Wow, it has been a long time. Things have happened in my life, good and bad, and now I think I have the time and the strength to continue writing. Loss has been a major factor in my recent life, so I apologize for leaving you guys hanging. Thank you to all who have inspired me, and encouraged me.
Chapter 12
The trip back to the inn had given her time to think about what she was going to tell them. Every conversation in her head sounded absolutely ridiculous, and made her feet drag in an attempt to slow the inevitable. Several times Connor had stopped and looked at her, waiting patiently as she drew up the rear. Seeing his face, the bruises and the marks, made her stomach twist painfully. While she was away he had clearly seen a hard time, and it made her feel an irrational guilt. The guilt gave way to wonder. What had become of her family? Had things changed even in the least bit? All she could do was hope as she hesitantly entered the inn.
The conversation had gone better than she expected, and even ended without Connor asking demanding questions. Overall a success. Still, she couldn't shake away the nagging feeling that she had been home, and had given it all up. It was for their well-being she reminded herself as she pushed open the front door to the inn. Night had settled down over the city, the sky cloudy with the promise of rain. Rain hardly bothered her, being from a place where it rained more than the sun shone.
She leaned tentatively against the structure, watching the few remaining people hurrying to finish up their days so they could go home to their families. As the tears began to well up, she quickly wiped her hand across them. "Stupid allergies," she mumbled, biting the inside of her cheek. Her chestnut gelding nickered softly from where he stood hitched to a rail, his soft brown eyes regarding her curiously.
"I don't know if what I did was right," she said quietly, reaching out to stroke his forehead. "No matter how many times I tell myself that they're better off, I feel like I'm lying."
The gelding snorted and returned to his hay, leaving her with her own thoughts. As she turned to lean back against the inn the rain began to fall, gently painting the cobblestones dark. She didn't move, enjoying the drops as they began to beat against her hair and face. The sound, the smell, and the feel of the cold water against her skin was calming. In no time at all she was soaked to the bone, the humidity keeping her warm.
"Shay? What are you doing out here? You're going to catch your death," Connor's voice rang out, causing her gaze to snap straight to him.
She offered him a wry smile. "I'm starting to feel invincible. Besides, it's not that cold out here," she said.
His forehead creased into a frown as he approached her, his hood covering most of his face. She noticed he moved stiffly, the pain evident to her through the big bad assassin posture. He would never admit it, and she didn't press. "You should go back inside."
"I will in a moment. It's more pleasant to stare at the sea rather than the wall."
"Is something bothering you?" he asked, standing now beside her. His hood was drawn, keeping the rain out of his face as he stared at her. It amused her how polite he was, yet there were somethings he did that were flat out rude. Apparently he was never taught not to stare at a lady.
"No, I'm just worried that things won't change and my brother will still be a Templar," she said softly, grimacing.
"I'm sure it has all gone back to normal and they are safe," he assured her gently.
"I really do hope so. It's kind of funny how you accused me of being a Templar when we first met, and ultimately that's what I would have been," she mused, giving him another sarcastic smile. It widened as the young assassin snorted, clearly amused even though he didn't let on.
She let the silence linger between them for a moment, her nerves tittering as the thoughts began to rush through her mind. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around his middle, his chest damp against her cheek. He stumbled back in surprise, his body tensing at the sudden unwarranted physical contact. The young assassin bashfully glanced around, finding the streets empty as he gently rested his hand against her shoulder. It felt improper to be this close to her, but he stood still as she spoke.
"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered. "I thought I had lost you."
Awkwardly, Connor glanced down at her and tilted her chin up. Every instinct told him to step back, put some space between them, but he could feel her shuddering against him. She had given up her one chance to be home to come back here. "You won't," he said gently. "Come, let's get you back inside."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry," Shay spoke hurriedly as she withdrew, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment as they walked inside.
He watched her move tensely, remembering back to their conversation a few months back. He had been insistent about asking about the world she had lived in. Through the entire conversation she had been reluctant to give fine details, but she did indulge him a little bit. Talk had been all over the board, from lifestyles to technology, some of it a bit of a shock to him. It all reeled through his mind as they moved up the stairs, coming to her room.
