Chapter 9: Discovering the Truth

The air was still as Kira inhaled sharply and drew her bow. The string pulled at her fingers, solid with tension, as she stared steadily forward, peering keenly into the dense forest that lay before her. In the distance, a slight movement in a patch of foliage betrayed the location of her target, which appeared thankfully oblivious to her presence. The rabbit moved slowly through the grass, its pale brown pelt barely visible in the early-morning light. Kira aimed forwards, her hands shaking unconsciously with the anticipation of the hunt…

"Aim a little higher."

Connor's voice surprised her into releasing the string prematurely, and she watched, dejectedly, as her shot went long. The arrow sailed into a tree near her quarry, frightening it further into the undergrowth. She straightened, cursing, as she turned to face the man who had spoiled her pursuit.

"Damn you, Connor, I almost had it."

"You would have missed, you were aiming too low."

"Well it hardly matters now, does it? Truth be told, your input didn't exactly improve the situation." She paused to regard the arrow, sticking obtrusively out of the tree up ahead. "… Or my aim," she sighed.

The younger Assassin smiled, amused by her attitude and lack of success.

"Never mind," she continued, lips forming a smile of her own as her eyes levelled with his. "I'm sure you will have more success than me. I'll leave it up to you to find something for dinner tonight."

"Of course," he replied, then regarded her with a frown. "Although it is hardly yet morning. You have plenty of time to continue your pursuits."

"I'm afraid not. I have somewhere to be soon, and I do not want to be late. Here, can you take this back to the manor? I had better leave now if I'm to be on time." She handed him the bow and a quiver full of arrows and watched as he slung each over his shoulder.

"Yes, but where are you going?" he inquired, curiously.

"I am meeting an old friend, one you haven't met. I'll be back by the evening, though. Please tell Achilles I said as much."

Connor nodded and watched as she turned to make for the road which would lead her through the frontier and out towards Boston, bidding him farewell as she did so. He thought for a moment that perhaps he should follow her, merely to see what she was up to, for it wasn't like her to be so vague about her plans. Still, he decided against this. He'd find out one way or another, that much was certain.

…

Kira sat on a sealed crate of cargo, resting her chin in her hand as she watched the waves lap up against the shore of the harbour. It was still relatively early in the morning, and save for the odd sailor or citizen strolling by, the harbour was largely deserted- bare of the life and bustle it would inevitably come to possess. The Assassin felt uneasy as she monitored the near-abandoned state of the docks. If this were a trap- which she was increasingly believing it to be- it would be far more difficult to spring with an audience. Stray crowds and bystanders provided a certain comfort, and now, sitting alone, Kira never felt so vulnerable.

Still, her pondering the non-existent help she would find if the situation did turn dire would achieve nothing. Pushing the concern from her mind, the Assassin turned her thoughts to something more productive: what would happen if Shay truly were alive.

More than anything in the world, she wanted this to be so. Though she was hardly optimistic about what the day would bring, what would it mean to discover that her friend had survived all these years? She would have to determine why Achilles had lied to her. Determine how she hadn't somehow found out- though she could hardly confront her mentor for answers without betraying the fact she had disobeyed almost everything he ever taught her. She had spoken willingly to Haytham- even sought him out in her pursuit for the truth- and how could she admit to that?

Then again, she had to unearth the reason for Achilles' lies somehow.

… If he'd lied to her, that is.

The whole situation seemed to be becoming more and more uncontrollable. There was so much she needed to know and do, but resolving this would only land her in a worse position. She felt like such a fool; it was her fault she was in this current state of indecision- no one else's. She had put herself here, and done so gladly. Perhaps she should leave the harbour now, before the situation had any chance to progress, and before any new developments were made- wouldn't that be easier? She had lived before, convinced that Shay was dead, so surely she could do the same again. The only seed of doubt in her mind was Haytham's word, and though he had no clear motivation for misleading her on this occasion, he was a Templar, and that was reason enough.

So that was that. She should leave now, then.

She rose from the crate with the intention of doing so.

