To Honest Trickster: This is so sweet of you. :D But no, I am not dead...obviously. I am as good as you can be these days and just suffering from writer's block. I just hope that it ends soon and until then, I'm gonna keep translating the remaining chapters for you. :)

Beloved betrayal

Ratonhnhaké:ton

Ratonhnhaké:ton had never believed it could be so hard to say goodbye to Lillian. Since they lived together, it had been part of their life. But until now, it had always been him who had looked back at Lillian on his way over the road or the sea and had watched her getting smaller and looking after him. Never before he had been in the position to let her go for an uncertain amount of time and into an uncertain future. Leaving her was always difficult, but letting her go was much harder. More so since he hated to put her safety into someone else's hands. He knew that he couldn't protect her all the time from all the evil in this world if he didn't restrain her at the same time and taking her freedom was the last thing he wanted to do. But wasn't it his duty as her husband, to be by her side and protect her whenever it was necessary? He loved her and he loved Emily and he wanted to make sure that they never wanted for anything and were fine. He was proud of having responsibility for his own family and to give this responsibility away, without knowing for sure that Lillian was fine, felt like he was turning his back on her. In this reality, where everyone was tyrannized and the tyrants had no scruples, there was no safe place.

So it had been difficult for Ratonhnhaké:ton, to stop looking after the departing cart, turn around and return to the camp with his father. But he still had a goal. Maybe he was even more determined than before and maybe Lillian had been right. Now that the rebels couldn't rant about her anymore and cause unnecessary trouble, maybe he was able to finally achieve something and come closer to Washington and the Apple. For this reason, Ratonhnhaké:ton had wanted to talk to Jefferson and his father, but both had refused and said that it wasn't the time and too dangerous to make new plans while there was still a traitor among them. They had said this several times over the last couple of days and slowly Ratonhnhaké:ton started to ask himself if they had the same goals as him. Would they delay finding this traitor if there was one at all? He even began to doubt this and all these doubts frustrated him even more. He no longer wanted to waste his time and sit around, doing nothing. He wanted to act at last.

He kept thinking about it as he retreated into the tent he had shared with Lillian, after another sparse dinner. He sat on the sleeping place that was still as tidy as Lillian had left it this morning and took the flat stone from the stream, which he used to sharpen the blade of his tomahawk. This work, the regular movements, and scraping sound helped him bringing his mind in order and get rid of his frustration. To do something practical, no matter how small, was reducing this feeling of idleness he saw every day in the camp and which he had been forced to adapt to. He had often thought about leaving on this own and execute an attack on Washington. Ratonhnhaké:ton knew that he could do it if it wasn't for the superior numbers of bluecoats protecting their king. Facing them alone would be stupid and suicidal.

"Ratonhnhaké:ton?"

He stopped sharpening his blade and raised his head as the tent's tarp was pushed aside and his father looked inside. He put the stone aside and gave Haytham a questioning look, as he nodded outside. "Come. Something happened."

Ratonhnhaké:ton was alarmed in an instant and stood beside his father shortly afterward. He thought of several things that could have happened. Had they caught the traitor? Or had he caused more problems? Haytham didn't answer his silent questions but led him through the camp to the commando-tent. There stood Thomas Jefferson and one of the rebels whose name he didn't know. He appeared anxious and stepped from one foot onto the other, especially as he saw the Mohawk approaching and stared at him. Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't like this at all.

"What is this about?", he asked while they stepped to the men and Haytham nodded at the rebel, who cleared his throat and started explaining: "Some of us went hunting. Went south but then we found him in the thicket, beside the road."

"Who?" Ratonhnhaké:ton's frown deepened the longer the man spoke. The mention of the direction and the main road through the forest where they had been hunting, had unsettled him immediately since it made him think of Lillian. He hoped that whatever this man was going to tell him had nothing to do with her. But this hope was destroyed quickly.

"Mr. Herman, the old farmer. His body was lying in the thicket. He was stabbed or something."

