A/N: Four months is a long time between chapters, but I believe that I at least have a good reason. After I posted the latest chapter, I had the most inconveniently timed case of Writer's Block. It wasn't that I didn't know what would happen exactly, or that I had lost motivation. It had partly to do with the fact that I was taking new classes since January that made me exhausted every day, and I had no idea what to write for the path from point A to B with the new Shay chapter here. Then after about a week, things got insanely busy for me at both work and classes, and I barely had time to even sit down and watch Game of Thrones (fucking incredible season!), and play Uncharted 4 (HOLY FUCKING SHIT WAS THAT INTENSELY THE BEST GAME I HAVE PLAYED IN THE LAST YEAR!). But then soon afterwards, I made a big decision that I don't regret making, but still feel a bit bad doing.

I've quit watching Once. It was a decision I hadn't made overnight. The first half of season 5 just pissed me off, and I felt the acting had gotten more wooden and forced, and the writers have no idea what they were doing. And while I love that they got Merida in the show with the right actress and accent, her wig was shit, and her involvement was clearly not thought out well enough. She will appear in Faith later, but I am making a few changes to her character to get her to where I thought she would be right. But when I heard what happened in the Once finale with this Evil Queen clone being the villain next season, it was the last straw for me. Ever since How I Met Your Mother ended horribly after I had to endure 3 whole seasons of angsty and whiny bs, it's made me a lot more sensitive to recognizing bad tv when I see it.

That in mind, it doesn't mean I won't be finishing Faith. Unlike my other fic, which I am still working on, I have a solid end in mind for the whole thing, which I hope is bittersweet, yet satisfactory for what I thought was a bit of a rushed ending to the Frozen arc.

Luckily we have just gotten past what I think is the worst piece of Writer's Block for this, and I have big plans coming up. For now, I hope you at least enjoy a chapter that took me a lot longer than I would have wanted it to. And next chapters will be skipping 2 episodes. I am skipping "The Apprentice" because it doesn't really move the modern day arc forwards where it matters here, and "Breaking Glass" will be skipped because… well, you'll just have to wait and see. Cheers!

Chapter 33: Past- Brook Horse

January 1st 2012 12:10 AM

The path through the forest led down a small slope from the tree the Huldra had just ejected me out of, and down towards a river. Still shaken and horrified by what I had just seen, the images and memories rattling through my mind, I slumped down the hill through the snow, my toes no longer having any feeling to them.

Was this all a penance for what I had done to land me here? I did it because people I loved were taken away from me, and I needed to make the others feel the same pain that I had from them. It was all justice. It was all to rebalance the scales. They had been thrown out of balance for 30 years. And where did it all start? With Abstergo? …no. It started with the freak.

I felt so exhausted from the overload of memories I had seen that I fell down into the snow, rolling down the hill and to the riverbank. It was a fairly narrow one, but it also looked very deep and not at all safe to cross, even with it partly well-frozen over from either side.

As I lay in the snow, face caked in it, freezing half to death, I heard the water rippling. Something was beginning to rise out of it, and I knew what it was. I started backing away in fear and fell on my arse as the figure rose from the water.

Likely believed by most in Ancient Norse folklore, the Backahasten was a creature known to take children that played too close to raging rivers for rides on it's back before diving down and taking them with him, drowning them. Though it was also commonly known as the Brook Horse to people who still study the legends to this day. There was even a legend of a man who took a stone from a river that looked like a small drowned baby, a Myling, from the Brook Horse. What haunting images he saw, he told his friends at the pub that very night, and although they all laughed at him, calling him a drunk and a fool, he was found the next morning in his home, his lungs filled with water, and the stone he had found gone.

Every Watcher was to be even worse than the last, and already it was becoming quite apparent to be the truth. The Brook Horse was going to drown me, no doubt. If he could. But this was not how I was going to die. I got up, stumbling and turned around.

"I will not!" I cried out, running up the hill.