"I suppose this is good night. Will you go back to the manor with us tomorrow?" she asked quietly.
In the low light he could see the exhaustion tugging underneath her eyes, the stress lines that creased around her eyes and across her forehead. "I will get you there half way, but then I must go," he said softly.
It was clear she was too tired to argue, much to his relief. "I suppose that is acceptable," she said, her tone light and teasing. "Good night, Connor." There was a brief moment of hesitation, but his trained eye caught the tightening of her hand on the door handle to push it open.
"Shay..." he said quickly, causing her to stop and look up at him. For the first time he could remember, his courage failed him. Instead, he faltered and let out a soft sigh. "Good night."
Shay's soft smile made him inwardly wince at his sudden lack of action, but he made no move to stop her as she slipped behind the door and closed it softly. With one last glance, he turned and went back to his room.
ooooo
The night had been a series of brief moments of unconsciousness, but most of it she had spent sitting up in bed contemplating the future. Not that it mattered much, considering she was stuck here now. Yawning, Shay dragged herself out of bed, slowly forcing herself to get dressed and eventually walk out of the room to the door to the outside world. There was hesitation as she finally pushed it open to find her horse tethered just outside, his nose buried in a small pile of hay. With a glance, he nickered a small greeting before returning to his meal. Good morning to you too.
She barely noticed Connor moving out of the corner of her eye as she moved to get saddled up and ready for the journey back to the homestead. A hot bath sounded nice right about now, and perhaps Corrine would braid her hair back like she had done a few times before. The thought was foreign, but pleasant. Had she been here long enough to call this place home? She thought about all of the residents of the homestead with fondness, and even looked forward to seeing them again.
With a start, she turned to see the young native walking forward with her saddle. He threw it up onto the gelding's back, cinching it tight into place. "Thanks," she murmured, leaning against the gelding slightly.
"You look exhausted," he said simply, raising an eyebrow.
"I didn't sleep well last night."
"Did you sleep at all?"
She sighed and gave him a look. "A little bit," she relented. It wasn't much of an answer, but it was the truth.
He gave her a look in return and shook his head. "We leave in a few minutes."
"Okay," she breathed, pushing the gelding's head up to put his bridle on. It truly was only a few minutes before she was up on his back and they were trudging back to the homestead. Achilles trailed behind them on his roan mare, his hawk-like gaze drilling into their backs. Connor glanced over at her occasionally to make sure she was still sitting upright. So far she had managed to stay in one general place on her gelding's back as she began to drift off. The swaying motion of the horse was lulling, and it didn't take long for her to fall asleep, all of the weight from the last few days dropping off.
It didn't take long for her mind to slip into a deep sleep.
All she could feel was the overwhelming sense of fear. She had been frightened before, course, but nothing quite like this. Fight or flight couldn't even begin to describe the pressure in her chest, threatening to suffocate her. Despite the fear, her legs moved as if they were stuck in drying cement. No matter how hard she tried to flee it was gaining on her. As her eyes darted around, she found she was alone in a stark white room. The fear didn't disappear as she began to move forward, a chill running up her spine. Then it struck; a pain shot up her side, encouraging a scream past her lips.
There wasn't any sign of an assailant as she stumbled forward, her left arm coming around to grip the right side of her ribs. As she brought it back up, she found her fingers tipped in blood. Panic now began to mingle with the fear, blinding her as she desperately tried to move. Now the taste of blood stained her tongue, her chest heaving.
Not even a few steps later, her legs gave out. Now the pain was a constant, the coppery taste stronger, as the floor cradled her body. Then there was a calm, something that just comforted her as she lay there. Hesitantly, she lifted her gaze to see him kneeling beside her, his hand on her shoulder. She reached out and grasped his arm, taking in his strength. As a breeze blew past them, she cocked her head. What had he just said? His lips didn't move but she could hear his voice asking her to get up, if she was okay. Did she look okay? She was bleeding and in obvious distress.
Then his grip on her shoulder tightened. What the hell? Despite trying to shrug him off, his grip tightened until she began to lose feeling in her arm.
