"No..." Umar and Altaïr yelled at the same time.

The bald man looked at Fa'iz and with a big pull, took of his sword from his opponent chest. Shaking the blood from it, the man turned to Umar and smiling, bended himself, saluting him as Altaïr ran to his father...

"Allez les hommes!" The bald man said. "Nous déjà fini qui venir faire ici..."

Umar just looked at him. He would never forget his face... never...

When the soldiers turned to leave, Altaïr threatened to stand with his sword in hand, but his father held his arm. He then looked at him, but followed his father's gaze to the form of his, lying on the ground…

Altaïr's attention returned to his father when he tried to get up… he helped his father to craw over to his brother... Fa'iz was still breathing, but was bleeding a lot…

Umar sat on his side and put his hands on his son's face, as Altaïr held his hand...

"Ab..." Fa'iz tried to speak, with unshed tears in his eyes. Umar's hands went to Fa'iz wound, pressing it to try to stop the bleeding… Fa'iz yelled and coughed as he did this. "Ab, I'm... sorry..."

"Shhh..." Umar said, as he pressed the wound. "It's ok, son..."

They remained there for a few minutes. Altaïr couldn't stay there anymore, so he stood up and turned his back to cover his sadness… seconds later, Fa'iz looked from Altaïr to, at his father.

"Tell... tell mother..." Fa'iz tried and coughed a little more. "That... I lo… ve her…"

Umar nodded, holding back his tears…

Altaïr then turned as Fa'iz closed his eyes and seconds later, died...

"Ab..." Altaïr said seconds later, but Umar just closed his eyes and lowered his head a little, trying to hide his face.

X ~ X ~ X

Several minutes had passed until Vivien and Maria saw Altaïr and Umar returning home. Vivien looked at her husband, relieved...

"Thank God..." She said, running to him, but stopped when she saw that besides hurt and tired he was sad, very sad. Altaïr was too, beside him. "What hap... where is Fa'iz?"

Umar stopped a few meters from his wife and looked at her with unshed tears. Vivien knew that something happened to her older son and he didn't make it…

"No…." She said, starting to cry.

"Viv..." Umar tried, hugging her and letting her cry in his arms…

Maria went to Altaïr hugging him also.

After a few minutes, they looked at each other. Her eyes asked him if he was ok. Altaïr nodded.

"Fa'iz knew the risks and he die as a truly Assassin..." He said.

Maria nodded.

"About my parents and brothers… where are they?" She asked, a few seconds later

"I don't know..." Altaïr said sincerely. "Everything was destroyed when I got there..."

Maria denied.

"How? An attack this fast is impossible..." She arguments.

"Maria..." Umar said, looking at her. "It was a sudden and big attack… they took us unprepared…"

"Who was it?" She asked.

"The French..." Umar said.

Maria was quiet for a few seconds, but then denied…

"No... we have to..." She said, as she started to walk towards what was once her home.

Altaïr looked lost, so he just looked at his father, who nodded. He then quickly tried to prevent her to go any further, but she fought with him. His father called him to do something and he picked her in his arms…

"No, let me go…" She was saying, trying to free herself from his hands. But Altaïr was stronger than she was. "No…"

"Maria…" said Altaïr, putting her on the ground, turned to him. He didn't let go from her hands, though. "We are outnumbered...it would be suicide to attack them..."

"But…" She tried. "We can't…"

She started to cry and Altaïr hugged her.

Seconds later, she tried to pull away from him, but he didn't let her.

The commotion made Laila and June go outside…

"Let me go…" Maria said to Altaïr.

"No…" He said, stopping her again.

"Maria..." Umar said, separating himself from his wife. Maria stopped struggling. "I failed to protect your family from the danger... and we lost our son because of that… what I want to do right now is to follow them and kill one by one, but… Altaïr is right... we are outnumbered and as such, an easy targets to them…"

"Please..." Maria pleaded

"It's useless, Maria..." Altaïr said again, still with his hands on her arms. "We have to pull back now..."

Vivien then approached Maria.

"Maria..." She said. "I promise you that we are going to find your family... we Assassins don't give up... ever... we'll do everything to find and punish everyone who made this attack…"

Maria was surprised to see how Vivien changed: one minute, she was sad and crying over her older son's death and now she just wanted revenge.

"Altaïr..." Umar said. He looked at his father. "Take our swords, bows, arrows and supplies to the horses… we have to get out of here…"

Altaïr nodded.

"Remember, now you are in charge…" Umar finished.

X ~ X ~ X

Late at night, the family was on the way to London. Since they had left the Thorpe's land, the Ibn-La'Ahad's were quiet. They had with them three Shire's horses. The horses had been chosen because of their height and weight. Vivien was mounted in her husband horse, which had made sure that he would be walking; Laila was in the back and Altaïr, Maria and June was with the third horse, a black one.

Maria didn't want to talk to anyone, especially Altaïr. He had hurt her and now he needed some good explanation to do…

The silent was broken by a thunder noise, closer than before... Umar stopped as Altaïr looked up...

"It's going to rain..." He said. "We have to look for a shelter..."

Umar nodded as the small group stopped.

"Do you know where?" His father asked.

Altaïr looked at his mother and sister... they were tired and supposed Maria and June were too

"I saw an old windmill back there..." He said. "It will shelter us from the rain..."

"Led the way..." Vivien said.

X ~ X ~ X

translation:

French

"Allez les hommes!" = Let's go, men

"Nous déjà fini qui venir faire ici..." = we already did what we had to do here (that was what i tried to say, but the translations from Englishare very different from Portuguese...)

Arabe

Ab = father