Chapter Text
Being an Assassin for the Brotherhood was considered a lifetime commitment to Elenore’s family. It was something that Anthony Williams drilled into his children’s head before they could even start walking. She and some of her brothers knew that but never truly understood until they finally were welcomed into the brotherhood.
She came to understand the words spoken by their ancestors. The words that lay at the heart of the creed.
Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent.
Hide in plain sight.
Never compromise the Brotherhood.
She had these tenants be branded upon her mind. Follow them and be uplifted. Break them at her peril.
By the young age of fourteen, Elenore Julianna Williams is dead. She has been culled from this world, with her sins and failures turned to dust. That night she was reborn, a novice of the Assassin Brotherhood.
In the absence of her own father who was in England with her brothers as well as her mentor who returned home to care for his twins, her indoctrination to the Brotherhood was witnessed by her third mentor, Arbaaz Mir within the dark underground den of the Indian Brotherhood of Assassins.
Like other young Assassins in history before her, she was trained at a young age and was indoctrinated young – earned her blade and robes at an age where she could still be considered a child.
But in the end… nothing is true, everything is permitted. Although she understood the reasoning behind the tenants, she had yet to understand the meaning of their philosophy. As the wisdom of their creed had been lost through time as they further progress into the future, Elenore came to understand that her silence was a necessity for a life like this.
Elenore was passed down by four different mentors since she started studying the ways of the Brotherhood at the age of three, as per her father’s wishes. Anthony was the first one to have her as his own daughter, it was an expected approach. But his assignments got in the way in training his children, hence, despite his wife being against the idea – Anthony had his children be trained by close friends.
In Elenore’s case, she was briefly passed to Cecily Frye, who was recently married and was early in her pregnancy at the time. Elenore didn’t learn combat until her later years as an Assassin initiate. Cecily simply thought her the basics, its history, its importance, the basics of stealth.
Miss Cecily made stealth training fun for the girl. In the point of view from other people, Mrs. Frye made sure that the child had a childhood while she walked in the steps of the Brotherhood. It started by a simple game of hide and seek with a mix of tag.
When Cecily entered her second trimester, she proceeded to have Elenore practice her skills on trying to steal a couple of sweets or baked goods from the kitchen without getting caught.
When she finally entered her third trimester, Cecily knew that there had Elenore’s stealth lesson had to be a little more complicated than stealing cookies from Cecily’s mother on a daily basis. She had the girl try and capture the sly cat that keeps on sneaking into their house in the afternoon.
Elenore didn’t even realize that she was already doing stealth training so early on because of Miss Cecily, and as young as she was at the time – it was odd for her that she remembered it all so… vividly.
But when it came time for Miss Cecily to give birth on the 9th of November that evening, poor three-year old Elenore didn’t understand why her favorite mentor was screaming. Through the open door, she could still remember the sight of it even during her adulthood – how Miss Cecily bleed so much blood and cried for her husband who was away on a mission throughout the night.
Cecily’s mother stayed with the poor girl as she sung her lullabies in her room, in attempts to block out the screams of her daughter who was giving birth to not one baby but two.
Cecily died shortly right after, leaving this world with two crying babies who wanted to feel the warmth of their mother.
True to the accounts of those who knew him, Ethan was a broken man afterwards. Elenore kept on looking for her mentor after that, it didn’t seem to register why Miss Cecily was in a pretty dress sleeping inside the box.
Her own mother, Catherina who visited for the funeral with her husband, had to explain to her daughter rather painfully.
Elenore’s innocence at the time broke her mother’s heart when she asked her questions, such as: “Why can’t Miss Cecily visit us? Doesn’t she love us?”
Catherina couldn’t put it into better words with her answer. “No one is truly gone, my darling. Miss Cecily loved you very much, and she will look after you from heaven to make sure you’re safe and growing up well. And it goes the same for her own children… little miss Evie and little mister Jacob, don’t you agree?”
Elenore’s response broke her mother’s heart even more. “Miss Cecily should love Evie and Jacob more.”
“Why can’t she love you all equally, my darling?”
“Because I am not her child.” It puzzled Catherina on how her daughter was able to give such an answer to her. The more Mrs. Williams pondered about her daughter’s answer, the more she was determined to bring her darling girl home with them back to Wales.
But her wishes were dismissed by her husband who was determined to have Elenore continue her training as an Assassin. Catherina barely had four of her children with her, as they were all being raised by men and women she barely even knew. Elenore and James were younger, and they needed their mother, but Anthony kept on dismissing it.
Elenore could even hear the shouting from the upstairs bedroom after Miss Cecily was buried. With grandmother taking care of the twins in the nursery as she stayed in the living room alone, seated by the fireplace as she waited for her parents to finish. The almost three-year-old girl was concerningly silent, especially when Ethan finally entered the house trying to focus on his own emotions—when he saw the silent girl waiting alone, he couldn’t help but feel pity and worry at the same time.
Elenore was not his child; one could even say that she was the practice child of his and Cecily’s during the few months that they’ve been with her. She was turning three next month and yet there she was, patiently waiting for her parents to stop arguing from the second floor as if she understood what they were even saying.
This was no environment for a child.
It was quite hypothetical of him, really. He knew why. An idea came into his head, and he simply sat down beside the girl, wrapping his big arms around her small body as he pulled him close to him. By his surprise, the toddler was hugging him as he noticed tears were finally coming out of the corner of her eyes. This child was too mature for her own good – he always knew she learned faster than most kids, he saw it in the results of Cecily’s stealth training.
The loud arguments of his old-time friend and his wife were disturbing for him as well, it didn’t take long for the twins from the nursery beginning to cry because of the noise.
Anthony was determined to have his daughter continue her training, but in the absence of a mentor he didn’t know who to give his child to. Catherina on the other hand wanted her home, away from this Brotherhood indoctrination that her husband was forcing onto their children.
Elenore didn’t seem to understand at the time but for Ethan it was very clear that the toddler was bothered by all the constant shouting.
He did the unthinkable and took responsibility for Elenore’s training, making him the child’s third mentor.