Paris, France

January

1776

"Up, Elise! Put all your force upwards!" Mr. Weatherall belted, "Use your size to your advantage!"

Elise didn't pause to wipe the sweat from her brow, she took the knife she had and forced it upward. She kept her elbow bent and focused on the stab. Faster, faster, harder, harder… Elise would breath quietly with every strike.

"Good!" Mr. Weatherall said, he tapped his cane with encouragement, "Take it to the model."

Elise walked over to the model soldier that was now cut and broken with age. Her lessons had gotten more intense as she grew, and now it would face another session with her knife. She stepped up to it and plunged the knife in what would be under the ribs.

"Hug him, Elise." Julie encouraged, coming into the training area mid lesson, "Don't give him room to hit you, stab in the back and go for his kidneys."

Elise obliged, stabbing until her feet could no longer hold herself up. She fell to her knee and tossed the knife aside to rub her wrist.

"Well, Freddie?" Julie looked to Mr. Weatherall, "What do you think of my daughter?"

"Impressive. Reminds me when we trained together." Freddie winked, "Luckily, I'm her trainer and not her schoolmate."

Elise pulled herself up and over to her mother. She kicked up dust as walked to her mentor and parent. Taking in deep breaths before interrupting their conversation.

"I need new shoes, Mother." Elise sighed, "These trap me."

"My little sprout," Julie smiled and ran her fingers through her sweaty hair, "Growing like a weed. Let's get you bathed and we'll go to town for the rest of the afternoon and get you some new shoes."

Elise hated dressing for town, but accommodated for the sake of new training shoes. She played with a few pins in her hair as the carriage came to a halt once they were in the bustling city. Elise played with her knife that hid in her muff, matching her mother to ensure that it maintained its shape… Among other reasons.

"Madame," Jean mentioned as he opened the door and offered his hands for his passengers, "I must be going in half an hour, the Grandmaster wishes to meet with me."

"Oh," Julie muttered, "I'm certain Francois would have let me know… Never mind that won't do, well certainly won't do. We will need more time." Julie scanned Jean for a second as if looking for a flaw on his impeccable suit that had a few white sprinkles of snow on it, "You go ahead and meet Monsieur del la Serre, I have enough coin to hire a carriage."

Jean bowed, "Good day."

With that said, Jean went back to the carriage and hustled down the cobblestone road. Elise saw her breath form into steam as her mother led the way down the busy street. Elise wrestled with her knife in her muff for a moment as she followed. It wasn't a long walk until they were at the familiar shoe shop.

"Christian," Julie called out, holding the door to let Elise in, "Christian, it's us!"

Christian didn't need a powdered wig. His hair stood elegantly on his long head and even longer neck. His suit was the color of the sky and his smile the shade of the snow falling.

"Madame Julie, Mademoiselle Elise," Christian took their hands in greeting, "Always a pleasure."

"She is ready for another pair of shoes if you can believe it." Julie rested her hand on Elise's shoulder, being sure to hold her muff securely in one hand, "We'll take one of those and I'll have a pair of those in the window…"

"Oui," Christian nodded, "Of course. I have Elise's pair ready for pick up and I will get that pair in your size."

"Merci beaucoup"

Elise was content with a pair of new training shoes, but Julie had her try on several dress shoes. Elise felt her stomach grow hungry and was tired from all the merchants at her feet.

"You know what? Do you think you have a pair of these in a child's size, Christian?"

Julie held up a radiant pair of diamond shoes. Elise gasped at the sight of them, their beauty was similar to the queen's.

"Ah, yes, just shipped from Italy, I'll see what I have."

"I have a dress in mind, it will be emerald. I need something to match that…"

"Of course." Christian continued he strutted from the back of his small shop with a box in hand, surrounded by thin tissue he pulled out the miniature shoe, "To be honest these were custom made but never picked up."

Elise watched as a merchant placed one on her foot. It was loose as she stood and walked around the area.

"Perfect. She'll grow into them for the event." Julie looked out the window; "We must be going, Christian, please if you don't mind shipping them to the home."

"Of course, I have your address. The fees as usual?"

Julie handed over a bag of coins, "Elise will be wearing out her training shoes."

"As I expected," chuckled Christian, "I'll see you for a new pair in a few months."

"Thank you again, Christian!"

Christian raised a long-fingered hand as Julie led Elise out of the shop. Elise could tell that her mother was stressed with how casual she acted. It seemed forced and unwanted. Even the smile just pulled at her mouth and not her eyes.

Elise looked around to see any cabbies that they could hire to take them home… The streets were barren and the hooded men extinguishing the dusk streetlights didn't make sense…

"Mother…" Elise whispered, "We're being followed."

"Look forward, sweet." Julie responded, "We do not acknowledge our followers. Remember training."

Hooded strangers continued to lurk in dark corners and down alleys. Elise tried to remain calm and look forward, but her heart pumped fear into her veins. Elise tried to moisten her throat as she clung to her knife in her muff. Julie took a sudden turn down an alley as hooded figures presented themselves from in front of their path.

