Chapter 12

Hello everyone! It's me! And I'm in a bloody good mood because I only have two exams left! YES! TWO! Hooray! So I'm celebrating with an update, sorry it's taken so long. Not only have I been revising but I've been working on different chapters because I've taken to writing out of chronological order, so the story is still strong in my mind! Please enjoy this latest installement and I'd like to say thankyou to everyone who has reviewed because the amount of excitement I get out of seeing someone who has reviewed is almost criminal. And thankyou to everyone who has put this on their alerts list! YOU ALL ROCK!

Now! On with the actual story...

"Put some effort into it Altaïr! I'm never going to learn if you swish your sword around pathetically like that!" I shouted, raising the weapon in one swift arc and bringing it down as hard as I could, smashing it with arm jarring force into Altaïr's recipient blade, the sound ringing in my ears.

"If I was fighting to my full potential, you'd already be on the floor!" Altaïr goaded, deflecting my hit with an easy move as he side-stepped closer to me.

"Try me!" I replied, narrowly avoiding his blade for the second time, my heart beating a lot faster even though I knew I was in no danger.

Fighting was exhilarating. At first, the thought of getting Altaïr to teach me how to wield a sword was daunting and for the night after he'd proposed sword fighting, I'd deliberated on whether to tell him to forget the whole idea… But I'd decided to go through with it anyway, thinking only of the benefits of learning how to defend myself and from it, discovered that not only did I apparently have a natural affinity for it, but that I also enjoyed it immensely.

For days already, Altaïr had been teaching me how to fight effectively with a sword; how to make full use of your body while fighting and how to strike blows and defend yourself from them at the same time. I'd learned that Altaïr was even more lethal than he appeared at first glance. He fought with such precision, it were as if he were dancing; every step was perfectly manoeuvred and he was almost uncannily graceful in his movements. The sword seemed alive in his hands when he fought and I was again relieved to be on the other end of his blade as a friend and not a foe.

He didn't reply to my comment but instead smirked and suddenly shot out like lightening striking the ground. The movements was so fast that I didn't register it until it was too late; I lunged out haphazardly but he easily avoided it with a mere side twitch of his head before bringing his sword down upon mine, knocking it out easily out of my hands with a smile. I gaped as I tried to take in what had happened in the last second but before I'd fully caught up, Altaïr had yanked my arm around and pulled me sharply into him, bringing his blade over, across my neck and resting it there almost gently as I tried to steady my ragged breathing.

I chuckled weakly where I stood, knowing full well that even that hadn't been 'fighting to his full potential.' He laughed quietly in response and craned his head around to whisper in my ear.

"Does that prove it to you?"　

I laughed shakily and I watched from the corner of my eyes as he withdrew his blade and re-sheathed it in one fluid, unbroken movement with one hand, his other still clasping my arms behind my back.

"You fought well again." He said, still not releasing me. My arm was starting to ache slightly.

"That was impressive." I breathed, "But that still wasn't to your full potential!"

"Of course it wasn't." Altaïr laughed, "I want to train you not kill you."

He suddenly released my arms and gave me a swift push forwards. I quickly retrieved my sword and turned around to face him; his sword was already drawn and he was crouched in a fighting stance.

"As for what you did wrong: you panicked and blindly tried to smash your sword down." He explained and I nodded in understanding.

"You need to wait and choose your moment to be effective; otherwise you'll just lose your sword or ultimately, your life."

My lips were set into a grim line and I nodded again once. He suddenly launched at me, giving me no indication of his motives and I swiftly darted sideways in response and pulled up my sword. He stopped again at once and nodded.

"Very good." He said simply. "Avoidance is also key and you performed that manoeuvre very nicely. Sidestepping is safer as jumping back may not always put you out of the swords reach."

We spent the next hour going through avoidance techniques and ways to counter sudden attacks, such as the one that had left me sword less. The day was gradually getting hotter and hotter as the early morning coolness fizzled away and left only burning heat. Both Altaïr and I were breathing heavily and sweating profusely by the time we decided to stop. We returned to the shade of a cluster of trees by the river where Khalil and Maysaa had been waiting most of the morning.

We were near a place called Aenon, a small city opposite the bank of the River Jordan. We'd visited it the previous day to bathe and to sleep a night on something other than hard rock.

According to Altaïr, we were also travelling at the pace of a tortoise with only one leg.

I couldn't be happier.

I had absolutely no intention to travel any faster to Berothai and I attempted to divert us in any way possible. The sword fighting had turned out to be an incredible diversion; we trained every single day and often for the whole day… any days spent not travelling were longer days spent in Altaïr's company.

