Family Blood
Andre wore his armor proudly as he stood before his brothers, ready to march onto battle. Andre's blade had thirst for blood as he stood with the armies of King Louis VII. He ached to take the lives of the heretic Seljuq Turks. It would be with his blade that he would deliver them to the fires of hell for denouncing the one true sovereign and Lord. Andre tensed when his brother Robert had addressed the crowd. He rallied the men against the Turks in their second taking of the crusade.
Andre had watched his brother as he called out to the other Templars, informing them how to strike their opponents. Andre had resented his words to his brothers. Robert was a fool and a child. He knew nothing of war tactics. Robert had led the Templars to countless defeats and he suggested another as they take the city of Lisbon by sea. Andre had known as well as many other Templars that their naval fleet did not match that of Lisbon. Andre knew the plan folly. Their men were weak from Battle, and their spirits were crushed by their defeat with Zengi. It was but a matter of time before they would fall again. Andre did not want to see his deeds come to an end at the command of a child.
Robert demanded the ship set anchor as smaller boats enter the shores of Lisbon under the cover of fog. Andre had been forced by Robert to stay on the ship while they took the city under the first siege. Once the Templars had entered the city, Andre and the others were to join their brothers in battle. Andre watched as his brothers left for the city; Robert had given him a cold glare, before he took cover in the fog towards the city.
Andre turned from his brothers and had entered a small boat of his own. He took with the same cover of fog and paddled away from his post. Despite the thick fog that Andre had to navigate through, he had known exactly where his target was. Andre approached a large ship concealing itself behind one of the islands off of the main coast. Andre had approached the foreign ship, and once he had approached the stern, a rope was thrown for him to rise onto the ship.
Andre lifted himself onto the ship where he had been greeted by five Assassin men waiting for him. Two of the men raised their swords to him and Andre held his blade by his waist, ready to strike the men.
The Assassin Mentor told his men to lower their weapons from Andre and they complied. "Stay your blades," He said, "We are all brothers here."
"I am no brother of yours, Heretic." Andre had spat.
A smile crawled up the Assassin's cheek. "Very well," he had said, "would not want to be your brother, all things considering." The Assassin motioned to the stacks of cannon balls on the ship, ready for deployment. "Enough to destroy 100 ships if deployed properly."
Andre had smiled to himself, removing the purse from his belt and tossing it to the Assassin leader. The man caught the bag of coined and bounced it in his palms. "Tell me, Templar. What transgressions did your brothers commit against you, that you would see them sink this night?"
Andre had looked at the man with low eyes. "That is my business, Assassin." Andre said lowly.
"Call me what you will." The man said pulling the hood of his cloak. "For in the end we shall all answer to God." The Assassin had moved towards the wheel of the ship to steer them onto the Templars that unsuspectedly waited at the coast of Lisbon. "I wonder what you will say to Him." He had said before steering the ship to her target.
I sit up in the Animus and look around. I see that my sister and Juhani are still nowhere in sight. I look at the computer to see that I have been taken out of the Animus by Lilly's precautionary program that senses when a lifeform is in the Animus and automatically ends the memory before the Bleeding Effect can take form. I realize at this rate I am never going to find Andre's artifact unless I push myself harder in the Animus.
I remove myself from the Animus and sit at the computer as I begin typing. "It is becoming too much for your soul," Andre says behind my back in a menacing tone. "It is almost as if it is too much to bare." My jaw clenches as I continue to type the necessary sequence to reenter the Animus. "I don't think they will quite accept your disobedience in this."
"And did your brothers accept yours?" I swing the chair back looking at him with wild hate. "You were working with the Assassins to kill your brothers; strong faithful Templar men!" I yell at him and he returns with a knowing smile. "Why?" I ask him.
"See for yourself." He says to me, looking past me and at the Animus. I turn from him and continue to type the new sequence. Once I have it, I return to the Animus and lie back down to Andre's memories.
Andre had left the Assassin ship and continued back to his own. Andre watched in the distance as the sounds of cannon fire rang out. Andre heard the cries of his brothers as the Templar fleets fell to the hidden Assassin force. Andre rowed his boat towards the shores of Lisbon to find the remainder of his brothers. They approached Andre at the shores with panicked expressions, and he returned the same appearance.
"Andre," his brother called to him.
"The Assassins," Andre cursed their names. "They have attacked our ships. I but nearly escaped to bring word. We must fight against these heretics."
"What of Lisbon?" Another asked.
"We have more pressing enemies to contest." Andre argued.
"That is for the Grand Master to decide." His brother hissed.
Andre had stiffened at the comment, but returned with a bow of the head. Andre and his brothers had reached the city gates where the remaining Templar Knights had broken through the gates of Lisbon.
They approached Robert de Craon as he planned his next move on the city. "Master," Andre had said to the man with hate in his heart, "the Assassins have attacked the shores." He had frantically explained, keeping the façade of fear in his tone. "They have cannon and artillery unmatched by our own. We must fight this threat!"
Robert de Craon looked at Andre with a wrinkle of disgust in his eyes. "And you abandoned your post, your brothers? For what?"
"To warn you." Andre returned with hate. "Brother, we must retreat to our brothers. Hundreds have surely lost their lives already." Andre beseeched him.
