Frederick Weatherall
Frederick "Freddie" Weatherall was a member of the British Rite of the Templar Order and a former lover of Julie de la Serre. Still deeply in love with Julie, even after her wedding with François de la Serre, Weatherall came to France and became her confidant. He later became the mentor and fighting instructor of Julie's daughter Élise, and remained one of her closest allies and confidants until her death.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Training Élise[edit | edit source]
After moving to France, Weatherall, having the trust of both of her parents, became the sword instructor of a young Élise, training her like he had trained François-Thomas Germain years prior. Weatherall first met Élise in February 1774, and the young girl immediately took a liking to him, even if she was initially confused regarding the nature of his relationship with her parents.[1]
Following Julie's death from an illness in 1778, Weatherall became one of Élise's closest friends, in whom she confided her secret relationship with Arno Dorian and her difficulty coping with her destiny as the future Grand Master of the Templar Order. Élise also learned about Weatherall's secret love for her mother when she saw him sobbing at her grave. Seeing that the young girl was similarly grieving her mother's death, Weatherall gifted her a box from Julie containing a short sword with an inscription of the Templar maxim on the hilt. However, Élise did not react to the gift, still struggling to process her feelings.[1]
Investigation in London[edit | edit source]
After a failed assassination attempt on Julie – before her eventual, natural death – Weatherall used his spy network to find clues leading to Bernard Ruddock, a former British Assassin living in London. In January 1788, he went to the Maison Royale de Saint-Louis, having intercepted a letter from the school's headmistress, Madame Levene, to François which revealed that Élise was at the risk of expulsion for her rebellious behavior. Weatherall reunited with Élise and, in private, informed her about his investigation to find Ruddock. Élise insisted on accompanying him, but her mentor refused and scolded her for neglecting her schooling.[1]
Weatherall subsequently traveled to London to seek the assistance of the Carroll family in tracking down Ruddock, but was unexpectedly followed by Élise, who also desired revenge for the attempt on her mother's life. Despite his initial anger that Élise had disobeyed him, the mentor and student managed to allay the Carrolls' suspicion by pretending that Élise's arrival was planned. The Carrolls subsequently tasked Élise to retrieve the late Haytham Kenway's letters to his sister Jennifer Scott, and Weatherall maintained contact with his student through light signals during her infiltration of the Kenway Mansion.[1]
After several days, Élise managed to secure the letters after gaining Jennifer's trust and returned to the Carrolls' home. However, through Weatherall's light signals, she deduced that her mentor was being held hostage and that the Carrolls had found Ruddock. Élise subsequently followed them to the Boars Head Inn, where she confronted Ruddock and convinced him to flee. When the Carrolls arrived moments later, accompanied by their guards and Weatherall, Élise handed them Haytham's letters—in reality her own correspondence with Arno—and revealed Haytham's dream to end the war between the Templars and Assassins.[1]
The Carrolls, regarding the idea of peace with the Assassins as heretical, burned the letters and ordered Élise's death. However, the young Templar managed to kill May Carroll before Weatherall assisted her in dealing with the guards. As the Carrolls fled, Mrs. Carroll shot Weatherall in the leg, requiring Élise to carry him to a carriage. The two then escaped London and returned to France alongside Élise's handmaiden, Hélène. Once there, Madame Levene allowed them to stay at the Maison Royale and called a doctor to treat Weatherall's wound. However, the injury proved too severe, requiring his leg to be amputated. This, along with his age and the alcoholism he developed after Julie's death, compromised his fighting skills.[1]
Later years[edit | edit source]
Weatherall continued to reside in the Maison Royale alongside Hélène and Madame Levene's son Jacques, who eventually became Hélène's husband. Over the following years, he occasionally met with Élise to offer her advice, especially as the latter struggled with the death of her father, killed by Templar extremists in order to take over the French Rite. He also introduced her to Jean Burnel, a new Templar initiate and one of the few members of the Order still loyal to the De la Serre family following François-Thomas Germain's coup.[1]
On 20 January 1793, Weatherall met Élise in Versailles, where his student informed him of her newest exploits, revealing that she and Arno had begun hunting the Templars responsible for her father's death. Noticing that Élise's desire for revenge had only been growing stronger, Weatherall tried to warn her, but the young lady remained stubborn. Later, following Arno's expulsion from the Assassin Brotherhood, Weatherall encouraged Élise to find and make amends with her former lover, as well as negotiate peace with the Templars.[1]
In September 1794, following Élise's death during her and Arno's final confrontation with Germain, Weatherall met Arno when the latter arrived at the Maison Royale to collect Élise's belongings, as she had instructed him to do in her final letter. However, Arno was followed by Bernard Ruddock, who took Hélène hostage and demanded Haytham Kenway's letters. Revealing that he was serving the Carrolls, Ruddock claimed that he would kill everyone present to avenge May Carroll's death, and confirmed Weatherall's suspicions that the Carrolls had ordered Julie's assassination all those years ago.[1]
After being given the letters, Ruddock pretended to leave, only to suddenly turn around and attempt to shoot Arno. However, Weatherall acted swiftly by throwing Élise's short sword into his face, killing the rogue Assassin. Weatherall, Hélène, and Jacques then invited Arno to live with them, out of respect for Élise's memory, and the Assassin accepted.[1]