Chapter 2
Arno woke to the sound of someone pissing in a bucket and but his eyes were wide open as he saw the man from the inner cell, sitting on a bench, holding his watch in his hand, Arno shot to his feet and man looks at him, showing the watch to him, "Where did you come by this, pisspot?" he asks him standing as Arno was fuming with anger. "I'm in no mood for this, give it back." Arno snarls at him, walking to him and then reaches out for the watch. But the man quickly moves the watch out of view, places his hand on Arno back and then trips him, making him fall into the cell. Arno pulls himself to his hands and knees and looks up, seeing the man grip a hold of the two wooden swords, "Take it back. If you can." he tells him as Arno pulls himself back to his feet and everyone on the cell was now looking at them.
The man then tosses one at him, Arno catches the wooden sword, and they ready themselves, Arno thrust his sword forward, but the man dodges it and Arno strike him with s swing, "Dance, boy! Dance!" the man tells him. The man went to strike him, but Arno beats him to it and throw another swing. The man looks back at Arno raises his hand to his bleeding lip and smirks. "Well struck, pisspot! Lets see if your defense is as good." he states and came at him. But Arno blocks him and then knees him right in the face and strikes at him again. The man then tries again, but Arno blocks that one as well. "So much effort for a broken antique." the man states as Arno left hooks his right in the face. "The only broken antique here is flapping his idiot jaw!" Arno snaps at him and kicks him right in the back of the leg.
"Say that again!" the man dares him, as Arno block another of his attack, "I've nothing more to say, old man." Arno snaps again. Then after a few more attack the man kneels down, Arno pants and points his wooden sword at him, "Give me what's mine and go back to your crazy drawing, old man." Arno growls at them. The man looks at him, surprise by his words, "Drawings?" he asks him, wiping the blood away. "These here! Everywhere! Scribbled like chicken scratches all over the cell!" Arno states, walking over to man's cell. Only to find it empty, the man throw down the wooden stick and walks over to the confuse Arno. "Where …?" Arno asks, "Come here, you little pisspot." Pierre growls, pulling Arno into the cell, "Get your hands off me!" Arno shouts. "Look at the wall." the man orders him, "What are you doing-" Arno yells. "Concentrate. Concentrate!" he orders him, Arno did what he said and saw the writing again. "What are they?" Arno asks as he steps inside and looks around at them. "Messages from the past. I had myself thrown into half the prisons in Paris in search of these. What's your name, boy." the man asks him.
"Arno. Arno Victor Dorian." Arno answers as he turns back to him. "Dorian… of course! Pierre Bellec. I knew your father." Bellec tells him, giving him back the watch. Arno took it without hesitation. "Bully for you." Arno said dryly as he walks pass him. "He died at Versailles. It would have been what, '76? '77? December as I recall. No witnesses." Bellec informs him as he sat in his cell. Arno turns to him surprise he even knew that, "How did you-" Arno starts as he walks to him. "You're father was an Assassin, Arno. He gave his life fighting for the liberty of all mankind." he tells him and the grips the wooden swords and stood up. "Stick with me, and you just might live long enough to join the brotherhood, honor your father's memory." Bellec informs him. "Listen, I'm sure your little cult is a delightful bunch, but I'm not interested. The only thing I care about is finding Elise and Elizabeth." Arno tells Bellec and turns away, Elizabeth peeks up into the cell and looks at the drawings. "How do you plan to do that from in here?" Pierre asks him, making Arno stop on his track.
He then turns and looks back at him, Bellec offered him a wooden sword and Arno took it. Bellec smiles at him, "Hey Jackie." he said looking over at the bared window. And a hooded man stood up from the shadows and leans against the bars, Arno looks at him in surprise, but Bellec just smiles as he turns to the man. "I need a favor to ask of you." he states. Jackson just looks at him and shift her weight a bit, "Be my eyes and ears on the streets. If anything bad happens, you report back to me or the brotherhood, Suis-je bien compris?" he tells him, then another pops up as well, "Well do." he said, sounding young. Bellec nods at him and turns back to Jackson, "Jackson, keep an eye on her, will ya?" Bellec asks him, he nods with a smirk, "You already know Charlies is on that." he informs him and Bellec chuckles and slips his hand through the bars, "La sécurité et la paix, mon frèelre." he tells him. Pierre shook his hand and Jackson then took his hand back, "Allons-y, Andy." Jackson tells his partner, he nods at him and they both disappear into the shadows then Bellec turns back to him, and held out a wooden sword to Arno "Now pisspot, shall we begin?"
