Chapter 1

Winter 1782 – One year before the end of the Revolutionary War

We had docked back towards Boston and had managed to keep a relatively low profile. There was much to be done before we could head back out to sea, however, now would be a good time for the crew to get some well-deserved rest and perhaps take in a pint or two. No doubt I would also need to check in with the gang. They were likely already at the local tavern drinking themselves senseless. If only they could learn to hold their rum.

"Alright ladies! We have some free time on our hands before we need to depart, so tonight we celebrate our victory over the newly acquired fort!" I yelled to my crew.

I got a round of cheering and we all quickly departed. For the time being, I left my sea captain's hat and opted for my hood, knowing that we were in neutral territory. I walked toward the tavern and quickly found the gang who had gathered around, each holding a pint in their hands. I sat down with my own pint, removed the hood, and breathed a sigh of relief; finally, we were back on land. It had been a hard journey and no doubt it would become harder, yet I knew that I could always come back here in between missions to allow for the possibility of some down time. Of course, this assuming I was in the general area.

"Ah, Blackthorn, seems you survived another round!"

I looked up and met the eyes of Captain Rhys Night, who no doubt had come back from his own voyage. I simply nodded, not bothering to voice my jubilation, as it was unnecessary. We – that is, the gang and I, had all agreed that what we did on the seas was our own, and we could very well celebrate our own way, meaning we didn't have to vocalize it as the looks on our faces were enough.

The gang had come together years ago, and we had all grown close enough that we all thought of each other as extended family, while our own families were those of our own crews. The gang included Captain Rhys Night; a man of many talents, Night, was considered one of the most powerful sea farers as he was not above taking drastic measures to protect what was his, and those he cared for. For the most part he was amiable, but if you ended up on his bad side, then you had painted a target on your back, because if one thing was true, it was that Rhys Night, always got his man, always.

Then there was Captain Tom Laufey, much like Rhys, he was amiable most of the time, but he was very well known for his "frosty" disposition. He didn't take kindly to strangers, and often kept most people at arm's length, that is until you could gain his trust, however, that was no easy task. I remember when we had first met, he had more than once threatened to "freeze my 'balls' off" regardless of the fact that I was indeed a woman. Though he wouldn't have known that at the time, as I was hiding my own identity. However, that hadn't stopped me from proclaiming that I could easily do the same to him if he wasn't careful, and more than once had proved it too, especially when he had once gotten on my nerves. Regardless of our not entirely amiable start, I had once managed to save him and his crew when they had been attacked by a group of British thugs, who were only out looking for a fight, from then on, he and I had been on each other's good side.

Then there was Captain Ren Raja, he was fairly new to the gang, as Captain Kahn had stumbled upon him on one of his voyages towards the east. When Khan came back after his last voyage, he had explained that Captain Raja was actually considered royalty where he was from, however, he had decided to see the world and left whatever throne he held in the hands of his brother, who from what I understood he kept in frequent contact with. For the most part Captain Raja was probably the most diplomatic of the bunch, more than likely from whatever line of royalty he hailed from. He for the most part kept to himself but, was no slump when needed. Lastly there was the eldest of us all, Captain Kahn.

Captain Kahn and I were the first two to start the group, and the others followed. For the most part Captain Kahn was more of a father figure to me and had been there to help me find my way once I started my own voyages. Of course, though, Captain Kahn and I were also close through our own line of work. Unlike the rest of the gang, Kahn and I belonged to a separate code of conduct. One that was slightly more constructed. In other words, we worked in the dark to serve the light. However, we still had enough freedom to run things our own way unlike those of us who worked specifically on land. For example, while the enemy was the same, I knew of a select few who worked for the enemy who are actually like-minded and often worked as double agents. While they don't belong to any one code, they worked where the information they held suited them best. Of course, the pay wasn't bad either, but still there were a select few who could be trusted as they had proven themselves useful allies, at least to me. Thinking of allies, I knew of two who would likely want to see me at some point, yet I needed the night to recuperate before I went seeking them out.

"So, Blackthorn, have you your next target?" Tom asked.

"Not yet, but you never know, perhaps he will find me." I added.

That just roused a laugh out of everyone. Knowing that anyone would be absolutely insane to piss me off, and if they did, they had a death wish. Though I caught the eye of Nadir, and I simply shook my head to only affirm his own questions. He simply nodded and didn't say a word. Instead, he made a subtle gesture to see me outside. I nodded and whipped back the rest of my own rum and got up. I gave a wave to the gang as a goodbye and went with Nadir.

