Eagle meets wolf
Eagle meets wolf
Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed or any of the other characters. But I own the characters I created.
Be warned!! I'm not a native speaker and there can be a few mistakes (and a lot of tense mistakes) in the story. Please let me know if you find some. I always check for mistakes but I often overlook something.
I've never written a whole story and so I decided to start with a complete new one. I thought it would be better than translating a half- finished crap.
I've tried to keep the beginning as short as possible…
Prologue:
When Thomas Colville felt his end coming, he passed his whole property and his men to his 20 year old daughter Leorah. Cristiana, her stepmother, tries to get hold of her possession and engages a wedding with her nephew Walter Loring.
When Leorah gets wind of the plans of her stepmother she decides to flee to the holy land. During the journey she becomes witness of an assassination………
Chapter 1
An eagle was circling high above the sky and only its cry betrayed its presence. On silent wings and full off patience the bird of prey was waiting until its prey appeared. Its sharp eyes showed him every single movement on the ground below.
Suddenly, in one swift movement, the huge bird shot down like a spear and disappeared from her range of vision for a few seconds.
A few moments later it appeared again. Its beak red from the blood and the claws were drilling deep into the body of the dead prey.
A gentle wind blew through her blond hair and she grinned slightly when she watched the eagle flying back to the mountains where it came from. The sun was already setting down and she hoped the wolves would soon start to howl. She loved their clear, but yet so sad sounding voices.
The wolf was the heraldic animal of the Colville's and has always represented their family in times of peace and on the battlefield.
A soft knock sounded on her door and interrupted her from her train of thoughts.
"Come in." Leorah sighed.
A middle- aged woman with dark blond hair entered the room.
"What do you want?" she asked, her tone unfriendly.
"Hold your tongue, girl! I'm your mother and you have to show me your respect!" Cristiana hissed.
Leorah looked up, her ice- blue eyes reflecting her anger, but she kept her voice calm as she spoke.
"You're not my mother and I will show you as much respect as you deserve."
The woman looked away from these wolfish looking eyes and sighed:" Just get in your finest dress and try to behave. You're still a princess, don't forget."
"I'm not a princess anymore, MOTHER!! Don't forget!" Leorah sneered.
"Oh no, you're too young and you can't be queen without a king!"
Leorah allowed a small sarcastic laugh to escape her lips.
"I don't care at all! You do as I wish and now, get ready!!" the woman said, the last two words screaming out. Cristiana left the room, her face full of fury.
Then Leorah's servant girl Kayalah entered the room.
"Mylady, I've brought you your dress. Your mother wishes that you wear the green one."
"Who's the visitor?"
"Your mother's nephew Walter Loring." the servant girl answered.
"I knew it." She thought.
"Is there something wrong, milady? You're so quiet."
"No. Just listen what I'm telling you now…and put away this dress!!"
"But…"
"No! Just listen!!" Leorah shouted.
Kayalah dropped the dress on the floor, clearly startled.
She ignored the servant girl's expression and continued.
"Go down to the stables and tell Will he should saddle Nero and keep him ready. And hurry!"
Kayalah nodded and left the room as fast as she could. Leorah hurried and put on something more comfortable than a dress. Then she looked for her sword. It was a gift from her father and made out of a very special dye which made the sword nearly indestructible and in the right light the blade was shimmering in a deep dark red.
She left the fortress as fast as she could, hoping not to meet Walter or her stepmother or somebody else where she had to offer an explanation where she was going.
When Leorah arrived at the stables Will was already waiting for her. But he didn't see her coming; he seemed to be very busy not to get hit by the hooves of the rearing horse. When the animal saw her it calmed down and whinnied softly. He was a big black steed with a long mane, tough but also fast with strong legs and hard hooves, a beautiful representation of his breed. She padded his strong neck and thanked Will before she fixed the saddlebags and attached her sword to her belt.
"Am I allowed to ask you a question? Not as a servant but as a friend?" he asked sheepishly.
"Of course you are." she answered friendly and took the reigns from him. "But don't tell anybody what I intend to do."
"I swear it."
"That's good, but I didn't expect another answer."
"Where the hell are you going?"
"Messina." Leorah answered simply.
"The port to the holy land? You are going to the holy land?"
