A/N At the end of this chapter there is a very short rape scene. I have kept it as short as possible (5 lines) only using absolutely essential details. It's a subject I am uncomfortable with but have made every attempt to portray it as it is, assault and not a sexual encounter. I have decided to forewarn you so you can choose not to read it. The moment the novice returns to the bureau you can stop reading. It's inclusion was not something I did lightly it's essential to the changes in the victims character the next few chapters will reveal.

The pain in her head made remembering the previous night difficult but gradually recollection dawned. Her groin was burning but the flare of pain she felt when she shifted her head was soon over-come with surprise. "Altair... what the hell is going on, how on earth are we here together?" Taking in her surroundings as she spoke she continued, "And where exactly is here?"

He had been awake for some time feeling the first stirrings of her body's attempts to wake up so he had been expecting this. He explained to her the events of the previous evening and how in the end an English woman had come to their aid tending what injuries she could. As he said this his eyes glanced to her lower regions and Maria knew he was wondering what had happened.

She lay on her side to face him, "Gerhard kicked me right where it hurts the most and the dirty bastard had his sabatons on, I swear I plan on returning the favour with a great big bloody spear!"

He pushed her hair, still matted with blood away from her face. "We should never have parted after what happened to your friend I was almost certain you were not safe but I let my pride get in the way of my instincts." Wrapping his arm back around her body when he had finished adjusting her hair he lowered his head until their foreheads were almost touching.

She made no objection to the contact, "It was my own fault for desperately clinging to the hope that there were still some decent people left in the Crusader army, it seems I was wrong..."

"You were not wrong, there are good and bad in all people Maria. One of the men assisting Gerhard wanted to spare you."

"But you killed them both, you said that. If one of them wanted to spare me why would you have killed him anyway?"

"Because his blade was hungry to taste my blood in revenge for Sibrand"

Maria opened her mouth to respond but another voice filled the room, one which had earlier transported the battle hardened Templar back to her childhood.

"I hear voices, is Maria awake?" She was speaking with her head placed next to the curtain serving as a door as though she would have to strain to hear any reply.

Altair whispered, "Your saviour is here."

Maria watched him remove himself from her side, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her legs which were currently hidden beneath a huge sack of a dress. "I am indeed please come in and let me thank you properly good lady."

Ceana stuck her head around the door, smiling warmly at the woman sitting on her bed. "Good morning to you, I must say it's a treat to see you awake. When you are feeling up to it I can fill a basin and help you get cleaned up."

Altair took this as his cue to leave, "I must return to the bureau the others will be wondering where I am." He addressed both women, "It would be easier to move Maria under cover of darkness. Would it be acceptable for her to remain here for the time being?"

"Of course it would, us women have things to do which would be easier with no men underfoot. You go on now and don't worry about her."

Maria smiled from the bed she liked this woman; no airs and graces... Her smile slowly disappeared when she looked at the assassin, he was regarding her with obvious concern but there was something else behind his concern, something Maria was afraid to consider.

He returned to her bedside and stroked her hair. Maria's eyes darted to the women but she wasn't watching though she doubted he would care if she was, he didn't seem the type to worry too much about other people. "I'll return before dark, try to rest."

Ignoring how awkward she felt she reached for his hand on her head and squeezed it, "Thank you I doubt I would be alive if you hadn't showed up. I am grateful."

He nodded slightly never taking his eyes from her face but not smiling either, she had seen this intense look before but it usually only surfaced when he was fighting or discussing something he was passionate about.

Roland ran along the path which led to the huge out building, his sandals kicking up dust most of which found a new home between his toes. "Pere Donjon a message has arrived from Acre it is marked urgent."

It could have been anything, a perfectly innocent communication from someone within his own order but the chill the Hospitalier felt at the boys words told him it was from the Master. If the worst could happen it usually did... He reached behind him and pulled the door closed, shutting out the worst of the smell and the awful whimpering which he now heard even in his sleep.

"Give it to me my son and you take a moment to catch your breath. We are days from Acre I doubt you walking to deliver the message would have made much of a difference."

Roland smiled at the old priest and handed him the parchment, sealed with the arms of the Templar Knights. The old man's hands shook as he touched the letter and Roland felt immense pity for him. All this evil they had caused yet Donjon seemed to be the only one who suffered for it, it wasn't fair.

"I'll read it in my study, you run along back to your own studies Roland."

