Perilous
Chapter 4: Unbelievable
"When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear."
-Mark Twain
~OOO~
Masayaf 1191 (Altair's PoV)
He closed his eyes as the air swarmed around him, blanketing him in it's strange heart hammering fold. He loved it. The way he jumped into the air, the way his arms spread out and his cape tails fluttered out,
the way the air whistled as he speedily traveled towards the hay bail. At the last second, he maneuvered his self so that his back was to the bail and stealthily he plopped into it with a gentle 'poof.' As quickly as
he jumped in, he strutted back out to find one of Rauf's friends yelling out in agony. Altair furrowed his eyebrows curiously and jogged over to find Rauf hushing the man all the while twisting and cracking the
broken leg bone back into a more comfortable position. "*I'll stay behind and tend him. You'll have to go ahead without us. The ropes there will lead you to a trap we've set. Go and release it. Bring death upon
our enemies!*" Altair stared sternly down at Rauf and then nodded swiftly and swiveled on his heel, preparing to travel across the thin and wobbly beams of unsteady wood. "Oh and Altair..?" He turned his
head slightly to the side and murmured out silently, "Yes?" There was a slight chuckle in Rauf's fatherly voice, "حاول أن لا يطلقون النار أو القتل (try not to get shot or killed)." Altair turned his head back around and
smirked just slightly, "That won't be an issue."
Altair crouched down gently and held his arms out to his sides in order to maintain balance as he jogged across the creaking wooden beams. His hazel eyes scanned the terrain ahead of him and then once
below him. It was indeed a long drop and a very deathly one to anyone who decided to lose their balance and fall. To him, it seemed like an endless fall, and a very shameful one too. Altair wouldn't be
caught dead falling off of these beams, not for his life. Finally after quickly and stealthily crossing the beams he came upon a dusty building, the watch tower. Altair took a second to examine the structure for any
kind of loopholes, which in his case would be stones jutting out and supporting his quick climb up the building. Quickly Altair gripped tightly at the stone and began using the built in structures to his advantage.
As soon as he climbed to the top of the building he walked up to the edge of the wall of the building and stared down at the fastened trap that was threatening to fall down at the enemies below. He mercilessly
pulled out his recently sharpened sword and held it up to his fingers, running his index finger carefully along the edge until he began to feel the prickling sensation of a sword beginning to cut him. One last sigh
escaped him and he quickly slashed his deathly sword vertically down the loose wooden beam supporting the heavy tons of logs.
Altair glared down at the screaming men while sheathing his sword. He swiveled on his heels and climbed back down.
~OOO~
Masayaf 1191 (Avril's PoV)
Avril's eyes widened as the more than a ton heavy logs clobbered down on the suddenly defenseless men. There were loud screams and flying men everywhere. She knew that somewhere, man would learn
how to fly, just throw a couple of death bringing logs on them and they'll book right away. She winced a bit and tightened her grip on the fortress walls as men were crushed and suffocated. Then her honey
colored eyes trailed desperately along the dead men, she pounded her fist angrily down, completely ignoring the weird looks she was getting from the number of Assassins around her. There he was, still
alive. 'Damn it!' Robert de Sable was strutting on his horse away from the logs, she bit her lip and yelled out. Completely throwing everything down to oblivion, she didn't even care if her cover was blown.
"AW! Damn it! You (Altair) couldn't have squished him?! My life would have been one hundred times better if he was dead! But NO! Damn! And YOU (Robert)! You couldn't have been deaf!? Turned around
at the last second! Vis à vous tous! (screw all of you)!" A gentle pat on the shoulder from Al Mualim snapped her out of her blow out and she whipped her head around to stare up at the leathery faced man.
"Patience is the key, child." Avril sighed deeply and turned her head back around, the game was not over yet.
~OOO~
(a few moments later)
They climbed down numerous steps, but they finally made it out to the copper scented air. It made her wrinkle her nose with discomfort, Avril was never a fan of blood, or dead bodies. It made her fidget from
time to time. Now she realized how hard it most really be being an Assassin, there was always so much at stake. She shook her head and stood next to Al Mualim who folded his arms rigidly behind his
back and stared stonily at Altair who stared just as much back at him. She swore, it was some kind of competition, was there money being betted here? Al Mualim's voice snapped her back to reality,
his accent ringing in the hot air, "*You did well to drive Robert from here. His force is broken. It should be a long while before he troubles us again. Tell me, do you know why it is you are successful? You
listened! Were it that you had listened in Solomon's Temple, Altaïr, all of this would have been avoided.*" Avril looked straight at Altair, and from the screwed twist of his lips, she could tell the enigma of a man
was quite pissed. Another thing she realized was, that Altair was indeed arrogant. His comments..strutting, actions…proved it. But he was supposedly one of the best…so said Malik. But where did all of this
arrogance come from? Was it his attitude that shied people away from him, only to leave him disapproving and hateful comments? How did she know? People tend to speak their mind when they are angry…
and in this case, it was a bunch of glowering Assassins. She couldn't help but slightly smirk at the comment, he did have listening issues. Maybe he thought that since he was that great of a pupil… that he
didn't have to take advice or orders…from anyone. But she wasn't him, how would she know?
