Chapter 11
Our first winter in the past was not what I was expecting it to be. I knew from the very beginning it wouldn't be rainbows and flowers in the past. I didn't realize how bad it would be during the winter.
I sneezed violently as soon as I woke up one morning. For a few minutes I lay in my freezing cold bed trying to get the blankets on me warm up my body. The sky was still dark and the sun wouldn't rise for another two hours. For once I was up earlier because I was freezing my ass off and I hated it.
I love and hate winter. The reason I love it is because it covers the world in a white blanket where all seen innocent. It could leave desolate places look like a winter wonderland. Then, I hate it because how cold it gets. I know snow is supposed to be cold, but I didn't know I would stay up half the night trying to get warm. Winter is a double-edged sword. It looks beautiful but if you're not careful it can hurt. Huh, that describes almost all my relationships.
I lay there in bed for a while, shivering like a maniac and curled into a tightly knit ball. But, I was getting annoyed from both the draft in the room and my inability to ignore it. The annoyance escalated with time and I finally had enough.
Screw this. I needed a heater.
Rolling off the bed, I shivered the moment my bare feet touched the freezing floor. Ignoring that, I made my way out of my room to make my way across the hall where Kyle's room was. I groped in the dark for the doorknob and, once finding it, opened it. Stumbling inside, I closed the door behind me before heading to the bed off to my right. It was hard to see, but there was the big lump in the bed that would be my salvation. Since heaters wouldn't exist for the another two hundred years I had to go with a natural heater that never turned off.
I walked over to the bed and crawled under the covers. Oh, it was warm. Thank the gods. Lying my head on the only other pillow, I closed my eyes and drank in the warmth that drifted me off to sleep.
When I woke up again I never felt warmer. A body was next to me radiating so much heat I had somehow snuggled up to the body to get the warmth. It felt really nice. But, I couldn't help but notice something was off. For one Kyle might warm but I never would find myself practically pressed against his chest. We had a habit of sleeping back to back if we ever had to share a bed together. If one of us turned, so would the other. The fact I was waking up to a firm chest in front of me and my arms tucked into my chest told me something was off. And, there was also an arm around my waist. Literally, grabbing and holding me to the body beside me.
My eyes snapped open. Wait a second. Kyle and I don't cuddle. Sleep drifted away and allowed my eyes to focus. I found my hands squished against my chest and another firmer, broader one. Oh, no. I couldn't breathe all of a sudden. Raising my eyes, I saw the one person I was afraid to see.
Connor.
Connor and I were in the same bed.
Cuddling.
Oh, gods above.
Crap, crap, crap! My head spun when I realized where I was. How did I get here? Did I drink? No, after the wolf attack a few months ago I didn't go anywhere near alcohol. Even at the Inn, I never drank. Plus, I wasn't naked, thank God. Then, how did I get here? I remember I was cold in my bed and left to go to Kyle's room where I could get warm. Did I get confused during the night? Darn it!
I'll think about this later. I need to get out of here before Connor realizes I'm in his bed. The few months I spent with Connor made me realize that yes, he wasn't a touchy-freely person. In fact when people grab him suddenly he flips them on their back. Kyle learned that the hard way. But why was he hugging me?
No, stupid! Think about this later when Connor doesn't realize you were in the same bed with him! This wasn't proper in either his culture or this era's society! I'm going to get a lecture from Achilles again if he knows I acted unlady-like again.
Swallowing, I took a deep breath. I summoned all of my assassin stealth (which wasn't much compared to Connor's) and slowly rolled away from under his arm. I hoped he wouldn't feel anything change. To my relief the most he did was shift. Rolling out of the covers, I quickly stood up. Connor didn't stir. Whew! One crisis averted. Now for part two.
I quietly tiptoed towards the door to escape the situation. As long as Connor didn't know I was ever in his room her wont suspect anything. I felt like I was really on a stealth mission I've been training for months. All of my hard work cultivated for the sake of surviving embarrassment. This was so sad. Well, at least it was practice. If can sneak in and out of an assassin's room unnoticed, I was at least ready to take on missions.
I made it to the door. Slowly, I twisted the doorknob while praying the hinges didn't squeak. The gods answered my prayers when I opened it to freedom. Yes! Mission accomplished!
Just as I was about to get out of there, certain I would get out of this scot free, I heard shuffling coming from the bed. Shit! Abort mission! Abort mission!
"Hm...Arlette?" I tilted my head back to see Connor sitting up. His sheets pooled around his hips as he rubbed his eyes sleepily. Through half-lidded eyes, he looked at me dazed. "What are you doing in my room?"
"Oh. I, uh, came to wake you up," I answered, tensing. I'm good at catching lies but I'm terrible at telling them. I get breathless when I do.
"Why? It is unlike you to be awake so early," said Connor. Because he was still sleepy, he lost his perfect enunciation he has when speaking English and adopted an accent resembling when he spoke in his native language five years ago.
"Um, the cold woke me up. So, I came to see if you were up yet."
"Alright." Connor yawned and rolled out of bed. I hadn't noticed he was wearing simple trousers and his regular shirt to sleep in. He was about to get dressed so I quickly left the room to head to my own. I cursed myself for somehow ending up in his bed. How did I manage to get Kyle and Connor's rooms confused? Well, they did have rooms next to each other. Still, how did I not know Kyle's room was across the hall? Damnit!
