Assassins Creed
The First Kunoichi
I'd never thought too much of destiny. I had always thought that it was a subconscious reaction to make sure your conscious mind makes the right choices. There was no such thing as fate to me. Nothing was written in stone.
Everything changed for me one day. Life offered me something utterly incomparable to anything else I had ever witnessed. I took it, and I was beginning to wonder if I made the right choice? But it was too late…
Jasmine…awak…Awaken…Jasm…
Jasmine! Awaken!
My eyes wrenched open as I bolted my body upwards, pulling my dagger off the bedside table in a stabbing position. I looked around my small bedroom for any sign of a threat, but found none.
I sighed, "Another nightmare…" I whispered, as I placed the weapon back in its place and laid my head back down onto my pillow.
My name is Aura Jasmine Fende. Today is August 24th, my birthday, and so far, it was not going well. Not a surprise, nothing had ever gone my way in the last seventeen years. Why should my eighteenth be any different? But this year, my problems had been started early - I had been having the same nightmare for the passed two weeks now - it was beginning to really wear on my nerves. I had seen a white wolf running in and out of this strange white mist in the middle of nowhere. And each 10 repeats of this cycle, it would emerge as a man… a man, wearing a white cloak, in which was equipped with many weapons. My first reaction, of course, is to run. But my endless curiosity will not let me be rational so I attempt to approach him and he looks at me deeply with his coal black eyes… and stabs me. Everything goes dark… then I awake, sensing a dark presence near me. When will it end?
An hour has passed and I still have not reached the solitude of peaceful sleep. I can't say that I am complaining though, I shy away from having to endure those strangely horrific images again.
I groan in frustration, pulling the cheaply made cotton pillow out from under my head, instead positioning it firmly above my head as I see the first ray of sunlight shine through my window. It is then that I hear my father open his bedroom door, down the hallway. This, of course, is a message for me to rise as well. It wouldn't be long before he came and forcibly pulls me out of bed, to start my day of chores. In these times, not even women were given leave on their birthday. Things had to be done to keep a household going. At least, one that is worth living in.
"So that's it then…" I murmur to myself, as I pull my comforter off my bodice and swing my legs over the side of the bed. A pleased groan escapes my lips as I stretch my arms towards the ceiling, feeling all of my joints popping. I am forced to see my silhouette in the mirror. I chuckle as I see my hair is in a huge disarray – I'll be meaning to fix that later.
I bend over to pick up a picture. It was of my mother. She had passed away back in January from an unknown disease that was new to our country. I pecked a kiss on the, admittedly, dusty glass and set it back down and got out of bed to remake it, and start the day.
I opened my bedroom door slowly, after dressing, to find the household was empty. Of course. Father had to leave early, if he wanted to reach the factory out on the very border of our small village. Horseback can only bring you so fast.
Three hours passed, and I finally finished all of my chores around the house. That was when I remembered my appearance. I may not be able to compare to the queens or princesses in this country, but I still thought my self as beautiful. I had very tan skin, no doubt from being outside most of my life. My hair was, at first sight, black but I've been told that it is actually a strange tint of purple, which can only be noticed in the sun. I was very appreciative for my mother. The women in my family were very well endowed. Our bodies were very curvy, but as law dictates. We were forced to wear very flimsy skirts that show no skin.
I began to brush my hair slowly, admiring the faint shine in the combined strands of my locks. I had nothing else to do. That was when I heard it… There was a loud bang, which shook my entire house, the entire street.
I let out a startled yelp, as I fell to my knees but pushed myself off and wrenched myself to the window, just in time to see a figure running. My eyes honed in on the details. I let out a gasp, as I saw that the strange fellow, was wearing a white cloak, the hood pulled up. I could not miss this opportunity. I slipped on my shoes and ran out the front door, running through the very busy streets.
I passed by many priests, shopkeepers, civilians, and other individuals. My eyes scanned the entire area, searching for the man who had starred in my dreams for so long. I could not find him. My eyes began to wetten, disappointed that I missed this one-time shot.
I stopped, defeated and turned around, just to knocked off my feet by a man. I shouted profanities at him as he paid me no notice. He seemed to be a lowly thief—no doubt being chased down by the "righteous ones". I rolled my eyes at the fanatic group. I stood, brushing myself off. I began the hike back to my household, with my dignity intact.
