Masyaf, December 22nd , 1191:
It was now winter.
Maria was still on the bed, trying to get more comfortable below the blanket, made of bear skin and it was grey…. She knew it must have been a trade or something because she didn't see any bear nearby in the ten years she had been in the Holly Land.
Behind her Altaïr kissed her nape.
"I can hear you thinking…" He said.
"Yeah… I never had a soft blanket like this…" Maria said. "When I was married with Hallaton, he had some fine blankets, but nothing like this…"
"I didn't either…" He said. "I didn't even know Al – Mualim had this…"
"It's so comfortable…" She said again.
"Yeah, but now we have to get up…" Altaïr said. "And stop talking about your ex – husband, please… I don't want to hear of the past…"
"Jealous, uh?" Maria turned to look at him.
He didn't said anything, but his face told her otherwise.
"He is dead… you don't need to be jealous…" She said, putting a hand on his face.
"Yeah, I know, but I can't help it…" Altaïr said. "Your life is here now… with me…"
"Ok, I'll talk about him again if bother you so much…" Maria said.
He nodded and kissed her. Maria put an arm around his neck.
"Maria… I have… to get... up…" He said between kisses.
"No, stay…" She said. "You can go later… let's make love…"
He looked at her.
"Again?" He asked. "You'll be the death of me…"
"This is the price you pay for being so good in bed…" She said.
"Just good?" Altaïr asked.
Maria hit him playfully.
"Ok, ok…" He said. "But now I have to get up… you can stay more…"
Maria nodded as she saw him getting up.
"Wow… the floor is freezing…" He said.
She ignored him.
"Just promise me you will come to see me after…"
"What's up to you?" He asked, looking at her as he put his clothes on. "You never were like this before…"
"I don't know…" Maria said, looking at his as she balanced her head in her hand. "Maybe is the season…"
He smiled and shook his head in negativity.
"Ok… I see you at lunch…" Altaïr said, fully clothed now.
He bent over to kiss her and exited the room.
Maria laid down again and sighing closed her eyes.
X ~ X ~ X
Sometime later, when Maria opened her eyes again, she saw the through the window it was snowing. Closing her eyes again, she felt herself going back in England and she covered more of herself with the blanket, but then remembered where she was.
Sitting up on the bed, she looked again at the window… it was snowing.
She then got up, covering herself with the blanket. The floor was much colder than the normal, so she kind run to the window.
Masyaf was covered in snow and the people were cold and didn't know what to do. It must have snowed at night when everyone was sleeping.
She knew it was rare to snow in the Holly Land… since she came here ten years ago, she saw the snow only twice and it was only for a couple of days… but she suspected this time it would be much longer, because of the summer… it was much hotter than before, so…
Deciding to go outside, just to play on it, she quickly put her clothes…
She was glad Altaïr ordered more clothes to her… she didn't have anything to pass the winter with…
She quickly combed her hair, then exited the room to go outside.
X ~ X ~ X
Walking outside the fortress, Maria joined her brother on the stand, watching some children play with the snow.
"I didn't know it snowed here on the Holly Land…" Brian said, after looking at her.
"It's rare…" She said. "I only saw it twice here in ten years…."
Brian nodded and they both looked in front of them, contemplating the snow.
"Do you remember when we played with the snow in England?" She asked. "We build snowmen and made angles in the snow…"
Brian nodded.
"And I threw snow balls at you and the girls…" Brian said.
"Yeah…" Maria said, remembering this would happen again. Brian did the same.
However, after a moment, Maria smiled and walked down the front yard of the fortress and knelt down by a mount of snow.
"Where are you doing?" Brian asked.
"This…" Maria said, throwing a ball of snow at him. Brian turned his head and ball exploded in his head.
"You'll pay for that, Maria…" He said after.
"Promises, promises…" Maria said, preparing to pick up another snowball and soon a snow fight started. "Come, let's join them…"
The group of Assassins outside looked at each other and some were denying with their heads as they played around, laughing and screaming.
After a while, Maria looked at Brian and raised her hand in surrender. Then, she approached some children, who were scared at first, but then, she smiled and made a snowball. Then threw it at one of the Assassins that were guarding the fortress.
The Assassin looked at them, smiling and laughing. The Assassin, cursed in Arab.
Maria took the chance and threw another ball at another Assassin. The children followed her example and threw it at some other Assassins.
Soon the war was on, with everyone throwing balls at everyone.
X ~ X ~ X
The screams and laughing called the attention of Altaïr and the others inside Altaïr's study.
"What is she doing?" Malik asked, watching Maria and the others.
"Just having some fun…" Altaïr said. "She has the right to do so…"
"Yes, but with the guards?" Malik asked.
"When was the last time you had some fun, Malik?" Altaïr asked, turning to the others. "And any of you?"
All the men looked at each other, then at him again.
"Come on…" Altaïr said, exiting his study.
All of the men looked puzzled, but followed him.
X ~ X ~ X
"What's going on here?" Altaïr asked, stepping on the stand.
Brian and the Assassins involved on the snow fight stopped when they heard his voice.
"Master…" one of them said. "I'm sorry… we were just…"
But one look at Altaïr's face, made him stop.
Malik walked into the stand beside Altaïr and was about to say something, when a snowball hit him on the face. Everyone laughed and Malik looked at whom threw the ball at him: Maria was smiling and preparing to throw another one.
"I think you have quitter an opponent here…" Altaïr said.
"She will have it…" Malik said.
Altaïr shook his head in negativity.
"That I want to see…" Altaïr said.
Malik jumped to the mount of snow bellow the stand as the others opened space for the two of them. They prepared their balls and barriers.
As the fight progressed and Malik was winning, Maria was out of option and in a moment of distraction, Malik was able to hit her with force. She lost her balance and fell on the snow.
Altaïr and Brian run to her and when they saw she was fine, they stopped the fight. Malik approached them.
"Is she ok?" Malik asked.
"Yeah…" Altaïr said.
Maria sat on the snow.
"You won this time…" she said to Malik.
"This time? Malik asked. "You want a re – match?"
"Just say where and when…" Maria said.
"Here…this weekend, provides it snow…" Malik said.
"I'll be waiting…" Maria said.
X ~ X ~ X
"The weather is cold, but in here in the Holly Land rarely snow…" Altaïr said, at night, in bed. The two of them were sitting on the bed and Altaïr's back was against the wall, after making love.
Maria nodded.
"Yeah, this is only the third time I see snow in here…" She said, against Altaïr's chest. "But it was enough for us to have some fun…"
He nodded.
"You must be sore…" He said, changing the subject. "And he hurt you…"
"Yeah… Malik's snowballs hurt, even for a man with one arm…" Maria said. "I'm black all over…"
"He is still one of the best Assassins…" Altaïr said.
"But not the best… you are…" aria said. "What happened with him, anyway?"
"He lost his arm when we tried to recover the treasure at Solomon's Temple, before my hunt to the others Templars…" Altaïr explained. "Robert threw me out of the Temple, killed his brother and hurt him badly…"
Maria nodded.
"You'll trust him?" She asked, but already knew the answer.
"With my life…" He said.
Maria nodded.
"So this mean I can trust him too?" Maria asked.
Altaïr nodded.
"But I advise not to trust him in snow fights…" He said.
"Point taken…" Maria said. "I'll be prepared next time…"
X ~X ~ X