Well, at least neither of them know about that. I would die of embarrassment if they realized I slept in his bed and ended up cuddling him.
I slipped back into my room and got into my clothes. I made certain to wear layers of weak and heavy clothing to keep my body warmth in. We didn't stay inside all day like we used to. I expected we would be outside. Dressed, I made my way downstairs to the breakfast table where, of course, everyone else was there already. When I took my seat Kyle looked weirded out.
"You got up by yourself?"
"Hm," I hummed my affirmation. The cold woke me up more than coffee did in the worst way.
"Why?"
"It was cold."
"Arlette, after breakfast go pack. We will be leaving for New York soon," Connor suddenly said.
I blinked sleepily at him. Did I just hear him say what I think he said?
"New York? For what?"
"There is a potential recruit I found during my last visit to the city. Before she can join, she has asked for my assistance."
"Assistance for what?"
"Assistance to free the citizens from British control."
"You want to get rid of the troops stationed in New York?" Kyle asked, astonished. "You know that's impossible, right? There's a bunch of troops there and, well, only a few assassins."
"That may be so, but we can make a difference by aiding the people living under the British prejudice."
"Connor, you're so innocent. Never change," I remarked, slowly. "Anyway, why do I have to pack? Am I going with you?"
Connor slowly nodded, though he looked confused with my statement. What can I say? He was the most down-to-earth guy I've ever met. He sees the goodness in everything and so optimistic. I envied him. It was the best trait he had.
"Huh? Lettie gets to go on her first mission? What about me?" Kyle exclaimed, outraged. His words brought me back to attention.
Now that he mentioned it, this would be my first mission. My...first mission? I was going on my first mission? Now that I think about it since we started training, we haven't gone out of the homestead. I was going out in the field for the first time as a novice assassin.
"You will be assisting Mr. Faulkner with a few contracts with the Aquila," Achilles said.
"Aw, what? No fair! I wanna go help with whatever Connor needs help with."
"I need Arlette. She can hone her skills while she is out in the field," Connor explained. "As for you, Kyle, your training with Mr. Faulkner will take some time. It is better if you get as much experience out at sea while you can."
Kyle pouted moodily and sulked in his seat. He grumbled about unfair this whole thing was. I rolled my eyes at his behavior and ate my breakfast.
The rest of breakfast was spent with Achilles and Connor discussing funds for the homestead. Connor managed most of the accounts about how much money was coming in and out. He handled the trading of goods in the area to go towards various cities around the colony. From what I knew, Connor was doing a good job of getting money around to the people living here. I know for families like Warren and the lumberjacks, Terry and Godfrey, they really needed that money to feed their wives and children. It seemed that he really cared for the people living on this land. He was one keeping this whole land above the water and he was only nineteen. There weren't many teenagers like Connor around, that's for sure.
Once we finished breakfast, both Connor and I went back upstairs to go pack for our new trip. Kyle followed me into my room where he decided to sit on the bed while I packed.
"You're so lucky," said Kyle as he sat on my bed cross-legged. He watched me pack any essentials I needed for my mission in New York. "You get to go on a mission while I'm stuck here. Why can't I go?"
"Because later on, you're going to be training out at sea with Connor," I answered. I shoved an extra set of robes and a dress into my camping bag along with some female items. Kyle looked away modestly as I packed them. "I'm getting land missions with Connor as an assassin while you get to train as a privateer on top of being an assassin. You're the one who's lucky."
"Are you still mad about that?"
"What do you think?" I was still pissed Kyle got to learn how to fight on the open sea while I was stuck on land. Since we met Mr. Faulkner, the first mate of the assassin's ship vessel the Aquila, early on in our training, the old sea bird offered to teach Kyle in the ways of the sea like he did with Connor. Guess who wasn't offered the same opportunity?
Me! Kyle got to learn how to be a sailor while I didn't! I wasn't angry because he got to be a privateer. I didn't care much for ships. I was pissed because Faulkner didn't bother asking me. I know it sounds like a petty reason to be bitter. But, he didn't think I wanted to be at sea since I was a girl. That's it. He didn't ask because I was a girl.
God, I hate this era.
"I don't see why you're so upset," Kyle sighed.
"You're a seemingly white able man. You wouldn't understand," I shot back.
"I'm not white! We're part Mexican and Chinese!"
"Tell that to the Founders. All they'll see is a white young man with your skin."
"Lettie, will you let it go? I know you're upset women don't have rights in this time period. I really get that. Can't you forget that for one second? We're stuck here for an unknown period of time, and if you can't control your inner feminist, the British or any man for all we know will kill you for being outspoken," Kyle mentioned, exasperated.
"I know, I know. Achilles warned me about that," I sighed. "He said if I do want to act like that, I would be hanged and put out in public as a warning and an example. Since I don't want my corpse to be on display like some store window mannequin, I'm playing it safe."
"I hope so. You're going to New York with Connor. I'm a little worried you'll get hurt."
My eyes softened. Right. I shouldn't be so cross with Kyle. He was used to being my protector (like he has been since childhood). To not be there for me for the first time must have been eating at him. Connor was the only thing keeping me from getting killed and he already tried to kill me once. After that, Kyle didn't feel exactly safe with Connor protecting me.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Connor has taught us how to defend ourselves. You know I can hold myself in a fight," I said. "Besides, Achilles warned me I couldn't run around dressed as a woman. He gave me the permission to dress like a man as long as no one recognized me otherwise."
