Author's Note: I'm going to start off by saying that this does not contain any spoilers. This is just something I thought out in my head and was eager to write out. Second thing I'm going to say is that, this is my first time attempting to write any of these characters as Syndicate is obviously still very new. In addition, I ship Henvie like crazy (if you ship it and haven't collected all the flowers please do so) and I have no shame. And finally, I have not finished Syndicate yet so please no spoilers for me or for anyone else.
Also, for anyone who's reading it I apologize for the long hiatus on Translucence. I plan to get back to it at some point, just a matter of when I'll have the muse and the time! Though, since Syndicate is giving me all the AC muse (hence this), I hope to be giving you all a new chapter soon!
As always, these characters are not mine, they belong to Ubisoft. Also, please read and review! Thank you!
A Bouquet of Azaleas
There was a bouquet of azaleas resting beside her gear on the morning of a gang war. They were tied neatly in a golden ribbon that shimmered in the sunlight filtering through the train car windows. A smile tugged on Evie Frye's lips, as she brushed the tips of her fingers across the soft petal, her thoughts swinging back to the days she'd helped Henry press the flowers into the book. Take care of yourself for me. She replaced the flowers onto her desk before sliding into her gear, cinching up her belt and buckling on her gauntlets. To remember the promise she intended to keep, she slipped one of the azaleas into the inside pocket of her robes.
When she'd finished, she sashayed out of her car, leaping across into the next car over. The locomotive swayed on the tracks as she moved to where Henry was reading at a table. She came up behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders before leaning down and brushing her lips across his cheek. "I will," she promised in response to the message he'd delivered to her room, most likely while she and Jacob had gone to see when the gang war would take place.
She leaned back, ready to find her brother when Henry took her hand and pulled her to him, capturing her lips with his own. She molded herself into the kiss, one gloved hand against Henry's chest, the other sliding slowly through his dark hair. She'd always been too focused on her missions to ever think about something like this, though Henry had waltzed into her life and charmed her with his talk of flowers and the gentle way his eyes captured hers. Their line of work was dangerous, she would always remind herself, perhaps one of the reasons she'd never taken an interest in anyone, save Henry.
Henry had expressed to her that he knew the risks (of course he did, he lived in that world too) of having a relationship like theirs, that he didn't care. He'd said something along the lines of: "any moment I get to spend with you, Evie, is precious … no matter how short a moment it may be." Never had anyone said something with that much conviction to Evie. When she was younger, in her teens, she'd had a few interested parties, though they'd either been frightened off - much to her anger - by Jacob or she'd not felt the same, or desired something of that sort.
Something about Henry was different, and she kept replaying that thought through her head as she bid him goodbye and went to join Jacob for the gang war.
Jacob teased her relentlessly about her rapidly progressing relationship with Mister Green the entire way to the meeting point. "At least," said the female twin, casting a sidelong glance towards her brother, "I'm not head over heels for a hat." Her eyes jumped to the perfectly manicured top hat of Jacob's.
At the casually thrown insult, Jacob reached up a hand to touch the hat in question, an offended frown creasing his brows. "It's a fine hat, Evie," he responded, to which his sister rolled her eyes. After that, the two lapsed into silence, Evie's hand checking to make sure the flower was still where she'd placed it, though when the meeting spot came into sight she mostly forgot about it, going over battle strategies silently in her head.
They'd only just gotten off the carriage when a shot rang out and the first Rook fell. The others rushed in to avenge their fallen brother, Jacob leading the charge. Evie jumped into the fight alongside her brother, working off his movements. She'd had to train and live with him her entire life, she knew how he fought. When his back was turned, she'd cover it and she trusted him to do the same for her. For all their banters, they cared for the other and Evie didn't have a clue what she'd do if something happened to her brother, so she tended to stick near to him in battles like this. They worked best when together anyways, despite their different skill sets.
