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Description
September 13, 1814; At sea near Baltimore, Maryland

The Aquila creaked as it tore against the waves of the Atlantic. Aveza focused on keeping the ship steady as the winds blew into the sails. Connor and Arnold stood by her side. All three had become fully confident in Aveza's piloting skills at that point, but they still stood by her just in case.

“So remind me again why we needed to leave in such a hurry?” she asked as they sailed.

“An Assassin in Baltimore named William Beanes has been wrongfully arrested after the British forces invading the city mistook his imprisonment of Templar spies to be imprisonment of actual British officers,” explained Connor. “Right now, he's being held on a British prisoner-of-war ship, the HMS Tonnant.”

“We've tried to send some of our men to plead for his release,” said Arnold, “but we've not heard back from them yet. So, we decided it was best to head on over ourselves.”

“Alright then,” said Aveza. A moment later she asked, “So who’re these allies that we've sent?”

“The most recent man we've sent to the Tonnant is an American lawyer named Francis Scott Key,” said Arnold.

“He an Assassin?”

“No, but he's worked with the Brotherhood before. We tend to keep him in the dark about the Assassin/Templar stuff. Man's obnoxiously patriotic, and since we're currently siding with the British, we try to keep as much about our goals secret as we can. As far as he knows, we're just a small, neutral, and anonymous group of people that feel like Beanes should be released. So, it's a good idea to be careful what you say around him.”

“Gotchya.”

The ship carried on at full sail. Eventually, the Assassins started hearing the distant sounds of cannons.

“What's that then?” Aveza asked curiously.

“Cannon fire,” said Arnold.

Aveza smirked and rolled her eyes. “You don't bloody say,” she said.

Arnold just smiled innocently and shrugged.

“You're a knob end,” Aveza joked.

“Love you too, sweetheart,” he joked back. Connor just chuckled at the two. Aveza turned to Connor.

“Connor, what's with the cannons?” she asked.

“Well, as I said before, the British are attempting to invade Baltimore. There's a fort near where the Tonnant is said to be, Fort McHenry. It would not surprise me if that fort is a target for the British Army.”

“I see.”

“We're getting close, so I suppose we'll know for sure pretty soon.”

As they drew closer and closer to their destination, the sounds of cannon fire got louder and louder. Eventually, they could see the red glares of Congreve rocket fire and mortar fire. They soon caught sight of the battle they had predicted. A fleet of British ships were floating a distance away from the so-called Fort McHenry. Both sides of the fight were firing relentlessly at each other. Bombs bursted in air as both sides tried to gain the upper hand in the perilous fight.

Aveza brought the Aquila around the fighting and out of range of the cannons. The British flag on the Aquila’s mast kept the British ships from firing on the Assassins themselves.

Arnold pulled out his spyglass and scanned the seas for the Tonnant. It didn't take long to find. The ship was positioned just a small distance away from the fleet, out of harm's way. Arnold pointed Aveza in the ship's direction, and she started steering towards it.

As they approached, some of the men on the Tonnant began to look inquisitively in their direction. Aveza hoped there'd be someone on board they knew well. And to her thankful surprise, there was. On the other ship, one of the men who looked over at the Assassins was none other than Admiral George Cockburn. When he saw Aveza at the Aquila’s wheel, he smiled and started ordering his men to allow their ship to pull up next to theirs.

And so, Aveza called for no sails and parked the Aquila right up next to the Tonnant. Aveza, Arnold, and Connor all walked onto the other ship with a welcome from the Admiral.

“Ah! My friends! What brings you to our little spot in this battle?” he asked.

“We've come to help negotiate the release of William Beanes,” said Connor.

The Admiral’s face shifted a bit. “That traitor?” he asked.

“He's no traitor, Admiral. He was framed by our enemies. The soldiers he had captured were deserters of your army and spies for those who oppose us.”

Suddenly a new voice chimed in. “Finally! Someone with some sense aboard this ship!”

The four looked over to see three men sitting at a nearby table. Two were young Americans in relatively nice outfits. The other was an older Englishman in a military uniform.

“Mr. Key!” Connor said to the one who spoke. “It is good to see you. How are the negotiations going?”

“Terrible,” responded Key. “These stubborn men won't see to my terms.”

“Your friend intended to betray our men and thus he must be punished accordingly,” said the older man.”

“And we've told you that he had no such intention! The man was framed!”

Connor looked at his friends. The Admiral gave him an apologetic look. “Admiral Cochrane here and myself have been at this debate with Mr. Key ever since he arrived,” he said. “Hopefully, now that you're here, you can help smooth things out?”

“Of course. We'd be happy to.”

The Admiral nodded and led the Assassins over to the table. Connor and Arnold joined the Admiral in taking a seat, but Aveza stayed standing. She turned to the two British officers.

“While you lot are having this conversation, would it be okay if I talked with Mr. Beanes himself?” she asked. “The prisoner's personal story in this matter may be helpful.”

