an invite." Malik scowled, ignoring how his partner placed a calming hand on his back, "In fact, I know you didn't."
"Which is really very rude of you…" Starrick mock-pouted, "… it's so dark, a little gloomy and full of dead people where we reside… a party would lift our spirits." Without waiting for an answer, he brushed past them and suddenly appeared near the crib, "Aww…. How cute."
"Get away from my son!"
Starrick ignored Ethan, barely glancing at him or at Cecily and baby Evie, as he pulled a spiked object from his pocket, "Here you go… for the little darling."
Just as Ethan went to grab the object, stopping Jacob from just grabbing it, Evie screamed…. Loudly.
It was almost a warning.
Jacob stopped at the cry, eyes wide in shock at his twin's scream.
Starrick also hesitated as well, and that was all that Ethan needed. With one swift movement, he disarmed the Templar and forced him to the ground, throwing the spiked object to one side as the Assassin Guards moved in.
"Malik is correct…" Grandmaster Altair stated calmly, as though the chaos of Starrick being arrested wasn't even happening, "… You were not invited. I think you should leave."
"He doesn't have a choice Grandmaster…" Ethan growled, watching as the guards escorted Starrick out, "… I'd advise you to stay out Starrick… for your own good."
Starrick sneered, not even struggling as he was thrown out of the door.
To some, his silence may have been seen as a sign of surrender.
The Assassins, however, knew better.
…..
They were right to be concerned…. Because if there's one Templar you don't want to get steamed up, it's Starrick, because he had an evil plan.
As soon as he arrived back at his private mansion, he strode into the hallway and bellowed up the stairs.
"LUCY!"
His second-in-command emerged from the top of the staircase and smirked down at him, her red hair tied up in a neat bun. "Coming your most lugubriousness…" she teased, slowly making her way downstairs."
"ROTH!"
Roth emerged not long after, wearing his usual smart clothing, the deep scar standing out on his narrow, rat-like face. "You sound angry Starrick, the party not go as planned?" He went to stand by Lucy's side at the bottom of the stairs.
Starrick growled at the other man, "Enough Roth… tell me the instant that the Borgia's arrive."
The Borgias's were the so-called 'mystics' of the Templar organisation, made up of Rodrigo, Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia, a father and his two children. They had a… special relationship with one another.
"They're already here."
Starrick spun around and growled at Lucy, who was completely unphased. "They're here… and you didn't tell me as soon as I walked through the door?!"
"You never asked."
Roth nodded in agreement, smirking as Starrick's fists clenched in anger.
"Memo to me…" the Grandmaster growled, "… maim you after my meeting."
"You can try Crawford. You can try."
Starrick turned away from them, muttering angrily under his breath as he stormed out of the room and headed towards his study, where he knew the Borgia's would be waiting.
"Pull that string nice and tight Cesare…" He heard Lucrezia croon, "… hold that mortal's thread of life in those strong hands."
Like he said… it was a really weird relationship.
With a snip of the scissors, the thread was cut, and a scream echoed throughout the room.
"Incoming!" Rodrigo announced as a ghostly figure flew through the entrance, heading straight for the Underworld as the soul count went up by one.
The sound and sight was un-nerving, but Starrick was unbothered, making his way over to Borgia's.
"My apologies…" he began, forcing cheer and politeness into his voice, "… Sorry, I'm- "
"- Late." Interrupted Rodrigo, a sly smirk on his face, "Yes, we knew you would be."
"We know everything." Cesare also seemed amused by the entire situation, "Past…"
"…. Present…."
"… And future!" finished Lucrezia, glancing over at Lucy and smirking as she scanned her from head to toe, prompting Starrick to roll his eyes.
"Hmmm, I know. Now, I was visiting the Assassins and- "
"- we know!"
Taking a deep breath, Starrick resisted the urge to growl. "I know, you know…" he then moved over to the war-table, "… so, here's what's happening…. Ethan Frye and his darling wife now have- "
"- a couple of bouncing baby brats! We know!"
"I KNOW, YOU KNOW!" Starrick snapped, before taking a deep breath and trying to calm down, "I know, I get it, I get the concept…. What I want to know it, are the terrible twins going to get in the way of the Templar plans?"
"Weeeell- "Lucrezia turned her attention to her Father and brother, and pouted, eyelashes fluttering charmingly.
"No Lucrezia." Rodrigo gave his daughter an indulgent smile, "We're not supposed to reveal the future."
Starrick paused for a brief moment, before turning his full attention on Lucrezia, knowing that she had her brother and father wrapped around her little finger. "Lucrezia, I've been meaning to ask you… have you done something different with your hair, because it looks even more stunning than usual. It looks like a fate worse than death."
Lucrezia giggled at the praise, smiling at Starrick even as her brother glared at him.
"He's right…" Roth agreed with Starrick, knowing what his Master was trying to do, "… you look absolutely stunning my dear."
Lucy winked at the younger woman, smirking as Lucrezia giggled even harder.
"You see, even my foolish attendants can see that…" Starrick stated, a soft smile on his face, "… Remember, my fate is in your hands. The fate of the Templars is in your hands."
The Borgia's all glanced at one another, before Rodrigo sighed and waved his hand in dismissal. "Fine… do what you want."
With his permission, his children's eyes started to glow a bright white, the area around them glowing as well.
