Chapter: Taking a Break

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….. Three Years Later: …..

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On the manor's front stone steps sat Rayne with her almost three year old falcon, Luna on her left arm. She was feeding Luna another piece of rabbit's meant when the sound of footsteps were heading into her direction. She looked up to see that the footsteps belonged to Connor's childhood friend, Kane'tó: kon.

"Hello, Kanen'tó: kon." Rayne said as she stood up from the front steps of the manor.

She threw her arm up and Luna flapped her wings before she took off for the sky.

"Hello, to you too, Rayne. Is Ratonhnhaké:ton around?"

"Yes, let me get him." Rayne said.

Rayne walked up the steps and into the manor. She made her way to the back of staircase where she pulled down a candlestick. The wall in the back of the staircase opened up to show a flight of stairs going down. She walked down the steps and entered the hidden room that was for the assassins. She caught sight of Connor, who as practicing on a dummy in the center of the room. Her eyes followed him as he moved around the dummy in a way that reminded her of a wolf about to pounce on its prey.

"Connor?"

Connor turned away from the dummy to stare at her. He wiped sweat off his head, and his eyebrows furrow together at her presence.

It had been three years that they known each other. Both had turned twenty years of age, and Connor did not take the huge step of admitting to Rayne about his feelings for her. Every time that the two gone on missions together or do activities together, Connor could not find enough courage to push himself to confront Rayne about what he felt for her. There were a few times that he found himself about to tell her, but he had always been interrupted.

"Yes, Rayne?"

"Kanen'tó:kon is outside asking for you. It sounded urgent." Rayne told him, jabbing her left thumb up the staircase to emphasize her point.

Immediately, Connor ran by her and he skipped up most of the stairs. Quickly, Rayne gone after him and she ran by Achilles, who stood by the front door.

Rayne stood beside Achilles as they stood outside, watching as Connor stood before his childhood friend and get an angry facial expression. Whatever his childhood friend said to him was not what Connor wanted to hear.

"Connor?" Rayne questioned.

"I'm going out." Connor stated, rage evident in his tone of voice.

"Connor, where are you going?" Rayne asked, her eyes flickering to Kanen'tó:kon, who ran off into the woods.

It was clear that Connor would soon follow.

Instead of answering her, Connor turned away to walk off toward the woods. It was clear that he did not want her to come with him this time. Whatever it was that was bothering him was personal, and most likely had to do with his people.

With Connor ignoring her, she could not hep herself as she moved toward him with narrow eyes. She wanted to know, needed to know in case he would need back up.

"Ratohnhake: ton!" Rayne snapped.

His native name made Connor to freeze in his tracks. He turned his head to stare at her with dark brownish gold eyes.

"What is going on that has you seeing red?" Rayne asked.

"William Johnson is going to take my people land." Connor said, watching as Rayne expression changed from anger to one of shock and concern.

"Connor, let me—"

"No, Rayne, you aren't coming." Connor shook his head.

Her eyebrow rose before they came together. She glared at him, not liking how his tone of voice was toward her. The tone was one of an owner of a dog.

Achilles stood back on the front steps of the manor, watching as Rayne was becoming angry at Connor's tone of voice.

"Connor, would you just le—" Rayne stop talking when Connor whirled his whole body around and he took a long step forward, almost leaving no space between them.

With such closeness, Connor was staring down at her and she was staring up at him. The closeness made Rayne to realize how big and tall Connor was compared to her.

"You are to stay here, Rayne. This is my personal matters, not yours. These are my people, not yours. This is my fight and definitely not yours. You cannot do everything with me, Rayne. I'm going to do this without you, so you stay right here. And I mean it." Connor told her in a low furious tone, and even pointing his right pointer finger in her face too.

From his spot, Achilles could not help but go a bit wide eyes. He had witnessed Connor lose his temper many times, but never toward Rayne. Achilles could understand the reason behind Connor's anger, but Achilles scowl Connor for taking his anger out on Rayne.

When Connor finished his statement, he soon found his head turned to the left and his right cheek almost immediately getting a pink hue to it. Slowly, Connor raised his right hand up to his right cheek, turning his head to stare at Rayne with a hint of shock.

Rayne shoved him away and she stormed back to the manor.

"She slapped me." Connor said with a disbelief tone.

The anger that Connor felt toward Johnson, who was going after his people land, made him to realize that he took his anger out of someone of much importance to him. He did not want Rayne to be mad at him; thus, Connor was about to step up the manor steps to go after her. Yet Achilles's cane against his chest prevented him from doing so. His eyes looked at Achilles, who lowered his cane and made a head gesture toward the section of the woods where Kanen'tó: kon disappeared.

"Go, Connor."

"But Rayne and—"

"Go do what you have to do, Connor. You have a promise to your people." Achilles said before he turned and entered his manor, shutting the front door behind him.

Connor stared at the front door before he turned away to run off into the woods.

