Hey guyyyys!
Damn, you have no idea how much time I spent rewriting this one. Seriously, this was hard, principally the end of it. I'll stop talking now because I don't want to spoil anything. And just so you know, I used a lot of references from the Assassin's Creed: Secret Crusade book on this chapter, so I disclaim these parts. I disclaim also the reference from mermaids and the goddess Atarathteh, which I took from wikipedia, and the assassin Amunet, from Assassin's Creed wiki.
Altair looked up and down at her before shout to the French man on the deck "Do you need any help, sir?"
"Not for now, son. I'll warn you if I do"Came the answer from above them
Elissa smiled to him softly; cheeks still rosy. Altair tilted his head and cupped her cheek with one of his hands, bringing her closer to him, and kissed her lips once more. Her hands rested on his shoulders, massaging his muscles.
Altair breathed out as he broke the kiss, resting his forehead on hers. Her shiny eyes looked up from his mouth to his eyes, staring at him deeply
"I know what you're thinking…" She spoke softly; he kept silent, but caressed the back of her neck with the hand that was in her cheek before ""Why this sudden change?" Isn't it?"
He kept some more seconds silent, but then spoke "Yes" She shivered when she felt his breath brush her lips "But not knowing the answer doesn't bother me" He spoke and placed another kiss in her mouth. The assassin then wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, burying his face on the crook of her neck.
Elissa smiled and held him tightly too, enjoying the warmth that his body emanated. She wanted to explain to him what she was feeling; that she couldn't stand being mad at him anymore, that she wanted to understand him, to know more of him and to be with him. She yearned to embrace him, to feel his skin on her palms and his lips on hers.
But she couldn't find the words to express herself.
She almost shook her head in disbelief of herself, but instead, she chuckled nervously. Altair rose back from her and looked at her curiously. She smiled shyly.
"I don't know what to say…"
Altair blinked and observed her silently. He massaged the back of her neck again and pulled her along with him to lie in the bed. One of his arms rested on the pillow and supported her head, while he stretched the other to grab the book that had fallen on the ground.
Elissa shifted her body so she was lying on her side and rested on of her hands on his chest and her head on his shoulder. The assassin moved his arm so it supported her mid-back and he was able to open the book.
"You don't need to" He whispered. She looked up at him, but his eyes lay on the book "I understand what you've been going through all this time"
Her tiny hand gripped his clothes softly involuntarily "You do?"
"Yes" He finally looked at her. His eyes held a deep sorrow inside of them. Of course he understood her, he hated himself for what he did too, so why wouldn't she? He thought, however, that it wasn't the moment for talk about that, so he turned his gaze to the book again "So, do you want to claim your prize?"
Elissa noticed his internal struggle, but didn't push him and instead grinned and hugged him tighter "Of course! Start reading, my dear assassin."
Altair mumbled a "don't give me orders" before turning the page, making Elissa giggle. He started reading slowly, finding a bit difficult to read and translate to her at the same time, but managing it anyways. The chapter he read described the basic of the looks of a mermaid, or rather, how they were said to look. Beautiful creatures half women, half fish. The myth involving the legendary being told that the goddess Atarathteh, once shamed by accidentally killing her human lover, punished herself by transforming herself into a mermaid. She jumped into a lake and took the form of a fish, but the waters would not conceal her divine beauty. Thereafter, she took the form of a mermaid — human above the waist, fish below.
"I've never heard of this goddess" Elissa spoke with eyebrows furrowed in thought.
"She's said to be the goddess of fertility and also the chief goodness of the northern Syria" Altair told her, recalling the book he read once about the divinity.
Elissa smiled happily "Aaah, like Aphrodite!" He raised an eyebrow at her, she chuckled "She's the Greek goddess of love and fertility, haven't you heard about her?"
"No" He answered truthfully. Elissa noticed a very light pink coloring his cheeks before he spoke in an awkward bass tone "You could tell me more about it in exchange"
She smiled fondly and nestled closer in his chest "Of course!"
He nodded silently and cleared his throat, resuming the lecture ""Other myths involving mermaids say that they are deceitful creatures. Clusters of mermaids seek ships through the seas. In the misty days they appear; the divine melody of their songs lure the men, make them lose their minds and fall in their irresistible trap. Once a man hear a mermaid's song, there's no turning back, the cursed yet gorgeous creature comes out of the sea and allures the man to the water and then drowns him."