Two months later…
Bellec and Arno were training for weeks, honing Arno's skill with a blade, the Bastille shook violently as it was it with a cannonball, Arno was strike right in the ribs with Bellec's elbow. Arno stumbles back, then regain himself, then Arno came at him again and again he was strike in the ribs, "Again!" Bellec orders him, but then a cannon was fired, getting Arno's attention and Bellec smacks the blade out of the his hand, making him hiss and pull his hand back, "Focus pisspot!" Bellec orders him. "What the hell is going on out there?" Arno asks him, as the prisoners gathered at the barred window. "Citizens are restless. Keep an ear open – opportunity might come knocking soon." Bellec informs him as he sat down, Arno gently pushes the man away from the window.
He then stood up on the chair and looks outside the window, seeing everyone was gathered at the Bastille, shouting, firing cannons at the wall, holding weapon and torches in their hands. Arno then steps at as a cannon ball hits the wall, "That was cannon fire." he informs Bellec as the man was getting ready. "Sometimes opportunity sounds a lot like cannon fire." Bellec informs him as he stood up, "Secure the prisoners!" a guard shouts out, "Follow my lead." Bellec orders him and he went into the inner cell, Arno follows him, "Take cover!" Bellec tells him and Arno did so, a guard ran up at the cell, "Prisoners, up against the wall!" he orders them, "On who's authority?" one questions as they did so. "I told you this was going to end badly." another mutters, "Silence! Stay back!" the guard snaps as the door was then open.
The guard step inside and drew their swords, then the two came out of cover, Arno wraps his arm behind on of the guards as Bellec jumps at the other and stabs him in the throat with the hidden blade, Arno just sock the guard in the face and drops him to the ground. Bellec then stood up with a steel sword in his hand "Right. Lets get out of this shithole." Bellec tells him, tossing the sword at Arno and then kicks one up in his hand, they then left from the cell, "You there! Halt!" a guard calls out, "Come on, pisspot! Run like you mean it! No matter what happens, stay close." Bellec tells him as they ran for it. They then came up to a door that was close, "It's lock! Keep them off me for a bit, pisspot." Bellec orders him as he started to pick the lock.
Arno turns back seeing the guards coming into veiw, "If one of them stabs me, I'll haunt you to an early grave." Bellec warns him. Arno drew his sword and dueled with the two guards. He finishes them off with the skills he's learn in the past two mouths. He kills them with perfect parrys. "Bellec, is that door open?" Arno asks him as he saw three guards this time. "Not quite." Bellec answers him. "We have problem." Arno calls out, as he blocks an incoming blade, "Find a solution." Bellec tells him, Arno sighs at him, "Lovely." he mutters at him as he fought off the guards, but then suddenly someone jumps down from the beams up top and lands on the third guard, stabbing him with a hidden blade, Arno ask him and watches him stand up, it was Jackson from two mouths ago. "Nice of you to finally join us, Jackie." Bellec calls out as he works on the lock.
Jackson looks over at him and retracts his hidden blade, then four more came, "You got be kidding me?" both Arno and Jackson said in annoyance, then right on cue Bellec opens the lock, "Got it, lets go pisspot!" Bellec calls out, Jackson threw down a smoke bomb, blinding the guards and then grips onto Arno's arm and pulls him along. "Come on! Out the window!" Bellec shouts at them as another smoke bomb was thrown and two from the beams, jumps down onto the guards, stabbing them with their hidden blades, and they stood up, one was short as the other was tall. "Grunt! Kid!" Bellec calls out as Andy growls at him. "Charles, Andy! Lets moves!" Jackson calls out to them, they nod at him and all six jump out the window. "Come on, while they're distracted by the crowd! Bellec calls out as they all started to climb up the wall. They then climb into an area and ran through the room.
Then they all came to another lock door. "This way!" Bellec shouts and he kicks the door open and they were in front of a firing squad, the three assassin drew their swords and charge. Bellec and Arno drew theirs as well and charges, they took down the men and sheath their swords. "Now where?" Arno asks them, "Up." Bellec answers him, and they jumps at the wall and started to climb "Brilliant. And how do we get down again?" Arno questions him, "Trust me!" Bellec calls out to him, "James has that covered." Andy calls out as well. They then reach the top and saw that one man had fought off all the guards that were in his way, he then looks over and waves his arms to them, "Come on! This way!" he calls out, "Thanks for the escape root, Romeo." Bellec tells him, the man shrugs. "I'm just good at what I do." he answers, "Just like how you can almost bed every woman you lay your eyes on, James." Jackson tells him and James shot him a glare. Arno notices that they all had their hoods on and were equip with weapons to defend themselves.
