Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed. I only own my OC, this story, and the clothes on my back.
Chapter 1: Midday Confusion
The sun beat down unrelentingly on Jerusalem as midday reached it's peak. Jar carriers weaved through the streets as they tried to shake off the persistent beggars who stood in their paths pleading for their spare change. Sweat rolled down the faces of merchants and guards who gallantly faced the scorching sun in search of profit and thieves respectively. Townsfolk crowded underneath what little shade was offered by the merchant's overhangs, much to the delight of the owners while others stood by the fountain in hopes the sprinkling drops would cool them.
The heat was particularly unbearable for a hooded figure who had taken a place on one of the rooftops, kneeling at the edge of the building just out of sight of those on the streets. The figure was staring at the crowd intensely, watching one spot in particular: the corner of a building that blocked the alleyway behind it. A guard turned the corner and the figure tensed, clenching the knife in its palm anxiously. Just a little closer...
Altair sat patiently on a bench looking as uninteresting as he could. His elbows were propped solidly on his knees as he leaned forward in his seat, his face hidden by his ever-present hood. A couple of the townsfolk would regard him with a sweeping glance before continuing on with their business and forgetting all about the intimidating man on the bench.
Altair's ears perked when he heard the unmistakable jingling of chain mail.
The target appeared around the corner right on time, watching the abundant townsfolk suspiciously. The figure on the rooftop smirked. Little did the poor guard know his reaper would strike from above. She focused on his throat, where his armor didn't cover him. Her plan was to nick the guard's throat and hope her knife then continued to the fountain at the center of the square so she could pick it up later. The guards would never know what had happened.
As the figure drew its knife back, it noticed a white-cloaked man tailing its target. The man was wearing robes that were familiar. Too familiar. Just before she threw her knife, the man stabbed her target from behind and continued walking by casually while people screamed and ran away. She saw the man disappear into an alleyway while guards yelled curses and ran towards the scene openly demanding the murderer reveal himself.
The woman frowned. Someone was interfering with her mission and that was something she did not appreciate. Without any forethought, she ran across the rooftops to where she could see into the alleyway. In the shaded street, it only took her an instant to spot his white garb. He was walking slowly with a sense of purpose, keeping his head down and giving him a meek look.
She ran over the building to where she was just in front of the man, then jumped down to the street. He must have heard her coming, because he started to look up, but she struck his head with the hilt of her knife, dazing him. She took advantage of his pain and forced him against the wall, one of her throwing knives at his neck.
"Who are you and why did you steal my target?" she demanded, disappointment and mirth evident in her voice. The man, though disoriented, did not take kindly to having a knife at his throat. Before she could react he had grabbed the knife from her and grabbed her arm, throwing her into the wall behind him while he held her own knife to her throat. The girl's breath caught as the knife slid across the sensitive skin of her neck, not quite breaking skin, but definitely in a position to do so. "Who are you?" he demanded, pressing her against the rough alley wall. She glared at the man from under her hood. The shadow of his own hood covered his eyes from view, but from the line of his mouth, she could tell he was deadly serious. She would have shaken her head if she had had the room.
"It's not polite to ask for someone's name before giving their own" she said, perfectly aware that she had expected him to give up his name not seconds ago. When she glanced up to where she guessed his eyes would be, he tensed and pushed her more forcefully into the wall, the knife dangerously close to slicing her skin. He grabbed her hood and ignored her protests as he pulled it down, revealing a young brunette with mid-length wavy hair.
As the sounds of taunting guards became noticeably louder, the man glanced towards the opening of the alleyway. A group of guards was passing by the alley when they stopped and peered in. The man cursed quietly and dashed off, still holding the woman's knife. The girl looked at the five guards blocking the alleyway exit and blanched.
"Assassin!" the guard cried when he saw her, reaching for his sword as he did. "Crap!" the girl thought, then she sprinted down the alley, securing her hood as she did. She glanced back to see three guards already chasing after her. "Great," she thought, turning down a side alleyway. To her glee, she spotted a ladder propped up against the wall. Knowing the guards weren't far behind, she practically jumped onto the ladder, making it sway unnervingly as she hastily climbed to the top. When she was just a few rungs from the top, she heard the whiz of an arrow behind her. She yelped as it sliced her upper arm, almost making her lose her grip on the ladder. Luckily she was able to pull herself onto the rooftop before the guard could load another goddamn arrow. She held her arm tightly to stem the pain, pressing her robe against the wound to keep her blood from dripping on the rooftop as she frantically searched for somewhere to hide. She was in luck: on the next rooftop she spotted the corner of a shaded garden. Letting go of her injured arm, she leaped across the gap and rolled along the rooftop to ease the impact of the landing. Unfortunately the shoulder she used to roll on was the same arm that had been shot by the arrow, and grit from the roof dug into her arm. She winced and grabbed her arm as soon as she got up. She really hated those damn arrows. She quickly ran over to the garden and risked a look around before climbing in.
She heard the guards swarm the adjacent rooftop, shouting to each other as they tried to determine where she'd gone. She laid as close to the ground as she could taking shallow, controlled breaths through her mouth so they didn't make a sound. The other two guards seemed to have joined up with her pursuers, judging by the number of voices she heard. She heard a heavy thud, then light steps around the rooftop where she hid. The woman listened intently. There was only one set of footsteps, which was good for her, for that meant the guards didn't know where she was. Unfortunately, the garden was the one place she could hide on the roof. As silently as she could, she rolled to the side of the box that was farthest from the edge of the building and pressed up against it as best she could.
Her throwing knives let off a soft cling as she adjusted herself, freezing her to the spot. The footsteps halted for a second, then headed to where she hid.
It took all of her willpower to not draw a knife. If the guard opened the curtain, the first thing the sun would catch would be the reflective blade of a knife and she would definitely be caught. She convinced herself it would be better to wait until the last possible moment.
The curtain above her was flung open and the bearded face of a guard poked in inquiringly. His eyes swept the garden concisely, taking quite a bit longer than the woman found comfortable. Finally he let the drape fall back into place and walked away.
Only when the woman was sure he was no longer on the roof did she roll onto her back and took a few deep breaths. Her heartbeat was trained to be lower in high stress situations, but as a result, it quickened immediately afterward. She crawled to the edge of the garden and lifted the cloth enough to check the rooftops. When she was sure it was clear of guards, she clamored out of the shade and took a better survey of the surrounding area. The guards would be looking for her now, so she couldn't roam the streets, and though she normally preferred traveling by rooftop, it wouldn't be as easy or as fun with just one arm. She let out a disappointed sigh before taking a running start and landing on an adjacent building. She continued across the city in this way, being sure to avoid any guards who were glancing around suspiciously. Eventually she made it to her safe haven; the only building in the city with a roof entrance. The Bureau.
So this is my Assassin's Creed fanfiction! I'm pretty excited about this one because I love the games and the setting they take place in. Also, I wanted to write an Altair fanfiction with NO TIME TRAVEL because I personally do not believe in time travel... except through alternate dimensions, but I won't go into that now. I can't promise weekly or bi-weekly updates because of my workload this semester, but I will churn them out as time allows. I hope you enjoyed it! :)