"They're yet said by others to appear to the sailors as a bad omen, both foretelling disaster and provoking it. They tell them they will never see land again; in others, they claim the sailors are near shore, which they are wise enough to know means the same thing. Mermaids can also be a sign of approaching rough weather""
The brunette couldn't help but remember the nyads from the God of War series. They didn't seem as bad as these two other myths told; she thought they were more like Atarathteh.
Altair continued to read, surprised by how interested he was about the legends. Elissa, however, found herself becoming sleepy. The assassin's slow tone and husky voice seemed to be distant; his words dissipating in the air as a sweet lullaby. Her eyelids grew heavy, making her fight to keep her eyes open. She didn't want to sleep - she was enjoying hearing Altair reading for her and the story itself - but they had woken up very early and she still felt not fully rested. The balance of the ship and Altair's softness and warmness made it impossible to her not to fall asleep.
The ex-master assassin noticed that the weight on his shoulder seemed heavier and looked down to the girl resting on him. He sighed in disbelief realizing she was asleep. His eyes moved back to the book and he read the rest of the chapter, before letting the book down on the ground and closing his eyes for a moment.
He felt peaceful now. The sound and the movements of the waves among the boat making him relax, as well as the presence of the girl beside him. Breathing out slowly, he moved his free hand to caress her arm that rested above his chest. He heard her let out a soft sigh in response, but she didn't wake up.
Altair's eyelids opened halfway. He pulled her nearer and brushed his lips on her forehead, savoring her delicious lavender scent. He stood like that for what he felt like eternity, then, he kissed her skin and slowly moved to get up. The girl's hands clenched when he was finally up, missing his body, but she didn't awake.
Silently, the assassin made his way up the stairs and into the deck of the boat. Louis whistled a song while wisely twirled the wheel.
"Back so soon, son?" The French man asked keeping his gaze on the horizon "I thought I had told you that I didn't need help for now"
Altair sighed and sat by the edge of the boat, beside where Louis was standing "You did" He answered simply and shifted to look at the sea moving beneath him.
Louis raised an eyebrow, but stood quiet.
Chocolate orbs observed with attention the crystalline water waving and producing foam around the wooden structure of the boat. His mind seemed to be hazed. He could only focus in the lingering feeling of her lips on his.
"You know, I knew your father, boy"
The assassin looked up at the French man with furrowed eyebrows, looking at him suspiciously, but stood silent.
Louis let out a heavy painful sigh "My family and me moved to Acre when I was just two years old. My father was a trader, he travelled through all these high seas and he taught me to follow the same path as him. When I was at the age of twenty five, he told me about the brotherhood" He glanced Altair "He worked for the assassins" He looked ahead again "The next day, a youngster at the age of seventeen appeared at the docks looking for a boat who could take him to an island, the same way you did - except that he was alone" Louis sighed again "Umar was his name"
Altair felt his chest heavy at the sound of his father's name. The word seemed to taste sour in his mouth, even if he hadn't spoken it.
"Do you know what...?" He couldn't finish his sentence, neither look at Louis in the eyes
"What happened to him?" He asked filled with sorrow "Yes...I'm sorry for you, son"
Altair didn't answer
"He was a good man... I worked with him for quite a time, delivering messages, retrieving information... we've turned to be good friends" He watched Altair, who kept looking away "You seem much alike him"
The assassin reflected about his words and stared at his own reflection on the water. Thinking of how much he missed his father, even if he had died long ago.
...
Elissa woke up by the beginning of the afternoon, finding that Altair had left her side. She yawned and stretched her body, sitting up afterwards. She readjusted her ponytail in her head and stood up. Her head seemed to spin for a moment and she felt sick. The waving of the boat was no more a soothing movement for her, now that she was standing and not distracted by Altair's body and voice.
She tried to ignore the feeling and went up the stairs. The scent of salt invaded her nostrils and the marine breeze caressed her face. She stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling of freedom that overwhelmed her now.
"Enjoying the breeze, lass?" The French man asked with kindness in his voice.
