Assassin's Creed: Gang Leaders |Assassin's Creed Fanfiction|

Chapter 6 Evie

**This chapter contains spoilers for my other story Assassin's Creed: Brothers Unite. If you don't mind, please continue. If you care a great deal then you need to read that story until Chapter 12 Ezio**

   If possible Arno looked even more exhausted when he entered with Henry then when I'd first seen him here. Archer had only come a few minutes before them. I wanted to know more about this mysterious gray assassin who called himself Archer. He was different, in a strange way. His hood always hid his eyes, leaving the mystery of what color they were.

   I was snapped out of my thoughts by Arno. "Now, I have something I need to tell you all."

   "Does it by any chance have anything to do with Archer not wanting to say anything?" Henry asked, sitting on the seat next to Jacob.

   Arno paused uncertainly, as though he was reconsidering what he had to say. "I... Yes, I think so. He hasn't wanted to talk about it at all. I won't tell you the whole thing, that would take too long. Just ask anything and I'll..." he hesitated again. "I'll answer them." He seemed almost nervous about what we would ask, or what he would need to say, I couldn't tell which.

   "Okay then," Jacob sat up and looked at Arno, who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Why is Archer so melancholy? He didn't seem that way when we first met you."

   Arno winced. "I was actually hoping you wouldn't ask that question, but it can't be helped I suppose," he sighed and sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall. I realized I was the only one still standing and quickly sat down. Arno gave me a slightly amused, but mostly sad, look. "I tell you where we were first," he said looking out the window. "Me, Archer, and... others, were in America. We were going after Shay, I'm sure you've heard of him," Arno rubbed his temples and groaned. "I hate telling people what I've done," he muttered before sighing again. "Shay was Archer's brother... and Archer had to kill him. Now you know. He hasn't said all that much since."

   Jacob stared at Arno and Arno stared back, a look of mild annoyance in his amber eyes. "That terrible!" Jacob exclaimed. "Why would he do that?"

   Arno's look of annoyance changed to one of suppressed fury, but it quickly vanished into wry amusement. "You have much to learn yet Jacob," he said with a small laugh. "And I thought Ezio was hopeless."

   I perked up at the name 'Ezio'. "Ezio Auditore? You knew Ezio?"

   That outburst earned me an amused look and a laugh from Arno. "Not knew, Evie. I know Ezio Auditore. He needs a great deal of training and he sometimes gets a little... ah... distracted." Arno's amusement was a welcome change from his annoyance with Jacob.

   "Distracted by what exactly?" Henry asked, shooting a glance at Jacob.

   Arno's small smile quickly changed to a huge grin. "Ladies. Usually pretty ones."

   "Oh..."

   I fingered the end of my cape. "You mentioned others," I said. "Who were they?"

   Arno's grin vanished, but a small half smile remained. "The others," he seemed to be dodging the whole truth. I could tell that he didn't want to though. "Edward, Connor, James, Ezio, Altaïr, Shadiya, Moleck..." he paused. "I think that's all of them. No, there was Adé for a while."

   I felt more surprised with every name he said. They were all assassins that everyone knew about, but there were two names that I didn't recognize. "Who are Shadiya and Moleck?"

   "Friends," he said simply.

   "You're not telling us something," Jacob accused. "What aren't you telling us?"

   Arno touched a chain that hung around his neck. "I wish I could tell you." He ran a hand through his hair. "I really do, but I swore not to tell a soul that didn't already know."

   My curiosity almost go the better of me in that moment, until I realized that Arno was giving a hint. He was rubbing an anchor pendent between his index finger and thumb. He glanced at me questioningly before slipping it back under his collar. He was asking a silent question in that one look. Do you know? I wasn't sure if I did. I glanced at Henry, who was staring thoughtfully at Arno.

   "Any other questions?" Arno asked. He shifted against the wall and his sword scraped quietly.

   I looked at his sword in surprise. I hadn't noticed it before, and I wondered how none of the civilians had noticed. "What of your sword? How has no one noticed it yet?"

   He touched the guarded hilt. "It was a gift from... a good friend," there was a pain in his eyes that I understood. "There's some enchantment on it, but she was never able to tell me."

   I stood quietly and Arno looked up in surprise. "I'm going to... get some food for you all," I said. I glanced at Arno then to the door.

   Arno seemed to understand and he stood too. "I'll help. Even though I'm not particularly hungry."

   Arno followed me into the next car and started opening cupboards, seeing what they all held. I started to help him but he shooed me to the other side of the counter. "I'll do it," he insisted. "You want to ask me things and I'll be able to answer better if I have something to do."

   I didn't argue and sat down on a stool. "Who gave you your sword? I didn't think you'd want to say with Jacob there."

   Arno didn't look at me. "You're right. No offense meant, but I really don't care for your brother that much."

   "Me neither," I admitted. "He doesn't think things through very well."

   Arno smiled slightly. "Back to your question." I didn't know where he was getting all of the food from as we talked, but I didn't ask. "Elise gave me the sword several years ago. She saved my live about a thousand times, and thought it would be a good idea for an escape route to be me jumping from a roof into a hot air balloon." He sighed sadly. "She was a wonderful person... for a Templar."

   That last part shocked me so much that I couldn't think of anything to say for a moment. "You fell in love with a Templar?"

   Arno winced. "Straight to the point. Yes I did, but I didn't know that it mattered until I joined the assassins. We grew up together after my father was killed by Shay. Part of me thinks that they were trying to make me a Templar, but I'll never know that for sure."

   "Why not?"

   "Elise was killed trying to stop someone from misusing a Piece of Eden. It was so long ago I don't remember who it was anymore. So many things have happened since then..."

   "It seems that all of the assassins that I look up to have lost a parent or close friend or both," I murmured.

   "And who do you look up too?" Arno asked. He had stopped working and was looking at me intently.

   I didn't answer right away. There was something familiar about Arno, something obvious. Arno, I thought. It- My thoughts were interrupted by a realization. "Are you really Arno?" I asked.

   The question took Arno by surprise. "What do you mean?"

   "Arno Victor Dorian?"

   Arno froze. I'd guessed right. He continued to study me silently. He said something under his breath that seemed to be in a different language. "Oui," he said quietly. "I am."

   "You, and most of the others that you mentioned as others."

   Arno smiled slightly and turned back to the food. Neither of us said anything until Arno handed me a plate. "Here," he said. "I assume you're hungry?"

   I smiled and took the plate. "Thank you Arno," I said. "You didn't forget the others though did you?"

   "Of course not," Arno handed me another plate and picked up two more. "Let's go deliver these shall we?"