Embracing The Light (Arno Dorian x OC), an Assassin's Creed Fanfiction

Chapter 14 : Loss of Innocence

Arno was in his room, getting prepared to go to the sanctuary. An Assassin had contacted him last night, saying that they had found a new clue concerning the « Templars » who were tracking him down. So, he needed to attend the council of that afternoon to make an update of the situation. He got rid of his casual costume and decided to put on his Blue-White-Red Assassin uniform instead.
While he was adjusting his coat, he heard the door slowly open behind him, then someone walked inside his room. He presumed it was a woman since he could hear the footsteps marked by heels beating the ground and the sound of her dress' skirt caressing the floor as she was walking.
He slowly started to smile. "You needed something Rose ?" Arno asked without looking at her. He was too busy trying to put on his hidden blade to face the young woman properly. But the only answer he got was her silence, making him frown and pause. The man then repeated above his shoulder. "Rosalie ?" After waiting a few seconds, hearing her getting closer to him, Arno slowly turned around, and he could not hide the surprised look on his face when he realized it was not Rosalie.
It all happened in a second.
Arno met the menacing gaze of a dark-haired woman about to jump on him, raising a dagger in her hand and ready to stab him through the heart. But a third hand that appeared from behind quickly grabbed the attacker's wrist and directed the dagger she held right towards her own throat. As soon as it had penetrated her skin, Arno saw the rage that was taunting her eyes a moment ago fade away with her soul. The stranger's face relaxed and her mouth opened, but no sound came out of it. She then let herself hit the ground, revealing to the man a terrified Rosalie who was the one standing behind her all along.
The young woman was staring at the dead body that was lying in front of her feet with a horrified look on her face. While she was starting to cover her mouth with her shaky hands, she was slowly stepping back. Rosalie tried as much as she could to look away, but she failed.
"Rosalie !" Arno finally called her. The man passed over the corpse, completely ignoring it, and rushed towards his friend. His heart was surely beating as fast as hers, but not for the same reason. He was worried about her. "Are you hurt ?!" He asked as he was holding her arms.
Rosalie was avoiding his gaze at first when he came closer, but then finally looked at him back, moving her hand away to speak. "She... she was going to... kill you." she stuttered as if she was trying to justify her act.
"She was, but she didn't." he replied, trying to maintain the eye contact despite her trying to stare at the dead body again. "Rosalie, look at me." Arno then firmly spoke as he grabbed her wrists. This time, she decided to obey. "She failed, thanks to you."
"You almost died because of me !" she answered back, almost with anger.
Arno gave her a confused look as he slowly let go of her. "What are you talking about ?"
Rosalie looked away again to take a deep breath, then plunged back her eyes into his as she explained. "This woman. I've met her yesterday at the tavern. We spoke, then she proposed to bring me home. I did not want to, I swear ! She insisted !" she tried to defend herself. Seeing that the young man stayed silent as he was watching her, she continued. "So I gave to her coachman your address. God, I've been such a fool... And now... I've killed someone !"
She started to turn around, holding her head with both of her hands stressfully and trying to calm herself down as she felt her eyes get teary. Arno glanced at the dead body and decided to kneel down next to it to observe it properly. Could this woman be the same one who tried to poison him at the tavern a week ago ? She did not wear any cross-shaped necklace. But then, Arno remembered another detail. According to Rosalie, the woman had a birthmark on her left hand.
The man turned his gaze at his attacker's gloved hand and grabbed her wrist to gently take off her glove. As soon as he did, he noticed a brown trace right on her index finger.
"Rose..." he called the young woman who quickly turned around to observe him with the same terrified look. "Approach."
Rosalie obeyed, slowly getting closer to the man. Once she reached him, he turned his head and raised the dead body's bare hand, bringing her attention to it.
"Do you recognize this mark ?" he calmly asked.
"Mon Dieu (My God) !" The young woman gasped and brought her hands in front of her mouth with a shocked look on her face. Of course she recognized it.
Arno then let go of the corpse and got back on his feet to stand in front of Rosalie whose cheeks started to get wet with tears. She realized that not only did she kill Louis' murderer, but she also exposed to Arno's biggest enemies the exact location of his estate, and that this incident was probably not going to be the last one. Arno was now in danger, and she was the one responsible for it.
"Arno..." her voice cracked as she shook her head. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
But Arno did not respond anything.