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Mid-Day

The Streets of the City-Town

Xander's POV

~Hopefully this won't wind up being another one of my bad ideas.~ He thought as he made his way back to the local church for his improvised stakeout.

Both Ethan and Arbazz had split off from him to check out some spots that real Assassins used to gather information on a target. They'd agreed to meet up back at the inn just before sunset to pool what they'd learned and if they didn't identify the Slayer then at least they'd manage to shrink the list of potentials down to something more manageable. Hopefully the addition of two trained assassins to his own efforts would make quick work of the search allowing him to introduce himself to the newest Slayer. He'd already considered in his head what he would say and how he would drop the bomb of the Calling on the girl. His first idea was to try to play the mysterious and wise card in order to control the flow of information and make her more inclined to listen to him.

Then he realized that doing so would make him a little too much like Deadboy so he decided to go with the Band Aid method. Keep things honest but simple and if she asked for more details he'd drop some of the traits that he'd found were universal in all Slayers regardless of when or where they were born. He was sure that some of the stronger impulses would've shown themselves by now so revealing that he knew without her having revealed anything. If he was lucky the Calling would have been bestowed upon the new Slayer dreams and perhaps memories belonging to Buffy or Faith.

Roll it all up in a ball and he'd have a solid foundation to begin her training.

~Sure hope Sandy and Jason show up by then.~ He thought as the church came into view, ~I might've watched G-man teach Buffy and Faith but that doesn't mean I can do a good job training a Slayer on my own.~

That plus the lack of official training tools meant that if he was left to his own he'd have to improvise using whatever happened to be handy at the time. Not impossible but also not likely to be done very well forcing him to make 'course corrections' whenever it looked like the girl was about to fall flat on her face because of something he taught. It wouldn't quite be so bad as him building everything from the ground up but it would make for something of a rocky beginning.

~Whatever. Better to focus on what I need to do right now instead of what I MIGHT need to do in the future.~ He thought sitting down on a bench with the blank book he'd purchased along a few pieces of charcoal that he'd acquired, ~If no girl shows up that looks like a Slayer, walks like a Slayer and acts like a Slayer shows up I'll look someplace else.~

It was logical to stake out the local church since it was only natural to seek out a 'man of god' in the hopes of understanding the changes brought about by the Calling. Sure, like in modern times, not everyone was a devout follower of religion that didn't change the fact that few others would understand Slayer Dreams or be able to make sense of Slayer powers. Of course there was also the possibility that the newly Called Slayer might think her new abilities the work of the Devil and believe herself to be cursed. That would still lead her to seek out a priest to fight for her soul but it might also provoke the priest to label her a witch or something before summoning as mob to burn her at the stake.

He seriously hoped that he could spot her before she entered the church and brought the 'wrath of God' down on herself.

It was about an hour later that he heard footsteps approaching his position and so covertly looked up to see who it might be. Much to his surprise it was his two 'employees' making him wonder if they were better connected with the locals than he'd originally thought or if they were going to try to con him with some girl they roped into the deal. If it was the former he'd still probably help the two Assassins escape France since he could not bring himself to risk the Koh-i-noor falling into Templar hands. If it was the latter than he already had a way to expose the lie tucked next to his sword with a fair amount of confidence that he'd be able to use it correctly.

"Gentlemen! I trust since you're here that you've found the one I seek?" He asked politely even though he recalled telling them to leave word with the lady at the inn.

"Yeah we found her. Wasn't easy." The taller one replied even as the pudgier one doing his best to look just as certain.

"Well then take me too her." He said closing his sketch book and standing up, "The sooner I confirm that the one you found is indeed the one I'm here to find the sooner you can claim half of my money."

The duo looked a little surprised but nodded before the slimmer one began to lead the way. No doubt they'd expected him to be skeptical and question how they'd managed to do their job so quickly. He was a bit suspicious but at the same time he suspected that they were more familiar with the area than he was and the hungry noticed more than people thought. It was worth testing to see if they were good enough to notice a young girl displaying moves that should've been impossible and acting differently than she did months ago.

It only took a short while before they arrived at a small not quite dingy tavern on the edge of the city-town. It was reasonably maintained but from what he could tell it catered to the sort of people who couldn't afford to buy ale at the higher class taverns that could be found. Still cheap booze couldn't be too good even if it did succeed in getting a drinker drunk if they had enough of what was in the barrels. It didn't take long for them to get inside and soon after his slim informant pointed at one corner of the room. Looking where indicated he soon found a redheaded young woman of the same class as everyone else in the room but rowdier than most ladies were in this era. She wasn't dressed like a 'lady of the night' but rather like someone who didn't much care about being ladylike and preferred to be seen as one of the guys.

~Definitely alpha female behaviour.~ He thought watching her take a swig of ale before laughing at something a man next to her said, ~Definitely attractive enough. Isn't confirmation though. Beauty and behaviour don't just belong to the Slayer.~

Fortunately during the course of his search thus far he'd been preparing a tried and true way for picking a Slayer out of a crowd. It was primitive but Buffy had told him the story of how it'd been used on her by her first Watcher. Provoking the inherent instincts of a Slayer and causing her to do something superhuman was the quickest way of finding out if his two minions had done their job or were trying to con him. If he was wrong the girl would be pissed and hurt but that could be resolved with a round or two of ale on him. If he was right then the local duo will have more than earned their half of his money and he could get to work.

Thus with a quick gesture the crudely carved dagger fell out of his sleeve and into his hand but before his guide could notice it he threw it 'blade tip' first at the young woman's head.

If she was a Slayer then her instincts would alert her the danger and the hereditary skills of the Calling would allow her to either catch the dagger mid-air or swat it aside.

THUNK!

"OW! Who threw that!?" The young woman exclaimed rubbing her head to soothe the pain caused by the wooden dagger hitting her in the forehead.

"My apologies fair lady." He said with genuine regret, "I thought to make a dramatic entrance and misjudged my aim. Allow me to make amends by buying two rounds of ale for you and your friends."