"We will stand our ground." Robert returned in a harsh tone. Andre looked back at his brother's seeing the shock in their faces at their Master's unwillingness to aid his men. Andre's plan had played out properly.
"But they are our brothers." Andre had said loud enough for those listening to hear. "Do their lives not mean more than this victory? We shall return to Lisbon, but the lives of these men is of more import."
Robert had pounced on Andre, pressing his nose to Andre's, his breath was hot on his face as he lowly hissed, "We stand our ground."
Andre had seen the men in his peripheral tense at the sight of the unnerving man. Andre had shoved the Master from his presence. "Very well, tremble here as the coward you are." Andre spat, "I will not watch my brother's die for this failed attempt at your vanity."
"Brothers," Andre called at the men "Join me to send these heretics to their eternal suffering!"
The men had been hesitant at first, not wanting to defy the commands of their Grand Master, but they wanted to aid their brothers more than take the city they knew would not kneel to them.
The men began to head towards the shores and Robert had growled out, "If you men make another step to those shores and you will be lashed and crucified before the brotherhood!"
The men, including Andre looked at the Grand Master with shock at his aggressive nature. Andre found his dethronement easier than he had expected. The men did not take the threats of their Grand Master, and they all moved with swords in hand, ready to aid their brothers at sea.
Andre had stepped to join them, when Robert grabbed the man by his shoulders. Robert whipped Andre around and laid a punch to the man's cheek. Andre held himself, looking wildly at the man. Robert unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Andre.
"Brother, what is the meaning of this?" Andre had said in shock.
"Enough of the show, Andre. No one is here to see your performance." Andre lifted himself at his brother's comment and unsheathed his own sword. "de Paynes chose me, Andre." The man said, "You were nothing but a foolish reckless man. De Paynes saw that. That is why he chose me." Robert lunged at Andre, but he had deflected the blow. "Your resentment towards my station has gone on long enough. You wish the title?" He pointed the edge of the blade to Andre's chin. "Then take it." He threatened, and Andre pushed the blade from him.
Andre lifted his blade to his opponent. Robert had lunged at him first and Andre deflected his advance. Andre continued to defect his advancements, which had only driven his brother to become angrier and irrational. Andre had worried that his brother was enjoying the fight too much and knew his brother wanted him dead. He knew he had to end this quarrel once and for all.
Andre stopped toying with the man and drove his blade into the stomach of his brother. He reveled in pleasure as he watched his brother's face contort in betrayal and pain. He had looked down at his stomach, seeing the blade stained in his own blood. Robert grabbed the sword, and pulled it deeper inside him, pulling Andre closer to him. "Judas!" He called out to the man in shock at the wound.
Andre had scoffed. "What does that make you? Jesus? You blaspheme." Andre had said lowly.
Andre watched as the red cross of the brotherhood on Robert's robes began to stain dark red with his blood. "You will burn for this Andre!" He cursed.
"Say what you will, Brother." Andre had said twisting the blade in his brother's stomach. "It is you who dies this day."
The man scoffed as he fell to his knees. Andre had removed the sword and held his brother as he fell from this world. "You will never lead this order to the Holy Land." He told him. "You will die in vain of your actions. Just as I have." He had said, and before Andre could retaliate, Robert was dead.
I am forced out of the animus by the splitting pain of my head. I feel as though I have been crushed by a semi-truck. Tears fall down from my face at the pain on my head and I lie down on the Animus for a moment, unable to move. After a moment I decide I should not force another session inside the Animus and take a break.
I walk around the compound for a while. Rizzo asks me if I would like to spar with him, but I decline, knowing that my body will give in if I fight. I walk around and watch the recruits spar. My vision blurs and their appearance changes to the Templar recruits that Andre trained. They wear their black robes with the red cross of the Templar Knights. I shake my head and look away from them. I head towards the computer room to do some research on Andre and Robert, and if their fight was documented in history. The more I enter Andre's memories, the more I question if he is the good guy.
I enter the computer room, thinking that I will be alone, when I see Juhani leaning back in a chair casually as he watches the memory playbacks of Ezio Auditore that we gathered from Desmond Miles. "Juhani," I call out to him and he turns towards me. He looks at me with a smile and tells me to join him. "Why are you watching Subject 17's memories?" I ask him.
"I am scanning them for weaknesses." He says looking down at me.
"Weaknesses?" I ask him.
"Yes," he says stiffening, "Just to aid us in getting the Miles men in our possession.
"Find anything?" I ask him as I sit in a chair next to him.
He exhales deeply, "Altair, Ezio, Connor, Edward; they all have the same weakness." He says simply and I implore him to continue. "Love."
"Love?" I ask him.
"It is their love for those closest to them that makes them irrational. They will do anything for those they love. It makes them weak. If we want the upper hand on the Miles men, we will have to use the ones they love against them."
"Doesn't that go for all of us?" I tell him and he looks at me with an inquisitive glance. "We all have our weaknesses. We all have those we love. My sister. She can be used against me in any way. I would do anything to get her back. Same with you and your daughter."
"And with you." Juhani says with a sideways smile and I sheepishly look away from him. He moves towards me and places his hand on my cheek. "I would kill thousands to see you safe." I swallow hard at the comment, thinking of Daniel. I put my head down and he lifts it back up, "You look tired."