They all look down at the people below them and saw that it was a long away down, Arno was the first to back away from the edge, Bellec looks over at him. "What are waiting for, pisspot? Time to jump!" Bellec tells him as the four walk over to him. "What? Prison has scramble your brains, old man!" Arno said with panic, James and Charles were the first to jump. "Drink took care of that a long time ago. Now get up here!" he said, demanding Arno, "Now not the time to cower, chicken legs!" Andy tells him and jumps off as well, Jackson looks back seeing if any guards were going to caught up to them. "I can't – it's impossible!" Arno argues with him. "Impossible! That's the purview of every Assassin, boy! You just saw three well trained Assassins just jump off this here ledge!" Bellec growls at him, then Jackson ran back to them and grips Bellec shoulder, "They're coming!" he warns him and Bellec looks back at him, "Go, I'll catch up with you!" Bellec orders him, Jackson nods at him and then walks over to the ledge, shot a glare at Arno and then jumps off the ledge.
Bellec then walks back to Arno and places something in his hand, "If you can pluck your head out of your own arse, come find us. You'd make a great fit! Good-bye pisspot!" he shouts as he walks back to the ledge and then jumps. Leaving Arno by himself, "You! Back away from the ledge!" a captain orders him as he and his men ran up at him, Arno only step closer to the ledge, fearing that it was his only way out. He looks back at the guards, "Merde!" he mutters, hesitated at first but then jumps from the edge.
~8~8~8~
Arno manage to escape with his life and makes his way back home, he stuck to the shadows of the alleys, but then saw one of the hooded Assassin wonder through the alleys as well, he was smaller then the ones he encounter at the Bastille. He followed the Assassin until the one called Charles walks up to them, Arno watches from the shadows, "Charles, what are you doing here?" the assassin asks him sound like a woman, a very familiar woman.
He raise an eyebrow at her, "I wasn't doing anything bad. Promise." she tells him, but he crosses his arms at her, she sighs. "Alright, I was going to see my friend, I need to report back to her with all the information I gathered from today." she informs him, he then places his hand on her shoulder. "Of course I can trust her, I trust her with my life and she has no reason to lie to me, we have the same goal." she informs him. He grunts and lowers his head, the assassin female looks under his hood, "I'll be alright, you don't have to worry about me." she tells him with a little smile, he looks at her and sigh. "You know me, I can take down anyone." she tells him with her fist raise, Charles smiles at her and nods. And disappear, the girl sighs and walks off.
Arno followed after and she turns a corner, Arno followed her of course as he turns the corner and saw that she was gone, he steps out looking for her, but then felt a barrel was pointed at the back of his head heard that it was cock. "Why are you following me?" she demands him. Arno slowly raise his hands, "I ask you a question." he reminds him, then Arno suddenly turns back grips her wrist that held the gun, she gasp as she was taken by surprise and pulled forward and slam onto the ground, Arno then saddles her, gripping her wrists and pins them down next her head on the ground, she struggles in his grip, but then as she went to shove him off, her hood fell off and Arno looks at her in shock. Elizabeth Castidenia was underneath him, she looks up at him in shock as well. "Arno…" she mutters. "Izzy… you were just… does that mean you're… oh God…" he mutters as he pulls away from her. She pulls herself up, "Arno, I can explain-" she tries to him everything.
"How long were you an assassin?" he asks her, she looks at him with sad eyes, "All my life." she answers him, he turns away from her, covering his mouth with both of his hands. "Arno, I wanted to tell you-" she tries again, "Was it all a lie? Everything we've been through, everything we face, all a lie?!" he raise his face at her, making her stiffen in her spot, her mouth was glued shut. "WAS IT?!" he shouts at her, she flinches from the anger in his voice. She then opens her eyes at him seeing nothing but anger in his eyes, he then points her finger at her, "I never want to see you again, I don't know who you are, but you are not my best friend." he threatens her, she just stood there in shock at his words as her heart just stop right then and there, Arno then walks pass her, his shoulder bumping in her and he left her there all by herself, alone and in utter shock.
~8~8~8~
Arno looks out from the alley at the abandoned De La Serre Estate, he quickly makes his way to the Estate and then opens the door, "Elise?" he calls out, but then heard a gun being cock. He looks over and saw that Elise was dress in a men attire and a gun was pointed at him, she lowers her pistol as she saw it was Arno, "That's some welcome." he tells her. "One can't be too careful. Not after what's happened…" she informs him as he turns back to the table of the gathered Intel and places her pistol down.
"Elise, I-" he starts, "Haven't you've done enough to repay my father's kindness?" she questions him as he steps to her, "Elise, please. You can't believe that I killed Monsieur De La Serre." he tells her, Elise refuse to look at him, "Your father… he wasn't the man you thought he was, neither of our fathers were and Elizabeth isn't who you think she is either." Arno informs her to break to her the bad new. But she turns to him, "I know exactly who my father was, Arno. And I know who yours was and I know perfectly well who Elizabeth is." She reports to him then stuffs a little. "I suppose it was inevitable. You an Assassin, me a Templar and my sister, the Child of Eden…" Elise confess to him. Arno took a step back, "You too…" he said in surprise. "Does that shock you? My father always meant for me to follow in his footsteps as he wanted Elizabeth to be freed from this war. Now all I can do is avenge him." she states and turns away from him.
