When Carolyn came to she was still bound in the dark but she could tell by the swaying of the world around her that she was on a boat, the movement combining with her aching head to make her stomach turn. The slow pull of the oars and the pitching of the craft let her know that it was a small craft, unlikely to be her final destination unless they meant to throw her in the sea though if they had meant to do that they could have done that just as easily from the cliff. She took some small comfort in that thought. Eventually the boat slowed and she could hear the lap of the waves against a larger vessel. She was hauled to the deck unceremoniously like a sack of grain and pulled to her knees, her hands tied behind her back.

"We got 'er." One of the voices announced and a dry chuckle matched the approaching footsteps. "Well it took long enough. Let me see." She blinked in the sudden light as the cloth was pulled away. A pair of hands grabbed her chin turning her head this way and that but her eyes refused to focus. The movement made spots dance in front of her eyes and she leaned forward as far as the hands on her shoulders would let her and threw up on the deck. The rough hands pulled her back upright but the other man checked her eyes carefully. "You were not supposed to hurt her." The man to her left shifted uncomfortably. "She had a knife. She bloodied John." The voice sighed "She's a student of Haytham Kenway. What did you expect? There's a reason I sent 4 of you. Take her below. Use my quarters and send the doctor to check on her." He walked away and the hands dragged her to her feet. She lurched with the movement of the ship but a large body on either side of her kept her upright .

Eventually they made it to a blessedly dark room and she was pushed into a bunk. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the rocking of the ship. An older man came in and felt on her head, making sure she could focus her eyes in the darkness. She looked up at him, her voice small and scared. "Help me? Please?" He shook his head sadly and pulled back. The man from the deck laughed and approached her. He was older than her by a number of years and impeccably dressed. The look would have been foppish but for the muscles and steel matching it. "Nice of you to try but that won't work on anybody here." He shooed the doctor out of the door leaving them alone.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Who am I? You don't mean to say you don't recognize me." His voice was hurt and offended but she knew it to be an affectation. "I suppose it has been awhile. I mean it's not like I'm important or anything. It's not like I'm the Grand Master of Boston." His voice began to rise. "You're the Grand Master?" He laughed at that. "I will be and more. I should have been for years. Reginald Birch, at your service." He bowed elegantly at her. She studied him in confusion "You're much too young to be Birch." Recognition dawned. "His son. You came to visit." "So she remembers at last. Yes, I would think you'd remember that visit. You know that was the first time I had ever seen the great Haytham Kenway scared; the time the guards brought you back and told him you had been out alone in town." He smiled down at her "I liked seeing him scared. I liked watching you get punished almost as much. Of course you've grown since then." His fingers traced the neck of her dress and she pulled away. "I'm married and have a child now."

He pondered her "Do you care for your child?" She swallowed. "Of course I do." He looked thoughtful. "My father never cared for me. When it came time to promote someone he chose Haytham, his pupil over me his own flesh and blood. It's hardly fitting. Causing Haytham Kenway pain is one of the great joys in my life. First I got rid of his son. He was so excited at the thought of a son. It was little work to convince Charles Lee that Haytham meant to replace him as next in line with his own blood." He chuckled to himself. "Those were happy times. The waiting, the anticipation, the disappointment. Eventually his reactions to my prodding faded away and I thought the fun would end until you came. He tried to act like it was nothing special but he had no reason to keep you. You could have gone to any Templar family but he chose for you to live with him instead. Of course he was so very careful with you. When he came down to Kingston he was so worried about you. And for once he was right. I knew you wouldn't have any protection. It might have been different if he had heeded my request for your hand but he offered you to Lee instead. Passed up twice for my blood right in favor of someone else. "

He snickered to himself. "At first I meant to kill you so I could watch him suffer all over again like with his son. The months after the Sovereignty sunk were glorious. I even hired your replacement specifically because she looked like you just to watch him see her and think for a moment you were there." She looked at him horrified. He patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. That's not what I want you for now."

"What do you want me for then? Dead? That certainly seems to have been your goal so far though you haven't done too well at it." He waived this off. "That was before I realized that you were too valuable a prize to waste. You'll serve your purpose just as well alive." She grimaced at that. "Let me guess. I'm to be bait." He chuckled at that. "Precisely. You're going to help me punish that damned assassin." She hung her head. "I was afraid of that." She brought her head up suddenly. "Wait. You said Haytham…." He looked at her, his eyebrows arching in mock surprise. "Did you not know? Of course not. They never felt the need to explain that to the younger generation I suppose. Our precious leader was not born a Templar. To be fair there's no shame in that. The problem was that he was born and raised an Assassin. My father recruited and trained him and then passed over his own flesh and blood in favor of this man. A man who has done everything in his power to change us from what we should be. The Templars are not about equality. We are about control. We do not vote. We take power and use it as we see fit. That is our purpose, not this pipe dream he is trying to change us into. Look at your own father. He had no place in the organization. He wasn't even strong enough to save himself. " His voice rose and cracked badly and his eyes were wide. Seeing her expression he took a calming breath.

