On the other side of the world, in the middle of the sweltering midday heat, another one arrived. With no trees around, his arrival only bent the grass away, kicking up loose dirt. They both fell to the ground, panting, and the tall grass came back up to swallow them. One of them, a young man with blonde hair and a beard, stood up, holding in his hand a glowing ball.

"Adewale," Edward said, extending a hand to his dark-skinned friend. Adewale took it in his, and stood up.

"Are you alright, Captain?' he asked, looking around.

"Fine," Kenway said, examining their surroundings. The grass almost rose up to their chests, and Edward stood on his toes to get a better view. Grass stood as far as the eye could see, like a great green ocean.

"There's a mountain in the distance," Edward said, point in the distance.

"Can we walk that far?" Adewale asked him, "We have no water."

Hearing this, Edward opened a pouch at his hip and pulled out two small water canteens.

"Make it last," he said, handing Adewale one of them and tucking the Apple into his pouch.

Back in Westeros, Altair woke up sweating.

It was the strangest dream he had ever had, if it was actually a dream. It was so vivid, so real-looking. He concentrated and tried to remember before it escaped him.

He had been walking through the woods along a dirt trail. It all seemed familiar. He had been here before. He knew it. Then, dead ahead, he saw the gates of Masyaf. He rushed inside, and the gates closed behind him.

The village was cold and empty. The sky was grey and the wind blew around him. A man clad in robes approached, and Altair had a brief moment of terror as he remembered the day he faced Al Mualim.

No, please, he thought, Not this. Not again. Please no.

But to his relief, it was a friendly face he saw.

"Malik!"

"Altair?" Malik said, a look of astonishment upon his face. He reached out with his remaining hand, but it passed through Altair as if he were a ghost.

"I-I don't understand," Altair stammered.

"Altair, where did you go?" Malik asked, "You left for Jeursalem, but you never arrived."

"Malik, it's the Apple," Altair told him, "I'm somewhere else, at least for now. I've met others. Two more Assassins. It's like another world that has been unknown to us."

Malik frowned. "The Apple did this?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Altair, you need to destroy that thing," Malik insisted, "We need to deprive the Templar of their power source."

"It's too late for that," replied Altair, "The Templars have already arrived here. We have to assume that they have another Piece of Eden."

"Altair, things are different here," Malik told him, "People are disappearing. Templar presence has been declining all across the Holy Land. Assassin guards are going missing here too."

This was news to Altair. "What? What happened to them?"

"I don't know," Malik said, "But it's possible that they're in this new world of yours. Find them, Altair. Rebuild our Brotherhood before it's too late."

Altair had blacked out and woken up in his bed at Winterfell, trying to figure out if any of what he saw was real. If it was, he had to move quickly. He had to find the other Assassins and build a Brotherhood in Westeros before the Templar gained footing.

He dressed quickly and rushed outside.

"Where are King Robert and Lord Stark?" he said to a Stark guard.

"Right here," said Eddard Stark from behind him, followed by King Robert, "Is there a problem?"

"There are other Assassins here," he said quickly, "Scattered all over Westeros. We need to gather them before the Templars gain more power here."

"What?" Robert said, "How can you be sure?"

"I can't be," Altair said, "It was a vision, or maybe a dream. But it was real. I was back in my world, and a fellow Assassin told me that people were disappearing from the Holy Land."

"Slow down," Ned insisted, "Where are the rest of the Assassins?"

"Lord Stark!" A guard shouted, running up to them, "Altair, our scouts have reported men in Assassin robes have been sighted near Ironrath!"

King Robert looked at Altair. "It seems that we've found your Assassins."

"How many?" Altair demanded of the guard, "Is there a count?"

"Around 50 or so."

"What's happening?" came a familiar voice. Ezio quickly joined the conversation, followed by Arno and William.

"Pack your belongings," Altair told them, "Lord Stark, we'll need horses, camping gear, and the quickest route to Ironrath."

"Where?" Arno said blankly.

"It's the domain of House Forrester," Ned explained, "They're one of our bannermen. I'll have your gear prepared."

He rushed off.

"Altair, you need to stay here," Arno told him.

"Why?" Altair said in confusion, both by the statement and the fact that it came from Arno of all people.

"King Robert rides for the capital in a matter of days," explained Arno, "Your men will ride with him, and they will need you with them."

"I agree with Arno," William added, "I can go to Ironrath with Ezio and verify if these men are true Assassins. If they're from Masyaf, they might trust me."

"Fine," Altair said, "Be ready to leave today."

Five horses waited in the courtyard for Ezio, William, a guide and two Stark scouts. The five men, weighed down by provisions, climbed their mounts.

"The scouts will ride ahead when you approach Ironrath," Ned told them before they left, "Lord Gregor will know to greet you."

"Lord Gregor?" said a voice. Altair turned around. For a moment, Altair saw nobody, until the voice said in an exasperated tone, "Down here!"

Altair looked at the ground. The Queen's brother, the dwarf Tyrion Lannister had arrived. Altair had only seen him once before, at the King's feast. When Altair inquired to a Lannister guard regarding his absence, the guard said with a tired wave of his hand, "In a brothel no doubt."

