Hello, my lovelies! Welcome to the new version of this story! Note, that the old version is NOT gone forever. I have it saved seperately. I will put up a poll on my profile so you can vote if you want me to continue the new version or put the old one back. Now I'll stop nattering and let you go.
I cursed my abysmal luck for possibly the umpteenth time that evening as I evaded yet another arrow. Things could not get any worse. Well, they could, but that is beside the point. With an entire platoon of the city watch on my tail, the bastards were damned persistent, I'll give them that. Eyes casting left and right, I sighed in exasperation as I took a leap of faith off the two level building I was currently on. My mission partner was missing. My second paired assassination mission with that witless buffoon and yet again I end up forced to do all of the work. Damned Abbas. He gets one rank ahead of me and he thinks he's Richard the Lionheart, by Anima!
I waited until the guards were gone, having nattered to each other like children over the assassin disappearing into thin air, before leaving my hiding place, feeling suddenly restless.
It was quick work crossing from the middle to the rich district of Jerusalem. Since Abbas was taking his sweet time doing what ever the hell he was, I decided to explore the goings on of the New Year's festival. Being seventeen and a low ranked Journeyman, I've never really had the chance to have any true time to myself, so I'd best enjoy this opportunity while it lasts. There was music in great abundance. Food, drink, merriment, and general drunken idiocy in some areas, dancing girls, and gypsies in others. I had been drawn toward an area where some of the gypsy dancers were putting on a show with their younger, less experienced girls, leading to their older women when Abbas finally decided to show up. Just when I was having a good time, too.
"Oi, Al-Sayf! We don't have time to be just -hic- lolly-shiteing about! Get your half-blood ass moving!"He slurred half drunkenly. I scowled at the derogation, but obeyed as to not be punished by the rafiq. I got the sadistic satisfaction of watching Abbas stumble over the rooftops, nearly falling over the edge a few times on the way to the bureau. I actually had to stop once to get myself to stop laughing. Once I did, I noticed that Abbas was gone. Probably back at the bureau already. Not caring in the slightest, I flitted over the last few rooftops and landed in the lattice enclosed garden in a tight roll, expecting to see the buffoon sprawled on the pillows, unconscious.
When I got to my feet and looked over, my stomach very nearly hit the stone floor.
There was Abbas, with a novice pinned to the cushions. He was salivating over the novice like a man would a whore, pulling at the younger one's clothes, a grotesque lump beginning to form in the front of his trousers. Disgusted, I unsheathed my sword and cracked Abbas in the back of the head with the hilt, knocking him unconscious. Sheathing my sword, I rolled him off of the novice to be dealt with later. The boy was curled into a ball, whimpering almost silently. From his stature, he couldn't have been any older than Kadar. Twelve at the most.
I crouched next to him, placing a gentle hand on a slim shoulder. He shivered and curled in tighter on himself and I sighed, taking a seat next to the frightened novice.
"Hey, come now."I started, "Are you alright? He didn't hurt you?" I didn't get an immediate answer from the boy, but after a moment's hesitation, he shook his head and peered up at me with fearful, curious eyes from under his gray hood. Strange... I recognize those eyes. That unusual green bleeding to amber...
"You're Kadar's friend. Altair, was it?"I asked. He perked up at the mention of my little brother and nodded once. I smiled gently and patted his shoulder.
"Well Altair, you won't have to worry about this piece of shite anymore. I'll speak to the Rafiq in the morning and he'll be reported to the Master."I sneered at the limp form of Abbas and then looking back at Altair, he offered me a weak smile before snuggling down into the cushions, laying his head on my lap. Blinking, I shook off my confusion, owing it to the poor boy losing his father to betrayal and execution just last year and thus, having no one for comfort. I ran my hand under his hood, through his hair like I would with Kadar, and Altair was asleep soon after.
I spoke with the Rafiq the next morning. With the mission complete, we were to depart for Masyaf immediately. I was tasked with escorting Altair and an apprentice, Rauf Assam, back as well. The Rafiq dispatched a bird to report Abbas' misdemeanor to be dealt with on our return. Just a week more with the man, and hopefully, I'd not have to deal with him as a partner again.
On the journey back, Rauf was exceedingly talkative. The complete opposite of Altair. The boy made not a single sound, said not a single thing the entire trip. Then again, his friend spoke enough for the both of them. Still, his silence was disconcerting. A boy his age should be at least as noisy as my little brother, if not this little chatterbox here, glancing back and forth between Altair and Rauf.
We met with the master as soon as we reached Masyaf. He was pleased with the mission's success, but with having received the Rafiq's bird, he was spitting mad. In the end, I got a promotion, and Abbas was sleighted with kitchen and stable duty for a month without pay on top of guard duty. He'd be smelling like horse shite for weeks! As soon as we were dismissed, We were greeted by my brother, and after ensuring he was well and vice versa, he dragged Altair off to do who knows what. Was I ever that energetic when I was his age?
Getting back to Altair, though, his silence is very troubling. I'll have to keep an eye on him when I can.
Just in case...
A/N: And we're done with the first piece! I've decided to change things up to be written in a counter perspective style between Malik and Altair. Keep in mind, the timeline has been changed a tinsy bit.