"Ratohnhnaké:ton, it's only for a few days!" I exclaim, exhasperated.
"But what if she falls over? Hurts herself? Anything could happen!" Connor exclaims.
"Ratohnhnaké:ton, you can run through a battlefield and not get a scratch. I'm sure you can handle two days with a five-year-old." I point out.
Connor begins to object, but I cut him off. "Look, if you're really in trouble, get Dr White. But I honestly wouldn't be going to visit James if I wasn't confident I'd come back to you two. Alright?" I ask.
"...Alright." Connor says. He still looks worried, but he'll be fine.
"Okay. I'll be back in two days. I love you." I say to Connor.
"Konnorónhkwa." He replies, kissing me on the lips.
"Ziio!" I call. She comes running around the corner.
"Do you have to go, Mama?" She complains.
"Yes, I do. But I'll miss you, and I'll be thinking of you." I pick Ziio up, then whisper into her ear. "Take care of Daddy. I'm trusting you to keep him in line while I'm gone."
Ziio nods with a huge grin, and I pass her to Connor. I step out of the house and walk over to my horse. A knot begins to form in my throat as I leave my husband and child behind, but I push it aside. It's only for two days.
I mount my horse, and with a final wave I gallop off, into the forest.
~!~
"Can we play a game, Papa?" I ask him eagerly.
"What would you like to play?" Papa asks, crouching down to my height.
"We could play dolls!" I exclaim.
Papa smiles. "What about this? If you promise to be good until Mama gets back from New York, I will take you hunting."
I gasp. I've never been hunting before. "Really?" I gasp.
"Really." Papa smiles.
I squeal excitedly, and jump up and down several times before calming down. Papa never jumps up and down, especially not when he's going hunting. I put on a very serious face, and Papa lifts me into his arms.
"You are not strong enough to handle a bow, yet. But I will teach you how to set traps, so that you can hunt rabbits. When you are old enough, I will make you your very own bow." Papa tells me. I grin delightedly, and Papa takes me up to his and Mama's bedroom, fetching his hunting gear. His bow and arrows, traps and other things dangle at his belt, and he gives me some traps and bait. We walk out of the house and I can barely contain my excitement. I jump up and down again. Just before we enter the forest, Papa stops me and crouches down again.
"Now, Ziio, when we enter the forest you must be very quiet and very serious. If you make any noise at all, you will frighten the animals. You must do exactly as I say, when I say it. If you see any animal, tell me very quietly. Especially bears, wolves or moose. Alright?"
"Okay, Papa." I reply. We head into the forest very quietly, our feet silent on the forest floor. Papa shows me how to detect where animals have been by their footprints, or by looking at bushes to see if rabbits have eaten recently. One bush has very recent marks on it, so Papa shows me how to set a trap. I do it easily.
We continue through the forest for the whole morning. Papa kills a fox, and seeing him shoot the bow and hit his target makes me almost burst with the thrill of it. We circle back as the sun reaches it's highest, and we check my trap.
There is a dead rabbit there. I see it and let out a delighted laugh, picking up the body and poking it.
"Ziio, you cannot do that." Papa says sternly.
"Why not?" I ask, pouting.
"Because this animal has died so that you can eat. You have killed it, and you must respect it, you must thank it for its sacrifice." Papa replies calmly but sternly. I nod, hanging onto his every word. I hold the rabbit gently, and we make our way back to the homestead. When we arrive, Papa shows me how to skin an animal and de-bone it. I decide to keep the bones. I might be able to make a pretty necklace, like Papa's.
That night, we eat my rabbit and Papa's fox for dinner. They taste good. Then, Papa teaches me a few words in his native language. He teaches me how important the land is, how we must respect it. Then we play a game of hide-and-go-seek, and I win every time. Once I'm bored with the game, we stop.
"Papa, what did you do before you were a papa?" I ask him.
"I... I helped the Americans win their war." He replies hesitantly.
"Did you kill people?" I ask curiously.
"I think it is time for you to go to bed." Papa says quickly.
"But you haven't answered my question!" I exclaim.
Papa sighs. "...Yes, I killed people. But that is never, ever a good thing. Ever. Do you understand?" Papa asks.
"I understand. Will you tell me a bedtime story?" I ask.
Papa nods, and I run upstairs, readying myself for bed and the story. I call for Papa when I'm ready, and he comes upstairs. He sits in a chair next to my bed and tucks me in.
"What story would you like to hear?" He asks.
"Hmm..." I mutter, thinking of something I'd like to hear. "I'd like to hear a story about your village!" I say.
Papa nods, and sits back against the chair. He sighs, and then starts his story.
~!~
Connor finished his story and looked over at his daughter. She was fast asleep, so Connor stood up and brushed the hair out of her face. He placed a kiss on her forehead, thinking of how much she looked like her mother. He walked out of her room silently and quietly shut the door behind him. He walked downstairs, proud of his daughter for trapping the rabbit earlier that day. He pottered around the house for a while, wondering how Clara was before heading upstairs to bed. He readied himself, dressing in a pair of pants, preferring to sleep shirtless; it was much more comfortable.
He laid down onto the bed and disliked the empty half of the bed, wishing Clara was there. He pushed the thoughts aside; his wife would be back the day after. He could survive another day without her, even if he did miss her dearly. He hoped she was at least enjoying the time with her brother.
Connor thought about Ziio. He wanted a son, and many more children as well. Maybe even a dog. He did not look it, but Connor rather liked children.
He thought about his work as an Assassin. He knew his work was far from finished; once Ziio was old enough, Connor and Clara would begin to recruit more Assassins into the Brotherhood; into the fight. He hoped Ziio would become an Assassin, but if she chose a different path, Connor and her mother would support her. After all, they only wanted her to live a happy, long life.
Connor rolled over in bed, closed his eyes. As he fell asleep, his thoughts drifted to his wife and daughter.
How lucky he was to have them.
I'm back! Yay!
Anyway, school has been piling on homework, so that's why this chapter is late. I've decided to keep going with these one-shots, and just follow the story of Connor and Clara's life with kids and stuff. I may even write a whole new story about when Ziio is grown up or something. Maybe. Let me know if you want it, and suggestions for one-shots are always appreciated. A big thanks to HuntersEve, who suggested Connor babysitting and I thought that would be cute. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!