The Next Day...
July 12, 1191
The brightness of the sunshine had entered my room much more quickly than I had anticipated last night. Its rays fell upon my skin, warming me up and waking me from my dreamless, restless sleep. My forest green eyes fluttered open, but quickly shut when the sunlight hit my face and blinded me for a moment. Feeling a bit annoyed both at the sunlight and at everything around me, I turned to lie on my back and stared at the ceiling with nothing but a glare in my eyes. I knew exactly what tomorrow was. Tomorrow was the day I was to be married to Abel. My eyes narrowed even more than before, almost as if I was staring at the bastard of a fiancé. As always, I did not want to go, especially when the man I was to be marrying was going to be standing at the altar waiting for me. After months of asking, Abel was capable of bringing my father here as well, which was very unfortunate seeing as I did not want him to be around. However, I found out from my maid that Robert de Sable and Maria Thorpe were going to be there. As much as I saw them as my mentors during the time that Amal was missing, I did not want them to be there either. I did not want them to see how painful it was for me to even be standing next to him. Instead, I wanted to go in search of Altaïr, Ada, and Alexandra in Acre. Unfortunately, from what I heard from my maid, she heard Abel talk about how he planned to personally eliminate them one by one the day after the wedding.
"He said he wanted to make you watch them suffer," she told me yesterday while combing through my hair, "in order to show you what it meant to betray him."
"I will not let him," I murmured as I glared at my reflection, clenching my fists. "I will not let him hurt Ada, Alexandra, or Altaïr!"
I watched her glance down at me, her blue eyes filled with kindness and a look that seemed...nostalgic?
"This Altaïr person..." She asked, her voice so very sweet and soft, kind of like the feather of a dove. "He is an Assassin, no?"
"Yes." I spoke without hesitation. "He is an Assassin..." My gaze fell to the floor, "as am I."
I sensed a small smile grace her lips from under the cloth-like material.
"It is good you feel so determined to save him along with your friends," she said, "but you should know this: Love can make a person do the craziest things in life."
"And you should know this, my dear maid?" I wondered as I looked up at her, a smirk gracing my lips. "Falling for him, with the circumstances as they are, should be crazy enough to consider me a madman." I thought my words through for a moment, before speaking in a sheepish tone, "Or, eh, a madwoman, I should say."
The maid giggled and said, "If you do get the chance to save him and your friends, try not to do anything that will cost you your life."
Smiling lightly at the memory, I threw the covers off of me, and groggily got out of bed. The sun's rays continued to blind me for a moment, but I soon got used to it. I slowly turned my head to notice something familiar on my dresser, something that I dreaded seeing. Frowning, I realized immediately what it was: my wedding dress, one Abel had picked out for me. Sighing, I walked over to it to examine the details of the material much more carefully. When I did, I realized it was nothing in comparison to what Abel had gotten for me. It was a nice dress, beautiful at that. It had short sleeves and covered my breasts rather well, unlike the one Abel had gotten for me, which was much more revealing than this one. I knew it fit my waist and then dropped down to just past my ankles, but not enough for me to go stepping on it. Bows lined the bottom with an appropriate amount of space lining it and was raised just enough to see the lace like material underneath it. Glancing next to it, a small white choker with a diamond set in the middle sat next to it. It had glowed in the sunlight and brought out its beauty, yet a smile did not grace my lips. Although I admitted the outfit truly looked beautiful, I was not happy at all. Knowing that I would be forced to wear it for Abel did not make me happy at all.
"I made that dress especially for you."
Blinking once, I glanced up at my mirror, spotting the very man that was invited to my wedding. Maybe that is why I am not happy about this dress, I thought as I turned around completely to see my own father, who had a big smile on his face. His attire was all white just for the occasion, and he appeared proud. Proud to know his daughter was growing up. Obviously, this was really big for him, yet it was not that big for me.
I sighed and looked back at the dress, no longer wishing to look at my own father, before speaking bluntly, "It...looks beautiful…"
I heard his footsteps come towards me and stopped right next to me, placing a fatherly hand on my shoulder. Even though I knew it was him, it did not feel right; it did not feel as if he was my father at all. In fact, it felt as if I did not know the man at all, as if he were a complete stranger to me. When Bernard placed a hand on my shoulder weeks ago, it felt real. It felt as if he were my father and not Richard. Of course, I knew that was impossible. He was with Amal even before my mother's death, and would never try to sleep with my mother for any reason. He was always faithful, said Amal with a gentle and loving smile when I asked about him, no matter what kind of tomfoolery your mother tried to pull.