"And Lillian?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Didn't see her anywhere. Came back here as soon as possible. Didn't know if there were soldiers around, after all…"

"Lead me there", Ratonhnhaké:ton interrupted him harshly and had already walked towards the clearing's edge. He didn't care when and why these men had come back. To hear that Mr. Herman had been killed and Lillian had disappeared was enough to drive him into action. Different images of what had happened to her and the farmer were buzzing through his head and they only fuelled his concern.

So he gave the man an irritated look who looked questioningly at Jefferson and Haytham in return. The latter nodded and said that he would come with them and so they followed the still nervous man through the woods. Like this morning, they stayed close to the main road, and thanks to the fading daylight, they had to pay even more attention to the narrow path that was hardly visible as one. Ratonhnhaké:ton used his gift to look for traces of Lillian, the soldier, or anyone else. But since there were no clues and the ground was covered in trails, he was unsuccessful. Until they reached Mr. Herman. The old farmer lay on his belly in the thicket, his head turned to the side and the lifeless eyes opened wide. They had carelessly dragged and left him here. The bloody trace was still visible and Ratonhnhaké:ton kneeled to put his fingers on the moist grass.

"Clotted. It was hours ago", he murmured, more to himself since Haytham was telling the rebel to return to the camp and make sure, that Mr. Herman's widow got the sad news and his body was brought away from here. Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't pay attention to them but stood up and followed the trail, where Mr. Herman had been dragged along, out of the thicket, across the road, and to a big puddle of blood. Wheel tracks were indicating that Herman had been killed by his cart, but it had disappeared.

They must have taken it with them, Ratonhnhaké:ton thought and followed the tracks, that curved in the middle of the road and led back north, with his eyes. But this discovery still didn't tell him what had happened to Lillian. But one hint was the knife, lying in the dirt. He picked it up and recognized it as the one he had given Lillian to defend herself. Blood stained its blade and now he noticed other small drops of blood which he could see beside the wheel tracks, thanks to his gift. He kneeled again and had a closer look at the blood. It couldn't be Mr. Herman's since he had been dragged away. It must come from a much smaller wound but if it belonged to Lillian or one of the soldiers, he couldn't tell. But when Ratonhnhaké:ton used his gift to look along the road, he noticed more blood. He stood up immediately and saw that the drops were matching the prints of heavy boots. The person they belonged to must have been bleeding. Maybe the blood on the knife belonged to them, too.

Or they carried someone who was bleeding. The prints are deep. Either they were heavy or carried additional weight. He didn't want to rule out any possibilities. As long as he hadn't found Lillian, every trace coming from the cart was helpful. So he followed the footprints back and finally noticed another, smaller dragging mark that ended shortly before a small pool of blood. It looked like someone with minor injuries had tried to get away. He doubted that it had been the owner of the boots. The ground here was torn up and furrowed as if someone, who had lain on the ground, had tried to defend themselves. Probably the soldier had wanted to stop the person and had carried them to the cart and this person must have been Lillian. It was the only conclusion Ratonhnhaké:ton could come to. But why had they killed Mr. Herman and had taken Lillian with them? Regarding the amount of blood, her injury wasn't severe even though it didn't calm Ratonhnhaké:ton at all. The thought alone, that she was hurt and at the mercy of the bluecoats, made him furious.

"You followed the traces here?"

Ratonhnhaké:ton raised his staring eyes from the blood and looked at his father. Haytham regarded the ground with furrowed brows as well. "Do you think, it's Lillian's?"

"Everything seems like it. It looks like they stopped the cart, killed Mr. Herman and wounded Lillian as she tried to escape. She still tried to flee, one of them came after her and carried her back to the cart. They made a turn and drove back to New York."

"Bluecoats."

Ratonhnhaké:ton simply nodded. He was sure of it. Since they were here, he had never heard about attacks of some trivial bandits. Washington's soldiers were the only ones causing trouble. Maybe they had wanted to arrest Mr. Herman and Lillian arbitrarily and had killed the farmer as he had tried to defend himself. But Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't care about their reasons. If they had Lillian, he had to get her back. Before they could do more harm to her. Determined he walked off, intending to go to New York and find out where the prisoners were held.