"How are you going to do that?"
"One, hood." For some odd reason most assassins wore hoods or cowls to hide their face. It was a good idea to not be identified, but the white of our robes and clothes kind of destroyed the purpose. So, I had to come up with a different thing. "And two, I'm using a cloth mask to cover most of my face. Since we have the same eyes, I might pass off as a guy."
"You sure that will work?"
I shrugged. I wasn't certain myself. But, what can you do? It's the only thing I can do to cover my true gender. I act enough like a guy as it is. For what it's worth I might be able to pass off as one. Though, I'm not getting my hopes up.
A knock on my door sounded and it opened. Connor peered inside, standing at the doorway.
"Arlette, are you ready to leave?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm finished," I replied, raising my now packed bag.
"Good. We will be leaving now, then."
Nodding at me, he made his way towards the stairs. I followed after him with Kyle right behind me.
"You sure you got everything?" he asked, worried.
"Yes, Mom. I've got everything," I snapped back. I could only take so much of his mother-hen mode. "Jeez, you need to calm down. I'll be fine."
"Well, I think I have the right to be worried! You could get sick! If you get sick here, then we might as well as make your grave right now. And since it's winter, you're more likely to get sick!"
"Excuse me?" I stopped at the bottom of the stairs to shoot him a look. "Between the two of us, who's the one that's usually hunched over the toilet every couple months?"
He smiled sheepishly.
"Me?"
"And how many times have I gotten sick in the last few years?"
"...Twice."
"Exactly. If anything, you're the one I'm worried about. It's your grave we might be making because you died from some sickness or bad health!"
"Which he shall not," Achilles said. He walked out from one of the rooms with a frown. "Kyle is still a healthy young man. From what I have seen, the both of you are still in a fine shape. Neither of you will be dying from an ailment."
"See? Achilles, tell Kyle I'll be fine. He's acting like a mother hen," I pleaded.
Achilles chuckled, to my dismay.
"I think he has the right to be worried. It is natural to worry over you as you've shown recently. While your brother is prone to some incidents, you tend to injure yourself more often than not."
"Yeah! Is your bruise from last week gone yet?" Kyle asked with a smug look.
I grimaced at the small reminder of what happened last week.
Terry and Godfrey got into a fight over something (again). I was walking by when I heard all the commotion and ran over. When I saw what was happening my first instinct was to get between the two. Unfortunately for me, I had bad timing. The moment after I got between them Godfrey threw a punch at Terry's stomach. But, since I placed myself in front of Terry, Godfrey didn't realize it until it was too late. I got slugged in the stomach instead. Connor, who their kids fetched, saw me hunched over, coughing (because, let me tell ya, a punch from a lumberjack hurts like hell) and the two stunned men before giving the two men a scolding. If it weren't for the pain, I would've laughed from two grown men getting lectured at by a teenager.
The day after the fight I was blessed with a large purple bruise blooming over my stomach. I couldn't even touch that spot with wincing. I complained about it, but Connor just told me it was what I got for being so reckless, getting between the two lumberjacks. By now, the bruise had yellowed and it wasn't as bad anymore.
"I'll be fine," I restated. "Besides, I have Connor looking out for me. I try to stay out of danger as much as I can."
"But, how long until danger finds you again?" Kyle asked in an foreboding tone.
"Kyle," Connor said. He walked back inside the house from the front door. He came up behind me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Arlette will be fine. I promise I shall look after her in your stead."
Kyle glanced between me and Connor, scrutinizing him like he was some amoeba he was examining through a microscope. Finally, he nodded.
"Okay. I'll leave Lettie's protection to you," he agreed. He narrowed his eyes. "But, if I find so much as one hair out of place on Lettie, you'll find yourself knocking on Death's door. Understood?"
"Yes, Mom." I rolled my eyes. God, he was so overprotective. I walked over to him and gave him a quick hug. "Stay safe, got it?"
He returned it.
"Yeah, you, too."
Letting him go, we smiled at one another. Connor nodded at Achilles, who nodded back. Weren't they affectionate? Connor and I walked out the door and down to the 'road' where two horses were waiting. One of them held Connor's pack. I walked over to one, a chestnut-colored stallion, and mounted it. During autumn, before winter set in, Connor taught us horseback riding. Kyle and I, being from the future, have never ridden a horse, much less seen one in person. It took three interesting weeks from how to care for a horse to how to fight on one that we managed to get the basis of it. It reminded me of when we had to learn how to drive. I didn't like horseback riding as much as Kyle, but it was a necessary evil. Given the choice, I would walk. Connor mounted his horse, kicking the sides to get him to race down the road. I followed suit.
We made our way out of the homestead boundaries and into the wild frontier, making our way to good ol' New York City.
xxx
New York...wasn't exactly how I remembered it.
The last time we were in New York back in June the city was full of life (well, they were cheering on someone's death like a sport's game). It was like Boston where people chatted with their neighbors and lived their everyday , the city was a mass of depression and dismal sorrow. The fire last September completely decimated the citizens' spirits. Part of the city was a blackened skeleton where the fire ate through most of the surrounding buildings. It not only destroyed homes and businesses-it crushed their spirits. With the British occupying what's left of the city it was a kick down below.
It took nearly two weeks to get here. We trotted to the edge of the city were farms were more plentiful. By one of the houses, we dismounted and tied up our horses in a stable. I grimaced at the sad people wandering around in clothes that barely warmed them. My mask covering my nose and mouth hid my rude look.