"Umm, yes."
"But why?" Will started to get really curios.
"Cristiana is trying to get hold of my possession with a marriage."
"I see… that is why Walter is here." he stated.
"Exactly."
"She's such a sneaky wretch!" he shouted angry.
"Seems you don't like her…" Leorah grinned.
Will startled when he realized what he said.
"S-Sorry for the curse words." he stuttered.
She laughed: "It's alright. But now I have to leave before they realize that I'm gone. Farewell."
Leorah mounted her steed and pushed him into a gallop.
"Good luck! And if god has purpose for you there he will keep you safe in his hands!"
"God…" she smirked, "How I hate this bastard…"
The sun was setting down in the holy land and the heat which lasted the whole day slowly disappeared with the last sunrays.
The only noise which disturbed the now nightly silence were hoof beats which were echoing through the mountains. Swift, strong feet pounded rhythmically and powerful to the ground. The feet were adorned with alabaster socks and black hooves that match the coat. The horse's body was toughened and strengthened from all the years of being ridden in the mountains. It inhaled and exhaled the dry, cold air vigorously just following the path before him, obeying the will of his master.
His master's face is covered by a hood and gave him a mysterious look. White robes danced with the movement of the horse, leather- shoed feet and strong legs gripped the barrel of the horse with practiced efficiency. His, with leather gloves protected, hands gripped the reigns firmly. Muscled arms were bound and protected by leather bracers. A silver- hilted sword was attached to a leather belt with several dagger sheaths and lined with red fabric. Another one loops around his shoulder and down to the left hip, a place to keep his throwing- knives and his short sword.
After a while Masyaf came in sight. He slowed the horse (down) outside the wooden gate. The disciplined stallion stopped without questioning. Dark-brown eyes scanned the area before he dismounted and led his horse to the stables. Then he entered the gate and made his way up to the fortress.
"You wished to see me master?" he asked in his deep, stern voice void of emotion.
The master turned around to face him.
"Yes, Altair. I have a very special task for you, which permits no deferment."
"Whatever you ask, I will serve."
"And because of this attitude, my child, you became one of the best."
The master- assassin just nodded, cause he had no idea what he could respond and so he waited for his master to continue. He knew that Al Mualim was right and still he felt a little bit proud cause the master never distributed praise when he had no good reason to do so.
Again the old man's voice cut through the silence.
"Do you remember this small village in the west of Jerusalem?"
Altair nodded. "Is there something particular(ly)?"
"Of course. Rashid is hiding there."
"The son of Al Jaber ibn- Hassad?" Altair's interest was growing.
"Yes. One of our allies saw him there. She ensured me that he is still there."
"I have your leave to move off?"
"You have. But be sure no one watches the assassination or finds the dead body."
Altair bowed and left. He was wondering why he had to be extra- careful but no assassin dared to dispute the will of their master and so he prepared everything for this short journey. Long before the sun was rising again, Altair was already on his way to Jerusalem.
Author's notes:
I know that there are a lot of mistakes in it and I will correct them as soon as possible. I also hadn't a very good English teacher, but when I write it in German… guess it would sound far more badly. I had a huge argument with my parents and so they forbid me to use my internet. This is kind of illegal but I don't care.
I also wanted to thank my good friend Minnie for showing me my mistakes. THX and big hugs to you HUG.
Chapter 1 is finished now ;)
Chapter 2
A few days later after she started her journey, Leorah finally reached the pilgrim road.
"To kill an infidel is not murder! It is the path to heaven!" an old man, covered in dirt, yelled. He repeated the same words again and again every time when somebody crossed the borders. Leorah just gave him an annoyed look and clicked her tongue to get Nero into a faster trot. It took her 3 more days until she arrived at the port in Acre. Leorah didn't want to waste more time in this city than necessary. And so she looked for the main- gate to leave Acre as soon as possible. But before she could leave she needed some food which would last for a few days. Leorah led the stallion through the crowded streets. She hid her sword under her black wrap and covered her face with a hood. Nobody should know her cause her father's enemies were now hers. She wasn't scared at all but she had to be careful. There were also a lot of beggars and loads of drunken men who staggered across the streets. But everybody in the crowd gave way when Leorah appeared with her steed. Nero seemed a little bit uncomfortable and pounded on the ground with his hooves with noticeable impatience. Nobody dared to come closer, also the guards. They just eyed her suspicious when she stopped at a small fountain under the shadow of a tree, and went about their business again. Weird strangers were nothing new to them.