Avril watched as Altair's monotone voice rung a little forcefully in the now rigid air, "*I did as I was asked.*" Wow. Just..wow. Even she realized it, his comment wasn't helping him..not at all. It only seemed to stir
everyone up to new heights. Al Mualim quickly raised an arm and shook his head disapprovingly, "*No, you did as you pleased! Malik has told me of the arrogance you displayed, your... disregard for
our ways*!" There was just so much…pain and pressure in the old man's voice, it vibrated through her very being in such a way…she felt as if her vision was tilting back. Suddenly, two of the Assassin guards
that were standing seriously next to Altair stealthily and roughly grabbed Altair each by the arms and held him there while he struggled angrily. "*What are you doing?!*" His voice was still monotone, but there
was indeed surprise in his dark voice. The air was even more tense then it was before, she closed her honeyed eyes for just a second, and then opened them again when she was recomposed. A slight breeze
tumbled her hair around, streaks of it whipped along her face, but she made no move to reposition it. Avril was afraid that if she did move, something…something strange would just occur. Al Mualim shook his
head again and moved his self from his place next to her, he moved closer to Altair's side, pacing rather thoughtfully. "*There are rules. We are nothing if we do not abide by the Assasayun's creed!
Three simple tenets, which you seem to forget.*" Suddenly, his striding broke and he began to strut his way to his angered pupil who had snapped his head childishly down at the ground, the older man
grabbed Altair's chin and snapped it back up, forcing him to stare back up at him. If she was asked, she'd say that he didn't want to hear the scolding.
Avril rubbed her arm uncomfortably, 'Je déteste cet air tendu. Juste en finir avec ça! (I hate this tense air. Just get this over with)!' She forced her eyes back up to Al Mualim's back. The older man let go once he
knew that Altair was listening for sure, "*I will remind you. First and foremost, "Stay your blade-*" She cocked her head to the side curiously, tenets? Interesting. Perhaps she could learn a few things
if she continued to pay attention, which of course, she was currently dreading. No matter how much she disliked the Assassin enigma. There was a silence in the air as there was a slight sigh
that slipped out from Altair's mouth, cutting off Al Mualim. "*..from the flesh of an innocent." I know.*" A moment passed by before Al Mualim violently reacted which caused one of the Assassins
holding Altair down to flinch, she couldn't help it either. Altair kept his face to the side, even if she couldn't see his lips, she knew that he was definitely humiliated if not already. "*And stay your
tongue, unless I give you leave to use it! If you are so familiar with this tenet, why did you kill the old man inside the Temple?! He was innocent! He did not need to die! Your insolence knows no
bounds! Make humble your heart, child, or I swear I'll tear it from you with my own hands...! The second tenet is that which gives us strength. Hide in plain sight. Let the people mask you such
that you become one with the crowd. Do you remember? Because as I hear it you chose to expose yourself, drawing attention before you'd struck! The third and final tenet... the worst of all your
betrayals. Never compromise the brotherhood. It's meaning should be obvious: Your actions must never bring harm upon us, direct or indirect! Yet your selfish action beneath Jerusalem placed
us all in danger! Worse still, you brought the enemy to our home! Every man we've lost today was lost because of you!*" Ok…she seemed have been biting the inside of her cheeks for soon,
she was tasting the dreaded red liquid that coursed through her blood vessels. The older man had paced back and forth, pointed, stressed his distress and shook his head. And all Altair did was
make an effort to not meet his Master's eye. She looked down from the scene and put a hand up to her lips, she did not feel anything. No hate, no dislike, no anger or awkwardness. Just sorrow,
and confusion. Even if Altair was arrogant, she did not like seeing him this humiliated. She suddenly regretted the icy hatred she had so boldly shared with him.