"The city has gone through much, has it not?" Connor mentioned. He knew I wasn't please with what I was seeing.
"I knew things would be bad but not like this," I replied. I wasn't comfortable seeing the devastation of the once lively city. It was a stark contrast to how it was before. However, I knew they would recover...eventually. New York went through a lot of tragedies as a city. The latest on in my era was the 9-11 attack. The city managed to recover enough from that. There was no doubt they would recover once the British leave. That's why we're here.
"The people will survive. They will not be able to recover until the British are gone," he said, following my line of thought.
"Right."
No more was said as Connor led the way through the snowy countryside. Even near the city snow piled up everywhere, which further hurt the people. I can barely stand winder despite my fur layered clothes. I couldn't imagine how anyone else in one meager layer of wool or thread must be adapting. Connor had almost no trouble walking through the two feet of snow on the roads. Around us were some horse drawn carts that had no problem getting through. Me? Not so much.
I trudged on through with my shorter, skinnier legs slowly. The snow crunched each time I lifted my feet higher than normal to keep me going. Why was there so much snow? It was bad enough I was freezing in my boots! I silently complained while Connor moved farther and farther away from me.
Connor reached the snow-less road right by a large white house before me. He brushed off the snow on his coat, then turned back to me for the first time. I could have sworn I saw an exasperated smile.
"Are you not used to snow?" he asked once I trudged out onto the road next to him.
"Remember how I said I lived in a town off to the west?" I panted, teeth chattering. He nodded. "It doesn't snow as much as this there. It's cold and everything but not like this."
"How far west do you live?"
"It's next to the Pacific Ocean."
"Is it a colony?"
"...Kind of. Well, not really."
Connor asked me little questions about the future all the time since he found out. I couldn't answer some questions regarding the future of the US. After the war, America would expand farther west to conquer a good part of North America. How could I tell Connor the colonies became one of the most powerful nations in the world? I couldn't tell him. For all I know he might change the future with what he knows. He wasn't happy with that, of course.
"I see," he said, flatly. The disappointment and frustration flashing in his eyes told the true story. He turned to walk off towards the house while I cringed. Why couldn't he understand I didn't want to change the future? Damn his kind heart.
I followed him to the house. With the road this time it wasn't that hard to catch up. He was at the front door of the house and knocked on it twice. By the time I caught up to him, the door opened. Stopping just behind him, I saw who opened the door. It was a woman much older than me. I would have guessed she was around thirty years old, yet with her hard dark eyes and the tense stance she looked older. I noted immediately she was wearing breeches and a coat like a man. Thank God. I wasn't the only one who dressed like this.
The woman leaned against the door frame with her arms folded. She looked straight at Connor but ignored me.
"I've heard what you've been up to," said the woman in an Irish accent. It suited her. "While you've been putting a stop to this madness, I was sniffing out who's responsible."
"His tactics are familiar to me," Connor answered. He must have heard of this person.
She appraised him curiously. "Is that right? Well, I don't know who the man is, but he's not for Patriots or British. He's got a fortified camp built around the main water supply in the area. All the seized crops, all the meat, everything is being moved there then resold at dizzying prices."
I blinked. Wait a second. If he's neither Patriot or British, then he was obviously a Templar. Geez, no wonder Connor thinks this woman was a potential recruit! If she could figure this out and had the guts to go after this guy, then I would want to recruit her, too.
"How do we get in?"
"I got some local men ready to get in on the fight. It looks like you've got your own man to help out." She finally looked at me. Oh. I guess she did notice me.
"Yes. This is my comrade, Arlette Vinova," Connor said, stepping aside to introduce us so he wasn't in the way. "Arlette, this is Deborah Carter."
"Call me Dobby. It's the name I'm more used to," Dobby said with the nod of her head.
"Then, you can call me Lettie. Arlette makes me sound stuffy," I replied. I was confused when her eyebrows raised.
She leaned in closer to my face as if she were trying to see my very soul. I leaned back in response, avoiding her eyes. Then, she let out a bark of laughter.
"Well, what do you know? I mistook ya for a young lad when you're really a little lady! I thought the name was too feminine for a man to have. It wasn't til your voice I heard ya sing like a lark instead of barking like a dog!"
"Then, I guess my outfit is working, huh?" I laughed nervously. I wasn't feeling comfortable at the moment. Did I really look like a guy? I know Kyle and I look a lot like one another, but I always thought I still looked enough like a girl. But, I suppose that was a good thing. I needed to look enough like a man so I don't get arrested for looking indecent. Although, my voice should be much lower so people wouldn't figure it out so fast. I should keep that in mind next time I speak.
"I'll say. At your age I wasn't able to hide I was a woman once my body betrayed me." She gestured down at her bosom, which showed a little cleavage from under the shirt she was wearing. She looked rather nice, if I said so myself. "I kept doing my work, but I couldn't hide I wasn't a boy no longer."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I had a problem trying to cover up without guys telling I had that," I said with some empathy. I had to bind my breasts so even under my layers of clothes it appeared as if I had a very soft and flat chest. I was proud of them. I used to be called flat and made fun of before they grew to a good size. So, it hurt to have to bind them.
Connor cleared his throat. Glancing at him, I saw he was frowning in disapproval of the talk. Yeah, talking about our cup size was a very no-no subject in this age. It still was in the modern era. But, I think his cheeks were a bit darker than usual. Huh, must be the cold weather.