I collapsed under the tree and Altaïr handed me the skin of water which I gratefully took from him and gulped down, feeling the coolness on my parched throat. I handed it back to him and he sat down next to me, taking a deep drink as well.

"You were excellent today." He commented as he replaced the skin of water in Khalil's saddle bags. I blushed even redder despite my already flushed cheeks.

"It is all down to your wonderful teaching." I mumbled.

"There is that." He winked and I slapped his arm in reproach, laughing to myself. "But seriously," He replied, "You are very good with the blade in your own right. A latent talent one might say."

I beamed with uncontainable pride. It meant a lot coming from him and I also loved to think I was a natural. Who would not? He smiled in response and quickly stood up, explaining how he was going to bathe quickly in the river. I nodded and picked up my sword as he walked away.

It wasn't actually my sword; it was the one that Altaïr usually kept at his hip. He used his shorter, curved sword when practising with me.

He had originally been very reluctant to let me use it, initially saying that he did not want to practise with real swords. I had managed to convince him otherwise and so he allowed me to use this one.

I felt its surprising lightness and turned it around in my hands, feeling its rough leather scabbard and running my fingertips over the embossed metal patterns inlaid on the leather. Altaïr had told me to use this one as it was lighter than the short sword, explaining that the short sword was made out of a different type of metal and that it had to be heavier as it was smaller, and so the long sword would be the better option for a beginner. Also, using the short sword required a different type of skill. The movements were different than when you fought with a shorter, curved sword. I laid it back down by the tree gently and stood up, deciding to take a bath also, as I felt sticky, sweaty and uncomfortable.

I'd taken to bathing everyday now as we were always by the river and so it made for easy access but today, instead of actually taking off my tunic, I decided just to wash as a whole. I quickly stepped into the river and submerged by head, massaging my fingers through my long hair and 

scrubbing my face to remove all the sweat and dirt. I stepped out the moment Altaïr came striding back from further downstream and he laughed as he saw me soaking wet. He apparently had only washed himself.

"Is it not the custom to take your clothes off before you bathe?" He smirked as he threw his robes and undershirt over a branch of the tree to dry, still clad in his shalwars. The scar down his side which I had dutifully tended for a little while now had finally healed to just a reddish line. It still hadn't marred the perfectness of his physique though, I could still marvel at the beauty of his chest but unfortunately this time, I think he saw me looking and so I hastily answered his question.

"I thought it would be quicker to do everything at once." I mumbled, casting my eyes away from him and busying myself with trailing a finger over a cut I had sustained early on in the training. He sat down very close to me and I looked up at him out of politeness for I was still embarrassed that he had seen me looking.

"You are allowed to look you know." He whispered out of the corner of his lips, his voice like liquid gold.

His comment caught me by surprise and my head shot up. "Don't be so arrogant!" I laughed.

"Oh, so you deny it then?" He commented slyly.

"No!" I continued, "I mean don't be so arrogant as to think people would want to look! I of course was looking, but don't think it means other people would want to as well!"

He laughed loudly at my poor semblance of a confession and I leant my head on his shoulder, laughing with him as he pulled his arm around from the side and put it around my shoulders, even though I was wet.

We sat like that for a few minutes longer and I closed my heavy eyelids, my body and mind weary from the training. I could feel the light breeze through my hair and I curled my legs up closer into my body as me being wet was making the wind colder in the shade. I opened an eye to look at Altaïr and noticed that he'd actually dozed off. I smiled at how endearing he looked while he was sleeping.

Just as I made to close my eyes again, I caught sight of what I could have sworn was a face behind a large bush in the distance. My heart jumped suddenly in fright as the blurry shape abruptly disappeared once more. The shape didn't reappear but the faster beating of my heart alerted me to the fact that something had been there. A little chill of curiosity got the better of me and I carefully eased away gently from Altaïr's side, jumped up and ran to the bushes, slightly fearing what I might find.

But of course, there was nothing there.

I ran around the bushes once to make extra sure, but there was nothing there at all, not even an animal. I let out a little sigh of relief and walked back to the tree, my fear appeased.

"What on earth are you doing?" Altaïr called when he saw me walking back towards the tree.

"Nothing." I shrugged, "I just thought I saw something."

"What did you see?" He asked, ever cautious.

"I thought I saw a person but it was nothing. Just a trick of the light." I replied as I sat down next to him again and snuggled into his shoulder. He dropped the subject and I leant over to kiss his jaw, cupping the other side of his face with my left hand.