The officers exchanged looks in consideration. Admiral Cockburn shrugged.

“I don't see why not, Ms. Deryn,” he said. “I don't believe you'll get much out of it, but go right ahead. He's held up below decks. Third room on the right.”

“Got it. Thank you, gentlemen.”

The officers nodded. Aveza turned to leave, and then went below decks.

It didn't take long to find Beanes. She entered the room that the Admiral mentioned, and found him inside. The old man was chained up, sitting against the wall. He wore dirty prison rags. He looked up at Aveza as she entered.

“Who’re you then?” he asked.

“William Beanes?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“My name is Aveza Deryn. I'm an Assassin, like you. I sailed here with Connor and a few friends to help get you out of here.”

She could see his eyes light up.

“Well, I must say I'm very grateful, lass,” he said. “But I'm not what you all should be focusing on right now.”

Aveza gave a confused look. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Beanes straightened himself up. “Because we've got a target in that fort that the British are busy bombarding,” he said. “A Templar agent that's making this mission a difficult one.”

“Who's that then?”

“A man named William Williams.”

Aveza thought back. “Will Williams? Dark skinned? Bit skinny? Shay Cormac’s messenger boy?”

“Yes! That's the one! Those Templars I captured before they had me put in chains were blabbering on about how he was running their operations here. They didn't seem too happy about taking orders from an ex-slave, but they took orders from him nonetheless.”

“Well then we have to find a way to get to the fort and stop him.”

Beanes gave a sorrow smile and lifted his arms. The chains clanked as he did. “You mean you'll have to find a way to the fort and stop him. Not much I can do in this state, lass.”

“Don't worry, Mr. Beanes, Connor is up there right now talking with the British. He'll make sure you're out of here in no time.”

“I hope so. Thank you.”

Aveza nodded. She said goodbye and turned to leave. She made her way back up top. She saw that Admiral Cochrane had left the table and was ordering his soldiers into rowboats.

Aveza walked up to Connor and Arnold and addressed them. “So sorry to interrupt, gents,” she said. “But I need a way to get into that fort.”

The two looked at her. “Why? What's wrong, my dear?” asked Arnold.

“There's a Templar in there, William Williams.”

“That's an unfortunate name.”

“I know, right? Er… anyway, he's apparently the one leading the Templars on the American side of this fight. Chances are, if we let him live, this particular battle is lost to us.”

She looked across the table at Key, who thankfully was too engulfed in his debate with Admiral Cockburn to hear what she was talking about.

“Well, what do we do?” asked Arnold. The two looked at Connor, who thought about it. He looked over at Cochrane, who was still gathering his men. Aveza could see the idea popping into his head. Connor turned to Admiral Cockburn.

“Excuse me, Admiral,” he said. Cockburn turned to address him.

“Yes, my friend?”

“Would it be possible to get Aveza here across with the rest of the soldiers there? There is an urgent matter that she needs to take care of in the fort.”

“Well, I don't see why not.” He turned to address Cochrane. “Admiral Cochrane!” he said, getting his fellow officer's attention. “Would you be so kind as to allow this young lady passage along with your men. I believe it's urgent.”

“Well, I suppose so,” said Cochrane. “Come on, lass. It's now or never.”

Aveza nodded and started heading over. Arnold stood up.

“I'll come with you,” he said.

But Aveza shook her head. “No,” she said. “Chances are, Williams saw our ship and knows that there's Assassins on their way. Best to stay as stealthy as possible. Two people would cause too many problems.”

“Are you certain, my dear?”

“I'm certain. Don't worry, Arnold, I can handle myself.”

“I know you can. I just worry.”

Aveza smiled and gave him a quick kiss. “I know you do,” she said before turning to hop onto the next rowboat. “Love you!” she called back.

“Love you too!”

Aveza smiled and then Cochrane directed her onto the rowboat with the British soldiers. Once the boat was full, they set off towards shore.

They had to be careful not to get hit by the mortars of the attacking ships. Though the waves crashed and the bombs bursted, they eventually made it to shore.

The soldiers started climbing out. Aveza made sure to have a few men stay behind and wait for her to return. And then she set off towards Fort McHenry as it got continuously bombarded with cannon fire.

As the soldiers took scrambled positions all around the fort and began to fire their rifles at the defending Americans, Aveza found a spot that wasn't heavily guarded and started making her climb up the fort’s walls. When she made it to the top of the battlements, she had to duck back down as a patrolling guard came closer. When he was directly above her, she took her chance and lunged upwards. She quickly grabbed him by the waistcoat and unleashed her hidden blade at the same time, killing him as she grabbed him. She then used her momentum to throw the body over the wall so that no other guards would see. Then she pulled herself over the wall and entered the fort. She quickly got to work on finding Williams.