Most of the poor district was destroyed and nobody has ordered to put the dead bodies away. The corpses smelled awful and the stench intensified in the midday heat.
"Excuse me." Somebody asked in a german accent. Leorah turned around to face the speaker. She looked in the eyes of a young man, maybe 2 years older than her with typical bright- brown hair.
"Something's wrong?" she asked and eyed him with distrust.
"Your horse has a loose shoe." He stated. "May I offer you my services?"
"I guess you followed me…" Leorah replied thoughtful and looked to the ground.
"I did and I'm sorry." the man said ashamed.
"Damn, I have to be more careful."she thought.
"Ok, lead the way." Leorah sighed.
"You believe me?" he stared at her in disbelief.
"Why not? You're a blacksmith aren't you? And it seems you need some money. Or is there another reason why you followed me?" Leorah became impatient.
When she followed the man she always left one hand on her sword hilt. She didn't trust him. Why should she at all? He followed her! But she needed him.
"What's your name?"
"My name is Frederick." he answered when he fought his way through the crowd.
"What a stupid name." she thought.
Frederick led her to the rich district of Acre. He stopped in front of the huge residence of the knights Templar. "What are we doing here exactly?" Leorah asked confused.
"My forge is next to the residence."
"This is weird. Why the hell does he need money when he lives in the rich district?" she didn't said it loud but it seemed Frederick knew what she was thinking.
"You'll see." he said simply. When they turned around the corner she knew what he meant. The forge was very old and shoddy. A dark brown horse was tied on a fence in the small yard. It's fur was dull, blunt and mane and tail were matted, it's eyes without expression. The poor creature was so thin that every single rib was noticeable.
"I will first take care of your horse if that's ok." Leorah nodded and Frederick started with his work. She took the time to take a closer look at the animal. The horse wasn't very pleased of getting touched. It tried to bite her several times. An awful stench was coming out of it's muzzle. Frederick was so poor that he had to feed his horse with a small rest of his old food. It must have been rotten for a longer time cause the stench was unbearable. The horse got tired of trying to bite her and was dozing in the sun again. Leorah decided to do the same, she sat down in the shadow of the small fence and closed her eyes.
The sound of hoof- beats woke her up and a few moments later Nero pushed softly against her side. Leorah stood up slowly and stretched herself in pleasure. She padded Nero's muscular neck then she eyed Fredericks work.
"Are you satisfied?" he asked cautios.
"I am." Leorah replied."How much do I owe you?"
"Umm…"
"Yes?" she wasn't a very patient person. "Could you please hurry! I have to leave as soon as possible!"
"Where are you going?"
"Jerusalem. But I'm afraid that I will not reach the city as soon as I've planned."
"There is a small village in the western of Jerusalem. When we hurry we will arrive there in the evening."
"Sounds good." A moment of silence passed between them before it hit her:"Wait! Have you said WE?" Frederick nodded. "Can I please come with you?" he asked sheepishly.
"Do I have to pay you?"
"Uh…no?"
"Agreed." She mounted Nero and waited till he was ready. When Frederick put his foot in the stirrup the dark- brown horse turned his head around and bit him in his foot. He cursed and tried to kick it in the stomach, but he fell, his foot still caught in the stirrup. Leorah couldn't stop laughing and Nero snorted amused. His horse seemed satisfied now. Frederick gave it an evil look before he mounted it successfully this time.
They left Acre and made their way through the desert.
"I'm pretty amazed that your horse has so much stamina cause he does not look very healthy."
"Me too. He was the horse of my father." He replied thoughtful. "Maybe he has seen too many battles."
"What happened?"
"He died in the battle to return Kerak."
"So he was a Templar?"
"Yes, and a very good armourer." Leorah didn't want to pry so deep so she changed the topic.
"What's the name of your horse?"
"Brego. He's a very good horse, but he doesn't like me." he chuckled. The conversation lasted for a few more hours. Later a small village appeared in the distance.
