Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The following poem is NOT mine. It is merely featured to enhance the following experience.

This story is an alternate, 'yaoi fangirl' spin on the end of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. It is also my spin on the upcoming Assassin's Creed epic. Please do not take the featured events as official events.

Mindy Brandon: Last name was inspired by Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffric. Mindy, an original member of the team, bears a set of raging red locks, falcon tattoos on her cheeks, and brilliant green eyes. Her appearance was inspired by Vanille of Final Fantasy XIII.

POE: Piece of Eden.

___________________

I try to tell you I'm sorry so many times.

but from the thought in my brain to the words in
my mouth, always get lost in translation and come
out as something neither of us can put together.
no mind understanding it.

I'm trying to tell you that I'm scared.

thinking that if I keep speaking this gibberish
I'll wake up one day with you gone and a note
of the same caliber sitting on the pillow.
it'll say "I'm gone." but the rest, the reason,
is far from interpretation.

I'm trying to tell you that I'm screaming on the inside.

that everything is too fucking much for me to
take and I no longer know how to handle it.
I'm screaming until my lungs dislodge themselves
and the thoughts in my head are trying to make
everything just STOP, but who can understand it?

I'm trying to tell you that I love you.

with fingers bleeding, and my eyes blacker than anything
you've ever seen because the thought of sleep disgusts
me and almost scares me more than anything else.

sleep when you're dead, that's what you tried to tell me.

if this isn't death, then I'll wait on the doorsteps
until its finally my time to stop screaming out loud.

Pro Quo, written by Brightsidekiller
______________________

When a mortal was encountered by tidal waves, he could either withstand its torrents or remain still, succumbing to icy blue torment. He could either confront the wave and its might, standing against azure blue fury with might of his own, or surrender his existence to its cold depths. Sometimes, complete surrender seemed preferable to life's arduous climb. Sometimes, sinking into the icy depths of despair seemed preferable to the brink of insanity. Enduring the rush of fiery blue emotion was sometimes too much, too much to fathom and too much to accept. One mortal, however, chose to surrender not his existence, but fear. He had lived in fear long enough, and no longer wanted to skulk in the shadows. It was time to accept the waves of life, regardless of the outcome.

Standing amidst cerulean blue waves, he managed to retain his soul. He held tightly to the last bit of his sanity as though he were a child, clinging to a precious teddy bear. His fingers dug into the grounds of endurance, searching desperately for the relief of a new dawn. Unfortunately, no relief was to be found in the brutal waves of reality. He knew that well, working with the assassins of his sanctuary.

His name was Desmond Miles, and he was a man that stood against dawn's tide. The world had been cast into flame, torn and broken by the most vicious hands, but he remained on his feet. The Templars had taken everything he had ever known, and the only love he had ever known, in pursuit of domination. Civilization only consisted of its tyrants, and the last assassin teams. The Brotherhood's shards were determined to fight, though, and onward they would tread, determined to reclaim their world's light. Onward they would tread, determined to regain not only justice, but the lost sonata of love.

"We're gonna be headin' into Japan. Medieval Japan, to be exact. Back to the 1600's. Buckle yourselves in tight, kiddies, because we're in for one heck of a ride!"

Rebecca Crane was a regal soul, bearing the perfect family name. Despite her giddiness, and fondness for cheery banter, she was a leader in her own right. Having managed her sanctuary well so far, she trudged onwards in the hopes of uncovering more of the world's mysteries. Recent events rattled her, just as they rattled everyone else, but she knew the show had to go on-for a friend's sake. "According to the dirt I've scraped up," she went on, fingers storming away on her keyboard. Her voice featured a poignant fusion of anticipation, fury and valor, all of which burned brightly for a lost friend.

"A pretty popular samurai band had a POE in their hands. The Shogun of that time wasn't particularly thrilled about it, but I can't go into detail. Mindy, would you mind playing tour guide?"

"Got'cha guys covered. Don't worry about a thing. I'm on everything you could ever want."

Mindy Brandon was Shaun's replacement, recruited from a siege on Abstergo. However, her newfound associates didn't think of her as a mere chair filler-and none of them saw Shaun as a mere tactician. Shaun was lost in the very same siege Mindy emerged from, transforming the event into a bittersweet, double-edged sword. As all others were, the brave Brandon was hellbent on getting Rebecca's original partner back-at any cost. "We're gonna be hittin' up the Kemmu Restoration period," the young maiden pointed out, struggling to ignore a painfully clear fact. She was sitting at Shaun's station, painfully aware of the Hastings' absence-and also aware of Desmond's clear distress.

"Nitta Yoshisada and his lover, Kusunoki Masashige, went on a quest to recover the POE from the Kamakura Shogunate. You can be pretty sure Dessie will end up bein' linked to one of those guys."

"Are we just about ready?"

The eagle's response came from Lucy, who (right along with Desmond) suffered the worst blows from the siege. Her face was wreathed in sorrow, complete with wrinkles and exhaustion. "Hold on a minute, Desmond," she said softly, fingers performing a gentle tap dance against her keyboard. "Beccie has just a few more updates to complete, and we'll be on our way. I'm just about through contacting our teams, so progress is great on my end."

"Before we jump into another frying pan, I've got a cat to pull out of the bag," Mindy offered excitedly, hoping to spark even a small bit of happiness. All eyes went to her, and inwardly, she squealed over the sudden attention. "I managed to put up the best firewalls money can't even buy," she went on, gesturing towards her newly assigned station. "There's no way Abstergo can find us, unless they literally pry the world open with a crowbar. We're pretty much invincible at this point."