"Shay!"
Her eyes fluttered opened, the blue sky filling her vision. Wait... why was she looking at the sky? Groaning, she felt the pain slowly creeping up her spine and into her ribs. What had happened? "Shay, look at me," Connor's voice finally caught her attention, her head tilting slowly to look at him. She had never seen him so worried before as he leaned over her. Despite his roaming gaze she didn't feel bothered or violated. She knew it was all observant, just in his nature.
"What happened?" she asked quietly.
"You fell off of your horse," he replied. "Can you move?"
"Yeah, I think so. Just catching my breath first," she said, taking a few pained breaths before she strained to sit up.
Connor reached out, placing his hand on her back to support her as she finally struggled into a sit. "Slow," he chided softly as she went to stand. He held onto her arm as she wobbled. Her legs even began to shake a little bit as she took a few unsteady steps. "Come on," he offered, leading her to his mare.
"Where is Achilles?" she asked, trying to blink back the headache forming.
"I told him to go on ahead with your horse."
"Good to know he wasn't worried," she said, trying to make light of the situation.
At that Connor shot her a look. "You know he cares."
"I was just joking," she mumbled as he gently lifted her up onto his mare. She couldn't help but wince in pain as she tried to settle down comfortably. He noticed, but said nothing as he climbed as carefully as he could behind her.
"You should try to sleep a little bit," he encouraged, bringing his arms around her to hold the reins.
As much as she didn't want to admit it, sleep continued to tug at her. It was very tempting, even more so now that she was nestled safely against him in his arms. This was what she had longed for for a very long time. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and let herself drift off.
ooooo
Connor had take her all the way back to the manor, despite what he had said about leaving them at the halfway point. Promptly after, he had left, leaving her to heal under Corrine's watchful eye. Time had slowly passed, and she began to feel anxious, even with the letters she had received. It was completely unlike him to write, but she kept them close nonetheless. They were stored carefully in the drawer of her desk, neatly folded up. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and it wasn't until the snow began to stick to the ground that he returned. He seemed agitated, and the tension between him and his mentor had grown.
Simply being in the same house as them was difficult, and keeping quiet even more so. It almost made her wish she had stayed in the future, or perhaps have a few drinks. Shay stood next to her gelding, grooming the mud out of his bright red coat. If there was one way to escape the arguing, it was to be here, away from all of them. What was difficult was she understood both sides. Connor was at times headstrong, hasty, and quick to act without taking everything into account. At the same time, Achilles was stubborn and didn't act as quickly as he should.
Sighing, she tossed the curry comb into the bucket as she heard shouting. Another argument. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she hurried out of the barn into the line of fire.
"How dare you?!" Achilles snapped, glowering at his charge.
"Then tell me, on who's watch did the Brotherhood falter? Whose inaction allowed the Templar order to grow so large that it now controls an entire nation?" Connor snapped back, throwing the pack onto his horse's back.
At this point, Shay had come up, catching bits and pieces of the conversation. "In your haste to save the world, boy, take care you don't destroy it," Achilles said, turning away as Connor mounted up onto his horse.
"Connor, wait," she mustered, stepping up to the side of his horse.
He stopped and glared down at her, which she returned readily. At this he sighed and relaxed his grip on the reins. "I must be going," he growled.
"Yes, I know you do, but please just be careful. They will be gunning for you now that you're going to Washington's aid," she said, resting her hand against his arm. "And, don't forget to write. I've really enjoyed it."
Connor seemed to hesitate, but he nodded. "If I have a chance, I will, but I cannot make any promises. I have to go now."
She reluctantly released him and took a step back from his mare. "Of course, be safe," she said, watching him nod before he spurred his horse forward into the unknown. Slowly, she let out her breath through her lips. "I hope you know what you're doing, Connor."
Okay, that's where we'll leave it. We're going to the point now where Connor is gone from the manor for extended periods of time. So I feel we're coming close to the end, or at least will be skipping massive sections. I hope this wasn't too boring, as I really struggled halfway through. I think we're at a point where their relationship will now significantly progress.
