II. Lessons

Stepping off the ship and onto dry land felt almost odd to Connor. They had been gone for three weeks, getting guns for the ship and Edward had taught him to sail. Edward, he found, was a skilled sailor and the man commented that Connor was a natural. A sad look had come over his face and Connor had not understood. He had said nothing though. Edward was a mysterious man, but he was a skilled Assassin and a very skilled sailor. He had learned, however, on the trip that Edward had been sailing since he was seventeen and had never really quit since. He had a love of the sea and Connor could understand after being on it so long as well.

They walked back to the manor together, Edward looking at the land really for the first time. He seemed content as they walked but he stopped halfway up the hill, almost as he had remembered something. Connor stopped a few steps ahead of him.

"Fuck" He cursed. "I forgot to tell Mary before we left"

"Will she be mad?" Connor had to ask.

"She'll be right pissed. Well, might as well go and face the storm now rather than later…" He sighed and began walking up the hill once more, but his shoulders sagged ever so slightly. Connor followed behind him. The house was just in sight when Mary caught sight of the two of them. He saw her bristle and Edward let out a deep sigh.

"Where the hell have you been?" She growled at him as she got closer. Edward held his hands up in surrender.

"I took the lad out and began training him in the ways of sailing." He explained.

"You could have told me! Rot! Edward, I was worried sick." Her face softened. "Its not safe. Not anymore. We have to be careful. Remember where we are"

"I know, Mary. Believe me, I bloody well know" The two of them seemed to remember he was there at that moment and glanced over at him. Mary put her one hand on her hip, a frown creasing her face.

"Well, let's get you inside, boy. Achilles needs to talk to you" It was Connor's turn to sigh. He had not told the old man that he was leaving and he was sure he would hear it from him.

The three of them walked inside and found Achilles in the sitting room, waiting for them. His face was dark. "Three weeks" The old man said to him, both hands on his cane, his eyes narrowed and annoyed. "And not even a goodbye before you left"

Connor's shoulders sagged and he suddenly felt very bad. "Sorry…" Was all he could muster. The old man stared him down for another long moment before sighing and shaking his head. He began to walk out of the room, pausing at the doorway.

"Well?" He prompted "What are you waiting for?"

He turned to follow Achilles, figuring he had something to show or tell him. To his surprise, Mary and Edward followed along. The four of them made their way down to the basement of the manor and Achilles stopped before the robes, looking at them with a reverence. Connor remembered the first time he had saw them, he had wanted to put them on straight away but he could not. He was only a trainee and Achilles was old fashioned.

"Put them on" He said and it surprised Connor so much he hesitated. Mary nodded her encouragement and he saw a sort of pride in Edward's eyes. Connor took the robes and went to the backroom, changing into them and returning to the waiting Assassins. They were a little big on him yet, but no doubt he would grow into them.

"Once upon a time we had ceremonies on such occasions" Achilles told him. He glanced at Edward and Mary, pausing as if they might want to say something. When they didn't, he went on. "But I don't think either of us are really the type for that. You've your tools and training. Your targets and goals. And now you have your title. Welcome to the Brotherhood, Connor"

He had to smile because he felt such pride in himself at that moment. He had done it. It had taken so long but he had earned his way into the Brotherhood. Achilles was right though; he had his tools and targets; his goals and training. He had a lot to do and it felt like no time to do it. He was nervous but he knew he was not alone. He looked at the three elder Assassins before him, knowing he could depend on them for support. Finally he nodded, bowing his head ever so slightly.

"Thank you" He said simply.

"I hope you're not going to say anything like 'I won't rest until they're all dead'" Achilles gruffed.

"No." Connor turned away, towards the paintings on the wall of the Templars he had to kill. He felt Mary come to stand beside him and he knew she was looking up at Haytham Kenway – his father. She looked down suddenly and turned away, walking quickly up the stairs.

"Mary!" Edward called and he went to the foot of the stairs. He heard Edward curse and then his footsteps followed her's. Connor folded his hands together, wringing them as he looked at the paintings, worrying over his future. He would not allow any of these men to escape alive, but he was having trouble even knowing where to start.

He knew that he had to stop them all at one point, but as he looked at his father a longing reared its head in his heart; a longing to just have a father. He had never known his, but his mother had been the fierce sort and saw that he had brought up just as any young boy would have. The other men of the tribe had helped her where they could.


12 October 1773

Connor spent much of his time in the basement, planning, thinking, trying to figure out who to target first, who he could find information on first and other such things. Information, he felt, was the key to this. He had to gather as much as he could about the men he was hunting. If he made one wrong move, they could easily disarm and destroy the small brotherhood that was sprouting here in the homestead.