The woman did look pissed but at the mention of free ale and no doubt thinking him a fool seemed to be enough to let the matter slide. Walking over to the barkeep he took out some of the money he had and using the memories that'd been placed in his head to measure the right amount put it on the counter. He then turned to his two guides in order to determine if he should give them a second chance or not.

"Your candidate had many of the qualities I'm looking for but sadly is not the young woman I'm looking for." He said keeping polite but with a metaphorical blade hidden beneath his words, "If she were she would've been able to catch that wooden blade. So either you need to sharpen your minds and your senses or you've deliberately tried to trick me. So…which is it?"

"We weren't trying to trick you!" The pudgy one replied looking anxious.

"But perhaps you were not being honest with us monsieur." The slim one said with suspicion, "What sort of man throws a dagger at a young woman he does not know?"

"One who knows the quickest way to confirm that he has found who he is looking for." He replied not letting anything new slip out, "Do better next time or you'll find your half of my money even smaller than it is right now."

"No! Forget it!" The slim one said a look that was almost familiar to him, "No amount of assignats is worth the trouble you seem to be looking for. Come Gustave!"

"But Jacques-" Gustave began to say before a glare from his friend silenced him.

"NOW Gustave." Jacques declared leaving no room for further discussion.

With those words the pudgy man gave in and followed his friend out of the tavern.

~That look…hmmm…could it be…~ he thought as a scenario rose to the surface of his mind.

Worth looking into and it wasn't like he had anything better to do.

Thus with the same care and caution he used when trying to sneak up on a vampire he left the tavern and tailed his former subordinates letting his Assassin knowledge guide him when he needed to vanish from sight. Eventually they left the town-city proper and he was forced to use whatever tree, shrubbery and stone he could to keep from being spotted. It was only when he saw a stately looking chateau and confirmed that it was Jacques and Gustave's destination that he stopped just inside the forested area. Charging in would get him nowhere and probably get him entangled with the other residents of the chateau.

Instead he calmed his mind and looked at the chateau to find a way inside that wouldn't leave him exposed for all to see. Having played a few video games and watched a few movies it didn't take him long to spot three options but only one would gain him entry with enough expediency to allow him to catch up with his targets. With that in mind he began to circle around to the west side of the property to where the horse stables were located as well as a way in that was less likely to be protected. Careful to listen for and hear any sign of people close by he advanced on the stables being careful to go where the darkness was strongest. Hearing a noise he turned his gaze to see an old horse looking at him but it did not seem to be alarmed by his presence. More curious than anything else and a dog that was close by was asleep on a pile of hay looking like it was dreaming about chasing something.

Deciding that he would not do anything since they were not doing anything he entered the chateau.

~The place has definitely seen better days.~ He thought noting the various beginnings of disrepair, ~Gotta give respect to whoever's trying to keep things together though.~

Speaking as someone who'd been forced to be inventive to keep the Harris home together without proper materials he could understand how the resident of the chateau had done the same.

Careful to look before he leapt he moved towards where he believed his former subordinates had likely entered the chateau. Keeping his senses on high without losing his awareness of his surroundings he proceeded being slowed considerably by the occasional servant since he needed to wait for them to pass or turn their back to him. Still fortune seemed to favour him as he soon laid eyes on both Jacques and Gustave ascending a staircase their emotions on free display rathe than before.

"Was it wise to stop helping him Jacques?" Gustave asked as they walked.

"You would help that madman? Who knows what he would do with our help?" Jacques asked rhetorically clearly seeing further aid as a bad move.

"But if we're not working for him we don't know what he'll do without our help." Gustave replied showing a surprising amount of insight, "We could have tricked him into looking anywhere we wanted until he got tired of it or ran out of money."

True.

While he wouldn't have followed them forever they could've strung him along for a while before he cut him loose and depleted his funds quite a bit. This would've forced him to either leave or seek a local means of making more money but since he wasn't a local that would've been difficult. The fact that he also had few skills that would be useful in a place like this…well…it was incentive not to waste his time or his money.

"We just need to keep Cinderelly in the chateau until he's gone." Jacques said quickly coming up with a plan to move away from Gustave's point, "With that batard Moreau holding another one of his parties soon Madame Tremaine and her two chiennes will no doubt begin piling chores on Cinderelly's shoulders while draining even more of the lord's money. So long as we take care of any tasks that require leaving the chateau she will be safe from that fou!"

~Cinderelly? What the heck?~ He thought as the name caused him to recall a movie he'd seen as a kid.

Honestly it was a movie that just about every kid had to have seen at one point or another whether it was in a theatre or on TV since it was quite popular. What was strange though was that the movie was not based on reality but according to research Willow had done it had been inspired by a work of the author Giambattista Basile. As such there should be no real girl going by the name of the movie's main character Cinderella yet the name used by Jacques was definitely the one used by the mice in the movie. Coincidence?

Not likely and this was an alternate reality so it wasn't impossible.

If anything had been made clear in every form of fiction that dealt with alternate realities it was that ANYTHING was possible. No matter how fantastical or terrifying every possibility that could be imagined could be found in an alternate reality if you looked long enough. So a reality where Assassins did war with Templars and Cinderella was a real person was honestly rather tame compared to what he could've encountered.

~What're the odds that Cinderella's the newly Called Slayer I'm after?~ He thought half sarcastically with a smirk.

His answer came in the form of his danger senses screeching and out of instinct he dove into a roll before regaining his footing in order to find out the cause of the danger. He only had time to spot a head of golden blonde hair before his danger senses screamed again causing him to instinctively side step but this time he did not get away cleanly. A glancing blow to his shoulder landed causing him pain but to his good fortune whatever implement had been used to attack him broke with the force of the blow. This bought him some time to recover from the pain and since no further attacks came his attacker was at a loss as to what to do next.

With time and opportunity he got a clearer picture of his attacker.