It didn't take long. There weren't many American soldiers in the fort with Williams’s skin color. Not surprising, thought Aveza. The British Army guaranteed freedom to any slave that joined their ranks. The Americans made no such promises. It made Aveza wonder why Williams would sign up on the American side. She assumed it probably had to do with his Templar ties. It wouldn't matter pretty soon though. Pretty soon he'd fall to Aveza's blade.

Williams stood isolated at one of the fort’s cannons, unleashing rounds at the British ships. He would be easy to reach.

Too easy…

Something wasn't right. He was out in the open. Why? Surely he'd be more cautious than that? It had to be a trap. Right?

Aveza looked down at the battlements. None of the soldiers seemed ready to stop her progress. They just seemed to focus on the British. Aveza didn't feel right, but she knew this would be her best chance. And so she quickly snuck up behind Williams, flicked out her hidden blade, and rammed it into his side.

As he fell with a yell, the Animus simulation broke apart into the white void that Ava had become so familiar with. She watched as her ancestor lowered Williams to the ground and crouched beside him.

“Agh! Y… you came… A… Assassin,” he stuttered.

“Well, I couldn't allow you to keep leading the Templars in this battle,” said Aveza.

Williams seemed to grow bizarrely calm, like he'd immediately found peace.

“Ah…” he said. “So you took the bait.”

Aveza got nervous. “What bait? What're you talking about?”

“We… agh… we knew you'd come if you were pointed in the direction of a target. And I volunteered to be that target.”

He started slowly reaching into his coat pocket. Aveza prepared herself for an attack, but none came, to her surprise. Instead of a weapon, Williams pulled out a letter and painfully handed it to Aveza.

“A… a message… from… Shay Cormac,” he said.

Aveza looked down at the folded up document, confused. “What business does the Templar grand master have sending me a message?”

“He says… he wants to… make amends…”

Aveza just stared. What was that supposed to mean?

“Thank you…” she said, unsure of what else to say.

“No, child, thank you. Because of you, my death was worthwhile. I'm a bit upset I could never do as much as I wanted… but at least I could succeed in this final mission…”

Aveza said nothing. Williams was clearly losing consciousness, albeit slowly. He looked up at her.

“Do you know why I joined the American Army?” he asked, his breath ragged. “Why I joined the Templars?”

“Can't say I do,” said Aveza. “I mean, the British offered freedom to any slave.”

“Ah… but freedom was not my first priority, child. It was influence. The Americans and the Templars offered the chance to have the power to change things. To mold the world into a better place.”

“Freedom is a much better sculptor than control.”

“But control sculpts much faster than freedom. Freedom takes years to get results.”

“Yes, but they are strong, long-lasting, and true results. Control may be quick to build, but it builds on false structures, weak structures, ones that break easily in the wind.”

“Perhaps you're right… perhaps not… either way, I won't live to see it. But I'm okay with that. I've played my part, and now I can move on and get my reward in heaven…”

He closed his eyes, and lost consciousness. Aveza listened to his breathing. It was barely audible. He'd live, but not for long. He'd likely be unconscious for the rest of his days. Aveza guessed he'd probably die of his wounds in about two months. She folded his arms across his chest.

“When you have to gamble in life, it's best to put your money on freedom, not power,” she said quietly. “Rest in peace.”

She stood up from the body and put the letter in her coat pocket. Ava's mind switched back to Aveza's as the Animus simulation reformed around her. The sights and sounds of the bombardment of Fort McHenry returned. Aveza quickly looked around. She looked up just in time to see a cannonball coming straight at her. She lunged out of the way just as the ball whizzed by and hit another wall. Aveza got back up and dusted herself off. She needed to get out of there. She leaned over the edge of the wall and saw a bale of hay below. She didn't waste any time. She spread her arms and closed her eyes. An eagle cried in the distance as she took a leap of faith and landed safely in the hay.

She jumped out of the hay after regaining her bearings, and she sprinted back to her rowboat. The soldiers greeted her as she arrived, and they got to work on making their way back to the Tonnant.

As the soldiers rowed, Aveza pulled out the letter, unfolded it, and read it:

To Ms. Aveza Deryn,

If you're reading this, then I should start by saying thank you for even bothering to do so at all. I know I'm probably the last person in this world you'd want to hear from at this point, and quite frankly, I don't blame you. All I wanted to say was I'm sorry. For everything my men have caused. I would like to speak to you alone in person, if you'd be so kind as to humor this old man. If you decide to meet, I ask that you come to the graveyard by St. George's Chapel in New York City. I promise not to bring any weapons or trickery of any sort. I ask only for a moment of your time to discuss what needs discussed. My time on this earth is nearly over, and there are things that I must do before that time is up.

My sincerest thanks, and sincerest apologies,
Shay Patrick Cormac

Aveza just stared at the paper for a moment before folding it back up and helping the soldiers row. She pondered over the words. Why? Why would Shay Cormac want to meet with her? Was this some sort of terrible trap? Or did he honestly mean what was written? She doubted the latter, but still…

She rowed with the soldiers until they finally made it back to the Tonnant. Aveza was surprised to see none other than William Beanes up on deck, free as a bird. The debates it seemed had finally come to a happy conclusion, and now the men were going about the ship, conversing with each other peacefully.

