Epilogue Pt.1:

From somewhere above him, on the second floor, Edward heard a shriek of joy coming from, he was sure, Haytham. Edward grinned and shook his head. James was keeping the young Kenway entertained, it seemed. With a loud exhale, James brought his attention back to the items on his desk; he had been sent important information regarding the assassin brotherhood days ago. But only now did he think he would be able to get through reading any of it.

Edward was so occupied by these papers that he did not notice Anne Bonnie's presence until she spoke. "It has been a long time since I've seen you out of this study for longer than an hour." Edward looked up at Anne and rubbed a hand through his hair.

"Aye, it has been awhile. I have been buried by paperwork." He replied.

"How about coming upstairs with me and visitin' with your brother and your children?" Anne asked.

Edward sighed. "Anne, I would love to, but I need to check on the brotherhood's progress-"

"You can check on your brotherhood later, Edward. We have all the time in the world for that." Edward huffed. He knew Anne was right. With one last glance at his papers, Edward stood, stretched and followed Anne out of his study and to the second floor. The Kenway manor was rather large; the two found James in Haytham's bedroom, playing some convoluted game with Haythem that only seemed to make sense to the two of them. Jenny was there too, she sat close by talking to the two and laughing every once in awhile at something Haythem did.

When Edward and Anne entered, their presence was immediately noticed by Jenny.

"Hello, father," she said cheerily. Edward smiled at her and hunkered down beside Haytham.

"Having fun?" He asked.

"Of course he is," James said, ruffling Haytham's hair. Haytham found this funny, Edward smiled at his son while he laughed.

"Father?" Haytham spoke once he had calmed down. "When is mother going to be back?" Haytham's mother had taken a carriage down to the market to buy ingredients for the meal she was planning.

"Oh, it shouldn't be too long," Edward said. "I'm sure she should be-" he stopped, detecting noises from the lawn. It sounded as if a carriage was pulling into the drive.

"Why, that sounds like she is home." Edward said. He stood. "Let us go greet her." He picked Haytham up and stepped out into the hallway. James let Jenny exit before him, mockingly bowing for her. She smiled as she passed. James sighed, and turned to Anne.

"Shall we?" He asked. Anne smiled and stepped close to him, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

As they stepped out into the hallway, Anne said, "You sure are good at keeping those kids happy."

James's face cracked with a smile. "They're a joy to be around." His gaze softened. "Haytham is sure to be just like his father when he grows up."

"I'm not sure if I should be worried, or not." Anne said with a chuckle. James chuckled along with her.

The two of them made their way down the stairs, following Edward into the manor's large entryway. The older of the Kenway brothers sat Haytham down by the front door and he stepped out; James followed, telling Anne he would be back in just a moment. He followed Edward outside and onto the drive, to the carriage, which, to James's surprise, still remained shut. There was no driver either, the horses stood where they were, their reigns hung limply behind them. The beginning of worry began to burrow itself into James's stomach.

Edward reached the carriage, opened the door and peaked in, looked back at James with his brows furrowed.

James quickened his pace and stopped just behind Edward.

"It's empty," Edward informed him, sounding as if he had just seen his own tombstone. James peered inside the carriage as well, and his stomach tightened at the absence of his sister-in-law. That unease that had been forming in the pit of his stomach grew stronger, and he felt the beginning of fear.

"What sort of joke is this?" James practically spat, voicing his thoughts.

The truth of what was happening clicked in both of the Kenway brothers' heads at the same time; Templars. Both of them spun towards the manor and James activated his sixth sense, scanning the ground. He spotted several men, all moving to enter the house from separate directions.

Edward, too, saw this. "I'll get Anne and the children. You need to hold as many off as you can." James nodded and the two brothers were sprinting in separate directions across the grounds.

Using his sixth sense, James made his way quickly towards the manor's most eastern point. He sprang up and caught the top of a window sill; then he was climbing, wincing as an old pain coursed through his left hand. The clothes he wore we're not meant for climbing, and more than once, one of his boots would slip and he would almost fall.