It was no use. A loud rattling sound suddenly came out from the hilltop, and a dark shape came rolling for me. It slammed right into me, and I flew through the air and into the river. Some wagon? Where did that come from?!

The current was strong and violent. Much quicker moving than it looked from the shoreline. Then I saw it's white mane and long face.

I spat cold river water out of my mouth, coughing. "I refuse to die at your hands! You have nothing to show me that I would benefit from- blugh!"

It was pulling me downwards. I thrashed my hands, more freezing water flying up and landing into my eyes, blinding me. I couldn't see in any direction as I struggled harder and harder to get out, but it was no good. Even when I tried reaching up again, I realized I was in too deep when I couldn't feel the surface anymore, and yet I could still feel the Brook Horse pulling me downwards into the water. And then, it began to feel less cold. And the water itself was starting to feel more like air again. I suddenly knew what I was about to see. More of what I didn't want to.

February 1783- Five years later…

The tide was already in our favor when I arrived in Arendelle. I found it to be a strange land, but not all that different from our own. A land with some forms of magic here, but much more grounded than Master Kenway had led us to believe. Keiran Roscoe, the Templar who became a guide for Gist and myself, quickly became another trusted friend. He was closer to my age when I had first joined the Templars, and had just the same initiative. In fact, many of the people he saw fit to join us had the same goals as he showed me profiles on each one he believed could be relied on and trusted. Truthfully, the King and Queen of Arendelle were not fit to join us when I first came to the land, let alone even rule this kingdom. Their councilmen were filled with weak men and women who saw their kingdom as a place where people were allowed to walk free and under no real guidance whatsoever. Chaos was only as far away as a walk to the nearby tavern. People were allowed to be able to do too much, and not even us, the Templar Order of Arendelle could be able to put ourselves into places of influence yet. Most of us were captains of our own ships, (Arendelle was very reliant on it's ships and trading over the winds being on the open water) a few lords and dukes, and there were even a few ladies who joined us, knowing that their own motives of influence towards their spouses would be enough. Yet, there was one person I met early in my time here that refused point blank to join us, and every year I found myself coming face to face with him to make the request again. Baron Gustav Vollan repeatedly, and quite assertively refused my offers to join the Templars the last few years, ignoring the potential that came from joining us. Every year, myself and Roscoe came to his small settlement to the Northeast of Arendelle's main town. And every year he showed his courtesies to us. He gave us shelter and food, but he still held firm to his decision.

"Everyone in this kingdom has the right to choose for themselves. If my King and Queen make the decision to let their citizens believe what they want and do as they please, then I will respect that decision." He said, every year. A tone of kindness the first time we came, but more annoyance came into it with each of the coming years.

It would be at this point that I would normally give up. But Roscoe pointed out that the Baron controlled nearly a whole third of Arendelle's army. The biggest share any lord in the kingdom held.

On our ride back to his manor on the third year, I suggested something that taught me something new.

"Why don't we just kill the Baron?" I said, finding this to be a waste of time at this point.

"We can't do that, Master Shay." He replied, eyeing me with surprise at the suggestion. "Do you know how our laws in the eyes of both gods and men are? There is a reason that the Baron serves us food and drink every time we come. Do they revel in other gods in the Land Without Magic?"

"I was raised Irish Catholic." I replied. "So that would be a no, as I worshipped a God, singular."

"Well then, I would then assume that your God might not enforce the Guest Right as harshly as we do here in Arendelle. The Baron serves us food and drink because he knows that if he does, then he is protected by the Guest Right; neither of us can kill him, nor can any of his own kill us. We are guests under his roof and he is our host."

"So he is protected so long as we do not eat his food?" I asked, thinking that would serve as a reasonable loophole.

Roscoe shook his head. "Afraid not, sir." He replied. "It would be rude and suspicious. Baron Vollan would suspect something would be amiss and then we would run the risk of provoking his own wrath. Despite both our skills with the blade, and our dedication to the Templars, I doubt either of us would last long against them."

