Days on the open sea

March, 1783

Two months had passed since we had left America. I had quickly gotten used to the life on board again but I longed for company, with every day that passed. The crew gave me the cold shoulder and Connor…well it was Connor. As often as I tried to involve him into a conversation, he always found a way to nip these attempts in the bud and I nearly got the feeling that he was going to be happy when we would arrive in London, where he could get rid of me. As much I missed serious conversations, as much I missed a coherent activity.

The books in the captain´s cabin, which Connor had offered to me, simply discussed the seafaring and were not quiet entertaining. So when I wasn´t having little walks on deck or looked out to sea, I sat alone in the cabin and played chess. The only activity I felt to be fulfilling even though I felt myself pitiable, sitting there on my own and playing against myself.
On this day I had withdrawn to the cabin again, had taken a seat behind the oaken table and had built up the game board, while the rain was pattering against the windows and the waves were hitting the bulwarks. Until now we had been lucky about the weather but today it was like the sea wanted to proof to us that she wasn´t always that peaceful. One more reason for me to distract myself, although the chess pieces sometimes started to slid over the game board or fell over.

I unperturbed kept playing and just looked up shortly, when someone knocked on the door, to ask the guest in. It was Connor who took off his head and the rain-soaked coat and went to me. "What are you doing?" He placed his hands on the back of a chair and looked down at me with skepticism. "I´m playing chess:"
"Against yourself?"
"Against who else?"
It reigned a moment of silence in which I played move after move, feeling Connors gaze on me. He just stood there and watched me. Totally enervated I eventually looked up to him and pointed to the chair, he was still leaning on. "You can sit on it. They are actually made for that. You make me nervous when you´re just staying there."

Connor raised an eyebrow but finally took a seat, just to place his elbows on the table top and his head on his hands. Sitting that way he silently watched my game again. I tried to keep concentrated on it, but I couldn´t. A short time afterwards I pushed away the game board in resignation, leaned back with my arms folded in front of my chest and my grim look directed on Connor. But he didn´t seem to understand my reaction. "Why did you stop?"
I snorted indignantly. "Because I don´t like it that you are just sitting there, staring at me. "
His eyebrows rose again. "You told me to take a seat."
In face of the truth of his words I hadn´t no other option than to deny myself an answer. I sighed deeply instead, ran my fingers through my hair and looked my person opposite over. Surely he wasn´t here to watch me playing chess.

"Why are you here?", so I asked and given to Connors gaze, I was right. "The men are saying that it will not take so long until we will arrive. I thought that it is now the time that you tell me about the templars."
Of course. What else he would want to talk about with me? I sighed again and nodded slowly. But when I looked at the chess board I smirked a little. I pushed it in the middle of the tabletop and while I put all the chess pieces on their rightful place, I said: "I will tell you about the templars and you will play with me in the meantime." I rose my gaze and grinned at him. "You´re playing chess, aren´t you?"
Undetermined the assassin looked at me before he nodded. "Achilles had shown it to me. But I am not here for playing. There are more important things."
Now it was on me to look at him with my eyebrows raised. "I think that you are pretty able to talk incidentally. Unless, you are afraid of losing."

A snort was the answer and Connor moved closer to the table. For a moment he looked at his white pieces, before he made his move. I smiled triumphantly. To grab a man by his honor was always successful. I made my move and looked at Connor then expectantly. "What do you want to know?"
His gaze directed at the chess board, he shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you know. How mighty is the order? Who is it´s grandmaster? The names of other members…"
Thoughtful I frowned while I watched him moving another piece. "I don´t know who is the grandmaster at this time. The last time it was a Maximilian Olden, but he was already ancient a year ago. I doubt that he is still in office." I did a short break, placed my move and spoke again. "The order itself is omnipresent in London, you will have to be careful with whom you are speaking with. Almost every important office is manned with a templar and they are even paying the beggars for getting them information about their enemies.
Frowning, I watched Connor putting one of my captures pawns next to the board. Maybe it hadn´t been a good idea to play and to speak at once. So I took my time to think about my next move before doing it and thinking about Connor´s question again.