The brunette smiled and turned to see the bearded man at the wheel "Yes, it's delightful" Her eyes wondered through the deck, smile turning doubtful "Where's Altair?"
"He's up at the mast"
She looked up, having to cover her eyes because of the burning sun in the sky. Up there, she could spot the ends of his assassin robes flowing in the wind. She smiled to herself, finding funny how he enjoyed being in top of high structures.
"Have you ever been in a boat before, miss?"
"Never, it's my first time" She answered and walked to sit at the edge of the boat beside the captain.
"Aren't you sick? Novices generally do"
She chuckled "In truth I am, but I'm trying to ignore the feeling"
Louis chuckled too at her answer "Where are you from, lass?"
"Ah, I'm from Babylon" She told him, bringing up the lie that Ghaniyah had made up back at Masyaf.
"Really? You don't have the accent of a Babylonian" He commented and looked at her suspiciously
"I was taken to Masyaf pretty early, I think that's why" She answered a bit nervously, turning her gaze to the sea.
"I understand" He replied calmly and looked ahead to the horizon.
Altair came down from the mast some time later. They had a meal with food Louis had brought and then they enjoyed the trip while the sailor told them his life in the sea.
It was some time after the evening that they arrived in the island. The full moon shining brightly above them.
"Well kids, I'm sorry, but since the boat has no room for you, you'll have to camp on the island" Louis told them, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment for being kicking them out.
"It's not a problem. Thank you for bringing us here, sir" Altair answered and stepped down the boat to the sand. He extended his hand to help Elissa down then.
"You're welcome; I'll wait you here" He spoke and watched as the girl jumped down to the land "Take care, kids. I heard that there are a lot of wild animals out there"
Altair and Elissa nodded and said goodbye to Louis, then headed to the center of the island. In their way, they found vast vegetation, having to push the trees' leaves and bushes aside to continue their road.
"All will be revealed, on the trail we blaze" Elissa sang in her mind as they walked through the trees, smiling happily.
They stopped at a clearing where they made a little camp. Elissa arranged their blankets, covers and pillows on the ground while Altair lighted up the fire. The brunette then sat beside him, put her bag aside and took some food and water for them both, handing Altair his share as the fire was finally burning strongly.
Altair thanked her and they both eat in silence, appreciating the wonderful view of the starry sky of that night.
"Hey"
The assassin turned to look at her when she didn't continue, he noticed the she seemed a bit uneasy and that she avoided looking directly to him;
"What's wrong?" He asked concernedly, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Uhm..." She hesitated, biting her lip "I was just wondering... you've never told me exactly what happened after your..." She stopped again, swallowing hardly "... your father passed away..."
Altair blinked and turned ahead, remaining silent and reflecting about her words.
"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to..." He turned at her again; her cheeks were slightly red and she now looked at him in the eyes "I just wanted to know more about you..."
The assassin looked to the sky again "It's alright" He told her and narrowed his eyes sorrowfully at the memories "It was quite hard. I didn't actually see him dying, but I heard it. I heard as the sword that took his life fell on the ground and the blood streaming from his body. I wanted to run to him then, I still had hope that somehow he was alive, but Ahmad prevented me from it"
His teeth clenched with pain "I was so mad at that time. I blamed him for my father's death" He shook his head "Fool me. I didn't see how much pain he was going through as well"
"After that, I continued to sleep in the room my father and I used to share. I started sleeping on the bed that used to be his, to feel his smell; that way, always when I went to sleep, I imagined him working at his desk, or coming up very late to scold me for still being awake and the blow off the candle."
"At the same time Al Mualim told me that I would be called in the right time and that if I needed anything I could call him as my mentor. Ahmad became even sicker, always with fever. He used to scream my father's name at night. One night, then, I heard a sound in my room and woke up, not fully seeing who was there" He gulped "I thought it was my father, that he had returned to me and that his death was just a terrible nightmare. The face that I met, though, wasn't his, it was Ahmad's."
"I saw his pale face and weak body in front of me, as a ghost. He had a distant expression on his face, almost peaceful, and he smiled to him as I sat on my bed. His eyes, though, were deep and dark holes, as if the pain had burned the life within them. As I looked down, I saw that he had a dagger on his hand."
