On the streets again, Altaïr and Maria returned to pursue Mahmud, but from a distance. Right now, they were following him in an alley of the city… or rather, Maria was… Altaïr and she have decided to split out to look for him and now she didn't know where the hell he was…
Maria sighed and continued to observe her target, Mahmud... it looked like he was going to the stables!
Where was Altaïr when you need him? She thought.
Maria sighed and looked around, and after a few seconds, looked back to Mahmud, but she didn't find him... she couldn't believe she had lost him…
"Bollocks!" She said for herself.
She continued looking for him and passed near a square, with wood banks and some trees. From nowhere, while she looking on the other way, something hit her hard on the forehead, making her fall on the ground.
Maria tried to get up, but the pain was intense and she felt some blood ran down her forehead…
She tried to use her hands to support her as she sat on the floor and closed her eyes. When Mahmud approached her, she tried to look at him, through her hair...
"Well, well..." Mahmud said. "If it is not Maria Thorpe, the woman from earlier..."
Maria looked surprised at him... how of hell Mahmud knew her?
"Surprised?" Mahmud asked. "I have heard about you before... sis you think I wouldn't recognize you? Just with the Assassin, who destroyed my family?"
Maria was quiet.
"You betrayed the Order..." Mahmud said.
Maria didn't say anything... just wanted to have her sword now... but when the rafiq made her dress these clothes in the morning, he said she didn't need a sword and if she didn't want to the guards paying attention on her, she had to release her hair…
"Where is Altaïr?" Mahmud asked, calling her attention. "He wouldn't let you alo..."
Mahmud didn't have time to finish speaking... Altaïr appeared from nowhere, and stood between him, Mahmud and Maria.
"Oh, there he is..." Mahmud said. "I knew you wouldn't have left your woman behind..."
Altaïr half – closed his eyes and prepared himself. Mahmud smiled.
"Or she is just for fun, like my precious was?"
Altaïr grunted in anger at what the other man said.
"Nobody will talk about Maria like that…" he said to Mahmud.
Mahmud just laughed as Maria looked at them fighting… she didn't think Altaïr cared for her that much, but now, he was fighting to defend her and her honor…
Altaïr jumped back when Mahmud tried to hit him with the sword. Taking advantage from the impulse of Mahmud's race, Altaïr disentangle himself to the side and was able to hit Mahmud on the back. The other man yelled in pain and fell on the ground...
"You should pay attention on you daughter, Mahmud..." Altaïr said. "It was her who started..."
"You lie!" Mahmud yelled, getting up. "I'll finish your life, bastard..."
Altaïr knew the commotion could call the guards attention, even if the square was a little far from downtown. He had to finish this and see if Maria was ok... so, he just threw a throwing knife, hitting Mahmud shoulder… then, he just jumped threw a few punches, to silent Mahmud…
Then, Altaïr looked at Maria, got up and walked to her...
"Maria..." He said, kneeling down and brushed the hair from her face.
"I'm ok..." Maria said and them looked away from him.
"You think you can walk?" Altair asked, a few seconds later.
"Yeah..." She said, then tried to get up. When she failed, Altaïr helped her.
"Come, let's go back to the bureau..." He said.
X ~ X ~ X
At the Bureau:
When Altaïr and Maria arrived with Mahmud, the rafiq looked at them.
"Amim, take care of Maria... she's hurt…" Altaïr said, fondly. "Meanwhile, I'll have a chat with Mahmud..."
Amim nodded. As Maria followed Amim looked at Altaïr talking with Mahmud.
"Sit down, please…" Amim said.
Maria sat on the chair and Amim started to exam her head. When he cleaned the blood from her forehead, she noticed he had an expression of disgust on his face.
"How come an Assassin does not like to see blood?" She asked.
"There was a time I didn't have a problem with it, but since the Saracens made a blood shower in the city when they conquered it, I saw the other side of death: the pain the blood and I started to think about it and decided it was a pretty side, so…" Amim explained.
Maria nodded. They stayed quiet for a few seconds. Them, she asked again:
"Do you believe that a person can change?"
"Depend on the person…" said Amim. "Are you talking about who exactly?"
Maria sighed.
"Me…" She said.
Amim nodded.
"Why do you ask?" He asked.
"I was a Templar..." said Maria quietly.
Amim stopped what he was doing.
"What?" He asked.
"Only a month ago, I still was a Templar, but since I met Altaïr and we travel together to Cyprus, I started to think differently… I discovered the truth about the Templars plans and made me disgusted… I don't want to be a part of this anymore… I don't want to be a Templar anymore…" Maria said. "Altaïr opened my eyes for it and now we are travelling together…"
Amim nodded and restarted to fix Maria's wound.
"We even saved each other lives…" she finished.
"If I changed, you can change too…" Amim said.
Maria nodded and they were quiet when suddenly they saw Altaïr running outside. They looked at him.
"Alta…." Maria tried.
But he was gone. Maria looked at Mahmud. She got up and picking a throwing knife from the table, walked to him.
"What did you say to him?" She asked, putting the knife on his neck.
"Jus – t the Te – Templars, pla – ns, please…" said Mahmud.
"Which is?" she asked.
"Plea – se…. I don - t know for su – re, just the - y want – t to atta – ck a ci – ty…" said Mahmud.
"Which city" Maria asked.
Mahmud remained quiet.
"Which city?" Maria asked again, pressing the knife on his neck
Mahmud closed his eyes in pain...
"Ma – Masyaf..." Mahmud said.
Maria turned to Amim, who nodded.
"Go, I take care of him…" The rafiq said.
Maria nodded and went to find Altaïr.