Hello again! I'm back! Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!
This was easily one of my all time favorite chapters to write, for reasons made apparent later. But I told you guys it would be a quick update! I was literally so excited to get started on the next chapter that I woke up the next morning, checked the views, downloaded some music, and started writing right then and there.
As always, I don't own Assassin's Creed or Ubisoft's portrayal of historical figures. I do, however, own my OCs. Please enjoy!
December 26th, 1776
I had never liked traveling by boat. They made me feel sick, and I would have much rather swum across the Delaware River if had there been no chance of contracting hypothermia or being smashed by floating ice the size of boulders.
Half the men in our boat were tasked with rowing, and the other were supposed the steer the large ice chunks away from the boat. As a result, the process was extremely slow and extremely nerve-wracking. Cory and I stood at the head, level with Washington's boat, as we crossed to the other side. Between the snow and the fog, I thought we were never going to find land. We just kept rowing and rocking over the water like the rapids were trying to throw us out.
Quite a few people on the other boats fell into the water, and they had to stop and wait with great difficulty to drag them back aboard. As I shoved another piece of ice away with a long staff, I glanced to Washington's boat. Connor was at his shoulder, pointing across the river. Washington nodded and called for his men to pick up the pace. The faster we went, the more the boat rocked. I had to grip Cory's shoulder to prevent myself from falling in, which caused him to laugh, which ultimately caused me to shove him back in retaliation.
After a tedious and an overall frightening journey to the other side, the bottom of the Durham boats brushed against the bottom of the shores of Trenton. Cory, the soldiers, and I all had to jump out of the boats into waist-deep freezing water in order to pull the things ashore. The biting winds made it hard to see much of anything, but the dim flames that outlined the hessian fort cast dull glows in the distance. I swallowed in apprehension as I waited with Cory, Connor, and Washington: the others were yet to arrive.
Eventually, we all came together. Some looked positively freezing, as they had fallen into the water or simply helped to drag the boats on the shore. Others held their guns as if they were the only things that would protect them. Anxiety spiked the air like a poison. Washington himself looked uneasy as he split the patriots into two groups. We went one way, around to the front of the fort, while the other group went around the other side in hopes of flanking them.
It was a slow moving process. In order to limit detection, Washington forbade lantern light of any kind, and the winds blew snow into our faces and forced our eyes shut. I could see barely a meter in front of me with this weather, which annoyed me to no end. Only Connor had some indication of where he was going, constantly pointing Washington in various directions to keep out of sight. The road began to slope, until we were out of the winds altogether. The glows from the fort were below us at the base of the knoll we were on. Hundreds of soldiers set down their things and sat shivering, as we were still prohibited to light fires and other sources of light. The huddled together to share body heat, muttering darkly to each other.
In the midst of all this, Washington quietly pulled Connor and I aside as we waited on the slopes overlooking the fort. He handed us a musket. Washington's voice was low, casting glances back at his men to make sure that they weren't listening.
"I need you two to get inside the fort walls," he spoke urgently, "and then I need you to create a distraction. The fort is large, and there are many places to hide and many people within it's depths. So you two will need to be fast. If you open the gates, we can take care of the rest. And try to kill as little people as possible; I want prisoners, not bodies."
Connor nodded and seized the musket. I whole-heatedly allowed him, not caring in the slightest for the weapon. I hated firearms. If it came to the task, Connor would be causing the distraction, not me. Still, I gave a respectful nod to the commander.
I glanced back at Cory. He was settled and chatting with some of the other men, making them laugh. My head cleared a little, and I proceeded to slide down the ridge where Connor was waiting for me. Together, we trekked almost blindly to the fort.
Connor, without warning, held me back all of the sudden. But I had seen it too. A patrol was resting along the wall of their base, their red coats standing out against the white and providing no cover. They appeared to be nodding off as they huddled next to a small campfire, trying to keep warm when they clearly didn't want to do their duties. Connor and I edged our way around to the other side of the walls, and I thanked whoever was out there that we weren't spotted.
It turned out for the better, as the next side of the fort had high trees planted all around. I squinted through the flurries. There were none that were brushing up against the side of the walls, but if we were to find a way up there, I could see a branch that jutted out ever so slightly. Connor and I could use it to enter the walls, hopefully without being seen.
