Chapter 3: Recovered
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.
Just a word of warning. As this goes on there are likely to be spoilers so I recommend that you play the game. If you couldn't give a care about it then proceed as you would. Rate and Review :)
Sun shone through the gap of the curtains and Declan rose with ease, all symptoms having vanished over the course of the night with a good sleep. Dressed in only his boxers, he stood up and drew the curtains back, providing him with a lovely view of the land around the Homestead.
"Absolutely beautiful" he said with a small smile.
"It is, isn't it?" he heard a calm voice say behind him. He turned and came face to face with Altair in his younger years.
"Altair. Good morning" he greeted politely.
"You are not perturbed by my presence?" he asked.
"I already knew you were here. Achilles told me" he said, stretching out his muscles. "How is he?" he asked, and Altair clicked on to who 'he' was.
"He's more alert. The fever is still present, but not as much as it was before" he said and the Brit let out a sigh of relief. Desmond, despite only knowing the man for a day when they were imprisoned in Abstergo, had become a good friend, keeping him sane throughout their small time in captivity.
"Thank God. They intended to keep him in the device a lot longer" Declan said.
"If they had and I had been there, I would have killed them" he said, voice cold and deadly.
"You and me both. I may have left the Brotherhood, but I still carry the training" he said, his voice just as deadly, protective instincts taking hold. That was something that had been practised in the London Sanctuary, the compound where the Assassin's lived. It was important to protect their allies in the field, especially as their numbers dwindled.
"That is good to hear. I never got your name" he said, back to him as he was about to leave.
"Declan MacRae" the Brit said. "It is an honour to meet one of the greatest Assassin's that had ever lived" he said with a small smile. He saw the lips quirk upward ever so slightly as the man gave a curt nod, before leaving his room. The Brit then looked at the robes that had been left for him and he decided that he had better get dressed.
It was a bit of a struggle, but he managed it. The robes were like Connors if not slightly longer and a little more snug against his form and the obvious difference that is colour. Black and blue seemed to contrast well against one another, not to mention it was his favourite colour combination. A knock on the door takes him from his reflection in the mirror.
"Come in" he says politely. Connor comes in and the Native-American smiled when he saw that he was up and about, not to mention already dressed. "Good morning. Thanks again for getting these sorted for me" he said with a small smile of his own.
"It was no trouble. You need to be able to blend in and your old clothes would have stood out" the assassin said. "They are comfortable aren't they?" he asked.
"A struggle to get on, but they fit nicely" the Brit said.
"I made sure to have some ready for Desmond as well. I made sure to keep the colours different to keep people getting suspicious. Red-coats can be fools, but they're not completely uneducated" he said.
"I can imagine. I must thank Achilles for taking me in. People in my time were never quick to allow strangers into their home" he said and Connor chuckled.
"We allow people the chance to start again. The Revolution has left many homeless and bandits also attack travellers. Some even get into accidents" he said and the Brit smiled.
"I have read a lot on our history. This place became quite the community when people had made their businesses and their families moved in" the Brit said. Connor beckoned for Declan to follow him, and soon they walked outside into the fresh air, which the Brit breathed in happily, taking in the smells of the forest around them.
"It's amazing isn't it?" Connor asked, a smile on his face at the Brits demeanour.
"It's difficult to find such beauty untouched in our world. Nature has always been something that I enjoy. I find that peace is what keeps me sane and gives me hope that our world can be beautiful as well as advanced" he said.
"So different from that room you were in?" Connor asked with a small grin.
"Don't remind me. Stepping in that room is like having your life drained and it was far too sterile for my liking" he said with a grimace.
"It won't ever happen again. Although for a prisoners room you have to admit it was luxurious" the Native-American said and he chuckled.
"Good point" the Brit returned. "The life you lead, when you're not out on missions, is so simple yet so amazing. I'd give anything to live surrounded by beauty every day" he said.
"You can now. The Apple brought me to that place. Brought me to you so you may come here, away from that place to somewhere that was safe. The same for Desmond and Altair. It brought them here for a reason" Connor said.
"The Ancients work in riddles it would seem" Declan said.
"That they do. We must wait until Desmond is fully well before we can do what needs to be done. Despite the peace that is around, there is still much to be done" Connor said and the Brit nodded.
"I'm going to go up and see how he is" Declan said and Connor nodded, leaving to attend to other matters whilst Desmond went back inside. He found the room easily, and he knocked.
"Enter" was the gruff command from Altair and he smirked. 'Nice, yet still a little gruff' he thought and entered the room.
"Good morning, Desmond" he said with a small smile. The American was definitely looking more better than what was described before. He was only ever so slightly pale now, and he had stopped sweating, which was good.
"Thank God you're okay" Desmond said.
"Me? I've been worried about you. From what I heard you were worse off" he said, leaning against the wall next to Altair.
"I was in there longer than you. You looked like you were ready to drop after a few minutes. It had me worried so much" the American said and Declan gave a reassuring smile.