He bowed and watched his master and mentor walk back towards the huge stone arch which would lead him inside the castle. The priest had told him of the part he had played in creating what now existed behind the doors of the building he stood beside but he still believed him to be a good man, simply one who was misguided. Roland would give almost anything to be able to offer some comfort to the old man's battered soul.

Donjon lowered himself into his sturdy chair not sure if the louder creaks came from it or his bones. He eyed the letter before him as though it would harm him to touch it, perhaps because he knew there was every possibility that it would.

He leaned forward and sliced into the wax seal, "No point delaying."

Grandmaster Donjon

I have taken it upon myself to journey to Jerusalem to ensure our brothers there keep to their end of our affairs. I trust you have followed my instructions and made the way clear for our cargo? Gerhard has been instructed to pay you a visit to ensure you are not suffering from any misplaced pangs of conscience. You must not falter in your convictions, take courage our goal is close to hand we must be resolute.

Marshal

He allowed the parchment to curl back up around itself on the desk. Gerhard was coming to make sure there would be no obstacles... "Fear not Master I will stand by my convictions."

Gerhard licked his lips and looked down the street, nothing but beggars and whores here. He had flown into a rage when he learned of that bitch's rescue but he felt calmer now, more able to think. The soldier who delivered the news would probably never walk again but that was the price he paid for his comrades failure. The men had to learn they stood or fell as one.

"Please sir a few coins... my family are sick and dying."

He baulked at the irritating tone of the woman now begging from any and all who came near her; this lousy city was crawling with her type you could barely take a few steps without one of them blocking your way bothering you for money they were too lazy to earn for themselves. He was about to have her moved on when an idea struck him. They really were everywhere...

They had managed to track the assassin and the whore to this general part of the city from the idiots who had been on duty and let me walk right past but if they were here, surely one of these wretches would know it.

"You there woman come over here."

The beggar had no idea he was talking to her; no one ever called her sort over and so she had continued with her cries, then she felt a hand closing around her elbow and she spun around ready to yell about her rights to be here but the soldier shushed her.

"The Master wants to speak to you old Mother; it seems it's your lucky day there may even be payment in this for you."

She offered him her best smile the one she thought of as endearing but yellowing teeth and blackening lips could never be viewed in that way. "Bless you indeed bless you, where is this Master? I would be honoured I would." Placed before him her smile disappeared and her usually infallible flow of sycophantic flattery was swallowed by fear.

His eyes... he had the same eyes as a madman only harder, more aware. She took a couple of hesitant backwards steps until she heard the jingle of the coins in his hand. She almost couldn't bring herself to lower her gaze from his face to his hands but the sound was too alluring and when she did lower them she caught the glint of gold.

He smiled and her heart sank into her stomach, "I need you to do something for me, I'll pay you of course but initially only a fair sum for the task however if you do it well, if you please me I promise you will be rewarded handsomely."

She looked around at the men surrounding him trying her best to look unwilling, "I have a husband sir and he would beat me black if I accepted such an offer." She had no intention of refusing no matter the job but her coy tone was wasted on the Teutonic Master.

He threw his head back and laughed "No, oh God NO!" Laughter again cut into to his reply and he had to lean on the shoulder of one of his men in an exaggerated effort to steady himself. "If you were the last woman on earth I would engage the services of the healthiest dog I could find."

Her smile faltered and she began to think herself the victim of a prank but the coins in his hand convinced her to suffer the shame. "What is it you want from me?"

"I want your eyes woman, yours and those of your kind. You see all and I need to find someone. I'll pay you two pieces of silver to spread the word and I'll pay each beggar who looks one piece but to the one who finds those I seek... Thirty pieces and the same sum to you as well."

Her eyes were wide open and he fancied he saw greed shining from her very soul. To some it may be greed but to her it was need and often those two conditions made comfortable bed fellows. Disappointed that he had shown gold but mentioned silver nevertheless she was interested. "Who do you want to find?"

"Two people but mostly the woman it is very important I locate her quickly." He went on to give her a description of Maria and of a man in white with a hood and red sash, he emphasised the sash to help distinguish him from monks. "She was injured so he would have been carrying her. My men will be posted at the end of every street in the district, report to them any news immediately."

Once the beggar had left -not before receiving her coins he noted- Gerhard began to feel rather pleased with himself; he felt almost sure this would work. He had planned to leave for Homs that morning but if things went well perhaps tomorrow, if they went very well maybe even this afternoon with the whore in chains to help him alleviate the monotony of the journey. He strolled over to a local merchant and ordered some warm bread and a tankard of ale then he took a seat and waited.