"We should hurry and go meet with the merchant before he flees," he suggested.
"Oh. Right." The two of us smiled sheepishly. Seems she forgot Conner was standing right there while we were having our conversation, too. He's just so quiet all the time.
Dobby led us both to where the fort was located. We took the road in the farmlands since it was the least covered in snow. The farmers must have shoveled some out of the way so the carts and wagons could get through. The land around us was bare with white snow as no crops could be grown in this kind of weather. A chilly wind swept right through my clothes like it was rice paper and I shivered.
Dobby spoke to Connor about some of the details of the fort. I trailed behind them, a bit uncomfortable. I felt like a third wheel for some reason. These two knew where they were doing and how they were going to do it. I was just a follower to give orders to. Which is fine by me. I'm not good at giving orders (well, except to Kyle).
The road weaved through the houses and land until it finally ended by the river. We hid ourselves behind a brick wall behind a barn. Crouching low, we peeked over the stones to see the small building with a water wheel sticking out the side. To my dismay there were also Redcoats all around it.
"So, what now?" I asked.
Connor assessed the situation silently. His gaze landed on several of the guards to see where their line of sight was.
"It would be safe to try and distract them. I would rather avoid unnecessary bloodshed today."
"Heh! I would say the opposite, but for now I agree," Dobby agreed with a smirk. "If we got charging right through, those Lobsters would swarm to us like never ending flies! Not to mention alert the blackguard."
"What about your men?"
"I've got'em 'round here so there's no reinforcements comin' our way. Just a precaution, though I don't think they'll last long in a fight with this many." She jerked her head to the many Redcoats. I don't think I've ever seen so many in one place outside of a battle before.
"Okay, so your men can't take a lot of the British head on with that many numbers and we have to avoid killing them," I deduced. I tilted my head in thought. "Then, does that mean we'll have to lure them away? If we do that, then we'll be able to distract them and make them leave their posts."
Connor and Dobby shared a glance.
"It might work," Connor thoughtfully said. "Can your men outrun them?"
"Some, not most. But, there aren't enough to lure away the guards. They can take the other side, but not the one's here," Dobby answered, nodding at the two guards in front of us.
"Hm, so what do we do?" I muttered.
There was a moment of silence as the three of us tried to think of something. Then, out of the corner of my eye I noticed Connor slowly turn to look at me. He stared at me, wordlessly. Dobby, for some inexplicable reason, also turned to stare at me with a knowing gleam in her eye. It wasn't until they were both staring at me with unwavering gazes (and, boy, did that make me unnerved!) did I stared back at them.
"Um, why are you two staring at me like that?"
"Arlette." I tensed at the way he said my name. It was slightly hard, enunciating the ending. Oh, dear. He only uses that tone when I'm either in trouble or I'm gonna be in trouble. "Has Achilles taught you how to pickpocket?"
"...Yes," I answered, slowly.
"How fast on yer feet are ya?" Dobby asked in turn.
"Pretty fast...Why?"
They continued their silent gazes. I blinked several times. I had a feeling that was a rhetorical question-Oh.
Oh.
"...Do I have to?" I whined. Dread fell into the pits of my stomach. I didn't like what they were suggesting.
Once again, they didn't say a word. Their eyes spoke the answer.
I wanted to smash my head against the stone wall. Of all the things I had to do, it just has to be this! Damn it, Connor! You're my friend! Why are you letting your duty as my mentor get in the way of my safety? Freakin' sadist. No wonder Kyle gets wary whenever Connor makes me do something I don't want to (i.e. push me off a cliff). Talk about tough love.
"...You owe me for this," I reluctantly hissed.
The two just smiled at my agreement. They were sadists, I just know it. Screw them!
Taking a deep breath, I crept along the wall to where it ended by a few bushes. I hid myself inside them, taking care not to make them rustle as I made my way to the two guards. With the nearest one in sight I gulped and sent a brief prayer for my safety. Then, I pounced.
I didn't actually pounce. It was more like I shot out of the bushes and practically pushed the guard to the ground. For some reason it reminded me of a kid pushing another kid in a playground. Huh. At the same time I snatched the pouch tied to his belt and sprinted off into the snow. The two yelled after me and by the crunches of snow underneath their boots they were following me.
I scrambled down the road and through the snow like a chicken with its head cut off. It was hard to run through the thick snow. I wasn't the only one with that problem. Behind me, I heard the guards yelling at me to stop. That kind of defeats the purpose of getting me. Who in their right mind would listen to people who would kill them? So dumb.
Running across fields and ducking around farmhouses, I chanced a glance over my shoulder to find something I didn't like. The two guards tripled in their attempts to catch. Most of them waved around their bayonets as they chased after me.
Reinforcements, I thought with dread. I should've expected it. We're causing enough commotion to bring more guards to the scene. That didn't mean anything good for me. Especially when they started shooting at me.
Okay, time for a new plan! I'm not standing in the open like some idiot to get shot at. I don't want holes through my body, thanks! I hopped over a pasture fence, changing directions towards the city. It took awhile to get there, but I managed it. To my dismay the guards also followed me. Damn, they were persistent!
Once I entered the city, I sprinted into the darkened alleys and back streets. I ended up bumping into a lot of people to get there as the streets were a bit crowded with horses, carts, and multitudes of people. It would have been good except those damn guards on my tail made everyone part to get out of the way. I turned a corner into an alleyway as soon as I could.