So things went on as usual for a while. I gathered new followers over time. Commoners and nobles alike, though I did find myself with a small inner circle. At the end I found myself not as surrounded by as many friends as I would have wanted. Gist and Roscoe, they were the closest I had to anything of a friend. But all the rest in our fast growing rite were more like followers.

By the end of the fourth year, our rite had nearly fifty members spread out over Arendelle. Yet, we still could not approach the King and Queen, because it would be too direct than Haytham would have allowed. Roscoe and Gist agreed what would happen: We would wait for the next King and Queen to come into power, and coerce them when we had the chance. Hell, if I made enough of our luck, we could install one of our own into the throne beside the Prince. It was a nice thought, but one that we needed to wait for. Right now, it was all about gathering what followers we needed.

That was the plan. And today was that day once more. Roscoe and I were heading for Baron Vollan's keep within the fortnight. Myself and our higher ranking Templars all gathered the night before Keiran and I were to leave and gave their thoughts on this.

"Grand Master, this doesn't need to happen."

"Vollan has said no four times already, he can say it again a fifth."

"We don't need filth that refuses to open their eyes to the real world."

"We are powerful enough even with him."

"Enough." I said.

The table silenced as I stood up from my seat.

"Gustav Vollan is one of King Niklas' most trusted generals, and controller of the biggest slice of Arendelle's army. We will not be able to take the kingdom under our control until Niklas and his wife pass on, but we can at least get close enough to them. As long as we have the right people in our pockets. And no one will get us closer to the next rulers of Arendelle better than Vollan. That is why we have to persist at this until he says yes."

"Sir, he still holds true to the guest right. He knows how to protect himself from us enough times."

They were right, but I had to keep trying at it. Master Haytham would have most likely killed Vollan by this time, but I wanted to try something else. Show my followers that we could be better than the Assassins by using non-lethal means of achieving what we sought. Yet, I felt like my last resort was just around the corner.

"Master Roscoe and I will be headin' for the Baron's keep tomorrow. When we return, I know we will have his army under our thumb, and all of Arendelle will be under our guidance. Please at least be confident that we can do this, my brothers."

Roscoe stood up. "Master Cormac has brought us this far, lads." He said. "And while some of us may not think that we can get Baron Vollan into our cause, our Grand Master has a way with words. We will get to him eventually."

"Here, here." Gist put in.

"We can't give up any time soon, gentlemen." Roscoe continued. "If we do, then who's to say Vollan is the one brick we need that might make this whole structure that we are creating come crashing down all around us?"

There were murmurs of agreement as I continued.

"Some of you may be even concerned that if Roscoe and I leave tomorrow, we might not come back. And I can understand that. But if Vollan holds the guest right as I have to as well, then we will be safe. So stay strong my friends. May the Father of Understandin' guide us."

"May the Father of Understanding guide us."

Roscoe and I were soon at the gates, where a guard on the wall looked down at us.

"We are Masters Shay Patrick Cormac and Keiran Roscoe. Here to speak with the Baron."I called up to the wall.

I could see the guard disdainfully look down at us from the wall, not hiding how annoyed he was getting by our annual visits to the keep. Nevertheless, the gate came risin up, opening the way for Roscoe and I to make our way into the small village and courtyard before the keep with our horses. We trotted through the village, most of the villagers looking up at us without words or even feelings to us from the looks we got. We were neither liked nor hated by the smallfolk, but it was becoming apparent by the looks that they recognized us and how we had come to this place near to this very time, every year. The flashes of familiarity on their faces was clear as a calm day on the seas, yet that was all we saw on their faces. I half expected them all to boo and hiss at us as we continued through the village, but to us, we didn't matter that much. They just went on with their lives as they did. But today Roscoe and I couldn't allow the Baron to do the same after today.

