Assassin’s Creed: Refiners- Terrence Patterson pt. #1
Liam’s Story
Kailey’s Story
“You! Bastard of Patterson clan!”
Terrence Patterson turned to the source of a thick german voice calling out to him. He gave a groan in frustration. Now is not the time for Marcus VanEgan, a german son of the local blacksmith to come for another fight.
Days ago, when most of the citizens of New York took the opportunity to flea the city with the ever growing presence of General Howe’s Navy and army surrounding the city and littering the Hudson River with British ships; Terrence found himself facing a situation he knew he couldn’t get away from, and that Marcus had to see that he was not in the state of mind.
Terrence’s dark eyes squinted at the sun coming behind the large blacksmith’s son. “If it’s about me making sure your cock didn’t lay near Miss Philip’s secret womb, then you shouldn’t of tried to force her in the first place.”
Marcus’s face turned red with rage accompanying his broken English. “She didn’t want anything to do with me anymore due to me being a quote “filthy haishum supporter”. I may have been born in the fatherland, but she should know better that we stay true to our country. Hell, she was born British and yet sides with the rebels. She’s as much of a traitor as any from what I’ve read in the papers.”
Terrence couldn’t take more of Marcus’s weak justification. “And so by her not wanting to court you anymore gives you the right and the obligation to rape her near where the British army could kill you both on the spot? Does a woman’s honor mean nothing to you? Is that how you were taught?”
“Says the bastard son of a woman who teaches nothing but all that reading and writing to lower class einfältige (simpletons). Your mother was possibly a whore before having you.”
Terrence’s anger rose to his chest. He hated it when his mother gets thrown into the angered conversations. As long as he could remember, Terrence and his mother were the center gossip of the identity of his father. All his mother could ever claim was that his died during the now called Seven Years War at sea before she could tell him of the pregnancy. Still, even when at the beginning of his birth, was interrogated by the midwife on the identity of his father, not even in the midst of pain and pressure of the local court, her only answer was “A fallen warrior of a hidden one”. And the identity was never questioned after sending that the father died, allowing his mother to bring him to the world.
Yet despite the assumption that a “warrior” may had been a noble title, that never stopped the harassment and judgment from most of the citizens in the district where Terrence and Kailey lived for sixteen years now. Kailey had mostly the more merciful end of being the topic of gossip, yet by the time Terrence was over five years of age, the women ceased on thinking of her a prostitute. Terrence however was branded by the young men and older men as “a bastard child”. He had few friends, mostly younger boys he would aid on learning to defend themselves and the slaves that would be on shopping trips for their masters. Yet there were times when he wished Marcus would just go piss off at another form of entertainment.
He turned around and walked towards the arrogant german. “You know something Marcus.” Terrence started quietly. “You can say all the damning things about me; but you may as well get a one way passage to hell for insulting my ma.” Terrence then took Marcus by the shoulder and slowly drew his ear towards his lips. “Of course I wouldn’t be surprised if you'd be covered by your own blood and this roads dirt before you realized that I called your mother a boar so attractive, the bears would want to eat her inside and out.” And before Marcus could respond, Terrence punched the german hard.
Marcus quickly got onto his feet and charged at Terrence with a wear cry. Both men fought with fists of furry, hard enough to have the dirt road collect all the dust into a cloud. Soon a crowd of dock workers and other local men gathered to see the fight. Terrence was quick, even though Marcus managed to get a few punches upon the young man’s handsome face. This however wasn’t the first time Terrence danced with a fighting cock of a man.
The sound of British soldiers came in, ordering the crowd to disburse just as when they approached the two men, they noticed that Marcus was holding a large knife aiming for Terrence. Two of the soldiers came in the middle of the flight, pushing back Marcus away from Terrence; but the german proved to be boiled with enough anger to be as strong as the greek hero Hercules and pushed one of the soldiers backwards towards Terrence. The Soldier tripped on a hole in the road and the blade on his riffle dug into Terrence’s left breast area of his chest. Terrence cried out in pain as he looked down to see the tip thankfully not deep enough to go to the heart. But as the soldier tried to get himself up, the metal twisted to where Terrence would feel another blow of pain. One man quickly grabbed Terrence and pulled him away from the blade. Terrence breathed hard as the blood razed out into a now star x like would. A woman took a towel from her laundry she must of been removing and placed it of the young man’s chest.
The British soldiers were too busy beating Marcus up for “disrupting the peace”. And after they had their chance of licking, the soldiers took the german to a ship that was docked nearby. Everyone knew that once the soldiers or Torires took a man to a British ship, they had been “signed up” to King George the Third’s army or navy. Most likely the Navy, as if the New York Harbor was already littered with ships of all breeds and kinds.
Terrence felt light headed as a man lead him away from the crowd. He looked to his right side to see a man about a few inches shorter then Terrence if not for the tall fur hat that was crowned on his head. The stranger looked to be in his mid or late thirties. He had thick squared brown beard with matching eyes, wrinkles seemed to had invaded the man in an earlier age then anticipated.
“Keep your eyes wide and broad son.” The man said with a thick accent. Terrence wanted to interrogate the stranger, but his mind struggled as he tried not to faint.
