This is for my friend Bella Beau. I own nothing but Neteru and Malak!
Chapter 1
Our beginning
"Neteru! Malak!" our mother called in a voice that told us we had a 'guest'. We ran to our Mama like it was an average day
"Come on, girls," Mama said. "You want to help me make dinner?"
"Yeah!" Neteru said. I was always telling her she would make some guy a great wife.
"I'll try, Mama" I replied. I couldn't cook. Neteru was always saying I should have been born a boy.
"You know what you need to do," Mama said when we got inside. Neteru headed for the kitchen and I for the secret room under the floor boards.
The room was big enough for an entire house. In the corner was a bed upon which our guest, an Assassin from Masyaf, lay.
He seemed to be sleeping by the light of the single candle on the stand by the bed so I turned to leave.
"Wait," the Assassin spoke. I looked at him as he sat up. Because of his hood all I could see was his lower face. He smiled at me.
"Aren't you a little young to be running a safe house?" he teased.
"I'm training to be the first female Assassin," I boasted. He laughed.
"Child you would have to train hard to prove to Al Mualim you have what it takes to be an Assassin," he said.
"I've been training since I was five," I answered. "I know for a girl it will be harder, but I will prove even a woman has what it takes to kill."
"Keep that determination," the Assassin advised. "You may yet prove it to us all."
"Since you're down there, Malak," Papa said and handed me a tray of food. A bowl of stew, a loaf of bread, and a cup of water.
I carried the this to the stand carefully.
"After dinner I will take you on to Masyaf," Papa said.
"Thank you, Ramses," the Assassin said. Papa bowed his head to the man as we left.
Papa was as good as his word. As soon as we were done eating, he went outside to get our old horse. Neteru and I helped Mama clean up.
Papa came back in and brought up the Assassin.
"Layla, Ramses, I thank you for your help" he said. He smiled at us. "You have beautiful daughters. Their hair are just as different
as their personalities."
It was true. Neteru's hair was blood red with black streaks and mine was midnight black with blue highlights. Her eyes were green,
mine blue. If it weren't for our dark skin you wouldn't have thought we were Syrian, or Egyptian, but we were both.
Neteru shuffled shyly while I stood proud.
"They're our angels," Mama spoke softly, but proudly.
"Don't wait up, little ones," Papa said.
Alright, Papa," my sister and I said as one. Then he and the Assassin left.
We finished cleaning then Neteru and I went to our shared room, our shared bed. Little did we know it was to be our last normal night in that house.
It seemed like we had just fallen asleep when Mama was shaking us awake.
"Malak, Neteru," she said quickly, panicked."You must escape. Dress quickly." We did as we were told.
Neteru and both covered our hair. I helped my sister out the window and grabbed my dagger before I leaped out. In the dark we made
our way to the woods. From there we could see the armored men at our door by the light of their torches, but we could not hear them.
The flash of steel, the spray of blood, and our mother's scream as our father fell was the only way we could tell our father was dead. Our
mother cradled our father's body and wailed her anguish to the night until a Templar plunged his sword into her breast and silenced her.
Neteru gave a small cry, but other then that gave no sign of the distress we both felt. We watched as the Templars methodically searched
the house and barn before burning it all to the ground. They even throw the corpses of our parents in the fire before they left.
I approach the burning house as close as I dared with Neteru behind me. I took off the scarf, gathered my hair, and cut it short.
"From now on I am Malak ibn La-Ramses," I vowed.
"And I am Neteru Laylasdaughter," Neteru added. We continued to watch the fire for a moment more. We then began to trudge towards
Damascus.
"We will have to live off the streets for awhile," Neteru whispered. "Maybe forever."
"Then I will make sure we have food," I promised "even if I have to pickpocket.