WARNING: This chapter is ridiculously long. Sorry! I hope it's not too long for you, though! Enjoy!
HAYTHAM
Twenty-four hours had never gone so slowly.
I spent far too much time by Ziio's side. I simply sat next to her bed, watching, wishing, waiting. Rose had long since disposed of Ziio's burnt garments; she replaced them with one of her own nightgowns. The white fabric gave her face a different kind of charm: it made her purer. More gentle. It added a kiss of elegance to her horrific injuries. Her chest continued to rise and fall, and even that was graceful, in a certain way.
But it was still too much to bear. This obsession with Ziio was unhealthy for me. Her beauty whilst asleep was only temporary. Even so, it was a beauty that I yearned to see once in a while; to ensure that yesterday was not a dream. Quite immature for a grown man like myself.
What is wrong with me?
At one point in the morning I knelt to pray. I am not a man of great spirit, yet this day seemed a suitable occasion to reflect. Silently I begged the Lord to save her; to wash away all pain for her. I opened my eyes and glanced up at Ziio. Her once-dainty hand hung loosely by her side. It was inches from my face. So why did she seem so untouchable? Was it just me not wishing to overdo it, or was it that she was sleeping? It would not feel right to hold the charred skin in my palm while she was empty-headed. It was a hollow action only for those begging for affection. I was not one of them.
I rose and left the room, feeling somewhat bitter. I simply had no clue what to do with myself. I wanted to talk to someone; to take my mind off Ziio. But I couldn't. I wandered downstairs into the drawing-room.
On entry I could see that I was not alone: Henry stood polishing certain silver objects on the mantlepiece. He turned to face me standing by the door.
"I've polished the silver, sir," he declared. "Are there any other preparations for tomorrow's meeting that you would like me to fulfil?"
I gasped. I'd forgotten all about the meeting! Tomorrow evening I was to host a meeting in the drawing-room with William, Charles, Benjamin and Thomas about the precursor site and surrounding land. I'd not seen any of the colonial Templars for nearly a week now, but I had given them firm instructions to stay by the storehouse. The meeting had been arranged such a long time ago and was overshadowed by the arrival of my unconscious guest.
I had to keep Ziio hidden from them. If they found her – the woman whom I was always suspiciously absconding with – I would lose every ounce of trust from them. What would that do to my job? My position? They would think me a fool, to keep a Mohawk in my house. We'd presumably lost trust from them after my relationship with Ziio ended. The Templars would give me the worst possible label: a traitor.
"Sir?" Henry interrupted my sudden panic..
"No thank you, Henry," I replied. "Truth be told I had forgotten about this meeting tomorrow evening. Well remembered."
"Not at all," he purred.
"Come. You have worked all morning. Sit down for a moment."
Henry's brown eyes blinked. I never told my servant to take a break; there was always much to be done. But today, I felt softened, and I needed to talk to someone. He nodded vigorously and took a seat on one of the ornate chairs by the fireplace. I sat in another opposite and sighed.
"It must be the woman's arrival...the reason why I am forgetting such important affairs."
"Only natural, Master Kenway," he shrugged.
Silence. We both found something to look at: I chose the small oil painting above the fireplace. It was of a Tudor woman with pale skin dressed in her Sunday best, loosely clutching a feather. I studied it in the awkward silence, wondering.
"Erm, if you don't mind me asking, sir...?" Henry stammered.
"What?"
"Who is the woman you brought in yesterday afternoon?"
I sighed. "Just someone significant from my past. I have not had contact with her for several years now, but when I found her in such a state..." I trailed away. What could I say about when I found her? That a ridiculous feeling grew on me that I should help? "I could not leave her to die."
"I see. Well, it would appear that you discovered her at a good time."
"Yes indeed. Given another second and she'd probably be dead. But listen, Henry: I ask just one thing of you."
"Go ahead, sir."
"That you utter not a word of her existence to anyone outside this house. Nobody can know that she is here. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. But how do you intend to keep her being here a secret when she is awake?"
I shook my head, staring at the rug below. "Of course, it'll need some input from Ziio. She will understand when she wakes. I just wish that she would wake sooner or later."
"I can go and check on her, if you like?"
"No need," I decided suddenly, "I shall do it myself."
ZIIO
Darkness. An age of nothing but darkness.
I can't even recall when I started to feel that numbness, or how and when I fell. Why could I not feel anything? Why wouldn't I wake up from this blank dream? Was I even still alive, or was I dead?
No. I would be with Iottsitíson if I was dead.
Who is Iottsitíson?