"Just like my beautiful daughter," said Richard, breaking me from my chain of thought. For once, I felt a small smile tug at the end of my lips for a fraction of a second, before it disappeared instantly.
"Father…" I started. I soon felt his gaze on me, so I continued. "I do not want to marry him. Please stop this wedding not just for the sake of your daughter's happiness, but for the safety and protection of this Kingdom."
I heard him sigh at my words, having heard this all before in the past.
"Lord Abel is a great man, Cynthia." He responded. "He proved it to me on numerous occasions."
I rolled my eyes as I walked over toward the balcony.
"No, he is not," I retorted. "He is not the man you think he is, Father. He is selfish, greedy, and only cares about what he gets out of life. Whether it be money, recognition, glory, that is all he cares about." I turned to look at him. "He is a careless man, and will treat me like a beggar and have any who oppose him killed by tomorrow morning."
He turned to look at me completely, giving me his undivided attention.
"I do not understand," he said as slowly made his way toward me. "You thought he was a great man in the beginning, but then all of this started to come up."
"I did think he was a great man," I responded in an honest tone, leaning against the wall as I stared out at the city, "until weeks later. He told me that he hated me, and did not care about me nor did he care about the people of the Kingdom. He even went as far as to say no one in this city mattered to him!"
"You are worrying too much, Cynthia."
I turned to him, a shocked and angered expression written on my face.
"I have every right to worry about the well-being of myself and my people!" I shouted at him. "These people are what keep the Kingdom alive, and you worry about my happiness, yet you refuse to listen to what I have to say!"
"Calm down, Cynthia-"
"No! I will not calm down, Father!" I interrupted him. "I cannot even look in his direction because I am so disgusted by who he is! Ada and Alexandra think the same thing, as they have seen him act horribly to me! They have seen what he was like with their own two eyes! I do not want a man who will treat not just myself, but everyone else like trash!
"I want someone who cares about me and my people, someone who will do anything to keep them happy and safe from harm." I looked away from my father and stared at a wall. "Abel does not make me happy. He makes me furious to a point where I want to scream. He makes me hate him even more, what with the way he acts so innocently when other people are around." I glowered at him this time, "I told you once before, and I will say it again: I refuse to marry him! I refuse!"
Instead of taking a moment to take in everything that I said, he decided to retort immediately.
"Cynthia, I do not know what you are talking about right now, but you must marry him for the sake of this Kingdom."
My face contorted to one of disbelief.
"Did you even hear a word I said? I told you I refuse! There is nothing you or anyone else can do to change my mind!"
"I do not understand why you hate this man so much," he said as I walked over to my bed and sat down. "I have spoken to Abel many times, and he says many great things about you and respects the Kingdom."
I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away from him.
"That is because you do not know the real side of him, the side I see," I answered. "He is only playing nice because he wants to make a good impression before taking it all out on me!"
He sighed; pinching the bridge of his nose; frustrated, before turning toward my door.
"Look, Cynthia, you will be marrying him tomorrow. Whether you want to or not, you must."
At that point, I got up and turned to watch him walk toward the door, rage building up inside of me.
"You never listen to what I have to say, Father!" I shouted, causing him to stop and turn around.
"Of course I-"
"No! No, you do not!" I countered, interrupting him once again. "You are lying through your teeth and I know it! I have tried telling you months ago that he was a bad man and was unfit to rule the Kingdom, yet you completely ignored me and told me I needed to do this 'for the good of the people'!" I looked away from him. "Yes, I agreed with that he was a great man back then, but he changed entirely as time went on! I told you that I did not like him because of all the things he said he would do to both myself and the people of the Kingdom. Knowing you, though, you paid no mind to it. Just like you always did!" My eyes narrowed as I looked back at him. "Amal was right. She always told me that you would never listen to what I had to say, and she was right!"
"Do not bring your aunt into this!" He snapped. "Amal has nothing to do with this!"
