When I typed out this first bit of the chapter, I wanted to show some Arno, but I realized he is only 3 years old. Now, I am the oldest of seven kids, so I have seen how kids act at different stages. LET ME TELL YOU. Each child is different, I imagine Arno being so talkative at such a young age.
I have been doing some awesome research on the precursor box and there is so much cool shit that it does. "…the boxes also demonstrated to have the ability to imprint the memories of someone into another individual, like in 1918 when Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia ended up with the memories of Shao Jun.[4]."
This is a tidbit of information I had pulled from Wiki fan page, so I want to involve some of the lore. I know I haven't been fully true to it, but I want to get some things right.
I will also be showing more of Rose and Shay past with each other. I have made their love life much of a secret especially on how they felt towards each other, so I hope this focus more into it. I am actually considering making a series of One-Shots of them. Modern Au's and Child of the Cross Au. Let me know in the review section and I will read as well as respond.
-Moon
Every bone in Catherine's body ached until she slipped in the hot water. She could feel the tension in her muscles fade. The suds raised to her bare chest as she settled in the bath. The water had shifted right to her collarbone in the deep basin tub. The teenager made a mental note to thank Emily for boiling the water to this magnitude knowing herself how long it took to make a hot bath. Catherine could only count on one hand when she had experienced a hot bath such as this one.
The Assassin trainee knew she deserved this after the hard week of training she endured. Dorian had stricken the teenager with his training sword after she failed to block, or when made herself wide open for an attack. Her body was riddled with bruises from this past week.
Taking a long deep breath, she dunked her whole head under water to soak her scalp. Aries cried as a couple of water droplets splashed his way. He stood on a small perch a few feet away from the bath in her room. Thankfully, Dorian had permitted such a request for her.
"Sorry," Catherine apologized to the proud bird as he rustled his feathers.
Catherine reached over for the scented soap and washcloth to wash the grim and sweat from her body. She scrubbed and rinsed herself before a soft knock on the door was heard.
Emily's voice was heard behind the door. "Miss. Cormac, are you happy with the bath?"
"Aye, it's perfect. I'll be heading to bed afterward, so don't worry about the bath water until tomorrow."
"If you are sure, I will leave it until tomorrow."
"Have a goodnight, Emily." Catherine smiled expecting the servant to head off to bed.
Emily spoke once more, "One more thing, Master. Dorian wanted me to inform you that in two days time that you will be traveling to Phildiepha."
Catherine sighed knowing it was only a matter of time before she would hear news of their departure to Philadelphia. Dorian said he would have more etiquette lessons for the teenager, as well as information about the party. Catherine was already learning how to dance by his own hand, in these past months under Dorian's care, he became a mentor to the girl. He overlooked her studies for a proper young woman of higher society. He even took over her teachings in her training as an Assassin including Assassin philosophy. She was grateful for his instruction.
There were so many things to be accomplished before November 5th. The poor girl even had a dress fitting for a very expensive gown. To her great pleasure, Catherine was allowed to choose the color of her gown. Emily had suggested a pink or red color to match her hair but Catherine declined. The teenager believed it would make her stand out too much. A dull color like a navy blue or grey would have her blend in better.
Knowing her departure was upon her made the girl feel restless. Maybe if she finished that drawing of Arno? That will relax her. She had started a charcoal sketch of Arno playing on the floor with a toy horse. She was going to give to Charles when she finished when he made note of how talented the girl was. The Teenager had grown fond of the little boy, he was a little sweetheart, but troublemaker like all little boys.
It made her wishful she wasn't an only child then she wouldn't be alone in this endeavor. After the death of her mother's only brother must n have ruined their love for each other. Shay must have been ashamed for a visit, but Rose had always held a love for her estranged husband.
Catherine buried the past of her parent's relationship. She was exhausted too from her day to day activities to think about such things. Her eyes felt heavy from the heat and scent of lavender, so she decided to close her eyes just for a moment.
When she reopened her eyes, the water was cold. The fireplace was filled with dying embers exhausting her only light in the room.
"Blazes," Catherine muttered as she reached for her towel.