However, when I arrived, I saw that the front door was open. I distinctively remembered shutting it after I left.
My eyes narrowed as I approached. I slowly opened the door, stealthily peeking my head in to determine if it was safe. My instincts seemed to think it was just that, so I stepped in and closed the door.
The moment that the lock hitched, however, I found myself screaming as I was forcibly pinned against the opposing wall from the door. My eyes and mouth were covered when I heard a voice, that must have been male.
"Stop screaming, maiden! I wish you no harm" he said, his breath ragged.
I struggled in his grasp, and he threw me to the floor. But, I noticed some slight gentleness in the movement. I turned my head quickly, to set my sight on my perpetrator. It was the thief!
I found myself in an defensive position, before my brain had even processed it. I took no heed though, strange things happened to me all the time.
"Get out of my house" I said, trying to be forceful. However, my voice was a tiny soprano. No volume.
The thief seemed to take this more offensively then I meant. He pulled a sword from a sheath at his waist and pointed it at me. "Forgive me. Repeat yourself", he challenged.
I had never been one to keep my mouth shut, when protocol asked. I repeated myself, this time with more effort. "Get out of my house!" He didn't take this sitting down. He delivered a fierce right kick to my abdomen, which sent me hurtling towards the wall again. His eyes were dead of emotion as he rose the sword above his head, preparing for a downward slash that would surely kill me.
My eyes squeezed close, as I awaited death to claim me. Somewhere in the back of my head, the déjà vu of my dream started to piece itself together… but it was too late. I was going to die.
I'm coming mother I repeated to myself, in my head. But my reverie was broken, when I heard a gunshot, and felt something warm splash onto my face. My eyes fluttered open, and I wiped my face with my hand and pulled it away, to find thick red liquid. Blood.
My eyes then went upward to find a strange expression on the thief's face… and a gouging hole in his stomach. A scream was lurched from my throat as I moved quickly, back flipping with surprising grace away as his person finally fell to the floor. I scanned the room, to find a cloaked figure… the man from my dreams. His arm was pointed towards the man, with smoke rising from an unknown compartment. The gun.
I couldn't find my voice to say anything. I had been starring this very man in my dreams for the longest time now. And here he was. In living flesh, I hoped so anyway. I may have been knocked out or something. I didn't rule out this possibility yet.
It was then that he lowered his arm, but to my surprise – he paid me no notice. He turned to leave out the busted window, he no doubt broke. I finally found my voice.
"Wait! Please!" I shouted, running to grasp his cloak.
His ice cold glare, as he turned to me, stopped me in my tracks. However, he did comply with my wishes and returned to his casual stance. "Yes?" he asked, his voice seductively husky. My pulse quickened instantly.
"I…I… wanted to thank you" I stuttered out.
A smile seemed to ghost across his lips at the sound of my voice. Did mine affect him as much as his did me? Or could he somehow hear my humming heartbeat?
He simply raised his right fist to his heart, and gave a light bow. My first impression was that this was a farewell gesture, but he made no move to leave. This irked my curiosity.
I made a move to step forward, but the dream I had been having made me stop dead right. If I approach him, he stabs me! This changed my entire persona on him. I felt my expression harden. Just as the now deceased thief was, this man was potentially a threat to me, no matter how utterly interesting he was.
He rose an eyebrow, somehow sensing my hostility. However, that same hostility instantly vanished, as I heard his voice once more.
"What is your name?" he asked, in that perfect voice. Yet, it held depth that I didn't dare to question.
"Jasmine, sir" I replied.
I was certain that his smirk became more pronounced after gaining this information. Did he return my curiosity?
He said nothing more, but still did not make any move to leave. He just stared at me. I got this a lot. Many village men were attracted to my bodice, this was not new to me. Annoying, actually. My subconscious reaction was to cross my arms just under my chest, creating a shield between us perhaps.
Gaining up my courage, I took a peek at his face. His was unbelievably handsome! An Adonis expression, carved in the most beautiful stone. There was a hint of a stubble on his chin. So he was a brunette. He had a very firm jaw line. Attractive. But, his most astonishing feature was his eyes. They were black, possibly a dark shade of brown. But the color was not what captivated me. Regardless of their deep color, they were deep. Like I could look into them. Framing his face, was the faded white hood that threw the top portion of his head into complete shadow. I wished I could remove it. My eyes were positively glazed as I looked him over.
