Broken Soldier ~ Assassin's Creed 4

Chapter Twenty Nine

We sat by the fire, Phoebe reading passages from scary books to me, while we waited for my carriage to arrive. I had thrown my cape over me and used it to dry my hair the rest of the way. The door creaked as it opened and a man wearing a grey flat cap, a thick, grey coat and a pair of leather gloves stepped over to the front desk. He smiled to the woman there and gave a tip of his hat.

"I am here to return Elisa Ward home." My stomach flipped with excitement. Phoebe and I both stood up and exchanged smiles.

"I suppose this is goodbye."

"Not forever, friend. As soon as you leave, I want to see you at the estate." She giggled and wrapped her arms around me.

"You will definitely see me there." She croaked slightly. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." She stepped back and handed me my case.

"If you left anything, I will have it sent to you." I nodded. "Thank you for being my friend when I didn't know anyone."

"It was no bother." I grinned and turned to the man who had been sent to pick me up. He smiled at me, his weathered face wrinkling around the eyes.

"My, my, you've turned out to be quite the young lady." He commented. I squealed with excitement and dashed over to him.

"Holden." I threw my free arm around his neck. He hugged me back and laughed into my shoulder.

"You grew up too fast, Miss." I pulled away from him, my eyes watering. "Don't cry. We will be home in no time."

"May I ride the carriage beside you? Or is mother inside?"

"Your family is at home awaiting your arrival. Though, I suggest wrapping up warmer if you are going to sit outside." He took off his scarf and offered it to me. It was made from wool from the Kenways' farm. "Linette told me to give this to you." I nodded as I took it.

"Thank you." I turned my head to Phoebe, but she had already left. I turned back to Holden and smiled. "Let's go home."

The ride felt incredibly long. The horses trotted along quietly, keeping at a steady but fast pace. Trees whipped past us, the wind blowing my hair around. I knew I would have to fix it just before I went inside. I wanted to look my best for anyone waiting for me. Holden was whistling beside me, though most of the noise was carried away on the breeze. I enjoyed his little tunes. I tapped a slight tune out on my knee as I recognised the road ahead. 

"Could we slow down slightly so that I can redo my hair without it getting messed up again?" I asked, and Holden nodded. The horses slowed greatly to just a walk. I took my hair from the plait and started to plait my hair again. I tied the ribbon at the end and let out a content sigh.

The gates to the estate were right in front of us by now. Holden stopped the horses and hopped down to open the gate. He then got back up and we moved on once again. There was the gentle sound of a piano as we approached. Holden stopped outside of the front doors and I slowly climbed down the ladder on the side of the carriage. Holden helped me down by holding my hand as I stepped. He then jogged to the front doors and tore them open. The music coming from the piano stopped and I ascended the steps.

Five figures appeared at the door. My mother, Helena, Caroline, Delia and Martin. I grinned, and ran into my mother's arms. She engulfed me in a tight hug, sobbing lightly into the crook of my neck. I tried my best not to cry, but hearing my mother cry was enough to cause me to. When I finally stepped back, her shoulder was soaked, as was mine. She cupped my face delicately with her fingertips.

"I missed you, sweetheart. Happy birthday." Her smile was wide. I had never seen her so happy before in my life. "You have grown so much. I am so proud of you, and I am sure your father is as well, wherever he may be."

"I am sure he is looking down on us both, mother." I gave her a sad smile. "Thank you for this gown, it is stunning." I pulled the top layer of the skirt up slightly. I then turned to Helena, my youngest sister. She was grinning with tears on her cheeks. She then rushed over to me and buried her head in my neck.

"I missed you!" She yelled. Her short, brown hair stuck to my wet cheeks.

"I know you did. There wasn't a day passed that I didn't think of all of you. I love you so much, and I am so very happy to be home." Caroline was next to smother me in a hug. She didn't try to hide her loud sobs, and practically clung onto me. She couldn't say anything as she stepped away and walked into the main study room. Delia then stepped over.

"I have a big surprise." She grinned, pointing to her stomach. It protruded out from the rest of her body. "Me and Julien are expecting a baby." I gasped and giggled.

"Congratulations!" I screeched. She hugged me, avoiding pressing her stomach into me too hard. She then pulled away.

"It is due next month. In fact, Julien is out right at this moment buying a few new blankets."

"That is great for the two of you." I saw Martin shift awkwardly on the balls of his feet out of the corner of my eye. He was staring down at his feet, and coughed. I smirked and stepped over to him. "You didn't think I forgot you, did you?" I reached up to plant a small kiss on his lips. He kissed back, snaking an arm around my waist. I stepped back gently, so that he didn't let go of me. "I missed you just as much as everyone else."

"I missed you too." He murmured with a little smile. "You look beautiful."

"And you look very handsome." He kissed my forehead with a gentle brush of his lips. My mother cleared her throat.

"Dear, meet us in the study when you are ready." I nodded slowly as the three other people exit the room. Martin touched his fingertips to my jawline and turned my head to look at him.

"I love you so much. I honestly wasn't sure how much longer I could wait for you." There was something off about the tone of his voice when he said that, but I smiled up at him nonetheless. He then looked around, and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "I have something to show you." He took my hand and lead me upstairs to my bedroom. He shut the door behind us and smirked. "Look under the bed." I did as he said, pulling out a large, flat box. I placed it on top of the bed and peeled back the lid. Inside was a beautiful, white gown made from a smooth, silky linen. I eyed it, amazed, and ran my fingers along the decoration. A blue layer of lace adorned the torso part of the dress. I turned to Martin.

"This is beautiful. But, I don't understand."

"I thought you could wear it on our wedding day." I smiled.

"I think I will. It is stunningly gorgeous. Plus, I have the perfect pair of shoes to wear with it which I bought while I was at school." I spotted my case by the door and hauled it over. I plucked from inside the pair of blue heels I had bought when I went shopping with Freda. Martin ran his hand along them.

"Perfect. But we can't show any of this to anyone. Our secret." He tapped the side of his nose, winking. I nodded, and hugged him.

"I never want to leave home again."

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(A/N) YES! ELISA IS OUT OF SCHOOL! I'm way too happy XD It was pissing me off having to keep talking about classes like ELISA WHY T F ARE YOU BEING BORING RN?! Oh well. I hope more stuff happens now. Probably quite a few chapters left now until the end, so you had better stick around. Thanks.