But then he was on the roof, sprinting as fast as he could; he could see a Templar scaling the wall, trying to enter through a second floor window. James reached the other side and looked down; the Templar was forcing the window open. Moving fast, James stepped off of the roof's edge, spinning in midair and curling his fingers onto the roof. His boots smashed into the top of the templar's head and he plummeted with a satisfying thump.

Using his sixth sense once again, James watched as several of the Templars got inside; Edward was with the others on the second floor, waiting just outside the door to Haytham's bedroom to take on whoever came up the stairs to fight him. Using his feet, James kicked in the window and swung in, feeling the jagged glass shards scraping against his skin as he moved.

James quickly maneuvered the hallways, reaching Edward and preparing for the fight that was bound to come.

And come it did, the Templars got to the second floor only to meet the Kenway brothers in deadly hand to hand combat. Edward and James were kept quite busy by the ones attacking them from the front, that they did not notice the movement from outside the window; did not see the Templar on the adjacent rooftop with musket in hand.

James blocked an attack, counter attacked. Edward did the same. James tensed as another Templar charged him; and took a forced step back following the shattering of glass and the blood that splashed against his skin.

The the templar plowed into him, knocking James to the floor in a daze. His head slammed hard against the hardwood floor and for just a moment everything fuzzed over.

From somewhere far off, James heard screams. He heard crying, and then the receding footsteps of the Templars who had raided Edward's home.

And then Anne was there, blood slowly oozing from a small wound on her left temple.

"Come on! Get up James!" James allowed Anne to pull him up into a sitting position, and then he shoved her away. He slowly clambered to his feet, hissing at the pain in his ribs, they were most likely fractured.

And then he saw Edward.

Blood flowed like water from the wound he's received from the sniper with the musket.

"Oh no," James's voice was little more then a whisper as he rushed over to his brother's side and held his head gently in his arms. Edward was still alive, if barely. He gripped James's arm with one hand and gurgled something unintelligible. James leaned in closer.

"Th...the children..." Edward choked out. His grip on James's arm loosened and fell to the floor. Edward's head lolled to the side and his eyes glazed over. His blood stained the younger Kenway's sleeves.

"Edward?" Manes spoke quietly. He clenched his teeth and clenched his eyes shut. He held back the sobs and his body trembled with rage. Slowly, gently, James reached up with his left hand and slid Edward's eyes shut.

"James, there's a problem. They took Haytham," Anne said. James looked up at her; slowly he stood. When Anne wrapped him in a hug, he did not hug her back. Instead he rested his head on her shoulder and silently mourned his brother.

"Jenny," James said finally, stepping back and moving quickly into Haytham's room. Jenny, like Anne, had taken a head wound. But when she saw James, she rushed him and wrapped her arms around him. Gently he held her and looked around at the destroyed room. Indeed, Haytham was gone.

"Come on," James said once he had his bearings. "We need to get out of here, make sure Haytham's mother is okay. They might come back. Alright?" Jenny nodded and James took her in his arms once more.

They were gone before sunset.

It felt odd to be wearing the assassin robes once again, James thought as he slid his Syrian sword into its belt and extended his hidden blade to make sure it was still in good working order.

"Be careful." It was Anne. James nodded, looking around the room above the tavern they had been staying in. He glanced at the bed, where Jenny lay in a fitful sleep. His eyes went back to Anne.

"I'll be fine," he said, stepping towards the open window. He stopped and looked back at Anne. He went to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. He captured her lips with his. When he pulled away, he gave her a small smile.

"And I'll bring him back."

James reached behind his head and flipped the hood up, once again shrouding his face in shadow. He jumped up onto the window sill and took a deep breath. He scanned the ground beneath him, spotted the hay cart. After one last glance at Anne, the only woman he ever truly loved, James leapt out into the night air. Once again he was a blade in the crowd, an assassin hell bent on bringing his remaining family home.