"It's been a long day in the Animus."
"Anything interesting?" He asks me.
I think of Andre killing a Grand Master Templar, along with hundreds of his own men with the use of the Assassin forces. I think of Andre and wonder if he defected to the Assassin's Creed. The way his memories are playing, I wouldn't be surprised. The idea that I have Assassin blood inside me churns my stomach.
"No," I finally say, "nothing of import."
He looks at me, then at the computers where he examines Ezio's memories. Finally, he looks back at me and sighs, "how about we take a break. You from the Animus, and me from this."
I smile at him. "I would love a break."
He logs off of the computer, slumps off of his chair to his knees and kneels down before me and places his hands on my thighs; his touch sending a surge throughout my body. "Let's go somewhere." He says simply and I smile at him, nodding eagerly like a child. He smiles and presses his lips to mine. They are soft, warm, and inviting.
I inhale his scent, but before I can get too comfortable with him near me, he pulls away and tells me to meet him in the garage. I smile at him and nod. He gets up off of his knees and leaves the room. I wait a moment, so not to raise suspicion with anyone that might be watching mine and Juhani's actions.
After a moment of waiting, I leave the computer room and head towards the garage. I enter the underground garage where it is hot and humid, with the smell of rust in the air. I look around for Juhani and he approaches me in one of the Abstergo vehicles. I smile at him and open the door. I sit down next to him and he instantly places his hand on my thigh. He drives with one hand while his other stays on me.
Once he exits the parking garage, I realize that it is dark outside, and I wonder how long I must have been inside the Animus. I try not to think of it much and focus on enjoying being the passenger with Juhani. I open my window and place my head against the door. The wind feels amazing on my face, and for the first time in a while, I am at peace.
Juhani places the car in park and I realize that I must have fallen asleep in the car. I look around to see where we are, and we are where we had our first date. It is a secluded wooded lookout that overlooks the water. I look back at him and he smiles at me. He opens the door and takes out a blanket that he places on the ground. I get out of the car and lie down on the blanket and he does the same. I look up at the sky in awe at the stars that shine once removed from the city's pollution. I see the milky way and watch as satellites dance in the sky. I finally turn from the sight and look at Juhani, who has is arms behind his head. He smiles at me, and I press my lips against his. He moans at my action.
I crawl on top of him, straddling him between my thighs, and begin unbuckling his belt as it jingles at my touch. Juhani simply watches me undress him with a slight smile on his lips. I move to his shirt, and he lifts himself up into a sitting position as I remove his blazer and unbutton his dress shirt. He takes my face in his hands and begins kissing me more aggressively. I moan at his frantic touch as the pleasure overcomes him and he rolls on top of me. He removes my jacket and pants quickly and I shake with pleasure at his advancements.
He removes my bra, and grabs my breasts. His hands make his way down my chest and to my waist as he clutches on for leverage. I smile at his advancements as I close my eyes and enjoy the sensation of his touch. I moan in pleasure and he returns the same. Everything seems so quiet out here and all I can hear is Juhani's scattered breaths.
I open my eyes and look unto him, and I almost scream when I no longer see Juhani on top of me, but Daniel instead. He looks at me with a smile curved on his lips. His icy cold eyes pierce into me as his hands explore my body, and his blonde hair falls in front of his sweat-glistened face. I watch as the look of pleasure takes his expression and watch as his hands touch me. I place my hand on his cheek and he kisses my palm. He is so real on top of me. I know that it is not Daniel on top of me, but Juhani, and whether this vision is caused by the Bleeding Effect, or by my recent fascination with Daniel, I can't help but let the vision continue as such. As terrible as it is fantasizing about Daniel while Juhani is on top of me, I cannot help but relish the idea of Daniel on top of me. The idea brings a quiver to my thighs and I cannot help the enlightened pleasure I feel seeing him on top of me, taking over my body. I feel high at his touch, and I throw back my head, shutting my eyes as every nerve in my body bursts into euphoria. My toes curl and my hands clench at the blanket as I exclaim with pleasure. I hear him moan at my voice and his thrust become slow and rough until he falls limp on top of me; both of us breathing heavily at the sensation we experienced together.
I look up at the stars, while he buries his head in my breasts. I run my fingers through his hair and I watch as a shooting star flies across the sky, making a wish that this moment will never end.
He lifts his head from me and I see that Juhani is back, and my fantasy of Daniel is over. He lets out a short laugh as he tumbles off of me and lies down next to me. He breathes heavily as he looks up at the night sky. We lie there for a while, succumbed by our own thoughts.
He finally looks over at me, and with a smile, he asks me what I am thinking about. I tell him that I am not thinking of anything, that my mind is empty of all thoughts. In this moment, it is an amazing feeling having no thoughts in my mind. It is finally quiet for a moment. I place my head on his chest as we both look up at the sky; his breathing rocking my head back and forth.
"Why didn't you tell me about your mission with Daniel?" Juhani finally says and my heart skips as he asks me this. I look up at him and his expression is emotionless and I am not sure if he is mad at me or not. "I waited for you that night." He says and I realize that I told him I would see him the night that I left with Daniel.
I think for a moment, wondering what to say to him, then finally say, "I didn't have time to tell you about the mission. Daniel pulled me out of the Animus and we immediately went to the airport." I say to Juhani, unable to look at him so I continue to stare at the stars.
