He awoke to darkness. The room was as black as the darkest night. No light filtered in from anywhere, but he could hear the sounds of his boots hitting the floor. Altair tried to see with his other vision, but that too failed him. He was blind to all around.
"Hello?" He called into the darkness, but the only thing that greeted his ears was the echo of his own voice.
Was this a dream? A nightmare? Or something far more sinister? He could not tell.
"Where am I?" He yelled out, not thinking he would get a response, but he took a step back when he heard someone else.
"Someone else is in here?" Another voice called back. Male and from the sounds, not too old. The accent was familiar, but he could not place it. "Where are you?"
"I do not know. I cannot see through the darkness." Altair closed his eyes, and tried to listen for any indication as to where the other man was.
There was a chuckle, but it was not male. "Altair, you are failing me. Connor has not completed what he needs to do. You have only two years left."
"Altair?" The other man called. "What the hell has that psycho bitch done this time?"
"You are not in this choice, Desmond. You have made yours." Juno voice snapped at the other man.
"Yeah, with you guiding my hand." Desmond growled, and it echoed off the chamber walls, bouncing around in the darkness.
Desmond? "Who is Desmond?" He asked taking a step forward once more.
"You need not concern yourself with him. He is also helping me. From another time." He could tell she was smiling and he could picture in his mind the same smile she had given him before. The one that made his blood run cold.
"Yeah, she is a manipulative bitch." Desmond yelled from somewhere to his right.
Altair turned his head to look in the direction the voice had come from, but still could see nothing. "What do you want, Juno?" Names held power. Now that he knew who was using him, he could ask about her when he awoke.
"To save the world. To bring peace to all that lives in it, but I cannot do that without your help." And ever so slowly, she appeared to him. "You must help me. You must help Connor."
He growled in frustration. "I know not what you want me to do. I have been helping and yet you say it is not enough. You want to bring peace to the world, but how are to you do that when you are but one person? Are you a god, or just merely a phantom to haunt my being until I am driven mad?"
All he wanted was some answers. Hell, all he really wanted was to wake up in his own bed, and everything be the way it once was. To be back in Masyaf. To be home, but he had a feeling she was not going to let him go quite so easily.
"You were the first to learn from the Apple. The Piece of Eden as you call it. You know what it can do to a man's mind, but it is far more than that. It is a key to the vault. In time, that key will be lost and another found." She motioned around her and the darkness retreated to show ruins all around, but something at the end of the large room shone and shimmered, like sun on a lake.
He walked towards it, and as did the other man, Desmond, he believed that was who he was. They both stopped at the shimmering wall. "You must help Connor find the key so Desmond may save the world." She spoke behind them.
Altair looked at Desmond, who looked at him. The man was no older than himself when he became Grandmaster of the Order of Assassins. "Are you Desmond?"
He nodded. "And you are Altair." He smirked. "Never thought I would see you here. Well, maybe at one time, but I thought I was over seeing you everywhere I was. At least Ezio isn't here. That would make things really messed up." He looked around the room. "Wonder what's behind that?" He thumbed at the shimmering wall in front of them.
That caused him to take a step away from the young man. He was talking like a lunatic. Like one of the men that professed to talking to the spirits and would follow people around screaming about the end of times. "Juno, what is it you really want?"
"For you to awaken."
He shot straight up, sweat pouring from his brow, breath coming in gasps, and hands shaking. The wound in his leg ached like he had overtaxed the muscles, and he absent mindedly rubbed the tender flesh. Was that just a dream, or had she taken him to another place once more? He could not piece it together, but he had a feeling it was Juno's doing.
The things that he saw began to fade form his mind as he rose from the bed. He grabbed his shirt, slipping it on, and walking the darken hallway to the small library that lay just down the stairs. He knew which stairs creaked and so hoping to avoid waking anyone else, he stepped over them. It was not hard because there was only three, but it pulled at the healing skin on his leg and he grunted, trying to contain the pain that he felt from over extending it.
Once he was down on the ground floor, he followed the wall with his hand, finding the doorway with ease. It was not that large of a room, but books lined the shelves and he hoped that one of them would hold the knowledge that he was seeking.
The name in itself was familiar to him, but not so familiar that he could remember on his own. So quickly lighting the fire in the hearth, he watched the room brightened enough that he could scan the titles of the books. Nothing stood out until he grabbed the spine of a book of Roman gods and goddesses. Then everything began to click into place in his head.
The lessons he had about different religions came back to him once more. How the Romans and Greeks had worships the same deities. How they called them different names, but each deity had some different personality traits from their counterparts. He had been fascinated with the different types of religion there were and had been since his mother, from what his father had told him, was a Christian believer and his father had been Muslim.
Opening the book, he scanned the pages and found what he was looking for.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Haytham found Altair asleep in the library the next morning, books on different subjects opened on every surface, and light snores coming from the sleeping man.
Deciding to be an ass, he walked over in front of him. "Wake up." He kicked the other man's foot.
Altair woke up with a start, books falling off his lap. "What?" He growled at the ex-Templar as he came out of the chair, rubbing the gritty sleep from his amber eyes.