"What are you doing?" It was his father who followed Ratonhnhaké:ton with wide steps and grabbed his arm to stop him. Ratonhnhaké:ton freed himself roughly but stopped and gave Haytham an angry look.

"I will free Lillian."

"You mean if she is still alive."

"I will not think of the opposite until I have found her."

"Or they have killed you." Haytham shook his head. "This is what they are waiting for. That you show yourself and they can get you. Do you think, you can walk through the city just like that?" Haytham took another step to his son, whose expression as stern as ever. The words of his father were true, he knew it. But the other things Haytham had to say made him feel even more reluctant.

"Washington shows no mercy. To no one, you have seen it. It's the reason why you came here in the first place. Do you really want to risk a victory for a life you probably cannot save anymore?"

"It is not any life", Ratonhnhaké:ton growled and gave Haytham an angry look. "Since my arrival, we did nothing else but wasting our time. You speak of victory but always refused when I tried to find a solution for our standstill. I start to doubt that we have the same idea of a victory."

"You don't even know what you are talking about. It is about so much more than just a simple victory."

"I have no doubt, but I do not have to know your motives." Ratonhnhaké:ton stepped away from his father and turned his back to him. "Not now. I have more important things on my mind and whatever you say, I will go." With that, he finally walked away. He knew that this hadn't been the first conversation with his father, where they had been confronted by their opposite intentions. Back then, they hadn't found a way to unite them. They hadn't made it and what had been left, was the feeling that he had disappointed his father. But he didn't want to think about it now. It was the past and he couldn't change it. But he could change his future and an important part of it would be lost if something happened to Lillian. He could hear the steps of his father behind him and was already prepared to be stopped again. But Haytham didn't do anything to try it.

"I will come with you then", he said shortly. "Someone has to keep an eye on you when you are heading for your certain death."

Ratonhnhaké:ton huffed. "Of course you do." This seemed familiar, as well.

They followed the road and spoke shortly about how they wanted to proceed. Haytham was sure that the prison was somewhere beneath the pyramid and as Benjamin Franklin had mentioned, there was only one entrance to it. Without saying it, the men knew that they were walking into the arms of their enemy, willingly. But Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't want to be stopped by this risk. Not as long as it was about Lillian's life. No matter how stupid and reckless it might be, he would take every risk for her because he couldn't forget what had happened in his village and what they had learned from the hunter Rodrick. His wife's fate should not become Lillian's.

They could already see the end of the forest in front of them, as Ratonhnhaké:ton stopped abruptly. Haytham had heard the cracking and rustling to their left as well and they shared a tensed look, before drawing their weapons and turning to the approaching source of the noise. It sounded like something big was breaking through the thicket. Bigger than a rabbit or even a wolf. Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't know what or whom to expect, as he tried to see something with his gift. He did. A crimson-red shimmer between the twigs made him clear his vision again and ready himself for an attack. But it wasn't the expected bluecoat who broke out of the thicket, stumbled and fell into the dirt in front of their feet, gasping.

"Lillian!" Ratonhnhaké:ton put his tomahawk away immediately and hurried to her. Lillian lay on the wet forest floor, breathing heavily and shaking. Her clothes and her hands were dirty and strands of her dark hair fell tangled into her pale face. As she raised her eyes, they looked back and forth between Ratonhnhaké:ton and Haytham, who stood behind his son frowning, before she closed them and took a deep breath.

"I found you", she whispered breathlessly. "I forgot where I had to go. I thought I got lost."

"Where have you been? What happened? We thought the bluecoats arrested you." Ratonhnhaké:ton had put his hands onto her shoulders and helped her sit up. In the meantime, his eyes searched their surroundings. Searching for a possible threat that had followed Lillian here. But there was nothing.

