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It had been nearly four hours since they had left the comfort of the train turned hideout. Jacob had a growing numbness in his feet from the cold, an unwelcome distraction to their stealth mission. He had gone to assist Evie with another liberation of a child’s labor factory, and found that even with the additional jumper he wore, the cold was still seeping in – god knows how the children could stand working in such weather.
They rounded the corner together of the third floor, having entered through an open window, and crept through the factory, killing off any Templar members they crossed. Looking to Evie, he watched as she squinted down at a Templar member, trying to discern his strengths.
“Evie,” Jacob hissed, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine!” She snapped, rubbing her eyes with a shaking hand, “Just can’t concentrate,” She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes for a moment of brief relief. Taking a deep breath, he watched as she tried to use her Eagle Vision to zone in on the factory floors below – and it was painful to watch. Her brows were furrowed, fingers massaging her temples while her eyelids flickered shut.
“Evie what’s wrong?” Jacob rested a hand on her shoulder, feeling her lean into his embrace with a weak groan, “Eves?” Fear started to cloud his mind as his twin firmly closed her eyes. He sat her down, glad they had hidden out in an office, and propped her up in a corner away from the windows, “Are you okay?” He asked in a normal volume, prompting her to wince, shakily covering her ears. Even with her eyes still shut, she could still sense his movements in front of her, flinching away from his hand to her cheek.
Lowering his voice to a low whisper, he said, “Evie I’ll be back, okay? I’ll free the children, and I’ll come back for you. Don’t move alright?”
She whimpered, reaching out to grab one of his hands to try get him to stay, but Jacob knew that the mission would still come first. Taking off his overcoat, he lay it across her, and silently crept away to complete this mission.
Even with his reputation for a loud fight, Jacob kept as stealthy as he could, sabotaging the bell, and caught several Templars from behind doors and in cloak rooms, giving him the element of surprise. It took just over an hour for the factory to be cleared, and all the children to be set free, many of them wanting to thank him for his bravery, leading to some clipped encounters as he tried to explain that Evie was still very much waiting for him.
He ran up the flights of stairs, not stopping until he was back in the office, and saw Evie. She had curled up on the wooden slats, a small pool of bile in front of her, strings of saliva coating her chin and some of Jacob’s beloved coat.
“Evie? It’s alright, it’s just me, Jacob,” He whispered, pulling the coat around her tightly, “I’m going to get us home. Just hold on for me, okay?”
He wiped her face down, trying not to make too much noise as he opened up another window. There weren’t many places to safely jump to, and the gauntlet wouldn’t hold them both on one rope for long enough. He would have to carry her.
Kneeling beside her, Jacob lifted her up into a piggy back, securing her onto his back with a couple of well-placed ropes tied around him. She groaned in pain as he carried her down the stairs, the factory being incredibly loud as they passed shouting adults and shrieking machinery.
“It’s alright Evie, we’ll be home soon,” He promised, walking down to the edge of the Thames where he found a group of Rooks, “Lads,” He greeted with a smile. They returned the sentiment loudly, some of them already drunk despite it only nearing three in the afternoon.
“Keep a lid on it for now boys,” He quipped, gesturing to Evie, “She’s not feeling great. Any of you fancy a boat ride?” Four of the green clad members nodded eagerly, jumping down onto the deck of a boat, and held up thumbs to the Frye twins. Helping them down onto the deck, the Rooks set the motor going on the boat and kicked their feet up, letting them drift into the traffic of the Thames whilst Jacob set Evie down below deck in a makeshift bed.
“How are you feeling Eves?” He whispered,
“Migraine,” She whispered almost inaudibly, “Eagle Vision hurt,”
He nodded, “I know, it’s okay though,”
“Mission?”
“Templars killed and all children liberated,” He reassured her, gently caressing her cheek, “You rest for now, we’ll be back on the train soon, okay?”
She gave a small nod, eyes quickly closing again while Jacob continued to soothe her with soft massages, working his way from her head to lower back, feeling her relax into the motions.
Half an hour later, the boat was moored and another group of Rooks had met them. Jacob raised an eyebrow at the horse and cart initially, but after looking at Evie, he realized her deadweight would be too much to carry. Lifting her up bridal style, he gently lay her down across the back seats, resting her head in his lap.
She hissed in pain as sunlight found her eyes, and each time the cart jostled too much, a pitiful moan left her lips. Jacob frowned, “Is the pain worse?” He whispered, sighing as she nodded tearfully. Taking his cap, he placed it low down on her head so it covered her eyes, and part of her ears to soften the shouts of the streets. And the relief was instantaneous, no sunlight capable of meeting her eyes.
And as they arrived to the station, even more Rooks had arrived to help with quietening the station, and offered aid to help Evie which meant more to Jacob than he imagined. Seeing them be there for London’s community was one thing, but there for the twins personally was another. Carrying Evie to bed, Jacob found Henry waiting anxiously outside the carriage.
“Is Miss Frye alright?” He asked formally, prompting a sudden shushing as Evie winced.
“Migraine,” Jacob whispered. He had partially undressed her, laying several blankets on her, and a damp cloth across her eyes. The bile covered coat made its way into a pile of clothes to be washed, and the coach divider was gently shut.
“She’ll be fine,” Jacob reassured Henry, “I remember when we were little, she had a migraine and she passed out during training, she wouldn’t get out of bed for two days straight even with dad breathing down her neck,”
“They must be quite painful for her then,” He mused, knowing the reputation of Ethan Frye’s style when it came to being an assassin.
Jacob chuckled, “I suppose. At the next stop, we can shop around, see if there’s any good markets nearby,”
“What for?”
“For soup Greenie, Evie is all about her soups when ill,”