I didn't stop running until I was deep inside the city. Through twists and turns, under and over fences (I was still too scared to climb buildings, I'm afraid), I kept at it without memorizing the path I took. All I could think about was escaping the guards. I'm sure I was too fast for them, because somewhere during the chase I couldn't hear them anymore.
In the shadows of an alleyway protected by the cover of wooden boards I finally came to a stop. I leaned against the brick wall and hunched over. Pulling down my mask, sweet cold air filled my lungs so I could actually breathe.
I was exhausted. Not as bad as my training, but it felt like it. It was probably because the adrenaline fueled by my fear.
Fear was an emotion I was becoming all too familiar with. Fear of heights, fear of knives, fear of being killed...But, never have I feared the unknown. I always worried over what I didn't know in a situation. I wasn't sure what would happen to me if those guards caught me. Would I be able to fend them off on my own? They were bigger than me. Would they outright kill me? Or draw out my death in a gruesome manner? I didn't know, and that scared me. Here, I was beginning to panic about the many things I didn't know of this era. I was scared to embarrass myself around these people. Doing that would lead to my death.
I'll admit. Death scared me. Who wasn't afraid of death? It was a natural fear. But, I wasn't just afraid of dying. I was afraid of what's after death. What happens to us after our bodies stop functioning? When our blood runs cold and our limbs begin to decay? I didn't believe in a specific god since Mom was an atheist (she didn't like the practice of relgions but respected Dad's choice to go to church). She taught me to believe in myself, not a god.
So, what came after death?
I didn't know and I didn't want to know just yet.
I managed to catch my breath after a short while. Though my face and hands grew numb, I was overheating in my clothes. I was also a bit light headed from running so long. Shaking off the slight dizziness, I took the chance to see where I was.
What I saw I didn't like. I was on some unrecognizable street like any other in this city. There was nothing around to make it unique. Where am I?
I resisted the urge to smack myself. Great, Lettie. You got lost in a city again. How many times has this happened already? Connor should keep a leash on me or something. Or, better yet, give me a freakin' map?
"No, there is no need for maps," I mimicked in my best Connor voice. When Connor annoys me I tend to mock him when I'm alone. "You can find your way around enough on your own. Find the highest point in the area and create a visual map for yourself! Yeah, Connor. Make the girl who partially hates heights climb something high. Real smart."
I heaved a sigh. No. There's no way I'm climbing the roofs. It's not like anyone would notice me running across the rooftops. Oh, no! It surely wouldn't get me killed! I'm going to do this the old fashioned way: walking. I'll do fine on my own walking.
With that in mind I walked out of the alleyway, turning the corner into the main road. There weren't many people around considering the sun already set. Everyone, except for the men and women looking for a good time, had the common sense to go home to huddle around a nice warm fire. I covered my mouth again since my cheeks were getting cold. Bundling my hands into my sleeves to avoid the biting air, I began my way through New York.
As it was the first time walking through a city of this era on my own, I was a little uncomfortable. Not only was it really dark (there were only so many lanterns lit), there were some people I didn't want to run into. The obvious being Redcoats, the other being the average thug who wanted to pick fights or get some girls. The usual dangers. I tried not to flinch at the sight of British soldiers on night patrol. I especially tried to not wince every time a man larger than me passed by to accuse me of being a woman. Of course, that was silly of me. My clothes couldn't betray my body with the multiple layers underneath. The layers made me look more like a man instead of the petite figure of a woman.
My fears were all unprecedented, but it still made me uncomfortable.
The streets blended together as my feet carried my wandering self around. It seemed like every other street was the same with a few differences like court houses and businesses strewn here and there. If it weren't for the few signs of establishments (bars, general stores, etc.), I seriously would have thought I was going around in a circle. Since I wasn't, I just tried my best to find my way back to the farming areas. Of course, with my lack of navigational skills, that didn't happen.
When I ended up in some random town square I stopped to take in my surroundings. Okay, at this point I'm not afraid to say I'm lost. Really lost. So lost I started to wonder if I should chance finding an inn instead to look for Connor in the morning. I scratched that idea. Being the trainee, Connor didn't bother to give me any money nor did I want to. Kyle told me merchants traded whatever money to get some profit. I just let Connor handle all the money until I understood the trading system. So, I'm flat broke, lost, and freezing to death.
Way to go, Lettie. Your first mission is going so swell.
Why does my life suck? I quietly lamented. Five months ago, I used to be such a normal girl. Normal girls don't travel through time to get stuck there and train to be killers. Why couldn't this happen to someone else?
My thoughts of woe and self-pity were cut when I heard shouting.
"Please, help me!" cried a voice. It sounded like a young girl in distress. "I'm begging you to help me! Won't anyone listen?"
I turned around to see what was going on. A young girl a few years younger than me was running about in the square. She was dressed like a true modest girl of this era, yet her cries betrayed her. She grabbed at the sleeves of men, begging them to help her. From what I could tell, whatever was bothering her was urgent. The men she tried to beg simply sneered at her, pulling away from her, or ignored her.
Normally, I wouldn't get into the business of other people. But, as as assassin I was learning we had to aid the innocent when they're in trouble and this young girl had trouble.
"Girl," I said in a gruff voice. Gosh, I sound like I have a sore throat and laryngitis all at the same time. I approached the girl where her tear–filled eyes met mine. "What's wrong? Is everything alright?"
