When I woke up on 10 July 1773, I took a moment to say a few thanks to the spirits for having kept me alive this long. I had just finished dressing when I heard a knock on the door.

I had just barely pulled my gloves on when Thomas stepped in, looking as much a fool as ever. "Hey, the boss man said he wanted the two of you to do something together today-around noon I think? Said something about you turning seventeen or some such." He ruffled my hair with a grin. I batted his hands away, which only prompted him to grab hold of me in a tight hug. "Our little girl, growing up so fast! Soon enough, you'll be getting married and leaving us for some lad a hundred miles away!" He mocked the sound of sobbing, and I wrestled myself out of his arms. I huffed and rolled my eyes.

"I'll be sure to visit my favorite drinking partner every so often, Tommy." He grinned. "William would get lonely otherwise." He pouted. I laughed.

I made my way out, Thomas followed behind and loudly insisted that William was no fun at all. I said good morning to Lee and Pitcairn, grabbed an apple and some bread, and left the tavern, shutting the door more firmly than necessary in Thomas' face. I smiled at the sound of him complaining.

My stride was unusually leisurely as I ate and walked through the streets. I didn't have anywhere to be for a solid five and a half hours, and Haytham had been nowhere in sight, so I supposed I was free to do as I willed. Part of me wished he'd asked me to see him earlier, before the sun would be beating down on us mercilessly.

After finishing the light meal, I spent my time wandering the city. I'd come to enjoy spending most of my time on my feet even more than I had in my time; it was preferable to rereading the same old books the innkeeper had to offer. That said, I was still more cautious than Haytham proved to be when it came to climbing up to vantage points. I managed it by reminding myself that he could manage them, and he was heavier than me. I was more agile than him on foot, though he still bested me in swordplay with ease. I wasn't surprised by the latter; he had years of experience on me, and I considered myself lucky to only be in his targets during my training.

The way I thought of Haytham had changed, to say the least. He was regarded by me with immense respect, but also weariness. Reading Forsaken, his journal, had told me how the business with Birch had affected him, and I knew that it was unlikely that he was as stable as he appeared. I'd spoken to him once or twice about Birch, about his journal, and he seemed unnerved by it. Our conversations about his writings served as a chilling reminder that we were both capable of greatly harming the other. Haytham simply due to who he was, and I through my knowledge of him and his life.

Despite that, I'd come to rely on him for many things. I looked to him for basic necessities such as shelter, food, water, and clothing. I looked to him for guidance, training, and knowledge. I disliked being so… dependent on him, but a part of me knew that without someone, I would be lost. This time-this world-was vastly different from my own. I wasn't yet knowledgeable enough about it to strike off on my own.

My thoughts turned to my situation with the Templars. I'd come to think of the ones I knew as allies, a couple as friends. Hell, I'd even come to sympathize with them to a considerable extent. I knew that Connor's actions were going to accomplish nothing he wanted in the end, and through endless conversations, I'd found that most of the Templars did have good intentions. While they did want the colonies to separate, they wanted to avoid full-out war. They wanted to help the Kanien'kehá ka and other native tribes-most of them, anyways: Lee and Church struck me as less than excited about the endeavors to do so, Lee especially.

It left me in the uncomfortable position of trying to figure out how just to negotiate peace between the two groups. Connor and Haytham were both stubborn, reckless. They were hard-headed and had a nasty habit of trying to bulldoze through people when they couldn't talk their way through something. I tended to be similar, and working to get the two of them to coexist peacefully would be difficult, if not nearly impossible. But I would try.

I looked up to the sky, and took out my watch to glance at the time-11:24-at the sight of the sun so high up. I started back to the tavern.

I arrived with minutes to spare, but Haytham was already waiting outside the door. He strode over to me, and I fell into step with him. We walked just past the place we had just over a month ago, when he'd asked if I thought he could kill Connor. We stopped near some weird landmark that looked like an odd cross. We loitered for a short time, making small talk and light-hearted banter over something inane-as we often did these days.

Finally, Haytham got to what he'd brought me out here for. "You said today was your birthday."

I nodded. "My seventeenth, a year more and my time'd consider me a legal adult. I'd be able to do fun things like… buy an apartment, go to college, cry as I drowned in debt from student loans-the same as any aspiring young adult of my time." I had a fake smile on my face the entire time, and made grand gestures with my hands and arms. I certainly didn't miss the idea of debt in my time.

Haytham rolled his eyes at me. "Regardless, I thought it would only be right to get you a gift, as you are my apprentice." I tilted my head at him. A gift? He walked over to the cross-like structure, climbed it, grabbed something, and dropped back down. He dusted himself off and held the box before him with a self-assured smirk on his face. And he thought I was dramatic-I wasn't the one hiding presents for no reason.

I took the box gingerly. It was plain, and it didn't feel particularly heavy. I undid the clasps slowly, glancing back at Haytham a few times. He waited patiently. I lifted the lid.

My eyes widened at the contents. To anyone else, the two objects would simply look like matching gauntlets. But I knew what the mechanisms on the bottom side were: hidden blades. The leather of the gauntlets was a dark, dark brown, worn with time and sculpted to the shape of whoever the last owner was. Small details were burned into the leather-an eagle on each, and small, intricate patterns that acted as borders. I removed my right glove to touch the leather, and found it to be soft, supple. On the inside of it was cloth in the same color as the leather; it felt wonderful on my skin, and my mouth was slightly agape at the sheer absurdity of the situation. The steel of the blades and mechanisms themselves gleamed, freshly polished.

I crouched down and picked one up, holding it like it was a live bomb. I managed to restrain myself from jumping when I made the blade slide out. It was long, thin, but looked sturdy. One finger ran down the edge: razor sharp. A look up at Haytham revealed his smile had widened. I set the object down like it would break if I didn't handle it like glass, put on my glove again, and stood back up with the box in hand.

"But… why…?"

Haytham stepped closer, put a hand on my shoulder. "You've done a great deal for the order. You've given us information that may lead us to a great victory here in the colonies, as well as some that may allow us to retrieve an object of great importance. You saved Shay's life, proved yourself willing to kill at my command, and you've been cooperative at every turn." He paused to let it sink in. His next words seemed to echo. "I would like you to join our order."

I stared at him, my heart beating wildly. Join the Templars? But… My mind was searching for a reason to not do so-I felt like I shouldn't-, but the only one that turned up was the fact that I'd been around less than a year. I said as much.

"Perhaps, but with what you've revealed may happen in the future, I'd like to be certain that we can rely on you." Logical enough. He gave me a smile. "And, you are my apprentice. It wouldn't make sense for you to not be one of us, now would it?"

I looked at the remarkable weapons for a moment.

"But why offer with these? They're the weapons of the Assassins. It seems a bit… backwards."

Haytham chuckled, like the answer was obvious. "Because I had them." He clasped his hands behind his back. "I felt it was only right to give you something for your birthday, and it would be difficult to find something more… unique." He started walking away, I quickly shut the box and followed. "You also clearly know what they are, and-should you accept my offer-, I will train you in their use. The decision is yours to make. I will not hold it against you should you choose not to join us." He stopped to consider something. "So long as you don't side with the Assassins, of course."

He continued walking. I didn't.