Avril looked back up in time to see Al Mualim pull out a small blade from his robe, her eyes widened and she watched more closely, so this was what happened to a traitor. Al Mualim had been
right though, everyone that had been lost was because of him…maybe this was something that he deserved? She shook her head, she was not the one to judge, she found herself glad…
she wasn't the one to judge this. Very glad. "*I am sorry... truly I am. But I cannot abide a traitor.*" The now withered man slowly lowered his head to the ground and gripped the small blade
tightly. He looked back up again to hear his once bright pupil struggle slightly, "*I am not a traitor*!" Al Mualim looked down again and examined his small blade while slowly closing in on
Altair, "*Your actions indicate otherwise. And so you leave me no choice. Peace be upon you, Altaïr.*" Suddenly, the man lunged at Altair, the eerie and deathly noise of skin being intruded rang
in Avril's ears. She released an unintentional gasp and unconsciously clamped her hands over her ears, the fear of seeing death clouded her vision and she did nothing but let her mouth hang
open and stare frightfully at the death of Altair. The yell from him didn't even cross her once, she was just too…scared, she didn't want to hear it. She had seen too much death..too much.
~OOO~
Assassin's Fortress (Avril's PoV)
She paced back and forth, waiting for an answer. Avril had found herself running away from the death of Altair, she had turned quickly and ran right to the infirmary hallway. Avril had previously
been so dizzy, she was offered a chance to lay down but didn't take it. Instead, she had to know if Malik was okay, she hadn't seen him since she first saw Al Mualim in that cluttered library by
the grand window. Avril was just on her last strand of patience when she turned to find an assistant behind her, she jumped and then tousled her hair to make it look like she meant to. "Have you
got news for me?" The assistant looked down at the ground and shook his head, "I'm afraid that you won't be able to see him at the moment." Avril's eyebrows shot up in surprise and then she
furrowed them in pure rage, 'How dare he?!' She crossed her arms across her chest, "And why not, monsieur (mister)?!" The assistant raised his hands in what seemed like defeat and shook his
head once more, "It's too…we don't allow anyone in other than the doctors until the patient is completely dealt with. And the point we are at now…it's too much. We will let you know when he is
better again." Avril's face slowly composed itself and she finally nodded in defeat, "I understand." The assistant sighed deeply and was about to turn around when she grabbed his cloaked sleeve
and jerked him back, "Promise?" He stared down at her with some surprise and then nodded gravely, "Yes. Now please, I have to get back." She nodded one last time and released the man from
her current death grip and watched him pace away.
Avril turned back around and took in a sharp breath, it was a man with a dark Assassin's apparel. She still didn't understand the difference in colors, they were all Assassins, right? He was less
like a man and more like a boy, he looked like maybe 2 or 3 years younger than her, but still young. "M-miss. I believe th-the Master is calling for you." She nodded and then turned her head
away. Avril realized that the boy hadn't scurried off to throw knives…or whatever it was that they did in their spare time. "I will be along in a little. Thank you for telling me." The boy nodded
awkwardly and then literally galloped away from her sight. 'It was about damn time, the old sod was keeping me waiting. But..what will I do now? I am free…where will I go? Back to France?
Back to Reymond? Was Reymond still there?'
Avril lazily and slowly climbed up the steps, she grinned slightly, 'This is for making me wait all that time…it's almost dark outside!' She finally made it up the stairs and held her chin up high and
strutted confidently towards Al Mualim. Then her eyes widened and her nobility slipped right through her head, what? What? Was this a trick of the light?! What was he doing back here, up from
the dead? Was that even possible?! Altair was alive. Alive and well, for it seemed that he had gone through another scolding and now angrily turned his hooded face her way. There was some-
thing missing though…oh! He had no weapons or armor whatsoever. There was just his white robes and that strange red sash thing. Her honeyed eyes trailed from Altair's figure slowly to the Ark.
There it was…glimmering brightly..mocking her. She narrowed her eyes and lowered her eyebrows. 'It's because of you that I'm in this mess.' She stopped her glowering and stared at Al Mualim
who was waiting for her attention. She awkwardly cleared her throat and stared at him cautiously, "W-what is he doing back here…and alive? Wasn't he dead hours ago? I saw it." There was a
slight scoff from Altair but she chose to ignore it. Something caught her eye as she concentrated in on the 'Master's' face, a slight twitch of the eye if you will. Avril narrowed her eyes but chose
to let it slip. "I let you see what I wanted you to see." She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head while raising a hand, but before she could say anything, Al Mualim cut her off and continued
on, "A mere poison. Nothing more."