A young woman of average height, slender build, a good figure and what he was sure was a kind face when it wasn't twisted in an expression of aggression. Dressed in a maid outfit consisting of a dark brown bodice with light blue sleeves and a brown knee-length skirt she had clothes not so different from the others her age he'd seen since arriving. He hair was done in two low pigtails with a blue ribbon with both swaying with her quick movements as she came to the decision that using her fists would suffice. Readying himself he was quickly able to confirm beyond a doubt that she was the Slayer he was looking for because no normal girl however well trained could move so swiftly.

This put him in a bit of tricky spot since a Slayer going full bore could put a normal human down really quickly. The only thing he likely had to his advantage would be that she had not received official training and was likely running on instinct alone. Instinct while good was also predictable and so with the right provocation he could end this pointless fight before it got out of hand.

With that in mind he began a series of movements that he remembered from watching Giles try to train Buffy and Faith. Both Slayers were the sort to prefer to go with their instincts but the Watcher wanted to imbue them with some appreciation for strategy or tactics. Weeks upon weeks went by but G-Man only met with moderate success with Buffy and little with Faith but that could be blamed on Wesley undoing most of the work. It was through the lessons of Giles that he hoped to provoke in Cinderella a response that would give him an opportunity to act.

One move…

…a second move…

…and on the third the blonde acted as he hoped she would.

With foreknowledge of the move Giles had pounded into both Faith and Buffy's minds he was able to get out of its way allowing him to act. With quick but simple movements he gained control of one of her arms and then with a sweeping of her legs he sent her face first to the floor. Before she could free herself he made sure to reposition the arm he had control over in such a way that only by breaking it would she gain freedom. With his added weight pinning her to the ground the fight was over with but when he heard footsteps he looked up to see his former minions advancing to rescue the girl.

There were two paths he could take: use the hidden blade to threaten her with harm or release her to show that he was not a threat. Both had risks since the latter would make earning the girl's trust harder but the latter could lead to a three on one situation that would not be to his advantage.

In the end he chose to take the route he wished for the new Council to take and embody.

With a quickness he released Cinderella and got off of her before retreating to a point where he could see all three of them clearly.

"I apologize for entering this chateau without an invitation and for harming you young lady but I am searching for someone." He said showing true contrition and honesty, "I had hired Jacques and Gustave to help me find this person but they…did not like my methods…so they quit. Jacques though gave away that he was acting to protect another, not with words but with a look, so I chose to follow him. Imagine my surprise when he led me to the very one I sought. I thank you for this Jacques."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Why are you seeking me?" Cinderella asked surprised and yet still suspicious.

"Tell me…have you been sleeping well these past few weeks? Have you been having dreams so terrible that they seem to be nightmares and yet feel so real at the same time?" He asked her in turn taking inspiration from Buffy's stories of her first Watcher Merrick, "Did one day weeks ago you find yourself stronger and faster than ever before? Do you find yourself more comfortable with a dagger in your grip than a broom?"

With every question he spoke he could see flickers of acknowledgement even though she said nothing out loud. Good. It would be easier to proceed if she believed he possessed knowledge she lacked yet desired just the same.

"You have been Called young woman. Called into a heritage beyond anything one of noble birth could ever hope for." He said before deciding to put a name to the heritage, "You are a Slayer."

A word, a title, and yet it struck her like a plank of wood to the back of the head causing her jaw to drop in shock. He was tempted to tell her more but when his ears picked up the sounds of approaching feet upstairs and thoroughly unpleasant voices he knew now was not the time. If his suspicions were correct then it was likely the wicked step-mother and her equally wicked daughters. Better to not cause Cinderella any further problems if he wanted her to trust him enough to begin training her.

"I will go now." He said beginning to move towards where he'd snuck in, "Should you wish to learn more you may find me at the inn."

However before he left their line of sight a thought occurred to him and it felt right. Thus he reached into his pocket and after some counting tossed half of his money at the feet of Jacques and Gustave.

"You have done what I asked and so I hold our agreement fulfilled." He said with a friendly smile, "Spend it wisely."

With that he left the chateau and began to make his way back to the inn. With the Slayer found all that was left would be to see what he could do to aid his two Assassin friends in escaping France with their prize.

If Cinderella's life in this reality was anything like it was in the movie perhaps she would be open to coming with them in leaving France. There would be little reason for her to remain aside from the friends she made amongst the servants of the area. Knowing his own heart as he did that might well be enough to make her choose to remain where she was if only not to be separated from them.

If this was her choice he would abide by it and modify his plans for her instruction accordingly regardless of the risk.

Approaching the Inn

Ethan's POV

"So you think we've found the one Alexander seeks?" Arbazz asked as they walked through the crowd of locals.

"Isabella Tremaine. Daughter of the late Baron." He replied laying out what they'd managed to find out after canvassing the local spots for leads, "After the death of his wife he later remarried to a woman named Eleanor believing a mother figure and two step-sisters would be of benefit to Isabella. However when the baron died, under suspicious circumstances, there was a drastic shift in hierarchy at the man's chateau. Isabella went from being dressed in fine clothes to being made just another chateau servant. However recently there's been a shift in behaviour with Isabella taking on a more assertive and aggressive mindset and then there is THAT."

The 'that' he was referring to was an accident in which a child was saved by Isabella but the circumstances hinted at the possibility of strength beyond what was possible for a human. The one that'd told her of this had dismissed his casual joke about such a thing and said that Isabella must've just gotten the child out of harms way at the last minute.

After hearing Alexander's description of a Slayer though he and Arbazz knew better.

"All the clues we've managed to find do point to her as the most likely candidate." Arbazz said nodding at the summarization of the info they'd acquired, "But most likely is not the same as certain. We should test her ourselves before we tell Alexander just to be sure."

"You have an idea?" He asked having something of a clue based on his experience with the man.

"If everything Alexander told us is true if we force her into a fight her Slayer instincts will allow her to hold her own." Arbazz replied sounding like it was something that could be done safely.

"And if she winds up trying top kill us because she thinks it's a real fight?" He asked proposing a very real possibility, "We've never fought someone superhuman before. It's possible she could deliver a lethal strike before we can reveal it was all a test."