"Mister!" She ran towards me, grabbing my sleeve just as she did earlier. "My mother needs help! Please! Please help her!"
"Where's your mother?" I asked gently.
Her relief at my assistance was plain on her face. It spoke volumes.
"Thank you. Follow me!"
She turned around ran around a corner to the right. Oh, great! More running.
With an inaudible sigh I followed after the girl. Thankfully, she was there waiting for me to catch up before darting down the street.
Luckily for me, we didn't have to go that far. We only had to go down far enough where yells were coming from.
"You swine! It's my money you are spending and I won't have you wasting it!"
I came close enough to see a regular house where a man and woman were arguing. It came to a halt when the man backhanded the woman. She stumbled back, tripping over her skirt to fall to the ground. The girl cried out in horror.
"Mother!"
"Good for nothing wench! I'll do whatever I want! I'll you to never forget that!" the man snarled. He reached down to grab the woman's forearm and brought her to her feet. From the woman's wince, his grip was too tight. Even so, she struggled against him.
"Let me go!"
"Hey! Let 'er go!" I yelled. If there was one thing I could stand, it was to see a woman being beaten by her husband. No husband had the right to hurt his wife. There's no excuse for abuse! My blood boiled the moment he striked her.
Without a second thought I ran forward to give him a good right hook to the face. He was too distracted keeping a grip on his wife he didn't expect it. The man stumbled back away from his wife. I placed myself between them where he finally noticed me.
"Bugger off!" he shouted at him.
"Like hell I will!" I shouted back at him.
To my very own surprise my body moved on its own so I tackled him. I caught him at the midsection to bring him down. The wind got knocked out of both of us when we hit the ground, but I didn't care. I was so angry all I could think about was hurting him.
I slid on top of him to pin him underneath me. Before he could do anything, I punched him in the face repeatedly. Now, I'm not normally a violent person but abusers pissed me off.
At this point I switched to my default fight mode. Whenever Kyle and I get physical in our fights he said something weird happens to me. He says I go on autopilot and I start fighting without thinking straight. Unless I'm subdued, I will keep trying to injure the other person as much as possible. Of course, since I'm not a violent person this rarely happens. Ever since Connor forced us to learn how to fight, it's been a little bad for Kyle. Connor usually beats me in a fight, so I've been learning how to control myself.
I completely lost it, so by the time I realized it blood spurted from the man's mouth and nose.
The man growled underneath me. He grabbed the front of my shirt and pushed me back. It was really pathetic how easy he did it, too, like I was a small ragdoll. This time, I was the one to fall and roll onto the ground. Slightly disoriented, the kick to my stomach came out of nowhere. The foot hit the healing bruise there. I cried out, trying to block out the pain. He reared back his foot again to kick me, but I learned quickly. I rolled out of his range and back to my feet.
Getting back to my feet made me a little dizzy and unsure of my own footing. I tried to shake off the dizzy spell, which gave the man more than enough time to give his own little revenge to my punching. A hard fist slammed into my face. The force knocked me right back to the ground, completely dazed. It also made me bite the soft inside of my cheek hard. Now, I tasted blood.
I wasn't sure what happened next. All I knew was how the man stood over me, looking like he really wanted to beat me to death. He raised his foot to stomp on my fallen person and I automatically winced. Aw, man. This is gonna hurt!
The blow never came.
The man cried out in pain all of a sudden. Snapping my eyes open, I looked to see the reason. Blinking spots out of my vision, I was taken back to see Connor beating the man. Connor had no trouble doing so like I did considering he was both bigger and stronger.
The man didn't stand a chance against him. So, I was more than a little appreciative of Connor when the man slumped to the ground.
Connor stood over him. He had a very scary expression on his face, which could make grown men cry.
"Leave," he commanded in a cold, calm tone.
The man obliged. He stumbled up to his feet and limped away to lick his wounds and his pride.
With the danger averted I struggled to get to my feet. When I managed it I had to hold my head from the rapid rush of blood down my brain, making the world spin. A small hand grabbed my arm to steady me.
"Mister, are you alright?" the girl asked beside me.
At first I wasn't able to answer. There was blood swishing around in my mouth. I pulled down my cloth mask to spit the blood to the side, gagging.
"Ugh, gross," I muttered. I pulled up the mask with a grimace. There go my taste buds. All I could taste was my blood. The taste of blood is not something I like.
"I'm fine," I told the girl. "Don't worry about me. Worry about your mother first."
She nodded, but still appeared concerned. Aw, what a nice girl.
"That wasn't necessary," the woman said to me, bitterly. She also sounded a bit irritated and...afraid? "I can handle myself. When he returns he'll try to give me twice the thrashing."
"Why would you stay with such a man?" Connor asked, curious.
She nodded to the building behind her. "This is my house and business! It's my tailoring that paid for the place. I'll take his drunken buffoonery over leaving behind what I built."
Wow, this lady's got guts. If I was with a guy like that, I'd boot his butt to the street. Either that, or leave him, taking all our money with me. Which makes me wonder how a rude guy like that managed to get such a pretty woman.
"If I told you there was another place where you could live and work, free of him. Would you consider it?" he offered.
"The catch?" she asked, suspicious.
"No catch. Our village is growing and in need of all forms of trade. Just business and a new life."