Once out of ear shot, Nadir was the first to break the silence.

"So, what did you find?"

I sighed. "Well, if anything, I only found more questions than answers. My contact ended up dead before I could get to him. I knew that it wasn't him based on the fact that my contact was not killed in any of his fashions. I believe that someone is tailing him Nadir, and I think he knows it too. What if…what if I can't get there in time? What if he is already dead, and I am only prolonging the inevitable?" I said, trying to keep my composure.

"Christine, listen to me. I know him, and I know that he would not go down without a fight. I firmly believe that he is still out there, alive. I know that it has been years, but trust me, I think we would know by now if he was dead.

Listen, I have news. Kenway is dead. I found out about it when I returned here a week ago. He was killed by his own son, Connor, I believe. Since then, the Templar Order has a new Grandmaster, by the name of Charles Le. He was Kenway's right hand man. Not to mention really the only one left alive, at least from the original order formed. I'm afraid that I don't know much more than that." Nadir explained.

One word rang through my head. Haytham Kenway was dead, and Connor Kenway his own son, had killed him. Yet there was not much to be done, if anything the Templar order was like a hydra, you cut off one head, another two rise. I knew that I would need to check in with my allies sooner than I thought. I needed to know if what Nadir is saying is true. Because if Kenway was truly dead, then it would be that much harder to find out who had attacked me that night, so long ago.

All I could do was nod. Looking out, I saw that darkness had set in. Perhaps it was time to call it a night. I nodded to Nadir in thanks and made my way back to my own ship. I decided instead of an inn, I wanted to be close to the one vessel that had been the only reason for me to keep searching. The Aria. What I didn't count on would be the fact that tomorrow would bring something completely unexpected, something that I couldn't have prepared for.

The next morning, I rose with the sun and quickly vacated my captain's quarters. Without much thought I placed my robes back on and made my way back towards the upper deck. I was met with silence, knowing that my crew likely took in the freedom that they had, I knew they wouldn't be up for at least a few more hours. For the most part it didn't matter too much, as I still had things to accomplish before we headed back out to sea, including meeting with my main allies to find out if the rumors were true, hopefully get a status on the Revolution, and perhaps have some time to catch up assuming that I wouldn't need to act fast after verifying the information, that had kept me up for much of the night. It would be about a day's ride, so I quickly walked to the nearest stable to procure a horse. I saddled up and started to make my way. My crew knew that I did this when we stopped here so it was likely that they would head back to the ship and start to prepare for departure later on, as the plan was, that we wouldn't leave for at least another two days. They knew their duties, and I trusted them to fulfill them.

Throughout the day I kept up a decent pace and stopped only for water when needed. By the time the sun started to dip behind the horizon, I could see the homestead in my sights. It had been a long while since I had seen it. Yet, I could tell things hadn't changed– much. I rode up towards the stable and quickly dismounted. I unsaddled my horse and rubbed him down. I then walked him until he was dry and then placed him in one of the open stalls. Walking out of the stables I noticed that what was left of the light was starting to disappear fast. However, before I made my way towards the front door, I noticed one of the two allies I had here, coming up the road. Not feeling much in the mood for games, I decided to simply sit in one of the trees near the front door and wait. See if perhaps he would pick up that there was another person here. I watched as he dismounted and quickly followed the same routine that I had done. However, as he went to place his horse in the stall, he noticed that there was another horse occupying his usual spot. He stopped suddenly and started to look around. I managed to keep myself well camouflaged so that he couldn't easily spot me. However, knowing him he'd likely use his eagle vision. Yet in this instance he didn't, I could tell because he hadn't begun to examine the area like he did when he had his eagle vision on. Still, that didn't stop him from going for his blade. I still watched him from the tree and waited patiently. He had just managed to walk under the tree that I was hiding in when I finally decided to speak up.

"I'm surprised. You usually are much better at spotting an intruder." I said, allowing for a half smile to appear.

"Christine?"

To which I responded.

"The one and only." I replied before jumping down and landing 2 feet in front of him.

"I have to admit. You are certainly getting better at that." Connor replied, as I stuck the landing gracefully.

I smirked, what Connor didn't know was that I was highly skilled in climbing high areas, and balance, as that had been a key thing that my mentor had taught me early on. We often would use the flies to practice such feats. I couldn't help but think back fondly of those times.

"So, I see that you are back, any news to tell?" Connor asked, turning back to business.

