14- Shadows of Peace
Type: Deleted Scene
Timeline: Assassins Creed: Torn Asunder
Summary: Margaret has a fireside chat with Colonel Chamberlain
"Mind if I join you?"
Margaret glanced up to see Colonel Chamberlain stalk towards her. It was extremely late, or early, depending on who you asked, so she was a bit surprised to see the blonde colonel up.
She shook her surprise off, though when his question clicked.
"Oh. Oh! Yes, please. Go ahead."
Colonel Chamberlain smiled awkwardly as he sat on the vacant upturned bucket. The two sat in a relatively comfortable silence, letting the crackle of the fire and the noises of the night envelope them. Margaret let a sigh of contentment loose before turning her silver-grey eyes up to Colonel Chamberlain.
"What keeps you up tonight, Colonel? If you don't mind my asking, that is."
Chamberlain cleared his throat. "No, no, no. That's quite alright. Uh, I don't know exactly. Normally, I'm a heavy sleeper."
Margaret's lips turned up in a rueful smile. "That incident on the hill….the one with Lieutenant Chamberlain really shook you didn't it?"
The Colonel sighed.
"You don't need to lie to me, Colonel. Trust me. I've had close-calls like that with my own brother. And he with I."
"It's just…." He trailed off, unable to piece his thoughts into a coherent statement. Margaret smiled as she waited patiently for the Colonel to get his thoughts together. "It's just I've seen and heard of so many mothers getting letters when their sons get killed. 'Sorry for your loss, ma'am', 'your son fought valiantly', 'here's a piece of tine and ribbon. That'll replace the child you lost'."
She let those words hang in the air for a moment before saying, "Many a mother will feel the sorrows of loss before this conflict ends. On both sides."
Colonel Chamberlain shook his head, which caused Margaret to cock her head to side in curiosity.
"What is it, Colonel?"
"Nothing, just…it's nothing."
Margaret didn't push. If he wished to keep his thoughts a secret, he had the right to. Instead, she poked the fire, shifting the logs so that the still-unburnt parts would start to be devoured by the flames. Embers flew upward in a burst, fiery stars that fell in reverse.
"What will you do after? The fighting, I mean."
Margaret shifted a bit in her seat. "Depends on how everything ends. If the Union wins, the Assassins will return to the shadows while the country stitches itself together. If the Templars win, we'll have to get more involved, which will be the first time that will happen in our long history."
She took a swig of her drink.
"The Templars?"
Margaret glanced upward, nodding.
"As in….as in the Knights Templars? Like the ones involved in the Crusades?"
"The very same."
Colonel Chamberlain looked a bit flabbergasted. "They're your enemies?"
"They also control the South." Margaret handed Colonel the flask. He shook his head, declining the offer. "The Assassins wouldn't have gotten involved in this war if the Templars weren't."
"How did this happen?"
"How did what happen?"
"This." Colonel gestured to his surroundings. White tens sat to the left of them, one of them containing an injured Killrain. Margaret's heart tightened at the thought of her old friend, lying hurt in a medical tent. "How did we let this happen?"
"I've been asking that same question to myself for the past two years." Margaret stoked the fire again. "The Assassins are supposed to protect those that can't fight for themselves. The slaves….we could've freed so many"
"Why didn't you?"
The question wasn't accusatory or anything. Just a hint of curiosity. Margaret gave a sad smile. "One of the tenants of our Creed is that we can't reveal ourselves, or get involved in the affairs of government. There was this…fear, I suppose, that with our skill, we would become corrupt and tyrannical. Like we were no better than the Templars. What about you?"
Joshua glanced up, confused. "I'm sorry?"
"What are you going to do? After the war, that is?"
"Oh….I may go back to teaching at Bowdion once this is over."
Her mind went back to the speech he made for the Twenty-Second Maine. "Ever think about going into politics?"
"Nah." Chamberlain waved away with a chuckle. "Never really had the stomach for it."
"Well, if you do, you have my vote."
Chamberlain gave a smile, which became overshadowed by the glint of exhaustion in his eyes. He stretched. "Whelp. I'm off to get some shut eye."
"Goodnight Colonel." Margaret bid with a slight bob of her head. The Colonel waved one final time before slinking back through the darkness, leaving Margaret alone with her thoughts as her only company.
No one knew what the next sunrise would bring. The entire Federal Calvary could be overrun, pushed back or destroyed completely. Or it could be the other way around.
There could be a bloodbath.
Or not a single shot could be fired at all.
Two friends could come together for the first or last time.
Margaret or Henry could be injured or killed; Lord forbid.
Whatever cards Chance and Fate played; Margaret prayed that there would be a singular outcome.
Peace.