"Then we can have Alexander conduct the test." Arbazz said quick to find a solution to the problem, "He has experience in such matters so he will be fine."

That could work.

A short while later they were outside of Alexander's room but before either of them could knock the door opened.

"Welcome back my friends." Alexander said with a polite smile, "Manage to find anything?"

"We have a promising candidate but will need to test her to be sure." Ethan replied waiting for an invitation or a dismissal, "Her name is Isabella Tremaine and is the daughter of a baron who passed away years ago. She lives in a chateau a short journey outside of town but oddly enough has taken on the duties and appearance of a common servant. However those we've talked with confirm a change in her behaviour in the last few months and hints of strength beyond humanity."

"Isabella…good name." Alexander said with a nod, "Much better than Cinderella."

"You know of her?" He asked curious about what his fellow Assassin had been up to since they'd last spoken.

"Before we talked last night I'd hired a pair of locals to find someone who matched who I was looking for. They tried to trick me by setting up a local lady but I saw through it." Alexander replied relating what he'd discovered, "On a hunch though I followed them and they led me to a chateau and found out that they'd tricked me in order to protect a friend. I met her and confirmed that she was a Slayer."

"How?" He asked curious to learn more.

"She mistook me for a thief and attacked." Alexander replied wincing a bit as he massaged his shoulder, "Fortunately as I found out with the last one a Slayer without any training can be handled if you wait for the right opportunity."

"Did you bring her back with you?" Arbazz asked sounding like he would be interested in meeting a 'Slayer'.

"No. Going from being an ordinary girl to a Slayer is disorienting and for some terrifying." Alexander replied with a negative shake of the head, "I told her that I know what she's going through and can help her but the choice had to be hers."

"But if the Templars find out about her they will abduct her or they will kill her." Arbazz said pointing out the two most likely possibilities.

"With the power that she possesses it would be all too easy to view her not as a person but as a weapon." Alexander said with seriousness in his eyes, "Even with the danger involved I'm not about to take away her right to choose her own path. If she chooses to come with me to be trained great. If she decides she wants to stay here I will train her myself as best I can so once I'm gone she'll be able to protect herself. Maybe let her know where she could go for aid if she needed it."

While he could see Arbazz's point of view he was not blind to Alexander's train of thought either. The Brotherhood's most important duty was to safeguard mankind's free will and protect all against social injustice, abuses of power and enslavement. They could not do that with one hand and steal Isabella's right to choose with the other even if it would lead to them gaining ground against the Templars. At the same time though he recalled all he had seen since joining the Brotherhood and the current state of the War. While the majority of the Brotherhood believed that the losses on each side were more or less equal there were some, himself included, who worried that the balance had shifted. Through the actions of the traitor Shay Cormac and the fallen son of Edward Kenway the Assassins had lost America with it only being in the last eighty years that the Brotherhood managed to break their hold on it.

Some would see it as a natural flow of power between opposing sides but he worried it was a sign of something more.

Throughout the struggle there had been some Assassins that had chosen to leave the Brotherhood no longer believing in the Creed and a treacherous few joined the Templars. However none of them had managed to do as much damage as Haytham Kenway and Shay Cormac. With the example set by those two he feared that the Templars would attempt to arrange similar situations in the future whenever they spied an Assassin whose loyalty could be broken with the right plan. How many traitors like those two could the Brotherhood suffer before their end became all too possible?

"If she chooses not to join the Brotherhood I will make a list of Assassin allies both in France as well as the neighbouring countries. She will have to commit them to memory and destroy the list immediately afterward though." He said coming to a decision on the matter, "Regardless of me desire to respect her right to choose her own path I will not permit action that may compromise the Brotherhood."

"I will ensure to impress this upon her." Alexander said showing the value he placed upon the Brotherhood.

"As will I." Arbazz said confirming he would not be happy until he was sure Isabella could be trusted to guard what she memorized with her life.

He hoped that things would not come to blows if Arbazz was not satisfied and Alexander unwilling to permit more aggressive methods of ensuring secrets remained secrets. While he could not say that Alexander was a good man given how little he knew about the Assassin he would say that nothing he had seen thus far gave him reason to doubt the young man's character. With the words the seeker of Slayers had just spoken it had been made clear that it was the Creed that mattered not the war with the Templars.

An honourable stance but not realistically feasible.

The Creed of the Assassins and the agenda of the Templars were opposite sides of the scales of life that would inevitably come into conflict.

Unless something happened to convince the majority of both sides to come together and forge a compromise that each side could agree to conflict was inevitable.

All he could do was render what aid he could and hope that when Alexander realized that one cannot remain loyal to the Creed and not fight the Templars it would not break the young man.

The Chateau Tremaine

That Night

Isabella aka Cinderella's POV

"Aaahh!" She exclaimed waking up in her bed her heart pounding and her mind spinning.

Not that anyone could find fault with her given the dream she had just experienced though some might see it more as a nightmare. Truth be told she had felt uneasy from the moment she had laid eyes on the hooded man that had been spying Jacque and Gustave and the feelings had only become more distracting as time passed. There had been times that she almost let her tongue slip after her step-mother had made a particularly disparaging remark towards her but managed to contain her anger until a more appropriate moment.

In the past she'd done this due to her personal vow to always be the daughter her father loved and the belief that the future would give rise to a better life than the one she presently lived.

Now? Now she still wished to remain a kind and compassionate person but she was running out of reasons to either see or treat her step-family as family. From the moment they had first met each other she had done nothing less than be warm and welcoming to them but as soon as father died they had pushed her to her knees in subservience. By the rules that governed society while she might have the strongest claim to her father's wealth by blood her step-mother had control due to French law. More than that her step-mother had made it abundantly clear that if she did not do as she was told it would be the other servants who would suffer for it. When added to the flawless acting her step family had carried up prior to her father's death and no neighbour would believe her if she went to them with the truth.

Thus she had clung to her vow and her beliefs.

