The Story of a Rafiq

Chapter 7


The Rafiq came only hours after Malik had gotten the message. He didn't dwell on his feelings of being forgotten till the last second, or said much of anything other than "I'll be leaving now, goodbye." As soon as he reached the top of the hill, and was able to look down at his home of Jerusalem, he paused and stared at the many buildings of the large city. Just how many people down in the city were loved and cared for? Just how many people were tossed aside for someone else, and feeling betrayed and sad?

His brows furrowed in anger as he turned his horse back around and slowly walked with a group of people who did not have a horse. He did not want to hurry to the man he loved, not when he had a baby on the way. He knew that their relationship had been rocky ever since Solomon's Temple, but he also knew that they had been reconnecting well. Least, he had thought that up until now. Just how long had Maria and Altair been...?

He shook his head, earning a curious glance from one of the women below him. He gave an apologetic grin, turning his horse around the group, and walking off. He couldn't be around people when his mind was so fixed on something. He always tended to talk to himself, as well as interact. It was a habit of his that usually left him wishing he did not have it, due to people assuming he was a little crazy. Was he crazy? He smiled to himself as he patted the side of his horse. No, he knew he wasn't, but maybe he was going to go mad if nothing was going to go right in his life anymore.

Malik walked until dusk, when he pulled over and smiled as he headed into the woods. He stopped at a small clearing and tied his horse up, taking some hay from a hidden location and putting it by it. He walked back to the location, taking a few small logs, and placing them in a pit that was already laid out. He managed to start a fire within minutes, walking over to a tree and sitting by it, placing his hand upon the carved wood. His fingers traced over the first set of names "Majid and Tamir" then lowered to trace over "Altair and Malik". His hand dropped, his head shaking slightly.

"Why did it all have to turn out this way?" he whispered, standing back up and walking over to the fire. Rummaging through his bag, he pulled out the book again, a quill and some ink that he had packed. He knew he was sad, but he also knew he wanted to finish what he had started. Placing the quill in the ink, he sat up straight, folding his legs and placing the book on his knee to balance it, then took the quill once more, and began to write...

Time flew quickly, soon Malik was about to turn sixteen, Altair already being seventeen and already being a high ranking assassin. He hadn't quite hit master yet, and still had a ways to go before that, but the fact that he had been advancing faster than others made Malik grateful that he was partnered up with him, not that his skills had anything to do with him being friends with him. Altair was growing up fast, more skilled than ever. Every rank he climbed he had earned by his own hands. He was very committed to everything he did, and his partner. Never once did he complain about him, nor would the other.

Malik and Altair were much like Tamir and Majid, and rarely ever seen without the other, making it less than difficult to find one or the other. Malik loved to read, and Altair loved to hear him read. The two could often be found in the library, the higher ranked partner laying on the ground, his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling and listened to the other speak every word as if it were a poem, or a slow but moving song.

When they did not want to be found, they took to the tower that Kadar had shown Malik. There wasn't much to do up there, but they didn't mind. Watching the clouds pass, or just gazing the stars in silence, only enjoying each other's company was good enough for the both of them. Kadar found it all the more silly, but did not ask or say anything to them since Majid and Tamir simply stated that he would understand someday.

Although, despite how attached at the hip both of the partners were, whenever they were apart Tamir and Majid never treated the two brothers anything but equal. The older of the two could have sworn his brother was a bit jealous whenever he was given any attention at all, but didn't dwell on it more than a moment longer. Of course, till his suspicions of his brother's jealousy was confirmed...

After a few months, Kadar started to react much like a spoiled brat, glaring at Malik and clinging to Tamir's arm even though he was a teenager himself. Majid, at first, took it as nothing more than the younger sibling being a younger sibling, but as time wore on him and Tamir both grew tired of it, and resulted in scolding Kadar.

"He is your brother, Kadar. The only one you have, yet here you are treating him like a stranger that is trying to steal something precious from you," Majid stated, on top of the tower. Malik was behind the door, Altair behind him, looking rather awkward as he stared at the ground, able to hear through the cracks from the door.

"I don't care who he is! He's not my brother anymore. Altair's his brother now. I'm just a stupid novice that can not swing a sword right, let alone compare with them!" Kadar yelled back, backing against the wall, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Maybe if you asked your brother for help instead of leaving him behind for your other friends you wouldn't be feeling that way," Majid sighed, rubbing his forehead, shaking his head, Tamir looking from both of them, not sure where he should intervene or how.

Kadar lowered his head, his shoulders slumping forward slightly as he looked off to the side. He knew Majid was right. When they just started to be taught here Malik was always the outcast in the back. Kadar was the popular one with friends, the one who could crack jokes and keep smiling through anything. But he always looked up to Altair, always envied how well he handled everything. When Malik became friends with him, he was jealous. Not because of a lack of friends, but because his older brother had the skills to keep up with his idol. Why couldn't he have them too?

