Long Way To Go [SAMPLE/DRAFT]

[prologue]

Late autumn

Thursday night

"Connor, hold up!"

The grown Kenway's voice rumbled through the darkness where he stumbled over the rough terrain. The younger turned to throw a glare at his father, but remained in place. Haytham slowed his sprint to walk, now watching more carefully where he was putting his feet. He was getting rusty. Connor waited only long enough that he'd catch up before turning on his heel to head toward his destination. Though, before he could start his march, Haytham grabbed him by the elbow, halting him to a stop. Brown eyes met gray, a warning glare that said to speak up or he wouldn't stay around to listen.

"Whatever you're planning, I don't like it".

Connor scowled and wretched his arm from his father's hold. "My plans does not concern you" he spat, proceeding to resume his walk. Again he was stopped, this time by a hand taking a firm hold of his shoulder.

"Connor!"

"What?"

"You can't tell anyone"

A tense silence followed, about three seconds of Connor gritting his teeth and sighing heavily while Haytham did his best 'concerned father' face.

"Why?" the younger spoke at last. He scowled deeply out of both anger and confusion. "Someone has to know. Why don't we just go to the authorities?"

"They would put you in jail for assault"

Connor turned to face his father fully, throwing his arms out to the sides in an exasperated gesture. "It was self-defense!"

"They don't see it as such. You're a fool to think they would side with you"

"That's just stupid!"

"It's our justice system" Haytham declared, crossing his arms over his chest. He stood rigid, chin upturned and gaze unwavering.

"How and why would they not believe me and put the guilty responsible?". More frustrated gestures and a pursing of his lips. Haytham had to hold back a sigh from how incredibly stubborn Connor was.

"Because they haven't seen the whole story. I have. Now come".

Later on, Connor was lying in his bed, grumbling while fiddling with the feather from an eagle. He stared up at the ceiling, one leg hanging down the side of the bed. A lot of thoughts were scrolling through his head, but specifically what his father had said about the system. He refused to believe it could be so bad. It was supposed to help in time of need, and this most certainly was. If they just let him speak, they would understand and put the responsible in place. He had acted in panic. It wasn't his fault that the bookcase fell, they'd shoved him into it.

"Ratonhnhaké:ton".

He sat up at the mentioning of his name and aimed his gaze toward the door. His mother peeked her head in, eyes searching for a second before they found him. She smiled softly while walking up to him and sitting down beside him. "Try to get some sleep, my dear" she said, a hand gently rubbing his back. He looked down at the floor, unwilling to meet her gaze. "We will sort this out. I promise".

She leaned in to kiss his temple, but he stubbornly tilted his head away. She sighed and frowned with concern. Thankfully for him though, she didn't ask further about it, but gave a pat on his shoulder and stood up to leave the room. He heard her say goodnight and gave a grunt in response. Once certain that he was alone, he sighed and dropped back down into the bed. Parents...

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Any dialogue written in italics means it's spoken in Kanien'kéha, Connor's native language.