I shook my head. "No, the only contact that I had ended up dead before I could reach him. There goes another one. It's like anywhere I go, I find that all of my contacts are dead before I can even wrap my head around it. But I know that I am close. I can almost feel it. I am hoping that within the next voyage it might lead me to something more conclusive."

Connor nodded. "I understand, well, if anyone can find him it's you. Don't worry Christine, I know that he is out there, and all you can do is look for him and hope that he is somewhere nearby, perhaps he will be at the very next place that you stop."

I smiled at Connor, even though he had his own share of hardship, he still was very good at comforting others with his own words. True he could be brutish and not always think logically, but perhaps that is what made him so unique.

"Thanks, I think I needed to hear that." I replied.

"Are you staying for the night? If so, I am going to have to give you the spare guest room. I ran into a small issue and had to use your normal room to take care of it." Connor explained.

I rolled my eyes. "Do I even want to know what you did, or should I just not even bother?"

"You probably don't. But I wanted to give you fair warning." Connor replied.

I rolled my eyes at Connor and proceeded up the steps. Well for one thing it certainly did feel good to be back.

"Oh, is Achillies home?" I asked.

Connor went rigid. I turned around, the smirk from my face slowly fading. Looking at his back, I could tell something was wrong.

"Connor, what is it?"

Connor remained silent, but still I probed anyway.

"Connor, what's going on? Talk to me." I asked again.

"Ratonhnhaké:ton!" I called out.

Finally, he seemed to come out of whatever reverie that he was in and looked at me squarely and sighed.

"Christine, Achillies…"

Before he could finish that sentence, I knew. The look in his eye, and the tone of his voice gave it away. I took a deep breath attempting to remain calm, and finally I managed to ask.

"When?"

"About 2 months ago." Connor replied.

"How?" I asked, still attempting to keep calm.

"In his sleep. Old age claimed him." Connor said brokenly.

I noticed that Connor was struggling. Achillies had been the father that he never had. He had been there to train Connor. Granted I knew Achillies too, but he and I never really did agree completely, yet I still respected him enough and valued him as a member of the Assassins.

"The worst part Christine is that before he died, we had, had an argument, one of many, and I believed that I could right things with my own father, if Lee was out of the way. Achillies though disagreed. He said that in order for the patriots to maintain their freedom, both my father and Lee had to die. I didn't want to listen. This of course was after I had allied myself with my father to take down Church. But a lot of good that did me. I gave him my trust and he turned and used it against me."

I looked at Connor wanting to know what he meant by that. As I had left after Conner had agreed to a temporary alliance with Haytham. That had been when he had gone to track Haytham down in New York which had been sometime two years ago in 1780. At that time, I wanted to kill Haytham, as he was the one that had killed my father, not to mention that he played a role in my near death experience many years ago as well, regardless of if he held the blade or not. Yet, Connor had stopped me from doing so, saying that for now it would be best to keep him alive as he held information on not only Church, but could still have something useful to give regarding the Templar's plans. While I said that I wouldn't kill him this time, I told Connor that should he still be alive after I returned from my next voyage that all bets were off, and I would kill him as was my right. That had been the main reason why I had left. I couldn't stand being around the colonies knowing that Connor was willingly working with his father who in my mind was an enemy. Although now, it looked as though Haytham had screwed up royally. Seeing my look Connor sighed and began to explain.

"After you had gone, I had tracked my father again in New York. At this point after working with my father for nearly a year, I started to believe that he could be reasoned with and perhaps there could be a way for us to unite our philosophies and create a permanent merge of each of our ideals."

I couldn't help but blanch. Attempting to merge the ideals of the Assassin's and Templars had never worked before, not to mention Connor knew how I felt about Haytham. Why would he try so hard to make something that just wasn't feasible? Was it the fact that he wanted to know his own father? Or was it pure naiveté?

"Upon tracking him down, I found that he was trying to figure out the British Army's plan yet was having no success. So, I decided to help him. However, after finally figuring out what the plan was, I knew that I needed to tell Washington at once. But…"

Connor stopped, looking away. I looked at him and could see the betrayal in his eyes. Finally, as it seemed Connor wouldn't continue on his own, I spoke up.

"But what Connor?" I said, trying my best to keep calm.

Connor sighed, but nonetheless he continued.

"I come to find out the whole truth of what happened the day that my village burned. As it turns out, Washington was the one responsible for the burning of my village, and indirectly the death of my mother. What was worse, is that he had sent a squadron of soldiers to kill my people believing that they had sided with the British army. Of course, the only reason I find this out is because my father, brought it out."

