Bound To Kill

XIX: Bound To Collide

Evangeline

Watching from the shadows of the woods, my heart breaks every killing the Templar knights make. I know they're Templars because the noticeable Knight's Cross on their chest says so. They're butchering the infected, how heroic and stupid. God knows killing most of Europe is impossible. That's what Templars are I suppose, they're too faithful for something that will never be achieved.

"Hurry now, men!" The army of Templars' leader orders as the horse he's riding moves around the clearing. "Execute every infected before we flee to another village."

"No! Please, not my Mum!" A teenage auburn-headed girl pleads as Knights push her off, avoiding to touch her for five seconds. They believe in the five second rule as I've observed, how cunning.

The girl's mother has black boils travelling down her neck and face. She's being imprisoned with the other infected inside a wooden cage.

"Animals, aren't they?" I ask Alex, as he answers with a side glance. The liquor and headache has worn off from my body, so it wasn't hard for me to resist attacking every living Templar around.

"Mummy!" The teenage girl screams with all the strength of her voice. She falls to her knees, watching the carriage of the cage leaves the clearing with a convoy of Knights.

"Stay here." I tell the horse as I begin to head out of the woods. I take off my hood and join a forming crowd around the Templar leader. I kept a hand on my Assassin insignia on my collar just in case he sees it. Every Templar hates the Assassins after all.

The Templar leader unmounts from his horse, looking around the in-crowd with a wide proud cynical smile.

They always find a way to impress the people, even if it takes doing the wrong stupid way.

"Someday, you will thank us." He bravely announces. "May the Father of Understanding guide you all."

The people on the front row pushes him off. Offended, he shouts, "urgh, kill them all!!!"

My eyes narrow in focus as I free my hidden blade, stabbing immediately a nearby Knight's neck.

"Assassin! There's an Assassin!"

"F*ck." I curse under my breath as I felt myself being hold by a Knight. My back collides against his armored chest.

The crowd begins to die as the villagers lie in their own pool of blood on the ground. The Templar leader walks toward me, eyes full of smug.

"I've always known one of you'd show up." He says without breaking his smirk.

I try to pull myself out of the Knight's hold but failed. "Killing all these innocent villagers will not help rid the Plague, if that's what you're doing!" I say and throw a glare to the Templar Leader.

"Oh, it will. But technically that isn't the main reason. This village promotes thievery and lacks importance in the soil of France anymore. What is useless needs to be rid of."

"On whose- orders!?" I shouted when the Knight tightens his grip.

"By the King Henry himself's orders."

"You're lying. Haven't you heard the news? King Henry is dead."

"Well, it's such a misfortune. The whole village is already..." He looks over his shoulder without turning to his back. A Knight plunges a sword through the teenage girl from earlier's heart. She falls dead to her demise. "Dead." The Templar Leader finishes with an evil victory laugh. He commands his horse to turn around. "Our task is finished here. Come along now gents."

"What about her?" A Knight asks.
"Let her go." He lazily replies.

Within a minute, the army of masked Templar Knights leave the clearing like the Plague. They've killed all the people but left no trace of destruction but death.

I look around the houses in the village, my mouth falling in awe and confusion if I should wince for the disgusting smell or frown at the hell of a sight.

I remember Alexander again, imagining him on my side. He's blurbing jokes about we should've taken the chance of killing off that Templar Leader.

Looking down at my compass, I stare at its arrow where it's pointing North. Then both to the East and West. East is where the French Court is, West is to England.

-

An hour after fighting with my brain later, I head to East.

-

The castle gates lift open. A grinning Bash comes out with a white maned horse. I lean against Alex, waiting for Bash to tame his ride as the horse walks around us. "Well, isn't someone so happy to see me."

"Why'd you came back?" He asks, the annoying smile never wearing off.

"I left my panties back at your drawers." I deadpanned, but failed to hide a burst of laughter. "Kidding. I came back because I now realized I couldn't live without you."

He smirks. "Still kidding?"

"Yes."

I stopped laughing and silence breaks in for some ten seconds.

"So?" He raises his brows.

I sigh before I start. "I figured my mission isn't finished yet."

"Oh, really? You said it yourself, Ms. Smarty-Hood. You are never coming back."

"I didn't said I'm never coming back."

"What made you then?"

"Why're you so curious?" I ask annoyed.

He hesitates to answer and almost canceled it. "Because I assume you came back for me." His voice has morphed into a more softer tone now, almost like a mother's coo. "That one night stand really matters to me, Evangeline. It matters to me more than my Father's death. It matters to me more than my disgraced title of being a bastard."

I bob my head, avoiding to look at his puppy grey eyes. Don't look, don't look!

A group of women in elegant gowns walk out from the castle with Francis. It turns out to be Mary and three of her ladies-in-waiting. I wonder where's Lola.

"Evie!" Mary jogs over to me and pulls me into a surprising hug. I hug back awkwardly, raising one eyebrow at both Bash and Francis. "I'm glad you came back."

I force a sheepish smile and rest my hands on her hourglass waists. "I remembered I should accompany my best friend in all battles."

"You're offering your service?" Francis asks the obvious, taking a stand beside his Queen. "Well, if you please let me do the honor of giving you a formal welcome to the Court of France, Evie."

I curtsey and pretend to pinch my nonexistent skirt. "Please do, Your Highness."

Francis takes a mighty clear of a throat, making everyone snort and scoff. I kneel down a foot and lean against my sword, bowing my head down in respect. "As the new King of France, I hereby declare Evangeline Kenway, hailing from the English Assassin Order, to walk through these doors as though they were her own," I snort, containing my laughter. Francis continues, "here in the Court of France for as long as she pleases and lives!"

-