"There we are. There's an inn in the village but nobody sleeps there."
"Why?"
"Everybody believes that the owner of the inn is something like a witch because she knows everything about herbs and that stuff."
"But we sleep there?"
He nodded. "She comes from Europe and she's harmless."
"If you say so."
They pushed their horses into a gallop. The few people on the streets gave way when they saw the two riders approaching. Leorah saw some guards in the crowd. They eyed them suspicious when they stopped at the inn and then continued drinking. The hostess welcomed them. It was a 18 year old woman with dark- brown hair. Her name was Adelah. At first she showed them the stables. A white mare with silver- grey mane welcomed them with loud whinnying. Brego paid no attention to the mare. The only thing he was interested in was the hay.
After they had their dinner Leorah decided to go for a walk. The evening air was cool but refreshing. The streets were empty and it was deadly silent. Adelahs white mare and Brego were dozing already. Nero scanned the area curios. When the black stallion realized that she was going away without him he stamped loudly against the stable door.
"Hey! Stop it!" she complained. The steed snorted annoyed.
"What? Do you want to come with me?" Leorah asked amused. Nero nodded. "Whatever you want." She sighed when she opened the door, then she grabbed the reigns and the stallion followed her happily.
At the same time a stranger on a big black steed ,clothed in white robes, arrived in the village. The black fur of the animal shimmered in the moonlight, he reared when his rider brought him to an abrupt stop and whinnied loudly. A short whistle of his rider was enough and the stallion calmed down. The man dismounted and scanned the area. His dark- brown eyes seemed to reflect the moonlight like those of a predator. With slow precise steps he went towards the house where his target was hiding. He climbed the building in one swift movement, then he sat down on the roof and waited for it's prey to appear. Normally when he was waiting for the opportune moment he planned his escape before hand. But this time it wasn't necessary. The few guards he saw were staggering drunken across the streets and when he had to fight they wouldn't be a challenge for him.
Somebody opened a door as quiet as possible but he man still heard it. No noise could escape his sharp sense. When he looked down he saw a young man with black hair who pinned his head out to make sure the area was save. After a while he left the house and walked along the wall, his sword drawn. Altair grinned. He knew this would going to be easy because of the fact he could take on 20 or more guards without breaking a sweat. He jumped down and landed a few steps next to Al- Jabers son. The young man was so shocked he couldn't move an inch. The assassin gave him an evil grin before he drew his hidden blade and stabbed it into the neck of Al- Jabers only son. The body fell on the floor lifeless and the assassin removed the blade.
Exact at the same time when he put back the blood- stained feather, to proof his success in the mission, a girl with a black horse came around the corner. When Leorah saw the dead body on the floor she rose an eyebrow and looked a little bit confused at the young man with the white clothes. His eyes were covered by his hood but she knew that he was confused cause she could see the surprised expression on his face. Leorah didn't know that he was an assassin so she was wondering what this was all about.
"Who are you?" she asked a little bit angry. She had no idea where this anger came from but it made her sound a little bit more confident. Altair had no idea why he was answering at all cause his assassin- instinct told him just to get away as fast as possible.
"Nobody you should know more about." Altair answered in his stern voice. He stood up slowly and waited how she would react cause this haven't been a very polite answer and he was damn sure that she would alarm the guards.
"Do you have something else to say?" she asked annoyed and angry.
"Yes I have." He answered and made a step towards her.
"What?" Leorah asked demanding.
"I was just wondering if you would tell somebody what you've already seen." His voice sounded threatening this time and one of his hands rested on his sword hilt.
"Maybe."
Her abruptness cut him off, he hadn't expect such an answer and before he could say something else she has already mounted her horse. Leorah gave him a sarcastic grin and left. She didn't look back when she rode away but she just had one thought on her mind:" Idiot."
Altair sighed. He could easily throw a knife at her and kill her but thought the better of it. He has never met such a weird creature like her before, but he was wondering why he was so absolutely sure that she wouldn't lose a word about this.
Author's notes:
Minnie my friend I hope you've read the 2nd part of the 1st chapter before you red this….
Oh god, I'm so tired it's 0:30 am and I was too lazy to check the story for mistakes so I apologize when you find some. Have a good night.