I looked at Connor attempting to hide my shock. For so many years Connor had been so sure that Charles Lee was to blame. Now to find out that it wasn't Lee, but now Washington. To make matters worse his father knew, and never decided to tell him until it suited him.

"He knew! And he didn't tell me, he decided to sit on that information and wait to use it when it provided him with the best opportunity. After that I broke all contact with my father and Washington. However, as luck would have it, I had to deal with my father again nearly a year later. I had gotten a lead on Lee. While he may not have had anything to do with the burning of my village, Lee still had gone after me and my people in a way that proved he was still a threat. I managed to figure out that he would go back to Fort George to likely inform my father of the movements of the revolution. However, after I had finally broken the barricade thanks to the help of our French allies, I was too late. My father had already sent Lee away. We fought, and I finally saw that there was no changing him, that there would be no way for us to ever combine our ideals and live peacefully."

Connor stopped once again. I could tell that this was hard for him. I always knew that Haytham Kenway was a bastard and a snake, after all he was responsible for my grief and therefore my anger and revenge. However, there was one crucial detail that I needed to know, was Haytham Kenway finally and truly dead? Was the news that Nadir had heard true? Had Connor killed him? If what Connor was saying was true, it was likely that Haytham was dead, but I needed reassurance, I needed to know that the man that had killed my father was gone.

"And Haytham? I asked."

Connor looked up quickly, and looking at me square in the eye he said,

"He's dead. Achillies had been right all along, maybe if I had just listened to him in the first place, perhaps I wouldn't have placed my trust in the man that I was taught to kill since my training began. By the time I returned to the homestead, Achillies was gone. The irony is, is that he had died only two days after I killed my father."

I sighed both in relief and in pity. Connor had known nothing but hardship. All he had wanted was to ensure that his people remained free and not enslaved by those who would falsely promise rights to them. I wished that people were not so two faced. Of course, his father I am sure likely had told him things that would make him sound much like a man who wanted something similar to what Connor was after, and of course knowing Connor he wouldn't be swayed. At least not at first, but given time, his resolve would start to falter and based on what Connor had just said, that was exactly what had happened. I walked forward and embraced Connor. Even though he wasn't much for physical affection I knew that in this case he needed it. He needed someone to talk to, now that he was alone in the manor, it was likely that all of the turmoil that he had gone through was coming to a head.

Finally releasing him I decided that Connor should know perhaps why Achillies was so adamant that Haytham die. Perhaps this would give Connor closure in the end. Looking at him, I spoke up.

"Connor, listen to me. Achilles knew that you would likely run into the issue of placing your trust in Haytham along the way. To put it bluntly, your father was a master manipulator. Achillies knew that your father would attempt to dissuade you from what he taught you. However, there is a reason for that, and I am betting he never told you why he resented your father so much." I explained.

Connor looked at me confused. Seeing as it would be getting dark soon, I decided that this would be better explained inside. I gestured for Connor to follow me, and we both entered the homestead. I went right to the kitchen and prepared tea for both of us. Even though I am a sea fairer, it doesn't mean that I am uncivilized as everyone believes me to be. I walked back into the sitting room and saw that Connor had already gotten a fire started. Handing him the mug, I took a seat facing him.

"Connor, Achillies was a complicated man. One that I never truly had figured out. And I am sure that you have already concluded that Achillies was not one to share his feelings and didn't much care for showing affection unless he believed it to be necessary. You see, long ago back during the seven years' war, more than likely before you were born, Achillies was the mentor of the Colonial Assassin's. This very homestead and the surrounding land were used to train new recruits and also the main base for all Assassin's in this area. During that time, Achilles had a family, a wife, and a son. Unfortunately, Achilles's son Connor— who is your namesake, didn't live past the age of seven, he and his mother died of Typhoid Fever. Needless to say, Achillies was never the same after that. He shut himself off and became a man that could honestly be labeled as cruel in some circumstances. His trust was placed in those he believed could achieve whatever it was he set out for them. At this point, Achillies wanted nothing more than to work on finding the pieces of Eden, to harness their power before the Templars could. He had managed to track down two objects which would hopefully lead them to these sources of power, a Manuscript, and the Precursor box. However, there was reason to believe that there was an ulterior motive at play. This was noticed by a then young recruit, Shay Cormac.