When the men were away from the docks, the stranger lowered Terrence onto a wooden crate and unbuttoned his torn shirt to analyze the wound. He took a fingerless gloved hand into his trench coat pocket and pulled out a bottle of whiskey where he poured the wound. Terrence’s dark eyes widened with the unexpected stun of the liquor’s work. The man gently cleaned the wound away from the torn area before compressing a handkerchief onto the wound, which caused another wave a pain to entered into Terrence’s mind.
“You got lucky you know lad.” The man told the youth. “Most men even older then you would be dead on sight with that. You happen to have such mass mussels in this chest of yours. From what I can tell, your more then a dock worker most of the time.”
Terrence nodded. “Shipment loader and wheeler part of the time. Whatever is needed to keep bread in my ma and I’s belly.”
The man nodded. Understanding without having heard another word from Terrence.
“So you a doctor or something?” Terrence asked the savior. “You sure know how to stop a bleeding from stopping a heart. Hope you can sew this good before my ma sees this.”
The man chucked. “You seemed to analyze me as if a man looking for a good plow horse that can actually pull a plow. And yes, I can sew the wound. However I am a mere assistant who never felt with something this wide in the center. I’ll try to get the edged closed as best as I can, the rest, you better wear this scar with pride, knowing that you’re tough enough to pass the British without taking your last breath before meeting your future lady.”
Terrence gave a painful laugh. He was always thought of a handsome man by most, least all the young girls and women his age wanting to marry thought so. Yet he wan’t ready for marriage, for he wanted a mate that can catch up with him, and be qualified with the characteristics as his mother. The strongest woman he’d ever known.
“Will be a long time till she wins me heart Mr...”
“Colley. Jamie Colley.” The man extended his free left hand, to which was a praise to God for Terrence, since he’s left handed. He clasped Jamie’s hand with ease, yet with a caused hard grip.
For almost and hour, Terrence was enduring the white hot pain of a needle piercing his skin as the horse hair from a collection Jamie kept in the same coat pocket. It amazed Terrence that a hair that looked so frail and fine can aid in holding torn skin together in order to heal. Just as Jamie predicted, all but a mass round wound where the blade entered remained. He took a cloth bandage and wrapped a cotton mass on the wound around Terrence’s strong shoulders. When he tied it with a confident knot, Jamie pushed himself up and wiped the blood from his hands on the edge of his long brown coat. He aided Terrence to his feet and picked up the bloody shirt.
“My apologize for your shirt. I imagine that men might mistaken you from a trouble maker from the prisons. But if I were in your boots, I’d fear my skin when facing your ma.”
Terrence chuckled in agreement. “Aye. Thank you for helping me sir. I might of been joining my pa and finally meet him.” Terrence never knew much information about his father, not even his mother gave information of what he was really like. All she would describe was the characteristics of his father.
He was the bravest and humblest man anyone could of known.
I see his kindness in you.
He would of proud of your integrity.
Terrence could tell that his mother deeply loved him; yet she loved her son just as much. For Kailey Patterson never gave the impression to her son that he would have to carry hi father’s legacy. But Terrence felt that he needed to protect it, even if theres more to the story apparently.
The two men shook hands when Terrence stood up to leave. Jamie told the young man to take the willow bark tea he’d gave him and suggested that the loose leaves can aid in the wounds when wet.
“I’m surprise you can afford tea as of late,” Terrence commented, smelling the rich earth smell of earth from the mixture of ground bard and powder.
“Traded with a Shawnee warrior that happened to be passing by. Though he informed me that a Mohawk man known to “sail the wooden horse on the great water” traded it to the man. Saying that it numbs the pain. I find the Mohawks fascinating when it comes to natural medicine. “
Terrence once again thanked Jamie and headed home. Ready to face the unpredictable results from his mother.
“You should be thanking God Almighty that the doctor was close by.” Kailey told her son as she cleaned Terrence’s wound with a warm wash cloth. This wasn’t the first time Kailey tended to her son’s wounds. Mostly cuts and bruises littered her only son’s sculpted body. She once again was reminded of Liam overtime she’d looked into her son’s face.
“He sure gave me the strength to kick the a,,,”
“Terrence!” Kailey sharply corrected him.
“Marcus was mocking you for...” Terrence’s eyes burned with rage. He was so angry that tears began to escape from his eyes. A mixture of pain and anger inside and out.
Kailey took her son’s large land and held it tightly into her hands. “As much as I am proud of you for standing up for whats right; but you no need to defend me honor son. I’ve been dealing with worse before you were even born.”
“I know you weren't a whore.”
“No did you expect me to tell you.” Kailey teased. She and he son always had their dry sense of humor of sarcasm. “But right now, hell will seem to break loose. I heard the hills are painted red with British blood.” Kailey had renounced her nationality of a British woman after the declaration of independence months prior. She wanted to be like all colonists, Americans. Their own people of their own country.
When Kailey finished wrapping her son’s wounds, she felt an arm taking her into a hug. She smiled, returning her son’s embrace. The calm before a burning storm.