"I thought you should wake up. It is half past morning, and you are lounging about with the books. It was beginning to look like you are a scholar and not an assassin." He mused as he picked up one of the books that had fallen from the Syrian's lap. "Roman deities?"
Snatching it from his hand, Altair closed it and walked to the shelf, placing it back in its place with care. "Some light reading, nothing more."
Haytham looked at the other books with a shake of his head. "This is not light reading. You are trying to figure out something. No one would pull out all these books if you were not trying to find something."
"A riddle to dream." The man was being evasive, and it was quite annoying.
"I think you are looking for more than that." The older man grabbed a book from shelf that he knew, and tossed it to Altair. "This may clear a few things up."
He caught it with ease and ran his calloused fingers over the slightly raised assassin symbol on the cover. "What it this?"
"The memoirs of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the Grandmaster from Italy some two hundred years ago. He was the one that opened the assassins up to the precursors and their 'visions'. I found it an interesting read and that was how I found out about who you were." He headed for the door. "Be careful though. It does contain some of your life in its pages."
"How did you know I was looking for something like this?" Altair asked, still holding the book.
"By your selection of reads last night. Some of the precursors were named after Roman deities. Or the Deities were named for them. I am not quite sure on that." And with that being said, he took himself from the room without a backwards look, and out the back door for some fresh air. It was too nice of a day to stay on the inside of the manor. Taking to the path, he enjoyed the sun that poured through the foliage and shone on the ground, warming the day.
He spied Stephane as he walked towards the village. The man had very little love for Haytham, but was devoted to his son, so he would forgive him for the lack of manners and courtesy one should display when at someone else's home.
"Stephane." He inclined his head with a blank face as he past.
"Haytham." He growled and watched him with a guarded look.
Connor had told them that he was not to be guarded any longer. Some accepted it, but not all. He had more than proved in the last skirmish that he was not the enemy any longer, but a few of the assassins thought it was nothing more than a ploy from him to gain the favor of his son. They had been quite vocal about their opinion.
Surprisingly, Altair had been the one to get into the others faces and call them out. He and the Syrian were not friends by any stretch of the imagination, but he said that if Connor was willing to give him a change, he would as well. Of course he also added, with a menacing look, that if Haytham did anything to betray that trust, he would kill him without remorse. That was the Altair he knew.
After walking around for at least an hour, he entered the tavern and was greeted by Corrine. She was friendly sort of woman, and always had a smile on her plump face. "Welcome back Haytham. The normal?" She called from over by the bar.
"Of course ma'am." He gave a small smile and took his customary seat near the window.
She was the first in the Homestead that greeted him by name, but she knew him before here. He was a frequent customer of their old inn. Oliver, her husband, and her had always been kind to anyone that entered their establishment.
Corrine sat the mug of ale on the table in front of him, and a plate of food. "Since I know you cannot cook for yourself." She gave him a knowing look.
Chuckling a bit, he could not help but nod. "And you would be correct. If it was not for inns such as yours, I would have surly wasted away before now."
After a few pleasantries and such, she walked off to check on the other patrons. He sat in relative peace, until a book landed on the table in front of him. "I need more than this." Altair pulled up a chair and frowned.
Haytham took a drink from his mug. "And what do you wish to know?"
"What do you know about the precursors? Ezio called them gods, but they have also been called the Ones That Came Before. Who are they?" He asked.
"Well, this is most interesting. You are coming to me for information that you need. I thought you would have killed me before asking me for help." He smirked, but before he knew it, Altair grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, pulled him slightly over the table and within inches of his pissed off face.
"Answer my questions, Haytham or so help me, you will not like the outcome." The ancient growled at him.
Detangling himself from the man's grip, he straightened his collar, and sat back in his chair. "I was only jesting with you, Altair. Must you take everything so literally?"
He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I apologize. I just need answers."
"I will answer what I can, but I do not know much." He looked at Altair. "Ask your questions." If he was asking him for help on a puzzle then it really must be bugging him to no end. If the Syrian was willing to stick his neck out for him with the other assassins, he should extend the same courtesy in answering his questions with no hesitation.
"There is a woman in these visions I have been having. Her name, I have just recently found out, is Juno. What do you know of her?" He asked as he took a tentative sip of the ale Corrine had brought him, and made a slight face.
He dove into the memories of the things he learned. "She was one of the precursors. One of the last, if I remember correctly. I do not know much of them, but there were three. Minerva, Juno, and a male. I cannot recall his name. They have a site here in the colonies, but there is not a way to open it."
"Take me there." He looked up quickly.
"That is something you must take up with Connor. His people have guarded the site for years." Finishing his ale, he stood. "Take a walk with me?"
The other man nodded and stood, grabbing the cane that he was currently using for support. The knife had done more damage to his leg than he would let on. It would be months until he was back in fighting condition.
Stepping outside, they walked down the path and towards the manor on the hill. "They say the precursors made weapons that controlled the people around them. Making them do what they were told."
