ASSASSIN'S CREED: VANGUARD

FLASHBACKS

The sun filtered through the dusty windows of our small cottage, casting warm patches of light across the wooden floor. Inside, Ellie and I were lost in our world, laughter echoing as we played. In those moments, nothing else mattered. We were just two kids, best friends, oblivious to the harsh realities waiting beyond our little sanctuary.
“Bella, look what I found!” Ellie exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she held up a colorful piece of fabric she had discovered in the attic. It was faded but still beautiful, its vibrant colors calling to us.
“Isn’t that pretty?” I clapped my hands, my heart racing with delight. “Let’s pretend it’s a magic carpet!”
Ellie giggled, spreading the fabric across the floor. “Okay! You have to sit on it, and I’ll take you on an adventure!”
I settled down, dark curls framing my face, and closed my eyes. “Where are we going?” I asked, anticipation bubbling inside me.

“To the Land of Enchantment!” she declared, waving her arms dramatically. “Where we can do anything we want!”

In that moment, her laughter filled the room, a sweet melody that drowned out the distant sounds of work and whispers of discontent that lingered just beyond our home. For a brief time, we were not slaves; we were explorers, adventurers, free to create our own destinies.
“Can we fly?” I asked, my heart soaring with her imagination.
“Of course!” Ellie replied, her face lighting up with joy. “We can fly as high as the clouds and see all the beautiful places!”
“Let’s go to the ocean!” I suggested, excitement bubbling in my chest. “I want to see the big waves and the fish!”
We spun tales of distant lands, our imaginations taking us far beyond the confines of our reality. For a moment, we were just girls with dreams, untouched by the burdens that loomed outside our cottage.

As we played, I could feel the sun moving across the sky, the warmth of our laughter a stark contrast to the chill that sometimes crept into our lives. Occasionally, I’d hear the hushed conversations of the adults nearby, words like “debt,” “labor,” and “escape” floating in the air. I brushed them aside, wanting to focus on our games, on the stories we spun together.

One day, while playing hide-and-seek in the woods, I found myself behind an old tree, my ear pressed against the rough bark as I listened to my parents talking nearby. I hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but their voices pulled me in.
“We can’t keep doing this,” my mother said, her voice strained with worry. “The debts are piling up. We need to find a way out, or we’ll lose them.”
A chill raced down my spine. “Lose them?” I whispered to myself, the words echoing in my mind. I had always felt the weight of our family’s struggles but had never truly understood their gravity until now.
“They’re just kids,” my father replied, his tone heavy with resignation. “What can we do? We’re bound to this life until they can work. It’s how it’s always been.”
I stepped back from the tree, my heart racing as I darted away, the laughter and joy of our games feeling far away. I didn’t want to believe what I had just heard, so I hurried back to Ellie, who was waiting for me at the edge of the clearing, her face lit with innocent joy.
“Did you find me?” she giggled, her eyes sparkling.
“Yeah, I did. Let’s keep playing!” I forced a smile, desperate to maintain the bubble of childhood innocence around us.

But as the days turned into weeks, I felt a crack in that bubble. The whispers grew louder, the shadows of our reality creeping closer.
One afternoon, I noticed the sadness in Ellie’s eyes. “What’s wrong?” I asked softly.
“I heard Mama and Papa talking last night,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “They’re scared. They said we might have to leave soon.”
“Leave?” I echoed, a sense of dread pooling in my stomach. “Where would we go?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, tears brimming in her eyes. “But I don’t want to go. I want to stay here with you.”
I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly. “We’ll always be together,” I promised, my voice steady despite the uncertainty swirling around us. “No matter what happens, we’ll find a way to stick together.”