"They did. They suddenly appeared on the road and knew who I am. They wanted to arrest me and killed Mr. Herman as he wanted to defend himself. I wanted to run away but…" A loud sob interrupted Lillian in her quick explanation. Like always, when she was troubled, the words had poured out of her mouth like water from a spring, but now she collapsed whimpering and Ratonhnhaké:ton had to wrap his arms tighter around her, to hold her upright. Her whole body was shaking, from coldness or in fear.

"It is alright", Ratonhnhaké:ton murmured and stroked over her head that rested against his chest. "You are here now. They cannot hurt you anymore."

"But Mr. Herman. He was…he shouldn't have…"

"I know. But he knew about the risk of helping us."

It was so typical for Lillian to worry more about the definite fate of others, than about her own. A character trait he admired but that made her life unnecessarily difficult and it was also much harder for him, to comfort her. Also now, he didn't want to talk about Mr. Herman any longer since he saw and felt how miserable she was. What had she endured over the last couple of hours? He just wanted to ask her and know if his fears had become true and if she was injured, but Haytham got ahead of him.

"How did you escape?"

Lillian pulled away from Ratonhnhaké:ton, sniffling quietly and ran his hand over eyes and cheeks to wipe the tears away before raising her eyes and looking at Haytham. "The King wanted a soldier to bring me back to my cell. I used my chance when he didn't pay attention for a moment and just ran away. I don't even know how I made it. I just ran and suddenly was outside. I hid in the city until I could escape into the forest without being detected."

"You were very lucky then", Haytham said slowly, almost skeptically. "But you said something about Washington. Did you talk to him? Did he say how he knew who you are? What did he want from you?"

Lillian had winced with each of his questions. As if each one of them was a strike with a whip and she feared the next. Ratonhnhaké:ton would have protected her and delayed Haytham's questions to another time, if they weren't so important and if he wouldn't ask himself the same. If Lillian had spoken to Washington in person, she could know something important. So he nodded at her reassuringly as she raised her eyes and looked at him.

"It was only about you", Lillian said quietly. "He talked about how irritating you are and that he wants to see you dead. He talked about a reliable source that told him who I am to you. He called me your weakness and said that I will help him killing you."

"Well, he was almost successful." Haytham couldn't hold back his dry tone and gave his son a look under raised eyebrows which was ignored. He didn't want to hold this discussion again.

"Did he give you a hint about who this source is?", he asked Lillian instead, but unfortunately she shook her head.

When they were alone in their tent, Ratonhnhaké:ton tend to the wound on Lillian's right calf because he hadn't found Logan in this part of the camp. The bulled, the bluecoat had fired at her, luckily had only grazed her and so it was enough to clean and bandage it for now. While he took care of her injury, Lilian had hesitantly told him about her short imprisonment, the conversation with Washington, and the fight between the wolf and the bear, which he had used to emphasize his intentions regarding Ratonhnhaké:ton. Probably he had wanted to separate him from his allies, as he had separated the wolf from his pack, to make him more vulnerable and Lillian had been supposed to be the bait. He remembered Haytham's words after Lillian had initially talked about Washington's reasons for her arrest. Yes, this plan had almost been successful if Ratonhnhaké:ton had come to the pyramid to rescue Lillian. But Ratonhnhaké:ton wouldn't have regretted it. Maybe Lillian was his weakness that Washington had been looking for because he would always be vulnerable through her. But he had known it from the moment he had met her and she had known it as well. He didn't question it and right now he was just glad that she was back, mostly unharmed.

Only now that he sat on their shared place to sleep and looked at the sleeping Lillian, in the light of an oil lamp, he realized how much fear he had felt beside his anger, after he had learned about the dead Mr. Herman. The wounds, the deaths of his mother, Kanen'tó:kon and his father had caused, had been torn open recently and had awoken old memories. Also, memories, where he held a dying Lillian in his arms. Through the Apple, he had been forced to relive his worst memories in a different way and he didn't want this memory to repeat itself, either.