She couldn't tell the hour of time from the window, but it had to be early in the morning hour. After drying herself, Catherine tossed her towel to the side to quickly change into her cream-colored chemise. Taking her time, Catherine weaved her hair in a single simple braid to keep it from being matted. That was the problem with going to bed with her thick hair wet.
The call to bed would have to wait, her stomach had grumbled making Catherine feel a bit peckish. A late night snack might be worth the trip downstairs. Catherine was aware of a tin that had a freshly baked cake that Emily had made. It wouldn't hurt to have a thin slice Catherine thought to herself. She pulled on her housecoat on and tied the sash around her waist.
Catherine tiptoes down the hall after exiting her room shutting the door softly behind her. She didn't want to disturb anyone so late in the night. Passing Master Dorian room, her feet quietly patted down the stairs. Quickly zipping to the kitchen, she knew where to look for the tin full of cake. The cake was placed in the back of cupboard up high to keep out of reach of small child fingers.
It had been awhile since Catherine had indulged such childish desires. There hasn't been a time since her mother's passing to be a teenager. Catherine kicks a stool over to the base of the shelves to grab the cake tin. her mother had always jests that she had an endless sweet tooth. The girl quietly grabbed a plate until a quiet voice spoke.
"Can I have some?"
Catherine turned her head to see a tiny Arno standing in the doorway of the kitchen in his nightgown. "Sweetheart, what are you doing up?" She bent down to his eye level, but all he did was rubbed his eyes.
"I saw you walk downstairs when I went to get water." His French accent broke through the air.
Catherine smiled, "You're a clever lad for being so quiet." She beckons the young boy to come over. "Why don't we split my piece and then we can go off to bed?"
Arno nodded, "Yes, please."
Catherine cut the slice of cake in half for the young boy, he gave a quick thank you. He took a spot on the floor next to the cupboard as he munched on the cake. The teenager took a spot next to the young boy as they ate in silence.
"Why are you up?" He asked
Catherine shrugged, "I fell asleep in the bath."
Arno let out a small giggle but quietly hushed by the older girl. "We don't want wake your pa up,"
"Sorry," he whispered back, he starred up at her. "I like your hair."
"You do?" She smiled, "I am rather fond of it too." She nudged him a little, "Maybe you will meet a pretty girl with hair like mine."
He stuck out his tongue, "Girls are yucky."
Catherine snorted a laugh at his reply he was quite smart for a boy that was only the young age of three. They both quietly finished the cake in silence. Catherine fixed the young child a glass of water before patting his head before taking him up to his room. Catherine lingered for just a moment to watch the little boy drift off to sleep before she left the room.
She walked down the hall back to her room when Catherine notice a floating figure from the corner of her eye. When the teenager turned her head, it was gone. The figure had been right outside of Charles Doran study. The girl came to the unlocked door to investigate. Focusing her ability and energy into her special sense, there was no one inside the study, but a glowing object on Dorian's desk. The girl crossed the threshold of the dimly lite room towards the desk where she noticed the old beaten precursor box on the desk. The girl only stared at it for a moment, the feeling of disdain towards it filled her system.
Her father abandoned his family to find this box, but he wasn't aware his own wife had kept it from him. The urge to toss it into the fireplace overwhelmed her, but she stayed her hand. Instead, she reached out to touch the smooth surface of the box. A thought had occurred to Catherine; the girl had never even touched the damn box. She placed her fingers on it, feeling the smooth surface of the box. The room was still and quiet for a moment, nothing eerie happened.
Catherine could almost laugh at the idea of a war over this damn artifact, but a giggle never escaped her lips. A pulse of electricity powered through her nervous system to her brain causing her to shriek before falling to the floor.
Memories of a life she had never lived filled her mind.
Shay scratched his face as his mind raced with the idea of telling his newlywed wife he was leaving again. He had only recently married his childhood sweetheart in the last year. Rose and Shay confessed their undying love for each other in front of the entire brotherhood. Liam was so proud to call Shay his true brother and made a jesting threat to take care of his only little sister. The Assassin was leaving for Lisbon on orders from Achilles. They had found a precursor site that rumored to have a great source of power. He had been leaving with Liam and the other Assassins. The man felt guilty for leaving Rose alone so much.