"Alan didn't approve the mission." Juhani simply says and I expect him to say more but he doesn't.
"Daniel wanted to give me the opportunity to get William." I explain, not sure anymore if that was why Daniel chose me to join him on the mission.
"It was reckless." Juhani says with a harsh tone. "He is unstable and he put you in danger."
I swallow hard at his tone and think about how I jeopardized the mission as much as Daniel did. "What does it matter now? Daniel and I failed." I say quietly.
"I have a field mission." Juhani simply says. I look up at him, but he keeps his eyes on the stars. "I deploy tomorrow."
"What is the mission?" I ask and his jaw tenses.
He looks down at me and kisses my forehead. "It's a simple reconnaissance mission. Shouldn't be too exciting."
"When will you be back?" I ask him.
"Shouldn't be more than 2 or 3 days." He says with a reassuring smile.
After a moment of silence, Juhani asks me if I am ready to leave and I tell him that I am not. That I want to stay here forever. Juhani takes my face in his large hand and looks into my eyes with his greyish blue eyes. "Don't worry," he says, "we will have everything we desire soon enough." I smile at him and he kisses me on my forehead. "But for now, we need to return to the compound." I frown and he lets out a chuckle, lifting himself into a sitting position and gets dressed. I follow his lead and after a brief moment of looking back at the crescent moon mirror in the water, we leave the lookout and head back to the compound.
When we return to the compound, Juhani tells me that he needs to pack for his mission as he leaves first thing in the morning. I kiss him goodnight and we part for the night. I enter my suite and see Daniel and my sister sitting in the living room playing a game of chess. I freeze at the sight of them laughing together. They both stop and look at me when I enter the room.
"Mila," Lilly calls out happily, taking a sip of her wine, "Where have you been?"
"What is he doing here?" I ask her with a tense tone.
Lilly frowns at my demeanor. "He's keeping me company."
"I should go," Daniel says quietly.
"No," Lilly says to him. "If Amelia has an issue with you, she can leave." She says looking at me with a cold gaze.
"Are you kidding me?" I say, "This is my apartment."
"It's mine as much as it is yours. If you can have late night guests, so can I." She says bitterly and I watch as Daniel stiffens at the comment.
I look at her with a cold gaze as she smiles at me, proud of her new found, alcohol-powered confidence. "Daniel, get out." I say to him, not letting my eyes leave my sister's gaze.
I see in my peripheral that Daniel hesitates for a moment, then he begins to get up, but I keep my eyes locked on my sister, sending her hateful daggers at her disobedient behavior. Daniel leaves the apartment and when the door shuts I begin. "What has gotten into you?" I ask her.
"Me?" she calls out angrily. "I was having fun with him!" she yells. "He had a stressful day and I invited him back here for a game of chess and some wine. He was really letting loose and I was getting to know him." She looks at me with hate filled eyes. "You want to judge me so viciously, where were you?"
I swallow hard at the comment and ignore her inquisition in my night. "Daniel is an alcoholic, not to mention unstable and dangerous. You will not meet with him alone anymore." I say sternly.
"Oh, fuck off, Amelia. You are not Mom." She says viciously, "No matter how much you try to be, you will never hold a candle up to her."
I look at her in shock and feel a pang in my heart. "Fine," I say quietly. "You want to fuck Daniel? Go for it! Just prey he doesn't strangle you thinking that you're his ancestor or something." I spit.
"Are you really that dense, Amelia?" She asks with a shake of her head. "You are so self-centered that you don't take a second to pull your head out of your ass and get to know those around you. Do you even know anything about me?" She asks with a cracking voice. "Do you even care?"
"Of course I care!" I yell at her, making her widen her eyes in fear. "You think I don't care about you?" I say angrily. "I am destroying my body and my mind to get Andre's talents so I can kill William Miles for what he did to you! I am throwing myself into decay for you!"
"That's not what I want!" She yells back and I am taken aback by her comment. She takes a deep breath and tries to compose herself, "Jesus, do you even remember what really happened that night? Or are you so driven by this stupid quest for vengeance that you've changed the events of that night to better fit your narrative?"
"What are you talking about?" I ask her, my body still shaking in rage.
"What does it matter?" She says in a fed-up tone. "No matter what I say, you'll still do things how they best suit your needs." Before she can say anything more, she throws the glass of wine on the table and turns her wheelchair to her room and slams the door shut.
I stand there for a moment, high on the hate the runs in my veins as I try to calm myself down, but I cannot stop thinking about what she just said. I think about her words and their similarity to Daniel's. I wonder if I know anything about her and what she desires.
I decide that I can no longer stay in this place and I have to leave. I walk out the door feeling the need to decompress and I think about the only place that I can go to escape myself. I head to the Animus room and log onto the computer, typing furiously at the keys, preparing the sequence.
I stop typing and think of the comment my sister made about my not remembering the night my mother and father died at the hands of William Miles. I look at the sequence and hover over the keyboard as I type the date I fetch from the Animus. I instruct the Animus to fetch the memory from Grand Master Dalton James' memory bank of 28 Dec, 2001. The Animus accepts the sequence and I lie down in the Animus and swallow hard as tears fall down my face.