"I can bring whoever I want into this conversation! Do not talk down to me as if I am nothing but a child!" I was met with silence on his end. "I am a twenty-three year old woman for Christ's sake! I do not need my father breathing down my neck every single second of the day, telling me what I can and cannot do! I am a grown woman who can make her own decisions for herself! But no, you still think I am a child sent off to marry someone for the Kingdom's future."
My head lowered as I tried to calm my riled nerves. "I am not the little girl I used to be anymore, running around exclaiming 'I am going to get married one day and live happily' anymore!" I looked back at him, confidence filling my body. "I am Cynthia Richard, the woman whose father would not let her decide who she should be with! The daughter of a man who refused to allow her to decide who was truly fit for this Kingdom!"
Silence grew over the both of us as we stared at each other for a long moment. He started at me with a surprised, yet saddened expression, as if he had realized what he had done was wrong. I kept my glare, though, knowing that it was probably a lie. I was so angry with him, so enraged by the fact that he did not want to believe that Abel was, in fact, an evil man. He never believed me for...well, anything, hence the strained relationship I had with him for so long. Even before Abel came into the picture, Richard and I never had a good relationship. He was always busy with his duties as a King while I was left under the care of Maria Thorpe, who taught me everything that I had grown up learning, like sword fighting and standing up for myself.
Well, I thought, I was able to put both of those aspects to good use. Still, something in my mind told me that I did not have to snap at him the way I did. Yet, I had become so frustrated with his denial to listen to me and his continuous assumption that I just exploded. Nevertheless, it happened, and there was no way I would able to take it back.
After a long moment, I watched him sigh in a defeated manner, as if I had won this argument.
"Cynthia, I...I am sorry," he spoke, his voice low and apologetic. "I am sorry for not listening to you. It's just...I wanted someone to take over the Kingdom all while keeping you happy." He paused, "I promised your mother...that I would make sure you were happy and look over you until the time was right…whatever that meant...but it seems like I failed."
I sighed and turned around, staring out the balcony doors, before crossing my arms.
"I...have nothing else to say to you," was all I had to say to him. It was the only thing I could say to him without scolding him even more. Without a word, he left the room and quietly shut the door behind him. At that point, a single tear rolled down my cheek, a surge of guilt running through my body.
How could I have been so...so cruel to him? He was my father, and only doing what was best for me, yet I only thought of myself and the people around me before thinking of him. I just felt so angry and frustrated with him for not believing me. However, just because I was upset did not mean he had to be scolded as well. The fight was like pouring salt over an all ready opened wound, and pain was something I could not handle. I could not take it anymore, and I needed to let my anger out somehow without putting my fist through a wall and injuring myself. Still, he did not deserve what he got. Silently, I turned around and looked over at the door, wiping away the tears that had fallen down my face. If only we could fix our relationship, I thought as I closed my eyes. If only we could start over...
Just then, the door had opened once again, making open my eyes again to find that my maid had entered the room. Her eyes appeared a bit calm, yet still held the kindness I was so used to seeing. She gave me a kind smile from under the cloth as she closed the door behind her.
"I heard your argument with your father," she muttered, feeling somewhat guilty and ashamed. "I apologize for listening in. And I am sorry about the relationship between you two."
A small smile graced my lips, trying to put the past behind me.
"Do not feel so upset about it. I do not think it is something I will be able to fix. Besides, I have other things to worry about."
She started to approached me. "Like the wedding?" She questioned. Rolling my eyes, I smiled lightly and nodded.
"Unfortunately," I responded as she motioned for me to follow her.
"Well, you should try on the dress, just to be sure that it fits." Without a word, I simply decided to go along with her, not wanting to stress myself out even further than I already had with my father. She helped me slip on the white dress as I put on a look of disgust.
As I had said before, to know I was going to wear it for Abel infuriated me. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could about it now. Richard refused to change his mind on the matter, although it was apparent he had thought about it, and Abel's mind has been set on marrying me since day one. I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror, watching as the maid continued to fix the dress. I felt disgusted; it felt too odd to wear, especially when it was someone who greatly disliked dresses. After she finished making sure the dress was perfect, I slowly picked up the white collar and placed it around my neck, snapping it into place before allowing my arms to fall to my sides. The maid quietly stepped back as I stared at myself in the mirror, lightly glaring at my reflection before looking back at her.
