Assassin's Creed; Rien est vrai, tout est permite

Chapter One

Rouen, France

May 28th, 1940

"Wake up!" A voice stated firmly, and the source of it pulled the covers off a sixteen year-old girl that happened to be oversleeping. The girl turned over in her bed. "Go away Jeannette." She replied with a yawn. "It's my birthday today, I deserve to lie around in bed till at least ten." Jeanette was not dissuaded, "It is almost noon you klutz!" Finally, Jeanette tossed a pillow toward the girl's head.

A young woman finally roused. "Alright, alright. I am up!" She exclaimed. Jeanette circled her bed. "Well, it's a start, now we need to get you in your clothes Marie. Honestly, how are you ever going to get a husband?" Marie looked up from her bed and with a sharp glare toward Jeanette. "Jeanette, I am not interested in men, not in the slightest. Half of them stare at your chest, and the other half take notice of other places below the waist. I am not some kind of Parisian courtesan that would drop her clothes on demand."

Jeanette smiled, "One of these days Marie, you are going to find a man that can handle you." Marie responded with a mocking laugh. "Hah! That will be the day. Now if you'd excuse me, I have to dress." Jeanette smiled with somewhat of a mischievous smile. "And you better be at your birthday party. Or I get your presents. Remember last year?"

Marie then came up with a good and witty response, "As I recall, that dress didn't fit you last Christmas." Both women shared a lighthearted laugh, and Jeanette finally moved toward the door. "Just remember; your presents or my presents." Jeanette finally disappeared from her room. Marie stood and approached a mirror placed upon a vanity in her room and began to comb her hair. Her hand approached a Radio and flipped its power button. It was the BBC, with yet another report on what was rumored to be happening in Europe. Germany was, once again, advancing on all fronts. Poland was all but taken. Other nations in Europe were just barely holding on. America, over the ocean, did not have a reason to go to war.

War, war, war. It sickened her every time she turned on the radio. Almost as fast as she turned the radio on, it was turned off once again. She began to dress herself, and to the sound of a distant church bell. Finally, when she had her clothes on, she opened her window. She looked throughout the countryside of her parents home, and the small village she had lived her entire life in. Spring was here, and she took a breath of the fresh air that flowed into her room.

"Marie.." Another voice stated. This one was feminine, but much older and mature than her sister Jeanette. Marie turned from her window. "Yes Mère?" Her mother entered her room. "I see my little fille is awake." She said with a smile. Marie responded with somewhat of an annoyed tone with a smirk, "Yes, Jeanette was in here, with the fury of god himself, demanding that I wake up, and she said something about my presents becoming her presents."

"I knew that would rouse you. That's why I sent her." Her mother, Adrienne Deschant, responded. "Besides, you need to keep up your training today." This managed to get Marie's undivided attention. "Mère, I already know how to run on fences without tripping, and how to climb houses without falling. Not exactly the normal things that French women are taught, no? What else do you have planned for me today?"

Adrienne held her hands up to to calm Marie. "Nothing too strenuous. It is your birthday after all. Today, we're going to have a little fun. You're going to learn how to sneak into your party today." Adrienne stated. "Without being noticed. Who knows, maybe you can liberate your presents from the party before your sister knows that they're gone." Marie laughed. "Father was right, you are a evil and manipulative woman." Adrienne shared the laugh. "But he loves me anyway, no? Besides, being good all the time is so boring." Adrienne stated before a more serious tone entered her voice. "Besides, I have a special gift to give you, an important one. Meet me in the bell tower of the cathedral tonight."


One thing could be said for the rural area that Marie lived in, they were close knit. Especially when parties were held. Half the people in were invited, and the other half were turning up anyway. Nonetheless, there were plenty of places to hide. Marie made her way through the crowd, and the hooded robe she wore concealed enough of herself to blend into the crowd. Especially as the visitors continued to drop off presents. Then they were taken inside. Getting inside would not be easy by the ground, but she could slip in through Jeannette's bedroom on the second floor of her parent's home. She approached the north side of her home, with the party on the east side, and she began to climb.

Getting in was easy, getting out with a bag filled with birthday presents would be a little harder. A door suddenly opened and Jeanette entered to find the hooded woman with a bag full of presents. "Hey!" Marie took off and ran out of the back door of the house with Jeanette in pursue. "Stop! Thief!" Somehow Marie was not surprised, more or less, that her mother tipped Jeannette off. But the bag was weighing Marie down. "You can run, but you can't hide Marie!" She exclaimed as she pursued her sister through the countryside. And finally, she tackled her. Both sisters laughed. "I should have known that conniving woman would warn you." Marie stated as she brushed herself off.