"Miss Lawrence," spoke an unmistakable voice from behind her.

Kira stared down at her feet for a moment, berating herself for taking so long to commit to a decision. Of course she was too late. She straightened, turning to face Haytham with a sigh. He was strolling casually towards her- evidently in no hurry- and she tried desperately to appear as confident as possible.

"Mr Kenway," she replied with a nod, doing her best to keep her mounting discomfort from creeping into her voice. She felt trapped. How could she possibly leave now, when she was so close to discovering the truth?

Haytham smiled politely at her. "You're still convinced this is a trap of some sort?"

It was spoken more as a statement than a question.

So he had seen through her pretences, and in a matter of seconds at that. Even if Achilles had lied to her about Shay, he had certainly not been lying when warning of Haytham's skill in perception. Kira shrugged, almost relieved she wouldn't have to maintain the falsely confident demeanour, yet at the same time scolding herself for being so easy to read. "I have every reason to think that it is," she spoke, irritably.

"True enough," he replied, his voice annoyingly nonchalant. "Still, I assure you it is not. What reason have you to believe my words are untrue?"

"I don't trust you."

The response came quicker than Kira had intended, and there was an unmistakable harshness there. She stood by the declaration, for it was certainly justified; still, she couldn't help feeling a slight twinge of guilt as she was struck by the sharpness of her own tone.

Regardless of these feelings, Haytham did not at all seem offended, for now, a slightly playful smile curled the edges of his lips. "It's funny," he smirked, "I remember Ziio said that to me once."

Kira felt her cheeks grow somewhat hotter as she realised what he was implying. She did not know much about Connor's mother- he rarely spoke of her- but she didn't have to guess very hard at what the nature of her and Haytham's relationship was.

Haytham's smile had now faded, but his eyes still sparkled with amusement as he watched the woman's reaction to his remark- it had affected her in the way he had expected and even desired it to. He decided, however, to not let her suffer in discomfiture for too long, and changed the subject quickly for her sake.

"So, how is it that you had not yet learned of Shay's survival?" he asked, genuinely intrigued, as this was something he could not speculate the answer to.

Kira sighed gratefully, relieved by new focus of conversation. She composed her thoughts as she began to explain. "I have not lived in America for as long as I told you I had. After Shay was killed, I went back to Europe, and spent a few years travelling between the different brotherhoods there."

She paused, and Haytham said nothing to prompt her further, enthralled simply by curiosity. The Assassin seemed to mull over her next words, as though unsure of how to phrase them. "Perhaps I heard word of Shay once or twice, but it was always so vague, and I'd always discarded the hope of it proving true. When I did finally return, Achilles told me that the Templars had practically destroyed the brotherhood- but he never said that Shay was… well, alive," she finished, but was quick to add: "… I am still not convinced that he is, though."

"What will happen, then, when you see that I speak the truth?"

Kira's eyes glazed over with thought, and she briefly speculated the potential consequences of Shay proving to be alive. It would change things so dramatically- would create so many more questions, so many threads to be pulled, and to think of them now only made her more anxious. She frowned in irritation, no longer caring to ponder the question. "I do not know."

Haytham offered no response, and expected instead some sort of expansion to her answer- some insight into what was running through her head. As he stared at her intensely, he surprised himself with how keenly he desired that insight, whatever it entailed.

The woman's gaze had shifted to the distance, but she soon realised the man was waiting for more, and her eyes met his impatiently. She felt instantly frustrated at how he required a further answer to such a demanding question, and disregarded him with a wave of her hand, breaking eye contact once more. "I do not know what will happen, it is all just so… complicated." Her expression hardened. "You wouldn't understand."

"Of course I understand."

That crossed a line. "What? How? How could you possibly…"

"Because more than anyone in the world at this moment, I know the extent of the situation you are in. So yes, I do understand. I understand the whole thing perfectly."

Kira stilled. For some reason, she found the words surprisingly comforting; she had believed that no one knew the decisions she was having to make, or the position she was in. She had forgotten that Haytham had been there from the start, and so- to some extent, at least- understood. It was oddly reassuring to know that someone could empathise with her, even if that someone had contributed largely to the troubles she was facing.

