Alright so I'm back for another go with this story and I'm making a pact that I will finish it before winter break which begins December 17 so wish me luck! Here we go, chapter 2!
"Tarja….awake?...brought…" was all Tarja could make out from my mumbled sound of a man in her presence. She slowly awoke from her sleep and started to open her eyes, then squinting them shut because of the bright light that filled the room. Once she opened her eyes she adjusted to her surroundings and groaned.
"Good morning, Tarja," her brother, Malik said, standing at the side of her bed, picking up a cup of water. Then, Tarja saw something that seemed strange…It looked like Malik was missing an arm.
'I must be just groggy and can't see it under his cloak,' she thought and tried to see his right arm under the cloak he wore. She saw no sign of an arm. Tarja's heart sank and she sat up slowly, her long brown hair falling behind her strand by strand. Her breathing started to get heavy and fast, so loud that Malik could hear it. She swallowed a hard lump in her throat and began to hyperventilate. Malik gave her a concerned look.
"Tarja? What's the matter? You look pale as if you are going to faint," Malik said and reached his one hand for her face. Indeed, Tarja felt the life drain from her face, and then felt Malik's hand touch her forehead. She stopped breathing for a moment and looked inside Malik's cloak when he bent over.
Her eyes froze, and her heart started racing. Then, after a few seconds of eerie silence, Tarja screamed as if she had witnessed a murder.
"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhaaaaaaaaaah! Malik!" she screamed. Malik pulled away quickly but then tried to grab a hold of his frantic younger sister with his one arm. She squirmed and continued to scream into his ear now.
"Aaaaah! Your arm! Malik your arm is gone!" she screamed, now through tears that had come upon her all of the sudden.
"Tarja Tarja, shhh! I know, I know! It's alright, look at me I'm okay, shhhhhh…" he cooed to her as he held her close to his chest. Her screaming ceased and she began to cry harder into her brothers chest and clutched onto him, now wailing in tears.
"Who did this to you? How did this happen?" Tarja asked through her sobs.
"It was an accident, Altair made a mistake in Solomon's Temple, and it was an accident," Malik said, trying to sugarcoat the situation. Tarja continued to cry in Malik's chest.
"She is finally awake. Malik, I need to talk to you," a voice said from the doorway of the castle guest room. Malik and Tarja looked toward the voice. It was Altair. Malik stared him down a few seconds, still holding Tarja.
"I'll be out in a few minutes. Please wait for me," Malik began to say. He looked down to see Tarja fuming through her tears and holding her breath. "Tarja, what's wrong now? It's just Altair," he said, trying to calm her rage.
"You did this!" Tarja screamed at the top of her lungs and lunged herself from Malik and onto Altair. She tried to hit him but he evaded all her attempts. Tarja let out a scream of pure rage and flung her hand towards his face and slapped him clean. Altair froze. Tarja stood, panting after her rage was released, and went again to hit him after bracing herself. This time, Altair grabbed her wrist mid-aim in an iron grip.
"Let! Go! Of me!" Tarja shouted, trying to break free from his grasp.
"You cannot break free of my grasp, you're not strong enough," Altair said toneless.
"Stop it! Both of you!" Malik shouted from the bed.
"Why do you do this to us? Why do you ruin everything! You crippled my brother! You lead to the death of my father! Why did you do this! Your arrogance killed my mother! Why do you always push things that are already unstable enough! You have caused us so much pain! What has happened to Izrail? Have you crippled him, too?" Tarja bellowed, still adamantly fighting Altair's grasp.
Altair took the works with a grain of salt, standing still. He fought the urge to defend his actions, but didn't because deep down he knew she was right.
"Izrail is dead." Altair said. Tarja's face softened to a straight, wide-eyed ghost-look. Altair felt her arm go limp him his grasp, and he let it drop to her side. He looked at her face with such guilt that he didn't dare show. Altair glanced at Malik, who was giving him a stern look, and he left the room quickly. He took one last look at the heart-broken girl before hesitating to leave, then finally exiting.
Altair felt awful for all the pain Tarja rightfully accused on him. He walked, not an expression on his face.
'Why do I do these things…' he thought, before leaving the castle…
Altair sat upon a bench near the gates of Masayaf. All around him, people were rebuilding the damages caused by Robert de Sable and his men. There was a cart not too far from Altair that held several limp bodies covered in dried blood. Dead bodies that were dead because of him. A figure walked out of the corner of his eye and he turned to see who it was. It was Tarja. Altair held his breath as he watched her cross his field of vision. She had a gentle face, swept with grief. Her very long, brown hair was tied into a braid as it always had been. She wore the same brown, conservative dress she had always worn. It covered her curves, and showed no chest, ankle, or wrist. She carried with her a basket of goods from the market.
How could he cause such a simple, innocent girl such trauma? Altair looked away from her, feeling unworthy of it, though he felt her gaze upon him as he looked away.
Tarja looked away from Altair, and her anger returned. Her past feelings for him were no longer. As a young girl, she loved Altair. She always looked to him for comfort and always watched him as he trained to be an assassin, even as a young boy. Now, Tarja was twenty years old, and wise enough to know that Altair deserved no love from her. Tarja mentally changed the subject and looked inside her basket of goods. She had spent a lot of money on cloths, but she knew now that this was the right path for her.
Once again, that feeling of attraction rose up again from Tarja's soul as it did a few minutes earlier, and she looked back to see Altair was no longer on the bench. Tarja stopped, and looked at the bench for a few more seconds before turning around and walking back home again.
Still okay? I feel like it's progressing along nicely, but I would love some feedback! Review! Thanks!