"Anyway" he continued. "Then it turned out you missed the boat. Quite unprofessional. You didn't even send a letter. And then just a few months ago rumors of you started popping up. He was quite beside himself. I, of course, encouraged him to rush of to find out. I also supplied a portrait of yours to the Patriots and sent their own little Assassin after you. I thought how wonderful it would be for him to find out that you lived and show up just in time to watch you die by the hands of an old associate. But it would seem he either got there on time or they just haven't found you yet. I took the expedient approach of having him tracked. I figured he would have the best chance of finding you. Then it was just a matter of time to wait for him to be gone. "

She glared at him. "You're lucky my husband was out as well." Reginald chuckled viciously. "I would rather say you're both lucky. What could he have done against four Templars? And that sweet little child you're so concerned about? I need not let them live. I might yet spare them. Nobody knew you were married so you need not be truly widowed to marry me. The truth is inconsequential. " Her eyes flew open. "What do you mean marry you?" He continued over here. "In one week's time all of the highest of the Templars will meet in Kingston to discuss the changes to this new country that seems to be forming. They mean to elect a Grand Master for the whole country. Someone capable and strong to lead the people. It's a grand opportunity. Usually one cannot quite so directly influence a country's rule. " She snorted. "You want to be a king?" He laughed. "No, you would make a charming queen. It would suit you much better than the backwater that's been reported to me. But I mean to be the power behind the throne. After all they've already overthrown one ruler. You now serve two purposes. First you got Haytham conveniently out of the picture. I never dreamed he hadn't let people know he was alive. Second with him gone you are now a rather nice figurehead for the new world Templar movement. Daughter of one leader, ward of another and engaged to a third. Your husband would have a considerable advantage in the upcoming vote."

He eyed her silence. "I could just kill them you know." She smiled at that. "I think you might find it a harder task than you would expect." He stroked her cheek. "He's not a Templar. I would have known if he was. Are you willing to risk it? Are you willing to risk him and that child you talk of? Even the strongest fighter has to sleep." She swallowed hard. "What do you want of me?" He stood before her, lifting her chin. "Why to reach your full potential. That's all. Come with me to Kingston. Marry me. Once I'm elected the new Grand Master of the new nation we'll return to Boston. I will of course expect proper obedience and duty but as long as you are compliant nothing need happen to the people you left behind. " He smiled and pushed her back on the bunk. "In the meantime you'll stay here with me." She shifted trying to prop herself up. "I'd rather not."

He grabbed her shoulders, pinning her to the cot. "Oh, I think you would. I'd make very sure of that. You would not like staying with the men. You're exactly as safe as I choose for you to be and that entirely depends on how cooperative you are. " His hand brushed her knee and she laughed. "If you mean to leave any kind of legacy I'm afraid you'll have to wait. My son is not even 3 weeks old. I'm not ready yet. There was damage and you would risk me never bearing again." He sighed and moved his hand. "I'll have a proper doctor exam you in Kingston before the wedding." She smiled at him. "If appearances are more important than truths as you say it shouldn't matter as long as we appear to be wed by the vote."

He grinned back at her. "So do we have a deal?" She took a breath. "You do not harm them. You do not order anybody else to harm them. You do not knowingly allow them to come to harm. You swear these things and I will come to Kingston and play your game." He nodded. "By the Father of Understanding, I swear". She turned to show him her back. "Can I be untied now?" He shook his head, "Not tonight. We'll see about in the morning."

Carolyn thought she'd never be able to sleep especially when Birch casually climbed in next to her and pulled her tight against him. Once he was asleep she shifted as best she could against the far wall but eventually exhaustion overcame her. She woke up with the early rays of the sun starting to shine through the window to see him finish dressing. She struggled to sit up averting her eyes. "May I be untied now?" He laughed and finished pulling on his boots. "No you still have one more thing to do." From the deck cries announcing an approaching ship could be heard. "Come on." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a scarf binding her eyes. He dragged her to her feet and up the stairs. "Do precisely as I say." His voice was thoughtful. "Try to cry."

The Aquila approached the ship from the south, Faulkner ordering the cannon's to be ready. Haytham surveyed from the deck with a spyglass. "Hold fire!" From a distance a form could be seen standing on the deck in pale green. The other shit sat dead in the water and they pulled alongside it. Carolyn stood blindfolded at the edge of the ship, her arms bound behind her back, a heavy weight wrapped around her waist and a man standing beside her. Connor made ready to board but Haytham waved him back. "I know him."