Haytham had turned away from her, clearly irritated at being distrusted. She took a step forward to say something, when…

"Kira?"

She spun immediately on hearing her name- her name, spoken in that thick Irish accent that had been condemned to exist as only a memory for so long. "Shay?" He was standing a few yards away, impossibly tangible, his eyes a mixed array of emotions.

Haytham had turned ever-so-slightly at hearing his fellow Templar's voice, somehow both pleased that Kira would now have to believe his words, and vexed that she had ever doubted them. Despite this, he couldn't help but feel some joy on her behalf, as she took a few steps towards her long-lost friend, eyes wide with disbelief.

Upon realising it was indeed Kira standing across from his Grand Master, Shay made his way towards her, arms outstretching as he drew close, and soon drawing her into an affectionate embrace. She stood, powerless to his actions as she acknowledged his presence- acknowledged the fact that he was alive, and with her, and holding her, after all these years. She pulled him closer, one arm twisting around him, the other involuntarily reaching for his face, almost in doubt of its reality. As her thumb traced his cheek, she was struck by how remarkably familiar he was, despite all that had changed in his features.

"My God," he breathed as he beamed down at her, eyes alive with delight. "You're still as beautiful as I remember."

She blushed at the compliment, returning the grin. "And you're still as roguishly handsome."

She broke the embrace in order to step back and admire the man he had become. Though his appearance reflected his change in age, he still wore the same cocky smile, and radiated the confident self-assurance she had always loved and found so much comfort in. Standing in front of her now, he was irrefutably himself, and God… she had missed him so much. "I cannot express how glad I am to see you, Shay."

The feeling was more than reciprocated. "And I you," he laughed, "I have so much to tell you."

"Oh, I'm sure…"

Kira was about to press her friend for more details when she became aware of Haytham's presence behind her- the man still waiting to be recognised. With a sigh of concession, she looked to Shay evenly, forcing herself to somewhat staunch her excitement. "…That would be wonderful, but I believe you are expected somewhere."

She finally spared a glance towards Haytham, who had appeared to be watching the whole reunion rather indifferently.

"She's right, Shay," he confirmed, stepping forward. "The others are expecting us."

Shay frowned. "But I-"

"It is alright, we can talk some other time," Kira interrupted affectionately. Though she was desperate to ask him a number of questions, she was content simply knowing she would be able to do so at a later opportunity. Reassuring herself of this, she turned to address Haytham. "You go on ahead. I had better return home, I know Connor was suspicious of my leaving."

Haytham nodded. "Very well," he said, before turning to speak to Shay.

"Oh, and thank you," Kira's words came from behind him, shifting his focus back to her. She was smiling at him: for the first time, a very real and sincere smile. "For everything," she added.

He returned the expression politely. "You're very welcome."

Shay watched, confused as to why his old friend and the Grand Master were even together in the first place. Now did not seem an appropriate time to seek answers, and he shrugged off the emotion, making a mental note to have Haytham explain everything to him later. It was unusual- seeing his leader be so civil with an enemy.

"I will see you again soon, Shay," Kira's voice dispersed his thoughts- though it was a most welcome disturbance.

"I look forward to it," he countered warmly, and watched as she nodded her head in farewell to both Templars, before turning to walk away.

As Kira strolled further from the two men, the restraints she had placed on her elation gave way, and she couldn't help smiling to herself. Perhaps there would be some dreadful consequences to what had just occurred, but for the moment at least, she couldn't care less.

Author notes:

Hi, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to read my story so far. Please review, follow, or favourite my story, as I appreciate all feedback, and I'd love to hear what you think. :)

I'd hoped to have had written/published this chapter a while back, but I've been super busy with exams and other such things recently. Thanks for the understanding, and I hope the chapter was worth the wait. Any feedback would be really appreciated, as I'm really keen to hear what you guys think. Next chapter will be out soon, if I can find the time to write it. :D

Kittycat312