Wind blew in from the busted window, which broke my reverie for me to find that he had a very frustrated expression on his face. Had I offended him? He looked positively angry. And he was getting angrier. His brow line was beginning to make a sharp downward slant, and his bright white teeth were beginning to show.
I took a few steps back, beginning to get frightened, but it was unneeded. He swiftly turned as jumped through the window. I was transfixed by the clarity of the movement. His body touched none of the four corners of the window, a perfect jump. However, a piece of his cloak had been caught on one of protruding shards, ripping a considerable chunk out. I scrambled to the window and gently removed it from the shard.
I considered giving chase, but I wasn't naïve. He was obviously angry with me. I had done something that had made him act so. I had ruined another opportunity in life. My heart, gouged through many times from past events, seemed to take another hit as I dropped to my knees.
My tear stained face was crumpled into a shroud of pain as I looked over the room. I caught sight of the bloody corpse of the thief. The thief that had attempted to take my life. Why couldn't he have succeeded?
I did not have time to wallow in despair now! I had to dispose of this body, but how? Villagers outside of my house, would not doubt see me. I should call the guards to help. But then… what if? What if I get this mysterious man in trouble? The country's religion was one that revolved around the preservation of life. He was a fugitive. Obviously, that was why he was being chased earlier.
I would not get him in more trouble than he was already in.
On the other hand, what if that was the exact right thing to do? He was a murderer! I had witnessed the act, with my own eyes. Why should I let me own insatiable curiosity give him a way out from his satanistic deed? He had hurt me just now, with the deadly glare. I could repay it with this snitch.
I spent an eternal ten minutes on my red-stained kitchen floor, considering the consequences of my next actions. Until I made my decision…
I would dispose of this body in secret. I owed this stranger! He did not murder this man in cold blood. He rescued me. I was in his debt. I nodded my head with fervor as I stood and approached the defiled corpse.
I kneeled down to see that strange expression once again. It was creepy and ominous, in a way. Very strange. His eyes showed no emotion. Not in the normal way of a corpse. His eyes reflected nothing even before the assassination occurred. I was so confused, but once again—I could not sit on this. My father would be home soon.
Swallowing back the bile in my throat, I hoisted one of the corpses' arms over my shoulders and sharply pulled up. My eyes instantly squeezed closed as I heard the most disgusting sound… the sound of, no doubt, organs falling from the dead body. I looked down, but there was no innards. Only a bloody red shuriken.
Hilariously, I let the body fall once more and fell instantly to my knees to the insignificant object. So it was not a bullet that ended this man's life. It was a blade, shot from the gun. I surveyed the utensil more closely, to see inscriptions written on it. They were in a unknown language that I could not distinguish. I rushed to the faucet and cleaned off the blade and slipped it into my pocket and returned to the carcus.
Being extra careful, it took a long four hours to get rid of the corpse without an audience. Having the advantage of being the last household to my village's border, I wrapped the deceased thief in a sheet and flung him into the river where he slowly, but surely, was pulled downstream where he would eventually reach the ocean. I shoved the thoughts of betrayal to myself and my religion to the back of my head as I returned to the house.
My father returned. I greeted him and we shared the work of cooking dinner. I thanked the heavens that I had not forgotten to clean the puddle of fresh blood from the floor. We gave our farewells for the night and returned to our bedrooms.
What a day…I thought to myself… It was a nice birthday. In our household, we were not given any parties. It was favoritism that I, nor anyone else, would tolerate. All it meant was that you were another year older. Congratulations! Onto bigger, better things. We did not have the luxury that richer folks did.
Anyway, I found myself lounging on my bed—studying the weapon that my savior had assassinated a man with. It was impeccably sharp, very well made. It was a dark blade, with faded gold filigrine around the blade's edge. Very fascinating. It was getting more near to dawn, so the tiredness eventually claimed me and I fell asleep with the mysterious man fresh in my mind…
How did you guys like it??? I just got into Assassins Creed. Very interesting game. I have barely played the game, but I'm hoping I got the story based right. Please be easy in your reviews or flames. I'm a beginner in this subject: Assassins Creed. Altair really IS handsome. Information on the game would be very helpful to me. I like how this turned on. Hope you do too.
Xxx Opalaisha xxX