"Well I'm fine. A good night's sleep can do wonders for the body" he said.
"Liking the new robes" Desmond said with a grin.
"You have a set as well. We'll need them to blend in when we go into town. Connor made sure to use our clothes so that the tailor could get our measurements. They had to wait for them to dry out a little though, we must've sweat a lot" Declan said.
"Hope the smell didn't bother them" Desmond said and he glared when he saw Altair smirk a little in amusement.
"The smell didn't concern me. It was the arm measurements I was worried about as I only wore that sleeveless top. Must've taken them whilst I was asleep or they made a good guess" he said. "Make sure you get better Desmond. We have a lot of exploring to do out there, this place is huge" he said, like an excited kid given free reign of a mansion.
"I will" he said.
"Good. Now I've got to go, fresh air is calling me" he said with a smile, and with a wave to the bed-ridden Assassin and a respectful nod to Altair, he left the room, and set about going outside. He was greeted as people who lived on the Homestead and surrounding lands passed through, all of them with a smile. 'This place really does provide the second chance that some people need' he thought with a smile.
Looking back at the manor, he found a place where he could sit quite comfortably on the roof and set about putting his old training to use. Gracefully he climbed as quickly as any Assassin and after taking considerable caution, found that spot on the roof and sat, letting natures chorus wash over him. Declan let another smile grace his features, enjoying what this place had to offer in terms of serenity and even though it was not his timeline, he had a feeling that he would enjoy it here more so than back home. He had nothing back home, his parents, God rest them, had passed away due to an attack on their compound when he was only a little boy. The Sanctuary was eventually rebuilt in one of London's old townhouses, but he never returned, not without his loving parents by his side to get him through it. Here, he had a new life, a chance to start over and be a part of something, with a new family.
"Deep in thought?" he heard Connor ask. The Native-American sat down next to him and the Brit gave a small smile.
"Just a little bit. Thinking about my family" he said fondly.
"Miss them?" Connor asked.
"I've missed them for thirteen years. They passed away after an attack on our Sanctuary in London. I left the Brotherhood then, found a new family who took me in. I left them when I came of age and came to America to begin my adult life. One year later and hear I am" he said, and Connor rested a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"I am sorry for your loss" he said but the Brit waved him off.
"We were always living in constant danger. Bloody hell, we already came to terms with our deaths as we always expected Templar attacks. Our Sanctuary, whilst secure, was not secure enough to hold them off. We lived in a state of half serenity, half fear" he said.
"That is no way to live. In fear of constant attacks, not knowing when they would come. Here, we know the Templars are not far, but they have never discovered the Homestead. We live in peace" he said.
"And thus I used to envy you. Despite my leaving the Brotherhood, one of my possessions was a copy of the Brotherhoods history. I never got tired of reading it, especially when I read about you and the Homestead. I envied the peace you had, the safety that you were able to provide. I suppose I got my wish to be able to come here and live out my life, or at least a part of my life, in peace" he said and Connor chuckled.
"What about Altairs history?" Connor asked.
"Like him, there are few words. Enough so I knew what was happening, but still it was few words. The parts that were detailed were graphically detailed, it's like reading a horror story" he said, the account of his assassinations all to present in his mind.
"If you don't mind my asking, have you ever taken a life?" Connor asked.
"On two occasions. Before I left England for America I found myself attacked by Templars. At the time I didn't know that they belonged to the company you rescued me from. There were a total of five of them, two of which got too close. I stabbed them with the Hidden Blade that I always kept on my person for defence and the other three retreated, not willing to risk their lives for one assassin. I carried out their funeral rights and buried them respectfully and they were declared missing, no doubt dead. It was passed off as a tragic accident" he said, recounting the blood that stained his blade. "Needless to say, cleaning myself up and my equipment had delayed me substantially. I lost the blade though, before I left" he added.
"An eventful life for someone who is young" Connor said.
"Isn't that the case with all Assassin's? From a young age we are taught to kill as it is. Having to do it before completing training isn't uncommon but it has caused the deaths of many in both my time and in others" Declan said. "The attack in London proved that" he added, sadness in his hazel-green eyes.
"It was like that once before. Times have now changed and we recruit more adults who have been oppressed, much like Ezio in Italy over two hundred years ago" Connor said. "I think that you need time to rest and recuperate. You've done much in your life, not to mention you had to take into account the time period which you lived in. Weapons and tactics are obviously more advanced" he said.
"Indeed they are" he said. The two of them sat and talked for a while whilst nature continued it's vast song around them. It would seem that life could have changed for the better, despite the fact that the Templars were next door in Boston, but that wasn't much of a concern as they did not know the location of the Homestead.
Within a few hours, Desmond was up and well much to the barely repressed relief of the Syrian who had watched over him the entire time. Declan was relieved as well, and thankful that this divine intervention had kept them out of that machine and from getting worse. They would make a difference here, they vowed it.
"Next step is to see what you know" Connor said and he, Declan and even Altair grinned when Desmond grimaced. This was definitely going to be interesting for all involved.