Lucy slapped a hand to her forehead, clearly exhausted. "Spectacular, Minnie, but we're still short on time," she said urgently, her voice laden with sorrow so thick, it could've cut Mindy's chest wide open. Rebecca cast her longtime friend a glance, her own face wreathed in sadness.

"Don't forget, Vidic has Shaun. Our Shaun's the best trump card Abstergo could ever ask for."

"Dithering moron," the Crane snarled, eyes directed at her monitors. The love she carried for a missing historian burned in the midst of elevating, icy fury. "If he hadn't blabbed about his talents all over the web, he probably wouldn't be in this mess! This pile of bullcrap is all his fault!"

Desmond winced, reflecting on a conversation he had sparked between two assassins. Rebecca had been a casual spectactor, allowing Shaun to dominate the spotlight. The Miles inquired after his role in the sanctuary, which instantly propelled Shaun down the road of historical monuments. He revealed how he discovered Abstergo, tried to unwravel Abstergo's aspirations, and ended up being rescued from Abstergo from Rebecca.

The tragedy she managed to prevent took place anyway.

He winced, remembering how excited Shaun had been to share history with him. It seemed as if their time together had been a few moments ago, even though they were drawn out over ages of divinity. Desmond remembered how Shaun's fascination for history swept over and through him, captivating him as birdsong entranced artists. He remembered how the gleam of Shaun's eyes took his breath away, much brighter than any torch of an army. He remembered the words Shaun spoke, the way he walked, the way he inhaled and exhaled.

He remembered Shaun's presence, familiar yet unpredictable, expected yet exciting. He remembered the other's charm, and how it managed to bewitch him, just as Siren ensnared her victims long ago. There were the verbal battles, the glares and threats, all of which were remembered with great fondness. He remembered everything and yearned for it all to return. He remembered the words he wished to speak, but failed to do so.

He reflected on how those words burned his insides, just as gaping wounds tormented their victims.

"According to Shaun's last research, we've got approximately three days before Juno returns," a grave-faced Lucy said, looking over paperwork with tear-stained eyes. "Juno's meant to return in order to transform the mortal world into a godly realm. That transformation, of course, means Armaggedeon. That approximate value doesn't do any of our teams favors, and we can't forget the predicament Shaun's in."

"Ezio's tale was a little bit longer than three days," Desmond said, sitting up in Baby's seat. "How are we supposed to get to the good stuff, in such a short amount of time?"

"Never fear-Beccie's here," Rebecca chimed in, forcing herself to smile. She cast her head back at Desmond with that strained, tight smile. "I managed to give muh Baby a fast-forward button. We won't be staddled with the minor details of our next pal's memories. It works out perfectly, since we're so pressed for time."

Lucy rose from her station in a heartbeat, as if a beast's sudden appearance had spooked her. Her endurance level had diminished to absolutely no level at all, leaving her in a trail of tearful weariness. "Before we start in on anything," she said gently, eyeing an apprehensive Desmond. "I'd like to see you outside for a moment, Desmond."

In the blink of an eye, the former bartender leapt out of his chair. Lucy was the first one out of the main hub, but the eagle was close behind. Rebecca and Mindy exchanged stern, valorous glances before returning to their respective assignments, each one wielding thoughts of a missing team member. Wielding images of that same team member, two outside assassins found themselves close to tears. Not hesitating to shed hers, Lucy found herself wiping furiously at her eyes, just to keep her vision intact. "Are you sure you're ready to go?" the Stillman asked Desmond, her voice drowning in tears.

"You can...have a few more minutes to rest. We'll-"

True to form, Desmond was an eagle of unwavering brilliance, benevolent and steady-even in the darkest times. "We've got the teams depending on us," he said firmly, referring to the field's other assassins. "Shaun, Vidic and Minerva have all warned us about the three day limit. There's no way in Hell I'm sitting on my ass. Not in a time like this."

Neither of them spoke for a moment, standing in the silence of true light. "We'll put you through an eight-hour session," the Stillman said, beaming with a mother's adoration. "It'll be a long ride, but since you've become so accustomed to the Animus, I think you'll be fine."

"Maybe we should trade places."

"I don't think so," Mother Bird said gently, after issuing a small bit of bittersweet laughter. Desmond wrapped an arm about her shoulders, making a valiant attempt to infuse the air with cheer.

"Come on. At least I'm gonna be occupied with samurais and the shogunate. You're left out in the open."

"I'm going to be occupied with ending all of this," the Stillman said, landing her hands on Desmond's shoulders. "I'm going to think of nothiing but putting Vidic's lights out, restoring our world, and giving Shaun back to you. I stake my life and assassin's honor on those words, Dessie."

The eagle drew her into an embrace, then planted a kiss on her forehead. "Watch what you say, because that could be the last thing your loved one will ever hear," the Miles recited, eyes glistening. "Ever hear of that saying?"

Lucy's face adopted a world of pain, softer but darker than a rain-soaked night. "Of course I have."

"Well, I wish I had paid more attention to it."

She watched as he embarked on another voyage, rejoining the other two maidens. She watched as tears filled her eyes once again, stemming from the pain that burned deep within. Rain overwhelmed her as Rebecca settled Desmond into Baby's seat, spilling onto the floor-just as blood had spilled over the ages, falling from the blades of assassins and Templars. Two thoughts crossed her mind before she plunged into her own waves, standing on the azure threshold of fate.

You're going to see him again. I promise.