A small cabin that was their home was a few miles away from the Davenport Homestead in the woods from prying eyes is where the couple spent their alone time. Shay's feet picked up as he saw Rose sitting on the porch of their small humble home. It wasn't what she wanted, and he knew if he could pull it. He would give her the small tavern she always dreamed of running one herself.
Mrs. Cormac could run a business away from all the death and war. He would buy her a place by a harbor where she could wait for his return, and they could settle until Achilles called him away. Shay stopped only feet from the cabin when he saw his wife when he noticed something was different about Rose. Her stomach was a small round ball sticking out covered by her dress
Rose slowly pushed up from the bench with trouble, but Shay raced over to help her stand.
"You're pregnant."
"Aye, Love. Pregnant with your child."
"How long have you enough?"
"3 months…but you were gone."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Rose sighed as she grabbed his hands in front of her, "You were moving from place to place and I didn't know how to inform you, but you're here now. I begged Liam to let me tell you." She looked so young and happy to inform her husband of such news.
Shay shouted with joy at the top of his lungs at the news of his wife with child. He picked her up with a bear hug. "Easy Shay!"
"I am going to be a father!"He put his wife down laughing before dropping to his knees meeting her small bump. He placed a hand on her stomach feeling their unborn child. "Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?"
"I pray it's a girl, dealing with you and Liam is like dealing with small boys."
Shay grinned as he rubbed the bump, "We can name her Morrigan or Morgan?" He hinted.
"I am not naming our daughter after a ship," Rose rolled her eyes at the childish inquire. "But I like the name Patrick if it's a boy."
Shay smiled as he stood up giving a tender soft kiss. He was touched at the idea of naming his son after his late father. "Well if it's a girl, we will have to pick a strong name for her. Maybe after a saint." She touched the small golden cross around her necklace.
"If it's a girl, I will be a blessed because I will see her mother's beauty in her eyes." Shay took her hand into his. "I hope I will be back before the lil one is born."
A look of confusion crosses the young wife's face. "What do you mean?"
"Achilles is sending me to Lisbon, we may have found a temple."
Rose pulled her hands away, "Couldn't he send someone else?"
"My love, this is my chance to prove myself and earn the respect I deserve."
Rose huffed, "You don't need it, you have mine."
"It's not enough," He bowed his head as he leaned on the porch.
His wife touched his back, "If you truly desire on doing this, please take some time off when you come back."
"I will, I will spend months by your side with this child," He smiled giving her kiss on the forehead.
Catherine could only stare up at the ceiling as she felt her body feel heavy. Her mind felt drugged as her vision succumb to whiteness.
Liam burst into the cabin as he dragged in a struggling Shay, who was clawing at his hands.
"Cool off, Shay!" He threw the captain onto the ground.
Rose covered her mouth in shock, "What is going on?!" She went down to the floor to help her husband.
"Achilles is going to get us all killed!" Shay barked, "He had me kill all those people!"
Liam ignored Shay looking at Rose, "Keep him out of trouble, I have to go do damage control." He left without another word to Rose, or Shay.
"Shay, what happened?!" The young wife saw him shake with rage, but he quickly clings to her. Rose was the only person he could break down too. She held her husband in her arms as he buried his head in her chest,
"Love," She comforted him by running her fingers through his dark hair. "What happen?"
Shay gave his wife a painful glance. Taking a moment to compose himself, the Assassin was able to retell the story of his travels to Lisbon. He had found an ancient temple underneath a church on the holy holiday of All-Saints. Shay picked up an artifact he found in the center of the old temple. In a chain reaction, the whole city was consumed in fire and smoke by a groundbreaking quake. The whole city fell into chaos and ruin before Shay's very eyes. He described the true horrors he had witnessed.
Rose was silent during the duration of his story, she had only one thing to say after he finished. "It's not your fault." She held is a face in her hands pleading with him to understand.
"Yes, it is Rose." Shay glanced back at the door, "Achilles can't continue on blindly playing with these temples. He will tilt the axis of the world."
"What are you going to do to convince him to stop." Rose full heartily believed him, how could the assassins not listen to him?
"I need to think." He sighed, he seemed to be calmer. His eyes laid upon her stomach to see it had grown since he left. Placing his palm on her stomach feeling the unborn child softly kick. "Papa will make things right."