"And, ma'am, if I were you, I'd take his offer," I said, reverting back to my girlish voice. If we were going to have this woman around, it's best to get them used to the idea of me being a girl. Already, the woman and her daughter looked at me in surprise. "Would you want your daughter to grow up with a man like that around? It's not safe for either of you."
"Oh, mother. Please? Can we take their offer?" the girl begged her mother, pleadingly.
She glanced between Connor and her daughter's big, begging eyes. Finally, she smiled.
"I'll come and see if what you say is true," she said. Connor and I smiled. We could already tell she was accepting our offer. "My name is Ellen. This is my daughter, Maria. What are your names?"
"My name is Connor. My companion's name is Arlette," he introduced politely.
"Nice to meet you," I greeted with a nod. "But, call me Lettie."
Ellen nodded with grateful eyes.
"Thank you for what you did, Lettie."
"Yes, thank you!" Maria chirped. "You were the only one who'd listen to me. I cannot thank you enough."
"No problem. You were in trouble and wanted to help your mother. I was happy to help."
Maria smiled with relief beyond any words. I smiled back through my eyes consider my mask hid my mouth. I had a feeling we'd get along in the future.
We soon bid goodbye to Ellen and Maria, who promised to travel to the homestead soon. I followed after Connor with a hand cradling my cheek. It really hurt. I'm glad his punch didn't break any of my teeth. It felt hard enough to do so.
I was so engrossed with licking blood on the inside of my cheek where the cut was I didn't realize Connor stopped walking until I hit his back. I walked straight into him and had to step back to catch myself.
"Ow! Why'd you stop? At least warn me when you do," I grumbled.
"Arlette."
I stopped. Oh, great. He said my name. I figured out how whether I'm in trouble or not depending on the way he says my name. When I'm in trouble he says, "Arlette," enunciating the t's. Oh, boy. What did I do now?
"What's wrong?"
He turned to face me. He folded his arms across his chest, the sleeves accenting the buff muscles there. He stared down at me like an angry parent who found out his daughter was dating some bad boy. With his size (being ridiculously tall) it made me feel like a child again.
"Arlette," Connor said again. "What you did back there was reckless of you."
"What? Helping Ellen?" I asked, incredulous. I was getting in trouble for this? "I thought you said helping people was one of our jobs!"
"It is."
"Then, why are you so mad?"
"I am not angry." To prove my point he said it like he was angry. He paused, catching his mistake and sighed. "I am disappointed with the way you approached the situation. You should have realized you could not take that man on your own."
"What was I supposed to do? Let Ellen get hurt?"
"No! You should have gotten help!"
"Help from where? When Maria called out for help no one paid attention to her. I was the only one who did! And, before you say anything," I added as he opened his mouth to argue, "who could I have asked help from? You? You were God knows where! Speaking of which, how did you even find me?"
"I followed your trail. I have a second sight that allows me to see a person's imprint in the area," he explained when seeing I was confused. Not that his explanation lessened my confusion. "Do not change the subject. You could have been severely hurt had I not intervened. While I may have trained you well these past few months, there are still many things I have yet to teach."
"Like what?" I challenged.
"How to assess a situation before reacting as well as how to use your size to your advantage. In case you have forgotten you will not be able to defeat everyone in your path with your stature."
"As if any of us could be a giant like you," I muttered. It wasn't fair. Why did I have to be so small? Connor can intimidate people with his size being taller than the average white male. I'd be lucky enough to scare a mouse. "Sorry. I guess I should've paid attention more."
Connor's eyes softened.
"No, you are right. I should not be angry when you did the right thing," he said, apologetically. "I was afraid you had been hurt and placed blame on you when you only did what was right. But, you still have much to learn."
"I know." Even though we were the same age, there was a gap in our experience. At times it felt like Connor was far older than me with his unending patience and wisdom. It made me feel immature in comparison.
"It is alright. In time you will improve. I was in your position once before," Connor mentioned, as if he were trying to cheer me up.
"I know. I met you at that beginning stage, remember?"
"Ah."
"Yeah. You were shorter back then, too. I kinda liked it when you were that bright-eyed kid being in the city for the first time."
"That was a long time ago."
"Not for me, it wasn't." I giggled when he grimaced like he was remembering something he wasn't fond of. "What, are you embarrassed?"
"No. I am remembering something from that time I had forgotten." He abruptly turned and started walking down the street. I raised an eyebrow after him. Hm, I wonder what he remembered? I always thought he was calm, but why did he act all embarrassed? I'll have to ask later.
I moved to catch up to his side. When I did I remembered something.
"Oh! How did your mission with Dobby go? Did you manage to recruit her?" I asked.
He nodded. "She managed to kill the Templar merchant. Once she questioned why he had done such a thing, I told her the truth about the Assassins and Templars."
He started to tell me the story of what happened after I left as we made our way to an Inn for a good night's rest. The snow began to fall gently from the sky in flurries to pile high across the city once more, erasing the blackened snow to become a clean white slate again.
XXX
Wow. I am so sorry! This chapter is so late I can't even begin to make excuses. Well, one is that I've had a couple things going on in my life. I decided to start this up again now that I'm in school and have nothing better to do than write pieces of this story to keep myself awake in class. I'm sorry about the crappy ending.
I'm keeping this short so I can go play Kingdom Hearts and get the Assassin's Creed 4 Literal trailer out of my head. Curse you, Tobuscus!
Anyway, please review!