I clambered up first, trying to find a grip with my frozen hands. The fierce winds only proved a hindrance, throwing off my balance as I struggled to find my way up. Branch after branch stretched out in front of me, and as I leapt for a higher limb, I could feel my grip slipping. The occasional grunts below told me that Connor was encountering the same problems, maybe even more with that musket on his back.
At last, I stood up on the branch I had seen, which was a meter or two in front and another seven or so meter drop below. I tried not to look down as I made the jump, scrambling to find a hold in the purchase-less stone to pull myself up. I eventually clawed my way back to solid ground, and helped Connor make his leap as he joined me.
Below us were about six houses, large for a fort. In the center was a well, command tents, and a fire pit, where guards who were supposed to be on duty sat huddled around the flames, sharing stories or something like that. A few hessians were active, one in particular who was taking a barrel of gunpowder across the grounds. If there was a powder shed, that would be our distraction. Almost directly across from us, just barely visible through the snow, where the main gates. I pursed my lips, but I wasn't given any time to speak, as Connor gripped me by the arm and led me away.
We hurried along the tops of the wall before dropping down onto a lower level. The wind whistled in my ears as I finally saw the gunpowder shed. The guard from before was chatting with another solder; the two of them were walking away, conversing in low voices. It took me a moment to recognize Rall. His chubby appearance was swaying slightly as he conversed with the hessian, and his winter coat was thrown over his shoulders in a disconcerting manner. He looked idle, nonchalant, bored even. The blood roared in my ears, and I took a deep breath to steady myself.
Connor, meanwhile, was aiming his musket. I shook my shoulders and readied myself for a dash to the front gates. I caught the native's eye, and we shared a knowing nod. Rall had stopped in the center of the clearing to check the time. The snow was providing us cover when we would have been long since seen without it.
My comrade's mouth thinned a little as he frowned, but he still pulled the trigger. Time seemed to slow down as we waited for the blast. Then, the insuring explosion went off, sending fire into the sky and destroying the tranquil environment that existed just moments ago. All the men in the vicinity were blasted off their feet as a plume of flames and shrapnel flew into the air.
Bedlam.
That was the only word to describe what happened next. From outside, I could hear the battle cry of all the continental soldiers who had the fort surrounded. I leapt down to the ground and raced for the gates with my ears ringing, shoving past confused hessians in my path. Lights flickered on inside the houses and lanterns were lit from the stables in the chaos, all of their owners trying to identify that source of the confusion. I rounded the corner just to see the remains of the gunpowder shed, where a few bodies already lay dead. But I had more important things to focus on at the moment.
There were two guards near the gate. The one nearest to me barely had time to spin around before I ran him through with one of my hidden blades. My momentum planted him to the ground, and I stumbled to keep my feet. Blood flowed from his stomach and he didn't get up. The next man at least pulled out his sword to challenge me, but I cut around his side and slashed his hip, causing him to howl. A sweeping kick took his feet out from under him. I rushed again for the gates as he lay there, my path now completely clear.
I heaved against the doors, straining my back into them before they finally budged. When they opened, the flood of blue that had been contained had finally been unleashed. Thousands of patriots poured into the fort, screaming for victory, with Washington at their head. The hessians gave a shout of surprise as the tide came to meet them with full force, and the sound of metal on metal soon filled the air. The man I had downed screamed in shock as he was met with stampeding feet. I scanned the clearing, looking for Cory and Connor in the thickest of the fighting.
I hacked and slashed with my sabers through the crowd of redcoats, patriots, and hessians until I saw someone. Connor appeared first. He was fighting ferociously, tomahawk in one hand and his hidden blade gripped like a dagger in the other. He rolled away from one man's slash, coming up on his knees and striking him in the hip. As that man fell, he ducked around another soldier and gave him three quick slashes with his weapons. After a few hits from the tomahawk, his foe fell quickly. Blood splotched the ground around him as he rounded on his next opponent. I felt a rush of relief; he didn't look like he needed any help.
Even with all my traversing, I still couldn't find Cory. It should have been easy; after all, we were the only people here wearing white. My search led me to the middle of the fighting, where a hessian was waiting for me. Upon seeing me, he yelled something incoherent and charged. I sidestepped, but he was prepared. A downward slash sent me spinning into the snow. I was up in an instant, pain pulsing through my shin. The hessian charged again, and I knew I couldn't avoid him in this tight a space. So I waited for him to come at me, trying to make myself look meek and defeated. Waited…waited... crouched to the earth. When he was nearly upon me, cowering like an injured animal, I slashed his legs with two good swipes. Blood sprayed, and he yelped in surprise. The hessian collapsed in front of me and tried to get up as I had done before, but a kick to the head put him out of commission for the rest of the fight.