"I swear to you I had nothing to do with his death!" Arno tries to make clear to her, Elise turns back to him, holding a lamp, "But you did." Elise tells him as she steps over to the shadows, Arno looks at her in horror, "No. No! By my life, I didn't-" Arno went to argue with him, but then saw Elizabeth step out of the shadows and in her hands was the letter that they both had left under De La Serre's office door. "Is that…" Arno asks as Elizabeth handed the letter to Elise who took it from her as Elizabeth took the lamp from her. "The letter intended for my father the day he was murdered. Read it." Elise offer it to him, Arno took the letter and read it:
Grand Master De La Serre,
I have learned through my agents that an individual within out Order plots against you. I beg you to be on your guard at the initiation tonight. Trust no one. Not even those you call friend.
May the Father of Understanding guide you
-L
Arno shifts in his spot, runs his hand over his mouth, Elise looks the other way as Elizabeth stood there with a tear slowly steaming down her face. "When I first came back, I went to find that letter." Elizabeth spoke up in a soft voice, Elise and Arno looks at her, "As I read the letter, I hated myself even more. I had help murder the one man I called father." she tells them, Elise steps over to her and held her close, rubbing her shoulders. "Elizabeth gave me the letter and I then knew why she cried and beg for my forgiveness." Elise tells him as Elizabeth places the lamp down.
Arno looks at them, "I didn't know." Arno tells Elise, she looks up at him, "Neither did my father." Elise reminds him. "How could I have known?" Arno asks her again, Elizabeth looks away from him as she hugs herself. "Just go." Elise asks him, he went to take a step closer to the girls "Please." Elise then begs him. He look on last look at them; he betrayed the woman he loves and now had lost his best friend to his anger. And then he walks out of the Estate. When Arno had left the Estate, Elizabeth collapses to her knees, Elise was by her side on her knees as well and she held her weeping friend in her arms as Elizabeth was now broken inside, she had lost her best friend to her secret.
After an hour she stops and stood to her feet, "I have to get back." she tells Elise as she wipes away her tears, Elise places her hand on her shoulder, making Elizabeth looks at her, "Are you going to be alright?" she asks her, Elizabeth gave her a sad smile, "No, I'm never going to alright after this." she answers her, Elizabeth then runs her hands over her hair. "Oh God, this is why I never wanted him to find out, I knew he would react like this." she answers her. Elise nods at him, "It wasn't a lie about what my father wanted for you." Elise tells her, Elizabeth looks at her, "He did wanted you to be free from this war, enough to make a truce with the Master Assassin." she tells her, making her smile a little and place her hand over Elise's. "Merci Elise, I needed that." Elizabeth tells her, Elise nods at her, Elizabeth sniffles as she pulls out a few letters in her pocket, "Here is all the Intel I could gather for today." she informs her.
Elise smiles at her and took the letters, "Merci Izzy, I really appetite this." Elise tells her, Elizabeth nods at her then heads for the door. "I'll visit soon, Elise I promise." Elizabeth tells her and vanished out of the Estate.
~8~8~8~
Arno sat on a crate on a balcony, drinking some wine as he looks down at the watch in his hand, he then sets the bottle down and wines the watch up and it started to tick again. He then closes the watch and places it back in his pocket. Arno then stood up and pace around, but then stops as he remember that Bellec had gave him something.
He reaches into his pocket and he pulls out the artifact that had the Assassin's symbol carved on it, Arno then uses his eagle's vision as he was that were was something that was also carved on it was well, but only that Assassins could see. "What the devil is this suppose to mean?" Arno questions as he then looks away from it and then saw Elizabeth makes her was to Sainte- Chapelle, she stops a few times as she wipes away her tears that just kept on shedding. Arno then follows her as she enter Sainte- Chapelle. He lands on the balcony when she took out an artifact that looks just like his she places it in the key then turns it. The chandeliers were shifted around, Elizabeth then jumps around on then and took on a wooden edge, she then stood up looking down into blackness, closes her eyes and then leaps off the wooden ledge.
Arno watches her disappear into the hole below and saw that everything was now being places back to where they were before, "I suppose a simple address would be too mundane." Arno mumbles to himself and then walks up to the contraption and places his in, he turns it and the chandeliers went back to the spots, Arno jumps at them as he was over the blackness, he took a deep breath and then jumps into the hole.