More often than not, Mary would join him. She seemed stanch about stopping the Templars in the region. Edward would sometimes join them and he could sense a…difference in their approach to stopping the Templars. While they both wanted them dead…there was something different about Edward's approach. Connor could often see the frustration play out on Mary's face, the anger; even if only lasted the briefest of moments. He didn't say anything to either of them. It was not his place.

That day, however he was alone. He was exercising in the basement for once. He found that exercise cleared his mind and he needed a clear mind. Achilles and Mary joined him in the basement, which was not unusual. Perhaps they had something to say or perhaps they needed something down here.

"Connor" Achilles called. "Spare a moment?"

"Of course" He straightened and walked over to the pair at once. Mary held her hands out to him and in them lay an object wrapped upon itself. He took it and unwrapped it, finding it to be a dagger attached to a long rope. "What is it?" He asked.

"A Sheng Biso" Achilles explained. Connor paced away from the, swinging the dagger end in a rapid circle beside him, amused by it almost.

"A rope dart" Mary inputted, a small smile directed at Achilles. "It was one of the many plans given to the Brotherhood by Shao Jun to-"

She was cut off as he lost his grip on the dagger. It went flying, planting itself in the wall beside Achilles. He didn't look very amused by it and Connor grimaced. "Sorry!"

"Hmm, we'll have to work on this" Though his tone was dry, he didn't actually seem upset. Connor tugged the dagger out of the wall and the three of them headed back up the stairs. "Edward actually knows how to use those quite well…As does Mary."

"Where is Edward?" Connor asked out of curiosity. To think about it, he hadn't seen the man in a day or two.

"Down talking with Robert again, I'd imagine" Mary said, a smile on her face. "The man is more in love with the sea than anything else. He hasn't sailed much in these waters, so he wants to know what they'll be like"

"It's a good idea if he'll be teaching this boy to sail" Achilles agreed. Connor was a little surprised that Edward would be teaching him to sail. He expected Robert to do that, but it had been so clear that Edward was a natural on the sea. Of course he would train him.

"But I'll be teaching you how to handle the rope dart, lad." Mary said. "Ain't no one more fit to teach you but me." Achilles didn't object, so Connor believed her. When they reached the porch of the manor, she led him out by the trees. Achilles stayed a little behind, able to watch but not walking over the hard terrain. Connor realized that his leg was bothering him that day.

There they trained. Mary was a good teacher, stern but not stiff. She saw how he best learned and adjusted her lesson. She had him climb into a tree and use the dart, where she said it was most effective.

"Connor, when you're up there, you're trying to be stealthy. Don't bother climbing a tree if they can see you. It takes too much energy. But if you can get up there do. You can hang a man from a tree. A man hung is a clear warning to all. That much is certain though. Hanging the Templars might teach them a thing or two" She told him.

"Did it teach the pirates anything?" Achilles called.

"It taught them to be wiser." She called back, a cheeky smile on her face. She turned her eyes back to Connor when there was a gunshot. It sounded a mile or two off, but it was shocking. No one hunted on these lands, except for Connor and rare was the day when he used a gun. Hearing one could only be a warning; something foul was in these woods. Connor climbed down from the tree as quickly as he could, knowing whatever it was, he had to check it out.

"Stay here, I'll see what it was" He told Mary and Achilles and he was off before either of them could argue. It didn't take him long to hear hisses of pain and he came into a clearing to find a woman, a few years his elder if he had to range a guess, curled upon the ground. Her arm was bleeding pretty badly and he trotted towards her. Hearing the underbrush crunch under his feet, she looked up. "Are you alright?" He asked her, but realized after it was out of his mouth that it was a stupid question.

"What do you think?" She snapped back. He chose to ignore her tone, she was hurt. She had every right to be a upset; besides it really had been a stupid question.

"How did this happen?" He tried instead.

"Poachers in the woods. I asked them to leave…" She shrugged her bad shoulder and winced in pain. "This was their answer" He knelt by her, trying to get a better look at the injury. It was hard to tell with so much blood about it. He was fairly good with medicine, but Achilles would be better yet.

"Come on, we need to get this looked at" He began to put his arms underneath her but she pushed him away so he hesitated.

"What of the men who did this?"

"They can wait. Your wound cannot" And then he lifted her into his arms, if she liked it or not. He began to walk quickly towards the manor, hoping the injury wasn't as bad as it seemed. "Will you make it to the house? It's not far…"

"Yes. I think the ball took only flesh" He didn't say so, but he was relieved to hear that. He did not know the woman, but that did not mean he wished her harm. He quickened his pace a little though, not wanting to risk it. She hissed in pain and while he would have liked to slow, he kept going.