However when morning came all those weeks ago she'd felt a strength fill her unlike anything she had experienced before. She had been changed not just in body but also in mind. Throughout the first few days she accidentally broke things and only through the aid of Perla and Suzy did she avoid catching more than the usual amount of wrath from her step family. However each time they did verbally or physically attack her she found her once warm blanket of love for her father felt thinner than she remembered it being. Emotions such as anger and feelings of aggression bubbled beneath the blanket almost escaping to give rise to action if not for her reflexive action of suppressing such things.

In the weeks that followed her control over her strength improved as did her grip on the desire to seek retribution for the wrongs committed against her. When she needed an outlet she would take an axe into the forest surrounding the chateau and chop at the trees until her anger was spent or at least reduced to the point where it would not result in violence. She imagined that anyone passing through would struggle to come up an explanation for the damage done. After much effort she had felt an equilibrium forming within her…

…but it had been thrust into disarray with the hooded man that had infiltrated the chateau to spy on Jacques and Gustave.

At first she'd thought him nothing more than a bandit looking to fill his pockets with wealth that did not belong to him. Angry at the thought of another taking what belonged to her father she'd attacked him with the intent of throwing him bloody but alive out of the chateau. However to her increasing frustration though the intruder evaded every blow she tried to land despite the fact that he was obviously slower than her. Her humiliation was complete when the man succeeded in taking her to the floor and pinning her on her stomach in such a way that no matter how hard she tried she'd been unable to escape. She had expected to be killed for in such a position it would've been all too easy to slit her throat but instead he surprised her by releasing her.

Why?

Because the hooded man had been looking for her.

She was incredulous at this fact finding it too fantastic but then he spoke to her of dreams and of her newfound strength. While she suspected that Jacques and the others were aware of her troubled sleep she had told them nothing of what the nightmares were about for she didn't wish to trouble them needlessly. That a stranger knew even a bit of what haunted her sleep and of a strength to surpass the mightiest soldier of France shocked her.

Then he put a name, a title she theorized, to all that had happened her and while her mind did not know it her heart knew it as well as she did her own name.

Slayer.

For a moment her heart seemed to reach out towards the hooded man but then the action faded away like mist before the rising sun.

He left soon after but told her where he could be found if she wished to know more.

Jacques was against the idea but this did not surprise her for her friend often behaved as though he was the protector of the chateau's servants and her especially. It was often the crimson clad man's opinion that she was the true mistress of the chateau and that they should all look for ways to remove her step mother and step sisters from their positions of power. However while she did not deny her friend's words she still did what she could to persuade him to abandon such ambitions. While not deadly themselves France would not recognize her as the administrator of her father's holdings should she try to take it through violence nor would they take the claims of one as young as her as reason enough to legally unseat her step-mother.

Thus had she abandoned the idea of taking possession of her inheritance and instead merely dreamt of a future that was brighter than her present or her past.

Now she wondered if perhaps a path to that brighter future had been presented to her.

The nightmare she'd just woken up from while terrible had shown her a young man that could well be the hooded one who hinted at knowledge she desired to gain. From what she could recall of it the hooded man was kind, amusing and courageous. More than that though she got the impression that he was loyal beyond words to those he called friend and that was something she could trust. Among those without wealth or position the loyalty one could rely upon was worth more than all the dead king's wealth. It was loyalty that saw many through the Revolution and it was loyalty that would sustain the citizens of France until the damage of the struggle was repaired fully.

If the hooded man would be loyal to her then perhaps it would be wise for her to seek him out and learn more of what had happened to her.

If only to bring her peace through knowing and in knowing perhaps make her life as well as the lives of those around her a little better.

An Estate A Few Days Away

Morning

Lady Louise-Suzanne le Peletier's POV

"Allow me to do the talking Molinier." She said as they walked up the stone pathway to the main house, "My father once had business with the Marquis and I would often accompany him. They will recognize me and that will provide us with the opening we need in order to gain his aide."

"If you believe he will so easily be done then I must ask why he was not approached to join the Order." Molinier asked casting his gaze about the property where the labourers were working, "Even if he did not share our beliefs his resources could've been useful during the Revolution."

"I do not know as I was too young to be involved in Order affairs." She said a little bitter that she had not been older back then, "Sadly the only people who could provide you with an answer are dead. I can only presume that the Marquis was not in a receptive state of mind at the time or the situation made inducting him into the Order unfeasible."

Indeed whenever the Order found someone that could be of use they did not approach them carelessly nor was the person immediately considered for membership in the Order. Great care was taken to evaluate a person in order to determine what role they would have in the furthering of the Order's plans. Would they merely be pawns or would they be an asset worth investing in? Would it be beneficial to bring them into the Order or would doing so be too risky? She knew not which category the Marquis du Moreau fell but in the end it would not matter. All they needed from him were the men under his command in order to encircle the Assassins, trap them and take the Koh-i-noor from their cold dead bodies.

Take from them just as they took her father from her.

Upon reaching the front door of the main house she used the knocker to draw the attention of those inside. She sharpened her awareness knowing that the success of this meeting would depend on who could gain the upper hand first and hold it. Sadly with all the time that had passed from her last visit with her father she had only the Order's sources of information to work with in gaining a grasp of who they would be dealing with. If any proved flawed or worse incorrect this would prove to be a complete waste of time.

It was a few minutes later that the door opened to reveal a man who was without a doubt the Marquis' chief servant and this would help in bypassing the throng between them and the Marquis.

"May I help you Mademoiselle?" A middle-aged man asked with a monocle over one eye and wearing a blue coat with red stripes.

"I am Lady Louise-Suzanne le Peletier and I am here hoping to have a few moments of your master's time." She replied employing the manners she had been taught growing up, "Would he be available?"

"Sadly Monsieur Moreau is…unwell…and unfit to receive guests at this time." The man replied pausing suspiciously for a moment, "If you would return in say…two weeks…he may be well enough to grant you an audience."

Two weeks would be far too much time to wait since it would give the Assassins all the time they needed to escape France.

