War in the Blood

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Arrow/Assassin's Creed
Summary: Secrets are revealed.
Word Count: 885
Rating: Teen
slight abuse of google translate and my own knowledge again.  (You might want to get used to the Italian in this series; it's kinda not going away.)

        Thea flips through, and her heart hurts a little when she sees a list of names, some of which are crossed out.  She returns to the beginning and finds it, paragraphs, starting on the first page.
        I have failed this city, my family, and my heritage.  This is not how I will be remembered—a good father, a good husband, a good CEO and boss—but it is still true.
        There were those who would laugh at the thought of our lineage.  True, we are practically nobility by today’s standards, and between my son, who seems to not have a clue what the word ‘responsibility’ means and my daughter who seems to only want to live in his footsteps…
        There are pages missing.  She skips to the next page, and can’t imagine what’s been left out.
        But the truth is that I was born into a secret war, and I am essentially a deserter.
        For thousands of years, Assassins and Templars have fought over artifacts known as Pieces of Eden.  There’s been debate whether they are magic or machine.  It doesn’t matter, not while Templars act to try to destroy free will and Assassins try to stop them.  We both fight for peace, but peace without free will is worthless.
        I say this, and yet, I found love and turned a blind eye, allowed Templars to flourish in the city.  Traded liberty for security, and like many before me, found the trade wanting.
        Moira told me what Malcolm’s planning, and I hope I am not too late to put the hood on once more.
        Another ripped tatter.
        If I fail, I leave this record behind me, that another Assassin may pick up where I left off.  The following is a list of names copied from one whose plan can only be a Templar’s, and whose instrument of destruction can only be a Piece of Eden.  I assume those within must also be Templars, or working with them, but it is up to the Assassin to determine innocence or guilt.
        And then she starts to flip through, and finds names upon names upon names.  The ones that are crossed out—she remembers Adam Hunt, James Holder, Warren Patel…the whole city would remember them.
        It sounds absolutely ridiculous, but if this was the last thing their father had given him was a notebook, if he had reason to suspect…
        “The Gambit sinking wasn’t an accident, was it?” she asks, already feeling sure of the answer.
        “No, non lo era,” Ollie answers, breathing deeply.  He’s got a loose shirt back on, and his hand is bandaged.
        “It was done to delay the Assassin investigation into the Undertaking, long enough for them to pull it off.  Unfortunately, it at least partially worked,” John explains, washing his hands in a sink in the corner.  Oliver winces, not at the pain but at the words.
        “And it was the Templars who kidnapped you and…what, they used a Piece of Eden to scramble your brain?” she works out slowly, and Oliver looks startled and glances over at John.
        “Nessuna idea,” is the reply, and she doesn’t even have to know the language to have a pretty good idea of what that means.
        “Really?  Ollie?  When you’re being this dumb, how have you made it this far?  I can understand the lying and the skipping out on me and stuff to save people’s lives, but seriously, Ollie, some detective you’re not.”  She puts her hands on her hips.  She can let herself freak out about her entire world falling apart around her at some point.  Maybe.  Though it’s crazy the amount of sense that everything suddenly makes.
        “Pensavo fosse solo Abstergo technology,” Ollie answers, looking a little hurt.
        “His brain’s still a little scrambled from living through his—very similar—ancestor’s memories.  Give him a break,” John advises.  “This time, anyway.”
        “And you’re telling me about all of this, why?”  She moves forward, and yep, he definitely looks hurt by her words.
        “You’re involved, because you’re a Queen.”  When he finishes, he looks shocked—probably because he hadn’t been expecting to speak English.  “I wasn’t protecting you.  I was putting you in danger.  Can you perdonami, Claudia?”
        He looks…and feels…feverish, leaning into her hand on his forehead.  “That’s the first time you’ve called me of all people the wrong name.”  She considers, and decides, “If you train me to be your sidekick, I might consider forgiving you.”  If he can still read her at least as well as she can read him, even with these new surprises, he knows there’s no ‘might’ about it—and with the slight smile on his face, she knows he got it.
        “Ezio’s younger sister.  Claudia.  You share her fiery spirit,” he mutters, accent heavy on his English.
        “Thank you,” she tells him, and it’s not just for the compliment, but for trusting her, for finally treating her like an adult, for finally letting her in, for telling her like she’d wanted.  He smiles at her, looking normal for the first time in what feels like decades, before he falls asleep.  Again.
        “He plans on training you, if you wanted, or he wouldn’t have told you in the first place,” John assures her, picks Ollie up and puts him on the couch and covers him in a blanket.