Ceana helped Maria wash the blood out of her hair then to lower herself into the small tub. She felt a stab of anger when she watched the young woman try to move it was obvious the injury to her womanhood was causing her a great deal of pain, Ceana wouldn't mind getting her hands of the bastard who had done this to her.

"While you do this I'll just go fetch some things from the market. I shan't be more than a few minutes so you let yourself soak in there and don't try to get out alone. Mind me now Miss."

Maria looked up from her small tub of bathwater and smiled, "You remind me so much of my Mother I could never disobey you." When Ceana returned only a puzzled look Maria elaborated. "Your accent, she was a Scot too."

She grinned, "Then you'll know better than to cross me Maria."

She left Maria with her knees bent almost to her chin and while it had hurt getting into that position the warm water was now working its magic on her sore body, making it all worthwhile. She tilted her head back forgetting there was nothing to balance it against and almost tipped over the whole tub. She had thrown her legs up and forward to balance the tub and she just let them drop to the floor, sitting there knowing how ridiculous she must look.

Ceana returned and brought with her the wonderful aroma of fresh baked bread; her grumbling stomach told her she had soaked long enough.

She helped her out of the water and back into the dress she had loaned her, one of the only two she owned. Maria compared them and felt a tinge of shame that she was wearing the better of them yet it was still not much better than rags. She thought of Robert's chest and what lay hidden beneath it and decided Ceana would be receiving a nice share of it very soon.

The older woman noticed Maria's expression had grown sombre, "Is the pain really so bad?"

When Maria lifted her head to look at her it was through eyes on the verge of tears. "I can never repay your kindness but believe me I will try."

She chuckled "The debt is mine to repay Maria." She told her the story of Altair saving her daughter about four years before while she led them both to the table. "She now has a husband and child of her own and it's thanks to him that they are here."

Maria was more than a little surprised to learn he had aided a Christian; it was information she stored away in her mind to be taken out and examined when she was next alone.

Was she becoming more than attracted to him? The look he had given her this morning before he left had turned her insides to liquid but that could still be considered sexual. The advantage of having had a lover was that Maria was perfectly capable of viewing a man purely from that point of view without having to embellish it with foolish ideas of love and marriage.

She unconsciously licked her lips and a small smile snuck onto her face when she remembered how natural it felt to lie with him and how nice it was to feel his body beside her.

Ceana, herself no stranger to such thoughts, related to Maria's expression as easily as she would her words. "He is handsome and very protective of you. A person could be forgiven for thinking there was more between you than simple acquaintances."

Maria almost blushed at the idea that she had been so transparent, "We are more than that but not that much more. I don't know what it is but it's entirely platonic I assure you. The very idea of something of that nature between us... we are like night and day." She reached for a piece of bread to give her nervous hands a job, "If you knew the circumstances of how we met you would understand."

But her new friend patted her hand. "Don't fret about it things will turn out as they should."

"Don't they always?" both women laughed and Maria added, "He is handsome if a little on the slim side."

A sudden loud thump on the door made both of them jump. "Open up; open in the name of the King."

Ceana sprang out of her chair in a panic but Maria grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto her stool. She hissed, "Don't open that. Is there another way out?"

She shook her head. "There is no back door and the only window is that one."

Maria looked around for something she could use as a weapon but a dull kitchen knife was all she could see, snatching it up from the table she stood, wincing against the pain in the groin. "Get under the table and don't come out no matter what, I won't have you getting yourself hurt on my account."

She never moved, she just sat on her stool looking dazed so Maria shoved her to the floor, "Under please and stay hidden." But there was no time the door flew open and several soldiers barged into the small room. Maria had let the useless knife fall, she would be lucky to pierce a gambeson with it never mind the flesh below. They grabbed both women and dragged them outside.

Maria sneered at the man who now stood before her, "Gerhard what an unpleasant surprise."

He waited until her hands were bound before he approached her, "Don't be cruel Maria I am eager to spend time with you. Besides you should be apologising to me you could have gotten me into a lot of trouble."

As one of the soldiers bound Ceana's hands behind her back, Maria appealed to Gerhard, "Let her go you don't want her. She was only doing what she felt was her duty I used to employ her as maid."

He stood between the two women. "Are you saying she had nothing to do with your escape or the treasonous plots you have been hatching?"

"I swear she is not involved beyond doing what she sees as her Christian duty."