The man grinned at Haytham. "Assassin! Did you lose something?" Connor's hands gripped the wood of the rail but the man's eyes never left Haytham. He shouted back angrily. "What do you want, Reginald?" The crew lined the deck and eyed the ship excitedly. Reginald pushed Carolyn closer to the edge. "Uh-uh. Stand down. You'd never get here in time." Faulkner swore but the men sheathed their weapons. "You're not welcome in Kingston anymore. The time has come to move back to what the Templars were always meant to be." Haytham swore "I haven't engaged in Templar politics since coming. Why does it matter?" Reginald laughed at that. "Haven't engaged. Your mere existence changes things. Everyone in Boston thinks you're dead. Let those in Kingston think the same. I'll keep our little friend here as a reminder of that agreement, don't you think?" He pulled the blind fold from her roughly, tearing her hair. She gasped in pain and blinked in the sudden light. Her eyes widened to see Connor standing beside his father on the ship across from her but she dared not speak.

He pushed her closer to the edge and she leaned back in fear. The man was not sane and she didn't doubt he would take enormous pleasure in drowning her before Haytham's eyes. "Stop!" Connor's voice was panicked but Haytham repeated it sadly. "Stop. I will stay away. Will you let her go then?" Reginald laughed and shook her where he held her by the arms. "I do not thing you mean for me to let her go now." She held her breath but he did not drop her. "Once we get to Kingston she's free to do as she chooses after the meeting. I swear that much." She closed her eyes and rocked on her heels. "But you do not follow me." Haytham nodded and Carolyn allowed herself to be dragged back from the edge with a breath of relief. Her eyes met Connors for a moment before she was roughly blind folded again as the ship began to turn and sail away. The sailors roughly pulled lose the weights tied to her as Reginald untied her arms. "Now the fun part." He pulled lose the laces of her dress, stripping her of it in the middle of the deck as she tried to hold onto it; leaving her standing in her shift. Two men came up from the stairs below dragging a sobbing dark haired young woman between them. They crudely stripped her of her own torn and stained gown and began lacing her into the green linen. As they blindfolded her and tied the weights to her waist Carolyn's stomach began to drop. "What are you going to do to her?" Reginald laughed. "Well with Haytham gone there's no need to keep her around Kingston so I brought her with me just in case. She'll serve this purpose well. Besides the sea should be welcome after her time with the crew. Oh, one more thing." To her horror he reached down and pulled her ring loose from her hand. "You can have it back in Kingston." He nodded to one of the men who grabbed Carolyn by the arm and dragged her down below to the captain's bunk.

Through the window she could see the Aquila in the distance, the ship she rode turning to present a broadside. A single cannon bellowed, shaking the ship and landing nowhere near the Aquila but drawing the attention of the crew. She tried to close her ears to the sounds of the woman's screams and the splash as she was thrown overboard. Carolyn found herself holding her breath and finally gasped a choking sob. At least it was mercifully quick. Shaking Carolyn looked around the room but neither answers nor weapons were forthcoming. Eventually she crawled under the blanket of the cot and cried until sleep took her.

Connor watched the ship sail away, his pulse pounding in his ears. He turned to Haytham. "Why do you let them sail?!" Haytham shook his head "I thought she might have taught you patience. There was no way to guarantee her safety. If he swears to release her in Kingston we have only to wait for her to book passage back. We should turn back and check on your son now."

Connor shook his head, "No. We do not return without her." His eyes narrowed thinking on what Reginald had said. "Why would a Templar call you assassin? Who was that note for?" Haytham eyed him. "Caught that, did you? If you must know I was not always a Templar. My father was an Assassin. I lost everything to his inability to have some basic sense. Reginald's father saved my life and helped me save the last member of the family I had left. That young man over there is actually your cousin. My sister's son with the man who introduced me to the order. " Connor eyed him in disbelief and Haytham continued. "There was a reason I did not let your being an Assassin get in the way of our relationship. Though I admit I felt it terribly ironic that you would unknowingly name your son after an Assassin and a Templar. Let's go back to him. His mother will be fine. We have a rule in the Order not to actual harm families of other members. He will abide by it. "

Connor nodded and started to head for the wheel when a crack and splash of a cannon ball drew their attention. "She's turning. What's happening?" Haytham fumbled for the spyglass at his waist and pulled it up. Even without the glass Connor could see the figure in green dragged to the edge of the ship. With a scream she was thrown overboard sinking quickly below the waves. Connor ran for the edge of the ship but Haytham jumped before him, grabbing his shoulders and wrestling him back. "Don't. It's too late. They're too far away." He shook his head in disbelief. Connor swallowed channeling his despair to rage. "Then we sail to Kingston." Haytham nodded. Connor put a hand on his shoulder "And I get to slit his throat." Haytham studied Connor. "I'll not be much use once we get there I'm afraid. I'm too well known. Word would get back. But I can teach you how to act like a Templar and get you inside. Reginald has good security but he's very fond of his parties. It seems like he has a damned event every week. The trick is to be too important to let anyone question you. I don't suppose you know how to dance? We've got a few days anyway. There's much to learn. "