Altair placed a hand on Malik's shoulder, his partner looking to him, his eyes reflecting the sadness that he knew that he'd be feeling. "Come on Malik, we don't need to hear this anymore," he whispered, the younger boy nodding his head as as he started down the stairs first. Altair waited a moment, then turned his head as the door opened behind him. Kadar stood horror struck as he stared into the eyes of his idol. The higher ranked assassin smiled a bit grimly, then started down the stairs after his friend, leaving the novice behind.

The two walked up to their rooms, where Altair let Malik keep to himself by sitting on his own bed, the younger assassin on his. He watched him carefully as Malik laid back and stared up at the ceiling, not moving a muscle once he got comfortable, except to breathe. Should he say anything? He moved back to lean against the wall, watching as Malik turned his head to look at him.

"I had no idea that Kadar felt that way... I noticed the jealousy before, but never to that extent..."

Altair nodded, looking to him sympathetically as his eyes drifted to the ground. There was a knock on the door, the older getting up and opening it. Kadar stood foolishly, his hands held in front of him, his toes pointing together to form his feet in the shape of a V as he looked anywhere but up to the older assassin. "Can I... talk to Malik?" he said, his voice failing to go very high. Altair stepped aside and allowed the smaller boy to walk inside, and slowly edge over to look down at his older brother, who was now sitting up and looking to him a bit worried.

Malik sighed after a few minutes of silence, Kadar staring at the floor, struggling to say anything. He stood and took his shoulder, leading him to the door and looking to Altair, who looked a little reluctant to have them leave, "I'm going to go talk to my brother. I'll see you later, okay?" the older assassin forced a smile and nodded his head, watching as they exited the door, and closed it behind them.

He led them down to a courtyard filled with different kinds of flowers and a patch of grass. They sat on a large rock, Kadar glancing at his brother, scared he was going to scold him and snap like their uncle and Tamir. When Malik simply smiled and looked up at the near cloudless sky, the younger brother furrowed his brows in confusion, wondering what he should say.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know you felt that way," Malik said softly, looking back down at the shocked Kadar, "I should have treated you more like a brother than just an assassin of lower rank..."

"Malik no, I'm the one that should be sorry," Kadar stood and looked down at him, looking like he was about to cry, "I was jealous about you... for every reason. You are smart, you are talented, and now you and Altair are together and I wish I could find that sort of love too..." Malik's brows furrowed, his mouth opening to question what he meant, but the younger continued, "That is why I have been so possessive over Tamir and Majid. I didn't want you taking their love too..."

"What... sort of love do you mean?"

"I see the way you look at him Mal, I may not be smarter than you, but I should know better than anyone you've never looked at someone with such eyes." Malik was speechless. Had he really been looking at Altair in such a way? Had the older man noticed? Was that why he kissed him a few years ago? He looked down, Kadar frowning at his brother's troubled silence, "Was I wrong?" he asked, staring down at him as he slowly shook his head and covered his face with his hands.

"I do not know, Kadar. I care for him as much as I care for you, Tamir, and Majid. You all are my family. Never did I question if there was anything more than that..."

"Maybe you should talk to Altair? Find out his views?"

The older brother nodded his head slightly, sitting up and looking to the younger once again, "You are not mad at me still, correct?" he asked, changing the subject, his face looking almost as grim as he was feeling.

"I may be still feeling jealous, but isn't that what brothers are suppose to do? Be jealous of each other and build their own strengths?" Kadar grinned, making Malik smile in return. "Though, I do have one request..."

Malik smiled knowingly, "I'll make time to teach you how to properly sword fight."

"Really?" The old bouncing Kadar was back, hopping very slightly in place as he stood up, looking down, a hopeful gleam in his eye.

"Of course."

After spending a few hours with each other, beginning to go over specific techniques that Malik had both learned from others and discovered himself. His brother all the while had this wide eyed look on his face that told how much fun he was having. The older brother could not sum it up in words of how relieved he was to have his younger brother back to normal. A glaring face was a terrible look for the younger, and he hoped to never see it ever again.

He headed up the stairs, heading back to his and Altair's room with one thing on his mind: How was he going to ask Altair about his views on love? It was easy to ask Tamir when he did, since he knew there was no way the other could hate him. Also, the fact that he suspected Tamir and Majid to be more than just friends gave him another reason for it to be easy. He paused in front of the door and stared at the handle. He gulped very slightly, then walked inside.