I don't remember.
What were these voices in my head? Were they my voices? And if I really was trapped inside a senseless body...how was it such that I could hear them?
They whispered in different tones like a echo in my memory. Many fragments of things I'd heard before, somewhere, somehow. They repeated themselves to make a collage of sound.
"Agh, it's nothing."
"DON'T...YOU EVER...DO THAT...TO ME...AGAIN!"
What was the voice I was hearing so often?
"I...I should go."
"I had to see you."
"Ziio? I love you."
"I'll see you safe. You have my word."
That was when it happened. Everything came flooding back at once. It was like water trickling through my skin. I could feel. Something smooth teased my back. I was...lying down on something soft. And I could hear myself breathing.
That was only for a second. Immediately after came the most excruciating pain I'd ever felt. Searing stings throbbed all over my skin. I winced and jolted madly in agony...but I couldn't open my eyes. I tensed, and heard my muffled voice groaning. That was when I remembered.
Oh no. The Templars. The fire. My son.
I opened my eyes. Both the pain and the light was blinding; I could not see a thing. Above my head was a white oblivion. But the pain was clearer than before. It pulsed through my limbs intensely; I clutched my legs in pain.
Slowly, very slowly, the light began to soften. The silence was discomforting. Why were there no flames? No darkness? No screams? Was this a dream?
Where am I?
I blinked and leant upright. I was no longer outside. I was in a bed. A brass, four-poster bed. I gasped. The room I lay in was dark, like murky wood. In fact, that was what the floor was made of. There was an ornate rug below the bed, too. I craned my neck to look at it...but it was immediately paralysed by agony. The door was also made of oak – or something of the sort. The walls were something else. Brick? I couldn't tell. On the other side of the room was a chest of drawers with several decorations on it. Above was a small glass window. From the blurred image I could see, it was daytime.
At last I could hear my own voice moaning. Where was this stinging coming from? I pulled back the covers...and horror struck me.
Not only was I wearing a long white gown, but my head was wrapped in some sort of cloth. But that was not all: my arms, legs, neck and shoulders were a pulp of red, burnt skin. The foremost layer had flaked away. I could barely look at the devil's mark on my body. What happened to me?
Surely this is a dream?
Yes, it had to be. My head was becoming heavier and heavier. It was like a hand was forcing it to spin. The agony made me feel nauseous, such that I could not take it. Suddenly, the door seemed very far away...
Perhaps an hour went by, or even a minute. The only sense of time I had was the rhythmic pulses of pain through my body. I couldn't take this before the real drama started. So I certainly couldn't take it after.
I heard the door open softly, followed by creaking footsteps. I could barely manage to open my eyes, but sensed someone's presence by the bed. They placed something down with a dull clunk
Silence. No breath. No groans of pain. No movement. Even underneath the unbearable agony, I knew this was wrong.
So I opened my eyes...and wished I had not. I nearly choked on the indoor air. My body tensed...but it was a different kind of tension. A tension of alarm. My head began whirling all over again.
Knelt over on the wooden floor was Haytham.
Haytham Kenway.
A wave of emotions doubled this dystopia. He was exactly the same: triangular cap, red ribbon holding back a tight black ponytail, large grey cloak and black boots. And he was here, his back to me and bending over a bowl on the floor.
Confusion. What devilish tricks were corrupting me? How could it be him? Excitement. The man who changed my heart, and anger, for the man who broke it, was here. Desperation. I needed answers. How had I developed such a dreadful injury? Haytham was not there in the fire. How did I get here? What was Haytham doing? Had he noticed me? Something screamed at me to say something; to ensure this was real.
It was. He turned...and the pain momentarily lessened as his clear blue eyes drank me in. He knelt over me, wet cloth in hand.
I tried to find my voice. But it was locked. How was I to respond? I couldn't. I was exhausted and bewildered, and subject to torture. Haytham said nothing as he dabbed the wet cloth on my neck. The fluid soaked into the stings, soothing them quickly. I blinked furiously; my eyes were drooping.
"H...Haytham?" I barely whispered.
He smiled warmly, making my breath leave me too soon. "Ziio," he murmured.
Maybe it was his English voice. Maybe it was the fluid he applied. It was all too much. Drained, pained and head whirling like a natural storm, I felt my head sink into the pillow. Everything turned to blackout.
Hey! So sorry this chapter was so long. And also the description of Ziio's awakening may not have been brilliant: I've never woken up from being unconscious before! So I'm really sorry about that, but I hope you weren't put off. Hopefully the next chapter will be shorter. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!
:)