"I can't say we've had the pleasure of meeting, Altair."

"I'm afraid not, Lord Tyrion," Altair said, bowing. Tryion gave a slight laugh.

"Lord of what, exactly? Regardless, are you meeting Lord Gregor Forrester?"

Altair shook his head and point to Ezio and the others.

"Ah, I see," Tyrion said, nodding, "I met him once. He seemed like quite a good man. But where are my manners? I wish you safe travels."

"On you as well," Ezio said, bowing his head, "Perhaps we will see each other again in King's Landing?"

"I look forward to it."

Ezio turned to Altair. "This is goodbye for now, Altair."

"Only for now," replied Altair, "Safety and peace, Ezio."

"On you as well, brother."

"The same goes for the rest of you," Altair said, turning to the rest of them, "Be safe out there."

"Indeed."

Altair turned, ready to groan and the next new arrival, but was relieved to see a familiar face. Phillip, one of his team of guards from Masyaf, was approaching. He was a young man with brown hair, a thin face, and a very strange accent that Altair had never heard before. he also tended to talk in an awkward manner. Nonetheless, he was a skilled fighter, once managing to save Altair from a brutal beating at the hands of nine thugs.

"Stay safe William," he said, "Bring our brothers back, and godspeed."

There it was, Altair noted. Another strange phrase. It wasn't the first one either. When interrogating a Templar in Damascus, he once said, "Do I look stupid to you?!"

It was a very odd way to talk. He wasn't a spy though, Altair knew that for certain. But there was something he was hiding.

Phillip stepped away, and watched as the group of five rode out through the gate.

3 days of riding later, Ezio and William sat at a fire.

The scouts had ridden ahead to Ironrath, leaving the three of them alone. The guide, Kevan, had gone to relieve himself, leaving Ezio and William to sit in silence. They camped by the side of the dirt road, surrounded by forest.

"Were you born into the Brotherhood?" William finally asked after a long, uncomfortable silence. Ezio wasn't complaining.

"Not exactly," Ezio said with a sad smile, "My family has a long history with the Assassins. My father and uncle were born into the Order, without the knowledge of my family. When I was seventeen, my father and brothers were brought before the people of Firenze, and hanged for treason.

"The man father had entrusted those life-saving documents to, he betrayed him. Sold out his best friend. I wanted nothing more than to kill the man, and I did so. But after reading a personal letter of his, I wished it hadn't come to that.

"I took my mother and sister to my uncle's villa in the countryside, where he trained me, introduced me to the Brotherhood. When he died, I rebuilt the Order in Roma."

Ezio stared into the fire, amazed at how he had summed it all up in a few sentences. Reflecting on his life, he felt tired, for the first time in a while. Perhaps the constant battle had pushed fatigue away from him, but it had come back in full force since he had arrived in Westeros. He also felt a sense of fear at the idea that this was to be his life. Meeting Arno meant that the Assassins and Templars would fight on centuries after his passing, and he hoped that he would eventually return to a life of peace.

Don't get your hopes up, he told himself.

"What about you?" he asked William, nodding at his blade arm, which lacked a finger, "Were you born into the Order?"

William nodded. "My mother was a healer and my father was a Master Assassin. Somehow, they made it through it all and died peacefully."

"A blessing in these times," said Ezio.

"A blessing in any time."

The day after the next, they arrived at Ironrath at what Ezio judged to be midday. Compared to the grey stone of Winterfell, Ironrath was a refreshing change. Built from stone and some kind of strong wood, Ironrath had a beauty to it that Winterfell lacked. Surrounded by tall trees standing taller than any tree Ezio had seen before, the fortress felt far more peaceful than anywhere else in Westeros, and Ezio savored it wile it lasted.

The gate opened for them as they rode up. They dismounted at the stables, where a bearded man waited.

"You must be the men from Winterfell," he said as they climbed down. He had the accent of a Northerner, and light brown hair and a thick beard.

"Indeed, signore," Ezio replied, bowing, "I am Ezio Auditore."

"Duncan," the man replied, "I'm the castellan of Ironrath. Lord Forrester would greet you himself, but a crisis has sprung up with a rival house."

"Is there any way we can assist?" Ezio suggested, wanting to make a good impression on the locals. Duncan waved a hand.

"The offer is appreciated, but I'm sure Lord Gregor has everything under control. Onto business, we sighted men and women camping in the ironwood grove about two weeks ago. Our total count as of yesterday is 53, but that's only a guess. They're still out there."

"Have you tried to make contact?" William asked. Duncan shook his head.

"Not yet. We thought it would be best for you to make an introduction."

"Thank you," said Ezio, "Lead the way."

Duncan lead them around the fortress and into the forest, where the trees stood taller than the towers Ezio used to leap off of.

"They're camping over this hill," Duncan said, pointing to the hill ahead of them. Ezio and William climbed up the hill and observed the small valley below.

There was a crudely-made camp occupying the space. Three dark spots where campfires probably stood the night before, tents made from tree branches and white cloth, and men, women and children all going about their business, most clad in white robes with a red sash.