"If Monsieur Moreau is ill perhaps his son would be available." She said choosing another avenue to approach, "It would be Henri's duty to act as administrator of the land."

"Master Henri is here but…he is entertaining a guest." The man said a moment of unease flickering on his face, "He would be most upset if he was interrupted."

Something the chief servant didn't want them to find out about much less see? It was not uncommon for nobles to have secrets that they kept close to their chests or to be ruined by them should they be exposed to all of France. Perhaps if they found out what Henri's secret was they could use the threat of exposure to gain the military aid the Order needed.

"We can wait until he is finished." She said willing to wait in a room for the rest of the day if need be.

"No need for that Mademoiselle Peletier." A voice said from behind and above drawing everyone's attention.

Looking up she saw one who could only be Henri Moreau dressed in fine clothes but looking somewhat dishevelled. Using a cloth to clean his hands he soon tossed it aside but not before she spotted a familiar shade of red.

"Pardon Master Henri. I did not mean to interrupt your…meeting." The manservant said with a hint of fear."

"Do not worry old friend." Henri said with a pleasant smile, "I was just finishing up. Marie was a delightful young woman but not the intriguing…conversationalist…I thought she would be. Please see to it that she is taken off the property. I believe Catherine could use the company."

"Of course Master Henri. I will see to it myself." The chief manservant said with a submissive bow.

A nod was all Henri did in return before focusing his gaze back upon her.

"Now Louise what is it you wished to speak to my father about?" Henri asked upon reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"I wish to propose a joint venture between the group I represent and your father." She replied not giving out details in such an expose place, "However it is something best discussed privately Henri."

"Then follow me." Henri said after nodding in acknowledgment.

With his words she and Molinier followed the son of the former Marquis through the hallways of the home until they arrived at a study with a sturdy door and no windows. With a gesture Henri moved to the most opulent chair in the room before sitting down and waiting for them to do the same. Choosing one that looked comfortable she waited for Denis to sit down as well before speaking of her proposal.

"I represent an organization of influential people who need your aid. An item has been stolen from us that we place great value on." She said measuring her words before speaking them, "However we lack the strength to recover it before the thieves flee France with it and it vanishes forever. My ally Monsieur Molinier and I would ask for the contribution of the men loyal to you capable of wielding a weapon to encircle the thieves and aid us in retrieving the item."

"These thieves must be dangerous indeed if you require such numbers to retrieve your 'item'." Henri said looking interested for a moment but then the expression was gone.

"Indeed they are. They once served a deputy of the Third Estate before his murder and were responsible for the murder of a great many revolutionaries such as Captain Rouille of the French Army, the merchant Marie Lévesque, General Marcourt and…my father." She said not needing to feign the appropriate emotions for the last name, "While I wish revenge for my father I know my father would say I should prioritize the will of the organization over my own personal desires. Retrieval of the item must come first."

"And this item would be?" Henri asked trying to look mildly interested but she spotted the twinkle of strong interest in his eyes.

"Something of historical significance to the leaders of the organization." She replied being honest but not too forthcoming, "They are quite attached to it and would be grateful to anyone who aided in its recovery."

As someone not in the Order she knew Henri wouldn't be able to make any sense of the truth even if it was explained. In ignorance the son of the former Marquis would only see the Koh-i-noor as a large diamond that could be sold for money. At most he might gain a glimpse of its true power and seek to claim it for himself. Neither could be allowed to happen and until he showed a genuine desire to swear loyalty to the Templar Order.

"Interesting. Very interesting." Henri stated as he considered the matter, "I shall need to give it some thought."

"Not too much thought Monsieur Moreau." Molinier said politely yet firmly, "We do not know when the thieves shall attempt to take their leave of the area and we cannot lose track of them."

"While I understand your concern this is not something that can be rushed. It is only through the management of a delicate equilibrium that my family has managed to keep our necks off the guillotine. Deploying men loyal to our family could well ruffle a few feathers." Henri said matching the firmness without flinching, "A compromise perhaps? Tell me where you believe they currently are and I shall dispatch a few of my men to watch the main roads in that area. Each will have a carrier pigeon with them and will use it if your quarry attempts to leave. Acceptable?"

"Quite so." She said willing to give the son of the former Marquis some leeway for the time being.

"Excellent! I shall tend to that now and then my dear Louis you shall tell me just what you've been up to since we last saw each other." Henri said with a charming smile that must work wonders with the local servant girls.

She however knew better.

This man had no true feelings for anyone save himself and cared only about seeing his appetites satiated.

Given that she was confident that the shade of red she'd noticed earlier was blood and given that she'd seen no injury on Henri that implied much about the source of it all.

She had no intention of letting her guard down in the man's presence.

A Few Days Later

The Streets of the Town-City

Approaching Sunset

Xander's POV

~Something's changed.~ He thought walking down the street, ~And it's not a good thing.~

It'd been slow at first and he'd written it off as him seeing things but now he couldn't dismiss the truth: someone had inserted new people into the local population and they were keeping tabs on him. Seeing as how he'd only been here a short while he didn't think he'd done anything bad enough to deserve anyone's special attention.

That could only mean one thing.

The newcomers were after the Assassins.

The Templars had made their move but it was still questionable as to how big a move it was. They wanted that magic diamond whatever it was and had evidently decided to call in reinforcements rather than make another go at Ethan and Arbaaz on their own. Given that he'd been involved in their last fight it was a safe bet that he'd been labelled for watching and perhaps killing as well if it came to that.

~Better meet up with Ethan and find out what he knows.~ He thought heading for the tavern the Assassin and his friend had been going to for information.

Once it became clear that Isabella wouldn't be signing on immediately the duo had gone to work trying to find out just who might be heading their way. Understandable given everything that'd been downloaded into his head about the war between the Templars and the Assassins. No way were the control freaks going to let something so valuable slip through their fingers so a second attempt was inevitable. The only question was on what scale it'd be and if it would be smarter to run or to stand and fight.

