ALL THAT WE HOPE TO BE
Prologue
Ratonhnhaké:ton sat beside Achilles Davenport as the old man told him about the centuries old war between Assassins and Templars. He knew he was ready, the spirits who came to him and educated him seemed sure he was the chosen one. With all the courage and ambition in heart, he still felt distress somewhere deep within. It could be that he was going to stay with a stranger far away from his home to become an assassin or at least die trying. Or it could be that a woman who was currently watching him from the entry of the room, secretly judging him.
Though he didn't know why, uneasiness still washed over him. It was disturbing to say the least as he was trying to concentrate on what the old man was saying while having a pretty bad time avoiding the eagle like eyes gawking on him.
"I will train you," Achilles assured the boy. "You will stay here and do as I say. But first I have some things to show to you." He slowly sat up from his chair and made his way to the entrance where the strange woman was standing. She must have been a relative, Ratonhnhaké:ton thought, if the old man paid no attention to her as he passed the said woman.
They made their way to a secret staircase and went down to a dark room. Hopefully the woman would not follow them and let them do what Achilles had in mind.
The basement looked like a part of the Assassin Brotherhood, Ratonhnhaké:ton imagined that it would look like it, an assassin robe garnishing the center and different fighting tools decorating the walls.
Achilles tapped the wooden plank that covered the certain part of the wall with his cane for Ratonhnhaké:ton to take it off and the boy did what he was told. Upon looking at the previously covered wall, the paintings of the Templar's could be seen.
"Is that my father...?" Ratonhnhaké:ton asked, pointing at the painting in the middle. Achilles nodded his head and continued to explain where he had left off. It seemed that the boy had yet to learn many things. He told him about his soon to be targets and why they needed to be killed. He tried to convince the boy that he was still too unexperienced to go after Charles Lee but he guessed he would continue it tomorrow as the boy never lost eye contact with the painting of Lee.
"We will start your training tomorrow morning," Achilles told the boy as they went upstairs. "I want you up early. You can have the unused room next to mine. But before you go, I have to introduce you to someone."
Ratonhnhaké:ton found himself wishing that whoever the person was it wasn't the strange woman from before. Which it was…
Upon going upstairs and straight into the kitchen, he saw the woman chopping down some vegetables with a clearly sharp knife.
"Delainy," Achilles called out to the woman as she continued to chop down the food but turned her head slightly to indicate that she was listening. "Meet the boy. He will soon be an assassin in training."
Delainy, as Achilles told, abruptly stopped and stabbed the sharp kitchen knife to the counter in front of her.
"Assassin?" Her voice reeked of sarcasm and abhorrence as she turned her face to the males. "You," she pointed at Ratonhnhaké:ton rudely. "You will be an assassin? Don't make me laugh!"
Ratonhnhaké:ton couldn't comprehend what was going on. Who was this woman to judge his ability without knowing what he was capable of?
"Cut it out Delainy, he will stay with us and you will help him learn the basics of… well basics of everything."
The rude woman laughed slowly like it all was a joke and Ratonhnhaké:ton got closer to her to understand who she was. He would admit that if they had met on a different occasion, her soft features would surely amaze the boy but at this very moment, he felt nothing but hatred toward the woman. Sure she seemed like a prefect lady if you whipped the sinister laugh from her face but that didn't justify her words. Her rudeness was one thing but Ratonhnhaké:ton could sense that the word 'savage' would soon escape her lips, but it never did.
The woman stopped all together and gave out a deep sigh. Her eyes locked with his and for a moment they stayed. However the silent and peaceful second soon disappeared as the woman made her way to the exit of the big mansion. Achilles also sighed as he waited for the woman to leave his home.
The door was opened and Ratonhnhaké:ton turned to see her one more time when he heard her loud voice.
"Assassin my ass!" She closed the door with her full force and left the mansion at once.
Ratonhnhaké:ton opened his eyes form sleep to an unknown sound in the mansion. He quickly dressed and went downstairs to find the source of the noise that woke him up from his deep slumber. The view he was greeted with was not something he had expected nor had he wished to see.
There Delainy stood in the kitchen, taking down the plates and silverware while humming a tune he never heard of. She seemed to change her dress as now she looked more like a commoner than a high class lady like last night. Still her actions reflected that she was anything but a maid in the mansion, leaving him without a clue as who she was.
Delainy stopped her humming as she saw the boy standing at the entrance trying to figure something out.
"Morning Ratonhnhaké:ton."
Ratonhnhaké:ton looked even more dumbfounded now. So she could pronounce his name and had a little bit of humanity inside of her enough to greet. "Good morning." He tried his luck.
"Oh don't get me wrong. This morning will be anything but 'good'. So don't get your hopes up."
Ratonhnhaké:ton sighed as he let his hopes down that she could be kind. With that personality of hers even with her beauty, she sure would have a lot of haters, he thought. But perhaps there was a certain appeal to her if Achilles still wanted her help.
"Don't discourage the boy. He is still new to our world." Achilles come to the room and sat down to a chair.
Delainy nodded her head in agreement as if she understood but Ratonhnhaké:ton could clearly see that she was plotting something evil to do to him. He was left to wonder what was coming to him.
"Perhaps we should start with something simple. Mathematics maybe? Or philosophy? Either way it will be you to teach him those Delainy, so I give you the choice."
Ratonhnhaké:ton sat next to Achilles and asked "Won't you be teaching me how to wield a blade?"
"Patience boy. I too will teach you those things. You can have two courses in a day, can't you?" Achilles chuckled softly.
The boy turned his head to Delainy as she put down the plate that had a mouthful of food that could keep him until night.
"Eat," she said without using sarcasm. "You will need your energy."
Maybe she wasn't a bad person at all. She sounded concerned and sincere, maybe he could get use to that.
"When I'm done with you, you'll be begging to go back to your little village. I promise." She smiled.
Wait, he took everything he had previously said back.
Did not expected that now, did you?