Avril slowly nodded her head after she let that process through her mind, she raised her hand up and began playing with the thick bow twine that crossed her chest and held her borrowed bow
across her back. Then she looked back up and stopped idly playing around, "You called for me, une ancienne (old one), what for?" Avril began making her way next to Altair, she wanted
to face Al Mualim directly. She stopped next to Altair, but at a distance, and stared straight ahead at Al Mualim who had naturally placed his hands behind his back and began to pace back and
forth. "As you can see, Altair has been stripped of his weapons." Avril peeked at Altair through the corner of her eye and nodded awkwardly, "Along with that, he has lost his rank." Before he
continue, she raised her hands up to stop him. Avril furrowed her eyebrows and closed her eyes only for a millisecond, "W-wait?! There are ranks?" Al Mualim stared at her briefly before
continuing his steady pacing, "Indeed. Novice being the lowest and Mentor being the highest." Avril nodded her head and then looked at Altair, "So that's why there are different color robes?"
There was a slight nod from Altair and she nodded to reassure herself and then continued to watch Al Mualim pace, "Correct. Altair was a Master..he is now a Novice." Avril's eyebrows shot up
with shock, she then slowly turned her head towards Altair to find that he was already looking her way, it was as if he knew she had something to say. "Bummer. That's a big fall." A low growl
slipped Altair's lips and he jerked his head away before crossing his arms across his chest in a 'manly' way. She scoffed and then held up an index finger, "But why are you telling me all of this?"
Al Mualim stopped pacing and placed his hands on top of the old bristly table. "That is a good question, young one." He stared at the Ark for a moment before continuing, "It's because you know
too much already. Malik insisted that you are not to be harmed in anyway, shape or form. He told me to trust you."
Avril nodded slowly and then rubbed her arm at the thought of Malik's injured left arm. A grimace crossed her features. "And do you trust me?" He answered almost immediately, in her opinion,
maybe a little too honestly. "No." She was taken aback, but then again. She was some strange girl of French descent who was with the Templars, these people had no background of her, only
the fact that she had helped Malik escape and evacuated the townsfolk. "It is too early to tell. Time will reveal." Avril toyed with her now caked fingernails and sighed deeply, "Alright then. I best
be on my way." Just as she turned to leave with her eyes lowered, a strange swishing noise and a collusion with Altair snapped her back to reality. He glowered down at her and she jumped back
with confusion. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Avril whirled around with rage in her large eyes, "And why not?!" She glowered with a sneer. "Where will you go?" Al Mualim was now staring
solemnly at her, a completely serious expression. She furrowed her eyebrows and stared down at the ground again once she realized that he was right. Where would she? She was a wanted
woman and going back to France had 'Kick me' written across her forehead. Who was in France for her anyway? Her parents were dead and she wasn't even sure if Reymond was alive anymore.
What would she do? "Exactly. Why not take this into consideration?"
She raised her head with a meek expression chiseled onto her delicate features. "Help us." Avril looked back up at Al Mualim to find him pulling out a pigeon or dove, he stroked it softly. The
irony. She raised hands up to add along with a slight shrug, "But what can-" He sharply raised a hand and shook his head, "Learn to control that attitude of yours." She immediately snapped her
jaw shut and clenched it tightly, "You can be Altair's spy." An unintentional intake of breath escaped Altair and he jerked his head up at Al Mualim, Avril was literally coughing on choked saliva.
"I beg your pardon?!" Al Mualim looked up from the pigeon and stared down at the two shocked persons, "As I said before, Altair was stripped of his ranks and I proposed a deal with him that he
will accomplish." Avril sighed with annoyance, "Ok. Enough of the short notices, please talk sense with me. What PROPOSAL?" Al Mualim let out a gruff sigh and slowly continued his natural
pacing, "He is to kill 9 people. 9 men who individually spread evil across the land. He is to put an end to each and everyone of them. Stealthily and quietly. That is the way he will regain his rank
as Master Assassin and replenish his honor. What say you? I am sure that Altair could use the extra hand." There was a silent groan from Altair that Avril couldn't ignore, she glowered at him
before thinking and sorting things through her head. It seemed like a good choice, and she would be doing these so called missions for the good of the people, and where else would she go? A
final sigh escaped her, her mood lightened a bit once she realized that she could have a chance at seeing Robert de Sable killed. "You have a deal. I shall accompany Altair on his journey for
redemption." Al Mualim nodded, "Follow Altair out, your first mission is actually right here in the city. There is a traitor lurking about, he helped de Sable and it is your job to find out the details,
this is all I will tell both of you. Now, be off with you. Night is about to strike."