"In 18 years precisely, the planets will align ever so nicely…" Lucrezia began, her voice hollow and void of emotion.
Starrick resisted the urge to roll his eyes… why did everything have to be in verse?
"… the time to act will be at hand. Unleash the Titans, your monstrous band…" Cesare continued, his voice very similar to his sister's.
Good… this was good.
"… then the once-proud Creed will finally fall, and you Starrick, will rule all!"
Starrick couldn't help but let out a hiss of delight at that, smirking in glee.
"But a word of caution to this tale..."
"… should the twins defy you, you will fail."
The Borgia's all cackled and vanished into thin air, the glow that surrounded the younger members disappearing, leaving the room in darkness.
"WHAT?!" Starrick bellowed, fists clenching in anger, before he quickly calmed down and took several deep breaths, "Okay… I'm fine."
He stormed over to the doors that led further into the Underworld, closely followed by Lucy and Roth.
"Lucy… Roth, I have a little riddle for you. How do you successfully kill an Assassin?"
Lucy shrugged, clearly not caring about the answer, as Roth spoke up. "You can't Starrick… they're basically immortal."
Ignoring the mocking tone in Roth's voice, Starrick opened up a tinted cabinet and pulled out two small vials of pink liquid and holding them up into the air, "Exactly… which means we need to turn the pair… mortal."
…..
Less than a month later, night was falling across the Creed Temple on Mount Olympus.
Jacob and Evie were cuddled up to once another, hands clutching at each other's bed clothes as they slept peacefully… unaware of the figures creeping into their room.
In the next room over, Ethan and Cecily were startled awake by a loud crash and the crying of children.
"My babies!" Cecily cried out instantly, a mother's instinct telling her something was wrong… this wasn't just a couple of hungry, protesting babies. She leapt out of bed and raced towards the twin's room, throwing open the door… only to fall back against Ethan, who had followed her in.
"No…" he whispered, when he realised why his wife had practically collapsed, "… NO!"
"Evie! Jacob!" Cecily sobbed, her eyes on the over-turned cradle and the torn blankets lying beside them, "Please, no!"
"NO!"
…..
Hearing the heart-broken cry shatter the night, Roth and Lucy quickened their pace, trying to muffle the crying babies.
"I can't believe Starrick made us do this…" Lucy grumbled, "… Who's going to get the blame if we get caught? Us! Starrick will drop us like yesterday's trash."
"Just shut up and run!"
The babies continued to cry as they slipped into a nearby alleyway, and they showed no sign of quietening down.
"Let's just get this over with…" Lucy exclaimed as Roth pulled the two vials out of his bag, shoving one of them into the mouth of the female, who struggled furiously.
"Hold her legs Lucy!"
"But I should dealing with the boy!"
"Just do it!"
Placing the male baby on the ground, Lucy held the girl's legs as Roth continued to feed her the potion.
"Come on…" he muttered as the girl started to gulp it down greedily, "… get it down, quickly now!"
The glow of the girl's skin started to fade with every drop that she drank, prompting Lucy to beam in excitement, "Can't we start on the boy now?"
"No, no, no! She has to drink it all! Every last drop!"
"Who's there?!"
Lucy panicked, grabbing the baby boy and racing off into the shadows as Roth dropped the girl and the vial onto the ground… missing how one drop hung onto the broken glass for a few moments, before it dropped to the ground, quickly absorbed by the dirt.
From the shadows, they watched as a couple emerged from around the corner, torches landing on the crying girl immediately.
"Oh, you poor thing!" the woman cooed, lifting the baby into her arms as her husband searched for anybody nearby.
In the shadows, Lucy glanced at Roth and raised an eyebrow, "Should we deal with them?"
"No."
"No?"
Roth gestured at the stunned baby in Lucy's arms, "We still need to deal with him… she's mortal, she's not going to be a threat anymore."
"She must have been abandoned." the man whispered, unaware of the conversation going on in the shadows.
"We prayed so much for a child… what if the God's have answered us?"
The man didn't respond, choosing to examine the little locket that was attached to the child's blanket, along with the familiar symbol on it, "Evie.."
They failed to notice how something moved further into the shadows… but they noticed Evie screaming as though someone had wrenched at her arm.
…
As soon as they were far enough away, Lucy started to rant and rave at her partner. "What exactly should we do now?!" she growled, "We can't just kill one brat and leave the other alive like that! Starrick would kill us when he finds out."
"You mean if he finds out."
When Lucy raised an eyebrow at Roth, he swiftly continued. "We'll tell him we killed the girl, and thought he'd like the son of an Assassin Master as his own personal slave…. How could he possible resist?"
"That's… genius Roth. You do surprise me sometimes."
"Your sarcasm wounds me."
…
It was tragic.
Ethan, Cecily and the other Assassins went on a frantic search for the new-born twins. They never found Jacob, and by the time they found Evie, it was too late.
She was mortal now.
However, since she didn't drink the last drop, she retained her God-Like strength and the inhuman reflexes gifted to all Assassins.
Cecily wept the night she was found, knowing that her daughter could never come home, knowing that she would have to watch her precious baby grow up from afar.
She almost died of a broken heart when her husband confessed that it was unlikely that they would ever find Jacob.
Even though the Templar's horrid plan took place before Evie's first tooth, the baby grew stronger every day.
Which wasn't always a good thing.