Chapter 1
Ezio had been on the ship sailing to Masyaf for the better part of two months, and yesterday the crew had finally spotted the coast in the distance. Now they were busy using the wind to its best effect in reaching the coast before the day was over. Ezio, throughly tired of sea travel, rushed to help the crew in any way he could so that he could get off this terrible boat. He wished to get to shore as soon as possible even with the dread of the future that awaited him in Masyaf. The ride from the port of Latakia to Masyaf would take two days on horseback and in that time he figured he would be able to come to terms with his predicament.
The boat docked at the harbor just as the sun was setting in the west. Ezio disembarked and quickly made his way to an inn to recover from the trials of sea travel. He did not wake again that night even with the revelry of the sailors going on until late in the night in the common room below his room. The next morning Ezio tracked down a salesman from whom he could buy a horse to travel to the fortress city and by that afternoon he had all the essential items with him to make the journey in the desert heat.
While riding through the desert Ezio finally realized the practicality of the assassins robes that he wore. As hot as it was, the linen fabric helped to keep him cool, and the color, which normally seemed to be the least favorable color for the night time assassinations that he carried out, did its job in reflecting the heat so that the minimum reached him. But besides reflecting on the clothing choices of his order, Ezio contemplated what would happen to him once he reached the fortress. What if there were others who had made the journey before him? Would he be set free to go home? He wondered about what other strange customs were practiced in the fortress of assassins, and what the Grand Master would be like. Would he be an old man like most of the other leaders of the branches, which in Ezio's mind was the most probable for the leader of the assassins. There were many other mysteries of the sort that he pondered on as the horse plodded towards his destination.
When the sun set Ezio made camp at an outcrop on the increasingly rugged terrain. He lay awake all night not wanting to let go of his last night as a free man. He had pondered throughout the day what would happen if he decided to defy his father's orders, but thought better of it to keep what little honor he had left for himself and his family.
The next morning Ezio broke camp with a heavy heart. The fortress was in sight before half the day was up. To Ezio it was an ancient wonder, the castle built on the hill as a fortress for the whole order of assassins. Even as he sat in awe of the fortress, dread crept into his heart and he had to fight the urge to run away from the place that would be his home for the rest of his life. The gates were opened for him as he approached, and the crowds of cowled assassins pressed around him due to curiosity. Ezio called out, "I have a message for the Grand Master, could someone here point me in his direction?" One man stepped forth and gave the horse to another as Ezio dismounted. The assassin gestured for Ezio to follow him as he walked up towards the top of Masyaf.
(AN: Sorry for the short chapters, I feel it's a good place to stop. I was working with my description mostly in this chapter. I actually looked up the distance from italy to syria, where masyaf is and calculated how much time it would take to travel there by boat, which was about 50 days or so, and the same from the port city mentioned to masyaf.)