Given what he'd noticed it might be in Ethan and Arbaaz's best interests to vamoose sooner rather than later. That unfortunately meant that he'd have to press Isabella for an answer regarding educating her on the Slayer Calling. He feared that he'd have a hard time convincing the Templars that he wasn't an Assassin plus he had his suspicions about what'd happened when he'd touched the diamond that night. Unlike some people he'd never gone for the whole fake glass eye thing after Caleb took his eye preferring to go with the simple eyepatch. Plenty of pirate jokes to be had there and he didn't need to worry about replacing an eyepatch if he lost the previous one. Just about anything could be made into an eyepatch after all so he wouldn't have to worry about finding a store to buy one.

Given the light show and what he'd felt though someone had seen fit to plant a fake eye in his socket and it was downright hellmouthy. The only thing that kept him from yanking it out was the fact that it was wedged in there pretty tight with some of his own flesh grown in around it. So seeing as how it'd be both painful and bloody to get it out he'd decided to leave the object where it was and just cover it up to keep the curious away. However Duchesneau had gotten an eyeful and had escaped so not only would he be labelled an Assassin but he'd also be charged with possessing an item the Templars might be interested in.

All in all while he'd prefer to have her come to the decision on her own he couldn't risk getting tied down by Templars or worse have those cross lovers to find out about Slayers.

Entering the tavern it didn't take long for him to find Ethan so he casually made his way over in a way that wouldn't draw the eyes of others in the room.

"You guys see the newcomers like me?" He asked quietly as he took a seat.

"Hard to miss. Templars?" Ethan asked keeping tabs on the door and windows without being obvious about it.

"Not sworn in members if my instincts are right." He replied having memories that let him know what to look for with that sort, "But they're not making big enough waves to be from outside France. Likely a group of mercenaries or criminals hired for their greed and their expendability."

"Sounds about right." Arbaaz commented his hands nicely close to his blade hilt, "Thanks to the infighting amongst the French Rite and the hard work of our French brothers Templar presence in the country is a mere shadow of its former self. They would not be foolish enough to induct people recklessly into their ranks and that leaves paying those who do not mind killing for coin."

"They haven't tried anything beyond keeping a close eye on us." He said thinking on what he'd noticed thus far.

"Don't expect it to last." Ethan said with grim tones, "If I was them I'd encircle the entire town and then draw it tight like a noose around our necks. The question is how long before they're done encircling and begin closing in around us."

"Better to make a move of our own before they can do anything." He said not liking the idea of breaking enemy lines after they'd been set in stone, "Right now their orders are probably just to watch us and let their employers know if we make a run for it. I doubt they're organized enough to respond quickly if we ran for it. At most maybe a dozen men to deal with before they'd lose sight of us and then maybe a few every once in awhile until we reach Spain or Germany."

"There's a lot of ground to cover between here and there." Arbaaz said sounding doubtful of the idea, "Depending on how many men are set against us we may drop before the last one of them does."

"I doubt they have that many men or have pockets deep enough to keep'em paid for that long." Ethan said sounding more optimistic about the plan, "Two or three weeks of pursuit and the Templars will lose their hired help. After that we can set up an ambush and end what's left of the French Rite of the Templar Order."

"What about Alexander's lady friend? Has she presented herself to you yet?" Arbazz asked bringing up an important matter.

"No but with things being what they are I plan on going by the chateau where she lives to get an answer." He replied considering the best words with which to convince her to come with him.

In the animated film Cinderella was pretty much doing the work of five servants all on her own and while the movie always portrayed her as being at peace with that reality was no doubt different. The French Revolution had made it all too clear how the aristocracy treated their 'employees' especially those without the power to be a problem. While he could accept that the camaraderie and friendship of the other servants made things easier to bear it still had to be a harsh life. If he offered her a different life, perhaps a better one, maybe she would take it. If she insisted that he take her friends as well he would wait to see how many that would be before making a decision. It was a basic truth of those seeking to work in secret that a large group was more likely to be spotted than a small group and a smaller group could move more swiftly. That wasn't even taking into account the cost of providing food and shelter to so many along the way.

"Be swift about it or we will miss our chance to slip through the Templar's net and be forced to fight." Arbaaz said sounding serious about needing to leave sooner than later.

With a nod the conversation shifted to what roads to take and what path would be less likely to be covered by Templar hired warriors. Some of it was pure guesswork while others used bits of history from when the Assassins last had to fight in the area. He was a bit vague about it but he threw in a few suggestions based on his Soldier Boy inheritance but only after making sure that they could actually be used with the current level of technology. Some seemed to impress Ethan and Arbazz while others were picked apart to be shown as impractical with only the three of them to work with. In the end they had a loose plan but made sure that there was room for adaptation and improvisation should the unexpected appear.

With farewells given they split up to gather what they needed for their departure and for him to visit Isabella to see if she could be persuaded to join them.

With a measure of caution he went through the city-town doing what he could to lose his 'followers' along the way so as not to tip off the Templars about his connection to Isabella. While he'd been feeding Ethan and Arbazz a load of shit about what she was and what his mission was that didn't mean that the Templars wouldn't jump at the chance to seize a Slayer. Either they'd brainwash her in order to make a weapon out of her or they'd spend God knew how long trying to breed her in order to make an army of superhuman operatives.

Neither possibility was one he would allow to come to pass.

He'd die first!

In the end the trip to the chateau took twice the amount of time it normally would've taken had he simply gone straight there. Still there were no signs that he could spot of watchers so he considered it time well spent. Luck proved to be strong in him for his eyes soon spotted Isabella performing chores in the stable saving him the trouble of having to infiltrate the chateau and finding her. Striding towards her he glanced about occasionally to make sure their discussion wouldn't be eavesdropped upon but when the girl noticed him he focused only on her.

"W-why are you here?" Isabella asked looking about as though worried that he might be seen.

"Easy young woman." He replied holding up his hands to show he meant no harm, "I know I said I would wait for you to come to me if you wished to learn more but that's not possible now."

"What do you mean?" She asked worried about what this might mean.