"You look...absolutely stunning," she sighed, smiling warmly. Then, her blue eyes widened slightly before exclaiming, "Oh! I forgot the veil!" She turned around and headed for the door. "I will be right back, Cynthia!"
"Do not worry..." I muttered just as she exited the room. "I am not going anywhere..."
Silence enveloped the room as I turned back around, staring at my reflection once again. Memories of my childhood filled my head, remembering when I put on one of the dresses Amal had specially made for me. I remembered telling her I was a beautiful princess and I was going to marry a man who would love me "forever and ever." However, although my childhood put a small smile on my face, it did not truly make me happy. My imagination of meeting someone who would love me faded away; it got to a point when I just did not want to get married. Fortunately, I knew I had something to look forward to, something I felt I would see again. A genuine smile, now, graced my lips. I knew Altaïr was going to come here. He was going to arrive in Jerusalem and save me. He would take me to Masyaf just as he planned when we escaped from Damascus. Never again would I have to look back at the life that was filled with lies. Never again would I need to worry about marrying someone I did not love. Never again would have to tolerate the Templars' cruel ways, and I would be able to stop them once and for all.
"You look beautiful in that dress, you know."
Jumping, my head looked over toward my balcony at the sound of a new voice. Eyes widening, I recognized the person entering my room as someone I had not seen in a long time.
"Malik?"
Malik chuckled as he approached me.
"I am glad you still remember me, Cynthia. Despite the informal way we had met many weeks ago."
"How could I forget the man who helped me escape the city," I responded, "as well as the man who rescued Altaïr from Abel?"
"I am surprised you are not upset with me for the delayed time before his arrival," he stated, stopping to stand in front of me.
I shook my head, smiling lightly.
"I cannot be mad at you, Malik. You saved him despite knowing what was going on was – or is – wrong. I am eternally grateful for it."
"Speaking of that man," He looked around the room, "where is he? And why is it you have returned to Jerusalem?"
My smile disappeared as I looked at the ground, my heart aching with slight guilt and loneliness.
"Altaïr is in Acre," I explained in a grim tone. "He has been imprisoned along with Ada and Alexandra." I sensed Malik's eyes narrow, but more toward the Templars as they were the cause of it. "Abel had found out where I was and brought me back here. I know he plans to execute them, and there is nothing I can do to stop it."
"How could this have happened?" He questioned.
"I blame myself," I stated. "I was stupid and did not tell my friend Diana of what was going on, and... she came here and told Abel..."
"Do not blame yourself for this," he said, placing only his hand on my shoulder. "It is not your fault."
"But it is," I retorted in a guilty tone of voice. "If had not been for my selfish ways, Diana never would have come here and exposed us..."
"She will pay for betraying you," he growled. "I promise you that much."
I looked back at him with a worried expression.
"Diana is the least of my worries right now, Malik. You have to find Altaïr and bring him back." My eyes narrowed slightly. "My friends, Ada and Alexandra, are with him as well! They were all captured and sent to Acre until after the wedding. Abel plans to execute them as well."
"Ada and Alexandra as well?" He asked. I nodded, making him look away from me. "That man will stop at nothing to make sure you suffer." He looked back at me, squeezing my shoulder comfortingly. "Do not worry. I promise I will bring them back safely. And I promise Altaïr will get you out of all of this."
I smiled as he released my shoulder and turned to approach the balcony.
"Thank you, Malik. It means so much to me that you are doing all of this." I said just as just as he opened the doors. Before he could leave, I quickly took hold of his sleeve. "Wait, Malik!"
He stopped and turned to look down at me. "Yes?"
I looked away from him for a moment, placing my hand against my choker, before looking back up at him.
"When you see Altaïr..." I started, "tell him...tell him I love him, and that I miss him so much."
He smiled and brushed a few strands of my hair out of my face.
"I will. Be sure of that," he said as I closed my eyes as a silent means of thanking him again. When I reopened them, he was gone, leaving me behind with a feeling of hope filling my body.
It is only a matter of time, I thought, folding my hands in front of my chest, before we are together again, my love..