A/N: FAITH. I was playing through AC2 and reading the Codex pages when I came up with the idea for this one, so it's almost accidental. I also kind of over-dosed on the pseudo-philosophical approach to things, but that isn't my fault either. XD
dragonlover131313: I think fleshing it out and expanding beyond what we're given is the duty of any good author. Well, that and researching the subject matter, but that's beside the point. XD I'm glad you enjoyed the update. This one was really inspired by the Codex pages. :)
xGhostxStealth: I have a tendency to wander over to ACOD when I'm at work. But it's cool 'cause I'm usually the only one here and I hate paperwork so I finish it as quickly as possible so I don't have to think about it anymore, lol. My problem with updating is that my Muse is a huge jackass and my Inspiration is... "Special". He likes to chase butterflies and all that nonsensical stuff... So between the two of them, it's sometimes difficult for me to write and get stuff out that's actually worth a damn. The opening paragraphs are always either really, really easy, or really, really hard to write. There's not really an in-between.
Ranchdressing: I just kind of like the idea of Malik being so sexually frustrated by Altair's insistence on helping everyone, leading to the subsequent ignoring his lover, that Malik decided to come up with any half-assed reason he could grasp to sleep with him. Maybe that makes me sick... Lol. And I completely understand life getting in the way. Trust me... Damn job... XD
HumanElement: Haha, thank you. I'm trying to get back into a regular updating schedule, but it's difficult at the best of times. Especially considering I'm working on three fandoms at the same time, and I'm looking into a fourth because my Muse and Inspiration are so damn ADD, I see potential story lines in everything I see. -_-; Haha. Don't worry though. I'm not done until it's listed complete. ;)
"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted." It was an excruciating paradox that haunted Altair day in, day out. It whispered venomous promises at night and laughed at his torment when the sun rose and he realized he hadn't slept.
If nothing was true, then, if taken literally, did that mean that even their creed was somehow a lie? But if their creed was a lie, would that then mean that everything else around them was true? That would have to mean that nothing was permitted, leaving them slaves to arbitrary ideals with no free will to change their lives, be it for better or worse. Did that then make Assassins little more than idealists and dreamers? They already clung to their ideals so readily, so many were unwilling to change. They felt that Altair asking them to remain anonymous when they killed was asking them to deny their very existence to the outside world; he was called a disgrace, a blemish on the record of Assassins. One particular novice claimed he was somehow worse than Al-Mualim, who at least let them keep their pride in what they were. Altair didn't even have time for his rage to settle in. It seemed the moment the words were said, Malik had been born of the shadows themselves and had a small blade pressed to the young man's throat with a hissed promise of death if he dare spoke the name of that traitor again.
Despite the loss of of his arm and his time spent locked away in a Bureau in Jerusalem, Malik was still a thousand times more capable with his weapons than nearly anyone else remaining in the fortress. Though he often found himself delegating for his old friend, stepping in and speaking for him. The truth was, he was tired of seeing that wounded, confused look in Altair's eyes. He helped Altair encode most of the pages of the journal he kept, so he knew what was on his friend's mind, he knew about the cynical shade the world seemed to have taken on, more since his experiences with the Apple than with Al-Mualim. It worried Malik, some days, to see the man he loved so completely torn apart, shaken so deeply by the questioning of ideals he had regarded as simple truths, things that had seemed so real they were never questioned, even in a jesting manner. Altair was now passing his days in a state of constant questioning, always wondering if he was making the right choice, wondering if their Creed itself was a lie, wondering where that left them.
"We don't really know the truth of anything. Truth, real and impartial truth, is completely objective. But as long as there are people, our lives will always be subjected to partiality because it will forever be subjective. Humanity is a frail thing. Maybe that is why we cannot understand the truth of the world around us." Altair muttered darkly.
Malik remained silent. He knew that, for the moment, the Master Assassin was just venting the thoughts that were too dark for him to bear alone. He'd spent many years with Altair and knew when his input was needed and when it was beneficial for him to just listen.
"We cannot truly ever answer a question because our answers are only ever fragments of the truth, because we answer subjectively, and the truth is objective. So how are we certain we are making the right choices? How can we be certain our Creed is something that we should continue to uphold? We claim to be freeing people from being enslaved by men who would bend the minds of others for their own gain. But how can we claim to be any better than they if we spend our lives training Novices to live by a Creed that, by definition, could be completely flawed and could be no better, or even worse, than the ideals we're struggling against?"
"Because we have what those others are lacking." Malik said softly. He silently approached the desk where Altair sat, surrounded by scrolls and books in all manner of languages. The former Rafik took one of his lover's ink-stained hands and turned the palm up.
"Faith, no matter what it is in, is, by nature, objective," Malik murmured as he traced the lines etched in Altair's palm, "We believe so completely that what we are doing the right thing that we would die for that. There is no room for interpretation within our motives. Our creed and our methods can be called into question. They may be considered subjective, as we choose the methods we personally believe to be the best. But our faith is completely objective. We do not base our faith on limited conditions. We do not ignore our faith until it can be proven. We do not seek out miracles before we commit ourselves entirely to our cause. The Novices who are angered by your changes are raging against the methods, not the cause. Their faith in our ways are so unshakable. Where the Templars rely on their miracles and their proof to keep the faith alive, we have it unconditionally. When all others lost their faith in our order because of Al-Mualim's corruption, you remained faithful in the righteousness of what we do. That should be a comfort to you, and serves to prove that we are right." Malik redirected his gaze to Altair's face and saw the Eagle regarding him with a familiar shrewd gaze.
"You make it seem as if the answer were so obvious I should be ashamed for not seeing it sooner." Altair almost smiled.
"In all of my years, I never imagined having such a fool for a lover." Malik teased.
"Do you think you can tolerate my foolishness long enough to teach me what it is to accept faith as an answer to all of life's mysteries?"
"I suppose so."