Henry sighed as he gently shut the door to his nieces' rooms. He had no idea how his sister dealt with those…...lovely little children whenever she went home.
It was a miracle he didn't lock them into a room for the remainder of the evening.
"Rough few hours?" His Father asked as he entered the sitting room. Henry plopped down in the high back chair that sat in front of the towering fire that was going in the fireplace. He gratefully took the cup of ale that his father offered and took a deep sip.
"Ah. That hits the spot."
His Father chuckled, "They weren't that bad."
"Yes, they were."
"Spoken like a true bachelor!" His Father gave him a mock toast. After the elder Everts took a sip, he said, "I'm sure that your mind will be changed when you find the right woman. At the right time."
"Yeah, well, it's almost a tradition that, should there be a small group of children, then one of the siblings should settle down and start a family while the other continues to live on in the Assassin's legacy. And fate chose Margaret."
"Yes well…. everything will work out. Just you see."
There was a beat of silence as the two gentlemen sat there, listening to the crackle of the fire. Henry's eyes started close, with the hot meal he had settling quite nice in a far too empty belly and the warmth of the fire warming his bones he would soon be off to dreamland if he wasn't careful. He shook his head to clear away the fog of drowsiness. Margaret needed to hear about what he had to say.
Word had spread that Lieutenant General Jackson was riding to meet with General Lee in the coming months. Henry didn't know too much about the infamous 'Stonewall' Jackson except from what he read in the papers, and the fact that the man had quickly made a name for himself in the both the Confederacy and the Union. A brilliant tactician and brave leader, Stonewall Jackson to Henry seemed like the type of man that would've been a deadly force to reckon with if he had joined the Assassins. Since gaining control of the majority of Lee's forces last October, Henry had been instructed by the Mentor to keep a close eye on him, to watch how he moved and how he played his cards. And because of the looming rumor that the South was going to try for a massive invasion of the North, he now had to do something to keep him from being the chief tactician in this invasion.
A good ole assassination.
But the question was how to go about it?
Henry relayed his concerns about the mission to his Father, who hemmed and hawed while stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"That man will have a twenty-four-hour armed guard, not to mention that he's in the thick of an army."
"Mmmmm, I am afraid that I don't know how to help you there, son. From what I hear, Stonewall Jackson is a tough nut to crack. You won't be able to find him easily as well."
"That's why I wanted Margaret here. She's better at tracking down the more elusive targets."
"Time doesn't wait for anyone."
"Neither does war."
His Father gave him a hard look before leaning forward. Henry knew that he was about to get a stern talking to. The older man lifted a crooked finger and pointed it towards the guest bedrooms where his nieces and nephew were sleeping, peaceful and deep within their happy dreams.
"Your sister," he started, his voice low and soft. A sure sign that he was angry. "She carried each of those children for nine months. She loves each of them equally. She loves her family as much as she loves being an Assassin. Now, you'll know this if you ever find a bride and have kids of your own, but she would rather surrender to the Templars and be put through the worst of torture than to have her kids subjected to the horrors of war."
"Then she's a damn fool! The Assassins come first. She took up the Blade and swore her life to the Creed in the name of the Ancestors and the Founders. She has a duty to the Assassins."
His Father didn't say anything but just stared at him with a blank expression that also told of his disappointment.
Years after this conversation, Henry would realize what his father had meant when he was holding his own child, but in that moment, with the fire crackling and tensions running high, Henry didn't care.
"I'm going to retire for the night." Henry whispered. "Please inform Margaret of my decision."
He walked off towards his room for the night. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.
The next morning, the Everts family had risen early so that they could see Margaret's family off on the next available ship. Lionel, gussied up in his Federal blues and with his children in tow to be handed off to his mother upon their arrival, gave Margaret a squeeze, holding her for the longest time. For a moment, Henry felt a twinge of jealousy of what his sister had.
A loving family with children whose innocence allowed them to see past the death and destruction of the world.
He was never like them, having been brought up to be Assassins as soon as they were steady on their feet. He knew deep down that Maggie was making the right choice in keeping her children in the dark, but their line must continue. If not through him then through his sister.
Everyone is an Atlas in their own right.
His aunt's words echoed through his mind, slithering in one ear and out the other.
When did he start questioning things?
His sister turned back to him, her face a hardened sadness that seemed to age her several decades before his very eyes.
"So." She said. "What's the plan?"