"Somebody is a little greedy today." He commented and I laughed despite myself as he stroked my neck and I shivered a little.

"Do you mind?" I whispered back, kissing his throat.

"Don't ask stupid questions Asra." He replied sensually as he raised my head from his throat and captured my lips in his own. My heart went a bit crazy again through a combination of two things.

One. I feel the word 'Altaïr' encompases it perfectly.

Two. I'd seen that face again.

I shot back in fright, startling Altaïr with my sudden movement and let out a gasp as my eyes stayed transfixed upon the bushes again. Altaïr had recovered fast and grabbed my arm comfortingly, his face knitting together in confusion and concern.

"What's wrong Asra?"

"There IS something in those damn bushes!" I shouted, my heart beating loudly in my chest. His eyes narrowed slightly and he stood up, pulling me up with him.

"Let's go and look." He said firmly, interlocking his fingers with my own and holding them tightly.

He led me to the bushes and the surrounding trees and together we thoroughly scoured the area just behind them, looking in between the bushes and behind rocks. But I was just being a fool.

"Ugh." I groaned, "I'm just seeing things again."

I traipsed back to the tree with Altaïr in tow just as a small band of people on horses trotted past. I narrowed my eyes to protect them from the dust they kicked up as it swirled around the air in the breeze. One of the men – He had dark brown hair that curled beautifully down to his shoulders - upon a pretty bay horse, nodded in thanks at me for waiting and I nodded back out of politeness. Then I resumed my dead pan shuffle back to the tree and mumbled my apologies to Altaïr for being so scared at nothing.

"Don't worry Asra. There could have been something there and it could have been dangerous so it was worth checking." Altaïr replied helpfully, stroking Khalil's unusually white mane while he stood in the shade.

"Meh." I grunted, unimpressed at myself and still feeling slightly jumpy.

"I know what will make you feel better." Altaïr said, moving away from Khalil and coming to stand next to me and Maysaa.

"Hmm?" I replied softly.

"Before we reach Berothai…-" My stomach did an uncomfortable lurch. "-…would you like to visit Damascus for a few days?"

He was right. That did make me feel a lot better.

"Can we really?!" I squeaked, slurring my words together like an excited child, forgetting about the shape behind the bush in an instant.

"Of course. We are in no rush after all." He replied.

"I would like that a lot." I said with slightly more self restraint as I smiled at him gratefully.

"Not at all." He replied graciously before swiftly mounting Khalil and indicating for me to do the same. I stepped into Maysaa's saddle and gave her a good rub behind the ears before Altaïr and Khalil trotted off onto the path in between the tree and those godforsaken bushes across the way.

The sun's rays were diminishing now as clouds criss crossed in front of it, periodically blocking it out and staying away the heat. I trotted along happily with Altaïr as we conversed at length about Damascus. I wanted to know everything about it and it turned out that Altaïr had been there many times before and knew a lot. My recently discovered love for travelling made me eager to hear about cities I'd never been to and so I lapped up the information eagerly. In the distance, I could make out the silhouettes of the little band of travellers who had passed by us before.

They were only walking and so we caught up to them quickly and I could see now that the group consisted of three men –including the man who had thanked me for waiting earlier- and one stunningly beautiful woman. Well, she had beautiful kohl rimmed eyes but I could not see the rest of her face for she was wearing a white scarf around her head, leaving only her eyes on show. I imaged that she must be stunning though.

We veered to the right so that we could pass them and as we did, I smiled kindly at them and was met with a kind nod from the men but nothing but open disdain from the women. It showed in her eyes as plain as if she had been shouting at me. I recoiled slightly, taken aback at her response and kept my eyes on the road as we trotted forwards around them. I cast my eyes surreptitiously back to look at the group once more and the woman's expression was completely different this time. Perhaps I had just imagined her contempt. It wouldn't be the first time I'd imagined things today, I grumbled to myself.

"Let's just get to Damascus soon..." I mumbled under my breath as we passed the group and continued trotting onwards, eventually leaving the travellers behind.

"It will take us a fair while Asra." Altair replied.

"How long?" I asked, not even bothering to be surprised that he'd heard me.

"Around a day or two if we run."

"Well let's run then! I want to spend as much time there as possible!"

Altaïr grinned lopsidedly at me and I smiled back as I pressed Maysaa forwards faster, leaving the absurd bush and the unfriendly woman far behind us, thinking only of Damascus ahead.