The shrill operatic tone of the Nutcracker tune played in the car as the girls moved their arms mimicking the movements of the ballerinas. Lilly announced that she was going to be a famous ballerina when she grew up. Dalton looked back at his daughters with a scoff. The girls could have their silly fantasies for now, but he had better plans for the girls when they came to age. He would train them to be elite sleeper agents for the Templar Knights to gather information from the Assassins.
Dalton looked at the girls and wondered how they would do within the Order. Dalton knew that Lilly was intelligent, and he knew that her cunning could manipulate any man to kneel to her whims. She often commanded her sister around along with Dalton and her mother. She knew what she wanted and strived towards it. It was the older of the two that Dalton was worried about. Amelia often fought Dalton's authority and despite how many times he used the belt on her, she had always found a way to disobey his wishes. Dalton often wondered how Amelia was going to take commands from her betters, but despite all that, he saw a fighter in her, and knew that she would do well in the Order. Dalton's eyes flashed at his wife as she looked at him with concerned eyes. She had suspected his actions of late, but it was not Dalton that had been suspicious, but rather her.
"The speed limit is 35." She had said quietly and Dalton had barely heard over the sound of the stereo. Dalton stepped on the gas and accelerated the car faster. His eyes shifted in the rearview mirror as the headlights of his tail turned to follow him.
"Tell me, Angela." Dalton said with a leveled voice. "What did the Assassin's promise you for my life?" He did not look at his wife, and kept his eyes on the headlights, but he could see his wife stiffen at his comment. "What amount did they place on my soul that you gave in?" Dalton watched as his wife fiddled with her ring, and he wondered if she had removed it when she was sleeping with her Assassin lover.
"Dalton slow down." Angela demanded of her husband. "The girls are in the car, we can do this later."
"Later?" Dalton scoffed. He looked at her with wild hate. "What did he promise you that you spread your legs so easily?" He spat venomously. "Hum?" He demanded of her. "You were going to take my girls away from me, take my life, so you could be with your little lover?"
Dalton snatched Angela by the back of the head, holding tightly onto her brown hair. Dalton began swerving as he tried to hold his wife along with the vehicle. "Dalton, please!" His wife called out to him. "Please let's do this at home." She begged him.
"Who's it going to be, Angela? You cannot have the girls and your lover. You chose this family or you chose nothing." He threatened.
"Dalton, please! Stop the car!" She cried.
The girls had begun crying, picking up on their mother's distress. "Look what you are doing to this family, Angela!" Dalton yelled. "You want me to stop this car so your lover there can take my life and you can get your reward and live out your life an Assassin's whore!"
"I am going to take the girls away from you. You will never put your hands on them." She spat venomously.
Dalton filled with rage and slammed his wife's head into the dash of the car repeatedly. She cried out in pain and Dalton could no longer hear her cries over the sound of the Nutcracker symphony swelling throughout the car, and he continued to slam her head into the dash, splitting her head open, filling the car with blood.
The girls screamed in shrill panic as Dalton lost control of the car on the ice. He let go of his wife and her head fell limp on the dash, eyes wide open barren of life. Dalton tried to gather control of the vehicle, but he was unable to, and the car slammed into the metal guard and plunged into the icy waters.
Dalton heard a metallic crunch when he hit the guard and looked back at the girls. He saw that the metal guard had pierced through the car and a piece of the doorframe had impaled his daughter Lilly. He watched as she wailed in pain as the white dress covered in blood.
Icy cold water began filling the car and Dalton commanded his daughters to leave the car. Amelia and Lilly cried with fear of their father and refused to obey his commands. Dalton angrily cut his seatbelt and moved to the back of the vehicle to cut Amelia's seatbelt. She pushed him away from her, afraid of her father for what she had just seen of him. He took her aggressively by the arm and forced her out of the window into the water. The girl knew how to swim, and he expected she would make her way to the shore fine.
Dalton looked at his younger daughter—his favorite of the two—and tried to calm her down as he removed her from the shard of metal that pierced her. Dalton frowned at the sight, knowing that his great plans for his favorite daughter would now be spoiled.
He managed to get his daughter and him from the sinking vehicle while swimming to shore. He heard the piercing wails of his older daughter on the shore as she watched the two of them struggle to shore. Once he got the girl to shore, he was greeted by the Assassin that tailed their car.
"Your girl is hurt." He said to Dalton. "Turn yourself in and we will get her to the hospital."
"I would rather watch her bleed to death than kneel to you and your abomination of a Creed." Dalton spat. "Where is the coward that fucked my wife?" He asked. "Why did he send you to do his business?"
"Daddy! Please stop!" Amelia yelled kicking and hitting her father. Crying and begging for it to stop. Dalton shoved his daughter away from him and she fell to the ground with a sob.
"We don't want any more bloodshed this night, James. Give us the location of the Piece of Eden and we can end this tonight."
Dalton scoffed. "So that's what she promised you." He said, "You will never find the Piece of Eden." He said lunging at his target.
The Assassin pulled out his blade before the Knight could take his target. Dalton fell to the ground. His eyes searching for aid. He looked at the small sparkling shoes his daughter wore as they stained with the blood from her wound. Dalton watched her before he fell to his death, seeing the look of terror in her eyes at the monster before her.