As the men around me fell from the others, a desperate shout made me turn away from the scene before me.
Rall and Cory stood in the middle of the clearing, fighting tooth and nail with each other. Cory was far more injured than our target, one arm hanging to the side and blood covering every inch of his outfit. I realized with a jolt that he couldn't move properly to block Rall's blows.
Time seemed to slow down as Rall disarmed my friend and, with a shove, sent him into the snow. Cory's head perked up in a daze as Rall raised his sword, ready to make the killing blow. His face was distorted with anger, and Cory couldn't get away from him
No!
Without thinking, I threw away my sword and reached for my pistol. It nearly flew out of my hands as I whipped it out, trying to focus.
I pulled the trigger as Rall made his downward swing, the finishing blow.
The sound was deafening. Everything became muffled. The moment lasted forever, one sheer act of desperation
Rall jerked back suddenly, clutching his stomach and dropping his sword. Blood poured out from the shot, flowing over his arms and into the snow. He looked up at me, and we locked eyes. The anger was still there, but there was a different emotion. Fear. Rall feared me. Through the smoking pistol and the falling snow and the fighting that whirled around us, I could still see the trace amounts of fear in the Templar's eyes.
Rall turned tail and, stumbling, ran for the fort's open door. I gave chase, harnessing my pistol and picking up my sword as I went. Both sabers found their way into their sheath as I came to the exit, where Rall was already halfway up the hill that would lead into the forests. Determined, I picked up my speed, gaining on my enemy as he weakly fled into the woods. A thin trail of blood was the only thing that remained from him.
I noticed a felled log that was propped against another tree, most likely fallen from a storm, and I bounded up it and took to the treetops. The branches allowed me to move all the faster as I leapt across them nimbly, my rage giving me strength. At last, Rall's body came into view once more, his shambling movements slowed greatly as we approached a shallow but wide stream.
The Templar hesitated for a moment, scanning around the forest, panting. Those grubby hands of his still clutched his bleeding stomach, which refused to slow. His eyes reached for the treetops, where they found me standing on the branch of a large elm, readying an arrow. Just as I fired, Rall ducked and threw himself into the river, wading through it as it came up to his thighs. The arrow became lodged into the ice where his head had been a moment before. I gritted my teeth and continued through the treetops, making a grab for a tree branch the jutted out across the length of the stream and pulling myself up as Rall collapsed on the other side of the bank. He picked himself up still, however, and stumbled on.
But at last, with the combination of his wound, the snow, and the chase, Rall collapsed in the deepest part of the woods. I dropped down beside him, landing heavily, and walked slowly through the deep snow where Rall lay on his stomach, trying to suck in air. I proceeded to flip him over. The flintlock had shot him square through the stomach, leaving nothing but a bloody hole and a red stain over his white shirt. He raised his hand to push me away, where the Templar ring still was, but it dropped like a stone onto his chest. I knelt next to him, darkness pressing on us.
"You've lost too much blood," I kept my voice even. "There's nothing you can do for yourself now."
"That is what you may believe, but you are wrong." Rall coughed, spilling blood from his cheeks.
My lip curled as he lay there and continued. "You were the one…die Tocher of the savage. Do you think yourself proud now? Yourself avenged? Du bist ein Narr."
I stayed silent as he coughed more and his head fell back. His last words were barely audible. "Der wilden Frau was correct, when she said you were weak. You are too affected by your emotions. They cloud you, make you blind. And that will be your downfall."
I gathered my breath, ready to inquire, but his eyes rolled back into his head, and he slumped into the earth, suddenly heavier on the powder. Rall's breathing ceased, and his arm slumped against his stomach. Snow was already falling heavier through the pines, accumulating on the ground and covering up the bloodstains. I took the ring from his finger and pocketed it.
"May you find what you seek in the next world," I breathed his last rite, shutting the colonel's eyes forever, "Rest in peace."