He nodded. "I see... then it appears we have no reason to take her away." He turned to the commoner and drew his blade.

Maria screamed, "GERHARD NO! I'll comply with your wishes just please don't hurt her, she had no part in any of this."

The blade of his dagger flashed in the sunlight as he dragged it across her throat. Her body turned to the side, eyes open as though appealing to the crowd to help her, an arc of blood sprayed from her neck splattering the beggars who had stopped to watch.

Maria stood open mouthed watching her fall to the ground. She wanted to do something to fix this but Ceana was beyond her help now. The only thing Maria could offer her was fury. "You fucking evil bastard. I will tear out your heart and feed it to the stray dogs."

He faced her and she saw blood on his chest, Ceana's blood. Her first threat had been thrown at him in a lung bursting scream but her next words were spoken in a low even tone. "The assassin will kill you for what you have done here today. I can only hope he makes you suffer first."

She felt someone slip a noose around her neck and she smiled.

Gerhard's brow creased, "You are in no position to make threats Maria."

"It's not a threat Gerhard it's the absolute truth."

One of the beggars stepped forward from the group. "Begging your pardon my Lord but you said there would be a reward."

She was joined by another, the one who had spotted the white robed man leaving the shack. "We did do as you asked and found the woman."

Gerhard barely acknowledged them as he threw a bag of coins in their direction causing a desperate scramble amongst the crowd for the spoils. Maria caught the eye of one of the women when she stood to shove someone away. "I'll remember you Judas. I'll make sure you receive your fair reward for this day's work."

She sneered at her, "Well aint you Miss High and Mighty. I did what was right, and you can't say no different."

Maria never took her eyes off her even when she felt the hood being placed on her head not until it had been tugged past her eyes did the beggar manage to look away and rejoin the me-lee.

Gerhard spoke to the men holding Maria, "Throw her in the carriage and make sure to secure her."

She was lifted and dumped onto the floor of the cart with her back to the wall so her hands could be secured to the large metal rings which hung over her head. Moments later the wheels bumping on the uneven road beneath told her they were in motion. She heard Gerhard bark orders to the driver and the chatter of the soldiers riding alongside them.

The novice who had arrived just as it was all coming to an end began to make his way to the bureau, the Mentor had sent them out to find the Teutonic leader and he had to report he was probably leaving the city with a prisoner in tow.

The carriage stopped and Maria felt it move up and down as weight was removed. She heard the material again being disturbed then footsteps. She knew who it was without hearing his voice; he was coming to finish what he had started in her room.

He pulled the hood from her head and slid a finger between her neck and the rope. "Is this too tight?"

She smirked at him, "I'm perfectly comfortable thank you."

He smiled and fixed his blue eyes on her face, "You will tell me what I want to know but I hope not too soon."

Maria flinched as his hand rested on her waist. "What is it you think I can tell you?"

"Oh about the Piece of Eden, we know he has it but where exactly? Who else you have working for you in our order. Warwick was a poor choice Maria, I had no time at all to break the man he was so fragile."

She twisted and threw her knee at his face, catching him nicely on the cheek. He fell back momentarily stunned.

"He was worth ten of you. Unlike you his passing was mourned, who will mourn you after the assassin kills you?"

He got to his feet and looked down at her, "You are mistaken to place so much trust in him. We will never under-estimate them again Maria, the assassins will fall because we now know exactly how much it will take to crush them." Kneeling beside her feet he bound them with the slack from her noose, slack which would later be used either to hang her or lead her he hadn't decided. "And kicking me was another mistake but one you will not live long enough to regret."

He grabbed her ankles and tugged hard, she was slammed flat on her back and he climbed on top of her. Taking hold of the hem of Ceana's dress he slid it along the length of her legs until she was fully exposed, seeing her way reminded him of the recent blow he had dealt her. "Does it still hurt Maria?"

"Do what you have to, it doesn't matter. Better men than you have used me but know this; What you take from me now you steal like a common thief, I will never give you anything not my body, not information not even the satisfaction of me struggling. Get on with it you fat useless prick."

He was disappointed she wasn't going to struggle but it didn't stop him. He penetrated her with force, knowing how much it had to be hurting only made him happier. She had her head turned to the side and didn't seem to be crying, there were no sounds of pain either. He would have to be more creative with her.

He leaned forward to the soft skin between her shoulder and her neck and sunk his teeth into the tender flesh. Her screams were music to his ears.