The adrenalin coursing through my body meant I hadn't felt the bullet tear through my side straight away, I'd been shot before but only on my limbs. This was a whole new kind of pain, I hit the floor and the pain screamed through me. I didn't know how severe it was, I kept shouting until I heard someone rush to my side. Only then did I black out.

When I came back round I could hear familiar voices around me, I realise that someone must have got me to the assassins healer. My waist feels tight, that must be a bandage because I doubt they would have put me in a corset. Outside I can still hear shouting and shots being fired, my mind races. Is everyone okay? How far did they get? Has anyone I love been lost? Charlotte!

I groggily try and sit up, trying to get someone's attention. I need to know how my daughter is, I rise slowly from the bed to try and find someone. The pain that shoots through my side means that a pained yelp escapes from my lips, within seconds someone helps me lie back down and panders over me.

"What's happening out there? Who's still fighting?"

"The front beach and town were cleared, seems as if they sent a decoy crew. Their plan was to try and attack from the back beach, five ships turned up each easily holding forty men. They have dwindled but about 20 have a vantage and are keeping us back with pistols and rifles. I have no doubt it'll be over soon, until then stop worrying and rest"

"And Charlotte? tell me they kept her safe? tell me no one got to where she was?"

"She is fine, still in the house hidden away until we are sure there isn't any of them left. As I hear it some of the women grabbed rifles from the balcony guard when they heard him shout for you. they had a lot of pent up anger and hatred towards our attackers" a wry smile crosses his face as if imagining women hell bent on making the attackers day shit, i don't blame them my anger and hatred is the very reason they came here. I lie back to rest knowing that my daughter is safe, its comforting to think I'm the only one here. That means no one else got injured, at least I hope not.

Over the next few hours only three others join me in the doctors tent, two with cuts to their arms the other had only twisted his ankle whilst running to join the fight. I feel extra unlucky having the worst injury out of everyone, I get them to fill me in on what's happening. I found out that our surprise worked perfectly so much so that even when the last man had left for the tent we hadn't lost anyone, the death count on their side however was terrible and most had died without unsheathing their weapons. That meant that they were smart to our attack now and the remaining twenty or so men were now sheltering on the beach out of the reach of all of our aims, it was just a matter of waiting them out. I lay back happy with what I had heard, I might as well doesn't sound like I could leave any time soon.

More hours pass, the sun sets and torches are lit around the island. A man I recognise that was based at the tavern came to tell me that Anne had gone to the manor to take care of Charlotte and let the women get some rest, no one else had come into the doctors tent and two of the three who had come in earlier had already left. The doctor came back and changed my dressings whilst checking on my wounds, we had planned to stitch the holes in my body that the bullet had left and maybe cauterise the wound to help with healing. My muscles would have to take longer to recover and build up strength but we would plan that after making sure there was nothing left from the bullet inside me.

One of the men who had left the tent earlier came back to tell me what was happening with the remaining Templars, our men lined the tree line that covered the entire back beach meaning they couldn't leave the beach. I found out it was a side of a shack or boat that they were hiding behind, plans were being made to fire burning arrows at it in hope of drawing them from behind it. If that failed eventually we would just charge and use brunt force.

I was brought some soup to eat, I guess they didn't want to risk anything more filling. I finished the bowl quickly and asked for updates on how everything was going, since the last update a barrel of tar was making its way to the line of men. They already had torches and arrows but couldn't risk just burning the arrow, apparently one of the men hiding on the beach had peered around to see where we were hidden only to be greeted by a poison dart to the cheek.

I waited a bit longer. The doctor came and checked on my wounds and changed the dressing again, this time smearing a lotion over the entrance wound. It stung but wasn't as bad as the bullet, according to him it would cleanse the wound and keep out infection and dirt. I was left to lie around for a bit longer.

What I guessed to be an hour later I heard a collective cheer go up, a young assassin came into the tent to make me aware that the intruders had been defeated and to ask for orders. I told him that the men could take what they wanted from the ships and the bodies, I also said that the tavern wouldn't be charging tomorrow. I knew it was what everyone out there would want to hear, I wanted to keep them on a high so that morals were up. Happy to hear the news I drifted off into a deep sleep.

It wasn't until what I can only guess as midday that I woke up, there was a woman hovering around the tent. When she spotted I was awake she shouted to the doctor, my wounds were checked and old bandages removed.

"Mary I'd like to cauterise the wounds before I let you go home, I think it will help you heal. Now if you don't want that I can stitch the wounds instead but like we discussed that would take longer to heal and risk splitting open if you move too quickly. Its up to you"

"I suppose its in my best interest to have the wounds cauterised" he only nods whilst the woman who is acting nurse stokes the fire, I spot the iron rod on the side and wince as I remember its heat all too often.

The burning pain is just as bad as I remember if not worse, I feel so painful from the wound on my stomach that I physically scream when I roll over to have my back sorted. Tears slip down my cheeks as the doctor rubs the same lotion over both new scars.

"You'll need to apply this to both scars, its so the burns don't become infected. I've sorted for you to be taken to your house, I believe you will heal better in your own bed"

In the end I found out only 5 of us were injured, me being the most severe. I was glad for that, it was me they came for and it was me that they got. Although the room is warm I shudder with the thought that Charlotte or Anne could have been hurt, as far as I see it we had the best outcome and I can only hope that Edward will get the best from his situation.

My eyes start to droop and I allow sleep to take me, my mind switches from nightmare to sweet dreams and back again. Edward stood staring at me clutching a giggling Charlotte in his arms, as I walked to him the scene changed instead of Charlotte he was now clutching at his chest as a crimson stain slowly covered his shirt. I ran to him as he fell but I got no closer, my legs were going as fast as I could yet he was still far away and getting further as if I was moving backwards. I tried to shout to him, but I had no voice. It scared me that this could mean something had happened to him, that I couldn't reach him and hold him in my arms. The thought scared me enough that I jolted upright and awake, the pain that ripped through me mixed with the fear from my dream meant that the sound from my throat didn't sound human.

"Jaysus Mary I was only bringing the damn post" Anne was stood next to the bed, a pile of letters in her hand. She clutched at her chest similar to how Edward had, trying to get her breath back.

"I'm sorry Anne, it was a bad dream" she helped me back and helped me get comfortable "You say you have post?"

"Aye, there are mostly to do with trade. Apart from this one addressed to Edward, looks posh" she handed it to me, just a plain letter no stamp. When I flipped it over I noticed the return address, Bristol.

sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry and sorry again that this is a week late. some good news however my work is going to allow us to bring our laptops/tablets in to work, they don't have internet but I can still write up my chapters and then upload then when I get home. so this is chapter 1 of 2 (possibly 3 if i get it written up) that I will upload