"What is your name?" He asked her, trying to distract her. "You may call me Connor"

"Myriam" She replied through gritted teeth.

"Do you live nearby?"

"Ah…I don't have a home, per se. I took to the frontier when I was a young girl. Made my life out here ever since – living where the land makes it easiest"

That was odd for a woman. He knew most women to be dependent on men. They lived off what their fathers or husbands made, cooking and cleaning and sometimes working themselves. He knew it was different from his tribe where everyone did their fair share of work for the entire village. Of course, it wasn't that different; men had their roles and women had theirs. Still, the fact that she lived off the land and lived on her own was quite odd.

"Not a common choice for a woman of the Colonies" He decided to point out. She gritted her teeth in pain again and it took her a moment to reply.

"No, no its not. But truth be told, it was this, the convent or the brothels. I prefer the open air"

He had to admit he liked this woman. She was different in a good way, resourceful on her own. He could see the roof of the manor now and knew they were almost there. Mary must have heard him coming because she came through the trees. When she saw Myriam in his arms she was clearly worried by the sight.

"What happened?" She asked.

"She was shot by poachers" He explained. He hurried to the porch where Achilles waited for him. He carefully sat Myriam down and turned away from them, intent on hunting down the poachers now.

"What are you doing, Connor?" Achilles asked him and he turned back to look at the three.

"Those poachers need to be stopped" He said simply.

"Saw the scabs from my hunting bind. Get to that and you shouldn't have any trouble finding them. Its just through the trees a little ways from where you found me" She pointed with her good hand. He couldn't see it, but he was sure he could find it easily enough.

"I'll come with you" Mary told him. "It'll be a good excuse to get more familiar with your rope darts." She handed him two more out of her pockets and the two of them set off.

He didn't expect her to be able to keep up with him; after all she was quiet old. But she did and she did it gracefully. She wasn't as fast at climbing trees as he was now, but she was still quick enough that he could tell her reflexes had not dimmed in her age. She wasn't young anymore, but she wasn't to be underestimated either. They found their way through the trees and to Myriam's hunting bind. It was high enough that when they crouched, the three men walking some ways below didn't seem to even see them.

"I'll take those two" Mary whispered, pointing to the far two that were beginning to split from the group. It seemed the three of them were fanning out. Before Connor could argue, he watched Mary slip off. She climbed deftly down the tree, hopping to one directly over the first man. Quick as a snake she had him hung. She was on the ground now and the other two men were turning.

One lifted his gun and Connor had him hung before his fingers could find the trigger. He dropped the gun with a gag, holding at his throat, trying to get the rope loose. Connor watched as Mary's dagger found purchase in the third man's neck and he fell to the ground bleeding. His body twitched, but Connor could tell he was dead.

He could hear others nearby. He and Mary ducked down and headed back into the trees. The last two were heading towards the camp, unaware of the Assassins in the trees almost above them. They were talking about some lands that Johnson had bought. Connor hesitated, listening. They moved on quickly though; Connor learned that the far one had been the one to shoot Myriam.

He targeted that one, hanging him from a tree. Mary got the others and he looked back at his grizzly work. Four bodies were hanging in the wind, their faces blue from lack of air. He turned, hearing the last one call out for his friends.

"Where are you, lads?" He could hear the man yelling. He was coming this way. It wasn't but a moment before the man spotted his friends' bodies. He saw Connor and Mary standing there as well, looking grim with their hoods up. Connor darted forward before the man had a chance to flee, drawing his dagger and pressing it to the man's throat.

"Shooting strangers in the forest? Is that a common hunting practice where you come from?" He growled at the man.

"N-no…I...I…" The man stuttered, his hands up in surrender. Connor wanted to kill him, but he'd rather send a message.

"Spare me!" He removed his dagger from the man's throat and shoved him. The man stumbled and landed on his backside. "Go! Tell the friends you have left what happened here!"

The man scrambled to his feet and fled as fast as his legs could carry him. Connor watched him until he had disappeared into the bushes and he sighed finally, twisting his hands together. He turned to Mary, wondering what she had thought of that. He had forgotten she was there honestly. Should he have killed the man? Was letting him live the right thing to do? He didn't know.

Mary was just smiling slightly at him, almost like she was proud. She saw him looking and the expression faded from her face. She looked away, but Connor caught the sad look in her eye.

"That was the right thing to do Connor. Mercy is always a good option, if it is an option" She told him. She seemed proud, though her face was controlled. He nodded, understanding what she was saying though. He did prefer mercy, when it could be offered.

Without another word, the two of them turned and walked back to the manor, leaving the bodies swaying in the trees like macabre warning signs. Connor could only hope it kept trouble from resurfacing.