Assassin's Creed: Brothers Unite (#Wattys2016) |Assassin's Creed Fanfiction|

Chapter 33 Connor

   I felt like I was being pulled into a black pit. It really wasn't very pleasant. I was tired, beyond tired. I was so tired that you could never understand how tired I was. I just wanted to sleep forever. But something was holding me back from that sleep. I groaned and opened my eyes. I squinted at the bright light. Where...? I was slow to comprehend that I was laying on the couch in the Homestead's living room. I blinked. Shouldn't I be in a courtyard, leaned against a well in the cold?

   "Connor! Thank goodness!" Aveline rushed to my side. "How do you feel?"

   "Like somebody tried to kill me... and succeeded," I groaned again. "And tired."

   Aveline frowned. "I don't think it would be a good idea to go back to sleep for a while."

   "Why?" I tried to sit up and almost passed out. My wrist was covered in a thick bandage. "Why does my hand look like a rock?"

   Aveline smiled wryly. "Haytham must have stabbed your wrist pretty badly. Archer had it bandaged up before Arno, James, and I got back. Your hidden blade in ruined. You'll need another."

   I looked at the small table to my right. My hidden blade sat on that table, bloody, and with a large hole right next to the blade. One of the gears was twisted, and the blade was bent beyond repair. "Where are we going to find one of those?"

   Someone laughed not far away. "You almost died, and you're worried about getting another hidden blade? Get your priorities straight, mate!" I didn't need to look to know who it was.

   "If I survive I would like to continue having two hidden blades. I'm sure you of all people would understand."

   "Fair point," James said. "But I would still be worried about whether or not I would live."

   "Would anyone stop me if I took a nap?"

   "Yes," Aveline said.

   "No," James and Shadiya said. James grinned. "You're out voted Ave." Aveline glared, but didn't say anything.

   I closed my eyes and almost instantly fell asleep.

   Something slammed, jolting me awake. I didn't open my eyes, but I could tell from the way the people walked that it was Edward, Arno, Ezio, and Altaïr. What happened to Archer? I wondered.

   "Is he awake yet?" Edward asked.

   "He woke up for about three minutes," James said. "Then he fell asleep again."

   There was a creaking sound in the chair next to my couch that led me to believe that someone had just sat down there.

   "Where's Archer?" James asked. "Did he..." he didn't finish.

   "I don't think so," Altaïr said. "He disappeared into the woods after Ezio killed Shay."

   I opened my eyes. "Ezio?"

   Arno, who was the one who had sat in the chair next to me, jumped. "How long have you been awake and listening?"

   "Since you slammed the door." My vision was a little fuzzy, but not bad considering I still felt like I had lost a battle. A war is nothing but a series of battles, I was confused on where the inner voice had come from. You can't win a war by winning one small battle. However, win twenty, or even one hundred, and your chances will increase. I would say you won that battle. Your war is almost complete. One final battle awaits you. I was still extremely confused on where the voice had come from. It sounded vaguely familiar but I wasn't certain. It sounded a little like a horse to be honest. "Ezio killed Shay?" I asked again.

   Ezio looked down, but I could tell he was proud of himself. "Yes, I did."

   The door slammed open again. There was a sound of someone stumbling down the hallway and Archer appeared in the doorway of Homestead. He looked about ready to collapse. "Shay," he gasped.

   Arno surged to his feet. "Archer! Sit down!"

   Archer collapsed into the chair. His right arm had a long slash from his shoulder to his middle finger. His sleeve had been completely cut off and his left leg had been cut right under his knee. "Shay," he said again.

   Ezio leaned forward. "What about Shay?"

   Archer was quiet for a moment before he took a shaky breath. "Shay isn't dead."

   "What?!" Ezio's head shot up. "But I stabbed his heart."

   Archer nodded. "I... I know. But nonetheless he attacked me out of nowhere when I went back to the clearing."

   "You went back to the clearing?" Edward asked. "Archer, what on earth did you do that for?"

   Archer's eyes flashed angrily. "You would have done the same for Connor!" he spat. "Even though Shay turned to the Templars, he was still my brother. Besides, he said he wouldn't kill me."

   I struggled to sit up. I made the mistake of pushing with my wounded hand. I hissed and jerked it away from the couch. I twisted around to look into Archers eyes easier. He stared at me. He looked worried at my sudden movement. He tried to look away but I whistled. Swee-low. He looked at me in surprise.

   "What are you doing Connor?" Edward asked. I could hear his confusion but I didn't answer. "Connor?"

   Archer whistled. His sounded more like a chickadee than mine did. Arno also mimicked the whistle. Ezio and Altaïr shared a grin and also whistled. Swee- low. Altaïr's whistle was shrill while Ezio's was lower. They had all only whistled once. Edward and James stared at us like we were crazy. "What on earth are you doing?"

   Aveline's whistle rose high and vibrant, with a hint of sadness tied in. I glanced at her in surprise. I hadn't known that she knew what the whistle meant.

   "Hello?" James said in annoyance. "Is anyone going to answer our question?"

   "The sound calms me down," Archer said. He glanced once at Aveline. "Usually. But we usually use it for telling other assassins that we are around. If you get really good at it, you sound just like a chickadee and your enemy doesn't know that you're around."

   Edward frowned. "Oh. That's weird."

   Archer shrugged and smiled sadly. "It does help calm me down though. Connor you should lay back down. You're going to fall asleep again within the next minute and I don't need to pick you up off of the floor."

   I raised an eyebrow at him but did what he said. I wondered how he could have possibly known that as I drifted into sleep.