Broken Soldier ~ Assassin's Creed 4

Chapter Forty

My pain was gone and there was no bleeding, but I was incredibly upset. I felt as if a part of me had been taken from me far too early, and I needed immense support from my family just to stop myself from spending entire days crying. My nose was constantly in a book, sitting in a dark room, dimly lit by a tiny candle, purely to distract myself from my life. I never changed the book I read, even though I had finished it many times. Sketching began to upset me, as I was only drawing for the sake of it. All I could do now was read.

Martin was coming home that day. He had now been gone for three weeks, and I now had no extra weight from the baby, so he might guess that I had lost it as soon as he got back. I had waited a long time for his support, and I needed him. Badly. He was one of the only things keeping me sane at the moment. Him and Edward.

Edward... I missed him dearly, even more without the child. I hoped he would come home soon.

My door opened with a loud thud against the wall and I turned to see Daniel. He sighed sadly.

"You will hurt your eyes in the darkness all day." He strutted over to the curtains and tore them open. "You may need to get dressed if you wish to meet Martin at the harbour. Holden is leaving in an hour." The light stung my eyes, dry from crying so much. Daniel then faced me. "Oh, Elisa..." He whispered. I stood, set the book on my desk and took a deep breath. "Your cheeks are tear stained, and your eyes are bright red." He bundled me into him, and I clung to the suit jacket across his chest. My head rested on his shoulder. I had never been so close to him, but his support was greatly appreciated.

"My baby is gone, Daniel." His hand held onto the back of my head.

"You cannot let it eat away at you, sweetheart."

"But--"

"It wasn't your fault." Tears ran down my cheeks again. "It will never have been your fault." He held me at arm's length. He then gave a small smile. "I am not holding it against you, and you shouldn't either. Your mother and I are still incredibly proud of you and everything you have become. And I am sure that Martin will feel the same. You both can always try again. You will not miscarry each time you get pregnant. There is no need to worry." His hand cupped the side of my face. I smiled and leaned into his hand. He rubbed away a few tears with his thumb, then bent forward to kiss my forehead. "Now, you should get ready." He stepped away and began towards the door.

"Thank you, Daniel." I swept towards my wardrobe as he shut my door.

I picked out a loose, blue dress and some red shoes. It took me merely a few minutes to change. I then plaited my hair over my right shoulder. For the first time this month, I had made the effort to look nice. In fact, this was probably only the seventh time in three weeks that I had gotten out of bed.

The horses outside began to rise and stumble around as they were set to the carriage. I fixed the hood from my cloak over my head and headed outside. Holden was petting the side of one horse as I approached.

"Good morning, Holden." He jumped slightly, and turned to face me. He gave a wide, toothy grin.

"Oh, Elisa. I hadn't expected to see you today. Will you be coming along to get Martin?" I nodded, keeping my arms inside of my cloak. "In better spirits, miss?"

"Quite. Daniel and I had a lovely talk. I am feeling a little better."

"Yes, well. Would you like to ride on the front beside me?"

"No, thank you. I have a letter which I have been meaning to read. I believe it is from the Kenway family." He nodded.

"Of course. I shall try to keep the horses at a quick pace. Sit comfortably." I made my way inside the carriage, and began to tear open the letter.