"I can´t tell you any names, really. As I said they are omnipresent. If you know one of them, you don´t know all of them at all. You will have to expect that you can meet a templar at any street corner and the guards in the city are merciless. So it wouldn´t be advantageous if you draw too much attention. British prisons aren´t pleasant."
Connor raised his eyes and nodded slowly. "I can imagine it."
I gave him a questioning look whereupon he lowered his eyes on the game board again.
"I already got to know a British-managed prison." His voice sounded almost casual while he made his move. I had never heard about an assassin before, who had gotten imprisoned. But what did I know?
"How did you got out?"
"By escaping from the gallows."
I gasped for breath and stared at him. He just frowned, gave me a short look and nodded in direction of my pieces. "It is your turn."
It was impossible to learn more about him. I should have already got used to it. So I forced myself to concentrate on the game again.

We sat there for a long time and played in silence, while we could push the weather outside to the back of our minds. When Connor won the first match he was visibly satisfied with himself and let himself be talked into playing another one. When I had won, we just sat opposite from each other and listened to the rain, which became fainter. I had nothing against the silence this time. I was kind of glad that Connor had devoted time to sit and play with me. Usually I had the feeling that he avoided my or anyone´s company. He was no sociable man but sometimes he showed me different sides to him, which managed to surprise me. I had heard once, that you could see the character of a chess-player through his play and Connor was definitely a calm and strategic player, who precisely considered every move and he behaved just as thoughtful in real life. I always had the feeling that he was laying in wait and wanted to be prepared for every situation. But wasn´t it a lonely life, when you were holding everyone in distance?

I looked at the assassin in front of me, who was looking into the rain outside with serious eyes. The face almost emotionless but nevertheless he had a grim expression about his mouth, as he would be already by his enemies in his thoughts. I knew him for two months now and I had never seen him smile or even laugh once. Somehow I was sorry for him.
"Do you actually have someone, who is really close to you? In the homestead or somewhere else?"
The question came totally sudden and when Connor turned to me again, I could see that he couldn´t retrace it. "In the homestead…everyone is close to me. We are friends."
I couldn´t prevent that a smirk appeared on my lips which seemed to confuse Connor even more. "No, I didn´t mean it like that. I meant…if you ever had been in love with someone or if you are. If there is someone you like to be with and with whom you wish to have a future."
Connor´s gaze was now full of incomprehension. Frowning he looked at me and I felt how I blushed. Why couldn´t I keep my questions and thoughts for myself once? Hastily I waved aside. "Alright, you don´t have to tell me."

Connor stayed silent and I almost thought that he wouldn´t answer me. But then he turned his gaze to a spot on the wall and did. "Until now I have not had the time for that. I had to deal with other things. With other people."
"You haven´t had the time? Did you never think about what you want in your life?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "That is my life. I am comfortable with it. I guess I would not be a good husband, if I do not have enough time for my wife."
I looked him over silently and tried to figure out if he really meant what he had said. Wasn´t he really missing it, to have someone he could trust and who was giving him moral support? Could you really be happy when you were dedicating your whole life to others? I couldn´t believe it but I decided to stop asking.

There wasn´t time for it anyway, because when we were silent again, a call sounded from outside. "Land ho!" Connor and I nearly stood up simultaneously and went to the door. Connor gave me his coat, which I put on with thanks and together we went out into the rain. The crew had spread out over the whole main deck and looked into the deep-hanging clouds. The helmsman came running to Connor and unnecessarily pointed straight ahead when he said excitedly: "One of the men had sight the coast from above, Sir."
I frowned and tried strained to see something but the weather didn´t permit it. "Unfortunately I can´t see anything."

Connor gave me a look from the side and silently indicated to me that I should follow him. Confused I went with him to the Aquila´s main mast where he grabbed a rope which was hanging there. "Do you really want to see it?", he asked and when I nodded in confusion, he put his arm around me without warning, held me close to himself and kicked against a lever on the lower end of the mast. Suddenly we were torn up with such a speed, that I couldn´t even react with a scream. I just clung to Connor in panic and heard, how the wind howled past my ears. We hardly had taken off before we landed hard and when I came off my stiffness caused by fear, I realized that we stood high up in the crow´s nest. The wind tore at our hair and our clothing and I was glad about the coat which was fairly protecting me. But any cold was forgotten anyway when I looked straight ahead. From up here you had a free view on the whole sea, which was surrounding us but even more on the dark stripe on the horizon. The British coast.