The keep was a modest one compared to the King and Queen's castle on the water. It lay on a small hilltop at the very back of the walled off portion of the land. A slanted roof of logs, and cobblestone walls made up most of it to look more like a nicer, large cabin instead of a small keep. Two guards with spears stood flanking either side of the entrance, but standing there between them to greet us was not the Baron, but rather his son.

The lad was small, but quick looking. Short sandy hair and a freckled nose. I had seen him around when we had come before, but he seemed to be more of a listener, not a talker from what little I had seen of him. I had never really spoken to him.

"Sir Linus." I nodded to him as Roscoe and I jumped off our mounts.

"Master Cormac." He bowed his head in return. "My father was expecting you for today."

"Has been happenin' every year, lad. The same day, every year." I replied. "In the end, it is what will need to happen for Arendelle to survive."

Linus looked grim. "My father told me he's prepared to have you both leave dissatisfied yet again. Quite forcibly, if it may come to that."

"Then may it not need to." I said. "Master Roscoe, shall we?"

"Yessir."

We knew well enough the layout of Vollan's keep from our repeated visits, but nevertheless we were guided to the parlor where we found Gustav. An older man with a red beard and long hair tied up behind his head in a bun, he sat beside the fire with two other guards, each on either side of him. His wife, Illeena had passed away two years before I came here. From what I had heard from Roscoe, he might have said yes to joining us if his wife hadn't died of the sickness. He was never the same after that. Hell, it seemed the whole town seemed to suffer from the loss of the Baroness.

"Masters Cormac and Roscoe." He gruffly said to us, not bothering to stand up. He held up a hand, and a servant practically ran with a platter of refreshments right to us. Not even bothering to wait with it.

I had accepted the food and drink right away as a respectful guest for the first few times, but that was because the Baron had at least waited with us, serving us refreshments mere hours after we arrived. This time he wasn't wasting any time at all, going right to it. And it just rubbed me the wrong way.

"No, My Lord." I replied, perhaps a little more rudely than I had intended. "I don't think so."

The Baron raised an eyebrow as another servant started getting us chairs. He froze when he saw the look on his master's face, and stopped as Linus walked up and stood behind his father in front of the hearth.

"No?" He said in surprise. "And why is that?"

"Because it's clear to us that you neither want us nor even like us here, My Lord. Yet, we will not stop askin' you as we ask every year. I won't let you hide behind your precious Guest Right as an excuse."

Roscoe put an arm between me and the Baron as he stepped forward. "What our bold, yet honorable Grand Master Cormac wants to say is that we simply cannot take no for an answer, My Lord." He said, quickly trying to ease the tension. "King Niklas is weak, as curt as it may sound. Yet we must be frank. His kingdom does not belong in the hands of clueless men and women, as well as him if they abuse their right to this land. The people of this land need the guidance that we offer. That he offers." He pointed to me. "And for you to stubbornly hold onto the thought that people can still roam free throughout the land if they use that privilege in the worst kinds of ways, it makes the better men like us start to question your capabilities as a ruler."

The Baron glared at Roscoe. "I have given you my answer four times already, Roscoe. I think I have been a gracious host the four times that you both have invited yourselves into my keep and take my bread and wine. I have been as gracious as I can, so I think that you can at least return the courtesies and respect my wishes."

It was that "take my bread and wine" that pushed me too far. "'Take your bread and wine'?! 'Take it'?! You practically force it into our mouths just so yah can feel safe that we will not kill you beneath this roof!"

Linus quivered as his father leapt up from his seat, Gustav's hand already on the sword at his belt. "AYE!" He snarled. "Because we have laws of both gods and men here, Cormac! And we are all expected to follow those laws, otherwise they will se us burn for it. Most of us are as free as we want, but the gods at least give some semblance of order here. And we must respect how they see we handle this way of life that we follow. And only if the gods themselves told me right in flesh and bone that I am to follow a cause which I believe to come straight out of the deepest seventh hell, then I will." He gradually lowered his voice and then sat back down. "This land is meant for the people. If they wish to live their lives as they see fit, then I will respect that. I was taught that by my father, and it is the same philosophy I have taught my own son here. Linus, if you will?"

