'Maliiiiiiik,' Altair whined. Malik still covered his eyes and refused to till him where they were going. 'Where. Are. We. Going?'

As usual, Malik responded with 'You'll see.'

Altair huffed and pouted, practically smelling the grin on Malik's face. 'Oh, you'll see.'

Altair heard wood creaking underneath his feet and Malik announced, 'We're here!'

They walked further before Malik would remove his hand from Altair's eyes. He saw black waves lapping against wooden poles.

That was when Malik gave him a rough shove, sending him toppling into the dark water and disturbing the smooth current.

Malik laughed as Altair splashed into the water. Altair had always denied being able to swim, and in Malik's opinion it was an excuse not to have to go, because he merely disliked it. Heavily. All the Order knew of Altair's shameful fear of water.

Now, Altair would have to swim or drown. Malik smirked as he called out, 'What's the matter, Altair? Can't swim?'

Panic gripped Altair as the waves washed over him, seeking to deprive his lungs of any air. Seawater forced itself down Altair's throat, replacing oxygen with salt. He gasped and spluttered as his head rose briefly above the water before sinking again, his arms and legs flailing about wildly, in panicked motions. He thrashed about desperately, his weapons weighing him down. He tried to reach out for the wooden poles of the docks but they were too far, and he was not moving at all in his wild, panicked splashing.

Malik was still laughing down at him, as Altair's legs began to weigh more and more, like lead. Did that fool not understand that he was drowning?

'I ca-' he tried to shout, but water sloshed into his mouth and caused him to choke. Altair inhaled as much air as he could fit into his lungs before the water sucked his head down again. 'Can't swim!' he managed to splutter.

Altair's wild splashing motions, gradually growing slower and slower as the Assassin became exhausted with the energy using to fight against the water, finally convinced Malik that Altair truly was incapable of swimming. The Assassin's terrified shrieks and yells only added to it. The last time that Malik had heard Altair crying out so fearfully was when his father, Umar, was executed.

'I'm coming!' Malik gasped, diving into the water after Altair. As soon as he hit the water, he grabbed the Assassin's waist and somehow managed to hoist him onto dry land. Altair was coughing and spluttering wildly, his golden eyes spread wide with the terror of drowning, of being surrounded by water, the very substance that chilled him to the bone, the one thing that scared him out of his wits. Altair's body was heaving, first with the effort of breathing, but then Malik realized that it shuddered with sobs.

Altair, the strongest fighter of them all, the Master Assassin, who could easily cut down fifteen trained guards with one hand tied behind his back, was crying. Because he had been exposed to water; to drowning. The thing that he feared more than anything else.

'I'm so sorry,' Malik murmured, as the sounds of sobs and choking mingled in the air to create a sound that brought tears to Malik's own eyes. 'I never knew...I thought you were bluffing...'

Malik stayed close to Altair for well over an hour, which which about the time it took for him to calm down. Finally, they were on their way back to the Bureau.

'Malik?' Altair finally spoke.

'Yes?'

Altair's face suddenly contorted, and he pushed Malik to the ground. 'That was for thinking it would be funny to push me in the water.'

'Hey, I didn't-'

And then Altair's foot came down on Malik's stomach, causing the dai to gasp and groan, the wind knocked out of him, clutching his stomach. 'And that was for denying that I couldn't swim.'

Raging, Altair strutted off, leaving Malik groaning in the dust behind him.

Author's Note

Please send me requests on what to write about! I only write AC fanfiction for the moment, and I may write Warriors fanfics in the future. As I have the least inventive mind ever, I will need some talented readers to come up with ideas. For the moment, though, I will try to come up with inspiration myself.

Somehow Altair being incapable of swimming and pushed into the water by Malik really amused me. Like, really. Am I messed up or...?

lol