Assassin's Creed: Unity (novel)

Assassin's Creed: Unity is a novel written by Oliver Bowden released in the UK on 20 November 2014 and the US on 2 December 2014. The novel portrays Élise de la Serre's perspective of the events from the game of the same name.

Blurb

"I have been beaten, deceived and betrayed. They murdered my father- and I will have my revenge at whatever cost!"

―Élise de la Serre.

1789: The magnificent city of Paris sees the dawn of the French Revolution. The cobblestone streets run red with blood as the people rise against the oppressive aristocracy. But revolutionary justice comes at a high price...

At a time when the divide between the rich and poor is at its most extreme, and a nation is tearing itself apart, a young man and woman fight to avenge all they have lost. Soon Arno and Élise are drawn into the centuries-old battle between the Assassins and the Templars - a world with dangers more deadly than they could ever have imagined.

Plot summary

Arno's journal

12 September 1794

Arno recalled his memories of Élise as he read the secrets hidden in her journal.

Élise's journal, 1778

9 April

Aware of her privileged childhood as a noble, a ten-year-old Élise introduced herself in her journal as a child of François and Julie de la Serre and how she noticed the difference of the lives of nobles and the poor. She realized that she was naive before: Élise never questioned her parents why her training and education of history was different from the etiquette lessons other noble children learned or that her mother was different from other women at court.

Élise revealed that Julie had been sick for a long time and that her mother was at the brink of death.

10 April

Julie had survived the night as Élise sat by her, discerned how she and her father hid their grief from the de la Serre ward, Arno.

Élise remembered her times in the convent when she was five, how Julie threatened Mother Superior because of Élise's caning wounds, how Julie stayed away from other ladies and how Élise was forced to play with dolls with other girls against her preference for boys and their toy soldiers; memories in which she realized that her family was not an ordinary one.

She received a message from her combat mentor, Frederick Weatherall, in which he stated that he wanted to see Julie and meet Élise in the library at midnight, another secret the young girl had to keep.

11 April

Élise helped Weatherall sneak to her mother's room, aware of their secret relationship, and later spied on him weeping beside her mother.

The young girl retold the first time she had met Weatherall in her journal, which also happened to be the first time she had seen her mother and Weatherall engage an enemy, an incident that added to her blooming curiosity.

12 April

With her mother fading away, Élise worried much for her age and often asked the maidservant Ruth if her mother survived the night.

She spent her time recollecting her memories on her journal, such as the visit of the Templar Mr. Carroll with his wife and daughter, and the failed assassination attempt on her mother during their visit to Paris, which led to the Parisian Rite of the Templar Order's suspicions. Due to the incident, however, Élise's parents were forced to tell her of the Assassin-Templar War and her destiny to become the Grand Master of the Parisian Rite.

13 April

Élise wrote her feelings of grief and longing for her ill mother, and how she wished for everything to turn out fine again.

Arno's journal

12 September 1794

Arno described his relationship with Élise; their first meeting in the Palace of Versailles as children and his father's death, which prompted François to adopt Arno as the de la Serre ward.

Élise's journal, 1778

14 April

François and Élise, worried for Julie's condition, shared their grief and pain; although Élise noticed her father's attention turning towards Arno as time passed by.

Revisiting her memories, Élise realized that Arno became her best friend. As she spent her mornings training in combat and grooming as the future Grand Master, her afternoons were spent playing with their ward who became an escape for her responsibilities. Her parents, however, noticed her growing friendship with the boy and revealed Arno's Assassin descent. François asked her to indoctrinate Arno and influence him to join the Order, which Élise and Julie resisted.

15 April

The dying Julie instructed Élise to be strong and to serve as the strength and the third voice for François. She asked Élise to abide her own principles which were founded on compassion and that she would die happy and proud of her daughter. Élise and François stayed by her side as she died.

18 April

With the loss of her mother, Élise often hid her grief to the other members of the house, including Arno, who she thought did not fully understand the situation for he did not know Julie personally. She felt a bit of envy for the boy who had started training by François' orders.

She met with a grieving Weatherall who gave her a short sword as a gift from Julie. Later that day, she was summoned by François, where she let out her feelings.

Arno's journal

12 September 1794

Guilty from what he had read from Élise's journal, Arno admitted that she was far more mature than him and carried a huge burden for her age.

Arno recalled Élise's education at the Maison Royale de Saint-Louis school at Saint-Cyr after Julie's death. She sent letters to Arno telling stories about her hated classmates, teachers, and headmistress Madame Levene and her punishments for insolence.

He read her journal full of scorn and contempt in which Élise failed to realize that she was mourning, not rebelling.

Élise's journal

8 September 1787

François was called to the Maison Royale due to Madame Levene's complaints about Élise's behavior. After notifying his daughter with France's political issues and reminding her of Arno's indoctrination, he told her to improve her behavior as a lady.

8 January 1788

Élise failed to comply to her promise and instead caused more problems than before. She was sent to Madame Levene's office who told her that François would be sending an emissary to discuss her expulsion.

21 January

Madame Levene asked for an audience with Élise and the emissary, who happened to be Weatherall. He explained that he had intercepted François' letters and that he had tracked down Julie's attempted Assassin, Ruddock, who was excommunicated from the Brotherhood. The Carrolls had agreed to welcome Weatherall in London and hunt Ruddock.

Much to her dismay, Élise was not allowed to join her combat mentor and was told to prioritize her studies and behavior. After faking a punishment to satisfy the headmistress, Élise planned a way to escape the Maison Royale.

23 January

Having heard rumors of Madame Levene stealing off in the night to meet her "lover", Élise followed her and discovered that the headmistress had been seeing Jacques, the school groundskeeper, and heard a distinct sound of a kiss.

25 January

Confident with the blackmail she had formulated, Élise was sent to the headmistress' office. However, Madame Levene got access to the young girl's journal and found Élise's plan. Madame Levene explained that she was concerned for the girl and wanted to help her. The two agreed on a deal: for Élise to stay silent about what she saw in exchange for the letter of excuse for her father. The headmistress also told her that Jacques was her son, not lover, making Élise guilty for what the girl had done.

7 February

Élise wrote about her journey to the docks of Calais, where she tried to look for a captain of a ship heading to London in a tavern. However, she was attacked by the drinkers led by the Middle Man, a battle she abruptly lost due to her lack of practice. Fortunately, she was saved from being smuggled by a ship captain named Byron Jackson and took the advantage to save another girl, Hélène. Grateful to her savior, Hélène volunteered to become her handmaiden and went with her to London aboard the Granny Smith, Byron's ship.

8 February

The trio sailed to England on the Granny Smith, where Élise spent her time with Byron and teaching Hélène proper manners. After the journey, Élise and Hélène continued to the Carrolls' house, where Élise was reunited with Weatherall.

11 February

Weatherall and Élise discussed the Carrolls' plans for her and scolded his student on her lack of sword fight practice and joining a stranger, Byron Jackson, in a ship heading to London.

20 March

Élise spent the month writing letters to her father and Arno, keeping the secret of her tryst with Byron from him. Hélène volunteered to aid her mistress on the Carrolls' plans, disregarding the danger it could bring.

Arno's journal

12 September 1794

Arno recalled his own experiences while Élise was away in London: he had lived in a nearby village, playing and drinking with Victor and Hugo, and also revealed that he had broken his tryst with other women as well.