A New Beginning

With a heavy sigh Altair approached Fiorenza as she struggled desperately to keep her mind long enough for Altair to do away with her. He knew of the vital areas of the human body, but he was no doctor as he risked killing her the first time, but now where would he stab her? There was no time to decide and so he quickly went up to her, placed a hand upon her back to keep her still and then with a swift upward jab, he stabbed her in the chest, just barely missing the heart, but convincing enough to look as if he had hit it and it was then Al Mualim had finally let go of his grasp on her as she cried out aloud followed by coughing up of blood as she fell limp into Altair's arms once more.

"Al…tair…" she muttered in a whisper. He felt very disheartened to have to hurt her once more let alone hurting just any woman. His profession was to end lives, but hurting a woman was just not of his etiquette. And tension pulled at his hurt, holding her and seeing her in great pain. He then held her close so that he could whisper into her ear.

"Al Mualim has to believe you are dead." He stated plain and simple.

Fiorenza understood without needing further explanation as he laid her head down and he brushed his hand over her eyes, closing them, as it is a common practice to close the eyes of the newly dead. She lay as still as possible, but just as he stood up, his body was taken over once more.

"You two put on quite a show, very impressive. Had her mind been any weaker I could dare say she was going to get the best of you, but no matter. I will finish where she left off. Have you any final words?" Al Mualim asked as he reappeared.

"You lied to me, called Robert's goal fowl when all along it was yours as well."

"I've never been much good at sharing."

"You won't succeed. Others will find the strength to stand against you." Altair retorted.

Al Mualim sighed as he replied and paced about with his device and sword in hand. "And this is why so long as men maintain free will, there can be no peace."

"I killed the man who spoke as such."

"Bold words, boy! But just words."

"Then let me go. I'll put words into action!" Despite his strong standing, all Al Mualim could do was laugh back in his face.

"So tell me, master, why did you not make me like the other assassin's? Why allow me to retain my mind?"

"Who you are and what you do are twine too tight together. To rob you of one would have deprived me of the other. However, as you can see from your friend over there, it will do you no good. And those Templars had to die." He then sighed heavily as he continued his mindless babble. "But the truth is I did try, in my study when I showed you the treasure, but you are not like the others. You saw through the illusion."

This puzzled Altair. "Illusion?" He asked.

"That's all it's ever done; this Templar treasure, this piece of Eden, this word of God. Do you understand now? The Red Sea was never parted. Water never turned to wine. It was not the machinations of Eris that spawned the Trojan War, but this!" He stated as he held up the piece of Eden. "Illusions, all of it!"

"What you plan is no less of an illusion; to force men to follow you against their will." Altair retorted, but Al Mualim could not be reasoned with.

"Is it any less real than the phantoms the Saracens and Crusaders follow now? Those craven gods who retreat from this world so that men might slaughter one another in their names? They live amongst an illusion already. I'm simply giving them another, one that demands less blood."

Altair sighed as he simply could not get through to his master, but he refused to be conned and manipulated. He saw through the madness. He understood what truly was versus what was imagined to be.

"At least they choose these phantoms."

"Or do they? Aside from the occasional convert or heretic?" Frustration settled in Al Mualim's voice, but Altair remained cool and collected as he always did. He assumed now that the only reason Al Mualim even bothered with talking to him was to try to convince him to see the way his master does, but Altair was wiser.

"It isn't right."

Al Mualim sighed once more as neither party was letting up.

"And now logic has left you. In its place you embrace emotion. I am disappointed."

"What's to be done then?" Altair replied.

"You cannot follow me and I cannot compel you."

Altair barked back, "And you refuse to give up this evil scheme!"

"It seems then that we are at an impasse."

"No! We are at an end." Altair stated firmly. Al Mualim lowered his head and sighed in a hint of sadness.

"I will miss you Altair. You were my very best student." And then out from behind Al Mualim a frail voice muttered, "But we will certainly not miss you."

Although in great pain, while Al Mualim chanted, ranted, and babbled in his monologue, Fiorenza built up the strength for one last stand as she got up behind Al Mualim and locked his arm behind him. She could have assassinated him, but she felt it was more appropriate for the student to end the master's life. Altair didn't waste the opportunity as he quickly ran up and stabbed his master in the jugular as he was quick to catch his master's fall as Fiorenza fell upon her knees and then to her side as she gasped and breathed heavily, finally able to close her eyes as she laid there. Al Mualim was now in the arms of Altair as his piece of Eden rolled out from his hand. They both watched it as it rolled away.

"Impossible. The student does not defeat the teacher."

Altair then replied in Arabic, "La shai' waqee mutlak bl kollin mumkin," which simply meant, nothing is true and everything is permitted. And for the first time Al Mualim was in agreement with Altair.

"So it seems. You have won then. Go and claim your prize."

"You held fire in your hand old man, it should have been destroyed." Altair replied.