Hours had passed since he had treated Lillian's wound and she had quickly fallen asleep in exhaustion and now it was in the middle of the night. The camp had become silent and in a few hours, another day would begin. A day he finally wanted to use to take a step forward and he needed all his strength and concentration for it. He already felt exhausted and he decided, that keeping watch wasn't necessary anymore. He didn't even know why he had kept it at all. Because he felt like he had missed something?

Ratonhnhaké:ton carefully pulled the furs aside, that covered Lillian and lay down next to her. He just wanted to turn off the lamp, as Lillian, who had lied with her back to him, uttered an appalled sound and sat up in a jerk. Ratonhnhaké:ton winced and rose as well, to put a reassuring hand on Lillian's trembling shoulder. But she startled again and he saw her hand witching to the knife, she had put beside herself after he had cleaned and returned it to her.

"Lillian, calm yourself. It is me", he spoke quietly and pulled his hand back to give her the chance to relax. Wide, grey eyes stared at him over her shoulder, closed for a moment and she took a deep breath.

"I am sorry", she murmured. "I dreamt of the arrest."

She sank on her back and raised her arms above her head, to lay them over her face. She was shaking, but her breathing had calmed down and she didn't wince again, as Ratonhnhaké:ton slowly lay beside her and covered her with the furs, to protect her from the cold.

"It is alright. You need to recover."

Lillian nodded and remained in her position until she finally took her arms from her face and grabbed for the knife instead. She turned the handle between her fingertips and regarded the blade, that reflected the light of the oil lamp.

"I thrust it into a soldier's shoulder", she said with a slight tremble in her voice. "I didn't want to kill him. I just wanted to repel him."

"And you were right to do so. To protect yourself is not a crime."

"I know", she replied and kept looking at the blade in her hand. She was still pale, appeared tired, and tensed and he grabbed the knife, to carefully take it away from Lillian. He didn't want her to drown in these dark thoughts. At least not now because he couldn't expect her to forget the events of the last hours all of a sudden.

"Get some rest", he said and put the weapon to his own beside him. Lillian followed his hand with her eyes, not saying anything but turning to her side, her back to him, and pulling the furs up to her chin. He turned off the light, lay beside her, and pulled Lillian into a tender embrace, as he always did. Instead of a reaction, he heard her deep breathing. Did she fall asleep again?

"Get some rest", he repeated quietly and leaned his forehead against the back of her head. Once again he could see her, staring at the knife with an almost blank expression, before he fell asleep, too.

Lillian's movement beside him woke him up sometime later. She had turned around in his arms and he felt how she sat up slightly. His mind was still dazed by sleep and his eyes opened only slowly. The morning dawned already. The tent was illuminated by the first sunlight and made him see the shadows of his surroundings. A delicate, female one, leaning over him, among them.

"What are you doing?", he asked quietly and Lillian froze. He could feel her gaze on him and heard her gasping. He couldn't see her face but as she spoke, her voice sounded strangely forced.

"Nothing. I couldn't sleep and I am freezing", she explained and her chest sank slowly onto his. His arms wrapped around her on their own accord and pulled her closer. Still, he frowned. Something was wrong.

"Are you well?", he asked carefully. "Are you in pain?"

"A little, but it's alright. I'm just cold and I wanted to…enjoy your closeness." He could hear her smirk and felt her cold fingertips on his temple shortly afterward. "I thought, I would never see you again, my love."

Ratonhnhaké:ton paused. She had never called him like that. Probably only when she had wanted to tease him. But now her voice sounded serious, almost thoughtful. "It could be over at any moment."

"Do not think like this." Ratonhnhaké:ton grabbed her hand, which had stroked from his cheek down to his neck and grabbed it with gentle pressure. If the light would have been bright enough, Lillian could have seen the serious gleam in his eyes. So he had to lay urgency into his voice, as he continued. "Our situation may look hopeless but I do not plan on giving up and you should not either."

Lillian was silent at first but then she sank further down on him so that he could feel her heartbeat against his chest.

"You are right. I will not give up."