Connor and Arnold smiled as they saw Aveza come towards them.

“Ah! Aveza, my dear! Great to have you back!” said Arnold. “What of Williams?”

“He's dead. No worries.”

“Oh thank the heavens!” said Beanes in victory. “Now maybe our allies have a better chance of winning this battle.

Aveza nodded. Her friends could tell something wasn't right by the look on her face. “Is everything alright, Aveza?” Connor asked, concerned.

Aveza looked at him. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out Shay’s letter.

“Apparently, Williams was also sent so that he could give me this message with his dying breath,” she said. “From Shay Cormac.”

The other three Assassins looked at one another in surprise.

“What does that Templar dog want?” asked Arnold.

“Apparently he wants to meet with me in New York City, alone. He claims he'll be unarmed, that he only wants to talk.”

“Oh that's bloody rich.”

“I think he's serious…”

Arnold looked at her, as did the others.

“Look,” said Aveza. “I know it's probably a trap-”

“Which it is,” said Arnold.

“But. I feel like I should go, that I should give him a chance.”

“Aveza…” started Connor.

“Connor… please. Why would he sacrifice one of his men just to send me a message like this? Why risk it being lost in so many different ways? Why would he put so much risk into sending a message like this if he didn't mean it?”

“I don't like it,” said Arnold. “It sounds suspicious.”

“I don't like it either,” said Aveza. “But I really, truly feel like it's a risk worth taking.”

Arnold looked over at Connor. The two had a silent argument by exchanging expressions. And Arnold lost the argument. He sighed in defeat. “Very well,” he said. “We'll set course for New York as soon as we can.”

“Why not go now?” asked Aveza.

“The Admirals won't allow us to leave until the battle is over,” said Beanes. “They feel that if Mr. Key and I are allowed to leave, then we might give the Americans all the information we've learned on the British battle plans.”

“Are you serious?” asked Aveza, mildly annoyed. Beanes nodded. Aveza sighed.

“Very well. I guess there's nothing left to do but sit and watch the fight,” she said.

“Well,” said Arnold, trying to lift the mood. “Look on the bright side. At least we can have some time together.”

Aveza smiled and laughed. “I suppose so,” she said. And so everyone found their own spot on the ship to do whatever they do. Aveza and Arnold sat on the deck, arms around each other. Connor sat at the desk and discussed Assassin plans with the Admirals and Beanes. Meanwhile, Francis Scott Key stood on the edge of the ship, watching the battle and cheering on his countrymen. The battle raged on through the night. About an hour later, the sun began to slowly come over the horizon.

Aveza and Arnold had fallen asleep in each other's arms, but they were awoken by Key’s excited shouting. “My word!” he cried. “Look! Look! The men in Fort McHenry are raising their colors!”

Aveza and Arnold looked at each other. They groggily stood up and walked over to where Key was standing. Beanes and Connor joined them as well. They looked over at the distant fort. Sure enough, a gigantic American flag was being raised above the fort. The dawn's early light illuminated it as it swayed in the wind. The British cannons were still firing strong, and it seemed like they were doing some damage to the fort, but Key clearly didn't care. He just stared at the star-spangled banner that waved above the fort.

Aveza leaned over and whispered to Arnold, “Flag that big is a bit overkill, don't you think?”

Arnold quietly laughed and whispered back, “Honestly, I think they're compensating for something.”

“Probably.”

The two laughed at each other. Meanwhile, Key stared wide-eyed, his heart full of patriotism. “My word!” he cried again. “Yes! Go! Beat back those tyrants!”

Aveza rolled her eyes. Yeah sure, we're the tyrants, she thought sarcastically. Not you lot, the ones that slaughtered millions and enslaved others just because of their skin color. Truly, you are the bloody paragons of liberty and equality. She mentally shrugged though. Key was clearly a dreamer. Dreamers should be allowed to dream.

Key quickly leapt down from the edge and frantically looked around. “I must record this spectacular moment!” he said. He pulled a pen and notebook out of his coat pocket and went over to the table to write. Aveza walked over and looked over his shoulder. He'd already gotten to work on a poem:

“O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming…”

Aveza watched him write a bit more before returning to Arnold and Connor.

“Guess he's a bit of a poet, too,” she said jokingly. The other two laughed.

“He's writing a little patriotic ditty, is he?” joked Arnold.

Aveza laughed. “Yeah, I suppose he is. It's an okay poem, I guess. I don't think it'll catch on, though.”

Arnold shrugged. The Assassins turned back to watch the battle. The British were still fighting hard. Arnold wrapped his arm around Aveza's shoulder, and she did the same to him. They watched the battle rage on. They were all eager to leave. They were all eager to see where this letter from Shay would take them next.