"So are these your people?" Duncan asked, standing next to them on the hill.

"They appear to be," commented William, scanning the crowd, "Those are almost certainly Assassin robes, and I think some of them are armed."

"I'll go down there," said Ezio, "Follow my lead."

They descended down the other side of the hill. An 'Assassin' noticed him, and called the crowd to a stop.

"Wait!" Ezio called out, as the men drew their swords, "I'm a friend. My name is Ezio Auditore."

"Are you an Assassin?" one of the men called.

"Yes!" Ezio said back.

"We both are!" added William.

The man who had called out stepped forward, sheathed his sword, and said, "Then safety and peace, brothers."

Back at Winterfell, there was nothing to be happy about. Brandon Stark, the youngest of the Stark children, had fallen from a tower the previous day. It was a mere stroke of luck that Arno happened to be walking by the tower, and broke the boys fall. Now, all anyone could do was wait for them both to wake up.

Altair walking into the banquet hall the morning after the accident, where the Lannisters were eating breakfast. They would ride for King's Landing today, and Altair wanted to eat as much as possible before they left. He hoped that Arno would wake up before they left. Altair had a lot of questions for him.

"Am I troubling anyone?" he asked, to nobody in particular.

"Not at all," said Ser Jaime Lannister, who shook his head, "Have a seat."

Altair sat down and helped himself to some bacon. He struggled to force it down.

"How is your friend?" Queen Cersei asked.

"Still alive, your Grace," he said quietly, "I'm confident they'll both make it."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up," said Jaime sadly, "I hear neither of them landed well."

"I cannot give up on Arno," Altair told him, "We need every trained Assassin we can get in these times."

The door opened behind them. Tyrion walked up to the table and took the space between Altair and Jaime.

"Is Bran going to die?" Princess Myrcella asked as he sat down.

"Apparently not," Tyrion said with a hint of pleasant surprise in his voice. Turning to Altair, he added, "Arno is awake."

Jaime shrugged and grinned. "I stand corrected."

"How are they?" Altair asked, keeping a smile off his face.

"Luwin says Arno should be able to ride with you today," Tyrion told him, "As for the Stark boy, we don't know yet. It's likely he'll be a cripple though. The way he landed..."

Cersei and Jaime exchanged a glance. Altair took note, but said nothing. Prying into Lannister affairs wouldn't help them.

"'Ride with you today'," Altair mused, "Are you not coming with us?"

"My dear brother has decided to travel north," Jaime informed him, "He'll be riding with Ned Stark's bastard and uncle to the Wall."

Altair had heard the Wall being mentioned before. Luwin simply called it 'the greatest structure ever built by man'. He had also heard of the Night's Watch, a group of men who lived and died defending the Wall.

"Then safe travels to you," Altair said.

"Thank you," Tyrion replied, "It's not impossible that we'll cross paths with Ezio and William on the way there."

Altair rushed up to see Arno right after breakfast. Phillip was waiting for him.

"He's been asking-" he began, but Altair walked straight past him and pushed the door open.

"Apparently knocking was a foreign concept in 1191," Arno joked, propping himself up on one elbow.

"Are you alright?" Altair asked rather sharply.

Too sharply, perhaps, for Arno's smile faded a little.

"I'm fine," he said, sitting up properly now, "Maester Luwin says I'll be able to ride for King's Landing with the rest of you."

"The journey has been delayed," said a voice from behind them. Altair turned. Eddard Stark, followed by Lady Catelyn and Robb Stark, entered the room.

"Lord Stark," Altair said, bowing slightly, "Lady Stark. I'm sorry to hear about Brandon. How is he?"

"He's well," Catelyn said, giving a tired smile, "Maester Luwin says he will live."

"This family owes you a great debt," Ned told Arno, "Without you, our son might not be alive."

"Thank you, my lord," Arno said, "But it was a matter of luck. I didn't even know what, or who, had hit me until I woke up today."

"Regardless," Catelyn said, "Our son is alive thanks to you. You'll always find yourself welcome here. All of you."

"So you don't remember anything that happened yesterday?" Robb asked Arno, who rubbed his forehead.

"I remember seeing a glow at the base of the tower," he said, "I saw it from the battlements. I went down to investigate, and it just vanished. Then I got knocked to the ground and I lost consciousness."

"A glow?" Altair said, "What do you mean?"

"It was like sunlight," Arno said, more to himself than to the others, "It wasn't solid, it was like something was projecting it. Like it had a power source."

Both of them seemed to be thinking the same thing. And Altair wished they had both not said it aloud.

"Piece of Eden," they both murmured.

"How is that possible?" Eddard said, "I thought you had the only one here."

"As far as we knew," replied Arno, "We couldn't possibly know if any Pieces were left here. For all we know, there could be Pieces of Eden of Eden buried below us."

"Then we have to move quickly," Altair said, "Get to King's Landing and establish a Brotherhood. We need to start tracking down any possible Pieces of Eden before Robert de Sable gains a foothold here."

"Then we ride today," Arno said, standing up.