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Achilles made his way upstairs and to Rayne's bedroom. He paused halfway up the steps as he watched Rayne exit out of her bedroom with a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Rayne?"

"I'm going to go visit my father in Boston for a while."

"You can't run away from what has hurt you." Achilles told her as he followed her back down the stairs.

Rayne paused at the front door, thinking for a few moments at his words but shook her head. She opened the front door and stepped out onto the front porch, but she did turn to stare at him.

"Achilles, I haven't seen my father for a good two years. I see him twice last year. I wish to go see him and my mother and little brother, who is now training to be a future assassin. I—"

"Connor will be upset."

"Well, he knows where I am." Rayne muttered, turning away to begin walking down a manmade trail that led down to the stables.

Behind her, closely following her was Achilles as he was trying to change her mind.

"You are running away from your problems. What happened between Connor and you…"

"Maybe Connor was right in a way though." Rayne cut him off as she began to saddle up a horse.

"Why is that?" Achilles asked, standing off to the side.

"I can't do everything with him. Maybe we need some time away from each other." Rayne said as she pulled herself up onto the horse's saddle and adjusted herself on it.

'No, no, no. This isn't good.' Achilles thought.

He began to shake his head, watching as Rayne held onto the horse's reins.

"No, you know Connor enjoys your company. Plus, you two are a great duo in teamwork."

"Achilles, I know you are trying to keep me here. I understand what you mean about running away from my problems. But maybe I need some time to clear my head and be free a bit, you know. Unless, something comes up here, I will be back." Rayne told him with a gentle smile.

"Rayne—I understand." Achilles sighed.

Achilles took in her explanations, and he could understand what she said. He could understand that Rayne needed to take a break to clear her head, and also, to visit her family. She hadn't been able to do those things for a while, and now with an opportunity to do so, she was taking it. However, Achilles knew that Connor would not be a happy man once he came back to find Rayne gone. Connor would realize that he gave Rayne that extra push to take a break from the Brotherhood.

"Good day and see you soon, Achilles." Rayne told him.

Achilles stood back as he watched Rayne and the horse gallop away until they were gone from his line of sight.

"Oh, Connor isn't going to be the happiest man when he hears this, Rayne." Achilles mumbled, shaking his head while making his journey back up to his manor.

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…. Later that Night….

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When Connor arrived back to Davenport after he dealt with Johnson, and protected his people land and rights, he realized how late it was. He noted that the manor was very quiet, but also, something did not sit well with Connor.

Connor entered the sitting room and stood in the doorway, staring at Achilles. He could not believe that the older man was still up. A single candle sat on a small table beside the armchair that Achilles sat in.

"Achilles, what are you still doing up? It is very late."

"Connor, please sit."

Connor tensed up, sensing that something was wrong. A sense of dread began to fill him.

He walked further into the room and sat himself in the armchair across from Achilles. He tugged his hood down before he clasped his hands together between his knees, leaning a little forward to stare at Achilles and waiting for Achilles to say something.

A low sigh escaped Achilles. His eyes came off the night sky that he gazed at through the window to stare at Connor.

"Rayne left." Achilles said bluntly.

"What!?" Connor shot up from the armchair causing it to rock back on its back legs before dropping back onto four legs. His eyes were wide and wild before hardening again.

Achilles stayed in his seat, watching as Connor turn away from him. He watched as Connor slammed his left hand on the wall before he began to pace back and forth, stopping a few times to run his hands over his hair or face.

After a couple of minutes, Connor came to a halt in his pacing.

"This is all my fault. I had been so angry at Johnson that I took out all my frustration and anger on Rayne, who had simply wanted to help me for my cause. I'm an idiot."

"Yes, you are." Achilles replied truthfully.

Connor head was bowed, but he lifted it up to stare at Achilles with determination in his eyes.

"Where did she go?" Connor asked.

"Boston, but she said that maybe you were right about not doing everything together. That you two need some time away from one another and enjoy some freedom."

"Nothing is free at this moment." Connor retorted.

The two men stayed in silence before Connor broke it.

"I'm going to go get her back." Connor said.

Connor turned to leave the living room, but Achilles tapped his cane loud enough on the wood floors that it drawn Connor's attention.

"No, you are not." Achilles said.

"Why not?"

"Let her have her freedom for a bit with her family, Connor. Leave her be for now and she'll return on her own when she believes that the time is right." Achilles told him.

There was a growl and then a slam of a fist against the wall to show how frustrated Connor was at himself. He stormed out of the living room, and the sound of his feet stomping down into the hidden room in the basement made Achilles to know that the young man was going to take anger out on the dummy post.

Another sigh escaped Achilles, his eyes shut and he shook his head. Reopening his eyes, Achilles looked back out the window where he stared up at the full moon that shined down brightly in the clear night skies.

"Come back soon, Rayne. I don't know how long Connor will last without you being here with him. Or how long I can hold him back."

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