"Amelia, please! Wake up!" I hear a voice call to me. My eyes flutter open and I search for the voice. My eyes catch his eyes as they transform from the hard-concerned stab, to a softening sense of relief. "Oh, thank God, can you hear me?" I try to move my head but he holds me too tightly. "Amelia, can you hear me?" He yells at me.
A moan is all I can manage. He lays me down on the ground and searches the room frantically for something but I cannot see what. He grows angry and begins throwing things around the room. "Dan…Daniel." I call out to him and he comes running over to me.
"Amelia, talk to me, are you alright?" Daniel says frantically.
"What…" I can't formulate any sentences and he looks at me with concern.
"I came to apologize to you, and I found you in here alone. Inside the Animus, unattended. You were having a seizure. I pulled you out, but you kept seizing. I was going to call Doctor Sung—"
"No!" I call out with all my might and he looks at me with shocked eyes.
"Amelia, you had a seizure because your body was rejecting the Animus. This was directly caused by the Bleeding Effect."
I pull myself into a seated position. I lean myself against the Animus. My head is splitting, along with all my muscles aching more than I have ever felt before. "I… I am fine." I tell him slowly.
"You were fucking seizing!" He snaps.
"And you shouldn't have moved me!" I yell back. Thinking of how much of an idiot he is for moving a seizing person. I could have choked on my tongue and died because of this moron.
"I was just trying to get you out of the Animus. I thought you were going to die." He says and I look into his eyes to see genuine fear in them. The sight makes me angrier because it reminds me of our kiss and how much I desired his touch when I was with Juhani.
"Stop worrying about me, Daniel." I say to him angrily.
"I care about you…" He says sadly.
My blood boils as I feel butterflies in my stomach form. I want him to care about me. I want him to worry about me. I want to feel his hands on me. I desire him so much. "Why?" I ask him with as much hatred as I can conjure up. "I don't give a shit about you!" I lie to him.
Daniel is taken aback my comment and I can see that he is more hurt than angry at first, until he gathers himself and he begins boiling in hatred. "You're a fucking cunt." He says lowly, moving to his feet and leaving the room. I swallow hard as tears begin to fall down my face as I sit against the Animus.
After a moment of sitting against the Animus, hating myself for hurting Daniel, I decide that I should walk around and stretch my aching body. I get up and walk around the compound, feeling every nerve in my body ache as though each and every nerve in my body has died. I try to think about what I have just seen inside the Animus, and make sense of it. Everything I remembered was wrong and the realization begins to break my mind.
I hang onto the wall of a long corridor trying to get to my room. I need to see Lilly. I am sweating, my heart is beating heavily, and I feel like I am dying. I breathe heavily, trying to make my way to the room when I see someone approach me. I stop moving and exhale when I see that it is Violet de Costa. She gives me a concerned look when we cross paths, and I wonder how bad I must look to her.
I look at her face and it contorts from her own face to my mother's. I hold my head as I begin to hear a piercing shrieking inside my head. "Amelia, are you alright?" She asks in a demonic voice, and I push myself away from her. I feel the room spinning as I try to run from her, but soon, I feel my body fall to the ground.
Andre sat at the table with the newly appointed Grand Master Everard des Barres. Andre watched his brother as he took a sip of his soup. The Grand Master absentmindedly ate his soup while reading the holy scripture. In the wake of the death of Robert de Craon, Everard took the seat of Grand Master and Andre realized that he had to take another life to gain what was rightfully his. He wondered why his brothers refused him the title of Grand Master and wondered how many more would have to fall before he was bestowed the title. Andre told himself that he would kill them all for the title.
"Brother Everard," Andre called out to him, and his brother looked up from his scriptures. "Will you walk the gardens with me?" Andre asked him.
"Of course, Brother." Everard placed the book down and pushed himself from the table.
The two men entered the labyrinth inside the gardens. Andre wondered how he was going to take the life of his brother without raising suspicion on him. It was easy with Robert as Andre blamed his death on Lisbon guards that intercepted them in the city. Andre made a spectacle of it, and had shed convincing tears for his fallen Master, and all were left none the wiser.
However, killing Everard would have been more difficult and Andre had known that he had to be more cautious with Everard, as he was more well received than Robert.
"What troubles your thoughts, Brother?" Everard asked Andre and he did not know how to answer his brother.
"I wonder if it is God's wish we wage these wars if He does not have us return victorious." Andre spoke to his brother. "I am cautious to bring these hesitations to light, as I do not question God's plan for us, but I wonder His methods in His ways."
"Indeed it has been said that God's will is mysterious." Everard returns, "We must show that we are worthy of His love and He will be gracious to us. We have not earned the Lord's love. We must lead those who have lost their way from the Lord's grace, and we must fight those demons that work against Him. Only then will we be rewarded for our deeds. Do not doubt His methods, Andre. Every trial is a test to our faith, and we must stay true to it."
Andre watched as his brother had bent over to smell a blooming flower before him, knowing that in that moment, he could have taken his brother's life with ease. But Andre hesitated.
"I need a sign, Brother." Andre said to him. "My faith is wavering and I need a symbol of the Lord's faith in my cause.
Everard smiled at Andre and approached him. He placed his hands on the Knight's shoulders. "I have such a thing. And I will show it to you."
"What is it?" Andre asked him and his brother smiled knowingly.