Her breath brushed his chin and his neck as she lowered her head and rested it on his collar bone. Whatever was troubling her, Ratonhnhaké:ton was grateful for her closeness. Even though he wanted to keep the hopelessness away from her, he had to admit that she wasn't entirely wrong about it. Today had shown him, that the danger, coming from Washington, was more immediate than he liked it.

"Do you love me?", Lillian asked suddenly into the silence. Her question came so unexpectedly, even though it was easy to answer.

"I do. Very much."

"Do you trust me?"

Ratonhnhaké:ton frowned. Why was she asking questions she knew the answers about? "Of course."

Lillian propped her hands onto his chest as she slightly straightened up again and brought her face on a level with his. He could vaguely see her features in the darkness but he could hear in her voice, that she was smiling.

"So it's true then", she murmured and brought her lips so close to his that they featherily touched them as she spoke. Her hair fell forward and framed his head like a curtain, finally keeping all the light away. "It's really ironic that it's always a woman, who brings a man down sooner or later."

Confused about her strange words Ratonhnhaké:ton frowned and wanted to ask her, what she meant by it, as a familiar sound reached his ears. The scraping of metal on metal.

He couldn't tell where this reflex came from, but he tore his arm up and grabbed Lillian's wrist that had just intended to thrust down on his chest. The small knife in her hand. A strained gasp left her lips as she struggled against his grip with all her strength, but he was too strong.

"You fucking bastard!", she cried out all of the sudden and tried to strike at him with her free hand. A short ache flashed through his cheek as her fingernails dug into his skin.

"Lillian, what is wrong with you?", he uttered and did the only thing his training made him think of. Ratonhnhaké:ton had no difficulties in turning Lillian on her back in one fluent movement and press her wrist to the ground. She was light, not strong enough, and hadn't seen his reaction coming. With his free hand, he forced the knife out of hers and threw it back to his weapons before pressing her other hand to the ground as well. He didn't want to use more force than necessary to not hurt her, but Lillian had started to wriggle under him, scream angrily and try to hit and kick him. Besides all the practiced and routine movements with which he held her down, he felt mostly overwhelmed. He had never seen her like this. She was completely beside herself, aggressive and above all: Malicious.

"Let me go, you dirty savage!", Lillian kept screaming over and over again and as he looked at her aura with his gift, it was a crimson-red glow. He froze. It couldn't be.

The tent's tarp was opened behind him and only now he got aware of the voices outside. Lillian's screaming hadn't stayed unheard of course.

"What is going on here?" It was his father's voice, who was kneeling in the opening.

"I do not know. She attacked me all of the sudden", Ratonhnhaké:ton uttered between clenched teeth since he still had to fix Lillian's body on the ground. She just didn't stop wiggling. As if her life was depending on it and this thought hurt. He should be the last person she had to defend herself against and who made her act, as if he was her worst enemy.

"Lillian, now calm yourself! Come to your senses!", he tried forcefully, almost begging. But Lillian just fought him even more and hissed: "Not until I have smashed the irritating fly that you are!"

He almost loosened his grip because this answer hit him more unexpectedly than her whole behavior. It wasn't because of the words but the way she had uttered them. Full of hatred and contempt. It felt like a slap in his face.

"What are you talking about? It is me. You have nothing to fear from me. Please, Lillian."

"He says something else!"

Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't have the chance to ask, what she meant. Suddenly he heard the voice of his father beside him, saying something like: "I thought so", before Ratonhnhaké:ton was pushed aside by an unexpected and powerful thrust in his side. He couldn't react fast enough as his father grabbed Lillian's wrist and dragged her outside. Now he was the one she showered with insults and curses, but he appeared unimpressed. Hastily Ratonhnhaké:ton straightened up and left the tent, just as his father let Lillian go so abruptly, that she fell. Several men had got out of their tents by now and watched with shameless curiosity what was happening. Some of them had put on a scornful grin which Ratonhnhaké:ton wished to punch out of their faces. But his attention was turned at his father, who had fixed Lillian's kicking legs with his knee and a hand. Her skirt had slipped up to her knees and revealed her bandaged calve which Haytham grabbed, despite her resistance. Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't care who he was and what his intentions might be. Seeing that someone else was touching Lillian, increased his anger enormously and he crossed the short distance to his father with a few, big steps, pushing two gaping men out of his way. But he couldn't stop Haytham from digging his fingertips into the bandage. Right into the fresh wound.