"Wait for my call, Elise." Julie's voice shuttered slightly.

Elise scurried to her mother's side as the alley widened. Before them she saw two large men, taking down their hoods and exposing angry faces. Elise turned to look over her shoulder to see two other men, smaller in stature, but lengthier. They had smiles and cracked knuckles simultaneously.

"Gentlemen," Julie started, "I'm sorry to inform you that I don't have any spare coin on me -"

"Oh, we aren't homeless, Madame del la Serre." The first solider said, taking a step forward and taking her by the shoulders.

"Could have fooled me." Julie countered fearlessly.

"Best watch your words, woman. We were sent here by Shay Cormac…"

"Spare me your introduction, I know who you are. I know you want me." Julie rested on the wall, her hands still in her muff, "Shay Cormac is an impressionable coward and I don't need to hear a word more of him or his God forsaken cause about The Knights."

The men laughed, "It's not you we want."

As if according to plan, the two lengthy men went to Elise, dirty hands grabbing at her shoulders and pulling her up the wall.

"No!" Julie struggled now and the other brutes went to hold her down, "Don't you dare you fucking animals."

"You'll watch us…" The first man put his face inches from Julie's, "Rip your daughter apart, then you'll tell your Grandmaster that there's a new Order rising, and that The Knights are the new Templars."

Julie muttered something as she took one more attempt to wiggle free.

"What's that, bitch?"

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Julie spat in the man's face, "NOW, ELISE!"

Elise froze as she saw her mother pull her knife from her muff and as if she had done it hundreds of times before she plunged her knife to the hilt into the neck of the man holding her down, then to the stomach of the man beside her, and the last one. The last man, her instigator, she stabbed hard in the stomach and waited for him to bend over before shoving her knife through his eye socket.

Elise tried to mimic but one man held her arms to her side pulling her to the ground and preparing to slam her body to the cobble road. Elise heard a cacophony of sound as Julie fought the other man. She wiggled her skirt up as far as she could and kicked, she forced her assailant down and used one forceful kick to his chest to push him away. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she pulled her knife from her fallen muff and waited for the man to come back from her kick.

Elise hurled herself up and linked her legs around the skinny man, letting her available hand around his neck she could feel him trying to pry her away but she squeezed her body harder until she could feel his pulse. Up, up, harder, harder, faster, faster… Elise thought. But she didn't expect to feel the blood pour from his wound. She didn't expect to here his gagging over her shoulder and the blood that leaked from his punctured lung to explode from his cough next to her ear. He released her and fell to his side. Elise untangled herself from him and barely stood. Every part of her was shaking as she saw the man before her take his dying breath.

Julie was gasping when she went to her daughter. Her chestnut hair was sticky with blood as she wrapped her arms around her. A sigh of relief came from her.

"Elise," Julie whispered, "I am so proud of you."

Elise tried to sigh in relief but the sent of blood made her stomach turn, she pulled away from her mother and gagged. Elise stumbled away; desperate to get away from the bloody scene, only to trip and fall on all fours and throwing up what pastries she had at Christian's. Her knife tainted red glistened beautifully by her bile.

"Mother," Elise shook, "I-I-I…"

"You're sick from killing, darling… It happens to us all. Can you walk?"

Elise shook her head and felt her hands and legs tingle. Soon she could only hear her heartbeat in her ears and nothing that her mother was saying and then only her heartbeat and the world blurring around her.

"They know. They know about our impending alliance." Julie's voice was shaking, "They tried to take our daughter, Francois!"

"We haven't had time to find out who the spy is," Francois countered as he strutted around the study, "We have a few options that can protect us."

"There are only a few that know of the meetings with Dorian." Julie took a deep breath, "The Knights are who we should be concerned about…"

"The damn Knights…"

"They are rising, Francois." Julie confirmed, "As damned as Shay is, his fucking… cult is rising. They will take what we've earned and banish anyone that identifies as a Templar or Assassin."

"There's only one thing we can do."

"No." Julie stated as if she already knew the answer.

Francois nodded, he strutted over to the fireplace before finding the right words he knew Julie didn't want to hear, "We wed Elise."

"To whom?" Julie replied her words dripped with bitterness, "As if her getting married is going to change anything!"

"She marries Alastair."

"Alastair Williams?" Julie spat, "The snot of the British Order?"

"He's closest to her age and can provide the most protection, Julie!"

"The man's twice her age!"

"As am I to you!" Francois stated, "I love you, Julie. I always have. Our age never meant anything to me and it won't mean anything to Elise."

"What about…" Julie stopped.

"I know you, Julie." Francois took a step toward her, "I knew you had your heart set on that Weatherall bastard, but you know he would have never given you the protection I have."

"He did tonight…" Julie said quietly.

"I love you," Francois took Julie's hand, "I only wish you could love me as I love you."

"I do love you, my dear." Julie gave in and pulled Francois in for an embrace, "I only wish you could see the danger that you put her in by her being married."

"What?" Francois pulled away.

"How can we trust anyone now?"