"The Holy Grail, Andre."
My vision blurs in and out as I gain consciousness. I stare up at the ceiling as the florescent lights pierce down on me. I lift my head and the rest of my body follows. I look around the room and see concerned eyes returned to me. I groan as I sit completely up and Alan approaches me, aiding in getting me to sit up.
"Easy, child" he says softly. "Tell us what happened." Alan commands.
I look around the room and see almost everyone is here. Alan, Warren, Doctor Sung, Violet, Juhani, Daniel, and my sister all stand before me, watching me with curious eyes. I scratch my head at the confusion of everything and Alan explains. "Violet found you in the hallway, disoriented and hostile."
"You were sweating and when I asked you if you were okay, you swung at me, then passed out on the ground." Violet explains. "I called Juhani and he carried you into Doctor Sung's office." I look up at Juhani and he gives me a concerned look.
My eyes flash over at Daniel who stands in the back of the rooms with his arms crossed. He looks tense and I can tell that he is watching me carefully. He now knows better than anyone the severity of the Bleeding Effect, and I have now made an enemy of him. I expect him to speak up, but he does not. He simply watches me with tense eyes.
"I…" I try to think of what to say to them, not wanting everyone in here knowing that I am succumbing to the Bleeding Effect. "I must have had a fainting spell." I say, shrugging it off and Violet looks at me with narrowed eyes, knowing that that wasn't the case.
"Well she seems fine and in better spirits." Warren says, "Some food and rest should do her fine." Warren decides to leave the room and Violet joins him, but the rest stay in the room.
"I am worried about her." Sung says to Alan. "She has done well avoiding the symptoms of the Bleeding Effect—better than Daniel—but it seems that she is starting to experience fatigue from the Animus. I think it best we shorten her time in the Animus."
"It was nothing." I tell them. "It was a simple fainting spell." I say and Daniel watches me carefully. "I…I…" I stutter, unable to look at him while I lie. "I didn't eat much today, nor did I have enough water. It was probably caused by low blood sugar." I turn to Alan, "there is no need to shorten my time in the Animus." I tell him, craving to return to the Animus.
Alan thinks for a moment and looks at Sung. "Seems to be a valid point. I don't see why we should keep her—"
"I can't listen to this anymore." Daniel says, pushing himself off of the wall and walking up to the rest of the group. My heart races and I send Daniel a pleading gaze that he keeps quiet. "It was not a fainting spell." He says coldly and I frown at him. "She had a seizure inside the Animus just before she fainted." I clench my jaw tightly stiffening with hate that he would say this to them. I look over at Juhani as he looks at me with wide concerned eyes, my sister sharing the same gaze. "I found her inside the Animus and pulled her—"
"He's a liar!" I call out, looking at Alan, trying to convince him that I am fine. "Daniel is just lying because he is jealous that I can withstand the Animus and its symptoms, unlike him." I say spitefully.
Daniel scoffs, "Fine, look at the surveillance and see for yourself." Daniel says and I swallow hard.
Alan sees the look in my eyes and can tell that Daniel is telling the truth. Alan looks at Sung for a moment, then at Lilly. After a moment of thinking he sighs and says, "Amelia will be removed from the Animus Project until she is stabilized." He tells Sung and she nods. "You will oversee her recovery and advise when she is stable enough to enter the Animus once again.
My heart races as I realize that if I am not inside the Animus learning Andre's skill, Alan will not allow me William Miles. The idea makes me become hot and I feel everything that I have worked for slipping away.
Alan shifts to leave the room and everyone begins shuffling outside of the room. I can feel my work slipping away, and the withdrawal of the Animus overcoming me. My heart races quickly and I begin to sweat. I feel frantic and I have to say something. "I found it!" I call out and everyone freezes and looks at me, but my eyes are locked on Alan. "I found the Piece of Eden." I tell him. "I found the Holy Grail."
I watch as the entire mood of the room shifts and I watch as a subtle twitch curves on Alan's lips. "Where is it?" He asks me with a wild eagerness in his eyes.
"Andre is close to it. If you allow me just a bit more time in the Animus, I will know where it is. And I can deliver it to you." I tell him hastily.
"I advise against that, Alan." Sung says. "If she is having seizures, she is deteriorating at three times the amount that Daniel was effected." She pleads. "At this rate, she will be completely overcome by the Bleeding Effect within a year."
"I can give you the Holy Grail." I tell Alan, not listening to a word that Sung says to him. All I can think about is the draw to return to the Animus.
"Alan," Lilly speaks up, "this is not up for discussion." She says in a stern tone. "She is fading, look at her!" She calls out motioning at me. "Her eyes are sunken in, she is losing her muscle mass, she isn't getting any sleep at night, and her mood has shifted into a hostile one. The Animus is destroying her!"
"We have a responsibility to humanity to find these relics and bring them to light, where we can examine them, understand them, and use them as tools to gain as a species." Alan explains.
"And at what cost, Alan?" Lilly retorts. "Amelia is dying!"
"It is my choice!" I say firmly and she looks at me with wide concerned eyes.
"Your choice?" She scoffs, "You would sacrifice yourself to know where a man hid a mythical cup almost a thousand years ago? Who's to say that it's still where he left it?"