"The only words he pronounced were "I'm sorry" , before he sliced his own neck before me. His blood streamed down his neck as he fell on his knees with a peaceful smile on his face; his ghostly eyes locked with mines, before he finally fell entirely on the ground. I stayed there some more time, not knowing what to do, simply crying lowly, until I finally gathered the courage to stand up, grab a candle and run to Al Mualim's room"
"He made me promise I'd never tell this to anyone, even to Abbas, Ahmad's own son. We told everyone that he had travelled to never come back, instead" He looked down, his voice a mere whisper "Since then, Ahmad's face often appears in my dreams; the scene of him slicing his own neck and smiling"
Altair finished and looked at Elissa again. One of her hands covered her mouth as silent tears ran down her cheeks; her bright turquoise orbs were now reddened and shined with sorrow, not believing his words. His look turned softer as he cupped her cheek with his hand and wiped some tears from her skin.
She hiccupped softly as her hand fell "Altair, that's... I can't even imagine how horrible that should have been to you..."
The assassin massaged her cheek as he looked deeply through her eyes "It's past now"
She choked sadly "I know, but-"
"I cannot change my past, neither the things I did, Elissa" He told her firmly, making her look at him attentively; still hiccupping softly "I know that, perhaps, if I haven't blamed Ahmad so much, he'd not be dead. I know that If I haven't been so arrogant, Malik would still have his brother and his arm, and many lives could be spared" He swallowed hardly, the words hurting his heart "I'm sorry if I didn't tell you this earlier, but that's been locked inside of me for so much time that it was hard to bring it up to you"
She cried bringing her hand to her mouth again; her eyes narrowing as the tears fell. She couldn't stop her mind to imagine the little Altair passing through all those situations. She had judged him, without even knowing those horrible things that happened to him. She felt a terrible person.
Altair wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly, rubbing the back of her head comfortingly as she cried in his chest. He let her cry as she needed, also because he didn't know what to say to make her feel better, that is: if there was anything that could.
When he could just hear soft sobs coming from her mouth, he pulled her with him slowly to lie on the blankets behind them. He pushed her cover aside and lay her on the ground softly, still embracing her and gently rubbing her cheek with his thumb. Her eyes scanned him thoughtfully, still red; her mouth was slightly opened as she breathed with difficulty.
He furrowed his eyebrows concernedly and pulled the cover over her "You should rest. I'll watch over for now"
She stared at him deeply and stretched her hand to gently caress his cheek, remaining silent. He felt her soft palm on his face, what made his heart feel warmer.
"I'm so sorry, Altair" She whispered weakly "I wish I could do something to take all the suffering from your life... I want you to know that I'll always be by your side. I want to make you happy, to make it up at least a little for you sorrow" A tear ran down her face as she whispered "I love you, Altair"
The assassin's eyes widened at her words. He was stunned for the first time in years, speechless. He watched paralyzed as she smiled weakly and placed a slow kiss on his lips, then backed up again and ran a hand through his hair, caressing it fondly.
"Thank you for sharing this with me. I know how painful it must have been to you to remember and to tell me all of that" She told him and retreated her hand "Please, don't...don't stay up for too long, okay? You need to rest too."
He nodded silently, not knowing what to say, and kept watching her as she closed her eyes to sleep.
When she was fully asleep, Altair sat up, one knee raised to support his arm while the other leg rested stretched on the ground. He stared at the fire as it crepitated, thinking once again about Elissa's words. Had she really meant it? Would she give up everything for him? He had his doubts. He could not deny, though, that he felt good when she said it; he felt the loneliness within him fading away; he felt that there was somebody there to him, that really accepted the way he was and everything he did in the past.
He looked up to the sky and sighed, feeling once more selfish by wishing that she can't find a way to go back.
…
The couple started their quest early, when the first rays of sun enlightened the earth. Elissa explained to Altair that Fouad had appeared in her dreams and explained the directions they had to follow. They headed to the south of the island, finding a little stream and stopping drink water and fill their canteens.
