When they agreed to split ways after killing Starrick, it nearly did them both in. Both twins felt the same pang of despair and inevitability at their own words. They both wanted to take back what was said, but of course, they couldn't. Evie and Jacob wished that they could redo that conversation a million times over until they got it right, but they never got the chance.
And, of course, they didn't know the other's pain. Evie lay on her bed that night wondering if Jacob really hated her so much, hated her likeness to Father that he would leave her. Jacob closed his eyes and propped his feet on the couch and wondered if Evie was really so bothered by his actions that she had come to hate him so intensely. They kept silent, each preparing for the ball the next night but they hardly spoke.
Tense words exchanged with frustrated undertones were recognizable to even the Prime Minister and his wife. Jacob wondered where it all started going wrong. Evie wondered if she'd ever get her brother back. They both suffered in silence as neither felt comfortable talking to anyone else about this.
The carriage ride into the Palace was awkward. For twins, who had grown up doing everything together, they had no words for each other for once. Evie watched her brother from the corner of her eyes, admiring the way he looked dressed up. Jacob watched his sister through almost closed eyes, admiring how beautiful she was in a dress. They didn't say a word until they reached the front of the Palace.
Evie was uncomfortable in multiple senses of the word. Her dress made her nearly unable to move, Starrick commandeered her for a dance, snipers lined the Palace roof and Jacob was nowhere in sight. Of all the instances in her life, she had never hoped for her brother's presence as hard as she did in that moment. Without weapons, protection or back-up, she felt naked.
Jacob wished for many things in the span of a second. He wished he was in Starrick's place, dancing close with Evie. He wished to get her out from that demon's grip. He wished he could snipe the Templar Grand Master from the roof that he now stood on. He wished that his sister was here with him, ready to kill the intruders, rather than helpless flights below him. Instead, he could only signal the absence of snipers to her as she danced.
When she saw Jacob's signal, Evie breathed a sigh of relief. Just knowing that he was still looking out for her empowered the woman to break from Starrick's hold. Her relief was short-lived, however, when she realized that he had stolen the key. She turned to Jacob as he approached, knowing that time was of the essence, and shoved the vault plans at him. She needed to get out of this dress and into something suitable for this match.
Rushing into danger, headfirst as always, Jacob felt better already knowing that his sister would be no more than a minute behind him to look after him. He needed that reassurance if he was going to fight Starrick. It was a battle that was too long in the making in his opinion. Starrick needed to die and then he would worry about what happened with Evie and what he could do to make it better.
Evie knew as soon as she threw out that awful dress that she needed to hurry. Jacob was alone, facing a man most likely gifted with some supernatural power thanks to the Shroud. A stray thought struck her that maybe now Jacob would be more sympathetic to her finding the Pieces of Eden if he saw the power wielded by the Templars.
They fought with all the strength of the Assassins before them upon finding Starrick. It would take both of them to defeat this now super powered Templar. There was no time for arguing with them, or plans, or anything other than staying alive and getting the Shroud back from Starrick. As one twin pressed forward, the Templar grabbed the other by the throat. They fought against him, coughing and avoiding being suffocated and drained of energy.
But, with the Shroud around him, their normally lethal blows held none of the same bite. Still, they pressed forward, reaching around each other to hit him, looking for an opening to rip the Shroud from his shoulders. Finally, Jacob pinned him to the altar long enough for Evie to yank the artifact from him. They forced him back, over the altar.
"Shall we?"
"Let's."
They both gathered their proof of kill and turned to each other. They inspected one another inconspicuously, trying to keep the same stoic façade. Evie worried that Jacob's throat looked a little crushed while Jacob thought the same about Evie's. Jacob, though, broke the tense silence first.
"So, this is it."
"It's for the best isn't it?"
Even as they said that neither wanted to be apart and they were tired of fighting each other and themselves. Jacob needed to make sure that his sister was still alive and mostly whole. Evie needed to make sure that her brother was still there, fighting and living as he always was. He opened his arms, and she rushed into them. Their weapons fell to the floor as they embraced each other.
They apologized, Evie admitted that Father wasn't always right and Jacob admitted that maybe the supernatural curios were more of a problem than he thought. He leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of her head. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his chest. They stayed like that for a while, just reassuring themselves that their twin was alive and well.
When they finally broke apart, Jacob joked that now he could finally rest. Evie rolled her eyes and said she would rest with him if he ever did. Evie replaced the Shroud while Jacob watched before they both made their way back to the top. They kept close to each other to make sure they were good now, friends again and both alive, with Starrick finally dead.
Evie smirked as Jacob stared in shock. The queen? Since when had Evie known the queen of England? They knelt before their monarch and stared in surprise as they were knighted. The woman mentioned cake and Evie chuckled as she wondered when the last time she ate was. Jacob waved good-bye to one Sergeant Freddy Abberline, not knowing when they'd next meet.
They ate dinner that night aboard their train, just the two of them. They'd celebrate with the Rooks, with Henry, and the urchins, tomorrow. But tonight, they leaned against each other as they slowly ate dinner. Words would have disturbed the content silence in the room and soon enough, they both fell asleep sitting upright on Evie's bed. That night, they slept better than they had in a long time.