Lillian's pained scream echoed in Ratonhnhaké:ton's ears as he tore his father away from her with such a force, that the older man stumbled backward and would have fallen if Ratonhnhaké:ton hadn't grabbed the collar of his coat with both hands. In the dawning light of day, Ratonhnhaké:ton's eyes flashed with anger but Haytham returned his look with cool composure. Anybody else would have made acquaintance with the Mohawk's fist already, but since Ratonhnhaké:ton knew, that his father wasn't an inconsiderable opponent and since he respected him deeply, he held himself back and only gave him a threatening look.

"Do not touch her again."

"I wouldn't have if she had been herself. I just did what you wouldn't be capable of." Haytham's voice was as cool and calm as his appearance.

"There was no need to hurt her. Whatever is wrong with her, you should not have shown her up like this."

"I didn't mean to do it." Haytham was noticeably more serious now and nodded at the spot behind Ratonhnhaké:ton's shoulder, where he had torn him away from Lillian. "But maybe you should take care of her now. It seems like I was right and she came back to her senses."

The grip of his hands around the coat's fabric loosened as Ratonhnhaké:ton turned his head to the side and followed Haytham's hint with his eyes. There sat Lillian on the ground, her shaking arms propped up in front of herself. Her body trembled with every sob that left her lips. Ratonhnhaké:ton forgot his anger in an instant, let his father go, and went to her. He was careful, but as he looked at her with his gift, he knew that she was herself again. Her aura was light-blue. As it was supposed to be.

Slowly he kneeled beside her and put his hand on her, whose fingers had dug into the soft ground of the forest. "I am so sorry", she whispered, her voice breaking and she slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying and full of tears that couldn't hide the expression of pain and regret. "I didn't want it. I am so sorry. Please, forgive me."

She spoke quicker and quicker, more desperate with every word as if she would expect him to blame her for what happened. But this woman, who had attacked him like a fury, hadn't been his. Not the one who sat in front of him now. Like his father had indicated and he slowly began to understand what had happened here. It had never come to his mind, although it was so obvious. But before he got to the bottom of this, he wanted to bring her away from the other men's attention. Haytham had sent most of them away, but still, some were looking at them and he heard them whispering.

"There is nothing I blame you for", Ratonhnhaké:ton replied quietly, made Lillian take his hands and helped her up. She gasped in pain as she put weight on her injured leg and was swiftly lifted onto his arms. His eyes shortly met his father's as he turned around and walked back to their tent. He would have to talk to him and probably Jefferson about this incident. With Franklin, too. Washington had dared an attack he wouldn't tolerate. It was already decided but for now, he wanted to care for Lillian. She was trembling like the leaves in the autumn-wind and still cried quietly to herself. He was as careful as possible when he carried her through the low entrance of the tent and gently put her down on their bedding. Only then, he crawled into the tent, closed the tarp, and shielded her from the last gaping looks.

"Show me your leg", he asked her and Lillian pulled her skirt up, so that he could have a look at the bandage. Haytham's forceful grab had made the wound bleed again and he cursed inwardly about it. This shouldn't have happened. But he remained calm externally and pulled the hem of the skirt down again, to cover her leg.

"I will go and get a new bandage", he explained and looked up, just in time to see her shaky nod. The redness of her eyes appeared almost unnatural in contrast to her paleness and he felt deeply concerned. She had gone through so much. He knew that she possessed an inner strength others didn't see in her. Still, he asked himself, how much she could bear in the end.

Ratonhnhaké:ton would have preferred to leave her alone for now and not dug for the inner wounds that made her sit like this now. Slumped and miserable. But he had to know "Will you tell me, what happened?"