When they were back in track, the two were attacked by a group of six jackals. The ferocious animals surrounded them, showing their pure white fangs and growling threateningly. Altair told Elissa to stay calm and unsheathe her dagger, while he cautiously reached the hilt of his short blade on his back. The girl gulped and did the same with her dagger, feeling her breath hitching in her throat as she stared at the predators' eyes analyzing her actions.
The gesture made some of the animals roar and attack them. Altair dodged them, pulling Elissa along with him; one of the jackal's claw ripping his robes at the lower arm when the animal jumped towards him.
"Are you alright?" Elissa asked breathlessly as she positioned back-to-back with him.
He nodded "Stay behind me and don't let your guard down"
With much effort, the two remaining jackals ran away. Altair managed to kill the other four and Elissa managed not to die and to hurt herself that much. In the end, the assassin had just more of his robes ripped and some minor wounds; the girl had just a scratch on her cheek and some ripped clothes as well.
They continued their path after Elissa made sure Altair put some medicine on his wounds. They could hear the sound of birds around them, flying off the trees and singing. Elissa smiled and pointed when she saw a fox running by.
"Look, there's the temple!" The brunette pointed ahead.
Not too far away from them, a medium sized stone structure rested among the vegetation. Approaching it, they saw the stairway that led to the entrance. They followed it; the sound of theirs steps on the hard stone echoing through the forest.
The two found themselves in a large room; two big fountains with the carving of a fish with its mouth open, from where the water came out of, rested on each side of it. Straight ahead, there was a kind of a stone altar and behind it there was a large statue of a woman with long hair that fell on her shoulders, more or less with 2,5m of height. Her arms were stretched in front of her body, like she was offering something to those who entered the temple. Elissa looked down to it to see that the woman's half lower part was of a fish, the dolphin-like tail bent to the side as the waves made of stone crashed against it.
"That's Atarathteh" She said and proceeded to walk towards the statue. Her progress, however, was interrupted by a hand holding her wrist.
Elissa stopped and looked back to find Altair looking down to her; his eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes held a deep emotions, one that Elissa could not bring herself to describe.
She tilted her head and looked at him concernedly "What's wrong?"
Altair kept quiet, just staring at her eyes. She became even more worried and was about to ask again when spoke.
"You really meant it?" He said "What you said yesterday, that you wanted to stay with me?"
Elissa flinched. She had said that and she really wanted to be with him indeed, but she still wasn't sure if she could give up her family for him. She looked at him seriously and stretched her free hand to run it through his hair inside his hood.
"Yes" She whispered. His heart beat faster, but he waited for her to continue "Yes I really want to stay with you, Altair"
He furrowed his eyebrows again when he could hear the hint of hesitance in her voice "But…?"
Her eyes narrowed in sorrow and she cupped his cheek "But I don't know if I can give up my family that easily…" She told him sadly
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to an embrace, resting his head in the crook of her neck "I understand…" He whispered, feeling his heart broken.
She pulled back a bit to make him look in her eyes again "Altair, please, don't be sad. I'm not going anywhere for now; the time where I'll have to decide whether to stay or not hasn't come yet"
He stared at her for a moment before lower his mouth to hers. His hands brought her closer to him as he kissed her deeply. Elissa wrapped her arms around his neck as she answered the kiss with passion, allowing him to have all the access he wanted to her mouth. She wanted him to know all that she felt for him, to feel her love for him, and how hard it was for her to decide between him and her family.
Altair ended the kiss placing another one beneath her jaw, letting her rest her head on his chest after it. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling his chest going up and down and relaxing with the movement.
Elissa looked up and placed a soft kiss on his lips before smiling. He gave her a soft smile of his own and released her. She held his hand and pulled him with her towards the statue.
"Grandpa hadn't told me that this temple was in honor to Atarathteh" She furrowed her eyebrows as she analyzed the statue and it position, searching for something it could be secretively telling them.
Altair released her hand and walked to the other side of the altar, observing the craved drawings on it, which represented the story of the goddess "Had he said something about what you had to do to find the sword?" He narrowed his eyes and ran his fingers above a thin hole on the center of the altar, surrounded by a circle with decorative shiny stones around it.
"He said that I would have to find out how, but that he would help me if I needed" She said as she ran her hands through the statue's ones "He also said that you could help me, that you had a special talent for it" She giggled.