Altair nodded. "That must be the Apple they are talking about. I have seen what it can do to a man's mind. It turns them into whatever the wielder wants them to be, and do what they want. It can also do more than that."
Haytham looked at him sideways. He had heard the stories and read the tales, but to hear about it from one that witnessed it was something different. "I have heard the tales, but what you are not telling me is what you need this information for? You are not the type to be chasing tales and old gods."
Altair stopped short, and looked down at the ground. "I come to you because I need help in finding out why this woman, spirit, whatever she is that has brought me here. The only thing I know of her is her name is Juno, and is tied to the things that have happened to myself, and why Connor has become what he is today. She was the one that gave him the vision of the symbol of the assassins. He is hunting for the key that Charles now has. That you gave to him."
All of this for vengeance and that key no one knows what it goes to? "The site was not what I thought it was. There is no way into the inner sanctum. I have missed something in my research of the place."
They were deep in discussion that they did not see nor hear Connor approach. "This is quite the interesting sight. You two are actually talking and no weapons have been brought out. Have I dropped into a dream?"
Altair held up a hand. "I wanted information on a few things. He was the one with the answers."
"And you did not ask me if I had the answers?" He looked from Altair to Haytham.
"Do you know about the precursors?" Connor raised a brow in question to what was just asked of him. Haytham exhaled. "Then you do not have the answers he needs. I, on the other hand, have done extensive study of the culture and I have some answers, but not all."
The Mohawk was silent for a moment. He must have caught on to what they were talking about. "You are talking about the spirit that guided me to Achilles, right?" They nodded. "She has come to me in visions."
That last piece caused Altair's brow to shoot nearly into his hairline. "What has she said to you?"
Connor shrugged. "Nothing of importance. It is always the same. I must find the key or something will happen."
Haytham and Altair both looked at each other. "Connor, I must go to the precursor site. I must see this place with my own eyes."
"But we must fine Lee and McCain. They are priority." He countered.
Haytham reached for his son's shoulder, but the boy backed away, out of reach. "Your men are looking for you, yes?" He nodded once. "Then let them look. This will only take a maximum of three days. One to get there, one to explore and one to get back." He also wanted to go back there with Altair to find out what the man could figure out.
When Connor hung his head, Haytham knew they had him. "Fine. We will go to the site, but then we will come straight back here."
Altair actually smiled. "Then let us be on our way."
*/*/*/*/*/*/*
After packing a few things, Altair turned to look at Kara, who sat on the bed holding her doll. "Are you going to be good while we are gone?" He asked her.
She shook her head no. "I wanna go." She pouted, her bottom lip stuck out.
"No little one, not this time." He walked over to her and picked her up. "You have to stay here."
"No, I want to go." Kara crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at him.
He chuckled and walked from the room, heading downstairs. "That does not work on me, child. I have been dealing with young novices for far too long. Pouting does not work."
"You're mean." Grabbing the sides of his face, she turned his head and stared into his eyes. "I want to go." She spoke each word slowly, and clearly.
"And I said no." He glared back at her, but not in a mean way. It was the same song and dance with the two of them. She would pout trying to get her way, and he would tell her no. Sometimes he would cave and allow her what she wanted, but most of the time, she was denied.
He walked out the front door with her around his neck. The wound bothered him, but it was tolerable at the moment. Connor raised his head up from his job of tried to get a saddle on a rather stubborn horse. "I thought she was not coming?" He asked as he sat the saddle on the horse's back, and quickly tightened the girth.
"She's not." He replied and came to a stop near the horse.
"Oh let the child come. There is no harm in letting her ride this time. It's not like we are going to be riding into danger or fighting off an army. We are going to visit an old cavern. It is relatively safe for a child of her age. Besides, she needs to get out of the village every once in a while." Haytham walked over and held out his hands. Kara squirmed in Altair's embrace to be released. He sat her down and she ran to Haytham.
Her favorite person was the one that let her get away with whatever she wanted that day. Apparently, that was the older man. "And I believe it was you who said she needs to stay where it is safe." Connor smirked at his father.
"I believe she is safer with the three of us than here. So shall we ride, are we going to stand around and gossip like women all day?" He strolled over to a horse, and placed Kara in the saddle, then climbed up behind her.
Altair saw Connor shake his head, and climb into the saddle of his own horse, leaving Swift for him. He followed behind the two men as they set off for the cavern that may hold some answers, or give him more questions than he previously had.
I had to bring Desmond into this. The scene is supposed to take place before he and the others got there. Juno is really a manipulative bitch. I have been trying to get this done all day. Once I get an idea in my head, I try to get it out before I lose it. Well, here it is and I will warn you now, I will not be posting any chapters for a few days. I have my brother-in-law's high school graduation party tomorrow morning and another at seven. They are both an hour from my house. I will find time to write on Monday, but do not hold me to that.
Side note: Haytham knows more about the precursors because of his alignment with the Templars. They have more info on them than the assassins. That was why Altair went to him about that. Also, I kind of have been patterning Kara after my own three year old. She likes to call you mean if she does not get her way. They are so cute at that age.
*Sassiersphinx*