Lillian pressed her lips together until they were only a pale line and tears ran silently down her cheeks. He almost thought he had to ask her again, as she finally began to talk. Hesitantly at first, as if she was still afraid of his anger, but then calmer and more confident. She admitted that she hadn't escaped after the conversation with Washington. They had brought her back to her cell, where she had spent several hours, full of fear and uncertainty. Every time she had heard steps on the corridor, she had feared that they would lead Ratonhnhaké:ton past her cell. That they would arrest him as soon as he came to rescue her. But it hadn't been Ratonhnhaké:ton, who had appeared in front of her cell eventually. It had been Washington himself, telling her, that it was time.

"I just saw the Apple glowing when I suddenly heard his voice not only in front of me but inside my head, too. I couldn't move, not even think. I heard every word in my head and it felt like they were wrapping around my mind like a chain. They got into my consciousness until there was nothing left of me. There were only his words." Lillian's gaze, that had aimlessly roamed through the tent at first, turned down to her hands, which clung to the fabric of her skirt. Ratonhnhaké:ton could hear how difficult it was to her, to continue and how much she was suffering.

"I believed everything he said. He made me hate you. He talked me into thinking that you were an inferior creature, a danger to him. He told me that you had to be killed and that I was the only one who could do it. I was supposed to take advantage of your trust and kill you for him. He let me go and you know the rest."

"So he controlled you like he controlled Franklin and Arnold?"

A shaky nod was the answer to this question and the confirmation of what he had already feared. Ratonhnhaké:ton closed his eyes for a moment. He had never further thought about Franklin's and Arnold's possession and their sudden change of heart. He had never believed it could be relevant in his fight against Washington. It had just made him realize how powerful the false king and how dangerous the Apple was. But now, Washington had used this power against him and through Lillian, of all people. His weakness. This move was smarter than he wanted to give Washington credit for.

"I remember everything I said and did as if I have watched myself and I am so ashamed", Lillian continued and raised her eyes. She gave him an almost pleading look, obviously still troubled by self-reproach. "You have to believe me that everything I said, was his doing. I would never talk or think about you like that. And I would never want to hurt you."

Hesitantly she reached out her hand for him as if she expected him to shrink back. But he didn't, as her fingertips touched his cheek. The light ache reminded him of the scratches she had caused and as she pulled her hand back, blood was sticking on her fingers. He hadn't noticed it.

"I believe you", he said quietly and took her hand to wipe off the blood with his sleeve. He still kept it in his grip, as he looked into her eyes where he could still see the uneasiness he wanted to take away from her. "I believe you because I know you better. You were not yourself and this is why I hold no grudge against you. I am just glad that you came back to your senses."

"But how can you be so sure? How do you know that I am not pretending and won't attack you again?"

Ratonhnhaké:ton thought back to this terrible moment, where he had seen her aura glowing crimson-red. The moment she had cursed him with such hatred in her voice, that it still hurt him when he thought of it. But it may have been Lillian's body, that had attacked him and her voice that had cursed him, but it hadn't been her mind, not her soul or her being. Her aura had its old light-blue color and told him everything he had to know to not lose his trust in her. He had never told her about his gift because he didn't know how and if he could explain it at all. He had no explanation for the instinctive knowledge he received through it. One day, he would try but now didn't seem to be the right moment.

"I know you and I feel it", he answered simply and crossed the last distance, to pull her into a tight embrace. Lillian uttered a sigh that sounded relieved and wrapped her arms around him. Her head snuggled up to his chest and he was happy to have her back. In every possible way.

"Now you are probably even happier that you didn't choose an Assassin as your bride. She wouldn't have been so stupid to wake you when she wanted to assassinate you", she murmured and he could hear this familiar, teasing smirk in her voice. No matter how bad she felt or how dark her thoughts might be, he knew: As long as she didn't lose this jocular characteristic, she would recover and this thought made him smile as well and press a kiss onto her hair.