"My friends are transporting important cargo that must not fall into the wrong hands." He replied keeping things simple since the details would only confuse her, "Unfortunately a group of 'wrong hands' is trying to keep us from leaving the area and is probably trying to encircle the area even as we speak. The only way we'll be able to keep the cargo safe is to leave before they're finished preparing."

"All that talk about me being part of a special heritage and now you're just walking away?" Isabella asked sounding a little betrayed.

"No. I am here to ask you to come with us." He replied seeing the girl's eyes widen in shock.

"What?!" She exclaimed in shock.

"I know this is a shock but it's real." He replied keeping his voice calm and understanding, "The road will be long and hard but with any luck it will be better than what you have here."

"And what would you know of what I have here?" She asked some of the Slayer fire showing itself.

"Only what I have witnessed and what I have learned." He replied trying to keep things tame, "I know you are worked hard as a servant in this chateau doing jobs that five people would be doing. I know that your step family treats you worse than any other servant. I also know that you have a stronger claim to this chateau than them but due to French law you are forced to watch them waste the inheritance of your father. I know that only through the friends you've made have you been able to keep smiling."

Watching her face as he spoke he could tell that what he'd learned about her was mostly correct with the errors small enough not to matter all that much.

"If you choose to come with me I can promise you three things." He said wanting honesty to be the foundation of their potential relationship, "I promise that I will help you become strong enough that you will never have to serve anyone you don't want to. I promise that whatever trouble comes I will always be at your side. Lastly I promise to respect your decisions whatever they may be…within reason."

"Within reason?" She asked no doubt distrusting the crack in the last promise.

"If you decide to do something stupid I'll have to stop you. If you decide to use the skills I teach you on innocent people I'll have to stop you." He explained respectfully looking her in the eye, "But if you decide you just want your own life at the end of your training rather than follow your heritage I'll respect that. If you decide you don't want to complete your training I won't like it but I'll respect it. Fair enough?"

Looking both puzzled and understanding Isabella nodded in agreement.

Then her expression turned to conflict and sadness but the reason was all to obvious especially to someone like him. If she agreed to go with him she might very well need to leave all she knew and everyone she called friend behind. Right about now she was probably feeling conflicted with some of her wanting to stay while the other wanting to leave. Both options had reasons in their favour but like most people he figured that if the girl wanted to leave she'd try to bring as much of her old life with her as possible.

"I know this is a lot to ask. It is never easy leaving behind all you know even if it's covered in more bad memories than good." He said with empathy in his tone, "You may take some of your belongings with you but nothing heavy enough to slow you down or big enough to draw attention. As for your friends…if we are to escape our pursuers we will need to be stealthy and swift. No more than two. Any more than that and we will be slow and noticeable."

This seemed to ease her conflict somewhat but still left decisions to be made in her mind.

"I…I will go. This may have been the chateau where I grew up but that bitch and her daughters have soiled any good memories that remain in its hallways." Isabella said sounding like someone about to take their first steps into the unknown, "Give me time to gather what little I have and speak with my friends. I won't take long."

"I will return at midnight with my friends ready to leave." He said wanting to give the newly Called Slayer as much time as he could to prepare herself, "Be ready for the first step into your new life."

With that he left and hoped that when midnight came he would not be leading trouble right to Isabella's doorstep. It was quite a few hours between now and midnight giving more than enough time for trouble to be stirred up.

~Guess I'll just treat it like the run up to an apocalypse.~ He thought going back into the forest, ~Be professionally paranoid and confusing as all fuck!~

A Window on the Second Floor of the Chateau

Same Time

"Fortune it would seem shines on me." She muttered to herself as she watched the young man vanish into the woods.

Contrary to what some might think she was quite aware of the dwindling remains of her late husband's riches. While she never let her daughters know she kept track of every coin spent. It only made sense since once there was only a third of the former riches left prudence dictated that she begin looking for her next husband or wed one of her daughters to someone suitably rich. Neither of them were as beautiful as she had been in her youth but that could be blamed on their father. He'd been ugly but his riches had been without question so she of course had done her best to act as though she were in love with him after which she would drown herself in luxuries to counter the revulsion she'd been feeling. Indeed the man had possessed very few redeeming qualities that made their marriage worth it.

~I shall have to reinforce the lessons of how to manipulate and deceive their future husbands.~ She thought turning away from window.

In any case it had been fortuitous timing that she had seen her STEP-daughter's exchange with the hooded stranger because only a little over an hour ago she'd received a letter from Moreau's boy. The future owner of the former Marquis' lands had requested that she be watchful for three men and to inform him of their activities if the men were seen. While vague in some details the majority of what had been described matched Isabella's guest and as a result she had an opportunity to extend her stay in the chateau awhile longer.

If little Henri was bothering to send out letters to the wealthy and influential in the area then the activities of the three men had to be worth something. With a bit of simple planning and perhaps a reward could be pried from Moreau's hands. One big enough that it would buy her enough time to ensure that she could trust Anastasia and Drizella to win them a new place of comfort to dwell in.

Best of all while she had not been able to hear what had been spoken of she presumed that the man wanted something of Isabella and was making arrangements. If so delivering the young man and perhaps his comrades into Henri's hands would be a simple matter indeed.

"Damien?" She asked and was swiftly attended to by her favourite servant.

One of the few people she'd taken from her first husband and only because she could be sure of his complete devotion to her.

"Yes Lady Tremaine?" Damien asked from a kneeling position behind her.

"I believe some of the servants require your special sort of supervision." She said casually even though it was clearly an order, "However feel free to ignore Cinderella."

"Of course Lady Tremaine." Damien said with a nod before leaving the room to carry out her orders.

Damien would know when something was about to begin and knew her motivations well enough to ensure that the advantage remained hers.

All she would need to do was come up with a plan to ensure little Henri didn't dare deny her a proper reward. Unlike his father, if the rumours be true, the boy was no fool and had an edge to him that warranted caution. Nothing she couldn't handle and if she looked carefully enough she was sure she looked in the right places she'd find a few skeletons the young man would prefer remain hidden.

Everyone did.