Altair clenched his fists and twirled around, clobbering down the stairs, she however, did not leave just as quickly. "I have one more thing for you, Ms. Girard." Avril looked up a bit shocked,
her mind was still cluttered and processing the details. "Yes?" Al Mualim motioned for her to come forth, she hesitated but did what she was told. He motioned for her to hold out her hand and
she did so. In her hand, he laid a strange 'A' shaped symbol, it was sort of like a chain, something Altair was wearing before. "That is so no one will mistake you for a Templar, people will know
your face, but that doesn't mean they will trust you. As long as you don that symbol, you will be sheltered and recognized as an ally. Wear it proudly." Avril nodded and clutched it tightly in her
delicate palm, "Will do." He raised a hand once more and then pulled out a long robe of black. She raised her eyebrows with shock and cocked her head to the side, "What's this…Master?"
He chuckled silently but with strain. "It is the attire of our kind. May you wear it proudly." She held it in her arms, the red sash glowed brightly in her eyes, she smiled up at him and nodded,
"You know. You aren't so bad." Another gruff noise from Al Mualim, but at least she got him to grin…well, slightly. A final goodbye from her and she quickly galloped down the steps to find
Altair impatiently waiting there for her. "What was so important that it took you an eternity to get down here, your highness?" Avril narrowed her eyes sharply at him and then held up the symbol
and apparel. "This, all mighty stern one." A growl hissed out of both of their lips before she sighed and looked outside, it was now dark. "We will start our task tomorrow…a lot has happened
today, it's best if we get some rest. Come." Avril clutched her new gifts and then followed after Altair to find a medium sized room with a bunch of cushions and blankets. She smiled happily but
wasn't currently tired. It wasn't that late. Maybe she could…readjust her new uniform.
~OOO~
Assassin's Fortress 1191
She shuffled around a little, but managed to get a reflection of herself. It hadn't taken her that long since she had learned how to sew and make dresses ever since she was young. Avril pulled on
the puffy thigh high now black dress and carefully tied on the red sash. A strand of it hung off her left side and dangled all the way down to her mid thigh. Avril had managed to get her hands on
a different type of material for the puffy bottom part of her dress, now, whenever she moved, it bounced along with her. The top part of her dress was simple, no neck to the dress, just a slight
oval. She had managed to keep the hood on, so whenever she needed it, she could still pull it over her head. The sleeves of the dress were short and they stopped right at her elbows. Of course
she wasn't going to prance around with only a short dress, so she pulled on some black tight material for her legs that was airy and easy to move around in. After that she pulled on her black
boots and laced them up. Avril finally and gently picked up the Assassin's symbol, she smiled gently down at it before caressing it. Avril pulled the chain strap across her chest and latched it
the hooks together. Now the 'A' rested on the left side near her shoulder. Finally, she got her bow and quiver on her back and wasn't exactly surprised to see Altair ready and up. For some
reason, she was kind of surprised that she was up this early, but not surprised enough, for he had beat her to it. A gruff sigh escaped his lips and he crossed his arms across his chest.
"What did you do to the robe?" Avril looked down at her dress and shrugged, "Made it more suitable for me." He leaned away from the door frame and turned away, "Come. We still have some
time before the market opens. I will show you have to defend yourself with a short blade." Avril furrowed her eyebrows and jogged to keep in strut with him, "But aren't you stripped of your
weapons? How-" He whirled around and glowered down at her, of course she couldn't see his eyes…but his aura was enough to give her a hint. "Don't you ever keep quiet?" Avril narrowed her
big eyes at him and crossed her arms across her chest, "I don't want to." He shook his head and swiveled around, continuing his quick pace, "We will practice in the courtyard, materials are
found there." She sighed and blew a piece of tumble weed hair out of her face. 'Here we go.'
~OOO~
**A/N: Sorry I took so long! School started and I got so damn busy with work along with it! God…life doesn't want to spare us teenagers and students. Anyway, I am grateful for the favs and reviews, keep them comin! I don't mind XD And xVentressx, I did what you advised with the spacing, I got more gaps between them. I was thinking about it too when I first read your review, then I went to look at the gaps and I was like. Ouch! My eyes! So I hope this is more to your liking and I hope I won't make you go blind XD Anyway, the usual Disclaimer, I don't own a bunch of sexy Assassins. Fav and Review to your heart's content, I can't wait for the next chapter! Thanks again for all the lovely viewers and reviewers!**