Guilt.

Guilt of the secrets that I possessed and was hiding from her. Guilt to my men that I was slowly drifting away from them. The admiration for me from the rest of the Templars was unbearable. They were desperate to find the secrets hidden deep in the precursor site. They assumed that I would have the same amount- if not more- of a desire to be rid of anything that stood in our way. They thought that I was driven by blind ambition alone.

But I wasn't. I wasn't even driven forward.

I was hurled into the air against my will, every time I looked into her eyes. I felt guilt dissolve every ounce of Templar in me. What if I ended up having to...to fight her people one day? Or her? Or worse? What if my men arose anger among Ziio's tribe? Or the other way round? And she had no clue why I freed her in the first place. I was still forbidden to speak of it.

Fear.

Fear of the future. Fear of the unknown. As a Master I was accustomed to be focused only on the future, and to never take my eyes off it. But I was torn astray in each blissful moment we shared. Every single second by Ziio's side was a haven for me. Yet the Templars are where my loyalties lay. That would never change.

I knew I would end up having to choose one day. Ziio or the Templars.

With her, every tomorrow seemed irrelevant. Living for the present and the present alone. But with the Order I had duties that constantly needed my attention. Everything would be a disaster if I was not in the Order. What am I to do?

I knew how incredibly wrong it was to spend so much time with a Mohawk woman. Especially in the position I stood, with the responsibilities I bore. If we were found out meeting up...it will all be over.

One side of my head always screamed at me to run away from her. That I should stay away from her and her people. But this voice was always mute in her presence.

God, it felt good to be with her. I could never push Ziio to the back of my mind. Her spirit was always there with her flirtatious smirk, her glowing skin, her fiery brown eyes and long flowing plaits. Impossible to resist. It broke my heart when she said: "Remember, it is The Bulldog's men who want my people out of this land. Why...I am not quite sure."

I was left not knowing what to do.

OK, that really was a short chapter but I just felt that it needed a little bit of emotion for Haytham before we continue. What do you think?

Thank you so much for ALL the support I've received! You have no idea how much I appreciate it :)