Though, in the chaos, and the sheer mass of enemies, Evie found herself on one side of the battle grounds, while Jacob remained on the other. A moment of weakness was all that was needed for an oversized Blighter clumbed her shoulder blades with a large wooden bat. She stumbled to the side, the impact jarring her bones. She countered as he swung again, slicing her kurki across his exposed left side. He fainted to the left, giving her an opportunity to slam her hidden blade up into his jugular, tearing it out and tackling another Blighter to the ground, saving the life of a appreciative Rook. Though, her plight was far from over.
There was an explosion to her right, sending her already battered body right into three of Jacob's Rooks, who yelped at the impact. Her body landed hard, skidding across the ground and rolling to a stop against another building. Her ears were ringing and the ground was spinning. She attempted to get her hands and feet to work, to push herself off the ground though the spinning and the ache in her head and across her right side wasn't letting her.
Oh. She'd reached to make sure nothing was broken where her side hurt, though her hand came back slick and red with blood. She moved to touch it again, and bit her tongue to hold in a noise of pain when she realized exactly what had happened. Embedded just above her hip bone was a large metal shard, a broken piece from her kukri. Her head was spinning again, and she was quite sure she could hear her name being shouted from somewhere to her right, through she didn't have to strength to search for the bearer. The last thing she saw before darkness took over was her brother's bloodied lip (what a mess he always was) and wide eyes…
He'd never been so frightened in his life when Jacob carried Evie into the train, her tattered cape burnt and youthful face smudged with soot. The mentor of the British Assassins could have sworn he caught a tremoring of Mister Frye's hands when he lowered his unconscious sister to the bed where she slept. Though, Henry was quite sure his own hands were shaking tenfold, so he could hardly fault the other male, who had been off to help the doctor on board.
The voice of Jacob somewhere else on the train was distant for Henry as he approached her side, lowering himself to the edge of the bed. He placed his hand on hers, clasping it firmly. "Oh, Evie," he breathed, a misty glaze falling across his eyes. He wanted to say more, though what was there to say? He didn't have the time to say all that he wanted, and was only able to place a gentle kiss against her cheek before the doctor burst into the car, Jacob in toe. The two forced Henry out of the way, and he stood, mortified as the doctor worked to remove the broken blade from Evie's side.
It was bloody business. The sight of blood normally caused Henry's stomach to clench, though the sight of all that blood leaving Evie's body nearly sent him over the edge.
When it was all said and done, Jacob took up Henry's vigil at the side of Evie's bed, which left Henry to wander aimlessly about the train, walking as though in a daze. She'll be fine, Mister Green, said the doctor as he left. Few days of rest and inactivity and she'll be fine.
She'll be fine. She'll be fine. By god, Henry, quit your fussing she'll be fine.
By nightfall, she still had not stirred. The doctor had warned them of this, said he'd given her strong sedatives to keep her asleep as long as possible, so she didn't injure herself. Jacob had gone (quite reluctantly) to bed, which left Henry to take up his previous perch at the edge of Evie's bed. He was there when she woke, there staring at a small purple hyacinth.
"Regret?" she croaked, her eyes narrowed in question.
His head jerked up and a radiant smile flashed her direction. "Miss Frye, you're awake!" She touched her head as she struggled to sit up. Henry moved to help her, positioning the pillows so she'd be comfortable. When he'd sat back, she nodded once at the flower, as if to question if she'd gotten the meaning correct.
He nodded back at her, staring down at the flower. "I'm so-"
She placed a finger to his lips, stopping his apology. "Henry," she said, tugging him closer to her, "I'm fine." She accented the word with a smile, sliding her hand to cup his face. He leaned into her touch, and she pressed her forehead to his, murmuring the words again. She felt his forehead rub slightly on hers as he nodded, accepting her words. To further prove her point, she turned her head to the side to give him a soft kiss.
Henry maneuvered to get closer to her without hurting her, a part of him dreading letting her go again. Though the other reminded him that she was a strong woman and that she would survive whatever London threw her way.