I stood up, my muscles aching. I pulled my scarf up around my nose again and walked away, turning only once to look back at the man I had killed. Snow was starting to accumulate on him, too, giving him an icy feel. How something so pure and white could be surrounding something so corrupted and stained, I didn't know. It would not be long before he would be found. Maybe by some passerby, maybe by some of his own soldiers. I hoisted myself back into a tree, not looking back anymore.
The journey back to Trenton was quicker than the journey from. When I reentered the gates, I could see men celebrating with each other, swigging alcohol and singing joyously. Piles upon piles of crates of ale were cracked open and being tossed around wildly. Other men cast envious glances as they lead away the hundreds of hessians they had managed to capture. Washington was in the lead, motioning to a few more soldiers who reluctantly put their drinks down to join him. I breathed heavily, scanning the area for my friends.
Connor was the first one I found, sitting in the corner of the fort on the stairs. He looked worn and bloody, still holding his tomahawk in one hand. His head was dropped, so when I approached him, he looked up. I couldn't believe how much exhaustion his eyes showed.
"Are you alright?" he asked me gently, picking himself up off the ground.
I nodded, just now realizing how much blood I was covered in. Most of it was Rall's, of course, but Connor still examined me up and down.
Now I shook my head as Connor's gaze traveled to my boots. "None of it is mine," I stated monotonously.
Connor looked me in the eye and stopped. Together, we gazed out to the patriots, laughing, singing, chanting away. I smirked. "Not much for drinking?" I asked him teasingly, but the tiredness that I had felt couldn't be kept out of my voice.
"Not particularly."
"Yeah, me neither."
We stayed silent for a little while longer. The blizzard was starting to let up now, enough that I could see how decimated this place looked. The powder shed that Connor had destroyed was surrounded by dead bodies, all of them hessians. The high walls were scorched from fire, musket balls, or otherwise. One of the watch towers was still ablaze, providing a light that no one bothered to extinguish. The ground wasn't even the same anymore; despite all the snow that was still falling, there was a massive red stain on the ground where men, both colonial and English alike, had fallen. I shivered, and not from the cold anymore.
"Are you bothered by what you had to do to Rall?" Connor asked me, cutting across my thoughts.
Three years ago, or even last week, I would have given him a different answer. But now, I just wasn't sure. "I don't know how to feel," I confessed honestly, my voice cracking. "Because I'm happy that I avenged my father, at least partly, and I know that Rall would have caused more misery had he still been alive. But I still feel…like it isn't right."
Connor nodded in understanding. I faced him hollowly. "Connor, how can you bear it? Pitcairn? Hickey? All those lives? Does it get any easier?"
Connor averted his gaze, shifting his feet to face another direction. "It never does," he confessed, his voice dropping quicker than a stone in the sea.
With that, Connor began to walk away. I watched him go out the gate with some patriots who were cheering and boozing together. With one last glance at me, Connor exited behind the doors, disappearing into the white void of the storm.
I pushed the loose strands out of my hair and sighed. The ring felt like a weight in my pocket, and the amulet once again felt heavier against my chest.
"Ava?"
I spun around. Cory was standing a few meters away from me, bloody and injured. One wrist was wrapped heavily, and his right eye was nearly swollen shut. I held his gaze for a moment, shocked at his appearance. He smiled at me, his gray eyes alight with exhilaration.
I raced to him and hugged him, swallowing hard. His hands pushed me away, however. I met his eyes again, and he shook his head. "Not here," he told me, "Let's go. I want to get back to Boston in the next few days."
I nodded and slung his arm over my shoulder, supporting him as we walked out of the fort. I stared at the two paths in the snowdrifts, once deep but now so shallow it looked like they had been swept by the wind. We turned north and began our journey home.
We walked for a while, the sounds of jubilation from the patriots slowly dying out in the distance the farther away we got from them. Cory's injuries were causing him to limp, and without horses, we weren't going to go far. The path began to turn upward, and we eventually found ourselves on top of some rocky outcrops, where the treetops brushed against the cliffs and the forests spread out for miles. The snow was falling softly now, feeling like a gentle touch. Suddenly, Cory stumbled, and I heaved him to his feet.
"Can we stop?" he half joked, half coughed, "I need a break."