Description
September 13, 1814; At sea near Baltimore, Maryland

The Aquila creaked as it tore against the waves of the Atlantic. Aveza focused on keeping the ship steady as the winds blew into the sails. Connor and Arnold stood by her side. All three had become fully confident in Aveza's piloting skills at that point, but they still stood by her just in case.

“So remind me again why we needed to leave in such a hurry?” she asked as they sailed.

“An Assassin in Baltimore named William Beanes has been wrongfully arrested after the British forces invading the city mistook his imprisonment of Templar spies to be imprisonment of actual British officers,” explained Connor. “Right now, he's being held on a British prisoner-of-war ship, the HMS Tonnant.”

“We've tried to send some of our men to plead for his release,” said Arnold, “but we've not heard back from them yet. So, we decided it was best to head on over ourselves.”

“Alright then,” said Aveza. A moment later she asked, “So who’re these allies that we've sent?”

“The most recent man we've sent to the Tonnant is an American lawyer named Francis Scott Key,” said Arnold.

“He an Assassin?”

“No, but he's worked with the Brotherhood before. We tend to keep him in the dark about the Assassin/Templar stuff. Man's obnoxiously patriotic, and since we're currently siding with the British, we try to keep as much about our goals secret as we can. As far as he knows, we're just a small, neutral, and anonymous group of people that feel like Beanes should be released. So, it's a good idea to be careful what you say around him.”

“Gotchya.”

The ship carried on at full sail. Eventually, the Assassins started hearing the distant sounds of cannons.

“What's that then?” Aveza asked curiously.

“Cannon fire,” said Arnold.

Aveza smirked and rolled her eyes. “You don't bloody say,” she said.

Arnold just smiled innocently and shrugged.

“You're a knob end,” Aveza joked.

“Love you too, sweetheart,” he joked back. Connor just chuckled at the two. Aveza turned to Connor.

“Connor, what's with the cannons?” she asked.

“Well, as I said before, the British are attempting to invade Baltimore. There's a fort near where the Tonnant is said to be, Fort McHenry. It would not surprise me if that fort is a target for the British Army.”

“I see.”

“We're getting close, so I suppose we'll know for sure pretty soon.”

As they drew closer and closer to their destination, the sounds of cannon fire got louder and louder. Eventually, they could see the red glares of Congreve rocket fire and mortar fire. They soon caught sight of the battle they had predicted. A fleet of British ships were floating a distance away from the so-called Fort McHenry. Both sides of the fight were firing relentlessly at each other. Bombs bursted in air as both sides tried to gain the upper hand in the perilous fight.

Aveza brought the Aquila around the fighting and out of range of the cannons. The British flag on the Aquila’s mast kept the British ships from firing on the Assassins themselves.

Arnold pulled out his spyglass and scanned the seas for the Tonnant. It didn't take long to find. The ship was positioned just a small distance away from the fleet, out of harm's way. Arnold pointed Aveza in the ship's direction, and she started steering towards it.

As they approached, some of the men on the Tonnant began to look inquisitively in their direction. Aveza hoped there'd be someone on board they knew well. And to her thankful surprise, there was. On the other ship, one of the men who looked over at the Assassins was none other than Admiral George Cockburn. When he saw Aveza at the Aquila’s wheel, he smiled and started ordering his men to allow their ship to pull up next to theirs.

And so, Aveza called for no sails and parked the Aquila right up next to the Tonnant. Aveza, Arnold, and Connor all walked onto the other ship with a welcome from the Admiral.

“Ah! My friends! What brings you to our little spot in this battle?” he asked.

“We've come to help negotiate the release of William Beanes,” said Connor.

The Admiral’s face shifted a bit. “That traitor?” he asked.

“He's no traitor, Admiral. He was framed by our enemies. The soldiers he had captured were deserters of your army and spies for those who oppose us.”

Suddenly a new voice chimed in. “Finally! Someone with some sense aboard this ship!”

The four looked over to see three men sitting at a nearby table. Two were young Americans in relatively nice outfits. The other was an older Englishman in a military uniform.

“Mr. Key!” Connor said to the one who spoke. “It is good to see you. How are the negotiations going?”

“Terrible,” responded Key. “These stubborn men won't see to my terms.”

“Your friend intended to betray our men and thus he must be punished accordingly,” said the older man.”

“And we've told you that he had no such intention! The man was framed!”

Connor looked at his friends. The Admiral gave him an apologetic look. “Admiral Cochrane here and myself have been at this debate with Mr. Key ever since he arrived,” he said. “Hopefully, now that you're here, you can help smooth things out?”

“Of course. We'd be happy to.”

The Admiral nodded and led the Assassins over to the table. Connor and Arnold joined the Admiral in taking a seat, but Aveza stayed standing. She turned to the two British officers.

“While you lot are having this conversation, would it be okay if I talked with Mr. Beanes himself?” she asked. “The prisoner's personal story in this matter may be helpful.”