Like any other Assassin, he was trained here and given his title as an Assassin, however Achillies didn't trust Shay. He believed that Shay would betray the Assassins and thus, he never fully placed his trust in him. Shay of course noticed that Achillies didn't trust him even though he had done everything that he was told to do. One day Shay was given the task to find one of the precursor sites in Lisbon, Portugal. Both the Assassins and the Templars believed that these precursor sites held relics that if put together would lead to the pieces of Eden. However, there was a grave error made with this knowledge. When Shay was sent to investigate and obtain a found relic that was rumored to be there, he quickly found that, just by touching the relic, it brought on seismic activity, activity in the likes that no one had ever seen before. While Shay managed to make it out alive, the event not only destroyed the town of Lisbon, but it claimed many lives. Needless to say, Shay ended up resenting what had happened. By that time, he had stormed back to the Homestead and ended up attempting to attack Achillies, telling him that he knew what would happen and yet he sent him anyway and cost thousands of people their lives. Of course, Achillies, I don't believe really knew the extent of what could happen should one remove these relics from their temples, however, he never seemed to feel sympathy for what had happened, and this only made Shay angrier.

It was then that Shay felt that the Assassins had betrayed him, he believed that they knew what would happen, and he thought that they would still go after the relics even with the knowledge that it could destroy the surrounding area if the relic was removed. So, Shay took it upon himself to see to it that this wouldn't happen. He managed to break into Achillies's office and steal the manuscript that held the maps to these precursor temples. He attempted to get the box too but was caught before he could find it. Being caught, Shay had run off, but not before Achilles managed to call an alert and sent everyone after him. Shay managed to make it all the way to the cliffs before he was shot and fell about 20 feet onto an ice patch and then into the water. Believing that Shay was dead, the Assassins didn't go any further, to them the manuscript was lost and wouldn't be found. Now before I go on, I want you to know that Achilles, he was a different person back then, he was not the person that you grew to know. He made mistakes like we all do, and he believed that what he was doing was the best. So, I do not want your vision of Achilles to change because of this. The reason that I am telling you this, is because I am attempting to explain why Achillies held so much hatred toward your father. Of course, before I can get there, you need to know the preliminary information that led to that hatred." I explained.

Connor only nodded, which for now was a good enough answer for me to continue.

"Shay survived, but barely. A ship had been passing by when he was spotted drifting in the water. By then he had been half dead. Yet the captain of that ship still brought him in. Shay eventually woke up, but by then months had passed. He found himself under the care of a couple who had been nursing him back to health. Shay at first remembered little, but with time he began to regain his memories. However, he still never knew who saved him, until later on when he was healed up enough. Shay eventually found out that, the man who had saved him was a templar. His name was George Monro, a colonel in the British Army who happened to be friends with the couple who had been nursing Shay back to health. Shay found that the couple that he had been staying with were also loyal to the Templar cause as well. At first Shay wasn't sure who he could trust, but over time, he learned to trust the select few who had been willing to save him with no intent on looking for his loyalty in return, at least at first. However, after regaining his ship and finding a mentor in Monro, he began to open up. Eventually Shay explained why he had been drifting at sea in the first place and explained that he had run from the only family and friends he had ever known due to the want for power. Yes, he told this man a known templar of the relics, and the temples. I should mention that when Shay first awoke, he didn't have the Manuscript with him, he believed that it had been lost at sea by that point, however months later after getting back his ship—the Morrigan, Shay found a package which turned out to be the lost manuscript. Turns out Monro had, had it all along. Before long, Shay began to understand the templar cause, eventually Shay felt that the Templar cause would potentially be willing to listen to his warning. He ended up joining the Templars under your father.

After a while, both your father and Shay had tracked down the next precursor site, but so had Achilles and Liam, one of the Assassins that Shay had previously been close with. Of course, when Haytham and Shay had arrived, Shay attempted to reason with Achilles and Liam, to tell them that if they did this all they would be doing would be leaving a pile of rubble behind. By then Liam and Shay had gone back and forth and started to fight, yet in doing so Liam had knocked the relic and the temple began to collapse. While Shay went after Liam, your father went after Achilles. Liam ended up dead, and Achilles would have too if not for Shay. Your father intended to end Achilles's life, but Shay stepped in. He claimed that if he did this then what kind of world would they be making if they didn't show mercy? Your father, seemed to take that into consideration, but that didn't stop him from doing something that I am not entirely sure if he regretted. Instead of killing Achilles he shot him in the shin thus crippling him. This took Achilles out of any further Assassin work. What was worse, upon that, there no longer was a colonial brotherhood of Assassins, after that Achilles hung up his robes and remained desolate until you, and then later me, came into the picture. Granted I hadn't met Achilles until I came to the colonies, but regardless, I found out all of this when I had a run in with Shay. He is one of the few informants that I keep, regardless of where his loyalties lie, I find that Shay would be willing to help anyone, if he thought that what they were after was for a worthy cause. So now you know, the reason that Achilles was so against your father and instilled in you a hatred so deep for not only the British but also the Templars, was because he never forgot what your father did to him in his prime." I said finishing the story.

