Two weeks later, Haytham found that a neatly wrapped gift was waiting for him on the desk. Beside it was another letter. He unwrapped the cotton cloth, and found a set of throwing daggers attached to a fine leather belt. Haytham found the balance of the small blades to be perfect for what they were made for. When he put on the belt, it hid well and the weight did not bother him. Haytham spotted something flutter out of his belt as he put it on.

Haytham bent down to retrieve the object, startled at what it was as he ran his fingers along the edges of the feather. It was an eagle feather of some kind, of that Haytham was certain. But why it was that the belt of throwing daggers, posed several very intriguing questions. Perhaps the belt was meant for someone else, and the maids had put it in the wrong room. He activated his second sight, searching for Assassins, walking up and down the hallways, finding no one of interest. His windows were locked and there was no one hiding anywhere in his room. With a small frown, Haytham opened this latest letter. He was intensely curious as to whether or not this letter was from his mysterious suitor or not.

Haytham,

I hope that this letter finds you in good health and spirits. I hope that the gift I gave you will assist you. There should be a full two dozen of them, and they are fully sharpened as well.

You have a hypnotic voice. One which I could listen to for hours on end without tiring. You are a highly skilled speaker as well, and he way that you craft words is nothing less than awe-inspiring.

Sincerely,

Secret Admirer

p.s. your eyes shine a brighter blue than the sky on a sun-lit day.

Haytham was going to need to find Connor, as either one of his recruits had romantic feelings for him, or (far more likely) one of them was playing a practical joke of a sort on him. It was a cruel thing to do to a person, but it did not bother Haytham, such pettiness was a manifestation of their dislike and distrust of the truce that was so recently in place.

The thought that it might hurt a little was blatantly ridiculous. The flattery was more than a little over the top, and sloppily written. Honestly, Haytham was more amused than anything else. He would be keeping the daggers, and the feather could make affine quill. He would put a stop to this nonsense as soon as he found Connor again. If he got another gift or two beforehand… Haytham would keep them, particularly if they were as useful or as close to as useful as these daggers were.

Perhaps it was an honest crush, rather than a trick or a joke. If that was the case… poor foolish Assassin. But Connor would likely handle the issue more gently that Achilles ever would have. That stubborn bastard probably would have that Assassin in question killed- executed in front of the others for being a traitor to the Brotherhood when Achilles had been Mentor.

There was a chance that this secret admirer was a mercenary tied to the conflict… But Haytham was doubtful, given the eagle feather that had been packaged with the gift. Unless it was bought from one of the Assassins, and the feather was simply part of the initial package, and this admirer of his did not know what the feather meant. Or a thief (or mercenary for that matter) might have stolen the knife and belt, unaware of the feather.

In any event, he needed to find and speak with Connor. Haytham wanted to get to the heart of this mystery and wished to do so quickly, his curiosity was aroused and there was precious little he could do to figure out who this person was, beyond the hints that had already been given… And it was starting to drive Haytham mad. He disliked not knowing the truth of such matters.

It took Haytham another month and a half to find Connor. In that time he had gotten two more letters, and a whetstone and weapon polish of fine craftsmanship. The letters were in the same vein as the first three, sweet if a bit awkwardly worded. Whoever it was, was obviously trying not to come off as a stalker or creepy and had more or less succeeded. He appreciated the useful gifts – some were given flowers or other such useless drivel by their secret admirers –but Haytham had no such desire for those things.

He found Connor hiding in a haystack, and as nearly a dozen guards ran past the two of them, Haytham lounged casually against a brick wall and waited for all of them to pass before speaking "Do you have a moment Connor? I would like to talk to you about something."

Connor shifted a little in the haystack before responding "I do have some time, but as there may be more guards about, I would rather wait until I am certain that they are no longer looking for me before getting out of my hiding spot."

"Very well. I have been receiving letters for a couple of months, as well as a couple of gifts. The letters have been of a romantic nature, and the gifts… I think are meant to be taken as courting gifts. In one of them, an eagle feather was placed, which is a calling card of the Assassins' Brotherhood. One of your Assassins – and it must be one of your Assassins, as the letters would not be coming so frequently otherwise – is trying to play a joke on me. I dislike being pestered in such a manner, and if any of your Assassins attempt to do something of this nature to one of my people who are less experienced in the trickery of the Brotherhood, I will be incredibly annoyed." Haytham responded, voice low and irritated as he made sure not to move his lips much. If anyone saw him speaking to no one, they might think him mad, or talking to someone hidden.

"… Why do you assume that the Assassin who is trying to court you anonymously is doing so as a trick, and not because they want to… Pursue a relationship of that nature with you but are a little uncertain as to how you would react if they openly approached you?" Connor asked, equally quietly. There was an odd note in his voice, one that Haytham could not quite place.

"That scenario did occur to me, but I was uncertain and it is far more likely for what I proposed, rather than what you did. Our Orders have been fighting since time unknown and I would rather not get… Ah, so you know who is trying to court me, Connor? And they mean it truly?" Haytham asked, voice lightening up a little with hope that he could not quash. He knew which Assassin he wanted it to be (and he would be damned for it if anyone knew) but did not presume to think it was so.

"Yes I do, and the Assassin does want you. What would you do, if you were told their identity?" Connor responded, voice oddly breathy all of a sudden.

"I would ask you to set up a meeting with them, so that I might be able to meet this Assassin, and if we get along, I might consider having them and myself beginning to live with one another after a couple months of courting if things go well. If we do get along, the living with one another would include the truce becoming a full treaty, so long as the truth was not broken at that time." Haytham answered, his heart in his mouth.

"You… The Assassin interested in you is here presently… I… I am the one who has been courting you." Connor admitted in an anxious rush.

"I… I see. Though I may be damned for saying so…I had hoped that was the case. I look forwards to getting to know you more, Connor." Haytham murmured as the other clambered out of the haystack, brushing himself off and moving closer to the Templar.

Connor approached Haytham, eyes flickering gold for a few moments as he checked for something – what Haytham could not discern until –

Connor kissed him squarely on the lips, drawing Haytham into a loose embrace as he did so. The kiss was a little clumsy, but still dizzying. Connor rested his forehead against Haytham's as he whispered "And I look forwards to getting to know you as well."