The officers exchanged looks in consideration. Admiral Cockburn shrugged.

“I don't see why not, Ms. Deryn,” he said. “I don't believe you'll get much out of it, but go right ahead. He's held up below decks. Third room on the right.”

“Got it. Thank you, gentlemen.”

The officers nodded. Aveza turned to leave, and then went below decks.

It didn't take long to find Beanes. She entered the room that the Admiral mentioned, and found him inside. The old man was chained up, sitting against the wall. He wore dirty prison rags. He looked up at Aveza as she entered.

“Who’re you then?” he asked.

“William Beanes?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“My name is Aveza Deryn. I'm an Assassin, like you. I sailed here with Connor and a few friends to help get you out of here.”

She could see his eyes light up.

“Well, I must say I'm very grateful, lass,” he said. “But I'm not what you all should be focusing on right now.”

Aveza gave a confused look. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Beanes straightened himself up. “Because we've got a target in that fort that the British are busy bombarding,” he said. “A Templar agent that's making this mission a difficult one.”

“Who's that then?”

“A man named William Williams.”

Aveza thought back. “Will Williams? Dark skinned? Bit skinny? Shay Cormac’s messenger boy?”

“Yes! That's the one! Those Templars I captured before they had me put in chains were blabbering on about how he was running their operations here. They didn't seem too happy about taking orders from an ex-slave, but they took orders from him nonetheless.”

“Well then we have to find a way to get to the fort and stop him.”

Beanes gave a sorrow smile and lifted his arms. The chains clanked as he did. “You mean you'll have to find a way to the fort and stop him. Not much I can do in this state, lass.”

“Don't worry, Mr. Beanes, Connor is up there right now talking with the British. He'll make sure you're out of here in no time.”

“I hope so. Thank you.”

Aveza nodded. She said goodbye and turned to leave. She made her way back up top. She saw that Admiral Cochrane had left the table and was ordering his soldiers into rowboats.

Aveza walked up to Connor and Arnold and addressed them. “So sorry to interrupt, gents,” she said. “But I need a way to get into that fort.”

The two looked at her. “Why? What's wrong, my dear?” asked Arnold.

“There's a Templar in there, William Williams.”

“That's an unfortunate name.”

“I know, right? Er… anyway, he's apparently the one leading the Templars on the American side of this fight. Chances are, if we let him live, this particular battle is lost to us.”

She looked across the table at Key, who thankfully was too engulfed in his debate with Admiral Cockburn to hear what she was talking about.

“Well, what do we do?” asked Arnold. The two looked at Connor, who thought about it. He looked over at Cochrane, who was still gathering his men. Aveza could see the idea popping into his head. Connor turned to Admiral Cockburn.

“Excuse me, Admiral,” he said. Cockburn turned to address him.

“Yes, my friend?”

“Would it be possible to get Aveza here across with the rest of the soldiers there? There is an urgent matter that she needs to take care of in the fort.”

“Well, I don't see why not.” He turned to address Cochrane. “Admiral Cochrane!” he said, getting his fellow officer's attention. “Would you be so kind as to allow this young lady passage along with your men. I believe it's urgent.”

“Well, I suppose so,” said Cochrane. “Come on, lass. It's now or never.”

Aveza nodded and started heading over. Arnold stood up.

“I'll come with you,” he said.

But Aveza shook her head. “No,” she said. “Chances are, Williams saw our ship and knows that there's Assassins on their way. Best to stay as stealthy as possible. Two people would cause too many problems.”

“Are you certain, my dear?”

“I'm certain. Don't worry, Arnold, I can handle myself.”

“I know you can. I just worry.”

Aveza smiled and gave him a quick kiss. “I know you do,” she said before turning to hop onto the next rowboat. “Love you!” she called back.

“Love you too!”

Aveza smiled and then Cochrane directed her onto the rowboat with the British soldiers. Once the boat was full, they set off towards shore.

They had to be careful not to get hit by the mortars of the attacking ships. Though the waves crashed and the bombs bursted, they eventually made it to shore.

The soldiers started climbing out. Aveza made sure to have a few men stay behind and wait for her to return. And then she set off towards Fort McHenry as it got continuously bombarded with cannon fire.

As the soldiers took scrambled positions all around the fort and began to fire their rifles at the defending Americans, Aveza found a spot that wasn't heavily guarded and started making her climb up the fort’s walls. When she made it to the top of the battlements, she had to duck back down as a patrolling guard came closer. When he was directly above her, she took her chance and lunged upwards. She quickly grabbed him by the waistcoat and unleashed her hidden blade at the same time, killing him as she grabbed him. She then used her momentum to throw the body over the wall so that no other guards would see. Then she pulled herself over the wall and entered the fort. She quickly got to work on finding Williams.