At her words, the assassin knew what to do "I know what he meant, just a minute" He told her, making the girl look at him quizzically.
"Altair, your eyes are…!" She exclaimed surprised. Altair kept silent, looking around the room in search of a golden spot.
The goddess' statue now glowed in gold; he looked down to where her hands pointed: the altar, more specifically the hole on the stone. Once more, he analyzed the hollow with his fingers, trying to think of something that would fit there. His eyes narrowed; if Fouad was an assassin, he should have constructed a room that only assassins could reach; that meant that what fit on that hollow should be an assassin's object.
The ex-master assassin's eyes glowed brighter when he had an idea. He extended his arm and released his hidden blade. His eyes analyzed the blade then turned to look at the hollow again.
"It fits"
He licked his lips as he stepped closer to the stone structure and proceeded to plunge the blade on the hole on the stone. He could feel the blade progress being interrupted right when his flat hand touched the cold stone. He blinked and swallowed slowly, thinking what he had to do next.
"Try to turn it, the circle" He heard Elissa say and looked up to see that she had moved and now stood in front of him, in the other side of the altar.
He nodded and furrowed his eyebrows. Carefully, he tried to turn the circle. It moved indeed. He kept moving his hand until he couldn't turn it anymore and then retrieved the blade, but it was also unnecessary to continue. They heard a click as the circle went up some few inches; at the same time, they heard a louder noise on the left side of the room.
The two turned to see where the noise came from and watched as the water stopped to come out from the stone fish's mouth. As the waterfall was interrupted, Altair could see that the wall behind it was also glowing in gold.
"Come, I think that's the door" He said and grabbed Elissa's hand, pulling her with him.
When they looked closer, they could see a carving on the wall. The symbol of the assassins surrounded by a circle of what seemed to be bay leaves. It seemed that it was also an object that they should fit on the carving to open the door.
Elissa approached the wall with furrowed eyebrows "I don't understand… grandpa never gave me anything like this" She said sadly and stretched her hand to touch the wall "How are we suppos- Ah!"
Altair flinched when the girl retried her had from the wall and held her arm tightly, as if she had been burned.
"What's wrong?" He asked and watched as she moaned and rolled up the sleeve of her robes
"My arm, it's burning" She told him weakly before she rolled the sleeve entirely and saw that the tattoo on her skin glowed brightly gold.
She gasped and looked ahead again. Biting her lip, she stretched her arm again, placing her hand above the carving. She felt the burning sensation spreading from her tattoo to the symbol on the wall, before they heard another click and the wall started to move forward.
They stepped back, splashing some water that still remained from the fountain, and waited until the wall stopped moving. When it did, the burning on the girl's arm stopped, though the symbol still glowed. Altair walked to the side of the wall, observing that now it could be moved. He placed his hands on it and pushed it with all his strength, moving the stone to the opposite direction.
Elissa stared at the now opened path with hesitation; before her, a corridor led down to a flight of stairs. Altair felt her hesitation and held her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. She looked up to him and smiled fondly.
"Thanks for being here with me" She told him kindly and squeezed his hand too.
The assassin smiled and nodded, pulling her to go with him.
They descended three flights of stairs, turning three times left, like in a spiral direction. On the end of it, they found themselves in a circular room, a lot smaller than the one upstairs. On Each side of the room, more fishes' heads poured water on the floor, making the edges of the floor filled with water and letting only a smaller circle of dry floor on the center. At the roof of the room, there was a hole with grates on it, providing the entrance of light.
In the middle of the room, there stood a statue with more or less two meters tall. It was also a woman; she was dressed with what seemed an Egyptian attire. Her hair fell in front of her shoulders, reaching the height of her breasts. One of her arms was extended forward, to where the entrance stood, and above it there was a large snake. The animal's body was stretched along the woman's arm and its mouth hung wide open, showing its two prominent fangs.
Elissa and Altair walked towards the statue, analyzing it. The girl noticed the mischievous smile that curved the woman's mouth, as if she was mocking or challenging who entered her sanctuary.
"The answer is her, I can see it" Altair spoke, making Elissa look to him.
"How?" She asked and titled her head "Has it something to do with your eyes being golden at the moment?"