He beckoned for his son to come forth to him, flashing him a kindly smile.

"You understand this, right?" He said to him. "We cannot allow corruption to touch Arendelle. It is our duty."

Linus gave a solemn nod. "Yes, Father. It is."

The Baron nodded, and started turning to me when he flinched.

Linus slammed a fist right up against his father's temple, blood gushing out between his fingers, which were clenched so hard, I was sure he may have broken a few of them. The Baron's eyes rolled up into his head as he slumped down onto the ground in front of his chair, blood flowing out onto the floor. The guards beside the chair only looked down at Gustav, not even batting an eye.

"Corruption won't touch Arendelle again, Father." He sneered down at him. "I won't make the same mistakes that you did."

Linus looked up at me as Roscoe and I stood there in shock. I was at a loss for words as he said the words.

"The Father of Understanding guides me, Master Cormac." He said as the servants knelt down and began carrying the Baron's body away. "The time for weakness and a king that allows his subjects to run free without real governing is over. I am yours to command."

I gulped, giving a silent prayer to my own God. The killing of one's host was frowned upon so heavily in this society, but how would kinslaying look as well?

Roscoe cleared his throat, clearly just as shaken at what had happened. "You pardon Grand Master Cormac, My- *ahem* Lord." He said, giving an awkward cough. "Neither of us were quite expecting this kind of a stay here."

"You may have refused to have eaten his food, but you still would have been seen as a guest here. I was not one, and the rest of the household saw what I have seen. One era is over, yet my poor father pathetically clung to it like it was all he had left in the world. He barely spoke to me these last seven years, even when I needed him. I mourned for my mother as well, but he decided to spend his days licking his wounds and wallowing in his own sorrows instead of trying to help his people. Even like that pathetic King who's daughter died that we speak of in our legends. So when I heard that there was an opportunity with the Templars, I listened to what I could with his meetings with you, short as they were. And I am forced to conclude that you are right with all of this, Master Cormac. This land needs our guidance. I see it, you and Roscoe see it, and I now know that our own household was willing to betray my father to see the light as well. So I will join you, since my father would not. I may not know much about the Templars, but I know enough to know that they are who I belong with."

Without many words to express what I thought, I only did the first thing that came to mind: I pulled out the ring that was meant for Gustav, and I handed it to Linus. Then he stood in front of us.

"Do yah swear to uphold the principles of our Order, and all for which we stand?"

"I will." Linus said.

"And to never share our secrets, nor divulge the true nature of our work?"

"I will."

"And to do so from now until death, whatever the cost?"

"I will."

I placed my hand on Linus' shoulder. "We welcome you into our fold then, brother. Together, we will usher in the dawn of a new world. You are now a Templar, Baron Linus Vollan. Harbinger of a New World."

"May the Father of Understanding guide us." Roscoe and I recited.

"May the Father of Understanding guide us." Linus echoed.

The Baron of Vollan was the last nail in the coffin for us. It was five years since I had arrived in Arendelle, and now it would be mere months, if not years for the kingdom to finally be within our grasp and guidance. We had all of it's army backing us now, and soon enough we would wait for Niklas' heir to come into the throne, and listen to people who knew what they were doing. This would all be over soon. Soon enough at last.

Months later, Gist and I were going over a number of maps in the cabin of the Morrigan. She had barely spent time enough out on the waves since we had landed in Arendelle, but with all the world only out there for us to explore and discover, and our mission in Arendelle nearly complete, I saw fit to at least see more of this world and better understand it. There was a knock at the door of the cabin.

"Enter." I said, kindly.

The Baron Linus came in, but I could see the shadow of someone waiting behind him just outside.

"Greeting, Captain." He said.

"My Lord." I gestured to the chair across from me, beside Gist. Linus sat down beside him.