"Destroy the only thing capable of ending the Crusades and creating true peace? Never."

Altair then released his master of his hold as he finished, "Then I will."

And with Al Mualim's last dying breath he whispered, "We'll see about that."

Before attending to the device he quickly went over to Fiorenza and gently picked her up in his arms. She was barely conscious.

"Stay with me. We'll get you to a doctor soon. I'm so sorry." She smiled lightly as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, but her gaze quickly went from Altair and fixated upon a glowing aura in the distance. It was the piece of Eden, revealing something large and strange.

"Al…tair…look…" she stammered as Altair looked up and let his eyes fall upon the wonder in front of them. It was a glowing light in the shape of the world itself. Places it showed were either not discovered, or of the future as America was revealed as well as other locations and within those locations specific icons popped up that glowed of the Assassin Creed symbol. Al Mualim's voice could be heard echoing within Altair's mind.

"Destroy it! Destroy it as you said you would!"

"I…I can't." Altair replied, puzzling Fiorenza.

"Yes you can, Altair, but you won't." And within moments of gazing upon this wonder, Malik and his men finally showed up as they stopped to gaze upon it as well.

-One Day Later-

"Is she alright doctor?" Altair asked as both men stood in the doorway to Altair's room that he now occupied at Masyaf headquarters. He was now the grand master of the entire institution with Malik at his side. The place did not feel the same after Al Mualim's death since it was now in the hands of Altair to do what he saw fit.

"As you stated, she has three puncture wounds, one of which missed her heart by a hairline. She has a fever, but it will pass and she will heal over time. She needs plenty of rest, water and for her wounds to be dressed when needed." Altair sighed, knowing full well that her injuries were all thanks to him, but at least she would be okay.

"Thank you doctor."

The doctor bowed ever so slightly as a sign of respect and then left, leaving Altair to tend to the care of his new found ally. He quietly entered the room to find that her eyes were partially open, her gaze tossed at the wall to her right, her skin looking as if some of its color had left, and she was in a partial sweat. The sweat came from catching an infection from so many open wounds, but the medicine the doctor had given her was helping and within a week he predicted she would be up and about to her old self. Altair walked around to the side of the bed she was laying closer to as it caught her attention.

"Al…Altair?" She asked, as her mind was hazy.

"Yes, it is I," He said softly as he sat down next to her stomach. He gazed upon the bandages that wrapped it as well as her arm and chest.

"Three times I had injured you and three times you saved my life. You have more than proven yourself to not only drop the charges of being a Templar spy, but to be a great ally…and friend. I am ever so sorry for hurting you. I…"

Before he could finish she placed a hand upon his own as she gave a weak smile.

"You repaid your debts by listening to me in the end and saving me from Al Mualim. All I ask is that you let me stay here with you, just for a little while before sending me back to my brother."

Altair smiled back, something he rarely had done. "As far as I'm concerned, you are free to come to Masyaf as many times as you please. In fact, I would very much like that."

"I'm sorry Altair, about Al Mualim. While the doctor was tending to me I overheard you talking to Malik and expressing how you felt Al Mualim was like a father to you since you were taken from your parents at a young age to go train and eventually never heard from them again. When I was young Templars killed my parents and so my brother took care of me until we fell upon the Fidelio clan. Seeing how we were at the right age for training, they took us in and taught us to become assassins. So, I know very much how you feel. In a way, my brother is almost like a father, but it is not the same."

"It's quite alright. It's easier to get over someone when you know how much they have betrayed and deceived you, but still…"

He was going to continue, but Fiorenza began to cough as each forced exhale made her wince from the soreness of her stomach.

"You need your rest. We can continue our talk some other time when you are better."

He stroked her face gently with his hand before he got up to leave, but just as he tried to, she gently grabbed hold of his hand.

"Wait…please. Don't leave." She said softly, just like she spoke before when he first injured her and had to hold her in his arms.

"Wait until…I fall…asleep?" She was nervous to ask, knowing he was probably busy, but she was tired enough to know it wouldn't take long for her to fall into dreams. He smiled lightly again as he sat back down on the edge of the bed. His right thigh was close enough that it allowed her to scoot down next to it and lay on her side as she nuzzled her face against it, almost using it as a pillow as she closed her eyes, Altair gently stroking her hair away from her face.

"Altair, what did you do with the piece of Eden?"

The question took him by surprise, but he answered honestly, "I still have it. And if it's not too much to ask, I want to visit your brother and discuss with him its possible origins. The papers he gave me only explain in small detail what the pieces of Eden do, but it says nothing more. I will write a letter to him and when you are better, we will go to Jedidiah and speak with him."

Fiorenza opened her eyes again as she looked up at Altair as their gaze interlocked. "Do you not plan to destroy it?" Altair thought for a moment before he answered back.

"…Not yet…"