He couldn't help a soft smirk "Yes. I've never told you about it, but it's a…talent that I've always had. I can see things that others don't, sense how the person or the object is related to me, in this case, in form of golden glow."
The brunette grinned playfully "You tricky boy! So that's what grandpa meant about your 'talent'"
He nodded and held his chin, looking back to the statue "I don't understand what this means. She's pointing to the entrance"
Elissa narrowed her eyes attentive and rounded the statue. She stopped in front of the snake, analyzing its wide mouth. Her eyes darted once more to the smirk on the woman's face before going back to the serpent.
"It's not her gesture, Altair. Take a look"
The assassin stood by her side and looked to where the girl pointed, to the snake's mouth inside. His eyes widened when he saw something seeming like a small sphere there.
"She's challenging us to take what's inside there" Elissa told him serious.
He looked at her to see her courageous expression as she stretched her arm towards the snake. He could see her biting her lip as her hand and next her forearm disappeared inside the serpent's mouth.
Elissa breathed out the air she didn't even notice she was holding when her hand clenched around something. Slowly, she started retrieving her arm, hearing the sound of metal clashing against stone in the way. The first thing that appeared in their sight on Elissa's hand was a golden hilt of a sword.
Both stared stupefied as the girl finally retrieved the entire object from the serpent's mouth. Its pure golden color shined with the rays of sun coming from the roof.
"Oh god…" Elissa breathed out, unable to do anything else but stare at the beautiful sword now in her hands.
Altair speechlessly watched as the brunette carefully ran her fingers through the sword's sheathe. He could feel the power that seemed to emanate from the object; it attracted him like a magnet.
Elissa licked her lips and held the hilt of the sword firmly, before slowly start to pull it from its sheathe. She observed amazed how the blade seemed even shinier than the already gold sheathe, despite the center of it, which was white, like white gold.
She held the sword by its hilt and analyzed the blade. Her eyes narrowed when, for a moment, it seemed to emanate a wave of light, and then she felt her arm burn again. Elissa screamed in pain, making Altair alert and try to understand what was going on. She tried to throw the sword away, but it was like it was glued to her skin.
The assassin held the girl's shoulders as she kneed on the ground; tears running down her eyes in pain.
"Elissa!" He shouted and tried to take the sword from her, with no success also.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw the edges of the assassin's symbol on her arms slowly vanishing. He felt like his heart was stabbed and his air seemed to fault.
'No,no,no!' He screamed in his mind and cupped both her cheeks, looking right through her teary eyes; the turquoise color seeming to be mixed with the water falling from it.
"Elissa, you're…" He whispered, unbelieving what was happening.
Before his eyes, the girl's skin was turning transparent. The more her tattoo disappeared, the more she seemed to evaporate.
"Altair… I-I- what's happening?" She asked desperately, finding herself unable to move.
He looked momentarily to her arm to see that only the top of the symbol remained. For the first time since he was a child, he felt the unpleasant urge to cry. He felt water in his eyes, but he refused to let the tears fall. He sorrowfully stared at her eyes and caressed her cheeks silently, before placing a kiss in her mouth.
"I love you, Elissa. Never forget that" He whispered into her lips; feeling her tears wetting his face.
And then, he could not feel her anymore. His fists clenched against the floor as he looked down; feeling once more the solitude overwhelming him.
Please don't kill me, this was planned to happen since the beggining of the story. This will give Elissa a time to think about the decision she'll have to make about staying with Altair or her family. By the way, what do you think she should do? My first idea was for her to stay with him, but it would be nice to have some comments about it, since I'm as indecisive as Elissa about it now :/.
Thanks a bunch, bunch, bunch for the reviewers: TehNicksterBoi - Don't worry, I promise I'll finish it :D; ; Sarafinja; vInEscape; chelsea-chee - Haha, thank youu :) It's fun to write them, although I don't know if I'll be able to write the lemon I was planning to write with them... and LottieLiskaI'm glad that you're enjoying and happy to read your feedback :)
I also thank you all whom favorited and followed this story! I'm happy that you're enjoying o/
See you next chap guys! It will be probably entirely on 2013, with Elissa's dilemma about being or not happy with being back. Feel free to PM me :)