I looked at Connor who seemed to believe what I had told him. However, I still felt I owed him time to process. Seeing that it was late I decided to call it a night, it had been a long day of travel, and I knew that I could use the rest.

"Listen, it's late for both of us. I think I am going to turn in for the night. But Connor, never forget that Achilles did care for you like you were his own son." I stated.

With that I grabbed my empty tea mug, stashed it in the sink and made my way up the stairs to the other guest room. However, as I passed my normal room, I found the door closed and wondered why Connor had said that the room was occupied. Shaking my head, I passed it and went on my way, perhaps Connor had an ally that needed help and needed a place to stay for the time being. As far as I was concerned, it was none of my business unless Connor decided it was.

I was awoken the next morning to the sound of voices. From the tone, it sounded like an argument. Quickly grabbing my hidden blades and donning them, I quietly opened the door and made my way out silently stepping and keeping to the shadows. The voices grew louder and by the sound of it they seemed to be coming from outside the door to the other guest room, the same one with the door shut last night. As I got closer, I managed to catch part of the conversation.

"You do realize that she will kill you once she knows. And probably me."

The first voice I knew well to be Connor's, but before I decided what move to make another voice spoke up.

"Remind me again why she wants me dead, what did I ever do to her?"

That voice, I knew that voice, granted it was a little gravely with age, but I knew it. Yet I couldn't place the name.

"Have you so much blood on your hands that you forget your targets? Does the name Daae, ring a bell for you?"

My name was spoken, why was my last name used, what could this person know of me, and why was Connor talking about it?

"Daae, I do know the name, but I never recall doing anything of the sort to this person. Care to fill in the blanks?"

Then it dawned on me, the voice, I knew who it was, true it was slightly stiff, but I knew exactly who Connor was talking to, and yet how could that be possible? He was dead. Without bothering to let Connor speak up I kicked open the door. Anger had taken over, as I approached the man that I thought to be dead. Blades drawn, I approached him intending to end his life then and there. However, I was stopped by Connor who using his strength held me back.

"LET ME GO CONNOR! IT'S MY RIGHT! HE KILLED HIM AND I DESERVE PEACE FROM THAT! YOU ARE THE REASON FOR MY PAIN!

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU DID!? DO YOU!? YOU KILLED MY FATHER THEN YOU SENT YOUR LAPDOG AFTER ME! AND YOU TORE APART THE ONLY FAMILY THAT I HAD! YOU BASTARD, YOU SNAKE!"

I continued to struggle yet Connor, being much taller and stronger than me, managed to pull me out of the room. He walked me down the stairs and out to the front yard where he finally let me go. Storming up to him, I hit him and beat my fists against his chest.

"You lying bastard! You told me he was dead, and I believed you! You told me that things had fallen through, and you killed him! But what do I find? He's not dead and instead living and recovering in the homestead!"

I finally stepped away, knowing that beating Connor up was going to do nothing but wear me out. Seeming to figure out that there was nothing that I could do here, my fight or flight instincts took over. I ran. I made my way towards the stables. Not bothering to saddle up my horse I just hopped on bareback with only a lead rope to hang on to. I could hear Connor attempt to call my name, but I didn't want to hear it. I spurred my horse and took off. I could feel the tear tracks running down my face. This was not the first time that I had been betrayed, as that was normal in my line of work, yet that didn't mean that it didn't hurt when it did happen, especially when it was someone who you had known for years and thought you could trust blindly without fail. I guess that just goes to show, you can't trust anyone.

As I continued to run, I could feel my mind going back to the night that had changed everything for me. The night that my father was murdered.

I remembered it clear as day. I hadn't yet been indoctrinated into the brotherhood as I was too young, but my father, Gustave, had been a part of the British brotherhood. My father had been back in town after a mission; however, he was due to leave the following day, but to treat me he said that he would take me to see the opera. My father was a lover of music, and I couldn't help but be excited at the prospect of seeing my first opera. My father always said that I would be up on stage someday. Too bad, that day never came. We had gone to the London theater, to see John Gays, "The Beggars Opera."