"Enough!" Alan calls out over our argument. "Amelia will continue to enter the Animus as she has been scheduled to do so by Lilly's calculations." He says turning to Juhani, "Juhani, I want you to watch over Amelia at all times after your mission tomorrow. You will oversee her to ensure that she is stable and unaffected by the Bleeding Effect. You will ensure she obliges by Lilly's schedule." Juhani does not move at Alan's comment and stands stiff and uncomfortable at the situation. "Sung will have mandatory checkups with Amelia every other day and prescribe the same medication Daniel is on." He looks over at Daniel, "Daniel, you will oversee Amelia while Juhani is away on mission. I want you to have eyes on her 24/7," Alan turns to me and sends me a stabbing glare. "You will respect him and listen to his authority; do you hear me?" I swallow hard and turn my head away from him. Alan approaches me and takes my face in his hands. "Sweet child, you have done it. I am so proud of you." He says with a smile and kisses my forehead. He walks away from me and leaves the room.
Once Alan leaves the room Lilly scoffs. "Dr Sung, this is outrageous. She is nowhere near stable enough to be entering the Animus. My calculations were based on the rate in which Daniel experienced the Bleeding Effect. Clearly, it is effecting Amelia differently."
"You are making this more than it has to be." I tell her. "I am fine. I had a one-off situation with the Animus, and haven't experienced any further symptoms of the Bleeding Effect." I explain.
"Have you experienced any hallucinations?" Dr Sung asks me.
I look at Daniel and think of the incident in the subway where I saw Andre. "No, no hallucinations." Daniel stays quiet and I keep my eyes on him the entire time while Sung questions me.
"Do you hear voices?" I tell her no. "Are you experiencing mood swings." I tell her no. "Are you having trouble sleeping?" I tell her no. "Do you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or in pain when you exit the Animus?" I tell her no. "Are you experiencing an attraction to the Animus or anything that you are not normally attracted to?" I look at Daniel and he watches me carefully. I try not to think of how much I desire him and I swallow hard knowing that it is a side effect of the Animus. After I pause I finally tell Sung no.
"Do you really think you'll find where I've hidden it?" I hear Andre's voice whisper in my ear. I swallow hard and remove him from my presence.
Dr Sung sighs, knowing that I am not telling the whole truth in my answers. She tells me that she will prescribe me the antipsychotics that Daniel has been prescribed, as well as the sleeping aid, and antidepressants. She steps out of the room and Lilly approaches me with a frown on her face.
"Amelia, why are you doing this to yourself?" She asks me and I don't have a good enough answer for her. I simply shrug at her and she exhales. "Why did you lie to Sung about your symptoms? I know for a fact that you're experiencing pain exiting the Animus, and though you're not hallucinating now, it's only a matter of time until you will be.
Daniel stiffens at the comment but continues to stay quiet. I place my face in my hands and exhale. "Can we just go to bed?" I beg. "I am tired, and I think that some sleep is best for me."
She frowns at my comment and looks at Juhani, hoping that he can say something to me to convince me otherwise. He looks at me and smiles a sad smile. He places his hand on my cheek, "Get some rest, and when I return, we will go on a hike and get some fresh air." He says and after a moment of staring into my eyes, he drops his hand from my cheek and leaves the room.
I catch Daniel's gaze as I watch Juhani leave the room. I can see that the gears in his head are turning at the sight and it's obvious that he is suspicious of my relationship with Juhani.
I look down at my sister and ask her if we can leave and she agrees. I stand up and Daniel approaches me. I turn to him and ask him what he is doing and he responds. "I am escorting you to your place."
"I can walk on my own, thanks." I tell him in a pressed tone.
"Alan told me to have my eyes on you 24/7." He returns.
"So, what? You expect me to let you in my bed and cuddle me now?" I scoff at him.
"No, your couch will suffice." He says in a pressed tone.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Just let him be, Amelia." Lilly sighs. "He doesn't want to babysit you as much as you don't want him to. Let's just make the most of it, and not turn it into an issue." I exhale and take Lilly's chair to wheel her to our suite.
Daniel follows behind while Lilly scolds me for being reckless and not telling her that I was experiencing the Bleeding Effect. I don't listen to anything that Lilly says as I begin remembering why I was in the Animus. The memory of my father. I try to think about what I saw and if it were true. I remember the night so differently in my head versus what I was shown in the Animus and I no longer know what to believe. I know my father was not a terrible man, but the Animus portrayed him as such a horrible person. I frown at the idea and try to expel it from my mind.
We enter the suite and I help Lilly into bed. Daniel watches from the doorway as I move her chair within arm's reach if she needs to get up in the middle of the night. I tell her good night and she tells me that she loves me. I close her door and look at Daniel. I sigh at him and go into the closet where we hold spare blankets. I grab him a few blankets and pillows and make him a bed on the couch while he stands back and watches wordlessly.
I finish up setting up the bed and once I am finished, I hand him the pillow. He smiles at me and I start heading to my room when he calls out to me. "Amelia," he says in a hoarse tone. I turn back to him and he looks at me for a moment, contemplating saying something. He exhales and finally says, "Thank you."
I can tell that thanking me was not what he wanted to say to me, and rather than saying anything back to him, I head into my room, and once my head hits my pillow, I fall into a dark and dreamless sleep.