Ratonhnhake:ton had been grateful for the spirit who had come to him, not long before he had drunk the red willow tea. The spirit had known how to use the strange wrist-blades that had belonged to his father before him, knew the names and faces of the invaders who were helpful in dealing with the tyrannical king Washington, how to climb the buildings that the colonists built. The spirit had occasionally spoken through him, but Ratonhnhake:ton had not minded. This other spirit seemed to be himself, but from an alternate world. He had argued and fought against King Washington, taking the wretched Object- Apple of Eden – as the spirit had whispered it was from Washington and defeating the older man. The spirit had been against killing the despot, despite all he had done.

Then again, Washington was on trial, and perhaps it would give closure to the survivors he had tormented. As Ratonhnhake:ton had been the one to defeat him, Adams had asked him to search through the personal jail cells of Washington, to see who had been captured and tormented… In the hopes that some of those who had gone missing or had been captured but their bodies had not been hung high from the palace walls as a grisly reminder to not struggle against the deposed King's rule, were still alive.

There were a dozen cells, each of them kept in near complete darkness, except for the flickering torches on the opposite wall, deliberately positioned so that a sliver of light from each torch illuminated a small section of the cell directly in front of each of the doors. All but the one on the far end were empty. Some were stained black with blood, others had the burn of gunpowder on the walls. Six of the cells had a tear-drop symbol drawn in blood, the remaining five had small red crosses hung on silver chains.

"Assassins and Templars. He kept them both here. I wondered why I saw none while we were fighting." His alternate self whispered to Ratonhnhake:ton in his mind, mournful and angry. "I wonder…Ista said that he was dead…Perhaps she had only seen him get captured, or heard of his death?"

Ratonhnhake:ton was about to enter the final cell, when an English-accented voice that he did not recognize (but that his alternate self did) called out "I know you are out there, whoever the bloody hell you are. If you are one of the bastard's lot, he killed the others, in a fit of rage. They would not tell him more about the magical objects he possesses, nor how or where to find more of them. I wonder if the army at his gates have broken in yet. The mad bastard will fall. It is in the nature of these objects. The more you use them, the more corrupt you become and the weaker you truly become."

The spirit spoke through him, voice tight and shaking and hopeful "Father! Washington is captured, the Apple has been taken from him and I have hidden it so that no others may use it. I am glad that you are alive… Mother thought that you were dead. I have the keys to get you free." The spirit moved Ratonhnhake:ton's body, fumbling slightly with the keys as it unlocked the door, rushing in and carefully undoing the chains that held their rake:ni in place.

The spirit was correct in identifying Haytham Kenway. Ista had described rake:ni to him when he was younger. She had loved him very much, and rake:ni had come to live with her in the village. When he had been very small, rake:ni had been part of his life as well, and aided the village however he could. When Washington first rose to power, the Apple in hand, his father had known what it was, and the danger it posed. He had promised that should he survive trying to separate Washington from the Apple, that it was the last of the war he would participate in. What war Haytham had been referring to, Ratonhnhake:ton could not guess. His father had left his hidden blades for Ratonhnhake:ton to use, as a promise to his mother that he would come back to her.

"… Connor? I… It is good to know that Washington has been deposed… But not killed? Are you sure that is wise? He may not have the Pieces of Eden, but that does not mean that some of the people who were truly loyal to the mad king will not try to free him, and try to re-take the country… At least to try and avoid being punished for their crimes." Haytham responded, calling Ratonhnhake:ton a name he did not recognize.

The spirit – Connor? – answered again, taking the bandages and medicine that Ratonhnhake:ton carried and tending to their rake:ni's injuries. Not that he would not have done so, had the spirit allowed him control of his own body "I had managed to knock him out at the end of the battle, and took the pieces of eden he had acquired. I had to move quickly to do so, as the resistance was not far behind me, battling his soldiers. I had them hid in a part of his castle they had not gotten to yet. They wanted to try him for his crimes, to show the populace that they would be different, that they would be better than King Washington had been. That he and his allies would stand trial for what they had done, rather than simply executed in the main square as Washington had done. I agreed with them and they let me continue to do as I wanted. A week later, they told me that they had found the entrance to Washington's private cells and wished for me to look through them."