Altair was napping in his own bed, faced downward as he breathed deeply. The younger man couldn't help but smile at this and walk over, taking a piece of parchment that had his friend's horrible handwriting scrawled upon it. 'Malik, I need help finding any information about a man by the name of Isam Rasheef. I tried to find some earlier when you were out, but there was nothing. I'll explain later tonight.'

He raised his brows and looked down at his friend, shaking his head, "You tried? Why is it that I doubt that?" he questioned out loud, slipping the paper in his pocket and heading back out of the room, and down the stairs. He knew as well as anyone that Altair never looked at books for very long. He was a physical person, never a person to spend any one length of time on reading. Some times, Malik even questioned if he could read at all, but was reassured that he could when he would quote things that he had seen in scrolls and books.

It took about an hour before he even found a word of the man. He looked at the parchment several times during his search wondering if Altair had gotten the name wrong. When he found a scroll behind a stack of piled scrolls, he carefully opened it, and blinked.

'Isam Rasheef was seen today. The traitor will be caught soon.'

It was the only thing written on the long paper, but it was the first sign that he had that the person ever existed. He rolled it back up, and held onto it, searching the scrolls around it, finding more smaller scrolls hidden behind the bigger. Each of the smaller scrolls were not very long, but each had something about the man, all calling him a traitor, and something about what he was or did do that day. Once he was sure he found all of the hidden scrolls on that one shelf, he began to unroll them, pressing each roll of parchment together and rolled them up to look like one scroll.

Tucking the scroll in his robes, he rushed out of the library, not really noticed by any of the other assassins as they walked about, conversing with others or searching for something of their own. The two guards at the entrance were talking with one another not lifting their gaze as the boy rushed to the dorms and up the stairs. He really hoped Altair could shed some light on who this man was, what he had done to be called a traitor, and why his friend was looking into the man.

He entered the room, and frowned not seeing his partner inside. He shook his head and sat on the floor, unrolling the parchment, and looking through each one, examining them for any small print or numbering. He leaned back against the wall and glared at the papers. What did they all mean? And where was Altair? He rubbed his chin and let out a defeated sigh. There was nothing more he could do with the papers, not until his friend was back.

Rolling up the scrolls he walked over to the small cabinet between their beds, opened it and placed them inside. He sat down on his bed and yawned, stretching upward, not realizing till then at how sore his arms were from all the sword practicing for the day. He lifted his gaze and blinked as Altair stumbled in the room, pressing his balled up left hand, close to his chest. He closed the door and staggered over to his bed, laying down and letting out a shaky sigh, his room mate staring at him, worried.

Malik could now see that there were bandages on the hand. He got up and walked over to him, the other grinning up at him foolishly. "What happened?"

"I was promoted... and given a new weapon," Altair said, his voice laced with the subtle sound of pain. "Only downside is I had to lose a finger," he half laughed and turned his head, staring up at the ceiling.

"Did you at least see the doctor?" Altair nodded his head, Malik sitting on the floor next to him. He supposed Isam Rasheef could wait, along with his prior question. Right now Altair needed rest. He stayed silent, watching him as he drifted off to sleep. When he was sure he was out cold, Malik scooted to sit on his knees and gazed down at his friend's face.

He knew it was sneaky and probably wrong to be stealing a moment like this while Altair was sleeping. But to be quite honest, he couldn't care less. He leaned down, pressing his forehead to the others, and staring down at his closed eyes, their noses almost touching.

"Maybe..." he whispered softly, "I do love you..."


Notes:


I am honestly surprised at how fast this chapter was finished. I've been bombed with so many papers, and my math teacher must be a demon of some sorts because she keeps aggravating me by docking me points for really random stuff x.x; But I am pleased that I was able to fit this in between classes and homework.


ALSO

Go look at the fan art of Tamir, Majid and little Malik and Kadar Uccan did x3 It's amazing~

h ttp: / /uccan .deviant art. c om/ #/d4 qfaer (without spaces as usual)


Review Responses:


I felt terrible the last few chapters not doing this like I did in Efflorescent Feelings. Even if I was just simply saying thank you, at least I was responding. So I am bringing this back~


dippychick16: I'm glad you wouldn't mind religion, but I really feel I should avoid it all together. When someone is so passionate about their beliefs, the tiniest things could be found as offensive even if they were not meant that way and that is something I don't want to do at all. But thank you for letting me know :)

BADAZZtoldya: I hate her too D: You have no idea how loud I cheered when she died. As cruel as that sounds, I just can't stand her as a character at all. But~ Without her Altair would never have his children, so I guess her purpose is there =w=; Don't worry I'm not going to go to have much of an appearance of her other than a few mentions and very brief moments where she will show up, but nothing more than that.

Please review~ x3