I nodded and settled him on the edge of the cliff face. The darkness persisted, as did the snow. The treetops in the distance were barely visible, but they were still there, ever constant. The sea stretched out to the east, and the rivers to the west. I sighed and swung my legs against the cliff top where they dangled, eager to get back on the road. But Cory sat there for the longest time, taking in the atmosphere.
"I'm tired." Cory announced out of the blue. "Should we stay the night here?"
I shrugged.
Sympathy edged my friend's voice. "What's wrong? You've barely spoken since we set out."
I met his eyes, not really knowing what to say. Slowly, I dug the ring out and passed it into Cory's outstretched hand. I dropped my gaze as he examined it. Cory was silent for the longest time: pondering his words, I guess. My heart heaved itself against my chest, threatening to break out of my rib cage.
"I'm sorry," he breathed. "If I hadn't gotten thrown to the ground by that bastard, then you wouldn't have had to go after him."
I gave him a hard stare. "What were you supposed to do? If you got injured, then you got injured. It wasn't your fault."
"You don't understand," Cory's voice was barely a whisper.
"Cory, what don't I understand? You can tell me."
"It's…nothing. I promise. Do…do you feel any better about it? You know, Rall being dead?"
Despite my longing to persist with our previous topic, I shrugged and stared back out at the tops of the trees. They looked like they were made of stone, cold and dead. I did my best not to shiver and pulled the scarf back up to my neck, breathed into it, and dropped my hands. "I'm not sure. I was talking to Connor about this earlier." I waited for him to tense up, but he never did. "I do feel better, and I know that I shouldn't. It's an awful feeling, like it's eating me from the inside. But…I don't think it will go away until Methoataske is gone. I hate it. I want it to stop."
"That's the guilt. I know, it's gonna stay there for a long time."
Silence.
"Hey, Ava, you remember how I said a few hours ago that you'd learned a lot?"
I nodded, facing him.
"Well," Cory turned to me again, his gray eyes contrasting to the dark scene around us, "I meant it. I'm really proud of you Ava. And…thanks for sticking by me for all these years. I really couldn't have asked for a better friend."
My heart was hammering in my chest so fast and hard, I was afraid it was going to pound right out of my breast bindings.
He gave me a slight nudge, his half smile growing a little more, "I really mean it! Don't be so humble! You've stuck with me the longest out of anyone I'd ever kno-"
Cory's words were effectively stopped as I pressed my lips to his.
All my life, I had rarely seen a kiss shared between two people. It seemed like such a wonderful rarity, like finding a beautiful field of wildflowers. I supposed that was how it was going to be. After all, my life was not necessarily a happy one. And so, with my eyes squeezed shut, I sucked and pressed and tried to find a rhythm to it all, but I could feel that it simply lacked passion on the other end. I pulled away only to find Cory's eyes a few centimeters from mine. They were unreadable. Did they show disgust? Dismay? Anger? Hostility?
I turned away, tears threatening to spill again. "I'm sorry," I croaked, the pain unavoidable. "I shouldn't have done that. I just…I just…I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore. I'm such an idiot. Oh, I'm such an-!"
My words were halted as I was spun around and kissed again, and this time, the passion nearly seared my lips black. I closed my eyes and kissed him back. The winds swirled around us. The pain in my chest became less evident, and was instead replaced by something warmer. Cory pushed and pulled, like the rocking tide at dawn. It was comfortable, natural even.
We broke apart after a bit, our foreheads touching. I breathed heavily into his face, as did he, but neither of us seemed to mind. I smiled, feeling more alive than I had felt in months. Maybe even years.
Cory's gray eyes were exhilarated again. "You need to work on that, apprentice," he whispered to me playfully.
I giggled. "It's a good thing that I have a good teacher."
We leaned in again as the moon made it's first appearance of the night, shining down on us like a blessing from the spirits themselves.
AHHHHH! Now I can see why all you guys like writing fluff so much. It's amazing and it makes me feel all tingly.
It's about time these two dorks got together. It only took 15 chapters and 75,000 words, but these idiots finally kissed. Dumbos.
German Translations:
die Tocher: the daughter
Du bist ein Narr: You are a fool
Der wilden Frau: The savage woman
(Again, not a native German speaker. Thanks very much to Salimiome for correcting my German on the previous chapters. If these are wrong, I hope you can forgive me. ^_^" )
Thanks for viewing and I hope to see you guys all in the next chapter! Please follow, fav, or review if you enjoyed!