About thirty minutes later, Jeannette and Marie were opening birthday gifts in the field. Marie agreed that, since Jeanette caught her, she got half the gifts. Jeanette finished unwrapping one of the gifts, and this one with nice bows upon it. "More perfume." She stated as she opened it and inspected it carefully. "Crap!" She exclaimed as she tossed it aside into a small pile of glass jars that were previously rejected by the two sisters. Marie finally opened a box and found an exquisitely designed dress. Not too extravagant as many of the dresses that were proudly displayed in Paris' boutiques, but something with elegance. Jeannette spoke once she examined the dress. "Why do you get all the nice stuff, and I get all the perfume?" Marie responded, "You got those earrings that probably came from Uncle Maurice."

Suddenly Marie remembered something, her mother wanted to see her at the cathedral. In the bell tower. "Jeanette, can you take my presents home." Jeanette's face turned serious. "Yes, and sister..." She exclaimed. "... before you go, contemplate on these words." She spoke once again. "Rien est vrai, tout est permite."


Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Marie wondered what exactly Jeanette meant when she said those words. She asked her about it, but the only thing Jeanette told her was "you'll find out." Marie neared the Cathedral. And she began to climb up it's steep walls. Making her way toward the bell tower. This was the highest she ever had to climb, and for a birthday present. Somehow, she wondered if her mother had gone crazy, until she reached the bell room. She climbed into the room and began to search it. On the table, in the back of the bell room. Was some form of armlet. It was exquisitely decorated with a strange symbol. It looked like the letter 'A' without the bridge.

"Hello Marie," She heard her mother's voice and she turned around to find her mother and father dressed in dark clothing with a hood. "We have much to talk about." Her father Jacques stated. She was taken aback for a moment until they removed their hoods. Marie then spoke, "Mother? Father?"

"Marie, there is nothing to be scared of. We've called you here to tell you why we've trained you, and you must keep an open mind." Adrienne stated. "War is coming to France. Belgum has already fallen to Hitler's armies. But more than that, Hitler's war pales in comparison to the war we are about to fight." Adrienne stated. "We've all been targeted by him. All of us, are enemies of the Reich. We will not be spared to live under Hitler's iron hand, nor will we face the slow death that Hitler has prepared for those whom he has condemned in the death camps. They will exterminate us. You, me, Jeanette, your father, Uncle Maurice, Aunt Sophie. All of us." Adrienne stated.

Marie was taken aback, she then spoke with a stutter in her voice, "Then we flee to America." Jacques responded. "America is not safe for us. The enemy is there too, only it is far more subtle there than it is here. The only chance we have is with the our order across Europe. We will have to fight to survive, but more than that, we must fight to destroy the true enemy that has started this war." He pointed out. "They are called the Templars. A secret order that has existed since the ancient crusades. They desire control, absolute control. Even your grandparents, and our ancestors have been fighting them for centuries. The first world war was started by them, and now they're trying again with Hitler. Their goal is to weaken every nation in the world to the point of collapse, and then they seize power as 'saviors of humanity.' Then they restore peace on their terms, and deceive the people into obeying for the greater good." Jacques stated. "But they will not stop with absolute power, they want to control our thoughts as well."

Marie responded in confusion. "I don't understand, who are you? What is your 'order?'" Adrienne responded, "We are both of the Assassin's, and we were established, by a man named Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, who lived during the crusades, to fight the Templars, and maintain humanity's freedom from them. Everything that has happened to benefit humans as a whole, the renaissance, the rebirth of human civilization, has been due to the actions of the Assassin's. Without our order, humans would still be superstitious and willing slaves to them." Adrienne approached and put her hand on Marie's shoulder. "I know this is a lot to take in, but we have little choice. We only received word by our informants of Hitler's advance into Belgum less than a week ago, and we have even less time to prepare you for what's to come."

Jacques also approached. "Marie, it pains us that you've had to learn this tonight. If things were different, we would have slowly introduced you to the Assassin's. But now we must fight. For our lives, for the people of France, and even for the entire world. You must decide, and soon, what you're going to do now."

Marie thought about what her parents had told her, but even as they spoke, she knew that they were true. They had never lied to her in her life, and were both loving parents. Also, she cared for Jeanette, she had to make a stand. She then approached the armlet on the table and picked it up. Sliding her hand into the armlet, she secured it to her hand and then moved her hand. When she flinged her wrist up, a blade shot out. She jumped for a moment as the blade emerged, but soon recollected herself. Somehow she knew, that her parents were right.


Edited for Spelling and Grammar

12/28/10