It didn't take long. There weren't many American soldiers in the fort with Williams’s skin color. Not surprising, thought Aveza. The British Army guaranteed freedom to any slave that joined their ranks. The Americans made no such promises. It made Aveza wonder why Williams would sign up on the American side. She assumed it probably had to do with his Templar ties. It wouldn't matter pretty soon though. Pretty soon he'd fall to Aveza's blade.

Williams stood isolated at one of the fort’s cannons, unleashing rounds at the British ships. He would be easy to reach.

Too easy…

Something wasn't right. He was out in the open. Why? Surely he'd be more cautious than that? It had to be a trap. Right?

Aveza looked down at the battlements. None of the soldiers seemed ready to stop her progress. They just seemed to focus on the British. Aveza didn't feel right, but she knew this would be her best chance. And so she quickly snuck up behind Williams, flicked out her hidden blade, and rammed it into his side.

As he fell with a yell, the Animus simulation broke apart into the white void that Ava had become so familiar with. She watched as her ancestor lowered Williams to the ground and crouched beside him.

“Agh! Y… you came… A… Assassin,” he stuttered.

“Well, I couldn't allow you to keep leading the Templars in this battle,” said Aveza.

Williams seemed to grow bizarrely calm, like he'd immediately found peace.

“Ah…” he said. “So you took the bait.”

Aveza got nervous. “What bait? What're you talking about?”

“We… agh… we knew you'd come if you were pointed in the direction of a target. And I volunteered to be that target.”

He started slowly reaching into his coat pocket. Aveza prepared herself for an attack, but none came, to her surprise. Instead of a weapon, Williams pulled out a letter and painfully handed it to Aveza.

“A… a message… from… Shay Cormac,” he said.

Aveza looked down at the folded up document, confused. “What business does the Templar grand master have sending me a message?”

“He says… he wants to… make amends…”

Aveza just stared. What was that supposed to mean?

“Thank you…” she said, unsure of what else to say.

“No, child, thank you. Because of you, my death was worthwhile. I'm a bit upset I could never do as much as I wanted… but at least I could succeed in this final mission…”

Aveza said nothing. Williams was clearly losing consciousness, albeit slowly. He looked up at her.

“Do you know why I joined the American Army?” he asked, his breath ragged. “Why I joined the Templars?”

“Can't say I do,” said Aveza. “I mean, the British offered freedom to any slave.”

“Ah… but freedom was not my first priority, child. It was influence. The Americans and the Templars offered the chance to have the power to change things. To mold the world into a better place.”

“Freedom is a much better sculptor than control.”

“But control sculpts much faster than freedom. Freedom takes years to get results.”

“Yes, but they are strong, long-lasting, and true results. Control may be quick to build, but it builds on false structures, weak structures, ones that break easily in the wind.”

“Perhaps you're right… perhaps not… either way, I won't live to see it. But I'm okay with that. I've played my part, and now I can move on and get my reward in heaven…”

He closed his eyes, and lost consciousness. Aveza listened to his breathing. It was barely audible. He'd live, but not for long. He'd likely be unconscious for the rest of his days. Aveza guessed he'd probably die of his wounds in about two months. She folded his arms across his chest.

“When you have to gamble in life, it's best to put your money on freedom, not power,” she said quietly. “Rest in peace.”

She stood up from the body and put the letter in her coat pocket. Ava's mind switched back to Aveza's as the Animus simulation reformed around her. The sights and sounds of the bombardment of Fort McHenry returned. Aveza quickly looked around. She looked up just in time to see a cannonball coming straight at her. She lunged out of the way just as the ball whizzed by and hit another wall. Aveza got back up and dusted herself off. She needed to get out of there. She leaned over the edge of the wall and saw a bale of hay below. She didn't waste any time. She spread her arms and closed her eyes. An eagle cried in the distance as she took a leap of faith and landed safely in the hay.

She jumped out of the hay after regaining her bearings, and she sprinted back to her rowboat. The soldiers greeted her as she arrived, and they got to work on making their way back to the Tonnant.

As the soldiers rowed, Aveza pulled out the letter, unfolded it, and read it:

To Ms. Aveza Deryn,

If you're reading this, then I should start by saying thank you for even bothering to do so at all. I know I'm probably the last person in this world you'd want to hear from at this point, and quite frankly, I don't blame you. All I wanted to say was I'm sorry. For everything my men have caused. I would like to speak to you alone in person, if you'd be so kind as to humor this old man. If you decide to meet, I ask that you come to the graveyard by St. George's Chapel in New York City. I promise not to bring any weapons or trickery of any sort. I ask only for a moment of your time to discuss what needs discussed. My time on this earth is nearly over, and there are things that I must do before that time is up.

My sincerest thanks, and sincerest apologies,
Shay Patrick Cormac

Aveza just stared at the paper for a moment before folding it back up and helping the soldiers row. She pondered over the words. Why? Why would Shay Cormac want to meet with her? Was this some sort of terrible trap? Or did he honestly mean what was written? She doubted the latter, but still…

She rowed with the soldiers until they finally made it back to the Tonnant. Aveza was surprised to see none other than William Beanes up on deck, free as a bird. The debates it seemed had finally come to a happy conclusion, and now the men were going about the ship, conversing with each other peacefully.

