Hello!
A/N: I apologise for the delay, I've had exams etc and had to get myself together to edit and publish the next chapters. There's more on the way soon! :)
! Spoiler Alert ! Disclaimer: All characters (except Annora and Marie) belong to Ubisoft, as do the cover images.
Ann struggles on her own...
Enjoy! ^^
XXX
'Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering - and it's all over much too soon.'
The next morning…
Ann's eyes opened like every morning, blinded by the sunlight, yet she was no longer in a bed, nor in a manor, she was under a great oak tree, spread out on a woollen quilt she brought along with her. She was warm, but very hungry. She rubbed her eyes, blinking in order to adjust to the light, and looked around after lifting herself up from the ground. Then she noticed that the horse was gone, for she must have not tied the reigns properly, which gave her yet another reason to scold herself.
"Great," she murmured and stood up, walking around the small area to check if the animal wasn't anywhere around, if it hadn't just walked away to search for somewhere to graze. Unfortunately this wasn't the case, the horse must have been scared and decided to escape, just like she had the previous night from her own dwelling upon a hill. She sat down, hugging her knees and rocking herself back and forward for a while, not wanting to cry again. She just didn't feel anything anymore, she didn't even think, she was just hungry, she had no idea where she actually was and was completely scared of how she would get anywhere without a horse. After thinking over these bad news, she finally got up, packing the duffel bag and swinging it over her shoulder, deciding to take it from there by foot. She pulled her hood up, checking for the presence of her Templar necklace, which at that moment was the most comforting item she had, and began to trot down the very narrow footpath of the forest, humming some sort of made up tune at one moment, trying very hard to make it sound like actual music. Then, when she realised her attempt was failing, she begin to count the trees, and then occasionally look up to see how tall each was. By the time she counted to seventy-something she was already out of the sea of trees, the once endless forest, but there was nothing except fields of crops and small wooden houses in the far distance. She considered turning back, but as her eyes scanned the forest she just came out of, the prospect of going back in for another night wasn't at all appealing. She decided to just wander through the hills and valleys ahead until she found the main road to the city, hoping to take it and sell something to get a place in the inn for the day or at least some food. She could have done so in the first place, but she had no idea what to expect so she didn't do what her mind told her to do. She didn't want to follow her hungry instincts. She followed her gut instead, and the fear that lurked in the city at night.
As she walked and walked, ending up on paths that led down to more hills and valleys, the sun rose to it's highest place in the sky, staying there for a while, allowing her to take a seat on the grass. She basked in it's warmth, trying to reach her hands out, just like a child, and hoping for the warmth to envelop her just like Haytham used to whenever he embraced her. She hadn't seen anyone all day, which was surprising since she crossed so many farms and barn houses. It was as if a force of some kind was making her avoid everyone, making her feel alone as ever. She got up once more, trotting down a random path which just seemed the right one to take, until the sun slowly sunk down in the sky, clouds coming and going, their colours changing as the sky turned from a pale blue hue to yellows, oranges and even pinks. She watched this happen as she walked, on her own pointing out clouds to herself that resembled a flower or an animal or an object. The landscapes were beautiful, since it was already spring, the various greens reflecting the light of the sun, grasses springing forth with life, some of them covered in the still drying dew. Eventually she came to yet another village, but it was already nightfall. Some houses were lit up with traces of human presence, while others were dark and shut out from the world, residents already fast asleep. Nearby was a narrow river, which ran along the edge of the village and into another foreboding forest. There was a small rock formation by it, which seemed like a good enough place for shelter. She made her way there, assuming no one would mind if she camped there, and set up a very small fire, so as to not be noticed by the villagers, remembering the little but extremely useful skills her Father once taught her. She had to admit she was too shy to go and ask for food or shelter, especially since she had nothing to offer in return. As much as she knew she had to, she couldn't bring herself to hunt, not only was she bad at it, but she didn't have it in her to kill an animal, let alone skin it or prepare it, like Connor once told her to. She left her duffel bag in the little cave-like structure and spread out her quilt before approaching the stream, kneeling before it and dipping her hands in. The water looked clear enough, so she once again put her hands in, this time in a cup-like shape. She leaned in to drink the water from her palms, doing so several times until she felt at least slightly refreshed and replenished. Then she returned to her small resting place and sat down, watching the fire crackle as she warmed her hands, watching as the sky turned darker. She didn't know what time it was, or how long she was to travel for until she reached whatever destination she was aiming to head for. In all honesty she had no idea where she was indeed heading, all she knew was that she would pass through the city during the day, when it would be slightly safer to do so. The fire died out soon enough, and it's warmth completely escaped her grasp. She moved backwards, onto her quilt, and under the little shelter the rocks provided. She laid down, just like the night before, and thought about Haytham, like she would always do. Was he searching for her, or did he forget about her already? Did she want him to search for her?