"I am uncertain as to how I… Or rather, the Haytham Kenway of this world ended up in this cell. I… Woke up here about four years ago, in this cell, for lack of a better term. There were others in the adjoining cells then. Charles, William, John of the Templars he had captured… As for the Assassins, several of the Colonial Assassins who died in our world before you were more than ten years old were captured… How did you come to this world, Connor?" Haytham asked, or rather the father-spirit of the spirit inside of Ratonhnhake:ton asked.

"Four years ago. Washington of our world came into contact with an Apple of Eden, and I told him that it was a dangerous object and that I would make sure that it was properly hidden. He handed it over to me and I found myself going through the sky bridge, guided by the spirit woman to this world, into this body. The mind and soul of the person who belongs to this world is here with me. I usually let him control his own body, as it is by all rights his." Connor responded, carefully kneeling so that he could haul their father up to his feet, slinging one of Haytham's arms around his shoulders and seeing if the other could move around a little with assistance.

"As is the original occupant of this body. He was starting to break, when I… I appeared. I was able to take what Washington did to us better as I had not been tortured, while that Haytham slept. Once he was better healed mentally and spiritually from what was happening, we would trade places. Washington was furious as the Apple told him that he… I? Had been close to breaking, before something changed. No, I will not tell you what Washington did, beyond the fact that he tortured us. It would only upset you, and the populace needs the catharsis of Washington tried and his fate decided properly and publicly." Haytham answered, leaning heavily on his son as the two of them carefully made their way out of the hidden dungeon and through the palace.

"There are several doctors tending to the wounded, and the resistance leaders wanted to know the identities of anyone I found alive in Washington's personal cells. Which would you prefer to deal with first?" Connor asked quietly, as Ratonhnhake:ton shifted. Ratonhnhake:ton wanted to take his rake:ni and leave. The healers of his people would be able to tend to rake:ni just as well as the colonial doctors, and it was none of their business who they had found. They set down their father down on a chair as they tried to decide what they wanted to do.

"Hmmm… I would say doctors first, than the resistance leader… But the original occupant of this body would very much like to leave this cursed place as swiftly as possible, find as much gunpowder he can carry and blow this place to kingdom come before never returning. How is… How is Ziio?" Haytham answered honestly.

"Ista… Is dead. She and the rest of my village were completely slaughtered by Washington's men one day. It was not as though he knew for certain we were fighting against him, simply that he wanted the village leveled." Connor managed out sorrowfully, his voice quaking in desolate rage. "It happened… It happened a couple of years ago. The original occupant of this body would also like to take you from here and leave. He is protective of the only remaining family he has left and is very mistrustful of the colonists. Not that I blame him one bit. Do you have any clue what happened to the Templars and the Assassins in this world?"

"Most of them were killed, trying to get the Apple from Washington, as they knew what it was. The others were either captured, or started putting together the resistance. And a few fled to Europe, in the hopes that Washington would stay in the Americas." Haytham answered, eye half-closing in concentration. He could feel a pulling sensation in the back of his mind, trying to take him somewhere. "Ah…I think our time here is over… Or at least…Mine is. I love you, Connor."

"And I love you, father." Connor responded back, kneeling down and embracing Haytham as tightly as he dared."I can feel a tugging feeling in my mind. We are not long for this world, but I am glad to see you once again."

Haytham nodded, hugging Connor back as tightly as his weakened limbs would allow him. After Connor had cut off all ties, his son had vanished completely. Wherever Connor was, Haytham hoped that he was relatively safe.

Connor opened his eyes, to find himself staring at the Apple of Eden in his hands. With a decisive nod, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with this powerful, cursed object. He carefully tucked it into a pocket and went in search of Faulkner, intending to sail the Aquila to the deepest part of the sea he could easily reach and drop the Apple in so that it could never be used by anyone ever again.

As the Piece of Eden hit the ocean, Connor decided that he would go to New York and visit his father's grave.