Connor and Arnold smiled as they saw Aveza come towards them.

“Ah! Aveza, my dear! Great to have you back!” said Arnold. “What of Williams?”

“He's dead. No worries.”

“Oh thank the heavens!” said Beanes in victory. “Now maybe our allies have a better chance of winning this battle.

Aveza nodded. Her friends could tell something wasn't right by the look on her face. “Is everything alright, Aveza?” Connor asked, concerned.

Aveza looked at him. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out Shay’s letter.

“Apparently, Williams was also sent so that he could give me this message with his dying breath,” she said. “From Shay Cormac.”

The other three Assassins looked at one another in surprise.

“What does that Templar dog want?” asked Arnold.

“Apparently he wants to meet with me in New York City, alone. He claims he'll be unarmed, that he only wants to talk.”

“Oh that's bloody rich.”

“I think he's serious…”

Arnold looked at her, as did the others.

“Look,” said Aveza. “I know it's probably a trap-”

“Which it is,” said Arnold.

“But. I feel like I should go, that I should give him a chance.”

“Aveza…” started Connor.

“Connor… please. Why would he sacrifice one of his men just to send me a message like this? Why risk it being lost in so many different ways? Why would he put so much risk into sending a message like this if he didn't mean it?”

“I don't like it,” said Arnold. “It sounds suspicious.”

“I don't like it either,” said Aveza. “But I really, truly feel like it's a risk worth taking.”

Arnold looked over at Connor. The two had a silent argument by exchanging expressions. And Arnold lost the argument. He sighed in defeat. “Very well,” he said. “We'll set course for New York as soon as we can.”

“Why not go now?” asked Aveza.

“The Admirals won't allow us to leave until the battle is over,” said Beanes. “They feel that if Mr. Key and I are allowed to leave, then we might give the Americans all the information we've learned on the British battle plans.”

“Are you serious?” asked Aveza, mildly annoyed. Beanes nodded. Aveza sighed.

“Very well. I guess there's nothing left to do but sit and watch the fight,” she said.

“Well,” said Arnold, trying to lift the mood. “Look on the bright side. At least we can have some time together.”

Aveza smiled and laughed. “I suppose so,” she said. And so everyone found their own spot on the ship to do whatever they do. Aveza and Arnold sat on the deck, arms around each other. Connor sat at the desk and discussed Assassin plans with the Admirals and Beanes. Meanwhile, Francis Scott Key stood on the edge of the ship, watching the battle and cheering on his countrymen. The battle raged on through the night. About an hour later, the sun began to slowly come over the horizon.

Aveza and Arnold had fallen asleep in each other's arms, but they were awoken by Key’s excited shouting. “My word!” he cried. “Look! Look! The men in Fort McHenry are raising their colors!”

Aveza and Arnold looked at each other. They groggily stood up and walked over to where Key was standing. Beanes and Connor joined them as well. They looked over at the distant fort. Sure enough, a gigantic American flag was being raised above the fort. The dawn's early light illuminated it as it swayed in the wind. The British cannons were still firing strong, and it seemed like they were doing some damage to the fort, but Key clearly didn't care. He just stared at the star-spangled banner that waved above the fort.

Aveza leaned over and whispered to Arnold, “Flag that big is a bit overkill, don't you think?”

Arnold quietly laughed and whispered back, “Honestly, I think they're compensating for something.”

“Probably.”

The two laughed at each other. Meanwhile, Key stared wide-eyed, his heart full of patriotism. “My word!” he cried again. “Yes! Go! Beat back those tyrants!”

Aveza rolled her eyes. Yeah sure, we're the tyrants, she thought sarcastically. Not you lot, the ones that slaughtered millions and enslaved others just because of their skin color. Truly, you are the bloody paragons of liberty and equality. She mentally shrugged though. Key was clearly a dreamer. Dreamers should be allowed to dream.

Key quickly leapt down from the edge and frantically looked around. “I must record this spectacular moment!” he said. He pulled a pen and notebook out of his coat pocket and went over to the table to write. Aveza walked over and looked over his shoulder. He'd already gotten to work on a poem:

“O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming…”

Aveza watched him write a bit more before returning to Arnold and Connor.

“Guess he's a bit of a poet, too,” she said jokingly. The other two laughed.

“He's writing a little patriotic ditty, is he?” joked Arnold.

Aveza laughed. “Yeah, I suppose he is. It's an okay poem, I guess. I don't think it'll catch on, though.”

Arnold shrugged. The Assassins turned back to watch the battle. The British were still fighting hard. Arnold wrapped his arm around Aveza's shoulder, and she did the same to him. They watched the battle rage on. They were all eager to leave. They were all eager to see where this letter from Shay would take them next.