"Planning an expedition somewhere, Captain?"

"Aye." I said. "This land seemed to stand out for me when Roscoe was showing me the lands surroundin' Arendelle. A three day's sailing South-East takes one here." I tapped my finger on the land in the far side of the map. "Misthaven. What lands this world has! We've only scratched the surface of this realm!"

Linus was now fully aware of where Gist and I came from, and only shrugged. "I myself never have been outside of Arendelle, and I doubt I really will by the end of my life."

"I for one see great potential in travelling from this kingdom to another. There are no Assassins here in this land, and we have all the time in the world to establish the greatest Templar structure ever made. Why keep it here in Arendelle?"

"Exactly my thoughts, Mr. Gist." I replied, looking back down at the map, tracing an imaginary course we might take. "Which is why I am already makin' the preparations needed for us. It may still be a while before the next King and Queen will be brought into the fold, so we should spread out more while we wait."

Linus' shined a bit with excitement. "I may not ever be able to leave Arendelle with my duties as Baron, but my cousin might be open to joining this journey."

I looked up from the map. "Is he the one outside?"

"Yes, Captain. But she is not just here for the journey. She was interested in meeting you, see."

The door opened slowly as a finely dressed woman in black and purple came inside. She had dark eyes and hair tied back in a braid, and there was a certain aura that was surrounding her. She almost seemed to glide forwards as she stood behind Linus, Gist looking up in awe. No shock there. Beautiful women always seemed to get him out of focus.

"My cousin, Lady Jannika, Master Cormac. She's shown interest in joining the Templars since my own induction."

"Indeed, Master Cormac." She said. Unlike Linus, she had a small accent. Almost a trill to the rs, and barely pronouncing the last c in my name. "I think I have had enough time spent here in Arendelle, and from what I have heard from Linus in your inner circle of trusted Templars, you are in need of a diplomat. Someone who can speak political to the nobles of Misthaven."

I didn't speak or move. I saw no one but Templars in front of me, even with the lady, but I had no reason to show her my feeling. Something told me I didn't want to show her my hand at any time. Ally or spy.

Gist gave me a look. "We're fighters, Captain. We have nobles in the branch here, but I don't think any of them can speak politics. I don't even know it from godforsaken Latin."

Gist was either telling the truth, or was more likely thinking of how fast it would take him to get Jannika out of that skirt. But she was a viper of some kind. Maybe exactly what we might need.

"Welcome aboard… My Lady."

January 1st 2012 12:15 AM

I suddenly felt like I was trying to breathe ice water, and then all the light in the cabin went out and I was surrounded by water in every direction. I thrashed upwards and gasped as I burst out of the water. I was right beside the shore, so as soon as I was able to get my bearings back again, I clawed for the snow on the riverbank.

He didn't just start the Templars in Arendelle. He likely used the help of that snake of a woman, Jannika. She looked like some kind of beautiful vampiress to me. All of this was coming together for me. Shay wasn't above murdering his own host to get the Templars into greater power, and even if it was the Baron's son who orchestrated it without giving Shay the heads up, he was just as responsible with him all willing to join the Templars when his father was the one in power at the time.

But why were the Watchers showing me all this to begin with? Was this to make me better understand the evil that I had fought to purge the world of, and how I ultimately was turned on by the very people I fought beside when I fought too hard for their liking? No that wasn't it. There was a point to all of this, and the only thing that did come to mind aside from this was what I would have to do after I got out of here, found Ingrid, and killed her. I would have to return to Arendelle and find Hans to finish the fight that I had started so many years ago.

Suddenly, I felt another shock of pain, and a whole new set of memories slammed into my head. All surrounding one image that I could not mistake.

Prince Hans. Kneeling in the snow. A firepit was beside him, but the blood coming out of the hole in his throat was gushing out so far and fast that it was dousing the flames. And there was the same figure I had seen in front of the burning inn. Black hood and furs, and the same expression I had worn for years. The black void of hopelessness.