She did. She wanted him to fetch her and tell her that they would go somewhere far, far away where no one would find them. But, that was only what she wanted, and as she found out already, wanting meant nothing in the world she resided in. Everything had to be worked or fought for, even if Haytham pampered her and gave her dresses and hats and jewellery, it wasn't what she wanted. She just wanted him.
It was so dark, and the temperatures seemed to slightly jump down from the previous warm breeze into a harsher, colder one. She turned to her side, curling up again, grabbing her knees and attempting to concentrate on falling asleep rather than the gnawing hunger that tortured her all day long. It would be a long, sleepless night. One which she most feared...
When the sun finally rose, Ann was still in a deep sleep, having spent half of the night dealing with the hunger and the longing she had for both the Manor and Haytham, who would have never let her do such insane things had he known sooner. It was indeed an insane thing for her to do, especially since she snuck out at night with no food, money or water, but rather trinkets that just reminded her of him rather than being of any other use.
"I'm starving," she thought out loud when she finally opened her eyes, discovering it was midday already. "Now it's too late to set off, by the time I'll get to the city it's going to be dark as hell again."
She packed her bag, quickly swinging it over her shoulder like always and crossed the river. Her legs carried her down paths which never seemed to lead anywhere, until she saw a brightly lit home in the distance, on a small hill. It was a small, wooden house, with seemingly only the bottom floor. There was smoke escaping from the chimney, and the sun seemed to be already setting. She rested against a few rocks nearby, watching the cottage from the distance. It so painfully reminded her of the one she left behind in America. After a while watching the candles inside flicker, she thought of maybe approaching the inviting home. Whoever was inside must have been at least somewhat welcoming, she wouldn't know if she didn't try. Yet when she stood up, she found her legs giving way. She was so tired and hungry that she didn't know if she would live to take the next steps. She was never so hungry, so what was happening was truly scaring the life out of her. It made her appreciate all she had again, it made her think and consider what it really meant to be poor. It made her reconsider her decision to leave. Again. She then began to call out, knowing she wouldn't make it before passing out.
"Help!" She shouted as loudly as her slightly coarse voice allowed her to. She did so again and again, until she couldn't even mutter the words anymore. To imagine that she was to die out there, with no one to hold her, look into her eyes, or help her in the least. Maybe she was over exaggerating, but at those moments she felt so hungry and tired and ill and hopeless that she believed those were her last breaths. Then, her hand suddenly slipped on the slightly moist rocks and the equally moist grass and dirt beneath her feet and she fell. All she felt was a sharp and hard surface hitting the side of her head, the pain striking her like lightning, and then stinging like a fire, but only for seconds, before she felt herself sinking down, everything around her getting dimmer and dimmer, as if someone was turning off the world. She knew she screamed as she fell, but at that moment she couldn't find a voice, she couldn't see and only momentarily felt the pain before everything went completely dark and she lost all that was left of her consciousness. What happened afterwards, she did not know.
Please leave a review/fave/follow if you enjoyed this chapter and would like more! Thank you! ^^
Till next time!
AssassinSuzy