Rose lad her hand over his gloved hand. "We will support you. I don't care if hellfire consumes me, but I will follow you Shay Patrick Cormac to the end of the earth."
Shay lingered for a moment giving his wife a soft kiss on the lips before standing up to be alone with his thoughts.
Later on in the night, Rose couldn't sleep while Shay was outside in the cold air to think. She could only work on her needlework, making a small gown for the child on the way.
A loud pounding interrupted her thoughts. Rose gently placed her small project on the table beside her as Hope Jenson barged into the cabin. "Rose! You must come quickly!"
"What is it?"
"It's Shay! He is going to get himself killed if you don't talk him down."
The young wife didn't say another word as she followed Hope through the snow. What did Shay do? She had encouraged him to do what he believed was right, but she didn't know how far he took it.
The pregnant woman tracked through the foot deep snow through the homestead. Everything was in pure chaos as they neared the manor. Hope helped her through the snow along the river towards a cliff overlooking the ocean view far from the harbor. A small crowd gathered at the edge where Shay stood alone with the whole brotherhood against him.
"Give back the manuscript, Shay!" Hope shouted. "I am sure Achilles will forgive!"
Liam was the first to raise his pistol at the desperate man. Rose eyes widen as she watched Shay back towards the cliff.
"I CAN NOT! I will not let this happen again." His voice filled with emotion, "All those souls loss! What's one more?" he was looked helpless and lost.
His wife could on reach out for him so far, "Shay, love, please stop what you are doing. I need you, our child needs you." Her pleas fell loss onto Shay's ears, he only kept his back to her.
In horror, Rose watched her husband walk closer to the edge. "SHAY! NO," She pushed past her brother running towards him.
"I'm sorry, Rose." He whispered, "I don't want our child to live in a world with this kind of knowledge."
Captain Chevalier fired his pistol at the poor man just as he stepped off the cliff. Shay was arm's length from his wife as she reached out to barely missed him. Liam rushed forward to stop his only sister from falling over the cliff after him.
"SHAY! NO!" Rose screamed seeing her husband plunged to his death. "No!" Her screams were only heard in the dead of silence from the Assassins. She glanced up at them with tears of torment cascading down her cheeks. "HOW COULD YOU?!"
"He betrayed us, talking nonsense," Liam spoke in a soft voice approaching his younger sister. "Rosie, I am so sorry." He touched her head in comfort, but she jerked her body away from him.
"Don't touch me!"Rose pushed her older brother back as she landed a few hard punches in his stomach. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" Liam quickly wrapped his hands around her wrist to stop her outburst before pulling her into a hug.
Rose didn't know how to feel, she felt rage, numbness, and grief. Her body shudders with sobs as Liam led her away from the horrific site.
"Catherine," The teenager felt a hard slap across her face waking the girl from the strange dream. Only to gaze upon Dorian's face with light peeking in the room.
How long had she been out? Catherine wondered silently as she rubbed her face.
"By the god's child, what are you doing down here? No less on the floor!" Dorian kneeled next to the girl on the floor, she could see the man was in day clothes. Catherine could only assume that the man was getting ready for his day.
She felt ashamed to tell the man of snooping through his study, so she lied. "I-I sleep walk sometimes."
Dorian eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Well, we will need to remedy that later, but I think we should get you tucked into bed. Hold off on lessons today."
Catherine shook her head quickly, "No need, I feel as if I had a whole nights rest." Her neck felt stiff from the marble floor, but she slove it by muscle stretches.
Dorian shook his head, "Go rest, it's still early. I'll tell Emily not to disturb you until noon."
Catherine sighed as she stood with the help of the older Assassin. "Alright,"
"That's a good girl, I will be talking to both you and James later this evening. I will need you to be sharp for what I have entailed."
"You invited James to come over here?"
"Yes, but we will discuss more later on tonight."
Catherine didn't have more to say to her mentor, but just a nod. She left the room in a hurry to secure her thoughts. What did she just witnessed? She had just relived the emotions and memories of her mother and father. Making a mental note, she would need to send a letter Achilles asking about what he knows about the precursor box. Dorian had limited knowledge about the box, but from what he heard it was a projection.
Catherine would worry about that later, for now, a nap would be nice.